Ozzie heard the sounds of Cole and the kids' feet getting louder and he had to think fast.
"Um…you first.", he said quickly.
And before Strut could object, Ozzie pushed him and luckily Strut landed on the other side even though he screamed while doing so. Seeing that he could make it also, Ozzie gripped the egg and took a leap over the chasm while screaming himself and landing on the other side before he and Strut carried on. Cole and the kids came to the edge just in time to see them leave, but paused at the thought of making it or not. Petrie flew over the chasm as if to measure it and landed on the other side.
"It not so far.", he informed, "You can do it."
Littlefoot tensed and then took a running jump before he made it over to the other side before looking back.
"Come on Spike. Hurry."
Spike followed suite and got to the other side though he almost fell off, but he scrambled back up and was beside Littlefoot. Cera didn't need encouragement. She just snorted and took a running start before landing on the other side. Cole saw Ducky try to run after her, but Cole held her back before picking her up and taking a running leap himself and landing on the other side easily. He took a moment to look up and see some clouds start to form over the moon making the earth darker before the faint sound of thunder started rolling. Ozzie and Strut had paused to catch their breath though Strut wasn't looking so sure.
"I hope this egg is worth it."
Ozzie had gotten enough of his strength back to look his brother's way firmly.
"Worth it?", he asked, "All eggs are worth it."
He took a moment to take the egg and nuzzle it as if to savor the moment before returning it to his brother.
"Here, now come on.", he said before walking off.
Strut started but paused to look back.
"Who are those guys?", he wondered before he followed his brother.
Cole and the kids kept walking over the stony landscape before Cole heard louder thunder and looked up just in time to see rain fall down. And he wasn't the only one.
"Oh no.", Cera said.
"Keep going.", Littlefoot instructed.
Cole was reminded of when Littlefoot was like this on the group's way to the Great Valley and hoped it wouldn't come to that as the rain fell harder pelting his back and whole body with cold drops.
"Acting grown-up is hard.", Ducky sighed, "It is, it is."
Petrie couldn't fly in this weather so he just landed on Spike's tail and stayed there as the group carried on unaware that further ahead near a stony part of the Great Wall, Ozzie and Strut had gotten up a ledge to the cave which led into a dark cavern. Still, Ozzie was happy as a clam.
"Ah, ha, ha, ha.", he cheered, "We made it Strut. Those little grass snippers will never be able to follow us now."
He paused to see his brother walk up and eyed the egg hungrily.
"It won't be long Egg.", he said as if it could hear him, "Soon, you'll be nestled in the pit of my stomach."
He chuckled again before heading into the cave like a champion and his brother following albeit a little slower.
"Oz, when is your turn to hold the egg?", he asked while he did so.
/
Cole and the kids showed up, but Ozzie and Strut were nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd they go?", Petrie asked.
"I don't see anybody.", Cera added.
"They are disappeared.", Ducky put in, "They are."
Cole found that unlikely as he and Littlefoot looked around and saw a cave entrance on a ledge not far up.
"They must have gone in there.", Littlefoot stated as he had noticed too, "Come on."
Cole led the group up into the cave and noticed Cera pause at the entrance.
"Cera, what's taking?", Littlefoot asked as Cole came up to his side.
"Nothing.", Cera stated trying to act tough, "I just don't feel like going in there right now. That's all."
She struck a pose with her back to them, but Cole gave Littlefoot a sly look.
"Okay Cera, you can join us when you're ready.", he answered, "Just try not to let the lightning get ya."
Cera flinched for a moment, but she tried shaking it off while Cole and Littlefoot went back in.
"Geez, this place is so dark I'll need the Vial of Galadriel to see.", Cole commented.
Littlefoot looked a bit confused.
"The what?", he asked.
"I'll explain later.", Cole told him.
That was when a loud echo of thunder roared outside followed by a scream that was clearly Cera which made them pause and turn just in time to see her run in.
"Oh, you chose to join us after all.", Cole thought with a smile.
"Shh.", Littlefoot told her, "This way.
As the group got back together, it was still dark and Cole sniffed the air.
"You sure we'll find them?", Littlefoot asked Cole quietly.
"Unless this is a dragon's lair, I'm sure.", Cole informed just as quiet.
"What's a dragon?", Cera asked quietly.
"Think of it as a flying Sharptooth that breathes flames.", Cole informed, "But we should keep going."
While the group tried to get around, Ozzie and strut had paused to get on a ledge thinking that they had ditched their pursuers.
"Okay Strut, now it's my turn to hold the egg.", Ozzie said licking his beak.
Unfortunately for him, the egg slipped through Strut's fingers and avoided his as it clacked off somewhere in the darkness.
"Oh no.", Ozzie complained as he felt around, "Where did I- I had it a moment."
He felt something round and thought it was the egg and gripped it. Unfortunately it was Cole's head which was lit up as a crash of thunder sounded and lightning lit up the room making both parties look pretty frightening. Both sides screamed and ran all over the place in a panic which ended when Cera rammed into what looked like a support pillar and broke it making the whole place shake violently.
"Cave in!", Cole called out in fright, Move!"
/
The now collapsing cavern broke a hole in the wall and sent both parties onto the rock wall making it crumble away in two different directions. Luckily the rain had stopped and the clouds had moved on, but Ozzie and Strut were sliding down one way which led back to the Great Valley while being tumbled and battered.
"Whatever you do Strut.", Ozzie called out as he was pelted, "Don't lose…that egg."
Strut saw the egg on the rock he was on and reached for it only to fly away. It came back to him and he tried to balance it in his hands, but the rocks had reached the bottom and buried him and Ozzie as the egg slipped from his hands again and rolled until it returned to the nest unharmed and settled. Meanwhile, Cole and the kids were riding another rock slide down towards what looked like a large lake with some skeletons lining along its edge which would suggest a burial site. Soon, they were buried in a layer of loose rocks and Cole staggered to his feet before clearing the clouds from his head when he heard screaming.
"Help!", Ducky screamed.
Cole hurried to the edge and saw Ducky holding on to the edge above the lake below while Petrie held on to her tail which made no sense to Cole as Petrie could fly, but he reached down and got them to safety on the ledge just as Littlefoot got out from a rock pile of his own.
"Are you guys okay?", he asked.
"Petrie not okay.", Petrie said still dazed, "Me hurt everywhere."
He collapsed on a rock pile just in time for Cera to break through and land on her face.
"Oh, good Cera.", Petrie said nervously.
Cera snorted sending Petrie off, but then groaned as she massaged her nose.
"I think I bent my horn."
Ducky looked around and looked curious.
"Where is Spike?", she asked.
As if to answer her, the rocks underneath Cera rattled and she got off just in time for Spike to appear while the rocks fell away. As Ducky cheered, Spike suddenly came up and started licking her all over.
"Spike, stop it.", Ducky chuckled, "I'm alright."
For a moment, there was cheer, but when a screech sounded not far away, reality reared its ugly head as the group went to the edge as if to see what it was. Coel noticed a serpent like reptile slide off a skeleton and swim away as the kids started talking.
"This place spooky.", Petrie shivered.
"Where are we?", Ducky asked.
"I..I think we're in the Mysterious Beyond.", Littlefoot answered not sure himself.
Cole looked around and when he looked up he saw what could be described as a Tyrannosaurus skeleton overlooking a patch of land with a lake that looked uninviting and hazardous.
"Well, I'm not afraid of any old Mysterious Beyond.", Cera said firmly as she stuck her head out.
And like a cosmic slap, a spout of the water splashed up and doused her face earing a laugh from the others before she shook it away and the group settled again.
"There is nothing to be afraid of as long as we're together right?", Ducky asked, "Right?"
Another screech rang off somewhere and Spike just suddenly stuck his head in the ground while Petrie clutched Littlefoot's neck.
"I want to go home.", Cera said clearly showing she was uncomfortable.
"Petrie go home too.", Petrie agreed.
"But what about the egg?", Ducky asked reminding the group of their mission, "We can't just leave it here. All alone."
/
Cole felt sorry for her and took a breath as if to brace for what came next.
"Ducky, I don't think it survived that rock slide."
Ducky suddenly got all sad as Spike lifted his head from the hole he made with it.
"Bye-bye baby sister.", Ducky wept as she walked off a bit, "Or baby brother."
"Don't cry Ducky.", Littlefoot said trying to calm her down, "It's all part of the great circle of life."
"Besides, there's a whole nest full of eggs at home.", Cera said trying to sound supportive.
Needless to say, it didn't help as Ducky walked to what would be a skeletal foot still weeping.
"Yes, but this one was special.", Ducky said through tears, "It was going to be my favorite favorite. All blue, and orange, and speckled. There was not another egg like it in the whole world."
Then, the moon came out behind the clouds and Cole saw above Ducky was… the egg! And the others did too.
"Ducky, it's here.", Littlefoot stated in surprised.
"It's safe.", Cera added.
"The egg!", Ducky said in surprise feeling much better as she got up to it, "It is not smushed. Oh, hello baby brother or sister."
She then paused as if something amazing had happened.
"Hey, you grow.", she said, "This is going to be a very big baby brother or sister."
As she rolled the egg toward the group, Cole saw it wasn't Ducky's egg since it was bigger, but he couldn't inform that right now.
"Come on, we better get it back to the nest.", Littlefoot stated.
Cole nodded as he bent down and picked up the egg.
"Now if this egg would hold still, we can be back before sunrise."
The group looked confused at what he ment so Cole corrected himself.
"Before the Bright Circle comes up."
It took a while, but soon the group was at the top of the hill overlooking the Great Valley just as the sun was beginning to rise. Luckily they made it back to Ducky's nest before anyone else woke up. Coel set it down and Ducky started rolling it toward the nest.
"I can't wait to tell everyone how we saved the egg.", Cera said proudly.
"They no treat us like babies anymore.", Petrie agreed.
Cole followed Ducky where they paused with a gasp.
"Go on Ducky, put it back.", Littlefoot reminded.
"It is back.", Ducky said pointing, "Look."
The rest did and sure enough, all eggs were accounted for. A while later, the group was at a riverbank where the mystery egg settled in some grass.
"So, if Ducky's egg was there all the time, who's egg is this?", Littlefoot asked.
"Maybe those bad guys steal it from other nest.", Petrie suggested.
"Possibly, but which one?", Cole asked.
"We won't know until it hatches.", Cera informed.
Ducky looked eager.
"Yes, then we can take it back to its family."
/
Littlefoot didn't look so sure.
"But, who's going to raise it until it hatches?", he asked.
"We are of course.", Cera told him, "After all, we're not babies."
Cole sighed.
"I think we should tell your folks.", he stated.
Cera looked angrier.
"No.", she said firmly, "If they find out where we were, they'll put us back in our nests. We don't tell the grown-ups anything right?"
Cole looked her way with a raised eyebrow.
"So, you want us to lie?", he asked in turn.
Cera didn't budge.
"Right?", she asked.
Cole sighed since she wasn't going to change her mind.
"Okay, just you kids get to your beds before your parents notice you were gone and I'll find a place for the egg."
The kids went off and Cole picked up the egg carefully. It felt a bit strange, but he could swear that he felt something turn inside the shell.
"Guess it must be close to hatching.", he thought.
Back near the wall, Strut made his way out the rocks he was buried under still sore.
"Oh, I feel like a mountain fell on me."
"It did."
Strut stood at attention.
"Ozzie, where are you?", he asked.
"You're standing on me."
Strut looked down and saw his brother's sneer under some rocks and got off just as Ozzie came up shaking the rocks off him.
"Did you save the egg?", he asked.
"What egg?", Strut asked before his brother pushed his sneer into his own face and he panicked, "Oh, that egg. Well, you see, those kids…yeah that's it. Those kids and rainbow face did it. They stole our egg. The nerve."
Ozzie's sneer grew darker ignoring the signs that his brother wasn't being truthful. It had been such an easy snatch and then those kids and rainbow face show up and ruined it all. This he could not stand for.
"They did, did they?", he said before looking out into the Valley, "They'll pay, and dearly."
He and his brother headed off again, but this time, they had more than eggs on their mind. They wanted to find Cole, Littlefoot, and the gang, and make them pay.
(A/N: I'd like to thank LORfan2187 for the suggestions made here.)