Shadow Fire

By: Phoenix Ride

Ch.1: Dark Sleep Stories

The night air felt calm and cool under Petrie's wings as soared through the star blanketed sky. The Night Circle shone full and bright looking like a flat silver disc in a sea of black. This is where Petrie felt alive and free.

Suddenly a dark shadow passed in front of the moon blocking its light. Curious Petrie looked up to see an astonishing sight. There, in the face of the moon, was the figure of the largest flyer he had ever seen.

He was as black as night with a wingspan over three trees wide. Never before had Petrie seen a flyer with such massive wings. His tiny heart pumping with excitement Petrie raced upward to meet the mysterious flyer. And that's when things changed.

The corona around the moon suddenly turned to a bright blood red, as did the eyes of the gaint flyer Petrie was flying towards. Soon enough more flyers appeared, each dripping out of the shadows their jaws lined with gleaming white teeth and their eyes sparkling red.

Roaring the gaint flyer thrust out his wings and Petrie stopped dead in amazement as the gaint flyer's wings caught fire. His burning red eyes looked down on Petrie and with a sastified grin he cawed out signaling for the rest of the flyers to attack.

Petrie found himself pumping his wings as hard as he could in order to escape the other flyers flashing jaws. Their breath was hot on his tail when a sudden voice called "Petrie! Petrie, wake up!"

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Petrie's eyes popped open to see Guido and his family all staring at him with worried looks on their faces. He knew from the moment he woke in the cave that he had been having sleep stories again.

"I've been having them again haven't I?" asked Petrie.

"Uh huh," said all his brothers and sisters.

"What was it about this time?" asked Guido " or was it the same?"

"Me dreamt about gaingantic flyer with wings of fire" said Petrie "he and other flyers try to eat me,"

"That's the third time this week" said Petrie's mother "the problem is, what does it mean?"

"What do you mean mom?" asked one of Petrie's sisters.

"Well you see dears" Petrie's mom explianed " when dreams repeat themselves it usually means something is about to happen that has a strong effect on you. But I don't see as to why Petrie is having nightmares about the Shadow Flyers,"

At the name everyone except Guido shuddered. He hadn't been with Petrie's family for very long every since the Great Day of the Flyers and still hadn't learned all the flyers were to be taught.

"Who are Shadow Flyers?" he asked.

"You don't know?" gasped one of Petrie's brothers " they're cannibals! They eat other flyers!"

"Alright" shouted Petrie's mother "enough talk, now back to bed. And Petrie...please no more sleep stories tonight,"

In the morning Petrie explianed the sleep stories he was having with Littlefoot and the others and they admitted they had no idea what his sleep stories could mean.

"If these Shadow Flyers are such a big deal" said Cera " then why aren't there any around?"

"Petrie's dreams always start with him flying at night" said Littlefoot "maybe that's what Petrie has to do,fly at night,"

"No way" said Petrie "me afriad that sleep story becomes real just like you Littlefoot, remember?"

Littlefoot did remember. Almost a year ago he had a dream about the Bright Circle falling to Earth and him and the other longnecks putting back into the sky. Needless to say the dream became a reality, as some dreams often do.

"Fine" he finally said "but it may be the only way to figure out why the dreams are repeating. If it has already appeared three times I doubt it's going to stop,"

Later that night Petrie thought long and hard about what Littlefoot said when Guido and the others went to sleep. Raising his wings Petrie jumped off the ledge and soared into the night.

He had no idea where the wind was going to blow him, but he didn't care. All he had to do was find out what the sleep stories meant and he would be home before sunrise. Not that difficult right? Unless...you suddenly realized you were being followed.