chapter 9

Toot Sweet!

Wow!” Lily exclaimed.

Basil remained clinging to his perch in the pine. “What a relief . . . I think!”

Twig stood motionless, awed by the sight of three other baby dragons. They varied a little in color, but otherwise were identical to his beloved Char.

Char gave a loud snort. His eyes turned golden yellow-orange as he galloped through the vines to the other dragons. They all fluttered wings in rapid beats, while dodging and dipping their long necks in greeting.

One of the dragons stretched its neck and gave a tooting squawk. Suddenly the rest of the little group stretched out their necks. In a cacophony of toots, they trumpeted greetings, louder and louder, a frenzy of emotion and excitement.

Char trembled a bit and stopped fluttering his wings. He hesitated, and then stretched out his neck, too. After a giant intake of air he gave a loud, squeaking squawk, like the sound of a rusty trumpet. The other dragons responded with another flurry of elated squawking.

Twig laughed, delighted. “I think we’ve found Char’s home!”

Lily clapped her paws, her whiskers twitching with pleasure and relief. “I think so, too! These must be Char’s brothers and sisters!”

The dragons gathered around Twig and Lily and began sniffing and tasting them with snorts and licks. “Stop that!” Lily giggled, convulsing on the ground as the dragons continued to shower them with slurping pink tongues.

Basil watched the scene from his perch on the pine branch. “Well, now what do we do?” he asked, finally dropping down from his hiding place. “We’ve found Char’s home. We’ve gotten him back to his family. How about us? What do we do? Where do we go now?”

“I hope Char’s parents are this friendly,” warned Basil. They had all been pondering the kind of reaction they would receive from Char’s family. “I hope they know that it hasn’t been easy getting Char back here. I mean, throwing up over the side of a ship for three days wasn’t my idea of fun.”

Twig giggled. “Maybe Char will tell them, in his own language. He talks now!”

He looked nervously around. “And where are Mom and Dad?”

Basil nodded. “Exactly. Maybe the the parents would eat us?”

“Don’t be silly, Basil,” Lily said. “Do you really think Char would let that happen?”

“Who said Char was in charge?” Basil replied. “He’s only had you and Twig around. Who knows what his natural instincts are really like? I think it might be a good thing that there are no parents. Look, we’ve brought Char home. Now let’s figure out a plan to get us home!”

Twig was silent but had to agree. Maybe it was time to head home. But how?

Char squawked loudly. One of the baby dragons had stretched his neck and blown smoke. It rippled and coiled into the air like magic. Another of the dragons blew several puffs in the shape of rings, which expanded wider and wider as they rose into the air.

Char seemed to study the other dragons as they puffed and snorted, and began mimicking them. He was learning to be a dragon. His nostrils flared as he puffed several smoky rings.

Two of the dragons snorted and began fluttering their wings in rapid beats, faster and faster. The wings became a blur and suddenly created a humming, vibrating hum. The other dragon joined in, and then Char started his own wing-song.

Whirrrrrr!

Twig twitched his whiskers, enraptured. “Listen to that! It must mean they’re excited, or happy!”

“It’s amazing!” Lily agreed.

The wing vibrations continued. “Maybe they’re trying to call to their parents,” Basil suggested nervously.

The three friends looked around, wary of what might be tromping through the underbrush at any minute.

Basil continued, “I still say they may have lured us here, just to pounce on us.”

“Basil, you’re crazy,” Twig replied. He looked at the wildly humming dragon wings. “They’re happy, they’re excited, they’re being baby dragons, that’s all.”

Lily nodded in agreement. “But keep a sharp lookout, just in case,” she said.

The wing vibrations stopped and the cluster of baby dragons began to sniff and explore, squawking to one another. It was as though they were becoming better acquainted with Char.

Twig watched them for a moment. Then a worrying possibility crossed his mind. He turned to Lily and Basil. “Hey. I wonder . . . what if we’re not in the right place?”

“What do you mean?” Basil asked.

“I mean, what if this isn’t Char’s home? What if . . . ?”

“What if what, Twig?”

Twig gulped. “What if these baby dragons are just like Char? Orphans?”

Basil considered this. “You’re thinking that maybe we just landed on an island with other baby dragons? That it’s just a coincidence?”

“Well, yes. Maybe.”

Lily’s whiskers drooped. “Then maybe they’re here in the same way that Char ended up near the Hill.”

Twig nodded. “You know that big storm the other night? Well, what if there were other storms, just like that one? Or even worse? What if there was a storm big enough to blast eggs out of a dragon’s nest and wash them away?”

“There’s no telling how many eggs could have ended up all over the place,” Lily added.

“That means that Char’s parents could be anywhere,” said Basil. “They could be on this island, or . . . any island. They may not even be alive at all!”

They all looked at the baby dragons, watching them snorting and puffing and fluttering. No one said it, but they were each thinking the same thought: Had they just inherited a whole new baby dragon family?