[color=greenyellow][h3][center]Emma[/center][/h3][/color]

Emma immediately decided she was dreaming. Her sleeping mind must have fused together images of the birds and lizards she'd seen a while back during her field work in South Africa. How else could she explain the winged reptile that had flitted in through the window and dropped the letter on her desk?

She re-read it, eyebrows furrowed. Dispose of it? It made no sense, but then again, dreams never did. She crumpled it and threw it in the wastepaper basket.

If this was a dream, she might as well make the most of it. There was no point in continuing to organise her photos from the recent camping trip - more adventure was always welcome before the inevitable return to everyday life. Shutting down her laptop, she dug out the bag she'd stuffed away only the day before and began packing it. The moment she'd finished, she shielded her eyes with a gasp. A glowing orb had appeared in the centre of the room, rapidly growing brighter. It disappeared as quickly as it had formed. Emma blinked, taking in her surroundings.

Well, this shouldn't have been surprising - dreams often involved ending up elsewhere with no explanation. Still, she couldn't help but stare at the sheer beauty of the place. Wild flowers that looked like nothing she'd ever studied surrounded her, sunlight illuminating their colours. Small, flying creatures darted in and out of the trees, emitting strange chirps. The same kind of creature that had visited her, she realised.

At the sight of the huge, scaly beast in front of her, she stumbled back, losing her balance. She let out a yelp as she scraped her hand on a stone. The stinging could only mean one thing. This wasn't a dream.

She was still struggling to take it in when the dragon left, several other people following. [color=greenyellow]"Hey, wait for me!"[/color] she called, scrambling to her feet and running after the group, instantly regretting what she'd said. Was that any way to talk to a dragon? Luckily, nobody seemed to mind.

She found herself in a dining hall, a table laden with all manner of delicious-looking food in the middle of it. The smells made her mouth water. Sitting down next to a girl with a birdcage, she helped herself and looked around. [color=greenyellow]"So everyone knows about as much as I do about the place..."[/color] she said. [color=greenyellow]"By the way, I'm Emma. And what's your name?"[/color]