The Rainwing guard led them through the trees to the western stretches of the rainforest, north of the animus tunnels and the Nightwing camp. Glory followed him, turning her scales dark green and brown to blend in with the forest, while keeping the tip of her tail a bright yellow so that her friends could follow her. They flew swiftly, silence hanging between them, as they winged toward their destination and the potential trouble that was there.
The sun was setting as the guard descended through the trees and alighted on the forest floor. Light filtered weakly through the canopy, casting an otherworldly glow on the ferns and bushes of the undergrowth. Glory's claws sunk into the soft silt as howler monkeys and toucans called through the trees, their shrieks an eerie farewell to the day. Ahead of them two more Rainwing guards materialized from their hiding spots in the branches. Two nets were suspended from a thick branch, one of which was larger than the other. As soon as they saw Glory the two guards grabbed the nets and gently lowered them to the forest floor.
"How big a dose did you give them?" asked Glory as Tsunami, Starflight, and Fatespeaker landed next to her.
"One small dart for her," said the guard, gesturing at the smaller net. "We needed three big darts before he would go down." He pointed at the other net, before shuddering. "Big guy almost managed to find me before the tranquilizer kicked in."
"The female should be waking up soon, Your Majesty," said another guard, her scales tinged with yellow. "Then you can get your answers."
Glory approached the captive Nightwings. The smaller one looked to be female, perhaps a year or two older than her. The other one was a big male, his snores rumbling loudly in the undergrowth. Both dragons looked emaciated. Glory cocked her head.
"Recognize these two beauties?" she asked her friends.
"Nope," said Tsunami. "I would have remembered a Nightwing like this one," she said, inspecting the burly male. "Probably would have posted extra guards around him too."
"What do they look like?" asked Starflight.
Suddenly Fatespeaker gasped.
"What is it?" said Glory, Tsunami, and Starflight in unison.
Fatespeaker stepped up to the smaller female, dreaded recognition on her face. Cautiously she poked a claw through the net and lifted the Nightwing's head for a closer look.
"I know this Nightwing. It's Fierceteeth!"
"My sister?" echoed Starflight, incredulity written all over his snout. "It can't be! I haven't seen hide or hair of her since the night the volcano exploded."
"And this is Strongwings, Mastermind's assistant," said Fatespeaker as she moved to the other net. "Star, shouldn't he be with your father? Why's he here with Fierceteeth?"
Tsunami growled. "Sunny said these were the dragons who abducted her after the Nightwings got to the rainforest. And the big one helped Mastermind experiment on the Rainwings! We should—"
"Hold it," said Glory, holding up a claw, "she's waking up."
Fierceteeth groaned. "Ack," she mumbled, "what was tha..."
Her eyes flew open when she saw her surroundings, most notably the net trapping her and the queen of the Rainwings standing not five feet away. Desperately she began thrashing about in the net, attempting to free herself. Tsunami pounced forward and landed on the Nightwing's back, holding her still. The guards balked and backed away; Glory saw one load his blowgun in preparation to shoot.
"Stop, Fierceteeth!" Glory shouted, using the authoritative voice that she reserved specifically for hostile Nightwings—a voice that she found herself using quite often.
