Silence settles across the jungle.
"See?" Vyrathion says. "Excellent instincts. Well, eventually.”
I release the breath I’ve been holding. “That was tense.”
“Yes,” Vyrathion says thoughtfully. “It would have been a pleasant surprise if that thing had any gold on it. Or in it. But alas, it was not to be.”
The little Plood turns toward me and radiates smug satisfaction through the strange telepathic connection all Plood seem to share.
"You think you helped," I tell him.
The little creature sends out a telepathic wave of part confidence, part reassurance.
Vyrathion snorts. "Let him believe it. Confidence is useful. Perhaps he'll eventually become competent."
Before I can answer, the dragon glances upward through the canopy. His expression changes. Only slightly, but enough that I notice.
"What is it?"
He remains silent for a moment. "Something large just landed nearby."
The little Plood immediately presses against my leg again. I don't think that's a good sign.
Vyrathion remains motionless, listening.
I try to do the same, but all I can hear are the ordinary sounds of the jungle settling into night. Big insects buzz somewhereoverhead. Leaves rustle against one another. Something distant croaks from a swamp or pond.
None of it sounds particularly alarming, just the normal noises of the jungle at night.
The little Plood clearly disagrees. He presses himself against my leg so hard that I almost lose my balance.
The dragon's eyes narrow slightly. "It's moving."
I look around uneasily. To me, it looks like everything is moving. "What's moving?"
"The thing that landed."
That answer does absolutely nothing to help me identify the problem. It only confirms that there is one. Vyrathion turns his head slowly, listening to sounds I apparently can't hear, while I stare into the darkness between the trees and imagine every possible nightmare this planet might have invented.
The little Plood tightens his grip on my ankle. "That's encouraging," I mutter. He keeps telegraphing his emotions through some kind of telepathic channel, and his fear is getting to me.
"It should be," Vyrathion replies. "His instincts continue to exceed his intellect."
A few moments later, the undergrowth ahead begins to move. At first I think it's only shadows moving in the darkness, or some harmless creature that will spot Vyrathion and flee. Then branches bend aside. Leaves tremble. Something large is forcing its way through the jungle.
Very large.
For one awful instant, I think another dragon is about to emerge.
Instead, a gigantic dinosaur pushes through the vegetation and steps into the open. It stands nearly twice as tall as Vyrathion and many times broader. Dark armored plates cover its body. A massive horn curves from its nose, while shorter spikes jut from its shoulders and neck.
The creature looks as though someone combined a rhinoceros, a tank and a dinosaur, then decided it wasn't dangerous enough and added more armor and some spikes for good measure.
And wings, of course. Huge, bat-like wings every bit as large as those of a Boeing. Except these can clearly flap. It could almost have been some kind of dragon, but it’s too ugly for that. This is more like a pterodactyl, just much bigger and heavier.
The beast notices us and comes to a halt, folding its wings up under its hard carapace. I notice that Vyrathion doesn't move at all.
The animal lowers its head.
