The Drying Lake

The portal shimmered like a pool of melted rainbows as the four dragons leaped through, giggling and soaked from their after-school puddle-jumping.

“Last one in is a soggy salamander!” Ember shouted, her bright red tail flicking water.

With a swoosh, they landed—not at home on their warm, sandy street, but on a rocky mountainside. The air was cooler, the trees taller, and everything smelled... earthy.

“Uh, this doesn’t look like home,” Nimbus muttered, his white wings twitching.

“Look over there!” Ivy pointed to a shimmering lake far below. Or what used to be a lake—it was now more mud than water.

The dragons flew closer, landing near the edge. A frantic frog hopped up to them, croaking, “Help! The water’s gone! We’re doomed!”

Zephyr tilted his blue head. “What happened to the lake?”

“A storm rolled a huge boulder into the river!” the frog wailed. “The water’s flowing down the mountain instead of into the lake! Everything’s drying up!”

Ember cracked her claws. “Don’t worry, we’ll handle this boulder.”

“Handle it how?” Ivy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh… we’ll figure that out!” Ember said confidently.

As they marched toward the blocked river, Nimbus sighed. “Why do I feel like this is going to be complicated?”