"Ok, here's what I have. You were upset- sorry, mad, with Stonemover because he didn't want to heal your scar. But you claim that wouldn't have attacked him even if you felt so enraged. However, Darkstalker needed a scapegoat to blame so he could be seen as a hero, so after healing your scar, he enchanted you to attack Stonemover, but then intercepted you, claiming that you were seeking revenge. Everyone believed him because of his likability enchantment, but when he was defeated you had to take that enchanted earring to rid yourself of his spells before coming here. That's why you still have your scar. Is that all right?" Rail had summarized everything pretty well, but Flame still had something to add.

"You should probably add that I had no reason to harm Stonemover. I knew there were two mind readers in that mountain - I stood no chance to go unnoticed, even if had bad intentions," he explained, waving his talon.

Rail nodded as they wrote, but then looked up, "wait, two mindreaders?" Flame shot them a glare, and they responded, "alright alright, not the point, but that's definitely a story for another time."

Flame felt strangely light after having discussed all of that with Rail. The hybrid was quite curious, but he could definitely understand why Hurricane had thought they'd be a precious ally for his case. They were full of insightful thoughts and suggestions.

At that moment, Ardor and Placoid walked through the doorway, with Ire trailing behind them. The former were chattering idly, but Ire looked exhausted, and for the first time she didn't look down to glare at Flame. He decided to return the favor, for now.

"Oh! Hiya Rail!" Ardor chirped, setting some covered trays on the meeting table in front of Rail and Flame. "You left so early today, Placoid and I almost got worried, but I'm glad you got to meet our newest cavemate," she declared with a smile.

Placoid nodded, looking sad. Rail moved to his side and whispered something in his ear. The SeaWing nodded, and they left the room in silence. Flame guessed that they needed to talk in private.

"What's up with him?" Flame asked, curious. He didn't know why, but part of him felt responsible for the SeaWing's mood.

"Oh, hm," Ardor exchanged a glance with Ire, who shrugged, before moving toward the trays that the smaller SkyWing had been holding.

"Placoid doesn't like the skills lab. Most places in which he needs to socialize make him feel uncomfortable because of his lisp, but the other young SkyWings are particularly cruel. They tell him that he has rotting teeth, and he doesn't take that very well." She lashed her tail, and Flame conceded that he'd never seen her so angry. "It's so infuriating. They're healers! You'd imagine they'd be more empathetic!"

Ire snorted, cleaning her jaws from some leftover pieces of meat from the meal she'd just grabbed from Ardor's tray. "Even if he wasn't an outsider, dragons are merciless, Ardor. Do you think SkyWing treats me or Flame any better? Our scars are anything but unnoticed here."

"Weird. She's never acknowledged me positively before now. I wonder what's changed. I clearly can't trust her mood swings." Flame thought stubbornly.

Ardor shook her head, "there's a difference between acknowledging and understanding differences and insulting someone because of them," she declared with a resolute squeak.

Rail and Placoid walked in at that moment, and Flame could see the SeaWing looked a lot better. The hybrid seemed to have a way of making others feel heard, apparently. Rail gave him a smile before noticing Ardor's tray. "No way! I didn't know there were skewers in the hall today," he rejoiced, grabbing a few and beginning to eat. Ardor, Placoid, and Flame all joined in.

At one point, Flame noticed Placoid staring at him. He nodded at him with a stern gaze. "You good?"

The SeaWing looked away. Flame coughed, and then asked, "so, Buzzard said none of you are actually dragonets?"

Ardor shook her head. "Nope! Placoid and Rail are 8 years old, and Ire is 7. I'm 9, so technically I'm the oldest here!"

"Mentally, that's questionable," Ire muttered snakily, and Rail hit her shoulder playfully at her remark.

"Rude! Ok, fine! If everything goes well tomorrow, I'll ace my test and become a full-blown healer... and then they'll move me in the adult's cave," she said with a twinge of sadness.

"You can just ask to stay with us. That's what I did," Rail said, and Placoid nodded.

"I might still be training, but I chose the same thing when I was transferred here," the SeaWing said with a smile.

Flame realized that's probably what his orange sash signified. "He's a transfer student... but why would a SeaWing want to come all the way over here, after my tribe and his were at war for over a decade?"

"Anyways," Ardor said, standing up from where she was sitting, "I should probably spend the afternoon studying too. I hope your morning was better than mine because I'm so bored right now, it's actually mind-blowing!"

"I spent the morning working on Flame's case," Rail informed, finishing another skewer, "he might have a bad attitude, but I think a case could be made for his innocence. Hurricane and I will work more on it, after meeting with Buzzard," they recounted, before looking at Flame and declaring, "but we're not talking about this stuff now! Private information!"

Flame nodded, with an upset look. "Thanks, Rail."

The hybrid shrugged, giving a small smile. Flame hadn't felt as thankful for a dragon's help since Starflight's help in his escape from the NightWing fortress. But even then, he hadn't fully gotten thankful - his tribe was the reason they were imprisoned in the first place.

Ire yawned loudly, and everyone turned to look at her. "What? Can't a dragon be tired?" She demanded with a snarl.

Placoid waved his talons, "you're not one to ussually be tired," he remarked, and Rail added, "but you're definitely allowed to be. You can take a rest if you want it, Ire."

Ardor giggled, "I guess we're just not used to seeing you show any signs of weakness, oh great dragon of the mountains," she teased.

The bigger dragon blinked at them for a second, struck, then replied, sharply, "well, then one of you should take a cable car ride with me one day. You'll see my flaws plenty clear then."

Flame saw her ears droop. But just as that moment started, it was gone. "I have work to get back to," Ire growled, "I'll see you lot at dinner."

"Oh, but-," Ardor started, but Ire left before she could finish. The SkyWing dropped her head in shame, "I think we might have gone too far."

"I didn't think she'd still be so worked up about this," Rail said, patting Ardor's back with his wing, but Placoid shook his head. "She's right though," he said, "that sort of scar doesn't heal in a year."

"Or ever, maybe. That's the whole point of scars, you know," Flame growled in his mind. Maybe he was more alike to Ire than he initially had thought.

He was silent for the rest of lunch. His only contributions were shooting Placoid some glares whenever he caught the SeaWing staring at him, and then steadily returning his attention to his food.

Ardor tried to ease his mood, however feebly. "So, Flame, have you been checked out by a doctor here? It's mandatory for any newcomers," she explained, flicking her tail.

"No," he replied, flatly. He wasn't in the mood for conversation anymore.

"What if my mother thought that I was permanently broken because of my scars? Is that why she didn't come here? Has she given up on me for good?" He questioned, his mind echoing dark thoughts.

"Ok. Then maybe Placoid can take you to one of the healers if any of them are free," she offered, nodding at the SeaWing, who gave her small smile.

"Ssure, I can do that. We could go now if you'd like, probably fewer dragons around during lunchtime," he said, standing up, and beckoning Flame.

"Ok." He said and walked hastily towards the exit. Placoid followed him, but not before saying goodbye to Rail and Ardor, whom Flame hadn't acknowledged when leaving. If he cared, he'd properly thank Rail later.

The two dragons walked quietly until they reached a deserted corridor. There, Flame dashed in front of Placoid and blocked his way by spreading his wings. He narrowed his eyes as the SeaWing looked at him, startled.

"I'll keep this short so you won't try to slip away from answering. Why do you keep staring at me? Is it my scar, SeaWing? In all honestly, it makes me want to set your tail on fire," he growled. It was a bit of a threat, but it got the point across well.

Placoid looked up at him, shrinking in size as he stuttered. "I'm just hm- I don't know, I was just looking?" He tried. A few of his phosphorescent scales started flashing in a sequence that Flame didn't understand.

"Try again, Placoid," Flame said, a wisp of smoke emerging from his nostrils.

He could see the fear in Placoid's eyes. It felt wrong. It felt right. It felt like the truth. He needed the truth.

"It's you," Placoid said, breaking away from him, taking a few steps back, "you were there. At the Ssummer Palace. When you tore my home to piecess and burned down everything I loved. You were there. I remember your eyess."

Flame was confused. He'd heard of the attack at the SeaWing palace, during the last moons of the sea. It had been a devastating offensive, and he remembered hearing Webs talk about it while they were kept in the RainWing healer's hut.

But he hadn't been there. He had been on the NightWing island during that time, locked up by Morrowseer.

Placoid was wrong,

"That's impossible. I wasn't there. It couldn't have been me," Flame said, shaking his head, "I'm not the only SkyWing with this eye color either!"

Placoid's scales were still flashing. He slipped past Flame, and whispered, "I know what I ssaw," before hastily walking away.

"What did I do to Placoid? First Ire, then him." Flame thought, enraged.

But then he felt something break inside.

"How come that I hurt everyone I meet?"