Oof. Another late upload, this one nearly too late. Sorry all for the Late upload, life is really kicking me right now. A lot of stuff is happening and has been preventing me from just sitting down to just take time to write more of this, but luckily, I was able to get this much out. Thank you all for your patience, and I do hope you all enjoy this chapter. I do hope that I show a bit more than I'm telling in this one. I do want to write better, but It is admittedly hard for me to figure out when I'm showing as opposed to telling. I don't claim to be a professional. But I do hope that this will be a fun enough read for everyone. To address something I read in reviews, yes, I completely misnamed the Icewing prince. My bad. I was writing that chapter on my phone on a vacation and was so sure I had the name right. But I'll leave it to you guys. Should I change the name back to Arctic or leave it at Neptune, cause honestly, Neptune does sound more regal than Arctic does. But anyway, please enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer, I do not own wings of fire.

"Normal speech"

"Thoughts."

Wither's eyes fought against his will to open them. The air quality of the island was absolutely horrible, and his eyes had been irritated by the sheer amount of ash that fell from the roaring mouth of the world that towered above. He was sure that if his eyes weren't black, they would appear bloodshot. He took a big stretch, cracking his joints and spine, shaking off the ash pile that had settled on his back, taking a deep breath through gritted teeth in an attempt to not breathe in any of the floating ash. He had to cough a few times, rubbing his throat as he made his way off of the small dune he had slept on, right where the volcano met the beach. "This place is a nightmare. No wonder Secretkeeper got Moon out of here..."

He looked around to gaze the beach, frowning as he saw that there was more ash than he expected. He picked up a small pile, rubbing it in his talons. It was still hot. "Strange. This is recent, yet so much of it..." He hummed in though, before dropping it. "Well, let's see what I can do today..." He started walking forward to go back towards the Night palace with a faraway look in his eyes. "It's been at least a day... I hope Moon and the others are alright... Be safe, you five... Don't do anything reckless."

Glory held herself with dignity as she stood before queen Magnificent and the other four queens. She recognized Grandeur, but the other three were unfamiliar to her. The first one she didn't recognize had scales that were a mixture of dark and lime green and autumn yellow, reflecting light in a way that made her... She shook her head. "That must be Dazzling... Not sure about beautiful though." She eyed the large belly on the shining queen, which was bulging out and quite round compared to all the other Rainwings.

The next dragon had a necklace of flowers around her neck that looked more akin to mushrooms, contrasting her magenta and green scales, Glory having to take a step away from her due to the repulsive smell of the flowers. It was as if something rotten and decaying had tried to cover itself with honey, ending up with a smell that was pungent, sweet, and rotten all at the same time. She had to fight the gags that her body wanted to make from the fowl smelling queen.

The last one was significantly different from the others in the face that her scales were a muted grey mixed with brown, and was covered in sloths. She had at least half a dozen of them, two on her shoulders, two on her tail, and one in each front talon. She was cooing them, playing with them and rubbing their fur as if they were the cutest things in the world. Glory had to sympathize. Her own sloth had started to grow on her, but this was a bit... too much.

Glory faced them all, ready for whatever challenge was approaching when the elder Rainwing who had proposed the contest walked forward, producing five coconuts that had been cracked in half, and five seeds placing them so there were ten coconut halves on two sides of a board. Magnificent smirked. "Well, as you are challenging to become queen, you must choose four other dragons to help you. Go on. Call out your friends." Glory had to bite back her tongue at the smirk on Magnificent's face, but calmed herself.

She looked back to Sunny, Tsunami and Moon, smiling. "... I choose... Mangrove, Tamarin, Kinkajou, and Jambu."

Mangrove, Kinkajou and Jambe walked forward, before a smaller rainwing broke out from the crowd. Glory had to admit, she had a beautiful pattern of dark blue and yellow scales, with eyes that shined like sea blue pearls. Glory smiled to her as she walked up, taking one of her talons. "I'm sorry for forcing you into this, but Kinkajou said you'd be a good choice."

Tamarin smiled, not really able to look her in the eye. "I'll do my best... Anything to get Fruitbat to stop tearing up the royal garden."

Glory smiled, before looking to meet Magnificent's gaze, determination burning in her eyes.

Wither decided against seeing the false dragonets tonight. Right now, he wanted answers about the Rainwings. What was being done to them? He had a suspicion his answers would be back in the laboratory that he had first woken up in. He was just about to go in when he heard a increasingly familiar growl behind him, causing him to fight off a sigh. "Are starting to stalk me? Because if yes, that is really creepy."

Morrowseer growled loudly, his face contorting with anger and irritation. "It is an insult to the tribe that you think you can just walk in our kingdom with impunity!"

Wither didn't even turn around to address him. "Well, I have yet to meet any dragons who have tried to stop me. It's not like I'm doing anything against this 'master plan' of yours... I'd try to explain my motives, but I doubt you would believe me. But know this, Barrowsneer..." An edge of bled into Wither's voice as he finally turned around.

"I once cared deeply about this tribe, but pride has destroyed every aspect that I once respected and loved about it. The sad truth is, under all the mystery and deception... The Nightwing Tribe is dying. And no matter how horrible they have been, no matter how much deception has been spread or how many lies have been told... I will try to prevent the Nightwing's extinction. I will do all I can to help them... But there is one act that I cannot forgive you for." He looked Morrowseer in the eye, no rage present, but Morrowseer shuddered at the sheer cold determination in the Deathwing's eyes.

Wither locked Morrowseer in place with his gaze, before speaking, his voice carrying a calm, controlled anger. "I cannot and will not forgive you for the pain and suffering those dragonets have had to go through because of you. They were all innocent, and yet you ripped them away from any normal life they could have had, any family or peace where they weren't targeted by the most vicious and cruel dragons in the world, and now I learn you did the same for another five..."

He took a deep breath before continuing, his eyes steeling against the Nightwing. "But, those five that have been in my care are already better dragons than you will ever be. If any of them are harmed because of you... I will not hesitate to end your pathetic existence." Wither turned, walking away as Morrowseer stayed back, missing the smirk that was growing on the false prophet's face.

Magnificent's face no longer held her cocky attitude, replaced by surprise as the called out Rainwings came forward, growling lightly. "So, you've made some new friends... Very well. You'll lose to us anyway."

The elder Rainwing cleared his throat. "We will continue with the contest then. There are five challenges, essential to Rainwing life. There will be fruit gathering, a tree gliding race, flower picking, camouflage, and lastly, venom shooting. Are both sides ready to begin? We will start with Fruit gathering, as the contest goes on for an hour."

Glory nodded, looking between the Rainwings that she had called up, before looking to Mangrove. "You and Orchid would go gather fruit together. Think you can manage it?"

Mangrove nodded, smirking as he saw Dazzling come up. "Oh, I'll easily win this one. Knowing Dazzling, she'll eat half of what she gathers."

The elder Rainwing nodded, before going on in explaining. "You both have one hour to gather your fruit. You will not be judged by the amount you gather, but rather how many different types you can find. The Fruit gathering portion will begin... Now." Both Mangrove and Dazzling flew off into the jungle, dissapearing behind the trees. The elder looked between the two sides. "Next, we will have the tree gliding race. Who will be your representatives in this?"

Jambu looked to Glory with a bright smile. "Leave it to me, sis. I'm the best tree glider there is here."

Glory nodded, smiling. "I believe in you Jambu... Now, go make be proud to call you my brother." Jambu smiled brightly, showing off his teeth as he walked forward, facing his opponent. The grey queen that had all the sloths on her reluctantly set them down, coming forward.

The elder nodded. "The participants shall be Jambu and Queen Exquisite. There is a platform above that will act as the finish line. The race will be three laps around the village, and then landing there. Are you ready? We shall begin... Now!" The two dragons took off into the trees, Glory genuinely surprised at the speed of the Rainwing queen.

As this happened, Grandeur scooted away from the others, getting comfortable as she watched, before looking to her side to spy Sunny. "... Do you need something?"

Sunny gave a small smile. "Just a couple of questions. But... Most of all... How do you know Wither?"

Grandeur blinked, before sighing, her eyes becoming unfocused as she looked back into her memories.

It had only been three weeks. Three weeks since Grandeur's mother, the previous queen, passed away from illness, leaving Grandeur as queen at the Ripe age of six years old. It had been exhausting, hearing every complaint and issue of her tribe, some important and some just plain stupid. She had to get away for a while, flying through the trees as she grumbled to herself. "Stupid tribe. Stupid dragons. Advanced napping techniques? That's just plain stupid! We need to be stronger than this. Mom wouldn't... she..." She had to shake her head to force away tears. Her mother was never the most loving kind of queen, but Grandeur loved her all the same. She hadn't let herself cry, not in front of the tribe.

She wasn't looking where she was going when she suddenly slammed into a larger form, giving an "Oof!" as she started to fall. A vine snapped and wrapped around her wings, tying them together as she tried to adjust herself, the lack of use causing her to fall towards the forest floor. She started to panic, but the vine was stubborn, refusing to loosen or snap. She could only watch as the ground approached faster and faster... Before suddenly stopping about a foot away.

She blinked, looking at the ground in bewilderment, before realizing that she felt large talons gripping her, holding her above the ground, before gently setting her down. a deep voice she had never heard before rang out, filled with both curiosity and worry. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She turned her head to look at the dragon who held her, seeing a large dragon she had never seen before. His scales were grey like stone, but with dark red lines flowing in-between each individual scale, the color of his scales gradually changing to a red brimstone color as it reached towards the top of his wings and back. His talons were sturdy and strong as he held her, her gaze falling to his eyes, getting lost in the dark seas of red tinted stars.

He then tilted his head, looking a bit more worried. "Are you okay? You didn't hit your head, did you?" She shook her head dumbly. Out of all the beautiful patterns of her tribe's scales, something about him made him... mysterious? Intriguing? She couldn't figure out the right term she wanted to use.

She swallowed. "Th-thank you for saving me. That... could have ended badly."

He nodded, setting her down as he pulled the vine off of her wings. "Yes, it could have been very bad. The jungle is more dangerous than most think, but you also must have had your mind on other things considering how you ran into me at full speed. Are you sure you aren't hurt?"

She nodded as he let go of her, letting her get back on her feet. "... I've never seen you before. Are you just passing through or... are you here to invade?" Her gaze hardened as suspicion grew inside her, getting into a defensive stance.

The unknown dragon shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just looking for a place to stay for a few years. My last home was... compromised."

Grandeur tilted her head. "Compromised? That's an odd way to say it..."

He failed to hide a nervous look on his face, looking to the side. "It's not important. But right now, I'm looking for a place to settle. Just somewhere to call home for now."

Grandeur nodded. "Well... As you did just save my life, we can give you a place in the Rainwing village."

The dragon franticly shook his head. "No! Not in the village. Just... somewhere isolated. I... I prefer being away from other dragons."

Grandeur tilted her head. "... Okay? A bit weird, but sure. You did after all, just save my life, and I am the current queen."

He blinked, looking at her skeptically. "Really? I thought the current queen was Queen Glamour?"

Grandeur shook her head, a sad expression forming on her face. "No... Not since three weeks ago. She... She passed away from illness. I'm the queen now."

He looked to her sympathetically. "That... Must be difficult, having so much responsibility at such a young age."

She sighed, nodding. "Like you wouldn't believe... I've got Rainwings out my nose asking for such stupid things! Advanced napping!? What in the moons does that mean!? Being even more lazy than normal!?" She stamped her front talon in anger, shouting out her frustrations as the unknown dragon watched.

She panted a few times, before hearing him speak again. "A good queen will always put the needs of their people first, but only if those needs are dire. I agree, the napping techniques does sound quite... stupid, but... well, as their queen, it's also your duty to ensure they're all happy. I know it's hard, but... Well, They'll be there for you if you become a good queen for them." He gave her a reassuring smile, causing Grandeur to blink in surprise.

"W-well, I guess that's true... W-who are you anyway?" She tried to sound regal, but couldn't stop the small stutter in her voice, suddenly feeling a little nervous around the unknown dragon.

He smiled, giving her a nod. "You can call me Wither."

Grandeur snapped back into reality. "... I ran into him in the rainforest. Saved me from a nasty fall... He took up residence outside the village for a while, and... helped me a lot when I had first become queen... I'll save the rest for later. Looks like the race is almost over."

She and Sunny looked up to see Jambu and Exquisite gliding through the trees on the last lap, zipping through the branches, before Moon suddenly yelled out. "Jambu! Dive!" Jambu hesitated for only a moment, before diving down, narrowly missing a falling vine that would have snagged him by his neck. He swooped back up, before landing just before Exquisite, the Rainwing queen looking furious.

Exquisite yelled out. "Cheater! You had outside help!" Jambu frowned, before looking to were the vine was, noticing a hint of silver hidden among the leaves.

The elder Rainwing shook his head. "There was no physical interference, so I cannot say that anyone tampered with Jambu's flying, Though I swear there wasn't a vine there before..."

Moonwatcher came up. "There wasn't. There's a group of sloths up in that tree. They were all working on the vine together."

Exquisite scoffed to cover up her hitching breath. "Ridiculous. My sloths would never do such a thing."

Moonwatcher frowned, before Glory shook her head to her. "Regardless, Jambu won. My team has the first win of the contest." Magnificent growled loudly, but still had an air of confidence to her as the elder dropped the seed into the coconut half on Glory's side of the platform.

The elder nodded to them. "One win to Glory. Now, Let's begin the next contest. Flower picking."

Starflight came up to Moon, looking to her. "... Could you read the minds of the sloths?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly, but I could feel their intent, and then I saw the vine falling."

He smiled. "Glad you could do so. Jambu would be in a lot of pain if you didn't notice."

That caused Moon to stop for a minute. Her curse... helped Jambu? She did good by using it? Could... Her curse be used to help others?

Wither walked into the same room that he had been chained in, still dragging the stakes that held him down only two days prior, grumbling lightly about how he needed to find the key for it, before the same Nightwing from the day before appeared, going over what looked to be a checklist. "Organic material, no effect on metal, Helmut prototype still in tes- AH!" He nearly ran into Wither, looking up at the last second to see the large dragon looming over him.

Wither looked down at the Nightwing who had fallen over, deciding this was a good enough time as ever. "You. you seem to be in charge of this lab... What have the Nightwings done to the Rainwings they've captured?"

The Nightwing sputtered. "Th-that is my business and mine alone! Now, g-go back to Morrowseer!" He scrambled to pick up his fallen notes, until Wither growled.

"That isn't going to happen. In fact, I've had enough of Morrowseer to last me a life time. Now... What have you done with the Rainwings?" His expression was turning more annoyed and irritated as the Nightwing he had pinned with his gaze sputtered to try and answer.

"W-we just.. F-for science... W-we've only been testing..." He seemed to be scrambling for an answer, focusing on gathering his fallen notes to avoid Wither's stare.

Wither growled, causing the Nightwing to squeak again as he spoke. "What kind of testing? What kind of tortures have you forced them to endure?"

The Nightwing seemed to be taken aback. "W-We don't torture here! We work in the pursuit of science! We aren't that barbaric!"

Wither scoffed. "Actions in the name of science can be just as devoid of morality. Now... Where are they?"

The Nightwing sighed. "F-fine. You can see the current subject, but don't mess with anything!" He finished gathering his things, adjusting the odd helmet on his head as Wither followed him up to a set of doors on a ledge above. The door opened, revealing a testing room. A table sat with stone bowls of various materials, some filled with what Wither recognized as Rainwing venom. A board was set up that spanned almost the entirety of the room, with measurements on it, and chained to the wall was a Rainwing. Colors that were once a vibrant mix of pink and magenta now dimmed, spots of muted grey specking their scales.

Wither frowned, coming up to the Rainwing, looking them over as they gave out a feminine groan, Wither realizing this was a female. "... Orchid?"

Her head raised, exhausted eyes opening slightly. "You... Know my name?... How?"

He nodded to her, placing a talon on the restraints. "Mangrove has been looking for you... You will see him again, Orchid. I promise you that."

Orchid smiled weakly. "He's looking..." Her scales seemed to brighten a bit as she looked to him, tears falling down her face. "I... thank you, whoever you are. I... I-I'll be strong until he comes to get me."

Wither nodded. "Rest now, Orchid..." His gaze hardened, turning back to the Nightwing with a glare. "... Release her."

The Nightwing shook his head frantically. "I-I can't! We haven't even done our last experiment! The Queen will have my head!"

Wither growled loudly, looming over him with a cold fury boring through Wither's eyes into the Nightwings soul. "And angering me means the queen will be the last of your worries."

The Nightwing tried to look for a way out, before finally looking as if he had an idea. "Look, I can't let her go, but if you take her place for an experiment, we can send her back with the others. Does that sound fair? I have been very interested ever since I heard you can bring dead dragons back to life."

Wither growled loudly, but with how weak Orchid looked to be... He sighed dramatically. "... Fine, but she goes first."

The Nightwing nodded. "Of course. Come. We already have a few ready for bringing back." Wither reluctantly followed as the Nightwing gestured to another one who was moving some heavy equipment, before leaving, the second Nightwing moving to unclasp Orchid from the wall of the test room. Wither sighed, knowing he was about to regret this.

Glory looked to Tamarin, putting her talon on hers. "Kinkajou said you were the expert on flowers, so... I trust you to do this one."

Tamarin smiled, gripping Glory's talon. "... I promise, I won't let you down." She walked forward, joined by the fowl smelling one. Kinkajou winced. "That's Fruit bat. She's only queen so she can raid the gardens for her perfumes. They honestly smell rancid most times." Glory nodded. She was definitely getting a firsthand experience of the smell.

The Elder nodded. "Now, I have hidden a very rare flower, A dragon claw, somewhere in the general area. The first dragon to find it will be the winner. Are both contestants ready?... Begin!" Fruit bat almost instantly started tearing up the plants on the platform, trying to find the flower as Tamarin stood completely still, sniffing at the air.

Sunny looked back to Grandeur. "If you knew Wither so well, then... Why did he leave?"

Grandeur blinked, before sighing. "That's a complicated matter young one... Perhaps I'll go over it when we meet Wither again... He has a few answers he needs to give me."

Her mind went back, replaying those fateful words that cracked her heart. "We cannot be together." She growled to herself, anger boiling inside her from remembering the day Wither had left.

Tamarin finally moved, gliding up towards the finish line of the tree gliding race, Fruit bat only realizing where Tamarin had gone after she had pulled out a vine from the platform below, spraying herself with wood chips and dirt. She roared as she tried to fly up towards the platform as fast as she could, but it was already too late. In Tamarin's talons was a very, delicate looking flower, with petals that had the appearance of dragon talons. The elder Nodded. "The winner is Tamarin. The point goes to Glory's team." He dropped the seed, two now occupying Glory's side.

Glory smiled, before forming a smirk at the angered look on Magnificent's face. Fruitbat grumbled, fiddling with her mushroom flower necklace as she sulked at her loss. Glory smiled. "That's two points to me. Just one more win and I'll be the queen."

Grandeur huffed. "Good. I'd rather not waste my participation in this." she stretched, mumbling to herself about 'dragons these days.'

Glory nodded, before looking expectantly to the elder, who cleared his throat. "Well, Now will be the Camouflage contest. One of each of you will try to hide as best you can while the other tries to find you. Does this make sense?"

Glory nodded, looking to Kinkajou with a smile. "... I trust you to nail the venom shooting."

Kinkajou smiled. "Oh, don't you worry. I'll do it no problem!" Glory couldn't help but giggle at the enthusiasm of the smaller Rainwing, before stepping forward, coming face to face with Magnificent.

Wither was taken to a room that held several dead bodies of Nightwings, covering the floor. He grimaced once he looked over them, seeing various burns and flesh wounds, most looking to be adults or older. He frowned, looking them all over. "... I can't do it on one who died of natural causes. I will bring back one dragon, but that is it. I'm not in the habit of playing fate."

The Nightwing nodded. "Alright. I suppose once will be good enough for me to study. Take your pick." Wither rolled his eyes, looking over the pile of bodies, before finding one that he thought he could work with. It looked like, unlike the others, this female died fairly recently, perhaps within a year or two from the present time.

He looked over the burn marks and slashes over her body. "... Sky wing marks. It fits their style..." He sighed. "... I'm going to regret this, but I won't be strong armed again, Nightwing. Next time I see one of those Rainwings in those chains, I'm breaking them out by force."

The Nightwing frowned, before sighing. "Fine, fine. I'm not the fighter, I leave that to Morrowseer and the others."

Wither rolled his eyes. "Then what are you? The mastermind behind it all?"

The Nightwing blinked. "H-How did you know my name?"

Wither stared at him, eye twitching. "... Mastermind? That's seriously your..." He groaned loudly. "Of course it is. Why in the moons wouldn't it be? It's like this tribe is TRYING to make itself out to be the most cliché sounding organization of fiction story villains."

He sighed, before looking at the fallen body, Mastermind's attention full on him as he placed his talons upon her. He took a deep breath as the red in between his scales turned to black, stretching onto and around the body from his talons as blood red energy started to stitch itself across her body. Beads of sweat started to roll down Wither's snout as he pushed his power into her, feeling her body repair itself as his power healed her, bringing her back from death's embrace.

Wither gasped when the flow of power came to an abrupt stop, panting lightly as he stepped back, sweat dripping off of his face. The Nightwing twitched. Two more times, before dark eyes opened, the Nightwing groaning as she picked herself up. "What? Where... where am I? What is... Mastermind?"

Mastermind, who was furiously scribbling in his notes looked up, before dropping his notebook out of shock, realizing who it was that was talking.

"... Farsight?"

There you all have it. I decided to break this into two parts, as writing it all in one go would take me two weeks to do, so I hope you all still enjoy this regardless. I hope I improved on my showing rather than telling, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. As always, leave a review if you'd like, and I'll see you all next week.