They reached the rainforest a little after nightfall. Cornice felt a satisfying ache in his wings as he landed by the edge of the trees, sore from their three days of flying. It reminded him of returning home to Queen Nunatak's palace after a full day of training. For once, the memory didn't bring with it a stab of betrayal and anger. Maybe he was becoming so involved in this new life with Ozone that he was starting to forget all the pain left over from the old one. Maybe those wounds are finally starting to heal.

But the rainforest looked impossibly dark at night, and he found himself hesitant to venture in blindly. He turned to Ozone. "Can we wait until the morning to go into the rainforest? I don't want to flatten my snout against a tree because I didn't see it."

His friend shrugged, as unaffected as ever. "Sure."

There weren't any good caves around, since their course had broken away from the mountains, but Ozone found a hollow area between the roots of a tree that was large enough for both of them. The hollow had a strong earthy scent, strange to Cornice after an entire lifetime smelling mostly frost and the salty ocean.

Different is good, he reminded himself, as he curled up on the soil.

Cornice tried to imagine what the Rainforest Kingdom would be like.

He'd read scrolls that likened it to paradise. It was said to have perfect weather and endless amounts of food to eat. But those scrolls had been written by RainWings and NightWings, the natives of the rainforest. They'd probably been a bit biased. After all, most tribes liked warmth and sunshine. Cornice would prefer someplace it snowed every day over someplace that was always sunny.

Despite his thoughts, it wasn't long before Cornice dozed off. It was hard to stay awake after a long day of flying, no matter how unfamiliar his surroundings were. When he blinked awake, the faint rays of early morning were streaming into the hollow. Ozone was still asleep, but the SkyWing's tail was twitching fretfully.

Cornice considered waking up Ozone, but decided that such an action would be unkind unless accompanied with breakfast. He crawled out of the hollow, stretched his sleep-stiff limbs, and set off in search of food.

The rainforest looked much more welcoming now. The light streaming through the treetops was tinted green, making the plants growing beneath the canopy look even more verdant. The chirping of insects was unexpectedly rhythmic. The sound reminded Cornice a little of ocean waves lapping at the icy shore.

Encouraged, he ventured into the trees.

The ground was covered in all kinds of bumpy roots, which Cornice kept stubbing his talons on as he walked. The space between the trees was filled with smaller bushes and curling vines, as if every inch of ground wanted to be covered in plant life. Cornice had to push through them to progress. The scent of the plants made it difficult to locate any kind of prey, but he eventually found some kind of animal and blundered after it.

He crashed through the undergrowth several times in unsuccessful chases before deciding to hunt on the marsh instead. Once there, he managed to catch a few ducks in a nearby stream. He brought his prey back to the edge of the rainforest, scanning the ground for the hollow he and Ozone had spent the night in.

Just then, a familiar red-and-gold head poked out from beneath one of the trees. Cornice angled his wings to land beside Ozone. "Here. Food."

"Thanks," said the SkyWing, accepting the duck Cornice was holding out to him. "I was wondering where you'd gone, but I figured it wasn't far."

"I've always been an early riser," Cornice said, shrugging. "Lying around waiting for you to wake up wouldn't have been very productive, so I decided to hunt. I tried in the rainforest first, but that did not go well, let me tell you. There were far too many vines I kept getting tangled in and big leaves that slapped me in the face as I tried to run by. Let's hope we meet someone who will take pity on us and show us how it's done, or we might not even make it to the Tribeless because we might starve."

"Well," said Ozone. "I think RainWings mostly eat fruit."

"Oh." Cornice supposed that did explain that.

"But even if worse came to worst, we'd be unlikely to starve," Ozone reasoned. "A dragon can technically go a month without eating if he has to."

"So this might be our last meal for a month? Cheers."

Ozone laughed. "Why so dramatic?"

Cornice wrinkled his snout, pleased by his friend's reaction but trying not to show it. "Hey, if you'd been the one trying to hunt in there, you would understand."

"Challenge accepted, I suppose," the SkyWing, ducking his head as he smiled.

Cornice wondered why Ozone always did that. It was like he didn't want anyone to see him smile. Like he didn't think his amusement was welcome.

Cornice wanted to say something about it, but he couldn't think of how to word what was on his mind. He didn't want to say it wrong and accidentally make Ozone feel awkward. Instead, he silently decided to do something about it.

The problem was that Ozone was insecure, wasn't it? His tribe had impressed on him that his shortcomings were insurmountable, that making any mistakes meant he was defective. Cornice just had to find some way to boost his confidence.

Although… that was probably much easier said than done.

After they finished eating, the dragonets finally set off into the rainforest.

Although Cornice had gone inside briefly during his failed attempts to hunt, this was Ozone's first time venturing into the almost otherworldly maze of trees and vines. He looked around with curiosity in his large orange eyes.

"This place is beautiful," he remarked, flying up to a large tree and landing on one of its gnarled branches. It looked wide enough for a couple of dragons their size to stand on without needing to fear they'd lose their balance.

Cornice soared up to join him. The wood felt oddly soft beneath his talons, and he found himself absentmindedly digging in his talons. He took another appraising look up at the canopy above their heads, with its greenish light streaming through. There were flowering vines tangled together with the tree branches. Each plant seemed to have slightly different leaves, but they were clustered so tightly that it was impossible to tell where all of them were coming from. Cornice had never seen anything like it. It was like being in an entirely different world. "Yeah, you're right."

Ozone flew to another tree a short distance away. "This is probably how dragons normally get around. I can't imagine walking through all that undergrowth."

"You're probably right," said Cornice, following.

Ozone led the way, the sunlight winking off his golden scales. They traveled for a while in silence. Cornice looked around, but the only signs of life were prey animals and insects. Still, that didn't mean that there weren't any dragons around. He'd heard that RainWings had impressive camouflage, to the point of invisibility.

"We should get our story straight before we meet anyone," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Ozone, twisting around to look back at him.

"Well, I'd rather not be too obvious about looking for the Tribeless." He glided to land next to Ozone. "If we come into the forest asking around for Rhubarb, it's possible that Rhubarb will hear word of us before we get a chance to meet her. We don't know much about her right now—only her name, and that she's involved with the Tribeless. If she knew anything about us, even just that we're really interested in the Tribeless, that could give her leverage against us. We'd probably be better off pretending that we've only heard bits and pieces about the Tribeless and are only vaguely interested."

"Hmm," said his SkyWing friend, soaring to the next tree. "That's a good point."

Cornice flew after him. "So what should we be? Star-crossed lovers, fleeing from the Sky Kingdom so we wouldn't be separated—"

"Why are we always lovers?" Ozone interrupted, wrinkling his nose.

Cornice shrugged. "It's a simple but convincing explanation."

"Why can't we just tell the truth?" protested Ozone. "Or part of the truth? We're friends, and we want to see the world. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I guess," said Cornice. "But you have no dramatic ambition."

Ozone shook himself emphatically. "Good! Drama is stressful!"

"All right, all right," said Cornice, rolling his eyes. "We can avoid drama and hope everyone allows us to take down a group of dangerous rebels in peace."

Ozone squinted at him suspiciously.

"Why yes, that was beautifully-executed sarcasm," said Cornice. "Thanks for asking."

Ozone snorted as if in disgust, but his orange eyes twinkled with amusement.

The SkyWing glided to the next tree with his talons extended. He landed neatly on the branch, but then suddenly pitched to one side with a yelp, wings flailing through the air. His tail smacked a flower, sending pollen everywhere. "Something bit me!"

Cornice landed next to him just in time to see the offending bug scuttle away. It had sharp pincers that continued to snap fiercely as it disappeared into a crack in the tree. "Is it bleeding?" he asked, as Ozone gingerly lifted his foot to examine the bite.

"I don't think so," responded the SkyWing, his brow furrowing. "But… there is a lump. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but it looks like it's getting bigger."

Cornice bent down and peered intently at the lump for a few seconds. It did seem to be getting slowly but steadily bigger. "Well, that's not good. Does it hurt?"

"Yes," said Ozone, blinking rapidly. His eyes seemed to be watering. "It stings a little. Actually, it stings a lot. And I'm starting to feel a little woozy."

He swayed on the branch. Cornice hastily reached out one wing to steady him.

"Um," said Cornice, his mind going blank. Back at home, he'd been taught basic first aid, but that didn't extend to dealing with foreign bug bites. "Take deep breaths?"

Ozone inhaled sharply, but it didn't seem to make a difference. He clutched his head with one hand, looking pained. His injured foot was starting to swell. He tried to take a step to steady himself and immediately keeled over.

Cornice leapt to catch him.

"Ozone!" he cried, looking around for a solution.

Plants. The only things he could see in any direction were unfamiliar plants. One of them might be the antidote, but Cornice had just come to the rainforest today. How was he supposed to know which one it was? He didn't even know what kind of poison they were dealing with here. He didn't know anything.

"HELP!" he shouted, as loudly as he could. "I need help! Is anyone there?!"

He gripped Ozone's arms in his talons, trying to keep the SkyWing from falling. Ozone's eyes seemed to have rolled back into his skull; only the whites were visible.

Cornice's heart lurched painfully. "Stay awake! You have to stay conscious!" He looked around desperately again, his eyes blurry with fear. "Someone, help!"

At last, he spotted another dragon. She was hurrying towards him, leaping lightly from tree to tree until she reached Cornice's side. She had mostly black scales, but her wings and the ruff behind her ears were a lime green color. If she was surprised to find a SkyWing and an IceWing in her rainforest, she didn't show it. "What happened?"

Cornice could barely force the words out. "Something bit him. It must have been poisonous. I don't know what it was! I don't know how to help him!"

The black dragon bent to examine Ozone. "His foot?"

Cornice nodded, swallowing hard.

She took the injured foot between her talons and studied it, holding on tight even as Ozone whimpered in pain and tried to pull away. "I see. This kind of bite only itches if you're a RainWing, but a lot of NightWings are allergic. I guess SkyWings are too. I can treat it. The village isn't far. Help me carry him."

Cornice boosted up Ozone's right side with his shoulder, while the black dragon took the left. Together, they hopped from tree to tree. Cornice was terrified that they'd drop the injured SkyWing, but the black dragon was much bigger than him, with a firm grip. She led the way, steady and confident.

"Hang in there, Ozone," Cornice whispered in his friend's ear.

Ozone didn't respond. Cornice wasn't sure if he was conscious. The SkyWing's labored breathing didn't sound good, but at least it meant he was alive.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before they reached civilization. Cornice was vaguely aware of colorful dragons swooping by in his peripheral vision, but he was preoccupied with guiding Ozone to the ground. The black dragon landed and immediately continued moving on foot, nimbly avoiding the roots that twisted across their path. Cornice had to look down at his talons to avoid tripping, and struggled to keep up.

Only when they came to a halt did he look up. The first thing he noticed was that they'd stopped in front of a tree, the base of which had been built into a house.

There wasn't any undergrowth in this area. Instead, there were numerous houses built against the bases of the trees. Cornice followed the tall trunks upwards with his eyes, and thought he could make out other structures closer to the treetops.

"This is my house," said the black dragon. "We have to get him inside."

Cornice nodded hurriedly and helped her guide Ozone through the door.

"Dawnbringer!" called the black dragon, as they passed through the doorway. "I need your help! A dragon's been bitten by a giant forest ant."

"Oh!" said another voice from further in the house. "I'll get the berries!"

"The darts, too!" called the black dragon. She grabbed a thick cushion that had been leaning against the wall and lowered Ozone onto it.

The SkyWing had his eyes squeezed tightly shut. His side rose and fell with sharp breaths. Cornice squeezed the talons on one of Ozone's hands helplessly.

A moment later, the other dragon came running back. She held a cluster of small pink berries in one hand and what looked like a needle between her teeth. Like the first dragon, she had black scales. But this dragon also had black wings, and a more stocky build. Her eyes were dark and shone with concern.

"Thank you," said the first dragon, taking the berries carefully. She held them above Ozone's swollen foot and then crushed them. The juice dripped down onto the bite. Ozone tried to flinch away, but the healer reached out and grabbed him before he could pull away. She carefully squeezed the rest of the juice into the wound.

Without looking up, she released Ozone and held out one hand. "Sleeping dart?"

The dragon she'd called Dawnbringer removed the needle from her mouth and handed it to her. The healer deftly stuck the needle into Ozone shoulder.

"What is that?" rasped Cornice, finally able to find his voice again.

Dawnbringer turned to him. "It's a sleeping dart. Your friend will be okay, but he needs to sleep to recover. This will keep him out through most of the pain."

The healer straightened up. "That's right. We got it in time. Don't worry."

"Thank you," said Cornice. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," said the healer, flicking her wings dismissively. Cornice noticed that they were a deep purple color. Had they really looked like that before? He'd been too panicked to remember. "I'm not going to just leave someone hurt."

Cornice exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. As soon as the anxiousness cleared, he was hit by a wave of sudden exhaustion. He must have been running on adrenaline ever since Ozone had been bitten.

"Hey, are you an IceWing?" Dawnbringer asked Cornice, poking him with her tail. He jumped at the unexpected touch. Contrary to him, she seemed to be bursting with curiosity now that the crisis had passed. "Is the dragon who got bitten a SkyWing?"

"Yes and yes," said Cornice, a bit awkwardly. So much for being discreet.

But she didn't seem suspicious at all, just interested. "What are your names?"

"I'm Cornice, and that's Ozone," he answered.

The healer cleared her throat. "I'm Starfruit, and this nosy bat is my daughter, Dawnbringer. Who usually introduces herself before asking other dragons their names, because that's polite." She gave the other dragon a significant look.

"Sorry," said Dawnbringer, without even looking at her mother. She didn't seem very sorry. "How did you two meet each other? The Ice Kingdom and the Sky Kingdom don't share a border, do they? And what brought you here, anyway?"

"DAWNBRINGER," said Starfruit.

"What?" asked Dawnbringer.

"His friend just had a severe allergic reaction," Starfruit responded, exasperated. "Give him a second to breathe before expecting him to answer questions, please."

"Oh," said Dawnbringer, finally seeming to notice Cornice's frazzled appearance. Her entire body seemed to deflate, head and tail and wings drooping in dismay. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be insensitive, I promise!"

"It's fine," said Cornice, strangely amused by the way the pair interacted. He'd never seen any mother-daughter duo act this way before. In the Ice Kingdom, respect for one's parents was one of the most basic rules. No one would dare disobey an order from their mother, spoken or unspoken, much less disobey it without even seeming to notice the order at all.

"You can ask me questions instead," offered Dawnbringer. "You're new, right?"

He hadn't had any pressing questions on his mind, but she seemed to be so eager to make up for her accidental rudeness that he found himself thinking of one to satisfy her. "Are you a NightWing? I've never met one before."

"Sort of?" Dawnbringer answered. "My mother's half-RainWing."

He glanced at Starfruit. Her wings and ruff were now infused with hints of pink. He hadn't imagined that they'd changed color. She was also built much differently than her daughter, with a longer neck and tail in proportion to her body. "Oh. Okay."

"My father's pure NightWing, though," Dawnbringer went on cheerfully. "As far as we know, anyway. It's possible that he had one RainWing ancestor, like, eons ago…" She glanced at Cornice, seemed to realize that he had already been satisfied with her answer, and then closed her mouth. She appeared to be waiting for more questions.

"Um… why are you called Dawnbringer?"

She turned her head, and Cornice saw that there were three pink spots behind her ear. "My mother said that these pink scales made me look a bit like sunrise."

"Oh, interesting," said Cornice. He did mean it, but his attention was starting to turn back to Ozone, who was curled up near his feet. Cornice wanted to make sure his friend was really going to be okay. He glanced down at Ozone, then up at Dawnbringer, and then back down to his friend. Thankfully, the SkyWing's breathing had evened out into the usual rhythms of sleep. The swelling on his foot seemed to be going down.

Dawnbringer only blinked, seeming puzzled, but Starfruit took the hint. "Come on," she said, grabbing Dawnbringer by the shoulder and pulling her along. "Let's give these two some space. You can talk to Cornice more later, if he feels like talking."

Cornice gave her a grateful glance, and she smiled back.

"Okay," said Dawnbringer, waving to him with a cheerful smile. "See you later, Cornice! I hope your SkyWing friend feels better soon!"

"Thanks," he called after her. "Me too."

Once the two black dragons had gone, he curled up on the floor next to Ozone.

Thankfully, his friend seemed to be doing a lot better already. The scales on his forehead were no longer furrowed with pain. Cornice's conversation with the two NightWings didn't seem to have disturbed him at all, despite Dawnbringer's loudness. The berries and the sleeping dart must doing their job well.

The SkyWing's scales were a little warmer than usual, but Cornice ignored the discomfort. He wasn't sure how long Ozone would sleep, but he wanted to be there for his friend when he woke up. For now, all he could do was wait.

AN: As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

It was an exciting one for me, because I'm finally starting to introduce a group of characters who have been hovering in the back of my mind for over two years now. They were originally supposed to appear much earlier in the story- or rather, the first part was never supposed to be nearly this long- so I'm happy you're finally getting to meet them. It was actually a little tricky coming up with a good introductory scene for Dawnbringer, but I hope you got an interesting first impression of her.

Next time, there will be more new characters, so I hope you'll look forward to it! See you then!