Chapter 4….
One night later…..
The Pink-eyed flyer awoke with a start, almost forgetting today was his Star-Day, the first day of his life…and almost as fast as his happiness had come it disappeared.
'This is what happens when your whole family gets killed by some stupid rock!' the flyer thought to him-self. Feeling a little wound up he decided to walk to the Thundering Falls again to just be alone.
As his luck would have it, the elders in the valley heard were having a meeting in that very same spot, but instead of interrupting one of them he decided to sit in the shadows and watch.
"You know as well as I do longneck…."
Topsy began
"If he just walked in here, that might mean a hole in the Great Wall, and that means Sharpteeth."
The few adults there began to mumble and converse among each other, then Littlefoot's grandmother stepped in "Please try to keep it down the children are sleeping."
"Well what do you suggest we do, Mr. Threehorn?" asked the elderly longneck grandfather.
"I say we wake up the new flyer and ask him exactly how he got inside the valley!" cried Cera's father with a firm nod of his head.
"But the child is sure to be sleeping along with our young ones." said Ducky's mother with some concern.
"It does not matter! This child could have made the hole in the wall himself and not bothered to close it after coming in." Once again Topsy said
At this point the Pink-eyed flyer had had just about enough of the senseless arguing between the elders, and cleared his throat before saying:
"Do you want the long version or the short one?"
A few of the elders jumped upon hearing his voice, but as he stepped out into the Night Circle's bright glow the few adults there could see he was very serious about this.
"Um…How long have you been listing young one?" asked Tria. He looked around before saying
"Long enough to know some of you here want an explanation as to how I came into the Great Valley….and to tell the honest truth….I…I really don't remember."
Topsy being one of rather hard and sometimes unnecessary criticism towards others bluntly stated "Rubbish! You know and you just won't tell us….your hiding something and when I find out what that something is….I'll see you banished….especially if you're in league with those stupid sharpteeth!"
At that point the Pink-eyed flyer and Topsy were face-to-face, and although Topsy couldn't see it, he had just struck a very physical and mental blow against a mere child with a past he'd rather forget.
The Pink-eyed flyer took a step backwards and found his feet in the shallow end of the Thundering Falls, and his body froze in place not because of the cold, but because his body was once again at war within itself…his mind was filling with images, and visions of death he couldn't forget, smells he'd never be rid of, and a large feeling of loneliness and fear in his heart.
For the longest time he just sat there stuck in that wide-eyed fearful expression, not wanting to break down and cry in front of all the elders, but didn't really have the strength to stop the tears from flowing down his beak once again.
Upon seeing this some of the adults in the meeting circle either stared or turned to walk away. In the end with the exception of Littlefoot's grandparents, Crea's father, his mate Tria, Ducky's mother, and Petrie's mother, were all that were left standing in the circle wanting to give the child enough room to breath, but at the same time not leave him alone in case he needed someone to comfort him.
However the child subcame to unconsiousness...
The next morning….
Feeling a little light headed, but other wise okay…Petrie awakened with a yawn to greet the day, and as he rolled onto his stomach he opened his eyes and almost screamed…if his mother hadn't stopped him first.
"It's okay Petrie…he had a bad sleep-story last night that's all and I let him sleep in our nest."
The flyer seemed to calm down at the end of his mother's statement and took a deep breath of relief. Then Petrie had an idea!
"Can me go play?" asked Petrie
"Of course!" replied his mother. Then she added "I'll stay and watch over him if you're worried."
Just as Petrie spread his wings, he looked back at the Pink-eyed flyer 'Me hope new flyer okay' Petrie said to himself as he reached the blue skies he loved so much.
Just as Littlefoot and the others were gathering at the watering hole, a high pitched, blood-curdling scream could be heard almost all over the Great valley.
"What was that?" asked Cera. They only knew one thing for certain…
The scream came from Petrie's nest….