The Raptor went flying.
Meanwhile, Arlo ran from the stampeding herd, getting tossed around along the way. Spot barked as Arlo ran behind a boulder. Arlo caught his breath, but Spot continued to bark and growl.
Just then, Lurleane landed on a nearby boulder. Arlo ducked for cover, trying to stay hidden. She sniffed around, looking for someone to fight. All of a sudden, Spot jumped out, growling at her and egging her on. But Arlo grabbed him back, hoping she wouldn’t find them.
“Come on out—Momma wants to play with you,” Lurleane said creepily. “I know you’re there. I can SMELL ya.”
Without warning, Butch charged in with Pervis on his back, and Lurleane joined in the attack on Butch. Arlo tried to get out of the way, but he got whacked by Butch’s tail in the scuffle.
The Raptors pinned Butch to the ground right in front of Arlo. “Nab his tail!” Butch yelled, but Arlo was scared stiff. Spot nudged him, growling, and Arlo knew he had to help. Without giving it another thought, Arlo ran straight at Pervis, screaming like a crazed dinosaur.
Arlo head-butted the Raptor clear across the field! He couldn’t believe he had actually done it. He smiled proudly, but the feeling quickly faded as soon as Lurleane slinked toward him.
“I’m going to love ending you,” she said with a terrible growl. She lunged at Arlo. But before she could reach him, Butch snatched her up by the tail. Butch roared as he hurled her off into the distance. Then he chased the other Raptors away, biting their blue-feathered tails as they ran.
It had been quite a battle, and the T. rexes celebrated their victory with a hearty roar. Then Ramsey looked over to Arlo and nudged him. It was obvious that she wanted Arlo to roar, too! After all, Arlo had helped defeat them. He let out the loudest roar he could muster.
Nash ran up. “Come on, we gotta drive this herd outta here,” he said, nipping at one of the longhorns. “Hya! Come on now!”
Arlo and Spot couldn’t believe it, but they’d survived. They shared a glance and proudly tagged along with the T. rexes and the herd as they moved the longhorns on to safer pastures.
The friends galloped with the T. rexes into the sunset. Even though they were exhausted, they breathed a sigh of relief.
For the first time in a long time, Arlo had reasons to be confident. He’d finished a job. He’d survived.
He’d participated in the rescue of the longhorns in a big way. Loping across the plains, he couldn’t help but think that he’d be home soon.
He could feel it.
As the big moon glowed above, Arlo, Spot, Nash, Ramsey, and Butch sat around a crackling campfire. Nash blew a tune on a bug harmonica while Ramsey played with Spot.
She held a stick while Spot chased it around and tugged on it, growling and loving every second. Ramsey pulled back on the stick, and Spot held on so tightly that when she raised the stick up, he was hoisted into the air. Then he started chewing on her arm. “Aren’t you the cutest?” Ramsey said, chuckling.
“You and that critter showed real grit today,” Butch said.
Arlo couldn’t help but smile.
Nash stopped playing the harmonica and held it up. He asked Arlo if he would trade Spot for it.
“Thanks, but Spot ain’t for tradin’,” said Arlo.
“Your loss,” said Nash. Then he tossed the bug into his mouth and ate it.
Arlo’s forearm throbbed with pain. He touched the small bruise and cut, checking out its severity. Ramsey took a look at it and gently said, “That’s a good one. Gonna scar up real good.”
“That’s nothing!” said Nash. “Look at this!” he lifted his foot and held up his leg, showing off an ugly scar on his calf. “I run into fifteen outlaw Steggos,” he said, getting into the story. “They were all bigger ’n me. An’ meaner than me.”
“What happened?” Arlo asked, intrigued.
“Fought ’em off, of course! Was winnin’, too. Then one gets his dang spiky tail stuck in my foot and pulls.”
“Whoa.” Arlo was impressed.
Nash put his foot right into the campfire. “Still can’t feel my toes,” he said, holding his foot over the dancing flames and wiggling his toes.
Then Ramsey shared a story. “Once, a stampede of longhorns was comin’ right at me. But my tail was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I was dead for sure.” She whipped her tail around, revealing a short nub. “So I chewed the dang thing off!” She and Nash howled with laughter.
“Who does that? Nobody does that,” Nash said through his laughter.
Arlo stared at Ramsey’s chewed tail in shock. It was still long enough to use, but the end looked knobby, crooked, and downright disgusting. She held it up, close to his face, and he pretended to laugh along with them. But then he pushed her tail aside with an uncomfortable chuckle.
Arlo turned to Butch and asked him how he’d gotten his scar.
“I don’t know if you’re ready for that story,” said Butch ominously.
“I can take it,” answered Arlo.
Nash and Ramsey excitedly asked Butch to tell the story. It was one of their favorites. “That’s a good one!” said Ramsey.
Butch turned his head to show off the huge scar along the side of his face. It looked even meaner in the firelight. Butch cleared his throat and began telling his tale.
“It was a hundred degrees in the shade. I walked for five days with no water. Then I saw it. A pretty pond. I bent down to take a drink, when these crocs launched outta the water! One croc bit me on the face. Ain’t no way I wasn’t its supper, except for one thing—I wasn’t ready for dyin’ that day. I bit one croc in half, tail-whipped the other, and the last one, well…” Butch paused dramatically as his eyes went wide. “I drowned that croc in my own blood.”
“Whoa,” Arlo said.
“Dang!” Ramsey and Nash sang.
“Look, look,” said Nash, holding up his arm. “Gives me lil’ goosies every time.”
“I love that story,” added Ramsey. “Show him your souvenir!”
Butch pulled back his cheek to show off a crocodile tooth lodged in his jaw! He wiggled it back and forth with his tongue, like a loose tooth. Arlo went pale at the sight of it.
Ramsey leaned over to Arlo and whispered, “Ain’t that just too good?”
Arlo nodded in awe.
Nash leaned toward Butch. “Can I touch it this time?”
“No,” said Butch, quickly.
“You guys would’ve liked my Poppa,” Arlo said. “He wasn’t scared of anything.” He sighed, thinking about Poppa. Butch watched Arlo’s face, as if reading his thoughts. “I’m done being scared,” Arlo added.
“Who said I’m not scared?” asked Butch.
Arlo looked at him with surprise. “But you took on a croc—”
“And I was scared doing it. If you ain’t scared of a croc bitin’ ya on the face, you ain’t alive,” Butch said.
Arlo had never thought about it that way.
“You can’t get rid of fear. It’s like Mother Nature. You can’t beat her or outrun her. But you can get through it. You can find out what you’re made of.”
Arlo gazed at Butch as he took in his words, thinking about what he had said. Then something drifted down from the sky and fell right in front of Arlo. It immediately snapped him out of his thoughts. He focused and saw more floating down. “The first snow,” said Arlo somberly.
“It’s early this year,” said Ramsey.
“And I gotta get home to Momma,” Arlo said definitively. He was worried about his family. He knew that once the snow started, the farm and their supplies had to be ready in order to make it through the winter.
“A deal’s a deal,” said Butch. “At first light, we ride.”
As the sun broke over the horizon, the light dusting of snow sparkled against the ground. Ever faithful, the T. rexes herded the longhorns on.
Arlo and Spot followed, helping to drive the herd from behind. When Butch noticed the herd splitting off on one side, he called to Arlo for help. “Hey,
kid, head ’em off before those longhorns split!”
Arlo looked back at Spot and confidently nodded. Then the two of them ran ahead of the longhorns that were breaking away and stood directly in their path. The longhorns raced toward them at full speed. But the brave friends held their ground as the longhorns closed the gap between them. Arlo whipped his tail against the ground, whacking it again and again. He even roared at them, forcing the longhorns to head the other way. It worked! The longhorns were so startled that they joined the rest of the herd and were back on track.
Arlo and Spot continued to chase them, making sure they stayed with the main herd. Spot panted with excitement and Arlo smiled. It felt good to help and be part of a team.
Butch passed by, giving them a chuckle and a nod as he ran. He was impressed.
Once they made it over a slope and through the distant ridges, Arlo could make out the snowcapped peaks of Clawtooth Mountain. He felt a rush of excitement. “There’s home!” he exclaimed.
“Whooeee!” yelped Nash.
“Wahoo!” shouted Ramsey.
The T. rexes had to move and drive the herd down south, so it was time to say good-bye.
“You hurry on back to your momma, and don’t stop for nothin’,” said Ramsey.
Arlo thanked them. “I sure appreciate you lookin’ out for me,” he added.
But before Arlo and Spot headed toward the pass, Butch gave Arlo some parting words. “You’ll be all right. You’re one tough kid.”
Arlo smiled. That meant a lot coming from Butch. The T. rexes continued on with the herd, while Arlo and Spot headed toward the pass.
As Arlo and Spot continued their journey alongside the river, Arlo felt like he was walking on air. Knowing he was close to home made him feel happy. He got a surge of energy and excitement. He and Spot began running and jumping, playing and laughing on their way.
Arlo saw a flock of wild birds pecking around in the distance and ran toward them. Spot jumped up on Arlo’s back and climbed to the top of his head. Spot’s tongue hung out happily and waved in the wind as they galloped toward the flock, picking up speed. Once they reached them, the birds scattered, flapping their wings and taking to the sky.
Spot howled with delight. “Arooowah!”
Arlo joined in, howling back at him as he jumped over boulders and swerved past trees.
Eventually they reached a rocky hill, and Arlo continued to jump across the rough terrain. He tossed Spot way up into the clouds, and Spot caught a glimpse of the sun. Arlo laughed as Spot cheered; he was loving every minute. He signaled to Arlo to toss him up again and again.
When they got to the top, Spot sat on Arlo’s head and the two peeked through the clouds. They watched the sunset together. It was spectacular.
“Wow,” said Arlo. The friends looked at each other and smiled, sharing a moment of complete joy.
The next day, as Spot and Arlo continued, they heard the low rumble of thunder in the distance. They could see the river and Clawtooth Mountain just up around the bend. “It’s so close,” said Arlo. “We’re almost there, Spot!” Arlo yelled with excitement, and Spot joined in with a howl. After so much action, it felt great to laugh and howl together—just for fun.
But then…
“Arrooowah!”
Someone howled back!
Spot began looking around for the source of the noise. Almost immediately, he and Arlo saw a human figure on the ridge ahead.
Intrigued, Spot jumped down from Arlo’s back and began to investigate. Arlo watched as Spot moved away from him, approaching the human. The possibility that Spot could leave him crept into Arlo’s thoughts and made him extremely uncomfortable. He and Spot had been through a lot together, and Arlo liked having him around. The idea of being without Spot was just too much for Arlo to take. So when the human started to move down the ridge, Arlo quickly scooped Spot up and put him on his back. “We need to get home,” Arlo said, moving back toward the river.
Arlo and Spot moved off the trail and above the tree line, heading up the river. Soon the wind started whipping through the trees, and the sounds of thunder came closer. The storm was picking up.
Drip.
Drip.
Arlo eyed the sky, feeling the drops of rain. The big gray storm clouds seemed to swell before his eyes. Lightning pulsed all around him and, as the rain poured down, Arlo’s feet began to sink into the soft mud. Once again, he was reminded of the day he had been in the wilderness with Poppa. All of Arlo’s terrible fears rushed back to him and he began to crumble. “I can’t,” he said, panicking.
He tried to get his bearings and looked up for some kind of help. Instead, he saw what looked like a shark fin cutting through the storm clouds. First there was one, then another, and another…they were circling—just like sharks about to attack.
Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and Arlo could see that the shark fins were actually large wings—the Pterodactyls were back.
They laughed and hissed cruelly as Arlo panicked. The dinosaur lost sight of them for a second, but before he could think of what to do next, they swooped down, diving and beating Arlo, their talons and wings in his face. The Pterodactyls scratched and pecked, forcing him up a ridge. Arlo screamed, running backward as they attacked, pushing him to the very edge! With nowhere to run, Arlo stood as the Pterodactyls continued to strike, scratching him and beating his face with their giant wings. Spot growled and barked defensively, trying to protect Arlo.
Whoosh!
Thunderclap swooped down and picked up Spot in his talons! Arlo grabbed onto Spot, too. The enemies struggled, tugging Spot in both directions.
“No!” Arlo screamed through clenched teeth. Spot reached for Arlo, but couldn’t get to him. “Spot! Spot!” Arlo cried as he lost his grip. But it was no use. Arlo gasped as Thunderclap carried Spot away.
The other Pterodactyls turned their attention to Arlo. He dodged and ducked, but the ground below him was squishy and soft from the fresh rain. Arlo tried to stay standing, but he lost his footing and slid off the ridge. He landed in the sharp, tangled brambles below. He tried to wrestle his way out, but every time he moved, the brambles seemed to tighten around him. He was stuck.
The Pterodactyls tried to get to him, but they weren’t able to get through the thick, thorny shrub.
Finally, the Pterodactyls gave up on Arlo and headed toward Thunderclap and Spot. Arlo struggled, trying to keep his eyes on Spot and yelling his name. But the brambles held him back, tightening around him like thorny chains. A large bramble was tangled around his neck, and Arlo watched helplessly as the Pterodactyls took Spot away, disappearing into the storm clouds.
Thunder boomed as the storm continued to get worse. Arlo gave one last pull at the brambles. A big piece of rock came loose, hitting him on the head. Everything went black.
When Arlo eventually opened his eyes, he could see something large moving toward him. But he couldn’t quite make out what it was.
Crack!
Crack!
Something was chopping the brambles in half, loosening their grip on Arlo. A flood of emotion washed over him. It was Poppa! He was standing right there! Arlo was shocked.
Poppa continued to pull the brambles off, freeing him completely. “C’mon, Arlo, we gotta move,” Poppa said.
Arlo stood up. He was entirely confused. “You’re alive?” he asked.
“Storm’s gettin’ worse,” he said. “Let’s get you home.”
Arlo looked at Poppa uncertainly—was it true? Was it really him?
Poppa smiled and curled his tail around Arlo, hugging him. He led Arlo out of the brambles.
Boom.
Boom.
Crack!
The storm continued to rage angrily. Arlo looked up. “My friend, Spot—” he said, slowing down. “He helped me, and now he’s in trouble.”
But Poppa kept walking.
As the thunder roared and debris flew, Arlo flinched. He was scared and leaned into Poppa, just like he used to.
<
br /> But after everything that Spot and Arlo had been through together, Arlo knew he couldn’t leave him behind. “Poppa, we have to go back,” he said.
But Poppa didn’t respond.
“Poppa!” Arlo yelled. “Stop!”
Arlo was frustrated. Then he looked down and realized that Poppa wasn’t leaving any footprints. Arlo slowed down and eventually stopped. Poppa’s tail slid from around him.
He looked up at his father and asked, “You’re not really here, are you?”
Poppa finally turned around. His face was full of concern. “It’s okay,” he said.
“I’m still scared,” Arlo admitted. “But Spot needs me, so I gotta go help him. Because I love him.”
“I knew you had it in you,” Poppa said proudly. “Go take care of that critter.”
Poppa then faded into the rain.
Arlo opened his eyes. He was still caged in a tangle of brambles. Poppa had only been a dream.
But Arlo felt different…he felt determined. As the rain poured down, he strained to break free—
Snap!
Snap!
The brambles were breaking.
Snap!
He continued to work at them.
Snap!
He broke them one section at a time. One after another.
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
He pushed through and got himself out. Then he ran off to find Spot.
The storm raged as Arlo ran up the mountain as fast as he could. He began to howl, calling for Spot. A bolt of lightning struck the ground and hit a nearby tree. Arlo dodged out of the way as the giant tree crashed to the wilderness floor with a deafening boom.
Arlo continued to howl until, finally, he heard Spot howl back. Arlo followed the sounds of Spot’s howling until he found five Pterodactyls at the river—huddling around a dead, hollow tree. Spot was ducked down, inside the tree. He was hurt and trying to protect himself.
The Good Dinosaur Page 5