Just a little Glorybringer for ya

We Found Her, And Gained A New Problem.

A loud scraping sound drew the dragonets out their trances from seeing the Nightwing Island in the flesh. They turned to see Icicle staring at them, and she a wreck. With bloodshot eyes, blood and dirt clouding her pearly scales, and the fact that her scratches from the fight at JMA hadn't healed, she looked down right terrifying. Moon eyed her nervously. Something was seriously wrong with the Icewing. 

"Why are you here?" Icicle demanded. "Come to ruin another one of my plans? Haven't you done enough?" 

"What happened to you?" Air asked. "You look terrible."

"Could be worse," Icicle countered. "I could look like you." Nightflyer took a step towards her, his face contorted in anger. Air gently held him back, not looking away from Icicle. 

"What has Scarlet said?" Winter questioned. "When she found out that-" 

"I don't know!" she said gleefully. "I haven't seen her. She can't get to me in my dreams if I don't dream!" she laughed manically. Joy stared at her in horror. 

"You haven't SLEPT!" she said in shock. Somehow, Winter was not surprised to hear, even from Joy, that a Rainwing was horrified to consider the fact that sleeping was not a daily necessity. 

"Course not. I'll sleep after I've killed that Rainwing and have delivered her head on a platter for Scarlet." Icicle explained. 

Looking back, the other dragonets thought about what would've happened if they had attempted to hold Joy back, and they all came to the same conclusion; it wasn't possible. 

Joy lunged at Icicle at tackled her to the ground. Both dragons yelled out in fury as they wrestled on the ashy rocks of the Nightwing island. Maybe it was wrong, but the others, except for Winter, found it slightly amusing to see Joy repeatedly slamming Icicle's head onto a rock as she choked her at the same time. Eventually, Icicle regained her senses and whipped around, reaching her sharp talons at Joy's throat. A small whistle went through the air and something hit Icicle near her neck. The Icewing gasped and scratched at her neck. Joy jumped off her and turned with a grateful expression. Seashell let out a yelp as a parade of red dragons appeared. 

"Icicle of the Icewings," Glory announced. "You are under arrest for murder and multiple attempted murders." 

"Whu-what is this!" Icicle cried, clawing at her neck. 

"It's just a sleeping dart," Deathbringer explained. "Really not that bad." 

"NO! I can't- She'll- I can't go to-" she sputtered. Winter knelt down beside his sister as she panicked. "She'll come for me." Icicle muttered. 

"Let her come." Winter insisted. He leaned closer so that no one would hear him. "Tell Scarlet that if she can prove that Hailstorm is alive, I'll kill Glory for her myself." 

Later...

It was late at night now, but not everyone was asleep. Winter sat awake, waiting for Scarlet to come. Moon sat nearby, also awake, but the others were sleeping. Joy had chosen to remain with her friends and was currently curled up on the floor, her tail oddly close to Kelp's. In true twin style, Seashell was sprawled out on the floor, her wing protectively covering her brother. Air was sleeping in a small ball, Nightflyer not even a wing's length away from her. Qibli was lying near Moon, his tail twitching in his sleep. Moon inhaled sharply. 

"She's here." she noted softly. Winter glanced at his sister, who was shifting a lot and uttering occasionally. "I need paper. And something to write with." Moon said suddenly. Winter glanced around the healer's hut, but there was no paper to be found. 

"I'll fine some." he assured her, walking out of the hut, trying not to wake the others. 

"I got it." a voice behind him insisted. It was Joy. "I know where to look. You stay with Moon." she told him. Winter nodded and turned back to the hut. 

"She's gone." Moon said with relief. She eyed Winter oddly. "Icicle offered her a deal." 

"I only said to-" he began. 

"I know." she promised. "I know you wouldn't kill her." 

"Do you?" he questioned. "How?" 

"Because I think she's the kind of dragon you respect, and that you wouldn't want to start a war between the Icewings and both of her tribes. I think you know what killing her would do to Pyrrhia, and I know you won't agree with me on this, but I think that you consider Joy your friend enough to not want to hurt her by killing her mother. I think that you aren't the kind of dragon that betrays the kind of trust Glory has given you." she explained. 

"You seem very sure about certain things related to me." he noted. "That I wouldn't kill Queen Glory, that I care about you and all the others. That I am somehow honorable and brave." Moon nodded. 

"I am sure. You are honorable and brave. I am positive about all those things. I've seen it."

"I got it!" Joy cried, running into the room. There were plenty of words that could be used to describe Joy, but quiet never quite made it onto the list. The others jolted awake and groaned. Air glanced around in confusion and noted how close Nightflyer had been to her. He blushed slightly and glanced away.

 "Got what?" Kelp asked. 

"I saw something, behind Scarlet." Moon explained. "It was like a mountain shape, maybe in the Sky Kingdom." Air frowned. 

"Can I see the paper?" she asked. Joy handed it to her and she began to draw. A few minutes later, she held up the page. "Did it look like this?" she asked. Moon nodded. 

"Exactly like that." she agreed. Air's eyes widened. 

"If that's where Scarlet is, then that's where we have to go." Winter declared. 

"That's where you think Scarlet is?" Air said in a soft scared voice. 

"Yes." Moon agreed. The paper dropped from Air's talon. Nightflyer looked at her curiously. 

"Where is that place anyway?" Qibli asked. In a quiet voice that was dripping in fear, Air replied. 

"It's right near where my family lives. Where my mother and brother are."