Wow, I actually updated earlier than expected! We finally get to see Orri for the first time in present day, and he's a very fun character for me to write.

I've also noticed that some people have left reviews, so thank you! It really means a lot to me, so please don't be afraid to let me know what you think!

Darth Cody - thank you so much for the kind words! And yes, I have made several references to Brother Bear throughout this story, and will probably make more. :D I'm glad you noticed and liked it!

Anyway, that's all I have to say. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and as always, have a great week!

Orri sat perched on a sturdy tree branch, the scent of the millions of miniature green leaves entering his nostrils. His cold and unfeeling brown eyes watched over his people as they slept in the trees, ate fish from the stream, and talked amongst themselves. His beige scales were covered in scars and scratches. They brought him no shame, for they were marks of his victory, where he prevailed, and others did not. He ruffled his wings, clearing them of the dust that had collected in between his membranes.

Orri grew up very timid and quiet. As a hatchling, he was weak, tiny, and helpless. He couldn't even fly without growing tired. None of that mattered to him, then. His mother and father ruled over Ornith Valley, and they did so well. His mother was a common favorite among the flyers, with her grace and eloquence. His father was more rigorous, but he was an effective ruler.

But like all things, Ornith Valley, too, was subject to change. Orri had gone hunting for fish at the lake with his mother, while his father remained close by, should there have been any danger. However, even those precautions couldn't stop nature from taking it's course. Some unknown creature, who had been most likely been biding their time, rose from the deep and clamped it's jaws around his mother's head. Orri's mother screeched in pain and panic, and his father swooped down to help in a desperate frenzy, but by then, the creature had already disappeared into the water, leaving nothing but a bloody trail.

Orri's father clamped down. Hard. After the loss of his wife, he felt he had nothing more to lose except Ornith Valley. The paternal bond that he once had with Orri had vanished. He worked him half to death, not resting until he knew that Orri was a strong and capable flyer. By the time he was, Orri's heart had been hardened by life's trials.

Knowing that his son had learned well, Orri's father resigned himself to his fate. He fell ill, and began to decline until his eventual death. Subsequently, Orri took his place. At first, he seemed a just and fair leader, who only had the best interest of his people at heart. But then, he started enforcing his rule through the use of brute force. He built up a team of captains, who carried out his work. If anyone dared to defy his authority, one of his captains would strike them. If they were caught talking ill of Orri or trying to leave, they were struck twice. Some flyers died standing up for what they believed in.

As time went on, the flyers of Ornith Valley came to accept the bitter truth that they were better off submitting to their leader, even when he began sending children to learn how to hunt, despite many of the young flyers losing their lives in the process. Several mothers protested against the new order, and they too, were killed. The blissful valley that had once been an oasis, a paradise, was now a sad and evil place of fear, where the inhabitants heard without listening, and talked without speaking.

The heavy and slowed flapping of wings filled the fresh morning air, and a trio of flyers made their way towards the branch upon which Orri was perched. The first to land was a gray flyer named Rowan. He was the biggest and the strongest out of the three, with a red tipped crest and pale blue eyes which were almost white.

"Captain Rowan," said Orri, lifting his chin slightly, "Good morning."

"Good morning, sir." Rowan's voice was soft and smooth, but had a firmness to it all the same. Just as he opened his mouth to continue speaking, he was interrupted by the flyer standing to his left.

"Rosemary's at it again, sir."

There was a flash of recognition in Orri's eyes. Rosemary's name was not unheard of in the valley. "Please do take care of it, Hawthorn."

"Of course, sir," Hawthorn said proudly, sneering. He had a smug aura about him, like someone who lived only to impress others. For someone so small, he had a large ego. He was a light brown, almost orange, with pale, amber eyes.

Rowan narrowed his eyes disdainfully. He could hardly tolerate the nuisance known as Captain Hawthorn.

The most quiet and least troublesome of the bunch was Captain Yarrow. He was a simple flyer or an average build, with pale grey scales and darker gray eyes. Mostly, he preferred to keep to himself. He wasn't a brute like Hawthorn, nor was he a revered as Rowan. He was in the very middle — where he liked to be.

Finally, after a long silence, Orri spoke. "I have a task for you three."

The trio looked up expectantly at their commander in chief, awaiting their orders.

"I need to form a small, but lethal team."

Hawthorn perked up, placing a hand on his chest. "Consider it done, sir—"

"I wasn't finished, Hawthorn."

Rowan was unable to repress a snicker. After stifling his laughter, he cleared his throat and looked up.

"As I was saying," Orri continued, "I need to build my team. Meanwhile, you three must keep watch over Ornith Valley until I get back. Rowan will be in charge."

The tables turned, and Rowan was now the one wearing a smug grin. Hawthorn growled under his breath, clearly displeased.

Orri cleared his throat, and began flapping his wings. "Well, I'll be off now. Good luck. If anything goes wrong — I will hear of it." He took off into the sky, screeching as his wings sheared through the clouds.

Blood flushed into the large sail on the sharptooth's back, fresh blood staining her teeth and trickling down her slack chin. Her green eyes, her unnerving stare, bore right into that of the notorious Red Claw's. Bleeding gashes ran down her flank as she heaved, her chest rising and falling slowly while she attempted to catch her breath. A faint sensation came over her, like that of fading away into a cloud of dust.

"I told you once long ago, Red Claw," she gasped, "That I would impress you. And, well, I certainly hope I have."

"And I told you I would kill you myself, Sana," Red Claw snarled, lunging for her, "Andras isn't here to save you."

Sana retaliated, and the two sharpteeth were digging their claws into each other's shoulders, staining each other with blood and dirt.

"I don't need him to save me," Sana growled in a low voice, "Getting rid of you once and for all would be more than enough."

"You'll never be rid of me." Red Claw pushed forward, causing Sana to lose her balance and topple to the ground.

With the severity of her injuries, and her colossal weight, Sana could not stand up again. Dirt mixed in with her wounds, with Red Claw digging his claws into her back. She fought and struggled, but her strength failed her. For a moment, she wondered if this would be the end of it.

Orri swooped down, perching on top of a rock protruding from the face of a mighty cliff. With his sharp eyes, and his distinct sense of smell, he was able to track down Red Claw. He watched, intrigued, as the brown sharptooth pinned his target against the dusty ground.

The ground trembled, giving the violent, shaking sensation of one of the earth's tremors. Another sailbacked sharptooth appeared on the scene, ramming his body into that of Red Claw's.

Red Claw, taken by surprise, had no opportunity to fight back. His opponent pushed all of his weight against the red eyed dinosaur, finally slamming him against the wall of the cliff Orri was sitting on.

Cleverly, Orri had predicted the sailback's course of action, and flew off before Red Claw's massive body made contact with the jagged rocks.

In the brief moment that Red Claw was dazed, the sailback sharptooth ran towards Sana, pushing her to her feet with his snout.

"Come on, hurry," he urged desperately. Once Sana was up and standing once more, the two sharpteeth fled the scene, knowing better than to challenge Red Claw another time.

Orri watched the pair depart. They might have been of some use to him, but they simply lacked the kind of spirit that he wanted. He paid them no mind. Then, he flew down to where Red Claw and his lackeys stood.

"You two are absolutely useless," Red Claw growled to the two fast biters.

"But there was nothing we could have done, sir," insisted Thud.

"Or else we might have been squashed," Screech continued.

Before Red Claw could berate his henchmen any further, Orri intervened and landed in front of them. The sharptooth directed his stony gaze towards the flyer, somewhat repulsed.

"Who are you?"

"Forgive me for the intrusion," Orri began, "But I couldn't help but notice— you are Red Claw, correct?"

Red Claw gave a grunt or affirmation. It was not at all surprising that the flyer knew who he was. On the contrary, he couldn't care less about the other's identity.

"I am Orri," he continued, "I rule over Ornith Valley."

"Never heard of it."

"I expected as much. It's not very popular...but, anyway, to the point. How would you like to help me invade the Great Valley?"

Red Claw turned away. "Forget it. It's damn near impossible to invade the valley. I've tried."

"Well, it's no wonder you got caught. You're a big, hulking monster. But, consider this— what if we invaded from the sky?"

"Wouldn't work. You'd need a whole herd of flyers for it to be successful."

Orri smiled wryly, brown eyes shimmering. "If you come with me, I'll show you what I mean."

Red Claw, intrigued by the proposition that the flyer offered, warily followed him.

The brown flyer's talon scritched and scratched against the cave well, his dull yellow eyes slowly tracing each stroke he made. Sierra hadn't a clue what he was doing. All he knew he was that he need to keep himself busy, busy, busy. It was the only way he could possibly avoid thinking about Danielle.

His companion tried to indulge him. Rinkus knew well that different dinosaurs handled situations differently. Such was true for the loss of their mates. Rinkus had his own manner of grieving, while Sierra had his — although, his method was more noticeable and drew more attention. The scratching was beginning to get on Rinkus' nerves, but he held back a reprimand, for Sierra's sake.

Sierra's arm fell by his side as he stared at the cave. He'd drawn a flyer out of the thin marks his claws left on the earth. But once again, like all the other times, the flyer ended up taking the appearance of Danielle. No matter how hard he tried to forget his lost love, she always lingered in his thoughts.

Sierra's breath hitched, and his eyes seemed to glow with anger. "AAAGH!" His yell was so primal, so painful. It sounded as if he were stuck in the clutches of a sharptooth, and he couldn't get out. He slashed his claws across the image of the flyer, covering it in his angry claw marks. Then, he began to beat his fists against the wall. "Why?! Why can't I just forget you?!"

Rinkus debated whether to say something, or to hold his tongue. He swallowed the last bits of his fish, and stood up so that he was facing his comrade. "The point isn't to forget her, Sierra," he finally said, deciding to take the risk.

Sierra slid down to the floor, holding his head in his hands. "Then what do I do, huh?"

"Remember her. Remember her as much as you can. Danielle was a lot more than what happened to her."

Sierra huffed, scuffling over towards the mouth of the cavern. "Remembering her won't bring her back."

Rinkus sighed in defeat, giving in. He stood beside Sierra, looking down at the barren landscape below them.

"So," a voice cut in, "That is how we will invade the valley..."

Sierra didn't need to hear a word more. The prospect of invading the valley, killing those damned kids, was more than enough than the the brown flyer wanted. He spread his wings.

"Sierra, wait—"

Sierra didn't wait. He took off into the air, gliding downwards. Not wanting him to endanger himself, Rinkus followed after him. The two flyers stopped in midair, face to face with Orri.

"I hear you're planning to invade the Great Valley," Sierra explained in his gruff voice, "We want in."

Rinkus raised a brow. What does he mean 'we'? However, he did not want to be left to fend for himself, so he kept his silence.

Orri finally permitted himself to sit on top of Red Claw's head. "What do you have to offer?"

"Well," mused Sierra, "We are fast."

"Our loyalty," Rinkus said, "We can offer our loyalty."

Sierra was not fazed by his friend's answer, knowing fully well how cunning the pink flyer really was. He then gave a nod of his head.

The corners of Orri's mouth were turned up into a pleased grin as he flapped his wings, returning to the air. "That will be more than enough. Follow me, then."

The small pack of dinosaurs wandered into the little known Ornith Valley. Separated by a stream of water with enough space for a dinosaur of Red Claw's size to walk across, the valley was divided into two parts.

"It was very wise of you to block all the not so obvious entrances," commented Red Claw, admiring Orri's handiwork.

"Why, thank you," replied Orri, who had made it so that only flyers could sneak in and out using the other entrances, "I do pride myself in it. You can either come in and let everyone see you, or you can die trying to sneak in."

Orri's captains watched from their post. Hawthorn narrowed his eyes, as if he were second guessing his leader. "What is he doing?"

"Whatever he's doing," began Rowan, "I trust him. We'd best not question it."

Yarrow nodded in agreement, standing beside Rowan as he always did.

Orri led what was of his team so far to a large cavern a little ways from the entrance. "This is where you will sleep for now," he began to explain, "Until you've earned my trust. However, I must warn you— if you eat me or anyone else from the herd, then you will never be able to exact your revenge on those little kids. Just a small reminder. Well...goodnight. I will you see you all in the morning." Without another word, he took off and disappeared beyond the trees.

"Sir," said Rowan while they feasted on some freshly caught fish, "Forgive me for asking, but why did you bring those sharpteeth in? And those other flyers? What use are they to you?"

"Yes," agreed Hawthorn, surprisingly, "You should have killed that brown and pink flyer on the spot."

Orri peeled the silvery skin off of the fish with his beak, revealing it's red insides. "What good would that do if they can be of use to me? I've heard the stories — both of them have been to the Great Valley before, and I like the determination of the brown one. He's exactly what I need."

Rowan and Yarrow glanced at each other, briefly.

"But sir," said Yarrow, "What are you planning to do?"

"A raid," Orri answered simply. "We can attack from the sky, and we also have larger numbers." He had a moment of thoughtfulness, albeit brief, "I've noticed that our land is changing, and truthfully, we could all benefit from a land as fertile as the Great Valley."

"Then...why not ask them? We wouldn't prey on them. We'd only eat fish and keep to ourselves, right? I'm sure they wouldn't mind that, sir."

"If only it were that simple, sweet Yarrow. But those leaf eaters, they wouldn't listen to us. The moment they saw our sharp teeth, they would drive us out. Fear is the only way they will listen to us, because anything apart from that, they will never understand."