TavernTroupePerformingOrder

NOTE: At the introduction all of the cast will be hiding and joined to the narrator with scripts running: When Narrator make the announcement, “Puppeteers please bring out your puppets,” the cast should come out of hiding..

NARRATOR Feeling like an orphan or that you have no friends? Turn that frown upside down! We have created a special treat for the children of Elanthia, and basically, all of you, the young at heart!

NARRATOR We hope you enjoy our performance of a puppet show called, "Chuck the Chicken" written by Court Bard Yiara of Zoluren, and Tavern Troupers Aeviona Elyoc, and NARRATOR.

NARRATOR carefully places a puppet booth in the shape of a toy barn on the stage floor.

NARRATOR opens the miniature doors of a toy barn.

NARRATOR: Puppeteers please bring out your puppets.

NARRATOR: The curtains open to reveal a dark puppet booth. Through the booth opening you can barely make out the darker outlines of the set.

NARRATOR: A large barn sits in the center. A fence stretches from the barn to the wings on either side. Tall leafy trees make up the background. It is pre-dawn with a promise of a bright sunny day.

NARRATOR A loud crowing pierces through the darkness and a faint light appears, growing brighter and brighter until the barn and farmyard is completely lit.

NARRATOR Manny the rooster pops up and looks around. Several of the animals are still asleep.

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MANNY exclaims, Humph!

PUPPETEER of Manny (Rooster) places his puppet’s wings in the general area where a rooster hips would be if there were such things.

MANNY says loudly, I said...Cock-a-doodle . . .

An egg suddenly appears?

MANNY asks, oooooh?

MANNY glances down at the ground and notices a rather large egg.

MANNY says, Ho there fella, looks like maybe one of the hens didn't quite make it to her nest in time and just plopped you out on the ground.

MANNY asks, Let's see if we can't find your mama, eh big guy?

PUPPETEER of Manny (Rooster) carefully slides his puppet’s wing underneath the egg when it jumps, moving slightly farther away.

MANNY says, I'm not gonna hurt you, come to daddy.

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NARRATOR: Before Manny can attempt again, the egg begins to wiggle and jump more sporadically.

NARRATOR: The mid-day sun beats intensely upon the huge egg from behind creating a halo encircling it. You have the feeling that whatever is inside is special.

NARRATOR: Suddenly the egg begins to tremble, its surface cracks and strains under the intense mid-day heat. The tension in the air becomes tangible as hairline fractures begin to form on the egg.

NARRATOR: The fractures in the egg grow at an agonizing pace until at last it they break free with an audible

NARRATOR: Cr

ck!

NARRATOR: Two wing-like appendages stretch outward from the egg as it hatches before your eyes!

NARRATOR: Manny takes a closer inspection of the odd creature and notices no feathers!

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MANNY loudly exclaims, You're nekked!

MANNY exclaims, Why aren't you just the ug.. . err...strangest lookin' chicken I've ever seen.

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NARRATOR: Suddenly the little creature notices Manny standing here, it gazes at him for a long moment before exclaiming,

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CHUCK: Momma!

PUPPETEER of the Chuck (small dragon) causes the little creature to flaps his arms around, but fails to get off the ground.

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MANNY: Whoa...I ain't yo momma! I'm not even anyone's momma and I ain't about to start now.

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CHUCK: (exlaims again) Momma!

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NARRATOR: Before Manny could protest again, the rest of the farm critters start to arrive inside the barn. The first being Gertrude the Head Chick.

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GERTRUDE (Chicken): Who in the gods' green earth laid this hideous creature!

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CHUCK says Momma!

PUPPETEER of the Chuck (small dragron) points at Manny.

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NARRATOR: Trotter the horse enters and notices the featherless creature waddling towards Manny with open arms yelling, Momma, Momma. He starts laughing so hard he nearly falls over...

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TROTTER (Horse) loudly exclaims, Been sowing some pretty wild oats there, Manny!

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NARRATOR: Floozy the stuffy goose enters the barn and grasps her chest with shock and revulsion.

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FLOOZY (Goose) smugly says, Leave it for a chicken to lay such a thing.

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NARRATOR: A sheep enters and takes one look at Manny, looks at the naked chicken and then at the remnants of the very large egg... He then looks back at Manny with a pained expression.

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SHEEP says That must have hurt baaaaaaad!

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NARRATOR: The entire barnyard starts to roar with laughter and Manny's feathers turn beet red. He stomps over to the sheep and shakes a clenched feathered fist in his face.

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MANNY (Rooster) say angrily, I's gonna hurt yous baaad if you keep thinking I laid this thing.

PUPPETEER of MANNY (rooster) begins to flapping his puppet’s arms wings around wildly.

MANNY say emphatically I'm a ROOSTER in case anyone you's forgot?!

PUPPETEER of MANNY (rooster) puffs out the chest of his rooster and struts around.

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NARRATOR: The fun gets cut off quickly when Fang, dog and dictator of the farm, pushes his way through the crowd with low growl.

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FANG (Dog) asks What's with all the commotion?

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NARRATOR: All of the farm animals quiver a little at his presence. None of them have ever liked Fang, since he tends to nip and bite anyone that questions his authority.

NARRATOR: The dog takes one look at the baby and the hair on the back of his neck starts to bristle.

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FANG (Dog) exclaims What foul beast is this?

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NARRATOR: He starts to lunge forward but Manny steps in his way. He growls threateningly, Move away Manny, or you'll be next.

NARRATOR: The rooster stands firmly in place and glares back at the dog. Fang looks Manny up and down. He's never questioned his authority before, but Fang was no fool. He takes a quick look at Manny's spurs and decides to take another approach.

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FANG (Dog) asks, And who are you to get involved, Rooster? This isn't your fight.

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NARRATOR: But before Manny can reply the naked chicken walks up behind Manny with another...

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CHUCK (small dragon) exclaims Momma!

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NARRATOR: Silence fills the air as the dog's jaw nearly hits the ground. After a few uncomfortable moments, the air is broken with gutteral sounds of chuckling. The chuckling then turns into howls of laughter as everyone turns to see Fang rolling on the ground unable to control himself.

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FANG (Dog) exclaims That THING thinks you're his momma?! Of all the....

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NARRATOR: Fang has another fit of laughter and everyone in the barnyard joins in with a few uncertain chuckles. The dog wipes a few tears away from his eyes before returning to a more threatening demeanor.

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FANG (dog) says slowly, Look Manny, that thing is dangerous...I don't know what it is, but it don't smell right.

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MANNY (rooster) says, What do you mean? It's just a chicken missing a few feathers is all! Just needs a few days to...erm...adjust.

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FANG (Dog) says I'll give you ONE WEEK to let that THING become a chicken. If it's still as ugly and stinky as it now, then it is a danger to my farm, and I'm gonna kill it.

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NARRATOR: Manny, even surprised at his own actions, flexes his muscles and practically pokes his beak into Fang's big black nose.

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MANNY (rooster) says, Don't you worry about it. I got it handled.

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NARRATOR: And with that, Fang turns tail and heads out the door. Once the animals feel he's out of earshot, cheers erupt in the barn as creatures step up to pat Manny on the back.

NARRATOR: Manny wobbles and nearly falls over once he realizes he was face to face with Fang, but then he gazes at the wide-eyed naked thing looking back at him and suddenly he feels he did the right thing.

NARRATOR: Gertrude, the head hen of the farm slowly approaches Manny to speak to him in private. She places a wing on his shoulder and pulls him slightly away from the crowd.

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GERTRUDE (Chicken) says quietly, I hate to break this to you Manny, but that thing ain't no chicken! You and I have been around the farm long enough to know what a chick looks like. What if that thing really is dangerous?

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MANNY says, I know he ain't any kind of fowl that I've ever seen, Gerty, but it's here and now it's under my protection. Let's just hope the rest of the animals don't suspect anything and we'll see if we can't make a friend out of it.

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NARRATOR: Before Gertrude and Manny can do some fast talking, many of the animals are crowded around the naked creature. Some of the chickens push out their own chicks for comparison. Even Floozy the goose pushes one of her own out to see.

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FLOOZY (Goose) says What did I tell you? No respecting goose would ever have a gosling that ugly. Perhaps it's one of the swans? I hear they're quite atrocious when they're born?

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NARRATOR: Manny starts to become more defensive of the little thing. He pushes his way through the group and places a protective wing around the naked creature. It looks at him again with helpless eyes and he turns to the crowd to give a speech.

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MANNY (Rooster): To the equine and porcine...and all my feathered fowl friends. To bovine and the ovine, please hear my plea for this little feller.

MANNY paces back and forth.

MANNY (Rooster): It is clear to Gertrude and I that this is unlike any creature we've seen before.

MANNY (Rooster): Fang now thinks that this is some sort of chicken, so we'll have to try our best to MAKE it a chicken!

MANNY slams his fist into the palm of his wing.

MANNY (Rooster) says: We've always worked together in the past, and I know we can do this if we just use our smarts.

MANNY (Rooster): Sure his beak's a little...snouty...and his tail is a little long, but mark my words, this here's gonna be a bonafied chicken! Now who's with me?

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NARRATOR: More cheers erupt from the crowd as they all huddle together to start finding a way for their new friend to become a chicken. Daisy the cow, who's just thankful she doesn't lay eggs, comes up with the first suggestion.

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DAISY (Cow) says, Your speech was very mooooving, but where do we go from here? Shouldn't we first see what it eats? The little thing looks a bit hungry.

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NARRATOR: Everyone shuffles the creature out into the yard. Daisy pulls up some grass and sets it on the ground. The creature takes one look, chucks the grass over it's shoulder and shakes it's head stubbornly.

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DAISY (Cow) says, Well I guess it doesn't eat grass.

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MANNY (Rooster) says, Well of course not! You ever see a chicken eat a leaf in your life? What it needs is some grain!

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NARRATOR: Manny gestures to a flock of chickens and they flap around gathering grain to set at the baby creatures feet. The naked thing leans over and sniffs the grain before taking a few bites. The barnyard is a buzz when it starts to eat with a fury!

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MANNY (Rooster) exclaims, See? What I tell ya, that's my boy!...er...Girl...thing?

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NARRATOR: Before Manny can pat himself on the back, however, the creature starts to look a little green. A rumbling comes from deep inside its belly, as smoke comes out of it's nostrils!

NARRATOR: Suddenly the poor thing regurgitates all the food back up and sprays the animals in wet grain! As goo drips from his face, Manny decidedly says...

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MANNY (Rooster) says Well at least we found a name for our feller....

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DAISY (Cow) asks, What's that?

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MANNY (Rooster) says, Upchuck.

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TROTTER (Horse) says, A fitting name but how about Chuck for short?

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SHEEP says, Heh, Chuck the Chicken.

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FLOOZY (Goose) says, Well you may certainly call him Chuck, but I will call him Charles... thank you very much.

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MANNY (Rooster) says, Charles, Chuck, Upchuck...whatever his name....he's still hungry and we have to think of something else. Anyone gots any idears?

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GERTRUDE (Chicken) says, Well hon, we chickens don't just eat grain…maybe he'd eat a bug or two?

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MANNY (rooster) says, That's an excellent idea! I know of a fallen tree that's loaded with termites. Follow me everyone!

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NARRATOR: And so they head to one of Manny's favorite dining spots. Chuck, the new chicken, takes to the bugs with newfound vigor and everyone cheers!

NARRATOR: Six days pass and still no sign of feathers. Most of the farm animals knew from the moment they saw shiny scales on his back and the spikes growing on his tail that this was no ordinary chicken but they did their best to accept him anyway.

NARRATOR: Not only where there visual changes but there were also changes to Chuck's demeanor. He grew hungrier and hungrier by the day, as the animals tried to find bigger and better bugs for him.

NARRATOR: One of the mornings, Manny took Chuck out for his morning crow and let Chuck have a try. Instead of sound, however, he belched out flames! Manny decided not to pass that on to the others, but he did call for a meeting on the final day.

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MANNY (rooster) says, Alright everyone, gather 'round so we can discuss how we're going to try and fool Fang tomorrow morning. Anyone got some suggestions?

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TROTTER (horse) says, Neigh, none from me.

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SHEEP say, I wooldn't know where to begin!

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MANNY (rooster) says, Well we'll have to think of something because if we don't we could lose our new friend.

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NARRATOR: Chuck walks up to Manny and gives him a big hug, as if he understood every word. He then gives Manny the sad helpless look again. Suddenly a quiet voice from the back of the crowd speaks.

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(someone from hiding)

What if we all donated our feathers to Charles?

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MANNY (rooster) says, Who said that? Speak up!

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FLOOZY (goose) says, It was me that said it. I was wondering...what if all of us geese and ducks and chickens all pitched and plucked some of our own feathers. Then we could take some of the mud from the pig's pen and paste them on Chuck?

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MANNY (rooster) says, Wait a moment, I thought Chuck was beneath you, that you were too good to help?

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FLOOZY (goose) says, I never said such a thing...how rude! He's been a respectable thing, er chicken and I think everyone deserves a chance, don't they?

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NARRATOR: Everyone was both touched and impressed with Floozy's idea. So they spent the rest of the night plucking and wincing, then dipping and sticking the muddy feathers onto Chuck.

NARRATOR: As dawn approached, the farm animals gathered weak and weary from not sleeping the night before. They all nodded for Manny to crow and then wait for Fang's return. Chuck did his best to hunker down with all his feathers and try and cluck like a proper chicken.

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MANNY (rooster) says, Well everyone. We did a fine job. I'm proud to consider you all my friends. Here goes nothing....Cock a doodle dooooo!

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NARRATOR: Within moments, a shadow of a dog appeared against the rising sun. He approached the group of animals and a shivering Chuck, with a looming menace.

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FANG (Dog) say, So....I see your little 'bird' has gone through quite a change. But I'm not buying it.

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MANNY (rooster) say, What do you mean? You said he had a week to grow feathers and well…there they are! You didn't say he had to be a handsome one!

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NARRATOR: The dog thought long and hard and finally relented.

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FANG (dog) says, Fine, fine, but I'm telling you all, this ain't no chicken!

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NARRATOR: Just when everyone thinks that Fang has been fooled, a long dark cloud looms overhead. And in a blink of an eye, it starts to rain! All the farm animal's hard work melts away to reveal Chuck's scaly skin once more. As quickly as the rain cloud appears, it quickly leaves with only the sun to further show off the missing feathers.

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FANG (dog) exclaims, What's THIS!!!

FANG howls.

FANG (dog) I was right, I was right all along and now this thing will DIE!

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NARRATOR: Manny quickly jumps in front of Chuck, as do the rest of the barn animals. In a surprising show of support they create a strong and sturdy wall, blocking Fang from his destiny.

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FANG (dog) exclaims, Stand aside all of you, if you know what's good for you! This is not your business.

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FLOOZY (goose) exclaims, Poppycock that it's not our business. Chuck here is our friend and we'll fight to the bitter end if we have to.

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TROTTER (horse) says, That's right FANG. You may be good at nipping heels, but I'm even better at punting dogs.

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MANNY (rooster) says, You heard em! This is our friend and there isn't anyone or ANYTHING that can take him away from us now...so there!

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NARRATOR: As quickly as Manny's words leave his mouth, another dark cloud looms overhead.

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MANNY (rooster) says, Oh jeez, not again!

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NARRATOR: But this time there isn't any rain. In fact, the cloud seems to grow darker and darker as it gets lower and lower to the ground. Fang the dog is the first to look up. He yelps in fright and quickly runs off, yipping all the way.

NARRATOR: The rest of the barnyard animals look up and all their jaws drop together in horror. One of them finally manages to say something.

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DAISY (cow) says, It's...it's....a DRAGON!

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NARRATOR: A loud BOOM rings out across the stage as the one of largest, fiercest dragons to ever live, lands in front of the congregation of animals. All they can do is stay frozen, when a loud voice from behind startles them.

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CHUCK (small dragon) says, Hey you! Mister Dragon! What do you think you're doing HERE?

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DRAGON (big dragon) says, Why I've come to dine on some scrumptious food, of course. What are you doing here, junior?

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NARRATOR: Still with all their mouths open, the farm animals' eyes move from the Dragon to Chuck who is suddenly standing very tall and actually a bit scary looking.

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CHUCK (small dragon) says, Junior you say? Ha! I'll have you know that this is MY territory! I haven't been trying to fool these stupid creatures for a whole week just for someone to come in here and take over.

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DRAGON (big dragon) asks, What do you mean fool?

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CHUCK (small dragon) says, These silly things took me in as a baby and raised me as one of their own. I'd had to eat nothing but bugs for the last seven days and now that their only protector has fled the land, it is finally time for them to get what they deserve.

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NARRATOR: As if to make his point clearer, Chuck quickly grabs Manny and sticks him in his mouth! The larger dragon, amused at this tale, chuckles to himself and finally nods.

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DRAGON (big dragon) says, Well who am I to keep a young dragon from earning his keep, I'd say you've earned these lands. Good luck to you and enjoy your hearty meal.

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NARRATOR: And with that, the Dragon flies off. Long painful moments seem to pass as the animals all start to huddle around each other, waiting for their inevitable doom. They all look towards Chuck and one another in utter disbelief and confusion.

NARRATOR: When the giant dragon is nothing more than a speck in the sky, Chuck suddenly spits Manny out upon the ground!

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CHUCK (small dragon) exclaims, Ugh, those feathers are disgusting!

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NARRATOR: One of the chickens faint and Floozy drops an egg, when suddenly they hear the voice of Manny.

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MANNY (rooster) says, You better believe it bub. And if you ever try something like that again, I'll find a whole new place to stick those feathers!

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NARRATOR: Chuck and Manny look over at the crowd of stunned spectators. Still not sure if they are still on the menu or not, they look to Manny for help.

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MANNY (rooster) says, Don't look at me, I have no idea what just happened here. I thought I was toast....er something like that. What's going on Chuck?

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CHUCK (small dragon) says, I'm sorry guys. I didn't mean to frighten you all! It's just that when that horrible dragon showed up, I had to do something! This whole week, I've come to learn that using your brain is much better than using your brawn.

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GERTRUDE (chicken) asks, So you mean you're not going to claim this as your new banquet hall?

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CHUCK (small dragon) exclaims, Of course not! You are all my friends. You're my family! And now with both Fang and the Dragon gone, we can all finally get what we deserve...

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MANNY (rooster) asks, Eh? What's that?

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CHUCK (small dragon) says, Well a happy ending of course!

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NARRATOR: And with that all the animals gather around Chuck for a very happy group hug. Suddenly Chuck's stomach grumbles again and they all get very quiet...

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MANNY (rooster) asks, 'So eh....what DO dragons eat?

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CHUCK (small dragon) says, How should I know. I'm Chuck the Chicken...show me the nearest anthill and I'll show you our next barbeque!

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NARRATOR sighs softly.

>close barn

NARRATOR closes the miniature doors of a toy barn.

A sad mooooo emanates from the barn.

NARRATOR recites:

The end.