So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost - "Wake Me Up" by Avicii
this song reminds me a lot of Pterano
=Part Twenty“Careful now, lad.” Pterano cautioned. His pep was back after a well-earned rest last night and he wasn’t as apprehensive about the whole mission, now. “Tread softly, sharpteeth are already awake at this hour.”
Taylen, bounced along happily behind his older companion. The little Stealer’s features were lit up in an innocent grin as he took in the sights along the path they followed. He wasn’t bothered in the slightest; the ever-apparent danger didn’t quell his youthful exuberance. For a moment, Pterano felt rather abashed, cautioning the little dinosaur so much.
Grand, I’m becoming a bloody great sentimental.Taylen tried not to notice the flyer’s growing tendency to mutter or shake his head in some imaginary conversation. It must be an old folks’ thing.
“Sir?” He queried, hoping this was a safe question. “What does… what does the Valley look like? Is it nice?”
Pterano’s mind hiccupped.
What? He turned slightly. “Um, well… yes, it is. It’s- quite beautiful, actually; fertile and welcoming, and just,” he sighed contentedly as he finally relaxed into the memory. “It’s a wonderful place, lad.”
Taylen smiled brightly. “It sounds great. How long until we reach the wall?”
Right, back to business, then.“We’re close,” was all he offered. “Soon, we’ll see the tips of the Great Walls.”
Taylen’s head shot up, looking for anything that resembled such. Given that fact that he was looking straight up into the sky, Pterano doubted the little one would be able to spot the great hills too soon. He rolled his eyes. “Come on, I’ll tell you when we get there,” he motioned with his talons and Taylen abandoned his hunt to cheerfully trot after the old flyer.
“My da would always tell me stories ëbout the Great Valley,” Taylen remarked. “He said there was just enough food for everyone, so that’s why he sent my brothers out to find it.”
“Did he, now?” Pterano replied, inattentively. It wasn’t that he was deliberately ignoring the youngster, but there was only so many places his attention could be at once, and he figured it would be best to keep his focus on the next step.
“Yeah! And-and there was this big council held, and I was just a hatchling then, but I saw it all, and my brothers looked right happy, they did! And then, after the big meeting, they--”
Pterano’s wing shot outwards, almost smacking Taylen in the face. He hissed, “
Shh! There’s something up ahead.” They were at a sort of crossroads where all these different paths diverged and then disappeared over the next hill.
Taylen snapped his beak shut and crept ever so slowly behind as Pterano advanced one step… two steps. He glanced down each pathway, trying to ignore the large, three-toed imprints of predators neatly embedded in one such path. Fortunately, the tracks led away from their spot, so he wasn’t that unnerved. He listened again for the noises he had heard – it had been sort of a yell, like an exasperated cry, but it didn’t sound anything like what a sharptooth would emit.
Holding his talons up in a warning ëdon’t move any closer’ sign, Pterano chose the path that the footprints led away from. Obviously, whatever was down that way held no interest to a sharptooth so they could proceed as normal, right?
Being careful never did any harm, Pterano thought, almost bitterly. A pang of remembrance hit him in his chest like he’d been struck and he winced. How in the Beyond would he know anything about being careful, after never having been careful himself?
Ever?======
“So… what we help with? What first?” Petrie chirped. He peeked out from behind Littlefoot’s head where he’d hid before.
“Well, with food, of course.” Chomper remarked. He ignored Ozzy’s grunt of aggravation as he turned back to face Strut. “I guess the first thing is, we need to find a better place for you. This isn’t close to food at all,”
“What d’you mean by that?” Strut’s eyes narrowed slightly, confused.
“It’s always best to stay near food, especially when there’s no food around, so you always know you’re close” Ruby advised with a nod of her head.
“So, we’re… moving?” Strut glanced back at his brother. He offered a helpless sort of smile and shrugged. “Ah, well uh… as they say,”
Ozzy glared. “Go along with them if you want, but I’m not setting foot in with this lot!” He asserted, stamped his foot hard for emphasis.
Chomper winced. “Wait, I thought you said you wanted help!”
“I can help myself, thanks for asking!” Ozzy hissed.
Strut frowned. “Oz, come off it. Look, why can’t we just, y’know, put the past behind us? They have, haven’t you?” He dropped the frown as he looked back at the children. Placated by their slight nods, he turned back. “Yes, they have! You’re… acting like an egg!”
Ozzy laughed, the same dry laugh that echoed off the rocks. “An
egg?! Grand, brother, just bloody grand!” he hooted. “Can’t speak the word on any other basis, so you’ve reserved it for infantile insults!”
Strut’s face flushed. “Knock it off,” he muttered, heatedly. “I’m… not afraid of you,”
Ozzy stopped laughing and he sneered. “Yes, you are. This ridiculous rebellion thing you’ve got going is just a ploy; you’re dead-frightened, brother, I know.”
Strut froze, limbs rendered useless and stiff. “You… don’t know…
anything!”
“Don’t I?”
Littlefoot cleared his throat. “Look guys, we didn’t ask for a fight. Let us help you and then we can go our separate ways, okay?” He glared at the two. This was just getting silly. These Stealers had to learn to work together, respect each other, like he and the Gang did. Or else there’d be more of this stupid arguing. “First off, you guys have to learn how to be a team, you know, work together. You won’t get very far with squabbling.”
Strut relaxed, even looked away in humiliation. Being told off by youngsters was beginning to grow into a gross habit. He sighed. Ozzy sniffed, but didn’t stand down immediately.
Cera scratched the ground. “Do it,” she threatened. Ozzy gave her a hateful glare but he relented as well.
“Fine, let’s just get on with it, if you please.”
======
Pterano’s pace quickened, and Taylen followed suit, settling into a swift trot. He was confused as to the sudden change in Pterano’s demeanor. It seemed the older flyer was… searching with intent.
“Sir? What’s up?” He piped, trying to keep up with Pterano’s lengthy strides.
Pterano didn’t reply at first. His attention had been diverted and now it stayed diverted. Those were no sharptooth voices… He stepped along quicker and with more energy than he had the day previous. He didn’t think there was there any hope of meeting a fellow flattooth out this way. That would be
superb luck! Just what they needed!
As the two rounded a bend and crested another dip, Pterano jerked to a stop so violent he almost toppled over onto Taylen. The young Stealer stumbled backwards to avoid a collision.
“Oy!” He squeaked. “What’s up? Why did you--?” He was silenced the next second as Pterano reached back with a deft claw and snapped his beak closed. There, right there, down the dip and into an outcropping of rocks,
they stood, quietly talking. What were they doing out here? And how could they possibly have slipped out? Were… the rest of the adults out here? Pterano started shaking. What if they saw him?
As Taylen struggled to release his much-needed mouth, the old flyer’s mind raced through the options he had: turn around and never look back, maybe they won’t notice, either. He took a step back. On the other claw, he technically wasn’t breaking any rules – he was still outside of the Valley and therefore outside of the jurisdiction of the banishment. And furthermore, why did he need to run like a coward? They were only children after all - he had nothing to fear from them.
Despite all this, Pterano remained unmoved; his chest rose and fell with hollow breaths as he debated. Finally Taylen, annoyed at being silenced so long, shoved against Pterano’s back. He hadn’t meant it to be such a hard push, but the next moment, Pterano toppled forward, slipping partway down the dip with a loud
squawk of surprise!
The group down at the bottom broke off their conversation at that. Nine pairs of eyes flitted to the old flyer scrambling to his feet, and five mouths dropped open in total surprise.
Petrie was the first to break it with a loud and overjoyed, “Uncle!”
======
well there ya have it! Not as graceful an entrance as Pterano would have hope I guess
he never appreciates my efforts...
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