At one end of the Great Valley, Littlefoot's friends were all wide awake and ready to eat. They noticed that Littlefoot was still lying down. Ducky decided to see what was taking Littlefoot so long. She walked up to him and noticed that his breathing was irregular and his head was all stuffed.
"Littlefoot; the others and I are ready to eat and play; yep, yep, yep," Ducky said happily.
Ducky was thrown off guard when Littlefoot started coughing. He covered his face just before letting out a sneeze.
"Excuse me," Littlefoot replied, all stuffed up.
"You do not sound or look so good; no, no, no," Ducky pointed out.
"What's taking so long?" Cera asked.
"I'm sick," Littlefoot replied.
"Yeah Cera; Littlefoot has a bad cough and a cold," Ducky said.
The other three hung their heads. Ducky turned her attention back to Littlefoot.
"Do you want something to eat?" Ducky asked.
The thought of food made Littlefoot's stomach do many twists and turns. He groaned and rubbed the side of his face.
"Oh I see; you are not well enough to eat," Ducky stated.
Littlefoot nodded.
"I am sorry you are sick; but, me Spike, Petrie and Cera are here for you, yep, yep, yep," Ducky claimed.
"Ducky right Littlefoot; you our bestest best friend," Petrie added.
Littlefoot smiled since he knew he had such good friends. Moments later, he began to shiver. Ducky noticed this and placed her hand on Littlefoot's head. She pulled her hand away after a moment.
"You are burning up; you are, you are," Ducky stated, in panic.
Ducky rushed out of the cave to alert the others.
"Help....Littlefoot....very sick," Ducky said rather fast.
"Calm down Ducky; take a deep breath and try to speak a bit slower," Cera said.
Ducky took a couple minutes to settle down.
"Littlefoot is very sick; he has a high fever; when I touched his head, it felt like I touched something on fire," Ducky stated.
"Ducky, go with Petrie and Spike and see if you can find some herbs; I'll keep an eye on Littlefoot," Cera commanded.
Once Ducky, Petrie and Spike left, Cera entered the cave to see if Littlefoot was okay. Littlefoot looked at Cera and smiled weakly.
"Cera," Littlefoot whispered.
The threehorn walked over to her sick friend.
"Shhh; don't try to talk; just rest; I sent the others to gather some herbs to help with your illness," Cera said.
Littlefoot smiled weakly and tried to sleep. Cera placed her paw on Littlefoot's head and jerked it back.
"Ow; Ducky was right," Cera whispered to herself.
Moments later, Cera came back with a wet treestar and placed it on Littlefoot's head. Then, she bent down and whispered in Littlefoot's ear.
"I'll be outside; if you need anything, call for me," Cera stated.
Littlefoot nodded. After that Cera left the cave. She noticed Ducky, Petrie and Spike coming back.
"We have some plants that will make Littlefoot feel, much, much, much, much betterer," Ducky said.
"If he no puke them up, first," Petrie muttered.
"What was that, Petrie?" Ducky asked.
"Me no say anything," Petrie defended himself.
"Good," Ducky stated.
Spike just grumbled in annoyance. Soon enough, the medicine plants were brought into the cave. Littlefoot opened his eyes and looked at the plants.
"What are these for?" Littlefoot asked.
"They are to help you cure that nasty cold of yours," Ducky said.
Littlefoot smiled.
"Let's just hope I don't puke them up first," Littlefoot said.
"That's the same thing I thought I heard Petrie say a few minutes ago," Cera replied.
Petrie nodded, ashamed.
"Me no mean offence by it," Petrie admitted.
Littlefoot looked over at Petrie.
"None taken, Petrie," Littlefoot claimed.
Moments later, Cera heard her dad calling for her. She left the cave only to be confronted by Topsy.
"What's going on here? Is somebody sick?" Topsy asked.
"Yes Dad; Littlefoot has caught a nasty cold; I don't think he'd want his grandparents catching it at their age; after all, Grandpa Longneck isn't one of the healthiest dinosaurs around despite being younger than Grandma Longneck," Cera explained.
Topsy nodded.
"Age doesn't matter when it comes to illnesses; you can get sick at any age," Topsy said.
"You're missing the point; some dinosaurs get sick easier than others; and some can even die just from a flu virus," Cera added.
Topsy nodded knowing that Cera was right.
"You're wise for your age; just like your mother," Topsy got choked up on the word mother.
Cera wasn't used to seeing her dad get emotional like that. She placed her paw on his and gave him a gentle smile. Topsy smiled back at her as his brief sad moment went away.
"Well anyway; I better tell the longnecks that Littlefoot is sick; but, I imagine they'd want some details of the illness," Topsy replied.
Cera nodded.
"Well; Littlefoot has a bad cough, fever and has experienced some nausea," Cera told him.
Topsy nodded.
"If the rest of you should notice those symptoms coming on; don't hesitate to ask for help," Topsy said.
The others nodded.
"Are you sure you're not running a fever, Dad? That doesn't sound like something you'd say," Cera wondered.
Topsy scoffed.
"Do you think I'd be up and about if I was running a fever? Get real Cera; Tria would have my head if she found out that I went out sick, if I was sick, which I am not," Topsy defended himself.
"Okay, just checking," Cera replied.
Topsy sighed.
Moments later, he heard Littlefoot coughing hard.
"Oh dear; that sounds really bad," Topsy said.
"Of course; don't tell me you've never had a bad cough in your life, Dad," Cera stated.
"Of course I did catch illnesses that involved a bad cough; but, that hasn't happened since I was ten," Topsy claimed.
Cera nodded.
"Well I'm off to tell the longnecks about Littlefoot; I'm sure they're worried sick about him; make sure you change out one wet treestar for another every once in a while; that way, his fever won't get higher," Topsy explained.
Cera nodded.
Meanwhile, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck were resting underneath the bright circle. Topsy came up to them with a worried expression on his face.
"You guys; I have something to tell you," Topsy said.
Grandma noticed the urgency in Topsy's tone of voice.
"What is it, dear? Calm down first and then tell us; we have all day," Grandma told him.
Topsy managed to settle down within minutes.
"Okay; Littlefoot has caught a nasty cold and has been experiencing a bad cough, fever and nausea," Topsy explained.
The elderly couple sighed.
"Oh dear; I hope he's okay," Grandma said.
"He'll be fine; Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike are looking after him; I told Cera that if she and the others start experiencing the described symptoms, that they should ask for help; but, Cera thought what I said was out of character and asked if I was ill; I told her that if I was, I wouldn't be up and about," Topsy explained.
Grandpa chuckled.
"I would ask you the same thing if I feel what you say is out of character," Grandpa admitted.
"So would I," Grandma added.
Topsy smiled.
Back at the cave, Littlefoot sat up and tried eating some of the herbs that were brought to him. Moments later, he started throwing them back up. Cera stood at his side to comfort him.
"Oh no, no, no; I better let Mr. Thicknose know; he might be able to help," Ducky said rather urgently.
As if on cue, Mr. Thicknose was in the area and walked over to a fairly large cave. Ducky rushed out to meet him.
"I am so glad you are here, Mr. Thicknose; we need you, Littlefoot is very sick," Ducky said.
The elder looked down at the worried swimmer and smiled gently.
"Don't worry Ducky; I'm sure I can think of how to help Littlefoot get better; all I need to know of are his symptoms and how long this has been going on," Mr. Thicknose commanded.
Ducky nodded.
"Okay; he has a very bad cough, a fever, has experienced nausea and just threw up; he has felt like this all morning," Ducky explained.
Mr. Thicknose nodded. Then he walked into the cave. The vomit was already cleaned up courtesy of Petrie even though the flyer was grossed out by it and nearly vomited himself.
"Ugh; that was gross; me glad me no get sick at that sight," Petrie said.
"Uh-huh," Spike said in agreement to Petrie's statement.
Mr. Thicknose walked over to Littlefoot. The sick longneck looked up at the elder, the treestar still on his head.
"Oh dear; you look as bad as Ducky said you feel," Mr. Thicknose stated.
Littlefoot nodded.
"Ugh; the medicine I took didn't stay down," Littlefoot said and then coughed while covering his mouth.
Mr. Thicknose briefly examined Littlefoot and nodded towards the others.
"His fever seems to be holding steady; just keep an eye on him for a few days and make sure he drinks lots of water," Mr. Thicknose instructed.
The others nodded.
"But there may be chance he puke up water, too," Petrie expressed his concern.
"Yes there is that chance; but, he should still keep on drinking to avoid dehydration," Mr. Thicknose stated.
Cera had something to say.
"My dad was here earlier and he told me to keep changing to a new treestar on Littlefoot's head every once in a while," Cera explained.
Mr. Thicknose nodded.
"Your dad is right, Cera," Mr. Thicknose stated.
"Are you sure you're not ill? It doesn't sound like you to say my dad is right," Cera responded.
"Thanks for your concern, Cera; but, I feel fine," Mr. Thicknose assured her.
Cera smiled.
Before Mr. Thicknose left, he had something else to say.
"Make sure he doesn't stay on his feet for too long; he also needs lots of rest," Mr. Thicknose added.
The others nodded.
Once Mr. Thicknose left, the kids saw Littlefoot moaning in pain.
"You gonna get sick again?" Petrie asked.
Littlefoot shook his head.
"Whew! Me hate cleaning vomit; nearly made me vomit," Petrie complained.
"I'm sorry; I couldn't help it," Littlefoot admitted with tears in his eyes.
Petrie felt really guilty now.
"Me no mean to make you cry; sorry," Petrie pleaded.
Littlefoot choked back a sob and dried his tears.
"That's okay, Petrie; it wasn't your fault," Littlefoot told him.
Petrie smiled knowing that Littlefoot wasn't mad at him.
Later that night, Littlefoot's condition stayed the same. He had been trying to drink water; but, hasn't been keeping it down. Every time he was about to throw up, he would rush out to some bushes so Petrie wouldn't have to clean it up. Cera had a hard time getting to sleep since she was very worried. She sat up and looked over at Littlefoot.
"Cera; Littlefoot will be okay; try to get some sleep," Ducky pleaded.
The young threehorn sighed.
"I'll try; but, that doesn't mean I'm not gonna worry," Cera replied.
"I understand, Cera; we all care about getting Littlefoot better," Ducky said, her hand patting Cera's paw.
Cera smiled at the reassurance she was getting from Ducky. After a moment, she finally got back to sleep. The next day, Littlefoot didn't seem to be much better; however, Cera started to feel sick. She looked over at Ducky with a pleading expression on her face.
"Could you ask Petrie to fly over and get Mr. Thicknose? I feel sick," Cera pleaded.
"Yes of course, Cera; Petrie! Please go get Mr. Thicknose for us; Cera is ill too," Ducky pleaded.
Petrie did as he was told and flew away. Cera felt a headache coming on and she was cold.
"How about you lie down with Littlefoot; he might want some company," Ducky suggested.
Cera nodded.
A while later, Petrie came back with Mr. Thicknose.
"Hi children; Petrie told me what happened; Littlefoot, how are you feeling?" Mr. Thicknose wondered.
Littlefoot looked at the elder and shrugged.
"Not much better?" Mr. Thicknose asked.
Littlefoot shook his head. Mr. Thicknose turned his attention to Cera. He briefly examined her and then frowned.
"You have the same illness as Littlefoot; is your stomach upset?" Mr. Thicknose wondered.
Cera nodded and coughed.
"Try to rest as much as possible and drink lots of water; or as much as you think you can keep down; I'll be back later to check on you," Mr. Thicknose instructed.
The kids nodded as Mr. Thicknose left the cave.
"This is awful; now we have two sick patients," Ducky stated.
Meanwhile at the Feeding Grounds, Topsy was eating breakfast. Mr. Thicknose came up to him.
"You got a minute, Topsy?" Mr. Thicknose wondered.
"What is it, Thicknose?" Topsy asked.
"That's Mr. Thicknose; as I was about to say; Cera has caught the same illness Littlefoot has," Mr. Thicknose explained.
Topsy hung his head. Cera seemed fine to him yesterday when he was talking to her.
"How did she get sick so fast?" Topsy wondered.
"You know how fast these viruses can spread; they're like wildfire," Mr. Thicknose stated.
Topsy nodded.
"Thanks for telling me," Topsy said.
Mr. Thicknose nodded.
Meanwhile at the cave, Cera and Littlefoot were snuggled up together for warmth. Ducky, Petrie and Spike did what they could to make them feel better.
Over the next few days, they seemed to be getting better. Although, they were pretty tired. Littlefoot and Cera managed to eat some treestars; their illness seemed to be clearing up since their nausea and fevers are gone. The others were glad that they survived a nasty bug.
"I am so glad you two are better; lets go back; I am sure the others are worried about you," Ducky said.
Littlefoot and Cera nodded.
Once the kids got to the Feeding Grounds, they were met up by their families and friends.
"How are you two feeling?" Grandma asked.
"Much better Grandma; we had Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Mr. Thicknose to thank," Littlefoot stated.
Mr. Thicknose chuckled.
"I was delighted to help, children," Mr. Thicknose said.
Everything seemed to return to normal since Littlefoot and Cera have recovered from their illness.
