Home at Last
Green Dragon
Ali was still bickering with Littlefoot and Ducky over Cera's plight. True, they may have faced countless Sharpteeth and lived to tell the tale, assuming their stories were accurate, but it's the one attack that you do not walk away from that you have to worry about.
"Look Ali, I know what you're trying to do," Littlefoot was saying, "but we came a long way to find you, so we're not just gonna leave you behind for some Sharptooth to find you now!"
"Aha!" Ali could not help allowing herself a smirk of triumph. "I thought you said there was no chance of the Sharptooth finding us while Cera was distracting it!"
"Well I...um..that is..." Littlefoot grinned in spite of himself. In the face of danger and Ali was still playing games with him.
"Cera willstop that Sharptooth, she will, she will." Ducky stated, still talking from her odd perch on Ali's head. "But there could be other Sharpteeth around and we cannot leave you here for them to find, no, no, no!" Ali had to smile at Ducky's honesty, yet also surprisingly logical thoughts. But it still did not change matters.
"You're right Ducky," she said, "but that just means it's even more important that you guys get going now. If any Sharpteeth track us down, you guys being here isn't going to help things. And that's stillassuming that Cera can take care of the first one!"
"Well thanks for the vote of confidence!" Everyone's heads whipped around to face the direction they had come, to see none other than Cera, walking up towards them, not even a scratch anywhere on her body.
"Cera!" Littlefoot cried. "Are you okay? What happened? How did you escape?"
"Escape?" Cera echoed, her Threehorn pride sneaking up on her. "You must have me confused with yourself. " She couldn't resisting poking her tongue out at him, earning a huff of irritation as a reward. "I didn't escape, I beat that thing!"
"You beat a fully grown Sharptooth?" Ali spoke up.
"Yup."
"...How?"
"Well, there we were, face to face. It was coming right at me and I thought to myself, "I can't run away! My friends are counting on me to keep them safe from trouble!" So I looked up, stared it straight in the eye and-"
As Cera continued her tale, Ducky and Spike hanging on every word, while Littlefoot rolling his eyes in what suggested more than a healthy dose of scepticism, Ali took a moment to sit down and rest her leg. There was still a way to go and despite her earlier claim, she did not expect that they would be attacked again anytime soon. A quick break couldn't hurt. Still, she mused, as Cera was now beginning to act out some of the more finer details of her exploits, having convinced Spike to stand in for the Sharptooth (evidently the Sharptooth must have shrunk after it chased Cera, because she had apparently defeated it by jumping on top of it), Littlefoot and Ducky's stubbornness over not leaving her behind had taught her one thing. Well actually two things, with the first being that Cera was a bad influence on Littlefoot and Ducky and second? Being a leader looked like it was going to be just as difficult as she thought.
Back in the valley, Petrie had woken from his deep sleep. The Bright Circle was starting to descend towards the ground now, meaning he had slept for quite a time although, as he reasoned with himself, considering he had been awake all night flying home, this was only natural. But while his guilt of sleeping in had been addressed, the guilt of another of his actions was freshly bubbling up to the surface. While the Flyers being sent out on Pterano's suggestion would inevitably find Littlefoot and the others, there was still the problem of what would happen when they returned. Rack his brains as he might, Petrie could not think of an excuse to give them that would explain his departure from the group. For the briefest of moments, the urge to fly away was welling up in him again. It would be so easy. He could be miles away from the valley in just a matter of minutes and that would solve everything. He would not have to answer to the others at all. All it would take would be to stand up, stretch out his wings and...
No. What was he thinking? It was exactly this kind of action that had led him to this situation in the first place. And when he had arrived home and Pterano had gone to find his mother, the first instinct of his had been to run away again. And though he did not like to admit it, it was probably only their timely arrival that prevented him from doing so. Well. Enough was enough. He could not just keep flying away every time something became difficult. Pterano was right, the little Flyer had faced Sharpteeth and won! Exactly what could his friends, however angry they might be, do to him? And so it was decided. No more running. Although the fact that Pterano would likely dream up some incredible, yet entirely plausible excuse for his absence, as he had done before, probably influenced Petrie's decision more than he cared to admit.
"-so he says "that's not a Clubtail, that's my mother!"
"I don't get it."
Ali watched as Cera began to explain, in great detail, just how Littlefoot's appreciation of quality humour was sadly lacking. She rolled her eyes with a sense of annoyed amusement. She was sure they were trying to put on happy faces for her benefit. Her slow pace had not helped the group. Evening was upon them and night time would swiftly follow, and yet the distance they had made would have been laughable, had one been in a mood to laugh. As it was, regardless of how they tried to hide it, Ali was sure that the other's patience was starting to wear thin.
Suddenly a cry rang out.
"There they are! I see them!" Everyone's heads immediately snapped up, gazing towards the sky where the voice had come from. Immediately the glare of the Bright Circle blinded them and all they could make out were several large, black shapes coming towards them, almost as if emerging from the Bright Circle itself. A moment later and the shapes had landed on the ground. Blinking rapidly, eyes re-adjusting, the group soon discovered that these shapes did in fact, belong to a number of Flyers. One of them, stone grey in colouring, with a small crest on his head, stepped towards Littlefoot.
"At last." He spoke, voice croaking, indicating that he was likely more than a little thirsty. "We've finally found you. We've been searching for hours." Ali found this an odd comment for a total stranger to make to Littlefoot. For the briefest of moments, thoughts entered her head, detailing the possibility of Blue Flyer. Perhaps he had sent members of his flock their way to assist? This theory was quickly disproved when Littlefoot spoke up however.
"I've seen you before." He said. "At the Meeting Place in the Great Valley. You're all from the valley, aren't you?" The grey Flyer nodded in response.
"The elders sent us out to search for you." He spoke up. "They've been quite anxious since you disappeared last night." None of the group could quite ignore the strict tone in his voice. Still, he would presumably learn the truth soon enough.
"Well you found us." Cera spoke up. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Escort you home." Grey Flyer replied. "We can lead you back on the straightest path possible. Assuming of course you were heading for the valley, I think you should know, you were quite off course." Ali immediately felt her face burn with shame. She was so sure that she had been going the right way. And what excuse did she have to not be? She was a Far Walker, none of the group knew, or should have known the way better than her.
"How far away are we?" Littlefoot was asking.
"If we leave now and keep a steady pace, I would imagine we could be there by midnight. Perhaps a little later." Grey Flyer answered. Ali's feelings grew worse. Not only had she led them the wrong way, but she knew what was coming next.
"She's injured." Littlefoot gestured towards her. "She can't walk easily, we're gonna be pretty slow." All eyes on her, Ali would have run for cover, had she been capable of it.
"How fast can you move?" Grey Flyer questioned her. Distracting herself from the gaze of her audience with delightful thoughts involving the ground swallowing her up whole, Ali demonstrated to the would be rescuers her current walking ability. Ducky climbing up onto her back afterwards and reassuringly patting her head helped matters. The looks of annoyance on the Flyer's faces did not.
"I suppose this changes thing." Grey Flyer spoke at length. "If one of you can help her, I suppose we could reach the valley by daybreak. But no stops along the way." The group nodded in consent and prepared to start moving. "And I'm sure the elders will be quiteinterested to learn why there are two Longnecks when we were only told to search for one."
"And you say Mr Thicknose is strict." Ducky whispered to Cera.
Petrie was perched on the edge of one of the ridges at the Meeting Place, dancing from one foot to the other nervously. Dawn had just passed and he had been awakened by his mother, with news that one of the Flyers had returned a few hours ago. Apparently the others had been found, were being escorted home immediately and were expected to arrive soon. Petrie was not the type generally given to mornings, and this one seemed to be worse than usual. Not because of tiredness, for once he was surprisingly alert. But instead, he was dealing with the rather unusual prospect of entertaining two very different emotions at once. Excitement for the safe return of his friends and at the same time, dread, for what they might have to say to him. Once again that annoying, yet strangely attractive idea of taking off and flying away from his problems bubbled up.
He was shaken from this when a hand gently landed on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that it was of course Uncle Pterano. Whether the Flyer was comforting him, or had somehow sensed Petrie's urge to run away (and he had to admit that he would not be entirely surprised if Pterano werecapable of such things) and was simply restraining him, Petrie could not tell. Either way, he chose to draw comfort from it. It seemed like the smart thing to do.
Presently, the assembled dinosaurs were shaken from their wait by the appearance of a small flock of Flyers, just swooping over the Great Wall. Within minutes, they arrived, bring with them two tired Longnecks, an irritable Threehorn, a lightly dozing Swimmer and a Spiketail who did not look entirely sure how he got there. In a moment, the morning's silence was shattered as parents and guardians surrounded the children with greetings and welcomes, hugs and scoldings and most importantly, questions.
"Where have you been?"
"Are you alright?"
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
"Where have you been?"
"How could you just go running off like that?"
"What kind of example is this to set to the youngsters of this valley?
"Where have you been?"
Clearly seeing that the children would have no hope of answering any questions if they were bombarded with all of them at once, Littlefoot's Grandpa called for silence.
"Perhaps it would be worth asking one question at a time." He spoke, as parents were now fairly assured that their young were more or less safe. "Now Littlefoot," he began to address his grandson in what Littlefoot often called his "stern-but-not-quite-angry" voice, "I had originally thought the first question I would ask you when you returned, would be where you were and what you were doing." He cast an eye towards Ali. "But now I believe the most pressing question would be where your old friend has come from and why she is here." Littlefoot and Ali appeared to be whispering to each other. Petrie could not hear them from where he was (he had taken care to stay out of sight once he saw the sour look on Cera's face), but he guessed they were deciding which of them should do the talking.
"It started the day before yesterday." Littlefoot spoke up. "I was just on my way home when this blue Flyer appeared out of nowhere..."
Petrie watched as Littlefoot told the audience about Blue Flyer's message and the proposed rescue of Ali. Ali herself, also chimed in with details about the Sharptooth attack on her herd. Petrie noted with some relief on his friend's behalf, that her story seemed to be softening some of the frowns on the adult's faces. Cera's father even changed his look to one of pride as his daughter began recounting tales involving a Sharptooth, some fire-water and a large helping of Threehorn courage and determination. Admittedly he did not catch the full story, he had been distracted as he willed himself to not throw up from the sheer bravado of it all.
Without warning, Peterano suddenly leapt from his own perch and flew down to where the group was standing. Petrie shrank further back, while still trying to listen.
"Certainly this was a thrilling tale." He was saying. He turned to face Littlefoot's Grandpa. "I daresay this may even be considered worthy of you Storyspeakers to spread to others, is it not." Without waiting for a reply from the momentarily stunned Longneck, Pterano turned his attention back to Littlefoot and the others. "But there will be time for such matters later. Right now I am sure Petrie will be glad to learn of your safe return. He was so...surprised to learn that you had disappeared that way."
Petrie watched, beak practically hitting the ground. The way Pterano spoke, so gentle, so polite. And yet, it seemed to carry a very clear "don't you dare try to contradict me in front of your families" message in it. The parents seemed to miss it, but Littlefoot and the others stared at him for a moment.
"Yeah." Littlefoot finally spoke up. "We can't wait to find out what he's been up to." Petrie let his breath go. Somehow Pterano had convinced them to not reveal his actions to the group. Were they scared of Pterano? Or were they just staying quiet out of friendship. Surprisingly, neither answer brought much comfort.
"Well I think we've all had enough excitement for one morning." Littlefoot's Grandma spoke up. "I am sure that Petrie will be happy to see you all, but for now you need to rest. " She turned her gaze to Ali. "Particularly you little one. You are very lucky that your leg is still working, but the sooner you can rest it, the better."
"We will send Flyers out to look for your herd and find out what has happened to them." Littlefoot's Grandpa added. "Until then, you are perfectly welcome to stay with us." Ali nodded, a whisper Petrie could not hear, escaping her lips. Though even from his distance, he saw them forming the words "thank you". All at once, the group began to split up, each heading towards their own nests. Petrie watched this in surprise. And a moment later, a glorious sense of relief washed over him.
Okay, so he hadn't exactly gone down there and confronted them, but there was no hurry. And Littlefoot's Grandma was right, the group needed rest. Long trip after all. Assured that his friends were safe, Petrie decided to head on home. It was still early after all and that had been such a comfortable position he had been in when he awoke. Perhaps he could find it again when he got back. He felt so happy. He was almost tempted to sing about it. But no, that would be too much.
Meanwhile, there was one member of the group who wasn't returning straight to the nest. Normally Cera's father would be particularly insistent that traipsing all over the Mysterious Beyond, with two Longnecks no less, would certainly qualify for punishment consisting of being sent to bed. Still, it is surprising just easily a story about defeating a fully grown Sharptooth single handed could melt the old Threehorn's heart. Okay, so perhaps a slightly more truthful rendition, with less emphasis on headbutting the beast hard enough to shatter bones would not have done the trick, but she had a purpose and being sent to bed was not a helpful factor.
She had been irritated immensely by Pterano's...well, ordersto put it bluntly. Petrie had abandoned them and now she was finally able to get the truth, and here Pterano was, telling her to shut up. She had been about to protest naturally, no Threehorn takes that sort of thing lying down. Then Littlefoot nudged her, with sharp whispers of "Just drop it" in that annoyingly secretive way that he seemed so fond of. Well he wasn't around now. Too busy getting all excited over the prospect of living with a girl. Boys...
Anyway she had something else in mind. While everyone else went off to sleep, it left Cera free to pay a little visit to Petrie's nest. And what better way to get the truth out of him than a little one-to-one talk? She wanted to know why he had abandoned them. And why Pterano was so desperate to keep it a secret.
"Why are you so desperate to keep it a secret?" The voice brought Cera out of her thoughts immediately. Looking around for the source, she spotted none other than Pterano himself, standing with a Flyer who had asked the question. They were at the base of the Smoking Mountain. Why? She crept closer, making sure to stay hidden in the bushes.
"My dear Rax, if Petrie's current...predicament with his friends were to become public knowledge, it would create unnecessary problems for us." Pterano responded.
"How do you figure? With the kids squabbling over this, it'd keep 'em distracted from what we're doing."
"My, how unusually perspective of you." Pterano replied acidly. "It's true, it may provide a temporary distraction, if any distraction at all. But arguments tend not to last long, one way or another. However if I can help Petrie smooth over any damage to his friendship with that group of his, it would be much easier to keep them distracted. We can rely on Petrie to throw them off the trail."
Cera crept closer.
"You trust that scrawny idiot to keep his mouth shut?"
"I'll thank you to not speak of my nephew in that manner." Cera was taken aback. Pterano's demeanor had not changed but his tone had suddenly become...almost scary. A little. Sort of. To someone else maybe. Rax also appeared taken aback.
"Sure, whatever you say boss. So he keeps them distracted while we keep digging?"
"While I do not appreciate the term 'scrawny', as you choose to put it, I will concede that Petrie is perhaps not the best choice to aide in the actual digging. His job will be to keep eyes off us. And our job, of course, is to find the lost souls.
Cera's mouth fell open.
TO BE CONTINUED...