Once her keen, green eyes recognized a valuable plant, Diwa set the basket down and plucked it from the stem. With her mouth carefully closed around the fragile plant, she said to them, This can make a potent potion. Do you see the leaf pattern? Look for more plants like this. Diwa put the herb in her basket. With that, she sent Viliant off with a basket and Fia springing all around him.

Both dragonets scoured the area, but Fia searched zealously. Since Viliant had carried so much of the workload on their journey thus far, she was fervid to return the favor. I'll find the plant first! she bragged to him. Her snout pushed aside vines and sprigs of other plants. Every time her eyes rested upon a foreign pattern of leaves, she had to resist the desire to spit a small fire over them. Not it. Not it, she groaned.

Her eyes widened, thrilled when she finally recognized the desirable pattern. I found it! she squealed, snapping up the plant.

Careful. We have to sell that. Viliant extended his neck to offer the basket held in his mouth.

The duo continued their work. Fia darted around the undergrowth, constantly on the prowl for new plants. She was dedicated to contributing the most to their funds for the seafaring voyage. Viliant shambled behind her more slowly with the basket. You're good at recognizing these herbs, he offered when she dropped the next one inside.

You're doing a good job as the flower boy, she replied.

There are no flowers! Viliant snapped curtly in her mind, but he abandoned his futile attempt at objection. The basket in his mouth swayed as he shook his head back and forth.

Diwa, overhearing the bickering, came over to their spot in the jungle. She set down her own basket and asked, "How's it going?"

Fia struck an attentive pose. Amazing! Her chest puffed out more in pride now that she could see how many more herbs that the dragonets had collected compared to Diwa.

I'm… not so sure, Viliant murmured as he stared down at the tangle of green stems.

"Hm, most of these are the wrong plant," Diwa confirmed.

"What?" Fia said aloud since she knew that word.

"It was an honest mistake, but you've mixed up the plant that we want and one used to make poisons."

"What?" Fia echoed again, her shock exacerbated. The dragonette did not want to accept the fact that she had done abysmally at her task. Instead of finding herbs for medicine, she had done the exact opposite.

As long as they're useful, Viliant remarked, we can still sell them.

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Diwa's head lifted from the basket and flipped toward Viliant. Her jaw dropped in a look of horror. "Emphatically no!"

And why not?

"Because that wouldn't be ethical," she emphasized that last word, as if hoping that Viliant would pick up on that new piece of vocabulary in particular. "I do not want to have any claw involved with killing someone."

Those words pricked at Fia's ears—idealistic as she had once been—but now her eyes narrowed. She turned her attention to Viliant, more interested in what her role model had to say.

You would not be involved, Viliant reassured Diwa. They would've found another way to kill without the poison regardless. If anything, I'd consider it merciful. I can imagine plenty worse ways to go.

Diwa's snout wrinkled. "Did you hear Sage Rokirith say things like that?"

Quiet up until this point, Fia whispered, I think Viliant's right. We should be willing to sell poison. At least, I am. It could save all my people if we get there sooner.

Aloud, Viliant said a single word. "Ethical." His head cocked to the side, a smug smile entering his twisted tail.

Diwa took a step back from the two children who had ganged up on her. The first look of true anger fell over her face. "This is not up for negotiation! If you want my help, then follow my rules. Do you not realize why I'm even helping you? I'm doing it for goodness' sake!"

Fia flinched and crouched low. Out of the corner of her eyes, she glanced at Viliant who shrugged his wings.

Fair enough.

Diwa helped them sift through the medicinal herbs and poisonous weeds. She held up one of each in her claws, explaining the differences. "You can't just look at the shape of the leaves. You also need to look at the space between the leaves."

They still look like the same plant, Fia whined.

At the same moment, Viliant could confidently say, The difference is obvious now.

"How?" Fia barked at him for another one-word question.

I had some practice, Viliant said with a roll of his eyes. Luckily, he had never coated Fia's injured shoulder in the oils of a poisonous plant. He had always avoided the ones which seemed insidious like these.

"Don't feel discouraged," Diwa offered to Fia. "It's only natural that a poison dragon like Viliant is better at this."

Poison? Fia echoed, tossing a curious look at Viliant.

The black dragonet did not look up from his talons. For years before Fia had met him, he believed himself a metal dragon. It seemed that no one could guess his element correctly. Actually, I'm a shadow dragon, he muttered.

Oh, sorry. I'm less familiar with that element, Diwa admitted.

I don't mind, Viliant said. He did care about gathering these herbs and his ability to discern them. Now, whenever Fia came up to him with a new plant, he could direct her which ones to place in the basket and which ones to throw out. Not that one. That one….

The dragons had a plentiful basketful by the time that Diwa led them back to her treehouse for the evening. Fia rested easier after the full day of work. Once they could sell these herbs in the city, she would be that much closer to home.