Through analyzing the information that the others had presented to him, Skobeloff had realised that the creature that had attacked Fogdance was likely the source of the Darkness that had corrupted this island, likely some sort of monster or perhaps another sapient being turned to their Shadow Self. It had likely corrupted other creatures as well, given how quiet the forest had been. It certainly was intelligent to some degree, giving its strategy of not going after groups and sensing the vulnerability in its victims. It also hadn't gone for the stronghold, despite likely knowing where it was, and had instead lured its prey out into the woods. It had likely done this to Vipereyes, Alto, Maug, Kyte and the pixies in the nearby village, and assuming they were all still alive, taken them somewhere deeper into the woods. Skobeloff's comrades were likely much closer to this being's den, and likely in much more immediate danger than the lot at the Stronghold. Obviously, they had the numbers on their side, but if they ended up stumbling too close to the being's base of operations, the creature might attack out of desperation.

If Skobeloff were to use the magic sand he had gotten from the beach, he could teleport to his friends and tell them of what he had figured out. They could also share any information they had gathered, which would help them formulate a plan of attack. However, that did leave the question of what to do with Tamba and the others: if he left them here, and told them not to leave the stronghold under any circumstances until he returned, they'd likely be much safer than coming with. Then again, Skobeloff had no way of knowing whether they would stay put, and there was definitely safety in numbers.

What will Skobeloff do?

---

Kyte shook their head slightly, still not meeting the eyes of the other drakes. "Doesn't matter," they muttered. "That's finished, anyway, and it's got nothing to do with any of this."

Almost as soon as Kyte had finished speaking, the water the group had just emerged from started to bubble and froth as Echo's form began to materialize. While there was still obvious tiredness in her eyes, her body was much more stable here than it had been outside the cave. "Much better," she says. If she had overheard the group's conversation, she showed no signs of it, and merely gave the group a small smile before her eyes finally settled on Kyte, at which point she frowned. "Shouldn't you be resting? That wing is still healing."

"Yeah, sorry," Kyte muttered. Any excitement or relief they had had about seeing other dragons had evaporated, and they simply went back to lying down where they had been before.

Echo glanced back to the rest of the group. "Make yourselves comfortable," she says, motioning to the ground. "I know it's not probably like the strongholds you're all used to, but I assure, it can be quite homey once you get used to it." She sits herself down near Kyte, and motions for the group to do the same. "I'm sure you all have many questions."

"I'll need to go get the others I came here with before we can strike back." Skobeloff said as he produced the gem sand. "I can teleport myself to them using this gem sand and then bring them back here. Do you three reckon you'd be able to hold out until my return? Even if you didn't have safety in numbers, whatever is out there doesn't appear to be interested in a direct attack on this Stronghold."

After sharing a glance we each other, Tamba and Fogdance nodded. "Now that I'm aware of the Darkness' tricks, I will to hold down the fort until you return," Fogdance said.

"Don't take too long though, okay?" Tamba added. "After freeing Fogdance from the Darkness, it probably won't be happy if it runs across you again."

Pleexem didn't say anything, just giving a small nod along with Tamba's words before casting his eyes down to the ground.

"Don't worry about me." Skobeloff said in response to Tamba's words of caution. "I'll be back before you know it." With that said, Skobeloff focused his mind on the bond he had forged with Stargaze and threw the gem sand over himself. As the sand made contact with his body, it began to turn the parts of Skobeloff it touched into more gem sand. Soon enough, a Skobeloff shaped cloud of gem sand floated where the Trickster once stood. "Wish me luck!" The cloud exclaimed before zooming off out into the world beyond the Stronghold, flying faster than the eye could see. Through the woods, across the marsh, and down into the water he flew. Emerging within Echo's cave beside Stargaze as a swirling vortex of sand that eventually dispersed to revel Skobeloff in all his glory. "I return in triumph!" Skobeloff declared before looking around at everyone in the cave.

His eyes first fell upon his clutch, who he was quite happy to see safe and sound. "I see you're doing quite well for yourselves." Skobeloff said. "I'm sure you have stories to tell that are just as exciting as mine."

Skobeloff's gaze then found Echo and a gracious smile found the drake's mouth. "You must be our host." He said. "Stargaze speaks fondly of you. I'm happy to finally meet you."

Skobeloff's smile turned then to a malicious grin as he locked eyes with Kyte. "My my. It truly is a small world, no?" Skobeloff said. "I do hope you've been recovering nicely since the Amphora Incident." During the Trickster's campaign of merry vengeance against his clutch's bullies, Stonescale and those who associated with him had been among the targets that Skobeloff had hit the hardest. And he would have hit harder still had Stargaze not called him off. Even so, they had all learned fear that day. None of them had dared to draw so near as this since then.

Skobeloff then looked around for Garrock, and the drake's smile lessened considerably as he realized the dragon wasn't there. "Where's Garrock?" Skobeloff asked.

Stargaze blinked as Shieldwing stepped in front of her to instinctively protect her. She wanted to stop a fight from happening, but Fellwing already spoke for her. She listened, curious about Kyte's answers to her clutchmates' questions. But he didn't give them an answer. Instead he just dismissed it. Stargaze couldn't help but get the sense that something terrible must have happened between him and Stonescale.

Before she could ask, Echo arrived. Stargaze's tail is no longer tucked between her legs, and instead she looked happier to see Echo once again.

She greeted Echo, "Echo! We--"

Before she could even finish speaking, a swirling vortex of sand appeared next to her, and with a flourish it dissipated to reveal it was Skobeloff!

Before Stargaze could say anything, she found herself coughing and blinking rapidly. She accidentally inhaled some of that sand and some of it got in her eyes. After she got rid of the sand, she spoke in surprise and happiness, "Skobeloff! You're okay! But how--?!"

Then he turned his attention to Echo and Kyte. She was glad to see that he was polite to Echo. But, after he spoke to Kyte, she spoke up softly, "Skobeloff, Don't. Leave him alone. He's not with Stonescale anymore,"

When he asked about Garrock, she answered him, "He's outside of the cave,"

"He's... outside of the cave." Skobeloff said, his smile having become incredibly strained the moment he heard those words. "Please tell me you didn't leave him on his own out there."

"Hm...." came Shieldwing's response to Kyte's words. He looked like he was about to add something when Fellwing spoke up again. "Huh...?" he murmured, glancing back at Fellwing, and he couldn't help but frown slightly from her words...but more her tone. "H-hey, what're you...? I-I'm not doing anything, I'm just-!" However, before he could begin to defend himself, there was sudden movement from behind them! Shieldwing's guard was immediately and instinctively raised and he jumped defensively closer to his clutchmates! He was put even more on edge when he realized...that this wasn't some intruder bursting their way into Echo's cave...but a cloud of...multi-colored...sand...?

What in the moons kind of creatures was this!? Was this just another natural part of the islands? However, as he stood defensively, ready for whatever challenge this strange rainbow sand was going to offer, the sand landed on the ground in front of them in a heap. And a moment later, it reformed...into a very familiar face. At first, Shieldwing's face exuded signs of relief and gratitude to see his missing clutchmate back once more! However...he couldn't help but scowl slightly as Skobellof made his entrance with a boast and, in the verdant dragon's words "triumph" and "excitement."

Finally, Shieldwing had just about had it. He stepped forward, opening his mouth to say something about just how he felt about how reckless the other dragon had been. Now that Garrock wasn't around, this was his chance to finally tell his clutchmate just exactly how he truly felt about what had happened.

However, just as he did so, Skobellof mentioned something that caught him by surprise.

"L-look, just forget about Kyte for a second," Shieldwing said, stepping forward again. "He's hurt and we need to make sure he doesn't get worse. We'll take care of that and help him in a bit. And I've got some words for you, but that'll wait too. First, what do you mean? Why is it a big deal if we leave Garrock alone? Of course we did, he couldn't fit in here. But it's fine. He's easily bigger and stronger than all of us combined and can take care of himself. Plus, he's sick of babysitting us anyway-" Shieldwing rolled his eyes at that. "-so he wanted the break anyway. What's the problem?"

"L-look, just forget about Kyte for a-" Was all Shieldwing had time to say before being interrupted.

"I have." Skobeloff snapped at his clutchmate, the Trickster's eyes alight with worry and panic as the smile on his face strained more and more with each passing second. "Now answer my question."

"Why is it a big deal if we leave Garrock alone? Of course we did, he couldn't fit in here. But it's fi-"

"No it isn't." Skobeloff cut Shieldwing off again, before turning away and looking around at the others. "If Garrock is alone then he is in danger. We have to get to him. Fast."

Kyte flinched away slightly when Skobeloff addressed them, clearly remembering the incident. They, however, decided not to comment.

"If I may," Echo intervened, raising her hand to get the trickster's attention. She didn't seem at all surprised to have the drake suddenly appear in front of her, or his urgency. "While my physical body may be here, my presence - my senses - extend beyond. I can sense Garrock outside the den, keeping watch. So technically, he isn't alone. Not completely, and if something were to happen to him, I would be aware of it, and would do what I could to help him."

Upon hearing Echo's words, Skobeloff breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Garrock was ok. "Alright. That's good to know." Skobeloff said before turning to Shieldwing. "Sorry for going off on you like that." Skobeloff apologized. He then addressed everyone in the cave as he spoke his next words. "I've figured out what's causing the island's troubles." Skobeloff explained, his smile straining no longer. "There is something on this island. Something dark enough to drag its victims into their Shadowselves. Something powerful enough to match the strongest of dragons. But at the same time, something cowardly enough that it won't attack unless you are alone or it has no other option."

Echo nods towards Skobeloff. "You are correct," she says. "Have you perhaps encountered this creature yourself?" She then turns her head towards Alpin, who has been standing quietly beside Stargaze during this conversation. "But our friend Alpin can tell you far more than I can. After all, it was the brownies who first encountered this being, which is how they ended up in their current state."

"Erm, yes," Alpin says, fidgetting slightly as he speaks. "We found this, erm, 'person' a little over two, maybe three weeks ago. They crash-landed near our village, fell clean out of the sky." He motions towards the drakes. "We thought, erm, it was one yours. A dragon, black dragon." He points towards Fellwing. "Like you! But also not like you, it's hard to describe. Like, their scales were dark, almost like darker than black, but also kind of see-through, like they were there but also not there at the same time." He shakes his head. "No one else seemed to notice that there was anything wrong with them, but they gave me the shivers. Anyway, they were out-cold for a few days, so we were watching over them, hoping they would wake up soon and tell us what had happened. While we were waiting, things started going... weird. Brownies started acting different, getting more snappy with each other. When they finally woke up, it got even worse."

"You are correct," Echo said. "Have you perhaps encountered this creature yourself?"

Skobeloff shook his head. "I doubt I'd be here if I had." The Trickster said. "I had a run in with one of its victims. She's fine now, but she is a bearded dragon and this thing overcame her regardless. Power will do us no good here. It's knowledge that we need."

"Our friend Alpin can tell you far more than I can." Echo stated. "After all, it was the brownies who first encountered this being, which is how they ended up in their current state."

Skobeloff listened to Alpin's words intently as the brownie explained the origins of the threat they faced. Paying careful attention to every detail as the story unfolded. "What happened then?" Skobeloff asked when Alpin paused after mentioning that the strange black dragon woke up.

"Well, er..." Alpin motions vaguely to the exit outside the cave. "Have you, erm, seen what has happened to the brownies? They, err... aren't acting right."

"I believe our young friend here has been lucky not to run into any infected creatures during his stay here," Echo chimes in. "But the brownies have become quite feral, and have taken to attacking people as if they are no better than beasts or monsters." She then turned her attention to Kyte. "Kyte, if you would please...?"

The pale orange drake raises their head before nodding and unfurling their wings, revealing the black veins on one of the wings' membrane.

"Kyte was bitten by one of the brownies while leading them away from their clutch," Echo says. "They were in a pretty bad state when I found them. I've used some of my magic to fight off the infection, but I couldn't stop it completely." She frowns. "It's part of the Darkness, yes, but not quite like any version of it I've seen before."

Stargaze was quiet as she listened intently to the ongoing discussion. She had been startled by Skeboloff's change in demeanor at her answer, and was noticeably concerned. Echo, thankfully, reassured the group by informing them that she was keeping watch on Garrock.

She couldn't help but wonder if the mentioned black dragon was someone who was overtaken by darkness. She looked to Kyte when he opened his wings to reveal the infection from a brownie bite. She gave a quiet gasp.

While the others spoke, she tentatively approached Kyte. She was slow and careful in her steps so as to not startle Kyte, or to interrupt the conversation.

When she was close enough, she inspected Kyte's wing carefully. She couldn't help but ask herself if there was anything she could do to help heal Kyte...

She recalled Fellwing was able to make the flowers blossom with the power of the moons earlier.

So what if she tried calling upon the moons to help heal Kyte? Even if it meant that she took on that darkness herself...

She gently bonks the top of her head to Kyte's wing and closes her eyes as she quietly calls to the moons to help heal Kyte. She isn't sure if she's doing this correctly, but she was going to try anyways.

Kyte tenses up slightly as Stargaze approachs them, but otherwise says and does nothing as Stargaze attempted to heal their wing. Similar to how it was when Fellwing caused the flowers to bloom, there is a long pause where it seems like nothing is happening. Then, Stargaze feels the warm glow of the Spirit Moon channeling through as the dark veins on Kyte's wing start to fade away, being reduced to several small dark flecks. These spots attempt remain for a few moments, as if stubbornly trying to resist Stargaze's magic, but even these eventually fade away.

Kyte's wing is now completely rid of the Darkness.

"How..." Kyte steps away slowly, looking over their wing as they flex it. "I tried to use Moon Magic earlier but it didn't seem to do anything." After a moment of testing their wing, they look back to Stargaze with a mixture of surprise, gratitude... and just the smallest hint of guilt, likely remembering the the moments they stood by while Stonescale teased and made fun of Stargaze. "Thank you," they say after a long pause.

Since meeting her earlier, Echo's expression has remained a small, tired smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Upon seeing Stargaze pull of this miracle, however, her smile widens slightly and the bio-luminescent patches on her skin glow a warm amber as she radiates with strong pride at Staraze's accomplishment. "Remarkable," she says quietly, seeming to be talking more to herself than anyone else.

"The Moons' power seems to be in short supply out here." Skobeloff commented at the mention of how difficult using Moon Magic was. "I had trouble with it earlier. The Stronghold's inhabitants were finding it difficult as well. The Darkness has something to do with this I'm sure. Fortunately, I know how to circumvent this little obstacle." Skobeloff then proceeded to explain how everyone would be able to deal with their Moon Magic issues. What he didn't know however was that his solution was based off of information that he had misremembered. His guidance would only make the problem worse.

Skobeloff assumes through what he has seen on this island, along with his previous knowledge of the Darkness and Moon Magic, that the reason Moon Magic is more finicky than usual is connected to the fact that the this creature seems to prey on lone dragons. While his friends have been successful using their magic while surrounded by others, his and Kyte's failed spells were attempted alone. As such, sticking together in large groups seems to be the best way to combat the Darkness.

As Fellwing attempts to spy on the Darkness, she feels herself having an out-of-body experience where she sees herself from a distance. She then feels herself zooming out further, floating up through the walls of the cave and into the sky. She stays suspended up in the air long enough so that she has a perfect bird's-eye-view of the entire island. She can pinpoint where the tree marking Echo's cave is, the beach where they first landed and a gap in the trees where she assumes the old stronghold might be. Once she's had enough time to get a perfect grasp of the landscape and where everything is, she suddenly feels a strange heaviness overtake her astral form and she starts plummeting back to the ground. She lands somewhere near the island's center, not too far Echo's cave. The trees are at their tallest here, shielding it from the sun and moon's beams. The ground is a little less marshy, solid enough to support the trees and several large thorny bushes and shrubs. Fellwing's descent comes to a sudden halt over one such bush, and it takes a moment for her to refocus.

In the bushes directly below her lies a sky blue dragon with a mane and wings composed of white feathers. Fellwing doesn't really know this dragon, but she's seen him around, and just by looking at him, a name enters her mind: Altostratus. He is unconscious, and entangled within the vines and branches of the bush. Thorns are piercing into his skin, and black veins seem to be forming around the wounds, just like what had been happening with Kyte's wing.

Fellwing starts float once more, staying close to the ground but not close enough to reach it. She sees more vines, ensnaring two other dragons. One is a young longtooth dragon with a dark, iridescent green, and given how many more vines are currently tangled around them than their comrades, they appear to have been here the longest. Their eyes are tightly shut, and they are lying so still that it takes Fell a moment to confirm that they are, thankfully, still breathing. This dragon is Maug.

The third and final dragon is of bearded age, and at first, when Fell spies her eyes glinting out from the branches, the Seer thinks she might be awake. On closer inspection, however, Fell realises her eyes are actually closed, it's just her eyelids are translucent, giving her eyes a foggy and distant look when shut. This dragon is Vipereyes.

All three are slowly being corrupted in their sleep by these thorny vines and branches, not quite likely anything Fellwing would have seen on island before. Once she notices them, however, she realises that all this trees and bushes in this area are covered in them. Moving through here is going to be tricky, especially for larger dragons. For Fellwing and her friends, however, they might just be able to avoid this if they remain light on their feet. As Fellwing may be considering this, the vision suddenly freezes, the lines of objects becoming a little fuzzier, as if the vision is about to suddenly end. Then things become sharply clear again, and Fellwing realises that there is, in fact, a fourth dragon present in this area, and Fellwing can't quite tell if they've just appeared now orif they've always been standing here and she's only just notice them.

This dragon is about the size of a bearded dragon, though much slimmer in build, almost to the point emaciation. This might be why the dragon is unbound, is currently moving around the vines with little trouble. It is, as Alpin had attempted to describe, a black dragon, but not like Fellwing or, in fact, any other dragon she may have encountered. Attempting to focus on it for too long is dizzying, as if Fell's mind is unable to fully accept that it's there, even as it draws closer. It passes by each of the entrapped dragons, pausing over each of them only for a second before continuing. There is something about it's movement that just feels unnatural, but Fellwing can't seem to find the words to explain how or why. Everything about this dragon, if that's what this being even is, feels wrong, and the sense of disorientation grows within her as it gets closer and closer. Once it's finished checking on its captives, it pauses again, raising its head if it's heard something.

Then, after a long pause, it looks at Fellwing and only when its fully staring at her does she finally realise that this being has no eyes, in fact, any facial features at all. Yet, despite this, it is very much looking at Fellwing and, more distressingly, the Seer realises that it's not the only thing looking at her. Something, or perhaps someone, is looking at Fellwing through this creature. This realisation feels like being suddenly dunked in cold water, and Fellwing is forced to stare at this creature for longer than she really wants to before the vision finally comes to an end, and she finds herself standing back with her friends in Echo's cave.