15 LEARNING TO FISH

CHAPTER 15 LEARNING TO FISH Sassafras and I were out in the barn playing with Marshmallow. Only a few days had passed, but Marshmallow was about the size of a horse. Sassafras liked to jump on his back between his wings. Then Marshmallow would run in circles around the pen until Sassafras started to fall and jumped off. Marshmallow always stopped to sniff

and make sure Sassafras was all right. I wanted to remember the way they played together forever. Oh! I'd never taken my photo of Marshmallow. I dashed off to get the camera and got an action shot of the two of them together. Mom came into the barn and looked at the photo of Sassafras riding Marshmallow. At first she laughed a lot, but then she got quiet. "Marshmallow's getting awfully big, Zoey."

I sucked in a big breath. I knew what she was going to say next, and I didn't want to hear it. "I know this part is hard. But a dragon isn't meant to live in a barn. He's meant to be free!" I nodded and kept looking down. If I looked up at Marshmallow, I was sure I'd start crying. "I guess he'd have more fun flying around and exploring the forest," I mumbled. "And he might not even fit in the barn much longer." Saying good-bye was going to stink. Once Sassafras was done dragon-riding, we all headed for the forest stream. Mom wanted to teach Marshmallow how to catch fish. When we got to the stream, Marshmallow seemed nervous. Rather than check out the stream, he snuggled up behind me and put his big head on my shoulder. Sassafras hates getting wet, so he hid behind Marshmallow. Mom rolled up her pants and splashed around in the water. "Marshmallow, the stream won't hurt you. It's really fun. See?" After a few minutes, Marshmallow's curiosity got the best of him. He joined her in the water.

Next she showed him that there were fish in the stream. Once he realized that, he really loved the stream. He spotted a fish in the water and tried to catch it, but he missed and ended up with a mouthful of stream water. "Don't give up, Marshmallow! You can do it!" Sassafras and I cheered. Marshmallow kept trying and finally caught one. After that first taste of success, he got much faster at

catching fish. He even brought a little fish to Sassafras, who purred loudly in thanks. I was rolling up my pants to join the fun when Sassafras started meowing like crazy. He stared at the bushes nearby. I stood very still and watched. A blue dragon head slowly peeped out of the bushes. It looked about the same size as Marshmallow. "Come on, sweet girl," I cooed. The dragon kept her eyes on me as she took a few small steps forward. The splashing behind us stopped. I looked over my shoulder, and Marshmallow and my mom were both frozen, watching the new dragon. Then Marshmallow let out the most beautiful sound. It sounded like a cat's purr, only louder and more like a song. Maybe dragons purr when they're really happy?

The new dragon's eyes lit up and she purred right back! She trotted into the stream and sniffed Marshmallow. They twisted their necks around each other in greeting and purred even more. Something about the way her blue tail moved was so familiar. Was she the friend who had brought baby Marshmallow to our barn and disappeared into the bushes? The blue dragon took a few steps toward the forest. She looked back and called out to Marshmallow. She wanted him to come with her. My heart dropped. I was going to have to say good-bye to my dragon.