CHAPTER 6
Temptations of Love
The Great Valley was once again treated to a delightful morning as the Bright Circle rose into the sky and lit up the valley like a true dinosaur paradise. It was as beautiful as any dinosaur could have pictured it would be, but for two particular children, it would be just the kind of beauty they would want to see their valley in.
Ducky woke up just as early as she did the day before, and once again her mother and father were the only other ones awake.
"Two days in a row, I am the first one up?" she thought, "I must really be getting rather excited about being with Petrie every morning."
The little Swimmer sat up and stretched her limbs, and she squirmed her way out of Spike's grip and was met with a smile from her mother.
"Oh, … good morning, Mama," said Ducky in slight surprise.
"Good morning, Ducky," Mama Swimmer replied, "I take it you had a happy sleep story last night."
"Lucky guess," chuckled Ducky.
"I'm happy to have a happy daughter," said Mama Swimmer with a grin.
Ducky smiled and blushed as her mother picked off a few tree stars from one of the many trees that surrounded their nest. It still hadn't sunk in that her mother and, to some degree, her father had accepted her being in a relationship with Petrie.
Hardly a moment later, Mama Swimmer laid down three tree stars in front of Ducky, and she quickly started to nibble on the first one.
Mama Swimmer looked over to see that Spike and the other Swimmer children were still sleeping, and she turned back to Ducky.
"I can see you seem excited today," she chuckled.
"Yep, yep, yep," confirmed Ducky, "I was thinking I would head up to the Flyer nest and surprise Petrie the way he did yesterday."
"That sounds like a cute idea," giggled Mama Swimmer, but she knew that would be easier said than done if her daughter wanted to keep her relationship with Petrie a secret, "Just one thing, though. You'd have to hope that his brothers and sisters are either still asleep or have gone out by the time you get there."
Ducky paused as she thought of her mother's predicament. She knew that Petrie's siblings were prone to teasing him very often, and if they found out about their relationship, then they would never stop laughing at Petrie for probably the rest of their lives. She also wasn't sure how Petrie's mother had reacted to their relationship, unless the little Flyer hadn't already told her.
"I will consider that when I get there," she said, then another thought hit her, "Maybe, I will just pretend that I was sent-ed by Littlefoot to pick him up."
"Sounds very convincing," said Mama Swimmer.
"It is, it is," agreed Ducky before another thought struck her, "Um, … how is Daddy?"
"Your father did have a bit of a hard time accepting it after we went to sleep last night, and he's still a bit … skeptical, if I may say, but he's okay with it as long as you and Petrie don't get caught."
Ducky sighed as she remembered her father's brief panic attack last night. She had known from the beginning that he would not be very accepting of her being in love with someone other than another Swimmer, but deep down, he loved his children, and he was willing to do anything to keep them happy, even if it meant reluctantly supporting one of them with a forbidden relationship.
In just a matter of minutes, the little Swimmer had finished her breakfast, and within seconds she was running off in the direction she knew would lead to the Flyer family's home.
"I will see you later, Mama!" she called as she left her home.
"See you later, Ducky! Have a good day!" Mama Swimmer called back before her daughter disappeared.
"Be careful, okay?" Papa Swimmer called to her.
"I will, Daddy! Goodbye!" answered Ducky, and she excitedly ran towards the river, smiling brightly in anticipation of seeing her beloved Petrie.
As soon as she approached the river, she cutely jumped over some green pads floating over the water to make her way across, and she eccentrically skipped her way across the grassy grounds of the valley, making playful, jump-like steps down a path she knew would lead her to Petrie's home.
Petrie was still sleeping soundly in his nest with his mother holding him tenderly. In his sleep, he couldn't stop picturing himself having a pleasant day with Ducky, thinking of all the many things he couldn't wait to do with her.
Eventually, though, the Bright Circle's morning light just managed to break into his eyelids through the tiniest gap in the cave entrance, and the Flyer found it elusive to keep himself asleep, so he turned himself around before opening his eyes, and he stretched his wings and yawned as silently as he could in an effort not to wake up his siblings. The yawn awoke his mother, though, and she opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of her son waking up with a smile, obviously in anticipation of another happy day ahead.
The little Flyer crawled his way out of his mother's wings and waited until she stretched and stood up before walking quietly to the entrance and out into the light of the Bright Circle. He smiled as he thought himself to have been lucky to once again be the first one up before his siblings had a chance to open their eyes.
"Morning, Mama," the kid whispered once he noticed the warm presence of his mother standing beside him.
"Good morning, Petrie," she replied softly, "Did you have a good night's sleep?"
"Me sure did," said Petrie happily before he looked back to make sure his siblings were still asleep, "Me can't wait to see Ducky."
Mama Flyer chuckled, "Alright, then. I'll be right back with some tree stars."
Petrie watched as his mother opened her wings and soared into the valley grounds below to find some breakfast. While he waited, he decided to sit down and adore the gorgeous views of the valley, from the rivers and forests to the mountains. Of course, though, just about every second he could only think about Ducky, and another happy thought crossed his mind. He still couldn't contain his excitement that his mother had accepted their secret relationship, and he couldn't wait to share the news with his beloved Ducky.
A moment later, Mama Flyer returned with several tree stars in her beak, and Petrie delightfully took one of them just as she was setting them down for the rest of the Flyer children to eat once they awakened. The instant he began nibbling on his breakfast, his taste buds were soothed to the delightful taste of those ever-so-delicious green stars.
"I assume you're going to head over to the Swimmer family's nest?" guessed Mama Flyer.
"Me guess so," agreed Petrie, "Me would love to surprise her again."
"Surprise her?" chuckled Mama Flyer.
"Yesterday, me arrive at Swimmer family nest so early, and she very surprised to see me," smiled Petrie, "Ducky mom and dad think it adorable."
Mama Flyer giggled as she found the description to be so cute.
"You really know how to be a sneaky one, don't you?" laughed Mama Flyer, "No wonder we've often had to worry about you when you go on those adventures of yours."
"Me guess so," blushed Petrie, "And me no can wait to do it again."
Just then, Mama Flyer looked to her right and found a very familiar sight standing just a few yards away, down the hilly pathway that led from the grassy valley floor all the way to the ledge.
"I think that today it was meant to be the other way around, Petrie," Mama Flyer chuckled.
Petrie was still nibbling on his tree star when he heard that, and he grew very confused.
"What you mean?" he asked with a dumbstruck look on his face.
"Look who's here," giggled Mama Flyer.
Upon hearing that, Petrie stood up with his tree star in his hands, and he was very surprised to see who was standing on the rocky pathway …
It was Ducky.
The Flyer couldn't help but smile when he noticed that the Swimmer was smiling adorably and her eyes glistened beautifully underneath the light of the Bright Circle, especially with her eyebrows adding to the beauty of her appearance.
"Surprise!" she said.
Petrie blushed and giggled happily as he heard that word. It seemed that Ducky had been inspired to surprise him in the same way he had done to her the day before.
"Hehe! Hi, Ducky," giggled Petrie.
"Hi, Petrie!" Ducky called back.
Then, the Swimmer noticed that her boyfriend had a partially-eaten tree star in his hands, and that his mother was there.
"Good morning, Ducky," called Mama Flyer.
"Good morning, Ms. Flyer," responded Ducky nervously.
"It okay," Petrie assured her, "You can come up. Others still asleep."
Ducky was surprised to hear that, but she felt happy to oblige. Without a moment's hesitation, she walked up the final hill and joined the two Flyers on the ledge in front of the cave. She briefly looked inside to see if the other Flyer children were still asleep, and, just as Petrie had said, they were all sleeping soundly. She sighed in relief.
"What a nice surprise," commented Mama Flyer.
"I had a little, … um, … inspiration," chuckled Ducky, making Petrie blush.
"So I heard," Mama Flyer responded.
"I am sorry if I came a little too early," said Ducky.
"That's okay, Ducky," reassured Mama Flyer, "It's nice whenever you visit here."
Ducky smiled just as Petrie finished his breakfast.
"That good tree star," he sighed in satisfaction.
"They sure are delicious," agreed Mama Flyer, "So, are you two going to go out and play with your friends?"
"Yep, yep, yep," answered Ducky.
"Okay, you two," chuckled Mama Flyer, "You both have a good time."
"We will, Mama," responded Petrie as he led his girlfriend down the rocky pathway.
"See you later, children," called Mama Flyer.
"See you later!" the two lovers called back before they disappeared into the lush valley below.
Mama Flyer smiled as she watched her son and his girlfriend cuddling each other excitedly as they walked their way down to the valley. She knew they would be in for some happy times together as long as they kept their relationship a secret from others.
Once the two kids had approached the river again, they looked at each other with smiles that indicated their love and desire for each other, and they wrapped an arm around each other's backs for warmth, making sure to look around to ensure that nobody else would catch them in the act.
Eventually, they found some bushes they could easily hide in, and Ducky playfully lifted Petrie off his feet and carried him inside the bush, closing the branches to conceal themselves inside. The Swimmer sat down and placed Petrie sitting in front of her, and they pressed their feet together.
"So, … did you tell your mama around us being … together?" whispered Ducky as her smile faded into a nervous expression.
"Me did," sighed Petrie.
"How did she take it?" asked Ducky nervously, "She may have looked-ed happy to see me when I came-ed over to pick you up, but that does not quite convince me. No, no, no."
"She nervous but happy," said Petrie.
Ducky perked up and looked at her boyfriend in complete astonishment. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"Your mama … is okay us being in love?" she gasped in a whisper.
"Uh-huh!" nodded Petrie with a smile.
Within an instant, the Flyer was rewarded with a bone-crushing hug from Ducky as she excitedly kissed his face all over. Petrie blushed and laughed uncontrollably for a few seconds before he regained his composure.
"That feel fun," he commented with a bubbly voice.
Ducky laughed as she eased her grip on Petrie but continued to hug him tightly.
"You tell your mama and daddy, too?" asked Petrie nervously.
"I did. I did," answered Ducky.
"What they say?" Petrie asked with hope in his eyes.
"They were not very happy at first, especially Daddy, but they eventually thought-ed it would be okay as long as we do not get caught-ed," said Ducky.
Petrie gulped worryingly.
"So, … you mean, … they-," he began before Ducky finished.
"My Mommy and Daddy are happy, too," she finished with a bright smile that took all of Petrie's fears away.
The Flyer's mouth was wide open in surprise as he gasped in excitement. Ducky put on the same expression as they simultaneously realized something that warmed their hearts tremendously. Both of their families had accepted their secret relationship, and this couldn't have felt happier a realization than it was.
"Yay!" Petrie shouted happily as he wrapped his wings around Ducky's neck and kissed her bill in such adorable ways, "Me feel so happy me can hardly contain excitement!"
Ducky laughed at Petrie's eccentric behavior and gently shushed him to make sure they had not been heard, and the duo kept each other in a tight hug while the Swimmer began to rhythmically hop on one foot to treat Petrie for some fun that was perfect for their age. This earned playful laughs from the Flyer as he felt himself being bounced up and down by her dancing.
"How is this for a way to relax, my Funny Flyer?" she giggled playfully.
"This feel so bouncy, me Sweet Swimmer!" chortled Petrie, earning more laughs from his girlfriend.
This went on for several minutes with Ducky switching feet from time to time, until she began to tire her legs out. Eventually, she had to stop with the hug-dancing so she and her boyfriend could get some air.
"That … really tiring," gasped Petrie as they broke off their long-lasting hug of excitement.
"It sure was fun, but my legs are worn out," panted Ducky.
"Let's get drink from river, Ducky," suggested Petrie.
"Good idea, Petrie," said Ducky.
The two kids peeked their heads out and looked to their left, and then to their right. Only a few grownup Swimmers and Threehorns appeared to be in sight, so they emerged from the bush, walking casually as if they were just there for their morning drink, and sat down on the riverbank and lowered their heads to suck some water into their mouths. In an instant, their mouths were cooled down by the coldness of the river's water, and they found it very pleasuring.
"This feels much better," sighed Ducky relaxingly.
"This water sure nice," agreed Petrie.
After a few more sips, the two brought their heads back up and tiptoed their way back into the bush. Once they were concealed, they looked into each other's eyes desirably.
"Did I ever tell you how cute your eyes are?" asked Ducky.
Petrie blushed and grinned widely.
"Me ever tell you how beautiful your face is?" he replied in a whisper.
Ducky's cheeks instantly turned red, and she smiled one of the most adorable smiles Petrie had seen on her.
"Me really know how to make you smile," the Flyer commented.
"Yep, yep, yep," agreed Ducky, "And I see I really know how to make you smile, too."
"Aww, Ducky!" smiled Petrie.
"C'mhere, ya!" said Ducky with some bubbly giggles, and she pulled the Flyer onto her lap and pleasantly kissed him on his beak.
Petrie smiled brightly in pleasure as he felt his girlfriend squeezing him in a tight hug and kissing him. There was really something about Ducky's hugs and kisses that made him feel so loved. This even seemed to pale in comparison to the hugs his mother would give him.
"You so loving," he sighed happily.
"I know you are, too," replied Ducky playfully.
Petrie could only blush even more, and he planted a kiss on Ducky's bill in response.
"There proof," he smiled.
"You are a funny one," giggled Ducky.
"Me love you, Ducky," the Flyer grinned.
"I love you, too, Petrie," the Swimmer replied.
The two looked at each other with their eyes half-closed as if they were seducing each other towards a passionate kiss, and they brought their mouths together and began sucking each other's faces. However, this was not to last …
Just as they were starting to lick each other's tongues, they were suddenly interrupted …
"Um, … e-excuse me," said a voice.
The two lovers quickly opened their eyes in horror and pulled their mouths away from each other, briefly screaming as if they had been startled. They were sure that they had just been caught red-handed, and surely it could mean big trouble.
However, when they opened the branches and looked outside their bush, they found that Littlefoot was the one whom had interrupted their kiss … again.
"Littlefoot!" they both shouted angrily as they started to feel rather irritated from his consistent interruptions.
"S-sorry, guys," the Longneck stuttered, looking around to make sure no one else was looking, "I'm very sorry for interrupting your little … moment, … but I thought I might tell you that our friends are waiting for you."
The Swimmer and Flyer continued to gasp as they tried to recover from their moment of panic. Although they felt relieved that it was Littlefoot whom had cut off their kissing moment and not anybody else, they still felt disappointed that they couldn't finish their pleasant kiss, and they began to feel very agitated having to have their private moments rushed consistently. They felt that this was something that would have to stop so that they could get more time to themselves … and more time to secretly engage in their smoochy love sessions.
"Me hope you no plan to disturb us like that very often!" said Petrie, shooting the Longneck a warning glare.
"That was kind of rude, Littlefoot," added Ducky a bit more calmly.
"I apologize for that," sighed Littlefoot, "I just wanted you to know that the others are waiting for you to join us. We've been looking for you all morning."
Ducky and Petrie looked at each other for a moment. Although all they really wanted was have another love day to themselves, they were beginning to miss playing with their friends after yesterday's rather smoochy day of rushed love-making sessions hiding in various bushes and tiny caves to avoid being seen by anyone.
"So, … you guys wanna come and join us?" offered Littlefoot.
"Well, … me guess me could do with a little fun with everyone," said Petrie hesitantly.
"Me, too," agreed Ducky, knowing that keeping up appearances could potentially keep their friends less suspicious about them, "We would be happy to play with you, Littlefoot."
Littlefoot chuckled, "Good! Meet us at our meeting place."
"Okay!" the two lovers replied as their Longneck friend ran off.
The duo took a moment to smile at each other for at least a little bit longer before they stood up and briefly kissed each other once more.
"Well, Petrie, we may not have gotten today all to ourselves, but at least we did get to do one of our own dances," chuckled Ducky.
"That one-foot hopping dance really make me feel bouncy when you hug me like that," giggled Petrie, "We should do that again sometime."
"We should, we should!" agreed Ducky.
"Wanna race to our meeting place, Ducky?" asked Petrie.
"You bet!" Ducky accepted.
"Last one there first to be tickled tonight once everyone go home!" teased Petrie with a laugh.
"Oh, it is on!" laughed Ducky playfully, and the two lovers leapt out of the bush and set off on their one-on-one race to meet up with the rest of the Gang.
Mama Flyer was soaring over the valley, admiring the view provided by being up in the sky. She had fed her children some tree stars for breakfast, and now she was keen on meeting up with a good friend of hers. Ever since she had learned about Petrie being in a relationship with Ducky, she wanted to meet up with Mama Swimmer, so they could "have a little discussion."
Before long, the cerulean blue Flyer found that she was not very far at all from the river, and she spotted the dinosaur she wanted to see, taking a drink.
Mama Swimmer could see the shadow of a Flyer approaching her as she drank from the river, and she looked up and noticed that Mama Flyer was soaring towards her.
"Ah, Ms. Flyer," she greeted her good friend.
"Hi, Mrs. Swimmer," Mama Flyer replied as she brought her feet to the ground, "Just the one I wanted to see."
Mama Swimmer could tell why, and she didn't hesitate to guess.
"So I assume you heard the news?" the Swimmer said.
"What news?" asked Mama Flyer, wanting to be sure of what this news was.
"About our kids?" added Mama Swimmer in a whisper.
"I have, yes," answered Mama Flyer, knowing immediately what her Swimmer friend was referring to, "Petrie came home last night and told me that she apparently has feelings for Ducky."
"Ducky informed my mate and I about the same thing when she came home," said Mama Swimmer, "She seems to have fallen for Petrie."
"Did she tell only you, or does your mate know as well?" asked Mama Flyer.
"He does. He initially lashed out at Ducky, but she brought him back to his senses after I think something might have snapped in her, and she compared him to, … I still don't have the courage to speak his name on a regular basis."
Mama Flyer gasped, knowing whom she was referring to. To think that any father could be compared to Rolf was quite a shock. It would be an understatement to say that any father didn't like being compared to him, particularly now that everyone in the valley had heard Ducky's tragic story of Judy.
"He eventually apologized and said he'd be okay with it, but I think he wants next to no involvement in helping them. He greatly fears the consequences if our kids are ever found out," finished Mama Swimmer.
"I'm dreading the consequences, too," sympathized Mama Flyer, "Whether they will effect just our children or our whole families, I'm not sure, but I'm with you in believing that we should help Petrie and Ducky with their love for each other whilst making sure that none of us get caught in the act."
"This really came as a shock to me," said Mama Swimmer, "I didn't have any idea that they would get this close."
"I've noticed for a while now that they have been very close to each other, and I guess they eventually reached the point where they seemed to have found their hearts' desires in one another," smiled Mama Flyer thoughtfully, before her smile faded from her beak, "However, I think they're just as nervous about being together as we are."
"I've noticed that, too," replied Mama Swimmer, "They're so tempt on spending time alone together, but the problem is there aren't that many places where they can do it without the worry about someone else seeing them."
"Exactly," nodded Mama Flyer, "Littlefoot somehow managed to find out, but other than that, they've managed to keep it safe from the others."
"It does make me feel a little nervous, too," sighed Mama Swimmer, "They're still too young to find a mate, seeing as they're still just little, playful children, and with many dinosaurs in this valley not being supportive of relationships between those of different kinds, … I think we have quite a sticky situation in our hands."
"That is, unless we're able to keep the details away from everybody else," said Mama Flyer, "I'm sure Littlefoot's grandparents would be okay with it, since they're very caring to all the children, … but others, I'm not sure."
"Mr. Threehorn would definitely forbid it. I'd say we keep this as far away from him as possible," shivered Mama Swimmer.
"Agreed," Mama Flyer instantly replied, "So, … I've been thinking that since your daughter and my son have started this new relationship, we should try to help them in some way."
"When I first fell in love with my mate, we would often venture off into some very special place that was filled with nothing but sheer beauty. To this day, I remember so much about it."
"My mate would get very picky when it came to finding the perfect place for us to enjoy ourselves in," Mama Flyer recalled sadly as she thought about her deceased mate whom Petrie never really got to know as a father.
"I wonder if there's someplace in the Great Valley that's just as beautiful as the one I remember from all those cold times ago," suggested Mama Swimmer.
"A place filled with beautiful tree stars or shiny stones?" Mama Flyer said thoughtfully.
"Exactly," smiled Mama Swimmer.
"A place filled with beautiful tree stars and shiny stones," said another voice, "Sounds like a dream place for anyone."
The Swimmer and Flyer exchanged worried glances and frantically looked behind them to find Tria taking a morning stroll with her daughter, Tricia.
Mama Flyer let out a fake cough and hesitantly replied, "Yeah."
"So, who's the lucky one?" asked Tria curiously.
Mama Flyer looked nervously at Mama Swimmer as she tried to think of a way to avoid having their precious children being found out. With Tria being Topps' mate, they didn't feel comfortable with her finding out, as it presented a severe risk of the most rigid dinosaur in the valley discovering Ducky and Petrie committing a serious crime.
"Oh, a friend of mine," Mama Swimmer suddenly said rather quickly.
"A friend?" said Tria with interest.
"A few Night Circle cycles ago, an old family friend told me that her daughter found a mate and happily enjoying her new life with him. They've been trying to find some beautiful place to peacefully enjoy their time alone," lied Mama Swimmer.
Mama Flyer was so astounded that Mama Swimmer could improvise such a detailed story so quickly. She couldn't have possibly managed that herself. It could be extremely useful if Ducky and Petrie ever became on the verge of being caught.
"Oh, well, next time you see her, tell her I'm wishing her good luck," winked Tria just as Tricia started jumping excitedly around the Swimmer and Flyer mothers.
"Hi there, Tricia," greeted Mama Flyer gently.
"How are you today, little one?" Mama Swimmer asked the baby Threehorn.
Tricia simply giggled excitedly as she ran circles around the two mothers.
"Tricia," called Tria, "Come on, dear. Let's go find some tree stars."
In an instant, Tricia went running back to her mother, and the two Threehorns continued on with their morning walk.
"Have a good day!" Tria called.
"You, too, Tria!" Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer replied in unison.
Once the Threehorns were gone, the Swimmer and Flyer sighed in relief.
"That was way too close," whispered Mama Flyer, "Amazing you could come up with such a convincing story so quickly."
"I've done that quite well in the past," chuckled Mama Swimmer.
"Anyways, do you know any place in the Great Valley that Petrie and Ducky might find enjoyable?" asked Mama Flyer.
"Not that I know of. However, I have thought of another way we could help them," answered Mama Swimmer.
"What might that be?" asked Mama Flyer.
"We could each take our kids someplace to find something they think the other might like. Think of it like this: You could take Petrie to find something he thinks Ducky might like, and I'll take Ducky to find something she believes Petrie might like," explained Mama Swimmer.
"Excellent plan," agreed Mama Flyer.
"Well, I'd better gather some lunch for my children," said Mama Swimmer.
"Me, too," Mama Flyer replied, "Well, thanks a lot for offering your help, Mrs. Swimmer."
"I'll be happy to help out, Ms. Flyer," grinned Mama Swimmer, and the two shook hands, "I'll see you later."
"See you later," replied Mama Flyer before she took to the skies again to find some lunch for her children.
Mama Swimmer watched Mama Flyer leave, and she thought intently about the idea she had just proposed. She was sure that finding some place to privately enjoy some loving time together just might be something Ducky and Petrie could do just fine themselves given their vast number of adventures but looking for something special to give the other just might be a bit of a challenge unless they got help. She smiled at herself as she seemed convinced that her idea of helping them find that "special something" could be just the thing that would bring those two loving kids closer together.
Eventually snapping back to reality, Mama Swimmer began picking off tree stars to feed her children for lunch, all the while thinking of her daughter and Petrie.
This chapter may not have had too much to offer, but Ducky and Petrie have come to the realization that their love for each other is being supported by their parents.
I initially was going to publish this chapter yesterday, but the winds were pretty harsh and I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. Also, coincidentally enough, today is Valentine's Day, so I guess it's fitting I posted a chapter on Valentine's Day! :P
From here, I will probably start posting chapters a little less frequently than before, in order to allow readers to catch up. I know that as of the time I'm posting this, a lot of you have probably fallen behind, and I want to allow you to keep track of my progress. Thus, chances are I'll probably shift to posting every three days instead of every two days. Still though, there's a long way to go, but I feel that this is progressing well so far, and I'm still willing to meet the March 31 deadline for the epilogue. Anyways, have a good day, and I'll see you over the weekend with chapter 7! :)
Oh, and happy Valentine's Day! :P