~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It had been good to meet her new clanmates. Kind enough to welcome her, no questions asked, friendly enough to offer her water without a second thought... this may be just the break Dream needed. Even so, she found herself struggling to rest when night came. She had heard mutterings of a trap set the night before—was it the bounty hunters after all, looking for a way to ensnare her? She could feel that if she stayed idle and awake in her den, she'd end up tying herself in knots out of frustration.
'So long as I'm cautious, a short fly can't hurt.'
With a brief pause to sip from her goblet and reinvigorate herself, she glides out of her den, twisting in the air idly as thoughts of her new clan pass through her mind. She hadn't had the time to meet them yet, but one of her kind was here, she could tell. Perhaps tomorrow, she could seek them out and gauge their intentions... maybe even make a new friend. Wouldn't that be nice, after everything she'd dealt with?
Slowing her pace at the sound of a vague trickle, she's stunned to come across a flowing river—well, if she could call it that. Cautiously, Dream settles onto the bank and cranes her neck forward, wide eyes narrowing and nostrils flaring in disgust. She can't put a claw on
what exactly she's seeing and smelling, but the slow-moving, dark liquid screams of pestilence. Hopefully the clan had a clean drinking supply for the others...
Eager to be away from the stomach-churning stench, she goes to take flight once more, only to feel something tighten around her leg and yank her back down.
'What in the-!' In her surprise, she accidentally allows her tail to dip into the edge of the rancid river, and she cries out in pain as a feeling akin to acid melting her scales off surges through her. Unintentionally jerking away in pain, the grip on her leg only tightens, and she feels herself being dragged backwards, a shriek of agony escaping from her as the disgusting water washes over her back end.
She was being careful, wasn't she? How could she be caught so foolishly? Just as soon as the helpless thought crosses her mind, there's a flash of movement in her peripheral, and the dragging suddenly ceases, her protector grabbing onto her arm and yanking her back to the safety of the shore. Just as quickly as they'd arrived, the guard suddenly charges the nearby foliage with a enraged snarl, and through her pained haze, Dream can make out a figure observing the whole ordeal.
'The bounty hunters? Have they found me?'
Just as the thought crosses her mind, pain shoots up her spine, and she cries out again, hesitantly looking back to see the damage done. Her tail, her poor legs... she stifles another cry as she sees the remnants of what had ensnared her: a rope, the ends now-frayed from her protector cutting her free.
"Damn it all, they got away!" The rage of the guard draws her attention away from her wounds, and Dream watches as they push their way back out through the brush, their expression softening somewhat at the sight of her.
"I regret that I couldn't get to you before you were injured. Had I realized you were trapped a moment sooner..."
"You still saved me," she manages to croak out, eyes wide and grateful. "I should have been more careful..."
The guard shakes their head.
"What's done is done. I'll see that you're returned to your den and attended to... I must continue my rounds afterwards, however. The last night was no coincidence—it seems we've a killer in the clan."
Offering the injured Spiral a shoulder to lean on, the guard guides Dream back to her den, bidding farewell before resuming their patrol.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
By morning, Dream would tell the clan of her near-death experience, and of the presence of a secret protector within the clan. At the guard's request, and for their own safety, she keeps their identity to herself.