Oh yeah, i remember the japan earthquake. My grandfather used to live in San Francisco, and he told me there would be earth tremors every so often. He was talking to someone on the phone and he felt a shake, and he asked his friend on the other line if he felt an earthquake, and the guy said yeah, and he was over a mile away
=Part NineThe fast biters gnashed their teeth and hissed as they moved in closer, forcing the Gang into a tight circle. Littlefoot's mind was racing. How could they escape? These sharpteeth would surely snap them up if they moved to run past them. Petrie, clinging onto Littlefoot's neck, whispered in a thin, frightened voice.
“W-what we do, now? Littlefoot, you have plan?”
Before Littlefoot could answer, a dark shadow passed over the quarried Gang and their assailents and the next moment, both fast biters were knocked into the air by… Tria and Grandma Longneck!
“That’ll teach you to come near our young ones!” Grandma bellowed, louder than Littlefoot had ever heard her speak. Tria shook her frilled head after bashing into the lead fast biter.
“Don’t hurry back!” She called after the dazed sharpteeth as they crookedly got to their feet and hobbled quickly away.
“Grandma!” Littlefoot rushed to his grandmother. “You saved us! How did you know where we were?”
Grandma Longneck smiled. “We heard about fast biters getting into the Valley and Tria and I both decided to come and find you children before things got too messy.”
“And I’m glad we did,” Tria mused, nuzzling Cera. “Looks like we arrived in the nick of time.”
“Oh, yes, you did, you did. You saved-ed us, Tria and Mrs. Longneck, thank you so-so much!” Ducky laughed happily. Spike nodded in agreement.
“But where are the rest of the fast biters?” Cera asked. Tria looked in the direction the fast biters had run off in. She frowned.
“From the sound of things, I’d say that the rest of the grownups are driving them off, but this really isn’t the safest place for you children to be right now.”
Grandma nodded. “Come with us, children.” She turned to lead the way farther into the valley, away from danger. Littlefoot stayed close beside his grandmother. He needed to tell her what he had seen.
“Grandma, that earthshake weakened the Main Entrance Wall. That’s how the fast biters got in,”
Grandma Longneck didn’t answer right away, but when she did, she sounded terribly worried. “Oh, my. We had better call a meeting when this is over. If the earthshake was strong enough to collapse the Main Wall, then it would certainly have opened up new crevices for fast biters to come through.”
~
~
Pterano harrumphed to suppress the urge to gripe about not flying well in a downpour. He had only said it five times already and Taylen had most likely heard him, even amid the loud smattering of liquid on hard stony ground of the cliff ranges they had just entered. At least we’re out of the grasslands now, he admitted sourly to himself.
The flyer and Egg-Stealer were on the road again and had been traveling through this deluge for at least an hour now. It could have been longer, but Pterano figured an hour seemed a reasonable estimate. It was possible they had been slowed down slightly by the limited visibility but they still had their sniffers to guide them, and Taylen’s sniffer was invaluable in that case.
The little Egg-Stealer kept close by the low-flying pterosaur, pale eyes squinted until they were almost shut and sniffer poised stock-straight ahead.
“Ahem, Mr. Pterano, sir?” Taylen spoke a little louder, hoping his voice would carry over. “Do you know when the sky-water will stop?”
Pterano chuckled bitterly. “When it stops, lad, when it stops. I’m sorry, but I don’t control the weather.”
Taylen sighed but continued on. He was steadily growing used to Pterano’s brusque temperament and sudden mood swings, like he wasn’t even sure about what state of mind he should be in. One minute he was cold and distant, and the next he could be gentle and open. The little dinosaur decided to stop thinking about the subject as it distracted his sniffer; not that there was much to sniff out in this inundation, anyway.
Pterano was starting to feel a little badly for being so disgruntled towards this youngster. He wasn’t used to traveling with one barely two cold times in age, but he knew that was hardly a reasonable excuse. It wasn’t like he meant to be ornery, but one had to understand his position: going back to the Great Valley after being sentenced to five cold times from the Great Valley was practically like signing any hope he had for the future away. Stay away? No problem, here I am again. Anyone miss me? Oh, what’s that? I’m not allowed back in? Funny… You say no more chances? Three strikes and you’re out? So long!
The flyer shook his head angrily. This wasn’t making him feel any better. Best not to think about it until we get there, remember? Just focus on getting the little one to his brothers in one piece. What happened to that? The sky-water wasn’t helping in the slightest, either. No matter what I do, something always goes wrong! Never once have I done anything right! Just once, can't someone see it from my point of view? Why I'm so diffident to return?!
Incensed, Pterano knew he couldn’t go on much longer in this fuming, distracted state. “Taylen!” Pterano blurted finally. “Hold up, lad, I need to… to stop.” He banked and landed on the ground, tottering slightly on the slick stone surface where he slumped onto his knees, breathing deeply, letting the sky-water course over his tired, frustrated body and trying to clear his jumbled, meaningless thoughts; trying not to scream in utter exasperation.
Taylen was immediately at the old flyer’s side. “Are you alright, sir?” he asked timidly, one claw reaching hesitantly outwards. “Do you need a break? That’s okay, I can – I can keep watch for you if you want to take a nap. I understand.” He rested the claw on Pterano’s shoulder, comfortingly, hoping the flyer wouldn’t smack it away.
“Is… is everything okay?” He asked again, quietly.
Pterano squeezed his eyes shut, halting the sudden flow of hot, hopeless tears. “I’m… fine,” he mumbled, just loud enough for his companion to hear.
A silence, punctuated only by Pterano’s choking breaths and the torrent still hailing from the sky without any sign of letting up, follwed. Taylen waited beside the flyer, claw still on his shoulder, nervously biting the edge of his beak. He knew something was wrong and he was also pretty sure Pterano was trying his hardest not to break down in front of him.
With that thought in mind, Taylen frowned, stepped in front of the flyer and awkwardly moved in for a hug. Pterano was caught completely off guard.
“What, what are you -?” He sniffled. Taylen didn’t answer; he just squeezed tighter.
“We all need hugs sometime,” the Egg-Stealer insisted, snout buried against Pterano’s neck ruff so his voice was slightly muffled. “–Even when we’re older; Mum told me that.”
Pterano, speechless, forgot his own grief upon witnessing this heartfelt gesture from the youngster. Hesitantly, he brought both arms up and placed them on Taylen’s back in a gentle return. The flyer could feel a small grin tugging at the corners of his beak and allowed it to remain. He had nothing to be angry about with this little one around. Taylen had the ability to put his misgivings to flight and he greatly appreciated that. It felt good to be hugged – Pterano had been hugged so infrequently during his life that this was a welcome respite.
At length, the sky-water ceased to fall and the two were left in the middle of a slick, craggy, cliffside path. Pterano registered the halt of the storm and slowly released the little Egg-Stealer.
“We’d best get a move on, then,” he remarked in a gentler tone. Taylen nodded, smiling.
“Do you feel better, sir? My Mum and Dad always said that a hug works best when someone’s down. Picks ëem right up, they said,” he nodded energetically, heartily agreeing with the principle. Pterano smiled and inclined his head in obligation.
“Yes, yes it did, lad. And I thank you for that. It… it helped, really it did.” He stood up then, wincing as his joints popped back into place after being in a squatting position for so long. The sky-water had cleared away the black clouds from before and left in its wake a crisp, clear midday. Pterano frowned at the position of the Bright Circle overhead and spread his wings.
“Come on, Taylen, we can’t rest yet I’m afraid; still have a ways to go.”
Taylen sighed, quickening his pace to match that of the flapping pterosaur over his head. “Yeah, I guess so. Sir?”
“Yes?” Pterano looked downwards.
“If… if you ever need another hug, just let me know, ëkay?” Taylen turned a cheerful, understanding grin in the big flyer’s direction.
Pterano thought his heart would melt as his reserve most certainly was. He nodded graciously and turned his head forwards again before Taylen could see him smile.
=
Aw, Pterano... we all need a hug sometime, right? Taylen, you're such a sweetie!
Sorry for the lack of uploads but my summer classes are almost over, so I promise to upload more when (I'm sane again) they end
