He fumbled in the air for a moment – a moment too long. He felt an overpowering current throw him forward. His training for the past few hours kicked in, and he was able to right himself.

He flicked his ears in annoyance - which was a fair accomplishment, considering the jet stream had his ears flattened to his head.

He looked in front of him and saw what the two shapes had been: A dragon with a long scar across his side was pursuing another dragon whose features were indiscernible through the tearing winds.

Should he follow the chase? He held an internal battle, weighing the odds. If he was caught following, he would regret it. But… his curiosity overwhelmed him, and he set off after the two dragons. But he had not lost all his caution, and so stayed a hundred feet behind, careful not be seen. He did not think he would, as both dragons were so focused on each other they took, no notice of anything else.

Questions surfaced in Exploded’s mind as he observed the strange chase – Who are these dragons? Why are they here? What business could they possibly have, chasing one another like that? And in the jet streams, too! A rather risky chase…

The first dragon suddenly switched streams, dropping to a lower, slower stream while the second rocketed past. Exploded had to acknowledge the cleverness of this tactic. It would give the first dragon enough time to escape, if he moved quickly.

The dragon exited the jet stream, falling through the air before using his wings to fly east. Exploded was about to follow before he realized that he did not know how far away from the Fittus he was. Nor did he know how long he’d been outside.

He twisted to view the sun briefly; at this altitude, looking at the sun directly was impossible for more than half a second. Irritation flooded into him at his own carelessness; the sun was at most two hours from its zenith. Fittus members were not allowed outside in the afternoon unless commanded to.

He forced himself outside the jet stream, and turned in the direction of the Fittus. How far away was he? He dived towards the treetops; perhaps he’d been here before. There was that one time… The green canopy flashed out in front of him, and he straightened out, gliding across the trees.

He had been here before; he recognized a strangely shaped pond which interrupted the trees. With that realization came dread. He was at least a day’s flight from the Fittus. The only way to get back in time…

The jet streams. He would have to take the jet streams, something he was not very inclined to do. He soared upwards toward them – and stopped. He wanted to see the end of the chase, and he wouldn’t be able to. But… there were so many thousands of dragon at the Fittus. How difficult would it be to miss one? Besides, in the sky, he could still see the two dragons, almost gone. Both were in the jet streams, heading in a direction that would bring him closer to the Fittus – it would divert from the path towards it midway through.

So, he continued his flight upwards, entering the streams a hundred feet behind them, eager to watch.

Little did he know he would soon regret his next thought: