2 Chapter 2

2 Azmina opened her eyes to see that she was no longer in her backyard. Instead, she was standing in the middle of the forest. Up close, it was even

more beautiful than it had seemed from her yard. Vines twisted around tree trunks, heavy with fruits Azmina had never seen before. Flowers of every possible color covered the ground like a carpet. Birdsong filled the air around her. Azmina noticed a tiny, fuzzy pink ball attached to a nearby vine. As she watched, the ball began to grow—right before her eyes! Within seconds, a perfect, ripe fruit had formed. It looked like a peach but smelled like raspberries. Azmina couldn't resist picking it and taking a bite. To her surprise, it tasted exactly like chocolate! What was this place?

The tropical smells tickled her nose, and soon Azmina felt a sneeze building up. Azmina opened her mouth, threw back her head, and … ACHOO! She just loved sneezing! It always felt like scratching a troublesome itch.

Golden sparks fluttered down around Azmina. She looked at the glittering mist in surprise. Had she done that with her sneeze? Azmina's heart pounded wildly. Something amazing was going on. But what, exactly? Through the trees, Azmina spotted a shimmering lake. Azmina decided to check it out, and started to jog toward it. She had always been a fast runner, but today her legs felt stronger and faster than ever before. Soon, she was sprinting through the trees at top speed. She reached the lakeshore in no time. Skidding to a stop at the lake's edge, Azmina peered in. What she saw in the water made her gasp. Staring back at her from the watery surface was some kind of magnificent creature. Azmina leapt away from the lake. She whipped around to face whatever it was that was standing behind her. But she was all alone. She looked from left to right. Nothing. Maybe the creature was under the water? Or maybe she'd imagined

the whole thing? Azmina crept back to the lake and looked in once more. There it was again! It was covered in golden scales that sent tiny circles of light across the water's surface. Two elegant golden ears twitched on top of its head. Around its eyes were swirling patterns. It was a dragon! "Um … hello?" said Azmina, because she wasn't quite sure what to say to a dragon. As she spoke, Azmina saw the dragon's mouth move at the same time.

Azmina stared at the dragon, her thoughts whirling. She moved her head, and the dragon's head moved, too. She stuck out her tongue, AND SO DID THE DRAGON! Azmina looked down at her feet … except she didn't have feet anymore. She had big golden paws and powerful golden legs.