EPILOGUE
A New Family
11 YEARS LATER …
“Mom, … I think our eggs will be hatching today,” Ducky told her mother one bright, sunny morning.
Mama Swimmer smiled with delight and gently patted her now-grown-up daughter’s back.
“Take me to your nest, dear. I’d be delighted to see your new children,” the aging Swimmer said.
“I think you’ll love our new babies, Mom. Yep, yep, yep!” chuckled Ducky delightfully, and she led her mother towards her nest.
Things had changed quite considerably in the Great Valley over the last eleven cold times after Ducky and Petrie had triumphed over those Sailback Sharpteeth and were allowed to stay in the Great Valley and let their relationship bloom.
The day after the massacre, Ducky and Petrie were hailed as heroes by everyone in the Great Valley after word spread that they had braved against the Sailbacks at such great personal risk. The two kids were greatly overwhelmed by their newfound fame and popularity. The moment their mothers called them out of their special sleeping spot and brought them out into the open, all the adults spoke highly of them, and children all over the valley wanted to meet and play with them, and even asked them to tell nighttime stories about their brave battle and previous adventures with Littlefoot, but they never let it get the better of them like Cera had once done. They much rather wished for silence and privacy most of the time rather than embarrassment over having other kids point at them and say, “Hey, look! It’s those two heroes!” Even though they were in love with each other, the valley was very accepting of their relationship, especially following their triumphant defeat of the Sailbacks. Cera became very jealous of Ducky and Petrie suddenly becoming the two most popular children in the entire valley, but she didn’t let them get in the way of her friendship with them.
The Swimmer and Flyer spent the rest of their childhoods dating each other and occasionally hanging out in their still-secret hideout. Eventually, though, once the pair reached their Time of Great Growing, they finally decided to let their friends in on their secret, and most of them were fascinated once they got their only-ever look at their hideout.
On their eighteenth hatch day, Ducky and Petrie finally decided to announce to their families they were becoming mates. The very next day, their mothers agreed to allow them to move into their special forest cave, much to their delight. The elders welcomed their mating with open arms, although Topps remained skeptical. Their relationship had finally reached the point that it became the first to break the species barrier in the valley, and they happily settled into their new home. A new tunnel was made to allow them easy access to their home, as they had obviously outgrown the one they had used as kids, particularly Ducky, and like the old, small tunnel, it was bordered with large tree stars to allow them to have privacy just like they had had during their childhood. Their red shiny stones were hung up on branches near the ceiling of the cave, and pink tree stars lined the mossy walls just over the ground, giving off a very sweet scent. The place was still just as beautiful as it was on that special day when they first discovered it.
Pink Forest had also found a new chapter in its history. As Ducky and Petrie had promised Sparkle, after their defeat of the Sailbacks, the two informed their friends about Pink Forest and how Sparkle wished it could regain its former glory, and they, in turn, told their families about it. Topps seemed to not believe it at first, but after Cera told him that Sparkle just so happened to be a Threehorn, he was happy to help. Just before the next cold time, some of the green food surrounding Pink Forest was eaten by many of the valley residents. Spike particularly enjoyed taking part in eating the food that bordered the forest. A few lines of new pink trees were grown, and the forest gained a new entrance for everyone to go through and admire the pink tree stars, to the delight of Sparkle and the Gang. It had become a delightful place to visit again as it once was, and it gained at least twenty visitors a day.
A few cold times later, Sparkle met another Threehorn who was so flabbergasted by the pink tree stars that he vowed to visit every day that he could. Over a period of several Night Circle cycles, the two Threehorns gradually fell in love with each other, and they eventually mated and had a baby daughter.
Chomper and Ruby, like Ducky and Petrie, also bloomed on their relationship, and after eleven cold times they were still dating, as Chomper was in the midst of his Time of Great Growing. He was sure that thirteen cold times was still too young for him to find a mate, so they decided they would wait a while longer, all the while continuing to blossom on their love for each other. They had not revealed they were in love until after Ducky and Petrie’s heroic triumph.
The Sharptooth and Fast Runner still lived together in the Secret Caverns, which had been given stronger protection following the incident, and Ruby would occasionally visit her family every now and then. Chomper had been having a difficult time with his diet as crawlers were no longer supplemental enough to satisfy his daily eating habits, and since he had sworn on his life to never eat leafeater meat, he would venture into the Mysterious Beyond a few times a week to find anything to eat that wasn’t a leafeater or even a carcass of one that had been killed by other Sharpteeth. Sometimes, he would get a meal out of Egg Stealers who would try to invade the Great Valley by killing them before tearing off their flesh with his sharp teeth. By doing that, he gained a reputation among the Great Valley residents as an excellent guard by protecting their eggs from those vicious Egg Stealers.
Littlefoot and Cera had also gotten together once they reached their Time of Great Growing, just as her father had feared, but there was little he could do about it. Within a few cold times, the Longneck and Threehorn had developed their relationship to the point that they were ready to be mates, which initially dismayed Topps. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were very proud, as their grandson’s mating with Cera would bring the two leading families of the Great Valley together and build an even stronger bond that would always ensure that the valley would remain a happy and peaceful place for all leafeaters who lived there or visited. Even Topps eventually submitted and had to agree that he was proud of Cera for choosing Littlefoot to be her partner because of his grandparents’ strong leadership in the valley. He knew that once they would eventually pass the baton of leadership to them, they would become great leaders together that would help keep the valley living in peace and harmony.
Spike, now thirteen, still lived with his foster Swimmer family, even after Ducky had moved out of their home once she mated with Petrie. He would visit with his foster sister and Flyer friend three times a week and would often help out whenever they needed it, although he had to promise not to eat anything in the forest they now called their home. To this day, he still didn’t talk very much, but he would speak more fluently than he did when he was a hatchling.
Ducky had grown considerably over the last eleven cold times after she fell in love with Petrie. She was almost as big as her mother, although the aging Swimmer still towered over her daughter by about a foot. Her head crest had fully grown from the back of her head, and she appeared to be a spitting image of her mother, only slightly smaller and that she still had a greener tone of skin that wasn’t as bright green as it was when she was a child. The Swimmer had also learned how to speak certain words correctly that she wasn’t able to do as a kid, although she maintained her famous, “Yep, yep, yep” catchphrase that Petrie still loved to listen to. Her mother’s bill had started to gain tiny wrinkles as she slowly began to age, but she still had lots of energy inside her for an adult who was in her early forties.
The other Swimmer children in the same clutch as Ducky had all mated with other Swimmers and still lived in the valley, but each going their separate ways with their loved ones. Her old nest now had just her parents, her siblings from later clutches and Spike. She somewhat missed sleeping with her Spiketail brother, but now that she was settled in such a beautiful home with her beloved Petrie, she didn’t mind putting that aside as one of her favorite childhood memories.
Eventually, Ducky arrived inside the forest cave with her mother right behind her. Petrie was standing in front of a nest they had built on the moist grass, looking anxiously at their two eggs that Ducky had laid several Night Circle cycles ago.
Petrie had also grown quite a lot since he first fell in love with Ducky. He was now about the same size as his mother and uncle, and he had a fully-grown crest behind his head. His fingers and toes had grown considerably and resembled small, harmless claws. He almost looked just like his uncle, Pterano. Of course, though, Ducky towered over him by quite a lot, since adult Swimmers were much larger than adult Flyers. It was hard to imagine that they would have a considerable size difference despite being nearly the same size as children, being much smaller than all their friends.
Like Ducky, Petrie had also managed to learn how to talk properly, although it took him a little longer than Ducky did. He no longer had the most notable characteristic he had when he was a kid, but he still had a somewhat adorable laugh for someone who was eighteen cold times old, since his voice had maintained the slightest bit of the squeakiness from his childhood.
Among those at the nest with Petrie when Ducky and Mama Swimmer arrived were Mama Flyer, and Petrie’s uncle Pterano, who was welcomed back to the Great Valley after his banishment for the Stone of Cold Fire incident had expired, to Petrie’s delight. His siblings had all found other Flyers as mates and were now living their own lives in the Mysterious Beyond, so Mama Flyer had abandoned her family’s old home and moved to a cave just a short walk away from her son’s forest so that she could help him and his mate prepare their home for their new children, and also because she wanted to stay near Petrie so they could continue to spend some mother-and-son time together like they had occasionally done when Petrie was a child.
Pterano had been quite surprised when he was told that his nephew was in a relationship with a Swimmer upon his return to the Great Valley after Petrie’s eleventh hatch day, but he was happy for his nephew to have found love at such a young age, even if his then-girlfriend was a Swimmer. He couldn’t help but realize that it was the same Ducky that he had nearly killed when looking for the Stone of Cold Fire, and it made him feel so guilty all over again, but his sister and nephew assured him that they had forgiven him for the incident, as did most of the other Great Valley residents, although it took Topps a lot longer to forgive him.
Over the cold times that followed, Pterano lived by himself in an old cave that was the previous home of another Flyer family, and he visited with Petrie very frequently, sometimes even when Ducky was with him. After Petrie’s siblings moved out with their mates, Pterano moved in with his sister so he could be an even better uncle to Petrie than he was already becoming, and so he could be around to see his nephew’s new babies.
As the Flyers watched over the eggs, Petrie looked up and saw his Swimmer mate and mother-in-law arrive, and he smiled nervously at them. Ducky cast a glance at the eggs, and they were beginning to make small jittery movements. The couple had taken big responsibility in protecting their eggs from any Egg Stealers who tried to steal them, if any had been able to get past Chomper, let alone discover their concealed home. Thankfully, after taking turns in protecting their unborn children for many Night Circle cycles, their duties paid off, and now today was surely to be the day the eggs would hatch, and Ducky and Petrie would be expecting their first children.
“They’re moving, Petrie. They are, they are,” Ducky said with a small gasp of hope and excitement.
“I sure hope we’ll get to see our new kids soon,” said Petrie anxiously.
“It should be just a few minutes away, Petrie,” assured Mama Flyer, “From my experience with eggs, once they start moving around like that, it means that they’re almost ready.”
“She’s right,” agreed Mama Swimmer, “I know for a fact that it should be just a few more minutes from the way they’re moving.”
“How is it going to feel being a grandmother?” Pterano asked his sister.
“It’ll make me feel old, for one thing,” chuckled Mama Flyer with the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice, earning giggles from her brother and son, “On the other hand, it’ll be great to be around kids again.”
“I wonder what our babies will be like,” said Petrie as curiosity began to come over him.
“They could be Flyers. They could be Swimmers,” Ducky replied thoughtfully.
“Maybe they could be both,” added Petrie.
“Maybe,” nodded Ducky.
“Look!” whispered Mama Flyer with wide eyes as she fixed her eyes on the nest.
The eggs were beginning to roll slowly around the nest as if they were running laps over and over again. Ducky and Petrie watched with amazement as their hearts sped up with excitement. They knew that their children could be born any minute now. Any moment, they were going to become proud parents.
“They must be getting themselves ready to come out,” said Ducky.
“I can’t wait to see if they will be boys or girls … or both,” added Petrie.
“I am so curious to see what they will look like,” said Mama Swimmer, “They just might be the most adorable things we’ll have seen in quite a long time.”
“Look! One of the shells is cracking!” gasped Petrie as he noticed that cracks were forming in one of the eggs.
This was an indicator that it would just be a matter of seconds before the baby would come poking through the shell, whether it would be its head, legs or tail.
Both Swimmers and all three Flyers fixed their eyes on the egg as it wiggled and jiggled in the nest. More cracks formed in the shell, and in seconds the shell had cracked into tiny fragments that were trying to stay intact.
Then, to everyone’s amazement, a pair of Swimmer legs came poking out from the bottom of the egg, along with a Swimmer tail.
“It’s got Swimmer legs,” gasped Pterano.
Ducky and Petrie’s hearts leaped with joy as they watched their first baby emerge from the egg.
What happened next surprised everyone in the family …
After the bottom of the egg shell disintegrated to reveal what looked like a baby Swimmer, a pair of small Swimmer arms emerged, but what surprised everyone was that the arms each contained large wings that were attached to their very long fourth fingers.
“Wow!” gasped Petrie quietly, “It has wings!”
Finally, the hatchling shook its head to get the top of the shell off, and the couple gasped with astonishment …
The baby’s head looked mostly like that of a Swimmer’s, but its bill extended like that of a Flyer’s beak and even formed the shape of a Flyer’s beak. Tiny hairs could be seen on its forehead and on the back of its head, just like those that Petrie had when he was a child. Its body and legs were in Ducky’s former shade of bright green, while its head and wings were in Petrie’s shade of brown. Its beak-like bill was in greenish-light brown, sharing its parents’ old colors. The baby even had Ducky’s blue eyes.
“Oh, my,” said Mama Flyer, “It’s so beautiful.”
“Aww, look at that little one,” smiled Mama Swimmer.
“It’s a boy, Petrie,” gasped Ducky.
“How can you tell, Ducky?” asked Petrie.
“I can tell because of the shape of its crest,” said Ducky, “We have a new son. We do, we do.”
The Swimmer/Flyer baby looked up at Ducky and grinned at her.
“Hi there, little one,” the Swimmer said kindly as she gently stroked his back.
“Ma-ma,” the baby spoke in a cute voice.
Everyone chuckled in delight and giggled after hearing the baby’s first word.
“He talks already,” said Petrie.
“That’s right, little guy. I’m your Mama,” smiled Ducky.
“Hello there, sweet one,” Petrie spoke with the slightest bit of cuteness his voice still had from his childhood, “Want to come here and meet your new Daddy?”
The baby turned to the Flyer and walked up to him with a smile on his face, then he jumped onto his beak. Petrie smiled and chuckled as his new son hugged his beak.
“Dad-dee,” the baby chuckled cutely.
“Aww,” said Ducky with a warm grin, “He really loves his new Daddy. He does, he does.”
Petrie blushed and gently stroked the baby’s back with his hand.
“Welcome to the world, … Waterwind,” he said with a warm smile.
“Waterwind?” said Ducky curiously.
“Yeah,” chuckled Petrie, “He’s both a Swimmer and a Flyer. If he can learn how to swim and fly very well, … he deserves to be named after the places he can go. Once we teach him, he can glide through the water and fly like the wind.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Petrie,” said Mama Flyer.
“I think it’s perfect for him,” agreed Pterano.
“I wonder if the baby likes that name?” said Ducky.
Once Ducky looked at the new baby, he was smiling happy at his father and was giggling with joy.
“Do you like that name, little one?” asked Petrie.
The hatchling nodded his head and kissed his father’s beak.
“Aww,” chuckled Petrie, “You sweet, little one!”
“Waterwind it is, then!” cheered Ducky.
“Wonderful name!” said Mama Swimmer proudly.
“Let’s see how well you can get around, Waterwind,” said Petrie, and he carefully set his new son on the ground, standing on his Swimmer feet.
In no time at all, Waterwind was taking baby steps around the forest cave that would be his new home.
“Aww, look at that. He’s already walking,” chuckled Pterano.
“I wonder when you’ll teach him how to swim?” asked Mama Swimmer.
“And how to fly?” added Mama Flyer.
“Maybe in a few Night Circle cycles I’ll teach Waterwind how to swim,” answered Ducky.
“And after he’s mastered all the basics of swimming, I’ll teach him how to fly,” put in Petrie.
“Right now, though, he needs to get used to walking,” nodded Ducky.
Before long, Waterwind had walked right up to Mama Flyer and was gently rubbing her ankles. Mama Flyer smiled down at her new grandson and crouched down to pet her.
“Hello there, Waterwind,” she spoke in a kind, gentle voice, “I see you know who one of your grandmothers are.”
Mama Swimmer sat down and motioned for Waterwind to walk up to her. He instantly obliged and climbed up her feet before smiling cutely at her.
“Aren’t you just an adorable little guy?” chuckled Mama Swimmer.
“Gram-ma,” Waterwind spoke.
“That’s right, Waterwind,” giggled Mama Swimmer, “You’ve got not one, but two loving grandmothers.”
The others laughed softly as Mama Swimmer gently caressed her new grandson. Ducky and Petrie felt so happy that their new son just so happened to have two supportive grandmothers who would be around for at least the first twenty or so years of his life.
After Mama Swimmer finished embracing Waterwind, the hatchling jumped off and ran back to his parents.
“There’s one more you should say ‘hello’ to, Waterwind,” informed Petrie kindly, “You wanna meet your great uncle, Pterano?”
Waterwind glanced at his father’s uncle and slowly walked up to him with a cute grin.
“Hello there, Waterwind,” Pterano spoke softly as he gently patted his great nephew’s back, “You are the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”
Waterwind smiled at the compliment, and he giggled and embraced Pterano. Petrie smiled proudly and watched as his uncle bonded quickly with his new son. He thought it was one of the most defining moments in the history of his family. Given how rough Pterano’s life had been, perhaps spending time with his nephew’s child would help him learn the true lessons of family after failing miserably in Petrie’s youth.
“I know you’ll grow to be big and strong one day, Waterwind, just like me and your father,” spoke Pterano, “You just wait, little one.”
Waterwind giggled and jumped out of his great uncle’s arms before walking back to his mother and father.
Ducky and Petrie exchanged warm, loving smiles before they sat down and cuddled their new son.
“Isn’t he just beautiful, Petrie?” asked Ducky.
“He is so adorable, Ducky,” answered Petrie, “Just about as beautiful as you, my dear.”
The Flyer kissed his Swimmer mate’s cheek, earning a smile from her, and she returned the kiss on his beak.
“Welcome to the family, Waterwind,” the couple spoke to their baby.
“The first of a new kind, I’m sure,” added Petrie.
“Yep, yep, yep,” agreed Ducky.
“Me love you,” Waterwind spoke softly, “Yep, yep, yep.”
Petrie gasped as he heard his son speak in the way he used to.
“He talks just like the way you used to, Petrie. He does, he does,” chuckled Ducky, earning laughs from the other adults.
“And he learned your catchphrase, Ducky,” added Petrie with astonishment.
“That is the most adorable thing ever,” chuckled Mama Flyer.
Ducky and Petrie looked down at their son and nuzzled him.
“We love you, too, Waterwind,” Petrie smiled as he nuzzled Waterwind’s beak-like bill with his own beak.
“We do, we do,” added Ducky.
Waterwind then jumped back into the nest and curiously poked at the second egg. It was still wiggling and jiggling, just waiting to reveal perhaps another Swimmer/Flyer hybrid child.
“Sssh. I think your little brother or sister is about to come out,” whispered Petrie.
Everyone waited anxiously as the second egg rolled around the nest, and soon the shell cracked and out came another pair of Swimmer feet, followed by another Swimmer tail.
“Looks like a Swimmer so far,” chuckled Ducky, watching with excitement.
The bottom half of the egg shell disintegrated, and the baby looked like an egg on legs, walking clumsily around the nest trying to figure out where it was going.
“Need some help, little one?” whispered Mama Flyer.
Before anyone could answer, the egg stopped right in front of Waterwind, and he playfully lifted the top of the shell off to get his first look at his new sibling …
Gasps of astonishment came from the family as they got a close glimpse of the second child …
Its body looked almost exactly like that of a Swimmer’s, with a complete Swimmer head and neck, but from shoulders to waist, it looked like the middle of a Flyer’s body, including wings attached to its fourth fingers, and shoulders that resembled Petrie’s. Ducky noticed that the child had longer eyelashes, and that alone confirmed to her that it was a girl.
“It is a girl!” gasped Ducky, “We have a boy and a girl, Petrie!”
“Aww!” smiled Petrie delightfully.
Waterwind giggled and gave his new sister a gentle poke on the shoulder, and she cast a glance at him and began smiling in return. The grownups’ hearts melted happily as they watched the adorable bonding between the two new babies.
“Aww,” everyone sniffled tearfully.
“Now, what shall we call you, sweet girl?” pondered Ducky.
At that moment, Petrie thought of someone who was once so close to her mate, a Swimmer whom had defined Ducky’s early childhood before their fates crossed paths and brought them to this special destiny. Ever since she had shared the story, it was the one name he had thought of in the event they ever had a daughter …
“Ducky, … this may sound very personal, … but did you ever think of naming a girl, … Judy?” asked Petrie cautiously.
Ducky gazed into Petrie’s eyes and his uneasy stare. Had he really just suggested naming someone after a friend she had so tragically lost so long ago in such a gruesome way? Ever since that horrible day, she would always break down any time she even heard that name, but it seemed as though Petrie had a very special idea in mind, … keep Judy’s legacy alive, keep her name alive, and imagine having a part of her friend within her, not just in her memories and her heart, but in the family she never got to share with her, like a tiny piece of her that they could keep.
“Petrie, that sounds a little heavy,” said Mama Swimmer, “Are you really sure you’d be willing to use that name?”
“I know just hearing the name must be a burden, but I want to help keep that name alive instead of letting it fade forever,” replied Petrie, “Imagine … if a part of her was still with us … in here.”
He pressed his hand against Ducky’s heart and waited anxiously for her response. A single tear escaped her eye as she thought of her mate’s idea.
“Do this for her, Ducky. Bring her name back into the world,” suggested Petrie, “She would be honored up there in the Great Beyond. She would be happy we found another way to remember her … and never forget what she meant to you.”
Ducky’s frown turned into a smile as her heart melted from listening to Petrie’s interpretation of Judy being a happy little girl somewhere up there in the Great Beyond because she would never let her name fade into the forgotten past.
“You’re right, Petrie,” Ducky smiled tearfully, “Judy it shall be.”
The little Swimmer girl excitedly crawled up her mother’s legs and onto her lap, and Ducky and Petrie happily caressed their new daughter.
“Welcome to the family, Judy,” they both greeted her.
“A very special name from a very special friend of all of us at heart,” added Ducky.
“Mmm, … love … Mom-my, … Dad-dy,” spoke Judy in a bubbly voice.
“Aww! We love you, too, Judy!” Ducky and Petrie beamed proudly.
Judy smiled and nuzzled her mother’s chin with her face, and Ducky happily snuggled her daughter. Just as Petrie sat on Ducky’s lap, Waterwind jumped up to join them, and there sat the first inter-kind mates in the Great Valley with their two new children, an adorable son named for all the places they could go, and a beautiful daughter bearing a very special name.
“I’m so proud you thought so kindly of bringing that name back, Petrie,” nodded Mama Swimmer.
“You really are such a thoughtful new father, my special one,” added Mama Flyer.
Petrie blushed at their compliments and nuzzled with Ducky and their kids.
“Well, Petrie, … we’re parents now,” Ducky said happily to her Flyer husband.
“This is the proudest moment of our lives right here,” Petrie replied to his Swimmer mate, “I think Waterwind will grow up to be a great son to us, and Judy will grow up to be such a beautiful girl.”
“Me, too,” agreed Ducky.
“I love you so much, Ducky,” spoke Petrie softly.
“I love you so much, too, Petrie. Yep, yep, yep,” replied Ducky, and the two kissed each other’s faces passionately.
“So, I see I’m suddenly a grandfather,” said a voice, and everyone looked to the entrance to see Papa Swimmer brushing his way in, chuckling with the slightest hints of sarcasm.
“We got a new boy and a girl,” informed Mama Flyer.
Papa Swimmer sat down next to his mate and got his first glimpses of his new grandchildren. He was astonished by their combination of Swimmer and Flyer features. He had never seen such children before, and he was sure to remember this first meeting with them before he had even said ‘hello’.
“Wow,” he gasped softly, “They look amazing.”
“Aren’t they just adorable?” chuckled Ducky.
“Cootchie cootchie coo!” giggled Petrie as he tickled Waterwind’s feet, and the little newborn laughed cutely.
“What are their names?” asked Papa Swimmer.
“The boy is Waterwind,” answered Petrie.
“And the girl … is Judy,” finished Ducky.
Papa Swimmer tensed upon hearing the name his daughter had always cried upon hearing; the name of a friend whom had met a terrible fate.
“Are you serious?” he gasped.
“Petrie thought of the name because he thinks it’s a good way to keep her name and legacy living with us,” explained Mama Swimmer.
“So, we have a new Judy that will get to live a full life that the Judy I once knew … never got to enjoy,” said Ducky.
“That’s … very thoughtful,” said her astonished father.
“Well, I think the kids should meet their new grandpa,” said Mama Flyer.
Ducky and Petrie carefully set their new babies on their feet, and they slowly walked up to Papa Swimmer and chuckled bubbly at him. The aging Swimmer playfully lifted his two new grandchildren and nuzzled them.
“Look at you two,” he chuckled, “You’re a couple of very strange but cute ones.”
Ducky laughed at her father’s comment, and he gently set them back down on the moist grass, where they were promptly scooped back up by their parents.
“Care to let us join for a group hug?” offered Mama Swimmer.
“Sure!” chuckled Petrie.
Mama and Papa Swimmer, Mama Flyer and Pterano gathered around Ducky and Petrie, and they all cuddled close together in a tight group hug. Waterwind and Judy nuzzled their parents’ faces, and the family of eight sat happily and cuddled closely together to enjoy this very important day in their family history.
For the rest of that day, the Swimmer and Flyer couple spent their time caring for Waterwind and Judy and showing them around their home, with their older relatives staying with them to teach them how to care for their babies. Together with their folks, they introduced the children to tree stars and tree sweets and began teaching them how to eat. Ducky would place them in the water so that they could learn to swim in shallower waters. Petrie would fly out through the window toward the western horizon with one of the kids on his back so that they could get accustomed to being in the air to ensure that they could eventually learn how to fly. The kids took turns riding on their father’s back, and they each enjoyed the thrills of their first flights.
Within the first few days, Waterwind and Judy were both talking in much the same way that Petrie had done when he was a kid, and they even learned their mother’s famous catchphrase, “Yep, yep, yep!”
Ducky and Petrie were so amazed that their children had inherited some traits from both of them. They reminded them of how they used to be like when they were kids, and they loved being reminded of their adventurous childhoods. Perhaps, Waterwind and Judy might become as adventurous as their parents had been when they were little just like them.
One thing was for certain, though. With Waterwind and Judy, the Great Valley’s first Swimmer/Flyer hybrid children, becoming adventurous hatchlings who spoke in the ways they used to, Ducky and Petrie were in for more happiness and new family adventures as they started the next chapter of their happy lives that had brought their families together …
… as one big happy family.
Whew! It's done! (panting) It's done! My all-so-romantic February prompt entry is finally done! Two months of hard work and it's finally paid off big time! All I can say right now is, "Wow!" I mean, this was quite a romantic adventure, and even I, as a writer, could feel the adventurous side of all the love, the fun, the childishness of their playful, rousing, romantic activity, and all the cute romance that came with it. Somehow, I wish it wasn't already over, but I regret to say that it's over. You may have been asking for more romance and more cute scenes with Ducky and Petrie, but let's all be happy that they got a very happy ending. They happily married and have two children, and now they're ready for a new chapter in their lives.
I wish to send special thanks to everyone who gave me support early on in the story's development, particularly rhombus, Sovereign, TimeLordMaster108 and OwlsCantRead, oh, and AllegroGiocoso for your heartwarming reviews on the FF.net version. Even if I ended up with so little reviews due to my excessive updating speed, any number of reviews keeps me motivated and gives me good ideas to make a multi-chapter story even better (in this case, just a little more romantic without overdoing it). Thank you all for the support, and I can't wait to start thinking of more LBT story ideas, even if they don't turn out as great as the ones I've posted over the last 12 months.
So, until next time, this is DiddyKF1 signing out for now. Have a nice day, everyone. Take care of yourselves, let there be peace, and I'll see you next time.
The forum should now be back up and running. Please don't hesitate to let us admins know if you run into any issues.
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I'll be looking forward to it!
I was really intrigued by that religious touch you put into Petrie's character, if only it could've lasted longer had it not been for those troublemakers.
How nice to see another new member of our Great Valley!