Author's Note: I might be updating chapters at a slightly slower pace, but I should still be updating regularly!

Chapter 15: A Place to Rest

Cera lay still on the ground, with her eyes closed and her mouth open, and Littlefoot stared at her sadly, with tears rolling down his face. Nothing, not even his last nightmare, could prepare him for the despair he felt upon seeing Cera like this. He had felt like this only once before, when he saw his mother die, and the thought of Cera dying felt like he was reliving those tragic moments all over again.

"Cera, get up," Littlefoot cried desperately as he stared at her listless body. His tears softly landed on her cheek, but she didn't seem to notice at all.

Ducky, Spike, and Petrie walked over to Cera and they all looked sadly down at her limp body. "Oh poor Cera… poor poor Cera," Ducky cried.

"Petrie miss her already!" Petrie added, crying into his wing. "Cera was good friend!"

"Yeah… and she was so brave," Littlefoot hiccuped miserably. "Just like my mom…."

Ducky, Petrie, and Spike nodded consolingly and looked at Cera sadly. Littlefoot then put his head down and looked at Cera's lifeless face. He wanted to rub his head against Cera's for one last time, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't ready to say that final goodbye yet.

"Poor Cera," Ducky continued, feeling Cera's limp body. But then she gasped and to everyone's surprise, she smiled brightly. Then she exclaimed, "Wait! Cera is alive! She is breathing, she is, she is!"

"Really?" Littlefoot asked, his heart soaring.

"Oh yes!" Ducky answered happily.

Hardly daring to believe it, he brought himself to rub his cheek against Cera's, and found to his immense relief that Cera's cheek still felt warm. Just then, Cera's bright green eyes slowly flickered and began to open. She felt an odd, comforting sensation as she got adjusted to being awake, and then she looked over to her side and noticed that Littlefoot's cheek was rubbing against hers.

Cera instantly turned red and asked, "Hey! Littlefoot, why are you doing that?"

Littlefoot began to cry again, but this time, it was tears of relief that were coming out of his eyes. Ducky and Petrie hugged each other and cheered, and Spike gave Cera a big lick on her face.

"I'm just so happy you're alive, that's all!" Littlefoot laughed delightedly.

"It takes more than a sharptooth bite to stop a threehorn," Cera began in her usual proud voice, and she tried to stand up, but her voice slipped off as she toppled onto the ground again.

"Cera," Littlefoot asked concernedly, looking down at her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Cera answered with all the confidence she could muster. She sighed in exhaustion and told Littlefoot, "I…I just need to let my foot recover. A little rest and I'll be ready to go."

"Okay Cera," Littlefoot told her gently. "I'll carry you while we look for a place for you to take a rest, how does that sound?"

Normally Cera would have argued with being carried, but she was too exhausted to argue with him. "Fine," she told Littlefoot listlessly.

Littlefoot smiled softly and he gently picked Cera up by the frill, and he carefully placed her on his back as they walked down the path. They were still going in the same direction as the sharptooth and longneck footprints, but they hardly cared about the footprints anymore for their main concern was to find a good place for Cera to rest and heal her foot.

Though she normally disliked being carried, Cera couldn't help but to feel grateful to Littlefoot for carrying her. Not that she'd ever admit it, but the fast biter delivered an awfully nasty bite to her foot, and the pain was causing her to wince and gasp in excruciation. But some of the pain began to fade away after she began to rest on Littlefoot's back. Cera smiled as she thought about how great a friend Littlefoot was, and she felt his warm body move gently onward while she rested her head on his back and smiling softly, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"Me fly on ahead and look for resting place," Petrie told Littlefoot, Ducky, and Spike. Petrie took off and flew a little above the others, looking both on the path they were on and on the cliff above for a nice place for Cera to rest. After not seeing anything immediately, Petrie flew a little farther down the path, looking down the sandy trail to see if he could find a good resting spot. He shook his head dejectedly, as unfortunately, most of the area below the cliff was the same narrow, hot sandy path, and most of the area above on the cliff was open desert with not much green food that was often covered with sharptooth footprints. He could instantly tell that these places were hardly ones where Cera could recover in peace. But after a while of searching, Petrie noticed a small grassy hill that was covered with golden flowers, had a crystal-clear lake at the bottom, had a large, dense forest nearby, and a small but wide cave that overlooked the hill. He could tell at once that this was the perfect spot for Cera to rest.

Petrie flew back eagerly to find that the others were not very far behind him. "Me find place!" Petrie called out excitedly. "It above on cliff! And it look real good!"

Littlefoot lifted his head up to look above the cliff, and he gasped with delight. "You're right, Petrie!" he exclaimed. "This place is perfect!"

The group stopped and Littlefoot affectionately lifted Cera off of his back and gently placed her onto the cliff above them. Littlefoot smiled when he saw that Cera was still in a deep sleep, and that she was smiling contentedly while breathing deeply and peacefully. Spike then proceeded to find and chop down an exceptionally thick and sturdy log which he, Littlefoot, and Ducky climbed on while Petrie flew to the top.

Placing his head by Cera's sleeping body, Littlefoot gently picked her up by the frill, trying his hardest to not wake her up. He felt her warm body continue to breathe deeply and sleep rumble softly as he smoothly walked to the cave. Upon arriving at the cave, Littlefoot carefully placed Cera on the soft, dirt floor, facing the cave's entrance, which allowed her to have a view of the grassy outside while remaining in the cool cavern. Ducky then walked behind Cera and bent down on her knees to bandage Cera's foot with a soft leaf, making sure that it was wrapped tight enough to stay put and to help stop the bleeding.

After a little while, Cera woke up again. "Hi guys! I'm ready to go," Cera told them, her eyes flashing with determination. She turned, stood up, and walked a few paces, before she fell on the ground again, this time facing the cave wall. "Grr…" she growled. "My foot can manage!" Cera shouted as she tried to stand up again, but as she tried to take a step, her knees shook and she fell back on the ground.

"Cera, you need to rest a bit longer, you do," Ducky told her. "You need to pay attention to what your body is telling you."

Cera nodded frustratedly, and Ducky kindly told her, "Do not worry Cera. I am going to find lots and lots of tree stars for dinner that will make you feel much better, I will."

"Me come too!" Petrie exclaimed, and he and Ducky hurried out of the cave. Spike, who had been licking his lips since he heard the first mention of treestars, followed the two of them out excitedly. This left Littlefoot and Cera alone in the cave together.

"Thanks for saving my life, Cera," Littlefoot told her gently.

Cera smiled weakly, and said, "Of course I'd save your life…just like you'd do for me. Oh, and Littlefoot, thanks for carrying me up here," Cera told Littlefoot as she smiled and looked into his eyes.

"Don't mention it," Littlefoot told her kindly. He smiled affectionately at her for a second, before saying, "You were really something today…those fast biters sure were scared!"

Cera laughed. "Well, that's what happens when you mess with a threehorn," she began to say, but then, she made an exhausted grunt and her eyes drooped again. Quietly, she mumbled, "Littlefoot…I think I need some rest."

"I understand, Cera. I'll see you soon, I promise," Littlefoot told her softly. "Be careful with your leg."

Cera nodded feebly, and then Littlefoot left the cavern, leaving Cera to rest peacefully. But while her body could relax, Cera's heart was never more restless in her life.