Scarab could barely tell where her scales ended and the floor began. Everything felt numb and she could only vaguely feel the press of wings around her. She lifted her head groggily and realized Qibli was half on top of her. She grunted and shoved Qibli off of her. He slid onto the floor with a soft thud, then started shifting as he regained consciousness. Scarab looked around. They weren't in the clearing anymore. 

Below them was a firm platform made of wooden planks. Upon further inspection she saw that the platform was connected to other platforms and built around tree trunks and resting in the thick canopies. She looked over the nearby edge of the platform and immediately wished she hadn't. The distance between her and the ground was dizzying. She crouched low to the floor and crept back towards the middle of the platform.

"Oh look! They're waking up." A voice from behind Scarab made her jump and whirl around, accidentally stepping on Qibli's tail, who was almost fully awake now but still sprawled across the platform.

A deep blue dragon was walking amiably up to them from a connecting platform. She was small for a dragon, but burly, and still larger than Scarab and Qibli. Her eyes glowed with interest and confidence, yet Scarab could tell that she was still wary around the strangers. The new dragon was definitely a SeaWing, the descriptions Scarab had heard and read about fit perfectly. Large strong tail, flowy fins along the neck and back, and smooth watery scales in ornate patterns decorating the neck, wings, and tail. 

What's a SeaWing doing here? Surely they don't live in the forest... 

Arid stirred and lifted her head up and stared at the SeaWing. Scarab was aware that all three of them were sending the blue dragon obvious looks, but the SeaWing only smirked. "What? Don't see many SeaWings in the Rainforest?"

The Rainforest? That explains a few things. Does that mean we're in the...

Another dragon ran up to them from the same direction that the SeaWing came. He was darker, his scales all shades of black and grey. Scarab saw flickering specks of white shifting across his wings as he walked. His eyes were deep and troubled, yet shared a similar glint of interest that the SeaWing had. Scarab had seen dragons like him, NightWings, occasionally in the Scorpion Den. Neither the SeaWing or the NightWing looked like they could be much older than Scarab.

"Tsunami, they might not be ready to talk yet... Oh, hi. I thought you'd be out longer." The NightWing said. His voice was gentle, like he wasn't used to raising it. Definitely a peacemaker. Scarab smirked inwardly. I could take him.

"This is Tsunami." He tipped his head towards the SeaWing. "I'm Starflight. What are you three doing in the Rainforest?"

"I think a better question is why we were knocked out, and where we are." Scarab said, allowing a bit of hostility to sound in her tone.

Tsunami sighed. "Of course. You're in the Rainforest, or more specifically, the RainWing village." 

Scarab raised her eyebrows. The RainWing village? She had never seen a RainWing before, and the descriptions she had seen had been vague at best. Colour shifting scales and expressive frills under their horns. The descriptions mostly enjoyed focusing on their fantastic laziness and sloth-like qualities. She looked around again and saw the rest of the village. Simple wooden huts and platforms connected like a web across the forest, decorated with the natural flowers and growth from the rainforest, and what looked like fruit baskets on every other platform.

But most captivating were the dragons. Swooping and lounging and racing and laughing, dragons of every colour and pattern populated the village. They were all too far away for Scarab to see details, and she realized that she wished she could. She was so engrossed in the village that she didn't notice another dragon walking up to them until she stood right in front of her.

To Scarab's great surprise, the newest dragon was a SandWing, and only just taller than her. She was wiry and lean, but clearly strong. Her scales were all muted shades of dusty sand, and her tail curled around her feet ominously. She had a long scar across her chest, starting from her shoulder and ending just under her collarbone. She couldn't be much older than Scarab from the look of it.

The SandWing looked the three of them up and down. "Wow. They told me they caught three SandWings in the forest but they didn't say one of them was odd." Her voice was calm and simple, like she didn't think what she said might be rude.

Scarab bristled and glared at her, meeting those dark eyes and wishing she had a tail barb to threaten her with. 

"Viper!" Starflight admonished quickly in a hiss. 

Qibli stood and stepped towards Viper, glaring at the new dragon. "She isn't odd. She's different. And more than capable enough to force-feed you a barrel of cactus pods if she wants to." His voice was firm and threatening. Implying that he'd happily do the same. 

Scarab felt like stepping on Qibli's tail. She could take care of herself and didn't need him to make her arguments for her. But something stopped her.

Viper narrowed her eyes at Qibli. "Oh. I get it." She glanced at Scarab than past her at Arid, who had stood up straighter and looked ready to lunge at Viper given the slightest reason.

Why does are they so protective of me? Scarab thought in disbelief. I don't need a pack of bodyguards!

Viper turned and leapt off the platform and gracefully glided unto a lower platform and out of sight.

"Sorry." Tsunami said apologetically. "She's not usually like that."

Starflight turned back to the SandWings. "What are your names?"

Scarab opened her mouth to assign fake names to the three of them but was quelled by an unexpected look from Qibli. The message was clear. Don't you dare tell them fake names.

"I'm Qibli, and this is Scarab and Arid." Qibli introduced them. Scarab tried looking dignified and a little haughty. It had been awhile since her odd appearance had bothered her but Viper had just reopened the sensitive wound.

"How long until we get to the part where you explain why we were knocked out?" Arid finally spoke, her voice icy. Scarab hoped that Arid's impressive facial scar would have some intimidating effect on Tsunami and Starflight.

Tsunami chuckled. "The RainWings do that to all the strangers in the Rainforest. They didn't know if you were hostile or not."

Scarab tried to remember the moments before they went unconscious. They probably did look rather hostile.

"But we didn't see any dragons. How could they have darted us if..." Scarab's voice dropped off as she connected some dots. Colour shifting scales. Could the RainWings...?

"Hey, strangers!" A bubbly voice said from right next to Scarab, along with an aggressively pink dragon who seemed to have materialized from the air around her.

Scarab startled so badly she nearly fell over. Her tail had shot forward instinctively in defense, and it just barely missed the pink dragon's snout.

"What!?" Scarab gasped. "How did you...? What?!"

The pink dragon burst into giggles and his pink scales rippled through patterns of electric yellow and somehow even brighter pink. He must be a RainWing.

"Jambu!" Tsunami said in exasperation. "We're trying to not send them screaming out of the forest!"

Starflight smirked in quiet amusement. "Oh, I wouldn't worry."

The pink dragon, Jambu, didn't flinch when the iron tip of Scarab's tail barb just missed his nose. He didn't seem alarmed about anything about the SandWings. Was he so powerful that their aggressive demeanor didn't put him off in the slightest? Surely not. More likely he hadn't had anything more traumatic happen to him in his life than a leaf blowing in his face.

"Whoa!" Qibli said. Whether in amazement or by the fact that Scarab nearly fell into him was unclear.

"Don't do that!" Scarab snapped at the annoyingly bright dragon. She could feel her dignity slowly slipping away with every moment she spent in the Rainforest.

Jambu tilted his head. "What? Did I scare you?"

Scarab gave him a level glare and Qibli stepped forward with interest in his eyes. "You can turn invisible." He said in awe.

"Oh, that." Jambu's scales shimmered through a dazzling display of vibrant colours. "All of us can do that."

"All the RainWings?"

"Yep! Very handy in hide and seek." Jambu chirped.

And not in battle? Scarab thought incredulously. Darts that can knock you out and scales that can make you invisable? How have they not taken over all of Phyrria by now?

She glanced at Arid and they shared a look. They had clearly had the same thoughts as each other.

"So....what are you two doing here?" Qibli asked Tsunami and Starflight. "You don't live here, do you?"

Tsunami's jaw clenched slightly. "That's a long story."

"We should probably take them to Queen Glory. We can talk there, and I'm sure she has question regarding their presence as well." Starflight said to Tsunami. He then turned back to the SandWings. "Follow me."

_____________________________

Scarab followed Starflight and Tsunami along with Qibli and Arid down different treetop paths and around different platforms until they reached probably the largest platform of them all at the center of the village.

Everywhere they walked, RainWings stared with little regard for whether or not it was polite, probably curious about the strange dragons who had appeared unconscious in their village.

Some of the younger RainWings ran up to them and tried mimicking their colours. One of them copied Qibli's dash of freckles perfectly, while another gave herself a pale line across her face to portray Arid's scar.

At least three, however, mimicked Scarab. They seemed delighted and captivated at how the bright sunshine-gold looked on each other's scales and wouldn't stop following them until they reached a large hut with a leaf curtain over the door.

Starflight poked his head into the hut before leading them all inside. At the back of the hut sat a large hammock-like throne, covered in flowers and leaves. Sitting on the throne was a RainWing. Her scales a beautiful shade of emerald green matched with firey shades of orange, yellow and red. She wore a flower crown over her horns and a large wreath around her neck, made from hibiscus and lily blossoms that gave her a regal appearance. Scarab also noticed a furry animal dozing in the crook of her wing.

The RainWing was talking with another dragon who was sitting next to the throne. He was large, with warm brown scales and a large snout. He looked very strong.

MudWing. Scarab thought to herself. How many "Not RainWings" are in the RainWing village?

The MudWing turned to look at the group entering the hut. "Oh hey, Starflight! Are these the dragons you were telling me about? I thought they'd be out longer."

Starflight nodded. "Clay, Queen Glory, this is Qibli, Scarab, and Arid."

Queen Glory. She's the Queen of the RainWings? She looked very young to be a queen, no older than Scarab.

Queen Glory looked at each of them in turn. "Welcome. Though I have to ask why you were wandering through my Rainforest." Her voice was calm yet authoritative. Scarab felt inclined to trust her, yet she hesitated. She glanced at Qibli and Arid and they both nodded. Talking to one of the queens of Phyrria was probably a good opportunity to learn about the Dragonets of Destiny, or even just the war.

"We're looking for the Dragonets of Destiny." Scarab said calmly. "Do you have any idea of their whereabouts?"

Glory's scales fluttered with a pale orange colour that quickly faded. "Why are you looking for them?" She asked levelly.

Scarab furrowed her brow. "Um. That's kinda between us and them." She said. She held her breath, waiting for them to get thrown out.

But that didn't happen. Instead, Queen Glory stepped down from her throne as gracefully as water pouring from a pitcher. She stood right in front of Scarab with the slightest indication of a smirk on her face. "Lucky you. Because you're talking to them right now."

Yay! Super long chapter! Well, longer than usual at least :l

Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I've been waiting to introduce the Dragonets of Destiny for awhile and I kinda like the cliffhanger >:)

Anyway. Sorry for the irregular updating schedule. I've been pretty busy and it's hard to get much writing done. But I tried making up for it by making this one longer. Let me know if you see any mistakes, because I always miss something.