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And the for January prompt, here is the second chapter to this story. I must admit that this chapter languished for quite awhile due to a mixture of a lack of motivation and a lack of time. Though the end result is not epic or anything like that, I do think that it turned into a nice little slice of life story in the Hidden Needs universe. As such, I look forward to your thoughts and reviews. :)

What follows is my response of the January 2020 one-word prompt: perplexed

Shell-shocked

All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.

~Robert Kennedy

"Ow! What was that for you, you… beak-brain!"

The small brown flyer narrowed his eyes as he stared down his counterpart. To anyone else staring at the scene it might have looked like two identical twins squaring off, but to the siblings present it was a familiar sight.

"You are a beak-brain too, Brasko, if you haven't noticed! But if we don't manage to beat the girls then they will never let us live it down!"

Petrie could only groan at the antics of his brothers, Basko and Grondo. It was a pleasant change that their ire was directed at one another but their arguing did little to resolve the situation that they found themselves in, and it was all because of his big beak.

Earlier that morning:

"Wake up, children!"

Petrie jerked awake without a sound as he forced his eyes to confront the darkness of the early morning. As his two unwilling orbs stared into the dark abyss he slowly became aware of the other sounds around him: a few annoyed groans, Valaria's noticeable yawn, and an audible thud as Grondo rose suddenly, causing two of his brothers to fall over one another in a chain reaction.

By the time their recriminations had finished Petrie could finally see everyone in a dull green haze. One of the gifts of the flyers, his mind echoed, the gift of the night.

Volant did her best not to chuckle at the antics of her children as they groggily got into an orderly line. It was a feat that would have seemed impossible a season ago, but with the coming of the Time of Great Growing also came the drive to fish. So, oddly enough, this was the one time she could expect some semblance of order from her children. Though, like anything else, she knew that this would not last.

So she got right to the point.

"You have done very well, children, with your fishing lessons. Not only have you helped out Chomper, but you are fast becoming self-reliant flyers!"

This made Brasko's chest puff out in pride. "Soon we will be able to leave the nest!"

"And be big flyers on our own!" Gondo echoed.

"Yeah, if you guys don't break your necks on the water first!" Valaria mocked which made the rest of Petrie's sisters bark in laughter.

Petrie's eyes met his mother's as they both rolled them simultaneously, as if in solidarity. Yes, this was more like normal.

"Oh, yeah! We guys can get more fish than all of you! We actually go get the fish while you no-crests just talk and talk!" Valo retorted.

"It's called worked out a strategy, Valo, not something you would understand!"

"Yeah!" several female voices called out at once.

"Children!" Volant's voice shrieked in a tone that brokered no disagreement. Somewhat reluctantly the children backed away from their gender-based dividing lines to return to a somewhat orderly line. Though it was not lost on Petrie that his brothers allowed him to be between them and his sisters. It was both an unspoken concession and an insult from his brothers. Yes, Petrie you are worthy of being one of us, but you are the least of us!

Oh well, better than they treat me before Time of Flyers, Petrie muttered internally. That improvement, me guess.

"Now, children, I know that you all want to compete to show who is the best fisher… that is typical for males…" Volant began.

"Yeah!" Grondo affirmed as if his mother were confirming their superiority.

"...as they want to impress females, even if it means taking stupid risks." Volant continued.

"Mhm... " Valaria nodded before rolling her eyes at her brothers bristled. Petrie was the only one who appeared unmoved by the antics of either side.

Volant paused for a moment to make sure another round of recriminations would not break out between the siblings. "In the last ten days you have shown me that you can all get fish when you know a place which has them… but in the Mysterious Beyond that is not always the case. In fact, it usually is not the case. So this morning we are going to be doing something different."

Petrie caught the twinkle in his mother's eye. This not good...

Volant smirked, "Today, children, I want you to show me that you can find good fishing waters on your own…."

"I call dibs on the Thundering Falls!"

"I get the Blue Shallows!"

"I call…"

"...outside of the valley," Volant added as she gave the three interrupting children a glare so savage it would have frightened Cera, "Now don't over do it! I do not want you to go more than a glider's glide from the valley walls. But it is time that you got some practice."

This made the children go silent as concerned glances were exchanged between what had been cocky braggarts. In the end it was Valaria that spoke first. "What happens if we can't find any? We have never done this before."

Volant's eyes were kind but her shoulders shrugged all the same. "Then no breakfast."

"But, Mom!" Valo protested, saving his sisters the trouble.

Volant shook her head. "Life is hard, kids. It may not seem like it in this plentiful valley, but outside we must rely upon our wits to survive. A skipped breakfast is a small inconvenience compared to what would happen out there."

This made Petrie cross his arms in annoyance. He already knew this lesson! Hadn't he starved enough when he and his friends were going to the valley? Perhaps his mouthy brothers and sisters needed this lesson in humility, but he sure as the Bright Circle did not.

It was then that he eyed his Snuggling Stick in the distance. No, Petrie not need that! Me big flyer now!

"That is a good idea, Petrie!" Volant suddenly exclaimed, which made the little flyer nearly fell over in surprise. "Children, each of you will need to get a stick to check the depth of the water."

"Seriously, Mom!" Brasko protested.

"Seriously, Brasko," Volant chided, "You may think that your eyes will never lead you astray, but until you test the waters you never know. Remember: If you dive and your stick hits below, then to another lake you must go."

Grondo groaned. "What flyer made that horrible rhyme."

Bonk!

Grondo jumped as Volant tossed a stick playfully at her mouthy son, "Someone who didn't break her neck."

Petrie groaned despite the levity of the moment. Whether it was his brothers' antics, his sisters' retorts, or his mother's lesson for the day he was in no mood for nonsense. Perhaps it was this that made him make his infamous boast.

"Me and friends already go to places outside of valley, so this will be easy."

There are odd moments of clarity in life where one realizes immediately what path one has set for himself, and, in this moment, Petrie could see what lay before him. Because it was in this single instant that all banter in the nest grew silent and his brothers stared at him with bemused eyes. Then, with growing horror, Petrie could see Brasko raise his wing as if to cheer at a victory that was not yet assured.

"You hear that, girls? We got this! Petrie will lead us to a good lake and then we will do the rest! Boys rule and girls drool!"

Petrie closed his eyes. It was at that moment that he realized what he had committed himself to.

Me and my big beak...

Back to the present:

"Alright, Petrie, where is this amazing fishing spot?"

Petrie took a deep breath. He could pretend not to hear his brother; after all, they were airborne and they all had the wind blowing against their ears. But he knew that Grondo would see through that ruse. For one thing, they were barely airborne, merely flying a few body-lengths above the ground. For another, Grondo has practically shouted right in the direction of Petrie's ears.

His brother was not subtle.

"There are a few spots. Me had to find real food while friends lead me on adventures. But Petrie only go to these places in the day until now," Petrie admitted carefully as he barely tilted in beak in the direction of his brother. He intentionally left out that he nearly got gobbled up by a bellydragger at one of these places.

"So what's the difference? Day... Night… fish are still in water," Valo questioned.

"Don't you remember, Valo? Mom told us that fish go deep in the morning and shallow in the light." Brasko chided.

Valo snorted at this as some of his bluster faded. "You're not trying to make excuses are you, Petrie? Valaria will never let us live it down if we lose!"

Petrie felt blood rush to his cheeks as his eyes narrowed. "What Petrie saying is that we may need to test the waters first before we hunt. It not like we have a lot of light to work with."

Valo did not say anything immediately as the four youths flew on in silence, though Petrie could almost sense his brother's glare against the back of his head. Finally, however, Valo relented with an annoyed grumble. "Alright… but if I find a fish I am going for it!"

Petrie willed his wings to flap in regular bursts despite his racing thoughts. When he had made his boastful assertion he had not expected anything to come of it. He had thought…. Well, truth be told, he wasn't thinking. Now this whole ordeal was his problem. Either he would be the laughingstock of his siblings again or in victory he would seem just as boastful and arrogant as they were. Great…

"Um, Petrie?"

Petrie's attention suddenly came back to him as he realized that the tree in the distance was suddenly not so far in the distance… in fact he was about to collide with its oversized trunk!

A quick swerve to his left saved him from any chance of collision, but its effect on his confidence was just as jarring. Me really have to stop doing that. Wasting no time, lest his brothers mock him or begin to question his competence (as usual), he quickly flapped his wings so as to gain altitude and rise above any other offending obstacles. Then, raising his voice as much as possible so that his brothers could hear, he made his decision.

"Alright, we go to Green Water Hole!"

The reaction to his pronouncement was not immediate as all five of the males had to gain altitude to rise above the upcoming rockwall. As a result the triangular formation of small flyers ascended for several silent moments and peeked over the valley's natural defenses before Petrie's four siblings moved back into talking range.

"Um… what exactly is the Green Water Hole?" Brasko asked with barely-concealed skepticism.

"Should we be eating anything that lives in green water?" another voice asked.

Petrie willed his irritation to not erupt as he continued to fly to the destination. "Green Water Hole have murky water so hard to see…"

"So then why are we…" Brasko began before Petrie interrupted.

"...near land. But in deep water it clear! This mean we fish, but belly draggers have hard time sneaking on us!" Petrie finished.

Petrie was not exactly sure what to expect. Would his brothers take this opportunity to mock him and go their own way? Would they follow him begrudgingly because they put their reputations on the line? Considering all of the multitudes of possibilities what eventually greeted Petrie's ears was anticlimactic.

"Hmph… well, this had better work."

Petrie suppressed a smile once Brasko's words reached his ears. Now came the difficult part… actually catching some fish without being caught by anything else in the process!

Several moments later:

Petrie stared deeply into the distant pool as the slightest hints of twilight flashed over the horizon, brightening the night sky ever so slightly. It was a sight that only a flyer would notice, but it was still a sign of the dilemma that lay before them. Soon the morning would arrive and their mother would want to see their work. All the while, the black void in the distance seemed to indicate both promise and danger as the barest hints of green could be seen in the light.

There it was. The Green Watering Hole.

"Oh yeah! Well, I think we can make this work. Or are you less skilled than our sisters?"

"How dare you!"

Petrie groaned. And now moment over. Time to get this over with before brothers nag Petrie to death.

Petrie turned around from his perch, which was little more than the ledge of the rock wall. He was not surprised to see wings being waved in recriminations as his five brothers continued their argument from earlier.

Thankfully, for once in his life, Petrie knew how to bring this to a swift end. "Yep, this Green Water Hole! Now we fish!"

Petrie watched in morbid fascination as each of his four brothers turned to face him, with Brasko practically doing a spin in order to see where Petrie was pointing. Then, in the silence that followed, Brasko extended both wings and flapped them backwards, sending his brothers tumbling over.

"Hey!"

"What gives?"

Brasko, meanwhile, was already airborne, quickly sailing over Petrie's stunned face. "See you at the Water Hole, losers!"

His head start was a temporary advantage, however, as the other three flyers scrambled to get airborne. Within moments the entire rock wall was empty as Petrie scrambled to join the ill-advised flight.

"Wait, guys!" Petrie yelled out. "We not even see fish yet! We need to scout before fishing!"

He did not get a response as his brothers flapped furiously to be the first one within striking distance of any fish which presented themselves. Petrie was forced to do the same as he struggled to keep up with the eager siblings. Stupid Petrie. Me should know brothers be even stupider! We need to scout and then work as team!

Petrie's flapping became almost desperate as he squinted his eyes at the exertion. Without wind or thermal updrafts it was a thankless struggle, but eventually he caught up to the trio which was chasing after Brasko. "Guys! We need to work as team!"

Valo was the first to react as he kept up the brutal pace. "Team? Why not catch what we can and show off the pile when we are done?"

"Yeah!" Cloud exclaimed, "It isn't like we can hold each other's wings on the way down!"

Petrie grunted in annoyance as his wings burned with exertion. "For love of Bright Circle, don't be idiot! How well you see water hole now?"

Petrie quickly swerved in the air, forcing his brothers to change course.

"Hey!"

"What was that?"

Petrie shifted into a circling pattern as his brothers scrambled to regain their altitude. "How well do all you see water hole?"

His three siblings did not immediately answer him as they went into similar holding patterns. In the process their ghostly forms could barely be seen in the minimal light. Though, as each of them peered downward, Petrie could tell that his words were sinking in.

"Uh, not much." Valo admitted.

Petrie nodded despite the futility of the gesture. "Yeah! Up here none of us see much unless fish break water! So we need to fly low."

"Awww… but that makes it harder to get a good dive!" Cloud protested.

"Yeah, but Petrie has a point!" Valo interrupted as he flew to join in with the circling flight of the others, "If one of us stays low to spot the fish then they can guide one of us to the fish."

Petrie nodded. "Yep! Just like Momma show us! We watch until one of us give signal and then diver dive to spot where watcher fly in circle."

Petrie grew quiet then as he continued to turn in a wide circle high above the lake below them. In the gradually increasing light he could see his brothers' expressions now. Valo's contemplation, Cloud's annoyance, Grondo's unreadable gaze. But one thing was now certain as they sailed on their unseen canopy of air in a uniform formation: they were at least considering his words.

It was at this moment that Petrie finally felt some measure of hope. Maybe they wouldn't screw this up after all.

Petrie allowed himself to relax as Valo and Cloud begrudgingly broke their slow circling in order to fall into a linear formation, soaring into the skies above. It was exactly like how Volant had shown them. Two act as the fishers and two as the finders…

A grunt from his side broke Petrie's fixation on his two siblings. Oh, right! Me and Grondo finders then.

"Let's go!" Petrie affirmed cheerfully as he flew past a visibly annoyed Grondo. Nonetheless, within moments they were both flying just above the pitch black water. Each of them weaving to the left and to the right so as to maximize what they could see. The slightest movement could be the only sign they would receive of a hidden morsel… or danger.

Petrie allowed his body to guide his gaze as he swayed from one direction to the other. He was careful to follow the cadence that his mother had shown them long ago. One fish, two fish, three fish, four, now go the other way to look for more… one fish, two fish… The end result was that he and his brother sailed silently in the night, moving in careful formation.

That was until Grondo let out a slight screech and then turned into a circling motion. Petrie had to take evasive measures in order to avoid a collision as he went into a circling motion as well. What you see, brother?

It was then that he saw it. The slightest wave in the black water that did not match the others… they had found their prey.

Petrie smiled and allowed his brother to take the lead as he followed his circling motion. Now it was up to Cloud or Valo to make the move…

Screeeee!

Petrie's eyes widened. That was not Cloud or Valo. That was Brasko!

He jerked his head up in order to see his wayward brother, but he could initially see little against the star-studded sky. He desperately flapped his wings to maintain his altitude above the water as he peered above, until he finally saw several of the stars blink out. It was as if they were being eclipsed by something moving downward incredibly fast.

Petrie was helpless to watch the diving flyer as he swerved out of Brasko's path. It was only when he caught sight of the triangular shape in the night sky that he realized that his brother was not slowing from this dive. He was going all in!

Petrie arched his head up as he spun around, forcing his head in the direction of the descending flyer. "It too deep! You go…"

The sound of a deafening splash drowned out the rest of his words as his brother disappeared from view into the dark depths below.

The flyer could only hover in place, staring at the spot where his brother had entered the water. Any fish that has been loitering near the surface were now long gone, leaving the agitated water to its own devices. In the few seconds that it took for Grondo's wings to be heard flapping behind him, there was little sign in the water that anything out of the ordinary had occurred.

"So…" Grondo began as Petrie mutely stared at the water, "That fishing spot is ruined."

Petrie did not immediately answer. Instead he jerked his head from side to side for any sign of the wayward flyer. With each second that passed his attempts became more and more frantic.

It only took a few more moments for Cloud to arrive. "Darn it, Brasko! I was about to dive for the…"

Valo suddenly made his appearance known by asking the obvious question. "Uh… where did Brasko go?"

Petrie swallowed as he stared at the stagnant water. The longer it took the less confident the little flyer became as no sign of their brother came into sight. Come on, Brasko…

It was then that the slightest hint of movement could be seen in the water below, as the black void began to again show its verdant hue against the gradually increasing light. All four of the flyers moved closer to the water's surface, ready to grab ahold of and pull their brother to safety if he appeared. Anticipating this, Petrie and Valo carefully lowered their talons to the surface of the water, flapping their wings furiously to avoid losing altitude. Cloud and Grondo soon moved behind, getting ready to grab their brothers if they needed any help.

It was then that Petrie could see the outline of a talon under the water. Got you!

It was at exactly the moment he gripped what he thought was his brother's talon, that it in turn locked around his. Then with a horrifying heave that appeared to come from the water itself, the being under the water extended its amorphous body and let out a distorted scream.

Scr-aw-aw-aw!

Petrie struggled to let go of the talons which now imprisoned his own fate to the horrifying being the lay below him. It was as if the green sludge of the pool had come to life in order to devour him! It took all of his power to flap his wings, but he knew that it was hopeless… he was slowly beginning to sink back towards the depths.

"Ahhhhh!" Valo screamed as one of his wings involuntarily hit Petrie from behind. It was then that Petrie realized the horrifying truth: whatever this was had got ahold of them both.

"Me need help!" Petrie screamed as he struggled to stay aloft.

Grondo's panicked squawk was heard above him. "Let go!"

"We would if we could!" Cloud retorted.

"Grab us!" Petrie cried as his wings began to strike water. "Me about to sink!"

It was at this point that what Petrie could only imagine was the head of the monster again surfaced to let out its horrifying cry.

Scr-aw-aw-aw!

Petrie forced his head to stay above the water as he looked back towards the sky. "Help drag this to water edge!"

Grondo's voice rang out from somewhere above. "What?"

"You hear him! Drag this thing to the edge-" Cloud momentarily went under the water before surfacing, "Petrie must have thought of something!"

Petrie closed his eyes as he focused entirely on keeping his head above the surface. Though he did not realize it, he was quickly beginning to lose himself to the involuntary instinctual struggles that came with the threat of drowning. In the countless moments that followed he could not tell if his brothers had abandoned him to get help or had followed his instructions. But, slowly but surely, he began to feel sideways movement. And then his head began to spend more time above the water than below it. It was at that point his flapping returned, and, with it, awareness.

"Urgh… this thing is too much…" Valo's voice came from above them.

Petrie blinked. "You do good! We keep flapping until land!"

There may have been a response or not, Petrie could not quite tell in that moment. But he could sense that his struggles were succeeding in moving them to the water's edge. Between him flapping into the water, and the others flapping in the sky, the "monster" was now nearly extricated from its watery domain.

Though it wasn't until they all landed with a harsh thud that Petrie realized that their journey was over.

"Urgh…"

"Ow…"

Petrie groaned as well as the temperate dirt made for a welcome contrast from the cool water. Though he resisted the urge to lay down and relax. Instead he looked over towards the "head" of the monster and carefully used his beak to remove the water plants which were fastened around the "monsters" mouth.

Petrie sighed then, upon seeing the nostrils flare from below. "You alright, Brasko?"

Petrie could hear his other brothers gather around, all of them in various states of exhaustion or soaked with water, but he kept his focus on Brasko.

Brasko's face contorted in pain for a moment before he sighed. "That could have gone better."

The chorus of groans and recriminations behind Petrie would have horrified a sharptooth, but it was mild compared to what everyone thought right now. The relief at survival was being overtaken by the annoyance at their brother's antics.

Petrie wiped the lingering moisture off of his face as he looked at the quickly brightening sky. It would not be long now before their chance to show up the girls would be lost.

"Alright," Petrie began, "Now we do it my way."

"Urgh… can't we just go hungry? I am so done with this morning," Cloud complained.

"Seriously, Petrie? Maybe we should just fish anywhere else."

Petrie tilted his head. "And not get any good fish? Me thought you all want to beat girls?"

"Not if it means dying!" Grondo affirmed as he shook the water from his wings, "And what fish? We didn't find any here!"

It was at that point that Petrie gestured at the green slime… and the four snapping shells that were caught inside it. "Well, Brasko catch something."

Brasko appeared uncertain for a moment before he puffed his chest out in pride. "Yeah! I did catch some Snapping Shells!"

Cloud rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that you intended that all along."

Brask narrowed his eyes. "Of course!"

"And what good does that do us?" Valo interrupted. "We can't eat snapping shells. We aren't fastrunners!"

Petrie nodded. "No… but me think that Ruby might be willing to make trade for her favorite food. Maybe it be enough to beat girls?"

Grondo's uncertain groan seemed to speak for the group as he looked at the first signs of dawn. "Well, if we are going to do this then we need to do it now."

Petrie nodded. "Let's see if Ruby make a deal."

Later that morning:

Volant stared at her children with a mixture of pride and bemusement. They all had found some measure of success, which was especially impressive considering the usual antics of her sons. Surprisingly no one had come back shouting recriminations, nor was there any cheating. Though the final result was a bit unexpected.

"So… you children had your little contest, I see," Volant teased as she examined the two piles. "Four fish versus four... snapping shells?"

Valaria nearly flapped away in triumph. "Ha! I told you, Brasko, that we girls are better fishers!"

"You didn't even get one fish!"

Volant looked over at her sons, awaiting the imminent retort. However, none came. Instead, Petrie and Cloud merely stared Brasko down as the normally mouthy flyer appeared to force his beak shut. Okay, now seriously, what happened out there?

"We use our brains instead of beaks!" Petrie affirmed, winking at his brothers.

Volant fixed her son with a perplexed expression. Not because the logic of his plan lost on her, that was not unusual for Petrie, but because of the change in demeanor. This was the same boastful and self-confident Petrie from earlier that morning. What is going on with you, Petrie?

And then she stared at the unusually subdued Brasko. And what happened to you?

"Oh?" Valaria mocked hesitantly as if the interjection of Petrie into the banter of his brothers was a new phenomenon. "Well, how is that?"

Petrie's face brightened as he gestured to something outside of the bluff which the family called home. Predictably, all of the children then moved closer to get a better look. Volant, with her curiosity overwhelming her, went ahead and did the same. What greeted their eyes was a familiar fastrunner and purple sharptooth with four fish in front of them. A wave from Ruby confirmed to the elder flyer what must have transpired.

I did say you had to catch outside of the valley, but I did not say you couldn't trade for something better. Volant narrowed her eyes at Petrie while also giving him a smirk. You tricky boy!

Several of Volant's daughters let out exasperated huffs as Valaria herself folded her wings in indignation. "I still say that doesn't count! We are fishers, not shellers!"

"Either way, it gets us fed!" Cloud affirmed as if he were ready to get this whole spectacle out of the way.

Volant smirked at her children's antics. "Now, children... I did not say that no one could trade their catch for something else... though I think I did heavily imply it," she gave Petrie a knowing look which made the boy noticeably flinch, "So we will call today a tie."

The result of this pronouncement was nothing more than a few subdued harrumphs and folded wings. Yes, the battle of the sexes was still going to be a fixture of the flyer nest for quite some time.

But Volant was not satisfied. Something had definitely gone down here. Brasko was acting subdued and Petrie was acting like one of this other brothers... which either meant that Petrie was going through a lot of changes over the last half day, or there was a lot more to this story than what the boys had told. It was utterly perplexing. I bet there is one interesting story there.

Volant merely nodded for the children to eat their catches, which caused the nest to clear out rather quickly. However, before Petrie could go airborne, he was stopped by her large outstretched wing.

"When you are done with breakfast, Petrie, could you show me how you boys managed to catch snapping shells in this Green Water Hole? I am very curious how you got that idea."

Petrie noticeably gulped before giving Volant a nervous nod. "Sure, mom!" Then, without preamble, he darted out of the nest as if a sharptooth was chasing him.

Volant smirked. Yep, there definitely is a story here.