Upon noticing what replenishing the forest had cost Fogdance, a wave of remorse immediately crashed over Skobeloff. If he had known that was the price that needed to be paid, he never would have suggested performing the ritual. Shortening Fogdance's lifespan to bring about something that would have come to be on its own given enough time was a raw deal if Skobeloff had ever heard one. And it was all his fault. He'd been the one to insist on the ritual, and now Fogdance would be aging sooner than she was meant to because of him.

In an attempt to take his mind off what he had done, Skobeloff tried to enjoy the view. He tried to look out across the Moonlit Isles as he flew over them. He tried to take in its beauty and perhaps glimpse some insights into how to unlock its secrets or from where next the Darkness might strike. But again and again, his thoughts returned to the consequences of his impatience. Unable to concentrate, Skobeloff learned nothing from his surveying as a profound feeling of gloom set into the rawscale Trickster's mind.

For the entire journey back home, Stargaze has been over the moons with joy. Her home and family was saved and healed, it was done so quickly thanks to Skobeloff. She held onto the stone Echo gave her, careful not to lose it. Stargaze won't deny that she is a bit worried, if not scared, about the other forces that Echo mentioned. But, she believed in her own speech that she gave before scaring off the shadow dragon: As long as she and her friends were there for each other, there's nothing they can't accomplish.

She overheard a bit of the discussion between Vipereyes and Tamba, and after Vipereyes mentioned that she hoped to go back on a different expedition, Stargaze tilted her head. She asked out of pure curiosity, "Why? Echo did say that Home is likely to be healthier after that ritual,"

Both Vipereyes and Tamba abruptly stop their conversation to glance over at Stargaze. The former in particular looks a little annoyed to be suddenly interrupted during her conversation, but Tamba very gently cuts in before the older dragon can say anything. "Oh we weren't originally on that island because of the Darkness," she says. "House Myndoth has been very interested in that island recently. You saw how rich in magical energies it was!" She pauses and looks round to see where Skobeloff is and gestures to him with a claw. "Like that magical sand that Skobeloff found!"

At these words, all the annoyance left Vipereyes' face and she too glanced over at where Skobeloff was. "Magical sand?" she says. "This is the first I'm hearing about this."

Tamba claps her claws together. "That's how the rest of our group got to you so fast!" she says. "We teleported right to you."

The older dragon starts scratching her chin with her claw thoughtfully. "Fascinating," she says.

Tamba turns back to Stargaze. "And there are probably many more secrets just like that, just waiting to be discovered," she says. "And the ritual likely tapped into even more of the island's innate magic. If we go there again, who knows what will have changed, what things we'll be able to unearth."

Vipereyes glances over towards Fogdance and Garrock, a small smirk forming on her face. "And to think, the House of Diamond was just sitting on all that potential the entire time," she says, raising her voice slightly so the pair can hear her.

Garrock glances over his shoulder at Vipereyes, the look in his eyes implying he doesn't much appreciate that comment, but otherwise decides not to engage in what is obvious argument bait. Fogdance, for her part, responds without even bothering to look over her shoulder. "Tessith wasn't sitting on anything, Vipereyes," she says. "Just because we made a stronghold there doesn't mean we had any claim on the island. We simply stayed there for a time." There's a heaviness in her voice that implies this is not the first time these two have had this conversation.

"And that's something I never understood," Vipereyes says. "Tessith has probably seen more of Isles' natural beauty than any other House, but you're all so uncurious." Vipereyes pauses, as if expecting Fogdance to cut in. When she doesn't, the Myndoth dragon continues, "We've been on these Isles for centuries now, and there are still so many things we haven't uncovered, so many relics of the past that could tell us so much. How much of that have your people seen and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing with?" She gives a loud sigh. "It baffles me. It really does."

"Some things in the past are best left alone," Fogdance says. Her voice is notably a little quieter than before, though not quiet enough that the group can't hear her.

Vipereyes gives a snort at this, but doesn't respond to her further, instead looking back to Tamba. "Typical Tessith dragon," she says with a shake of her head.

Tamba smiles back in response, but it's a somewhat strained smile. Considering her own twin and clutchmate is Tessith, she doesn't seem as willing to badmouth the House as the older dragon is.

Stargaze listened with interest and curiosity to what Tamba and Vipereyes were saying. But she was surprised to hear what Vipereyes was saying. She was picking a fight with the older dragons for one (which is generally a bad idea to begin with), but what she said went against what Echo taught her once when she was younger.

Thinking that her answer would help clear away the confusion Vipereyes had, Stargaze spoke to Vipereyes in response, "I remember Echo said something about it once. She did say that it is important to be curious, but it's also important to be mindful and not to take too much from home. Maybe that's what Tessith was trying to do during the stay: Keep the balance and not do any damage?"

Vipereyes glanced back at Stargaze, looking her up and down in a somewhat critical manner. "It's all well and good for an elemental to preach about 'respecting nature' and 'keeping the balance'," she said. "But we're not elementals. We can't survive the way they do, we can't live the way they do. We're not just bound to single location, feeding of the land's natural magic. They don't have to hunt, or grow their own food, or build shelters. If their physical forms take damage, they can just return to their basic elemental essence to recover. In truth, some elementals can get away without taking physical forms for long periods of time." As she's speaking, Stargaze might start recalling her own childhood back on the island, and how Echo, despite her best efforts, hadn't always had the easiest time accommodating the growing drake's needs. "But us dragons? That's not really possible for us. We're far less adaptable than they are. We've had to learn and find ways to survive on our own, had to find ways to accommodate ourselves so we could all live and exist comfortably. And sometimes that learning process involved taking some risks, pushing boundaries. That's what dragon society is built on."

Up until this point, Garrock had been doing his best not to interject. It seemed, however, he could hold on no longer. "Yeah? And how well has that attitude done us so far?" he said. With a claw, he gestured around him, drawing attention to the crumbling islands that surround them. "We're stuck on a bunch of old floating rocks, constantly afraid that one of them is going to end up falling into the clouds below if we're not able to get along."

Vipereyes turned her head sharply towards him. "Well, isn't that exactly why we should keep learning and improving?" she countered. "So we can perhaps find a way to fix it? Find a way to restore our planet to the way it's supposed to be?"

Garrock gave a contemptuous snort. "Good luck with that," he muttered.

There was a long pause at Fellwing's question, as several dragons in the party suddenly seemed to stop whatever they were doing to look in the black drake's direction. It wasn't quite the same silence that would have occurred had someone brought up, say, Yeraktos, or some similar event that happened during the Age of Darkness. Even several generations later, with no dragons alive to remember those days, the wounds from that time felt fresh in the memory of dragonkind. But this... this was a much older scar, one that had faded enough that most had forgotten it was still there.

"Well, that was a long time ago," Vipereyes said. She didn't sound angry or upset, only slightly puzzled that the conversation had taken this particular shift. "You have to understand that that was before the Darkness, before the Houses even. Dragon society was practically in its infancy, and we didn't understand a lot of the things we do now. In fact, it's down to things like the extinction of the unicorns that the Houses and the Council were founded in the first place: to prevent things like that from occurring again. She squinted over at Fellwing, regarding her with a wary curiosity. "You're from House Kebros, correct? I'd assumed your elders would instill in you the value of mistakes, and how we can only grow by making them." Unlike many comments the Seer might have heard about her House, there didn't seem to be any malice in what Vipereyes was saying. She sounded more confused by the idea of a dragon from the House of Ruby being opposed to her values.

Fellwing's question about unicorns was enough to pull Skobeloff from his thoughts. He listened as Vipereyes answered Fellwing's question, then spoke up once Fellwing had finished speaking again. "What's got you thinking about unicorns anyway?" Skobeloff asked. The Trickster already knew the answer though. Fellwing had no doubt glimpsed one in her latest vision. Skobeloff also knew that Fellwing wouldn't give that answer while in the presence of the other dragons. Nothing short of a revolution was going to make Fellwing stop being so secretive about what playbook she used. Skobeloff asked the question even so. Despite knowing what he knew already, the Trickster was desperate for a distraction from the thoughts he'd been previously emersed in, and this was the only distraction currently available.

"Of course," Vipereyes responded, still looking at Fellwing with a questioning gaze. However, she didn't say anymore, and the conversation quickly changed subject as the group continued their flight to the Capitol.

If Yves resembles a dragon in-profile when viewed from above, then the Capitol - which rests within the dragon's 'head' - resembles an eye. If the group didn't have six rawscale drakes to worry about, they could easily fly all the way there. As it is now, unfortunately, they cannot, and the group is forced to land atop the dragon's 'snout'. Thankfully, there is a Semscale stronghold there where they can rest before catching their bearings. Outside the building, the group can see several dragons ranging from longtooth to bearded age teaching drakes who have just earned their wings how to fly. A few of them notice the team, some waving and a couple just staring curiously. Their teachers quickly recall their attention so the lesson can continue. However, the more sharp-eyed members of the group will notice one of the older dragons is look directly at them... specifically, directly at Garrock.

"We're going to have to walk the rest of the way," Garrock said, seemingly none-the-wiser. He was about to start walking the path towards the city when Fogdance spoke up.

"Hold on, Garrock," she said. She turns to the rest of the group. "Is everyone alright to continue on, or do we need to rest a bit?" This question particularly seems directed towards the drakes rather than the older dragon. "There's no shame if you need a moment to catch your breath. That was quite a flight."

"I feel fine," Kyte said. "In fact, ever since Stargaze healed my wing, I've never felt stronger. I feel I could fly whole way there if I wanted to!" They paused, realising how insensitive that might be. "Err, obviously I won't, given the rest of you... can't yet."

"Thanks for reminding us," Pleexem said, voice quiet yet dripping with sarcasm. It's the first thing he's said since they've left the island, and it's definitely the harshest thing the clutch has heard him say in their brief time knowing him.

It seems that Pleexem's voice was too soft for Kyte to pick up on, but Tamba must have heard him because she gives her twin a little swat her paw. The two share a look before Tamba turns her attention back to Fogdance. "I think we're fine."

Fogdance then turns her attention to Skobeloff, Fellwing, Shieldwing and Stargaze, looking at them with concern.

In the time between the conversation about the unicorn and the group's arrival at the Semscale stronghold, they had passed another group in the air. The other group was a class for raw-scaled drakes fresh from the Hatchery to learn how to navigate the wind paths. In a moment of mischief, Skobeloff broke away from his group to catch the updraft that was part of the final test. It sent the Trickster high into the air. High enough that, for a brief and beautiful moment, Skobeloff saw the dragon that Yves looked like when viewed from above. He hung in the air for as long as he could, committing every detail of the sight to memory to the best of his ability. But Skobeloff could only resist the pull of gravity for so long. Eventually, what went up had to come down. And so Skobeloff glided back down, rejoining his group and leaving the now awestruck gliding class in his wake.

Unfortunately for the little Trickster, Skobeloff had underestimated how strenuous that stunt would be on his wings. As a result, he was pretty puffed out when they stopped at the Snouthold.

"I could do with a quick rest." Skobeloff spoke up when Fogdance asked if anyone wanted to stop and the drakes outside his clutch had all finished giving their answers. "After that little detour I took, I'm a bit more out of breath than I would have been otherwise."

Stargaze was surprised with Vipereyes' answer to Echo's words, and the continuing discussions after that. Suffice to say, she was lost in thought for the rest of the trip. She snapped out of her thoughts as they approached Snouthold and proceeded to land. Stargaze was a little more focused on the landing, and she was able to do so alright.

She looked to Garrock and Fogdance as they spoke. Stargaze looked to Kyte next as they answered Fogdance's question and talked about how they felt after she healed them. Instead of looking insulted, Stargaze could be seen smiling with wide starry eyes. It's like she received a glowing compliment. After Kyte amended their statement and Plexeem gave his sarcastic response, she replied to Kyte genuinely,

"Wowee! That's great! I'm glad to hear that my healing's helped that much!"

She then realized that Skobeloff seemed to be missing, only to find him still flying about before he rejoined the group. She asked Skobeloff after he gave his answer, "...Why did you take a detour?"

After she asks she answers Fogdance, "I'm doing alright. I can keep going, but I'm also good with waiting for everyone else to recover,"

As the group talks among themselves, Fellwing notices that the dragon that was staring at Garrock is making his way over to the group... and the first thing she notices as he gets close enough is that he looks very much like Garrock. He's a little chubbier, his scales and eyes are a different colour - reddish-brown and bright orange respectively - and he has a spade-like end to his tail as opposed to Garrock's club... but other than that, there is a unmistakable resemblance. Given this and that he seems to be about the same age as the grumpy Tessith warrior, Fellwing can safely bet he's Garrock's sibling, likely even from the same batch of eggs. He's currently eying Garrock, seemingly uncertain whether it's him or not. He looks hopeful, but Fellwing can also detect the tiniest hint of apprehension in his expression.

"A rest would probably be in the best interests of all of us," Vipereyes said after the younger dragons had spoke up. "My wings are not as young as they used to be." She glanced over at Alto, would simply nodded in agreement.

Garrock heaved a heavy sigh. "Guess it can't be helped," he muttered. "I suppose it's better to rest here than on the road, anyhow. Well, a small break won't kill us-"

"Garrock?" the dragon finally speaks, and in that instance, the whole group can see Garrock tense up in surprise before his expression becomes that of annoyance.

"Apparently I spoke too soon," he muttered flatly.

The mysterious dragon was moving quicker towards the group, practically bounding at a brisk pace that is surprising for a dragon his size. He looks almost like he's about to tackle Garrock, but somehow the Tessith dragon seems to anticipate this because he quickly steps out of the way, causing his doppelganger to fall face-down on the ground in the middle of the group. "Owwwww...." the dragon groans before slowly raising his head. "Whyyyyyy...? Why do you always do this?" He gives a loud sniff like he's upset, but it's easy for everyone to tell that it's most likely in jest.

"I'm carrying an injured dragon, Rudrick!" Garrock said. "If you had any sense between your horns, you'd have noticed that."

Rudrick, still on the ground, cranes his neck to see the unconscious Maug lying on Garrock's back. "Huh," he said. "My bad." He stands up and begins brushing the dirt off his scales.

"...Why did you take a detour?" Stargaze questioned shortly after Skobeloff spoke.

"I wanted to impress the gliding class we flew past back there." Skobeloff replied, gesturing back the way they came with his tail as he did. "And the view of Yves I got from that updraft was a nice bonus as well."

Skobeloff then fell silent as the others spoke around him. He didn't really pay attention to what was being said though. He didn't have the energy for passive listening at that point and there was no indication that active listening would be worthwhi-

"Garrock?"

Skobeloff stood corrected.

The little Trickster looked on in amusement as a new arrival came running up to the group before trying to glomp Garrock. Skobeloff had to supress a snicker when Garrock dodged, leaving the new arrival to face plant directly into the ground. As he observed the subsequent exchange between Garrock and the new arrival, who Garrock referred to as Rudrick, Skobeloff finally noticed how similar the two dragons looked. Between that an their familiarity, Skobeloff quickly came to the same conclusion as Fellwing.

"So who's this then, Garrock?" Skobeloff asked Garrock once the two where done talking. "You two seem like you know each other, but I can't imagine why." Similar to Rudrick, it would be easy for everyone to tell that Skobeloff was joking about that last part.

Stargaze listed to Skobeloff as he answered her question. Before she could say anything in response, another voice spoke up. She looked to the source and watched as the new older dragon tried to pounce on Garrock, only for the yellow dragon to step aside. She tilted her head as the two spoke to each other. She had to hold back a laugh as the new dragon said that he knew that Garrock was carrying an unconscious dragon.

Skobeloff had already taken the initiative to ask who the new dragon was and teased him about knowing each other. She piped up and asked genuinely, "Oh! Is he a friend of yours, Garrock? You guys kinda look alike,"

The conversation had begun to go well over Shieldwing's head before he'd even realized it. But that was fine, he supposed. He didn't need to engage in this particular conversation. His head was already filled with plenty of thoughts all on their own. Not the least of which was that this whole mission had been a bust.

Well, perhaps that was a bit harsh. It had technically largely been a success, and he was glad that the group had managed to save so many others, both dragons and non. He was obviously glad that things had turned out well overall. But he himself was...disappointed. Not in the result, but more in himself.

As far as Shieldwing had been concerned, he had accomplished very little. He'd failed to keep Skobeloff in check and allowed the trickster to roam off on his own for much of all of their mission. And even though he was present for much of the action, he had almost felt as if he hadn't accomplished much of anything. He had always just felt like he was just sort of...there. This was supposed to be his big break. It was his chance to prove that he could be a proper Brynback! The chance to be a leader, and prove his doubters wrong! He had hoped to use this opportunity to make a positive impression on their guardian and everybody else, to make himself look like he knew what he was doing! And yet...

AND YET...!

Just as his claws were clenching beneath him, his wings carrying him basically on instinct, a sudden blur of colors snapped him out of his trancelike state, and he realized that everybody was starting to descend to the ground. As he followed suit--this time not even bothering trying to do some kind of fancy flying like he'd done before--the voice of Garrock had asked a question to the group, and his companions were all answering in kind. He shifted his wings as he landed, this time a nicer landing than the last. He stopped and glanced back, stretching his wings. He hadn't even realized how far they'd come. They were apparently already here. And as he took a look around, he could see all kinds of other dragons around...including those younger than himself, just learning to fly for the first time. He was tempted to go check up on them, but...no, he didn't want to waste more time.

"I-I'm fine, I can keep going, but-" he started, only to realize he was answering too late anyway. By the time he was getting his answer out...another, more unfamiliar voice had cut into the air. And a moment later, Shieldwing found himself letting out a small yelp and hopping back as another large dragon came tumbling right past Garrock, calling out his name and spilling onto the ground in front of them. He blinked, staring incredulously at the newcomer...and blinking again when he realized that this new older dragon was remarkably similar to their own present guardian....

He had noticed that the others that hatched alongside him did look vaguely similar to one another, rather like this...and that thought caused it to dawn on him.

"You...are brothers or something, aren't you?" Shieldwing finally comments, stepping toward the two. His eyes were wide in surprise as he made the connection. It was strange, though. These two seemed nothing alike. Was it a consequence of them being raised in different pilgrimage clutches or something...?

It suddenly dawned on him that...he had not seen his own birth siblings since their hatching. Heck, he wasn't even sure what House they would have been sorted into. He would have thought that fellow descendants of Wroughtwing would have ended up in Brynback as well, but he realized he didn't know for certain. And this was probably something he should figure out; his elders did always tell him he should be more knowledgeable about their culture if he was to lead his clutch one day.

Garrock gave Skobeloff a mildly scathing look, clearly picking up that the drake was messing with him. However, that look vanished when Stargaze asked, much more sincerely, about Garrock's connection to the newcomer. He was about to open his mouth to explain when Shieldwing spoke up.

"You...are brothers or something, aren't you?" the red drake asked.

"Or something, yes," Garrock responded. There was a hint of bitterness in his voice as he spoke, though who exactly it was directed towards was unclear.

Rudrick, for his part, didn't seem to notice, and instead turned to the group with a big smile. "Hullo, nice to meet you all," he said. "I'm Rudrick from House Semscale. I'm one of Garrock's siblings." He gave the group a somewhat conspiratorial wink. "Let me guess, he's probably never mentioned me, has he?"

"Surprisingly, Rudrick, we've had more important things to discuss," Garrock responded, once again motioning to the unconscious Maug on his back.

"Yes, I thought I heard something about you going off on some sort of mission," Rudrick said. "How are you? Everything okay?" Before Garrock could even open his mouth to answer, Rudrick continued. "You know, we actually have a healer here at Snouthold. Well, technically we have two. Maybe more like one and a half?" He shook his head before continuing. "If your friend there needs help, they could take a look at them." He glanced over at the other dragons. "Or any of you, if anyone has any injuries. Heliotrope is pretty good at what she does."

"I should be fine for the time being. I walked away from this assignment without a single scratch on me." Skobeloff said. "What do you mean by one and a half healers though?"