When Fellwing uses her powers to peer into the Darkness, the Darkness peers back, before melting away to reveal multiple scenes: [hider=First Scene: The Stronghold]The first shows what Fellwing can assume is the Tessith stronghold, though it is quite unlike the grand stone and metal structures of the Capital, or the intricate caverns Kebros favor. This place is instead formed out of a massive, hollowed-out yew tree, its bark almost entirely covered in ivy and moss. The vision zooms in on tree, before going through the walls and into the interior. A large spiral staircase takes up a majority of the room, and two drakes - about Stargaze's age - can be seen climbing down. Their movement is slowly and clumsy, and every time the stairs creak beneath their claws, they stop immediately. They stand still for a moment, holding their breath and listen out, as if expecting something. When nothing happens, they continue walking. The drake in front is a pastel green, with bands of red, orange and yellow on her wings and around the base of her horns, which are split in a way that makes them resemble the newly developing antlers of a fawn. She wears a pair of large, rounded spectacles that she constantly has to stop to push back up her snout. The other drake looks a bit like her, as they both share the same pudgy body shape and have tufts of feathers on their tails and the back of their wings. This drake, however, is lilac with pastel green splotches, and horns that spiral slightly like an antelopes. He is shaking like a leaf in the wind, and every time the stairs creak, he has to cover his mouth to stop himself yelping, causing his companion to shoot him a look each time. [color=C8A2C8]"I really, really don't think this is a good idea,"[/color] he whispers once they reach the bottom of the stairs. [color=77DD77]"Yes, Pleexem, you said that already. Thirty-two times in fact, and counting,"[/color] the green drake responds. [color=77DD77]"And I told you, I won't think any less of you if you stay behind."[/color] Pleexem's eyes widen. [color=C8A2C8]"You can't leave me along with [i]her[/i]!"[/color] he whines. [color=77DD77]"Shh!"[/color] [color=C8A2C8]"Oop-"[/color] Pleexem covers his mouth with his wings. Behind them, a small, muffled [color=C8A2C8]"Sorry"[/color] can be heard. The green drake sighs and shakes her head. Up until now, her wings have been folded closely against her body. She reaches back to under her left wing as she slowly unfurls it, reveal a key made of gnarled wood. She places it in the main door's keyhole and carefully opens it. She peaks out, looking left and right for any sighs of danger. She breaths a sigh of relief. [color=77DD77]"Hmm, can't see anything around,"[/color] she says. She then looks at the ground. [color=77DD77]"Can't see any tracks either, though. Kyte could be anywhere on the island at this point."[/color] [color=C8A2C8]"Tamba, do... do you really think they [i]are[/i] still on the island?"[/color] Pleexem says softly. Tamba looks over her shoulder at him. [color=77DD77]"What do you mean?"[/color] Pleexem lowers his head. [color=C8A2C8]"I mean... with those new, strong wings of theirs, they could go back Yves if they wanted."[/color] [color=77DD77]"They wouldn't do that. Not without the others,"[/color] the green drake says, a little too quickly. [color=77DD77]"That's not what they're like."[/color] Pleexem shuffles awkwardly. [color=C8A2C8]"We don't even know them that well, though,"[/color] he says. [color=C8A2C8]"How can you be so sure?"[/color] [color=77DD77]"I just-"[/color] Tamba raised her voice slightly before stopping herself, and continuing in a quieter tone, [color=77DD77]"I just know, okay? You saw how they lead those creatures deeper into the forest. They were leading them away from [i]us[/i]. They wouldn't do that if they didn't care."[/color] The lilac drake is quiet for a moment. [color=C8A2C8]"But what if-"[/color] he begins, but he's cut off by a large creak above him. He looks up, and whatever he sees causes him to become paler than usual. He opens his mouth as if to say something, but doesn't get a chance before the door suddenly swings shut, forcing Tamba to tumble in an awkward, backward roll into the stronghold. As the vision begins to dissolve back into darkness, Fellwing hears one last panicked shriek from Pleexem before the scene transitions to something else.[/hider] [hider=Second Scene: Echo's Cave]The next scene takes place in a deeper, darker part of the forest, where trees grow so tall they block out the sky and the ground beneath one's feet transitions into moss and then, finally, into murky water. As Fellwing's vision pulls across the surface, she briefly glimpses some kind of shadow within the depths, but is forced away before she can get a proper look. Eventually, her vision brings her to a cave entrance, almost completely obscured by the water running through it and the leaves and roots of the Willow tree it sits under. Fellwing may recognize it from Stargaze's description as the cave that Echo calls home. The vision brings her in before dipping beneath the surface of the water and pulls her down, down, down, until she can hardly see. Then she sees a a cluster of small lights swimming up and finds herself following them until they breach the surface, leading to one of the few parts of the cave not completely submerged. Here, on what little dry ground there was, was a drake with pale orange scales that slowly transitioned to pink like the sky at dawn. They were older than Tamba and Pleexem, even older than Fellwing and the rest of her clutch, as their wings looked developed enough that they could fly without the aid of magic. Still, right now, they didn't look like they would be flying anywhere, as one of their wings seemed to be damaged: the way they held it against their body implied it was strained, and there were a few tears in the membrane. More troubling, a web of dark veins seemed to be forming around the damaged areas, and were slowly spreading out towards the edges of the wing. The drake at one point attempted to flex, only to wince and let out a low hiss. "Stop. Doing. That," a voice echoes in the cave. The drake raises their head as a mass of bubbles and lights begun frothing on the surface of the water, until they suddenly rise up and form a roughly humanoid being with hair like the leaves of a willow tree, translucent greenish-brown skin dotted with bio-luminescent specks, webbed hands and a large, eel-like tail. Judging by the combination of elements from which makes up her body, Fellwing can assume that this being is the elemental Echo. Fellwing can also assume they were the source of the lights that they followed to this part of the cave. [color=ffab72]"I know, I know,"[/color] the dragon respond, laying their head down on the stone. Echo slides up onto the stone on her belly. Once she's close enough, she lowers some small snake-like thing onto the rock in front of the dragon's snout, who proceeds to raise their head up in alarm. [color=ffab72]"What in the moons is that?"[/color] "That," Echo responds. "Is sadly the only decent morsel of food I can find." The drake look at the elemental, then back at the snake. There's barely enough meat on there for even a newly hatched dragon. [color=ffab72]"You're kidding."[/color] Echo shakes her head. "I wish I was," she says. "It seems whatever strange force is affecting the island is also scaring away all the fauna and making the fruit from trees almost entirely inedible." To demonstrate, she places a small handful of berries, all shriveled and grey. [color=ffab72]"That's..."[/color] The drake stares blankly at the berries, unable to finish that sentence. After a moment, they shake their head. Cautiously, they grab the snake and pull it towards them. As they eat, Echo inspects their wing. "So the good news is, your wounds seem to be closing up much quicker than they normally should," she says after a moment. "The scratches on your shoulder, for instance, are almost completely gone." The dragon looks up at her. [color=ffab72]"And the bad news?"[/color] "The bad news is that these..." Echo gestures to the veins. "Are getting worse, and I can't help but feel those two things are related." The dragon frowns, pausing in their meal to inspect their wing themself. [color=ffab72]"Is there anything you can do?"[/color] they ask. [color=ffab72]"Some kind of magic?"[/color] Echo hesitates. "Yes, she says after a moment. "Though you have to understand, as an elemental, I am connected to this island. In it's current state, I don't know how much I can do, and it will likely take a lot out of me." The dragon looks at her for a moment, then back at their wing. [color=ffab72]"What will happen if that... stuff overtakes my wing completely?"[/color] they ask. Echo sighs. "I honestly have no idea," she says. "It's a form of corruption, but not like any I've seen before. Have you noticed any changes in your mood or thoughts?" The dragon shakes their head. [color=ffab72]"Not really,"[/color] they say. [color=ffab72]"Just... I feel colder, I guess. Not to the point of being numbing, but still... cold."[/color] The elemental considers for a moment before speaking once more, "I don't think I can remove it completely, but I can definitely weaken it and perhaps even slow it down. That should be enough until we can get you back to the Capital. The power of the moons could likely do the rest." [color=ffab72]"Alright,"[/color] the dragon says, though they sound apprehensive. [color=ffab72]"What about you, though?"[/color] Echo gives a small laugh. "Don't worry about me," she says. "We Elementals are surprisingly adaptable. There is very little in this world that can truly, irreparably harm us." The dragon still looks doubtful but gives a nod. Echo gently places a hand on the damaged wing, and her eyes and the lights on her skin turn from yellow to a pale bluish-green and finally to white as a similar glow spreads across the drake's wing, getting brighter and brighter until it suddenly cuts out altogether. Echo shuffles back, the lights on her skin suddenly much dimmer and her body starting to waver, as if struggling to hold itself together. Fellwing can see that the drake's wing is almost completely heal, though those veins are still there, albeit much paler than before. They move their wing again, not wincing this time. [color=ffab72]"It twinges a bit, but it feels much better,"[/color] the dragon says. They then look up at Echo. [color=ffab72]"Thank you."[/color] Echo nods weakly before retreating back into the water, her body dissolving back into the elements from which it is formed. The drake stares at the water where she emerged for a moment, before returning to their meal. The scene then fades out.[/hider] [hider=Third Scene: Shieldwing]The third and final scene of Fellwing's visions is the least clear. It seems to take place not far from the part of the forest the second scene did, and shows Garrock and Shieldwing back to back as swarms of bloated, rat-like beings come scurrying out of the trees and encircle them. The two dragons ready themselves as several of the creatures begin lunging at them. True to his nature, Fellwing can tell that Shieldwing will likely not back down from this fight, and she can already see him swatting at them with his claws as the vision fizzles out, bringing Fellwing back to the here and now at last.[/hider]