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The fury of the storm was something one could argue was equally entrancing as the calm before. Rain pelted the savannas below and lightning lit up the flat lands, illuminating the silhouettes of newly grown trees sprouting in organized rows like lines of soldiers. Wind ripped through the entrance of the Hive, howling against the treestuff wrappings, and bringing in the thick scent of rain and grass. The Hive itself even seemed to be bowing to the might of the storm, the massive towering city creaking and swaying beneath the dragon's talons.

It was peaceful amidst the fury taking place before them, alone on the stone-covered balcony with only a few rood-raftered terraces above covered in a layer of clay shingles. Peaceful with her friend. She admitted it would've actually been rather terrifying for her if not for the fact Soursop was right beside her, with the biggest, most entranced eyes she'd ever seen.

My friend. My friend? I suppose she is. I have a friend. A friend!

Stars let herself smile for a moment, just taking it all in with the flashing colors, the swirls of nature and endless curiosities. But mostly she found herself focusing on the RainWing beside her.

She had to admit, even if they were mostly sitting here just storm watching, the company of another dragon really did help to ease ScatteredStars' anxieties a bit. It helped that she felt liked by someone who was until recently just a coffee dispenser. She had never considered her daily routine was something that made a difference, even if small, in another dragon's life.

Especially comforting was the fact that this dragon had no great expectations of her, of anything she could or couldn't do, of her importance or lack thereof for her tribe, of anything beyond just enjoying seeing a face every morning who would greet her, and just in general be respectful.

Soursop, you adorable little bean.

Stars let herself smile, watching both the storm and the continued flashes of pink of happiness along her friends scales, enjoying this moment of tranquility. At least until lightning struck near, with a sudden flash and a loud bang of thunder, sending Stars rolling backwards instinctively.

She panted, feeling shaken, ears ringing, and nerves instantly rattled. Spots floated along her vision, the flash having been so bright, so close.

So close.

Panic set in immediately, worrying if something had happened. Did Soursop get stuck, did the Hive? What just happened?

I need to find her, I just started to like her, I can't lose her!

She scrambled up, panting, struggling against her fear. A deep seated fear not of the lightning, but of failing. The same failing of being unable to control her powers, of not being able to direct them, of letting others down, of letting someone get hurt because she couldn't...

"Wow!" exclaimed a voice that sounded like Soursop. "Did you see that? That was so close! Are you okay? Stars?"

She blinked, letting her eyes focus, and there she was. The RainWing standing right over her with a confused and slightly worried expression. Although when Stars let out a sigh and touched her talons, that expression changed to a smile, with a bit of yellow of amusement creeping in along her face.

"Yes, I'm okay. I just wanted to make sure that the floor was safe."

Soursop giggled. "You were scared! But that's okay. The mighty Soursop is here to protect the innocent dragons! Lightning will learn to fear me! Rawr!"

Stars laughed, genuinely laughed, shaking her head. "The fearsome terror of the Rainforest, the towering terror! The devourer of fruit!"

Stars got a talon gently to the nose, followed by a bright and happy smile, flushed with pink and yellow.

"Come on!" She suddenly shouted, "It struck this weird metal rod sticking out of the Hive! I want to see if it melted."

"Metal rod?" Stars tilted her head, before pulling herself up and following the now extremely energetic dragon towards the door again.

There it was just below the balcony, sticking out of a set of silk-woven branches. A single metal rod, bound with a coiled wire, a single little sphere perched atop. It swayed very gently in the wind, but otherwise was immaculate. Lightning seemed to have done nothing to it.

Stars blinked. "It's completely unharmed. But how? And what is it for? Why would someone build that?"

"For science, my dear little black dragon," came a voice from behind, steady and well mannered, and very clearly male. "To study the wonders of electricity, and what it can or cannot do. Mind you, in this case, that particular metal rod is for protecting the Hive as well, so the lightning doesn't set fire to the treestuff we stand on!"

They both turned around to face the new voice. Before them stood a rather, dare she use the word, dapper HiveWing. He had a smile filling his face, although made slightly sinister by the single black stripe along his snout tip, giving him the look of having a mustache much like the small Humans sported. A few more stripes ran in zigzags along his body, breaking up the otherwise bright yellow of his scales that made up the majority of his form. At least what she could see at any rate. The rest of him was cloaked in soft blue and white silks draped about him like a flowing cape, with a single red bow-tie around his neck.

A fashion victim of Jewel Hive?

Soursop just sat back and clapped her talons together happily. "To protect the Hives! That's amazingly smart! Did you come up with that? Who are you? My name is Soursop."

He grinned wide, although to Stars he had a rather uncomfortable 'I'm studying you for science too my dear maybe we can arrange an autopsy' look to his eyes. It made Stars shiver, but perhaps that was just how he carried himself. She learned she shouldn't judge anyone based on how they looked, an important lesson growing up as a NightWing.

"Why yes, my little colorful bouquet of a dragon," he gestured towards it with a talon. "It is a Lightning Rod. To direct the energy of that strike somewhere safe. You see, metal is a conductor after all, and why not conduct that lightning ourselves, you see?"

He chuckled jovially at his little joke, and Soursop giggled along with him. Stars however just grinned. Something about this dragon made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't place a talon on it. Perhaps it was because he seemed so friendly and so well dressed. For now, she'd just push through it. A bubble of hope pressed against her mind's glum thoughts.

He is probably just socially awkward like me.

I shouldn't be harsh on him.

I should just listen, he seems smart.

Soursop likes him, that's good right? Maybe he can be a friend, too.

However, that bubble soon popped as the HiveWing spoke in his rather distinct and deep voice, with each word flowing out as if he had rehearsed it as well as any speech:

"In fact, that rod goes straight down into my electrical laboratory! Would you two care to see? I am in fact preparing for a demonstration tomorrow in the educational wing."

Soursop nodded, grabbing Stars' talon before she had a chance to even respond. Although she had to admit, holding her talons did make her feel quite happy and warm. Things will be fine if Soursop is there.

"Sure... I suppose we don't have much else going on today." Stars managed, smiling. A distraction like that might be fun anyway.

"Excellent," he said. "Right this way! We'll take the stairs, much less dangerous than flying in that rather dreary circumstance outside for sure! Also please do pardon the mess, the laboratory is a bit small and I am doing my due diligence to get things prepared."

Soursop perked up, her ears perking up with her scales swirling with yellow curiosity. "You mentioned, for the demonstration? What will you be demonstrating? Is it something cool?"

The HiveWing grinned in a way that Stars almost screamed and ran from. His grin seethed ambition in a way that she'd seen before in other dragons whose ambitions didn't include making the world a better place from the kindness of their hearts.

"My dears, I will be demonstrating the most important thing from here to Pyrrhia. The Future."

A crack of thunder coupled with a sudden lightning flash illuminated the HiveWing's muzzle in almost perfectly timed theatrical drama. She could see a few scars and crackss along his scales, and the silhouette of half-moon lenses that had seen better days, but mostly it was those eyes. Those deep, piercing, soul-prying eyes that seemed to study them both with absolute malice.

Stars shivered, blinking, suddenly taken aback. She tried to look up again but only found his face back to seeming harmless under the normal faint light of the nearby flamesilk lamps. Still, a chill rant through her, and it seemed like her mind was trying to claw past her skyfire barrier, knocking against the hollow walls of her mind in an echo that seemed to grow louder and louder. It seemed like it might escape at any moment...

A set of talons grabbed hers, holding them warmly, carefully. Everything was fine again suddenly, her vision returning from inwards to the world outside.

"Stars? You okay?" said Soursop before her, her body flush with the classic RainWing gray of concern. "You were looking extremely far away for a moment there, like you were halfway to one of the moons."

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just the lightning, you know?" She forced a smile. Maybe she was just imagining it, more of her fears and anxieties trying to wreck something beautiful.

Right. Soursop. Happy thoughts.

Soursop gently draped her wing around Stars, a feeling of sudden strength filling her, and they padded down the stairs following the HiveWing.

***