Wings of Fire: Knowledge Unfurling

Chapter 2

Author's Note: uh... so. I kinda-sorta wrote Chapter 1 in a single day and now I don't reeeally feel like writing anymore. So. Uh. I don't have writers block, not quite. I have ideas on what to write, but I just don't want to write it. Yknow? But I'm going to force myself to start writing and hope it gets me going so I can write Chapter 2 properly. Here goes nothing, I guess!

Kinkajou titled her head at Glory in confusion. She knew for a fact that she was flying to Jade Mountain Academy tomorrow, not Pantala!

Next to her, Sunny looked as if she shared the same sentiment. The little golden dragon stepped forward and inspected the scroll in Queen Glory's claws. "Glory, the students and I are flying to Jade Mountain tomorrow. I don't think Kinkajou and I are supposed to fly to Pantala, there must've been a mix-up." She said diplomatically.

Deathbringer frowned. "Who mixed it up? I swear, if another lazy -" He was cut off by a warning look from Glory that made him step back. "I just meant that whoever messed this up will have me to deal with."

Glory whacked him over the head with her wing and rolled her eyes at Kinkajou and Sunny. "It doesn't really matter who mixed it up. You don't have to fly to Pantala, for moons' sake." Kinkajou let out a sigh of relief.

"Mandarin?" Queen Glory called out of the pavilion.

"Yes, your Majesty?" A thoughtful orange-purple dragon popped their head into the pavilion.

"Can you find Turtle and bring him here?" Mandarin nodded, smiled, and flew away.

"Turtle is in the rainforest and nobody told me?!" Kinkajou's ruff flared and her scales turned red in indignation. Sunny laughed, "He arrived this morning to see Anemone and help everyone pack up for tomorrow. He told me he looked for you when he first got here but couldn't find you."

Kinkajou's ears turned purple-pink from shame and embarrassment. "Oh, okay then." Anemone was Turtle's sister, and she had a crush on her friend Tamarin and had visited the rainforest practically daily to see her. It was no surprise that Turtle had come to check on her.

She spotted a peaceful blue tail hanging over the edge of a nearby hammock, twined with a bright pink one that could only be one dragon: Jambu, Queen Glory's half brother. He had competed with Tamarin, Mangrove and herself when they helped Glory take the RainWing throne.

She saw Queen Glory had followed her gaze and had spotted at Jambu in the hammock as well. A idea sprung into her head, and she shot her queen a cheeky glance and focused on her surroundings, changing her scales until she was practically invisible. Then, she enacted her devious plan and snuck up on Jambu (as Glory watched her intently and Sunny looked around to try and find where she had gone).

Kinkajou crept closer, closer, and peeked into the hammock. Inside it, Jambu and Pineapple were cuddling in the sun. She grinned, got into position, and...

Jumped into the hammock.

Jambu squawked, flailing around, and somehow managed to flip over the hammock, dumping all three of them onto the woven platform underneath.

Pineapple laughed at him, looking around to try and spot their attacker, who had conveniently slipped into the branches of the banana tree above them and was trying to stifle her giggles.

"Who did that?!" Jambu spun around indignantly, whacking his unfortunate partner in the head with his tail. "Whoops, sorry Pineapple." In response, Pineapple swatted him with his wing, and in seconds, the two had tumbled back onto the ground, giggling.

Kinkajou slowly revealed herself, changing her scales to a delighted lavender and hopping out of the tree - much to the amusement of Pineapple, as Jambu stared at her in shock and bewilderment.

Back at the pavilion, Glory and Deathbringer had cracked up laughing from their antics and Sunny was smiling too.

"Sorry to interrupt," Glory called over to Jambu, "but do you think you could spare Pineapple for a moment?"

Jambu grabbed Pineapple, his talons on either side of his head as he inspected the other dragon. Pineapple promptly bonked his partner in the snout and Kinkajou dissolved back into giggles.

"You know what?" Jambu called back. "Feel free to keep him!" Pineapple rolled his eyes at Jambu and extracted himself from the pink dragon's embrace.

He (along with Kinkajou) flapped over to the pavilion. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

"My scrolls say that you - and Kinkajou, Sunny and Turtle - are supposed to be flying over to Pantala tomorrow. These two" she gestured at her and Sunny, "have both claimed that they are not. Can you confirm this?"

Pineapple had frozen at the word 'Pantala'. He (other than Turtle) was the only one who had been to Pantala previously and did not seem inclined to go again. "No, I was not aware of this, Queen Glory."

Glory nodded. "I thought as much. Don't worry, nobody's forcing you to go."

Pineapple relaxed at her words. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Glory made a face at Sunny. Kinkajou knew that she still wasn't used to people calling her 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Highness'. Sunny shot a 'What-can-you-do?' Look back at her.

"Ah, there's Turtle!" Kinkajou broke the tense silence and waved at her friend. "Turtle! Over here!"

Turtle and Mandarin landed. "Thank you, Mandarin, that will be all." Queen Glory told the smiling dragon. Turtle immediately strode over to Kinkajou and hugged her, which she returned awkwardly, recalling when he had told her that he loved her. She still remembered loving him back, from that spell Anemone had cast on her when she woke Kinkajou up from her coma.

She had loved him, that was the thing. He had been so brave, so heroic, and she couldn't forget those memories. Or the feelings within them. She hugged Turtle tighter (as a friend), and his wings wrapped around hers, giving her a few seconds to take a breath.

They broke apart, avoiding each other's gaze, and Kinkajou saw Glory and Sunny share a knowing glance. She felt her wingtips turn orange from irritation. She and Turtle were only friends, nothing else!

And then Turtle kissed her.

Author's Note (Maybe I'm just going to start writing AN instead): wow, that actually worked! I wrote an even longer chapter this time! I hope you enjoy this fun little detour (I sure did)! No spoilers, but I can't wait to see where this leads!