The mist swirled around the group, thick and disorienting. Frostbite's icy breath frosted the edges of his words as he repeated, “The Stellarsong's message has to mean something. They wouldn’t have sent us here blindly.”
Sable’s crimson eyes glowed faintly through the fog as he loomed over Frostbite. “And what? You think deciphering a riddle is going to save us? Action is what matters, not wasting time on cryptic nonsense.” His claws scraped the stone floor with frustration.
“You Crimson Fangs are just bull-headed!” Cole shot back, his voice dripping with irritation as he dusted himself off from yet another trip over nothing. “If you actually listened to someone else for a change, maybe we wouldn’t be going in circles.”
“Don’t test me, human,” Sable snarled, turning toward Cole, his wings spreading menacingly. “You’re lucky you’re not alone in this maze.”
“Enough!” Coral snapped, stepping between them. His webbed claws flexed as he glared at both Sable and Cole. “Bickering won’t solve anything. We’re a team, and we’re going to act like one.” His tone left no room for argument, though the glare he shot Cole lingered a moment longer. “You may not respect Sable, but show respect for the mission.”
“Mission or not, I’m not getting bossed around by a fish with legs,” Cole muttered under his breath.
Coral turned sharply. “What did you say?”
Before things could escalate further, Tiny Wings’ bright voice cut through the tension. “Wait! I think I see something!” She leaped from Moss’s back, her small wings fluttering as she hit the ground and dashed forward.
“Tiny Wings, don’t run off!” Aurora called after her, but the little dragonet was already disappearing into the mist.
Moss groaned as she trudged forward. “This child is going to be the end of me...”
“Tiny Wings!” Shadow bounded after her. “Wait up! It could be dangerous!”
“Dangerous?” Splash interjected with a laugh. “This whole maze is dangerous, buddy! But hey, if she found something, it’s gotta be worth checking out!”
Reef rolled his eyes dramatically. “Or she just saw a shiny gem. Again.”
As the group hurried to catch up, Frostbite stayed back, his gaze thoughtful. “The Stellarsong spoke about light guiding us,” he murmured, his frosty breath hanging in the air. “I wonder if Tiny Wings is following something we can’t see yet.”
“You really think she knows what she’s doing?” Sable huffed as he followed the others.
“Maybe not,” Frostbite said, a faint smile playing on his face. “But sometimes, it’s the smallest dragons that lead us to the biggest answers.”
Sable grumbled under his breath but said nothing. Ahead, Tiny Wings’ excited voice echoed through the mist. “Hurry up, slowpokes! I found something!”
Tiny Wings stood in the distance, practically bouncing as the group approached. Reef flopped lazily on his fins, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, what a miracle, she found something! Maybe it’s the legendary relic—or, more likely, another bug she wants to befriend.”
Splash chuckled, nudging Reef with a webbed claw. “Hey, if it’s a shiny bug, maybe it’s our lucky shiny bug. Who knows?”
Moss rolled her eyes, her earthy scales scraping against a jagged wall as she grumbled. “Yeah, well, I don’t think the Stellarsong said anything about chasing shiny bugs through a misty maze... What exactly did they say again?”
“We must find balance between the sky and the earth, the frost and the flame. Only then will the path reveal itself,” Aurora recited with a huff, her amber eyes glowing faintly in frustration. “What path?!” she screeched, her weak fire flickering involuntarily as she threw her wings up in exasperation.
“I don’t know what path,” Elanor said calmly, stepping forward with a reassuring hand on Aurora’s shoulder. “But we need to figure it out. If the Blue Fire dragons are our best chance at understanding the Dragon’s Heart, we need to stay focused.”
“Focused,” Sable echoed, casting a pointed glare at Cole and Reef, who both made faces behind his back.
“Guys, seriously!” Shadow’s voice cut through the banter. “Look!” The Nightshade dragonet pointed with one claw.
Tiny Wings stood next to a strange circular pattern etched into the ground. It shimmered faintly, glowing softly in alternating colors of frost-blue and flame-orange. “See?” she chirped. “I told you I found something important!”
Frostbite stepped closer, his icy breath curling in the air as he examined the pattern. “This... could be the balance the Stellarsong spoke of. Frost and flame.
Sable narrowed his eyes, examining the glowing symbols. “But where’s the balance between sky and earth?”
“I’ve got an idea!” Splash said suddenly, stepping into the center of the pattern. He flared his wings dramatically. “Sky and earth, right? Watch this!”
He crouched down low, pressing his claws to the ground, then leapt as high as he could, flapping wildly and landing with a comical splash against the stone. “Ta-da!”
“That did nothing,” Reef groaned, shaking his head. “You’re as helpful as a seagull with a crab claw stuck in its beak.”
Elanor knelt by the symbols, ignoring their antics. “What if the balance isn’t something we perform? What if it’s something we represent?”
Moss tilted her head. “Like how we all have different elements?”
“Exactly,” Elanor said, standing. “Sky, earth, frost, flame—we each carry pieces of this balance. Maybe we need to combine them somehow.”
Aurora’s eyes lit up. “You mean, work together? Like... a team?”
Sable rolled his eyes. “Fine. But if this doesn’t work, I’m blaming Coal.”
Cole crossed his arms indignantly. “Why me?”
“Because it’s always you.”
"Is not!" Cole retorted, glaring up at Sable.
"Is too," Sable shot back, his crimson scales flaring faintly with irritation.
"Is not!"
"Oh, shut up, both of you!" Coral growled, his voice echoing sharply through the misty maze. His webbed claws slammed into the ground for emphasis, sending a slight tremor through the air. “If I wanted to listen to hatchlings bickering, I’d have stayed home with Tiny Wings!”
“Hey!” Tiny Wings chirped indignantly, her tiny frame puffing up. “I’m way more mature than them.”
Coral sighed heavily, his eyes narrowing as he looked back at the glowing pattern on the ground. “Let’s focus. If Elanor’s right, then we need to combine our elements. But how?”
Reef's fins slapped against the ground as he walked in circles. “Well, if we’re supposed to ‘combine’ stuff, maybe I just spit some water, and Aurora sneezes some fire, and—bam! Magic!”
“That’s the worst plan I’ve ever heard,” Moss grumbled, giving Reef a sideways glance.
“Hey, it’s better than no plan!” Reef retorted, flicking water at Moss with one of his fins. “At least I’m trying.”
Moss groaned, shaking off the droplets. “We don’t need random guesses. We need to think this through.”
ns 15.158.61.46da2
