Category: Land before Time

Rating: T

Couples: none

Warnings: Blood, Hints of Character Death

Chapter: 10

Copyright: © characters and places by United Pictures; © Plot and OC by me

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She walked at the head of the group, her leg-wounds sending pain through her body at every step she took.

"We have visitors." Came a soft voice from in front of her. Chomper rose to stand on the rock he had been sitting on, turning to face the small herd approaching the cave.

"Are your parents here?" She asked, lowering her head to his level.

"Why is the Threehorn here?" Rec demanded, his red eyes burning in anger and hate as he left the cave. He made to walk around her to the dark-grey Threehorn, but her tail swung up to block his way.

"He wishes to talk to you." She stated, pushing him back from the small herd.

"The only thing he shall receive from me is dead." The Sharptooth countered.

"You will listen to him." She stated coldly, turning to place her body in his path. "Or I swear, you will not leave this place alive."

"Is that a threat?" He roared, a warning growl of Grandpa cutting him off.

"I have not yet told Grandpa and Bron what you said last night." Grandma growled herself. "Either I translate what you two tell each other or I translate what you said last night. You were right when you said I was not the fighter of the family, but they are." She advanced, holding her neck high as she got dangerously close to his jaws. "Who do you think will win if they are angered?"

Rec looked up at her, growling in fury, his many teeth almost grinding together.

"Not you, Rec." Tyra left the cave, gently resting her head under that of her mate. "Listen to him, my love. He might be a good many things, but he would not take his daughters out to something dangerous without a good reason."

Her mate looked over to his rival, seeing several small Threehorns standing beside him. He briefly glanced down at his own little one, seeing the horror in Chomper's eyes. It was the only thing calming him.

"He better make it worth my patience." He ground out, turning to put some distance between himself and the herd. "Chomper, go help your sister."

"Dad…" Chomper began, only to be cut off by a warning-growl of his mother. She shook her head, gently nudging him of the boulder and in the direction of their cave. The young Sharptooth reluctantly obeyed her, looking over his shoulder at Cera and Tricia before running away.

His parents however remained outside, watching impassively as the Longneck nodded to the Threehorn.

Topps took a deep breath, looking up at the one who was out to kill his entire family. "I want to trade with you."

"Trade what?" Came Grandma Longneck's translation. "What can you possibly offer me?"

"And apology, among others." He answered, looking on as that answer resulted in another short conversation in Sharptooth among the three dinosaurs in front of him. He noticed Chomper peeking around the rocks at the cave-entrance, but ignored him.

"Apology not accepted." Rec sharply said, glaring down on him. "Do you honestly believe that you can erase that pain and those insults by simply apologizing?"

"No." The Leafeater shook his head as he spoke with a softer voice than anyone had ever heard him use before. "It is not what I came out here for ultimately."

"Then what did you come here for?" Tyra demanded, standing beside her husband and lips pursed as much as a greater Sharptooth could do so over their teeth.

"To trade." There, he had said it. He briefly looked at his daughters who, despite his wishes, had followed him out here. "To trade my life for that of my daughters."

He had surprised them, that much was visible on their faces: at least for a moment, Rec only looked shocked instead of furious. Then he grinned and started to chuckle.

"And you think that would work?" He asked, chuckling as he did so. "Whatever makes you think you could barter with me, Threehorn?"

Now it was the turn of Cera's father to be surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You have always proclaimed me a monster, Threehorn." Rec softly stated. "Monsters cannot be bartered with, nor would they ever honor an agreement. So I ask you: why do you think me – a monster according to every action you have taken towards me – capable of doing any different?"

"I…" He did not know how to answer the accusations which were very much true.

"Only now, after the loss of your wife did you care to get to know me. Only with the threatening loss of your daughters do you try to make amends." Rec cruelly stated. "Your insult towards my first mate was not the only reason it came this far, Threehorn, it was merely the bite that killed the Longneck as we Sharpteeth say. Had you treated me as a friend in the previous Cold Times, or even merely an acquaintance, I would have been upset and our relationship would have suffered a blow. But it would not have come this far. Those words merely doomed Tria because you refuse to see anything but a monster in me. And they will doom your daughters just as much."

"My daughters did never see you as a monster, I did." Mr. Threehorn countered. "Why would you kill them over my mistakes?"

"Because they see me as a monster too." Rec glared at him. "Everyone in this valley, save perhaps Longneck, sees me as a monster, even the children who know my son so well, see his father as a monster. So why should I not humor them and be one?"

"We don't." Littlefoot argued.

"You do." Rec snarled. "You see me as a monster, and you think Chomper capable of being one too. You are no different than the Threehorn, all of you. And to think I several times saved you all out of a fake friendship you have with my son."