Once they had all slept a little more, they sat around the fire again, which Vulture was trying very hard to douse.
"If only we had an IceWing," he joked, after it finally burned out. "Then they could've just used their ice breath."
"I don't think ice breath works that way." Starseer remarked with a grin. Firelily just rolled her eyes.
'Seriously? You can flirt with him later, scavenger-brain.' Firelily thought, forgetting Umbra could read minds until she looked at her. "I'm talking—or thinking or whatever—to Starseer." She explained. Starseer looked over.
"Oh, sorry," she said, not quite sounding that sympathetic though not mean either. It was her normal "oh right I'm ten and I'm helping five year-olds" tone that Firelily hated. If not because she only used it when talking to Firelily when she was annoyed at Starseer, then because she acted like they were two months old. "Vulture, tell them the plan."
For a second, Vulture looked brain dead, like he was thinking of something else before Starseer talked so he needed to figure out what she said. "Right, the plan." He said after a short pause. Being face-to-face with the two dragons who dreamvisited her ever since she was old enough to remember, Firelily wondered exactly how she was able to put up with them that long. "So, since we were sent by Firelily's parents, we decided we'd head to the Scorpion Den first. That's were, presumably, Cactus and her brother are. Then we'd gather up our supplies and move out again to the Rainforest. Then we find the rest of your parents."
"What are you gonna do afterwards?" Dimglow asked, her tail swishing beside her. Firelily knew she was directing the question to Starseer and Vulture.
The NightWing and SkyWing looked at each other. Firelily rolled her eyes as they blushed.
"That is something between us, don't you think?" Starseer finally said, looking back at them.
"But, I think we may settle with trying to find our own families." Vulture added.
'And make them,' Firelily thought. 'How do you not have an egg yet, again?'
Starseer stared at Firelily, and she grinned. She knew she should probably be nicer to the dragons who were bringing her to her parents, but she didn't really feel guilty about it either. Then Starseer seemed to realize something and eased her own glance, it wasn't hard to assume she had just mind-talking with Umbra.
They dispersed once again to grab their things and eat one last time until they set out for the desert. Vulture didn't make it sound like they would be stopping until they get to the Scorpion Den when he talked about their flying route, unless if they pass an oasis and someone needs a drink. He also advised Umbra and Dimglow, along with Starseer, to fly a little bit more closer to the ground, since they were all darker-scaled and would get hotter faster. All he advised Firelily was to either think of happy thoughts so her scales turned light colors, or looked like a SandWing. She didn't quite now how she'd look like a SandWing completely, although she guessed from afar if her scales were the right color she'd look like a thin and small SandWing. Maybe.
Then they started flying in silence, and Firelily had time to think.
Not only would her friends be more obvious—saying she kinda looked like a SandWing and Vulture was a SkyWing, which were on Burn's side, and Umbra and Dimglow were almost obvious hybrids. Firelily didn't know much about the SandWing sisters who were the reason the war was going on, but she knew who was on who's side and that Burn hated hybrids.
But somehow, another, happier thought poked itself into Firelily's head: she was going to see her family. After only hearing stories about them, she was finally going to meet them. And her long lost brother.
With the two conflicting thoughts, worrying about getting caught yet so excited to be meeting her family soon, she was half-conscience about some of her scales trying to change color. She tried her best to keep them under control as she saw the gates to the Scorpion Den, and as they landed in front of it.
A SandWing was guarding the door. Vulture stepped up to him.
"What do you want?" The guard asked.
"I am Vulture of the SkyWings, and with me I bring Starseer the NightWing, Umbra the RainWing-NightWing, Dimglow the SkyWing-NightWing, and Firelily the SandWing-RainWing." Vulture replied smoothly. Firelily wondered how much courage it took him to even step near the guard, nonetheless talk to him, given Vulture's past.
The guard stepped back. "Welcome to the Scorpion Den. Cactus would be happy to know that his dragonet it found." The door opened and they all walked in.
From this moment, Firelily could hear her heart pounding as she took in the place in front of her. A place of dragons. Of SandWings. More importantly, her father and brother.