The sun slowly rose on Tinker's Nook the next morning. Lights turned on in each house.
Clank, Bobble, and Tinker Bell were in the workshop. "We fiddle and fix, we craft and create," hummed Clank and Bobble, "carve acorn buckets to hold flower paint. Preparing for spring we do all this and more, yes, being a tinker is never a bore!" They said loudly, "Yes, being a tinker is never a bore!" again. Then they laughed.
Tink made a kettle with a bored look on her face. Her wings were drooping. She rolled her eyes at Clank and Bobble.
"Tinker Bell, I'd like a word with you," said Fairy Mary's voice.
Tink's wings perked up. "Fairy Mary!" she said. She quickly looked down at her bottom, which was still glowing faintly. She tried to wipe it away, then said, "See, I was on my deliveries, and, uh," she laughed nervously, "it's actually kind of a-"
"Save it," Fairy Mary said. "I know what you've been up to, missy."
Tinker Bell stopped short.
"And I had such high hopes for you," Fairy Mary said sadly. She flew away with a sad look on her face.
Tink looked at her feet. Clank and Bobble, who had been watching, quickly turned back to their work and whistled. She sat down with a groan and her wings drooped.
"You'd do well to listen to her-" Bobble said.
"Why? So I can do this my whole life?" retorted Tink. "I don't want to be just a – a stupid tinker!"
Clank and Bobble looked at her, saddened. Bobble's wings drooped and he and Clank turned back to their work sadly.
"No! No," Tink said, her hands over her mouth. "Not-not that you guys are… I-I didn't mean it. Guys, I-I wasn't..." She sighed and her wings drooped. "I have to go."
Scout fairies flew up to their pinecone lookout posts. They picked up binoculars and began scouting.
Fawn was helping baby birds fly. "Now flap them," she said. "Flap them…" The bird was flying. "That's it! Have fun!"
The bird flew away.
Tinker Bell flew into Pine Tree Grove. She took a deep breath and let it out. Then she flew over to Fawn.
Fawn waved. "Hey Tink! You ready?"
"A little nervous, actually," Tink confided.
"Oh, don't be silly. Come on!" Fawn said cheerfully. "You'll be fine. We're teaching baby birds how to fly!"
The bird sitting on the edge of the nest tweeted cheerily.
"First, you have to get their attention," Fawn explained. "Smile, and establish trust!" She giggled as the bird rubbed its head on her hand. "See?"
Tinker Bell gave a big smile.
Fawn turned to the bird. "Okay. Open your wings, honey, and flap them." Fawn flapped her arms up and down to show the bird how to do it. "Up and down, up and down..." The bird flapped its wings. "That's the way, faster, faster..." Fawn clapped her hands to show encouragement, and Tink clapped her hands too. Tinker Bell giggled.
"That's right! Yes, you're doing it!" encouraged Fawn. "Okay, come out this way a little bit." The bird flew a few inches away from the nest, but then it looked down, got scared, and began to fall. Fawn dove after it, and it began flying again. "You're okay, you're okay, you got it!" The bird flew farther away. "Keep flapping, keep flapping!" called Fawn. She turned to Tink. "Hey, why don't you help that last little one?" Fawn flew after the baby bird.
Tinker Bell turned to the nest. The last little one was scrawny and looked terrified. Tinker Bell made a sound. "Okay, okay. Just smile… and… establish trust," she said to herself.
Tinker Bell put her head into the nest and yelled, "Hi there!"
The bird pressed itself to the back of the nest with a squawk of terror.
"Hey, little fella," Tink said, leaning in closer. "You wanna do some flap flap today?" Her face was really close to the bird now.
The bird wasn't sure what the fairy was saying, but it shook its head.
"Oh, sure you do," Tink said. "Uh, all you do, is you just… um, you just flap your wings, like this!" Tink turned around and demonstrated.
The bird had taken the time that Tink wasn't looking to try to get back into an egg. Tink looked back to see the bird frantically trying to piece the broken eggshells back together around it.
"No, no, no, no, no, none of that," Tink said, flying towards the bird. "Come-come on. All we gotta do is-" She took a piece of the eggshell from the bird, and it pecked her. "Ow! Ooh!" She put her hurting hand to her mouth.
"Look. I'm gonna level with you, okay? I kind of bombed out on the whole water and light fairy things, and I'm starting to run out of options here! If you could see fit to flap your little wings and take flight for a few measly seconds, I might be able to go to the mainland and bring happiness to the world!" yelled Tink. The little bird was looking at her with scared eyes now. "What do you say?"
The little bird hid behind an eggshell.
"Wrong answer!" Tink said. She stepped towards the bird. It stepped back. She advanced toward it. "If I end up making acorn kettles for the rest of my life, I am holding you personally responsible!" She dove toward the bird. "OW!"
A scout had noticed. "Hey, look at this!" he said to another scout.
Tink was holding onto the bird's foot and trying not to let go as the bird flapped around the nest, trying to get away. She was yelling at the bird. The scouts watching were laughing. Tink let go of the bird after it had pulled on her face, and it quickly tried to piece together the broken egg.
Tink groaned. "This is not working!" Then she looked up and saw a big bird circling overhead. "Hey, maybe that guy can help!" she said. "He's a really good flyer!" She flew up out of the nest.
A scout gasped.
"Hey up there!" yelled Tink. She flew up higher as the bird made a piercing shriek. A scout gasped. "Hawk!" the scout yelled.
Tink slowed down as the hawk dove for her. A scout blew a conch shell, the hawk warning. Fairies everywhere dove for cover. Tink frantically tried to turn around as the hawk dove for her.
A fairy pulled up a chunk of ground covering a hideout. "Quick, hide!" cried the fairy as fairies flew in. Then that fairy flew in and the ground fell back down.
Vidia was in a tree. She gasped and ran backwards.
The hawk was hot on Tinker Bell's tail. Another fairy saw and yelled, "A hawk! Tinker Bell's in trouble!"
Tink was flying as fast as she could. She swerved under a log and saw a tree she could hide in. She flew into the hole, and the hawk hit its head on the tree. A split second later and Tink would have been that hawk's meal. The hawk bashed its head against the tree, trying to get to Tinker Bell. Tink fell back.
"Hey!" cried a voice.
"Vidia!" Tink exclaimed.
"This is my hiding spot!" Vidia said angrily as the hawk kept bashing the tree. It broke the wood, and the fairies screamed and wrapped their arms around each other. Vidia said, "Well, it's all yours now!" and tried to escape. She slid down a hollow part to the part of the tree the hawk was standing on. She blocked herself from falling out, but Tinker Bell had fallen down too and knocked Vidia out.
The hawk took notice of Vidia. It screeched in her face, and then something hit it in the head. A fairy had thrown something at the hawk. "Get it!"
Garden fairies threw nuts and berries at the hawk. It covered itself with its wings, then flew off with a shriek.
Fairies looked out of their hiding place. A cluster of fairies gathered around Vidia. Tink walked out of her hiding place.
Vidia's face was berry-stained, and she had another berry in her mouth. She spit it out, and the other fairies couldn't help but laugh. She looked ridiculous! "Are you okay, Vidia?" one fairy asked.
"Oh," Tink said.
Vidia glared at her as she walked forward.
"Let me help you," Tink said.
"Don't touch me, I'm fine!" yelled Vidia.
"But I-I was only trying to help-" Tink started.
Vidia stood up. "Well stop trying," she said in Tink's face. Then she flew away angrily.
Tink frowned. Her friends walked up behind her.
"Tinker Bell," Silvermist said.
Tink made an exasperated sound. "I can't hold water, I can't hold light, birds hate me, I'm just so-so useless!" She flew away.
"Tink-" Fawn said. But the tinker fairy had already flown away.