The group walked silently through the forest, ears perked and swiveling, catching every sound. Luke wondered how he’d been convinced to join, but he knew how. Everyone else was going. He wouldn't be left behind.

  Suddenly Cali stopped, spinning around to glare behind them. “Are you kidding me…”

  “What is it?” Maeve asked.

  Luke glanced at Maki, knowing what was happening, and was surprised to see a knife in his friend’s hand. Sure, he knew Maki had been working as a guard, but to see this erratic goofball with a knife out was… concerning. Luke was concerned.

  Maki saw him staring and gave a lopsided smile. “Just in case...”

  “It’s Wisp,” Luke said.

  The siblings looked at him, surprised.

  Cali, arms now crossed, started tapping her foot. “Come out before I make you,” she hissed at a bush.

  The bush responded. “You can't make me, it’s illegal and I'll tell Dad.”

  Cali rolled her eyes, tail thrashing, and stomped over. She pulled her sister out of the bush by an ear.

  “Ow, ow, Cali, that hurts!”

  As Wisp got a very quiet talking-to, Maki put his knife away.

  “How did you know?” he asked Luke.

  Luke shrugged. “Wisp always follows Cali. Do you just… carry a knife now?”

  “Always, yeah.”

  They looked back at the girls, Luke not sure what else to say.

  “You want me to go back alone?!” Wisp squeaked. “It’s like forever away!”

  “Then maybe you’ll learn your lesson about following me,” Cali growled.

  “We can't send her home alone,” Maeve said. “She might get lost, and she can't ask directions from animals. Let’s just take her with us.”

  “I don't know,” Maki said, stepping up to his sister. “It could get dangerous if we’re seen.”

  “It’s that or one of us goes home with her,” Maeve shrugged. “I'm not doing that.”

  They all looked at the overly-innocent seven-year-old and sighed.

  “I'll be quiet, I promise,” Wisp said, eyes wide and ears up.

  Cali rolled her eyes, starting to walk again. Everyone followed.

  The sound of music got louder and louder, until they could hear individual instruments and words being sung. Finally they reached the mouth of the cave, stopping where dirt turned to stone.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “There aren't any guards?” Maki asked, looking behind them.

  “There’s never guards here,” Luke said. “There’s a guardhouse a bit inside, just before it opens up to the main cavern.”

  “Oh, ok,” Maki said.

  The group stared at the entrance, everyone nervous. Luke wondered if they were going to turn around and go home, but Cali stepped into the cave. Ears back, tail slightly poofed, she moved towards the music.

  Maeve followed, and Maki took Wisp’s hand before walking in after them. Knowing it was a bad idea, Luke trailed behind.

  He’d been to the kobold’s village before, to trade. The slight upwards slope and glowing mushrooms were familiar to him. They snuck under the guard’s window, crawling up to the ledge where he’d discovered a fear of heights. Ears pinned back, they looked out and down at what had always been a boring market.

  It was anything but boring now. Colored, glowing mushrooms ran up the walls. A stage was set up in the middle of the cavern, a band playing their hearts out. Along the left wall was a long set of tables, piled high with food. Along the right wall there were two dragons, watching the event with smiles on their snouts. And everywhere else there were dancing kobolds.

  Luke’s eyes widened. He’d never seen so many people in one place. He’d been vaguely aware that the kobold’s town was twice as large as their neko town, but that hadn't ever meant anything to him. Now, looking down at nearly six hundred people, he felt uneasy.

  “That looks so fun,” Maeve said, watching them dance.

  “I wonder what food they have,” Cali said.

  “The kobold diet consists mainly of mushrooms and grubs,” Wisp reported, clearly echoing something she’d read. “They eat few vegetables, preferring a more carnivorous diet when traveling.”

  “Thank you,” Luke told her, watching the band. One person had a strange string instrument that made amazing sounds. He wondered what it was.

  The song changed, and the kobold with that instrument got a brief solo before the other musicians joined. Luke closed his eyes, ears going up as he took in the sound. He listened, tail and fingers twitching to the beat. The song ended with a cheer from the crowd, and the singer announced a brief break for the band. There was more cheering, the sound of chatter growing.

  And then a dragon dropped onto the ledge next to Luke.

  “Aha! I caught you!”

  The group scrambled back, away from the ledge, staring at the small black dragon. Small… young. Luke wasn't an expert on dragon ages, but the way this one moved reminded him of Wisp.

  “We apologize,” Maeve told it. “We didn't mean to trespass.”

  “But you did,” the young dragon said. “And I caught you. You’ll have to be my prisoners now!”

  “I don't want to be your prisoner,” Luke said, shrugging apologetically.

  The dragon frowned. “Oh.” It gave serious thought to the matter, then smiled. “I'll take you to Dad, then! You’ll have to be his prisoner, even if you don't want to. Then he can make you my prisoners!”

  Luke shared a look with Cali. He gave her a tiny shake of his head, but she twitched her head in a nod. Cursing under his breath, he got ready to grab Wisp and run.

  He noticed Maki’s hand was on his knife, and wished he hadn't come.

  “Or, how about this?” Cali asked, her pink eyes starting to glow as she activated her charm magic. “You don't want to leave the party, it's fun. Go back down and forget you saw us.”

  Wisp took a breath to announce that using charm magic on people was illegal, and Luke clamped his hand over her mouth.

  “The party is fun,” the dragon said, turning towards the ledge. Its words were lifeless. “I will go back down and forget I saw you.” It spread its small wings, pushing off the ledge to glide down.

  “We’ve got five minutes,” Cali said, scrambling away.

  Luke picked Wisp up, dashing for the exit.