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I was curious. Is there a length limit for prompt entries? I spent two months working on my February prompt, and completed it a few days ago. Yeah, I can sometimes be a fast writer because my priorities tend to shuffle. I've been having a hunch that my latest story would probably not make the list because it's so long and other readers couldn't possibly read a 20-chapter story in just a few days like I can.

I only didn't want to wake up tomorrow morning and suddenly yell out, "Hey, wait a minute!" I really need to stop being the shy guy around here.

Nice to see another chapter from you!

I honestly felt that this chapter didn't offer too much in terms of the plot, I guess except for that mysterious fire. I wonder what could have caused it, and will it play a role in a later chapter? Aside from that, as you mentioned, Petrie is becoming more conflicted with himself as he anticipates the journey ahead. It will be a long three days, and not only does he have himself to worry about, but he's got companions he may end up becoming responsible for.

The strong point in this chapter was once again the flashbacks. They are doing such an immense job at building Petrie's backstory leading up to this pivotal journey in his life. It seems that everywhere he goes, he's being made fun of, whether by his friends or by seemingly every Flyer in the valley. So continues everyone's tradition of having Petrie become laughing stock for every Flyer in the world, it seems. I'm sorta guilty of the same thing. 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.

Finally, the ending of that flashback ... OMG! Surely, could he really have gone that far? It may have been accidental, but facing the prospect that he could have seriously injured, or worse, KILLED someone? What could the consequences have been? I'd be eager to find that out in a future chapter. This story is really turning Petrie into such a complicated and conflicted character. These explorations into his past are giving great ideas to how he got this far. You're really doing a good job, my friend. Take your time and keep up the good work on this!

Wow! Three new members in one month! Our Great Valley is getting bigger by the day!

I was much like you in that I stepped away from LBT for way too long. I enjoyed the movies during my childhood, but then I thought myself to have outgrown them. Then a few years ago I re-discovered them all over again, and now I see just how the original film is more than just a children's movie. It's a dinosaur film that feels orientated for all ages, even adults. There was so much I had forgotten in the 15 years I spent away from the series, and I haven't looked them the same way since.

As for me, Ducky and Petrie were always my favorite characters. Somehow, I found them just a little more likeable than Littlefoot, but I guess that's just my view. I was never too fond of Cera.

And yes, I agree with OwlsCantRead. If you ever binge watch the sequels, you're gonna have to get used to singing dinos!

---

“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.

---

Hello there, Anagnos! How nice to see another new member of our Great Valley!

I'm also very active on the fanfiction side of things. I'm a big Ducky/Petrie fan, but Ruby is a good character, too.

---

“They’re here!”

…

No one moved. No one made a sound. They were petrified with terror. The children shivered in fright. Their valley was under attack. Their very safety was in jeopardy. Their home was in mortal danger.

“Everyone, … take your kids back to your nests immediately!” called Grandpa Longneck, “I’m going to call our strongest dinosaurs to arms!”

The Swimmer children frantically jumped out of the river and ran back to their nest with their parents. Petrie’s siblings all took to the skies and flew away. Mama Flyer waited frantically for Petrie to join her, but he was shivering with fright and clinging tightly to Ducky as if she was the only thing that could keep him safe. Grandpa Longneck quickly turned and left with Littlefoot right behind him.

Petrie, however, wrapped his wings tightly around Ducky’s back and buried his face in her chest. He refused to loosen his grip on her, and he began sobbing in fear. He wanted her to snuggle him tightly and protect him like a newborn hatchling.

“Petrie! Get over here now!” his mother called, but he didn’t move, “Petrie!”

“NO!” wept Petrie, “Me no leave Ducky behind!”

“Petrie, … I … think you should be with your mommy,” said Ducky hesitantly.

“No! Me no let go of you, Ducky! Stay with me! Protect me! No leave me!” begged Petrie.

“Petrie, as much as I hate to say it, … they’re after you, and the longer you stay here, you may possibly put my daughter in danger. I’m gonna have to ask you to let go, little one,” said Mama Swimmer regretfully.

“Please, no!” cried Petrie, “Me no can let go!”

Suddenly, he felt something pulling on his feet, and Ducky opened her arms out. Soon, he no longer felt his hands being in contact with the Swimmer, and he buried his face into what he soon realized was his mother’s chest.

“I’m sorry, dear, but we have to go,” his mother said, “You can’t stay here.”

Petrie just cried hopelessly as his mother placed him on her back and immediately took off. He looked back at Ducky and didn’t stop looking until he was too far away to see her. He slumped his head against his mother’s neck and wailed miserably until she landed on the ledge in front of their cave.

“Kids, our valley is under attack,” Mama Flyer spoke to her other children, “Nobody is to leave this cave. You hear me? Absolutely nobody!”

She lifted Petrie off her back and set him down on his feet, and she motioned for him to step inside. He reluctantly obliged and refused to look at his siblings as he walked all the way to the back and grabbed his snuggling stick, clutching it tightly in his wings.

He looked back and suddenly noticed another Flyer in their presence. He was relieved to find it was Wingfoot.

“Guard the kids, Wingfoot,” instructed Mama Flyer, “I don’t want a single one of them stepping foot outside.”

“Don’t worry,” nodded Wingfoot, “I’ll be sure to keep them safe until you get back.”

Petrie gasped at those last two words. ‘Get back’ echoed in his head for a moment as he realized just what was about to happen.

“Wait!” he shouted, “Where you going, Mama!?”

Mama Flyer simply sighed, but that was enough for Petrie to get his answer.

“NO!” the little Flyer screamed, and he ran up to his mother and wrapped his arms around her leg, “Please no go, Mommy! Please no leave Petrie!”

“I’ll be back soon, dear. I promise,” said Mama Flyer before she let out a sigh of dread as she contemplated the possibility that she may not be back to see her children again.

“Me no let you fight Sharpteeth!” cried Petrie, “Please stay! Please no die! Protect me! Stay with me!”

“As an elder, it’s my duty to help protect the valley, and that includes holding back Sharpteeth who dare to attack our territory,” informed Mama Flyer, “I just want you to know that … I love you, my little Petrie.”

Petrie brought his soaked face up just as his mother lifted him up for what he thought just might be their last hug … ever.

“Me love you, too, Mommy,” he sobbed as he rubbed her face with his own, and she planted one last kiss on his head before setting him down.

“Now, Petrie, please be a good boy for me,” said Mama Flyer, “You promise?”

Petrie quivered and gulped before replying, “Me promise, Mommy.”

With those last words, Mama Flyer patted Petrie on the head and turned away. Petrie watched as his mother lifted herself off the ledge and flew away. Soon, Wingfoot forced him back inside, and he ran to the back of the cave again and wept loudly with his snuggling stick in his wings. He didn’t know if he may ever see his beloved mother again …

---

Ducky was sitting anxiously next to Spike, shivering with worry. After Petrie had been taken away, she was left to worry if he would be okay. The other children were huddled in the nest. Her parents were talking frantically with two other grownup Swimmers, but she could barely make out what they were saying. It was all so overwhelming for her that she buried her face into Spike’s neck to try and hide any tears that might come down.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be sure to keep them safe,” she heard one of the strangers say.

“We hope to be back in one piece,” sighed Mama Swimmer.

“Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” advised the other stranger, “Let the Threehorns and the Clubtails fight it out at the front. Just hold back any of those beasts that by random chance happen to sneak their way through.”

Ducky gasped as she overheard those sentences. Could she really have heard what she thought she heard? Could her parents really be about to risk their lives yet again and fight against those invaders?

She opened her eyes and looked at her parents still conversing with the Swimmers they had called upon to protect the kids in their absence, and she noticed the doubtful looks on their faces. She knew exactly what they were up to: … they were going to fight.

She remembered hearing how the Sailbacks planned to bring allies into the valley, and if that were true, there could possibly be a large pack out there. There could be tens or hundreds of Sharpteeth in those caverns right now, waiting to make their move. Surely, her parents wouldn’t stand a chance against a dozen Sharpteeth or even Fast Biters. Even if they had fought Sharpteeth before, not everyone would be lucky every time.

“Are … are you … l-leaving?” stuttered Ducky.

“We’re going to try and keep them back, dear,” her mother answered, “Until we get back, we don’t want a single one of you leaving the nest. You are all to stay right where you are. You understand?”

“But, Mommy! The Sharpteeth said-ed they would bring more with them! There could be Fast Biters!” cried Ducky in horror.

“We’ve dealt with those little runts before,” replied Papa Swimmer, “If you ask me, if we’ve done it before, we can do it again.”

“B-but, …” Ducky stammered, unable to bear the thought of possibly losing her parents who loved her so dearly.

“We promise, Ducky. We’ll be back soon,” assured Mama Swimmer, and she gave her daughter one last kiss on her little head crest, “We love you, dear.”

“I … love you, too, … Mommy and Daddy,” sniffled Ducky in despair, thinking these could be the last words she may ever share with her beloved parents.

“Be a good girl, little Ducky,” said Papa Swimmer gently, “And you, too, Spike.”

Spike quivered and moaned with obvious worry for those whom had so gladly taken him in when there was no one else willing to do so. He wondered if they would ever come out of this alive … or die trying to protect them and their beloved home they cherished so much.

“Let’s go, dear,” Mama Swimmer told her mate.

“For the valley,” he replied with a nod.

Ducky watched with hopeless tears as her parents finally turned their backs on them and began to leave. She squirmed out of Spike’s grasp and tried to follow them, but the two adult strangers quickly held her back by grabbing her by the tail. She screamed and tried to squirm her way to freedom, but to no avail.

“Sorry, little one. Your parents said no one is to leave. It’s for your own safety,” the female informed.

Ducky was set down next to Spike, and she once again crawled into his grasp and buried her face into him, crying with despair at the thought of possibly never getting to see her doting folks again …

---

Three Clubtails stared off towards the Mysterious Beyond, lining the entrance to the Secret Caverns. In front of them, the two Sailbacks were hissing at them as if they were demanding them to step aside, but strangely, the Sharpteeth stayed put where they were, as if they were waiting for something else to happen. The Clubtails stood their ground.

Every once in a while, the Sailbacks would look back, but only for a moment before shifting their attention back to the Clubtails barring their way in. It certainly seemed as though they were expecting something else to suddenly happen.

“I don’t know about you, but they must be waiting for their supposed allies to arrive,” pondered one of the Clubtails.

“Well, Chomper did say they would bring backup with them,” said another.

“Let’s just hope they don’t pop out of nowhere,” said the third.

“The elders have arrived,” came a fourth voice behind them.

One of the Clubtails looked back to find a fourth one in their presence, but he only looked for one second before fixing his eyes on the Sailbacks again to assure that neither of them would make any sudden moves. Taking their attention away for just one moment could be a fatal mistake.

“They’re still just standing there,” he said, “They must be waiting for something. Make sure there’s no one climbing over those walls.”

“I checked just now and found nothing suspicious. We have Clubtails and Threehorns guarding every cavern,” the new arrival replied, “Surely, no one’s stupid enough to make such a move like that when everywhere is infested with guards.”

“Tell the elders everyone’s ready in the event they make a sudden attack,” said one of the guarding Clubtails.

“Right away,” he replied, and he was about to walk back inside …

“Don’t move!” a Clubtail suddenly yelled.

“What is it?”

“I saw something!” the Clubtail replied, “Behind the Sailbacks! I see a single Fast Biter!”

“Anything else!?”

“Well, … I’m trying to get a good look! I can’t see past those big legs!”

The ground began to shake a little. Their eyes caught what looked like a stampede miles away. Countless dinosaurs were marching through the trench, and just about all of them looked as though they were the same body shape as Sharpteeth.

The middle-guarding Clubtail turned back towards the one standing behind them.

“Go! Tell the others we have a stampede!” he instructed, and the fourth Clubtail wasted no time turning back and walking frantically, deep into the caverns.

---

The Secret Caverns were filled with dinosaurs who were deemed as capable enough to fight up to a dozen Sharpteeth. Threehorns, Clubtails and Spikethumbs filled the middle cavern where all other caves met. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, Topps, Tria, Mama and Papa Swimmer, and Mama Flyer had all arrived, and Topps was instructing on where each dinosaur would stand ground and guard any possible entrance to the valley.

“The Threehorns and the Clubtails will take the front and hold the Sailbacks off! The Spikethumbs and Longnecks will hold the middle ground in the event that anyone manages to break through! The Swimmers will take the back and protect the entrance to the valley! Flyers will observe from above and attack anyone who breaks in!”

Suddenly, Topps was interrupted by another voice …

“Everyone in position now!” yelled a Clubtail suddenly bursting into the cave.

“WHAT!?” roared Topps, “I am giving the orders-“

“IT’S A STAMPEDE!”

This silenced Topps at once, and the surrounding dinosaurs struggled their way to their guarding positions.

“We have dozens, maybe even a hundred Sharpteeth marching through the trenches!” informed the Clubtail.

“I guess that means Chomper was right about the allies,” hissed Papa Swimmer.

“No time for talk now!” retorted Grandpa Longneck, “Everyone into position, and wait for the signal from the Clubtails! They’ll warn us if a single Sharptooth manages to get past them!”

Without another word spoken, the dinosaurs all got into their positions in and surrounding the caverns. The Clubtails continued to guard the front line, Threehorns and Spikethumbs grouped together in the center of the caverns, and Tria, the Longnecks, Swimmers and Flyers stood outside on the valley’s side of the cave maze. There were tens of dinosaurs in every group. No one was willing to leave any margin for any intruder to break through the powerful barricade.

The Clubtails stood firm as the Sailbacks remained frozen in place. The stampede behind them slowly began to grow bigger in their eyes. There was no way of counting just how many Sharpteeth they had gathered to “help them on their mission.”

“Oh, Bright Circle!” gasped one of the Clubtails, “We’ve got maybe twenty Fast Biters in this pack!”

The other two glanced and saw just what he had seen …

Around twenty to thirty Fast Biters and twenty other Sharpteeth joined in behind the leading Sailbacks and gritted their teeth at those blocking their way in. The Clubtails got themselves ready to make a charge in the event that a single one dared to strike at them.

The Sailbacks bent their necks down and began growling at the new arrivals, even as more continued to march their way in until the Clubtails began to realize they just might have become outnumbered.

“Now, remember: keep them distracted for as long as possible!” the male Sailback roared to their allies, “Don’t let any of them see us barge our way through this wall, and don’t you dare let anyone protect that Flyer or harm that bastard! The rest of those leafeaters are yours, but the Flyer is mine!”

The Clubtails watched as the Fast Biters nodded their heads, and they stood their ground as they anticipated their move.

“Nobody … make any … sudden … moves!” one of the Clubtails growled at the Fast Biters, but the menaces only roared back at them and slowly stepped closer, taking one step every few seconds until they were close enough to make their move.

Suddenly, nine Fast Biters all charged at the same time. The Clubtails stepped outside and began swinging their tails at their attackers. One Fast Biter managed to climb up one of the Clubtails and bite its neck, but before it could do anymore damage, another Clubtail swung its tail and threw the enemy off his partner, sending it crashing to the ground and killing it instantly. The second Clubtail had no time to register the next thought before another Fast Biter suddenly bit into his head.

“AAACK!” he screamed in agony, and he saw nothing but blood filling his vision.

The first Clubtail rammed its head against the Fast Biter and shoved it against a wall, but this was only enough to knock the vicious dinosaur down for only a few seconds before it got back up. The second Clubtail almost immediately collapsed as its head bled profusely, and his whole body slumped to the ground.

With one of the guards out of the way, four Fast Biters managed to sneak their way into the caverns unnoticed by the remaining two guarding Clubtails, and the smell of fresh flesh hung in the air. They growled in anticipation of a huge meal awaiting their hungry stomachs.

---

The Threehorns and Spikethumbs stood in front of every cave entrance, completely still and waiting for their signal to begin their charge at any intruders. They heard vicious growls coming from the exit leading to the Mysterious Beyond, but they couldn’t make out just how many Sharpteeth might have been out there right now.

“Wait for the signal,” Topps spoke in a quiet voice so as not to gain any unwanted attention from their coming attackers.

“AMBUSH!” screamed a voice echoing from the cave the Clubtails had been guarding.

Topps tensed at this and saw the shadows of Fast Biters begin to fill up that very cave. He got himself in a charging position and gritted his teeth ferociously. He waited until the first Sharptooth came into view, and within the instant the sight of the enemy met his eyes …

“ATTACK!”

The Threehorns made their charge at the Fast Biters in the front of the pack, their horns all facing their attackers. The Spikethumbs stayed put behind them and waited for any of them to make their way through. The Threehorns filled four Fast Biters with horn shots to their bellies, killing all of them right there, but five more joined from behind and leaped onto their sides. Topps smashed his left side against a wall, crushing his attacker to death, and he swung his tail at another whom was trying to bite into the back of another Threehorn. The Fast Biter was flung into another wall but quickly got back up and bit into the leg of that same Threehorn. He stomped his foot up and down to shake his attacker off, before he eventually swung his foot at a wall and crushed its belly.

The Fast Biters were unfazed even the slightest. They leaped over the Threehorns in that one very brief moment they were preoccupied, and they ran towards the Spikethumbs. Their enemies fought right back by swinging their tails and stabbing as many of them as they could with their spiked thumbs just as the bigger Sharpteeth began to make their entrance. They weren’t quite as big as Red Claw or the Sailbacks leading their pack, but they were making quite a running charge.

“Damn!” hissed Topps, “We’re outnumbered!”

“Keep the bigger ones back! Let the Fast Biters deal with those behind us!” said the wounded Threehorn next to him, still standing but panting quite heavily.

Topps had no time to reply before a Sharptooth brought its head down toward them. He stepped back and brought his two frill horns toward his attack. His aim was true, and the horns penetrated the Sharptooth’s upper jaw. The attacker screamed in agony just as Topps pulled himself back, but suddenly he felt a Fast Biter sinking his teeth into his left rear leg.

“AARRGH!” he roared, “GET OFF ME, YOU SON-OF-A-TAR PIT!”

He swung his leg against a wall and smashed the Fast Biter’s head in. He watched as it made no further movements, and he instantaneously shifted his attention back to the Sharpteeth trying to penetrate their barrier that was keeping them away from the Spikethumbs.

“TRY US! WE DARE YOU!” roared Topps.

The Sharpteeth roared back at them and brought their jaws down. Topps stabbed the jaw of one of them, while his ally was bitten in the neck with a loud, “CRUNCH!”

“AGH!” he wailed, “GET OFF ME!”

Topps attempted another horn shot, but the Sharptooth was quicker and swung its head to smash the unfortunate Threehorn’s head in and snap its neck by bending his own neck side to side at a very quick pace.

“CRACK!”

At that instant, the Threehorn’s cries stopped, and the Sharptooth brought its head back up. The Threehorn’s head crashed to the ground, his eyes closed, his body not even twitching.

“MURDERER!” growled Topps, and he swung his tail at the Sharptooth and flung it against a wall, but it didn’t even manage to knock it down, and it tried to bite at his tail. Topps swung his tail out of its range right in the nick of time to dodge the attack and swung again to try once more to knock it down.

Instead of waiting to see if his attacker would be knocked down, he ran for it and aimed towards a Fast Biter trying to take down a Spikethumb. He brought his nose horn down and dug it into the Fast Biter’s tail. He swung his head and threw it into another wall, but once again it did little harm.

Suddenly, he heard dozens of growls, and he looked back and saw a nightmare …

A huge pack of Fast Biters were all charging their way in at top speed. The Threehorns guarding the cavern were immediately overwhelmed by the large number of enemies. Their swung their tails and made more horn shots, but they were soon bitten in various places by numerous Fast Biters, and within the minute, the Threehorns all bled out while the Fast Biters began eating their corpses.

“Damnit!” said Topps, “How many could those Sailbacks possibly need!?”

He watched only for just a few seconds, and even that was enough time for him to notice that no Clubtails were appearing from behind the Fast Biters. He immediately assumed the worst must have happened.

“We’ve lost our front line of defense!” he shouted, “There’s no Clubtails! Keep as many of those monsters back as you can! Don’t let any of them get through!”

Being the last Threehorn standing amongst ten Spikethumbs in the middle line of defense, Topps fought hard alongside his remaining allies to eliminate as many Sharpteeth and Fast Biters as possible. They swung their tails and stabbed with their horns and spikes, but it did little to compromise the Sharpteeth’s efforts to break through. With each enemy they killed, they only seemed to grow in numbers.

“This is not working!” yelled a Spikethumb, “We’re gonna have to pull back!”

“Nobody pulls back unless I say so!” retorted Topps, “We can’t let any of them through!”

The Threehorn kept stabbing his enemies with his horns and stomping on them with his feet, but then they all began to lunge at the Spikethumbs. It seemed as though they could see he was too much of a formidable foe to face, so they shifted to a backup plan: finishing off his allies.

The Spikethumbs swung their arms to inflict vicious wounds on their attackers with their spiked thumbs, but the Fast Biters kept climbing back on and biting into their flesh.

“Damnit! We’re losing this thing!” thought Topps as he began to realize just how badly the odds were suddenly being stacked against them. Their chances of victory were shrinking by the minute, and any moment now, the enemies could find their way through. The only thing that brought any relief to him was that there were plenty of Longnecks, Swimmers, Flyers and one more Threehorn ready to stand guard against anyone who broke through …

…

… her mate …

“Tria,” he gasped, and in that one tiny moment of lapse in his concentration, he was suddenly bashed in the head by a Sharptooth’s head. He fell onto his side and felt pain shooting through his body, but he ignored the pain and got himself back up, only to see twenty Fast Biters all sprinting their way into the cave that led directly into the valley.

Wasting no time, Topps stabbed the Sharptooth whom had knocked him over with his horns and ran after the Fast Biters whom were about to penetrate the rear line of defense, … the only thing that stood between them and the valley itself. He cursed at himself for allowing his momentary lapse of concentration to give the Fast Biters enough time to break through. He was determined, however, that he would not let that be his fatal mistake …

---

At the valley-side entrance to the Secret Caverns, the other elders were still waiting anxiously. The Longnecks and Swimmers were simply waiting to start battling any Sharpteeth who could possibly have broken their way through those caverns. Mama Flyer and several other Flyers occasionally lifted into the sky for any signs of danger from above, but there was no sign of any Sharpteeth anywhere. Mr. Thicknose had just arrived, bringing several Hollow Horns with him to provide more backup.

They occasionally heard the reverberations of roars coming from inside, but none of them sounded like they were anywhere near their location. Grandpa Longneck tensed whenever this happened, but each time it only proved to be a false alert.

Soon, the echoes of the Fast Biter growls began to get a little louder, … and louder, … and louder …

“I think … they’re coming,” gasped Grandma Longneck.

“Everyone into position!” her mate instructed.

The Flyers all took off into the sky, while the dinosaurs on the ground got into a position from which they could easily charge at any enemy.

The roars stopped, and they starred intently into the caves. They tensed but remained as collected as possible as they stared at what they saw …

A group of Fast Biters were standing just inside the cave, slowing inching closer with each tiny step they took, readying themselves for a surprise attack.

“Nobody … move,” whispered Grandpa Longneck, and not a single dinosaur on his side moved an inch. They all stood still, waiting for when the enemies would strike … and for their moment to strike right back.

There was a long, eerie silence. The two groups glared at each other, no one moving, everyone frozen in place. Time seemed to stand still for that moment as they anticipated each other’s attacks.

Suddenly, a Fast Biter in front of the pack roared loudly, and the entire pack roared along and charged at the leafeaters. The valley dinosaurs countered immediately with tail whips to knock them down, and foot stomps to crush anyone whom had been knocked over. The Flyers charged from above and struck vicious blows at the carnivores. Within the first moment after the attack began, four Fast Biters were dead, but one lunged at a Hollow Horn and bit into his head, knocking him over, before another bit into his underbelly multiple times while he was down. That Fast Biter was just as quickly whipped away by Tria’s tail, but the Hollow Horn wouldn’t get back up.

“ACK!” Mr. Thicknose screamed as a Fast Biter jumped onto his back and bit into his neck frill. He swung his head to throw the Fast Biter off, and the enemy went flying into a wall of rocks, one of which landed on its head and crushed it.

Suddenly, Topps charged out of the caverns and ran straight towards a Fast Biter whom was getting ready to attack Tria. He stabbed him with his nose horn and tossed it into a nearby tree and watched until he was sure the Fast Biter was dead.

“Topps?” gasped Tria.

“No time for talk now, Tria,” panted Topps, “We’ve lost all the Clubtails, and the Spikethumbs are being compromised. We need to keep all of these Fast Biters back!”

“How many of these damn Fast Biters could there possibly be!?” complained Papa Swimmer, swinging his tail at another Fast Biter and knocking it down.

“I don’t care how many there are!” replied Topps, “Let’s just finish these bastards off and-“

“CRASH!”

Everyone froze for a moment as the loud crash echoed from a nearby wall of large rocks. The Fast Biters were quick to get back to attacking as if they knew what as coming, but the leafeaters were soon back to-

“CRAAAAAAAAAAASH!”

The whole ground shook violently. All the land-bound dinosaurs were struggling to maintain their footing. A series of sudden warning screeches came from the Flyers above. Rocks began tumbling down. A nearby tree fell over. It was as if a Flying Rock had just struck the valley.

The leafeaters and Fast Biters all tumbled to the ground as the ground continued to shake for just a few more precious seconds. Some of the Fast Biters were crushed to death by heavy leafeaters landing on top of them. Topps then noticed just what was happening …

A large piece of border wall had smashed against the ground. There was a large gap where the large rock was supposed to be. Standing in that gap … were the two Sailbacks.

Once the brief Earth Shake stopped, the surviving leafeaters and Fast Biters got back up, and the valley dwellers came to realize just what horror awaited their situation …

“YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!” ranted Topps.

“So, this was all a distraction to allow them to break through!?” shouted a Hollow Horn, “Those damn Sharpteeth and their cunning ways!”

The Fast Biters began to lunge at the leafeaters once more, but they were quick to dispatch them with counterattacks of their own. At the moment, however, the slightly-bigger Sharpteeth began charging out of the caverns to make their move. The leafeaters were baffled by this sudden development. It could only have meant that the Spikethumbs had finally been overwhelmed and were finished off, or they might have been crushed to death by rocks in the caves during the earth shake.

While the leafeaters on the ground were stuck dealing with the threat from inside the caverns, the Flyers eyed the Sailbacks breaking through the wall and making their entry into the valley’s grounds. Mama Flyer, in particular, had her heart racing with fear. She knew these were the very Sharpteeth whom had come to hunt her son down, and she would do anything to keep them away from her precious, little boy.

With an ear-piercing screech, Mama Flyer led her group of four other Flyers on a charge at the Sailbacks. The two carnivores, however, were unfazed and swung their tails at their adversaries. Two of the Flyers were knocked to the ground and promptly stomped on by the Sailbacks’ feet for good measure, killing them on the spot. The remaining three Flyers retreated back to the sky to prepare for another aerial strike, only to find the Sailbacks running past the blood-soaked battlefield and right into the heart of the valley.

“NO!” Mama Flyer screamed in horror, and she let out a loud screech for everyone to hear.

The leafeaters on the ground heard her call of distress, and they turned to see the Sailbacks charging right into their territory.

“NO!” gasped Grandma Longneck.

“The children!” roared Topps.

“After them! Now!” ordered Grandpa Longneck, but the Sharpteeth and Fast Biters blocked their way and growled at them, obviously intending to stop them reaching their true targets.

“Out of our way, you filthy fiends!” yelled Topps, charging at one Fast Biter and stabbing it with his nose horn, only for another to lunge onto his back. Before it could bite, though, it was tossed aside by Mama Swimmer’s tail. At that same moment, several more Fast Biters had crawled underneath and ambushed one of the Swimmers in the group. The others were preoccupied by their other enemies, and the Swimmer’s flesh was quickly consumed by his attackers. Despite his cries for help, no one was able to come to his aid, and the Fast Biters were quick to make a meal out of his flesh and blood.

Mama Swimmer looked up to see if any Flyers would come to their aid, but they had all vanished. She saw them all chasing after the Sailbacks, screeching loudly to warn any other nearby dinosaurs to come to their aid. Any hope of an aerial attack on their own attackers was gone right then and there.

“The Flyers are gone!” she warned her allies, “They’re pursuing the Sailbacks!”

“Everyone keep the Sharpteeth at bay!” ordered Topps, “Make a path for me, and I’ll go after those bastards!”

“Topps!” gasped Tria, “You can’t be serious!”

“Just help me, Tria! We can’t let those Sailbacks harm our children!” her mate shot back.

“I’m not letting you do this alone, Topps!” retorted Tria before slamming another Fast Biter down with her tail, “I’m with you for better or worse!”

“I can’t let them harm you, Tria!” argued Topps.

“I don’t care what you think! You are not doing this alone! You need me, and I’m going, no matter what you say!” shouted Tria.

A Sharptooth nearly lunged at them but was quickly tossed aside by a tail whip from one of the Longnecks. Topps just stared at his mate in disbelief. Was she really willing to allow herself to get into danger just for his sake? For the children’s sake? For the valley’s sake?

“We’re doing this together, Topps,” finished Tria sternly, “We’re going to take down those Sailbacks, and we’re going to protect our children, even if we have to die trying … for our family’s sake!”

She looked up momentarily and gasped. Topps looked back and saw a Sharptooth running right towards him with its mouth wide open. Instincts immediately took over the Threehorn, and he turned around and stabbed the Sharptooth square in the chest with his frill horns, and he swung his head to the right to toss his dead adversary to the ground before making a run for it. Tria ran right behind him as they made their escape from the group of Fast Biters and Sharpteeth still holding their allies back. They eyed the Sailbacks as they set off in hot pursuit of the murderous monsters.

Mama Flyer was watching their path with her heart pounding with terror. With each step, they seemed to be getting closer and closer to her home as if they knew exactly where her family lived. Only one thing could bring them closer, … and that … was Petrie’s scent. If they had managed to track him all the way here from Black Rock, surely, they were tracking it again right now. She was panting frantically as she tried to speed up her flight. Her children were no longer safe. Her precious Petrie was no longer safe. She had to somehow get home before the Sailbacks beat her to it.

She abandoned her group of Flyers and diverted her flight over a large rock formation, seeing it as the quickest shortcut she could find. She soared over a large forest and soon found herself back in the familiar neighborhood her family called home. She looked back, and the Sailbacks were nowhere to be seen. With a sigh of relief, she aimed for her cave.

She screeched just before she came down onto the ledge, and she rushed over to where Wingfoot was standing with her children.

“What is it?” he asked, alarmed by her sudden appearance, and the baffled children gathered beside them.

Mama Flyer panted as she grabbed Wingfoot by the shoulders and hyperventilated.

“Mommy? W-what’s wrong?” asked Pearlwing.

“Everyone, … we … all need to leave,” Mama Flyer spoke in between gasps.

“What!?” her five children all yelled in disbelief.

“But me no want to leave!” cried Petrie, still holding his precious snuggling stick in his wings.

“I’m afraid it’s not safe here anymore, kids,” said Mama Flyer regretfully, “The Sailbacks have broken in, and they’re on their way here right now.”

“But, … can’t we just hide in the back?” said Donnie while his siblings just gasped in horror.

“That won’t be of any use if those Sailbacks have long jaws!” his mother retorted.

“But Mommy!” whined one of the girls.

“No buts, children! We all need to leave now!” shouted Mama Flyer.

No sooner did she say that when they all heard roars echoing from not so far away from their rock.

“Everyone outside and fly! Fly as far away as you-“

“ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!”

The Flyers looked outside and saw a pair of Sharptooth jaws suddenly blocking their only way out. The jaw opened and closed several times, revealing its absolutely terrifying teeth.

Petrie ran all the way to the back and clutched his snuggling stick tightly. His worst night terrors were coming true. Here he was with his entire family trapped in their home by a pair of sharp teeth, the same ones he had envisioned in his sleep stories. His heart was pounding rapidly. He was watching his foretold future unfolding before his very eyes. He anticipated that any moment now, his mother, siblings and babysitter would become the next victims of those Sailbacks who wanted his blood. The poor kid closed his eyes and buried his face in his wings, rubbing his cheek against his snuggling stick …

“HEY!”

That sudden voice brought with it a new burst of light shining its way in.

Petrie opened his eyes. He noticed that the entrance was suddenly unblocked. The Sailbacks had seemingly vanished, but they certainly weren’t gone enough.

Mama Flyer cautiously stepped outside, and she found Topps and Tria charging towards the Sailbacks with fury in their eyes.

“LEAVE THOSE FLYERS ALONE!” screamed Topps as he rammed directly into the male Sailback while Tria rammed into his female accomplice.

Both Sailbacks crashed to the ground, but were back on their feet in seconds, swinging their tails in an effort to fend off their enemies.

Mama Flyer let out a silent sigh of relief, then she gazed towards the path the Threehorns had came from, and she saw the Longnecks, Swimmers and Hollow Horns rejoining the skirmish. Only three Longnecks, two Swimmers and four Hollow Horns were all that were left. Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, and Mama and Papa Swimmer were all among the survivors now racing to their rescue. Mama Flyer wondered just how they were able to fend off those Fast Biters and other Sharpteeth rather quickly. Perhaps other dinosaurs had joined the battle and allowed for this group to follow the Sailbacks’ trail, and there were probably still Sharpteeth out there … besides the Sailbacks.

“GET BACK!” hollered Grandpa Longneck to the Sailbacks.

The Sailbacks clamped their jaws at the leafeaters, but Grandpa Longneck counteracted with a swing of the tail. They swung their tails right back, and they collided with his tail to stop his attack.

“What!?” the Longneck gasped, “No way!”

“They can’t be that skilled!” said Tria.

More roars suddenly echoed behind them. Topps looked back to find the Sharpteeth and Fast Biters emerging from the forest they had charged through.

“Damnit, no!” he gasped.

“We’re surrounded!” panted Mama Swimmer.

The group of elders and their surviving allies all swung their tails at the new arrivals, but only a few were knocked down while some of them tried to lunge at them. Others ran past the skirmish and sprinted down the river.

“NO!” the two Swimmers screamed, “Our children!”

Without thinking twice, the Swimmers sprinted away in pursuit of the Fast Biters whom were swiftly approaching their family nest …

---

Ducky was still sobbing in Spike’s hold. Ever since she watched her parents disappear to fight those Sharpteeth, she longed to see them return safely much like how they had always done for her. She cried and cried while Spike nuzzled her to provide the faintest warmth for his sister.

“Oh, Spike,” sobbed Ducky, “I miss Mommy and Daddy. I do, I do.”

“Settle down, little one,” she heard one of their babysitters speak softly to her, “Your folks will be home before you know it. They’re very capable fighters.”

“But what it they-“

“ROAAARRR!”

“GET BACK HERE!”

Everyone was petrified by the sound of that roar, but once the children recognized their father’s voice, they were relieved yet horrified at the same time. With the relief of their parents’ survival came the morbid reality that their nest was about to come under attack.

“Kids!” called the male Swimmer looking after them, “Get behind me!”

The older kids, including Ducky, did as they were told and took cover behind his foot, while the babies in the nest stayed put, unable to understand what was happening.

“W-What is happening?” stammered Ducky.

“Sssh!” the adult Swimmer replied, and she didn’t make another sound.

The growls became louder, and Ducky peeked out from behind the Swimmer’s leg to find several Fast Biters arriving at their nest. Some of them kept running down the river, but the other seven spotted them and licked their lips as if expecting a meal. The children gasped and stayed hidden behind their protector, fearing the worst could happen at any minute.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” came Mama Swimmer’s furious voice.

Ducky instantly peeked back out and saw her parents running towards the Fast Biters, fury etched on their faces as they made their charge at those who dared to attack their family.

The Fast Biters turned around to face the Swimmer parents, but they barely had time to react before the Swimmers brought their heads down and rammed into them with blunt force. The carnivores were sent flying across the river and crashing into several trees.

“No one will lie one finger on our children!” Papa Swimmer hissed at the defeated group of Fast Biters.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Ducky screamed as she ran out from behind their protectors and right in front of her parents.

“Ducky!” Mama Swimmer panted as she picked up her daughter and hugged her tightly, “Thank goodness you’re alright!”

“Mommy, what is happening!?” cried Ducky.

“Just stay close to me, dear,” her mother replied, refusing to let go of her precious daughter, “Everything will be alright.”

“AAAAH!”

It sounded much like a child’s scream, and suddenly there came another, and then it began to sound as though more than one child was screaming at the same time.

“Oh, no!” gasped Papa Swimmer, “Don’t tell me the other children are in danger!”

“NO!” Ducky suddenly screamed as she stared at the river.

Her parents looked in that same direction and gasped in horror …

Littlefoot was running down the river, carrying a still-seriously wounded Chomper on his back. Right behind them, Ruby was swinging a tree branch at a pursuing Fast Biter.

“GET BACK!” yelled Ruby, “LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!”

The Swimmers could only watch in disbelief and despair. Everything was taking turns for the worst so quickly. The Fast Biters seemed to be everywhere in the valley. No one was safe. The valley was no longer a safe place for anyone. Everywhere was turning into a massacre. Their very way of life was seemingly coming to an end.

“KIDS! GET BEHIND ME!” Papa Swimmer hollered at the kids running down the river.

Littlefoot (with an incapacitated Chomper) and Ruby jumped out of the river and got behind the Swimmers’ legs, and Papa Swimmer made his own charge at the Fast Biters trying to eat his daughter’s dear friends.

“DON’T MOVE!” he yelled.

The Fast Biters were not fazed and tried to lunge at him, but he swung his tail and knocked them into the river. One of them managed to get back up, but one of the babysitting Swimmers came behind him and stomped hard on his head to finish him off.

“Is everyone okay?” asked Mama Swimmer.

“We are okay. Okay we are,” answered Ruby.

“We’re fine,” panted Littlefoot.

“Alright, kids. Let’s get out of-“

“ROOOOAAARRR!”

“Damnit! Just how many bloody Sharpteeth are there!?” ranted Papa Swimmer.

As he said that, more Sharpteeth came charging down the river, followed by the Sailbacks, and finally Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, Topps, Tria and Mr. Thicknose. The Flyers, however, were nowhere to be seen …

… but then, why were the Sailbacks in the group if the Flyers had perhaps managed to make their escape?

“ROOAAARRR!”

“AAAAAHHH!”

The Swimmers turned around and saw Cera, with Tricia on her back, … running for their lives from yet another couple of Fast Biters. The number of enemies was becoming so overwhelming, and now the Swimmers were realizing just how doomed they really were …

“CERA!”

“TRICIA!”

The Threehorns’ voices echoed across the area as they yelled for their children.

“Daddy!” panted Cera, “Help!”

Topps didn’t need to be told twice. He sprinted into action, running right past his daughters and delivering a blunt force ram into the three Fast Biters.

Just as he did though, several Sharpteeth suddenly jumped out from the trees behind the Swimmer nest.

“KIDS!” Mama and Papa Swimmer yelled.

The baby Swimmers were screaming helplessly as if they were pleading for their lives. Spike got up and scooped them out of the nest and swung his tail to get them onto his back, and he ran from the nest just as a Sharptooth clamped at him, missing by inches.

“SPIKE!” screamed Ducky, closing her eyes and not bearing to watch her brother possibly meet his untimely death, but then she heard him panting, and she opened her eyes to find him right by his parents’ side with all the babies intact.

“Oh, Spike!” cried Mama Swimmer with a sigh of relief.

She had no time to praise him, however, as the roars of the Sharpteeth overwhelmed them from all directions. The Swimmers frantically looked around and saw that there was no place to run. The entire group was surrounded in all directions by Sharpteeth and Fast Biters. What was beginning to feel more and more odd was that the Sailbacks were among them, even though there was no sign of the Flyer family …

“GET OFF!”

That was Mama Flyer’s voice, and within the moment they heard her children all pleading to be let go, including Petrie. The Swimmers’ hearts sank …

All of a sudden, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck were both knocked down by two Sharpteeth. Another used its tail to grab Spike and the baby Swimmers. Topps and Tria were slammed by the tails of two Sharpteeth and pinned to the ground by their clawed feet. The two other adult Swimmers were overwhelmed by Fast Biters, and a Sharptooth emerged from behind and stomped hard on the male with a loud, “CRUNCH!” Simply the sound of it told everyone it meant instant death.

“NO!” Mama Swimmer screamed before she felt herself being whammed by another Sharptooth’s tail, causing her to drop Ducky. The little Swimmer screamed as she fell to the ground, and she jumped into the river just before a Fast Biter could grab her. Her mother and father were both pinned down by the feet of two more Sharpteeth while she made her escape by swimming down the deeper end of the river, avoiding being squashed by the Sharpteeth’s feet.

Cera tried to run up to her parents, but a Fast Biter suddenly slammed into her and knocked her over, while another grabbed Tricia. Both Threehorns were held by their throats as if they were threatening to cut them open. Littlefoot, Chomper and Ruby were each grabbed by Fast Biters as well and held by their throats in the same fashion.

Once Mr. Thicknose was knocked down and pinned, the Sailbacks stepped into the center of what was now a circle of hostages. The leafeaters all struggled to escape their enemies’ grasps until they noticed that the male Sailback was holding Petrie in his hand, and the female was holding his mother and Wingfoot in one hand, and all his siblings in the other. The male threw Petrie onto a rock in the middle of the river. He landed on his back so hard that pain shot through his entire body.

“OWW!” he wailed.

“Petrie!” many of the children gasped as they tried helplessly to wiggle their way to freedom.

The little Flyer slowly sat up and looked around, only to be met with a nightmare …
 

---

---

Ducky woke up with a startle, and she panted for a few seconds before she looked around and saw that she was next to Spike. She had endured yet another horrific night terror about herself coming face-to-face with a Sharptooth in the Mysterious Beyond and Petrie trying to protect her but getting himself killed in the process. She felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes, so she quietly stepped out of her nest and tiptoed towards the familiar small rock, so she could be alone and bawl her eyes out. She didn’t want to share her suffering with her parents or siblings, especially Spike.

Once Ducky was on the rock and was beginning to cry, she peeked and saw that the river was beginning to glisten as the Bright Circle rose into the sky. It tore her heart to pieces thinking that this could be the last time she would ever see this river. She was sure that the Great Valley would throw her and Petrie out for their love for each other. They would become exiles all because one grim Threehorn believed their relationship to be a crime.

“Why is it wrong for Petrie and I to be in love?” she thought to herself, “Why does everyone hate us being in a relationship? This does not make any sense at all. No, no, no.”

Knowing that running away was the worst possible option as she knew it would leave her family heartbroken, Ducky stayed put on the rock and continued to cry silently until she would hear the sounds of her family waking up.

---

The Bright Circle soon became high enough for its light to penetrate into the Flyer family’s nest, but Petrie barely took any notice, even after he could faintly hear some of his siblings yawning. He had woken up long before anyone else had, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before that painful meeting would begin, and yet he dreaded it. He did not want to face the entire population of the Great Valley and let himself or his Swimmer girlfriend be humiliated by having their relationship be revealed for everyone to hear. He could picture many of the residents making nasty remarks about him and Ducky, and Mr. Threehorn carrying out the permanent banishment sentence. It only fueled his urge to run away and not deal with it.

Letting out a sniffle, he slipped out of his mother’s wings and walked across the cave before anyone could notice him. He sat down on the ledge and began bawling his eyes out.

He didn’t get to have privacy for long, though …

“Hey, where’s Petrie?” he heard Pearlwing say.

There then came a gasp from Mama Flyer, and she frantically yelled out, “Petrie! Where are you!? Oh, please don’t tell me he took off to avoid the meeting, especially with those Sharpteeth at large! Oh, my little Petrie!”

Sighing with dread and disappointment, Petrie opened one of his wings and waved it up and down to signal to his family that he was right outside. Within seconds, he heard someone come rushing towards him.

“Oh, Petrie!” Mama Flyer gasped with relief, “Thank goodness! For a moment, I was worried that you had taken off!”

Then, she noticed that her son was crying and sobbing softly, and she immediately switched to comfort mode by sitting next to him and rubbing his back.

“Petrie, … are you okay?” she asked gently.

“No,” sobbed Petrie, refusing to look up at his worried mother.

“Aww, my little one. I know how you feel, sweetheart,” sympathized Mama Flyer.

“No one else do, though,” Petrie responded solemnly.

“I’m sure a lot of dinosaurs will care because of the fact that you and Ducky are just children,” said Mama Flyer.

“What if they no do care?” lamented Petrie, “Especially after they find out it my fault Sharpteeth trying to break into Great Valley.”

Mama Flyer sighed sadly and gently lifted her poor son onto her lap, sitting on her knee, while she soothingly hugged him with one wing while rubbing his feet with the other.

“Petrie, … could you please look at me?” she kindly asked him.

Petrie sighed and hesitated for a moment, but he eventually gave in and looked up at his mother’s eyes. She responded by lowering her head and nuzzling his beak with her own. It was only then that she noticed that his eyes looked bright red. She knew only one thing that could cause that: lack of sleep.

“Petrie, … how much sleep did you get last night?” she asked.

With a quivering beak as he began to think about his nightmare again, Petrie reluctantly responded, “Hardly any.”

“Aw, my little Petrie. I know that today will be hard for you, but you still should have gotten at least some sleep,” said Mama Flyer worryingly, “It would have done you a lot of good.”

“Me have terrible sleep story last night … again,” sniffled Petrie, “Mr. Threehorn throw me and Ducky into Mysterious Beyond, and then we get chased by those Sailback Sharpteeth. Sharptooth grab Ducky and me try to save her, but then other Sharptooth grab me and we both get eaten!”

Mama Flyer was speechless after hearing about her son’s horrific night terror, and she could only watch as Petrie began bawling his eyes out again and buried his head into her chest. These nightmares were becoming so frequent that any chance of him getting some proper sleep was next to nothing.

“What if sleep story come true!?” cried Petrie, “What if me and Ducky get banished and fed to Sailback Sharpteeth!? What if me never see you again!?”

Mama Flyer felt a few tears building in her eyes as she choked back a few sobs. She felt so sad for her son, and it seemed as if nothing could comfort him.

“Maybe me should just run away now and no face Mr. Threehorn!” cried Petrie, and he jumped off his mother’s lap and began flapping his wings.

His feet had just about lifted off the ledge when his mother pulled him back onto her lap and held him tightly to stop him from escaping.

“Petrie! Please don’t run away!” she begged him, “Running away from your troubles is one of the worst things you can do when you’re very sad, … and when there’s Sharpteeth out there looking for you.”

“Me no want to do this meeting!” Petrie wept as he tried to pull himself out of his mother’s wings, but to no avail, “Me want to take Ducky and go somewhere else where we be accepted!”

“Petrie, please listen to me!” Mama Flyer shouted to get his full attention.

Petrie froze and looked at his mother as her shouting startled him.

“Now, Petrie, I know you don’t want to face this meeting, but you have to be brave and hope that everything will go our way. Just because you had a bad sleep story about banishment and Sharpteeth, doesn’t mean it will come true. Your mind is just trying to tell you that you don’t belong in this valley anymore. I said this before, and I’ll say it again: you do belong in the Great Valley, Petrie, and you always will, because you are my special boy, and I will never let you go. You have many great friends, and they all want you and Ducky to stay. I love you so much, Petrie, and I will always love you, because you are my brave, wonderful child, and I will not be able to move on without my special son.”

Petrie maintained eye contact with his mother as he listened to every word she said. He could feel his heart melting as his mother’s love for him warmed his chest and triggered more tears to build up in his eyes. After hearing how much she loved him as a son, Petrie knew that he rightfully belonged in the Great Valley, with his family and friends, and that he would never want to leave her mother’s side just as much as she never wanted to leave Ducky’s side. He was so special to his mother, and he would not let his relationship with Ducky get them tossed out of their beloved home. He would face this meeting … for the sake of his family, and for his girlfriend.

“Ma-Mama?” the little Flyer murmured as tears began to stream from his eyes once more, which made him wonder just how many he still had left.

“Yes, Petrie?” Mama Flyer replied gently.

“Tha-thank you,” sobbed Petrie, “Me … me love you so much.”

“I love you so much, too, Petrie,” said Mama Flyer with a faint grin, “You’re my special little boy.”

“Me no will run away, Mama,” added Petrie, “Me will do this meeting, … for you, … me family, … me friends, … and for Ducky.”

“Aww, Petrie. That’s my boy,” said Mama Flyer in a loving voice, “That’s my brave, little Petrie. Come here.”

Petrie obliged and wrapped his arms around his mother’s neck while the two nuzzled each other’s beaks.

“I’m so proud of you, Petrie,” whispered Mama Flyer, “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“Me hope,” replied Petrie.

“There, there, Petrie. Just relax and settle down. It’ll be okay, son,” Mama Flyer said soothingly.

The two Flyers sat on the ledge and hugged each other while Petrie managed to compose himself. Although he still dreaded the meeting that was just a few hours away, he knew he and Ducky would have to face it, even though the chances of them staying in the valley was probably minimal, at the very least.

“I really wish I didn’t have to say this, … but the meeting will not be today.”

The Flyers looked down and saw Grandpa Longneck standing just a few feet away. They jolted a little from his surprise appearance.

“Yes, I heard most of that, at the very least,” he said, “I see you’re trying your best to be brave, Petrie, and I’m proud of you, … but we have decided to delay the meeting until further notice.”

“What!?” gasped Petrie in shock, “But, … w-why?”

“For the sake of the valley’s safety,” sighed Grandpa Longneck.

“W-what happened last night after I returned home?” asked Mama Flyer worryingly.

“Chomper was able to stall the Sailbacks in the Secret Caverns until Mr. Threehorn and I held them off with some help from a couple of Clubtails. That little Sharptooth was quite brave last night.”

Petrie chuckled a little. He was proud of Chomper for being quite brave for still being a baby.

“However, he was seriously wounded by the time we arrived, and he fainted moments later. Ruby and I brought him to our home to rest for the night while we treated his injuries. He should eventually make a full recovery, but he and Ruby will be staying at my nest with Littlefoot for now, … as the Secret Caverns are obviously not safe for the moment,” continued Grandpa Longneck.

“He … okay?” gasped Petrie as his mother gave him a sweet bubble for breakfast.

“Don’t worry, Petrie. He’ll be fine,” replied Grandpa Longneck warmly with a wink, “The bad news is that as the Sailbacks made to leave, they vowed they would return … with allies, I’m afraid. Chomper translated for us, and he made out that they were not going to let us go that easily. We, … we may have a fight in our hands … today.”

“T-to-to-today!?” stuttered Petrie, nearly choking on his breakfast.

“Chomper said they’d be back when the Bright Circle came up. We have some Clubtails and a Swimmer guarding the caverns until then. Everyone will be taking high security measures today, and I suggest you do, too,” suggested Grandpa Longneck.

Petrie gulped and looked away. He knew it would happen sooner or later, but he didn’t think it would happen … today. Maybe even any minute now, those Sailbacks could be trying to break their way in, … looking for him.

“Why me?” he lamented to himself, “All because me try to save me Mommy.”

“Petrie, I told you you’re not to blame for all this. We’ll get rid of those Sharpteeth, and we’ll think about that meeting once it’s over, … okay?” his mother spoke to him.

“Please do not blame yourself for this mess, Petrie,” said Grandpa Longneck, “We’ll all do everything we can to set things right and ensure our safety. Until then, I think you should rest.”

“Mama, … can … me … go and see Ducky, … just for few minutes, … please?” sniffled Petrie.

Mama Flyer sighed and rubbed her son’s back with a gentle smile.

“Okay, dear,” she answered.

“I’ll escort you there, Petrie. I wouldn’t let any children wander off alone while everyone’s safety is at risk,” said Grandpa Longneck.

“Okay,” sighed Petrie.

“Don’t be too long, dear. I want to make sure you’re safe and sound,” said Mama Flyer.

“Okay, Mom,” Petrie sighed in annoyance.

“Come along now, little one,” chuckled Grandpa Longneck, and he winked at Mama Flyer before turning away. Petrie lifted himself into the sky and slowly followed him towards the one and only nest that brought him more happiness than his own.

---

Ducky had spent quite a while sobbing silently on the rock she was sitting on. She had buried her face with her hands and was staring down at the rock while tears spilled from her eyes. She could not imagine that this could be the last morning she spent with her family, and she felt terrible for herself and for Petrie. She did not wish this upon her Flyer boyfriend or herself, and she could not bear to face the upcoming meeting. Her nightmare about Petrie being killed by a Sharptooth continued to burn in her mind as well, and it made her sure that they would not be in the Great Valley much longer.

A moment later, she heard her mother and father waking up and yawning, but she refused to move. She did not want to show her drenched face to them.

Those hopes were to be dashed, however …

“Ducky?” Mama Swimmer’s voice spoke gently as she cautiously approached her daughter, “Are you okay?”

Ducky still refused to move a muscle, with the exception of her quivering bill, and her mother sat down right in front of her and gently tapped on her shoulder.

“Ducky?” she whispered, “Are you alright, dear?”

“No,” Ducky whimpered softly.

“Aw, my Ducky dear, … I know you’re upset, and I feel just as terrible as you do, and I’m sure Petrie and his mother are trying to cope with it, too,” sympathized Mama Swimmer.

“I had-ed a terrible sleep story last night,” sniffled Ducky.

“Aw, my poor little girl,” said Mama Swimmer sadly, rubbing Ducky’s back.

“I was in the Mysterious Beyond with Petrie, and a Sharptooth chased-ed after us and caught-ed me. Petrie tried to save me, but after the Sharptooth let-ed me go, it ate-ed poor Petrie!” cried Ducky.

“Oh, my!” gasped Mama Swimmer in shock as she found it hard to picture such a dreadful vision in her head, “That must have been so scary.”

“What if it comes true?” lamented Ducky, “They say that what happens in bad sleep stories may come true. What if me and Petrie do get banished-ed!?”

Mama Swimmer let out a deep sigh. This had, in fact, become quite true in Petrie’s case. He had been having night terrors about Sailback Sharpteeth, and those very Sailbacks were now possibly planning an attack on their Great Valley.

“Ducky, … I think you may be right,” she sighed with dread as she mentally prepared herself to explain the events of last night. Ducky had been asleep the whole night, and therefore she had no knowledge of what had transpired.

“W-what?” the little Swimmer gasped.

“About that, … I have some news,” her mother said, quivering a little, “Let me start with this: our valley came under attack last night.”

“What!?” gasped Ducky in horror, clasping her mouth with her hands.

“Two Sailback Sharpteeth tried to break into the valley through the Secret Caverns, but Chomper held them off while Ruby came out to warn us. Grandpa Longneck and Mr. Threehorn chased them back into the Mysterious Beyond, and we should be safe … for now, at least.”

“And … w-what does that have to do with … sleep stories coming true?” asked Ducky dumbfoundedly.

“I’m getting to that right now, dear,” her mother replied, “So, if you remember, after Petrie came back from Black Rock, he started having night terrors about Sailback Sharpteeth.”

“Yes, I remember. I do, I do,” nodded Ducky nervously.

“Well, … it turns out that those two Sailbacks are the same ones from his sleep stories,” sighed Mama Swimmer, looking away for a moment.

“What!?” yelled Ducky.

“It turns out that while Petrie and his mother were trapped in Black Rock, … they were pursued by an adolescent Sailback, and Petrie killed it by drawing it into a trap. The Sailbacks who tried to trespass last night … were its parents, … and … they want revenge,” finished Mama Swimmer.

“No way!” gasped Ducky, “My Funny Flyer is being hunted-ed!? Oh, no, no, NO! PLEASE, NOT PETRIE! PLEASE, NO!”

Poor Ducky burst into tears and nearly fell off the rock she was sitting on, but her mother caught her in her arms and hugged her tightly. This just couldn’t be true. Her sweet, loving boyfriend being hunted? This was too much for her to take.

“Sssh. There, there, Ducky. Mommy’s here, dear,” Mama Swimmer soothed her daughter, “We’ll make sure those Sharpteeth don’t set one foot into this valley. We’ll keep Petrie safe, Ducky. We promise.”

“Please do!” pleaded Ducky, “I cannot let Petrie get taken away by Sharpteeth!”

“Ssssh! Settle down, Ducky. Calm down. Take a deep breath,” her mother said.

Ducky did as she was told and took several deep breaths until she was calm enough to stop crying. Her mother set her back down on the rock as she began hiccupping with the leftover tears still trickling down her face.

“It’s okay, Ducky,” her mother whispered softly.

“Calm down, little one,” came her father’s voice as he joined them and placed a tree star next to her, “Here’s some breakfast. It will help you focus on that … meeting.”

With a sad sniffle and a hiccup, Ducky took the tree star and took one small bite out of it. She didn’t seem to be in the mood for breakfast, but she knew she had to eat.

She looked down at her feet and sighed as she thought of how her and Petrie’s love for each other had so suddenly turned everything upside down. First, they were on the brink of banishment, but now everyone was in danger. It was all happening so quickly, and she couldn’t comprehend why everything was suddenly falling apart this fast.

A long silence seemed to go by, accompanied only by Ducky’s hiccups and sniffles, … but then she suddenly felt something tap gently on her left shoulder four times.

The Swimmer perked up and looked to her left, and she nearly jumped as she saw … standing right next to her, … just so happening to be Petrie. He was looking uneasily at her. His eyes were sparkling wet, and his beak was quivering, either from sadness or from fright. It was just the one she wanted to see right now.

“Oh, Petrie!” Ducky cried quite suddenly to Petrie, and she stood up and pulled him closer before hugging her Funny Flyer tightly.

Petrie didn’t hesitate to return the gesture to his Sweet Swimmer. They cried and exchanged tears, never loosening their grip on each other. The only thing they had wanted right now … was a loving hug together.

“Oh, Petrie!” cried Ducky.

“Oh, Ducky!” replied Petrie in a very saddening voice.

“Please, Petrie! It cannot be true!” panted Ducky, “Tell me it is not true! Those Sailback Sharpteeth cannot be after you! Huh, huh!?”

Petrie quivered and looked at Ducky, then he gazed at her parents, and finally over towards her staring siblings and Spike, before turning his eyes back to the Swimmer he loved.

Bursting into tears again, he regretfully answered …

“Yes!” he wept, “Sharpteeth want me! Me kill their son in Black Rock, and now they want to kill me!”

“My goodness!” Papa Swimmer said uneasily, “I cannot believe this! No one could have imagined that any of our sleep stories could come true, let alone believe such things!”

“Are you okay, Petrie?” Mama Swimmer kindly asked.

“Me no feel okay at all,” cried Petrie in a voice that made Ducky’s heart sink, “Cera once say to Littlefoot no one safe with him around while we travel to Great Valley and run from Sharptooth. Well, … now no one safe with me around! It all my fault Great Valley in danger, and me no know what to do now that meeting not happening today.”

“What!?” Ducky parents gasped.

“I’m sorry to say you heard him right,” came Grandpa Longneck’s unmistakable voice, “We’ve decided to call off the meeting until further notice as an interest to the safety of all dinosaurs here.”

“What happened last night with Chomper at the Secret Caverns?” asked Papa Swimmer, “Is he alright?”

“He held them back until Mr. Threehorn and I gathered a couple of Clubtails and chased them off,” said Grandpa Longneck, “However, when they started growling at us, Chomper translated them as saying they would return once the Bright Circle came back up … with allies.”

“No!” gasped Mama Swimmer.

“I’m afraid we’re still in danger, and because of this, we’re putting off the meeting until we have definitively dealt with those Sharpteeth,” sighed Grandpa Longneck solemnly, “Until then, the Secret Caverns are out of bounds.”

“Then, … what about Chomper and Ruby?” asked Ducky, gulping with worry for their Sharptooth and Fast Runner, unable to imagine them not having anywhere to stay.

“They’re staying with Littlefoot at my nest until the matter has been settled,” replied Grandpa Longneck, “I’m sorry to say Chomper was severely wounded by those Sailbacks. He passed out from blood loss right after the Sailbacks disappeared. Ruby and I treated his wounds, and he should hopefully make a full recovery. He just regained consciousness this morning, but he can’t get around on his own. He lost quite a lot of blood.”

“Oh, no, no, no!” wailed Ducky as Petrie sniffled alongside her, “Poor Chomper!”

“He’ll be fine, though, … won’t he?” asked Mama Swimmer.

“I’m sure he’ll be just fine,” nodded Grandpa Longneck, “His recovery will probably take a couple of days, but once he’s back on his feet, he should be just fine. His wounds will probably take more than a Night Circle cycle to heal, though. He’s in for quite a rough time.”

Ducky and Petrie stared worryingly at each other. The tone of the Longneck’s voice made it sound as though, … Chomper’s recovery could take much longer than he said it would. It could even be possible that they’d never get to see him on his feet again.

“Um, … could we go see him, please?” Ducky asked her parents.

“Me think it be last time we ever get to see him,” gulped Petrie.

“Oh, kids,” chuckled Grandpa Longneck, “I assure you it won’t be the last time. We’ll work a way around this problem and be sure to keep you here with us.”

“We will allow you to go, kids,” Mama Swimmer nodded, “Don’t be long, though. If those Sailbacks are on the way, I want you back here as soon as possible. We want to make sure you’re safe.”

“Okay,” Ducky and Petrie nodded together.

“And stay close to Mr. Longneck. We can’t afford to have either of you wandering off with Sharpteeth on the loose,” warned Papa Swimmer.

“Okay, Daddy,” muttered Ducky.

“Let’s go, children. Stay next to me,” said Grandpa Longneck as he turned to leave.

“Coming,” called Petrie as he and Ducky broke off their hug and began following the elderly Longneck through the valley. The Swimmer family watched worryingly as their forms grew smaller and smaller.

Suddenly, the Swimmer parents heard a moan which they knew could only have come from Spike. Mama Swimmer looked down and saw the little Spiketail frowning at her with apparent concern for his beloved foster sister.

“Don’t worry, Spike,” she assured him, “Ducky will be back soon.”

Spike let out some more groans, and Papa Swimmer soon realized just what he was trying to say.

“I’m sorry, Spike, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to wander off with them. We have Sharpteeth on the loose, and we can’t take any risks … I’m sorry,” said Papa Swimmer sympathetically.

Spike sunk his head and lied down on the ground, watching as Ducky and Petrie disappeared into the forest. He really wanted to follow them and perhaps see Chomper, but with the valley suddenly seeming so unsafe, what were the chances he’d be able to have fun with his friends again?

---

“OOOOWWWWWWWW!”

“Hold still!”

“NAAAAOOO!”

“We know it hurts, but you have to keep still! It’ll be over soon! We promise!”

“MAKE IT STAAAAAAAAA-AHA-AHA-AHOP!”

The little Sharptooth wailed loudly as pain shot through his entire body. He longed for it to be over. He just couldn’t hold himself still as the Longneck and Fast Runner tried to bandage his wounds … again.

This had essentially been Chomper’s entire morning after that unbearable torture in the claws of those Sailbacks demanding information from him. He simply wanted to be brave just once and protect those he cared for, and this was his reward: a whole Night Circle cycle of unbearable agony. He just couldn’t endure it. He just wanted it to be over, but he knew deep down it would not be over anytime soon.

Both his legs had deep cuts in them that had to be filled in with herbs and bandaged with leaves to stop the profuse bleeding. His neck had also been cut deep, but not nearly as deep as the cuts in his legs. His tail had been smashed after being thrown into so many cave walls by those Sailbacks’ tails. A dark purple bruise was covering his entire tail and back, and he had to have huge leaves covering over his body to help the bruises heal.

Most painful of all, though, his bottom jaw had taken quite a beating. His entire mouth ached every time he tried to speak, a few teeth were bent or loose, and his bottom gums occasionally bled. As a result, he, to his dismay, had to keep a few healing plants in his mouth. They tasted horrible. It was so bad he often tried to pull his tongue back, but it was just no use. He would have to endure his worst nightmare until his mouth fully healed.

All of this was just unbearable for poor Chomper. Now he wondered why he couldn’t have died that night in the cave rather than go through all of this. Someone as young as him just didn’t deserve to go through this. It was just too much.

“Sssh. It’s okay, Chomper,” whispered Littlefoot, “We’ll all done.”

“You can stop crying now,” assured Ruby, “Crying you can stop doing.”

“Please no more of that!” wept Chomper.

“I’m sorry, but you know we will have to do it again eventually so that you won’t get infected,” informed Ruby.

Chomper just wailed at this unbearable news. Littlefoot and Ruby nuzzled him in an effort to calm their Sharptooth friend down.

“You know, if you had just allowed me to stay with you in the caverns rather than face them yourself, this would probably never have happened,” said Ruby a little sternly.

“I did it to protect the valley, okay!?” countered Chomper.

“But look what became of it! Now you’re hurt! Hurt you are!” Ruby scolded him, “I’m supposed to be the one looking after you, not be the one who needs to be looked after!”

“I’m sorry, Ruby!” cried Chomper.

“I’m sure you are now! You won’t be able to walk for maybe a couple of days!” said Ruby.

“Ruby?” said Littlefoot uneasily, but she took no notice.

“I’m supposed to protect you, Chomper! When I gave my word that I would keep you safe, I swore to keep my word! Don’t you ever ask me to abandon you again!? You hear me!? DON’T … EVER … DO … THAT … AGAIN!”

Littlefoot stepped back as he watched Ruby’s tantrum, feeling quite frightened by it, and he backed away next to a tree and lied down so that he wouldn’t inadvertently become the next victim of her wrath.

“I’m so sorry, Ruby!” Chomper cried loudly, “I’m really so sorry! I never meant to let you abandon me! I only wanted you to warn everyone and come back to me! I never wanted to give you the notion that I would fight those Sharpteeth alone! I know how much I mean to you, and I would never ask of such a thing from you! I’m sorry, Ruby! I’m sorry!”

Ruby didn’t say another word, but she stood where she was, panting and trying to maintain her furious look. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind for making such a foolish move.

Then, her heart suddenly softened a little as she listened to his tearful apologies and begging for forgiveness. She knew at heart that he never meant for her to just leave him like that. He probably could never have anticipated that those Sharpteeth were going to bash his skull in for refusing to divulge anything to them. He only true intent was to ensure the safety of those he knew deeply cared for him; his friends, the elders who somewhat made him feel like family, the dinosaurs he knew he had to protect, those he knew could trust him. He may not have wanted to be a hero, but he just wanted to show that this was where he truly belonged, where all dinosaurs of good intent rightfully belonged.

“I’m … so sorry,” whimpered Chomper as he shut his eyes and let more tears flow down his bruised face, not the tears of a Sharptooth, but the tears of a friend.

Suddenly, he felt Ruby’s hands holding his cheeks. He gulped as he expected her to yell right in his face. He felt ready to wail again …

Then …

“I’m sorry, too. Sorry I am.”

The little Sharptooth slowly opened his eyes and saw a frown on the Fast Runner’s face. It wasn’t an angry one, but it looked rather sympathetic. He was greatly surprised by this sudden change of gesture.

“I know you didn’t mean for me to leave you all alone like that,” whispered Ruby, “You were just trying to be brave and be a friend to all of us, and … I’m … proud of you. Just … in the future, … don’t ask me to leave you alone again. I need to know you’re safe. I can’t abandon you. I will never abandon you. I, … I …”

“Y-you what?” murmured Chomper.

Ruby suddenly wrapped her arms around his bandaged neck and rubbed her cheek against his. Tears began to stream from her eyes as she tried her best not to break down crying. Chomper was greatly shocked by this gesture, but he couldn’t resist and eventually hugged her back with his tiny arms. They sniffled and shared their tears as they sat there and hugged, unmoving for quite some time.

Littlefoot had watched everything, and he nearly let a tear fall from his eye as he took in the heartfelt scene. It nearly made him sink just watching those two hug and cry like a big sister-little brother couple.

“Is he okay, Littlefoot?” another voice suddenly whispered next to him.

The Longneck gasped and looked to his right to find Ducky and Petrie standing next to him, staring at their Sharptooth friend with worrying eyes. He then heard big footsteps approaching, and he found his grandfather arriving.

“He’s … quite beaten. I’ll tell you that,” Littlefoot whispered to Ducky and Petrie.

“Me still feel terrible it my fault this happen to him,” whimpered Petrie, feeling so guilty for being the cause of Chomper’s unbearable pain.

“It’s not your fault, Petrie,” replied Littlefoot, “Some Sharpteeth just don’t understand.”

“Poor Chomper,” sniffled Ducky, “I hope he gets better-er soon. Yes, yes, yes.”

They continued to watch Chomper and Ruby embracing each other. Neither of them seemed to have taken any notice of Ducky and Petrie’s sudden arrival. They sat there and hugged, rubbing their faces and letting the tears fall.

“Chomper, … I really don’t know what to say, … b-but, … but,” stuttered Ruby.

“But what, Ruby?” asked Chomper.

Suddenly, the Fast Runner pulled Chomper’s face closer and quite literally planted a huge kiss right on his mouth. The Sharptooth’s eyes went wide in great surprise. He tried to gasp, but he couldn’t. Ruby closed her eyes and began to kiss him a little more passionately. The Sharptooth just couldn’t react at all. This felt so sudden, and he didn’t know what to make of it.

Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie all gasped and froze with wide eyes and their mouths wide open. Grandpa Longneck looked quite as startled as the children, but even he couldn’t make a sound. Could this be happening? Ruby kissing Chomper? Could she have suddenly developed new feelings for him for his bravery or from how much she deeply cared for him? No one knew what to make of this sudden development brewing right before their eyes. This was just unimaginable to think that another forbidden relationship could be blossoming.

Soon, Ruby broke off and smiled at Chomper with caring eyes. The Sharptooth started breathing heavily from shock. He was completely taken aback by the sudden kiss. He couldn’t believe she had just done something he thought she would never do.

“Ruby, … w-why did you do that?” panted Chomper.

“Because, … I … I love you,” whispered Ruby.

Chomper froze. His eyes were wide. His broken jaw was wide open. His best friend, his dearest friend, his protector, his caretaker, his big sister-figure … had fallen in love with him?

“Love you, I do,” said Ruby, “I care so much about you, … and I can’t imagine living without you. You’ve been just like a little brother to me, and only recently I’ve begun to think of you as, … well, … I don’t know how to put it, … but I love you, Chomper. I really love you with my heart. With all my heart, I love you, Chomper.”

Chomper’s mouth quivered as he listened to those words. The other kids present just stood silent and didn’t dare interrupt the touchy moment.

Eventually, the Sharptooth gathered the courage to speak.

“I … don’t know what to say, Ruby,” he sniffled, “I knew you cared very much about me, … but I didn’t think you’d actually fall in love with me. This is such a surprise. If you really care so much about me that you actually have the heart to love me, … then, … oh, Ruby! I love you, too!”

Before the Fast Runner could reply, the Sharptooth abruptly planted a kiss on her cheek with his banged-up mouth, and he soon broke off and gave her a toothy smile that could have looked a lot better if it weren’t for his mouth injuries.

“Oh, Chomper,” chuckled Ruby, “I think you should rest for now.”

“But, Ruby?” whined Chomper.

“No buts, my silly one,” said Ruby, crossing her arms sternly, “You are going to rest, and I’ll be right here to watch you the whole time. I promise.”

That was all Chomper needed to hear, and he slowly rested his head against a pile of sticks while Ruby covered most of his broken body with a large tree star. The Sharptooth yawned and closed his eyes, and only then did the Fast Runner look and notice three more dinosaurs in their presence.

“Oh, … hello, my friends. My friends, hello,” she whispered so as not to wake her dear friend up.

“Me … no believe … what me … see,” murmured Petrie.

Ruby gulped as she came to realize that her friends had watched the whole thing. She knew she was making a potentially fatal mistake confessing her love to the Sharptooth she cared so much about, but on the other side, she knew these friends could definitely keep it a secret. The last thing she wanted was for her and Chomper to suddenly face the same punishment that Ducky and Petrie were set to face soon.

“I’m sorry, … but … I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t keep it in anymore,” she said as she gazed back at Chomper, “The truth is … I’ve had feelings for him for a while, … but I wasn’t brave enough to say it.”

“Well, you may have finally gathered the courage to confess, but you must be careful, Ruby,” informed Grandpa Longneck, “We already have two children in big trouble for the same reason. The last thing we need is for it to start spreading around the place and encourage other children to do the same thing. I don’t know what everyone would make of that.”

“I know,” sniffled Ruby, sinking her heart, “But I really love him.”

“And we’re happy you do, but it’ll be hard to keep track of two forbidden relationships with Mr. Threehorn already worked up over one of them,” said Grandpa Longneck.

“Oh, please no remind Petrie!” whimpered Petrie, and Ducky promptly hugged him to provide comfort.

“I don’t get it,” said Littlefoot, “Why are these relationships suddenly spreading and no one is telling me about them?”

“That’s difficult to explain, Littlefoot,” his grandfather replied, “Now then, you three should come with me and have a drink from the river. Chomper is well tended.”

“What about Ruby?” asked Ducky.

“I’m going to stay with Chomper,” the Fast Runner answered, “You three go on ahead. I’ll find some crawlers when Grandpa Longneck comes back.”

“Well, okay,” replied an unsettled Petrie.

“Come along now, children,” Grandpa Longneck instructed as he led Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie away. Ruby watched them leave until they were out of her sight, and she promptly returned to Chomper’s side and sat next to him. She passionately rubbed him with her hands to make sure he knew she was right beside him. The Sharptooth seemed to smile a little as if he could sense his presence, and she smiled back and kissed his cheek like a mother would kiss her precious child.

---

Grandpa Longneck led the three kids down the river and back into the open neighborhood where Ducky and Petrie’s families resided. For the little Swimmer and Flyer, it still didn’t feel like home to them with the valley turning against them for their love for each other. They felt as if they were going to be living in dread for quite a while. Now that the meeting had been cancelled until further notice, they didn’t know how long they’d have to live knowing that banishment was still inevitable.

Petrie still couldn’t help but blame himself for everything that had happened: the Sailbacks threatening the valley, Chomper nearly bleeding to death, the valley dinosaurs, adults and possibly children, fearing for their lives, and having to endure humiliation because of his own actions leading to that dreadful meeting being delayed. In the back of his mind, he still believed everything was his fault. He was still considering running away, but the only thing that held him back was not wanting to leave his family or Ducky behind. He knew the next few days would be dreadful, but he had to be there for those who still cared for him until he and his loved one would inevitably get thrown into the Mysterious Beyond for all of eternity.

Ducky occasionally looked up at Petrie flying slowly above her and noticed the sad, guilty look on his face. She could tell he felt guilty for Chomper’s near-death experience and the threat that was posing to the entire valley. No matter how many times she tried to assure him, he still blamed himself for everything. She was determined to make sure Petrie would not live with this guilt for the rest of his life.

Once the group arrived at Ducky’s nest, the Swimmer was immediately tackled by Spike. The Spiketail began nuzzling his foster sister with moans of dread. Their friends knew he was dreading the day when her and Petrie’s exile would surely come. He knew it was coming, but he didn’t want to lose the one and only dinosaur who understood him so well.

“Get off, Spike!” panted Ducky, “You are squeezing me! You are, you are!”

“Spike?” called Mama Swimmer, “Let her up.”

Spike reluctantly backed away from Ducky and allowed her to get back up. Petrie landed beside her and hugged her tightly, wanting warmth and comfort from his Sweet Swimmer. Ducky obliged and squeezed her Funny Flyer tightly to ensure he was very warm and comfortable.

“It is okay, Petrie,” she whispered to him, “I will never leave your side, my Funny Flyer. We will hold on and go through this together, you and me. We will, we will. I will make sure you are safe, and if we do get banished-ed, I will make sure you always have someone to hug with. Yes, yes, yes.”

“Thank you, Ducky,” sniffled Petrie, “Me never leave your side, either.”

“I love you.”

“Me love you, too.”

Mama Swimmer sat down next to them and got a closer look.

Their faces were drenched from a previous stream of tears. Their eyes were bright red, and their cheeks were soaked.
“Aw, there, there, you two,” Mama Swimmer spoke kindly as she lifted the two loving kids onto her lap for a hug, “We will not let Mr. Threehorn banish you from this beloved valley. This is your home, children, and it always will be.”

“What if Mr. Threehorn still does banish us?” said Ducky, brushing a single tear away.

“Then I think Ms. Flyer and I will go with you so that you two aren’t left alone without mothers to be there for you,” said Mama Swimmer with a soft smile.

“But what about Spike, or Daddy, or my brothers and sisters, and Petrie’s brothers and sisters?” gasped Ducky.

“We would never leave any child or parent behind, Ducky. Family is most important to us, and you are too precious for me to let go,” explained Mama Swimmer, “You will never stop belonging to me, Ducky, no matter what happens today or tomorrow, and as long as Petrie is by your side, you will always have someone to be with. We will never let you two be left alone for the rest of your lives.”

Ducky and Petrie managed faint grins after hearing that. To them, there was the slightest bit of comfort that could come if they were banished, but they still wanted to stay in the valley and have a happy home.

“Would you two like a drink?” offered Grandpa Longneck as he lowered his head to take a drink, “You look like you could sure use some water.”

“Okay, Grandpa Longneck,” the two lovers spoke together, and Mama Swimmer let them back down on the grass and allowed them to walk over to the riverbank.

The two sat down and dipped their feet in to allow the chilly sensations to soothe and calm them, and they lowered their heads and began sipping with their mouths while holding hands. They didn’t feel much better, but a drink of water helped them refresh some of their thoughts. The water felt pleasant, but it did little to soothe their heads.

Soon, they brought their heads back up and looked at each other with distraught faces. Each knew the other’s pain, and they both knew they would stick together until the whole matter was over, for the good or the bad.

“Are you feeling okay now, Petrie?” asked Ducky, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend’s back.

“Me no know,” sighed Petrie sadly as he stared down at their reflections in the river.

“I feel just as bad as you do, but we will hold on together until the end,” assured Ducky, and she planted a delicate kiss on Petrie’s cheek.

The kiss brought a very faint smile to his beak. Even in the darkest of times, her warm presence always seemed to make the moment just a little happier, especially when she began kissing him so passionately.

“We will be okay, Petrie,” whispered Ducky, pulling Petrie onto her lap and hugging him tightly like a little brother, “We will always hold on together. Yes, yes, yes.”

Petrie quivered and smiled a little, and a single tear escaped his eye. Ducky’s choice of words seemed to bring some much-wanted sense of happiness at a time when there seemed to be no happiness anywhere.

“Me feel so happy to be with you,” said Petrie, “Me wish you hug me forever.”

“Me, too, Petrie. Me, too,” replied Ducky, rubbing her cheek against his and kissing him whilst she hugged him tightly around the chest with one hand and used her other hand to play with his toes a little. Petrie chuckled for the first time in what seemed like a long time. Ducky really knew how to put such a cute smile on the Flyer’s face, and she was proud of herself for it.

“I love you, Petrie. Yep, yep, yep,” smiled Ducky.

“Me love you, too, Ducky. Yep, yep, yep,” replied Petrie in between tiny giggles as the Swimmer kept tickling his feet softly.

Grandpa Longneck chuckled at the couple. He was astounded that they were able to find a way to share their love and have a smile during such a dark and dreadful time.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here,” came another sudden voice.

Petrie’s face immediately flushed. He knew that unwelcome voice just about anywhere …

The two lovers gazed towards the other side of the river, and there was Petrie’s family. Mama Flyer stood next to her four other children, all of whom had their eyes locked on the loving couple. Petrie flushed in humiliation as he realized that Donnie was the one whom had spoken.

“If it isn’t the lovey-doveys of the Great Valley,” teased the older sister, Donnie laughing alongside her, “Just the perfect thing to drive them away from us forever!”

“Shut up, Donnie!” yelled Petrie as Ducky held him in her lap and tried to keep him calm.

“That’s enough teasing your brother, children!” scolded Mama Flyer, “Let’s start drinking from the river, and after that you’re going right back home! No arguments!”

“Oh, really!? And watch those two go at it like lovebirds!?” retorted Donnie, “I can’t even look at them with their disgusting kissy-mouths!”

Before Petrie could fire back from across the river, Ducky suddenly placed him back on his feet and walked her way across, clenching her fists as if she was getting ready to punch one of those unkind Flyers.

“Ducky? What are you doing?” gasped Grandpa Longneck.

“Ducky! Don’t!” her mother called in shock.

Ducky ignored everyone’s calls and eyed the Flyers with rage in her eyes. She was tired of often listening to them berate their little brother, the one she loved. She didn’t care what anyone else would do, but she was determined that they would not pick on her Funny Flyer anymore …

“Be quiet! All of you!” she hissed.

“Oh, look who’s talking now! Is Petrie too much of a scaredy-egg to speak for himself or does his lovey-dovey trying to protect him like some little nest-wetting crybaby!?” Donnie and his sister laughed.

“SHUT UP!” screamed Ducky so loudly that the Flyers all jumped and fell on their backs. Pearlwing looked absolutely frightened, but Donnie didn’t seem fazed in the slightest by the Swimmer’s fury, “I will not let you keep picking on Petrie! He is your brother, and you do not even treat him like one! No, no, no! He is a lot smarter-er and braver-er than you say he is, and you still have no heart for him! Why do you not care about someone who is family to you!? Huh, huh!? You do not seem like family to him at all! No, no, no!”

Petrie was stunned by this. He couldn’t believe his girlfriend was actually standing up to those heartless siblings whom had tormented him all his life. He was amazed she had the guts to actually try to put them in her place as if something had suddenly snapped in her. Littlefoot, Grandpa Longneck and the others were all equally stunned into silence.

“Yes, Petrie may still wet the nest sometimes, but that is because we have experienced-ed such scary things in real life! You would have no idea how it feels until you actually see it for yourself!” continued Ducky, “Petrie loves me because I care for him, and I love Petrie because he cares for me! Families and friends stick together, and you should be doing that, too!”

“Yeah!” shouted one of her sisters standing beside Petrie, “You should make him more welcome at home!”

“Yes, we know Ducky and Petrie are in love, but we welcomed it, and you should, too!” said a brother, “Why don’t you!?”

“You are no family to Petrie, and as long as I am around, I will not let you anywhere near him again until you finally decide to treat him like a brother!” finished Ducky.

“B-but, … I … I care,” Pearlwing suddenly murmured.

“Shut up, girl!” hissed Donnie.

“Don’t tell me to shut up, Donnie! I care about Petrie, and you will not make me change my opinion again!” retorted Pearlwing.

“I will tell you what I think, and you will-“

“SILENCE!” screeched Mama Flyer, and her children were instantly jolted into silence, “No one is going to control anyone else’s opinions among my family!”

“Says who!?” shouted Donnie sarcastically.

“Donnie, back to the nest! NOW!” yelled Mama Flyer, pointing to the sky.

“But, M-mommy!?”

“GO!”

Shrieking with fear, Donnie took flight and flew away as fast as his wings as he could.

“I knew he was always the worst,” hissed an unimpressed Mama Flyer, and she shifted her attention back to her other children, “Now, Pearlwing, is it true that you truly care about your brother’s situation?”

“I … I do,” said Pearlwing nervously, “I just, … I always cared for Petrie just a little, … but Donnie wouldn’t let me say anything.”

“Well, I’m happy that at least one of my children care,” sighed Mama Flyer, “And what about you two?”

The two other Flyers simply stayed silent, and their mother couldn’t decide if she should take that as a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.

“Petrie?” said Pearlwing.

“What?” replied Petrie in a lazy voice as Ducky came back to his side and began to cuddle him again.

“I just wanted to say that … I … I’m sorry,” said Pearlwing nervously.

“Really?” snorted Petrie.

“I really am!” begged Pearlwing, “I always … sorta … liked you, … but I never had the heart to say it in front of the others.”

Petrie watched as his sister flew across the river and landed right in front of him and Ducky. He felt very tense just from the idea of any one of his siblings suddenly being nice to him. It hadn’t happened once since the Day of the Flyers, and even that was so long ago.

“I didn’t know how to feel about you and Ducky being together, but now … I’m happy, even if everyone else isn’t,” said Pearlwing, “I’m scared for you, Petrie. I don’t want you to be banished or eaten by those Sharpteeth. I really want to see you happy like you were on that Day of the Flyers. I was so happy for you that day, and I want to share some more of that with you while we’re still living together. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done to you.”

Petrie just stared awkwardly at his sister, not believing what she had just said. For the first time for as long as he could remember, she sounded like such a sincere sister. He could never have pictured any of his siblings showing any compassion for him, but now something that could only be a sleep story was suddenly coming true, a sibling who actually cared for him. It was so surreal to him.

“Do you have the heart to accept my apology, Petrie?” asked Pearlwing with hoping, pleading eyes staring directly into her brother’s.

Petrie could finally see the truth behind those pleading eyes. He could see for the first time, sincerity in her heart that had truly changed for the better, something he thought would never come true.

Slowly, Petrie slid off Ducky’s lap and approached his sister. He then brought his hand out and allowed her to take it. As they began shaking, faint smiles formed on their beaks, the first genuine smiles he had ever shared with any of his siblings.

“Me forgive you, Pearlwing,” grinned Petrie.

Her grin turning into a happy smile, Pearlwing abruptly wrapped her wings around her brother and embraced him. Petrie was greatly shocked by this, and for a moment he didn’t do anything, but eventually he wrapped his own wings around her back.

Ducky sniffled happily as she watched the scene, but no one was happier than Mama Flyer. Watching her youngest son finally get the compassion he deserved from at least one of his siblings felt like the happiest moment in her family’s recent memory. She tearfully smiled as Petrie and Pearlwing embraced each other, the first signs of her broken family finally beginning to mend, the first stage of healing from one of the many things that had so nearly destroyed her family.

After several minutes, Petrie and Pearlwing broke off and looked at each other, just staring with nervous chuckles and smiles. The younger Flyer felt happier than he had been for a long time, his family finally beginning to mend after such devastating tragedies and many seasons of pain and suffering by the hands of those who were meant to provide him comfort during the darkest times.

Pearlwing then briefly glanced at Ducky, and the Swimmer softened and winked at her. The Flyer grinned in return and lifted herself into the air to rejoin her family on the other side of the river.

“I’m so proud of you, Pearlwing,” her mother spoke tearfully, “I’m so happy you care about your little brother and all the troubles he’s been through in recent times.”

“Thanks, Mama,” replied Pearlwing, deeply touched by her mother’s kind words.

“As a reward for making amends with Petrie, I’m going to lift your grounding,” said her mother proudly.

“Really!?” gasped Pearlwing in excitement, “Yippee!”

“You’re free to do what you’d like, but in the meantime, I’d like you to help me while your little brother is stuck in this agonizing situation.”

“I promise, Mama,” nodded Pearlwing.

“I’m greatly worried for little Petrie, and I want you to help me give him the warmth and comfort he needs until the other elders and I can mend our situation.”

“Okay, Mom,” said Pearlwing.

The other two Flyers groaned as if they were jealous of Pearlwing’s newfound freedom, but neither she or their mother paid any attention.

“I am so happy for you, Petrie,” Ducky whispered in her Funny Flyer’s ear.

“Me no think it happen if it not for you, though,” Petrie whispered in return, “Me think you teach them quite a lesson.”

“I will not let any of your brothers and sisters be mean to you as long as I am standing next to you, my Funny Flyer,” assured Ducky, “I promise. I do, I do.”

“Kids, … that was … quite amazing,” Papa Swimmer chuckled, “You really taught them a valuable lesson.”

The other young Swimmers chuckled sheepishly and jumped into the river to give Ducky and Petrie some space for them to hug and kiss. There seemed to be no point in trying to find a hiding place now that everyone knew of their secret, but they were still dreading the possibility that it would lead to their permanent exile … and possibly even permanent separation from their families.

“Would you two like to come play in the river?” offered Littlefoot.

“Me think we like to sit here and keep each other company,” answered Petrie.

“Suit yourself!” teased one of Ducky’s brothers, “You’re gonna miss quite a lot of-“

Suddenly, … they heard it …

The sound that many of them were dreading but knew was inevitable …

Grandpa Longneck immediately brought his head back up and stared off into the distance intently.

“What’s that?” asked one of the Swimmer children.

“Everyone quiet!” demanded Grandpa Longneck, and he listened again for that sound …

… that of a Swimmer’s distress call echoing from miles away.

The Longneck gasped and nearly froze in place. He quickly stepped out of the river and kept staring at the direction the sound was coming from.

“Oh, no!” he stammered.

“What is it, Grandpa!?” panted Littlefoot anxiously.

“What’s going on?” said Pearlwing.

…

“They’re here!”

…

---

4,178

---

Ducky was sleeping uneasily, strange sleep stories consuming her mind. After the eventful day with their mothers yesterday, she could only think about her Funny Flyer. Returning to her routine of sleeping at home with her family seemed to have a negative affect on her. Just one night sleeping without Petrie by her side felt unbearable, and it didn’t even feel like it was just for one night, but rather like a whole Night Circle cycle.

Suddenly, she felt a pleasant sensation on her cheek which instantly tickled her, and she started giggling as she tried to stay asleep. However, it was to become elusive, as the ticklishness increased and forced her to laugh out loud.

The Swimmer opened her eyes and looked up, only to find Spike playfully licking her cheek to wake her up.

“Spike!” she giggled, “Stop!”

Convinced that Ducky was awake, Spike stopped licking his sister and allowed her to sit up. The Swimmer yawned and stretched her arms before she stood up and walked groggily.

“Good morning, Spike,” she spoke to her foster brother.

Spike grunted happily as a way of saying “good morning,” and Ducky looked around and saw that all her siblings were already having breakfast.

“Last one up today?” she sighed, “I must have overslept-ed.”

“Good morning, Ducky,” came Mama Swimmer’s voice.

Ducky looked up and saw her mother smiling down at her, handing her a tree star.

“Good morning, Mama,” the six-year old replied.

“You’re up a little late this morning,” said Papa Swimmer.

“I thought-ed so,” sighed Ducky.

“Don’t you worry, dear,” assured Mama Swimmer, “You haven’t missed anything. Your friends will probably be here in a little bit.”

Ducky brightened a little at the mention of her friends. There was one friend she particularly could not wait to see again.

“It’s been three days since you last played with Littlefoot and the others, as far as I understand it,” Papa Swimmer pointed out.

“I know, said Ducky softly, “I miss playing with them.”

“Listen. Ms. Flyer and I are going to go visit with Hyp’s father,” informed Mama Swimmer, “After what happened yesterday, I do not intend for that brat to go unpunished.”

“He deserves to be punished,” said Ducky as she felt her renewed rage towards Hyp building up within her. It was clear she hadn’t forgiven him for nearly drowning both her and Petrie in that pool of Sinking Sand.

“Don’t you worry, dear. I’ll take care of things. Meanwhile, you and Spike can go play with your other friends,” said Mama Swimmer kindly.

“Okay, Mama,” said Ducky, calming herself down as she tried to forget about dealing with Hyp, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Ducky,” replied Mama Swimmer.

“I’ll look after the rest of the kids, dear,” smiled Papa Swimmer.

“That’s good, dear. Thanks for your help,” his mate replied, and she kissed his cheek before speaking to Ducky again, “Well, I’d better be going. You and Spike have a good day, okay?”

“We will, Mama,” answered Ducky, with Spike nodding along.

“Okay, kids. I’ll see you later,” said Mama Swimmer, and she turned and left the nest.

“Bye, Mama!” called Ducky before her mother disappeared.

“Hey, Ducky,” one of her brothers said once their mother had gone, “Is it okay if we talk with you for a minute?”

Ducky felt rather uneasy about talking with her siblings, given everything she had been through over the past seven days, but, being the kind-hearted girl she was, she didn’t want to disappoint them.

“Um, … okay,” she answered, just as several more of her siblings walked up to her.

“Some of us haven’t been able to help but notice that you’ve been acting strangely lately whenever Petrie is around,” said a sister.

Ducky gulped nervously. She was sure her siblings had somehow managed to spy on them at some point during the past week. She hoped they hadn’t managed to find out about her love for Petrie.

“Whenever Petrie comes over to pick you up, you get more cheerful than we’ve ever seen you,” a second brother pointed out.

“Oh, and that’s another thing,” said a second sister, “We’ve been used to seeing all of your friends pick you up before, but lately Petrie is always the first one here, and more often than now, your friends sometimes come here later, asking where you are.”

Ducky looked away as she struggled to think of an excuse that would convince her siblings, although that quickly proved to be easier said than done …

“Is there something going on between you and Petrie that nobody else knows about?” asked the first brother.

“Ahem,” their father suddenly coughed, “Kids, I don’t think this matter should be discussed right now.”

“But, Daddy!?” whined one of the girls, “We really wanna know!”

“I’m sorry, children, but there are some things that your sister may not want you to bother her with. This is considered something … personal, if you will, and I’m sure Ducky doesn’t want anyone bothering her about her personal business.”

“You mean, … something private?” asked one of the boys.

“Yes,” nodded Papa Swimmer, “This is a very private matter that Ducky does not wish to share with anyone.”

“But then, … why do you and Mama know about it?” said another one of the boys, looking very confused.

Just as Papa Swimmer was about to speak again, her daughter suddenly coughed a little, and she nodded to him as a gesture indicating that she was willing to tell her siblings if they really wanted to know. He was extremely hesitant to let her speak the truth. With Ducky having quite a lot of siblings, it seemed, there would surely be a severe risk of her secret being exposed to the rest of the valley; a forbidden secret that could see her exiled for the rest of her days.

Ducky sighed sadly as she looked down, trying to think of the right words to say. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep the secret away from her siblings forever, even if their father tried to keep them away.

“Okay,” she began as she made eye contact with them again, “I am not sure you would like this, … but … Petrie and I are most than just best friends.”

Her siblings stayed silent as she paused and chose her words carefully …

“Petrie and I are … in love.”

The Swimmer children all gasped in surprise, and their eyes were wide as they stared at their sister.

“You are in love with a Flyer?” gasped the second brother.

Ducky looked down in shame, “Yes.”

“But Ducky, … you’re a Swimmer. He’s a Flyer,” said the first brother, “You’re in love with someone from another kind. I’m not sure anyone around here would like that.”

“You could get banished for that!” gasped the second sister, “We would lose you forever!”

“Mommy and Daddy are okay with me being in love with Petrie,” said Ducky, “So is his Mama, and so are our friends, and so are Littlefoot’s grandma and grandpa.”

“They do?” stammered the first brother, unable to believe that anyone could accept such a relationship taking place, one that was considered such a heinous, despicable crime that deserved nothing less than humiliation and a lifetime of banishment.

“They do, they do,” replied Ducky, “In fact, Mama feels so happy for me and Petrie.”

“But what about Mr. Threehorn?” said the first brother, “If he finds out, you’ll surely get kicked out of the Great Valley.”

“Perhaps, … unless Littlefoot’s grandparents can convince him otherwise,” their father pointed out.

The children simply stayed silent and looked at their oldest sister in absolute disbelief. This caused her to sink her head again in shame, sure that her siblings would turn against her.

“You hate me now, don’t you?” she sniffled.

“We don’t hate you, Ducky,” said the second brother, “You’re our most special sister we’ve ever had. We just don’t want to lose you because of Mr. Threehorn finding out that you’re in love with a Flyer.”

Ducky looked up at her siblings, and they all looked as if they were worried for her.

“You mean, … you are okay that I am in love with Petrie?” she said softly.

“We’re okay with it as long as you don’t get caught,” said the first sister, “We care about you, Ducky, and we don’t want you to get kicked out because of a relationship with someone from another kind.”

Ducky grinned faintly at her siblings, and they all grinned back. A moment ago, she had been dreading the idea of them finding out, yet they had also accepted it. Their only worry was if she and Petrie got caught by Mr. Threehorn and he would then try to banish them from the valley.

She looked at her father, and she saw a grin flash across his face, too.

“Thanks, everyone,” she said, “Just promise you will not tell anybody.”

“That would really mean a lot to the whole family if we could keep this a secret for as long as we can,” said Papa Swimmer, “I’m happy you care very much for your sister.”

“We won’t tell anyone, Ducky,” her siblings all promised just as Spike licked her cheek again.

“Spike!” Ducky giggled, “Stop!”

“I think Spike wants to play with you, Ducky,” chuckled their father.

“Okay. I am going to find my friends, and I will see you later,” said Ducky, and she turned to her foster brother, “Come on, Spike!”

“See you later, Ducky!” the Swimmer children replied as they watched Ducky and Spike take off towards the Gang’s regular meeting place.

Ducky felt so relieved to have gained the support of her siblings when it came to her relationship with Petrie. With there being yet another obstacle out of the way, she could now focus on what she wanted to do with her friends, but also what she especially wanted to do with her beloved Petrie.

---

The Bright Circle’s light once more blasted through the entryway of the Flyer family’s cave, and Petrie felt his eyelids being hit with bright light. He shifted a little as he tried to stay asleep. He had been having dreadful sleep stories again, and he was tossing and turning in his sleep.

Petrie covered his face with his wing to shield his eyes from the morning light, and he quickly sat up with a brief scream before he began panting.

“Petrie?” came his mother’s voice just as he felt her patting her back, “Are you alright?”

Petrie glanced upward to see his mother looking worriedly at him. He gulped and let out a few more deep breaths to calm himself down. These nightmares just seemed like they would never end.

“Bad sleep story,” he gasped.

“Again?” sighed Mama Flyer.

Petrie glanced at his still-sleeping siblings before he took a deep breath and began …

“Me find Ducky in Sinking Sand, and me try to pull her out, but then me look back and see Hyp, and he kick me off rock and into Sinking Sand. Then, me suddenly fall in some dark cave, and … those … Sailback Sharpteeth chase me again, and they say they still want me for killing their son.”

“Whoa, wait. Those same Sailback Sharpteeth from your other sleep stories?” said his mother as a sudden thought spiraled into her head, one she felt very uncomfortable thinking about.

Petrie nodded and replied, “W-what if … that Sharptooth who try to kill us in Black Rock … have … mommy and daddy? What it they find out it me who trap him? What if there really are Sharpteeth after me!?”

Mama Flyer let out a dreadful sigh as she soothingly caressed her son. She, in fact, was beginning to believe somewhat that Petrie’s worries may be true if those Sharpteeth continued to haunt him in his sleep. The more they kept appearing in his sleep stories, the more it seemed to dawn on the possibility that it just might be true. Could it be that these sleep stories were a foretelling of the little Flyer’s future? Could he have sealed his own fate by luring that adolescent Sharptooth into that trap? Could there truly be Sailbacks somewhere out there in the Mysterious Beyond, … hungry, not for food, … but for revenge?

“It true, isn’t it!?” cried Petrie once he noticed his mother staring off into space, obviously contemplating her thoughts.

This snapped her back to reality, and she quickly started cuddling her son again to calm him down.

“I don’t know for sure if it’s true or not, dear. No one else would possibly believe such a thing, … but if it is, … then I will stand by you and protect you at all costs. You know I only want my precious child to be safe,” she assured him.

“But what if-,” Petrie said, but it was all he could utter before his mother shushed him by closing his beak with her hand.

“Let’s not dwell on that right now, Petrie. You know the Great Valley is safe and very-well protected, and you have friends to find and play with,” she spoke gently to him.

Petrie sighed. He had run out of arguments, so he spoke no more of the matter that had been stuck in his mind since that dreadful night after their return from Black Rock.

“Oh, and I almost forgot. Mrs. Swimmer and I need to go see Hyp and his father today. We’ve got to teach that kid a little lesson.”

Hearing Hyp’s name renewed the rage Petrie had been keeping within him after that nasty incident the previous day.

“Me still no forgive him for nearly making us drown in Sinking Sand,” he hissed.

“Don’t worry about him, dear,” assured Mama Flyer as she gently picked up Petrie and carried him out onto the ledge in front of the cave, “Mrs. Swimmer and I can handle him. In the meantime, you’ve got some friends to play with. You haven’t played with Littlefoot and the others for quite a few days now, and they must be wondering what has been going on with you and Ducky.”

“Me know,” sighed Petrie.

“Here, my little one,” said Mama Flyer, setting her son down and picking up a red tree sweet that had been stashed with some other plants in the cave, “Why don’t you have a nice red tree sweet for breakfast?”

Petrie grinned faintly as he took the tree sweet, and he took a small bite from it. The taste was sensational, so he decided to eat it slowly.

“Me really miss playing with Littlefoot and others,” the little Flyer said thoughtfully as he thought about his small group of loyal friends, “Me and Ducky really miss out on so much fun.”

“Even though you two had so much fun of your own,” reminded Mama Flyer.

“Me know,” chuckled Petrie as he thought of the warm times he had shared with Ducky in the last two days, “It nice just being with Ducky for while, but it be great to get back in with our friends again.”

“And besides, when all your friends are around, times can be more fun than those when you’re just hanging out with Ducky,” Mama Flyer pointed out.

“You right,” said Petrie thoughtfully, “Me think today will be so much fun!”

“That’s the spirit, Petrie,” chuckled Mama Flyer, “Now, go ahead and finish up your red tree star, and you can go play with all your good friends, while I take care of some business with Hyp’s father.”

“Okay, Mama,” nodded Petrie before taking another bite of his breakfast.

“I’ll see you later, son,” grinned Mama Flyer, and she lifted herself off the ledge.

“See you later, Mama!” Petrie called as his mother soared away.

Now that he was alone, the little Flyer began thinking about what he would do with Ducky the next time they were alone. He could not get her out of his mind for even one second, and with each minute that passed, he felt like he loved her more than ever. He was sure that Ducky was feeling the same about him, too.

“Me no can wait to see smile on Ducky face today,” Petrie said to himself as he stared off into space, “We may have friends with us today, … but me especially no can wait to jump into Ducky arms when me join them.”

He momentarily forgot that it wasn’t quite the best idea to just jump into Ducky’s arms when in the presence of their friends, as Cera was likely still trying to get to them.

“Me hope Cera no know,” he said nervously, “If she know, then she tell her dad, then we get banished for sure.”

Quickly snapping out of his thoughts, Petrie finished his red tree sweet, and he stood up and glanced down at the valley below, admiring its glorious beauty. He could feel that today was going to be a great day since it was just so gorgeous outside.

“Well, Ducky … and friends, … here me come!” he cheered delightfully as he flapped his wings and took to the skies, with their regular meeting place as his destination.

The Flyer failed to notice that while he was talking to himself, his siblings had woken up and eavesdropped on him to take advantage of their mother being out, and had overheard every word he said.

“So, … Petrie is in love with Ducky after all,” gasped the older sister.

“And Mama sounds like she’s okay with it,” added the younger brother.

“Then, why did she tell us that he wasn’t?” asked the younger sister.

“Obviously because she didn’t want us to spread it to everyone,” answered the oldest brother.

“Wait! Our brother is in love with a Swimmer!?” said the younger sister in deep shock, “He could get banished from the valley!”

“Good riddance,” murmured the oldest brother.

“And Ducky, too!” his brother added, “They’re both in great danger!”

“So, what’s the big deal!?” he asked, “And since when did you care?”

“The big deal is that he’s our brother and he’s going to be banished!” the younger sister retorted.

“Well, we can’t do anything about it since we’re still grounded,” sighed the younger brother.

“But I care about Petrie,” panted the younger sister, “We may have had hard times with him, but he’s our brother, and we can’t let him get thrown out just because he’s in love with a Swimmer.”

“See if I care!” ranted the oldest brother.

At this, the younger of the two girls walked right up to their oldest sibling and slapped him across the face so hard that he fell on his side.

“OW!” he cried.

“Listen, Donnie! I’ve had enough of you controlling all of us!” the younger sister yelled, “I once thought you were just trying to teach us all that Petrie is just some whiney little baby, but now I realize you’re such a big jerk! You delight in nothing but torturing Petrie to no end, and I can’t take it anymore! You’re just a big, sick black-hearted maniac who loves picking on everyone and manipulating us into siding with you! I hate you, Donnie! I hate you, I HATE YOU!”

Her siblings froze and stared at her as if they were suddenly frightened by her presence. This seemed eerily similar to Petrie’s outbursts, but for someone whom had sided with them for so long when it came to abusing their youngest brother, this seemed out of character.

“Uh, … P-Pearlwing?”

“Don’t Pearlwing me!” she snapped back at the sibling whom had spoken her name, the middle brother, and she pointed back to Donnie, “This big brat has what turned all our lives so miserable! I can’t stand listening to him anymore!”

“In that case, maybe we should just throw you out like we tried to do to Petrie!” growled Donnie.

“Or maybe we should throw you out!” retorted Pearlwing.

The two Flyers glared at each other like they were challenging each other to a fight to the death, but their two other siblings grabbed Pearlwing and pulled her back before she could even make an attempt at attacking their oldest sibling.

“Okay! Let’s not start fighting until we have yet another family feud like we already have with Petrie!” yelled the middle brother, “We are going to talk to Mommy about this when she gets home!”

“Are you kidding!? She’ll yell at us again!” argued the oldest sister, “We all got grounded because we made fun of Petrie being in love with Ducky!”

“Yes, but we know that our suspicions were correct all along!” Pearlwing put in, “If we tell her that we know that our brother’s in love with Ducky, then she’ll understand.”

“Pah! Like that’ll do us any good!” snorted Donnie.

“We have to do something!” shouted Pearlwing, “Petrie is our brother, and we can’t let him get kicked out of the Great Valley!”

The four children could only just sit where they were, unable to think of a way to save Petrie from potentially being banished. Donnie still didn’t seem to care, but now with Pearlwing’s sudden change of heart, the others were all beginning to think that something must be done to save their youngest brother. As long as they remained grounded, though, it seemed that they were hopeless in saving their brother from a tragic fate.

---

Ducky and Spike smiled as they saw Littlefoot, Cera, Chomper and Ruby waiting for them at their meeting place, and they cheerfully ran up to them. For Ducky, this felt like something that hadn’t happened in a long while.

“Hi, guys!” the Swimmer cheered.

“Hi, Ducky! Hi, Spike!” the other kids replied.

“We’ve missed you so much, Ducky!” said Chomper.

“And Petrie, too!” added Ruby.

Hearing Petrie’s name prompted Ducky to look around, realizing that their Flyer friend had not yet arrived.

“What have you and Petrie been up to?” asked Cera.

Ducky gulped once she heard those words from the Threehorn, and she stayed silent.

“Having some cute times with Petrie, I’d imagine,” Cera put in.

“Not so loud, Cera!” Ducky fired back, “I do not want anyone to hear that!”

Cera sighed and quickly shut her mouth.

“Sorry,” she murmured.

“Speaking of which, where is Petrie?” asked Ducky.

“Gee, I don’t know,” answered Littlefoot.

No sooner did he say that when a certain voice called to them with a cheerful giggle …

“Hello, guys!”

Everyone looked up towards the sky. They recognized that voice anywhere. Ducky, of course, was so delighted that she almost couldn’t contain her excitement.

“Petrie!” they all cheered.

Sure enough, Petrie came soaring towards them with a bright smile on his face. He looked so happy to see all his friends again, but he was especially happy to see Ducky’s cheerful smile.

The kids watched as Petrie charged straight towards Ducky, and the Swimmer jumped and caught her boyfriend in her arms before landing on her back, hugging him tightly. The Flyer instantly began kissing his girlfriend’s bill all over, earning cute laughs from her, and the Gang could only agree that it was an adorable sight, although Cera seemed a little grossed out by it.

“How me Sweet Swimmer today?” asked Petrie.

“I am doing very good, my Funny Flyer!” chuckled Ducky.

Most of the Gang laughed as they heard their nicknames. They sounded rather adorable. This drew the lovers’ attention to their friends, and Petrie suddenly gasped in horror when he spotted a particular Threehorn in their presence.

“Oops,” he said to himself as he realized that he might have just made a big mistake.

“What do you mean, ‘oops’?” asked Cera dumbfoundedly.

“It is okay, Petrie,” said Ducky as Petrie stared at the Threehorn with a dumbstruck look on his face, unable to understand why she was reacting this way, “Cera already knows.”

“What!?” panicked Petrie, “Cera know!? She might go tell her dad, and we get banished!”

“Petrie, I’m not going to tell my dad,” reassured Cera with a slightly impatient tone.

“How you know me in Ducky … together?” asked Petrie.

“Okay. It was when you got tossed to Black Rock and your mom set off to rescue you. Ducky didn’t react very well, and I knew that there was something special going on between you two.”

She paused and brought her voice down to a whisper to make sure no one else could hear her …

“So, I deduced that you two were in love,” she finished.

Petrie’s face paled, and he began to shake as he tightly held Ducky so that she could “protect” him.

“I gave my word that I would not tell my dad,” Cera went on as she looked at Petrie, “I’m keeping my word. If Dad ever finds out, I won’t let him send you away from this valley. In fact, I’d imagine Tria would probably be okay with your relationship if she knew. She’s nothing like Dad. My friends are more important to me than trying to keep Dad happy all the time, because my Dad is never happy anyway, unless he’s with Tria.”

Petrie felt most of his uneasiness drift away, and he settled down while Ducky hugged him for warmth.

“Yes, I find this absolutely weird, but I’m not one to betray my friends,” said Cera, “We may have had our rough times, Petrie, but you’re still my friend, and I don’t want to see you or Ducky get thrown out. Who cares what my dad thinks?”

“I certainly don’t,” said Chomper, “What I really care about is how others think about this. This should be allowed in this valley, whether others like it or not.”

“You’re certainly one to talk about this,” commented a somewhat impressed Cera.

“Grandma told me that love between different kinds should not be considered a crime in the Great Valley, but banishing children should be,” said Littlefoot.

“It should, it should,” agreed Ducky.

“So, that means you two can relax now that we’re all accepting of your relationship,” the Longneck pointed out.

Ducky and Petrie smiled at each other as the Flyer let out a sigh of relief. Now that all their friends in the Gang knew about their relationship and accepted, he knew they could all have tons of fun without there being anymore tension between them.

“So, guys, who’s up for a game of ‘Hide and Seek’?” asked Littlefoot.

“Count me in!” Petrie answered immediately.

“Me, too!” added Ruby.

Spike murmured and nodded.

“Okay, then! Who wants to be it?” asked Littlefoot.

“I’ve been ‘it’ way too many times, so not me,” replied Cera.

“Petrie’s rarely ever been ‘it’, Maybe he should be ‘it’ today,” suggested Ruby.

“Hehe! Okay! Me kinda tired of always hiding,” said Petrie.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s hide!” said Chomper.

With that, everyone but Petrie scurried away to find a good hiding place, while the Flyer covered his eyes with his wings and counted down.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Ready or not, here me come!”

Petrie opened his eyes and got himself airborne to begin seeking for his hiding pals.

---

Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer were strolling through the valley, on their way to Hyp’s home. The only thing that was on their minds was giving him a valuable lesson after what he had done. They would not allow him to escape red-handed after Ducky and Petrie had nearly drowned in that Sinking Sand. They were going to teach him once and for all.

“This will give him a lesson he certainly won’t forget,” said Mama Swimmer.

“I’m not sure if he’ll change for good, but we can at least stop him from torturing our children. I will not let him lay one finger on my little Petrie again if he doesn’t learn from this,” said Mama Flyer.

“Oh, he’d better learn from this,” replied Mama Swimmer.

Soon, the two spotted a dinosaur that looked a lot like Hyp, only that he was bigger and looked older. They knew it could only be his father.

“Excuse me,” said Mama Flyer.

Hyp’s father perked up and saw the two approaching him with cross looks on their faces. The only thing he knew that could make them come to him looking so cross was Hyp bullying their children.

“Hello, Ms. Flyer, Mrs. Swimmer,” he said, “Can I help you?”

“Is Hyp home?” asked Mama Swimmer, “We all need to have a little chat.”

“Ugh! What did he do this time?” asked Hyp’s father.

“He almost caused our children to drown in some sinking sand!” shouted Mama Flyer angrily.

Hyp’s father gasped and facepalmed. He knew his son had been quite ruthless before, but this sounded like a step too far.

“HYP!” he screamed on top of his lungs, “WILL YOU COME HERE PLEASE!?”

The three eyed the forest next to them and saw Hyp cowering behind a tree after seeing the two mothers arrive. He knew he was in for some big trouble, but he didn’t want to face such severe consequences.

“Hyp!” his father shouted as he eyed him furiously, “Get over here now!”

After several gulps, he cautiously approached them and refused to make eye contact. He didn’t want to see the furious glances from his father or the two mothers of the kids he had nearly killed.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, young man,” his father said sternly, “Is it true that you nearly made some Swimmer and Flyer children drown in some sinking sand?”

“I didn’t mean to,” murmured Hyp.

“I saw one of your friends whisper something in your ear,” said Mama Swimmer, “That convinces me that you did it on purpose.”

“What exactly did he do?” asked Hyp’s father.

“It goes like this,” Mama Flyer began, “We were in the forest with my son, Petrie, and her daughter, Ducky, and while we were looking around, browsing plants, Hyp and his two no-good sidekicks interrupted us, and he swung his tail at Petrie. My little baby flew across the forest and fell into some sinking sand. Ducky tried to pull him out, but the sinking sand pulled them both in and nearly drowned them. Mrs. Swimmer and I had to pull them out. Thankfully, they were both alright!”

“WHAT!?” Hyp’s father roared once the Flyer had finished her description of the events that had unfolded, and he glared at his son, “That was very absurd of you, Hyp! How could you even think of doing that!? Causing harm to little children is one of the worst things any dinosaur could do in the Great Valley!”

“You are so lucky that our children made it out alive!” roared Mama Swimmer.

“Hyp, I’m not going to be barking at you all morning long, so I’m going to ask you one simple question: What were you thinking!?” asked Hyp’s father, “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?”

Hyp looked up at his enraged father and glanced over at the equally-outraged Flyer and Swimmer mothers. He didn’t know how he could explain why he had bullied their children without making them even more upset.

“I saw them kissing in the forest,” he whispered shyly.

“You what!?” gasped Hyp’s father in utter disbelief, and he looked at the two mothers with wide eyes of horror, “What did I just hear!?”

“I saw Ducky and Petrie kissing,” Hyp repeated.

“You despicable, little brat!” screamed Mama Swimmer, and she began to charge at Hyp, only for Mama Flyer to hold her back.

“Would one even think of such a thing happening?” she hissed once she had calmed her friend down, “You must be completely out of your mind! Just the thought of a Swimmer and Flyer kissing is an outrage! IT’S A SCANDAL!”

Hyp’s father glared at his son, full of bitter resentment over such an outrageous claim. He somehow doubted whether his claim was true, but he was not willing to place anymore burden on the already-outraged Swimmer and Flyer mothers, so he quickly thought of a way to let the subject drop …

“So that’s why you nearly drowned them!?” he roared at his son, “You and your little friends decided to pick on a couple of kids who YOU so heinously claimed are in love with each other just for your own satisfaction!? YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL!”

“But Dad, I wasn’t the one who came up with the idea of throwing them into the sink-,“ Hyp said before his father cut him off.

“I don’t care whose idea it was!” he yelled, “You have no right to make their lives miserable because of some ridiculous lie! Burying them in sinking sand for your own pleasure!? OH! I can’t even look at you right now!”

“We nearly lost our precious babies because of you, and we will not tolerate you ever laying one finger on a hatchling any longer!” shouted Mama Flyer.

“We demand an apology from you, young man!” stated Mama Swimmer.

Hyp looked down in shame. He didn’t have the heart to apologize to the mothers of the children he had nearly killed.

“Go on, Hyp! Apologize at once!” roared his father.

With a sad sigh, and tears dripping down his face, Hyp looked up at the two furious mothers and gulped nervously.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“You’re sorry and?” Mama Flyer snorted at him.

“And … I … promise never to do it again,” added Hyp hesitantly.

“That’s better,” said Mama Flyer in a calmer yet still angry voice.

“Don’t even think that you will be escaping punishment, young man,” Hyp’s father snorted at his son, “Harming children is considered a crime. It’s what got Ms. Flyer’s brother banished from this valley, and you’re lucky it’s not happening to you because you’re only at your Time of Great Growing.”

“Y-yes, Dad,” sniffled Hyp.

“You are grounded for a whole Night Circle cycle, Hyp,” his father announced, “You will not be allowed to leave home, and your two nonsensical friends will not be allowed to see you.”

“I’m sorry!” he cried, “I just couldn’t help it!”

“Help with what?” asked his father.

“When I thought I saw Ducky and Petrie kissing, I didn’t know what to make-,”

“WHAT!?” a fifth voice suddenly roared, accompanied by the sound of feet storming towards them aggressively, stunning everyone into silence.

Mama Flyer and Mama Swimmer’s hearts stopped, and they looked at each other in horror as a certain Threehorn charged towards them. Simply the sight of him at a time like this seemed to spell an upcoming tragedy for them …

There stood none other than Topps, his face filled with wrath, his horns aiming furiously towards them, growling with immense anger.

The two felt their hearts racing with fear. This was the one dinosaur they did NOT want to let have knowledge of Ducky and Petrie’s relationship. Now, it seemed certain that their children would soon be in grave danger. The end was suddenly so near at the worst time possible.

Hyp and his father looked at each other uneasily as Topps approached the group with an angry glare.

“What did I just hear!?” the Threehorn roared as he stopped right in front of Hyp.

The adolescent dinosaur was so startled by Topps’ approach that he lost his footing and fell to the ground. He hyperventilated as he looked into the Threehorn’s angry eyes.

“Mr. Threehorn-,” Hyp’s father tried to speak up, but Topps ignored him and eyed Hyp with death glare.

“WHAT DID I JUST HEAR!?” he screamed.

Hyp screamed and cried fearfully as his eyes poured tears down his face. He looked away from the aggressive Threehorn and closed his eyes.

“D-Du-Ducky and Petrie,” he stuttered, “I had some … s-strange vision in which I … saw them … k-k-ki-kissing.”

Immediately, Topps shifted his glare towards Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer as if he was threatening to kill them. The two mothers tried to maintain their cool in an effort to hide just how horrified they truly were at the prospect of their children’s secret being blown.

“Are you two hiding something from me!?” Topps growled at them.

“Absolutely not!” hissed Mama Swimmer, “Hyp was being completely delusional last night with his stupid claims!”

“I don’t believe you,” retorted Topps, and before either of them could respond, the Threehorn suddenly swung his tail at them and knocked them both down. Just as they were trying to get back up, he pinned them to the ground with his forelimbs.

“Mr. Threehorn!” gasped Hyp’s father, “Stop this!”

“TELL THE TRUTH!” screamed Topps.

“I swear!” panted Mama Swimmer, “Hyp’s claims were delusions!”

“LIAR!”

“Stop!” shrieked Mama Flyer.

“Am I not to understand that we have a relationship between dinosaurs of different kinds taking place in our Great Valley!? Two of my daughter’s friends are in love each other!?”

“NO!” the mothers both screamed.

“That is the sickest thing I’ve ever heard in my life!” he yelled, “A child Flyer and a child Swimmer in love!? I will not let your families go unpunished for this! You know the rule about such relationships! Anyone who falls in love with someone from another kind shall be banished from the Great Valley!”

“Mr. Threehorn! They’re just children!” Hyp’s father argued, but Topps was buying none of it.

“I don’t care if they’re just children! They’re among my daughter’s friends, and if she sees them loving each other, she’ll get ideas from it! I will not allow this to happen to my Cera! I want Ducky and Petrie out of the Great Valley … NOW!”

“Topsy!” called a voice which made him groan in frustration, “What is with all the yelling?”

The dinosaurs looked and found Tria approaching them crossly. She gasped in horror once she noticed her own mate pinning two of their fellow Elders to the ground.

“Topps! Get off them right now!” she roared at them, “What do you think you’re doing!?”

“I suppose you haven’t heard from these two secret-keeping ones that their children are in love with each other!?” shouted Topps as he reluctantly stepped away and allowed Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer to slowly get themselves back on their feet.

“Topps, what are you talking about?” asked Tria.

“Ducky and Petrie are in a relationship!” roared Topps.

Tria stared at her mate with wide eyes, then she looked at Mama Flyer and Mama Swimmer.

“Is it not true?” she gasped.

“No!” the mothers both yelled.

“LIE!” screamed Topps, “Relationships between different kinds are forbidden in the Great Valley, and anyone who defies that rule is to face immediate banishment!”

“Topps!” shouted Tria, “How could you even think about banishing children, especially given the fact that they are some of Cera’s most loyal friends!?”

“That makes it a lot worse!” argued Topps, “I fear that Cera will get ideas from watching Ducky and Petrie kissing each other like a couple of lovebirds! I will not allow it in this valley!”

“I’m not one to make immediate judgments if Mrs. Swimmer and Ms. Flyer are sincere in saying their children are not involved in such a relationship. As such, I say they’re innocent until proven guilty!”

“I don’t care what you think about this matter, Tria! Immediate action must be taken!” her mate retorted.

“In that case, we’ll have to inform the Longnecks first,” informed Tria.

“Oh, please! Leave those soft-hearted Longnecks to allow them to escape red-handed!? Worst idea ever! They always disagree with us Threehorns, and I won’t let that happen this time!” Topps ranted.

“I will tell you right now, Topps, you can’t just give Ducky and Petrie the one-way flight to the Mysterious Beyond! We have no proof that they’re in a relationship!” Tria argued.

“Pah!” snorted Topps, “I’m going to bring Cera home at once! I will not let her anywhere near those little pests until this matter is settled!”

Those cold words managed to build a fury inside Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer, and they glared at the Threehorn. They hated it whenever he insulted their children.

“Excuse me!?” Mama Flyer yelled, “What did you just call OUR children!?”

“Our kids are not pests!” added Mama Swimmer, “That is just despicable!”

“Yeah, well so are them falling in love!” Topps retorted, shooting the mothers a death glare, “Don’t think you’ve escaped punishment, because I even might just banish you for lying to me about the matter!”

“Just go! Leave us alone!” shouted Mama Flyer.

“We have nothing more to say to you right now with your disregard towards our children!” added Mama Swimmer.

“Fine, but you haven’t heard the last of this!” replied Topps, and he turned away and left in outrage, cursing vulgarities under his breath.

Once Topps was gone, Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer looked at each other in complete despair. Now that the grimmest dinosaur in the Great Valley was on Ducky and Petrie’s case, they began hyperventilating in fear for the safety of their precious children.

“Is it true? Tell me it’s not true,” said Tria after a moment of eerie silence had gone by.

Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer panted and stared at the purple Threehorn for what seemed like ages, and even if no words were spoken, she could tell just from their expressions that it was all true and they were desperately trying to cover it up.

“I am so sorry,” Tria apologized to the Swimmer and Flyer with a grim expression, “Personally, I don’t mind if it is true, but I’m afraid we’ve got quite a sticky situation in our hands.”

“You can say that again!” panted Mama Swimmer, “Your mate wanted to banish our children to the Mysterious Beyond, and we cannot let that happen to them! My little Ducky! I can’t bear the thought of losing her!”

“I can’t let my little Petrie suffer the same fate as his uncle, Pterano,” added Mama Flyer, “My little baby is too precious for me to let him suffer such a tragic fate.”

“Listen, … we’ll inform the Longnecks about the situation, and see what they can do to help,” suggested Tria.

Mama Swimmer had so nearly forgotten that the Longnecks were already aware of the case, but it did little to brighten her spirits since Topps was very likely to spread his influence around the valley in a frantic effort to rid them of Ducky and Petrie.

“You go inform Littlefoot’s grandparents, and we’ll go get Petrie and Ducky,” instructed Mama Flyer.

“I’m on it,” answered Tria, and she immediately turned and left.

With Tria gone, Mama Flyer glared at Hyp, the one who had slipped to Topps about Ducky and Petrie, and potentially the one whom would be responsible for getting them banished and ruining all their lives forever. She wanted to crush his skull in for slipping their kids’ secret.

“I hope you’re happy, Hyp!” the Flyer roared while breathing heavily in an effort to contain her anger, “You may have just ruined all our lives! Now, my little Petrie and Mrs. Swimmer’s little Ducky may get kicked out of our home because of you, you arrogant, little beast! I will never forgive you for this, and you’re so lucky I’m not going to just slash your throat with my wing!”

Hyp sat where he was in horror, breathing heavily as he anticipated that Mama Flyer would finish him off at any moment. He looked up at his father, but all he got was a grim expression. His father apparently felt so sorry for Ducky and Petrie, and he had nothing to say to his son.

“Ms. Flyer! Please!” Mama Swimmer stepped in, holding Mama Flyer by the arms in an effort to calm her down, “I’m just as mad at Hyp as you are, but we have more important things to worry about than threatening the one who slipped our children’s secret.”

Mama Flyer gradually slowed her breathing, and she managed to calm down at least long enough to forget about wanting to kill Hyp.

“You’re right,” she sighed.

“Come on, Ms. Flyer. Let’s fetch Ducky and Petrie,” said Mama Swimmer gently, then she turned to Hyp with a furious glare, “If Ducky and Petrie get banished, you will pay for this! Mark my words!”

“I can’t bear to see how they’ll react to the dreadful news,” lamented Mama Flyer as they set off together, leaving a traumatized Hyp alone with his father.

“Me neither,” agreed Mama Swimmer, “This is going to hit them pretty hard, and they’re going to be living at least the next few days in fear.”

“Oh, just the thought of that,” gasped Mama Flyer in agony.

Without another word, the duo journeyed through the valley in an effort to hopefully find Ducky and Petrie before Topps did.

---

The Gang was still playing “Hide and Seek,” and for good reason. Petrie was having a very hard time trying to find his hiding friends. Although he had managed to find Littlefoot, Spike and Chomper, the girls seemed elusive. He knew his friends had been good hiders, but he didn’t anticipate that they were this good at it.

“Where are you, guys!?” he called as he soared through the forest.

There was no response.

“Maybe me no should have been ‘it’ today,” he lamented.

Before long, he got tired of flying and decided to land on a tree branch to get a good view of the grounds below him. He hoped that from high up, he could find at least one of the three girls still hiding from him.

Then, he looked down and spotted Topps walking through the forest with an angry look on his face. It seemed quite obvious that he was looking for Cera. Petrie scooted next to the tree so that the Threehorn wouldn’t spot him, as he could tell just from his facial expression that he was in no mood for any childish nonsense. Within a moment, Topps had disappeared.

“Me guess Cera upset her daddy again,” Petrie whispered to himself.

Barely a moment later, he heard the echoes of Cera and her father arguing with each other, but since they were so far away, he couldn’t make out what they were talking about.

“Oh, boy. Cera dad really angry with her today,” he whispered.

A moment later, Topps came strolling through the area again, in the other direction, with Cera reluctantly following him.

Once they disappeared, Petrie was about to take off again and continue his search for his other friends, when he heard an echoing call from an ever-so-familiar voice.

“Petrie!”

The Flyer shifted his gaze towards the sky and found his mother flying directly towards him. He felt dumbfounded about her sudden arrival, since it was never like any of their folks to interrupt them in the middle of one of their games, perhaps except Mr. Threehorn. Something fishy would have to be going on.

“Mama?” Petrie said awkwardly.

In a matter of seconds, Mama Flyer landed on the branch her son was perching on, and she gently pulled him in for a hug with an expression of shock and horror written on her face. Petrie could tell right away that this was not a good sign.

“Petrie,” Mama Flyer panted as a tear slipped from her eye, “Thank goodness I found you.”

“What is it, Mama?” asked Petrie, “Me right in middle of playing ‘hide and seek’, and me no find me friends yet.”

“Never mind about now, Petrie,” said Mama Flyer frantically, “I …”

She couldn’t find the words to inform her son of the tragic news that awaited him. She knew he would not be able to take it very well the instant he was told.

“What is it?” Petrie asked again as he began to have hunches as to what his mother had to tell him.

“I … I have some terrible news, Petrie,” Mama Flyer sniffled.

“What happen?” asked Petrie as his heart began to race with worry, “Someone get very sick? Sailback Sharpteeth from me sleep stories trying to attack Great Valley?”

“No, my little one,” Mama Flyer trembled, “Nobody’s gotten sick, nor are there Sharpteeth trying to penetrate the valley walls. It’s worse; much, worse.”

Petrie could only think of one other possibility, and it was one he knew that could mean deep trouble.

“It’s Mr. Threehorn.” Mama Flyer bluntly worded.

Petrie’s eyes were wide with horror, and his mouth was agape in realization that the worst had just happened. Mama Flyer took one glance at her son’s terrified expression, and she quickly regretted what she had said, but she had to break the news to him one way or the other.

“No!” he gasped, “You no mean!?”

“Yes, Petrie. I’m afraid it’s happened,” Mama Flyer said before she briefly paused, tears streaming from her eyes, “He found out.”

Petrie’s heart exploded, and he stood where he was, speechless. He could not believe that their secret had been slipped this soon, and now he could be facing banishment from the Great Valley any day now. Tears filled up in his eyes and threatened to come pouring down his cheeks. His beak quivered in fear and sadness. He wanted to fly away, screaming and bawling his eyes out, but his mother kept him tightly in a hug to prevent his escape while he tried to keep the tears in.

“I’m so sorry, Petrie,” sniffled Mama Flyer.

“How he find out?” Petrie panted, his emotions still waiting to explode.

“He overheard the conversation Mrs. Swimmer and I had with Hyp and his father, and Hyp blurted out that he saw you and Ducky kissing,” explained Mama Flyer.

“Hyp, you evil monster!” Petrie thought as he shifted his thoughts to Hyp. The little Flyer would never find it in his heart to forgive Hyp, now that he had slipped their secret to Cera’s grumpy father, and he could surely be responsible for getting him and Ducky banished from their beloved home. However, once he thought about his potential banishment, he could only lament in his thoughts that nothing would be able to save him or Ducky from having to say “goodbye” to their home, or worse, their families and friends. He couldn’t bear the thought of them becoming outcasts with no family or no home, and the fact that it was only a matter of time before that happened tore his heart to pieces. He didn’t want to have to say “goodbye” to his loving mother, nor did he want to say “goodbye” to Littlefoot and his other friends, or the home they had gone through so much pain and horror to find in the first place. Just the thought of such a hard-earned life being taken away from him so heartlessly …

Finally, Petrie could no longer hold it in, and he let out an ear-piercing scream and buried his face in his mother’s chest. The tears came pouring from his eyes in torrents and immediately drenched his cheeks to the point they felt cold. Mama Flyer instantly wrapped both wings around her heartbroken son to offer him warmth and comfort. Tears streamed from her eyes as it tore her up to see her son in such a terrible struggle, and she was sure that they would not be together for much longer.

“Petrie, are you okay up there?” a voice echoed from below, which could only have been from the Swimmer he loved so much.

Mama Flyer looked down and saw Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike, Chomper and Ruby all looking up at them with concern. She knew immediately that they had heard his heartbreaking scream.

“What is the matter, Petrie?” asked Ducky as a few tears leaked from her eyes, as she couldn’t stand it to see her boyfriend in so much pain.

“Ducky, … I think you’d better head home immediately,” sniffled Mama Flyer, “I’m afraid … it’s not good.”

Ducky gasped fearfully and immediately began sprinting her way back home, not even stopping to say goodbye to her friends. She only knew she just had to go home. Chances were that her parents must have had terrible news they had to share with her. She was afraid it may have had something to do with her and Petrie once she saw him crying and his mother tearfully hugging him …

Suddenly, … she began fearing the worst …

---

Ducky never slowed down until she saw her family’s nest, and she arrived just in time to witness a nightmare …

“What!?” her father screamed as he and her mother held each other with horror etched on both their faces. Her siblings were gathered around them, gasping as if they had just heard something horrible.

“Hyp blurted out loud that he saw Petrie and our little Ducky kissing, and Mr. Threehorn was right behind his back when he said that!” cried Mama Swimmer, “He had no idea he was there until … it was too late!”

“No!” gasped Papa Swimmer, “This can’t be-“

“AAAAAAAAAHHHH! NAAAAOOO!” Mama Swimmer suddenly screamed so loudly that the children ran back into the nest and cowered inside, while Ducky hid herself behind the rock Petrie would occasionally land on, and her heart stopped as she watched her mother collapse to the ground and start wailing like a child as if she had just lost someone so close to her, “NAAAOOO! OH, PLEASE NO!”

“Oh, my goodness!” Papa Swimmer yelled as he crouched down and pulled her mate back up before hugging her tightly, “Oh, my dear.”

“OH, BRIGHT CIRCLE! WHY!? PLEASE, NOT OUR LITTLE DUCKY! OH, NO! OH, NO! NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, no, no, no, no, no!”

Ducky couldn’t bear to watch her mother struggling like this, but she also couldn’t bear to leave her parents while they were in this unimaginable turmoil. The thought of losing her home and her family just because she was in love with Petrie felt too much for her to take. After they had traveled so far for so long just to find them, and even drowned a Sharptooth along the way, it was so unfair for it to even be possible that she and Petrie were about to lose all of that in just a matter of days, maybe even tomorrow, … or possibly today. Could this be the last she ever saw of her family? Could these be the last moments she ever spent in the Great Valley that was suddenly about to turn against her?

She looked up at the sky and briefly thought of Judy. She wondered what she would say if she had been around to see what had just unfolded. She knew her friend would have been happy with the idea that she had found such a sweet companion in Petrie, but now that this very compassion they had for each other was about to have them exiled for the rest of their days, she wished she could see Judy right now, … if just for a moment.

“Okay, dear. Just settle down, and we’ll go find Ducky and bring her home immediately,” Papa Swimmer soothed his mate, although she only continued to weep so hopelessly.

Once she overheard those words, Ducky knew she couldn’t stay hidden. She had to reveal herself to her parents, even if they were possibly going to lash out at her.

With a gulp of reluctance, the little Swimmer stepped out from behind the rock and slowly walked towards her parents. She felt the tears building in her eyes as the thought of losing almost everything she loved began to break her heart. She involuntarily let out one single sniffle, and that alone was enough to gain their attention.

They almost instantly turned to find their little daughter approaching them, tears welling in her eyes, her bill quivering as she tried to hard to keep it in.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mama Swimmer pulled herself away from her mate and scooped up Ducky in her arms.

“Oh, Ducky!” she cried as she brought her daughter to her chest and hugged her so tightly that she almost couldn’t breathe, “Oh, my little baby!”

“It cannot be!” cried Ducky, “Please! NO! IT CANNOT BE!”

“I’m so sorry, my dear Ducky!” her mother wept as it became clear her daughter had overheard everything, “I’m afraid it’s happened! Mr. Threehorn has … found out!”

“Oh, no, no, NO, NO, NAAAOOOO!” Ducky yelled as she felt tears begin to spill from her eyes. This felt just as horrible as that terrible morning when she found Judy and her family’s dead bodies. She felt her heart rate speed up to the point that it felt like it could jump out of her chest. Her stomach lurched, and she felt something building up in her throat. The thought of her and Petrie facing permanent exile her feel so sick inside that she couldn’t hold it in. She held her neck with her hands in an attempt to keep it in, but it proved to be in vain.

Mama Swimmer noticed this once she heard her daughter hyperventilating, and she reacted quickly by setting her back on the ground. The little Swimmer ran as quickly as she could towards the trees bordering the nest, and she shut her eyes as she felt her neck filling up.

Her family looked away once they heard the gruesome sound belching and liquid splattering all over the ground. Her father groaned in disgust and buried his face with his hands in disbelief.

“Our poor little daughter!” wailed Mama Swimmer.

“This is exactly what I was afraid of!” her mate cried, “This is just what I feared would happen! Oh, what will become of us!?”

“Oh, what are we going to do!?” wept Mama Swimmer.

“I … I don’t know, dear,” softened Papa Swimmer as she held her mate closely.

“No way!” said one of the other children, “Is it … true!?”

“Our sister is going away!?” cried another.

“No! Please don’t let them take Ducky away!” wept a third.

A majority of Ducky’s siblings jumped out of the nest and gathered around their distraught parents. The babies in the nest, although having no idea what was going on, also began to cry once they saw that virtually everyone else present was in tears. The whole family was suddenly in such a terrible state of desperation and hopelessness. It all seemed so unfair that they were about to lose perhaps the most special member of the entire family, a cute little girl who was always so happy and cheerful, always willing to lend a helping hand, to think that any time now she’d be forced out of their lives forever.

“I can’t believe this is happening! What are we gonna do!? We can’t just let Mr. Threehorn throw Ducky and Petrie out!” cried one of the boys.

“Your father and I … feel just as terrible as you do, kids,” sobbed Mama Swimmer, “All that we can do is hope that the Longnecks can talk him out of it. Thankfully, the Longnecks are already on our side.”

“Our only hope is for other dinosaurs to agree with them, because if we can’t get the support that concerns our current situation, … then … we may lose our beloved Ducky,” sniffled Papa Swimmer.

They were momentarily interrupted by the sound of Ducky vomiting again. They could that tell this had hit her just as hard as Judy’s untimely death, and her and Petrie’s nightmares were beginning to come true. In just a matter of days, or even hours, they would be exiled from the Great Valley just for being in love with each other, and spend the rest of their days as outcasts in the Mysterious Beyond, always on the run from Sharpteeth that lurked at every corner, with no family and no home to go to. No child deserved to live a life like that, but fate seemed to be against them for their “forbidden” relationship.

Eventually, Ducky emerged from behind the tree. She had managed to stop her vomiting, but tears were pouring torrentially down her face. She could not imagine that she and Petrie would become outcasts just because of their love for each other. She could not have imagined herself or Petrie spending the rest of their days on the run as exiles because of what they were.

“I cannot believe we are going to be banished-ed! No, no, no!” Ducky cried.

“Come here, Ducky,” said Mama Swimmer gently, and she once again lifted her daughter and caressed her warmly, “I’ll take you over to the river, so you can have a nice, warm bath. Maybe that will cheer you up a little until we can figure out what we’re going to do. Would you like that, my little one?”

“Okay, Mama,” sniffled Ducky.

“That’s my sweet, little girl,” her mother sniffled as she turned towards the river that was just a few steps away.

The river glistened in the late morning light of the Bright Circle, but neither of them felt as if they were in their normal place. Now that the Great Valley was turning against them because of Ducky’s love for Petrie, this river felt as if it was from another place on Earth. It seemed that the Great Valley would never feel the same again.

“Okay, my little Ducky,” Mama Swimmer said kindly as she crouched into the river and soaked herself, “Jump in.”

Ducky was happy to oblige, and she jumped into the river with a splash. When she resurfaced, she sighed sadly and sat down on the shallow floor near the riverbank. She looked like she was in no mood for splashing fun with her mother, which was far from her usual self. All she really wanted was to bath herself calmly and peacefully.

“This is the worst-est day of my life. It is, it is,” the little Swimmer said solemnly, “M-maybe even worse than … J-Ju-Judy.”

“I’m so sorry, Ducky,” Mama Swimmer said again as she sat next to her daughter and affectionately rubbed her back continuously, “Hopefully, the Longnecks can fix this situation for us before it gets any worse.”

“What if they do not?” lamented Ducky doubtfully.

“I’ll do everything I can to make sure Mr. Threehorn does not take my precious daughter away from me,” vowed Mama Swimmer, “You are precious to me, Ducky. You are the future of my family, just as Petrie is the future of his, and I will never let you suffer the fate of living the life of an exile.”

Ducky looked up at her mother and grinned ever the slightest, although Mama Swimmer could tell that it wasn’t truly a grin. She looked as if she was ready to give up on her still-young life. There seemed to be no point in trying to move on when she was likely to spend the rest of her days as an exile with only Petrie to accompany her.

“Please don’t give up on me, sweetie,” said Mama Swimmer, “You are my precious child, and you belong to me … always.”

“T-thanks, Mama,” sniffled Ducky, feeling touched from her mother’s words, “I love you, Mama. I do, I do.”

“I love you, too, Ducky,” replied Mama Swimmer, and she kissed her daughter on her bill.

“Ducky?”

It wasn’t her mother’s voice whom had spoken her name, but instead it sounded … much older, … like an elderly dinosaur.

Ducky suddenly saw Littlefoot’s grandmother walking up to them with a look of concern.

“There you are, Ducky. Are you okay?” she asked.

“No, no, no,” answered Ducky, shaking her head.

“I heard about what happened with Mr. Threehorn,” informed Grandma Longneck, “I am very sorry that things had to take a bad turn.”

“I am so scared-ed, Grandma Longneck. I am, I am,” shivered Ducky, “I do not want to be banished-ed just because I love Petrie.”

“And you know I don’t want you or Petrie to be banished, either,” agreed Grandma Longneck, “Listen, Ducky. I have something important to tell you.”

“What is it, Mrs. Longneck?” asked Mama Swimmer.

“Tria, my mate and I were able to convince Mr. Threehorn to not banish you until tomorrow,” informed Grandma Longneck.

“Tomorrow!?” yelled Ducky in horror, “Does that mean that Petrie and I will leave the Great Valley tomorrow!?”

“No, Ducky. There is going to be a meeting tomorrow,” explained Grandma Longneck, “It wasn’t easy, but we managed to convince Mr. Threehorn to agree to a meeting, which will be held at the Rock Circle. This meeting will be attended by all the other dinosaurs in the Great Valley, and it will determine whether you will be allowed to stay in the valley … or get banished.”

“It seems to be the only thing that can save my daughter at this rate,” sighed Mama Swimmer, “We just have to hope that a majority of the Great Valley dinosaurs will side with us and not with Mr. Threehorn. Some of them are convinced that love between different kinds are considered a crime in the Great Valley.”

Ducky simply looked back down at her reflection in the river and let more tears slip down her cheeks. She was sure that very few dinosaurs in the Great Valley would side with them, and that would most definitely mean banishment.

“I’m sure this will turn out fine,” said Grandma Longneck, although, deep down, she had her doubts, too.

“I am not sure. No, no, no,” sighed Ducky.

“Anyways, I’d better go inform the other residents about the meeting,” said Grandma Longneck, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ducky.”

“See you later,” said Ducky in a low voice.

With that, Grandma Longneck left Ducky alone with her mother, and the Swimmer refused to look away from her reflection in the river.

“Poor me,” she sniffled, “Poor Petrie. I cannot believe we have been found-ed out, … all because of that stupid Hyp.”

“Now, Ducky, Hyp didn’t mean to let it slip to Mr. Threehorn. He didn’t know he was right behind him,” said Mama Swimmer.

“I still hate him for what he did-ed to us,” pouted Ducky as her hatred towards Hyp only intensified, “First, he nearly makes me and Petrie drown in the sinking sand, and now he slips our secret and will probably get Petrie and I banished-ed.”

“I’m just as mad at Hyp as you are, Ducky,” consoled Mama Swimmer, “Right now, though, that’s the farthest thing from my mind. All that is on my mind right now is making sure you get to stay in this valley.”

Ducky had run out of words to say, and she simply sighed and lied down on her back. She instantly felt cold sensations covering her body, but she didn’t care.

“I promise, Ducky, … I will not let this happen to you,” said Mama Swimmer, “You and Petrie are perfect together, and we are going to prove it.”

“Petrie does not deserve this, either. No, no, no. I love him too much to bear him having to be on the run,” sniffled Ducky.

“We’ll do what we can do, dear,” assured Mama Swimmer, “Right now, though, why don’t we relax in the river, so you can refresh yourself?”

“Okay, Mama,” sighed Ducky.

Mama Swimmer stared uneasily at her daughter. She knew at heart that it was going to take more than just a miracle to allow her and Petrie to stay in the Great Valley.

---

Mama Flyer landed on the ledge of her family’s cave, with Petrie sobbing on her back, and she sat down and carefully lifted her son off her back and into her lap. Petrie promptly climbed up his mother’s chest and wrapped his wings around her neck. Mama Flyer responded by enveloping her son in her wings and kissing his beak warmly.

“This worst day of me life,” sobbed Petrie, “Me and Ducky no belong in Great Valley anymore.”

“Petrie, … you do belong in the Great Valley. You belong to me, and you always will belong to me,” assured Mama Flyer, “I will not let Mr. Threehorn go anywhere near you until this matter has been settled. We’ll do what we can do to stop him from exiling you and Ducky.”

Petrie didn’t feel much better after hearing that. In fact, he felt more doubtful than ever. He decided that he didn’t want to pour his misery all over his mother, and he turned and began to flap his wings, but Mama Flyer instantly stopped him and tightened his hug so that he couldn’t escape.

“Please, Petrie. Don’t run away from home,” Mama Flyer sniffled, “I care too much about you to let you take off and never come back. I love you, Petrie.”

This managed to get Petrie’s face to explode in tears again, and he once again buried his face against his mother’s neck.

“Me love you, too, Mama!” he wept.

“Aww, there, there, Petrie,” Mama Flyer tearfully consoled her son as she squeezed him in a hug, “Don’t cry, my little baby. I’m right here … just for you. Your Mommy will never let you go. I promise, Petrie, … I will not let you or Ducky become outcasts. You will always belong in the Great Valley, and you will always have me, and most importantly, you and Ducky will always have each other.”

Hearing Ducky’s name made Petrie think about how she would be able to take it if banishment was inevitable. He couldn’t imagine her having to run from Sharpteeth every couple of minutes for the rest of her life, even if he accompanied her. Children becoming outcasts felt like the saddest thing in the world, and for him and Ducky in danger of becoming among those whom had been condemned to a lifetime of suffering and homelessness felt like a complete nightmare that was only a few days, or hours, away.

“Petrie? Are you in there?” came another voice, and elder one by the sound of it.

Mama Flyer gently tapped Petrie’s head crest, and the little Flyer unhid his drenched face and spotted Grandpa Longneck standing right in front of their ledge.

“Oh, Mr. Longneck, it’s such a relief to see you,” sighed Mama Flyer.

“I’m sorry to hear about what happened today, Ms. Flyer,” consoled Grandpa Longneck, “I’m sure you and your poor son must be devastated.”

“I’m trying to hang in there, but my poor Petrie is feeling so distraught that he wants to run away,” explained Mama Flyer.

“Now there, Petrie, … there’s no need to run away from your troubles, even if the odds are against you,” said Grandpa Longneck.

“But what if Mr. Threehorn banish me and Ducky?” lamented Petrie, “Me no want to deal with it. Me just want to leave and take Ducky with me.”

“I understand, Petrie, but today is not the day to do it, nor will there ever be a day when that time comes, … hopefully,” said Grandpa Longneck.

“How did it go with Mr. Threehorn?” asked Mama Flyer.

“We weren’t quite able to convince him to allow Ducky and Petrie to stay in the valley,” sighed Grandpa Longneck.

“Me knew it!” cried Petrie, “Me leaving! Goodbye, Mama! Goodbye, Great Valley!”

Just as Petrie began flapping his wings in yet another attempt to run away, Mama Flyer once again pulled him back and tightened his hug to stop him.

“Mama, please! Let Petrie go!” Petrie begged, swinging his feet back and forth while trying to squirm his way out of his mother’s hug, but to no avail.

“Petrie, … Tria, my mate and I were able to get Mr. Threehorn to agree to hold a meeting,” said Grandpa Longneck clearly so that Petrie could get the message.

That did the trick, and Petrie froze and stared awkwardly at the Longneck.

“Meeting?” he sniffled.

“There will be a meeting at the Rock Circle tomorrow. All the other dinosaurs of the Great Valley will attend. This hearing will determine whether you get to stay in the Great Valley … or be exiled, which doing to children leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” explained Grandpa Longneck.

“Oh, that make me feel whole lot better!” said Petrie sarcastically.

“I’m sure this meeting just might resolve our situation, Petrie,” said Mama Flyer, “All we need is for a majority of the Great Valley’s dinosaurs to agree to let you and Ducky stay. That should be enough for Mr. Threehorn to reconsider his actions.”

Petrie sighed in doubt, but he had run out of words to say, so he didn’t reply further.

“My mate and I are doing everything in our power to ensure that the Great Valley remains your home, Petrie, and Ducky’s, too,” said Grandpa Longneck with a wink, “I wouldn’t want Littlefoot to lose two of his most loyal friends who came with him to the Great Valley when we were sure that we had lost you forever.”

“That’s right,” agreed Mama Flyer, “I lost you once after that Earth Shake, and I nearly lost you many more times after that when you and your friends went on your many adventures. I refuse to let it happen to you again. You are too precious for me to allow you to lose your home in this valley. I want you to be able to stay, and Ducky’s family wants her to stay just as badly. You are not bad children just because you are in love with each other. You and Ducky are perfect for each other, and we will prove Mr. Threehorn wrong.”

Petrie looked up at his mother and saw that she was tearfully grinning at him. The child couldn’t help but return the grin, and he kissed her with a quivering beak.

“Thank you, Mama,” he sobbed.

“Anything for you, my precious son,” replied Mama Flyer.

“Now then, I’d better go inform the other dinosaurs about the meeting, and I’ll see you tomorrow at the Rock Circle. Don’t be late,” informed Grandpa Longneck, and he turned around to leave.

“Thank you, Grandpa Longneck,” sniffled Petrie.

“You’re welcome, Petrie. See you soon,” replied Grandpa Longneck.

Once the elder was gone, the two Flyers stared at each other with tears still streaming from their eyes. They were still worried about the possibility of losing each other just because the child was in love with a child from another kind. They desperately hoped that whatever the Longnecks had in mind would prevent Topps from turning Ducky and Petrie into exiles.

Suddenly, Petrie thought about Ducky again, and it saddened him to think of how she would react and how she would be able to take it if they became outcasts.

“Poor me, … and … poor Ducky,” he sniffled to himself, “Me no sure Ducky could take this. Me love her so much that me no want to see her so sad or get eaten by Sharptooth in Mysterious Beyond.”

“I’m sure Ducky is just as sad as you are,” consoled Mama Flyer, “Right now, though, all we can do is just wait for tomorrow’s meeting and hope that it goes well.”

“Me hope,” sighed Petrie.

Mama Flyer sighed and turned back for just a moment, and she noticed her four other children watching the sad scene with mixed expressions. Pearlwing appeared to be absolutely worried for Petrie, by the looks of it. Donnie, whom Petrie considered to be the worst of all, looked as if he wouldn’t care what happened to him. The two other children didn’t know what to make of all this, but it was very clear to their mother that they had overheard the entire thing.

Mama Flyer looked out to admire the Great Valley’s beauty, unable to imagine what it would be like if Ducky and Petrie were no longer allowed here. Suddenly, she noticed Mama Swimmer standing right in front of the ledge. The Flyer gasped from shock and nearly jumped, but she was careful not to let Petrie fall out of her wings.

“Oh! Mrs. Swimmer, you just about startled me,” she panted, getting Petrie’s attention and allowing him to notice their Swimmer visitor.

“Sorry about that, Ms. Flyer,” Mama Swimmer apologized, “I wasn’t planning on coming here on such short notice, but Ducky insisted that she come here just so she could be with Petrie for a while. She refuses to leave him all alone and sad.”

Sure enough, Mama Swimmer carefully placed Ducky on the rocky pathway that led to the ledge, and the little Swimmer instantly ran up the path as quickly as her legs would allow her to.

“Aw, that is very nice of her,” chuckled Mama Flyer, “I think that Ducky is the one dinosaur Petrie needs to be with right now. He wants to run away, but with Ducky around, I think they should be okay together until the meeting tomorrow.”

“I think so, too,” agreed Mama Swimmer.

Petrie squirmed out of his mother’s hug and waited anxiously for his girlfriend to appear from around the corner of the pathway. Sure enough, Ducky skidded around the last bend and ran up to the ledge. She panted wearily as she stopped in front of her boyfriend.

“Oh, Ducky!” sobbed Petrie, “You here!”

“I am here, Petrie. Yep, yep, yep,” replied Ducky, “I am here just for you.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” cried Petrie, and the two lovers hugged each other as tightly as they could and shared their tears of love and worry.

Their mothers sniffled and grinned as the two children pampered each other and smooched each other’s faces. They looked so inseparable that it seemed that they would not let go of each other anytime soon.

“Me love you so much, Ducky, … me Sweet Swimmer,” wept Petrie.

“I love you so much, too, Petrie, … my Funny Flyer,” sobbed Ducky.

“Me no can believe this happening to us,” said Petrie, “All because of no-good Hyp.”

“I am sure Hyp did not mean to let our secret slip away, … but I still have not forgiven him for the sinking sand incident yesterday,” said Ducky.

“Me neither,” stammered Petrie, “Me never forgive him now, and now we may become exiles.”

“Maybe the meeting will keep us in the Great Valley,” said Ducky hopefully.

“What if it do no good?” quivered Petrie.

“Then we will face what is coming to us … together,” answered Ducky.

“Together?” sniffled Petrie.

“Together … always,” assured Ducky.

“Me no want to lose you, Ducky,” said Petrie.

“I do not want to lose you, either, Petrie. No, no, no,” said Ducky, “Listen. Even if we do become outcasts, I will never leave your side, my Funny Flyer. I will always protect you as if I was your big sister, and we will find a new life together elsewhere that we will be accepted-ed. You will always be my love, Petrie, and I will pamper you every day until the day we die.”

Petrie felt happy tears stream down his cheeks as he heard his girlfriend’s comforting words. He knew right then that Ducky would do whatever it took to ensure that they would never be torn apart regardless of what happened to them.

“Thank you, Ducky! Thank you,” the Flyer cried hysterically.

“You are welcome, Petrie,” Ducky responded, and she promptly kissed her boyfriend’s beak.

“Me no will leave your side, either, … me Sweet Swimmer,” Petrie began once he had composed himself, “Me will protect you from anything that stand in our way, even when you try to do same for me. Me may feel like little brother to you, … but, at heart, you love of me life, and me will always remember times we spent here in Great Valley if we have to travel somewhere else and start new life together. Me will warm you with me wings every day until we die, Ducky.”

“Aw, Petrie!” cried Ducky, “You are so sweet! You are, you are!”

“Me love you, Ducky!”

“I love you, too, Petrie!”

The two loving children continued their tight hug, while their mothers watched tearfully. They felt proud of their children for refusing to let go of each other through anything that stood in their path, whether they were allowed to stay in the valley or forced to go live someplace else where love between different kinds would not be an issue. Regardless of what might happen in tomorrow’s meeting, these were two kids who would not let anything rip them apart. They would be brave until the end.

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