The sheer face of Jade Mountain loomed before them, its ancient stone corridors teeming with more dragons than Reborn had ever seen gathered in one place. Representatives from every tribe filled the passages - their scales creating a living mosaic of colors that made even the RainWings' chromatic displays seem subdued by comparison.

Reborn's black-grey scales rippled with an involuntary wash of blue - a rare slip in her careful disguise as a RainWing - before she quickly restored their previous hue. Beside her, Kinkajou's scales blazed with excitement, shifting through yellow and gold patterns that practically radiated joy.

"Isn't this just absolutely amazing?" Kinkajou bubbled, her tail curling with delight as she took in the spectacular gathering.

Moonwatcher, by contrast, seemed to shrink into herself, her dark scales almost appearing to dim under the weight of so many dragons and, undoubtedly, so many thoughts pressing against her mind. Reborn, understanding her friend's discomfort, gently twined her tail with Moon's in a gesture of support.

"You're going to be fine, Moon," she murmured, her voice pitched low enough for only her friend to hear. "As long as you're with us, you'll always have dragons who understand and love you." The words carried extra weight, coming from one who also harbored secrets of her own. Moon lifted her eyes to meet Reborn's, finding comfort in the larger dragon's steady gaze.

Their moment was interrupted by an enthusiastic greeting from a NightWing whose wings quivered with barely contained excitement. "Hello!" she beamed, her smile surprisingly warm for one of her typically reserved tribe. "You must be Kinkajou, Moonwatcher, and Reborn, right?"

They nodded in unison, and her smile grew even brighter. "Amazing! First try! I knew I could do it!" She quickly composed herself, though her wings continued their happy flutter. "Here are your welcome scrolls and school maps." She paused, adding with renewed enthusiasm, "Oh! And I'm Fatespeaker!"

Reborn extended her wings protectively over her friends as she nodded to Fatespeaker, gently steering them into the school proper. "Let's find our den," she suggested, her voice warm with relief when they discovered they'd all been assigned as clawmates.

As they navigated the busy corridors, Reborn couldn't help but notice the many eyes following their group - particularly herself and Moon. Dragons from every tribe watched them pass, some with curiosity, others with barely concealed suspicion. Among them, a SandWing's gaze caught and held hers, his sharp eyes carrying an unexpected kindness that made her scales tingle.

Reborn turned away, continuing down the corridor with her friends, unaware of the thoughts stirring behind those piercing eyes. Her focus remained on her clawmates, on protecting Moon, on maintaining her own disguise - never suspecting that the SandWing's keen gaze had perhaps seen more than she intended to reveal.

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The dining hall buzzed with activity as Reborn, Moon, and Kinkajou made their way through the entrance. Dragons of every tribe gathered around stone tables, their voices echoing off the carved mountain walls. The scents of different tribal cuisines mingled in the air - everything from smoked fish to sun-warmed fruit.

"Oh, this is worse than I thought," Reborn muttered. Her ruff betrayed her for a dangerous moment, rippling with colors that spoke of anger, fear, and pain before she forcefully suppressed them back to neutral shades. She couldn't afford to let her scales reveal her true feelings - not here, not ever. The careful disguise she maintained had to remain perfect.

Moon shot her a worried glance, her dark eyes reflecting concern at both Reborn's words and the emotional display she'd witnessed. But before she could speak, chaos erupted.

A tiny figure darted between Reborn's talons - a scavenger, moving with surprising speed. Without thinking, Reborn's claws snapped out, catching the creature as her wings flared open with an authoritative crack. The dining hall fell silent, the sudden quiet broken only by the sound of rapidly approaching claws on stone.

An IceWing materialized from the crowd, his scales the color of glacial ice with undertones of arctic blue. Frost gathered at his mouth as he spoke, his voice sharp as icicles. "Let that scavenger go. It's mine."

Reborn arched an eyebrow, carefully holding the trembling creature. "This? Really?" She kept her voice level, though her scales itched with the effort of maintaining their false RainWing patterns.

The IceWing's ruff bristled with spikes of ice. "Give. It. To. Me. I'm. Not. Asking. Again." Each word emerged as a frozen dagger.

With a dismissive snort, Reborn glanced at Moon before gently lowering the scavenger to the ground. It scurried away as she folded her wings back with deliberate calm. "Of course, you could, dragon," she said, rolling her eyes. She turned away, draping a protective wing over Moon's shoulders as they moved toward Kinkajou. The last thing she needed was a fight on her first day.

Then it happened.

Interesting, a voice purred in her mind, stopping her mid-step. You're not like the other RainWings. You're more... exciting. Huh, you can hear me now if I get your scared, surprised thoughts. But, don't worry, I won't do anything to you.

Reborn's heart thundered in her chest. Who are you? she snarled back mentally, her body frozen in place even as she maintained her outer composure.

A dark chuckle echoed through her mind. You don't know? Strange. But that's okay. When we get to know each other better, my dear Reborn, I can tell you my name. But until then, call me the Voice in My Head.

The dining hall continued its normal bustle around her, dragons chattering and eating, completely unaware of the mental intrusion that had just shattered Reborn's sense of security. Only Moon seemed to notice her friend's rigid posture, her eyes widening with a recognition that Reborn was too distracted to notice.