Chapter 24: Unpleasant Situations
Sura was looking way more better when she and Ducky resumed their journey in the morning, the herbs that she had applied had worked well during there rest period. Now that her leg was healing nicely, Sura could make up for lost time. Ducky kept pace with her mother, she was so glad that her mother's leg was healing as she had been so worried. The two began walking through thick foliage, trees and long reeds which were as tall as Sura's waist.
All seemed quiet. Suddenly they both heard a loud commotion up ahead. They peeked through the reeds that grew by the waters edge and beheld a herd of Spiketails drinking at the stream. Sura and Ducky suddenly recognised the herd when the saw the small brown Spiketail kid drinking.
"It's Tippy!" cried Ducky in excitement. Sura sighed in relief, it would be safe to reveal themselves to this herd. They emerged from the reeds and headed for the Spiketails at a brisk pace but all of a sudden a large dark purple Spiketail hiding unseen behind some nearby trees charged out of some bushes and rammed Sura from the side. Sura gave a yell of pain as the cut on her leg split open when she hit the ground.
"MAMA!" cried Ducky in horror, she ran in front of the purple Spiketail and put herself between him and her mother.
"Ducky No!" shouted her mother firmly. But Ducky uncharacteristically held her ground, she was not going to stand by and let her mother get trampled.
"Leave my mom alone!" cried Ducky bravely.
The purple fixed cold hard eyes on her. Ducky stepped back in fright. The purple Spiketail advanced on her, Ducky ran back to her mother, who had recovered from her fall and was now standing beside Ducky in a defensive stance. The Spiketail laughed and advanced on them.
"STOP!" shouted a voice. Everyone turned to see a large dark blue Spiketail appear, he looked livid. "What do you think your doing!?" he yelled at the purple Spiketail.
"Intruders Sir" he said plainly.
The blue Spiketail glared at the purple Spiketail. He was just about to give his deputy a harsh lecture on the difference between intruders and everyone else in general but an orange female Spiketail stood beside him along with her son and looked at the Swimmers, her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in astonishment.
"Sura?" she asked quietly.
"Sura smiled "Hello Orina" she said "nice to see you again.
"Ducky!?" said Tippy, he looked as shocked as his mother.
"Yes yes yes" said Ducky nodding. "Hi Tippy" she said in joy.
"You fool, those aren't intruders, they are friends" said the Spiketail leader.
"But there're Swimmers" said the deputy.
"I know there're Swimmers" growled the leader of the Spiketails "But they are friends of this herd, so shut up and stand down, before I make you!".
The purple Spiketail looked rebellious but he slowly stood aside and walked off in shame. Meanwhile Orina and Tippy had gone to meet up with Sura and Ducky.
"It is wonderful to you two again" said Orina "But what are you doing here?"
While Sura briefly explained about the Trial of Destiny and her quest to find Cyrest to Orina, Ducky and Tippy met up with each other.
"Tippy missed you Ducky and Spike too" said Tippy.
"I missed you to Tippy I did I did" replied Ducky happily.
"How is everyone in the Valley? How is Spike?" asked Tippy eagerly, his tail wagging with excitement.
Ducky hesitated "Last I saw they were okay" said Ducky slowly as she remembered her final days in the Great Valley and her fiends parting.
Tippy did not seem too register Ducky's pause, he grinned happily. Ducky smiled, she was glad that Tippy was happy and did not have the terrible knowledge about her Trial heaped upon him. Ducky hugged Tippy's snout and Tippy nuzzled her back.
But Ducky's attention was suddenly diverted by a painful moan from her mother. Ducky turned to see her laying on the ground and holding on to her leg. Ducky could now see the gash that had so recently been healed, open and bleeding again.
"Oh no no no" said Ducky, running to her mother's side. Orina had also noticed the cut.
"That looks like a nasty wound there Sura, curse that deputy for hurting you" said Orina angrily.
"I acquired it a few days ago" said Sura "in a fight with a Belly Dragger".
Orina shook her head "and the cut is bleeding again" she groaned "Sura you and Ducky can stay with us for the night, we'll help you heal that leg and of course there is safety in numbers".
Sura nodded "Thank you" she said gratefully.
The rest of the day passed all to quickly for Ducky, the Spiketails helped her mother in healing her leg while she got to play with Tippy. She had so much fun with him that she almost completely forgot about the Trial. So it was all to soon that her mother called her to her side to have dinner.
"Your leg looks way betterer" commented Ducky as she looked at her mother's leg which was bound by fresh leaves.
"It feels more better as well" said Sura.
"This was a good day yep yep yep"
Sura smiled "I'm glad you had a good day dear, but we will be leaving tomorrow" she said.
Ducky looked a little downcast "do we have to?" she asked in a saddened voice.
"I'm afraid so dear" replied Sura. "We are not that far from the Big Water dear and with any luck we should reach it by tomorrow".
Ducky nodded. "I hope we find this Swimmer I do I do" said Ducky.
"So do I" agreed Sura. She hoped that this would not be a wasted trip because she had certainly got more then what she bargained for.
"Mama?"
"Yes Ducky?"
"Do you know anything about Swayer?"
Sura looked bewildered, she did not expect her daughter to enquire about this. "Why do you ask?"
"I said that I have had sleep stories about him, he told me not to give up hope" said Ducky "I just wondered if you knew anything about him".
Sura took a deep breath. "Ducky, I did not really know Swayer, I only saw him once before and that was after I arrived in the Great Valley for the first time, before you returned. But I do know dear that he took the Trial of Destiny but he did not survive".
Ducky opened her mouth in shock, her eyes watered and she looked down sadly "You mean he's dead?" she asked, a few tears fell from her eyes.
"Yes, I'm so sorry dear" said Sura with remorse. She put her hand around Ducky and cuddled her softly to her beak. "Don't cry dear, it's all right" said Sura softly. Ducky broke off, she was no longer crying but she appeared to be way more depressed.
"Come Ducky, it's time for sleep" said Sura quietly, guiding her daughter to her body. Ducky laid down and her mother curled around her but sleep did not come to Ducky. She was still in shock, Swayer had appeared to be so nice and friendly but to hear that he was long since dead, hit her hard. "Why?" she asked herself. She did not understand why such a kind Swimmer had to die. Ducky shifted restlessly, it was a very long time before sleep came to her.
*
Ducky sat on the rocky surface looking into a small puddled of water which was being filled by steady drops of falling rain, this cheerless environment seemed to reflect the way that Ducky was feeling, she just could not believe what her mother had said.
"Ducky" came a sympathetic voice behind her. Ducky did not want to look around, she knew who that voice belonged to. But she forced herself to turn her head and look at the dark green Swimmer that had counselled her in her dreams.
Swayer sat beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The touch felt real to Ducky but she knew the truth now and it was almost impossible to accept.
"How can you be...d...d...dead" said Ducky, she was chocking back sobs as she spoke. "You can not be no....no.......no".
Swayer gave Ducky a sad smile. "so you know the truth now" he said in a bitter voice. "I did take that Trial but I did not make it".
"How can you be here? Why are you here?" asked Ducky.
"I don't completely know myself how I am here but I do know why I am here" said Swayer.
"Why?" asked Ducky.
"To help you survive the Trial". Ducky looked at Swayer "Ducky I have watched you, your such a kind and loving Swimmer just like me. So is you mom. I can't stand that this Trial should continue killing off Swimmers like you, so I am here to try and help you overcome the Trial, I do not want to see you dead anymore then your mom" said Swayer.
Ducky looked at Swayer, she hardly knew what to say. So she did not say anything, she pulled Swayer into a loving hug. "Thank you for helping me, oh thank you thank you thank you" stuttered Ducky.
Swayer smiled at her. "I will say now that the rock we are standing on" he gestured to the rock "is the Crescent Caves, where your Trial shall take place."
"What is the Trial like" asked Ducky in a nervous voice.
Swayer gave her a grim look "it is very scary and cold, your mom can help you survive this but there is an unknown danger that only someone who has done "this" Trial knows" he said and he grabbed hold of Ducky's hand and all of a sudden the scenery changed. They were floating inside the Crescent Caves. But there were two Swayer's one next to Ducky and the other Swimming frantically through the caves. Ducky suddenly realised that she was looking inside Swayer's memory of the Trial.
"Look" said Swayer and he pointed to a dark passage. Ducky watched and suddenly saw a sharp movement. The head of a large eel like Swimming Sharptooth, the same as the one that she had seen in her nightmare swam out of the passage and headed for Swayer. There was a flash of bright light and Ducky was back in the previous location she had been earlier, atop the Crescent Caves. She was breathing hard and fast and looked horrified. Now she understood why no one had survived the Trial, they had all been eaten by that Swimming Sharptooth.
"Use this information wisely Ducky" came Swayer's voice but it sounded very distant. Ducky was suddenly aware of the scenery dissolving around her, she cave a cry of surprise before everything turned black.
*
Ducky jumped suddenly awake. She looked around to find her mother laying next to her, she was also wide awake. But she had not appeared to notice Ducky as she was deep in conversation with Tippy's mom. Ducky yawned and stretched her legs before getting up. Sura turned around.
"Good morning Ducky" she said in a lively voice.
Ducky looked around and noticed that the Spiketails were starting to head off. "What's going on?" she asked curiously.
"We are leaving little one" said Orina
"Yes" said Sura "and we will be leaving as well in a short while".
Ducky looked a little alarmed, it all was happening to fast for her, surely they were not going to leave now? But that motion was confirmed when she heard a loud voice call "Spiketails follow me".
Tippy and his mother were the only ones saying goodbye to them. Tippy ran up to Ducky and gave her a friendly lick, Ducky laughed before embracing Tippy's snout. "Good bye Ducky, say hello to Spike for me" said Tippy.
"I will I will" replied Ducky "Goodbye" she called. She and her mother watched the Spiketail herd leave until they were nothing more then a bunch of specks on the horizon.
"Here you go darling" said Sura, handing Ducky a few tree stars which Ducky accepted hungrily. When she finished eating she and her mother resumed their journey.
*
Sura and Ducky walked beside the river for a short while before a loud rumble could be heard and the ground started to shake. "Earthshake!?" cried Ducky nervously.
"Quickly Ducky into the stream and stay low" said her mother in a strict voice.
Ducky obeyed and dived under the water, followed by her mother. They lay there beneath the water, which was very murky and had a lot of green algae on the surface. Ducky wondered why her mother had done this but the answer became apparent when she looked out of the water and saw to her horror. Red Claw, Screech and Thud.
They approached the stream, sniffing intently. They were looking for them. Screech gestured to the water and he and Thud went in and started taking a drink but Red Claw was staring into the water, looking for them. The stream was shallow but it was murky and Ducky and Sura's colouration helped them blend in with the surroundings. Ducky dared an upwards look and saw that Red Claw was looking right down at her. Ducky froze, her heart skipped a beat. Had she been seen? Red Claw bend down closer and appeared to be straining his eyes at the water. For a while he just stood there staring into the water and Ducky was totally petrified with fear, she dare not move.
Finally Red Claw roared to his two henchmen and they left.
Ducky raised herself from the water breathing fearfully, Sura waded to her and picked her up in her hands.
"That was to close" she said.
"Yep yep yep" said Ducky quietly.
Sura waded through the stream for most of the rest of the day with Ducky in her arms, in case any more Sharpteeth were around. Finally at dusk they started to here the sound of crashing waves.
"The Big Water" said Ducky in excitement.
Sura sighed with relief, knowing that the journey was nearly at an end.
"What's that?" said Ducky, pointing to her left and into a large semi circle canyon which appeared to shine brightly with light.
Sura was curious and walked out of the water and after placing Ducky on the ground, advanced towards the shining canyon.
When they got there, the sight that greeted the two Swimmers filled them with awe. It was a canyon of shiny stones. Crystals littered the ground and walls of the cliff. Sura saw a large overhang that sheltered the inner recesses of the canyon.
"Pretty" said Ducky in delight, she ran over to some diamonds and ruby's "it's beautiful" she said. There were all kinds of crystals here, there were ruby's, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, jasper, geode's and many more, they all sparkled with a brilliant radiance in the setting sun.
Sura agreed that it was a most amazing sight, the light of the evening sun reflected off the crystals and made the canyon appear to shine. "Wow" said Sura in astonishment, it was simply a breath taking sight.
"Can I have one? Please" asked Ducky.
Sura chuckled. "We can come back here on the return journey dear, but not right now".
Ducky groaned "But I-"
Ducky never got to finish off her sentence when she was cut off by a loud roar.
"ROAR!!"
Ducky and Sura wheeled around to find a pair of brown fast biters blocking the way out of the canyon. Ducky screamed and ran behind her mother. Sura took up a defensive stance but she knew that she was in big trouble now, she now realised the magnitude of her own folly in going into a canyon that they could be so easily trapped in. The river was a little way away but it was past the two rapidly advancing fast biters.
"Ducky when I distract them I want you to run to the river do you understand me?" said Sura firmly.
"I am not going to leave you nope nope nope" said Ducky.
"Ducky" said her mother firmly "GO NOW!!" Sura charged at the fast biters, distracting them away from her daughter but one jumped in front of Ducky.
Sura retreated taking Ducky up in her hands. The two fast biters closed in. "Oh no oh no oh no" squealed Ducky.
"Ducky don't come back for me dear, just get out of here when you get to the river" said Sura and before Ducky could protest Sura threw Ducky into the air. Ducky screamed as she flew through the air and over the heads of the two fast biters, she then plunged into the safety of river.
"Good" thought Sura. She would at least know that Ducky was safe.
Ducky swam to the surface and swam to the shore where she struggled from the water and watched the fight with fear in her heart. Her mother was trapped in a canyon. She was outclassed and outnumbered by the two fast biters. Ducky watched one of the fast biters charge at her mother.
Sura dealt the charging fast biter a belt with her tail, but it did not stop it's partner who leaped into the air and slammed into her belly, claws piecing her skin. Sura toppled to the ground on her belly with a yell of pain, she was now bleeding badly from the fast biters attack. The fast biter jumped on her back and bit down on her shoulder while the other fast biter took a bite out of the left side of her back. Sura screamed in pain as her life's blood gushed out of her "So this is how it ends" thought Sura "at least Ducky is safe".
"MAMA NOOOO!!!!" screamed Ducky, she could not bear to watch her mother being eaten alive, she had to do something. So she ran back into the canyon and picked up one of the round diamonds and threw it at the fast biters. Her aim was true as the fast biter on her mother's back got hit in the head. The fast biters turned his head to her, snarling viciously.
"Ducky NO!" cried Sura, she could not believe what her daughter was doing. "Get out of here NOW!!" she yelled.
The wounded fast biter looked at his partner and exchanged a few words with him in the sharptooth language then instead of going after Ducky, they headed for Sura. One pulled Sura's head up by her crest and the other, the one who had been hit by Ducky's throw, placed his claw across Sura's exposed neck.
Ducky froze, her heart was in her mouth as she saw what the fast biters were about to do. "Mommy!" she cried in despair. Tear streamed down her eyes. The wounded fast biter sliced his claw slowly and gradually across Sura's throat drawing blood. He was determined to show the little Swimmer what happens when you mess with fast biters.
Ducky ran to her mother with a cry, she did not know how she was going to save her mother but she just had to try but before she could move a few feet. She fell to the ground as the earth rumbled and violently gave way to a violent earthquake. The rocks overhanging the canyon crumbled and fell directly down towards Sura and the fast biters. The canyon was suddenly filled with dust as the rocks came crashing to the ground with a sound like thunder. Then the earthquake stopped and all was silent.
Ducky got back to her feet and saw that the canyon was buried under a large pile of rocks.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!" screamed Ducky.
She scaled the wall of rocks and saw the limp tail of one of the fast biters buried under the rocks along with his partner. Ducky ran on. She was trying her best not to think about what had probably happened to her mother. She slid down the other side of the rock wall and found her mother laying on her belly, in a pool of blood, her throat was torn and bleeding, the fast biter had tripped when the earthquake stuck and his claw had scraped across Sura's throat. She was covered in dust and a few large rocks lay on her back.
Ducky ran to her mother's side. "Mommy" she cried in despair. But her mother suddenly opened her eyes and raised her head slightly to look at her. Ducky grabbed hold of her mother's beak and hugged her. "Oh Mama, I thought I lost you I did I did" she said in a small frightened voice.
Sura lifted her hand and placed it around Ducky and gave her a soft nuzzle. "Ducky" she said quietly "I want you to continue the journey, find Cyrest dear".
"No" said Ducky in horror "we will find him together we will we will". Ducky's face was being drenched with tears as she spoke.
"Ducky" said her mother "I always loved you......remember that and I am proud of you". Sura's breath was coming in gasps, and bloody gurgles.
Ducky gasped "Pleeeeaaaaassssse" she begged, holding on tightly to her mother's beak "do not go, oh no no no".
Sura had tears in her eyes as she spoke "I'll always be with you dear, just.......remember..........to never give up............hope" said Sura faintly. She nuzzled Ducky one last time before placing her head and hands gently back on the ground, her eyes closed and she was still.
"Mommy?....mommy!" cried Ducky as she watched her mother close her eyes. "Wake up mom!" cried Ducky desperately, she pushed her mother's beak firmly, yelled for her to wake up and even opened her eyelids but nothing roused her. The realisation came. Ducky froze on the spot and looked down to see the ground wet with her mother's warm blood, Ducky dropped to the ground and embraced her mother's beak and cried loudly. She felt more pain then she had ever experienced in her life and a wave of hopelessness descended upon her. She cuddled under her mother's hand and wept. "Was this how Littlefoot felt?" she asked herself in her head.
She could now understand the pain he went through after he lost his mother. Ducky laid with her mother as the night came and the temperature dropped, she could not bear to leave her. "It's all my fault" thought Ducky as she cried. She was the one who saw the canyon, if she had not notified her mother then....
Ducky cuddled her mother's beak, the beak that had always provided comfort when her mother nuzzled her. She cried hard into her hands. What would she do now? She was a young Swimmer alone in The Mysterious Beyond beside the body of her dead mother. Ducky hardly pondered these questions as she was completely wrapped up in despair at watching her mother die in front of her eyes. "Why?" she asked in pain. Why did the world have to so unfair? Ducky did not know, she just lay on her belly and buried her face in her hands.
Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching. Ducky got up and hid behind her mother's beak, shaking in fright. When she looked up again she caught sight of an old male Swimmer that had entered her field of view, he had a brown colouration and was covered in lined wrinkles due to his old age, he went other to her mother. He looked sad. Then he spotted Ducky. "Don't be afraid" he said in a kind voice as he lowered himself down to her. "I won't hurt you" he said in a reassuring voice.
Ducky walked slowly into the open, her face wet with tears.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Ducky looked up at the stranger then fell to the ground and began to cry. The Swimmer placed a hand over her back and nuzzled her softly.
"Sharpteeth attacked......Mommy save me, she foughted two fast biters........They hurt her........then the earthshake......then...." Ducky stuttered, she could no longer speak anymore.
"I see" said the Swimmer in understanding. He got up and walked over to Sura and placed his ear to her chest. Ducky watched him, she looked confused. The old Swimmer raised his head and looked at Ducky. "What is your name little one?" he asked.
"Ducky" she sobbed.
The Swimmer nodded then said "well then Ducky I think that we have a lot of work to do if we want to save your mother".
"Save my mom?" she asked, but wasn't she already dead?
"She is alive. but only just and she won't be if we don't help her" said the Swimmer.
Ducky gasped, she walked to her mother and placed her ear to her mother's chest and listened. She heard it, the faint beat of her mother's heart and she could hear her barely audible breathing.
Her mother was still alive.
Well that was an eventful chapter. Find out who the Swimmer is and if Sura survives her ordeal in the next few chapters.