World Alliance (8)

The flock of Chocholiges apparently nests at the foot of a cliff, with around thirty birds there. About a kilometer from the nest stood a forward base.

Calling it a base was a bit much; it was really just a group of Dragonkin camping together.

There were fifty Dragonkin in all. Seven of them were elders.

I was wondering how they managed to find anything in a forest like this when—"You couldn't hunt in a forest if you couldn't do at least that!" Kimidori Papa told me cheerfully.

"Red Elder!"

"Nuro...? Oh, what is it? I left you in charge while I was away, nuro?"

Apparently, the elders were named according to the colors of the scarves wrapped around their necks: Red, Blue, Yellow, and so on.

They were easy to identify for another reason, too: only the elders had chin beards.

"Actually—"

As Kimidori Papa explained to Red Elder how we'd come to be here, the other elders gathered around, drawn by his story. Before long, all the Dragonkin had gathered around the campfire and formed a circle...