Chapter XXIV
Anew rescue operations
"Cera! Ducky!" cried Petrie who regained his voice first. Spike ran over to the brink, but before he reached it he slowed down. His last steps were hesitatingly and he risked only a short glimpse down over the brink. He saw nothing but the sharptooth lying deep down on the ground and he didn't want to see anything more. He fall back some steps and shivered. The others who had followed and nearly caught up with him stopped. Some seconds of silence passed, seconds in which everybody tried to understand what had happened. It was Spike who broke the silence with a sob. He lay sprawling and started to weep. Petrie landed aside him and it looked more like a fall than a landing. He snuggled close to Spike's cheek. Littlefoot's jaw had sagged down and shivered involuntary. Endless time seemed to pass till he woke from his numbness and shut his mouth solidly to stop his jaw shivering, but the countenance of unutterable horror didn't disappear from his face. He felt guilty for what had happened and didn't dare to lay aside Spike and Petrie, so he dragged along into the shadow of a low tree let himself collapse and covered his head with his forefeet. Ali looked from one to the next out of watering eyes. She hadn't known Cera and Ducky approx as well as the others but in that instant it made no difference. No friend she had in the herd was so close connected with her like her five friends from the Great Valley. It dismayed Ali that Littlefoot didn't join Spike and Petrie; she knew exactly what he felt and thought. She plodded over to him and nudged him gently. Littlefoot looked up. Spike raised his head, looked over to Littlefoot and uttered a howl which meaning was unmistaken. But it was all the same to Littlefoot. The others might think whatever they want, but in his own opinion all this was his fault. He wanted to cover his head again when a cry startled them. "Heeelp!" everybody jumped up. "That was Ducky!" shouted Ali and her face changed entirely. "But that's impossible! They can't have survived that fall!" shouted Littlefoot, but nevertheless he ran towards the brink immediately. But Petrie swung up into the air and reached the abyss before Littlefoot whistling: "Maybe they are fallen not at all!" "You are right Petrie!" called Littlefoot when he reached the edge followed by Ali. "Me see them! Petrie sees them!" gasped Petrie. Spike huddled past Ali and looked over the brink again. But this time he bent forward and cast more than a short glimpse. The last time he hadn't looked carefully afraid of seeing something he didn't want to see. Some meters below a dried up bough towered from the rock. Cera hung at it holding it with her teeth and waving her forelegs panicky around in the air trying to find hold anywhere. She rolled her eyes that nearly only their white part was visibly. Ducky had climbed over Cera's napeshield and stood on her face now, waving relieved when she saw the others appearing above at the brink. The bough made not a very substantial impression. It bent deeply down under Cera's and Ducky's weight and it cracked sinisterly. "We must pull them up! Quick!" shouted Littlefoot and then he addressed Cera: "Stop waving! Or the bough will brake!" Of course Cera could neither give an answer nor she could nod but her eyes calmed. "Hold me, Littlefoot!" shouted Ali and let herself skidding over the edge so suddenly that Littlefoot caught her in the very last moment. But Ali had to be let deep down to reach Cera and the weight was hard to bear. Littlefoot was forced to hang his forelegs over the edge and to bend his head down as wide as he could, to enable Ali to forereach Cera. Spike didn't need any request to hold Littlefoot and Petrie grabbed his tail and pulled as strong as he could, certainly without any result. When Ali's head reached Cera's Ducky jumped over and started to climb up Ali's nape; this tickled Ali, but she gritted her teeth while Ducky made her way over her back and tail over to Littlefoot. Cera wrapped her forelegs around Ali's neck and it was this motion that let the bough brake with a dry crack. Ali shrieked on the one hand because of the fright on the other hand because Littlefoot, unable to shriek had gritted his teeth even more solid around her tail to prevent her fall. Cera gritted her teeth too, around the piece of bough that had reminded in her mouth while Ducky shrieked like Ali. She had lost her balance because of the jerk that ran through Littlefoot's neck when the bough had broken. Ducky staggered but suddenly Petrie, who had recognized how useless it was to pull on Spike's tail, grabbed her shoulders and helped her to reobtain her balance and to climb in safety. Littlefoot was unable to move back as long as his forelegs hang over the edge. Only Spike would have been able to pull the others back. The help of Ducky and Petrie was well meant but nearly useless. "Now Spike!" "Pull!" "Go on!" Ali, Ducky and Petrie shouted snafu. But Cera's, Ali's and a part of Littlefoot's weight pulled Spike nearer and nearer towards the edge and Littlefoot skidded over it further and further. Spike propped against the pull so firmly that his feet left deep grooves in the earth that covered the ledge. Spike's forefeet found a solid resistance so suddenly that his knees bend in and he nearly fall. Spike understood immediately. His feet had hit upon a peak that had been covered by the earth. He propped against the hold as fiercely as he could and came to a standstill. Cera noticed with relief that she had stopped to sink down deeper. She rolled her eyes and looked down to the ground where the sharptooth lay. She became dizzy immediately and looked back into Ali's face that turned red from the hanging headlong. Spike felt remembered to the ravine of the day before. But now Littlefoot and he had changed the rolls and he had to hold three big dinosaurs instead of one and two who nearly didn't weight with. At least Littlefoot didn't weight with completely too because he was still partly on the ledge and tried to support Spike with his hind legs. Sweat was running down Spikes forehead. Suddenly Ducky stood in front of him. She looked in his eyes steadily and then she said in a voice that let no doubts possible that she was convinced of what she said: "Spiky! You'll make it little brother!" Petrie appeared behind Ducky and nodded violently. It was the best support they could have conferred upon Spike. Carefully of not letting Littlefoot's tail loose Spike smiled and then he threw his weight against the pull. With one strong wrench he pulled Littlefoot over the edge. When Littlefoot felt solid ground below his fore legs he stemmed against the pull immediately as vigorous as he could. Littlefoot soon found a save foothold in the grooves Spike's feet had left. Together Spike and Littlefoot managed to pull up Ali. Three of them had no really problem to pull up the fourth. Cera looked from one to the next when she stood on the ledge with trembling knees. Some seconds passed till she noticed that she still hold a piece of the bough between her teeth. Cera spitted it out and thereby she noticed that it had splintered to splinters by her biting. Cera's lower jaw shivered when it hadn't to bite anymore so suddenly. She felt very nervous. Everybody starred at her. She hated it. Cera considered what to say but she wasn't in fettle to say anything. For her relief Spike turned round to get some treestars from the nearby trees. The others seemed to need to relax too. There would be still enough time to speak later. Maybe these thoughts had been readable from Cera's eyes, at all events Ducky and Petrie turned round to follow Spike and after short hesitating Ali followed them too. Littlefoot and Cera changed a look. Then Littlefoot nodded and went in the tracks of the others. For a moment Cera was unsure how to interpret that, but then she went over to the trees too. She wasn't hungry, only thirsty, but the tree's shadows gave a convenient place to lie down and to doze a bit.
Anew rescue operations
"Cera! Ducky!" cried Petrie who regained his voice first. Spike ran over to the brink, but before he reached it he slowed down. His last steps were hesitatingly and he risked only a short glimpse down over the brink. He saw nothing but the sharptooth lying deep down on the ground and he didn't want to see anything more. He fall back some steps and shivered. The others who had followed and nearly caught up with him stopped. Some seconds of silence passed, seconds in which everybody tried to understand what had happened. It was Spike who broke the silence with a sob. He lay sprawling and started to weep. Petrie landed aside him and it looked more like a fall than a landing. He snuggled close to Spike's cheek. Littlefoot's jaw had sagged down and shivered involuntary. Endless time seemed to pass till he woke from his numbness and shut his mouth solidly to stop his jaw shivering, but the countenance of unutterable horror didn't disappear from his face. He felt guilty for what had happened and didn't dare to lay aside Spike and Petrie, so he dragged along into the shadow of a low tree let himself collapse and covered his head with his forefeet. Ali looked from one to the next out of watering eyes. She hadn't known Cera and Ducky approx as well as the others but in that instant it made no difference. No friend she had in the herd was so close connected with her like her five friends from the Great Valley. It dismayed Ali that Littlefoot didn't join Spike and Petrie; she knew exactly what he felt and thought. She plodded over to him and nudged him gently. Littlefoot looked up. Spike raised his head, looked over to Littlefoot and uttered a howl which meaning was unmistaken. But it was all the same to Littlefoot. The others might think whatever they want, but in his own opinion all this was his fault. He wanted to cover his head again when a cry startled them. "Heeelp!" everybody jumped up. "That was Ducky!" shouted Ali and her face changed entirely. "But that's impossible! They can't have survived that fall!" shouted Littlefoot, but nevertheless he ran towards the brink immediately. But Petrie swung up into the air and reached the abyss before Littlefoot whistling: "Maybe they are fallen not at all!" "You are right Petrie!" called Littlefoot when he reached the edge followed by Ali. "Me see them! Petrie sees them!" gasped Petrie. Spike huddled past Ali and looked over the brink again. But this time he bent forward and cast more than a short glimpse. The last time he hadn't looked carefully afraid of seeing something he didn't want to see. Some meters below a dried up bough towered from the rock. Cera hung at it holding it with her teeth and waving her forelegs panicky around in the air trying to find hold anywhere. She rolled her eyes that nearly only their white part was visibly. Ducky had climbed over Cera's napeshield and stood on her face now, waving relieved when she saw the others appearing above at the brink. The bough made not a very substantial impression. It bent deeply down under Cera's and Ducky's weight and it cracked sinisterly. "We must pull them up! Quick!" shouted Littlefoot and then he addressed Cera: "Stop waving! Or the bough will brake!" Of course Cera could neither give an answer nor she could nod but her eyes calmed. "Hold me, Littlefoot!" shouted Ali and let herself skidding over the edge so suddenly that Littlefoot caught her in the very last moment. But Ali had to be let deep down to reach Cera and the weight was hard to bear. Littlefoot was forced to hang his forelegs over the edge and to bend his head down as wide as he could, to enable Ali to forereach Cera. Spike didn't need any request to hold Littlefoot and Petrie grabbed his tail and pulled as strong as he could, certainly without any result. When Ali's head reached Cera's Ducky jumped over and started to climb up Ali's nape; this tickled Ali, but she gritted her teeth while Ducky made her way over her back and tail over to Littlefoot. Cera wrapped her forelegs around Ali's neck and it was this motion that let the bough brake with a dry crack. Ali shrieked on the one hand because of the fright on the other hand because Littlefoot, unable to shriek had gritted his teeth even more solid around her tail to prevent her fall. Cera gritted her teeth too, around the piece of bough that had reminded in her mouth while Ducky shrieked like Ali. She had lost her balance because of the jerk that ran through Littlefoot's neck when the bough had broken. Ducky staggered but suddenly Petrie, who had recognized how useless it was to pull on Spike's tail, grabbed her shoulders and helped her to reobtain her balance and to climb in safety. Littlefoot was unable to move back as long as his forelegs hang over the edge. Only Spike would have been able to pull the others back. The help of Ducky and Petrie was well meant but nearly useless. "Now Spike!" "Pull!" "Go on!" Ali, Ducky and Petrie shouted snafu. But Cera's, Ali's and a part of Littlefoot's weight pulled Spike nearer and nearer towards the edge and Littlefoot skidded over it further and further. Spike propped against the pull so firmly that his feet left deep grooves in the earth that covered the ledge. Spike's forefeet found a solid resistance so suddenly that his knees bend in and he nearly fall. Spike understood immediately. His feet had hit upon a peak that had been covered by the earth. He propped against the hold as fiercely as he could and came to a standstill. Cera noticed with relief that she had stopped to sink down deeper. She rolled her eyes and looked down to the ground where the sharptooth lay. She became dizzy immediately and looked back into Ali's face that turned red from the hanging headlong. Spike felt remembered to the ravine of the day before. But now Littlefoot and he had changed the rolls and he had to hold three big dinosaurs instead of one and two who nearly didn't weight with. At least Littlefoot didn't weight with completely too because he was still partly on the ledge and tried to support Spike with his hind legs. Sweat was running down Spikes forehead. Suddenly Ducky stood in front of him. She looked in his eyes steadily and then she said in a voice that let no doubts possible that she was convinced of what she said: "Spiky! You'll make it little brother!" Petrie appeared behind Ducky and nodded violently. It was the best support they could have conferred upon Spike. Carefully of not letting Littlefoot's tail loose Spike smiled and then he threw his weight against the pull. With one strong wrench he pulled Littlefoot over the edge. When Littlefoot felt solid ground below his fore legs he stemmed against the pull immediately as vigorous as he could. Littlefoot soon found a save foothold in the grooves Spike's feet had left. Together Spike and Littlefoot managed to pull up Ali. Three of them had no really problem to pull up the fourth. Cera looked from one to the next when she stood on the ledge with trembling knees. Some seconds passed till she noticed that she still hold a piece of the bough between her teeth. Cera spitted it out and thereby she noticed that it had splintered to splinters by her biting. Cera's lower jaw shivered when it hadn't to bite anymore so suddenly. She felt very nervous. Everybody starred at her. She hated it. Cera considered what to say but she wasn't in fettle to say anything. For her relief Spike turned round to get some treestars from the nearby trees. The others seemed to need to relax too. There would be still enough time to speak later. Maybe these thoughts had been readable from Cera's eyes, at all events Ducky and Petrie turned round to follow Spike and after short hesitating Ali followed them too. Littlefoot and Cera changed a look. Then Littlefoot nodded and went in the tracks of the others. For a moment Cera was unsure how to interpret that, but then she went over to the trees too. She wasn't hungry, only thirsty, but the tree's shadows gave a convenient place to lie down and to doze a bit.