Holly's POV

Whoosh.

The portal opened above a forest of baobab trees. The branches of some of the smaller ones swayed and bent lower to their roots, but the largest made a sound like a lion's growl as the wind blew through its leaves.
A few gourd trees dropped their fruit and a furry brown monkey scrambled to the ground, scooped it up, and hurried back into its safe harbor.

And on the ground, blue, green, yellow, and purple wings shimered in the sun, and several familiar faces looked up at them, some of them baring expressions of shock, others smiling at each other.

Holly wobbled slightly as she and Mandrake decended, but she gracefully managed to raise her talons and say, "YOUR SAVIOR IS HERE!" without toppling out of the air.

The dragons below them gasped, then laughed.
"Howy!", Bumblebee said, clapping as they landed.

"Waaazzz up?", Swordtail joked, making hand-guns.

"Holly?", Cricket asked.
"But how?"

"Guys, what the frick happened here?", Holly asked, grinning.
"I leave for six minutes, and there's an entire frickin' forest that wasn't there before! This is amazing!"

"Sundew would tell you that's the power of leafspeak", Willow said. "But the real amazing thing, would be if someone reminded her to eat once in a while."

Bumblebee bonded over to Mandrake, and hugged his leg.
"Oh, hey", Mandrake said. "I didn't know she liked me this much."

"I eat all the time", Sundew protested.
"I ate a . . . . . something this morning, while I was sorting seeds. . . . . . . I think. The seeds had lots of questions. Being flown across an entire ocean must be a pretty confusing thing for a tree."

"If you're talking about that talonfull of cashews, that does not count", Willow said.

"DOES MY CASHEWS!", Bumblebee declared grumplily.
"SNUDO IN BIG TROUBUBLE!"

"We're having a feast after this, right?", Swordtail asked.
"I was promised a tree-planting party!"

"Uh, yeah", Willow said.
"Sundew's idea of a tree-planting party is we spend the whole day planting trees, sweating in the hot sun, and then standing back and saying, 'Nice job us. Good night, trees.' And then, that's it, that's the whole party."

Swordtail and Bumblebee looked outraged.

"That's weird", Dusky said, smiling at Holly.

"Wanna know what else is?"
Holly strutted across the ground, holding her head high, and then tilting it in confusion.
"Hey, the grass is green today! That's weird; yesterday, it was yellow."

"Somebody watered the grass", Mandrake said. "Somebody's dog. . . . . ."

"No, no, no", Swordtail said.
"A tree-planting party is whn we plant ONE tree, and then we eat, and dance, and flop around, then eat some more, and ideally, play Charades."

"Swordtail is strangely great at Charades", Luna said to Holly.
"New discovery. Qibli's fault, as you can imagine."

"Charades are my secret super-power!", Swordtail said, fluffed out his wings.
"Just wait until it's my turn to save the world!"

"If anyone can save the world with Charades, it's you", Blue said loyally.

"Yeah", Luna said.
"Sure."

"I'm sure this party can find some happy mediem between planting trees, and infanite Charades", Willow laughed.

"Did you bring it? Can I meet it?", Sundew asked Cricket.

The Hivewing smiled as she reached into the large basket she was holding.
She pulled out a tangle of dirt and roots, out of which grew a small, perfect tree.

"I can't believe it survived without me", Cricket said.
"I was so excited to see it. I wonder if someone at my school was secretly watering my terarium for me. That would be so kind. I haven't seen it in so long. I hope it's all right. Can you tell if it's alright? I tried explaining to it that I was taking it to a place where it could grow free in the sunshine."

"I'll let it know", Sundew said, taking the ball of soil.

She touched her snout to the mini leaves, and closed her eyes.

"It's a Ficus", she said softly.
"It says hello - in a tree way, I mean. It also says thank you, Cricket, for keeping it alive. I mean, I'm traslating, but that's basically what it's saying.
Would you like to grow, little tree?"

She listened for a moment, then nodded.
"All right. Let's see then."

She carried the tree over to a hole and tucked the roots in, like was a little dragonet. . . . . well, an agreeable dragonet like Dusky, not the shrieking monster Bumblebee often turned into most bedtimes.

Holly chuckled.

Cricket says she's better when they have sleepovers.

She glanced at the baby Hivewing, who was watching Sundew in awe.

And Dusky loves her ferocity.

Holly was glad he was with his mom now.
She hated to think what could have happened if she had turned out to be dead.

Sundew covered the roots, and burried her claws in the dirt.
The tree's leaves quivered and started to stretch, reach for the sky.
The branches spread, and the trunk got thicker as it grew.

Soon, it loomed above them, looking extremely proud of itself.

"I love it", Cricket breathed.

"Me too!", Bumblebee announced.
"Wet's call it Bumblebee Junior!"

"You should make a tapestery of this tree", Sundew said to Luna.
"The most beautiful Bumblebee in the world."

"WHAT?!", Bumblebee cried.
Holly covered her mouth to hide her laughter as the dragonet shook her fists at Sundew.

"You should see her newest weaving", Swordtail said.
He pulled a folded tapestery from out of a pouch around his neck, and set it on the grass.

"I think this one's my favorite."

"You say that about every single one she makes", Blue pointed out.

"And every time it's true", Swordtail waved him off.

He unwravled the weaving, and they all gathered around it.

It was a silk tapestery of what Luna imagined the Leaf-Silk Kingdom would look like.
Trees covered the land as far as the eye could see, and most of the dragons flying were Leafwings and Silkwings, but there were a few transparent wings glittering among the clouds.

"This one's my favorite too", Cricket said.

"You also always say that", Blue teased lovingly.

Sundew's prediction about the assembly of dragons from each tribe had partly come true; Wasp had left no decentants of Queen Moonarch, so a comprimise was made, and Silkwings were chosen to be responsible for the whole Silkwing tribe.

Sequoia was back and ruling the Leafwings again, but she kept making remarks that Hazel was probably a much better queen, and there were a few who thought that she might even abdicate the throne soon.

Lady Jewel was now offically queen of the Hivewings, but there were still some dragons who wanted Wasp back, mind control and all.

"You know what's confusing?", Holly suddenly blurted.
"Wasp and Cottonmouth are gone. I finished my job, didn't I? So why are there still problems? Why are there still dragons who hate each other?"

"That's just life", Sundew said.
"There are always dragons like that."

"I don't know how you're supposed to reach dragons like that, though. I'm terrible with people and some dragons are no better. How do you teach someone to care? How can you show them what to do? It seems entirely impossible."
She sighed.

Mandrake brushed her wing.

"What helps me when I feel that way, is thinking about all the good dragons out there, not the bad ones. We're not the only ones trying to improve things."

"I get depressed sometimes", Holly said quietly.
"Iris, Janet, and the twins are great, but sometimes, when I'm alone, I just miss everyone here, my family in the other universe. Somehow, I always end up on my own."

"I know", Mandrake whispered.
"And when that happens, you can tell me, and it'll be all right."

"Hollly?", Luna said slowly.
"I've been thinking about making tapesteries about the Scorching and Freedom's story, and about all the terrible things that happened. I don't really want to; they'd be horrible tapesteries, and would make everyone sad, which isn't what I want my silk to do. But I have to, don't I? Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, right? Everyone should know the truth."

"Yes, they should", Cricket agreed.
"But that's what I'm here for. I can do that part for you, Luna. I feel like that's my responsiblity, and something that I can do. I'll make sure dragons know about the Scorching, and about Cottonmouth, and that we record history accurately in our books and liberaries."

"And we'll help", a Hivewing behind her said.
He'd been so quiet, Holly hadn't even noticed him.

It was Malachite, Cricket dad, and the Hivewing who'd helped Pineapple, Tsunami, and Qibli escape Wasp Hive.

"Writing was something I loved doing. . . . when I was myself. When I was little, I had this idea that I would write about something that happened each day, and then give the story to my neieghbors."

"Me too!", Cricket said.
"I had that exact plan!"

Malachite patted her on the head tentitively, as though he was still testing out gestures that said "dad."

"My parents shut that down pretty quick, I'm afraid."

"Mine too", Cricket said glumly.
"I mean, my grandparents did."

"I liked the ones you used to write for me", Katidid said.
"Like the one about the peacock that broke lose in your school, and ran around screaming the whole day. That was amazing."

Cricket beamed.

"We can start now", she said to her dad.
"Together."

She looked back at Luna.

"We'll do that part. We'll worry about relaying the tales of the past. You keep making tapesteries like this one, about a future we can all hope for."

"Is it worth it, though? Coming up with all of these crazy dreams?", Luna asked.
"Sometimes I think I should make my dreams smaller and more realistic."

"Pfft! No!", Holly said.
"I can't tell you how many times I caught myself staring at Mandrake, and thinking, 'Oh damn! What am I doing? There's no way he likes me'. . . . . . . but here I am."
She smiled at him.

"I want to live in a world of big dreams", Blue said.

"Me too", Sundew agreed.
"We need dragons with high hopes for a bright future so that someday, we can get there, even if it takes longer than we want."

"Even if some dragons are stupid and make getting there harder", Swordtail said.

"Yeah!", Bumblebee agreed.
"Some dwagons stupid!"

Cricket winced.
"Exept, we don't use that word, remember?", she said, giving Swordtail a sharp look.
"We use kind words, and-"

"SOME DWAGONS VERY STUPID!", Bumblebee shouted, loud enough for the dragons flying overhead to look down, and see what the noice was.
"THE STUPIDEST, BRAINS FULL OF STUPID! THEY GITS! HAHAHA!"

"Thanks", Cricket said to Swordtail, as Bumble bond off into the tall grass, pouncing on grasshoppers and yelling insults at them as she went.

He gave her an inocent shrug, and rolled up the weaving again.

"Oop, sorry, Cricket", Holly said.
"I think she got 'gits' from me."

Cricket looked at her, just in time to she her duck behind the safty of Mandrake's wings.

Blue laughed.

"Well, now that certain little chaos monkeys aren't listening", Willow said, watching Bumblebee charge away, "who wants to try the fried bananas me and Luna invented?"

"BANANANAAAAS!", Bumblebee bellowed, skitting around at top speed, before darting back to Willow.

"I suppose I deserve that", Willow said, as the dragonet climbed up the Leafwing's leg to yell, "BANANANAAS!" at the top of her lungs.

Holly laughed so hard, she was pretty sure she snapped a jawbone.
"Oh, geez."

Ring.

Their time was up.

"As much as we'd love to stay for the tree-planting party, we've gotta go", Mandrake said presantly.

"We'll come back soon, I promise", Holly said, hugging Blue and Cricket.
"But how did you come here, anyway?", Cricket asked.
"What if you can't?"

"We will", Holly swore.
"But after that . . . "

Her wings dropped.

"After that, we'll figure something out", Mandrake said.
"We always do."

"Pwomise?", Bumblebee asked.

"Cross my heart. And if I don't", Holly joked, with a small smile, "then I hope the Suspence comes to kill me."

She gave Dusky a fist-bump.
"See ya, bud."

They reappeared on the Mcmeares' back porch.

It was around midnight, their only light being the young moon above them, which cast long rays of blue light down on the trees.
The rain clouds that had shadowed the property earlier that day had now fled away from the silver orb.
The wind was quiet, whispering the secrets of night. The trees barely swayed in the soft gust, their leaves rustling as moonlight filtered through them.

They were humans again; Holly could tell without even looking now.

Mandrake was sitting next to her, looking at the constellations.

That's amazing.
He's amazing.
Even here, away from his entire world and everything and everyone he's ever known, he's still here. He's still on my side.

"Hey."
She took his hand, and stared straight into his eyes.

"I just want to say thank you - for standing by me, even after all this."

He focused his amber, moonlit eyes on her.
"After. . . . . . . and always."

He gave her hand a slight squeeze.

A star shot across the night sky as he leaned in, and kissed her.

A/N: I love them so much.

You'll want to keep reading, because you'll get to read what happens to them after the events of this book!

The Suspence is a referance to Dragonsheep, lol.

If you support this story, add a vote, and share to get the story out!

Wordcount: 2079

Renx out!