Glow awoke to the sound of hissing in her ear. Her blurred eyes began to adjust to the darkness and she looked up at a pair burning blue eyes. "Did you forget that we were going to see Clay today, Glow?" a voice whispered. Glow slowly got up and turned her head towards the dragon addressing her, now seeing who her visitor was. Oh. I knew I was forgetting something important.

       "Yes, Peril." She got up and stretched, trying not to wake the others (Frigga in particular). "Sorry, it was an exhausting day today. I might have forgotten." She admitted quietly.

       Peril looked down at her fidgeting claws guiltily. "Yeah...I can imagine." She muttered. She rushed out of the room and turned around to signal for Glow to follow. Glow shook her head groggily and followed her. She really doesn't seem so bad. She's the same dragon I shared a drink with that night. She looked back at Frigga. I can't believe this is the same dragon that murders for the entertainment of the queen of the SkyWings. She grimaced quite visibly and dragged after Peril.

       Two of Pyrrhia's moons were high overhead, the third barely peeking over the mountain range. Glow was starting to feel a little better now that the scrolls were out of her talons for now and that Peril is still friendly to her. Why that made her feel better, Glow wasn't sure. Especially considering that Peril didn't seem all that affected by what happened. At least she acknowledges she did something wrong...I think. Glow wanted to believe that was the case, but she had the niggling feeling that Peril didn't really...change, per se. Peril swerved around the arena towers, seemingly trying to find the right prison cell. Her face lit up like she had just remembered something, and then she stopped abruptly and swerved away. "You go on ahead– I need to get something really quick." Glow's heart started pounding, but before she could protest, Peril dived away to the fields.

       "O-okay..." Glow muttered. She flapped away, trying to find Clay's pedestal. She tried remembering what he looked like, though it was hard to tell in the darkness. Immediately, she internally kicked herself at her mistake. Wow, I'm dense! He's the only MudWing prisoner in the entire arena! She then located him, sleeping soundly on top of the pillar. She tried to be silent as she floated toward him.

       She landed peacefully next to him, trying not to wake him. Clay was a lot bigger than Glow expected. He was bigger than she was, though not by much. Surprisingly, despite his current situation, he appeared to be sleeping soundly. One of his legs was sticking out awkwardly and a bead of drool was trickling down his chin as he snored loudly. The IceWing next to him grumbled in response. Glow snickered at his form, trying hard to contain her amusement. Aw, he's kind of cute. Giggling sheepishly, she curiously hooked her claw in his left nostril to try to wake him up gently.

       He stirred and let out a hearty sneeze. His eyes drifted open groggily, and he snuffled his nose. Glow couldn't help it and she giggled at his adorably sleepy face. "Peril?" He asked droopily.

       Glow snickered. "Well, your nose would've been fried off if it was, so no!" She said laughing. Clay's eyes flitted open as he awoke, realizing that he was talking to a different dragon than his previous companion. "Though, I'm not sure whether me being or not being Peril is a good or a bad thing to be completely honest." Glow joked.

       Clay turned his head confused. "Who are you, then? I certainly don't remember meeting you, unless my stomach's finally gone and replaced my brain." Clay asked light-heartedly.

       "I'm –" Glow hesitated. A voice echoed in her head. Keep yourself secret until the time is right. Not yet, Glow decided. It would be far too soon to reveal herself just yet. "Glow. My name is Glow." She introduced, extending her right claw for him to shake.

       Clay eyed her talons warily, but took them cautiously. "It's nice to meet you, Glow. Much nicer than the guards that put me up here, at least." He said with a chuckle. "I'm Clay." He answered cheekily. Glow chuckled along with him. He's even nicer than he seemed in the cave. Clay's eyes suddenly flashed open with realization. "Hey, I think I actually recognize you." Glow jumped a bit. Oh no. My cover's blown, isn't it? "You're the SkyWing that flew down into the arena with that IceWing when Horizon was killed." He said, his face twisting with discomfort at the memory. Glow's face reflexively did it too.

       "Y-yeah– that's me. The IceWing's my mentor and master, and Horizon's mate. Her name is Frigga." Clay cocked his head at her.

       Clay's gaze softened. "Oh. I'm so sorry to hear that. That must be really hard for her." He consoled. Glow heard the flapping of wings and the sizzle of something burning and instinctively stepped to the edge of the pedestal farthest away from the sound. The sound of something plopping onto the stone was audible, and Glow could now see in the moonlight who it was.

       "Hi, Glow! I see you've introduced yourselves already." Peril said, dropping a charred duck on the column, presumably for Clay. Her facial expression made Glow's scales crawl a little.

       Clay shrugged awkwardly. "Um, yeah. It's kind of a good thing that you two already know each other, though. Otherwise, I'm not sure how I'd react in all honesty." Clay said sheepishly. Peril nudged the duck closer to Clay and Glow stayed behind Clay, feeling very uncomfortable standing near Peril.

       Peril was visibly making herself look as small as possible. Glow quickly noticed that she had been doing that at the tavern that night, too. The heat coming from Peril was overwhelming, like standing next to an erupting volcano. She was appalled that she didn't notice it before, but made sure not to get too close. Even from Clay with Glow behind him, there was still a dragon's length between them. Peril cleared her throat.

       "I brought you something different. Well, I made the guard let me bring it. I hope that you don't mind that it's a little crispy." She spread her talons apart in what seemed to Glow like an oddly hopeless gesture. Peril was waiting awkwardly, twiddling her talons. Clay looked uncertain, and Glow could guess pretty well why. She wouldn't want to be burned by Peril either– on purpose or by accident. "I'll be careful." She said. "I'll stay really still, I promise. I just thought it might be less obvious if I sat here instead of flying around you." Glow glanced around at the other prisoners, her eyes locking with the IceWing next to Clay. Her eyes looked desperate and hopeful, although not like she wanted her help in escaping. She seemed more lonely than anything else. Glow made a mental note to speak to the IceWing after she was done talking to Peril and Clay. She might have something useful to talk to me about and she doesn't seem openly antagonistic.

       Glow was snapped back to the now by the sound of Clay scraping the duck into his mouth. Glow could hear the odd crunching of the charred feathers in his mouth and cringed, her very being shuddering. "Oh dear, that was fast. Do you want another one?" Peril asked.

       "I'm alright." Clay said.

       Peril scraped her talons across the stone looking awkwardly at Glow. "Do you want me to go away?" She asked.

       "No." Both Clay and Glow said in unison, looking at each other and then at Peril in surprise. "Stay and talk to me – er – us." He offered, glancing at Glow.

       Peril looked up in equal shock. "Aren't you afraid of me? Now that you've seen what I can do?" She asked defeatedly.

       "Of course I am." He said honestly. "But you're still better company than the pigeons. All they talk about is nest design and who to poop on." He continued with a chuckle. Peril and Glow barked gleefully at his witty remark. He glanced around at the two SkyWings alighted with him. "And now that there are two of you here, I'll be even less lonely." He finished. Glow flashed him a toothy grin.

       "Well, you know what they say. 'The more, the merrier!'" Glow chimed, furrowing her brow dramatically. Peril and Clay shrugged and chuckled.

       Clay looked closely at the two of them, studying Peril in particular. The moonlight highlighted the delicate features on her face, the warm glow of her internal fire showing through the spaces in between her scales. Clay dipped his head slightly. "Are – are you all right?"

       Peril blinked quickly several times. Instead of answering, she said "That was weird today, wasn't it?" Glow flinched. Dodging the question to hide how you're really feeling. Glow gazed off to the side, an image of an indignant Corona blooming in her mind. I know that feeling all too well.

       "What was weird?" Clay asked.

       "The SandWing – Horizon – the way he just gave up." Peril opened and closed her wings and Glow could feel Clay flinch. "Why would he do that?" Peril asked. Before she could continue, Glow interjected.

       "I guess he figured that it wasn't worth trying anymore." She began. "The odds were against him from the start. I guess he realized that he was never going to see his loved ones again and he was going to die anyway." Glow speculated. "I guess he just wanted it to end right then and there. He couldn't bear to suffer anymore." Glow finished. Clay shuffled uncomfortably and brushed Glow's wing reassuringly.

       "Well, hey. At least he got to see his love for the last time before he died." Clay said. Although Glow knew he was just trying to help, she didn't feel any better about what happened. Glow noticed that Peril looked rather uncomfortable standing by herself on the edge of the ledge. Clay nudged Glow lightly. "So, did you know him?" He asked.

       Glow shook her head. "No. I didn't know him personally. Whitecap and Frigga talked about him, especially his son, Glass." Clay cocked his head confusedly at her. Glow felt a little embarrassed. "Whitecap's the oldest of us. He's a SeaWing and he was her first apprentice. In our group, he's the one she's closest to. Well, him and Evenstar – the NightWing with us – are who she's closest to in our group." Glow explained.

       Clay widened his eyes and Peril bobbed her head up curiously. "A NightWing? Wow, and I thought we were the only ones who'd ever make friends with a NightWing" He remarked. "Ours' name is Starflight. He's just about the smartest dragon on Pyrrhia, although his lectures will bore you to death, not going to lie." Clay joked. Glow chuckled and Peril tilted her head in curiosity.

       "So how did you get a NightWing in your group?" Peril asked. Glow turned to face her.

       "Well, he was given to Frigga by a dying NightWing; she assumed she was his mother. And basically, we raised him." Glow summarized. Clay shook his head.

       "Wow. Does he have any powers?" Clay asked exuberantly.

       "Nope. None at all, although if intuition was a superpower, he has the best I've ever seen. No matter what, if something's wrong, he'll know it. But he's a great emotional support, and surprisingly wise for being three years old." Glow answered. Peril looked off to the side distracted.

       "Well, anyways." Peril interrupted. "It's poor form. I guess I should have pushed him away to make him keep fighting. Her Majesty was pretty angry." She carried on.

       "At you?" Clay said. "That doesn't seem fair."

       Peril blinked again. "Really?" She said. "It doesn't?"

       Glow nodded. "I agree. It's not like you could have predicted that he was going to try to commit suicide."

       Peril shook her head. "No, the queen is right. It's my responsibility to make the fight exciting if the other dragon won't do it."

       "Why do you do what she says?" Clay asked. Glow looked over at Peril with pity. She might not have a choice. It's not like we know what the queen would do to her if she refused. "Do you – like fighting?" Glow had a feeling what Clay actually wanted to ask, and she was afraid of what that answer would be, too.

       "Of course." Peril said. "I'm good at fighting – and not much else. And she's my queen. I'm her champion."

       "Just because you're good at something doesn't mean that's the only thing you're capable of." Glow interrupted again. Peril visibly winced in disbelief. Glow took in a deep breath. "You can be good at something and hate doing that thing, or enjoy doing something you're not good at. But it doesn't mean you can't try to be better at that thing you enjoy." Glow explained. Peril narrowed her eyes before turning away coldly. Glow flinched. I'm sorry. I was just trying to help.

       "Why you?" Clay asked, trying to diffuse the situation.

       "No one else wants me." Peril said matter-of-factly. "No one can even touch me. You saw that. I was born with too much fire. Usually when dragons like me hatch, the SkyWings drop them off the highest mountain peak. That's what my mother was going to do, but Queen Scarlet saved me and killed her to punish her." Her eyes went cold at the words my mother.

       "Wow." Clay said faintly.

       "Yeah, wow." Glow added. Something about that story didn't seem right. From the way Scarlet acted generally as well as her overall presence, Glow could tell a few things. The main things were that she's manipulative, vain, very possessive, and not one for charity. She wouldn't save a dragon like her unless she had some inherent use for her. Glow looked back towards the arena. Guess that's the use. I'm honestly surprised she didn't just use her as a weapon to win the war instead.

       Glow was suddenly snapped back into reality by Peril's voice. "Yeah. If you want to know everything, I burned up my twin in the egg. I sucked all the fire out of him and scorched him to a crisp." She shrugged, but there was a wobbliness to her voice. Glow shifted uneasily. Yikes. 

       "I attacked the other eggs in my nest when I hatched." Clay admitted. "At least, that's what the big dragons told me. They said I tried to kill my nestmates. I don't remember it." Glow folded her wings closer to her body in response. Double yikes!

       Peril tilted her head. "So maybe we were both born to kill other dragons." She said. She sounded oddly happy about it and it made Glow very uncomfortable.

       "I don't really want to do that." Clay said. "I like fighting, but the only thing I've ever killed is prey."

       "I don't believe in that." Glow said. Both Peril and Clay whipped their heads around at her.

       "What?" They both asked curiously.

       Glow continued. "I don't believe it when dragons say that killing is in our nature, that it's an instinct we're born with." She scratched her claws on the stone. "Hatred and greed are manufactured– they're not real emotions. No one is born with hatred or greed, it's something that's taught." Glow turned to face them both. "No one is born to kill. I refuse to believe that moronic statement, no matter who tries to tell me otherwise." Glow finished defiantly.

       Peril's expression changed to something like anger, or contempt. "Well, you can believe that if you want, but Her Majesty said I might as well follow my true nature." Peril said flatly. Glow scowled at her. She can be so much more than what she is. I know it. Vivid images of the night at the Sky City Tavern flashed in her mind. Peril's smiling face and her genuine and excitable laughter were enthralling her. I saw the dragon you could be if you only knew better. "That's how she raised me – letting me be myself, giving me dragons to kill. Maybe you'd feel better if you could be who you really are."

       "I hope that's not who I am." Clay said. Glow turned to glare at her for thinking she could dictate who Clay should be until she saw her dejected expression in the moonlight. That was not the expression a monstrous dragon ever wore, even as a farce. All she really wants is someone to relate with – someone to make her feel less lonely. "Not – not that –" he stammered. Glow felt tense, not certain how Peril would react to Clay's blunder. "I mean – maybe I was born that way, but does that mean I'm like that forever? I guess? I hope I have a choice, is all. I want to be who I want to be, not who I have to be. Right?" Clay tried to explain. Peril still did not look convinced. "Do you ever – I mean, wouldn't you want to be different, if you could be anyone?"

       "No." Peril said, clawing at the rock under her talons. "I've accepted myself, and I like myself this way. You should do the same thing." Glow could see the doubt in her face that betrayed the conviction in her voice. Glow couldn't stay quiet anymore and stamped her foot, irritated.

       "What Clay is trying to say is that if he has a choice, shouldn't he allowed to make that choice himself?" Glow began. Peril's face garnered an injured expression. This time, Glow's sympathy was not going to stop her from saying what she needed to say. "Just because someone tells you that's who you're supposed to be, that doesn't mean you are. Just because someone calls you, tells you, or treats you like a monster, that doesn't mean you are one." She continued, Peril's face dropping more and more with a depressive determination. "I know that dragon you become in the arena isn't who you really are; that's what Scarlet wants you to be. The dragon you really are is the dragon I shared a drink with in the Sky City Tavern, and the dragon we're talking to now. A lonely, but bubbly and quirky dragon that wants to have real friends to share laughs and memories with." Glow finished.

       Peril's face was unreadable. It seemed to flicker through several different emotions; doubt, uncertainty, anger, loneliness, denial, or joy. Before she could respond to Glow, something clattered far below them, and Peril jumped. "I'd better go." She said.

       Clay jumped up, panic sparking in his chestnut eyes. "Wait." Clay said. "Please. Who's supposed to fight tomorrow? Can you talk to the queen? Tell her not to send in the NightWing. He's not ready for the arena." He pleaded.

       "Are you serious?" Peril said. "She'd be furious. She's so excited to see him fight."

       "Tell her I volunteer instead." Clay blurted. "Tell her I'm ready, and I promise I'll make it exciting." Glow stared at him, appalled. He's not serious, is he? Pyrrhia can't lose him, he's far from expendable! The whole continent needs him!

       Peril was already shaking her head. "I can't. I'm forbidden to talk to you. She was really mad when she found out I visited you before. I guess you're not like the other prisoners." Glow tucked herself closer into her folded wings. Oops. Guess I should have kept my mouth shut and told her I didn't know who he was. Then again, would Peril have visited anyway? She was a pretty curious dragon, after all, so would telling her Clay was a dragonet of destiny have had any impact on whether she was going to see him or not?

       "But you came to see me anyway?" Clay asked.

       Peril shuffled her talons, looking rather embarrassed. An image of Sunny's beautiful golden scales and mellow smile started to shimmer in Glow's mind and she started reacting the same way. Glow's stomach suddenly became gripped with horror. How could I have forgotten!? One of us has to find Sunny before something terrible happens to her! "Yeah, I don't know why. I mean, it didn't seem fair. I like talking to you. Her Majesty never has time to talk to me, and my only other friend is old and tells me the same stories over and over again. You're blazing." Glow decided that now wasn't a good time to ask Peril about Sunny, considering she'd have to explain how she knew about her to Clay without revealing herself, and she didn't exactly have a good cover or alibi that they'd believe.

       Peril was looking at Clay hopefully. He shuffled a bit uneasily. "Uh, thanks. You're...blazing too?" Glow snickered. Aw, he's trying.

       Peril grinned, a toothy smile flashed in the moonlight. "That's what Her Majesty says. She likes me the way I am," she paused, opening her eyes in shock. She glanced over at Glow before continuing. "And nobody else ever has. Until you." She said to Clay. Glow felt a little offended, but Peril's frown seemed to betray her confidence in herself she exhibited a moment ago.

       Glow suddenly realized that being raised by Scarlet like this; she might not have been told right from wrong. Peril was basically allowed to do what she pleased as long as it kept the queen happy while Scarlet simultaneously nurtured a toxic and unhealthy mindset that fit her uses for Peril. She never had a real friend, or at least one who had ever seen who she was outside of the arena or the queen. Glow felt like her outburst at Peril might have flipped a switch in the lonely and awkward SkyWing misfit's mind – or at least she hoped she did. After all, she deserved to have a choice of who she wanted to be, didn't she?

       "Listen." Clay said, snapping Glow back to the current moment. "Could you talk to her about Starflight anyway? What if you acted like you came up with it yourself? A MudWing is still something new, right? So send me in first and save him for later. Besides, if he dies in his first fight, that would be a waste, wouldn't it?" A lump formed in Glow's throat as he spoke. You can't be serious. You go in the arena, you'll be cougar-chow, and Pyrrhia can't afford to lose you after it's already suffered enough!

       "You think he would?" Peril asked, looking around at the pedestals. "Can't he use his powers? Reading minds and all that?"

       "They're a little unpredictable." He hazarded. "He's not full grown, you know. He's still learning how to use them. Although, of course, they're very scary when they work." Glow thought about if she should've been more secretive of Evenstar's lack of powers. Although, what Clay said made sense, so maybe it was just deductive reasoning how their powers worked. He seems smarter than to just reveal something about NightWing powers to Scarlet. And besides, Evenstar won't have to worry about facing the arena. Glow shuddered as doubt crept into the back of her mind. I hope. 

       "Oh, that makes sense." Peril said, her tail twitching over her talons as she thought. Clay tried to sidle farther from her blistering heat, nearly pushing Glow off the edge. Glow slid around Clay to sit between him and Peril to give him more room. "All right. I'll try" Peril said, finally.

       "Thank you." Clay said, graciously.

       Peril spread her wings to fly away, but then turned her head to look at the two of them. "You wouldn't do that, would you?" She said to Clay. Clay tilted his head in confusion. "Kill yourself like that. The way Horizon did." She coughed out a puff of smoke. Her smoldering blue eyes looked very worried, though for what, Glow wasn't certain. Was Peril worried about Clay dying? Or about having to fight him in the arena?

       "I don't think so." Clay said honestly.  Glow winced at the thought of Clay, one of Pyrrhia's only hopes, being burned alive by Peril.

       "Oh, good. I'd much rather kill you fair and square." Peril said, although her shoulders sagged when she said that last line, as if it now sounded alien for her own voice to be saying that. Peril turned to face her SkyWing companion. "Are you coming, Glow?" She asked. Glow shook her head.

       "I think I'll stay here a little while longer, thanks." Clay looked relieved, but Peril's eyes went cold.

       She shrugged. "Suit yourself. Goodnight, you two." She flared her wings open. "Oh, and Glow?"  Glow was waiting expectantly for what she was going to ask. Peril's eyes were sad and reflective. She shook her head quickly. "Nevermind. Goodnight." She leaped off and sent a wave of heat down on them as she flew down to the arena.

       As soon as she left, Clay turned to shrug at Glow. "You're not going to accidentally or purposely burn me, are you?" He joked.

       "Not unless I'm a really late bloomer or something." Glow chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. She settled down on the free space now between them, trying not to get entangled in the wires keeping Clay on the tower. Glow shook herself and stomped her talon on the tower. "I hate Scarlet so much! She's the worst!" She exclaimed.

       Clay turned his attention to her in surprise. "Not that I disagree with you, but how?" He asked.

       Glow crumpled over in the moonlight, shifting closer to Clay. "You see it, don't you? How Scarlet's parenting, if you can even call it that, affected her? Peril's not a horrible dragon! She's just been taken advantage of by an evil dragon her whole life!" She ranted. Clay shuffled closer to Glow, pressing his wings against her side. Glow then wrapped her wing around Clay, keeping him sheltered from the wind. He looked a little bewildered. "Peril deserves better than she's getting. Can you believe that nonsense? That dragons are meant to be violent and murder whoever they please?" Glow mused.

       Clay looked unsure. "How do you know she's wrong?" He asked thoughtfully.

       Glow had to pause for a moment to think about her answer. What makes Frigga different than Kestrel, or Scarlet, or Cinnabar? The answer was obvious, but still needed thinking. "Because if she's right, then there wouldn't be dragons like Frigga." Clay looked confused. "Frigga's the closest thing to a mother we have, and she's the best there is, I'm convinced." She explained.

       "Tell me. I want to know more about her." Clay said. Glow smiled.

       "She's had the worst of life thrown at her. All her family members are as good as dead, and she's suffered some things you couldn't possibly imagine." Glow explained. "And she still loves and cares for us like we're her own. She treats us like we're her own. She never shunned us away, she always wanted to help us and make us happy, and she never called us names or even thought about hurting us. She could have easily turned out awful, but she didn't let her life make her bitter and angry. She just continues to give the very best she believes we deserve." She elaborated, smiling at all the fond memories she has of the IceWing. "If Scarlet was right, dragons like Frigga wouldn't exist."

       Clay then shrugged. "Then why does Scarlet believe it? Kestrel believed it, too. She was one of our minders in our cave, she was a SkyWing too, and she was awful." Clay asked. "She was so mean, especially to Glory, our RainWing." Glow winced. Yep, I remember how awful she is. She thought with disgust.

       Glow huffed. "The only reason I can think of is that it justifies her actions to herself. In her eyes, she's not doing anything wrong because that's just how dragons are, and she believes it." The red SkyWing thought of Peril sadly. "And why Peril believes it, too. She was punished for seeing and talking to you, while Scarlet lets her murder dragons for fun."

       Clay looked pensive. "I guess that makes sense." He sighed heavily, looking over in Glow's direction concerned. "Are you sure you won't get caught if you stay here? I'd hate for you to get in trouble too." He suggested. Glow brushed him off.

       "Heh, don't worry about me. I got my tracks covered." Glow reassured. They sat there in silence, gazing at the moons overhead for a while. They sat there until Glow's thoughts were interrupted by Clay.

       "So, what about you?" He asked.

       Glow looked at him confused. "Pardon?" She asked, bewildered.

       "I want to know more about you. As nice as Peril is to me, I'd rather have another friend to talk to other than her, you know?" He clarified. Glow suddenly felt the sympathy she pushed aside to lecture Peril come back.

       "Don't be too hard on her." Clay turned his head at her. "She's really not a bad dragon. There's more to her than you think. She just, as much as it pains me to say this, doesn't really know any better."

       Clay nodded in agreement. "But I think you know more about her than I do."

       "Factually, no. Emotionally, yes, I do." Glow corrected. Clay shifted closer to Glow.

       "So, you mentioned something about a tavern. Mind telling me about that?" His eyes were concerned. Glow bent her head down low.

       "Well, the first night I stayed here, I saw Peril sneaking out. I caught up to her and we introduced ourselves, and she asked me to come with her. She showed me the Sky City Tavern, her favourite place to hang out. The soldiers hang out there, the laid-back ones mostly. We basically laughed, hung out, and shared a drink. It was only at the end of the night when I discovered she was the arena champion, and even then, I had no idea what she was capable of." Glow shared. Clay yawned, stretching as much as his prison allowed.

       "So, what was she like? Was she alright?" Clay asked. Glow pondered for a moment.

       "She just seemed like a normal, but lonely dragon." Glow answered. Glow's calm smile disappeared. "That's why I know she's capable of so much more if she were given the choice. But for all we know, she's most likely not given the choice. For anything." Glow said, scraping the stone harshly. She turned her head up towards the palace. Her face twisted into a scowl. "So, you're the MudWing of destiny, right?" Glow asked directly.

       Clay nodded. "Yeah, I mean if I'm the only MudWing prisoner. That has to be the reason why, right?" He said brightly.

       "Can you pass a message to your friends from me?" Glow asked. Clay cocked his head at her cautiously.

       "Yeah, why?" He inquired.

       "Tell them that Burn is not an option for the SandWing throne." Glow blurted. Clay was taken aback by the remark.

       "Why not?" Glow whipped her head around at him. "Again, not that I disagree or anything, but I'm just curious why you feel that way." He blubbered. Glow tilted her head down, gripping the stone as tightly as possible.

       "Because she doesn't care about the lives of other dragons. She kills them without a second thought. She enjoys doing it. She enjoys killing innocent dragons for her own amusement. She doesn't value the lives she takes." Glow rambled. Bile was rising in her throat and smoke was pouring from her nostrils as she started to tremble. "Say what you want about Blister or Blaze, but at least Blaze is the nice one and Blister values the lives she takes. Blister might be sinister and too smart to be trusted, but when she kills dragons, she kills them because there's a value to them. They're a danger and a threat to her. Burn kills dragons just for sick kicks!" Embers were leaking out of her throat and Clay shuffled slightly away.

       "Are you okay, Glow?" Clay asked, worried. "You sound like you've been studying the war almost as hard as we have." Glow took a deep breath and let out a little flame to quell the anger swirling in her core. You have no idea.

       "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking, Clay." She muttered.

       "No problem." Clay murmured. Glow turned to look at the palace again.

       "Scarlet and Burn are really no different, are they? It's no wonder they fight on the same side." Glow whispered.

       "Wait, how come you're not supporting Scarlet if you're a SkyWing?" Clay asked. For some reason, Glow found it rather offensive that he would group her in with the likes of Scarlet and Burn. She then remembered Vermilion, One-Eye, and Kite's family friends and realized that it wasn't such a farfetched question. She then wondered once again if it was right to tell Clay about her true identity, about her being the SkyWing of destiny. No. It's still not the right time. She decided.

       "I wasn't born or raised in the Sky Kingdom. Frigga found my egg outside of her cave, abandoned. She raised me alongside my friends. She picked up Whitecap first, then Willow, me, Corona, Evenstar, and Kite. Willow's a MudWing someone sold to Frigga in the Mud Kingdom. Corona's a SandWing who was a thief in the Scorpion Den in the Kingdom of the Sand, and Kite's a SkyWing we found injured outside of the cave. He ran away from his abusive mother, and that's how we found him." Glow explained.

       "Wait, did you live in the mountains we did?" Clay asked.

       "Um, where would that be? Down south?" Glow asked, trying not to sound too suspicious.

       "Yeah, on the west side of the mountain range, actually. I think. I don't know; I never paid too much attention to Starflight's lectures in the first place." Clay chuckled. Glow nodded, acknowledging him.

       "Really? We lived on the east side of the mountains." Glow answered. Clay widened his eyes excitedly.

       "Wow. So we were practically neighbours!" Clay exclaimed. Glow grinned at him.

       "Yeah. It's a shame that we never got to meet – I would have loved to be friends with you." Glow admitted. Clay sighed sadly.

       "Our minders never let us leave the caves. They said it was for our own good, but it felt more like we were prisoners." He explained.

       "I can only imagine how awful that must have been. A life without the freedom of choice, I don't think is a life worth living." Glow said sympathetically.

       "I actually don't agree with you there." Clay said. Glow raised a curious eyebrow at him.

       Glow raised her eyebrows. "Really?" She exclaimed. I thought you hated it down there. "Why is that, Clay?" Glow asked inquisitively.

       "Well, I think that no matter what, even if life is pretty hard, you should look at the bright sides and make the most of it." He began. "Like, even if we were all pretty much trapped against our will, we at least had each other, and we're like a family. Even though living under the mountain was terrible, it would have been so much worse if I didn't have Starflight, Glory, Tsunami, or Sunny." He explained.

       Glow slumped over and rested her head on her forearms, letting one of them dangle over the edge of the pedestal. "I suppose that's a good way to look at things, but that doesn't mean you should be content with your situation just because it could be worse. If you think you deserve better, then you should get or find a better life. Leave your bad situation, if you can." Glow retorted. Clay let out a hearty laugh.

       "Well, that's why we're here in the first place. We escaped, but then we got caught." Clay admitted. Glow hummed in approval. Clay's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh no! Have you seen Sunny? She's an unusual looking SandWing. She's small, golden coloured, doesn't have a tail barb, and her eyes are green instead of black. Have you seen a dragonet like that?" Clay inquired panic-stricken. Glow waved her talons in response.

       "Easy, easy. Take it down a notch, friend. I haven't seen a dragonet like that, unfortunately." She paused, her face feeling warm at the mention of Sunny's name. "But I'll ask someone in the morning if they know where she is." Clay sighed in relief.

       "Thank you so much." Clay said gratefully.

       "You're welcome." Glow responded. She looked back towards the palace and felt like time was running short. "I'd better get back. Even as a guest with newfound connections in this kingdom, I don't get infinite privileges." Glow said with a chuckle. Clay looked disappointed. "And besides, you'd better get some rest for tomorrow if Peril succeeds in dissuading the queen." Glow reasoned.

       Clay slumped a bit after Glow got up. "Will I see you again?" Clay asked. Glow turned over to him and saw the worry in his deep brown eyes.

       Glow smiled and thrashed her tail. "Don't worry. I have a strong feeling you will." She flared open her wings and prepared to lift into the sky. "You'd better know what you're doing tomorrow." Clay cocked his head to the side confused. "Pyrrhia can't afford to lose you." Glow stated. Clay scratched his ear with his front talon nervously.

       "Heh, I'll be alright. I, uh – have a plan." Clay assured weakly.

       "You'd better." Glow said sharply.

       Clay dipped his head towards her. "It was nice meeting you, Glow."

       Glow turned her head towards him. "It was nice meeting you, too." They locked eyes for a long while until Glow remembered her responsibilities and sighed. "Well, goodnight Clay." She said. She lifted off the pedestal and soared toward the balcony she came from, making sure that she wasn't being followed.