The Dinosaur King Chapter 17 - Return to the Valley
At an early morning light of morning, Marsh and Cope were sleeping in the foggy atmosphere as they snored. In his snore, Cope occasionally mumbles "Grubs, grubs."
Then Caroline appeared out of the fog and approached them and nudged Marsh, and said. "Hey. Hey, wake up,"
Marsh starts to stir. Then he sleepily opens his eyes to see who is talking to him. But he only sees a large Giganotosaurus face in his face. Marsh immediately starts screaming with his feathers standing on end, and then Cope wakes up and starts screaming too. Nearby, the Sauropods were woken up by the sudden screaming.
"What the?! I'm awake!" yelped Excelus as he woke up while startled.
"It's OK. Whoa, whoa. It's OK. It's ME," said Caroline, trying to calm them down, which they did.
"Don't ever do that again! Carnivores, oy!" said Marsh.
"What the heck was all that screaming about?!" Holland yelled as he stuck his neck in. "Can't some Long Neck get some sleep around here?!"
"Oh, would you be quiet, Holland, some of us are trying to sleep, and you're waking up the neighbor!" Enot shouted as the Triceratops entered the scene along with the other residents, thinking it was Holland being loud.
"Alright, let me at'em?! I'll take it on!" Derek shouted as he and the other mammals and small dinosaurs came out of the underbrush, ready to fight.
"Peace, my friends, it doesn't matter who's being disruptive of our sleep or to fight, but what is going on?" Loki asked.
"Thanks, Loki, have you seen my Mom or Sue?" Caroline asked.
"I thought they were with Tristan," said Marsh.
"They were, but now they're gone," Caroline added.
"There's no need, sweetie," Fangtooth said as she walked into the clearing.
"Mom, where's Sue or Tristan? Have you talked to them yet?" Carolina asked her mother. Then they heard laughter and turned to the bushes as they saw Spitfire emerging his head from the bushes.
"Ho, ho, ho, ho. You won't find him here. Ha ha. Sue is on her way back, and The King... has returned," Spitfire told the Group.
"I can't believe it," said Caroline quietly to herself. Then she was louder and amazed, said to the others, "And not only Sue, He's gone back!"
"That's right, Caroline, He went back home!" Fangtooth added.
"Gone back? What do you mean?" asked Marsh. Then he looked up to where Spitfire was, but he was now gone. "Hey! What's goin' on here? Who's that Crested Spitter?"
"Tristan's gone to challenge Proximus," said Caroline.
"Who?" asked Marsh.
"Proximus," said Caroline.
"Who's got a Proximus?" asked Cope.
"No, no, no. It's his uncle," said Caroline, shaking her head.
"The Dilophosaurus is his uncle?" asked Marsh.
"No! Tristan's gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king," said Caroline.
"Ohhh," said Marsh and Cope, now realizing.
"Why are we standing here for?! We gotta help him!" Kayla told everyone.
"Agreed!" Asim replied.
Soon they heard a roar and turned their heads in the direction of where Tristan was, and they knew they must follow him.
. . . . .
Meanwhile, Tristan crests a hill overlooking Hakuna Matata Paradise, and for the first time in his life since he was Rexling, he let out a loud, mighty Roar which can be heard throughout the forests and swamps. Leonardo woke up and nudged his father, Ruben, to wake him up as they saw and heard Tristan roaring. Soon, Fangtooth, Caroline, and Tristan's friends arrived to see Tristan letting out another roar as the female Giganotosaurs told Leonardo and Ruben that Tristan is coming back to the Valley with them as they watched Tristan climb down the hill and charge off as a Female Singer is heard singing.
Female Singer: (Singing) Yeah, spirit
Watch the heavens open (open)
Yeah
Tristan made it to the bottom of the hill as morning arrived with the sun rising from the east. As Tristan ran, he left Hakuna Matata Paradise, transitioning from the Shrublands to the Desert.
Female Singer: Spirit
Can you hear it callin'? (Callin')
Yeah
Soon, Tristan sees Sue walking, still upset from last night, with her head down, as he catches up with her. Sue looked up to see Tristan and was surprised to see him out here and said to herself, "Tristan?"
"Come on! What are you waiting for? Let's go home!" Tristan told Sue in excitement as he continued running.
Female Singer: So go into that far-off land
And be one with the Great I Am
Sue felt a newfound joy of hope, and happiness. It seemed Fangtooth and even Spitfire and his Spirit Father, Scotty, talked Tristan out of his depressed state, and he was eager to return home. Sue smiled as she ran after him, knowing that with him around, the Valley could be restored and Tristan would overthrow Proximus.
Female Singer: Whoa, spirit
Watch the heavens open (open)
Yeah
Tristan and Sue were running together across the desert. Tristan remembered he crossed the desert as Rexling, leaving the Valley in exile, but now, as an Adult, he was running back to the place where he was hatched, as some of the Landmarks like the rocky hills and dunes almost remained the same when Tristan took the pathway here. Soon, the two Tyrannosaurs came upon the Mountain Range that surrounded the Valley as they went over the range through a passageway and upon entering the Valley, where they grew up, they came upon the briar patch and the exit of the Gorge where the stampede took place, took his father's life, and where Tristan left Dinosauria in the First place.
Female Singer: Your destiny is comin' close
Stand up and fight
So go into a far off land
And be one with the Great I Am
After finding a pathway up the gorge cliff. The Tyrannosaurs ran alongside each other past the edge of the Gorge, and after a long journey, Tristan and Sue have finally made it back home to the Valley of Dinosauria.
Tristan was happy that he had returned home to the Valley of Dinosauria, where he grew up as a rexling. Many memories have opened back in Tristan's mind as he can't wait to reunite with his mother and the pack. Suddenly, as Tristan continued running ahead of Sue, who had slowed down, he stepped on a dead fern plant. The Tyrannosaur looked down as it raised its left foot up to see the plant lying brown and dead. Tristan looked up to see the state of the Valley, and his eyes widened at what he saw as he slowly crossed the desolate land
Tristan was shocked by the sight of him looking like this. What used to be forests, plains, and wetlands of flowers, ferns, trees, conifers, cycads, horsetails, bushes, and grass with running water has become nothing, but barren wasteland with dead trees, bushes, plants, stumps, fallen logs, exposed rocks, dried up riverbeds, lakes, and ponds. Also, there were bones of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, herbivores and carnivores alike, everywhere littering the floor. The landscape looked like an aftermath of a disaster from a volcanic eruption or an extinction if an asteroid from outer space hit Earth, wiping the dinosaurs out for good.
Tristan could not see a single sign of life. He was completely broken. How could Proximus do this to his home? And most of all, he let the savage carnivores into the valley and let his family starve to death. He reaches the lip of a cliff and looks out over his former home, Dino Rock, surrounded by a vast new wasteland. Mostly lacking in life, it is a gray valley now, while a Quetzalcoatlus honks as it lands on the ground searching for scraps. Seeing the desolation, a look of determination, he was going to make things right and restore the valley back to the way it was.
"Tristan, wait up!" said a voice. The Tyrannosaurus looked back to see Sue running up to him and standing next to him on the ledge.
"Now you understand, Tristan, what we have been saying. Look at what Proximus has done to our home," Fangtooth said to Tristan.
"It's awful, isn't it?" said Sue.
"I didn't want to believe you," said Tristan.
"What made you come back?" asked Sue.
"I finally got some sense knocked into me. And I've got the bump to prove it, Besides, this is my home, my kingdom." Tristan replied.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Fangtooth asked.
"My father once told me to protect everything the light touches. If I don't fight for it, who will?" said Tristan.
"We will," said Sue.
"It's gonna be dangerous," said Tristan, smiling.
"Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha ha," said Sue, quoting him when he said that sentence when he was young.
"I see nothing funny about this," said Leonardo as he, Caroline, and Ruben arrived.
"You brought your Family Fangtooth?" Tristan asked.
"Yes, and to make up for not saving you and your father that day, we all came to help," Fangtooth told him.
Then there was a squawk as the Tyrannosaurs and Giganotosaurs looked up to see a familiar Archaeopteryx fleeing down to them.
"It can't be? Is it?!" Anton gasped. He was pleased that Sue survived alongside Fangtooth and her family, but he was most surprised to see a Tyrannosaurus that he hadn't seen in years, who used to mock and make fun of all those years. Now he saw the rexling is now a full-grown T. rex with a resemblance to his father, and the heir to the throne is alive.
Tristan smiled to see that an old friend of his father was still alive, although he had made fun of him in his youth. He was very happy to see him again and greeted him, "Hello, Anton."
"Tristan, I can't believe you are alive and look how much you have grown, your father would be very proud," Anton said as he bowed down to the Tyrannosaurus. "You're Majesty, welcome home."
Then they heard some panting as they turned around to see Marsh and Cope catching up to them.
"We're here!" Cope called out.
"Oh, everyone, calm down. We're here!" Marsh added.
"The back-up has arrived!" Cope exclaimed as the rest of the Hakuna Matata Paradise Dinosaurs appeared, including Enot, Vram, Holland, Atalanta, Excelsus, Wingtip, Hop Top, Asim, Paula, Maurice, Ace, Ripto, Loki, Kayla, Debra, Buck, Robert, Charles, Willow, Andrew, Gilmore, Allie, Derek, Cameron, Gia, Leigh, Lillie, Penelope, Ezra, Owen, Scamper, Sophie, the Lambeosaurus that Tristan spooked, along with Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures like Quetzalcoatlus, Pteranodon, Pachycephalosaurus, Styracosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Alexornis, Triceratops, Iguanodon, Parasaurolophus, Saurolophus, Oviraptor, Trierarchuncus, Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Pectinodon, Megalosaurus, Spinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Alamosaurus, Denversaurus, Platytholus, Sphaerotholus, Leptoceratops, Graciliceratops, Torosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Thescelosaurus, Anzu, Acheroraptor, Dakotaraptor, Palaeosaniwa, Meniscoessus, Alphadon, Didelphodon, Cimolestes, Gypsonictops, Purgatorius, Avisaurus, Alexornis, Magnusavis, Borealosuchus, Brachychampsa, Thoracosaurus, and Champsosaurus have to come to their aid.
"What are you guys doing here?" asked Tristan.
"Dying was my first guess," said Charles.
"Um…" Cope and Marsh said not sure what to say next before Cope spoke.
"We were not worried," Cope said.
"No, not worried," Marsh added.
"'Cause no worries," Cope continued.
"Nope. Hakuna Matata," Marsh continued, agreeing with him.
"We were concerned because…" Cope explained.
"Because, you know…" Marsh said, trying to get the words out.
"You're our friend," Cope finished. "Friends to the End!"
"What about the meaningless line of indifference?" Tristan asked.
"Well, we were thinking…" Cope said.
"That's a good point," Marsh commented.
"...maybe... Maybe it curves a little bit," Cope continued.
"I mean, Tristan, look, I'm happy to admit when Pumbaa's wrong, and this is one of those instances," Marsh said.
"What? That wasn't my thing. You told me about the line," Cope said, not agreeing with him.
"I'm fine with Danger living in that Paradise has softened me up!" Derek said.
"Yeah, I could use some action!" Enot added.
"You need an army, so they agreed to help you," Ruben told Tristan.
"Yeah, you were here for us, and now we're here for you," Gia said.
"Goodness, look at this place," said Rita regarding the Valley's state.
"So, uh. We're going to fight your uncle... for this?" Marsh asked, looking across the wasteland.
"Yeah, this is the place we're fighting for?" Debra asked.
"Yes, Marsh and Debra, this is my home," Tristan told them.
"Is it behind that terrifying rock?" Cope asked.
"Oy... Talk about your fixer-upper," Marsh commented.
"I'm gonna hand it to you, Tristan, I like what you've done with the place, although a bit heavy on the carcass," Robert said, nitpicking about the Valley's condition.
"This place is a nightmare... No plants, and no water. That Prox guy is a big jerk," Willow added.
"Of all the wild stunts Proximus has pulled, this is the worst," Leonardo said, agreeing with her.
"Indeed, but now we're here, we're going to rebuild His Majesty's kingdom," Asim said.
"Yeah, if it's important to you, we'll help you," Owen added.
"Oh, look, a Raptor-like Bird," Cope said, noticing Anton.
"Cope, Marsh, Guys, this Anton," Tristan told his friends, introducing them to his father's old advisor.
"Oh, wow. It's a Dino Bird!" Marsh joked.
"Charming," Anton said unamused before perching on a branch.
Tristan then turned to everyone and said, "Thank you all for helping, It's going to mean a lot to the Valley, since I was now destined to take my place in the Circle of Life, If we defeat all of the Savage Predators and Proximus, I'm going to make things right again to restore the Valley of Dinosauria. No matter what it takes, we ARE going to rebuild this kingdom, again! Are you with me?"
"Yes, Yeah! Of Course, we are! Ditto! Count me in! Count us in, too!" They all said in response.
"Tristan, we are with you until the end," Anton said.
"We are at your service, my liege," Cope said while bowing with one foreleg.
Tristan smiles appreciatively. Then all of them looked across the horizon, viewing the work ahead of them as the storm clouds rolled in across the landscape, "Follow Me!"
Soon, everyone follows Tristan towards Dino Rock. They have managed to make their way to the Dino Rock without being spotted. Now all they have to do is find a way to get to Proximus. Tristan told the sauropods to stay hidden until they needed their help. Due to their large size, they can easily be spotted. Sneaking up to the edge of Dino Rock, they peeked out from behind a log to see and observe hordes of savage carnivores. They were different species of them, but most of them were Raptors. But they are blocking their path. They must figure out a way to get past them.
"Raptors everywhere!" Andrew commented.
"Savage Carnivores. I hate Savage Carnivores. Raptors, I hate most of all," said Marsh before turning to Ripto, Robert, and Kayla. "But not you guys."
"That's okay, Marsh," replied Ripto.
"I hope it's a quick death. You know, just not a lot of chewing," Sophie added. Then Marsh whispered to Tristan.
"So what's your plan for gettin' past the slobbering guards?" whispered Marsh to Tristan.
"Live bait," whispered Tristan before everyone looked at Cope.
"That's a great idea. Those guys could never resist fresh meat. So, all we need to do is find something that's, like, big... and plump, and juicy. Maybe like a hadrosaur?" Cope said.
"Can you leave me out of this one?" the Lambeosaurus asked.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" Cope asked, noticing everyone looking at him.
. . . . .
Then Marsh approaches the Savage Carnivores, who notice him.
"Ma chère mademoiselle, it is with the deepest pleasure and greatest pride that we proudly present… your dinner,"said Marsh.
Marsh was on top of Cope's back, already lying down on the ground to look at him, the carnivore's dinner. The Carnivores, especially the Raptors, looked delighted as they looked at the Ankylosaurus on the ground.
Marsh: (Singing) Be our...
"Gah!" the Ornithomimus screamed as he jumped off Cope as they ran away with the carnivores in pursuit.
"It's working, Cope!" Marsh told Cope as he continued to scream while being chased.
While the Carnivores chase Cope and Marsh in one direction, Tristan and his army run the other way, toward Dino Rock. Spitfire watched them from his cave, and he turned to enter the cave and picked up his staff, and tested it briefly.
"My old Friend," Spitfire commented.
It was now time to take back the Valley and defeat Proximus once and for all.