EPISODE 52: THE FLYERS'S REVENGE
PART 2: A SHARPTOOTH'S SECRET
CHARACTERS
Littlefoot
Cera
Ducky
Petrie
Spike
Chomper
Ruby
Guido
Etta
Pterano
Rinkus
Sierra
Dil
Ichy
Screech
Thud
Mama Flyer
Topps
Tria
Tricia
Grandpa Longneck
Grandma Longneck
Mama Swimmer
Papa Swimmer
Farwalker (OC) Spiketail
SONGS
I Can Save Them (to the tune of Very Important Creature)
You Don't Need Them (to the tune of Who Needs You?)
"Are you sure Pterano will be here, in this place?" Etta asked Phyra.
"Positive."
"What makes you so sure?"
"This is where he said it happened."
"What happened?"
Phyra explained how, after the Great Earthshake, Pterano had gotten many in their herd to join him and how, after a surprise Sharptooth attack, he, Rinkus, and Sierra had been the sole survivors. He had told them where it had happened, but he never told them exactly what happened, only that it wasn't his fault. Phyra knew her brother well, certainly better than Rinkus and Sierra did, and she suspected that Pterano was lurking around the place where he'd lost it all.
As they approached the place, they did indeed spot a lone pterosaur. "Pterano!" Phyra called.
Her brother looked up, bewildered, not daring to believe that it was his sister. He saw, to his joy, that was. "Phyra, you came looking for me!" he cried. He flew up to her and hugged her tightly.
"Pterano, they've taken Petrie!"
"Who's taken Petrie? Where did they take him?"
"Rinkus and Sierra, and some talking Sharpteeth friends."
"Sharpteeth can't talk!"
"These two can. A Bigmouthed Belly Dragger and a Sharpbeak."
"Why would they work with….." Pterano paused, recalling something that Sierra had said years earlier, "Sierra once said that he wanted to feed the children to Sharpteeth! Oh dear, the children! Maybe that's what this is all about!"
"I'm sure he said it in jest at the time. But what does that have to do with them taking Petrie?"
"I too think he was jesting at the time. But I have just thought of something, something truly terrible!"
"What?"
"I fear that they mean to lead me into a trap-"
"We kind of figured that," Etta interjected. "But your sister still thought that we should find you."
"You didn't let me finish. I don't think it's just me that they mean to trap. Last time, when they took Ducky, the kids went after them. Maybe, Rinkus and Sierra figure that the children will go into a trap as well."
"We hadn't even thought of that!" Phyra moaned. "And the worst part is," she wailed, tears dripping from her eyes, "is that the children have indeed vanished and gone looking for them. But we had been too worried about Petrie and about them to put it all together."
"Well, if the children are in danger, on account of my old friends, then I feel that I simply must act!"
"That's really nice of you," Etta said.
"Pterano, you must do something! It's your fault that Rinkus and Sierra even met the children in the first place!" Phyra snapped.
"I didn't ask them to-"
"Pterano, don't play the innocent!"
"You're right, you're right! I'm very sorry that I ever included them in any of my plans! Those two are totally uncivilized!"
"Yes, they most certainly were," Etta remarked.
"I will help get Petrie and his friend back safely home," Pterano said.
(Theme song: All I see is the day in front of us. All I see is the day in front of us. Burning bright with a new-born sun. Burning bright with a new-born sun. Come follow me
Hills to climb and valleys to roam
Oh, streams to follow all the way home
To the Land Before Time
Before time
)
Three hours later, the trio were back in the Great Valley. Several of the residents were unhappy to see Pterano, Mr. Threehorn least of all. However, upon hearing of Pterano's hunch that the children were being lured into a trap, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck agreed with him.
"So, it stands to reason, that we need to get to this Land of Mists as soon as possible. The children did say that that's where the Belly Dragger and Sharp Beak were from, from what I've been told. So, the sooner we get there, the better."
"That's a good hunch, Pterano, but we've got just one problem," Mr. Threehorn said.
"And what's that?"
"We don't know where the Land of Mists is!"
"Perhaps you can find someone here who does."
"I'm afraid that nobody from the Great Valley has ever been to the Land of Mists before, save the children, " sighed Tria.
"Hey, Threehorn, is this your wife?" Pterano asked, interestedly.
"Yes, she's hot, and she's mine!"
"Good choice."
"Well, I don't know what we're going to do," Mama Swimmer sighed.
"Yes, without a way to get to the Land of Mists, Ducky is a goner. We almost lost her last time to that Belly Dragger. This time, she might not be so lucky," said Papa Swimmer.
"If nobody here knows where the Land of Mists is at, then how did the young ones know where it was?" Pterano asked.
"A Farwalker Longneck herd," Mama Swimmer replied.
"Yes, the one that my cousin is in," Grandma Longneck said.
"I don't suppose they're here now," Pterano asked hopefully.
"Nope. They were last here some time ago but are long gone," sighed Tria.
"Maybe there's another Farwalker here that's been there or at least knows where it is," Etta suggested.
"A fine suggestion, my friend!" Pterano said.
So, they inquired around and, luckily, they encountered a Farwalker, a Spiketail, who had been, not to the Land of Mists itself, he was no fool, but had been near it and knew where it was. "No, I won't take you," he said.
"Well, a fine help that's going to be!" Mr. Threehorn grumbled.
"Can you tell us the way?" Grandma Longneck asked.
"Yes, I can do that."
After he told them the way, Pterano said, "Well, the three of us will be setting out."
"Are you sure that we should trust the wellbeing of the little ones, especially Cera, to Pterano?" Mr. Threehorn asked.
"Cewa! Cewa! Cewa!" little Tricia cried.
"Yes, I trust him. Besides, Etta and I will be with him," Phyra replied.
"Be careful," Tria said.
As the trio left the Great Valley, snow began to fall. Meanwhile, a short distance into the Land of Mists, snow was already falling in earnest. And the misty landscape, dreary even on days with good weather, looked positively dismal now with snow whirling about. Furthermore, visibility, already low in the mists, was even further reduced by the blowing snow.
"For being such a scary place, we haven't seen many scary things. But I suppose we might see more scary things, if we could see more things, which we can't, because of all of this mist and these blowing white ground sparkles," Ruby remarked.
"There are Fast Biters up ahead!" Chomper cried.
"I can't see any!" Cera said.
"I can't see anything at all in this mist, and I certainly can't see any Fast Biters," Ruby said.
"I can smell them!"
"Well, can you smell where they are, so that we don't walk right into them, and then end up inside of them?" Cera asked.
"They are up ahead and to the left. So we should double back and go to the right."
"I thought that you said that Petrie and Guido were up ahead and to the left," Cera said.
"I did. But I don't think they'd want us eaten by Fast Biters."
"You are right. They would not, oh no, no, no," Ducky remarked.
"I hope that this doesn't take us out of our way," Cera sighed.
"Being eaten by Fast Biters would definitely delay us," Littlefoot reminded her.
"Ok, fine. But we need to hurry."
"I'm doing the best I can," Chomper said.
"Just keep us from ending up in a Fast Biter's belly," Cera said.
Chomper took them away from the Fast Biters, until he was sure that they were safely enough away. "How close are Petrie and Guido now?" Ruby asked.
"Unfortunately, they are now further away."
"Of course they'd be!" Cera sighed.
"At least we don't have Fast Biters on our tail," Littlefoot reminded her.
"How much farther away are they?" Cera asked Chomper.
"Three times as far away as they were before." The others all groaned. "I did the best I could!"
"Nobody's blaming you, Chomper. We're just annoyed, that's all," Littlefoot assured him.
"We'll have to change paths again," Chomper sighed.
"Why this time?" Cera snapped.
"Pack of angry Crownheads." They had, minus Ruby, all had the misfortune of at least one bad encounter with Crownheads and weren't eager for any more.
"Maybe we can distract them. We're wasting time with all of these delays," Cera said.
"I agree, I don't like delays either. If there's a way to get past them, we should take it," Littlefoot said.
"I do have an idea, though I can't guarantee that it'll work," Chomper said.
"As long as it doesn't get us killed, go ahead and do it," Cera said.
"Ok." ROIOOOOOOOOOAR! Chomper roared as load as he could. His roar echoed in the canyon area that they were in.. He ran several feet and roared again. He ran as fast as he could, continuing to roar and roar. It had the effect of sounding like several larger Sharpteeth roaring.
Some distance away, the pack of Domeheads paused. They had scented Flattooth children. However, they weren't fool enough to pick a fight with a pack of Sharpteeth to get them. Thus, they moved away, preferring safety over a potential easy meal.
"they're leaving!" Chomper cried as he scented them leaving.
"Hurray, it workeded!" Ducky cheered.
"Let's hope that we don't run into any more delays," Cera remarked.
Meanwhile, Etta, Pterano, and Phyra neared the Land of Mists. Pterano began to sing, to the tune of Very Important Creature. "The children are in danger. When it comes to trouble, I am no stranger."
Phyra facepalmed while Etta beamed at Pterano, impressed.
"When things go wrong, I make them right.
I come out on top in every fight."
"That's quite impressive. Sure would have been handy to have you around in some of the things I've gone through the last few cold times," Etta remarked.
"I'm so clever and so brave.
The children we're going to save," Pterano began to sing.
"Oh be careful, Pterano. Sometimes you can get a really big head.
I don't want you to try something that will leave us all dead," Phyra remarked.
"Oh don't worry my dear.
As long as I'm here, we don't have anything to fear," Pterano sang.
"Well, we're going to a place that's filled with dangers and is covered in mist.
Those are dangers that cannot be dismissed," Phyra cautioned.
"When things are really dark and grim,
When it's sink or swim,
When there's danger everywhere,
When you need to get into a Sharptooth's lair,
When you are about to fall into despair,
Fear not, for you see,
You can count on me," Pterano sang, finishing his song.
"Well, that's good. We have nothing to worry about, then," Etta remarked cheerfully. Phyra shook her head.
The children, meanwhile, had been travelling for several minutes. They soon reached a bend in the road, though they didn't see it in the mist. Chomper, who had been daydreaming, didn't notice their scents moving away for some time. The others also didn't notice that he was missing.
Five minutes later, Chomper noticed that his friends were no longer nearby. "Guys! Guys!" he nervously called out. Nobody responded. "Guys, where are you?" He continued to call, this time more frantically, but he still couldn't locate them.
He sniffed the air, hoping to lock onto their scent. However, due to the blowing wind, it was hard for him to discern which direction that their scents were coming from. He decided to pick the direction that he believed that the scents were coming from, hoping that he was choosing correctly.
As he traveled forward in the mists, he believed that he was heading, more in less, in the right direction, but, to his dismay, his friends were moving further away, rather than closer, to him. However, he did lock on to the scents of Petrie and Guido. These, he soon discovered, were closer than those of his other friends. He knew that time was of the essence in rescuing Petrie and Guido. However, he had doubts in his ability to, if it came to it, fight off a Bigmouthed Belly Dragger, a Sharp Beak, and two maniacal Flyers by himself in order to rescue them. If he went by himself, he could get killed. But if he went after his friends, Petrie and Guido would likely be moved further away, and possibly be killed before they got to them.
He decided that he would go for them. Yes, he knew that he might be killed, but he knew his friends would risk their lives for him. He moved off in the direction of Petrie and Guido.
Meanwhile, his friends soon came to an area where the mist was thinner. They noticed that Chomper was no longer with them. "Oh no, Chomper's gone!" Ruby cried.
"Chomper, where are you?" Ducky yelled.
"I hope we find him. He's our best chance of finding Petrie and Guido."
"He's practically our only chance of finding them!" Cera sighed.
"Yes, but it's not just Chomper, Petrie, and Guido that we need to find. We also need to find ourselves too. We're lost," Ruby reminded them.
"I think it's best if we wait till this mist clears up," Littlefoot said.
"But that could take a long time. This place is called the 'Land of Mists' for a reason!" Cera groaned.
"We can't afford to lose anyone else."
"Let's hope that we don't have to wait long."
Meanwhile, Dil looked up at Guido. She figured that while she wasn't allowed to eat Petrie, because of the plan, nobody said anything about Guido. "While, I can't you, Flyer, but I can eat your weird-looking friend," the Deinosuchus cackled.
Petrie, though tied up with vines, still had his feet free. Thus, he swung himself downward, grabbing Guido with his feet and pulling the Glider to safety in time. Dil snapped at thin air, and, worse, for her, got her tongue stuck on ice.
"Hehhhh-Ickkkiiii—gbbbttt—meeehhh-doowwwhhh—fwummm-hrrrrrrrrr!" she bellowed.
Ichy turned and stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, at Dil for a moment, before falling to the ground and howling with laughter. "Oh, this is priceless! Just priceless!"
"Hehhhh-Ickkiiii—datttss-nobbbbt-fubbbbni!" she snapped.
"Ok, ok, I'll get you down." He yanked and pulled at her tongue, trying to free it.
"Owwww-ybbburr—hurbbbtng-mehhhhh!"
"Quit your whining!"
After a few more tugs, he freed the tongue, though it pulled off some of the skin in the process. "YOWWWWWWWW!" Dil roared, making such a loud noise that it loosened a few boulders on a cliff face some distance away and sent them tumbling.
Some distance away, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Spike, Chomper, and Ruby heard the noise. "What could that be?" Cera wondered aloud.
"I am not sure, but it was loud, it was," Ducky replied.
"Yuhhhh-hubbbbttt-mbbbby-tnnnnge!" Dil stuttered, her tongue sore.
"You'll get over it. It didn't come out, unfortunately, so you'll be talking like normal in no time."
"Onnnnhh-ufffff—deess-dayy-zzze-Ihhhh-by! Onnnnnhhh-ufff-deeess-dayy-zzze!"
"You always say that but never do anything. Wait, I take that back, you did once swat me off with your tail."
"Guhhhhhdddd-ideee-uuuh!" WHACK! Ichy was whacked and sent zooming off. He soon returned, looking flustered and angry. "Next time, if your tongue gets stuck, you just stay there!" he fumed.
"Quit fooling around, you two!" Rinkus snapped.
"Yeah, all the noise you made will attract lots of attention!" Sierra scolded them.
"You know, that might not be a bad idea. If those kids heard us, then they'll be here faster than a Fast Runner running toward a lake while standing on stone on a hot day," Ichy remarked.
"Yes, but it also attracted their attention too," Rinkus sighed, pointing toward two Allosauruses running in their direction.
The four bolted. They hadn't gone far, when Rinkus paused and began to head back the other way. "Where are you going?" Dil snapped.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" Rinkus asked.
"Right, the kids. Can't get them eaten by the Sharpteeth."
"Maybe we should just leave the funny-looking one to be eaten and take the Flyer. He's all that we really need," Sierra suggested.
"Ohhhh nuhhhhh! Ifffff iiihhhh cahhhhntt habbb heeeem, thatttt sharvt-oooth cahhhntt eberrrr!" Dil bellowed.
"I agree with her!" Guido cried.
"Me too! Me too!" Petrie shouted.
"Ok, fine, we'll take you along," Sierra sighed.
The two Flyers grabbed them, Rinkus carrying Petrie and Sierra carrying Guido. "You know, you could be gentler," Guido remarked, wincing in pain from Sierra's tight grip.
"What does it matter," the Cearadactylus snorted. "As long as you're alive, you'll be bait for those two kids. After that, you'll be Sharptooth food, so comfort won't matter to you anymore."
"Me hope that friends get here soon!" Petrie said nervously to Guido.
"So do we. Once we get your friends and Pterano here, we can take you all out together," Rinkus cackled.
"Let's hope that they find us and rescue us and that we don't all get killed," Guido said.
"Me like that idea," Petrie said.
"Don't count on it! Our plan is foolproof!" Sierra cackled.
"Only a fool would say that," Gudo remarked.
"The Sharpteeth will smell them before they get here. We'll be ready for them," Rinkus said.
"You not think of everything. We have friend named Chomper who-" Petrie began. "Mmmmphhhh! Mmmmphhhh! Mmpppph!" Guido had put a wing over his beak to shut him up.
"No, Chomper can't help us," Guido said quickly. "That Clubtail is too-"
Petrie, having freed his beak from Guido, began to blurt out "But Chomper not a-! Mmmmmph! Mmmmmph!" Guido quickly put a wing back in front of his beak.
"Yes, we know that he's not that bright. And that why we don't want to get him involved. And we don't want to mention him, so that these violent fellows here won't hurt him. We don't want them to know about him."
Petrie quickly understood. The less that the villains knew about Chomper, the better. Chomper would, if kept secret, be a useful tool in freeing them. "Yes, he better at eating Tree Stars than thinking, even if he have big boppy tail."
"Your Clubtail friend won't be able to help you!" Sierra laughed.
"Dil's teeth can deal with any Clubtail, even a fully grown one," Ichy said.
Petrie and Guido knew that, though Chomper was a Strongbiter, he was only a child, and thus wouldn't win a teeth fight with Dil. His best bet was to sneak up to them and free them without the four villains noticing.
Littlefoot and his friends, meanwhile, continued their search for Petrie, Guido, and Chomper. They had, so far, avoided enemies since the Crownheads and the Fast Biters (Achillobators). "Why did Chomper have to get himself lost?" Cera grumbled.
"He would not have meant to. There is no reason why Chomper would lose himself on purpose, so he must have lost himself by mistake," Ruby said.
"We need him to find Petrie and Guido," Littlefoot said.
"Where is Spike?" Ducky asked, noticing that her brother was missing.
"Not Spike too!" Cera groaned in exasperation.
"At least we have a pretty good idea of where we can find Spike," Littlefoot said optimistically.
"Green food," all the others answered in reply.
Some distance away, Spike was indeed by green food. He was glad that, despite how dreary the Land of Mists was, it at least had decent food for him to eat. What delicious flowery plants! Unfortunately for him, there was a Swimming Sharptooth nearby. The [need to find species type] licked its lips. This was one big child Leaf Eater. He would be a decent snack indeed!
The Swimming Sharptooth moved behind Spike and was about to bite his tail off, when suddenly Spike broke wind, making the creature gag. This gagging alerted Spike to its presence. Spike bolted, his feet pounding the ground and splattering mud behind him and into the eyes of the Swimming Sharptooth. This caused enough of a delay for him to get to safety from the predator. The Swimming Sharptooth, irked, sulked off.
Meanwhile, Littlefoot and his friends continued their search for Spike. "How are we supposed to find him in all of this mist?" Cera asked.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and run into him," Ruby said hopefully.
"This is a big place. Whare the chances of that?" Cera sighed.
At that moment, Littlefoot felt something large run into him. "Ah, what is that?" he cried in alarm.
"Dahhhhh!" Spike cried, before licking Littlefoot's face.
"Spike, it's you!" he cried in relief.
"I guess we ran into Spike after all," Cera said.
"Actually, he runded into us," Ducky corrected her.
"We may have been found by Spike, but we need to still find Chomper, Petrie, and Guido," Ruby said.
Chomper, meanwhile, slowly and cautiously tiptoed toward Petrie and Guido. He couldn't see anyone in this mist, but he could smell that the Flyer and Glider were quite nearby. He was nearly there, arriving at the base of the cliff, where Petrie and Guido were tethered at the top, and had only to climb up rocks and reach them, when suddenly the mist began to clear out, at least on the ground level. In front of him loomed Ichy, who noticed him at the same time that he noticed the Ichthyornis. The two cried out in alarm, shocked by the presence of the other.
Finally, Ichy's nerves calmed down and he snapped.
What do you want kid? We're busy with a very important operation here.
The two Flyers, Chomper answered, deciding to play dumb and that he was just looking for the two Flyers, perhaps for a snack. At the very least, it would give him a convenient excuse for being there, so that they wouldn't suspect him of being in league with Littlefoot and kill him on the spot.
We need them!
I want them!
What for?
Before Chomper could reply, saying he'd come to eat them, hoping to buy him some time of being in the area and not seen as a threat to their plans, the two heard Dil's voice. "Hey Ichy, who are you talking to?"
"Some Strongbiter kid wants to eat the Flyers."
"I'm not here to eat them, I'm here to rescue them," Chomper absentmindedly spoke in Leaf Eater, inadvertently blowing his cover. Dil hadn't heard him but Ichy had.
Chomper and Ichy were silent for a few seconds, then each turned to face the other, "You can speak Leaf Eater!" Ichy gasped.
"Yes, I can. But how did you learn it?"
"I was orphaned as a kid and raised by Flyers. I taught Dil here how to speak it."
"I learned it from a Longneck, Swimmer, Flyer, and Threehorn."
"Those are the kids we're after."
"Why are you after them?"
"It's a long story. Why did those kids teach you, a Sharptooth, Leaf Eater?"
"They found me as an egg and saved me from Egg Stealers. They helped take care of me for a while."
"Did they now? I guess we have something in common."
"In common?"
"Yes. I too was raised by a Leaf Eater. A Flyer. I fell in love with his sister, Phygma, whom I eventually married."
"You married a Flyer?"
"Yes. However, right before we got married, their father and mother were killed by a Sharpbeak. It was a girl that I'd dated for a while but ultimately chose Phygma over her. Well, Amos, the Flyer who raised me, blamed me for it. Phygma knew it wasn't my fault, but Amos wanted me dead. So Phygma and I went into hiding, away from his herd. However, they found us and they killed Phygma. They hurt Dil's eyes too, that's why she had trouble seeing. I lost my wife and my unborn children that night. She was the only Flattooth friend I'd had left, and she was murdered by her own kind. And since that fateful night, I've adopted the diet of a normal Sharptooth."
"It's terrible that your friend turned on you. But my friends won't turn on me."
"How can you be so sure?"
Chomper said nothing. While he wanted to believe the best of his friends, what Ichy had told him bothered him. Finally, he said "They saved me from Egg Stealers."
"And Amos took me in after my parents were killed by a Strongbiter. You can't be sure that, even if they cared about you in the past, they won't betray you in the future. They may think you're cute now, but how will they feel about you when you're a big scary Strongbiter?"
Chomper once more was rendered speechless. He often wondered the same thing. Several dinosaurs in the Great Valley already were eyeing him suspiciously, and he was only a child. He feared that their attitudes would only worsen as he grew older. "My friends wouldn't turn on me." The idea of them turning on him was horrifying.
"I once had thought that too. And yet it happened to me. Don't make my mistake. You could leave them and stay with us instead. It's been boring with just Dil and I. You could be with your own kind instead of those sprout-crunchers."
"You mean live with other Sharpteeth?"
"Yes."
"I tried that and it didn't work out. They tried to eat me."
"Well, Dil and I have gotten along, er, somewhat 're not averse to other Sharpteeth being together."
"Other Sharpteeth I could work with. Someone to help me defeat Red Claw," Chomper whispered to himself.
"Who's this Red Claw you're talking about?"
"You've never heard of him?"
"No."
"He's the biggest and scariest Sharptooth out there."
"Well, if we get enough Sharpteeth to join us, then we can easily stop him."
Chomper thought about this. This had been, after all, what he'd set out to the Great Valley to learn: how to work together to fight Red Claw, Screech, and Thud. While he'd seen the Great Valley do it successfully, they'd not been interested in going to the Mysterious Beyond itself to fight him. And his efforts on getting others in the Mysterious Beyond had been, thus far, unfruitful. But now, he was being offered help by other talking Sharpteeth.
"I don't know," Chomper said.
"You don't need them," Ichy began to sing, to the tune of "Who Needs You?". "Regardless of what they say now,
One day they'll betray you!
You don't need them!"
"They're my friends, we've all decided.
Your claims that they'll betray me are very misguided!
I need them!" Chomper sang.
"You don't need them.
What you're older and you go through the fire,
You'll see that they are all nothing but big fat liars!" Ichy saying.
"I need them, they were with me since I was a baby!
While your so-called friends turned on you, be that as it may be,
we will always be friends,
we'll be true to each other to the end!
I need them!"
"You don't need them,
Don't be a fool like I was.
When you're old enough, they'll turn on you.
And deep down you know it's true.
You don't need them!" Ichy sang.
"Just because your friends all turned traitors,
Doesn't mean that my friends will become haters."
"Kid, your future with them is an impossibility!"
"We'll still get along in the future, you'll see!"
"Come with me,
Or one day they'll desert you and you'll be alone for all eternity."
"No, we'll still be friends, you'll see!"
"Yes, we'll see!" Ichy sang at the same time as Chomper sang his final line, and the two finished the song together.
They sat there in silence for several minutes, each of them wondering if they could trust the other. Finally, Ichy asked, "So, kid, what do you think about what I said?"
"I admit, it's a lot to think about. What happened to you was wrong. But that doesn't mean that my friends will-"
RORRRRRR! The two turned to see Screech and Thud approaching.
"Great, Fast Biters!" Ichy groaned.
"That's Screech and Thud! They're Red Claw's minions."
"Perhaps you, Dil, and I can take them together."
"Take them? But nobody has ever-"
"But no Sharpteeth have ever worked together against them, have they?"
"No, you're right on that one. But-"
"We gotta do something, kid!"
"Ichy, what's going on?" came Dil's voice.
"We need your help, leatherhead! There's-"
"Why are you calling your friend leatherhead? That's not very nice."
"We may have been friends cold times ago, but now we're more just working with each other because we're stuck with each other."
"If you're going to be together, you might as well be friends."
"Easier said than done."
Chomper had never worked with other Sharpteeth against Screech and Thud. His parents, of course, excepted, but, unfortunately, when Magnus and Tyra had had a go at Screech and Thud, Red Claw had been there as well. And he was worse than the two Fast Biters put together.
Hey, stupid, over here! Ichy shouted at Thud.
Who you calling stupid, feather duster? the Deinonychus snapped.
Hey Rockhead, over here! Dil shouted.
"I say we through the Glider to the Sharpteeth and get outta here," Sierra said.
"Might be a bad idea. If the Flyer here likes him, maybe us keeping him around will make the kids more determined to find us as they'd feel the same way about him."
"Well, the only thing that found us so far was their pet Sharptooth!"
"I'm not a pet!" Chomper shouted at them.
"Correction: a talking pet Sharptooth."
"We have to deal with the Fast Biters here," Ichy said.
"Why should we? More Sharpteeth means more ways to get rid of the kids," Sierra remarked.
"I'm not working with Screech and Thud on anything!" Chomper shouted.
"What about you, Sharpbeak?" Rinkus asked.
"If Chomper won't work with them, neither will I," Ichy declared. He had decided that, by helping Chomper fight off his enemies, that maybe the little Strongbiter would be inclined to join him and Dil after that. As for the two Flyers, Rinkus and Sierra, the sooner he got rid of them, the better.
"Hey Strongbiter, care to help us get rid of some troublesome Leaf Eater children? It'll mean a meal for you," Rinkus said to Chomper.
"No, those two are my friends!" Chomper snapped.
"Friends?" Rinkus and Sierra gasped.
"Yes, and I won't let you hurt them!"
The two Flyers roared with laughter. "A Sharptooth friends with a Leaf Eater? That's too funny!"
"You're with Dil and Ichy."
"It's a partnership of mutual benefit," Rinkus replied.
"Yes, otherwise we wouldn't bother," Sierra said.
"If you won't help us, then we'll take care of you!" Rinkus cackled.
"Be careful! They don't call them Strongbiters for nothing! Get too near his teeth and you become dinner!"
"That's right! Let the two go and I'll let you live!" Chomper snapped. He wasn't one to kill Leaf Eaters, if he could help it. He'd done it years ago, but had sworn it off for good after Littlefoot had rescued him on that island. However, like with Ozzy and Strut sometime earlier, when Ducky and Petrie had been in danger, he was open to killing now if it would mean saving Petrie and Guido. Besides, he didn't reckon that the residents of the Great Valley would be sorrowful if he killed these two rotten Flyers.
"Let's take the two kids and go. Let the Strongbiter fight with the Fast Biters," Rinkus said to Ichy and Dil.
"You take the kids. We'll be there shortly," Ichy said.
"Suit yourselves," Sierra sighed, grabbing ahold of Petrie while Rinkus grabbed Guido. The two flew off them with.
Chomper wanted to go after Petrie and Guido, for they had been the whole reason he'd come in the first place. Unfortunately, he knew that he couldn't hope to pursue them with Screech and Thud hot on his tail. In addition, what Ichy had told him had, though he didn't want to admit it, shaken a little bit of the faith he had in his friends. He'd no reason to believe that the Sharpbeak had lied to him about his own past.
CONK! A rock hit Thud in the head. Look, I hit the Rockhead in the head with a rock! Ichy cackled.
Well, your beak won't be so sharp, Sharpbeak, when I yank it off! Thud retorted.
You'll be a no-biter instead of a Fast Biter when I knock those teeth out of your mouth! Ichy taunted him.
Go away you two! I have enough problems already and don't need you making them worse! Chomper shouted at Screech and Thud. Their delay was allowing Rinkus and Sierra to take Petrie and Guido further and further away.
What are you doing out here all by yourself, Little Biter? Screech asked.
Don't call me little! Chomper bellowed.
"You going to let him mock you like that?" Ichy said to Chomper.
The two Fast Biters were shocked that, like Chomper, Ichy could speak Leaf Eater. Still, they believed that they were a match for the little Strongbiter and the Sharpbeak.
"Hey Dil, we could use your help!" Ichy shouted.
"Help? With what?"
"The Fast Biters, leatherhead!"
"Fight Fast Biters?"
"Yes, we can take them."
"If you say so. If we die, I'm going to kill you!"
"That makes no sense!" Ichy sighed. Sometimes Dil could make stupid remarks.
The Fast Biters were confused by the strange alliance of Dil, Ichy, and Chomper. Other than themselves and Red Claw, of whom they were more servants than equals, there had never before been an alliance of different types of Sharpteeth. While Ichy and Chomper were definitely on the small side, Dil's large size nearly matched their own, if not in height, than certainly in length.
Chomper soon perceived that Dil's vision wasn't that great, due to how she lumbered about and cried for Ichy to tell her where Screech and Thud were. He feared that the Fast Biters would soon clue in on this as well. How could a small Strongbiter, a small Sharp Beak, and a large, but myopic Bigmouthed Belly Dragger take on Red Claw's two veteran lieutenants?
Getting Sharptooth friends now, Little Biter? Thud asked.
Go away, Rockheads!
You know these guys? Ichy asked.
They're Screech and Thud. Red Claw's minions.
Which one should we go for first? Thud asked Screech.
That Belly Dragger can't see that well. Let's get her! Screech replied.
Yes, but we need to be careful. She has really big teeth. Bigger than ours, Thud cautioned.
Well, we're Fast Biters. We can bite quickly whereas she'll bite slower.
It will only take one bite in the right spot to take you out of action.
Yes, but there are two of us and only one of her.
There are three of them.
But, but the other two are tiny.
Over here! Ichy called, flying around Thud's legs. Thud bent down to snap, but by the time he did, Ichy was now flying around where his head had been a moment before. You might be a Fast Biter but you're a slow mover! The Ichthyornis taunted him.
Let's get the feather duster first! Screech suggested. The two both went toward Ichy.
Though Chomper didn't care for Ichy, as he had helped to kidnap Petrie and Guido, he also didn't like Screech and Thud either. Thus, he decided to side with the Sharpbeak over the Fast Biters. After all, right now, it was they, not Ichy, that were threatening him harm. Maybe Ichy could be reasoned with, especially if he helped him in this fight.
CHOMP! Screech was distracted from Ichy by a sudden sharp pain in his tail. Little Biter! he snarled.
I may be little, but I sure can bite! Chomper laughed.
Not for long, you won't be able to! He swung his claws at Chomper, who, luckily, jumped out of the way just in time.
SNAP! Ichy, seeing that Screech was focusing his efforts on Chomper, bit the Fast Biter on his exposed hand.
Get him! Screech yelled.
Hey, I got something for you! Dil swung her tail at Screech and Thud. Though she missed, due to her poor vision, she did succeed in taking their focus off of Ichy and Chomper and placing it onto her.
Get the Belly Dragger!
"Move left, Dil!" Ichy cried. Dil moved aside just in time to avoid a snapping bite from Thud. Chomper bit Thud in the tail.
Hey! Thud snarled. Why are you working with them, anyway?
It's complicated.
What's a matter? Having trouble beating Sharpteeth working together? Ichy mocked the two Fast Biters.
Truthfully, they had never encountered anything like this before. Still, they believed that they could best two shorter Sharpteeth and a myopic Belly Dragger. They figured that, though she had vision problems, that Dil was their biggest threat, because, well, she was by far the biggest among them.
As the two lunged toward Dil from opposite directions, Chomper slashed Thud in the leg with a claw. Ichy, meanwhile, bit Screech in the arm. "Swing your tail left!" Ichy cried. Dil swung her tail and knocked over Screech. "Now right!" She swung it the other way and knocked down Thud. "Now pin them down!" Dil moved forward, pinning down the two Fast Biters with a claw. The two struggled against her. She wouldn't be able to hold for long, but, right now, she had the upper hand. 'Chomper, quick, take them out!"
"Take them out?"
"Yes, kill them! They threatened you and your family. Without them, it will be easier to stop Red Claw."
Chomper thought about it. These two had caused him a lot of trouble, and life would indeed be better without them around. However, much like the situation where he'd had the chance to leave Thud trapped with his tail stuck underneath a rock, he didn't feel right killing them now when they were so helpless. "I can't do it," he said to Ichy.
"But they'd have eaten you if they'd caught you."
"I know. I'm being the bigger Sharptooth."
"Bigger Sharptooth? What's that supposed to mean? You think you're being better by not killing them? That kind of thinking is holding you back, kid!" Ichy snapped.
"I can't hold these guys much longer!" Dil cried.
"Chomper, now!" Ichy snapped.
"No, I can't!"
Screech and Thud soon broke free of Dil. They moved to attack her, but Chomper bit Screech in the tail. Get out of here! I won't be nice a second time if you don't leave right now! Chomper warned them.
The two Deinonychuses briefly looked at each other, wondering what to do, before scampering off.
"You're weak, Chomper! It's because you've been with those Flatteeth for too long!" Ichy scolded him.
"Why am I weak?"
"Wish those two dead, it would have been easier to defeat Red Claw, which is, I thought, what you desired. Now you'll have to fight them another day."
"It didn't feel right to just kill them like this. It just felt, wrong, like I'd be just like them."
"You're not being a bully like them by killing them. You're being smart. You won't last long as a regular Sharptooth the way you're acting now."
"But I'm not a regular Sharptooth. I'm different."
"So was I. But the thing is, the Flatteeth that you call your friends won't always care about one. Mark my words, one day, they'll turn on you. And then you'll be all alone. But you don't have to make my mistake. You can come with Dil and I now."
"But Petrie and Guido are still prisoner."
"If you come with us, then I'll see to it that they are freed."
"What about the trap you're setting for the rest of my friends?"
"I'll find a way to stop that too."
"No, no, no, Ichy! I was promised that we'd get to eat those kids and get revenge on them!" Dil whined.
"Listen here, with this kid here as our partner, we can be a lot better off, especially as he gets older."
"Partner?" Chomper asked.
"Hunting partner."
"Hunting partner?! You mean I'd have to be a regular Sharptooth?"
"Yes, but your friends would be safe."
"But Flatteeth have been my friends. Plus, if I defeated Red Claw, then I'd go back to live with Mom and Dad. I don't see how I could be your hunting partner."
"Well, once Red Claw is defeated, will your friends go visit you when you are away from their precious valley?"
That question stung. He wanted to believe that they would, but his family tended to migrate, like the herbivore herds did, in search of food, though his parents moved in search of meat, rather than green food. Would they venture into the unknown looking for him? And if not, would he have any further herbivore contact? It seemed that he had a hard choice here: become a regular Sharptooth and fulfill of his dream of getting Sharpteeth to work together, starting with Dil and Ichy, as well as his parents, by his side, and expanding from there, or he could risk losing his friends to Dil, Ichy, Rinkus, and Sierra, and, even if they survived, they might not visit him anymore after Red Claw's defeat and his departure from the Great Valley.
"I don't know."
"Well, you have till your friends get here to decide."
Chomper knew that his friends were already in the Land of Mists. He sniffed the air, hoping that they were not anywhere nearby. To his dismay, he found that they were getting nearer and nearer. He would have to make his decision soon.
To Be Continued….