Scales of Color

Chapter One

Jade searched the forest for fruit. The dim rays of murky sunlight poked through the top canopies. Wet leaves brushed his scales as he crept through the rainforest. The fresh smell of wet soil and damp overgrowth was always soothing to him.

Dew dotted the undergrowth and mud squelched under the dead leaves he was stepping on. The fiery palette of autumn had passed many many moons ago. The light pastel colors of spring had popped up around the forest. The ground was dotted with speckles of orchid pink, gold, green, rotting brown, and primrose red.

He found a small bush dotted with small dark purple berries smaller than his eyes. Jade reached forward to pluck them from their shrub when suddenly, it started rustling. Jade leaped back in surprise and camouflaged his scales as the bush shook violently.

A rabbit jumped out of the decorated shrub and sniffed the air cautiously.

His scales shifted back to green. Whew! Jade walked back home slowly, the berries had looked darker then they should've been anyway. The rabbit darted away as fast as it could.

Jade walked home, kicking up rocks and roots as he went and dragged his claws and tail. Finally he found his home, a small clearing in between five thick trees. Two hammocks hung low to the ground and only a few strips of dim sunlight shone through thin leaves in the canopy above. "Uh, mom? I couldn't find any fruit." He mumbled.

"Why? There's fruit everywhere! Try looking farther out!" replied Mango, His mother, She was slicing a pineapple with her claws on a flat stump in the ground that lay across from the hammocks.

"It could be dangerous! I heard there's a giant boar that roams around! It's bigger than any dragon and it could kill me if it tried!" He yelped, stepping over ferns and flower buds.

He looked up at her, leaning against the flat stump. He watched intently as the juice from the fruits she was slicing trickled off the stump and into the grass. He could smell the sweet fragrance and almost taste the sticky and tart juice.

"You have to challenge yourself Jade!" She sighed, "Go play with your friend Flower..."

"His name is Hibiscus though-"

"Ok,Ok, got it", she said.

Jade took off the ground and swirled around in a spiral toward the treetops. He sighed happily as sunlight painted his scales. It felt like all the stress and anxiety crawled away and warmth cascaded through his body. His life hadn't ever been easy. Life hadn't been easy for anyone in the rainforest. But he and his mother especially.

Food was difficult to find in the lower brush. Sun was quite scarce down in the undergrowth. It had never been easy for his mother. She was always grumbling about Eucalyptus and someone named Rose. Jade had always tried to ignore her grumbling though.

He hovered in the air for a moment and he felt a sudden tug on his tail. Jade was dragged down under the canopy. "AAAAAAAH!" He yelped loudly, covering his face. The leaves rustled as his scream echoed off the canopies. He caught a glimpse of colorful indigo and yellow scales. "HIBISCUS?!" He screeched, sending a rainbow of birds into the sky.

Hibiscus burst into laughter and uncamouflaged his scales. "HAHAHA! You should've SEEN the look on your face! HA!" he exploded happily.

Jade grumbled and rolled his eyes. "It's NOT funny! I thought I was about to die!" He frowned.

His friend patted him on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it, silly! You're my best friend, I'll be doing that to you all the time!" he chirped. Jade rolled his eyes, attempting to suppress his giggles. He failed.