Chapter XXII
A real threehorn
On the other side of the boulder Cera came to slowly. The grumbling of the sharptooth made her remembering the whole situation. How long she might have been senseless after she had rammed on the boulder the second time? Were her friends on the other side alive at all? She thought desperately. There she heard a short cry of Ducky that made her jumping up. Because of the fierce movement Cera felt as if a dark veil would lay over her eyes. She contended against the anew setting in unconsciousness and ran back through the ravine tottering. Again small spots of dancing light appeared in front of her eyes and the color of the landscape seemed to vary. Now she had reached the starting point for her run, but she collapsed again. The "dark veil" appeared anew. Her head dinned and a knocking and shooting pain had taken possession of it. How easy it would be to give in to the unconsciousness... Pictures appeared in front of her eyes. She saw faces. Littlefoot, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, Dinah, Dana. But suddenly she saw another face, her father's. She heard a strange singsong and then she could understand her father's voice: "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope!" Cera jumped up. A real threehorn. This time these words had no negative meaning to her. The pain in her head had not at all ceased, she felt sick and dizzy, but she had to rescue her friends. She was a real threehorn! Cera rushed forth like she hadn't done in one of the previous onsets, grimly determined to clear the way for her friends. She gave a shrill whoop.
Full of fright Ducky, Spike and Petrie, who still need to be supported propped by Ducky, starred at the sharptooth. They stood pressed to one of the ravine's sidewalls. After Ducky had rescued Petrie the sharptooth had bitten into the ground and thereafter it had hit its head repeatedly against the wall of rock furiously. But the time they had won by that had only been a reprieve. The sharptooth stood in front of them being about to pounce upon them when a piercing whoop cut through the air. Even the sharptooth hesitated and Ducky and Spike opened their eyes wide; they knew that whoop. "Cera?!" Ducky mumbled astonished. The boulder that had blocked the ravine exploded with a bursting bang to hundreds of fragments. Spike didn't consider what had happened. He snatched up Ducky and Petrie carefully and disappeared in the cloud of dust the bursting boulder had left. The sharptooth's bite came a fraction of a second to late. Spike traversed the ravine as fast as he, could holding Ducky and Petrie carefully with his teeth. He saw somebody's shape running aside himself out of the angle of an eye. Spike had run only a short distance when he reached a tiny dale at the end of the ravine, but it had seemed to him like a very long stretch. He looked back worried as if he feared that the sharptooth could follow them. From the ravine's entrance he could hear a grating that thrilled him to the marrow. Obviously the sharptooth had tried to pierce its teeth into the rock, full of fury and disappointment that it's victims had escaped after all. Then Spike looked at their deliverer. "Cera!" the word slipped out him whereby he let Ducky and Petrie drop. The next instant he noticed that he had just spoken the second time in his life. Ducky and Petrie who stood up, rubbing their bottoms on which they had landed ungently after Spike had let them drop, seemed to be unable to decide whereof they should be happy about first. With some quick leaps Ducky was by Cera and embraced her as far as it was possible despite their different proportions. Petrie, who had recuperated to a certain extend, did the same. Spike tried to speak another word, but he brought nothing out except his usual sounds. He gave up his tries and instead of being disappointed he jumped over to Cera too and drove his tongue through her face several times. Cera was still upset and even a bit confused. "Spike, you've spoken! Ducky! Petrie! What are you doing here?" she mumbled weakly. Ducky jumped joyfully from one foot to the other shouting with feigned outrage: "What shall that mean? What are you doing here?" Cera kept silent embarrassed. The question was very painfully to her, but for her relief the others didn't seem to expect an answer, since Petrie shouted flying a sequence of loops: "We want to fetch you back! What you've thought?" First time a broad grinning appeared on Ceras face and since she occurred nothing more inventively she repeated:
"Spike! You've spoken!" Ducky chattered happily her "Yep, yep, yep!" afterwards while she ran over to her "little brother" and hugged him as far as she could. Maybe he'll be able to speak like us. Sometime...", Cera muttered dreamy. Ducky returned to Cera, climbed on her back and sat down behind her napeshield. "He has spoken only one time till now. You remember?" asked Petrie landing aside Ducky. During their first adventure with Ali Spike had spoken the first and so far only time. The thought of then let Petrie occur: "Oh! Cera! Ducky! Spike! Me have met somebody here..." "I believe to know who you mean Petrie!" Cera interrupted him. The same moment the thought of Ali let Cera remember to Littlefoot. He wasn't here. Cera's gladness came to an abrupt end. She bounced her head a bit and asked faintly: "You've come alone, haven't you?" Ducky and Petrie who were, just like Spike, dismayed about Cera's sudden sorrow were just about to make a hasty explanation for Littlefoot's absence when they were startled up by loud roar and terrified screaming.
A real threehorn
On the other side of the boulder Cera came to slowly. The grumbling of the sharptooth made her remembering the whole situation. How long she might have been senseless after she had rammed on the boulder the second time? Were her friends on the other side alive at all? She thought desperately. There she heard a short cry of Ducky that made her jumping up. Because of the fierce movement Cera felt as if a dark veil would lay over her eyes. She contended against the anew setting in unconsciousness and ran back through the ravine tottering. Again small spots of dancing light appeared in front of her eyes and the color of the landscape seemed to vary. Now she had reached the starting point for her run, but she collapsed again. The "dark veil" appeared anew. Her head dinned and a knocking and shooting pain had taken possession of it. How easy it would be to give in to the unconsciousness... Pictures appeared in front of her eyes. She saw faces. Littlefoot, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, Dinah, Dana. But suddenly she saw another face, her father's. She heard a strange singsong and then she could understand her father's voice: "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope!" Cera jumped up. A real threehorn. This time these words had no negative meaning to her. The pain in her head had not at all ceased, she felt sick and dizzy, but she had to rescue her friends. She was a real threehorn! Cera rushed forth like she hadn't done in one of the previous onsets, grimly determined to clear the way for her friends. She gave a shrill whoop.
Full of fright Ducky, Spike and Petrie, who still need to be supported propped by Ducky, starred at the sharptooth. They stood pressed to one of the ravine's sidewalls. After Ducky had rescued Petrie the sharptooth had bitten into the ground and thereafter it had hit its head repeatedly against the wall of rock furiously. But the time they had won by that had only been a reprieve. The sharptooth stood in front of them being about to pounce upon them when a piercing whoop cut through the air. Even the sharptooth hesitated and Ducky and Spike opened their eyes wide; they knew that whoop. "Cera?!" Ducky mumbled astonished. The boulder that had blocked the ravine exploded with a bursting bang to hundreds of fragments. Spike didn't consider what had happened. He snatched up Ducky and Petrie carefully and disappeared in the cloud of dust the bursting boulder had left. The sharptooth's bite came a fraction of a second to late. Spike traversed the ravine as fast as he, could holding Ducky and Petrie carefully with his teeth. He saw somebody's shape running aside himself out of the angle of an eye. Spike had run only a short distance when he reached a tiny dale at the end of the ravine, but it had seemed to him like a very long stretch. He looked back worried as if he feared that the sharptooth could follow them. From the ravine's entrance he could hear a grating that thrilled him to the marrow. Obviously the sharptooth had tried to pierce its teeth into the rock, full of fury and disappointment that it's victims had escaped after all. Then Spike looked at their deliverer. "Cera!" the word slipped out him whereby he let Ducky and Petrie drop. The next instant he noticed that he had just spoken the second time in his life. Ducky and Petrie who stood up, rubbing their bottoms on which they had landed ungently after Spike had let them drop, seemed to be unable to decide whereof they should be happy about first. With some quick leaps Ducky was by Cera and embraced her as far as it was possible despite their different proportions. Petrie, who had recuperated to a certain extend, did the same. Spike tried to speak another word, but he brought nothing out except his usual sounds. He gave up his tries and instead of being disappointed he jumped over to Cera too and drove his tongue through her face several times. Cera was still upset and even a bit confused. "Spike, you've spoken! Ducky! Petrie! What are you doing here?" she mumbled weakly. Ducky jumped joyfully from one foot to the other shouting with feigned outrage: "What shall that mean? What are you doing here?" Cera kept silent embarrassed. The question was very painfully to her, but for her relief the others didn't seem to expect an answer, since Petrie shouted flying a sequence of loops: "We want to fetch you back! What you've thought?" First time a broad grinning appeared on Ceras face and since she occurred nothing more inventively she repeated:
"Spike! You've spoken!" Ducky chattered happily her "Yep, yep, yep!" afterwards while she ran over to her "little brother" and hugged him as far as she could. Maybe he'll be able to speak like us. Sometime...", Cera muttered dreamy. Ducky returned to Cera, climbed on her back and sat down behind her napeshield. "He has spoken only one time till now. You remember?" asked Petrie landing aside Ducky. During their first adventure with Ali Spike had spoken the first and so far only time. The thought of then let Petrie occur: "Oh! Cera! Ducky! Spike! Me have met somebody here..." "I believe to know who you mean Petrie!" Cera interrupted him. The same moment the thought of Ali let Cera remember to Littlefoot. He wasn't here. Cera's gladness came to an abrupt end. She bounced her head a bit and asked faintly: "You've come alone, haven't you?" Ducky and Petrie who were, just like Spike, dismayed about Cera's sudden sorrow were just about to make a hasty explanation for Littlefoot's absence when they were startled up by loud roar and terrified screaming.