I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
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His muscles ached. His heart pounded in his chest. And Strut the Struthiomimus was tired. Tired, not just from a long and grueling day, but also from the antics of his brother, Ozzy. Ozzy liked eggs, three times a day, at least, as he often stated, sometimes even in song. He, on the other hand, could eat eggs, but preferred green food. Much easier to get, especially in a valley with a reputation for its large supply of green food. But no, Ozzy wanted eggs and, by the Bright Circle, he was going to get his eggs, one way or another! And not only did he not give up on his eggs, but he wouldn't let Strut any green, either. "Green food is beneath an Egg Stealer! You were born an Egg Stealer, not a weed whacker, so act like one!"
"But Ozzy, I can eat green food too, and there's plenty here. I could just have one little---" he had begun to argue.
"No, I will make you an Egg Stealer, one way or another! I know you like eggs."
"That I do, but the occupational hazard of getting them from a nest is---"
"A necessary evil!"
"But Ozzy, I think that---"
"And you won't be mooching off my eggs! And I won't let you eat green! Perhaps hunger will motivate you to up your game!"
He was now quite hungry, having eaten nothing all day or even the previous day. Ozzy's obsession with eggs was incredible. He'd been two days without food before, due to his brother's obsession, for what better word was adequate, save, perhaps, addiction, which wouldn't be far off, in truth, with eggs. Now it was going on day three, for they had last eaten eggs in the afternoon before they'd come to the Great Valley. That was 72 hours ago. And his stomach was growling like an irate Sharptooth by this point.
"Ozzy, please! We've failed to steal an egg yesterday afternoon, we failed last night, you ate the only one we got this morning, and we failed this afternoon! I'm starving! And that's not all! We went after those kids and jumped off a cliff when we saw the shadow of their Sharptooth friend!"
"Sharptooth don't have friends, you idiot!"
"I think he is their friend."
"You clearly don't do much thinking, then! Sharpteeth eat everything that moves and is not green! He probably was following them to try and eat them. They're kids. They're stupid! They probably thought he was their friend. I hope he finds them. Save us the trouble of getting rid of them."
"Getting rid of?! Ozzy, you said that we were just going to scare them away! We were to eat eggs, not kill live hatchlings!"
"You sometimes have to play dirty, Strut! Those kids have gotten in our way twice now! We nearly had them until that Sharptooth showed up and then that smoking mountain began to shoot out fire!"
"Well, we have bigger problems. There are two big Sharpteeth running loose. And they'd think we're an appetizer if they find us! I say we should cut our losses and leave."
"No! You imbecile! I came here to get an egg and by the Bright Circle I'll get one!"
"You already got one this morning!"
"I want more!"
"How many more?"
"This is a big place. We could stay here forever and just keep taking eggs, as long as we don't get caught."
"Staying forever would be nice. But why not take all the green food? That's what the Great Valley is known for."
"Green food is for weed whackers. It's beneath a Struthiomimus!"
"Not when I haven't eaten in three days!"
"We'll get an egg soon. This Sharptooth invasion makes such a great distraction."
"How about I eat eat some leaves and then we can eat all the eggs we want?"
"No! We're getting the eggs! Salads are not on the menu!"
As the two made their way around the Great Valley, heading away from the sounds of the Sharpteeth and the Leaf Eaters finding, they searched for an unguarded nest to raid. Ozzy figured that, with the danger of the t-rexes, that a parent may have joined in the fight, believing that the large predators were the biggest threat to their nest. Up ahead, Ozzy could see a row of nests, and, as he'd hoped, they were all unguarded. However, before he and Strut could reach them, they could hear loud footsteps approaching. The two hid, and just in time, as they saw the Sharpteeth come into sight. They could also see the Longneck and the baby Sharptooth on a log, with nowhere to go.
Stolen story; please report.
"Good, maybe these two will get their just desserts by becoming dessert!" Ozzy cackled.
"Not so loud Ozzy! They might hear us!" Strut whispered nervously. He didn't really want the kids to die. In fact, he rather hoped they'd find a way to get away. But, just as important, he didn't want the Sharpteeth to find a bigger target: them.
To the shock of Ozzy and Strut, the baby Sharptooth made small roarings at the big ones and it somehow convinced the two not to attack the Longneck. Even stranger, the two started to kiss the baby.
"Hey Ozzy, I think they're his parents!" Strut whispered.
"Who cares?" Ozzy snapped indifferently.
The t-rex left with his parents, leaving the Longneck all alone. "Well, the Flathead is still here. And I won't have him getting in the way this time!"
Ozzy and Sturt pounced on him. "You want me to tie him up so he's safe and out of the way?" Strut asked.
"No! He's going to pay for getting in our way! I think we should drop him off the Great Wall. With luck, those Sharpteeth were stop and spot the body and nobody will ever know what happened to him."
Strut was aghast. "Ozzy, we have him here and can subdue him! This is murder you're talking about! And he's just a kid!"
"You want to get no food again?"
"I said we can tie him up. Then we can take all the eggs."
"I'll be having the eggs, don't worry! But first we're going to be making a splatted omelet on the ground with this fellow."
"Don't do it! Let me go!" Littlefoot cried.
Strut continued to show hesitancy. "Come on, stupid, help me out!" Ozzy snapped, whacking Strut in the head with his tail.
Something finally snapped in Strut, after long years of abuse. "No!" He released his grip on LIttefoot.
"Why you treacherous good-for-nothing, lame-brained, leaf-munching, constantly whining, sorry excuse for a brother! I don't care what Mom and Dad said about watching over you! They're no longer around! And I'm going to be rid of you for good!" Ozzy was in such a rage, irate that Strut would dare defy him. He backed his own brother toward the edge of the Great Wall. "If I have to kill you first to get my revenge, then I will!"
Before Ozzy could push him over the edge, however, a rock whacked him in the head. The two turned to see Littlefoot, glaring angrily at Ozzy. "Leave him alone!" he shouted, anger in his eyes. Though he had been upset with Strut earlier for all the trouble he'd caused him and his friends, it was clear to him now that Strut, unlike his brother, at least had a conscience.
"So, you want to go first, bossy weed whacker? Fine!" He kicked the Longneck in the face, knocking him over. "I don't need to toss you over the wall to get the job done. Your neck is so long that it's easy to break."
"No, I won't let you!" Strut rammed into his brother. A fight soon ensued, with Strut and Littlefoot fighting Ozzy. They got the upper hand and soon had him cornered against the Great Wall.
"Go on Strut, if you've got the guts, push me over!" Ozzy snapped.
"No, I'm not like you! But never bother me again!" He and Littlefoot turned to go.
"Fools!" Ozzy cackled, deciding to take advantage of their mercy and having their backs turned to attack. He pounced upon them. He placed a leg on each their necks, holding them down. "Guess we have to do this the hard way!"
Before he could kill them from lack of air, he suddenly released his hold on them. This was because of a sudden sharp pain in his tail. He turned to see that baby Chomper had bitten him.
"Ok, fine, you die first then!" He grabbed ahold of the Sharptooth and was about to hurl him over the cliff's edge like a large rock when suddenly he saw something very big lunging at him. He quickly dropped Chomper and moved out of the way as Chomper's father lunged at him. And, to make matters worse, for Ozzy, the mother was nearby too. He bolted, fleeing into the Mysterious Beyond with the two t-rexes pursuing him.
"Thank you," Littlefoot said to Strut.
"I just wanted green food. It was Ozzy's idea to get eggs."
"I'll see what I can do about allowing you to stay."
RAAAHH! Baby Chomper roared.
"I think it best if you go with your mommy and daddy. Hopefully we can meet again someday," Littlefoot said, a tear in his eye.
Baby Chomper hugged him before departing, running after his parents.
"So, you really are friends with that Sharptooth. You weren't lying," Strut gasped.
"Yep. We're friends."
A short time later, the adults met up with Littlefoot.
"Well, looks like you found one of the egg nappers you talked about," Mr. Threehorn said.
"He wasn't the instigator. That was his brother. From what he told me, his brother dragged him along. He actually just saved me from his brother. All he wants is to stay and eat green food."
"Forget it, he's an egg stealer and he'll---!" Mr. Threehorn began to argue.
"Well, if you're sure he's safe, then he can stay," Grandma Longneck said.
"What, you can't be serious!" Mr. Threehorn gasped.
"I trust Littlefoot's judgement," Grandpa Longneck said.
And so, Strut got to live in the Great Valley and eat all the green food he wanted; Ozzy was never seen or heard from again.