2. WILDROOT'S TALE

CHAPTER 2 WILDROOT'S TAIL Wildroot continued to communicate with Worm. Drake listened to Worm's voice in his head: Wildroot lives near the village of Stellburg, in the Lofty Mountains. He says his tribe is in danger. Then Drake told his friends what he'd heard. "A tribe? Does he live with a whole group of Flower Dragons?" Bo asked.

Suddenly, a picture popped into Drake's mind, and he knew Worm was sending it. Drake saw a green field studded with star-shaped white flowers. Tiny green dragons slept and played among the flowers. Wildroot's tribe lives in this field of rare starflowers. Then a picture appeared of a creature no taller than the flowers. She wore a gown made of golden-brown leaves, the same color as her wrinkled skin. She had leafy wings, too.

Is that a fairy? Drake asked Worm. Brighteye is a forest sprite and a friend to the Flower Dragons. She can see into the future. And in a vision, she saw a terrible monster heading for Stellburg. A new picture appeared in Drake's head: two red, glowing eyes peering out of a dark forest. He gasped. Brighteye told the tribe they would need help to defeat the monster. She told them of the brave dragons of Bracken Castle and their Dragon Masters, who help others. Wildroot volunteered and came here. The picture vanished. Drake told his friends what he had seen and heard. "Wildroot came to the right place!" Rori cried. "We'll help him!"

Wildroot says the red-eyed monster will reach Stellburg in a day or two, Worm told Drake. There is not much time. "We should go inside," Bo suggested. "Griffith has maps in his workshop that can help us." "And Rori and I will look for books about Flower Dragons in the classroom," Ana added. They traveled through the tunnel connecting the Valley of Clouds to Bracken Castle.

Worm, Shu, Kepri, and Vulcan went into the Dragon Caves to rest. Wildroot perched on Drake's shoulder. Then Drake and Bo entered Griffith's workshop. Books and magical items filled the shelves. On a table was a wooden box carved with dragons. It held a large piece of the Dragon Stone. This magical stone chose those who were ready to become Dragon Masters. Bo picked up a book and leafed through the pages. "I'll see if I can find the Lofty Mountains," he muttered as he searched. Then he stopped and smiled. "Got it! Here they are, and here is Stellburg!"

Drake looked at the map. Stellburg sat all by itself on one of the mountains. The bottom of the map showed a castle and a large forest. "The Dark Forest," he read out loud. "That looks sort of spooky." Bo pointed to an area on the map close to Stellburg. "There's the field of starflowers!"