Chapter IX
A catastrophe to reunion
Littlefoot narrowed his eyes to slits and let them rove along the horizon. The sun blinded him, but nevertheless he believed to recognise a figure far away between the rocks. It had to be Spike with Ducky and Petrie on his back. Littlefoot shaded his eyes by holding his head on his long neck into the shadow of his own body, and looked again.
Yes it were Spike, Petrie and Ducky. No mistake was possible. Cera was not with them and Littlefoot repented the suspicion he had had a short while ago, that Cera could have feigned all this. Littlefoot gasped for breath. Since he had left the Valley he had run nearly uninterrupted, without granting himself a rest. He had held only to watch for the others. After gasping again he called as loud as he could: "Petrie! Spike! Ducky! Wait for me!" Littlefoot stared at the figures of the others near the horizon. When they didn't respond after some seconds he gasped once more to call again. But he then ceased. He felt a stabbing pain in his nearly dried up neck and he felt his voice turning husky. Everything here equaled to his dream and he knew that the others wouldn't hear him. They were simply to far away. Littlefoot sighed profoundly and ran on swearing quietly at himself for not having taken the time to drink a swallow after having woken up from his dream that had shown all this.
Spike plodded along, exhausted, tired, hungry, thirsty and very grieved, but firmly determined to find Cera. Ducky and Petrie on his back did not think differently. Still nobody said a word. The shadows began slowly to lengthen. The sun had already transgressed its zenith, but the heat hadn't abated. Ducky and Petrie had begun to doze on Spike's back. They were very tired, as they had hardly closed her eyes during the whole night. Spike was even more tired and only the hope to reach their purpose soon and the prospect to find something to eat, to drink, a cool snug place and above all Cera propelled him on. Ceras footprints were nearly new; she had to be in sight soon. But Spike didn't anticipate that, because he had stopped to search Cera's tracks, he knew her purpose. Suddenly he was startled by a dull rumbling and grumbling. Petrie and Ducky started up too. Spike looked up to them confused. In this moment the ground under Spike's feed began to vibrate. "An earthshake!" shouted Ducky, ducking behind Spike's back plates. "Over there!" Petrie cried with a high-pitched voice pointing at the horizon. The ground seemed to roll toward them like a water wave. Spike was lifted some meters upwards and sank downwards again when the "wave" was by. Rocks and boulders began to burst asunder all around them with enormous din. A piece of a rock that was nearly twice as big as Spike struck close beside him with a deafening banging. Ducky and Petrie screeched terrified and the next tremor passed through the ground below them. That was too much for Spike. He howled up out and rammed his head into the ground in front of his feet. He struck against the hardly sandstone below the loose sand, but he nearly didn't noticed it. All he wanted was not to see anything of the terrible things that happened around him. The earth trembled again and it broke in two. A vast tear split it from one horizon to the other. The split pushed itself with an unstoppable force and with vast quickness through the land and exactly through the point where Spike stood. Spike didn't know what happened, when his head was suddenly in the open air again. A few split seconds to late he understood what happened. He jerked round and tried to got hold ad the brink of the just arising ravine. He tried to get over the brink with his forelegs, when the continental plates urged asunder. Ducky shrieked when she lost her balance and fell down across Spike's back. In the very last moment Petrie made to seize Ducky's tail and save her of the tumble. But now he slid down Spike's back himself, clung to Spike's tail and hung, one hand clung to Spike's tail the other holding Ducky's tail between both in the air now. Spike tried in vain to clamber up across the brink of the ravine. The earthquake had stopped, but Spike felt that he wouldn't be able to hold himself and the others on for a long time.
Petrie's strength dwindled with every second too. He considered feverishly. If he would try to carry Ducky up he would have to let Ducky loose for a short moment to seize her with the claws on his feet to have free wings. But then she would fell in the deep and he was unsure if he would be able to catch up with her by diving flight. Besides he doubted if he would be able to carry Ducky up. So he didn't try. Ducky looked down. She was unable to see the ground of the ravine because the bright circle stood not high to lighten it, so all she saw was darkness. Suddenly Petrie slid of. He could cling to Spike's tail again in the last moment. Ducky shrieked terrified.
Littlefoot lifted his head. Hasn't he heard a scream very distinctly? He believed that it had been Ducky's voice. He had been surprised by the earthquake too and had been able to duck so avoiding some tumbling pieces of rocks. Full of fears he had run on after Spike, Ducky and Petrie. Littlefoot felt his apprehensions corroborated by the scream. The others were in danger! He couldn't see them anymore and hoped that nothing had befallen them. Littlefoot still accelerated his tempo. He felt an unpleasantly stitch in the side, and his mouth and throat were so dry that he felt it smart with every breath. Directly in front of him he saw a giant ravine till yet, so it must have resulted from the earthquake. He heard a short shriek again and now he was sure that it had been Ducky. He ran along the ravine in the direction from which the shriek had come.
Spike tried to hold the edge of the ravine desperately, but it was very difficult, because of the sand above the edge that shifted by every move Spike made and trickled into his face. Moreover his strength grew less and he glided slid centimeter by centimeter toward the abyss. Petrie could hardly hold himself and Ducky. He felt as if his stretched wings had reached the twice of its length. And Ducky hung panicky without being able to do the slightest. Spike felt the edge crumbling under his forefeet. Some pieces of sandstone severed and fell down in the deep. Endlessly time seemed to pass till the hollow sound of the strike could be heard. Spike slid on. It could last only few seconds... "Spike! Grab my tail!" Littlefoot appeared up at the brink of the ravine. Spike obeyed Littlefoot's call then and there. Littlefoot gritted his own teeth valiantly and sucked air between them when Spike's bored in his tail. "Littlefoot!" shouted Ducky, who couldn't see him indeed, but had recognised his voice, relieved. "You are there!" Petrie croaked happily despite his non-enviable situation. But in the next moment both of them shrieked terrified again, because the edge had finally broken of now under Spike's weight and the recoil of a sneezing he couldn't prevent since sand had trickled into his nostrils. They all slid a short distance downwards, before Littlefoot made the slide slow down. But nevertheless Littlefoot felt how he was pulled slowly, but seemingly unstoppable toward the new brink of the abyss by the additional weight. Especially the moveable sand that still lay near the ravine made it very difficult for Littlefoot to resist against the pull. The abyss came nearer piece by piece. Littlefoot remembered his mother's words. Has the time come now? No! Not yet! Firmly determined he gathered his strength. He felt the distance to the abyss grow slowly. Spike, Ducky and Petrie realized too that they were moved upwards again slowly. Suddenly Spike felt firm ground under his forefeet and he propped against the weight that pulled him down as fiercely as he could. Littlefoot felt relieved how the weight that hung at his tail diminished more and more. And then he felt Spike's viselike teeth loosening from his tail. When he noticed firmly ground below himself and Ducky, Petrie let off Spike's tail with a relieved sigh. He felt as if his wingspread had twinned. Spike looked behind and when he saw that Ducky and Petrie were save he lay down were he stood to rest for a while. Littlefoot did the same to regain his strength.
A catastrophe to reunion
Littlefoot narrowed his eyes to slits and let them rove along the horizon. The sun blinded him, but nevertheless he believed to recognise a figure far away between the rocks. It had to be Spike with Ducky and Petrie on his back. Littlefoot shaded his eyes by holding his head on his long neck into the shadow of his own body, and looked again.
Yes it were Spike, Petrie and Ducky. No mistake was possible. Cera was not with them and Littlefoot repented the suspicion he had had a short while ago, that Cera could have feigned all this. Littlefoot gasped for breath. Since he had left the Valley he had run nearly uninterrupted, without granting himself a rest. He had held only to watch for the others. After gasping again he called as loud as he could: "Petrie! Spike! Ducky! Wait for me!" Littlefoot stared at the figures of the others near the horizon. When they didn't respond after some seconds he gasped once more to call again. But he then ceased. He felt a stabbing pain in his nearly dried up neck and he felt his voice turning husky. Everything here equaled to his dream and he knew that the others wouldn't hear him. They were simply to far away. Littlefoot sighed profoundly and ran on swearing quietly at himself for not having taken the time to drink a swallow after having woken up from his dream that had shown all this.
Spike plodded along, exhausted, tired, hungry, thirsty and very grieved, but firmly determined to find Cera. Ducky and Petrie on his back did not think differently. Still nobody said a word. The shadows began slowly to lengthen. The sun had already transgressed its zenith, but the heat hadn't abated. Ducky and Petrie had begun to doze on Spike's back. They were very tired, as they had hardly closed her eyes during the whole night. Spike was even more tired and only the hope to reach their purpose soon and the prospect to find something to eat, to drink, a cool snug place and above all Cera propelled him on. Ceras footprints were nearly new; she had to be in sight soon. But Spike didn't anticipate that, because he had stopped to search Cera's tracks, he knew her purpose. Suddenly he was startled by a dull rumbling and grumbling. Petrie and Ducky started up too. Spike looked up to them confused. In this moment the ground under Spike's feed began to vibrate. "An earthshake!" shouted Ducky, ducking behind Spike's back plates. "Over there!" Petrie cried with a high-pitched voice pointing at the horizon. The ground seemed to roll toward them like a water wave. Spike was lifted some meters upwards and sank downwards again when the "wave" was by. Rocks and boulders began to burst asunder all around them with enormous din. A piece of a rock that was nearly twice as big as Spike struck close beside him with a deafening banging. Ducky and Petrie screeched terrified and the next tremor passed through the ground below them. That was too much for Spike. He howled up out and rammed his head into the ground in front of his feet. He struck against the hardly sandstone below the loose sand, but he nearly didn't noticed it. All he wanted was not to see anything of the terrible things that happened around him. The earth trembled again and it broke in two. A vast tear split it from one horizon to the other. The split pushed itself with an unstoppable force and with vast quickness through the land and exactly through the point where Spike stood. Spike didn't know what happened, when his head was suddenly in the open air again. A few split seconds to late he understood what happened. He jerked round and tried to got hold ad the brink of the just arising ravine. He tried to get over the brink with his forelegs, when the continental plates urged asunder. Ducky shrieked when she lost her balance and fell down across Spike's back. In the very last moment Petrie made to seize Ducky's tail and save her of the tumble. But now he slid down Spike's back himself, clung to Spike's tail and hung, one hand clung to Spike's tail the other holding Ducky's tail between both in the air now. Spike tried in vain to clamber up across the brink of the ravine. The earthquake had stopped, but Spike felt that he wouldn't be able to hold himself and the others on for a long time.
Petrie's strength dwindled with every second too. He considered feverishly. If he would try to carry Ducky up he would have to let Ducky loose for a short moment to seize her with the claws on his feet to have free wings. But then she would fell in the deep and he was unsure if he would be able to catch up with her by diving flight. Besides he doubted if he would be able to carry Ducky up. So he didn't try. Ducky looked down. She was unable to see the ground of the ravine because the bright circle stood not high to lighten it, so all she saw was darkness. Suddenly Petrie slid of. He could cling to Spike's tail again in the last moment. Ducky shrieked terrified.
Littlefoot lifted his head. Hasn't he heard a scream very distinctly? He believed that it had been Ducky's voice. He had been surprised by the earthquake too and had been able to duck so avoiding some tumbling pieces of rocks. Full of fears he had run on after Spike, Ducky and Petrie. Littlefoot felt his apprehensions corroborated by the scream. The others were in danger! He couldn't see them anymore and hoped that nothing had befallen them. Littlefoot still accelerated his tempo. He felt an unpleasantly stitch in the side, and his mouth and throat were so dry that he felt it smart with every breath. Directly in front of him he saw a giant ravine till yet, so it must have resulted from the earthquake. He heard a short shriek again and now he was sure that it had been Ducky. He ran along the ravine in the direction from which the shriek had come.
Spike tried to hold the edge of the ravine desperately, but it was very difficult, because of the sand above the edge that shifted by every move Spike made and trickled into his face. Moreover his strength grew less and he glided slid centimeter by centimeter toward the abyss. Petrie could hardly hold himself and Ducky. He felt as if his stretched wings had reached the twice of its length. And Ducky hung panicky without being able to do the slightest. Spike felt the edge crumbling under his forefeet. Some pieces of sandstone severed and fell down in the deep. Endlessly time seemed to pass till the hollow sound of the strike could be heard. Spike slid on. It could last only few seconds... "Spike! Grab my tail!" Littlefoot appeared up at the brink of the ravine. Spike obeyed Littlefoot's call then and there. Littlefoot gritted his own teeth valiantly and sucked air between them when Spike's bored in his tail. "Littlefoot!" shouted Ducky, who couldn't see him indeed, but had recognised his voice, relieved. "You are there!" Petrie croaked happily despite his non-enviable situation. But in the next moment both of them shrieked terrified again, because the edge had finally broken of now under Spike's weight and the recoil of a sneezing he couldn't prevent since sand had trickled into his nostrils. They all slid a short distance downwards, before Littlefoot made the slide slow down. But nevertheless Littlefoot felt how he was pulled slowly, but seemingly unstoppable toward the new brink of the abyss by the additional weight. Especially the moveable sand that still lay near the ravine made it very difficult for Littlefoot to resist against the pull. The abyss came nearer piece by piece. Littlefoot remembered his mother's words. Has the time come now? No! Not yet! Firmly determined he gathered his strength. He felt the distance to the abyss grow slowly. Spike, Ducky and Petrie realized too that they were moved upwards again slowly. Suddenly Spike felt firm ground under his forefeet and he propped against the weight that pulled him down as fiercely as he could. Littlefoot felt relieved how the weight that hung at his tail diminished more and more. And then he felt Spike's viselike teeth loosening from his tail. When he noticed firmly ground below himself and Ducky, Petrie let off Spike's tail with a relieved sigh. He felt as if his wingspread had twinned. Spike looked behind and when he saw that Ducky and Petrie were save he lay down were he stood to rest for a while. Littlefoot did the same to regain his strength.