Chapter 1

1 month after the scorching

Raspberry sat at the top of a tree, staring out forlornly at the ocean lapping below her. Her beautiful rainforest was no more, all of the fresh soil and tall trees being washed away after the comet split the moon in three and messed up the tide. The waves swamped much of their planet in an ever-roiling tumult of waves. She sighed, looking over at her best, and only remaining, friend, Palm. Palm's sand pale scales glowed in the early morning sun, and he lifted his snout happily to the sun. He couldn't have looked any more pleased with himself. "Don't you miss the rainforest?" Raspberry asked him, flicking her lime green tail irritably.

Palm shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But we still have this much of it." He flicked a talon at the treetops just poking out of the gently lapping waves. "And I am happy as long as it stays hot enough."

He shook out his wings, "also, there are no humans left, so we don't have to hide anymore. I think it's great here."

Raspberry looked back out, giving the ocean her most fierce stare.

"Ha!" Palm chortled, "you look like someone stole your papaya then stuffed it right back up your nose!" He very nearly fell out of his tree, he was laughing so hard, "it's not like you to be this grumpy. Come on, let's go exploring." He looked beseechingly at Raspberry.

"We've already explored every tree and leaf in this whole floating compost heap!" Raspberry felt heat rising up her long neck, but she didn't care. "Why don't you just go on your own!"

"Maybe I will." Palm spat back, curling his lip menacingly, "you should learn to be thankful for what you have here and now. if we didn't have this 'floating compost heap' we'd be dead like all of our friends."

"I see how it is. maybe I'm not thankful I didn't die. Or maybe I'll just fly off this moon forsaken island and never come back," Raspberry hissed, and Palm balked at her use of the phrase, 'moon forsaken', "then you can think about all you lost as you are slowly dragged beneath the sea." they glared at each other for a few more moments.

Suddenly Raspberry sat back, running a wing in front of her face. "What are we doing?" she asked, her voice quavering, "I think this island must finally be getting to me."

Palm nodded, looking uneasy. They had never argued like that before, and their fierce words had shocked both of them.

"Maybe we should just spend the day here," Palm muttered. "You're right, we have explored everything here."

Nightfall

Her wings ached, but she couldn't stop yet. The ocean spread below her, unbroken by land and stretching from horizon to horizon. She turned her weary eyes to the north and was surprised to see... something. 'Something' was the most she had seen all day since she had left her island. as she swooped closer, she saw that it was a floating mat of treetops. She sighed. She had seen lots of this, these mats of wreckage from a forest or merely a single tree. there was nothing for her to do here. As she began to turn, something caught her eye. A flash of gold on a tree stood out against the green. Another dragon!

Nightfall hadn't seen any dragons since she had left the Island. She had almost given up hope of finding any other dragons on this blue continent, but there was one sitting right below her.

She tucked in her wings and dropped into a dive. She landed heavily, rocking the tree that the golden dragon was sitting on. Now that she could see him clearer, she noticed that there was actually a slender lime-green dragon crouching beside him, looking flustered.

"Who are you?" the golden dragon asked her, sparking with hostility, "where did you come from? We thought that we were the only ones left."

Nightfall panted, out of breath from her day of flying.

"Hey, are you okay?" she felt gentle wings encircling her, and she saw the green dragon supporting her.

"The, island. Have to… take you there." she gasped in air, her muscles finally realizing they were allowed to protest against their recent treatment.

"It's the last… dry land… gathering…"

"Whoah, slow down." she golden dragon said nervously. "What island? What gathering?"

"Palm!" the green dragon elbowed him, "let her catch her breath before you start pestering her."

Nightfall's vision was starting to fade and blacken around the edges. I shouldn't have pushed so hard. But what if I hadn't found these dragons here? then where woul be?