BUCK

I'm gratified that she thinks so much of me. I'm completely confused why she trusts me so much, I'm the craziest, most idiotic person who ever lived. If I honestly came up with any possible reason why she even likes me... well I can't. I don't have that much self esteem I guess. I wish I knew how to help her. I can't stop Misty from ever seeing Scarlet again, but then Misty will probably stop that happening by herself. Harsh as it seems, I can't help her. She can only help herself. I stare at the floor without much more passing through my head. It's a strangely calm peace in here now.

2 months later

"You're never here with me, Buck. You just leave, everyday, not coming back until heaven knows when!" Scarlet's been screeching at me like this for days now. Always suddenly. I never know when to expect this sort of thing from her. She's like a sleeping dino before you accidentally trip over it's tail. One minute it's that I'm never here, the next it's how she has to look after everything even when I am here. She doesn't do anything! I don't just go out for fun you know, I do look after the place. And I've invited her to go with me as well but oh no, apparently she's got enough to do here, which basically means she makes the bed. Over and over and over again. I'm even the one who gets the food!

"I'm so sorry, Buck. I'm just so stressed, you know, with being alone in here and all." Another apology, another fight over. One sided of course.

"But you don't have to be. I've asked you before whether or not you wanted to come along. And I'd take care of you, you wouldn't get hurt. You know I would never let that happen."

Scarlet peeks through her paws. "I know that, Buck. I trust you to do that, I really do. But I don't think I could deal with the motion sickness." I doubt that's the reason.

I sigh and leave.

"How was the fight?"

"Just as good as the last." I grumble. Fighting Scarlet is always a bit of a come down. Seeing Misty always helps, but I've had to stop mentioning her to Scarlet, it seems to tip her over the edge whenever I do.

"What was it about this time?"

"Like you weren't listening."

"Well I know the best place to go to cheer you up."

I agree and she leads me towards the lake. On the opposite side is a triceratops. "Why don't we go and annoy it for a while?"

1 week later

"It's not so far, only a few miles."

"We've been swinging for hours."

Snap! One of the vines I was holding broke and now I'm falling. Quite far.

"AAH, OUCH!"

I've landed, but I think I landed on something spikey. There wasn't anything spikey before.

"Oh I don't feel good." Then I black out. I come back to consciousness slowly, aware that my heads feeling like hot moss. I can't think straight, instinctively I roll onto my side and lurch. I can tell this isn't the first time I've done this as my throat is so sore and my back aches. I try to see where I am. I'm in my tree house. Misty has brought me home. I see Scarlet has her back turned but there's no sign of Misty.

"Why do I even bother to clean up after you? You just make a mess all day, all night. Don't try to help, no, just throw up on my clean floor, why don't you."

I'm wondering what she's on about. Yes I just threw up on her floor but I don't make any other mess. And I thought I was ill?

"Oh look, you're still awake. Well if you're not going to sleep yet go and do something useful. Go on, go and get the fish for dinner."

There's no point arguing with her. I roll myself out of bed and crawl towards the door. Instead of climbing out I fall.

"What are you doing?" Misty saw me fall. I'm about to answer when I throw up again, continuously. When I'm finished I answer.

"I'm getting some fish for Scarlet."

"What! I heard her tell you to go but I didn't think you would actually leave!" her shocked and worried face closes in on me. I realise the difference between trying to be normal and being stupid.

"There's no point arguing with her, Misty."

"Damn well there's a point arguing with her, just not you. I should have known better than to bring you back here. You need rest not this!"

"It's fine I can do it..."

"No. You are coming with me. When we get back to mine I'm going straight to that woman and giving her hell."

Misty

I left Buck on a comfortable pile of leaves with a few coconut bowls within reach in case he needed them. Then I ran as fast as I could back to that terror. So much anger had boiled up in my stomach I hardly knew what I was doing.

"You cruel, horrible, merciless Sabre..." I ran out of words except ones that I was too kind to say. My parents had brought me up as a gazelle not a squaw.

Scarlet is looking at me in surprise, shocked that I have turned up in her doorway shouting the worst words I can think of to say to her.

"Buck takes you into his home, he heals you, mates with you, gives you every opportunity and all you can do when he needs your help is scream at him and kick him out the door!" I'm shaking with the adrenaline.

"What are you talking about?" is her stern reply.

"What do you think I'm on about? Buck was just lying on his bed a few minutes ago and you forced him out the door to go fishing? He's ill enough without that sort of an attitude. Don't give me that look, do you honestly think I wasn't listening. You didn't even come to see if he was alright when he fell onto the floor when he left. He loves you Scarlet. Otherwise you would have been out of the door weeks ago." My little rant is even scaring me at times, I hate this woman because she scares me to death. How under the earth did I manage to get here? "If you dare to harm a hair on his body you'll have me to answer to. And you know what I can do."

I meant what I said.

I've entered my cave to discover that every bowl I left behind is full. Buck has finally managed to fall asleep, sprawled on his side. I silently take away the bowls and clean them to be replaced. I sit in the corner, thinking quietly onto how it was not so long ago that Buck was looking after me. I lay down in my own nest and fall asleep. My sleep is soon interrupted by the sound of Buck vomiting. I go over to him and rub his back, but even in the moonlight I can tell that he has started to throw up blood.