Fourth Wheel ||Qinter||

Chapter Six - Study Up

Turtle stared intently at his scroll. What a great way to study for my history test, he thought glumly. With the threat of losing my soul looming over me. Turtle wasn't usually sarcastic or skeptical of other dragons' plans, but he seriously doubted that reading a few mouldy scrolls would help him recover his animus powers, and more importantly, his soul.
Moon seemed like the only dragonet in the cave who was actually concentrating, since Winter was reading his scroll upside-down, Turtle was worrying instead of reading, and Qibli had his snout way too close to his scroll and was consistently throwing rapid glances at Winter. Turtle stared at his scroll for a little longer, but his brain wasn't taking in any of the information that was on the page. Instead, the precious information was bouncing off his thick skull. Turtle slammed the scroll onto the ground in uncharacteristic frustration, and hissed, "Why can't I understand anything in this scroll?!"
Moon glanced up, startled, and said, "It's alright, I can tell you everything. Listen up Qibli and Winter, you'll need this information too. And Winter, your scroll is upside down."
Winter fumbled furiously with his scroll, clumsily dropping it twice while trying to turn it over, clearly embarrassed.
Moon cleared her throat and began. "We all know about Jerboa the first from history class. Jerboa II is her daughter. She is also an animus, and she lives by herself in a hut on the coast by the border between the Kingdom of Sand and the Kingdom of Ice. Her mother, Jerboa the first, used her animus magic to bless Jerboa II with immortality and eternal youth. She may be 'the one with eternal life the prophecy is referring to, that's why we're studying her."
"So... the scrolls didn't say much apart from where she lives?" Turtle asked. Moon nodded.
"Useless thing," Winter muttered, carelessly tossing his scroll off the side of his bunk.
"No," Qibli said. "It's given us a vital piece of information. Because now we know where to start."

As the dragonet left the cave, a RainWing stopped in front of them.
"Let me come with you." She offered.
"What do you mean?" Qibli asked nervously, playing dumb.
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." She said. "I heard everything."
"Who are you?" Qibli asked.
"I'm Tamarin. I'm blind, so my other senses like hearing and smell are super sharp. And don't worry, I haven't told anyone."
Yet, Qibli thought nervously. "Why do you want to come? This prophecy concerns us, not you. Besides, it's dangerous."
"I can help you find food. I can recognise almost all the different types of plants, so you can know which are safe to eat."
Qibli didn't know what to say, and was beginning to sweat profusely when Moon stepped in.
"It's very nice of you to offer, but we'll be fine."
"I insist. I don't want you dying because you ate a stupid fruit, okay?" Tamarin said firmly.
Moon hesitated before saying, "If you insist, come at your own risk."
"Ooh that kinda rhymes-" Qibli began sheepishly before he was cut off by a sharp glare from Winter.
"Alright, then." Tamarin said. "Let's go."
"Winter, Qibli, stay in either side of Tamarin to make sure she doesn't get lost or hurt herself. Turtle, you can navigate with me."
"I'm the same age as you, you know," Tamarin said. "And my sixth sense is more than enough for me to see by."
Winter shrugged. "Suit yourself." He launched into the sky behind Moon and Turtle. Qibli decided to stay behind Tamarin, just in case. The journey had begun.

Back at Jade Mountain, under tonnes of heavy rock, a dragon was moving. An unnaturally large dragon, three times the size of a normal fully-grown dragon, with void-black scales dulled with centuries of dirt and mud. He reached out for the third time to mindlink his IceWing relative.
Come on, Winter, the dragon thought. Winter was IceWing royalty, and so was the immense dragon's dead father. Come on Winter, the dragon thought. Come on, we're related. The dragon, tired of waiting, pushed his mindlink strength a little more, just under the amount of energy needed to fry a young dragonet's brain. And he was in. He's wearing skyfire, the dragon realised. That's why it's so hard to get in.
Winter, turn back. Turn back.

Winter roared. A headache had just stabbed through his skull. Winter, turn back. It was that voice again. Winter, turn back, turn back. "What's wrong, Winter?" Qibli asked.
"Nothing, Winter growled, while telling the voice to shut up.

Shut up, came the reply.
Hurry up, turn back.

The voice didn't shut up. It kept echoing around in his head. Winter, don't leave me hanging. I'm your distant relative. Turn back. Free me. Then I can give you what you need.
I don't need anything from you, Winter thought as loudly and angrily as he could.
Turn back and free me, the voice repeated. Free me, then I can give you what you need. Winter kept silent.
I am Darkstalker. Now free me.

A/N
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