Allure moved as fast as she could through the rainforest – a flicker of movement as she swung and glided from tree to tree. It almost felt like she was fleeing from something, but she knew she was alone this far from the village. Still, her body thrummed with adrenalin.
The forest shifted around her, changing from lush and dry to muddy and full of flowering plants as it sloped downhill. Flood season was in full swing, so Allure angled higher into the trees to avoid the rising waters. She had to go slower here, least she got tangled in the moonbeam-thin roots that dangled from various bromeliads. There were risks to travelling higher in the canopy too; many times, Allure had stepped in a water-trapping plant only to have snakes, frogs, and even once, crabs, crawl up her leg. She shuddered at the thought.
Allure plunged into a flock of blue-and-yellow macaws and emerged speeding over a freshwater lake so clear that she could see the trees flourishing under the water. She slowed to a blissful glide and began to circle with languorous tilts of her wings. Below, a black caiman broke its cover as a rotting log to lunge at the silver-green flash of a huge fish. Tambaqui or pirarucu? Allure wondered lazily, fully aware that she was procrastinating. IceWings eat fish… what if I brought him one?
She ducked closer to the surface of the lake, mirroring the manoeuvring of a pod of river dolphins. They scattered in a spray of pinkish-grey bodies at the sight of her shadow, leaving her to watch the fish they'd been stalking. Tambaqui. Abruptly, she didn't feel like fishing and pulled up and away. The water shone, reflecting the grey clouds.
There was a dragon on the other side of the lake. Allure swooped down to him and landed lightly, her claws making grooves in the mud. "Waiting for me?" she asked.
Luminary grinned at her. "Twilight was restless. I think we both needed time to clear our heads." The dappled sunlight made a warm little silver star on his cheek. She could have kissed it.
"Is Twilight nearby, then?" She craned her neck to look for the large grey parrot. "I hope he's clever enough to avoid the snakes."
"I've already rescued him from a jaguar today, so he's back at the temple in disgrace," confided Luminary with a flick of his wings in the direction of the hideout.
"So, you were waiting for me!" Allure declared triumphantly. Her scales rippled golden.
Luminary shrugged; looking at him, Allure felt like she'd swallowed a bright piece of late afternoon sun. "You could say that."