By the time that Fia and Viliant had caught up with Rokirith and the rest of the tapir stampede, the blackfire dragon had already laid waste to the surrounding jungle.

Did you kill them all? Fia asked. The dragonette slowed herself to a downcast walk. I wanted to help….

In contrast, Viliant kept running until he had strategically positioned himself on Rokirith's far side. Are the oversized pigs still around?

No, Rokirith answered on both counts. I chased them off. The ashen dragon lay down, huffing hard.

Though Fia might not be able to help fight the dangerous animals anymore, she soon saw a way that she could be of assistance. The fire dragonette dashed around, mixing her red flames with the black ones until they had snuffed each other out. Rokirith had rendered this same service for her after he had first instructed her how to harness rage. Now, she returned the favor.

Much appreciated, Fia. Rokirith hefted himself up and dragged his feet back onto their path. Let's push on.

Since they were heading back the same way that they had come, Fia asked, Can we stop for food? I want to eat the tapir I killed.

Very well, Rokirith said. Our arrival will be late no matter what, and Diwa's reaction will be the same. Though he appeared in no hurry to get back, he did seem more eager to recline than dine. Once they had arrived back to the spot of Fia's successful kill, Rokirith remained off to the side where he caught his labored breaths while staying vigilant.

Fia swatted a couple flies away from the tapir corpse with a wing. Not so many had been attracted to the body that a dragon would turn up her nose and refuse to eat it. "Let's see what it tastes like raw first!" A long, thin trail of saliva dripped from her jowl, swinging as she lowered her gaping mouth.

Viliant waited politely for Fia to take the first bite. Even afterward, he watched her chew and savor the new meat before he chomped onto the carcass himself.

It's good, Fia thought with her cheeks stuffed full. Always tastes better when you kill it yourself.

Viliant swallowed one bite of food and pulled back. I've grown fond of your cooking, he remarked. His expectant eyes occasionally blinked at her, waiting for Fia to cook the meat.

She unleashed her fiery breath on the tapir, creating different sections of crunchy black, well-done, and bloody rare meat for them to enjoy. Fia and Viliant sampled everything and ate till their bellies protruded. The dragonets tottered over to Rokirith where they joined him, lying down themselves.

The two of you better still be able to walk, Rokirith snapped. I don't want to carry you both!

We're fine, Viliant dismissed. Just give us a minute.

Do you want the rest? Fia asked. We saved a bit of everything for you.

Rokirith left the dragonets to a quick, recovery nap while he picked through the remainder of the tapir carcass. His teeth snapped a thick bone in half, but he would not waste the time to get out the marrow. "Time to go," Rokirith announced.

The dragons trudged through the jungle once more. As her adrenaline wore off, Fia found that her left legs felt sore. She stiffened the upper lip of her draconic snout. I'm not going to complain, she told herself. It's not that bad. At least it's the other side of my body. However, the continued activity of their hike made the pain worsen.

"Mr. Rokirith," she asked, trotting beneath his wing. "Can you carry me?" Although he had preemptively refused to carry them, she figured that he would not mind if it had nothing to do with her gluttony. "The tapir hurt my foot a little."

For an unspoken response, Rokirith lifted her up by a claw and placed her on his head. Viliant and Rokirith kept walking while Fia nestled herself between the adult dragon's horns. I recognize where we are now, he shared. Rokirith's strides quickened as he found a pre-existing path, carved out by old blackfire.

The dragons now tread a familiar route. Despite their exhaustion, their heads lifted higher. Fia, Viliant, and Rokirith looked forward to arriving at the safety of Diwa's house. "Did Diwa make it back?" Fia asked.

"She should have by now," Rokirith replied. "We're about to find out."

The treehouse had become a frequent enough spot for the dragonets, making Fia swear that she recognized the scratch marks at the base of one thick tree. Rokirith turned to the side as if he would thump his tail against it, but the base of his tail hung limply in a dire frown. Instead, he knocked with his horns. "Diwa? You home?"

A crash, loud enough to hear from the bottom of the tree, came from the higher up. Diwa appeared in front of them so fast, she must have dove down the tree in one fell swoop. "Roki! Viliant! Fia!" she gushed. "What took you so long? Anyone hurt—?"

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"It's alright." Rokirith patted a wing around Diwa's neck to reassure her. "We're all fine." While his words might have served to soothe her worry, it spurred another emotion in the dragoness.

Anger beset her narrowed eyes and slanted wings. "You have a lot of nerve coming back here so late!"

"Nerve?" Rokirith questioned with his wings blown back from surprise. "I hardly did anything wrong."

"Well, you had me worried sick!" Diwa said tersely with her snout stuck up in the air. "I wanted to look for you, but I couldn't take any risks with the egg. I've been stuck here, all this time, staring at that egg!" Her voice broke with such emotion, Diwa fell back into tender concern for Rokirith and the dragonets' sake. "I was so scared that something had happened to you."

To the green dragoness alone, Rokirith remarked, And here you had me believe that nature dragons were good with eggs.

Diwa's mouth hung open, letting out a loud, irate exhale. "Get inside. All of you."

No longer did Fia want to blindly listen to everything that Diwa said. Her blue eyes darted to Viliant, reminding him, We can't stay here long.

No, but it's late. This is a good spot to rest for the night. Viliant latched onto the bark and started to heft himself up. He splintered the wood with the point of his talons, a technique that he had learned to climb better with claws too long.

Fia nodded as she watched him get a headstart up the tree. The dragonets were fortunate enough that they would not find out what nocturnal creatures lurked in the rainforest at night. Fia scrambled up the tree trunk after him, no longer needing Diwa to carry her up. She had even learned to traverse the trees better than Viliant in fact—in part thanks to her shorter claws. The pink dragonette scurried past him and jumped through the trapdoor of Diwa's treehouse first. Viliant joined her soon afterward.

Faintly, the bickering of the adult dragons could be heard from below.

"I'm not going inside," Rokirith said lower down the tree. "You built this platform for me, this is where I'll stay."

"No," Diwa countered. "You'll be staying here a while. You need a proper shelter. I expanded the door for you a long time ago, but you hardly ever come inside."

Rokirith must have shared another excuse over telepathy as Diwa suddenly exploded in a shout.

"Get your tail inside!" Between her pushy attitude and some physical shoves, the dragoness forced the larger dragon to cram inside her tiny home.

Fia and Viliant backed up against the wall to make room for him. Her hind claw brushed against a pile of rattan leaves. When Fia looked underneath her raised wing, she saw behind her the brown and black dragon egg in a cozy nest. Hi, again, she reached out softly.

Friend. A warm, fuzzy feeling expanded from inside the baby dragonette's egg. Her mind felt much more content and relaxed now that she was surrounded by all the dragons, back safe and sound. The day had been an eventful one—even for an unhatched dragonette. Her hazy consciousness slipped away and entered the dormant, sleep state which would dominate most of her time in the egg.

Good night. Sleep tight. And don't let the dragonflies bite, Fia thought and sidestepped to nudge Viliant in an effort to bid him to say goodnight to the dragon egg.

He looked at Fia from the side of his wide eyes like she were insane.

"Can you watch the egg and the dragonets for me?" Diwa asked Rokirith. "I have to hunt and I have to prepare provisions for the journey…." Her voice faded as she raced between a couple, smaller rooms of her house, but that did not hinder the delivery of her instructions to Rokirith. I might be out late. Make sure the dragonets are tucked in and asleep by the time I get home! Ever since the waylaid dragons had returned, Diwa's claws did not rest—a constant pitter patter against the wooden floor.

"The dragonets already ate while they were out with me," Rokirith offered, an attempt to ease the weight which Diwa felt on her wings. "Their appetite should be satisfied for a few more days—at least for Fia. I don't know if it's possible to satiate Viliant."

Diwa barged back into the main room and yelled close to Rokirith's nose, "Viliant should eat everyday! He's in the middle of his second growth spurt." Her head shook to dismiss that concern for now; after all, Rokirith would not be responsible for feeding them on the journey. Diwa rapidly asked another series of questions. "How come you had time to stop and hunt? What did you feed them?"

"A herd of tapirs attacked us first," Rokirith said with a shrug of his wings.

"A herd? A group of tapirs is called a candle," the dragoness corrected. In her state of hypervigilance, nothing could be done right in Diwa's eyes except by her. "And tapirs aren't aggressive," she scolded. "What did you do to aggravate them?"

With his wings peeled back, Rokirith acted innocent as he said, "I admit, I got too close." His dark red eyes darted to Viliant as he said, "Someone did not leave them alone when I said so."

Viliant ignored the blame thrust onto him. It had never dawned on him that the tapir's venomous snot had been a mere warning shot, nor did he care to reflect on his actions. Whether he encountered tapirs, bears, or humans, so long as he could kill anything that posed a threat, he would do so without question.

Diwa turned her sights onto Viliant and opened her mouth to reprimand him.

However, Rokirith came to his aid as quickly as he had outed him in the first place. "Diwa. Go hunt. You need to spread your wings and get the knot out of your tail. I'll take care of everything here while you're gone."

A slow, reluctant nod brought Diwa to bob her chin. Her terse posture relaxed, and she slunk back down the trapdoor of her treehouse.

Rokirith sighed and planted himself alongside the dragon egg. His weight crushed one side of its nest, but his scales formed a new one as he cradled himself around the egg. "That's better," he sighed, "now that it's quieter."

Fia and Viliant stood close by one another. The former dragonette tried to huddle closer to the stoic one. She better understood Diwa's anxiety around the upcoming trip, feeling unnerved herself.

"We'll leave first thing tomorrow," Viliant reminded her, "no matter what."

Fia nodded grimly and tried to settle in for her final night at Diwa's jungle abode.