A dragon a deeper blue then the darkest waters lifted her head into the night sky and glanced around cautiously. She was the 'scout' for their mission and she was determined to do her job right. She twitched an ear as she finished her lookout and silently hopped down, slipping through the shadows to reach the rest of her group. It was definitely smaller than usual, most patrols were supposed to be made up of at least six full grown dragons, but instead, there were three dragons, and two of them were Rainwings, which most might argue that that was worse than bringing a dragonet along. That might be why the Rainwings had put in a request for a dragon from another tribe to come along with them. The other Queens had refused, but Queen Achelous had agreed to send one of her guards on the journey. So here she was, Abyss, soldier of the Seawings, helping a pair of Rainwings with whatever quest they were on. She slipped back through the small hole into their agreed temporary meeting place. She straightened her shoulders as she entered and lifted her head, as she usually did when reporting back. "All is quiet now. It's quite dark, but we could still make it if we go now. " The Rainwing named Swift, who nearly always looked nervous, was half-heartedly scooping up small piles of dirt and piling it beside her talons. She glanced up as Abyss reported and her scales shifted to a deep admiral blue, as if to copy the Seawing. Abyss frowned for a moment, then remembered that she was only to be of service to the Rainwings, and she quickly put her blank expression back on. "You are only to rebuke them if they say or ask anything about the Seawings." She remembered the Queen instructing her in a private session. That is yours and our secret to keep, as they are keeping the goal of their quest hidden from us. This is not a battle of secrets, remember that and do not let them know that you have one, as they will trust you less. Come back and report as soon as you can, and I wish you luck, Abyss." She of course, as a soldier dipped her head in thanks and confirmation, and filed out of the throne room. Now, she held her formal posture with that guarded yet plain expression that she always wore. The blue Rainwing's wings drooped a bit, "Abyss, can me and Nightshade, er.....have a moment to speak to each other?" The Seawing twitched her ear, forcing herself not to clench her jaw, "Yes...very well, I will continue to scout and come back in about 10 minutes, will that work for you?" Swift nodded. Was it her imagination, or did the normally quiet Rainwing just shoot Nightshade a glare? Abyss dipped her head and strode out of the room, leaping silently into the air and scoring the ground below her with her sharp gaze.

Meanwhile, a light blue dragon and an orange one with spots of shadow black sat in silence for a few moments. The azure dragon's scales shifted slowly to a midnight blue with faint trails of red. "Nightshade..." The second Rainwing turned his gaze to her, "Yes?" Swift's gaze hardened, "I know what you did." Nightshade didn't blink, or flinch, or look away like most dragons would have. He just returned her stare, revealing nothing in his expression. "What do you think I've done?" His tone was soft, no emotion hiding in it. No sympathy or regret, not even any triumph or fury. Swift flared her ruff a bit, "You killed him! Didn't you?" her words were not a question, but they didn't feel like an accusation either. She knew what he had done. Nightshade's scales turned to Nightwing colors, his claws a reddish splash, nearly making Swift want to slap him on the snout. "You shouldn't have said that..." He told her, swiping a talon slightly at the ground. "You didn't deny it." Nightshade turned his amber gaze onto her once more, "Because you already know what I did, what point would there be in denying it?' Swift flexed her claws and let out a half furious half pained hiss. "Why would you do it though?" She growled, her voice rising, "He was the sweetest dragon I knew! He didn't do anything to you!" Nightshade's blank expression turned to a narrow glare. "You have no idea what he did to me." Swift lashed her tail, "You took him away from me, away from Aster! A three year old dragonet, Nightshade! She didn't deserve that!" Nightshade finally turned to her, standing right in front of the Rainwing, "Aster has nothing to do with this. You feel bad for her? Then keep her out of this. You're just asking for trouble." Swift roared and lashed at his snout. He jerked back, but not fast enough, and her claws raked across his nose, leaving marks that instantly started beading up with blood. He stared at her and stepped away, stalking across the cave to wash his snout off. They sat in the tense quiet, the only sound the gentle splashing of water as Nightshade swiped the blood off of his muzzle.