Chapter 6

6 "Goodbye, Dream Collectors!" Rosie called. "We'll get these daydreams fixed, don't worry." The little creatures scampered up the surrounding trees and waved their paws. "Good luck, Night Dragons," they called. "Hopefully the ray stationmaster is in a good mood today." The Dragon Girls flew above the treetops. The twilight was as bright as ever. GlidyCat fluttered

by Rosie's side. "Which way should we go?" Phoebe asked. "If we're riding a sunset ray," Stella said, "I guess we head for the sunset?" Rosie looked around. It was simple in theory, but the entire sky was filled with sunset rays at the moment. "Let the daydreams guide you there," said GlidyCat. "They know the way." GlidyCat was right! Rosie could feel the daydreams gently tugging in their net. The group flew in silence for a while. Rosie's mind was filled with questions. Would they recognize the ray station when they saw it? And what would they do if the stationmaster didn't want to let them ride a ray up to the daydream maker? But Rosie shook away the worries. We'll find a way, she told herself firmly. She knew that she and her friends could do just about anything together.

"Am I imagining it, or is the sky getting brighter?" Stella asked suddenly. "I was just wondering the same thing," said Phoebe. Rosie looked around. The sky did seem brighter! It was almost like the sun was rising. But that was impossible! It was evening, and night hadn't even fallen yet. Also, there was something odd about the glow.

Rosie looked down. The strange light moved across the trees below her, like tiny flames. As she watched, the light began to spread. It came toward Rosie and her friends. "Fire Sparks!" yelled Rosie. "And they're heading this way!" But it was too late. In a flash, they were surrounded by a twisting mass of sharp little flares. Rosie lashed at them with her tail and swiped them away with her claws. It was like being swarmed by evil fairy lights! Her frustration returned, even stronger than before. "Don't forget your roar, Rosie," urged GlidyCat. But roaring while flying and carrying a huge bundle of daydreams was very difficult! The Night Dragons did their best, but they just couldn't seem to roar strongly enough to put out the Fire Sparks. "Watch out," called Phoebe. "There's a rain cloud up there! Should we go above or below it?"

A gray cloud loomed ahead. It wasn't very big, but it looked dark and heavy with rain. Rosie was about to swoop below it when she had an idea. "Let's fly through it!" Rosie called to her friends, swishing away a cluster of Fire Sparks with her tail. Phoebe and Stella looked surprised but nodded. Although the Fire Sparks were making Rosie feel all grouchy and itchy, she managed to smile. It was so good to know that her friends trusted her! As they approached the rain cloud, Rosie held on tightly to the silvery cord of the net. It would be terrible if she accidentally let go and the daydreams blew away. The sparks swarmed around them as they flew into the cloud. The light grew dim, and Rosie felt like she was wrapped in a big, wet towel. She heard a strange, angry hissing sound. Uh-oh, was that the daydreams? Was the rain cloud damaging them?

Then Rosie sighed with relief. It wasn't the daydreams fizzing out. It was the sound of the sparks going out! Her plan had worked! By the time the Night Dragons flew out the other side of the cloud, all the stinging little fires were gone. Even better, the net was still intact. They had not lost a single daydream bubble. "We did it!" roared Rosie triumphantly. "High five? Er, maybe a low tail?" Laughing, Rosie, Phoebe, and Stella swung their tails around and tried to smack them together. They missed the first two tries, but finally managed it! GlidyCat nuzzled Rosie's cheek. "Well done," she purred. "You dealt with those sparks perfectly. The ray station is just down there, so I will leave you for now. But I'll be back if you need me." And with that, the little cat-bat fluttered off into the glowing forest below. Rosie felt the magic of the net tugging gently. The daydreams were sinking lower!