A.N: To artist seeking money from for their art, please leave the comment section open for discussions about the story only and don't private message me for I will most likely not respond. Thank you.

Chapter Eight:

The Dad who Stepped In

The next day, Ruby knew she had to go to Tyrannosaurus Rex, holding her head high as she went to find him. He had a nest located on the far side of the island, keeping away from the family till Ruby felt he was ready to play the part of Chomper. She wondered what he was up to, hoped he was still on the island and hadn't left after she ran off.

Ironically, Tyrannosaurus Rex was still on the island, gazing down at his reflection, that rippled and changed. There, gazing back was the annoyed face of Chomper. Tyrannosaurus Rex only grinned, chuckling a little.

"You, let me back in!" Chomper demanded.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you don't think I live life as you'd want me to."

"True, but things have changed since I last occupied the mortal body of ours."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. You're the Alpha, you have a mate. And I must say, I'm starting to see how she ran away with our heart."

"Ruby! Don't say that, you don't even know her."

"I saved her once, or did you forget you asked for my help because you were too weak to defend and protect her from that pack of fast bitters?" Chomper frowned and Tyrannosaurus went on. "That's what I thought. As I was say, you have it pretty nice. A loving mate, a family. I barley had to do anything to get to them."

"No, you're not on the island, are you?"

"I am, and pretty soon, I'll be sleeping next to your little fast runner mate."

"You rotten son of a bi-"

"Are you hear?" Came Ruby's voice.

"Ruby!"

"So long Chomper." With a sweep of his tail, Tyrannosaurs Rex chuckled as Chomper was washed away. He smiled; glad his plan was coming together nicely. "I'm over here!"

When she arrived, she found him gazing out to the Big Water. "Y-you're still here, even after I-I..."

"Fastrunner?" He didn't sound upset, simply watching the waves. "Did Chomper really cross the Big Water?"

"Yes, he did. All on his own I might add."

"All this time I called him a coward; thought he was weak. Maybe it was I who was weak, thinking only strength and killing mattered. I want to thank you for sharing his life with me. I wouldn't be who I am without you. And even if you only ever see me as a friend, that's enough for me."

"Oh, I was really worried you'd hate me, maybe try to eat me or just leave."

"No, I might be a monster, but I'm not heartless."

It was then, Ruby looked at him, as though she saw someone else, separating him from Chomper. "I see you." Ruby uttered softly.

His gaze fell upon her with tenderness. "And I see you."

It was then Ruby knew in her heart, she could trust him, that he was ready. "Ty-Rex?"

"Wait who?"

"Sorry, I figure it's shorter than saying Tyrannosaurus Rex all the time." Ruby admitted. "Do you hate, the nickname, despise the nickname, do you?"

"I like it, fastrunner."

Taking his hand, she led him away from the nest to their, well, her and Chomper's home. There, Trudy and Rodney looked up, smiling when they saw Chomper. The kids lit up, Fang rushing to hug him, assuming he was no different than when he left.

"Father, I'm so glad you've returned!" Ty-Rex only smiled shyly, patting her head, not sure what else to do.

"I barley remember you." Claw couldn't speak before Chomper left, so much had changed in his time away.

"Fang, Claw, my children."

Behind Ruby, Star hid, never seeing or knowing her father, only ever hearing about him. "Star, it's okay, this is your father, your father he is."

Ty-Rex smiled, or, did his best to smile tenderly, not wanting to scare the small girl. Wow, who'd have thought the Dark side would ever care about such a thing. Slowly, Star crept out, being a fastrunner, but her skin was like his, along with her red eyes. It was then, Ty-Rex had no choice but to believe she was his, well, Chomper and Ruby's child, for she held a mix their scent. Then it meant Ruby was telling the truth about the Sky-beings, he was in fact a hybrid himself, an outsider to the world.

"D-Daddy?" Star asked meekly.

"Yes, child, I'm your father." Ty-Rex said.

She totted over and hugged him, all three embracing him lovingly. There, Ty-Rex for the first time in his left, felt tears in his eyes, blinking them back, not wanting to lose it. Trudy and Rodney glanced from Ty-Rex to Ruby, who nodded to them. Screech and Thud were among the group, keeping an eye on the second Boss, glad to see he was calmer, not as aggressive or violent as the guy they thought Ty-Rex to be. Once Ty-Rex rejoined the family, there was still adjusting to do, for when he planned to take Fang on a hunt, Ruby stood with Claw.

"Fastrunner, what's wrong?"

"Claw is going too."

Ty-Rex held a worried look. "One moment, kids, you mom and I need to talk." Walking a few feet away, he whispered. "Claw is prey, seems odd teaching him how to hunt."

"Well, you were a sharptooth, who grew up in the leafeater infested Great Valley, and now you're questioning normalize?"

"Fair point, I'll do my best."

"He just wants to be included, that's all."

Ty-Rex was reluctant yet took Claw with he and Fang. In the jungle they went, Ty-Rex sniffing the air and earth, Fang doing the same, while Claw struggled to find the scent.

"Right, so once you have the scent-"

"But I don't have the scent."

"That's because your nose sucks, unlike mine, which is perfect for hunting." Fang signed and spoke.

"Least I don't have an ugly fine on my back!"

"Least I'm not prey-"

"Okay, okay, settle down!" Ty-Rex snapped, clearing his throat to cool his tone. "Fang, we have to be respectful of Claw, because of the thing, the line of life thing..."

"You mean the Circle of Life?"

"That's it, yes, I always say that, don't I?"

"I don't recall you ever saying that." Claw added.

"That's because you didn't work with father the way I did, you were still too little to go. Which was probably for the best."

"Regardless, Claw, you'll have to rely on other senses, like hearing, observation, and so forth." Ty-Rex showed Claw the damp grass that was pushed down. "If it's early morning, you can find the trial cut through the dew."

It took all of Ty-Rex patients to work with the pair, who'd bicker and go back and forth, as siblings did, Ty-Rex assumed, since he nor Chomper ever has siblings. Though, he and Chomper were never the type to agree completely and often disagreed on things, so, he cut them some slack. When they found the creature, they were tracking, after Fang pounced, he stopped her, feeling it was the right thing to do.

"Why did you stop her?" Claw asked. "I thought she supposed to attack and kill the thing?"

"Like I say, we hunt only when we're hungry and not for sport, otherwise it would ruin the Circle of Life. You can't take more then you need, and must respect all living creatures, son, from big to small."

"I guess."

Ty-Rex took the children back, Ruby sharpening her weapons while Star played with some wooden things. Looking upon the wooden things, Ty-Rex saw they were different shaped, creatures, were toys. He was amazed, wondering even more about the Sky-beings who helped create him. His answer would come sooner than he thought, for that night, Ruby pointed to the sky, seeing a new star.

"That means your parents will be visiting shortly."

"How can you tell, there just a bunch of little white specks."

"No, the stars are so much more, worlds, places we can't even begin to understand. There is life out there."

"How did you get to be so smart?"

Ruby let out a laugh. "Smart, me?"

"Yeah, you know so much about everything, more than I could ever know."

"You're learning though."

Within a few days, the star got brighter and bright, Ruby assuring Ty-Rex that they were safe, taking and holding his hand, to keep him from running off. Ty-Rex felt ashamed, even the kids weren't scared, all were joyous, happy and delighted to welcome the object that fell from the sky. It whizzed across the Big Water, approaching them quickly. It sounded of thunder as a gust of wind blew, disturbing the trees and plants around them. Ty-Rex gazed in awe, watching as the large thing settled, the air dying down as there was a hissing sound, a section dropping for a set of being to exit the craft. Was it them, the Sky-beings? He wasn't sure what to expect, but he certainly didn't expect to see a pair of Rainbow faces.

"Son, you're back!" The mal rushed and hugged a shocked Ty-Rex.

"Johnathan, give our son some space." Nancy approached him, looking him over with a sad gaze. "C-Chomper?"

"Hi." Ty-Rex spoke nervously.

"Well, it's late, time for the little ones to go off to bed." There was a collective groan. "Don't worry, you'll get plenty of time to spend with grama and grampa tomorrow."

With the little ones tucked in; the adults built a fire outside to talk. All eyes were on Ty-Rex, who held a worried expression, unsure how the Sky-being would feel toward him. While he processed Chomper's body, would they view him, the Dark side as their son as well, or shun him for being so far removed from the one they knew.

"You're not our son, are you?" Nancy asked at last.

"I'm in his body."

"Nancy, Johnathan, this is Ty-Rex, the sharptooth within, who was suppress by Chomper for years. But as of recent, Chomper is unreachable."

"We have had trouble trying to talk with him as well. Many of our attempts went unanswered." Johnathan with a saddened tone.

"I know I'm not your son, but I have many questions, who am I? That Sky-being part of me, that is."

"Come, we should speak alone." Nancy suggested.

Ruby nodded for him to go, that she'd be waiting for him. Once he got over the initial fear of boarding the strange thing, he entered and found it was homey, like the house Ruby and the family lived in.

"I'm sorry I'm not Chomper, that I'll never be him." Ty-Rex admitted.

"We figured this would happen." Nancy admitted, much to Ty-Rex's surprise.

"You knew about me?"

"Yes, Chomper spoke to us, fearful of what would happen should he lose control, sarcoma to his Dark side, his feral instincts. At first, we worried we'd never see you again, yet here you are. While you certainly are different from the Chomper we knew, you are still our son. And it's clear you need some guidance, our guidance."

"Not too much though, he's learned how to evolve his body, looks like Godzilla."

"Who's Godzilla?"

"Nothing, simply a folktale from our world. There are many things you can do, depending on the situation. What else have you done?"

"I could camouflage my skin, go scentless, even my vision can change. I can see at night, even read the warmth of a dinosaur's body. Can you do all this too?"

"And more." Johnathan added. "But son, these gifts are not meant for fighting and killing."

"I know that now, sir, I see the error of my ways and swore to use my gifts for good, to protect the fastrunner and her family. That is my new mission."

"Have you any clue if Chomper will come back?" Johnathan asked.

"I can't say, time works differently there then here. Still, I will play my part, as the dad who stepped in."

"Perhaps we could conduct some studies on you."

"Will it hurt?"

"No."

Ty-Rex was worried, yet did all they asked, the pair conducting several tests. The first his reflexes, speed, then they stung him, drawing out blood from his body, that one almost made him faint. He awaited their verdict, watching as Nancy tapped upon a see-through image, comparing it to one of Chomper. Side by side, Ty-Rex saw a vast difference between them, wondering what else the light indicated.

"Amazing, I've never seen readings like this." Nancy spoke aloud.

"Am I going to die?"

"No, but your leg, you hardly noticed the broken leg. It's as though it healed on its own."

"Well, on your side of the family, they were quick to heal." Johnathan put in.

"What I'm saying is that being in this new frame of mind, you're able to unlock abilities we didn't even know you had. It's baffling to say the least." Nancy's fingers tapped the screen. "The tests indicate an altered energy signature."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, you're evolving at a rapid rate, but you must be careful, your body is still mortal after all. Too much strain and well, you might harm yourself."

"Harm myself?"

"Do you think he'd explode?" Johnathan asked.

"Johnathan!"

"What I meant was, you're fine, just uh, be careful with what all you do."

"Also, can I ask you guys a question in confidence that you won't tell, the fastrunner."

"Yes." They said.

"Spending all this time with her, the family, I can see myself living the rest of my life with her. I'm starting to see why Chomper chose her. She's smart, interesting to talk to, even if she talks in circles. But when I'm with her, my soul is no longer restless or seeks power. It's as though the love he felt for her suppressed the monster, sealed me away. What if I'm do the same to him by caring for her?"

It was hard not to be touched by his words, Nancy seeing Chomper and Ty-Rex as two sides of the same coin. "Either way, Ruby needs aid in raising the kids, and the dinosaurs need an Alpha. One who values the Circle of Life, one who can bring forth a new dynasty of peace. We believed Chomper could do that, and so can you."

"Thank you, for believing in me." Ty-Rex offered a smile. "How can I perhaps woo, the fastrunner?"

"Well, life's a dance, son, you learn as you go." Johnathan added optimistically.

"What's dancing?"

"We'll show you."

Ty-Rex spent the rest of the evening with the Sky-beings, doing his best to understand their customs and odd ways. It was new, exciting, Ty-Rex understanding the eagerness Chomper felt when confronting something new and interesting. They told of a world like the one he lived on, yet was far more advanced, more intelligent, beyond anything he could understand. Music was something Ty-Rex enjoyed, hearing sound unlike any other, Nancy and Johnathan explain things called instruments, that created sound, no different than the dinosaurs who made certain sounds as well. The Sky-beings had to compare a lot to something Ty-Rex could understand, otherwise they'd lose him. All of it was new, was something Ty-Rex felt lucky to be able to experience for himself. The one thing that he wondered, what was Chomper up to in the between space. Had he decided life was easier there instead of the world of the living, where he'd been mocked, misunderstood by many. Ty-Rex wouldn't blame him, after all, Ty-Rex was hard on Chomper, calling him weak, pathetic for choosing peace over fighting. Though given the power and gifts, it was clear to Ty-Rex, Chomper was not backing out due to fear of self-harm, but rather to protect those around him from himself. For Chomper knew he possessed an advantage overall, choosing to let others think him weak instead of the incredible Alpha he truly was.