Luma sprinted to the trees, got down on her knees and began to crawl through the leaves and branches.
“I know you’re there—please give the bracelet back!”
“Mine! Go away!”
Luma found the dragon hunched by a wide tree trunk, one claw holding the bracelet and the other holding a strange, blue, spotted, leathery scrap.
“What is that?” Luma asked, moving closer.
“Hiss!” the dragon hissed, scuffling backwards and tucking the leathery scrap and bracelet closer to its chest.
Luma stopped. She didn’t want to scare the dragon away or get too close to those sharp, pointy claws. But how else could she get the bracelet back?
And then Luma had an idea.
“My name is Luma,” she said, shuffling an inch forward. “What’s your name?”
The dragon sniffed, its wings lifting and then it muttered, “Timir.”
“Timir?” Luma said, and then she had to gulp and shake her head again because there was a real talking dragon in her yard!
“You are a dragon, aren’t you? Where did you come from?” Luma asked in a rush. “Dragons don’t exist! Are there more somewhere? How old are you? And how can you talk?”
“Rah!” Timir growled. He spun in a circle and then curled up into a ball, his wings covering his head.
Luma bit her lip. She had at least a thousand more questions, but maybe it would be better to ask one at a time.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Luma said, starting up her shuffling toward him again. “It’s just I’ve never seen a dragon before.”
Timir’s whole body shivered. “Go away!”
“I can’t go away,” Luma said, and then she had the most peculiar feeling. Somehow, she knew, just knew she had been meant to find Timir. They already belonged together.
“You’re here for me, aren’t you?” Luma said.
Timir’s wings slid slowly down from his face. “I am here.”
But then he scowled and held up the leathery scrap. He gave it a long lick and then held up the bracelet and gave that a large sniff. “Mine.”
“Oh,” Luma said. She didn’t really want to take the bracelet from him any more, but Nani had trusted her with it and she had to get it back.
Luma did one last shuffle and made a grab for the bracelet.
“No!” Timir wailed. “I want it. Mine, mine, mine!”
