"This is hell... we're in actual hell." Palm groaned from inside the cage right next to me.

"Wellllllll..." I shrugged as I looked down. The clouds were dark and it seemed as if we in a giant fireplace with all the smog, not to mention the rivers of fire below, as well as the gigantic mountain that was spitting fire. The orange spewing from the ground and mountains made it kind of beautiful in a way, the smog made it eerie since I couldn't really see anything that wasn't directly beneath me or fifty feet in front of me. The dragon carrying us also didn't exactly lighten the mood, a dragon which was dull-black color, with wings that seemed to hold the stars inside. Not to mention that he looked big enough to eat Smolder.

"He's grumpy, but I can't tell what about, my mind reading isn't that good." Palm said.

The night dragon let out a low groan, as if annoyed by the very sound of her voice.

"But he won't kill us?" Pebble asked, laying down on the other side of the rocky cage.

"No, it's a chore to him." Palm answered.

I let out a small smirk as I noticed that Palm had a light in her eyes ever since we got captured, because if we were captured and not dead, then that meant her husband might still be alive... might... Then my mind flashed back to Smolder's words as he was talking about something about Nightwings and teardrops. I looked back at the dragon but saw nothing of the sort on their face. How could we possibly be related?

"Hold on, you think we're related to Nightwings?" Pebble asked.

I facepalmed, remembering they can read my mind.

"Um... kind of... Smolder mentioned to me in the palace that Nightwings could read minds and see the future."

"That's-" Pebble started.

"Exactly what we can do, with some flair." Palm noted aloud. "But this guy can't." Palm then stated.

"What do you mean?" Pebble asked.

"I checked his face, he's got no teardrop." I announce.

"So what does that mean-" Palm starts to ask before we're suddenly falling into a dark pit, screaming, till we land in a giant cushion.

"Ow! What the fuck?" Palm yelled as she got off her back.

"Where are we?" Pebble said as he looked around.

"Not again!" I groan as I look at the large cage we're now in.

"P-Palm?" A new, lower voice spoke up.

Her expression switched up instantly, her eyes started to fill with tears as her cheeks went red. "Wait... w-wait... are you... is it... Toucan... you're still alive?" Her voice was cracked and broken as she spoke, a far cry from how she sounded just a few moments ago.

The figure limped out of the shadows, he was taller than me by a head, his shirt and pants were pretty torn up and several gashes could be seen across his chest, marked by dried blood. His eyes were bloodshot, but soft as the pupils looked towards Palm. "H-hey... P-Palm... I-I d-didn't expect t-to s-see y-you h-here..." He chuckled weakly, a bit of blood falling from his mouth as he laughed, he probably would have cried if he didn't look so dehydrated. His lips looked chapped and his skin was drier than when we were in the desert, his eyes swollen, and his hair gray even though I could tell he should have been blond.

Poor soul... what did they do to you?

Palm didn't wait a moment as she ran and wrapped her arms around Toucan's larger form, sobbing deeply into her arms. "I thought you were dead! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I should have been with you! I should have been with you! I'm so sorry!" She sobbed.

"It's good to see you too, Pebbles, is that you?" Toucan rasped yet he had a smile on his face.

"T-Toucan, it's... you're here..." Pebble says with a few tears going down his own eyes behind his glasses.

"What are you waiting for, get in here!" He chuckled.

Pebble let out a small tearful laugh before entering the embrace, I smiled but glanced away from the group and at the bars of the cage instead, it wasn't exactly my place with them.

"So, I'm afraid I haven't quite caught your name yet, mister..." Toucan trailed off to let me speak.

"River, I introduce myself as I turn my body back in his direction, "my name is River." I say with a slight nod.

"River is it, can you by any chance control the currents of rivers as your ability?" Toucan asks as they're all released from the embrace.

I chuckle. "No, I'm immune or at least, resilient to venoms and poisons, learned that from a Sandwing and a Kentri's tail, and I'm also a seer."

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His face fell. "A seer, huh?" But his face then lit up again. "You're not like Pyro, right?"

"I never met the guy, but I'm not crazy if that's what you mean." I say.

"Good, then maybe you can help out." He says as he waves me over.

"What happened to Dragonfly or-" Pebble started but Toucan's breath hitched at the question.

"They uh... they didn't make it..." Toucan managed to get out in shaky breathes.

"Oh, I'm so-"

Pebble starts, but Toucan quickly cuts him off. "Save your water, it won't bring them back." Toucan said before making me follow him.

I oblige as he draws me towards the edge of the cage, where I can past a few rocks and gigantic scrolls, was a relatively average sized Nightwing, it almost looked like Pebbles since it had a pair of glasses, and on it's shoulder was a pouch filled with even more scrolls.

"I take it this is our captor?" I ask.

"Toucan nods, "We aren't his main priority anymore though, that position belongs to the Forest-Fangs."

"And those are?"

"The rainforest dragons, River." Pebbles answered for Toucan as he pointed to the side where a rainforest dragon could be seen tied to several cables on the wall.

It was smaller than most dragons but it was a dull pink color, its mouth parted slightly with strings of acid falling from the enormous fangs in front, creating a puddle of sizzling green below.

''That's terrifying." I mutter.

"Most dangerous dragon on Pyrrhia, also the most lazy luckily." Toucan shrugs.

We watched as the dragon then turned to us while holding out it's scroll as it approached.

'He's curious about us, not malicious." Palm thought aloud.

"You call tying a dragon to the wall, 'not malicious?'"

"You know what I mean."

Palm huffed as toucan chuckled and gave Palm a kiss on the cheek. "I missed your little pouts, Palm Tree.

Palm rolled her eyes but we all had to look away as she grabbed toucan by the shoulder and locked their faces together.

"Alright, maybe we should give them a little privacy." I say as I turn away.

"It's only fair that they get some time together, it's been a while." Pebble says with a faint laugh in his voice.

Unfortunately the dragon looking down on us seemed very interested and started taking notes as Palm and Toucan made out.

"Should we tell them or..."

"No, it's fine." Pebble responded.

I looked up at the dragon again, noting all the scrolls, the weird metal tubes around the place, and the lack of a teardrop on their snout. "This guy seems like he knows his lore." I mutter.

"You don't think..." Pebble started but I nodded.

"If anyone would know... it would probably be him." I agreed to his silent question.

He smirked as I guessed his question. "And I thought we were the ones who could read other people's minds."

I grab the gem out of my pouch before turning back to the others. "Just to let you two know, we're gonna talk to the dragon now!"

"Huh?"

"Wait what?"

Me and Pebble both snickered at their startled reaction before I moved the gem partway into his hands too.

"Wait, you want me to do the talking? Wait, is this because we're both wearing glasses?" He frowned.

"Exactly!" I winked at him as he rolled his eyes before we took a deep breath as we noticed the dragon looking expectantly at us.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Never am." I sigh.

We then push out hands through the bar and push the gem to touch the dragon's scales. "Hello dragon, down here?"

"W-wait, what was that-" He paused as he stared down at us, before fixing his glasses as he looked down on the gem. "A teardrop jewel?"

"You know what it is?" I asked before Pebble shushed me.

"Well, I've heard about them but these types of minerals have been lost to time for over thousands of years, four-thousand and two-hundred and five to be exact, how truly fascinating, and it seems to give scavengers the ability to speak! So much research could be done! So little time..." He sighs as he then tries taking the gem before we pull it out of his reach but slide it across his talons so we can still communicate.

"We have a proposition for you, I understand you are some sort of scientist or researcher, correct?" Pebble asks.

"Why, how observant of you scavenger, but are you telling me your species also have scientists and different roles in your dens, you know, you're very right, you do have a lot to offer, with the gem I could study so much about you, you're behavior, your food, your organs since Strongwings ate all the other subjects." I wince, realizing that's what happened to the rest of Toucan's group. "But that's not important right now, what is-"

"Clearly you are a very educated night dragon-"

'Why thank you."

"However, we are a special variant of scavengers that requires your assistance." Pebble explained.

"Ha, I always knew scavengers were more than what meets the eye, wait a moment, was it possible that scavengers actually did plan the death of Queen Oasis, did you purposely start this war as a strategic move, and what do you mean by variants, so many possibilities, so much science to be uncovered." The dragon says enthusiastically.

"Yes, but what do you know about teardrop jewels, or teardrop humans-scavengers?" Pebble corrected himself.

"I've never heard of anything about teardrops on humans, maybe you were some type of experiments Nightwings made from the ages before Darkstalker, but we have no records about those, however we do have records about the jewels, we believe they may be animus enchanted to unlock something."

"Like a key, but the question is what is the lock."

"I would love to tell you more but unfortunately all that information has been lost, probably still in the scrolls of the old school, and it's too dangerous for me so I don't see why or how you could get there- oh, oh no no no no, I want no intruders in my labs-" His voice turns frantic as he hears other talonsteps at the door, before reverting back to growls as he lets go of the gem.

"Well, at least we have a lead.'' I shrug to Pebble.

He sighs but our faces perk up as we see a group of other night dragons enter the room. We hear them growl to each other, the dragon we spoke to showing the younger ones around till they come to our cage, the pair of smaller dragons, one with green eyes, another with purple, staring at us for a few moments. The purple one lets out a soft purring sound mixed with a chirp before moving on, but the pair of younger dragons glance back at us a few times.

"This is perfect." palm suddenly said with a smirk.

"Why?" Pebble asked.

"She likes us." toucan answered. "She'll be back for us, just mark my words." Toucan said, and for some reason, I instantly believed him.

And just a few moments later, the one with purple eyes slid across the floor in front of us as they landed, before unlocking the cage.

"Well that's convenient, if only that happened the first month I was here..." Toucan playfully scoffed before we were all scooped up in her talons, hidden as she clenched her claws into light fists to keep us hidden.

"So what happens now, are we just pets?" Pebble asked.

"I think we just found our way to that school." I answer.