*Katerina's POV*

I slowed down and eyed up the small stream as we got closer. Brandon glanced back at me and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm just trying to figure out how deep it is in case a naga is hiding down there."

Normally I'd never admit my fear of naga since so many people thought the creatures had gone extinct, but a dragon rider would know the truth.

He blinked in surprise and regarded me. "That isn't something most people worry about, but if it helps, naga prefer to stick to larger rivers or lakes. They wouldn't be in something this shallow with dragons flying around."

Keeping a wary eye on the clear water, I followed him closer to the water's edge. No flashes of green or blue were to be seen anywhere in the creek, but I could vaguely make out the bottom, so that was a relief.

"We can try spearfishing if we trim some sticks," he said, peering at flickers of movement along the bottom.

"I've got a net," I said as I shrugged out of my backpack and dug out the seldom-used object.

"Oh, that'll work. We can string it across this section and chase fish into it."

"We can cut down a sapling, tie the net to it, then lay it across the creek, and we won't have to get wet," I said. "If we leave the ropes connected to the bottom on the bank, it'll scoop up the fish when we pull on them." It was one of many tricks I'd learned when trying to avoid getting close to the water.

We began setting up the net, and I kept casting frequent glances at the slowly flowing water.

"Did you have a close call with a naga?" he quietly asked.

"Once when I was younger. They killed my parents and sister several years ago."

"Did you tell Rakota or another dragon about the attack?"

"They were going to send someone to check that area."

"That's good. The dragons try to keep the naga away from humans, but sometimes a few slip through." He finished tying a knot and held up the sapling he'd cut down. "I think this should work."

I helped him lower it until it spanned the gap and the netting was in the water. The small weights rested along the silty bottom.

"It reaches all the way down," I told him.

"Then let's see how many fish we can catch!"

I grinned at his enthusiasm and followed him upstream. When we had gone far enough, he found a long branch and began striking the water with it as we slowly made our way toward the net. I opted to throw rocks and sticks into the water as we drove the fish ahead of us.

The rocks hit with deep glugs, punctuated by the thwap of the wet branch striking the surface. One oddly-shaped rock hit the water and splashed him.

"Sorry!" I quickly apologized.

"It's just water." He sent me a teasing grin. "But to make up for that, you need to toss in things that make a bigger splash than this tree branch!"

I gaped at him. "Mine are making bigger splashes."

"Prove it!" He redoubled his efforts to create as much noise and the biggest impact possible.

No large stones were nearby, so I grabbed four fist-sized ones and threw them all at once.

"That's cheating!"

"Is not!" I replied with a laugh.

Our bantering continued as we worked our way toward the net. It was...fun. And it had been a long time since I had fun. I was almost sad when the net came into view.

The netting was wiggling, so I said, "Keep hitting the water while I grab the strings and pull up the bottom."

He slowed his pace while I jogged ahead and pulled the ropes attached to the bottom of the net, carefully timing it so Brandon's last strike sent more fish into the netting. Holding ropes in one hand, I grabbed the sapling in the other and dragged everything back with the fish trapped in the middle of the net.

The thrashing increased as the fish were pulled out of the water. Brandon dropped the branch and ran over to help. We untied the net from the branch and dumped the fish onto the grass.

"Nice work! Those four big ones are probably enough for tonight. Do you want to smoke the others or throw them back?" He crouched down to investigate the flopping fish as I rolled up the netting.

With a delighted grin at the compliment, I glanced at him, about to reply, when I spotted something downstream. The glimpse of shimmery blue instantly dredged up images ingrained in my nightmares. Every fiber of my being immediately recognized the danger.

"Brandon!" My throat seized, unable to get anything else out. I pointed downstream while pulling him to his feet.

He spun around with remarkable agility and caught a glimpse of the tail disappearing under the surface. He began pushing me away from the water. "Run!" In a louder voice, he shouted, "Diondin! There's a naga!"

As if it had heard our words or the urgency behind them, the water rippled as a greenish shadow sped down the creek toward us. I began running between the trees as fast as I possibly could, with Brandon close behind.

A loud splash and the rapid crackling of twigs sent my heart flying. A whizzing noise was followed by a glimpse of brown as a trident flew past my shoulder, barely missing me. Brandon grunted and fell against my back, sending us careening into the leaf litter.

I clambered back to my feet as Brandon held his side and struggled to stand. I stumbled to the side, a bit disoriented, and tried to pull him up. A hissing made us both look over to see the naga closing in.

Its snakelike body allowed it to move unfortunately quickly on land. Its wide tailfin was folded, and the razor-sharp outer edges glinted in the light while the fin sliced through leaves and plants. As if the tail wasn't dangerous enough, it had two thick arms that ended in five claws.

I grabbed the trident and yanked it out of the ground, promptly pointing it at the naga's blocky reptilian head. It slowed down, its slit-pupiled yellow eyes narrowed as it hissed at me, showing numerous needle-like teeth.

It eyed up the weapon in my shaking hands, then charged.

I tossed the trident to Brandon as I desperately reached into my backpack's side pocket for something I carried just in case I ever encountered another one of the creatures. My fingers closed around the leathery object, and I threw the dusty ball right at the naga's snout. It exploded into a cloud of red powder.

With a screech, the naga dropped to the ground and began thrashing like a snake. My fingers brushed against the net hanging out of my backpack, and I quickly grabbed it and threw it over the creature.

Brandon snagged my wrist and pulled me back, limping heavily and using the trident to help him stand. The netting barely impeded the naga's twisting body, and the fins along its back sliced through it in various places.

A distant roar echoed through the trees as a hazy blue light formed a dome over Brandon and me. At the same time, a massive bolt of lightning pierced the tree canopy and struck the naga, sending dirt, grass, leaves, and even a few chunks of flesh flying.

Brandon sat down heavily, dropping the trident in favor of holding his side. "We're safe. They finally got close enough to attack without us getting caught in the crossfire."

I remained frozen, staring at the twisted, blackened corpse.

A greenish light emanated from Brandon's side, and he sighed in relief. "Thanks, Diondin," he said, his voice no longer tight.

Belatedly, I asked, "Are you okay?"

"Several cracked ribs, but they're healed now. It must have thrown that big rock at me."

My heart continued racing, and now that I wasn't running, my legs felt shaky. Sitting sounded like a really good idea. I sat down on the grass just as heavily as Brandon had.

"You okay?" he asked, glancing over.

"Just shaken."

He sighed and looked at the blackened remains past the blue shield still surrounding us. "I can't believe there was a naga in a creek that small." He shook his head, then asked, "What was that powder?"

"Ground fireleaf. It burns for hours if it gets into the eyes, nose, or mouth. Papercuts too."

"Let me guess, you had a papercut when making it?" he asked, recovering from our close call a lot faster than I was.

"The powder helped me discover it."

He chuckled and looked up. "They're here."

Leaves suddenly rained down around us, and the grass outside the shield dome flattened outward as if struck by a huge gust of wind. Trees groaned and leaned away from us, their branches breaking from the force even though the air around us was still.

The trunks began snapping near the ground, and the wind pushed them away, creating a small clearing. Sunlight shone down as four dragons circled overhead.