They waited until the sun set behind the faraway purple mountains before the trio began to travel to the human animal prisons. Frostwing could already smell the disgusting scent of the city once they broke out of the forest that they were previously sheltering in. They needed to get to the prison as quickly as possible, ask the Manticore a few questions, and get out. if had been very hard convincing Mono that they should go back to the city, but after a few minutes of heated argument, Mono finally obliged. Kyouki didn't mind either. In fact, he wanted to talk to the manticore about the prophecy. He seemed about as intrigued as she was about the mysterious message.

    So, they walked at a brisk pace until they reached the outermost edges of the city, which were comprised of mostly houses and small human shops. It was dark outside and late at night, so Frostwing assumed that most of the humans would be bundled in their small homes. Mono, however, reminded her that it wasn't long after she released all the ‘'zoo” animals and that the humans would be keeping a special eye out for them. Frostwing took this into account as she carefully mapped out the quickest route to the prison, which she followed with ease and without troubles along the way.

    They crept along the sides of the human buildings, keeping to the solid black shadows and avoiding the overhanging lights. Everybody was on edge as if a human would pop out from the ground like a daisy. Mono had her nose in the air, Frostwing had her ears pricked, and Kyouki appeared to be paying close attention to the tiny vibrations in the ground. It was, in fact, an ability that Kirin’s possessed that allowed them to sense the micro vibrations deep in the ground. It's what kept them safe in their mountain homes from rock slides and whatnot. At one point, as they passed by one of the last human houses before they entered the city, a large, brown and white house dog began snarling and barking at them as if they were about to leap straight into his backyard. They ignored it. Dogs were as dumb as rocks.

    They walked in darkness until Frostwing recognized the semi-familiar walls of what Mono called a “zoo.” Then, wasting no time, she led the way through a rather small hole in the wall that she almost couldn’t fit through because of her large wings. But, once all three of them had gotten into the prison safely, she paused only for a second to attempt to recall where the Manticore resided. Last time I saw him, he was beside the Wolfdea cage. But, after I released everyone, he could’ve flown away! This is such a horrible idea. I should have never brought them back to this place. I’m so dumb! She sighed to herself and, instead of regretting her decision, she decided that since they were already there, it was probably best to carry on with the plan. “So, uh… are we gonna do anything, or are we just going to sit here until the humans find out we’re here?” Mono asked flatly as she began to pull ahead, “by the way, Merlin’s this way.” she trotted in front of Frostwing with a flick of her fluffy, white tipped tail.

    As Mono led the way through the winding paths of the prison, Frostwing was fully aware of the completely terrified Kirin, who she attempted to reassure by draping half of her wing around his shoulder. However, she wasn’t sure if Kyouki got the right idea. As normal, his skinny legs wobbled the entire time they were walking, and his eyes were stretched wide with fear and he nervously darted his gaze around. Frostwing felt bad for him. I wonder how it must feel to be terrified of literally everything… maybe he should have just stayed behind… anyway, we can't change anything, he’s already with us now and we are not abandoning anybody.

    After only a minute or two of brisk walking, Mono finally stopped at a large prison cell with a cave near the back. Frostwing hadn't noticed this before, but there was a small river flowing through the middle of the cell as well as various species of trees, flowers, bushes, and grasses. The night made this particular cell appear darker than the rest of the prison, for no moonlight could reach its floor through the tree branches. Every once in a while, a cricket would chirp feebly in the distance followed by the hoot of an owl.

    “I think this is the place…” said Mono in a voice that sounded louder than it actually was when compared to the silence of the night. It made Frostwing inwardly cringe. Everyone will be able to hear us! As Mono strode confidently up to the large wall of the cell, Frostwing, with her sharp eyesight, spotted a rather large shadow moving along the back of the cage. Something about the way the animal moved didn't seem very Manticore-like, however. She squinted her eyes as she attempted to get a better look at the silhouette. Yep, definitely not a Manticore. This was a very dumb idea.

    Suddenly, something large and solid smashed up against the side of the cage in a flurry of claws and snarls, and it caused Frostwing in leap back in surprise. Kyouki yelped and basically fell backwards head over heels. But Mono just stared indignantly at whatever creature had leapt at her. “Hey! That wasn't very nice! You don't just go around scratching creatures’ noses” she barked. What was even more weird was that the creature didn't actually respond. It just flopped to the ground as if it were dead. Now, Frostwing was entirely confused.

    “Oh, I'm very sorry. Please excuse his odd behavior.” Said a raspy voice from the back of the cell. Frostwing noticed another shadow emerge from the cave. Is it Merlin? As expected, the old Manticore limped up to the wall of the cell and peered at them with tired eyes. Another creature walked up to stand beside him-- a strange, monkey-cat-like creature. “Don't mind Kuble, he likes to throw dead things at strangers.” Said the Manticore in a chill voice as if the act were normal. “Now, you three must have come here to learn about the prophecy, correct?” How did he know? Mono nodded from in front of Frostwing, and Kyouki stepped a little closer to the cell wall. However, the Manticore merely smiled a shrugged. “I’m very old, and so is the prophecy,” he said, “so i don’t remember much about it,sadly. But, I do know that you three,” he waggled a clawed toe at them, “are pretty important. The prophecy is like every other prophecy- nothing special. Just death and a few creatures destined to stop it.” Frostwing glared at the Manticore in utter disappointment. We already guessed what it was going to be about, and you already told me that we were important. Don’t you have anything new? “What about specifics? Does it give a hint as to what we need to do?” she tried.

    Merlin tilted his head as his face became thoughtful for a second, then he shook his head, “nah… i can’t remember. But, I’m pretty sure you need to find someone? I don’t really know. But, if you want to find the current guardian of the thing, travel to the Burning City and look at the prophecy yourselves. The old guardian- an allusionist elf- is probably already dead by now, so you may need to search around. I happened to be quite fond of the elf… anyway, travel there and seek out the prophet. It is usually guarded pretty nicely, the prophecy, but if you do manage to access the object that keeps it, you may or may not gain power beyond anything you could imagine.” said Merlin, his small eyes twinkling wistfully. Unimaginable power… this makes our situation even more dire. We really need to get to that prophecy fast!

    Frostwing began to slowly turn away from Merlin, “I’m sorry, but we need to begin travelling to the Burning City as quickly as possible. Thanks for your help-- oh, do you want me to release you from the prison?” she asked. Merlin simply dipped his head, “I’m okay here. Now, get going… and be careful of the dragons! They are merciless monsters!” Merlin called after them just as each of them exited the prison.

    “So, we’re off to the Burning City, right?” asked Mono. Frostwing kept her voice down as she led them through the shadows of the Human city, “yes.” She said tersely. Mono trotted up to walk beside her, “annddd, do you know where the Burning City is?” Frostwing turned a corner along the white stone that humans usually walked on before passing over a large stretch of rough, black stone broken by white and yellow lines, “in the Deathlands, near the Western Mountains…” she growled quietly. She could hear Mono panting behind her as they ran, “do you have any idea how we're going to get to the Deathlands? They are very far from here.” She asked. Frostwing glared at her, “we are going to walk in the general direction that the Western Mountains are in-- WEST!” Mono stopped running to make a quick check on their surroundings, “huh..” She said as she sniffed the air, “that is one of the most vague plans i've ever heard. You, missy, are a bad planner.”

    Frostwing spun around and stared Mono down, “say that again.” She challenged. This is not the time to cause trouble, Wolfdea. I rescued you from that prison, you follow my orders. However, Mono simply shrugged, “now, what you need is a master planner. The best in the continent. I, lucky for you, I know someone who can derive the best plans, even for someone with as tiny of a brain as you!” Frostwing's face melted into an even greater glare. “Mono, just stop talking…” whispered Kyouki, who, after saying that, widened his eyes and looked down at the ground in shame. “You know who I'm talking about? Me! I am the world's master planner!” She said proudly.

    Frostwing rolled her eyes and continued walking, “you wasted our time for that?” She snarled. “Come on! Tell me it was at least convincing!” Mono whimpered as she leapt to her side again. When Frostwing didn't answer out of annoyance, Kyouki reassured Mono that her entire act convinced him entirely. After a few minutes of nothing but quiet footsteps, Kyouki sped up his pace to walk on Frostwing's other side, “ummm… I know how to get to the Burning City if you want me to lead…. Maybe… I don't know…” he said nervously. Frostwing studied the Kirin, whose large ears were drooped in permanent fear. Something is up with Kyouki. He's very careful, and he knows really strange stuff. He has a particular interest in dragons, and he apparently knows the exact route to The Burning City. Not many creatures know how to get directly to the Burning City, and much less actually want to get there. I don't even know where the city is in the Death Lands. I'm going to need to keep an eye on him… but for now, I guess I can trust him.

    Frostwing dipped her head in a motion for Kyouki to take the lead, so he pulled ahead of Mono and Frostwing with one last reassurance that he was allowed to do so. Then, he paused for a second. She could tell that he was focusing on something that Frostwing couldn't quite put her claw on, but the moment was short lived. Kyouki was already galloping along the white stone with Frostwing and Mono right behind him.

    By the time they found their way out of the human city, the moon was already beginning to set behind the faraway mountains, allowing the sun to barely peek over on the opposite side. Right when Kyouki had begun to lead them out of the city, Frostwing could tell that they were heading in a different direction than she was originally planning to travel in. She was correct. They had travelled for a couple of hours at most and had ended at the edge of a cliff. But, Frostwing could spot the Western Mountains clearly from where she was, and the valley at the bottom of the cliff led directly towards them. All we need to do is follow the valley.

    Kyouki turned towards them with a grave expression, “it's a pretty straight forward trip from here, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy.” He said nervously, “that valley is filled with traps and deadly creatures and plants, but it's the only way to get to the Burning City from here.” Mono peered over the edge of the cliff with her tail wagging from side to side, “sounds fun! Dangerous, but fun! I think we can do it.” Frostwing nodded, and Kyouki only stood in place while trembling like a stick carrying a boulder, “oh no… this was such a bad idea.” He whimpered.

    Frostwing began to search for a clear way to the bottom of the valley, and Mono and Kyouki trailed not far behind, “don't worry, guys. If we look out for one another and don't die, then I think we'll make it.” she said cheerily just before she spotted what seemed to be a skinny trail leading downwards. “Are you sure you want to go to the Burning City?” Kyouki said shakily as he followed Frostwing and Mono.

    Frostwing nodded her head. “Yes. We are going to the Burning City. If you don't want to come, then leave… but I'm going. I have a bad feeling about Aldrudis, and I am ninety-nine percent sure that we need to go to this city because of the prophecy.” She growled. After a small moment of silence, she heard Kyouki's hooves pick up speed as he pulled up ti her side. “Fine, I'll come… don't ask me why though, because I have no idea why. Maybe I'm just dumb…” he sighed. Frostwing smiled. They were going to make it to the Burning City, and she was sure of it.

A/N: sorry if the chapter was too long! Do you guys like it when they are shorter or longer? Also, THIS STORY HAS A WEBTOON!!!!! It may take me a while to update episodes, but I will try my hardest to keep updating!