Chapter X: Illness
Strange things were happening at Longneck Rock. The leaders had halted the journey because of the deadly disease that had struck several members. Some dinosaurs said that moving on to leave the illness behind would be best, but the Longnecks said we should stay to tend to the sick, and eventually the herd voted for their idea.
The old wounded skyreacher who had witnessed the great night battle with the sharptooth said that there was only one way to cure this illness: to eat the leaves of the lifeleaf plant which only grew on Spikefrill Peak.
Spikethumb gave me his analysis of the situation. We had to send someone four days' journey to the Thick Water, or swamp as the farwalkers call it, which was inhabited by belly-draggers, and from there another two days' journey to Spikefrill Peak, to get the lifeleaf plant. That meant that we would have to stay at Longneck Rock for twelve days at least (probably more while waiting for the sick to recuperate).
Four were chosen to go: two runners, because they were small and quick; a threehorn, for protection; and me, Robert P. Thicknose. I was old, but I dearly wanted to see a lifeleaf plant for myself, and the Longnecks eventually relented and let me go.
The four days passed without event, for food and water were plentiful on the way to the Thick Water, but once we got there things started happening.
First, one of the runners was taken by a belly-dragger as he took his morning drink. It was over before we knew it was happening.
Then we had a battle with those most despicable of sharpteeth, the thickheads. Our threehorn was too much for them, however.
Then I, Robert P. Thicknose, slipped into the Thick Water itself during a sky-water shower, and the threehorn bravely waded in and pulled me out.
During this time, as I learned afterwards, Threehorn's daughter Agatha caught the disease and died.
Finally, we won through the Thick Water and came into view of Spikefrill Peak, on the edge of a thick forest. The climate was much colder here, and terrible storms whipped through every few days.
As bad luck would have it, we were hit by one of them.