OK! Seems I've made some of you start rethinking your guesses on who's behind this. Good, good! I like to keep it a mystery for a bit.
So, next chapter. The return of an old character from an older film, and also, because I found an opening for him, the introduction of Chomper to this story as well!
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Chapter 7: RecuperationLittlefoot walked up to the flyer, or more correctly, the sharpbeak. "Hey! I know you!" the longneck exclaimed. He only hoped he was right, and not wrong on his assumption.
The blue and black feathered sharpbeak lifted his head with a start, knowing that voice immediately. He would never forget it. "What?" he squawked. "Oh great... YOU?" he hopped up to his feet, giving Littlefoot a cross look.
"Ichy... right?" Littlefoot asked, hoping he got the name right.
"And you're that brat that we encountered back in those caves! You know, you helped ruin a perfectly good partnership!" Ichy said rather crossly.
"Errr... I don't think we really did that." the brontosaurus replied. "You two seemed to be pretty good at arguing all on your own."
Ichy seemed to take offense at this, and flew up into the air, though not much higher than Littlefoot's head. "So? If you guys hadn't of shown up, we would've..." he looked like he was getting ready to launch into a rather angry tirade, his whole body shaking like a twig in the wind, but then, he settled down, and flapped back to the ground. He knew he couldn't take this kid. Perhaps hurt him, but he wasn't going to pick a fight with other dinos around, and most assuredly not when he was trying to lay low. "Ugh... you're right. I hated that ungrateful belly dragger! True, I guess I miss those days, and you would not believe how hard it is to actually scrounge any decent FOOD." Ichy emphasized, folding his wings over his chest.
"But once again, that isn't our fault." Littlefoot pointed out, shaking his head. "I'm sorry if you're going hungry. But what are you even doing in the Great Valley?"
"I came here a few days ago. Pickings have been slim out in the Mysterious Beyond... which ain't so mysterious you know? I don't understand why you valley dwellers have to refer to it as that. You all came from there didn't you?" he quickly noticed Littlefoot's rather worried stare however, and chimed in to prevent the longneck from running off to notify the adults (at least that was the scenario playing out in Ichy's mind). "Now hold on! I'm more of a scavenger these days. I don't pick on living kids like yourself. It doesn't always keep me full... but with such a population as you have here... I get by." he sat back down on the grass, examining one of his feet in a nonchalant manner, flexing his "toes" as if they suddenly interested him as he held them before his eyes.
"Do you stay in this part of the Valley? Near the waterfall?" Littlefoot asked now.
"I mostly go all over the place... why?" Ichy responded with a question of his own.
"Well... were you here yesterday? When the Bright Circle was sinking?" Littlefoot held his breath, hoping the answer was yes.
"Yeah sure, but again, why?" Ichy said with a disinterested nod.
"You remember Petrie?"
"Who?" Ichy asked, raising a brow and giving Littlefoot a confused look.
"The flyer who was with us when we last saw you. He was... well I don't know for certain if he was kidnapped... but he went missing here yesterday, towards the end of the day. You didn't happen to see anything, did you? We think he was taken by somebody!"
"Hold on, hold on." Ichy stood back up, placing his wings on his hips. "You mean to say your flyer buddy was abducted?"
"We aren't positive, but it's looking more likely, and we haven't found any clues here. Everyone is blaming his uncle, Pterano for the abduction." the longneck explained.
"Pterano? I don't even know who that is. But the kid's been taken? Jeez..." Ichy seemed to show some angst over this, a pensive look crossing his face. "I don't think I really saw anything... at least... nothing that looked out of the ordinary, but then again, I wasn't really looking for your flyer pal either."
"Oh..." Littlefoot said, his head drooping a little.
"But hey! That doesn't mean I can't look!" Ichy stated, oddly eager.
"Really?" Littlefoot asked, perking up, but then hesitating. "But... why would you want to help me?"
"Let's just say that flyers being taken is a little disconcerting to me. I'M a flyer, and not much bigger than your friend."
"I don't think you have to worry..." Littlefoot said, shaking his head, then realized what he was saying, and decided to add in "OH! But... you never know! If you find something, could you please let me know?"
"And just a second" the sharpbeak stopped as Littlefoot was about to walk off. "I have my own... conditions for this as well."
The longneck pivoted his head around. "Yes?"
"Don't tell any of the adults I'm here. It's hard enough surviving in secret, and I really don't need the extra attention. Catch my drift?" Ichy asked, giving Littlefoot a raised brow.
The longneck nodded. "Well... alright." As much as he really didn't wish to agree to this, he would bend the rules in this instance. He didn't see the full harm of it, as Chomper lived in the Great Valley after all. What was one more sharptooth? Littlefoot felt he could keep this under wraps. It wasn't as if Ichy was their biggest concern now anyway. They still needed to find Petrie, and Littlefoot only hoped that the adults had come up with something during their search...
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Chomper, the aforementioned sharptooh, was in fact not too far away from Littlefoot and Ichy's position, though on the other side of the river where the waterfall met the ground in brilliant spray. He was out looking for the gang, as he was feeling particularly uneasy today, and wondered what they were up to. He had been present at the meeting this morning, though was not familiar with Pterano from before, so had very little information to go on.
He was also worried about Petrie, as the news of the missing flyer troubled him. Petrie was his good friend, and him vanishing mysteriously had the young sharptooth concerned. Dinos didn't just up and vanish in the Great Valley, or at least, the occurrence was rare enough.
He was walking towards Littlefoot's "home", though it would take him a bit at this rate. He planned to arrive in the evening, to both check to see if Petrie had been found, and to see if Littlefoot might like to go for a walk with the rest of the gang, provided of course Petrie was back. Chomper wouldn't feel right playing games if one of the gang was missing. It didn't sit well with him, and he'd been thinking about it most of the day.
He had explained to Ruby that he would be back after dark, and would ask Brightneck to take him back if it came to be too late. Ruby, initially reluctant, had only grudgingly consented when Chomper promised he would always stay in sight of adults, and not go off on his own. The Petrie abduction had her on edge after all, and Chomper going across the Valley to Littlefoot's didn't seem like the best idea at the moment, but as the adults were out in force today, and Chomper was quite persistent, Ruby had finally consented.
Chomper was constantly making sure he was in an adult's line of vision, though some of course gave him wary looks. He was common knowledge to the community here, but wasn't seen in such a positive light by every denizen.
Chomper did his best to ignore their stares, and it was with some surprised that he saw a shadow pass over him. Glancing quickly skyward and prepared to run if need be, the sharptooth was relieved when he saw it was only a flyer, and a non-threatening one at that. The flyer appeared to be burned and injured, and Chomper thought he recognized this particular pteranodon, but the fellow flew too quickly for him to tell.
"Flew" was more of a misnomer. "Crashed" would have been more accurate, as shortly after clearing Chomper's head by only a few feet, the flyer, who happened to be Pterano, plowed beak first into the ground, groaning as he lay there, crumpled and dejected.
Chomper gasped, and ran over to him. "Hey! Hey mister! What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Pterano groaned again as he lifted his head, panting for breath. "I can't... go on. I... broke a few ribs... not sure how many."
"Oh my gosh!" Chomper exclaimed, bringing a hand to his mouth. He had never done it himself, but he'd heard it was quite painful. "Here... let me help you!" he grabbed the flyer's hand, and tried to drag him forward, so that he could sit up against a nearby rock, but the flyer was much heavier than the adolescent sharptooth, and Chomper found he could make no progress. "You should try sitting. Actually... hold on! I'll be right back!"
Pterano just now noticed that it was a young sharptooth who had him by the hand, and he initially recoiled, jerking away. "Sh-sharptooth!?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"Hey, I'm not going to bite you or anything!" Chomper explained. "I choose to eat insects, and I'm good friends with some others here in the valley... and hey! You're Petrie's uncle, aren't you?" he asked, recognizing the flyer now. "I know Petrie! He's one of my best friends!" the purple tyrannosaur stated.
"He... is?" Pterano asked, wincing as he started to pull himself over to the rock.
"Yeah! He is! Just wait there! I'll be right back!" Chomper took off running, looking for something in particular that Pterano could only speculate at. A sharptooth... and his nephew... friends? How had that ever occurred?
Slapping his hands on top of the rock, Pterano pulled himself upright, leaning gratefully back against the stone. He sighed, appreciative for the support. He had only barely made it back to the Great Valley, and had found his pain to be just tolerable, though he'd nearly collapsed by the time he'd reached even edge of the valley.
He closed his eyes, unsure of how long he had waited when suddenly, he felt a tugging on his wing.
"Mister! I'm back! I got you something to help with your pain!" the flyer opened his eyes, and saw Chomper down below, pulling on his wing. In his other hand he held a few leaves of a kind that Pterano was not familiar with.
"What are those?" he asked, unsure if he could trust this sharptooth or not... but then again, he had claimed to know Petrie.
"Littlefoot told me that they help if you're in a lot of pain. I think it's yucky looking but he said that if I ever needed to use it, it would help with pain. He said his grandparents had showed it to him. I hope it makes you feel better, because I've never tried it myself." he held it out for Pterano. "Ruby also told me about them too. So I guess it has to be true."
"Littlefoot? Ruby?" Pterano asked, knowing the former name, but not the latter.
"It grows throughout the valley. I think you should have some, because you look like you're really hurt." the face of the lad was just so innocent and sympathetic that Pterano found it hard to believe that he was staring right at a sharptooth. He resembled more of a cuddly leaf eater, save of course for the teeth. "I..." He hesitated, reaching a hand out for the leaves, but still not fully sure if he could believe this sharptooth, though he had already dropped several familiar names.
Grimacing as his pain once more flared, Pterano grabbed the leaves and stuffed them into his mouth. Swallowing rather quickly, the flyer looked down at Chomper. "You said you know Petrie? And Littlefoot?"
"Yeah!" Chomper said with a nod. "They're my best friends! Well, them and the gang. We sort of grew up together. They hatched me, when I was just an egg, and I ran into them again on the island where I was living, when I was a little older. I later came to the Great Valley with Ruby, a fast runner that's been looking after me ever since I left my parents. I only eat insects, so I'm allowed to stay. Well... most say I can stay." he added, a brief look of unease sweeping over him before he brightened up again.
Pterano blinked at all of this, wide eyed as he looked on in disbelief. "I... see. A sharptooth... in the Great Valley... oh, forgive me!" he said quickly, not wishing to be rude, as it seemed this sharptooh was friends with his nephew. "I am Pterano, Petrie's uncle. I don't believe I got your name."
"Chomper. The 'friendly sharptooth'." he waved up at Pterano, and gave him a toothy smile.
"Chomper. Oh! Such an... apt name." Pterano commented a little uncertainly. Already, he could feel a dulling sensation coming over him, and he exhaled happily, sinking back against the rock a bit further. "Oh... that's rather nice... you were right it seems."
"Is it working?"
"Yes... yes it is." Pterano said, nodding as his voice calmed a bit from the tense undertone it had been flecked with earlier. "Thank you my dear boy. I think I might be able to fly again in fact... though... I think I'd like to rest for a minute or two."
"That's OK. I don't blame you. I heard that broken ribs hurt every time you breathe."
"Yes... you heard correctly. They're very painful. I broke a few of my ribs when I was about your age... one too many adventures I'd say... and it hurt just as bad then as it does now. My sister was so furious over what I'd done... well that and scared half to death." he said, chuckling a little and shifting as the pain came back to him, though not as severely. Whatever Chomper had given him had worked.
"What happened to you? How did you get burned and break your ribs?" Chomper pointed at some burn marks on the flyer's body.
"I... ah... um... well... that is... you see..." he was at a loss for words. Redeye had warned him that if he went to anyone with the information about his "tests", then he would never see Petrie again. Those ominous words played in his mind, and he struggled to come up with an explanation. "I crashed... I wasn't paying attention and I crashed."
"And how did you burn yourself?" Chomper inquired, curious as the flyer's explanation had not covered that.
"Ah the burns! Yes... well uh..."
"Pterano!" the voice came from his sister, who flapped down in front of him, landing next to Chomper. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you! And... what happened?" she asked, noting the bruising and scorch marks.
"Uhhh... well as I was explaining to the young lad here... I had an accident earlier and..." he trailed off, looking away.
His sister glared at him, knowing full well when he was hiding something from her. "Pterano..." she said, but instead of pressing him further, she informed him of news he wasn't exactly thrilled to hear. "Mr. Threenhorn has called a meeting, now that all the groups have returned from their searching. He wants you present... NOW." she emphasized.
Pterano cringed, but gave her a resigned nod. "Very well... let's be off then. I'll... try and keep pace."
"Um... can I come too?" Chomper asked. "It would be faster for me if you guys could take me over there, since walking would just take a pretty long time. Plus I've... never really ridden on a flyer before." He said, hope shining in his eyes.
"Of course." Pterano said, after looking at his sister and bending a wing down so that Chomper could climb aboard. "It's the least I can do for you since you... helped me." he did not elaborate for his sister's sake.
"Yay!" Chomper shouted, and eagerly clambered up onto Pterano's back. He wrapped his arms about the flyer's neck, and Pterano flexed his wings, giving off a soft "Ohh" as his pain came back, though it was considerably dulled, much to his great relief. Pushing themselves up off the ground, the two flyers (and sharptooth passenger) began making their way towards the location of the meeting. As they flew, Pterano's sister could only wonder at what had happened to her brother, and why he seemed to be flinching every so often, as well as all of those small burn marks on his body. What was he hiding from her, and exactly what had happened to him?