Reply To: The Land Before Time XV: The Friendly Sharptooth Flyer
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: PTERO PLOTS REVENGE
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Ptero snuck around, trying not to attract attention. He noticed a few Iguanodon children wandering around. Ptero hid behind a large reddish orange boulder that blocked him completely from sight, but, due to the angle he was at, allowed him to spy on them perfectly. He sharpened his talons on the boulder.
“Let’s go to the Thundering Falls.” said one of them.
“Ok. Let’s race.” said the younger one to his older sister.
“Last one there is a rotten egg!” said the older sister, taking off. The younger brother followed. The older sister was able to get ahead. The boy tried to move faster. Ptero silently followed, his red eyes glaring with anger, planning to extract revenge personally, which he felt was long overdue, for his father’s death.
The young boy tripped. “Ouch!” said the boy. He had hurt himself.
“Well, well. A little Flattooth all alone. So delicious!” said Ptero.
The Iguanodon looked around. Ptero, who recalled his mother’s advice that it was best to not let your meal see you, and, being known to the Great Valley residents, this was an especially good idea, snuck away in time. The young Leaf Eater looked around in a panic.
Ptero didn’t want to make a scene, and knew that attacking the kid outright would likely draw attention to himself, especially if he could be seen. If he stayed out of sight, he could always take off out of the Great Valley if the grownups showed up.
He decided to scare the kid. He would use fear to weaken the kid’s defenses so that the kid wouldn’t fight back and would surrender, just like he’d done with the Tickly Fuzzy. Then he’d have his first ever Flattooth meal that he got for himself.
Ptero let out a Sharp Beak hunting cry, still hidden. KAW-TAW-RAHHH-RANNNH-RARRRR! “Sharp Beak, I’m going to die!” yelled the Leaf Eater in a fright. He took off at the speed of a Chicago career politician being confronted with the truth.
“Hmmm, breakfast to go. I didn’t order that.” commented Ptero, taking to the air after the kid, planning to kill.
Meanwhile, Littlefoot and his friends were standing on each other’s shoulders trying to get a bunch of Tree Sweets in a tree. Spike, who was at the bottom, noticed a yummy green plant growing on the ground and moved toward it to go eat it. The others started to wobble.
“Spike no!” yelled Cera.
Spike kept moving toward it. The others were really teetering.
“Spike, that’s really not a good idea. Wait till we are…” said Littlefoot nervously.
Spike went to the food and started eating it. The others toppled. Ducky and Petrie went flying and crashed into a hive of Stinging Buzzers, sending it flying through the air and out of sight.
Ducky landed next to Spike. She whacked him. “Spike, you thinkded with your stomach again! You did! You did!” she snapped. Spike smiled, trying to act innocent.
Ptero, meanwhile, was near the poor Flattooth, who still didn’t know Ptero was near, for Ptero kept moving to avoid being seen. Suddenly, the hive of Stinging Buzzers went flying at Ptero. Ptero moved aside as they charged at him. He killed some, got stung by a few, and was able to kick the hive flying away from him and out of sight. “Mmmm, Stinging Buzzers. Spicy!” Ptero commented, eating some of them.
Meanwhile, Topps was talking to Tria. “Lovely day, isn’t it dear?” he asked.
“Yes, Topsy, I think…” she replied pleasantly. She saw the hive coming “Oh no!” she cried.
“What, did something happ…” asked Topps in concern. SMACK! The hive hit him and he got stung many times. “Yow! Yow! Yow! Yow!” he yelled, stomping on the hive. He eventually was able to crush it. He’d gotten honey all over his legs. “Mmmm, Stinging Buzzer Juice.” said Topps, licking the honey off of his feet. Tria shook her head.
Ptero, meanwhile, had lost the Flattooth due to the flying hive incident. He was just about to go and try and look for the Flattooth again. However, before he could, Petrie came by.
“Me hear that there a talking Sharp Beak nearby.” said Petrie.
Ptero was really nervous. Had he been found out? “Er, I didn’t see one.” Ptero lied.
“Perhaps he mistaken.” suggested Petrie.
“Yeah, I don’t imagine that Talking Sharp Beaks are a regular occurrence around here.” replied Ptero, masking his guilt. “Young kids can sometimes have such wild imaginations.”
Ptero went back with Petrie, for it was clear that his plans had failed. Perhaps he’d try again later.
“Do nests of Stinging Buzzers normally come sailing through the air around here, or just every once in a while?” Ptero asked.
Petrie turned red. “Me sorry about that. We try to get Tree Sweets and we have little accident.” said Petrie.
“No big deal.” said Ptero calmly. He and Petrie returned to Petrie’s nest.
Ptero noticed Petrie’s snuggling stick. “What is that for?” he asked.
“That belong to me Father. He give it to me Mom but he never make it back.” said Petrie. Petrie shed a tear.
“I wish my Father had given me something to remember him by.” commented Ptero sadly.
“Me Father never get to see me fly.” said Petrie sadly.
“Mine didn’t either.” said Ptero.
The two were silent for a while. Finally, Ptero said “Petrie, Mother never really let me out much before. I’ve never gotten to have friends before. I see we have a lot in common. Er, could we be friends?” asked Ptero nervously.
“Me’d like that.” said Petrie, smiling. Ptero smiled too. His first friend ever was a Flattooth, yet, he liked this one.
