• -Ok! Ok! Alright, I'll take you back home, Manta, Sasha said, tired of fighting.
• 
  

The little girl reluctantly took the insect in her hands and put her on her shoulder. The little flying reptile tried to follow them, but Sasha stopped him. 

• -I'm sorry, little dragon, She apologized. You can't go outside for no reason. Stay here, I'll be back later, she commanded.
• 
  

The young took the same route as she did earlier. The Etomanian was as bothersome as when they were walking towards Lysandra's, but Sasha tried her best to ignore her verbal attacks. She was infuriated that she'd have to spend the most exciting trip of her life in this creature's company. They finally arrived at the fountain after about ten long minutes. 

• -Ah! It's my family! Manta screamed in joy. 
• 
  

She jumped down from Sasha's shoulder and bounced towards the other Etomanians. They started running away, screaming bloody murder when they saw the human behind their dear Manta. 

• -Hey! Why are you running, idiots? The human is way too weak to do you any harm! Manta screamed at them, trying to catch up to her frightened family. 
• 
  

Sasha heard the bug's indiscreet comment but decided to pretend she didn't. She had to calm the small, panicked Etomanians after disturbing their peace. When they saw that the little girl ( big, from their perspective)wasn't planning to hurt them, they came out of their hideouts, on their guard, ready to flee if the stranger showed the smallest bit of aggression.  

• -Hello! My name is Sasha. I brought back your dear friend, Manta, she said, putting heavy emphasis on the word "dear" while making eye contact with the bug.
• 
  

She stuck out her tongue and growled. She was so close to "kindly" (of course) asking Sasha to leave, but an old Etomanian with a beard and a walking stick spoke before she could. ( hairy bugs.... damn. That's a very strange mental image)

• -We are very thankful to you, Sasha, for bringing our sweet Manta home, I am Colan, he presented himself. He was a dark brown longhorn beetle.
• 
  

Sasha flinched when Colan called Manta "sweet", she didn't think of her as "sweet", then, she waved at him. 

• -Would you like to spend the evening at our company? he invited. 
• 
  
• -Thank you for offering, Mr. Colan, but I don't want to be a burden, the girl responded with politeness. 
• 
  
• -Pffff, she thinks she's so classy with her big words! Manta growled, annoyed. 
• 
  
• -Of course not! It's nice to see a new face around here, responded the old Etomanian, entirely ignoring Manta's comment. 
• 
  
• -Alright then, I'll stay for dinner. 
• 
  

You could almost see Manta's blood boiling in her veins, but she didn't want to act up in front of Colan. The Etomanians worked together to build a miniature buffet. There were jugs of fresh rose juice, rolls of sweet tree leaves and berry jam.... and dead flies for the insectivore Etomanian. Sasha thought the food was exquisite ( except for the flies) but it was too small to satiate her appetite. After the meal, Sasha danced with the young bugs until dusk. She then witnessed a splendid firefly and bioluminescent plant show. The Etomanians who were celebrating with her were so welcoming and kind. When the evening was reaching its end, she looked around for Manta and saw something unimaginable. She found her with small babies of her specie. She was patiently teaching them to pronounce flower names while showing pictures in her miniature book while smiling.... before quickly losing patience and throwing the book. 

• -Nooo! It's a rose, not a tulip! Kids these days. I could name every flower there is in this garden while I was still in my mother's womb! Manta told the scared kids in front of her.
•  

Manta? calm? yeah... that was too good to be true. Sasha decided to leave her be and tell Colan that she had to leave.

-Mr. Colan? I need to go back to Lysandra's house. It was a pleasant evening. Thank you for everything, Sasha said.

• -You are very welcome, dear. We hope to see you again and also, promise me that you will take care of our Manta during your trip to Miralen. We do not want to lose her. She brings so much energy and humour to our lives, even if she has a big personality if you know what I mean, he said with a wink. 
• 
  
• -Yes, I promise, Colan. Goodbye!
• 
  

Sasha walked peacefully back to the house, went to her room and jumped on the bed, right next to the baby dragon.

• -Well! It was a very lively evening. It's a shame that you didn't get to see that. Now, goodnight. We need to visit the rest of Esten before we go to Miralen