1 Fresh!

Zehell stood in the mouth of the her family's cave. She loved the stillness of morning. She took a deep breath. The air was fresh, the sky was clear. And with the coming of Spring there would be so much more life in the forest. She smiled to herself as she trotted lightly into the trees. Her tail swished from side to side, but didn't disturb the undergrowth. None of the animals were up yet since the sun was still making its way into the sky. But that didn't stop her from winding her way through the various plants. Zehell circled a few trees enjoying their different scents.

She stopped once to watch dew drops slide off the crowns of a group of little white mushrooms. Death had come to something when mushrooms were near, but she didn't care to find out what. A chirp and slight rustle in the trees above her signaled the beginning of a new morning. The sun was starting to rise. It woke the birds, the rabbits, the chipmunks, the fox kits, and others. She watched as several birds left nests of screaming chicks in search of food. She did her best to stay out of the way of a baby rabbit who was very jumpy and twitchy at every rustle of the undergrowth. Zehell had just crouched to play with a fox kit when her father called for her.

"Zehell, where are you?"

Reluctantly she turned back for the cave. "Coming, Father!"

Her father looked imposing where he stood in the mouth of the cave, but smiled when she approached. "Be good for your mother," he said, dipping his head to nuzzle her before he headed for the nearby village.

Zehell watched him leave before her brother, Craven, pounced on her. She dropped to her belly and rolled toward the cave. Craven tumbled forward several feet and nearly twisted himself in a knot. Zehell laughed. Craven smiled as he turned around and charged her. The two of them wrestled gleefully until their sister, Anawan, started whimpering. The two of them stopped their play and snuggled close to their sister.

"Why do you two have to fight all the time?" Anawan cried.

"It's not fighting," Craven replied. "We're just playing."

"Yeah," Zehell nodded.

Anawan shook her head. "Playing isn't rough like that. Fighting is."

"Fighting is worse than what your siblings do, Anawan," their mother said gently. "And while we never instigate a fight, sometimes fighting is necessary to keep those we love and care for safe."

Anawan shook her head in disbelief.

"Cheer up, Anawan," Zehell said, nudging her sister's cheek with her nose. "Mother promised us we'd get to go to lake to see creatures we have not seen yet."

"That's right!" she said, standing and nearly smacking Craven in the head with her tail. "The… the… fresh!"

Mother chuckled softly. "Fish," she corrected.

"I want to see their ugly eyes!" Craven hollered getting back to his feet.

"Craven," Mother sighed.

Craven tucked his tail around his feet. "Sorry, Mother. I want to see how different their eyes are."

"Better. Remember we are to care for the life around us so it can…."

"Care for us in return," the four of them said in unison.

"Very good," Mother smiled. "Let's go. We have quite the walk."

Mother left the cave first. Anawan and Craven followed and Zehell took up the rear. She loved to watch the trees for the squirrels and the fresh holes burrowed into the trees that indicated an owl's or woodpecker's nest. Sometimes she was distracted by the beetles and ants that skittered their way across the path with or in search of foo. Occasionally, Zehell found herself stepping on ground that was warmer than the rest. Warmth that came from Mother's feet as she nurtured the life around them. Father's feet did the same.

However, Mother taught her and her siblings that when Father went to visit the Human in the village, his feet no longer left warm spots. His ability to nurture the life around him came through something called hands. And what hands were, what a Human creature looked like, she didn't know or understand. All Zehell understood was that one day she would be able to go to the village and meet these Humans like Father. To help them as her parents were teaching her. But she didn't know if she had the same capabilities as her parents. Her feet never left warm spots on the ground. Nor did the life in the forest flourish after she had passed by.

Zehell sighed and hoped that she would understand soon. She and her siblings had already grown quite a bit and it wouldn't be very long before their parents would send them out to nurture on their own. To really and truly apply everything they had and would be taught. Still, Zehell felt that being able to nurture in the way her parents did would be impossible. If she had even half the power that they did, why didn't anything change when she spent time outside of the cave?

"Zehell?" her Mother asked.

Zehell's head came up. She was several meters behind the rest of her family. "Sorry, Mother!" she called, running to catch up.

"Distracted by the beauty again?" Mother checked after their noses touched.

"Yes," she fibbed. Zehell really didn't want to disappoint her mother by telling her what had really been on her mind.

Mother chuckled. "It is good. We're almost to the lake."

"Last one there is a rotten skunk!" Craven yelled, darting ahead of Mother.

"Freeze, Craven Greendragon!" Mother roared.

Craven froze mid-stride and stayed that way until Mother blew on him. He crumpled like a rock then curled into a ball. Mother nuzzled him gently. "The three of you still need to be cautious while in nature. You are small enough that some of the predators might mistake you for food. And your father and I would be quite sad if that were to happen."

"Okay," Craven said softly. "I'm sorry, Mother."

"You are forgiven, Craven. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Mother nuzzled Craven a little more before she nuzzled Zehell and Anawan. Craven stood slowly then walked between Zehell and Anawan behind their mother. After a few more hills and turns, the lake came into view.

"Wow!" Anawan gasped.

"It's… so big!" Zehell said, amazed.

"It has to be for the fish," Craven said. "Right, Mother?"

She looked back at her children with a knowing smile. "Come."

Mother led the three of them to the lake. They dark blue water was still save for the occasional blurp toward the center of the lake. Small ripples moved through the water where the sound had come from, but the three little dragons didn't see anything in the water. Even in the lighter blue water near their feet, they caught glimpses of plants under the water, but nothing that resembled Mother's description of a fish.

"Where are the fish?" Craven asked, his voice echoing across the lake.

Mother bent her head close to the three of them. "Hiding from loud baby dragons," she gently teased. "If you are quiet, I will show you where you can always find the fish."

The four of them walked slowly to the lake's inlet. Mother lay down and motioned for Zehell, Craven, and Anawan to step closer to the river. As they looked into the water they saw a lot of tiny finned creatures with eyes that shifted back and forth as they seemed to swim suspended in the same spot.

"Is Mother freezing the fish as she did Craven?" Anawan whispered.

"No, Anawan," Mother replied gently. "These fish are looking for the lake they were born in. They have to fight the current and gain strength in order to reach their former home."

"Why not stay here?" Craven asked. "There's a lot of space for a creature so small."

Mother smiled. "It is part of the cycle. These fish were not born here. They started their life somewhere else. They came here to grow up. And now that they are grown, they want to return home to start the next cycle of life."

"Are we here to take them to their home, Mother?" Zehell asked.

"No, Zehell. We cannot take them to their home. They need to return home on their own."

"But they are swimming so hard and not going anywhere!"

Mother pointed to a place a little further up the river. "Watch."

Zehell, Anawan, and Craven all leaned forward slightly and watched several fish jump out of the water and into a little pool further up the river. Once in the pool the fish stopped swimming as hard, but wasn't swept back toward the lake.

"Those ones made it further!" Anawan squealed.

"Yes, as will the others," Mother said. "The best help we can give the fish is a boost in energy for their journey. The rest we need to leave up to them so they survive."

Anawan and Craven nodded. Zehell had turned her head to look at the fish entering the river form the lake. One or two of them made it a little further up the river. But it wasn't the fish jumping that had caught her attention, but a small flying creature that was darting between the low hanging branches of the trees across from them.

©RedPandaChick (Ardnaxela)