The Underworld.

Chapter 21 – Love hurts.

…

Sheldon, Diana and even Compso all ran towards Buck to hug him. Diana cried tears of happiness. She almost couldn't believe it. Buck was actually still alive! It seemed impossible, but it was true. He lived.

"Careful," Buck said. "I can't breathe."

They finally all let him go and started asking questions. "Were were you," "What happened," "How did you get here," "Why were you gone for so long," "How did you survive," "Why did everyone think you were dead,".

Buck held up his hands.

"Calm down, mates," he said. "I'll tell you the entire story. But first: did you find my knife? I lost it."

"Here it is." Sheldon said, and he gave Buck his dagger back.

Buck smiled as he took the knife and looked at it for a while. He looked at it as if he saw an old friend again. Then he turned to Sheldon, and said: "It's dirty."

"We found it in the middle of some sort of blood bath," Sheldon said. "Between some rocks in an open space in the jungle."

Buck nodded. "Aha," he said. "That's the place where I last fought Rudy."

They all listened carefully, because they knew now he would finally tell his story.

"The fight between me and Rudy by the passage to the World of Above was terrible." Buck told them. "I was unprepared. His attack took me by surprise. I don't know what it was. Maybe I was too slow, maybe I was too unprepared. I really don't now why, but I was losing. In the end I panicked for the first time in years, and I ran away to hide somewhere.

I was badly wounded, and almost couldn't stand.

I stayed in a hole under a tree for a week. All I did was sleeping. And whenever I was awake, I was in some numbed state. I couldn't think clearly.

In the end, hunger and thirst gave me the will to move. I was dazed and weak, but I left the hole and went in search for something to drink or eat.

It seemed like fate had suddenly decided to strike against me. Good fortune seemed to be something that wasn't for me anymore.

I found nothing too eat. I was too weak and slow to go hunting. Also water I couldn't find. But even then I hadn't lost me will to survive.

For days I traveled in search for food and drink. Especially the last one, because my throat was dry, and I couldn't speak anymore because of it. My wounds didn't heal well, and I became weaker and weaker. In the end I couldn't even walk anymore. I had to crawl on the ground, using only my arms to move forwards.

And then I arrived at the open space in the jungle, where you three found my knife.

Rudy was there. I don't know why he was there, but I suddenly saw him in front of me.

And he attacked me again.

In don't remember most of the fight. I only remember that about every part of my body was bleeding. I couldn't defend myself.

In the end, I fainted.

And when I woke up, I was lying on the back of Shelly here."

Buck pointed at Momma Dino's daughter.

"She had found me and she brought me to Momma Dino. Momma is the one who got me on my feet again."

Momma Dino growled.

"Okay, okay," Buck said "almost, then."

Diana covered Buck's forehead with her hand for a moment. It felt warmer than usual. Buck apparently had a fever.

"I'm so glad that we found you, Buck," Sheldon said. "I really thought you were dead."

"Ahem," Comso said. "I… don't want to spoil the moment. But does anyone remember the deal we made with the Spinosaurs?"

"What deal?" Buck asked.

And so now it was the turn for Diana, Compso and Sheldon to tell their story. They told about their entire journey, and especially about the deal they made with Blueclaw.

Buck nodded when they told him that Blueclaw expected him to chase Rudy away from the river.

"I have never really talked to the Spinosaurs. But I will be glad to chase Rudy." Buck said. "Once I'm completely healed." He added, after Momma Dino gave him a severe look.

Diana laughed. She felt so happy now that she knew Buck was alive. She wanted to hug him and never let him go again. She was too shy to actually do so, but just seeing him again and being close to him already made her feel happy enough.

Just a few hours ago, she had felt like she would never be happy again. Now it was almost as if that never happened.

Momma Dino went hunting, and came back with a large prey.

Dinosaur-meat wasn't as disgusting as Diana had thought, and they had a quite decent meal.

They talked for hours, but eventually they all got tired and decided it was time to go to sleep.

Sheldon slept almost immediately. It didn't last long until everything was silent, except for the sound of Momma Dino's slow breathing.

But Diana was still awake.

She got up from the bed Momma Dinosaur had made for her, and walked to a rock a little further away from the rest where she sat down and looked at the sky. There were again no stars to be seen. Just the roof of the dinosaur world. Slightly blue, and it looked at if it was glowing. Diana knew that that light came from above the ground, from the moon and the stars.

She sighed.

"What's up this time?"

Diana looked over her shoulder, and saw Buck. She smiled at him.

"Nothing," she said. "I feel fine."

"Then why are you here and not at the camp, sleeping?" Buck asked.

Diana shrugged. "I don't know." She sighed again. "I'm just so happy that I found you, Buck."

When Buck didn't answer, Diana continued: "I was so afraid that I'd lost you. I kept having nightmares about it. But everything is okay now." She smiled at Buck again. "I mean, now that I'm with you…"

Buck suddenly seemed uneasy. He looked at the ground and cleared his throat a few times.

"Listen, lass," he said. "you're really sounding as if you… well, are planning to stay here."

Diana blushed. To be very honest, the idea did cross her mind a few times before. But was she really able to stay here and leave her family and the life she knew forever?

"I… I think I do want to stay here with you, Buck," Diana said eventually.

"I beg your pardon?"

Diana was blushing even more. "I was hoping we could stay here together," she said. "I think I love you."

Buck took a step back. "Whoa, whoa, slow down for a minute, lady," he said. "look, you're a very pretty girl, there's no doubt in that. But I'm not the guy for you. I mean… just look at how my last marriage worked out: she just left me for someone else…"

"I wouldn't leave you," Diana said.

"Okay, okay, maybe not," Buck said. "But you can't stay here, sweetheart. Not without me, and not with me."

"What do you mean?" Diana said. She felt hurt, and that could be heard in her voice.

Buck looked as if he was starting to panic.

"Don't take it personally," he said. "Really, I like you. You're nice and pretty and all, but I swear you can't stay here with me. Just imagine what it would be like: you staying home all day, me being out hunting, sometimes more than a week. Then all of my excuses to be home later become very lame, and you start thinking I'm cheating on you or something like that… it would all end up in a terrible drama and we would be forced to divorce again anyway."

"That's ridiculous!" Diana said, almost crying.

"And I just like my freedom, Diana," Buck continued. "I came here to be free, do whatever I want, not need to do anything I don't like."

"That's what I love about you." Diana said.

"And imagine if we ever had kids," Buck said. "this isn't a world to raise children in. It's too dangerous for little weasels here. Please listen to me, Diana. I'm not the guy for you. We are too different. I want to go chase adventure, live in the wild. What you want is a husband and a family. That's something I can't give you. And… and don't even get me started on age!"

"I'm nineteen years old," Diana said.

"It's even worse than I thought, then," Buck said. "Diana, you're practically still a child!"

"Your arguments prove nothing!" Diana said. "And do you have the slightest idea through how much trouble I went to find you? I left my home, my parents, my husband-to-be, the entire life that I knew. All so that I could find you. And this is how you treat me?"

"You got a point," Buck said. "But I just…"

"You don't love me, do you?" Diana said. "don't care one bit about me."

"Now, wait a second…." Buck started, but Diana cut him off.

"I thought you were different from all those others," She said. "I thought you were the perfect guy. I was willing to give everything I had to get you. And you just…" She didn't finish her sentence, and turned away from Buck.

There was a long silence.

"Nobody is perfect," Buck said. "especially not me. I'm about the opposite of perfect. I'm imperfect. I'm a crazy old weasel with an eye patch, who speaks to rocks and hunts dinosaurs. I'm very far from perfect."

Diana didn't say anything anymore, but silently went back to the camp, where she lay down next to Compso and Shelodon.

Buck didn't go back to his bed that night.