Skyheart paced around the cave she was forced to stay in. Spikefeather said he would be right back two days ago.

She ended up gouging claw marks in the walls. She hated to be stuck in there. Skyheart longed to be in the sky, where she was free. She felt claustrophobic in this enclosed space.

There was nothing to do in the cave. All Skyheart could do was pace, and gouge claw marks in the wall. A soft breeze ruffled her feathers. A few stray feathers flew around her.

Spikefeather specifically ordered her to stay there. Also that he would be right back. How long must she stay there?

The wind shifted so it whistled when it flew through the entrance. It was like a spear that pierced her ears.

She opened her wings in fury. This was enough. She had listened and stayed in the cave like she was supposed to. Time was up.

Skyheart turned to the entrance and ran. When she was falling, she snapped open her wings before hitting the ground. It filled her with exhilaration.

A mountain goat was jumping from ledge to ledge. Her stomach growled, her talons sharp, her eyes narrowed onto the goat. Then she struck, tucking in her wings to gain speed.

The goat saw her and ran in terror. It wasn't fast enough.

It struggled in her talons, thrashing to get loose. In her bones, triumph rang. Finally, a decent catch besides the measly mice and birds that wander into the cave.

A blur came from her right. She turned, feathers and fur bristling. A Nymph stood on a ledge, hugging the mountain. What? A Nymph?

Skyheart stared until her eyes hurt. A Nymph? Out here? And it wasn't a Mountain Nymph, or Oread. She was a Nereid.

The Nymph flinched when she flew in front of her, glaring.

"What are you doing here?" Skyheart demanded.

"I-I-I just-st wa-was-" the Nereid stuttered. She was a strange Nymph. She wasn't in her True Form.

Skyheart studied every bizarre detail. Nymphs were usually in their True Forms, weren't they? Especially in front of other creatures. Her goat was lying dead on the ledge. Wind whipped around them, still strong from the storm a couple of days ago.

Another blur passed, as dark as night. It passed and snatched a white spotted, blue snake that was slithering near them. They looked at the now torn up snake in surprise.

The snake was a rare, but severely deadly Dark Viper. A bite from it can kill a creature in seconds. There was no remedy or anti-venom for it. The only creature known to survive the snakes' bites were Dark Dragons.

And that was who saved them.

The night blue Dragon's talons were tipped with snake blood and guts. He looked down at it, studying the snake.

"This Dark Viper is severely large for its species. Have you ever seen them this big?" he asked.

Skyheart could not move, or react, or anything. A Dark Dragon was in these mountains. Outside of Dragon Domain.

"Why-? How-? What-?" Skyheart said. A Dark Dragon here? "What are you doing here?" she finally blurted.

He had a sour look when she said that. "Oh. I'm just a regular creature who is just wanting to wander the world. Is that a problem?"

She didn't say anything after what he said. The Nymph intervened, "I know we aren't creatures you would usually trust, or would trust at all, but you have to. Our world depends on it."

The sky-blue Griffin looked at the Water Nymph. "I just haven't really met any creatures besides my own kind. And I have heard about Dark Dragons and Nymphs and what they do."

They both had sour faces. "You really trust rumors, don't you?" the Dark Dragon sniped. "Let's go Sapphire. It's obviously she is just like everybody else." He crouched down so the Nymph can climb on his back.

"Like everybody else?" Skyheart screeched. "I have been ridiculed all my life because of how I look! Of how my parents and siblings died in a storm! And how I'm just a freak of nature."

The Dark Dragon and the Nereid, Sapphire, stared at her. "Then you know how we feel," Sapphire said. "Let's go Eveningstar. She's not worth it." They flew away into the mountains.

She just stood on the ledge, shocked into silence. How was she supposed to know? Yes, there were rumors about their kind. Yes, they say that they are horrible and conniving, but that isn't her fault if she didn't know if they were true or not.

Skyheart flew after them, flying as fast as she could, using the current to push her along. When she saw a flying shape with something on it's back, she flew faster, flapping her wings to catch up to them.

The combined speed of her flying and the current nearly made her run into them. She veered out of the way. Eveningstar stopped. Sapphire looked petrified and had her face pressed against Eveningstar's neck.

"Why did we stop?" she yelled over the wind.

"I'm sorry," Skyheart said, having to yell over the wind. "I will trust you enough. What do you need me for exactly anyway?"

"We will talk in our cave," Eveningstar said. "We'll explain there." He flew off, with Skyheart following.

Looks like I'm with them now, she thought.

Now what have I gotten myself into?