Ruby's Inheritance

Chapter One

 Ruby hated grazing,but she was nice enoughto not complain about it.Her old mother told her that it made Ruby the spunky rhino she was,but she didn't think that hunching over and eating grass all day when you could be running through straw dummies really was that useful.But the day that she accused the giraffe tribe of stealing the rhino tribe's rightful grazing grounds was the day she was scouting for better grounds to graze on,as her mother expected her to do.She had inherited the leadership of the tribe from her mother,but if being chief meant grazing all day like a nobody,she wanted to just be deputy chief.That fateful day,she saw Edmund,the giraffe chief,bending down to eat grass right smack where the rhinos usually grazed."What are you doing?!?"she yelled at Edmund."That's our turf!"He didn't respond.Even now,she was nice enough only to ignore him,which didn't do her any good.She tromped  back to camp.As her mother ran to greet her,she ran right past her,making her mother yell at her,but she didn't care.She needed to contact the elders.

Chapter Two

 The pot-bellied rhinos decorated with jewels and bird feathers waited for her on benches in the council's hut,drinking wine imported from Greece.They joked about Moko and Apophis,which was very disrespectful,but she quieted them with a shout.They gathered around the round table(was it a table or a lean-to?),and waited for her directions."Elders of the rhino tribe,I have seen a giraffe intrude on our grounds,and he is Edmund!This is a violation of the code!And I thought that the crocodiles were bad,eating our children!"The elders started roaring angrily,but Ruby banged her chin against the table,making it sway."Silence!"The elders stopped throwing pears and zebra pelts."We shall accuse the tribe of stealing our grass,if Edmund was seen grazing.The crocodiles have accused us of stealing their fish when we were only drinking from their stream,which is OUTRAGEOUS!And the giraffes stealing our grass is another OUTRAGEOUS thing!"The morale of the elders was boosted dratastically.They chanted,and she could see the rhino tribe winning an upcoming war with their sharp horns.

Chapter Three

 The brave rhino warriors,clad with armor,natural and artifical,walked up to the Tree Circle,where the giraffe camp was located.Giraffes snacked on leaves there,which Ruby thought were yucky.Oi-yuop!"she shouted,and her warriors took up the chant.The giraffes looked at them,suprised,then yodeled to the other giraffes of an invasion.Soon,giraffes and rhinos stood opposing each other,seperated by a line of tree.The clouds were modeled into a shape of a snake by the winds,which nobody paid attention to."Chaaaaarge!"Ruby shouted,and the rhinos charged angrily.The giraffes dodged,then swung their necks back to strike,but their attack barely hurt the rhinos."Why are you doing this,Ruby?"Edmund called out to her."I thought we had a truce!""Well,you stole our grass!"Ruby retailiated in words.Edmund looked suprised."We giraffes don't eat grass!"he shouted."I was picking flowers and looking for my monocle!That was a misunderstanding!""Lies!"The two chiefs clashed,horn against hoof.They fought,untill the giraffes backed down,and the rhinos retreated triumphantly."Losers!"Ruby shouted at the trees as they ran back to their camp.

 Chapter Four

 Ruby walked back into the camp,a whole parade of barely hurt rhinos following her.As each warrior passed by their hut,they went back to their families.Soon,Ruby was heading back to her hut alone when she heard a cry from the northern tower,meaning that there was an invasion."Crocodiles,attack!"Cornelius shouted,and crocodile warriors waddled in,snapping at passerby.Not a very scary mob,if you ask Ruby.They weren't stopping to fight induviduals,though,and they were heading toward the chief's hut to make another accusation."Rhinos,to me!"Ruby shouted,and rhinos charged toward the crocodiles,cornering them.Either fight the chief early,which wasn't their plan,or get slowed down by fighting a whole troupe of rhinos.They chose the more reasonable plan:fight the troupe.Ruby got just enough time to run back to her hut,gather the bodyguards,and get ready for battle herself when a few badly wounded crocodiles filed in quickly,trying to impose a threat.The others were either dead or battling the rhinos trampling them.As she finshed finshing them off,she wondered:Where was Cornelius?But then she heard a cry from the back of the hut,and knew that he had tried a backward assault.She ran to the back,and ran over him as she tried to defeat him,but his pelt o' scales was too thick.Ruby managed to throw him out before she blacked out with exhaustion.

Chapter Five

 She awoke with a cool cloth on her forehead."Mom?"she asked thin air.Everything came into focus."Mom!""Yes,dear."The wrinkly face of her mother appeared over her head,smiling."But Cornelius got away..."Her mother shook her head."No,Ruby,I am very proud of you.You proved yourself to me by defeating TWO tribes in a row!You are a great leader,though I'm not sure that Edmund really was grazing."Ruby's insides boiled inside of her."Mom!I'm sure that he did!I saw him chewing grass right before my eyes!"Her mother sighed,and rolled her eyes."Ruby,your eyes must've been playing tricks on you.As he said,giraffes don't graze.""MOM!"She bolted out of the house without warning,heading toward the dummy pit.