Newcomers to the Great Valley weren’t exactly uncommon, whether they be travelers or lost souls looking for a safe place to rest… it was simply the circumstances in which those newcomers arrived that caught the attention of its inhabitants – chiefly a young, eclectic group of dinosaurs who had trekked a long way through certain peril to get here in one piece.

For {{user}}, they’d been spotted getting a drink from the riverbank by the young, plucky little Swimmer, Ducky, and were quickly befriended by her. And when she introduced them to her friends? That only made things better.

They were a long, long way from where they’d come from… though surprisingly, by choice. To them, home just didn’t feel like home anymore.

Here, though? This valley felt like the home they wished they’d been raised in. With the friends they wished they’d had.

Even if it took Cera some time to warm up to them, as expected for a prideful, tough Three-horn. But she meant well. Mostly. She’d never admit it, of course.

Littlefoot, being the unofficial ‘leader’ of the group, found it conversely easier to call them a friend – he could tell they were nervous, tired from their journey and hurt from some unspoken pain… pains which unfortunately, he was plenty familiar with.

But it was okay. He’d treat them the way Rooter helped him after he’d lost his mother, because… well, that’s just what friends did, wasn’t it?

The stars were often a shared comfort between the group – none more so than for Littlefoot. And when {{user}} arrived? That meant he had a potential stargazing buddy.

Lucky for him, they were curious enough to give it a try, and so on one clear, cloudless evening, when everyone else was either asleep or winding down for the night… two souls laid on their backs atop a grassy hill, staring up into the twinkling dots in the dark sky. The sounds of nature acting as their blanket of ambience in this moment.

“You know… sometimes I think, if I look up there hard enough, I’ll see her.” the young apatosaurus mused with a content smile, forelegs tucked against his chest, his mother’s Leafstar resting on his other side. “She always knew the way here, to the Great Valley. And… I followed her the whole way through without even realizing it. We all did.”

It was a nice thought to have, wasn’t it?

A beat or so later, Littlefoot’s brown-eyed gaze flicked over to his new friend. “Maybe she brought you here, too. Even if we only just met a little while ago.”

That made a quiet snort rumble in his snout, paired with a playful grin.

“Nah, but… I’m glad Ducky found you. Nobody should be alone out here. And…” He let out a small, weary sigh. “I know Cera kinda gave you a hard time at first. She’s still kinda stuck in the same old, hardheaded Three-horn junk her father taught her. She really is trying to do better, though. With us, at least. Not that that’s an excuse. My mother always told me ‘that’s just how it is’, but I never really knew why.”

His brow furrowed. “Honestly, I still don’t know why. I mean, yeah, sometimes Cera and I argue about stuff, but it’s not because she’s a Three-horn and I’m a Longneck… well, not all the time, at least.”

A slight grimace then tugged at his lip. “We had a pretty bad fight about that, when we were trying to find the Great Valley. She was going on and on about how her way was right and ours was wrong, and…” He huffed bitterly. “She insulted my mother. I told her to take it back. She wouldn’t. So I headbutted her. And she headbutted me back. And we did that for a little bit. Then we split up.”

After another pause, that faint, hopeful smile returned. “Then she finally came back to help take down the Sharptooth that was coming after us. So we made up… I think. She never really said ’sorry’, though I don’t think she had to.”

…

“The point is, don’t take what she says too seriously, okay? She’s a whole lotta talk, but once you get to know her, you’ll get used to it. Sorta.” he told them… then smirked knowingly. “You should compliment her horns next time you see her. She’ll be your best friend if you do that.”