Wind howled around her. It pulled at her skin and her scales. Claws sank into the rock under her talons, and Saguaro clung to the face of the mountain for dear life.

She hated heights with all of her might.

Out of all Blister's spies, why was it her who had to go to the Sky Kingdom? Why couldn't anyone else steal war plans? Why did they have to be up so high??

"Because flying means being spotted, Guaro." She told herself. "Flying in the Sky Kingdom means death."

She almost wished she had wings in that moment. Anyone with a bit or sense and sharp claws could scale a mountain like this, sure. But she didn't have wings to catch her if she did fall! It was a bum deal, if you asked Saguaro.

But. She chalked it up to an occupational hazard, sank her class in the rock above her, and hoisted herself up once the wind had quieted. She would continue for a while. Twenty feet maybe, before stopping as another strong gust tried to tear her from the mountain. Saguaro often felt like a tick being plucked off by an uncomfortable dragon. It almost made her feel sorry for ticks everywhere.

Saguaro's ear picked up the distant beating of big, heavy wings. SkyWing wings. And with the grace of a nimble feline, she leaped a few feet above her to a rocky outcrop, with a convenient cluster of boulders to hide behind.

She waited there until the wingbeats passed, taking with them the conversation the two SkyWings were sharing. Something about dinner? A black dragon? She didn't get all of it. But if Saguaro wanted to listen in on some juicy gossip, she'd come back later when she wasn't on a job.

She was back to the grind at a moment's notice, clawing her way up the side of the mountain with the silence of a whisper. The focus of a dragonet learning to fly.

Her arms were flaming with pain when she reached the top. With one last grunt she heaved herself over the edge of the ledge and laid down to catch her breath. The smell of rot and blood lingered on the edge of Saguaro's nose, and she scrunched her about at the scent.

Ah, blood. Dried blood. Moons, I can almost hear the flies from here.

She turned her attention to the other side of her ledge, and a sprawling bowl of sand met her.

Oh. Right. The famous arena. Explains the blood... She thought. It's awfully open out here. Anyone with eyes could see me. There's got to be a way around...

Saguaro's eyes narrowed and she slithered to the arena sands, keeping to the cool shadows and blending in with the sand around her feet. She could just crawl through the sand all the way to the main entrance. But then what? There's no way to sneak into a main entrance.

She could do better than that.. surely.

But every other way in is an air-only entrance.. I didn't climb all the way up this mountain to be foiled by empty space, did I?

But Saguaro didn't get much of a moment to consider her options, before the alarm was sounded