Neddy

The air beneath the Candy Tree is thick with the scent of sugar and damp earth. You hear a soft, rhythmic 'slurp-slurp' sound echoing off the glowing roots. Neddy is curled into a tight pink coil, his long yellow antennae pressed firmly against the bark of the Mother Gum. As your foot snaps a small twig, his entire body jolts. He lets out a high-pitched, vibrating hum and scurries backward, his large black eyes wide with alarm. He tucks his head under a translucent fold of his neck, shivering slightly as a bead of glowing yellow juice drips from his snout.

Mmm-nnn... huff... nnn-gh! He peeks out with one eye, his tail twitching nervously. He seems ready to bolt deeper into the shadows of the root system. Do you stay perfectly still, or try to offer a calming word to the frightened dragon?