[Kestrel]

Nevermind. I'll just practice branching instead. Watching them is, well, distracting. Plus, they could accidently hit me. Ice Stream continued branching for a while. Hearing no noise behind her, she turned. The Matches and Magistry weren't in her range of vision. Frantic, she hopped back. After a few minutes, she had to admit she was lost.
"Sky! Smoke! Mist! Where are you?" she shouted, hoping they could hear.

{5}

[Jaden Wolf]

OOC: Sorry, I didn't notice you post before ^-^

Sky heard a sound and figured it was just something out in the forest. She turned to see how Ice was doing. When she didn't see Ice, Sky flew out and looked around worriedly. She flew up and looked around. Still not seeing her, Sky dove for the hollow, calling Smoke and Mist. She hovered in the opening to the hollow and told the two matches that she couldn't find Ice. Glancing at each other, the two flew out of the hollow and spiraled up. "Couldn't she just fly up and look for the highest tree, where the hollow is?" Mist asked. Sky looked at him sarcasticly. "She's still learning, remember?" she said and Mist just smiled nervously. Smoke looked around and sighed. "Ice! Ice Stream!" she called, hoping Ice could hear her.

[Kestrel]

Still flying frantically, Ice Stream headed in a totally random direction. Hoping her companions could hear her, she continued calling.
"Sky, Smoke, Mist!" she heard a faint noise, but wasn't sure if they were calling her, or if it was it was something or someone else.
She decided to take the chance and head towards the sound.
"Sky, Smoke, Mist, is that you?"

{6}

[Jaden Wolf]

Mist, who had the sharpest hearing, heard Ice first, but it was fading. Maybe she heard something else and thought it was them? He flew in that direction, a confused Smoke following. Sky landed at the top of the tree to keep watch. Smoke caught up with Mist and looked at him in confusion. Mist noticed and explained. "I heard her call, but she must have heard some other sound, because her voice is fading." he said, and they flew faster. When they figured they were getting closer, they called Ice again.

[Kestrel]

Ice Stream continued to follow the sound, but now another sound was coming from the opposite direction. Which one was her companions. She decided to wait for one (or both) to get closer and see what they're saying.
"Sky, Smoke, Mist, I'm over here!" Suddenly, the Cobalt Matches realized that by calling her friends, she was alerting them and the other person...

{7}

[Jaden Wolf]

Mist heard Ice's voice again. It was getting stronger, so maybe she had stopped. Soon Smoke saw her and called Mist. Mist looked where Smoke was headed, sure enough, there was Ice. "Ice! Are you all right?" Smoke called. They flew towards her, and landed on the branch next to her. Mist turned to Ice. "Why were you going away from us? Did you her something else?" he asked, curious.

Sky looked around. She saw Smoke's gray colour dissapear out of her sight. Maybe they found Ice.

[Kestrel]

I'm fine, and yeah, I did hear another sound..." Ice answered, wondering who or what had made the sound. Then pointing in the opposite direction the Matches had came from she said, "It was coming from over there," she paused. "Wait, where's Sky?"
Cocking her ear in the direction they sound had previously been coming from, she exclaimed, "I hear again!"
She started hopping from branch to branch, trying to get closer to the sound.

{8}

[Jaden Wolf]

Mist and Smoke looked at each other nervously. "It could be dangerous." Mist whined, and Smoke just sighed. "I'll alert Sky. Follow Ice, we'll catch up." she said. She flew above the trees, signaling to Sky to come. Then she perched on the top of the tree so Sky knew where she was.
Mist sighed and flew after Ice. "Don't go too fast. You don't know what it is." he warned her, then looked back to see if Smoke was following. She wasn't.
Sky noticed Smoke and flew towards her. Upon reaching Smoke, she received an explanation of what was happening. "Okay, we should catch up to them. We don't know what it is. They may need all the help they can get." Sky said, and Smoke looked at her in alarm. Together, they flew towards Mist and Ice.

[Kestrel]

Hopping from branch to branch was so slow. Ice Stream wished she had learned to fly earlier, but it was too late now. And anyway, the thing (whatever it was) seemed to be going towards them, too, so that speeded things up a bit.
"What a weird sound it's making!" Ice exclaimed, hopping up and down on the branch she was perched on. Turning around, the little Matches noticed that only Mist was following her. "It sounds like it's whining or moaning, or something like that. By the way, where's Sky and Smoke?"
Without waiting for the reply, she continued, getting closer and closer to the noise.

{9}

[Jaden Wolf]

Moaning? Mist thought, and shuddered. Then he noticed something. He had great hearing. Why couldn't he hear it? He heard Ice's question and answered. "Sky and Smoke are comming. Smoke went back to get Sky. They should be here any minute. Sure enough, Sky and Smoke flew up behind him. "Boo!" Smoke shouted, giggling as Mist jumped. He flew into her teasingly, and Sky flew up to Ice. She watched her branch, then thought about what Ice should do. After all, Ice needed to fly. Fast. "Do actual wing beats. Don't flutter, make strong wing beats. Stay close to the branches, so you don't fall. Also, don't push it. If you tire, land." she said to Ice. Her sentences were choppy, but she was in a rush, and hoped that Ice understood what she had said.

What was ahead?

[Kestrel]

OOC: What do you mean by "He had great hearing. Why couldn't he hear it?"?

Ice cocked her head, listening to Sky's directions. It confused her
"What?"
She replayed it in her head, over and over again, trying to make sense of the words.
"Oh! I get it!" Ice realized the meaning, and quickly went to try flying.
Do actualy wing beats. She repeated in her head.
"Don't flutter, make strong wing beats," she mumbled. "Stay close to the branches."
So the little Cobalt Matches stroked her wings up and down, struggling to get into the air, without fluttering. It took awhile, but eventually she stayed in the air long enough to get away from the branch.
"Look! I can fl-," the rest of her words were drowned out as she plummeted to the branch beneath her.
Shaking herself, she tried again, and this time stayed in the air just long enough to land on the branch Sky was on.
"I flew! If only for a short time," Ice was very excited, and was hopping up and down.

{10}

[Jaden Wolf]

OOC: I was trying to...imply...that there was something wrong with his normally good hearing ^-^

Sky smiled at Ice as she landed. "That's great! You are still learning, so naturally you won't be able to fly for a long time, but keep practicing, and you'll get the hang of it. As long as you don't push yourself too much, you will be flying like a pro in no time!" she trilled happily. She looked back at Mist and Smoke who were now trying to knock each other off the branch and smiled. "I remember when those two were learning how to fly. Smoke is a natural, and a quick learner, so it didn't take her long...but Mist couldn't quite get the hang of it. It took him longer, but he's a better flyer than Smoke...to a point. He doesn't even realize it...and never really has reason to do any complicated flying." she said, then turned back to Ice. "Don't push it, if that made you tired, then continue branching. If you aren't, then you can try again. Remember, stick close to the branches." she said, and smiled. She knew Ice would be a great flyer once she got the hang of it.

[Kestrel]

Ice was eager to find out what the sound was, but also wanted to fly. Yet another part of her said to go back to learn how to fight. Which to follow? She decided that she would learn to fly, to make part of her happy and Sky, too. But she was soooo tired. Flying, falling, and bouncing really sapped your energy.
Branching, for now, then. she told herself. That doesn't take much energy, after all.
She went around in a circle, always hopping to the same branches. She was very bored, but still too tired to fly. Deciding to rest and watch Mist and Smoke, she flew over to Sky.
"I'm going to rest for a while. Is that OK?" she asked, settling down comfortably.

{11}

[Jaden Wolf]

Sky smiled. "Of course!" She turned to the other two, who were STILL trying to knock each other off the branch.

Finally Mist shot forward and knocked Smoke off the branch. He sat there, head raised in triumph. Then he screeched in surprise as he got slammed off the branch. "I know Sky never told us this, but I've always known, never take your eyes off the enemy!" Smoke trilled, then suddenly flew down to Mist. Fast. He jumped off the branch he had landed on, and circled around Sky and Ice. "Want me? Then come and get me!" he called, swooping above Smoke's head.

Sky just sighed. "Well, at least this helps their training. I just hope it doesn't go too far, as it usually does." She turned to Ice. "Just let me know when you want to try and fly again." she said kindly.

[Kestrel]

Ice stared at the pair, wondering when she could do that. But first, she had to learn how to fly. Which meant she had to practice. Which meant she had to get off this branch. Sighing, she rose into the air, only to fell back to the branch she just rose from. Flying was not easy. At all.
"Flying's too hard!" she complained to Sky. "Why is it so hard? Is everything as hard as flying?"

{12}