Chapter 24: What happened to the Shiny Stones?
"I do not see anything Littlefoot, nope, nope, nope," Ducky piped up.
"Me no see them, too," Petrie said, agreeing with her.
Spike's face looked questioning.
"Damn it!" Littlefoot said, annoyed. "Earlier, the ground was covered with shining stones that had a soft surface feeling like... moss!"
"I believe you, Littlefoot, I do, I do," Ducky said trying to cheer him up.
"Petrie believe you, too."
"But I do not understand why they are not there anymore, nope, nope, nope," Ducky wondered. "I mean, they cannot just disappear, can they?"
"Actually not," Littlefoot replied. "Or have you seen stones walking?"
"Stones do not walk, hehehehehe," Ducky giggled.
"Maybe they just don't shine anymore?" Littlefoot guessed.
"Yeah, that sound good," Petrie agreed.
"Ducky, Spike? Would you like to look and see?" Littlefoot suggested. "The stones can't be gone!"
"Yep, yep, yep, we look and see, right Spike?" Ducky replied happily.
Spike nodded so they slowly walked into the cave.
Ducky only needed a few steps to come across a pebble. She uttered a short scream.
"Yucky! It feels icky, it does!" she shouted in disgust.
Spike walked to Ducky and licked one of the stones. The Spiketail uttered disgusted tones.
Littlefoot and Petrie walked to them. The Flyer touched the stone Ducky still held in her hands as well.
"That funny stone," he croaked.
Littlefoot touched the stone as well observing that it was the same kind of stone he discovered earlier.
"Yes, the ones I found earlier."
"But what we do now?" Petrie asked.
"Maybe we should take a few stones with us?" Ducky proposed.
"But stones don't shine..." Petrie reasoned.
"Maybe they just need some rest," Ducky guessed.
"That possible," Petrie agreed.
Spike showed his agreement, too.
"Well, for now, everybody takes one stone," Littlefoot said. "We go back to the rock slide that cut the way back."
"Yep, yep, yep!"
"Okay!"
Ducky, Petrie and Spike each took one stone quickly. Littlefoot took the one Ducky had found. On the way back the Swimmer had a thought.
"Littlefoot? The rock slide has not cut off our way back, nope, nope, nope."
"How come?" Littlefoot wondered blankly.
"We cannot go away from the rocky outcrop unless the Flyers pick us up there..."
"Yeah..." Littlefoot sighed, "We can't go there anyway... everything is blocked and caved in."
"Littlefoot right!" Petrie confirmed.
"Well, at least we have found Spike, yep, yep, yep," Ducky said reminding her friends.
Spike licked Ducky so forcefully that the little Swimmer fell on her back.
"Hehehehe, Spike!" she chuckled.
Spike laughed as well, so did Littlefoot and Petrie.
"You're right, Ducky," Littlefoot said eventually, nodding after everyone had recovered from the laughter.
Finally, they arrived at the rock slide and the hole in the ceiling. It had become night in the meantime, thus it was very dark. Distant thunder could be heard.
"Oh, is it already night?" Ducky wondered.
Spike yawned with pleasure, his view becoming sleepy.
Petrie yawned as well. "Petrie tired."
"I'm a bit tired, too," Littlefoot admitted. "Let's find a place to rest!"
"Yep, yep, yep!"
The four friends found a snuggy place to rest. Littlefoot plopped to the ground next to Spike, Ducky rested on Spike's back, Petrie on Littlefoot's.
However, the four couldn't fall asleep...