A Glider’s Long Day
The young glider shivered slightly as the sky water continued to pour all over him. He was already beyond wet but it seemed like the water wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. That fact made Guido more disappointed than he had expected as only last evening he had thought he’d finally be able to go with his parents to see the supposedly beautiful lake in the mountains not far from his home. He had wanted nothing more than to see it today but he already knew the answer to his question as he asked his mother nervously.
“Uhh… I think this weather implies… hehe, that we’re going nowhere, am I right?” He asked, the disappointment more than clear in his voice. His parents were only waking up from their sleep and the boy saw the rather resigned looks on his parents’ faces. The female narrowed her eyes as she rose to a sitting position, the weather immediately confirming her answer.
“I’m sorry, Guido, but we don’t have a choice. Trying to make such a journey now would be too dangerous. The waters will be flowing down from the mountains more quickly than you can imagine and there is a chance we wouldn’t be able to find safety from them before we’re forced to land. It would be difficult even for a flyer.” She answered gently, hating to see the disappointment on her son’s face. She knew just how badly he had waited for a chance to see more places and to widen his little world but time and time again, either the weather or a sharptooth had delayed the family’s efforts. Guido sighed deeply as he shook his head, not really knowing what to say.
“B… cannot we fly long enough? It shouldn’t be that difficult to glide from one hill to another, mom!” He said but almost immediately, he was answered by his father whose expression was rather soft and understanding. He wanted to make the boy happy as badly as his mate did but that didn’t change the facts in any way. His voice was clearly bothered as he spoke even if he tried to sound as comforting as he simply could.
“We don’t want to take any risks. Yes, we might succeed but what if the winds take you away and we’re not quick enough to save you? What if that wind takes you far away from
us right into a sharptooth’s mouth?” He asked, knowing that Guido would see reason. He was a clever child even if his nervousness and awkward expressions made him a bit worried about his future. The younger glider sighed deeply as he crossed his arms, not really able to argue with that point. He had seen enough sharpteeth in his life to know that that wasn’t a threat to be overlooked. Before him lied another boring day of doing nothing but lying around and searching for food with his parents. His head drooped towards the ground and he crossed his arms as he gave his answer.
“I… I guess. I just wish it wasn’t like this every single day. Mom and dads, it’s so unimaginably boring out here!” He said in a loud voice, the frustration clearly apparent in his voice. His mother looked at him sadly and she bowed to his level as she gave him a comforting look.
“I know, my son. I know. But we’ll go when it’s safe for all of us. I promise.” She said, meaning every word she said. She looked at the weeping skies sadly, hoping that it would pass sooner rather than later. Guido looked at her with a slight smile, not really having anything more to say. His voice was silent one as he gave his answer.
“I… I guess so. I just cannot really wait to finally get there.” He said but almost immediately, he heard a voice that made his eyes grow wide.
“Hey, Guido! I don’t know what you’re up to but there’s no reason to be like that this morning! After all, there’s a lot we can do!” A female asked said, causing Guido to look at her in clear surprise. His mouth turned into a careful smile as he spoke to the newcomer, welcoming her and her friends’ arrival wholeheartedly.
“H… hi, Brighthue, Ikal and Dalia! It’s so good to see you here! Did something special bring you here?” He said with a nervous voice, causing Brighthue to smirk in slight amusement. She glanced at her friends and her voice was more than determined as she gave her answer.
“Well, do we need a real reason for that? We just thought this would be a good day to ask you to have some fun.” She said, causing clear cheer to rise within Guido’s chest. He had seen those three gliders only twice before and while they had done many things he hadn’t been fond of, like doing far too brave tricks while gliding, those days had still been a very welcome change from his normal days. He stuttered heavily as he gave his answer.
“Oh, that’s great. I’m more than happy to join you as… as I don’t have anything else to do. Do you have anything special in mind?” He asked, wondering what waited for him this time. However, it wasn’t Brighthue who gave the answer but the other boy on her right side.
“Not yet but I promise you it will be great. Come on now, Guido!” He said, causing the greenish glider to turn at his parents and speak to them eagerly.
“See ya later, mom and dad! I’ll be back before the dark!” He said but before he turned back towards his friends, a gesture from his father caused him to stop for a brief moment. H cleared his throat as he put his hands on the other glider’s shoulders and whispered to him silently.
“I know you want company, Guido, but I have a bad feeling about those three. Are you sure you have to go with them?” He asked, causing Guido to frown deeply. The younger male looked at his father oddly and his voice shuddered slightly as he asked the obvious question.
“Wh… what do you mean? I mean, they’re quite okay.” He said, hoping his new friends wouldn’t think of him too badly due to this delay. However, his father looked at Guido in clear worry but he sighed just before he spoke again.
“That might be true and I’m not telling you to stay here. Just keep my words in mind and remember everything we’ve taught you and if something they want to do goes against them, then decline immediately. Are we clear?” He said but immediately afterwards, the other girl named Dalia cried in clear boredom at the other young glider.
“Well, are you coming? We have better things to do than wait the whole day!” She yelled to which Guido answered promptly before speaking to his father.
“Yes, I won’t keep you waiting for much longer! And dad, I’ll remember. As I said, see ya, um, later.” Guido said before joining the three other gliders. His father looked after him in clear worry but he knew better than to deny his son from joining them. He could only hope that his fears were misplaced as he watched at his only child disappearing into the distance.
“What did your dad tell you, Guido? Something boring, most likely.” Ikal asked, causing Guido to look at him with an unsure look. He wasn’t going to reveal the truth and besides, he wanted to get into more interesting topics.
“Yeah, pretty much. He just told me to be careful but… but that goes without saying. Anyway, how have you been doing?” He asked, still wondering just what kinds of lives the trio actually had. They had never really answered his questions which bothered Guido slightly but he had never wanted to push that issue. It wasn’t long before Brighthue deadpanned the answer, still clearly unwilling to indulge the boy’s curiosity.
“Pretty much the same way as always, Guido. But none of that is important right now. What have you learned with your family thus far? I mean, in terms of gliding and stuff?” She asked, something within her tone unnerving the boy a bit. He stuttered slightly as he tried to give a clear answer.
“I… I’m not sure. The standard stuff, I’d say.” He said, really wondering what the girl was getting at. Dalia looked at the boy for a few seconds before continuing from where the other girl had stopped.
“But apparently they weren’t going to let you do anything on a day like this? A true glider is able to fly in any weather and this isn’t an exception!” She said, making the male to grow ever more nervous. He really wanted to know what the others were willing to say.
“B… but they always say that I have to know when it’s safe and when it’s not! They always tell me that there is no reason to take any more risks than necessary!” He said, knowing that he was speaking the truth. Brighthue moved closer to him, her expression darkening slightly as she prepared to give her answer.
“But what if that risk is something you have to take to escape some danger? Are your parents that much scaredy-eggs that they deny you the chance to learn something actually useful?” She asked, making Guido to gulp as he listened to those words. In one way, he understood her point but… he also couldn’t ignore his father’s words only a while earlier. He didn’t want to upset him but… neither did he want to sound any worse than his companions.
“They… they just want what’s best for me. Why would they do something bad?” He asked, not really knowing what to expect. Brighthue narrowed her eyes and approached the boy slowly, clearly more than willing to get this conversation really rolling.
“How am I supposed to know? Maybe they don’t think you are able to do anything that requires true skill? Something that not any glider is able to do.” She said, causing Guido’s nervousness to grow ever more profound. He raised his finger into the air as he tried to give some kind of a coherent answer.
“Th… that’s not true! They know I can do whatever I want… uhh, at least I think so. Now that I think of it, I never asked them.” He said while quickly turning to look behind himself in growing doubt. Yet, he wasn’t given much chance to reflect on what he had heard before Dalia moved forward and poked him slightly even if Guido could tell that it wasn’t a friendly gesture.
“Well, do you want to prove them wrong? Because we’d certainly want to see that!” She said, earning affirming nods from her two other friends. Guido looked at the trio, more than willing to prove his worth to them… before his rational side finally managed to break out.
“I… I cannot do that! Dad forced me to promise that I’d do nothing that they wouldn’t want me to do and that’s a promise I’d want to keep!” He said, trusting his parents more than this trio. However, what happened next was something he hadn’t expected, much less wanted to hear. The three other gliders approached him and started to chant in unison one single word.
“Scaredy-egg! Scaredy-egg!” They went on, causing Guido to cover towards the ground in shame and fear, seriously distressed at what was happening. At this point, he knew he had only two options: either he’d agree to the trio’s demand or he’d leave them and return home and forget all about them. The boy knew inside that the latter option was the correct one but… but even then, he wanted to keep the idea of having new friends alive. And he certainly wasn’t a scaredy-egg! In a prompt burst of fear and determination, he spoke at his companions in a silent voice.
“Okay… okay then. Tell me what I need to do and I’ll do my best. Promise.” He said while trying to calm the situation down. A slight smile rose to Brighthue’s face as she turned around and waved the male to follow.
“I’m glad to hear that, Guido! Now, follow me and I’ll show just what you need to do.” She said, immediately being followed by her two companions. Guido tried to gesture his discontent but that gesture died down before he could form one word. With a nervous sigh, the boy followed his companions towards a streak of hills to their north, hoping he hadn’t just made a serious mistake.
After a walk that seemed to last for hours to Guido, the four gliders stopped on a low cliff overlooking a smaller plateau below them. The sky water beat mercilessly at them and Guido was more than shivering as he tried to fight against the beating wind. His voice trembled as he demanded to know just what he had agreed to.
“What… what are we doing out here? Just tell me so that I can get along with it.” He said, looking almost pleadingly at the others. Ikal looked at him with a sharp smile as he walked near the edge of the cliff and nodded downwards towards the ground, clearly gesturing Guido to look down there. The greenish boy gulped in growing fear but did as he was told. He nearly yelped in fear as he saw a distant form lying not far below him, surrounded by three smaller dinosaurs. Guido immediately backtracked from the edge, bringing his hands to his face as he whispered his answer.
“Th… they are sharpteeth! We have to get away from here, now!” He said while he prepared to obey his own command but Ikal’s words froze him still. He looked at the other male threateningly, clearly ordering him to stay still.
“You will use your skills and jump right on that fastbiter’s back and do your best to stay on her back as long as you simply can. She always sleeps this time of the day with her hatchlings so we knew just how we’d have to test you. After you can last no longer, you will glide to safety and we’ll meet again somewhere out there. If you can do this, we’ll accept you as one of us.” He said, his expression radiating nothing but honesty and decisiveness. Guido’s expression turned ever more fearful as he backtracked again, struggling to form any coherent words as he spoke to the others.
“You can’t mean…. Oh, I do get it. A nice job, guys, but it’s getting a bit old. What do you say if we just leave and… umm, forget about this?” He said, trying to form some kind of smile which failed pitifully. Dalia rolled her eyes as she gave her answer.
“I had expected you to already realize that this isn’t a joke. Now, get down there and prove you’re not the loser your parents think you are!” She said and those words shattered any illusions the male had had about his companions’ honesty. However, he also knew that doing as they wanted would be utterly crazy and before he even thought about it, he turned around and started to walk away from the others. His voice was more than sickened as he spoke.
“Never! I won’t risk my life for nothing! Keep y…” He started but he was interrupted by Brighthue who grabbed his arms and turned him around. She looked directly at his eyes and this time her voice dipped with threat as she addressed him.
“We came all the way here to keep you this chance, Guido. Do you really want to let us down like this?” She asked as Ikal and Dalia approached the duo, their gestures confirming to Guido just what were his options. Either he’d do as they told or they’d beat him up good… at the very least. A few tears flowed down his cheeks as he realized just where his naivety had taken him. These weren’t his friends and they were up to no good no matter how he looked at it. Why hadn’t he listened to his father and simply ignored these trio this morning?
However, Guido knew more than well that thinking about his mistake would get him nowhere right now. He gulped as he thought about whether to agree to the ultimatum or not. Would he want to return home bloodied and miserable or would he risk ending his life in the sharptooth’s claws? Would he take the risk to survive unharmed or would he take a certain beating? At first he thought he’d take the latter option but some voice deep within him called for him to prove the trio’s bullying wrong and show that he was more than capable to look after himself. Almost instinctually, the boy said the words that would probably seal his fate.
“Um, okay. I’ll do it.” He said to Brighthue’s clear amusement. She finally released Guido’s arm and the two other children stopped still, signaling that the threat was over for now. The girl then nodded towards the cliff and spoke in a carefree way.
“Well, in that case you better start. There’s no reason waste any more time, is there?” She said, again making the boy feel beyond miserable. For a fleeting second, he wondered whether he should take a run for it but he had to admit he’d never be able to outrun the trio. Inside, he knew that his choice was made and with a heavy heart, he walked towards the edge and looked at his task. The fastrunner’s back was relatively open and it wouldn’t be difficult to hit it. However, he knew more than well just how fast and merciless fastbiters truly were and that fact alone made his heart run cold.
However, he couldn’t turn back now. He had to do this to escape this situation without serious repercussions. Guido knew he’d never want to see that trio again but for now, he was forced to do their bidding. Apparently they thought that this somehow would make him a better glider, a thought that made him feel a bit sad for them, but that wouldn’t really help him right now. For a fleeting moment, the boy closed his eyes and spoke in his mind to those who he had already wronged.
Mom, dad… I’m sorry for not listening to you. I just hope I’ll get a chance to make it up to you one day.
Those were his last thoughts before he leapt over the edge and spread his wings, looking at the still-sleeping predator with fear-filled eyes. He knew the hatchlings made her even more dangerous but that was likely what his companions had counted on. He could hear some half-hearted cheers behind him but he gave them no heed. The only thing he wanted right now was to get this debacle over with. He tried to slow down his plunge to his very best ability and second by second, the carnivore’s back grew ever clearer from the sky water. Just before the impact, the glider gulped deeply, praying he’d see the evening.
To absolutely no one’s surprise, the moment he touched the sharptooth’s scales, she twitched heavily as she tried to repel anyone who would threaten either her or her children. The predator was clearly more than surprised by the fact that she hadn’t been assaulted by any of the kinds that could actually threaten her but that didn’t change much. She’d get the pitiful pipsqueak who had dared to attack her like this and nobody would stand between her and that goal!
Guido, on the other hand, was shuddering in fear as the sharptooth’s left eye managed to get a good sight of him. Remembering Btighthue’s words, Guido jumped towards her neck and tried to get as good a grip as he only could. Realizing just how difficult it was to get rid of the arrogant brat with her claws. the fastbiter ran towards the nearby wall of rock, trying to crush her tormentor but just before the impact, Guido managed to throw himself away from the harm’s way.
However, that wasn’t the end of his worries. The carnivore let out a powerful growl as she prepared to hit the wall again in an effort to finally get the glider but Guido managed to get from her back just before the hit. Knowing that he’d have to get back to her back in order to keep the vheers of his companions coming, he immediately plunged back towards the sharptooth but… she was faster than he had expected.
She moved away from his path and before Guido realized it, he had hit the ground with the sharptooth suddenly towering over him. The boy stared at her revealed teeth in fear and as soon as his mind registered what he was looking at, he let out a powerful scream.
“Brighthue, Ikal, Dalia, come to help! NOW!” He cried but the only thing he heard from the trio was Brighthue’s distressed call to her friends.
“Let’s get out of here, guys! I wouldn’t want to be around here once they realize what happened to him!” She cried and almost immediately, the trio was gone. Guido shuddered in fear as he realized the full extent of the situation, not really able to believe just what was happening. Here he was, looking death itself in the eyes while those he had regarded as potential friends had left him to face his fate alone. For a moment, he had been ready to give up but… but he couldn’t.
He simply wouldn’t allow himself to die because of his inability to listen to his parents and they didn’t deserve to hear that he had died like this! The boy’s eyes flashed open and in a blink of an eye, he rolled away from the way of the predator’s claws. He panted as he looked at them sinking into the spot he had lied only a few seconds earlier. Knowing he had no time to waste, he ran towards the high cliff not far in front of him, knowing it was his only way of escaping this horrific situation. However, the sharptooth wasn’t about to just let him run away and she immediately leapt towards the glider, more than ready to cut his pathetic attempt to escape short.
Guido almost thought his heart would break out of his chest as he felt the larger dinosaur’s breath in his neck, doing his best to get away from this monstrous situation as soon as possible but just in time, he realized he simply couldn’t get away was enough. He quickly turned around, just in time to see the predator’s mouth open before him. For a moment, he felt he was looking into the maw of death itself but even then, he knew better than to freeze still. The boy jumped into the air, just high enough to be able to jump above his foe’s mouth after which he concentrated all his strength to kick his way to safety.
The boy’s eyes widened as he flew through the air on his back, praying within his mind that he wouldn’t drop into the rocky ground and that he had kicked hard enough to get past the cliff and into the gaping nothingness. Seconds passed very slowly as Guido prepared for a heavy impact against the ground but… it never came. Instead, he continued falling and as he opened his eyes, he saw the sharptooth look at him in annoyance not far above him. He had made it! He had managed to escape from that certain death!
However, it didn’t take long until the next step of his plan again became clear to him. His ever-increasing speed almost caused the glider to panic but by calming his nerves, Guido rolled around and spread his wings, looking with growing fear at the approaching ground beneath him. He yelled in frustration as he searched for the right currents of air in the middle of the sky water.
“Get up now, Guido! You have to get up!” He cheered for himself and it didn’t take long before he finally felt his momentum changing from falling into gliding. His plunge slowly stopped and Guido let out a deep sigh as he realized that once again, he had escaped from a looming death. Now, all he had to do was…
“Aaahhh!” The young dinosaur suddenly yelped as he felt as if some giant hand had suddenly grabbed him and thrown him into a distance as the winds took him by complete surprise. He yelled in pain as he felt himself hitting the mossy ground, the vegetation making the landing softer than could have been expected. However, Guido could feel his consciousness failing for a few seconds before he raised his head up from the ground, trying to remember just where he was and as he did so, he felt beyond miserable.
Here he was, lying in some forest alone without a real idea which way home was. In this moment, he understood perfectly just why his parents had done their best to avoid flying in a storm like this and with every passing second, he missed his parents more and more. He was alone with no one to turn to and he was supposed to find his way back alone… only because he had been unable to listen to his father’s advice! In a moment of outburst, the boy turned towards a nearby tree and hit his head against it violently, hating himself more and more by the second.
He brought his hand to his head and cringed as the pain spread everywhere within his body, the reality slowly beginning to kick in again. With fearful moves, the glider turned to face the distance, knowing he had to somehow figure how to me forward. The cliff where he had faced the sharptooth was still above him and he and the others had climbed to it from the direction that was to his right now. But they had taken many turns before they had even started the climb and the boy felt his head starting to ache as he thought about what to do. Even if he knew it was a terrible risk, he decided to cry into the skies the only thing that could offer him an easy way out of this situation.
“Mom! dad! Please, tell me you hear me! Just come get me out of here!” He yelled but to absolutely no one’s surprise, nobody answered to him. Even worse, the boy knew that that cry could very well have alerted sharpteeth to him and he knew he had to move quickly to escape possible danger. Knowing that even this wind alone could carry him, Guido spread his wings and took to the air, whimpering inside as he looked at the ever-thickening sky water.
However, it didn’t take long until the glider’s troubles started. The winds almost felt like they were about to tear him apart but somehow, he still managed to keep his course at least to some degree. He tried to keep his eyes open against the beating winds and even more difficultly, the boy tried to stay rather close to the ground in order not to miss any possible landmarks far below him. But even now, it was a struggle to see anything in this horrific weather and but bit by bit, the glider’s spirit started to break under the sickening circumstances. After many minutes, the strain that finally broke his resistance finally arrived.
It was a powerful gust of wind that took him completely by surprise. Guido’s eyes widened in fear as he felt himself losing every last bit of control he had had over his movements and to his utter shock, his speed only increased second by second. Guido felt as if his heart was going to explode at any second as he tried to draw breath. At this point, he no longer had any idea where he even was and he felt himself being pulled ever further and further away from home. Even if he wanted to believe otherwise, he was growing ever more confident that he wouldn’t be seeing his parents ever again, a thought that made him beyond appalled by his own mistakes.
However, the glider knew he had to prevent himself from falling into utter despair just yet. He was still alive and he knew just how badly he was missed back home… and how badly he wanted to survive this ordeal himself. Guido gritted his teeth as he tried to do his all to prevent the very worst from happening.
Minutes passed on ever so slowly and bit by bit, the sky water seemed to stop and the visibility around him slowly starting to improve. He was still far too high to see anything but to his slight optimism, he no longer seemed to fly in utter darkness. Yet, that optimism was quickly turned to further peril as the boy suddenly realized he was being pulled downwards towards the ground. He cringed deeply as he saw a range of mountains appearing far below him, making him panic as he saw their sharp peaks waiting for him like the sharptooth’s mouth he had witnessed only a while earlier. In his growing desperation, Guido closed his eyes and spoke silently to himself.
“If only I could just… if only I could just return to the morning and see that none of this ever happened! I wish I had never met those three! I just wish I had spent all my life safe from them, safe from cursed gliders that only…” He started but before Guido could twitch a finger, he saw a large branch heading towards him and just like that, it hit his head, making the poor boy’s world turn black within one second. However, unknown to him, the still-powerful winds continued to take his unconscious body a bit further… until it dropped him into the grassy ground, his body rolling a few times before coming to a complete halt.
“Wh… what happened? Oh… my head…” His own words were the first thing Guido heard as he slowly started to wake up from the impact. He blinked a few times as he rose to a sitting position, his vision returning only after a short moment. What he saw was a high wall of grass all around him, surrounded by looming mountains in all directions. The glider felt his head hurting horribly and he could feel a very noticeable swelling at the spot where the branch had hit him. However, he couldn’t remember just what had happened to his head… or why.
For a few moments, the boy couldn’t do anything but stare forward, that feeling beyond haunting to him. Wh… where was he? Who was he? The glider’s mind was beyond blank at this point and he felt his breaths grow more and more alarmed as he looked around himself. Was this place his home? To his own extreme shock, none of this seemed familiar in the least but considering he could hardly remember his name, that was close to the least of his worries.
For a moment, the glider felt as if he was going to panic. He had seen much in his/her life, but nothing had prepared him for this: to wake up in an alien place with no one to turn to nor even a faintest idea how he had got there. That fact alone made him shudder in fear but it simply couldn’t be helped at this point. He had to move on from this point on, no matter what. After a few seconds, however, one realization appeared to his mind that made his breaths grow a tiny, fleeting bit better.
He had no idea how he remembered it but his name was Guido! So he had to be someone after all! It was all so very unclear but even then… he had a name! Maybe if someone could tell him a bit more about this place, he’d be able to…
Thud!
The glider’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he heard a loud sound of impact on his left side. He immediately turned to look at that direction with wide eyes but as he saw the sight before him, he relaxed immediately. In front of him lied a flyer about his age and he was clearly more than shaken by his fall but otherwise he seemed to be unhurt. The glider cleared his throat as he moved to the other boy’s side and asked him nervously.
“Uhh… I don’t know how to ask this but… where are we?” He asked as he grabbed the flyer’s hand to help him up but to his utter shock, he was visibly shocked by his gesture and before the greenish male could say anything else, the flyer jumped into the bushes next to him with clearly fearful eyes. Guido was left looking after him dumbstruck, not having expected such a reaction from the other dinosaur. However, that didn’t discourage him as after all, it was clear he hadn’t meant any harm. Slowly, he started to move after the flyer, hoping he hadn’t escaped too far.
However, when he finally managed to get through the thick bushes, the sight that met him was one that he hadn’t expected. Yes, there was the flyer still looking at him with horror but around him, there also was a longneck, a swimmer, a spiketail and a threehorn. And towering over them was an even larger group of grown-ups, all of them staring at him with deep interest and slight concern. In this most awkward of situations, the glider could only speak the first words that came to his mind.
“Sorry, did I scare you? I have that effect on folks sometimes.”
Here’s my response to Gang of Five’s January prompt. It turned out to be shorter than I had expected and it’s far from my most ambitious works. I’ve had pretty rough two weeks and I’m sorry if that can be seen in this story. Still, I’ll try to get the next short story out somewhere later this month so see all of you with that story.
