Clayton pumped his booted feet along the springy floor of the little moon station. Thump, thump, thump! Each jump sent his silver tail curling behind him. Outside the round window, stars winked over the quiet gray rocks. Clayton loved his work as an astronaut. He checked tiny satellites, mapped blue comets, and carried moon seeds for lonely gardens. Still, when nighttime came, he sometimes hugged his striped blanket and felt a small, sad wish in his chest.
He had never met another dragon. Captain Miri, the station keeper, was kind, but she was human. "Perhaps there are dragons somewhere," she often said, patting his scaly shoulder. Clayton wanted to believe her. Yet space was enormous. Maybe he truly was the only dragon who could breathe warm sparkles, float weightlessly in low gravity, and sneeze little puffs of cinnamon smoke when nervous. That morning, the station telescope chimed. Ping! A bright green dot blinked beyond the Cloudbelt Nebula.
Captain Miri called from the control room. "Clayton, that signal is repeating a dragon greeting! It says, 'Hearthlight welcomes all travelers.'" Clayton's claws clicked on the floor. His tummy felt wiggly with hope and worry. What if the message was a trick? What if he met dragons and they did not like him? Still, he pulled on his bubble helmet, packed some cinnamon buns, and climbed into his one-seat rocket, the Starling. "I'll find out," he said. "And I'll be back for supper!"
The Starling lifted with a cozy rumble. It zoomed through the black velvet sky. At last, Clayton saw a small world shining like a pearl in the blue mist. Purple land curled around gold rivers, and mountains puffed rosy clouds.
