CHAPTER 8

Scooby suddenly bobbed up again a little way downstream from where he had jumped in. It wasn't until he resurfaced that he realised just how icy cold the water was. But it was a refreshing kind of cold. He looked up to the rest of the gang standing anxiously on the bank. 'Ri found it!' he said triumphantly, holding the compass in his teeth.

'Good work buddy. But like, um, how are you getting out of there?' Shaggy gulped anxiously from above.

'Roh no! Scooby tossed clumsily in the water, trying to double back to the rock jutted out. But the current was too strong. He was pulled steadily downstream. 'Relp!' he cried.

'We're coming Scoob!' Shaggy yelled out, sprinting along the shoreline with the rest of the gang.

Scooby continued to toss and turn as the strong current hurled him along. It tried to pull him under – Scooby was a strong swimmer – but everybody has their limits.

And Scooby knew he was getting close to his.

He frantically looked around for anything – a branch or a rock – that he might be able to grab on to, but there was nothing.

'Hang in there Scoob!' Shaggy yelled.

With great difficulty, Scooby shifted in the water to face the rest of the gang, sprinting carelessly along the side of the bank. 'Relp!' Scooby wailed again. His heart was hammering against his chest, causing his breathing to become raspy.

Suddenly, Scooby heard a muffled scream from the side of the river. His blood ran cold, and the stream continued to pull him under. 'Relma?' he gurgled. He took one final gasp of air before succumbing to the current and slipping below the surface. The icy water tore at his face like an unrelenting, ferocious beast.

Beneath the surface of the water, the current felt considerably weaker. Glancing above, Scooby could see the surface whizzing by past him. He continued blowing out bubbles, watching them float up and break the surface, before being swept away. He was cold… very cold. Forgetting he was underwater, Scooby tried to breathe, and spluttered as he failed, then desperately tried to hold in a cough. His vision was darkening around the edges… he had to break the surface. He flailed his arms and legs around, but it was no use.

Rokay, he thought. He quickly realised sheer strength and panic wasn't getting him out of this one. He had to think smart…

Scooby sank down to the bottom of the river and with one last burst of strength, he pushed himself up with paws extended and cleared the surface, gasping for breath. His vision cleared.

Rhew, he thought. Rhat was a rlose rall. Strangely, the current was becoming a little weaker.

'Scooby! Are you okay?' Fred panted. 'Try not to go back underwater – it'll just pull you under further! Velma!'

Scooby nodded weakly. Wait – Velma? Suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed his shoulders. 'Rikes!' The person belonging to the pair of arms began to breathe heavily into the back of his neck.

'Thanks Scooby,' Velma gasped.

'Relma!' Scooby panted in surprise. 'Rid… you… fall in?'

'Yes. The soil… is very… flimsy,' she replied. 'I… slipped in.'

From the side of the river, Fred suddenly halted and yelled, 'The bank ends here! There's no other path!'

'What'll we do?' Daphne asked desperately, gripping his arm tightly.

'Jump!' Shaggy yelled, pushing past them and leaping off into the river.

'SHAGGY!' Daphne screamed.

'He's right, we can't get separated. Our turn,' Fred said, holding tightly onto her wrist.

'Oh no Fred. No no no no no!' Daphne continued to scream as she and Fred followed Shaggy's lead and plunged into the river.

Fred broke the surface quickly, hauling Daphne up beside him. 'Sorry Daphne. Are you alright?'

'Yes,' Daphne gasped. 'Hey Fred! The esky! It floats!'

Fred whipped around to where he was holding up the esky. 'So it does,' he said thoughtfully. 'Hold on to it!'

Gratefully, Daphne grabbed onto its handle, relieved she didn't have to hold herself and the tent and blanket up on her back against the current. Fred kicked off the side of the bank, propelling them forward. 'Shag! Grab on!'

'Scoob and Velma are too far ahead,' Shaggy panted, joining them.

'It's okay, we'll catch up to them,' Fred said grimly. The three of them kicked on, using the esky as a kickboard, keeping their eyes fixed on Scooby and Velma. But then, they were gone. Scooby and Velma simply popped out of view.

'Zoinks!'

'Where did they go?'

'Guys,' Daphne said, clearing water out of her ears. 'I think we're heading for a…'

'WATERFALL!' the three of them screamed.

But it really wasn't much of a waterfall, as they were dumped down into another body of water less than a second later. The three of them plonked down on top of the esky. Fred groaned, Shaggy rubbed his jaw and Daphne screamed as she frantically tried to avoid a wasp buzzing nearby.

'Raggy!' Scooby beamed, as he popped up beside them.

'Scoob! You're like, okay!' Shaggy hugged him.

Fred flipped over and lay on his back, realising how much smoother the water felt. In fact, he wasn't moving at all. Fred rolled upright, and realised they were floating in a large natural pool. Velma was waving at them from a muddy bank. Fred shook his head like a dog, spraying Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby with droplets of water. Daphne swum around the back of him, whining slightly.

'What's wrong now?' he tried to sound exasperated, but there was the hint of a smile in his voice. He couldn't feel mad when they had finally landed in a beautiful natural clearing, and all of his friends were safe.

'Wasp!' she shrieked.

'Daphne,' he said quietly, 'Get over it.'

'It's a wasp, Fred. A wasp,' she said, as if that was the most dangerous thing in the world.

'Come on. Let's get out of the water,' Fred smiled, and began dragging the esky towards the shore.

Shaggy and Scooby were clumsily climbing out, stumbling and flopping over like beached whales on the muddy, sandy bank. Velma unstrapped the tent and blanket from her back and collapsed down beside them. They were all wet, exhausted, cold, and hungry.

Fred arrived on the bank, and began hauling the esky up away from the water's edge.

'Like good work Fred,' Shaggy said weakly. 'You saved the food!'

'Riorities,' Scooby grinned. 'Ry hero!'

Fred rolled his eyes at them. 'It's probably all going to be soggy now.'

'Better than nothing,' Velma said quietly. 'This valley may possibly have saved our lives.' She surveyed their surroundings before continuing quietly, 'It has fresh water and gives us a sanctuary away from those… soldiers. We can stay here as long as we need to.'

An whipbird chortled in the distance. Velma turned back to the boys. 'Scooby jumped in the water to save my compass. If he hadn't done so, we would probably have been stuck down here, directionless and lost,' Velma said.

Scooby beamed and spat the compass out of his mouth. 'Rhew!'

'Like, good on you, pal,' Shaggy sighed.

Suddenly, there was a loud squelching sound as Daphne stepped out of the water. Shaggy and Scooby stifled a giggle at the sound.

'Ugh!' Daphne groaned, realising she had put her foot down a mud trap. She wrenched her foot free, shrieking as she noticed her lower shin was now coated in a layer of thick, slimy mud. Then she made a point of walking overly cautiously across the remainder of the mud. 'Gross!' she cried. 'This place smells so gross!'

'That's the smell of a healthy and productive ecosystem. That means the water and air is fresh,' Velma replied in a bored tone.

Daphne continued to stroll up the bank, and plopped down between Fred and Scooby. 'My new clothes are totally ruined! And my heels are all chipped from walking like two hundred kilometres. Now not only do I feel sweaty and sore, but I am also wet and cold.'

At this point, every vow Daphne had made to stop complaining flew out the window. She crossed her arms in determination and glowered at them all. And it really didn't help her mood that the others were all staring at her in a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Fred couldn't help but be reminded of Daphne as a kid. She had hated dust and dirt, and was completely obsessed with new clothes and cleanness. He had thought she had slightly grown out of that… but apparently not.

Velma snapped. She turned her attention solely to Daphne, bearing a menacing expression. 'You have done absolutely nothing but complain since we've set foot in this bush,' she said, speaking slowly and clearly. 'I am sick to death of you whinging! Your clothes! Your shoes! Nobody cares! I can't believe you sometimes. Making Fred carry you everywhere, being in a constant state of "grossed-out-ness."' Velma's calm demeanour quickly evaporated. 'Get a grip, Blake! No one gives a flying …'

'Enough!' Fred interjected. 'That is enough.'

Daphne scowled at her.

'Say, like how about Scoob and I go and dry out the tents and stuff and check out the food situation,' Shaggy said quickly as he and Scooby stood up to leave

Fred turned his attention back to the girls and let out a resigned sigh. 'Come on. We all need to work together here.'

'But you're always on Daphne's side!' Velma screeched exasperatedly at him. 'Always! She's whined and complained, but you would never say anything against her. And you know it! You both do!'

It seemed Fred had nothing to say to this.

Velma aggressively wrung some muddy water from her shirt.

'I'm sorry if you feel that way, Velma. But you don't need to go at each other. The only reason I told you to stop is because you're yelling at Daphne. Daphne hasn't actually yelled at you,' Fred said.

'Yeah, but her complaining…' Velma began.

'Daphne is not personally attacking someone. You are.'

Now it was Velma's turn to be stunned into silence. She'd never seen this side of Fred before… suddenly he seemed more mature and much wiser. He was usually… well, chaotic. In a good way – disorderly, but methodical, goofy but crafty. And apparently he knew when the right time was to be serious. She stole a glare at Daphne – even she looked a little shocked at his demeanour.

'I'm going to help the guys dry out the blankets,' Fred stood to leave.

Velma and Daphne sat in a silent fury. She hated it. Hated that Fred was right, hated that she had let Blake get to her. Velma quickly made a decision. 'Be back soon,' she muttered and abruptly got up and walked away into the nearby bush.

Daphne sighed and also got up to help the boys with the tents and blankets. She made Shaggy and Scooby her priority. 'I'm sorry, Shag, Scoob,' she said as she bent down to help Fred open out their tent.

'Like don't mention it, Daph. It hasn't been easy,' Shaggy smiled.

'Reah.'

Daphne smiled gratefully at them. Why couldn't Velma be this easy going?

'Say, like where has Velma gone?' Shaggy wondered.

'No idea.'

Shaggy and Scooby opened out their inner tent and fly screen, both of which were soaked. 'I rope this ries before night!' Scooby exclaimed, shaking the water off his ears.

'We can use the tree branches as a clothes line,' Daphne suggested, as she and Fred opened out their tent.

'Perfect. I'll take the blankets over to the branches on the other side of this clearing,' Fred said. 'It'll get the afternoon sun.'

He walked the short distance, fifty metres perhaps, over to the other side of the clearing, where the bush began to get dense again. He squeezed as much water as he could out of the blankets before draping them over low-hanging branches of a large river red gum. He swung his arms around to give them a stretch, taking in their new 'home away from home'. The clearing was the shape a rough, squashed circle. If it was fifty metres long, it was probably only twenty metres wide. It was one of the most beautiful places Fred had ever been. The natural pool they had found themselves in stretched almost half the length of the clearing. He hadn't noticed when they first found themselves washed up in the pool, but it was actually quite large, and stretched far back and looped around the side of the clearing, out of sight. There were messy piles of rocks bounding the back of the pool that looked like a giant had carelessly dumped them there. On the other sides of the clearing, there were thick and dense trees, grasses and shrubs. There was a thin layer of tall trees above the clearing, just enough to shield them from any planes above, but still allowed a decent amount of sunlight to filter through. Which, considering how cold the valley would get at night, Fred knew this sunlight was a very precious resource. He trudged back over to where Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby had finished laying out the tents, trying to stamp out some of the water lodged in his shoes. The floor of the clearing was mostly damp dirt and rock, with sparse grasses and bushes scattered here and there. If they had to stay away from soldiers, there was no better place to be.

'What's the food situation like?' he asked.

Shaggy scratched his head. 'Soggy, but fairly well stocked.'

Daphne finished putting up the fly screen of their tent. 'We tried to put them in the afternoon sun,' she explained. 'Then the tents can dry faster. I just hope we don't have to use muddy blankets tonight.'

'Like zoinks! It's cold enough down here as it is! And it's the middle of the day!'

'And it's rummer!' Scooby said sadly. 'I thought rummer was reant to be hot.'

'Hopefully the tents won't take too long to dry,' Fred said thoughtfully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. 'Let's light a fire!'

'Rof course!' Scooby exclaimed.

'I've got the matches!' Daphne reached over to her shoulder bag hanging on the branch beside the tents.

'And I've got the firewood,' Velma suddenly appeared behind them, bearing a pile of sticks.

So that's where Velma headed off to, Daphne thought, the realisation suddenly dawning on her. She felt slightly guilty that she had thought Velma had sauntered off just to be difficult.

They all looked shocked at Velma's sudden reappearance, but Fred recovered quickly. 'That's great!' he said brightly. 'I'm going to collect some rocks to set up a fire pit! Scoob, do you want to clear an area?'

It was well past midnight by the time the tents were again set up. Best of all, everything, including the blankets, were nice and dry. When the mud dried, all they had needed to do was shake the blankets, causing the mud to crack and slide off. A healthy fire was blazing in front of them in a compact little firepit centre of the clearing, lusciously engulfing the sticks that were thrown into it. A pile of firewood lay beside Fred so they didn't have to keep going into the bush again. Shaggy had dragged over three larger logs for them to sit on, which had been positioned in a cosy triangular formation around the fire. Daphne was wrapped up in one of the blankets, sharing a log with Fred, and Scooby was wrapped up in the other, lying on a log all to himself. Shaggy and Velma were perched on the last log. Despite the events of the afternoon, a comfortable silence enveloped them, as they all stared lazily into the flames, finishing off the remainder of their "dinner" – scones and dry Weetbix.

Fred stretched and yawned. 'Well, shall we turn in soon? Scoob's almost asleep over there.'

'Scoob is asleep,' Shaggy corrected, chuckling slightly. 'And like yeah, I am kinda tired.'

'It's been a long day,' Fred said, making his way over to the tents positioned towards the side of the clearing. 'Coming Daph?'

'Mm,' Daphne said, awkwardly strolling over to the tents, still wrapped up in her blanket. Daphne didn't think she had ever felt so tired in her life. Hiking, swimming, climbing… she was so tired she felt like she was walking in a dream. She joined Fred in their tent, who was already sound asleep. She threw half the blanket down on him and flopped down beside him, falling asleep immediately.

And tonight, even Velma fell asleep almost immediately.