…..Hi everyone, I'm glad to see you seem to be enjoying the story so far. Vondon Wiles, thanks for the feedback. That is always very helpful for me to know how people are connecting to the story. Yes, it's sad, but I promise I will try to make it work out somehow.
I don't know if you guys are going to like reading what happens next, but I promise it all ties together later. Please let me know what you think and I hope everyone has a good weekend!
…..
Chapter 3 Fallen
Hyp's Father
The older dinosaur awoke to a violent shaking from the earth around him. Earthshake! He scrambled to his feet and checked for signs of Hyp. Upon discovering that his son was not in the cave, he ran outside to wait to the earthshake to pass. It was a violent one, causing a few rocks from the ceiling of the cave to fall and some trees on the horizon to fall. The earth even split in a few places, but not as badly as it had before. No part of the valley seemed to be separated from the rest, which was a good thing at the moment. When he was sure the earthshake was over and their home was alright, he checked for signs of Hyp. Nothing.
Panic rose in his chest when he realized that Hyp might still be in the area where the trees had fallen. "Hyp! Answer me, son!"
No answer. He set out to look for his son, first checking with Mutt and Nod's families. The only thing that came out of that was that Mutt and Nod were missing as well. Great.
His worry only increased as time passed, and there was still no sign of Hyp and his friends. A surge of hope rushed through him when he spotted the Littlefoot kid running toward him with Nod. Then anger. Since Nod's parents weren't around, he took over. "Nod! Where have you been? We've been searching the valley for you!" Then he stopped.
Nod and Littlefoot… that was odd. And without the others. Now anger was washed away by concern. The kids looked anxious. Since Nod looked like he was in shock, the father turned to Littlefoot. "Please, where is Hyp?"
All he wanted was to know that his son was safe, but from the look in their eyes he doubted it. Littlefoot immediately spoke up. "He's stuck under a tree! My grandparents and I saw it fall on him during the earthshake! You've gotta come quick!"
The whole world seemed to spin. He had to steady himself on the nearest tree trunk. His shaking was apparently as apparent as it felt, because Nod noticed.
"He's still alive, Mr. Hyp's dad." he managed through his shortness of breath, "But we think he's hurt real bad."
At the news that Hyp was still alive, he felt slight relief, but not much. "Take me to him," he managed to whisper the words. And the three were off. Since Littlefoot seemed the most competent at the time, he led the way. Nicolas found himself wishing they could run at his speed, and reminded himself time and time again to stay at their pace as he fought with Nod along the way.
"If you haven't been laying out all night, this wouldn't have happened!" he snapped in the middle of the argument.
Suddenly he wished Mutt had come instead. He wasn't competent, but at least he didn't talk back as much. If a fight broke out between the three friends, it was most likely to be between Hyp and Nod. But Nod somehow managed to retaliate the truth in a sharp way most of the time. The young dinosaur just gave him an angry look to show he wasn't afraid. "Well….if you hadn't yelled at Hyp last night, we wouldn't have been there!"
Just when he was about to make the friend of his son leave, Littlefoot stopped to reveal a crowd of dinosaurs gathered around a tall fallen tree.
He immediately ran forward. "Hyp!"
He pushed through the crowd like weeds. "Let me through!"
Grandpa Longneck saw him coming. Everyone, please! Let him pass!"
The dinosaurs ahead looked behind them and instantly cleared a path, revealing his only son laying still beneath the tree. Sheer fear brought him to his knees when he reached his son. Only his hands and face were visible through the branches. Which Mr. Threehorn and his daughter were hacking at with their horns.
"Son!" He reached down and grabbed one of the younger dinosaur's hands, causing him to open his eyes.
"Dad….I'm sorry….I'm so sorry…." He sounded as if he were choking out the words, which were barely understandable. Before the father could react, the familiar golden eyes closed.
"Hyp!" he shook his son's forearm frantically. "Son!"
The adolescent's breathing sounded ragged, and to the father's horror, a sheen of sweat shone on his forehead.
Horrified and shaking, he turned to the longnecks. "Please," he begged, "help me get this off of him. Please, he's all I have."
The longnecks looked as if they understood for some reason. Grandpa Longneck lowered his head to speak to the frantic father. "We were just saying that pulling him out is our only option. We can't lift the tree, and rolling it could only hurt him more."
Nicolas looked to his son, and then back to the longnecks. "Will it hurt him?"
Grandma Longneck considered this with a concerned expression before answering the question. "It was hurting him when we tried earlier, but…." she looked to her husband. "I don't think we have another choice."
He looked to his son, who choked out a gasp that sounded as if he were being crushed, and then made his decision. He just noticed Mutt standing beside him, looking scared but clueless.
"Help me!" he said harshly as he grabbed one of Hyp's arms. Mutt quickly did the same, and together they began to tug.
It wasn't hard pulling Hyp from the tree. It was almost like he had just fallen under a gap in the tree. The scary part was Hyp crying out in pain when they began to pull on his arms. Whatever pride he had mustered to keep himself from crying out was apparently overruled by agony.
Mutt hesitated, seeming to feel the same fear that he was feeling. But he knew they had to do this, and if they stopped and pulled again it would only hurt his son more. "Keep going, Mutt." he said determinedly. And the two dragged an agonized Hyp from the branches' clutches.
When his son was finally free, they tried laying him down on the earth, but this only made him tense in a way that looked like a spasm of pain and cry out again. Nicolas tried helping to sit up, but this only made it worse.
"AHHH!" Hyp seemed to jump at another spasm of pain and clutched both arms around his stomach with a tight grip. At a suggestion from Grandma Longneck, he helped his son roll over onto his side. It seemed to be the most comfortable way they could position him right now. From there, another spasm made the boy curl into a ball, all the time holding a grip on his stomach.
The father kept a hand on his son's shoulder as he examined him, feeling sick with worry. Hyp was really hurt. He hadn't seen the boy cry so visibly in years, but the boy had no control over the stream of tears sliding down his cheeks as he tried to hold himself together. Every breath came out as a choking noise and made him flinch with each movement. His eyes remained tightly closed. Grandma Longneck seemed to figure it out at the same time as he did, but was the first to voice it.
"His ribs," she gasped.
"And it looks like more than one," Threehorn mumbled grouchily from behind the longnecks.
Nicolas felt as small as a blade of grass. He wasn't a healer. The closest thing he had ever done to healing someone was…well…. He was lost, for sure.
Grandma Longneck seemed to be reading him mind. "Do you know how to care for him?" she asked.
No. Nicolas thought a moment. "Well, I was hoping cleaning a cut and saying it would be alright would hold out," he stated solemnly.
This made almost every parent in the crowd chuckle, despite the situation. He had to help his son. "How can I help him?"
"This isn't much," said Grandpa Longneck thoughtfully, "he won't even be able to sit up straight for a while…."
"All you can do is wind something around him tightly, to keep the injured area still." Grandma Longneck stated, implying that was all she had. "I suggest making something from the tall grass."
That only added to the stress Nicolas was feeling as he stared at his son, writhing on the ground. "Is there anything at all for his pain?"
No one knew, but the longnecks promised to ask around for someone who might. All they could do was get him home to rest, which would prove to be a challenge.
Walking was definitely out of the question for Hyp. When pulled to a standing position, he only crumpled over again, even with Nicolas and Mutt supporting him. They tried placing the young dinosaur on Nod's back, as he often did anyway, so that he could ride back home. But a Hyp was in no physical shape to keep himself on after a few of Nod's steps, so the only option left was for Nicolas to carry him. This still hurt the young son, but it was the least painful method. As he lifted his son, Nicolas caught sight of the Littlefoot and his friends, looking concerned as they stared at the scene. This was twice they had helped his son, who bullied them relentlessly on more than one occasion. He could only hope Hyp was soon realize this one day.
About halfway home, Hyp was a little more responsive. "Aw, man…" he whispered the words as they made their way through the crowd. Whether this was in reference to the fact that he was being carried or in response to the spasms of pain that made him flinch with every step his father took, Nicolas didn't know. All he knew was that he had get his son home.
By the time their home was in sight, Nicolas was feeling just about the same way…in reference to carrying his teenage son halfway across the valley. "Oh, son…" He huffed as he tried to ignore the pain coursing through his arms. "When did you get so heavy?"
Hyp was just struggling to keep as still as he could to avoid the pain. Sweat was beginning to break out on his forehead again, and his breath came in even sharper intakes than before. Despite this, he opened his eyes to look at him in what seemed to be a joking glare, but quickly closed them again when the father took another step.
When they finally got home, Hyp's father kicked aside the rocks that had fallen from earlier and eventually got Hyp positioned back onto his side like he was earlier because the boy couldn't seem to tolerate lying on his back yet. But he couldn't stay in that position long; he needed something to support himself until his ribs healed. But from the sound of his gasps of pain, that wouldn't be for a while.
For the first time since leaving the fallen tree, he turned to Mutt and Nod, who had followed them home out of concern for their friend. Nicolas spoke to them as he leaned on the cave wall to rest. "Ca….can you…." He had to take a few breaths before finishing his question. "Watch over him while I gather some tall grass?"
Mutt and Nod immediately agreed; Hyp's dad left it alone even though he knew they were probably trying to get out of going home sooner.
Getting the tall grass wasn't a challenge, especially since word had spread over the valley and most of the dinosaurs that could had already pulled the stiffest blades by the time he got there. Some offered tips on the best ways to twine the blades together, but they all blended in with each other after a while. By the time he left, however, he didn't feel as clueless.
Hyp was lying still in the same position he had left him in earlier. He seemed to be trying to sleep, but kept flinching at the pain when his rib area started to relax in any way. Mutt and Nod were staring down at their friend, actually looking scared for him. Remarkably, someone had thought to bring half a coconut shell filled with water with wet moss sitting beside it. No way. The little longneck and some of his friends probably brought that by and left. His thoughts were confirmed upon finding the moss was quickly drying up. Neither Mutt nor Nod had the slightest idea of what to do with it.
Nicolas dropped the tall grass in the opposite corner, wet the moss in the water, and gently began dabbing at the beads of sweat on his son's face. He looked relieved at the cool touch of the moss, and tried to turn his face so that his father would get all the salty sweat with the moss.
Eventually, Mutt shrugged. "So, uh, what do we do now?"
Hyp's father had the mind to yell at them again for running out, but quickly softened at the look of sincere concern on their faces. On second thought, they probably hadn't even thought of home yet.
"You go home." Nicolas spoke quietly as he pointed to the entrance of the cave. "Your parents are worried sick. They will just be glad you are safe."
Mutt and Nod reluctantly headed for the mouth of the cave before turning back. "Should we come back?" Nod asked, looking over his shoulder.
Hyp's father sighed. Normally, they would be grounded, but….
"Only for a short visit over the next few days if your parents say so." And with that, the two friends left them.
When Hyp was as comfortable as he could be at the moment and drifting back into the lightest of sleep, Nicolas immediately began joining the ends of the tall grass together. Hours and hours of twisting and twining….twisting and twining. Eventually, the Bright Circle again began to set on the horizon. And still the makeshift brace liked forever. Occasionally, he looked up from his work to check on Hyp before continuing. Just when he thought he would never finish, a familiar voice sounded in his mind.
"You saved me…." His fingers continued to work quickly as the memories that his son did not even know flooded his mind.
….. He and Heather found Lissie and her friends laughing as they splashed around in the river. His feet planted in place as he watched Lissie dive under the water and pop out at her friend, pretending to be a sharptooth.
"Well, go on." Heather urged him forward as the girls laughed at Lissie ducking her startled victim.
"H-Heather…." He remained in place despite her shoving. "I really don't think it's a good idea to bring it back up. She looks hap…." He trailed off when he caught at glance at Heather's glare.
With one last shove, he was thrust out of the bushes in front of Heather. When the three dinosaurs didn't seem to notices them, Heather called out to Lissie.
At the sound of her dearest friend's voice, she whirled around. Nicolas felt his heart sink to the ground when her smile faded at the sight of him. Before she could object to his presence, Heather intercepted gently.
"He just wants to apologize, Lissie. He was only trying to get the leaf of blueberries back from Max for his brother. It was an accident."
Lissie considered this for a moment before finally pulling herself from the water and shaking herself dry. Nicolas was fairly certain she meant to shower him with the water droplets. After a quick shake, she faced him and stood with her arms crossed, indicating that she was willing to listen.
Everyone stood in silence a moment before her friend took the hint. Heather shrieked when one of them managed to splash her, and ran away while the other two laughed and followed in close pursuit, leaving the two alone.
They stared at each other a moment before he could come up with the courage to speak until her cold stare. It was awkward at first, for sure.
"Lissie," he spread his hands in front of him to show her he meant no harm, "please believe that I never meant to embarrass you. I wouldn't have…."
He was surprised when she shook her head and scoffed, as if in disgust. "Nicolas! Why do you waste time with that jerk, anyway? I thought you were better."
"I-I don't." he stammered, surprised that she had even noticed anything about his personality. "But he took all the blueberries that I found for Ace… I had to get them back."
"All over blueberries?" she asked coolly.
"Yes." He answered her quietly. "He doesn't like the red ones. I couldn't let him just…"
"Go without." She finished for him, and they stared at each other in a silence of understanding for a moment before her eyes softened. Now she looked ashamed that she had lost her temper at all.
"There a whole bush of them left downriver." Her gentle tone gave him the chance he needed to relax.
"There is?" he asked, feeling like an idiot. How did he miss that?
She nodded slightly. "It's easy to miss. I saw it the other day when I was out gathered food with Aaron. I can take you there if you want to get more for him."
She immediately turn to head downriver, but Nicolas stopped her. There were sharpteeth everywhere, which is why herds stayed together in the Mysterious Beyond. Straying away, especially downriver from where they were at this time of day, was dangerous. And Lissie was the daughter of the leader; on top of that, she was just the kind of dinosaur everyone wanted to protect. If anything happened to her, Nicolas would never forgive himself. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
Lissie spun on her heel; he could swear that golden glare could pierce through him. Lissie was sweet, but also very independent. What made her so hard to protect was that she didn't want to be protected. She preferred to gather food with the rest of the group without anyone hovering over her, which was part of the reason why Nicolas admired her. "Oh. So, what? You don't think I can do anything right, either?" She sounded so offended by his statement it made him flinch. He hadn't meant to make her feel that way. He just didn't want either of them in any trouble.
"N-No. I believe you could do anything you wanted to."
She crossed her arms. "But?"
Nicolas thought a moment. When he was sure there was no better way to put it, he said it. "I just don't want you getting hurt…or in trouble with your family. I can get them."
"Well, I'm going with or without you." And then she turned away. Simple as that. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Now he had no choice. He couldn't let her go alone.
He only had one last resort. "Lissie?"
When she looked over her shoulder, he decided to try it. "Shouldn't you….tell your family where you're going?"
It didn't work. "Nicolas," Lissie giggled, "we could already be back by now! Come on."
When he just hesitated, she grabbed his hand and they were off.
Nicolas gradually began to relax as they took to the shelter of the trees so that they were not in clear sight as they followed the river. They talked in quiet voices along the way.
"So…" Lissie was cut off when a loose vine tangled around her foot. Nicolas turned back and helped her loosen it. Otherwise, she was very quick and witty on her feet as they made their way through the weeds and bushes. "You raise your brother on your own?"
"Not really." Nicolas worked the last of the tangles so she could pull her foot free and helped her step out of the tangles. "My aunt raises him. He just visits as he pleases."
"Still." Lizzie giggled when a branch hit his face and pulled it aside for him as he brushed the leaves from his face. "It must be really hard for you, with your family being gone so early. Do you ever miss them?"
"Every day." He used a rock to jump over a patch of briars and pointed so Lissie would do the same. "But I guess that's just….the Circle of Life."
"You're very brave, Nicolas." She repeated his actions and landed softly. "I can't imagine if I didn't have…"
"Ssshhh…" he cautioned her as he extended his arm to make her stay behind him. This caused her to stumble a bit. She grabbed his arm for support and followed his horrified stare up ahead. When she caught sight of them, she gasped in quiet horror.
Fast Biters. Three of them. They were just ahead. Both dinosaurs remained frozen. Lizzie's golden eyes remained fixed on them. Nicolas, who had a little more experience teasing and running from them to keep the herd safe, immediately began scanning their surroundings. They could only hope that the sharpteeth would go on without noticing them, but dealing with sharpteeth was never that easy. They were already interrupting their trek to sniff the air. Soon, they would find them.
Going back was out of the question. The sharpteeth would be hot on their trail, and could tear straight through what Lissie and Nicolas had been dodging and jumping over. The open river was just as dangerous as the sharpteeth as well. There was a mountain of rocks that they could climb, but the sharpteeth might eventually find a way to climb it if they were determined enough. And Nicolas didn't trust it. Behind the sharpteeth was an open trail lined with trees that they often used as a route. If Nicolas and Lissie kept a constant speed, they could lose the sharpteeth and return home in the tight shelter of the trees. It was the best shot.
Lissie was horrified. "They know we're here," she whispered almost inaudibly.
"Yes, they can smell us." Nicolas picked up a stone. "Lissie, listen to me. I'm going to throw this stone in the opposite direction to catch their attention. As soon as we get a chance, we need to bolt for the path and keep running until we lose them. Got it?"
Lissie looked startled and grabbed his arm. "Are you crazy?! There's only two of us, not four!" She raised to her tiptoes to emphasize her point. She had a rational way of panicking.
"I'm aware of that, but it's the only chance we've got. Now come on!" They were slowly beginning to argue in rushed, strained whispers as the sharpteeth began to sense their whereabouts.
"Nicolas…just…wait!" She jabbed her finger at the cliff. "We have to climb that. They can't reach us that way! The herd will find us eventually and help us."
Nicolas was slowly getting more and more irritated. Females. This was why they didn't take part in chases. He clenched his fist around the stone with a determined glare at her.
"They can climb it if they are hungry enough. It's too risky. We could both fall!"
"Any more risky than running miles in hopes of outrunning three sharpteeth? It's two on three, Nicolas! There's no chance!"
"They won't chase us that far, Lissie! Climbing that is asking for an ambush. We run!"
"Well, I'm climbing."
"No, you won't. Now stay down!" He threw the rock as far as he could on impulse. As he'd hoped, it hit a tree near the river. All at once, the sharpteeth ran to investigate, leaving both the rocky hill and the path open.
"This way." Nicolas commanded, tilting his head toward the open path.
Lissie shook her head. "Um um." She bolted to the rocky mountain as Nicolas bolted for the path.
"Lissie!"
He skidded on one foot and turned back. To the far side of him, he could hear the sharpteeth growling loudly as they spotted them. Nicolas cursed and followed Lissie, who was already halfway to the top.
There chance was gone. "Aw…women!" Nicolas cursed when a sharp rock scraped his ankle, but kept going nonetheless. Eventually, he caught up with Lissie, who was standing on a ledge as she peered down at the sharpteeth. He pulled himself up and watched with her as she sharpteeth started jumping to try to get a hold of them. They were dangerously close, but a few feet short. The rocks above them looked as if they would crumble with the slightest weight.
"Lissie!" Nicolas felt his eyes widen at a sharpteeth jumping for them again. "Don't climb any further."
Of course this sounded ridiculous to Lissie. She looked at him as if he had lost his mind and shook her head. "Don't climb any fur….? Ah!"
She shrieked when a Fast Biter jumped high enough to snap at her foot and immediately jumped to the next rock in a desperate attempt to escape.
"Lissie, no!" He was too late. Lissie managed to climb further than he thought, but a rock crumbled beneath her foot, causing her to lose her hold and tumble back down. She managed to catch the ledge during her fall. "Nicolas!"
Nicolas bolted to her and began to pull her up. At the last moment, one of the Fast Biters jumped high and latched onto her leg with its teeth, just about her ankle. And it didn't let go. It just held on as an attempt to drag her down.
Lissie cried out. It was not a scream. It was a cry of pain that she this had really hurt her. Nicolas felt pain surge through his arms and shoulders like nothing he had ever felt before. He was the only thing holding them up right now. And if it weren't for the rock he was using the to brace one of his legs behind, they would all fall.
Nicolas eyed the sharpteeth, feeling panic rise with each of Lissie's soft cries. It could take her foot if he didn't do something fast. The weight of the Fast Biter pulled it down. It remained buried in Lissie's skin as its teeth scrapped down to her ankle, making dangerously deep gashes. Nicolas could hear the skin tear.
Lissie was screaming now, and crying. Almost uncontrollably. "Nicolas," she managed to gasp between cries, "please."
He acted so quick he wasn't even sure how it was possible. He jerked Lissie so that she half of her body was supported by the ledge. As fast as lightening, he let go of one of her hands and grabbed the sharpest rocks he could find from the ground and dove from his brace. Just as Lissie was about to be dragged over the ledge, he threw his body on top of hers to hold her down and grabbed the leg the sharpteeth was latched on to. He could feel his knees burn as the slid toward the edge of the rocky ledge. He got as close as he dared to the Fast Biter, who opened its big red eyes to glare at him. Now was his chance.
He jabbed the sharp edge of the rock into one of the eyes in quick stabs. One, two, three times. The last was struck with enough force that the sharptooth let go of Lissie and fell to the ground screeching and writhing. Nicolas jumped to his feet and pulled a stunned Lissie to safety, dragging her as far from the edge as possible.
Lissie was in shock now. Her screams of agony were reduced to soft moans and cries. Nicolas grabbed her shaking shoulders. "Lissie. I'm sorry! It was the only way I could save you."
Lissie's wide eyes shifted to him a moment before glancing down at her wounded leg. At the sight of it, Nicolas knew his abrupt way of saving her had nothing to do with her violent shaking. Blood was flowing freely from the fatal gashes. The whole ground beneath her feet was wet with red. Nicolas gasped in horror. Lissie's sharp gasps turned into the softest of cries.
"Oh, Lissie." Nicolas did the only thing he knew to do. He applied pressure with two fingers at the point where the blooding seemed to be flowing from the most.
He searched Lissie's face, but her eyes were closed and she was trembling. She wouldn't last must longer.
Meanwhile, the blood dripping from the ledge were driving the Fast Biters crazy. They began to hop from rock to rock. They were going to climb.
Nicolas stood and blocked Lissie from their view, losing all the hope he had held.
"HEY!" A familiar voice sounded from below. Max! He stood dangerously close behind the Fast Biters with his lackeys, but Nicolas knew them and two other hidden in the bushes were getting ready to lead them away.
The sharpteeth immediately abandoned the climb and pounced for the nearest three, who all dodged at the last moment.
"Now!" Max called over his shoulder as he ran, and two others (Aaron and his uncle) joined them and ran out of sight with the Fast Biter in close pursuit. Nicolas gazed after them, concerned. This was a tough trio.
"Nicolas." A faint voice from behind brought his attention back to a very injured Lissie.
Nicolas grabbed her hands, unsure of what to do from here. Just then, Lissie's mother called from below, sounding frantic at the sight of blood. "Lissie! Answer me!"
Nicolas scrambled to the edge to see her standing at the base of the rocky mountain with Heather and her husband, the leader of the herd. Nicolas called down to them, frantic himself. "Get me something. A blade of grass….a leaf….anything!"
Nicolas turned and scooped Lissie into his arms. It took a lot of caution and careful footing, but Nicolas neared the bottom with each step. By the time they were a few jumps away, Lissie was crying out uncontrollably. Her father started climbing at the sound of her cries, and helped Nicolas bring her down the rest of the way. When they had her leaning against a large rock and surveyed the damage, everyone with the exception of Nicolas gasped in horror. Heather held Lissie's hand with a tight grip while Lissie's mother glanced from the wound to Lissie, and then to Nicolas with a face asking for an explanation. Her father looked mortified at first, as if believing these were his daughter's last moments, and slammed Nicolas against the rocky wall before anyone could say anything.
"If she dies, I swear it'll be the end of you!" Nicolas didn't struggle. Their leader had suffered an injury long ago that caused him to walk with a limp. But this hardly altered his strength. There was a reason why he was still the lead male.
"Abram!" Lissie's mother sounded mortified, but her husband didn't acknowledge her cry.
"You lead her away! What were you two doing so far from the herd, Nicolas!" Nicolas clung tightly to the rocks behind him when Lissie's father slammed him into it again.
"Daddy, no!" Abram released his hold at the sound of his daughter's strained voice and knelt beside her, holding her hand all the while. But Lissie managed to pull it away in disgust. "He didn't lead me away! I went on my own! He tried to stop me…."
Abram searched Nicolas' face before turning back to his daughter, realizing what that meant. "Lissie…" he started.
Lissie resumed quickly. Nicolas assumed it was because she wasn't sure how long she could keep talking and make any sense. "He came to apologize to me, and after he did I went off on my own. When he couldn't stop me, he went with me. We ran into those sharpteeth, and…" her voice sounded like someone about to cry, but she was just struggling to finish. "He tried to get me to run for the trail, but I panicked, is all. I ran for the cliff, fell, and was bitten by the Fast Biter. Nicolas fought it and pulled me to safety. He saved my life."
Abram's eyes softened in realization. When he looked to Heather, she nodded. "It's true. I led him to apologize myself."
When Lissie began to cry, her mother and Heather worked quickly to stop the blood flow long enough to get her home to the herd member who had knowledge of healing. As they worked Abram stood to face Nicolas, who was still watching in astonishment from the rocks. Lissie had basically told the truth, but she had stretched it for him.
Abram had deep regret in his eyes. "You saved her."
When Nicolas nodded, he was surprised to be pulled into a hug. "I'm sorry. I just…"
"I know."
Abram stepped back and grabbed Lissie's hand. "She means the world to us. We owe you our lives."
When the blood flow from Lissie's leg finally ceased enough to move her, they wrapped thick blades of grass around the wound as tight as they could. Lissie's eyes were now closed. Nicolas could swear he dozed off and snapped awake several times before they were ready to move.
When it was time to move Lissie, Abram reluctantly turned to him. "I think it would be better for her if you could carry her. I…" He glanced down at his stiff leg to explain.
"Of course." Nicolas reached down and lifted Lissie as gently as he could.
When she moaned softly, he whispered to her. "Almost there. Just hold on."
Despite her weakened stated, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders to help him support her weight. He would have liked to object, but he couldn't. He was exhausted and sore.
As they walked, Lissie opened her beautiful eyes and looked into his. "You saved me," she said softly as he made his way through the bushes.
There must have been a thousand things he would like to have said, but none came to mind. He stopped a moment, looked down, and gave her the most sincere response he could at the moment. "Of course I did."
It was sincere enough to make her smile before her eyes closed. When she leaned her head against his chest to rest, he pulled her closer before continuing after the others. Aaron, the others, and the healer were ready for them when they got there. The last thing he could remember about that night was laying Lissie down for them and stepping away before everything went black….
…Hyp was in agony now, and he still liked an hour's work on the brace of tall grass. The work was nearly finished, and dusk was setting over the valley.
"Hold on, son." He twined another end in place before hearing a female voice from the entrance to the cave.
"Do you need some help? We can help you finish." He looked up to see the little swimmer's mother and the flyer's mother peering into the cave.
He looked over to his writhing son. "Yes, please."
They walked into the cave and quickly followed the pattern he had set. "Sorry, we meant to come earlier." The little flyer's mother had small, quick fingers. Relief flooded through him when he realized the brace could be done before dark.
The swimmer's mother set an extra half shell of water down by Hyp, along with a small portion of green food. "Yes, we've finally got the longneck family watching our children."
Hyp's father had seen enough of them around to know that both of them had a lot of children. He didn't understand how they would ever manage so many adolescents. For a moment, he pitied the longnecks.
The flyer's mother seemed to read his mind and laughed. "Well, maybe they won't be too much trouble."
Hyp's father turned to them. "Thank you for coming to help." He looked over to Hyp, who had beads of sweat forming on his forehead again. "I…didn't think I would ever get it finished."
"Well, you've done a good job." He knew she was lying when he noticed she had finished the brace herself at five times the speed he had been weaving.
Hyp's father took the brace over to Hyp, and then realizing the only way to put it on him was to have him sit up. He was getting too old for this. He looked to the mothers. "He isn't going to like this."
Despite Hyp's struggled, pleas, and cries of pain they managed to raise him to a sitting position. The swimmer's mother held Hyp under the arms. At his look of confusion, the flyer's mother handed him the brace. "We will keep him still. We need someone who can wind the brace as tight as it can go around him, so that his sides move as little as possible.
The father set to work, drawing it tight and winding, and then over again until Hyp's ribs were secure. He was relieved when his son went from crying out in pain to relaxing a little. The tall grass held steady without breaking.
"It would be good if he would eat this and drink a little. It will help him rest." The flyer's mother held out the green food for Hyp. Nicolas suddenly realized his son had been refusing to eat or drink all day.
He held Hyp in a sitting position while he spoke to him. "Hyp? She is going to give you some water and something to eat before we lay you down again."
"I….don't…..want….any…" The words came out in gasping, but Hyp was also being stubborn.
"Hyp," he warned.
The swimmer's mother spoke gently to him. "It will help you rest."
It took a few minutes, but Hyp eventually responded to their comforting tones and ate and drank as much as he could before flat out refusing to open his mouth.
Nicolas was slightly embarrassed, but the mother flyer just laughed and petted Hyp's nose. "Alright. You've been through enough today, haven't you?"
They eventually helped Hyp, who seemed to be a bit more confident in movement now, lie on is back so that he was comfortable enough to doze off again.
When all was settled, Hyp's father turned to the flyer and the swimmer. "Thank you for your help. And please give the Longnecks and your kids thanks for helping us. I never got the chance…."
"Of course." The swimmer seemed to understand. "Good luck."
They left to go retrieve their children, promising to send someone to check in now and then over the next few days.
The father collapsed onto his own bed of grass, completely exhausted. Just as he was about to drift into a deep slumber, he heard a voice.
"Dad?" It was so faint he immediately stood and grabbed his son's hand. Hyp was a loud adolescent boy. He wasn't meant to be so quiet.
"Yeah, son?"
"You….you're helping me? Even after….what I did to that hatchling?"
Nicolas ran a hand over his tired eyes and looked into the familiar gold eyes of his only son. "Hyp, I am you father. And I love you no matter what you do. I will always try to help you."
Hyp looked at him as if he was surprised. After a moment's hesitation, he responded in the only way he knew how. "I'll apologize to her…next time I see her. You were right."
The father looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, let's get you through this first. Then you can make that call."
He thought he saw his son smile at him before drifting into sleep, but he wasn't sure. He blacked out as soon as he lay down again.
….. I know! Everybody's hurt! I'm sorry. Will try to post again soon to let you know how they are doing. Meanwhile, keep me posted on your thoughts about the story :D…