7. A SURPRISE

CHAPTER 7 A SURPRISE Drake blinked in the bright sunlight. They had landed on a cliff overlooking the sea. A strong wind blew, whipping Drake's hair into his eyes. In the sky, beautiful pink doves rode the winds. Val's eyes were wide. "This place isn't scary. It's beautiful!"

Drake gazed around. The rocky cliff made it impossible to get down to the beach. An overgrown, jungle-like forest grew behind them. It led to a range of tall mountains. "It is beautiful, but not easy to get around," Drake remarked. "It's a good thing Worm has transporting powers. Worm, can you sense the baby dragons' parents?"

Worm closed his eyes. No, he replied. But I do sense another dragon. One that is right here with us. "Worm says there's a dragon with us!" Drake announced, and as he spoke, a baby dragon became visible right in front of them! "Fig!" Val cried. "Did you hitch a ride with Worm?" "Fig?" Drake asked.

"This is the dragon that ate the figs in the Great Hall," Val replied. "I can tell because all of the fins around her face are solid blue-green. The others have some purple in their fins." Drake frowned. "I don't think we have time to bring her back to the castle now. We need to find her parents — and the fruit from the tree — before it's too late." Val nodded. "Don't worry," they said. "I will keep a close eye on Fig. I'll keep Fig — wait, Fig!" The baby dragon was running toward the cliff!