leafy plants. The smell of moist dirt and the light scent of the milkweed filled my nostrils. It was tedious work, sorting out the small buds and making sure not to step on anything, but I liked it. I soon found myself smiling gently at the soft caress of the leaves and petals and the sight of a few butterflies sipping their nectar. The thought of the dragon-kin was now far from my mind.
The sun continued to fall as I worked and, before I realized it, I had filled my pockets with flowers and it was almost completely dark. As I clipped one final bloom, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. There was something on the path that had not been there a moment ago.
My head turned to look at this foreign thing, and then I froze. All the hairs on my body stood on end, and my heart beat very loudly. My eyes went wide with fear, and I do not think I was breathing.
This thing that had found its way onto the path stared back at me with narrow and wild yellow eyes that almost glowed from behind a shock of black hair. Then, it opened its lips, showing me a set of sharp, white teeth.
It was not a smile.
My nostrils flared and I gripped my tiny pair of scissors like a sword. I tried to look my most intimidating, but I knew all too well that I had just become the dragon-kin’s prey.