On the Doorstep of Disaster
For a seemingly endless amount of time, the world around the young flyer seemed to be but one white prison with an impenetrable wall isolating him from his surroundings. To make matters worse, the cries of pain and death made him feel more miserable than in a long. long time, knowing that there was a chance he'd never meet his beloved uncle again. Petrie's teeth ached as he gritted them together in deep fear, his face a stiff mask of utter despair. There were some commands and orders which rang through the endless skies but the overall noise prevented him from making any sense from them.
Every now and then, the young boy took a look at the rest of the children around him, knowing that each and every one of them had a loved one risking their lives for the herd. Petrie was slightly bothered as he couldn't see Ortin or Glide anywhere and to be completely frank, he didn't care anymore. If they thought they were so great and perfect, there was nothing he'd have to say to them anymore. Petrie had tried to see them as his first real friends since that fateful day but it seemed they were little better than Hoist and his friends. The flyer seethed at the mere thought of their last meeting which he resolved to cast away from his mind for now.
However, he soon saw something which brought his attention back into the present. At first, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary but after a moment, he realized he had been right. The sounds of battle seemed to dissipate in a matter of seconds, the never-ending shouts of the dying dinosaurs fading into the ghastly curtain of the arriving Cold Time. At first, Petrie stood still in order to hear if the fighting would resume but as the moments flew by, gasps of uncertainty and calls of the survivors filled the scene above him. The battle was over. And that meant he'd have to go see that Pterano was okay! Petrie dashed into the whiteness with a great speed but his quick advance was quickly halted by a slightly larger flyer whom the boy knew, to his great regret.
"We have to stay in a group until we are told it is safe! Turn around and join the others!" The speaker was Eleria, the insufferable flyer who had tricked him into Hoist's trap a few days ago. Right now, her expression wasn't particularly vile or threatening but if she thought Petrie had even a remnant of respect towards her after her last trick, she was badly mistaken.
"Petrie will go see that uncle Pterano still alive! Get out of me way!" The younger flyer said to the girl's apparent displeasure. It was true that she despised the outsider heartily but this had been one thing she had tried to help the best she could. The children had been ordered to stay together in emergency situations and as an older dinosaur, it was her charge to keep the younger flyers in line. It was for this reason she answered to Petrie in a louder voice than before.
"You'll see about that soon enough but you cannot go there alone! We don't know if it's safe yet!" She said in growing annoyance, frustrated by having to fight with this puny moron who shouldn't be here in the first place. However, Eleria wasn't the only one getting fed up with this scene. No matter what the herd protocol said, Pterano was his only loved one who was still around in this unsavory place. Had Eleria been any other flyer, the choice whether to listen to her would have been a hard one but now it was a no-brainer. He merely snorted towards her before catching a downward current of air in an effort to lose her as quickly as possible.
"Me no care about what you say! You may tell the others what you want but it make no difference to Petrie!" He said before he quickly bypassed the girl who was left to stare at the white fall of the ground sparkles, secretly content with the fact that this would hardly help Petrie in the eyes of the rest of the herd members. He was making her and Hoist's efforts far too easy.
Heavy panting accompanied his gasps as he looked at his opponent suddenly flee from the battle. He felt like he had been forced to face dozens of enemies in battle but to his relief, he had only suffered one serious injury: a long and deep cut into his right thigh. However, it would hardly become a life-threatening one which made him luckier than many other survivors of this senseless bloodbath. However, as he regained his breath, a serious question rose to his mind. Why had the attackers left this abruptly? They had suffered heavy casualties but what had they expected by attacking with a much smaller force against them? Had they actually dreamt of a total victory or did they have some other objective? The later possibility chilled him to the bone but anything could have happened in the horrifying heat of the battle. The scene around him was completely calm as his surviving allies had spread out in a large area in order to avoid any kinds of attacks to their back in the fight. The flyer was just about to go investigate the situation when he suddenly heard a relieved and familiar cry behind him.
"Uncle Pterano! You alive!" The older male turned to look at his nephew who looked at him with a mixture of happiness and alarm. Knowing he could have very well fallen today, he was more than glad to see Petrie again. However, the scene was far from safe and that was the first thing that mattered here.
"Petrie? What are doing here? You should have stayed with the others! The battle has ended for now but we don't know if they will be attacking again!" The light-brown flyer said as he realized he was already neglecting his orders by not concentrating his whole attention into guarding the herd's safety. The younger flyer's face fell slightly as he realized his mistake but he was still more than happy with knowing his uncle was alive.
"Me know but Petrie wanted to see everything's alright. It was terrifying to just wait out there without knowing what was happening here." He said, cocking his head slightly. Pterano cringed at the answer, understanding Petrie's completely. However, he still had to send him back to safety until it was clear what had happened.
"Well, now you know. I'm glad you were so worried about me but please, wait patiently for my return if things like these ever happen again. Is that alright?" He asked, giving the younger flyer a friendly smile. Petrie returned the expression and was just about to answer before another, louder voice reached their ears.
"What the hell happened here? All the survivors, report to me at once!" Pterano turned to look in the voice's direction, immediately recognizing the voice. It had taken a long time for Nira to reach the scene of the battle but at least it seemed like she believed the threat was over for now. The older flyer looked at his nephew and said the obvious to him.
"Return to the others now. I am needed elsewhere." The older flyer asked before heading towards the direction of the voice, dreading the news he'd probably hear soon enough. Many flyers had fallen this day and it was more than probable he had lost someone he respected highly. Petrie, on the other hand, retained his earlier happiness at the fact that his uncle had made it. It was likely that someone would voice their disappointment at his absence with the others but none of that mattered at this point. His uncle's survival was the only thing the boy had cared about and that one blessing had been granted.
Nira looked at the group of flyers gather around her, feeling increasingly sickened at the few number of the flyers in Nimble's wing who had made it through the savage attack. She bashed herself without an end as she thought about the time it had taken her to gather her group and head to Nimble's help. It seemed that the battle had ended in the defenders' victory but many questions remained. Who was the aggressor and why had he or she attacked? And most importantly, where was Nimble herself? Cold shivers creeped across the female's back as she called to her fellow leader.
"Nimble? Please report to me, now!" She tried to call again but to no avail. Her fellow leader should have heard her call by now, despite humming wind of this frigid season. The only voice that met her ears was Lenel's equally troubled voice as he moved to the female's side.
"We have to keep searching for her, Nira. She may be wounded or simply lost in this cursed haze!" He said, looking in increasing anger into the sky which only seemed to become more covered by the ground sparkles. The mere thought of one of the main leaders of the herd falling like this was a revolting one for him as he could only imagine the repercussions of such a loss. Nira looked at the male for a while but before he got the chance to answer, one of the gathered flyers stepped forward.
"It's no use, Lenel. Nimble is gone." He said simply, willing to make his main point clear. Kero had stood by his leader's side during the fight even if he had been separated from her just before the end. However, the sight of his beloved leader's shadow dropping through the white sky was one that he'd never forget, no matter how hard he'd hope otherwise. His words earned a quick gasp from Nira who looked at the male in utter shock.
"How do you know this? Did you see her falling? Answer me!" She asked in a loss of better words. She could see that Kero was being genuine but there could be a possibility he had mistaken in his claim. She knew none of the deputies would make these kinds of claims without proof. Kero didn't waste a second before he gave his answer. He was on the verge of tears but his loyalty to his fallen leader demanded him to calm down.
"I did even though I was too far away to help her. The attackers manage to drive us away from her and their leader took her out after a long fight. She was about to win until… until Longcrest betrayed her." Kero spat the name out as a shocked face appeared on Nira and Lenel's faces. Longcrest betraying Nimble? He had been her most loyal ally and one of the most respected members of the entire herd! He had always been there to help when he had been needed and he had saved the herd far more than once. This overflow of information slowly filled Lenel's mind with dread as he couldn't even begin to think how this would affect the already-tense atmosphere in the herd. As long as this case hadn't been completely dealt with, he had to be vigilant to try to maintain the remnants of calm in the herd. Willing to get some proof of Kero's words, he suddenly turned at Pterano and the female deputy, Taria, and spoke to them in a silent voice.
"Go look to the ground and try to get a good guess about our casualties. Also… if you'd find Nimble, I'd be grateful." He said simply, his gesture followed by a similar order from Nira. None of the flyers hesitated for a moment as each of them wanted to do their best to help on this horrifying hour. For now at least, the two seemed to be on a similar page on how to proceed from this dark situation. Nira then nodded to the male in clear regret and growing disgust at the situation.
"How could this happen? Why didn't she ask for help faster?" At this point, Nira didn't wait for a good, definitive answer but the bitter, angered growl that she heard stunned her without measure.
"Nimble put her trust in Peak but he… he declined her request! And because of that, she is… she is…" The male's earlier, forced calm broke immediately as the irrevocability of what had happened crept into his mind. Just like that, because of one flyer's mistake and another's treachery, the kindhearted, wise leader he had followed his whole life was gone forever. However, his sorrow was soon abruptly stopped as the flyer who had caused all of this suddenly appeared from the sky above him with a completely emotionless face, doing his absolute best to hide any traces of his true feelings about the situation.
"I did but only to defend myself and those who put their trust in me! I did as I saw best and I'll stick by my decision!" He said as he joined the other leaders, earning a stunned and outraged glance from Nira who couldn't believe what she was hearing. After all this, Peak still attempted to create the impression that he was completely innocent in this tragedy? She immediately flew closer to the male and spoke to him, her voice radiating with anger.
"What have you done, Peak? Our herd is nothing if we cannot trust in each other's help! We have saved each other many times in the past already! D… do you have any idea what this means?" She asked rhetorically but Lenel realized there was something else to be done before they could get to the real process on deciding how to move on forward from this day. Peak had finally gone too far with being nearly directly involved in the death of one of the four leaders of the herd and he wouldn't escape from this without a punishment. But that would have to wait for a while longer.
"None of us does yet, Nira, but we have to gather the herd and take them to safety before we'll decide on how to best secure our herd's stability. Peak, we will talk about this soon enough." Lenel said, knowing more than well that his lifelong effort to unite at least some flyers together was under serious risk here. He couldn't uphold that effort alone, though, so he'd have to try to make Peak see reason before things would escalate too far. He knew many in the herd had already grown hostile to some of their leaders and it wouldn't take a lot for the herd to split apart, if not descend into violence completely.
Peak looked at Lenel with a murderous glare but he understood that he'd have to comply for now. His reputation was also on the line here and any further failures could shake also his followers' trust in him. Willing to try to take the initiative before his peers, Lenel let out a loud sky, rallying the herd to the three leaders. Still deeply stunned by all that had happened, Nira glanced one, last hostile look at the orange male but she knew they couldn't keep the herd under uncertainty any longer. They deserved to know what had happened and any further delays in telling them the news would be interpreted as hesitation or incapability from their part.
It didn't take long before the sky around the three started to fill the gathering dinosaurs. Many of them were badly injured but most of them seemed only confused and concerned about what had just happened. All of them knew there had been a battle but its briefness and mysterious nature bothered many among them. Lenel turned towards the gathering flyers, knowing addressing them would be up to him as it had been him who had called them in the first place. Only at this point he realized how badly the loss of his old, trusted friend had hit him as his voice fell clearly as he addressed the herd.
"I apologize for the delay before calling all of you but it took us this long to get a hold on today's events ourselves. We were attacked in a cowardly raid and many of us lost their lives trying to defend the rest of our precious herd. As of now, none of knows for sure what has happened but with a heavy heart, I announce we must assume the worst concerning Nimble."
That announcement hit Glide savagely as she listened to Lenel's words. Had he actually just claimed that Nimble had died in an attack like this? But… that couldn't be! She had been one of the flyers she had looked up to all her life as had many other children along with her. She took some, desperate hope in the fact that Lenel wasn't sure about Nimble's whereabouts but she knew he wouldn't make such statements lightly. She took a brief gulp before she said the flyer beside her the most important thing swirling in her mind.
"That isn't true! Of course Nimble should have survived that attack with ease… there is a chance she's still alive, isn't there?" She looked at her mother who was flying beside her. The older flyer, named Skybeak, frowned deeply at her daughter's question. She had often disapproved of the girl's overly optimistic view of things at the expense of simply looking the reality in the eyes. The older dinosaur looked at Lenel in slight worry, the magnitude of the herd's loss also apparent in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Glide. Lenel knows what he's talking about and she would most likely be here if she were able. Nimble would never let us worry for her without a good reason." She said mournfully, equally shocked by her loss as her daughter. Nimble had made a name for herself even before joining with the other herds, her never-ending efforts to help her followers in any ways possible becoming one of her greatest assets during her life.
However, there was one time Glide remembered more clearly than any other, one day when Nimble had become the hero for her she was today. It was almost exactly four Cold Times ago when a massive flying rock had caused a large fire in a forest the herd had been resting on that distant day. Most of the flyers had been sleeping when the disaster struck and much like on this day, the quickly spreading fires seemed to make any kind of meaningful coordination of the herd impossible. Nira, Peak and Lenel were once again unable to come to an understanding on how to proceed while a few families had been surrounded against a massive cliff by the fire, the flames preventing their escape into the sky. Among those trapped had been one of her dear childhood friends, another girl called Helin. Against the agreements between the four leaders, Nimble had decided to act quickly and decisively, immediately gathering a group of volunteering flyers to find those needing help without any concern for herself.
Nimble and her group soon found the three families slowly being surrounded by the merciless fire and almost instinctually, she knew what to do. There had been a small lake nearby and she ordered the others to get some water to pave way for the poor dinosaurs' escape. After wards, she had been the first among those to gather the water on large tree stars to let Helin and the others to escape from their death trap. She had even helped them out of the circle herself, suffering many disgusting injuries due to the fire herself. This had been only one case where she had proven her bravery as a leader and there had probably been other, even more important ones but that day had been one when Nimble had concretely saved her friend from a terrible death. However, those thoughts were interrupted by a male voice from her right. Her parents had immediately come to search for her after the fight had ended for which she was highly grateful. However, what his father Northwind said next served only as a continuation to the reasons why she preferred to spend as little time with her family as she only could.
"Only the strongest make it through these fights. We don't know yet what happened but a flyer must never let himself be outsmarted by others. I'm sorry you had to hear this, Glide, but I hope you see why we want you to train as hard as you simply can. You won't survive for long if you let yourself being beaten by an outsider." He said silently, willing to seize this chance to underline his point to his daughter. However, Glide snorted as a response and answered in a cold voice.
"Whatever, dad. I'm doing my best but this isn't the time to begin preaching me about that! Don't you realize it?" She asked, earning a murdering glare from her father. However, Northwind decided against pressing the point as he realized it would only escalate the situation which wasn't something he wanted after the horrifying battle. Their conversation was soon ended completely as Lenel finished his speech.
"So, in case it isn't clear yet, we will stop here for today to tend to our wounded and investigate what happened. I, Nira and Peak will hold a meeting very soon and we'll address you again as soon as we can. I understand most of you are upset by what happened but I ask you, keep the calm until we know who the attacker was and how this could happen." Lenel forced his gaze to remain neutral as he looked at the many angered and confused flyers before him. However, it seemed that for now, none of them were prepared to question his order. He simply prayed that wouldn't change later on. With a forced, heavy wave, he invited the others to join him on his search for a safe place until this nightmare could be dealt with once and for all.
The sight that met his eyes in the ground was a truly sickening one. Here and there lied fallen flyers whose bodies were sickeningly crushed against the rocks, dead trees and small hills dotting the landscape. Pterano gulped in clear fear and sadness as the fresh corpses of the dinosaurs who only an hour ago had been thinking, living flyers filled his whole sight before his eyes. This wasn't of course the first time he had seen this terrible sight but there was something in the dead flyers slowly getting buried under the white ground sparkles that touched him deeply. The sight reminded him of a dear memory slowly vanishing from a dinosaur's mind with time, slowly disappearing as if they never existed, just as these poor flyers.
"Let's split up. You two search the southern part of the battlefield and we'll go north." The speaker was one of Nira's deputies, a rather young female whose expression was rather fearful and even untrusting. Even if nobody had said it aloud just yet, it wasn't likely that the attacker, whoever he had been, had happened to simply find the herd's weakest spot in the middle of the falling ground sparkles in full attack readiness. No, the other herd had known about their movements and as far as the four flyers were concerned, it could very well be anyone in the herd. Taria frowned at those words but she knew that was the most logical way on how to proceed.
"Very well. Call us if you find her before us." She said as she took off towards the more southern parts of the wide field that was quickly being painted completely white. She, too, cringed as she looked at the crushed bodies of the flyers around her but there was nothing to be gained from showing pity for the fallen. There were a few familiar faces here and there but thankfully, none of them were anything more than acquittances to her. Yet, her mind swirled in the unanswered questions of the day.
Taria had always been one of the flyers who had heartily advocated against putting their herd's future into the hands of other, possibly untrustworthy leaders. She had become Lenel's first deputy many Cold Times ago and ever since she had tried to support his efforts in bringing the four herds together, no matter her own misgivings about the issue. She didn't regret any of that, though, as she had found a lovely mate and in time, they had had three children who Taria had sworn to protect more than anything in her life. And right now, the other herd's attack and the lingering distrust inside the four herds was threatening what mattered most to her.
The female flyer shivered slightly as another cold gust hit her eyes and threw her back momentarily. The wind had thrown the dead in an unbelievably wide area and the search would grow only more desperate as more of the white sparkles fell to the ground. Taria suddenly saw a flyer with a similar light color to Nimble but as she grabbed her up from the ground, she realized her mistake. The fallen flyer's body had been crushed but enough remained for her to know it was not her. She took a brief sigh in growing desperation as she heard an agonized but clear call from Pterano.
"Come here, Taria. Kero spoke the truth." He called as the female looked at him in surprise. With careful movements, she began to approach him but to be completely honest, she felt no fear, no regret at those news. She had never looked up to Nimble or even respected her as she had often seen the now-deceased flyer as a weak and too hesitant for someone in her position. Taria's expression was highly unmoved as she arrived to Pterano's side.
Nimble lied in the middle of a small hill in the middle of the large plains, the ground sparkles already burying much of her quickly cooling body. Unlike many other flyers' remains, Nimble's face was practically unscathed by the fall but it was more than clear to the two that her whole backside was completely crushed to pieces. Pterano sighed in regret as another cold gust moved past him. Nimble's face had forever frozen into a mask of shock and horror, a testament to Longcrest's betrayal and her untimely death. The flyer's light-blue color almost blended into the whiteness surrounding her and Pterano knew there was only one thing left to do.
With minimal gestures, the male kneeled beside the deceased flyer and put his hands on her eyes and slowly and gently, pulled her eyelids down, as if to bid good luck on her final flight to the Great Beyond. After that brief gesture, he rose up and looked into the far distance to see the wind throwing the ground sparkles all around. Many lives had been extinguished today but only one of them would be remembered in the future. A terrifying thought for all those who had given their lives for the dozens of other dinosaurs whose lives had ended on this day. With a silent voice, Pterano spoke to the other flyer.
"There's nothing more here for us. Let's go give our report to Lenel." And after those words, he gave the call the call to the two other flyers further in the distance. After they had reached him, the four dinosaurs left that one place for the very last time. The small, wind-beaten hill in the middle of the endless wastes of the Mysterious Beyond, the nearby small stream's waters gentle lipping bidding farewell to the flyer who only a small while ago had worked for her herd's best as she had always done.
A gentle thud could be heard as the orange flyer's feet hit the ground below him. Peak took a few breaths to calm himself down from the many hours of constant flying even if he knew there was no time for it really. He was slightly relieved that the battle had not resumed but he knew another fight was very soon in the horizon. He frowned deeply as he looked at the rest of the herd landing on this small plain which still held some, withered remains of green food, full well knowing the seriousness of what had happened. But if the others thought they could single-handedly tell him what to do, they were in for a surprise.
Yet, deep down Peak knew he had made a mistake. If it was proven beyond any doubts, he would be ready to apologize and make amends before Nimble's followers but he had done what any sensible leader should have. He had shielded his own herd from any ambushes and made sure it wouldn't be them who had to suffer. Nobody could deny that even if he knew his hand was far from a good one in the coming argument. He knew Lenel had grown to despise him heartily and Nira wouldn't likely be any softer towards him either. He looked at the others in worry before he raised his gaze at the small group of flyers who had followed him closely.
His heart grew heavy once again as he saw his mate's absence in the line of his family, the fate having separated them only a few months before. Only one of his brothers, his aunt and his two children, as well as Ortin remained of his glorious line. It pained him to see them in such small numbers but it made it only so much more important to safeguard their future. He spoke to them as they landed one by one, knowing he didn't have a lot of time before he'd have to join the others in this critical meeting.
"Stay here while I'll go put the others in their place. I won't let them dishonor Nimble's memory by trying to use her death to blackmail me." He said coldly, knowing the hypocrisy of his words but his family knew nothing about what had happened. He didn't like lying to them but the delicate situation left him no choice. He looked in slight worry as his daughter answered to him.
"But why would they do so? None of this is your fault!" She asked with an utterly innocent voice which made the older flyer hesitate for a moment. The blind belief her daughter was showing towards him was truly heartwarming but he had to think about his appearances. With the coldness and unmovable composure which had become his trademark, Peak answered to the young girl.
"We are all just worried about what will happen now, Gust. I'll tell more when I have some more information about all this." Peak said, preparing to leave for the inevitable meeting. However, he was once more interrupted by another of the young ones.
"Just make sure all of this will end now! I don't want anyone to suffer the same fate as dad and all the others!" Ortin said, his face seeming disturbingly haunted as the ghosts of his own tragedy returned to his mind after all the death he had seen today. The yesterday's meeting with Petrie had already saddened him greatly and even now, he wanted to think of the other boy as a friend. However, all the drama between the two and Glide as well as the sudden battle had turned his mind into a completely unsolvable mess. All he wanted now was some stability to decided what should be done in the future. Peak looked at his young relative with a slightly sympathetic look, knowing the depth of his sorrow. Even if Ortin wasn't his own son, he owned it to his cousin to keep the boy safe as long as he could.
"You have my word about it, Ortin. I'll do my best to make the others see reason. Stay safe while I'm gone." The orange flyer said as he took off towards a small dale by the river surrounded by range of hills. There he'd make sure to do all in his power to keep his family's honor intact, no matter the cost.
The female flyer eyed the other dinosaurs around her, the seriousness of the moment more than tangible in the air. It wasn't usual that the leader's mates were invited to these kinds of gatherings which was another indicator of what was at stake here and Sireia would make her best to support her mate and the duo's lifelong quest even now. She stood at Lenel's side, making it more than clear she would act as more than as a mere spectator today.
Other dinosaurs present were Nira and her sister Haste as well as four of the herd members who had stood by Nimble's side at the decisive hour. It felt extremely awkward to have only three of the leading families together instead of the usual four as Nimble had never taken a mate nor had any children. As a further aspect to her tragedy, her revered family had died with her. However, those thoughts mattered little as Peak's form appeared in the horizon. Sireia felt awkward herself as the four survivors of Nimble's group hadn't had the time to tell nearly anything of value yet and so the nature of today's battle would be had to be investigated in this meeting as well. Sireia looked with an unreadable expression as Peak landed near the others, the flyers forming a rough circle between the low hills. The ground sparkles were still falling with the same intensity as before but the attendees were close enough to each other for the weather to be of little consequence. Seeing everyone was present, Lenel took the liberty to speak the first words of the gathering.
"We all know we're here to try to come up with some ideas on how to regain our herd's trust after today's horrible tragedy. I could already hear some of our followers gossip about our inability to keep them safe." The pale flyer said before taking a brief pause. The other leaders looked at each other in suspicion while the flyers who had witnessed Nimble's downfall looked mostly outraged. Lenel himself was seething internally, wanting nothing more than to teach a lesson or two to Peak about abandoning one's allies in the hour their need. Nira continued from where Lenel had left off, knowing there was no need to hide any of the issues from the other flyers here.
"If we understood correctly, Nimble and her group were attacked directly and the attacker fled before we could do anything to help. While the question about how they knew about our position at all in that weather is a good question in itself, there are even more disturbing things at play here. Namely the honored Longcrest's betrayal and Peak's failure to lend his aid in the thick of the battle." Nira cast an accusing glance at the male which immediately prompted a response. Nira wasn't any more content with the orange male than Lenel but she had to restrain her true feelings in an effort to keep the meeting calm.
"And with traitors like him, any sensible flyer should hesitate to rush to battle judging by only one flyer's words. I will apologize to the herd if you can prove there wasn't a larger group of traitors among us and that the damned attacker wasn't threatening all of us. Not before that." Peak said with a louder voice which he dropped slightly after realizing escalating the situation would do very little to help his position. However, those words failed miserably in trying to keep the others from getting agitated. Kero immediately turned to look at Peak and growled to him in outrage.
""One flyer"? Nimble herself sent me, one of her deputies, to seek help! What should have I done differently!? You killed her just as much as the attackers did, Peak!" The young flyer cried in rage, willing to extract his own justice on Peak immediately. Seeing that this argument would soon get out of hand, Lenel crossed his hands and spoke before Peak could answer.
"I fear Kero might be right but we mustn't make any false accusations. No one knows what they'll do in times of danger and we must wait until the end of this meeting before we'll blame anyone directly." He said even if his face communicated his disgust at Peak's actions. He looked in slight surprise as Haste started to speak next. The female was often grumpy and overly self-righteous which caused her to be relatively disliked within the eyes of most of the other herd members.
"Then let us stop rambling and try to get something done! You four, did you see anything about the attackers or their leader? I hope you didn't come here just to waste our time." She said as her usual angry tone earned some annoyed glances. Haste wasn't usually invited to these kinds of meetings but Nira wanted someone she believed she could trust to accompany her today. She had made her distaste at Nira's decisions clear in the past but apparently the two were still in somewhat good terms with each other. Kero and the other three survivors of the heat of the battle looked at her in anger before one rather young female stood forward. She refrained from any kinds of angered looks, her mind's eye instead focusing on those vague forms in that white sky.
"I think I saw the one whom the others seemed to follow. It was all very unclear and blurred as you might understand but I think it was a dark brown male. He had an unusually large crest but otherwise, he didn't seem all that strong physically. However, his moves were very quick and his constant attacks caused a constant threat to Nimble. Oh, poor Nimble…" She shook her head as she tried to wave off the growing melancholy of this day. Sireia narrowed her eyes as she listened to those words. Almost instinctually, she demanded another answer from the younger female.
"Do you remember anything of note about his voice or his face?" She asked in slight expectation, the younger female's descriptions stirring some memories in her mind. She had met many famous flyers in her life and she couldn't say for sure if her guess is right judging only by those vague descriptions. She listened with great interest as one of the other flyers stepped forward and answered that question.
"I don't know about his voice but I thought I saw a long, gaping scar in his throat. It must have been near to a lethal one back when he received it." At this point, another flyer also realized whom the others were talking about. All the gazes turned to Peak as he spoke to the others.
"I always knew that cursed Deron would spell trouble again. I should have finished him when I had the chance." He said with an angered, faraway look in his eyes. The name was unknown to all others in the herd which prompted a slightly annoyed question from Nira. She glanced at her mate, as if to ask whether he knew anything about the issue.
"Who is Deron and how do you know about him? Speak!" The atmosphere of distrust only increased further as it became clear this had been a threat Peak had never told the others about. More and more seemed to be learned about him by the minute which hardly made his situation any easier. Peak spat to his right before he gave his answer.
"He was an arrogant upstart I met many Cold Times ago on one of the driest seasons I can remember. He tried to challenge me and my herd for one of the last patches of green food anywhere near and of course that lowborn, stupid boy lost! He had managed to make quite a name beforehand but after I had totally humiliated him before his followers, I thought he had learned his lesson. It was only later I heard he had survived and willing to have his revenge against me." He said bitterly, clearly bothered by these news. Those words quickly earned another outburst from Kero.
"So you knew that we had a potentially dangerous enemy somewhere yet you never bothered to even tell us about it! I guess it was your idea to let us think we were safe and let your "allies" do your dirty work for you! Is that it?" He cried, all of his anger slowly erupting out from his mind. Peak, however, had had enough. He moved closer to the insolent flyer and before anybody could react, he scratched a long, gaping wound to the other male's cheek and growled to him in deep hate.
"You aren't fit to blame me about anything, weakling! Say that one more time and…" His words were quickly cut short as Kero attempted to repay his attack in kind, his arm only to be grabbed by the older dinosaur but just as he was about to continue his assault, Kero's three companions suddenly surrounded Peak and tied him against a nearby rock. He was just about to object when Lenel suddenly walked towards him, his eyelids trembling in unreleased hate.
"When I and Sireia invited you to join our growing numbers, we made it more than clear that we should act as one and share all our knowledge with each other to counter these kinds of threats! Not only have you directly betrayed your word but you have also attacked your fellow herd member without a good reason! What a complete waste!" He said as he prevented himself from losing his patience even more badly. However, Peak quickly fought off the other dinosaurs and moved closer to Lenel and answered to him with a similar tone. He took slight relief from the knowledge that Lenel couldn't take this matter any further or he'd risk a complete breakdown of his whole herd now that Nimble was no longer here.
"And some of you have betrayed me even more severely! Someone in this herd commanded that old fool to murder Wenan, my cousin, and you forced me to back down from finding out who! I never thought Deron would have the guts to attack us again and that's why I never told about him! These kinds of claims are meaningless when compared to the fact that we have had two traitors among us lately and who knows how many more are lurking among us!" Peak shouted, his suspicious look making it more than clear that he meant that he didn't trust anyone around him. He had already thought about it but there was no reason to let out his final trump card… not yet. Lenel looked at him for a moment but he soon decided that pushing this issue further wouldn't be helpful. He needed Peak and in an effort to this straightly accusing him of treachery would truly risk a breakdown of his life's work. He merely waved his head and turned around while giving his answer.
"That's what I'd like to know, Peak. As things are, anyone could be the one who ordered his death. I had thought that that old flyer acted alone but today puts things in a completely new perspective." He said bitterly, looking at the others present in growing anger. Since when had his young self's dream turned into this haven of plotters and hypocritical backstabbing? Peak looked after the light-colored flyer in an expression which was no less antagonistic than that of Lenel's. The threatening situation was quickly shattered by a remark from Haste. After those words, it was clear he was far from informed about the whole truth of the herd's disarray.
"Why in earth do you bring this up again? Wenan was killed by that one traitor and that's that! Why would these tragedies be connected in any way?" She asked in a suspicious look, clearly not enjoying the situation in any way. However, her question quickly answered by Sireia whose eyes bored deep into the male.
"Because there is someone or some group inside our herd that is trying to weaken us and hurt our chances to work together! Never before has any of our family members been killed by our own followers and when that is followed by another hit such as this, there is no doubt about it. Longcrest was one of them and now he can spread the information about our plans to any other madman who yearns for our blood! And the worst part is that I don't think those two were even working alone! With Nimble gone, they have already succeeded in seriously threatening our authority." Sireia said in clear anger. Her comment was quickly rebuked by Nira who seemed mentally exhausted by all that was happening but her point only underlined the great dilemma the three leaders were now forced to face.
"What do you propose we do, then? Torture our own herd members until they break down and say they were willing to kill their own friends? Is that what we've come to?" Nira cried to Sireia who immediately gave her answer. However, none of them noticed one additional pair of eyes which appeared under the shadow of one of the hills surrounding the scene.
Petrie hadn't managed to get a moment's worth of rest ever since the end of the battle. His uncle had been busy with his own duties and he simply didn't want to suffer the agonizing atmosphere of the herd. As the long, lonely minutes passed on slowly and the extremely worried looks of the herd's leaders became more apparent, the boy noticed his old instincts make themselves known once again. As on so many occasions in the Great Valley, his seemingly-peaceful life was turned upside down and Petrie wasn't a flyer to simply sit idly as things went horribly wrong. That will to act was one the things his friends had planted too deeply within him for it to ever leave him, the flyer figured.
His heart beat in his chest as he peeked to look at the older flyers, the ground sparkles conveniently making it hard to spot the small dinosaur leaning against a far larger rock. There were a few flyers circling the skies above him, most likely guarding the gathered leaders' safety, but with any luck they wouldn't see him through the ground sparkles and shady hiding place. The boy didn't know himself if there was any reason for him to take this risk but it was at least better than to stay with the others and be forced to listen to their whining or, even worse, meet Eleria or Hoist alone. The young flyer peeked towards the gathering, just in time to hear Sireia's angered words.
"No but we have to make the others trust us again and slowly, one by one, seek for the traitors and take them out! That's the only way we can keep our herds as one!" She said, knowing her words were easier said than done. If there truly was a larger collusion between Deron and the members of the herd, it was likely they'd go to any lengths to hide their true loyalties. However, her ponderings were interrupted by Haste's next remark.
"And then what? Do you really believe the others will approve of you secretly killing your own followers because of your doubts? When the word spreads of today's battle, we all know to whom all the blame will be directed towards! They'll demand action or we'll all be seen as ineffective fools!" She shouted as she looked at Peak. The orange flyer looked at her with a murderous look but before he could answer, Lenel opened his mouth while scratching at the corner of his eye.
"We'll get to that later, Haste, but first we should agree on the points we can all agree on. First of all, I second my mate's proposition of finding the traitors among us. Of course we'll have to explain this to the others but I think they'll believe us if we simply act and work together. However, we have to use flyers no one knows will work for us as our eyes or our enemies will never reveal themselves." He said in a tired voice, increasingly worried by this meeting's conclusion. He knew this was one "easy" issue but Haste was right in that Nimble's followers would never accept Peak escaping from his horrifying failure without a clear punishment. However, executing the possible traitors would be difficult without the cooperation of Peak's herd which would require him to accept whatever sanctions were coming his way. Luckily, Nira answered to him before he could dwell further in his own fears.
"I agree. None of us knows what Deron and Longcrest are after and if our best tracker was indeed a traitor, none of the others can be counted out either. However, it would also help if we only knew more of our enemy. We should send someone to search for information about him from the other herds and if he has earned any additional enemies. We cannot let him get away with this." Nira said, cringing at what was to come. However, she knew none of the leaders could ever again truly trust each other as there was a chance that some of them could, no matter how distasteful the thought was, be working together with Deron. Nimble's absence made things extremely volatile and even before the others could know it, someone could have very easily took advantage of the chaos. All of the heads present turned to look at Peak as he answered.
"Indeed. While it may be my fault that he didn't face his end long ago, I will grant my help and support to you on that upcoming search and investigations… if we keep Kero's words a secret." He said simply, quickly receiving a stunned glance from the other flyer. Kero was just about to object when he realized there was nothing to be gained from escalating the situation. A silence reigned for a few seconds as the others thought about how to answer best to Peak's proposal. All of them knew his words were rather reasonable but on the other hand, hiding the truth would hardly benefit anyone in the long run. Lenel, knowing his lifelong project was on the line, looked at Peak and despite parts of his mind crying against what he was going to say, gave his answer to the orange-colored male.
"While I appreciate your cooperation, Peak, I'm afraid that won't do. Do you really expect that to stay a secret given how many will be touched by your mistake? Do you expect us to dishonor Nimble and her family's memory by lying about her downfall?" Lenel said, waiting for Nira to continue from where he had left off. This was the part the two had dreaded the most but they had decided this would be the only settlement to the herds' feud that could stand a chance of success. The female walked to his side and with equally grave voice, she spoke to Peak.
"Such a decision, if it were revealed, would spell an end to our herd, Peak. All of us make mistakes but when a flyer is in your position and has your responsibility, those mistakes have consequences you have to pay. We have been forced to stomach your opposition to most of our plans for many Cold Times even if they have often hurt us more than benefited. We have always listened to your concerns and in return we've received only distrust and arrogance. Yet, time and time again, you have also proven to be a reasonable leader and a trusted ally but now, we ask you to once again show such wisdom. We ask you to leave the leadership of your herd and to pass it to one of your family emembers, most likely to your brother." Nira said, never breaking her eye contact with Peak for a moment. She breathed heavily, knowing the next few seconds would decide many things about the herd's future. After she had concluded, Peak's expression stayed unmoving for a few moments, apparently registering what he had just heard. The tension was tangible in the air as he slowly raised his gaze to Lenel and Nira and as the words started to flow out of his mouth.
"So it was always about this, wasn't it? Regardless of whether it was you or someone else who helped Deron in his despicable attack, I cannot believe you are attempting to use her death this directly for your own ends! Right after you blame me for trying to disrespect her memory? I will have none of this!" He panted as he looked at his peers, his worst fears slowly beginning to materialize before his very eyes. So the others were actually attempting to dethrone him in favor of his incapable, slow-witted brother! Oh, that would suit them very well! Peak nearly snapped as Lenel spoke to him, the tension between them once again growing to a dangerous degree.
"We rule over the others simply because we have proven to be capable of recreating the legendary deeds of our ancestors, Peak. So were you for a long time but you lost your right to claim Deria's legacy when you failed your ally and those who trusted in you! That is the pact each of us has with our herds and when that pact is lost, so is your ability to lead the others. Do as you are told and we'll let you stay with us and no further harm will come to you. I and Nira promise you this much." Lenel said, hoping these old traditional ways would make Peak see reason. The light-colored knew he was correct but actually trying to strip another member of the Great Families of their power was an extremely rare punishment, one that was most often replaced by some other option. Yet, neither Nira nor Lenel saw a better way to see this situation through. Peak immediately looked at his two opponents in disbelief, taking a short pause before he asked extremely sharply.
"You promise me a life of humiliation and defeat? Tell me honestly, Lenel and Nira, what kind of leader would accept such an ultimatum, especially when his own family is under serious threat? Would you doom your own children to a life of fear and shame? I demand you to pull black this demand at this very moment!" Peak cried to the other flyer who realized that this argument was getting extremely dangerous but even if he believed in Peak's words, he and Nira had already put their own credibility on the line here. There could be no backing off now without at least a major compromise. He listened in gratefulness as he heard Nira take the matters in her own hands.
"And let your mistake go unpunished? You know as well as we do that this is the best, the only way to go forward! You have to swallow your pride and do what's best for you and all of us! We promise we'll keep you and your family safe. Or don't you trust that any of them will be able to take your place as the head of your line? Do you really distrust them that much?" Nira tried to reason, inwardly understanding Peak's hesitancy to negotiate about this issue but she also grew increasingly annoyed by his antics. She had accepted Lenel and Sireia's original offer to unite the duo's herds simply because she believed it would keep her own followers safe and that it could be a way for her to claim a more important place among all the flyers of the Mysterious Beyond. But now, the promise of safety seemed like a complete joke and the herd itself seemed to be unraveling at a rapid pace with Lenel not able to do much about it. In her heart, she slowly began to understand that things would never be able to return to what they were on this very morning. Nimble's death had broken even the flickers of trust that had existed earlier.
The young flyer listened to the meeting in complete astonishment and worry. Had the wind somehow made him hear wrong or were Lenel and Nira really trying to force Peak to stand down? He hadn't spent too much time within the herd but even he realized he was witnessing something of great importance. Petrie didn't have the slightest of ideas how but Ortin and Glide had made the four, or now three, highest ranked flyers of the herd seem nearly indispensable for their safety. Peak had seemed like a hesitant but rather reasonable dinosaur during his joining contest and he could only guess about the reasons why he was suddenly this hated.
Suddenly, Petrie saw a vague shadow above him, reminding the boy that he wasn't supposed to be here. Shortly after the guard's passing, Petrie slowly crept deeper under the cliff and threw some more ground sparkles on himself. He shivered heavily but that was something that he was willing to go through in order to witness this meeting until the end. It was highly unlikely anyone would miss him, anyway.
"The question isn't about whether I trust them but none of them are capable of taking my place and you know it as well as I do. In the end, your or any other dinosaur's promises are worth completely nothing. Isn't that right, Lenel?" Peak answered, taking a smile which immediately made the surrounding flyers' blood run cold. The deep disgust and slowly released grudge were slowly released but none of them knew what the orange male actually meant. However, those words prompted the light colored dinosaur to step forward and answer in an angry voice. Every muscle in Lenel's face was completely stiff as he spoke.
"And what does that mean, Peak? Are you now claiming we've betrayed you by forcing you to face the consequences of your own mistakes? Are you?" He said as he stared at Peak's eyes. However, he was slightly taken aback as his opponent didn't seem to care about his insult in the least. Instead, he took a few steps to his side and after a moment, he gave his answer.
"I see you've spent a lot of effort to hide your true intentions, haven't you Lenel? When I was invited to your pathetic group of "allies", you told me your only goals were the hopes of uniting at least some of our kind to the mighty, harmonious herd they were in the time of our old stories. There was never a word about your willingness to use us as mere stepping stones to finding your dear ancestor's secret. I wonder why that was never brought up?" He said as all of the faces around him turned to stunned and disbelieving ones. What was Peak talking about? Olres' story was well known to all of them but Lenel had never spoken of him to the others. Where had Peak's sudden and unbelievable claim suddenly come from? All eyes turned to Lenel as he prepared to rebuke this outrageous attack.
"What in the name of the Bright Circle are you talking about? Olres' secret is a mere story and no flyer in his right mind would ever even try to search for it! That claim is not only ludicrous but it also insults my family!" Lenel cried as he looked murderously at Peak. However, most of his disbelief was directed at the question of how Peak knew about it. Only Telo, his now-deceased teacher, and Sireia knew all about his motives and he trusted them both greatly. Peak disengaged from the standoff before he began to walk around, looking at each of the other attendees.
"I have more ways to gather knowledge than most would think. Isn't it rather interesting that a leader of a dwindling herd suddenly has a vision to begin walking in the footsteps of our greatest legends seemingly without any special prize for himself? I've heard about the antics of Lenel's herd's own storyteller and nothing was more important to him than seeing the rebirth of Olres' family! We have all been used but still, I wanted to see our effort succeed because of my own children, my own family! Yet, now I know how things really are." Peak grinned, a sense of victory already apparent in the eyes of the others.
However, his words hit Nira the worst as her mind flew back to the day when Lenel had approached her for the very first time. Back then, she had also been gullible and inexperienced and she had only looked at things from the perspective of her own benefit. Of course, she had weighed heavily the threats of such a move but Lenel and Sireia's friendly and excited faces had made her confident of their sincerity soon enough. That most beautiful of Warm Times had seemed like an endless blessing and soon enough, she had taken the duo's cause as her own and not once had she looked back… until now. With a dark look, she turned to Lenel and asked him a question which only further increased the tension within the group of flyers.
"Lenel, you told me back then we would be building our future on the basis of our kind and families' pasts. You even mentioned that "in time, we all will find whatever we are looking for." Is that what you meant?" She asked in growing doubt and disbelief as she looked at the light-colored male. However, it wasn't he who answered to her question. Sireia stepped towards her and narrowed her eyes heavily as she answered.
"We only meant what any flyer or our status would have said! What my mate said carried only a symbolic meaning of our kind's destiny as a united kind of dinosaurs surrounded by those barbaric landwalkers. Peak has clearly gotten out of his mind." She said as she looked at Peak who returned her glance. Her point was soon reinforced by Kero who wanted nothing more than to see Peak crushed in this argument.
"I second to that! Ever since Wenan's death, he has been only a shadow of himself and coming up with lies to defend his words only proves it! Please, Lenel and Nira, relieve him of his command!" He said pleadingly to the two. However, Nira merely looked at the ground before she realized just how little there was for her to believe. Sireia had seemed far too eager to disprove Peak's words and even then, she would hardly support the words of someone who in essence called her and her mate traitors and liars. Yet, it would be unlikely that she'd hear anything but lies and emotion-based claims from Peak either. However, the tension of the moment was momentarily broken by a loud cry less than one longneck's length to their left.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" A loud cry suddenly broke Petrie's peace as the sudden screech penetrated the sky. He barely had the time to turn around until a menacing shadow seemed to drop right at him. The boy's mind had already been already overflowing with the meeting and the feeling of dread had only grown with each passing second. The possibility of direct combat seemed very real and no matter what, this gathering would barely end without a major decision. However, all of that was swept aside as Petrie heard the sudden call. If he were caught peeking at this highly sensitive meeting, it would be probable that he might even be banished from the herd.
However, the guard had chosen his attacking direction cleverly. His large size blocked any hopes Petrie had of escaping in his direction, making the small spot between the hills his only option of even dreaming of escaping this threatening situation. If he was caught now, there was no telling of all the things he could be accused of. The boy took a sudden leap upwards, praying in his mind that the ground sparkles would hide him long enough for him to escape without being recognized. He owed that much to his uncle, if not for anyone else.
Without the least of warnings, another flyer suddenly flushed out from the sky right towards Petrie, clearly attempting to stop the young dinosaur's flight. However, Petrie was far too angered at the whole world to let this another obstacle hinder him. Realizing that the guard had a far better wind than him, Petrie suddenly turned downward, hoping that this unexpected move would even the odds. He cringed slightly as his belly touched the white surface of this newborn world, a testament to the daringness of his escape. Even the slightest of gusts would throw him to the ground, ending any hopes he had of escaping. However, just as the other guard was about to reach him, Petrie utilized another breath of wind and to everyone's surprise, took off towards Nira at full speed.
The female looked in surprise as a young flyer approached her from the whiteness of the sky, for the slightest of moments forgetting her situation. She was already preparing to defend herself from a potential attack when she saw him suddenly head towards the heights, quickly disappearing from her sight. This brief incident only deepened her worries as the guards seemingly weren't even up to this simple task. An omen which hardly held anything good for the herd.
Did Petrie lose them? Or are they still after me?
Even Petrie himself couldn't believe the ease at which he had managed to lose his chasers. There still could be heard shouts and threats behind him but they were quickly growing fainter. At least this terrible weather had its benefits like this. With any luck, nobody would find out the identity of that young flyer who had mysteriously infiltrated that most important of meetings.
Yet, those thought began to immediately bother Petrie. Would Peak be able to see reason or would the argument get out of hand and even end in violence? At this point, the only thing mattered was that he and his uncle would make it out safely of all this. To Petrie, everything was completely optional after the loss of his new friends. Yet, he'd look forward to seeing how things would develop from here. And he had an inkling he'd learn of it soon enough.
Peak looked at the sky in deep annoyance, frustrated that the meeting had been interrupted by one brat who didn't know where he wasn't supposed to stich his beak into. He could only hope he'd be caught later on but right now, some lost child was the last of his concerns. He hadn't forgotten Kero and Sireia's last insult and right now, he knew the time had come. This was a moment from which there was simply no return. Not after all the distrust and bad blood that had been released in this conversation. Peak's gaze fell suddenly as he could only guess what kind of reaction his next words would prompt. Slowly but surely, he then raised his eyes again and started to speak in a low and apologizing voice.
"I assure all of you, my words weren't a lie but I guess none of that matters at this point. No one of you will believe anything I say anymore anyway. Nimble's unfortunate passing and its aftermath leave me no options but to announce mine and my followers' withdrawal from our common herd." Suddenly, the air froze still as Peak's words stunned everyone who heard those fateful words. Even after all this, no one had expected Peak to go this far but apparently they were all proven wrong. Sireia looked at the male in utter disbelief before she crossed her hands and answered in an utterly toxic voice, one even she knew would help any potential reconciliation any.
"You're ready to make this move after all this time? Has our common dream really meant nothing to you, Peak? I and my mate have done our all to forge a herd worthy of our pride and you are just going to throw it all away because of your stupidity?" She asked, willing to blackmail the renegade leader if nothing else. There was nothing more she could do as any of the founders of the herd could leave it at will even if none of them had done it before. Peak glanced at the tan-colored female but knew better than to fall into her trap.
"We will leave after all of my old friends have recovered from their wounds. After that, we'll treat you as any other herd we'll meet in the future. My decision is final." He said as he followed Lenel's reaction to his announcement. He was panting from disbelief, willing to shake today off as some kind of waking nightmare. In a matter of mere hours, his worst fears were coming true without him having the power to stop the sickening flow of events. With a growling, outraged voice, he begun to speak to the orange colored male.
"You've made a terrible mistake, Peak. I always thought you were too weak for the vision the three of us always shared. But know that your departure means little. We will survive just as well without…" At this point, his outburst was suddenly interrupted by another female voice to his left. Lenel was shocked that he was interrupted like this but the next thing he heard was one that broke his composure finally and completely.
"No, Lenel. It's over. Without two of our leaders and the trust between us two gone, there's no future for our united herd, no matter what. I'm sorry." She said silently, fully realizing the implications of her words. No matter how much she despised Peak's decision, she could see there was no reversing his sudden announcement. And if there was any truth to the orange male's words, Lenel had been far from honest with his words earlier and at this point, she didn't know what or who to believe. Her trust in this herd had passed with Nimble's death and the trio's failure to come up with any good ideas on how to move on from her loss.
Lenel, on the other hand, felt his heart stop at those words. Had Nira actually said what he thought? The same flyer who had joined his cause full of optimism on the most precious Warm Time of his life? He treasured the memories of those days without an end but now, even those golden times seemed to be stained by his own failure. With a haunted and disappointed look on his face, he turned to Nira and whispered in deep shock.
"Are you serious, Nira? Do you mean those words?" He asked simply, hoping against hope to hear her answer negatively but a mere nod greeted his eyes. Not even a sudden cry from Haste seemed to drag him away from his mental anguish.
"Don't do this, Nira! We're still far safer with larger numbers! If we go through with this, we'll just be one of those weak and vulnerable groups of flyers which are continuously attacked by sharpteeth and other herds! Is that what you really want? Is it?" The dark-colored flyer asked, her voice filled with antagonism and disappointment. Nira immediately frowned at that question and rebuked her sister's whining about her decision.
"I asked you here only to advice and support me, not question my decisions in front of the others! If you have nothing else to say, then be silent! I wouldn't announce these kinds of decisions lightly, Haste." She said bitterly. She and her sister seemed to agree about anything very rarely and she had hesitated a long time about whether to ask her here even now but unlike usual, Haste had seemed quite eager to attend this gathering. The younger sibling looked at Nira in annoyance before she seemingly conceded to her sister's will.
"Mark my words, Nira, this was a serious mistake and one we'll regret later." She said before crossing her arms. Lenel looked around himself in apparent defeat, his gaze slowly moving around the circle of flyers he had only a while ago seen as his loyal companions. To think all his life's work would end like this… it was just too much to bear. He listened to Nira's call as the female exchanged final glances with Peak.
"We had many good times together but everything ends in time. My herd will leave for good tomorrow morning. Have a safe journey, all of you. I doubt we'll meet again anytime soon." She said simply before taking off. Peak prepared to follow her but before that, he addressed his former fellow leader in a mixture of apology and triumph.
"I hope you'll see your mistakes in time, Lenel. For you did more than your share during our times together, your dishonesty being the worst of them." He said before heading into the sky. The emotion of the moment filled Lenel slowly and he slowly collapsed to his knees, his breaths growing heavy under the gentle falling of the white sparkles from the unknown heights of the sky. Now, it was likely he'd never learn Olres' secret, he'd never be remembered as anything other than just another fool who wasn't strong or clever enough to halt his legacy's slow death. And worst of all, he had betrayed his mate's trust in him and only led her to the life of failure and disappointment. However, unlike his mother and distant ancestors, Sireia was still here and he'd be able to at least make amends with her. However, the look in his mate's eyes was something he hadn't expected in the least. It wasn't a look of anger, not of defeat and certainly not one of blame. It was a look of righteous rage but it wasn't directed at him.
Suddenly, Lenel's emotions stopped swirling as his and Sireia's eyes locked at each other. Almost magically, the duo's minds seemed to join together, revealing their thoughts to each other. And looking at the female's burning eyes, Lenel realized this wasn't the end. All wasn't over yet as long as the final breakup of the herd hadn't come to pass. And it never would as he and his mate would make sure of it, one way or another.
And just like that, the herd that took years to bring together has seemingly split apart in one day. However, Lenel and Sireia don't seem to be willing to see their work go to waste and no one can say what this will bear for the battered group of flyers as well as for Petrie and his uncle… This chapter was quite a challenge to write as it held so many scenes that had to be handled very carefully but I hope I managed to make this important installment an interesting one! Go on and tell me what you think of it! :)
The Rhombus: I'm glad you like my portrayal of Detras even if I have to admit your portrayal of him influenced me a lot, too. As for Pearl, she's wasn't injured, she was just searching for food with Orchid elsewhere as spreading out increases their chance of finding something. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear in the scene. As for the rest of the chapter, the fighting scenes with the sharpteeth are quite challenging for me so it's great to hear this turned out alright. :) Th reunion of the fast runners has been a long time in the making but it's true that many of her parents' plans and hopes are shattered for good… It's safe to assume many things will change for Ruby and her companions soon enough.
The RedDragoon: It's great to see a detailed review from a new reader so thank you a lot for that! Your kind words really mean a lot to me and I hope I can improve as this story turns to its second half. And yeah, it's rather rare that members of the Gang die in a major fic and I'm quite surprised nobody was upset by that choice.
As for the OCs, thank you for the warning. I realize most people reading a fanfic may want to thread on more familiar grounds but as you most likely have noticed, this story is getting rather OC heavy, especially on Petrie's storyline. However, Petrie and Ruby will be the main characters in the future too so there won't be changes in that part. And I'm really glad to hear you're enjoying the new characters in Petrie's storyline! I truly appreciate your kind words and support!