CHAPTER 12

Night Terrors

"ROAAAAARRRR!"

That dreadful, echoey sound of what could only be a Sharptooth jolted Petrie as he flew as fast as he could. He just knew he had to get away.

He looked down and saw that he was flying over what looked like the Great Valley, but any sense of peace had faded when he saw that many dinosaurs below were screaming in terror and running for their lives.

"Oh, no!" he gasped as a thought suddenly hit him, "Maybe Sharpteeth invade Great Valley again!"

He looked back, and his heart nearly stopped …

Two Sailback Sharpteeth were hot on their trails, roaring ferociously with hunger. Their feet stomped loudly with each step they took towards a potentially large meal.

Petrie could swear he recognized one of them from a terrifying sleep story he had during the Cold Time, but that was the farthest thing from his mind as he turned back around and kept on flying. Now was no time to slow down.

"PETRIE! OVER HERE!" he heard a voice screaming to him. He stopped in midair and searched for the voice.

Then, he found a rock with a small hole in it, and he gasped as he saw someone waving to him frantically.

It was Ducky.

"DUCKY!?"

"QUICK! IN HERE!" the Swimmer called to him.

Petrie gazed at the land-bound dinosaurs still running in panic, and he heard another vicious "ROAR" from the Sharpteeth. He knew there was no time to lose. The Flyer wasted no time diving his way straight towards the cave, closing his eyes to mentally prepare himself for a possible crash just before he was consumed by darkness …

Suddenly, everything was silent …

… and he felt no crash-landing.

Somehow, though, he felt his feet touching some form of rocky surface, but the ground was all he could see. Everything else around him was completely black. There was nobody to be seen anywhere. It was so eerily quiet that Petrie thought he was suddenly alone, but he could swear he saw Ducky gesturing him to come inside the cave, so why was it suddenly black and dead silent?

"AAAHHH!" Petrie heard a scream coming from some close distance, and he recognized the voice as Ducky's.

"DUCKY!? WHERE ARE YOU!?" Petrie called in panic.

Suddenly, he felt someone grabbing him, not one, or two, but four of whatever they were, pulling on him from all sides.

"ACK! Hey! Let me go!" he yelled as he tried to free himself from their grasp, but their grip was firm, and he couldn't even begin to squirm his way to freedom.

He suddenly felt himself being shoved to the ground, landing on his back, and a sudden blast of white penetrated the entire area. The Flyer closed his eyes tight and looked away to avoid being blinded by the sudden burst of light, and soon the light faded to the point that it was no longer hazardous for his eyesight. He opened his eyes and found himself in a dimly-lit cave, but when he looked around, he saw his four siblings sneering heartlessly at him.

Suddenly, he realized that he couldn't move his wings, and he looked down and saw, to his horror, that he had been bound by several tree stars covering him from shoulders to waist. He swung his legs up and down, but it was no use in getting him free.

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed one of his sisters, "Look who's the real flightless baby now!"

Petrie saw his siblings laughing rudely at him while they shot snob comments at him. He tried not to cry as he found himself reliving one of the many things his siblings would do to him during those miserable first five years of his life before the Earth Shake.

"Let me go!" he screamed in anger, "Me thought you finally stop doing this!"

"Oh, really!?" sneered his oldest brother, "Well, old habits never die."

"And why would we want to keep dealing with some wimpy, nest-wetting crybaby like you!?" hissed the oldest sister, spitting in his face.

"You stupid beakbrains! You no brothers and sisters of mine! Let me go right now!" shouted Petrie as he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why would we?" mocked the younger sister, "After all, don't you want to see your friend?"

Suddenly, another light shone down, and Petrie gasped when he noticed his precious, beloved Ducky, also being bound by tree stars in the same way he was. She was crying helplessly, swinging her legs in a futile attempt to escape.

"Ducky!" cried Petrie.

"Petrie!" wailed Ducky.

Petrie turned to his evil, heartless siblings.

"What you do to her!?" he screamed demandingly.

"Oh, don't you worry," chuckled the younger brother, "We just thought we'd make your last moment together excruciatingly memorable!"

"Last moment together!?" gasped Petrie, "What you talking about!?"

"ROAAAAAAARRRRRR!"

"Well, time to go!" proclaimed the oldest brother.

"Goodbye, worthless beakface!" said the oldest sister, kicking Petrie's beak hard.

"OW!" he cried in pain.

"Nest-wetter!"

"Crybaby!"

"Little, flightless Petrie!"

The insults from his early childhood spiraled around his head as his siblings left the scene, laughing and mocking him so heartlessly.

"ME HATE YOU! ME HATE YOU!" he wailed in unimaginable pain as the memories of his past began to consume his mind.

"Petrie!? Please do not cry! Do not listen to them!" panted Ducky.

"Well, it true now! Me flightless because they do this to me … AGAIN! Just like how they used to do when me still trying to learn how-"

"ROAAAAR!"

"CRASH!"

The cave shook violently like an Earth Shake. Rocks came down from the ceiling and crashed to the ground between the two bound children. They screamed to each other in desperation as tears flowed from their eyes.

"DUCKY!"

"PETRIE!"

Suddenly, the entrance to the cave was completely obliterated by the sudden arrival of a Sharptooth smashing its face against the cave. Petrie closed his eyes and turned his head away. He just couldn't look as he anticipated his doom.

"Yessssss!" he heard the Sharptooth hiss, "I have finally found you! Remember me!?"

Petrie dared himself to open his eyes and look up …

There was the same Sailback Sharptooth whom had terrorized him in that absolutely horrific sleep story he had during the cold time; the same one he had rescued Guido from; one of the Sharpteeth he most easily recognized from his past adventures.

"Y-y-yo-you!?" stammered Petrie.

"You really thought you could get away from me forever, did you!? After you denied me a nice meal of a Glider!? Well, guess what!? You killed my son!"

Petrie was horrified by that last sentence. He couldn't have possibly killed anyone …

Then, … he remembered encountering the Sailback in Black Rock and luring it into a death trap to save his own mother.

No! This just couldn't be! It just couldn't be true to have a particular Sharptooth suddenly have a personal vendetta against him and go out of his way for revenge.

"So, I killed your father, and you kill my son! Well, guess what!? You're gonna be the one paying for what you did to me, but first, I'll give you even more pain than how much you felt from losing your precious Daddy! I warned you I would kill everyone you know to make your life as miserable as possible before finally finishing you once and for all!" roared the Sharptooth mockingly, and his snout slowly turned to Ducky.

Petrie gasped in horror, "NO! YOU NO DO THIS! LEAVE DUCKY ALONE!"

"You first!" the Sharptooth roared at Ducky.

"NO, NO, NO! DO NOT EAT ME!" pleaded Ducky, but before Petrie could process the next thought, he saw the unthinkable happen before his very eyes …

The Sharptooth snapped his jaw at Ducky, and her voice was instantly reduced to silence. He brought his head back up, and the Swimmer was gone.

"NAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO! DUCKIEEEEEEEE!" Petrie wept as he watched his Sweet Swimmer get taken away from him, the love of his life, the one who loved him. His heart shattered into a million pieces as he wept in despair and hopelessness.

"And now, you're next!" growled the Sharptooth.

And an instant later, … Petrie felt the Sharptooth's breath blow violently around him, and then …

"CRUNCH!"

…

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Petrie screamed and jolted awake, his heart racing furiously as he yelled and wailed.

"Petrie!"

He nearly screamed again once he saw two blue objects shielding his entire body, but once he finally looked up, still panting and panicking, he realized that those blue objects were the wings of his mother.

"Petrie! It's alright! Calm down, dear! It's okay! Breathe, okay? Breathe. Calm down, Petrie. It's okay. Just relax," his mother spoke into his ear while he continued to take uncontrollably fast breaths and stammering cries.

Then, he heard a very unwelcoming sound …

… the sound of something splattering on the cave floor like a tiny waterfall.

The little Flyer gulped and blushed profusely, his face paled, and his heart nearly stopped …

He looked down and saw his worst nightmare coming true yet again. Urine was squirting out from between his legs and soaking a tree star on the cave floor underneath his mother's legs, which he noticed were apparently healing quite well. He shut his eyes and buried his face in his mother's chest, knowing the inevitable reactions would come in just a matter of seconds, yet he didn't want to face them.

Mama Flyer heard that not-so-pleasant sound, and she gasped softly and tightly hugged her son, knowing he had once again lost control of himself.

"Oh, Petrie. Not again," she said in a sad tone that indicated to him that she felt sorry for him.

Then, the inevitable …

"Eew!"

"Oh, great! Petrie's done it again!"

"Petrie! You, stinkbug!"

"I really hate you, Petrie!"

"EEW!"

"UGH!"

"Nest-wetter!"

"Crybaby!"

Petrie covered his face with his wings as he heard the complaints and insults being thrown at him yet again. This was just the same every time he wet the nest. His heartless siblings would always mock him and humiliate him to no end, and only his understanding and loving mother would be there to comfort him and shield him from this remorseless bullying and family abuse. Even though he had grown somewhat in the last few cold times, this had never changed, and he wondered when it ever would.

"So, what happened to the scaredy-egg now!?" hissed his oldest brother.

"Scaredy-wetty!" mocked the younger sister.

"SILENCE!" Mama Flyer screeched fiercely at her older children, and they all fell silent at once.

Soon, the sound of Petrie's urinating died down, and the foul stench filled the cave.

"AWW!"

"EEW!"

His siblings complained of the terrible smell billowing through their home. Petrie couldn't bear to hear it, and he once again hid himself in his mother's wings.

"Okay, children! That's enough!" shouted Mama Flyer, "I'm going to dispose of this leaf, and I'll be back right afterward. Surely, that'll take no time at all, but I'm warning you right now: if any one of you touch Petrie or try to kick him out of the nest like you did last time, it will not go unpunished! Oh, yes, I've got my eye on you children! You'd better behave yourselves!"

With that, the blue Flyer took the leaf that Petrie had urinated on and left the cave, shooting warning glares at her children before she walked outside and jumped off the ledge.

Once she was gone, so was the nasty smell, for the most part, but Petrie still had his legs drenched in his own urine, and even that was enough for his siblings to keep sniffing the air and still notice the horrible stench.

"Ugh! You really are disgusting, Petrie!" snorted his oldest sister.

"Leave me alone!" replied Petrie as he covered his crotch and legs with his wings.

"And how could we do that when you still smell like piss!?" countered his oldest brother.

"Maybe if you no piss me off, some of these sleep stories no happen!" Petrie fired back.

"Oh, really!?" said the younger sister, "Are you saying it's our fault you're having those stupid sleep stories?"

"Let me think! YES! Me never get over all those things you do to me when me no could fly!" cried Petrie, "Wrapping leaves around me so me no could move!? Pushing me out of the way and turning me upside down when Mommy try to give us dinner!? Me could think of so much more that you do to me, and you ever say you sorry? NO! You never say you sorry, even so much later! Not even after Great Day of Flyers! If you really wish me never hatch, then … just …"

He couldn't come up with a way to finish his sentence, and he let out a loud scream to express his unforgiving frustration towards his siblings whom had bullied and abused him before he had even learned how to talk … somewhat. He hated them with a passion, and he knew they probably hated him just as much. It seemed they would never be able to get along together. He couldn't wait for the day they would all grow up and find mates so that they could go their separate ways and he would never have to deal with them again.

Once he relaxed a little, he stared at his heartless siblings with a tearful glare. His quivering beak showed nothing but anger and hatred for them, whilst his eyes were shining with tears. They stared back at him, and he knew from the looks on their faces that they could clearly see the pain his face was expressing. However, he still saw no remorse or sorrow in their hearts.

"You no idea how it feel," he hissed, "How any of you like to be one who no could fly? How you like to fight Sharptooth and drown with him? How you like to be trying to get away from Sharp Beak and blind Belly Dragger? How you like to be trapped on island with Sharpteeth? How you like to be flying away from many Sharpteeth? How you like to hatch with some stupid mind problem like me like Mommy's aunts and uncles!?"

That last sentence made his brothers and sisters gasp in apparent disbelief. They looked at each other, appearing to be shocked from this sudden revelation.

"What are you talking about?" asked the younger sister, clearly not believing him.

"Oh! Me see how this is! Mommy never tell you! That how it is!?" grunted Petrie.

"Tell us what?" said the oldest brother.

"Mommy say his aunts and uncles had problems, and she tell me me hatched with same problems!" ranted Petrie, "That why me still talk like … whatever, … that why me scared of so much, and that why me almost never get to fly!"

"I don't get it," said the oldest sister.

"You never understand!" said Petrie, "You no idea how it feel, and you have no heart to try and understand me problems like Mommy do!"

At that moment, Mama Flyer returned, and none of the children spoke another word.

"Alright, children. Perhaps we can all try getting some more sleep if you're done exchanging harsh words?" she told them, making it apparent that she had heard at least most of their dreadful conversation.

It was only then that she sniffed the air and noticed that the smell hadn't quite disappeared just yet. She looked at Petrie and noticed him covering his crotch and legs with his wings, and she could tell immediately that there was still one more thing she had to do.

"Petrie? Could you come with me, please?" she told her youngest son gently.

Exchanging one last Cera-like snort with his siblings, Petrie stood up and walked his way outside, feeling rather happy about the prospect of getting away from them for at least a few minutes, if for any time at all.

"Follow me, dear," his mother spoke once they were on the ledge, and she jumped off and spread her wings on her way down, prompting Petrie to do the same.

The little Flyer hesitantly followed his mother as they slowly flew over the grassy plains that were bordered by a few other large rocks and forests.

He looked down and saw the nearby river flowing through the area that marked the neighborhood his family shared with a few other Flyer and Swimmer families, including Ducky and Spike's. He felt happy to be living in this neighborhood after that terrible storm destroyed his old nest and forced his family to find a new, safer home. It was this move that brought him closer to where Ducky lived, and the idea of them being close neighbors felt like one of the luckiest things that had ever happened to him. Having his Swimmer and Spiketail friends living only a few minutes away, just across the river, felt like a happy sleep story come true to him.

Soon, Petrie noticed his mother landing on the riverbank, and he nervously came down next to her. He looked at his mother and saw a gentle smile on her beak.

"Let's get you washed up, my little Petrie, then you can tell me what happened, okay?" she said kindly.

Petrie had never really enjoyed bathing, even whenever he wet himself in his sleep, but he knew he had to do it so that the nasty smell would disappear.

"Okay," he sighed in defeat, and his mother slowly lifted him by his sides and set him on her lap.

He watched as his mother grabbed a tree star and dipped it in a small mud puddle, then he stuttered nervously and shut his eyes as she began rubbing his crotch and legs with the mud. It was very typical of her to use mud to wash him on occasions like these, since mud was not only effective at washing urine off, but also helped protect from infection.

Soon, Petrie sighed in relaxation as the mud soaked him, but it didn't last long before his mother took another tree star and dipped it into the river to soak it, and she began rubbing the wet tree star all over him to rinse the mud off. He shivered as a cold sensation shot through his legs, but he knew he had to endure it until it was over. His mother would never allow him to break free in the middle of a bath.

He looked down and saw that all the mud was gone, and he sniffed the air and picked up no sign of that nasty smell of urine. The bath had done its job well.

"There you go, my little one," chuckled Mama Flyer, "You're all clean now."

Petrie sighed as he stared down at the glistening river. His night terror was still fresh on his mind, and he just couldn't seem to get it out.

"Now then, Petrie, what happened?" his mother asked calmly as she turned him to the side and wrapped a wing around his back.

Petrie quivered and took a few deep breaths to mentally prepare himself, and he told her everything that had happened in his terrible night terror; trying to escape the Sharpteeth, flying into a dark cave, his siblings luring him and Ducky into a trap and bounding them, and the Sharptooth from his previous night terror eating Ducky before turning on him.

"Aw, my poor little Petrie," gasped Mama Flyer once her son was finished, and she instinctively hugged him tightly as he began to cry again.

"Sharptooth eat me Sweet Swimmer!" wailed Petrie, "It so horrible! Why, why, WHY!?"

"Sssh! There, there, Petrie. It's okay, it's okay," his mother hushed him gently, "It wasn't real. There are no Sharpteeth coming after you, and Ducky is still alive and well."

"But what if it come true one day!?" wept Petrie, "Sharptooth who eat us was Sailback that look just like one in me night terror during cold time, and he look so much like one in Black Rock that try to eat us, only he much bigger! What if Sharptooth in Black Rock probably have mommy and daddy who find out it me who kill him and come after me!?"

Mama Flyer let out a deep sigh as she contemplated such a possibility. In her eyes, Chomper was the only Sharptooth he knew whom showed emotions, but those were friendly and kind ones. Then again, she thought it might be possible that some Sharpteeth could hold grudges against those who wanted territory … or against those who killed someone in their family.

"Listen, Petrie, even if such a possibility may not be out of the question, you must remember that we live in the Great Valley, where we are safe from Sharpteeth. The walls around the valley protect us from any outside threats, so you have nothing to worry about … unless you and your friends wander off without our permission again," she chuckled heartily.

"Mama," moaned a blushing Petrie.

"I know you've done a lot of brave things, but you keep us worried whenever you just disappear behind our backs," said Mama Flyer.

"Me know, Mama," sighed Petrie.

"I just want you to understand that I want you to be safe," said Mama Flyer, gently stroking her son's face.

"Me know! Okay!? Me know!" pouted Petrie, crossing his arms.

Mama Flyer sighed and let a snorty chuckle escape her beak.

"Hmm? You know what I like to do when you start showing me that attitude, Petrie?"

"Oops," murmured Petrie, realizing his mistake, and he looked up into his mother's eyes as she gave him a smirk, "M-me sorry, Mama."

"I know you are, my little Petrie," his mother smiled, "But just for good measure…"

With that, she wiggled the fingers of her free hand and slowly brought them closer to Petrie. The kid gulped nervously and tried to move, but the hand wrapped around his back had quite a firm grip.

"N-no! Please! Me say me sorry!" he said frantically, but it was no use.

Mama Flyer's hand reached Petrie, and she began tickling his chest with two fingers while using the other two to wiggle his toes.

"No! Mommeeheeheeheehee!" laughed Petrie, "Nohohohohoho! Hehehehehehehehahahaha!"

"I just need to see you smile so I know you're really sorry, my little baby!" giggled Mama Flyer playfully, refusing to stop the tickle torture.

"Pleeheeheeheehease!" begged Petrie as saliva began drooling from his beak from his bubbly laughter, "Mmmhmmhmmhmmkeeheeheeheeheeheeheehehehehehehahahaha!"

"Say 'uncle'!" his mother teased.

"Unclehehehehehehehehehle!" Petrie laughed, and his mother promptly stopped and allowed him to breathe until he was stable again.

"Okay, my sweet little one," she smiled, "Are you really sorry?"

"Yes!" panted Petrie, "Please! No more! Me sorry, Mama!"

"Alright, Petrie," replied Mama Flyer, "That's my boy."

With those words, she lifted her son and pulled him in for a tight, warm hug, and he responded by wrapping his arms around her neck. They nuzzled each other's faces and sighed happily, enjoying their warm embrace.

"I love you, my special little Petrie," whispered Mama Flyer, and she kissed her son's head crest.

Petrie blushed from slight embarrassment and replied, "Me love you, too, Mama."

"Petrie?" said another voice.

Petrie instantly recognized that voice. He recognized it anywhere.

He turned around, and he saw just the dinosaur he would have loved to see at a time like this, standing with her feet in the river …

"DUCKY!" he squealed.

Mama Flyer placed her son back on his feet and gave him a gentle push on the back, and he dipped his feet into the river and ran right up to Ducky before hugging her tightly.

"Oh, Ducky! Me so glad to see you! Me thought you gone!" he cried as a fresh stream of tears flowed down his face.

"Me, too, Petrie," sniffled Ducky, "I thought-ed you were gone, too."

The two looked at each other with a sudden realization spiraling into their heads.

"You mean, … you have bad sleep story, too?" gasped Petrie.

"I did, I did. Yes, yes, yes," nodded Ducky.

"Oh, my," gasped Mama Flyer.

"It was quite bad," came Mama Swimmer's voice as she seemed to appear so suddenly to Petrie, "In fact, … it was so bad that, … well, … I'm sure you could probably guess."

Petrie was stunned. Could it just so happen to be that Ducky wet herself after having a frightening sleep story of her own just like he did? This was such a terrible coincidence. It just seemed so wrong.

As Ducky realized just where they were, she guessed just why Petrie was here, too. After he had told her that he had a bad sleep story just as she did, she quickly deduced that he had wet himself from fright as well.

As they simultaneously realized their coincidence, they blushed and quivered. Tonight seemed to have been a bad night for both of them. They had both wet themselves after some frightening night terrors, and even if one could try to comfort the other, how could it happen when it happened to both at the same time? Perhaps the only comfort they could feel was that one could confide in the other and not feel bad because the other had had an accident that was just as bad.

"W-what happen?" asked Petrie nervously.

Ducky gulped and panted a little. She desperately wanted to get this night terror out of her mind, but it was just too fresh. However, she knew Petrie had the right to know just what brought her to where they were now.

"Well, … it started-ed out with me walking through the valley, … and then suddenly I heard-ed you cry for help. The wind started-ed blowing you around again. I chased-ed after you, but the wind blowed you away before I could catch up. Then, I stopped-ed and saw … my old friend, Judy, … and her mother, Nitha. Nitha had caught-ed you with her hand and set you back down, and we hugged-ed and I thanked-ed them for saving you. Judy told-ed me that she was happy that I was moving on with my life, and so did Nitha, … but then …"

Ducky paused and looked away. She cringed as she remembered what happened next, and she almost couldn't tell Petrie just what it was.

"Then what?" asked Petrie, giving her a worried look.

"I heard-ed a Sharptooth … nearby, … and … we ran for our lives," she continued as the tears began to come down like waterfalls, accompanied by heavy sniffles, "We ran and we ran. We ran into a cave, and when we ran out the other side, the Bright Circle had suddenly lowered-ed to the west like it was evening, and I looked-ed down and saw … that river."

Petrie gasped in horror.

"OH! Not that river me fall in with Sharptooth! Please not that!" he cringed.

"It was!" said Ducky regretfully, "We tried-ed to find a way to get across, … but the Sharptooth caught-ed up with us too quickly. We ducked-ed to stay away from his mouth, … but then I heard-ed you screaming."

"NO WAY!" screamed Petrie in complete horror.

"He did!" cried Ducky, "It was Sharptooth himself, … and he falled into the river and took-ed you with him all over again! I cried-ed out to you, but you never answered-ed, so Judy jumped-ed down to try and save you, … but then I saw … blood, … and I saw … you and Judy's … bodies."

Petrie let out a gasp of unimaginable fright.

"Nitha cried-ed for her daughter, … and I cried-ed for you!" wailed Ducky, "Then, all of a sudden, the cliff crumbled beneath our feet and we falled in, too! Sharptooth came back up and I tried-ed to swim away, but he caught-ed me by the tail … and …"

Finally, the Swimmer loosened her grip on Petrie and collapsed, wailing like a baby.

"Oh, my goodness!" gasped Mama Flyer, just as horrified as her son was.

"OH, PETRIE!" screamed Ducky unbearably, "Please do not ever leave me!"

Before Petrie could respond, the Swimmer got back up and hugged him tightly, knocking him down. The Flyer was greatly shocked by this and panted as he stared at Ducky's weeping face.

"Oh, Petrie!" Ducky cried again, "I was so scared-ed for you when you were lost in Black Rock, and I cannot bear spending another day without you! Please do not ever leave me again, Petrie! PLEASE!"

Petrie cringed and quivered as his girlfriend held him and cried. He was rather frightened by this gesture, but he understood why she was behaving this way. He felt quite the same about missing her while he was trapped in the middle of nowhere, and he honestly felt as though he couldn't spend another day without her, either.

"Me no can bear being without you, either, Ducky," he sniffled as he helped her up into a sitting position and returned the hug.

Once she settled down, Petrie told Ducky what had happened in his sleep story, and she was just as shocked as he was, particularly after hearing about the Sailback Sharptooth eating them both.

"Oh, my!" gasped Ducky.

"It so terrible! Me thought you gone forever!" wept Petrie, "Me felt so lonely without you while me in Black Rock, and me wish you there to hug me! OH, PLEASE, DUCKY! Hug me! Love me! Please no ever leave me, either!"

Ducky promptly hugged Petrie so tightly that he almost couldn't breathe, and he hugged her back. The two wept loudly together and soaked each other with their tears. They understood each other's pain perfectly well. One just couldn't bear being without the other. They could never stand being separated by anything that tried to stand in their way or tear them apart. Their love for each other was suddenly so strong that they never wanted to be apart. They just wanted to hug each other until they made their trip to the Great Beyond together.

Their mothers watched the scene with their hearts beating at a quick pace. They sniffled as they tried their best not to cry while their children cried babyishly and snuggled inseparably. It broke their hearts to watch them struggling like this.

Mama Swimmer was able to fight off her tears quickly, and she got into the river and sat down right behind her daughter. Mama Flyer did the same once she composed herself, and together they began nuzzling their children.

"Sssh," they both soothed.

"Settle down, kids," Mama Swimmer whispered in the kids' ears.

"Sssh. Calm down. Take a deep breath, okay?" Mama Flyer spoke soothingly.

As Ducky and Petrie felt their mothers rubbing them affectionately, their crying died down to sniffles and hiccups, and they began gasping for air.

"Sssh. There, there, children. Please don't cry," said Mama Swimmer, her voice making it sound clear that she was still trying to hold back tears, "The night terrors are over. You're safe, and you're together again. Nothing is going to happen. We're all safe in our Great Valley. You're both going to be just fine."

Ducky and Petrie refused to let go of each other. They kept hugging each other very tightly and kept their faces close together as they continued to share their tears.

"There, there," soothed Mama Flyer, "That's a good couple of kids. Just relax and settle down. Everything's okay."

Finally, the children opened their eyes and stared each other's tear-stained faces and quivering mouths. They sniffled, hiccupped and sobbed quietly as they steadily calmed down. They knew their mothers were right. The Great Valley truly was a safe place for them, and as long as there were no more breaching incidents, then they would surely never see a Sharptooth try to break into the valley again. They would stay together through thick and thin until the end. They were determined never to be separated again. They would stay together … forever.

"Good kids," smiled Mama Swimmer, "That's much better."

"Are you okay now, children?" asked Mama Flyer.

"Yes," the two kids muttered, refusing to take their eyes off each other.

Ducky slowly began to pull Petrie closer, and she opened her mouth to gesture him to do what she wanted him to do. Petrie knew exactly what it was and brought his beak into Ducky's bill. They tightened their hug again and began making babyish sounds with their mouths as they kissed. Petrie's beak opened slightly and let Ducky's tongue in, and they brought their tongues together and began sucking each other's mouths, exchanging saliva each time. They moaned and kept sucking each other, making babyish sucking sounds like a couple of newborn hatchlings. They closed their eyes and let their kiss soothe them into a gentle, sleep-like trance that brought them some smiles. Petrie's hidden beak was pleasantly coated in saliva, and he enjoyed every warm splash.

Their mothers couldn't help but giggle a little as they listened to their sucking sounds that reminded each of them of when their kids were just cute, little innocent babies. It was such a heartwarming thing for them to listen to. It seemed to be just the medicine to calm the kids down and drive away the fears of being separated by such a great distance. As long as they were assured that nothing was going to break them apart, they would be happy with the assurance that they would be together forever and always.

"Kids?" whispered Mama Swimmer in the softest possible tone.

Ducky and Petrie slowly opened their eyes, smiling pleasurably and dreamily with their sparkling, wet eyes, and they pulled their faces away from each other with a very soft, "Mwuah." They giggled cutely and nuzzled each other's faces.

"Are you okay now, kids?" asked Mama Flyer warmly.

After being unable to break eye contact with each other for what felt like a whole Night Circle cycle, the two kids exchanged smiles with their respective mothers and answered, "Yes."

"Good," chuckled Mama Swimmer.

"Sleep stories will be scary sometimes, but you know deep down that the scary ones are not really going to come true," assured Mama Flyer.

"The Longnecks may have had foretelling sleep stories, but we Swimmers and Flyers have never really experienced them," explained Mama Swimmer, "There is nothing to be scared of as long as we're safe here in the Great Valley."

"She's right," nodded Mama Flyer.

"Me hope so," said Petrie nervously.

"Me, too. Yep, yep, yep," agreed Ducky.

"Okay, kids. I know you're not going to like this, … but we have to go home and get some more sleep," said Mama Swimmer.

Ducky and Petrie instantly felt their hearts dampen upon hearing that. They knew it would come, but they weren't ready to face more potentially frightening night terrors.

"We promise you'll get plenty of time together tomorrow once the Bright Circle comes up, okay?" said Mama Flyer.

With sighs of dread, Ducky and Petrie looked at each other, then at their mothers.

"Okay," they groaned together, and they finally broke apart after hugging for so long.

"Children need lots of sleep, you know," Mama Swimmer reminded them.

"We know," the downcast kids responded.

"Come along now," said Mama Flyer, "It's time to go home."

"One second," replied Petrie, and he held Ducky by the shoulders, "Me love you, Ducky, and me promise me never leave you again."

He finished with a kiss on her cheek, and the Swimmer hugged him once more.

"I love you, too, Petrie, and I promise to never ever leave you, either. I do, I do," she said, and she kissed his beak in return.

"That's very sweet of you two," remarked Mama Swimmer as a single tear escaped from her eye, "Come along now, Ducky. Goodnight, Petrie. Goodnight, Ms. Flyer."

"Goodnight, Ducky Mom," replied Petrie.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Swimmer. Goodnight, Ducky," said Mama Flyer, "Let's go, Petrie."

"Goodnight, Ms. Flyer," said Ducky.

The two kids looked at each other one more time with nervous chuckles.

"Goodnight, Petrie."

"Goodnight, Ducky."

With those last few words, they finally let go of each other's hands and reluctantly broke away. They maintained eye contact as they took backwards steps until their feet were out of the river. Finally, Ducky turned away to follow her mother back home, and Petrie lifted himself into the sky to follow his mother back to their cave.

Ducky and Petrie both dreaded more night terrors once they each got back to their homes, but they knew at heart that they would be safe in the Great Valley and always get to be together each and every day as long as they got to have a home in their precious valley.

"Where is he!?" he growled to himself as he kept his eyes turning from one side to the other, scanning the dark rocks around him, his sniffer desperately trying to pick up the scent of the one and only dinosaur he was concerned about …

"We'll find him, … eventually," his mate roared beside him, appearing to be just as frantic as he was.

The two Sailbacks searched everywhere. Their son had not returned home that evening after he had gone hunting for food. He had claimed he was going to the trenches under Black Rock to try and find any leafeaters that may have so freely wandered into their mist. Any Sharptooth in the area couldn't possibly deny such a possibility for food to foolishly come crawling its way in.

"Wait a minute!" the female suddenly cried, and she sniffed the air and thought she could smell something that was all so familiar. She looked ahead and turned her head up towards the sky.

There stood Black Rock itself, right over their heads, standing tall and proudly dominating the entire landscape.

"He probably got lost in there," growled the male, and he began sniffing at the mountain to pick up any possible signs that their one and only son was still inside, surely trying to find his way out.

"Can you smell him?" his mate asked him.

"Damnit! NO!" he furiously fired back and tried sniffing again. He hated any such interruptions at a time like this when their child's life was surely at stake. His fate was in their hands, and they would bring him back home safely, no matter what stood in their way.

The female slapped her own face in frustration and kept watching hopelessly as her mate sniffed at the mountain. It seemed to be getting them nowhere. What were the odds of finding their son in such a place like this?

"He's not here, okay!?" she growled at him in annoyance, "Let's just go back and try-"

"WAIT!" his mate suddenly screeched, "I smell something!"

"You've said the same thi-"

"QUIET!"

She didn't dare make another sound and waited rather impatiently for him to make any confirmation of what his sniffer had picked up.

"He's in there!" he yelled, "He must be trapped inside! I'm going in!"

Her mate gasped as he walked back and scraped his feet against the ground. He determinedly gazed at where he was aiming for and licked his lips to prepare himself.

"Stand back, dear," he hissed to his mate, and she stood clear of his path.

Then, with one loud roar, he charged at the mountain at top speed and smashed his face against the rocks.

Rocks came crashing to the ground as the wall completely collapsed. The Sailback stepped backwards to avoid having his head being smacked by any falling rocks and waited until the sound of the rockslide ceased.

"Cover me," he instructed his mate, "You never know with all those other cursed Sharpteeth!"

As he slowly began to make his way inside, his mate followed closely. The smell of their son's scent became much stronger. They knew they were much closer to finding him. Soon, they would bring him back home safely and question why he had come back so-

"ROAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!"

The female tensed at her mate's sudden cry and ran next to him.

"What is it!?" she asked.

He was looking down with his jaw wide open. His expression showed pure shock and horror. He was breathing so quickly that he was on the verge of fainting.

She looked down and let out a loud gasp of disbelief …

There was their son, lying on the ground, … but it just couldn't be their son. It just couldn't be …

He was lying on his side, completely still, partially submerged in a pool of blood. Dozens of stone teeth had penetrated through his body and left countless wounds. Blood from the wounds stained his whole body. The blood on the ground could only be … his own.

The smell of decay hung in the air, a smell that told them they were too late. Their son was dead. Their only child was gone, having been taken away from them by someone whom was so cowardly enough to kill him.

"Who could have possibly done this to our son!?" the mother roared, panting, while her mate let out a screeching roar of disbelief.

"I'm sure as going to find out just what kind of bastard took our son away from us!" screamed the father.

Before long, his sniffer picked up a different scent, one he could swear he had smelled once before.

"Wait a minute!" he growled, "I smell something else!"

"What is it?" his mate asked him.

"I could swear I smelled that scent once before," he pondered, and he looked towards the partially-crumbled tunnel and spotted what looked like a few very tiny footprints.

"Flyer footprints," the mother hissed, "Some Sharpbeak thought it'd be fun to draw our son into a death trap!"

"No!" her mate fired back, "Look at the size of those footprints! No adult Flyer makes footprints that small! This was a child! A child Flyer! Some stupid child stumbled his way in and killed our son!"

"But how could a child kill him!?" the mother argued.

"Look how the tunnel leads straight to here!" the father countered, "It leads straight down to these stone teeth! Don't you see? Our son was chasing the Flyer, and the child thought it could cleverly lure him into this pit! It was a death trap!"

"So, you mean to say that some damn Flyer child led our son into a trap and got away scot-free!?" gasped the mother.

"It sure seems that way to me! The evidence is right here!" retorted the father.

The mother took a glance at the footprints herself, and she saw them leading through the tunnel that led to nothing but darkness. Somehow, though, she sniffed at the Flyer scent and managed to come up with some strange conclusion …

"Something tells me that the Flyer is nowhere near here," she growled, "The scent seems to lead through the mountain."

"Maybe it stumbled back through the mountain and flew out the other side," snarled the father.

"I'm going to try and pick up that scent from the other side and figure out where it leads to," roared the mother, and she stepped her way back outside and climbed up some steep, rocky hills, frantically trying to pick up that cursed child's scent again. She stumbled a few times as the rocks slid down and rock piles collapsed, but she refused to let that take her down. She would find that scent. She would track down that Flyer whom had killed her son. She wanted to know just where it ended up.

Eventually, she found herself at the other side of the mountain and saw a cloud of mist ahead. She sniffed the air again, and the Flyer scent returned. It came from way up high, as she had anticipated, given the nature of Flyers, and it seemed to leave a trail that stretched to the north of their location.

"Have you picked up the scent?" her mate growled behind her rather suddenly, and she nearly jolted from the momentary shock.

"Well, no thanks for that interruption!" she roared sarcastically, "Yes, I picked up the scent! It's coming from the north. The Flyer clearly managed to fly its way out of Black Rock and escape north."

"Hmm," the male pondered, "I'm telling you, I could swear I once encountered a child Flyer that apparently came from the north of here. I once tried to make a meal of a Glider, but that little Flyer flew in and saved it before I could take a bite. Oh, if I had only known this could be the same Flyer whom has just murdered our son!"

"Flyers just never leave us alone!" hissed the female, glaring at the sky with contempt etched on her face.

"He seemed to look a lot like another Flyer I once ate so far away from here," the male recalled, "Only it was an adult. I swear, when I glimpsed at that child, I sensed some … strange … familial resemblance."

"Well, if that child was daring enough to kill our son, then we'll show him just how painful it really is to lose someone in the family," the female roared, clenching her teeth.

"I'm going to find that Flyer, and I'm going to give him what he deserves!" the male growled determinedly.

"I'll go with you," his mate replied, "I won't let you go through this alone! He was your son just as much as he was mine! There's no point in staying here when we've got no children to look after!"

The male Sailback contemplated for a moment. Would it really be right to drag her along into this mess? If that Flyer was anywhere, where could they possibly start? Would she be able to keep up if their search could last for days?

On the other side, he knew she was just as devastated as he was for the loss of the only child they ever had. If there was no hope of continuing the family bloodline, then they, together, could show that they would not go down without a fight if that killer had any allies whom would try to protect it by any means. They could bring that Flyer down once and for all, and show that sickening Red Claw that they would not surrender their territory so easily.

"Alright, … but don't you be thinking that I'll be tolerating you not keeping up with me," he hissed with a warning glare.

"Oh, I'll be keeping up with you, alright!" she retorted, "I want revenge just as much as you do! We're in this together! We will avenge our son!"

"Fine!" he roared, "Only the Bright Circle knows where that damn Flyer is! We'll keep following the scent until we find out just where it leads! We could be searching for days, but we won't stop until we find that little brat!"

Hissing viciously, the two Sailback Sharpteeth began their slow journey north, as the Flyer scent led them straight into a maze of misty trenches. They would not rest until they found that stupid Flyer whom had taken a precious part of their family away from them.

Just because scary sleep stories seem real, doesn't mean they will come true ...

... or will they?

Yes, go ahead and call me evil for this! No one is blind to emotions, and I'm afraid in this case the same applies to Sharpteeth.

So, to those of you who experienced the old version and don't recognize this, this chapter was never on the old version. This is entirely new material made for this version. I wanted to apply some sort of post-trauma for what had happened in the previous chapter; Petrie for his unexpected trip to Black Rock, and Ducky for having to endure being separated from Petrie and continuously worry about him, wondering if he was dead or alive. There are, of course, plenty of references to my previous stories, which I guess can help establish what the two have already been through right up to this moment, from Petrie's siblings' history of bullying him, to Ducky still missing her once close friend. Again, if any of you haven't read those other stories, then I greatly suggest reading those first in order to gain a better understanding of my continuity.

On top of it all, though, Petrie is dreading the possibility that his nightmares may come true. I'm afraid to say that he may be right, even if he has no idea that those night terrors have just come a little closer to becoming so real. By luring that Sailback into that trap in Black Rock, Petrie has unknowingly marked himself for death. The Sailback's parents are out for revenge, and this could lead to a major confrontation later in the story... No spoilers! :P

Well, I'm gonna have to come up with quite an effective strategy with the next chapter. There's still quite some ways to go with only about a month left, and I want to beat that deadline! Have a good day, and until the next chapter, peace.