(A/N: Don't mind everyone screaming Hey Burrito, it's something a lot of my teachers use to get our attention)
"Hey burrito!" Luna called.
"Hey burrito!" The class chanted back. Mako stared around in confusion. Burrito? Why? Where?
"Welcome to our Shrek Musical Auditions! You all have one minute to finish your snacks and then we'll get started." Luna fluffed her wings, clambering onto a stone perch, which was about half the size of an adult MudWing, near her desk.
"I'M SO EXCITED!" Mako exclaimed, excitement bubbling and fizzing like sparkling water.
"Mmph hmm." Swallowtail announced, cramming a bundle of candied persimmon bits and chewy honey drops into her mouth.
"Spit that out." Pine demanded lightheartedly, flicking a tail at the SilkWing.
"Let her." Swift rolled her eyes and nudged the LeafWing beside her playfully.
Thirty seconds had passed, with Swallowtail chewing faster by the second. Caramel cast a glance at her and decided to chime in, "GO GO GO!"
"GO GO GO!" Mako and Swift began to chant. Pine and Butterfly reluctantly joined in as well, but quieter. Mako arched a brow at them. They're probably just concerned.
And as Luna roared, "Time's up!", Swallowtail swallowed the mass of honey and fruit. Swift and Caramel whooped with delight, congratulating her, while the other two laughed in nervous relief. Mako swiveled her head to watch Luna, who's glorious wings were spread like an eagle's.
"Alright!" Luna announced. "This part will be simple. There is a hat below me," she flicked a tail below the rock spire at a scarlet velvet top hat, "with slips of paper inside. Half of them are marked with S and half with A. I will tell you what they mean after they are drawn."
Silence.
Luna rolled her eyes. "That means come on."
Surprised wingbeats and talonsteps cautiously approached the hat and drew names. Mako sauntered over to the hat and peered down. It was like an ocean; holding enough mystery to change fate. The scale could tip either way. What if S is bad? What if A is bad? What if these letter choose whether or not I can stay? What if this is a method of elimination?
Mako took a deep breath. It has been since that strange night last night that she'd gotten noticeably more cautious. How could a slip of paper be bad? Then again, how could dinner be bad?
The SeaWing dragoness drew a paper and skittered back to Bear's group. Bear's warm amber gaze lit up like torchlight when he saw her.
"Heyyy, Mako!" Bear greeted with a high five, their talons meeting with a crackling slap. "You're back!"
"You know it!" Mako grinned with a sing-song tone.
"Soooo... What'd you get?" Grackle asked, peering over Mako's wing. The SeaWing drew her wings back in and unfolded the paper. Slowly... until it read:
S
"S..." Mako sat back on her haunches, swishing her thick tail. She looked up at Bear, who's eyes were polished and round, shining in curiosity with the hues of dried tree sap. Mako blinked at him. "What do you think it means?"
"Uh..." Bear pondered for a moment, then his face fell completely focused. "Saxophone."
Mako barked a wholehearted laugh, and Koala pitched in, "Sharknado!"
"Sapphires?" Grackle guessed.
"Okay, now you all are just being idiots." Wolverine laughed, shoving his spectacles up his dusty brown snout with a claw. "Think of things actually related to what we're doing."
"Singing?" Koala scratched his temple. "Or stage. OOH, we're totally working on the stage! Finally, my calling!"
Grackle rolled her eyes and lightly prodded Koala's shoulder. She earned a sunny warning glare from the RainWing hybrid, and she looked away innocently.
Luna clapped her talons again. "Those with an A, stay in here..."
"WE. ARE. GOING. ON. STAGE." Koala whisper screamed confidently.
"...And those with an S, go to the choir cave!"
As she said that, Koala was a shattered mirror. His wings fell and his scales faded to an agonized and depressed white and silver, and his jaw flew open as if his muscles turned to mush. His betrayed shock earned a laugh from a few around him, and he dramatically slumped to the floor, burying himself in his wings. "I WILL NEVER BE WHOLE AGAIN."
"Come on, it's not that bad." Wolverine comforted, grabbing him by the tail and dragging him towards the choir cave. The peanut butter hybrid was careful not to grab Koala by his tail barb, and he heaved him across the smooth onyx floor with the same caution. Bear chuckled and assisted in lifting the hybrid, talons locked onto his arms to lift him like a sack of flour.
Grackle rolled her eyes and nudged Mako lightly with a wing. "Boys, am I right?"
"Uh huh!" Mako nodded vigorously. She hadn't known many boys besides her father and that oily dragon Tide she was betrothed to...
But maybe she shouldn't think about him now that she was here and free.
And the boys here were crazy. The calmest two she knew were Bear and Tiger, but even they were rough and, need it be mentioned, dirty-minded.
She stalked out of the door to the choir cave, which was around a curling hallway and neighboring the band hall. She stepped past the archway, which was jagged and craggy like a dragon's vicious teeth, into the room, and followed as the other dragons spilled into the band hall next door. Weird. Didn't they say the choir cave?
And then when she entered the room, she realized why.
The choir teacher, Dr. Bumblebee, was sitting in the front on the room on a stone perch, soft silver wings buzzing like the echoing chatter in the cave. Her tail flicked back and forth, tapping againt the stone spire it was twined around. She clapped her talons and addressed the class. "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once. This right here could be one of the most important things you can do for this play. This is a musical, for moons sake! You can act in any play, but if you want to succeed in this musical now, you need to know how to sing.
"Now, I hope all of you have a song prepared to sing, WITHIN YOUR VOCAL RANGE!" She waved her ink and gold talons. "I CANNOT stress this enough! If you're a low singer, don't embarrass yourself trying to sing Whitney Houston!" The HiveWing sighed at the reference to the scavenger pop star. "Please just don't. Pick something you know, you can sing, you like, and you connect with."
Mako slowly sat back, knowing very well she forgot to choose a song.
"If you do not have a song," Bumblebee went on, "I will give you five minutes to do so now."
The class took the cue and began to buzz to life, those who had decided on songs catching up with friends. Those who didn't have a song grouped up for ideas.
Mako tapped her claws, deep in thought. Okay... First, what genre should I sing. Country and rap is OFF the list, for sure. Maybe rock? Pop? No... something to make me STAND OUT. To make me UNFORGETTABLE.
Mako swished her tail and gazed around the room for inspiration. Maybe Crazy Kids? No, that's explicit and just isn't right for me... What about Runaway Baby?
Then she heard a voice across the room singing that exact song.
Fu- I mean moons! Gotta keep the mind readers innocent... She looked around the room at Heartspeaker, who was staring at her with a confused expression. YEAH YOU HEARD ME. Okay, what about I allow one country song... If I Die Young?
And once again, a silky voice across the room had snatched that possibility like a hawk grabbing prey.
UGHHHH. THIS ROOM IS THE LEAST INSPIRING THING EVER RIGHT NOW.
Mako sighed and tried to look for inspiration in her emotions. She traced circles on the ground, bits of rock dust falling away from it. She subconsciously began to draw on little bits until the circle looked like a glass orb holding a house. A shattered heart inside, one with the figure of a cowering dragonet and one with a yelling dragoness. The smaller dragon looked as if it were trying to defend itself, glaring up at what looked like its mother.
Is that me standing up to my mother?
Mako hesitated, then searched through her scroll of a brain for any songs about this, what she wanted so badly; to finally tell her mother what she felt.
The Kill? Her mind suggested. Apparently the band who wrote it described it as a mental journey... Like breaking through your greatest obstacle?
Then that's what I'll do. A bit edgu, but that's my right pitch, and I like the song. I know the song, and I relate to the song...
That checks off my list.
"Alright, everyone ready?" Bumblebee smirked.
Mako painted a similar grin onto her face, determined as a bull shark. Oh heck yes I am. I swear, you won't forget this.