Tempest's Confession

Air-Tag and Joy-Flying

Ermine smiled widely as the crisp cool air chilled her scales. She was flying around and doing tricks in mid-air with Tempest. "This is absolutely amazing!" She cheered quietly to herself. She then turned to look over at Tempest, who was spinning and flying in loops in the sky. The IceWing dragonet laughed quietly and joined her SeaWing friend in the sky.

"Doesn't it feel amazing to feel the wind on your scales?" Tempest exclaimed happily with a laugh of excitement. Ermine nodded eagerly in response. "Hay! I have an idea, let's go swimming after this!" Tempest exclaimed happily. Ermine frowned and twitched her tail back-and-forth. "Uh Tempest? You do realize that we're in the IceWing kingdom where everything is below freezing, don't you?" Tempest laughed with a sheepish smile on her face as she looked down at her talons.

Tempest laughed as she and Ermine flew around in the middle of an intense game of air-tag. The sun had long since set and the moon shown down on the two dragons as flew around and around in the sky. The silver light of the moon made the IceWing's scales glow a brilliant silver and her icy-blue eyes reflected the stars.

Tempest's mother had told Tempest that she could spend the night in the Ice Kingdom with Ermine so that they could help Queen Bluemoon decorate the palice for the guests that would be arriving on Christmas morning for a huge deliberation.

Speaking of the Queen of the IceWings... she was calling for the two dragonets at that very moment. The two friends smiled to one another as they flew down to join the Queen on the snow-covered ground bellow. "So... what do you need help with, mother?" Ermine inquired with a tilt of her head. Queen Bluemoon smiled warmly at her youngest daughter.

"Well, I need you two to help me decorate the tree," she replied with a wide smile. Tempest and Ermine nodded and made there way back inside and into the main room where the bright silvery-blue tree sat waiting to be decorated.

Ermine smiled happily as she bent her head down and blew a small plume of frost. "Whoa," Tempest said with amazement sining in her eyes as she watched her friend make tiny snowflakes made of ice. Ermine smiled and ducked her head at the praise. "How did you do that?" The SeaWing asked. "IceWing trick," was Ermine's simple reply.

Ermine pushed her wings off the ground as hard as she can to get them moving, and soar through the open sky. The sun had set, emitting a dim golden glow across the flooded plains. The crescent moon glinted on the other side of the horizon.

"Let's go out for a midnight flight," she tells her SeaWing friend, who nodded in agreement with a wide smile on her face. "Yeah, let's go!" And faster then you could say 'go' she was off and out of the door in only a few short seconds.

"Just be careful you two," came Queen Bluemoons voice as they flew out and into the snow-covered world once more.

Unfurling her wings, Ermine smiled as she flew into the air with her friend. As they flew on, snowflakes were flurrying all around them. And as they flew on, Ermine's earlier fears about her missing sister were extinguished as she enjoyed the playing and flying around in the snow with Tempest and her mother.

Then they flew forth, exploring the snow-covered lands... together.

By the time the two finally got back to the palace, the sub was just beginning to set in the sky. "So uh... how long have we been out here for, Tempest?" Ermine asked as they touched down onto the snow-covered ground of the courtyard. Tempest looked thoughtful for a moment as she looked up at the position of the sun. "Well, let's see. From the position of the sun... I'd have to guess that's it's almost sundown." The SeaWing replied after a short pause.

"Are you still worried about Snowstar?" Tempest asked to break the silence that had fallen. Ermine sighed softly and looked up at her friend with sadness shining in her icy-blue eyes. Tempest smiled sadly and wrapped a wing around her friends shoulder. "Don't worry , Ermine. It's like Peacemaker said a few days ago, I'm sure she'll be home sooner or later." Tempest said in a reassuring tone of voice as she and Ermine sat and watched the sun set.

It had been a wonderful 2 days of decorating the palace and playing in the snow, and both Tempest and Ermine were now sitting in the dining room having breakfast with Queen Bluemoon and her sister, Frostwind. It was quiet for most of the meal but half-way though it, Frostwind spoke up to break the awkward silence. "So... I see that you 3 have been keeping yourselves quite busy these past few days," she said while gazing around the decorated room. "Yes, yes we have, aunt Frostwind." Ermine replied with flick of her tail.

Ermine knew how strict her tribe was when it came to formalities. She knew from experience that the slightest twitch in ears or rattle of spikes could be grounds for dismissal so she'd always stay completely still and stare straight ahead of her. And that's why she shared everything with Tempest and the rest of her winglet. IceWing society looked down on showing any emotion during guard duty, and she'd been reminded of this many times by her quarter leader, Mink.