You need to get those seeds, I think to myself. You can't let your family down. I perch on Firebreather's blue, scaley back and turn around, getting a glimpse of the sunrise and my village of East Farmington. The brick buildings look so small from the sky. I can do this, I think, assuring myself. I need to do this. Ever since our village ran out of seeds to grow crops and dragon eggs, I had created a plan. I needed to sneak out with my dragon, Firebreather, to find the seeds. So far, my plan is going well.

“Poppy, be careful,” my mother insisted after we found out about the food shortage. She didn’t want me to go out by myself, since she knows how independent I am, but I want to make her proud by saving our village. I lean over Firebreather’s neck and focus on the ferns and grass below. As we pass by a mint green fern, I catch a glimpse of what looks like a blueberry bush.

“Down there!” I whisper to Firebreather excitedly. Obediently, he spreads out his wings to slow down, and puts out his feet to land near the bush. I leap off of him and run over to the bush. Before I get there, I skid to a stop. The berries are not blueberries, they are poisonous berries. My heart sinks. I had hoped they were edible berries. Instead of sulking, I hop back onto Firebreather and keep going.

An hour later, I notice that I don’t know where I am. There are types of trees that I have never seen before all around me. My hands start to get clammy. If I didn’t know where I was, how could I find the seeds? I hadn’t been this far, since my father had only let me fly out with him. He never went out far with me, either. Maybe he knows, I think. But then I can’t do this by myself.

“Go down,” I instruct Firebreather. We settle in a small, grassy meadow. I open my backpack and dig through it until I find the map I had secretly placed in my bag. Maybe I can find my way back home, I think.

When I couldn’t figure out how to use the map, I thought of something. Go ask your family. My family. I hadn’t thought about them since I left this morning. I pace back and forth, arguing with myself about asking my family for help. Finally, I decide what to do next. I know I really don’t want to ask, but my family can help me, I think. I jump on Firebreather’s back and remember that he knows the way.

“Home,” I tell him, smiling. “Head home.”

I hope they won’t be upset with me for asking for help, I think as I slowly open the door. In my dining room, I find my mother sitting at the table, her head in her hands. I clear my throat and she looks up.

"Poppy, you're home!" she cries happily. My mother runs over to me and hugs me as tight as she can. After a long hug, we let go and I gaze around, a feeling of concern coming over me.

"Where's Dad?" I ask. She can tell how concerned I am.

"He went looking for you," my mother responds. There is a long pause. I can tell she has questions to ask me. She finally asks,"Why did you leave?" while trying to hide her concern.

"I wanted to go out by myself to find the seeds to help our village,” I say, “but I got lost." I pause for a minute, thinking of what to say next. "I was hoping you or dad could help me." My mother smiled at me and hugged me again.

"We will always help you," she says warmly. I smile, whisper,

"Thank you," and let go of her. Taking a deep breath, I tell her exactly what happened. After I explain everything, my mother agrees to help me find seeds. Together, we walk through the doorway and hop onto our dragons. To find Dad, I think.
After an hour of searching and yelling “Dad!” we find my father resting near a neon green fern. His concerned expression turns to a large grin when he sees me.

“You’re okay,” my father beamed as he hugged me. I explain what happened and asked him for help. He smiles, nods, and agrees. Together, we hop onto our dragons and fly, searching for anything edible. Together, as it always should have been.
An hour later, our dragons land and take a break. While sipping my canteen, I notice a bush in the distance. Not a regular, boring, green bush, but some kind of red berry bush. I rush over to the bush and take a close look.

“Raspberries!” I exclaim. My mother and father jog over to me. My father makes a close inspection and finally says,

“Raspberries,” agreeing with me. A big grin washes over my face and I start to pick them, putting them carefully in a basket from my backpack. Happily, I turn around and notice something else. Asparagus. The rarest food in the whole colony of New York. I walk, grinning from ear to ear, over to the asparagus and motion my parents over. Smiles overcome their faces. I collect the asparagus and place it in the same basket as the raspberries.

Together, we walk towards our dragons and head for the sky, back to our village. I’m glad I asked for help, I think as we soar home to our village, ready to show everyone what we have found.