Two Rivers Isle a draco tale

He arrived with the high tide, striding past the teeming tide pools toward a river threading across shimmering sands. As thirsty as he felt, Cambria did not dip down for a drink right away. Instead, he turned to follow the water’s southerly course as it threaded further inland. Only when he could be certain the saltwater would be diluted did he pause again to slake his thirst.

Afterward, he licked stray droplets from his pale muzzle as he assessed his surroundings. He could see palm trees in the distance off to his left. A great plain sprawled ahead, culminating in a plateau over yonder. Slightly behind him and to his right stood a forest. Though clouds hid the sun today, Cambria supposed he might find some respite from the mugginess beneath the trees’ shady boughs.

He wended through the woods by way of the narrow river. He slowed when he came to a fork, tipping his sharp muzzle into the air. Cambria thought he smelled the scent of wolves, though before he could get the measure of them, a cloud of gnats descended on him, insistently circling his face. He could hear their collective whine in his ears.

He shook his head and stepped into the water, seeking relief from the tiny nuisances. Cambria sucked in a breath and dunked his head, staying underwater for a considerable amount of time—his mother had often joked about his “gills”—before surfacing as slowly as a crocodile.