Culmination | A Tinkerbell Fanfiction

Chapter 2: A House Divided Against Itself

"I'm telling you, I don't know what happened, Tink!" Fawn exclaimed as she closed the last corral stall and turned to face her best friend. "I don't know how the mice got out! All the doors were shut, there are no signs of knawing on the wood, and nobody let them out! I just can't figure out what could have happened!"

"Hmmm," Tink hummed, rubbing Cheese's nose as the mouse watched them with wide eyes. He was much calmer now that his little joyride through the meadow had been cut short. He even looked...dare she say it...apologetic. "And you're sure none of the new Animal-talents just accidentally slipped up and hit the latch or something?"

"No way!" Fawn exclaimed. "No animal-talent would be so blatantly careless!"

"Well, I don't see any other alternatives," Tink pointed out. "Unless you are suggesting sabotage."

"What?" Fawn's eyes widened. "Oh, no, no, no!" she yelped, waving her hands in front of her face urgently. "No, I'm sure it was just an accident!"

What she was trying to say was, "We don't need any more of your overthinking brain seeing trouble when there isn't any." but she was too polite to word it that way. Tink sighed, running a hand on the fence post surrounding the mice corral thoughtfully. Behind her, the rest of Cheese's relatives went scurrying off to chase a butterfly, their previous panic forgotten in an instant at the sight of the colorful wings.

I wonder what caused them to stampede in the first place, Tink pondered. There were no Sprinting Thistles. The fast-flying talents had already rounded them up before the game began. And the mice aren't that easily startled.

"The mice are fine, Tink," Fawn assured her. "I promise. Now come on," she added, patting the tinker on the back and smiling gently. "We've got preparations to make for the Festival, do we not?"

"Yeah," Tink agreed with a nod, stepping away from Cheese who squeaked before turning and darting off to join his siblings. "We do. But--"

"Ah! Ah!" Fawn interjected, cutting her off before she could climb down the rabbit-hole of questions just waiting to be unearthed. "No, ma'am! Uh-uh! We are not going to talk about this right now! Right now, you and I are going to mosey down to Springtime Square and we're going to finish the decorations and get ready to go see Lizzie."

"We don't go until the mainland until summer, Fawn," Tink reminded her with a smirk. She saw what the animal-talent was trying to do, however, and the brunette's charades were just a hasty attempt at a cover-up for what both fairies were undoubtedly thinking.

"Yes," Fawn grinned, trying to deflect the uncertainly in the air. "But it's never too early to start preparing, right?"

Her deflection passed right over the blond's head.

"I see what's going on here!" Tink exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger. "You're trying to distract me, aren't you? You think I'm right and you just don't want to say it!"

"I am not!" Fawn protested, swatting her hand away. "Don't be ridiculous! This wasn't sabotage! No fairy would do this on purpose! Now, come on. Shut off that overthinking head of yours for just a second and come help me decorate! By the sound of things, it seems like you could use the fresh air." She chuckled and started into the air.

Tink stood there for a moment, still processing what the girl had said. And then it clicked. "Hey, I get plenty of fresh air, thank you! Wait...why would you think that?" she asked, taking off after her.