Reunited!

(A/N: Despite how this chapter ends, don't think that angst has ended yet. There are still some lessons to be learned. This story is shorter than a lot of other ones I've written, but it's meant to be. It was a plot that wouldn't leave me alone and I just had to write it. I loved Ozzie and Strut, and couldn't find much for good stories on them that had actually been completed, so I this was born. Hope you're enjoying it, and that you'll continue to.)

A dream again. His brother was standing there, in the mouth of the cavern he and the others were resting in. His brother was looking towards something. "O-Ozzie?" Strut asked, eyes widening in longing. He rose and went towards him. Ozzie didn't turn. Strut came up next to him, looking over. His brother wouldn't face him. Strut sniffed, bowing his head. "I miss you Oz… So much…" he murmured meekly.

"You have been better off without me than you ever were with me," Ozzie answered. "You have found ones who appreciate you like you deserve. Ones who make you feel happy and secure… It's time you let me go, Strut. They are your family now. They will be better for you than I could have ever hoped to be."

"Don't say that!" Strut pled. "They won't be better for me than you were, no one will ever be! You're… you're my brother…"

"I was never so much a brother as a figure you could cling to for protection when no one else was around… But you don't need me anymore, Strut," Ozzie said.

"Yes I do! I still need you and I still want you and I still miss you!" Strut insisted, stomping his foot. "You-you said we'd meet again."

"And we have. Here and now," Ozzie answered. He looked upwards again. This time Strut followed his gaze. "There it is, little brother. The Land of the Mist… Make your home there. Be happy again. You have done it. You have made it and led them to safety. Rejoice in your fortune."

"I'll never be happy again," Strut sadly said. "Not when you're gone and I'm alone…"

"You're not alone anymore, you simpleton. Take a look behind you," Ozzie ordered. Strut turned and saw the others.

"I'm not alone…" Strut murmured. "But none of them are you," he added, turning back. But Ozzie was gone. Strut, tears in his eyes, sank to the ground and wept silently.

LBT

He woke up silently weeping. At least it wasn't loud enough to wake the others this time. He sniffed, standing up, and walked to the mouth of the cave as if doing so would mean he could see his brother again. "Ozzie, how could you think I don't need you?" Strut asked out loud. And even if he didn't, he certainly still wanted him. He waited there until sunrise when the others began to wake up. He turned to them. "We're almost there," he said. They looked curiously at him and approached. Looking out over the view they gasped. There up ahead was the falling water, an ever present rainbow stretched over it. Just beside it was the entrance to the cave!

"You did it, kid," Thief said, smirking in amusement and shaking his head. "Honestly didn't think you would." Strut grinned and immediately ran towards it. The others followed him.

They pushed through the cave silently, avoiding the deep water. Who knew what lurked in it? They saw questionable figures in the dark, one of which looked like a log with two red bugs—cough, cough, eyes—in it, and stayed far away. Soon enough they got through and came to the exit. Walking out onto the ledge outside, their mouths dropped in awe and amazement. The valley was huge! And beautiful! Misty but beautiful. "Whoa…" Christine said.

"We've made it!" Julie cheered excitedly.

"It isn't completely safe," Strut warned cautiously. "It's been years since I've been here. Time hasn't been kind to it. Who knows what's moved in there in the meantime?"

"It's a risk we can take," Janine said, hugging Don. "We can finally start that family we were talking about," she said to him, beaming at the male. Don grinned at her.

"And we can start planning for one," Riley flirted with Marcus. Marcus blushed and grinned at her widely.

"Now will you agree to mate with me?" Deborah asked Thief.

"Not until I know it's safe enough that I won't lose you," Thief answered, neatly avoiding the question, though his faint flush gave away what his answer would have been otherwise. Namely yes.

"If you lose me you'll lose me, mated or not," Deborah replied with a sigh. "We might as well have what we can." Thief gave her a conflicted look and turned away.

"Less chance of you dying a mother if we hold off," he said.

"Is that what scares you?" she asked. Thief was quiet. Deborah sighed, giving it up for now. She could wait a bit longer.

Strut led the way downwards. The others followed him cautiously. Well, the adults did. The children, giggling in excitement, were racing ahead as far as they dared without the adults and subadults near.

"We have a new home!" the little ones squealed in delight as they reached the valley...

One Month Since Arrival

They had settled well so far. There was food in abundance and many unguarded or orphaned nests. They had never had so much food for so long! "You did good, kid. What made you want to come here?" Rudy asked Strut.

"A dream," Strut admitted. "A dream that said the Great Valley wouldn't sustain us because it was too well guarded, and that the Mysterious Beyond would mean death because something big and inherently dangerous had come into it and driven fear into everything that walked there, and wouldn't hesitate to rip us to shreds."

"Yet you say this place is dangerous too," Rudy pointed out.

"I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather have something of a chance than no chance," Strut replied, cringing. "Pain and I aren't friends."

"Whatever the case of it, we're here now and we're safe. If not forever, then for long enough. This place is huge. If one spot becomes dangerous, we can move to another," Rudy said.

"Right," Strut agreed, smiling at him.

"Tell me about your family," Rudy said.

"There isn't a lot to tell. Dad died when we were tiny, so did all our unhatched siblings. Mom got sick not long after and died. It was me and my brother ever since," Strut said. He grew silent. "And then Ozzie died too…" he finished.

"I'm sorry about that, kid," Rudy gently said. Strut shrugged meekly. He didn't want to talk about it. "For what it's worth, my kids are starting to see you as a big brother to them. And to be honest, Julie and I have no problem with it. We're fond of you enough. Look around, Strut. You have a family again."

Strut did so. "Yeah… yeah, you're right…" Strut said, smiling. His smile fell. "But none of them are Ozzie…"

"No one will ever be," Rudy agreed. "But at least they're something." Strut looked up at him and nodded gratefully, giving a weak smile.

Six Months Since Arrival

For a time all was well in the Valley of the Mists. But danger was no stranger there, as they had learned quickly the day Marcus had almost been snatched from the bank by something that looked like a log with legs. Fortunately, Don had pulled him up and away in time. The children were watched extra carefully down by the water from that time on. There was always something to be cautious about, but for the most part it was safe there. At least, safer than anywhere else they'd ever been. And it was beautiful too. Strut thought it was prettier than even the Great Valley, not to mention bigger. Not as protected, but still.

Others had moved in too, though. Strut, sneaking around the area with Chris, was cautiously and uneasily watching a group of dome-heads. He put a finger to his lips and silently slipped away with her. "Wow they were close," Strut said uneasily.

"Hopefully they'll be okay with sharing space," Chris agreed, nodding.

"What did you two find?" Sienna questioned, coming through some bushes.

"Boneheads," Chris answered, using her personal nickname for them. It had become an inside joke to all of them over time. "A group of them. Not a big group, but big enough. Two young males there looked pretty antsy and ready to butt heads. Literally. They might end up being an invasion of our space. We may have to move areas soon.

"Don't worry. Thief's been sending out scouting pairs to find other possibly suitable areas for us," Sienna said. "Just in case something like this did happen. They found a very nice one, safer than where we are now and more sheltered. Less worry about the water too. It's still in that place, and not too deep."

"Good. At least we have a backup," Chris said, nodding.

"Are Hop and Skip doing alright?" Strut questioned.

"They're fine," Sienna assured, looking back. Hope and Skip leapt through the bushes looking excited and tired. "It's about time we brought them back too. They couldn't go any farther if their lives depended on it."

"That's a grim thought," Chris uneasily said, grimacing.

"Grim but true," Sienna answered. Chris and Strut exchanged hopeless looks.

"Well she's pragmatic," Strut said.

"Very," Chris agreed, nodding. They followed Sienna and the babies back.

Seven Months Since Arrival

The pack was eating when it happened. Bellows echoed. The sounds of the domeheads! They gasped. The whole herd suddenly ran onto the scene, roaring and bellowing! "Move!" Thief ordered, leaping up with the others. The pack scattered. Not that they had much choice. The domeheads attacked without warning, going after all of them viciously. It seemed they were done sharing this territory. "Regroup, regroup!" Thief frantically called, searching for Deborah fearfully.

"Hop, Skip!" Rudy shouted.

"Children, where are you?!" Julie screamed, searching for her little ones.

"Mommy, daddy!" the little ones were screaming, but they couldn't find them!

"Thief!" Deborah screamed. Thief looked sharply over. A domehead had her and Don cornered! Don stood protectively in front of her, screeching menacingly at the domeheads. Thief immediately darted towards them, soon joined by Marcus, Janine, and Riley all. The four leapt at the domehead, driving it off and regrouping.

"Get to the others!" Thief called out.

"Sienna, Chris?!" Riley called.

"Over there, with Strut!" Marcus pointed. "We have to get to Rudy and Julie first! And find those children!"

Immediately the pack raced towards the frantically searching parents. "Julie, Rudy, run!" Thief ordered. Immediately the two joined up with the rest, circling around to rejoin with Strut, Sienna, Chris, and to their relief Hop and Skip. The pack was suddenly together again, and in a panic they fled from the group of domeheads. Two in particular, two males—the ones who liked butting heads—kept up the chase, even when the others had fallen back. The pack of panicked Struthiomimus kept running.

Strut looked back and gasped. They were nearing. "They're still coming!" he cried out. He heard a scream. Wait. That scream. It couldn't be. It sounded like those flattooth kids! Impossible! What would they even be doing here? Not that he had time to think on it. Suddenly, in their panic, the Struthiomimus were jumping off of a cliff and into the river! Strut didn't think. He just leapt. Right after recalling that his kind weren't exactly swimmers, and that the two children definitely weren't.

LBT

Screaming, sobbing, the group resurfaced, or struggled to. Not that they would stay afloat long if they couldn't get to shore. They were all going to drown! And where were Hop and Skip?! For a moment Strut saw a vision of his brother, running alongside the river. He realized in dread what it may mean. Was he going to die? Suddenly a very sharp toothed creature's long neck burst through the water with a roar. Strut paled, gasping. A Plesiosaurus! The pack screamed in horror, convinced this was the end. The disturbingly large carnivore dove, coming straight at them. Strut reached out, seizing a rock and scrambling onto it. He slashed at the creature as it was passing. The others forgotten—thank goodness for that, they were getting out of the river now too, having reached someplace where they could touch bottom—the predator turned to the one who had slashed it, roaring. Strut screeched menacingly at it, slashing again and making a growl in his throat. Again the vision of his brother. Again it faded into the woods.

The plesiosaurus shook its head and fixed its gaze on Strut murderously. Strut's eyes widened in fear. Time to go! He screamed and leapt into the water again as it lunged to bite and got a mouthful of rock. Which, might he add, sounded painful, judging by the way the creature shrieked. Strut resurfaced and heard the others calling for him. He tried to move towards them. They were holding a branch out for him. He couldn't reach and was swept passed. "Strut!" Christine screamed, reaching out for him in vain. Again he saw a vision of his brother racing alongside the river. The plesiosaurus dove down and lunged. Strut only barely managed to move out of the way. Apparently not far enough, though, as it got its jaws around his side. Strut screamed in pain as it pulled him under. "No!" Christine screamed.

"My babies! Where are my babies?!" Julie freaked suddenly, almost going to dive into the water. "Hop, Skip!" she shrieked as the others held her back. She burst into tears, fearing the worst.

Strut, meanwhile, slashed the plesiosaurus once more, this time near the eyes, making it let go. But he was bleeding badly and unable to surface again. Not that he needed to worry, it seemed, because suddenly the plesiosaurus seemed fearful and turned, swimming back the way it came. Strut, wavering between consciousness and unconsciousness, vaguely picked out a dull roar and looked that way. His eyes widened. A waterfall! Err, falling water for most of the others who didn't know what it was called. The next moment the river dropped from under him and he cried out in fear and terror, reaching vainly for the sky. As he hit the water beneath, he saw once more a vision of his brother, standing on the banks and watching. Then there was black...

LBT

Strut couldn't fathom how he was still alive. He knew he was still alive because if he was dead, his body wouldn't hurt this much. He was dragging himself onto a bank goodness only knew how far downstream from the others. He was bleeding badly and completely drained. He wanted to lay down. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to never wake up again. Maybe, if he was lucky, he never would, and he would see mother and father again, and maybe his unhatched siblings, and Hop and Skip if they were gone though he hoped they weren't, and Ozzie too… He wanted to see Ozzie again… He didn't want any more tormenting dreams or visions, he wanted the real thing. He wanted his brother back…

He couldn't hear them calling him anymore… Which meant they'd moved on and thought he was dead, or that he'd been pulled farther away than he'd first thought, but he was too tired to think on that now. He was too tired to fight anymore. He was through fighting. He just wanted it all to end. He just wanted quiet and peace and to not hurt anymore. It wasn't as if he'd last long injured like this anyway… He would follow his brother once more… He would die alone and be rejoined with Oz in death. He heard footsteps. A predator. About time they came. They should have come when he'd been waiting for them where Ozzie had fallen… The footsteps paused in front of him. He lay still, eyes shut, and waited for the end to come.

"Strut? Strut, get up!" a voice sharply shot. Oz's voice. A dream again. He wished the predator had killed him before this dream came.

"Ozzie, I don't want to. Don't make me get up, please. Not this time. I tried. I tried so hard, but I can't. I can't! I just… I want to be with you and mummy again…" Strut whimpered. "I just want to be with you and mum. Please, Ozzie, let me be with you again."

There was silence. Had even the dream abandoned him now? "You and I both have a long ways to go yet, before we join mother and father in death," Ozzie's voice said again. Strut frowned, eyes closed? What? This dream was different, he noted. In a good way. Maybe it meant he was going to be with Ozzie again.

"You said we would meet again here. You were right, Ozzie… I'll be there soon…" Strut murmured, feeling consciousness slipping away.

"I said get up, you dirt-devouring weakling!" Ozzie sharply shot. Strut yelped as a tail clubbed down on his head, leaping up in stunned shock. He shook his head. Wow that felt real. Wait… His eyes widened and he gasped, looking ahead, expression shocked. That was because it was! "I am through catering to your refusal to fight spiel! You will recover and you will do it well, whether you want to or not! No brother of mine is giving up so easily. Not while I'm around and certainly not even after I'm gone!"

LBT

Ozzie hardly had time to stop talking before he was tackled down to the ground and being squeezed so tightly he couldn't even breathe! He blinked then began choking. "Strut, Strut you imbecile, get off of me!" Ozzie demanded, wriggling, struggling, and shoving his sibling off, gasping for air. "What in the world…?" he began.

"You're alive!" Strut all but screamed, tackling his brother in a bear hug again, cutting off his air a second time. Ozzie began choking again before he managed to free his neck enough to breathe relatively well once more. He noticed, then, that his sibling was sobbing so hard that Strut was having as much trouble breathing as he had had with Strut's arms wrapped around his neck.

"By some unfortunate miracle," Ozzie grunted through breaths, relenting and holding his sibling tightly back, resting his head on the other's. "Yes, I'm alive, Strut."

"Wh-why? H-how? Wh-where?!" Strut wailed, looking at his brother in misery, finally drawing back and looking at his sibling. Nope. He wasn't drawing back for long. He burst into more tears, hugging his brother back again tightly, shaking in the other's embrace.

Ozzie was quiet. "It's a long story," he answered finally.

Flashback

Ozzie watched Strut wander away, sadness in his eyes. He hated being helpless and watching his sibling care for him. It wasn't the way things were supposed to be, blast it! He growled in annoyance and lay down his head to try to sleep. He felt so useless… Every time Strut wandered out of his sight, he feared his brother wouldn't come back. If Strut didn't return, it meant he had been killed, which meant his brother had died for someone who was dead anyway, and that was something he would never and could never forgive himself for. Not that he'd have long for regrets. The predators would find him eventually. Almost on cue he heard growls and gasped, looking up. Raptors! Four of them! One holding a fresh kill that for one dreaded moment he thought was his brother before realizing, in indescribable relief, that it wasn't. But that left him one more problem. They were after him. Strut would come back to a body, and that was something unacceptable to Ozzie. Not that he could do much about it. Only hope and pray they finished him off so well that there wouldn't be a body left to come back to. Maybe it would help his brother let go in the long run, not to have seen a body. Besides, he wanted his sibling to remember him as he was in life, not as he was in death. It would be easier, then. Theoretically.

The raptors lunged. Three of them did, that was. The fourth stayed back to guard their already killed kill. They leapt onto him and Ozzie shrieked in pain as they began tearing strips of his flesh off of his body and sinking their teeth into him. Suddenly a massive tail whipped from seemingly nowhere, sending the raptors that had been on him flying off. Ozzie gasped, looking up. He cried out in alarm on seeing what it was. In front of him stood a massive diplodocus! Just what he needed. Another longneck. Oh joy. However, he wasn't complaining at the moment. You see, the diplodocus was defending him!

The raptors roared at the long-neck and lunged. Easily the long neck parried them, tail whipping viciously and scattering the group. The flash of grey. The raptors sprawling. The long-neck looked down at Ozzie coldly, calculating. The raptors lunged again. Again the long-neck batted them away and bellowed. The raptors began backing off. The diplodocus approached them dangerously, bellowing again loudly. They hissed at it and turned, racing back to the fourth, who was defending their original kill. The four glowered darkly. The diplodocus watched them a long moment then turned attention back to Ozzie. Ozzie swallowed uneasily. Smelling him a moment, and causing Ozzie to hiss and growl at him, the long-neck drew back.

"You're in troubles, friend," the dinosaur remarked. Ozzie didn't speak. "Think you can walk?" he asked.

Ozzie was silent a long moment. "I don't know," he finally replied.

"Well, we'll be fixing that soon enough," the long-neck said. It used its tail, knocking the log off of Ozzie and causing him to scream in pain. Oh but it felt so good to have it off of his spine. He supposed the fact he could still feel was a good sign. At least, he hoped it was. The dinosaur whipped some of the rocks over and over until Ozzie was free. The raptors were hissing and roaring in rage. How dare this long-neck take their kill?! They tried to move again, but the long-neck bellowed, whipping its tail at them again. They growled, drawing back. They had enough food as it was, they knew. They could let this go for now. A bonus kill wasn't worth their lives. Struthiomimus didn't taste all that great anyway. Too similar to them in appearance to sit really well with them anyway.

Ozzie tried to stand but only collapsed with a gasp. It seemed his worst fears were coming true. He tried again and collapsed a second time, but this time the diplodocus caught him with its tail and helped him stay up. Ozzie whimpered weakly. Oh it hurt so badly. At least he had stopped bleeding some days ago, though. Which was a relief as much as it was a curse. He'd hoped he'd bleed out so he wouldn't suffer long. When that hadn't happened, enough said. Ozzie looked warily up at the diplodocus. "Why are you helping me?" he suspiciously questioned.

"Promised my protection to the helpless and the poor," the dinosaur answered bluntly.

"Well I was neither, thank you very much," Ozzie grumbled, pride insulted.

"I'm sure," the diplodocus replied. He looked over at the raptors. "Best we be getting you away from them."

Ozzie was hesitant. "I… can't… My brother will be coming back soon," he answered.

"He'll be walking into his death if we don't move from here. Sooner the raptors lose interest, sooner they leave. Might save your brother's life," the longneck replied.

Ozzie was hesitant. He wanted to argue, but he was too light-headed right now to see a flaw in the plan this longneck proposed, though he knew there were some. He was betting this one was banking on that, though. Whatever the case of it, he finally nodded in reluctant agreement. The dinosaur picked him up and put him on his back. He began moving deliberately and warningly passed the raptors. They got out of his way, dragging their kill to where Ozzie had lain and growling darkly after the long-neck. They settled and began to devour their meal. They ate until there was nothing left but bones and blood. When their dinner was done, they left. There was nothing of interest in that spot for them anymore.

End Flashback

"As I found out, the longneck's name was Doc. The Lone Dinosaur, of all the preposterous titles," Ozzie continued. He trailed off, looking up at the sky. "We saw you, you know… We saw you come back… But I couldn't move or walk. I couldn't go to you and he couldn't leave to tell you what had happened, or I would really have been prey. He didn't dare get me onto his back again for fear he would aggravate the injuries more."

Strut listened in awe and relief and amazement and so many other emotions he didn't even know them all. "Ozzie!" he sobbed, hugging him tightly. Ozzie sighed deeply and hugged his brother tightly back.

"I believe these belong to your little herd," Ozzie said. Strut gasped, looking up. From behind Ozzie peered two little familiar faces.

"Hop, Skip!" Strut exclaimed in relief, diving to the ground. They laughed in delight, jumping into Strut eagerly. "You're okay!"

"He pulled us out of the river, Strut, see!" Skip said, pointing at Ozzie who was rolling his eyes in annoyance. "He saved us!"

"He's your brother," Hop said in awe.

Strut, grinning, suddenly gasped. And he knew about the herd! But how could he have known unless… He looked at Ozzie, hurt and confusion in his eyes.

Ozzie sighed. "There is a lot of explaining and poor excuse giving to give. We will get into that on our way back to your little pack," he said to Strut, turning and walking away. Strut, confused and concerned, hurried after him. His brother was alive… His brother was alive! He grinned widely up at Ozzie. He was running at his brother's side again! He hadn't felt so right and so whole and so complete for so long now. He nuzzled Ozzie suddenly and affectionately. Ozzie looked over at his sibling, smirking dryly with a hint of vague annoyance, though the annoyance was faked if ever there was a faked emotion. Ozzie nudged him lightly back, making Strut grin. In that moment he couldn't think of a single thing Ozzie could say that would make him resent him or that he would demand an excuse for. His brother was alive and here, and that was all that mattered to him. Well, that and his relief that Hop and Skip were alive still too.