The two stood there hugging each other for a little bit before Tiberius pointed out, "I think that was enough excitement for one day, what do you say?" Gidget nodded her head, letting go of the old hawk. Quietly following him out of the clearing though, she could feel something sticky on her right paw. Bewildered, she looked down to find the white fur on her paw was stained red with blood that wasn't hers. Looking up, she noticed that Tiberius was limping.
"Tiberius, wait!" Gidget yipped, racing towards her friend and stopping him in his tracks. Before the old hawk could get to asking, she lifted his left wing to find a snakebite in his rib cage. Blood was slowly seeping out from it. Instantly, Gidget began to panic as she cried, "No no please no! I'm so sorry!" Looking down, Tiberius was surprisingly calm as he remarked, "Huh, would you look at that..."
"You need help immediately! That could get really bad and then you could get sick and... and..." Gidget was beginning to stutter as she hyperventilated. She silently blamed herself for bothering the rattlesnake in the first place. Now Tiberius, who was still acting calm, had paid the price. A tear ran down her face as she hugged the old hawk.
"Relax, I'm fine. If it makes you feel better, I was actually planning on heading over to Pops' apartment in the first place," Tiberius spoke softly, trying to soothe Gidget by patting her head gently with his wing. Looking up at the hawk, the Pomeranian questioned, "How are you being so calm about this? You just got bitten by a rattlesnake!"
"Cuz if I began to panic, the poison is going to travel much faster to my heart, thus killing me. If I stay calm, I should be fine for about a few hours," Tiberius replied. Looking Gidget right in the eye, he added, "I suggest you do the same." Taking a deep breath to cool her nerves, Gidget quietly nodded her head as she spoke softly, "Let's get you over to Pops."
