Shade's POV:

At dawn the next morning (or what we can perceive as dawn), we are rudely awakened by kicks in the sides. I crack my eyes open to see that demon, Thomas, looming over us. He still has that twisted smirk on his face. "Wakey wakey, you two! Rise an' shine! Yer gonna do a li'l 'favor' fer me!" Thomas sneers.

"Oh? And what makes you think I'll cooperate?" I ask.

"'cause if ya don't, I'll kill all of ya, startin' wi' Whisper!" Whisper whimpers at the threat.

I glare at Thomas, furious with him for scaring Whisper. "Fine! I'll do what you want! Just…don't hurt her…" I whisper the last part.

"Don't worry. I won't. Now, as fer wot I want ya ta do, yer gonna make yer way back ta Whisper's 'ome. Tell Buck where I am. Bring 'im 'ere. Then, you'll get Whisper back," Thomas smirks.

I nod my head, a sign of my compliance. Thomas pulls me up by the ears and drags me out of the cage, slaming the door behind us. He drags me out of the chamber while I am being forced to bite back the sounds of pain.

When we reach the exit of the tunnels, Thomas throws me out onto the ground. I cough as I rise from the dusty earth. I look around, noticing two things. One, I am in the famed world of dinosaurs, and two, Whisper is still very much in danger.

I am startled by another kick in the side. "Get goin' or ya will nevah get Whisper back alive!" Thomas snarls.

I stumble to my paws and dart off into the surrounding jungle, fearful for Whisper's safety. I am also fearful of my reception when I can find Buck. I let this happen. I'm the one who put his daughters in danger. He'll kill me for it. Of that, I'm certain. I push those thoughts as I keep running, hopeful that I can find my way out of this world without getting myself killed.

Of course, a couple of hours into my sprinting, I am very nearly killed. A pterodactyl flying above spots me and goes into a kill spiral to try to make me its meal. Luckily, I see it just in time to dart under the cover of some bushes. After a while of circling, the pterodactyl leaves me alone.

I keep moving under the bushes, using them as protection from potential enemies. I don't exactly want to be a dinosaur's snack anytime soon. I can't save Whisper if I die, now can I?

I am startled a moment later by nearby screeches. I don't have the time to react when a clawed foot comes out of nowhere and holds me down. I look up to see a raptor looking back at me. I squirm, trying to get away.

As the raptor's mouth reaches down towards me, I notice how close my mouth is to its foot. I reach over quickly and, as hard as I can, bite down on its foot. The raptor snarls out of pain and moves away a bit. I take the chance to leap to my paws. I dart away. I almost make it unharmed. However, at the last minute, the raptor reaches both claws and teeth towards me. His teeth take a chunk of skin from my right hip bone while his claws cut over the right side of my face and ear. I scream from the pain. Even so, I manage to get away.

I keep running for three hours straight, despite the bloodloss. I don't have the choice. The raptor could easily follow the scent of my blood. I find my way to a cave. On closer inspection, I see that the cave is actually a tunnel. I sniff around and catch a scent. It's old, but still clear. The scent belongs to Buck.

I run inside the tunnel, hoping to get to Buck before I can pass out. Unfortunately for me, it doesn't look like that'll happen. The room is spinning. I stumble and trip over my paws. I am unconscious before my head can even hit the ground.

I groan as I begin to wake up. I am surprised that I am even alive. From my injuries, I should be dead. I stumble to my paws, fighting back whimpers as well as the sudden wave of weakness. I take a deep breath before sprinting further into the cave. I run until I see a pinprick of light up ahead. I enter into that light and find myself back above the ice.

I look around, finding that I am back near our homes. I hear voices nearby. They sound panicked and saddened. I catch Buck's voice among those. I run out into the open. Buck looks up at me. I can tell from the wet patch under his left eye that he was crying. His expression changes from sorrow to shock to anger. "You! Ya were wi' Whisper! Where is she an' my other daughters!" Buck growls.

"Please! Let me explain! It was Thomas! He captured us!" I shout out.

"Then, why are ya 'ere?! Why aren't ya wi' 'er?!" Buck growls.

"I wanted to stay with her! He said he'd kill them all, starting with Whisper, if I didn't do what he wanted! That's why I'm here and not there with her!" I yell, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Taisley puts her paw on Buck's shoulder. "Please, listen to him. He obviously loves Whisper. He'd never do anything to hurt her," Taisley whispers into Buck's ear.

"Fine. 'ey, are ya alright?" Buck asks me suddenly.

He must've noticed my swaying. My injuries are killing me and my stomach is already starting to seize up. "I…I don't…feel so good…" I moan, wrapping one arm around my stomach. I can feel myself shaking. I fall to my knees, breathing raggedly through clenched teeth. My stomach lurches. Before I can stop myself, I lean forward and begin to retch. I cough roughly on the vomit that's rising from my throat. I feel a paw stroking my back soothingly as I heave and retch. After a while, I stop vomiting.

I turn to look at the owner of the paw on my back. I'm surprised to see that it belongs to Buck. Surprised because of how angry he was just a moment before. "Are ya alright now?" He asks.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Where's mom?" I ask in a hoarse whisper.

Buck closes his eye before opening it again. "She…around th' time that ya were taken, she was murdered," Buck whispers the last part.

My eyes widen in both shock and horror. "S…she was murdered?" I gasp, fighting against tears that are threatening to spill from my eyes. I look down at my footpaws. I clench my paws at my sides as I breathe raggedly, still fighting the sobs. I jump at the feel of a paw on my shoulder. I look up to see Buck staring back at me. "Ya know, it's alright ta cry," Buck speaks softly to me.

I shake my head. After a few deep breaths, I manage to pull myself together. "No. I won't cry. Not until Whisper is safe," I argue.

"Alright, but I still think ya should. It's no' good ta keep yer feelings inside," Buck continues.

"I know, but saving Whisper and the others is more important. Nothing else matters," I reply. I wince as the pain in my scratches and bite mark resurfaces. Buck catches me as I collapse. My breath is ragged again, this time from pain. "It hurts…" I groan.

"I know. Just stay still. We'll get yer injuries taken care of," Buck promises me.

"But…what about Whisper?" I ask.

"Ya really care 'bout my daughter, don't ya?" Buck asks.

I nod my head. "Yes. More than anything," I answer.

"She an' all th' others will be alright. Ya won't be, though, if ya don't let me bandage yer wounds," Buck presses.

"Fine. Just…be careful…please…they really hurt…" I whisper, kind of embarrassed to admit my pain.

Buck can clearly see that. "It's goin' ta be alright. Ya don't need ta be embarrassed ta say 'ow much pain you're in. You're injured. It stands ta reason you'd reach yer limits. Now, I'll bandage up yer injuries, alright?" Buck speaks soothingly to me.

I nod my head. "Alright."

Buck grabs a leaf and wets it. He uses it to clean my injuries. I bite back my whimpers of pain. Buck uses a needle and thread and stitches up my bite mark and scratches. I can't even try to stop the yelp that passes by my lips. Buck grabs some bandages and wraps them around my injuries. He then grabs some nearby seeds. At my questioning stare, Buck elaborates. "These are poppy seeds. They'll 'elp wi' th' pain."

At that, I take the seeds and swallow them whole. I just want the pain to stop. After the seeds are in my system, I start to feel numb and drowsy. I accidently rest my head against Buck's shoulder. I look up at him, a little afraid of his possible reaction. Buck merely smiles and strokes my forehead. I close my eyes. The last thing I think about is an old phrase, one very much for the predicament that I was in: Don't shoot the messenger.