The Past that Yawns Behind

[Pterano]

Lookin' pretty sharp there vonboy!   While I'm not going to confirm or deny if your guess on who did it is correct (as that would just be too much of a spoiler), I WILL confirm that your guess on the motivations behind the abduction is a rather good one. ^^

Well, trulyfantasticme, I'm not revealing what happened to Petrie just YET. I'd rather keep my readers in suspense a bit longer.    If it makes you feel better though, a character voiced by Petrie's voice actor (Jeff Bennett) will be coming in soon, but I'm afraid that's the best I can do at the moment. XD I know that doesn't exactly help though, as he provided a LOT of voices to the franchise. XD

Mama's Girl, thanks for the review! Glad you're liking it, and glad I have a new reader! So, you've got your own guess, then. Excellent. We'll see how it plays out.  

Next chapter should be up tonight! Heading to the movies, and then I'll be writing when I get back!

[LBTDiclonius]

Argh! Sorry for not reviewing sooner!

With that out of the way...vonboy, that might not be as hair-brained as one might think. I mean, those are very good reasons for him to do it, and with what Redeye said, it's not impossible. -_-

But, on with my own opinion, I might have a few guesses on who it is, also who's coming in that Jeff Bennet plays, but, no spoilerz...

Great chapter and I hope to see a new one coming at us soon.

P.S. Hope you have a great time at the theatre!

[Pterano]

I did have a great time! Kung Fu Panda 2 was awesome! Was worth a night out. And now, without further ado, the next chapter!

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Chapter 6: Animus

Pterano huffed as he followed after Redeye. “Where are we headed? How much further? We’re almost out of the Great Valley!” the flyer called.

“You’ll find out.” Redeye said, angling his head right to the Smoking Mountains. Threehorn Peak was up ahead, and the sight of the axe like mount caused Pterano to shudder. So many memories of that place. The two flyers he had picked up in the Mysterious Beyond had turned on him there, calling him a charlatan and a fool. He had been humiliated, all his dreams for making things right shattered, demonstrating to him just how fragile they had all been.

Instead, he had been too blinded by his own ambition. He had been suffering from the acute tunnel vision that had dominated him for the past two decades, and even longer. He had been vain, even as a child. He had assumed that it was his destiny, his calling, to be greater than others, and to lead them. And though he had been humbled not once but twice, he had still been too blinded to see what was really going on.

Now, as he watched the smoke curling upwards from Threehorn Peak, Pterano thought to himself of all the regret he had. He was an aging flyer, and one who had still not left his mark on the earth, or at least not in his opinion. But that was only half of it. He had come back to try and amend the past. To try and fix what he had done. To prove himself trustworthy to his community. His new home. The place he'd always wanted to settle... but had been forbidden from doing so time after time.

Then, just as he was on the verge of discovering that perhaps his greatest treasure was his family, and more important, his nephew, it had been stolen from him. And why? He hadn't done anything haughty! He hadn't tried to take anything over, nor had he tried to impose his will upon others. So why? Why were bad things still happening? What did he have to do to live a quiet, fulfilling life? What did a fulfilling life even mean? What was he living for now? He had known bitter disappointment and shame all of his life, so what was he truly seeking? Happiness? Peace? Ambition? What? Where were the answers?

He took note of Threehorn Peak sliding them by as they continued on. So they weren't in fact heading there. There were further smoking mountains off in the distance, and it seemed to be them for which Redeye was currently flying. "Can you tell me?" Pterano shouted forward, struggling to catch up with the younger albino. "Can you tell me, sir, did I do something to your boss? What have I done? Is it anything I can make right? Please... if you perhaps could take me to him... so that I could meet him face to face. I promise you that whatever it is I've done, if I've wronged him in any way..."

"Yap, yap, yap. Why don't you just shut up and enjoy the flight, friend? Pfft... you won't be feeling so good after your first task is done... I can guarantee you that." Redeye said in a manner that filled Pterano with dread. "Besides... we're almost there. That mountain... see it?" he asked, nodding with his head to one of the largest volcanoes currently filling their field of vision. It was monstrous, like some sleeping creature, slumbering fitfully as its top belched forth smoke.

"Why there? Is that... where Petrie is?"

"You ever play any games as a kid, Pterano?" Redeye asked, ignoring the question.

"Why... yes I did. Why? What does that have to do with it?" he asked, confused.

"Just think of this as one big game. The prize of course being your nephew. It'll be fun... well OK, maybe not for you. Come to think of it, a game is a pretty stupid analogy." Pterano gulped at these words, not liking Redeye's tone in the slightest.

They descended into the smoke, gliding down onto the lip of the volcano, the rocks hot beneath their feet. Below them yawned the great mouth, the crater bubbling and frothing with magma. "Alright! Here we are! Task number one! Seeing if you are or aren't a coward! Listen up! See that ledge that's down there?" Redeye asked, pointing to a rock lip that jutted out in the crater and ran along a good length of it. Pterano nodded. "OK... all you have to do is fly from this end to the exact other end of the smoking mountain. BUT... here's the catch. You CAN'T fly above the height of that ledge."

"The... WHAT?" Pterano exclaimed, eyes bulging. "This is utter madness!" From the looks of things, the ledge wasn't more than twenty to thirty feet above the magma. "I'll be killed! This is ridiculous!"

"Hmph... maybe that's the idea." the albino grinned viciously. "Or maybe... you'll survive. You won't know until you try it. Either way, my boss thinks you're nothing but a coward, and that you'll back out. You'll just fly back to the Great Valley... so go ahead. Your comfortable if not exactly welcoming home is waiting for you." he was stilling grinning, and rocking his head sideways back at the Great Valley. The Great Valley... it glittered like an emerald, a nice sized one nestled in the barren wastes of the Mysterious Beyond. It was lush and lively, and out here was acrid and smokey. They were quite a ways north of the valley, as it seemed so far off that it could fit into Pterano's hand if he reached out and grasped it.

"Go on! Fly back! Forfeit! Go ahead Pterano. You're looking at the valley with such longing in your eyes." Pterano blinked as he heard Redeye's words in his ears. Shaking his head he looked down at the seething red pit. A few bubbles burst, and every so often, magma would splash and shoot up in geysers. "It's your choice. Take the plunge... or fly back. How badly do you want to see your nephew again? How much do you really love him? How much do you really love anyone aside from yourself?"

Pterano's hands were shaking, and his vision was starting to blur. He felt like retching, as his stomach was turning loops and knots within him. "I..." He trailed off, stumbling back as he felt he was standing too close to the edge. His eyes were watering from all the smoke. "I don't know if I..."

"Yes?" Redeye asked, impatiently.

The reds, oranges and blacks loomed below him, reaching out for him. How much do I love Petrie? he thought to himself. Petrie certainly loved him. Worshiped him in fact. Petrie's words rang in his ears as he flashed back to the small flyer snuggling into his arms. "Me love you uncle... me love you uncle..." it echoed in his mind, and he shut his eyes, picturing it all as if he were reliving it. Petrie, falling asleep right up against him, and he, with his wings wrapped securely about his nephew, but not secure enough. "I wasn't there when you needed me Petrie... I was never there. I'm so... irresponsible as an uncle." Pterano had not said those words aloud, only in his head to Petrie. He was crying, the tears falling down his cheeks, though whether it was from the ash and smoke or his own inner turmoil, Redeye could not tell. "I'm not worthy of your love and devotion... I don't think I'm worthy of anyone's love for that matter."

Taking two steps to where he knew the lip of the crater was, Pterano took in a deep breath, and held it. "I could never be there for you. But I'll do... anything... to save you." he whispered, unheard by anyone but himself. Spreading his wings wide, the flyer stood with racing heart on the edge of the precipice. Whoever this was who had taken his nephew, if this was what he truly wanted, then Pterano would attempt it. He could feel his pulse pounding in his head, his knees wobbling a little, but just as he felt his second thoughts creeping into his mind, the flyer pushed himself off the rocks, and started falling down to the magma below, keeping his eyes closed.

He felt the air rushing by him, and the temperature increasing all around as he started to flap, catching a very hot updraft and stopping a mere twenty feet above the magma. His eyes opened, looking to the right to see the ledge, and ensuring that he never went above it. Redeye was watching with interest, pushing himself off the lip and flying over to the ledge so that he could watch the progress of the flyer.

Pterano was struggling to keep himself low enough, as the hot air threatened to constantly push him up and over the height of the ledge. The ledge itself ran like a scar down the inside of the crater, running from one end to the other. He followed the "path" as best he could, but veered sharply to the right when a geyser shot up in front of him. "Agh!" he cried, feeling heat from the liquid and almost certain that he had been singed, though not seriously injured.

Smoke choked his lungs, forcing its way down his throat as he flew on. He would hit thick patches at various points, and for a moment, he would be blinded, only to punch through a second or so later. Coughing, the flyer could feel rather than see the hot bubbles bursting below him. Small droplets would occasionally touch his skin, and he'd cry out at the feeling, yelping as his hide burned in miniscule patches. It gradually began to mesh together into a general sensation that would stab at him, lance into his flesh, and he bit down hard, tears streaming from his eyes as he struggled onwards.

Unknown to Pterano, the crater was particularly massive, and ran for almost four and a half miles. He was coughing something fierce now, and his natural instincts for fear of fire were taking over, but he constantly kept glancing worriedly over to his right, praying that he wouldn't rise above that ledge. He dared not fly too close to it, for the terror of being lifted by a violent updraft and slammed against it, which would either outright kill him or incapacitate him in such a manner that he'd plunge into the fiery depths below.

He swerved, banked and fluttered his wings to stop himself from running into various molten fingers that would shoot up in front of him, as if the very volcano itself were trying to claw at him, trying to claim him and drag him to a burning demise. At the times he'd cry out from the searing pain that struck his flesh, he would sometimes mix in a shout for his nephew, the cry of "PETRIE!" being strangely emboldening in the surreal and very torturous atmosphere he had stumbled into.

How much further? The smoke was so thick in here that he couldn't tell. He would have to hope that he wouldn't smack head first into the other side of the crater. If he did that, it would most certainly be fatal.

He could feel himself starting to panic. With every magma burst he avoided, the flyer could feel his heart increase nearly tenfold. His pulse was throbbing, and he realized he was on the verge of a breakdown. "No! No! I have to... keep... going!" he gnashed his teeth, and pressed on, but his instincts were taking over. His desire to run, to fly as high as he could and get out of this horrid pit. He wasn't even thinking anymore. He was running on pure adrenaline. He dove a bit to avoid going over the ledge, and silently cursed whoever had thought this up. How far had he gone? He thought he could dimly make out the other side through the smokey haze, but he couldn't say for certain.

Magma shot up all around him, bellowing forth in two geysers on either side as he "threaded the needle" and turned sideways in order to pass through, though by this point he was hacking and clearly choking on the noxious smoke. His lungs screamed for fresh air, and his head swam. He felt as if he were on the verge of collapse, but with a final yell, he beat his wings faster, and pushed on ahead. "Agggggggggggh!" he cried out, seeing the rock wall of the other side of the crater looming up ahead of him. Yes! He was almost out of it!

And then a solid wall of fire erupted to his left, throwing him violently in the opposite direction. The last sensation he had was of his head striking something, and then darkness.

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What met Pterano's vision first was a roiling wall of magma directly below him. Well perhaps above him was more correct. As he gradually came to, he realized that he was hanging upside down, the blood all being in his head. Snapping his neck around, he looked from right to left, and felt rather than saw that several vines had wrapped about his body.

They were all dead, being of gnarly and rough texture. It must have been a dead plant that had grown up the side of the mountain in days gone by. Somehow, the blast that had knocked him to his right had thrown him against the side of the crater, and had gotten him entangled in this dead vegetation. He must have tumbled downward some ways before the vines arrested him, but the descent had not been a good thing. The closer he had fallen to the magma, the hotter the dead wood had gotten, and already it was starting to burn in several places.

Looking over to his left, he could see the edge of the crater, tantalizingly close. To his right was the ledge he was not supposed to go above, and he was a good ten or so feet above it, even as his heart sank at the realization. A stabbing pain in his side greeted him as he turned his head, and he recognized the sensation. He must have broken at least two of his ribs in the impact, if not more.

"Ugggh." he groaned, the breath stolen from him momentarily as he waited for the pain to subside. This injury would slow him down considerably, of that he knew.

"Well, well, well. This is quite the predicament!" Redeye exclaimed, standing below him on the ledge.

"Help... help me..." Pterano gasped weakly.

"Help yourself! It's not my job!" the albino hissed.

Pterano grimaced. Hanging upside down like he was, his chances of survival were slim, and already the licking flames were eating away at his lifelines. If they went, he'd plummet headfirst to his death. But... perhaps he could try and swing himself over so that the vines would snap and land him on the ledge. It was risky, as he could easily snap them the other way, into the magma, but it was the only real chance he had.

He began to tentatively rock his body from right to left, to test the hold on the vines. The flames were starting to lap near his feet, and he jerked them away as he rocked a bit more vigorously, hoping the vines would hold.

Back and forth, scraping along the edge of the crater he moved, going from left to right, and then back again like a pendulum. Through his pain, the flyer concentrated on flexing his claws, and getting ready to slice through the ancient wood at just the right moment. He felt dizzy from the pain in his chest, as breathing was agonizing for him.

To and fro, and back and forth. The next swing would do it... but already he could feel the vine giving out. Screaming out as the pain brutally slammed into him, he lashed out with his claws, slashing into the vine and feeling it snap. He had no way of knowing if he had timed it correctly... but the sharp crack he felt as his body hit the rock ledge was proof enough.

Sobbing and roaring at the top of his lungs as his broken ribs suffered further abuse, the flyer thundered in agony, letting all of his tension, grief, and pain come flooding out as he realized he was still alive. He was resting at Redeye's feet, and after he laboriously managed to lift his head, the flyer, his face tear streaked, shook his head. "I failed... didn't it?" he asked.

Redeye shook his head. "You... passed actually."

"What?" Pterano asked, feeling like he was going to faint and lose his senses again. "I... passed?"

"Indeed. You made it far enough that you passed." a white hand was extended downward to him. "Now come on... let's get you back to the valley. You'll need to be rested for your next task."

Pterano at first couldn't summon enough strength to grasp onto the albino's hand, but he finally managed to did so, squirming as he felt the pain in his chest increase. "Aggggh." he moaned out as he was dragged to his feet.

"Broke some ribs did you? Well they'll heal... provided you aren't too rough with yourself after this."

"It's your fault I'm in this mess!" Pterano snapped, grinding his teeth as the pain flared up. He would need to move slowly... very slowly if he didn't want to increase the damage.

"Remember what I said about being the messenger? Now fly yourself up to the edge of the crater... and we'll take it from there." Redeye instructed, flapping his wings to take off.

Pterano did the best he could, the movement of his wings causing him additional pain as he flew upward, reminding him that he if he let his arms give out, he'd fall back down below, and never be seen again. Panting, the injured flyer cried out as he crashed landed on the volcano's slope, but fortunately on the side that was magma free. "I... I can't! I need... to rest." He pleaded. His skin had small burn marks all over it, along with some nasty bruises that were beginning to form. He was looking more like he'd been in some sort of tussle, albeit a rough one. "Please... just let me... rest." he exclaimed, hacking a few times, despite the agony it caused, in order to try and clear his lungs.

"Just take it slow. You'll only be in pain if you move certain ways. Otherwise, you should feel only a dull, stabbing sensation." Redeye stated, chuckling a little.

"Not... very reassuring." Pterano breathed, closing his eyes to let his body simply wash itself in both the euphoria he felt at being alive, and the intense pain as well from his cracked ribs. He would live... he had to live. It would hurt as bad as the last time he'd injured his chest... but he would live. His shallow breathing was the only indication that he was still alive, and he finally gave in, and passed out from the exhaustion, his last words being "Petrie... Petrie..." before his vision once more entered darkness, and his conscious thoughts ceased to exist.

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"This is hopeless, Littlefoot! We've walked up and down this section of the Great Valley three times now! There's no sign of Petrie!" Cera was about ready to call it quits. Already, the afternoon was drawing on, and they had not managed to locate any clues.

Littlefoot sighed. "Maybe... I just... maybe we should ask Pterano. He might be able to tell us something more about where they were exactly." the longneck stood by the waterfall, watching the small rainbow that formed at the base of it. He shook his head. "I just... we can't give up."

"Well I'm hungry. Plus, I think we should be getting back. By the time we wander back over to where we started, the adults would probably be returning as well. So can't we just start walking?" Cera protested.

"I... guess so." Littlefoot said with a sigh. He hung his head, and turned away from the waterfall.

"Good. That's more like it. Petrie will be fine. And who knows? Maybe one of the groups found him." Cera added, seeing that Littlefoot wasn't holding up so well.

"I hope so. Hey... why don't you all go on ahead? I'll catch up in a little bit, OK?" The others looked at him, Ducky allowing for a sad look to cross her features.

"We can wait for you Littlefoot, we can, we can."

"Thanks, just go on ahead, and I'll be along shortly." He said reassuringly. He turned back away from them, and started craning his neck, swiveling his head to try and spot something they might have missed.

It was with some surprise that he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. Off by himself, lying over near the waterfall under a tree, a flyer that Littlefoot knew from some time before stuck out at him like a sore toe. He was rather conspicuous after all. "Huh... well I wonder what he's doing here." Littlefoot said aloud, and began wandering over to this particular flyer, as it was the only thing he had to go on at the moment, and certainly the only creature he recognized right now.

[vonboy]

That test was really cruel, and I was dreading at the end that Pterano would end up actually failing the test after what he just went through.

Interesting that you didn't outright say who the flyer Littlefoot found was. Are you gonna leave us with a guess like this at the end of every chapter?

Um, another thing I noticed, are Chomper and Ruby here? I don't remember reading anything about them in the story, and I don't feel like looking back to make sure. It's just that Chomper is my favorite character, that's all   .

Can't wait till the next chapter!

[Pterano]

Yes, quite the cruel test, but perhaps it gives us a bit more insight into who took Petrie, eh?   The title of this chapter is really an indication of what was being tested after all. XD Hopefully it wasn't TOO tough on you, as I was like "Hmmm, should I really write this?" but ultimately decided yes.

No, I'm not going to have a cliffhanger every chapter, though it's fun.   I did it this time because I realized the chapter was pushing into being sort of long, so I'd just lead right into where I left off with the coming chapter.

As of right now, they are not. I haven't seen the TV series to any real extent, aside from bits and pieces, and I'd rather familiarize myself a bit more with Ruby first before I write her. As for Chomper, I MAY have him come into this, but haven't fully decided yet. I know he's your favorite character after all, and you're probably keeping your eyes peeled for him. XD   Ruby seems to be a fan favorite as well.

Thanks for the review! Was a difficult chapter to write, that's for sure, but I'm glad I got down to it.

[vonboy]

I've had the same thoughts of "Hmm, should I REALLY write this?" with today's episode. It'll definitely be one of my more weird episodes. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet.

And this wasn't too far or anything. I actually loved the agonizingly wordy detail of what was happening to Pterano as he was going through the test.

I kind of still want to stay with my first guess for the boss, but you're kind of making it hard in me. I have to wonder if that character would actually allow something this cruel or not. Then again, this is Pterano, so hmm.

[Pterano]

I guess we'll find out when you post it. Looking forward to it all the same. I'm wondering who this most evil swimmer is, after all

Thanks!   I tried to make it ponderous yet suspensful, as Pterano painstakingly made his way further and further onward.

Ahhh good, I'm bringing up some doubts as to who the boss is.   Yes, some in the valley might say that what Pterano did was inexscusable, depending on the circumstances. I'll be dropping other hints here and there as the story goes on as to his identity, so we'll see if your guess changes at all as the story progresses.

[trulyfantasticme]

Wow, flying through the top of a volcano, no more than twenty feet from the magma even though he was in pain!?!?!? Now, that's what I'd call the coolest uncle on Earth! Seriously! Who else would risk is life for his nephew!

Jared was sure right about Pterano being brave! You're doing a fantastic job! Keep it up!

[Pterano]

Why thank you, trulyfantasticme! I'm really glad you enjoyed that! And yes, I think you captured the essence of this chapter in your comment. You'd have to love someone quite an awful lot to do something like THAT. Just as the title of this chapter reflects after all... animus has several translations in Latin, but one such translation is... you said it, bravery.  

Speaking of Jared, he should probably read this if he likes Pterano.  

[Mama's Girl]

Woah! First test out and these two have almost killed Pterano! Still, very very devoted. Here's hoping he can make it the rest of the way, not that I want to see him tortured more it's...you get it

It is making he re think my possibilities on if they would be this evil to do this to Pterano. Hmm.

[Pterano]

OK! Seems I've made some of you start rethinking your guesses on who's behind this. Good, good! I like to keep it a mystery for a bit.  

So, next chapter. The return of  an old character from an older film, and also, because I found an opening for him, the introduction of Chomper to this story as well!

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Chapter 7: Recuperation

Littlefoot walked up to the flyer, or more correctly, the sharpbeak. "Hey! I know you!" the longneck exclaimed. He only hoped he was right, and not wrong on his assumption.

The blue and black feathered sharpbeak lifted his head with a start, knowing that voice immediately. He would never forget it. "What?" he squawked. "Oh great... YOU?" he hopped up to his feet, giving Littlefoot a cross look.

"Ichy... right?" Littlefoot asked, hoping he got the name right.

"And you're that brat that we encountered back in those caves! You know, you helped ruin a perfectly good partnership!" Ichy said rather crossly.

"Errr... I don't think we really did that." the brontosaurus replied. "You two seemed to be pretty good at arguing all on your own."

Ichy seemed to take offense at this, and flew up into the air, though not much higher than Littlefoot's head. "So? If you guys hadn't of shown up, we would've..." he looked like he was getting ready to launch into a rather angry tirade, his whole body shaking like a twig in the wind, but then, he settled down, and flapped back to the ground. He knew he couldn't take this kid. Perhaps hurt him, but he wasn't going to pick a fight with other dinos around, and most assuredly not when he was trying to lay low. "Ugh... you're right. I hated that ungrateful belly dragger! True, I guess I miss those days, and you would not believe how hard it is to actually scrounge any decent FOOD." Ichy emphasized, folding his wings over his chest.

"But once again, that isn't our fault." Littlefoot pointed out, shaking his head. "I'm sorry if you're going hungry. But what are you even doing in the Great Valley?"

"I came here a few days ago. Pickings have been slim out in the Mysterious Beyond... which ain't so mysterious you know? I don't understand why you valley dwellers have to refer to it as that. You all came from there didn't you?" he quickly noticed Littlefoot's rather worried stare however, and chimed in to prevent the longneck from running off to notify the adults (at least that was the scenario playing out in Ichy's mind). "Now hold on! I'm more of a scavenger these days. I don't pick on living kids like yourself. It doesn't always keep me full... but with such a population as you have here... I get by." he sat back down on the grass, examining one of his feet in a nonchalant manner, flexing his "toes" as if they suddenly interested him as he held them before his eyes.

"Do you stay in this part of the Valley? Near the waterfall?" Littlefoot asked now.

"I mostly go all over the place... why?" Ichy responded with a question of his own.

"Well... were you here yesterday? When the Bright Circle was sinking?" Littlefoot held his breath, hoping the answer was yes.

"Yeah sure, but again, why?" Ichy said with a disinterested nod.

"You remember Petrie?"

"Who?" Ichy asked, raising a brow and giving Littlefoot a confused look.

"The flyer who was with us when we last saw you. He was... well I don't know for certain if he was kidnapped... but he went missing here yesterday, towards the end of the day. You didn't happen to see anything, did you? We think he was taken by somebody!"

"Hold on, hold on." Ichy stood back up, placing his wings on his hips. "You mean to say your flyer buddy was abducted?"

"We aren't positive, but it's looking more likely, and we haven't found any clues here. Everyone is blaming his uncle, Pterano for the abduction." the longneck explained.

"Pterano? I don't even know who that is. But the kid's been taken? Jeez..." Ichy seemed to show some angst over this, a pensive look crossing his face. "I don't think I really saw anything... at least... nothing that looked out of the ordinary, but then again, I wasn't really looking for your flyer pal either."

"Oh..." Littlefoot said, his head drooping a little.

"But hey! That doesn't mean I can't look!" Ichy stated, oddly eager.

"Really?" Littlefoot asked, perking up, but then hesitating. "But... why would you want to help me?"

"Let's just say that flyers being taken is a little disconcerting to me. I'M a flyer, and not much bigger than your friend."

"I don't think you have to worry..." Littlefoot said, shaking his head, then realized what he was saying, and decided to add in "OH! But... you never know! If you find something, could you please let me know?"

"And just a second" the sharpbeak stopped as Littlefoot was about to walk off. "I have my own... conditions for this as well."

The longneck pivoted his head around. "Yes?"

"Don't tell any of the adults I'm here. It's hard enough surviving in secret, and I really don't need the extra attention. Catch my drift?" Ichy asked, giving Littlefoot a raised brow.

The longneck nodded. "Well... alright." As much as he really didn't wish to agree to this, he would bend the rules in this instance. He didn't see the full harm of it, as Chomper lived in the Great Valley after all. What was one more sharptooth? Littlefoot felt he could keep this under wraps. It wasn't as if Ichy was their biggest concern now anyway. They still needed to find Petrie, and Littlefoot only hoped that the adults had come up with something during their search...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chomper, the aforementioned sharptooh, was in fact not too far away from Littlefoot and Ichy's position, though on the other side of the river where the waterfall met the ground in brilliant spray. He was out looking for the gang, as he was feeling particularly uneasy today, and wondered what they were up to. He had been present at the meeting this morning, though was not familiar with Pterano from before, so had very little information to go on.

He was also worried about Petrie, as the news of the missing flyer troubled him. Petrie was his good friend, and him vanishing mysteriously had the young sharptooth concerned. Dinos didn't just up and vanish in the Great Valley, or at least, the occurrence was rare enough.

He was walking towards Littlefoot's "home", though it would take him a bit at this rate. He planned to arrive in the evening, to both check to see if Petrie had been found, and to see if Littlefoot might like to go for a walk with the rest of the gang, provided of course Petrie was back. Chomper wouldn't feel right playing games if one of the gang was missing. It didn't sit well with him, and he'd been thinking about it most of the day.

He had explained to Ruby that he would be back after dark, and would ask Brightneck to take him back if it came to be too late. Ruby, initially reluctant, had only grudgingly consented when Chomper promised he would always stay in sight of adults, and not go off on his own. The Petrie abduction had her on edge after all, and Chomper going across the Valley to Littlefoot's didn't seem like the best idea at the moment, but as the adults were out in force today, and Chomper was quite persistent, Ruby had finally consented.

Chomper was constantly making sure he was in an adult's line of vision, though some of course gave him wary looks. He was common knowledge to the community here, but wasn't seen in such a positive light by every denizen.

Chomper did his best to ignore their stares, and it was with some surprised that he saw a shadow pass over him. Glancing quickly skyward and prepared to run if need be, the sharptooth was relieved when he saw it was only a flyer, and a non-threatening one at that. The flyer appeared to be burned and injured, and Chomper thought he recognized this particular pteranodon, but the fellow flew too quickly for him to tell.

"Flew" was more of a misnomer. "Crashed" would have been more accurate, as shortly after clearing Chomper's head by only a few feet, the flyer, who happened to be Pterano, plowed beak first into the ground, groaning as he lay there, crumpled and dejected.

Chomper gasped, and ran over to him. "Hey! Hey mister! What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Pterano groaned again as he lifted his head, panting for breath. "I can't... go on. I... broke a few ribs... not sure how many."

"Oh my gosh!" Chomper exclaimed, bringing a hand to his mouth. He had never done it himself, but he'd heard it was quite painful. "Here... let me help you!" he grabbed the flyer's hand, and tried to drag him forward, so that he could sit up against a nearby rock, but the flyer was much heavier than the adolescent sharptooth, and Chomper found he could make no progress. "You should try sitting. Actually... hold on! I'll be right back!"

Pterano just now noticed that it was a young sharptooth who had him by the hand, and he initially recoiled, jerking away. "Sh-sharptooth!?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"Hey, I'm not going to bite you or anything!" Chomper explained. "I choose to eat insects, and I'm good friends with some others here in the valley... and hey! You're Petrie's uncle, aren't you?" he asked, recognizing the flyer now. "I know Petrie! He's one of my best friends!" the purple tyrannosaur stated.

"He... is?" Pterano asked, wincing as he started to pull himself over to the rock.

"Yeah! He is! Just wait there! I'll be right back!" Chomper took off running, looking for something in particular that Pterano could only speculate at. A sharptooth... and his nephew... friends? How had that ever occurred?

Slapping his hands on top of the rock, Pterano pulled himself upright, leaning gratefully back against the stone. He sighed, appreciative for the support. He had only barely made it back to the Great Valley, and had found his pain to be just tolerable, though he'd nearly collapsed by the time he'd reached even edge of the valley.

He closed his eyes, unsure of how long he had waited when suddenly, he felt a tugging on his wing.

"Mister! I'm back! I got you something to help with your pain!" the flyer opened his eyes, and saw Chomper down below, pulling on his wing. In his other hand he held a few leaves of a kind that Pterano was not familiar with.

"What are those?" he asked, unsure if he could trust this sharptooth or not... but then again, he had claimed to know Petrie.

"Littlefoot told me that they help if you're in a lot of pain. I think it's yucky looking but he said that if I ever needed to use it, it would help with pain. He said his grandparents had showed it to him. I hope it makes you feel better, because I've never tried it myself." he held it out for Pterano. "Ruby also told me about them too. So I guess it has to be true."

"Littlefoot? Ruby?" Pterano asked, knowing the former name, but not the latter.

"It grows throughout the valley. I think you should have some, because you look like you're really hurt." the face of the lad was just so innocent and sympathetic that Pterano found it hard to believe that he was staring right at a sharptooth. He resembled more of a cuddly leaf eater, save of course for the teeth. "I..." He hesitated, reaching a hand out for the leaves, but still not fully sure if he could believe this sharptooth, though he had already dropped several familiar names.

Grimacing as his pain once more flared, Pterano grabbed the leaves and stuffed them into his mouth. Swallowing rather quickly, the flyer looked down at Chomper. "You said you know Petrie? And Littlefoot?"

"Yeah!" Chomper said with a nod. "They're my best friends! Well, them and the gang. We sort of grew up together. They hatched me, when I was just an egg, and I ran into them again on the island where I was living, when I was a little older. I later came to the Great Valley with Ruby, a fast runner that's been looking after me ever since I left my parents. I only eat insects, so I'm allowed to stay. Well... most say I can stay." he added, a brief look of unease sweeping over him before he brightened up again.

Pterano blinked at all of this, wide eyed as he looked on in disbelief. "I... see. A sharptooth... in the Great Valley... oh, forgive me!" he said quickly, not wishing to be rude, as it seemed this sharptooh was friends with his nephew. "I am Pterano, Petrie's uncle. I don't believe I got your name."

"Chomper. The 'friendly sharptooth'." he waved up at Pterano, and gave him a toothy smile.

"Chomper. Oh! Such an... apt name." Pterano commented a little uncertainly. Already, he could feel a dulling sensation coming over him, and he exhaled happily, sinking back against the rock a bit further. "Oh... that's rather nice... you were right it seems."

"Is it working?"

"Yes... yes it is." Pterano said, nodding as his voice calmed a bit from the tense undertone it had been flecked with earlier. "Thank you my dear boy. I think I might be able to fly again in fact... though... I think I'd like to rest for a minute or two."

"That's OK. I don't blame you. I heard that broken ribs hurt every time you breathe."

"Yes... you heard correctly. They're very painful. I broke a few of my ribs when I was about your age... one too many adventures I'd say... and it hurt just as bad then as it does now. My sister was so furious over what I'd done... well that and scared half to death." he said, chuckling a little and shifting as the pain came back to him, though not as severely. Whatever Chomper had given him had worked.

"What happened to you? How did you get burned and break your ribs?" Chomper pointed at some burn marks on the flyer's body.

"I... ah... um... well... that is... you see..." he was at a loss for words. Redeye had warned him that if he went to anyone with the information about his "tests", then he would never see Petrie again. Those ominous words played in his mind, and he struggled to come up with an explanation. "I crashed... I wasn't paying attention and I crashed."

"And how did you burn yourself?" Chomper inquired, curious as the flyer's explanation had not covered that.

"Ah the burns! Yes... well uh..."

"Pterano!" the voice came from his sister, who flapped down in front of him, landing next to Chomper. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you! And... what happened?" she asked, noting the bruising and scorch marks.

"Uhhh... well as I was explaining to the young lad here... I had an accident earlier and..." he trailed off, looking away.

His sister glared at him, knowing full well when he was hiding something from her. "Pterano..." she said, but instead of pressing him further, she informed him of news he wasn't exactly thrilled to hear. "Mr. Threenhorn has called a meeting, now that all the groups have returned from their searching. He wants you present... NOW." she emphasized.

Pterano cringed, but gave her a resigned nod. "Very well... let's be off then. I'll... try and keep pace."

"Um... can I come too?" Chomper asked. "It would be faster for me if you guys could take me over there, since walking would just take a pretty long time. Plus I've... never really ridden on a flyer before." He said, hope shining in his eyes.

"Of course." Pterano said, after looking at his sister and bending a wing down so that Chomper could climb aboard. "It's the least I can do for you since you... helped me." he did not elaborate for his sister's sake.

"Yay!" Chomper shouted, and eagerly clambered up onto Pterano's back. He wrapped his arms about the flyer's neck, and Pterano flexed his wings, giving off a soft "Ohh" as his pain came back, though it was considerably dulled, much to his great relief. Pushing themselves up off the ground, the two flyers (and sharptooth passenger) began making their way towards the location of the meeting. As they flew, Pterano's sister could only wonder at what had happened to her brother, and why he seemed to be flinching every so often, as well as all of those small burn marks on his body. What was he hiding from her, and exactly what had happened to him?

[trulyfantasticme]

Aww...Chomper is just the sweetest sharptooth around now isn't he?

Neat chapter! As always... :
the only reason why I'm giving you feedback is because I promised you I would. And I do not like to break promises. That and the fact that you barely get any feed back for this awesome story.

[vonboy]

I was not expecting Itchy at all. Very interesting about his change of heart...sort of. I don't think he's with Redeye and the boss, so I'm interested to see what role he is going to be playing in this whole mess. The plot thickens!

And I LOVED the way you introduced Chomper! He was very in character, what with only wanting to help. It's always fun writing first encounters between Chomper and anyone else. I really liked reading what was going through Pterano's mind during that encounter, especially his reaction to being offered "Medicine" from a sharptooth.

I don't know how much of the TV series you have seen, but you got down his status in the Great Valley pretty well I think. Not everyone in the Great Valley is so open to him, even though it wasn't shown much in the TV series. Another thing to note is how Chomper acts around the grownups, specifically Mr. Threehorn. It always rather caught my eye that Chomper is just about the only character to call Mr. Threehorn, well, Mr. Threehorn, when everyone else calls him Topsy. I think that Chomper wants to stay on that old grouches good side .

One little thing I just realized. Mr. Threehorn doesn't like either Chomper or Pterano, and neither of them are exactly fully welcomed in the Great Valley, so those two have a little something in common.

Now I wonder how Pterano will talk himself out of THIS mess.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

[Pterano]

I'm glad you liked my Chomper introduction, vonboy. Him meeting Pterano was certainly fun to write, and I can see why you like introducing him around, so to speak. Rather is fun to get everyone's reactions.  

I cut this one off in mid event, but I've got to start focusing on my FSO exam in two days, so hopefully it's OK. I could just go on and on, but I think that was a good place to stop, as I've got the next chapter pretty much planned out. It'll have quite a bit of action in it, so be looking for it. I just hope THIS chapter is OK. I did what I could with it, and realize it might not be quite up to snuff with my previous chapters.

This is more of just a build up chapter... but we DO learn something... interesting you might say.

--------------------------

Chapter 8: Rumors of a Tragedy Long Past

"Last time Pterano. WHERE DID YOU TAKE HIM?" Topsy thundered, roaring right in the flyer's face as he pointed his horns directly at him. "You left the Great Valley today! I know you did because I didn't trust you enough to not have you watched! And then you come back all bruised and beat up and burned! If you didn't take Petrie, then I'd expect the sky to be just as likely to start falling in a few minutes!"

"Please..." Pterano held up a hand defensively. "Not so loud. I have a splitting headache you see..."

"Ohhhh splitting headache, I see." Mr. Threehorn cut in sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Is it over the GUILT of what you've done? So why DID you fly off into the Mysterious Beyond? Our search parties turned up nothing, you know! We scoured this valley to every corner, and could find NO sign of Petrie! Care to tell us what you were doing LEAVING the Great Valley, when all of us specifically told you NOT to do that?" Topsy demanded.

"I..." Pterano looked around him, noticing almost right away the peculiar looking white long tailed flyer in the gathered group. He was just out of the main circle, leaning against a longneck's leg with this wings folded across his chest. His red eyes were right on Pterano, and he gave a very subtle, almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Pterano sighed, hanging his head. If he said anything about the trial... he knew he'd never see Petrie again, or so it was being threatened. He felt literally as if someone was grabbing one of his wings, and another dino was taking hold of the other wing, and pulling in opposite directions. If only he could reveal the truth... but by doing so, he would be risking his nephew's safety, and he knew that he could never do that, even if it meant lying... again.

"I... was... trying to find him." he said. "I was trying to find my nephew! I'm just as concerned as the rest of you are!" Pterano protested.

"And what? You just happened to be flying near a fire and somehow ended up bruising and burning most of your body? Where exactly did you fly to anyway?" Threehorn asked.

If you only knew the half of it Pterano thought. "I... er... got too close... to one of the smoking mountains... I can't remember which one..." the flyer attempted.

"Can't remember WHICH one? And you had to have been awfully close Pterano! Just look at you! I haven't EVER seen you this beat up! What did you do, get into a fight with it or something? I say that's nothing but a lie! You've been nothing but a dirty liar, coward, schemer, scum, and all around menace ever since you've joined up with the herd! I say we MAKE him talk! Get him to tell us where he's taken his nephew!"

Littlefoot cringed at these words. Things were most certainly not going Pterano's way, but they still had no proof.

"This is bad." Hyp murmured, standing right beside the young longneck.

"Yeah... I don't think I'm comfortable accusing him like this. Come on grandma... grandpa..." Littlefoot looked over at them expectantly, and they seemed indeed ready to step in.

"I don't think he did it." this came from Chomper, who was on Littlefoot's right, Hyp being to his left. "I helped him a little while ago... he seemed really hurt and upset. He couldn't have taken Petrie. He just doesn't look like a bad flyer."

"I agree, Chomper. I don't think he did any of this. I think you're right on this one..." Littlefoot said.

"But if he didn't... then who did?" Hyp asked, scratching his head.

Petrie's mother was surprisingly the one who intervened, before Littlefoot's grandparents could step in. "Now hold on Mr. Threehorn! Let's not be so extreme. We're getting too riled up over this. Brother..." she turned to face him. "You're holding something back. I can tell when you're lying... you know me, and I know you. What is it Pterano? Why can't you be honest with us? This is very important."

"I... I can't madam! It's... I'm afraid that..." he stopped himself, not daring to say anymore.

"What? You know something Pterano! I can see it! What are you keeping from us? Don't do this again... please don't do this again. We never learned the full story from you last time... please don't do this. It's my SON we're talking about! Your nephew!" she urged, desperation filling her eyes as she pleaded with him, grabbing hold of his shoulders and looking right into his eyes.

"I know! I know!" Pterano responded, seemingly on the verge of tears. "It's just... I... I... I can't! Please! You must understand!" he blurted, trying to hold his emotions back.

"Pterano, if something's happened that you know about, we need to know!" his sister persisted. "This is too important to hold back on!"

Pterano glanced once more in Redeye's direction, and Littlefoot squinted, trying to see who it was that Pterano was looking at, as he most certainly wasn't looking at his sister. Redeye once more gave a shake of his head, and threw a warning glare at Pterano. The flyer shuddered and collapsed onto his knees. "I just... can't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he fell forward, prostrate before her, similar to how he had been the night of Petrie's disappearance. "I can't... but you MUST believe me! I love my nephew..." he was sobbing now, convulsing and sniffling as he cried at her feet. "I love him so much... and I left the Great Valley because I was trying to find him! If you don't believe anything else I say... then at least believe that I love my nephew... I love your son... I'm trying so hard to locate him... please... I love him..."

His sister was silenced, standing in shock before him. She had never seen him like this. Not even after he had lost part of the herd. It was just so... different, and not like Pterano. There were similarities of course, such as his attempt to dodge her questions, but something else was wrong. She only hoped that he wasn't hiding something terrible from her, and that he really did know what had happened to Petrie. If he was concealing some accident from her of some sort, then she wasn't sure how she would take that. She felt as if she couldn't trust her brother anymore, and it was starting to scare her.

Mr. Threenhorn snorted, and stomped forward a bit. "See how suspicious he sounds? He's clearly hiding something! He can't tell us the truth, which means he MUST be guilty!"

"We don't know that though." Grandpa Longneck had finally gotten involved, much to Littlefoot's relief. He stepped forward, trying to regain the attention of the crowd.

"Right!" this came from Hyp's father, who stepped forward as well. "He's acting suspiciously, yes, but what if Littlefoot's theory from earlier is correct? Pterano has managed to hurt a good many of us, and what if by some chance, though I hate to throw baseless accusations around, one of us might be behind this?"

"And who would do such a thing?" Topsy snarled. "I'd like to see you even TRY and pin that on one of us!" he challenged. "Not a single one of us would do something so positively heinous!"

"Take it easy... I have nothing to go on yet. I was just saying, perhaps the young longneck's theory isn't that farfetched."

"Well I say it is!" Topsy continued, pawing at the ground. "I know Pterano, and I know he'd be just the one to do something like this! No good dirty flyer that he is!"

"Enough!" Grandpa Longneck said, speaking up above everyone else. "Pterano." He said, looking right at the flyer. Topsy did as well, smirking, as he figured Pterano would be getting his just desserts now, but Grandpa Longneck had other things in mind. "You deliberately left the valley, when we specifically told you not to. Even if it was to find Petrie, you violated our code. I'm afraid that if you leave the Great Valley again, then a punishment will need to be undertaken."

"I'd like to punish him right now..." Threehorn growled, but was silenced by a look for Grandpa Longneck.

Pterano lowered his head, and nodded glumly. "I understand, sir. I guess... I just got a little carried away. I'm so upset and worried, you know." Topsy grunted at this, but Pterano ignored him. "I didn't... mean to break any rules, and I know I'm on shaky ground as is. I'm so very sorry. But my nephew is missing! Surely you can't expect me to do nothing at all?"

"For now, that's exactly what you must do. You're a suspect, and you can't simply go wandering off without us making sure that you are doing what you truly say you are doing. We may not have any proof against you, but neither do we have proof that you truly were looking for Petrie. Your injuries are admittedly suspcious. I'm sorry, Pterano, but you must understand our perspective on this. Petrie disappeared under your watch, while you were responsible for him."

"I know!" Pterano wailed. "Which is why I'm trying to help! I feel terrible about what occurred..."

"Nevertheless..." Littlefoot's grandfather continued, "you cannot go up and flying off to wherever you want. We need to make sure that you truly did not do this. For those of us still willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, please try and do this."

"I... I understand." he said, his chest moving in and out as he breathed very heavily. "I... won't leave the Great Valley again."

"I think for the time being, we should continue our search efforts but... I think we need to consider the fact that Petrie might have been taken into the Mysterious Beyond." Grandpa Longneck said sadly.

"And none of us can look out THERE for any length of time." Threehorn reminded everyone. "So if he IS out there... we're stuck, unless we come up with some sort of plan." There was a collective sigh that went up from the adults now, and they all began to talk amongst themselves.

Littlefoot took this chance, and ran forward, heading right for Hyp's father as Chomper and Hyp both watched him go, surprised by this. "Hey! Excuse me!" Littlefoot said, coming up behind him, and the older hypsilophodon glanced downward. "You said my theory might be right... but why? Nobody else seems to believe me, or take what I say as possible. So why do you think there might be something to it?"

"Well..." he rubbed his chin. "It was just a rumor but... I remember now, back from that time. We were all together, trying to make our way to the Great Valley. Fortunately, Hyp had not been separated from me, as you had from your grandparents. We were thinking of going with Pterano, but even more fortunately, we ultimately decided against it. When Pterano returned to us after it was all over, rumors immediately started circulating that there was a survivor from the group he had led to their deaths, but if this survivor does exist, he... or she I suppose, has never come forward. If there was a survivor, why wouldn't they have denounced Pterano back then? We never heard any word of denunciation against him, except from our own group. That's why it's just so... strange."

Littlefoot's eyes widened. "Can you tell me anything else about this survivor? Like who he was, what he looked like?"

Hyp's father shook his head, frowning. "I'm afraid I can't. Like I said, it's only a rumor, and if there WAS this rumored... survivor, he never spoke up against Pterano afterward, so that's why I just don't put much credence in it, BUT... your statement reminded me of it earlier. Everyone was talking about it back then... yet nobody ever confirmed it."

"Can you try and think of who went with him? If you can remember, then maybe we can find out if one of our own is here from that group." Littlefoot pressed.

"Uhhh..." he closed his eyes, inhaling. "I... can't think of anyone off the top of my head. Just a few indistinct faces. There was a swimmer of some sort... I remember that, but I don't think that swimmer is here with us today. There was a clubtail as well... but he's gone too. I don't think he's here with us. Uhhh... a few families... none of which I think came back. Several young ones died after all... it was terrible. I don't mean to speak ill of anyone, but that flyer certainly has a lot of blood on his hands." Hyp's father glanced over in Pterano's direction, giving him a remorseful look. "Such a tragedy... if there WAS a survivor... I can imagine he would be quite upset over what occurred."

Chomper was beside Littlefoot now, closely followed by the rest of the gang. "That's what I was thinking too!" the longneck exclaimed, looking over at the forsaken flyer.

"Maybe we should go talk to him, Littlefoot. If he was the leader of the group, he might know who he brought with him. That's what I would do, at least." Chomper suggested, looking in Pterano's direction as well.

"Yeah... it's the only way to get answers. Let's go, guys!" Littlefoot started heading over towards Pterano, the others moving after him, albeit Cera was rather reluctant, as she was seeing mostly her father's point of view on this one.

Pterano could see Redeye approaching him from his side, but the albino hissed as he noticed the young ones approaching. "You better lose those brats fast, Pterano! You have your next test after all." the white skinned flyer reminded him as he began backing away to melt into the crowd. "Oh... but ensure they don't go TOO far... if you get my drift..."

"What do you mean?" Pterano asked quietly, but he was gone. He slowly turned to face the approaching gang, attempting to draw himself up and put the best look upon his countenance that he could muster, a feeling of dread beginning to build within him over Redeye's last words.

[trulyfantasticme]

And I never thought I would feel like slapping Grandpa Longneck and Mr. Threehorn!     I'm sorry, i just feel so bad for Pterano. He really does love his nephew. And he's just trying to protect and all their doing is treating him like crap!   j

To Mr. Threehorn: Dude, REALLY?!?! PTERANO'S JUST TRYING TO FIND PETRIE AND ALL YOU'RE DOING IS TREATING HIM LIKE HIS A PIECE OF DIRT!!!!!!! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!!! MY GOODNESS!!!! SURE HE DONE SOME DAMAGE IN THE PAST, BUT AT LEAST HE CAN BRING HIMSELF TO ADMIT HE WAS WRONG!!! AND BESIDES, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU'RE DAUGHTER GOT LOST IN THE MYSTERIOUS BEYOND???!!!!?? HUH???

To Mr. Longneck: I think you're cool and respect you and all that but ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!? CAN'T YOU SEE THAT HE'S JUST TRYING TO FIND HIS NEPHEW, WHOM HE'S PRACTICALLY RISKING HIS LIFE FOR??? SERIOUSLY!! YOU'RE ACTING JUST AS BAD AS MR. THREEHORN HERE!!!!

I just had to do that.  

Neat chapter, Pterano! As always.

[LBTDiclonius]

I'm getting that feeling again and that feeling is usually right.

I admit, when you said that it was a build-up chapter, and while I understand how important one of those can be, I wasn't expecting too much, but, I was proved wrong. Nice job on that.

Awesome chapter, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Mama's Girl]

*bites her lip and prances about* I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Oh you're making one of my theories hold up more in my mind! I think I might know who's behind this but you've all but said it too much for me to really make it believable that I thought it at first anyway.

Oh, I don't know how to white out or I would say it under a spoiler guard but. I think I know!

Anyway excellant as always!

[vonboy]

Mama's Girl, you can white out (Or blackout) the text with this code.

Code:  on  

[QUOTE][COLOR=black]hi[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

would give you

hi

About this chapter, I liked it.

I'm really starting to feel bad for Pterano now. He's just a play thing in some mystery boss's game. I do like how you've been portraying him though. Your humbling him.

So we finally get some good clues on who this boss is, huh? This probably just further dashes my first guess.

I can't really think of anything else right now.

[Pterano]

We'll see who's right, and who's wrong! Probably not this chapter, but maybe some votes will be amended by the end! Here it is! It's explosive! It's action packed! It's a regular bar room brawl after the lights have been shot out! Coming at y'all, chapter 9!

Warning! This chapter does contain some violence!

---------------------------------

Chapter 9: Sacrificial

"Pterano!" Littlefoot said as he walked up with the rest of the group.

"Littlefoot. What is it?" the flyer asked nervously, Redeye's last words still ringing in his ears. Don't let them wander too far? Why?

"I need to know if you can remember anyone from the herd that you led away, and if any of them made it out alive." the longneck stated.

"The herd? The one I... led... to their... death?" he gulped, his hands starting to get clammy and his knees beginning to shake. It was something dreadful coming this way. He could just tell. He wasn't sure what it was. He looked around him, trying to see if there were any signs of danger, but he came up empty. Everything just seemed so... normal. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling as if eyes were upon him... upon all of them.

"Yeah. Is it possible there were any survivors?" Littlefoot persisted.

"Er... I... I don't know!" Pterano admitted. "It all happened so fast I... I... flew... away you see. I couldn't help anyone. I was so... powerless. There was literally nothing I could do." he bemoaned the past as if it were playing out again slowly before him.

"But do you think any made it away?"

"If... that did happen... I wouldn't know about it."

"You turned tail and ran, just like the coward you are." Cera scoffed.

"Cera." Littlefoot cut in. "That's not why we're here."

"Huh? But he's a coward, Littlefoot! All he did was fly away! Pterano got them all killed!" the threehorn adamantly defended her position.

"But he DID save Ducky... if not for him, Ducky wouldn't even be with us right now." Littlefoot reminded her.

"Uh... well... yeah. But..." Cera seemed at a loss for words on that one.

"Pterano. Try and think and remember specific faces. I know it probably hurts, but can you do this? There were rumors that there was a survivor. If there was... maybe this survivor took Petrie. Come on Pterano! Think!" Littlefoot urged, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"I..." Pterano's heart was racing, the memories of it all so terrible to him. He would relive that awful day in nightmares, but he avoided thinking about it as long as he possibly could manage while he was awake. He was looking for a new life here, yet had only managed to find more trouble, as usual.

"Please, Pterano! The past can hurt... but it can't do any physical harm to you in the here and now." Littlefoot said. "This would really help us."

"I..." the flyer closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "I..." the screams, the horror, the splaying blood. All of it played out before his eyes. There were fast biters... and a rock slide that had trapped everyone in that death pit. It was lush and green... but had no way out after the rocks had sealed off their only escape. A paradise had become a mass grave in a matter of minutes.

He could smell the blood, and sense the heavy thickness of death in the air. The screams resonated in his ears, the gasps and pleas for help... they grew in crescendo. Confusion, anger, pain, desperation, and agony; all of these emotions mixed together into one massive conglomeration. It caused his stomach to churn, and his heart to smash itself against his battered ribcage.

Just as the pteranodon thought it couldn't get any worse, he snapped his eyes open, the screams suddenly wrenching themselves from the past into his present. Screams? Where?

Cries of "SHARPTEETH!" echoed all around him, and much to his horror, his nightmare had somehow become real. Fast biters were lunging out of the bushes and jumping off of rock ledges. This was no dream. Nor was it a nightmare. Sharpteeth were in the valley! Sharpteeth had penetrated the sanctity of the Great Valley, and the adults, caught completely by surprise, were gathering themselves together as best they could.

The gang was off by Pterano, and nobody was currently by Pterano himself. To his sheer apprehension, the flyer could see several fast biters heading right for them. The young ones froze, unable to break in any one direction, as none seemed safe. As a particularly fast moving one drew close enough to snap up any one of them in his jaws, the fast biter was suddenly sent hurtling through the air, replaced by a flash of green as Brightneck landed in front of the children, skidding to halt after the powerful kick he'd delivered to the sharptooth had sent it sprawling to the ground, not moving. "Kids! Stay behind me! Pterano! Get them out of here!" he ordered.

The gang and Pterano were separated from the other adults by a grassy field, and Pterano knew that going in that direction was too hazardous. He could see Mr. Threehorn swatting away a fast biter with his horns, while Littlefoot's grandparents smashed their tails against the head of another who was unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of them.

Brightneck ran over to the fast biter he'd knocked to the ground. The sharptooth was struggling to get up, it's head swimming. Brightneck struck it hard with the back of his hand, knocking it back down, and began to twist the long hooked toe claw on the foot. He bent it around, the bone emitting a sickening crunching and then snapping as the hypsilophodon broke it clean off. Wielding it like a sickle, he once again transposed himself in between the children and the fast biters, some of whom were closing the distance. "Pterano! Go!" Brightneck shouted, and the flyer finally seemed to come out of his daze.

"Children! This way!" he urged, flapping his wings and pushing himself up into the air. "We'll head out of the meeting place and into a more open area!"

"But... we need to help them!" Littlefoot said, looking back over at the battling adults.

"We can't do anything for them right now! They'll be fine! And I'm sure they'd tell you to run if you charged over there. You'd be cut to pieces! I can't allow that, Littlefoot!" Pterano insisted, hovering over him.

"He's right!" Brightneck stated, looking back over his shoulder at the longneck. "You need to run! NOW! We'll handle this. Don't worry..." he crouched, getting ready to strike as two fast biters approached. "Now GO! Get moving!"

The others were offering no argument. Not even Hyp was standing to fight. He could see his dad fending off a fast biter with Ducky's mom, and though he was worried, he knew that charging right into two fast biters was not the answer. They may be able to circle back around once they got out of this cramped space.

Littlefoot took one last look in the direction of the grown ups, and then ran off to join his friends. "How could sharpteeth have gotten into the Great Valley?" he asked, noticing that Chomper was fighting to keep up with them, as his smaller legs were not much of a help in this circumstance. "Chomper! Grab my tail!" Littlefoot suggested, lowering it to act as a convenient handhold for the small sharptooth, who jumped for it, and caught hold.

"I'm not sure! I can't even imagine! The valley is supposed to be completely secure from the outside world!" Pterano replied, flapping ahead of them to lead the way.

"I think I heard them say a few things!" Chomper said, climbing his way up Littlefoot's tail towards his backside. "I think they said... something about it going to plan... or something!" he said, huffing as he managed to gain the back of the longneck.

"Plan?" Littlefoot asked, hardly believing what he had heard.

"We'll figure that out later. Let's just get out of here!" Pterano urged.

Behind them, Brightneck was clashing with two of the fast biters. He had managed to grapple the first one hand to hand, but quickly jerked himself free, spinning and burying the hooked claw into the sharptooth's side, eliciting a scream of pain from his opponent. Tugging the claw free, he elbowed the fast biter in the neck before delivering another kick, thrusting the carnivore to the ground. He prepared to square off with the second of the two when that one seemed to think better of it, and took off after the children. "No! No!" Brightneck exclaimed, attempting to chase him down, only to be stopped by the first fast biter, who was quickly getting back to his feet. "Grrrr... out of the way!" he angrily shouted, and brought the claw down, the fast biter narrowly dodging him as he did so.

As the claw swished harmlessly by, the fast biter seized his chance, and raked Brightneck in his flank, drawing blood and causing him to cry out, before he swiftly recovered and drove his knee right into the meat eater's gut. He pushed the "sickle" into the fast biter's back, pushing down on it to drive it in deeper. The fast biter screeched, clawing Brightneck's chest, slashing at him and attempting to get him off. Brightneck managed to jump back in time before the fast biter's own "sickle" could disembowel him, and he once more managed to successfully yank his weapon back and away.

Panting, he knew he had to end this quickly before the children were overtaken.

Getting ready to pounce, the hypsilophodon was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Threehorn crashed into the side of the fast biter, tossing him into the air as if he was nothing more than a treestar and outright breaking his right leg, smashing the bone and dislocating it from the hip. "Where are the children?" Threehorn asked.

"Off that way! With Pterano!" Brightneck hastily explained.

"What!?" Topsy bellowed. "With Pterano!? Go after them! They can't possibly be safe following that flyer around!" Threehorn's eyes widened, and called out a warning just in time. "Behind you!"

Brightneck dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, as the fast biter he had previously knocked unconscious was back up. "I'll take care of this! You can run faster than I can, so catch up with them and keep them safe!" Threehorn shouted.

Brightneck nodded, and skirted the larger dinosaur so he could attempt to catch up with the children. He only hoped he could make it in time. Already, his aching wounds were protesting, and his lungs desperately needed air, but he couldn't slow down to oblige them... not yet at least. "Sickle" in hand, the hypsilophodon pumped his legs as fast as they could move, and he started to draw a beeline on the small group he could see ahead of him.

The main battle was going well for the adults. A number of the fast biters had gone after the children, and now one was done, one was pursuing them, and the other was locked in combat with Mr. Theehorn. That left about four that the adults were contending with.

One had had his head bashed by two longneck tails, and another was down for the count thanks to the earlier efforts of Mr. Threehorn. The other two were facing Hyp's father and Ducky's mother, and still another was attempting a go at the longnecks. Grandpa Longneck baited the latter one, drawing him in as his tail extended back, poising itself like a coiled spring. With a great heave, the tail cracked forward, connecting hard with the fast biter, and sent him sailing into a rock wall. He fell to the ground, completely immobile, his insides probably turned to jelly from the impact.

Hyp's father was only a bit smaller than the fast biter opponent, but he had a helper, and she was utilizing a rock as a weapon. The fast biter snapped his teeth, gnashing them as he tried to take chunks out of the two, but each time they backed away, maintaining their distance. "I think we should try something." Hyp's dad suggested. "I'll try to knock him forward, and you get him on the head. Can you do that?" he asked, gulping as he realized what he'd just suggested. Ducky's mother simply nodded, and he knew that the more dangerous part was now up to him.

He took a deep breath, waited for the fast biter to take a swipe at him, and as it did so, he slid forward, kicking his legs out in front of him and slipping along the ground, crying out as he couldn't stop himself and barreled low into the sharptooth. The carnivore fell on top of him, snarling and preparing to slash into his throat when Ducky's mother struck the hungry sharptooth smack on the head, the fast biter sighing in a snarling manner as he collapsed, unmoving, on top of Hyp's father.

"Where are the children?" she asked.

"I... don't know!" he grunted as he tried pushing the fast biter off of him. "Last I saw them they were... oh no!" he gasped, realizing where it was that he had last seen them.

The gang was racing for the exit of the meeting area, the giant stone arch looming over them as they got closer. Littlefoot was bringing up the rear, and already he could hear the fast biter gaining on him. "Pterano!" he called out. The flyer looked back behind him. "It's gaining on us!" as Littlefoot was shouting this, he stumbled, and went down, taking Chomper with him. The longneck slid on his belly, and Pterano froze in mid air, pulse pounding as he could see the fast biter getting closer.

Visions flashed intensely in his mind now, a manic pulse pounding through his veins. The clubtail who had been overpowered by at least three of those fast biters... the swimmer who had plummeted to her death... the screams, the anguish, the death!

"No... no!" he yelled, diving right at the fast biter. "Stay away from them! Littlefoot! Chomper! Run!" he quickly turned a half sumersault, so that his claws came up behind him and then downward onto the sharptooth's snout. "Go!" Littlefoot managed to stumble back up to his feet, Chomper climbing back aboard as he took off again.

Pterano kept in front of the fast biter. "Right here! Chase me! I'm a better meal!" he challenged it, and it roared at him, swiping with its claws. He flew backward, trying to stay out of range. "Come on! Come on! Right here!" the air whistled only mere inches from him, the claws coming excruciatingly close each time.

"What? Is that the fastest you can do?" Pterano taunted. "I thought you were called fast biters! Why so slow?" this only seemed to enrage the fast biter, who started jumping off the ground and trying to dig his claws into Pterano. The flyer played a little game of fish with the sharptooth, managing to pull out of range each time. "Hah! And I'm the old one, here! This really isn't so bad." he muttered, keeping a safe distance away now as he kept flying backward, every so often beating his wings a bit harder to stretch the distance out.

"Well now, I've seen some slow sharpteeth in my day, but you sir, really do... ooof!" he had suddenly flown into something quite solid, and he was now in free fall. Letting a short cry escape his lungs, the flyer realized he must have hit the arch right before he slammed into the ground. It wasn't a massive drop, fortunately for him, but he screamed as his ribs absorbed some more punishment.

The children skidded to a halt, and looked behind them. "Oh no! Pterano!" Littlefoot shouted, eyes going wide.

Hyp shook his head. "I don't know what we can do for him. I guess I could try and go in there... but..."

The flyer tried to rise, but the wind had been knocked out of him in the crash landing. His lungs protested mightily for air, and his head swam. He was seeing at least three fast biters instead of just the one walking towards him as his vision went in and out. Pushing himself up as the carnivore greedily started closing slowly in for the kill, its lips dripping with saliva and its red tongue hanging out in expectation, Pterano bowed his head.

He knew had no strength at the moment, and it was over. The end of the flight. Better him than the children. "Run!" he gasped, fighting to find air. "Run!" he panted, noticing they were stuck on the spot. "Go..." the fast biter was reaching down for him a sharp holler rang out, and Pterano could see a figure hurtling through the air towards him. The figure became Brightneck, who was giving out a mighty call at the top of his lungs as he came down hard on the backside of the fast biter. The claw weapon ripped into the sharptooth's throat, and blood sprayed in spurts as the hypsilophodon furiously held on, driving it in as deep as it would go as he slammed his free arm's elbow into the back of the fast biter's head repeatedly.

Over and over again he pounded away, trying to knock it senseless and possibly kill it at the same time. Howling and screeching in torment, the fast biter thrashed and twisted like a beached fish, its death throes coming upon it as it struggled to shake its attacker off. "Go down! STAY DOWN!" Brightneck snapped, and jerked the claw upward, cutting even more of the sharptooth's throat before it finally fell, a mere few inches from Pterano's beak. It breathed one last time in the flyer's face before it expire, its eyes glazing over and seeing nothing evermore.

Tugging his weapon free, the panting Brightneck fell to his knees, gasped, cried out in disbelief, and started to laugh. "I never... never thought it would go down like that! Must say... I misjudged you Pterano. The things they say about you aren't so true after all." he stated in an exhausted, breathless voice.

"And guess what? You passed your second trial friend." The words were whispered right in his ear, and in that instant Pterano knew that Redeye was beside him. That blasted albino must have been watching him this entire time! Too shaken up to do anything at the moment, the flyer merely let his racing heart begin to slow, his breathing to stop coming in such painful inhalations, and his eyes to close.

Redeye held out a hand for him, pretending to be some flyer who had noticed the commotion and was stopping by to assist the valorous, in order to throw off any suspicion. Upon opening his eyes and seeing the proffered hand, Pterano needed no further encouragement, and grasped it tightly.

[Mama's Girl]

Wow! Great chapter of course, now, where does this further info leave my guesses? Hmm, well the first big thing I told you on what I think could still hold, though I think you killed the descriptor I gave, if you follow .

I feel like you wrote parts of this chapter just to prove me or vonboy wrong, hehe . I'd ask why you enjoy messing with your readers so much but I understand it too well with my little story also trying for intrique