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Princess Soul yawned and stretched out her lovely, long golden legs. She giggled as the sun hit her face, reflecting back into Princess Orchestra's eyes. Orchestra grumbled and shifted her head to the side. She eventually hissed into her pillow and stood up, her talons leaving a black, dusty residue on both her blanket and her pillow. ''Do you have to do that every day? You know that it just dries out my skin..'' She groaned, rubbing her eyes and sliding out of her bed. She waddled towards her sister and jumped on top of her, letting out a sigh and closing her eyes. ''You're like a heat rock, but alive.''

''That's the worst description someone's ever given me.'' Soul peeped, gripping the bed and pushing herself upwards into a sitting position. Orchestra groaned as she slowly slid off of Soul's back, then rolling off and onto the floor. The lead princess let out a startled yelp that sounded like a broken harp, broken violin, and dented trumpet all at the same time. It was a perfect, broken harmony. ''No no, you're supposed to make your song sound lovely! If you go to the concert like that, there's no way you'll stand a chance~!'' Soul teased, swatting her sister's forehead.

''Then I don't want to win. I want to make abstract music. It'll be better than our mom's music. I'll bring peace across the lands. Then, we'll spread our ways throughout the tribes.'' Orchestra replied, licking her armand spitting out pillow fluff. ''Plus,'' She began, standing up and tensing her muscles. ''Today we're going to get taught how to fly.'' She giggled, smacking Soul with her tail gently and darting out into the halls. ''I'm gonna beat you to the dining halls today! I've got a heeead staaaaaart!'' She called, making quite the rackous as she galloped down the stairs slowly, her stout build making this almost impossible. Soul shook her head and slowly trotted through the halls, taking in the wonderful scents of the decorative fruits that were scattered throughout the halls. She then broke into a rather fast sprint, swiftly passing her sister after she'd made them crash into the railing, going so fast down stairs. ''No fair! You can't do that!'' Orchestra called down to her sister who was a rather long-ways away from her now. Orchestra waddled down the stairs and seemed to glare at her sister for passing her, after the dragonet had used her born ability. ''Well fine, I'll use my powers!'' She snapped.

Orchestra sped up, not nearly as fast as her sister, but fast enough for Soul to come into reaching distance. She jumped and gripped Orchestra's tail, slowing her down greatly into a lazy trot. Orchestra's 'power' was to drain energy, and Soul could use her infinite energy and convert that into pure speed. Of course, when the two auras conflicted, it seemed to go back and forth between who was being afflicted. For instance, Soul had small bursts of speed, but was mostly unable to run due to the ability of doing that being sucked out of her. Orchestra was able to drain energy, but none of it went to her. They both collapsed, tired and upset. Orchestra was determined to win this, and began to crawl her way to the dining hall where her mother was waiting.

''I'm.. Gonna.. Get there... Fiirst!'' Orchestra groaned, her chest starting to hurt because of her rubbing it along the soft carpet. Though soft, it could still give her rug burn. Soul came to her talons, albeit shakily, and started to march towards the dining hall. Orchestra didn't want her sister to win this, not for the seventy-eighth time in a row! Determined, the little dragonet lunged and--

They both.. Touched the ground at the same time. Exact same time.

''Well that was anticlimactic.'' The queen muttered, watching her children walk into the room with annoyed faces. The queen let out a hearty laugh and put her talon in front of her snout as she began to snort from laughing so hard. The dragons around her looked confused, but then quickly began to laugh as they exchanged glances with the dragonets.

''What's so funny? I wanna laugh.'' Soul snorted, her face becoming visibly upset. She looked towards Orchestra and too, began to laugh. Orchestra slumped down and began to sniffle.

''Stop it!'' The dragonet cried, pawing her sister and pushing her shoulder. Orchestra huffed and made her way into her chair, frowning and resting her head on the table. Soul slowly began to stop laughing and shook her head, sitting in the chair across from Orchestra's. Their mother sat at the chair near the end, and nodded.

''Today, my two beautiful daughters will begin their flight training. I trust that Trombone, my very own flight instructor, will teach them well. But before we feast, Soul has something to tell you all.'' The queen announced, looking towards the eldest princess.

''I do. I do?'' Soul began, starting to panic. She didn't remember being told to say anything today. She flipped through her bag and let out a wilent wail. There wasn't anything in there but flight techniques; what was she supposed to do?

''Yes, the marriage request. To the royal advisor's son. To Tambourine. He sits beside you as we speak.'' The queen spoke through gritted teeth, looking back to Orchestra who was fidgeting with her rabbit pelt coat. ''Stop that.'' The queen exhaled calmly, smacking her daughter's talons away from the coat.

''Marriage? I'm not even seven yet!'' Princess Soul squeaked quietly into her mother's ear, glancing back to Tambourine. ''I don't even like him! I didn't know he existed until yesterday!'' The dragonet put atalon on her nose as if to declare that she thought he was stinkie. Tambourine looked over with his large, round eyes and gave a smile and wave. Soul flinched and looked away from him. ''I don't wanna marry that weirdo!'' She spat, putting her talons on her mother's shoulder.

''Just try and tell them that. I don't want you to marry him- they do.'' The queen explained, nuzzling her daughter's cheek with her snout and setting the dragonet back onto her chair. ''She and I have discussed something. She will now tell you all what she thinks about the marriage arrangement.'' The queen announced rather loudly, ending the silence that had fallen over the table. Orchestra was already starting to eat her octopus and honeycomb, but was chewing quietly as to not seem too rude.

''I-- well..'' Soul stuttered, watching as all of the dragons looked, including her sister and mother towards the golden child. ''I don't wanna marry him! I don't know him! I don't like him!'' She suddenly blurted, hopping out of her chair and into her mother's arms. The queen stroked her daughter's head as another silence fell over the table. Tambourine looked thankful that he wasn't going to marry her, not without her approval of course, but his father looked rather annoyed. He hid his true feelings with a facade of understanding and slow nodding.

''Oh thank the moons-- I don't want to marry you either!'' Tambourine sighed with relief, earning himself a lot of surprised and confused looks. ''I don't wanna marry!'' He chirped again, slouching in his chair.

''But princess, won't you at least think about it? I don't want my son to stay alone forever. He doesn't know what's best for him--'' Tambourine's father pleaded, picking up his iron fork and taking a mouthful of quail eggs.

''My daughter has spoken. If she wants to marry him, she would say so. She, as you all heard, said no such thing. She will marry when she is ready.'' The queen interrupted, bringing Princess orchestra towards her, rather than sitting the dragonet so close to Tambourine's father.

''But we can still be friends.'' Princess soul added with a firm nod, closing her eyes and being placed back into her chair. Tambourine shrugged. He didn't mind, but it would be a bit awkward from now on, what with his dad and all. Orchestra had finished her plate and licked her lips, taking her plate in her talons and looking towards her mother.

''Where's the kitchen?'' She asked, wanting to put the plate away.

''Are you sure you don't want another octopus?'' Her mother asked, taking the plate from her daughter's hand. After receiving a nod, the queen stood from her chair and excused herself from the table. Then, she walked out of the dining hall. All eyes turned to the princesses, as if expecting them to say something. Even Tambourine looked towards Princess Soul and Orchestra. Princess Orchestra sneezed quietly, immediately causing everyone to say. 'Bless you.' It scared both of the princesses. It was like they were the queens-- so stressful having everyone watch your every move. Orchestra nibbled on the rabbit-fur coat and everyone looked to her again, as if saying what her mother had said hours before. 'Stop that.'

''So- uhm, how's everyone's day going?" Princess Soul asked, trying to break the terrifying silence.

''Terrible,''One of the dragonesses said, rolling her eyes. ''I just watched you and my brother reject each other.''

''Could be better.'' Another sighed, blinking. ''I'm supposed to take you three dragonets to flight training ten minutes from now. But, your mother isn't here, so I can't just take you now and get there on time.'' He tapped his talon on the table.

''I just watched you reject my son. It couldn't get worse than that.'' Tambourine's father snarled, flexing his talons. The other dragons around the table looked at him as if they were suspicious of his claws and what they were going to do. Tambourine blinked and ate what was left on his plate. He then stood up and began to walk towards the kitchen with the plate in his talons. The queen soon returned, unlike Tambourine who'd likely walked all the way to the designated flight training platform. The queen cleared her throat and nodded, letting her daughters and Trombone walk there too. They left their plates, however.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, Tambourine finally noticed three little specks on the horizon. After two more minutes, they now stood where he was, preparing for their very first lesson. The cliffside they stood on led into the sharp, rocky outcroppings that peered into the sky, but came from the water. Orchestra loved a good challenge, but she had to go last, because Trombone did not want the princess to assassinate someone this early in the day. Princess Soul would go with Tambourine to ensure that he would not instantly tire and fall to his death.

''Alright,'' Trombone began. ''You will begin to feel a strong urge to walk off of this cliff. That's how most dragonets are when they- HEY!'' He explained, watching as Princess Soul began to walk towards the edge, probably wanting to see what was down there. He pushed her back gently. ''--That's how most dragonets are when they first come here. Your parents were like that. But, resist the urge. If you fall down, there's a big chance you ain't coming back up again.'' He noted, shifting his wings. Tambourine hooked his claws into the rocky ground, and the princesses solemnly followed. Trombone clicked his tongue and rested his talons on the ground.

He spoke with a confident voice. ''Watch me, then I'll teach you the basics.'' He spread his rather large wings and took a step back. He flicked his forked tongue and felt that the air was blowing upwind. He'd use the current to his advantage, running forwards, the flight instructor leapt off of the cliff and flew directly forwards, flapping his wings to boost himself upwards and turn. The bushes beside them rustled and a small black paw stook out of the bush. While Tambourine paid attention and Princess Soul wrote down his movements on her notebook filled with flight instructions, Princess Orchestra looked into the bush and squealed. It made the blood in her veins rush with such harmony, it was bliss for her, watching her mentor tame the skies. Orchestra decided that she would have to get used to this feeling, for she wanted to soar like Trombone one day, no, she knew she would.

Out came a yellow, furry forearm, then a black and red snout. A smooth black proboscis flicked out of the small snout and licked its lips. Out followed a small chirp, then a dull crimson head. Its round, black eyes seemed to scan the landscape before them, the small creature backing into the cover of the underbrush. ''Hello.'' Orchestra cooed, resting her talon on her leg. The dragon with no scales sitting before the cowering furry dragonet in a bush was quite the scene to behold. Even though nobody noticed her, because they were too busy paying attention to the flight instructor. Like they were supposed to be doing. The dragonet stayed in the bush, and obviously did not want to come out. ''Okay, I'll leave you alone.'' The princess eventually sighed, coming to her talons and standing. She walked back over to her sister and 'friend' just in time to watch Trombone land on the rocky ground the dragonets stood on.

''Alright, guys.'' Trombone began, folding his wings and waving his talon. ''How about.. You, Orchestra? Would you like to show us what you've learned?'' He asked, gesturing towards the black dragonet. He moved out of the way, making room for her to spread her wings. Orchestra had no idea what she was going to do- she wasn't even paying attention to his words at all. ''Is this how it ends?'' She began to think. ''Me, launching myself off of a cliff as a dragonet, attempting to fly?''. She closed her eyes and flexed her talons on the ground, taking in a deep breath.

Here we go, She thought, blinking slowly as her breath became louder in her ears. Her wings opened shakily and her talons gripped the edge of the cliff. ''O-okay! I'm gonna fly now!'' She announced, Tambourine was already quite bored with her uneasiness and Princess Soul glancing back and forth between her sister and Trombone. The black dragonet jumped forwards, her wings furiously pumping furiously as she tried to keep herself in the air.

''That's it!'' Trombone congratulated, clapping and shifting his wings in their position on his back. His expression quickly faded to terror as he watched the princess flutter forwards and buckle. That was it-- her wings just folded closed without hesitation. Orchestra plummeted swiftly, her eyes widened with horror as her rather short life flashed before her eyes. She neared the bottom, her mouth clamped shut and her voice muted as the air flushed past her ears, sound barely heard as she fell. Then, a barricade of black, yellow, purple and white filled her eyes. Orchestra had no idea what was going on, but she'd stopped falling. The heads of three friendly-looking strangers then flooded her eyes, the air around her now going down rather than above her. She tried to move, but fuzzy paws kept her in place. Her wings tried to move to let her escape, but they twitched only a bit before being held as well.

''Heya, princess!'' One of the voices chirped, showing themselves and nuzzling the dragonet's forehead. ''Lucky we were doing a buzz about, huh?'' It then said to the other dragons around her who then shook in agreement. Though they flew slowly due to the tiring aura that emitted from the princess, they got her to their destination. They slid her back onto the cliff and Orchestra could see the black and yellow and purple and white dragons clearly--

Bumbletalons? She thought, amazed that they'd actually saved her and not-- taken her back to their hive or something. After all, that's what they were famous for. ''Th-thank you for saving me.'' She sighed, feeling quite embarrassed that she'd been saved by the rather small, plump dragons. They excitedly shook, probably communicating with each other in their own, natural language. Trombone rushed towards the dragonet and sort of snatched her away from the small creatures. A black powder brushed onto his chest, as did the Bumbletalons' paws. He hissed at the Bumbletalons, causing one of them to duck and cover their head with the stone outcropping they'd set their paws on.

''Go away.'' Trombone seemed to sneer as he spoke, holding the princess in his talons. He felt powerful holding the princess at that moment, perhaps it was a feeling of pure and utterable confusion, for he did not snatch her up earlier, when she was falling into the void that was the shallow cliff, or maybe it was the feeling that he was a hero, not acknowledging his past actions towards the gentle, but harsh situation. He kicked a rock at one of them, hitting her snout and causing the Bumbletalon to retreat back into the pollen meadow. Her siblings, or the 'other two' as someone would normally refer to them, seemed to jitter as one spoke.

''Mother will hear of your actions, Trombone!'' A male bumbletalon cheered from the dust of his sisters, before following in their footsteps, fluttering off towards the pollen meadow. The other followed shortly, her tail vibrating with either anger or fear as she disappeared into the horizon. A black and red Bumbletalon zipped past Trombone's face, her figure that of a drone's and her body small. Trombone snapped at the figure, but she'd long gone by now.

''I don't care about your mother. The true queen will hear of your sabotage.'' Trombone snapped, pressing Princess Orchestra's snout into his chest. He held the dragonet by her upper body, her legs and tail dangling as he swayed her body in an attempt to soothe the child. ''It's alright, you'll learn to fly another time, eh?'' He gently spoke, setting her down.

''It wasn't sabotage,'' Tambourine spoke up, his face seeming to hold outrage. ''They saved her. You were too much of a coward to even try and fly down to snag her back up. All you did was look down, like we did.'' He hissed.

''Well- why didn't you help her back up?'' Trombone snapped back, his talon making its way to Tambourine's scruff. He picked the dragonet up and watched him fidget for a moment before settling down and staying quiet. Princess Soul crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.

''You do know that he can't talk when you hold his scruff, right? That's how mothers transport their children quickly, painlessly, and quietly. Let go of him and then he can answer you.'' Soul hissed, hitting her tail on Trombone's leg, making him stumble before gaining balance on his hind legs. They were the only bipedal and quadrupedal tribe on the island, but weren't the only bipedal tribe. Hummingtalons, for example, could very well stand on their hind legs, but their arms were too short to make any use of them on the ground. They were, like the scavengers, with all their tools and things.

Trombone dropped the dragonet and crossed his arms in turn, waiting for a response from the child he'd just forcibly face planted into the ground. ''Fine, then. Back in my day-''

''You're one to talk! back in your day, you made helpless princesses marry to sleazy suitors who just-'' Princess Soul interrupted, thwacking her tail on Trombone's leg once more. She stopped herself from going into too much detail, in fear of scaring her sister. As Tambourine came to his talons, he muttered.

''As I was saying,'' He began, glaring at Trombone. ''We can't fly down to help her, because the whole point of being here is to learn how to fly. If you can't teach us that, then I'm leaving and the Hummingtalons will teach me to fly.''

''Yeah, I'll leave too! The Hummingtalons are nicer and they can fly really fast! They'll be better teachers than you ever could've been!'' Princess Soul snapped, swaying her golden hips as her tail brushed the ground. These motions shot light into Trombone's eyes every time he looked at her, so he had to look away. Princess Orchestra hid behind her older sister, her scaleless body being quite vulnerable if Trombone were to snap and discipline them. Tambourine stood as a silence filled the air, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the wind currents around them.

After waiting for Trombone to speak up and defend his argument, Tambourine turned away and began to start for the castle. Princess Soul followed as her sister scrambled to catch up with them. The odd-looking trio trotted along towards the nectar falls, but not without telling the queen, of course. Princess Orchestra opened her little wings, the sky inside of them seeming to come to life. The clouds on her wing membrane seemed to move with every step she took. Tambourine looked rather uncomfortable, walking towards the castle with the princesses in tow, without the flight instructor. What if she thought he was a bad influence? He didn't love the princesses romantically in any sort of way, as his heart belonged to another dragon. But, he did think they were quite amusing. They were good friends to have in general, not because of their rank in the tribe, but because they had their own perks.

As they neared the castle, Tambourine got increasingly worried. Princess Soul bumped his shoulder with her talon, and looked towards him. ''Hey, don't fret. We'll tell mommy that he tried to kill us. She'll believe us, since all of us can make ourselves look beaten up and tired.'' She bobbed her head. ''Then he'll get fired and we can just go train with the Hummingtalons.''

''What? Why would you-'' Tambourine looked at the princess as though she was some sort of imposter, having been swapped with some homicidal beast rather than the defensive princess he'd just spoken with. ''No! We can't get him fired. Then what would he do? You see the little half note on my cheek?'' He pointed to it, taking his eyes off of the path they walked on. ''His would be gone. Probably turn into a quarter note. Or worse.'' The dragonet peeped. He then tripped, landing snout first into some mud. He blinked slowly, then hid his face with his arm, struggling to stand up.

Once he'd gotten out of the mud, he walked swiftly and quietly, perhaps too embarrassed to continue his argument. Princess Soul stopped in her tracks, turning back to beckon to Orchestra. The golden dragonet let out a blood-curdling screech as she frantically looked around for her younger sibling, gaining Tambourine's attention. ''Orchestra!?'' Princess Soul cried, her talons seeming to kick globs of mud and mounds of dirt away as she bounded around in search of her sister. Orchestra, having the mentality of a two year old had gotten herself lost while the older two were speaking with each other. Tambourine knew very well that if they returned without the queen's youngest something was going to happen, so he too began to search.

Orchestra was somewhere far away, unable to hear them calling for her. She'd been lured towards some sort of teal plant by the promises of friendship, as the plant seemed to speak. She reached for it, wanting it to come down to her as she could not climb any trees. The lead colored dragonet bounced as her arms outstretched to the teal plant, listening as the plant seemed to scrunch up out of reach. Perhaps because the music that came from her body was absolutely terrible to hear. Eventually giving up, Princess Orchestra plopped down and folded her arms. ''We're gonna be here all day if you don't come down.'' She huffed watching as the plant lifted a leaf to its mouth, like it was contemplating it's choices. ''I've got a whole room that you can grow in! Just c'mooon!'' She began to whine, her tail thumping on the ground.

The plant chirped and slithered towards her, opening its mouth and revealing rows and rows of teeth. Its tongue slid from its sheath and flicked in the air, then it gently wiped across the dragonet's face, quickly retreating back into the plant's mouth. It pursed its lips and let out a squeal of either disgust or suprise, and the stalk of the plant stretched, coiling around the body of Orchestra and hoisting her into the air. The dragonet squealed with delight, hugging the plant as it held her still. ''Prrrincesss~'' It cooed, rubbing its-- face.. On her cheek. Princess Orchestra was lowered and the plant inched its way around her waist, like a belt. It then let go of what Orchestra assumed was its roots and wrapped around her torso, then around her neck. It was like a fancy, living scarf.

''Have you agreed? You'll be my friend? Really?'' Orchestra cooed, patting the plant's head. It seemed to nod as the dragonet glanced around, only now realizing that she was horribly lost. ''I-- Uhm..'' She looked around, lashing her tail. ''Do you know where the castle is? No, I didn't think you would. You probably don't even know what a castle looks like.'' She whimpered, nuzzling the plant. It, in turn, chirped and began to lift its head into the sky. It then let out a horrible, gritty screech and began to pull Orchestra to the right. She tripped, holding them both down. The plant seemed to shrink and bumped its head on Orchestra's wings. It wanted her to fly, she thought. ''But I can't fly! We just have to walk!'' Princess Orchestra whined, frowning and sitting up. The plant nudged her wings again and pulled, as if it wanted her to follow her.

The scaleless dragonet trudged along, being guided by the plant as if she were a lost sheep who needed to be put back in it's pen. At Least one of these statements was true about her. Her joints made horrible, dull sounds as she moved along, causing the plant to flinch. It was more like a leash rather than a scarf at this moment, and she resented every moment. A plant, of all things, was leading her back home. A plant that probably didn't even know what a castle looked like. Thoughts floated around in her mind as she allowed herself to be guided by the plant, which she identified as a Wolve'smane. She was rather surprised at how docile and patient it was, as these plants were known and practically named for their unpredictability and aggression. ''Can I call you chompy?'' She asked quietly.

The plant stopped pulling her along and gazed at the princess with it's eyeless head. It clearly did not like her decision for a nickname. ''What about numnums?'' She asked again, this time earning herself a growl from the plant. It didn't look back at her and it was clear that the plant hated that nickname too. ''Wallaby? Seagull? What about Kazoo?'' She guessed. She didn't know the gender of the plant, and would address it by its name. The plant didn't seem bothered by the title of 'Kazoo', and so that was what Princess Orchestra would call it. ''Kazoo,'' She began. 'Kazoo' looked back and stopped pulling her along. ''Do you know where we're even going?'' She asked, waiting at the Wolve'smane plant began to ponder.

''Yesss.'' The plant, Kazoo, responded. It continued to pull her along as silence blew across the two, although suddenly and unexpectedly interrupted by a dragoness's warcry. At least, that's Princess Orchestra and Kazoo thought it was.

''UNHAND MY SISTER, YOU DEVIL PLANT!'' A familiar voice hissed, getting closer as the sound of harps and violins grew louder. Kazoo let out a terrified hiss and began to pull Orchestra ahead. The lead dragonet understood why and was equally terrified, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. The plant began to pull slower as the aura around Orchestra grew, but Orchestra began to run twice as fast. ''ORCHESTRA! COME BACK!'' Princess Soul yelled, running as well. Orchestra let out a triumphant laugh and looked ahead of her, only to see Tambourine's head emerging from the bushes ahead of her. Perhaps it was his attempt at a sneaky attack? Of course, it was easy to see his scales since they clashed with the dull green of the bushes. Kazoo whispered into Orchestra's ear which sent a cold shudder through her body. It's voice was the complete opposite of comforting. She charged forwards, speeding past the waiting dragonet in the bush and pushing ahead. Orchestra could see the castle from here, and it came down to running. Bare speed. Oh, if only she could fly!

''Runn! Runn!'' Kazoo frantically hissed, pulling Orchestra forwards with all of its power, terrified of what would happen if either dragonets caught up with them. As the two ran, Princess Soul began to speed up, not too far behind them.

''Orchestra! Don't listen to the plant! Listen to your older sister, me!'' Princess Soul hissed, glaring at Kazoo. ''You don't even know why you're running! I bet you just ran because the plant told you to!'' She hissed again.

''Their name is Kazoo! Not 'The plant!''' Princess Orchestra snapped back to her, jumping and spinning around. She began to run backwards, then she turned on a dime again. She ran on her hind legs and gained speed by tilting forwards, leaning down to let her forelegs touch the ground. ''I'm running cause' you wanna get them off of me! No! they're my friend!'' She hissed. Princess Soul, having generally longer legs because of her age, reached out for Kazoo, swiping at them. The Wolve'smane flinched, as if it were ducking bhehind the wings of its friend. Kazoo did exactly that, causing black dust to rub onto its face as a product of rubbing into Orchestra's wing membrane.

''Stop it! Gimme the plant! It's a weed! It's not even a helpful species of plant!'' Princess Soul growled, taking another swipe at Kazoo. Her sister ducked, tripped, and rolled off the pathway they ran on, tumbling into the not-so-distant foliage. ''Orchestra!'' Soul cried, stopping her running to turn and canter over towards where her sister had rolled into. Kazoo let out a pained scream, although it sounded like a combined effort from both Orchestra and the Wolve'smane. The princess pulled herself from the bush and hissed, pushing herself onto the pathway and walking backwards towards the castle.

''What is so special about that plant?! Why're you so willing to put yourself on the line for it?! It'd probably be eating your corpse right now if you had knocked yourself unconscious!'' Tambourine snarled, suddenly appearing beside Princess Soul. Although he was probably there when Orchestra had fallen into the bush. Maybe she didn't see him. He lunged at the two, causing Orchestra to raise her talons. She stood on her hind legs and stepped backwards, setting them down and bolting off towards the castle once more. Princess Soul was caught off guard by her strange maneuvers, but acted accordingly, running towards her little sister. From a common onlooker, it seemed like the two sisters were playing a simple innocent game. It was quite the opposite, in fact, Orchestra was running for poor Kazoo's dear life, for Soul was certainly going to rip the plant into lifeless shreds.

Tambourine had long disappeared, and it made Orchestra increasingly nervous. Throughout this whole ordeal, the music they had been making sounded like a Gulltalon's warcry. Gulltalons were a seasonal tribe that only appear during Symphonia's spring and summer months, then depart in fall. Speaking of which, it was in fact Spring at the moment. Perhaps they'd been delayed by something. At least it saved the ears of everyone else. There was another seasonal tribe, the Stingtalons. They looked like wasps, and only appeared during the fall and winter months. They'd already departed. It looked like the Gulltalons were so foolish that they'd forgotten about their own sworn tradition. As Orchestra sped past her sister multiple times, dodging her claws and fangs, she noticed something blocking the path. Tambourine? Tambourine.. And.. the royal guards? That little snitch! Orchestra thought with a burning hatred for the dragonet, Anger bubbling up in her chest.

Kazoo, now perched on her little curvy horns, let out a screech of terror. Why was everything out to kill it? Was it really worth befriending this little princess, if its life was in terrible danger? Kazoo would've had a very concerned look if it had eyes, but the plant did not have any. Orchestra charged forwards, barreling past Tambourine and getting herself stuck in the tight wall the guards formed. They reached for her, but she squirmed a bit too much for them to get a good grip. She kicked their bodies and talons as they reached for her, trying to save the plant. Why did they want to kill it? It'd literally only helped her from the moment she met it! She wriggled and squirmed until eventually the wall seemed to let her go. FREEDOM! SAFETY! She thought, reaching for the ground in order to run. The guards had fallen, tired and weak. She'd drained them- but the plant was no exception. It was already tired, having been perched directly on top of her, and now it'd collapsed in exhaustion. Tambourine began to climb over the tired bodies of the guards, an annoyed look on his face. He'd snitched and still failed.

As the thudding of her talons hitting the ground filled her ears, the only thing that could break her concentration was-- The Gulltalons? She slowed her running, noticing that the two threats had fallen behind. Her ears perked as she made her way home, watching as the shadows of fat, bird-like creatures began to swarm the skies.