Avrae paced by the tree, her tail swishing back and forth behind her. Nitsu glided down beside her, landing with such a grace that not even a leaf was disturbed. "Everything okay? I didn't make you wait too long did I?" Nitsu asked gently.

Avrae stopped, slowly turning to look at her. "No, not at all," she answered as calmly as she could. Her heart raced in her chest as she fidgeted with her claws. How was she going to bring up the topic of Whiplash? If what Petal said was true, then she needed to time this right.

Nitsu gestured towards her den with a wing. "Please, do enter and we may speak." Avrae obeyed, each step feeling even heavier than the last.

Avrae's eyes adjusted to the dark as she looked around. The dirt underneath her claws felt rather soft and surprisingly warm. The walls were incredibly smooth and, to her surprise, the den itself was rather barren. Well, apart from a moss nest in the back.

"You like what you see?" Nitsu rasped. Avrae blinked, looking back at Nitsu almost in surprise. Luckily, she whiped it from her face as quickly as it had appeared.

"Yeah! I love it! I think I'll redesign my cave to be just like this!" Avrae hurriedly replied. Nope. Not in a thousand years. But, she didn't want to offend the leader of the Cletin, or else she may just blow her chance at being accepted.

Nitsu frowned. In what sounded like annoyance, she snapped, "stop with the tail kissing! The sooner you quit kissing the tails of your elders like a lost hatchling, the better!"

Avrae jumped, her quills prickling. Where did that come from? Did she do something wrong? Perhaps she should've complimented the smoothness of the walls...

"What do you mean?" Avrae cautiously asked. She hoped she hadn't just blown her chance at joining the Cletin.

Nitsu scoffed, as if she didn't believe what she was clearly hearing. "You know exactly what I mean. I'm not taking you under my wing just for you to preen my feathers for me!" Avrae inhaled sharply.

Nitsu wanted to take her under her wing? She would be learning directly from Nitsu? Was that why she had been told to meet Nitsu here?

"You're going to... mentor me?" Avrae asked in disbelief. Nitsu rolled her eyes as she walked past the shadow dragoness.

"That's only if you want it. If you accept, you won't have to take the trials but you won't be a candidate. You'll be training directly under me as my replacement. However you won't be going out into the field anytime soon like the rookies will," Nitsu replied. "If you want more field assignments then the training I offer will not be for you."

Eagerly, Avrae pounced on the opportunity. Replacement? Future leader of the Cletin? This was even better than her original goals had been!

"Yes! Yes! I'll accept! You won't be disappointed!" Avrae cried, bouncing on her toes.

Nitsu raised a claw, pointing at Avrae. "Meet here tomorrow at sun high sharp. I hold high standards, so for every minute you are late you will be flying half a mile. I don't care what the weather is, you show up unless I specifically say not to," Nitsu stated.

Avrae nodded eagerly. "Yes ma'am!" She turned on her heel and ran out of the den, a smile plastered out of her face. However, before she got too far she stopped outside and turned around, her smile vanishing. "Might I ask you something?"

Nitsu waved a claw. "Ask away," she replied. Sapphire blue eyes were trained on Avrae as she shuffled her wings.

Avrae inhaled slowly, finding herself suddenly nervous. Perhaps Petal was right? Would Nitsu react negatively? Or was Petal lying? "Who is Whiplash?" Finally, she popped the question.

Nitsu snarled, stomping out of the den. Before anyone could blink, Nitsu had grabbed Avrae by the horn and yanked her closer. Avrae couldn't help the small yelp that escaped her as she scrambled to regain her balance. "Where did you hear that name?" She demanded.

Avrae gulped. Her eyes widened. "I-I-I heard it from a golden winged snake named Petal," Avrae rasped, her voice hardly above a whisper.

"This snake... did it have spiked crests above its eyes?" Nitsu asked. The much older dragon's grip tightened. Avrae tried to nod, tried to calm her racing heart. But it was all in vain.

"Yes..." she tried to strengthen her voice so she wouldn't sound like a hatchling and would sound, hopefully, more like an adult. However, her voice betrayed her and came out as a pathetic whimper instead.

Nitsu growled. The wind dragon arched her neck and leaned forward slightly. Avrae felt spit land on her snout as Nitsu snarled, "speak up!"

"Yes!" Avrae couldn't shake the tremble out of her voice. It took everything she got as it was not to tremble. Avrae was fully aware Nitsu could kill her with merely a thought right now if she pleased. But, that wasn't the scary part. The scary part was Avrae could do the same to Nitsu... and Nitsu didn't even know it.

Do it. The dark part of herself hissed. I am close enough and she is foolish enough to directly touch me. All I have to do is send my power through and - NO! Avrae nearly growled as she banished the dangerous thoughts from her mind.

She couldn't do such a thing. She wouldn't. She knew the effects her dark powers had on living things. She had tested it on her prey many times. Had watched countless rats scream and thrash under her claws as her dark powers boiled them alive from the inside out. Every time, it had become too cruel for her to watch any longer than a few seconds and a slash of a claw had ended it.

But to do that to another dragon? Or any creature capable of complex emotion with the intelligence to create entirely new and amazing inventions from scratch? It would be cruel. More than cruel. There wasn't a word Avrae could use to describe it that could properly describe it. Inhumane, perhaps?

"A spirit dragon. Thought they died out decades ago," Nitsu mumbled under her breath. Avrae blinked, the words just barely being audible despite her keen hearing. Nitsu looked around, as if wary, before releasing Avrae's horn. "Best talk inside. If the wrong ears catch wind of this it could mean our demise." She turned, walking inside the den almost as if nothing had happened.

Avrae paused, watching the elder dragon go. A part of her felt humiliated while another part demanded retaliation. Her instincts wanted to challenge Nitsu and put her in her place, though the logical side of her knew this would only blow her chance at joining the Cletin and result in a humiliating defeat. Nitsu, being six hundred and eighty one years old, had way more experience than Avrae's pathetic twenty years. Even if Avrae revealed her primal powers and the strange abilities she had, the advantage probably wouldn't last long against a dragon as old and wise as Nitsu in a fight.

So, she stifled her instincts and ignored the temptation of giving in to instinct.

With no choice, Avrae hesitantly followed the old dragon inside the den. What was so dangerous about this? What was a spirit dragon? What did Nitsu mean by 'the wrong ears'? Was she afraid of something? Should Avrae be afraid too? And COULD HER HEART STOP RACING NOW?!

Nitsu faced Avrae again, taking a deep breath. "Whiplash was my mate," she started. Wait, Nitsu had a mate? How did she not know of this? Why was talk of Whiplash dangerous?

"What happened to him?" Avrae asked hesitantly. Nitsu gazed into her eyes.

"Seyte killed him."

Avrae gasped, taking a step back. "What? Why?" Why would their queen do such a thing?

"He was a Nightmare Walker," Nitsu replied simply. As if Avrae would be able to connect the dots with that sentence alone. Upon noticing Avrae's confused look, Nitsu sighed. "Nightmare Walkers, just like Dream Walkers, possess magic. All of them can cast spells, smell lies, and walk in the dreams of others. But each individual has a very unique power or set of powers. The only difference between the two types of Walkers is the fact Nightmare Walkers have enhanced senses at night while Dream Walkers have enhanced senses in the day. The other tribes embrace them, for they are even rarer than primal dragons. But our tribe executes them upon discovery, as Seyte believes they are too dangerous. All Walkers in our tribe double as primal dragons."

Avrae was careful to keep all traces of her emotions from appearing on her face. The abilities described... was it possible? No, it couldn't be. Unless... there was only one way to be sure...

"Are there any books I can borrow to learn more about these Nightmare Walkers?" She asked cautiously. Nitsu studied the shadow dragoness in front of her, to which Avrae flashed a nervous smile.

"Wait one moment," Nitsu grumbled. She turned and walked right over to her nest. Avrae raised an eye ridge. Just what was she doing?

Nitsu gave Avrae a nice view of her tail as the sound of something heavy being dragged through the dirt was heard. Probably digging under her nest, if Avrae had to guess. When Nitsu turned around again, Avrae's eyes widened as wide as the moon.

Thump!

The book landed on the floor in front of Avrae, a mini dust cloud blowing up around it. It was so thick that there was no way she would be able to carry it with only one hand. The cover had no title on it, but instead was a rusty red with golden thread bordering the edges. Chains bound by a single lock held the book closed, daring all those who didn't hold its key to try to claim the knowledge hidden within its depths.

Avrae whistled. "Must be some pretty dangerous knowledge to require a lock to keep it shut. Or it just has too many pages to keep itself closed."

A hint of a smile graced Nitsu's face. "This book was written by an ancient Dream Walker named Klia. Don't lose it or let anyone see it," Nitsu warned. Avrae was tempted to ask why, but thought the better of it. It probably had something to do with Seyte executing Walkers. If she feared their magic, then she probably also feared the knowledge of it.

But... what if Nitsu was being exaggerating? Perhaps Seyte did kill her mate... but maybe for a totally different reason? Perhaps Nitsu just didn't want to admit what the true reason was. Or maybe there was more to the story than met the eye.

Either way, it was better to air on the side of caution. At least until she saw proof of this with her own eyes. If she wanted to get Nitsu's full story, then she'd have to gain her trust. By doing as Nitsu said, it'd be a small step towards earning that trust.

Avrae picked up the book with both hands, blinking in surprise at the weight. "It's heavier than I thought. What is it full of? Rocks?" She tilted her head, careful not to damage the book with her claws.

"Knowledge weighs heavy on the one who carries it alone," Nitsu replied. That's not cryptic at all... Avrae thought sarcastically. She nearly growled out loud.

Nitsu walked past Avrae outside of her den, the feathers on the tips of her wings just barely brushing Avrae's thigh. Avrae turned. "Wait, what about the lock?"

Nitsu looked over her shoulder at Avrae, smiled, and chimed, "that is just a puzzle you will have to figure out yourself." Without another word, she spread her wings... and flew away. Avrae watched as the feathered white dragon became just a speck in the sky, dumbfounded.

She sighed. Well, just moping around wouldn't get anything done. She had some free time on her hands, she may as well use it while she could.

The shadow dragoness turned around, tucked the book under one arm, spread her wings, and flew away.

* * *

Flying with a book that weighed heavier than a dragon egg while trying not to be noticed proved harder than Avrae had originally thought. More than once she had nearly dropped the book when a strong wind current had snagged on her wings. Even the trees seemed to bend over with the force of the wind. Dragons were taking shelter as the windstorm began to pick up, yet Avrae continued to fly.

Eventually, she got far enough away that the mountains that hid her home from view were nowhere to be seen. She must've been flying for three hours at least, because her wings were sore and the forest below was unrecognizable. The muscles in her arm were cramping, unused to holding something heavy for long periods of time.

Had the wind not been fighting her every wingbeat of the way, she would've doubled, if not tripled, the distance. When she flew over a dead tree with twisted branches, she made note of its location and made a sharp dive through the canopy beside it. She weaved through the tree trunks, slowing down just enough to ensure she wouldn't hit any of them.

When she came across a pile of rocks at the base of a maple tree, she landed with a very soft thump beside it. She shook out her wings, resting the book on top of one of the rocks. Avrae winced, carefully folding them back in again. She and windstorms simply did not get along.

Now... how to get the book open? She lifted the lock up as much as the chain would allow with a claw, eyes squinting as she peered at the bottom of it. No keyhole.

Hmmm. Maybe breaking it would work? Well, worth a try. Avrae picked up a random slab of rock and held it up in the air. She lined it up before bringing it down upon the lock.

Clang!

She set the rock down by her side before inspecting the lock. Not a dent. Perhaps she needed to strike the lock harder and repeatedly? She picked up the rock again, her claws wrapping around it as tight as possible.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

She frowned. Still not a dent! A growl rumbled through Avrae's throat. If that Dream Walker had invented this lock as well as wrote this book, then if they ever met then Avrae would be having some serious words.

A few attempts later, and Avrae threw the rock towards a nearby tree with a snarl. How DARE the lock be so stubborn! If there hadn't been a danger of destroying the book, she would've breathed her shadow fire over it already!

She bared her fangs as she slapped a paw against the lock as hard as she could. Black sparks edged in purple danced around her talons. She was glad no one was around to see the sparks. They probably would have the same, horrified reaction Grywell had had when he had first seen them.

Click!

She froze.

Cautiously, she inspected the book. There! Her eyes widened. The lock had popped open! A grin crossed her face. The book was locked by magic! Of course! How could she have neglected to try that?

Her grin disappeared as a dark thought crossed her mind. Nitsu didn't have magic that she was aware of. And if only Walkers had magic, then the fact Avrae had been able to open the book would alert Nitsu of her secret.

Clever dragon...

She shrugged. She'd worry about that later. For now, it was time to get some answers! Eagerly, she flipped the book open to a random page and... blank.

Avrae blinked. She flipped to another page. Also blank.

Yellowish white paper stared back at her without so much as a drop of ink upon its pages. Avrae sat down with a soft thump! She stared at the book, dumbfounded. All that flying... just to read an empty book?!

A deep growl emitted from her, startling a nearby bird and making it fly away in a panic. Not that the dragon cared. Flickers of black magic danced across her talons as it reacted to her anger with eagerness. It just barely grazed a blade of glass when the grass shriveled up and died.

Yet Avrae didn't care.

She barely even blinked at the sight. A small spark of... pride flickered inside her. Though she stomped it out quickly. Instead, she stared at the book, her thoughts traveling to it.

She must have missed something! The lock... it had been unlocked by magic. Maybe the text itself was concealed by magic?

She placed a claw on a page, however her magic was no longer showing itself. She willed her magic to show itself as she stared at her claw expectantly. Yet... nothing. Her claw remained normal.

"Trying to work your magic but it's not showing?"

Avrae jumped to her feet and whirled around. Her piercing orangish red eyes scanned the darkness. Her wings half flared as she growled, hoping the owner of the voice wouldn't notice the book behind her.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you," the voice said again. Avrae resisted the urge to shudder. This voice sounded like a combination of ice sliding across ice and a thousand snakes hissing. Neither of those things were sounds she liked.

"Who are you?" Avrae growled. This was twice now someone had snuck up on her within twenty four hours.

"A better question. How can we help each other?" The voice purred. Avrae's eyes narrowed.

"Why don't you step in the light? Let me see you at least," Avrae called. Much to her surprise, a laugh was her answer. Avrae shifted on her feet uncomfortably, her eyes darting around for any sort of movement.

There!

A shift in the shadows! It was subtle and easy to miss, and Avrae doubted she would have even spotted the other dragon if she hadn't moved. Most likely this dragon had dark colored scales... or had covered herself in mud at least. Either way, it didn't help Avrae identify this stranger at all.

The dragon tsked before saying, "that scowl simply does not suit you, honey. Makes you look like you want to bite my head off and then complain about how I taste to your sister or friend or whoever. Get some sun, it might brighten your frown a bit and make you, I don't know, more cheerful?"

Avrae stared. Who, in the flaming skies, was this dragon?! She didn't recognize her voice or her use of language. Granted, she hasn't met everyone in the tribe but still! It was a bit unnerving and a little concerning having two complete strangers just appear right next to you without having seen them first!

"If I'm going to bite your head off, I'd like to see what I'm biting into. Could be rotten for all I know," Avrae replied with a casual I-don't-really-care-what-you-think kind of shrug.

A chuckle. "I like your sense of humor. Perhaps you're not so shallow after all!" The stranger finally stepped into the light.

Avrae blinked. This dragon was a few inches shorter than herself with scales a midnight purple. Her eyes were a bright cyan blue and whenever the dragon opened her mouth, ice blue flashed from within its depths. There was a small horn on the end of her snout and instead of having two horns on the back of her head, she had four. On the end of this dragon's tail was a massive barbed arrowhead. Avrae knew without getting closer the arrowhead was most likely venomous judging from the barbs and the sheer size of it. Some ancient dragon species had poisonous arrowhead tails according to the history books after all.

Perhaps this dragon was a descendent of one of those species.

"What do you want?" Avrae asked. She probably wouldn't get this dragon's name anytime soon, so may as well find out why she was here. The strange dragon smiled. It wasn't a smile that would warm one's heart or provide a sense of security. No, this was a smile that sent shivers up one's spine and intimidated even the fiercest of warriors.

"Straight to business! I think we will get along swell!" The dragoness exclaimed as her tail swished behind her. Her head tilted forwards slightly, her eyes never leaving Avrae as her smile never faltered. "You need help with your magic, and I need someone to do me a little... favor."

Immediately, Avrae gazed at the other dragoness with suspicion in her eyes. "What do you know about magic?" Grywell had known practically next to nothing about magic and had only taught her how to hide it where the magical department was concerned. If what Nitsu said was true, then no one would know anything about magic. Well, if they were from her tribe at least.

The stranger raised a paw, stretching her claws out and facing her palm to the sky. Green sparks flickered in the air, growing in strength until what looked like a ball of green fire rested in her palm. At the sight of the magic, Avrae's own magic stirred, as if lazily cracking open an eye.

"Satisfy your answer?" The dragoness purred. She turned her head a let out a puff of air that blowed the magical fire out. Avrae detected not even a hint of smoke in the air from the fire as the other dragon lowered her paw to the ground again. Guess magical fire didn't emit smoke like regular fire did.

"Teach me, and then we'll talk about favors," Avrae growled. The stranger frowned. She waved a claw at Avrae, as if scolding her.

"That's not how this works, dear. You don't have a whole lot of options when it comes to learning magic, and I need that favor. It's a win-win, you see? I teach, you do me a favor," she pointed out. By the sun, she is right! Why didn't I see this before? Avrae resisted the urge to let another growl be heard.

Avrae sighed, "fine. What is the 'favor'?" She pinched her snout as she spoke, her eyes briefly closing as she did so.

"I need you to free two dragons for me. They are being held in the palace and go by the names Mahogany and Peridot. Mahogany is a dark brown almost black shadow dragon with light brown eyes and black stripes. Peridot is a hybrid dragon who is covered in light green fur, has feathered wings, and golden brown antlers. Now to for obvious reasons, I can't enter that palace unless I wish for death. But you, my friend, can! This shouldn't be too much trouble, now should it?" The dragoness cooed. Avrae scoffed, stepping back.

"The palace is huge! Finding two dragons within it is like trying to find a four leaf clover in a sea of clovers! Do you even know what area they are being held in?" Avrae asked. She may have visited the palace frequently with Flare, but that didn't mean she had explored every inch of it. If this dragon thought she knew the ins and outs of it, then boy would they have a very rude awakening.

The dragoness put a claw to her chin, as if thinking. "East Wing, if I remember right," she answered. Avrae's frown deepened. As if anyone could just walk in there. That wing is forbidden to anyone who isn't royalty or apart of the Cletin.

"I don't suppose you have a way to get in, do you?" Avrae gave the stranger a sideways view as sarcasm edged her voice. The stranger threw back her head and laughed.

"Why, if I knew then I wouldn't bother asking you now would I?" She pointed out. Avrae had to admit she had a good point. After all, if the roles were reversed she'd do the exact same thing. The stranger pointed a claw at Avrae. "You bring those two dragons back here by the next full moon, and I'll teach you magic."

Avrae sighed. "You got it." What choice did she have? If she learned how to control, maybe even harness, her magic better, then she'd be even more of an asset to the Cletin. And what better way to learn than from a magic user? Grywell had taught her best he could, but he had no magic himself and more often than not his advice had been... unhelpful. The experience had been akin to being taught how to read when the one teaching you didn't know how to read himself.

"Don't will your magic to do something, channel it. Magic is like water. Adaptable, yet unpredictable. Open the doors too wide, and your magic will overwhelm you. But let just a trickle through, and you'll have more control. That is all the advice I will give until you complete the favor," the dragoness said. Avrae looked at her, surprised. "What? You didn't think I wouldn't give you a little incentive to do as I asked?"

Avrae inhaled sharply. "You're a mind dragon." A very weird looking mind dragon at that. No mind dragon she knew of had poison in their tail or lacked gold specks.

The dragoness barked a harsh laugh that reminded Avrae of bird song in the early morning. "No, no, no my dear! I am something... unique. You may call me Void."

Avrae couldn't help the smile. Finally she had this dragon's name. "Call me Avrae."

"Avrae," Void said, as if trying out the name. The way she said it chilled Avrae to the core. Void flashed a smile that was more fang than actual smile. "'I'll see you around."

Void turned, and alarm shot through Avrae. "Wait! Where are you going?" She called as she scrambled forward. A dark chuckle was her only answer as Void seemed to melt into the shadows. A few moments later, the boom of dragon wingbeats was heard. Avrae searched the cloudy sky, looking for any trace of the mysterious dragon. She stood on her hind legs and craned her neck. But her search was of no use.

Void was gone.

With a huff, Avrae lowered herself back down onto all fours. She turned, giving the book a sideways look. Remembering what Void had said, she stalked over, raised a talon, and laid it onto the book. She closed her eyes, picturing a river in her mind with a door blocking it. She imagined the river was her magic as she slowly opened the door. Her eye cracked open and... nothing.

No sparks, nothing dead, not even a hint of her magic. Just an ordinary dragon claw resting on a blank book. With a growl, she raised her paw and slammed it back down onto the book.

To her surprise, an electric shock traveled up her arm straight to her head so fast she could barely even register it before a white flash enveloped her vision. The next thing she knew, a feeling of water splashing across her scales spread across her. Yet, it didn't feel like she was soaking wet.

Once the sensation passed, she leveled a glare on the book. She pulled her arm away so suddenly it was as if she feared the book would eat it. Her nostrils flared as a growl rumbled through her core. Void's advice had done nothing! She was still in the same predicament as before only now this time she had a stupid headache on top of it!

Stupid book. Stupid headache. Stupid idea. What a waste of time. She had come here to learn it's secrets, not to stare at a blank page! She should never have come out here in the first place! Better yet, she should never have accepted the book from Nitsu!

Her tail whipped around, slapping the book off the pile of rocks and into the bushes nearby. Thump! It vanished out of Avrae's sight. She huffed. Good riddance.

With another frustrated growl, she turned around. Then, without a second thought, she leaped into the sky. She craved her warm little cave right about now. It was getting dark out and as much as Avrae enjoyed the night time, she couldn't stand the cold. Winter was just a few weeks away and it wouldn't be long before the first snow of the year would grace the area with its presence.

The wind hadn't let up any during the time Avrae had kept her talons on the ground. In fact, it now carried the harsh bite of cold with it and frequently attempted to grab her wings. Her breath vanished in the air with each exhale. Despite having shadow fire deep inside her, it just wasn't the same as the golden fire that fire dragons had.

Fire dragon scales radiated heat while shadow dragon scales did not. Shadow dragon fire may burn just like regular fire, but it emitted significantly less heat than regular fire. Sure, if one wanted to ambush something in the middle of the night, shadow fire was perfect due to its lack of heat and coloration. But if one wanted to warm up, literally any other kind of fire would do a far better job than shadow fire ever would.

Ominous clouds gathered overhead, and as if mocking her, a big fat raindrop landed on Avrae's snout. She snarled, shaking her head as if to shake it off. Of all the times it could rain, why now?! She thought.

A flash of red from the corner of her eye had Avrae turning her head. Anger gave way to confusion as she spied a red dragoness with white stripes dive into the forest not too far away. What's Flare doing here?

Anger forgotten, Avrae twisted around in the air to follow Flare. She glided through the canopy, opening her mouth to call out when she realized her friend wasn't alone. She didn't know why she did it, but she dove into the nearest bush instead of making her presence known.

"What are we doing out here, Vakei?" Flare asked. Avrae's eyes darted towards the other dragoness. The shadow dragoness had a silver necklace with a strange blue pendent around her neck.

That necklace... is she seriously that messenger from the Trial? Avrae wondered. Her eyes narrowed. Why is she with Flare?

The messenger, or Vakei, flashed a small smile Flare's way. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I must admit I was a bit rash and wasn't thinking clearly," Vakei replied. Avrae's claws dug into the ground.

Rash? I wouldn't call that "rash!" You knew exactly what you were doing! Avrae's eyes flickered to Flare. You can't fall for her lie, you're too smart for that.

Flare hummed in thought, as if actually debating on accepting that lame excuse for an apology. "It's not just me you need to apologize to, it's Avrae too," Flare said after a few moments.

Vakei's face twisted into one of disgust for just a split second before she composed herself. She bobbed her head. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less."

Avrae wanted to vomit. Lie, lie, lie! The air sang.

Vakei tilted her head. Shuffled her wings. Took a step closer. "Just between you and me, is it true?" Her voice had lowered to just above a whisper.

Luckily, Avrae's sharp hearing allowed her to pick up Vakei's words. Avrae raised an eye crest. What was Vakei talking about?

Flare shot Vakei a glare. "Are you calling my mother a liar?" She hissed. Vakei flapped her wings, stepping back hurriedly as if Flare had threatened her with fire even though she had done no such thing.

"Of course not! I'm just... curious that's all. I meant no disrespect, Princess," Vakei stated.

Avrae bit back a growl as she glared daggers into Vakei's skull. She didn't notice it, but sparks of black magic danced around her claws as the grass near her began to shrivel up. Anger, raw and pure, churned and boiled inside her. It fumed and threatened to spill out around her as shadow fire danced along her spine.

Lie, lie, lie! The air chimed once more. Something was seriously wrong here with that messenger. Avrae didn't care what it was, but she knew Flare shouldn't be anywhere near this dragon.

Flare eyed up Vakei before shuffling her wings in the exact same way she always did when she was trying to be regal. "Yes, it is true. Hunters have been taking innocent dragons hostage and doing who knows what to them. No scouts or even Cletin members have been able to locate them," Flare replied. Her voice was calm and controlled.

Liar!

This time, the lie was so acidic it stung her nose. Avrae gasped as she stared at her best friend. Why would she, out of all dragons, lie? Especially about missing dragons? Did she know something? Why would she lie about this? Avrae's mind reeled as the magic and shadow fire faded into nothing. She stepped back, away from the two dragons.

Snap!

Vakei and Flare's heads whipped around in Avrae's direction. Avrae froze. Horror crossed her face. Thoughts fell silent as her mind focused on Flare and Vakei once more.

"Who's there? I order you to show yourself!" Flare commanded. Step out. Show yourself. Step out. Show yourself. Avrae's instincts whimpered. But the darkness in her mind sang a much louder, very different song.

Show yourself. Meet their gaze. Control them! Show yourself. Meet their gaze. Control them!

The darkness showed her various sorts of horrors. It crackled and prowled outside the wall she had built around her mind like the predator it knew it was. It craved the blood of other dragons as if it were honey. But most of all, it wanted to poison Avrae's very mind and soul until she was just as corrupt as it was.

She wouldn't let it even if it killed her.

So, Avrae ran.

She ran so fast everything around her became a blur. Vakei and Flare raced after her. Flare took to the air as Vakei kept running behind her on foot. "Stop! Stop in the name of the princess!" Vakei roared.

I have to loose them! Avrae swung her head around wildly. She looked around for anything, anything, that could assist her.

Then, she saw them. A group of humans carrying bows and arrows with a few carrying spears and what looked like nets as well. All of them wore armor made out of dragon scales. And all had dragon blood stained on their weapons.

Avrae didn't stop running. But she knew Vakei and Flare wouldn't have seen the hunters yet. No, they were too focused on her for that. Humans were clever little things. If the hunters became aware of Flare or Vakei's presence, they'd no doubt attack.

She had to stop them.

Avrae inhaled a deep breath. Then let out the most terrified screech she had ever made. It was so loud everything around her scattered. Even the bugs fell awfully silent.

"Hunters!" Flare's voice cut through the silence. The sound of human battle cries filled the air like a toxic fog. Avrae dared to slow to a jog, her red orange eyes darting around in fear. But it didn't seem like Vakei was pursuing her anymore.

"Princess, we should leave! We have no reason to stay here any longer so there is no reason to fight them!" Vakei exclaimed from above. Avrae looked up to see Flare and that messenger hovering in the air just out of reach of the hunter's spears.

Flare scanned the ground one last time before reluctantly nodding. "Let's go then. I must report this to Mother." To Avrae's relief, both dragons flew so high up that they vanished among the clouds.

Whoosh! Thunk!

Avrae stepped back with a yelp as a spear just barely grazed her leg. It embedded itself in a tree so deep she was thankful it hadn't hit her dead on. Her gaze spun around to the culprit with a hiss, her tail lashing. The human was running towards her while swinging the net around, no doubt about to throw it.

You want a fight? I'll give you a fight! She opened her jaws, shadow fire bubbling up and threatening to erupt. But something about this human struck her as odd.

His eyes... they weren't normal.

No, they had turned from a brown so light it reminded her of honey to a mystical purple she had only previously seen dragons posses. When the human opened his mouth ever so slightly, Avrae saw his teeth had become pointed like a dragon's.

Half dragon! This human is half dragon! Her mind screamed. But... that wasn't possible! No dragon had ever chosen a human for a mate, let alone had hatchlings with one! Her mind must be playing tricks on her. Perhaps she had accidentally ingested something that caused hallucinations?

Avrae's hesitation cost her. The dragon-man's net wrapped around her snout moments before she felt a weight on her back. He's on my back!

She took the air so fast she felt light headed for a few seconds after. But the dragon-man had somehow held on. She folded in her wings once she was above the tree tops and dove. Just to give the hitchhiker a little incentive to get off, shadow fire crackled down her spine.

A string of gibberish, probably curses, left the creature's mouth. Then, just as predicted, he jumped off once she was close enough for him to land safely without doing too much damage to himself. Score one for the dragon!

Just for show, she flipped over on her back and scraped it against the tree tops. She made sure to kill the shadow fire before she came close to the leaves though. No need to start a massive forest fire for no reason after all.

Below, dragon-man was yelling and shaking his fist at her. His face had turned an interesting shade of red as his eyes faded back into that honey brown they had been. The other humans were near him, all eyes trained on Avrae. Some showed hate, others showed disappointment.

Without any more delay, she flew high enough that the humans were now just tiny specks. Almost like ants. A smirk crossed Avrae's face as she easily burnt the net around her snout via shadow fire. It would've stopped any regular dragon, but it was no match for a primal like her. Hah! Take that hunters!

Warmth flowed down her front leg, and a quick glance told her the wound was bleeding heavily enough it couldn't be ignored. As mighty as dragons were, infections could kill even the mightiest of them. The smell of dragon blood would lure in many predators as well.

Not to mention feral dragons. Those dragons would hunt her if she were caught. The quicker she flew, the better. No, better yet, the sooner she got back home the better.

As if she didn't need anymore reason to get home, two furious roars shook the very air. Avrae growled, the quills on the back of her head rattling. Her nostrils flared as she scented the air. As soon as the wind changed, the scent of two feral dragons slammed into her.

GET AWAY! GET AWAY! Her instincts screamed. For once, both Avrae herself and the darkness inside her were agreeing with her instincts. And so, a hasty retreat was made.