Eclipse gave Skua an appreciative smile at his approval. He knew could always count on the other hybrid to support him, but he also knew that Skua wouldn't hesitate to strike down or change a plan that he thought wasn't up to snuff. He felt himself yawning as Skua did and looked up past the trees that lined the small clearing at the edge of the forest to the sky, trying to gauge where the moon was in the sky. All he knew was that it was late and they'd had a long day of flying. They'd need to be at full attention traversing the forest and dealing with the RainWings. Better safe than sorry.

He glanced over towards Jaguar as Skua questioned her. Those are weird names. Who names their dragonet Handsome of all things; at least Jaguar sounds cool. His thoughts were apparently shared by the other of their newest additions as Aardwolf snorted in amusement.

"You RainWings have some odd names. A bit self-absorbed don't you think?" The SandWing chuckled slightly as he settled down and propped his head up on his claws, "Good information though. We'll keep an eye out."

Eclipse grinned a bit at Aardwolf and just shrugged in response to Skua's look. "We don't have any idea about what to expect from the RainWings, so I'll take whatever we can get honestly." He went to settle in for the night when Skua's attention drifted to Dreamseeker. She'd been fairly quiet and nervous through all of this and Eclipse couldn't say he wasn't at least somewhat concerned. She was probably the most sensitive out of all of them, as far as he could tell, and none of this was easy.

At her request to speak to him, alone, his eyes widened and snapped to Skua for a brief moment. He never knew what to expect from anyone when they wanted to talk alone, especially not Dreamseeker. He could feel sparking nerves crawling across his scales and he shuffled his wings, "Sure," he swept his eyes across camp for a second before turning and trotting a small ways into the forest. Not far enough to be dangerous, but enough that they were out of earshot from the others. He worked through his racing thoughts of what she might have to say. Did she want to leave or know something more than she was saying? Was it something about them? He pushed all the what ifs to the back of his mind and turned towards her, "Everything ok? You've seemed a bit uncomfortable with all of this."

Eclipse watched as Dreamseeker followed him, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. He frowned, she certainly didn't look fine, but he didn't want to pry into anything that she didn't want to talk about. He felt his concern spike at her request and even more so as she ducked her head down to where he nose was almost touching the dirt. What could she possibly have to tell him that would bring about this kind of reaction? Sure Dreamseeker was always the quietest of the bunch, but even in the short time they'd known each other he didn't think he'd ever seen her this nervous and unsure.

He took a few steps forward and closed the small gap that was still between them before ducking his head down and pressing his own snout against hers. "I won't get angry," he gave her a small, but reassuring smile, "I promise." He was still worried about what she had to say, whatever it was seemed like it might be bad, but he didn't think he'd be able to be angry with her. Not after everything they'd already been through.

Eclipse felt his heart rate increase as he stared at where their claws were intertwined between them before he looked back at Dreamseeker. He could feel a calming warmth from the tips of his claws to the edges of his wings; similar to getting a hug from Skua or his parents, but not quite the same. He nearly missed the first words Dreamseeker said as she looked up towards the canopy above them. Tell the truth? he wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going but squeezed her claws in a way he hoped was reassuring without actually needing to say anything.

As she began her explanation Eclipse felt his brow furrow in confusion. This was definitely not what he was expecting, what does that have to do with anything? He could see the faint tremors in the smaller dragon's limbs and felt fear and concern rear their ugly heads once again as he tried to remember anything that his mother had told him about the NightWings and full moons. Mind reading and seeing the future. He made the connection just as she said it out loud and felt his whole body freeze.

His mind was reeling as he tried to remember if he'd thought anything particularly embarrassing or damning in the time since he'd met her. He had no idea. All could could really think was that Skua would be livid if he found out, but he also wasn't sure it was a secret he could keep from the other hybrid. They were practically brothers and told each other everything. He heard the quaver in Dreamseeker's voice and realized he wasn't angry. Confused and maybe a little hurt that she didn't tell him sooner, but not angry. It made some things make a lot more sense. Like how she knew what Jaguar liked to eat.

He squeezed her claws again as he reined in his thoughts, now hyper aware of the fact that they might not be private, "I'm not angry. It's a lot to take in and, uh, I definitely need to process it, but I'm not going to make you leave." He took a deep breath and used the grip he had on her claws to pull her into a tight hug and wrap his wings around her smaller form. "My mother told me stories, but to be honest I never thought they were true. I'm not sure the others will be as understanding, but I'm not going to let them force you away."

Eclipse wanted to hold on as Dreamseeker pulled away. He wanted to make sure she knew that he didn't blame her for not telling him, but he settled for keeping a loose grip on her claws as he settled onto his haunches. He still had a lot of questions, but he couldn't completely get them to line up in his head. He wasn't sure if it was just general exhaustion or if he was still just trying to process what he'd been told. He never thought he'd wish for the library back at the palace, but this was a moment he did if only to look up other instances of mind reading beyond just the over the top drama they'd been told by the NightWings. Unfortunately that was something that would have to wait.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to be completely honest. The whole born under the light of a full moon giving strange powers always sounded kind of weird, but I understand why you didn't say anything. Most dragons don't tend to be understanding of those who are different." It would either be whoever knew would kill her or they'd try to exploit her abilities for their own gain and he wasn't about to let either of those things happen. He knew he could keep a secret and until she wanted to tell any of the others members of their group his lips were sealed.

He sighed slightly, "I know Skua won't like it. He'd hate the idea that anyone knows what he's thinking without his permission. I don't know the other two well enough to say for sure. Jaguar is prickly as is, but Aardwolf seems relatively laid back." He glanced up towards the sky where he could see the faint light of the moons shining down. "We should probably get back before the others think something has gone wrong," he squeezed her claws one last time before letting go, "I promise I won't say anything until you're ready for someone else to know."

Eclipse smiled and ducked his head at Dreamseeker's words. He wasn't necessarily used to getting compliments, but he could feel warmth from the tips of his horns to his tail despite the damp chill of the forest around them. He knew that his family and friends cared about him greatly, but there was something different hearing it out loud. "I'm glad to have met you too. It's made dealing with all this a bit easier." He nodded in agreement, "Whenever you're ready to I'm on your side, but can you agree to not read the minds of the people in the group unless it's absolutely necessary? It might make things go over a bit easier."

He pushed himself to his feet and stretched out his legs a bit before heading back towards the clearing where they made camp. He could see Aardwolf already asleep on the opposite side of camp from Skua. He settled into a spot next to his friend his mind still whirling from the revelation of Dreamseeker's abilities to the short conversation after. So much had happened to all of them over such a short period of time. He really had no idea what to expect from the rest of their journey, but he hoped that the rest of the group would understand why she'd kept everything a secret.

Eclipse opened his jaws to explain what had taken them so long before snapping them shut a second later. Better to let Dreamseeker decide how much she wanted to say before he went spouting off some lie or diversion to Skua and the rest. He blinked slightly in surprise as she steeled herself. She was going to tell them all now? He figured she'd maybe wait until morning or a later date but at least that meant he didn't have to hide it from the rest for any length of time. That might be a bit cold, but he'd honestly had no idea how he was going to keep the secret from Skua of all dragons.

Her exclamation caused Aardwolf's head to snap up from across camp, a blurry look in his coal black eyes. "Wuzzat?" His head swiveled between all of the other dragons in camp before settling on Dreamseeker, confusion evident on his face. He blinked several times, processing what she said before his jaw dropped slightly open in surprise.

Eclipse watched Skua carefully, trying to judge his reaction. He saw the look of realization first, and that...definitely made more sense. She knew what that SandWing was going to do before he even moved, that could be useful to them at some point, but his thoughts were quickly broken as Skua leapt forward towards Dreamseeker before he could even get a word out or raise a claw to stop him.

"Skua, no!" He sprang to his feet and, without even thinking, slammed his full weight into the other hybrid's side shoving him away from Dreamseeker. He put himself immediately between her and Skua, wings slightly flared and his heart racing. "How is it a betrayal? She's never done anything to hurt either of us." Every single one of his muscles was tense. Skua wouldn't hurt him, he was pretty sure of that, but he was always the more unpredictable of the two of them.

He looked past Skua for a brief second to see that Aardwolf had also pushed himself to his feet, shock now covered by concern. "I'm sure there's no need to get violent here," the SandWing nodded his head towards Dreamseeker, "If we just let her explain, no one needs to get hurt." His tone was even but Eclipse could tell he was ready to jump into fray at a second's notice. It soothed his fears a small bit, knowing that there would be some help should this really take a turn.

Eclipse didn't expect a second voice of diplomacy, especially not from the Outclaw, but at the moment he was immensely grateful for it. He held Skua's gaze, wincing at the anger he saw there, "Please...don't hurt her. I know it wasn't right of her to keep it a secret, but what else could she do? There hasn't exactly been a good time to say it, and that's not exactly something you advertise when you first meet someone either." He desperately hoped he could get through to his friend. He isn't even sure he'd be able to bring himself to fight back if Skua decides she doesn't deserve the chance to explain.

Eclipse blinked open his eyes to the early morning sun casting weak shadows on the ground and a faint mist of rain and fog clouding the air. The others were still asleep as far as he could tell and he let out a quiet sigh at the thought of the near catastrophic fight that broke out the previous night. He knew Skua would react poorly, but he was thankful that the other two seemed unbothered by it. That as well as Skua's willingness to actually listen. He didn't know how this would impact this journey going forward, but there was only one way to find out and that was to get moving.

He made a loop around the camp, gently shaking the shoulders of each of his companions, Skua first, to get them up and moving before the heat and humidity likely became unbearable in the later hours of the day. With luck they would find the RainWings before too long. As his friend roused he glanced towards the sky, "Looks like we might be dealing with some damp weather. Hopefully this is the worst of it, or Jaguar gets us to the Rainwings before a downpour starts." He made sure to not mention the fight from the night before, either he would get an apology or they wouldn't speak of it until later. All he knew is he didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

As he shook Dreamseeker awake he kept his voice quiet, "I'm sorry about Skua. I knew he would be upset, but I didn't think he would actually attack you, it's not usually like him."

A deep sigh pushed itself out of Aardwolf's mouth as he heard the snarl come from the RainWing and looked to see a still annoyed expression on Skua's face. He hoped the IceWing would believe what Dreamseeker said. He hadn't been with them nearly as long but he could tell Skua meant well even if he didn't go about it the right way. He kept his thoughts carefully off his face, something he'd learned how to do when he began his training with the Outclaws. Better to let them think he wasn't paying attention. He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his wings with a wide yawn.

At Jaguar's comment he saw Eclipse's brow furrow at her, "Cheery? In a place like this where is does nothing but rain and turn the ground to mud." He could feel the mud caked in between his claws and had never before wished to be back on the shifting sands of the desert. "Seems difficult to find anything to be cheery about."

The SkyWing sighed and focused his attention on Jaguar, "What should we expect when we get there?" If Aardwolf didn't know better he'd say that Eclipse looked more worn down than when this all first started.

"Follow up question. Are we all going to be entering the tribe or should some of us wait on the fringes in case something goes wrong?" He knew very little of the RainWings, but from Jaguar's display of what their venom was capable of he didn't want to take any chances with the lives of these dragons that were, by Drought's order, under his guard.

Aardwolf just nodded in agreement, unfazed by the snappish response of the RainWing. He was just there to make sure she didn't run off before she led them to where the RainWings were. What she did after that was her business. He'd be quite happy if they could make it through this whole encounter without anyone trying to bite each others heads off, and based on what Jaguar was saying, that shouldn't be too difficult. "Explains why they may have allowed some random dragon to waltz in and get Lemur to help them collect the stuff. They probably didn't even consider it might get used on another dragon." Seems like at least some of the stories he'd heard about the RainWings were true. Jaguar seemed to be a bit of an exception to the rule with.

He saw Eclipse share a brief skeptical look with Skua, about what he wasn't sure, but he was inclined to believe what Jaguar said. She didn't have any reason to lie and the hatred she seemed to possess for her own tribe made it obvious she wouldn't be doing anything to protect them. Quite frankly he would just be content to know who it was they were actually looking, a name or at least description, rather than this wild goose chase they were on at the moment. "That's all fine and good. How about we get moving before the RainWings or something else stumble across our little camp here."

Eclipse could see Skua growing anxious to leave and nodded in agreement with Aardwolf; letting Jaguar lead the way deeper into the jungle. He didn't like the desert, both for the heat and the Duneprowlers that attacked them, but he wasn't sure the the rainforest was much better. The ground was muddy and thick with unfamiliar vegetation and the chirps of strange birds and noises from other unknown creatures made his scales prickle with unease.

He heard Dreameeker's comment and strained his eyes to see deeper into the trees around them, whatever was out there either gave them a wide berth or was too well hidden for him to see them. He very much hoped it was the former rather than the latter.

"I heard from some of the other SandWings who've come out this way that there's big spotted cats out here that can drag animals as big as they are up trees," Aardwolf snorted, "Sounds like an exaggeration to me though." That comment did not make Eclipse's nerves any better.

He turned his attention away from the SandWing as Skua grumbled under his breath next to him, slinging droplets of water off his wings, "We'll be out of here soon enough. Back to the mountains and palace with some closure on who did this and why." At least that's what he hoped.

As Jaguar gave them some final bits of advice and flew off he had to admit the RainWings ability to literally vanish into the surroundings was rather impressive. It was something he'd have to tell Sunrise about. Maybe she could make some updates to the scrolls that they had about the RainWings instead of just talking about them being lazy and useless. Jaguar certainly wasn't like that at all.

He followed after Skua as his friend took the lead. He was happy to not have to be the first one to wander into the home of a tribe he knew next to nothing about. He craned his head to look into the canopies where there were dragons of so many different colors it almost made his head spin. Sure the Skywing's had variation but this was more than he'd ever seen before. He watched the small purple dragon glide down and land in front of them, those colors shifting even more. He needed to get Jaguar to tell him if these colors had any meaning or if they were just for the showiness of it all. With the tall platforms highlighted by flowers and blazing sun he had no idea which it might be.

He saw Skua's glance and stepped up next to him giving the RainWing, Hummingbird as she said, an amiable smile. The one that he gave to visiting dragons from other tribes when he was unfamiliar with them."Pleasure to meet you. I'm Eclipse and this is Skua, Dreamseeker, and Aardwolf," he gestured to each of them with a wing as he said their names, "We were hoping you might be able to point us in the direction of a member of your tribe named Lemur or, if at all possible, have a word with your Queen." He hoped the request wasn't too unreasonable. They seemed friendly enough, now they just had to hope it was genuine.