The Bright Future (COMPLETED)

Idk

"WHAT????" roared Starwatcher. She lunged toward the log and threw it aside. Clearsight stepped out of her way as the NightWing dragonet began to dig frantically in the soft dirt. "It's gotta be here. It--no. No! NO!!" Starwatcher sat back on her haunches and clutched her head. "It's gone!"

"Thanks. We didn't notice," hissed Jerboa. She curled her tail around her talons and sat down. No point in looking for it now, she thought dully. My one chance of proving myself is gone. One little scrap of scroll in the whole continent? We'll never find whoever took it.

Clearsight was doing that thing where she stared into the distance and half-closed her eyes. "If you're having a vision, can it be useful?" asked Jerboa.

"I'm not!" she protested. "I just thought I saw someone flying away."

"Probably some RainWing. Come one, time to--"

"No she's right!" Starwatcher said suddenly. "They might have the scroll!" She spread her shiny black wings and launched herself into the air, winging away into the canopy and dodging snakes.

"Oh, brother," groaned Jerboa, but Clearsight was already following Starwatcher. The SandWing took off after the NightWings, flicking her tail barb at a snake that got too close. Once she was finally above the treetops, Jerboa wheeled around until she saw her fellow travelers. They were far enough away that she couldn't tell them apart. 

Jerboa beat her brown-freckled wings and soared onto a swift air current. It's highly unlikely that whoever we're chasing has the scroll scrap. Catching up to them quickly, she asked, "Where are they? I don't see anyone."

Clearsight pointed. They were flying over the rainforest's border and they could see some grassy hills rolling to the west. But just to the right of an annoyingly pink tree, a shape was flying. And it looked like whoever it was, was flying for their life.

Starwatcher snapped out of view with a faint pop sound. Jerboa heard her swoop onto a lower air current. Clearsight gave Jerboa a quizzical look. "Yeah, uh. She enchanted something so she could turn herself invisible whenever, I guess. That dragon's gonna have a real surprise when she--"

"AHA!" yelped Starwatcher's voice triumphantly from below. "THEIF!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Jerboa gritted her teeth in frustration. Dragonets!

Clearsight did a backwards somersault, folded her black wings in with a graceful motion and dived down. Jerboa tried to do the same and failed tremendously when her shell necklace hit her in the face. She settled for skipping the somersault part and streaked towards the NightWings. 

They were wrestling a small figure to the ground. It was a... Huh? Another NightWing? No, an IceWing. No, wait... 

Jerboa spread her wings and swooped in a circle around them, studying the new dragon. Nope. Definitely a hybrid. Which was weird. She'd never heard of NightWing-IceWing hybrids. She finally landed lightly beside Starwatcher. "Who is this? Does she have the scroll?"

Starwatcher studied the hybrid's terrified face. She was holding the younger dragonet's snout shut... probably wise, thought Jerboa. Who knew if this dragon had frostbreath and how willing she was to use it? "Hm... it's hard to say. If she would just--stop--" 

The hybrid was scrabbling at Starwatcher with her back claws. "Guh!" She pinned the dragonet's legs down with her tail. "Okay, we need her to talk, but we don't know how willing she is to attack us. I say we give it a try; let her talk, but leave her surrounded by us. So she can't run." 

Jerboa nodded, and Starwatcher cautiously let go of her snout. The hybrid stared at them for a moment with terrified eyes, then burst out: "Can't give it; bad things, very bad things. Soul turns to stone, heart freezes over, brain seeks only power." 

With that, she threw her wings over her head and made little whimpering noises. "So you do have the scroll!" concluded Starwatcher. "Hand it here, we won't hurt you." She held out a talon hopefully at the dragonet.

"Will not deny or confirm that I have it," she whispered through her wings.. The hybrid slowly got up, backing away from them. She opened her palms and.. there was nothing in them. 

"Come on," growled Jerboa impatiently. "We don't have all day!" She stepped forward with her tail barb raised. The hybrid trembled in fear.

"Wait!" said Clearsight. She leaned forward. "Whiteout?