Why did I have to be beside Pitaya Dragon Cookie? Being within 10 metres is close enough in the first place! So why DRECTLY BESIDE HIS SLEEPING BODY?!?!

"Khhhh...." he groaned.

I flinched at the sudden noise. I definitely let my guard down too much nowadays.

Suddenly, he shot up straight, his groggy expression disappearing in a blink. I nearly fell off the stool.

"GAH! WHAT HASSS HAPPENED?!" He hissed. "WHERE AM I?!"

I dropped my journal on the floor thanks to him, ugh.

"Quiet! How dare you yell at Her Majesty Hollyberry Cookie of the Hollyberry Kingdom?!" Wildberry Cookie shouted at Pitaya Dragon Cookie.

I dropped my journal again, just as I picked it up. So from the cause of all that surprise, I fell face-flat on the ground.

"DANG IT!" My muffled voice rang out.

"You! Finally came to your senses, have we?!" Hollyberry Cookie yelled at Pitaya Dragon Cookie while lending me a hand to help me up.

I slowly scrambled back onto the stool while grumbling from the pain of hitting myself on the cold, hard, wooden floor. At least my journal was OK.

Pitaya Dragon Cookie stared at me for a moment, and I stared back. He soon shifted his gaze to Hollyberry. "You... YOU! Hollyberry Cookie...! YOU BROUGHT ME HERE...?"

I looked down at his tail; the tip of it had been chopped off. 'I wonder how that happened?'

"I'LL BURN YOU TO A CRISSSP...!"

I slapped a hand over his mouth. "SHATTAP! You're hurting P/N's ears..." I snarled, imitating his anger.

Pitaya Dragon cookie stared at me in shock. But did nothing. Only carefully pushed my hand away.

"Me and Y/N Cookie have told you to be quiet! Here, have this... berry juice," Wildberry said, glaring at Pitaya Dragon Cookie. "It will help you calm your nerves."

I simply munched on some F/F while continuing to write notes in my journal and draw Pitaya Dragon Cookie as he viciously gulped down the berry juice.

"Aah..!" He said smiling, clearly satisfied with the taste.

He began to drink the rest of it even faster than before.

"Wow." Was all I said.

"KHAAA! TASSSTY!" He exclaimed, with more enthusiasm than I would normally expect from a dragon such as him.

I immediately wrote down, '- Really likes berry juice. Seriously,' in my journal.

"Noted..."

"Well, of course!" Hollyberry Cookie scoffed. "You won't find a finer establishment in all of Berry Forest!"

"What isss it all about?! Why did you bring me here?!" Pitaya Dragon Cookie asked. "Aaah... Didn't have the gutsss to end me, pathetic Cookiesss?"

I lifted an eyebrow at him, then wrote down something else; '- Extremely cocky personality.' I giggled at it.

"... Aaah, I sssee. You, mortalsss, want sssomething from me!" He hissed.

"Yes... and no," I quietly whispered to myself.

"As a matter of fact, there are a few things we want!" Hollyberry said sternly. "You could start by 'gracing us' with a somewhat believable explanation! Why would the bane if the Dragons Valley who used to keep the entire land in terror be found amidst the Berry Forest just like that, all of a sudden?!"

"Wh...? Who sssaid I kept the land in terror...?" Pitaya Dragon Cookie pondered.

"Well, we've been hearing rumours, and it seems to-" I tried to explain, but the bang of a door opening cut me off.

"... Something has forced the tribes to leave the Valley! It must be the red dragon from the legends..." a Cookie said.

"... I heard they're looking for volunteers to join a Dragon Hunt in Dragon City..." another joined in.

"Ah-... wh-wh-wh-wha...???" Pitaya Dragon Cookie stuttered in surprise.

"Are you really trying to tell me you're NOT the red dragon every Cookie is talking about? And you want me to believe it?!" Hollyberry Cookie had an expression of complete disbelief. "Surely I can tell two DIFFERENT dragons apart! Now, you'd better spill the truth, right now!"

"Well, maybe he-" I tried to reason with Hollyberry Cookie, but I was interrupted yet again....

"Your Majesty," it was Wildberry Cookie this time. "This one here is trying to trick you, I just know it!"

"... You, puny Cookiesss! I could burn you in but an inssstant for that!" Pitaya Dragon Cookie snarled.

"Great. Violence! Isn't this fun..." I muttered, turning around to look at P/N, who rolled their eyes, clearly agreeing with me.

"Go ahead and take your dragon for all you want!" Wildberry Cookie challenged. "We'll let you have a taste of defeat once more!"

I jumped up from the stool and pushed the two away from each other before their anger blew up to place. "Please, no violence, boys!"

Wildberry Cookie stood down but still kept a fist up just in case. I swear I felt Pitaya Dragon Cookie falter when I had a hand up to his chest.

He stared into my hard gaze, teeth bared. I bared my teeth too. I may not have as intimidating, but surely he isn't that stupid to cause such an unnecessary fight. He let out a low growl and finally sat back down, folding his wings up, keeping a slitted gaze on Wildberry Cookie. I backed up from the two and sat back down on my own stool.

"Hmm.... Your blabbering makesss no sssense, Cookiesss..." He hissed plainly. "I wasss merely enjoying a brief ressspite sssnacking on local berriesss on my way to the Valley."

"Judging by your condition, you had the wrong kind of berries," Wildberry Cookie commented.

"Well! I never thought a dragon would fall for our berries. Quite literally! All the way down from the sky! Ha ha!" Hollyberry laughed.

"PFFH-!" I scoffed, hiding the quivering smile tugging at my lips.

"Eh. Gloat all you want...! But whoever isss in the Dragon'sss Valley - that'sss not me!" Pitaya Dragon Cookie leaned back calmly. "Puny little Cookiesss, alwaysss trembling in fear!" He cooed cutely, looking at Hollyberry Cookie, resting his arms on my back. "For all I know, a toy dragon could have causssed them to lossse their mindsss!"

"Well, you're making me lose mine!" I snapped, jabbing a finger at him, flinging his arms off of me.

"OK, ok. No need to get sssavage, lady!" He said, putting his hands in front of himself while carefully pushing my pointing finger away.

"Oh no, my friend. Even the jungle beasts sensed it," Hollyberry Cookie cut in, stopping me from mentally exploding at Pitaya Dragon Cookie. "There's no mistake. Adventurers claim they've seen a mighty red dragon rising from the tallest volcano. And if memory serves right..."

"Mmm.... My nessst..."

"Well now, shall we hear the truth?" Hollyberry Cookie went on.

"Sssay now, that, uh, red dragon... They look exactly like me?" Pitaya Dragon Cookie asked.

"Your Majesty, shall I make them end this charade?" Wildberry Cookie looked at Hollyberry Cookie.

"Oh, great. When I've just ended previous violence already..." I sighed.

"You...! I don't like you...!" Pitaya Dragon Cookie pouted.

"The feeling is mutual." Was all Wildberry Cookie said in return.

"But you!" Pitaya Dragon Cookie said, whirling around. "I like you. You're fine."

"Wh- huh? Me?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, you!"

"Oh. Um, ok.... Cool."

"I told you everything I know," Hollyberry Cookie interrupted.

[After Hollyberry Cookie's explanation...]

"... And you're trying to say that this dragon is NOT you?"

"Burning little Cookiesss in their little housesss is not sssomething I enjoy," Pitaya Dragon Cookie said. "And, uh... you know it, Hollyberry Cookie."

"You are right, that I do..." Hollyberry Cookie agreed.

"A dragon of sssuch powersss isss rarely born. It would require tremendousss quantitiesss of Life Energy..." Pitaya Dragon Cookie murmured. "And if that... thing wasss indeed... created in my nessst... They mussst have channelled MY powersss... But who... Who could've had the audacity...!"

I began to flip backwards through my journal pages to check back on the 'Life Energy' entry. "It must be around here somewhere..."

"Ah... The Dragonsssworn," Pitaya Dragon Cookie hissed.

"'The Dragonsworn?!'" Me and Hollyberry Cookie said in unison. I instinctively flipped to a fresh new page, with a pencil ready to write as I was bursting with curiosity, smiling brightly.

"Who is that?!" Hollyberry Cookie finished.

"Yes! Who and what? As in: what does it mean?" I asked, leaning close to Pitaya Dragon Cookie.

"Agh- Mmmm....!!" He jumped back in surprise, looking at me with absolute shock. "Grrr... It'sss, oh... nothing!"

"Oh, come on! Please tell me!!!" I begged, shaking him, my voice hitting a new high pitch. "This is too big of a new discovery! Oh, my parents would be so proud...!"

Pitaya Dragon Cookie turned around and avoided my sad, desperate expression for the new information. I pouted like P/N whenever they missed out on an opportunity for treats or if I didn't have time to play.

"What is it that you're mumbling about...?" Hollyberry Cookie demanded. "Tell me who 'the Dragonsworn' is!"

Pitaya Dragon Cookie spun back around to face us, his dark, angry expression changing to something as chill as Princess Cookie and me on adventures. His voice was smooth like slate, and his personality returned to be as cocky as ever. "Ah! You pathetic Cookiesss...! It isss beyond your comprehension! Only a weilder of our powers can-"

"Your Majesty, shall I make them talk?" Wildberry Cookie interrupted.

"You... You asssked me what brought me to the Berry Foressst," Pitaya Dragon Cookie said, turning back around to look at Wildberry Cookie.

"... Yes?"

"I, uhh... I m-may have... lost the powersss to assume my, uh, *achem* dragon form."

"Ooo..." I murmured, flipping back to his page.

"You have, uh... sssensed that, yesss? My ssstrength is waning."

"And you are telling us this because...?"

"If you wanted to get... rid of me, you would have done it already, yesss? Inssstead, you brought me here, gave me thisss... berry juice. Perhapsss.... there isss something you want from me after all... In my turn, I could also, uh... ussse your help." He said the last part in a quiet grumble. So now it was my turn to tease.

"Awwwe! Is the big, scawy, Gweenish Wed Dwagon afwaid of a wittle bit of help...??? Fwom puny adowable Cookies like meee??? Awwwwwe, that's absolutely adowableeee, hmm? Oh, you're just being adowable yourself, ain'tcha? Cutesy wutesy cuddly dwagon? How lovable..." I cooed, leaning close again. Hollyberry Cookie stifled a laugh from behind me. Pitaya Dragon Cookie blushed hard of embarrassment. He was redder than his own scales could ever be! I put a finger right up in the centre of his face and went: "boop!" and he nearly fainted from blush after that.

"Gah! O-oh wh-whatever!!! Ssstop it! Thisss is embarrassing! Can't you sssee I'm already red enough...?!" He stuttered. It was true. He already was red enough.

"Well, I'll be honest, it's kinda fun teasing you!" I said, booping him again.

"Anywaysss!" He hissed, trying to forget about me teasing him. "Ssso...? A truth for a truth. Now it'sss your turn. What isss it you wisssh?"

"Hmm..." Wildberry Cookie grumbled as I wrote down '- Easy to embarrass. Very adorable when he is.'

"... A war is coming." Hollyberry Cookie finally spoke up. "And we, Cookies, need all the help we can get against Dark Enchantress Cookie's forces. Right now, she is mustering her armies in the north, in the land of Beast-Yeast. Your strength is great! We need your help, Pitaya Dragon Cookie... To have a chance to win this war!"

"Hmm..." Pitaya Dragon Cookie hummed in a deep rumble. "Very well! My ssstrength is yoursss!"

"Oh ho...? Agreed so fast...?" Hollyberry Cookie questioned.

"Heh. There isss a caveat," Pitaya Dragon Cookie chuckled. "In return... You mussst help me. "For there isss little I can do... in this ssstate! Firssst, you must venture into the Dragon's Valley with me... and help me regain my ssstrength! For that, I ssshall help you defeat that... Dark Enchantress Cookie."

"... And we are supposed to take your word for it?" Wildberry Cookie lifted an eyebrow.

"Hah! The choice is yoursss!"

"..."

"I know who you are, dragon," Hollyberry Cookie said. "After all, we've faced each other on the battlefield many times..." She let out a sigh. "And you know it too, Pitaya Dragon Cookie. You know that I am more than capable of flattening you with my shield, even in your dragon form! Double-cross me, and you will regret it."

"Bah! Since when was there sssuch a lack of trussst between usss?" Pitaya Dragon Cookie scoffed. "Ssso much for or battle-tesssted friendship... After all, I'm jussst a Cookie now, like you.

Hollyberry Cookie laughed. "You do bring up a good point! Then it's settled! From now on, we are allies! You have my trust, Pitaya Dragon Cookie."

"Same here!" I smiled.

"Well then, to the Dragon's Valley!"