Listen, And The Stars Shall Speak

Fast Times At Jade Mountain

A/N: I will dedicate the next part to whoever knows the name of the movie I referenced in the title. Whoever KNOWS it- NOT whoever googles it.

"Seeing as your Winglet doesn't know each other ever well, we're going to do an activity to help you all get to know each other better." Sunny explained. The Jasper Winglet nodded. Shore frowned, for he couldn't help noticing the wide eyed glances Orange kept shooting towards Haze. "Let's start off with an easy question- Tell us about your family. Would anyone like to start?" Like always, no one raised their hand. "Alright," Sunny said reluctantly, scanning the group for a victim. "Haze! Why don't you start? Tell us about your family and how you grew up." 

Haze slowly looked up.

"I was raised by my father." She said vaguely. 

"Anything else?" Sunny urged. There was a pause.

"I hatched next to a dead body." Everyone's eyes widened. 

"Oh." Boysen offered. 

"Um....Next?" Sunny suggested.

"I'll go!" Permafrost declared. "I live in the Ice Kingdom and my parents are in the fifth circle, so we don't live in the Palace, but it means that they are in a low enough class that they're allowed to feel emotions, which makes my life much better than most Icewings. I'm an only child." Orange glanced over at Shore.

"Low enough to feel emotions?" Shore mouthed. She grinned. 

"I live in a cave at the foot of a mountain." Ember began. "I've got my parents and my little sister Hopeseeker, but everyone just calls her Hope." 

"I live in Possibility" Dusk announced. "with my parents and my sister Dawn."

"I live across the road from Dusk," Cypress added. "With my parents and my four siblings."

"That's a lot of siblings," Permafrost insisted. Cypress nodded.

"One older brother, two younger, and a younger sister. They're a handful." 

"I live in the Rainforest with my parents." Orange explained with a shrug. "I'm boring."

"No you're not." Shore retorted. "I live in the rainforest too, but with my parents and my two younger sisters."

"I live in the Colors of The Wings headquarters." Boysen offered.

"With who?" Sunny asked.

"No one." he replied softly. "My parents were killed by hybrid hunters during the war." A silence settled over the room for a minute before Sunny broke it by clapping her hands.

"Okay then! Next question."

*~*~*~*

"Oh, hey look!" Orange announced, pointing at a sign in the hallway. "They're having a hunting trip! We should go."

"NOPE!" Shore exploded.

"Why not?" Boysen asked curiously.

"My dad got his throat slit by a crazed Rainwing on one of those trips."

"Was the crazed dragon your mother?" Ember joked

"How admirable." Haze commented. "Did it scar?"

"No, and yes." Shore scowled. 

"Well, Sunny's right. We should do something together as a Winglet." Orange insisted.

"What, like sing Kumbaya?" Permafrost questioned. 

"Ew no." 

"Good. Glad we're on the same page." 

*~*~*~*~*

Cypress wandered around the halls, exploring the school, until she spotted a lone dragon sitting in a dark classroom. She walked in, curious.

"Hello," she announced. The dragon jumped up.

"Three moons," He said in alarm. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long. Why are you in here by yourself?" He sighed.

"I just wanted to know what solitude was like. It's nice. Maybe I'll lock myself in a cave when I get home." Cypress wrinkled her snout.

"Surely you don't mean that. It's much better to be surrounded by everyone." 

"You must come from a big family then." Cypress frowned and lit a torch, brightening the room so she could see the dragon before her. He was a mudwing, older than her, but not too much. 

"Who are you?" she asked. He frowned.

"I could ask you the same thing. I've never seen you before."

"Well that's what happens when you meet a new dragon."

"Yea, but to me there's no such thing as a new Mudwing. I've met them all."

"Apparently not." He eyed her curiously and stood up straighter.

"I'm Prince Anaconda, grandson of Queen Moorhen herself." Cypress face didn't change.

"I'm Cypress." She gestured to the light in her hand. "Torch wielder." Anaconda raised an eyebrow.

"That's seriously not impressive?"

"Not even a little bit." He looked slightly surprised, but intrigued. 

"You're strange."

"In a good way, I hope." He smiled.

"Something like that." Cypress tilted her head. 

"You know, Anaconda is a long name. Maybe I should shorten it for you."

"If you call me Annie, I'm going to throw you out the window."

"Sure hing," Cypress grinned. "Connie."