"I was alone and cold in the Jade forest." Holly began. "I had only just reached a tree root in which to rest when I saw a bright purple dragon appear out of what looked like a portal-thing."
Opal looked over at Sea who nodded.
"It was bright purple and it was pink in the underbelly. It looked around like it was hunting for something, but I didn't know what. My instinct told me to stay still and not move. It saw something move near me and leapt on it. I heard screaming so I shifted so I could see the other side of the tree. I saw the dragon growling in frustration and it then raked its claws on the nearest tree. The tree suddenly turned a grey-black and all the leaves suddenly turned to ash and blew away in the wind."
"What colour was the centre of the scratch?" Opal managed to ask.
"Bright pink."
Opal gasped. The other three looked at her as if she knew something they didn't. "Keep going." She said.
"Well the dragon then portaled away and I was left there. I stayed there for a day before Seasnake found me."
"Tell me." Opal said, "what did the purple dragon look like?"
"Well it was purple, I can tell you that. It's ears were about three times as large as yours. The horns, I couldn't tell, but I think they were twisted. The tail was thin and glowed pink like the underbelly. I saw the claws. They were long and sharp, and I think poisonous."
Opal suddenly leapt up and went to race back to her sleeping cave.
"Opal what's wrong?" Quartz said. But all that came back was, "I think I found something!" Opal raced back up to her Scroll rack and took out the scroll again. She then raced back to her friends and unrolled the scroll in front of them.
"Here." She said pointing to the VoidWing section. Holly took one look at the drawing and declared, "That's it!" All four dragonets looked at the drawings.
"But why would the VoidWings do this?" Quartz asked. "What have we done to them?"
"Maybe they were planning this all along." Sea said with a hiss. Opal shook her head.
"If they were planning this, they would have done it by now." She pointed out. "Something must have came up that got the VoidWings angry."
"We'll have to ask one of them." Holly said. Sea froze.
"How do you suppose we do that?" She asked.
"I have no idea." Holly looked at the ground.
"Tell you what," Quartz began. "Meet you here tonight and we'll figure out what to do then."
The other trio nodded in unison.
                                                                     . . .
Opal hurried to the main cave area where quad said to meet. Opal clutched her sleepless bracelet, enchanted to prevent the wearer from becoming tired. Opal had had an argument with her parents to let her have it, and the only lie she could come up with was that Quartz was having a night lesson and Opal wanted to help. She reached the main cave to see Sea and Holly waiting for her. She raced over to them and looked around.
"Where is Quartz?" She asked.
"She hasn't come yet." Said Holly. "She might be here any moment."
Just as those words escaped Holly's jaws did Quartz appear at the mouth of the tunnel.
"Sorry I'm late." She said, "just had to wait until I knew my parents were certain that I was asleep."
"You snuck out!" Opal hissed.
"Shhhh!" Sea put her wing in front of Opal's snout to hush her.
"Sorry." Opal whispered.
"So," Quartz began, "where is our best bet."
"I say the Jade Forest." Said Opal.
"I agree with Jade Forest." Holly agreed. This took Opal by surprise.
"I guess the Jade Forest too." Sea shrugged.
"So Jade Forest then." Quartz said. "Let's go!"
The quad raced to the main exit, spread their wings and took off into the night, flying toward the Jade Forest. The moon was just a few tail lengths away from the horizon. Opal looked around at the grassland below. All the animals were asleep for the night. Jade Forest was only a few wing beats away before they could see it in the distance. Opal, Quartz, Holly and Sea all angled their wings so that they dived down into the deep green trees. They landed on the soft grass, with small rustles, as they disturbed the few ferns and bushes around them. Sea then turned to the others.
"Let's split up." She said, "that way we can find them more easily."
"But one of us could get picked off by the VoidWings." Opal pointed out. "We would have a chance to call out."
"Then we'll go in pairs." Quartz said, "Sea and me, you and Holly."
Opal turned to Holly, but Holly she didn't look to meet her eyes. As Sea and Quartz disappeared into the bushes, Opal looked around.
"So where do we start?" She asked. "Looking I mean."
"I say we start going this way," Holly said in a surprisingly pleasant tone, "then loop around and come back here."
Holly flicked her tail toward some bushes over to Opal's left. Opal nodded and let Holly take the lead. Holly lead Opal through the bushes and deeper into Jade Forest. Opal kept looking warily to the left and right, clearly expecting a VoidWing to suddenly appear there. She had the feeling that they were being watched. They reached a small clearing where the moonlight filled the area. Opal looked up and saw the moon directly above them.
"Ok," Holly said, "I'll check around these trees here and you wait for me here."
"Alright!" Opal said enthusiastically, laying down on the ground. Holly disappeared into the bushes nearby without a sound. Almost as soon as Holly disappeared, Opal heard a swishing sound behind her. She turned her head around to see this strange circular disk in the air. It was white at the centre and then faded to pink then faded to purple at the edges. From the disk came a long slender dragon that was a shade of deep plum purple. His underbelly was a dark rose pink and the semicircle scales were cherry red. His wings were the colour of a sunrise with the colours purple that faded to red. He had a long whip-like tail, the end glowing the same colour as his rose pink underbelly. His back spikes were long and straight and ended at the base of his tail. The disk behind him disappeared and he opened his eyes. They glowed a bright pale pink in the shadows of the trees as he looked down at Opal with and evil expression. Opal bit back a call and stared at this VoidWing unafraid. The VoidWing looked around obviously checking if Opal was completely alone.
"Who are you?" Opal asked, making the VoidWing jump.
"It doesn't matter since you'll be dead soon." He said sniffing the scent of some ferns.
"I want to know your name anyway." Opal said, not backing down.
"Very well." He said pausing, "it's . . . . . . . Sh. . . . Shulker."
"Well mine's Opal." Opal told him. Her plan was to get this VoidWing to curious to kill her. Shulker looked her straight in the eyes. The cold pink centre stared right into her soul. Opal blinked and so did Shulker. She then got to her talons and faced the VoidWing.
"Tell me Shulker," Opal began, "why are you here?"
"I thought it would be obvious to you by now." Shulker sighed. "I'm here on specific orders from my Queen to kill any dragon I find alone."
"Technically I'm not alone so to speak." Opal told him, "I came here with a friend and she'll be back."
"When?" Shulker asked suddenly swinging his head from side to side.
"It's ok calm down!" Opal said holding up her talon just above his shoulder. "I actually don't know."
Shulker looked down at her talon and then back at the lush foliage.
"Why are you doing this?" Opal asked, "why does your queen want us dead?"
"I'm not supposed to tell you." Shulker said grimly. Opal looked at him in the eye.
"Alright fine!" He suddenly snapped, "I don't know."
Opal blinked at him. He looked at her and then stalked off toward the nearest tree.
"Tell you what," he said, "I'll leave you alive and nobody has to know about this, ok?"
"Only my friends?" Opal tried.
"Only if they don't tell anyone." Shulker said. He suddenly whipped his tail up like a scorpion and a purple spark suddenly jumped out of the end of it. When it hit the tree, the disk suddenly formed again and he started to step into it. He then turned his head back to look at Opal.
"Farewell Opal," Shulker said flicking his tail, "I hope our paths cross again on less hostile terms."
He grinned for the first time, showing jagged, irregular teeth. Opal smiled back and waved her tail as the disk slowly disappeared, taking Shulker with it. Opal turned around just as Holly emerged from the bushes.
"What was that!?" She demanded, "I thought I'd have to save you from him!"
"There was no need." Opal told her, "I had it all under control."
"Then let's go find Sea and Quartz before the night ends."
                                                                     . . .
Opal and Holly found Sea and Quartz by the Whispering Stream having a drink.
"How did it go?" Sea asked, her tongue flicking in and out.
"We went well." Opal replied, "how about you?"
"No luck." Said Quartz, "couldn't find a VoidWing anywhere."
"I'm guessing you found one?" Sea said. Both Opal and Holly nodded.
"What happened?"
"Well Holly left me to check the trees nearby—"
Opal told the others about Shulker and he being merciful to her, leaving her alive. She also told them that VoidWings are attacking other dragons because their queen told them to. Sea gasped at this part.
"Why would she do that!" She hissed her face full of rage. She looked over at Quartz and Holly, hoping to see them outraged too.
"He never told me." Opal said shaking her head. "He said that he wasn't supposed to tell me."
"Or didn't want to." Sea hissed under her breath.
"Or maybe his Queen told him not to." Holly suggested. "Sounds about right to me."
"In fact it does." Quartz said, "if the Queen was telling her dragons to kill anyone they find alone, they wouldn't tell anyone while they're doing it, would they?"
Opal nodded and then looked over at Sea. Her eyes were wide with surprise, just like the time when Opal told Sea why it wasn't smart to look for the enemy.
"That is actually what I would do if Anaconda told me to do that." Sea said, giving her wings three large flaps. The four dragons fell silent as they neared Unakite, not wanting to be detected by the night patrols. The quad glided down to the main entrance and folded in their wings. Opal suddenly huddled them aside into the shadows.
"I have to tell you something quick," she whispered. "I made a deal with Shulker."
"What!" Sea almost shouted. Quartz put her talon to Sea's mouth, shushing her.
"What did you deal?" Quartz whispered.
"He said he would leave me alive and let me tell you three, if I told no one else about what happened."
"But the Queen has to know about this." Holly hissed. "She can't keep having her dragons injured or even killed and not knowing the reason why."
"It's the only thing I could say to keep myself alive." Opal argued. She looked over at Holly.
"He might have found you too." She said softly to Holly.
Opal went to step into the entrance when a loud voice spoke behind them.
"Where do you think you're going!"