"We appreciate that you've been letting us stay with you," Ozone said to Loess. "And it's been really nice living in Possibility for a little while. But Cornice and I have decided it's about time for us to continue our travels." He glanced at the white dragon, who nodded in agreement. "We never intended to stay here forever. I definitely want to see more of the world before I settle down anywhere—"

"And of course I'm going wherever Ozone is," chimed in Cornice.

"—so we're planning on heading out tomorrow morning, if that's okay. We don't want to overstay our welcome," finished Ozone.

Loess snorted. "There's no need for you to worry about any such thing. It's been nice having you here, and that's all there is to it. But if you really feel like you want to move on, the least I can do is give you a proper sendoff tomorrow."

Ozone smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Loess."

The potter smiled back. "I ought to be the one thanking you. You've been some of my best guests. The two of you brighten up the place just by being here."

"Of course we do," Cornice responded, grinning. "Your brown walls don't stand a chance against white, red, and gold. We're, like, the brightest colors possible."

"Not really," Ozone pointed out, amused. "We could've been RainWings."

"True," said Cornice, still wearing the same playful expression. Ozone didn't think he'd ever seen his friend smile before they'd come to Possibility, but now it seemed like he barely stopped. Ozone felt another pang of guilt for dragging Cornice away from the city, where he'd finally found happiness. But he'd given Cornice the choice, and his friend had chosen to come with him. Now, he just owed it to the IceWing to make his friendship worth it. "Hey Loess, don't go replacing us with any RainWings, okay?"

The larger dragon chuckled. "I'll try not to. But if a couple of RainWings show up in town needing a place to spend the night, I can hardly turn them away."

Cornice stuck out his tongue. "I guess we'll have to paint our scales neon colors. My eyes are resistant to brightness, though, so Ozone will have to tell me when his eyes start watering from looking at them. And then I'll make them a bit brighter."

"Don't blind him," Ozone protested mildly, while Loess laughed.

"All right, that's enough," said the older dragon. "I could sit here talking with you all night, but if you're going to be traveling tomorrow, you're going to need to get a good night's sleep. It's time you got to bed. Go on!"

The two dragonets obligingly went to the guest room for the night, where Cornice curled up on the bed and almost immediately began snoring. It seemed that even their earlier run-in with Jackal wasn't enough to shake his confidence.

But Ozone had a more difficult time falling asleep. He kept replaying the incident in his mind, over and over. Did Jackal really care about him? Or was the SandWing still trying to manipulate him even now? It was impossible to tell.

He glanced at Cornice, whose white scales shone in the faint moonlight. The ice dragon was the only friend he could still count on. Despite his underlying sense of guilt, Ozone was glad that Cornice had decided to stay with him.

The IceWing's words had stuck in his head. I'm not keeping score about who's helping who. I'm sticking by you because that's where I want to be. End of story.

There was something powerful about those simple words. Even Ozone's anxious mind couldn't find a way to refute a response like that. He couldn't worry that Cornice was only trying to repay some perceived debt, or that he felt obligated to help for some other reason. Whether he understood the IceWing's feelings or not, it was clear that Cornice wanted to be beside him. His biggest question was… why?

Don't even go there. He rolled over so his back was facing Cornice instead.

Ozone knew he needed to rest before their journey, but he was reluctant to close his eyes knowing this would be his last time sleeping under this familiar roof. His eyes kept drifting open, leaving him feeling much too alert in the quiet darkness.

He'd never been anywhere as far away as the rainforest; he had no idea how long their journey would be. He imagined there would be at least a couple of nights where they had to find shelter away from civilization.

We'll have to fly across the mountains sooner or later, he thought as he stared up at the ceiling, trying to remember his geography lessons. At least there'll be caves there for shelter. I think directly across the mountain range from here is the Mud Kingdom. But it might be best to follow the mountain range southeast, so we don't get lost. But Cornice said he's not good at flying through wind tunnels; that's how he injured his wing in the first place. I don't want him to be uncomfortable.

Would it be better to cross the mountains first and then go south through the Mud Kingdom? Or stay on this side of the mountains? And once we reach Jade Mountain, then we'd know to go straight east… The heat of the desert might be worse than the wind in the mountains, though. We could travel through the desert at night, so it would be cooler, which might actually be nice for Cornice.

But it would be dark then, and Cornice wouldn't be able to see…

Maybe I should ask him what he thinks.

It didn't sound like he was snoring anymore. Maybe he was awake.

"Cornice?" Ozone whispered tentatively. He waited in the silence for a moment, but there was no response from the other dragonet other than incoherent grumbling.

Ozone sighed.

It was going to be a long night.

"Thanks again," said Ozone. "For everything."

"Of course," said Loess, accepting his words graciously. "It was nice having you here. You're welcome to come back any time, you hear me?"

"We hear," said Cornice, nudging the potter affectionately with one wing. "We'll definitely come back to visit. Eventually."

Loess nudged him back. "I wish you the best on your travels."

"And we wish you the best, too," said Ozone.

Waving goodbye to Loess, the dragonets stepped outside into the cool morning air. They'd decided to head out early, so they could get as much traveling in during the day as possible. The sun had only just risen. The shops and houses cast long shadows across the streets, which kept the pavement cool beneath their talons despite the fact that spring was beginning to give way to summer.

"So, which way are we headed?" asked Cornice. "The rainforest is southeast from here, right? So if the sun rises in the east, and we can still see a little of the Ice Kingdom in the distance to north, that means… the rainforest is that way." He turned around in a slow circle and then pointed with one talon in the proper direction.

"Yeah," agreed Ozone. "But I was thinking we could make a quick detour to the library, and find a map to copy. Shouldn't we actually plan a route?"

Cornice made a face. "You're probably right. I distinctly remember crashing into a mountain last time I didn't plan out where I was going. But that was when I met you, so it ended up being a good thing in the long run, didn't it?"

"Hmm," said Ozone, tilting his head thoughtfully. "That's true. But I don't think you can count on running into any more friendly strangers."

"Good point."

Ozone found himself taking the lead, with Cornice following at a relaxed pace.

"I was thinking about this last night, actually," the SkyWing said. "We have three major options: head south from here, through the desert, until we reach Jade Mountain and then turn east to the rainforest; fly directly southeast from here and follow the mountain range; or cross the mountains and then travel south through the Mud Kingdom."

"Since when were you so practical?" Cornice sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Since never," admitted Ozone. "But I am an expert worrier, so I worried about this for most of the night instead of sleeping."

Cornice snorted. Ozone couldn't tell if the sound was one of impatience or vague amusement. "Just don't fall asleep while you're flying later."

"I won't," said Ozone. "Or I'll try not to, anyway. If I start dozing off, you have full permission to breathe your frost breath down the back of my neck." He shivered at the mere thought of it, and Cornice snickered.

"So did you decide which way would be best?" asked the white dragon.

"Uh, no," said Ozone, as the library came into sight. "I'm an expert worrier, not an expert decision-maker. I weighed the pros and cons, but I couldn't decide. It would technically be easiest to find our way if we went south through the desert, since Jade Mountain is an easy landmark to recognize, and we could just turn east there. But the traveling conditions would be miserable because of the heat during the day and pitch-blackness during the night. The mountains are second best as far as navigation goes, but I know they're difficult for you to fly through. We don't need any injuries. And the Mud Kingdom is just the last option. The MudWings might not think very highly of us if we go too deep into their territory, but at least the flying will be easy there."

There was a pause, as Cornice digested this information. "It seems like a pretty easy decision to me. Easiest flying, easiest journey. I vote Mud Kingdom. We can fly alongside the mountains for navigation purposes, so that won't be a problem. The MudWings might not particularly like it, but who cares? We're just passing through; we won't bother them for long. It's not illegal to fly over anyone's territory."

"You're probably right," said Ozone, in a reluctant tone. He started walking up the stairs to the library. "But I always want everyone to like me."

"That sounds like a you problem."

"Maybe," sighed the SkyWing. He reached the top of the stairs and held the door open so Cornice could pass through. "I can't really help it, though…"

His friend went inside and began to peer around curiously. "Wow, this is not at all what libraries in the Ice Kingdom look like. It's so colorful."

"That's because they want to make it look interesting to little dragonets," Ozone explained, following him inside. "Otherwise they won't learn to care about scrolls."

"Sounds lovely. That's not how it works in the Ice Kingdom, though. If we don't care about scrolls, our mothers just force us to care." Cornice yawned. "Besides, if you don't study, its impossible to keep your rank up. You learn to care pretty quickly."

Ozone yawned too. He felt pretty good, considering how early in the morning it was, but yawns were always contagious. Shaking off the drowsiness it brought on, he approached the counter, where a SeaWing was making notes on a scrap of paper.

The blue dragon looked up. "Welcome to the Possibility Library. How can I help you?"

"Um," said Ozone. "We're about to start traveling, and we were hoping to look at some of your maps before we go. And, uh, maybe you have…" He glanced down at the paper the librarian had been writing on, and saw that the other dragon appeared to have been playing a game of tic-tac-toe against himself. Was he already bored with his job this early in the morning? Maybe it had to do with the fact that there was no one around to talk to. Ozone, focus, the SkyWing reminded himself sternly. You're in the middle of a conversation here. He looked back up at the librarian's bemused expression. "An extra scrap of paper we can take? And maybe some ink, if that's not too much to ask for. So we can draw a copy of the map to bring with us."

"Three moons, Ozone," Cornice muttered. "You should've let me do the talking."

Ozone thwacked him with his tail without looking back over his shoulder.

"Sure," said the SeaWing. He leaned over the counter and pointed to the left. Ozone followed his gaze, and saw a series of shelves with neatly organized scrolls. "The maps are over there, in that section by the far wall. Once you find the one you're looking for, bring it to the desk over there and they'll copy it for you." He pointed to a desk not far from the map section, where a RainWing was sitting serenely with her eyes closed.

"Oh, really?" said Ozone. "That's not too much trouble?"

The librarian nodded. "It's part of their job. They've done it so many times that it doesn't take them long at all anymore. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you!" said Ozone, relieved.

"No problem," said the SeaWing, returning to his game of tic-tac-toe.

Cornice had already turned away, and was now walking over to the section the librarian had pointed them to. Ozone bounded to catch up with him.

It didn't take them long to locate the proper scroll. It was a detailed map of the entire continent, with a wide variety of landmarks labeled on it. Cornice paused for a moment, eyeing the map's heavily-inked surface. "This map is really thorough. It even has Frostbite's tree on it." He circled it with one claw, wistfully. "And there are so many places I've never even heard of marked here, in every kingdom. I wonder who traveled through all of Pyrrhia to make something like this."

"Maybe it was a group of dragons," suggested Ozone.

Cornice gave the map another appraising glance, and his expression became wry. "Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if the dragon who made this was once part of Famine's army. They did travel all over the continent as they conquered it. Ha!"

Ozone shrugged. "I don't really see how that makes a difference. It's not like it's invalidated as a source of information just because a soldier who lost the war wrote it."

Cornice rolled up the scroll. "Hmm. It would ruin it a little bit for me though."

"Why?" asked Ozone, mystified, as they headed for the map-keeper's desk. "The dragons in Famine's army were still just ordinary dragons, if you think about it. Our parents were part of that army, once."

Cornice shrugged. "I know. It's not like I look down on them for it, or anything like that. It's just… I don't think someone who went somewhere as part of a conquering force would appreciate the land as much as someone who grew up there. A SandWing could never understand the Ice Kingdom the way an IceWing does."

"I don't know…" Ozone disagreed. "The SandWing could've gotten information straight from the residents. He could have gone to IceWing meeting places, asked for all their stories and all their history and all the cultural importance of those landmarks. He could have really cared about the work he did and the dragons he talked to."

"Maybe," said Cornice, sounding unconvinced.

"You still don't think so," said Ozone.

"Well," said his friend. "I think the only dragon I would believe really feels that way is you." He set the map down on the desk in front of the RainWing, who opened her eyes and looked at the scroll. "We'd like this map copied, please."

She nodded, picking it up with gentle talons. "Sure."

"Do you really think I'm the only dragon who values other tribes' points of view?" asked Ozone, surprised. "That can't be true."

Cornice shrugged. "Well, maybe not the only one who cares at all, but the only one who cares deeply enough to actively seek out everyone else's thoughts and feelings. And I don't necessarily mean just other tribes. I mean other dragons in general. You're the only dragon I've ever met who cares about other dragon's opinions more than you care about your own. You put yourself in other dragon's claws all the time, even dragons who bully you and have seemingly no reason to act the way they do."

Ozone watched the RainWing copy their map. Her claws moved in deft flicks, tracing careful lines along the paper. As she worked, the lines she was copying appeared on her scales, like faint tattoos. He wondered if she noticed she was doing that; it looked like she was just so focused on her work that it was becoming part of her.

"There's always a reason," he said.

"Well, I never really thought the reason mattered before I met you," replied his friend. "Actions speak louder than words, and all that."

"And feelings speak even louder than actions," responded Ozone.

"Yeah, maybe they do, but you can't see or hear or touch feelings," Cornice said, flicking his tail. "You feel your own feelings. You don't feel other dragon's feelings."

"You don't?"

For a moment, Cornice just looked at him, surprised. Then his jaws curved into the hint of a smile. "I guess that's the difference between the two of us."

"Well, I can't always tell what dragons are feeling or thinking," Ozone admitted. "That's why I'm always trying to figure them out. But once I do figure out how they feel, it's like whatever separates our feelings disappears. It's not that I'm trying to empathize with dragons who hate me. I just can't help it. Their point of view replaces mine."

Cornice appeared to consider this for a long time. "I understand. I think. And I think… if I hadn't been raised in the Ice Kingdom, I would say that empathy like yours is a gift. It's more of a gift for dragons around you than it is for you, though."

Ozone couldn't help making a face at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I like you because you're empathetic. But on the other talon, it's also because you're so empathetic that you're thin-scaled and maybe don't like yourself. Feeling other dragons' anger and anxiety and sadness makes you sensitive."

Is that the reason? wondered Ozone. And also, He likes me?

He looked back at the RainWing, who had just finished copying out the map and held it up to make sure she hadn't missed anything. "Your map is done, philosophical dragons. Just give it a moment to dry before you roll it up."

Cornice turned to look at her, surprised, and then laughed. "I didn't realize that you were listening to our conversation. You looked so focused on what you were doing."

The RainWing smiled back. "Well, I can do both. And it was the most interesting conversation I've overheard in quite a while. Especially this early in the morning!"

"Thank you for the map," said Ozone, looking down at it. All of the details on it were exactly the same as the master copy; the descriptions had been printed in tiny, neat handwriting. "Three moons, how did you copy everything so fast?"

The RainWing shrugged. "It's my job. It's been my job for a long time."

Ozone continued studying her work, his eyes eventually coming to rest on their destination. "Can I ask—have you ever been to the Rainforest Kingdom?"

The RainWing shook her head. "Both of my parents hatched there, but I've never been to the rainforest myself. My parents were traveling merchants. Once they realized they were going to have eggs, they settled down here in Possibility."

Ozone wanted to hear more of the story, but Cornice poked him before he could ask any more questions. Right. We have to get going.

He carefully tapped part of the map with one talon, and then peered at it to make sure none of the ink had come off on his claw. Thankfully, it seemed dry. He rolled it up and looked back at the map artist. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Her scales turned a satisfied pink, and Ozone felt contentment bubble up beneath his own in response. Is that kind of empathy really so unusual?

Shaking off the thought, he turned and followed Cornice as the other dragonet led the way out of the library and back into the morning sunlight. There were a few more dragons milling around the streets than when they'd first set out. Ozone's gaze traveled curiously over the multi-colored limbs and wings and tails and came to a surprised stop on a familiar-looking grayish dragon standing at the intersection.

He stopped walking. What is he doing here?

The SandWing looked up and made eye contact with him. He swept one wing to the ground in front of him, as if inviting Ozone to approach.

"What are you looking at?" asked Cornice, coming back up the stairs when he noticed that Ozone was no longer following him. He followed the SkyWing's gaze to the corner. "Do you know that dragon? Wait, isn't that one of the Tribeless?"

"His name is Gravel," Ozone answered, opening his wings and gliding down the rest of the stairs. Cornice hurried after him, curling his claws as if bracing himself. Ozone lifted his chin, trying to look braver than he felt, as he came to a stop in front of the Tribeless dragon. "What do you want with us? Yesterday, we promised Jackal we wouldn't interfere with your plans. He said that he would let us go in peace."

"Don't worry," the tall SandWing said, flicking his tail. "I'm not here to kill you. Even if Jackal wanted to change his mind that drastically, I wouldn't let him. But we wanted to make sure you actually did leave, instead of hanging around. It's best to be careful, isn't it?"

"You wouldn't let him?" echoed Ozone. "I thought Jackal was your leader. Isn't he the SandWing heir—the dragonet of Famine and Rain Shadow?"

Gravel studied him, as if wondering how he knew. "Yes, he is. Or that's what he claims, anyway. It's useful to have a leader with a pedigree that makes dragons likely to pay attention. Our founder knew what she was doing when she sought him out. But he's also a dragonet. As smart as he is, he doesn't have enough experience to make all the right decisions. So I'm his advisor. His regent, one might even say."

Ozone was surprised that the older dragon was willing to reveal so much; he hadn't really expected an answer. Did Gravel genuinely think that he and Cornice were harmless enough to give information to? Or was he telling them how much influence he had over the Tribeless in order to make them afraid of him?

"Interesting," Ozone said, trying to look totally pacified.

"Hmm," said Gravel, squinting at him suspiciously.

Ozone held up his talons. "Sorry! I'm just curious. Too nosy for my own good."

"Indeed," said Gravel, arching his neck back in an amused-looking way. "I hope you realize that your nosiness is what started this whole mess in the first place. And the more messes you cause, the more likely it'll be that someone does decide to kill you."

"Well," said Ozone, edging away. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Yes, let's hurry up and get out of here," Cornice jumped in. Ozone glanced over and saw that the IceWing was giving him a meaningful look. But what did it mean? Was it really just a we have to go look, or could it be a there's something super urgent that I have to talk to you about as soon as we get away from this SandWing look?

Gravel put his wings back. "I'll walk with you to the edge of town."

To make sure we really, truly do leave, Ozone realized. It's a good thing we're not heading straight for the Rainforest Kingdom! When we fly off into the mountains, he'll have no idea that we're actually going across to the Mud Kingdom.

The three of them walked in silence until they reached the familiar-looking stone archway that marked the edge of the city. It seemed like it had been months since Ozone had first come here with his friends. The SandWings. Why did he still think of them as his friends?

Behind him and Cornice, Gravel came to a stop, waiting.

"Um." Ozone twisted around to face him. "Good luck with… um, everything."

Gravel raised his eyebrows, and then lowered his wings. Ozone's words seemed to have the effect he'd intended; the SandWing looked a lot less suspicious than he had earlier. Maybe, just maybe, this timid, useless SkyWing had managed to convince the Tribeless that he actually wanted them to succeed.

"Good luck to you, too, I suppose," said the older dragon.

"Thanks," said Ozone, automatically. After holding Gravel's unfathomable dark gaze for a moment longer, he turned and leapt into the air. As he and Cornice flew away towards the mountains, he forced himself not to look back.

It's time. We're off to the rainforest.