Dragon Tails (Sample only. See chapter 4)

Chapter 1

Unable to speak or tear her gaze away from the screen, she shook her head.

"There is now, Ma'am, congratulations," he said and stepped forward to examine the egg closer.

"Will I ever see him again?" Mrs Sicosor asked.

"Her. If you look to the skies in 18 years, you might." The captain lifted his arm.

She spotted his gliding membrane attached to the underside. He was taken from his family when he was an egg. Would my daughter be a captain like him one day?

After checking the two remaining eggs, the group packed their equipment away faster than they set it up. They wrapped the Glider egg with care, ready for travel under Captain Tylik's watchful eye.

Despite her pride, Mrs Sicosor started to mourn the loss of what might be her only daughter as they carried her out the front door.

"She will be fine," Captain Tylik told her.

Captain Tylik rubbed his hands together "Our class has become bigger," he informed the nurses and doctors in the nursery. The technicians carried the pale egg behind him.

"So I've heard," Doctor Exis said as he walked toward them.

"Do we have a dragon?" Captain Tylik asked.

A tech paused from typing. "A liaison has been informed; he knows of a nest. He told me he's heading there now."

Captain Tylik looked out the building's high windows as a yellow dragon flew past, casting a shadow with his large wings. "Good. Remind him to bring in an egg within a day of hatching this time, please. We don't want another week apart. We want a pairing to form straight away."

"Yes, sir," the tech said and returned to her typing.

"We may have a full class yet," he said with a smile, crossing his arms behind his back, his tail curling at the tip as another dragon sailed past.

Serick's scaly finger found gaps in the rock face as he climbed. His yellow eyes narrowed to the ledge above. He pushed himself that bit further and moved his tail for balance as he readjusted the backpack.

Smaller rocks crumbled under his feet. He cringed, hanging on to every bit of the cliff face he could. Falling wasn't the problem. Alerting dragons to his presence was. If the large grey dragon came back to check on her eggs due to a strange noise, he would be toast. His only chance would be to let go of the cliff and drop from the face as fast as he could to escape her deadly flames, an experience he had with the scorch marks to prove it.

Why couldn't we get another rain forest dragon? he thought, pulling himself up further. They are so much easier to find. But no, they want a variety.

The cold wind gushed over the cliff's side as he lifted his head to peer over the ledge, checking for any sign of the egg's layer. The only movement was the loose rock particles, pushed along by the strong winds. The Glider clenched his teeth together. The dragons were becoming smarter. They knew only Gliders were sent up to steal their eggs, Gliders which are easily thrown off the edge in this wind.

He cursed his duty again, flattening himself out along the rocky face, his sleek thermal clothing flapping against his scales. He used every bit of claw to keep from flying off the ledge. The membrane on his tail flapped in the wind. He tucked his arms in tighter, hoping his gliding membrane stayed concealed. It would be disastrous if the wind caught them. He would be pushed off the cliff's edge like a kite.

Under a sheltered ledge, he spotted them. A clutch of rough grey eggs in a bare rock nest, left unprotected by the mother as she flew off to find food.