Freeze The girl looked into the distance with a very distant gaze. She didn't even notice the freezing wind that was blowing down from the mountains behind which her friend had eventually disappeared. Just her friend? Oh no, he was even like a big or small (depending on how you referred to it) brother to her who had always been there for her. However, now those times were over.
The sky looked like it couldn't decide whether to bring more snow or not - It was a defuse range of grey-ish shades. The little, green Swimmer kept on staring on the pass the Spiketail herd had used to leave the Great Valley, which was covered in an almost mystical, thick layer of snow. When it first came to the Valley, nobody knew it could strike them, not even their old teacher Mr. Thicknose. They had believed that the Valley wasn't prone to Frozen Sky Stars falling, killing all their food, but now it had happened and they had to deal with it, unprepared.
At first, she really liked the snow since it was something she had never seen nor heard of, sparkling her excitement, and something one could use in various ways to entertain oneself. Ducky and her friends had been inventing a bunch of new games and adapted existing ones to the new conditions at their home. However, the problems it also brought along had long since gobbled up all the joy and excitement about it... The cold was beginning to become a major problem - heck, her feet and hands were so cold that they had gone completely numb! On top of that, food was almost impossible to find and all water sources had frozen over. That, ultimately, made the Spiketails leave... and Spike decided to go with them, leaving her, who found him, hatched him and convinced her family to take him in, behind all alone...
Ducky didn't know whether the numb feeling she felt could be credited to the cold outside or to the cold that was beginning to spread in her inside... or how long she had been standing there gazing into nothingness, holding onto just an ever so small spark of hope that Spike would change his mind at the last minute. She stood there like a statue made of ice.
"Ducky?" A familiar voice shook the small hadrosaur out of her trance. It was Littlefoot. The sound of more footsteps approaching suggested that the whole gang, except for Spike obviously, was present. Ducky heard a flapping sound, then a soft thud. Petrie had landed beside her.
"You no look good, Ducky... you doing okay?" the Flyer wondered with concern in his voice, placing one of his wings on her shoulders.
Ducky was secretly relieved that her friends (minus Spike) were there, knowing her pain and probably sharing it to some degree. She felt utterly lonely but her friends had reminded her that she still had dinosaurs around her who meant something for her. She wanted to join them – shared pain was easier to cope with after all, but, actually, she just wanted to be left alone. Suddenly, she felt a strong urge to cry, realising how moisture was beginning to gather in her eyes. She swallowed down her depression for the time being - she could cry later after all.
"Ducky?" Littlefoot repeated softly, coming to a halt right behind the Swimmer.
"How is you?" Petrie inquired, looking at his friend questioningly. Ducky avoided his gaze and didn't reply for a long while. Her friends waited patiently for her to reply.
"I still can't believe he's really left..." Cera eventually spoke up to break the unpleasant silence that was only interrupted by the whistle of the wind. Not even she dared to make a snide comment about Ducky in this situation.
"Yeah..." Littlefoot sighed. Ever since the Spiketails had visited the Valley, Spike had started hanging around with a Spiketail boy instead of them. He could really understand Ducky's feelings. She had always been with Spike and now he was gone. It almost made him draw an analogy to the time when he had lost his mother to Sharptooth with one important thing being different however...
"But... I'm sure he'll be back soon!" he said, trying to cheer Ducky up.
"Yeah, he no leave family for good, just going on adventure like we always do," Petrie added supportively.
"And at least we're still here!" Cera reminded her.
Littlefoot nuzzled Ducky in order to offer her some comfort, Petrie gave her a short hug and Cera gave her a look of understanding which, coming from Cera, meant something.
"Thank you..." Ducky responded at last, her back still turned away from her friends, her head hanging low. "But you are not helping, no, no, no..."
To their concern, Ducky's friends noticed how choked up her voice sounded – like as if she was about to cry.
"Whatd'ya mean we're not helping!?" Cera shouted in response, annoyed. Littlefoot quickly shushed her.
"So we make you feel bad?" Petrie wondered, not really understanding the context of what Ducky had said.
"I am happy, that you are here right now but I need to be alone now, yes I do..." the Swimmer girl explained silently, the howling of the wind almost drowning her words.
"We're there if you need us, Ducky," Littlefoot offered soothingly, once again nuzzling his friend which Ducky accepted eagerly before stepping back. Ducky then turned to Petrie, tears now forming in the corner of her eyes that she couldn't hold back any longer. She accepted the embrace Petrie was offering when he saw just how close she was to breaking down.
"You sure you no need comfort of friends?" Petrie asked, reassuring himself.
Ducky nodded. "Maybe later..." Petrie accepted this answer. Without further words being spoken, Ducky broke off, turning around and slowly shambling away from her friends who walked into the opposite direction, continuing to talk among themselves for a little while.
"I don't get why she's such a baby!" Cera ranted once they were out of Ducky's hearing range. "I mean... he'll return, won't he!?"
"Ducky no baby!" Petrie defended his friend angrily.
"Yes she is!" Cera insisted. "She's probably hiding somewhere now bawling her eyes out!"
"Cera, cut it out..." Littlefoot sighed. He clearly wasn't in the mood to argue with the Threehorn right now.
"Should me keep eye on her?" Petrie wondered.
"Leave her..." Littlefoot suggested. "She needs to be on her own now. You can see how she is doing later maybe?"
"Okay..." Petrie sighed and they followed Cera who had trampled forward angrily, taking the lead of the group and shoving a trail through the thick snow layer.
Meanwhile, Ducky had found a sheltered crevice where she was protected from the cold wind. She curled up into a tight ball and finally allowed herself to cry unbridledly...
It was almost two hours later when Petrie checked back on his friend. The sky had finally made a decision – it was now snowing mildly but the clouds were doomingly dark. More snow was likely to fall during the night.
Landing on a tree close to where the girl was hiding, the Flyer eventually located her. Her cries and sobs were loud and very painful to listen to. Not far away from his vantage point, stood Ducky's Mother, wearing an expression that was very hard to read. Petrie decided to talk to her.
"Hello Momma Ducky," he greeted the adult Swimmer.
"Oh... hello Petrie..." she responded, apparently being elsewhere with her thoughts. "What are you doing out here in this cold weather?" she wondered.
"Well, me here to see if me can help Ducky!" Petrie declared determinedly.
"Oh... I don't think you can, Petrie..." her mother admitted sadly. "She misses Spike and I think there's something more to it as well..."
"Can me go to her?" the Flyer requested formally.
"Well..." she thought about it for a moment. "I don't think she is going to let you near her..." Petrie had expected this answer. "Me will leave if she no want me to be there..."
Ducky's Mother sighed. "She didn't even let me near her and I'm her mother! Why would she let you console her then?" the female puzzled. "I've tried to console her every now and then, there's no point I'm afraid..."
"Well, there be few things Ducky only tell Petrie and there be some things me tell Ducky but nobody else," Petrie explained. "So maybe she let me?"
"Well... then go and try but don't expect too much..." the Swimmer gave in.
"Thanks," Petrie replied, buzzing off until he landed in front of the crevice in the deep snow layer, almost sinking into it. He quickly hurried over to the trail Ducky had left when she shoved her way through the white stuff and entered the crevice carefully.
Ducky was in a sitting position, leaning against the rocky wall of the crevice, her arms wrapped around her knees, her head rested on her arms, her body shaking with every sob. Apparently, she hadn't noticed him yet.
"Ducky?" Petrie spoke up quietly in order not to startle his friend. Ducky clearly heard him since she interrupted her crying for a split of a second when he spoke up. There was no real reaction however – she just kept on weeping all by herself, apparently not even minding his presence.
"May me stay?" Petrie asked carefully, slowly tiptoing closer to Ducky. To his surprise, the girl nodded instantly so Petrie walked over to her. Placing himself to Ducky's right, he simply sat next to her awkwardly, not knowing what to do or what to say. Whatever Ducky wanted him to do, surely she would let him know one way or another...
At first, Ducky seemed about to calm down, the intensity of her sobs decreasing, but then, suddenly, she jumped to her feet and began pacing around in the small crevice like Cera would always do when she was agitated or angry. Was Ducky angry? Petrie thought she was just sad.
"Ducky, what you doing?" the Flyer carefully interviewed the Swimmer whose sobs increased in intensity rapidly, her fists clenched.
"Go away!" she suddenly shouted into the crevice, her words echoing several times. Petrie looked at her, making a worrisome discovery.
"She look like she 'bout to snap..." Petrie knew this look from Cera too well and boy was that Threehorn intimidating at times. But right now, Ducky was his concern.
"Leave me ALONE!" Ducky cried when Petrie didn't move, simply gawking at her both curiously and worriedly. She was panting heavily now.
"Ducky what wrong with you!?" Petrie retorted in fear and concern. "Why you so mad? You mad at Petrie?"
"NOOO!!!" Tears were flying through the space when Ducky shook her head furiously. "Just go, please..." That, she said almost in a begging manner.
"But-but me wanna help y.."
"You can't help me!" Ducky screamed furiously. "GO AWAAAAAAAAAAYY!!!"
Petrie realised he had probably lost but his curiosity won one more time.
"But then why you say it okay for me to stay just moment ago???"
That was apparently too much for the little Swimmer girl. Bawling like a baby, she picked up a small pebble from the ground and threw it against the wall in Petrie's direction who quickly took flight, leaving the crevice but not going away yet. She threw more pebbles against the wall with all her might and when she was out of ammo, she, while crying heartbrokenly, slammed against the walls with considerable force, shaking a couple of pebbles loose.
"I HATE YOU!!! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!!!" she screamed again and again, punching the rocks with all the strength her tiny arms would provide her with until they were sore and scraped and bleeding. Only then, when the pain and exertion slowly got the better of her and when her voice broke because of screaming, she made one last sprint, colliding with the wall on the other side painfully before remaining on the ground in a crouching position, wailing heartbreakingly.
Petrie had observed the display in shock and horror. This was unlike anything he had ever seen Ducky do. Carefully, he entered the crevice again. The Swimmer showed no resistance whatsoever when he carefully lifted her up from the ground to embrace and console her. She simply bawled her eyes out which made Petrie very sad but he didn't leave. He knew that Ducky needed company more than anything else right now. Despite ordering to go away, the little Swimmer was now leaning against the Flyer in desperate need of company and consolation.
Her mother checked back on her daughter after a while. Seeing the display of the two friends embracing made her smile despite her very personal sadness she felt about the departure of Spike.
After an eternity as it appeared to Petrie, Ducky's cries finally began to subside rapidly, dieing down to occasional sobbing rather soon. After another while the sobs became rarer and rarer until Ducky had finally become calm again, however, tears were still running down her face like a waterfall for quite some more time until the never ending stream of tears slowly petered out.
"You okay now?" Petrie eventually spoke up quietly, concern ringing in his voice.
Ducky had finally broken off his embrace, rubbing her sore, swollen eyes and wiping away all the tears on her body. She looked miserable to say the least.
"No, I am not..." Ducky eventually spoke up quietly, her voice hoarse and croaky from screaming and extremely shaky from crying. "T-thank you for not leaving, Petrie..."
"Me know you not thinkin' clearly back there, that happen when you be mad," Petrie explained, still remembering how he had called his friends a bunch of stinkbugs after they voiced up their concerns about his uncle Pterano back then. "But... err why exactly you so angry? That not like you..."
"I am mad at Spike, yes I am!" Ducky declared resolutely.
"But... why???" Petrie quesioned in confusion.
"Because... because he... well..." the girl stammered. Then she sighed sadly. "I do not know, no, no, no..." She almost started tearing up at this but there were no tears left to shed.
"Huh?" Petrie's confusion was perfect now.
"I mean..." Ducky carried on. "I love Spike, he is my little brother after all but... right now I just want to kick his butt! And now he is gone..." Resignated, Ducky let herself plop to the ground, totally exhausted.
"If it help you, you could kick Petrie's butt..." Petrie offered half-heartedly.
Ducky shook her head sadly. "No that would not help me at all. I am not mad at you, Petrie, no, no, no..." Petrie kneed down in front of her. "I hate being mad, yes I DO!"
"Me can imagine..." Petrie exclaimed. "Anyway, it getting dark, we should be home before it dark!"
Ducky didn't feel like going home at all but she knew the trouble wouldn't be worth it so she heaved herself onto her exhausted, powerless legs and, accompanied by Petrie, slowly trotted back to the Swimmer's nest through the thick snowfall that slowly turned into the harbinger of a snowstorm none of the two children wanted to be caught in so they hurried to get home.
Indeed, snowfall was soon accompanied by an icy wind bending the trees and blowing the last remaining leaves that hadn't previously fallen off the trees. Ducky had refused to huddle together with her siblings in order to sleep. She had always been sleeping with Spike. Now that the Spiketail wasn't around, it was impossible for Ducky to find a good night's rest. He had already been spending the night with the Spiketails a few times but this particular night it was even worse for the small Swimmer. She couldn't sleep no matter what, she was constantly on the edge of tearing up and she was freezing! Due to the fact that she didn't sleep with her siblings, she wasn't protected from the icy wind as much as they were. Their mother was trying her best to shelter her young ones with her big body but the storm was furious. Eventually, Ducky started shivering. Now sleep was even harder to find.
As time passed on and the storm reached its maximum strength, Ducky was so cold that she started crying a little but she was too obstinate to seek the warmer sleeping spot. This was where she and Spike were always sleeping and so it would stay!
"Ducky... this is not worth it..." Her mother eventually spoke to her daughter softly, when she woke up to see if everything was okay in the nest. She knew exactly what was going on in the mind of her daughter.
"I want to s-s-sleep here, yes I d-d-do..." Ducky defiantly retorted, shivering uncontrollably.
"You will be frozen by the time the night os over, dear," her mother mentioned. "If you get too cold, you might end up falling asleep and never wake up again. That is something I cannot allow to happen!"
"B-but mom..." Ducky protested, tears oozed out of her eyes, freezing on her cheeks.
"I understand you, Ducky, but this is a tad more important, don't you think?" the adult reasoned calmly.
"I do not want to sleep with them though, I want to sleep with S-s-spike!" Ducky sobbed.
"You don't have to sleep with your siblings, Ducky," her mother explained, lifting her daughter's head which was hanging low with her fingers. "I am only asking you not to sleep where the storm can reach you. You could sleep with me tonight, how does that sound?"
Ducky quickly considered her options. Her mother was probably right. Staying where she was wouldn't get her any sleep and she was so cold by now that she'd even sleep with her siblings if it meant warmth and protection from the storm.
"O-okay, I w-will sleep w-w-with y-y-you..." she agreed unwillingly. Her mother grabbed her and placed her next to her neck. Shielding her from the storm with her head and sharing her warmth with her daughter, Ducky's mother noted with a smile that her daughter quickly warmed up again and instantly fell into a deep slumber, albeit it was a troubled one.
In the next morning, Ducky jerked out of a rough dream she had been having, only to realise that she had returned to old habits she thought she had overcome by now. Luckily, everyone was understanding of her situation and nobody dared to tease their sister for it, knowing how much she missed Spike. After all, Spike was their brother too and they were missing him as well.
The sky was surprisingly calm, considering the heavy storm during the night. A thick layer of fresh snow was covering literally everything in the Valley, making it difficult to walk for small individuals like Ducky.
When her friends came over, asking her if she wanted to come along, Ducky declined to their surprise. She was too depressed to find any joy in games and their presence only reminded her of Spike as well as the presence of her family did. Therefore, Ducky decided to seek distance to everybody who reminded her of Spike and the fact that he wasn't around.
All alone with her thoughts, she eventually took a seat on a rock. Below her was the watering hole that was located close to her nest which was totally frozen. Ducky could see her reflection in the ice - her sad eyes were staring back at her. The rock was uncomfortably cold but so was almost everything around her these days.
"Do you miss him too, do you?" the depressed Swimmer interrogated her reflection sadly. Her reflection nodded. "I miss him so much..." A single tear fell from her eyes. "I just cannot wait until the cold time is over for him to return, no, no, no..." Ducky knew she couldn't wait that long – she had to do something but... what?
Soon, her mother came over to talk to her daughter.
"Is everything okay, sweety? You don't look good..." she questioned Ducky.
Ducky kept on staring at the icy surface of the watering hole numbly. "That is because I do not feel good, no, no, no..." she responded quietly.
"I know you miss Spike, dear," her mother spoke understandingly. "So do I but... we all have to
accept that it was Spike's choice to go with them. Even he has a mind of his own sometimes..."
"But why did he even want to go?" Ducky whimpered. "We're his family!"
"True, he is part of our family, Ducky," the adult said in agreement but her tone indicated that it wasn't that easy. "But... it doesn't change the fact that he is a Spiketail. He needs some things we just cannot offer him because we're not like him..."
Ducky paused for a long time, pondering whether or not to tell her mother what was on her mind.
"I love Spike... if he is not here then I do not feel complete, no, no, no..." Ducky explained downheartedly, pressing her hands against her chest. "But... at the same time I am so very very mad at him and I do not even know why!"
"Oh, siblings tend to get into quarrels all the time, Ducky. You should know that..." her mother spoke warmly. "Even someone as friendly and good-hearted as you can be mad at their siblings every now and then." She chuckled; Ducky didn't.
"If only I knew why I am so mad, then I could try to make things better but now I cannot... I have been mean to him and I feel bad about it now..." Ducky admitted ruefully. "When he couldn't decide whether to stay or to go, I was so mad at him that I told him to leave! Now he is mad at me, he is, he is..."
"Oh Ducky, Spike is the last dinosaur to hold a grudge," Ducky's mother spoke optimistically. "You'll see... when he returns, he'll lick all over your face like he's always done I bet!"
"What if he is not? What if he does not want to return because of it???" These questions troubled the little swimmer's mind.
"Dear, you're worrying too much, don't you think?"
"Maybe..." Ducky admitted hesitantly. She sighed. "Still, why would he leave his own family!? He may be a Spiketail and not a swimmer, I do understand that but WE are his family! I would never ever want to leave my family, no, no, no!"
"Somewhere deep inside he knows he doesn't belong into this family naturally," her mother explained, sighing. "He knows he is better off living with his own kind to learn how to live like a Spiketail... how to be a Spiketail..."
"Nooo..." Ducky complained. "You are wrong, you are!"
"Ducky, it-it's for his own good!" Ducky let her head hang low as she expected her mother to get mad at her for being so unreasonable.
"Spike needs more food than we do..." her mother carried on, trying to explain the decision Spike had made to her daughter.
"I know..." Ducky responded sadly. Spike's appetite had always been huge, even for a Spiketail. The fact that her mother had mentioned that made her heart sting painfully.
"Besides, it won't be forever – they'll be back, you heard what Tippy's Mother said..."
Ducky rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I know." She felt more and more like she was being lectured.
"And he's never had a chance to spend time with other Spiketails – he needs to be with his own kind..."
Ducky was beginning to feel anger rising up in her. "I know!" she hissed.
"And it's clear that they love Spike... they're patient and kind and..."
Ducky didn't know why her mother was still defending Spike's choice. She knew it hurt her just as much. It made her tremendously angry... so angry that she, clenching her fists, turned around to face her mother. "I know, okay? I know!!!" she shouted, boiling.
"Ducky!" her mother shouted back warningly. Ducky knew it was wrong to act like that but she couldn't help feeling that way. Resigning, she turned around again, only sadness remaining.
"I am sorry mama..." she apologized instantly.
Her mother smiled. "Well that's okay dear, I understand." She put her hand around her daughter's body and nuzzled her consolatorily..
Ducky suddenly had a bright moment. She instantly knew what she would have to do to make things right again and came up with a good excuse to set her spontaneous plan into motion.
"Um... we told Mr. Thicknose we would meet up with him one last time..." she explained hesitantly. "Is it alright for me to go?"
"Of course, dear," her mother responded warmly. She was glad that at least the children wouldn't turn away from the old Threehorn that recently lost his credibility in the Valley.
Ducky walked some distance away from the nest. Once out of sight of her mother who left the nest as well, Ducky hid behind a rock until her mother had left and then went into the opposite direction she had said she would...
After a while, Ducky had reached the pass that the Spiketails had used to leave the central parts of the Valley. It lead to the rocky outskirts of the Valley. The huge footprints were clearly visible – Ducky could even distinguish Spike's footprints in the deep snow despite the heavy snowfall in the previous night, following them with only one intention...
"I will find you Spike!" she spoke to nobody in particular. "I will find you and tell you I'm sorry, yep, yep, yep!"
For the first time since his departure, Ducky actually felt a little better. Spike was reachable for her again, provided she was capable of catching up with the much taller Spiketails. Her short legs could only cover so much distance at a time and the thick snow wasn't helping to make progress. She couldn't feel her feet due to the cold but that was something she had long since got used to since it was practically unavoidable since there wasn't any spot she could step onto that wasn't completely buried in the mass. She began using the Spiketail's footprints after she had figured out that she wouldn't sink in nearly as much there since the snow was already compressed by the sheer weight of them. It even turned into a sort of game, trying not to step on anything but footprints. They looked fresh where she was so the Spiketails must have rested somewhere during the night before fully leaving the Valley. That meant...
"Spike cannot be too far away, no, no, no!" The realisation gave Ducky new energy. She hurried, jumping from one to another footprint. It was so much fun that she even laughed a little bit which felt so good after all the depression and anger she had been coping with lately.
As the evening approached, Ducky still hadn't caught up with the Spiketails. Her legs began to tire and the wind picked up speed, chilling her to the bone.
"I did not know Spiketails could walk so fast, no, no, no..." she spoke, panting. Her spirits were slowly dropping but she didn't want to give up just yet. She had decided to go on this journey without anybody knowing or the permission to go for that matter so she'd better pull it threw to catch up, walking all night if she had to.
The clouds were moving fast across the sky which seemed to glow in an almost green-ish colour. It was eerie and Ducky presumed more snow to fall at some point. She just hoped it wouldn't be a storm like the previous night. She'd be screwed if it turned into something like this out here in the open...
"Spiiiiiiiiiiiiike!" Ducky called into the unwelcoming mountains surrounding her. She had gotten uneasily close to the Mysterious Beyond.
"Spiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiike!!!" she repeated her call, hoping that, maybe, he could hear her. The only thing that returned was the echo of her own voice though. She occasionally called out for her brother, trying to keep her pace steady but when it began to dawn, she had to admit, that she wouldn't catch up with the Spiketails this day.
"Oh no, no, no... I do not like this at all..." Ducky spoke to herself as she took a quick glance at a wall of clouds rapidly advancing towards the Great Valley where she came from. If she wanted to survive this night, she would have to find shelter or she would be lost. She was awfully cold as it was and she remembered how cold it was even in the protecting windshield her mother had formed to keep her warm.
It took Ducky a while until she found a narrow crevice she could cower into. It protected her from the wind quite effectively – the storm was raging outside. Judging by the noise it made, it was even stronger a storm than yesterday. Ducky was very grateful to have found shelter eventually after fighting her way through the increasing storm. She knew she'd be frozen like a stone by now. However, her hideout was so narrow that she couldn't find any position that was comfortable enough to find sleep. She knew she must have dozed off a couple times and, occasionally, she cried a little.
As the night got older, the storm raged on but was slowly losing intensity. It was still too stormy for Ducky to go out there safely but she couldn't stay in that crevice for any longer. Everything hurt from her unfavourable sitting position and she had a feeling it could very well be the key to her success. Swallowing hard, she left her shelter and pushed her little body forward through the menacingly cold wind, the renewed, deep snow cover and the darkness of the night – tired, scared, hurt, freezing, hungry, thirsty and, moreover, very, very cold. Ducky fought bravely. She didn't let the freeze take away her determination, continuing on and on. However, there was one thing she couldn't have foreseen... It had already been too great a risk to leave her shelter in the first place but what happened next even blew away Ducky's obsolete determination like a leaf in the storm. Literally...
"The storm is getting stronger!" Ducky realised, her heart sinking low in her guts. Before she could make a decision, she was picked up by the wind as if she were just like that leaf on the tree. Ducky screamed at the top of her lungs - she was being carried away significantly before colliding with something hard that knocked the air out of her lungs. Her body remained lying in a deep pile of snow that the wind had accumulated on the base of the mountain Ducky had been catapulted into.
"I am so c-c-coold..." the little Swimmer thought. While fighting out there in the storm, everything had been numb. She hadn't felt just how supercooled she actually was. She didn't even feel any pain despite the hard impact she had suffered. Her body was so stiff that she couldn't even shake to generate warmth. The storm pushed a lot of snow into her face, taking away the little bit of warmth she had left in her little body. It also took away the last little bit of hope Ducky had left to ever see Spike again. She felt the last bit of life slowly be sucked out of her body by the frost. Ducky realised the severity of the mistake she had made. In her current position, she was doomed. She couldn't move and was about to be buried in ice-cold snow.
"Oh what have I done? Is this going to be like my momma said? Am I going to fall asleep to never wake up again?" Her thoughts then shifted to Spike.
"Will I ever be able to tell him that I am sorry? Will he ever forgive me for what I said to him? I do not want to end like that..." But Ducky couldn't help the situation and she couldn't help the fact that the freeze eventually reached her heart – the most central thing of her body. She couldn't stop her eyes from closing but shortly before they did, she saw something huge appearing in the storm.
"Oh no... there is Sharptooth. He is going to eat me, he is... he... is............." Ducky lost her consciousness.
When Ducky opened her eyes again, the first thing she noticed was that it was pleasantly warm.
"Where am I, huh?" the little Swimmer wondered. "Am I dead?" Her vision was blurry, she couldn't see anything but a blurred picture.
"Well, look who's finally woken up from her slumber," a warm, female voice said that Ducky instantly recognized although she couldn't remember whose voice it was.
"Where am I?" Ducky repeated her question moving her head dizzily.
"You are safe with me," the female answered kindly.
"Am I dead?" Before she got any answer pain kicked in, which could only mean that she was still alive.
"No... but you were darn close..." she got as a response.
"Ouch..." Ducky wailed as excruciating pain began tormenting every inch of her small body. Her back and side hurt immensely and her whole body gave her a painful stinging sensation. On the bright side, that got her brain working again.
"What happened?" she asked, flinching in pain. She began to realise that whoever she was talking to was also the body she was warmed by from one side. But who were the other two warming her from the other side?
"Well, let's just say you were so cold that even your saliva was frozen in your mouth when we found you," the female replied. "That is... actually someone special found you. Let me wake him up so you can personally thank him..." The dinosaur nudged the bigger of the two unknown bodies next to her awake, whispering. "She's awake now."
The body next to her was suddenly full of motion. Before Ducky knew what was going on, she was attacked by something warm and wet which tickled her.
"Spike saved Ducky!" a childlike voice spoke happily.
Suddenly something clicked in Ducky's head – all the pain was instantly forgotten... suddenly, she knew who those three dinosaurs around her were. She had closed her eyes as soon as she had realised they weren't working but now she tried it again. The picture was blurry it first. Something green was staring at her. Then the image cleared.
"SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!!!" Ducky screamed in delight. The Spiketail chuckled, seeing how happy his big sister was to see him and continued to lick every inch of her body much to the joy of Ducky.
"He heard your scream and ran after you," Tippy's Mother explained. "I didn't know what he was doing until he roared your name. I thought Spike couldn't talk but, apparently, he can if he wants to."
"Of course he can," Ducky replied. "Oh Spiky... you saved-ed me, yep, yep, yep! I am sooooooooooooooooo happy to see you, yes I am, I am!" Ducky told her brother, trying to hug him but her back prevented her from getting up. Spike bent down so she could do so nonetheless. "I am so so sorry for being so rude..." Ducky's mood abruptly changed. "I hated-ed you but that was wrong. I want you to know that I love you, Spiky! Do you forgive me?"
Spike nodded as if he wanted to say that he should be the one apologizing.
"We will go back to the Great Valley now if you don't mind, Ducky. I'm sure you will be missed greatly." Tippy's Mother smiled.
"Wait... where is the rest of your herd?" Ducky wondered.
"Oh, we stayed back. Spike was missing the Great Valley a lot and we were considering that anyway before we found you."
"So you are all staying at the Great Valley?" Ducky inquired unbelievingly.
"Until our herd returns to the Valley... yes," Tippy's mother spoke, laughing when she saw the joy spread through Ducky's whole body.
"So Spike and I will not be separated anymore? Oh yes, yes, yes!!!"
"How is your back? Do you think we can carry you savely?" she then questioned.
"I think it will be okay," Ducky answered. "It hurts but I am sure Spike will be careful when he carries me home, right Spike?"
The Spiketail nodded.
"How about I carry all of you?" Tippy's Mother offered. "That way we'll be there before the day turns into night again.
Tippy was particularly happy about that and Ducky also agreed, Spike nodding as well.
On the way, Ducky eventually found out just how long she had been unconcious.
"I have slept through a whole day and night??? Holy treestar, that is very long, it is..."
Ducky's Mother was extremely happy to see her children save and sound when they arrived at the Great Valley in the late evening. She even forgot to be angry at Ducky for lying and running away unpermittedly. Her friends were also very happy although Cera was a little pissed off that she didn't take them with her.
When the family settled down to sleep, allowing the Spiketails to sleep near their nest for the time of their visit, Ducky still had a few questions on her mind (and a terrible backache after Mr. Thicknose tried some questionable paste to make the injury heal quicker).
"Mommy, can I ask you something?" Ducky spoke quietly, not to wake up her siblings who were already sleeping.
"Of course you can, dear," her mother answered warmly. "What's on your mind?"
"Well, I am simply wondering why I was so mad at Spike?" Ducky worded her question. "I do not ever want something like this to happen again, no, no, no..."
"Well, dear..." she explained. "I think it was simply the fact that Spike was spending time with somebody else but you. I believe that you were simply jealous. Besides, you were probably angry because you felt replaced?"
Ducky thought about the points her mother brought up and found them to be very accurate.
"Yes, that must have been the reason, you are right, you are..." Ducky yawned cutely. "Good Night, Mommy, I love you."
"And I love you too, my little Ducky..." the grown-up spoke softly, nuzzling her daughter lovingly. "Sleep well, dear."
Ducky hummed in pleasure, with a smile on her face, she fell asleep, knowing that everything was alright again.
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Entry for my
writing project. The theme was "frozen". That was an easy one for me to write and it was a lot of fun too, working with the material of my favourite LBT sequel.
I hope you like this little short story, don't forget to leave a review, yep, yep, yep!
And now on to updating my regular fanfictions...
