I looked down from my balcony to see what the commotion was is all about. I had a feeling I already knew, but I didn't want it to be true. Armies of Minedreamers were attacking the boundaries of the Cloud Domaine, and they'd soon reach the centre of the kingdom; Her Majesty's Crystal Chateau. If my actions were the cause of this attack, if mother ever found out, she would definitely kill me. I tried to sleep, but the sounds of dragons trying to destroy the kingdom wouldn't let me. I'd brought shame to the Clouddreamers, and I'd brought shame to my family. I would've punished myself for my sins, but nothing would fit the crime. So there I was, deciding whether I deserved to live, and hoping it'd all end soon.

'Tanzanite, do not stress yourself so much. Your scales are beginning to go bold again.'

'Says the dragon who's oh so LAME. Come on Kunzite, give me a break.' She stared at the ground in guilt, but I didn't feel sorry for her. I'd had enough of her blank expression and completely stable emotions. I'd had enough of everything in life, as a matter of fact. I was just so sick of being trapped in this tower with my annoying older sister.

'Tanzanite, what are you thinking about that is stressing your scales?' She looked up at me like a wolf cub.

'Nothing. Just leave me alone.' I tried to look like I didn't care, but she looked right through me.

'I know something is bothering you. I can feel an aura of shame and guilt emanating from you.'

'Kunzite, I'm leaving. Your powers are scaring me, and your way of thinking is just so... ugh, so INFURIATING.' I charged out of the room before she could say anything else, and left the kingdom like I have done on countless occasions. But this time it was different. Dragons were fighting, and I'd get hurt if I wasn't careful, but I didn't want to go back home; Kunzite would think of me as a scaredy scavenger, and I didn't want her to think lower of me than she already did, and that was pretty low. So off I went, soaring upwards just enough to have remained unseen by the armies of Minedreamer soldiers, and dived downwards, manoeuvring myself carefully so as not to be seen by anyone. I headed into the Mine Domain unseen, well... at least that's what I thought. As I crept quietly past stalactites and small huts, I heard someone yell at the top of their lungs,

"INTRUDER!"

I fled quickly and quietly while managing to not stress my scales, which, mind you, is extremely hard, and managed to find a corner hidden by a few large stalactites. I saw a dragon hidden there too, but he looked harmless, seeing as to how he was as still as the large Queen Onyx statue that remained in the abandoned palace. I tried to gesture to him with my wings, to see if he'd allow me to stay with him behind the stalactites, but he looked at me in a sort of confused manner. I decided that he wasn't going to hurt me, so I jumped in next to him. He looked so scared when I did that, he looked like the scavenger drawings I had seen in scrolls.

"Why aren't you fighting?" I asked.

"I don't want to get killed, in case you couldn't tell by my previous traumatised appearance. What's your excuse?"

I obviously couldn't tell him why, otherwise he'd have attempted to kill me for trespassing.

"I'm not fighting because I don't want to. It's as simple as that."

He wasn't convinced.

"You're obviously a Clouddreamer, but why are you here? Oh my moons, you're a spy, aren't you! Oh please, please don't—"

"My moons, you're annoying! I'm not a spy, and I am most definitely not going to kill you! And anyway, if I were a spy, wouldn't I have tried to keep hidden?"

He kept silent after that, and he looked as though he was deep in thought.

"Trying to figure out why I'm here?"

He nodded.

"Then let's make this into a game. I will let you guess why I am here, and you have three clues."

He nodded again.

"Okay, so first clue."

"Um, I was... really bored back at the Cloud Domain? Sorry, that was really bad."

He thought for a little bit, and came up with an answer a few minutes later. This went on for a little while, until a guard heard us.

"Who might you two be?"

We looked at each other, scared to death.

"Um, this is... um... uh..."

I was terrified, I could barely speak. We had no choice. We had to run. I created a cloud of fog to hide us from the guard for a little bit.

"Quick, follow me!" I yelled out.

We quickly escaped the guard, and quickly left the kingdom.

"Where now?" my new dragon friend asked.

"We will have to fly away quickly and as far as we can. We can't let anyone know of our whereabouts. Maybe to the rainforest, where there are little to no dragons. Yes, we will go there..."

He looked at me with a worried expression.

"I can't just leave my kingdom! I have my mother and siblings to look after!"

"Yes, but... a guard has seen you hanging around with a runaway Clouddreamer, he will think of you as a traitor, and inform your queen immediately. Then we will both get killed."

I guess I had left the poor dragon with a hard choice to make; leave his family for safety, or go back to them and risk getting killed.