When Kyte thanked her, Echo glowed in pride, and Fellwing praised her efforts, Stargaze's tail wagged rapidly at joy. She was glad that her attempt to heal Kyte worked.

She answered Kyte's thanks, "I'm glad I could help!"

She then looked to Fellwing and Skeboloff, about to speak, but she stopped herself. Her tail stopped wagging when she noticed Fellwing seemed to be in a trance. She asked in concern, "Fellwing?"

Then her friend started to scream!

"FELLWING!" Stargaze called in worry as she hurried to her friend. Fellwing would see Stargaze's face in front of hers when coming out of the trance.

"Fellwing?! What's wrong?!"

She listened as Fellwing told them everything she saw. She was about to agree about hurrying and leaving to go find the captive dragons. But she was surprised to hear Fellwing say that she should stay here.

She spoke to Fellwing, "Fellwing. I...think you should come with us,"

She reassured Fellwing, "I know you're scared. But we're stronger together. We can help you through this and handle this. Plus, Skobeloff did mention that it targets dragons who are alone,"

Fellwing's shriek visibly startled Skobeloff as the rawscale Trickster quickly turned to look at his clutchmate. As the shrieking stopped and the stammering started, Skobeloff realized what had happened. Fellwing had just peered into the Darkness. And if the uncharacteristically fearful display she showed was anything to go by, the Darkness had peered back a little more than was good for her health. That was something best nipped in the bud. "It's alright, Fellwing. Take a moment. Breathe" Skobeloff said as he approached Fellwing, his voice soft and his smile soothing. "You're alright. Just relax. Everything is fine." Skobeloff continued to croon comforting platitudes until Fellwing appeared to have calmed down a bit and the initial burst of fear had passed. Then he moved to quash the mote of Shadow that had settled within his friend. "You remember that thought exercise I taught you, yes?" Skobeloff asked. "Do you think you could do that for me right now?"

"If there's time for it, I'd like to suggest we head to the Tessith Stronghold first." Skobeloff said. "I promised the friends I made over there that I would return a quickly as I could. And seeing how strength in numbers is the key to victory here, we definitely couldn't go wrong in picking up a few more helping hands."

At Echo's suggestion that they should stay behind, Kyte spoke up. "Hold on," they said. They hesitated, glancing at the faces of the other drakes. "I would like to come along. I know you all probably want rid of me after what happened with Stonescale, but I..." They averted their eyes down to the ground. "Look, you helped me, and from the sounds of it, you also helped my clutch when I couldn't. Now, I would like to help you."

Stargaze watched as Skobeloff successfully calmed Fellwing down and agree to go with them. She felt like she did nothing to help her friend, but she remained silent as Skobeloff and Fellwing discussed what to do next, and before Echo could get them out, Kyte spoke up.

Stargaze looked to Kyte as they insisted they come along to help as well because Stargaze helped him and Skobeloff helped his clutch mates.

Stargaze knew what that felt like: Being helped and wanting to help in return as well.

She answered, looking to her friends, "I think we should let Kyte come along. I know where they're coming from on this. Besides, I think we're going to need all of the help we can get,"

"If Kyte wants to come along and most of you are inclined to let them, I think I may have a scheme or two they'd fit into quite nicely." Skobeloff said. "Either way, I still think we should head to the Stronghold before our confrontation with this creature. If any of you are worried about time like Fellwing is, the victim I saved needed several days at this thing's mercy to be turned. So we can afford some time to prepare and gather our full strength before going in."

Skobeloff considered Fellwing's proposal for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "Sounds like a plan." The Trickster declared before looking around. "Now then, which way is the exit?"

Stargaze was silent as Fellwing and Skobeloff debated over a plan. She was glad that they settled on checking on the captive dragons first before deciding their next course of action. When Fellwing answered Skobeloff's question with her answer, Stargaze easily caught onto the amusement behind her answer. She smiled widely and her tail wagged as she tried to keep herself from laughing,

"Oh yeah! You didn't come in the same way we did!"

A couple of stifled giggles escaped from her maw before she answered Skobeloff, "Wait till you see!"

She couldn't wait to see the Trickster's reaction.

"If Kyte wants to come along and most of you are inclined to let them, I think I may have a scheme or two they'd fit into quite nicely."

Kyte eyes Skobeloff cautiously. "Suuure," they say after a long pause. "Just so long as it doesn't end with me in a sick bed for an extended period of time." It was clear that, despite being grateful to Stargaze and obviously regretful for their previous association with Stonescale, Kyte was still wary of the Trickster after the aforementioned 'Amphora Incident'.

As the group finally came to their decision, Echo gave a small clap of her hands. "Well, if that's decided," she says. "We should get you out of here and back to your... cantankerous yellow friend. If you would all please step out onto the water..." She gestured out the way the group had first entered.

Upon stepping onto the water's surface, the drakes and Alpin are pulled back underneath into the same bubble of air that had first brought them to the cave, and they are slowly brought out of the cave and back to the swamp, where Garrock is waiting for them. The bearded dragon was inspecting his wing when the group finally emerges, and their sudden appearance must have startled him because he jumps slightly. He takes a moment to compose himself before turning to the drakes with his usual frown. "You all took your time," he says, regarding each member of the group with a glare. When his eyes land on Kyte, his pauses and looks the winged drake up and down. "And now there's more of you. Wonderful." He looks like he's about to make another withering comment when he notices Skobeloff among the group, and he raises an eyebrow. "And you're back. Did you find anything at the Tessith stronghold?" While he's trying to keep his tone and expression the same, it's easy for anyone to see his frown falter. Clearly, his concern for his missing Tessith housemates outweighs his desire to appear stern and aloof.

"Suuure," Kyte said after a long pause. "Just so long as it doesn't end with me in a sick bed for an extended period of time."

"Efforts will be made to avoid this outcome." Skobeloff said playfully. "More than that I cannot promise."

"Well, if that's decided," Echo says with a clap. "We should get you out of here and back to your... cantankerous yellow friend. If you would all please step out onto the water..."

"Step onto the water?" Skobeloff asked before watching the rest of his clutch stand on the water as if it were solid ground. "Well this should be interesting." Skobeloff joined his clutchmates on the water, eager to see what mode of transportation would bring them back to the surface. "Whoa!" Skobeloff exclaimed in surprise as he was pulled into the bubble. "Whoa." Skobeloff then said in wonder as he recovered from the initial shock and took in the sight as the bubble moved slowly beneath the water. "What a sight."

The bubble eventually deposited the clutch outside the cave, where a very grumpy Garrock was waiting. Despite his harsh initial words, the big tsundere's true nature eventually shone through as he noticed Skobeloff's return and asked after the state of the stronghold. "I found many things and did many things more!" Skobeloff declared. "I outwitted a mischievous pixie. I faced down a bearded dragon who had fallen to her Shadowself. I figured out what it is that we are up against. And I did it all with little more that my quick wit and a bowl of porridge!"

Skobeloff then went on to recount his adventures in the island away from the rest of the clutch. It was a faithful retelling for the most part, with only a few minor tweaks and changes here and there to make for a better story. Once he was done Skobeloff took in Garrock's reaction expectantly. The Trickster had went off on his own in the first place to showcase his ability to get things done without his clutchmates to impress Garrock into a mood that secrets could be extracted from. Skobeloff felt that he had done that well enough, but what he felt wouldn't mean much if Garrock didn't feel the same.

As Skobeloff went off on his tale, Garrock's expression remained stuck between annoyance and concern, though over the course of the story, the Trickster starts to see the slightest hints that the bearded dragon may, in fact, be just a little bit impressed.

"Well, at least some of the missing dragons are safe," he says once Skobeloff is done. There is then a long pause before Garrock says, very very begrudgingly, "I suppose you did alright, all things considered. Good job." He raises his head slightly before turning his gaze on the rest of the group. "I hope the rest of you were doing something useful as well."

Once he had gotten over the surprise of Fellwing's sharp words, Garrock's frown morphed into an outright snarl. Clearly, the Seer had hit a nerve. "If I had had my way, whelp, I would have come here by myself to sort out this mess," the bearded dragon said, his tone implying it was taking all his restraint to keep himself from shouting. "Or at very least with an older, more experienced clutch. Thanks to current events and the wisdom of our omniscient council, however, I am forced to play chaperone to a bunch of flightless, senseless rawscales who spend more time conversing with elementals and fairies than actually doing their job." His tail started to lash about in irritation, uprooting several small plants and sending a few pebbles flying into the water. However, after a moment, his tail stilled and he rose to his full height, taking a moment to collect himself before continuing. "And need I remind you, Kebros, as your chaperone, I will be reporting to your sponsor and all the council about your work here. So I'd cut the backchat if I were you, unless you want a particularly scathing review from here on out."

"Yare yare daze." Skobeloff muttered to himself before cutting into the argument. "Hey now you two. Disagreement will neither rescue the captives nor bring an end to the problems going on here. Take a breath. Relax." Skobeloff said with a reconciliatory smile. "Garrock and I will head to the stronghold and meet up with who I found there while the rest of you scout out the place Fellwing saw in her vision. Once I have everyone from the stronghold, I'll gem sand back to you with reinforcements. That sound good to everyone?"

Stargaze could only listen as Garrock complained about waiting and asking if the clutch did anything useful. Unfortunately, an argument broke out as Garrock didn't take Fellwing's words well. Skobeloff once again stepped in to calm down the argument.

Stargaze felt guilty that she did nothing. She had no chance to step in and do something to help or calm the situation.

But still...she couldn't let Garrock's blame and threat of reporting Fellwing to her house slide. She had a place to belong while Stargaze didn't have a house. What if that report gets Fellwing kicked out?

So, Stargaze spoke up to Garrock,

"Garrock. If you want to blame someone among our clutch for your having to babysit us, then blame me. I am the one who grew up on this island to begin with. Fellwing does not deserve your ire in that regard,"