I somehow managed to write this despite being in a huge hype of another fandom right now
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Chapter 12:As the group was standing in front of the unmoving body of Ducky’s mother, Littlefoot had a terrible dÈj· vu. Suddenly, he was catapulted back in time, the lifeless body of his mother appearing in front of his inner eye, his surroundings momentarily blurred out. It wasn’t until a sound just as terrible as the sight in front of him brought him back to his senses – it was when Spike gave a quiet howl, however it hurt his ears more than the roar of a Sharptooth.
Ducky had jumped off his back in the meantime, taking slow, uneasy steps towards her mother seeming as lifeless as a rock. Everybody was rendered incapable of movement and speech as the gravity of the situation began to dawn on each of them – even Ducky stopping her zombie-like walk, reaching one hand out towards her mother as if trying to grasp her with her tiny arms.
“Mommy?” It was hardly a whisper, only audible because every other sound around them was of no importance whatsoever.
“Oh no…” Littlefoot finally found his voice again, though his throat was unusually dry, while Spike uttered another howl. The Longneck could clearly spot the first signs of tears in the eyes of his two friends – it was almost enough to make him tear up as well.
“She no deserve this…” Petrie spoke in a croaky voice, sharing his friends’ emotions, not trying to hide his tears as they welled up in his eyes.
As the four young dinosaurs stood there, unable to move, speak, think or even breathe, Guido suddenly found himself in a very uncomfortable situation. It was an awkward feeling, almost as if he didn’t belong here. He was almost about to leave his friends to not disturb them when something caught his eye…
*
“Anyway, you don’t have to blame yourself for the things that happened today…” Tria continued once the laughter had died down again. “Though I would also advise you not to use it as an excuse for your behavior. We may not be able to have full control on our moods, thoughts and feelings all of the time but we still have the choice not to act on them as they are occurring, Cera. So, next time you’re feeling angry without any reason, just try to understand that it’s a passing thing and try not to let it get the better of you as it happened today.”
“I can try, I suppose,” Cera replied though some doubt still remained. “But what if I can’t? And how do I fix the whole situation now? I can’t just go to Littlefoot and say that I was being a butthole!”
“If you can’t, you should take a break,” Tria advised. “Go someplace else, distract yourself for a while until it passes. As for fixing the mess… I think that’s exactly what you have to do. Say you’re sorry and prove that you mean it, dear.”
Cera didn’t like that answer at all. “B-but I can’t just back down? I may have ignored my pride to seek you out and ask for help but there’s no way I back down in front of a stupid flathead!”
Tria sighed, still upholding a slight smile though. “You’re so much like your father… but there are times when we have to show our weaknesses… or admit that we’ve made a mistake. Even your father makes mistakes sometimes, you know?”
“I know too well…” Cera rolled her eyes, his infamous mistake during the great fire in the valley coming to her mind.
“See, it’s tough to be strong and brave but it’s even tougher if you’re not hiding your weaknesses and admit when you’re in the wrong.”
Cera wasn’t particularly sure what to make of it yet. She could not just scrap years and years of her father’s influence, could she? What self-esteem would be left after she’d admitted to being guilty in front of her friends? And would they even accept an apology?
“Are you sure this is right, Tria?” Cera reassured herself. “It doesn’t feel… right.”
At this, Tria began showing some mixture of concern and also anger. “I think I will need to have a talk with your father about your education…” she muttered under her breath. “Cera, if you want to fix your friendship with Littlefoot, there’s no way around it. For today, maybe stay apart from each other. Tomorrow, tempers will have calmed down. Tell your friends what happened, I’m sure they’ll understand.” Tria encouraged.
“O-okay… then I’ll try that…” Cera sighed as she was still not fully agreeing to the thought, however seeing the necessity of this action now. “Well, thanks for your help, Tria.” Cera bowed slightly, that alone showing how glad she now was that she knew what was going on with her even though there was little she could do about it as it seemed.
“Why, you’re welcome, honey!” Tria replied, smiling warmly. In an act of motherly affection, she even gave Cera a nuzzle.
“Tria, you know I don’t like that…” Cera quietly complained, almost as if she was ashamed of it. In the end, she endured the procedure without further complaints.
The grown-up just chuckled. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Cera?”
“Not right now, thanks,” Cera replied. “I think I’ll spend the day with Tricia then, huh?”
“Well…” Tria was smirking slightly. “How about a mother-child day? Only you, Tricia and me?”
Cera was considering for a quick moment but she didn’t see any reason to object when she considered that there wouldn’t be any games with her friends today after what had transpired.
“Sure, why not?”
*
Guido rubbed his eyes again to make sure his discovery was not a blunder on his part. It was almost as if he’d seen the Swimmer’s chest… move? With all concentration he could muster in such a situation of extreme stress, the Glider focused his eyes on Ducky’s mother entirely, ignoring the sounds of grief uttered by the two siblings, ignoring Littlefoot who was slowly walking up to Ducky to spend some comfort, all that mattered being his possible discovery now. Guido waited and waited. Did his eyes mislead him? Was there any life left in the dinosaur in front of him? Would Ducky and Spike be orphans now? Many questions were beginning to cloud not just Guido’s mind but his eyes as well. In an act of extreme willpower, he blocked them once more. Just at that moment, he saw it again.
“Her chest… i-it’s moving… it’s moving!” Now there was no doubt anymore. There was movement… and that surely meant… life!
“Errm… guys?” Guido perceived his own voice almost as loud as a scream even though it was hardly above a whisper. He also wasn’t sure if anybody was paying attention but he spoke his piece anyhow. “Guys listen… I-I think it’s not too late yet… look…”
Littlefoot was the only one who had managed to maintain his composure for the most part. Not stopping to be there for Ducky, he blinked the moisture out of his eyes to allow for a somewhat clear sight and cast his look onto the Swimmer about a length of a tree in front of him, lying on her side, a pained expression on her face before she must have lost consciousness.
“What’s wrong with her? Did she get sick like my Grandpa long ago?” The Longneck knew what to look for. Ever since his infamous encounter with a Sharptooth that looked dead but turned out to be very well alive, he knew better than to assume a dinosaur to be dead before making sure he really was – or, in this case, wasn’t.
“She’s just breathing, it’s hardly noticeable but she is… there’s…” Littlefoot decided to say the last words aloud.
“Guys, there’s still hope! She’s breathing!”
*****
Well, did you think I'd be that evil? Though, wait, the story isn't finished yet. Still many opportunities for me to be evil
It's a very emotional story ducky123 biggrin.gif
That it is indeed
Oh no... it looks like the crap is about to hit the fan. sadpetrie_by_rockingscorpion-d9nxkqn.png Based upon what we have seen previously to say that I am concerned for how Ducky's situation will turn out would be an understatement. Meanwhile it looks like Cera is having a bit of the teenage hormones kick in which, when combined with being a threehorn, is a rather violent combination. I wonder if her and Littlefoot can reconcile after this or if the both of them will misconstrue the actions of the other.
These were some excellent chapters, Ducky. littlefoot1_by_rockingscorpion-d9nxnsx.png I both look forward to, and dread, what we might see in the subsequent chapter.
Thank you very much, I hope they were worth the long wait (nothing compared to the time you usually have to wait for updates of SDP but.. ehh
)
As for the Cera-Littlefoot f®iendship, let's just say that I've got some good plans
