Chapter 2

Dahlia looked at the NightWing and she took an involuntary step backward. She whipped her tail back and forth.

"Who's she?" they both snarled at the same time to Lightly. Well, the NightWing snarled, Dhalia mostly asked not-so-politely. Lightly looked very overwhelmed once she looked at him. His talons looked like he wanted to grab his horns.

"Uh..erm..Dah-Foresight, this is...uh...Dahlia," he stumbled and Dahlia felt Foresight sizing her up. She whipped her head back to Lightly.

"Why is she here," Foresight snarled again, lashing her tail.

"It's not any of your business anyway!" Lightly protested, flapping his wings.

"This piece of frog breath and bird spit needs some explaining why she's here," Foresight spat Great, I have a NightWing fan I don't know Dahlia thought to herself, flicking her tail.

"He brought me here because I'm his friend," Dahlia growled, straightening her shoulders, trying to seem imposing. Lightly seemed to get braver but once Foresight swept her menacing gaze on him, he quelled under her. Dahlia looked at him, disappointed as he threw his wings over his head. Foresight opened her wings and flapped up into the trees, her gaze filled with anger. There was a moment of silence as Lightly straightened his wings, embarrassed.

"She's nice," Dahlia said, breaking the silence.

"She's also my mother," he muttered, smoke rising from his nostrils. "Sometimes I wish I could be more like maybe Tsunami from the scrolls," he sighed and Dahlia smiled sympathetically at him, but some emotion twisted inside of her. Dahlia wished she could frown at herself, but she ignored the feeling.

"You're just fine, well, hmm, I don't know," Dahlia teased and Lightly looked like it seriously offended him. Dahlia felt her tail straighten as she remembered something.

"Speaking of mothers, I have to go meet mine, she's going to kill me if I don't show up,"

Dahlia fretted and Lightly nodded.

"Alright, sorry for-about Foresight," he muttered and Dahlia lightly whacked him with her tail and he flinched.

"It's alright, my mother's..about the same," Dahlia chuckled, then launched off of the ground. She looked back to see the ground move slightly. Dahlia whipped her head forward again, pushing away her suspicions.

"Venus!" she yelled, flicking her tail impatiently. She jumped as a small dragonet materialized beside her. She looked down and smiled. "Hi, Quinine," she whispered, resting her tail lightly on Quinine's head. Quinine smiled at her and changed her scales to a light bluish gray.

"Wuz wrong?" Quinine asked and Dahlia smiled heartily.

"We're waiting for Mother," she announced patiently and Quinine nodded with her.

"When is she cuming?" Quinine asked and Dahlia shrugged, flexing her wings for a moment.

"Soon, maybe," Dahlia murmured absentmindedly and Quinine made a 'huh' noise. "Good job on your speaking earlier, how did you not say toe?" she asked and Quinine puffed out her chest.

"I wunted Dawia toe have a good wittle speaking sista," Quininie announced and Dahlia tried not to laugh.

"Why is that?" she asked, nudging Quinine with a talon.

"Becau your fwiend licks you," Quinine replied and Dahlia squawked in surprise.

"Quinine! Hush!" she whispered to Quinine and she looked at Dahlia innocently. A few dragons looked at them and grumbled from their waiting spot. Dahlia wrapped her wing around Dahlia and ducked her head. "Quinine, you can't say anything about that, okay?" Dahlia demanded in a whisper. Quinine looked at her for a moment, her wide eyes confused. "Also, try not to say lick, that's weird," she whispered again and Quinine nodded. Dahlia closed her wings to her sides as wingbeats beat the air around them. Dahlia quickly glanced at Quinine, wondering if she wouldn't say anything.

"Hewwo Mommy!" Quinine squealed and jumped into her mother's wings. Dahlia tried not to hunch her shoulders as Venus glared at her. She instead glared fiercely back at her. Venus looked around them.

"Ready to go?" she half-growled and Dahlia nodded absently.

"Mommy? Wannu hear a stowy?" Quinine asked and Dahlia felt her wings freeze up for a moment, making her drop a few feet. She flapped furiously upward again and saw Venus studying Quinine.

"...Sure," Venus murmured and Quinine clapped her talons together happily. Dahlia hovered right behind them.

"What is she going to say? If it's about Lightly-" Dahlia fretted and cut herself off. She shook her wings out, disturbed.

"Tho, this is bout Dawia," Quinine started and Dahlia flapped her wings an extra time as Venus looked menacingly over at her. Quinine glanced over at them for a moment, slight dismay etched on her face."Dere's this weally pwetty boy dwagon that wikes Dawia. Hes name is L-" she started again and Dahlia yelped in dismay, trying to talk over Quinine.

"It's Fig, mother, you know, the constantly yellow dragon!" Dahlia yelped, waving her talons around helplessly and Venus snorted.

"Oh, he'll never like you, let Quinine finish," she said casually, investigating her talons for a moment and Dahlia shot Venus a death glare as she looked away. Dahlia looked at Quinine purposefully for a moment before she seemed to get a message.

"It's twue Mommy, but, I just made twis dup," Quinine smiled, showing all her teeth. Venus looked at Quinine for a moment before shaking out her wings, her talons around her daughter. Dahlia held in her sigh of relief and she contemplated the tree leaves for a moment. How could a little dragonet like Quinine, and not her, tell that a dragon liked her, especially Lightly of all dragons!? Monkey spit. She looked down at Venus and Quinine again and saw Quinine giving her a side look. Dahlia squinted her eyes at Quinine when a loud 'thump!' interrupted her thought process. She looked down and saw Venus glaring up at her. Dahlia swung her tail around as she landed in surprise.

"Why the stop?" she asked quietly and Venus managed to smile although her smiles were never nice. Quinine looked up at Venus as she turned around, drawing her tail in an arc. Dahlia hopped over it, feeling her ears turn black with anger. Venus managed to laugh harshly.

"I think you know why!" she growled and Dahlia clenched her talons, stepping forward slightly as Venus drew back the vines. What she saw was...unforgivable and unforgettable.