Read Moon Rising for Free Online

we going?” Moon asked the RainWing as they headed along the tunnel, past all the sleeping caves, away from the Great Hall. She wondered if she should have brought her school map.
    “Today is an exploring day,” Kinkajou said with authority. “They want every day to be kind of an exploring day. That’s the idea of the school — find out what you’re interested in and explore it.”
    I’m interested in going back to my mother, Moon thought. Can I explore that?
    “They?” she echoed instead.
    “The dragonets of destiny,” Kinkajou said. “Although they don’t want anyone to call them that anymore, but what are we supposed to call them? The ‘founders of the school’ makes sense, too, I guess, but that makes them sound like they’re perfectly ancient, like old slabs of rock way under the mountain. I’m really good friends with them,” she confided as streaks of dark purple shot through her scales. “Especially Queen Glory, we’re practically best friends. They knew I wouldn’t be able to read the announcements everywhere — I mean, not yet! — so Sunny and Clay explained their whole plan to me ahead of time.”
    Announcements? Moon paused to look around and saw a small rectangular board made of dark rock hanging under one of the torches. A note was written on it in chalk:
    Welcome to the Jade Mountain Academy!
    Feel free to explore the whole school today (and every day!). Everything is for you. Food is available in the prey center. (Talk to Clay if you’d like to sign up for a hunting party!) Please come see any of us anytime with questions or requests or worries or anything.
    More information about tomorrow will be posted tonight. Small group-discussion classes will begin in the morning.
    Have a wonderful day!
    “What’s a small group-discussion class?” Moon wondered.
    “It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Kinkajou said. “Come on, come on!” She tugged on Moon’s wing impatiently, and the physical contact flooded Moon with Kinkajou’s radiant excitement.
    Kinkajou bounded up a side corridor lined with hanging scrolls; as she followed, Moon saw that each scroll had a quote on it. She didn’t have time to read them all, but she saw “Knowledge is a flame in the darkness” and “The claws of war are no match for the wings of wisdom.” At the end they turned into a space full of iridescent green sunlight.
    It was like stepping into a dream. Scrolls were everywhere, simply everywhere, in cubbyholes along all the walls and more racks and cylinders around the cave. Every corner had a spot to curl up and read in: sometimes a rock ledge, sometimes a pile of moss or an arrangement of carpets. Only one reader was in there: a quiet-looking MudWing with a scroll curled on some reeds. She didn’t look up as they came in; the only image Moon got from her mind was something like ripples on a mud puddle.
    Sunbeams filtered down through skylights in the roof and windows along one wall. Each of the holes was covered with something thin enough to let the light through but strong enough to keep the wind and weather out. Moon tilted her head back and studied the closest one: emerald green, with traces of veins branching through it.
    “Leaves,” she whispered.
    “Sunny and Glory got them in the rainforest,” Kinkajou said proudly. “We use them sometimes as roofs for our RainWing houses. Aren’t they perfect for library windows? Hi, Starflight!” She bounded over to a circular wooden desk in the center that was labeled librarian. A dark head popped up from behind the desk.
    “Hey, Kinkajou.” The blind NightWing leaned forward with a smile as Kinkajou brushed his claws with hers. “Is that Moon with you?”
    “Hi,” Moon said shyly. There was nothing ever hurtful in Starflight’s thoughts. His brain was always busy, busy, busy, but he never thought of her as “not a real NightWing” or “dangerous and untrustworthy.” He was like her, an outsider in his own tribe. And he liked scrolls, too.