Days later, our fine feather winged fluffy sapiere and her new found long scaled friend find themselves amongst the floating isles. What should have been a glorious vision of nature, was naught but a corrupted vortex of danger. The string of purple hues swirling through the clouds painted a most beautiful and haunting aura over the ethereal floating landmasses. From their vantage point, the two dragons saw that many of their kind were already arriving and finding themselves face to face with strange creatures. 

“This place would be quite pretty if it weren’t chuck full of aether.” Tiramisu put her thoughts into words.

Nodding in his direction, “Truly it would be. Be on your guard, there’s bound to be more like that behemoth we faced in the depths.” Her tone is ever stoic. 

The long ridged drake danced around her with nonchalant glee and innate unawareness. “But we won didn’t we?”

Rolling her eyes at the incessant carelessness, huffing under her breath, “Yes, ‘we’ won.” 

Hiding amongst the fluff along Theseus’ neck, her aquamarine feline can be heard snickering at her owner's comment. She nuzzles against Theseus’ neck, offering her a calming reassurance that she would have beaten the big bad water dragon all on her own. All the while, Tiramisu could actively care less as he was enjoying not being stuck in the depressing atmosphere of the abyssal chasms. So much so that he fails to see the creature seemingly materialize before him. Colliding against the tail end of a tan colored dragon, his maw full of fluff. 

“H-hey! Watch where you’re flying! Not all of us have fancy wings!” Whipping their tail into Tiramisu’s face as a warning to back up, the fawn greater emperor huffs at Tiramisu.

Sputtering at the impromptu dusting of his maw, “Pffft! Stop that! I didn’t even see you!” He attempts to grab at the lanky tail before him, grumpy at first but as the tail twists out of his grasp, it quickly becomes a game to him.

As their tail becomes the object of affection, the new dragon swiftly tucks their tail between their legs to keep it from the grubby ridgewalkers claws. “Could you control your child?” Looking toward Theseus for some kind of assistance. 

“Tiramisu,” She firstly goes to address the drake before the words of the emperor ring in her head. “H-hold on! He’s not my kid, we literally just met a few days ago.”

“Yeah I saved her!” He pipes in flexing his claws toward the fuzzy tailed greater emperor.

“No you didn-whatever! Will you stop that?! Listen, you kinda did this to yourself when you hit him with your tail. So like you’re gonna have to sort that out.” Theseus taking her leave of the two. 

No longer wanting to deal with the banter, and wishing to rest her wings, she glides down toward one of the bigger, empty looking islands, leaving the other two to their own devices. As she lands before she can fully feel the earth beneath her claws she hears an eerie, ghostly screech from the forest edge nearby. Growling, her stance changes from one of near relaxation to one of aggression, lowering her head to protect her throat pouch, tail swaying cautiously.

While Tiramisu has yet to realize the predicament that Theseus has found herself, the sapiere priming herself for battle has caught the eyes of our light brown greater emperor. They once again let loose their tail but only to wrap it around the other drake’s maw, gaining an inkling of their attention, turning him silently down toward his assumed friend.

Whispering into the aether, eyes not losing sight of the dragon on the land below. “Let’s join your grumpy friend and settle this another day, you silly creature.”

“Oh! Thetheuth! Thee needth uth, leth go!” Tiramisu wriggles free of their grasp, diving as ungraceful as ever. 

“Yes, ‘leth’.” Chuckling, teasing the other dragon, before crawling through the air toward the isle below. 

Tiramisu crashes into the ground as he fails to slow down in time, meanwhile their newly acquired companion gracefully lands to the left of Theseus. Opening their maw to tease the fallen one, they quickly shut it as they feel the immensely dangerous aura radiating from the forest before them. The hairs down their spine tingling uncomfortably as they understand why the sapiere stood in such an aggressive manner. 

Sensing the amalgamation of fear and anger welling, their foe steps out from the shade of the trees, massive and nearly the size of the woodland border. Unfurling their wings, the aether ridden hues shimmer through the transparent constellation covered wings, aiding in the sheer size of the otherworldly calm gryphon. Their equally large tail cautiously beats against the ground behind his furred claws. 

Finally righting himself, Tiramisu finally understands why his friends have been acting so strangely. Throwing caution to the wind he walks over toward the glowing gryphon.

He stretches his claws toward the gentle giant, “Hello! You’re awfully pretty! Did you wanna be friends? Oh you’re way bigger up close.”

“I am Spectral Matriach, you are unwelcome here and as recompense for your transgressions. I will end you.” As they speak, their words slurred and aether drips from their pristine beak. 

Though she finishes speaking, she charges forward, aiming straight for Theseus as she seems to be the only threat to her and her home. Closing the distance in a single wing beat, she dips her regal head down as she does, catching Theseus with her colossal horns, her head reeling back as she attempts to toss Theseus off her island. Unfortunately for the primal, this was not Theseus’ first battle against a smart primal and she clamps onto the horns as Spectral Matriarch attempts to throw her off. 

“You wench gech red ef me zach ezaree!” Theseus attempts to communicate her intentions.

Roaring, she bucks a few times before resolving that the obsidian worm is all but stuck to her horns for the time being. She now sets her sights on the other two, opening her beak she unleashes a torrent of brilliantly bright icicle shards. Sweeping her breath left to right in an attempt to catch both of the currently too stunned to move creatures before her. 

Suddenly fearful for the wellbeing of the other dragons, dropping the horn from her maw, “Get out of the way!” she calls out.