Eddie

Journal entry #1
A small group of Beastclan Sympathizers and I helped small settlement of centaur near Anne's clan today. They were having difficulties with a neighboring group of harpies, who were stealing supplies for fighting other dragons. Luckily, the beast clans around here know me well enough to know I mean no harm, so an agreement was reached rather shortly. A centaur by the name of Sprucebender gave me a book about the size of my two paws put together as payment - this book, actually - and gave the others an assortment of well made trinkets.

I have to remember to ask Anne about changing the groups name, because I think "Sympathizers" belittle the beast clans. I dunno, though. I doubt I'll remember to ask her at all. Besides, she might think I'm just trying to find ways to talk to her, which I'm not! I'm just concerned!

I do miss her, though. I have to remember to talk to her about that at some point.

Journal entry #2
Dan and Anne are moving out of Anne's old clan soon. They said that they might travel a bit before settling down somewhere. I wish I could say I was happy for them.

Heh. Dan and Anne. It rhymes!

A group of what appears to be lightning worker dragons showed up a little while ago, but I'm not entirely surprised. They are just down the cliff in lightning. The thing that worries me, however, is that ever since they've arrived, more and more beastclans have been disappearing. I'm going to bring it up to Anne later, and hopefully she'll listen.

I have to remember to work on that essay I've been meaning to write.

Journal entry #3
I've been told to stay away from the group of suspicious dragons, who are now calling themselves "Life Foundation," which is one of the silliest names I've ever seen from a group that, from the looks of it, are focused more on space travel than anything else. Why they didn't set up shop by the Starfall Isle is a question I'm meaning to get an answer too. But how?

The trickiest part is the cliff. I hate heights. After that it should be a piece of cake, right? I wish these damn wings of mine could actually be used for flight. It would make my life so much easier.

I've asked dan about Life Foundation , and he seems unconcerned. Apparently, it's "migration season." I don't remember centaurs migrating before, so I'm a bit suspicious of him as well. I also haven't seen Sprucebender in a while, and he had been making a habit of coming around to talk for the past week.

I haven't been doing well with writing in this thing everyday. Gotta remember that.

Journal entry #4
So when those "Life Foundation" people said "stay away," they meant it. Anne's really mad. And I don't think I can go back there again. Let me recap:

So I get myself down the stupid cliff to the Shifting Expanse okay enough, but I'm immediately confronted by a few guards. They asked me a few questions, and I was answering no problem. I told them I was concerned, and I just wanted to talk with the guy in charge. Turns out to be some guy named Drake, which is weird. It's like naming a centaur "Dunhoof."

Anyways, this guy is telling me that space is the place to go, that the shade on this planet will eventually win, blah blah blah, seems normal to me. Then I ask him about my concerns about the beastclans, and he starts avoiding the question. Pressing further revealed nothing. So, using some tactics I learned from a buddy of mine, I steer him into a room while distracting him with questions.

I didn't even have to touch the guy and he just walks right into this room, and what a poor mistake that was! It had a bunch of beastclan folk in cages, and he knew what had happened only after they all started yelling at him. I figured it was enough evidence, so I tried to just back out of the situation.

Turns out, you really shouldn't p*ss off lightning dragons.

The rest of my time there was filled with guards escorting me out and vague threats. By the time I got back to my den, Anne, Dan, and a few others had already got there, and had somehow already heard the news. Long story short, I got yelled at by five people at once and couldn't get a word in edgewise. I think dan might have heard me once, but I have no idea.

Might go back at night in a few days to rescue those creatures. I dunno.

I have to remember to try fixing this damn acrophobia.

Journal entry #5
A dragon came up to me today. She said she worked for Life Foundation, and that she wanted to talk to me. I told her to get lost.

She. Would. Not. Leave. Me. Alone.

After finally listening to her, she explained that Life Foundation had found something weird on one of their test runs of their rockets. According to her, the rockets were far from done, but this one had gone quite a ways out of our atmosphere before tumbling back to Sornieth. She said there was something on the ship when it came back, and that I needed to meet her at the entrance of Life Foundation tomorrow night.

If I was going to get ANY access to that Shade-touched place, it was through her. So, I agreed. I hope this doesn't end badly.

I need to remember to go get more fruit when I get back tomorrow, if at all.

Journal entry #6
I'm going back to the facility tonight. In case no one sees me again, I'll leave this book here for someone to find. If I'm not back by the time whoever is reading this decided to come check on me, then alert the authorities that you think Life Foundation kidnapped and/or killed me so they get taken down.

I have to remember to pick this book back up when I get back. I don't want it to get ruined.

Eddie put the book down on a rock outside his den. It had an overhang above it, so he wasn't too worried about any potential rain. It was the unusual amount of wind that was concerning him. He picked up a good sized rock and placed it on the book. Oh well, he thought, turning his head towards the sky. He watched as the moon rose up to about a quarter of the way up the sky before setting out. It was a short walk before he reached the cliff, but it still felt like forever. The Shifting Expanses were laid out before him, and the sand seemed to bounce like a calm ocean under the pale moonlight.

A trick of the eye, he pondered. Or something else? Now wasn't the time for pondering however, so Eddie set his focus on the cliff face under him. The height made his stomachs turn, but he set about slowly working his way down a slope that wasn't as sheer as the rest of the rock. "I hate," Eddie puffed, his labored breath caused more from fear than strain. "Heights. So. Freaking. Much."

It was a while before he placed his paws on the sand below him, and the moon showed that about an hour had passed. Cursing, Eddie lumbered his way across the dunes to the bright facility that was beyond a chain linked fence. He walked around it before finding an entrance a few moments later, and the nervous looking dragon was standing a ways away, poorly hidden behind a gargantuan skull that was half buried in the sand. He walked up to her, and tapped her tail.

"Gah!" She exclaimed, before clamping a gloved paw over her mouth. She turned, glaring at Eddie. "What did you do that for? We could have been heard!" She stage-whispered. Her voice was thick with an accent Eddie didn't quite recognize. A strange variation of lightning was the closest thing he could think of. The imperial turned towards the facility, then at Eddie. She made a face, studying him. "I... don't really have a solid plan for getting you in." She said, her whiskers drooping a little. "My satchel could hold you, but I have no other way to get you through."

Eddie narrowed his eyes at the bag. It certainly was big enough, but it wouldn't be comfortable. He would have to crane his neck at an uncomfortable angle to get his head in, from the looks of it. He glared at the imperial before nodding. It's not like he had any other way in.

---

It was what felt like the longest, most uncomfortable hour he had ever spent doing anything, so of course he was spending it in a satchel being snuck into a high security building. Eddie figured that his life could probably be summed up with this one instance.

Why it took an hour, Eddie wasn't so sure. He could hear the guards mumbling something, and felt a lot of walking. Maybe the part of the facility they were going to was deep inside? He asked himself. It was pretty intimidating on the outside.

After a few more minutes of mind-numbing boredom, the imperial dumped him onto a cold tile floor, along with some random objects. Cursing, Eddie picked himself up and took a moment to shake pencils out of his fur before glaring at the dragon who had brought him in.

"Ah, sorry!" She mumbled, picking up her detritus. A shiny name tag on her coat was now very obvious in the buildings oddly bright lights. It read "Dr. Skirth" in big, bold, black letters. Eddie was about to ask her about it when she righted herself and started striding towards a staircase. Eddie had to leap down the gargantuan steps as Skirth began to explain herself.

"The rockets we are sending into our upper atmosphere are only meant to bring back data about the environment up there so we can design future rockets - and hopefully suits - accordingly." She turned a corner, and Eddie found himself sliding a little on the spotless floor in an effort to keep up. "Every other time, we launched the rockets, they gathered data, and then came back down to Sornieth. But last time, something interfered with the rocket." Slowing, Skirth came up to a big glass door.

"What," Eddie mocked. "Did you guys find aliens or something?" He smiled up at Skirth, but she only returned a cold, stoic expression. Her eyes shone with worry.

"Yes." She answered. "But we don't call them that."

She placed a strange card against the door, and it slid open. Magic? Eddie pondered. What kind of magic does that? Skirth dragged Eddie into a darker room, and turned to close the door.

"We, " she began. "Call it a symbiote. It's a very strange creature that we are studying, but it's accomplished nothing but kill our test subjects." It was then that Eddie heard the footsteps coming down the hallway, and Skirths head snapped towards the repetitive noise. She hadn't heard it while they were still in the hallway either, it would seem.

"Pine needles." She hissed, before turning to Eddie. "I'll be back, just don't touch anything." She fled out the door and closed it quickly behind her, and Eddie found himself in a room with only a dark blue light illuminating the many glass rooms. He wandered through the halls, looking into each cell with increasing disgust. Each one was either eerily spotless, or had a Beastclan member in it. He tapped on the glass, knocked on the wall, everything. But it always came to the same conclusion. Not a single one of them was still alive. He was about to head back to the entrance when a small, brittle voice spoke up, straining.

"Eddie?" He turned to see a starved centaur looking at him through a glass window. He inspected his face for a while before realizing who it was.

"Sprucebender!" He exclaimed. "Okay, okay. Hold on, imma get you out." The centaur brought his hands to the glass again and again while Eddie fiddled with the control panel beside the door. Alarms started to blair, causing Sprucebender to scream. It sounded unworldly. Eddie, not really knowing what else to do, backed down the hallway before ramming his shoulder into the glass, shattering it. He recoiled in pain, and looked at the now cloudy cell.

With a yell, the centaur launched itself out through the window, eyes wide with fear. He only made it a few feet before crumpling to the floor, dead. "Spruce? Spruce!?" Eddie called. The now still form on the ground did not respond, and Eddie found himself dragging his focus to the broken glass. He backed down the hallway again, this time slowly and out of fear, for a large, black shape was unfurling out.

"Hmm." A gravelly voice came from the mass as it peered at the centaurs limp body curiously, and Eddie got a feeling that this thing had something to do with it. The eyes turned towards Eddie, interests sparkling in the otherwise empty white spaces. Eddie realized that the black cloudy mass was assembling itself to look like a dragon.

In one, swift movement, it jumped forward and bit Eddie on his left wing.

"GAHH." He hollered, tugging on his trapped wing. The dragon-thing let go after a moment, looking at him skeptically. It swiveled it's head back and forth, listening to the sirens, before disappearing completely. Eddie's head began to swim when he heard footsteps thundering down the hallway, and he bolted towards what looked like a door. He slammed it open on a guard, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Eddie took not time to acknowledge this as he hurried down the corridor and out another door into the night air, cold breaths stinging his throat. He barreled towards the chain link fence and broke through it, stumbling into the desert. It took him very little time before he found himself at the cliff face again, and he heard people from all sides coming at him, but still out of sight.

At this point, exhausted and petrified, Eddie passed out.

When he woke up, he fully believed he would find himself in a cell somewhere, but came to the quick realization that this was not the case when he opened his eyes and was met with the ground on top of the cliff, the moon showing that he had been unconscious for about an hour. He peered down the sheer side of the cliff and saw over twenty dragons armed with lights, searching for him. He ducked out of sight and looked around, still groggy. "How the hell..."

He brought himself to his feet and trudged along a path before getting to his den. He picked up his book and brought it inside. Setting it down by his bedding, he slammed his head onto a soft blanket and fell asleep instantly.

---

Anne's shouting was not what woke Eddie up that morning. Nor was it the really bright sun shining through the now open door. No, what woke him up was his hunger, which was weirdly painful. He rose out of bed, fur over his eyes, and turned to look at Anne. She seemed really upset over something.

"Hey, Anne." Eddie mumbled tonelessly. He fumbled with his blankets and trotted over to the pile of vegetables and other such foods he had, and began looking through it.

"Where were you last night?!" Her voice was painfully loud, and he shuddered before giving up on his food. There wasn't anything there, clearly. So, he went outside, looking for something. "I come here this morning and your fast asleep and-"

"What's wrong with that?" Eddie interrupted. His tired brain had yet to wrap around the fact that Anne was upset, and was focused on finding some food. He came across a dead bird hiding in the bushes.

"What's wrong- No. I mean I find you asleep and you have a HUGE black bite mark on your wing! Where the hell did it come from?! I thought you might have been dead! What where you- wait. What are you eating?" Anne stared at Eddie, whose mouth was full of feathers at the moment.

Anne was a spiral dragon, so she didn't immediately seem perturbed. Eddie watched her as he chewed before they both realized at the same time what was wrong. Eddie is a tundra, and tundras are herbivores.

It was a while before Eddie stopped puking. He slumped down on the ground after walking back to his clearing, face in the dirt. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He asked to no one in particular, and Anne looked at him worriedly.


"I have no idea, but I think you might be sick." She voiced. Eddie turned his head a little to look at her, as if to say "No duh, Arcanist." She glared at him before spreading her wings. "I'll go get Dan, okay? Just stay." She took flight without another word, and Eddie groaned before planting his face in the ground again.

Its not like I have anywhere to go. Eddie thought to himself lazily. He picked himself up after a moment and lumbered to his cave. He settled in the entrance and inspected his wing, devoid of any of the pain it was in last night. A black, crackle-y pattern was reaching out from a bite-mark, black and sickly-looking. Eddie poked it, and he felt nothing. The wing was numb, it would seem. Sighing, he got up, sweeping his little lair with a glance.

His bedding lay to the far right of his lair in a corner, and a small, concave part of the wall closer to him acted as a food store. There was a small table next to his bed with candles on it, along with some leaves from whatever he ate last. A small room off the main room was filled with an assortment of odds and ends, mainly trinkets given to him by the beastclans, but also some shinies he had found while wandering the area around his den. He shuffled into this little room and picked up a mirror, sighing at his messy fur and tired eyes. His reflection watched back, uninterested.

Then, in a flash, his reflection’s eyes widened and distorted into ragged, teardrop shapes, and his mouth filled with impossibly sharp teeth before speaking in a low, rough voice.

”Eddie.”

Eddie shrieked and threw the mirror across the room, shattering it. Shakily, he ran outside and found Anne and Dan - who looked like they had landed only a second before - watching him with expressions that were a mix between worry and fear. He looked at them for a moment. “Oh, hey guys.” He managed to say before passing out, again.

”Wow.” The voice laughed softly, echoing in the darkness. ”That was embarrassing. Have fun explaining that one.”

---

Eddie woke up a little while later, and remembered fairly quickly that he had passed out 3 times in the last 48 hours. He decided that this was probably not healthy. Prying his eyes open, he was met with a skydancer, peering at him with a troubled expression on his face.

“And he lives!” Dan exclaimed. Antenna on his head bobbed a little as he moved to see Eddie’s wing. Eddie followed his gaze and saw a black mark in the membrane of his wing. It had receded, and almost completely obscured with fur now. “I've been prodding that wing of yours for a bit now, but I can't figure out why it looks like that!” Dan continued to ramble about the different bite marks of Sornieth’s creatures while Eddie stared at the dark, poison-esq markings around the bite, and memories of the facility flooded back to him.

“Oh boy.” Eddie started, looking at dan. “Hey, uh, Dan? You know how I can't fly, right?” Dan looked at him, perplexed. “Well,” he continued. “Is there any way that I could fly? While unconscious, maybe?” Dan’s face morphed from confused to pitying, which did nothing to comfort Eddie.

“Your in shock.” Dan declared after a moment of silence. “Either that, or whatever toxin is in your wing is messing with your memory. Your inability to fly is a genetic problem, Eddie, not a neurological one, remember?” He opened a pouch and removed quite a few medical supplies before picking up a small instrument of some sorts. “Here. This is some technology a friend of mine made while working on a project of his; It can detect poisons and other such foriegn substances. I'm just going to press it to your wing, okay? It won't hurt.” Dan touched the rounded tip of the cone-shaped tool to the center of the bite mark.

Eddie decided immediately that it hurt. A lot.

The black around the bite on Eddie’s wing expanded suddenly, covering the entirety of it, morphing into a long, furless, stretched shape that glittered like a dragonfly’s wing. It unfurled impressively, then smacked Dan away from Eddie. He stumbled back from the force of the wing, eyes wide with shock. Eddie's wing tucked into itself, going back to its original tan, fuzzy shape. Eddie sat up, watching as Dan's eyes darted back and forth from the wing and Eddie, his body showing how fearful he was.

“I,” Eddie stuttered. “I, uh, I'm sorry? I didn't do that. Well, I mean, I guess I, uh, did, um.” He tripped over his words as he tried to comprehend the situation, and Dan glanced at the cone in his hand. His eyes widened a little before returning to Eddie.

“Huh.” He stated. “Not a poison, then.” Eddie watched as he turned some dials on the tool, occasionally glancing back at the misbehaving wing.

Anne walked in and looked at the two of them, concern written all over her face. “I heard a loud thump, and I wanted to make sure everything was all right.” She looked at both dragons before turning to Eddie. “What happened? Are either of you okay?” Eddie couldn't bring himself to say anything, instead simply looking at her, mouth moving like he was a fish gasping for water. “Dan?” She turned to look at him. “What happened?” Dan looked up at her before motioning for her to come closer, and they began talking softly about what the instrument in his hand was showing. They were too quiet for Eddie to hear.

“We should eat his face.” The voice suggested, and Eddie jumped a little. “That small thing in his hand is painful.”

“What? No, that's not happening.” Eddie whispered, making sure that Anne and Dan couldn't hear him. “I'm pretty sure you don't even exist, anyways, so you have no say.” He could hear the voice grumbling a little. “Why would I do that, anyway? Dan is just trying to help.”

“Because,” the voice began. “He might poke us with that thing again.”

Eddie looked at his wing, and folded it so that the bite mark was inaccessible. “There.” He muttered, praying that it wasn't to anyone. “He's not going to get to it.” Eddie looked back at the other two dragons, and Dan glanced at him.

“Well, this is strange.” He started. Eddie got the feeling he wasn't going to like where this conversation led. “My friend didn't tell me this, but my detector here can also detect unwanted life forms in your body! That's pretty neat. Anyways, it picked up an unexpected - er - something in you, and I think it might be draining you of necessary nutrients. Bt it's only a hypothesis seeing as I don't really know what's there..”

“That is blatantly untrue.” The voice protested.

Anne bumped Dan, and murmured something to him. Eddie figured she was reminding him that not everyone has the energy to translate what he was saying into understandable words. “Right. So, long story short. You have a parasite, Eddie.”

“PARASITE!?” Eddie yelled, his voice now mimicking the Voices tone. Eddie lurched to his feet, and watched as the black in his wing swiftly covered all of him before becoming insect-like. He looked at his now thin tail as it extended and wrapped around Dans neck, lifting him from the floor slightly. Eddie tried to move, but found that he couldn't, and whoever this ‘voice’ was had complete control. “First,” the voice growled, irritated. “You poke us with that painful object of yours. Then, you have the audacity to call us a parasite? I don't care who you are, or how much Eddie tells us you’re a friend. You pull something like this again, and we will eat your face.” Eddie saw Anne pull on his tail, and he finally dropped Dan.

“Who the hell are you? Get out of my friend!” Anne yelled. Eddie felt the corners of his mouth rise.

“Oh, forgive us for being rude.” The voice responded, clearly less aggravated now. “We are Venom.” Venom glared at Dan one last time before leaping up onto a ledge near the ceiling, leaving Eddie still on the ground. Eddie, not quite adjusted to being in charge of his own body again, fell over. Venom snickered, making himself comfortable.

Eddie looked up at Venom, and saw that the now dragon-esq creature was indeed in the shape of a mirror, four eyes barely noticeable in the white markings around them. “What the hell?” Eddie questioned as he stood back up. He walked swiftly over to Dan and Anne, and Venom hissed slightly. “Are you okay, dude?” He asked, looking at the skydancer’s neck. It seemed untouched.

“I'll be okay.” Dan reassured, though Eddie didn't know who the reassurance was directed towards. “It's you who needs help, however.” Eddie looked back up at the Obsidian-colored mirror, watching him survey the outside world through a window. “Yeah.” Eddie agreed. “I think I do.”

---

It took an hour to convince Dan to go home, and another hour to convince Anne that Venom wasn't going to kill Eddie the second she left. She still hadn't been convinced to leave, however.

“No I'm not.” She stated, glaring up at Venom, who still hadn't moved from his perch. “I don't care that he ‘won't kill you.’ He's a jerk and I'm not leaving you alone with him." Eddie watched as Venoms tail flicked back and forth, almost like clockwork. The sun had begun to set, and if Anne didn't go home now, she would have to stay the night. Eddie realized that that was probably her plan.

“Look, Anne.” Eddie grinned half-heartedly, before letting his face fall again. “If you don't go home now, then you won't be able to later, and I don't want Dan getting sick or anything. Please go home.” Anne looked at him, unconvinced.

It was then that Venom decided to drop down to the floor, startling both Anne and Eddie. His eyes narrowed as he looked past them, at the entrance to the den. “We should leave, Eddie.” Venom suggested. “The people from that facility are drawing close.”

“What?” Eddie exclaimed. He turned to where Venom was looking as saw quite a few lights shining far in the now pitch-black darkness. It had become night quicker than Eddie had anticipated. “Why didn't you tell me?” He turned to Anne, who looked mad. “I can explain, but I think maybe I should explain later?” He ran out the front of his door, blowing out a few lights on his way out. Venom wasn't too far behind, and Anne quickly followed suit. Slipping through the sparse foliage, They made there way towards the Tangled Wood.

Venom made a point to walk along side Eddie, and Eddie noticed that he had somehow done a suprisingly nice job with appearing normal. To anyone else, Venom would have appeared to be an all-Obsidian ice dragon with a wasp primary, bee secondary, and smirch tertiary. His tail was a little too long, and his terrifying amount of pointed teeth were readily apparent, but Eddie had to admire the dedication to blending in.

"Is there something you need, Eddie?" Venom asked quietly, as to not attract any unwanted attention. Eddie realized he had been staring, and looked down sheepishly.

"Ah, um, no, er, well." Eddie searched for something to say. "Ah! I just wanted to, um, I just wanted to know why you came to Sornieth? I just don't really know why you would want to do that." He looked back up at Venom, and saw a thoughtful expression on his face. It was a little while before Venom said anything.

"Your planet intruiged me." Venom stated after taking a moment to put his thoughts in order. "The people, the politics, Its all very... different, perhaps?" He looked up, and Eddie looked up as well. The stars were out tonight, and only a few clouds crowded around the moon in the sky. While looking, Eddie tripped on a rock, falling on his face. Venom chuckled before lifting Eddie back onto his feet.

Eddie shook his head before continuing. "Where are you from?" Eddie pushed. The more he knew about Venom, the better his situation might be.

"I don't really know." Venom answered, scratching his muzzle. "Somewhere in this galaxy, I think." He fell silent, and Eddie felt like there was something he wasn't telling him. Still, this creature had more control over him than Eddie did before he met Venom, so he didn't pry.

"...Aren't you gunna ask where I'm from?" Eddie mocked, raising an eyebrow playfully. Venom looked at him for a moment, before returning his gaze forward.

"Greatwyrm's Breach, of the 'Earth' territory on Sornieth. You moved to the edge of the Hewn City as an adult." Eddie gaped at Venom, trying to wrap his head around this new information.

"How the hell did you know that?" Venom looked down at him with a slight smile playing on his mouth, and Eddie felt very, very small.

Venom pointed at the darkened membrane on Eddie's wing. "I know because of that. See that it's faded?" Eddie did notice it, now that it was pointed out. The black seems to have traveled under his fur at this point, but the bite marks looked like they would scar. "That means that I have a connection to you. I can't survive on your planet without a connection with the local life. The abundance of magic in the atmosphere is overwhelming, and without a proper filter, the amount I'm absorbing could prove... Disastrous." Venom shuddered slightly. "The people at that facility called it 'bonding.' A side effect is that I know what your thinking, I can access you memories, stuff like that. Long story short, I'm in your head, Eddie." he chuckled, and Eddie found the whole ordeal uncomfortable. "You're a bit of a loser, Eddie."

"Hey!" Eddie protested.

"Eddie?" Anne called out, and Venom hissed a little. "Where are we going?" Eddie looked at the fluorescent glow of the mushrooms across the bridge.

"We're going in there." Eddie explained. Anne gave him a 'clearly' look, so he elaborated. "It's darker and denser in there, so maybe we might be able to escape those dragons-" Eddie was cut off when two dragons in official looking outfits jumped onto the bridge from under, pointing weapons at him.

"The Symbiote." One of them demanded. "Where is it?" Eddie turned around and found that Venom had disappeared again, and Anne was looking at him in horror. "Sir." The other dragon said impatiently. "Just hand it over and turn yourself in, or we will be forced to subdue you." They glared at him, and Eddie gulped.

He looked down, and saw that his paw had been replaced with sleek, hard claws. He held the hand up, and both of the dragons in front of him were taken aback. "I think," Eddie said. "He doesn't want to talk right now." Eddie lashed his claw at the dragons, and both dragons stumbled back. "Oh im so sorry." Eddie apologized. "I don't really want to do this." He closed his eyes as Venom took over, and he could hear screams. By the time he opened them again, Eddie was back in his own body, surrounded by what looked like blood. He looked up at Anne, who in turn was paralyzed with horror. "Sorry." Eddie repeated, before taking off into the forest.

---

By the time it was daybreak, Eddie found himself at a cliff overlooking the Sea of a Thousand Currents. He refrained from looking down, and sank to the ground, exhausted.

"Why have we stopped?" Eddie saw Venom materialize next to him before laying down, not unlike a cat.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm beat."

"But why here?"

"I dunno, dude. Maybe the view?" Eddie snapped. Venom looked hurt for a moment before defaulting to a stony gaze. He looked out at the sea, but Eddie did not, trying to avoid the height.

"Hmm. It is peaceful up here. Beautiful, too...Why do you look sick?"

"I'm not a fan of heights..."

"You are a dragon, Eddie. You are supposed to fly, I thought."

Eddie looked up at Venom, furious. "Yeah, well, I can't. Never have, never will." Venom's eyes widened, and his face asked for an explanation. "I-I was born this way. My wings aren't quite the right shape. They got, um, 'fused' while I was still growing in my egg. Found out the hard way when I was being taught." Eddie winced at the memory of falling into a deep chasm. "I've been scared of heights since. Not like you would know what being scared it like..."

"Fire."

Eddie looked up at Venom. "What?"

"I'm afraid of fire. And loud noises. They bother me to no end." Venom looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Where I am from, was from, the land was in constant turmoil with itself. The people were violent, and there was conflict everywhere. I...was a bit of a loser, like you; I never wanted to fight, and I wasn't that strong. In the end-" Venom's voice became brittle, but he regained his composer. "In the end, the world fell apart, broke into fiery pieces in one great explosion. And I was sent floating through space, hungry and alone." He looked at Eddie, before sighing and turning back towards the sea.

"I-I didn't realize. I'm sorry..."

Venom waved his hand dismissively. "You had no way of knowing. It is alright. Clearly, I ran into one of your 'rockets' and ended up here, so all is well."

Eddie stole a look at the ocean. If it wasn't for the height, Eddie might have agreed with Venom's earlier comment; the view was stunning, in a way. The sunlight reflected on the ocean like a thousand shimmering scales, constantly morphing and shifting in unnatural, yet captivating ways. The sun traveled down the sky in its predetermined march as the two rested on the cliff face, occasionally making small talk about themselves and the world around them.

For the first time in a while, Eddie felt at ease.

Behind Eddie, the bushes rustled, and Eddie was going to get up to investigate when Venom lurched him to his feet and disappeared. "Oh, not just a deer, huh." Eddie watched as a dozen dragons emerged from the foliage, their dark uniforms made them nearly invisible in the gloomy forest. "Oh hello guys." Eddie greeted. "I don't suppose any of you just want directions?" He laughed nervously, but no one else did.

A sleek red dragon came in front of the rest of the group, smirking. "Hello, Eddie."

"Drake."

"Why so hostile?" Drake feigned being hurt, putting a clawed hand over his chest. The three crests on the bogsneak quivered a little, and Eddie figured that he was probably being mocked. "Look, buddy. We all know that sometimes, life can be a nuisance, right?" He looked at his entourage of guards, who all started nodding. "Right. Now, I know you may have had a run in with a certain...creature that I was looking after. Big? Scary? Has a tendency to eat people?" Eddie remembered the guards on the bridge and winced. They probably had families.

"Please, just leave me alone, Drake." Eddie backed up slightly, only to find his back paws on the edge of the ledge. Drake noticed this, and took the opportunity to advance.

"Come on, Eddie. I can make it go away." He purred. "You can go back to having a normal life! No more hurting people, no more running, no more monsters." Drake was only a few feet away from Eddie, and he noticed that Drakes strikingly blue eyes were glinting with something more sinister. Eddie bristled his fur defensively. "No? Oh well." Drake pouted, then his stare hardened. "If it's the hard way you're after, then it's the hard way you get." He turned from Eddie and walked back into the forest, pausing one last time to look over his shoulder. "Have a good life, Eddie. Or what's left of it, anyway."

Eddie looked down at the waves smashing into the cliff side below, and his stomachs turned. "what are we going to do?" He felt something shift as he spoke.

"I need you to close your eyes and count to three." The guards started going towards them, and Eddie started to panic. "Can you do that for me?"

Eddie looked at the guards pointed weapons, aimed at his chest. "Okay, but you better know what you're doing, because I really don't feel like dying."

"Just...try not to worry. Okay? On three."

One...

Two...

Three...

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut and felt his control slip away. There was a cacophony shouting, and Eddie felt a weightless sensation as he heard the shouting get quieter behind him. A chorus of wing beats filled the air, and Eddie risked a look at what was going on. He was airborne. "...Eddie? You're looking. Are you-"

"AHHHHHHH"

"...Okay. You do realize that this is why I told you to keep your eyes shut, right?" Venom's wings beat hard as the ocean raced below them, and Eddie watched in terror.

"I AM GOING TO DIE."

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE." A spear whistled past their head, and both Venom and Eddie redirected their attention towards the dragons following them. "GRAH. Hold on." Venom dove towards the water, and Eddie screwed his eyes shut again after deciding that it was probably a better idea to do so. It was what felt like forever before the shouts and orders from their assailants faded, and Eddie felt Venom land hard on the ground, immediately beginning to run.

"...Are we dead?" Eddie heard Venom sigh, exasperated. Either that or he was breathing hard. He opened his eyes to see the Starwood's glimmering petals above them. "Wha- Did we fly all the way to the Starfall Isles!?" Eddie felt Venom detach from him and stop, catching Eddie before he fell face first into the ground again. He looked up at the foliage, and heard nothing but general wildlife and Venom's exhausted panting.

"Is that what this place is called?" Venom asked between breaths. Eddie guessed that he hadn't quite realized that mirrors aren't built for flight. "It certainly is *huff* pretty." Venom slumped over, slamming into the ground. "This *huff* body *huff* is *huff* infuriating."

Eddie watched him for a bit before joining him on the ground. "Well, I guess we're okay for now." Eddie offered. He gazed at the stunning flowers that were blooming in the moonlight. "Hey, um, thanks." Eddie looked at Venom, whose eyes were closed.

"For?" Venom's inquiry surprised Eddie.

"For getting us out of that mess."

"Ah. You're welcome." Venom's breathing became slower, and he seemed to fall asleep. Eddie looked at the reflections in his wings, which looked like hundreds of small stars, and found himself smiling. Goodnight, Venom. Eddie thought to himself before closing his own eyes.

Goodnight, Eddie.

---

Eddie landed on the crescent shaped plateau, and watched as Venom bounced foward. "Why do you insist on having me fly? Your wings are bulky."

Venom looked at him, amused. "Did you not want to help your fear of heights?" Eddie mumbled a few curses and looked at the monstrously huge, pink, claw-shaped mountain he landed on. A small cave lay near the back of the little grassy patch.

"Hey, Venom, people live here. Think they have any food?" Eddie speculated, avoiding Venom's question. His stomach growling slightly.

"If they do, let it be those small candies we found last time."

"You mean chocolate?"

"...Yes."

"Alright, but remember what we discussed?" Venom growled a little. "Venom." Eddie warned. Venom rolled his eyes, or at least moved his head in a way that signified eye-rolling.

"We can't eat anyone who doesn't immediately try to kill us, or anyone who isn't a really bad person." Venom recited in a monotone voice. Eddie nodded approvingly.

"Good. I really don't know why you can't just settle for cooked foods."

"Food that is 'Cooked' is dead, Eddie. Dead." Venom spat, insulted.

A small fae flitted out of the caves entrance, followed by a fairly large posse of mismatched dragons. Her bright pink wings shone under the midday sun, and Eddie got the impression that this dragon was probably friendly. She flew foward before landing, craning her neck to look at Eddie and Venom. "Hello!" She chirped. "My name is Primrose! Who might you be?" Eddie looked at Venom, and shrugged.

"We are Venom, but he likes to be called Eddie." Eddie glared at Venom before punching his arm playfully.

"Well, we are happy to have visitors! Your welcome to stay as long as you like!" Primrose led the two of them into the lair, and Eddie spotted a pair of eyes in the upper window. They looked ecstatic.

"So," Venom turned to a purple dragon in the mix. "Do you guys have any chocolate?

---

A passage in lungworts journal reads as follows:
Who is this guy?! He says his name is Eddie Brock, but to be perfectly honest I don't believe him. Why? Because the guy he showed up with, Venom, isn't a freaking dragon. Oh, sure, he pretends, but it's obvious. It's also obvious that this "Venom" guy is somewhat of a parasite; I have never seen him outside of 20 feet from Eddie. And the scars on Eddie's wing? Bite marks, but not any bite mark I'm familiar with. Venom also take offense to the word "parasite," so that's pretty sound evidence.

So this guy has a parasite, big deal. It wouldn't be much of a problem, except that these two are always so freaking lovey-dovey and such. Eddie denies it, but Venom just gives me this sly smile whenever I question him. It's ridiculous! Not only do I not like couples being blatant around me, I also don't like it when someone is in some sort of danger due to their relationship. Don't ask.

I just. This guy is frustrating on so many levels he might as well be the Spire.

This is based off of the character Edward "Eddie" Charles Allan Brock, which is owned by Sony.