Along the border between the wooded forests and grasslands of Mireh, and the swampy wetlands of L'hatzif was a great thick jungle filled with the best of both worlds - large towering trees with incredibly thick trunks adorned by hanging vines and mycelium where various fungi hung onto their vertical footholds. It seemed that the rain never stopped below the thick canopy as pools of water in the treeline and hanging from branches slowly dripped onto the jungle floor below. Strangely in these lands traveled a group of dragons, carefully investigating every nook and cranny as they observed this strange clash of worlds - alien and foreign, yet adorned with all the familiar trappings of home.
Strange hexopodal beasts roamed the jungle, some of the plant life even seemed to get up and move out of the way as the dragons flitted among the jungle scenery. Cocoa, a soft tan dragon, hung from one of the higher branches of a tree, looking down at her vibrantly coloured companion below.
"Eggy!" Cocoa called down to her "You were right! This place is absolutely amazing. How ever did you hear about this place?" she tilted her head questioningly.
"Nutmeg recruited me to join her!" Eggy called back, looking up at her friend only to be greeted by droplets splattering over her face from above. Shaking off the damp, she took a few steps away from the wet hanging branch above her. "I am only glad I could pester you into joining me. No regrets now, eh?" Eggy grinned cheekily, knowing that yet again she had to drag Cocoa out of her comfort zone, and yet again she was right in knowing Cocoa would have the time of her life.
"Yeah yeah." Cocoa dismissed, waving a hand dismissively before she took to the air and snaked her way to the next large and interesting looking tree.
Nutmeg jumped down from her own perch atop a very strange looking fungus which was seemingly massive enough to walk on. "I saw something interesting over that way." she gestured with her head "They look like creatures I have encountered before; Torook and Lantana, and a third I do not recognise. I reckon we should go and say hi!" Nutmeg's enthusiasm for meeting new people excited Eggy who shared in this passion.
"Oh my yes! Where did you see them?"
Nutmeg did not have to move as Rita, Lantana and Torook emerged from around the side of yet another thick tree trunk. "She must be meaning us." Torook smiled, leading the others along with him. "Good to see you again, Nutmeg. Although we last saw you not that long ago." he chuckled to himself heartily, his familiarity with Nutmeg making Cocoa a bit weary but equally confused.
"Anyone would think you were following us." Lantana teased, a large beaming smile at seeing the familiar face. "But before we forget, this is our friend, Rita." Lantana turned to gesture to the third of their own traveling group. "I do not believe you have met as she was not accompanying us up that mountain."
Nutmeg nodded at Lantana, but could not take her eyes from the newcomer - her spotted and piebald pelt amazing Nutmeg yet again. "It is so wonderful to make your acquaintance!" she bounded over to Rita who cowered only slightly at being confronted so readily.
Eggy cleared her through, moving to stand beside Nutmeg "Well, are you not going to introduce us?" she teased. Cocoa, however, maintained her distance up in the branches.
"Oh of course! Torook, Lantana, and of course Rita. These are my new friends! Eggy" she gestured to the soft and pastel dragon beside her "and up there is Cocoa!" she pointed up at the branch. It took the Tsabhua a moment to register that there was anyone up there as Cocoa managed to blend in quite well with the branches.

The group continued exchanged greetings and brief stories about one another until Nutmeg exclaimed rather suddenly. "Oh! You all are always traveling and exploring - tell me, why are you here in this jungle? There must be something fun to discover!"
Torook smiled and laughed softly. "Indeed there is. We are on a search for what we call Treeheart." the blank expressions from the Kodai around him amused him, so Torook paused for a bit to revel in the confusion. Lantana, however, was much more impatient to convey the information.
"In these parts there are these gems or crystals that only are formed inside these thick trees." Lantana began, glancing over at Rita as if to confirm the information and include her in on the conversation. "We search for these Treehearts as they are incredibly useful for our technology and research."
"That sounds... absolutely amazing!" Eggy piped up, vividly imagining what a gem growing inside a tree could possibly look like. "Are they inside all these trees?" she gestures around where the group had made a rest spot.
Rita shook her head and opted to share her own knowledge. "Yes and no. All of these trees have the capacity to grow them, however only when they are ready to harvest does the tree actually reveal the Treeheart to us. This dramatically changes the appearance of the tree as well. The others are either not growing a Treeheart, or are not yet ready for harvesting."
The group, silenced by their own thoughts as they took in this knowledge, looked around at the flora around them, now filled with even more questions than they had answers.
Finally, Cocoa was the one to break the thoughtful silence which hung around them. "Please, let us help you find a Treeheart! I would so love to see one." her eyes wide with wonderment and possibility.
"Yes, please!" Eggy joined her own voice to the pleading. Nutmeg merely smiled, knowing full well that they would absolutely be joining the Saltwater's in their adventure today.
"Of course you may! The more the merrier, and we are more than happy to share any knowledge we have to answer any questions you have." Torook grinned, excited to be traveling once again with dragons who seemed to defy gravity - and of course their newest friend Nutmeg.

Rita and Nutmeg led the way - Nutmeg using the opportunity to get to know someone new. Cocoa and Eggy followed in the middle of the group whereas Lantana and Torook brought up the rear - much of the path the group took would not allow for more than two abreast, but often they would need to move in single file or find their own path as fallen logs proved to be more difficult terrain to navigate for the Tsabhua than it did for the Kodai who could merely fly over the obstacles.
"I am glad you are with me." Cocoa whispered to Eggy, her voice low so as to not be heard by the others. "I am not sure I would have gone along with these creatures if it were not for your company."
Eggy smiled at her friend reassuringly "Not everyone is out to get you, you know. I am glad I am able to help you slowly realise this." she nudged Cocoa's shoulder as they walked "And besides, I think you know you absolutely would have. Did you forget that you are the one who asked to join them in the first place?" Eggy's voice filled with a teasing tone.
Cocoa blinked and her pace faltered briefly as she recalled. "I- I mean... you give me confidence. Oh shush!" she pushed back, laughing together with her friend as the group walked.

"Wait, what is that?" Lantana suddenly spoke up from the rear, causing everyone to halt in their tracks and watch where she was pointing to the right side of the group. "It looks like what we are looking for!" She started to wander off closer to the tree, closely followed by Rita and Torook whereas the Kodai took to the sky to investigate the excessively large trunk pointed out to them.
Lantana quickly circled the huge tree which seemed to be bursting in parts of it. Torook called out to the Kodai above and requested they circle around the tree looking for any form of opening, no matter how small. The dragons set off circling up and down the height of the trunk and some of the larger branches, whereas Rita started to shift away some leaf litter at the base of the tree in hopes of finding an opening there.
It was not long before Cocoa called out "I found something! It is up here though." She had landed on a thick trunk - thick enough to be a road - and was gesturing to the connection beneath the branch where it met the trunk.
"Can you get inside?" Lantana called up, trying to see if there was a way up for the grounded Tsabhua.
"Unclear, it looks to be too small." Cocoa called back after attempting to claw at the rough bark.
"Alright then. I think it is time to call for backup." Torook muttered to himself, pulling a device out of his pack to message back to the clan.
Nutmeg continued the search, going so much as to climb above the canopy to see if there was an opening from above, however the think canopy of the tree itself seemed to cause more headache than it was worth.
"There may be a way in from above, but the branches..." Nutmeg began as she landed softly on the ground beside Rita.
"Hmmm, it is possible. We have never attempted an aerial entrance before as we do not have much capacity for that in our clan." Rita thought out loud, pondering the likelihood of such a stunt. "Usually we find ways through the trunk, but that is certainly an interesting thought."