Escape From The Mysterious Beyond Retold

by lowercaseenderman

After accidently ending up in the Mysterious Beyond while exploring the caves outside of the Great Valley, the gang find themselves in a near constant chase from Red Claw and his ever present fast biter minions. And after being split into multiple groups following a sudden earthshake, the ten young dinosaurs' search for a way to escape only grows much more difficult.

Escape From The Mysterious Beyond Retold

A/N-So I used to do The Land Before Time Retold stories where I added Chomper into the films he wasn't in, and when I got to The Mysterious Island I ended up creating some extended family of his to replace his role in that movie since he was already with the gang. I rediscovered this document recently, that I apparently never uploaded to this site as a story even though it was fully finished (I completely forgot I wrote this honestly). So for a bit of nostalgia, I went back, rewrote and edited and cleaned it up, just gave it some polish and an overhaul, and I present it now as a one shot. Like I said, I mostly just gave it some polish to reflect my improvements as a writer in the last several years, edited scenes to flow better, removed a few things here and there, and just general stuff. Based on the TV episode of the same name, this likewise features some original characters who are Chomper's extended family filling in the role he had in the original episode since in this retold continuity he has been with the gang since the original "movie." If you never read the others, for context in this continuity Chomper is Sharptooth's nephew (Sharptooth and Chomper's father are brothers in this continuity), Snapper is Sharptooth's son (Chomper's first cousin), and Scratcher and Biter are also Chomper and Snapper's cousins but a little more removed from them both.

Enjoy

…..

The day was clear, and sunny, and there weren't very many clouds in the sky. A slight breeze blew some leaves around in some tall, skinny trees, some with mighty trunks and others small enough they were almost like a weed to the unsuspecting eye. In a nearby wall of rock, voices came out of a small hole, a cave entrance, echoing out from deep inside a cave that broke ground at that tiny rounded opening in the otherwise smooth rock wall. The small entrance was a deception for how long and expansive the cave tunnels behind it were.

"What's the point of an adventure if we don't explore anything?" Cera's ever-so-slightly irritated voice asked.

"Well we are exploring the caves," Littlefoot pointed out.

"Well I'm bored with the caves," Cera retorted, grabbing onto a ledge and pulling herself out of the rounded opening in the rocks. She sighed once she was outside, gazing into a small valley with skinny trees growing together in patches of dense patchwork-like forest that dotted the area. Some creature bellowed from somewhere in the distance, and the whole valley was lined with sharp-tipped pointed mountains with steep slopes and what looked like long expansive canyons that rose up at the valley edges and snaked away into winding paths into the surrounding ridges. The cave opened at the top of a small rise of rocks, but the climb to the ground would be easy and short. Beyond it, there was the whole little valley to explore. It looked like a part of the Great Valley but, somehow, not one that the gang had ever seen. Though, to be fair, there were sections of it hard to access or even closed off from the rest of the valley, sometimes inaccessible save by paths that ran through narrow canyons like the ones Cera could see around the area here and there, so it was possible they had stumbled into a section they'd never seen.

"See? This is better," she said as she hopped up onto a rock with a better vantage point, as Spike came up next behind her, Ducky clinging on his neck. Spike nodded in agreement with her and walked out of the tunnel.

"Oh, the bright circle is much brigtherer out here," Ducky said, shielding her eyes. A pink fast runner pulled herself up the small ledge at the tunnel entrance next and chuckled once she was outside.

"Well, we have been in the caves longer than we have been out of them," Ruby said.

"Hey you guys!" Chomper suddenly called out, he tried to jump up to the ledge where the others were standing but couldn't get a grip.

"You want some help?" Littlefoot asked from behind him.

"Perhaps some help would help you," Ruby added. Chomper shook his head, "It's not too high, we got this," he let go and dropped back to the ground. "Scratcher, give me a push," he said. Scratcher nodded and crouched down by his cousin. He helped push Chomper up as he began trying to climb up the ledge again and this time he was able to easily climb onto the top with the others.

"Well that's great and all Chomper, but what about the other sharpteeth who all have little weakling arms?" Cera said. At one point in her life she had never thought she'd consider a sharptooth a close friend, or even such a thing as being a possibility, but that had changed on the journey to find the Great Valley, then one became two after they met Snapper on the island. Then Snapper had brought two of his and Chomper's other cousins when he came to stay in the Great Valley with Ruby. First there had been one, then there were two, then there were four, and Cera wondered if they weren't on the verge of having eight sharpteeth in their little party next.

Scratcher and Biter were both green colored, but Scratcher was a lighter green and Biter a darker shade of it. They didn't share Chomper's blue purple color, or Snapper's yellowish orange color. However, like Chomper and Snapper, the brothers had Sharptooth's red eyes. That was the one trait they had all inherited from their shared relative.

"Our arms aren't little!" Chomper, Snapper, Scratcher, and Biter all said at once. Their collective, shrill, "little!" echoing away into the canyons and narrow passes around the valley.

…..

After an adventure in and of itself, Chomper's cousins and Littlefoot all got up to where the others were and they started off into the new place they'd found.

"Hey, this place looks nice!" Biter said.

"It sure does," Chomper agreed.
"I've never been here before," Littlefoot said as they all climbed off the ledge and he had a chance to look around the area. He saw the area around them was surrounded by mountains and filled with green trees and plants.

"That's the point of having an adventure," Cera proudly said, leading the gang off into the new valley. Biter shrugged, "She makes a good point," he said to his brother. He then spotted a stinging buzzer hive in one of the taller trees, "Ooh!" he said, taking off towards it, sprinting past Cera so fast he kicked up some dust into her face. Scratcher sighed, "Don't get stung again!" he shouted after his younger sibling.

"He's not gonna be able to climb up there," Cera interjected. Scratcher looked at him, "Never underestimate my brother when he is hungry. Our parents named him Biter for a reason."

"He couldn't climb up a tiny ledge two minutes ago!" Cera insisted. Scratcher growled, "Never underestimate my brother when he is hungry," he simply repeated.

Together they all, save Biter, and Scratcher who followed after him, started to explore.

"Hey, this could be a new secret hidden place maybe!" Snapper excitedly said.

"Maybe, but say…this place does remind me of some place," Ruby said after a few seconds. Snapper looked back at her, "Maybe you've been here before?" the young sharptooth asked as Petrie flew over him. Ruby thought for a moment, "Hmm, maybe, but everywhere I've been in the Great Valley you've been too," she said. "You and Scratcher and Biter."

"This place doesn't look like anywhere I know," Scratcher said, coming back to the others, bringing his brother along. More like dragging him back. Biter did not, in fact, get to eat the stinging buzzers.

"It does not look familiar to me either, Scratcher, no, no, no," Ducky agreed.

Chomper looked at them then at Littlefoot, "I feel like we should've seen this place at some point, we've lived in the valley a lot longer than them," he said.

"Well, not necessarily. There are areas of the valley hard to get into," Littlefoot pointed out. "Think about all the times we have found places or others living in it we didn't even know about, like the Tinysauruses."

"That's true. I wonder where we are then," Chomper said.

"You don't recognize it?" Snapper asked. Chomper shook his head, "You guys haven't seen most of the Great Valley still, but, heck, we still haven't seen some areas of it ourselves," he said.

"I wonder why this new place looks like a familiar place then," Ruby pondered.

The gang all continued to ponder this question as they approached a tree line, one of the many patches of forest that dotted the area, out of which, something massive emerged with almost no warning. It was huge, appeared from the foliage suddenly, and bore a scar; one it had gotten from Sharptooth himself. A long, ugly, red jagged line, a tear in the flesh that ripped down from over its eye, down and over its neck, down its arm to one of its finger claws which had become a stained blood-red color from internal damage to its roots. It knocked several trees aside and tore through them, and suddenly spotted the gang with a pair of wide wild-looking eyes. One of the eyes was scarred an irritated-looking red color where the scar cut across its edge.

"Red Claw!" Scratcher and Cera both screamed at the same time.

"Now I know why I remember this place!" Ruby gasped, "It's-"
"The Mysterious Beyond!" Littlefoot shouted, finishing the statement for her. Turns out, they weren't in the valley at all. And were they definitely not in a location candidate for a new secret hidden place. He kicked himself, wishing they had realized they'd wandered out of the valley sooner. They should have, given how long they'd been in the caves and how many times they'd ended up out here before.

"Run!" Littlefoot shouted, hearing the others all gasping in alarm around him, and they all began running as fast as they could back the way they had just come.

"Back to the Secret Caverns!" Littlefoot shouted as Red Claw began to chase them. Red Claw snarled, "Sharptooth's nephew and son...they won't escape me this time. His bloodline dies here!" As the gang kept running, Red Claw jumped at them and landed in front of them, ironically using a move Sharptooth himself had employed a few times. The gang nearly ran into his leg before they could stop, those in the back bumping into the ones in the front and nearly pushing them into Red Claw's foot. Leering down at them, his damaged eye leaking some sort of fluid, Red Claw roared loudly. A deep guttural hiss wetly gurgled up from deep in his throat and all of his huge, deadly sharp teeth were bared and showing. His roar physically shook their small bodies and the gang spun around and dodged him, so, glaring, he began chasing again. The gang ran into a tree line, another patch of forest, and lost sight of the massive sharptooth amid the thickly packed trunks and dense green foliage.

"He won't find us under these trees," Chomper assured as they kept running, just as Red Claw broke through the trees in front of them. His foot again slammed down right in front of them. Chomper, who was the closest to him, screamed loudly and skidded to a stop only feet away, as the rest of the gang also slid to a stop behind him, each one ramming into the one in front of them and piling each other up closer and closer to him with each impact. They all screamed.

"Great idea, Toothy!" Cera angrily snapped as they changed directions again and tried to lose the massive sharptooth. They cleared the trees with Red Claw following a short distance back. Petrie opened his wings and took to the sky. He was their best shot at finding a way to escape. He flew above the others and began looking for a cave or any other way for his friends to escape through. He eventually spotted a thin pathway of rock that was sticking off of the side of a cliff wall, eroded and narrow but walkable. His friends could easily move along it, but Red Claw would be way too big to do the same. With this in mind, he began flying back towards his friends.

"Petrie see something!" he said once he circled back around.

"Can't it wait?" Cera asked with a glare. Petrie flew past her, "No! Follow Petrie!" he said loudly. He led them towards the stone path but there was a small rise, or ledge, of rock they had to climb up to actually get to it, about the same height as the one that had been at the exit of the cave.

"Good idea Petrie, let's go!" Littlefoot said once he saw the stone path ahead, stopping at the smooth shelf-like ledge.

"How is THAT a good idea?" Cera asked, pausing at his side. She did not like what she was seeing at all. The narrow rocky path snaked tightly along the cliffside, working its way up a canyon wall up into some high slopes and ledges on a mountain side. The path Petrie found went way ahead and around a bend and out of sight further up the canyon.

"It looks very scary," Ducky whimpered.

"And narrow," Ruby added.

"Exactly, it's too narrow for Red Claw," Littlefoot said, hearing Red Claw roaring very loudly from not too far away. Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, who still had Ducky on his back, Petrie and Ruby all flew, jumped or climbed over the ledge easily and all began hurrying towards the path. However, like what had happened at the cave, Chomper and his cousins all found that the shelf of rock was a bit too high to climb up.

"Give me a push up!" Biter said. Snapper and Chomper both pushed him up the side of the ledge and glanced back once he was over the top. They all gasped, Red Claw would be on them before they could all get up. His shadow was already eclipsing them. They maybe had time to push one more of them up to the top at most, but that was it and there was no way around the ledge to the path for the others.

"Alright you four! Quit slowing us down!" Cera shouted. She'd noticed they hadn't been able to follow and had come back for them, along with Littlefoot. Cera leaned over the edge and let Snapper and Scratcher grab onto her and she pulled them up, like she would do if Dinah and Dana got stuck somewhere, or if the Tinysauruses did. Chomper meanwhile grabbed onto Littlefoot's neck as he leaned over the edge and his longneck brother pulled him up to the top. Once all little sharpteeth were up on the ledge, they let go of their respective rides and they all ran after the others, who were all already on the narrow stone path and waiting for them. Littlefoot, Cera, Chomper, Snapper, Scratcher and Biter all hurried onto the path with the others as Red Claw reached them. He stepped on the path to try and follow but it crumbled where he did. Red Claw stumbled and fell forward, snapping at the gang's tails as they fled up the path but missing. He then tumbled amid the crumbling rocks he had dislodged and face planted on the ground with a thudding crash, laying in the dirt for a moment before he pushed himself back onto his feet. He snarled as he watched the gang all run up the path and out of his reach. They stopped a little ways up the narrow path, around the first bend but where they could still see the sharptooth, and took a moment to catch their breaths. They did a headcount to make sure everyone was there and relaxed.

"Whoo. That was close," Chomper said with a nervous sigh as he reached the others. Ducky gave Spike's neck a hug, and Petrie landed safely on Littlefoot's back, shaken but probably the least-most exhausted of them all.

"We were all about to be living in his belly together instead of outside it," Biter said. Spike nodded, sticking his tongue out at the idea with a "bleh" sound. Petrie shuddered, fluttering in fright from his perch on Littlefoot's back at the idea, "Oh, don't say that! Me no like that!"

"I don't think that's how it would work, Biter," Cera grumbled through clenched teeth.

"I hope not...or I'll be up to my eyes with bugs inside me!" Biter yelped, suddenly looking at his belly almost like he expected to feel the ones he'd eaten the night before crawling around in there even though that had never happened before.

"Calm down everyone. We're safe," Littlefoot interjected assuringly, relief in his voice. The kind that always assured and calmed everyone else down. "For now," he then added with a slightly nervous hiccup as he looked back the way they had come.

"You can say that, you eat leaves, of course you're fine! What if I am filled up with bugs right now!?" Biter cried but everyone else was also looking back the way they had come from as well.

"You get ideas in your head too easily," Scratcher said to his brother, before also looking back down the path. "He wasn't talking about that anyway, he was talking about that down there." Red Claw was still glaring up at them, then he roared loudly, thrashing about in frustration. His roar then slowly turned into another deep, wet bubbling hiss that seeped out of his deep gullet.

"Uh…I think "now" might end sooner than we think, Littlefoot," Ruby said, rubbing her hands together nervously as she spotted two very familiar fast biters running towards Red Claw at his call. A blue colored one and a green colored one, each with big sickle claws on their toes and large sharp teeth in their jaws. It was Screech and Thud, Red Claw's two little minions that were always there to do his bidding. As soon as the two fast biters looked up at the gang they shrieked at them and the ten young dinosaurs took off, running along the path while they still had a decent head start.

As soon as Red Claw gave the order, Screech and Thud gave chase; they were more than capable of running along the narrow path. That was what made Red Claw so different from all the other sharpteeth the gang had ever encountered over the past cold times and changing cycles of the night circle. Most sharpteeth, big or small, worked alone or in groups like them. Red Claw did not, his two fast biter minions could still catch you in a place a big sharptooth like him could not, or he could catch you in a place they couldn't reach. It was a dangerous tag team and one reason among many that Red Claw had become so feared in the Mysterious Beyond.

Thud was in front and he jumped at the gang, leaping across a bend in the path and cutting away most of the distance between them in one leap, landing just a few feet behind them as they hurried around another turn on the path. As Thud gave chase, Screech landed just behind him and followed him. As they went around the turn they didn't see the gang, so they slowed and stalked along the path, snarling to each other in confusion, surprise and rising rage. They knew they must have already turned the next bend in the path so they stalked along it after them. They could move along the path just fine but here it was extra narrow, so they had to go slow while the kids could probably still run, but they followed with a relentless stride of two determined, and patient, hunters who could pick up the trail again easily. As he followed the path, Thud felt the rocks under his feet suddenly begin to crumble and he nearly fell but he got his balance back as a section of the path fell away below him. Screech jumped past that spot and the two continued along after the gang.

"Where'd the brats get too?" Thud growled after they turned the next bend, and saw the path came to an abrupt end. Looking around, he saw that at the end of the path was a circle-like formation of rock that loomed above the rest of the canyon. It rose up almost like an island in the big water, with a lone tree growing out of a hill of rock in its center. Around the center and edge were smaller jumbles of rock and boulders piled up here and there. There were places to hide, but nowhere to go so the kids had to be here somewhere. Indeed, huddled behind the formation with the tree, in a small cove-like indent washed out of the rock, was the gang. It wasn't the best hiding place they'd ever had, in fact it wouldn't keep them hidden at all. They were totally in the open. All their spot was was a pile of rocks between them and the sharpteeth.

"Move it so I can see, will you?" Screech snarled behind him. Thud growled back and stepped off the end of the path, starting to seek around the little clearing.

"Stay here, they can't run anywhere else," Thud demanded.

"I don't take orders from you, I'm the older sibling!" Screech snarled back but he planted his feet and guarded the path while his brother rooted around to see if he could flush the gang out from whatever hole they'd crawled into.

"I do not think they can see us here," Ducky said from where the gang had hidden themselves.

"But Thud and Screech are really good sniffers," Chomper said.

"We probably don't have much time before they find out where we are, we're not exactly hidden here," Scratcher added, licking the inside of his mouth nervously, looking around like he expected one, if not both, of the fast biters to come around the corner any second.

"We'll be okay as long as we stick together," Littlefoot said in his most assuring and confident voice. Snapper and Biter looked at each other, not really convinced. They both gulped down all the saliva that was in their mouths but didn't say anything. Scratcher stood protectively by his brother's side, and tried to give them both a confident and reassuring look but he didn't know if it was convincing.

"Right, together," Petrie said in agreement from where he had perched on Cera's back, trying to echo how sure Littlefoot seemed to feel. Cera huffed, "So they can eat us together!?" she said with a glare. Biter gulped, the thought of them all living in Red Claw's stomach coming back to his mind and it made him quiver. Littlefoot shot Cera a sideways glare of his own but didn't speak, just held his ground in their silent confrontation. They stopped talking when they heard two fast biters growling nearby, closer now. Thud stopped walking and looked at his brother before glancing around again, trying to spot anything out of place that might tell him where the gang was.

"For such a tiny outward bulge in the rock, there sure are a lot of places on it that they could've gone," Thud growled in frustration. He could only imagine how frustrated and impatient Red Claw was getting back at the end of the path. He and Red Claw clearly weren't the only ones, because Screech abruptly left his post at the end of the path and stomped onto the jut of rock next to him, snarling so viciously his whole body was shaking with repressed fury. Thud snarled at him, then his eyes then fell on the nearby rock formation, the large one topped with a lone little tree, and he narrowed his gaze. The green fast biter glared at it and he suddenly had a real good guess where the kids had ended up. He started towards it with heavy stomps, while Screech headed back towards the path in case any of the kids bolted for it. On the other side of those same rocks Thud was now stomping towards, Littlefoot tried to tell where the fast biters were but their growls and the soft ticks of their claws on the rocks didn't help all that much in figuring out where they were.

"I wonder where they are now," he said softly.

"I'll check," Chomper replied.

"Me too," Snapper added.

"Be careful you two," Littlefoot cautioned. As quietly as they could, Chomper and Snapper crawled up the rock and, after getting a small push from Littlefoot to help them get higher, looked to the other side. They both gasped and let go, sliding back down to the ground. It was obvious why a second later when Thud jumped up on top of the rocks above them with a shriek.

The gang all screamed loudly. There was no way out, they were cornered. Thud roared loudly, calling Screech over, and crouched as he prepared to leap upon them. At that moment, the ground started shaking, which made the gang only scream even more.

"Earthshake!" the gang all shouted. The shaking quickly turned strong and violent, dust and dirt rose up into the air like fog and they were all knocked off their feet and went sprawling in different directions. Screech yelped and went running away down the path again. Thud lost his grip on the rocks and tumbled towards the gang, vanishing into the dust at the bottom of the rocky hill. Rocks split, moved, tumbled and fell and the cloud dust filling the air only grew thicker around them all. They screamed, Thud shrieked, and rocks crashed.

Then it was over after only a few seconds.

Coughing, Littlefoot stood up on slightly shaking legs and looked around. As they so often tended to, the earthshake had changed the land around them. The side of the formation closer to the path was still there, but the half with the hill and tree had broken off and risen up a bit, now separated from the rest of the ledge by a small chasm.

"Guys, where are you?" he asked as the air cleared.

"Here," Chomper said with a groan, sitting up. He'd been sprawled on his back by the shake, his feet up in the air after he had tumbled over a rock which had landed behind him. Spike grunted and sat up, a pile of rocks that landed on top of him sliding off his body. He coughed, with a slight wheeze, but nodded. He groaned a moment later.

"You can say that again," Cera said, shaking her head.

"Ow," Biter muttered, sitting up and holding his arm, which had gotten scratched above the elbow and was dripping with blood. He grimaced, the cut was deep…really deep actually…a stung badly from all the dirt and pebbles that had gotten into it. Chomper stood on shaking legs and looked at Littlefoot, "You okay?" Littlefoot nodded. Ruby groaned and sat up, looking around, the dizziness finally wearing off. She saw Biter but…

"Snapper? Scratcher?" she said, looking around, slightly frantic, "Where are they?"
"Me no see Ducky neither!" Petrie yelped, jumping into the air.

"Scratcher!" Biter called out, looking around.

"Snapper!" Chomper yelled.

"Ducky!" Littlefoot shouted, looking around too .

"Over here!" came a familiar voice. The gang all looked up and saw Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher all standing on the other side of the rock formation where the hill and tree where, where it had been split in half by the earthshake. That wide, deep chasm was now between the two halves of the gang.

"What are you doing way up there?" Cera said.

"Are you okay?" Littlefoot asked.

"Yeah! I bit my tongue in the earthshake but it's not bad. You?" Scratcher called.

"Biter got scratched but that's it," Chomper shouted.

"The irony," Cera mumbled to herself.

"Yeah, we're a little shaken by the earthshake, but we're okay," Ruby added. "Biter got the worst of it, it looks like the worst is what he got." Spike nodded with a grunt.

"Oh, poor Biter," Ducky said. "Are you hurted bad?" she called out to him. Biter grimaced but shook his head, "No…I'll be okay, it just stings…a lot…" he said, looking down at his arm. Blood was dripping from the scratch, down his arm and off his fingers onto the ground. He swallowed a mouthful of dusty saliva before looking up at the three across the chasm again.

"I think we lost Thud, that's good," Snapper said after a moment, analyzing the situation and their current predicament. "Except...well...we're up here."
"And there is no way off, no, no, no!" Ducky added.

"There must be another way around to that ledge," Littlefoot muttered.

"There is always another way!" Ruby confidently said, then she paused, "Unless...that is the only way."

"Don't worry," Littlefoot called out a moment later. "We'll find a way," he added, determination hardening on his face. With that, the rest of the gang all turned and hurried off leaving Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher on the ledge.

"I do not like being up so high, no, no, no," Ducky whimpered, grabbing onto Snapper's arm as she watched them go. He shrugged, "I think it's kinda neat," he said. Scratcher watched the gang run off without saying anything. He hoped his brother's wound was really only just a scratch. Biter had looked like it was really hurting him.

"Don't worry, our friends will help us," he said confidently as the others vanished from sight back down the path they'd run up only a few minutes before.

As the gang hurried away, Chomper noticed Biter kept looking back.

"Hey don't worry Biter, we'll save them," he said. Biter looked at Chomper and nodded, "I just don't want to leave my brother up there," he said, looking back again. He didn't want to admit it, but without Scratcher, his guardian, his everything, at his side, Biter felt lost.

"Don't worry, we've saved each other from much worse places than that! And I know if it was me up there Littlefoot wouldn't want to either, but we're not leaving them. We'll get Scratcher, Snapper and Ducky down before you know it," he assured. With another nod from Biter, the two hurried off to catch up with the group.

…..

On the ledge, Ducky, Scratcher and Snapper watched as the gang moved out of sight. Almost as soon as they were, a pile of rocks nearly suddenly began to move. They spun around to face the rocks, and went wide eyed. They gasped as Thud broke free from under the rocks which had piled on top of him in the earthshake and pinned him in place. He roared angrily, his green scales coated in a layer of dust that dulled his usually vivid colors, and snarled as soon as he saw the three young dinosaurs now at his mercy.

Snapper and Scratcher pushed Ducky behind them both but they knew they couldn't fight Thud, even together they'd only last a second or two. Snapper felt Ducky grab him again, so he wrapped his arms around her, "Don't look," he said, both he and Scratcher turning away and closing their eyes; wrapping Ducky between them in a protective shield. It was all they could do while they waited for Thud's teeth and claws to seize them.

Nothing happened.

"He is not eating us?" Ducky asked after a moment. They all reopened their eyes and looked back. Thud was snarling, looking back at the rocks. His tail was trapped underneath some of them, it was enough to keep him firmly in place.

"He is stuck under many rocks," Ducky said after a moment. Thud continued to thrash and try to turn around and pull himself free, but nothing jarred himself loose.

"We're safe as long as we stay away from his claws," Snapper said, watching Thud swing his clawed hands around. Thud then snapped his jaws several times, Snapper gulped, "A...a..and his teeth," he stammered.

"There is not very much room for us three and Thud," Ducky said, "And Thud's teeth." Scratcher gulped, taking another step back from Thud. Ducky whimpered, still gripping Snapper's arm tightly and hugging herself as close to him as she could. Snapper's body was tense and he was watching the thrashing fast biter with wide eyes.

"Oh, I do not like being this close to a sharptooth," she said. Snapper gave her a look, "Oh, this close to a mean one I mean," Ducky corrected. Another roar from Thud made Snapper and Scratcher both scream and they all backed up a little more, as close to the edge as they dared, giving Thud a very wide berth.

…..

"I thought we just came this way," Littlefoot said.

"That dumb old earthshake changed everything," Cera grumbled, looking around. The entire valley looked different. Entire patches of trees were uprooted and lying on their sides, chasms had opened or closed here and there, the ground had raised and sunk in several places, canyons were now blocked and others were now opened, newly formed mounds of rocks lay all around where rock slides had occurred during the shake, and everything just looked twisted around and backwards. And it felt like they were just going in circles aimlessly.

"That earthshake also helped us escape Thud, you have to take the good with the bad, otherwise...you won't get to take anything," Ruby replied. Cera stopped and rolled her eyes as she mulled the words over a few times, trying to riddle them out like she sometimes had too with Ruby's roundabout statements.

"Hmmm," she muttered when she finally got there. Biter walked past her as she was about to start walking again, still holding his arm at the elbow, a pained expression on his face.

"You okay, Biter?" Cera asked. He stopped and nodded, "Yeah, it just stings," he said. Meanwhile, Chomper had caught up with Littlefoot and was walking next to him with his head down. Littlefoot noticed his adopted brother's expression.

"Hey, we'll get them," he said. Chomper looked at him and nodded, "I know…Biter's right though. I do hate leaving them back there. I was also thinking, what if it was you up there, or me." Littlefoot paused, thinking about the time when he had thought everyone betrayed him and how Chomper hadn't, how after that big fight that split the gang up on their first adventure together, he still believed Littlefoot over Cera.

"I'd climb a mountain for you, Chomper," Littlefoot said, starting to walk again.

"I'd climb one for you too," Chomper said, following Littlefoot. The gang kept going, Cera still at the back next to Biter. She'd slowed her pace to walk side by side with the dejected sharptooth so he wasn't alone. A pile of rocks they were passing suddenly began crumbling. Cera and Biter slid to a stop as a stone tumbled past their feet.

"Another earthshake?!" Cera yelped, feeling Biter grab her side out of fright. It wasn't an earthshake, it was, arguably, something much worse. With a roar, Screech suddenly broke out from under the rock pile they were next to. He must have been buried under there by a rockslide after fleeing during the earthshake. Cera and Biter screamed, running past him as the rest of the gang ran off too. A very angry Screech snapped at them but missed by inches, so he got to his feet again and began chasing them.

"Oh! Me wanna go!" Petrie yelled in fright, clinging to Spike's back as tightly as he could as the spiketail took off. He yelped as he was shaken around by Spike's running. The blue fast biter was right on their heels, crouching onto all fours for a powerful spring and then chasing after them. The gang ran along a path through the bottom of a narrow canyon. They hurried up onto a narrow path running along the cliff face on one side of the canyon, like the one they had been on before, and as they bolted around a tight turn Screech, who was steps behind them, lost his footing and nearly went flying off the edge because of his own momentum. He managed to get it back and pulled himself back up onto the ledge, starting his chase up again. As the gang kept going along the path they realized it was the same one they'd escaped up and not a different one like they thought. The canyon had just been so switched and twisted around on them that it hadn't looked the same at all.

"Dumb old earthshake!" Cera thought. "We're headed back the way we came!" Cera then said loudly to the others between hurried breaths.

"Oh, I think the way back behind us is worse," Ruby replied, running next to Cera as they reached the bottom of the path. The gang got to the ground and ran off further from the cliff, Screech still chasing them. The area at least looked vaguely familiar now. They ran around a wall of rock and stopped, screaming in shock and fear.

It was Red Claw. If he'd been at all shaken up he sure didn't show any signs of it. He turned towards them and growled hungrily. The gang looked back and saw Screech coming towards them, they were stuck between two sharpteeth with no way out. Cera saw the only way out first, "Let's go!" she shouted, sprinting towards Red Claw. The gang followed, trusting her judgement. They bolted right between his legs before he could snap at them. Red Claw spun around, growling the whole time, and now picked up the chase.

"Get them!" he snarled to Screech. The gang kept going and climbed up another sharp ledge. Chomper pushed Biter up, who yelped when he landed on his hurt arm, and Littlefoot pulled the young sharptooth up. Chomper glanced back and froze when he saw Screech was nearly on top of him.

"Chomper! Brother, take my tail," Littlefoot said loudly, snapping Chomper out of his shock at how quickly Screech had caught up to them. He grabbed Littlefoot's tail and Littlefoot pulled him up and they both ran as fast as they could.

…..

Thud was growling in pain. The rocks still had him firmly trapped. Scratcher was sitting down out of Thud's reach, watching him. Snapper was still standing and Ducky was half hiding behind him. She stepped out to get a better look and the movement made Thud reel around and snap in her direction. Ducky yelped and jumped back. She stumped and Scratcher jumped to his feet and grabbed her, "Watch the edge Ducky!" he said, pulling her towards him.

"Yes, little ones. I can't eat you if you fall," Thud snarled, a smirk on his face as he licked his lips and the inside of his jaws. Glaring, Scratcher snarled back, "You're not going to eat her!" he growled in the sharptooth language.

"What did he say?" Ducky asked, hugging closer against him as they exchanged words. Scratcher looked at her, "Uh...he said I was little," he said, looking back at Thud. The fast biter snarled again, which made Ducky jump back huddle against Snapper now.

"So, you two want to eat her yourselves?" Thud asked, his teeth still bared in a snarl. Scratcher, glaring now, stepped in front of Ducky and Snapper and answered, still in the sharptooth language, "No, she's our friend!" Thud didn't react for a moment. Then he laughed, very loudly. It was a deep belly laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. After a moment, the laughter subsided into growls and he licked his lips again. With another yelp, Ducky ran and fully hid behind Snapper.

"Now what did he say?" she asked after a moment, poking her head out.

"He doesn't believe that the three of us are friends," Scratcher said, switching back to leaf eater.

"Oh," Ducky said after a moment. Snapper and Scratcher both kept glaring hard at Thud, who just stared back at them with that same smug snarl on his face.

…..

Biter was still holding his hurt arm, it had stopped bleeding finally but it still hurt, it was a deep cut and very irritated. He kept holding it with his good arm even as he sprinted as fast as he could, or ever had it felt like. The gang ran around a turn in their path, winding around a large rock formation, and stopped, breathing hard. They almost couldn't believe it.

"Look, we're back where we started," Cera said. She glared in frustration, "Great, we're running in circles." Ahead of them was a familiar section of the valley with a wide stream running through it. It was where they had first come in after leaving the cave. Somehow they had found their way through the twisted up maze of rocks back to this spot. Chomper nodded and looked back at the distant tower of rock his friend and cousins were stuck on top of. It was far, far up a distant canyon but he could just see the green at the top of the lone tree on the rock hill.

"That good," Petrie said.

"Yeah, but we can't go back yet," Chomper said, Biter and Spike both nodded. Littlefoot did too, "Not without our friends," he said determinedly. Spike nodded again as Ruby walked past him, looking back towards the ledge.

"But they on high and rocky ledge, me no know how to help them," Petrie said.

"Neither do I, but we'll find a way," Littlefoot said, determination still in his voice.

"That ridge that leads back towards them might help us reach them," Ruby said, making everyone turn and look where she was pointing.

"Then let's go," Littlefoot said, and the gang started off but Chomper and Biter hung back.

"Go ahead, we're gonna go down to that water and clean his wound out a little," Chomper said. "It's full of dirt and pebbles." Littlefoot nodded, "Okay, be safe."
"We will be, and we'll catch up. We can use our sniffers to find you again," Chomper said. Biter nodded and they turned towards a small pond the stream poured into. The rest of the gang headed off back towards the ledge. Chomper and Biter got to the stream after a short walk and Chomper started washing his cousin's wound out. He saw how worried Biter still looked and put a hand on his shoulder, "We'll get them down, my friends can do anything," he said. Biter nodded after a moment, "I know," he said. "They're amazing."

…..

A breeze had picked up. Thud had fallen asleep but Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher had not. They were huddled together, shivering. For the season, the breeze was surprisingly bitter. They all gasped suddenly and gripped one another. The tower of rock they were on was shifting, rocks were crumbling and they'd felt it shaking below them like the whole thing was going to fall. It didn't, just some of the rocks at the top of the hill slid loose and came sliding down. Thud opened his eyes just a fresh shower of rocks fell onto the ones that were on his tail, crushing his tail even more. He roared loudly in pain, it almost sounded like a scream.

Ducky stood up and looked at Thud. Despite everything, she felt a pang of sympathy for him in her heart.

"I know I should not, but I wish I could help him," she said.

"If we do, he'll just eat us sooner. He's a sharptooth, that's what they do," Snapper said, also standing up and looking over at Thud.

"You and Scratcher and Chomper and Biter are all sharpteeth and that is not what you do," Ducky replied. Before anyone could say anything else, Thud's growls turned into pained whimpers as he tried to slide the rocks off his tail but he couldn't reach them.

"Oh, he sounds more hurted," Ducky said.

"Well, he does have rocks on his tail," Scratcher said with a shrug. "I'd probably be saying about the same as he is if it was me in his place." As Thud kept whimpering, Ducky took a step closer, her bright eyes giving him a sorrowful look. Thud's eyes twitched and he looked at her for a moment before spinning around and snapping at her. Ducky screamed and jumped back, Snapper and Scratcher immediately jumping in front of her.

"Leave her alone!" Snapper growled in his native sharptooth.

"You're just a bully!" Scratcher growled, baring his teeth, "And we won't let you hurt her. We'll stop you!" Thud growled back, and even Ducky could understand the disbelief and amusement in his voice.

"We will!" Scratcher growled as loudly as he could. He stomped forward more, "I will!" he roared with bared teeth. It was a shrill little shriek. Thud let out a noise that sounded as much like a smug chuckle as it did a snarl, "Oh, and if I were to get free right now, little biter, who would you protect first? Your family, or this leaf eater? Really, come now, who?" Scratcher glared at him, eyes narrow slits, open just enough that the red was visible, "Both of them!" he hissed. Thud chuckled.

"I mean it!" Scratcher roared. "I would get between both of them and you, you are not going to touch them! You'd lose your hand before you did," he growled, with a chomp of his jaws. Snapper, looking surprised, just stared at Scratcher. He was stunned at Scratcher's words, but it was the same kind of loyalty he felt too. Heck, it was what had driven him to attack a sharptooth a hundred times his size back on the island where it had Chomper and his found family cornered. He hardened his own frightened gaze and walked up and stood next to Scratcher, defiant in front of the fast biter. He was not going to stand, or protect, alone.

Thud snarled, almost gleefully, though a tiny little speck deep within himself found their loyalty admirable. They had heart, he would admit, but his own brother would do the same for him. They'd see who won this little game yet.

"Your brother was injured, could you have prevented that?" he snapped to Scratcher, a low blow but he was trying to dig at the irksome little sharptooth trying his hardest to defy him. He'd heard their conversation while buried under the rocks, even smelled the faint whiff of the other sharptooth's blood amid the overpowering scent of dust and soil up his nose. Scratcher's eyes narrowed even more, actual rage that mirrored Sharptooth himself was in his gaze now. Another feature he seemed to have inherited from his infamous relative.

"Shut up," he hissed in a rage-filled growl. It was so filled with overflowing fury and hate, and his eyes were so illuminated from within with anger, that Snapper even was startled.

Scratcher and Snapper both turned and walked away after glaring at Thud for another moment. Thud just snickered again.

"We'll see who comes for who first, little biters," he said. "They're not coming back for you…" Snapper and Scratcher both kept an eye on him until they got to where Ducky was sitting, when they turned to face her they saw she was crying. Without a word she stood and ran over to Snapper, hugging him. He looked at Scratcher then back at Ducky. Scratcher put a comforting hand on Ducky's shoulder.

Scratcher

Just hold on tight, we will be alright

Ducky:

What if we are stuck here all night?

That nasty Thud, gave me a fright

And he is much too big to fight

Snapper:
Ducky don't be afraid, I'm sure our friends are on the way

Stay close, and you will see, we will all be okay

All:

We'll all be okay

Snapper gave Ducky another gentle hug as he sat down, Scratcher sat on her other side and they just waited. Thud just kept watching them, picking his claws out of boredom. He glanced back at the rocks, knowing he could get loose if enough time passed. Of course his brother would come for him before it came to that….

…..

Littlefoot, Cera, Ruby, Petrie, and Spike were all running. Red Claw broke through the trees just behind them. He roared loudly, it was earsplitting, and charged the kids at full speed now that he was free from the trees. Screech was following just behind. Ahead, the gang saw a group of trees growing close together, the roots sticking out of the somewhat eroded ground in a tangled mess. Cera thought that it looked a lot like the tangled thorns that she'd hid from Sharptooth in on that day that he had first attacked them. She recalled that day with horrific, vivid accuracy, possibly slightly influenced and mulled over by her worst nightmares in the cold times sense, but it was still accurate enough.

"There, those roots! It's too tangled for Red Claw!" Ruby said, the gang saw a way in and ran for it. Cera hesitated, suddenly having a surge of bad memories, and fear, of Sharptooth's attack filling her head.

"Go!" Rudy shouted. Spike pushed Cera forward and they hurried inside. Littlefoot stopped just outside and glanced back, he saw Screech jump onto two trees and bend them over in his frantic chase, he then used the momentum to fling himself forward at them with an increase in speed. Littlefoot paused, the sight gave him an idea.

"Littlefoot!" He heard Cera scream from inside the tangle of roots but he didn't move. Not until Ruby ran out and pushed him into the tangle of roots with the others. He found himself in a passage between the roots, Ruby just behind him. She screamed as Screech stuck his head inside and she moved back further. Moving quickly, the gang hurried back into the tangled passages of roots and other plants that managed to eke out an existence in such confined quarters and out of reach of both Screech and Red Claw. Breathing hard, they slowed down a little once the sharpteeth were out of sight but they kept up a quick pace. Above them, they could hear Red Claw roaring very loudly and very angrily.

"Me worried about you back there Littlefoot," Petrie said, landing on Littlefoot's back.

"I'm sorry," Littlefoot replied, "but when I saw Screech using the trees I had an idea."

"That's a good reason to get eaten," Cera huffed.

"We could use trees to rescue Ducky, Snapper, and Scratcher!" Littlefoot said, glancing at the others. Ruby shook her head, "Still not a very good reason to get eaten," she said. They all heard Red Claw roar again, so loud and vicious that it sent clumps of dirt and clouds of dust falling onto them from the roots above them. That was okay, they could wait him out in here.

…..

"How's it look?" Biter asked. Chomper had finally gotten all the dirt and small rocks out of Biter's wound.

"It's deep, but clean. It should be okay," he said, letting go of Biter's arm. "I'd have Ruby look at it though, she's good with this kind of stuff. She might know some leaves to put on it that'll help it." The two young sharpteeth stood and sniffed the air.

"Now we just need to find the others," Chomper said.

"Let's just head towards the ledge, that's where they're going so we should meet up on the way," Biter said. Chomper nodded, "Sounds good to me." They started off towards the distant ledge, keeping an eye out for Red Claw, or any other sharpteeth that might have been hanging around.

They heard Red Claw roar in the distance and paused, glancing at each other nervously. Being related to Sharptooth always seemed to make other sharpteeth want to get them more. Hopefully the sound of Red Claw being so angry would scare any other sharpteeth that were around away. Moving cautiously, Chomper and Biter kept heading towards the distant ledge.

…..

The bright circle was getting lower in the sky. Ducky, Snapper, and Scratcher were all still shivering.

"I hope they get here soon," Ducky said, her voice quivering.

"I already told you, bold but foolish little biters…your friends aren't coming back," Thud growled, scratching his big, killing claw on the ground. Scratcher didn't even look at him, "Be quiet," he growled.

"Is he calling you two little again?" Ducky asked. Snapper nodded, "Yeah, and he doesn't believe our friends will rescue us." Thud snickered, "You're all alone!" Scratcher stood up and glared at Thud, who smirked. Scratcher held his gaze for a brief moment before looking away again. He was shaking now, but not in fear. He was shaking from held in rage, and Thud could see it. A few more pokes and the little biter might explode and do something foolish…

"But they are our friends," Ducky said. "Isn't that what friends do?"
"I guess not in the Mysterious Beyond," Snapper answered, his eyes now wearily on Scratcher rather than on Thud. He was getting worried about him, he had never seen Scratcher so angry before. Ducky yelped and clung to Snapper as Thud started growling, rather viciously, again.

"Why would anyone help two little biters like you?" he asked. Scratcher growled, looking like he was about to snap and he turned, taking a step towards Thud, his teeth bared.

"For the last time-" Scratcher snarled, standing up and glaring at Thud. Looking afraid, Snapper hurried over and stood at Scratcher's side in front of Thud defiantly.

"I am not-" Scratcher shouted, switching to leaf eater. "Little!" he screamed, his shrill high voice echoing into the surrounding cliffs and canyons.

…..

At the same time, the gang was still wandering around in the tangled passage of roots. It was dark and damp, the air also smelled dirty and musty. The roots also gave off a thick, earthy smell that tickled the nose.

"This why Petrie no like adventures," Petrie said. He was riding on Spike's back now and was jostled a little when Spike half slipped on a damp root. Littlefoot ducked under a low hanging root and glanced back for a moment. He was in front, leading the gang through the twisted tunnels and spaces. Petrie kept looking around, seeing creepy looking crawlers moving between some of the roots, some who had way too many legs. He shuddered.

Petrie:

Wish me not go adventuring, adventuring, adventuring

Me not adventuring, me not be here right now

Littlefoot:

Petrie, please, you must be brave

while we still have our friends to save

Cera:

You know they'd do the same for you

Petrie:
Me guess that true

Ruby:

Now, follow me, I think I know

another way that we can go

to get where we have got to be

All:

We have to go adventuring

when our good friends need rescuing

We'll do it even if we don't know how

We're gonna go adventuring

right now!

Petrie:

Me got to go adventuring now!

The tunnel grew tighter, and more twisty, then it opened up again. It was long and narrow, but at the end the gang could all see a way out. Relieved, they all picked up the pace. They hadn't heard Red Claw for a while, so Petrie flew out first, feeling the air go from cool and musty to warm again. Spike squeezed out next, followed by Littlefoot and Cera, Ruby came last. Seeing the area was indeed clear, Red Claw had obviously given up for the time, they started back towards the ledge.

"Let's just hope we don't have to go and track down Chomper and Biter too," Cera muttered.

"They'll find us I'm sure," Littlefoot said. After walking a short distance from the trees and their tangled roots, Petrie landed on the ground and looked back at his friends, "Look, tangle trees lead us back to cliff," he said, pointing. Something in the distance shrieked as Littlefoot answered, "Nice work Ruby, your way was the right way."
"Don't thank me yet, we still have to save Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher," she said, looking at the distant cliff.

…..

Meanwhile, Chomper poked his head around a corner of rock, "It's clear." he said. Moving quickly, he and Biter ran towards the rock path. They hadn't heard Red Claw roar for a while and hoped their friends were okay.

"Little...little...little…!" they heard echo faintly. Chomper and Biter looked at each other, "Scratcher doesn't sound very happy about something," they said at the same time, picking the pace up.

"Hey, wait up guys!" called a voice. Chomper and Biter stopped, looking back.

"Littlefoot!" Chomper said. As the gang caught up to the two sharpteeth, they quickly kept going without stopping.

"Come on, we have a plan!" Littlefoot said. Without another word, the group all began hurrying towards the ledge.

Meanwhile, Snapper was sitting on the edge of the cliff, a depressed look on his face, mindlessly tossing a rock up and down. The anger had all finally drained away from his body, and he looked almost like a wilted flower that hadn't had anything to drink in a very long time. He eventually sighed and threw the stone down over the edge. It crashed into the cliff edge multiple times on the way down, knocking a few others loose on the way down. Snapper was sitting next to him, silent, also looking depressed, but he was doing his best to support Scratcher nonetheless. They heard Thud growl again but didn't pay attention to what he said. Thud's growls turned to pained ones after a moment and then he went quiet.

"Oh," Snapper and Scratcher both heard Ducky say. "I am sorry you are in pain." she said. They heard Thud growl loudly and snap again.

"But I am not sorry you cannot reach us and then eat us, no, no, no!" Ducky said, almost in a lecturing tone of voice. Scratcher sighed and stood up, turning to face her. Snapper did the same and followed him, concern on his face.

"He said we're too little, and he's right," Scratcher said, walking towards Ducky, Snapper just behind.

"If he gets loose we're…I'm too little to protect us," Scratcher added, looking down. Thud growled lowly.

"Or help us get out of here," Scratcher said after a moment. He turned away, "I'm too little to do anything." Ducky gave her friend a sad look and walked over to him, "You are sad about being little, but that is only on the outside, Scratcher." She put her hands on Scratcher's shoulder. "Today, you've been big enough on the inside to make me feel safe. You have, you have," Ducky added, pulling the young sharptooth into a hug.

"She's right, Scratcher you're the kind of sharptooth ones like Thud wish they could be. Loyal and you are for your family and friends in a way that is rare out here, as we know," Snapper said, joining in one the small huddle. "You're the kind of sharptooth I wish I could be too."

After a moment Scratcher smiled and returned the hug.

"Hey!" a voice called out. Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher all looked at a ledge that was close to the one's they'd last seen their friends on, and they were all there. The new ledge was slightly higher up that the other one and now the gang was on an equal level with the splinter group's cliff. Ruby lifted her hands to her mouth, "Are you alright?" she called out. Ducky giggled as Snapper and Scratcher smiled, "We are now!" Snapper called. Petrie flew into the air and looked down at the ledge. After a moment he let out a yelp, "Ahhh! Behind you, me see Thud! Thud!" he quickly shouted. Snapper shrugged as Thud snarled, glaring hard at the small group he was sharing the ledge with, "Don't worry, Thud won't hurt us," Snapper called. Scratcher nodded and looked back at Thud, glaring as well.

"Look who came first after all," he said to the sharptooth in their language. Thud snarled more viciously than ever, though there was now a hint of accusation and defiance in his voice. Across the chasm in the rock that separated them, the gang looked at each other with confusion, "Maybe….it's a different Thud?" Cera suggested.

"He cannot get to us!" Ducky shouted, explaining, "He is stuck under many rocks!" Thud roared again and Petrie shuddered, "Me stay away, just in case," he said, landing on Spike's back.

"And we will rescue you!" Ruby called, glancing at Petrie. "...also just in case!" she added after a moment. Biter took a few steps forward, "Are you okay Scratcher?" he called. Scratcher nodded, "I'm just as good as I was when you left me," he said. "Nothing wrong with me other than a bitten tongue. Hope about you?"
"My arm is okay!" his younger brother confirmed.

Thud roared again, trying to pull his tail free more frantically than ever but the pain made him stop; the rocks were just too heavy. The gang hurried away from the ledge and Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher looked at each other, wondering what their friends had planned.

The gang circled around a boulder and walked up to a loose tree that was half hanging over the edge. Littlefoot stopped and looked at it, "That one Spike!" he said after a minute. Together, he and Spike began pushing on the tree, which shook, the dirt holding it in place crumbled and loosened. After a moment it began to lean hard, "Stand back you guys!" Littlefoot called as he and Spike gave a final shove. The tree fell over and bridged the gap perfectly, creating a bridge for Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher. It also nearly landed on Thud.

"It work, tree make way across!" Petrie called after flying back into the air to have a look.

"Yay!" Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher all jumped up and down a few times, cheering happily.

"We have showeded that Thud who is big!" Ducky declared. She started running towards the log with Snapper and Scratcher just behind.

"Our friends may be littler than Red Claw, but they always help us because they are big inside!" she called. They started across the log towards their eager looking friends. Thud watched them and dropped all of his sureness. Rather, at seeing them gifted a way out he looked sadly at the rocks that still trapped him, he knew Red Claw and Screech wouldn't help him and he knew deep down he wouldn't the rocks off…

He looked back up at Snapper and Scratcher, who were halfway across the log, "I guess you win, little biters," Thud growled, laying down in obvious dejected defeat and acceptance. If he could turn around more he could dig himself free, but too much of his tail was piled under too many rocks for him to be able to reach the spot. He needed help to get out, he knew. He had bet Screech would come. He'd never expected Red Claw too but Screech he had felt sure would come for him but just those kids had. His own brother hadn't come looking for him after the chaos ended, he'd no doubt focused on finding the kids, which meant he definitely would not be coming back for him now. So this was it….Thud knew now he was going to die here, pinned under a pile of rocks he couldn't get himself out from under.

Snapper and Scratcher looked at each other and then back at Thud. Scratcher deeply exhaled, "Go," he said to Snapper after a moment then turned and went back across the log.

"Scratcher, what are you doing?" Biter called out, making Ducky, who was at the end of the log, turn around. As Scratcher jumped off the log he looked back, "Being the bigger sharptooth!" he called before turning to face the fast biter.

Slow and cautious, Scratcher approached Thud, who glanced up after a moment.

"I'm being nice, so don't eat me," Scratcher growled, his eyes narrowed. Thud lifted his head up after a second and looked down at the little biter in front of him. After a short stare down, he nodded, growling lowly. He stood up as Scratcher ran past him. Thud watched the little biter as he climbed on top of the rocks that were pinning his tail. Working fast, the little sharptooth pushed about half the rocks off then jumped down and ran past Thud again.

"You can do the rest yourself," Snapper growled. "I got them loose," he added as he reached the tree. As he climbed on, Scratcher glanced back, half smiling now, "You're welcome," he said in leaf eater. In sharptooth he added one word, "Loyalty." Then he turned and took off, running across the log. Biter hugged his brother tightly as soon as he got across. Snapper, who had waited on the log for Scratcher to get across with him, got a similar hug from Chomper. While that was happening, Spike pushed the tree off the edge and it went tumbling down into the chasm below. As he watched it land with a crash, Ducky now hugged her brother tightly.

"I am very glad to be here with you," Ducky said, climbing onto Spike's back, "And all of you, yep, yep, yep."

"I think we will all be glader together when we are somewhere else together. Like home!" Ruby said. Excitedly, the gang began hurrying back in the direction of the Great Valley.

Thud meanwhile had begun digging with his feet as the little biter ran across the log. As the gang vanished from his sight, Thud finally got his tail free from the rocks. He'd been able to pull himself free thanks to the reduced weight on top of him. He roared in both pain and relief, and then took his situation in. The chasm wasn't large, a little over twice his body length. Tapping his toe claws on the ground, Thud took a few steps back and then sprinted forward, jumping across in one single leap. Since he hadn't been able to get a good running start, he landed short and found himself hanging off the edge on the other side. Growling, he caught himself and pulled himself up, using his claws as support. Thud roared loudly in triumph once he was standing up on the other side.

…..

The gang was in a dead sprint for the finish. They couldn't see Red Claw, but they heard him roaring, and it was obvious he was following them. When and how he had picked up their trail again they didn't know, but now he had and they were all on the run together once again. Story of the day it seemed.

"Hurry!" Littlefoot shouted. Petrie jumped off his back and flew into the air to get an idea of how things looked from the air. He yelped, seeing Red Claw and Screech were not nearly as far behind the gang as it had seemed they were.

"Red Claw close, Screech closer!" he yelled, flying back down to the group, "And Thud closer still!"

"Let's go!" Cera shouted.

"Where?" Biter cried.

"There, ahead! I see a cave!" Chomper said, pointing to a tiny hole in a wall of rock that was just ahead. Not the cave they needed to escape but one that could offer shelter temporarily. Screaming, the gang all dove inside. It was tight, they were all pressed tightly together. If there had been anyone else in the group, they wouldn't have all fit. Still, they pressed back further as Red Claw's foot slammed down outside, right next to the entrance. He and his two fast biter minions were looking around, growling. The gang's scent had to be overwhelming for them right now. Thud stepped right in front of the cave and made a clicking like growl. Snapper and Scratcher, who were in front and closest to the sentence, gulped as his eyes twitched down and looked right into theirs. He'd seen them, looked them right in the eye. They gasped as Thud sniffed the air for a moment.

"Well?" Red Claw snarled. Thud looked at him then motioned in the opposite direction of the Great Valley.

"That way," he growled. With a bellowing roar, Red Claw ran in that direction, Screech snarled and followed, Thud just behind. As the sharpteeth ran off and vanished from sight, the gang crept out.

"They're gone," Ruby whispered.

"I thought Red Claw and Thud had us for sure," Littlefoot said, walking out of the cave.

"Me too," Chomper said, panting slightly. Scratcher and Snapper looked at each other silently after a moment. They shared a knowing look but didn't say anything.

…..

"This is the place we left, right where we left it," Ruby said when they finally returned to the cave entrance. The ledge outside of the cave that the gang had first climbed up before had collapsed, but the tunnel had not. The opening they'd emerged from hours before was still there and looking like a welcoming entrance for them to pass through to return to the safety of the Great Valley. They climbed up the loose rocks and stones one by one, Cera, who was still at the bottom, looked at Ducky, Snapper and Scratcher, "Little hatchlings first," she said.

"That's us," Scratcher said with a smile. Duck giggled, "Yep, yep, yep!" Laughing, they headed into the tunnel, Cera followed just behind. Safe at last, and leaving the Mysterious Beyond behind.