IA4: Buck Edition 2: Buck's Story

Buck squinted a little as he climbed out of the large hole caused by the earthquake. The direct sunlight was almost blinding, and it also bounced off the snow on the ground.


He looked around at the scenery, slightly taken aback by the snow and sky. There wasn't much snow underground; it was always too warm for that. And there wasn't much of a sky either; all you could see looking up on a clear day was the ice ceiling. It was also extremely quieter than below in the Lost World.


"Whoa…it's really been a long time since I was up here…" he remarked.


He could recall at least a little greenery when he'd last seen the above world. Of course, that was about 18 years ago when he'd fallen through some thin ice.


As he was walking around the area, he heard voices. He followed them, and came to a small hill. Below, there was a large group of various animals. Most of them were freaking out about what just happened. Only one voice was trying to calm them all down, and it belonged to a very familiar mammoth.


"Hey, guys, calm down, we'll be okay!" Ellie yelled.


"Okay? The ground is falling apart and the valley wall is gonna crush us! What's okay about that?" an ostrich like bird shouted.


The crowd exploded into shouts of agreement. Ellie tried to reclaim peace, but it wasn't working so well.


Buck watched the scene for a minute, before glancing around. He spotted a long piece of bark, and grinned.


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Ellie sighed as the crowd continued shouting, before turning to Peaches, Louis, Crash, and Eddie.


"This might take a while." She sighed.


"We don't have a lot of time though, that rock wall is moving pretty fast." Peaches stated.


"I know, but-"


"WOOOO-HOOOO!"


Everyone paused upon hearing the shout, and looked around for the cause. They heard another shout, and looked up at the hill they'd come down earlier. Someone was sliding down the hill on a piece of bark, and coming in fast. He tilted the bark up, and instead of hitting the rock he was heading for, he slid over it and sailed through the air, hit the ground again, and slid to a halt in front of Ellie and co., tossing up a flurry of snow as he did.


"Ello everyone!"


"BUCK!" Crash and Eddie shouted happily.


The two possums jumped down from Ellie's tusks and scrambled up to the weasel.


"What're you doing here?"


"How'd you get here?"


"I thought you were staying in the dinosaur world?"


"Did ya beat Rudy yet?"


The flurry of questions caught him off guard for a moment, before holding a hand up, instantly silencing the twins.


"One question at a time, mates!" he exclaimed.


"What are you doing up here?" Crash asked.


"Well, there was an earthquake, some rocks fell, and I decided to investigate. Now then,"


Buck turned to Ellie and the others.


"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? Everything was just peachy this morning, and then everything turned…not so peachy! Now the ground's crumbling, the Lost World's in complete chaos, and I can't find my wife!"


"You mean the pineapple?" Eddie asked.


"Oh, no, she left me, I found another. Anyway, talk, what's goin' on?"


"We don't really know, we're headed for the land bridge to wait for Manny and the others because the valley walls are closing in." Ellie replied.


"I see…"


"So, who are you again?" Peaches asked.


Before he could reply, Crash and Eddie jumped in.


"He's Buck, the awesome guy we told you about! Remember all those stories we told ya about the underground world full of dinosaurs?" Crash asked.


"Oh…that was real?"


"Duh! And Buck's the guy who fought all the dinosaurs!"


"And he's always fighting this really big one called Rudy!" Eddie added.


"…Rudy?" Peaches asked.


"Yep."


"He's really big and really scary!"


"No one, not even a dinosaur, can be scary with a name like Rudy…"


"No, really, he tried to eat ya when you were born!"


"Alright, enough story time." Ellie cut in.


"So Buck, what are you planning to do?" she asked.


"Well," Buck started, sticking his knife in the ground and leaning on it, "Since the world's falling apart, and you clearly need help, I'll be accompanying you to this land bridge."


"Whatta ya mean we clearly need help?"


"You're obviously gonna need help keepin' this crowd in line. Watch carefully,"


Buck turned to the crowd, who had started arguing again, and yanked his dagger out of the ground.


"Alright you lot, get the rocks out of your knickers and get moving for the land bridge! Otherwise all the males in the group are goin' ta lose a very important part of their anatomy!"


There was silence, before all the males started ushering their wives and children in the direction of the bridge, sending Buck terrified looks every now and then. Buck smirked, before turning to Ellie again.


"Alright then, mammals, let's get a move on!"


With Buck in the lead, Ellie, Peaches, Louis, Crash, and Eddie followed the large crowd of animals.


"By the way, where's the rest of your little herd?" Buck asked.


"Manny, Diego and Sid got separated from us and drifted out to sea." Ellie replied.


"Eh, don't worry your head off, I'm sure they're fine."


"I hope so…" Peaches murmured.


Buck glanced at her, before jumping from the ground and clinging to one of her tusks.


"So, you're the little squirt from all those years ago?" he remarked as he examined her tusks then her trunk.


"Uhh…yeah?" she replied, giving him an odd look.

                                                         
"Gotta say, you grew up fast."


"Don't remind me." Ellie muttered with a sigh.


"So, you lived underground in a world full of dinosaurs for years?" Peaches asked.


"Aye, it's great! No limits, no rules, just , me using my wits to survive!"


"From what I heard, you were totally insane."


"Well, maybe a little, but if it weren't for me your daddy woulda been digested by a carnivorous plant."


"It's true!" Crash added.


"Yeah, we tried to help, but that plant was too strong!" Eddie stated.


"Right…" Peaches muttered, rolling her eyes.


"No, it really happened!"


"Yeah, it so did!"


"No, I totally believe you."


While the trio was arguing, Louis, who was sitting on Peaches' other tusk, glanced at Buck.


"S-so, you lived underground with a bunch of dinosaurs?" he asked.


"Aye, I just said that a couple minutes ago."


"I know, it's just, I didn't know dinosaurs were still around."


"Oh, they're still here, right underneath our feet to be exact. It's a jungle down there, and with Rudy roamin' around, heh, you wouldn't last 3 minutes."


"I-I could! If I wanted to I mean…"


Buck rolled his eye, muttering, "Sure you could mate…"


"So, what happened to your other eye?"


Buck grinned at him.


"I'll save that story for another time, mate."


A few outbursts from Crash and Eddie caught their attention for a moment, and they watched the two argue.


"You know, you're not exactly as crazy as I've heard-"


Louis looked back at Buck, who was upside down, holding to the tusk by his legs. He came back up, holding a rock to his head.


"Hello? Yeah, I'm above ground, don't get many bars up here…Oh, I'm leadin' a bunch of mammals to some bridge to avoid the apocalypse…"


Louis and Peaches stared at him as he talked into the rock as if it were a phone.


"Yes, I'll be back when it's all over…okay, okay…" Buck glanced at Louis and the others, noticing their stares.


"Yeah, alright, I'll call ya later…ugh, yes, I love you too. Alright, goodbye."


He tossed the rock back to the ground, and smiled at the others as if nothing were wrong.


"So, what's been happening lately? Aside from, you know, the complete end of the world as we know it?"


:::::::::::::::::


The moon was half way into the sky when the herd decided to rest. Buck helped light a few fires, and the animals gathered around them and laid down.


Buck looked around at the group, before nodding a little, and scaling a tree to keep look out. After a couple minutes of carving a hunk of wood into the shape of a familiar dinosaur, he looked down at the group again. A few were asleep, but most were awake and murmuring worriedly amongst them. If they didn't get sleep, they'd be slow tomorrow.


He heard a sigh from below, and looked down to see Peaches…hanging from the tree by her tail.


Buck cocked his head slightly, taken aback by the scene, before shaking it and sliding down to the branch.


"Well, that's an interestin' way to hang out." He remarked.


Peaches yelped slightly, losing her grip on the branch, and falling to the ground. She shook her head, before looking up at him.


"Oh, hi Buck."


"What are you doin'?"


"Nothing, just…I'm worried about my dad. The last thing I said to him was that I wish he wasn't my dad. What if he doesn't make it back, and that's the last thing I ever say to him? What if…"


Buck jumped down from the tree, landing beside her.


"Don't worry lass, I'm sure he'll make it. If I learned anything about him in the couple of days I knew him, it's that he's one stubborn mammoth. He'll come back."


Peaches sighed a little.


Buck glanced at her, then at the others. He walked to the center of the group, climbing on top of a few rocks, and let out a whistle, catching their attention.


"Alright mammals, how 'bout a story to take your minds off things, eh? I got a good one for ya!"


"If it's about a T-Rex and a clam shell, I don't wanna hear it!" Ellie warned.


"Oh, don't get your trunk in a twist. Now then, where was I…"


He cleared his throat, made sure he had everyone's attention, and then started talking again.


"There I was, my back against the wall, no way out, perched on the razor's edge of oblivion,"


"Oh, this is a good one!" Crash whispered excitedly to Louis.


"Now you can find out what happened to his eye!" Eddie added.


"Please keep all conversations till the end of the story!" Buck cut in.


"Sorry!" the trio yelped.


"Now, as I was saying, there I was, my back against the wall, no way out-"


"You already said all this!" one of the animals yelled in annoyance.


Buck cast a warning glare in his direction, before continuing.


"Perched on the razor's edge of oblivion, staring into the red eye, of the Great White Beast…"


Everyone was entranced by him, curiosity peaking as he continued.


"It was a stormy night, and as lightning flashed, I was eye to eye with him. Literally, his eye was right in front of me, and his eyes caught mine. He raised a hand, with three needle sharp claws, and lunged at me! He sent me flying in the mud, and as I sat up, I realized the beast had slashed my eye clean out!"


There were collective gasps and flinching as he paused for effect. Peaches and Louis were listening with mouths slightly agape, while Crash and Eddie were bouncing up and down with excitement.


"As I stood, the beast closed in, and I narrowly avoided being squashed by his giant foot! He chased me through the jungle, until I found a tree tall enough to escape the dense fog that was in the area. I grabbed a stick for a weapon, and searched the fog for him. He kept well hidden, and when I turned around, there he was! He lunged for me again, his mouth wide open, and his jaws closed around me!"


Everyone was silent in shock, until a small anteater spoke up.


"Did you die?" he asked.


"Sadly, yes, but I LIVED!" Buck replied.


The anteater breathed a sigh of relief, while his parents and others around him shook their heads and rolled their eyes.


"Never had I felt so alive than when I was so close to DEATH! Just before Rudy could suck me down his gullet, I grabbed hold of that gross, pink, fleshy thing that dangles at the back of the throat!"


A few animals made disgusted noises, but continued to listen closely.


"I held on to the sucker, and I swung back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth,"


Everyone's eyes followed Buck's movement as he was actually able to imitate the motion of swinging back and forth, though there was nothing there to hold on to while he was swinging.


"And back and forth and back…"


There were a couple of gasps, until Buck continued.


"And forth, and back and forth, until finally, I let go and shot right out of his mouth! I may have lost an eye that day,"


Buck tossed his dagger into the air, and caught it perfectly. "But I got this!"


Everyone stared at the tooth-turned-dagger, each with looks of amazement and awe.


"Rudy's tooth!" The anteater from before whispered excitedly to another anteater beside him.


"Whoa!"


"It's like the old saying goes; an eye for a tooth, a nose for a chin, a butt for a..." Buck paused, before jumping down from his perch.


"Well it's an old saying, but, uh, it's not a very good one."


"Wow, he's so cool!"


"I wanna fight dinosaurs!"


"I want a tooth knife!"


While the group of animals quietly chattered excitedly, Buck returned to his post in the tree. Ellie, Peaches, Crash, Eddie, and Louis followed him, settling down under the tree.


"Is he awesome or what?" Crash asked.


"He's totally cool!" Eddie exclaimed.


"That was actually a pretty cool story." Louis remarked, looking up at Buck.


"Thanks, but it's not just a story! Rudy's real!" Buck stated.


"I believe you; you have the evidence to prove it. I'm just wondering though…weren't you scared?"


Crash cut in.


"Buck's not scared of anything! Right Buck?"


Buck didn't answer right away, but he did respond, with a knowing smirk.


"Back then, when I first met Rudy…yes, I was afraid."


The possum twins gasped.


"Say it ain't so!"


"You were scared?"


"Aye, but after defeating Rudy that first time, I realized that if I could face that monster and live to tell the tale, I could survive anything down there! He was my inspiration to keep fighting, because again, if I could survive him, I could survive anything! And it's probably because everything else is so easy to accomplish that we keep going after each other."


"Wow…" Crash murmured.


"Dude, you're even more awesome!" Eddie exclaimed.


"Wish I had as much confidence as you do…" Louis muttered under his breath.


"Why's that?" Buck asked.


"Oh, no reason! Just, uhh…no reason!"


Buck rolled his eye with a shrug.


"Alright, whatever ya say, mate. Anyway, get some sleep, mammals! We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow…"


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A couple of hours later, Buck snorted awake. He berated himself a little for falling asleep, but relaxed a little when he remembered he wasn't in the Lost World. He looked below, and noted with a twinge of panic that Peaches was missing.


He slid down from the tree, looking around, and spotted her a few feet away hanging from another tree, much to his relief. He made his way over to her, but before he could make a sound, another voice called to her.


"Well that's…interesting."


Peaches gasped, falling from the tree again.


"Ethan! I, uh, meant to do that!"


"You sleep in a tree?" Ethan asked, a slight smile on his face.


Buck quietly scaled the tree as Peaches stammered out a reply.


"What? No, i-it helps me think! The blood flows to my brain instead of…other places…"


Buck smirked at her anxiety, easily able to tell Peaches was crushing on this Ethan guy.


"So…how are you doing? You know, with all this?" Ethan asked.


"Honestly, a little scared…okay, a lot scared. Everything we knew is gone!"


"Yeah, I know how ya feel…hey, wanna walk with me tomorrow?"


"You want to walk with me?"


"Sure, you're cool. Just one thing though,"


"Sure, anything!"


"Ditch the molehog."


"Molehog…you mean Louis?"


"Yeah, he's not cool to hang out with. You understand right?"


Peaches paused for a moment, and Buck leaned in a little closer to hear what she would say.


""Louis? Um...yeah, sure! No problem!"


"Great, see ya tomorrow."


Ethan walked off, and Peaches sighed lovingly as she leaned against the tree.


"Hope you know what you're doin' lass."


Peaches yelped, and looked up at Buck.


"Buck, how long have you been there?"


"Let's see…from the moment you fell out of the tree to…now."


"Oh. Did you hear that? Ethan wants to hang out with me!"


"Aye, what about your little molehog friend?"


"You mean Louis? Oh, he'll be fine with it, he's an understanding guy."


Buck sighed, before leaning against the trunk of the tree.


"There's another old saying I've heard; he or she who changes constantly to please others, seldom pleases anyone."


With that, Buck disappeared back into the foliage. Peaches stared up after him, before lying down under the tree. A few feet away, she could see Ethan with the other mammoth teens, settling in for the night. She sighed romantically, before drifting off to sleep.


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