Well, it's been awhile since I made sure everyone knows I don't own this world… so again, I don't own it. sniff

Winterflower looked around the group calmly. She continued to fix her hair, as she clearly worked at organizing her thoughts. Winterflower was a perfect name for this calm mage, since the flowers of winter must be strong, but also patient to await the spring. Amberfeather had noticed her before, and admired her quiet beauty, even though she was not part of his normal social circle. In fact, even though he admired her, she scared him, because she was so calm and capable.

"Let's see… I have had more than one bad day that would make a good tale," she said, smiling around the circle. "I think I will pick the day I started my mage training."

Winterflower settled back and began.

"It was a day that every mage child looks forward to: the day you are assigned to a teacher to actually begin to work some of the magics you have seen others use. I didn't come into my magic until I was almost 15, so I was older than most."

Winterflower appraised the group's attention, much like Amberfeather had done. Liking what she saw, she smiled and kept going.

"Most of you are scouts, and so haven't really had too much direct contact with mages or magic, since we are all young enough to still be in training. Even at my lofty old age," she stopped talking for a moment and postured in a very serious, mature way, then gave up and laughed, "I am still a very young mage."

"I had always wanted to be a mage. Until I actually came into my power, I was being trained as a scout, but of course I hadn't gotten too far into my training.

"I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but I didn't want to be a scout at all. I hated tramping through the woods, I hated having to always be alert for someone to approach, I even hated the bondbirds, because they were so large. I simply didn't want to be a scout, so this didn't make for the best attitude." She gave a self-deprecating smile. "Quite simply, to sum it up, I was a brat."

"You couldn't have been!" exclaimed Winddancer. "You are so easy-going and …" She gave up trying to think of another adjective and just shook her head. "I don't believe it!"

"Believe it," interjected Starsong. As a mage as well, he knew all about Winterflower and her attitude, as it was held up as a lesson to all of the new mages. "She was so bad that they are still using her as part of the training course, as a warning!"

There were varying expressions of disbelief and amusement. Winterflower just smiled.

"Yes, I was a brat. I hated everything about my life, and consequently I was not very gracious about what I was expected to do."

She told quickly about how she refused to do anything her teacher told her, how she would leave her post and return to her ekele whenever they were not actively watching her, how she even sabotaged others as they tried to get their work done.

"When I came into my powers, I was thrilled. The life I had always wanted for myself was suddenly put in front of me, on a silver plate, looking as if it were designed by a great hertasi artist. But then, when I went to my teacher to tell him how I would never again be coming for his tutelage, he smiled calmly and said simply, "We'll see." I thought that was a little strange, but didn't let it worry me, as I was simply too excited."

"I then ran to tell my parents. They also just smiled and said that I would have to see what tomorrow brought."

"The next day I got up bright and early. I ran down the steps from my ekele to the clearing where the mage students gather. I didn't stop for breakfast or anything other than a quick change of clothes."

"As I stood there, I noticed that no one would look at me. I didn't think anything was strange about this, but I did feel a little let down since I hadn't let myself make friends with the scouts because I hated the training so I just knew I didn't have anything in common with any of them, and I knew they'd just be frightful bores."

She stopped to exchange grins with Winddancer, Rainbird, and Silvercloud.

"Of course, I didn't know they'd be such wonderful people of such wonderful…" Silvercloud interrupted her continuing flowery praise of the scouts.

"Winterflower! I know we're wonderful, but I want to hear the rest of your story!" Silvercloud said impatiently.

"Okay, okay," laughed Winterflower. "I stood there while each of the students were taken by their mage teacher one by one. Soon I was the only one left. I kept standing there, telling myself that soon, someone would come for me. I told myself that for about 3 hours."

"Wow. You are one determined woman," Amberfeather said admiringly. "I would have given up after one hour."

"Yes, I am stubborn all right. After waiting, I decided to go to my parent's ekele and see if they knew who was supposed to be working with me. If they could tell me, I could just go to their ekele and see what the hold up was." She smiled sadly. "I even told myself that they would be happy to see me appear at their ekele since they obviously were in the middle of something very complicated and important and could use my help."

Starsong laughed. He knew that the odds of a mage who was experienced enough to be a teacher needed a students help, on the first day yet, were nonexistent.

Winterflower smiled at him, but didn't explain to the rest of the group. She figured they could guess that, but if not, it was too embarrassing.

"When I asked my parents if they knew the name of my teacher, they said yes. I knew it! I was right! I had been assigned to a very busy mage, and everyone knows that sometimes mages are forgetful, so maybe it was one of those! I felt better already."

"I waited impatiently for them to tell me the coveted name. They calmly stared back at me. Finally, I demanded the name."

"Sunsong, they said simply." Winterflower's face mirrored the confusion she felt then. "I truly didn't know what they were talking about."

Winterflower told them about how she refused to accept it, and how her parents said she was going to be trained as a scout, since her last teacher did not release her from his training. She told of her anger, and how she ran to the ekele of the village elder in charge of the mages. She pounded on his door and demanded to be admitted, and demanded many things besides. He simply told her that no one without the heart of a servant that holds the interests of the Vale over their own will be allowed to learn something as potentially dangerous as magic. She would be given a short time to see if she settles down, but if not, she would have her mage ability removed.

"I was horrified. I didn't think I had been that bad. Because I was so unhappy with my assignment, I had never stopped to think about anything or anybody else. I was embarrassed, but not until I left the elder's ekele did I learn the fullness of my embarrassment."

"I was held up as an example of how one must not just think of oneself. I was an embarrassment to the entire Vale. I'm not sure how you missed hearing about me, Winddancer. As I walked, I heard many of the mages discussing me and my attitude, and how they need to guard against becoming a Winterflower. That was so embarrassing, I wanted to change my name right then and there."

"I had to go back to Sunsong and beg his forgiveness. I could not receive another teacher until he released me, but as the elder had told me, Sunsong didn't have to take me back. He could just let me coast, and assign me to boring, routine scouting jobs for the rest of my life."

"Luckily, Sunsong doesn't hold grudges. He immediately accepted me, but told me that I would not be released immediately. I had embarrassed him by being so horrid, and I had to have a new attitude and apply myself to his training so that he would not be shamed any longer to have me as a student. I agreed, of course, and became a much better person for it."

Winterflower stopped talking and looked around the group. They all bore looks of shocked disbelief. They had not known about this. Winterflower was, quite simply, one of the darlings of the mages now, and was quickly on her way to becoming one of the most important mages in the Vale. She was patient and thorough, and always willing to give anyone who needed it a hand.

Amberfeather shook his head. "I cannot believe it, Winterflower! Well, it does make me feel better about today, but I still think that mine was more embarrassing." He thought about it, then quickly changed his mind. "No, not more embarrassing, but easier to laugh at me. I don't feel like laughing at you… it makes me admire you since you obviously put so much effort into changing. But how embarrassing to be used as a lesson… for much younger students, as well!"

Winterflower smiled. "I do have another bad day story, and this one is not really embarrassing, but almost humorous now, as it has been long enough that I am separated from it and it now longer depresses me. But it's not my turn any longer. Maybe I will tell the tale later, but I think it is Rainbird's turn."

Rainbird nodded, and said, "Sure, I'll go next. Thank you, Winterflower, for being so willing to trust us with that story!"

The others echoed Rainbird's thanks, then turned their eyes on the next storyteller.

"Let's see…" Rainbird started, "I think I will tell you about my first day on my own as a scout… without my teacher, and when I got my very own patrol."

Well that's it for Winterflower's story! Please review and tell me anything that I can use to improve the story. Winterflower's turned out to be more serious than funny (sorry), but Rainbird's is next, and hers is definitely funnier… Thanks for reading!