Esma

The female hatchling had awoken with a start when her brother flinched beside her. They were inseparable, the best of playmates, extra receptive to each other's emotions and reactions. She looked at him first, saw raw fear in his eyes, and then noticed the vivid red bogsneak. Its stripes seemed to almost be crawling across its skin venomously, overlaid with red runes. It had cruel red eyes and enormous black claws. The little dark Gaoler pressed anxiously against her nestmate, who shivered.

"I was not expecting two snacksss this evening." The bogsneak grinned, undoubtedly pleased at how fearful he had made the pair of baby dragons. His piercing eyes studied the cave more carefully, now that he knew his prey was going nowhere. The Gaolers made eye contact, each frozen in place. Finally, the female's voice came to her, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Why us?"

The bogsneak lifted his head so that it almost hit the ceiling of the cavern, and he cackled, filling the nursery with hot air that reeked of death. "None chosen in particular, none at all; just mere happenstance is why I'm here. I am so hungry... He will be pleased that I am such a successful hunter. Yes, he will be very pleased." He would have slithered closer if not for his massive feet that caused the ground to shake with force. He opened his jaws and the female saw the dim light glinting on his razor-sharp, well-kept teeth as they flew towards her face.

An earsplitting roar entered the cave, and the Gaoler mother, Hemshika, burst in, lunging straight for the bogsneak's throat. Her teeth missed, but she swiped at him with her claws. They began to battle, ramming into the walls of the cave with enough force to knock loose pebbles and small rocks. The brother flung himself out of the way of the adult dragons, right into the sister's path. They collided like their mother and the bogsneak. She was about to speak, but their mother's voice rung through the cave: "Run!"

Without hesitation, they sprinted out the mouth of the nursery and down the ravine, weaving between the twig-thin trees and across dying grass. The sister felt like her lungs were going to explode, and she could barely keep up with her brother as he raced away.

They finally reached the beach that separated the Tangled Wood from the Viridian Labyrinth. The nature druids would likely be friendly, but there was no easy way across. They both began to cry, and after a while of silent sobbing, the male took a deep, shaky breath, curled up beside a rock, and closed his eyes. Begrudgingly, the sister joined him, and slipped into uneasy slumber.

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They awoke to a distant roar in the night, both bolting upright and staring off at the churning dark waves. Even their vision, accustomed to picking out details that would be otherwise shrouded in darkness, could not penetrate the water's surface. The sister's fur was fluffed up in fear as a shape crawled out of the water. It was red, similar in color to the bogsneak, and a tiny roar escaped her as she fled backwards.

The female Guardian that had emerged shook off stray scraps of seaweed and strode further onto the beach. Upon further inspection, she was peach-colored, more orange or pink than red, and plain. Behind her, a large shellfish scampered up the beach. It was a pink snipper, adorned with brilliant violet crystals. The Guardian murmured a word to the wary creature behind her and turned to the hatchlings.

"Do not fear," she soothed, sitting on her haunches to relax beside her familiar. Her green eyes glinted in the darkness, and the sister gasped audibly. A nature druid. But why had the tangerine dragoness been underwater?

"I am Nalypsis," she continued, then beckoned to her companion. "This is Mauve. She is a Chalcedony snipper, and she's very smart, fortunately for you; otherwise we wouldn't have found you." The huge dragon tilted her head, curling one lip in wonder. "Why are two of the Shadowbinder's children on the outskirts of the wood?"

The female was still, claws digging into the sand, unsure of the newcomer. The brother stood his ground beside her, admirably brave as he asked, "Why were you in the water?"

Nalypsis smiled gently, clearly the patient type. "I was finding seafood," she answered, and the hatchlings' stomachs growled. "Guardians do originate from the water, after all. Now, why don't you two go back home? It's not safe here."

Neither sibling wanted to admit that they didn't know the way. The female