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Su the wetter side of thefor a day or two before traveling again He had no idea what lay to the east, but he knew hu creeks into rivers so at tiet across Or rather Auron swa

It was at one of these rivers that theyquest ended on a rainy afternoon as he prowled a rocky riverside same trails Had NooMoahk not shifted his tail, Auron would have taken the black dragon for the rey were his scaly, fleshless hindquarters Auron jumped at the sudden movement, then the startle turned into realization, then the realization into a shuddering thrill that set his capped tail a-quiver

But Auron knew better than to sneak up on a dragon from behind He turned and put his neck around Hieba’s shoulders She had stuck wildflowers in the rentsher blanket-wrap

"Careful-and-quiet," Auron said in their patois "Danger maybe-maybenot"

"Will-do," Hieba said back, sotto voce with eyes round as she looked at the black bulk NooMoahk’s tail worked froht to left to counterbalance the neck and head, which see ater and rain

Auron had to pull her away froon They circled back downhill and went up the bank of the riverthe from the rain to the lack of insects in bird speech; Hieba clamped her lips in frustration

"Bad blue-bird," she chided Bigger drops dropped fro theend, in all likelihood one of the oldest creatures to walk the earth, was fishing His ainst his sides and head swinging at the end of its long neck above a waterfall He snapped at fish ed his head into the lake pool the rapids to rise again ater strea silvery wiggle out from between his lips and fall back into the lake, but others must have remained behind: NooMoahk lifted his nose to the sky and let whatever was in his th throat

"Big-anier o closer"

Hieba could creep along as quietly as a caterpillar when she wanted to, and she led Auron through the brush at the riverbank, opening branches for hie to use mind-speech; NooMoahk would be ht seee And mind-speech wouldn’t reveal their location in case he objected to the presence of another of his kind

NooMoahk’s crest was aout and away fronarled and corkscrewed like tree roots But the rest of hied on father, NooMoahk had stringy ropes Father’s arht of cavern ularly where they had not fallen out His wings drooped froth to hold them to his body He had a musty smell, even in the rain, like cobwebs thick with dust But his eyes still burned as if red coals glowed under the horny ridges of his brow Auron felt weariness and pain, and kneithin range of the ancient dragon’sto strange dragons, so he just sent the first thing in his ain

"Aon did not react He lowered his head again

"NooMoahk?"

Still nothing

"NooMoahk, ray of the line--"

NooMoahk’s head froze, and he sniffed "What a now?" Auron heard his e and onto a riverbank stone "No, I aer to you," he said aloud

NooMoahk shifted his bulk around, tripping on the expanse of li at his side He faced Auron as if the drake were a foe "I’ve been challenged for o, but never by one so young There’s fire in ot bits of shell on your skin, hatchling"

"You don’t understand e you"

"Then you should have better manners than to trespass and disturb me in my meal"

"II need your help"

NooMoahk’s eyes darkened "Explain yourself If this is some trick--"

"No trick I’ve come from the other side of the Red Mountains to find you I’ve been orphaned by assassins and chained by elves I seek the wisdoht me had they lived," Auron said