Tessa’s POV:

  Aeria held up a new harness. “This harness won’t have the break-away flaw that your older ones did. We had to disguise it on your last harness so Soranto wouldn’t notice. Considering he’s coming over to watch the Morning Song, I can either leave this one on the hook or leave your old one hanging up.”

  I understood the subtle hint; this was my last easy chance to back out of my plan.

  “We can hang up the new one,” I replied confidently.

  She nodded and put the slightly larger harness on the hook. I subtly glanced at Dirk, who was still sleeping beneath the heat lamp. I still hadn’t told anyone about his cuddling session, but I was wondering if he was having second thoughts about potentially joining the wild flock.

  My eyes strayed to the window, although it was still dark outside. Between my undisturbed sleep in the back room and the anticipation of Soranto arriving early, I had been the first one awake. Soranto would get to patrol with us today! I was really looking forward to it.

  I flew to the front door and peered out the window to see if he was here yet. The worst part about this spot was that I couldn’t see any of the east-facing windows. The possible lure of the rising sun had me flying back to the living room to check.

  Taureen opened up the back door. “Why don’t we go outside? He’ll likely show up at the back gate if he’s walking from his place.”

  A place to wait for both Soranto and the rising sun? I couldn’t pass up that offer. I flew outside and landed on the driftwood where we usually waited for the Morning Song. It was so hard to sit still. Normally, I had no trouble waiting for the sun to rise, but I kept craning my neck to look at the back gate.

  With a shake of my head, I flew up to the top of the fairly short trees for a better vantage point. The netting was just above me, but the height allowed me to see the wide walking trail behind the backyards. The benches, shrubs, and trees that grew beyond the fence made it hard for those in the backyards to see who was walking there.

  I twisted my head to the side and stared at a clump of bushes that I had seen a glimpse of movement. My wings sagged in disappointment when I got a better look at the Kymari using the path—it wasn’t Soranto.

  Waiting had never been my strong point, especially when I was excited. With a groan, I deliberately overbalanced while hanging onto the branch, flipping upside down. Then I just hung there as I stared blankly at the empty trail.

  I heard the back door open as Aeria’s voice became audible. “—she’s out here somewhere. It isn’t unusual for her to be the first one to wait for the sunrise.”

  My head whipped around in surprise, and I almost lost my grip on the branch. Soranto was here! I let go of the branch and flew over.

  Taureen greeted him. “Good morning. I’m surprised you didn’t walk.”

  Soranto shrugged. “The shuttle was faster, and I got a bit distracted with a few small renovations.”

  I landed on Soranto’s shoulder pad with a trill of welcome.

  He reached up to scratch behind my ear tuft. “Good morning to you too.”

  My warble of amusement and welcome filled the air. I was looking forward to the day he learned that I could understand his words perfectly, although that was a very long time away. In the meantime, he seemed to be getting the gist of things.

  A glimpse of gold flashed past the corner of my eye as Mom flew over to the driftwood. It wasn’t long before Dirk came out as well. There were still a few minutes left, so I remained on Soranto’s shoulder as I whistled a quiet, happy tune, although my eyes were focused on the horizon.

  Soon, I left his shoulder to join the others on the driftwood. The peaceful silence in the moments before the Morning Song lent me patience, although anticipation grew even as the call strengthened. The light seemed to shimmer as it called us to dance with it. With a joyful trill, I threw myself into the air.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  No clouds adorned the sky this morning, so the theme was a simpler one. No day was plain, so subtle hints had to be woven into our dance—people had to purposefully look for them to notice, much like the small joys that could be found in any day.

  Our flying was cheerful and exuberant as the early morning sunlight caressed our scales. My singing was almost a match for Mom and Dad’s as it rose and fell. I slideslipped to avoid Dirk, before beating my wings hard to shoot up into the air, twirling as I went.

  It was almost magical. Our wings strained to carry us through incredible maneuvers and acrobatics, somehow never running out of breath despite our unceasing song. Happiness filled every wingbeat, and delight, joy, and hope echoed through our voices.

  A brand-new day had begun.

  As the song faded, we glided over to the Kymari, who were sitting in chairs beside the house. Dirk picked up speed, trying to beat Dad so he could have his scales oiled first. His efforts were in vain though, and Dad easily landed on Aeria’s lap first.

  Mom landed on Taureen’s shoulder, and Dirk took advantage of the opening. Both of us were going through another growth spurt, so I knew exactly how itchy his scales were after a night under a heat lamp. I landed on the arm of Soranto’s chair and stared pointedly at the scouring pad that was mostly hidden in his hand.

  “I can start coming over every morning. They sing early enough that I can help out before I have to leave,” Soranto said as he opened his other hand, revealing a vial of oil as well.

  I hopped onto his lap and looked up with a hopeful trill. He smiled and rubbed the scouring pad against my shoulders. With a happy sigh, I laid down and spread my wings out.

  Through half-closed eyes, I saw Mom glide over to the table and begin picking raspberries out of the bowls. That was the hazard we faced if we got oiled first—having someone else pick out most of their favorites. Luckily, we tended to prefer different fruit, so no one really minded if Mom raided the raspberries, or if Dirk went after the orange slices.

  Time seemed to lose meaning as Soranto cleaned my scales and gently massaged the oil in. It took a conscious effort to check, but Dirk had fallen asleep and Dad didn’t look far from it. The best part was that there was no rush for me to move so someone else could have their turn, nor did I have to worry about missing out on breakfast. This was nice.

  Once Soranto finished, he pet me as I half dozed contentedly. My relaxation was ruined when my stomach growled insistently. I rolled my head to the side to look at my food dish as I debated how much longer I could ignore my hunger.

  As if it heard me, my stomach pressed its demands yet again, loudly enough that all three Kymari glanced over. With a smile, Aeria passed my bowl to Soranto.

  My ear tufts perked up when I realized that I wouldn’t have to move to enjoy breakfast—this was even better! I happily accepted the berry he offered me and swallowed it in three quick bites. The following piece of banana disappeared just as quickly.

  Soranto jokingly asked, “Let me guess, she hasn’t eaten in three days?”

  “She nibbled on a few apple slices about an hour ago,” Aeria replied in amusement.

  Soranto grinned and offered me another berry, which I took with a bit more grace. Thankfully, there was no kiwi in the bowl Aeria had given Soranto. The lack of cantaloupe was a tragedy though.

  Despite sniffing the air, I didn’t smell any in the other bowls either. Perhaps it was in one of the treat bags. I really hoped it was. It was always a sad day when there was no cantaloupe.

  I didn’t manage to eat all of my breakfast, which was normal. With a yawn, I lazed on Soranto’s lap and enjoyed the sun until Dirk landed on the arm of Soranto’s chair and pulled my tail.

  With a squawk, I tried to swat him with my wing, but missed. When he leaned down again, I jumped to my feet, and he fled into the air.

  I quickly pursued my pesky brother. Dunking him in the pond seemed like a good way to pass the time if he was going to annoy me during one of my rare attempts to relax.

  He knew exactly what I planned to do and swiftly hid underneath a bush. Trying to get him out would involve a wrestling match that I wouldn’t win. I landed on the grass in front, glaring at him and hoping he would try chasing me instead.

  He bared his teeth in a grin as he laid down, plainly not about to fall for that trick again. I noticed the Kymari were all going inside, likely to get ready.

  With a snort, I flew after them, eager to see what kind of training we’d be doing today. I landed on a shoulder-high perch, and Soranto brought my harness over. He took his time putting it on and adjusting the straps.

  When Taureen and Aeria came down the hallway, now wearing their armor, Soranto said, “In five days, Adeline has the afternoon off and is wondering if you would be interested in coming over for dinner.”

  “That would be nice,” Aeria said. “Does she want us to bring anything?”

  “Just our flying friends and their dinner, if you could.”

  “That’s easy enough,” Taureen said as he picked up Mom’s harness. “We can host dinner here the day after.”

  “Sure. They shifted my schedule to accompany you every three days, so I can help cook as well.”

  My ear tufts twitched as I listened to their plans. I liked playing with Maria and Adeline, and I didn’t get to see them as much as I liked.

  It would be cool to visit Soranto’s house again. If we were going for dinner, there would be plenty of time to nap under that special heat lamp. Maybe he had even fixed the toilet. I’d have to check.