Author's Note: Wow! Two chapters in such short notice. And I didn't even wait till someone had reviewed. Don't think I'll do it again though. ;) Rightyo! The creature in this new chapter I took some creative license with but I kept with facts as much as possible. You will be introduced to a tanystropheus (tan-ee-STROE-fee-us) which technically is not a dinosaur but a sauropsid reptile. Okay, enough of the science! On with the short chapter on short notice. :)
Don't own Buck.
Chapter 6
I did not like where we were going and I know Buck had a similar feeling. He ordered Kid and me to stay close. He didn't need to say it twice. This place creeped me out. I just hoped that Buck was right when he said that whatever lives in this cave is gone. I really hope he is right.
The trio ventured further into the cave. It was pitch black, but the weasels' eyes had adjusted to the darkness. They walked on in mutual silence, barely even breathing. Whenever Maggie felt the warm, hissing air whisper by, she shuddered and cast a worried glance at Buck. After a while, her ears perked up. "I hear - water?"
Buck paused as his ears bent forward to catch the sound that Maggie had. He nodded. "Th'ah's a spring an' a river down he'ah." He motioned with his head to keep moving. The female barely caught his next words. "I just hope it doesn't have any fish in it." Truly perplexed, Maggie followed along behind him.
They walked on towards the sound of water. An eerie blue light flickered on the cavern roof as the group reached the brink of a large underground lake. Buck paused and looked around. "Lemme get my bearings." He muttered.
Maggie folded her arms. "Are we lost?"
"No!" Buck exclaimed in hushed indignation. "I just haven't come in this way in a while is all." While he stood looking around the cave room, Maggie walked with Kid over to the edge of the water.
"What makes it glow like that?" She asked, eying the water warily.
"Glowing rocks under the water." Buck stated, not paying attention to where the she-weasel and dino were standing.
Maggie peered into the shallow water then let her gaze travel farther out. The dark shapes of fish swimming around made her almost smile, until she saw something bigger swimming towards the fish. "Buck?" She called quietly. The fish had scattered and the long, dark thing was coming faster towards the weasel and dino. Her eyes widened as she stepped back quickly, pushing Kid behind her. "Buck?"
He looked up in time to see a very long necked reptile raise its head out of the water - hissing. They stood in silent horror as the neck stretched ten feet into the air before its clawed feet came out of the water. The reptile grew longer still as the hind quarters emerged from the water followed by its tail. The tanystropheus hissed again, showing off razor sharp teeth. It eyed the three creatures before it with a hungry glint in its eyes. Maggie was the first to snap out of her shock. "Run!" She turned and fled, pulling a gaping Buck by the hand as she passed him. The tanystropheus hissed as it lowered its neck and ran like a torpedo after them. "I thought you said anything in the cave was gone!" Maggie accused the weasel running beside her.
"I thought the pools had run out of fish!" He retorted. "These nasties usually leave in search of fish at night!"
The sound of snapping jaws made the trio hasten. "Well I hope there aren't any more!" Maggie grumbled. Hissing from the side made her glare at the male beside her. "I blame you for this!"
They rounded a corner and Buck paused only for a moment. "Good! We're on the right path!"
"Why aren't you fighting it?" Maggie asked, looking back momentarily as the reptile's neck poked around the corner before the rest of it turned the corner.
"I'd rather avoid the poison thank you!" Buck answered, taking her paw because she was beginning to lag. He pushed her in front of him as he jumped up on a rock. "Keep going!"
"What about you?"
"I'll create a distraction! Just keep going!" He wedged his knife into a rock and pushed as hard as he could. "Come on!" He grunted as he pushed harder. The tanystropheus was getting closer. With one more shove, the rocks came tumbling down, pinning the reptile's long tail. It hissed in rage as it squirmed beneath the rocks. "Take that ya ov'ah grown lizard!" Buck laughed as he hopped down and ran in the direction that Maggie and Kid had disappeared down. He caught up with the pair who had stopped gasping for breath. He picked up Kid and took Maggie's paw in his. "Gotta keep moving! It won't hold 'im for long."
As they passed by another cavern, Maggie looked in. "Wait!" She pulled her paw from Buck's grasp and ran into the rock room.
"Mags!" Buck followed. "We don't have time ta sight see!"
But she was ignoring him. Her nose was sniffing around a hole. Steam was rising from the hole and the sound of boiling water could be heard. "It's a geyser." She mumbled to herself. Looking up, she saw another hole above them. "Maybe -" Her head turned to look around the warm room. Spotting a flat rock, she ran over to it. Pulling on it, she felt the weight and doubted her still injured arm would be of much use. "Help me move this."
He set Kid down. "Mags -"
"Just trust me!" She growled as she pulled. Next thing she knew, Buck was pushing the rock. The sound of the hissing dino reached their ears. "Quick! On the hole!" With the last bit of energy they possessed, the weasels maneuvered the flat surface over the opening in the floor. "Get on." She ordered as she picked up Kid and placed him on the rock.
"Maggie!" Buck protested. "We don't even know if the geysah will work in time!"
Maggie looked up at the hole that they would shoot through if this worked. "We don't have another choice." Buck clambered up in front of her and turned to the opening to the room. He crouched down and waited on the defensive for when the reptile came. Come it did.
It hissed in anger as it spotted Buck. The weasel smirked at the sight of the now tailless lizard. "Lost somethin'?"
"What did you do?" Maggie gasped.
Buck shrugged. "I dropped rocks on 'is tail. To get free, he 'ad ta detach 'iself from his tail." The reptile eyed the group, preparing to strike.
Her ears twitching, Maggie heard the gurgling of the water below them getting louder. "Buck." She whispered, "I think you should sit now."
He turned slightly, not taking his eye off the tanystropheus that was now backing out the way it had come. "Why is thaAAAAA?" Before he could finish his question, the rock shook and shot straight up into the air. Buck, Maggie, and Kid screamed from the frightening jolt and ascent into the air. They broke free of the hole and were met with the dawning sun. Gaining his wits, Buck clamped his knife between his teeth and gathered both Kid and Maggie to his side. When the water ceased shooting them up, they began their sickening decent. A few feet from the hole they had just exited, Buck rolled off before they fell back through. They tumbled head over heels for a few minutes, coming to an abrupt stop.
They all lay without speaking. Gasping from the thrill, Maggie moved her head so she was looking up at Buck. He looked down and gave her a crooked grin. "Tha' was - fun."
She giggled. "Let's not do it again anytime soon." It was then that she noticed she was lying on top of him with his arm holding her against him. Blushing, she averted her gaze. "Well - um - I think it's safe to - get up now." She felt his grip loosening, giving her time to push herself off of him. She tried to stand but her body had not recovered yet. Shaky legs made her fall back on her tail.
"Just sit for a minute, Mags." Buck ordered as he sat up. Kid stumbled over to her and collapsed on her lap with a sigh.
Taking a moment to look around, Maggie realized that they were now in a field of geysers. "Where are we?"
"Dunno." Buck admitted. "Nevah been he'ah before." He smiled as he turned to look at her. "Since you discovered it, why dontcha name it?"
"Really?" Maggie blinked in surprise. At his insistent nod, she observed the lay of the land. "Well - let's see. How about - The Valley of Screams?" She smirked at the memory of Buck screaming.
He grinned his wide, insane grin. "Perfect! Now - how far off our trail are we?"
Coming back to reality, Maggie frowned. "Are we lost?"
"As I said before," Buck replied as he stood, "no. I just need ta get my bearings." He held out a paw to help her up. When she got to her feet, she stumbled a little, bumping into him.
"S-sorry." She stepped back a little, looking down at their hands in embarrassment.
"Think nothin' of it Mags." He said gently before dropping her paw. Looking around, he sniffed the air. "Well I don't think we're that far off. Come on."
"You know where to go?" Maggie inquired as she walked along side him.
He smiled cheerfully. "Not really."
There you are! Are they lost? I don't know. ;) Okay, I'm not updating again until SOMEONE reviews. :P Enjoy and review. :)