Just beyond a thicket of voluminous leaves, water babbled. The humid air of the rainforest grew cooler as Fia, Viliant, and Rokirith stepped their claws into mud. "We made it this far," Rokirith announced with a hefty sigh. "Now we follow the river. I'll recognize the area once we're close to Diwa's house."

Sunlight streamed from the rift in the canopy, reflecting off the constant current of water. The light could not cut through the river, occluded by silt and algae adrift. The jungle teemed with insects chirping. Their song overpowered any bird which had gotten lost on the forest floor. The loud, languid croak of toads were seemingly answered by the more exuberant ribbits of frogs. A bounty of colorful leaves and flower blossoms gave the dragons' expedition a sense of ease.

Fia would not allow herself to be lulled by the beauty. As she gazed upon the plants, frogs, and bugs, she thought wryly, I wonder how many are poisonous. Her wings hunkered around her body as she walked between Rokirith who led the way and Viliant who brought up the rear. The dragonette broke formation to cautiously approach the riverside, hoping to sate her thirst.

"There are faster moving parts of the river which are clear," Rokirith commented. "We can drink there, but not here."

Midstep, Fia stopped with her claws hovering above the ground. "Thanks. I'll wait."

As she marched along the river with Viliant and Rokirith, the corners of her eyes often flashed to the murky water beside them. The dragonette felt on edge around unfamiliar waters, ever since her respite at the oasis. She worried that an unseen monster, fearsome like the alligatoise, might lurk just beneath the surface.

Viliant? Rokirith? she asked trepidly. Fia only conveyed her question over telepathy. Instinct bid her to stay quiet, not sure what else might be drawn to their vocal conversation. Should we be walking so close to the water?

Would you rather stay below the trees? Rokirith kept strolling in a line, content that he no longer had to weave between the trunks.

The low light of the forest floor made a shiver crawl up Fia's spine, but she had less to fear in the dark thanks to Viliant's element. The muddy bankside had caused the larger plants to thin out. Even so, branches, leaves, and vines still loomed over their path in an attempt to reach the sunlight. Smaller trees persisted at the water's edge. Their root system became tangled into a knot above the water. There was enough foliage that a creature could still pounce on them from above, but now, they also had to worry about an aquatic ambush predator from the side.

What do you think, Viliant? Fia did not have the gall to disagree with Rokirith, but her friend would have no qualms in doing so if he deemed their surroundings unsafe.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

This is fine for now. In an environment where Rokirith had more familiarity, Viliant was willing to trust his judgment. The adult dragon knew the jungle better than either of the dragonets.

Fia's attention constantly swiveled to the branches overhead, the dark forest to her right, and the river to her left. A suspicious shape drifted along the streaming surface.

"Monster!" Fia roared and leaped into the air with a few flaps of her wings. This helped her gain extra height to spew fire at her target. Her flamethrower rained over the river, dissipating to steam. Trails of fire hissed along the wet snout of the aquatic beast. Those flames soon petered out, leaving a blackened piece of flotsam in its wake.

That's a stick, Viliant said. Both he and Rokirith had frozen in their tracks, staring at Fia.

"Oh." Her shameful tail curled between her legs.

The dragons continued their trek through the jungle. Ever alert, Fia had to stop herself from jumping at every leaf which brushed by her scales. The dragonette's blue irises and slitted pupils went cross-eyed when she saw a long insect on a big leaf, inches away from her nose.

Look at this stick, she called to Viliant. It's moving.

Yeah, he dismissed. They do that when we walk by.

No, I mean it's walking on its own! Fia insisted. Her initial curiosity quickly turned to horror as the dragonette realized how often she had made the same mistake before. "Monster!" Fia gagged a spattering of embers across the stick bug.

Its six legs moved faster and turned the walking stick into a running one. The bug scurried off the end of its leaf, and it plastered its burning body between Fia's eyes.

"Ah!" she yelped, staring at her own fire all the while. "It's attacking me!" The heat of the flames did not faze her, nor could the bug stick—already charcoal—do anything to hurt her.

Viliant rushed over to her side. You good? Did you set your own nose on fire?

"No. It's the bug!" Fia swiped her claws across her face to get it off. Her foot stomped on the insect and stamped out the measly fire. Fiercely, she shook her horns out of embarrassment. Don't worry. I killed it. That encounter could have gone better, but at least Fia had taken out the insect before it could take advantage of her lowered guard.

She lifted her eyes to meet Viliant's harsh gaze. Behind him, Rokirith turned back to glare. Unintentionally, she had drawn all their attention onto her. Now only she looked toward the river, glimpsing the movement in the water past Rokirith's wing.

"Look out, Rokirith!" Fia yelled.

What is it this time—? Viliant began to ask, but once he had wheeled around, he gasped. Behind you, Rokirith!

A slimy creature with a bald, dome-shaped head rose from the river. Tiny ears flicked from the side of its brown head. A snorkel nose drooped from its face, dripping dirty water. This short, muscular trunk curled backward and flicked in Rokirith's direction. Mucus flung from its nostrils in a sticky streamer.

When the offending material struck Rokirith's shoulder, the dragon yowled. His scales sizzled at the point of impact. The smooth, gray surface of his scales blackened around the edges where a hole ate its way through his defenses. Blackfire rippled along his exposed flesh, chilling his fresh injury.

The dragons now had a true threat to worry about.