Shorty's Dark Past

[rhombus]

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?

That sounds like a good idea.   You also could use ellipses like I often do in my fanfic.  Like: "no... horrible...".  Either way would make your meaning much more clear.

[Ducky123]

Sorry for not updating last week. I just got too busy

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Chapter 33:

"So... how come you have adopted Cho?" Littlefoot questioned, showing interest. "Was she one of the hatchlings Bron had found on his search for me?"
Yuyun noted the curiousity of the young one. "I'm glad he asks me things about Cho."
"A-and how come Shorty hates her?" Littlefoot went on.
"Well, Littlefoot," Yuyun began. "Cho was found by Bron indeed; so have been a bunch of other kids around her age and, of course, Shorty..." The adult hesitated for a moment, then went on. "As Bron has surely told you, he took care of them after they decided to follow him. At that, Shorty seemed to be protecting the younger ones. He's about your age so quite a bit older than the young ones who couldn't have been older than a season. They couldn't talk at that point so Bron named them. Only one of the hatchlings could recall the name her parents had given her... yes, I'm talking about Cho." Littlefoot didn't speak up so she continued. "That she is an interesting girl, I found out fairly quickly when I joined Bron's herd. I was part of a small group of Longnecks roaming the land and we, together, decided to join Bron who had taken on some Sharpteeth to protect us when he came across us by chance. He's a great and brave fighter, not to mention that he's quite charismatic. Anyway, not soon after, he called a meeting asking if anybody was willing to adopt the children he was supervising in addition to his duties as a leader. I've never had luck finding a mate so I instantly told myself that I should accept his request. I've always wanted a daughter, you know?" Yuyun smiled dreamily. "There were three girls but only Cho seemed like the kind of daughter I'd love to have. Cho has been very quiet, hardly ever talking which hasn't changed. The other children didn't have any contact with her however and Cho, due to her shy and quiet personality, didn't try to change that. It-it was very hard to earn her trust at first. She said things like"you aren't my mum, go away!" and avoided my company at first but that eventually changed."
It was only now that Littlefoot decided to interrupt Yuyun to ask a question. "But Yuyun... why didn't she accept you? I mean... she was very young back then and needed somebody to watch her. Moreover, who wouldn't love to have somebody taking care of you, loving you, being there when you need it?"
"Well Littlefoot, of course you, who has lost his mother so early, missed her love and protection. Keep in mind that Cho is an orphan. At least everyone believes that she is – she has never talked and I doubt she ever will. Some things are better left unspoken and some things we are better off forgetting," Yuyun spoke wisely.
"Why'd she refuse to talk?" Littlefoot wondered in agitation. "My mother died attempting to save my life and I'm proud of her!"
"Yes, but Cho might have lost her family in a different way. She might have been a victim of abuse like Shorty or her parents just abandoned her so she refuses to think about them. She could also just have been separated from them and awaits the day they will meet again or they just died like your mother did. We don't know. I, for my part, have asked her a couple times back then and when she shrugged me off every time I decided not to dig deeper."
"How about the other children?" Littlefoot then asked, curious. "Were they able to remember their... families?"
"As far as I'm aware, Cho is the only one who has a memory of her family," the female replied. "She has never talked about it of course but it's obvious that she does remember them if you compare how she received me and how the others received their foster families. Most of them consider them their real parents."
"Okay..." Littlefoot said thoughtfully. "You said they all were about the same age, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did," Yuyun answered.
"So might it be that they're siblings?"
"We all doubt that," she responded. "If they were siblings, Cho would have acknowledged them as such. I'm sure about that." Yuyun sighed. "Well, of course you can never be sure. My little one can be really funny sometimes... She IS different from the other kids but that is just what makes her so special to me. You will have to get to know her to know what I mean. If she's acting strange, just leave her for some time though. She can be fairly unsocial at times; you just have to accept her the way she is. The other kids didn't hence she has never had any friends to play with. But now she has Ali..."
That was when Ali joined the chat...

As Bron was wandering back to the nesting area of his herd, he pondered about the conversation he had been having moments ago.
"Now I really wonder why Shorty had taken care of Cho and the others back then..." he thought in confusion. The herd leader was probably the only dinosaur who knew Shorty’s personality well enough to come up with a reasoning that was based on facts rather than a dubious feeling in the stomach.
"Shorty likes to have attention and he likes to be strong," Bron began. "He was probably only leading them because..." Bron's head was almost emitting steam, so hard was his mind working. It paid off. "Because he wants to be somebody others respect and look up to." These last words were spoken aloud by the Longneck. It was quite possible that Bron had just realised why Shorty was so hateful towards the hatchlings. "Didn't he once say that they have never thanked him?" he mumbled, not sure whether Shorty had actually told him that but it made sense to the adult.
"Hmm, I guess I'll have to ask him about that..."

Ali observed the younger girl very carefully, sincerely hoping that she would wake up. At first Cho didn't move but then she shifted her head very slightly and began uttering unintelligible sounds. "Cho?" she whispered again, wondering if and how Cho would react.

Cho regained her consciousness for the first time since the brutal attack that had almost killed her. Her world was of the darkest black imaginable. She didn't know where she was nor if she still existed at all but one feeling immediately took control of her slightly hallucinating brain. Pain. There was very bad pain and it seemed like every single nerve in her small, destroyed body was sending constant signals of a stinging, burning sensation. Cho felt like her body was on fire; she felt like she had been thrown into a river filled with fiery, hot lava.
Cho couldn't move a muscle but her senses slowly returned to her. It almost seemed as if she had heard somebody hiss her name. She heavily concentrated on moving her head just a tiny bit for its position wasn't particularly comfortable. It moved a tiny bit indeed but the movement was accompanied by a feeling in her head that was fairly similar to stepping on something pointy – only that thousands of pointy needles were spinning around in her head, judging by the pain that had abruptly erupted. Unwillingly, she groaned; unintelligible sounds coming out of her slightly opened mouth.
"Am I dead?" It was the first thought that hit her reluctantly working mind. "If I am dead then why am I feeling pain? Do all dead dinosaurs feel pain?"
Just then, Cho heard the friendly, warm voice whispering her name. She didn't try to move any part of her beaten body again but she did recognise the voice with ease... as if she had known it forever. "Ali!" The realisation that her only friend she ever had made was with her in these pain-stricken moments gave her new strength, new motivation and it helped fight against the paralysing pain that forced her to stay unmoving.

Ali witnessed how her friend began to make very negligible movements that were hardly visible to an unperceptive observant but she did pay attention to such little details. "She is trying to do something..." Ali guessed as her movements didn't seem random but quite wanted. Besides, she obviously tried to say something as her lips were in constant motion now. Nothing that could be recognised as a word known to leafeaters came out of her mouth until...

"A-A-Ali..." Cho finally managed to hiss the name of her visitor spending her support.
"Hello dear," Ali whispered kindly and took a seat on the ground next to the young one's body. "How are you?" Her voice instantly changed, now sounding somewhat sad.

Cho noticed Ali's sudden depression. She knew too well, that she was concerned about her. Of course the little Longneck didn't know how bad she looked or how weak she appeared to anybody seeing her in her misery. She couldn't open her eyes no matter how hard she desired it. Then she tried to talk again.

When Cho opened her mouth, the motion labored, Ali sharpened her ears so she could understand the little girl. Although she could only understand two words out of the inarticulate babbling, they were all she needed to know. Not that she was surprised in any way after what had happened to Cho the previous day.

"Hurts... everywhere..." Cho wasn't quite sure if Ali had got her reply but she was certain that the kind girl was smart enough to figure it out herself. It wasn't much of a risk betting that she was in extreme torment. It was looming to take over control of the few senses she had left and Cho knew that she was absolutely helpless.

"I'm so sorry... so sorry, Cho." Ali suddenly sobbed. "I should have chosen to hang around with you and not with that violent, heartless, cruel and malicious idiot! He was so cruel when he injured you; tortured you. I thought you would bleed to death." Some tears left Ali's eyes before she could calm herself again. "I need to be strong now!" she encouraged herself and waited for the time being, allowing Cho to react to her words in any way.

"Ali..." Cho's voice came again, this time a little clearer. She opened her eyelids just a tad. "Not your fault..." Cho flinched when another burst of pain shot through her body, immobilising her for a moment. Her eyes closed but they soon opened again and this time a whole lot wider. "Eyes..." the young girl only said; a word without any context. While she was voicing up her weak words, she looked her friend deep into the eyes.

Ali understood soon. She looked Cho into the eyes as well; eyes that were as green as the leaves on the numerous trees. Her eyes of a bright blue-ish colour locked with the green counterparts of the younger Longneck. Then she waited for whatever Cho meant to do next.

"Your eyes remind me of... they remind of my-my mother," Cho suddenly spoke with some dreaminess. "Her eyes... they were of the same blue."

Ali was feeling two different emotions as Cho mentioned her mother. First of all, she was very relieved that she seemed to regain her ability of speaking more and more but she was also very honoured because Cho had mentioned her mother towards her – something that, to her knowledge, Cho had never done before.
"I guess that's a funny coincidence, huh?"  A playful smile appeared on Ali's face.
Cho tried to smile but it didn't quite work. "Yes, it is," she responded.
"Are you hungry?" Ali then questioned.
Cho's response came quick. "Hmm."
"I have a little surprise for you. I thought you might like it and it'll help you recover." Ali grabbed the treesweet she had positioned some distance from Cho and gingerly held it in her mouth while Cho took a few bites. She couldn't eat more than that.
"Are you done?" Ali then asked; Cho appeared to get sleepy.
"Yes," the little one replied, tired.
"Should I leave the rest here so you can eat the rest when you're hungry again?" Ali offered.
"No need to..." Cho whispered, her eye lids beginning to become heavy.
"Well then..." Ali grabbed the rest of the fruit and stuffed it into her mouth. "Sorry, I have a habit of eating them too fast," she chuckled.
Cho managed to chuckle a little before her ribs interrupted that painfully.
"I think you should rest now, sweetie," Ali spoke softly and nuzzled her friend.
A wicked pain shot through Cho's body again as Ali gently touched her. Some of her muscles jerked but Cho endured the tormenting pain until it subsided.
"Sorry, I..." Ali began but Cho shrugged her off. "Not your fault... Ali." She could barely keep her eyes open but she obviously wasn't finished with Ali yet.
"We actually have a lot in common, Ali – more than you can imagine right now. I'm glad that you visited me and thank you for the treesweet."
"Get well, dear. I'll kick Shorty's butt for that!"
"No need to..." Cho chuckled. Then her eyes closed.
"See you!" Ali whispered.  

Bron then came to think about Yuyun's suggestions in regard to Shorty's education and the punishment he had employed on his adopted son. "I believe you will have to make sure he doesn't feel second-rated..." "PAH!" Bron snorted. He didn't hold it against Yuyun of course who was only trying to help but he couldn't agree with her view on how to treat his adopted son. He had to show Shorty that he went way too far; he had to make him feel bad for his attack. Bron had never been hard on him but he now realised that it was a grave mistake. "Shorty must learn that one's actions always come with some responsibility..." Bron mumbled into the air. "He has to learn that everything he does has consequences..." Good or bad consequences, Shorty had to learn to take responsibility. And by accepting the strict sentence, he would make a first step...
"He will have to accept it anyway!" Bron thought grimly. "Otherwise he might wanna return to his abusive dad and become a monster..." Suddenly Bron had a strange feeling in his guts. "No, I MUST make sure that he doesn't do that!" About that he was determined. He had to try to stop Shorty from becoming what he once ran away from. "But how in the world should I do this? He must hate me at the moment and he's probably going to hold his grudge and ignore me... At least he's done that before..." Bron had no clue. He wouldn't give in and lower the sentence so Shorty wouldn't be easy to talk to. He needed to... "Ahh, that might work..." Bron had a sudden idea and he was ready to set his new plan into motion. "Alright, let's see if I can show him what he loses if he continues acting like the bad guy..."
With new motivation, Bron picked up some speed and began heading to his sleeping area...

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Ahh, I really love this chapter myself. I've been planning this scene between Ali and Cho for quite a while and it felt good to write it down at last Hope you like it. Lots of stuff to analyse for you

The next chapter is going to be very interesting too. I don't want to give too much away so I'm just gonna say: There will be a scene you know... only you will see it from a different perspective

[rhombus]

This was a very nice chapter.  

We get to see more of Cho's backstory from the perspective of Yuyun.  Not only are her revelations quite revealing, but they are mysterious as well.  It seems that Cho is full of secrets.  Her different reaction to the other orphans is also explained quite nicely by the fact that Cho remembers her mother, whereas the others did not.  This might play a role in why she acts very aloof to most other longnecks.  The fact that Ali's eyes remind Cho of her mother seems like another interesting piece of the puzzle.  Hmmm...

I also like the interaction between Yuyun and Littlefoot in this chapter.  Littlefoot is asking some rather piercing questions to Yuyun that most longnecks would probably avoid, but Littlefoot sees nothing wrong with prying into such matters.  Despite the fact that he is more mature than Shorty in this story, the way in which he is asking rapid-fire questions reminds me of the reactions of relatively young, curious children.  That is a nice reminder of Littlefoot's youth.

I look forward to seeing how the mystery of Cho's backstory gets explained.  

I only noticed a few things:

"Cho has been found by Bron indeed; so have been a bunch of other kids around her age and, of course, Shorty..."

The passive voice of this sentence makes it flow awkwardly.  I think that the sentence should be reworded a bit, perhaps something like this: "Cho was found by Bron along with a bunch of other children around her age.  and... of course, Shorty."

Bron had a sudden idea and he was ready to set his new plan into motion.

The italics screwed up here.

[Ducky123]

Thank you very much!

We get to see more of Cho's backstory from the perspective of Yuyun. Not only are her revelations quite revealing, but they are mysterious as well. It seems that Cho is full of secrets.

Oh yes, she is full of secrets indeed

This might play a role in why she acts very aloof to most other longnecks.

"Might" is the word here You will see...

The fact that Ali's eyes remind Cho of her mother seems like another interesting piece of the puzzle. Hmmm...

Yep, yep, yep! That's something to keep an eye on

I also like the interaction between Yuyun and Littlefoot in this chapter. Littlefoot is asking some rather piercing questions to Yuyun that most longnecks would probably avoid, but Littlefoot sees nothing wrong with prying into such matters. Despite the fact that he is more mature than Shorty in this story, the way in which he is asking rapid-fire questions reminds me of the reactions of relatively young, curious children. That is a nice reminder of Littlefoot's youth.

Sometimes you analyse things I do not think about while writing I wrote the scene because I thought it might be a good thing for Littlefoot to get to know Yuyun who is quite an interesting character to get to know. Besides, he is told quite some things about Cho that will help him to get along with her, probably. After all she is a difficult young girl

Also thanks for the corrections

[Ducky123]

Chapter 34:

"I'm the first friend Cho ever had?" Ali piped up. Ali was told that Cho could act really funny at times but the little girl had never been anything but totally kind and sweet when she met her. "Well, of course I haven't seen her much due to Shorty!" Ali was reminded painfully.
"Well hello again, dear!" Yuyun greeted the pink girl. "She was probably sleeping I guess?"
Littlefoot didn't mind the return of his friend since his interest in the conversation was slowly fading away a little. With Ali joining, things were different of course. He smiled at her which Ali returned warmly.
"At first she was," Ali began narrating. "But then she woke up."
"Oh nice! So she fell asleep again?"
"Yeah, she did. She was really tormented by pain and not thinking clearly at times but she was very happy that I visited her."
"Ah, how nice..." the female smiled, appearing to be stirred.
"Then I can't meet her today?" Littlefoot questioned suddenly. The brown Longneck wasn't very keen on meeting the younger girl but he had decided to do it for Ali since she seemed to be very fond of her. "And of me..." Littlefoot mused, a slight smirk appearing on his facial features for a short moment.
"She will need a lot of rest until you kids can play with her I think," Yuyun spoke. "She's still very weak and needs to recover from these terrible injuries. But I'm sure you can visit her tomorrow," she assured.
Ali and Littlefoot communicated through their eyes. "Sounds good to me," Ali replied, smiling.
"Yeah, we'll come again tomorrow, won't we, Ali?" Littlefoot replied in agreement with his friend.
"Yes, we will," Ali confirmed.
"Great, then have a nice day you two!" Yuyun called.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow!" Ali chirped.
"Bye!" Littlefoot called.
Together, they walked away the way they came.
"So... what are we gonna do now?" Littlefoot asked.
"I don't know. Playing games?" Ali suggested.
"Tag! You're it!" Littlefoot called and ran away laughing.
"Hey! I'll get you!" Ali shouted and ran after him in playful anger.

When Bron came closer to his nesting area, he noticed Shorty lying on the ground. He couldn't make out what he was doing there though. "Sleeping? Crying? Plotting?" Bron didn't know but he could tell that Shorty was awfully bored... and this was just the first day of his solitude...

Out of pure lack of things he could do other than plotting, which would only make his situation worse if he set his plans into motion, and trying to figure out how to earn Ali's friendship again, which was, at that moment, very unlikely – not to mention her being his girlfriend, Shorty had decided to go back in time, remembering some happy moments of his life. Meeting Ali was only one of these; several others included Bron - he quickly moved on whenever one of these came to his mind to prevent his anger to get the better of him again, and many were about his acts of mocking and bullying...

Shorty was walking around, seemingly not having any aim at all. The herd had stopped to allow their feet a little rest, the children using the break for playing games. Shorty wasn't keen on joining them; his intention was to find a particular Longneck. And sooner than he thought he spotted the young girl who was of a dark black colour. Shorty couldn't make out what she was doing though, honestly, he didn't care at all. But sometimes these things could be used to his advantage... Shorty approached.
"Hello Shadow!" he called happily. "What'cha doin' here, all alone?" It was a stupid question since he was all alone too but he didn't care.
The girl didn't seem to notice him; her gaze was fixed on a crawling bug on the ground.
"You deaf or somethin'?" Shorty pressed on.
The girl kept ignoring him.
"Hey, what'cha staring at like a rock anyway? Lemme see!" Shorty called, pushing her from her feet into some bushes forcefully. She didn't utter a single groan although Shorty had hit her pretty hard.
"A Ground Crawler? You were staring at a Ground Crawler?" Shorty was laughing.
"Yes, what's so funny?" the girl retorted.
"Why'd ya do that? Must be extremely bored, huh?"
"Even if I were, that's none of your business!" she snarled.
"Oho! Why so snappy miss?" Shorty snickered.
The younger Longneck turned away from Shorty.
"Y'know what I think when I see that creature?" the boy called. "I see you!"
The girl stopped walking away.
"Maybe that's one of your siblings?"
"Quiet..." the girl muttered but Shorty only took  it as an invitation to continue.
"Y'know... These creatures are just plain ugly and disgusting but even they are wonderful compared to you. You're so disgusting that my eyes burn; you're so utterly ugly that even Sharpteeth run away from you!"
"Make sure that your eyes don't catch fire!" she countered hatefully.
"Don't worry, you beast. Speaking of fire... I just figured something, y'know? Guess your mum threw you into the fiery pit of a smoking mountain because she couldn't endure looking at such a paltry misfit the whole day! Guess her eyes caught fire coz of you!"
"STOP IT!!!" the girl roared. She had turned around and her face was distorted in wrath.
"Guess even the Smoking Mountains couldn't stand you so they spat out fire and burned your mum to punish her for throwing you in and they puked you out too and..."
"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!" the girl cried furiously.
Shorty chuckled evilly. "And she didn't even teach her ugly girl how to behave..."
Before Shorty knew what was happening, the girl was on top of him and aiming powerful kicks at his nose. Shorty felt blood running down his nose and pain erupting everywhere. Even though he was older and much stronger than her, he needed several moments until he managed to push her off him and rolled away. Then he jumped to his feet, glaring at his attacker. "You're gonna pay for that, Shadow!" With that he ran away...

"Pleasant memories..." Shorty mused. "And she was crying every night after that... such a baby."
"Who was crying every night, Shorty?" a voice reached the boy's ears.
Shorty jolted up in surprise – he hadn't noticed Bron approaching and got therefore startled. In a swift movement, the green Longneck turned towards Bron and growled angrily. "What're yadoin' here, eh?"
Bron snickered in amusement as he observed the young ones reactions. The adult had wondered how Shorty would react to his visit and he was glad that he didn't outright ignore him. "It'll be funnier that way..." Bron mused. "Besides, I'm more likely to get the answers I want..."
"Well, I'm here to talk to you," Bron answered matter-of-factly. "That and I'd like to ask you some... questions."
"Missin' me already, huh?" Shorty sneered. "I knew you couldn't stay serious for very long..."
Bron snickered. "Oh Shorty, it's been so calm and relaxing without you bugging me."
"Well, whatever you're up to, forget it!" Shorty shouted. "I'm not gonna change my mind every five seconds like you do! I'm gonna stay true to my actions and words!" Shorty looked away from Bron defiantly.
"So you're gonna continue beating girls, being a loner, disrespected by everybody?" Bron raised an eyebrow. "You know that's not gonna get you anywhere. I know that you're holding a huge grudge against me and I can't blame you for that but I want – I would like you to listen to me. Is that too much to ask for?"
Shorty gave a grunt which Bron interpreted as a sign that he was listening.
"Y'know that you have thrown away many things by that attack, don't you?"
"There wasn't much I could have lost..." Shorty muttered grimly.
"Oh yes, there was," Bron insisted. " Let's see... nobody wants to talk to you because they think you've gone mad. They're afraid of you harming their children. You've isolated yourself; you can't expect their company anymore. They avoid you."
"Yeah, right... like they ever liked me," Shorty snorted.
"Go figure why they didn't..." Bron said. "You've been a bully and a naughty brat, always causing trouble. Why should they have liked you? Why should they respect you? For causing grief among the young? And, recently, among some of us grown-ups too? Don't you wanna be respected?"
Shorty thought about this for a moment before responding. "Who doesn't?!" Of course he wanted to be respected but he had never been in his life. His father didn't love him, his mother he never got to know and his siblings believed in his father's gruel philosophy. The hatchlings had never thanked him for saving their lives; they had never shown some respect for it. True, they usually did what he demanded of them but they did things because of fear, not because they respected him. Nobody had ever respected him hence he never made friends... and that opened the vicious circle he now found himself in. But... "There are different ways to earn some respect..." Shorty mumbled, more to himself than to Bron.
"Yes, there are many ways and many things you could do to get others to respect you for what you are or for what you've done. But, in all honesty, did you assume that they'd respect you for your..."
"Strength?" Shorty offered. "Actually, I used to. But they didn't..." Shorty spit out.
"Well, as you should know, there are many forms of strength. Physical strength, mental strength, you get the point," Bron said. "And there are different ways to show your strength... and different ways to use it. That's the point where you failed. You've used your strength to terrorise weaker dinosaurs, to bully them, to make fun of them... to hurt them. If you had been supervising them and protecting them instead, you would've earned the respect of the grown-ups, perhaps."
"Why in the world should I've done that? They're just annoying little hatchlings!"
"Well, nevermind. The grown-ups won't allow you to get near their young ones anymore anyway," Bron pointed out. "
Shorty grunted.
"What about Ali by the way? I thought you have a crush on her..." Bron mentioned. "Don't you wanna fight for her?"
"How should I do that, huh? She's friends with that stupid girl and she won't forgive me," Shorty retorted. "And I won't ever like her!"
"Really?" Bron asked. "Then what did'cha talk about last night, eh? I know you've met."
"Oh great! Grounded for the rest of my life, ain't I?" Shorty muttered.
"Just tell me what you talked about," Bron said calmly.
"What if I don’t, eh?" Shorty snarled.
"Shorty, I know it was Ali lurking you away from our nesting area. Don't make things so difficult and just play along, yeah?" Bron sighed and pleaded.
"She wanted me to change... wanted to make me feel bad I reckon," Shorty said, shrugging.
"Sounds like she wanted to talk some sense into you," Bron chuckled.
"Haha, very funny..." Shorty grunted sarcastically.
"Was she successful at convincing you to... change?" Bron then questioned, still very amused.
"Why d'ya ask ME? Ask Ali!" Shorty shouted defiantly.
"Well, Ali can't tell whether her words made you think about them," Bron pointed out, looking at Shorty expectantly.
The green Longneck went through the memories of the meeting in the morning again. "Ali... she made me think about it,"  the young one figured. "She has shown me what I-what I've lost. Maybe I should give changing a try after all?"
"Well?" Bron pressed on.
"She did make me think about it... so what?" Shorty replied.
"Alright... so are you gonna change; become a Longneck others can trust and respect?"
 Shorty considered his options. On the one hand, he wanted to bully Cho and the other hatchlings but, on the other hand, he wanted Ali. It was a decision he couldn't escape – no matter what he decided for – or against, he would be the loser for he would lose something that was dear to him. "But also win or keep something that's dear to me..."
"Could I have some time to think about that?" Shorty requested, completely forgetting to be grumpy and hateful.
"Sure, we'll just talk again tomorrow or in the evening if you want," Bron suggested, happy to see his words working. It sure was an advantage that he had known the little one for a few Cold Times.
"Okay," Shorty responded neutrally. "You gonna leave now?"
"No, there's something else I'd like you to ask."
"And I thought you wanted me to feel lonely..." Shorty mused.
"Do I count as company?" Bron wondered. He didn't await Shorty's answer however. "I wanted to ask you how you..."
"Bron!" an approaching female called loudly, interrupting Bron.

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Hope you like it! Don't have much to comment on this chapter but maybe you have?

[rhombus]

Nice, Bron is finally trying to speak to Shorty again and make him see and understand the error of his ways.  Interestingly enough (though it was implied earlier, I think) the revelation that Cho gave Shorty a good thrashing for acting like a jerk does place the animosity between the two in sharper focus.  Sometimes standing up to bullies works, but many times it can be counterproductive and dangerous.  There is an old ingrained idea in American culture that the best way to stand up to bullying is to simply fight back and this idea is often held by those in authority, including parents and teachers.  This means that when bullied kids do fight back and are brutally pummeled or even punished (as bullies can be the popular kids with well-connected families, like star football players in High School) they are often victimized again as they were not 'strong enough' to fight back.  This was exemplified earlier this year when a Mayor in a town suffering from a bullying campaign by various punks told the bullied kids to "Grow a pair"
"Grow a pair".  I like how your depiction of Cho's retaliation actually leading to a worsening situation shows the folly of these deep-seeded stupid ideas of machismo in American culture.  It is something that I wish that my country would grow out of.

Overall, a very good chapter.   I look forward to seeing how the situation develops between Shorty and Bron.

Just a few minor issues to note:

"Well, of course I haven't seen her much due to Shorty!" Ali was reminded painfully.

"Then I can't meet her today?" Littlefoot questioned suddenly. The brown Longneck wasn't very keen on meeting the younger girl but he had decided to do it for Ali since she seemed to be very fond of her. "And of me..."

The italics needs to be fixed on those sentences.

"She's still very weak and needs to recover these terrible injuries. But I'm sure you can visit her tomorrow," she assured.

Missed a word in the first sentence.  It should read: "needs to recover from these terrible injuries."

[Ducky123]

Thanks for the review

Whoa! You're reading things that I didn't mean to get across but, reading your reasoning, it actually makes a lot of sense. I have experienced bullying when I was younger and I prefered to fight. In elementary school it didn't work but later it did. Luckily, I've only had to use violence twice or thrice. Shorty's accusations towards Cho's mother were too hard to swallow.

I will correct the issues you pointed out when I come back

[Ducky123]

The next three chapters will be a little different in length. The next two are only 1500 words long whereas chapter 37 will have more than 5000 words. You will see why I chose to define the chapter borders the  way I did

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Chapter 35

Five minutes later and quite a distance away from the herd's nesting area, Ali stopped in her tracks, her legs aching, her ribs stinging, her heart mightily and forcefully pushing and pumping her blood into her muscles. Her breathing was hectic; the young Longneck was gasping  for oxygen. How come? Ali and Littlefoot had been having a game of tag until moments ago. Littlefoot had tricked her, getting a head start. Despite the injuries healing very well, Ali still hadn't regained her full strength and endurance that she as a travelling dinosaur could usually rely on in such a game. Usually...
"That bastard!" Ali cursed. "I'll get him for that!" Of course, the young Longneck was smart enough not to rage about a defeat in a game meant to be fun. It was just a playful manner. Referring to a stranger as a "bastard" would usually result in a fight, especially if you were unlucky to have pissed off a hotheaded individual. Calling a friend a "bastard", especially a close friend, had a different meaning though. It was meant to tease the other, showing that they knew and trusted each other very well. Ali didn't have to wait very long until she got her fair share while trying to recover from the pursuit.
"Can't catch me?" Littlefoot sneered, snickering in amusement. His breathing was heavy as well but his steps indicated that he wasn't exhausted yet. "I'm too fast for you, Ali!"
"Well," Ali responded, staring at her friend. "Maybe I can't... but you will never have my looks!"
"Hey!" Littlefoot protested as his friend was firing back a tease of her own. "Well, you're not THAT wrong about this one..." he mused to himself.
Both children broke into laughter for some moments.
"Uhm, what are we gonna play now?" Littlefoot then piped up. "I really hate to admit this but I don't fancy doing another sprint across the whole valley..."
"I don't think I could," Ali stated truthfully. "My legs have gone weak and exhausted and they need some rest."
"Yes, mine too," Littlefoot agreed. "Somewhat..."
Ali chuckled. "Well, now we're even anyway." When Littlefoot gave her a questioning look, she explained herself. "I've tricked you into a game of tag in the morning and you've just done the same to me... and I don't need to avenge your revenge."
"Oh, right," Littlefoot mumbled. "But I won both games, didn't I?" He gave a cheeky grin.
"Yes, Speedyfoot!" Ali countered, rolling her eyes. "So how about Hide and Seek? This game is less exhausting, you see?"
"Oh yes! I like that idea!" Littlefoot replied happily.
"Not it!" Ali called out loudly, laughing at seeing Littlefoot's face.
"H-how dare you!" Littlefoot cussed playfully.
"Walk twenty circles around that old tree," the girl instructed. "And DO NOT walk too fast!"
"Yes, yes... I will, Ali. I swear!" the young boy answered honestly. "I shall find you in no time anyway!"
"We'll see. Now close your eyes and start!"
Ali began to sneak away so she didn’t give away the direction she was taking while Littlefoot slowly walked around the old tree with his eyes closed...

Shorty immediately recognised who had interrupted his foster father. With a slight portion of madness, he mumbled. "You..." It was the hatchling and its mother again and that couldn't end well for him.
"Why hello, what's the matter?" Bron asked politely.
"You must throw Shorty out of the herd; he's a threat to our children!" the female grown-up shouted in anger and worry.
"Hey, hey. Take a breath," Bron suggested. "Don't you think that I've considered this already? I have talked to Shorty yesterday and I was just continuing where I left off. I've also sentenced Shorty so he'll stay where he's always supervised. At the moment, he can't hurt any child and I'm sure he won't try."
"What do you know?!" the female growled. "He attacked my little one earlier!"
"Well, did he?" Bron gave Shorty a questioning look. His adopted son stayed neutral in expression. "Your youngling doesn't seem hurt..."
"Well, that's because I protected him!" The angry mother screamed.
"Well, is that true, Shorty?" Bron inquired sternly.
"Yeah..." Shorty hissed grimly.
"Let me guess... he provoked you?" Bron assumed.
"Yes! He did!" Shorty exclaimed angrily. He was a little bewildered, however, since Bron seemed to be supporting him all of a sudden.
"NEVER! My son would never show such an awful behavior! Your Shorty is dangerous!!!" the mother roared accusingly.
"He poked out his tongue and waved his tail at me..." Shorty muttered quietly, suppressing his anger not to come off as aggressive again. "He also insulted me..."
"NO! He would never do that! My son..."
"Quiet!" Bron ordered. "Did you provoke Shorty earlier, little guy?" He was now addressing the hatchling – one of the bunch that he had been supervising during his journey in search of Littlefoot. He remembered him and he also remembered some of his character traits... one of which was constant blundering.
"No," the young one answered shyly.
"That was poor..." Bron mused.
"You see, he's guilty! The green pest is guilty!!!" the female shouted in wrath.
"No..." Bron objected, slightly amused. "He lies. Shorty has spoken the truth."
"WHAT?!"
"I've had enough time to study how kids lie," Bron explained in a calm manner. "Shorty, in fact, is a master at lying but I always know when he lies nevertheless. Your kid is a poor liar. His eyes give him away."
"You're only supporting that violent kid!" the other Longneck accused. "As a herd leader, you should judge and treat everybody equally!"
"Which I am doing!" Bron snapped back. "Don't you think that I have considered all options? What Shorty has done was terrible but he's still young and stupid."
Shorty cleared his throat.
"He deserves to be granted the chance to redeem himself and make things better again. That's why I kept him in the herd despite his gruesome attack." Bron nodded towards Shorty. "Besides, wouldn't it be harsh to send him back into the barren lands on his own, without any protection from those Sharpteeth?"
"So that's how he thinks about me?" Shorty wondered. "Redeem myself... wonder if I could do that..."
"Do you think he ever will? I doubt he'll ever be nice and I'm certain that he'll attack again!" the female argued. "What if that girl had died anyway?"
"Well, then the situation would be different of course," Bron admitted. "I assure you that I have explained Shorty the consequences of that – or a future attack."
"What makes you so sure I can't change?" Shorty piped up suddenly, questioning the grown-up, his eyes glowing.
"Well, I-I just know, stupid boy!" she snapped.
"Enough now!" Bron ordered fiercely. "I'm very glad for the report but now I need to talk to Shorty! Have a nice day!"
"You're wasting your time, Bron!" the female shouted before turning around. "And if I ever get to know that you're harming my son, Shorty," she snarled. "I swear I'm gonna make sure you'll never forget it!" With that she strutted away.

"He's never going to find me in here..." Ali whispered to herself. She had wandered around a little, seeking a hideout and finding one that suited her expectations of a good hiding spot extremely well. A huge tree, long since fallen, was leaning against another large tree. Only the massive tree trunk and some of the thicker branches still told the story of a once living thing, now rotting to waste to give new, uprising vegetation the minerals, space and light they needed and several crawling creatures too small to see a home and food. The tree trunk's inside was hollow. Ali had some difficulty to enter her hideout since she was fairly big while it was very narrow. Crawling up the mildly ascending tunnel, she finally found a former branch that ended in an opening so she could observe the area around her... "Or laugh my ass off if Littlefoot can't find me," the young Longneck thought in a mixture of anticipation, joy and excitement. She made herself comfortable at her best and waited for something to happen, her limbs slowly regaining strength as they were getting some well needed rest after the match of tag...

"Twenty!" Finally he could stop walking around the tree, getting all dizzy because of it. Littlefoot took some moments to resolve the issue of his surrounding moving in front of his eyes – it was an additional task for the "Seeker" since they were distracted for a little longer. The Longneck walked a few careful steps to make sure he had regained his balance before he set off...

Bron gave Shorty a bemused look and rolled his eyes. "Accusing you and she can't even control her temper either..."
"Uhh, yeah," Shorty replied, dumbfounded. "Why did'cha defend me. I thought you were mad at me..."
"You know Shorty, I just can't stay mad for longer than a few hours," Bron answered truthfully. "Besides, I had to defend my style of education..." At seeing Shorty's wondrous expression, he added. "I don't like the way she raises her son y'know?"
"Adopted son..." Shorty muttered.
"Uh yeah. Anyway, where did we leave off?"

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Hope you enjoyed this somewhat short chapter

The next one is gonna be funny  

[rhombus]

Yikes!  Some tension between Shorty and another youngling.  It seems like that mother longneck could be an issue moving forward.  Other than that the interactions between Ali and Littlefoot are quite nicely done.   I can easily imagine Ali acting in the manner depicted here.

Other than that I don't have much too add for this chapter.  I look forward to the next installment.  

Oh, I did notice one thing, however:

Of course, the young Longneck was smart enough not to rage about a defeat in a game meant to be funny.

Fun should be used in the place of funny here.

[Ducky123]

Chapter 36

10 minutes later:

"He sure is taking a while..." Ali pointed out while waiting in her tree.
Simultaneously, Littlefoot standing some Longneck-lengths away started to get annoyed by his misfortune thus far. "Where is she? She can't hide forever!" he complained. For the last five minutes already he had considered calling out for his friend to make a certain sound which he could locate. Ultimately, his pride got defeated by his urge to discover Ali. Seeking for an eternity wasn't any fun after all...
"Aaaaaaaliiiiiii! Where are you?" he called into the forest loudly, sharpening his ears and ready to receive any sound his friend might make if she had heard him calling.

"Ali, where are you?" The pink Longneck heard it loud and clearly. She had just been called out by Littlefoot to give a hint concerning her rough location. This was part of the game, although it wasn't used very often since it was considered less skillful to find the hider only after a hint. For a moment, a thought popped up in her mind. "I could act as if I didn't hear him... but then again that would be very mean. At least it would make me mad if I found out about it... and I don't want Littlefoot to be mad at me. I want him to like me after all..." Ali quickly abandoned her thought and did as she was told, uttering a sound to give her friend a hint regarding her location.

"Meep!" Littlefoot heart a distinct sound not too far away from his current location, recognising the voice as Ali's. "Now I'm gonna find you, Ali!" Littlefoot thought in determination in order to push up his spirits and excitement. With a grim smile on his face, he jogged towards Ali's hideout...

"Oh, he's coming..." Ali spotted Littlefoot approaching her rapidly. "I need to move further in or he might see me." Now the Longneck girl squatted in the main trunk again, peeking around the corner every now and then to get an idea of what Littlefoot was doing meanwhile.

"She gotta be somewhere..." Littlefoot mumbled to himself. He had observed his surroundings very carefully yet he didn't spot anything out of order. Slowly, he walked around a little, peeking into bushes and any other suspicious place.

Ali, much to her entertainment, observed her friend who was struggling to find her with no success so far. The girl knew that she had to be on alert since she had to move into the tree trunk very quickly in case Littlefoot happened to look up. As long as she was observing, she was also in constant danger of being discovered. Likewise, she had to be careful not to make any sounds. Though, there were sounds she had no control of.

*gurgle*
"What was that?" Littlefoot stopped where he was, listening to the sounds around him excitedly.

"Dammit!" Ali cursed, instantly retreating deeper into the log. "The tree sweets are bubbling around in my belly. I HATE it when that happens. Oh please, hopefully I won't have to..." Ali felt a suspicious feeling in her belly. "Uh oh..."

*gurgle*
A sound like bubbles of air rising up out of a pond originated from Littlefoot's belly. "Gee, these tree sweets are sure causing some trouble..." he mused. He knew what this would eventually result in. "Poor grandparents..."  he thought in anticipation of what was going to come in the next few hours. Suddenly...

*fart*
"Crap!" Ali cursed when the gas noisily sought a way to escape her stomach... successfully. "Stupid tree sweets!"  Ali cowered in her hideout, hoping that the fart didn't give her position away... and that she wouldn't have to abandon her hideout due to the gas.

"Huh?!" Littlefoot wondered, stunned. At first he thought he had released some wind but it clearly came from a tree in front of him. "Guess I'm not the only one with a bubbling tummy 'round here..." he thought in satisfaction. Now he knew he was very close to his victory.

"Eugh, that's torture!" Ali was almost snapping for fresh air. The tree trunk was filled with a bestial stench emanating from her. "Blast it, I can't stand it in here! I. Need. Fresh. AIR!" Ali robbed towards the opening in the trunk again, holding her breath at her best. When she finally peeked out of the hole, she noticed that Littlefoot was standing right beneath her. "He isn't looking up right now so I can get myself some fresh air!" The girl moved forward, sticking her head out of the opening just a tad so she could breath fresh air again. Littlefoot was just peeking behind the big tree the fallen tree she was in leaned against. However...

*Crack*
Before Littlefoot could locate the origin of the crack, he heard Ali screaming right above him and...
*Crash*
...and felt a heavy body crashing down onto him, pushing him into the ground.

"Holy s...!" Ali couldn't finish her curse since she found herself plummeting to the ground. Her level of adrenaline rose to an extreme level when her body realised that there was immediate danger. Ali was being prepared either to fight or run away. This situation, however, couldn't be fought or run away. The only thing that she could choose was which part of her would take the impact and the probable injuries that were bound to result in a drop of a few metres.
There wasn't any time for the young Longneck to realise what yet another injury could do to her – she had just recently recovered from almost dying of dehydration, overheating, extreme starvation and some severe sunburn.
The ground approached rapidly - Littlefoot approached very rapidly. The impact with her friend that neither of them could prevent still hurt but Littlefoot, if intentionally or not, possibly spared his dear friend a severe injury...

Littlefoot was in pain. His legs hurt because they had been moved in a very unfortunate way very fast when a weight that nearly matched his own, in addition to quite a momentum, multiplicated the force they were exposed to drastically; his back hurt due to the impact itself on the one hand and the bend that his spine had to withstand on the other hand. He groaned.

The realisation that Littlefoot had saved her hit Ali only seconds after the abrupt stop of her plummeting fall. "He has saved me!" The thought repeated itself a couple times in her head until the retreat of adrenaline reactivated her full brain capacity part of which they had blocked in order to allow instinctive programs to be run. Ali was kind of shocked and immobilised but she knew that she couldn't just rest on top of Littlefoot who had likely taken a bigger share of the impact than she had. Some childish voice in her head kept telling her to enjoy the body contact but Ali knew better than to listen to it, rolling over to remove her weight from Littlefoot. Ali got to her feet. Her belly and parts of her legs hurt but there weren't any injuries apart from some bruises to be seen.
"Littlefoot? Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
A groan emanated from the boy.

Shorty knew where the talk between Bron and him had left off but he wasn't so sure whether he wanted to continue the intense interrogation. Despite Bron's sudden friendliness, Shorty didn't trust the truce that seemed to have developed between father and son. He had originally swore not to drop his shell more than necessary but Bron's lack of anger gave him a hard time staying hard on his demeanor. "I've already been too slacky!" the green Longneck thought grimly. He had just decided that it might prove to be favourable cooperating at his best lest Bron had a reason to be mad at him again when his foster parent answered his own question.
"Right, I remember now," Bron spoke up. "I was gonna ask you another question..."
"What question?" Shorty piped up. The young one was trying to sound bored while not sounding naughty. He had just figured that Bron's slackiness in staying hard on him outmatched his own struggle to stay mad by far, therefore he had made up his mind. "I'll try to redeem myself... for the time being; for Ali!" Shorty didn't know whether he could succeed at leaving the hatchlings in peace, Cho in particular, but he would try at his best. "For the time being..."Shorty smirked a little. Bron seemed to be willing to forgive him so he could easily convince him of his change for the better. Maybe he overreacted a little bit after all...
"I'd like to know how you've found Cho and the other hatchlings and when," Bron said calmly.
Shorty was painfully reminded of that event long, long ago...

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Uhm, another rather humorous chapter I suppose Well, I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing this scene  

The next chapter will be about twice the length my chapters usually have. Also, the mood will change (serious things at last ).

[rhombus]

After a humorous diversion we finally get to see that Bron is cutting to the chase.  He wants to know the truth about Shorty and the younger longnecks and how Cho fits into the bigger picture.  I suspect that the revelations in the next chapter will give us a much bigger picture of Shorty's past and the inner demons that he is currently fighting.  I eagerly await the conversation that is yet to come.

As for the humorous scene between Littlefoot and Ali, I enjoyed that greatly.   Littlefoot seems to have a hard time with Hide and Seek even resorting to asking for a hint.  Luckily for him, Ali's own digestive system gave Littlefoot a few more hints.  But Ali decided to drop in before he could actually find her.   If that is the aftereffects of treesweets then I have to imagine that Littlefoot's friends usually give him a wide berth after he has a snack!

A very good chapter.   I look forward to seeing how Shorty's revelation affects the story.

[Ducky123]

Thank you for the review

After a humorous diversion we finally get to see that Bron is cutting to the chase. He wants to know the truth about Shorty and the younger longnecks and how Cho fits into the bigger picture. I suspect that the revelations in the next chapter will give us a much bigger picture of Shorty's past and the inner demons that he is currently fighting. I eagerly await the conversation that is yet to come.

I think it's not too much of a spoiler and surprise if I say that you suspected correctly

As for the humorous scene between Littlefoot and Ali, I enjoyed that greatly. Dino_grins.gif

Great!

If that is the aftereffects of treesweets then I have to imagine that Littlefoot's friends usually give him a wide berth after he has a snack!

Well, I thought that this is an issue all planteaters have since their diet actually only consists of leaves and that sort of stuff. So fruits, while being a good source of energy, also cause some... trouble  

A very good chapter. in-yes.gif I look forward to seeing how Shorty's revelation affects the story.

I'm sure you'll like that

[Littlefoot fan 1990]

I loved the humorous scene between Littlefoot and Ali. That scene made my day. Poor Ali; having to put up with the smell of her own gas. It was also funny to me when Littlefoot thought that he passed the gas. I also loved how Ali reacted when she passed the gas.  

I wasn't expecting to read about a character farting; but, then again, everybody farts; even fictional characters.

         

[Ducky123]

Thanks for your review I'm glad to know you read and enjoy my fanfiction

I loved the humorous scene between Littlefoot and Ali.

Me too (writing it was humorous anyway ). It suppose there will be more scenes like that a little later in the story

That scene made my day.

That's awesome!

Poor Ali; having to put up with the smell of her own gas. It was also funny to me when Littlefoot thought that he passed the gas. I also loved how Ali reacted when she passed the gas.

Yeah, that made me grin when I wrote it  

I wasn't expecting to read about a character farting; but, then again, everybody farts; even fictional characters.

Ha! I'm unpredictable   Well, of course there will be serious scenes again since this story is supposed to be a serious one but sometimes there just has to be something random and funny. Some authors simply push forward the plot and make the story seem too composed. I try to give my stories a natural flow, as if it just happened out of the blue (some of my scenes are being thought up that way including the farting scene   ) with out any planning. Just the way life goes... things just... happen

[Ducky123]

Double lenghty chapter (not proofread yet!). Enjoy!

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Chapter 37

Shorty and his siblings were observing the scene: Their father being of a green colour faced a female who was coloured in a light grey-ish tone. He was undoubtedly taller and stronger.
"I think it's about time that I teach them..." Hart snarled viciously. His inpenetrable gaze lasted on the infants that were congregated behind their mother. Even though they were far too young to understand what was going on, they were able to sense the tension between the two adult Longnecks.
The female gave the other sauropod a harassed gaze before she retorted. "What gave YOU the impression that you're going to get them, eh?"
Waves of pure energy seemed to emit from the eyes of the two who had locked them tightly.
"Well, I'm their father," the male stated coolly. "I have created them; without me they wouldn't even exist." He chuckled.
"Oh yeah?!" the protective Longneck shouted madly. "And who do you think built the eggs, carried them and lay the eggs?! I DID!!! Who shared her warmth with the unhatched? Who protected them against hungry predators preying upon them? Who taught them the basic things every dinosaur no matter its kind needs to learn? I DID!!!" She was panting and trembling due to her anger.
"Make a period, will ya?" Hart growled. "You have played your part of the game; now I'll take over!"
"Are you KIDDING???" The female was in rage. "These children are MINE and you're not gonna get them!"
"Says who?" the male sneered in amusement.
"They're mine! They know their mother and they'll return if you take them from me with force!" she retorted viciously.
"What could you possibly do?" Hart laughed. "You'd have no chance in a battle."
"I won't allow you to rob me yet again!" she whispered, fear erupting in her chest but her motherly instincts were stronger. "You've never been there for the children and you demand them? Is that how you've robbed the mother of these poor souls over there?!" She pointed at Shorty and his siblings.
"Ahh, are you sure you wanna hear that story?" Hart spoke in amusement.
"Yes, I am!" the mother snapped.
The tall green Longneck chuckled heartily to a degree that it almost sounded malicious. "Alright, my first mate was in a way much better and smarter than you," Hart narrated. "Admittedly, she was extremely naive. Other than you, she was still single which made things easier of course."
"Oh, I see! You didn't have to kill her mate!" There was wrath in the female's voice which highly alerted Shorty. "Did my father kill another Longneck?" the young boy wondered.
"Yes, a battle always poses a certain  threat although most folks aren't strong enough to put an end to those not worth mating a female," Hart explained. "It was easy really; that female thought I actually wanted to start a family. She was like a barnacle. It was so easy to get her to leave." He paused, looking at the female in front of him expectantly. "How do you think did I do that?" he questioned with a chuckle.
"Cold murder?" he got as a response.
"Oh no, she was smarter than you imply to be... She left me when I kept acting hateful and demanding as opposed to standing her ground like you do. She couldn't take the eggs with her of course so I kept them, making sure they were prospering."
"You won't take my kids!!!" the female roared all of a sudden, positioning herself in a defensive posture. "It's already bad enough that the children will never have a dad they can be proud of since he's the biggest ass this world has ever seen!"
"I'm in good spirits today so I'll forget you just said that," he hissed. "You have two days to decide whether you give me the children or fight for them!"
With that, he turned away from the female. "Come kids!" he ordered. Shorty and his siblings set into motion.

Shorty shuddered when he remembered that fateful day. It had changed his life. Forever. Did it change for the better or for the worse?

Later in the evening:

"Say daddy, why are you trying to take away the kids of that Longneck?" Shorty asked curiously.
"They belong to me 'coz I'm their father," the grown-up huffed.
"Wait, I don't quite understand! You're my father and also the father of my siblings. But how can you be their father if you're already ours? I'm confused!"

Back then, Shorty had difficulties to understand what was really going on. Nowadays, he knew perfectly well what his father had done to his mother and to the mother of the hatchlings...

"You see, son, females are only a burden. The only thing they're useful for is carrying offspring."
"Then why do you have two females, dad? Or is this female you were talking to my mother???" Shorty asked.
 "No, I have already told you how your mum looked like!" Hart snapped.
"Yes, yes, I remember now," Shorty quickly added. "She was tall - even taller than you."
"Yes..." Shorty's father mumbled. "She was..."
"And why do you want to take them away from her? What has she done wrong?"
"Now listen, son!" Hart thundered. "That's none of your business! Bugger off!"
"You chased mum away, didn't ya? Maybe you even killed her?!" Shorty screamed for he finally figured out something. His father was evil; he had to get away to find his mother...
"What if I did?" Hart commented, his gaze full of madness. Shorty got the chills, listening to his depraved father.
"Your mother was stupid enough to fall for my treacherous and false affection I've shown towards her. She allowed me to steer her into doing it and becoming a mother. She was weak, despicable. I needed to separate you children from her negative influence. I need strong children who don't allow their emotions to have a negative effect on their mind. Remember: Females are a burden."
"You're CRAZY!!!" Shorty yelled. "I'd much rather live with my mum than with you! I thought you were my dad but you're in truth a monster! I'll leave!"
"Good joke, little lad," Hart chuckled. "Now go to sleep, son."
"NO!" Shorty yelled. "I'll go!" Shorty turned around and began to run. Hart began to realise that his son might have been serious.
"You stay!" he ordered but Shorty only picked up speed. "YOU STAY!!!" he roared furiously.
Shorty kept running. He knew that his dad wouldn't let him go. He knew that he had to run away as fast as his legs would carry him. His dad considered him and his brothers as something that belonged to him. Seemingly, his dad not only considered him his possession but also these young children of the female. He had to warn them...
With a frown, Shorty realised that his father was following him and quickly gaining on him. His cumbersomeness was by far outmached by the sheer distance he could cover  with every step as opposed to Shorty's advantage in velocity that was greatly reduced by the shortness of his legs. The little Longneck panicked when he realised that he wouldn't escape his creator.
A scream was uttered when Hart had come in reach. The look on his face was murderous and intimidating. Shorty knew what his father was going to do with him. The punishment for disobeying let alone openly resisting his orders was beating. Shorty had been beaten before but he had never been guilty in such a tremendous way. When his father's strong neck punched him, forcefully making him lose his footing, Shorty knew he had lost. He trembled over and rolled over the rocky ground head over heels. The following series of painful tail whips hurt Shorty severely. The last thing he saw before everything went dark was the tail of his father coming down to crush his bones...

Shorty shivered when he was painfully reminded of perhaps the most painful and darkest day of his life. But he hadn't yet reached the point Bron was questioning for...

Shorty woke up in the next morning. He had felt a weak nudge to his cheek. Pain was crashing down on him like a breaking wave. Groaning, he weakly opened his eyes, seeing familiar faces. His brothers and sisters were gathered around him, looking at him in deep concern.
"He woke up..." one of Shorty's siblings mumbled. The attention of the little ones turned to their injured brother.
"Shorty, Shorty! Are you alright?" a vivid girl piped up.
Shorty groaned. "I've been better..."
"We thought you were dead!" she exclaimed. "But now you're fine!" The girl jumped around happily.

Shorty stopped for a moment. Even though he had until recently never regretted his decision to leave, he had always missed his siblings. He was particularly fond of Izzy while he didn't like Ricky who was the only of them who sympathized with their father's philosophy...

"Well, he's severely injured," Ricky pointed out. "If WE hadn't convinced dad of having mercy, he would've been dead!"
"He was gonna try to kill me?" Shorty wondered, his expression taking on a grim note.
"Yes, by the looks of it..." Izzy answered. "He kept beating you even after you were knocked out."
"Well, damn!" Shorty cursed.
"If you ask me, he should have finished you off... disrespecting and yelling at him, disobeying him. You're so dumb!"
It was Ricky speaking and Shorty felt a sudden wave of hatred. He wanted to charge at the minion of his crazy father but his physical state didn't allow him to set his intentions into motion.
"No, you're crazy! Our father is a monster! Why are you supporting him???"
"Because he's fucking right, stupid!" Ricky yelled.
"Boys..." Izzy sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Well, you can do what you want! I'm leaving!" Shorty announced.
"But-but you can't leave, Shorty!" Izzy cried. "Dad's gonna kill you!"
"He's gonna kill me if I stay..." Shorty muttered. "I HAVE to... and I have to warn the female so that he won't take her kids away to turn them into something like-like YOU!" The green Longneck glared at his brother.
"But Shorty..." the girl pleaded desperately.
"You may follow me, Izzy, as well as the others," Shorty explained.
"You can't go now! You're injured!" Izzy cried.
"I might not be able to leave right now..." Shorty admitted as he flinched due to the pain moving his legs caused. "But I will at the first opportunity!" he declared firmly. "Izzy, could you support me for a moment? Wanna check how bad my leg is, y'know?" Shorty requested.
"Of course!" his sister called. She positioned herself next to her brother. Shorty placed his weight on his legs that seemed unhurt, not counting the uncountable amount of bruises, scratches and cuts. He leaned against his sister and tried to place some weight on his injured left front leg. It was swollen so badly that Shorty knew what was expecting him before he had started. Nevertheless, he tried it and jerked in pain, letting himself fall against his sister's flank again. "Owww..." he whined. Shorty was nobody who was whiny so Izzy could tell that her brother's leg was in a really bad condition.
"Do you think it's broken?" the girl asked.
"Don't think so," Shorty replied. "It's my ankle killing me..."
"Is there anything I can do, dear brother?" Izzy questioned.
"Why yes. You know these leaves that are good for bruises and strained ancles?"
The young girl approved.
"Could you and the others find some? I know there isn't much green stuff around but it's worth a try, right?"
"Sure, on it bro!" Izzy exclaimed and ran off cheerfully. Shorty's other siblings joined her, though not as readily as Izzy.
"I'm not gonna help you..." Ricky declared, snarling. "But I'm not gonna tell dad about your suicidal plans either... If you wanna die starving or dying of thirst out there, that's your problem. None of my business, ya know?" With that, Ricky walked away, leaving Shorty in a thoughtful state.

Up to this day, Shorty didn't know how he had been able to survive for a couple of months until Bron had found him - thin but healthy. Even more so, he was amazed that the hatchlings had survived as well - all eight of them. It was already very tricky to sustain oneself in the Mysterious Beyond but making sure that eight mouths were filled in addition was a task that a young kid like Shorty was very unlikely to master. Though kids could get along with less food which was, however, often too high in the trees to be reached. "But I did!" Shorty thought somewhat proudly. "Nobody has ever shown some gratitude for this. Cho and the others owe their lives to me... I saved them from my dad!"
Shorty caught himself in the same old battle he was fighting for years already. Some part of his mind - the part he had recently learned to fear, told him not to let them get away with such a lack of respect and appreciation but another part of his mind - the part he was seldom using, told him to accept that. The kids couldn't remember what had happened for they were just too young so how were they supposed to respect him for something they had no memory of?
"I wouldn't believe it myself..." Shorty admitted grudgingly. His philosophy was about to be proven false. What some serious thinking could change...
Shorty started to revel in his memories of the following two days. They were dominated by the sisterly love and care Izzy had been showing towards him...

"Even though she knew that I was going to leave as soon as I could walk on my own, the little girl has sacrificed herself to help me, her dear brother, get well quickly." Shorty was convinced that her care had allowed him to perform the betrayal of his dad which had saved several lifes. The true hero was his sister. Shorty extremely wondered what had become of her. Was she still with his dad or did she follow his example and ran away? Was she even among the living? The last question Shorty could never answer unless he found either her corpse or her living form. "My sister might've been carefree and playful but she's strong if she has to!" Of that, Shorty was convinced. In a witty way, he considered that he would have probably developed a crush on her weren't she his sister. Her personality appealed to him, even more than Ali's he had to admit.
Shorty might have saved quite a few lives but there was one he couldn't save...

"Izzy, you HAVE to help me NOW!" Shorty pleaded. "Dad's gonna take the kids TONIGHT!!!"
It was evening, two days since Shorty had been struck down by his creator. His ankle hurt like crazy but he could already walk around a little if he left the injured leg in the air, only walking three-legged. It was very difficult to walk like that and he couldn't do it for more than a few moments before his muscles tired up. As long as his sister supported him, he could put some weight on his injured leg but he wasn't able to do it on his own.
"But Shorty! We have a long walk ahead of us and I'm not sure if you can do this," Izzy objected.
"I can't allow him to take the children of this female!" Shorty replied grimly. "He might be their father but he hasn't done ANYTHING to help her raise them. He's no right to claim them all for himself. Both parents are supposed to take care of their children!"
"Yes, I know Shorty..." Izzy replied quietly. She placed her body to Shorty's right and helped him to get up. Carefully, the two children began to walk. Shorty, at first, didn't put any weight on his bad leg for it hurt pretty badly. Soon, he tried to find the right amount of pressure he could ask of his ankle, amazed to realise that it, in spite of the wicked pain, could have been quite worse. He supposed that he was now capable of moving on his own but he didn't want to find out sooner than he had to - he'd much rather practise using the right amount of weight a little more.
Izzy eventually picked up the conversation again. "You sure know that dad sees females as inferior, as a tool that has one purpose only but no feelings at all."
"That's why I leave! He's so bloody disgusting. Wouldn't you want to search for our mum?" Shorty replied.
"I would but..."
"But what?"
"But-but I-I can't, Shorty!" Izzy stammered. "It's too dangerous! Here we have food and water... for a while. Out there is only wasteland - no water, no food, no shelter and lots of Sharpteeth! I can't leave dad as much as I'd like to... I'm sorry, brother." Izzy's face showed just how big a struggle it was for her to make up her mind. She was pretty depressed.
"Don't be sad, sis," Shorty mumbled. "Maybe it's better if you stay after all. I've got nothing to lose anymore..."
"Well, I'm just not brave enough but you're the bravest L..."
"Psst, quiet!" Shorty hissed abruptly.
For a moment, his sister thought she was being hissed at for she went on Shorty's nerves but then she heard it too. A voice... too familiar.
"No... we're too late!" Shorty grunted in discouragement. He could distinctively make out his father's voice shouting and a female voice retorting.
"We gotta hurry! Come on!" the girl exclaimed hectically.
Shorty didn't need to be told twice. Reacting out of instinct, he began to limp forward. He was instantly greeted by strong pain in his injured leg but he ignored it. He could now walk all alone thanks to a good amount of adrenaline.
Izzy didn't attempt to stop him for she knew that Shorty didn't need her support at that moment. Jogging along Shorty who was fighting back his torment, she listened to the sounds in the distance indicating that a horrible battle had started...

Shorty knew that the next moments in his memory would trouble him but he proceeded anyway...

15 minutes later:

"There's somebody lying on the ground!" Izzy exclaimed in panic and horror.
"No..." Shorty cursed and somehow managed to run the last metres despite his exhaustion and pain. He didn't need to get very close to the scene to realise that his anticipation was true. The female lay on the ground, her neck distorted in an impossible angle. There was no doubt: A broken neck meant immediate death for a Longneck. The mother of the hatchlings had been murdered in cold blood and her children were nowhere to be seen. Shorty had stopped his crazed sprint so abruptly, that his sister almost bumped into him.
"Oh no... Is she?" Izzy couldn't finish her question. There was no need for Shorty to answer anyway since the answer was as obvious as the fact that the Bright Circle would appear in the east after the night was over. The Longneck had been destroyed completely and utterly; nothing could repair the damage that Hart had done...

"It was this very realisation that opened Izzy's eyes..." Shorty thought sadly. He saw the scene in front of him: His sister collapsing to the ground, and he didn't know what to do. Crying had always been a tricky matter for the green boy. His father had taught him that crying was unacceptable. Those who cried were weak. Strong emotions had usually left Shorty unaffected but seeing other dinosaurs cry always got him... except the dinosaur in question was crying due to him terrorising them...

Shorty didn't know what to do. Izzy had curled up into a tight ball, crying her heart out. She didn't know the dead mother but her fate affected the young girl terribly. It was the fact that her father had done this that really crushed her. She knew her dad was really nasty but she didn't know he would kill to achieve his aims. Did he kill her mother as well? "No!" She remembered the argument between her brother and her dad which ended in a catastrophy for the former.
"Izzy, stop crying!" Shorty shouted. Even though he acted rough, Izzy could notice the pleading in his voice. "We can't give up now! We can take the little ones away from him!"
Izzy continued weeping on the floor.
"Izzy!" Shorty's eyes filled with water. "Crying doesn't help! We need to rescue them!"

It was perhaps the only thing his father had taught him that was actually true, Shorty reflected.

He carefully approached his sister and nudged her gently, steadily murmuring into her ear. To his surprise and relief, Izzy calmed down soon.
"B-but how are you g-going to do t-that?" she wondered, her voice still a little shaky.
"I need to do this alone..." Shorty mumbled. "If I get caught, you will live on to make sure these guys are fine... at least."
"What should I do then?" his sister asked.
"Hmm, it would be cool if you could make me a new bandage before I leave... for my ancle."
"I can do that," Izzy replied. "Where are we going to meet again?"
"Hmm," Shorty pondered.
"Here?" Izzy offered for she really didn't know a good location to regroup.
"Alright! Stay hidden and be careful, sis!" Shorty whispered.
"You too, my dear brother!" the girl whispered back. "Promise me that you'll be here..."
"I'll try..." Shorty gave a cheeky grin. "Take care!"
"See you later!"

Shorty recalled that he had never been as nervous as he had been back then...

His life depended on the reaction of the hatchlings and of his own actions. His sister was equally in danger of being discovered. Shorty's dad knew she was taking care of Shorty so he would blame her of allowing him to sneak off. Though he had a plan... It would only work if he made it back alive and unnoticed however.
The tension in his chest reached its climax when the nesting area of his dad came in sight. Shorty and Izzy had spent the last two days at a different place since Shorty didn't want to be close to his dad.
It was an eerie feeling to approach him in the darkness and it was possibly the last time he would see him in one way or another.
As soon as he was close enough to observe, he stopped his limping walk and tried to gather information.
His dad, the massive mountain of flesh in the distance, was snoring loudly. His other three siblings were lying by his side as well as the hatchlings who were huddled up a little distance away. Shorty counted them to make sure that they all had survived. "Only seven? One of them is missing..."
Shorty soon decided to get a little closer to make sure he didn't count wrong. He had hardly set into motion, ignoring the pain as always, when he noticed a faint cry. Somebody was sobbing into the night and Shorty could tell that it came from a different direction than the other little ones. Carefully, he adjusted the direction he was walking to, following the restless thing that was unfortunate not to find its rest tonight. "It's one of the hatchlings..." Shorty deduced but he didn't know where it was. Soon the crying went silent as Shorty slowly approached. Maybe the little Longneck had heard him, deciding that it was better to be on alert and not give away its location too easily. In the darkness of the night, Shorty couldn't see much so he had to rely on his remaining senses. The little one appeared to be aware of that.
Shorty might have been surprised by the possibility, weren't it for another surprise that made him jerk. Right in front of the boy, lied a little Longneck black as the night. The only thing that had caused him to notice it prior to walking and bumping right into it were the green eyes that seemed to reflect every little bit of light that happened to enter them. They were staring at him, questioning, frightened and sad.

It was one of very few moments in Shorty's life that had saved him. If he had tripped over the young Longneck, then the panicked scream of it would have alerted his dad and he might have taken additional damage to his injured ankle. "Or worse..."

After Shorty had recovered from the shock, he spoke up softly. "Don't worry, little one. I don't mean you any harm." He tried to smile.
The little Longneck didn't run away or started crying so Shorty continued. "Why aren't you with your siblings... and why were you crying?"
The hatchling began to sob again.
"Where's your mother by the way," Shorty questioned.
At that question, the young one erupted in tears, weeping against Shorty's right, unhurt leg.
"She's gone, isn't she?" Shorty asked softly. He felt her head moving up and down and heard her crying growing in intensity. "And the big guy over there did it, right?"
The hatchling broke down, wailing. It was the second time that day that he had to endure somebody crying in depression. Like previously, his aim was to stop the dinosaur in question's weeping. He sought for a way to do that.
"Hey, it's alright," Shorty managed to whisper into the little one's ears, nuzzling her. He didn't like doing what he was doing but he utterly needed its full trust. That and he also needed her to calm lest she woke up his dad.
"This tall Longneck who took you and your siblings is an evil monster," the boy explained. "Look what he's done to me... I've been beaten and nearly been killed."
The attention of the young one shifted to Shorty's poor form. It could only guess the immense force the kind Longneck comforting her after its mother had been killed had had to stand. The trust it had in Shorty grew quickly.
"Do you wanna come along?" Shorty mumbled softly. "You and your siblings may follow me. I'm gonna run away from that monster, trying to find my mother."
Shorty noticed that the little one had reduced her crying to sobbing; she was looking up to him. Shorty didn't know its gender yet but her quiet, high-pitched cries and sobs indicated that she was a girl.
"Come along, you won't regret it," Shorty promised, donating the little one a warm smile.
She pondered about it for some moments then nodded shyly. The tears in her face were old – left-overs from crying earlier.
A huge weight was removed from Shorty's chest when the little one agreed. It made him so emotional that he nuzzled her much longer than he planned to, the hatchling returning the favor by licking his cheek happily.
"Now go get your siblings but be quiet and careful," Shorty told her. "Ya don't wanna wake him up after all..."
The girl nodded her approval and began walking in the direction of her siblings.
"I'll wait for you here," the green boy added before the hatchling walked away.

"So that's how I met Cho..." Shorty mused. It was impossible to believe how badly Shorty had treated her all over the years, when he only looked at that scene. But that wasn't important. Not now...

Eventually, Cho indeed returned to Shorty, bringing along all seven little ones.
Shorty explained them everything. Not all of them accepted his offer as readily as the dark-coloured girl, whose pleading gestures towards her siblings were a notable help, but soon they all were ready to follow him.
Shorty was amazed that his plan had worked out so extremely well but he always kept in mind that it wasn't over yet - he might have been able to take the children not with force but with patience and his good will but he had yet to ensure that he stayed the supervisor of them; a task not easy to master for a kid.
"By the way, my name's Shorty!" he called, having forgotten to tell them previously. "What're your names?"
None of them appeared to be old enough to talk, thus he wasn't too surprised that nobody was voicing up. Only the dark-coloured girl seemed to be in a thoughtful state. "Well, no problem... now let's run away as fast as our legs carry us! I know you'd much rather sleep now but we need to get away or that monster is gonna find us in the morning. At least, we need a hideout!"
Shorty could tell that the little ones were reluctant but they could see why Shorty was urging them on, notably the girl...

Izzy was hiding in a forest near the dead female's body. Nervously, she cast a look to the direction Shorty had walked to, her ears so eager to serve her that she'd hear every twig snap. She had long found and gathered the leaves that would help heal the injury of her brother, waiting for a sign of life.
After she had waited for a long time, fear making her feel creepy, worry nagging on her, the girl heard somebody hissing, approaching. Tension and excitement popped up in her. Was it Shorty returning whether successful or not or her dad coming to punish her? She was on alert, awaiting either possibility although she couldn't be prepared.

Shorty entered the area he wanted to regroup with his sister. He observed his surroundings.
"Hmm, she's probably hiding somewhere... smart my sister, smart," Shorty thought. He sharpened his ears and softly hissed. "Psst, quiet now, okay?"
The little ones obeyed. Shorty had explained them that he had to say good bye to his own sister who couldn't join him.
"Izzy? It's me... I've got them," he called into the silence of the night quietly.
Suddenly, something began to run at a fast pace right towards him. At first, Shorty was a little concerned about somebody else than his dear sister leaving its hideout but then he saw her, a happy, excited grin on her face and the leaves on her back.
"Shorty!" she exclaimed in joyful laughter. For a moment she seemed to tackle her brother to the ground but then she reduced her speed and gently clinged to her brother's body.
"I'm SO happy you're fine!" she cried.
"Me too," Shorty agreed.
"Here, the leaves..." the girl mentioned. She gently removed the old bandage and began to create a new one. "Try not to remove it until it's fully healed," she advised.
"Don't worry, I won't," Shorty replied.
There was a moment of silence.
"Well..." Shorty broke the silence. "Guess I gotta go now, Izzy. Do you know a place we can hide at?"
"No, I don't know such a place, sorry..." Izzy answered. "Maybe you'll find a place to hide in the rocks to the north?"
"Worth a try..." Shorty muttered. "I can't make them walk all night and day and they're not too far away... if we hurry we'll be there at dawn."
"I also think that you should keep walking north," Izzy mentioned. "It's colder there so chances are that there's food and water. Dad never lead us to the north, only westwards. What does he think is going to change?"
"Well, it can't get worse, can it?" Shorty mused.
"Don't say things like that or they turn true," Izzy spoke wisely.
"Yeah..." Shorty sighed. "Anyway, we gotta go now..." Shorty's expression turned to depression.
"I know..." Izzy was looking down at the ground.
"We'll meet again, my sister," Shorty said assuringly when he noticed the tears in her eyes.
"One way or another..." she sobbed.
Shorty allowed her to snuggle with him for a few seconds, looked into her watery eyes, nodded towards her... and turned around, walking away. He knew that he had to stay strong to lead the young ones. Prolonging the time to say good bye, would have made him cry.
Shorty gestured towards the hatchlings to follow him. Fast but in a pace they could keep, he walked away towards the rocks up north. He didn't look back...


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I've written almost all of this during my stay in Croatia (and since then only one more chapter was written ) I'm very interested in getting to know how you perceived this flashback. I'm very pleased with the outcome so I hope you have enjoyed it!

The next chapter (not sure when I can upload it - might take a while...) will be centered on Ali/Littlefoot again. A new conflict will be introduced that might have a serious impact on the story (not quite sure about that myself )

[Nahla]

Oh wow,poor Shorty.

Very very nice chapter,I like the funny chapters but where there are too many and not many serious ones..not so much,unless the fic is meant to be a comedy..then it would make sense for the chapters to be funny.

Nice to know the serious chapters are making a return.

Poor poor,Shorty..that flashback part reminds me of something...can't put my finger on it though...

Hart also reminds me of an OC I used to have...are he and Hades brothers or something? That would not surprise me at all   both are jerks,treats females like dirt,terrible fathers,and yet still have a son who obeys them

Shorty..nice? Wow,shocker,but glad to know he isn't a total douche.

And we finally now how Shorty met little Cho,but why does he treat her so badly now? Because she now reminds him of those events?

Also I noticed you keep saying 'ancle',I belive you mean 'ankle' you could use ancle but for people places ancle means something very different.

Good job

[Ducky123]

Wow, thanks for the review, Nahla!

Very very nice chapter,I like the funny chapters but where there are too many and not many serious ones..not so much,unless the fic is meant to be a comedy..then it would make sense for the chapters to be funny.

Nice to know the serious chapters are making a return.

Yeah, it's a story meant to be serious but there are also these inbetween scenes where I can put some comedy I try not to let one of these two sorts take over and maintain a good balance. Though you can't always do that depending on the situation in your fic. Atm there's not a lot of conflict in my story but be assured that WILL change... one day if I ever get around to continue working on it

Poor poor,Shorty..that flashback part reminds me of something...can't put my finger on it though...

I know what you mean...

Hart also reminds me of an OC I used to have...are he and Hades brothers or something? That would not surprise me at all dino_laugh.gif both are jerks,treats females like dirt,terrible fathers,and yet still have a son who obeys them

I know, there are similar character traits but be assured I didn't steal your precious Hades  

Shorty..nice? Wow,shocker,but glad to know he isn't a total douche.

Yeah, at first I made him a total jerk but now more details about him are being revealed which might change the perception the reader has of him... and Shorty's fellow dinosaurs of course

And we finally now how Shorty met little Cho,but why does he treat her so badly now? Because she now reminds him of those events?

I won't comment on that for now. It's all gonna be revealed one day

Also I noticed you keep saying 'ancle',I belive you mean 'ankle' you could use ancle but for people places ancle means something very different.

Hmm, guess you're right   Like I said, it wasn't proofread yet (well, of course I DID proofread it but that's no guarantee for it being free of mistakes ) because my proofreader is just as busy as I am...

Glad you enjoyed the chapter, Nahla!  

[rhombus]

Wow.  This chapter is absolutely breathtaking in the shear tragicness of Shorty's experience.  His father represents a malignant and sociopathic character that views women as weak pawns to be used for pleasure and the creation of offspring, nothing more.  Sadly, his propensity of taking multiple mates (and killing their previous suitors) is probably closer to reality for sauropods than the monogamous condition displayed in the LBT universe.  With such a beast of a father it is no wonder why Shorty had no possible male role models until Bron came along.

Likewise, we now have some detail on where Cho came from.  It will be interesting to see why Shorty began to mistreat her.  Somehow I suspect that he is relieving his own inner demons in the only way that he was shown, by taking it out on another being.  I look forward to seeing what happens between Shorty and Cho and likewise it will be interesting to see if Shorty's sister ever makes an appearance in the story again.  It seems that in leaving his siblings Shorty lost some deep part of his psyche.  Now he will have to struggle to gain that back.

This was an excellent addition that makes the reader really feel for Shorty and lament that he has changed from his past self.  It makes you wonder what horrors he must have seen in order to change him for the worse.  I eagerly await the next installment.  

Just a few typos:

Shorty and his siblings were spectating the scene:

Observing would be a better word than spectating.  Though technically a word, spectating is often considered an odd word choice.

The last thing he saw before his eye light turned off was the tail of his father coming down to crush his bones...

Perhaps instead of "his eye turned off" you could put "everything went black" or "darkness overtook him".  These word choices would convey the horror of the scene more effectively.

His father had taught him that crying was inacceptable.

Unacceptable, not inacceptable.

[Ducky123]

Thanks for the review, rhombus

Wow. This chapter is absolutely breathtaking in the shear tragicness of Shorty's experience.

I'm glad you see it this way That's what I meant to get across...

His father represents a malignant and sociopathic character that views women as weak pawns to be used for pleasure and the creation of offspring, nothing more. Sadly, his propensity of taking multiple mates (and killing their previous suitors) is probably closer to reality for sauropods than the monogamous condition displayed in the LBT universe. With such a beast of a father it is no wonder why Shorty had no possible male role models until Bron came along.

Yes, you're completely right about his father. His view on females is... not exactly a good role model to say the least...

Likewise, we now have some detail on where Cho came from.

Yep, that's a big surprise, isn't it?

It will be interesting to see why Shorty began to mistreat her. Somehow I suspect that he is relieving his own inner demons in the only way that he was shown, by taking it out on another being.

Yep, that'll be interesting  

I look forward to seeing what happens between Shorty and Cho and likewise it will be interesting to see if Shorty's sister ever makes an appearance in the story again. It seems that in leaving his siblings Shorty lost some deep part of his psyche. Now he will have to struggle to gain that back.

Good question, good question... Well, it has been mentioned what happened to his siblings in an earlier chapter

This was an excellent addition that makes the reader really feel for Shorty and lament that he has changed from his past self. It makes you wonder what horrors he must have seen in order to change him for the worse. I eagerly await the next installment. in-yes.gif

Yeah, exactly. I'm glad I made you feel that way   Hope you're going to enjoy the next chapter as well ^^ Also thanks for the corrections

[Ducky123]

Geez! Sorry for the long wait guys   This is actually the last chapter I have at the moment. I'll get back into writing soonish however so I should at least be able to write another 2 or 3 chapters before school will torture me again...

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

Chapter 38:

Ali's concern for Littlefoot grew with every moment her friend didn't respond. "Littlefoot?!" she exclaimed inquiringly. But then she noticed the cheeky grin on his face. "Stop acting like I flattened you!"
"You did..." Littlefoot groaned, maintaining his grin nevertheless. With some difficulty, he rose to his feet again. "How the heck did you get up there anyway?" the young Longneck then questioned.
"Hehe, you could've searched for hours..." Ali snickered. "The fallen tree trunk was hollow..."
"Well, I gotta admit it was a great place to hide," Littlefoot applauded. "Only... what stupid intuition told you to place your full weight on a rotten piece of wood? Why didn't you stay hidden in your tree?" There was true concern in Littlefoot's words. "You could have got seriously hurt, Ali!"
"Yes, Mum!" Ali responded in a witty way to the almost accusatory words of her friend.
"I'm serious!" Littlefoot stressed. "You've been in danger a little too often lately or am I wrong, Ali?"
"Well, maaaaybe. Let's just have fun!" Ali called happily.
"Next time there might not be someone to catch you when you fall, Ali. You shouldn't be so carefree!"
"Gee, he must be really worried about me..." Ali mused. "Which means he must like me very much!" The thought only increased her level of happiness. She had played a great game and her crush not only saved her but also seemed to hold her dear. A gurgling in her tummy interrupted her thoughts.
"Yes, I know, Littlefoot..." Ali replied a little meekly. "I just want to have fun while there is somebody to share the fun with, you know?"
Littlefoot knew this feeling too well to argue with Ali's logic, nodding.
"You can't imagine how boring it was these past times! All the bloody time I had to stay serious and to behave like a good lady. It feels so good to be free!"
"Still no reason to risk your life, silly," Littlefoot pointed out but he was twinkling at her. "Or else your so called freedom will be of short sorts. After all, this is now the second accident that involves you falling off high places within two days..." Littlefoot poked out his tongue.
"Well, it was silly..." Ali admitted. "I hope my silliness didn't hurt you..." At that point, Ali realised that she hadn't thanked Littlefoot for his bravery. "Thanks for softening my fall anyway. I'll forever be grateful!" A shy smile appeared on her face. The pink Longneck walked a few steps towards her friend, her smile growing brighter with the distance between the two rapidly shrinking away. Before Littlefoot could analyse this behavior, he was caught off-guard when the girl moved her tongue across his cheek and then cuddled her head against his neck, leaving Littlefoot perplexed. "Thank you!" Ali whispered sweetly. "You're very brave..."
Littlefoot was totally flabbergasted. Ali's emotional reaction surprised the young Longneck. How should he react to the obvious affection his friend was showing towards him? What should he say in response? Was he even ready for this kind of thing? Littlefoot liked Ali more than he'd like to admit in company of his friends or members of his family but did he like her as much as Ali implied to like him? He enjoyed the affection of the girl but he also felt very awkward about it and he couldn't really explain to himself why that was...
"Uhh, well... why you're welcome..." he managed to stammer while rudimentarily returning the cuddling of Ali who didn't seem to be willing to let go of him. "I-I didn't save you because I wanted to by the way..." he mentioned with a funny feeling. "Sure, I'm brave and I would've tried to catch you but I just happened to stand right underneath you. It was pure coincidence that I caught you, Ali. I didn't even notice you until you crashed into me..."
Ali didn't appear to be very impressed by this. "It was still cool..." she mumbled dreamily.
"Boy, she's like one of these sticky plants that won't let go of you if you touch them..." Littlefoot mused. Luckily for him, his belly roared furiously at that moment, causing the girl to pull her neck away from his.
"You too?" Ali chuckled. "Well..." her stomach made funny sounds. "These tree sweets make my inside bubble like hot water..."
"Mine feels like a Smoking Mountain which is about to explode... if you know what I mean..." Littlefoot explained, the pressure in his stomach steadily increasing.
"Hehe, mine already exploded when I was hiding..." Ali mentioned, giggling.
"Ah, so that's why you came out..." Littlefoot realised in amusement.
"Got too stinky in there, yeah..." Ali confirmed. The situation had completely changed in the matter of a couple moments. Ali's little romance was already forgotten.
"Gee, and I thought girls' farts don't stink..." Littlefoot mused more to himself than to Ali.
"Allow me to prove you wrong!" Ali called with a smirk. Before Littlefoot could react to that, she turned her rear part in his direction and released the leftover of her digestion with a swooshing sound.
While preparing for the cloud of gas to reach his nose, Littlefoot was preparing his very own surprise.
"Alright, not bad," he announced eventually. "A silent but not deadly... Watch, listen, smell and learn!"
Now it was Littlefoot's turn. He turned his behind towards Ali and...
*faaaaaaaaaaart*
released the pressure soundly, it lasting for several seconds. Ali took on a disgusted expression.
"That's an actual boy's fart, my friend!" he exclaimed while the gas reached both of their noses.
"Whoa! Are you going to kill me?" Ali laughed.
"No, though it's my turn to hide now. That's if you wanna continue playing..."
"Sure I do!" Ali exclaimed. "I'll find you!"
"We'll see..." Littlefoot said with a smirk.

Up to this day, Shorty would sometimes dream about that tear-jerking moment in his life. Not only in his dreams he could hear her desperate cries, her grief-stricken wails, her unceasing sobbing. The memory of every dinosaur saved pictures; it saved conversations, smells, odors and the way certain things feel like when being touched. On top of all that, it sometimes saved  sounds as well. The mourning of Izzy was engraved into Shorty's mind forever.

No matter how far he walked, Shorty could still hear his sister crying over the loss of her dear brother. It was dawn when her crying finally stopped. Moments later he arrived at the formation of rocks. There wasn't an explicit hideout but Hart wouldn't see them there. Shorty decided to do the watch duty despite his tiredness. The pain in his leg had increased yet he climbed up the rocks until he found a sheltered spot where the hatchlings could sleep. Then he went some distance away to a stone arch from where he could watch both the hatchlings and the desert that separated the sort of oasis that used to be his temporary home from him. It was only then when he finally allowed himself to cry...

Shorty had reached the point where his memories became very wary. Besides, there was nothing interesting to remember as soon as it became apparent that they had escaped against all odds.
Bron had asked him a question that he had to answer. But the boy wasn't so sure if he should tell Bron the truth since he had a bad, funny feeling about it. Cho had never revealed anything, nor had Shorty. "Well, I told 'em I found 'em all alone..." Shorty remembered. Should he tell Bron what he had told him before? Should he tell the truth?

A few minutes later:

Littlefoot relaxed in his hideout - a swamp-like spot surrounded by some high grass that wouldn't let him peek out to see what's going on... and, consequently, wouldn't allow anybody to peek in. Since he had nothing to do but to wait and listen to sounds, he tried to fathom Ali's odd behavior earlier. He had already figured out that Ali was really fond of him. "She must've developed quite a crush on me I guess..." Littlefoot mused. He had to admit that he was quite fond of the vivid girl himself. However, her odd behavior earlier concerned him a little. "Looks like she wants me to be her boyfriend b-but... do I really wanna?" the young Longneck wondered. The image of Ali and him kissing gave him a creepy feeling that he couldn't quite explain. Some part of him would love that to happen while the other part was uneasy about it. "I don't understand!" he cursed to himself. Why was love such a difficult subject in contrast to things like friendship or family? "Why don't I want it? It'd be so cool to have Ali as a girlfriend... but somehow I don't think it's the right thing... Well, maybe I'm just not ready to get so close with her? Maybe I should ask my grandparents for advice on that matter?"
That sounded like good advice to the young Longneck. After all, he had never talked about love and everything related to that subject with them. Maybe the time had now come that such a talk was due?
A crack alerted him - someone was approaching, snapping twigs as they did so...

After Ali had performed walking around an old tree twenty times with her eyes closed, she had opened her eyes and tried to follow Littlefoot. Since she could still hear, Ali knew about where Littlefoot went off to, following the foot prints of her friend which she soon discovered in the soft, muddy ground.
Pondering about the short moment of fondness between the two young souls, as she was tracking down the very Longneck, Ali tried to reflect upon it. To an uninvolved observer, who happened to have witnessed the scene Ali's thought's were just circling around, it would have been absolutely obvious how Ali perceived it. "It was amazing!!!" The girl got pretty cheerful as she let the scene happen again in front of her inner eye while her actual eyes were checking Littlefoot's footprints and her surroundings. She'd occasionally stop to check a dubious object like a bush or a hollow tree trunk, keeping her pace low. There was no need to hurry whatsoever - as long as she performed her role in this game with great care and exactness, she'd find the hider without a problem.
"I wish the huddling had lasted longer..." Ali didn't know much about the matter of love, except for two things: It could be the most wonderful yet also the cruelest feeling and it was bloody difficult to do things right, to make the best decision. At least her mother told her these facts about one of the predominating things in life. Whether or not they held as much truth as she believed, she would have to find out herself.
Like her mother had once told her, the subject of love was nothing one could study - it was something to be felt and discovered individually. Nonetheless, some basic education was necessary for children to be prepared. Ali wasn't given the delightful "talk" yet but, knowing her mother's protectiveness, which not seldomly got on the young Longneck's nerves, she assumed she was due to hear it very soon.
If there was one thing about love she had already learned by herself, it was that her mother was right in one aspect: "Why does love have to be so extremely tricky?!" There were numerous examples, Ali trying to name a few.
"If only I knew what Littlefoot really thinks about me... or what feelings he actually has towards me? Does he love me too? Does he know what I feel towards him?" All these questions, all these uncertainties complicated things. Ali couldn't know what was the proper approach. "Should I have huddled with Littlefoot longer? Should I have looked him into the eyes? Or even kissed him on the cheek? But what if he doesn't like me as a girlfriend? Maybe he'd keep more distance to me or even avoid me if I went too far? But how can I show him that I love him without doing it too obviously? What should I do?!"
Ali didn't use a strategy to approach this problem. Until now, she had always listened to her romance-stricken heart but maybe she had to act more calculating and biding? Sighing and peeking into a bush with nobody in it, Ali moved onward to another problem related to love.
"What if I desire somebody but somebody else desires me?" Ali was caught in this very situation, Shorty taking interest in her and she in Littlefoot. If Littlefoot didn't return the romantic feelings Ali had for him, that would create an even worse conflict. If that were the case - Ali hoped it wasn’t, then she'd either have to approach Shorty, insist on loving Littlefoot or just have an unromantic friendship with both... if it lasted anyway.
"Stupid love!" Ali cursed into the blue sky quietly. The issues being in love with somebody brought annoyed the girl.
Of course there were some other issues but Ali's attention turned to the game of Hide and Seek when she stepped on a twig, snapping it loudly...

"How 'bout this place?" Kenneth asked his companion. Sue inspected the small pond critically. Kenneth (or, as he pleaded to be called, Ken) had lead her through the valley, woods, rivers, meadows and crowds of Longnecks alike - too many Longnecks for the quiet and gigantic Ken who prefered a one-individual head... or at least one with very few members.
Sue gave an approving nod combined with a smile. Unlike most of the other plenty watering holes and rivers which were crowded, only two elderly Longnecks, who quickly went their way with a knowing smile when they noticed the two young grown-ups, took a drink there.
"Why it looks... nice," Sue replied shyly.
Kenneth gestured towards the water. "My pleasure. Least I can offer a lady like you," he spoke coolly.
Sue felt like a young girl when she slowly walked the last few steps to the edge of the small pond, excited and shining bright like the Bright Circle. She couldn't believe it: She had just met the coolest, tallest and most awesome man she had ever dreamed of and he fullfilled all the criteria of her dreamed-of husband. His neck was so long and strong and his eyes...
Sue had some difficulty drinking since watching Ken drink was so enticing - even as he bent down his neck to the water he would still tower over smaller kinds of longnecked dinosaurs.
The cool water sent a chill down her spine though that was nothing compared to the chill that Kenneth's next words caused running across her whole body.
"I like you," Kenneth stated matter-of-factly, dropping the mysterious and trivial tone of his voice for once.
Sue's heart jumped around jollily in her chest. "He likes me? HE LIKES ME!" she thought jubilantly, now inhaling his words.
"Never really thought I'd find somebody I feel comfortable around... thought I'm jus' too big, shy and simply too much of a loner to open myself, y'know. Sue." He spoke her name sweetly and peeked into the female's sapphire-like eyes.
Sue felt a funny sensation when Ken spoke her name. "Didn't know such a tough guy can be so darling?" her mind tweeted.
"You-you... you really... err..." Sue stammered unintelligibly. The words just didn't come out right.
"Shhh," Kenneth hissed softly. "No need to be nervous, dear. Yes, I confess I like you. There, it's out."
Somehow, Kenneth's words indeed calmed her nerves and, specifically, her lyrical excitement. Now the words flowed a little better. "Why, I-I like you too. You're the most handsome Longneck I've ever had the pleasure to get to know!"
"And yer're the first soul enlight'nin' my heart, young lady," Kenneth countered with mischievous laughter.
"Aww, and you're so tall and strong. No Sharptooth would dare attack us two!"
"Nah. Ain't a great fighter. Never really had to, y'know?" The two exchanged some chuckles, Sue chuckling a little heartier.
"Finally somebody who is taller than me..." Sue exclaimed and sighed at the same time.
"Finally somebody not lookin' like my adolescent daughter," Kenneth mused with a grin.
Sue laughed at this. She was already a giant compared to most of her kind as it was but Ken in lack of another word a titan. "Must be an alien feeling. Heck, it IS!" Then an idea came to the female's mind. "C-can I touch your neck, Ken?" It was a risk asking for such a thing but Sue took it anyway.
Ken's response was a mixture of a chuckle, surprise and amusement. He just nodded.
Sue's level of excitement rose to dangerous heights when she, smiling ever so brightly, fulfilled her wish.
"Y'know, I never really thought 'bout love," the male began, when Sue rested her head against his muscular neck. "Really regret it now for I know nothin' about it."
"Mind me helping you out?" Sue offered warmly.
"Eeyup," Kenneth agreed.

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Ehh, this chapter is quite focussing on love I guess... and farts... just a little I just want to portrait the randomness and happiness of the two young Longnecks. They haven't seen each other so I think it's interesting to see them finally having some fun together again. There wasn't much space in LBT 4 for that, not to mention "The Brave Longneck Scheme"... Even though it might not be the most interesting kind of plot I still think it's right to include these scenes to the story. The real tension will eventually build up again. So please excuse my somewhat random scenes. I'm trying to bring you some humour before the dark stuff happens (which shall not be a spoiler   )

Well, I can't really give you a short hint as for what the next chapter will be about since I've only written some bits and pieces of it yet. Be sure of one thing: It'll be about Littlefoot and Ali mostly