CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE


Tucompso looks at Mimus and Sapphire. He stands their starring at them.

Mimus said Uh, can we help you?

Tucompso said You don't really do anything other then lay around. It's boring. Want to play?

Sapphire said What is play? We only know how to get food and avoid predators.

Tucompso said My people had more predators to worry about and we found time for games. You just going to lay around all day

They nod, smiling.

Tucompso grumbles Whatever.

He rejoins Guido and Bella.

After a day of planning, Chomper and Tiny head out into the Land of Mists at midnight. They head out with Phyco, Marie, Rusty, and Zelda. Rusty and Zelda's kids are sleeping back in the cave. The group sees Shredder nearby and hides.

A tickle fuzzy stays in the open, figuring something so big would not bother wasting energy on something so small. It watches as Shredder goes by to try to make sure Shredder don't step on it.

Shredder doesn't see it. Shredder says to himself. I do not like Longnecks. A Longneck herd killed my grandparents. My grandmother got injured fighting them and tried to retreat. They attacked her and killed her out of anger. My grandfather fought them and was badly injured. He made it long enough to tell my father was with my mother and I at the time what had happened. Mother and Father tried to get revenge but were eventually killed, leaving me to fend for myself. When I came of age, I hunted down that herd and killed all but four members of it. One vanished, and I believe he died during the Leaf Famine. The other, I killed at the Great Earthshake. The other two were old. I don't even know if they are still alive. But one brat got away. And he joined some others, and the group tried to kill me. And now, I'm going to get even with those five creeps, especially that Longneck and his family Once they are dead, my revenge will be complete! It's a pity my brother Tyro eventually forgave the evil Longnecks. But I have the last laugh. His son Chomper, my nephew, whom I've never met till now, is helping me get my revenge. Chomper told me who his father was, so I know that he is my nephew. And I can see that he is just like me. Look how he defeated those Clubtails, smarter than a lot of the pack. And he killed the leader of those Swimmers and defeated that whole herd of Threehorns. Chomper will make a great leader of the pack when I finally pass on, many cold times from now.

Phyco whispered You know, I feel kinda bad for this guy now. He was only doing what his heart told him was right, what was left of his heart. Anyway the device is ready, I used tar to make sure extra death weed sticks to the spikes. It wasn't easy with these short arms. Chomper, will you do the honors? His Longneck story hits to close to home with my Threehorn story. The two of us are so similar. We need someone who won't hesitate.

Chomper doesn't reply. No, it can't be. he mutters. Shredder spots one of the Longneck herds and chases after them all by himself.

Before the group could follow after Shredder, they spotted two Egg Stealers heading into the cave.

They're after our nests. said Marie.

The six Sharpteeth followed after the two Egg Stealers. They moved quietly so as not to be detected and, also, not to wake the pack, as that would lead to questions as to why they were out in the Land of Mists in the middle of the night.

"Strut, stop worrying, they are all asleep." grumbled Ozzy.

"But Ozzy! All it takes is one to wake up and we're dinner!" whimpered Strut.

"The faster we move, the sooner we can get this done with and get out of here with some dinner!" Ozzy barked.

The two went into the place where Chomper and Tiny kept their eggs. Oh no you don't! Tiny growled.

She and Chomper moved after them. "Ah, four of them. Three for me and one for you." said Ozzy.

Chomper recognized the two Egg Stealers. "You guys. You two put down my eggs this instant!" Chomper demanded. The two looked, behind them,

"Set them down NOW!" Chomper demanded.

"It can talk!" the two Egg Stealers gasped.

"I'm not going to say it again. Put them down NOW if you value your life!" Chomper threatened.

Strut put down his egg. Ozzy still held his. "Strut you idiot! You've left yourself wide open! I'm not such a fool! Now, Sharpteeth, don't try anything or I'll smash them to bits!" Ozzy threatened.

Chomper moved fast, knocking the eggs free with one claw and grabbing them all with the other. Ozzy winced in pain. His arm was cut but still attached. He fell to the ground in pain.

"Could you please not eat us and let us go away alive, if it's not too much to ask?" Strut begged, staring at the two in fright. Marie, Zelda, Rusty, and Phyco arrived into the room behind Chomper and Tiny.

Phyco says There isn't enough for all of us, so I guess the Egg Stealers get to be the meal of the parents.

Strut asks We can pass on that one?

Phyco replied Oh good, some of your kind do speak sharpteeth. That makes sense, as its not like you are sharpteeth or flatteeth, and I'd imagine you would make an effort to beg for your lives from more then just one class of dinosaur. So tell me, why do you guys eat eggs? Weal, no one would really care if you ate eggs laid by a virgin to insure they aren't babies being denied a chance at life, but can't you eat tree stars, sand crawlers, and vine seeds to keep up on your protein instead of raiding the nest of soon to be parents?

"You know Sharptooth!" gasped Ozzy.

"Yes, I learned it over the cold times. Thought it might come in handy when, as I feared,you got us into a pinch one day." replied Strut.

Now, if you please, I don't like to eat eggs. That's my brother's idea. I just like green and to be left alone. I've eaten eggs before, but I so prefer green. He keeps making me go after eggs. He can be so pushy. Strut said to Phyco.

'Well, you stole my egg and luckily those Flatteeth rescued me." said Chomper to Ozzy and Strut. "I don't know why I shouldn't eat you right now."

"I never took a Sharptooth egg that night. I took a Swimmer egg. I don't even know how you got into the Great Valley. Those brats must have done it!" snapped Ozzy.

"You're lying!" shouted Chomper in disbelief.

"No, he's telling the truth. Those kids brought you into the Great Valley. They stole your egg." said Strut, hoping to get Chomper to think about something else other than eating him. "I'd never want to take a Sharptooth egg. I suggested to Ozzy that we take Leaf Eater eggs. I hoped to get green food in the Great Valley and so went there, hoping we wouldn't get any eggs and I could get a nice green leaf." said Strut. Chomper realized with horror that Ozzy and Strut were telling the truth. Littlefoot and the others had taken his egg from the nest years ago. It hadn't been Egg Stealers after all. Why had Littlefoot done it? Had Littlefoot hoped to raise him away form his parents, trying to turn him into a nice Sharptooth? Had that plan only gone south when his parents had shown up and he had revealed himself to his parents and gone home with them? Was he merely a tool of the Great Valley? And would they even take him back? As far as he knew, they thought he had hunted Clubtails and gone rogue. He needed to do some serious thinking.

I wish to be alone with Tiny. I have something I need to talk about, in private. said Chomper to the other Sharpteeth. The others left, leaving him and Tiny alone with Ozzy and Strut.

"Well, you obviously wish to be alone, so my brother and I will just go." said Strut hopefully.

Tiny said to her mate "Chomper, you ok? You have that same look on your face as..." She then decides to be quiet in case the two live to tell about their planes to dethrone Shredder. "As earlier when we saw someone talking to them selves."

"Yes, my uncle. I learned a lot of painful things tonight." said Chomper. "Shredder is my uncle, and he wants to wipe out Littlefoot for something that happened long ago to his grandparents and parents. What the Longnecks did to his grandfather, my great-grandfather, is wrong, but I trust the guilty Longnecks are dead. Now it's just genocide. And as for Littlefoot, I now have to consider that maybe all of my life, I've just been a pawn of the Great Valley. If that's true, should I still help them?" Chomper asks Tiny.