The sun licked at the horizon, casting orange and yellow droplets across the edges of the vibrant plant life. The underbrush tickled my belly as I ran, my claws digging into the soft earth as I pumped my legs. 

 It had been mere hours since my mother was slaughtered before me, and the memory was still a bleeding, open wound, no scab in sight. It oozed, green and infected. I knew that I wouldn’t get to the village before nightfall, but I wanted to get as far as I could. I pushed my legs to go faster. I wanted to spend as little time in the same forest as my mother’s killers as possible. 

A frog hopped into my path and I shrieked in surprise, tripping over my own talons. I careened into the side of a tree, losing a few scales on the thorns covering its trunk. “Monkey-brained tail-biter!” I cursed at the frog. It really couldn’t care less, croaking and lazily hopping away. 

I cursed some more before taking off again, taking care to look for things that could jump into my path this time. In hindsight, blindly running wasn’t a great idea with four dangerous killers haunting the forest, so I slowed down and moved quietly.

When the sun finally lost the battle with the moon and dipped past the horizon, I was slowed even further by the dark. Two of the three moons were in the sky, but they were mostly just crescents. Little light shone from them, and after clouds settled in, I decided it was better to settle down for the night than to stumble around in the dark. A patch of brambles would serve well enough as cover for the night. I dug out a space under them and lined it with what moss I could find on the trees around me. I lowered myself into the makeshift nest and let out a long sigh, looking up at the moons. If only I’d inherited the powers of my mother’s tribe. If I could see the future, none of this would have happened. 

I drifted into a fitful sleep, and woke the next morning with several bramble thorns buried in my hide. Grumbling, I dug them out and pulled myself out from beneath the bushes. I yawned widely and stretched my aching muscles. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. I wanted to keep moving. 

Picking up the satchels, I slung them both over my neck and got going, being more cautious in the broad daylight. I picked my way past a deep, angry river, its sides foaming from the turbulence of the water. A rock wall forced me closer to it than I liked. Its waves lapped at my feet, threatening to throw off my balance as I kept as far from the edge as possible. If I fell into that water, there was a chance I wouldn’t get back out. When I made it safely past the river, I let out a deep breath of relief. 

I traveled a few more hours before stopping to rest. My stomach growled loudly and I sighed. There had to be something around to eat. Fruit, maybe? Or a boar, or a monkey. I put the satchels down on the roots of a tree and sniffed the air. The tantalizing scent of fruit tickled my nose, faint and impossible to track due to all the greenery. I huffed in frustration and rose onto my hind legs to get a better scent, nostrils flared. It didn’t help, and I sat back on my haunches in irritation. 

And then a patch of ivy on the tree nearest to me rippled unnaturally.

My eyes shot toward the movement instinctually. Something was wrong. I wasn’t alone. Listening intently, I kept my entire body on high alert until I heard the slight rustle of a branch creaking above me. 

I looked up, fangs bared and ruff flared, snarling. There was nothing on the branch, yet it sagged. I narrowed my eyes. “Do you know how many times I’ve seen that trick? I know where you are,” I growled. A light blue-green rainwing with orange and purple on her face and wings slowly materialized on the suspicious branch, eyeing me calmly. “So you’re not blind,” she said with a smile. She flicked her tail and another half dozen dragons appeared out of thin air. Because that wasn’t disconcerting at all. “Naturally,” I answered, eyeing her suspiciously. “Doesn’t take much to tell that a branch is being weighed down.”

“Fair,” she replied, clearly pleased with my answer. “Tell me, where are you coming from, dragonet?” she asked, opening her wings and floating down to the forest floor. She was an older dragoness, a good double my size, but without much muscle tone. Still, she held an air of authority and danger about her. It intrigued me. 
“And that pertains to what, exactly?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. “Not too much, I suppose. I’m more interested in where you’re headed all by yourself, little dragonet,” she smiled coyly, her tail flicking in thought as she scrutinized me with her eyes. 

“I’m eight, not two. I can fend for myself. And nowhere special, just a dot on the map named Vinesburrow. Why? Does it mean anything to you?”

“It might, if you tell me what you’ll be up to there.”

“I’m after a dragoness named Chrysanthemum. You know her?”

“I might.”

“Would you stop it with the vague answers, already?! I just need to find her to make some sense of the complete and utter chaos that’s become my life in the last forty-eight hours!” I roared, lashing my tail in frustration. This Rainwing was starting to get on my nerves. 

Her face softened. “Alright, I believe you. Calm down and I’ll help you, okay?” she asked, taking a step forward. She flicked her tail and the other Rainwings disappeared, scurrying back off into the forest. I nodded, calming myself down a bit. I didn’t trust her in the slightest, but she didn’t seem hostile anymore, at least. “Well, to start, you’ve found Chrysanthemum. It’s me,” she explained, a bit apologetically. “Why’re you looking for me, and what’s your name?” 

“Aster,” I answered. “And I found your name in one of my mother’s scrolls. Her name was Iris. She’s, uh.... She’s dead.”

Chrysanthemum’s face fell and her scales went pale green. “Iris is dead?!” she asked incredulously. She put her head in her talons, sitting back on her haunches. Her eyes were wide. She was in shock. “She can’t be dead! How??!” she shouted, looking to me for answers. “It all happened so fast,” I began, sharing her grief. I didn’t know how, but she clearly knew my mother. “She told some big guy about some dragons called Shadewings? Do you know anything about that?” I asked. The blue and orange dragoness’s eyes hardened as she looked at me. “Shadewings? Are you sure?” she asked, a ghost passing before her eyes. I nodded. “That’s what she told that guy, Strongwings,” I reassured her. 

Chrysanthemum straightened herself. “Then we have a problem. Come on, let’s get you to the village. It’s not very big, but we built it to be secure,” she said, turning to leave. She stretched her wings, preparing for a moment to take flight before realizing her mistake. She refolded them. “Right,” she said, taking stock of the little nubs I had for wings. “Follow me.”

I picked up the satchels and followed her through the rainforest, navigating the tangle of trees until we reached a wall of tree trunks, branches, and thorned ivy. It looked intimidating, but the reality was that it probably only kept out the animals of the forest. Any dragon could have just burned it down or melted through it with their venom. Chrysanthemum seemed to notice my skepticism. “Its defensibility is in the early warning,” she explained. “That kind of tree emits a really strong smell when wounded. We had an older Leafwing living with us in the village until a few years ago.”

We approached a hole in the wall; an arch formed naturally by the massive roots of a fig tree. The hole itself wasn’t very big. It was only a dragonlegnth wide and tall. I briefly wondered how older dragons would be able to get in and out due to their size.

A guard confronted us as we approached, brandishing a wicked, barbed spear with multiple points. She wore thick, metal armor on her chest, neck, head, and forearms. Her body rippled with thick, corded muscle. Black and chocolate colored scales showed through the gaps in her armor, and piercing, ochre eyes stared back at me. Bright pink and purple scales dotted her wings. I’d never seen anyone like her. Not as beautiful, and nowhere near as intimidating. 

“This is Cursebreaker. No one is allowed in the village without her approval,” Chrysanthemum explained. “She can see the future, but only of those she touches. Something to do with only being a quarter nightwing.” 

Without a word, the big dragoness reached a talon forward and touched my forehead. A few moments later, she moved her talon and nodded, indicating that they could pass. I nodded back at her. There was something odd about that dragoness that I couldn’t place. I dismissed the thought for the moment and followed Chrysanthemum up a spiral ramp that hung from the treetops by a series of tough-looking ropes and chains.

“Where are we going?” I asked, taking in the sights of the village. From that high up, I could see a lot of the village. A group of very small dragonets played off to my right under the watchful eye of their parents, who weren't much older than myself. A group of older rainwings lay basking in the sun ahead, a broad platform laid out for them. Hammocks filled the trees, and small huts could be picked out on every other treetop. 

A complicated system of ramps and bridges hung all over, connecting the village from one side to the other. A few dragons rushed around on them, carrying bags stuffed full of fruits and other commodities from point A to point B. Couriers, I assumed. I was proven right when one stopped in front of a couple of official-looking Nightwings and dropped his bag on the ground in front of them, promptly receiving a small pouch of gold for his troubles. He scurried off contentedly to count them, a greedy little grin on his face. Above it all, the tree branches formed a thick, knotted canopy over the entire village. Chrysanthemum had been right. For such a small place, it was very well defended, not to mention organized.

“To my hut,” Chrysanthemum said, pointing out one high up in the trees. She led us up and up the ramp until we reached it. It was much higher up than most of the other buildings, built into an immensely tall tree. It overlooked much of the village. 

She pushed a curtain of vines away and walked in, gesturing for me to follow. On the inside, the hut was small, but practical. A hammock hung in one corner, a cushy nest in the other. Baskets dotted the floor, while delicate, expensive-looking wooden boxes sat on shelves, begging to be opened and pilfered. She must have caught me staring at them. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. “You might be Iris’s dragonet, but I’ll still gut you like a pig.” I gulped.

Chrysanthemum stretched out on a few pelts lining the floor and gestured for me to join her. I lowered myself down onto the wood, watching her. “Now,” she began, “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”

So I did. I told her of my home in Oceanlight, of growing up in a hut a little bigger than this one. I told her of my father, who had left a year before after a big fight with my mother. I told her of my thievery, of my childhood enemies, and finally, of waking up to my mother’s panicked voice a few nights ago and the details of the events since. When I had finished, she looked at me pensively. “Well, moons,” she sighed. She flicked her tail back and forth in thought. "Who did you say your dad was again?" she asked. 

"Tayberry," I answered sourly, still bitter about him leaving my mother and I. Chrysanthemum shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense. I've never heard of him in my life. Do you have any siblings?" she asked, a puzzled look on her face. I shook my head. 

"Weird. Did your mother ever talk about a dragon named Sedge?"

"No, why?"

"Mmm. Nevermind." 

Chrysanthemum shook her head, as if clearing some troubling thought. "Anyway, you're too old for the dragonet school, so if you're gonna live in Vinesburrow, you've gotta help out. You need a job," she said, flicking her tail pensively. I nodded. "Okay, so what kind of job?" I asked with a grimace, not looking forward to being put immediately to work.

 "Well, you're pretty big, and somewhat muscular, so what about training for the guard?" 

"That… sounds like a lot of work." 

"It is." 

"Is there anything else I could do?" 

"There are positions open for basketweavers, fruit gatherers, and couriers, if you want." 

The basket weaver basket weaving and fruit gathering sounded woefully boring, and I didn't want to end up butchered like the last dragon I saw delivering a message. I needed to learn to defend myself, and the guard seemed as good an opportunity as any. I sighed. "The guard it is, then, I guess," I grumbled. Chrysanthemum shook her head at me and chuckled. "Okay. We'll go introduce you to Resplendent tomorrow. For now, just go relax or explore somewhere. You know, do whatever," she got up and went over to a box, rifling through it, looking worn. "I've got stuff to do." She took out some blank scrolls and started writing, addressing each to a different dragon. Pausing, she looked up at me, and then at the door. I got the message. Whatever she was writing, she didn't want me to see it. "Okay, I'll be back in a while, then," I replied, stretching and getting up. She nodded derisively, and I walked past the threshold and out of her hut. 

I stepped into the light, peering out at the normalcy of the village. It seemed cruel, stepping into the familiarity of village life so soon. Only a day and a half had passed since my life had been torn apart, and yet, it felt like a different century. I sighed.

Feeling curious, I wandered along the confusing network of bridges and vines. There were catwalks with sprawling arches, morning glories growing over the delicate wooden trellis-work like a blanket of blue and purple spiderwebs. The trees grew into one another, tangled and intricate. Strangling figs crawled up their trunks, years of gardening neglect allowing them to grow and expand. A few gardeners pulled and hacked at them, trying to loosen their hold, but the roots were old, and had burrowed themselves firmly into and around the trees. 
 
I didn't notice a courier running toward me on the bridge, distracted as I was by the scenery, and I ran right into him. We both tumbled to the ground, the objects he'd been carrying scattered along the narrow bridge. "Agh! Hey!" he hissed. "Watch where you're going!" 

I saw a scroll rolling for the edge and grabbed it, handing it back to him. "Sorry, here," I apologized. He snorted. "Yeah. Thanks," he said dryly, bending to pick up the rest of his scrolls. He looked at me curiously, green eyes flickering between me and his scrolls. I looked at him in turn. He had sky blue scales, dotted by dark blue and light green accents with yellow underscales. He was small and slim, but looked to be about my age. 

The small Rainwing kept staring at me. Frankly, it was starting to irritate me. "Something you wanna say?" I asked, on edge. A defensive snarl threatened to appear on my face. His scales fluttered a nervous green and he avoided my gaze. "Nothing," he answered with a gulp, fidgeting with the scrolls in his arms. "My name's Ebullience, by the way," he said, stuffing the scrolls into the crate he'd been carrying. I relaxed a bit. I guess he hadn't been staring at me in the oh-look-it's-a-freak kind of way. Odd. What way had he been staring at me, then? "Mine's Aster," I replied, a little confused. He smiled. "Oh, I get it, because you're purple!" he laughed. I frowned. "I guess my parents had to be spot-on," I grumbled. His eyes widened. "Oh! No, I wasn't making fun of it, it was just kind of… well… on the nose as Rainwing names go," he chuckled, smiling sheepishly. I grunted. 

Ebullience finished gathering his fallen scrolls. "You wanna walk with me? Or do you have something to get to? You don't look like a courier," he observed. I shook my head. "No, I'm new. I'm supposed to meet a dragon named Resplendent in the morning for my guard training," I explained. He nodded. "So, are you coming with?"

"Oh, yeah. Lead the way, I guess." 

We started walking, talking as we went. "So, where are you from?" he asked. "You said you were new." 

"Oh, um, a little village east of here, near the shore, called Oceanlight. It was a lot like this, except there were more Nightwing huts on the ground, and it's a little colder there because of the sea spray," I recalled, shivering at the memory of sea salt constantly being dried onto my scales. That was something I wouldn't miss. I looked at him. "What about you? Were you born here?" 

He shrugged. "Maybe? Who knows. I don't remember my parents, I'm an orphan. Don't know where they are, whether they left me, or whether something happened to them. I just remember being alone, and then someone took me to the orphanage. Plus side, it's supposed to be, like, the best one in the Rain Kingdom. Chrysanthemum's got a soft spot for orphans, I guess," he chuckled a little uncomfortably, looking down at the wooden planks that passed under his talons as he walked. "Oh. Sorry," I apologized. "I, uh, just lost my mom yesterday," I offered,  shoving down the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes. He stopped and regarded me for a second, studying my face and controlled scales. I blinked in confusion, uncomfortable under his gaze. "What?"

Ebullience shook his head. "Nothing, I just… that's so much worse. Never knowing someone? That's one thing. All you lose is a fantasy, an idea of what you could have had. But to lose someone that you love… your mother, no less… that's real loss," he said, brushing my wing lightly with his own. 

I jolted away from his touch, fighting the crocodile tears that kept trying to escape. Why did he have to be such a sap? The last thing I wanted was to cry in front of him, to look weak and pathetic to a complete stranger. I cleared my throat and walked ahead of him, trying to keep him from seeing my puffy eyes. 

"Is, uh, your delivery spot near here?" I asked, changing the topic. I glanced back at him and he nodded. "Yeah, just up and to the left," he replied, looking uncertainly at me.

"What? Are you not sure?" 

"No, no, I know where it is!"

"Then why are you looking at me like that?" 

"I, um… no reason." 

Liar. 

I nodded. "Uh-huh. And I'm Bing-bong the magic jaguar," I taunted. He laughed. "Come on, Bing-bong, I've gotta finish this delivery or Loris is gonna have my tail," he chuckled and kept walking. 

Soon, we were on the doorstep of one of the important-looking Nightwings I saw earlier. Ebullience gave him the box of scrolls and he went back inside his hut, grumbling because we'd been late. As we turned to leave my stomach rumbled so loudly that I was sure the whole village heard it. Ebullience gave me a look. I shrugged. "So it may or may not have been yesterday the last time I ate anything," I explained, flicking my tail nervously. He chuckled. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. Periwinkle makes some great stuff at her booth," he chirped. I nodded. That sounded nice