Firefly

Chapter Twenty

::Chapter Twenty::

Morning Glory smiled sweetly at Firefly. "Well, that's cute."

Firefly flicked her tail out to poke Morning Glory in the wing, embarrassed. "Well, I'm just being polite."

Morning Glory laughed. "You? Oh, never."

Firefly sat up, offended. "Wh– hey! I am super polite! Clearly, I am fantastically great at proper things, you eagle turd."

Morning Glory burst into giggles as Firefly's face grew red. After a moment, Firefly felt a smile which she desperately tried to squash creep onto her face.

"Ha! Well, one day you are totally bringing me to your secret kingdom whether you want to or not. It's a requirement as my friend."

Firefly smiled, laying back down. "We'll see."

Morning Glory's eyes sparkled. "REALLY?! Was that a maybe? Or a yes? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Am I finally getting Ms. Secretive to reveal her most desperately hidden thoughts?!" She chirped, eyes wide and teeth showing in a beaming smile. Her straight, white hair hung over her shoulders evenly as she leaned closer to Firefly. The purple and blue streaks in it were in her face as she spoke. "I must know the mystery!"

Firefly snickered. "Not today."

Morning Glory deflated. Canary popped up onto her head, screeching indignant chirps at Firefly. Firefly stuck out her tongue at him.

The moment she did so, the goldfinch squawked at her and leapt from Morning Glory's hair. He soared away over the cliff, but as he did, a massive gust of wind slammed into the miniscule bird, hurtling him into the cliff wall.

"Canary!" Morning Glory cried, wings flaring out in alarm. The bird squeaked as he got caught in the vines. He flapped around frantically, trying to get loose. "I have to help him!" Morning Glory cried as the wind greatenned.

Firefly snapped to attention. "Wait for the wind to die down, you might get stuck, too!" She called to her as Morning Glory readied for flight.

"No, he needs help now. Canary is my family! I'm helping him!" She closed her wings, leaping off the cliff with great dedication.

Firefly paused for a long moment, staring after the Earthbound Angel. "Wow, she's going to die."

Earthbound Angels weren't adapted for intense flight. She heard Morning Glory talking about it when she was looking for the Skyshine Angel scroll. They were better at climbing and flying in clear skies or dense forests. Definitely not massive wind currents next to sheer rocks and vines and over an ocean.

Morning Glory dodged a wind current, darting lower toward the water. She lifted her head, and must have spotted Canary above her. Firefly watched as she flared her wings open to fly higher, though instead, a wind current caught on her open wings, shoving her quickly forward and hurtling her off balance. Her head bashed into the cliffside. She let out a shriek of pain and crumpled. One of her wings caught in a vine as she lifted her hand to her head, wincing.

Firefly cried in alarm. "GREAT BLAZING SUNS! MORNING GLORY!" She hollered, reaching a hand over the cliffside. "Take my hand!" Morning Glory lifted her head, blinking rapidly in the rushing wind. She was dangling from her tangled wing too far to even hear Firefly.

After a few seconds, one of the vines snapped. Morning Glory let out a shriek of terror. If the vines snapped, her wings would still be tangled and she would probably hurtle to her death in the rocky shores below.

Firefly glanced at her bandaged wing, then back to Morning Glory and Canary. Without thinking any longer, she lifted her hand and tore at the bandages clinging to her wing. They flew around her in the billowing wind, and without a second to spare, Firefly turned and leapt off the cliff.