Character: Stormy, Prompt: Missing In Action

'Stormy, could you just do me a favour?'

The Witch of Storms rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. She'd just asked for the seventh favour in four days. Seventh! In four days! Four!

Just because Stormy was the youngest out of the three sisters, didn't mean that she was the slave. That Icy and Darcy could use her to do the jobs that they couldn't be bothered to do. Every time Icy came up with a plan 'on her own' Darcy would know about it before her. She never got a say in what happened, she didn't get a choice in what role she took in said plan.

And it didn't half make her angry.

'No,' she replied flatly. She turned her back on Icy and smirked. She knew that her eldest sister wasn't expecting that answer, considering she'd always answered with 'whatever' and agreed to whatever Icy was asking.

A minute passed before Icy made any sort of response. 'W-what?' she asked incredulously.

Stormy turned back to see Icy lying on the sofa opposite her, her feet dangling over the edge of one arm rest, the back of her neck resting on the other. The elder witch's eyes were closed but a smug smile was clearly evident on her face. 'You heard me, Icy,' Stormy replied. 'Your days of using me to do your dirty work are over. You can start using your own legs from now on.'

Stormy's accusing remark caused Icy to open her eyes and sit up. 'You have me mistaken, sister,' Icy told her, her tone now venomous. 'I didn't ask you to do me a favour. I told you. So go on. Go to The Forest and get us some firewood. Unless you'd rather I freeze us all to death?'

Stormy could feel the anger rising within her. Her fists clenched but, for the first time ever, she tried her best to conceal it, to not let it show.

'Why don't you do you me a favour and freeze yourself? I'm sick of you telling me to do stuff for you when you can't be bothered to do them yourself! Do you know in the last four days alone you've asked me for seven 'favours'?' (She held her fingers up to show the inverted commas.) 'Why don't you ask Darcy? Darcy won't complain, I'm sure, seeing as you two are in quite an acquaintance!'

Finally Stormy ended her rant, breathing in and out to control her anger: something she'd never been good at.

Just when she thought she'd got herself under control (even breathing; fists no longer clenched; straight face) Icy laughed. Icy started laughing. Hysterically.

Stormy growled. Did her sister ever take her seriously? Heat rose up in her neck and cheeks, turning them crimson.

'Stormy, do you really expect me to take into account what you just went on about?' Icy asked her after the laughter subsided. She held her midsection as she smirked, waiting for Stormy to answer her question.

'Yes!' was the reply she was given. 'Yes I do! Or I won't do what you're asking!'

Stormy turned her back on her sister, and started walking to the exit of their hideout. 'I'm out of here.' She walked past Darcy, who looked on in confusion, a bewildered 'what just happened' rolling past her lips.

The Storm Witch didn't respond. She walked straight out of their little cave, walking wherever her legs took her. A frown clouded her face, and she fell deep into thought.

The first time Icy asked her to do something, she did it, because… well… it was the first time. It was just a one-off thing, right? The second and third times, she was a little more reluctant. She was busy doing something, so she wanted to finish before she did what Icy was asking. Which, of course, didn't sit well with the Ice Witch.

The fourth and fifth times, Stormy was thinking of messing up the task just to spite the elder witch. But she didn't. She should have done. She just didn't want to spark an argument between her and Icy. The sixth time, there was, in fact, an argument involved. But only because Icy and Darcy couldn't decide exactly what they wanted Stormy to do.

Stormy was shaken from her thoughts when she realized she had ended up in The Forest. She sighed heavily; she even wanted to do as Icy said when she wasn't thinking about it. She might as well collect the firewood now that she was here; saved her having another argument with Icy.

She set about venturing into the forest, her eyes alert for any wood that they could use to light a fire. Suddenly, her ears picked up a distant hum. It had a rhythm to it, and Stormy realized that someone was humming a song. She wasn't alone.

She tried to ignore it, instead focusing on getting the job at hand done. Though, she couldn't help but think she was getting closer to whoever else was here.

The humming was loud and clear as Stormy stood in between a dozen or so trees. She looked every which way, thinking it would be Musa, the Pixie of Music: the one pixie that she truly hated.

However, when she saw the soft brown hair of the Nature Pixie, she relaxed somewhat. There would be small chance of a fight if Flora was involved. Stormy wasn't in the mood for a fight today. Icy had annoyed her.

When Flora saw her, the humming stopped. Everything quietened, apart from a few birds tweeting, which Stormy found absolutely delightful(!)

'Why are you here, Stormy?' Flora called out to her.

'I could ask the same to you!' she called back.

'I'm just spending time with some of the forest animals here!'

Stormy looked around; there wasn't a forest animal in sight. 'Yeah,' she replied, her voice conceited, a smirk appearing on her face. 'Sure.'

Unexpectedly, Flora let out a piercing whistle with her index and middle fingers. Stormy covered her ears, cowering away.

All of a sudden, little creatures came bounding out of nowhere: squirrels, birds, foxes, rabbits and even a couple of badgers.

'Do you believe me now, Stormy?' Flora called.

'Fine, whatever,' Stormy replied, not liking the fact that she was wrong. 'Now, I have a job to- hey!' Stormy was stopped mid-sentence as a furry animal brushed up against the side of her leg. She looked down to see a small white rabbit looking up expectantly at her. 'Go away, you little furry idiot!' She shook her leg, but the thing clung onto her with its sharp claws.

'He likes you,' Flora cut in, smiling, though Stormy swore she saw her flinch after seeing how violent she was being with the rabbit.

'Well, I don't like it,' Stormy countered, continuing to try and and shake it off.

Flora chuckled. 'Here,' she said. She knelt down and scooped up the rabbit into her arms. 'Come here, Nelson.'

Stormy sniggered. 'You named a rabbit Nelson? Seriously? A wild rabbit as well?'

'Every living creature deserves an identity,' Flora defended, stroking 'Nelson's' ice coloured coat.

'Yes, that's all very Flora-like and all but why Nelson?'

'I don't know. I guess Nelson appealed to me when I chose it, that's all.'

Stormy knew that this was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be having a civilised conversation with a fairy, let alone a Winx Club girl, but if it meant that she could make Icy suspicious, then so be it.

Icy opened her eyes. Darcy stood in front of the sofa she was lying on, arms folded, face neutral. 'Calmed down enough now?' Darcy asked her dryly.

'What?' Icy replied, shifting into a sitting position. 'I don't need to be kept warm; I can handle cold,' she said, knowing what Darcy was referring to. 'I was asking for her to keep herself warm.'

Darcy snorted, perching on the arm of the sofa. 'Didn't sound like it, Ice. You know how mad Stormy can get and you used her for it.'

'Firstly, don't call me 'Ice'. My name is Icy.' Icy glared at Darcy, earning a smirk. 'Secondly, I know how angry she can get. I've known her for sixteen years, you know. I just didn't see the point in me doing something I don't need to do.'

'Then you should have told her that.'

'Whatever, Darcy. Get lost. I need to sleep.' Icy laid back down and closed her eyes. She used her feet to push Darcy off the arm rest.

'Stormy's been gone for three hours now. It doesn't take long to collect firewood,' Darcy piped up.

'If she went to collect firewood. Something tells me she hasn't,' Icy countered.

'But still, she's never stayed out this long after an argument or whatever,' Darcy continued.

'She'll come back when she feels like it,' Icy assured.

'But-'

'What?' Icy snickered. 'Don't tell me you're worried, sister.'

Silence.

'Witches don't worry about petty things like this, Darcy,' she told the younger witch. 'Chances are, she's probably trying to fend off some wild animal by shooting lightning at it.' Her comment made her chuckle: that was what Stormy was most known for.

As if on cue, Stormy herself walked into the cave, covered in white fur.

Darcy scoffed. 'Hey, what happened to you?' she asked.

Stormy chuckled nervously, her cheeks turning pink. 'I had a… run in, let's say, with Nelson the Rabbit.'

Icy lifted her head up to look at Darcy, her eyes saying 'what did I tell you?' Darcy shook her head.

'You named a rabbit?' Darcy asked incredulously.

Stormy paused, but then said, 'Nah. That was the Nature Pixie. Why would I name a rabbit Nelson?'

'Nature Pixie?' Icy suddenly asked. 'Flora was there? Did you kick her butt?'

'No, I left that job for you. Go do me a favour and finish her off.' Stormy's eyes hardened.

'You were out for three hours and you couldn't mess with a fairy? A fairy against fighting and all!' Icy accused.

'If you're so concerned, why don't you do it?!'

Icy stood up off the sofa, and turned away from Stormy. She walked further into the cave, saying, 'Why didn't you stay out for longer? Then we could've said you were missing and forgotten about you.'

Darcy frowned. 'Ignore her, sister,' she told Stormy. 'She's just annoyed that I topped her in our little chat. She'll calm down eventually.'

But Stormy wasn't listening. She was already on her way to stepping out of the cave, a scowl lining her features. Determination to stay out longer than three hours filled her and this time, she wouldn't run in to the fairy and her pets. She was sure of it.