Confrontation in the Cave
#9 of Out of the Shadows: AnthroLover's Version
Here is part 9. Enjoy.
"What!" Rex cried out, his dark blue eyes registering sheer horror. Littlefoot had just told Rex about the series of murders that have been taking place. "H-How...?" He was almost afraid to find out.
Littlefoot bowed his head a little, eyes closed tightly. "A sharptooth..."
"What..?"
"A sharptooth! He-He somehow came in here...somehow found a way into the valley!" Littlefoot cried out in agony. Rex stepped back, giving his friend a bit of room. Littlefoot panted a few times, trying to calm himself down. "I-I'm sorry I snapped..."
Rex smiled faintly. "It's all right. I understand your pain."
"Thanks... anyway, where was I?"
Rex said, "You were telling me about the sharptooth finding a way in..." He winced, thinking it would make Littlefoot snap again.
However, this time, it didn't. "Oh yes." Littlefoot gulped. "The sharptooth came in only a few days ago, and already has caused so much grief..."
Rex narrowed his eyes. "Like what?"
"Almost killing Ducky, killing Cera, killing two tinysauruses, and then..." His voice trailed off as tears filled his eyes once more. "Killed Shorty..."
Rex clunched his hand in a fist. How dare that sharptooth do those things! How dare he! "I can't believe someone could be so...so cold-hearted!" He cried, tears of pain and hatred streaming down his face. The tear from his right eye stung the scars that snaked down his face. They still slightly hurt, as the area had never completely healed.
Littlefoot opened his eyes. "Apparently, he can." He looked at Rex, noticing the tears in his dark eyes. "That sharptooth loves to kill...loves to kill more than eat. He-He's not a normal sharptooth..."
Rex blinked. "Not normal? Likes to kill more...? Yeah, that's definitely not a normal sharptooth personality."
Littlefoot turned and looked away. He looked at the Smoking Mountain. It hadn't erupted in months. It hadn't even started smoking. Dinosaurs in the valley were considering changing the name. But Littlefoot refused to believe the threat of an eruption was gone. A dormant volcano was like an earthquake. One can never know when the next disaster will occur.
Rex at first didn't say anything. He too looked at the Smoking Mountain. He had been told of the disaster it could bring whenever it erupted. Rex then eyed Littlefoot. For a long minute, neither of them said anything. Neither of them moved. Rex opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He couldn't really think of anything to say at all.
"They say the Smoking Mountain might never erupt again. I don't believe that." Littlefoot said, breaking the silence.
Rex shook his head. "Neither do I. It's unpredictable."
In a distant place: a crystalline lake with a light scent of minds in the air, a dinosaur opened her eyes. It was a two-crested swimmer. She had a worried look and said.
"You couldn't be more right, young broadnose Flier."
(AN: his is what Dracovols, Rex species, are called in LBT world.)
Back in the forest, Ducky and Spike had been wandering for hours. They didn't know where they were going. They didn't know why they were going. They just felt the need to go for a walk. It probably would take their minds off what was happening lately. But no matter what, something tugged at their minds, telling them the horrible things that occured, the harsh reality of death.
"Oh, I don't like this, no no no." Ducky chirped, hugging herself as she looked cautiously around her. She had no idea of the sharptooth was close by or not. It paid to be careful.
"Messa understand pain. No want Ducky to be sad." Spike said softly. While his grammar was bad, it was soothing to Ducky, especially after seeing Cera and Lizzie killed right before her eyes.
Ducky smiled. "I know, Spike." She sighed. "Just hard...to take your mind off horrible events, especially when they are happening to those you care about, yep yep yep."
Spike nuzzled his head against Ducky, and whimpered. "No be sad. It get better, messa know it."
Ducky almost glared at her step brother. "How can you say that?" She snapped.
Spike didn't look fazed. "Messa know it look bad, but it get better, better with time." He took a step back. "Sharptooth be stopped, yes. It will be stopped."
Ducky cocked her head. "What makes you think that?"
He smiled. "Messa just know."
Ducky smiled. It helped her feel a little better.
Back near the smoking mountain, Littlefoot and Rex had started to talk a walk as well. Littlefoot was leading Rex to where Shorty had been killed. His body was still there. The flesh was rotting off, and much of bone was exposed. Littlefoot wanted to throw up as he saw maggots in his brother's eyes, having eaten away his eyes. Flies came from his mouth, and beetles were squirming inside the skin to feed on the dead flesh.
Overhead, a large crestless flyer dove down. Dinosaurs in the valley call it deathtooth, since it only fed on the dead. The large flyer poked its beak and tore off a piece of flesh, swallowing it whole. Soon, two more deathteeth showed up. They began fighting with each other over the best dead meat.
Littlefoot felt rage fill his mind once more. It wasn't the scavengers that had him so angry. It was the fact of how this had happened to Shorty. And he couldn't save him. "I couldn't save him..."
Rex winced at the sight of the scavengers eating away the young animal's body, and turned towards Littlefoot. "It wasn't your fault..."
"And what makes you think that?" Littlefoot asked angrily.
"You couldn't have known something like that would happen." Rex replied.
Littlefoot suddenly remembered how Cera blamed herself for Dusty's death, even though she couldn't have done anything to save her. Now Littlefoot knew what Cera had gone through.
"You're right..." Littlefoot softly spoke. "It's just..so painful..." He closed his eyes.
"Death is always painful." Rex cooed. "You cannot change the past." He thought for a moment. "And you know, Littlefoot?"
Littlefoot opened his eyes once more. "What?"
"I'll find him...I'll find that sharptooth..." He said angrily, his eyes flashing the hatred he felt for the sharptooth.
Littlefoot nodded. "We'll find him together."
Back in the cave, Petrie was holding onto Ali's neck. The sharptooth had gotten extremely angry for some unknown reason when Petrie had asked him why he betrayed them. The sharptooth had chased Petrie for hours and it took Ali's begging to make him stop. The petrified Petrie clung to Ali, shaking.
"What? Me was only asking..." He stammered.
"SILENCE!" The sharptooth shouted. The entire cave seemed to have trembled in fear. Even Ichy and Dil were afraid. "You dare ask why I betrayed you...? Why is it any of your business, little one?"
Petrie gulped. "B-Because...we were...we were good friends..."
Ali spoke up. "Would it hurt to tell your tale?"
The sharptooth snarled viciously, and then became silent. The longneck did prove a point. It wouldn't change anything if he told the flyer or not. He grinned. The flyer wouldn't even be able to leave the cave. "All right then, Petrie. You want to know my tale?"
The flyer nodded, but didn't speak.
"All right then... Dil! Ichy!" He shouted.
"Yes?" They asked, walking cautiously towards their leader.
"Keep an eye out for intruders." The bellydragger and sharpbeak nodded once and they went over to the cave entrance. It was possible that someone might start searching outside the valley for the sharptooth.
"Anyway, how should I begin my story...?" The sharptooth was wondering. Petrie and Ali waited for him to continue. "Oh yes... my story begin..."
Suddenly there was a loud crash! The sharptooth, Ali, and Petrie looked to see Rex attacking the bellydragger, sending her flying back. Littlefoot showed up and used his tail to knock Ichy out cold. The bellydragger struggled to get up, but Rex kicked her in the stomach, knocking her out.
"Ali...? Petrie...?" Littlefoot asked, bewildered. He ignored the evil sharptooth and ran towards them. "How did..." He stammered.
Rex stormed towards the sharptooth, who had his back turned to him. "All right, whoever you are, how dare you...!" But he didn't complete his sentence. The sharptooth turned around, and as soon as he did, Rex felt his heart stop.
"N-No...it can't be...not you..." He stepped back, shaking.
"Oh yes it can..." The sharptooth grinned, advancing forward. He snapped two of his claws. Almost instantly the bellydragger got up and used her powerful tail to deliver a painful blow to Rex's side. The omnivore screamed in pain as he was tossed back. He slammed against the wall. Dil licked her lips and lunged forward to his prone body.
Ali gasped. "Littlefoot!"
Littlefoot noticed what was going on, and rushed forward. "No, not again!" He said through gritted teeth. He ran in front of Rex, blocking Dil's path. She snarled, but back down. She knew she couldn't defeat Littlefoot now, at least not without help. She smiled coldly as Ichy perched on her head.
"You think you troublemakers will make it out alive this time?" He chirped, ruffling his gray crest on his head. "You know how long I've waited to get a chance at revenge, kiddo?"
Littlefoot glared at him. "I'm not a kid! Not anymore."
Ichy chuckled coldly. "You're still a kid to us." He licked his beak. "A delicious kid meal, in fact..."
Littlefoot snarled. He almost attacked when the sharptooth blocked his path. Littlefoot growled angrily as his eyes met the sharptooth's. An evil grin came across the sharptooth's lips.
"I can sense your hatred." He smirked.
"Littlefoot...there is something you should know..." Rex coughed as he was coming to.
Littlefoot forgot about the sharptooth and turned to his friend. "What is it?"
"I know who that is..." Rex coughed, struggling to his feet. "And you should, too."
The sharptooth, bellydragger, and sharpbeak just watched as Littlefoot let his curiousity take over. "What...? I...I should...? How?"
Rex glared at the sharptooth as though he felt betrayed. "Of course...after all...you hatched him."
Littlefoot's eyes went wide as memories flashed back to him. He looked at the sharptooth in horror. "No...no..." He whispered as the sharptooth curled his lip back, exposing his teeth.
"You remember me, don't you?" He purred evilly.