Misunderstood Love

Chapter 8 - The End-Summer Festival

(This is a longer chapter because I can make my chapters as long as I want and no one can stop me)

"We go see bwue mama?" Cavern asked, using Meltwater's assigned nickname, as he and Earthshaker were carried by Spittlebug over to the End-Summer Festival. She had never been before, as she was busy with the farm, but it was like how the name sounded, a festival to celebrate the end of the summer, apparently full of stalls where dragons sold homemade goods, and with games for dragons and dragonets alike to play, with a fireworks display at the end. It was held when dragons started noticing the leaves changing colour. Dragons from a bunch of different towns would get together and decide on a date. The place was always the same, though. Festival Field, it was called. A space in between a number of towns, and where just about every holiday and celebration known to dragon-kind was celebrated, whether specific to one tribe, or all. Some were even made up just as an excuse to celebrate, like this one was.

"Thewe!" Cavern exclaimed, pointing out a packed area full of stalls and weird setups Spittlebug had never seen before. She landed, and the smell of baked goods wafted to her nose. She could smell fresh bread and pie and something with chocolate in it. She placed the two dragonets on her back, and they clung to her back spikes, enjoying the smells.

"Now, where is Meltwater," Spittlebug wondered. She had said to meet her at her stall, but the HiveWing had no idea where that was, or what she would even be selling. So she wondered around, weaving through the crowd.

"Spittlebug! Over here!" She heard a familiar voice call. Skink motioned her over, before returning to his position, hunched over a dragonet. The SandWing was covered in large paint splotches, where tattoos some dragonets might consider scary used to be. Small, happy pictures were painted in-between those, Meltwater and Jujube sat nearby, as well. Meltwater, like Skink, was also covered in pictures, her spiky jewelry removed, and hunched over a dragonet, painting a large red flower on the pinkish SkyWing's cheek. jujube was entertaining the other dragonets and their parents in line by changing his scales different vibrant colours, and changing to match the colours of some dragons at their request.

"All done! Now its your turn!" Meltwater chirped happily, shooing the SkyWing out of the chair. She grabbed Spittlebug and forced her into the chair, passing Cavern and Earthshaker to Jujube as she did so.

"Wait, I-" Spittlebug tried to protest, but Meltwater had already begun painting. She painted an array of multicoloured pictures on the HiveWing's scales, flowers and smiley faces and suns and several other cheerful pictures adorned her scales by the end. Meltwater stepped back, squinting at her canvas, before she painted a small purple heart on the end of her snout, to match the one painted on hers.

"There, all done. Now, lets go have some fun!" Meltwater stood Spittlebug up in front of the mirror between hers and Skink's spot, then dragged her off.

"What about Cavern and Earthshaker?" She asked, glancing at the two boys, sitting beside Jujube, who's scales currently matched a SeaWing SkyWing hybrid in line.

"Jujube is taking care of them. Plus, I think you could do with some fun without them. Everyone deserves a break!" The IceWing pulled her to the games area. The two girls had great fun the rest of the time. Some games involves throwing things, or general talon-eye coordination, a skill Spittlebug possessed, but Meltwater didn't. That was fine, as she beat the HiveWing in anything involving speed. They dunked their heads in tubs of water to fish out apples with their mouths, and tried to climb across a horizontal ladder that flipped them upside-down at the slightest wrong move, a task neither accomplished. Meltwater had brought bags to hold prizes, and they were filled before they could even finish half the games.

"Let's go get something to eat! I'm starved" Meltwater said after a while. Spittlebug had never seen her so happy-looking in the whole time they were together. And now that she thought about it, she didn't think she had been this happy since their beginning either. She didn't feel much for the IceWing, she was more like a glorified, and bad, roommate. She stuck around because she didn't want to break the IceWing's heart, and also pry her away from Cavern and Earthshaker. But she could now see a glimpse of the Meltwater the dragon kept hidden from everyone, including Spittlebug. A happier Meltwater that enjoyed being goofy, and didn't care what others thought of her, as she joked and laughed a little two loud, to the point they were getting weird looks. Spittlebug was used to weird looks, given her appearance, but even she noticed.

Eventually, it was sunset. Dragons were taking down their stalls and gathering their things and heading to a more open portion of the field. Meltwater looked a little tense now, as they sat in the grass. Spittlebug looked around for Jujube and her boys, and found them talking with a MudWing at the front.

"Meltwater, can I talk with you for a second. Alone," Skink walked over and stood between them. He glanced at Spittlebug as he said the last word. The small HiveWing gave them a nod, and the two trotted off somewhere. It was only, what Spittlebug guessed was, 5 minutes later, when a MudWing, the same one Jujube had been talking to, Stepped up onto a small, hastily made platform and stood facing the crowd.

"Welcome! Welcome!" she said in a loud voice that carried across the crowd. "Glad you all could make it to this years End-Summer Festival! Now, before we start the show, I have to ask a certain dragon to come up to the front for a special surprise." She turned her head to the side, probably getting the name of the dragon whispered to her from another dragon on the sidelines. There was a murmur through the crowd, all of them wondering who it could be. Spittlebug wondered, too. Finally she turned back around. "Spittlebug, would you please come up to the front?" she asked.

What? What did I do to deserve a special surprise? And what kind of surprise was it? She didn't specify if it was good or bad. Why didn't Meltwater tell me about any special surprises? All these thoughts went racing trough her mind as Spittlebug stood up. Everyone turned their heads to look at her, and the dragons in front of her moved over a bit, creating a path to the platform. She slowly walked through, up to the MudWing. But as soon as she was standing at the base of the platform, Meltwater stepped out from behind the brown dragon. She had a flower in her mouth, one, the HiveWing noticed earlier that day, that was being sold at one of the stalls.

"Uh, Spittlebug-" The blue IceWing stared down at her, stopping to search for the right words. "Uh- you're a beautiful dragon, and-" she seemed to be avoiding words that showed genuine affection, like "I love you"

Wait! Her brain finally pieced it together a moment later. Oh no. OH NO! This isn't happening. Please don't let this be happening. Not in front of a crowd! No!

Meltwater let out a small cough, before squeezing her eyes shut and finally blurting out the words Spittlebug was dreading. "Spittlebug, will- will you marry me?"

"I- wha-" The small orange dragon was at a loss for words.

"Say yes!" someone in the crowd shouted. Their voice was followed by a chant of "Say yes! Say yes!"

Her heart screamed NO! But the crowd screamed yes. And it would be super awkward if she had to explain why she didn't say yes to a crowd of dragons, bringing down the hyped up mood.

"Um- uh- SURE!" she finally blurted. The crowd cheered, and the first firework shot into the air as Meltwater took the flower from her.

The two walked back to their original spot to a verbal cloud of congratulations. It only dug the wound deeper.

Spittlebug didn't want to do this.