A few years have passed since Celine's children and Rita's children have been born; they are now four years old and their slightly older cousins and their friends are five. Cera is quite taken with her cousins; especially the females. She has taught them how to break rocks with their heads much to the objections of her aunts and uncles. Misty has this thing about her that gets the grown ups wrapped around the tip of her tail. She uses her skill of acting to get her cousins; especially Cera in trouble. The others don't know it; except for Topsy. He has called her on it several times; and she would remark that he can't tell her what to do since he's not her dad. As much as he loved her; he wasn't gonna let her talk to him like that. He found her relaxing by the Tall Trees; he walked up to greet her.
"Hi Misty; I'd like to talk to you about something," Topsy said.
"Awwww; can it wait?" Misty asked.
Topsy shook his head.
"No, Misty; this is a conversation that can't wait," Topsy retorted.
"Oh come on-"
Topsy bent down and picked up Misty by her tail and took her to a private area so they could have a conversation. He heard her protests; but, he didn't acknowlege them. Once they got to the Sheltering Grass, Topsy set Misty down. Before she could run off, Topsy grabbed her from behind with his paw.
"You're not going anywhere; the Sinking Sand is out there; I had to jump from rock to rock just to get here," Topsy told her.
Misty rolled her eyes.
"Don't give me that; we need to talk about your attitude; you're treating every kid in this herd in a very rude manner; your mother was like that when she was a child; only I was able to control her and keep her from getting kicked out of the herd," Topsy explained.
"But-"
"No buts; this attitude better stop; your parents want it to stop and so does everybody else," Topsy scolded.
"You can't tell me what to do; you're not the boss of me," Misty snarled.
Topsy sighed and shook his head.
"When we get back to the nest, I'm gonna tell your parents what happened between us; and they'll punish you; maybe a week at the nest will set you straight; it worked for your mother," Topsy explained.
Before Misty could apologize, Topsy lifted his paw to silence her.
"Don't even try it; it's too late for apologies," Topsy scolded.
Misty lowered her head.
A while later, Topsy brought Misty back to the nest and explained what happened to Rita and Isaac. Both of them were upset with her; all Topsy got out of her was back talk. It was then her parents asked Topsy to leave them alone; he did so and walked over to the Thundering Falls. Grandma and Grandpa Longneck saw him sulking at the edge of the watering hole.
"Something the matter, dear?" Grandma asked.
"Yeah," Topsy answered.
"What is it?" Grandpa asked.
Topsy looked up at the elderly longnecks.
"It's Misty; she has turned into Rita; the attitude and everything; you should have seen the way she was talking to me, it was disgusting," Topsy explained.
"What brought on her bad attitude?" Grandma wondered.
Topsy shook his head.
"No idea; but, I have a feeling that something is bothering her; I tried talking about her attitude with her at the Sheltering Grass; but, all I got was her sass mouth," Topsy answered.
"Don't forget; she's just a child; we all were like that at one time; only for me; it got worse as I became a teenager," Grandma said.
Grandpa looked at his mate in curiosity.
"Really? You?" Grandpa asked.
"Yes, dear; it was because my father didn't want me playing with you since you were a kid; and I wasn't gonna let him tell me what to do; that's when all seven of my brothers ganged up on you and beat you up; you were only eight or nine at the time," Grandma answered.
Topsy's eyes widened in shock at that revelation.
"Seven against one; not fair," Topsy replied.
Grandpa nodded sadly.
"And when I asked her to be my mate, her father told me that I was a no-goodnik who shouldn't even be alive; her mother on the other hand; disagreed with him and they broke up over that," Grandpa explained.
"I'm sorry you two had to go through with this; my parents are broken up too; and I'm certain your parents are also broken up," Topsy told Grandpa.
Grandpa just nodded.
"Anyway; it was nice talking to you; I really needed that talk; hope to see you again later," Topsy said before walking away.
"See you later; we hope everything works out with Misty," Grandma stated.
Topsy nodded and headed back to his nest.
Soon enough, Littlefoot and his nestmates, Cera, Spike, Ducky, Petrie, and Cera's other cousins arrived at the Thundering Falls for a drink. The elderly longnecks acknowleged them with a smile.
"Hi kids; are you having fun?" Grandpa asked.
"Yes we are; Cera's cousins are fun; except for Misty; she's a brat," Littlefoot claimed.
"We heard; Topsy wasn't happy with the way she was talking to him today; all he wanted was to have a conversation with her and she was extremely rude," Grandma explained.
The kids nodded.
"I just hope she gets straightened out soon; Dad doesn't take kindly to sass mouth," Cera said.
The others nodded in agreement with Cera's statement. They all hoped Misty would start to turn her attitude around and start treating others respectfully.
A/N: Dealing with a bratty child is hard for any parent. Will Misty mend her ways, or will she wind up with no friends because of her attitude?