“The first thing you gotta know about singing is very important,” she told the violet revealer dragon as they settled beneath the tree they had first met in.

“What is it?” he asked, as if worried it would stop him from learning.

“You gotta enjoy it!” She grinned, and he laughed.

“I think I can manage that. What next?”

“Next, you have to trust your gut feelings,” she answered. “Like, if you feel like you're overwhelmed and need a release, just let it all out in a song!”

His green eyes shone with intrigue. “Really?”

“Yeah! If you're happy, or sad, or even bored, just vocalize it!”

“You mean, like… yelling?”

“No, silly! It doesn't have to be loud. If you're feeling a low amount of emotion, then sing at a low volume. Unless you want to be heard, of course!”

“That's easy enough. So… how do I sing in the first place?”

She shrugged. “I just improvise a tune based on my environment and feelings.”

“Oh? Are the two related?”

“Definitely! When I arrived here yesterday, I was happy, because this environment sheltered me from the storm. So that's why I was singing when you found me.”

“That's so cool,” he genuinely remarked. “But how did you come up with the song itself?”

“Again, I based it off the environment. I felt the rhythm of the storm and rain, and went with it.”

The violet revealer looked around the lowlands they were in. It was a warm and peaceful day, with the occasional breeze to keep them cool. “Yeah, I'm not hearing anything,” he admitted.

“Exactly! And how does that make you feel? Is the silence peaceful, or scary, or…?”

“It's… lonely.” He wrapped his arms around the pouch of his lower belly in a self-soothing embrace. His wings spread as he lifted his head to gaze up at the highlands.

“Oh…? Are you lonely right now?”

Her innocent question snapped him out of it. “Right now?” He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “I feel… happy that you're here, but also nervous that I won't be able to get your lessons right.”

“There you go! Base your melody on that.”

“On… which one? Happiness, or nervousness?”

“Both! You can't just pick one emotion to focus on if you're feeling more than one emotion. That defeats the whole purpose of singing! Let it express everything you're feeling.”

His small wings lowered along with the corners of his mouth. “All at once?”

“If that's what you want, sure. For me, I like to focus on one emotion at a time. Like if I were happy, and also nervous, I would sing the nervous part first. That makes the happy part feel more special,” she explained.

“I see… How would you go about expressing both at once, then?”

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“I’d just switch between them.”

“Like, taking turns, where each emotion gets expressed for the same amount of time?” he asked with uncertainty.

“No, don't plan it! Just go by which one you're feeling the most, when you feel it the most. So… if you're more happy than nervous, you start the song out happy. If you get more nervous than happy at any point, then change the song to reflect that.”

“What if I'm equally happy and nervous?” he pressed, the tip of his thick S-shaped tail flicking side to side as he struggled to understand her guidance.

“I don't know! You're overthinking it. Stop thinking, and feel it instead. Then let it out,” she encouraged him.

He drew in a breath, his green eyes glancing between her and the ground. Then he sighed. “Sorry… I don't know if I can do it.”

“Huh? You mean you don't want to?”

“I do want to, but I'm scared you'll think it's bad…”

She laughed genuinely. “Does it matter if it's bad? You shouldn't care what I think–or what anyone thinks! Not even you! The point isn't to be ‘good,’ it's to express yourself. Besides, you'll only get better with practice!”

The violet dragon gaped at her incredulously. After a beat, he inhaled, hesitated, then sighed again. “Sorry… I guess I'm more nervous than happy, after all,” he chuckled half-heartedly.

“All the more reason to express it,” she said with a smile.

“Huh… I think I get it now. It's kind of like venting, so I understand my emotions and feel better afterward. Right?”

“Sure! Any reason is valid.”

He smiled slightly at that. “Alright. I’ll try.” The violet revealer closed his green eyes. He took another breath, then he released it in a quiet, shaky voice, which immediately petered out when he heard himself; his ears flattened shyly and he glanced at the wind dragon hatchling as if fearing her disapproval.

“That's a good start, but you're holding back,” Gretel pointed out. “You don't have to start it with all of your emotions, but you should continue it until all of your emotions are out.”

The young revealer dragon shrank modestly. “I don't know if I'm ready for that yet.”

“That's okay! There's no rush. We can work on it more tomorrow, then. In the meantime, we can do something else.”

He eyed her curiously. “Like what?”

“Li-i-ke, hide and seek! With my volume control, I'm a master at stealth,” she said with a cheeky grin.

“True… But you're also excitable. With my reveal ability, you'll probably be too excited to keep quiet,” he pointed out with a playful smile.

“Oh yeah? Let's put that to the test!” the hatchling challenged him with an eager wag of her striped tail. “You seek first, and I'll bet you my next meal that you won't find me!”

He chuckled, amused by her enthusiasm. “No need for bets. My victory will be enough after I win!”

The juvenile dragon turned to face the tree, and she heard him start counting. The tiny wind dragoness grinned and stilled the air around herself to silence her movements. Her first instinct was to hide above him in the tree. That wouldn't really be fair, though, since he can't fly or climb… Hmm. Oh, I know! She darted past him toward one of the foxholes he'd gestured to earlier that day, easily fitting inside it and laughing silently to herself. He’ll never find me!

In the distance she heard him finish counting and call out, “Ready or not, here I come!”

She remained hidden, her hot pink eyes gazing up through the opening. Even from this far she saw the young violet revealer check the treetops first. Smart! Gretel commended him.

He checked a few other trees just to be sure before he started looking on the ground. After a minute, he paused, seeming thoughtful. Then a smile graced his muzzle and he spread his small wings. She could see their webbing shake loosely in the existing breeze. He continued his search with his wings still spread, then headed right in her direction.

Is he on to me? No–there’s no way he'd know I'm here! Right? She watched her friend eagerly the closer he got. Only a few yards away from her, he stopped, looking around.

Oh, what is he doing now? He's so close to finding me! Gretel thought, and found herself rooting for him to win. Come on–I’m right here! You can do it!

For some reason she suddenly jumped out of the hole. “I'm right here, dummy! Just turn around already!” the hatchling exclaimed. Then she instantly was taken aback by what she'd done as the young revealer dragon burst out laughing. “Wait… Why did I let you win?!”

“I guess you truly wanted me to,” he replied with a proud grin. “That's what my reveals do–they make you act on your hidden truths.”

Gretel’s eyes shone. “That's so cool!”

He rubbed the back of his ear, embarrassed by the praise.

“But how did you know I was over here?” she asked curiously. “Is that from an ability?”

“Yes–but not mine,” the juvenile said. “I remembered how wind types can mute themselves by stopping the air flow around them. I figured you'd do that, so I used my wings to feel the breeze until there suddenly wasn't one.”

She was genuinely astonished by his cleverness, and he once again seemed modest upon her reaction. She shook her head and laughed. “My turn to seek!”