Note : So updates might come a bit slower than usual because I'll be doing some stuff like travelling, visiting families, and camp. I'll try my best to post at least once a week if I get internet.

Firefly, her family, the DoD, and Mirage were gathered in front of the school entrance at dawn. She could see the sky slowly turning from a dark to a lighter shade of blue with pink and purple highlights where the sun was starting to rise. She couldn't help but changing her ruff to match the beautiful color scheme.

"Ready ?" Mirage asked her. Everyone's appearences were affected by the current lightning, making their scales and eyes look softer and a tiny bit more colorful, except for Mirage. His eyes were still fully black, no streaks of orange or violet, just pure black. But for some reason, it made him look more dreamy than the others, at least in Firefly's opinion.

"Yeah," she forced herself to breathe out. She got a little bit distracted by his eyes... again. "How about you, Lychee ?"

The Rainwing had switched from her regular peachy pink to a forest green with golden and yellow speckles along her back. They had decided that they should try to disguise themselves so that the murderer will not be able to recognize them easily. Of course, only Lychee could fully change how she looks. It definitely worked, though. The dark color was so unnatural compared to Lychee's signature light pink, and it blurred her features fairly well.

"I really wish we didn't have to leave," she confessed.

"I know," Glory said sympathetically. "When we get back, I'll make sure to tell Jambu everything."

Lychee paused at the mention of her father. They probably had the most carefree and perfect father-daughter relationship in all of Phrryia, considering that there was no more mother. Firefly could tell that her cousin would give anything to simply be having suntime with the little family she was left with at that moment. Honestly, me too.

"Where is he going to stay, your majesty ?"

"With me on the beach south to the rainforest," the queen answered. "We can't just leave our kingdom without a leader."

"Be careful," Firefly said.

Glory smiled and wrapped her teal wings around the smaller dragon. "I should be saying that to you, my little dragonet," she joked. "And don't worry ! Your father's probably going to triple the security around me anyway."

"Speaking of security, are you sure you don't want at least two invisible Rainwings escorting you ?" Deathbringer said, obviously worried for his only child.

Both Glory and Firefly rolled their eyes.

"You need them all to guard the rainforest and mom, dad."

"Well someone needs to protect you."

Was it just her or did Mirage look offended by that ?

"How about us ?" a new voice interrupted.

They turned to the cave opening to see Nemertea, Clandestine, Scarp, Arete, and Mire with some kind of bronze ring around the base of her left horn.

Nemertea, the one who had spoken, stepped into the slightly brighter sunlight and said, "We can look after them. We have Arete who can put out fire, Mire who is now immune to flame, and Clandestine who can read the murderer's mind before he gets them."

Deathbringer had been contemplating this when the dragonets of destiny shouted their disagreement.

"Absolutely NOT !!!" Tsunami bellowed.

"This is far to dangerous for a tiny dragonet like you !" Starflight complained.

"You're staying here where it's safe !" Clay said sternly.

"Your parents would freak out if we let you go !" Sunny exclaimed.

"No they won't !!" came yet another new voice. This time, from Pocha who had Fangsnapper and Krill trailing behind her.

"Not you too.." Sunny groaned.

"NO WAY, KRILL !!" Tsunami yelled again. "YOU'RE NOT EVEN FOUR YET !"

"Does that mean we get to go ?" Nemertea motioned to her group of 4-and-above-years-old dragonets.

"NO !" all the adults (except for Deathbringer and Glory) said in unison. Firefly was surprised that no one from the nearby hallways was waking up because of all the yelling.

"Okay ! Let's handle this like mature and respectful dragons everyone !" Mire spoke up. She walked over to her father, Clay, and looked him dead in the eye. "Father, I would like to go with Firefly to the Kingdom of Sea, please."

"It's not safe, Mire," Clay said. "And what about Mayhem ?"

"The killer doesn't want me, and Sludge would still be here to look after May."

The dragonets all talked to their parents and Sunny separately, sounding like diplomatic queens who are trying to talk themselves out of a great war. The Rainwing-Nightwing royal family, along with Mirage, just watched from a short distance. When it was officially morning and the sky was actually blue, they came to a conclusion.

"We'll let the Obsidian Winglet go," Sunny reluctantly said. "but the rest are staying here."

The three remaining dragonets walked back into the school with droopy wings, leaving the slightly older dragonets to go and join the adventure. Those older dragonets had also reappeared with leather sling bags similar to Mirage, Lychee, and Firefly's filled with food and supplies they had packed and hid behind the gong. Well they came to this battle prepared. I wonder whose idea all this was..

"Great !" Mirage said after keeping quiet for several minutes while the other dragons were arguing. "Three moons, you guys definitely took your sweet time."

He jumped into the early morning sky, followed by the other dragonets, and flew northeast.

Firefly was the last to take off, making sure her ruff and stars were the same dark purple color as the rest of her scales. When she did, she kept looking back at the waving (aswell as hugging) figures of her parents until they were just tiny dots on the mountain ground behind her. It felt so odd, going off into the wide open world without her beloveds and not knowing when she'll come back to them.

Firefly inwardly sighed. At least I have my friends with me.

She focused her attention back to the dragons ahead of her. Mirage was obviously leading the way and the other dragonets had arranged themselves into a diamond formation between him and her,

Yeah.. I think I can deal with them.

BONUS

~ Back at Jade Mountain ~

"Aaaaannnddd... she's gone !" Glory exclaimed when Firefly was out of her sight. She unwrapped herself from her mate's wing and bolted back to the rainforest. "We've got to get back quick !"

Deathbringer caught up with her in no time and was now flying along side her. Both were flapping their wings as fast as they can.

"Don't you think we should've told her ?" he said.

"The murderer doesn't know," she replied, keeping her scales a calm teal. "If Firefly doesn't know, there's a greater chance we can keep it that way."

Deathbringer was about to say something  when wingbeats of his invisible guards became audioble, meaning they could not continue discussing about that topic.

"I'll protect you. Both of you," he whispered determinedly.

The ghost of a smile appeared on Glory's snout before she said, "Haven't you already been doing that you're whole life ?"

"And I'll continue doing that for the rest of it," he promised, now smirking.

Glory rolled her eyes. "You think you're so charming and poetic, don't you ?"

"Not really, but I know you do."

"Oh shush you !" she said, pink seeping into the tips of her wings and ears.

Deathbringer only chuckled as a response, choosing to savour the peaceful flight back home before things turn hectic once again.

Note : Uhh.. that bonus part was supposed to be all serious and tense but it just turned...... tbh, 10 times better than what I originally planned.