After The Quest

No one gave the two Flyers a second thought as they lay prone on the edge of the cliff.

It wasn't long before they had lost consciousness altogether. The burns they received from the explosion were bad enough, but falling headfirst into a rocky cleft didn't help matters.
Pterano and the others had long gone from the vicinity. The bright circle moved slowly across the sky, eventually touching the edge of the land and casting long shadows across the canyons. The swiftly-moving river darkened as yet another day came to an end. Night covered the land, and the night circle began to rise into the sky. Nothing could be heard but the sound of the water rushing far down below, and still the Flyers remained where they were.

Halfway through the night, a dark shape passed by, veered back, and landed at the edge of the cliff where the Flyers were. The shape paused for a moment, as if surveying the situation, and took off into the night with the slightest beat of its wings.

Rinkus groaned as he forced his eyes open. Blinking the grogginess away, he reached up and rubbed his face. He felt terrible.

Then he remembered what had happened - the stone having exploded, being launched into the cliff side, and…

His eyes suddenly opened wide. Something didn't feel right. He sat up, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that he was covered in mud. He let out a shriek in surprise.

It woke up Sierra, who was also beginning to regain consciousness. His weakened state did not put a dampener on his temper. "Shut it, will you? What're you goin' on about?" He rubbed his face as if recovering from a severe headache.

"I, uh…" Rinkus faltered, unsure how to explain the odd situation. His eyes were still examining the splotches of mud plastered over his body.

Sierra finally turned toward Rinkus, and blinked once. He gave a harsh chuckle. "Looks like someone's been playin' a trick on you."

Rinkus tore his eyes off himself and faced Sierra. He nearly flinched, and pointed. "And you, it would seem."

Sierra frowned and looked at his wings and chest. They, too, were covered in dark splotches of mud. He gritted his teeth in rage. "Just what in tarnation is goin' on?" He clenched his claws.

Rinkus shook his head, turning his attention back to his own wings.

Before they could speculate further, a slight rush of wind was heard, causing them both to freeze and look out from the cliff. In a moment, another Flyer appeared and landed on the cliff edge in front of them. She was a light tan color, and had a small crest.

"I see you two are awake." She surveyed them with large, green eyes. There was an air of caution about her, as if she were unsure of how they would react to her being there.

Rinkus and Sierra exchanged glances.

Sierra was the first to speak up. "And just who are you?" he barked, instantly thinking that maybe this new Flyer had something to do with why they were covered in mud.

"I'm Ptera," she said diplomatically. They noticed that she had a handful of leaves in her claws.

Rinkus frowned. "Are we to assume that you're the one responsible for this?" He indicated himself.

"I am," she admitted. "But you don't have to fret. You two were very injured. That mud you have caked onto your wings and chest will help with the burns. There, uh…" she hesitated. "There are leaves in them, too." She cleared her throat, walking past them and setting the new handful down. "And they will also help."

The two Flyers were now thoroughly perplexed, and exchanged glances yet again.

Always on the offense, Sierra prodded the stranger. "What are you playing at?" he growled. "You expect us to believe some stranger would go out of her way to help us? What are you expecting in return?"

"Wha-? I'm not expecting anything," she said, taken aback by his response. "I…" she hesitated again, unsure of how much she should reveal to these two Flyers, who she barely knew. "I'm a traveler. I was on my way to the Great Valley when I saw you two lying here on the cliff, hurt and unconscious." Aware of how strange it sounded, she added, tentatively, "I had to help."

"Why would you want to help us?" Rinkus asked, without the vehemence Sierra possessed, but still just as wary.

She cleared her throat. "Because, I'm also a healer." She turned away, busying herself with the leaves she had set down.

"A healer, and a traveler," Sierra repeated, claws on his hips. "Something kinda fishy about that."

Ptera's shoulders rose. "If this is the kind of thanks you give to someone who could have ignored you and went on her way -"

"It's alright," Rinkus stepped in, forcing a smile. He made placating gestures. "Here, we don't mean any harm. We're quite grateful, eh…" he glanced down at the mud on his skin, then shook himself free of the distraction. "But we should get going, to…" he faltered, casting a glance at Sierra.

In point of fact, they had no idea what they were going to do, nor where they were going to go now that the quest had turned out to be a failure. They couldn't head to the Great Valley, for obvious reasons. That left the Mysterious Beyond, or searching for another haven where their reputations did not precede them.

"Doesn't matter," Sierra grumbled, cooling down a bit since it became obvious that Ptera wasn't a threat. "Where we're goin' is none of her business anyway."

Ptera, who had been shredding the leaves into smaller bits, finally lost her patience. She threw them down, stood up, and faced him. "Look, do you want my help or not?" Before either of them could answer, she continued, "I know a thing or two about how to treat wounds, and you two are still in a bad way. But I won't feel inclined to help if I only get rudeness in exchange."

As a healer, it was in her nature to be calm and compassionate.
She had never been much good at getting angry. As a hatchling, she was a pushover to her siblings, who sometimes took advantage of her soft nature. Though as an adult she may have grown to be less naive, she still possessed the same compassion she had as a child.

But the brown Flyer was being unnecessarily hostile.

Sierra grumbled and sat down: his way of agreeing to cool it.

Rinkus looked on helplessly, being reminded of the times he had had to hold Sierra back from pummeling Pterano. At least he wasn't trying to attack this stranger; not that he had a reason to. But Sierra was hard to keep in check.

Ptera turned her back to them and continued tearing the leaves into smaller bits.

Silence ensued for a while before Rinkus grew bored and ventured a question.

"Just how did you cover us in this stuff?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "It wasn't easy. I mixed it with a little water from the river, then brought it up here as best I could. Took several trips." She paused. "But...like I said, the mud will help to soothe the burns. The leaves I mixed into the mud will help them heal."

Though he wasn't exactly interested in the intricacies of being a healer, Rinkus decided to keep up conversation so as to avoid the oppressing silence. Sierra's uncivil treatment of their host had seen to that.

"Who showed you that trick, your mother?"

"My father, actually." She smiled. "He was a healer, too."

Sierra shot Rinkus a look, but Rinkus only shrugged.

When Ptera had finished shredding the leaves, she stood up and told them that she would need to apply them to their wounds. Rinkus looked indifferent, but Sierra bared his teeth. He hated being treated like a sick hatchling, even if it was justified.

Ptera looked from one Flyer to the other. "Alright," she said, looking at Rinkus. "You first."

She delicately grabbed a handful of the leaves with her claws and worked them into the mud that covered his wounds. He tried not to wince when she pressed them on.

After a few moments of this, she frowned, and asked, "Just how did you two get these injuries, anyway?" She was being inquisitive, and she knew it. But she figured they owed her a few answers, and anyway the pink one - she didn't catch his name, she realized - might be willing to volunteer information.

"Eh…" his eyes widened slightly, and he looked to his companion for help.

Sierra averted his gaze and rubbed at his arm. "Kinda a long story," he muttered.

Her gaze lingered on them for a moment, but she said nothing and proceeded to focus on her task. For now, that was probably the most she was going to get out of them.

"I told you my name, but I didn't catch yours."

"I'm Rinkus."

"Sierra."

She nodded. "Nice to meet you both," she said with a hint of sarcasm, as their behavior hadn't exactly been the most welcoming.

When she had finished with Rinkus, she moved to Sierra. He kept his gaze away from her the whole time. Aware of how much he dreaded the situation, she didn't attempt making conversation.

When her treatment of them was finished, she took off from the cliff without saying where she was going. The two Flyers immediately fell into talking.

"As soon as these wings are able, they're takin' me straight outta here," Sierra grumbled.

Rinkus knew, of course, that there was no reason for them to travel together anymore. The only reason he, Sierra, and Pterano had joined up in the first place was to go after the stone. And, as that had turned out to be a fake…

"I guess you're right," he conceded, a mild look of concern on his face. He had nowhere to go anymore than Sierra did. He gestured with his claw. "Say, what do you think of that Flyer?"

He grunted. "Not much." He looked at his comrade. "We may need her right now, but like I said, as soon as I'm able to fly again -"

Rinkus nodded, and leaned back against the cliff wall. "Strange though, isn't it?"

"What's strange?" he growled.

"She happens to be a traveler, and she knows how to heal us. And she said she was heading to the Great Valley. But I still don't see why she bothered to help us." He shook his head. "It's odd, that's all."

He huffed. "Must be following some kind of healer's code or somethin'. Either way, who cares? As long as she gets the job done and fixes us."

Though they were both loath to admit it, they felt the urge for sleep coming on. After all, it was the first time they had been awake since falling unconscious; they were still tired from the impact. Choosing their own corners, they allowed themselves to drift off.

Some time later, Ptera returned with a little food for them. She paused when she landed on the edge, gazing at her patients who had fallen fast asleep.

Letting the food slip from her mouth, she considered taking a small nap herself. But not here. She didn't know these two at all, and the one called Sierra had already proven to be the aggressive type. So far he had been all talk, and she knew that in his current state he wouldn't be able to put up a fight even if he wanted to. Still, she didn't trust him.

Spreading her wings, she took off once again and found another cranny to roost in for the time being. Folding her head beneath her wing, she fell into sleep herself.

It was morning when Rinkus and Sierra awoke.

They yawned and stretched, and the first thing they noticed was that their burn wounds were already less painful than yesterday.

"I say, it looks like the treatment is working," Rinkus remarked hopefully.

"Yeah, I guess," Sierra admitted. He flexed his left wing. "The sooner, the better." He looked off to the side, noticing a pile of small fish. "Left us a fine meal, too."

"How kind." Rinkus stared at the fish, then at Sierra. They both shrugged, still a little unsure of how to react to the healer's kindness.

Not much later, Ptera had awakened and glided down to the cliff. "Good morning," she greeted mildly. "How are the wings doing?"

"Doin' fine." Sierra murmured.

"Much better today, miss."

"Glad to hear it." She bobbed her head. "Those leaves seem to be doing the job well."

They withdrew slightly when she approached them and bent her head down to examine the burns. By now the mud had long dried and was beginning to smear off their skin. "Hm. A few more days should do it," she said under her breath. Then she straightened, tapped her beak, and said, "I wouldn't try flying for another day or so. Better to be on the safe side."

Sierra's scowl deepened, and Rinkus sighed. The fact that their wounds already felt a little better had given them hope; they were thinking of attempting flight that day.

"Well," Rinkus ventured, looking at Sierra, "one more day shouldn't be so bad."

Sierra made no remark.

Ptera stared at them in pity. "I know it's not very exciting spending an entire day here, being unable to fly. But it's for your own good." She folded her hands together, trying not to sound too motherly - only as someone who cared for the well-being of two injured Flyers.

Sierra's comment came as no surprise to her at this point. "What do you think we are, hatchlings? You're not our mother, lady."

She sighed. "I'm not trying to be your mom. But I know what I'm doing. I've seen to a lot of injuries in my life, and you'd do well to follow my advice on the matter." She looked him in the eye, showing a spark that he hadn't seen in her before. "Unless you want to end up even worse than you are now?"

He shook with anger, but nevertheless eased himself back against the cliff wall.

Her shoulders relaxed, and she couldn't help but wonder what the pink Flyer must have gone through all the time with such a partner. Not that she had any proof that these two traveled together often. In fact, she knew nothing about them at all, other than their names and that they were badly hurt.

Deciding to try for information once again, she said, "I've told you two a little about me, but I still know nothing about you, other than your names."

Rinkus and Sierra looked at each other.

She continued, "What brought you here? Where were you headed?"

Seeing no harm in answering the latter, Sierra said, "We were headed for the Mysterious Beyond. Just migratin', that's all."

"Hm." She sat down. "So you must have been coming from the Great Valley. I can't think of any other reason for Flyers to pass through this way."

Sierra suppressed a dark chuckle. 'Lady, if you only knew,' he thought.

"Ahem." Rinkus drew the attention away from his partner's scoff. "We just came from the Valley."

"Indeed?" Her eyes lit up. "Then, maybe you two can help me."

They froze, regarding her with open curiosity (or, in the case of Sierra, suspicion.)

"As I told you, I was heading there myself. I'm hoping to find a long-lost relative of mine. Maybe you know her. Her name is Dona." She looked hopefully from one to the other.

Rinkus shook his head, and Sierra shrugged. "Never heard of her, lady," he said.

"You sure? She looks a lot like me, only she's blue." She looked away, now having given up hope that they could help her locate her relative. "She's a mother to many hatchlings. But little Petrie was always my favorite." She chuckled. "Far be it for me to play favorites, but…"

"Petrie," Rinkus said under his breath. Then his eyes widened. He looked at Sierra, who had also connected the dots. He looked back at Ptera. "You mean, Petrie's your nephew?"

She nodded, and looked at him with puzzlement. "Yes...You say that as if you know him." Her eyes lit up. "Have you seen Petrie? Was he there?"

"Eh…" He was now thoroughly speechless. Of course he knew who Petrie was, but he could hardly believe the odds. This Ptera was one of Pterano's siblings!

"Yeah, we seen him there," Sierra said unconcernedly. But there was a knowing look on his face, and he stared at Ptera as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"You did!" she exclaimed, grasping her talons together. "So they are there...Did you speak with him?"

"Nope," Sierra said. "Only saw him for a minute, then we took off."

She frowned in confusion. "Just for a minute? How do you know it was Petrie, then?"

Rinkus chuckled nervously. "Eh, I'm the one who spoke to him." He cleared his throat and left it at that, feeling that he and Sierra had already given too much information.

"I see," she said slowly. Then smiled again. "Well, this is excellent news. I'd been searching far and wide for my sister and her children. And when I'd heard about the Great Valley, I knew that that's where they must have gone."

Sierra had been staring at her, and decided that she did somewhat resemble Pterano, in a more feminine way. Having never seen Pterano's other sister, it was all the comparison he could make. Even if she seemed to be doting on them, at least she wasn't a braggart like her brother.

She was still gleeful of the news. "Isn't this fortuitous? Running into you two, having the chance to heal you, and now you've repaid me by giving me news that I'd been right in traveling to the Valley."

They said nothing. Rinkus gave an awkward smile.

Ptera seemed not to notice, however, as she walked to the edge of the cliff, staring in the direction of the Great Valley.

'I'm on my way, Dona. I'll be there soon,' she thought.

A/N: I couldn't think of a good title. :(

Someone gave the name "Dona" to Petrie's mom in another fanfic, and even though it's not her decided name, I chose to stick with it because it seemed to fit her so well.

Other than that, I have no idea where I'm going with this story - so, any suggestions are more than welcome. :)