Part 2/3
Pandemic
When the Bright Circle rose the next day, it rose over a very different Great Valley.
The river seemed to have gained a few inches in height, and there were thousands of mud puddles throughout the valley landscape. Water was still sprinkling down from leaves and trees hours after the sky water had stopped. Any tree stars that had been blown off the trees and were laying on the ground were completely soaked in water. Some of them even had mud on them. However, none of this compared to another surprise that the residents would discover in just a short matter of time.
Ducky opened her eyes and yawned while stretching her arms. She saw that she was still in her mother's arms and smiled as she thought of the two of them having had a very pleasant sleep together for the first time in a very long time.
As Ducky glanced over at Spike, the Spiketail still looked very miserable. It was obvious that he was still sick, as his cold obviously hadn't settled down overnight. He was still sleeping, but his sleep pattern was very unusual. It seemed as if his cold would wake him up every so often during the night, and he would cough or sneeze for a few minutes before trying to go back to sleep.
"Poor Spike," Ducky sighed quietly.
At that moment, she felt her mother stirring around. She looked up as her mother yawned and opened her eyes.
"Good morning, Mama," said Ducky softly.
"Good morning, dear," her mother replied, "I see that flower you ate really did a good job at keeping you healthy."
Ducky giggled, and it was then that she sniffed the air and sensed that something was very ... off. She looked around and saw puddles of water and mud everywhere.
"Oh, my," she gasped, "Look, Mama. The sky water has made-ed so many mud puddles. It has, it has."
Mama Swimmer examined their surroundings, and everywhere looked like a mess.
"I think we might have some cleaning up to do around here, especially since Spike is in no condition to help us move the nest to another location," she commented, "We're gonna have to work frantically and get this area cleaned up as soon as we can."
She opened her arms and let go of Ducky, and the young Swimmer walked curiously around their nest to see what had to be cleaned up. Many of the tree stars appeared to be deliciously moist, but some had mud coating them, and muddy tree stars weren't quite the best meal for the family's breakfast. Others were even so wet that they turned soggy and essentially could not be picked up without causing a mess.
"We could take a drink without having to walk all the way to the river," she suggested.
"We could, but you never know if there's even the tiniest drop of mud in the water puddles that appear to be clean from afar," Mama Swimmer pointed out, "You'll have to be careful around those, Ducky. Mud may be soothing for your skin, but it's not very ideal to eat by accident."
"I will remember, Mama. Yep, yep, yep," promised Ducky.
"That's good, dear," chuckled Mama Swimmer, "Why don't you see how the other families are doing while I wake up the other kids?"
"Sure, Mama," smiled Ducky, "I wonder if I could help Littlefoot or my other friends."
"Alright, Ducky. Off you go, then. Please be back before the Bright Circle is at its highest point in the sky," her mother said.
"I will. I will," answered Ducky, and she set off to see if any of her friends needed help.
She may have remembered that Tricia wanted to play with her again, but for now, she wanted to be a good citizen to those in need and help out anyone who may have ended up with muddy nesting grounds. As far as she was concerned, Tricia could wait. Right now, others needed help.
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Littlefoot was met with the sight of dozens of wet puddles surrounding his grandparents' home when he woke up. It was a sight that somewhat reminded him of the Days of Rising Waters two Cold Times ago, when the valley was flooded and he found a new friend in a Swimmer named Mo.
"Oh, dear me," sighed Grandpa Longneck as he looked around their home and saw the mess that awaited their eyes.
"I hope all the sky water hasn't flooded the valley again," said Grandma Longneck standing beside him, "That could be a catastrophe."
"I'm not sure if it could be a catastrophe," replied Littlefoot, "I mean, maybe there wasn't as much sky water as there was two Cold Times ago."
"That may be, Littlefoot, but you can't be too sure. If we happen to discover that the valley is flooded again, we'll have to take extra precautions," his grandfather informed, "There may be Swimming Sharpteeth in those waters that are deep enough to allow them to enter the valley undetected."
"But, ... there weren't any Swimming Sharpteeth in the valley last time it was flooded," said Littlefoot.
"Sometimes, we may be lucky, but other times we might not," said his grandmother.
"I guess," sighed Littlefoot despondently, having run out of arguments, "Anyways, I think I'm gonna go help any of my friends who might need help."
"You have a way with being a good citizen," chuckled Grandpa Longneck, "Off you go, then. Don't be too long, though."
"I won't, Grandpa," said Littlefoot, and he went on his way into the nearby forest, hoping to find at least one of his friends.
It wasn't long at all before he did find one ...
The Longneck slipped on a loose twig that had fallen off a tree, and he uncontrollably slid down a hill.
"Whoa!" he yelled, frantically trying to stop, but it was no use.
He landed right in a huge pile of soggy tree stars, and after stretching his neck up to peek out from the top, he spotted Ducky looking at the pile with an awkward expression.
"Oh, my. You are not a delicious tree star," she commented, trying to hold back a laugh.
"What!?" retorted Littlefoot, "Of course, I'm not!"
"I was just kidding, Littlefoot! I knew it was you all along!" laughed Ducky, "I heard-ed you shouting, so I came-ed over here to see what happened-ed, and I found-ed you!"
The Swimmer was laughing so hard that she almost couldn't breathe, and she had to sit down and take several deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Did these Days of Rising Waters give you a new sense of humor overnight?" asked Littlefoot suspiciously.
"Of course not," said Ducky, "I just wanted to share a laugh with you. Yep, yep, yep."
"Hmm, ... well, ... I must admit, ... it kinda was funny," said Littlefoot, "Not funny enough to make me laugh, though."
"Hmm," said Ducky, putting on her thinking face, "What's green and has five points?"
"Isn't that obvious? A tree star," sighed Littlefoot.
"Nope!" giggled Ducky, and she stretched her arms and legs out to make herself look somewhat like a star.
Littlefoot laughed at Ducky's effort at pretending to be a tree star.
"Me!" the Swimmer beamed with a big, toothy smile.
Now, it was Littlefoot's turn to keep on laughing until he nearly collapsed and had to recompose himself. When he regained his stability, he brushed the soaked tree stars off his body and continued down the forest with Ducky following him.
"That was a good one, Ducky," the Longneck chuckled, "You really mean it when you say you like to give good laughs."
"I am happy when my friends are happy! Yep, yep, yep!" smiled Ducky, rhythmically walking alongside him, making it very obvious to Littlefoot that she was in one of her fun-loving moods again.
"Come on, Ducky. Let's go see if our friends need any help," said Littlefoot.
"I am right alongside you, Littlefoot," Ducky responded as they went on their way.
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A few minutes later, the two friends found themselves in a very familiar area. Ahead was a big, rocky wall that could only be a small mountain. Within that wall was a pathway that led to a tiny cave in the middle of the mountain, but they knew it wasn't just any old cave ...
It was Petrie's.
"I have been worried about Petrie for a while now," sighed Ducky sadly, "I have not seen him for a few days."
"Petrie has always had the worst luck when it comes to the Days of Rising Waters," said Littlefoot thoughtfully, "Two Cold Times ago, he got sick for a week, then in the last Days of Rising Waters, a storm destroyed his old nest, which is why he lives in this rock now."
"I wonder if he could help us, ... or if ... we could help him," said Ducky.
Then, ... there was a sound that neither of them wanted to hear ...
"ACHOO!"
The duo gasped. They knew exactly what the source of that sneeze was. To them, the voice was easily recognizable.
"Oh, no!" gasped Ducky, "Petrie got-ed sick again! Oh, no, no, no!"
"I guess that makes three Days of Rising Waters in a row something bad has happened to Petrie," said Littlefoot sadly.
"I guess that makes two of us who cannot be helpful today," said Ducky despondently.
"What do you mean, Ducky?" asked a confused Littlefoot.
"Spike is sick, too," informed Ducky, "He got-ed sick with a cold yesterday morning. He did, he did."
"Him, too?" gasped Littlefoot, "This Days of Rising Waters must be spreading some sort of sickness. We're gonna have to eat healthy flowers whenever we can. We don't want to risk getting sick, too."
"You are right, Littlefoot. I had one last night before I went to sleep, and it work-ed very well. It did," explained Ducky.
Littlefoot grinned, and the two turned up to Petrie's cave for any other signs of the Flyer's family being present.
"Hello!?" called Littlefoot.
"Is anybody home!?" added Ducky.
Within a moment, Mama Flyer emerged from the entrance and stood on the ledge in front of her cave.
"Hello down there, kids!" she called back.
"Ms. Flyer, is everything okay up there? I thought we could hear some sneezing when we arrived," said Littlefoot.
"I'm afraid that not quite everything is okay here, kids," sighed Mama Flyer with a frown, "Petrie has woken up for the second day in a row feeling so miserable. He came down with a cold after he helped me gather some food the other day."
"Oh, no, no, no," said Ducky, "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Well, I suppose you could help by looking for some white flowers. That'll really help Petrie feel a whole lot better," said Mama Flyer.
"We'll be on a lookout for those," answered Littlefoot, "I think we're all gonna be needing them, so we'd better find one quickly before they're all gone. I fear a sickness might be spreading to some dinosaurs in the valley."
"Are others getting sick, too?" asked Mama Flyer.
"Spike is sick," answered Ducky, looking down with a miserable sigh, "My poor brother has a cold. He does, he does."
"Oh, my. The poor fellow," sympathized Mama Flyer, "Anyways, if you can find a white flower that we can feed to Petrie, I'll be so grateful."
"We'll do our best, Ms. Flyer," responded Littlefoot.
"Thank you both," said Mama Flyer, sighing with relief, "It would be a big help."
"Me hate Days of Rising Waters so much!" came Petrie's echoing voice from within the cave, "Ah, ... hehehe, ... heh, ... ahahahAAACHOOOO!"
Littlefoot and Ducky could hear what sounded like a small crashing noise. They knew it could only have been Petrie landing roughly on his back after his big sneeze.
"Oh, my," said Ducky, "Poor, poor Petrie."
"You two should run along now," said Mama Flyer kindly, "I'll be taking care of my little Petrie."
"Okay, Ms. Flyer. See you later," called Littlefoot as he and Ducky turned back and started walking into another forest.
"See you soon!" Mama Flyer called back just before the duo disappeared.
Right behind her, Petrie was lying on his side, feeling just as miserable as he did yesterday. Although he felt sure he would be feeling at least a little better than he felt yesterday, today was sadly no different. He felt just as stuffy, and he began sneezing a little more frequently than before. He began to wonder if he would ever recover and be able to fly out in the open sky again. He longed to see his friends again, but he was now sure it would not happen any time soon.
"Me feel so ... miserable," he sobbed, "Me never get better. Me never get to fly aga- ... aha ... aahahaaaaCHOOOO!"
The poor little Flyer felt his back slamming against a wall, and he felt a "bump" on his head.
"AWWOWHOWOHW!" he wailed in pain, coughing several times afterward, "This worst Days of Rising Waters ever!"
He closed his eyes and began weeping as he shielded his face with his wings and laid down against the rocky floor, but a moment later he felt someone lifting him up and placing him into the warm nest.
"There, there, Petrie," came his mother's voice, "Why don't you lie down and try going back to sleep? It'll help if you get plenty of rest."
"Not if me no have anything to eat," sniffled Petrie, and he opened his eyes and saw his mother looking down at him with a sympathetic frown.
"Littlefoot and Ducky are going to try and find you a white flower," she explained, "Those always help whenever you're not feeling well."
Petrie managed to brighten up only a little, but his frown would not leave his beak.
"At least, someone try to help me," he sighed.
"I told you we'd get you some help, my little one," smiled Mama Flyer, "Now, please get yourself some much-needed sleep."
Petrie coughed some more before he rubbed his beak with a tree star to wipe any boogers off, and he rested his head against some warm sticks that made up part of the nest. His mother covered him with a warm tree star as he reached for his snuggling stick, and soon he settled down enough to close his eyes.
"Sleep well, my little Petrie," said Mama Flyer, and she kissed her son's face, earning a faint grin from him, "I'll wake you up when your friends arrive with your white flower."
"Okay, Mama," Petrie replied weakly before he began to snore ever so softly.
Mama Flyer sighed as she watched her sick son fall into a nice sleep. She was really beginning to feel worried as his health had deteriorated enough that only a white flower could save him. She began to wonder how much longer Petrie would be able to last unless he got that much-needed medicine that would save his life.
"My poor little Petrie," she thought sadly to herself as she shuttered to think about what could happen if he didn't get that white flower in time, "His condition has been deteriorating much quicker than I thought. If Spike has the same problem, then ... the whole Great Valley might end up with, ... no, ... I can't think about that, ... not with Petrie being in the state he is. I must stay strong for him until Littlefoot and Ducky get back. I know that white flower will save my dear son."
"Mommy?" said one of her daughters, "Will Petrie be okay?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine, dear," Mama Flyer replied, "I've sent Littlefoot and Ducky to find a white flower that will help him get better. Don't you worry. He’s in good hands."
The other Flyer children came within sight and looked at their sick brother. They could somehow tell that by this rate only a miracle could cure him, and a white flower would be just that ...
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Littlefoot and Ducky ventured though the Great Valley, trying to find a white flower that would save their Flyer friend. They didn't know exactly how bad it had gotten for Petrie, but, judging from what they heard from his mother, he probably would keep getting sicker unless they found that white flower.
"Didn't you say that you ate a white flower last night before going to sleep?" said Littlefoot, suddenly remembering something.
"I did, ... but it was the last one there. My mama probably went-ed to go get some more," answered Ducky, sweating a little.
"Listen. Don’t feel bad just because it was the last one your home had," said Littlefoot kindly, "We'll find somewhere that has plenty of white flowers."
"I hope we do. Yes, yes, yes," said Ducky frantically.
"Let's go ask the Threehorns if they have any," suggested Littlefoot.
"Okay," said Ducky.
She wasn't sure if it was the best idea, but if Littlefoot was willing to go through with it, then she would have to play along.
Soon, the duo arrived at the Threehorn nest, but when they looked around the area, their mouths were wide open with shock ...
The whole area was covered with puddles, twigs and many a tiny piece of a tree star. Logs, leaves and mud piles lay everywhere. The nest itself seemed to have split into a few big pieces from having strong gusts blowing at it or being filled with sky water.
To Ducky, this looked worse than her own family's nest. Now she could guess why Tricia wasn't in such a hurry to play with her this morning like they had originally planned.
"Whoever thought the Days of Rising Waters could cause so much trouble?" commented Littlefoot.
"I once had to move my nest during the Days of Rising Waters," added Ducky, "This season, the sky water really has not been getting along. No, no, no."
"You can say that again," came a gruff voice that momentarily startled them.
The Longneck and Swimmer jumped in shock and saw Topps staring despondently at his family's nest. He looked just as unhappy as he typically would.
"Now we may have to move our nest," he sighed, 'This area just isn't suitable anymore."
"Hello, kids," came Tria's voice as she appeared from behind a tree, along with Cera and Tricia, who were oddly collecting some twigs, "This is just not our time of the season, is it?"
"I guess not," sighed Ducky.
"So, what brings you here?" asked Tria kindly.
"Oh, uh, we came to ask if you had any white flowers left," answered Littlefoot nervously.
"And why would you need one of those?" asked Topps gruffly, "You two look like you're in perfect health. What's the point?"
Tria glared at her mate and shifted her attention back to Littlefoot and Ducky.
"Petrie is very sick, and his mother sent-ed us to find a white flower for him," explained Ducky.
"Oh, my. The poor little Flyer," sighed Tria sympathetically, and she looked down, appearing to be very distraught.
"What's wrong, Tria?" asked Littlefoot.
"What's wrong is that we finished the last of our white flowers last night when we heard that a few neighbors were coming down with something," answered Topps, "So, unless either one of you happened to have spotted one anywhere near here, I'm afraid we can’t help you."
Littlefoot and Ducky felt their hearts pounding frantically as they heard the bad news. With one family counted out in being able to help them, it seemed that their chances of saving Petrie had just slipped by a considerable margin. Who knew if there was another place where white flowers could be found?
"Do you ... know anywhere we might find white flowers?" asked Ducky.
"None that I know of. That's for sure," pouted Cera, staring at what was once a nice Threehorn nest that was now in ruins.
Tricia was standing beside Cera and was trying her best not to cry. Ducky felt so sorry for her and wished she could cheer her up, but she quickly remembered that she had another friend to help. Time was running out fast, and she wanted to find that flower as soon as possible.
"Now, if you kids will please excuse us for now, we have some serious business to attend to," finished Topps, and he made his way to a large log next to the former nest and started pushing it with his head.
"We'll see you soon, kids," said Tria with a wink, and she joined her mate in pushing the log out of the way.
Cera said nothing and walked away, while Tricia simply tagged behind.
Littlefoot and Ducky looked at each other awkwardly. They knew it wasn't like Cera to just leave them like that when they were in a situation that involved one of their best friends being extremely sick. Perhaps, she was so distraught over the wreckage of her family's nest that she didn’t find it in her heart to leave them to deal with the nest-moving work all on their own.
"I guess we had better look somewhere else," said Ducky sadly.
At that moment, an idea had flown into Littlefoot's head ...
"Hey! I have an idea! Why don't we look in the forest near the Sheltering Grass? I'm sure there's still plenty of white flowers in there!" he suggested.
"Good idea, Littlefoot! Yep, yep, yep!" agreed Ducky.
"Follow me!" Littlefoot called as he ran off in the direction he knew would lead to the Sheltering Grass, and Ducky followed right behind.
Just as they were leaving, though, they bumped into Ducky's mother as she was checking around the valley.
"Oh, hi, kids," she greeted them.
"Hi, Mama," smiled Ducky.
"Hello, Mrs. Swimmer," said Littlefoot.
"What are you doing out here, Mama? I thought you were looking after Spike," said a confused Ducky.
"I was visiting with other families to see how they were doing, and I was just about to inform the Threehorns that I came across a sight I'm sure none of us wanted to see again," Mama Swimmer informed.
"What is it, Mama?" asked Ducky.
"I spotted some small flooding at one corner of the valley," answered Mama Swimmer, and the Threehorns immediately perked up and gasped loudly.
"What!? Again!?" Topps shouted.
"I'm afraid so," sighed Mama Swimmer, "And it was the same corner as before, too. The only good thing is that it's nowhere near as bad as it was two Cold Times ago, so there's practically no risk of Swimming Sharpteeth intruding our valley."
"That'd better be true!" said Topps sternly, "The last thing we need is to have our kids running off to the Big Water again!"
Littlefoot, Cera and Ducky chuckled sheepishly as Topps brought that up, but Tria quickly stepped in.
"Now, now, Topsy. We have a nest to move, and if what Mrs. Swimmer says is true, then we should just calm down and find another good place for our nest," she said gently.
Tria's kind, soothing voice managed to work its magic and get her mate to relax, and he softened a little.
"You're right, my dear," he replied, "The one thing we do need is for Cera and Tricia to have a nice home again."
"Thanks for the news, Mrs. Swimmer," said Tria kindly, "We'll keep a look out for any more suspicious abnormalities and inform you if we do."
"You're welcome, Tria," replied Mama Swimmer.
"With this sickness spreading around the valley, I think we'd best play it safe and find some white flowers once we've found our new nesting place," added Topps.
"Speaking of which, we had better find our white flowers, too," Ducky reminded Littlefoot.
"You're right," the Longneck gasped in realization, "Let's get going."
"Off to find some white flowers, kids?" chuckled Mama Swimmer as the Threehorns turned away.
"We are going to find some white flowers for Petrie, and for Spike, and maybe some for the other sick dinosaurs. We are, we are," answered Ducky.
"Did Petrie get sick, too?" her shocked mother asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," sighed Littlefoot solemnly, "His mother asked us to find a white flower for him. I don't know how bad it really is, but I fear Petrie might be really sick."
"Well, I suppose you two had better run along and find those white flowers quickly," suggested Mama Swimmer, "Who knows what could happen? I only hope it doesn't get any worse."
"We'll make sure of that," said Littlefoot determinedly, "Let's go, Ducky."
"Right! See you later, Mama!" the Swimmer called to her mother as she and Littlefoot left.
"Bye, kids!" Mama Swimmer waved at them, and she went back to her duty in patrolling the valley for any more unusual signs.
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The journey to the Sheltering Grass proved to be uneventful for the two children, aside from meeting a few dinosaur families, some of which also had sick individuals, all suffering from the same illness that Petrie and Spike had caught: a nasty cold. It was becoming more and more apparent that the Great Valley had something spreading around that was causing illnesses for nearly everyone within the valley's walls. The only hope Littlefoot and Ducky had was that it wouldn't eventually get so serious, especially with Petrie already being in such a horrible state.
"I guess I can understand why we haven't seen Chomper and Ruby come out of the Secret Caverns for a few days," sighed Littlefoot.
"They probably did not want to get sick, too," agreed Ducky.
"Chomper could probably sense with his sniffer that something is terribly wrong here, and he didn't want to catch it, so he and Ruby are probably just taking shelter from this strange something that's spreading around the valley," Littlefoot summarized as he thought of why their Sharptooth and Fast Runner friends had been M.I.A. for quite some time.
"Well, maybe when everyone is feeling better-er again, they will come back out to play again," said Ducky hopefully.
"Maybe," said Littlefoot.
Then, as they ventured deeper into the forest and could see the Sheltering Grass, which was across a river of sinking sand they had once fallen into, Ducky found a sight that brightened her mood tremendously.
"Look! Over there!" she shouted, nearly startling Littlefoot, "I see a lot of white flowers! Yep, yep, yep!"
Littlefoot looked in the direction where Ducky was running off to, and he noticed about a hundred white flowers circled around several large trees.
"This must be where everyone finds their white flowers," he gasped with amazement, "You have very good eyes, Ducky."
"Thanks, Littlefoot!" said Ducky cheerfully, "Let's take some, and we can give one of them to Petrie, ... or two if he's really, really sick. I will give one to Spike, too, so that he can feel better soon. Yep, yep, yep!"
"We could probably give some of them to the sick dinosaurs, too, unless maybe their relatives are on their way here to pick them out," said Littlefoot.
"I suppose we had better collect these while we can," replied Ducky, "We do not want to run into anyone who might want to take these flowers from us, otherwise, ... oh, poor Petrie and Spike."
"I have an idea, Ducky. We'll take five with us, give one to Spike and two of them to Petrie, and the two that we have left over, we'll give to whomever else needs one," suggested Littlefoot.
"It is a deal, Littlefoot," smiled Ducky in agreement.
The Swimmer quickly pulled five white flowers out, and she climbed onto Littlefoot's back by using his tail as her way up.
"Alright. Let's go!" said Littlefoot determinedly, and he took off quickly, but not too quickly so as not to risk having Ducky fall off or drop any of their flowers on their way back.
They knew it would take a while for them to reach Petrie's nest again, but they were determined to get these flowers to him, even if a much larger dinosaur was to suddenly appear in front of them and block their path. Ducky felt skeptical about putting Petrie's condition first rather than her brother's, but the Flyer was likely in such horrific condition that they didn't have any time to lose. It was now or never.
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Thankfully, no larger dinosaurs did bump into them as they made their way back to Petrie's home, and although they had to take a longer way around since a potential shortcut had been blocked by a very large puddle that Littlefoot couldn't jump across, they made it to the Flyer cave with plenty of time to spare.
Mama Flyer was waiting right outside the cave when the kids arrived. When she saw the white flowers in Ducky's hands, she gasped with so much relief that she thought she would pass out from excitement.
"Oh, thank you both!" she exclaimed with huge sighs of relief, "You've really shown how great friends you are for my little Petrie!"
"We're just being good citizens, Ms. Flyer," smiled Littlefoot, while Ducky blushed a little.
Mama Flyer then noticed that Ducky happened to have five white flowers in her hands, while she was expecting only one for Petrie.
"Why do you have five of them?" she asked curiously, "Only one will be good enough."
"The rest will be going to whomever needs them. Spike is going to need one. He will, he will," answered Ducky.
"We saw that quite a few dinosaurs in the valley have all caught this strange thing that's misting around our valley," said Littlefoot, "They all had a cold."
"Just like Spike and Petrie," added Ducky.
"We thought that maybe we could leave two here for Petrie, and we'll give the rest to whomever else is sick that we bump into on our way back," finished Littlefoot.
"Well, usually only one flower is good enough to cure a cold, but, seeing how unimaginably sick Petrie has become, there is the slightest chance he might need a second one later if he doesn't feel better by tomorrow morning," said Mama Flyer.
"Here you go, Ms. Flyer," said Ducky, holding out two of their white flowers.
Mama Flyer graciously took the two flowers, and she quickly walked back inside and laid the flowers down next to the nest where Petrie was sleeping.
Littlefoot and Ducky took a quick peek inside, and they found what looked to be an adorable sight from afar. Petrie was sleeping snuggly in the nest, holding his snuggling stick in his wings. A large tree star was covering his body like a blanket, so only his head was exposed. However, his sleep rumbling sounded very distorted compared to the way it would usually sound, and he seemed to be shivering ever so slightly as if he was having a bad sleep story, most likely from the sniffles he had gotten the day before.
"Um, Ms. Flyer?" whispered Ducky, gaining the Flyer mother's attention, "Would it be okay if one of us visited for a few minutes so that he has some company?"
Mama Flyer sighed heavily. She knew that Littlefoot and Ducky meant well, but she didn't want them to risk catching what her poor son was now going through, and with what seemed like a pandemic spreading around the valley with all the pollen going around, anyone could get sick very easily. However, she didn't want to hamper their spirits, or Petrie's, for that matter. She knew Petrie hadn't seen any of his friends for several days, and the longer she shielded him away from them to keep them from getting sick, it would crush his little heart.
"I will allow just one of you to come inside," she finally said, "With everything going around the valley and all the Days of Rising Waters chaos, I don't want to risk more children getting sick."
"I will come in," Ducky said at once.
"Okay, Ducky," agreed Mama Flyer.
"And I'll go to your nest, Ducky, and give one of our white flowers to Spike," put in Littlefoot, "Meet me there when you're finished here, and we'll go from there."
"Okay, Littlefoot," nodded Ducky, "I will see you soon."
"See you soon, Ducky," Littlefoot replied as he turned around to leave, holding the stems of the three remaining white flowers in his mouth.
Once Littlefoot was gone, Ducky slowly stepped into the Flyer cave. She was met with welcoming nods from Petrie's brothers and sisters before she stepped right up to the nest where poor Petrie was snoozing uneasily.
"Petrie?" came Mama Flyer's gentle voice, "Wake up, dear. Your friend is here with some white flowers."
Petrie groaned weakly and slowly opened his eyes. His sight was cloudy for a few seconds as he struggled to sit up, but his eyes quickly recovered and he saw his mother grinning down at him. He was extremely surprised to see his best friend standing beside him.
"D-Ducky?" he sniffled.
"Hi, Petrie," Ducky greeted warmly, "How are you feeling?"
"Me feel ... ooooh, so ... miserable," said Petrie, his voice sounding so depressing for everyone around him to hear.
"Aw, poor, poor Petrie," sniffled Ducky as a single tear escaped from her left eye.
"W-what you doing here, Ducky?" asked Petrie awkwardly.
"I brought you some white flowers to help you feel better, Petrie. When I heard-ed that you were sick, I wanted to help you anyway I could. I do not want you to be so sad, sick and lonely. No, no, no," the Swimmer said, and she picked up one of the white flowers and held it out in front of Petrie, "Here you go, Petrie. To you from your best friend, wishing you well."
Petrie tearfully smiled at Ducky after listening to her loving words, and he took the flower and slowly began to nibble on it.
"This should help you start improving, dear," his mother said, "If you aren't feeling better by tomorrow morning, we'll have an extra one here for you to eat tomorrow."
"Okay," said Petrie, sniffling constantly as he ate his white flower.
Then, he froze and sniffled several times with his eyes going wide. The other Flyers knew immediately what was about to happen, and they crouched down to the floor. Ducky took cover by ducking behind the twigs of the nest and covering her face with her hands.
"Ah, ... ahehe, ... AACHOOOOO!" sneezed Petrie, sending tree stars flying everywhere, and he was thrown backwards by the force of his sneeze and crashed on his back against the floor of the nest, moaning dreadfully, "Aaaoooowwwwwoooooo!"
Ducky peeked her head out from behind the twigs and watched as her poor Flyer friend clumsily got back up to his feet and wiped some boogers off his beak with a tree star.
"Oh, my," the Swimmer gasped, "You look awful, Petrie."
"Me know," quivered Petrie, "Me head feel so stuffed up it hurt so much."
"Go ahead and finish that white flower, Petrie. I'll give you a moist tree star so you can have a drink. Then, you should get back to sleep. Plenty of rest will do," said Mama Flyer.
"Okay, Mama," pouted Petrie.
Mama Flyer and her other children looked tensely at him for a moment. She could tell that his illness was beginning to give him sudden mood swings.
"What is wrong, Petrie?" asked Ducky worryingly.
"Me hate Days of Rising Waters so much," the Flyer answered, crossing his wings in frustration, "Something bad always happen to me in Days of Rising Waters. Me get sick, then me have to find new home, then me get sick again! It just no fair! Worst of all, me no get to see me friends for days!"
"But I am here, Petrie," assured Ducky, "You may not be able to leave your nest, but I will keep you company for a while. I do not want you to be sad and lonely because you cannot see your friends. Oh, no, no, no. I am here, ... just for you, Petrie."
Petrie calmed down a little and looked into Ducky's blue eyes. She looked so sincere, and as far as he was concerned, somewhat loving to him in a way. To Petrie, there was something about Ducky that none of their other friends had. Sure, everyone knew her to be so selfless and very kind to all who knew her, but she was especially sweet and tender to Petrie compared to everyone else. Ducky had always had a very soft spot for Petrie, and in return he gained a soft spot for her. She always knew how to cheer him up whenever he was sad and she was the first one to find him feeling so down. Today was one of those days where it was time for Ducky to again be the loving, somewhat sisterly figure to Petrie that she was always so good at being.
Without thinking twice, Ducky stepped into the nest and gently approached Petrie. Then, she softly lifted him into a standing position and tenderly hugged him, pinning his arms down in a soothing squeeze. The Flyer felt such warming sensations from having his best friend hug him this way. His beak gradually formed a cute smile, and he partially closed his eyes as he allowed Ducky to cuddle him lovingly. Whenever the two were alone or in a situation like this, his mind always seemed to crave for these hugs from Ducky, and she responded every time like she could read his thoughts so easily from knowing him more than any of her other friends. Gradually, Petrie settled down to calm breathing, accompanied by occasional sniffles as he managed to hold his coughs and sneezes in.
While the other Flyer children thought the scene was very awkward, Mama Flyer smiled as she watched Ducky pampering Petrie as if she was an extremely loving sister. She was afraid that Ducky was risking getting herself sick by doing this, but the Swimmer felt like she knew what she was doing and knew it very well, so she silently watched and allowed the two children to cuddle together for as long as Petrie needed Ducky to soothe and pamper him.
Ducky then discreetly planted a kiss on Petrie's left cheek, right on the end of his smiling mouth. The Flyer was very surprised by this, but he welcomed it with a happy heart. He closed his eyes and savored the moment as he sighed comfortably. No one else seemed to have taken notice of the kiss, as they all thought Petrie was smiling brightly because of Ducky's hug. Mama Flyer, however, let out a small chuckle. She seemed to tell that only a kiss would make Petrie smile that way, and she felt proud of Ducky for sharing a very happy moment with him. As Ducky looked up at her, the Flyer winked at her to tell her that she was proud of her, and Ducky chuckled and smiled in response.
Soon, Ducky knelt and slowly set Petrie lying down on the warm floor of the nest. The Flyer opened his eyes and smiled up at Ducky while sniffling a little due to his stuffy beak. The Swimmer then brought her head down to the level of the Flyer's head, and she whispered very softly in his ear, "I hope you get better soon, cute, little Petrie. Yep, yep, yep."
Petrie's eyes were wide, and his cheeks blushed deep red as Ducky brought her head back up and giggled as she saw that her words had made him blush.
"Ducky think me cute?" thought Petrie happily, "Me cute? Me Mama only other one who ever say me cute. Maybe Ducky love me so much as friend."
"Go ahead and close your eyes, Petrie. You deserve some rest. You do, you do," said Ducky softly, and she covered him up by bundling several large tree stars on top of him to keep him as warm as possible.
With only his head, neck and shoulders exposed, Petrie felt plenty of warmth soothing his body pleasantly. His mother held a moist tree star right over him, and he grabbed it with his beak and began sucking in the nice, fresh water that coated it. Ducky giggled at the cute sight of Petrie babyishly sucking on a wet tree star, and she picked up his snuggling stick and slid it underneath his blanketing tree stars in a way she thought would really keep him comfortable; right on top of his chest, while one end rubbed against his cheek and the other end could be grasped by his tiny toes if he wanted to.
Within a moment, Petrie turned to his side and rested his head against the warm twigs, and he closed his eyes with the moist tree star still sticking out of his mouth, while his snuggling stick could be seen still rubbing pleasantly against his beak. Mama Flyer and Ducky giggled at the adorable sight just before they could hear the sleep rumbling coming from the little Flyer.
Mama Flyer turned to her other children and gestured for them to head outside to get some fresh air.
"I think you can all step outside if you'd like to," she whispered, "Your brother is well tended."
Without a word, the Flyer children all walked out onto the ledge in front of the cave to receive some much-needed air from the chilly breeze that blew around them, while Mama Flyer and Ducky watched over Petrie as he slept soundly and cutely.
A few minutes later, Mama Flyer gently patted Ducky's back to get her attention, and the young Swimmer looked up.
"You should go back out and help your brother," she insisted kindly, "I'm sure Spike needs just as much help as Petrie did.”
Ducky looked out towards the ledge where Petrie's siblings were standing around. She had just about forgotten that Spike was sick and desperately needed her to comfort him in his time of need. All that time she spent snuggling Petrie had nearly made her forget. Sure, Petrie may have been her best friend, but Spike was her brother, and family was often more important than friends. Somehow, though, she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Petrie, even if his family was here to keep him company.
"You are welcome to come back and visit later, Ducky, if your mother is okay with it," Mama Flyer added.
This was enough to lift Ducky's spirits a little, and she stood up and stepped out of the nest before looking back at Petrie again.
"I will be back soon, Petrie," she murmured quietly, "I promise … you will not be alone."
She took a deep breath and exchanged a faint smile with Petrie's mother.
"I will see you later, Ms. Flyer," she said.
"See you later, Ducky," Mama Flyer replied.
At last, Ducky turned around and walked back into the outside world that was their ever-so-beautiful yet somewhat infected Great Valley, hoping to meet up with her family and make sure Spike was at least starting to make a recovery.
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When Ducky arrived back home, an encouraging sight awaited her ...
Spike was looking better than he had this morning. It was obvious that Littlefoot had given him one of the white flowers they had collected near the Sheltering Grass, and now he was back on his feet and walking around. At the very least, it meant that the Spiketail was making a good recovery, somewhat quicker than Petrie was.
Ducky's mother was watching happily, along with Littlefoot. They felt so relieved to see Spike getting better very quickly, although he still had his sniffles from time to time. His sneezing had decreased considerably, and now he was only sneezing once every hour or so.
"Wow! Those white flowers work wonders! Yep, yep, yep!" said Ducky excitedly.
"They sure do!" her mother chuckled in agreement, "He was right back on his feet just before you came home, Ducky. You and Littlefoot have done a great job!"
"Thanks, Mama!" beamed Ducky.
"We're always happy to help, Mrs. Swimmer," added Littlefoot.
"How's Petrie?" asked Mama Swimmer.
"I gave him a white flower, and he is starting to get a little better-er," answered Ducky, "Maybe Petrie could be better-er tomorrow. Yep, yep, yep."
"That's great news, dear!" said her mother.
"I was wondering if I could visit Petrie again before the Bright Circle goes down," said Ducky hopefully, "His mama said-ed she was okay with it if you were okay with it."
"I'll allow you to visit Petrie just as long as you're back before the Night Circle is out," smiled Mama Swimmer.
"Oh, thank you, Mama!" cheered Ducky, and she ran up to her mother and hugged her ankle, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Mama Swimmer laughed at her daughter's cheerfulness, and she gently calmed her down so she wouldn't get overexcited.
"For now, though, why don't you and Littlefoot deliver the rest of those white flowers to whomever else is sick?" she suggested.
"Okay, Mrs. Swimmer," answered Littlefoot promptly, picking up the two remaining white flowers and holding the stems in his mouth, "Come on, Ducky!"
"I am coming, Littlefoot!" Ducky replied as she trailed behind him, "Bye, Mama!"
"Bye, kids!" Mama Swimmer called before the two disappeared.
Ducky turned back one more time to get a quick peek at Spike before she caught up with Littlefoot.
