Astrid

With a huff of exasperation, Astrid slammed her tail onto the ground. They had been searching for hours and still hadn’t managed to catch anything worth while. The dense foliage of the forest seemed to press in around them but it hadn’t really bothered her. She knew it was taking a toll on George though. He kept looking around and staring into the brush warily as if at any second something was going to jump out and eat them. The longer they wandered the more on edge he seemed to be. “Dear, this isn’t a good idea. We haven’t managed to find what you’re looking for, we should leave.” He said, keeping his voice low. As frustrated as she was, Astrid wasn’t about to give up. She was used to exploring places like this and she just loved finding new things. It was just rather irritating how her catch kept eluding her. Her husband’s constant worries didn’t help matters either. She might have considered hiring another assistant if she could stand being without George. Astrid just couldn’t imagine going on her expeditions without him.

Scanning the soil closely once again, she looked for the tracks. She could clearly see the marks of the creature and where they disappeared into the shallow river. They had been tracking it for some time now but somehow they kept losing it. Lowering her nose to the ground, Astrid took a deep breath, hoping that her dragon senses would allow her to be able to scent which way the animal had gone. Just when she thought that the trail had been lost for good, a breeze blew through, bringing with it the scent of her quarry. “We can’t give up now. We’ve almost got it!” She said excitedly before wading into the small river. It didn’t take more than a minute for her to cross, but George was very cautious as he made his way, stepping gingerly as he went.

As soon as Astrid made it through the water, she started her trek into the underbrush. She crept carefully forward as she neared her goal. She had been tracking a species that had only cropped up a few months ago. The species was said to live near water because it needed more than average to keep it’s foliage healthy as well as itself. When Astrid emerged into a clearing, she gasped in awe. Before her stood a Timber Tender, feeding off the berries growing on the shrubbery. It's dusty brown fur shone in the sunlight that came down through the trees and it's leaves swayed on the breeze. When George finally caught up, Astrid embraced him. “We found it dear. Can you believe it? So few exist and we found one!”