At last here is the second part of
Burning In the Skies, the chapter that you all have been waiting patiently to read for more than two months. Thank you all for your support in the Fanfiction Awards and your praises and criticisms of
Far Away Home, for I appreciate them all.
The story is now only a single chapter away from completion (not counting the epilogue), and I would like to give a special shout out to Pangaea whom has been with me since the very beginning in August almost three years ago. Thank you Pangaea and have a happy birthday!
I will warn you that this chapter is one of the longest I have ever written (almost 6,000 words... yikes! :blink:) so make sure your sitting down and have a drink of some sort.
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Part XI: Burning in the Skies (B) Petrie flew as fast as his wings could lift him, being careful to keep away from any billowing columns of smoke and flames below. His experiences near the great smoking mountain had proven that it wasn’t a good idea to tempt fate in these cases… best just to stay away so they don’t get angry. The flyer flew low just above the tops of the trees, skirting the leaves and branches looking for the inhabitants of the valley. He didn’t have to look very hard though, as dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes were fleeing the inferno just as they had been earlier. Only a single longneck remained, standing with his neck fully raised examining the width of the blaze. Seeing the lone dinosaur, Petrie made right for him.
“Doc… Doc,” called out Petrie, “fire everywhere, me suppose to tell everyone to run.”
“Taken care of it,” replied Doc without moving his head, “never need to tell a frightened dinosaur to put his tail between his legs.”
Petrie flew circles around him.
“Hah… he wasn’t lying was he?” the massive longneck mused without expression, sweeping his tail from side to side, “I think it’s time we brought this here fire under control by stomping out the source.”
Doc turned his head quickly in a beckoning gesture and yelled out to a passing threehorn and longneck.
“Trips, Bronton… come with me! We have our families to protect.”
Both of them turned and obeyed immediately, which clearly showed how much respect the denizens of the valley had for the lone dinosaur. If it was serious enough for Doc to be yelling, then they would give him aid unconditionally.
“But where you go?” asked Petrie with confusion.
“Right where you take us,” replied Doc with a slight smile, “get us up to where it’s coming from and we’ll take care of the rest.”
The responsibility that the lone dinosaur was giving to Petrie was a large one, as there was fire and thick smoke everywhere in the direction they were going. On top of that as well he had no idea where the Eye of the World might be… Sky had only said it was ëon the crest of a hill to horizon where the sun sets’, which certainly wasn’t enough detail for him to guide a bunch of adults towards it. Not wanting to let them down, the young flyer circled once more in the air as he got his bearings before carrying on towards the west.
“It up here… follow me!” he called out
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The smoky haze from the fire wafted through the boughs and hills of the Lush Valley as the gang of Littlefoot, Ali, Ducky, and Spike pushed on through it and onto their destination. Sky had given them very clear directions to meet at the mountainous uprising to the west where the wingtail had said the Eye was located, but the fire was blocking the view of it and he was nowhere to be seen to correct them. Surmising that they could run around the flames, Littlefoot carefully guided them along the ridge and through a running river as fast as they could run. The wind was in their favour so for the time being it looked like they were going to make it.
“Just a little bit more,” reassured a breathless Littlefoot to the others.
They were all tired, as the gang had been running for a couple of hours almost non-stop. Thankfully the long journey had put them into excellent shape, but even with a heightened stamina the length of the dash mixed in with the poisonous fumes in the air was having an effect on all of them. Eventually, they reached the top of the ridge where they stopped for a brief break.
“It is really hard to breathe,” commented Ducky in between breaths, “…it is.”
Spike, who was fortunately much closer to the ground, had an easier time of it and was taking advantage of the lull to gobble down a nearby bush with berries in it.
“Come on you guys,” pushed Ali impatiently, “the longer we wait the more of the valley that evil wingtail will burn! When my herd and I were travelling far away from the Great Valley, we saw an entire forest burned away in no time at all…”
At her mention of past travels Littlefoot’s curiosity was pricked. When they had enough time, he could ask her all about it.
“Ali’s right that’s long enough,” added the young longneck, “we have to keep going.”
Hearing the slight noise of flapping wings in the air, Ducky looked up and suddenly cried out in alarm.
“Hide! Wingtails, they are coming!”
They all knew what she meant. It was Eybron’s flock of almost thirty, flying in perfect formation down the mountainside. Apart from their wings, they were almost completely silent. Wasting no time, Littlefoot followed his instincts and ducked behind a rock with Ducky settling behind him. Spike jerked his head up from feeding and noticed their peril, lying down and covering his head. Reluctantly, Ali joined the other two behind the rock face.
Surprisingly the wingtails flew right over and past them as if the two longnecks, the swimmer and the spiketail didn’t exist. Not wanting to try their luck, the group remained in hiding until the large flyers were nothing but specks in the sky.
“Where are they going so fast?” commented Ali with indignity.
“I don’t know,” replied Littlefoot with worry, “but I hope Sky is okay…”
If the white wingtail had sent his entire wing after something, it certainly couldn’t be a good sign for their blue friend… unless he wasn’t their target.
“If all the wingtails are down there,” commented Ducky as she put a finger to her mouth, “…then who is up here?”
“Nobody but him,” surged Littlefoot as the impact of her statement sunk in, “we actually have a chance now… come on, let’s go!”
The longneck pushed up the slope as hard as he could, and Ali was quick to follow. Not wanting to be left behind, Ducky and eventually Spike followed them as fast as they could. The fate of both the valley and their friend was on the line, so every little bit counted. Now that Eybron was alone, with Sky’s help they could take him on and stop the inferno.
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The landscape was bathed in fire from horizon to horizon. Smoke billowed into the air like a giant sheet of blackened fog, blocking all vision to the other side and removing any chance of Eybron watching the inhabitants of the Lush Valley suffer from his just retribution. The white wingtail went about his work like a silent, brooding maniac, flapping his wings on occasion to turn the Eye of the World towards a brand new destination for his wraith. Moments went by, and then another tree or bunch of shrubs in the distance would burst into flame and join the rumbling cascade of the burning performance.
A few of Eybron’s wingtails hung around up in the trees nearby, watching the awe inspiring spectacle with expressionless faces. They had seen fire before, during the eruption of the Black Mountain and in years prior, so this was nothing new to them. All that was important was that under that blanket of fire there were enemies of their lord and their race. One of them wasn’t so sure though, and swiftly he entered the clearing at the hilltop of the Eye of the World making a clean landing right next to the glass structure. The brown wingtail made a quick glance towards Star, who was laying with her eyes closed and pinned to a rock by constricting vines.
Barrau held back his unease and turned toward his master who was busy in his work.
“My lord,” the brown wingtail said, “a serious problem has come up that needs your attention immediately.”
Eybron growled in annoyance, flapping his wings and sliding the Eye around in a clean arc. A number of wingtails screeched in fear and bolted to the air as the giant magnifying iris pointed in the direction of the trees they were roosting in. Luckily it wasn’t aimed anywhere long enough to cause serious damage.
“…This had better be a big problem Barrau. I don’t like it when others interrupt my work.”
The white wingtail narrowed his eyes, showing the distain he had of his underlings. If any of them ceased to be useful, he could always remove them anyway. Nearby, a rock started to sizzle where the Eye was pointed it at. Eybron seemed completely oblivious to the danger it represented… Barrau noted he could just as easily burn them all where they stood if he wasn’t careful.
“The inhabitants of the valley are resisting my Lord Eybron… a group of them is being led here as we speak. Longnecks, Threehorns… our scout didn’t see how many.”
“WHAT!?!” boomed Eybron in rage, causing some of his feathers to stand on end, “Who is responsible for this?”
The white wingtail constricted his feet, causing the glass he was sitting on to whine. After a moment of thought realization sparked on his face.
“Nevermind… I already know who it is.”
Eybron turned his head and looked down towards the burning valley many kilometres below, a villainous smile forming on his face. Sky was coming back to get his lover… how sweet. For such a young flyer the blue wingtail had done things that had even impressed Eybron on some occasions. Learning all that everyone could teach him, becoming one of Aizon’s Elite Creators, and even becoming a teacher himself were all considerable accomplishments that had made the white wingtail think highly of him at one time. Sky had committed one terrible crime however that dwarfed all else… he had courted the female he too desired mere days before Eybron was to present himself to her.
...
It was a bitter memory, and one that the white wingtail was loathe to forget. Returning successfully from the unspeakable quest his father had given him to gain acceptance into wingtail society (the official reason was that he had been raised by outsiders, but the real reason was that his father was so disgraced by his mere existence – for it proved his incompetence as a dad – that Tenebron wanted to get rid of him honourably before everyone found out) he was on his way towards his new home at the Sonicron when suddenly there was a commotion in the water.
“Glide stop it! STOP it you’re HURTING HIM!”
Eybron looked down, and below there was a startling fight going on. Two wingtails, a black one and a blue one, were striking at one another viciously in the shallow water near the shore of the Abyss Lake. The black one had quickly taken the upper hand, and he pushed the blue one down into the water, hissing and spitting as he punched and kicked. There were feathers of both colours everywhere in the water.
“STOP IT! … Please Glide please stop!” called out a female wingtail from one of the trees above. Her feathers were an impressive shade of scarlet.
Without thinking Eybron descended, crashing into the water right next to where Glide had pinned Sky. The blue wingtail was gasping, trying to breathe as the wind had been knocked out of him. Before the white wingtail had righted himself, the black wingtail had turned on him.
“This is none of your business,” hissed Glide, before throwing a surprise jab towards the head of the newcomer.
Exercising his outstanding reflexes, Eybron lashed out his arm and caught Glide’s fist mid-punch. Mildly surprised, the black wingtail glared at him with hate. The white wingtail returned the expression, and after a moment Glide backed off and looked away. It was like staring into the eyes of a sharptooth.
Sobbing, Star had fluttered down and landed at Sky’s side. She picked him up out of the water, and made sure he could still draw breath.
“How could you do this to me?” fumed Glide as he turned on his sister, “after all the seasons I’ve protected you I come here and find you courting this… weakling behind my back.”
“It isn’t like that Glide,” cried Star through her tears, “he didn’t deserve this…”
Eybron didn’t remember the specifics of the argument, not that he really cared. He was too busy admiring the beautiful creature before him. Her eyes, her tears were so sincere and so pure. The white wingtail admired her heart, and at that moment knew what he wanted more then anything else in the world… her.
...
It had been a long and bitter flight since then. His father Tenebron was prepared to do almost anything to make amends to his only child, and the white wingtail would have given nothing of it but for a single demand – he wanted Star free of Sky’s grasp. The Council of Elders played along with the ruling of their leader, and soon that blue pest was gone for good. As a nice bonus, they also gave him a death sentence. It was the perfect situation for their happiness… but fate had other plans.
Eybron snorted bitterly as he turned towards where Star was now, pretending to be asleep on the nearby rock. She was a mature, adult wingtail now and no less beautiful then she was then. He wished she could have put the past behind her and forgotten about Sky, but no matter what he tried it just didn’t work. Her death would not only free her of an obsessive love, but it would also free him.
“My Lord,” began Barrau again, “… what are you orders?”
Eybron found the brown wingtail’s voice to be annoying. He urged to rip it out, so that he could be a silent servant… but that would have to come later.
“Stop them from advancing up the hill,” the white wingtail said after a time, “take everyone with you… all the wingtails under my command.”
The thirty wingtails present all took to the air as one, circling above and waiting for their master to finish.
“But what are we to do?” uttered Barrau with a notable lack of confidence, “they are too large for us to fight directly.”
Eybron growled in annoyance.
“I don’t care what you do… gash at their eyes, batter them with your wings, vent your waste on them… whatever it takes to stop them from getting to the Eye.”
“As you wish, Lord Eybron,” answered Barrau, before he took to the air.
Soon all the wingtails were gone, save for Eybron and Star who had opened her eyes to a grisly situation.
“And now to you my sweet heart,” taunted the white wingtail, “… I find pain to sometimes be a refreshing experience.”
Eybron jumped up onto the Eye of the World, and the unblemished glass clinked a few times as his foot nails tapped on it.
“Since it will be the last one you ever feel,” commented the wingtail as he flapped his wings to turn the iris, “… you had best enjoy it.”
The Eye lined up with her body. The heat was so intense, so painful Star felt like she was going to die. The scarlet wingtail started screeching at the top of her lungs. The sound was deafening and could be heard throughout the forest. If help didn’t come soon, it would be her death throes.
After what seemed like an eternity the heat ceased as the beam was cut off. Star panted desperately as she caught her breath. Looking up she could see her distant saviour. A cloud was passing over the Bright Circle, a small puffy mass that simply carried on its own course uncaring about the events below.
ëCloud’, she thought through the pain, ëwhat a lovely name,’
Up above Eybron snarled with hate. To think that the weather would be the one to deny him his revenge. Leaping off the Eye, he flapped his wings vigorously a few times and landed directly on the rock… his feet touching the sides of her legs. He leaned over her, smiling menacingly, eyeing her trapped form with desire.
“I think I have a much better idea…”
Star started screeching again, but her calls were drowned out as he brought his lips onto her own. He kissed her enthusiastically as she tried to push him off, but there was nothing she could do. He was going to mate with her.
An answering wingtail call came from above the trees. It was a long, echoing utterance that belonged to one she knew and loved.
Sky was here.
Eybron didn’t have time to turn before a hissing, enraged wingtail dove right into him and sent him sprawling onto the ground. White and blue feathers scattered everywhere, and Sky didn’t give his foe a single moment before he dropped towards him with his foot claws. The white wingtail rolled over, dodging the blow with surprisingly dexterity.
Sky spread his wings again and powered backwards, narrowly escaping a sidewinder blow to the face. Eybron hissed at him with low hatred. The blue wingtail drove upwards and into the air, disengaging to begin a fight in the skies. The white wingtail followed, and soon the two bitter enemies were circling around each other in the air.
“You came back,” taunted Eybron, controlling his anger “…your courage is surprising for one so small and weak.”
“Stronger then you monster,” shouted Sky in answer, “at least I don’t hide behind my servants instead of fighting one on one.”
“Hah… you really want to do this don’t you?” questioned Eybron as he rolled over once in the air, “very well, we will go by the Fish Fight rules. There is a notable exception however… this time the loser gets to die.”
The white wingtail practically spat the last line, so thick was his resentment. The two wingtails gave each other significant birth as they circled, but the ring began to tighten as each one was just as eager to tear apart the other.
Recovering from her near burning to death, Star pulled at the vines binding her with all her strength. Giving up momentarily, she shouted to her mate above.
“You have to beat him Sky… our future and the future of our child is counting on it!”
Sky glanced down momentarily in surprise at Star. She smiled and nodded back. The blue wingtail felt his heart jump a little – he was actually going to be a father!
Eybron hissed in rage, and charged at Sky like a speeding bullet. The blue wingtail tried to dodge, but they partially connected. The impact jarred him, and sent him spinning through the air. After a few jagged turns he righted himself again.
“It’s over for you Sky,” shouted the white wingtail, “if I can’t have her, then nobody will!”
They connected once again, slashing at each other vigorously like airborne sharpteeth. Sky took a claw to the side of his face, returning the favour with a wing attack across Eybron’s flank. Fighting dirty, the villain snagged Sky’s tail and yanked him backwards, pummelling him towards the ground.
Sky’s world was starting to blur a bit from both exhaustion and pain, but he couldn’t give up! He had to do this for everyone and everything he had ever known. Eybron had taken almost all that he had… his love, his dignity, his home, and now the white wingtail sought to end his life.
The blue wingtail could hear a rush of air coming down from above. Spinning over he got around just in time to see Eybron charging headlong towards him. This was impossible! How could he be so fast? Sky barely had time to flap his wings before the villain’s feet connected with him again, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
The next thing he remembered was the horrendous impact of hitting the ground. Most wingtails have crashed into something once or more in their lives, but nothing compared to this. Fortunately the soil was overgrown and soft… but that didn’t help much as Sky choked and gasped for his life as he lay on his back.
Eybron landed right next to the blue wingtail casually, watching him suffer noisily with his injuries. It was quite pathetic really… the winner of their duel had been chosen by nature almost before it had begun, so the rest was just filler. He was going to enjoy this a lot, making up for supreme insult he had just suffered. Star and Sky breeding a child behind his back? She would pay for that dearly.
“You know it was never anything personal Sky,” taunted Eybron as he stood over the half-conscious blue wingtail, “you just… got in the way.”
The villain reached forward and grabbed Sky by the scruff of his neck, hoisting the smaller wingtail into the air. Killing his enemy now would be quite easy… too easy in fact… so Eybron decided to shine him on a little.
“A nice view isn’t it?” he commented dishearteningly.
The fires of the Lush Valley had started to burn out in the absence of more ignition, and now that the smokescreen had begun to clear almost the entire world was visible. Sprawling deserts, lush jungles, and even the mountainous terrain at the edge of the Great Valley could be seen. The cloud cover that had blanketed most of their duel was subsiding, and rays of sunlight advanced rapidly across the land towards them.
“…it’s too bad it’s the last thing you will ever see.”
Eybron squeezed Sky’s neck tightly. The blue wingtail gagged and struggled with all his might, kicking him a few times and dislodging a few more feathers but the white wingtail barely noticed. Slowly the life began to disappear from Sky’s eyes, and his struggling grew more sluggish.
“Not today vermin!” Star shouted, her voice full of defiance.
Surprised by her sudden vigour, Eybron dropped an unconscious Sky and whirled about. The scarlet wingtail had gotten lose of the poorly tied vines, and had mounted the Eye of the World. Having seen the villain do it all morning, she had flapped her wings and positioned the iris so it pointed directly at the centre of his white feathered chest.
“What!?!” answered Eybron in shock, “how did you-”
The Great Circle’s light returned and it shone with a bright, burning radiance that blinded the white wingtail in a second, forcing him to throw a hand in front of his eyes. And then came the heat… massive amounts of solar energy condensed into a single place made the temperature soar to heights only once before witnessed by another wingtail. Eybron let loose a terrible screech as the ends of his feathers started to singe.
“This is for Sky, my brother, and all the innocents that you murdered!” yelled Star with anger that she seldom spoke with.
Fearing for his life, the white wingtail took to the air. Determined to get his revenge, Eybron hissed with absolute hate and stormed recklessly towards the Eye. Suddenly his feathery coat ignited, bursting into a searing hot flame that covered his entire body.
Losing control the wingtail villain crashed through the focusing iris, shattering its age old volcanic glass and knocking Star from her perch. The Occular popped lose of its moorings and rolled away off into the unknown. With a thud, the two wingtails landed on the dirty ground below.
Eybron was screeching now like no wingtail cry Star had ever heard before. He thrashed around blindly before taking to the air, staying aloft only with the remnants of his ashen wings. Like a noisy, prehistoric phoenix he banked and curved randomly in his spasms of pure pain. Soon he passed far into the distance, and as his wings failed at last the greatest villain in the history of the wingtails fell down to his doom in the forest below.
Star panted deeply as she caught her breath. As the shock of what had just occurred passed, the she wingtail rolled over and onto her feet. She couldn’t believe it… Eybron was dead! They had won! But wait… what about…
“Sky!” she called out in worry.
Hustling across the dirty and in some places overgrown ground the scarlet wingtail came to Sky’s prone form. His eyes were closed, but a quick check of his chest rises showed that her love was in fact breathing. Relieved, Star leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. His expression changed slowly from blank to a pleasurous smile. Slowly, his eyes opened and he lifted his head slightly.
“Are we dead my love?” the blue wingtail asked.
Star giggled a bit.
“Get up and see for yourself,” she suggested with a smile.
Giving him a helping hand, Star pulled up Sky onto his feet. The wingtail gasped in pain as the various injuries he had suffered registered in his brain. Absolutely everything hurt… which was good. That means that against all odds, the two of them had survived.
“Yes,” coughed Sky as he clutched his chest, “that certainly proves it.”
With a warm, passionate expression Star licked the side of his face. Suddenly, nothing hurt anymore. Without a hint of hesitation Sky returned the gesture, and soon they were kissing repeatedly with a passion that could have carried them anywhere. There was no telling how much time had passed, only that it passed in her arms. Their embrace was interrupted suddenly by an unexpected voice.
“I wonder what they are doing,” stated Ducky with curiosity, scratching the side of her beak.
Spike just grunted and shrugged, wolfing down another unfortunate bush as he was known to do in just about any situation.
“I don’t know Ducky,” faked Littlefoot, trying to hide his embarrassment at catching his friend in such a tender spot.
“I do,” added Ali, and she licked Littlefoot on the cheek as well. He went bright red, and returned her an understanding glance.
Sky gasped, and the two lovers separated in a mere moment. Annoyance was all over the blue wingtail’s face. This was private! Not only that, but the gang had interrupted his… ambitions.
“Littlefoot, Ali, Ducky, Spike… what are you doing here?” snapped Sky as an unintended reaction.
“We came up to help, just like you said… yep, yep, yep,” replied the obviously unphased swimmer.
“I… ah…” Sky stammered a bit, before regaining himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Star had backed away in shyness.
He didn’t blame her… his love hadn’t even met the two longnecks, the swimmer and the spiketail. It was fully fitting and proper to introduce them.
“My friends,” began Sky with dignity, “I would like you meet the love of my life… the wingtail that means the most to me in the entire world… Star.”
To her credit the scarlet wingtail bowed her head. Ducky stepped forward, and the two dinosaurs shook hands. Sky noticed immediately really how much the gang had grown… Ducky was now a head taller then both the wingtails and was starting to take on the appearance of an adult swimmer. Spike too had large spikes protruding from his back, and took up quite a bit more space then he had when they left the Great Valley. Those two however were nothing compared to Littlefoot and Ali, who were now almost twice as tall as Sky counting their necks. These land-walkers sure grow to impressive sizes awfully quickly.
As introductions completed, an air of relief and celebration came over the gathering. They all talked as if they were lifelong friends (which they were) and went over the details of what had happened up to that point.
“So where is Eybron,” commented Littlefoot with a hint of concern, “is he… you know…”
“Yes he is finally dead,” replied Star with relief and a hint of bitterness, “he fought Sky, and my love won just like he deserved to.”
Surprise highlighted the blue wingtail’s features, but no sooner had Star and he rubbed noses affectionately that the small fib had become the unblemished truth.
“Great!” exclaimed Ali, “so I guess this means that we-”
Thud.
The sound of a heavy landing behind Sky and Star caused everyone to turn and look towards its source. Star gasped slightly, but otherwise nobody made a sound. Glide was here, and by the contorted expression on his face they could all tell he wasn’t too happy.
“Where is HE?” boomed the black wingtail in anger, “where IS that white freak? Tell me so that I can RIP his heart out!”
“Glide,” answered Star calmly as she took a step towards her brother, “its okay… he’s dead. Sky fought him and he killed him.”
Glide noticeably relaxed, but only slightly. He still had lots of pent up aggression from the long flight to the Eye, and he planned to vent it somewhere.
“Did he?” questioned the black wingtail coldly, before turning to Sky. He ran his eyes up and down his former foe a few times, before snorting in disgust.
“Let’s go,” he said to Star, and he spread his wings to prepare for flight.
“No,” she answered, hardening her expression defiantly. Glide folded his wings, and came towards his sister.
“I said, let’s go.”
The black wingtail grabbed one of her wrists. In a moment Sky hissed at him and took a step forward. Nobody treats his mate like that… even one of her family members. Like a lightning bolt Glide extended a hand and shoved him backwards.
Littlefoot and Ali lowered their heads and growled. They too had lots of pent up aggression, and were all too happy to vent it on a wingtail of their choosing. The situation was getting ugly really fast. Glide stepped backwards and prepared to fight, but midstep he was hit by a shove from another wingtail and stumbled a bit. It was his own sister, Star.
“I’m staying right here with Sky,” she declared defiantly.
“Grr why are you acting like this!?!” shouted Glide as he pointed at Sky, “Can’t you see him for what he really is? He is a traitor to the wingtail race, and he will betray you! We are going home now before I get really angry and have to start breaking bones.”
“It’s because I LOVE HIM!” shouted Star, with more force then she had ever used with her brother ever before.
“…and if you can’t see that then I CAN’T LOVE YOU!”
The statement was so direct, so impactful that it was enough to cause his eyes to widen, and Glide stepped backwards. The hardened bubble that had surrounded the wingtail almost all his life was suddenly shattered, and he felt his strength of purpose start to melt away. She wouldn’t love him anymore? Star was everything to him and he only cared about what was best for her. Maybe what she wanted… was the best thing. A saddening thought fell upon him, a thought that she wasn’t a wingling anymore and no longer needed his protection. Just as the shell opened Glide clasped it shut again, rehardening his expression.
“Well?” asked Star assertively, expecting an answer. They all were.
Glide snorted.
“Fine.”
With great effort, the black wingtail turned towards his nemesis and rival… the blue wingtail that had changed so much of his life it was almost unspeakable. Swallowing his pride, Glide spoke.
“You have earned my sister’s trust and my… approval.”
Sky beamed with accomplishment, but Glide suddenly poked him in the chest with a pointing finger.
“But… if you ever hurt her you will be answering to me. Got it?”
The blue wingtail nodded, and just like that their long standing feud was over. For Sky, Star, and the rest of the gang it was an elating thought. All of a sudden things were interrupted by the stamping of feet, and the vicious snapping of trees in the near woods.
“Petrie return, haha,” called out a flyer circling overhead.
“Petrie!” exclaimed Ducky with joy as she looked upwards. Spike seemed equally ecstatic, as did Littlefoot and Ali.
“Welcome back Petrie,” commented Littlefoot with pride as his flying friend landed on the top of his head.
“Guess what? Petrie not afraid anymore! Fly through smoke and burning fire and flock of wingtails but make it through unhurt! Me invincible!”
Littlefoot laughed. It looked like Petrie was growing up too.
“So I guess this means you brought help,” stated Ali as she looked towards the stirring forest, “We’ll get to see the Lone Dinosaur in action again.”
Sure enough with a heaving grunt Doc rammed aside a bunch of trees and pressed his way into the clearing. Unlike the gang who were mostly uninjured despite the dirt and grime, he was covered in scratches and marks that shared a certain similarity with wingtail droppings. Clearly the longneck had seen better days.
“Hey Doc,” greeted Littlefoot, “guess what… we did it! Eybron’s gone, and the Lush Valley is safe!”
“Humph,” grumbled the large longneck, and he lowered his head to where Sky, Star, and Glide were standing, “I’ve had just about enough of you wingtail types around here… scram before I beat you off like the others.”
“Don’t worry,” assured Littlefoot hastily, “Sky and Star are our friends. They helped us get rid of him.”
“And what about that one?” growled Doc as he turned his massive head towards Glide, “ain’t seen him before…”
“He’s uh…” began Ali.
“…my brother,” finished Star.
Satisfied, the longneck backed his head away and settled his gaze on the somewhat tattered Eye of the World.
“Mighty strange tree this is,” he commented, “… and in my wanderings I’ve seen that no good comes of ëstrange’ things.”
On purpose the longneck leaned back on his hind legs, rearing up his front feet into the air. Everyone was so impressed that only one caught on to what exactly was about to happen.
“Get out of the way!” shouted Glide desperately, “NOW!”
The gathered dinosaurs scattered into the air and into the bushes as the Lone Dinosaur brought his feet crashing down on the ancient glass sculpture. Pieces of near irreplaceable volcanic assembly caved in on themselves and shattered into a thousand shards, scattering in all directions. Doc didn’t let up after the first blow, and did it again and again pummelling the precious piece of wingtail heritage into a pile of scraps.
No more would the Eye of the World threaten anyone with its terrible abilities… especially the denizens of the Lush Valley.
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