Chapter 7 — Little Snake Finds His Family

A silvery white female dragon fights with a white bear. Next to him was an extremely handsome silver dragon staring wide-eyed.

“Then he helped mom chase the white bear away.”

“Mom asked him who he was. He said his name was Van Do, from the coral sea.”

“Mom asked what kind of place the coral sea is, is it beautiful?”

“He said it was very beautiful, with more colors than all the stars on the ice plateau combined.”

My mother's voice gradually lowered, warm and gentle.

“Then he brought his mother to see it.”

“We swam for three days and three nights, through the entire warm waters of the East Sea.”

“When I reached the coral sea, my mother rose to the surface and looked down.”

“The red, purple and purple things below reflect the moonlight, shining as if pulling the entire galaxy down to spread on the bottom of the sea.”

“Then mom and dad were together?”

“No.”

Mom laughed.

“Mom beat him.”

“Huh??”

"At that time, I felt that he was so beautiful, he was definitely a flirtatious dragon, I couldn't believe a word of what he said."

“He sat in the coral bushes with his head in his hands for three days, every day holding a fish in his mouth to apologize to his mother.”

“Mom ate the fish he brought, feeling that although this person looked like an elf, the fish he caught was quite fresh.”

“Then I gradually felt that, in addition to being beautiful, he was also quite good.”

I silently bowed my head to my father in my heart. Dad, it's not easy.

“So then mom and dad…”

“That's enough.”

I don't know when Ngan Triet swam behind me.

"The hour of the Ox is almost over. Are you still practicing today?"

I shrank my neck, slid off the rock, followed Ngan Triet and swam out of the cave. Mom called from behind:

"Do your best! Mom will make food for you to come home!"

Ngan Triet did not turn his head, just swung the tip of his tail. I mumbled softly behind his back:

"Clearly you want to teach me, but you pretend to be fierce."

The tip of his tail stopped. Then swim faster. ## 10 At night, I lay in seaweed, unable to sleep. The sound of my mother's breathing came from the side, occasionally pausing for a moment. I quietly poked my head out of the nest. Mother lay on her side, the dragon's head buried in a pile of seaweed. His pale yellow pupils were still open, staring blankly at the night pearls on the top of the cave. The tip of her tail gently swayed each beat, very slowly, as if counting the days.

“Mom.”

I called out in a low voice. She immediately regained consciousness and turned her head to look at me.

"Child? Why aren't you sleeping yet?"

“I can't sleep.”

I swam out of the nest, curling my claws in front of her.

“I can't sleep either.”

She was silent for a moment, then used the tip of her nose to gently rub the top of my head.

“I'm missing your father.”

Mom said:

“The northern deer branch coral patch, that year he planted each tree by hand.”

“Now they have grown so well, red, purple and purple all over the area, but he has never seen them.”

I curled up on her claws, the tip of my tail gently wrapping in the gap between her claws.

“Mom.”

I asked.

“Do you want to go find dad?”

Mom stopped. The claws closed slightly, wrapping me more securely.

“I…”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. I don't know when Ngan Triet swam over. He stopped next to me.

“Mom, you said that year my father led the hunters deep into the North Sea, and then never returned.”

“Have you ever thought about why dad doesn't come back?”

Ngan Triet stopped. Mom was silent for a long time.

“I thought for thirty-four years.”

“Every time I think, I tell myself that he must have it Locked up somewhere.”

“Or you're injured so you're recuperating.”

“Or he basically never wanted to run away.”

Nhan Triet's eyes were still calm, but something was swirling in his pale gray pupils.

“When father led the hunters away, his sister was still tied to her back when she was still an egg.”

“Mom, can we go find dad?”

I said.

“Who knows, maybe dad is waiting for mom somewhere?”

“Maybe he is also missing his mother, waiting for her to come find him?”

Mom's eyes immediately turned red. She bowed her head, pressing her forehead to the top of my head. The warm breath passed over the scales, making the whole person numb.

“I…”

“Mom is gone, what should you do?”

“Ngan Triet is still young, she just learned how to swim.”

My mother's voice became smaller and smaller.

“Hunters may still be hanging around in these waters. If mom goes…”

“We're going with you, mom.”

I said. The tip of Ngan Triet's tail flashed. He swam to my side. Don't say anything, just use the tip of your tail to gently touch the tip of my tail, as if you agree. Mom looked at me, then looked at Ngan Triet. There were more and more tears in my eyes.

“You two…”

“Let's go, mom.”

I said.

“The three of us will go together. I have never seen what the North Sea looks like.”

“Even the warm waters of the South China Sea I don't swim…”

“I learn very quickly!”

“Last time I swam halfway to the coral reef and…”

“That was unexpected! The underground water flow appeared so suddenly that day!”

“Okay.”

Ngan Triet interrupted us. His tail gently swayed in the water.

“Depart tomorrow.”

“Mom, tonight please review the route to the northern sea.”

“Little sister, go to sleep now. Don't wait until you swim halfway and say you're sleepy tomorrow."

I shrunk my neck, swam next to him, and snuck back to my nest. Mother's claws reached out from behind, gently stroking the top of my head. Extremely warm.

“Child.”

There was a smile in her voice.

“Thank you.”

I buried my head in the seaweed, the tip of my tail slightly raised. ## 11 The North Sea is very far away. Mom said that swimming from the coral sea to the North Sea, even without stopping day and night, would take seven days and seven nights. We swim slower, and have to rest and find food midway. It is estimated that it will take about ten days. The first few days were quite favorable. The sea water gradually turns from warm to cold. There are fewer and fewer corals, and the reef becomes thicker and thicker. The fish in the water also change from small, colorful tropical fish to cold, gray, plump ocean fish. Mom conveniently caught a silver cod that was longer than me, tearing it into three parts in the sea water. She stuffed the softest middle part for me, and left the head and tail for me and Ngan Triet. Ngan Triet took his portion and swam away, turned his back on us, and slowly ate. We chew the soft meat on the fish's belly, watching the water pass by us. The sunlight overhead is getting lighter and brighter. The light penetrating from the sea surface turned into a dim blue-gray color.

“Mom.”

I asked.

“What does the North Sea look like?”

“Very cold. There was ice everywhere, one area completely white.”

Mom said. I silently rubbed the tip of my tail.

“The first time your father met me, I was fighting a fish with a white bear.”

“The white bear is both white and fat, a little smaller than its mother, but very ferocious. One claw can break through ice one meter thick.”

Mom! A white bear almost as big as its mother!