((I'd just like to point out how I may have taken inspiration for small plot points, like flights, from other sources but I'm not trying to steal
))
II: Plans"W-ell, there you are!" Harper raised her head up from her wings as she heard the familiar but long unheard voice chuckle out. "I was starting to think that despite saving her from a spitter sharptooth, my niece went and forgot my arrival time".
"N-no, I didn't" Harper answered, glancing aside, but still not turning. There was a pause and then the hatchling heard a rustling as the speaker, her Uncle Pterano of course, walked over and in front of where she sat on the branch of a bush, bending down to be level with her.
"Why Harper, whatever is all this for" Pterano surprised even her by his openness as he reached his wing over, brushing aside some of her tears, "Certainly not over me, I hope".
"No, of course not" Harper hurried to reassure, "I'm glad you're back, honest, it's..." she wasn't sure how to go into all of what had recently occurred. She glanced down.
"Uncle, me ready" Petrie's voice suddenly called out, the little brown flyer soon flying over and landing on Pterano's shoulder. "We go flying now like you promise?" he asked.
"One moment, Petrie, if you would; something's wrong with your sister" Pterano went on.
Harper sighed, "Nothing's wrong with me, it's...the runners" she hesitantly got out, still glancing away from both her uncle and brother.
"What wrong with them?", Harper knew her brother didn't mean to be uncaring or anything, and in fact did half sound like he might be tempted to be worried, but his mind was preoccupied with going out for a just for fun flight with just Pterano and his words came off impatient.
She sighed, "Don't you get it, we're gonna have Uncle Pterano forever now but the runners aren't so lucky and by tomorrow they might not even...might not..." Harper's breath hitched and she paused, tears forming again.
Harper felt Pterano gently lift her beak up so that she was facing him, "Harper, what's wrong with the runners?" he tried again at getting information out of her.
"It's the lead female" Harper breathed, "she's...dying".
~~~~
"We didn't mean to insight worry on your niece's part, or anyone else’s" the patriarch said, explaining to Pterano after the flyer had come over to check-up after Harper told him. He'd meant for both her and Petrie to stay back at the nest, but of course they hadn't done that.
The patriarch all but limped over and took a seat on a nearby rock. He didn't look so good himself. Pterano glanced down, "I...understand the immense pain you must have both suffered these past few cold times" he said, "but, take it from me...". Harper saw Pterano glanced back towards at least Petrie, and maybe both him and herself, briefly before facing the patriarch again, "there's always something to find the strength to go on for. Your herd needs you as well, Sir".
"I thank you, my good flyer, for trying to extend back our hospitality of before" the patriarch said, "but...you speak like we've just given up".
"Haven't you?" Pterano said the words softly, but still Harper's eyes widened at the even slight accusation.
"No Sir, we haven't" the matriarch approached now, "if we gave up we would have succumbed long ago".
Pterano shook his head, sighing and went to continue the...not argument but attempt at getting through. Harper didn't stay to listen to it, though, and just flapped off out of earshot.
Petrie followed, glancing to his sister thoughtfully as they landed. "You sorry you told Uncle Pterano and get him arguing with them too?" he asked.
"No, that's not it" Harper glanced up and out at the sky, thinking. Petrie watched her for a bit then glanced down in his own thoughts.
"They...they probably just think they getting sick from sadness, me sure they be ok" the hatchling next tried. There was a pause and then he went on, "So...what we do now?". Harper turned a small smile to Petrie, glad he was on the same game trail as she was on this, so to speak, and counted the runners friends too. Not that she was surprised, if anything Petrie had been around the matriarch and her mate more than she had, even if she'd been quick to latch respect onto them and find them "cool".
Maybe she could use her brother's support. "Petrie..." she turned to him with an unsure look, "I do have one idea and...well you're more use to taking off with Littlefoot and the others...maybe you can tell me what you think of it".
"Sure" Petrie shrugged, but looked just slightly nervous himself, before he reminded himself that this was Harper, not Littlefoot or the others, and his sister didn't come up with crazy ideas. Still, his look had been enough to remind Harper, oh yeah, Petrie sort of freaked out at the mention of something scary. Somehow she knew her idea would fit into this category.
"Second thought" she went on, placing a hand on Petrie's shoulder as she glanced off, "I know what you'll say, so thanks, but maybe I should use Ridge as the sounding wall on this". Harper flapped up.
Petrie stood there a moment or so more, before flapping up after her. Harper smiled to herself, she'd been sort of hoping Petrie would still come, even if she knew she was likely to lose him for good in this endeavor once she spilled what it was she'd thought.
If the two had ever believed in, well fate, or things just being worked out a certain way or anything, the scene as they landed at Ridge's seemed to have that sort of foretelling atmosphere. Or it was just normal and they read too much into it. The odd occurrence was that Littlefoot was there talking to the spiketail about something.
"Hmm, why Littlefoot here too?" Petrie seemed to sum it up. Harper hesitated just a moment and then continued over, causing Petrie to do the same of course.
"Ridge" she called, "Um, hi, and sorry if I interrupted" she glanced to Littlefoot. The longneck smiled though.
"No not really, what are you two up to?" he asked. The two hatchlings glanced to each other, almost both thinking over how hard answered a question that was.
"Well, that's kind of what brought us over here" Harper answered, before turning to Ridge. She glanced about to make sure none of the adult spiketails of his herd were too close. They weren't, the four kids being sort of detached off to the side of the herd, which was good.
"I-it's the runners, you know the one's who just came back" she spoke to Ridge but glanced to Littlefoot to include him in this too, "Apparently they're here because the two leaders are...well...dying or...something".
Ridge and Littlefoot both frowned.
"Or they very sick" Petrie went on, "they not have anything real wrong with them".
"They've been sad since they had to banish their sons and...I think it's finally...become too much, or that's what they tried to tell me anyway" Harper shook her head, still not getting it.
"Wow, that's awful" Ridge said.
Harper glanced aside and then back to him, "I...I did have one idea of what might help, but...it's risky, so much so it's a shock I thought of it". Ridge nodded for her to go on. Harper swallowed and did so, "What if...what if we tried to find Veck and Lars and...tell them...about their parents".
Ridge, Littlefoot and Petrie all looked shocked. "What?!" Petrie screeched, "that you idea! Me thought you not come up with bad ideas like Littlefoot!". The longneck looked like he would ask Petrie what he meant by this, but didn't say anything.
"H-Hold, on maybe it's not a bad idea" Ridge cut in. "Risky, yeah, but Harper seems to be onto something, I mean missing their sons is what's causing all this, so seeing them again is probably all that would help".
"F-find runners who take you again?!" Petrie asked.
Ridge and Harper were silent for a bit and then Harper's voice went on, very, very hesitant and low, "Kidnapper's...aren't always...all bad...maybe...". She paused and left what she'd wanted to be an optimistic statement hanging in uncertainty. No one said anything for a bit.
"But...", Littlefoot broke the pause, "I saw their trial same as you all did and...well aren't things sort of...hard between the leaders and their sons? Not to mention they're still banished".
"Indefinitely" Harper sighed, recalling the exact wording the patriarch had used, "What ever that means".
"I asked them about it before they left" Ridge said, "The head male said Veck and Lars knew what he meant and that it meant until they were changed and better, however long that took".
"That must be why it's so hard..." Littlefoot realized and said, "They haven't come back yet, kind of on their own".
"Well...if they heard their parents were dying..." Harper went on, thinking, "yes, I know they were mad, but they can't be that mad that they wouldn't care". Ridge and Littlefoot looked thoughtful over this while Petrie just still looked hesitant. It was a question none of the four of them could answer, would knowledge of how bad off their parents were, and that they were fading away because of them, make a difference to Veck or Lars?
"Petrie! Harper! where have you two gone?" the two flyers soon heard their Uncle Pterano calling, actually having come pretty close to finding them.
"We should probably go make sure he doesn't think he lost on his first day back or anything" Harper told her brother. Petrie nodded.
"Ridge and I will come by your nest tomorrow, if that's ok" Littlefoot said, "maybe after I tell Cera, Spike and Ducky, and maybe also Ruby or Chomper" he glanced to Harper to make sure she was ok with her idea being spread this far. It was understandable though, the five and sometimes seven of them did everything together. She nodded, as did Petrie, which seemed to show his own accepting of the inevitable adventuring again, then they both flapped over to let Pterano know he hadn't lost track of them this soon.
