Okay, so the windstorm that hit my area, persisting until yesterday afternoon, did end up knocking down trees and lines in area surrounding me. Surprisingly, my power remained intact throughout the storm, but I still have neighbors without power, though. I was able to get through this next chapter quite well as I braced for that power outage that never happened, and I hope this was worthwhile.
Speaking of windy days ...
CHAPTER 10
A Windy Day
The Bright Circle once again shone beautifully over the Great Valley as it rose to signal the start of a new day. The river glistened and sparkled in the morning light, and the valley was instantly turned into a haven of bright beauty.
Mama Flyer stirred in her sleep once the Bright Circle’s rays hit her eyes through the entrance to her family’s cave, and she turned around before opening her eyes.
“Oh, man, did I sleep?” she murmured to herself weakly as she sat up and stretched her wings with a yawn.
The Flyer mother looked down when she heard the sound of sleep rumbling, and she chuckled as she saw Petrie sleeping beside her with his snuggling stick in his wings. The Flyer was smiling in his sleep, and Mama Flyer could only assume her son was having happy sleep stories about Ducky.
Suddenly feeling the mood to have the slightest bit of fun with her son, Mama Flyer began to gently tickle Petrie’s back, and the boy instantly began giggling cutely. Mama Flyer chuckled as she listened to the adorable sound of her son’s bubbly giggles.
“Guess who?” she teased playfully in a quiet voice, trying not to wake her other children.
“Duhuhuhuckeeheeheeheehy?” laughed Petrie.
Mama Flyer giggled as she heard that answer. She knew immediately that his Swimmer girlfriend was stuck in his mind.
“Guess again, Petrie,” she teased.
“Hehehehehee! Mohohohohommeeheeheeheehy!” Petrie giggled as the sensations on his back grew more ticklish and got him to open his eyes.
“That’s right, my little one,” chuckled Mama Flyer, “Time to get up. There’s a new day ahead of us.”
“Mehehe no wahahahahant to gehehehet up, Mahahahamahaha!” laughed Petrie.
“Then I guess I’ll keep tickling you all morning,” teased Mama Flyer, and she lifted her son onto her lap and started tickling his chest.
“Nohohohohoho! Stahahahahahop!” begged Petrie through laughter, the tickle torture starting to feel too much for him to take much longer.
“Hmm. How’s about when you say, ‘sweet bubble’,” Mama Flyer teased playfully.
“Sweeheeheeheeheet buhuhuhubblehehehehehe!” giggled Petrie as saliva leaked from his beak due to laughing for so long.
Finally convinced that Petrie had had enough, his mother stopped tickling him, so he could get some air. The little Flyer gasped and panted to regain his breathing stability, and he looked up and saw his mother’s warm grin.
“Good morning, my little Petrie,” Mama Flyer said in a warm, motherly voice.
“Good morning, Mama,” Petrie replied cutely with a smile.
“How’s my special boy doing today?” asked Mama Flyer.
Petrie blushed as he heard his mother call him ‘special,’ and he smiled brightly as his beak quivered in happiness.
“Me feel so good,” he spoke adorably, “How about you, Mama?”
“I’m doing good, too,” answered Mama Flyer.
The two Flyers exchanged some warm family smiles and kissed each other’s beaks to express their mother-son love for each other, and Mama Flyer playfully hugged Petrie and placed him on her back.
“Wanna go for a little ride, Petrie?” she offered her son, “We haven’t done that for quite a while.”
Petrie smiled as he thought of that idea. He didn’t exactly know when was the last time he rode on his mother’s back, but he knew it was after the end of the most recent cold time.
“Me love that,” he said happily, and he wrapped his arms and wings around his mother’s neck.
“Okay, son,” smiled Mama Flyer, “I was thinking we should head out together and find some sweet bubbles for breakfast, because I know you like those very much.”
Petrie licked his beak upon hearing the words, ‘sweet bubbles’, and he began to anticipate a very tasty breakfast.
“Me love sweet bubbles!” he said excitedly as his mother stepped out of the cave and onto the ledge, where another surprise awaited them …
This surprise wasn’t Ducky, nor was it anybody, for that matter …
The wind was blowing roughly, and the Flyers could instantly feel a breeze blowing around them.
“Oh, dear,” said Mama Flyer, “It’s windy today.”
“That not good,” gulped Petrie.
“Unless we fly carefully,” assured Mama Flyer, “Just hold on tight, and we’ll be just fine.”
“O-Okay, Mama,” stuttered Petrie, clinging to his mother’s neck and back.
Just as she was about to flap her wings, Mama Flyer looked and found another Flyer coming to land on the ledge. This Flyer, however, was one she knew quite well, and one she found very helpful.
“Ah, Wingfoot. Thank goodness you made it!” she sighed in relief.
Petrie chuckled a little as he saw Wingfoot land next to them. Whenever there was a day that his mother had to go out and couldn’t be home to look after her children, Wingfoot, being the good family friend that he was, was typically the one to save the day. Petrie didn’t really see Wingfoot very often, though, as he almost always came on days when he flew off to play with his friends while his mother wasn’t home. Nevertheless, he was on very good terms with their occasional babysitter.
“Gee, and I wonder why it had to be today you planned to do this,” Wingfoot chuckled sarcastically.
Petrie was dumbfounded by this. He had no idea his mother had anything planned out today.
“Well, how can you anticipate when it’s gonna be windy?” said Mama Flyer, holding back a laugh.
“Mama, … what this all about?” asked a confused Petrie.
“You’ll see, dear,” his mother answered with a wink.
“So, as I understand it, your other children were grounded the other day?” guessed Wingfoot.
“Yes,” nodded Mama Flyer, sighing as she looked back inside towards her other children, still sleeping, “They teased my little Petrie in one of the worst ways possible, and I still haven’t even thought of anything that will teach them a valuable lesson.”
“I’ll just make sure none of them leave the cave, alright?” assured Wingfoot.
“Thanks, Wingfoot. You’re such a big help. I feel like I owe you some,” said Mama Flyer.
“Hey, … it’s just what I do,” smiled Wingfoot, and he winked and walked inside.
Mama Flyer smiled back and shifted her attention back to the flight ahead.
“Here we go,” she announced, and she opened her wings and lifted her feet off the ledge.
Petrie held on tightly to his mother’s neck while grasping her back with his feet, and Mama Flyer soared over the Great Valley smoothly as she tackled the winds with her son riding piggyback on her.
Before long, Petrie found that he was enjoying his first piggyback ride on his mother in quite a while. The winds blew gently around them as she carried him over the valley for a very comfortable flight.
“This fun,” he giggled.
“I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, Petrie,” Mama Flyer responded, before she looked down and noticed some plants below that had sweet bubbles growing on them, “Look, Petrie! Sweet bubbles!”
Petrie looked down and saw the sweet bubble plants, and he gasped with joy.
“Oh, boy! Sweet bubbles! Me no can wait!” he cheered eccentrically.
“Hang on tight!” said Mama Flyer, and she swooped towards the ground.
Petrie closed his eyes nervously as his mother began her descent, but there proved to be nothing to worry about, as Mama Flyer made a soft feet-first landing on the grass. The little Flyer opened his eyes and saw that they were on the ground, and he sighed in relief that their landing was a soft one.
Unable to wait any longer for a taste of those sweet bubbles, Petrie slid off his mother’s back and ran up to the plant with his mother right behind him. He licked his beak excitedly as the scent reached his beak, and he smiled cutely in anticipation.
“Here you go, my little one,” chuckled Mama Flyer playfully as she picked one sweet bubble off one of the stems and handed it to Petrie.
The little Flyer gasped in delight with a wide open mouth, and he eagerly took the sweet bubble and instantly began to nibble on it. Mama Flyer giggled as she picked off another sweet bubble for herself and took a small bite while watching her son eat his so childishly. She thought Petrie looked so adorable whenever he ate like this.
“This taste so good!” the child said happily as his eating splashed a bit of sweet bubble juice on his beak.
“I’m so glad you like it, Petrie,” chuckled Mama Flyer, “I’m happy to treat you to a delightful breakfast.”
“You so wonderful, Mama!” beamed Petrie, “Me love you so much!”
“Aw, I love you so much, too, Petrie,” replied Mama Flyer, “Anything for my little boy.”
She gently patted her son’s head, and the kid smiled adorably before the two resumed eating their sweet bubbles.
As Petrie was admiring the taste of his sweet bubble, he suddenly thought about Ducky, and he began to imagine himself doing something extra-special for her. They may have already been enjoying so much together since they confessed their love, and they had a secret forest cave to pamper each other lovingly whenever they felt like going there and feeding each other love and smooches without interference. However, there was one thing Petrie hadn’t done yet: give Ducky something very special that she would love so much. It had to be more than just very special; it had to be so special that it would be such a rare treat for her. It would be something she would cherish for the rest of her life, and it would be something that would always make her think about him.
“A love gift,” he thought happily,
“Me should give Ducky special gift of love.”He was momentarily interrupted by his mother’s curiosity …
“What are you thinking about, Petrie?” Mama Flyer said as she noticed the thoughtful look on her son’s face.
Petrie snapped out of his trance and looked up at his mother, not quite happy that she had interrupted his thoughts … again.
“Oh, … um, … me think about … Ducky,” he said awkwardly.
“I’m sure you can’t wait to go play with her,” assumed Mama Flyer.
“Actually, … me think … me go out today … and find something … special … for Ducky,” said Petrie.
“What a coincidence,” his mother said, “That’s exactly what I was thinking we’d do today.”
Petrie gasped, and he looked as though he had just been slapped on the beak.
“Wait! What!?”
“I discussed this with Ducky’s mother the other day, and we agreed that we should help the both of you in some way. We came up with the idea of taking each of you out to find something you think the other will love so much.”
Petrie was speechless. He stared with wonder at his mother with his beak wide open, so surprised that he couldn’t make a sound.
“So, are you ready for a little … adventure, if I might put it?” asked Mama Flyer.
At this, Petrie jumped up and down and eagerly nodded with excitement, something his mother had never seen him do before. She laughed as she watched him show these new, cute behaviors from her son.
“Oh, boy!,” nodded Petrie, “Me no can wait to give Ducky something special to express me love for her!”
“Oh, Petrie, you sweet, silly one!” said Mama Flyer warmly, “Ducky would love that!”
“Yeah,” grinned Petrie, “Me just … wonder where to go look for it?”
“Well, there are many places to look in the Great Valley,” explained Mama Flyer, “I’m sure that if we look really hard, we’ll find just what you’re looking for.”
Petrie looked thoughtfully at his mother, and he looked at his surroundings. He was sure that he wouldn’t find that special something anywhere near here, but there had to be that special someplace in the Great Valley that just had to be the place he would be looking for. He knew that the Canyon of Shiny Stones wasn’t an option, since that place had been melted down by an erupting Smoking Mountain that he thought HE had enraged. Also, the special forest cave he shared with Ducky in the evenings already had plenty of what they loved. Besides, their forest cave contained shiny stones, and they had already made their special neckwear out of them to create their own symbols of their love.
“There have to be someplace in Great Valley,” he said before he took the last bite of his sweet bubble. “Where can we look?”
“We could look anywhere in the valley, Petrie,” replied Mama Flyer, gently wiping the sweet bubble juice off Petrie’s face, “We just need to be careful of the wind, and also make sure nobody overhears us mentioning anything about this.”
“Okay,” promised Petrie, “Me will be as careful and quiet about it as me can be.”
“That’s my boy,” grinned Mama Flyer.
Once her mother had cleaned off his beak, Petrie climbed back onto his mother’s back and instantly felt another rush of wind blowing at them as she prepared to take flight once more.
“Just promise me you won’t stray too far, dear. I don’t want to lose sight of you in this wind,” said Mama Flyer, “When I say it’s time to search somewhere else, I want you to hop on my back right away and I’ll fly you somewhere else, okay?”
Gulping with worry over the wind, Petrie nodded, “Okay.”
“Okay, my little Petrie,” said Mama Flyer, “Let’s get going.”
With a running start, the blue Flyer flapped her wings and got herself airborne with her son clinging tightly to her neck. Petrie gulped nervously as he tried to think of something he was sure Ducky would truly like.
Ducky was walking alongside her mother as they took a little walk through the valley after having breakfast. The little Swimmer had been woken up by her mother first thing in the morning, much to her slight annoyance, and once they had breakfast, Mama Swimmer informed her daughter that they were going to “go exploring.”
“So, … um, what are we exploring for, Mama?” asked Ducky curiously.
“I was just about to tell you why, dear,” her mother grinned, “It’s about you and Petrie.”
Ducky was utterly surprised to hear this.
“Really!?” she gasped.
Mama Swimmer gently hushed her daughter and crouched down to her level, placing an arm around her back.
“Petrie’s mother and I had a little talk about the two of you, and we decided that we would be willing to help you in some way,” she explained.
“R-really? How?” asked Ducky.
“Have you thought about exploring somewhere to find something extra-special for Petrie that he might like so much?” asked Mama Swimmer.
Ducky thought about her mother’s question for a moment, and she came to realize that it hadn’t yet crossed her mind that it’d be very nice to find a special gift for him. As far as she was concerned, it could be anything: a shiny stone, a special tree star much like the one Littlefoot’s mother gave her son, or maybe another stick like Petrie’s precious snuggling stick.
“Maybe I should find something Petrie will really like, something to make him think about me,” she pondered.
“Well, that’s what I’m going to help you with today,” smiled Mama Swimmer.
Ducky gazed at her mother with a wide-open mouth, completely surprised by this unexpected news.
“Are you really!?” she gasped.
“You know I deeply care about the two of you, and I’d be very happy to help you blossom on your love for each other,” whispered Mama Swimmer, and she playfully kissed her daughter’s face.
“Oh, Mama! Thank you, thank you! This will be so exciting! Yes, yes, yes!” chortled Ducky excitedly.
“Okay, my dear,” giggled Mama Swimmer, “Not so loud, though. We don’t want others to know what we’re really doing, remember?”
“Oops,” said Ducky, covering her mouth with her hands as she chuckled sheepishly, “Um, … y-yeah.”
“And we might also want to be careful, Ducky. The wind is blowing a little hard today,” warned Mama Swimmer.
“I will be careful, Mama. I will, I will,” promised Ducky.
“That’s my girl. So, let’s get going,” smiled Mama Swimmer, giggling at her daughter and nuzzling her before taking her hand and leading her to someplace she was sure Ducky had never been to before.
The two Swimmers walked side-by-side, holding hands, now that Ducky was big enough for them to be able to do so. Ducky took bouncy steps to express her joy and excitement, making her mother laugh from the playful display. The little Swimmer couldn’t wait to see just what she could find. She was gleefully anticipating that special something to be just what Petrie would love.
Petrie and his mother had searched through several places in the Great Valley that he had rarely been to, but he couldn’t find that perfect gift he thought would be special for Ducky. He found gorgeous tree stars, shiny stones and even yellowish-green flowers, but he was sure that none of those could be extra special. They just seemed too common by now, even shiny stones, which weren’t quite as common as plants.
The wind was giving the Flyers a hard time, too. They would occasionally get tossed around by the dangerous gusts, but Mama Flyer managed to retain control of her flight whenever she was nearly blown off course, always making sure Petrie never fell off her back.
“Oh, me never find special gift for Ducky,” Petrie lamented as he looked at his surroundings below, “Where me could possibly look next?”
“Say, Petrie, … take a look up ahead,” said Mama Flyer.
He peeked from behind his mother’s head and spotted what looked like a forest of trees containing something pink. He could swear he had never seen pink tree stars before, but he wondered if what he was seeing was really what he was seeing.
“Whoa! That place look beautiful! Let’s go check it out!” he said excitedly.
“Okay, dear,” replied Mama Flyer, and she soared towards the forest as carefully as she could.
Suddenly, Petrie felt another gust of wind blowing around him, and his hands slipped off his mother’s neck.
“Ah!” he yelled in panic as he slid down his mother’s back and started to fall.
“Petrie!” Mama Flyer cried in horror, and she dived towards her son.
Then, all of a sudden, another huge blast of wind shoved Petrie straight towards the forest while lifting him higher into the air rather than down towards the ground.
“WHOA! WAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAOOOOO!” he screamed as he shut his eyes, not daring to look at what could possibly happen next.
“Petrie!” his mother called out to him, “Flap your wings!”
The little Flyer tried doing just that, but he seemed to have no control over where he was going, and he felt the Bright Circle’s light no longer poking through his eyelids. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but green and pink around him. He could tell that he had stumbled into the forest and was sure he would inevitably crash-land. He found himself with his back towards the ground as he soared out of control feet-first. He saw a tree ahead and closed his eyes. He bent his knees so that his feet would hit the tree, and he braced himself for the impact …
“CRASH!”“OW!” Petrie screamed as a burst of pain shot through his feet, and he felt himself falling but refused to open his eyes.
“THUD!”Petrie crashed to the ground flat on his back, and he wailed as he felt pain coursing all over his body.
“OOOWWWW!” he wept as tears of pain came pouring down, and he opened his eyes to check his surroundings …
The Flyer found himself on what looked like a grassy pathway, and every tree surrounding him had pink tree stars. The smell of red tree sweets hung in the air, providing a rather pleasant scent.
“Whoa!” he gasped in disbelief, “What … place this? W-where … m-me at?”
He tried to stand up, but the pain in his feet caused him to yelp and crash onto his bottom.
“Aaooww!” he screamed as he felt pain soaring throughout both of his legs, “That really hurt! Ow! Now me never get outta here!”
“Petrie!” he heard the ever-so-recognizable sound of his mother’s echoing voice calling desperately for him, “Where are you!?”
Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, Petrie cried as loud as he could, “ME IN HERE, MAMA!”
He desperately hoped she would have been able to hear that. From what he had heard, his mother sounded like she was miles away.
A moment later, he heard tree stars and branches rustling against each other, and he looked to the direction the sound was coming from. He panted, hoping it would be his mother coming to his rescue.
Eventually, the nearby trees shook a little, and out came Mama Flyer, brushing some leaves off on her way out onto the open pathway.
“Mama!” cried Petrie.
“Oh, Petrie! There you are! Oh, thank goodness!” Mama Flyer sobbed with relief as she ran to her son and lifted him into a tight, protective hug, “Oh, my little Petrie! For a moment, I thought I’d lost you!”
“Please, … n-not so tightly, Mama,” coughed Petrie.
Mama Flyer loosened her grip on her son and sat down, setting him on her lap.
“Sorry, dear,” she apologized.
“Ow, me legs,” wept Petrie.
“Are you okay, Petrie? Did you crash-land?” asked Mama Flyer.
“Me crash into tree, then me fall to ground on me back,” sniffled Petrie with hiccups, “Ow! Me hurt so much!”
“I’ll say … that was one flight you took, little one,” came another feminine voice.
The two Flyers froze in place and frantically looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, and only then did Mama Flyer notice that they were surrounded by trees containing pink tree stars. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she stared at the pink trees with amazement.
“Wow!” she gasped, “I wonder where we are?”
“You’re in Pink Forest,” came the feminine voice.
Petrie looked around frantically again, still trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.
“Pink Forest?” he said nervously.
“Yes,” the voice answered.
“Um, … who you? Where you?” Petrie asked.
“Where I am, I’m right over here. Who I am, it’s a mystery to all,” said the voice.
Petrie tried to get up again, but his legs gave way once more, and he landed right on his bottom on his mother’s lap again.
“Me no can walk,” he called, “Me hurt me feet.”
“Can you still fly?” asked the voice.
“He’s hurt,” called Mama Flyer, and he looked at her son, “Please don’t try to walk, dear. I’ll carry you in my wings.”
“Okay,” nodded Petrie, and his mother stood up and held her son tenderly in her wings as if she was carrying a newborn.
“Me legs really hurt so bad!” he complained dreadfully.
“It’s okay. I gotcha, Petrie,” his mother assured him.
“Now, just follow my voice, and you’ll know exactly what awaits you in Pink Forest,” said the feminine voice.
Mama Flyer did as the voice told them to do, and she slowly walked in the direction where it came from.
Before long, the Flyers noticed somebody smiling at them, and they gasped in astonishment at who she was looking at …
It was a pink adult Threehorn, with sparkling purple eyes and big eyelashes. She looked so much Tria, only that her shade of pink was much brighter.
“Wow!” Petrie gasped, “Who you?”
“My name is … Sparkle,” the Threehorn said in a gentle, soothing voice.
“Sparkle?” said Petrie in amazement.
“I know. It’s quite a gorgeous name, isn’t it?” chuckled Sparkle.
“Me think you beautiful!” smiled Petrie with wide eyes of wonder.
“Thanks, little one,” beamed Sparkle with a warm smile, “What might your name be?”
“Um, Pe-Petrie,” he stuttered nervously.
“Petrie? That’s an adorable name for someone like you,” smiled Sparkle.
Petrie blushed in embarrassment as he looked up and saw his mother smiling at him warmly.
“And who might you be, ma’am?” asked Sparkle, turning her attention to the larger, blue Flyer.
“I’m his mother,” she answered.
“Motherly instincts can lead to quite a mother-son adventure when you put it that way,” said Sparkle, chuckling at her own comment.
“So, Petrie, … what brings you here to Pink Forest?” the Threehorn asked.
Petrie gulped nervously, wondering just how he could tell this beautiful Threehorn that he was in love with a Swimmer without her lashing out at him for being in a relationship with one.
“We went out looking for something, but, as you can probably guess, the wind knocked us off course,” Mama Flyer spoke up before Petrie could open his beak, and he stared at her, surprised that she could come up with an excuse so quickly in an effort to cover up his true intentions.
“Well, you two have come to the right place,” smiled Sparkle, “It’s not every day I get visitors around these parts. In fact, I hardly ever get visitors at all.”
Petrie was shocked to hear this.
“W-why not?” he asked.
“This forest is very well hidden from everybody else in the Great Valley, and the only visitors I am ever likely to get are Flyers like you,” explained Sparkle, “I started growing this forest a long time ago, way since before you were even an egg, Petrie. Pink Forest quickly became one of the most visited places in the Great Valley, until everything so suddenly changed, and all the common green food started flowering over the valley afterward. All the dinosaurs who were newer to the valley basically gained no knowledge of this place’s existence. Pink Forest essentially became a forgotten place in the Great Valley, or to older dinosaurs, a thing of the past. Your generation would probably believe it to simply be some legend now.”
Petrie was astounded by Sparkle’s story about Pink Forest, and he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her after hearing how this place had become overshadowed by the Great Valley’s common green food and delicious fruits. Now that he thought about it, he felt very lucky to have stumbled upon this forest.
“Me think your forest so beautiful, Sparkle,” the Flyer said softly, “Me never see anything like it. It too bad nobody know about it.”
“You know, I wish we could help in some way, but as you say, I’m not sure our neighbors will believe us,” said Mama Flyer.
“If I ever had another Threehorn come to this place, and he wanted to share it with me, I am sure that he would delight in becoming my mate, and we would have a child who would take over in our footsteps as the guardian of Pink Forest,” said Sparkle thoughtfully.
“Guardian of Pink Forest?” said Petrie, “You guardian of Pink Forest?”
“Yes,” confirmed Sparkle, “I’ve lived in this forest ever since I started growing these special trees with all of those precious pink tree stars many, many cold times ago. Oh, how I would do anything to share it with others now.”
“Sparkle,” Petrie began as he thought long and hard, “Me been thinking. It okay if we … take a few tree stars and show them as proof that this place exist? Maybe it convince everyone in Great Valley that Pink Forest real.”
Sparkle looked at Petrie and thought for a moment about his idea. She knew it would not be any easy feat by any means, but this little Flyer seemed determined to help her as if he had known her for so long. This strange new friend of his certainly had a kind heart towards those whom he knew meant well to him.
“Are you sure this is a good idea, Petrie?” Mama Flyer asked her son, unsure of what he was really up to with his idea.
Petrie nodded and winked with one eye, then winked with the other. His mother quickly saw just what he was planning to do, and she smiled and winked back at him before kissing his forehead, earning a cute giggle from her little son.
“I will allow you to take two pink tree stars, little one,” the Threehorn smiled.
Petrie gasped and smiled widely in delight, “Yippee!”
“Can I ask you a favor as well?” added Sparkle.
“Sure, Sparkle. Anything,” replied Petrie.
“You have friends, I trust?”
“Oh, yes!” nodded Petrie eagerly, “Me have six very special friends! They all different kinds, and we have many adventures together! Me think they definitely believe this place real when me show them pink tree star!”
“Excellent!” beamed Sparkle.
With that, she pulled a pink tree star off one of the tree branches, and she handed it over to the Flyers. Mama Flyer sat down and held Petrie on her lap again as she took the tree star and got a closer look at it. As she did this, her son once again cried and sniffled in pain.
“Aaawwwooowww!” he wailed, “Me feet still hurt!”
Having momentarily forgotten that the little Flyer was still injured, Sparkle quickly pulled off another tree star and placed it in front of them.
“Eat this, Petrie,” she instructed him, “It will help. Your legs will heal in just a few minutes.”
Petrie looked up at Sparkle’s glistening purple eyes, which he imagined must have earned her her name when she hatched from her egg. There was something about her grin that made her look so sincere and gentle. He felt as if her presence was almost like motherly warmth, although not nearly as warm as his own mother was, and he was reminded so much about Tria just by looking at her and by seeing her much warmer personality compared to Mr. Threehorn.
“Go ahead and eat, Petrie,” she grinned, “You’ll need that pink tree star more than I do.”
Sighing warmly with a pleasant grin, Petrie noticed his mother nodding in agreement with the Threehorn, and he grabbed the pink tree star and slowly began to nibble on it. After just a few bites, he felt the pain in his legs and feet begin to subside. The taste was very good, too. It tasted like a mixture of red tree sweets and sweet bubbles, and it soothed his tongue pleasantly.
“This taste so good,” he said, “Now me really wish this place not forgotten.”
“I know, dear,” chuckled Sparkle, “Now, just wait for a few minutes, and you might be able to stand up again.”
Petrie finished eating the pink tree star and sat still in his mother’s lap, whilst Mama Flyer kindly took the other pink tree star and patiently waited for anything to happen.
Before long, Petrie felt the pain subside from his legs and feet, and he cautiously attempted to stand up. He felt no pain in his feet as he pressed them on the ground, and he managed to straighten his legs upward and stand up.
“Wow! These tree stars do heal fast!” he exclaimed in delight, “This place just so amazing!”
Sparkle chuckled happily and smiled at Petrie, “See. With these pink tree stars around, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Thanks so much, Sparkle,” said Mama Flyer graciously.
Petrie felt so grateful to Sparkle for her kind compassion and generosity that he didn’t know how to thank him enough.
“Thank you so much, Sparkle! Thank you … for everything!” the Flyer said cheerfully.
“You’re very welcome, Petrie,” replied Sparkle proudly.
“Okay, Petrie,” smiled Mama Flyer, “Let’s get going.”
“Me right behind you, Mama!” nodded Petrie, and he lifted himself off the ground again and grasped the rolled-up pink tree star from his mother with his feet.
He then turned to Sparkle.
“Thanks again!”
“You’re welcome,” repeated Sparkle, “Now, off you go.”
“See you later, Sparkle!” Petrie called as he flew above the tops of the pink trees.
“See you later, Petrie!” Sparkle called back just before her new friend disappeared back into the heart of the Great Valley with his mother following closely behind.
However, Petrie had only just made it back over the valley’s open space, when a sudden gust of wind knocked him off balance.
“Aaah!” he screamed as he found himself somersaulting in midair while holding desperately onto his pink tree star with his feet, “NAAAOOOO!”
The wind quickly grew stronger, and before long Petrie found that he was flying at speeds a little faster than he was naturally capable of. He felt himself being tossed around in the air like a pinecone. The winds kept blowing him in random directions in the sky. He kept his pink tree star grasped in his feet so that he wouldn’t lose it. All he knew was that this trip would possibly not end well for him.
“Petrie!” he heard his mother shouting behind him.
“MOMMEEEEEEE!” he screamed, “HEEEELP MEEEEEE!”
Mama Flyer watched in horror as the wind tossed her son around like a simple tree star. She knew he would not be able to save himself without there being someone to help him.
“MOMMEEEEEEEEEE!” Petrie screamed again, “PLEEEEEEHEHEHEASE! HEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEEEEEELP!”
Mama Flyer determinedly chased after her son, refusing the let the winds get the better of her as she focused solely on her mission: to save Petrie from these dangerous winds.
“I’m coming, Petrie!” she called towards him, although she wasn’t sure if he would be able to hear her because his body was still somersaulting and spinning in all sorts of directions as if he was being carried by a windstorm.
Petrie did manage to hear his mother’s reply, and he felt so relieved that she was trying her best to keep up with him. His only hope now was that she would reach him before it was too late …
Ducky and her mother had journeyed into a forest, still looking for something special that the little Swimmer was sure Petrie would love. The two had searched through several different places that Ducky hadn’t been to before, but all she saw were many common plants that she was sure she could see almost every day.
However, Mama Swimmer knew that this particular forest was a place her daughter had never been to before, and she was sure that she was bound to find something very special in here.
“This place sure looks … different,” said Ducky, completely unfamiliar with everything she saw.
“I once came here, but I remember so little about that day, so I was thinking that maybe bringing you here would be just the thing to do,” said Mama Swimmer.
Ducky looked around and saw many different plants and sweets she had never seen before. Then, she looked ahead and gasped …
“Mommy! Look!” she shouted in excitement.
“What is it, dear?” asked Mama Swimmer, and she watched as her daughter ran ahead, straight into a bunch of strange greenish-yellow flowers.
“Wow!” gasped Ducky, “Look at these! They are just as green as me!”
Mama Swimmer crouched down to get a closer look at the flowers that had caught Ducky’s attention, and she was amazed not just by how their shades of green matched Ducky’s, but also how their shade of yellow matched that of her chest.
“They’re as yellow as you, too,” the older Swimmer chuckled.
Ducky looked awkwardly at her mother before she realized just what she meant. She gazed down at her own chest and noticed how the middle yellow part of the flowers just essentially the same shade, much like their green petals being the same shade of green as most of her body.
“Wow! You are right, Mama! These flowers look just like me! Yep, yep, yep!” she giggled.
“Would you like to take one of these and give one to Petrie?” her mother asked her.
“Oh, yes!” answered Ducky, and she carefully pulled one of them out from the ground, bringing its roots up with it, “It looks just like me, so maybe Petrie can think about me when he sees this!”
“That is such a thoughtful idea, Ducky,” smiled Mama Swimmer, “I’m proud of you.”
The larger Swimmer kissed her daughter’s forehead, and they held hands and walked together out of the forest. In her other hand, Ducky tightly held the flower she had just picked out. She sniffed at it for a moment, and she thought it smelled just wonderful.
“Petrie will love this! Yes, yes, yes!” she said to herself with a giggle of delight.
“Okay, Ducky. So, when you and Petrie meet up later today, maybe even tonight, depending on what you’re planning to do today, you can give that flower to him, but until then, we’ll have to keep it hidden, okay?” explained Mama Swimmer.
“Okay,” nodded Ducky in understanding.
“And be sure to hold on tightly to that, okay? I’m not sure when these winds will stop, but it’s still pretty breezy out here,” said Mama Swimmer a little worryingly.
“I will try,” said Ducky nervously, and she held her flower in a way that made it look as if she was hugging it like it was her new little friend.
As the two Swimmers came back to open land not covered by trees, the winds began to pick up again, and the two Swimmers held hands tightly so that they wouldn’t get separated on their way back home.
“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLP!”
The Swimmers froze and gasped as they heard that voice. It wasn’t just any old voice calling for help, but Ducky could recognize it in just about any way.
“Oh, no! Is that Petrie in trouble?” gasped Ducky.
“That sure sounds like Petrie,” her mother panted.
“It must be the wind!” said Ducky as she quickly figured out just what kind of trouble had befallen the Flyer he loved, “Petrie must be being blown around by the wind!”
“Let’s go find him so he can help-“
“Hold on, Petrie! I’m coming!” came another voice.
“That is Petrie’s mama!” shouted Ducky.
It was then she looked up at the sky, and she saw a nightmare just above their heads …
There was poor Petrie being tossed through the sky like a simple seed. His body spun in so many random directions that he surely must have been getting dizzy as far as Ducky was concerned.
“There he is!” cried Ducky, pointing up at her boyfriend.
Mama Swimmer looked up and saw for herself just how much peril the poor Flyer was in.
“Oh, my goodness!” she gasped in horror.
At that moment, Ducky suddenly felt some determination flowing through her veins, the kind of determination that was egging her to save Petrie any way she could. This was the Flyer she loved so much, and the one who loved her in return. She would not let anything, not even wind, bring harm to her beloved Petrie. She would do anything for his safety, even if it meant risking her own.
“Here, take this!” she said so suddenly, handing her flower to her mother, and without thinking twice, she sprang into action, following Petrie from below.
“Wait! Ducky! Where are you going!? Come back here!” Mama Swimmer called, but it was no use, and within a moment, Ducky had disappeared from her sight.
“PETRIE!” called Ducky, panting as she ran as fast as her legs would allow her to.
Petrie felt a lump in his throat as he thought he could swear he heard the voice that belonged to his beloved Ducky. He tried to get a glimpse at the ground, but that proved to be easier said than done with the wind still spinning him so much. He did manage to get a very brief glimpse at the green grass for one split second, and during that very small space of time, … he saw her …
“DUCKY!?” he cried in complete shock.
“PETRIE! I AM COMING, PETRIE! HOLD ON!” called Ducky.
“HURREEEEEEEEY!” Petrie pleaded desperately, still unable to fight the merciless wind.
Ducky didn’t need to be told twice. She ran and ran, her heart pounding fiercely, her breaths becoming faster and more prolonged with every second she spent running. She looked around for anything that could be useful, but only then did she think of another idea.
“Yes!” she panted to herself, “I know just where our friends might be!”
Turning to her right, the little Swimmer noticed a narrow path through a dense forest, and she decided to jump in. She hoped this potential shortcut could lead her straight to where their friends were possibly chilling.
The wind was making things a little difficult for the Gang, too. As they stopped by their regular meeting place, waiting for Ducky and Petrie to join them, they played a game of “Catch the Tree Star,” but due to the strong winds, they ended up losing six tree stars while trying to play their game.
“This stupid wind had better stop soon, or else I’m gonna get REALLY mad!” exclaimed Cera, “I’m especially surprised that Ducky and Petrie haven’t joined us yet!”
Littlefoot felt a lump in his throat as she said those words. It was quite obvious that she had intentionally thrown a pun referring her own longing suspicions about the Swimmer and Flyer that refused to escape her.
“Gee, I wonder why? Do you suppose these winds have kept them back? Petrie, in particular?” said Chomper sarcastically in an effort to distract the Threehorn from her concerns towards their … “strange behaviors.”
“Besides, remember what happened last time it got this windy?” added Ruby.
This left Cera dissatisfied, but the Threehorn couldn’t retort after remembering that one windy day during the last warm season. She knew these winds could very well be dangerous for Petrie, but after remembering once again that Ducky was not among them, she was still keen on getting an answer as soon as possible. She hated being cast aside about a certain manner for so long that it drove her into madness. She would not let this secret that Ducky and Petrie were apparently keeping from her away from her forever. She would find out sooner or later, or she would make sure they never heard the end of this.
The Threehorn turned to Littlefoot with a glare that told him that she would not let this go so easily.
“Littlefoot, … have you managed to figure out what’s been going on between Ducky and Petrie? I’m really getting tired of all this being kept away from me, and I won’t put up with this any longer!”
Littlefoot tensed as he tried not to show any signs of being startled by her aggressive approach on the subject. He tried to think of another quick excuse, but none came to mind. As unfortunate as it seemed, he knew that Cera would, in one way or another, try so hard to discover Ducky and Petrie’s secret, but he still couldn’t trust her not to spread it to her family. One single slip of the mouth could turn all their lives upside down.
With a deep sigh of defeat, Littlefoot began to speak …
“I guess I’d better-“
“HEEEEYYYYY!”
The five children all jumped at the sudden call, and after a brief panic they spotted Ducky running towards them, panting heavily, her tongue sticking out of her mouth indicating just how worn out she was from all that running.
“What is it, Ducky?” asked Littlefoot, as Spike let out a groan of concern.
Ducky panted wearily and let out deep gasps to regain her stability before she was able to speak.
“Wind! … Petrie! … Trouble! … Need … help!”
The others gasped at the unpleasant news, and Littlefoot immediately began thinking of a plan.
“Where is he?” he asked Ducky.
“I followed-ed him, … before I took a shortcut … to get you for help!” gasped Ducky.
“Chomper, use your sniffer so we can find out where he is!” instructed Littlefoot.
“I’ll do my best!” the Sharptooth replied, and he began sniffing as hard as he could for any possible signs.
Before long, he picked up the sense that Petrie was in the air, as the scent was coming from very high up. He paused and examined the scent, and he gained this strange feeling that the wind was carrying Petrie closer towards the very spot they were standing now.
“Petrie’s being blown around by the wind!” he called, “I can tell because his scent is so high up! My sniffer also says he’s coming this way!”
“Quick! Let’s gather some branches and tree stars so we can make a trap that will catch him!” Littlefoot said quickly.
“And just how would that work?” protested an unconvinced Cera.
“We’ll set up some branches between those two large trees over there,” Littlefoot began, looking at said trees that were standing nearby, “Then, we stick the branches together with tree star juice.”
“What if that doesn’t work?” said Ruby.
“We’ll use the rest of the tree stars and what’s left of our tree star juice to cover up the empty spaces,” Littlefoot continued, “If Petrie ends up in one of the empty spaces, the tree star juice will stick him to the trap. Then, we pull him out of the trap and bring him back down!”
“That will take a long time,” complained Chomper.
“But with six of us, it will take just about no time!” encouraged Littlefoot, “Let’s get to work!”
Without any further questions, the six children climbed up the two trees and gathered some tree stars and branches to use for their trap. They knew they had to get it all done in just a few moments, because they knew Petrie might just pop up at any time.
The kids crushed some of the tree stars and splattered tree star juice all over a couple of large branches, and they stuck the smaller branches together before sticking the remaining tree stars on with the last of the tree star juice.
The whole process took just two minutes with there being six young dinosaurs; only just enough time before Petrie suddenly came into view, still being tossed around like a pinecone and appearing to be holding something with his feet.
“Oh, no, no, no! Here he comes!” called Ducky.
“Everyone out of the way!” called Littlefoot.
The Gang took cover inside the two large trees and watched tensely as Petrie headed straight towards the newly-constructed trap.
“Please work! Please work!” Ducky begged, clasping her hands together underneath her chin as her boyfriend came closer to the trees.
“This will work,” whispered Littlefoot to the Swimmer, “Just calm down.”
It was only at that moment that Petrie saw the trap for a split second, and he closed his eyes with a scream and prepared for the crash to happen …
It never did.
Petrie felt tree star juice covering himself, but an instant later he could still feel himself being carried by the wind. He opened his eyes, and he saw that his beak was covered in tree star juice, and on his feet, his pink tree star was still in one piece. He quickly realized that whatever his friends had planned to do had apparently been for nothing …
“Oh, no!” yelled Chomper, “It didn’t work!”
“I knew this wouldn’t work!” snapped Cera.
“AAAH!” came another sudden scream from behind them, and they all looked back and gasped in horror.
“Oh, no! It’s Petrie’s mom!” called Chomper.
“DUCK!” yelled Littlefoot, and the kids all jumped out of the way and slammed against the ground … just in time …
“CRASH!”The kids looked up once they heard the ear-piercing crash, and they gasped in disbelief as Mama Flyer came tumbling towards the ground, screaming as she fell. Juice-covered branches and tree stars came down with her as she landed on her side and rolled over a couple of times before finally coming to a stop on her back.
“Oh, no!” shouted Chomper.
“Ms. Flyer!” yelled Cera.
Immediately, the six children rushed to the Flyer’s side as she groaned in pain and struggled to get herself back up.
“Oowww!” she cried, “What in the world was that!?”
“Ms. Flyer! Are you okay!?” asked Littlefoot urgently.
Mama Flyer slowly sat up and felt some pain stinging through her head and chest.
“Oh, my goodness! That’s gonna hurt for quite a while,” she said in a weak voice as she felt herself for any possible injuries.
“We’re very sorry, Ms. Flyer. Sorry we are,” said Ruby despondently.
“What were you kids up to, anyway?” asked Mama Flyer.
“We heard Petrie calling for help, and we tried to set up a trap for him,” explained Cera.
“He flied right through it and kept-ed going,” sniffled Ducky, knowing that her boyfriend was still in great danger.
“Well, at least you tried to save my son, and I appreciate you trying to help,” said Mama Flyer kindly.
“I told you this idea wouldn’t work, Littlefoot,” said Cera, glaring at Littlefoot.
“It worked on other Flyer children before, Cera,” Littlefoot pointed out, “I saw other kids try it out, and it worked brilliantly.”
“Then how come it didn’t work this time?” asked Cera.
“STOP!” Chomper screamed, and the Longneck and Threehorn fell silent at once.
The Sharptooth was sensing his sniffer picking up Petrie’s scent again, and he was sure that it would lead him to wherever the wind was taking him to.
“I smell him!” he said, pointing a finger towards the direction Petrie had flown off to, “He went that way! Come on!”
“I hope he is okay! I do, I do!” Ducky said again as the six kids, with Mama Flyer flying directly above them, ran in the direction their distressed Flyer friend had been blown off to.
Soon, the children reached a grassy ledge that gave them a splendid view of the landscape beyond it, and they looked up and saw poor Petrie still being tossed around.
Then, Chomper gasped in horror when he noticed a very familiar rock formation in the background behind Petrie.
“Oh, no!” he said with wide eyes of horror, “He’s going to …,”
“BLACK ROCK!” the kids, except for Spike, all screamed in disbelief.
“AGAIN!?” Ducky screamed in sheer horror, “NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOO!”
The Swimmer ran right up to the edge of the ledge, and she watched in despair as her boyfriend was helplessly blown towards Black Rock, the same place he and Guido had been blown off to once before.
“Oh, my! Not again!” came Mama Flyer’s distraught voice as she watched her son’s uncontrollable flight towards the Mysterious Beyond, and she gulped nervously, “I’m going to have to fly over there and help him!”
“I will go with you!” Ducky said the instant Mama Flyer finished her sentence.
“WHAT!?” Littlefoot, Cera, Chomper and Ruby all shouted, staring awkwardly at her as if they had just been hit in the head with large rocks.
“Are you crazy, Ducky!?” said Cera, “You can’t just run off into the Mysterious Beyond like that!”
“I cannot just sit here and-,” Ducky began before Mama Flyer cut her off.
“She’s right, Ducky,” she said in a calm voice, “It’s too dangerous for children like you to be in the Mysterious Beyond, even if there’s one adult with you.”
“I do not want to just sit here and wait for Petrie to come back! I want to help him!” Ducky cried as tears began falling from her eyes, “I cannot stand him being in so much danger! I just cannot!”
The kids were very surprised to see Ducky behaving this way, but none more than Cera. She was certainly not the Ducky that she was all so familiar with. This seemed … different. Too different.
Ducky had never felt so distraught before until now. Her precious Petrie was in grave danger, and to not be allowed to help save him made her feel so useless to him. She felt as if she was letting her boyfriend down by staying behind and potentially letting him get fed to Sharpteeth living in the Mysterious Beyond.
“Ducky,” said Mama Flyer, “I know how much Petrie means to you, and I know how much you want to help save him, but it’s too dangerous in the Mysterious Beyond, and you’re too little.”
“But what about Petrie?” asked Ducky.
“I’ll go save Petrie,” said Mama Flyer, “I’m as worried for him as you are. After all, he is my son, and as his mother, I have to make sure he’s okay, no matter what the risks are.”
“Ple-please bring Petrie back okay … for me, … please?” begged Ducky.
“I’ll do my best, little one,” replied Mama Flyer, and she stared off towards Black Rock and could still just get a glance at Petrie, who now looked so tiny from how far away he was, “Well, … here goes nothing.”
“Good luck, Ms. Flyer,” said Chomper nervously, “And again, we’re sorry about the trap.”
“You’re not seriously hurt, are you?” asked Ruby.
“I should be okay,” said Mama Flyer, feeling herself again and not picking up any signs of injuries that could slow her down, “And don’t you worry about that trap. You did your best to help, but it’s all up to me now.”
“Good luck,” the kids spoke, with the exception of Spike.
“Thanks, kids,” replied Mama Flyer, “I should be back before nightfall, … with my son.”
With that, the Flyer stretched her wings out and lifted herself off the ledge. The wind instantly sped up her flight as she soared as quickly as she could towards Black Rock.
“Bye, Ms. Flyer!” the Gang waved at them.
“Bye, kids!” Mama Flyer called back as she fixed her eyes on Black Rock and set off on her mission to rescue her son.
Ducky watched as Mama Flyer flew further and further away, then she sank her head and sat down.
“Are you okay, Ducky?” asked Chomper.
Ducky sighed sadly, “Just the feeling of not being able to save Petrie. I feel so useless just as much as he probably feels so helpless. My poor best friend. Poor Petrie.”
“Listen, Ducky. I know you want to help your friend, but Ms. Flyer will do her best to bring him back,” consoled Littlefoot.
“I still wish I could go. I should be with him right now while he is out there, feeling all alone and helpless,” sniffled Ducky as her bill quivered again, “I can only wonder if he is okay, and I am sure he misses me just as much as I miss him.”
Cera kept her eyes on Ducky, and she began to have strange thoughts spiraling in her head. She could see from hearing how much Ducky missed Petrie, and from their recent behavior, that they had been behaving oddly for a reason. As she put all the pieces together, she began to see just how much the two meant to each other. It seemed that they were more than just best friends. Could it possibly be that some sort of special bond had been growing between the Swimmer and Flyer behind everyone’s backs?
The Threehorn shifted her gaze to Littlefoot, and just as she opened her mouth …
“Ducky! There you are!”
Everyone looked and saw Mama Swimmer joining them, letting out a huge sigh of relief. The kids noticed a strange-looking flower in her hand, and Chomper immediately took a step back, not impressed with its scent.
Ducky looked back to see her mother looking at her, panting as she approached her. The little Swimmer turned back to stare off at Black Rock, tears beginning to stream from her eyes.
“Ms. Swimmer?” said a dumbfounded Cera, “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for Ducky, of course,” answered Mama Swimmer with a somewhat sarcastic chuckle, “Would you think I wouldn’t worry about her after she just runs off?”
The Gang were completely dumbfounded by this.
“Run off?” said Chomper.
“But, … s-she came here to warn us that Petrie was in danger, so we all tried to save him with a trap, but it was no use,” explained Littlefoot.
“I was aware that Petrie was in trouble, but I couldn’t help but worry when Ducky just suddenly took off the way she did,” said Mama Swimmer.
“What are you talking about?” asked Cera.
Just as Mama Swimmer was about to answer, her daughter spoke first …
“I am sorry, Mama,” she sniffled, “I just could not … let Petrie get blowed around by all the wind. I just had to try and save him.”
“Listen, Ducky, I know that you have growing instincts, and I’m happy for that, but please don’t leave me worried like that,” her mother gently replied.
Ducky looked up at her mother and revealed her tear-soaked face. Her mother promptly lifted her onto her lap and wiped the tears away.
“There, there, dear. It’ll be okay,” she soothingly lulled her daughter.
“Um, M-Ms. Swimmer?” said Littlefoot awkwardly.
“Speaking of which, what happened to Petrie?” asked Mama Swimmer.
“Petrie was blown away! That’s what happened!” said Cera in a matter-of-fact tone, “And now he’s off to Black Rock all over again!”
Mama Swimmer gasped and looked out over the horizon. She could just faintly make out the tiny-looking form of Mama Flyer apparently chasing after her distressed son.
“Oh, my goodness! Again!?” she gasped, “Oh, the poor little Flyer.”
She looked down at Ducky, and now she could understand just how distraught her precious daughter really was. The fact that her boyfriend was on an uncontrollable flight to the Mysterious Beyond had crushed her heart, and now she was on the verge of breaking down as she waited so anxiously for Petrie’s safe return.
“Alright! Something just doesn’t add up here!” came Cera’s aggressive voice.
“Whoa! Calm down, Cera,” said Mama Swimmer uneasily, “What exactly do you mean?”
Feeling she couldn’t hold her complaints in any longer, the Threehorn began breathing quite erratically as she began voicing her opinion …
“Alright! I’ll spit it out, and I’m gonna make this plain and simple!” she began, “I’ve noticed Ducky and Petrie’s absolutely bizarre behavior in the last few days or so. First, they exchange these weird smiles whenever they look at each other, then they seem to got close to each other more often than usual. I keep asking Littlefoot is he’s seen anything awkward, but I get nothing!”
She glared viciously at Littlefoot, who gulped and took a few steps back.
“Now, we get news that Petrie is in danger because of all this stupid wind, and after we try to save him, Ducky throws this uncharacteristic tantrum, wishing she’d be going after Petrie to help save him when she clearly can’t do so! Well, now I see how it is! There’s something going on, isn’t there? Something that all of you apparently don’t want me to know about! Well, I won’t let this be a secret from me any longer, so I’m going to ask you this, and I’m going to ask you this only once: What Are You Hiding From Me!?”
Everyone stared at her as if they were completely terrified. She noticed the looks on everyone’s faces, and she knew that there was something they were hiding from her. It seemed enough to give her a partial answer.
She shifted her glare to Ducky and her mother. Mama Swimmer appeared very uneasy, while Ducky was hyperventilating from apparent fear. She was acting as if she was being forced to let out a dark secret that she obviously didn’t want the elders to know.
Ducky’s heart was beating much quicker than normal. Her worst fear was coming true. Now, Cera was forcefully demanding her to spill her secret so that she could probably go spill that to her father and potentially get her and Petrie banished from the Great Valley for the rest of their days. She wished this was simply a very bad night terror, but she was hit with the cruel reality that it was real. She knew she was doomed. She knew Petrie was doomed. There was no way she would be able to keep their secret hidden anymore.
She glanced up at her mother, and she appeared to be just as scared as she was, but she knew that even if her mother would try to stop her from spilling her secret, Cera would keep pressing on them until the whole truth was revealed. There was no turning back anymore.
Ducky looked at Cera again and took a deep breath. She sensed her mother was cryptically shaking her head to beg her not to, but even she knew deep down that it was time to let the secret out and just hope that Cera would not go running off to her father and spreading the word all over the valley just to get her own friends thrown out forever.
“Fine!” she cried, “Petrie and I are in love! We have had secret feelings for each other ever since we met-ed, and now we have falled in love!”
She immediately gasped and covered her mouth with her hands afterward, wishing that inevitable moment hadn’t slipped through, but it was too late. She knew she had made a fatal mistake. Her mother was panting and holding her tightly. The little Swimmer hid her face beneath her mother’s chest and wept babyishly, knowing that it could be just a matter of minutes before Mr. Threehorn would be looking for her and Petrie and demanding to have them banished for all-time.
“You … have got to be kidding me,” came Cera’s response, sounding as if she was in complete disbelief.
Cera’s eyes were wide with surprise, and her mouth was agape as she stared at Ducky. This was just what she was sure was the case. Even so, she could not have imagined that their Swimmer and Flyer friends could possibly fall in love. They weren’t the same kind. Nobody ever fell in love with someone from another kind. This was utterly baffling.
Then, a sudden through struck her as she remembered why this was the case. Relationships between dinosaurs of different kinds were strictly forbidden. Anyone caught doing so was to be punished with permanent banishment to the Mysterious Beyond with immediate effect, never to be allowed to return, even as a member of another herd. She remembered that her father was very serious when it came to that rule. She recalled a story about him catching one pair in the act once, and they were sentenced to permanent banishment within the hour. She, however, had no recollection of what kinds those two were.
Now, she understood why Ducky and Petrie had been keeping it secret, and Littlefoot had apparently been helping them keep it secret from her. He was afraid that she would go straight to her father and try to get them banished.
However, Cera simply stayed put where she was and just stared at Ducky. Half of her wanted her to go tell her father on them for committing a heinous crime, but the other half of her told her not to. They were her friends. They were loyal to her, and most of them trusted her. Could she really have such a heart to betray her friends so cruelly? What of the possibility that her own father would get rid of them, … or possibly harm them? Even if they were her friends, he would more than likely still try to get them banished the instant he found out. He seemed to not care much for her friends as much as she did. He didn’t understand friendship and loyalty as much as she did. He simply couldn’t understand how much her friends truly meant to her, even if it didn’t seem that way most of the time.
“That … is, … uh, … quite ssstrange, to be honest,” she spoke after what felt like ages of silence to everyone.
Ducky looked at Cera, still hyperventilating out of fear of her and Petrie being exposed as criminals.
“Please do not tell your daddy!” begged Ducky through a big stream of tears, “We do not want to be banished! We do not want to leave the Great Valley!”
The Threehorn simply looked at Ducky for another moment, and in a split second, she had made up her mind …
“Honestly, Ducky, do I look like someone who would betray my own friends?” remarked Cera.
Ducky and her mother were both stunned into frozen silence.
“W-w-what!?” gasped Ducky.
“You mean …,” Littlefoot spoke, but couldn’t utter another word out of disbelief from what he had just heard.
Spike, Chomper and Ruby were just as stunned. They couldn’t speak. They could only stare at Cera in shock.
“I think it’s … quite astounding,” said Cera, “I’ve never heard anything like it. To be honest, … I think it’s remarkable.”
“But, … I thought-ed you did not like love between different kinds,” sobbed Ducky through sniffles and hiccups.
“So, that doesn’t mean I’m just going to try and get my own friends thrown away into some Bright Circle forsaken place,” replied Cera, chuckling a little from her own remark, “Sure, I care so much about trying to please my dad, but I don’t have the heart to turn against anyone who cares about me, family or not.”
A couple of the kids softened from that last sentence.
“Somehow, I’ve had a hunch from the very beginning, … that you and Petrie were so close. I thought nothing of it, until you started showing these strange behaviors,” Cera continued, “After we arrived in the Great Valley, I’ve seen your friendship grow so much, but I didn’t see this coming.”
Ducky felt much of her fear fading away, and she began to take deep breaths to calm herself down as much as she could. She felt so much relief knowing that Cera had actually decided she would not tell her father. Perhaps, more fear was gone, but she was still worried if she would truly keep her word.
“I may be skeptical about this, but you two sure seem like you’re right for each other. I know no one else who would agree, though,” said Cera.
“So, … are you not going to tell your father?” asked Ducky nervously, hoping she truly meant what she said.
“I would also be very grateful if you could keep a certain promise to us,” her mother spoke up.
“What promise?” asked Cera, although she knew what the answer was.
“To not spread the word about this matter to your father, or to anyone else, for that matter,” replied Mama Swimmer, “Ducky’s father was already quite skeptical, but we were able to convince him to help keep this secret.”
Exchanging a glance of surprise, Cera nodded at the Swimmers.
“Very well,” she said, “You have my word.”
“Oh, thank you!” gasped Ducky in huge relief, “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Yes, yes, yes!”
“As a matter of curiosity, is there anyone else that knows?” asked Cera.
“Let’s see. Myself, of course, my mate, and Petrie’s mother,” answered Mama Swimmer.
“Um, actually, Littlefoot’s grandma and grandpa know, too,” Ducky pointed out.
Mama Swimmer shook her head and looked down at her daughter. To her, this was quite unexpected news.
“What!? You can’t be serious, Ducky!” she said.
“Last night, my grandma, grandpa and I noticed them … just … holding hands and saying nice things to each other, … and they said they’re willing to make an exception to this … rule,” said Littlefoot.
Mama Swimmer sat in silence for a moment as she registered this news. It was such a surprise that Littlefoot’s grandparents were willing to side in favor with Ducky and Petrie being in love despite being forbidden from doing so.
“Wow,” she said, “That’s … unbelievable. That’s such great news. I didn’t think they’d be happy about this, but I’m sure glad they are.”
“That’s wonderful!” smiled Chomper.
“Oh, if only Petrie were here, though,” said Ducky sadly, as she stared off toward Black Rock.
“Don’t worry, Ducky. Ms. Flyer will be back soon with Petrie,” assured Littlefoot.
“As I know, she is quite a protective and doting mother,” remarked Mama Swimmer.
“To him, at least. I’ve seen quite a few shenanigans his brothers and sisters have gotten to,” commented Cera.
Nobody else said a word as they stared off on the horizon. With more dread out of the way, only one thing (or person) was on everyone’s minds …
Petrie.
The winds were finally dying down. Petrie had stopped somersaulting, and he still held his pink tree star tightly with his feet, but he felt so dizzy and his wings felt so weak after so much flying. He desperately wanted to find somewhere to land, but it was only after he looked down that he realized where he was …
“Oh, no! Black Rock! Not again!” he panicked, “Me gotta get outta here!”
However, he found it so hard to keep flapping his wings as all his energy had been drained by the wind. Surely, he could fall and crash-land into Black Rock any minute now.
“So tired,” he panted.
“PETRIE!” he heard a voice calling.
The Flyer looked around and quickly found the source of the voice …
“Ma-Mama!?” he called weakly, “Help me!”
“I’m coming, Petrie!” Mama Flyer called back as she came closer to him.
Mama Flyer was just as tired as her son was. Her wings felt so much pain from flying such a long distance, but she had to carry on. Her son was in distress, and she would not let her youngest, most precious child befall such a terrible fate. She just had to save her precious, little baby.
On the back of her mind, she knew that Ducky was extremely worried about Petrie, and she wanted to make sure they would get to be together again somehow. This was not just for her own son’s sake, but for Ducky’s sake as well.
Petrie tried flapping his wings again just as the last breeze of wind stopped, but just as his mother approached him, he suddenly lost the ability to maintain his height, and he began to fall helplessly.
“MAAMAAAAA!” he screamed in terror as he closed his eyes and felt himself falling way down.
“PETRIE!” Mama Flyer yelled in horror, and she swooped down towards her son, determined to catch him by any means necessary.
Petrie kept his eyes closed and didn’t dare uncurl his toes. He didn’t want to lose his pink tree star. It would break his heart if he lost Ducky’s love gift after going through so much trouble to bring it to her. He would not let it be all for nothing.
Mama Flyer got herself into a position below Petrie so she could catch him, and she hovered as she waited for him to come down.
“I’ll catch you, Petrie!” the little Flyer heard his mother call below him.
He opened his eyes and saw her hovering right below him. He opened his wings to prepare himself for the landing.
Mama Flyer kept her eyes on her son until he came down right on her back. However, with the sudden gain of weight, she felt herself struggling to maintain her height, and just as Petrie wrapped his arms around her neck for safety, she felt the last of her energy drain from her wings.
“Ugh!” she panted, “I can’t keep this going much longer!”
“Please try, Mama!” begged Petrie, “Me feel too tired to fly again!”
But it was no good …
Mama Flyer was only able to flap her wings a few more times before they, too, succumbed to loss of energy, and they began to tumble their way down towards the mountain.
Petrie closed his eyes tight and clung onto his mother’s neck for dear life. They both screamed helplessly as they fell. Neither one of them dared to open their eyes.
Mama Flyer suddenly felt herself sliding down a mountain slope, and she opened her eyes and found that they were sliding straight towards a large hole; a hole she was sure would lead them directly into the caves below.
Once they got to the bottom of the slide, the Flyers got a glance of the hole they were about to fall into, and they closed their eyes again and screamed as they fell right in, knocking over a few rocks on their way down. One of those rocks was a giant one that closed the hole with a big
“CRASH!” and plunged them into complete darkness.
“OOOOOHOHOHOHOOO! NOT AGAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAIN!” Petrie wailed loudly.
Neither Petrie or his mother could have imagined at that point … that they were trapped within the unforgiving caves of Black Rock, … and no one knew where they were …
Whew! It seems that with each chapter, at this point things are really starting to get challenging for me, but perhaps even more challenging for our favorite Swimmer and Flyer pals. Now, Cera is aware of their secret, but you can't help but ask yourself: Will she truly keep her word? With Threehorns like her, you can never know for certain. 
But on top of all this, the merciless winds of nature have tossed Petrie to Black Rock again, and now with him and his mother trapped inside and injured, how will they be able to make their way out and get back to the Great Valley? What could await the Flyers in such a dark, forsaken place like Black Rock?
Until the next chapter, I'm rolling out for now. See you soon! 
It has been rather challenging to keep up with this fic due to the very frequent updates so my apologies about that. As for the fic itself, it is a difficult one for me to review. On one hand, it is just as solidly written as the rest of your fics but the premise itself is… not my favorite, so to say as i mentioned earlier. You have created great dynamics between the two lovebirds and the situations where they try to hide their relationship from the others as well as the reactions of their parents were established sweetly.
However, in addition to the pairing, there are other dynamics I don’t really enjoy, I’m afraid. I’m especially worried about where this story is going but then again, those are only my own preferences. I hope you don’t take this review too badly as my problems aren’t with your style or writing itself. I’d like to enjoy this but there is just so much going on that puts me off. I’ll try to keep reading this story until the end but don’t be too surprised if I won’t leave too many reviews. 
Just so you know, I'm perfectly okay with that. I am aware that many find it hard to keep up with fast writers like myself, and I understand that DuckyxPetrie shipping isn't quite your piece of cake. Sometimes, when writing a romance story, there has to be some form of sacrifice when it comes to the interest of others, and that includes shippings that not quite everybody is fond of. I know that the DuckyxPetrie shipping is very popular, and I myself greatly support the shipping. I'm glad you've been liking the style of it all, and I am working on keeping it as LBT-like as possible.
Of course, when it comes to romance between children, I can't help but try to make it as cute as possible, because I have this surprisingly great strength in writing cute scenes, whether they involve family bonding or a romantic couple. Up to this point, though, there really hasn't been too much tensity, but now that we are maybe about halfway through the story, I intend to add some intensity in later chapters that will give it a more complete package. I'm not spoiling any of it, though! 