It felt like an eternity before night began to fall. A large amount of progress had been made that day as the whole tribe worked. There were large piles of black stone bricks around the palace and most of the Kingdom was cleaned of the twisting vines that tried to stake their claim on the abandoned land. The whole area just looked, cleaner, than it did before with all the vines now gone. Everyone felt exhausted and hungry, so when group three returned with a days worth of hunting, there was a feast.

Lavender sat on her own, picking away at a boar someone had caught. It was cooked and still had heat radiating off of its furless body. She'd already eaten two of its legs, but she couldn't force herself to eat anymore. For some reason, she just felt empty.

Salamander would've been happy to finish the rest of this, she thought with a sigh. Lavender hadn't seen Salamander all day, not even a glimpse of the two tailed hybrid. She was no where to be seen and she wasn't even here now at the feast like everyone else.

Animosity and Charming weren't there either, which made her stomach churn and do flips within her gut, which in turn made her regret eating to much in the first place.

What if something happened to her? Her mind started to wander into awful thoughts about what Animosity and Charming could've done to the older hybrid she'd grown to call a friend, maybe even more than that.

"Strongmind?"

She flinched slightly before she shook her head so she could see clearly. When she looked to see who called her name, her fake name, she saw Silentseer. The male NightWing was looking at her curiously, a hint of worry glittering in his eyes. The NightWing's eyes seemed to glitter in the moon light like colourful stars, just like Salamander's, she thought sadly before she pushed it away so she could focus instead on the dragon that stood before her.

"Yes?" She asked, forcing herself to give him a smile.

"I was just wondering what you were doing, you know," he walked over to lay down beside her. "laying over here all by yourself."

"Oh, I was just, felling a little tired after today's work." She wasn't lying, she did feel sore from working all day, but she also just didn't feel like enjoying the feast and celebration like everyone else. Salamander wasn't here, so it didn't really feel like a party to her.

"Well, then you should get some rest." He suggested with a kind smile before he looked at her half rated boar.

"Do you plan on finishing that?"

"Oh, um, no I don't. You can have it if you'd like." She offered him as she used her talons to push it towards him, to which he took it within his own talons with a smile.

"Thanks."

The two of them laid there in a peaceful silence as dragons danced and sang before them. There were fires set to cook food and to light up the area, if the moons weren't doing that enough. The three moons were full and shinning down upon them, making everything seem to sparkle in their silver light. As the moments ticked on, Lavender remembered something as a memory flashed before her eyes.

"Lavy, we'll probably get split up, so if we do, meet me at the shoreline later tonight." Lavender looked up at Salamander who was looking down to meet her gaze. "Alright?"

"Alright." Lavender nodded before the two of them looked back to watch dragons getting split off into groups.

Lavender's wings stiffened. The shore! Salamander could be waiting for me there! I have to go check! She quickly sat up, Silentseer giving a startled choke on his food as he looked at her while he swallowed the rest of the boar.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I'll be right back! I need to go see Salamander!" She called to him as she spread her wings and shot off into the air.

The cool breeze flew past her, soothing her scales that felt as though they'd been baked in the sun all day from working. She soared across the trees, listening to their soft rustling of their leaf's, as though they were trying to sing and dance along side the NightWing's.

Please be there, please be there! Her mind raced as she forced herself to fly faster, even though her wings seemed to be begging her to stop because of how sore they felt from the days work.

It felt as thought she'd only been flying for a few moments before she could see the ocean shore line in the distance.

Her heart started to pound in her chest, matching the rhythm of her necklace that jumped on her chest as she flew.

She grew closer and closer to the shore and soon she was flying above the sand, looking around, her pink eyes wide as she tried to spot the older hybrid. But, she couldn't see her, Salamander was no where to be seen.

Was I to late? Was she not able to show up? She continued to look around, practically flying in circles. Is she okay? Did something happen?

"Looks like you finically decided to show up." Lavender spun around to see the owner of the voice. It was Salamander. The hybrid had flown out from the tree line with a smile on her face.

"Salamander!" She smiled as she flew and practically crashed into the other hybrid who let out a gasp as the air was forced from her lungs, but none the less, Lavender felt Salamander's arms wrap around her.

"Glad to see you've missed me princess."

"What happened to you? Where have you been?!"

"I've been around."

"Specify." Lavender looked up to glare at Salamander.

"I've been stuck following Charming and Animosity all day."

"That sounds awful."

"Eh, wasn't to bad." Salamander smirked as she eventually let go of Lavender. "Now then, why don't you tell me if anything interesting happened today?"

"Nothing really happe- OH! I got to talk to the NightWing!"

"The NightWing?"

"The one I told you about on the way to the Night Kingdom you forgetful lizard!"

"Ohhh, her, yeah, I remember." She spoke as the two of them started to fly over the ocean water that looked to sparkle like crystals in the moonlight.

"But anyways," Lavender smiled as they flew across the water. "I think she'll be a perfect fit." She says as she stared to tell Salamander everything they talked about throughout the day as they flew across the oceans surface with the three moons sparkling high above them in the sky, watching them as they shone brightly.

-~-~-~-~-~-

Four days had passed by in what seemed to be a blur. Each day, she worked along side Silentseer and Misfortunate to clear away the rubble and help to rebuild the Night Kingdom. The main parts around the palace had started to come together and most of it was finished, while the palace, was still in the works. The vines had slowly begun to be cleared away, though they were more of a task than the previous vines. The trees that grew along the palace sides were almost impossible to uproot without destroying more of the palace, so, they were left alone to grow where they desired.

The palace was already starting to be rebuilt from what ever was left, restoring it back to its former glory, though, it would take a while.

During these days, Lavender hardly got the chance to see Salamander. When ever she did manage to catch a glimpse of the two tailed hybrid, she was either slipping away somewhere and would almost be impossible to find afterwards, or, she'd be with Charming and Animosity. Lavender hated it. She hated seeing Salamander with those two so often when she only got the chance to see her at night by the shore, almost as though it were against the law to be around her.

Another thing that Lavender hated was the new crown that always would be seated atop Animosity's head. It was a silver crown with yellow and red jewels embedded into to. The spikes twisted up like hungry flames and each point ended off in a sharp spike that wouldn't be hard to use to impale some dragon in the eye with. The red-ish brown NightWing wore no other jewelry other than the crown and the singular silver earring that gave Lavender a bad feeling when ever she looked at it.

Today was a day similar to any other. She was working along side Silentseer as they worked to rebuild the palace, carefully setting black stone bricks along the broken walls or within the rooms that had holes within them for others to fix. Their job was to make sure the other workers had bricks to keep working. It was tiring, flying back and forth all day. Her wings felt as though they'd fall off and fly away on their own to live in peace away from Lavender.

"I feel like my wings are going to fall off." She complained as her and Silentseer were flying around he palace to go gather some more of the stone bricks.

"Mine too, at least you're not alone in that feeling." The NightWing said with a kind smile. "It looks as though the palace could be finished within a few more days, after that I bet we'll be able to have a nice break for a while!" He said encouragingly to her, which made her smile back at him.

"Yeah right! Maybe we'll have to work even harder to make sure each and every crack is filled in."

"I sure hope not!" They laughed as they soon landed by the pile of black stone bricks and just pieces of large stone. They continued to chat to one another as they started to pick out stones and bricks that would work best. Just before they were about to push themselves off into the air, there was a roar, one Lavender had started to grow familiar too.

Animosity was calling a gathering.

The NightWing would often go the centre of the kingdom to gather everyone if she ever needed to inform them of something, which wasn't all to often.

"The Queen's calling, lets go see what it's about." Silentseer spoke up as he dropped the bricks he had been holding and shot off into the air, Lavender copying him as she took off after him.

As the pair flew towards the centre of the kingdom, they saw NightWing's flying the opposite way, heading towards the palace.

"Where are they going?" Lavender could help but ask out loud.

"I don't know. Usually Queen Animosity calls tribe meetings in the centre of the kingdom." As the two of them flew in the air, they heard a second roar. It was coming from the palace.

"That's...odd." Silentseer commented as they started to make their way back to the palace, following after the rest of the tribe that flew in through the open doors.

Lavender had grown to memorize these halls from the days she's been working, and this hallway lead to the throne room.

When she got there, she felt her eyes widen.

Animosity was seated atop the throne with her head held high. Beside her to her left was another throne with another dragons seated upon it.

Charming.

And standing on Animosity's right was a familiar hybrid.

Salamander.

Why is she over there with them? Her mind raced as everyone started to quiet down as Animosity stood up.

"My tribe," she started, her voice sounding like a low rumble. "Our Kingdom is coming along well and soon will be restored to its former glory! But first, there are matters we must attend too."

What is she talking about?

"Most, if not all, of our treasure has been stolen from two certain tribes. The SandWings," Animosity's eyes narrowed as she snarled. "And the RainWing's. They've also stolen members of our tribe!" She roared as her wings flared out.

What is she talking about?! She wanted to scream out and demand an explanation. She heard NightWing's roaring around her, all in agreement. If Animosity convinces them to do something to those tribes, she could start another war and that could make the NightWing's perish!

"In three days, we will head back to the rainforest kingdom and take back what is ours!"

Lavender's eyes met Salamander's. The other hybrid didn't even look to care about what was happening and t make Lavender's heart do uneasy flips.

"We will make it known that the NightWing's have returned and now have their own kingdom now! Their own royals!" Animosity roared. "In three days you all will follow after your Queen," The NightWing looked beside her at Charming. "And your King. We will kill anyone who gets in our way!"

My family's in danger, I need to warn them! She started to make her way through the crowed before she dashed out of the throne room and stared to make her way down one of the other halls. Her scales shifted back to their normal purple as she focused on her family, memories flashing through her mind.

Orchid, she thought of her mother, her mother's warm smile. Strongwings, she pictures her fathers goofy grin. Shadowsplitter, she could practically hear her brothers playful tradings from here.

As she kept walking, the setting suns light starting to filter through the tall open windows, she could hear the faint sounds of talons tapping against the stone floor. When she turned, she saw a dragon she didn't really with to see right now.

Salamander.

Lavender looked over at the other hybrid who had followed her through the dark hallway of the palace.

The palace that seemed to be made of shadows and nothing but anger and jealousy from the other kingdoms. "Why are you following me? I thought you wanted to hang around your new King and Queen since you've been following them around like a lost duckling for the last few days." She all but spat at her friend. Should she even call her that?

"I wanted to talk to you." The NightWing and SandWing hybrid spoke up, her emerald green eyes looking to glow in the dim light that filtered through the tall windows that looked off into the setting sun that started to hide away behind the horizon, turning the sky red like dragons blood.

"About what?" She demanded, her scales shifting to a darker colour as her frills fanned out threateningly.

"About why I think you're leaving." Salamander spoke, her ears twitching. "You were there for the meeting I'm guessing?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I was pretending to be full NightWing for the moons sake!"

"I know that, but I just wanted to come find you and tell you not to go where I think you're going. I know things seem bad but trust me, everything will be fine. Animosity and Charming aren't all that bad! They have great ideas for the tribe! A brighter future!" Salamander took a step towards Lavender who in turn took three steps back with a hiss. "But that's n-"

"So you think they're in the right? How could you think everything will be okay with those two, especially them ruling the tribe! They're going to kill my family! What ever you say won't change my mind!"

"That's not what I came to really talk about-"

"Then what?!" She shouted, her frills flaring out in anger. "All you do is lie anyways! I want to trust you but I can't! So what lies do you want to tell me now?"

"I'm not going to lie-" Lavender cut her off.

"That's all you know how to do. You also know how to push your friends away." She hissed.

"That not all I know how to do! Besides this doesn't have anything to do about that-"

"Then what! Just spit it out because I want to go back home and save my family before it's to late!"

"I want to come with you, I want to help you!" Salamander said, her eyes growing wider slightly by the minute, as though she were panicking. "But we cant go anywhere because we can try to convince them not to attack-"

"And why should you care!?"

"Because I love you!"

The hallway grew silent as the two looked at each other, neither of them blinking nor speaking. Lavender saw tears starting to stream down the larger dragons face as she took in a shuddering breath.

"That's the one time, I will not lie, and I promise to you, I won't lie to you again, but, I know you'll never trust me. I've broken your trust, I've abused it so much..."

Before Lavender could speak, she watched as Salamander turned and started to walk away, the shadows looking to swallow her whole. Leaving Lavender all alone, her mind swirling rapidly in a daze.

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This chapter was kind of a mess, but I like how it's turned out.

I won't say anything else.

- MindlessTyper