Thunder and Ice
    
It wasn’t Hunter’s fault he was so different from the other thunderbirds. He just hatched that way! It was like the other birds expected him to “fix” himself. They talked behind his back, saying, “Why are Hunter’s feathers so pale?”
    
He can’t even create thunder, let alone lightning.”
    
“He’s so tiny!”
    
They thought he couldn’t hear them. But he could! Hunter tried to ignore the mean comments because he knew they were not trying to be mean (but maybe they were). The only bird that defended and understood him was his sister, Echo.
    
Hunter just wanted to be liked and for other thunderbirds to accept that he was different. That was Hunter’s goal in life. Where to start? He had no idea.
    
One day after the thunderbirds collected water from the lake below the clouds, they prepared to bring in a big storm for the humans, to help their plants grow. But when they tried to create a storm, no bird was successful. Something was magically blocking their thunderstorm powers!

At the moment when all the thunderbirds were distracted and confused, a winged blackish-blue sea monster burst out of the lake below, snatched Echo, and tried to drag her into the lake. Echo fought the sea monster with all her might, but without her powers she was helpless.
    
Hunter became angrier than he’d ever been in his life. He swooped down on the malevolent monster and started dive-bombing its head to make him let go of his sister. Then, with no warning, a strong wind swept the area, and blinding snow started falling from the clouds. The sea monster reluctantly let go of Echo, sinking slowly back into the water. The lake froze, trapping the beast underneath. Hunter hovered there, amazed, as the blizzard around him gradually faded, but the lake stayed frozen.
    
That storm came from me, Hunter thought. Me! My powers were not blocked like the others’ because my powers were different.
    

From that day on, Hunter was respected and treated as an equal. And Hunter never had to use his powers again (except for fun).