Pyrite

Gold feathers glinted in the murky shadows of the Driftwood Drag. Twigs snapped and leaves rustled as a small Skydancer ran through the darkness, lost and confused. For the realm of shadows was not her home. She was of the Mirrorlight Promenade. She was a dragon of the light.

For the past few hours Pyrite had been scavenging in the Sunbeam Ruins. But soon the shadowy remains had begun to look different. Soon, she knew that she had been enveloped in true darkness - the darkness of the Shadowbinder.

As time passed, she only grew more lost. Night fell upon Sornieth, and with it came a greater fear in the Skydancer's mind. Light dragons were not meant for the shadows.

Suddenly Pyrite felt someone watching her. A cold sensation traveled down her spine. Her feathers stood on end, and she wished that they weren't so bright and flashy. Back home, she had been prized for her shining plumage and excellent fighting skills. Here, neither of those things would help her. Even Pyrite knew that you didn't try to fight a dragon of the shadows at night.

"Who's there?" she whispered into the darkness.

The leaves rustled in several places at once. Pyrite whirled around as three dragons emerged from the shadows, claws held in defensive positions, surrounding her effortlessly.

The first dragon was a female with dark purple eyes. She had a dark body and pattered purple wings, and a pale lavender underbelly. The dragon had whiskers and carried a luminous pearl that glowed in the shadows.

The second dragon was a small Fae. He had purple butterfly wings and a sparkling underbelly, which seemed to make him look harmless. The glint in his shadowy eyes told Pyrite otherwise.

The third dragon was a male Spiral who continuously swirled in a corkscrew. Unlike the first two, he was not of the shadow realm. He was an Arcane dragon from the Starfall Isles. Pyrite suspected that he must be particularly useful to the clan if he was with these two shadow dragons. Otherwise, he wouldn't be.

"We are the clan of the Moonlight Shadows," said the Pearlcatcher. "What are you doing here? You should not be in the Driftwood Drag, Skydancer of the Mirrorlight Promenade."

Pyrite bared her teeth and backed up. "How did you know this?" she growled.

The Pearlcatcher smiled and tossed her pearl back and forth between her front talons. "I'm a seer, dear. It's easy enough to see the near future. It's even easier to see the present, when an unknown dragon has crossed into my territory."

"Fine," Pyrite said, keeping the tremor out of her voice. "I'll leave, then."

The other dragon hissed. "No, you cannot. I'm afraid that my clanmates and I have other plans for you, Skydancer of the light. No, you cannot leave us just yet."

"No!" Pyrite yelled. "Leave me alone."

The Fae and the Spiral came closer. Pyrite flared her wings and extended her claws, ready to fight her way out. "I'm not going with you, shadow dragon."

The Pearlcatcher laughed, and her pearl began to grow brighter. The silver light illuminated the blackened trees around her. "I'm afraid you are, Pyrite." She said Pyrite's name with an awful tone to her voice. "And there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Before Pyrite could react, the pearl flashed so brightly she was unable to see, and that was when she blacked out.