RedWood Traveler's Guild

This page is part of the Animus Project AU, and will be deleted after the information is moved to the AP AU wiki.

CWs: Death and mentions of death.

"I'm sorry, I got us lost. There aren't any islands we'll be able to reach before nightfall. We'll have to keep going, or turn back, get some sleep, and then retrace our path tomorrow." Crystal said, disappointment clear in their voice. Holly snorted, and Hydrangea rolled her eyes. The LeafWing thought she was so much better than everyone else, and it really got on Hydrangea's nerves.
"I knew I should have been the navigator." Holly said, looking smug as always. "Just because Crystal has a map doesn't mean they know what they're doing." Crystal was about to say something, but they didn't.
"Can we not argue right now? We're all tired, and I just want to land, then we can plan our next move from there." The CaveWing anxiously tapped their claws against the metal chest plate they wore, looking at the sky. The whole group had stopped moving at this point, everyone waiting for Holly's reaction.
"Ugh, give me that." Holly snatched the map from Crystal, who protested, but didn't try to take it back. Hydrangea and Tarbo exchanged a look, they knew how important that map was to Crystal. Hourglass, Seaspray, and Royal were used to Holly's bullying by now, and their expressions said this was entirely normal.
"Holly, give it back. If Crystal says there's nowhere to land, there's nowhere to land. Why would they lie about that?" Hourglass said. Hydrangea wasn't sure what to think about him, Hourglass was the one dragon she knew who actually tried to be nice to Holly. She was nice to everyone, but it took extreme patience to not insult Holly at every opportunity. Holly glared at Hourglass, rolled her eyes, and threw the map at Crystal. They scrambled to keep their grip on it without tearing the paper.
"They're right, unfortunately. There's nothing here." The LeafWing spat. Tarbo had gone a bit farther before returning, and he interrupted, drawing everyone's attention to himself.
"Um, I think the map might be wrong, then? Because I definitely saw something." He said. Hydrangea grinned. She had always wanted to discover something new, this could be her chance. Holly snorted.
"That would make sense, after all, how accurate could a map created by a flightless dragon really be?" This was directed right at Crystal. They flinched, and stayed quiet.
"That was too far, Holly. Leave Crystal's family out of this." Royal said, swooping over to separate Holly and Crystal. "Tarbo, if you really found something, that could be the perfect place for us to stay, and then, in the morning, once we've all gotten enough sleep, we can figure out where we are." The other SandWing nodded, and turned to lead the group. Crystal let everyone else go ahead of them, taking their usual spot at the back. Hydrangea flew next to them, hoping to avoid Holly's attention. Crystal had tucked the map back into their bag, and was fidgeting with their bracelet.
"Thinking about your family?" Hydrangea asked, and Crystal nodded.
"I haven't gone back in a while. I've been writing to them, but it's not the same, and they rarely write back." They said, glancing ahead to make sure they weren't falling behind. "I guess it's because of how hard it is to actually know where to send any letters." Hydrangea felt kind of sorry for Crystal. She didn't even know who her parents were, but Crystal was obviously really close to their parents. Crystal was still talking, mostly to themself now.
"It's fine, though. My dad's writing is practically illegible, so he never sends me anything." They laughed, then went quiet again.
"Hey! Tarbo is right, there's an island here!" Seaspray called back to them, and they quickly rejoined the others. Crystal's eyes went wide, and they stared at the island below them.

There was a hesitant knock on the door, then it was quiet again. Viceroy got up and stretched, readjusting xer dark green cloak as xe walked over to the entrance. There was another knock, and hushed voices from outside. Viceroy opened the door, and the group of dragons stopped talking and stared at xem.
"Hello, do you need something?" Xe asked, opening the door so the group could enter. Viceroy didn't recognize any of them, so they were definitely new. Fate was a small enough town that everyone knew everyone else. Sometimes there would be a new resident, but this group was surprisingly large, at least by Viceroy's knowledge. There were seven of them, with three RainWings, two SandWings, a LeafWing, and the last dragon's tribe was a mystery to xem.
SilkWing, maybe? But… they don't have antennae, and they have fur. Hybrid, probably. Viceroy was about to go get Bronze when the LeafWing spoke up.
"Yeah, where are we? Your stupid island isn't on their stupid map." Her voice was sharp, and she looked annoyed, jabbing one claw towards one of the other dragons, who stepped away from her, fur bristling slightly.
"It's not stupid." One of the RainWings and one of the SandWings spoke up at the same time, defending their friend. Viceroy waited for them to stop arguing, looking around for any of the other guards.
*Iceberg probably got hurt again, didn't she?* Xe guessed, wondering why the IceWing and her patrol partner were so late. The sun had been up for a while now.
"That's the point, Fate is a hidden island. How about you guys calm down and stop insulting each other? I'm Viceroy, I'm one of the town guards." Viceroy said, which got the attention of the LeafWing, who snorted.
"I'm Holly, that's Royal, that's Seaspray, and -" She pointed to the older SandWing and the pink RainWing before getting interrupted by the fluffy dragon.
"We can introduce ourselves, thanks." They muttered. "I'm Crystal." They said to Viceroy. The other SandWing introduced himself as Tarbo, the half-blue and half-pink RainWing said she was Hourglass, and the last RainWing was Hydrangea. Viceroy was again stopped from getting Bronze by the door slamming open, and a pale gray-pink IceWing sweeping dramatically into the building.
"Sorry I'm late, I was attacked by the wilderness!" Iceberg said, covering one eye with her talon. Viceroy shook xer head and turned to the SeaWing that had followed Iceberg inside. Thresher rolled her eyes.
"She ran into a tree." Thresher said, and Iceberg sighed and took her talon off her face. She was entirely unharmed, which was unusual for the clumsy IceWing.
"Ahh, you didn't have to tell xem that!" She laughed, taking her spear from her back. "I'll take yours if you want." Iceberg offered, and Thresher handed her sword over, to be put back in the armory.
"Thanks!" She said, and turned to the visitors. Viceroy noticed Crystal's expression had changed from frustration to fear, and they were watching Iceberg closely. Thresher had noticed too, and the two dragons exchanged a quick glance.
*That's strange. Are they scared of IceWings? Or Iceberg specifically?*
Thresher quickly introduced herself and Iceberg, then went to report to Bronze, flicking Viceroy's wing with her own as she left. Viceroy glanced over at her, then turned back to the new dragons.
"Is Crystal okay? Iceberg is harmless, I promise." Xe said, a bit concerned for them. Crystal nodded, but still looked a bit nervous to Viceroy. They did something to the chest plate they were wearing, something that Viceroy hadn't even noticed when they arrived. Xe stared, confused, as the dragon's wings folded up and disappeared into it, and then the armor itself retracted into the silver bracelet around the dragon's wrist. Crystal noticed xer stunned expression and snickered.
"It's magic, don't think about it too hard." They said, pointing to their back. "I can't fly on my own, so I've got false wings." Viceroy nodded slowly, still confused. Spark hadn't shown up, which was strange, but xer brother wasn't the best at being on time.
"Want me to show you around?" Viceroy offered, and the SandWings grinned.

*Of all the IceWings that could have been here, it had to be HER? Just my terrible luck again, I guess.* Crystal had been surprised by the IceWing, and they hadn't recognized her immediately, but it was definitely the same IceWing. The one who had ripped their family apart. They ran one claw under their bracelet.
*It's been eight years, and I still remember it all. I bet she doesn't even remember what she did to me.* Crystal growled, and Hydrangea gave them a confused glance.
"Hey, are you okay? That IceWing kind of shocked you, huh?" Hydrangea asked, and Tarbo looked over as well. Crystal tried to look like they didn't know what the others were talking about, but they sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, I didn't expect to see her here, of all places." Crystal said, and Hydrangea's eyes widened. Crystal had told their friends about it, after a mishap a few years ago that had left Crystal jumpy for a week after. Holly and her team didn't know, and Crystal didn't want them to ever find out. If Holly ever learned about their past, her bullying would get worse, and Crystal already had enough to worry about.
"Oh, Crystal, I've been meaning to ask, what did that weird dragonet say to you? You just bolted, even Holly was worried." Tarbo said, referring to the dark blue-purple dragonet who had claimed he had a message for Crystal, and refused to let any of their friends hear it.
*Not a message, that was definitely a prophecy. I can't tell them, they'll hate me. They'll know I've kept secrets, but I can't tell them everything. They wouldn't understand, either.* Crystal just shrugged, absent-mindedly tracing the patterns engraved on their bracelet.
"Oh, it wasn't anything important. He got the wrong dragon, that's all." Crystal lied, the dragonet's words, his warning, repeating in their mind. They couldn't lose anyone else, and they were terrified of something happening to their family. Hydrangea looked doubtful, but shrugged it off and turned away.
*Remember what dad always says. Everything will turn out okay, Crystal. However bad the situation feels right now, you'll be okay.* Crystal smiled to themself, and jumped when Tarbo yelped.
"Hey, you almost hit me! Watch where you activate those next time!" Crystal looked up, taking a few seconds to realize they had accidentally activated their wings when they had spaced out. They pressed on the little diamond shape on their chest plate, and the whole thing collapsed into their bracelet again.

"You shouldn't stay up this late, it's not good for you." His mother said, putting a wing around him. Eclipse pretended to not notice, instead tapping a sentence in one of the scrolls that he wanted to note down.
"I work better at night." He said simply. "And this could be important. For everyone's safety." Eclipse reached for the scroll he had been taking notes on, but Iceberg took his talon, stopping him. Eclipse didn't fight her this time, and she pulled him into a tight hug. Her scales were cold, but he didn’t mind, as he wasn't affected by low temperatures very much.
"You can work on it tomorrow, but right now, you need to sleep." She insisted, guiding Eclipse away from his desk, ignoring his protests. "Have you eaten at all today?" Iceberg asked suddenly, and he stayed quiet. He hadn't eaten at all, and his mother could tell. She sighed, and changed course to their family's small kitchen. Eclipse followed her, knowing that Shadow had probably brought some food home from the café she worked in.
"Oh, look at that. I'm not the only one who can tell when you don't eat!" Iceberg said, handing him a small note. It was his mom's writing, and Eclipse smiled slightly when he read it. Iceberg hummed to herself as she divided the snacks between them. Eclipse waited, thinking about the vision he had received when he had met Viceroy and the dragons xe were showing around.
*The dragon who was in it, they got scared when I told them. I wonder why. I hope they didn't tell anyone, I'm not sure I was right to even tell them.* Eclipse thought, remembering how the dragon had gone pale and refused to listen to his warnings. Iceberg handed him a plate, and he took it, still trying to understand the prophecy he had received earlier that day.
*I knew we had to step up our defenses. But they got through anyway. So it's too late, and the magic will fail sooner rather than later. I need to find a solution, not eat.* Eclipse grumbled, picking at his food. He had been looking through old stories, hoping to find a way to restore an animus spell without another animus. There were no animus dragons in Fate, so that was just out of the question.
"What's on your mind?" Iceberg asked, sitting down next to him. Eclipse shoved an entire cookie in his mouth so he wouldn't have to answer her questions. Iceberg raised an eyebrow at him, and gave him an amused look. The two dragons silently waited for a few minutes, until Eclipse could talk again.
"Well, I guess you should know, it does affect your job." He said, not looking at his mother. "I must have been too late in telling Bronze to increase security, because the dragons I was worried about are here. We don't have much longer before the shield falls and we're exposed to the outside world again." Eclipse explained, keeping his tone serious, but not urgent. It was how he always spoke. Iceberg got up, pacing slightly.

“It’s quite early, isn’t it?” I ask, raising one eyebrow even though the dragonet can’t see my expression. She just laughs and pushes past me, dropping whatever it is she brought with her on my table. I look around, usually there are two of them who come to visit me, but today the SeaWing is not here. Iris notices, and shakes her head.
“Oyster couldn’t come today, and I have good news.” She says, unwrapping the plate of the cookies and pushing it over to me as I sit across from her. I shake my head, and she frowns at me. Iris is always trying to get me to eat, which is most likely because I have never told her about my curse. She thinks I am like everyone else, with death lurking over my shoulder, waiting for me to lower my guard. I say nothing, and just wait for her to tell me what she has learned. I have discovered I am very good at making dragons uncomfortable, and Iris is clearly figuring that out herself. She drums her claws against the wood of the table, not meeting my eyes.
“My brother, he’s been worrying about the shield spell breaking. You said that’ll set you free, right?” Iris reports. I’m impressed that she remembered, and she’s right. When the shield went up, I made a deal with the spell’s caster. When it falls, every other animus spell on the island will shatter, and I will finally be free from my curse. I have been waiting for this moment for so long. Iris is not finished, though. “He’s also trying to find a way to stop it from falling. So, you might have to wait longer. Sorry.” She says, looking down. I smile, something I have not done in centuries.
“There is no way to fix it. The spell is failing? Let it fall.” I reply. I can almost taste my freedom, and I feel lighter than I have in a very long time. I have been punished for my actions long enough. Iris looks at me, shocked. I am not usually an emotional dragon, but this is the best news I have ever received. She falls quiet, and reaches for one of the cookies, eating slowly. We don’t talk for a long time, both of us lost in our own thoughts.
Iris has gone through most of the plate by the time she says anything again. I haven’t taken any, but she hasn’t noticed. I’ve never understood why I don’t mind letting her be here. I’ve never been this close to any of the other dragonets who came looking for the ‘ghost of the forest’. That’s all I am to the town I share an island with, it seems. A ghost story. I don’t mind being a ghost story, but I do mind the generations of dragonets who felt it was a good idea to try and hunt me down. I just want to be left alone, in my own world, where I can’t hurt anyone else.
“Brimstone?” Iris asks carefully. “Why do you want the shield to fall? What’s keeping you from leaving whenever you want?” She sounds truly curious, and I feel slightly guilty for keeping this from her. I don’t want her to get the wrong impression of me, either. My past is mine, and I don’t need anyone making false assumptions about me. I just shrug, and she sighs. She knows not to pry, she’s a smart dragonet. Or maybe not, as she keeps asking questions.
“This place isn’t a prison, it’s an escape. You can leave, right? Or-” Iris’ eyes widen. She must have figured something out, and I stiffen. If she knows, I have to make sure she doesn’t tell anyone else about me. The rest of the island cannot find out that I am here. Iris doesn’t see my expression change, fortunately.
“You’re cursed, aren’t you? You want the shield to fall so it breaks.” Iris says, standing up in her seat. I don’t respond, don’t let her know she’s right. I am cursed, but she doesn’t need to know why. The reason is not important, not to her. I stand up as well.

“Iris.” She confirmed, shaking her head. That meant the other voice Viceroy had recognized had to be Thresher’s sister Oyster, Iris’ best friend. If one of the two was causing trouble, the other one was probably nearby. They weren’t the most responsible dragonets in the town, but they weren’t unpredictable either, and definitely not the type to start a fight. Viceroy and Iceberg sped up, hoping to reach the argument before it turned violent.
“Iris, we should go…” Oyster said, gently tugging on her friend’s arm. Iris was not budging, engaged in a stand-off with Crystal. The wingless dragon looked furious, and their fur was puffed up. They looked like an angry cat. Hydrangea and Royal were holding them back, probably to prevent them from attacking Iris. Oyster spotted Viceroy and Iceberg, and her face fell.
“What happened here?” Viceroy asked, looking at Iceberg again. The IceWing’s expression was somewhere between guilt and fear, and it looked like she was about to run. Xe gave her a questioning look, quietly asking if she was alright. Iceberg shook her head in response.
“I’m going to get Bronze.” She said quickly, and ran back to the guard hall. Crystal yelled after her, increasing their efforts to break away from their friends. Holly, Seaspray, and Hourglass were there as well, keeping their distance from the confrontation.
“You COWARD!” They yelled, finally freeing themself and taking a few steps in the direction Iceberg had gone. “Running away won’t erase what you’ve done.” Crystal said, sinking their claws into the ground. Iris and Oyster looked scared, but Viceroy shook xer head when they tried to run after Iceberg.
“Explain this.” Viceroy said, giving all the dragons a sharp glare. Crystal had calmed down a bit, but they were still glowering. Tarbo was picking up scattered game pieces, and Royal went to help him. Hydrangea was standing beside Crystal, giving Holly and Seaspray worried glances. None of them spoke up, then Hourglass sighed.
“Iris and Oyster here came over to meet us, and started asking questions, as dragonets will do. Crystal, Tarbo, Royal, and I were playing a game, and Royal let them join. Everything was fine for a while, and then they started asking Crystal about their past, and they got mad.” She said, pointing to the dragons as she said their names. “Crystal asked them to stop, but they insisted. Crystal didn’t mean any harm, I promise.” Hourglass shook his head. “It was an honest mistake.” Crystal huffed and rolled their eyes, and Viceroy turned to Iris and Oyster.
“Yeah, that’s what happened.” Oyster said, head down. Iris was still looking in the direction Iceberg had gone, deep in thought, and Crystal jumped in.
“I should have known better than to expect consideration from an IceWing.” They spat. Viceroy extended one wing, keeping the dragonets behind xem. Crystal looked like they were ready to kill Iris, which Viceroy would not let happen. “Especially when the IceWing is *her* daughter.”
Viceroy paused, contemplating Crystal’s words.
*Iceberg? Why would Crystal have a grudge against Iceberg? There’s more to this than I thought.*
Xe held xer ground, waiting for Iceberg and Bronze to return. Fortunately, xe didn’t have to wait long. Soon, Iceberg came back, followed by a familiar reddish-brown SilkWing. Bronze had obviously just woken up, as she had thrown her yellow cloak on in a rush, and was adjusting it as she walked.
“What’s this?” Bronze asked, her voice kind. Bronze never got mad, but that didn’t impact her natural authority. Viceroy looked up to her, as did most of the dragons who lived in Fate. Crystal stood up slowly, looking past Bronze, directly at Iceberg. Viceroy got ready to intervene if xe had to. Bronze looked at Crystal, then at Iceberg, who had pulled her wings close and was looking at the ground. There was silence for a long time.
“You do remember.” Crystal said, surprisingly calm for someone who had been about to explode just a few minutes earlier. Iceberg looked away, and Viceroy gave Bronze a questioning look, but the SilkWing was just standing there.
*Oh. Bronze knows what happened between them. That’s why she’s not interfering.*
“Yes. I don’t think I could ever forget.” Iceberg’s voice was quiet, and she looked small. “I know you’ll never forgive me, but… I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.” She looked up, meeting Crystal’s eyes. Crystal snorted.
“You’re right. I’ll never forgive you. Apologize all you want, but saying sorry won’t bring my aunt back.” Crystal snapped, then turned and stalked away, leaving Iceberg stunned. Viceroy was just as confused as Crystal’s friends, of whom Hydrangea and Tarbo had run after them. All three dragons vanished into the forest, and the other four were left behind. Bronze quickly broke up the awkward situation by sending Iris and Oyster home, and taking Viceroy and Iceberg back to town.

Crystal looked up when Hydrangea called their name. She and Tarbo had stopped outside a small building, and Crystal had to hurry to catch up. When they got there, they had to stop for a moment to keep themself from crying. The warm smells from the café brought back a rush of memories from back when their aunt Sawtell was still alive. They had spent a lot of time with their aunt and cousins in the kitchen, learning how to bake.
Well, Ferret learned. Squirrel and I mostly just got in the way. Crystal smiled to themself. They had only been three years old when she died, but they could still remember her fairly well. Crystal brought their attention back to reality, and walked over to their friends. Hydrangea was asking rapid fire questions to the NightWing behind the counter. The two of them were laughing about something while Tarbo checked out the various desserts. Crystal stayed near the door, not wanting to talk to anyone they didn’t know, but Hydrangea waved them over.
“You haven’t talked to anyone in like three days, Crystal! Stop being so mopey.” Hydrangea said, poking them lightly. Crystal just mumbled something and stayed silent. The NightWing gave them a sympathetic look, but quickly changed her expression to a warm smile.
“You’re Crystal? I’m Shadow. You must be one of the new dragons. It’s nice to meet you!” Shadow said, and Crystal gave her a small wave back. They guessed she was about fifteen, but they weren’t great at guessing ages. Tarbo had finally made his decision and paid, and he was already halfway out the door. Crystal took this opportunity, grabbing Hydrangea by the arm and pulling her outside.
“Hey! I get that you’re grumpy, but chill!” She huffed, shaking out her wings. “What is up with you right now? You’ve been acting really weird lately, Crystal.” Crystal recoiled. They hadn’t realized their friends had noticed.
“I’m not acting weird, and you know what happened.” They snapped back. Tarbo looked up from his bag of snacks, his eyes wide. Crystal didn’t get annoyed easily, and they rarely showed their emotions, at least not to their friends. At least Holly and her group had left already, otherwise the LeafWing would have pushed Crystal to their snapping point much sooner. Hydrangea’s duller-than-normal colors were more visible in the daylight, and Crystal felt a bit guilty for snapping at her. Hydrangea looked tired, and now she was upset as well.
“You’re not the only one with problems, you know.” Hydrangea said, her wings and frill going strawberry red. Crystal looked at her, not sure what she meant. Apparently, that was the response the RainWing was looking for, and she took a step towards Crystal. “That. That confused face you’re making, because what problems do I have, right?” She hissed. “How much do you really know about us, Crystal? How much do you even care about Tarbo and I?”  Crystal looked over to Tarbo, but he sighed and looked away from them.
“I agree with Hydrangea. You’ve told us about yourself and your issues, but you’ve never paid attention to us when we need to talk. It’s pretty unfair when you think about it.” He said with a shrug. “I’m sorry, but she’s right. You haven't even noticed Hydrangea's about to fall asleep where she’s standing.”
Crystal took a closer look at their friends. They did both look exhausted, like Tarbo had pointed out. Why didn't I notice earlier? Because I didn't really care. Because I'm a terrible friend. They scolded themself. Hydrangea and Tarbo were right, they hadn't listened when the others needed to talk, hadn't paid attention to how they were feeling. They had been so focused on themself, and their past, that they hadn't been there for their friends.
"What he's trying to say is find someone else to travel with. We've already talked to the guild leaders about it, you're off our team, Crystal." Hydrangea said, and Crystal was stunned.
"Wait, you can't do that." They protested, but Crystal knew full well that they could. There was a sharp stabbing feeling in their wrist, and they sat back, checking it. The small flame tattoo that represented their group had changed back to the RedWood guild's tree icon. Crystal met Hydrangea's eyes, and the RainWing glared at them.
"I'll leave your stuff outside the tent." She growled, and stormed off. Tarbo apologized quickly and chased after her. Crystal just watched them leave, not sure what had just happened.

And then he woke up. Eclipse lunged for the closest scroll, the one that had all of his notes in it. He quickly added his newest vision to the others.
"Gray scales, red blood. That wasn't me in that vision." He said out loud. He had deep blue scales, and had inherited his mother's blue IceWing blood. It couldn't be his brother or either of his moms. Refraction was pale blue, and Shadow was purple. There was only one dragon in his family who the vision could possibly be about. He had to tell his sister before anything happened. Eclipse just had to find her first.
He slowly opened his door, making sure he didn't wake anyone else. It was later than he had thought, almost morning. He knew Iris didn't usually leave before sunrise, but her room was empty when he checked. Eclipse frowned. It wasn't like her to leave in the middle of the night. Something was up. He left the house, heading towards the camp the visitors had set up. He was surprised to see only one tent there, and Crystal standing outside, clearly on edge about something. Their fur was puffed up, and they were staring into the forest with wide eyes.
"Someone screamed." Crystal said. They turned to look at Eclipse, fur smoothing slightly. "I think it was a dragonet, but I'm not entirely sure."
"You didn't go check?" Eclipse asked, suddenly terrified. His vision had been stronger than usual, maybe he had been seeing an event in the present rather than the future. Iris could already be in danger.
Crystal shook their head. "No. I couldn't. I don't like- screaming." They sounded like they were choking on their words, and Eclipse didn't press it. He ran straight past Crystal, into the forest. He needed to find his sister. He heard talonsteps behind him, and whipped around to see Crystal.
"As much as I'd like to avoid the screams, I'm not letting you go into the murder woods alone." They explained. Eclipse nodded, and the two of them got quiet. The whole thing felt off, like something terrible had occurred. It wasn't just because of Eclipse’s vision, Crystal was feeling it too. Their fur was puffing out again, and they were glancing around quickly.
"I hate this." Crystal whispered. The older dragon had their wings pulled close, and they were making themself small. "Usually when it feels this wrong, somebody is dead."
Eclipse didn't want to believe them, but he knew they were right. They weren’t going to find Iris alive. He sighed, and turned around. Crystal hadn't really moved much.
"We should go back, get help from the adults. We shouldn't do this on our own." He said, and the CaveWing visibly relaxed. They turned and bolted, leaving Eclipse behind. He hurried after them, glancing over his shoulder quickly. Nothing, but he thought he saw something shimmer for a brief moment. Like gold. He shook it away. He didn't have time to be seeing things, not when his sister was in danger.
When they got back, Eclipse realized why he knew they wouldn't find Iris. She had already been found by Bronze and Spark, and they had given Iceberg and Shadow the awful news. Shadow was sobbing while Iceberg held her close, her eyes dull. Eclipse felt like something was breaking, and he couldn't do anything to fix it. He walked over to his parents, silently joining their hug.
"I'm sorry. If I had seen this earlier, I could've saved her." He mumbled. This was his responsibility, as the only seer in Fate. He was the one with the power to see the future and stop things like this from happening, so why had he failed his own family? Shadow shook her head, but said nothing, just wrapped her wings around him.
"It's not your fault, Eclipse. You can't see everything. And you did warn us, we just didn't listen." Iceberg said. She looked and sounded broken, but she wasn't crying. Eclipse didn't respond, leaning into Shadow for comfort. Iceberg glanced away from them when Bronze called her name, and she walked over to her. Eclipse could hear their voices, but not what they were saying. Iceberg came back a few moments later, and she was fuming.

“Gila? What’s up?” Xe said, surprised to see xer sister. Gila just shrugged.
“I don’t know, Eclipse said he wanted to see you and Thresh about something.” She said, and that made Viceroy slightly concerned. Eclipse hadn’t been dealing with Iris’s death very well, and he’d been absorbed in his research even more than normal. So if he wanted to see xem about something, it was probably because of his visions. Xe nodded, then glanced back into the house.
“Thresher isn’t here, she’s with her sister.” Viceroy said, joining Gila outside. “I hope he doesn’t mind.” Gila was leading xem to the library, and Viceroy knew xe had guessed correctly, this was about one of Eclipse’s visions. Xe hoped it wasn’t anything urgent, but it probably was.
They arrived at Eclipse’s table, which was covered in half open scrolls. Viceroy and Gila weren’t the only dragons he was talking to, though. Crystal was also there, but something about them seemed different. Viceroy had to really think about it, but then xe realized they didn’t have their silver bracelet or their wings. Both Eclipse and Crystal looked up, with very different reactions. Eclipse nodded to them and went back to his reading, but Crystal hissed at them, specifically Viceroy.
“My day’s been bad enough already, do you have to interrogate me again?” They said, but Viceroy had no idea what Crystal was talking about. Xe sat down, keeping a wary eye on them. Crystal’s satchel was also gone, Viceroy noticed. They were staring angrily down at the table, a small piece of paper in their talons.
“Are you going to tell us what’s going on, or do we have to guess?” Crystal asked, finally saying what Viceroy was also thinking. Eclipse sighed, and turned one of the scrolls so they could see the picture he had been staring at. Viceroy didn’t see what was so important about it, it was just another version of the story every dragonet in Fate had heard. The five dragons who had escaped from something terrible and built the town on the hidden island.
"So it's a drawing. What's special about it?" Gila asked, her expression matching Viceroy's. Crystal nodded their agreement, still fidgeting with the paper. Eclipse just pointed to one of the dragons in the picture.
"Look at Iridescent. See anything familiar?" He said, looking between the other three like they were supposed to know what he was hinting at. Apparently they all looked too confused for his liking, so he tapped the drawing. "Crystal, can I see that again?" Eclipse asked, and Crystal gave him the paper. He put it down next to the drawing, like it was some kind of giant discovery.
The paper was a small sketch of Crystal and an older dragon, who Viceroy guessed was their father. If xe looked closely, xe could kind of see a few similarities between Crystal's father and the animus IceWing. The biggest thing was that both Crystal and Iridescent in the drawing were wearing a silver fox earring, but that wasn't anything weird.
"Okay? So my dad looks like a CavernWing from the past. That's not weird." Crystal said, like they'd told Eclipse that multiple times. Eclipse shook his head.
"No, the earrings. And plus the ones those two are wearing-" Eclipse gestured to Viceroy and Gila. "-That's three accounted for. Plus this necklace of Iris', and… wait, is Thresher not here?" He said, apparently only just noticing that the SeaWing wasn't with them. Viceroy shook xer head.
"She's spending time with Oyster." Xe said, and Eclipse nodded.
"Well, whichever one of them has a necklace like this one is in danger." He said. "These items are enchanted. They hold the spell that is keeping the shield intact. If one of us dies while wearing them, the spell will break and the shield will fall. That's why I thought we needed to increase our defenses, but for the wrong reason." The three other dragons exchanged confused glances, then he continued.

I’ve been watching them since they arrived, none have noticed me yet. I’ve learned their names by just watching and listening. The blue-green SeaWing is Ray, the deep purple NightWing Arcane. The other four are hybrids, like myself. Nova is the SandWing-SkyWing necromancer, and her sister, the undead firescales, is Terra. The fluffy IceWing is named Iridescent, but they call her Iri most of the time. I can’t tell what her other tribe is, but she is not fully IceWing. The last one, Crow, the oldest. He is the strangest of the group. He is like me, cursed to live forever, but they still treat him like a friend. I don’t understand it. If he is being punished like I am, why do they trust him so much?

They haven’t left. It’s been weeks. They’re planning something, I think. A town that they’re calling Fate. It’s an ironic name. This is an island of many destinies, mine and theirs. They just don’t know it yet. I have to reclaim my island, but I can wait much longer than they can. I will have to earn their trust first, then I can strike. The NightWing seems like the easiest target. He is very optimistic, and I can use that.

It was easier to gain their friendship than I had assumed. The only one who may be an issue is Terra, but I have a way to deal with her. After all, she is undead, and I wanted a way to remove Arcane without being caught. This may be my chance to scare them off, or at least sow trouble among them. It is just a matter of time now. I will ask them for help with my problem first, then I will make them leave.

I can’t go through with it. I have been spending more and more time with them over the past week, and we have grown close. I cannot kill any of them. Terra still distrusts me, but her job is to protect Nova, one of the most nervous dragons I’ve ever met. Iri is sweet, Ray is smart, and Arcane can see the good in anything. I didn’t realize how much I missed company. I have been avoiding Crow, but I can tell he knows we are alike. I should not have told them my real name. That is a mistake I won’t make again. Unfortunately, they say they cannot remove my curse, but they can give me a way to escape it in the future. If I allow them to, they will add a spell-break into their town’s defense shield. All I have to do in return is stay on the island, in my part of the woods, and not interfere with the town. That I can work with.

Today, they put up the shield. Ray and Iri worked together, attaching the shield to the jewelry the animi are wearing. They did include the spell-break, however it will only occur once the shield fails. I feel like I have been betrayed, as the only way to break the shield is to have one of the shield-supporters die while all of them are on the island. They promised me they would help free me, but instead they have made bringing down the shield almost impossible. They are definitely planning something to break their promise to me. I will still keep my half of our agreement, however. I am not a traitor.

Crow is gone. He took the shield items with him. I knew it. They don’t want me to be free, they want to keep me here forever. This is not acceptable. I will strike soon, I do not feel guilty about it any longer.