Revenge
Chapter 16: Journey
Marion sat up in bed. Her face was sad, the small smile on her face was bitter. It was all her fault, her mind shrieked at her over and over again. She knew it, Karl knew it, David knew it, Cherry knew it... just about everybody knew it! But they were just too polite to say it. She felt alone, everybody else had other things to do. Zippo had already departed, leaving to return to his beloved library in Waterfall City. She was alone with nothing to distract her from her guilt.
She could apologise and put it out of her mind but Marion knew it wasn't enough. She had to make her sister see that she and her mother both loved her. She had to make Samantha see that everybody loved her for who she was.
Her mind made up she began the difficult process of getting up. Even as her body protested against her movements, her mind would not let her stop.
Samantha had to see the truth.
"WHAT!?!"
Sharpbeak winced as Cherry stared at him flabbergasted.
"You can't be serious!" she protested.
'Never more so,' Sharpbeak told her gravely.
"Bu... but... but..."
'There is nothing to worry about. I'm innocent so what can possibly happen to me?' Sharpbeak pointed out.
Cherry stood stunned. Sharpbeak's reaction was the exact opposite of hers. Slowly her brain began working again.
"David talked to you didn't he?" she accused staring at him with narrowed eyes.
Cherry knew she was right when the pterandon refused to meet her gaze. Cherry smiled sadly and stroked Sharpbeak's beak. Sharpbeak closed his eyes and cawed in pleasure.
"I just wish you didn't have to do to this," she murmured to him softly.
'Do not worry. I will not be alone.'
Cherry looked up at him, surprised.
"Who's going with you?"
Freefall emerged from the shadows.
'I am.'
"Marion! Are you all right?" Samantha asked concerned as soon as her sister walked through the door.
Marion stood there blinking. Of all the things she expected her sister to say it wasn't that.
"I heard you tried to save me. I'm so sorry for getting you into danger as well," Samantha look down at the bed looking very ashamed, "And I also know that my behaviour towards you was wrong and horrible as well."
Marion smiled at her sister.
"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry I didn't stick up for you when Dedira yelled at you," Marion told her sister softly, "I'm just so glad you have recovered from your ordeal."
Samantha smiled up at her as Marion sat down on the bed.
"Samantha. There is no need to be jealous of me, you're important to everybody around you. Me, our mother even to our friends," Marion told her seriously but kindly, "I'm just glad you're fine and no harm came from it."
"I'm glad we're both fine," Samantha declared, "how is Lily?"
"She recovered before both of us did."
The two sisters sat there, chatting and laughing. And for the first time they treated each not just as sisters but also as friends and equals.
"Sharpbeak will go to Waterfall City then," Rosemary said evenly.
Secretly she breathed a sigh of relief. She thanked David silently for talking to Sharpbeak. Having to deal with an angry Cherry was not a task she enjoyed. Finally the girl had relented and once more peace was restored in the farm.
"But I will go to Waterfall City as well," Cherry told her glaring at her as if to dare her to say no.
"I will arrange from a bus to carry you," Rosemary told her calmly, "Thank you Cherry for you co-operation. Breath deep..."
"Fly high," the girl said absently as she turned to leave.
Rosemary smiled softly to herself as she went off to see her duties. A matriarch's job was never done.
26 let out a long string of chirps, whistles and honks.
"Yes, Sharpbeak is going and so am I," Cherry told the infant dinosaur.
"I thought you were dead set against not going," Karl said raising his eyebrows.
Cherry shrugged.
"I changed my mind."
David smiled to himself and complimented himself for a job well done. Karl caught his brother's smile and understood immediately. But wisely he decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Freefall wants to go with him," Cherry added sneaking a glance at David.
David frowned. Freefall hadn't told him this. Most skybaxes told their riders everything! But then again Freefall wasn't a skybax and he wasn't a 'normal' pterandon either. David knew an argument he couldn't win when he saw one and this was definitely one of them. He would talk to Freefall later.
"I hear the next bus is coming next afternoon," Karl suddenly said.
"Bus? I thought there was no machines on Dinotopia?" Cherry asked confused.
"It's actually a kind of dinosaur," David explained.
"What kind is it?"
David and Karl looked at each other.
"Umm... good question..."
"Hmmm... I'll have to find out..."
"You mean you don't know?" Cherry asked disgusted, "Jeez, what kind of..."
"Maybe Karl and I should go to see if our father is alright," David cut in hurriedly.
Karl nodded.
"Yeah haven't seen the old man since he came here."
"Perhaps I should go and see my father as well," a quiet voice said behind them.
They turned around. Marion was standing there slightly leaning against the doorway. Her face was pale and her eyes were bloodshot but she smiled at them, a glimmer of the old Marion showing through her sadness and fatigue.
"It would be good to see him again," she murmured.
"Then it's set," Karl said smiling at them, "We're all going to the Rainy Basin!"
"Rainy Basin? Isn't that the place where the T-rexs are?"
"I'll miss you," Cherry murmured softly
Sharpbeak nudged her gently.
'Do not worry Cherry,' he reproved.
"I'll try not to," she said forcing a smile.
She kept up her facade as Oonu mounted his skybax. With a powerful pump of their wings Freefall, Sharpbeak and Oonu's skybax herding Longwing's lackeys along took to the sky.
"Come on," David said gently coming up behind her, "our bus is here."
Cherry nodded and followed the skybax rider. A single tear slid down her face as Sharpbeak let out a final goodbye caw.
Karl and David shifted uncomfortably in their seats as it swayed from side to side matching the graceful stride of their bus. After exchanging a few words with the 'bus', which was actually a young female saltasaurus called Songcall, Cherry was silent. Seated beside her was Marion who was likewise lost in her own thoughts.
Unfortunately their behaviour was the exact opposite of 26's and the bus driver's.
"Are you all right back there?" Lief's, the bus driver, called cheerfully to them from his perch on Songcall's neck.
26 let out a loud honk as Songcall answered with a string of musical whistles. Lief laughed and patted his partner's neck.
"Don't worry. The skybax patrol reported there were no T-rexs in this area," he reassured her.
David was sure that even if he lived in Dinotopia for a hundred years he would never shake that uneasy feeling he had every time he entered the Rainy Basin. It just never seemed right, so many trees standing together blocking one's view. The trees were a blessing and a curse, it hid you from the predators but it also hid the predators from you. Perhaps it was just because he was a sky person; he preferred open spaces and sunny skies. Sneaking a glance at his brother, he sighed.
Karl was the picture of casualness as he lay back in his seat and enjoyed the scenery around them. Humming softly to himself, his brother smiled as he watched 26 attempted to rouse Cherry from her gloomy state.
"Leave me alone," Cherry muttered shoving 26's head off her lap.
26 honked loudly and butted her knee gently.
"Hush!" Lief hissed softly to them, "Songcall thinks there is something following us."
Everybody waited tensely. David held his breath and felt his heart attempt to rip itself free from his chest. Silence.
"It's probably nothing," Karl called back to Lief.
David breathed a small sigh of relief but Lief and Songcall were both silent and alert.
"RRROOOOOOWWWRRRRR!!!"
Cherry gasped in shock at the sight of a five-tonne predator with razor sharp teeth descend on them.
"GET OUT AND RUN!!!!" Lief screamed at them.
Everything dissolved into chaos.
Cherry saw David flung himself out of his seat and hit the ground. He was instantly up as Marion landed beside him. Grabbing her hand he dragged her into the forest.
Lief leapt down from his partner's neck as Karl and 26 scrambled out from their seats.
"Cherry!" Karl yelled looking back at her.
"GO! I'LL BE FINE!" she shouted back praying that she would be okay.
She heaved herself over the side of the seat. The ground came hurtling up at her as she landed. Her vision went grey as pain shot up her already injured leg. Cherry managed a low whimper of pain before she tried to haul herself up.
'Are you well?' Songcall asked nudging her gently.
Cherry didn't answer as she attempted to put her weight on her injured leg but it gave out under her. Lying on the dirt she managed to look up weakly.
'BEGONE!' Songcall screamed suddenly.
"RRROOOOOWRRRRRR!!!!" the T-rex roared a challenge as it opened its mouth revealing serrated teeth.
This time its roar was answered by others. Cherry could do nothing but watch as four more T-rexs emerged from behind a tall screen of trees.
Each one roared at them, slowly advancing forwards snapping their powerful jaws together. Cherry clutched Songcall's pillar-like leg and hauled herself up again her eyes never leaving the ring of T-rexs surrounding them.
Her mouth opened to scream but no noise came out as one of T-rexs placed itself in front of Songcall.
It opened its mouth slowly.
Cherry watched in horror as it lunged forwards.
"RRRROOOOOOOOWWWRRRRRR!!!!"