Fairy Gary observed her. "That's, uh, quite a nifty little gadget you got there. Think you can tinker some more?"
"Yeah. I do." She looked up at the walls blocking out the sunlight. "Looks like I'll need to."
He nodded and walked away.
"A little higher, Tink. No, that's too high. Perfect," Terence said. "Keep it steady, keep it steady..." Soon he grinned and stood up. "Thanks. I think I got a whole scoop of dust out of there."
"You're the best, Terence," Tinker Bell answered, as she flitted away. She came across Bobble, who was sitting on the ground. "Hey, Bobble. Need some light?"
"Ah, thanks, Miss Bell. That would be splendid."
"What are you..." She knelt in front of him, shining her light into the hole he had dug. "Are you building a cellar?"
"Indeed. Perhaps I should have tried to duplicate the result of your illuminater."
"Fairy Gary wants us to. I told him we'd try."
"Sounds like a plan." Bobble lifted the cellar door he had built, placed it over the hole, and began to install it; and Tinker Bell sat across from him, shone her light and tried to be useful. Eventually the helpful beam of light began wandering, and Bobble looked up to see Tinker Bell totally distracted, staring over his shoulder. He turned around and watched as Sweet Pea, Marina and Scribble walked through the thorns.
Bobble was smiling as he turned back to his project and adjusted Tinker Bell's hands to refocus the light where he needed it. She looked quickly at him. "Oh. Sorry."
She continued to sit there, listening attentively when Nyx's stern voice floated to her. "There are still hundreds of us missing, and that's if they're lucky. Our search is nowhere near over."
"I never argued that, Nyx, but there are only five of us."
"And we've looked everywhere," a third Scout added. "They're probably held up somewhere else."
The Scouts walked by, lost in conversation, and Tinker Bell shared a sneaky look with Bobble.
An animalistic howl on the other side of the thorns scared every fairy to their feet. Suddenly Cheese ran into Pixie Hollow, squeezing through the slim gap between the thorns and narrowly avoiding getting cut. Fiona's hungry feline face slammed into the gap and she snarled and hissed at his retreating shadow.
"Easy, Fiona," Dewey's voice said. "Just calm down."
Tinker Bell smiled at Periwinkle as the winter fairies came walking into Pixie Hollow, then looked up and watched as Lucinda and Slate worked together to repair Tinker Bell's door.
"Now there's more than five," Nyx announced as the Winter Scouts began filing in.
"Alright, Miss Bell, that's it. Thanks for the light!"
"No problem." She stood and pulled him to his feet. "There, how's that?"
"Never better. You know, I've been takin' me legs for granted. Think I'll start jogging when we're all settled."
She smiled sweetly at him. "Sounds like a plan," she echoed.
Bobble watched her walk through Pixie Hollow, offering her light to a total stranger. It was Queen Clarion's laughter that got his attention, and he looked up to see her flying over Pixie Hollow, Lord Milori flying alongside her.
Bobble grinned and tested the cellar door, then flew carefully into the hole and disappeared belowground. His hand reached up and closed the cellar door. Seconds later he opened the door and crawled out.
"How is it?" Silvermist asked, startling him. He turned around.
"Oh, it looks very good. It could probably fit seven of us if we needed to hide."
"Only seven? What were you building it for?"
"Storage. For dust, lost things, what have you."
"Hm. Well, what if it fit all of us?"
"Oh, gee, that would require a lot of building. It would take me years."
"Not if a mining talent did it."
Bobble studied her. "What are you getting at, Silver?"
She smiled at him. "I had an idea."
"Well, they do say there's a first for everything."
She looked confused. "I don't get it."
"Never mind. Sorry to interrupt; what were you saying?"
"I said I had an idea." She blinked at him.
"And your idea is..."
"We could live underground. The mining talents could make a huge house bigger than Pixie Hollow...in minutes. And we would be safe, from humans, thistles, animals..."
He was nodding thoughtfully as he collected his tools.
"I mean, if Zarina can make a pixie dust tree, why shouldn't we do this? It would save us months of restoring Pixie Hollow. Maybe years."
"You have an interesting point there, Silver. You should discuss it with the Queen and Ministers." He walked away.
"Hey, Sil!" Iridessa called, and Silvermist flew to her. "Could you help me hand these out?" Iridessa asked, and pointed to a wagon, on which were balls of sunshine wrapped in leaves, creating things that resembled Tinker Bell's shiner.
"Sure." Silvermist gathered half of them and flew awkwardly along, handing out the crafts. "Shiny beam, Slate? Lucinda? Shiny beam?"
"Thanks, Sil."
Clank observed the activity for a moment longer before flying slowly toward the heart of Pixie Hollow, in which the rest of the tinkers were restoring the cafeteria. He flew up to them and landed. "Can I help you?"
"Of course."
They got to work.
-x-
Rosetta and Sweet Pea were staring intently at the glowing flower.
"Amazing, right?" Zarina asked happily.
"Who on earth grew this thang?" Rosetta twanged.
"I did!" Zarina laughed. "But I need an expert garden fairy's opinion. How long do you think it will live?"
"Well, that depends. How did you make it?"
"From scratch."
"Then mah guess is forever."
Sweet Pea touched the flower, which felt warmer and firmer than most. "I agree."
"Good." Zarina gave a lopsided, impish grin. "I was hoping to hear that!"
"So was Fawn," Sweet Pea answered, and they walked away together discussing the uncertain future. Alone with the mysterious flower, Rosetta lifted into the air and hovered above its softly glowing head.
Looking around for an unwanted audience, she flew closer and sank her hands into the luminous center, breaking off a single seed. Imbued with sunlight, it glowed in her hands. With a soft laugh, she broke off another seed and landed on the grass, tucking one of the seeds into her shoes. Then, proudly displaying the second seed in her hands, she flew over the thorns and landed in Pixie Hollow.
"Ah had a strange thought," Rosetta began as she walked up to Zarina. "And Ah hope you don't mind what Ah did, but Ah took a seed from yer magic blossom. Sugar, it shoulda been planted inside the thorns! The one outside's at risk."
Zarina's shoulders slumped. "Mm, good point."
"So yer not mad at me?"
"Uh-uh."
"Good! Ah hope this one works, too. How bout we grow it right beside the pool?"
"Mm, I don't think that's a good place for it. If someone's seriously hurt, they might run out of time before they get there. And if all the nature talents are at the Mainland and all the tinkers are on their deliveries, who's going to be around?"
Rosetta turned and looked at the slim gap between the thorns. "Well, what about right here?"
"I think that would be best."
As Rosetta knelt and dug the hole, Silvermist walked by with a bucket of water and a sponge. She stopped and watched Rosetta plant and bury the seed and then Silvermist watered the plant for her.
"Oh, thanks, Sil."
"No, thank you! I have something to show you. Stop by Tink's house later, okay?" Silvermist walked away.
Rosetta sprinkled the planted seed with pixie dust and it sprang into the air, glowing softly. "It looks good if Ah do say so mahself."
"I can hardly wait for the next injury!" Zarina said, and then paused. "I mean the next small one."
Rosetta giggled and touched the flower. It felt no different than the one on the other side of the thorns, and she was smiling as she walked away, a spring in her step. "Wow, the kitchen's startin' to really look good!"
The tinkers smiled at her.
"You fellas need any help?" Rosetta asked.
"Uh, we're basically doing the gross stuff right now," Lucinda told her. "You might be more productive if you helped Sweet Pea; she's regrowing all the plants."
"Thank you!" Rosetta waved cutely and flew off.
"Well, I'll help you," Zarina said with a shrug, and she covered herself in green pixie dust. "Just give me one second and I'll be as tinkerish as you."
The tinkers grinned at her as she knelt in the disgusting combination of mud and ash. "Hey, I was supposed to give Avery a new talent. Have you seen her?"
"Oh, Z, you haven't heard? She was killed."
Zarina looked up with raised brows. Abruptly, she stood. "Excuse me just a moment." She quickly scanned the village and began flying toward Nyx.