Just a little Glorybringer for ya

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle, The Icewing Is Pissed Off!

It was official. The Rainforest was definitely the worst place Winter had ever stepped foot in. It was sticky and humid, not to mention all the bugs and THAT CONSTANT IRRITATING BUZZING NOISE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE! He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Icicle was supposed to be here. 

Air couldn't understand how it had taken her this long to come to the rainforest. It was awesome. Everything was nice and warm and the ground was squishy with mud. Actual mud! It was glorious. 

Seashell wouldn't admit it, but she was starting to despise the rainforest. It was far too hot, and not it a good way at all. Kelp, on the other hand, loved it. It was as if the air itself was hugging you and it was so full of life. 

The odd group of dragonets had stopped near a riverbank, where Winter was examining a tree frog, wondering if it was edible.

 "Don't eat it," Nightflyer warned. "Tree frogs do some strange things to the dragons that eat them." 

"That one in particular will give you hiccups and odd hallucinations." Joy offered. "Not worth it." 

"How do you know that?" Air asked. Joy shrugged. 

"It's my rainforest. I need to know everything that goes on in it." 

"Is that a sloth?" Seashell questioned, pointing up at one of the trees. Winter glanced up at the small grey creature. 

"Finally," he remarked. "Something worth eating." There were yells from Moon, Joy, and Nightflyer as he went towards it. They tackled him to the ground before he could reach it. 

"Sloths are NOT food!" Joy cried, her scales red with anger. "Then what are they? Decorations?" Winter demanded. "Is anything in this moons blasted forest edible!?!?" 

"Sloths are rainwing's pets." Moon explained, plucking something out of a tree. "And yes. We have these," she offered, handing him a piece of fruit. Winter's snout crinkled in disgust. 

"No way. Get that vile thing away from me." he proclaimed. Joy let out a growl.

 "You know Winter, it is getting more and more difficult not to bite you." she warned him.

"Someone's coming," Moon said suddenly. "Someone with dark thoughts." She paused, thinking. "It's Obsidian....Okay, they've gone by." "

So, we're all on board with avoiding Nightwings, then?" Qibli asked. "Excellent. Present company excepted, of course." 

"Maybe not all Nightwings, but definitely him." Moon replied. "Maybe I should tell the queen about what I can do..." she trailed off. Joy nodded. 

"She would probably like to know. It could be a very useful power." she agreed.

 "But how would anyone know if she was lying?" Winter asked. 

"I wouldn't lie!" Moon insisted. 

"How do we know that?" Winter demanded. "And even if you wouldn't lie, what about other Nightwings? They've lied before, haven't they? The entire tribe is full of liars, going back thousands of years to the Darkstalker and his cursed mother Foeslayer." At the word Darkstalker, Nightflyer, Joy, and Moon all jumped in fear. The three of them momentarily started hyperventalating. 

"Who's Darkstalker?" Qibli asked. 

"He's our...legend." Moon said. 

"Nightmare." Nightflyer offered. 

"Ghost monster from the beyond." Joy added. 

"Whatever." Moon replied. Before anyone could respond, Moon's eyes widened. "They're coming back. Obsidian and a rainwing guard. We should-" 

"Hello!" Joy yelled out. 

"Not do that." Qibli finished. 

"What are you doing back here?" The Rainwing demanded, staring at Joy. "You were supposed to stay at that school the queen sent you to! I told her that you would definitely fail or run off, but would she listen? Mysteriously not! And now here you are!" 

 "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Bromeliad, but I just happen to have found something more worth my time. Now, if you'll excuse us, I'm taking my friends to  see the Queen." Joy replied. 

"You're the peculiar dragonet," Obsidian noted, looking at Moon. "Failed school already? Did they realize you can't talk and send you back? What's with the multicolored escort?" 

 "Don't talk to her like that." Joy snapped. Obsidian turned to her, but something in the look on Joy's face made the Nightwing shut up. 

"We're here to see Queen Glory," Qibli explained. 

"I'll have to take you to the Nightwing village. That's the protocol for new dragons in the forest. We'll send her a message and if she wants to see you, she'll come find you there." Obsidian offered. 

"You have got to be kidding me." Joy commented. "You do know who I am, right? Because judging by how you've acted so far today, I don't think you do." 

"Joy, just let it go." Kelp suggested. Joy let out a growl before agreeing.

The Nightwing village was far from what Winter had expected. But, then again, he had always imagined himself destroying it. He caught the looks on Nightflyer and Moon's faces as their eyes searched through the village, looking for their families, he presumed. 

"Mother!" Moon cried suddenly, her whole face lighting up as she ran over and barreled into a tall thin dragon that looked a lot like Moon.

 "Moon!" the dragon gasped. Winter frowned as the dragon hugged Moon back with fierce affection. Icewings didn't hug like that. Or hug, for that matter. 

"I didn't get thrown out." Moon promised, smiling at her mother. "I didn't do anything wrong and nobody-  that didn't happen Mother." 

"Shh," her mother replied, eyeing the odd group of dragons warily. "But I did make friends!" she continued, turning to the group. 

"Oh no." Joy said suddenly. 

"What?" Kelp asked. 

"Hide me." Joy replied, ducking into the center of the group. 

"What?"

 "No, stop!" Seashell cried suddenly. "He's not-" Before she could finish, Winter found himself being pinned to the ground as an unfamiliar dragon sat on him. 

Back in the group, Joy couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing.