Garrock watched the drakes debate with only the vaguest of interests, all the while stretching his various limbs and occasionally sparing a wary glance towards the jungle. Once the decision was made, he stood back up to his full height. [color=FADA5E]"Well, if that's finally settled,"[/color] he muttered with an impatient swish of his tail. That being said, as the groups begin to split off and make their separate ways into the foliage, Skobeloff catches Garrock turning his head towards him and giving him an approving nod... or maybe it was just a cursory glance and a small twitch of the head. It's not easy to tell, as he quickly turns away and continues following behind Stargaze's group.

[hr]
Since Stargaze was hatched and raised in the deeper, murkier part of the jungle, she's a little less familiar with the more vibrant, outer areas and it takes her a while to find a good path. It doesn't help that the trees are so densely packed at some points that the group has to either stop and wait for Garrock to untangle himself from whatever tree he's gotten himself stuck on or to find an easier way the larger, less agile dragon can travel. Any time the older dragon finds himself struggling with the environment, you notice his demeanor get grumpier, as if he detests the very idea that [i]he's[/i] the one holding up the group.

Eventually, the trees do start to get more spaced apart, and the dragons' start to feel the ground becoming softer and less sure under their feet. Stargaze will find this marshier ground far more negotiable than her companions, and she is starting to better recognize where she is. However, before she can fully get a grasp of where they might be in relation to Echo's cave, the group suddenly hears a combination of squeaks, snuffling and scurrying that brings to mind a group of enraged rats. As the group tries to pinpoint the origin of the sound, Garrock suddenly gives a loud yelp. Something leapt out of the trees and is currently hanging on to the joint of his wing by its teeth. Fellwing notices the resemblance between it and the creatures she saw swarming him and Shieldwing in her previous vision. After trying to shake it off with little avail, Garrock reaches over and grabs it, trying to yank it off. He does eventually succeed, but not without causing it to take a large chunk of his flesh with it. Giving a pained snarl, the yellow dragon tosses the creature down to the ground. It hits the earth, takes a moment to right itself before giving a loud, ear-piercing squeal. Within moments, more and more of those creatures come scurrying out of the trees and begin surrounding the group.

What do Stargaze, Fellwing and Shieldwing do?

[hr]
In contrast to his companions, Skobeloff's walk through the woods is fairly pleasant, with no signs of monsters, dangerous wildlife or even the smallest geological obstacle. Of course, this lack of hindrance starts to make it more and more obvious how quiet the forest is. The only sounds Skobeloff's hears for the next hour or so are his own footsteps, and there is not the slightest hint of movement anywhere he may look. There isn't even a breeze to rattle and rustle the trees around him. After a while, it starts to feel a lot less pleasant and a lot more eerie. Unnatural.

After a long walk of not seeing a single sign of sentient life, nor any hint that he's any closer to the Tessith stronghold, Skobeloff finally sees something. Or thinks he does. In the corner of his eye, there is the smallest of movements, accompanied by a faint flash of light and colour. However, should the blue dragon turn his head in that direction, he finds nothing there, nor any indication that there ever was anything there. After that bizarre moment, for the rest of his continue travel, he starts noticing the same movement in the corner of his eye every so often. Each time he tries to center his sight on it, he finds nothing. This goes on for some time, with enough breaks in between that just when Skobeloff might think his mind his playing tricks on him, it happens again.

Eventually, he starts to notice something else, something even more troubling: his surroundings are starting to look very samey. Should he take a moment to gaze around his surroundings, he spots a bush bearing a single, bright orange flower. Looking at it for a moment, Skobeloff starts to get this sense of deja vu, like he's passed this specific bush more than once already during his walk. Somehow, despite not feeling like he's made that many turns during his walk, he gets the sense that this whole time, he's walking in circles.

What does Skobeloff do?