I bit my lip and felt Twera's mind touch my own. <Can't we go under it?> I thought. < Or over? Or around?>

<If we do that, we'll miss the window. There isn't enough time to find another route.> I flew even faster, hoping they would keep their promise. Muchh was at stake. If we failed, we would lose more than our lives.

Cringing, and ignoring the humans shivers, of fear or cold I didnt know, I followed Twera into the huge black cloud.

The darkness was thick. I couldn't see. If I hadn't been relying on my mind to navigate, I would be hopelessly lost. I felt its evil. It groped at my mind, wanting to turn me towards it. I fought as hard as I could. Gusts of wind from nowhere threatened to blow me off course. I kept fighting, a smzll ray of hope being the only thing that kept me on course.

I could barley see. I could feel the evil trying to pull me in, but I kept my mind set as hard as I could and followed, by some weird miracle, Twera out.

Once out of the darkness, I realized how tired I was. I felt the others behind me. It would not be good to stop. The mountain was not very far. <Not much farther now!> I called. <See that mountain in the distance? The one that looks a bit like a dragon? That's where we meet them. We'll be able to rest once we get there. Come on!> I was too tired to flap, so I glided instead.

Once out of the cloud, my wings skipped a beet because of how tired I was. They kept going up, down, up, down, on there own acord, even though I was exausted. I turned my head and Mini was right behind me, looking just as tired as I was. She grinned half-heartfelt at me, and we followed Twera to the mountain that really did look kind of like a dragon.

Down below was a great army. It wasn't just dragons down there, but all sorts of beings. The army was ranged all around the peak. Where the dragon's eye would have been on the mountain, there ws a cave. I angled towards it.

I couldn't tell if the army was good or bad, so I kept a eye out for arrows or something. When I landed in front of th cave, My legs nearly gave out on me.

At the back of the cave was a huge bonfire. Nine dragons were circled around it. One, a deep blue, rose to her feet. I knew her to be Water.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming," she said, in a voice like a laughing brook.
"I should be thanking you," I replied. I turned to the others. "These are the Great Ones."

I looked around them. They were all different colors, and had deep wisdom in there eyes. I bowed low, the humans taking advantage of and jumping of.

They stood. A red-orange male, Fire, stepped forward. He put one wing over Water's back.
"I assume you are tired and wish to rest. There is food in the back. You may sit at our CouncilFlame. We go now to review the troops." His voice was the sound of a crackling fire. I bowed again, then moved out of his way.

i was wondering if the others new i was not behind them. i had taken the humans like i was suppose to, sending one after the two left behind to tell them to meat up with us.i had gotten threw the dark clouds all fine and dandy, seeing as i was not of the mind to turn bad, but could not get within attack range of the mountain. the twerp(twera) must not have told the message. i was angry as i let the humans get off and head toward the mountain. i took off again and circled high in the sky. i saw a orange-red dragon head pop out to look up at me and i bellowed my rage. i did not care if these where, "great ones" i would kill them if they did not get over the stupid law they call "wisdom" which i call "pride" or if they gave a back-breaking-out-of-this-world-and-more-t­han­-co­nvi­nci­ng-­rea­son not to.

The other Great Ones bowed. For a moment, I lost almost all sense of dignity. They were here, in this cave. It was a dream come true.

???????

As my mind finally calmed down, I noticed that Nemesis was nowhere in the cave. Terrified, I launched myself out of the cave. Nemesis was circling overhead. <What are you doing up here?>

<dumb ass!> i yelled angry, <you did not transfer my message, and it took you how long? to notice i was not there??> i growled. if anyone has noticed, i had a bad past with powerful forces.

<Message? I'm sorry. Look, isn't it more important for us all to work together to win? If you don't like the Great Ones, then go be dark.> I felt all of my frustration from the past few days surging to the surface.

<message eater.> i cursed at her and flew off. i decided i WAS going to be dark.((hehe)) i flew around to the side of the barrier blocking me and banged my tail against it, creating a vibrating sound. i gave a message to the great ones that way. then i flew out west, and landed on a plan. then after a bit, a black dragon came out after me. he landed and said, "do you realy think that necessary?"
"i do. and why did you of all them, come?"
"i am death, i have no rules, and i don't play far." he said. i nodded and closed my eyes. after a heartbeat i fell asleep. when i awoke i flew off to find the dark dragons.

I watched her fly off. Our alliance was fracturing. Time was shorter than I had realized.

I watched the whole exchange go by with an open mouth. As soon as Nemisis flew away, I shook myself out of it. I looked at Mini, she had the same open mouth as me, back at the great ones, then jumped into the sky with Mini right beside me. I flew up to twera. "Why did you yell at her!" I shouted above the wind.
"Were all stressed out right now, we need every person we can get!" Mini added.

"There was nothing I could do. She was on the way out for a long time. She was a threat."

I snarled. "A threat that didn't have to be! Had you to not have fought, she wouldn't have joined the dark dragons, and would have still been on our side!"

"There was doubt in her mind. She never believed in the Truths that bind us. I had to help her on her true path. Once the War is Won, she will Return, much the wiser." I spoke calmly and evenly. Every one of my words carried a great weight. Losing Nemesis was but one price we would have to pay on our path to victory.

I bared my teeth and stared Twera straight in the eye. "You know, there's an old saying I picked up in one of my mothers books. It gose: a great creature with four legs, two eyes, scales, a tail and wings will follow its givin path, no questions asked. But a dragon, a true dragon, will flame and claw, even in the face of certain death, and make its own path.". I turned and descended back down to the cave. I began to talk to her from my mind, but I was so stressed and angry that I let everyone, including the Great Ones, here it. < That's what a dragon is. Someone who gets what they want, who will not back down, who lives for the freedom and joy of life. A dragon is a being who does good and only good. Those dark dragons out there, they aren't real dragons. They are sick cowards! They join the dark because they think that you can't beat the dark. Well, I'll give it to you straight. You can't. Darkness is everywhere. Is one of the laws of nature. They use it because for evil, because they think it evil. It's not, it's just misunderstood. It can't hide them forever. Darkness is unbeatable, but so is light. They balance each other out.> Done with my little rant, I sat down and closed my eyes, stress seeming to go on forever.

(hey can I join)

Name: subnova
Age: 251
Size: 60'10" long, 30'5" tall, wing spand 200' wide
Gender: female
Race: darkscorn
Descripsion: a dark grey prime scales, light green secondery scales runing down the spine, blood red belly scales, blood red snout horn, head horns, wings, tail scale, and have sky blue eyes
Powers: can fly at mock speeds and use alot differt elimeantle power move
Area you live: in a large cave high the mountins

^^^Yeah, sure i guess.

((Cool, new blood)) I turned on Nimi. I kept my mind speech private. <The Great Ones, they are truly in charge of the world. They say who lives and dies here. The dark dragons are not of Darkness. They aren't even of this world. They are here to destroy our Way. They come from a place Beyond the Darkness. If all of them are not killed, they will keep coming back andd we will have no chance. Life and Death will bring Nemesis back to us, but we have to kill these creatures.>

((Subnova, welcome to our humble world. I look forward to seeing your style.))
<Ah, none of the great ones seem to be missing, so the question of how I'm stuck in here is even more perplexing... >

Thunder's thought struck me. <Thunder, the Great Ones paired off at the Beginning of the Universe. There are nine here. The Stories say that they all were paired. Where is the tenth?> How could I have remembered such an obscure legend?

I was flying at my highest speed trying to make it the great ones get away from the group of dark dragon I belong too, hopeing they will let me join them but there's two dark dragons on my tail and I try every move I know, so call out to nears dragon for help both in a roar and my mind. <in mine: excue me but if any dragons can hears this PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!>

The call of another dragon echoed across the empty space. In response, I led a force of green dragons to the newcomer. While they took care of the drak ones, I aided the newcomer. <What is your Name, Friend?> I asked, in the eloquent Dragon that had replaced my own birth language.

<it's subnova and may I asked yours? So I can thank my savor the right way> I reply to the dragon that save me hopeing that he (is your dragon a boy or girl) sence the darkness in me.

I flew up to the new comer. I enter her mind a little, just as a safety measure, and imeadiatly recoil from the darkness in her.

"so?" the black mass in front of me asked, "so? are you a spy or no?"
i growled. "would a spy have killed your warriors and reviled herself?"
the mass gave a wind-ish howl. "then let us begin the marking!"
the first reaction i had was shock. but i covered t with fake enthusiasm. the guards surrounded me and the mass chanted in a strange wind like language. a searing pain piped up in my thigh. when it ended i looked at it. it was a black imprint of dragon paw. "we will test you but i thing you will command my final army." i bowed my head then followed the escort out.
<this had better work.>
<i don't play fair.>

((I'm female)) <My Name is Twera. I serve the Great Ones> I saw Nimi recoil from touching Subnova's mind. <You are of the Darkness? Or are you not of this Realm?>

(i am going 2 post for no reason, and i am goin to have SO much fun!)
"well, we lost one dragon, and gained an even stronger one!" one of the guards said. i was to be guarded so i did not send out any messages or so no one disturbed me. "actually, we lost 3. two dead, one leaving." said the other.
"oh well. this one more than makes up for the others."
<and i better.>
<sooth. i did not meat you so you would fail me.>
<shut it. i can still fight you. i have the blood to.>

((Of course. The villians always have the most fun. Until they lose.))

((yes but am no villain. and Nemesis WILL win. you should ask for the details.))

((Just did. Twera really changed since she first showed up that stormy night.))

((ya, she now is kinda....no, me telling will insult you.))

((It's fine. I won't take it personally))

I stared open mouthed at Subnova while I searched her mind, soft enough so she wouldn't detect it. She had definite darkness, but she wasn't here to kill us, or even spy.

<well twera I am a dark dragon but not the u think I stolen when I was still an egg and they fuse their dark power into me and ever since I hatched they used me as slave> I said while chokeing at the end of my story.

There was something about Subnova that wasn't quite right. It must have been because she was new to the Alliance. But then, when I had arrive that stormy night, the others didn't look at me like that. Nimi hadn't recoiled from me. Something was wrong here. And I was going to find it. <Then why are you here? Fight with your own Kind.>

I smiled sadly.
"Hey, I remember you!" Mini suddenly said behind me, making me jump. I hadn't noticed her come. "I saw you sometimes. How did you get out?"

((well twera is a bit bitchy. not a brat, a bitch))

((I actually agree with you. Her power does make her that way. Just don't piss her off. She'll spout your deepest, darkest secrets. Trust me, she's done it before.))

<because they made me kill my real clan which the last dragon I killed was my mother and ever since then they have been loseing their power to control me and this is my only chance to redeim my self and restore my clan, so that's y I don't want to be a dark dragon no more.> i reply to twera.

<I, too, have lost much at their claws. The Dark ones, they are not true Dragons. They were an experiment started by my family many years ago. To make a long story short, the experiment went out of Dragon control. We must restore Order to this Realm.>