Chapter 49: Cluenessless and despair

Spike fell asleep rather soon. Littlefoot, Petrie and Ducky couldn't.

Littlefoot considered what to do next. Cera's death was a tragedy, a setback. Everything would've worked if she had made it. Cera's temperament hadn't left much to be desired, yet Littlefoot was deeply upset. Though he seemed to recover best, along with Spike perhaps. The Longneck had feared another tragedy since he was aware of Ducky's fragile soul. The Swimmer had to go through far too much for a child such young. Littlefoot knew that that applied to him as well but for some reason he could recover after some weeping whereas Ducky couldn't. The memory of the Swimmer's last collapse was still present and Littlefoot knew that she had been suffering from her father's death and from the separation from the rest of her family the whole time, sometimes more, sometimes less. He had a feeling that she would collapse again, this time more severely though. He didn't feel well knowing she was somewhere all alone. She certainly had had some time to recover so maybe he should try talk to her now...

Littlefoot noticed that Petrie was awake as well. The Flyer lay on Spike's back, propping up his head with his skinny arms. He stared holes into the wall, single tears rolling down his beak occasionally.

"Petrie? Are you awake?" Littlefoot asked quietly since Spike was sleeping.

"Me awake..." Petrie responded down-heartedly.

"You alright?" Littlefoot asked compassionately.

"Me no know... me worried 'bout everything," Petrie croaked, wiping his tears out of his face.

"Yeah, I know how you feel... we all thought she'd make it. Everything seemed to become great in a couple days and now that..." Littlefoot sighed. "I dunno what to do next to be honest..."

"Me neither. Me no wanna think about it..."

"Well, we HAVE to do something... don't we?"

"Hmm..."

"I mean we can't just stay here... we need to find our folks!"

"Me know but me no know where they be."

"Nobody does, Petrie. We're all at a loss."

"Me wonder where Ducky is and if she alright?"

"Poor girl... I think somebody should look after her..."

"But she wanna be alone, me think..."

"When she had run off recently, she came back after a while so maybe she starts seeking for some company this time too?"

"She came back?"

"Yeah... cuddled up with me, cried a little and fell asleep soon after."

"Okay... can me go?"

"Sure Petrie, she ran that way." Littlefoot pointed to the path that would lead them out of the cave. "I'll consider what to do next."

"Sound good, me see you laters."

"Just be patient if she shrugs you off at first..."

"Okay!"

Petrie walked off.

Littlefoot tried to continue where he had stopped. They'd have to leave Cera's corpse behind to rot in the cave. They'd have to move away from the cave, move away from the food, move away from Cera, forever...

Ducky couldn't stop weeping even though she desperately tried to... She remembered the last time she had given up and it wasn't pleasurable as she recalled. She already regretted running off since she didn't feel capable of walking back; her legs wouldn't obey her because they were too shaky.

Petrie eventually heard a familiar sound. Letting his ears guide him, he soon stumbled across the weeping Swimmer curled up on the ground.

"Ducky?" he whispered in order to not startle his friend.

"Hmm..." the Swimmer responded.

"You alright?"

"Nope, nope, nope..."

Petrie came closer.

"You ready to go back to others?"

Ducky shook her head which Petrie couldn't see in the darkness.

"Ducky?"

The Swimmer didn't reply. She attempted to calm down but it made everything worse...

"What on your mind, Ducky? Me can help?" Petrie asked, concerned.

"I feel s-so alone..." Ducky whispered.

"But me here so you not alone," Petrie squeaked.

"You do not understand..." she cried.

"Maybe me not need to..." Petrie sighed. "Me know what help you, gimme your hands, Ducky."

Ducky stretched out her arms towards Petrie and seated properly.

Petrie grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly in a careful way though. Then the Flyer pulled her to her feet and put his hands on the girl's shoulders.

"No be so sad, Ducky," Petrie pleaded.

Ducky pulled Petrie close into a strangling embrace and cried her heart out. All the deaths, threats and problems were ultimately too much for the Swimmer's soul.

Petrie didn't know what to do but return the embrace and stroke his friends' back in hope that she would stop eventually. As her cries grew increasingly louder and more bitter, he tried to console her by whispering that everything would be alright but it only seemed to make things worse.

Ducky blubbered for about ten minutes. Petrie being emotionally assailable wondered how he was able to shrug off his own grief. Ducky's bawling made him feel so sad, so sorry for his friend. If only there was something he could do to lessen the pain she must be feeling.

The Swimmer's cries slowly faded away. When she was only sobbing a little, Petrie loosened their embrace and grabbed his friends' hands again.

"You feel better now?" he asked.

"Nope, nope... nope," Ducky sobbed.

"Awww, there anything me can do?" Petrie questioned, tenderhearted.

"Do not leave me, I f-f-feel so lonely," Ducky replied.

"Why me leave you? Me stay 'cause you my friend and friends help each other."

"I am crying like a hatchling all the time... Who would w-want to deal w-w-with me?"

"Me do!"

"Th-th-thanks Petrie!" Ducky freed her hands to smudge all the tears in her face. Then she plopped to the ground, being supported by the cave wall. Petrie sat down next to her, nestling up with her.

"You wanna talk 'bout anything?" Petrie asked.

"I do not care, no, no, no," Ducky answered. "Why would I want to talk anyway?"

"Well, my mama saying talking helps if you sad..."

"Okay... What should we talk about?"

"My mama saying talking 'bout the thing that make you sad."

"But then I will start to cry again and I do not want to cry, oh no, no, no!" Ducky protested.

"Me believe that wanted and you cry anyway sooner or later... possibly."

"Yep, yep, yep, certainly... I am still crying anyway..." Ducky said sadly.

"We try nonetheless?" Petrie asked.

Ducky considered, once more wiping the tears off her face that wouldn't stop rolling down.

"O-okay..."

"Good, uhm... what you feeling right now?"

"I do not know... I am very sad, and I miss my family, I do, I do."

"Okay uhmmm... What your biggest wish?"

"That everything is just a dream; that everything is like it was before..."

"Ohh, me wish that too but then we wouldn't be friends."

"Huh? Why?"

"'Cause we wouldn't have met probably."

"Even though I like you very much, I would prefer being with my family now, yep, yep, yep."

"Me... too."

Ducky sighed.

"I still do not understand why Cera has to die, no, no, no."

"Me no understand why anybody have to die..."

"It is unfair!" Ducky got to her feet in anger. "I want my daddy back, and Cera... and everybody else!"

"You know that not possible, Ducky," Petrie explained, getting to his feet as well.

"But..."

"You can't change it, Ducky," Petrie emphasised.

"I know..." Ducky muttered, whimpering.

"It alright, Ducky, it alright, you no must cry," Petrie said in an attempt to prevent his friend from collapsing again but it was no use. The little Swimmer threw herself into Petrie's arms, crying after her mother which could be heard in the whole cave system. Petrie broke into tears as well, realising that he couldn't help Ducky by staying strong himself.