CHAPTER 6

IN THE NICK OF TIME

Eventually, Chomper decided that they needed help in trying to find Cera. Both he and Rizon ran towards the valley entrance to see Wendyk and tell him what happened. While Wendyk cursed himself for not being there to prevent her from escaping in her delusional state, he mobilized search parties to try to find her. While this was being done, Chomper and Rizon went to find Little Foot and his green eater friends for help in the search efforts. Once word was sent to them, Chomper went to find V'Leck and Roary to solicit THEIR help in the search efforts. Rizon went to find the messenger, who was out hunting in The Mysterious Beyond, to solicit HIS help.

Thus the search for Cera began, and it lasted for most of the day, as Cera remained elusive.

Cera trotted down the valley plain, headed towards The Mourning Abyss. She saw sharptooth all around her. They were stalking her, taunting her, saying things like: "Where you going, you worthless THREEHORN!" and "Why did we have to DIE! You could've SAVED us!" in the flattooth language. Each time they said these things, she would always yell back at them to "SHUT UP!" or say "It wasn't my fault!" or "Leave me alone!" But this didn't diminish their taunting any, and they stayed right on her heels, even as she trotted faster towards the Mourning Abyss.

"What's the matter? We're not GOOD enough for ya! Just because we're SHARPTOOTH! You stupid, worthless THREEHORN!"

"WE didn't deserve to live! So why should YOU! Why don't you just KILL yourself!"

"I may just do that!" Cera shouted back at the sharptooth who said that. But it was all in her head. The sharptooth weren't really there. They all died in the Valley of The Sick all those seasons ago; but she was not able to tell the difference, in her delusional state.

She finally arrived at the edge of the Abyss, then she stopped. All of the imaginary sharpteeth gathered up behind her. They all looked down at her in anger. Many had bloddy noses and mouths. Others didn't have eyes in their sockets, but they were moving and talking.

"She's gonna do it! She's gonna JUMP OFF!"

"LET her do it! She couldn't save US, so everybody will be RID of her!"

"YEAH... She's nothing but a worthless THREEHORN anyway!"

They all rumbled laughter.

Cera's lips were quivering as she faced the Abyss.

The nearest sharptooth walked up beside her. "Go ahead! DO IT! It'll be over soon!"

"I...I...I don't know..." she said in a shaky voice.

"DO IT! After it's done, you'll no longer feel the way you feel. Then you'll be rid of us for GOOD!"

Cera sniffed a few times. Then, she brought her foot up over the abyss. All of the sharptooth behind her were looking down at her, and smiling. "DO IT!" the sharptooth beside her shouted one more time. Then, just as Cera was about to leap, another sharptooth rushed out from the crowd. Only this sharptooth was real! He grabbed her from behind and pulled her away from the Abyss.

Cera screamed as she felt the sharptooth's arms grab hold of her and pull her back. "NO! Let me go!" she cried out as the sharptooth wrestled her to the ground and wrapped his arms and legs around her in a death grip. She groaned and struggled to get loose from his grip, but he was too strong.

"What are you doing!" she cried out at him. "You all wanted me to jump off, why are you stopping me now!"

"Cera, LISTEN TO ME!" the sharptooth shouted as he brought her head up next to his jaw so he can speak directly in her earhole. "NOBODY wants you to jump off. DO YOU HEAR ME! NOBODY!"

Cera then came out of her delusional state once she recognized the sharptooth's voice. "Chomper!"

"Yes, Cera! It's me! It's CHOMPER!"

Cera stopped struggling, then turned to face him. "Oh, Chomper..."

"It's a good thing I saw you when I did, and stopped you in time. I would NEVER've forgiven myself, if you'd jumped off."

Then he heard some roaring in the distance. "OVER HERE! I found her!" he roared in the sharptooth language. He knew that was Master Healer Rizon calling out.

Cera then began to sob. Chomper held her tight. "It's okay, Cera! It's okay. It's AAALLL over now! Let it out! Let it AAAALLL out!" he said as she continued crying.

When she finally stopped crying, she looked up at Chomper. They were still lying on the grass. Chomper was still holding her tight. "Oh, Chomper! It was HORRIBLE! So HORRIBLE! All of those sharptooth... They wanted me to DIE! They wanted me to JUMP!"

"They weren't real... Those sharptooth were inside your HEAD." Chomper told her as he wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"And they have to COME OUT..." After allowed this to sink in, Chomper continued. "Rizon Drax has figured out a way to help you. It probably wouldn't completely cure you of your head sickness, but at least it's a way to treat it... to help make you feel better..."

Cera closed her eyes and laid her head down on his shoulder. "I just can't stand to feel this way anymore..."

"Which is why Rizon wants to help you..."

"No! You don't understand!" Cera cried out. She then said in a sobbing voice, her mouth quivering. "Back in The Valley of The Sick, I saw many sharptooth suffer... I saw many sharptooth DIE! I could hear them calling to me, begging for my help, because they knew I was a healer; but 'I' knew that there was nothing I could do. They were too far gone already... I KNEW that they couldn't be saved! Yet I can't help but feel that I FAILED them. I should've tried HARDER to find the cure! I knew my apprehension towards the sharptooth was holding me back! If only I could've put THAT aside sooner, I could've saved many more lives! All those sharptooth that died... I coulda saved them... I COULDA SAVED THEM... BUT I DIDN'T! I DIDN'T! I COULDN'T..."

Chomper hugged her again as she started bawling again. "It's okay, Cera. It's okay! I'm not gonna let you go. I'm NOT gonna let you go! SSHHH..."

He started rocking her back and forth and sang her that same lullabye he sang to her back in The Valley of The Sick when she had the exact same mental breakdown:

Chomper continued singing to her as all of those involved in the search rushed up and gathered all around them both. Eventually, Cera would stop crying, and feel strong enough to get back to her feet. Everybody walked her back towards the forest where the cave dwelling she shared with Wendyk was. Although Wendyk was walking beside her, wanting to comfort her, she stayed closer to Chomper. He had his arm around around her shoulders, and she didn't want him to let her go.