Disclaimer: I obviously do not own the Land Before Time or any of its characters. This piece of fiction is created purely for non-profit and creative purposes.

Hello everyone. You may know me as Rhombus from the Gang of Five forum. I have had an interesting idea for quite a while now: what if our beloved gang were forced to become carnivores? How would they adapt to horrifying changes in diet, alliances, and perspectives? I think that this premise yields many possibilities within the realm of fanfiction, and I have decided to use my first story as an attempt to do that premise justice.

Since this is my first attempt at this, I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism that any of you may have. I view this as a learning experience and I hope that I turn out to be a better writer after all is said and done.

Enjoy!

Prologue

It is an indisputable fact that everyone changes throughout their lives. An adult is not the same person that they were during their childhood years. A veteran is not the same person that they were before they went off to war. A butterfly is not the same as the larva it originated from. It is only through our own continuity of experience that we can call ourselves the same person from day to day. This begs the question: are there some events that can push the continuity of experience to its breaking point? If such an event were to occur then who would we become?

With the nightly fall of the bright circle, darkness had descended upon the mysterious beyond. Where vibrant green plants and translucent blue waters had greeted the sunlight only hours before, now only darkness and obscure shadows remained. The sights of the land being obscured, and the calls of the inhabitants having gone silent, for the duration of the formidable night. Only the calls of the buzzers and the light of the stars would greet the vigilant observer.

In this darkness, a pair of yellow eyes gazed at the beautifully desolate scene. The eyes belonged to a male rainbowface, whose eyes hinted of unusual knowledge and careful observation. He took in the sights and sounds that would have been lost to the inhabitants of the land in which he now found himself. He observed that the winds have shifted to the north, ensuring that his scent would be safely directed to the bluffs directly behind him and not to the open lands to the south. He observed that the stars are especially clear this night. From this he could easily deduce that the wet season was about to end. He even observed that the calls of the buzzers in the region are changing; indicating that the time of breeding for them was going to soon be at an end.

He was not observant enough, however, to notice the female rainbowface who was standing right behind him.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Chronos?"

Chronos gave a startled yelp and jumped in surprise. "Why did you do that Logos?" He asked indignantly, "I was making very careful observations, which you have interrupted!"

Logos walked out of the shadows and Chronos could see that she had a sarcastic smirk upon her face. "Apparently not careful enough to see me standing right behind you." She retorted, "Although I do suppose that your attention should be focused on the stars tonight."

Both of the rainbowfaces looked contemplatively at the night sky.

"Do you think that it will fall this time?" Chronos asked, "The rock shower will occur soon and the legends say that the stone of fate would one day fall with the long travelling rocks."

"I don't suppose anyone knows." Logos replied, "But if it is to happen during this cycle then it should be occurring soon."

"...And we should be prepared." Chronos finished, "Because if the tales are true about the stone..."

"We will cross that juncture when we get to it. If the tales of the stone are entirely true, then we have a much bigger problem than crackpot flyers and inquisitive children." She affirmed, "If they are not true or if the stone does not fall, however, then this will be a concern of our replacements. That is, unless you expect to be alive to see the next shower of these rocks in several hundred cycles."

"I definitely won't survive that long if you keep on surprising me like that." Chronos replied playfully, before frowning and taking on a more serious expression. "I suppose that we can only hope that either we reach it first or that the ones who find it are wise beyond their years. Otherwise the consequences will be dire."

Logos nodded and then stated: "It is my turn to take over watching the skies. Go ahead and get some rest Chronos." She then muttered to herself, "I have a feeling that we will both need it."

As the rainbowfaces switch roles in order to maintain the vigilant watch over the skies, the rest of the mysterious beyond rested peacefully in the all-encompassing blanket of darkness.

None of its inhabitants could imagine that the morrow would bring changes which would one day affect them all.