Tasha’s POV:

I nudged Tessa over the edge of the nest as she shakily crawled to the low litter pan. Even though it was only the beginning of the third day, the difference in the hatchlings’ size and coordination was remarkable. It was enough of a difference that I finally had to start calling them nestlings.

As much as I detested it, I had agreed that the stump could be permanently removed, allowing the nestlings to remain under the main heat lamp that Keegan and I used. It made it easier for Taureen and Aeria to help feed Tessa and Dirk. I had scratched a shallow dip out for a nest, but it wasn’t as deep since potty training had to start sometime.

Tessa reached the litter pan and quickly did her business, even clumsily attempting to cover the smelly leavings before stumbling back toward the nest. As she started to go over the edge of the nest, her legs gave out, causing her to roll upside down with a surprised squeak.

She remained laying on her back as she blinked at the world around her. Out of curiosity, I bumped her with my nose, sending a mental picture of how she looked on her back. She gave a chirping whistle and tried to respond the same way.

It wasn’t her first attempt at mindlinking, and her efforts usually didn’t succeed, but the slightly blurry image of my golden face appeared in my mind. Things in the background were just vague splotches of color. Her sight still hadn’t cleared up, which was to be expected at such a young age.

Aeria was sitting nearby and smiled tenderly at the rather cute-looking nestling. These two were just as irresistible as a couple of tiny kittens. She reached out to dangle a string with several large, shiny beads above the silly scarlet youngster.

The sparkly object immediately had Tessa’s attention, and she stared at the slightly swaying object with fascination before trying to reach out and bat at it with her hands.

***

Tessa’s POV:

It was shiny. I didn’t know what it was, but I wanted it. My eyes followed it as it swayed back and forth above me. I tried to catch it again and again, but it was just out of my reach. It was also fast. It avoided my hands time and time again.

I tried harder, stretching my hands farther up, yet it kept evading my grasp. Eventually, I gave up. I curled my arms against my chest and creeled at it, begging it to come down.

It must have heard me since it came closer. I watched it, biding my time. Glimmers of the proper ways to ambush things flickered along the edge of my thoughts, distracting me with their clarity and knowledge. Light reflected off the sparkly thing, reclaiming my attention once more. It was almost close enough…

There! I was quick enough to grab it this time. I wrapped myself around it to prevent it from escaping. It tugged lightly in my grasp, trying to escape. I rolled over to pin it beneath my stomach, and it finally went limp!

I caught it! I caught the shiny! It was mine now!

Keeping my hands on it, I stood up to get a better look at my new treasure. It shimmered and glimmered from between my claws. I bared my teeth in prideful success at my accomplishment.

A deep, off-key crooning from the side made me look over. The big green one was holding something red in her fingers. More food! I had just finished eating, but there was always room for more!

Sitting back on my haunches, I opened my mouth wide. Mom, Dad, and the two big green ones took turns feeding us. The red thing was dropped into my mouth, and I chewed the juicy piece in just a couple of bites. A few other pieces were offered before my stomach told me that it just couldn’t hold any more. I closed my mouth and turned back to my shiny.

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It was gone!

Was I sitting on it? Nope. My head spun around searching for the shiny, but it was gone. It must have been playing dead. That mean shiny! I wouldn’t make that mistake twice. Just wait until I caught it again.

A big yawn caught me off-guard, and I rustled my wings before curling up in the warm sand beside my brother. Next time he woke up, I would tell him about the shiny. Maybe he would help me catch it again! But...I would have to share it then.

Perhaps I would wait for it to show up again. I had caught it once. I was sure I could do it again.

Satisfied with that plan, I went back to sleep to bide my time until it appeared again…

***

Tasha’s POV:

I watched Tessa curl up, and within moments, soft snores could be heard. I teased Aeria, “Resorting to distraction? Shame on you…”

Aeria was still trying to contain her laughter. “I didn’t think I would be able to grab that string of beads without her noticing. But the look on her face when she realized that they were gone…”

Baring my teeth in a grin of my own, I replied, “I have to admit that the look of utter shock and disbelief was priceless. It’s too bad you didn’t catch it on the recorder.”

She glanced over her shoulder as Taureen entered the room. “You missed the best part.”

He sat down on the couch with a look of amusement. “Not quite. Tasha shared her reaction while I was in the kitchen.”

He put a fresh bowl of fruit at the edge of the end table; this bowl had larger pieces, meant for Keegan and me. I promptly walked over to pick out my favorites.

Keegan had been lounging on a piece of driftwood attached to the wall above, and he swooped down before all of the good stuff was gone. Once we were full, we curled up beside the nest, also enjoying the heat from the lamp above.

Aeria used a scoop to remove the nestlings’ recent leavings from the litter tray and went to deposit them in the garbage disposal outside. The garbage bin inside didn’t let any smell escape, but some things just weren’t meant to be kept inside a house.

Taureen sighed quietly. “The Elders want to make sure that the youngsters have exposure to several Kymari while growing up, even if all the guests do is sit in the same room where the children can see them.”

I pinned my ear tufts back with a hiss. “I’m not in favor of this idea.”

“Nor am I, and I did tell them that you likely won’t let anyone else inside the house. They suggested that we could start with a few people you are more familiar with.”

Keegan growled lowly, but we all knew that an Elder’s “request” was practically law in the Kymari society.

“I assume that means Tkael, Soranto, and Alec?” I inquired.

He nodded. “Tkael and Soranto are coming tonight like usual. They wanted us to wait a few more days before Alec comes over, just in case his two fire lizards do something unexpected—”

I interrupted him with a disdainful snort. “Tom and Serena wouldn’t hurt them, and you know it.”

“Yes, I know. But I was trying to keep the visiting group as small as possible.”

I grumbled but subsided. He was right; the fewer visitors, the better, even if it meant that Tom and Serena didn’t get to see the hatchlings right away.

Taureen continued, “I can probably keep it to just those two for the next week or so, but after that, I’ll have to occasionally let others see the youngsters. If I offer to let Alec and our patrol guards inside in a couple of weeks, that should be enough to keep the Elders satisfied until they are old enough to go with us on walks.”

Letting others near my children was an unwelcome thought, but I knew Taureen would have done all he could to delay the appearance of guests. I was also aware the Elders were hoping the hatchlings would gravitate toward one of the guests and form a bond with a person of their choosing—which was far preferable to having my children being taken away and handed to some random Kymari I’d never met.

Taureen had reassured me many times that such a thing wasn’t done if bond animals had young, especially with a species they knew so little about. If anyone did try, I would fight them with everything I had—and I knew exactly what kind of damage my claws and flame were capable of.

I turned to stare at Taureen and double-checked one detail. “They will only be sitting in the room, correct?”

“On the far side of the room, and they know to keep a low profile.”

I slowly lowered my head to rest on my hands, not entirely happy about the upcoming change, but grudgingly accepted it.

With the exception of the last three days, his friends had visited him every single night since the day Taureen had patched up my wing. It wasn’t as if their visit was going to be a new trend.