Chapter 10

When Worlds Colide

"So dad just to be clear, are we looking for the exact same cave?" Thunk said as the family went deeper into the jungle. "Cause if it was me choosing the cave, I would go with a smaller cave."

Grug stopped in his tracks. "Wait" A green monkey jumped out and stared at the family from his perch. Juno looked around and realized they were surrounded by these monkeys. "I'll handle this" Grug took a step towards the monkey.

"Leave it alone." Juno put her had on Grug's shoulder. "They're not hurting anyone. Let's just walk pass them."

"No" He pulled his shoulder out of her grasp. "They're new. They're dangerous. I have to take care of the problem now." Grug starts jumping around screaming and hollering incoherently. The monkey didn't react to any form of Grug's intimidation methods. Grug, panting and baring his teeth, faced the monkey inches away from him. The monkey only smiled, in a flash the monkey rears back it's fist and punches Grug in the face. Taken by surprise Grug stumbles backwards. His body turns and is met with another monkey's fist. Grug is bounced back and forth between the monkeys as he is plumbed by flying fists.

Gran joins in and smacks Grug in the nose with her walking stick. "HAHA I'm lovin' this."

This is ridiculous." Juno stomped forward. Grug is pushed into her as she stops him from bouncing into another monkey. She sees the leader of the monkeys and storms over to it. The monkey put it's dukes up, ready for a fight. Juno lifts her hand and flicks the monkey in the nose. "No, bad creature." She shook her finger to scold the monkey. "That is not how you treat a new guest."

The monkey covered its nose, It looked up and pass Juno. Fear took over the monkeys and they all ran off into the trees. "Yeah you better run." Grug roared at the fleeing foe. Juno was now facing Grug. She was staring, fear was plastered on her face, lifted her arm and pointed a shaking finger behind the family. They turned as a growl came from the bushes. Grug pushed the family behind him as a saber tooth tiger climbed to the ground. Grug picked up a rock and threw it at the big cat. The beast caught it and roared at them. They were backed into a corner.

With no escape Juno stepped next to Grug and pulled out her blade. She had worked too hard to let it end like this. She was not going to let her newly reunited family be killed. She would lay her life on the line if it gave them a chance of survival. "Go"

Grug could see the determination in Juno's face. "No, we will get out of this together. No one will be left behind." Grug looked around for another option, for an escape. "There" Grug pulled Juno back and forces the family up a tree. "CLIMB CLIMB CLIMB"

They start to climb the massive tree trunk. As they do the trunk up rooted and started walking. "It's moving." Eep screamed. "It's alive." The tiger trailed behind while trying not to get trampled. The strange creature, the family was holding onto, pops out the and into a green valley. In all the commotion Grug finds their goal.

"A cave" Grug yelled as they jump off the 'tree trunk.' "Go go" Grug pushed the family toward the cave.

"I am not going in thahhhhh." Grug picked up Juno and ran into the cave. Once inside the family relaxed in the safety of their new cave. Without warning the cave slammed shut on its own with everyone inside. "Ya know this right now, in here, this is my nightmare."

From the outside the cave stands up and takes the form of a land whale. "Sweet this cave has a tongue." Thunk's voice is heard from the inside. The land whale forced the Juno and the family out through it's blowhole. They landed in a pile on the ground as the land whale strolled off.

Grug sat up and gathered his family. "Okay that's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven."

"and eight..." Gran explained. "If we're counting Chunky the death cat." The saber tooth tiger stalked out of the jungle with them in it's sights. The shadows of the setting sun passed over the cat. The beast stopped in it's hunt and looked around with a concerned look on it's face. It turned around and jumped back into the jungle.

"Ha ha, look it's scared of the dark... Wait we're scared of the dark" Thunk looked around as the night takes over.

"There's nothing to be afraid of" Juno tried to calm the Crood. "We're perfectly safe." A little pink bird rose from the same colored grass. It chirped and took flight. At that signal hundreds of little pink birds popped out of the grass and joined it in the air.

"It's so beautiful" Eep was staring up at the flock.

"Yeah, it looks like a giant wave. See how they all follow each other in unison."

"Wow" The Crood family said in unison.

At that instant the birds dip down and swarm around a lone land whale. The whale is lost in a cloud of pink. The birds fly back up into the air and reveal just the skeleton of the land whale. The family jumped back in fear.

"Kill circle" Grug yelled and everyone grabbed the closest weapon as they backed into a large rock for cover.

"What are we going to do daddy?" Eep whispered. Juno looked at the scared faces of the Crood family.

"It will be fine, we are going to get through this."Grug said trying to calm his family. But Juno could hear the despair in his voice.

'There has to be something I can do.' Juno's back was pushed into the rock, the conch shell was poking her in the lower back. She tried to shift and get into a comfortable kill stance. 'Wait, the shell.' She squirmed to get out of the tight circle of people around her.

"Juno get back here." She ignored Grug's plea. Juno ran forward and pulled the shell out and over her head. The Croods just looked at her in confusion. What was she doing, the shell couldn't possibly save their lives. She blew into the shell with all the air she could take into her lungs. The sound, it echoed through out the land.

Guy turned his head to the sound and smiled. 'She made it, she's alive.' He walked in the direction of the sound, where he spotted the cloud of birds in the sky. 'Something's not right. Juno... she's in danger.' Guy sprinted to the sound of the alarm. Jumping out of the trees Guy spots Juno, blowing the shell, standing alone in the clearing.

'He'll come, he will make it in time, I know he will come.' She blew the shell again.

The birds were getting into formation and prepared to swoop. Guy ran towards Juno jumped over the rock and the Croods. Guy gets to Juno's location and fell to his knees. In little to no time he was hitting two stones together and making sparks fly. Smoke started to rise where the sparks hit the ground. Guy gathered more grass, bringing the flames to life, and forced the flames on top of a near by branch. The birds swoop in for the kill. Guy grabbed Juno, bringing her closer to him, and held up the torch. The swarm split in half as they passed by away from the fire. Juno peaked her head out of Guy's chest as she watched the birds surround them as they passed by. The birds flew away defeated.

Extremely confused by what just happened Grug looked over at Juno, who was in the arms of a stranger. A sense of protection took over as he saw his surrogate daughter being held by someone.

Not noticing the others, Guy realized how close they were pressed together. The were panting as Guy took a step back.

"Ta-da" he announced with opened arms waiting for Juno's embrace.

Juno smiled and was about to wrap her arms around him. Grug walked up and pushed Juno to the side. He started snarling and grunting aggressively at Guy.

"Ya ahhhh"Guy scurried back to Juno's side in an attempt to protect her."Cavies"

"Cavies?" She hated that word. It sounded so demeaning.

"Cavemen" He swung the torch to keep the Croods back. "Stand back. They're practically animals. See their bony, slopping foreheads."

"Oh yeah"

"The huge primitive teeth"

"Err yeah" She noticed who the primitive teeth belonged to.

"The excessive body hair. Ahh that one has a tail"

"uhh yep" She was getting annoyed at how offensively he was talking about the Croods.

Guy pulled out Juno's blade from her waist. "Close your eyes, I'm going to have to take their lives."

"No" She struggled for her blade back. "You can't"

"Why not? They're dangerous."

"They are my people."

"What?"

Juno waved her arm to present the group. "Guy meet the Croods."

The family gathered around them. Thunk came from behind and stared at the torch. "The sun is in his hands"

"No it's fire" Juno tried to explain.

"Where did it come from?" Ugga asked.

"He made it." Juno said with pride. Guy looked over to her and gave her a wink.

"Make some for me." Eep picked him up.

"It doesn't come out of him." Juno tried to pull Guy out of her hold.

Eep started to squeeze Guy. "Make, make it."

Guy's body made a few weird popping sounds and Eep dropped him. "Wow you act alot like Juno." He falls backwards and unconscious.

"I think I broke him, sorry" Eep shrugged at Juno. Juno just shook her head.

the rest of the family was gathering around the torch that was dropped to the ground.

"Aww it's a baby sun" Ugga reaches out to touch the fire.

"Stay back, we don't know what it wants." Gurg tries to keep his family a safe distance from the fire. "We'll all just sit here and wait for the sun tp come back up and tomorrow we can pretend this day never happened." Grug looked over at Eep who was standing next to a kneeling Juno beside Guy.

Eep handed Juno a stick. "Here poke him with this." Juno was lightly patting his cheek.

"Eep don't touch him, you don't know where it's been." Grug shooed her away. "Come on Juno, it's safer with the family."

"I think I would know how dangerous he is, I've been traveling with him for over a year."

"I'm just concerned for you."

"I've been on my own before I found you, but your treating me like a child."

"No" Grug knelt down beside Juno. "I am treating you like a part of this family. I was thinking when all this is over that you would..."

"Dad Sandy is hurting fire."

Grug jump up to see his daughter with the torch in her mouth. "No Sandy fire is not a play thing." He pulls the torch out of her mouth.

An ember falls from the torch and Ugga crawls over to it. "Hey there little guy."

"No" Grug steps on the ember. He stars scream and jumping up and down from the burn on his foot. the movement causes more embers to fly off.

One lands on Thunks back "Hey it likes me." The ember catches on fire. "Owww it's biting me."

"Try running away in the dry grass" Thunk followed his father's instructions. Running around the tall grass catches fire and surrounds them. The family is thrown in chaos as they run around and spread and feeding the fire.

Guy opens his eyes to see Juno. "Hiya sleepy head"

"SO your umm friends. There trying to kill me."

"Don't be so dramatic." Juno lifts Guy to his feet. "They're not so bad once you get to know them."

They are both in aww at the fiery scene in front of them. Grug was chasing his son, trying to save him. Ugga was feeding the 'fire babies' with more wood. Gran was smacking her walking stick, that was on fire, against the ground. The field of massive corn ignites and the cobs shoot off like cannons. One piece hits Gran taking her with it. The corn cob slams into each family member, taking them for a ride, and shoot onward.

"Cone on I want to properly introduce you." She pulled Guy toward the chaos.

But Guy sees the corn coming and starts pulling the other direction. "Run RUN"

Before Juno could look they were scooped up with the rest of the family.

Piled together at the tip of the corn Guy yelled out. "Who are you people."

"Oh I"m sorry." Ugga answered "We're the Croods, and you are?"

"Umm Guy"

"Hi Guy" the family responded in unison.

The ear of corn hits a tree and knocks them all off. The kernels fly into the air and pop like fireworks.

"It looks like magic." Eep stoop up and looked into the air.

Thunk sniffed the air. "and it smells like food."

The pop corn fell from the sky and buried Juno and the family.