Hey all. Sorry for being a little late this week. I wanted to focus a bit more on Starfire this chapter, along with the other alternate dragonets. I'm still sort of in the process of trying to figure out the process of how to get to where I want to in terms of story plot, but that won't stop me from trying. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I hope it holds up to the earlier ones.

I do not own Wings of fire.

"Normal speech"

"Thoughts."

Starflight and the other Dragonets were tired. They had been flying for at least three hours and ended up out of the grey fall of soot from the volcano right into a massive rainstorm. The droplets of water seeped into his scales, cold as ice, which made flying difficult. He started getting flashbacks, to the first storm that He had flown through. The storm that led him and his friends to meet Wither. He let his mind wander to that day after, trying to keep his mind off of the biting cold of the storm. "Wither... There's still so much about you that we don't know. That... memory you played in the pond that day... How did you do it? What kind of power would allow you to replay memories, with... sound and movement?"

He was interrupted from his thoughts when He saw Ochre lagging behind a little, slowing down to fly side by side to the Mudwing. "... How is the bandage holding up?"

Ochre looked at him with his good eye, before snorting. "It's fine... It just... stings..."

Starflight nodded. "We can try to find some leaves when we're on the main land to cover it, make it so water doesn't leak through."

Ochre gave him an odd look. "... Why do you care?"

Starflight blinked for a second, before smiling. "Well, I can't stop a war if I don't care about the dragons who are being affected by it."

Ochre's look became more confused. "What are you talking about? The dragonets of destiny are supposed to end the war. And that's us."

It was Starflight's turn to look confused. "... I see... Did... Morrowseer say that?"

Ochre nodded slowly. "Yeah. Said that there was a group of fakes that were not doing their job right."

Starflight frowned, rolling that information through his head. "Is Morrowseer trying to manipulate the prophecy? Just because we wouldn't vouch for Blister?"

They finally could see land through the haze caused by the rain, Morrowseer landing on a hill that towered over a long beach, the dragonets following suit. Squid was panting hard, his smaller frame trembling. Starflight frowned lightly, before moving over to let his wing cover the small Seawing from the rain. "Are you alright?"

Squid winced as Starflight heard a pop from the Rainwing's shoulder as Squid tried to stretch his wing. "N-Never flown that long... my wings hurt."

Starflight nodded, feeling an ache in his own wings. "Yeah. The storm definitely didn't help... Seawings are better swimmers than fliers. Maybe you should follow us in the sea on the way back. I could fly low so you can keep track."

Squid blinked in surprise, about to speak when Morrowseer growled out. "There is a Skywing outpost here. Your task is to go in and convince them to accept Blister as the Queen that should be chosen."

The other four dragonets looked to each other in confusion, while Starflight had to hold back a growl. "So, he is trying to replace us... If he dares to think my friends can be replaced, he has another thing coming."

Flame huffed in annoyance. "We flew for three hours just to talk to a bunch of soldiers? What a waste of time."

Morrowseer's glare landed on flame, pinning him in place. "You will do as you are told, as your parents did in handing you over to me. Now, shut up and get moving. I'm already running out of patience with you all."

Viper looked at the other dragonets. Flame she could trust to fight if it came to it, but Squid was a wimp. A fun wimp to tease and chase, but... in a real fight... he'd be the first to die. Ochre could hold his own, but Starflight... He didn't seem like one to fight, but he did have a way with words that they lacked, even if it came out as a bit condescending. She nodded to Morrowseer. "... Let's go." She took off, gliding down towards the beach, where she could see a shelter of some kind with flames inside, lighting the interior. The others followed soon after, if only to get away from Morrowseer's impending rage.

They slowly approached the entrance to the cave, before Starflight stopped Viper from barging in. "Wait... We shouldn't go into this head first. These are soldiers in there... If we say the wrong things, we might all get killed."

Viper glared at him for a half second, before sighing. "Alright... You seem to have a way with words, so how about you do the talking." She gripped Starflight's shoulder, pushing him forward, the courage from the Nightwing quickly being replaced with nervousness as he was now in front of all the others at the cave entrance, hearing at least half a dozen skywings inside.

He took a deep breath, before turning to the others. "... If things look like they're about to go back, run and fly as fast as you can. I'll... try to buy you all time."

The others couldn't even cover the looks of shock on their faces as Starflight stepped inside, totally not sweating like a thick furred monkey stranded in the sand kingdom. The cave was large enough for a small platoon, able to fit maybe another dozen dragons or so comfortably with a blazing bonfire in the center. Six Skywing soldiers sat near the flames, talking with each other. "So, are you all for Ruby becoming Queen? Ever since Queen Scarlet disappeared?"

A second guard huffed. "Ruby is too young... But I'll admit, It's better than having to watch our backs every second. Scarlet was strong, but by the moons, she'd execute her own family before accepting an insult. I still have nightmares about that Night with Kestrel... Poor dragon, forced to leave not just one but both of her dragonets."

Starflight paused. Clay had mentioned Peril being Kestrel's daughter, but he didn't know she had a twin... Or, at least, that part never came up. A third guard growled. "She should have drowned them both. Then maybe Scarlet wouldn't have gotten her pet monster."

The first soldier gave a sigh. "... I don't blame Peril. It was all she ever knew, and keep in mind, the only role model she had was Scarlet, so I'm just glad she isn't killing for the fun of it. I've seen her a few times, shrinking from people's glares after Ruby banished her... I think she's just... a scared dragonet... with the power to kill any dragon in her way."

The third soldier to speak up growled. "That won't mean anything if Burn returns. Ruby refuses to work with her, but the moment Burn decides that we're enemies too, then we'll be at war with both the Seawings and the Sandwings, not to mention the Icewings."

Starflight realized that this was exactly where he needed to step in. "... The Seawings have withdrawn from the war."

All of the soldiers tensed, whirling around towards him while grabbing the spears and blades that were by their sides, aiming them at Starflight and the Dragonets who had cluttered in behind him. Starflight, doing everything in his willpower to not panic at the sight of spears pointed at his snout, raised a talon defensively. "We are not here for a fight, Skywings. We are here for peace, just as the Prophecy stated."

The head of the Skywings stared at him, glaring in defiance. "... I remember you, Nightwing. Morrowseer took you from the colosseum, leaving the other Dragonets to die. And none of them are with you now... So, who are these dragonets with you? They aren't the dragonets of destiny, none of them. The Mudwing was far more appealing, and the Seawing was defiant, not shaking in their own skin. And you had no skywing in your group. So... Why should we let any of you live?"

Viper sighed, muttering low enough that only their group could hear. "Well, so much for peaceful."

She started to curl her tail when Starflight Shook his head towards her, looking back to the Skywings. "You haven't seen any Seawings in this patrol, correct? It's because A treachery was found between Blister and Queen Coral. The Seawings have pulled out of the war entirely. You no longer have enemies among them. We showed Coral the deception that was being kept from her."

The Skywings all looked to each other, before the leader looked at him again. "True... But you still haven't answered my question... Why should we let you live?"

Starflight paused, trying to come up with something to say. "What gets us out of this? What should I say?... What... What would Wither say?" He swallowed, before taking a breath as he steeled his nerves. "Listen, We all want the same thing. We want this war to end. Too much dragon blood has been spilt, and too many families have been torn apart because of this war. And... What has it all been for? Three princesses too prideful to give up the throne? Is it fair that you all suffer because of what should be a dispute amongst family, not a war across Pyrrhia?"

The skywings all stopped their advance, looking to each other as it did make sense. Why were they fighting in a war that... in all honestly, had nothing to do with them? They all slowly lowered their spears, but the leader kept his guard up. "That doesn't explain why you have Dragonets who are different. Who are they?"

Flame growled, looking ready to pounce forward when Viper slapped him with the blunt side of her tail to keep him quiet, her tail curled so that the stinger didn't hit him. She could tell a fight would only end badly for them. Starflight swallowed, not really having thought up an excuse for that yet. "... They are friends. They agreed to help us stop the war." Flame looked heavily offended, now looking like he was about to attack Starflight.

The Skywing commander tilted his head, before chuckling. "Well... I suppose it would be quite unrealistic to assume that five little dragonets could change a war on their own. I can see why you would need help." He lowered his spear. "I am Hawk, leader of the Sunrise Platoon. These are my fellow soldiers, Owl, Brimstone, Rockslide, Cloud and Storm."

The soldiers each nodded as they were addressed, Starflight looking curiously at Storm, who unlike the others had dark bluish scales rather than the red or gold of Skywings. Hawk noticed the look, before smirking. "Storm here is a hybrid, and the reason we were positioned here. He's half Seawing. His mother was one of our prisoners a few years ago." Storm huffed, holding his spear tighter as he growled.

Starflight was amazed that there was a hybrid of two of the tribes but had to hold back his questions. He was about to ask more when Hawk interrupted. "So, Dragonet of destiny... How exactly do you and your friends plan to stop the war?"

Starflight paused at that question. How... did they expect to stop the war? They were after all, just five dragonets. How can they stop a conflict that has been going on for over twenty years? "... We are taking away the forces of the princesses. Changing the war to what it should have been in the first place. A decision between three dragons, not a war between the tribes."

Hawk hummed to himself. "... A practical strategy. But you do realize, if it does come down to Burn, Blister and Blaze... Burn is going to win by a landslide, right? She is far more experienced in battle, far more deadly. Blister is smart, yes, but without the Seawings she doesn't stand a chance. And Blaze..." He rolled his eyes. "Blaze is about as smart as a hatchling."

Starflight nodded. "Yes, my friends and I met her... But she isn't horrible. She can learn to be a good queen. Burn... You know how much she loves this war. I... Have no doubt that Burn would keep the war going, even after becoming queen." Hawk paused, before giving a reluctant nod, knowing all too well that prolonging the war was right up Burn's alley.

Starflight took a shaky breath. "Which means the only way this war could end without more bloodshed is with Blister or Blaze... But Blaze has a lot to learn if she is to be queen. So, logically speaking, Blister would be the best choice, right?"

Hawk stared at Starflight for a long moment, before gaining a small smile. "I feel a 'but' coming there."

Starflight sighed. "... But Blister is just as cruel as she is cunning. No doubt she'd have any who opposed her assassinated so she doesn't do her own dirty work."

Hawk sighed lightly. "Frankly, that's the most levelheaded look at the war I've heard so far in my service... There's a good group of us Skywings who believe none of the three princesses deserve the throne, Me in it, but I can't go against the orders of our queen... Even if she is missing at the moment."

Starflight grew curious at that. "I overheard a little of that. Scarlet is missing?"

Hawk nodded. "Yeah. Disappeared in the ruckus your friends caused in their escape. Currently, we're being ruled by Ruby, Scarlet's daughter. And... Well, she's a much more agreeable queen than Scarlet ever was. She actually cares about her own people, especially ever since she had a dragonet of her own."

Flame started to look bored, giving a glare as if he itched to fight someone, But stopped when he noticed Viper being... well, far calmer that he would have expected. Ochre was being his lazy self. It was amazing how a Mudwing could fall asleep standing. Squid was shivering from the cold rain still dripping off his scales while Starflight negotiated. Starflight then asked a bold question. "... If you went back and told Ruby that the Seawings have pulled from the war... do you think she'd be willing to pull the skywings out?"

The dragonets stared at him incredulously. Was Starflight trying to get Morrowseer to kill them? But Hawk just gained a pondering look on his face. "Hmm... Maybe... What can I use as proof of this?"

Starflight smiled lightly. "Tell her it's on the word and honor of Tsunami, eldest daughter of Queen Coral. She was the Seawing in the Arena."

Hawk gained a look of surprise, before laughing lightly. "Of course, a dragonet of destiny would be the queen's daughter. Alright, I'll see what I can do." He held out a talon. "Might I know the name of my informant?"

Starflight took the talon, shaking it. "Starflight..." He then looked to him worriedly, whispering so only Hawk could hear. "... you might want to pretend that you're accepting Blister as the new queen. A group of Nightwings followed us here, to make sure we could convince you..."

Hawk gave a small laugh. "It'll take more than a few dragons to take us down, but thanks for the warning." They parted, Hawk looking to his men. "Alright men. Let's get back to Queen ruby with this information. If the Seawings have withdrawn, then perhaps it's time for the Skywing's loyalty to change. Burn has been borderline threatening us, and if his info is correct, then it seems Blister is in need for some new allies."

The soldiers caught onto the undertone to just play along, all nodding as they prepared their weapons and gear. Hawk then turned back to Starflight. "You all run along before you get hurt. Wouldn't want the next patrol to stumble on you five."

They all nodded as they went out of the cave, waiting a few minutes before the small platoon exited, flying into the air and towards the mountains that they could just barely make out in the storm.

Starflight sighed in relief that the Skywings could get away without any trouble. Flame huffed with irritation. "So, what was the point of any of that? We could have taken them."

Viper rolled her eyes. "Flame... you would have gone down faster than Tyrant laid you out. They were soldiers. Not... dragonets like us."

Flame, Ochre and Squid all stared at Viper incredulously. She had never, NEVER admitted that she would lose a fight. she was known to be the second most aggressive of their group after Flame, and yet she wasn't angry. If anything, Viper looked... relieved that she didn't have to fight. Squid was shivering again, being out in the rain once again. Starflight looked around, not seeing Morrowseer, but spotted a cluster of trees just above. "Let's go up there. It should give a little more protection from the storm, and we can get some leaves to cover Ochre's bandage."

Flame looked like he wanted to protest, but Viper nodded. "... Sure. Let's do that." Flame was the only one who hesitated as the others flew up to the little shelter the trees gave, before following with a grumble.

Starflight landed, smiling as he found some large leaves that he had read about. Banana leaves, if he recalled. He looked up at the trees above, noticing the yellow and green fruit that grew from them, mentioned in his scrolls. He gathered some of the leaves, and also flew up to slice of a large bundle of the fruit with his talons, flying back down with it in tow. "I'll work on this cover. In the meantime, eat these... Peel the skin off first though. The skin is bitter, but the insides are quite good from what I've read."

He got to work weaving the leaves as best he could. He wasn't great at it, but it would be enough to mitigate the rain from hitting Ochre's bandage. The other dragonets on the other hand, were busy with the fruit. Even if they didn't want to admit it, the last good meal they had was the fish that Wither had caught for them. Ochre was eating the fruit whole, not caring about the skin, and the bitter taste didn't seem to bother him. Squid was having a little bit of a hard time with the three he had pulled away, the skin hard to cut. "Why isn't this stupid thing cutting!?"

Starflight gave him a small smile. "Because those aren't ripe yet. The green ones are recently grown. It's the Yellow ones that are prime and ready to eat." Squid blinked, before whining softly as he realized all the yellow ones had been taken.

He was about to get back to work when the three green fruits were swiped away from him, Yellow ones taking their place. The Seawing blinked in confusion, then shock as he saw Viper now cutting into the green fruit, eating it without any words being said. Starflight smiled to himself, seeing the interaction. "... They're starting to act more like friends, even if it's in a more aggressive manner... Wither seems to have had a major impact on Viper, from what Fatespeaker said."

Starflight got to work over by Ochre, gently integrating the banana leaf cover over the bandage, Ochre growling in annoyance, but not stopping him. Just as Starflight finished putting on the cover, their nice little break was interrupted by the appearance of Morrowseer, who might have looked... tolerant, if it weren't for his permanent scowl. "Did you succeed?"

Starflight nodded nervously. "Y-yeah... They're going back to convince Ruby to join Blister."

Viper rolled her eyes lightly, but just continued eating, some of the other Nightwings that she could see in the sky swallowing at the sight of the food. Starflight also noticed, but didn't speak up as Morrowseer grumbled. "That doesn't matter! Did they believe you were the dragonets of destiny!?"

Starflight swallowed, but stood firm, returning a defiant look. "Well, they might have if it weren't for the fact that their leader was there when my friends escaped from Scarlet's arena. It's impossible to convince a dragon who knows otherwise."

Morrowseer glared at him for a long moment, before turning to the other Nightwings. "... Find that platoon and kill them."

The dragonets stared at him in shock, Starflight blurting out before he could think. "Why!? They're going to side with blister! Why would you want them dead!?"

Morrowseer growled in anger at Starflight, readying a claw to strike at him, when Viper's tail moved mid-way, nearly stabbing the Prophet's talon. "Oy. You dragged us here against our will, made us go through this task, and now you're going to attack because he makes a good point?"

Morrowseer growled, even angrier than before when one of the other Nightwings flew near him. "It's not worth it, Morrowseer. The platoon is too far ahead to track in this storm. We need to go back before this storm gets worse, or we'll all be stuck here for the night."

Morrowseer's rage grew as he glared at Starflight and Viper. "I'll deal with you both later." He then took off to the sky, the other Nightwings hesitating to follow.

Starflight waited until Morrowseer was far enough away that he wouldn't hear, looking up to the other Nightwings "... The yellow bananas are ripe to eat, at the tops of the trees. There should be big enough bundles to feed yourselves and any others that are hungry back on the island, if you are confident in carrying them."

The Nightwings blinked, looking to the tops of the banana trees, seeing fairly large bundles of the yellow fruit, before nodding as they moved to gather the fruit. None of them offered a word of thanks, but Starflight could see the relief on their faces, some not even peeling their fruit as they ate some. He then turned to Viper, the Sandwing glaring at where Morrowseer had disappeared. "... Why did you defend me?"

Viper glanced at him, before huffing. "Don't get the wrong idea, wimp. I just wanted to get Morrowseer angry. Payback for dragging us all into this." Starflight nodded as the other dragonets started to take off, before stopping as Viper continued. "And... as thanks for helping us... even though we've done nothing for you."

Starflight paused, before turning towards her. "... My friends and I believe that all dragons can have a chance for peace in this war. You are no exception, neither are your friends... You're just as hurt by this war as we are, with how Morrowseer is trying to use you... Maybe... That's why Wither pushed you the way he did. It might not have been nice, but... maybe you needed the right push so you would be more than just a pawn for Morrowseer to use."

Viper blinked, staring at him for a moment before Starflight turned around. "Come on. I promised squid that I'd fly low so he could swim most of the way." He took off into the air, flying towards the group of dragons.

Viper swallowed, trying to process Starflight's words. "... I could believe him to be a dragonet of prophecy. A dragon who could end the war... What did he mean by Morrowseer's pawn? It's true, none of us were actually hatched on the brightest night... Could... Morrowseer be lying to us? Are we... not the dragonets of destiny? If so, then... Why does he need us?... Why does he need dragonets who aren't part of the prophecy?... None of this makes any sense. All I know is that we can't trust Morrowseer... But... Maybe we can trust Starflight."

She sighed to herself, shaking herself in vain to get the rain off of her scales, before flying back into the sky to join them.

Starflight kept to his word, watching Squid dive into the water below while flying low enough so that his silver scales could show that he was still there, keeping an eye above so that he wouldn't lose track of the group as a whole. The storm was now becoming worse, winds blowing harshly against his wings. He felt a little jealous that Squid could swim under the waves.

Then it all took a turn for the worse as the waves started increasing in size, making it harder to see the Smaller Seawing. He could tell that Squid was beginning to struggle fighting against the current of the ocean but was managing somehow. Lightning flashed, and in the dark waters below, Starflight saw fins poking out of the water. His eyes widened as he recognized what they were, and even more when he saw Squid was barreling straight towards them. Even if Squid was a dragon, He would be no match for a pack of sharks as he was now, exhausted and tired. Starflight knew then and there, he had to take a chance.

He yelled as loudly as he could. "Ochre!" The mudwing looked down at him, his good eye squinting in confusion, but Starflight only elaborated by pointing down at the ocean, before diving towards the water. The spray of water sprayed against Starflight's face, the salty sea stinging his eyes and snout as he tried to keep a fix on Squid's location, before hitting the water. It was freezing and savage, ripping him away from Squid, but Starflight did not deter. He pushed, using his wings and talons to try and catch up with Squid, managing to grab the Seawing by the tail.

Squid spun around, before glaring hotly at Starflight, as if to say "What the moons are you doing!?" Before Starflight started trying to push him towards the surface. Squid squirmed in protest, not seeming to get the message. Starflight saw from the faint glow of Squid's scales that the pack of sharks had noticed them, starting to swim their way. He tried to think of a way to convey the danger, when two talons dunked into the water, grasping Starflight, and yanking him up and out of the water. Starflight took the small opportunity he had to grasp squid by his back talons, pulling him out of the water too.

Squid sputtered as air filled his lungs, flapping wildly. "What are you doing you eel sucki-" Starflight then shoved his tail out of the way just as a large hammerhead shark jumped out of the water, managing to bite into a small chunk of Starflight's forearm. Starflight cried out as he felt the rows of sharp teeth scrape and shred his arm but managed to pull it out of the predatory beast's mouth before losing a chunk of it, Ochre pulling Starflight up until they were out of jumping range of the Sharks.

Squid was now panting, staring at Starflight incredulously. "You... Saved me?"

Starflight nodded, wincing from the cuts in his forearm, blood slowly dripping down his claws. "I... Saw them in the lightning strike. You were going to run straight into them."

Squid then looked to Ochre, who huffed lightly. "Don't get the wrong idea, runt. I'm just paying back the weird one for the bandage." He let go of Starflight, before flying back to join the others.

Squid panted, before fixing his gaze back on Starflight. "... Why are you trying to be so nice to us? We... We tried to kill you."

Starflight gave as much of a smile as he could. "Hey. I can't stop a war and save dragons if I can't save the ones in front of me."

They both stayed aloft for a few seconds to catch their breath, before Starflight moved ahead to catch up to the others, looking back to Squid. "Let's fly for the rest of the way, in case there's more sharks."

Squid nodded tiredly, before pushing his aching wings to fall in line with the others.

It was a very long flight back. Starflight couldn't tell if it had become daylight yet or not, but he needed rest. And he was sure the others did too. Even Flame looked like he was about to drop. Morrowseer had left in a huff after they got back to the cave that the other dragonets had been assigned. Fatespeaker greeted them back with a happy smile, but her energetic attitude was shown to be less than welcome, all of the other four dragonets groaning as she burst into a thousand questions about what they did, and Starflight was too tired to answer any of them. Today had been both stressful and exhausting. He felt like he had flown through that same storm that caused him and the others to meet Wither.

He smiled at that memory, the accident that starting their journey with the sometimes grumpy but knowledgeable dragon. He hoped one day he could learn more about what happened to the Deathwings, how they ended up getting wiped out, and what sort of power let them replay their memories. But for now, he could only hope that Kinkajou had gotten the Dreamvisitor to him, and that he and Glory had come up with some sort of plan. He was getting worried when he noticed on the flight back that a new lava river seemed to have appear on the island, making him worry just how much time they had left before the Nightwings were doomed.

He was interrupted from his musing by Viper, who glanced at him from her perch. "... What are your friends like? The other dragonets who... supposedly screwed up?"

Of all the dragonets here, Viper was the second to last dragon he expected to ask that question, the first being Flame. "... Well... We were all taken from our homes to be hatched on the brightest night as the Dragonets of destiny. You remind me a lot of Tsunami. She's a Seawing. and she is the definition of fierce. She'd fight a hundred dragons to make sure any of us were safe, and to protect what she cared about. Clay, the Mudwing in our group... He's a big brother to all of us. He always makes sure that we're all taken care of, and he hates fighting. He will if he has too, but he's never been one to instigate one. The Skywing..."

He swallowed, seeing Flame's attention on him. "... didn't make it. From what our guardians had said, Burn captured the egg and threw it down a cliff before it could get to us... So, instead we have our friend Glory. A Rainwing."

Flame huffed a sarcastic laugh, smoke billowing from his mouth. "A rainwing? A worthless lazy rainwing to replace a Skywing? How pathetic."

Starflight and Fatespeaker both frowned at the harsh remark, but Starflight just smiled. "That's what every dragon who's faced her thinks... and is why she's always beaten them. In fact, last time I saw her, she was contending to become queen of the Rainwing. She has just as much of a fighting spirit as Tsunami."

Flame grunted, not believing for a second that a Rainwing could have a fighting spirit. Viper then tilted her head. "What about your Sandwing?"

Starflight paused, before smiling fondly. "Sunny. She is... the brightest out of all of us. She believes there is good in every dragon, no matter how dark they are, and has complete faith in the prophecy. She might be different than most Sandwings, mostly that she has bright golden scaled instead of pale, and the fact that she doesn't have the barb on her tail, but that doesn't stop her from being fierce when she wants to be."

Viper frowned lightly, not understanding the concept of a Sandwing without their most staple weapon. "... And... Wither?"

Starflight sighed at that one. "You won't be getting much more out of me than he's already said. The others and I only met him about a month ago, when we were fleeing Scarlet's palace and the mud kingdom to see Tsunami's family in the Sea kingdom. We got caught in a storm and Sunny slipped off of Clay... and when Clay caught her, he slammed head first into a rock on an isolated island, knocking himself out cold. We stayed on that island for the night and... met him in the morning. Ever since then, he's been helping us, not just in the prophecy, but in... improving ourselves... Glory is probably the most prideful of our group, but Wither somehow got her to open up to us in a way we had never seen before. I... had never seen her cry before... But it helped us bond together... and that's what gives us strength. We... We're not just a group of dragonets... We treat each other as family."

Viper and Squid stared at him for a long moment until Flame made a disgusted noise. "What a load of goat crap. If you're so sappy about being a family, how have they not helped you out yet?" He scoffed, more smoke billowing out of his snout. "You can only rely on yourself. If you can't then you're just a stupid dragon."

Starflight frowned as Flame curled to face away from the rest of them. Fatespeaker put a talon over his, smiling to him. "Your friends sound amazing. Don't worry about Flame. He's... always cranky."

Starflight nodded, returning the smile. "Noted... We should all get some sleep before daybreak. I am exhausted."

Viper gave a laugh. "I second that notion."

Starflight then slipped a few bananas that he had hidden under his wing over to Fatespeaker. "... It didn't feel right to not grab some for you. Though, they might be a little salty."

Fatespeaker gasped at the sight of the yellow fruit, before taking it with a grin. "Thank you, Starflight. This is awesome!" She darted to her area of the cave, the sound of chewing following soon after.

Starflight laid his head on the hard rock, trying to breath without getting ash in his snout. "This was hard to prevent deaths from happening... What will Morrowseer try tomorrow? I have to be ready."

One more chapter down. Sorry if they all seem to be filler chapters, I'm trying to build up to a major plot event that will be happening soon and have been having a little troubling in figuring out how to get to it. I don't want to rush through the setting of book 4 too quickly and want to do some exploring of character in what I've got so far, especially with the alternate dragonets. I definitely want to do something with Flame in the next chapter, as he's the one I'm having the hardest time trying to figure out how to... give a reason to grow instead of continue being a jerk. But, that's for the future. For now, I hope that you all enjoyed. Please leave a review, every bit of constructive criticism helps, and I'll see you guys next week.