"Ah..." Shieldwing suddenly gasped, only just now seeming to catch himself. His crimson scales grew a little bit darker as he blushed slightly, raising his wings slightly in embarrassment. Gah, how could he have let himself get so worked up like a playful hatchling? He was grateful that he was around Rudrick right now, because he knew many a dragon that would have been annoyed with that kind of behavior. In fact, it actually seemed like Rudrick seemed to welcome or even enjoy his excitement, which quickly made him feel a bit better. He smiled and finally found himself pacing well beside the older drake, with rapt attention being paid as he spoke.

However, as Rudrick mentioned that his weakness seemed to be at landing, and how Garrock would usually respond...his eyes shot wide with surprise, a fresh memory immediately flooding to the front of his mind. He quickly recalled what it had been like when his clutch had flown out for their first mission. It had been a thought he'd been trying to bury. He'd been too embarrassed about his fumble and interpreted Garrock's response as frustration with him.

But...with Rudrick's new information, then a new thought had come to his mind....

He paused at Rudrick's question, though was quick to step back into place after a few moments. His head, previously craned upward to gaze up at the larger dragon now lowered toward the floor as he began to think back.

"Now that I think about it..." Shieldwing murmured. "I...dunno. I...didn't pay much attention to myself." He looked aside, blushing a bit again, clearly embarrassed to be giving such a non-answer. "I-I mean, on the trip out, I was more worried about the others and trying to support them more and make sure they were doing alright than what I was doing. And on the return trip I was-" He stopped himself abruptly at that point. Memories of his frustrations at how their mission had gone came back to him as well. "...distracted." he said flatly to finish that sentence.

"I guess my wings were a little sore maybe, but if I had any troubles with the gliding, I didn't notice. The first time I was eager to land and ended up crashing into the ground. But I learned from that crash the and landed better when we got back to the mainland. I mean...w-well, you know. I-I didn't crash that time at least."

"That is true." Skobeloff admitted. "But that doesn't mean your condition should go completely ignored. More often than not, problems get worse when they're ignored." Skobeloff paused then, looking as if he were considering something. After a moment, the trickster continued. "As far as resources go, you're still small enough that you wouldn't need much. And really, all that stuff about things getting bad at some point is just fearmongering for the most part." He said. "As for taking the Crafter's away from those who need it more, that should only be something to worry about if you consider asking one of the older Crafters. If you were to go to a Crafter around your age who knows their way around wood, metal, wiring, and plastic; they'd be able to help you and you wouldn't have to worry about those worse off than you not getting the help they need... And furthermore..." Skobeloff leaned in closer to Coryn then and whispered so that only he could hear. "If the real issue is that you're too embarrassed to ask, don't be. A lotta dragons have limb problems, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

There's a pause before the creatures eventually lifts it claws from its face and rises back up, placing all four paws back on the ground. Getting better look at this creature, Fellwing can see that it about two times taller than her at least and has a very bulky, muscular build. It eyes Fellwing warily, but there is a hint of hope in its expression. After a moment, it takes a couple of steps closer. It begins to speak in a deep, growly voice, "Name is... Runa. I am troll, from mountains to the North." As if to demonstrate, the troll raises a paw in a direction. "Was heading to Capitol with others when big blizzard hit. Me and my brother got separated from the rest. Tried to track them, ended up here instead." Runa lowers her head for a moment, before quickly raising it again. "Found tunnels leading to mine. Was wondering if others had camped there, but haven't found them yet. Probably not there, tunnels not very stable. Been abandoned for some time. We're hoping to leave once night falls." That hopeful expression intensifies as she looks at Fellwing. "You are dragon. Do you know way to Capitol?" She points to herself, her voice becoming a little softer as she adds, "Have you seen others like me pass through here?"

---

Coryn raises his head as Skobeloff gets closer to him. "I... suppose," he eventually says after a moment. He sighs. "Maybe I'll visit one of the crafters later today. Most are at the Capitol, but we should have at least one or two still around."

---

Rudrick nods. "Well, there you go, you're learning all the time, even before you start being fully able to fly," he says. "That's why we teach drakes to glide even as rawscales, to hopefully prepare them for the real thing." He raises his head up to the sky. "And why using the drafts between the islands are so helpful. Every clutch has to cross between islands sometime early on, and that helps them and their supervisors identify anything they need to work on as quickly as possible." He then snorts. "Though I imagine Garrock wasn't too quick to give you pointers. He was likely focused more on the task at claw."

"Oh...!" Shieldwing exclaimed, perking up as that obvious fact were pointed out to him. "Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense.... So I just need to make sure I'm gliding perfectly before I start thinking about flying...." Though when Garrock was brought up again, he paused for a moment as he recalled his own crash. Quickly falling into step, he added, "W-well, uh, actually...? When I crashed on the island, the first thing he did was rush up to me and check me over. I-I tried to forget about it 'cause it was humiliating, and I thought he was just worried about his own scales for letting me hurt myself, but...I think he must've been worried about me. He'd said if we sprained a wing or something then it was our own fault, but the first thing he did was growl at me and look me over...."

Shieldwing couldn't help but smile a bit as he thought about it. "Heheh, now that I think about it, maybe Garrock wasn't as bad as I thought. It was more than what I got back with my clan at least."

Skobeloff smiled when Coryn said he would look into seeing a crafter about his problem. "You won't regret it, I assure you." Skobeloff said. "Either way, I think I've taken up enough of your time. If you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to one of my clutchmates about unicorns. See you next time!" With that said, Skobeloff made to exit the room and make his way back to Heliotrope's clinic where he last saw Fellwing.

Runa scratches the top of her forehead with a claw. "Err, let's see..." She began counting on her claws. "There was Runa, brother..." She begins mouthing what seems to be other names to herself before saying, "And four others?" She looks back towards Fellwing. "we were on our way to have a talk with... Roth-scar?" she says. "Been having trouble with them for some time. They wanting to mine in our mountains, say we have a lot of precious minerals and stone. Colony elders not sure what to do. Roth-scar very insistent, sometimes mine around our territory either though we didn't tell them they could." Her face falls. "Things turning a little nasty. Other trolls worried about invasion, don't think we could take dragons in fight. Trolls strong, but dragon magic stronger."

There is a pause, as if she's thinking about something she'd rather not be dwelling on, and her eyes then light up, a glimmer of hope in them. "But other dragon came to our mountain some moons ago. Not like others. Very kind, cares a lot about trolls. Wants to make things better. It was her idea to come here. She says that Roth-scar are getting new leader, and she wants to try and either get the role herself or appeal to new leader for help." Runa nods affirmatively. "Seems very sure we can avoid war, and Runa would very much like to avoid war. Runa knows war can take toll. Lost parents in fight with other troll colony some time ago. Doesn't want to lose anyone else."

---

"Wait, did he just say unicorns?" Lazward said. He'd been staying quiet while Coryn had been talking to the other drakes, focusing all his attention on fighting back the plant invasion. However, Skobeloff's last words seemed to have struck him as odd enough to give him pause.

Coryn just shrugged in response, clearly also confused by what the trickster had just said. He glances over to Stargaze questioningly. "Your friend is a little strange," he comments.

---

It wouldn't take long for Skobeloff to return to the clinic. Upon entering, he would find most of the dragons had left, leaving only Heliotrope, Fogdance, Pleexem and, of course, the still unconscious Maug. Maug was still in the same nest, with Fogdance occupying another one nearby. Pleexem was standing near Maug, eying him him with mixture of anxiety and deep contemplating. Meanwhile, Heliotrope was at the other side of the lab, mixing some sort of solution together as one of her desks.

None of them seemed to notice Skobeloff enter.

---

Rudrick gives a big smile. "Yeah, he's a softy alright, though don't tell him I said that," he says. "He was probably really worried you'd hurt yourself because he wouldn't really know how to help you in that scenario. He's no healer, though he has some basic medical knowledge, and has no longer got a connection to the spirit moon. If you had actually gotten hurt, he'd be beside himself with worry. Trust me, I'd know." Rudrick chuckles. "I'm glad you noticed my brother's not all that bad. He tries so hard to keep others at wings length, but he does care deep down." There is a moment where Rudrick's smile falter slightly. "I mean, that's probably why keep others at wings length."

Before Rudrick could really elaborate, the pair had finally reached the exit of Snouthold, and Rudrick quickly turned his attention to scanning his surroundings. "Let's see," he mutters, more to himself than to Shieldwing. "If I recall, the old mine is somewhere..." He glances over to his left. "That way, I think." He indicates with a wing. "We don't really usually let drakes out over there. Mines aren't really all that stable." Again, his smile seem to lessen as worry creeps into his eyes. "I really hope Garrock hasn't reached them already."

Shieldwing's head tilted to the side slightly as Rudrick added that last line about Garrock, but was unable to ask any more. The two had finally arrived at the exit of the Snouthold. And it suddenly jumped to his mind that he still had yet to actually ask the question he had originally wanted to ask in the first place. But as Rudrick continued, his question became buried once more as he saw the look on the older dragon's face.

"...Even if he had, would that be such a big deal?" Shieldwing asked, stepping forward. "We just need to catch up with him, that's all!~" He flashed the larger dragon a grin. "So then if we wanna catch him or beat 'im to it, then we better get going, right? We can't waste time standing around worrying about it!"

Shieldwing could barely contain his excitement. He knew that there really was nothing to this. In all likelihood, they were going to just go out there and meet with Garrock and then he was probably just going to stand off to the side by himself while they talked. But still, this felt like a second chance.... An opportunity to actually do something, to help somebody and feel useful. And he was NOT going to mess this one up!

"You said it was probably this way, right?" he asked, already starting to move in the leftward direction Rudrick had originally pointed.

A triumphant smile played across Skobeloff's lips as he entered the clinic completely unnoticed. The little Trickster made a few mental notes that would help him in matters of sneaking later, then stepped further into the clinic and spoke up. "Guess who?" Skobeloff greeted those present and aware of their surroundings. "I'm looking for Fellwing. Gotta talk to her about unicorns and stuff. Do any of you know where she is?"

Stargaze was concerned when Rudrick excused himself. She looked to Shieldwing when he nudged her wing and she nods at his words about how he was going to make sure he was okay. So, while he went, she followed Skobeloff back to Lazard and Coryn.

The discussion started with the Creeping Violet trying to steal the Stone Samples, and Lazard was blaming Coryn for ignoring the problem. Then it turned to the matter of Coryn's well-being. It turns out the problem at the lab was due to Coryn having issues picking up items with his claws, and not having claws on his wings to do so either. He couldn't use his jaw to pick up the more dangerous ingredients.

While Skobeloff suggested having a Crafter help Coryn, Stargaze tried to think of how she could help. But...with all of the thinking and spacing out that occurred on her part during the discussion, she still ended up with no good ideas. She listened as Skobeloff brought up the point of ignoring problems again and reassuring Coryn that it was better to go to them now, and to not be embarrassed. It was true...Maybe that is something she should take to heart as well...

She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts when Coryn accepted his words, and Skobeloff mentioned going to talk to someone about unicorns. He left quickly.

Stargaze answered Lazard, "Yeah. He did," When Coryn made his comment about Skobeloff, she shrugged and answered, "He is. But, he's also pretty cool. He sees things that others tend to miss,"

She then realized that Skobeloff was still walking off, while she's still there!!!

She panics a little bit, "Oh! I gotta follow him! See you later, Coryn, Lazard!" She then darts out of the room to catch up with Skobeloff, and she calls, "Skobeloff! Wait up!"

"Name was Dawrie," Runa responded. "Older dragon, cream scales with brown splotches, pale blue eyes. Two horns, greenish frills on neck. Uses big words a lot. She served Rothscar as an envoy and was originally sent to us to negotiate land disputes. However, during her time with us, she seemed to grow fond of troll culture, and said that perhaps Rothscar has no right to move in on our territory. She seemed like such a quiet thing as first, but she has passion for her beliefs." She then smiles at Fellwing when the seer proclaims her desire to help. "Thank you, small dragon." She then frowns. "By the way, are you okay? You were lying on ground when I found you. You hurt at all?"

---

Coryn waves at Stargaze as she leaves, while Lazward merely grunts before returning to his fight against the Creeping Violet.

Stargaze will enter the lab just as the other dragons are starting to register Skobeloff's presence. Heliotrope pauses in her work to look over at the trickster, but merely nods at him before returning to her work. Fogdance however gives him her full attention. "Fellwing?" she says. "Oh yes, she left after Garrock when you... appeared suddenly."

Pleexem jumps slightly when Skobeloff reveals himself, and turns to look at him, first with surprise, then with what can only be described as mild annoyance. He doesn't say anything, however, and quickly looks back over to Maug, almost as if he's trying to pointedly ignore Skobeloff.

---

Rudrick nods, though he still seems worried. He begins leading Shieldwing in the direction he had motioned towards. He remains surprisingly silent for a good few minutes as he leads the red drake into the woods, and Shieldwing will notice that his usually relaxed demeanor has been replaced with tense, more alert attitude. In fact, it actually isn't dissimilar to how Garrock was when they were traversing Stargaze's island, albeit a lot less prickly.

The forest is fairly peaceful as they move through it. At first it seems a little quieter than one would expect, but as they move on, Shieldwing will start to hear the odd flutter of a bird or the buzz of an insect. It's like the forest has been in a state of stasis for some time, but is slowly beginning to wake up. Every sound causes Rudrick to become slightly more tense.

An almost imperceptible wince crinkled Skobeloff's features for the briefest of moments when Fogdance spoke up. He had been trying not to think too much about her, about the fact that she was ensconced in a medical nest, about how that wouldn't have been necessary if he hadn't suggested hurrying things along and had simply let time do its job. But none of that came particularly easy to the Trickster when she was speaking directly to him.

"Ah, she want after Garrock." Skobeloff said as he recovered quickly. "Thank you. I should be able able to find her easily enough with that... Before I do though." Skobeloff made his way closer to Fogdance's nest, the smile that usually adorned his face beginning to falter as he stopped before the older dragon. "How uh..." Skobeloff started, but paused as he struggled to find words, the smile slowly shrinking with each passing moment. "You... You... How are you... doing after... after... you know?" Skobeloff's smile was almost completely gone by that point.

Shieldwing frowned a bit as he noticed the tension that seemed to be building up within Rudrick. His own excitement about the task at hand was quickly curtailed as he quickly picked up that maybe he should be paying more attention to his surroundings. With that thought on his mind, he scanned his immediate surroundings and quickly flapped his wings, using them to hop up onto a nearby sizable stone. Perched atop this rock, he could get himself a better view of his surroundings, and so, he quickly silenced himself. He recalled all of the times he would practice hunting and searching with Brynbacks as part of his training and perked his head up, trying to be alert to anything that might be a concern. However, as he tried to tune his senses to his surroundings...he couldn't find anything of interest. His claws flexed a little bit, clutching at the stone in frustration. Despite his best efforts, he came up with nothing out of the ordinary.

No, maybe it was just too soon. Maybe this wasn't why Rudrick seemed so on edge. He turned his outward focus to a more inward source: Rudrick himself. He watched as the older dragon began to walk past him, studying his expression, looking at what he might be looking toward for any sign of something he might be looking or listening for. At first, he was met with nothing yet again. But just as he was about to give up and simply accept his place in the older dragon's shadow, he finally noticed it. Rudrick was keeping his attention focused around him, but...he seemed particularly concerned with the direction in which they were moving, and compared with the occasional glances in his direction...it clicked.

"If you're worried about me, you don't have to be," Shieldwing would say aloud as he hopped down from his perch and fell back into step beside Rudrick. "I know I don't look like much, but I am a warrior of House Brynback. Not only that, I'm Wroughtwing's direct descendant." His chest swelled slightly with pride as he said that. "I won't cause you any trouble, and in case of an attack, I'm able to fend for myself in an emergency. I have all the training someone of my station needs to take care of myself. I just need the experience, and that's what my clutch is out here to get."

However, as he said that, he paused, turning to look back in the direction the pair were marching. "But...this isn't exactly about me, is it?" he asked. "What's got you so worried about Garrock, exactly...? I mean, I know he's your brother and everything, but this seems...." He trailed off there for a moment. He then craned his neck, turning upward to look at Rudrick again.

"...Is there something up with the mines? Something you haven't said yet?" Shieldwing inquired, studying the older dragon's expression. "You were so quick to go after him when you heard that's where he went, and now that's what you seem so focused on right now." Shieldwing frowned again. "...If there's a chance Garrock could be in actual trouble, I think I should know. I like him, and I'll never learn to be the leader I'm supposed to be if I can't even figure out if someone I care about's in any danger!"