The Great Plague

Kor · **Reply #140 on:** July 08, 2013, 02:54:52 PM

"We've got to do something." Cera said, not sure what she could do. She looked around to see if there was anything she could knock into the water to get to Littlefoot. She want to a tree that looked small enough for her to knock down and tried to knock it down into the water for Littlefoot & Ducky to perhaps reach or hold onto.

LoyfeCycleProtector · **Reply #141 on:** July 08, 2013, 08:37:28 PM

Chomper's feeling of happiness as he saw the log float to the surface was replaced with a feeling not unlike getting kicked in the stomach. He leapt so suddenly to his feet than he very nearly tripped over his own toe claws.
"LITTLEFOOT!" He immediately began to run towards the waters edge along side Ducky, but before he could even get half way, he skidded to a halt.
'Oh, what am I doing? I'm a horrible swimmer!'
Gritting his teeth and near tears with frustration, even in his fear he remembered with no small degree of guilt how Littlefoot hadn't hesitated to jump into deep water to save him from drowning.
Whipping his head around wildly for some way-- ANY way-- he could help his friend, he spotted Cera trying to wrestle a small tree over towards the river bank. Chomper pivoted on his heel and ran over to help her.
'This is the second time today I couldn't help someone...'
He pushed this thought away. Helping Littlefoot how ever he could was all that mattered right now.

StrutEggStealer · **Reply #142 on:** July 09, 2013, 10:29:13 AM

Ruby hurried over to aid Cera and Chomper, she noticed how quiet hee charge had suddenly become and was about to ask what the matter was, but decided to focus on the here and now. Chomper would still be here at the end of the day, but if they did not hurry, Littlefoot might not be.

She grabbed ahold of the small tree and yanked. "Cera! I will need help! Chomper, you too!"

LoyfeCycleProtector · **Reply #143 on:** July 11, 2013, 12:03:21 AM

While he didn't know it (and under the circumstances, probably wouldn't have cared even if he did), Littlefoot's body was undergoing a series of steps to lock itself away from the water, pressure, and lack of oxygen. At the base of where his neck met his head, there were seven small valves aligned with his carotid artery and his jugular vein that was normally used for a process called jugular venous pooling. It was a necessary adaptation for all Longnecks to prevent their large hearts and high blood pressure from damaging their brain tissue whenever their neck was twisted in a manner it wasn't meant to, and it did this by providing a pocket of still, oxygenated blood they could draw on while simultaneously shutting off direct blood flow inwards from the heart; Littlefoot often recognized it's effect by the sudden sensation of lightheadedness and an immense feeling of dread whenever his neck twisted the wrong way while playing a game.
A related process was happening now to Littlefoot to give the opposite effect: directing more blood to his brain at the expense of denying it to other parts of his body.
As he thrashed, he felt his toes begin to tingle numbly. Black spots lingered in front of his eyes. His skin felt strangely warm.
'Stay awake, stay awake, come on, STAY AWAKE!' his mind screamed. Not being able to breath was agonizing, but not nearly as agonizing as the horrible fear that spread through him as his thrashing a failed to improve his situation.

Ducky123 · **Reply #144 on:** July 11, 2013, 07:56:55 AM

Ducky paddled as fast as she could. She wondered why Littlefoot didn't break through the water surface with his own strenght. Suddenly there was a voice in her head saying, "Maybe he is hurt, injured, unconscious!" She realised it was her voice.
Since the little Swimmer girl couldn't see Littlefoot in the wild water she ducked to search for Littlefoot unter water. She saw him. With fast swimming strokes she quickly reached him. She grabbed his head trying to pull him over the surface but she was too weak. Ducky knew Littlefoot wasn't unconscious yet but he would be soon if she doesn't pull him over the surface quick. She tried again, failed.

Kor · **Reply #145 on:** July 11, 2013, 11:01:51 AM

Cera continued to use her forehead & horn to try to push the small tree so it could, hopefully, get it to the water and perhaps help Littlefoot & Ducky.

"We just have to ... work together & get it into the water." Cera said as she continued to try to push or uproot it.

StrutEggStealer · **Reply #146 on:** July 11, 2013, 08:47:29 PM

Ruby, as frightened as she was, threw her full weight into the tree. "BREAK, tree! Because we NEED you to!" She ordered, words punctuated every time she shoved.
"Cera," she panted. "We need one more to help, otherwise, we will not break this," her voice quavered as she watched Littlefoot and Ducky.

(@Loyfe: that was a really neat post above, very informative. I wouldn't have guessed that about longneck's internal functions

)

Dosu2Dinner · **Reply #147 on:** July 12, 2013, 04:00:45 AM

Spike immediately came forward to help, throwing his weight against the tree. He didn't know whether it was luck or not that the leaves on this tree smelt wonderful - he was drooling even as he pushed. But he couldn't be distracted - he too could see that Littlefoot was struggling more than he normally would in deep water - what was immediately important now was that he was rescued.
Finally, after a mammoth effort from him, Chomper, Cera and Ruby, they finally heard the satisfying sound of the bark of the trunk giving way.

(Sorry I've dropped back in so late.

)

StrutEggStealer · **Reply #148 on:** July 12, 2013, 10:58:24 AM

"Yes! We have done it!" Ruby cheered as the support broke. The tree was going to save their friend, she was sure of it!
"Ducky!" She cupped her claws around her beak as she called. "DUCKY! You are saved! We have helped and you will be saved!"

Dosu2Dinner · **Reply #149 on:** July 12, 2013, 11:38:05 AM

In an attempt to ensure this, Spike himself surged forward, desperate to rescue Ducky himself, but his friends held him back.

Kor · **Reply #150 on:** July 12, 2013, 01:21:26 PM

"Ducky, use the tree." Cera called out to her, hoping she could see the tree and hear them.

"We have to wait here Spike, none of us are as good swimmers as Ducky is. Though once they are near to shore we can help them then." Cera said, thinking they may need to do like they had before where each held onto other to keep them from going away in the water, if the water was to fast moving for them to go singly into it to.

Ducky123 · **Reply #151 on:** July 12, 2013, 01:49:44 PM

Adrenaline shot through Ducky's body as she saw the tree in the water. It needed her three swimming strokes to reach the tree, she grabbed it and paddled towards Littlefoot again. The little Swimmer wasn't confident whether Littlefoot would be able to grab the tree with his own strenght so she shouted, "Littlefoot!! Grab the tree!"
The others supported Ducky calling Littlefoot, too.

LoyfeCycleProtector · **Reply #152 on:** July 12, 2013, 03:08:27 PM

Through the dark silt and the fading black film over his eyes, he heard muffled voices. There were several parts of the brain involved in creating the effect of 'consciousness', and some were already beginning to shut down.
'That's... My name,' he thought incoherently.
'The gang's... calling...'
Everything was moving so slowly to him. The pain was getting slower too. So was the heat in his lungs.
He wearily raised his forepaw in the water, and swung it in the direction of the voices.
He moved forward a little.
'Come on, again.'
He swung his other forepaw. And inched a little closer. It was only by the particles of silt whizzing away out of the periphery of his vision that he knew he was moving forward. His skin was so cold that he couldn't feel the movement of the water.
'It's no use. I'm not gonna make it to the surface in time,' he thought with strange calm.
Another part of him, sounding proud and stern and slightly sad said to him 'No. You won't. But at least get as close as you can. It might make going a bit more peaceful if you can hear their voices a little more clearly. Now, do it again.'
He stroked again and again, each time feeling his strokes get weaker.
Then, after one stroke, something sharp rammed into his nose. It took him a moment to grasp what it was.
As his conciousness began to fade, the voice spoke to him one last time; in his dimming mind, it was barely a whisper.
'Bite it.'
He obeyed, and the moment Littlefoot's teeth fastened around the end of the tree, he lost conciousness.

StrutEggStealer · **Reply #153 on:** July 12, 2013, 04:11:04 PM

"Yes! he has it!" Ruby cheered again. She rushed down to the edge of the stream. "Ducky! You will need help getting him out of the water, because you cannot do it yourself!" She observed.
Biting the edge of her beak and without a backwards glance, she leaped into the water. Her claw lodged into the woody bridge as she swung herself into the stream. The shock of the cold water almost took her breath away. Feathers plastered down to her scaly hide and teeth chattering, she grabbed hold of Littlefoot's forepaw, noting with some panic that he didn't respond.
"Oh no. LITTLEFOOT!" She wailed.

Kor · **Reply #154 on:** July 12, 2013, 09:23:26 PM

"Come on." Cera said as she want after Ruby towards where Littlefoot was.

Cera went into the water, taking a deep sudden breath as she walked into the cold water and the coldness hit her. She grasp Littlefoot in her mouth, the part of his body that was the closest, one of his legs she thought but not sure which one. She held her breath, bringing her head to the surface to breath as soon as she could. She did her best to dig her teeth into the stream bottom and started to try to move backwards and help Ruby, and any others, drag Littlefoot to the stream bank. She had to remain in the shallower areas since she was shorter then Ruby.

LoyfeCycleProtector · **Reply #155 on:** July 13, 2013, 10:33:24 PM

The instant Chomper saw Littlefoot's head breach the surface, he jumped into the stream to help bring him to shore. Every inch of his small body was shivering before he even hit the water, and once he waded close enoguh he grabbed onto Littlefoot’s paw and pulled with all his might.
Throughout everything that happened, Chomper never did truly entertain the thought that Littlefoot might actually be dead. If he had told his friends this, they would have called him naÔve for not recognizing how serious the situation was. And they would have been half right. It was because of naivety that Chomper wouldn’t have recognized the possibility of Littlefoot dying until it was impossible to deny, but it wasn’t because he believed Littlefoot was incapable of dying. He simply found the thought so unbearable, so world-endingly awful that he refused to consider it. If Ruby was like his big sister, Littlefoot was like his big brother. Big brothers didn’t dieóthey couldn’t die. They’d leave too much behind.
But even if he wasn’t truly admitting to himself that Littlefoot might be beyond their help, he was more than willing to admit that he was in serious trouble. The fear of seeing his oldest friend cold and unmoving was something no amount of naivety could prevent.
“What do we do?” Chomper hitched between erratic breaths, squeezing Littlefoot’s paw tightly and looking between his friends for some kind of answer. "Please! What do we do!?"

Dosu2Dinner · **Reply #156 on:** July 15, 2013, 06:00:08 AM

Spike clamped his mouth around Littlefoot's other paw in an attempt to join the struggle to pull him onto the bank. He had no idea whether or not Littlefoot was beyond their help, but he knew that if they could at least get him onto dry land. After a struggle of pulling from him and Chomper and pushing from the others, Littlefoot's form flopped onto the bank.

Ducky123 · **Reply #157 on:** July 15, 2013, 11:58:51 AM

Ducky swam back to the land shaking the cold water off her. She was freezing but what really dropped her mood was that Littlefoot - the first friend she ever met - lied on the ground not moving at all.
'He looks pretty dead, oh no no no' she thought fearing what she just had thought.
The Gang checked if he's breathing but he wasn't.
"Oh no! This can not be happening now!" Ducky cried her voice sounding that sad that it would make most fully grown dinosaurs cry as well. "Is he going to die? Is he?"
The little Swimmer tried to hold her tears back since her hope that there is a chance of saving her friend's life wasn't broken.. yet.

StrutEggStealer · **Reply #158 on:** July 15, 2013, 02:01:18 PM

Ruby slambered onto the bank, shivering. She shook herself in an effort to clear most of the moisture from her back and feathers, and the she stepped over, strabegly calm. Any other time, she would have been her usual fretting self over something like this, but it was the look of horror and despair she gained from the other dinosaurs that made her rethink her reaction.
"Stand back to give him room," she directed, softly. She knelt and gently pushed her index up under the longneck's chin, into a hollow area that her parents taught her would reveal the creature's heartbeat.

Kor · **Reply #159 on:** July 15, 2013, 05:18:03 PM

"Maybe one us need to jump on him to get the water out of him. He may have breathed in some water instead of air and needs to get it out." Cera said, not knowing about lungs and such.