Chapter 34
The next day, Croco was one of the first of the new cadets to the Academy Classroom and was eager to return to Pteros so he could meet his Skybax for the first time. Soon, many of the other cadets made their way into the room and the chatter began to pick up until Oolu came to the front of the room. At once, the students looked up at him intently.
"Good day class," he said to greet the students. "Today you will make your first trip to the Pteros rookery where you will meet your new life partners. I assume you all know how to climb?" Croco nodded, as he was an avid climber and excelled at it as well. None of the other students objected either and pretty soon they were on their way to the rookery.
When the class got there, most of them were in awe at the sheer number of Skybaxes inside the facility. But before they were led in, Oolu led them into a small room where he instruced them on how to position themselves in the saddle. A man who worked at the rookery fitted each of the cadets into a saddle and they waited for the others to finish up. When they all had their saddles, the rookery worker and Oolu led them into the holding pens where they were paired with a Skybax.
The students took turns tying their saddles to their new mount, some needing help while others got it right the first time. However, Croco hadn't been introduced to his Skybax left and Oolu led him to the one they looked at yesterday. The rest of the beginners were in shock and began whispering to each other, but that was put to an end with a sharp glare from the Master. The Skybax looked over the young man like he did the day before.
"So what's his name?" Croco asked. The rookery worker arrived and looked up at him.
"Doesn't have one yet," he told him, "The first two cadets that were assigned..."
"...I already told him about this one Benju," Oolu said. "Croco here's willing to give it a go with him...he's very enthusiastic." Benju shook his head and sighed, then opened the enclosure where the pterosaur lowered his head. Croco was able to put the saddle on with hardly any difficulty once he knew how it went on the Skybax's back. Oolu led them out to a clearing where the other students and their Skybaxes were waiting. After a quick review of how to lay in the saddle, he addressed the class.
"You are about to experience something that few Dinotopians have ever been through...the experience of flight," he told them. "However, the only way you can truly enjoy this is if you fully trust your Skybax. It will not do anything that will put your life at risk, so do not be afraid. Breathe deep.....fly high!" And with that, he showed them the mounting platforms where one by one, the students mounted their Skybaxes for the first time and they took off into the canyon, many of the riders letting out whoops and screams of joy. Like in the rookery, Croco was the last to mount but Oolu stopped him before he could climb aboard.
"Croco, wait," he said. "I want to be airborne with you so I can monitor your Skybax...he's tried to fly upside down in order to throw a rider off into the canyon." With that, Lightwing moved into position and soon they took off while Croco climbed aboard his mount. With a quick tap of its long neck, the great pterosaur was off and into the canyon.
He had flown an airplane before and he had gone skydiving in his short life, but the feel of riding through the sky aboard a giant reptile was the greatest thrill Croco had ever experienced. The smile on his face was as wide as the Great Canyon itself as the Skybax took him up into the clouds, then hurtled earthward while banking to the left toward the Sentinels. But once it got there, it did a complete 180-degree turn and flew back in the other direction with Croco hanging on for dear life. It continued to fly around the canyon, at times flying dangerously low in the canyon to the territory of the Pteranodons, but glided back up. After a couple hours of this, the Skybax landed back at the rookery where Oolu and Lightwing were waiting.
"So how was your first flight?" he asked. It took Croco a long time to come up with an answer as the sheer exhilaration of the flight hadn't fully dissipated. After he was able to keep a straight face for more than ten seconds, Croco turned to Oolu.
"Incredible," he said, "...simply incredible." The Skybax squawked proudly and Oolu smiled.
"Have you thought of a name for him?" Croco scratched his chin for a little bit and simply shook his head. Oolu sighed and told him that he would be leaving for the time. He watched and waved as Lightwing took to the skies, then turned back to his companion.
"Now...as to what to name you..." he sighed. He paced back and forth, trying to think. At last, he came up with a good name for his new friend.
"All right...from this point on, I shall call you.....Speedwing. How's that?" The pterosaur thought about it, then squawked and chattered in approval. He liked the name very much and Croco saw him off to the rookery, but not before lowering his head to see him at eye level while softly crooning to him. "Goodbye Speedwing...see you tomorrow," and like that Croco left the rookery to make his way back down to the city.
She was waiting by the door, anxious for him to come back home. Somehow, she thought that he was in danger and every time she heard someone go by, she braced herself but it wasn't him. Finally the doorknob began to turn and she perked up. When she saw him, she couldn't help but to throw herself into the young man's arms...even though she was a Protoceratops and weighed a good two hundred-fifty pounds more than he did. Still, that didn't mean that Cassie was any less relieved to see Croco come into the small apartment.
"Oh my, I'm so glad to see you!" she said, "Some beginners don't even survive their first flight or get hurt very badly." Croco sighed as he threw himself on the bed, exhausted.
"I didn't know flying would be this...hard," he said, panting, "Between the fact that I had to make a two-hour climb to the rookery and my neck and back being sore from all that time in the saddle, I'm ready to retire right now!" Cassie lept up onto the bed, swishing her tail gently across his back.
"Too bad I'm not a female human right now, cause if I were..."
"All right Cassie," Croco said, laughing, "we don't need to go into details." But still Croco could sense that she liked him more than he thought she did. Cassie had the same thoughts concerning her and Croco too, and it made him a little uncomfortable knowing that he had a crush on a member of a completely different species. Then he remembered that she had a mate and a hatchling back in Waterfall City, but still that didn't mean that he didn't have feelings for her. He slowly drifted off to sleep, even though it was only the late afternoon. His dreams were of Cassie as a human with long, flowing red hair and a little bit on the heavy side, like the protoceratops. He only had eyes for her and they ended up mating on a patch of soft ferns near a pond in an open field. Croco woke up and saw that it was the middle of the night with Cassie fast asleep. He walked out to look at the stars, then went back to sleep and didn't wake up until Cassie shook him at sunrise.
The next day, Croco was one of the first of the new cadets to the Academy Classroom and was eager to return to Pteros so he could meet his Skybax for the first time. Soon, many of the other cadets made their way into the room and the chatter began to pick up until Oolu came to the front of the room. At once, the students looked up at him intently.
"Good day class," he said to greet the students. "Today you will make your first trip to the Pteros rookery where you will meet your new life partners. I assume you all know how to climb?" Croco nodded, as he was an avid climber and excelled at it as well. None of the other students objected either and pretty soon they were on their way to the rookery.
When the class got there, most of them were in awe at the sheer number of Skybaxes inside the facility. But before they were led in, Oolu led them into a small room where he instruced them on how to position themselves in the saddle. A man who worked at the rookery fitted each of the cadets into a saddle and they waited for the others to finish up. When they all had their saddles, the rookery worker and Oolu led them into the holding pens where they were paired with a Skybax.
The students took turns tying their saddles to their new mount, some needing help while others got it right the first time. However, Croco hadn't been introduced to his Skybax left and Oolu led him to the one they looked at yesterday. The rest of the beginners were in shock and began whispering to each other, but that was put to an end with a sharp glare from the Master. The Skybax looked over the young man like he did the day before.
"So what's his name?" Croco asked. The rookery worker arrived and looked up at him.
"Doesn't have one yet," he told him, "The first two cadets that were assigned..."
"...I already told him about this one Benju," Oolu said. "Croco here's willing to give it a go with him...he's very enthusiastic." Benju shook his head and sighed, then opened the enclosure where the pterosaur lowered his head. Croco was able to put the saddle on with hardly any difficulty once he knew how it went on the Skybax's back. Oolu led them out to a clearing where the other students and their Skybaxes were waiting. After a quick review of how to lay in the saddle, he addressed the class.
"You are about to experience something that few Dinotopians have ever been through...the experience of flight," he told them. "However, the only way you can truly enjoy this is if you fully trust your Skybax. It will not do anything that will put your life at risk, so do not be afraid. Breathe deep.....fly high!" And with that, he showed them the mounting platforms where one by one, the students mounted their Skybaxes for the first time and they took off into the canyon, many of the riders letting out whoops and screams of joy. Like in the rookery, Croco was the last to mount but Oolu stopped him before he could climb aboard.
"Croco, wait," he said. "I want to be airborne with you so I can monitor your Skybax...he's tried to fly upside down in order to throw a rider off into the canyon." With that, Lightwing moved into position and soon they took off while Croco climbed aboard his mount. With a quick tap of its long neck, the great pterosaur was off and into the canyon.
He had flown an airplane before and he had gone skydiving in his short life, but the feel of riding through the sky aboard a giant reptile was the greatest thrill Croco had ever experienced. The smile on his face was as wide as the Great Canyon itself as the Skybax took him up into the clouds, then hurtled earthward while banking to the left toward the Sentinels. But once it got there, it did a complete 180-degree turn and flew back in the other direction with Croco hanging on for dear life. It continued to fly around the canyon, at times flying dangerously low in the canyon to the territory of the Pteranodons, but glided back up. After a couple hours of this, the Skybax landed back at the rookery where Oolu and Lightwing were waiting.
"So how was your first flight?" he asked. It took Croco a long time to come up with an answer as the sheer exhilaration of the flight hadn't fully dissipated. After he was able to keep a straight face for more than ten seconds, Croco turned to Oolu.
"Incredible," he said, "...simply incredible." The Skybax squawked proudly and Oolu smiled.
"Have you thought of a name for him?" Croco scratched his chin for a little bit and simply shook his head. Oolu sighed and told him that he would be leaving for the time. He watched and waved as Lightwing took to the skies, then turned back to his companion.
"Now...as to what to name you..." he sighed. He paced back and forth, trying to think. At last, he came up with a good name for his new friend.
"All right...from this point on, I shall call you.....Speedwing. How's that?" The pterosaur thought about it, then squawked and chattered in approval. He liked the name very much and Croco saw him off to the rookery, but not before lowering his head to see him at eye level while softly crooning to him. "Goodbye Speedwing...see you tomorrow," and like that Croco left the rookery to make his way back down to the city.
She was waiting by the door, anxious for him to come back home. Somehow, she thought that he was in danger and every time she heard someone go by, she braced herself but it wasn't him. Finally the doorknob began to turn and she perked up. When she saw him, she couldn't help but to throw herself into the young man's arms...even though she was a Protoceratops and weighed a good two hundred-fifty pounds more than he did. Still, that didn't mean that Cassie was any less relieved to see Croco come into the small apartment.
"Oh my, I'm so glad to see you!" she said, "Some beginners don't even survive their first flight or get hurt very badly." Croco sighed as he threw himself on the bed, exhausted.
"I didn't know flying would be this...hard," he said, panting, "Between the fact that I had to make a two-hour climb to the rookery and my neck and back being sore from all that time in the saddle, I'm ready to retire right now!" Cassie lept up onto the bed, swishing her tail gently across his back.
"Too bad I'm not a female human right now, cause if I were..."
"All right Cassie," Croco said, laughing, "we don't need to go into details." But still Croco could sense that she liked him more than he thought she did. Cassie had the same thoughts concerning her and Croco too, and it made him a little uncomfortable knowing that he had a crush on a member of a completely different species. Then he remembered that she had a mate and a hatchling back in Waterfall City, but still that didn't mean that he didn't have feelings for her. He slowly drifted off to sleep, even though it was only the late afternoon. His dreams were of Cassie as a human with long, flowing red hair and a little bit on the heavy side, like the protoceratops. He only had eyes for her and they ended up mating on a patch of soft ferns near a pond in an open field. Croco woke up and saw that it was the middle of the night with Cassie fast asleep. He walked out to look at the stars, then went back to sleep and didn't wake up until Cassie shook him at sunrise.