Startide woke with a start out of a nightmare where all of the scenes from the history books she'd read, about Moonwatcher and Qibli and Winter and Peril and all of the others replayed in her head-but with her in the places. She saw herself dying in the blown up cave. She saw herself worshipping Darkstalker. Dead on a battlefield. Accidentally bumping into Peril. Attacked and murdered by Scarlet. 

She shook her head, trying to remind herself that it wasn't real. Then she started to pack up her sleeping stuff. Her father walked towards her. 

"Good morning, Startide. Um. Your mother and I made a decision last night. You're going to Jade Mountain in a week."

Startide hadn't thought about what it might feel like to have it said to her. She'd known it would happen, but that was much different than actually hearing it said to her.

"No!" she cried.

"It'll be fun! You'll make friends! You can do one year. If you don't like it, you don't have to go again." Packleader said.

"Okay. I'll hunt today." Startide offered.

When she was out of the camp, the tears that she'd held back flowed down her snout. 

She landed on a rock and tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears from coming. She looked at the water, as if she was hoping for a reason not to go to Jade Mountain to leap out of the river like a fish. 

"What's wrong?"

A voice, coming from some bushes, startled Startide. She leaped up into a fighting pose. "Who's there? I'm armed." She said.

A young IceWing about her age stepped out of the bush. "Calm down. I'm just wondering if I can help."

Startide relaxed. "My parents are making me go to Jade Mountain Academy. I just really don't want to go." The IceWing looked sympathetic. "Mine, too. At least we'll see each other there! Hey, why are you here in the first place? We're pretty far from the Rainforest. Are you lost?" He asked.

Startide shook her head. "Don't tell. My parents are worried dragons will make fun of me because I'm a hybrid. My dad calls us 'traveling assassins.'" She clapped her talons over her mouth. "Oh, no. I did it. I told. Cursed Moons, I'm an idiot."

"Hey, calm down. What's your name? I'm Gyrfalcon."(JYE-er-faal-con)The IceWing inquired. 

"Startide. I should go. See you at Jade Mountain." Startide said.

"Bye." Called Gyrfalcon. 

Startide grabbed a deer on the way back to the camp. But when she lighted in the camp, she thought that maybe Jade Mountain wouldn't be quite so bad.

Not with Gyrfalcon.