Ch.7: The Power of a Curse
Anger and concern could be felt going through all of the dinosuar's bones after Sierra and Rinkus's brisk escape. Their minds trembled with troubled thoughts at what kind of danger Nia could be in.
"We have to save her!" said Cera.
"But where do we look?" asked Ducky.
"Where would Rinkus and Sierra take her?" asked Littlefoot, looking towards Pterano.
"I don't know" answered Pterano " but it must be someplace obivious to lead me into a trap,"
"Maybe where Stone of Cold Fire land," stated Petrie.
"Petrie that's brilliant!" said Littlefoot " Three Horn Peak! That's where we left those two last time, they had to bring Nia there! Come on!"
"Hold on a second!" said Cera, running up to stop Littlefoot " have you forgotten that Three Horn Peak is volcanic! If this is a trap, those two goons won't wait for us to get burned,"
"Cera's right" said Pterano, dragging the little ones attentions towards him " that is why I will go alone. You five have to keep an eye on my sister's nest. Rinkus and Sierra both know that I have a family. They wouldn't hesistate to attack her next,"
"But Uncle" said Petrie, looking concerned " you need us,"
"Right now Petrie" said Pterano, looking straight into the young one's eyes " your mother needs you more. Rinkus and Sierra are my responsibility. It is time for me to face the misdeeds I had once become,"
Stirred by his speech, Littlefoot and the others reluctantly agreed to Pterano's terms, and walked away to protect Petrie's family nest. Once they were out of sight, Pterano faced the direction where Rinkus and Sierra had fled, and pumped his wings towards Three Horn Peak.
Begging in his mind, that Nia would still be alive when he got there.
Meanwhile, just exiting the forest where he had found Syndra, near the edge of the Valley, Guido felt a bizaare mixture of excitement and relief. Relief for finally being out of the forest, and excited of what Syndra would tell him once the quest was complete.
The dinosaur had just barely went a few feet, when something suddenly caught Guido's eye. Petrie's Uncle Pterano could seen flying overhead, soaring to the mountains beyond the border.
"Where's he going?" thought Guido, as watched Pterano fly past " I'd better check this out,"
Running over to a nearby tree, Guido quickly scaled up its massive trunk, and jumped off, letting the soft thermals catch beneath his wings.
Using his feathers to steer his glide, Guido followed after Pterano, little knowing of the terrifying confrontation about to befall.
Pterano's eyes were filled with anger and worry as he flew towards the shattered remains of Three Horn Peak, little knowing of the tail trailing along behind him. His mind only on Nia, and the great danger she was in.
Three Horn Peak looked even more menacing thanks to the volcanic paint job it had received during its last eruption. Covered peak to base in black, hardened magma, the daunting mountain stood like an evil sentry guarding the gates to hell.
Finding a decent opening, Pterano folded his wings and slipped inside the mountain. Guido did not follow the large dinosaur inside. Instead, he chose to stay and watch through the hole Pterano had traveled through.
The heat was obvious to Pterano the moment he landed. Fire pools were spread all about, and tiny, steaming fissures could be seen cracked all throughout the floor.
Pterano's eyes had barely adjusted to the dark interior of the mountain when suddenly his eyes spotted a helpless Nia, laying pinned on a rock in the largest fire pool, her wings held down with stones.
Enraged at her condition, Pterano instantly charged to save Nia from her bonds, only to be ambushed on both sides, from a relentless Sierra and Rinkus.
"You want her?" laughed Rinkus " you have to go through us!"
"We've waited a long time for this Pterano," said Sierra.
And with that statement, both flyers charged. Nia and Guido's eyes widened in shock as they saw the two foes slice after Pterano.
Managing to dodge their attacks this time, Pterano leapt in the air and took wing, and ended up taking a back blow from Sierra's claw as the vicious flyer zoomed back around.
"He's the same flyer that attacked me," Guido thought in horror " Petrie's uncle is doing a lot better against him than I was,"
Rinkus suddenly swooped in to stab at Pterano.
"Of course" thought Guido, cringing as he heard Pterano scream " when I was attacked, this Sierra guy didn't have a partner. I have to help Pterano get out of this,"
Spying a large chunk of rock, Guido got an idea.
As Sierra swooped in to take another slice at Pterano, the brown dinosuar was completely unaware of the large rock zooming towards his head. With a thunk, Guido's rock made contact, soon shooting the flyer's angry gaze right to the source of the throw.
"Hey!" said Guido, grinning at Sierra " Up here big guy!'
"The little bodyguard!" growled Sierra, and thrusted his wings to charge towards Guido.
Letting out a scream, Guido instantly turned and ran from the vicious flyer, gliding towards what he hoped was a safer place.
"What was I thinking?!"
Inside the mountian, Pterano was still having trouble facing off with Rinkus. Even though the pink flyer didn't have Sierra to help him anymore, the previous wounds Pterano had suffered from both of the flyers claws were starting to take their toll. And Rinkus was more than happy to take advantage of that factor.
From her prision in the lava pool, Nia watched helplessly as her silent eyes witnessed her adopted dad suffer at the fate of another's talons. She desperately wished that she could get up and help Pterano in his fight, but her wings were still pinned to the ground.
"Rah!" cried Pterano, as he was suddenly struck with a divebomb strike and fell to the ground.
"No!" Nia cried in her mind.
"Hahaha!" laughed Rinkus, settling next to Pterano, raising a single claw above the flyer's head " Now it's time to end our little game,"
"You!" Nia cried in her mind, her eyes burning with flames " Monster!"
Outside the peak, Sierra had just cornered Guido againist a cliffside ridge when all of the sudden a bright, red light decided to illuminate the sky.
"What the...?" said both Sierra and Guido, confused.
The light faded as quickly as it appeared, and though nothing seemed to have changed with the landscape, both flyers were instantly worried for their friends.
"Rinkus!" shouted Sierra.
"Pterano! Nia!" yelled Guido
But there was no sign of either of them. Pterano and everyone else was gone.
Meanwhile, over in the Mysterious Beyond, Red Claw awoke instantly from his deep slumber, amazed at the vibration he felt just pass through the ground.
"Master" he asked " Did you feel that?"
"Yes" whispered the voice of the Ultimate Sharptooth " the Savoir has been reborn. But her power is weak. She'll no threat at all once the time comes,"
"Shouldn't we make sure?" asked Red Claw, turning towards the statue " we can't have her ruining our plans again,"
"Poor, naive Red Claw" said the Ultimate Sharptooth " our own Syndra has found a way to rememdy that situation. Be patient, and save your strentgh. In less than two moons the seal will break, and I'll have all dinosuars of the Great Valley bowing to my claws,"
