"Mm..." the bright circle shone through the entrance of the cave, causing the adolescent rainbow face to stir from her peaceful slumber. Miriam couldn't exactly lie and say she was a morning dinosaur, because as beautiful as she thought the sight of dawn was, she still disliked having to get up in the morning.

"Mackenzie!" That was Miriam's sister. But it was her mother, Amelia, who was calling for Miriam's sister. Miriam didn't hear her name being called however, so she took it upon herself to use her tail to block out the nearly blinding sunlight. She had just begun to doze off when she felt Amelia gently nudge the apple of her cheek with her snout. Miriam had gotten very sick as a hatchling, so Amelia was very gentle with her. But she was the same way with Mackenzie as well, for she loved both of her daughters. "Wake up," Amelia cooed. "The bright circle has already risen in the sky."

Miriam pretended to not hear her at first, but immediately felt bad for ignoring her mother. She let a yawn roll off her tongue as she lifted her head. "Alright, I'm up."

Amelia gave a pleased smile, licking her daughter's cheek as a sign of gratitude. "Good. Now, I'll go wake up that sister of yours." And with that, Amelia left to go fetch Mackenzie.

Miriam stretched out her legs, those shy emerald green eyes of hers narrowing as the light from the bright circle hit her eyes. Just as she gotten into her feet, and stepped out to greet the rest of her family, another rainbow face- who was bigger and more masculine looking, came rushing in. His hands were filled with tree stars, but he still stopped to say good morning. "Good morning, Miria-" was all he was able to say before his brown eyes widened moments before he slipped, causing tree stars to fly everywhere. Miriam sauntered over to inspect the damage, lifting a tree star off the male dinosaur's nose. "Good morning to you too, dad."

Miriam's mother came in at the appropriate moment it seemed. She was followed by another rainbow face just about Miriam's age, except her eyes were more of a wild jade green. She looked...tired. Those eyes which were usually so full of life were blank and dull. Of course, she had just woken up, so it would be only natural that she'd look tired. If she were someone else, maybe. But not Mackenzie, oh no. She was always up on her feet and ready to move not long after the bright circle rose.

"A bit jumpy today, are we, Tristan?" Amelia joked, earning a laugh from Miriam.

Tristan, also known as the father of Miriam and Mackenzie, hopped up from the pile of tree stars he was buried in. "Of course not, Amelia. Why, I-" Tristan tapped his chin with his claw, pondering on what to say. Poor Tristan couldn't think of a good comeback.

Amelia chortled at her husband's embarrassment. "You're adorable."

"I disagree with that statement." Tristan countered.

"Well, you are!" Amelia yelped.

Tristan didn't want to accidentally upset Amelia by disagreeing with her, so he decided to just comply instead. "...Fine. You win. Happy?"

"Of course~" Amelia grinned, resting her chin on his shoulder. "How can I be sad when you're around?"

Mackenzie scoffed. "Yeah. We all know how much you two love each other. Now, if you don't mind, I would like my breakfast. I didn't get up for nothing, you know."

"Right," Amelia chimed in realization, turning to gather a handful of tree stars, setting them down by where the two young dinosaurs were waiting. They were quick to dig into their food, despite Amelia's warnings to take it slow. "Okay, okay! There's plenty to go around."

"Sorry," Miriam said apologetically.

"Yeah, we're just hungry." Mackenzie added.

Miriam was the only one who apologized, Mackenzie just looked for a way to defend her actions. At times, it was hard to believe that these two were actually sisters. They were just so different from each other. Though they did have a few things in common, like their love for tree stars. As Miriam bit into her tree star, she couldn't help but overhear the conversation her parents were having.

"We need to go. It's not safe out here." Amelia began.

"So? No place in the world is actually safe, Amelia." Tristan retorted. "And what makes you so sure the Great Valley even exists?"

"While that may be true, you can't deny that it'll gradually become harder to defend ourselves or escape from sharpteeth since we have children to look after now. And I know the Great Valley exists. Why would so many dinosaurs give up everything to find it if it didn't?" Amelia reasoned, and Tristan was suddenly at a loss for words. He didn't have a better argument than the one his mate provided.

Amelia was so certain that the Great Valley existed, while Tristan was persistent that it was just a tale used to give dinosaurs false hopes. They were both rather reasonable opinions, Miriam didn't know which one to believe. Just then, Miriam finished the last of her tree stars and broke the awkward atmosphere between her parents. "Mom? I'm going to go take a short walk."

Amelia sighed dismissively. "Alright dear, just don't go too far."

Miriam gave a nod, and left. She walked over to her favorite spot, a simple pond under the shade of a small tree. The quiet setting was peaceful, and allowed her to ponder on many things. She peered into her reflection, emerald green eyes wide with curiosity. The Great Valley? I've never heard of such a thing. And if it does really exist, where is it? How will we find it? Or is it really just a story...? Her mind was filled with questions.

Her pondering was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Loud footsteps. A herd of longnecks was on the move, it seemed. Maybe they know of the Great Valley. Miriam ran up to the herd, already almost out of breath from her short run. "E-Excuse me...!"

One of the longnecks turned, giving the smaller dinosaur a sweet smile. She had a long neck which looked like it could reach through the clouds, and a long whiplike tail. "What is it, little one?"

Miriam tried to catch her breath. "I was wondering...do you know of the Great Valley?"

The female longneck chuckled, tossing her head a bit to the side. "Oh yes, I'm headed there right now, actually. What would you like to know?"

"What makes the Great Valley so great? Why are so many dinosaurs trying to find it? Does it even exist?" Miriam questioned.

"The Great Valley is like a safe haven for plant eaters. It's a place with all the green food you can eat, and it's walls prevent sharpteeth from getting in. It truly is a magical place."

Miriam was actually quite impressed with that answer. "I see...well, thank you Miss...uh, say, what's your name?"

The longneck giggled. "Just call me Sue."

Just then, the leader of the herd roared for the members to pick up the pace. "Oh! Guess I gotta get going. It was nice meeting you...and what might your name be?"

"I'm Miriam." She said, letting a few chuckles escape her.

Sue smiled. "Well, Miriam. I truly hope to see you in the Great Valley one day. Bye!" And after a few moments, she was out of sight.

Miriam trudged back to her spot; she was exhausted. Though you couldn't really blame her. Being so weak was not fun in the slightest. She let out a sigh. I think...I believe in the Great Valley. But should I tell mom and dad? Mom will be happy, but dad's convinced that the place doesn't exist. After some intense thought, she made her decision. She marched into the cave, a bit nervous, but determined. However, it was a bit difficult to hide the uncertainty in her eyes. "Mom?" She called out, and as if on cue, Amelia rushed in. "Yes, Miriam? What is it?" She was followed by Tristan, who stopped next to her. Darn. Miriam had hoped he wouldn't be there. She could feel her father's eyes boring into her own. "Well? Out with it." He coaxed.

Miriam fiddled with her claws and tried to stall, but she knew she'd have to say it sooner or later. "I...I want to go to the Great Valley." She braced herself for their reactions, and they were just as she had expected. Her mother placed her hands on her cheeks, hardly able to contain herself. "Oh, Miriam! Really?"

Tristan took a few moments to process what he had just heard. "Ohhhh, no. No no no, no."

"But I talked to a longneck who was traveling to the Great Valley outside. Even she believed it exists."

Tristan didn't budge. "No."

Amelia put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle smile. "Dear, you'll never know if it exists or not if you don't try to find it. Please..." Amelia's sea blue eyes shone, pleading to him.

Tristan huffed as he tore away from Amelia in frustration. "...I need to be alone." He mumbled before storming away.

"Wait, dad! I-" Miriam called, but Amelia stopped her. "Leave him be. He needs some time to himself." She commanded gently. Miriam sighed and gave a nod of her head. Her mother was right. This was a rather touchy subject for her father. He was raised to believe that things such as the Great Valley were luxuries that did not exist in reality, and that he had to fight to survive.