The big black dragon in front of him stared at Cloud for a second, his forest green eyes sweeping over him.
     "Cloud," he wondered softly, slowly unfurling his long, thick bat wings.
     "Clouds throat was too choked up. "Ash? You... Supposed to come home... Sixteen full moons from... Now..."
      Ash smiled gently. "But I'm here now, aren't I?" Cloud detected sadness trailing in his voice.
     Cloud charged headlong at Ash and crashed into him, either trying to hug him or squish him to death. "Dad! You came back!"
     Evening also bashed into Ash from the other side, and sandwiched him against Cloud. Rain was pretending to be indifferent on the side, but gave up the pretense when River swept him up in a group hug. They were a colorful lot, black and blue and white and purple. Cloud was practically glowing with happiness, but a small part of him stayed cold and saddened. There should have been another yellow dragon beside him, smiling and welcoming his father home. Instead, there was a cold, empty gap.

     When Drifting Breeze opened his eyes again, it was daytime. Voices shouted outside. Drifting Breeze tried to sit up and    winced. Lying back down, he eavesdropped through the thin walls of the teepee.
     "-Don't know where's he been." A voice-Slim Branch- said calmly.
     Another not-so-placid voice said in a low, harsh voice, "Well, then, let's go and ask him! His parents must be worried sick."
     Drifting Breeze recognized with a jolt that the voice belonged to Chief Dark Shadow himself.
     Slim Branch answered back angrily, "well, first of all, he's not ready. He inhaled too much smoke. What would you think if a bunch of people barged in on you and demanded fifteen billion questions? And," she said, dropping her voice low, "Don't you recall that his parents died in the buffalo accident two years ago? Pay attention to your tribe, young man."
     Drifting Breeze tensed at the mention of his dead parents and Slim Branch's careless attitude towards Dark Shadow.               He could hear the anger in Dark Shadows voice as he said warningly, "Slim Branch. Mind your manners. I am the chief, after all, and I do pay attention to my tribe. By his parents I mean the people he has grown close to. Don't you think they would want answers, too? The longer they wait, the longer they fret."
     "The longer you fret," Slim Branch retorted. "You are the chief, expected to have answers. And mind your manners, mister. I am your elder, after all."
     Drifting Breeze could almost see the look of rage across Dark Shadows face.
     "Fine," he said curtly, after a heated silence. "But I expect him tomorrow. With answers." He whirled around and stomped away before Slim Branch could make him blow up.
     Sighing, she entered the teepee just as Drifting Breeze froze, unsure of whether or not to pretend to sleep or to be awake. She turned abruptly and went to the soup simmering over a fire, not noticing Drifting Breeze. Drifting Breeze exhaled slowly, relieved that Slim Branch didn't see him.

     "Been listening to conversations outside this tent, have you?" Slim Branch said dryly, talking to her soup. Drifting Breeze froze again, staring at her back. Slim Branch sighed.
     "Well, you know what he said," she continued, not bothering to turn around. "Chief Dark Shadow expects you tomorrow. Look nice."
     But all Drifting Breeze could think about was the dragon, somewhere out in the forest.

     River was really jittery, clacking her claws on the floor repeatedly and asking if anybody needed anything every five seconds. Cloud could have sworn her snout was pink, too. Even Rain restrained his obnoxious behavior and only bragged ten times. Evening looked on the verge of fainting. However, Ash ignored all of this abnormal behavior-or didn't notice it-and sank comfortably on a patch of grass.
     "So, tell me," he said jovially, "what's happened in the last twelve full moons?"
     Evening glanced at Cloud, Cloud glanced at Rain, Rain glanced at River, and River glanced at Ash before averting her eyes. "A lot," was all Rain could say.
     "Y-yes," River stammered, "especially with Cloud." She gave him a pointed glare.
     Ash smiled. "Well, then, I've got a lot of time," he smiled, stretching out comfortably. "Care to share?"

     Drifting Breeze awoke again in the evening. Slim Branch was humming again, twirling a wooden spoon in a pot that smelled like rabbit soup. She stopped when she saw Drifting Breeze behind her.
     "Why, hello," she greeted, setting the spoon down. Her expression was serious. She pulled up a chair and sat across from him. "We need to talk."
     Drifting Breeze gulped. He didn't quite agree.

     "Tell me everything," she demanded, squinting at his face. "And I'll know if you lie."
     Drifting Breeze looked at her wrinkled face, which held sadness and love and a bunch of other things he couldn't figure out.
     "Umm..."
     Slim Branch didn't smile. "I won't tell anybody. I swear on... Anything. Everything."
     Drifting Breeze had a brief mental battle. Tell her. No! Why not? Because... She'll tell. She just said she wouldn't. And you trust her word completely? Yeah.
      Drifting Breeze took a deep breath and recounted everything of his story, from the moment he first saw Dragon. When he finally finished, out of breath, he watched Slim Branch, afraid of her reaction.
     She sat there with her eyes closed, almost as if she were sleeping. Drifting Breeze was about to poke her to get her awake when she sighed. "Drifting Breeze," she said. "Let me tell you a story now."

     "Once, I was a young and happy woman. I had a husband , a daughter, a son-in-law, a grandson." Slim Branch sighed, staring off in the distance. "But that didn't last. I was out, picking herbs one day, when I saw him. A big, black dragon, with outspread magnificent wings. I had nowhere to run. We were surrounded by bristles and thorns, and he was blocking the only way out. I was so sure I was going to die. But then... He did something never expected, never heard of. The dragon turned aside and less me pass. I must have stood there for minutes, just staring in shock. When I finally came out of my shock, I scooped up my herbs and ran out of there, not looking back.
     "I'm not sure what came over me the next day, but I went to the same place, and there was the dragon again. I told no one, no one spotted him. We became great friends. For a long time, we met in secret. We chose a secret lake, a wonderful pond with a small, gurgling waterfall. Oh, it was wonderful." Her eyes clouded over.
     "But one day, my husband became suspicious. He followed me, watched me laugh and jump with the dragon. He told the village leader, High Plain. They ridiculed me, kicked me out. My family was stripped of respect, wealth, jobs. I deserted my daughter, my son-in-law, my grandson. For a dragon." Slim Branch smiled bitterly.
     "I blamed my Dragon friend. Ështhêr was his name. He grew angry at me and left. My only companion I had at that point. I wandered for a long time. Desert, swamps, forest. I lost count of how long I walked. When I finally walked into a forest devoid of dragons, it was perfect. I found a tribe, a little peaceful village nestled at the edge of the forest. After a long time living there, I learned it was the same tribe that had kicked me out years ago.
     "I was lucky to have changed my name when I was introduced. I learned that my daughter and her family had been snatched by dragons. But by that time, I had lost my grudge against Ështhêr. I wanted him back. I understood, and let it be. Some dragons were different. Some dragons, you could trust."

     Drifting Breeze sat back, his mind whirling. "Umm... So what's the point?"
     Slim Branch facepalmed herself. "The point is not all dragons are bad."
     Drifting Breeze felt an urge to say, well, you could have said that and not a complicated story about how you hate a dragon and that dragon is good.
     "Oh."
     "Now, back to bed, it's getting late," Slim Branch said briskly.
     Drifting Breeze obeyed and lay in bed, staring at the top of the teepee for a long time. "Um... Slim Branch?" He said timidly.
     "What?" Came an annoyed and cranky voice. "What... Was your first name?"
     The blankets on the other side rustled. "Laughing Creek."
     Drifting Breeze sat up. "That-what-who was your daughter?"
     Silence followed his question, until Slim Branch/Laughing Creek said,"Clear Song."

Clear Song was Drifting Breeze's mothers name.