CHAPTER 24

Home or not?

After spending several hours comforting each other in front of the Flyer family's cave, Ducky and Petrie had decided to part ways for the day. They didn't want to risk being spotted by anyone else in the Great Valley who might have found out after being told by Littlefoot's grandparents and Cera's stepmother and furious father. The moment they said their goodbyes, Mama Swimmer gently picked up Ducky and took her home to the Swimmer family's nest. They knew it would not be the last time they would be together, but they were still fearing for their own lives as they were sure that a hearing would not be enough for them to be allowed to stay in their beloved Great Valley.

Petrie watched sadly as Ducky and her mother disappeared, and he looked down at his own reflection on the ledge that had been created by his own pool of tears.

"Me no want to sit through hearing tomorrow," the Flyer hatchling sobbed, "Hearings always so painful."

"I know how painful they can be, Petrie," his mother said gently as she sat next to him and pulled him in for a hug, "You will have to attend this hearing, you know. You and Ducky are the defendants because they are determining if your love for each other will have you banished or not, and as defendants, you will have to explain to everyone how and why you and Ducky fell in love with each other."

"Oh, that just make it whole lot worse!" complained Petrie tearfully as his stomach lurched, "Me have to tell whole story about me and Ducky in front of whole Great Valley!? Me suddenly feel sick from hearing that!"

"I know how you feel, my dear son. I understand how hard it will-," sympathized Mama Flyer, then she stopped as she noticed Petrie's beak shaking and that he sounded like he was trying to keep something in, "Oh, dear. Petrie, are you okay?"

"No," gulped Petrie.

In fact, he felt so much acid reflux in his throat that he knew he would not be able to prevent the inevitable from happening.

"It's okay, Petrie. There's a spot right over there," said Mama Flyer, pointing towards a small area of grass next to the cave entrance near his special flower.

With virtually no hesitation, Petrie jumped off his mother's lap and ran towards the area of grass, nearly losing his footing as he felt like he almost couldn't walk with so much building up in his throat. He had just about made it to the small, secluded spot and pointed his beak well away from his flower when he began coughing and retching. Hardly a second later, he felt what was in his neck come up into his beak, and he screamed in agony as he coughed and vomited.

Mama Flyer shut her eyes and turned away while groaning in horror from the sound of her poor son's vomiting and screaming from pain. It was quite obvious that the idea of him having to explain his whole love story about Ducky to the Great Valley's population was so sickening, and poor Petrie could not take having to explain everything to a huge jury at the upcoming hearing, whether it could save his and Ducky's lives or not.

"Aww, there, there, Petrie," Mama Flyer spoke gently to her son as she cautiously approached him and rubbed his back soothingly, "My little baby. It'll be okay. There, there. I'm sorry, my little one."

The only reply she got from Petrie was a series of coughs and retches.

Petrie continued to vomit for over a minute, and Mama Flyer looked into the cave and saw the rest of her children coming out, despite their punishment having not yet expired. She could only have imagined that they had come out because they had heard their poor brother vomiting, and they were worried for him.

"Mama, … is Petrie okay?" asked one of the boys.

"I'm afraid not, kids," sighed Mama Flyer, "And another thing: I'm pretty sure you're supposed to stay in the back of the cave until your week of punishment is up."

"We're sorry, Mama," said another boy, "We're just worried about Petrie."

"And we wanted to tell you something," added a girl.

Petrie let out another agonizing scream, and this was followed by the sound of more vomit pouring out of his beak, with more dreadful coughing and retching coming afterward. The Flyers all turned away and moaned. They couldn't bear to watch Petrie suffer the way he was.

"Okay, kids, but we'll have to take this conversation inside," informed Mama Flyer, "I don't think Petrie would want to hear about this."

Petrie retched and vomited again, and his siblings all scurried back inside the cave. Mama Flyer continued to gently pat Petrie's back to comfort him.

"There, there, Petrie," she said softly, "I'm so sorry, my poor, little boy."

"Me want … water," gasped Petrie.

"Okay, Petrie. I'll take you down to the river once you're feeling okay," said Mama Flyer, "I need to speak with your brothers and sisters for a moment. I'll be right back, okay?"

Petrie felt hesitant about letting his mother simply leave him alone while he kept on vomiting. He wanted her to stay by his side so that he knew he could be comforted.

"Please no leave me, Mama," he begged before he retched again.

"I'll be right inside our cave, my little one," reassured Mama Flyer just before her son vomited once again, "Just don't move from that spot, okay? I'll be right back. I promise."

Petrie reluctantly nodded, causing him to cough and retch quite severely. Mama Flyer gently wrapped a tree star around her son's back to keep him warm.

"I'll be right back, son," Mama Flyer said once more before she left her poor son to keep vomiting, and she entered her cave and saw her other kids all looking at her with worried looks on their faces, "Okay, kids. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

The kids looked at each other for a moment while they tried to find the right words to say. They hoped their mother wouldn't yell at them for mentioning Petrie and Ducky again.

"It's about Petrie," said one of the girls.

Mama Flyer sighed in disappointment. She was sure that her children were bound to find out about their brother sooner or later.

"We overheard him talking about Ducky this morning," the same girl added.

"We wanted to know if it's true," said a boy.

"Is Petrie in love with Ducky?" asked a second girl.

Mama Flyer stared down at her children and sighed uneasily. She knew there was no turning back now. She had to her children the truth, even if they had teased Petrie about it.

"Yes, kids," she said after a moment of near-silence, with the sound of Petrie's vomiting echoing behind her, "Your brother is in love with his best friend, Ducky."

"I knew it!" shouted another one of her sons, "We were right all along!"

"I did tell you a couple of days ago, when you teased your brother about it, that what happens between him and his friends is none of your business," Mama Flyer pointed out sternly.

"But, Mama, we're worried about Petrie!" complained a third daughter, "What if Mr. Threehorn finds out, and Petrie gets banished!? What are we gonna do!?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Threehorn already knows," said Mama Flyer sadly.

The children all gasped in horror and stared at each other with wide eyes.

"Oh, no!" some of the children said, "What's gonna happen to poor Petrie!?"

"Listen, kids, … I appreciate that you care for your brother, and that you want to help him despite what you did to him, but you should leave that to me and his friends' families who support us," said Mama Flyer, "After all, your punishment hasn't ended yet."

"Why did you punish us, anyway?" asked a third son.

"Because … Petrie and I were afraid that you would spread the word to everyone else, which would have risked him being banished," admitted Mama Flyer, "That's why I lied … and told you that he and Ducky weren't in love. They wanted to keep their relationship a secret, and I also needed to teach you a valuable lesson about not teasing your poor brother. I'm sure you can understand now why he lashed out at you when you all made fun of him and Ducky."

The Flyer children could only stare in disbelief as everything came together. Now they wished they hadn't teased Petrie on the day the sky water storm came to the valley.

"I need to be able to trust you children when it comes to respecting your brother, Petrie," explained Mama Flyer, "You have not been behaving very supportively, and now that we're in this sticky situation with Mr. Threehorn, I need you kids to be as supportive as you can be, and you can start by apologizing to Petrie once he's finished throwing up. He's still mad at all of you for making fun of him, you know."

"We know, Mama," one of her daughters spoke sadly.

"We all feel terrible for what we did to Petrie," added one of her sons, "We just weren't sure what to make of it because we had often seen Petrie playing with Ducky more than any of his other friends."

"I understand, kids, but teasing him about it was not the way to handle it," said Mama Flyer in a stern yet gentle voice, "You greatly hurt his feelings that morning when the sky water came down, and he's still not over it."

The kids looked down in shame as they thought about what they had done to their poor brother the day of the sky water storm. They came to realize just how much they had hurt Petrie with their foolish insults and teasing.

"So … what's going to happen now … with Petrie?" asked a girl.

"There will be a hearing at the Rock Circle tomorrow," explained Mama Flyer, "Petrie and Ducky will be put on trial for their interspecies relationship, and the other adults in the Great Valley will determine if they will be allowed to stay or face permanent banishment."

"They can't throw them away!" complained another daughter.

"I hope they're allowed to stay, too, kids," agreed Mama Flyer as her beak quivered, "I don't know how I'll be able to move on if I was never allowed to see my Petrie again."

"We wish we could help you, Mama," sniffled one of the boys.

"I know you want to help, little ones, but I'm afraid it's up to the Longnecks and Threehorns to decide if the others are indecisive about this," sighed Mama Flyer.

The Flyer hatchlings sighed and looked down hopelessly. They knew there was nothing they could do to save their brother from becoming an exile.

"I'm going to go check on Petrie," said Mama Flyer, "You all stay right here. I'll be right back."

"Okay, Mama," some of her kids answered as she turned and left the cave.

The Flyer mother returned to the spot where Petrie had been vomiting, and he appeared to be composing himself. He was panting wearily, rubbing on his messy beak with a tree star. Behind him, a pool of vomit covered over half of the patch of grass next to the entrance. Thankfully, his special flower remained unharmed.

"Oh, my, Petrie. Are you okay?" gasped Mama Flyer as she stared in disbelief at the gruesome mess.

"Me feel okay," panted Petrie, although he didn't quite look okay.

Mama Flyer was sure that her son might get sick again, but if he insisted that he was okay, she didn't want to put so much pressure on him so that he would get sick again.

"Would you like some water?" she asked him.

"Yes, please," nodded Petrie weakly.

"Okay, my little one," said Mama Flyer, "You don't look like you're in a condition to fly right now, so I'll give you a moist tree star and you can suck on it with your beak to pull the water in."

"Okay, Mama," Petrie reluctantly agreed, and his mother handed him a soaked tree star that looked so deliciously moist, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, my sweet, little Petrie," Mama Flyer replied warmly, making her son blush, "I love you, son."

"Me love you, too, Mama," said Petrie softly.

"Would you like to come inside, Petrie?" offered Mama Flyer, "Your brothers and sisters have something to say to you."

Petrie sighed in disappointment. His siblings were the last ones he wanted to be with right now. He was still furious at them for teasing him about his relationship with Ducky, and now that his situation had reached its boiling point, he didn't want to see them for at least a couple of weeks.

"Me no know," the kid sighed sadly.

"It will do your world a good, dear," said Mama Flyer, "Please, come with me."

Petrie sighed in defeat and reluctantly allowed his mother to soothe his back and lead him into their cave.

"Okay, Mama," he said in such a low voice.

Once he and his mother had walked inside, Petrie looked towards the nest and found all his siblings standing in front of them with looks of worry and sorrow. He wasn't very pleased about seeing them after they had teased him to no end, but he hoped they were sincerely feeling terrible for him after everything he had been through today.

"Okay, kids," Mama Flyer spoke up, "I know how bad you all feel, and I will give you another chance to let Petrie know how sorry you are for what you did to him, so … please apologize to your brother."

Petrie looked down and refused to make further eye contact with his siblings. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear their apologies, but he knew his mother would not allow him to lash out at them again, so he remained silent while he sucked on his moist tree star.

"We're very sorry, Petrie," one of his sisters began, "We all feel so horrible for what we did to you."

"We didn't have any idea that it would make you so mad," added a brother, "We wish we could take it all back."

Petrie stayed silent, still looking down at the rocky cave floor.

"We didn't mean it when we said that you being in love with Ducky was gross," said his second sister, "We're actually happy that you found someone to love, … even if she's a Swimmer."

Petrie perked up and looked at his siblings. He felt quite surprised that they would be happy with him being in love with Ducky, even though they had previously teased him about it.

"We all heard about what happened today," his second brother said, "We all want to help you, even though Mama says there's nothing we can do."

"You … y-you … really mean that?" asked a shocked Petrie.

"Yes, Petrie," answered the first brother, "You may have driven us crazy before, Petrie, … but you're our brother, and we care about you."

"We don't want you to get banished because you're in love with a Swimmer, Petrie," added his third sister, "We want you to keep living a happy life here with us."

"We're all very sorry for how we've treated you, Petrie," said his first sister.

"C-can you ever forgive us, Petrie?" asked his second sister.

Petrie glanced at each of his siblings, and he looked up at his mother, who grinned and winked at him. This was a side of his siblings that he rarely saw. He began to feel terrible for lashing out at them on the morning they made fun of him and Ducky, and he wanted to take that back, now that he was sure they were sincerely sorry for their behavior towards him.

With a faint grin, the little brown Flyer choked back a few tears and answered, "Me forgive you, guys."

Everyone in the cave smiled, and the children cheered in celebration of winning Petrie's forgiveness.

"And me sorry me say me hate you," added Petrie, "Me didn't mean it when me say that. Me was just mad."

"It's okay, Petrie," said one of his sisters, "We knew you didn't mean it, and we want to start fresh again."

"Besides, you were great in the Day of the Flyers, and we're so happy that you found love although you're so young," added a brother.

"Me happy me find love, too," Petrie replied before he looked down, "But now, … look what it do to me."

"I hope the hearing tomorrow will save Petrie from banishment," said one of his sisters.

"Me, too," replied another sister, "He doesn't deserve this."

"Kids," Mama Flyer spoke up, "Thank you all for apologizing to Petrie. It means so much to him to know that you regret what you've done, and I'm so glad that everybody is getting along again. It makes me so happy when all my children get along well."

Petrie and his siblings all smiled up at their mother.

"You're welcome, Mama," Petrie's siblings replied.

"And because Petrie has forgiven you, … I think it's only fair that I reduce your punishment," added Mama Flyer.

The kids gasped in excitement upon hearing that. They couldn't wait to go flying again after being confined to the back of the cave for five days.

"Because it's been five days since you were grounded, I think I will end your punishment right now," smiled Mama Flyer, "You all desperately need to start flying again, and I'll be happy to let you all back out to get some much-needed fresh air."

Every one of Petrie's siblings cheered and squealed in delight, and they gathered around their mother and hugged her legs while Petrie perched on her shoulder. Their punishment was finally over! Five days of being crowded in a dark cave with nothing to do but eat and drink had been so rough on them, but now they were free to do what they wanted once more.

"Now then, kids, who wants to get a drink from the river?" asked Mama Flyer.

"I do!" many of the kids answered, earning a chuckle from their mother.

Mama Flyer turned over to Petrie, who still had his moist tree star with him. She was still worried that he might be feeling drowsy from his vomiting episode, and that he might not be able to fly in his current state.

"Are you sure you can fly down to the river, Petrie?" she asked him.

"Me not sure," sighed Petrie, still feeling a bit of pain in his chest, "Maybe me should ride on your back."

"Okay, sweetie," Mama Flyer spoke gently, "Grab on."

Petrie wrapped his arms and wings around his mother's neck while holding his tree star, and she followed her other children out of their cave.

"I can't wait to fly again!" one of Petrie's brothers said excitedly.

"Me neither!" agreed a sister.

"Let's go, kids!" announced Mama Flyer, and she lifted herself off the ledge and soared down towards the river just a few minutes away, with all her children following him, except for Petrie, who rode on her back.

Ducky and her mother arrived at their nest, and they were instantly greeted by the hatchling's siblings, including Spike. They all had sad looks on their faces, and the mother/daughter duo immediately knew why.

"It can't be true!" cried one of Ducky's brothers, "Mr. Threehorn knows!?"

"I'm afraid so, children," confirmed Mama Swimmer as she set Ducky on the ground.

The little Swimmer was instantly mobbed by her devastated siblings as she was placed on her feet next to the nest, and she bawled her eyes out as they just about smothered her.

"No!" sniffled one of her sisters, "You can't get exiled, Ducky!"

"We'll never see you again!" wept another sister, "We'll miss you so much!"

"Now, children," said Mama Swimmer, "Ducky is not officially banished from the Great Valley."

"But-," said a sister, but their mother continued.

"There will be a hearing tomorrow at the Rock Circle, which will determine your sister's fate … and Petrie's," explained Mama Swimmer, "It'll be up to the population of the valley to decide whether they get to stay … or be exiled."

"I hope they let Ducky stay," cried another brother.

"Me, too!" agreed a fourth brother.

"How did you know, anyway?" asked Ducky, having no clue how her siblings could have found out about Mr. Threehorn gaining the knowledge of her interspecies relationship.

"Spike came home and started moaning, and from what we saw from him, we knew it was terrible news," explained one of her sisters.

Ducky sighed sadly just as Spike came up from behind her and hugged her tightly with his forelimbs, with tears pouring from his eyes.

"Spike!" sniffled Ducky in surprise.

Spike simply refused to let go of his sister, and he nuzzled her head to show how much he cared for her.

"I know, Spike," said Ducky tearfully, "I do not want to leave you, my family, or this Great Valley. No, no, no."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" offered one of her brothers.

"I'm sorry, kids, … but I'm afraid it's up to us adults to take care of things from here," said Mama Swimmer sadly, "It's nice of you to offer your help, but the Longnecks and Threehorns will have complete authority in tomorrow's hearing."

The Swimmer children sank their heads and let tears pour from their eyes. It seemed that nothing would be able to save their special sister from living the life of an exile all because she was in love with a Flyer.

"Is it an adult-only thing?" asked one of the girls.

"Not exactly," answered Mama Swimmer, "Ducky and Petrie have to attend because they have to defend themselves. They are being accused for their interspecies relationship, and they will have to explain everything to the rest of the population that will be in attendance."

"Everything!?" Ducky screamed as she broke out of Spike's hug and stared at her mother in complete shock.

"I'm afraid so, dear," sympathized Mama Swimmer, "I know you don't want to do that, and I'm sure Petrie doesn't want to, either, but the hearing requires that you share your story so that everyone gets a clear understanding."

"Aw, no, no, no, no, NO!" Ducky wailed as she fell on her knees and exploded in tears, "WHY!? WHY!? WHY!?"

"Aww, my sweet, little Ducky," sniffled Mama Swimmer, and she gently picked up her daughter and cuddled her tightly, "I know you don't want to do this, dear, but if you and Petrie stay silent throughout the whole hearing, nobody will understand why you fell in love, and you'll be at greater risk of banishment. The hearing requires an explanation, or else it will have all been for nothing. Tria and the Longnecks will have convinced Mr. Threehorn for nothing."

Ducky didn't reply. She simply buried her face into her mother's chest and wept miserably.

"Aw, there, there, my sweet Ducky. Please don't cry. Mommy's right here, my little baby," Mama Swimmer spoke softly and gently to her poor daughter, "I love you, dear."

"I love you, too, Mama," Ducky whimpered as her mother protectively cuddled her.

"I promise, Ducky, … I will do whatever it takes to keep you here with us, … and together, you, me, Petrie and Ms. Flyer will make sure you and Petrie get to stay in this lovely valley, because it will always be your home."

Ducky peeked up at her mother and exchanged a sad look with her. Her caring words seemed to warm her heart a little, although it didn't make her feel much better, because the hearing could come with any result. There was always a 50/50 chance that the Great Valley wouldn't be her home anymore, or Petrie's, and it saddened her to think about her boyfriend being homeless just like her if the hearing went badly.

Spike and the other Swimmer children simply watched the scene with tears pouring down their faces. They felt so sad for poor Ducky, and they hoped tonight would not be the last night she and Petrie would ever spend in the Great Valley.

I was originally going to skip straight to the hearing, but I decided to add two more chapters to build up some tension on Ducky and Petrie's families before the hearing takes place, and also to establish how Ducky and Petrie are able to take what lies ahead of them.

Chapter 25 will contain the Swimmer and Flyer families preparing for the hearing. The trial itself will be in chapter 26. With Ducky and Petrie accused for being in an interspecies relationship, will fate turn with them and allow them to stay in the Great Valley, or will fate turn against them and turn them into exiles for the rest of their lives?