Shorty's Dark Past

[Ducky123]

Thank you for the review. Yes, Littlefoot will have to struggle later on in the story and, with Ali and Shorty having an influence on Littlefoot, this will be a hard decision

[Nahla]

This chapter was so cute ^^.

I loved this part

Littlefoot, are you not going to make me happy, heh?" Ali teased, making puppy eyes.
"She cornered me..." Littlefoot cursed. "But I really don't want to ask Bron... ehh my dad... gotta call him dad..."
"Do you want me to c-c-cry?" Ali continued, acting as if about to burst into tears.
"As long as you ask..." Littlefoot answered, having seen through Ali's wrong sniffing. "I really don't want this place to be flooded after all..."

Oh the puppy eyes and the 'I'm gonna cry' thing gets em everytime .

Littlefoot and Ali are so adorable..man it seems Littlefoot is adorable with any girl  

 

"Of course... boys are always lazy. We girls do the real work"

I know a little OC of mine who will agree with that haha.


Great job,it was a cute little filler ^^ a break from massive action is needed every now and then.

[Ducky123]

Thanks for the review, Nahla!

Littlefoot and Ali are so adorable..man it seems Littlefoot is adorable with any girl dino_laugh.gif

Might be true

I know a little OC of mine who will agree with that haha.

I guess you inspired me to write that   Sorta...

Great job,it was a cute little filler ^^ a break from massive action is needed every now and then.

Yeah, a filler never hurts I suppose Glad you liked it! Yep, yep, yep!

[Zimba]

I don't have much to say since not much happened in this chapter.

Awww Littlefoot and Ali are so cute  .

Poor Littlefoot,he doesn't really know what to make of Bron,he has to keep reminding himself to call him 'dad'. It would be sweet if the whole family-so Grandma and Grandpa too got together,maybe seeing his Grandparents accepting Bron as their grandsons father might help Littlefoot accept him too? But I don't know,I'm sure you got it all figured out.

Good chapter,had some really cute moments,

Oh and a typo

Bron rubbed some tasty treesweets off the tree

'rubbed' should be 'grabbed'. rubbed means something waaaay different  

Keep it up.

[Ducky123]

Thanks for reviewing ^^

Awww Littlefoot and Ali are so cute biggrin.gif.

Oh yes!

Poor Littlefoot,he doesn't really know what to make of Bron,he has to keep reminding himself to call him 'dad'. It would be sweet if the whole family-so Grandma and Grandpa too got together,maybe seeing his Grandparents accepting Bron as their grandsons father might help Littlefoot accept him too? But I don't know,I'm sure you got it all figured out.

I haven't figured out anything yet. Though I guess there will be enough time until the solar eclipse occurs so I can fit it in anywhere. Bron and the Grandparents will have to talk again sooner or later...

'rubbed' should be 'grabbed'. rubbed means something waaaay different in-yes.gif

That's certainly NOT what I meant to type here Thanks for pointing out ^^

Glad you liked this chapter, Zimmy!

[Ducky123]

Alright! Have fun with this rather introspective chapter. Other than usual, there's only one scene which doesn't mean it's any shorter

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Chapter 28

Bron wandered around, pondering. He wasn't going a distinct way but his tracks slowly approached the nesting place of Ali and, moreover, Cho and her mother Yuyun. "Cho..." Bron's thoughts were focused on the event that happened the other day. Cho, the jetblack little one who had been among the hatchlings that he had found when he was roaming the Mysterious Beyond for his now found son, had been severely hurt by his adopted son Shorty. He recalled from the few months he was directly taking care of them prior to their adoption that Cho had always been a sort of underdog even amongst the hatchlings, not to mention Shorty... "Shorty..." he sighed deeply. The grown-up made an attempt to exclude Shorty from his thoughts, at least for the moment - he had more important things to think about. It seemed to work as his mind fixed on the young girl again. "She had always been bullied... sorta," he remembered. "But she was stronger than she looked and undoubtedly tougher than most of the others... strangely..." Cho had indeed been taking much more without whimpering than the others did. They would always cry around for, not seldomly, absolutely ridiculous reasons. Cho, on the other hand, wasn't a girl who complained. She hadn't spoken a single word when hunger and thirst had aggrieved them and tried to do things on her own almost as stubbornly as Shorty. "Though Shorty was proud... and still is...Cho was only shy and undemanding. She only requested help when she really needed some," Bron noted. It was true; Cho always stayed for herself. He never really got to know more about her than that she didn't have any parents, once she got old enough to learn speak. "Amazingly, she learned speaking just as good as the others despite hardly ever using speech at all..." Bron recalled. She had always spoken very articulated and clear, much to his surprise.
"I'm drifting off..." Bron noticed with a slight chuckle. Actually he wanted to ponder about something other than Cho's speech patterns; actually, he wanted to remember some facts about Cho to have a better understanding of Shorty's attack.
"She had always shrugged off Shorty's words..." Bron recalled. "Wait! Did she really ALWAYS shrug them off?" Bron believed to have a memory where the very opposite happened. The tall Longneck rummaged in his brain. "No, she didn't!" Bron had found the memory. It had been long ago but, now that he remembered the memory, the images and the dialogues were engraved into his mind like he had known them forever...

It was a day like any other day in the mysterious lands. Bron had just become the leader of a steadily growing herd a few weeks ago who were roaming through the land they had decided to become their new home - the Lands of Daily Skywater, as they called it for it rained almost every day.
One day - Shorty had meanwhile become sort of his adopted son - the green Longneck had interrupted him while talking to some member of the herd, with a bloody nose.
"What happened Shorty? Why is your nose bleeding?" he asked.
"That weirdo girl tried to kill me!!!" the young one shouted furiously.
"Who happens to be "the weirdo girl"?" Bron continued, not being able to suppress a grin - he knew exactly how Shorty got his bleeding nose and from whom.
"That jetblack Shadow!!!" Shorty cried in fury.
"Jetblack longneck hmm... name?" Bron kept asking.
"Pfffft! I guess her name is "Cow" or something like that..." the youngster grunted.
"Ahh, you're talking about "Cho"!" Bron exclaimed, acting very well to hide that he actually knew who Shorty was referring  to. "Well, what did she do? Kicked your butt, huh?"
"Yeah, she did, that ugly thing!!!" Shorty roared.
"Beaten by a girl... what a shame..." Bron mused, snickering at Shorty's face.
"Actually, she didn't kick my butt that badly," Shorty declared defiantly. "I kicked her ugly behind worse!"
"But I don't see her whining around..." Bron teased, as Cho’s foster mother walked only a few trees ahead of them. "Actually, I don't see her anywhere... she's usually with Yuyun..." he thought, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Well, I..."
"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Bron raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to start a searching party to find her lying in some bush..."
"I'd never do that!" Shorty shouted.
"You know where she is?" The grown-up's words grew a little stingy.
"Well, no!" Shorty cried. "She ran away like a coward!!!"
"And you're not gonna run anywhere today!" Bron said strictly, grabbing Shorty with his tail.
"What!?" Shorty whined but his supervisor didn't pay him any further attention.
"Did anybody see Cho?" Bron questioned nearby Longnecks. "Black little one about this size? Noone?"
A few minutes later, Bron had called a break and ordered a search party to find Cho. It wouldn't have been the first time the young one went missing...

A few minutes later:

"Cho, is that you?"
Bron had found the little one sitting on a tree trunk, seemingly sobbing.
"I FOUND HER!!!" he called loudly to inform the others so that they could cancel the search. He turned his attention back to the young one. "Cho, we were starting to worry... what's wrong? Why are you staying behind?"
Cho's sobs grew in intensity.
"Was it something Shorty said or did?" Bron said calmly, dropping the leader-tone he was using just some moments ago and replacing it with a soft and understanding one. Unknown to the girl, Shorty sat on Bron's tail, ordered to keep his mouth shut.
Cho replied with a nod; Bron could make out a tear that dribbled down her nose. Then she answered. "Are you mad at me?"
"Oh, why should I?" the grown-up mused. "I can tell that, having known you for quite some time now, you wouldn't hurt a bug so Shorty must have said something really awful... Tell me about it, Cho. Please?"
"No." It was only hummed but her words conveyed much more than defiance, anger and sadness. Bron knew he had lost but he still tried to make her see reason.
"See, little one... I only want you to tell me what happened so I can sentence Shorty properly. I won't tolerate him bullying you but it'd be easier if you were more open with me sometimes..."
Cho seemed to ponder about this, her tears still flowing steadily.
"I only want to help you, little one..." Bron explained, almost begging.
Bron couldn't tell whether his request had worked but he COULD tell that Cho was starting to actually cry out. Then she suddenly screamed.
"HE INSULTED MY MOTHER!!!" The girl had turned around to face the leader of her herd. "My real mother..." she whispered, choking in sobs. Then she returned to her original posture and broke down.
Bron gave Shorty a look that indicated that now was an especially poor moment to make noise. He approached the dark-skinned girl gingerly, having in mind to comfort her but Cho shrugged off his attempts to nurse her defiantly, only crying louder and louder. "Shorty must have reopened an old wound..." he thought.

"An old scar..." Bron murmured. He had stopped meandering across green meadows, now facing the very place where the girl crying in his memory had been tortured. "She must have experienced a terrible loss at a very young age..." Bron concluded. "Though it would be remarkable that she was able to memorise a scene that happened in her hatchling days..." Hatchlings usually couldn't remember things that happened prior to them learning how to speak properly, which in Cho's case must've been months after losing her mum - he was assuming that her mum (and possibly her dad) died some way or another.
"What might be reasons for Shorty to hate Cho then?" Bron questioned himself fiercely. It couldn't be greed or jealousy since Cho, like Shorty, was adopted, having experienced terrible things in his young days. Also, Cho had never done anything to offend Shorty's pride in any way, nor did she insult him in any other possible way - as far as he was informed, that was. In truth, she sometimes did fight back when cornered by the green-coloured bully though she'd never start a fight.
"Must be something else..." Bron murmured, beginning to pace in circles. Since he couldn't come up with anything, he decided to continue going through his memory...

"Uhm Cho?" Bron asked carefully. "Would you like me to carry you back to the herd? We need to move on..."
"Leave me alone!" she cried in response.
"Cho... I understand you..." Bron sighed. "But now the whole herd needs to move on and I can't let them have a break for a young one’s special needs. Have you not thought about what herd life would be if I accepted every request? Sometimes the wellbeing of the herd is more important than the wellbeing of a single individual. Don't be so self..."
"SHUT UP!!!" Cho roared, sprinkling tears everywhere. "You don't understand..." she added much much more softly.
"Because you never give people answers when they demand them! Now, I beg you, hop on, little one..."
Cho shook her head, sobbing heavily.
"Would you agree to hop on if I told Shorty to apoligise for what he did and said?" Bron asked, enervated. He didn't fail to notice some bruises on Cho's flank. "Cho!" he warned as she didn't reply.
"I-I will if he doesn't..." she murmured quietly.
Bron raised a brow. "Yes?" he wondered.
"He can't take back what he said..." Cho explained. "And anyway, what does an apology mean if it is forced and not coming from deep inside your heart? What does apologising for apologising's sake mean? Nothing!" The last word, the little girl spat out in disgust. Then she jumped up and hopped on Bron's head, curling up into a tight ball of misery.
"So it's fine..." Bron mumbled absentmindedly; Cho's words made him thoughtful - not only because they were as true as words could be but also because her reasoning indicated a much higher level of intelligence and maturity than her outward appearance, behavior and age suggested...

In the night, he could hear somebody crying oneself into sleep, wailing painfully, and Bron had a good guess who that someone was...

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There you have it! Now who do you think is the main character in this chapter? Bron is the only "active" character but he keeps talking and revealing facts about Cho (yes, that "drifting off" is sort of intended ). I think this is the first ever flashback of mine that made it into a chapter that I uploaded by the way I wrote one for another story but that story is not likely to be continued anytime soon (if at all...).
Anyway, feel free to tell me what you were thinking while reading this. You may also do some guesses concerning Cho or what Bron's gonna do next (or about Cho's Mother ). I haven't figured out everything anyway so go ahead ^^

Hope you enjoyed the read ^^


In chapter 29, the focus will again be on the children.

[rhombus]

The flashback was very well done.   As you said, although Bron was the only active character, Cho was the actual center of focus and this works well in the context of the flashback.  In the process, we have seen a glimpse of what makes Cho so annoying to Shorty (not backing down, being self-sufficient, being prideful, etc.) and what makes Shorty a repugnant character for Cho (his bullying ways and, most importantly, reopening the old emotional scar of her mother's death).  In a way it reminds me of some of the interactions between Cera (who insulted Littlefoot's mother and was prideful) and Littlefoot (who wouldn't back down and was somewhat self-sufficient) in the first film, albeit through a much darker prism.  The detached viewpoint of Bron completes the picture.  He seems more and more like a dinosaur who truly cares, as his introspection shows, but who is emotionally detached from the others in a fundamental way.  It is a very interesting dynamic.

I only noticed one word that could be changed.

"Shorty must have hit an old scar..." he thought.

This is not incorrect, but "must have reopened an old wound" might flow a bit better.  "Reopening an old wound" or "reopening an old scar" is a common idiom in English for taking an action that evokes old, painful memories.  Other than that, I found no corrections to suggest.

I look forward to the next installment.  

[Ducky123]

Thank you for the review

In a way it reminds me of some of the interactions between Cera (who insulted Littlefoot's mother and was prideful) and Littlefoot (who wouldn't back down and was somewhat self-sufficient) in the first film, albeit through a much darker prism.

An interesting realisation It's not intended here but certainly there are some similarities.

Also, thanks for the correction. I will correct the small stylistic mistake immediately

[Ducky123]

Next chapter incoming

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Chapter 29

Ali, despite not liking to admit it, had to admit that the treesweets were indeed a little too big to fit into her mouth. Watching Littlefoot's technique, she tried to copy it. Instead of grabbing the whole fruit to shove it into her throat at once, she only took a bite out of it. Soon, she took another bite since she could undoubtedly chew safely on more than she just had in her mouth. It didn't take her long until, ultimately, she had the whole treesweet in her mouth again, enjoying its wonderful taste longer than she usually would have done. Spending time with Littlefoot was important to her and the fruits were yummy so the Longneck girl couldn't see any reason whatsoever to hurry.
Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "Ali sure must be enjoying these..." he deduced as he was watching Ali eating yet again. She was utterly relaxed and constantly smiling with her eyes closed. Then Ali saw his gaze. She instantly put on an expression that was likely to be seen on a kid who accidently knocked a plant off the windowledge, accompanied with a sheepish grin while she carefully swallowed a piece.
"Ali, Ali... I believe I need to feed you," Littlefoot teased. At Ali's confused look, he added.
"Sorta..." He pondered how to make Ali eat a normal amount of food per bite. Then it clicked in his mind.
"Look Ali, just do what I tell you, yeah?" he spoke.
"Okay..." Ali said, not revealing her opinion on Littlefoot's action yet. "What might he be up to?" she wondered. Knowing her friend, it could be literally everything weird enough to consider.
"See this tempting treesweet?" Littlefoot asked, choosing a random one. It was the size of a swimmer-egg, roughly round, though rather long like an egg, and its colour was a light orange. At the long ends, the fruit had small "bumps" and the lower part was slightly thicker and more massive than the upper part. The colour-range of all the treesweets was from a yellow-ish orange to a bloody-dark-orange.
"To make sure you don't eat up the whole thing at once, we're going to... erm... share the fruit..." the boy explained.
"Good idea!" Ali exclaimed. "Though how do you make sure that I don't get the bigger part?" A smirk appeared on her face.
"Well... er... I get the first bite and make sure it's divided fairly," Littlefoot replied quickly.
"Never heard of girls go always first?" Ali teased.
"You'd eat more than just half of it, wouldn't you?" Littlefoot retorted playfully.
"Depends..." Ali smirked.
"Hmm..." Littlefoot's brain rattled. "Let's make it a competition then?"
"Oh yes!" Ali shouted joyfully. "That'll be fun, I bet!"
"Okay, I..." Ali gave the boy a threatening glare, "... well - you count down from three and there we go," Littlefoot said.
"Sounds fair," Ali admitted. She, like Littlefoot, put on a more serious face and concentrated on her task.
"Ready?" she whispered.
"Always!" Littlefoot called self-confidently.
Ali counted down.
"GO!" she eventually cried. The two Longnecks both opened their jaws, tucked into the treesweet and...
"OWW!!!!" they both whined as their heads bumped together. Their eyes met for an instant and it was enough to make them giggle about their apparent mishap.

Shorty grunted. It was only morning and he was already beginning to adopt some serious boredom. "HOW am I supposed to stay here all day?!" his mind raced. He seriously considered sneaking off since Bron was nowhere to be seen but, looking around uneasily, he had to admit that he was being supervised by the herd members all the time. He made a few steps away from his current position as if about to sneak off, analysing the reaction of a few nearby families and individuals. Some weren't looking of course - they couldn't keep an eye on him all the time - but due to their number somebody was always watching. Those who were gave him a stern look. "Okay, no sneaking off then..." he grunted downheartedly. "So what to do?!" The fact that he was stuck at his nesting place made him mad. He was growing more aggressive again and he liked it despite knowing that he wasn't supposed to be. His thoughts wandered to the girl he had beaten up so violently. "Cho, the ugly Shadow..." He couldn't suppress a smirk. He remembered how it felt to punch her, how it felt to laugh at her begging for mercy, how it felt to see her terror-stricken eyes when he tortured her... "Oh yeah..." Shorty thought, relaxed. If only he could repeat that...
He heard laughter, coming from the direction he had seen Ali and Littlefoot walking away with Bron. Indeed, some distance away he spotted the two, rolling around in laughter. Abruptly, rage ran through his body. "They have fun while I'm stuck here! NO FAIR!!!"  Shorty began pacing around to diminish his rage but it didn't work. He was filled with energy bound to be let out sooner or later. "NO FAIR!" he screamed, making some nearby Longnecks give him a stern look. Shorty didn't mind them staring at him. He didn't care what they thought about him; the only emotion that dominated his feelings was rage. He sought revenge for being grounded and he needed a victim. And he soon found one.
"I'm gonna KILL him! I'm gonna BEAT THE GUTS OUTTA THIS ROCKHEAD!!!" Shorty's blood was boiling. He stared at the one he had chosen to be his drain valve of all of the problems and anger that were troubling him. "Ali is my girl..." he thought, gnashing his teeth and growling deeply. Littlefoot would pay for taking her away from him...
Just then, one of the foster mothers of the hatchlings, one of whom Cho was too, came by, inspecting Shorty with examining eyes. She noticed Shorty's gestures and she quickly realised what the, in her view, mentally unbalanced boy might be up to.
"Don't even think about it!" she said coolly.
Shorty slowly turned to the adult, his muscles tensing up, his face distorted in wrath.
"What do you want?" he growled.
"I want you to stay put and stop acting like somebody who has hit his head a little too hard," the female answered. "Oh, and you could try to be nice for a change, not so snappy, aggressive and..."
"SHUT UP!!!" Shorty cried. "That's NONE of your business and besides I'm not allowed to talk to anybody!" Shorty didn't know whether that was actually true but not being allowed to meet anyone included not being allowed to talk to anybody in his opinion as well.
"Just what I meant... you're a shame for Bron, are you aware of that?"
Shorty remained silent - he focused on his plan.
"Let's go, little one..." she mumbled to her son who was walking besides her.
"Loser!" he called before obeying.
Something in Shorty's head snapped. His voice of reason being suppressed by his madness, he charged at the little one wildly... and bumped into the tail of the adult.
"I should seriously persuade Bron to reject you from the herd. You're a thread to our children!" With that she stormed off, placing her startled son on her head.
Shorty, now calming down a little, began to feel the pain in his head due to bumping into the grown-up's tail. Angrily, he watched them go away. Then he saw the young one poking out his tongue and then waving around his tail provocatively.
Shorty roared and screamed in wrath...

The rest of the treesweets were being eaten in a more mannered way. Littlefoot and Ali managed to share them in the way the boy had originally intended – each of them eating one half of the fruits. Both of them were enjoying that way of having their breakfast. After all, sharing was important – especially when travelling in a group or even as members of a herd. The sharing was also a symbol for their friendship. Both youngsters were aware of that but sharing wasn't the only reason they were enjoying their special way of eating so much.
Littlefoot was happy that he didn't have to worry about Ali choking on fruit anymore. Though, more importantly, he was happy that they were together which included eating together as well.
Ali, on the other hand, though happy about being together with Littlefoot just as much as the brown Longneck, was bright because she got really close to her friend and crush – not only physically. Their mouths would meet occasionally but what Ali was really seeking for, aside from feeling really close to him due to them doing things together, was getting a glimpse into Littlefoot's wonderful eyes. Though, whenever their eyes did meet, Ali didn't dare to lock eyes with Littlefoot. Instead, she would stare at the ground or at the fruit they were eating. On the one hand, she really wanted to look into his brown eyes, seeing her own reflection in them and a twinkle only his eyes seemed to have. On the other hand, she didn't feel ready to let her crush know that she liked him a little more than she claimed to. Her shyness was in the way again.
The two noticed that there was only one treesweet left and both felt rather stuffed-up, their bellies  filled with a few fruits too many for their liking. Littlefoot could already tell that they wouldn't be doing much for the next few hours.
"Eugh! I can't swallow another one!" Littlefoot protested as Ali went to get the last one and rolled it towards him. "You can have it."
"Ugh! Now that you mention it..." Ali chuckled. "My belly feels like I ate rocks. I don't want it either."
Littlefoot gave Ali a knowing look.
"Well, do you want to leave it here, Ali?" Littlefoot asked.
"Hmm..." Ali pondered. "I might not need it myself but I do know somebody who needs it urgently..."
"Yes?" Littlefoot insisted. He had grabbed a stick that Bron had seemingly shaken off the tree.
"Well, I thought I could give it to..." the girl wanted to answer but Ali didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Littlefoot used the stick to tickle Ali's underbelly.
"Hey, STOP THAT!!!" Ali cried in laughter – she was ticklish.
"Hmm, I don't sense any rocks in your belly..." Littlefoot murmured, having a hard time staying serious, not ceasing the tickling at all.
"PLEEEEEEASE?" Ali screamed imploringly. As Littlefoot continued, she began rolling around to avoid his stick, almost flattening the treesweet.
Littlefoot decided to join in and started rolling around as well, giggling and calling loudly.
All of a sudden, as easy as the fun had started, it went away as somebody uttered a scream of pure wrath...
"What the..." Littlefoot exclaimed, startled. He and Ali jumped to their feet.
"Who's that?!" Ali cried in confusion.
"Somebody having a really awful day, it seems..." Littlefoot remarked. "And I know someone who very certainly has a terrible day..." He gave Ali a knowing look; the girl understood.
"Shorty..." she sighed. "Yeah, he should  feel nasty right now! Maybe he remembers my final words before I stormed off ..." Ali said a little grimly.
"What did you tell him again?" Littlefoot asked. "You mentioned it earlier, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did," Ali grunted. "I told him that – CAN'T HE SHUT UP?!" Ali screamed because Shorty was roaring so loud that Littlefoot couldn't understand her. Raising her sweet voice, she continued. "I told him that I'm going to have fun with you the whole day while he's stuck at his nesting area with nobody talking to him."
"Good blow!" Littlefoot stated, raising his eyebrows. "That's probably just going through his mind and he's exploding in rage."
"It is," Ali agreed. "Look how he's jumping around madly..." Ali snickered.
"Hahaha!" Littlefoot joined in the laughter, amused.
"If he hadn't done this to Cho, I might feel sorry for him..." Ali then said, turning serious. "But I can't, not now..."
"Yeah, I know... I wouldn't be so concerned if you didn't know him so well. He does like you, Ali, and he will try everything to get what he wants... you."
"Well, yes... Do you think he would dare to attack... you?" Ali was really concerned about this possibility.
Shorty finally stopped roaring.
"Hey, you know him!" Littlefoot retorted playfully.
"True..." Ali admitted. "But still... I would like you to tell me how you judge him."
"Why Ali?" Littlefoot didn't quite get what Ali was trying to achieve.
"See Littlefoot..." Ali forced herself to look Littlefoot in the eyes, hoping she wouldn't begin smiling awkwardly. "I might be preoccupied since I know him... or, at least, I thought I knew him." She looked at Littlefoot expectantly.
"Alright... I believe he would do it if he sees no chance to win your affection anymore. He'll blame me and attack me."
"That's what scares me a little," Ali admitted, moving a little closer to Littlefoot instinctively.
They fell silent. Littlefoot was watching the trees moving by the wind whereas Ali was watching Shorty in the distance who seemed to be pondering about something.

Eventually, Shorty stopped roaring madly for his voice became husky. Breathing heavily, he began to calm down and his mind began working in a more or less normal manner. He began to remember Ali's words in the morning. "Has it really been that long?" he wondered, feeling like it had been years ago since they had their talk. Ali felt so far away, now that Littlefoot was with her.
Slowly, he began to realise that everything had been his own fault, actually. Ali would still like him if he hadn't acted like a complete jerk earlier. "On top of that, she really has something for that excuse of a Longneck..." his mind added grimly. Ali seemed to be fond of Cho indeed. "Can't remember her having any friends... so why of all dinosaurs in the world did she HAVE to make friends with Ali? WHY!?" It was a miracle to the green boy. "   If I hadn't beaten the crap outta that hideous thing, I wouldn't be grounded now," he noted matter-of-factly. "Though, I've done the right thing, haven’t I? What's the matter with beating something that doesn't have any right to live anyway??? It's been great; I'd do it again!" Even though Shorty knew exactly that his attack on Cho resulted in his miserable situation, he couldn't fault himself but the others, not understanding their fondness of Cho. "I'll show 'em!" he thought in determination.
"Bron, that bullhard..." it shot through Shorty's mind. He realised that Bron was actually just as big a jerk as his actual father was. Hatred developed in Shorty; he began to plot against Bron; he began to plan how to get out of this situation... That was when he heard a scream coming from Ali...

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Ohh, cliffhanger
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about this chapter like always Hope you enjoyed it

In chapter 30, you will get to know Cho's mother a little and, of course: What's wrong with Ali. Why did she...scream?

[rhombus]

Now this is an interesting development.   Shorty's thoughts have begun to turn against Bron and despite the fact that he can see that he brought all of this upon himself, he can't seem to bring himself to feel empathy for Cho... or anyone else for that matter.  The only issue that I might have with the way he is depicted at the end here is that he is portrayed so unsympathetically that it makes him seem beyond redemption.  Although that may be the feeling that you are trying to go for.  It will be interesting to see what Shorty does now that he think that he was lost both Ali and Bron to Littlefoot.  Will he turn on Littlefoot?  Or will Cho again be visited by the brute?  I am curious to find out what he will do next.

As for the Ali/Littlefoot scenes those were quite nice and cute.   You have done a fine job of portraying their interactions in the context of a "sandbox love" as opposed to a more developed romantic relationship, which would be inappropriate for children of their age.

I eagerly look forward to the next installment.  I wonder what happened to Ali? :unsure:

[Ducky123]

Thank you for the review

Now this is an interesting development. ohmy.gif Shorty's thoughts have begun to turn against Bron and despite the fact that he can see that he brought all of this upon himself, he can't seem to bring himself to feel empathy for Cho... or anyone else for that matter.

Yes, Shorty's way of thinking is difficult to understand. Of course his thinking is highly influenced by his anger and frustration though Shorty does have a reason as for why he hates Cho so inveterately. It won't be revealed anytime soon however

The only issue that I might have with the way he is depicted at the end here is that he is portrayed so unsympathetically that it makes him seem beyond redemption. Although that may be the feeling that you are trying to go for

Well, I'm only trying to imagine how Shorty might think, feel and react in his situation. He is certainly not beyond redemption as you will see soon

It will be interesting to see what Shorty does now that he think that he was lost both Ali and Bron to Littlefoot. Will he turn on Littlefoot? Or will Cho again be visited by the brute? I am curious to find out what he will do next.

All possible options for him to do You will see.

As for the Ali/Littlefoot scenes those were quite nice and cute. smile.gif You have done a fine job of portraying their interactions in the context of a "sandbox love" as opposed to a more developed romantic relationship, which would be inappropriate for children of their age.

Hehe, thanks Yeah, sandbox love is quite a fitting term here. They are indeed too young for a "real" romance (and besides this story is about Shorty's Past and not about Ali and Littlefoot having a romance (there are too many fics of that kind on the market anyway   )

I eagerly look forward to the next installment. smile.gif I wonder what happened to Ali? unsure.gif

I bet you'll enjoy it, yep, yep, yep! The idea came from bushwacked though so if you don't like it you may butcher him, okay?

[rhombus]

I bet you'll enjoy it, yep, yep, yep! The idea came from bushwacked though so if you don't like it you may butcher him, okay?

I shall get the knives ready!  

[Ducky123]

Chapter 30

"What about the treesweet?" Littlefoot eventually piped up. "I interrupted you earlier, hehe."
"I was thinking, since neither of us wants it, we could give it to Shorty..." Ali replied.
"WHAT?!" Littlefoot shouted in disbelief. "You must be kidding, Ali!"
"Well, see... He mustn't have the impression that I don't like him anymore because-because if he does he'll be even madder than he already is..." Ali said pleadingly. "Let me have a try, please?"
"Are you sure? What if he attacks you?" Littlefoot retorted. "Oh, and don't worry about me."
"But I DO worry about you..." Ali said quietly. "You're my best friend; you and Cho are my only friends at the moment and Shorty might attack both of you..."
"Ah, nonsense! He'll get a grip sooner or later, don't worry so much." The last words he spoke very softly. "He wouldn't have ANY friend without you, just saying..."
"Littlefoot, let's stop, please," Ali begged. "I want to help him. I know I can if he plays along. I'll... go now... eh you aren't tickling me again, are you!?" Ali suddenly felt a slight tickle on her back.
"No?" Littlefoot wondered. "I’m not tickling you though maybe that spider is..." Littlefoot chuckled upon seeing a spider with long hairy legs crawling across Ali's back.
"Spider?" Ali gasped. She turned her neck and froze. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" she screamed and started to run around blindly, screaming in panic. "REMOOOOOOVE IIIIIT!!!" she ordered.
"If you stop running around madly, I might have a chance to reach you without getting seriously hurt," Littlefoot snickered.
Ali ended up crashing into the treesweet tree. Littlefoot hurried to get there and, being the gentle dinosaur he was, he pushed the spider to the ground where it started crawling away quickly.

After Bron had realised that his thinking wouldn't get him anywhere, he went to Yuyun to have an overdue talk with her.
During his slow wandering, he had noticed Shorty's screams and roars but he didn't care much about that development. "There are enough dinosaurs to watch every single step of him..." he thought satisfactorily.

Yuyun hadn't left her nesting area since Cho had been almost killed. She had kept her dutiful watch over her adopted child whom she considered her own flesh and blood. She was a motherly individual and a peaceful and reasoning one at that. When she had been told that something bad had happened to her young one, she had been shocked of course but she hadn't lost her head like many other dinosaurs would have done. She had hurried to get to her daughter and had taken care of her as good as she could but there hadn't been much to do at all but watching and waiting for a sign of recovery.
Yuyun looked at her little girl. Her breath was rattling slightly but it went at a steady rate. She figured that it was time to give her some water again as she had lost a lot of it due to blood loss. Her body needed to regenerate the blood she shed - food was of secondary importance. Water was what she really needed right now. Luckily, her nest was only a stone's throw away from a pond so she could still have an eye on Cho while getting her some water.
While trotting towards the pond, Yuyun reflected upon Bron and Shorty. She knew that Bron would have never allowed Shorty to go as far as hurting other children. She knew that Shorty committed smaller crimes on occasions – a bruise here, a bloody nose there, but, so far, he had never injured a kid grievously. "That has now changed..." Yuyun thought grimly. Since she knew Shorty, she felt that the boy had something in him that was bad. She remembered him having no friends, almost always bullying younger Longnecks when Bron had no time to entertain him.
Her mind quickly drew the connection to her daughter Cho who had also never really had somebody she could consider a friend. She was called the queer oddball and Yuyun couldn't deny that her daughter was... different. She had never been a dinosaur of great words, hardly ever talking and very secretive. Even though she had the best bond to the little one, Yuyun had never heard a single word about the time before she had met Bron. What about her parents? And what had happened to them? She probably would never get to hear the answer from Cho's lips for the young one had been deaf whenever she had tried to. "Whatever had happened, she is very protective of her mother..." Yuyun reflected upon remembering one occasion where Cho had been extremely upset. Shorty had bullied her again and had called her mother something really awful, causing Cho to become really aggressive and depressed for quite some time. In general, the little one was depressed quite often. With no friends to play with, she was often bored or just lonely but all attempts of her to help Cho find friends were fiercely shrugged off by the little one. She was being unsociable, dreamy and often hard to understand but Yuyun loved her in spite of all that. "A parent loves its child no matter the abilities or disabilities it has; no matter what quirks and faults it may have!" she stated determinedly. She hadn't been a perfect child either but her parents loved her for what she was and so it was between her and Cho.

Even though Shorty did hear Ali scream, he decided not to be bothered by Ali's screaming as she didn't seem to care about him anymore, now that he had screwed up. He didn't even look up. Littlefoot was probably just as capable of saving his former crush as he was anyway in his view.
The young one returned to staring at the ground, pondering.
"Sometimes I wish I had never run away in the first place!" Shorty thought bitterly. The boy somehow wished he could meet his real father again. Maybe he would have changed? Maybe he would apologise? "Or he'd beat the crap outta me..." Shorty deduced matter-of-factly. He couldn't really decide which position of his inner debate he liked more so he moved to considering his mother. He expected to meet her finally but his being grounded might prevent him from having a chance at all.
"What if dad and mum meet here? Now that'd be hilarious!" Shorty murmured, snorting and being sarcastic at the same time. He started to munch on a few leaves out of pure boredom...

"IS IT GONE!?" Ali screamed, terrified.
"Yes, it crawled away. You're safe now, Ali," Littlefoot managed to tell his friend without snickering.
"Whew! I HATE spiders. When I was young I was bitten by a spider and it hurt for an eternity!" Ali explained.
"I see," Littlefoot commented.
A fairly strong breeze was caught by the big leaves of the treesweet tree. A treesweet fell down and...
"OUCH!!!" Littlefoot whined as it hit his back and dropped to the ground.
"Crying like a baby..." Ali teased in laughter.
"Am not!" Littlefoot protested; the impact did indeed hurt a little.
"Yes, yes... That's what they all say... Anyway..." Ali was struck by an idea. "This treesweet is for Shorty," she announced, pointing at the one that Bron had shaken down earlier. "And this treesweet," she said, pointing at the treesweet to Littlefoot's right where it landed. "This treesweet will be for Cho once she wakes up."
"Uhm, sounds good!" Littlefoot stated. "She'll like it I bet."
"She will!" Ali called in determination. "Are you waiting for me?" Ali tried to catch a gaze of the boy.
"Waiting for what?" Littlefoot wondered, irritated. Then he remembered... "Er, never mind! Sure I will! Guess there isn't much of a choice for me anyway. Though do you really want to give him that treesweet?"
"Yes," Ali answered. "I'll hurry; just a moment, okay?"
"Alright Ali, good luck!"
"Thanks!" Ali smiled warmly before running away.

Yuyun was just gingerly giving her daughter a drink when Bron arrived at their nesting area.
"Morning!" the tall Longneck called.
"Ah, hello Bron!" Yuyun turned to her leader. "I'm happy to see you. I guess we both know that a talk is overdue. I, of course, couldn't leave little Cho alone..."
"Yeah, she really needs your love and care right now..." Bron muttered, undoubtedly not happy to see Cho in such a state. "I've decided to visit you this morning not only to make sure the young one is doing okay but also to find possible motivations of Shorty." He paused. "So... how's she doing?"
"Under these circumstances, she's doing much better than I feared," Yuyun spoke. "I don't know how well her injuries are healing but her breathing goes steady and strong."
"Well, that's some good news at least. I kinda feel bad for that... like I could've prevented it," Bron said, a little depressed. "You aren't mad at me, are you?"
"Ohh of course not, Bron! I know too well how much of their own mind kids can have... you know Cho..."
"Yeah..." Bron sighed. “And I thought I knew Shorty..."
"I don't believe that you could have seen that coming," the female assured him.
"I could!" Bron growled bitterly. "You don't know his backstory; I do."
"Ah, I see. I always wondered how he came to lead Cho and the others despite clearly not liking them at all..."
"I sometimes wonder how he came to take care of them myself..." Bron thought. "Well, you must know that his father abused him until he ran away," he narrated. "I fear that Shorty more and more becomes just like his father..."
"Oh, now that explains it a bit," Yuyun admitted.
"Yeah, you might say he abused Cho though I just call it a treacherous and cowardly act of violence!"
"Did anything recent happen that might have motivated him to attack my little one?" Yuyun then asked.
"Well... of course you probably haven't heard of it yet... I finally found my son yesterday." Bron seemed uneasy, talking about Littlefoot, but there was also pride in his voice. "Well, maybe I shrugged off Shorty a little too hard yesterday when he got on my nerves..."
"How come?" Yuyun continued asking.
"I was having a very serious talk with my parents in law who had raised my son all this time and we had a... disagreement concerning our family's future..."
"I see..."
"Yeah, they aren't fond of joining my herd – our herd, y'know?" Bron explained. "Anyway, I was kinda angry at Shorty 'coz he had risked his neck to have some treesweets along with my son and Ali... and Ali fell from the tree!"
"Oh, she seemed fine yesterday though... aside from her hurt skin and her skinniness of course," Yuyun mentioned. "She gave Cho a quick visit in the evening."
"Well, she was lucky that I've seen that coming. I caught her just in time."
"Kids..." Yuyun chuckled. "We weren't so adventurous and carefree when we were young, now were we?"
"Well... I was," Bron admitted, chuckling a little. "I've never lost my love for adventures but I've learned to see the dangers."
Both reveled in memories for some moments.
"Anyway, you think my shouting at him caused his aggression?" Bron questioned in concern.
"No, I don't think so," the female responded, much to Bron's surprise. "You really must have the right – well, wrong attitude in the first place. If you aren't haunted by your conscience for doing bad things – and this certainly applies to Shorty, then you don't mind really hurting others. Shorty really doesn't mind the pain others are feeling; he even seems to enjoy making the little ones suffer from his terror sometimes... He didn't mind the pain he inflicted on Cho until he realised the damage he’d done, right?"
"Yeah, I guess he was shocked by what he’d done but he has a really funny attitude towards feeling pain," Bron replied. "He's coldhearted... just like his father."
"Do you know his dad?" Yuyun asked.
Bron considered upon this. "Tell the truth or not? She won't notice..." he thought.
"No, he's only told me about his dad but I've never met him in person... luckily," he replied, trying to appear veracious. "Anyway, what are you going to tell me?"
"Okay. Are you sure that Shorty has told you the truth?" Bron gazed at her. "I mean, it's just an unlikely possibility..." she added quickly.
"What could he achieve by lying, dear?" Bron wondered. "Everything fits if you ask me..."
"He could have tried to earn your compassion... like I said it's rather unlikely," Yuyun spoke.
"Yeah, I doubt he lied," Bron nodded.
"So, I've tried to tell you this: Shorty didn't attack because you shouted at him. He would have attacked one of the young ones sooner or later anyway since he has the attitude to do so... your shouting at him only... triggered his restrained aggression I believe."
"Sounds reasonable, Yuyun," Bron said, sighing. "Though there's another thing that I think might have caused his extreme reaction... The fact that there's now Littlefoot, my son, AND him. He's always been very jealous and demanding of my attention... and now that there's my son whom I'd like to get to know..."
"I see, Bron. I believe you will have to make sure he doesn't feel second-rated," the female advised. "This might only increase his anger and he's even more likely to go nuts again."
"Ha! He won't do anything for the time we're here 'coz I grounded him for his attack!" Bron exclaimed.
"Do you really think that this will work on him, Bron? He has never been impressed by your punishment yet..." she objected.
"Well, I've never really punished him at all. I've never been hard on him 'coz I'm not strict. I don't like to be strict for I hated strictness as a kid. Hence I try to be forgiving but Shorty always gave me a hard time..." Bron sighed. "You think I should've been stricter?"
"I don't know, Bron," Yuyun responded thoughtfully. "I don't like strictness myself and Cho has hardly ever forced me to make use of punishments or some sort... though I sometimes have to due to her stubbornness - she can be so stubborn if something doesn't work the way she likes it."
"Well, what'd you do if Shorty was your youngster?" Bron continued asking.
"I would... I would... Hmm, difficult." She didn't know what to say. Should she approve the strictness or should she tell Bron that the punishment would only make everything worse? "But there ought to be a punishment... Normal members would have been thrown out of the herd..."
"I won't change my sentence anyway so go ahead!" Bron chuckled.
"You-you should consider that he mustn't feel hated by everyone..." Yuyun replied at last.
"That's just the point of his punishment, ain't it?" Bron said in surprise. "He must feel really dirty for what he's done, right?"
"True, but don't you make him even more angry? He could plot against you... he sure has enough time after all."
"Aww c'mon! He knows perfectly well that I'll have to reject him from the herd if he does it again and I doubt he'd accept being an orphan once again. He hated it."
"Well, we will see, I suppose."
"Yeah..." Both sighed.

Littlefoot watched Ali run over to Shorty's nesting area. He highly doubted that Ali's attempt made much sense, leading to anything at all, but he didn't want to force his opinion upon her either. "Maybe there IS a slight chance after all..."  he thought grimly.
Playing around with the treesweet that was for Cho, he waited, hoping he wouldn't have to save Ali in case Shorty did something stupid...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here you have the next chapter. Hope you like it

In the next chapter Ali is going to talk to Shorty and a scene I shall not spoil

[rhombus]

This chapter begins with a rather nice continuation of the Ali/Littlefoot interaction and we also get to see what caused Ali's distress... A spider.   I rather like Littlefoot's reaction to the entire ordeal and his compassion even for the arachnid.  If only he knew that the rainbowfaces were originally insect-like things... Oh wait... Wrong fanfic.  

The conversation between Yuyun and Bron was also quite nice.  By seeing Yuyun's thought process we can now understand why she didn't totally lose control when she saw Cho's injuries.  We also now have a better appreciation for why she cares for the admittedly 'different' girl.  

Not much else to say about this chapter.  I look forward to Ali and Shorty's next conversation.  

There was only one thing that I noticed, and it probably isn't an issue.

"Ha! He won't do anything for the time we're here 'coz I grounded him for his attack!" Bron exclaimed.

The 'coz here is very informal, so I am unsure if you would normally want to have it in a conversation between a herd leader and one of his followers.  However, if you are trying to show that Bron is very laid-back and open with his herd members, then this would be a perfectly acceptable word choice.

[Nahla]

Spider,huh?  

Ali reacted exactly like me,haha-are you mocking me? Kidding,though the scene was really random it made me chuckle,I like a random scene thrown in once and a while me self.

Littlefoot,Littlefoot,Littlefoot,just acts all calm and brushes the spider away. Though then again,it would be hard to picture Littlefoot having a stomp fest on a spider. Even f spiders are disgusting,hideous,eight legged freaks of nature. They are innocent and Littlefoot will never purposely harm anyone innocent,even if they are a spider,he respects all life. And thats why I love him most out of all the gang.

Interesting conversation between Yuyun and Bron,in a way I'm glad she doesn't complete  hate Shorty and try and convince Bron to get rid of him.


Shorty must be bored out of his mind,but thats what he gets for doing what he did.However I doubt he is going to let Littlefoot just waltz into his life and not only steal Bron's attention but Ali's too that easily.

Also I really do hope we will get more Bron getting to know Littlefoot scenes later,they barely showed any in the movie.One minute they just met and the next Littlefoot was singing about about his dad and him. I feel they rushed it to be honest.

I look forward to seeing more of your take on this.

Keep it up,Ducky.

[Ducky123]

Thanks, glad you liked the chapter

[Ducky123]

Chapter 31:

At first, Ali jogged towards Shorty's nesting place merrily, kicking the fruit forward, but she soon slowed down, trying not to make any noise, and turned serious. She now rolled the treesweet with her head – she had to stay somewhat low anyway. When she got close, she began to use the vegetation to hide. After all, she wasn't technically allowed to give Shorty a visit or even to speak a single word with him. Moreover, Shorty was being observed by various grown-ups, she noticed. "How to attract his attention without attracting the attention of them?" Ali wondered in concern. She didn't want to land her former friend in an even worse situation than he was in already.
"I got it!" she mumbled soon; the solution was rather simple...

Shorty had decided that it would be best if he lay down on the ground, not looking at anybody or anything so nothing could possibly anger him. As much as he would love to let his frustration out, he knew better than to lose his grip again. He needed to work towards his plan. So he was lying there, his legs stretched away from his body, his neck curled to his right. That was when he heard somebody hissing his name...

"Pssssst, Shorty!" Ali called, whispering. She hid behind two massive trees and peeked through the narrow space between them.

Shorty didn't recognise the voice at first but when the dinosaur uttering it repeated her hiss in urgency he, unwillingly, turned around to face his friend.
"What d'ya want? Your friend doesn't wanna play, eh?" He gazed at the pink Longneck in hatred.
"I got no time for arguing, jerk. Littlefoot's waiting and he actually doesn't like me visiting you," Ali hissed fiercely. "I just thought that you might like this." She grabbed the treesweet Shorty couldn't see thus far and motioned towards him that he should have it.
Shorty hesitated. He looked around, the grown-ups occasionally peeking at him. "Good pretext not to accept," he concluded, smirking a little.
"So do you want it or not?" Ali exclaimed in annoyance.
"Shhhhhhhht!" Shorty hissed. "You want them to notice?!"
"Of course not!" Ali spoke quieter. "But if you don't want the treesweet, Cho will get it..." Now it was her turn to smirk.
Shorty's mind was working. "Should I stay cool? Or should I give in??? But Cho MUSTN'T get it!!!"
"Well, why'd'ya wanna bring ME a treesweet anyway?" he asked to win some time.
"You see, even though you disturb me, I know that you can get a grip if you really want to. I'm just letting you know that I'm still up to being your friend... if you're willing to change, that is," Ali explained. She really tried very hard to sound sincere but she didn't do very well in her view since the disgust she felt whenever she saw or even thought about Shorty predominated her will to help him still.
"Why? Why'd'ya even care, huh?" Shorty snorted. "Like you ever liked me... you're gonna be with Littlefoot anyway, right?"
"Well, if you don't like me anyway..." Ali retorted, making an allusion to leave.
"Wait Ali!" Shorty exclaimed. "So I got that right? You would still want to be friends with me if I change, right?"
"Right," Ali replied, snickering.
"So... what would you want me to do... or not to do then?" Shorty questioned, a spark of hope beginning to burn in his chest.
"Well, isn't that obvious?" Ali spoke, eyeing Shorty critically.
"Just tell me... please?" Shorty asked pleadingly.
"Sure, though do you really want to decline the treesweet?" Ali raised her brows. "And since when do you say please?"
"Oh whatever! I'll eat it!" Shorty exclaimed in annoyance.
Ali rolled it over to Shorty who began to eat.
"I NEVER want to see you bully anybody again," Ali began. "I want you to apologise for what you've done to Cho and I want you to be nicer, got that?"
Shorty considered this. "Can I have some time to think over this?" the boy asked.
"Sure, you have more than enough time to anyway," Ali exclaimed teasingly. "Well, see you tomorrow in the morning."
"Tomorrow in the... oh right... seeya!" Shorty called. "My sweet flower..." his mind added but he knew Ali wouldn't react well if he said that. Ali turned around and jogged back to Littlefoot who was eagerly awaiting her return.
"Oh, and thank you for the treesweet!" Shorty called after Ali after he figured that he hadn't even shown his gratitude towards his crush but she didn't hear him anymore...

"Bron?"
Yuyun and Bron had fallen silent for some moments, reconsidering what they had discussed. Now it was Yuyun to break the silence that began to become awkward. Bron looked happy to have something to catch on for he didn't quite know what else to tell the female.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"You know... there is something that stuns me... I'm sure you had already noticed that Cho has been everything but sociable back when you took care of the little ones?"
"Yeah, she caught my interest pretty fast because of that," Bron answered truthfully. "She's been different but, in a way, really adorable which is probably why she grew on me pretty fast... well, and Shorty of course." Bron sighed.
"She is a really adorable girl; there is no doubt," Yuyun spoke proudly. "Back when I considered becoming the foster mother of one of them, she instantly grew on me too. It was hard to earn her trust and love at first for she was really introverted but she accepted me as her supervisor and good friend. She has never considered me her mother though so she must have memories of her actual mother..."
"Quite possible," Bron piped up. "She's been pretty smart for her young age and she still is I guess..."
"Oh yes, she really is... and curious," Yuyun said, smiling.
"Cho's memory is pretty good too I noticed," Bron added. "She always remembered what I told her... so she might remember her actual mum indeed..."
"I second that..." Yuyun answered. "Well, what actually stuns me is that she, despite her unsociability, has made friends with Ali..."
"That's stunning? Shorty hasn't made any friends until this day either..." Bron objected. "Well, 'cept Ali of course..."
"Considering Cho's attitude towards strangers, it is remarkable," Cho's Mother persisted. "Especially, since she has been the one making the first step..."
"Oh, now that's funny indeed," Bron admitted. He didn't know why Cho had appoached Ali so openly but he reckoned he would find out sooner or later anyway.
"Do you know why she might have been so unlike herself?" the female voiced up.
"No, how should I?" Bron replied, chuckling slightly. "Though it can't hurt if I tell you my theory, can it?"
"Go ahead, Bron!" she said encouragingly.
"Maybe she was so open towards Ali because she was hurt at that time?" Bron gave it a try.
"Possibly... but I believe it must have been something else..."
"How come?" Bron countered.
"I know her for a long time now and some feeling in my guts tells me that it's something else... At any case, I'm very, very happy that she has earned herself a friend at last – a friend who is really suiting her character if you ask me..." Yuyun smiled.
"Yeah... Ali seems to be of a calm and sweet nature too," Bron chimed in with Yuyun. "Ehh, anyway... I hear them coming... Littlefoot and Ali, I mean."
Indeed, Ali and Littlefoot were approaching, engaged in conversation.
"Well, time to go I guess. Have fun with the kids!" Bron called, a grin appearing in his face.
"Don't you want to stay?" Cho's Mother questioned.
"No thanks. I've already seen these two in the morning. Besides, they're probably here to visit Cho, not me," Bron snickered.
"Okay then, good luck with Shorty!" Yuyun called.
"Thanks, dear. I'll need it," Bron sighed. "Bye!"
"Goodbye, Bron!"

A little earlier:

"Say Littlefoot..." Ali piped up while the two children walked towards the nest of Yuyun and Cho. "How are Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike doing? I have missed them a lot... though maybe not as much as I missed you..." She giggled shyly.
"They're doing all fine," Littlefoot responded, chuckling at Ali's statement. "We've had lots of adventures."
"That doesn't surprise me..." Ali snickered. Her friends had always been an adventurous bunch of dinosaurs, just like she was, so it was only rational that they would be having lots of those. "If only I could have accompanied them," Ali thought bitterly, though that moment only lasted for a short moment.
"Though I wish I could see them again..." the girl sighed.
"Yeah, I miss the bunch of 'em as well. If only you could become one of us... but I'm sure your mum has other plans, hasn't she?" Littlefoot could already guess that it wouldn't work out in the end but there was always hope; even in the darkest tunnel was a light somewhere, right?
"Probably, though we haven't talked about that yet," Ali replied. There was hope after all.
"Well, I'm pretty sure you could get her to visit the Great Valley for a limited time at least," Littlefoot spoke happily. "After all, you don't have a home so why not settle down in the Valley?"
"Well, technically you're right but we're now with Bron's herd... Of course we may, other than in Old One's herd, leave whenever we're keen on that but I have this feeling mum would like to stay with them," Ali explained. As much as she fancied living with Littlefoot, she doubted they would. Not only her mum but she herself had always been in a herd so changing their lifestyle completely by settling down in the Great Valley would be a major change, requiring quite some adjustment. But she'd do it... for Littlefoot, for their friendship and for her friends waiting to see her again. "Boy that'd be cool..." she thought absentmindedly... which Littlefoot noticed.
"Uhm Ali..." Littlefoot spoke hesitantly. Ali had her eyes closed and her mouth opened. Littlefoot had to suppress his laughter but he couldn't prevent himself from grinning uncontrolledly at the sight.
Ali opened her eyes and closed her mouth after she had realised she didn't have her body under control fully. "I was only pondering..." she protested in defence when Littlefoot did start laughing.
"Ehh, anyway Littlefoot... Do you know if Bron plans to visit the Great Valley?" Ali questioned in an attempt to return to their discussion.
Littlefoot stopped laughing, now listening to the girl eagerly.
"Or do you think he might even want to settle down there???" The excitement in her voice was not lost on the Longneck boy.
"Well..." Littlefoot began. He knew his grandparents were saying that Bron was unwilling to leave his herd. "So he's probably not in favor of dragging them to the Great Valley either..."  the brown Longneck concluded. He wasn't sure about a visit but he considered it the most likely of the three options to occur.
"I'm not sure..." Littlefoot eventually piped up. He wasn't telling the full truth however. "Want her to have hope," he thought to himself and he replied accordingly. "What isn't, can still be made, y'know?"
"True..." Ali hummed agreeingly. "Who told you this wise saying by the way?"
Littlefoot could detect a sort of impression the use of one of his Grandpa's many wisdoms had made on the pink Longneck at his side. Attaining an additional boost of self-confidence, he continued. "One of my grandpa's wisdoms. He has more of them in store than a tree has leaves..." Littlefoot mused, rolling his eyes to indicate that not all of them were as much to his liking as the one he had just used.
"The Old One was talking in those riddles and sayings a lot," Ali complained, much to her friend's amusement. "Luckily, my mum's not of that sort..."
"My dad neither," Littlefoot exclaimed. "Apparently... Speaking of my dad, I'm really unsure what he's gonna do after this is all over but I can try to influence him, can't I?"
"Yeah, I get what you mean," Ali replied, offering a sweet smile that confused Littlefoot for a moment. "If you spend time together, he will want to stay with you... and that's why you'll be making the decisions if it works." The smile of the girl changed slightly, now being close to a smirk.
Littlefoot didn't notice the treesweet he was carrying leaving its position between his neck and his spine for he was too busy looking at the ground due to his incapability of keeping the eye-contact with his friend. The neck wasn't keeping it at its place for a moment so it dropped to the ground.
"Hey Dreamyfoot, watch your treesweet!" Ali teased with a toothy grin on her face.
Littlefoot grabbed it quickly, trying to look as innocent as he could.
Ali couldn't resist her friend's look. "Maybe we're better off if I carry the treesweet..." Ali tried to say inbetween giggling. Littlefoot joined in, gingerly placing it at the supposed spot on Ali's back. Then they heard voices...

The Longneck trampled across the grassy ground towards a watering hole some other Longnecks had suggested for her to try out. While walking without any hurry, she uttered a deep sigh. The image of so many dinosaurs of her own species – or subspecies at least, created a stinging pain in her stomach and it wasn't due to an overly voluptuous breakfast... No, it was something else. Her view was fixed on a point slightly below her own eye-level... it was fixed on their eye-level to be exact.
Sue had always been tall but even in such a big agglomeration of her own kind she was undoubtedly the tallest as far as she could tell. She didn't know whether that was the actual reason for other Longnecks to avoid her, mostly, but they did and she didn't understand why. True, she was a rather self-conscious individual but, according to all dinosaurs she had ever been close with which included her family among others, she was being considered quite a beauty with a charming smile and a soft, friendly personality. Only males in those times didn't seem to be looking for a mate with her characteristics... Only one of them had ever conquered her heart only to tear it to shreds again but she didn't fancy remembering that dark chapter of her life.
Like all dinosaurs – all of the Longnecks, that was, she had been seeking for a location that kept hunting her in her dreams and eventually found it. Much to her relief, she only had to travel a very short distance all alone, loneliness being what she had had to endure these past years day and night. If it hadn't been for her enormous size, the numerous predators of the Mysterious Beyond would have put an end to her misery already. Of course, size didn’t protect you from predators if you weren't capable of fighting back. Her parents had taught her everything she needed to know and she sure had enough chances to gain experience in fighting during her young years...
Now that she had had a chance to travel with a really kind family – two elderly dinosaurs who were very friendly and wise and their grandson who was the cutest thing on earth she had ever met, her journey had been way better than she had anticipated. Moreover, they had grown in number the more distance their massive bodies covered...
Now she was just following a few members of her kind. She didn't know or even recognise any of them although quite a few had been travelling with her until shortly ago. Of course she had always been looking for a possible mate since her heart had been brutally broken, but her efforts were, in all honesty, very weak. Like she would usually do, she scanned some of the strangers walking to her left and to her right... not looking where she was going...

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I really don't have much to comment on this chapter. I'll leave that up to you guys Hope you've enjoyed the addition ^^

The next chapter is really predictable Just a continuation of this one ^^

[Ducky123]

Before I upload, one thing: I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to update on a regular schedule pretty soon since my writing is slower than my uploading... I can't repeat it often enough but life is crazy lately, busy, full of stress etc... I won't change my schedule though. I'll just keep it until I've caught up with myself. Same applies to my other fic of course.

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Chapter 32:

"What's my dad doing over there?!" This question instantly shot through Littlefoot's head when he recognised the male voice as his dad's. "So he’s visiting Cho too?"
"Looks like we aren't the only visitors Cho has," Ali pointed out.
"Yeah, seems like it," Littlefoot murmured. Though what was the reason for Bron's visit? Littlefoot didn't know and he didn't really want to either. "I can only hope he didn't bring Shorty..."
"Shorty is grounded and at his nesting spot where he's supposed to be, Littlefoot," Ali remarked, raising her brows. "Littlefoot sure is a little confused..."
"Hey, I think he's leaving!" Ali exclaimed, having picked up some words of departure.
"Hope you're right!" Littlefoot grunted. "I don't need to see him again before we meet officially later..."
"Yeah, you need to get known to each other step by step," Ali explained. "And the steps should be small ones."
"Yeah, whose voice is the female one by the way? Her mother's?" the boy questioned.
"Yes, exactly. Cho's mum is Yuyun."
"Ah okay." Littlefoot stopped in his tracks. "Let's wait another minute or so just to make sure..."
Ali gave a nod and stopped in her gentle movement as well. "Do you think Cho is awake?"
"Did you hear her voice yet?" Littlefoot countered. "She's probably resting."
Ali thought about this before responding. "Well, true. Though you must know that Cho is actually extremely quiet... Says her mum anyway. She was quite talkative when we met..."
"We'll see when we go there," Littlefoot said.
"I hope she will like you..." Ali then piped up. "Many Longnecks told me that she can be... weird sometimes."
"Really?" the boy asked. "Well, she doesn't have to like me... As long as she doesn't want me to leave her alone, I really don't mind."
"You really don't have to worry about Yuyun though," Ali laughed. "She is the kindest Longneck you can possibly meet. Oh, and we can go now..."
"Okay, you go ahead."

Yuyun watched Bron walking away from her nesting area towards his own. After a few moments, however, she heard the children's voices again which reminded her of her self-evident duty of greeting them welcomingly. Although they were already in hearing and sighting range, they were still a little distance away so Yuyun decided to look after her adopted young one first.
"Hello Cho," she whispered to the small body that was all covered in healing leaves. "You have had a visitor my dear. It was Bron, our glorious leader, and he wanted to make sure you are doing okay, did you know? He was really concerned about you, my sweet daughter, and he was so sorry about Shorty..." Yuyun paused and nudged the little body with gentleness. "And do you know? Ali did visit you in the evening. She is just on the way to see you again... and she is even bringing a friend. Look how many dinosaurs care about you!" Yuyun gave a hearty chuckle at her own statement, nudged her daughter again and then turned around her massive body carefully to stomp towards the new visitors.
"Well hello, little ones!" she called invitingly. "I bet you are here to visit Cho, aren't you?" A soft laugh left her mouth.
"Good morning, Yuyun!" Ali called back, showing her brightest smile. "You're right, we – that is Littlefoot and I – are here to visit Cho. I would like to make sure she is doing alright and Littlefoot... well, I thought I should introduce him to my friend – and to you of course."
"Yeah, hello," Littlefoot piped up a little shyly. He quickly overcame his initial awkwardness when he deduced that Yuyun was as kind a Longneck as Ali had described her. "It's nice to meet you."
"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Littlefoot," Yuyun responded warmly. "So you are the son of our leader, Bron?"
Ali gave both the adult and her friend a sign that she would walk over to Cho while the two were having a chat. They acknowledged it and continued while Ali approached the little girl on silent paws...

"Yes, Bron is my dad." With every word, Littlefoot's shyness was more and more replaced with his usual openness. His grandparents had taught him how to behave and how to approach dinosaurs he didn't know. Now these lessons came very much in handy as he was talking to the adult female. Besides he had already got to know another stranger on the long journey towards the place he now happened to live at for limited time. "Sue..."
"I-I was extremely surprised when I realised who he really is. I mean... I haven't been told I even have a dad. I never thought about it much because I assumed he just didn't make it. I assumed he had died prior to my hatchday."
"I understand," Yuyun said in a calm voice. "Well, your grandparents were probably as unsure about the whereabouts of Bron as Bron had been about the location they were residing – or you for that matter. He has been searching for a very long time but he couldn't find either of you."
"Yeah, he's told me the whole story when he went after me. I ran away because-because..." "...because I'm a coward..." The thought popped up in the young Longneck's head but dissipated into thin air very quickly.
"Because you didn't know what to make of the development?" the grown-up offered.
"Yeah, that puts it quite well... I needed some time to... think about it and I guess I will need some more time."
"Yes, you have your grandparents so you never needed a dad. It's totally normal that you aren't on best terms right away," Yuyun spoke wisely.
"True." Littlefoot replied. "We are going to talk in the afternoon. I'm not sure what kind of dinosaur he actually is. Towards me he was really nice and he seems to be quite cool to hang around with... but I've also heard how he talked to Shorty..."
"Well, you must agree that he has to be hard with Shorty after his gruesome attack. You haven't seen him attacking, have you?"
"Actually, Ali and I have seen him after we heard the screams of your daughter. We thought somebody might need help..." Littlefoot explained. "That's why we also eavesdropped when we saw Bron and Shorty leaving the forest..."
"Oh holy Spiketail! That must have been a terrible sight – no... horrible!" Yuyun was now agitated due to her motherly instincts.
"Well, I've seen a Sharptooth ripping ripping my mother apart so I wasn't affected as much as Ali."
"Your mother died in this battle, didn't she?" the grown-up asked carefully. "And besides, Ali knew Cho whereas you didn't."
"Yep, she died. I was crushed at first but then I found a bunch of other parentless kids and together we found the Great Valley and killed the Sharptooth," Littlefoot narrated. "Oh, and yeah... true."
"You killed a Sharptooth?!" Yuyun was awestruck. "How in the world did you do THAT? Those beasts are a thousand times stronger..."
"But it couldn't match our wit. We tricked it into a pond by using one of us – a Swimmer – as bait. The Flyer made sure he was at the right spot and then we pushed a rock down and drowned him. It almost got me and my Spiketail friend but then the Threehorn girl saved us all."
"So... your friends aren't Longnecks?" Yuyun wondered. "I must say that you kids have been extremely lucky but your plan was good."
"Yeah, they aren't Longnecks but they're no worse than our kind, really." Littlefoot assured. "You're right; we were very lucky but he would have entered the Great Valley otherwise."
"Ah I see, Yuyun replied. "We've met mixed herds before. It's a new way of thinking, actually. Earlier, dinosaurs stuck to their own kinds and avoided others if possible. Bron isn't quite fond of this development I believe."
"I'll find out later..." Littlefoot mused in a slight chuckle.

*Crash!*
Sue had been keeping an eye on every direction but forward. Therefore, she couldn't see the other Longneck about to intercept her path. She collided with the stranger, bumping into his strong, muscular neck. Out of pure habit she looked down and mumbled. "Excuse me..." Instead of looking into the eyes of whoever she bumped into by accident, she could only see the stranger's neck. "Funny, have I shrunk all of a sudden?" the tall female wondered. That was when realisation hit her. For the first time since she had outgrown her parents, she looked up to scan somebody.
"You okay?" the stranger's deep bass hummed. He was of a dark blue-ish grey colour and towering even over Sue who was certainly taller than everybody else by at least a head. "Holy Spiketail!" Sue's mind screamed. "He's taller than me but h-how is that possible?!"
"I-I was only..." Sue stuttered while studying the male Longneck but the stranger cut her word.
"Heh hehheh!" he chuckled heartily. "No problem at all, young lady."
"Young lady!?" Sue was flattered by his words. Granted, she was in the best age group but nevertheless not as young and fresh as she used to be. Sue responded with a hearty chuckle of her own. "My, you-you are the tallest Longneck I've ever seen!" she exclaimed with big eyes. "All this time I have wanted to look up to somebody, all this time!" She was now breathing heavily due to her almost child-like excitement. "May I ask w-what name you go by?" Sue looked up to the male Longneck expectantly.
"Name's Kenneth," Kenneth spoke coolly, his expression somewhat amused. "But feel free to call me just Ken; it’s much shorter yer know?"
"Oh, Kenneth is fine," Sue replied. "It's not one of these mainstream names like mine."
"Aha, then what's yer name, beauty?" It was obvious that he was flirting with the smaller female.
"Sue, it-it's Sue," she stuttered. "My, you're pretty handsome!" Sue chuckled in a girly manner.
"Am I?" Kenneth snickered. "Mind me accompanying you?"
"Why no! I was just on my way to the watering hole over there," she responded. "It'd be an honour if you came along, Kenneth. Really."
"Too crowded..." Kenneth replied and shrugged. "Know a better one if yerwanna follow me..."
"Why of course. Lead the way!" Sue called happily.
"'Kay... only call me Ken. Kenneth's too long for such a tall guy like me. Like the short form just fine..."
"I will... Ken."
"Besides, all dinosaurs just call me Ken; those who're bothered to anyway..."

Ali's heart rate increased slightly as she was slowly getting closer to the girl sleeping in her sleeping spot peacefully. Ali had feared that the leaves had been removed from her body already but they weren't. "Whew! I was afraid to see all these injuries..." Now feeling easier, the girl proceeded to walk to her friend.
"Hey, it's me,"Ali whispered to the unmoving body –with the exception of the heart beat and the breathing. The small head and parts of the girl's black neck weren't covered as there were no deep cuts; only scratches and small injuries. Ali did notice the ugly bruises nevertheless and she didn't like the sight. "Poor Cho... she looks so beaten up..." she complained sadly. "Should I try to wake her up or just stare at her and talk to the air?" It was a question Ali didn't know the answer for as both waking her up and letting her sleep peacefully had advantages and disadvantages.
"I'll wake her up!" she decided firmly after a little thinking. "I want to talk to her!" Of course Ali didn't know whether Cho would actually wake up since her sleep was a result of the unconsciousness due to the countless injuries. "Well, I won't find out by doing nothing," Ali deduced grimly. She got even closer to the girl, lowered her head and poked Cho on her cheek very softly. "Wake up, Cho. It's me... Ali."

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Here you go with yet another OC, Ken(neth). I myself am not quite sure what role he's going to play in the future (beside the obvious role   ) but you can be sure he will have some more scenes in the future.

In the next chapter, the main scene will be Ali talking to Cho... that is, if the poor little Longneck actually responds of course

[rhombus]

Sorry for the delay in responding to the latest chapters.  I think that the previous chapter was buried by a lot of other fanfiction and fanart posts by the time that I found it.  I suspect that one of my chapter may have been a culprit as well in hiding that posting.  

Anyway to the story...

I rather like the latest installments.  They are not really action packed, but they do elaborate on some rather important plot points that are beginning to take shape.  The relationship between Yuyun and Cho has come into clearer focus.  Likewise, it appears that Bron and Littlefoot will soon have a heart-to-heart talk as well.  Meanwhile, Shorty continued to stew in his agitation over the situation.  He still has a lot of maturing to do.  And of course Sue finds a longneck who is bigger than herself.  

I don't really have much to add except that I look forward to seeing how this individual plot points develop in the future.  As it is, this statement:

"Yeah, they aren't Longnecks but they're no worse than our kind, really." Littlefoot assured. "You're right; we were very lucky but he would have entered the Great Valley otherwise."
"Ah I see, Yuyun replied. "We've met mixed herds before. It's a new way of thinking, actually. Earlier, dinosaurs stuck to their own kinds and avoided others if possible. Bron isn't quite fond of this development I believe."
"I'll find out later..." Littlefoot mused in a slight chuckle.

Makes me curious how Littlefoot's father will react to him having several non-longneck friends that he practically considers his brothers and sisters in arms.  This could be a great source of conflict.  In the end, perhaps Shorty won't be the only one to learn a few lessons on empathy.

Keep up the good work!   I look forward to seeing where this goes.

I only found a few things that needed possible correction:

"Yeah, he's told me the whole story when he went after me. I ran away because-because..." "...because I'm a coward..." The thought popped up in the young Longneck's head but dissipated into thin air very quickly.

You may want to put the "...because I'm a coward..." in italics in order to indicate that it is a thought and not said aloud.  It took me a few times reading that statement to realize that was what happened.

"Oh holy Spiketail! That must have been a terrible sight – no horrible!" Yuyun was now agitated due to her motherly instincts.

Should be 'so horrible' not 'no horrible'.

[Ducky123]

Thank you for the review, don't worry about being late in giving feedback. You know I'd deserve the "Always Lagging Behind- Award" much more than you do

I rather like the latest installments. They are not really action packed, but they do elaborate on some rather important plot points that are beginning to take shape.

Yeah, action won't be very common in the next few chapters but there's enough other stuff to make up for that of course

And of course Sue finds a longneck who is bigger than herself. dino_happier.gif

Yep, yep, yep! I really don't know what role Ken(neth) might play later on but I'll probably come up with something

I don't really have much to add except that I look forward to seeing how this individual plot points develop in the future. As it is, this statement:

QUOTE
"Yeah, they aren't Longnecks but they're no worse than our kind, really." Littlefoot assured. "You're right; we were very lucky but he would have entered the Great Valley otherwise."
"Ah I see, Yuyun replied. "We've met mixed herds before. It's a new way of thinking, actually. Earlier, dinosaurs stuck to their own kinds and avoided others if possible. Bron isn't quite fond of this development I believe."
"I'll find out later..." Littlefoot mused in a slight chuckle.

Yeah, it'll be in the focus eventually It'll make things more interesting for sure...

You may want to put the "...because I'm a coward..." in italics in order to indicate that it is a thought and not said aloud. It took me a few times reading that statement to realize that was what happened.

Uhh, I must've forgotten tu put italics there

Should be 'so horrible' not 'no horrible'.

I actually meant to write "no horrible". Yuyun says "terrible" first but then amends herself by saying "no horrible". Maybe I should separate these two words using a comma to avoid confusion?