Wings of Fire: Ask Winter

Chapter Six

Winter's pov:

"Well?"Turtle said, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes, "what are you waiting for?" Winter snapped his jaw shut, not realizing he was gaping at the JMATS banner. Winter widened his eyes once more to see a sea of all the types of dragons as he entered the Great Hall. There was a stage of flat rocks put together, except for one, as if the builder gave up. A nightwing stood perched on it, her star-speckled wings opened. Winter remembered the nightwing was the cheerful Fatespeaker.

"We're just in time," Kink commented, gazing around, "poor Fatespeaker is trying to start." Winter realized that he began calling Kinkajou, Kink in his head. Finally, every dragon settled down on the rocky ground. "Where should we-" Winter cut himself off, staring at the empty space beside him. He stood alone at the entrance for a moment, starting moving once a grumpy faced skywing shoved him from behind, on his black pouch, tied to his ankle. Winter let out a chuckle, because he forgot about the black pouch that contained the anti-mind reading rock. He used to be so possessive of it before.

"Hello everyone!", Fatespeaker shouted, "I'll be your host this JMATS, and so pumped to see everyone excited!" The crowd let out a cheer. "Let's get started right away," the host said, then added, "there are pieces of scroll on that rock over there, that lists the acts." Fatespeaker pointed to a pale gray rock Winter hadn't noticed before.

He hurried to the right end of the room and returned to his spot, only to see the same grumpy skewing in his place. Winter huffed in annoyance, then took a spot beside a dim-looking rainwing, near the back Odd.. Where is Kink and Turtle? He opened the scroll as Fatespeaker continued with her speech about how the JMATS got started.

Play- Moon Qibli, Peril and Turtle

Singing- Princess Anemone

Magic Show- Kinkajou and Tamarin

Act- Deathbringer, Riptide, Frost

Act- Clay, Princess Tsunami, Starflight, Sunny and Queen Glory

Singing- special guests

He closed the scroll just when Fatespeaker announced, "First up is Moon, Qibli, Peril and Turtle, performing 'The Three Little Scavengers'!" Winter blinked in surprise, for the second time that day. His friends emerged from the side wall, bringing sticks, bricks and straw with them. Turtle nearly tripped over a tiny gray pebble and everybody laughed. They set up in theri positions, then starting acting once Fatespeaker gave the signal, with a flick of her black tail, standing offstage.

Turtle's pov:

Turtle felt embarrassed. He was so clumsy, he nearly tripped over a pebble on his way to the stage. It gave him a flashback of when he was little:

-Flashback-

Young Prince Turtle wired for his turn beside his brothers, to present themselves to their relatives. Mother finally said, "Turtle," reading off her list of many sons. Turtle didn't hear his mother at first. He was thinking of how delighted his relatives would be to see him. "Turtle," Mother repeated, with a hint of impatientance in her voice. Turtle snapped out of his daydream and walked toward the table of relatives, holding his head high. As he walked toward his eating relatives, he tripped over a round pebble in his path.

Aunt Seashell snorted with laughter, a piece of squid shooting out of her nose. Slowly, other relatives joined in and soon the grand palace was filled with chuckles and saying of "Dragonets these days." Mother's glare at Turtle could have melted all the snow in the Ice Kingdom. Turtle shivered under her cold glare.

Turtle's memory faded and he quickly went into his position on the right side of the stage. Turtle didn't know why he agreed to this. Maybe to prove himself? To impress Kinkajou? Thinking of the rainwing made him feel happy. They'd confess their feelings to each other on the way to pick up Winter.