Wings of Fire Fanfic

This is a short story I wrote some time ago, immediately after I’d finished the third arc in WOF (Wings of Fire). This will definitely be funnier if you’ve read the books, but in case you haven’t, the main characters are dragons. HiveWings and SilkWings. (You can look them up online and get pretty decent photos, in case you’re interested.) Also, in this reality, Luna and Swordtail are NOT together. It’s Sundew & Swordtail.

1 Year After the Events of The Lost Continent Prophecy

When Swordtail Babysits Bumblebee

“Bye Uncle Swordtail!” Bumblebee threw her wings over the SilkWing and then ran to her mom. “Mommy! Mommy! Uncle Swordtail and Auntie Snudoo taught me words!” She waved a piece of paper around.

Cricket glared at her friend’s husband. “I ask you to give me two hours– two hours so I can meal prep for the week and you’re teaching her more of your colorful vocabulary? How could you do this to me?” 

“Um,” Swordtail scrunched up his face and shifted on his talons, “she’s very persuasive?”

“Swordtail, don’t give me that– Swordtail! Swordta– get back here!” Cricket stamped her foot angrily as the SilkWing sped away. “Ugh! By all the shining moons…” she turned her head to look at Bumblebee. “Give me the paper,” Cricket tried to pull it away from her adopted daughter.

“No!” The dragonet hugged it close to her chest and made a cute angry face at her mom. “It has STUPID in it.”

Cricket clenched her jaw and pushed her glasses up her snout. “Okay, let’s see just how much your Uncle has to answer for. Read the paper.” 

“Ahem,” Bumblebee unfolded the paper and raised her tiny head as she prepared for public speaking. “STUPIDhead, SQUIDbrain, SLUGS for brains, THREE moons, TALONS and TAILS, viper-licking…sand…snorting-toad… um, ca… came… what’s this word, Mommy?” She held out the paper for Cricket to see.

Cricket took the opportunity to snatch the paper away from her. “Enough of that,” she popped it in her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. Paper definitely didn’t taste as good as it smelled.

“Whoah,” Bumblebee stared in awe as she watched her mom swallow. “Not even Swordtail can eat paper. But he did eat a bug, once.” Well, at least she wasn’t crying.

Cricket took a deep breath. “Bumblebee, we try to use words that encourage and support other dragons.”

“But Dusky gets to say slugs-for–” she began to protest.

“It’s not nice, Bumblebee. We have different rules than Dusky. A different vocabulary.”

The little HiveWing sat down with a thud, her expression thoughtful. She held out her front talons to her mother, and after she’d been picked up she asked a question. “Does that mean that our vocabulary is better than Dusky’s?” she perked up at the idea of being superior to her cousin.

“Um, no,” Cricket said uncertainly. She actually did believe that it was better to not allow young dragonets to use such vulgar language, but she didn’t want Bumblebee to start a mental hierarchy. “Just because our rules are different doesn’t mean–”

“Mommy, I think what you mean to say is I’m your favorite and you want to give me a chance at a bright future,” Bumblebee suggested. “A bright future that Dusky won’t have.” She patted her mom’s long, slender neck and sighed. “I suppose that I’ll say nice words,” she considered. “Yeah. Okay. I’m going to go have some honey. Bye Mommy!” She wriggled out of her mother’s grasp and bounded off to the kitchen, her outstretched wings knocking over a block tower she’d never put away.

Cricket stared after her. “What just happened?”

* * *

A knock sounded at the door and Cricket peeked out of the kitchen window. “Hey, Bumblebee, will you let your cousin inside?”

“DUSKY!” she hollered. There was a crash as she tripped over one of her toys and rushed to the front door. “Dusky Dusky Dusky!” She wrapped her wings around the wingless SilkWing.

“Bumblebee!” He squeezed her tightly with his talons and shut his eyes as the two dragonets nearly strangled each other with affection.

“Hey, Luna,” Cricket smiled, rushing to the door. “Good to see you again.”

“Thank you so much for watching him!” She hugged the HiveWing fiercely. “You sure you can handle them both, though?” She pulled away and her face warped into a look of uncertainty.

“Oh, it’ll be all right, don’t worry,” Cricket assured her.

“If you say so,” Luna turned to Dusky. “All right, baby, I’ll pick you up before the sun sets, okay?”

He latched onto one of her arms. “Don’t leave, slugs-for-brains!”

“Dusky!” Luna cried, surprised as Bumblebee tapped her cousin on the shoulder so he’d turn around.

“We use KIND words, cousin,” she said primly, head held high and tiny tail poised quaintly. “Words are meant to ENCOURAGE other dragons, because when YOU’RE kind to dragons, other dragons are KINDER to you. So no slugs-for-brains, or else.” She waggled a claw in Dusky’s face. “Now come, cousin, so I can teach you the good vocabulary.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him away, so Luna and Cricket never saw the exaggerated wink she gave him…

* * *

“Okay, okay, we say the last part together,” Bumblebee whispered into Dusky’s ear.

“Okay,” he nodded. “Got it.”

“Hey, Mommy!” Bumblebee tapped Cricket on the tail.

“Yeah?”

“What do you call a dragon that can’t talk?” Bumblebee asked her.

“Um… what…?” she asked tentatively.

“A STUPID HEAD!” the two dragonets said in unison before racing off into the halls.