CHAPTER TWENTY
(Note: This chapter will also make you laugh a lot.)
Two and a half hours before dawn, Tiny is shaken awake.
What? she mutters sleepily.
Not so loud dear. I don't want the whole pack awake. Chomper whispers to her.
What are we doing? You have more bowel blockage? Tiny asks him.
Chmper groans. No. Dealt with that last night. Right now, I was going to teach you Flattooth. If we can convince the Great Valley that I'm not bad, then I'd like to take you there to go live with me. It would be nice if you could speak Flattooth. said Chomper. And one more thing. Chomper adds. I want you to promise me that you will NEVER use the ability to speak Flattooth against Flatteeth. Tiny nods.
In the distance hidden by the foliage of a sapling full of tree stars, a Domehead watches the sleeping group. Then, he slips off after about five minuets.
Chomper and Tiny head into Berry Valley. Though I know Flatooth as well and can help you, I thought it would be helpful to also teach you Flattooth from actual Flatteeth. Chomper said to his wife.
He approaches some Yellow Bellies, Loofah, Doofah, and Foobie among them. "Hello there. I mean you no harm. I'm a Friendly Sharptooth. I thought you could help teach my wife Flattooth. I'd really appreciate it." said Chomper to them. They try to hide by looking like common plants. Chomper walks over to the Yellow Bellies and sniffs them. "Nope, doesn't smell like a plant. Now, can you help me?" Chomper asks them.
"It's a talking Sharptooth!" says Loofah.
"I wonder what he wants." said Doofah.
"Something about teaching his wife Flattooth." said Loofah.
"Are you sure it's a Sharptooth? Might be a weird looking Leaf Eater." said Doofah. "Open your mouth dear." said Doofah to Chomper. Chomper complies. Doofah climbs inside. "Hmmm, the teeth are pointy. I don't see any green stuck to the teeth. I think this really is a Sharptooth." said Doofah to Loofah.
"So, you want me to teach her flattooth do you? Not to worry your in good hands, I have a high teaching record of... "said a Yellow Belly, starting to count his fingers, "zero students."
A second yellow belly says "That's 15 times more then we usually have. Now lets see, tell her to say something."
Chomper points at Doofah, then at the ground, indicating that he wants her out of his mouth so that he can reply to them without accidentally biting into her. A Yellow Belly facepalms. "Oh Doofah, always so silly, why do you have to go in their? A sharptooth's mouth may look like a playground, but they need their space."
"Hello anybody there?" she yells down the throat. "Hello, anybody there!" her voice echoes back. She gorws concerned "Hello, my name is Doofah." she yells down Chomper's throat. "Hello, my name is Doofah." her voice echoes back. "He's eaten someone named Doofah! We have to save her!" Doofah yells to her herd.
"Isn't it a wonder we aren't extinct?" a Yellow Belly exclaims in annoyance at the stupidity of many in his herd.
"Don't worry help is on the way!" she jumps down Chomper's throat gently sliding down his esophagus into his stomach.
Chomper goes searching for something to make hm barf up Doofah, hoping he can save her before he ends up digesting her. "Are you all right, er, Doofah? I didn't want you to do that. Most Sharpteeth would, but I didn't." he says to her, prodding at his stomach.
Hey Tiny, could you get me lots of stink bugs? They should do the trick. said Chomper to his wife. He knew that stinkbugs, the kind that sprayed smelly stuff at you, didn't work well with his inside and would cause him food loss. However, as he didn't want Doofah to be food, he needed to do this. "Don't worry Doofah, I'll get you out soon." Chomper said to Doofah.
"Don't worry Doofah. I'll find you and we're going to get out of here." said Doofah from inside of Chomper's stomach.
Tiny came back to her husband. Sorry Chomper, all I can find is stink weed.
That'll do. Just get enough so that it will cause me food loss. I don't want the poor Yellow Belly getting digested. Chomper tells her.
Tiny begins gathering the stuff up. Actually I would be more worried about her ability to breath. See if there was air in your stomach you would only belch it out because it irritates, so we are about to find out if she is alive. Open your mouth.
Chomper opens his mouth. "Doofah, are you ok? Are you still alive in there?" he asks. He feels his stomach and finds that it is still wiggling. She's alive still. Chomper told his wife. Now, hurry up. I don't want to be the cause of death of another Flattooth.
Tiny not wanting to wait for him to finish stuffs the stink weed into his mouth just as he utters the word flattooth.
Loofah puts his face against Chomper's stomach. "Doofah,my dear. Are you ok? Please tell me you're ok. What in the name of all things berry did you do that for?" he asks her.
"What's it like in the stomach of a Sharptooth? I've been chased by one before, but never actually gone inside of it." asks a third Yellow Belly.
The stinkweed soon causes Chomper to feel funny in his stomach. ERRRRRRRRRRRRRP! He belches. Soon, after more bubbling, he cannot hold back anymore. BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! He vomits out Doofah. She lands on the ground, covered in slimy yellow barf. Next to her is undigested stinkweed and some partially digested Domehead bones. "Don't EVER do that again!" Chomper shouts at Doofah.
"But, you ate someone named Doofah." Doofah whined.
"Yes, you." said Chomper, shaking his head. "Now that I've tossed my cookies, I need something to eat." He heads to a stream in Berry Valley and eats several fish. "Mmm, these flopers are tasty." he says, licking his lips.
"So, now that your friend has gotten a tour of my stomach, can you please help my wife learn Flattooth? Unless you don't know how to teach her. In that case, you can just leave here. There is going to be an attack on this place soon at about the rising of the Bright Circle. We don't have much time before the Bright Circle rises. Your friend Doofah took up some of it already. As it is, I think it's safe if I start teaching Tiny first." said Chomper.
He practices a few words with her. After about two hours, Tiny can say "I am a nice Sharptooth.", "My favorite food is Domehead.", "Hello my name is Tiny, what is yours?" and similar basic things.
"Hello, me Tiny. Me want you to help me learn Flattooth." said Tiny to the Yellow Bellies.
"You're learning fast, we didn't even have to do anything yet. Now, about this attack, is it going to hurt?" asked a Yellow Belly.
Chomper, realizing that many of the Yellow Bellies are a few Sweet Bubbles short of a bunch, decides to explain it in terms that, hopefully, they can understand. "You remember what happened to Doofah?" Chomper asks them. The Yellow Bellies nod. "The same thing is going to happen to all of you, only you won't be spat back up." he informs them
.A Yellow Belly asked "But, won't that kill us?"
"Me think that the point." said Tiny in poor Leaf Eater.
"So, can you help Tiny learn Flattooth? I can help you avoid the pack." said Chomper.
A Yellow Belly said "Repeat after me... I... am... Pretty."
A second Yellow Belly muttered "We are suppose to teach her to speak our words, not be proud of her looks."
"I am pretty." said Tiny.
"Yes, you are dear." said Chomper. He kisses her. She grins.
A Yellow Belly said "Repeat these words."
A second Yellow Belly said "No, repeat these words!"
The first Yellow Belly said "No, these words!"
Tiny looks at the Yellow Bellies in confusion. "What am I to say?" she asks in poor Leaf Eater.
A Tickle Fuzzy during the confusion spots a Yellow Belly nest, she sneaks in picking up an egg in her jaws, then begins to head off to her home.
Chomper spots the Tickle Fuzzy and grabs him. "Nice try. You know what happens to Tickle Fuzzies that take eggs?" Chomper asks him. "What should I do with this egg thief?" Chomper asks the Yellow Bellies. The tickly fuzzy looks around nervously.
"I don't know, but I'm not sticking around to find out!" With some graceful squirming and the natural oils on the creatures fur it slips out of Chomper's grip, not taking any fall damage it imedeantly begins to run.
Tiny soon catches the creature. She picks him up again, this time making sure he doesn't get away. "What should I do with it?" she says to the Yellow Bellies.
"Don't eat me. I don't taste good! I'd just be a mint to you!" begged the Tickle Fuzzy.
"Eat you? That is an idea." said Tiny, smirking.
A Yellow Belly said "Our people are normally pacifist, but we can't have things eating our eggs."
The tickle fuzzy replied in resignation "Eat me, if I'm too incompetent to get away from you I deserve it. But can you at least feed my children one last time? That's all I really wanted."
Chomper asks "Cannot you get something other than eggs? I mean, those will be Yellow Bellies. If you can, perhaps you should have thought about your kids before you tried steal eggs. Also, where is your mate?"
The tickle fuzzy replies "He was one of those dine and dash kinda males. My burrow is over their, I forage when the children sleep. You say, Yellow Belly eggs become Yellow Bellies?"
Chomper shakes his head. "You should be faithful to your mate. I find it really wrong that he put you in this position. Yes, Yellow Belly eggs hatch into Yellow Bellies. I believe your story and will let you go, provided that you promise not to take anymore eggs from here." he says to the tickle fuzzy.
The tickle fuzzy remarks "Normally I would thank you for sparing my life. But your also the one who endangered it in the first place." The tickle fuzzy manages to squirm lose yet again. "It's a deal, no more eggs." She scampers off to go find something else.
The Yellow Bellies begin to gather what they can, and then begin to get on a large fallen tree in the river. They start to drift off waving goodbye.
Chomper and his wife return to the pack just before they get up. The two pretend to be asleep.
Phyco gets up and kicks Chomper and Tiny, who quickly get up. Sorry, I just want to get food. he says.
Soon, the rest of the pack is up. They head into Berry Valley but find it deserted.
I thought you said there were Yellow Bellies here. Rusty says to Shredder.
There were. I have no idea what happened. I do know one thing though. It means we won't be having any breakfast. Shredder replies. The pack moans.
Phyco finds the Yellow Belly that had drowned the previous night. He eats it. This is rather fattening, but I still like it. he remarks.
A pack member feels what used to be a Yellow Belly nest. Still warm, they must have known we where coming and outran us. Those sly devils. They didn't leave much of a trail; its like they just vanished like smoke. she says.
There is no way the Yellow Bellies could have known we were coming. I mean, they are one of the dumbest types of Flatteeth out there. Rusty remarks.
The pack member blushes. Uh, perhaps they just went to get a berry dessert somewhere better then here. Anyway, what shall we do now?
Ok, that was a nasty setback. You guys BLEW it this time. We did so nicely with those Clubtails and with those Domeheads yet you let fat stupid Yellow Bellies get away. Clearly, you were not careful enough to hide your tracks and got spotted! We will go to a place where there are two herds: one of Spiketails and the other Swimmers. It's a swampy place so walk your step. says Shredder. Oh, and we're on a tight schedule. Only about seven risings and settings of the Bright Circle till we attack the Great Valley. So, we won't have time to stop to eat on the way there. Let that be a lesson to you for messsing up. Also, if you have to go, hold it till we get there. I cannot afford any more delay. Shredder adds. The pack growns. They soon sets out.
"I did this to the poor pack." Chomper whispered to Tiny. He used Leaf Eater to make it harder for them to be understood in the event they were overheard.
"I admit, I am going to miss the meals, but those Yellow Bellies owe you their lives." Tiny whispered back.
Come on now guys. I gotta pee! Rusty whines.
Tucompso, meanwhile, gets up a little after the Great Circle rises. He walks over to the big lake for a drink, then stops and stares at his reflection.
Why hello there what is your name? It's been a while since I have been with my own kind. he says to it. It doesn't reply. Eventually, he grows tired of talking to it. I will see you later, I wanna go see what Ruby is up to. You know where to find me.
Sometime later he finds Ruby quickly and easily. Morning Ruby, want to play?
Ruby, however, is still asleep. However, his noise wakes up Ruby's daughter Ovi. Ovi, unlike her mother, does not understand Sharptooth. "Oh, a mini-Sharptooth." she says. She picks up Tucompso and runs with him.
Where are we going? the shorty sharptooth asks. She doesn't understand him and so doesn't reply. She goes and prods awake Ducky's son, Splasher.
"Splasher, get up!" she mutters.
"What is it Ovi?" he asks sleepily.
"Found a mini-Sharptooth. We can use it to play a game in the Sheltering Grass." Ovi replies.
The two take Tucompso to the Sheltering Grass. Ovi sets him down, though still holding him. "I am a scary Sharptooth! Fear me!" says Ovi, moving Tucompso toward Splasher's hands.
"Oh no. It is a Sharptooth. What are we going to do?" says Splasher in a playful voice, pretending to be a herd of Flatteeth. He moves his left hand to represent the herd.
"I am the Lone Dinosaur. I will save you." he says playfully. He moves his right hand to represent the Lone Dinosaur.
"Surrender Lone Dinosaur, I'm the biggest, scariest, meanest, ugliest Sharptooth around!" says Ovi, moving Tucompso toward Splasher's right hand.
"Well, I'm here to save the herd from you and your evil ways. Get lost now Sharptooth or feel a world of hurt!" said Splasher, moving his right hand toward Tucompso.
"Yum. A tasty herd of Spiketails. I shall eat them." says Ovi, moving Tucompso toward Splasher's left hand.
"All right, you asked for it." said Splasher in a tough voice. He flicks Tucompso in the nose, pretending to be whacking him with the tial of the Lone Dinosaur.
Ouch! Tucompso whines.
"You'll pay for that!" shouts Ovi. She swings Tucompso's claws, hitting Splasher's left hand.
"Ouch, that kinda hurt." says Splasher in his real voice. "You'll pay for that you stinking Sharptooth varment!" shouts Splasher. He again whacks Tucompso.
I don't think I like this game very much. Tucompso remarks.
Ruby soon comes to the rescue of Tucompso. "Ovi and Splasher, Tucompso is NOT a toy!" she scolds, wagging her fingers at them.
Thank you. says Tucompso gratefully.
No problem. Ruby replies.
