Alright, here's an update that a whole bunch of you will probably be looking forward to...
FFN Link:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13096361/4/Waves-Crashing-Upon-the-Sky
Chapter 4: Petrie's Faustian BargainPetrie looked as though he'd just been slapped in the beak. Hard.
The brown flyer shook his head with an open beak, stammering a hasty denial. "Du-Ducky need go away?" he stuttered in horror, unable to believe what he'd just been told. "Nooooo… me no want Ducky go away! She belong here in Great Valley, together with us friends!" Petrie insisted with an admittedly pitiful whine. "Ducky no belong in farwalker swimmer herd!"
It appeared that today just wasn't going to be his day. To think that his best friend Ducky could very well end up being forced to leave the Great Valley and join up with the swimmer herd against any of their wills? Petrie vehemently shook his head, adamantly refusing to believe the facts.
This couldn't happen to Ducky! It just couldn't! He refused to let this hypothetical, yet scarily realistic scenario become reality!
M-Me no can let Ducky get taken away by that no-good swimmer!Although Jovi was unable to peer into Petrie's mind, he could roughly guess what the flyer was thinking in his head when he saw Petrie's face cramp up with a mixture of determination and fear. The swimmer let out a tired sigh, gently patting Petrie on the wing in a gesture of support. "Well, I'm so sorry that I had to be the one to break that to you. But I'm just saying that if they do get together, your friend Ducky wouldn't really have a choice."
Jovi paused as he finished, moving his hand under his chin to contemplate his next words before he said them. "Plus, it doesn't help that Ferris is one stubborn and persistent swimmer. He simply won't quit until he gets what he wants…" the swimmer sighed and shook his head. "Guess that trait runs in their family."
As Jovi was musing the situation, the swimmer unconsciously tilted his head slightly downwards. Because of a combination of the posture he adopted and his close proximity to Petrie, the flyer suddenly noticed something off with Jovi's face. "Wh-what happen to your eye?" Petrie stuttered, noticing a small diagonal scar directly above Jovi's right eye, one that was almost invisible unless viewed from the correct angle.
Jovi flinched back at Petrie's observation, reaching a finger up and rubbing the scab wound in question as though it had started to throb again. "Th-that? Just an old injury I got ages ago," he waved the matter off with his other free arm. "Truth is, I forget that it exists sometimes. Despite how it looks, it doesn't actually affect my eyesight, nor does it really irritate me much…"
"That injury look serious," Petrie commented, causing Jovi to grimace as the swimmer squeezed his right eye shut, rubbing the scar further in a way that made it almost seem like he was aggravating the wound.
"It's… it's nothing, really." Jovi stopped rubbing the wound, heaving a tired sigh as he backed away from Petrie to give the flyer some personal space. "If you really wish to know, I accidentally slammed my head into a rocky bluff while swimming a long time ago. Had this scar to remind me of my stupidity ever since," he explained, gently kicking at the ground. "At least it doesn't hurt, and it helps that it isn't an obvious wound. So, I don't really care about it." He stuck out his tongue as he concluded.
Petrie winced as Jovi tilted his head inquisitively. "What's wrong?" the swimmer asked. "You seemed rather spooked."
"How you slam head into bluff?" Petrie tentatively asked, assuming that 'bluff' was a swimmers' term for 'rock'. Admittedly, it was kind of an insensitive question to ask, but the flyer's curiosity was now piqued and he wanted to know the answer, darn it all.
Jovi's eyes widened, the swimmer's face turning pale. "We-well…" he stammered, clutching his head as though he was suddenly suffering a migraine. His right eye twitched as he stared vacantly ahead, freezing on the spot as though he was rooted to the ground. "It's kind of personal…" he finally admitted as he recovered, looking down and averting his eyes with a feeling akin to shame. "Perhaps I'll tell you some other time, okay?"
Petrie grimaced, but accepted Jovi's reasoning. "It okay. You no need feel bad," he reassured the swimmer, which visibly helped to ease Jovi's mood.
"Well, I suppose I better get going. If Valent comes back and finds me standing around over here instead of listening in to what's left of Geoffrey's speech…" the green swimmer trailed off before he could finish the thought, shuddering in fright. As Jovi recovered, he pursed his lips thoughtfully before giving a final reassuring smile to Petrie. "Best of luck to you, Petrie! Pray that Ferris doesn't get to your friend! I'll be rooting for ya!"
Petrie waved farewell to Jovi as the swimmer scurried away in a flustered manner. The flyer then sighed as he found himself all alone again. With those heavy words still lingering in his mind, he flapped his wings and began making his way towards the clifftop where his friends were all gathered.
But even as he felt a gentle breeze flowing over his wings, he couldn't help but feel a sense of uneasiness. Petrie shivered as he flew, shaking away his apprehensiveness when he saw his friends huddled ahead of him.
"Hey, guys! Sorry me late!" Petrie called out to them as he touched down onto the ground. It was only then that he noticed that only a mere two dinosaurs were there instead of the four that he'd expected. "Eh? Littlefoot, Cera?" He turned his head all around but was unable to spot his swimmer friend or her brother. "Where Ducky and Spike go?" he questioned.
Cera huffed as she answered Petrie. "Well, Ducky said she wasn't really feeling too well, so she and Spike went back to her home." The grumpy threehorn then proceeded to grunt at Petrie, grumbling under her breath. "Why did you take so long to get over here, anyway?" She peered at Petrie in confusion. "It isn't even that far! You missed everything because you were late! The entire meeting's over already!"
A stunned Petrie followed Cera's glare down towards the vacant plains below, only to realize that she was absolutely right. Where almost the entire valley had congregated around the grassy plains below just a couple of moments earlier, there was now nary a soul in sight, with only the large prominent pink tree sweet tree left down below.
"Huh… you right. They all gone!" Petrie commented. He supposed that the distinct lack of noise or arguments should have hinted to him as to the meeting's end even before Cera had brought it to his attention.
"That's right, Petrie. Also, Cera didn't mention it…" Littlefoot brought up, willingly risking a sharp glare from the threehorn as he made note of the minor detail, "but it was actually already over by the time that we made it back up here ourselves. They most likely wrapped it up while we were busy dealing with Ferris and Ducky's dilemma."
Petrie nodded. It was definitely a surprise that they had closed the meeting so abruptly, considering that valley meetings usually ran for far longer.
Littlefoot's eyes hovered towards the mountains that surrounded the valley, the longneck squinting them as they fell upon the setting Bright Circle. "Well, it could also be because the Bright Circle's going down," he hypothesized. "It's getting awfully late…"
Cera followed Littlefoot's gaze, standing upright in a rather proud manner as she grumbled under her breath. "You're probably right, Littlefoot. They're all probably getting themselves ready for dinner or something. Yeah, that's the real reason why they ended the meeting!"
"Me see." Petrie shifted uncomfortably as Cera scrutinized his face. "Me guess me better go and find Mom before she get worried about me." Waving a quick goodbye to his friends, he made his way back up into the skies above.
"See you, Petrie!" Littlefoot called out with a pleasant smile.
"Yeah!" Cera added, "And you better make sure that you come back to play with us tomorrow so that I can finally thrash you in a game of hide-and-seek!"
"Hey!" Petrie let out an indignant cry at Cera's threat, his voice accompanied with a grumpy frown as he flapped his wings in a manner that allowed him to look down at her while still maintaining his flight. "Me no going to lose to you, Cera!"
Cera gruffed, quickly firing back at the flyer. "That's what
you think, Petrie! But we'll soon see who's the best at this game!"
Petrie shook his head as he flew back to his home. Some things just never changed…
As the Bright Circle slowly dipped below the horizon, no one noticed a second flyer that most definitely wasn't from the Great Valley stepping into the reddened light, the flyer in question fervently eyeing the setting Bright Circle and the soaring Petrie from his current perspective. A perfect view was available to him as he stood by the foot of a large tree located further down the cliff, in the approximate direction that Petrie and the gang had come from earlier.
"It is almost time… the darkness of night awaits," he hissed under his breath as he eyed the descending Bright Circle. "It would appear that the scepter of death… will be looming over
your head tonight." He brushed his wings, squinting his eyes as he saw Petrie disappearing into a cavern located at the top of a rocky cliff.
"Now, the question is… will you be willing to take the plunge?"
The straw-colored flyer basked in the rays of light for a while longer, before stealthily retreating back into the shadows.
Nightfall came quickly to the Great Valley.
For a flyer who was currently moping about the current situation regarding Ducky's predicament, the rise of the Night Circle was unfortunately accompanied by the surge of apprehensive feelings within him as well. Petrie kicked his feet in his nest, the uneasy feeling within his quivering body making it difficult, if not downright impossible, for him to drift off into sleep. "Ohhhh, today bad day…" he softly whined, moping as he tossed and turned about.
His movements did not go unnoticed. A concerned high-pitched voice spoke up, shattering the peaceful silence. "Hey… what's wrong, Petrie?"
Petrie turned about at the voice, propping himself up into a sitting position. That distinct voice had come from the indisputable nicest of all his siblings, Gryphon. Petrie was the youngest of his mother's clutch of six, having five older siblings hatched ahead of him. In terms of hatch order from oldest to youngest, the sequence went — Pitch, Yaw, Roll, Gyro, Gryphon, and lastly Petrie himself.
Gryphon was the second-youngest of the six, a perpetually jovial flyer with a light chocolate brown coloration. He was by far the most pleasant out of all his siblings when it came to their favorite pastime of teasing the runt of the litter.
Petrie had to admit that Gryphon wasn't nearly as malicious with his remarks as some of the others, especially Gyro — the uncontested "bully" of the six. Gryphon's mellow behavior could be further attributed to the fact that his default personality caused him to have the tendency of behaving in a humbler manner, therefore resulting in him not being one who took enjoyment out of teasing others.
In fact, back when Petrie had offered Guido the chance to stay with his family during the time nearing the Great Day of the Flyers, Petrie distinctly remembered Gryphon smiling pleasantly at the unusual glider and going, "You're okay, Guido!", in great contrast to all the scathing remarks and questions that his other siblings had for the apprehensive Guido.
Gryphon had given the unusual Guido a chance, doing so with a smile accompanied by a reassuring voice. Although his moral support appeared relatively small in the grand scheme of things, it was significant enough to Guido after he had scoured the entire valley for a place to stay and fit in. Hence, his brother's words had ended up truly helping the teal glider when he was struggling to find acceptance within the valley.
"Me no know, Gryphon." Petrie admitted with a groan as he shook his head. "Me just no feeling too happy." He really didn't want to tell any of his siblings—even Gryphon—that his current mood swing was partly due to Ducky, lest the news leaked to his other siblings, which would surely end with them teasing Petrie about his unusual friendships with non-flyer dinosaurs yet again.
"Are you sure about that?" Gryphon asked, glancing at Petrie with an expression of sheer disbelief. He marched up to Petrie and looked directly at his younger brother, a persistent and stubborn look on his face. "Positively sure?"
Petrie appreciated Gryphon's concern, but he wasn't in the mood to entertain his older brother at the moment. "Me very sure!" he replied as he waved Gryphon away with a wing.
"Whatever you say, Petrie…" Gryphon protectively hovered around Petrie out of concern, before he hesitantly walked away and moved over to another part of the nest.
Left on his own, he was now free to reflect on the day's events. Petrie moped about as he remembered Ferris persistently going after Ducky, the memory overlaid with Jovi's warning regarding the light green swimmer.
"I'm afraid Ferris is used to getting what he wants."Petrie angrily shut his eyes as he recalled those words.
Well, me no want you get together with Ducky, he made sure to tell Ferris in his mind.
"What's the matter, Petrie?"
He jolted when he heard his mother's voice, looking up to see his mom peering at him with a worried expression. He momentarily pondered as to what had caused his mother to approach him, but seeing an apologetic Gryphon hanging further back told Petrie the answer — his brother had sensed that something was amiss and raised his concerns.
Suppressing his frown, Petrie immediately attempted to feign ignorance. "Me fine… honest! You no need worry, Mom!"
"Petrie…" Skylar saw through the lie instantaneously, looking into Petrie's eyes with a serious expression. "You can tell me what's wrong…" she assured, her voice turning gentle as she prodded her son.
It didn't take long for Petrie's inner resistance to crumble and break down. The moment his mother put pressure on him, he felt himself beginning to falter. "Oh, Momma! Me… me…" he began, his voice breaking as he faced away from his mom, looking to the rocky ground. Taking a deep breath, Petrie simply gave in and let the torrent of words tumble out.
"Me scared that Ducky need to leave Great Valley!" Seeing his mother with a befuddled look at his outlandish concern, Petrie proceeded to elaborate for her. "You saw swimmer herd that came to valley? Well, herd leader's son like Ducky and want to take Ducky away! What me to do!? Me really scared of him, Mom!"
Petrie's mother delicately scooted closer to her distraught youngest son and leaned down to cuddle an upset Petrie, letting him cozily seek comfort in the relaxing embrace of her large wings. "Oh, Petrie… you have to take a deep breath and let yourself relax. All you have to do is tell yourself that everything's going to be alright, dear."
"Me scared, Mom. Me really scared and sad!" Petrie glumly confessed to his mother, the one flyer whom he could keep no secrets from. "What if he succeed in getting together with Ducky? That mean Ducky have to leave Great Valley! Then what me gonna do? Me and Ducky been best friends since we first met… me no want her go!"
In one fell swoop, he had whined out all of his concerns in a pitiful manner, which made Petrie immensely glad that this chat between them was a private one. He was certain that his siblings would never let him live it down if they could hear his squeaky voice now, close to the verge of tears due to his anxiety over Ducky's current situation.
Skylar reassuringly cooed at her son, gently rocking him about with her wings in an attempt to pacify him. "There, there, Petrie. There's no point in fretting about the future when it's all so uncertain. Nothing's set in stone yet, you know? I mean, you don't even know if the Bright Circle is going to rise tomorrow or if it'll be obscured by a layer of sky puffies."
As Petrie wiped a tear from his eyes with his wing, she continued on with a motherly voice. "That is why I always tell the others that it's futile to panic when you don't even know what to expect." Skylar darted her head around to make sure that no one was listening into their conversation before hissing a whisper to Petrie in an amused voice. "I even had to tell that little piece of advice to Mr. Threehorn before."
Her words succeeded in livening up the mood. Petrie couldn't stop chuckling beneath his mother's wings at the mental image that his mind had conjured up from those words.
"Frankly, there's no reason to stress yourself out because of something that might not even be an inevitability. For all you know, Ducky might not have to leave at all even if that swimmer manages to woo her. You still got a while to go before you hit your Time of Great Growing, Petrie."
"Me know!" he grumbled. "Me just wish it come sooner! Me already ten Cold Times old!"
Skylar gave her son a knowing smile as he continued to frown at her blunt admission. "But when you get a little older, you'll be surprised by the power held by females in a situation like this one. Why, you might find that Ducky may even be able to negotiate with him," she said to his surprise.
"R-Really?"
"Yes, I mean it. Don't worry yourself silly over this small affair." She released her hold on Petrie, letting her son recover and get back on his own two feet. "Take small steps, Petrie. There's no need to rush for the treestars and get yourself worked up all for nothing."
Petrie nodded, wiping his reddened eyes as he sniffed. "M-me… understand, Mom."
Skylar beamed as Petrie finally began to recover. "Always remember, dear — we're flyers, not threehorns. Unlike those rigid threehorns who would bash down trees just to eat, we can get the best treestars simply by flying to the very top of those trees." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she knelt down to look at Petrie, her son attentively absorbing her every word.
"You see what I'm getting at, Petrie? There's always more than one way to address a problem. Just take things as they come and adapt to the ever-changing situation," she wisely recounted a quote while opening her wings up. "
That is how we flyers live."
Petrie nodded at his mother with a glad smile on his face. "You… you right, Mom. Thank you so much for pep talk! It really help Petrie cheer up!"
"It's alright, Petrie," she smiled back, massaging Petrie's scalp tenderly with her wing. "Don't forget, I'm your mother. I'd always be here for my little boy if I can."
Petrie could only nod at her with a smile. "Well, me think me gonna take quick flight around valley," he told his mother, flexing his wings in preparation for a takeoff. "Me think me need time to clear me mind."
Skylar gently patted the top of her son's head before gesturing to the exit of their home. "Take as long as you need, Petrie," she said as she fought back a yawn before stretching her wings and making her way back to where she had come from.
"Bye, Mom!" Petrie waved goodbye to his mother as she ventured further into their nest, before jumping off the cavern that doubled as his family's nest. Opening his wings to catch the wind as he fell, he let his momentum carry him towards the open plains of the Great Valley.
After that short aerial flight, he landed on the ground uneventfully. Retracting his wings, Petrie found himself looking up to the night sky with a blissful expression on his face. As a flyer, his species was more adept for flying during the day, as the lack of light from the Bright Circle after dusk dramatically reduced his visibility.
But despite all of its disadvantages as compared to a clear sunny daytime sky, Petrie still found himself enjoying the night sky for one single reason.
The stars.
Petrie was fortunate that the weather on this night was virtually perfect for stargazing. The gentle breeze was supplemented by a clear sky, with only a few sky puffies obscuring the view. As a result, the stars could be seen shining bright and clear from the ground, numerous of them scattered throughout the night sky in a myriad of dazzling constellations.
Only on a night like this could Petrie truly see his mother's bedtime stories come to life.
"The many stars up in the skies at night are the spirits of our ancient ancestors watching over us," she had said many times before.
With countless stars twinkling up in the sky, their dazzling selves further complemented by the full Night Circle, it was truly a mesmerizing sight for any dinosaur to witness. Sitting down on the grass, Petrie leaned his head back and peacefully enjoyed the breathtaking sight.
Beyond the Mysterious Beyond, indeed.
He let out a sigh as he admired the view, feeling all of his worries oozing away as he exhaled. After turning his head around to admire the night sky that stretched high above him, Petrie then proceeded to focus on a large star in the very center of the sky, one which was isolated from all the other random stars.
Ever since young, Petrie liked to believe that this star in particular was the embodiment of his lost father, a flyer whom he had not seen since he was a very young hatchling.
He would never forget the day that the mortifying news was disseminated to him and his siblings. One fine morning, he had woken up to his mother tearfully telling him and his stunned siblings that their father had disappeared… and that he would never be coming back. Ever.
It had literally happened out of the blue, giving his younger self no time to prepare. Back then, he couldn't even understand why his papa wasn't coming back and was therefore unable to properly grieve over the loss. But now that he was older and significantly wiser, Petrie didn't have to be a genius to understand what his mother's words implied behind her grief.
Can you see Petrie now, Dad?Petrie sighed wistfully as he talked to the star within his heart, a single tear forming in his eye. Even if he could no longer remember how his dad had looked like because of losing him at such a young age, Petrie still hoped within him that his father could at least proudly look down at him from the Great Beyond.
Me wish you can help me now, Dad, Petrie clasped his hands together, pleading with the glowing star.
Me already lose you when me no even one Cold Time old. It hurt, but at least me no lose anyone else close to me since then. But now, me may lose Ducky to bad swimmer!The very thought made Petrie choke up. He blinked back his tears, making a heartfelt wish up to the white star with all of his heart.
If Ducky need leave valley, that mean me can never see her again! Me… me no want lose me best friend!Daddy… you can help Petrie, right?"My, my, my… aren't
you looking like you're enjoying the scenery."
Petrie gasped at the intrusion, breaking out of his stupor and jolting himself upright as a monotonous voice suddenly echoed across the clearing from out of nowhere. Curious as to where it had come from, he glanced to his left and right but was unable to spot a single dinosaur around. Just as Petrie was about to dismiss it as his mind playing tricks on him, he heard the voice speak again, this time with mild annoyance laced in their tone.
"Honestly, I don't get it. Gazing up at the stars? Peh… just what's so interesting about a drab, muted gray sky?"
Petrie felt a chill go down his back when the sentence all but confirmed that the spoken words must be referring to him, as no one else around the vicinity happened to be looking up at the stars. Now certain that there was someone nearby who was spying on his actions, Petrie tried to get the other dinosaur to acknowledge their presence.
"Who there?" he cried as he darted his eyes all about, still unable to catch sight of the speaker. "Where you at?"
"Tsk, tsk…" A bit of amusement crept into the same voice. "Aren't you a flyer? Well, so am I! Take one guess, then — where do flyers always love to hang out around?"
Where flyers like hanging out around? Petrie pondered the cryptic riddle for a fleeting moment before the answer hit him.
Up in air!Taking the hint, he tilted his head up, finally tracing where the voice was coming from. At last Petrie was able to notice a small flyer around his size who he had never seen before, the mystery flyer in question perching himself on the branch of a tree. Petrie blinked as he took a step towards the tree to get a closer look at him.
Said flyer was of an unusual dark yellow coloration that reminded Petrie of shriveled up treestars. His wing color was punctuated by his dazzlingly bright golden irises, those eyes in particular looking at the grasslands that was all around him with an expression that could be best described as one of cold indifference.
However, when the flyer made eye contact with Petrie, an abrupt change swept across him. Within mere moments, the flyer's previously bored expression was gone and quickly replaced by one of unbridled glee as he smiled jovially, rubbing his wings together in excitement when he saw that he'd managed to get Petrie's attention.
"Bravo, bravo!" he applauded, slowly clapping in a cynical manner. His deep, low-pitched voice instantly put Petrie on edge, his wariness quickly justified by the mysterious flyer's next words. "You catch on rather quickly. That's a good attribute to have. Very good, indeed…"
"Who are you?" Petrie managed to croak at the unusual pterosaur. "Me never see you in Great Valley before," he noted.
He tilted his head back and let out a muffled laugh at Petrie's astute observation. "Well, of course you haven't. Unlike you, I'm not a valley resident."
"What you want with me?" Petrie whined, making his annoyance clear. He was quickly getting a bad omen from the other flyer's mocking tone. "Leave Petrie alone! Me have a lot on me mind!"
The yellow flyer's beak swung open very slightly. "Oh? Is that why you're taking this walk on this fine, cool night? You want to clear your head?" he asked, before dismissively shrugging at Petrie while holding his head high. "Well, not to worry. I'll be your listening ear. In fact, I can even help you with your problems!"
Petrie could only gape at the other flyer's offer to help. Not only had the flyer's tone when he made his remarks cause them to appear more derogatory than constructive, his complete refusal to make eye contact with Petrie and opting to instead disrespectfully peer towards the Night Circle was the final straw to Petrie. The offer had been made in such an insincere way that the already agitated Petrie pretty much lost control of his emotions in a brief moment of weakness.
"Hey! What you want!?" he flared up, shouting up to the flyer who was perching on the tree. "Why you here? To make fun of Petrie?"
"Make fun of you?" He fake-gasped at Petrie's accusation in an exaggerated manner, holding a hand up to his forehead to further insult Petrie by over-exaggerating his gestures. "Oh, you wound me!" he dramatically uttered, the flyer's voice the very definition of 'mockery'. "How could you even say that? Do you really think that of me?"
Petrie let out a low growl as the flyer continued to mock him indirectly. Perhaps on an ordinary day he might have been able to take the abuse. But for this stranger to act almost the same way that his siblings did on a day where he was near breaking point, the stressed-out Petrie found himself unable to seek refuge in silence for much longer. "Stop it! If you no have anything helpful to say, just leave Petrie alone!" he cawed in an upset voice.
Almost at once, the flyer's attitude switched a complete one-eighty. Gone was the bumbling joker from only a few moments prior. Where he had been chuckling at his own jokes earlier, there was now nothing but a serious expression adjourned on his beak. The change in personality and attitude was so jarring that Petrie performed a double-take, flinching back in shock.
With a stiff upper lip, the flyer spoke with hardened eyes. "Nothing helpful to say? Don't think so little of me, young flyer." His tone was now condescending. "You probably think that I'm wasting your time, huh? Well, you're wrong… dead wrong! I think you'll find that it's actually quite the contrary, Petrie…" He let out a brutal laugh as he glared down towards Petrie. "Heh, heh, heh… yes, I've heard about you before. You're the flyer who are friends with those other leaf-eater children, aren't you?"
His expression briefly turned vicious as he spoke, but within a second his scowl had disappeared, veiled under a mask of faux pleasantness. The mood whiplash was so sudden that Petrie had to rub his eyes just to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.
"So what if me am?" Petrie shot back indignantly, trying and failing to maintain his calm composure. The other flyer's friendly yet mocking attitude, if it was ever there to begin with, had now completely vanished — replaced by one of scorn and brutal honesty.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought that it would be nice to let you know that your exploits have traveled far into the Mysterious Beyond." He brushed the tip of his wing, dusting himself off with his free wing. "Very, very far into the Mysterious Beyond," he repeated for emphasis as he stared unrelentingly at Petrie. "Very, very far…"
Petrie began to get the sinking feeling that the flyer perched up on the tree branch above was not exactly what he would call his friend. His next words only further supported this theory.
"You are a very unique flyer, Petrie." Somehow, those words of praise almost seemed like they weren't praises at all when they came from him. "That is the very reason I have sought you out on this lovely night."
There was silence for a moment after he completed his sentence, with the swaying grass that was being blown about by the soft breeze the only discernible noise in the surrounding area as the two flyers looked at each other.
Petrie felt a shiver going up his spine when the other flyer raised a brow at him. "Oh, where are my manners?" he suddenly muttered, breaking the silence and straightening up so that his entire body was illuminated under the pale white light of the Night Circle.
As Petrie stared at him with a stunned expression, the yellow flyer leaned forward, shifting his golden eyes to peer at Petrie. "It is customary to state one's name if we wish to know more about each other. Please, allow me to introduce myself…" He proceeded to take a bow, using his talons to grip firmly on the tree branch he was perching on to maintain his now precarious balance.
"Greetings, young Petrie. My name is Vekal. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." As he stated his identity, the flyer cackled without restraint while smugly patting his chest with one wing. "Remember it, young'un! For soon, the entire Mysterious Beyond will know that name!"
Petrie could only quirk his head in confusion at the gloating flyer. "Wh-what you talking about?" he ventured forward to ask, before stepping back when Vekal laughed venomously.
The pterosaur extended his wings outwards, which had the effect of making him appear even more menacing under the cool soft light of the Night Circle. "You poor, naïve flyer…" he muttered at Petrie, shaking his head confidently as his golden eyes gleamed with amusement. "You have no idea…"
His vague words only confounded Petrie further, causing him to storm a response at Vekal despite his own apprehensiveness. "What you talking about?" he frowned, repeating his question in hopes of getting a concrete answer. "You making no sense!"
However, Vekal was stuck in his own world, going off on a tangent and ignoring Petrie's complaints as he continued to speak. "I must say, it truly is a pleasure to have the honor of finally meeting you in person, Petrie. You know, flyer-to-flyer," Vekal admitted, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
"After all…" he patted his own chest, puffing it proudly outwards as his voice grew sinister, "I've been watching you and your friends for quite some time now…" He only trailed off when he saw that Petrie was getting visibly creeped out, the other flyer already putting pressure on his feet and getting himself ready to bolt away from what he was most likely assuming in his mind to be a clearly crazy flyer.
Vekal scowled at Petrie's impertinent behavior, clearing his throat and smiling to try lightening up the mood. Even so, Petrie could feel the tension in the air. It was like an invisible, strong force that buzzed around the surrounding area, causing Petrie to feel a constant tingling sensation on the surface of his wings.
A soft breeze blew across the clearing, causing trees to bristle slightly. Vekal could only chuckle at the rustling leaves, the yellow flyer finding it amusing that the weather itself seemed to be brimming with anticipation.
As it should be. The time of reckoning had come. All the pieces were in place. It was time for him to bait Petrie into the game.
His game.
At long last, it's finally time! Ducky and Petrie… the swimmer and flyer who crossed the species boundary…Vekal's eyes narrowed as he stared at the young flyer, looking intently at Petrie with a vicious glare that screamed of hatred. Words could not do justice to the sheer amount of loathing that his eyes held within them. The gaze that he shot was so fierce and intense that Petrie couldn't help but to stare back at Vekal with a feeling of mounting horror.
Petrie stepped back in terror, transfixed to the spot as he stared at the expression on Vekal's face. The other flyer was leering at him so maliciously that it was almost like watching two angry threehorns fight a dominance battle — the glare of hatred conveyed by the flyer's eyes alone could likely bore holes into solid rock. That hate-filled glare imprinted onto Petrie's mind instantaneously, and to Petrie's own horror, he found that he was unable to tear his eyes away from the terrifying sight.
That frazzled look was absolutely terrifying to look at. In spite of the fact that Vekal had spoken with nothing but absolute calmness since the start of their conversation, the grave look—one that was precariously teetered on the boundaries that governed sanity—that the other flyer was shooting from his golden eyes at that very moment hinted to Petrie that Vekal was more unhinged than he had initially appeared.
But the other flyer wasn't unhinged and stupid. Oh no, that would simply be too cliché — and among what Petrie could recall, only the eccentric yellowbellies fit that description. Rather scarily, while Vekal occasionally appeared to be mentally unhinged, it appeared as though the flyer had a clear intention and goal behind his incomprehensible actions…
…a truly terrifying combination.
Of course, Petrie had no idea what Vekal was actually thinking in his head while the other flyer was eyeing him. As a result, he was unable to tell that behind those primal eyes, Vekal was surprisingly quite sound. While he was glaring at the terrified Petrie, Vekal was actually laughing inwardly, a dark and triumphant vow crossing his mind.
With these two, I'll finally be able to prove it… yes, I will prove my theory right. No matter what it takes!At that thrilling thought, Vekal could only lift his head up to the sky above and let out a laugh that Petrie could only later describe as "insane". It was a single, chilling cackle that haunted the empty grasslands of the valley, lasting for much longer than it should have as the end of his holler ended up echoing throughout the plains, reverberating around the valley wall like an unwelcome buzzer.
When the haunting noise finally subsided, he redirected his gaze back down onto Petrie, who was already starting to breathe heavily. Calmly flapping his wings and beginning his descent from his vantage point, Vekal leisurely landed in front of a now-visibly worried Petrie, who immediately had a sudden feeling of dread settling within his belly.
The two flyers found themselves standing on level ground, the previous distance between them now completely gone. Vekal coolly made eye contact with Petrie, raising his eyebrow at the brown flyer in a fashion which suggested that he was prompting Petrie to make a move.
Unfortunately for Vekal, Petrie wasn't one who was keen to take initiative, especially towards someone he didn't trust. As a result, the conversation ended up stalling to a complete halt, devolving into a staring match between the two flyers, with a grumpy Vekal slowly getting more and more impatient as Petrie remained silent.
"Hmph!" Vekal finally snorted, rolling his eyes as he tapped his talons against the ground. "Forget this! I thought that since you're young and impressionable, perhaps I could get to know you better by making small talk. But I think that little plan has failed, since it appears that you're reluctant to even strike up a friendly chat with me…" he grumbled.
"Well, me—" Petrie started, only to find himself being interrupted as Vekal raised his head and laughed to the Night Circle.
"Ahahahaha! I'm such an idiot! Heh, I should have known not to even bother with the whole 'friendly' façade…"
Petrie really didn't like the sound of that comment, especially as he was able to hear the emphasis placed on the word 'friendly' thanks to Vekal's irony-laden tone. The inverted commas surrounding the word was obvious even to a casual listener. He shuddered and began to back away, only stopping when Vekal halted his laughter, the other flyer managing to calm himself down from his hysteria.
When the half-crazed Vekal lowered his head, the first thing that caught Petrie's attention was the wily look on the shifty flyer's eyes. "Since it's not needed, shall we perhaps dispose of this friendly charade?" he muttered roughly, looking at Petrie with gleaming eyes. "Let's get down to business, in the same manner that the dinosaurs in the Mysterious Beyond do their deals… quick, efficient, and to the point."
"Deal?" Petrie grew tense, shivering in fear. "What deal?"
"You'll soon see, Petrie. You'll soon see…" Vekal murmured cryptically as he extended his left wing into an unmarked shrub by the tree that he was perching on earlier. With a flourish, he proceeded to whip out a small shiny stone attached to a vine, which had been expertly hidden in the bush the entire time that the two had been speaking.
"Behold!" Vekal declared with a triumphant voice as he held the shiny stone up to the sky, revealing the object to Petrie as it dangled freely from his fingers. "What you see before you is
destiny itself!"
Petrie cocked his head, before squinting his eyes and shielding them with his wings when the shiny stone that Vekal was holding suddenly shone with a fiery intensity. "It glowing red!" he cried while pointing at the stone, which had turned a deep blood-red as it dangled freely in the air, hanging from the attached vine with the end of the loop tightly clasped in Vekal's hand.
"Really?" Vekal murmured, glancing to the shining stone at Petrie's remark before turning his head and looking up to the Night Circle. "Huh. How very peculiar… that was exactly what a swimmer had remarked to me long ago. He'd told me that the stone shines a vibrant red if you hold it up to the Night Circle. I suppose that eccentric pest was right all along…" he mused, tilting his head inquisitively while closing his hand around the glowing stone, grasping the object tightly.
Petrie noted that the other flyer had a peculiar expression on his face and decided to take a chance, his curiosity getting the better of him as he went ahead to ask Vekal about something that had been bugging him since the mud-yellow flyer had first appeared.
"Why you really here?" he asked Vekal with a determined face, trying not to let his anxiety show despite how much the other flyer creeped him out. "You say so much, but what you really want from Petrie?"
"Ahahahaha!" Vekal chortled with a smile, the wry grin on his beak only serving to make the situation even more uneasy. "So you finally figured out that I wasn't just here to strike up a friendly chat! Now, whatever tipped you off to that?"
Petrie ignored the insult and grumpily folded his wings. "Me no want you change subject! Answer me question! What you want with me?"
Vekal heaved a sigh and opened his palm by a fraction, letting red light from the glowing stone shine through his grip. "The answer to that is simple. I am here to make you an offer." His eyes narrowed dangerously as his voice turned pensive. "An offer that you cannot refuse…"
"Well, me no gonna take your offer!" Petrie immediately cut him off, deciding that he wasn't going to play any more games with the nutjob to his front. He spun around and flapped his wings, preparing to take to the skies and leave the loony Vekal behind.
"Oh, really?" Vekal appeared to sound briefly upset by Petrie's refusal. "Well, if that's your decision, don't blame me when your swimmer friend gets together with that other swimmer…"
Petrie almost crashed head-first to the ground as he hastily aborted his flight when he heard those words. "What…!?" he muttered in shock, stumbling around to gape at a smirking Vekal with an open beak. "H-how you know about that?!"
"As I said… I've been eyeing you and your friends for quite some time." Vekal shook his head with a cunning expression. "Did you think I was lying, Petrie? Hmph… the nerve of you!" he spat, kicking at the ground and sending blades of grass flying with his talons.
As Petrie groggily got up from the ground, he saw Vekal strut towards him. "I did not tell a single lie throughout our entire conversation," the flyer informed a surprised Petrie with a completely serious voice. "Not even one."
Sporting a proud expression at this boast, Vekal continued on, "Which means, of course, that what I'd said from the very beginning was true. I told you that I would be your listening ear and that I would help with your problems. Hahahaha! Contrary to what you might think, I meant every last word…"
Petrie could only stare silently as Vekal began to pace back and forth, his mind now a maelstrom of emotions.
"That's right. I know
exactly what you want," Vekal smirked at the unmoving Petrie, knowing that he'd now earned the other flyer's full attention. "You want your precious little friend to stay in the Great Valley, don't you? Yes, that swimmer. She's named Ducky, isn't she?"
Petrie gasped and fell backwards when he heard his friend's name being casually mentioned.
H-how this guy know so much!? He could understand Vekal knowing his name since he himself had a tendency to state his own name due to the way that he talked. But as for Ducky? Now that was a completely different story. He knew for a fact that he hadn't mentioned Ducky to Vekal even once throughout the entire conversation.
So how could a flyer who he'd never seen before like Vekal even know about Ducky? A mounting sense of fear mingled with a small tinge of curiosity in his heart as Petrie suddenly felt very vulnerable.
Perhaps, was Vekal being truthful about watching him and the gang?
"That's right, Petrie. I know all about your little adventures together…" Vekal paused as Petrie gasped in shock.
The yellow flyer stopped speaking to admire Petrie's face, which was now stricken with fear. Vekal chuckled inwardly, taking great joy in watching Petrie squirm by showing the oblivious flyer just how much sway he actually held over the situation.
It was a simple trick, really. Strike when they were vulnerable.
All he did was simply make an intelligent guess as to what the other flyer was internally thinking about. By guessing successfully and answering Petrie's unspoken question, he had been able to catch his opponent completely off guard.
Knowledge meant power. Power meant control.
He relished the gratifying sense of having that control for a while longer before continuing his spiel with a carefree shrug, "Wouldn't it be a terrible shame if you were to lose her because of mere emotions that are out of your control? Ah, so close to the Time of Great Growing. Now, that can really wreak havoc on—"
"STOP!" Petrie yelled, breathing heavily as he cut Vekal off with a shout. "M-me heard… enough…"
"Oh?" Vekal inquisitively raised his eyebrows, calmly strolling towards a trembling Petrie. "What do you mean?"
"Me… me know you know a lot about me and Ducky." Petrie recoiled back as he heard his own words, before swallowing his fear and asking the question which he knew Vekal wanted to hear. "B-but can you… really help me no make it happen? You know… Ducky and Ferris?"
"Of course I can!" Vekal seemed quite annoyed by the fact that Petrie was still doubting his claim. "You think a mere swimmer is a match for me or the power that this shiny stone bestows!?" he snarled, his eyes growing dark. "Well, he's not, and neither is his herd! They're all worthless scum, soon to be swept asunder by the
scepter of death!"
Vekal then noticed from observing the cowering Petrie that he had let his emotions run wild again. He coughed out of embarrassment, before looking at Petrie with an expression that the flyer couldn't decipher.
"Anyway, here's the deal. I will give you this shiny stone," he said to Petrie, opening his wing to place the stone in question on full display, letting it glow a dazzling red under the light of the Night Circle. "I assure you that with this stone in your possession, you will be able to prevent your friend from being stolen away by the clutches of unfair love."
Vekal made eye contact with Petrie, extending the wing holding the shiny stone out to the apprehensive young flyer. "So, what do you say? Do you accept?"
Petrie remained skeptical. "What? You only giving Petrie shiny stone? How can that tiny little stone cause Ducky to stay in valley?" he questioned. "You sure you no telling fib?"
"I would never lie!" Vekal swiftly countered, shooting Petrie an annoyed scowl at the very thought before growling under his breath. "Grrrr… even now you still don't trust me? Don't you want to save your friend, Petrie?!"
Vekal's harsh reprimand caused Petrie to reflect. Was that shiny stone really worth it?
He was driving a hard bargain, and his deal hinged on an on-the-spur decision. Petrie frowned when he realized that Vekal had planned things out this way — by insisting on a strict time limit before closing his offer, he had effectively tied Petrie's wings behind his back. Now, Petrie was quickly forced to make a swift decision, leaving him unable to seek an outside opinion or take his time to analyze the deal comprehensively.
"That's it." Petrie heard Vekal snap, looking towards the yellow flyer and seeing him retract the wing that had been previously holding the stone out. "I grow weary of this. I've already spent more time than necessary here."
His eyes briefly shifted towards Petrie, before hovering back up to the sky. "I'm going to count to three… and my offer
will rescind if I hit three."
Petrie stared at Vekal in confusion, prompting the other flyer to realize that Petrie wasn't sure of the meaning of the word 'rescind'.
"In other words, my deal will no longer be valid on the count of three," he clarified as Petrie looked at him in horror. "If you still choose not to believe me, then so be it. If you're that willing to risk it, let fate and our ancestors decide this! We'll say our goodbyes, and the two of us will never have to see each other ever again."
Vekal lowered his head and cackled with a crooked smile. "But if that decision causes you to lose Ducky… then I suppose you have no one to blame but yourself."
Petrie audibly gulped, the flyer horrified by Vekal's sudden change in behavior. After being so incessant about his offer to him… was he really going to quit, just like that?
"I'll say this only once. Should I go, you won't ever be able to receive this generous offer again." Vekal lowered his voice, his golden eyes glinting in the moonlight. "This is a one-time deal. Either you take it up and stop me from leaving, or I'll leave the valley and hand the shiny stone to someone who is more grateful for it than you currently are."
He extended his wingspan to their full length as though he was preparing to use them to take to the dark skies above. "Choose wisely, Petrie…" he warned.
Petrie's jaw dropped as he heard Vekal's tone. It was completely serious, without a single trace of deceit behind it. And much to his horror, he soon heard Vekal starting the countdown.
"One…"
H-he being serious about this! Petrie's mind went into overdrive as he frantically considered his options.
On first glance, the obvious choice was to accept the deal. If he were to reject the deal, he would lose the shiny stone. Whereas if he were to accept, he would simply receive it. There were no obvious drawbacks to taking Vekal's offer.
But to be frank, something about Vekal rubbed Petrie the wrong way even now. The very thought of accepting something from him seemed fishy, especially concerning his immense knowledge of the situation.
"Two…"
Petrie began to sweat when Vekal looked at him expectantly. As the terrifying possibility of Vekal flying the coop grew larger and larger, he began to fret.
What me to do? Should me take shiny stone, or no take shiny stone? Me no even know what shiny stone even do? Will it actually help keep Ducky from Ferris, or is it useless rock like that time Uncle Pterano find Stone of Cold Fire?
But what if it actually do what Vekal say it do and me him let fly away with it!?Even worse, all of a sudden Petrie recounted something of significance that Vekal had said earlier during their talk.
"I did not tell a single lie throughout our entire conversation. Not even one."That statement had stuck out to Petrie when he had first heard it. For some reason, the way that Vekal had proudly postured when he bragged about it made Petrie inclined to believe him.
But if he was being serious with his words and truly went by those morals, then following that logic also meant that Vekal would hold true to his promise and fulfill his end of his threat… implying that he wasn't doing this for show. In other words, he would actually close off the deal and leave the Great Valley should Petrie not stop him.
Still, there was a slim chance that this was all merely a ploy by that conniving Vekal to convince him to accept under pressure.
What if he playing trick on Petrie just so me say yes to him? Well, me no gonna fall for that!"Thr—"
Petrie's heart almost leapt out of his chest when he heard a disappointed Vekal mouth the beginning of the number '3'.
It was then that he made a split-second decision.
He knew that he would never forgive himself if Vekal was being truthful in his offer to help and he ended up throwing away the opportunity. Even though it was against his better judgement and his usual cautious nature, Petrie found that he could no longer resist the temptation and decided to risk it all, gambling that Vekal was being genuine about his offer to help.
"Okay!" Petrie answered with a firm voice before Vekal could complete his countdown. "You win! Me take your deal! Me just no want Ducky leave valley!"
Almost at once, Vekal smirked, laughing heartily when he saw Petrie give in and accept the offer that he'd been given. "Congratulations. You are a smart flyer, Petrie," he beamed in what Petrie would call the first genuine smile that he'd seen from the other flyer.
"No mention it," Petrie droned, not wanting Vekal to gain any satisfaction out of getting exactly the reaction he wanted when he was forced to accept. "Just give me shiny stone and tell me how me can use it to stop Ducky from leaving valley!"
"Where's the fun in that?" Vekal asked with much amusement. "I'd rather you discover it for yourself…"
Petrie could only sigh at the answer he was given, slowly making his way forward when Vekal beckoned for him to come closer. "I bestow upon you, one shiny stone!" he triumphantly told Petrie, handing him the shiny stone with a smile that Petrie could not interpret.
He couldn't tell whether it was joy, or something more… sinister.
With much trepidation, Petrie took it from him, admiring the glowing red stone. Upon closer inspection, it looked rather different from the regular shiny stones he'd seen before. Besides the unusual vine threaded through it in a circular loop, the shiny stone itself appeared to have a second shiny stone embedded within it, encased within a transparent shell that comprised the outer layer of the shiny stone.
And to Petrie's amazement, it was actually that innermost portion which was mythically glowing red under the Night Circle, refracted out with an eerie glow as the red light passed through the outer transparent layer.
It was now quite clear to him that this was no ordinary stone. Not in the slightest.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Vekal murmured in a soft voice, smiling when he noted that Petrie had found himself mesmerized by the stone. "To be honest, I didn't even know that it glowed red under the Night Circle until you'd confirmed it." He appeared briefly uncomfortable at the admission, but quickly recovered. "Anyway, I think you can tell by now that this stone is more than it seems. Please, place the loop around your neck. The stone is meant to be worn on your body."
Petrie did as Vekal said without hesitation, now more confident than ever that whatever this stone was, its power was legitimate.
In fact, he was so entranced by the soft glow of the shiny stone that he didn't notice Vekal smirking vicariously as he hooked the glowing shiny stone around his neck, letting the small jewel rest forlornly by the fluffy scruff of his neck.
"The next step is to just relax and think of your precious little Ducky. Close your eyes and think about your swimmer friend," Vekal commanded, the flyer's smile growing wider as Petrie blissfully closed his eyes and began to imagine just that.
Images and joyful memories of his best friend filled his head. Seeing her giggling visage and bubbly personality in his mind made Petrie smile involuntarily. His eyes still shut, Petrie heard Vekal's voice from around his front. "Now, inside your mind, just imagine saving her from that dreadful swimmer…"
Those words made Petrie cringe, a sinking feeling creeping up on him. He could clearly recall seeing the pale green swimmer for the first time and remembering just how much he had shivered when he heard Ferris' determined proclamation.
"I was so enchanted by your beauty from the very instant I saw you… that I simply must propose to you!"Jovi's warning then rang out immediately after, the worried swimmer's voice echoing in his mind.
"If your swimmer friend Ducky successfully gets hitched with ol' Ferris… then it's too bad for all of your close friendships. Because I'm afraid it would mean that she'll have no choice but to leave with our herd when we eventually head back out to the Mysterious Beyond!"Petrie shuddered at that possibility, before all the joyful memories of Ducky made their way to the forefront of his mind. As he remembered all the precious moments that he had shared together with her in the valley and in all their adventures, the flyer promptly made a solemn promise to himself within his heart.
Ducky no going to leave valley… because me no going to let you have Ducky, Ferris! Me swear it!All of a sudden, the red glow around the stone brightened, the light turning so blisteringly bright that Petrie was forced out of his meditation, jolting his eyes open in surprise. An instant after that, he yelped in pain and fell to his knees as a searing sensation shot through him. It was almost as though the shiny stone was melting into him, and rather painfully to boot.
He used his wing to grab ahold of his neck and tried to remove the stone, but to no avail. Alas, the energy to even unhook the stone from his neck wouldn't come, with Petrie realizing to his terror that even moving the tendons and muscles in his wings now required a disproportionately large effort, one which he couldn't muster up. As a result, for a time he remained frozen in that pose, which made him look as though he was strangling himself.
Wh-what happening to… yargh!Petrie was unable to process even a single thought as pain shot through his figure. His mind was literally on fire and his body fared no better, convulsing uncontrollably as though he was suffering a seizure. All he wanted to do was scream, but alas, his vocal chords were unable to process more than a gurgle that sounded almost like a dying dinosaur's death rattle.
Finally, as he fell to the ground, the pain gave him a brief reprieve, allowing him to regain some of his biological processes. Unfortunately for Petrie, the first thing he was able to discern with his renewed senses was a dark chuckle.
"Heheheheh…"
Tilting his head up, Petrie could see Vekal standing over him as his vision began to grow blurry. "So you've committed yourself to this choice…" Vekal snorted, taunting the flyer on the ground with a sardonic smirk as Petrie started to gasp for air.
His eyelids growing heavy, Petrie choked out a plea for help. "Wh-what you do… to Petrie…?" he wheezed at Vekal, beginning to see double of the yellow flyer as his vision grew misty. "He-help me!"
There was no reply at first. As Petrie cried and clawed at the dirt on the ground pathetically with his talons, he eventually managed to hear a curt response.
"…I sincerely hope that you don't already regret your choice."
That was Vekal, the flyer muttering the statement with a hard edge to his voice as he stepped forward. He sounded so bored and insincere that it almost seemed like he didn't even care about Petrie, despite the fact that Petrie was writhing in agony right in front of him.
Unable to parse the reply he had been given at first, Petrie quickly grew furious when he realized that Vekal was, quite bluntly, mocking him. If he was physically able to, Petrie would have stood up and yelled at the unconcerned pterosaur.
Because as of this current moment, he was most definitely regretting his previous decision. He didn't know what the shiny stone was, but unlike what the flyer had claimed, it didn't seem like it was going to help with Ducky's problem at all. On the contrary, whatever it was doing to him was anything but helpful.
Why, oh why, had he even trusted this mystery flyer to begin with?
Oh, Ducky! Me so sorry, Petrie managed to apologize in his mind.
M-Me only… wanted to… help…But even his own mind couldn't save him from the unbelievable pain that was coursing through his veins. The last thing that a desperate Petrie was able to see before blacking out was an indifferent Vekal looming over him with a disappointed look, the flyer opening his beak dismissively before letting out a final remark.
"Not to fret, the pain will be over quite soon. I assure you, the first time's always the hardest." With the last of his strength Petrie was able to hear Vekal's voice turning wistful, almost… melancholic.
Before Petrie could take solace in Vekal's assuring-yet-not-really-at-the-same-time reassurance, a cruel chuckle permeated his ears as Vekal spoke to him again. As a final irony, the laments from the ominous flyer managed to reach Petrie's ears before everything could go black for him. Vekal's next words in particular echoed throughout Petrie's hazy mind as he made the spasming flyer a harrowing promise.
"But after that, it's like ecstasy, pure ecstasy! The shiny stone… you'll
never want to let it go…"
Mercifully, just as Vekal had promised him, the sharp pain suddenly diminished in intensity. The pain ended up leaving his body as abruptly as it had come… albeit at the cost of his consciousness. Once Petrie blacked out, any final bursts of pain completely ebbed away along with his field of vision.
But although the only color that the limp Petrie could perceive was a pure inky blackness due to his lack of consciousness, the luminous stone obscured beneath his spreadeagled body instead shone a dim, uncanny red in stark contrast.
Author's Note:And now the plot is starting to fall into place…
Here's a pretty important chapter in the grand scheme of things, and it's one which is concluded by quite the evil cliffhanger. To be frank, having one of these was all but inevitable sooner or later.
Well, it's no secret ever since the prologue that our mysterious flyer was going to be a catalyst for trouble. But in this chapter, the ominous yellow-toned pterosaur has finally revealed his name: that of the cunning, smooth-talking Vekal. And with that, he has also simultaneously made his move on Petrie, with disastrous consequences as a result…
By the way, if Vekal happened to sound a lot like a persistent salesperson while trying to convince Petrie to accept… well, let's just say that I personally ran into my fair share of promoters trying to get me to buy electronic products during the Black Friday sale period.
Fun fact: there's an actual name for a gemstone that's encased and composited with another gemstone — it's called a
doublet gemstone, and it's actually something which doesn't occur naturally. However, it does crop up in man-made jewelry, an example being an opal doublet, which consists of a thin layer of solid opal adhered to clear quartz or even synthetic materials. And yes, I lavishly described the full appearance of the shiny stone in the prose itself solely because there is no feasible way that anyone in the LBT universe would ever use the term "doublet".
…
DiddyKF1: Your hunch is correct, although whether or not Petrie's feelings of determination and fear regarding Ferris has benefitted him after what has happened in this chapter is anyone's guess. About your point on character flaws in particular, I don't actively try to make everyone flawed, but having one or two quirks does indeed help to make these characters feel more natural and organic.
Sovereign: Thanks for your review and the constructive criticism as well. Upon rereading I do find myself agreeing with you on most of your points. I'll work on them, although on the part of Geoffrey's name I feel like I should confess that coming up with creative names has unfortunately never been my strong suit, but I'll try my best to avoid a repeat of all those points in the future.
Rhombus: For some reason I'm now picturing Ducky being constantly hounded by a persistent swimmer and it's making me laugh and cringe in equal parts. Nope, nope, nope, indeed. I hope that the way Petrie reacted to the news in the first half of this installment was satisfying to read through… at least before the rollercoaster of the latter half of the chapter ends up turning his initial relief into terror and basically forces his hand after Vekal makes his unconditional offer to "help".
…
Unfortunately, it would appear that Vekal's deal has backfired in a truly terrifying way for Petrie. What will become of our favorite perky flyer, and will he end up being alright? Ah, you'll just have to wait and hope for the best!
Ah, we have the reveal of the flyer at last. I think I spooked
myself out while proofreading through his conversation with Petrie in the second half of the chapter. Darn, he's crafty. Well, I hoped you enjoyed this one.