Hello all. Here this week with another chapter. Just a fair warning, not completely sure, but I may be skipping next week's update due to finals coming up, so I haven't been able to write as much as I'd like in advance, but I am working on it on and off. I'm not dropping this story any time soon, as I love writing it and hearing the feedback makes me feel happy that I can do something with all these weird ideas that appear in my head. But for now, please enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.

"Normal speech"

"Thoughts"

Wither was slow in following the Nightwing, making sure to stay out of sight. the Nightwing slowly crept through the underbrush of the rainforest, making sure she was unseen by any Rainwings that might be passing overhead. She was clever and skilled. She must have been doing this for quite some time, before she made her way towards a small hovel. She looked around, Wither stopping just out of sight, before the Nightwing called out. "Moonwatcher?" Wither saw a young Nightwing come out of the hovel, noticing that she had two silver scales that looked like tear drops near her eyes. Wither's eyes widened, before quickly quieting his mind, letting his mind wander to the background noises of the rainforest. "A mind reader... Why is she hidden here? Why not with the rest of the Nightwings?" The young Nightwing, Moonwatcher, ran up to the older nightwing, hugging her tightly. "M-mom, there's new dragons here. Th-they were so close. This big one. H-he nearly found me." Wither felt a pang of guilt at how young and scared Moonwatcher sounded, as if the world was coming to an end, and that he may have... not been super subtle. He didn't mean to be big and intimidating, but that was what many who met him had felt as their first impression. He sighed as the older Nightwing comforted Moonwatcher. "You're safe now. Nobody's going to harm you. Not while I'm here."

Moonwatcher nodded. "H-he had these other five with him... A-all of them were from different tribes. They looked only a few years older than me." The older Nightwing gasped. "The dragonets to destiny!? Here!?" Moonwatcher seemed to whimper, most likely hearing thoughts in her mother's head. Wither frowned, before realizing the issue. This young dragonet had probably never been taught how to handle her mindreading. How to drown out the unspoken voices she didn't want to hear. This made Wither feel even more sorry for the young Nightwing. She had powers she had no idea of how to control... He debated with himself, before Moonwatcher said something that froze him. "D-do you have to go back soon, mom? T-to the night kingdom? I-I don't want to be all alone." His heart froze at those last words, an echo of the very same words coming from his own mouth when his was no older than this dragonet. The older Nightwing sighed. "... I can't, Moon... Your father is furious right now and... He and the others would notice if I was missing for a day." Moonwatcher hugged tighter, shivering lightly. Wither took a shaky breath, before sighing. "...Curse my bleeding heart..." he quietly stepped out into the open, settling about three dragons' length away from them.

"Pardon my intrusion, but perhaps I can help?"

The tunnel that the five dragonets crawled through was cramped and dark. Glory hated it. It felt damp, cold, and wrong. She trekked forward through the seemingly endless tunnel with her friends, going through three, maybe four turns, before the five of them finally saw light at the other end. Sunny pointed. "Look! I think the end is close!" Clay nodded. "Yeah. Hey, does anyone feel... warmer?" Clay was right, it was getting warm, even hot, and it wasn't because of Sunny's scales. Clay was the first to pop his head out, frowning lightly. "This... makes no sense." He climbed out, gesturing for the others to follow. Glory almost yelped as she stepped from hard cold stone into warm sand. She looked up and around her eyes widening. "Th-this is..." Starflight shared an equally baffled expression. "Impossible... This is impossible... H-how are we in the kingdom of sand?" Sand dunes stretched across the horizon in every direction, the only landmarks being the claws-of-the-clouds mountains to the east, and a mountain range far to the south-west.

Glory looked around again, before scrambling down as she pulled Sunny and Tsunami. "Sandwings above! Get down!" They all scrambled back into the hole as a flight of Sandwings passed over head in a V formation, the largest of them at the head. Glory was just able to see the dark, black eyes of a Sandwing she recognized. "Burn..." The largest of the Sandwing princesses was covered in battle scars across her black diamond patterned scales and was easily the largest dragon they had... well, that was a lie now that they had seen Wither in his true size, but she was bigger than any dragon besides him. They watched her fly further north of their position, before noticing the wall. The wall of Burn's fortress. On the edge of the fortress were wooden spikes and set on those spikes were the heads of dead dragons. Sunny had to stop herself from throwing up as they all finally realized that even this far out, there was the horrid smell of decaying and rotting flesh.

Clay gagged, grimacing at the sight of Burn's fortress. "Well... That's concerning." Starflight was staring at the sand as he muttered. "I-It's just scientifically impossible... There's no way... The rainforest if half a continent from here, there's no possible way we walked that far in just a few minutes." Sunny swallowed back her bile, looking to the others. "Think Orchid was taken here?" Tsunami shrugged. "Maybe... We don't know enough to be sure. But, on the bright side, we can get the cure for Wither's talon... once he tells us what it is." Sunny perked up. "Oh, right! He said it was in the sand kingdom!" Glory looked to see if she could spot anything else, but just saw rolling sand dunes and cacti. "... Let's head back for now. we don't have a reason to keep going forward." Clay nodded. "Yeah, that smell is not appealing."

They turned around, headed back through the tunnel. They were quiet for the most part, before Sunny spoke up. "Well, we could also finally see about meeting Blaze. Just to see what she's like." Glory looked a bit skeptical. "So far, the only reputation she seems to have is that she's... kind of stupid? Caring more about her looks?" Sunny huffed. "That doesn't mean we couldn't check. And who knows? She might be nice." Starflight shook his head. "For Blaze, I don't think she has the mind to be mean. I'm more worried about what Queen Glacier would do to us. We'd freeze to death if she threw us into her prison." Tsunami nodded. "Probably better to play it safe for now. Make a plan first." The others nodded. Sunny was about to huff as they came back out into the rainforest, before blinking, looking around. A look of panic appeared on her face as she couldn't find what she was looking for. "... Guys... Where's Wither?"

Secretkeeper had always been cautious. Careful. Ever since the night she hid her egg here in the rain forest. She planned every visit to be when no one would be suspicious and kept her dragonet a secret from the one who had given Moonwatcher to her and the rest of the tribe. She did everything to prevent her child from suffering like all the other Nightwing dragonets did. Her love for her daughter was the drive that kept her going every day, to make sure her Moonwatcher would be safe. So, when a voice rang out as she held her daughter, her heart sank. Her blood felt as if it had frozen, and her heart felt like it had stopped beating. Her mind filled with panic. "No. No. No. NO!" She held her daughter protectively as she turned to face the voice, before blinking at Wither. She had never seen anything like him, but she trembled as she saw the blood red stars in his eyes. "W-Who are you? S-Stay away from us!" She tried to sound strong, but she was panicking on the inside, and she was sure Moonwatcher heard how scared she really was.

Wither looked at the trembling Nightwing and her child, feeling a pang of guilt at how scared both she and Moonwatcher looked to be. He held his talons up defensively, closing the one that had the poisoned sting to hide it. "I'm not here to hurt either of you. I just want to talk." Secretkeeper stood protectively over Moonwatcher but couldn't stop herself from shaking. "J-Just leave us alone!" Wither frowned lightly, before settling in a non-aggressive manner. "I understand you're afraid. I understand that I appear as a threat to your child, but I give you my word, I will not harm you or your dragonet. I just want to talk. No tricks. No deception. I swear on my tribe's honor." Secretkeeper still shook as she stood her ground. "W-What are you? Why try to talk to us?" Wither gave a small sigh. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. There's a rumor of dragons disappearing here, and I have five dragonets to protect. I can safely assume you aren't the culprit, but... well, two Nightwings in the middle of the rainforest raises some questions. And... I think if you explained, I might be able to help you both."

Secretkeeper was unsure but noticed Moonwatcher was looking at the unknown dragon with wide eyes, before she heard her daughter whisper. "I can't hear him... his thoughts..." Secretkeeper stared at Wither with wide eyes, before he spoke again. "If she just said what I think she did... I have knowledge of how the power of mindreading works. I've simple pushed an ambient noise to the front of my mind, which is all she can hear. I'd rather not have my personal thoughts overheard, especially by one who wouldn't want to hear them." Secretkeeper's blood froze. How? How could he know? He gave a small smile to Moonwatcher, who shrank back behind her mother. He sighed, still looking at the dragonet. "It must be scary, hearing all those voices in your head. Every unspoken thought, with no way to block it out." Moonwatcher flinched, before nodding softly. Secretkeeper growled. "W-We don't need your help! Just leave us alone!" Wither gave a sad look to the Nightwing mother. "... I'm not sure I can do that. As much as I'd love to leave you both to your own devices... I think it's obvious that you need help if you have to leave your daughter here all on her own. With dragons going missing, I'd fear for your daughter's safety." Secretkeeper flinched, before standing her ground. "A-And why should we trust you?"

Wither thought for a moment. "...Well, I saw you appear, then go to your daughter, and I didn't go to get help to arrest or capture either of you. We've been having this stand off for roughly five minutes and I've made no motion to attack either of you, and if you think about it, I'm the one trying to be civil here." Secretkeeper was taken aback so badly that she forgot how scared she was. "... That... oddly makes sense... Wait, you're an enemy! I can't trust you!" Wither sighed. "Is that you talking, or would that be your infamous Nightwing pride?" She paused, unsure of how to answer that. He gave a courteous smile. "How about we first start off with introductions, then move from there?" He watched as she tried to piece things out, before giving a reluctant nod. He settled, placing all his talons down and sitting. "Well, I can go first to make you both feel more comfortable. My name is Wither. I am the last of my tribe. And yes, I am currently traveling with the dragonets of destiny." She blinked, before taking a few calming breaths. "... M-my name is Secretkeeper... A-and this is my daughter, Moonwatcher." He nods, giving a small, kind smile to the dragonet. "A good name... Per chance, when you hatched, how many full moons were there?" Moonwatcher shivered, before speaking softly. "T-two..." Wither gave a sad smile. "Ah... You're strong to have lasted this long untrained. One could easily go mad with so many unspoken voices in their head..."

He shuffled a bit to get more comfortable, looking to Secretkeeper. "Alright. how about we do it this way? I will ask a question, then you can ask one. You don't need to answer if you don't want to. Does that sound fair?" The older Nightwing contemplated for a minute, before giving a small nod. "F-fine, but I get to ask first... W-will you turn us in to the Rainwings?" Wither had to stifle a chuckle. "No, but I don't think the Rainwings would do much even if I did. They're a very peaceful tribe." He popped the knuckles of his left talon idly. "Alright, my turn... What's your favorite fruit here in the rainforest?" Secretkeeper nearly tripped at the seemingly unimportant question. "... I-I like the guavas, and Moon likes the melons... Why ask that?" He shrugged. "Didn't want to make you both feel uncomfortable... and I believe it's my turn again since you did just ask a question." She blinked again at Wither, confused at the amused expression he had. "Y-you...What? How is that fair?" He chuckled. "I'm trying to get you to relax, Secretkeeper. There's no need for hostilities. And I won't count those last two questions in this exchange." She looked flabbergasted as he gave an amused smile. "Now... What is a mother and her dragonet doing all the way out here, away from your tribe's secret kingdom?"

She froze, looking to Moonwatcher. "... For her protection. For her to not live miserably like the other Nightwings." Wither quirked an eyebrow. "... I see... Well, I believe it's your turn." She paused, hating to admit, but his little jokes did help her calm down. "... W-what are you going to do about us?" Wither tilting his head, thinking for a moment. "... Currently, nothing. I have no reason to act against you, but... I have experience with the troubles of mindreading. Pardon me for overhearing your earlier conversation. If you'd allow me, I was hoping that I could teach your daughter to... not silence the voices but make them far more manageable. I've seen firsthand what... going through that can lead to." Both of the Nightwings were shocked and looked confused at the last part. He straightened himself and continued "Alright, I shouldn't beat around the bush anymore. You don't have to answer this, but... How are you both here in the rainforest? You didn't come from the hole in the boulder, and by Moonwatcher's words, you can apparently get back to the night kingdom very quickly." Secretkeeper's breath hitched, staying silent. After a long minute of silence Wither gave a sad smile. "Well, I had to ask... please understand... I have dragonets to protect as well. All five of them." She frowned, contemplating as Moonwatcher slowly came out from behind her, nudging her softly. "M-mom... I-If he can help me with this... I-I think it's something I should do." She stared at her daughter, fighting with herself internally, before sighing. "... There's a second tunnel in the tree on the other side of the river. It leads to the Night kingdom... A volcanic island."

Wither frowned deeply. "... Permit me a second question. Is the volcano active?" She nodded. "Yes... It constantly bellows smoke, covering the sky for miles." Wither gritted his teeth. "... Those prideful fools." She frowned. "... Why did you ask how many moons were full when my daughter hatched?" He looked to her, a sad smile on his face. "... The powers of foresight and mindreading are gifted to Nightwings who hatch under the light of the moons. The more full moons, the stronger their power is. Two moons mean she has both, and a outward sign of that are the tear shaped silver scales near her eyes. That's how I knew she was a mind reader." Her eyes widened in shock. "Y-you mean... a-all this time?" He nodded. "Yes. The volcano has been preventing your tribe from acquiring the legendary powers of old... But I suppose you had at least one exception." She hesitated, before looking him in the eye. "... I have to go back soon... Can... Can I trust you?" He looked into her eyes, which reminded him so much of Celeste's. "... Yes. You can. I swear upon my name that I will not betray your trust. If you need to leave... If you need me to protect your daughter, I swear, I will protect her." He chuckled. "Besides, I think the five dragonet's I'm taking care of could use a friend closer to their own age instead of an old fossil like me." Secretkeeper hesitated. "... If anything happens to her, you will pay for it." He nodded. "I wouldn't expect any other outcome." He smiled. "... I can only assume you're an exception on how civil the other Nightwings are?" She rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."

He chuckled, before looking back. "... I'll go meet my dragonets so you can get through without being seen. And then... if I could have your blessing, I'd like for your daughter to meet them. I can teach her a trick for filtering out other voices without causing any problems with them, so it isn't overwhelming for her." Secretkeeper thought for a long few minutes, before looking to Moonwatcher. "... I won't force you into this if you don't want to, Moon." Moonwatcher thought for a while, before nodding. "I-I think it might be worth it. If it can help me with this curse... then I'll risk it." Wither felt a little sad that she referred to her powers in that way, before Secretkeeper nodded. "... Alright..." She turned to Wither. "Nearly everything is telling me to not trust you, but... I will... against my better judgment." He nodded to her. "I promise, I won't break that trust. Now... How about I introduce your daughter to the dragonets in my charge while you slip away?"

The dragonets were looking around with various levels of concern. The one searching the most frantically was Sunny, her mind going towards the thought that Wither had been kidnapped due to the poison weakening him. Tsunami was gazing over the water and the stream, trying to see if he might have gone for a swim. Starflight looked above, trying to see if he had gone into the treetops. Clay was calm, talking to the others. "Guys, you should know him by now. He's probably fine and had to leave for a minute." Sunny sighed. "Maybe, but why would he just vanish? There has to be a reason, and he's been getting more tired every day. What if something happened to him? What if he was kidnapped like the other dragons?" Clay frowned at the thought of that happening, deciding to start looking as well.

Wither saw the dragonets looking for him, before smiling to the Nightwing dragonet behind him. "You ready? I promise, they're all very nice, if a little rough around the edges." Moonwatcher hesitated. "B-but what if I get overwhelmed?" He lightly tapped her forehead, causing her to squeak in surprise. "Don't worry too much, Moonwatcher... How about I tell you that trick so you can do it here?" She rubbed her head where he had tapped her, before nodding. "A-Alright." He nodded, before sitting down with her. "What is the most ambient, calming noise you've ever heard? Think on that, and when you've decided, imagine that sound filling your mind."

Moonwatcher tried to think of what that could be, but the voices of the five dragonets were loud in her head, some panicked. "Where is he? Is he alright? What happened to him?" "I wonder what could have pulled him away?" "He tells us we have to feed him if we go missing, then he goes missing a few minutes later? Talk about unfair." "Hope you're safe Wither." She winced, before Wither put a talon on her shoulder. "Shh. Don't focus on their thoughts. Focus on the sound." She closed her eyes, before thinking of the most ambient sound she could think of, rain. The light, constant pitter patter of droplets falling through the sky, then splashing against the ground and leaves. Wither smiled at the calmer expression on Moon's face. "Now... let the voices fade and blend into the noise, blending in with it. Take it slow. One at a time." She tried with the voice that was the calmest, trying to akin it to the noise of rain in her head, before feeling it slowly fall into the ambient noise in her mind, before blending in almost completely. It was still there, but now it felt like a tickle in the back of her head instead of directly assaulting her senses. Her eyes opened, wide with surprise and joy. "I-It worked!" Wither smiled to her. "That's good. Now, see if you can do that for the others."

It took Moonwatcher a couple of minutes to get it right. Sunny's voice, as reflected by her increasingly frantic search, was the most panicked. She was the hardest to blend into background noise of her mind, but eventually, Moonwatcher was able to drown out the thoughts of the five searching dragonets. She was shocked, their voices no longer being in the forefront of her mind, and so happy that a few tears made their way down her face. "... Thank you... I... I never even thought this would be possible..." Wither patted her head, causing her to give a squeak and blush lightly. "It's good that you are getting the hang of it... Now, let's go calm the masses, shall we?" She was hesitant, shaking a little, before nodding. Wither gave her a reassuring smile. "Just wait till I tell you. I'll get them to calm down before you come out."

He stepped through the brush. "I'm here, I'm here. Don't go twisting your heads looking for me." Sunny's head snapped towards him, before bounding over. "Where did you go? We were worried when we got back and couldn't find you." He chuckled. "Well, something garnered my attention, and I wanted to go investigate before anything bad happened. Specifically, so someone didn't accidentally attack someone innocent." Glory tilted her head. "What do you mean? Who?" Wither gave small smile. "Before that, I need you all to promise you won't freak out or attack. I found someone who's been... alone out here for quite some time, and I'd prefer if you didn't act hostile." He gave a knowing glance to Tsunami and Glory. "That means you two." Glory gave a chuckle while Tsunami looked offended, before giving a sigh, nodding. "Okay, we promise."

Sunny nodded to him. "We promise. So, who did you find?" Wither smiled, before looking back towards the brush where Moon was. "Moonwatcher. You can come out now. They won't hurt you." There was a light shuffling, before Moon hesitantly stepped out. She looked to the five dragonets shyly, almost instinctively hiding behind the biggest dragon she could. In this case, Wither. The dragonets gasped, causing her to flinch further behind Wither, before peeking out again. "H-Hello... M-My name is Moonwatcher." Tsunami looked to Wither, being the first to blurt out. "Okay, what in the moons is a Nightwing doing here!?" Moonwatcher flinched again, scuttling back as Wither sighed. "Tsunami, you're scaring her. And as for why... to protect her from the harsh condition of the rest of her tribe." All of the Dragonets blinked, looking confused, before Sunny stepped forward, approaching Moonwatcher. The young Nightwing was hesitant, almost scared, but Sunny greeted her with a bright smile. "It's nice to meet you, Moonwatcher. I'm Sunny. I hope we can be friends." Moonwatcher looked at her, letting Sunny's voice show in her head. "I hope she wants to be friends. Harsh conditions... Poor dragonet, separated from her family."

Moonwatcher let Sunny's voice fade back before Clay came forward. "Any friend of Sunny's is a friend of mine. I'm Clay. Nice to meet you. He smiled warmly to her, Moonwatcher looking at him as she read his thoughts. "She looks nice enough. And if Wither trusts her, I will too... I wonder what kind of food she likes most... I could really go for a hippo right now." She nearly laughed at the last thought clay had. Starflight was the next to come up, Moonwatcher instinctively tensing as he got closer, feeling his critical gaze on her, before he spoke. "I'm Starflight... You aren't the dragon who bit a sloth and left it to rot?" Moonwatcher looked sick to her stomach at the sound of that. "O-Of course not! I-I would never do something so unnecessarily cruel!" Starflight gazed at her, Moon looking into his thoughts. "Hmm... I wonder if the tear shaped scales mean anything. She seems too timid to be dangerous... If Wither thinks she's okay, I guess there's no harm in seeing what happens." Moonwatcher let his voice fade back into the rain of her mind, before looking to the two who hadn't approached yet.

Glory looked unsure, but not outwardly hostile, but moon pried a little, just to get an idea. "A Nightwing. Okay, A bit more confusing, but I guess it's alright... I'm more worried about the missing Rainwings." "Hi. I'm Glory." Moonwatcher gave a relieved sigh, before looking to probably the scariest member of the dragonets, Tsunami. She shied away from the fierce looking Rainwing, listening to her thoughts as she grunted out her name. "Well, as long as she doesn't threaten the others, she's fine. If she does attack one of my friends, her face comes off." "Tsunami." Moonwatcher shivered, shrinking a bit more behind Wither as he gave a look to Tsunami. "Tsunami, be civil. She's not a threat. She's even younger than you five." Tsunami huffed "I just find it suspicious." Wither sighed. "I understand. But I give you my word, her only goal is to live away from the Night kingdom... and I'll say, by the description, It's horrid."

Starflight frowned. "What do you mean?" Moon shivered badly. "M-My mother brought me here so I wouldn't have to live there... I-I've never been there, but it's an island with an active volcano... The sky is always filled with smoke, and lava flows all over the land... M-my mother told me enough stories to give me nightmares..." Wither nodded. "Moonwatcher was fortunate to have a mother who took her away and hid her egg here. No wonder the Nightwings are all so cranky. They live in constant fear of a land that could kill them at any moment. I'd guess it would only take a small earthquake to set the volcano off with that much smoke coming out of it." Starflight looked to Moon. "W-where is the Night kingdom?" Moonwatcher shook her head. "I-I never followed mother there. I don't even know what direction it would be to fly." Starflight sighed. "... Oh well. It's not your fault. I just... wanted to understand them a bit more. I never really met any of the tribe besides Morrowseer." Wither was the only one who noticed the barely suppressed flinch in Moonwatcher, noting it to ask later.

Wither looked to the dragonets, smiling. "Please, I know this is a bit of a weird situation, and... well, I only ask that you treat her civilly. She's alone all the way out here, and I would prefer she isn't treated like a criminal. I explained that dragons were missing to her, and she was scared that she might be accused of being the culprit." Moonwatcher nodded. "Y-yeah... I-I don't want to cause any trouble." Sunny nearly beamed at the Nightwing. "Of course! We'd be happy to help you!" Tsunami shook her head. "Hold up. What if her mom comes back for her?" Moonwatcher blushed lightly. "S-She'll be fine. I... left a message for her. She'll know I'm safe." It was obvious that Moon was a bad liar, but fortunately, the dragonets just thought it was just her being nervous. Clay gave a warm smile. "Well, Welcome to our little team of weirdos." Glory and Tsunami's heads snapped to him as they both protested in unison. "Hey!"

Wither chuckled, before Sunny walked up to him. "Oh, right. That hole we went through. We walked though it and ended up in the Sand kingdom." Wither blinked, tilting his head. "... I see. The tunnel must be a very unique type of Animus magic... But that does help." Sunny nodded. "We can get the cure for the poison." Moonwatcher looked very concerned. "W-what poison?" Sunny looked to Moon, giving a kind smile. "Wither got stung by a Sandwing's tail awhile back. He knows the cure, but it's only found in the Sand kingdom." Wither nodded, showing his talon. "It's not serious, but it is quite tiring... Well, the cure is actually quite common. Next time you go through, slice off a few heads of the cacti there. The juices inside are both refreshing, and acts as the poison's cure." Sunny beamed. "There were some cacti just outside of the tunnel! We can grab it right now and be back in just a few minutes!" She turned to rush down the tunnel, Wither managing to stop her by grabbing her tail. "Hold up, Sunny. I like your enthusiasm but let one of the others do that part. Their claws are bigger and can cut the cacti without pricking themselves on the cacti's needles." Sunny frowned, looking dejected, before Wither sighed. "I have a different task I'd like you to do for me, Sunny."

Sunny looked to him, tilting her head as he settled. "There's a special plant that grows here in the rainforest. A unique type of grass called Bamboo. You'll recognize it fast, since it has a unique, sectioned appearance. It can grow tall like small trees. I need you to find a place where it grows, and I need you to get me a few pieces of it. AT least one that is medium or full grown, and some that is just sprouting out of the ground. And make sure neither piece have any holes in the sides. Can you get those for me?" She nodded, looking curious. "What for?" Wither grimaced. "... Laying a cure on the entry wound will cure it eventually, but I need a more direct approach to this... I need something to inject the cure directly against the poison, so I'm going to use that to make something to do that for me."

Sunny nodded. "Okay. I'll go find that!" Starflight got up. "I'm coming with you. Can't let you let you get lost." Sunny giggled. "I can take care of myself, Starflight." A growl interrupted them as they all turned to the source. Moonwatcher looked as if she wanted to die from embarrassment. "S-Sorry... I-I haven't had breakfast yet." Clay chuckled. "Come on. I think the Rainwings are done harvesting, so we could probably grab something from them." She immediately shrunk back. "T-The village?" Clay looked confused when Wither chipped in. "She's not a fan of crowds. Too loud for her liking." Clay nods. "Okay... I could go grab some and bring it back?" Moon nodded. "Thank you... you're very kind." Clay smiled. "These guys never let me forget it." He waved as he flew up, Sunny and Starflight going into the brush as Glory sighed. "I guess that leaves me and Tsunami to get the Cactus?" Wither chuckled. "Seems like it."

Glory groaned, before waving Tsunami over to her with a wing. "Come on, Princess. We have a plant to get." Tsunami rolled her eyes as they disappeared into the boulder, Wither looking to Moonwatcher with a small smile. "... I think that went well." Moonwatcher gave a sigh, sitting down. "I-I don't think I've ever been this scared before..." Wither looked to her, before settling. "... You've been scared for a very long time, haven't you?" She winced, before nodding. "... My first memory was My mother showing me all the images of what could hurt me through my thoughts..." Wither frowned, before gently patting her head, causing her to squeak. He smiled. "There's a lot of scary stuff out there in the world... but for every scary thing there is, there's something equally beautiful... I was like that. Scared and alone in the world for years... and then I met a dragon who made my life fulfilling. My partner, Celeste... She made my life fulfilling. Enjoyable. She... made me push past my fear and enjoy life for a while. Then... I lost her." He sighed, giving her a sad smile. "This world is scary, but it's also wonderful, Moonwatcher... Don't be so scared that you never experience it."

Moonwatcher's eyes widened at him, the tear shaped scales reflecting the dim sunlight. "... Thank you... for helping me. I... I never thought it would be possible for me to..." He chuckled softly, forming a playful smirk on his face. "Speak to other dragons without their voices being so cluttered you couldn't think for yourself?" She blushed lightly as he guessed exactly right. "Y-you wouldn't happen to be a mind-reader too, would you?" He chuckled again, shaking his head. "No, not myself... But I'm good at reading expressions." She blushed lightly as he laid down, spotting as Secretkeeper finally snuck behind the log on the other side of the stream, climbing up, before disappearing. He hummed softly. "So that's how... I wonder who the animus who made these was... It must have drained them a lot."

He looked to Moonwatcher, her tear shaped scales twinkling as she settled into a place out of the way in the small clearing, Wither seeing for a split second an older dragon in her place. "... Perhaps... It's time I pass down your legacy, Celeste... To Moonwatcher and Starflight... Would that make you proud of me?... It's almost time... about ten days or so left unitl..." He sighed, lowering his head to rest while waiting for the dragonets.

"... I wonder what would happen if I brought them to meet you, Celeste... Both of you..."

Here is when things start heavily going off the beaten path, and where I start trying to figure out how to get things in motion. I do hope that I portrayed Moonwatcher and Secretkeeper in a good light, and I do look forward to expanding with their characters as well. I'm still sort of in the stage of knowing where I want to get to, but not exactly how, but I won't stop writing on this one. I think it might be because this story isn't a crossover like my others that I really want to see what I come up with in the amazing world of Wings of Fire. But anyway, as always, Thank you for reading, Leave a review if you'd like, and I'll see you all either next Friday or the Friday after that."