Sunlight and glowing crystals didn't mix very well, and Lily's eyes were the ones suffering the resulting clash of shadow and color as she made her way down to the bottom of the pit. She was used to white and brown and black, not bright colors that would be more at home in the warm-season. Combined with the smelly hot air bubbling up from the depths, it was enough to make her nauseous.

"This place is much more enjoyable from afar," Beryl said, dramatically waving a paw in front of his face as he carefully made his way down the last stretch of jumbled stones.

"It's definitely an acquired smell," Ember rumbled, following along behind Lily. "One I would rather not acquire, truth be told."

"Same here," Lily muttered. She had no comparison for the unique stench coming off the boiling pool, and no desire to try thinking of one. If all went well, this was the only time she would be climbing down into these smelly depths.

Or maybe the second-to-last time, if she decided to take the pack down into the very same hidden world Pyre had left so long ago. She didn't know if that was going to happen, or if it was even a good idea, so she could hope this would be the only time.

Beryl leaped down onto the brown, heat-baked rocks around the boiling pool, and moments later Lily followed, Ember a single leap behind. The two dark wings flanked her protectively as she took a place by the boiling water.

She wasn't sure how she felt about that; Beryl acting protective of her could be suspicious, but Ember was doing it too, and when it came down to it, they were both present to provide her with some safe precautions. Ember was both a potential threat for her to leverage, and a quick getaway route. Beryl could be a distraction, or a messenger if one was needed, or just moral support. Or all three. Both males could count as advisors or representatives of the dark wing family, if anyone else asked why she had brought them.

If the guardian asked, though, Lily would tell the truth. As far as she knew, the truth could be pulled out of her with a moment's thought, so she would lead with it and use it to her advantage as best she could. Whether she would need any of these ploys or precautions depended on why the guardian was waiting for her.

"Is there some sort of summoning ritual?" Beryl asked jokingly. "Do we need to chant a name and kill some prey to throw into the water? Shed our own blood? Spit into it?"

"Where did you even get those ideas?" Ember asked.

"Some No-scaled-not-prey we both knew," Beryl retorted smugly. "The identical ones. They spent a few days talking about sacrifices to bring someone back from an endless sleep."

"Okay, yes, that sounds like them," Ember grumbled. "But no, you just need to start talking. I think."

"Guardian of this island!" Lily barked, staring at the center of the opaque, slightly yellow-tinted water. "I am here!" She hoped she came across as impertinent and more than a little impatient, because she was both.

'You are here,' the same voice she remembered from the night before said quietly. 'Finally. Alpha of the light wing pack, daughter of the last alpha. Killer of the last alpha.'

"If you dug far enough into the memories of my pack to know that, then you also know why I had to do it," Lily growled.

'And why you feel no remorse,' the voice agreed. 'It is irrelevant. Your pack has endangered something much bigger than itself, and you are responsible. No-scaled-not-prey persist in searching these waters, in threatening the secrecy, and they are here because your pack did not deal with them.'

"Because we couldn't," Lily huffed. "Again, you should know all about it."

'I did not rifle through the minds of everyone on this island looking for answers,' the voice said, sounding slightly annoyed. 'Yours, a few others who knew nothing but what you told them. And all I have seen implies your pack could have dealt with them.'

"If I was willing to sacrifice my people for it, yes," Lily snarled.

'Yours, or others later on. Either way, there would be sacrifice.'

"Others aren't my concern," Lily retorted. "Maybe they're yours, but you can't blame me for not considering the interests of someone I didn't know existed, and don't owe anything to even now that I do." She noticed that Beryl and Ember weren't talking, and cast Beryl a questioning look.

"We can only hear your side of things," Beryl explained. "Sounds like it's going well," he added with a snort.

'But the consequences of your choices are your concern,' the voice said sternly. 'One such consequence is that your pack may not enter the realm I guard while it is under threat.'

"And if we didn't want to enter your realm anyway?" Lily asked. She hadn't even begun to weigh that particular set of options, in part because she hoped to get a lot of clarifying information from this voice.

'Your pack leaving would draw the No-scaled-not-prey and their thralls away, preserving secrecy. It is your choice, and a choice only the alpha of your pack could be given. To stay and aid in driving away the danger, or to leave and take it with you.'

Lily hummed thoughtfully at that. "What," she asked after a moment of thought, "makes this so urgent for you? Why can't you be rid of the No-scaled-not-prey on your own?"

'My reach is not infinite, and No-scaled-not-prey are difficult to affect permanently. I can confuse them when they come close, make them turn around or turn aside, I can wipe their memories of this island if they come close enough, but I cannot make them go away entirely, and those outside of my reach can see something is wrong.'

She nodded to herself, understanding the difficulties inherent in that. It was a puzzle for Grimmel, one that he probably knew existed. So long as he used those under him to poke and prod at it and stayed away himself, or even just left himself reminders for when his own memory was affected, he would remain aware of it. And since he knew it was probably hiding his prey, he wouldn't give up or ignore it.

"Leaving might not even work, then," she said, speaking her mind as conclusions came to her. "Something is here, and they all know it." A dark wing sighting might bait Grimmel away, but those under him would remember, and their group could return someday. "You have to get them all at once."

'Which will not happen on its own,' the voice confirmed. 'But with clever planning and the aid of scores of light wings, it could be done.'

"When you say it could be done, do you mean wiping their memories and sending them on their way, or do you mean killing them?" Lily asked. She wouldn't be bothered by either, truth be told; all she wanted was for her pack to be left alone. But the reason behind the answer she got might tell her something important about the guardian.

'Death is reserved for those who come here with full knowledge of what they seek. Your people may kill, but I will not aid in a slaughter.'

"In other words," Lily snorted, "you need to keep your paws clean, but we can do the dirty work if we want," She wouldn't normally have said such a thing, not when it could be left unsaid and used as leverage, but odds were the guardian knew she had thought it. For all she knew, her every half-formed thought was as audible as the words she growled and rumbled.

'Yes,' the voice said without the slightest hint of guilt. 'Death is a final, irreversible alternative. I do not deal it out unless there is no other choice, and there is a choice here.'

"And if we drive Grimmel away, only for him to come back later?" Lily asked.

'They would be returning to seek this island out, not investigating something they happened across,' the voice said coldly. 'A force would be raised from below to eradicate them, completely and utterly. But that cannot happen, because we will be sending them away with no knowledge of anything that happened here.'

"Draw them in and wipe their minds, then," Lily conceded. "With your help, we might be able to do that."

'I have no doubts you could do it,' the voice assured her. 'You, specifically. All think well of your ability to plan and maneuver.'

"They've had plenty of examples over the seasons," Lily hummed.

'Then it is decided. You will lead your pack in bringing all of the No-scaled-not-prey into my reach at once. Then you and your pack will go below.'

"The first part of that sounds good, but I'm not decided on going down," Lily huffed. She blinked, realized she hadn't been blinking as tears flooded her vision, and closed her eyes to the hot fumes of the pit. It was hard to focus on anything other than talking when that voice was in her mind; she hadn't totally blanked out, but neither could she have said with any confidence what had gone on around her while she spoke just now. Beryl could have started dancing around on his hind legs, and she might not have noticed.

'It is a world free of No-scaled-not-prey,' the voice offered. 'Vast, endless caverns supporting a variety of life, prey and plant. All kinds can live down there, given the right place to call home.'

"Including a big pack of light wings used to the sun and sky?" Lily asked curiously. "Because you know we're short a safe home at the moment." Hope sprung up in her chest, and she hummed thoughtfully. "Could you remove all memory of us from the No-scaled-not-prey, even our old home?" They could go back to the valley! Although killing them all would also allow them to go back to the valley… But for the moment she was hearing the guardian out, not arguing about methods.

'The older the memories, the harder it is to remove them,' the voice informed her. 'The further from my island they originally took place, the less likely they are to stay gone. Your valley will likely always remain in their minds, in one way or another, and may even be the last place they remember.'

"So they might go straight back there," Lily sighed. She didn't see any reason for the guardian to lie about that, so she would take it as fact for now. "Anything else I need to know about your limitations?"

'My limitations are mine, not for all to know,' the guardian growled. Lily didn't know if she was imagining the rocks under her paws vibrating, but she didn't need a physical sign to know she had put a paw in exactly the wrong place. 'Do not ask again.'

"Understood." She shook her head, hoping to drive off a building headache. "But you promise there's a good place waiting for us down below?" If she couldn't have the valley back, she wouldn't mind having a good replacement pointed out to her. The pack needed somewhere to go.

'I promise nothing other than the opportunity to look for such a place,' the voice cautioned her. 'I am a guardian of an entrance and an exit, a passageway. What exists on either side is not under my control. Only who comes and who goes. Good places for your pack do exist, available for the taking, and places that would be the death of your pack also exist. I will not guide you, or tell you which is which, or intervene in conflicts, either for or against you.'

"You're no alpha," Lily murmured. "Got it." It sounded like a risk, but then again, continuing to journey above the ground was a risk too. She wasn't about to commit to anything, but going down into this hidden world sounded like a much safer bet than continuing to wander aimlessly above the ground with Grimmel possibly still looking for her pack.

'I am guardian of this island and all who pass through it,' the voice corrected her. 'I will do what I can to help you, if you help me, but that help will be restricted to what I can do here and now. The world below is vast, and I cannot sense more than a tiny portion of it on my own. You will be beyond my sight within a cycle of going down.'

"That's comforting," Lily said, meaning it with all her heart. She was thankful there wouldn't be anyone riding in the back of her mind for the rest of her life, or however long her pack was down there. "Anything else you need to talk to me about?"

'Come to me when you have a plan that requires my aid, or questions about what I would be willing to do,' the voice instructed her. 'For now, there is nothing else.'

"Then it has been… interesting… talking with you." Lily blinked twice, but her eyes were slow about clearing up and focusing on anything but the air above the boiling pool. "Why is it so hard to talk to you?"

'Immense strength may crush a pebble all too easily,' the voice said cryptically. 'Especially strength trained to only certain purposes for longer than you could comprehend. There are side effects.'

"That's a nice way to put it," Lily said politely. Her eyes were done readjusting, and both Beryl and Ember were waiting for her at the base of the path up… She didn't remember when they had moved from her side, but she hoped they had only moved once they heard her side of the conversation winding down.

There was no response, and she took that to mean that the voice, or possibly the body it came from, was gone. Or ignoring her. Or out of sight.

"How did it go?" Ember asked, falling in behind her as she leaped up the first of the couple dozen small boulders making up the bottom of the path.

"We talked about a lot of things," Lily said absently. "I don't know what we're going to be doing yet." She also didn't know if she could count on his family to participate, which was an issue that had only just now come to mind. "Ember."

"Yes?" Ember asked. "I'm ready to take you back up."

"That would be appreciated," she hummed, glad he had reminded her. "But I was going to ask you something. What does your family intend to do now?"

"I don't really have one answer for that," Ember said slowly. "There are reasons for some of us to want to stay, but we don't know what staying with your pack would entail. War, more journeying? Staying on this island? Going back to the valley?"

"I'm not sure yet," Lily admitted, "but right now, I'm leaning toward helping this guardian be rid of Grimmel, and then looking for somewhere to call our own. That might mean going down into this underground realm, since we're here and it's apparently No-scaled-not-prey-proof."

"I would like to see that place, if only to know what it's like," Beryl said thoughtfully. "It seems like a waste to come all the way out here and not take a look around."

"Don't tempt my curiosity," Ember said lightly. "So long as we can come back up to the surface, I'd like that too… I'll see what the others think."

"Let me know if you decide on a course of action," Lily requested. "And when we get out of this pit, drop me off at the sleeping caverns." She needed to get a few more explanations from certain light wings, and one would almost certainly be sleeping late after leading the night's scouts...

O-O-O-O-O

"What do you mean, a whole group has not shown up yet?" Lily demanded. "I thought everyone was here except for half of Mist's group?" She was sure Ember had said all but one group had arrived… Or maybe he had meant that one group was still absent, and hadn't counted Mist's partially-returned group as absent since some of them had made it...

Cara shrugged her wings as if it wasn't a big deal. "Flare's group has not arrived yet. They are probably just moving slowly."

"Or dead, or captives of the No-scaled-not-prey," Lily growled. There was almost no chance Flare was travelling slowly of his own accord, and to travel so slowly that she beat him to this place was downright ridiculous.

Cara scowled at a scraggly, snow-covered mass of seaweed as they passed it, and Lily heard the distinct sound of a tail smacking the snow off of something a moment later. "Ember says the No-scaled-not-prey did not have any captives as of half a moon-cycle ago. If you trust him."

"I do, to an extent," Lily said carefully. They were currently alone, circling the island's shores, and if she recalled correctly Cara had seen something of Ember's abilities before they left the valley… She had left that situation for Beryl to handle. "Do you not?"

"He refuses to tell anyone how he does it," Cara grumbled, doing exactly as Lily had hoped she would and elaborating on the situation without being asked. "Beryl told me not to talk about what he can do because you wanted it kept secret, and now when anyone asks he says something vague about us having camouflage, and him having his own special ability. But that makes no sense because none of the other dark wings can do anything like it."

"He told me," Lily said. Of course, that wasn't really true; she had been told in bits and pieces by Beryl, Pearl, and Ember. But Cara didn't need to know, especially if she was already suspicious of Ember. Especially when knowledge given to her might work its way back to Holly. Leverage with the dark wings was not something Holly needed to have. "I am the only one who needs to know. His explanation is not wrong, it just leaves some things out."

"And I do not like things being left out when it comes to how useful someone might be in a fight," Cara growled.

"Assume he is exactly as you have seen, and you know all you need to know about how he can perform in a fight," Lily said. "Practically speaking, you know all you need to." If only because Cara didn't need to know anything about Ember to strategize; Lily had no intention of pulling him into any future fights. She had already been warned against such manipulation.

"Yes, alpha," Cara grumbled. "You wanted to know about the No-scaled-not-prey?"

"Give me a summary of how they've approached this island and how they've been turned back," Lily requested. Her view of the horizon was unmarred by No-scaled-not-prey ships at present - and it was a huge relief to know that there was no chance of being spotted or ambushed on this particular shore, thanks to the guardian. That didn't tell her much about what had been going on, though.

"I can only speak for what happened after I arrived," Cara huffed. "I think I got here about the same time as the bulk of their forces, though. First, three big ships came and went in a circle around the island."

"Not landing or attacking," Lily guessed. They would have gotten close enough for the guardian to affect them, and then presumably sailed on with a big blank spot in their memory instead of whenever they had looked at the island… Or something like that. She was going to have to go back, or send someone back, with questions about exactly how the No-scaled-not-prey could be redirected. Hopefully the guardian would answer them.

"Holly had us all stay back in the forest, but I was sure they had seen some of my scouts," Cara recalled, sounding as if she was straining to remember exactly what had happened. "They did not act like they had seen, though. They went around and left without any trouble. Later, a single Deathgripper came around, but something happened midair, and it threw the rider off."

"What happened to the Deathgripper afterward?" Lily asked curiously. She didn't know how many were under Grimmel's control, but between the fights at the valley and the ones she and Beryl had killed, he had to be running low. Sending out only a single scout sounded like he was trying to conserve them. She could use that.

"I do not know," Cara admitted. "Holly said it was fine, that we did not need to worry about it. After that, they only came in ships. Every few days, at least one sails toward the island. Sometimes they turn and go a different way, others they circle around. We have not attacked any, in case they still do not know we are here."

"That's good, I can use that," Lily hummed. Grimmel knew something was here, but he had no clue what… and if he was being cautious enough to only send a tiny fraction of his force at a time, she wouldn't accomplish anything fast by picking off those he did send.

"Does this mean we get to sink them, rip them apart, and flame the remains?" Cara asked hopefully. "Because I am entirely ready to do that. All this hiding and running makes me mad, and once we kill them all we can go home."

"We're going to handle them, but it's not going to involve killing them all… or going back to the valley." Lily didn't want to start an argument, so she left it at that. "But it will involve some maneuvering and probably some fighting."

"I would like that," Cara said simply. "I am itching to rip someone apart." She tossed her head, shortened ear nubs sticking out stubbornly, a visible reminder of where at least some of her desire to fight stemmed from. "Holly keeps saying we need to be smart about it, and Aven keeps telling her we should not fight at all, and I am outnumbered."

"There's only one number that matters now, and it's one," Lily said. "Me. When I have a need for you, I'll let you know. Until then, keep the patrols going, and don't engage."

A low, resonant roar sounded from somewhere behind them, and Cara turned around just to scowl at the trees. "Can I fight her in the meantime?"

"'Her' being… Storm?" Lily guessed, recalling Storm's abrasive attitude, roaring lessons with Root, and insistence on annoying his neighbors.

"Yes, her," Cara confirmed. "She is insufferable. I do not know how Root stands her, even if she did teach him to see again. And that just makes him annoying."

"So he's done it?" Lily asked. She hoped he had, with Flare and Whirl missing he probably needed a win. Being able to see with his ears definitely counted as such.

"Ask him yourself," Cara snorted. "I am going to fly high enough that I cannot hear them." She spread her wings and crouched, her eyes on the sky.

"I wish you luck in that," Lily offered.

"Thanks, Lily," Cara snorted rudely.

"Alpha," Lily growled.

"Sorry. Alpha." Cara grumbled something unintelligible and launched into the air.

Lily had intended to stick around and watch the waves while she pondered the situation - or nap in the warm sunlight, since she didn't have to worry about being seen now - but Cara's departure left a bad taste in her mouth. Literally as well as figuratively; she had kicked up some sand that found its way onto Lily's tongue.

Another sonorous roar echoed from the forest nearby, and Lily found herself following it. Checking up on Root and Storm seemed like a good use of her time, especially as Root was probably going to be in need of some consoling. She was alpha, she was supposed to be there for him.

If he even wanted her around; she was responsible for splitting the pack into groups, and therefore for Flare's group not making it. Or just not having arrived yet, there was no way to know what had happened to them. Lily had the sinking feeling that any answer she was likely to get was a bad one, but that could just be cynicism taking over. They could be fine.

It was with thoughts of careful consolation and serious discussion that she shoved through a stand of thorns and leafless bushes, and beheld the source of the roaring.

For a long moment, Lily had the urge to look away and give the tangled pair the privacy they should have known better than to expect so close to the rest of the pack. Then she realized that, despite appearances, they weren't mating like she had thought.

Root roaring in Storm's face and smacking a paw under her chin in an attempt to knock her off of him was a big hint that she had misinterpreted the situation, and Storm leaping back to swing her tail at him was another.

Root let out a barking roar that terminated in a cough, then rolled to his side and narrowly avoided the tail, which Lily could tell now had been swung somewhat slowly. The same could be said for Storm's lunging pounce that followed it up, though Root wasn't quick enough to react to that, and ended up on his back again, shoving Storm away and roaring yet again.

"Faster!" Storm barked, stamping down to pin his tail. Her claws weren't out, but from the way Root reacted, yelping and yanking it out from under her, she wasn't holding back anything else. "No noises you cannot use!"

"I know!" Root scrambled onto his paws and away from her, putting a tree between them. "Break!"

Storm growled, then shook herself and nodded. "Okay, break. But why?"

Root roared again, long and loud with the same sonorous quality Lily had noticed before, then turned to face her. His flat eyelids rose, and he tilted his head, acting as if he could see her. Because he could.

"I see you've figured it out," Lily purred. "That's great!"

"It is not as good as I make it seem," Root huffed, though his ears belied his apparent solemn attitude, rising straight like a fledgling who had just done something particularly impressive and was expecting praise. "But… yes, I have the basics figured out."

"And keep in mind," Storm volunteered, "the basics are all anyone else knows. He knows more than I do now."

"What about Ember?" Lily asked curiously.

"More than him, too," Storm replied.

"All I am doing is trying to roar faster," Root objected, ducking his head. "It is not that big a deal."

"It is something my brother does not know how to do, and he has had decades to figure it out, so I say it is a big deal," Storm snorted. "So, alpha, any news on the late light wings?" She gave Lily a serious look entirely at odds with her jovial tone.

"You know as much as I do," Lily said. "And your family has my thanks for looking after Root until they return."

"I do not need looking after," Root grumbled.

"He does not," Storm agreed. "I just like keeping him around to annoy Spark."

"Spark is impossible to annoy," Root snorted.

"Which is why it is a challenge worth taking on," Storm retorted. "Now, if the glorious alpha is done checking up on us, we can go back to beating you up, and she can go back to whatever it is she does all day when Beryl is not around to stare at."

"She says while staring at a male," Lily retorted mildly, letting Storm's accusation provoke nothing more than amusement. It couldn't have been more than a baseless jab; she had not even seen Storm since the valley, so Storm could know nothing about her and Beryl… and she had been staring at Root throughout the conversation, slyly enough that she probably hadn't thought Lily would notice.

"I was wondering whether his tail would bruise where I stamped on it," Storm said innocently. Root pulled his tail in and turned away from both of them, seemingly embarrassed… Though he had a look she recognized from season-cycles of dealing with her pack's older fledglings when they were interested in each other but unsure how to show it...

Lily eyed the two of them, wondering whether her initial impression was closer to correct than she had thought. They had clearly only grown closer over the last moon-cycle, and Whirl wasn't around to speak ill of Storm…

Storm silently nodded toward Root, then herself, and shook her hindquarters suggestively, a massively inappropriate look on her face. Then Root began another of his seeing roars, and she turned the last shake into a quick hop-step that looked almost intentional, closing the distance between them with a roar of her own.

The two clashed, and Lily felt like she was intruding on something once again, though the way they fought was more likely to produce bruises and scratches than eggs, mostly innocent. Mostly.

Lily resolved to keep an eye on that potential development; she didn't think anything big had happened between them yet, that wasn't the impression she had gotten from Storm's taunt, but that might not remain true for much longer. So long as Root felt good about it, she didn't object to the pairing, but given the circumstances, it was definitely something she needed to watch.

Along with everything else. She hoped she would have time for such small, benign things. Beryl came to mind, maybe because she was now so used to spending time with him. She didn't like the distance between them at all... But being alpha seemed to carry more responsibility than ever now, with no time to spare for anything else.

O-O-O-O-O

Dusk found Lily sitting and listening to a myriad of petty complaints. The nice view her current spot afforded of the pit, gleaming in the dying light, wasn't nearly enough to make up for what was assaulting her ears.

"... And I still think you should punish her," Diora finished petulantly. Some of the light wings waiting for their turn actually sighed in relief, though all endeavored to look innocent when the obnoxious female turned to glare at them.

"Let me be sure I have understood everything you've brought up," Lily said slowly. Her voice-induced headache from the morning had disappeared, but Diora was well on her way to giving her another. "You do not like that Silva was not in your group for the journey. You are unhappy that Silva refuses to sleep in your sleeping cavern, and instead sleeps with the dark wings. You think Holly is either in league with Pearl, or under some sort of threat, and did not take your side because of that. And you still want me to punish Pearl for stealing Silva."

"Yes, it is an affront to all that is right," Diora growled seriously. Lily would have laughed if she could have gotten away with it; after a whole moon-cycle, this was the best Diora could come up with to bring against Pearl, presumably with little else to do but think. It was reassuring, if nothing else, that Diora was so genuinely ineffective at more than petty grudge-carrying.

"Let's go through these one by one," Lily said. "Silva went with the dark wings while Pearl led her own group, so it doesn't seem likely that was Pearl's plan, if there was a plan at all. Silva is an adult, and fully capable of choosing where she sleeps. Holly never had any authority to intervene on your behalf to begin with. Silva has already said she went with Pearl of her own free will all those season-cycles ago."

"Yes, but…" Diora trailed off, her eyes wide. "Holly had no authority?"

"None over any aside from her group, regardless of what responsibilities she might have taken on out of necessity," Lily said carefully. There was a delicate balance between implying Holly had taken authority she wasn't meant to have, and implying Lily herself was too weak to prevent Holly from usurping her. Keeping to that balance left her defending Holly's actions more than she would have liked, but it had to be done. So long as she didn't have anything clearly wrong to condemn her with, she wouldn't act as if she did.

"I did not know that," Diora huffed. "It makes more sense why she did not intervene, now… And Pearl was so eager to let her take charge, I guess she knew that was the case. I am sorry for wasting your time, alpha."

Lily blinked as Diora walked away, amazed that the usually persistent female had given up so easily. But she wasn't the last one with complaints, and the next three light wings were already stepping forward, jostling for the spot right in front of her.

"Lily, we have an issue with the sleeping caves," the sole male of the trio said quickly as he planted himself firmly in the middle. "Every night, someone sneaks out of ours and comes back smelling like fish. The smell keeps getting worse, and today I found a rotten fish stuck in a crack at the back of the cave, stinking the whole place up."

"I know it was you," the female on his right hissed to the female on his left, glaring over his head.

"It was you," the other female hissed back. "I do not eat after dusk."

"And the issue you are bringing to me is that they are both at each others' throats about it?" Lily guessed. "You got the rotten fish out?"

"Yes, it has been dealt with," the male said. "Thankfully. The stench was being carried by the hot air, and sleeping in it was nauseating."

Which meant he just wanted her to stop the two females from fighting. Lily growled loudly enough that all three of them flinched, and glared at each of the females in turn. "Whichever of you didn't do it, just let it go. Whichever of you did do it, keep your fish outside the sleeping cave." Which they would do anyway, unless they were trying to cause problems, which Lily doubted. She wasn't even sure why they were fighting over it, if they both knew who was at fault...

"And you," she added, looking at the male, "sleep with your tail in the way of the back of the cave, or something. Just in case neither of them did it. If it happens again, tell me." She didn't have the time or inclination to dig around and find out whether any of these three had enemies who might try and cause problems for them, but it was possible.

"Yes, alpha," the male said thankfully, backing away. The females followed him.

Lily wished she could trust Holly enough to send her in to investigate the incident more thoroughly; she would have been perfect for that sort of thing. But giving her authority wasn't an option now, not after she had gone so far to take it on her own.

The last light wing waiting for her flicked his tail and nodded to her, showing far less respect than she was used to. Then again, Thunder wasn't one of hers, not really. "Ember sent me to tell you the dark wings are going to be talking about what we are doing, and he says you might want to be there."

"If I'm invited, definitely," Lily said, rising from her spot by the pit. "You can lead me there." She wasn't entirely sure where the dark wings had set up, aside from the knowledge that they were in the forest somewhat far from the caves.

"It is over this way," Thunder said, leading her into the forest. "Everyone is waiting, but Beryl told them you were probably busy, so they expected to wait."

"Which I was," Lily agreed. "Do they want me to just watch, or am I going to be asked to explain what my pack is doing?" She was all but committed to helping the guardian draw Grimmel's forces in, since that didn't seem to have any downsides, but she was still unclear on what would come after… and nobody in her pack knew even that much.

She didn't plan on announcing anything, either. This was the sort of decision that would go over better if it trickled down like something that wasn't a big deal; standing up in front of everyone and making a spectacle of it would open her up to being questioned.

"Nobody told me," Thunder said casually. "But I think Beryl just wants you around so he does not have to be the one explaining whatever we decide."

"Possibly," Lily hummed. "What do you want to do?"

"Stay with Crystal," Thunder said without hesitation. "And Storm. Storm will want to stay around for now, so that works. There are too many reasons to stay with your pack for us to want to leave."

"I had guessed as much," Lily agreed. She caught sight of a snowy white dome ahead, and a group of dark and light wings arrayed in front of it.

"We are here!" Thunder barked, announcing her to the entire group in case none of them had noticed already. He promptly left her side to go sit on Lightning's tail, off to the left of the main group. Crystal, sitting next to Lightning, laughed and helped her shove him off.

"We're glad you could join us," Pearl hummed from the other side of the gathering, Thaw on one side of her and Ember on the other.

"I hope I can shed some light on anything you may be unclear about," Lily said diplomatically. Beryl had an open space next to him, but she didn't think that would convey the innocent appearance they were cultivating, so she instead chose to settle down next to Silva, and by extension Herb and Thorn. Storm was seated next to Spark right across from her, pawing at a hard ball of snow with an expression of abject boredom.

Spark purred brightly at her, his face the perfect embodiment of innocence, and Lily purred back. Now that she thought about it, if Beryl ever needed to act innocent, he had a perfect role model to copy.

"Now that everyone is together," Ember said with a nod to Beryl, "and our friends in the light wing pack have their leader back," he transferred his gaze to Lily, "it seems like it's time to discuss what we're doing here."

"Bringing Thunder and Lightning to meet their other Dam," Spark chuffed.

"Not just that, not anymore," Storm snorted. "Silva is here to tolerate her Dam until she feels good about leaving and never thinking about her again, Pearl is here to work out her issues with said Dam, I am teaching Root things, and he is staying with us until his parents return. And Thunder and Lightning and me and Crystal." She kicked her little ball of snow, knocking it out into the open space between all of them. "There are a lot of little reasons."

Silva shifted uncomfortably, but didn't object to Storm's somewhat colorful description of her actions. Pearl, on the other paw, growled at Storm. "I am not the one with issues," she said.

"I have issues with the one who Sired me, that does not mean I was in the wrong," Storm snorted dismissively. "And I still think you should beat her bloody and be done with it."

"I'd rather you not assault my people," Lily interjected. "And I do not think that would resolve anything." It would give Diora a somewhat legitimate reason to hate Pearl, but she didn't need one of those.

"Exact word choice aside," Ember said loudly, "Storm has hit upon most of the reasons we have for wanting to remain with this light wing pack. But we are coming up to a turning point in this odd journey, and it seemed prudent to make sure we are all on the same page." Lily didn't know what his last word meant, but judging by the nods from around the circle, she was the only one. If it was one of his made-up words, it had long since slipped into this group's common vocabulary. Beryl might even have used it before; she could easily have forgotten one odd word.

"That is where I come in, I think," Lily said. "You want to know what my pack is going to do now."

"Whether there will be a minor war fought here, whether you intend to ask us to help fight it, whether your pack intends to go down into this hidden world afterward, and whether we're welcome to tag along," Ember summarized. "Yes. We have questions."

"Which I can answer, though I would ask you all to keep quiet about my plans," Lily said. "I have the general idea but not the specifics, not yet, and I don't want word of what I intend to spread before I do know the specifics."

"I think we can all agree to try and not spread rumors," Pearl said. "Thaw?"

"Nobody I play with cares about that stuff anyway," Thaw rumbled. His voice was still startlingly deep for a fledgling his age, though Lily thought he had grown into it a bit since she had last seen him.

"I can keep a secret," Beryl said, leaving unsaid that it would just be one more on top of the pile. The rest of the dark wings - and light wings, even Crystal, which reminded Lily that she badly wanted to catch up with her best friend - agreed without incident. Even Storm seemed to consider it a reasonable request.

"The guardian of this place wants my pack's help in bringing all of the No-scaled-not-prey to the island at once so their memories can be altered," Lily revealed. "I'm pretty sure that's a better plan than leaving them to investigate this place like they have been, and I think it can be done, so that's what we're going to do first. Then we're going to head down into this underground world and find somewhere to settle down, somewhere safe."

"Nope, that is a terrible plan," Storm said immediately.

"Is this you being obnoxious, or do you have a reason for saying that?" Beryl asked dryly.

"They are hunting dark wings," Storm retorted. "Draw them in, sure, but crush them here, do not mess with their minds and send them back out into the world! We are rare enough without some crazy No-scaled-not-prey chasing rumors of us."

"She has a point," Herb murmured.

"And I assume she also has a reason for choosing not to kill them," Ember added. "And that would be… what?"

Lily thought back to her conversation with the guardian, trying to recall the logic that had led her to agreeing that catch-and-release was a better plan. She remembered asking about it, she remembered being told that the guardian did not kill unless necessary, and that her people could but it wouldn't be smart…

She didn't remember thinking about whether it would be easier to draw them in and kill them. It was like she had just taken the guardian's words for granted and continued onward without thinking… and not thinking was not how she usually operated. Not on her own.

"I haven't fully considered the actual plan for that, as I said," she huffed, hiding her sudden confusion and suspicion. She was not sure that her thought process had been waylaid; the tunnel-vision effect of just talking to the guardian might have addled her thinking enough on its own, though no conscious effort of the guardian, or she might simply have not thought about it, no interference necessary.

But it seemed pretty convenient for the guardian that she had agreed with the guardian's own moral code without any argument at all.

"Well, when you do, think about us," Storm growled. "Since we stuck our necks out to help you, you should be willing to bite off a few hundred mass-murdering heads in return."

"I'm going to make sure we deal with them in a way that ensures they're not a threat going forward, if at all possible," Lily promised. "But whatever the plan ends up being, it will be mine. I have no right to order any of you to fight, or help in any way, but if you join the fight, I will have the right to make sure you don't mess things up. A single sighting of you in the wrong place or at the wrong time could ruin everything."

"Seeing Storm does tend to ruin things," Lightning mused.

"If we choose to pitch in, rest assured we'll consult with you as to where we can be most helpful," Ember rumbled. "And as for going down into this underground world… So long as we can come back up, I think I want to tag along and see what's there."

The dark wings all rumbled or nodded their agreement; it seemed they were all curious. Lily understood that, especially since they wouldn't have much trouble leaving if the underground wasn't to their liking. They had a safe home to go back to. It was her pack that was seeking somewhere to stay permanently.

"I would be glad to have you all along," she agreed. They brought with them experience in the world, one very powerful protector, people many of her closest friends would be sad to see go… and Beryl, who she didn't even want to think about losing now, or anytime soon. Even though it could eventually happen, his family was not bound to her pack in any permanent way…

Lily knew it was primarily concern over Beryl that had her speaking, but it was also in the best interest of her pack, so she didn't stop herself. "Have any of you given thought to joining my pack on a more permanent basis?"

Nobody immediately responded, and she knew she needed to explain herself before Storm rallied and mocked her incessantly, so she continued. "Half of you have ties to my pack already, in one way or another, and many of you will want to look for mates." She looked to Spark, then Thunder and Lightning, then Storm - who stared impassively at her, giving away nothing - and finally to Silva. "It doesn't sound like you've had any luck elsewhere, so it seems you're inevitably going to end up with even more ties to my pack. It only makes sense."

"It might make sense," Ember rumbled, "but no, we have not considered anything like that." It wasn't an outright refusal, but Lily knew better than to take it as a tentative yes. Ember did not sound enthusiastic.

"If I was part of your pack, would all the females stop following me around?" Spark asked. "Or most of them, at least? The ones old enough to be the Dam of my Sire ten generations back?"

"If they're still bothering you I'll make them stop," Lily said grimly. "Part of the pack or not." She couldn't exactly blame herself for not noticing that was still going on; she had only reunited with her people a day ago, and hadn't seen Spark since then. But she could add it to the ever-growing list of things she needed to deal with.

"I think Spark could do a little more to discourage those he isn't interested in," Ember said carefully, eyeing his son. "An authority figure forbidding things while the forbidden one seems interested might just make it worse."

"We are not talking about Spark's many stalkers," Storm snorted. "And I am not all that impressed with your pack, Lily. I would rather take the pawful of light wings who do not frustrate me too much with us, not join the whole group."

"I'm not so sure about joining the pack while Diora is around trying to cause problems," Pearl huffed. "And honestly, even without that… I like living with a smaller group, people I know and care about."

"But your children are going to want mates," Lily said, glancing at Thaw, who stared back at her with an unreadable look. "And they will probably come to my pack to look for them, because we exist and they know where to find us." She avoided looking at Beryl, who had yet to weigh in on any of what had been said. Even if he did join her pack, it would not solve any of the problems inherent in taking him as a mate, but it would at least keep him around until she got the pack to a place where she could begin tackling those issues.

"That's a while away from becoming an issue," Ember said firmly. "And to be entirely honest, I don't think any of us would feel comfortable joining a pack that is currently searching for a home. It may sound selfish, because it is selfish, but I don't intend to join my family to an uncertain cause when we have a perfectly good home waiting for us. Tag along and help out so long as we can leave at any time, yes, but nothing more."

"Well said," Thorn murmured. "Your pack may be… nice… but it is not stable enough."

"No, it may not be," Lily conceded. She wished she could feel insulted, and she greatly wished she hadn't brought this issue up at all. The truth was, her pack wasn't stable, especially not in comparison to them. Between Diora, their current lack of a home, the No-scaled-not-prey trying to kill them, and the attempted usurpation of her own authority she had just put down a day ago, her pack could hardly be less stable while still counting as a unified pack. She shouldn't have brought it up.

But she had brought it up and couldn't take it back, so she forced a calm purr from her chest and shook her head. "Just know that it is an open offer, for any or all of you. Especially those who came from this pack to begin with, or have family here. You," she said, looking at Thunder and Lightning in particular, will always be welcome."

"And maybe someday we will take you up on that," Lightning said. "But for right now… We are going to maybe help out in the fighting, then follow you down underground to see the sights?"

"Is anyone opposed to that?" Ember asked. "Objections?"

"If we decide that the underground is boring and want to go home, and Root's parents have not shown up, I am taking him with us," Storm said briskly. "And Crystal."

"Are you promising to abduct members of my pack?" Lily asked, glaring at Storm. She had the feeling that she was being taunted, not seriously challenged, that was how Storm operated-

"For a visit, of course," Storm said breezily, waving a wing as if it had been implied and Lily was just too dense to notice, though it definitely had not been.

"I would like to visit," Crystal said tentatively.

"We'll cross that water when we get to it," Lily huffed. "My pack would be happy to have you all along, so long as you stick to the rules we have already been operating under."

"Then it sounds like we're all in agreement," Ember chuffed. "Thank you for your time, Lily."

"Thanks for inviting me," Lily huffed, rising to her paws. She felt bad, the entire somewhat positive mood spoiled by her proposition and its rejection, and wanted nothing more than to go do something else and forget about her gaffe. Crystal could wait; she was already going somewhere with Thunder, Lightning, and Storm, so she wouldn't have time to talk anyway.

A black-scaled form stepped in front of her. "If you have a little while longer," Beryl rumbled, "I wanted to ask you about some of the specifics of what you spoke with the guardian about. Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure, I have time," Lily agreed. It wasn't like she had light wings lined up waiting for her to arbitrate their petty disagreements; she had already done that. And she had a few nagging questions in the back of her mind about mind-affecting dragons and the specifics of what they could do, so he could answer those for her in return.

They made their way out, away from the group and the big snow dome that they were calling home for the moment, out into the dark woods. They weren't totally alone, she could still hear voices in the distance, but it was close enough to solitude that she was able to relax.

"What did you want to know about the guardian?" she asked.

"Nothing," Beryl huffed. "Sorry I didn't say anything about joining the pack. I didn't know what you wanted me to say, so I kept silent to avoid putting my paw in my mouth."

"I wish I had put my paw in my mouth," Lily huffed, irritated with herself all over again. "Then my stupid question would have been too muffled to be heard."

"Not quite what that expression means," Beryl chuckled. He walked closer to her, close enough to brush up alongside her, and she leaned in, savoring the momentary contact for all it was worth. "It was not a bad question, it just… wasn't a good time. And my family likes our freedom. Anything less than a great deal is going to be hard to appreciate."

"Your family has the luxury of options, so of course they don't leap at the chance to join my mess of a pack," Lily sighed. She reluctantly pulled away from Beryl, belatedly remembering that they could be under observation by some random light wing at any time. "Any progress on finding a private place?"

"I'm beginning to make one, actually," Beryl said quietly. "Digging it out. It'll be small, but big enough for two, and impossible to notice unless you walk right on top of it."

"That's great," Lily purred. "Really great." Her heart was speeding up just thinking about it, and though she still wasn't anywhere near the mood to want to jump him right now, she appreciated that it would be possible soon. Difficult, but possible.

A high-pitched yelp rose from the forest off to their left, and Lily stopped walking. A small body crashed through the undergrowth nearby, giggling all the way, and moments later two light wings ran into view, chasing after the noises.

"You get back here before that berry juice stains!" one of the chasing light wings shrieked, leaping out in front of Lily and Beryl. A loud, mocking giggle rose from somewhere off to the right, and the light wing leaped after it. The other followed behind, running far more sedately.

"Hello, Lily, Beryl," Dew panted as she crossed in front of them. "Goodbye, Lily, Beryl."

Beryl's head turned as he watched the chase. "Maybe I will figure out a way to completely hide the thing I am digging out. Someone stepping on it might not be so unlikely."

"That would be a good idea," Lily agreed, thankful she had pulled away from him well before they had been seen. "In the meantime, want to help me figure out what we'll be doing with Grimmel's forces?"

"I'd like that," Beryl purred. "I have a few ideas. Stop me if these make no sense…"