Chapter 3: Petrie’s story: Rescued from certain death!One day Sucky found herself wandering into a narrow canyon when a short moment of luck presented itself to the poor swimmer in the form of a small patch of green alongside a narrow creek that was flowing through before falling down the cliffs as a small waterfall. Sucky squeaked in joy and the image of all the green food burned itself into her mind, the swimmer sprinting the last few meters and digging in with pleasure and joy, rehydrating her worn body as she did so.
Finally, she was full, her belly bulging from the feast, her mind now satisfied and ready to nap for a while but life wouldn't grant her that. As always, just when the girl thought her unlucky streak would be broken one day, it literally shoved bad events right into her face. This day was no different after all. Sucky dropped out of her sleepiness when small rocks fell next to her. Confused, Sucky looked at her feet. An earthshake breaking rocks loose from the cliffs of the ravine? No, surely she would know what an earthshake felt like and this wasn't caused by one, obviously. So what else could it be?
More pebbles skidded down, Sucky taking a glance high up above her but her vision was way too poor to see the top of the mountains embedding her in a cage of rock as it appeared. Strange sounds reached her ears but the swimmer couldn't make sense of them, uneasiness spreading through her body, an eerie feeling manifesting itself.
*ROAR*Sucky shrieked as the loud screech of a predator reached her ears, coming from directly above. Frantically, the girl turned her head towards the source of the sound, revealing three striped, orange fastbiters with long sickle claws and sharp teeth jumping downwards into the canyon from above.
“Oh no, oh no…. OH NOOOOOOOO!!!” Sucky screamed as the full scale of the situation began hitting her like a rock, wasting no time to run for it. Though she was giving her best of efforts, they were literally completely meaningless. After all, she was pursued by fastbiters who earned their name rightfully so, catching up to the swimmer in no time, Sucky’s heart sinking as the three roaring figures grew in size behind her rapidly, the swimmer preparing mentally for her inevitable demise, screaming loudly in wild panic while knowing tears were streaming down her face. Her fate was sealed this moment, ground shaking, jaws above her. Defiantly, as if to mock her bad luck, Sucky took a last, deep breath before shouting loudly into the canyons.
“I AM SUCKY, BECAUSE I SUCK SUCK SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…”
All of a sudden, before the girl was able to grasp on what was going on, Sucky felt herself lifted above the rocky ground as something grabbed her from above, digging into her shoulders though not causing any cuts, pulling her higher and higher, the ugly faces of the three fastbiters, roaring angrily at the prospect of a failed hunt, growing smaller and smaller as she quickly gained height.
At first Sucky was incredibly scared, however the fact that whatever had grabbed her did not have sharp claws meant it was not likely to be something deadly. The growing height also contributed, making her feel strangely at ease the higher she was lifted, seemingly effortless, by the mysterious creature. A bit of uncertainty still left, Sucky finally dared to cast a look above, catching a glimpse of a brown flyer with a long crest and a faraway expression on them. No matter how to look at things, that flyer, sailing effortlessly through the air in a continuous ascending circle and elegantly so, he had saved her there and Sucky would make sure to express her gratitude to them as soon as they'd drop her off somewhere. For now though enjoying the rare gift of flight would do.
Soon, a plateau came into view as they rose above the high mountains that encroached the small valley, the flyer aiming for it and gently dropping her from a safe height (of course the swimmer fell flat on her face) before making a landing next to her just as gracefully as he flew.
"Uhm..." Sucky scrambled back to her feet unscathed, facing her probable savior who was merely gazing at the faraway horizon. However, as soon as she addressed him, the flyer's attention turned to her.
"Well uhh... thank you very much for saving me, big flyer. I thought my luck had finally run out..."
"I did not save you for your sake, young swimmer, I had an agenda of my own," the flyer explained gruffly, clearly a mid-aged male by appearance, coloured in a light brown colour with a slight hint of orange mixing in. "Anyways, you are welcome young child."
"Also... t-thank you for that ride... I always dreamed of flying high like that one day, that was so cool!" the swimmer exclaimed happily.
"Oh, is that so little one?" the flyer wondered, his distant and formal demeanor changing as he realized he had a willing listener. "You see, the gift of flight has been kindly bestowed upon us flyers and us flyers alone since ancient times, passing on this gift from generation to generation, father to son, mother to daughter."
"Well, so it is with us swimmers... I think," Sucky spoke thoughtfully.
"Right, each kind has their own skills to be proud of," the flyer admitted with a weak smile.
"...and the lack of such skills..." Sucky sulked, disappointed that she would never be capable of flight.
"Be proud of what you're good at little one and use it to your advantage," the adult explained though it was with a grain of salt. "Also... show awareness of your faults and... well, I just learned this the hard way so I shouldn’t be lecturing you really..."
The girl perked up with curiosity as the grown-up became uneasily downhearted and sad. Even someone as stupid as Sucky could realize that there was grief and regret in the old flyer.
"Mhm? Would you like to tell me, wise flyer? Maybe you are like me?"
The flyer gave a harsh, mocking laugh.
"Kid, I doubt you have the blood of those you were responsible for on your talons..." Pain distorted his facial features as he covered his face in grief. "I led them into this very canyon, believing it to be the famous Great Valley, a land said to be a paradise. Instead, we were ambushed by fastbiters - the very ones I just rescued you from, and I was unable to find a quick solution... they all perished before my own eyes… of course I was able to fly out of danger but others did not have that option I’m afraid..."
The swimmer gasped in shock as the flyer gravely told her about those tragic events.
"Well, young swimmer, let me not startle you, what about you? What does a little fella like you do in the middle of the desert, all by yourself?"
"I am all alone," Sucky confirmed with a slight hint of sadness. "I am also very unlucky, that is why I am all alone and in the middle of the desert, I am."
"So... I shall assume you have nowhere to go and nowhere to belong, my child?" the flyer questioned with some concern.
"That is correct," Sucky affirmed.
"Unfortunately," the flyer continued," I absolutely cannot escort you. You see... I am trying to starve these fastbiters who took my herd by distracting them whenever they go on a hunt. Just one meal and my mission would be a failure so I must be on guard, always. By taking revenge like this and saving some lives, maybe one day I will be able to bear my failure to protect those who put their trust into me..." The brown flyer trailed off for a second before his focus returned at once.
"Anyways, what I can offer you, young swimmer, is some hope and directions. I am not willing to assume responsibility over anyone unless I believe my powers and ability match the tasks that I am given, so I cannot and will not take care of you as much as my heart desires it. Well, but as it turns out, the Great Valley is very well real and not too far away. Would you like to hear about it?”
"Oh yes!" Sucky cheered with curiosity.
“The Great Valley is a wondersome place, the closest to a paradise I’ve set my eyes upon in my whole life. It is overflowing with food, water and life and the mountains surrounding it are rumored to be a natural barrier against a bunch of unpleasant things you might expect out here. Many herds have moved there and, as far as I can tell, life there is rather harmonious. Certainly, it would be a better place to be for a lonesome child, don’t you think, little one?”
“Oh yes, oh yes!” Sucky agreed happily, the sounds of that glorious valley making her all fuzzy and excited. “How do I get there?
"From here on, follow the Bright Circle's afternoon position until you see a rock that looks like the neck of a longneck. If you reach it, you should be able to see the valley. Go and live there, I have seen many of your kind there and I'm sure that you will find a place to belong."
"Okay, I will but tell me why are you not going there if it is a paradise?"
A small smile crept up the flyer's face. This little child did not see the atrocities he had committed but the good in him. Well, he had saved her after all so maybe the girl would be a little biased.
"Kid, believe me when I tell you... if there was a way for me to live in this paradise, I'd take to the sky this very second to journey there. But... that is a dream I may now never realize..."
"Oh why is that? I do not understand..." Sucky wondered with a frown.
"Some of the dinosaurs who perished under my command had relations to the valley. They will not allow me to live among them because of my failure to protect them..."
"So do you not have anywhere to belong?" Sucky inquired in slight shock.
"That is correct." The flyer gave a sad smile. "It humbles me that a young child like you who has nothing still has some room in their heart to worry about an old fool like me. I am glad that I was able to save you."
"Me too!" Sucky tweeted with a giggle.
"Obviously, obviously my child," the flyer replied with a light chuckle. "Well, it'll be no good to send you on your way from up here. I am sure a certain little swimmer would be very happy to take another flight or am I wrong?"
That needed no further prompting. Squealing, the little girl climbed onto the flyer's back (not before slipping off and falling on her back twice).
"Hold on tight, the wind can be quite unpredictable even if I fly calmly," he warned cautiously but the swimmer had already found a piece of his skin to hold on. "Grand! Enjoy the ride!"
And so Sucky got another free ride, enjoying being airbourne to the fullest and, astonishing as it was, without falling off, until the flyer eventually landed some distance ahead.
"Well, I suppose our paths split from here on, young swimmer, but rest assured I wish you the best of luck for the future and I shan't ever forget about you either!"
“Thank you very much, again!” Sucky exclaimed happily, jumping ahead to give the flyer’s beak an embrace. “Oh brave flyer, before we have to say good-bye at least tell me your name so I can tell everyone at the Great Valley what a nice dinosaur you are, oh yes!”
The flyer was at a loss of words for a moment, returning the embrace to the child.
“Pterano is my name, remember it well my child,” the flyer responded with a weak smile. “Now what is yours so I can spread the tale of the brave little swimmer who bested the deserts all alone in spite of her habit of being unlucky as you claimed?”
“My name is Sucky because I suck suck suck!” the swimmer tweeted.
“Well that… matches you to the point then, huh?” Pterano half-joked, both chuckling about this.
“Well, I hope I will see you again!” Sucky announced as she prepared herself to march off towards the promised land, the Great Valley that Pterano promised her.
“Certainly, that goes for me as well, young swimmer!” Pterano proclaimed, raising his wing in departure. “Farewell, my brave Sucky!”
“Bye!” Sucky exclaimed before hopping off after the late afternoon sun and promptly tripping over her own feet.
“I can only hope it is the right decision to let her wander off on her own accord…” Pterano murmured quietly to himself as he took off to the skies, resuming his mission to starve the fastbiters that ruined his life. Time would surely tell…
---
“So… that what Petrie’s dream ‘bout Sucky be like, what you think?”
“Do I need to answer?” Cera rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath of relief now that the flyer had concluded.
“I… think we can all imagine, Cera…” Littlefoot stated with a nervous laugh. “Anyway, whoa. To think if this really happened…”
“Yep, yep, yep, that would be really cool, yes it would!” Ducky chirped, Spike non-verbally expressing that his opinion matched Ducky’s perfectly. “Petrie, did your uncle ever…”
“‘Course he not, it not like me see him bunch of times,” Petrie replied with a slightly sour voice. “But me can ask him next time me see him, who knows? Maybe he really meet Sucky?”
“Well, that was certainly more intriguing than my sleepstory, because my sleepstory wasn’t very intriguing…” Ruby admitted with a polite smile.
“Same,” Littlefoot admitted with a chuckle.
“Well, I liked it!” Chomper proclaimed with a wink at the fastrunner’s direction. “In all seriousness though, I think I have yet to meet your uncle, Petrie.”
“So me think too…”
“Well, who’s next?” Cera demanded when nobody else voiced up any more feedback.
“Dinah goes next!”
“Dana too!” the twins blurted out at once, hopping around in agitation.
“You guys? Oh whatever…” Cera sighed as she plopped down on her seat in the circle in resignation, knowing that a huge mess was awaiting the group as the erratic twins began telling their dream…
~~~~~~
Whoa whoa WHOA! Sucky met PTERANO!
That was probably the most RANDOM idea of those I had and god I LOVE it
Pterano is fun to write after all and I think mixing the crack fic with some serious character developement was a nice touch, wasn't it?
Well, I had fun writing that anyway, noone can take that away from me haha
Now here's the question: Is Sucky going to reach the Great Valley? Time will tell
