Lost and Dead - a Wings of Fire FanFiction [Book 1/5 of The Corrupt Continent]

Chapter Nine

When Frost woke up, it was to the crowing of a bird he'd never heard before.

Oh yeah, and it was still dark.

He groaned, rolling out of bed and falling onto the floor. His mane was getting annoyingly long and was all tangled from the previous day's flying. Brushing it out of his eyes, Frost stood up and stretched, yawning loudly. Maybe Jackalberry would be nice and allow him some time to rest before he started work.

Just then there was a pounding on the door. "Up! We start work with the sun!"

"The sun isn't up yet," Frost growled back. He shook his tail, rattling the spikes on the end.

"I said we start work when the sun rises," Jackalberry retorted from the other side of the door. "We still have to get up, eat breakfast, and everything else you do in the mornings first."

"Ughhhhh," Frost groaned, making it loud enough for Jackalberry to hear. He heard the reddish MoorWing chuckle before there were receding footsteps.

Frost eyed his bed, still half-made from the previous night, before sighing defeatedly and slouching back out to the main room.

Jackalberry was standing by the stove, preparing something that looked like a flat piece of soft bread. There was a small pile of them on the plate next to him, a pleasant orange colour. A small jug of honey sat beside it.

"What're those?" Frost asked sleepily, slumping into one of the chairs.

"Spicecakes!" Jackalberry said excitedly, grinning at Frost over his shoulder. He masterly flipped the 'spicecakes' in the air, having them land perfectly in the pan he held. Frost noticed, for the first time, the thick metal bands around the MoorWing's wrists. They looked heavy and tight, and Frost wondered why he wore them. Whatever, it probably wasn't important.

"What're those?" Frost asked again as Jackalberry placed the last spicecake onto the pile and set the plate on the table.

Jackalberry gave him a horrified look. "You don't know what spicecakes are?!"

"Umm... no." Frost glanced at the spicecakes. They looked yummy. And were definitely going to waste not being eaten right at this very second.

Jackalberry put his talon on his head and stared at the table as he dropped into his chair. "Suns... please tell me you at least know what normal pancakes are?" He looked at Frost with a pleading look.

Frost looked right back at him. "... What're those?"

Jackalberry's jaw almost literally hit the floor. "WHAT do you even EAT in the Alpine Kingdom?"

"Um... bread?" Frost replied nervously. "Fish, venison, sometimes a stew... yeah."

Jackalberry just stared at him. "Right, from now on, I am going to make you the finest MoorWing foods you've ever seen! I MUST BROADEN YOUR TASTEBUDS."

Frost laughed, something he didn't do often. "Have fun with that. I've been told I'm a picky eater."

Jackalberry just grinned. "Oh, boy, once you taste our food, you'll never go back."

"Then gimme," Frost growled playfully, reaching for the spicecakes and honey.

It was Jackalberry's turn to laugh. "Here you go," he said, passing Frost the plate. There was a light clinking sound as his silver metal wrist cuffs tapped the jug.

There was a loud COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOOO from outside and Frost jumped, looking around worriedly. "What. Was. THAT?"

"Apollo." Jackalberry, unbothered, poured some honey on his own spicecake and bit into it, tapping his claws on the table.