I load my crossbow and fire a thanatos-tipped bolt right at the Sandwing as it excitedly flies towards us. The steel bolt luckily doesn't bounce off and lodges itself in a sensitive part on one of the joints connected to the wings, only for nothing to happen.

"What in three moons?" I cry out.

"Thanatos expires." Pebble says as he pulls me back.

"Shit! You're telling me this now?" I ask as the dragon lunges at us. We all scatter into different directions, Pebble heading right, Toucan and Palm heading left, and of course me running right in front of it. "Dammit, I should have saved some bullets rather then use them all up back Sunset." I then turn back to the dragon as it starts to veer off course and head for Pebble. "Come on! Dinner's over here!" I yell at the dragon as I fire a few more shots from my crossbow, all of them bouncing off her scales. the fuck am I doing? I stop as I'm cornered into a pillar.

She almost seems to smirk as she slows her pace and lowers her body closer to the floor, getting ready to pounce again, like a cat about to catch a mouse.

Suddenly her eyes open wide and she lets out a whimper as she wipes her mouth and finds... blood. I look to the right side of her and see Pebble's form shaking as he holds his hand out to the large creature. The dragon looks too, first snarling at him but starts to whimper more as her barbed tail starts to leak black drops of venom, before the tail itself turns and places itself right to the back of her own neck.

Then I noticed to my horror, Pebble started to cry silently, only the tears weren't clear, but they were red. "Pebble, stop now!" I quickly yelled at him.

He panted as he faced me before letting his arms go limp at his sides, the dragon's tail recoiled and the Sandwing hissed at us, before scrambling off, bumping into what sounded like another dragon, a more familiar growl.

"Thank three moons, Fatespeaker's back." I sigh in relief before rushing over to Pebble, just in time to catch him as he almost fell to his knees. "Pebble, Pebble, are you okay, stay with me."

He coughed up some blood and wiped the blood off of his face as he looked back up at me. "This doesn't make sense, it worked on the Sandwing earlier, and that one was bigger, why was it so much harder this time?"

"Just stay with me and stop bleeding." I say as I hold him up and drag him towards one of the giant beds.

It doesn't take long before Fatespeaker quickly flies in and scoops me up as she moves one of her claws to be in contact with the gem. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry! I was only gone for a few minutes! I didn't think she'd-"

"It's alright Fatespeaker, it's alright." I assured her before I looked back and saw Pebble had stopped bleeding but he was still panting, I couldn't find Toucan or Palm anywhere though, but they were safe, at least that's what I took the lack of screams meaning.

"River! I'm so glad you're alright!" Fatespeaker nuzzled into me harder and then I felt my clothes suddenly soaked in water, I looked up and saw a few tears in Fatespeaker's eyes. "I shouldn't have left you, I shouldn't have put you in danger, you're one of my best friends, if you got eaten... I promised you that you were safe with me-"

"Calm down Fatespeaker, we're okay... you're okay..." I say as I start to stroke her snout. Her teary eyes faded before she started to lightly purr and close her eyes.

"That's right... you're safe... with me... but my visions... they're useless, because they didn't help me protect you."

"But you did, now she won't come back."

"Maybe..." She purred as she held me tighter. "Would you... be okay if I introduced you to Starflight?"

"Your mate? Sure."

"M-My m-mate?" I saw a wave of pink appear on her cheeks. "Starflight isn't my mate... but I saw in my visions he is my future king..." She said with a chuckle and a slight smile.

"So what you mean to say is that he's your future mate then, right?"

She looked away, blushing. "I hope so." She whispered.

We both chuckled a bit at that,

"You scavengers wouldn't by chance have any tips on that, would you?" She asked.

"Maybe some would, but unfortunately I am definitely not the right g-" I started before I heard a roar down the hallway, then another more high-pitched one, and then a few more different types of roars. "Shit..."

"Stay close!" Fatespeaker quickly grabbed us all in her talons, my back against Palm's back as she was pushed into Toucan, and Toucan's legs were against Pebble's, all of bundled together like a ball.

I could see through the gap of the talons that approaching Fatespeaker was a group of dragons, a green one with sails along their bodies and webbed feet as well as bioluminescent spots, a Skywing only a little larger than Fatespeaker, another Nightwing around Fatespeaker's size who I saw earlier, I'm guessing Starflight. There was also a large giant brown dragon beside him, it looked as if someone mixed a crocodile with heavy armor and dragons, and it towered over almost all the others. Then there was the big one, a Nightwing which seemed to match Burn in size, covered in scars and wounds, glaring at us as it snarled down at Fatespeaker. And of course in the back, was the Sandwing from earlier.

"We really pissed her off, the others are too, not exactly a fan that there's food they aren't allowed to have." Palm reported.

The Sandwing growls something and the Skywing lunges towards Fatespeaker. We're all jostled around as he then opens Fatespeaker's claws, revealing us.

"No Flame!" Fatespeaker yells as she jerks us away, just as the Skywing slashes at the spot where we are.

I quickly load another bolt into my crossbow while the others draw their own weapons, like it'll do anything without thanatos.

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Then the others all lunge towards us, all with hungry gazes focused on our small forms, all but the two Nightwings.

"Wait guys! No!" Fatespeaker cries out as she starts to flap her wings and get out of their reach, only for Flame to catch up almost immediately with their larger wings. He growls and gestures to us as we fly through the hallway, but Fatespeaker shakes her head. "I won't let you eat them!" She softly growls back to him.

Flame lets out a disapproving grunt before trying to tackle fatespeaker by ramming into her, but I was quicker and fired a bolt right into his eye.

He let out a shriek as he thrashed in the air till crashing into a pillar and fading into the distance as we flew away.

"Phew, that was close-" Fatespeaker sighed, but was cut off as Toucan yelled out.

"Tell your dragon to look out!"

"What did your friend squeak?" Fatespeaker asked as she looked back down at us.

"He said watch out!" I yelled just in time as the swamp dragon suddenly showed up in front of us, blocking our way out ahead.

Fatespeaker suddenly spread her wings out, causing her to stop midair, before doing a backflip roll in the air as she turned and started flying back from where we came, where we passed flame who was still flat on his face after slamming into a pillar headfirst, I swear I saw some dragon teeth on the floor next to him.

The green sea dragon and the Sandwing from earlier flew to block us, but as soon as Pebble put his hand out, the Sandwing let out a shriek and quickly flew to the side leaving the smaller green one alone. It tried tackling us but Fatespeaker just flew past it, the smaller dragon letting out a whine as Fatespeaker lightly shoved him to the side.

"The big one's coming from above!" Toucan reported.

"Toucan says the big one-" I tried telling Fatespeaker but was cut off as I heard a loud growl from above.

"Oh no-" Fatespeaker let out a whimper as she was tackled to the ground by the much larger dragon. "N-no... please don't eat them, Morrowseer."

The larger one just growled back before prying her claws open.

I shot him in the face but it just bounced off one of his horns.

He growled as he glared at us, and just as he was about to lunge his jaws forward, Fatespeaker's jaws came first.

"Holy shit!"

"No no no!"

"Not again!"

"All of you, quiet, she's trying to make them think we're dead!" I yell at them in the slimy pitch darkness. She gulped and luckily all of us were hanging onto her teeth. I could hear growling from outside, disapproval and disappointing, before hearing the flapping of wings and the sounds of fading clawsteps.

We were suddenly spat out onto the floor, we took no time in washing ourselves off.

"Ew ew ew!" Palm exclaimed as Toucan helped her wipe off the saliva.

"Disgusting!" Pebble groaned.

I just looked back at Fatespeaker while taking off my hood to clean it. "Thanks for saving our asses back there." I then processed what Pebble said earlier. "What did you mean by not again-"

"River, I don't care if I bleed from everywhere on my body, do not finish that sentence."

I put my hands up and turned away, back to Fatespeaker.

"No problem, are the others alright?" She whimpered, it was then I noticed a large gash across her cheek. And Starflight was currently putting pressure on it to try and stop the bleeding.

"Oh shit, Fate, you okay?" I asked as I got onto her talons to lift me up.

"Yeah, it's fine." She then hissed in pain.

"Here, let me." Starflight gives me a side-eye but doesn't do anything as he lets me apply the herbs onto Fatespeaker's wounds.

"Thanks... both of you." she then gives me a questioning gaze.

I nod. "You can tell him."

She smiles and looks back to Starflight before suddenly frowning and looking down. "I d-don't know... should I-"

"Do you trust him?"

"Well yeah-"

"I trust you."

She looked at me for a moment before giving me a faint smile.

Starflight growls something to her, causing her eyes to widen and for her to shuffle a little. "No Starflight, everything's fine, I'm so protective of these little guys cause... Even if they're scavengers, they seem to actually wanna spend time with me."

Starflight nods and hesitantly pet my head.

I didn't resist, even if it was not comfortable.

"And... they.. they can also actually talk to me..."

Starflight stopped petting and looked at her with an expression that even I could understand just by his growling, especially thanks to Smolder teaching me some dragon back in the palace. "What in three moons-"

"The gem is enchanted so they can speak."

His eyes widened as he then touched the gem and pressed it against me. "I have questions."

***

"I... I need to throw up..." Starflight gagged and headed elsewhere before returning, his breath smelling fowl. "I can't believe, all this time... we thought you were just... animals..." He sniffled as he wiped some tears. "We... we're monsters... there's no... the scorching was genocide, not pest control, and we still eat you, three moons, three moons!"

"Truth's a bitch, ain't it?"

He chuckled weakly but sniffled again.

"I'm sorry about you getting kidnapped by who are supposed to be your friends." I said but he waved it off.

"It's fine, I just hope I can get out of here and get to my actual friends." He said before Fatespeaker came over. Growling something to us but I couldn't understand her without the gem.

"She's wondering if we wanna join her."

"You two lovebirds go ahead, I think my team is still recovering though, also I think you need some time to process the whole sentience thing." I said as I pointed to the other humans, heavily asleep or still panting from the earlier encounter.

He blushed as I called the pair lovebirds, but soon waved his goodbye's before they both left.

***

I woke up as the pair had returned, both had gone asleep, the rest of the other humans were asleep as well, but I noticed something glowing under his sheets, a light blue. I went up and climbed on the bed to see some giant star-looking artifact, just looking at it gave me a sense of dread, yet I still tried to get closer, but I accidentally brushed against Starflight's scales.

He let out a yelp before seeing it was me, but his object was now in full view.

I hold my hands out while pressing the gem to him. "What's that?"

"It's uh..."

"Dragon, who would I tell?"

"It's a um... it's a dream visitor."

"A dream visitor?" I asked, I quickly glanced back at the gem, then at the star, but the star was made out of some other type of material, and didn't have teardrop symbols like mine, Scarlet, or even Blaze's gems.

"Yeah, and I was just using it to check on my friends back in the rainforest." He admitted quietly.

"Do you... wanna talk about it, I mean it's fine if you don't-" I started.

"It's fine, you told me your story, your very unfortunate story which I'm so sorry for, but some of my friends think I ran away, to warn the Nightwings, they think... I betrayed them..."

He whines softly.

"The same friends you said you were raised with since you were an egg, the same ones you said have been a team with you since the beginning of your very lives?"

He nods.

I sigh, "Starflight, I'm sorry, I know what it's like to be abandoned." I say as I put a hand on his scales.

"They haven't abandoned me, not all of them at least." He said as he pulls away.

"Still, the fact that even some of them are thinking you betrayed me, if you want my advice, find better friends, they just sound... from what I've heard, not the best."

"You really think that?"

"Let's face the facts here, you are in enemy territory, and what do your friends automatically think, that you betrayed them? They're distrustful of you because, why?"

"Well, I am a Nightwing, and they-"

"That shouldn't matter Starflight, if they were true friends, they should have rescued you, right?"

"Well they-"

"Hold on, how do they even know there are Nightwings here?"

"Because... Glory rescued Kinkajou from here..." He then goes silent as his eyes widen.

"Who's Kinkajou?"

"A Rainwing prisoner."

"So they rescued a random Rainwing prisoner, over you?"

He looks down at that. "It's not like that, I won't give up faith in them."

"I'm just saying Starflight, be cautious, okay? You don't want fake friends." I said as I glanced back just in time to see Palm's form seeming to roll away from me. There was more about that vision, but I guess I'll have to wait till I figure it out.

"I... guess I can stand by that." He nodded.

"Alright, think it's time to go?"

"Yeah, lets we should probably wake the others so we get back before morning."

"Alright, let's go find some answers."