The Curse's Claws

Chapter Six

Celni pushed herself against the strong wind. The ring pulsed in her paws, sending heat waves up her shoulders. She nodded briskly as she passed another dragon in the air. When he passed, she dipped down into the forest canopy. She popped the ring into her mouth as she folded her wings swiftly and grabbed onto a branch. Claws digging into the bark, she launched herself forward towards another tree. Her speed quickened, and soon the trees were a blur.

Movement beside her caught her eye. It was a forest dragon following alongside her.

Celni stopped short, bark shredding underneath her claws. She spat the ring into a paw and then whipped her head around to glare at her shadow. Fully prepared to yell at the dragon, she paused as she realized who it was. "Kulliras? What are you doing?"

The forest dragon grinned back at her. "Hi! I saw you going somewhere in a hurry, so I decided to follow."

She frowned. "How did you see me?"

Kulliras slithered farther up the tree. Curling his tail around a thick branch, he swooped so he was hanging upside down like a bat. "You're white. In a green forest. And it's not like you can camouflage like we can." His scales shifted until his body was gone, leaving only two wide, blinking eyes to show that he was still there.

She licked her teeth with her long tongue. "Right." Remember to camouflage yourself next time, idiot, she scolded herself. She twisted her tail. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really need to find Lunar, so—"

He unwound himself and dropped down onto her branch, causing it to sway with his weight. "Hey, me too! Maybe we can go together!"

She opened her wings to keep her balance. "Why do you need to see Lunar?" Celni asked.

"My sister's laying eggs!" he said proudly.

Her eyes widened. "Oh! Well why were you wasting time with me? We've got to find him!"

Leaves rustled and another forest dragon popped up beside them. "Kulliras," he said. "It's too late, the process has started. We'll have to do it without him." He disappeared just as quickly as he had come.

Kulliras got ready to leap off of the branch but stopped. "Do you want to come too?"

Celni blinked. What she had to tell Lunar was important, but to see a dragon lay eggs... that was a chance she might never be able to have again. "Sure," she said with a nod. She paused for a moment, remembering the ring in her paw. She couldn't keep carrying this around. Taking the ring, she tucked it in a knot on the tree. Celni made an 'X' on the tree bark, marking it so she could know which one it was later.

Then, nodding at Kulliras, they both dropped down onto the ground. The other dragon was in the distance so they had to sprint to catch up.

"Who is he?" Celni asked.

"His name is Valpon. He's my sister's mate."

Celni nodded. "Right."

They followed Valpon through the forest, passing other forest dragons doing their daily activities. Celni even spotted a few other dragon breeds visiting their friends. She smiled at each of them as they said hello, but Kulliras wrapped his tail around her leg and pulled her forward before she could stop.

Valpon eventually stopped at the base of a large tree. He quickly scrambled up it like a squirrel, disappearing suddenly as if something had covered him.

Celni squinted and realized that there was a building structured around the tree. A light clicked on in her brain as she remembered that the forest dragons painted their village to blend into the surrounding forest.