"Hi, Quartz!" Stratus waved as she saw him through the crowds of dragons watching the festival. They had separated to buy snacks.
Quartz turned, peering through the dragons, his face lighting up when he spotted her.
"Stratus!" he exclaimed, waving back, though she could barely see him. He and his family were at the Flower Festival with many other dragons from the other tribes, aside from the BlazeWings, of course. BlazeWings were the enemies of CloudWings. Stratus and Cumulonimbus helped display all the poetry, art, and bouquets the tribe had made, which was the main attraction for most of the dragons at the festival.
"Thith un ith amathing!" Quartz exclaimed as he saw the flower bundle that Stratus and Cumulonimbus had made, simultaneously stuffing candy into his mouth.
"Thanks! I made it! With some help from my dad, of course, but I did a great job, don'tcha think?" Stratus asked, showing off a bit.
"Wow! Thath's tho hool!" Quartz exclaimed in awe.
"Dad, could I ask Quartz and his mom to see if we can go on the giant awesome epic quest to save the world?" Stratus asked her dad.
"Alright," Cumulonimbus replied hesitantly. The group walked over to a giant oak tree, its branches drooping down to create a somewhat cave shape.
"This is as private as we're going to get," Stratus's dad said in a hushed tone. They could still hear the chattering of the dragons all around them.
"Quartz, I've been thinking about all the missing dragons. I think we should do something about it. I convinced my dad to let me go. Please will you come with me?" Stratus said, her voice pleading but hopeful. She knew Quartz wasn't one to turn down an adventure.
"Hmm . . ." Quartz mused. Stratus knew that he knew that it was perilous. Nobody knew why or what was causing the missing dragons, nor did they even know the location of the cause. Stratus was looking at him and trying to get him to say yes, with so much hope and trust in her eyes that it would be a miracle if he turned her down.
"Please?" Stratus begged, her tail and wings drooping ever so slightly.
"Alright, but only if my mom approves," Quartz answered, swallowing his candy contently. Stratus knew Quartz didn't want to let her down, and he also wanted to go on a thrilling adventure with his childhood friend. Stratus watched him slowly turn to his mother, his eyes asking her before his mouth did.
"Of course not, Quartz! I wouldn't ever let you go. You are my son, and I don't want you to get killed."
"If Stratus can have an exciting adventure like this, why can't I?" Quartz questioned.
"Well, I didn't exactly say yes," Cumulonimbus told Quartz. "She kind of decided herself."
"I did not!" Stratus protested with a bit of anger in her voice. "I convinced you to let me go, but if Quartz isn't going, then I can't go. You said I can only go if Quartz's mom approves." Stratus's eyes were shining now, but not with joy. Now she couldn't go on this adventure. She couldn't save the hundreds of missing dragons. She felt as if she owed it to her mother to find and destroy the cause of their separation.
"I'll think about it during the Flower Festival, okay?" Emerald replied and thought it was partly to cheer the dragonets up and partly to quiet them, as she grew annoyed easily. Stratus and Emerald knew that Quartz would keep asking her until she said yes.
"Well then, I thought we could show you some of the cool stuff that we do here," Cumulonimbus said, changing the subject. "Let's go visit the king and queen first."
"Alright," Stratus and Quartz said in unison, though Stratus was still downcast and Quartz was trying hard and failing to lift his spirits as they followed Cumulonimbus and Stratus. The five dragons walked past hundreds of stalls selling various items, through crowds of dragons, and around numerous dragonets tackling each other. Stratus smiled, recalling her second Flower Festival. She and Quartz were allowed a talonful of scales, their currency, and time to spend on their own, wandering around the busy streets together. They approached the palace grounds, filled with blooming tulips, bright red and white roses, and neatly trimmed hedges.

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Proboscis Book 1: Clouds Parting- A Wings of Fire Fanfiction
FanfictionProboscis is a faraway continent in the world of Wings of Fire, where new tribes roam and danger lurks below. As dragons disappear mysteriously, two dragonets, Quartz and Stratus, set out to find and stop whatever is capturing innocent dragons. (I d...