A week later, the bruising and swelling around Efron's neck had ebbed to normal. During that week, rain sprinkled down now and then, but nothing as bad as the downpour that Clay's family had visited him in. That was, until now.

  The first heavy drop from the overcast evening sky was quickly followed by two more. Luckily, Clay had warned them ahead of time, so Gretel and Efron were already in the shelter of Wren's grotto to stay dry. The fluffy dragoness didn't seem to mind the company as much, as long as they weren't disruptive.

  Gretel managed to control herself well enough not to sing along with the percussion of raindrops, but even with her tail wrapped respectfully around her paws as she sat gazing out, she couldn't stop the arrow-shaped tip of it from flicking rhythmically as a makeshift metronome.

  “You can go outside if you want to,” her companion said, obviously taking notice of her restlessness.

  “Yeah, but I also want to make sure you're safe and your scales stay dry,” the wyvern replied.

  “I'll be fine here with Wren until the rain stops.”

  Gretel frowned. That's another reason I don't want him alone here. The way she almost attacked me just for entering her grotto was terrifying, even though she hadn't meant any harm. If Efron spooks her, would she attack him, too?

  Before she could think of another excuse, he walked over to her side by the mouth of the grotto. “I'm not helpless, you know,” he murmured after a beat, his green eyes focused on the heavy shower outside.

  She scoffed assuredly. “I know that! I trust you.” Consciously keeping her volume too low for the electric type to hear, she added, “I just… don't trust her. She's unpredictable.”

  The violet revealer blinked, turning to look at her with mild surprise. “What makes you think that? From the checkups and times I've spent here, I've noticed Wren sticks to her routines almost obsessively.”

  “But don't you get worried she might randomly turn on you, like last week when I scared her just by walking in?”

  He shook his head. “Clay predicted that; he made it clear from the start that she's skittish, and he demonstrated how to avoid startling her.”

  Gretel gaped at him. “Huh… I guess you're right… But we just don't know what else she might be afraid of.”

  “Clay didn't mention anything else, and neither had Wren, so I wouldn't worry about that.”

  She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. I do trust Clay. Efron's right: if there are any other things that startle her, one of those two would've said so. “...Alright,” the juvenile wind type agreed. “I don't like being holed up, so I'm gonna move to our willow tree, okay?”

  “Go for it.”

  The purple-striped dragoness smiled, then let her instincts guide her out to the open, where she struggled at first against the onslaught of rain to take flight up the slope and to land on the willow tree’s branch. Since she no longer had to walk on eggshells in Wren’s home, Gretel leaned towards the strong winds and picked up on the patterns of the droplets plopping into the deepening puddles around her. Then she happily improvised a song to it.

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  The young siren didn't hold back, letting herself be heard over the storm by anyone who may be flying through it. This was her retreat, after all; the electric types didn't seem bothered enough by Gretel’s songs to attempt stopping her. She enjoyed singing in the rain because it was an excuse to be louder than casual situations called for. It was almost a chance for the little wind type to showcase her abilities and test the limits of them.

  Eventually the storm passed, and Gretel admired the stars in the now-clear skies from her perch.

  I like it here. It's getting colder, but that's only because of how far north we are. If I have to retreat to the island Chryssa mentioned down south for the winter, then sobeit. Then she hesitated. No… Efron can't travel that far, can he? And the only islands between here and there to roost on are full of hostile dragons like the seers who almost broke my back.

  Gretel shuddered at the memory. Then she hopped off the branch and twirled to dry off as she glided back down to check on Efron. Surprisingly, her friend was already at the base of the slope. “What are you doing outside? It's still flooded,” she said.

  “Apparently Wren is ‘grounding’ someone and it's dangerous to be inside if something goes wrong during that,” he answered.

  Curious, Gretel peered through the shrubs of the entrance and saw that same young electric dragon that had caught the pink bird last week. Despite having been in the downpour, his red fur still looked mostly dry. Too dry, she silently remarked. It's pointy, like Wren’s had been when I scared her.

  “Ready?” Wren asked the juvenile electric type, and when he nodded, she hooked her elbow with his. “Go ahead. Let it all out.”

  The red dragon closed his eyes as if bracing himself, then bright sparks of static emitted from the contact between the two. As his fur began to soften, Wren’s sharpened, until the sparks faded and he let go of her. The medic’s fur then flattened to normal as well.

  “Alrighty, you should be good to go,” she dismissed him.

  He nodded and turned to leave. Gretel still wasn't used to just how quickly electric dragons moved; she didn't have time to get out of his way. Both juveniles unintentionally met eye-to-eye outside when he paused at the last second to avoid colliding with her.

  Then both of them simultaneously dodged in opposite directions, neither letting the other out of sight. Through her peripherals, she saw Efron widen his own stance and study the other male’s body language… not that there was much emotion within it to read: aside from how unnaturally-controlled the latter’s breathing was, as well as how his sky-blue mane electrically clumped into quill-like spikes sticking out to make him seem wider, there were no indicators of what he intended to do should Gretel make any sudden movements.

  The instant she noticed that the tufted tip of his long tail was quivering as Gavin’s had when upset, the young stranger suddenly sniffled and his breath came out in shaky, uneven puffs. “Why are you after me?!” he cried out, the genuine desperation in his tone catching her completely off guard. “Don't make me hurt you! Because I will–if you don't let me go!”

  Gretel was even more perplexed when he seemed just as surprised by his outburst of emotion as she was, but the wyvern was too riled up to ponder why. She lashed her tail. “I could tell you the same thing!”

  The electric type froze before relaxing slightly, her words confirming that she didn't plan on attacking unless he did. Then he finally looked away from her, shifting his focus to Efron instead. “Another…? Why?”

  ‘Why’ what? Gretel wanted to ask, but before she even opened her mouth, the red-furred dragon turned and fled. “What on earth just happened?”

  “I revealed him,” Efron admitted.

  “What?!”

  “I didn't have a choice… You two were at an impasse. I know you: you're not one to fight for no reason. But I could see he was more afraid than hostile, himself,” the violet dragon explained. “But neither of you knew that about each other. If I hadn't revealed that he had no desire to fight, well… things could've ended badly for both of you.”

  Gretel calmed herself and stared at her friend, astonished. All of this time, reveals have been made out to be this terrifying thing that only hurts others… I never considered they could be used to prevent fights. “Thanks… I owe you one,” she chuckled.