Jambu was lounging in the shade, casually chatting with Clay and Starlight when the two dragons landed with a soft thud. Without missing a beat, he looked up with a playful grin, as if he had been expecting them. "Well, well, if it isn't the marbles again," he said, the teasing glint in his eyes. "Clay here just told me," he continued, turning his attention to Frost, "that you're not one of them, huh? Not a dragonet of destiny or whatever they're calling themselves these days." He tilted his head, his bright eyes scanning her. "You look a bit older than them, too. So, where exactly are you from?"

"The Ice Kingdom," Frost replied coolly, flicking her wings back with a precision that made her icy nature all too clear. She wasn't here to make friends, especially not with a RainWing who seemed as scattered as a leaf in a storm. "Not that it's any of your business."

Jambu raised an eyebrow at her tone, his smile barely faltering, before his attention shifted to Glory. Frost flicked her tail at her sister, a silent cue. Glory stepped forward, her voice cutting through the air with calm urgency.

"We need you to take us to the Forbidden Hollow."

The moment the words left her mouth, Jambu's expression shifted dramatically. The fruit he had been holding slipped from his claws and landed with a soft thud in the grass. His smile faded, replaced by a look of panic that seemed almost... comical.

"What?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I—I can't do that."

Frost's posture stiffened, and she took a step forward, her presence suddenly as imposing as a mountain. "You can, and you will," she said with quiet command, her voice a mixture of steel and ice. Despite the black blindfold that hid her eyes, her confidence radiated off her, making Jambu flinch slightly. The others watched the exchange, exchanging furtive glances. Clay, Starlight, and Tsunami were visibly taken aback, but it was Sunny who slipped closer to Clay, seeking comfort beneath his protective wing.

Jambu swallowed nervously, forcing a smile that was more nervous twitch than genuine expression. "A-all right," he stammered, his tail flicking uneasily. "But we better go quietly; the queen might have placed guards there."

Frost's gaze softened just slightly at his compliance. Good. They weren't wasting time. The tension was palpable as the group, now united in purpose, braced themselves for the journey ahead. The Forbidden Hollow was a place of darkness and mystery, and the risk was high, but with Jambu leading them, they had no other choice.

Jambu sighed and, with one last glance around at the others, began to move. "Follow me," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "And keep your voices down, alright? No more... well, this," he gestured vaguely to the group, "unless you want to end up on the queen's bad side."

With that, they set off, the forest swallowing them whole as they ventured toward the Forbidden Hollow, where danger—and perhaps something far worse—awaited.

SCENEBREAK

The Forbidden Hollow loomed ahead, its oppressive atmosphere nearly suffocating. The air was thick with the stench of decay, a nauseating blend of rot and something far darker that clung to the very ground. Frost's nostrils flared, her senses overwhelmed by the sinister aura that hung heavy in the air. She barely managed to keep herself from gagging, the foul smell pressing down on her like a physical weight. Glory, walking just a pace behind, flicked her tail nervously, her scales rippling with discomfort. She kept her wings tightly folded against her sides, eyes darting around suspiciously.

"Quicker," Glory whispered urgently to Jambu, her voice barely louder than a breath. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Jambu, who was leading the way, crouched low, his tail twitching nervously. "I can't go quicker," he hissed back, voice laced with fear. "We need to be careful, okay? This place isn't just... haunted. It's alive with danger." He pushed aside a thick fern with a trembling paw, his movements as stealthy as he could manage, but there was no mistaking the tension in his body. The tip of his tail flicked erratically, betraying his growing anxiety.

Frost sighed, frustration curling in her chest. She glanced over at Glory, whose discomfort was palpable, but then turned her attention to the surroundings. They were deep in the Hollow now, where the trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches clawing at the sky like skeletal hands. The underbrush was thick with rotting leaves and the remnants of fallen trees, each step making a sickening crunch beneath their talons.

She scanned the area carefully, noticing that there were no other RainWings in sight—no guards, no signs of movement. But her instincts, honed by years of survival, told her that something was off. The absence of RainWings felt... wrong. They could be hiding, camouflaged, blending into the shadows like the predators they were. Frost kept her body tense, ready for anything.

A faint rustling from behind them caught her attention, making her freeze. Her muscles tensed, and her blindfolded gaze shot in that direction. She couldn't see, but she could feel the air shift, as though the darkness itself was shifting around them. The Hollow was alive in its own twisted way, a place where danger wasn't just possible—it was inevitable.

"Stay sharp," Frost muttered under her breath. She lowered her head, her icy instincts on high alert, and followed Jambu, who was still moving as quickly as his fear would allow. The silence pressed in around them, thick and suffocating, and every step felt like it could be their last.

"Just a little farther," Jambu murmured, as though trying to reassure himself as much as them.

Frost wasn't so sure. There was something in the air—something ancient and malicious—that told her they were walking into something far worse than they could imagine.

The air thickened as they crept deeper into the hollow. Frost's stomach churned with the putrid stench of rot, and her claws itched with the urge to flee from the overwhelming decay. But there was something in her chest—a strange, insistent pull—that kept her moving forward, despite the disgust and unease swirling inside her.

When Jambu finally halted, he gestured toward a spot where the smell of death was thickest, his tail flicking nervously. "This is it," he whispered, as if speaking too loudly would summon something worse. Frost couldn't help but take a deep breath through her nostrils, steeling herself for what lay ahead. What greeted them made her eyes widen in revulsion.

A massive, bloated sloth lay sprawled across the grass, its once soft fur matted with blood, its eyes glassy and unseeing. The smell was unbearable, and flies swarmed over its carcass, buzzing like a living cloud of pestilence. Frost gagged, her throat tightening as she fought to keep her composure.

"Okay, ew," she whined, grimacing as she took an instinctual step back. Glory, standing just behind her, nodded in agreement, her scales darkening with disgust.

Jambu, however, didn't seem phased. He pointed upward, his claw tracing toward a large boulder nearby. It looked oddly out of place, as though it had been placed with intent. Frost squinted at the dark hole beside it, a yawning cavern of shadows that seemed to reach out for them.

"That's not the worst," Jambu murmured, his voice quieter than usual. "That hole... it's where none of our patrols dare to go."

Frost's heart skipped a beat. Her instincts told her there was something terribly wrong with this place, but her own curiosity gnawed at her. She stepped closer, ignoring the pulse of dread creeping up her spine. The hole seemed to pulse with an eerie energy, as though it was alive, breathing in the very air around them.

Her breath hitched, and a strange feeling washed over her, almost like a whisper in her mind. It was as if something on the other side of that hole was calling to her, beckoning her in a way she couldn't explain. It was too familiar. Too urgent. The pull felt like destiny itself.

Glory, sensing her hesitation, took a step forward, her eyes wide with fear. "Frost, don't," she warned, her voice trembling with a mix of concern and fear. "This is madness."

But Frost barely heard her. She turned, giving Glory a sad smile, though the determination in her heart was undeniable. "I think it's time we part ways, Glory," she said softly, her voice filled with an unspoken sadness. "Tell your friends I'd love to see them again... if that were the case." Her tail swished over the grass, the jagged tips brushing the ground with a finality that echoed through the silence.

Before Glory could protest further, Frost turned and walked toward the hole, the pull in her chest intensifying with each step. The darkness seemed to swallow her whole as she disappeared into the unknown, leaving behind only the faintest trace of her presence.

Glory's call reached her ears, but it was distant, fading as if it were another world entirely. Frost didn't look back. There was no turning back now. Something had drawn her here, and whatever it was, she knew she had to follow it.