Frost and Glory stood outside Queen Dazzle's hut, the air thick with the tension left behind by the queen's stern words. The hustle and bustle of RainWings moving past them toward the queen's quarters seemed to echo the finality of the conversation they had just been a part of. The faint scent of tropical flowers mixed with the humidity in the air, but it did nothing to soothe the knot in Frost's chest.

"Well, that wasn't very successful," Frost muttered under her breath, her words laced with frustration. She had hoped for more, something tangible—some direction, some clue about the Hollow. Instead, they were met with harsh rejection and a glimpse of something darker that they didn't fully understand.

She stood still, her mind swirling with questions. The queen's words about the Forbidden Hollow had unsettled her. It was a place cursed, dangerous... the line between life and death blurred. Frost wasn't sure if she should be relieved or more worried. Either way, they hadn't gotten any closer to uncovering its secrets.

Glory, standing beside her, was quieter than usual. Her scales, usually shimmering with radiant hues, now reflected a muted and unhappy array of colors. Frost could tell that her sister felt the weight of the failure, but like always, Glory was quick to pull herself together. She straightened, the melancholic colors fading from her scales as she put on a mask of composure, one that only Frost knew to be a veneer.

The passing RainWings made no attempt to acknowledge the two dragonets, intent on their own business, their expressions unreadable as they moved toward the queen's hut. It was clear that the queen's influence stretched far, and whatever had transpired in that tent had created a ripple effect that none of the RainWings dared to interrupt.

As they stood there in silence, a figure emerged from the queen's hut, moving slower than usual. It was Liana, the purple RainWing who had caused the entire stir. Her wings were slightly outstretched, her movement halting. Frost's eyes immediately locked onto her, narrowing in concern as she saw the limpness in Liana's posture. The purple dragonet's talon was hanging awkwardly at her side, and there was a grimace on her face that spoke volumes.

"Liana, wait!" Frost called out, her voice tinged with urgency. She took a step forward, her wings twitching instinctively, but Liana didn't even glance back.

Instead, Liana flapped her wings weakly, the faintest sound of effort in her movements. Her talon barely touched the ground as she flitted away, her body angled in such a way that she seemed to be avoiding any further confrontation.

Frost's eyes widened, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. Something was wrong. The way Liana had flown off—almost as if she was trying to hide something, the way her limp talon hung like dead weight—it didn't sit right with her.

"Liana!" Frost called again, but it was too late. Liana didn't stop, didn't even give a single glance behind her as she disappeared into the shadows of the rainforest, blending into the foliage with alarming speed.

Frost stood frozen for a moment, staring in disbelief at the spot where Liana had been. The silence that followed felt heavy, as though the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for the next move.

Glory was the first to break the silence. "Something's wrong, Frost," she murmured, her voice low and almost hesitant, as though she wasn't sure if she should say the words out loud. "I don't think Liana's all right."

Frost nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. "We need to follow her," she said, the urgency in her tone unmistakable. The queen had made her displeasure clear, but this was something else entirely. There was something deeper happening here, something that the queen's wrath couldn't explain.

But as they prepared to move, the sounds of RainWings entering the queen's hut began to grow louder. They were being watched. Their every move, their every action, was now under scrutiny. Frost's instincts screamed at her to act quickly, but she knew they couldn't afford to make a scene—not now, not after everything that had already happened.

"Come on," Frost whispered to Glory, her voice resolute. "We'll figure it out. Let's go before anyone notices."

The two exchanged a determined look, their silent agreement clear. They had to uncover the truth, even if it meant going against everything the queen had warned them about. With one last glance in the direction Liana had flown, they turned, slipping away into the jungle to track her down.

SCENEBREAK

Frost and Glory made their way through the dense jungle, the sounds of the rainforest wrapping around them like a living blanket. The air felt thick with humidity, but the weight of their thoughts kept their wings heavy as they moved toward the familiar pond where Liana had disappeared. The landscape was peaceful, an odd contrast to the tension in the air as they approached.

There, by the water's edge, sat Liana, her body hunched over with a quiet sorrow. The soft sound of her sniffles was the only thing that broke the otherwise tranquil silence. She had wrapped a large green leaf around her broken talon, the veins of the plant contrasting with the bruised and swollen skin beneath. It was clear that the pain was more than just physical—it was something deeper, something that cut through her heart.

Frost hesitated for a moment, her eyes lingering on Liana as she wiped away another tear. There was an unspoken sadness in the way she clutched her talon, as though she were trying to hold together more than just her injuries. But it was Glory who spoke first.

"I'll go first," Glory murmured, her voice calm and steady. She moved forward slowly, her movements light and deliberate, making sure to avoid startling Liana. Frost stepped back slightly, her sharp gaze never leaving Liana, but trusting Glory to handle the delicate situation.

As Glory approached, the sound of her soft footsteps on the ground seemed to make the air grow heavier, as though the whole world had paused to watch. Liana flinched at the movement, her eyes flickering up to meet Glory's with a mix of fear and anger. She seemed ready to recoil, to escape, but Glory stood still, giving her space.

Glory raised her talons, palms up in a universal gesture of peace, and unfurled her wings slightly, offering the most non-threatening posture she could muster. "Hey, take it easy," she said gently, her voice a low, soothing hum. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Liana's gaze softened for a fraction of a second before the walls around her emotions went up again. She wiped away a tear, her movements shaky, and then spoke in a quiet, broken voice. "You already did," she said, bitterness slipping into her words. "Things were so good here before you and your so-called friends came. Queen Dazzle actually liked me then."

The weight of those words hit Frost like a brick, her heart tightening in her chest. She had thought Liana's behavior had been motivated by fear of the queen's wrath, but this—the depth of her sorrow, the way she spoke of Queen Dazzle as though she had lost something precious—it was a completely different kind of pain. It was a betrayal, not just of trust, but of a connection she had valued, one that had now been ripped away.

Frost stepped forward, her voice firm but soft. "Liana, we didn't want any of this. We didn't come here to ruin everything. We just... we need answers. And you're the only one who can help us."

Liana's eyes flickered over to Frost, and for a moment, there was a flicker of something like understanding—or maybe it was just exhaustion. Her shoulders sagged slightly, the fight draining out of her. "I didn't ask for any of this," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I thought I had found my place here. I thought Queen Dazzle trusted me. But after you two arrived, everything changed. She... she started looking at me like I was a threat. Like I was... weak."

Glory's expression softened, the pain of Liana's words evident on her face. "It wasn't your fault. The queen..." She paused, searching for the right words, but they felt inadequate. "She's afraid, Liana. Afraid of something. And that's why she's acting this way. But it doesn't have to be like this."

Liana shook her head slowly, the weight of her broken talon and her broken heart pulling her down. "You don't understand," she whispered. "You don't know what it's like to have everything taken away from you. To have your place—your purpose—stripped from you without warning." Her voice cracked again, and she seemed to shrink even further, as if the world itself had gotten too heavy to bear.

Frost moved to sit beside her, her posture relaxed but attentive. "We want to help, Liana. But you have to tell us what happened. The Forbidden Hollow... we know it's important. Please, you have to tell us."

Liana's gaze flickered between the two dragonets, and for a moment, she was silent. The world around them seemed to hold its breath as the weight of the conversation settled in the air between them. Finally, Liana spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"That place... the Forbidden Hollow... is where things began to change. The queen thought she could control it. She thought she could keep it hidden. But that place is alive, in a way. And it's calling to her." Liana's voice faltered, as if she were afraid to speak the words out loud. "The death sloth... that thing wasn't just some animal. It was a warning."

Frost and Glory exchanged a glance, both of them sensing that they had just uncovered something that went deeper than they could have imagined. Something that not even Queen Dazzle seemed ready to face.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Glory asked softly, her voice full of concern.

Liana hesitated before answering, her eyes downcast. "Because if I had... it would have meant the end of everything I had here. I would have lost everything—again."

Glory let out a dramatic sigh, flicking her tail with an exaggerated flourish as if the entire conversation had been a personal inconvenience. "Well, if you really have to go to that cursed place," she said, voice dripping with disdain, "find Jambu. He'll help you, but trust me, he doesn't care what the queen thinks. He's not part of her little circle of favored, over-inflated egos." She scoffed with a roll of her eyes that could have sent a lesser dragon scrambling. "Not that I'm part of it anymore, mind you. But hey, that's a whole other drama."

With a fluid, almost theatrical movement, she stood, her scales melting into the jungle backdrop as if she were a living part of the forest. The effect was impressive—if you didn't know better, you might've thought she was about to disappear into thin air. Frost took a careful step closer, gently touching Glory's wing with her own, the simple gesture speaking volumes of the bond between them.

"Let's get going then," Frost said, her voice calm, but her eyes gleaming with the same determination as ever. "I think I know where Jambu is."

Glory nodded, a flicker of mischief lighting up her usually cool expression. "Then what are we waiting for? The sooner we find him, the sooner we can dive into whatever trouble he's gotten himself into. Let's go."

With that, they spread their wings, the air humming with the quiet energy of anticipation. Without another word, they launched themselves into the sky, leaving Liana standing behind, now alone with her thoughts. The jungle embraced them as they disappeared into the distance, a blur of vibrant colors against the canvas of the world below.

Frost had already made up her mind. Jambu was their only hope for navigating the murky waters of the Forbidden Hollow, and if there was one thing Frost knew, it was that wherever there was trouble, Jambu was usually somewhere in the mix. If nothing else, this was going to be one interesting adventur