Chapter Text
Exile
An unknown flyer perched on a cliffside, observing over the esteemed Great Valley. The Council Elders gathered near a stone arch, discussing something regarding a banishment. He recently visited the valley in the quest for his father, until he learned that his father and two other flyers were on their way to Threehorn Peak in pursuit of a miraculous stone. He tried to follow their route, only to arrive in time to witness the mountain exploding. He was too late.
He cried out for his father, scanning the area as best he could in the thick, burning smoke for the smallest sign that his father survived. He managed to spot three flyers emerging from the smoke, but none of them resembled his father.
Instead, the three flyers in question were a larger one, carrying a small longneck, threehorn and spiketail, one crested flyer carrying a small swimmer, and what he guessed to be a flyer hatchling. The third, a female crested flyer, followed closely behind. Desperate for answers, he followed them until they reached the Great Valley.
The elders must have been whispering amongst each other for an hour or so. Even with their whispering, the flyer could hear some angry protests during their meeting. He quickly grew bored. For cryin’ out loud! I came here for answers, not to listen to some old landwalker party, he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
He launched himself into the sky, the rest of the meeting place coming into view. He immediately spotted the male and female crested flyers, talking amongst each other. He wondered if the banishment had to do with one of them. Finally, he landed next to the stone arch, using its shadows and his dark coloring to shield himself from sight. The name from the female’s beak immediately caught his attention.
“I think Petrie has heard enough stories from you, Pterano.”
Pterano hung his head in shame, avoiding her eyes. “I suppose that’s fair,” he spoke. He took a deep breath and looked back at the others. “You two wouldn’t mind… staying with me through this, would you?” he halted, struggling for words, causing their unknown spy to tilt his head. “You don’t have to if you… don’t want to. But I’m… I would be eternally grateful if you did.”
“Of course, Uncle,” that came from the smaller flyer he saw earlier. A nod from the female followed suit.
“Pterano, we are ready for you.”
The flyer didn’t notice that the elders had halted their whispering, and were now all facing Pterano and his family. The aforementioned red flyer could be seen heaving deep breaths as if to calm himself and approach the center. He looked desperate to say something but held his beak shut. He braced himself for the verdict in store.
“Frankly, Pterano, your behavior have been inexcusable,” with a calm, but stern voice, the old male longneck condemned the red flyer before pausing. It raised the dark flyer’s curiosity. He had never actually heard a longneck’s voice, much less have seen one this close. He was amazed at the sheer size the longnecks possessed. It was as if he was standing near a talking tree. “But in light of the fact that you helped save the children,” the longneck continued, snapping the flyer out of his thoughts. “Your punishment will be reduced.”
A hopeful grin of relief developed on Pterano’s beak, as he looked up at them and put his arms out. “It will?”
“Yes.” The longneck continued plainly, the flyer detected a hint of disdain in the voice. “We’ve decided that you are banished to the Mysterious Beyond until five of the cold times have passed.”
Pterano’s hopeful beam quickly faded as he shut his eyes and hung his head, frowning.
“Five cold times?” his nephew exclaimed, whom the flyer gathered to be named Petrie, moving to his side. “But that’s so long!”
“Yes,” an old threehorn growled next to the hatchling, glaring down at him as if he were a menace for the complaint. “And some of us think it should be a lot longer.”
“But the herds would want nothing to do with me!” Pterano protested desperately. “I’ll be alone and defenseless! Is that really fair?”
The flyer rolled his eyes. His father was right about Pterano’s theatrics. Just be grateful you’ll get to see yer family again, ya old blowhard. Unlike me. As far as he was concerned, there were far worse places to be banished to. The Mysterious Beyond, as the Great Valley residents called it, wasn’t that horrible of a place once a flyer was able to navigate it.
“YES!” The council shouted in unison as if the verdict wasn’t any clearer. The flyer was able to pick up anonymous grumbles of annoyance, not that he blamed them. Pterano took a step back, looking unsure what to do or say next, much to the flyer’s amusement.
Petrie stepped in front of him, begging the Elders. “Oh please let him stay. He very sorry.”
The female flyer landed near both of them, who by now, the flyer gathered to be Petrie’s mother, chiming in. “That may be,” she explained firmly, “but that doesn’t change what he did and he must be responsible.”
"Petrie."
“But-” Petrie, again, tried to protest but halted once he realized his uncle had something to say. The flyer in hiding listened closer as well, noticing a significant change in Pterano’s voice.
“She’s right,” he explained, tone unexpectedly soft for someone his father worked under. “We all must be responsible for our actions.” He knelt down by his nephew, giving him a loving smile. “I’ll be fine.”
The old flyer’s words echoed in his ear, causing his thinking process to halt in their tracks. This couldn’t be the Pterano his father had described. The power-hungry, ruthless, manipulative, crime boss that he heard a surprising amount of volumes about. He was unsure what to make of it.
Petrie shed a tear, wiping it from his eye. “I’m gonna miss you, Uncle.”
“Perhaps someday, I shall return and prove that I can be trustworthy. I know there’s much I can contribute if given the chance.” It seemed as if Pterano was trying to remain positive, regardless of the gravity of the situation. The flyer guessed it was for his nephew’s sake. Petrie sobbed, shooting up and flying directly into his uncle’s wing. “I shall miss you, too, Petrie.”
He could swear he saw a tear forming in Pterano’s eye as he covered the smaller one with his talons. He couldn’t tell what it was, but something about the sight had lured him into a trance. His eyes focused solely on the uncle and nephew through a mind-made tunnel vision. The moment was quickly and rudely interrupted by the threehorn mumbling what he couldn’t make out. “Now, scram!” was all he heard before the creature chased Pterano into the sky.
He picked up a slightly snarky tone in the response from Pterano, who shouted back down. “Then again, heh-heh! There are others whom I shan’t miss at all!”
The flyer watched Pterano grow smaller in the sky. He stepped away from the arch, looking down at the ground for a moment. There was something about the bond between Pterano and Petrie that spoke to him, but he couldn’t tell what it was. Finally, he took off and returned to the cliffside.
He was rendered inconclusive, unsure of what to make of what just happened. Partially, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the old flyer. Exile was never an easy experience, regardless of the location. He couldn’t help but feel guilty over wanting to get revenge as soon as he got answers about what happened to his father.
But it didn’t matter anymore. His father was dead. Any chance of seeing his father or rekindling any kind of relationship was long gone by now. It clicked the minute he heard the name. Pterano had led his father, like many others before, to their deaths and nothing will ever change that. All the youth could do now was enact his justice. “Yer goin’ to pay, Pterano. I can promise ya that. No one messes with my family and gets away with it!”