I yawned and shook my head to dispel the dreams of a time when dragonets had two legs, soft skin, and wore clothing. Being a dragonet was better. The complicated life Dad showed us didn’t look very fun, although board games seemed interesting.
Dirk snored beside me, but no one else was in sight. I stood up and shook out my wings. The world outside the window was dim, so the sunrise was still some time away.
My tummy grumbled and told me how hungry it was. I wandered over to the bowls of fruit and got a snack as I thought about what I wanted to do. I nosed some pieces of fruit around the dish, avoiding the bits of kiwi and orange slices as I ate the better stuff. Alas, there was no cantaloupe. No raspberries either, so Mom must have already raided the dishes.
For once, I didn’t eat until I was stuffed. I wanted to practice flying, but it wasn’t easy if I was full. Dirk snored softly behind me; there was no point in waking him up since he’d just get grumpy.
I stretched my wings and examined the living room. So far, I had only flown across the room, or in circles. I hadn’t ventured beyond it. One doorway led to the kitchen, the front door was around one corner, and a bigger hallway went somewhere else.
I spread my wings and jumped into the air. Keeping Mom and Dad’s lessons in mind, I glided through the open doorway to the kitchen. Once inside, I spotted several perches attached to the walls. I angled my flight and flew higher to reach a large perch. I wobbled a bit as I slowed down, but I managed to backwing and land on the big piece of wood without an accident.
Folding my wings, I gazed at the strange room. The shiny stone counters and table were different from the end tables I was familiar with. They glinted in the light like they were slippery. I tilted my head as I examined the various doors above the counter and along the wall. I tried to focus on the Blood Memories and discovered that the doors were attached to something that preserved food.
They also told me that if I was in front of them, I should be able to see what was inside. Out of curiosity, I spread my wings and glided down to the counter in the middle of that area. I stretched my wings wide and backwinged as much as possible before touching the slippery-looking stone.
I held my breath as I skidded and fanned my wings wider, successfully coming to a stop. Folding my wings, I turned my head to gaze through the clear door. To my disappointment, all I saw were bowls and containers. There was no way to tell what was inside them.
My claws clicked as I gingerly walked along the counter. As I walked by a glass door in the wall, I glanced inside and stopped in my tracks. It was almost completely filled with fruit.
My Blood Memories bombarded me with tidbits of information that I was more than happy to receive. I quickly matched up the little pieces of fruit I had been eating with the big objects in front of me.
I hadn’t realized that fruit could be so big! Some of the pieces were bigger than Mom!
Some were bright, others were dark, a few were prickly, and a couple looked like things I left in the litter tray. I craned my neck as I stared at the fruit lining the long shelf inside.
My eyes widened when I saw a cantaloupe. It was huge! Much bigger than me.
I licked my lips, wondering how hard it would be to get it out. I couldn’t wait until I showed Dirk! I stood on my back legs and tried to figure out how to get inside. The glass between me and the cantaloupe was only about as tall as I was, but it was very long.
How did people open doors? I knew Taureen and Aeria often opened and closed doors, but I hadn’t watched how they did it. This door didn’t have a handle either. I scampered along the counter, occasionally slipping, as I searched for a way to get inside the storage area. Reaching the end, I whined unhappily, still unable to get to the fruit I wanted.
Inspiration struck. I sat down as I closed my eyes, focusing on the Blood Memories. They always had an answer, even if it confused me more than it helped me. I just had to find it.
Going through the strange information was hard. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for; just some way to open the door and get the cantaloupe. Dozens of different doorknobs drifted through my mind, mostly from the old human world. I shook my head, trying to focus on the door in front of me that had no handle.
It was hard to focus like this, but I really wanted that cantaloupe. My eyes flew open—this door would slide open when a lever was pulled! I had found the answer!
I went back to the other side and spotted the lever. I was just tall enough to reach it and try pulling it down. It didn’t budge. My feet came off the floor as I pulled as hard as I could, but even with all my weight hanging, it wasn’t enough!
Faint glimmers passed through my mind, and I braced my feet against the wall as I pulled. Suddenly, the lever swung downward. I lost my grip and tumbled backward. I landed on my side and slid across the counter. My legs and tail flailed as I tried to get to my feet or slow down—but I didn’t manage it in time.
Almost in slow motion, my feet went off the counter as I slid into the air. Without thinking, my wings popped open and beat hard as I twisted, trying to turn right side up so I could fly properly.
I blinked in shock when I realized I was already flying upward. Grinning triumphantly, I beat my wings again and went back to the counter.
Pleased with my flying abilities, I proudly landed on the counter—and forgot to slow down, which promptly sent me sliding across the slippery surface, lightly colliding with the glass door. I ducked my head sheepishly, glad no one else had seen that.
My eyes locked onto the gap between the glass doors; if the Blood Memories were right, it should just slide now that it was unlatched. With an eager grin, I pressed my shoulder against the edge and pushed. My feet struggled to find traction, but it was opening!
Once I pushed the door far enough, I scampered over to the cantaloupe. It was much bigger up close. I blinked slowly, trying to think about how I was going to move it. There was no way I’d be able to lift it.
It was round though. Round things could roll, right?
I nudged it with my nose, but it didn’t even budge. Standing on my back legs, I carefully pushed it with my hands to the small doorframe ledge.
I stepped onto the smooth counter and pulled the fruit toward me. When the cantaloupe rolled over the edge, it dropped and rolled faster. I dug my claws into its skin, trying to spin it to a stop. The claws on my feet slid across the slippery surface, although I managed to make the rolling fruit go a slightly different way.
I fell over and let go. The cantaloupe rolled to the wall and bumped into it, finally stopping. I breathed a sigh of relief at having accomplished so much. The open door behind bothered me though—it was supposed to be closed.
I tilted my head as the hidden memories once more provided the answer. I trotted back to the lever; it didn’t offer any resistance as I pushed it up, making the door slowly slide closed by itself.
That done, I turned back to the big fruit on the counter. How was I going to get it into the living room? It just seemed wrong to push it off the counter. The Blood Memories confirmed that fruit got “bruised” when it fell on the ground.
But it also told me that it could fall onto something soft without being harmed. So I just had to find something soft that it could fall on safely.
The mats! They cushioned my falls. Surely the cantaloupe could fall on those!
I tried to jump into the air, only for my feet to slip, making me belly-flop onto the counter instead of leaping into the air. This counter was evil…
Pinning my ear tufts back in embarrassment, I got to my feet and lightly shook myself off. There had to be an easier way to take off. Images flickered along the edges of my mind, showing me a different option. I walked to the edge of the counter and took a deep breath as I spread my wings before letting myself simply fall off head-first.
It was almost too easy to turn my fall into a glide. I was beginning to think the air was safer than the counter. Refocusing on my mission, I flew into the living room as fast as I dared.
With a sinking heart, I remembered how big the mats were. I landed on the floor and tugged on one, but it didn’t move. It was much heavier than the cantaloupe. I tried getting help from the Blood Memories, but they only provided information about things. They couldn’t come up with ideas or plans.
Dirk was still asleep, and I still didn’t see Mom, Dad, Taureen, or Aeria. Taking to the air again, I glided around the room in search of soft things I could move. Everything I saw was too big or too hard. Maybe there was something useful elsewhere.
I banked toward the long hallway and found several doorways. Some were closed, but two were open. My wings were getting tired, so I landed on the floor and continued my exploration on foot.
I entered a dimly lit area, which the hidden memories identified as a bathroom. A basket on the floor had some sort of cloth inside. I trotted over to it, and with a big jump and a wingbeat, I landed on the neatly-folded material.
It was soft enough! Then I realized just how big the basket was, and my ear tufts drooped. There was no way I could move it. With a sigh, I jumped back down to the floor, and the basket moved away from me.
I spun around in shock, unable to comprehend how it had moved. Sniffing the bottom, I pushed against the basket with my shoulder, and it slid away easily. I wasn’t sure how it was moving, but that didn’t matter. I could use the basket to get the cantaloupe down!
Scampering behind the basket, I began pushing it out of the room. I trotted to the side, intending to push it down the hallway, but it kept going!
With a quiet thump, it bounced off the wall and came to a stop. There were two corners between here and the counter, so I would have to be careful when I got to those spots. Eagerly, I began pushing the basket down the hallway. I craned my long neck to the side. It was hard to see around something this big!
It took me a bit of time and two more wall bumps before I pushed it against the counter. Breathing hard, I lay on the floor to rest for a moment. That had been a lot of work!
Once I caught my breath, I flew up to the counter and—very carefully—landed on the treacherous grey surface. I began slowly rolling the cantaloupe across the counter, and my feet skidded as I brought the oversized snack to a stop. I stuck my head over the edge to make sure the basket hadn’t moved. Thankfully, it was still where I left it. I was also right above it.
I gently pushed it over the edge and watched it drop. It landed in the basket with a soft thump, but it made the basket topple over with a thud.
The cantaloupe rolled away as the cloth in the basket toppled over behind it. I quickly glided to the floor and trotted over to the basket. A quick push didn’t budge it. I took a peek at the bottom and saw round things. Something like wheels, whatever those were, but different.
But I didn’t need the basket anymore—I could roll the cantaloupe! I began pushing it to the living room. It didn’t want to roll in a straight line, and I spent a lot of time making it go where I wanted it to. The basket had listened better.
I was panting by the time I got it out of the kitchen. Pushing it on the carpet was even harder. The mats would be much harder, so I pushed the cantaloupe along the edge of the wall and in front of the chairs where the mats didn’t reach.
Finally, I had it beside the end table, and I flopped down in exhaustion. I had never been so tired.
A soft snore from above reminded me that Dirk had probably never seen a whole cantaloupe before. I sat up, suddenly eager to see his reaction.
“Dirk! Look what I found!”
A wave of sleepy annoyance came back. “I was sleeping…” His thoughts were barely coherent.
“The sun will be rising soon. You had to wake up soon anyway.”
He grumbled under his breath before asking, “What did you find?”
“I found a cantaloupe!”
There was a moment of silence before his sleep-hazed voice responded. “That’s in our dish every day. It’s the stuff you always eat first.”
“But this is a big one! It’s bigger than me! I have it just below the table. Come look!”
A heavy sigh came from above before I heard his nails clicking against the wood as he left the sand tray. His blue head appeared over the edge, and he blinked several times, trying to make sense of the round thing beside me.
The sound of the door opening made both of us turn our heads. Seconds later, Mom flew through the door and immediately backwinged mid-air as she stared at us in perplexity. Her wings moved in strange ways as she hung in the air without falling.
My eyes went wide as I gazed at her, envious of her ability to remain in one spot—hovering. I would have to try that later. It looked cool.
Taureen came in behind her and stopped. Mom somehow swooped behind him and landed on his shoulder pad. Seconds later, Dad flew into the room from the backdoor, also pulling into a hover. I stared in fascination.
Remembering the cantaloupe, I told them, “Look what I found!”
“So I see. What do you plan to do with it?” Mom replied, sounding amused.
I trilled excitedly. “I want to eat it! There’s even enough for me to share with Dirk! Can you ask Taureen to put it under the heat lamp for us?”
I might not be able to talk to Taureen yet, but Mom and Dad could!
“Well, I don’t see why you can’t eat it, but why don’t we let Taureen or Aeria put it on a tray on the coffee table? The fruit won’t last long if we put it under the heat lamp.” Her voice shifted slightly, and I could tell she was letting Taureen and Aeria hear her.
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I started bouncing around in excitement. I was going to get to eat an entire cantaloupe! Well, I had to share with Dirk, but I was pretty sure there was enough for us to share.
Aeria emerged from the kitchen with a tray, which she set on the coffee table. “She managed to get it out of the preservation unit and close the door behind her. She was smart enough to use a basket of clean towels from the bathroom to cushion the fruit when she pushed it off the counter.”
As Aeria picked the cantaloupe off the floor, Mom said, “Why don’t we all go outside for the Morning Song? Tessa and Dirk can enjoy the cantaloupe after.” Tilting her head, she added, “Aeria, could you please take Dirk? Tessa, please fly up to Taureen’s shoulder.”
I immediately jumped into the air and tried to mimic Mom’s landing, although I ended up doing a lot of backwinging instead of managing her elegant display. At least I didn’t hit him in the face with my wing. When Taureen bent over to grab the recorder off the coffee table, I squeaked and scrambled backward so I didn’t fall off.
Mom casually sat where she was, claws dug in, and her tail draped down his back to keep her balance. Taureen stood up and headed for the back door.
I sat up and leaned forward. I had never been outside before. When the door opened, things looked…more real. I’d seen the backyard through the window, but now I was in it. I could hear the leaves rustling in the breeze and smell green things. The air felt different, like it was moving. There were so many things! I couldn’t wait to explore and see everything.
“Come sit on the driftwood,” Mom said as she glided away.
Dad, Dirk, and I followed her. As soon as I landed, I stared straight up, marveling at the trees overhead and how the leaves created a dappled display against the sky. It was much higher up than the ceiling inside. There was something above the trees. Netting.
I kept looking around, barely stopping long enough for the Blood Memories to name something. There was so much stuff out there!
“Morning Song first, then you can go exploring,” Mom said, glancing at me.
I perked my ear tufts and looked to the east. The sun was just starting to rise. The air seemed to shimmer around it. It called to me, telling me there was a new day to be celebrated.
Mom and Dad leaped skyward. I whined, longing to follow, but I knew I couldn’t fly well enough yet. Instead, I dug my claws into the driftwood to keep me anchored and began beating my wings as the Morning Song unfolded in a fashion I couldn’t explain. My heart sang as I raised my voice and tried to echo its hopeful melodies.
I beat my wings as Mom and Dad swirled and twirled around each other in a beautiful display. The sun inched higher, and I lost track of time as the Song grew stronger.
I blinked as the Morning Song faded and trailed off. I flopped down with my wings still stretched out. I thought I had been tired after wrestling the cantaloupe across the house, but now I had a new meaning for the word. Dad landed beside me and nudged me with his nose as Aeria came over.
She picked me up. “I think someone overdid it this morning.”
“That was almost as hard as rolling the cantaloupe,” I said, although only Mom, Dad, and Dirk could hear me.
Aeria returned to the chair beside Taureen’s and settled down with me in her lap. She pulled out the cleaning kit and began rubbing the buffing pad over my wings. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the cleaning. When Aeria finished, she set me on the table between her and Taureen so Dad could have his turn.
I napped in the sun. It was nice and warm, almost like the heat lamp. Dirk snored softly; he must have fallen asleep when Taureen oiled his scales.
The heat suddenly disappeared. I opened my eyes and looked up in confusion. A big fluffy thing had moved in front of the sun. A cloud. It looked soft, but I knew I couldn’t fly that high. The Blood Memories also told me it was made from bits of water hanging in the air, so I couldn’t land on it even if I tried.
I folded my wings with a quiet snort. At least the heat lamp inside didn’t have clouds. With a big yawn, I stretched my legs and looked around. There was a bowl of fruit beside me!
The sight of it gave me enough energy to jump to my feet. The small pieces of grape and other fruits weren’t as good as cantaloupe, but it didn’t stop me from completely emptying the bowl.
“Where did she manage to put all of that fruit?” Aeria murmured.
“I give her fifteen minutes until she’s bouncing all over the place,” Mom replied drowsily from where she had been napping in the sun.
I yawned again and stretched my wings, turning my attention to the area around us. Other than the stone tiles around the house, the rest of the ground was covered in green things. Grass, flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants.
If I looked closely at them, I knew what most of them were called and if they had good fruit. The flowers had bright colors that reminded me of the sunrise. I dropped off the table and walked over to the nearest clump.
Their bright yellow petals were a color I hadn’t seen before. When I leaned forward for a better look, I smelled a strange sweet scent. The smell was coming from the flower. As soon as I realized that, the hidden memories told me that most flowers had pretty smells and each type was different.
A white flower was nearby, and I trotted over to sniff it. This one was faint but a bit sweeter. Both were nice in different ways. I lifted my head to see where the rest of the flowers were. I wanted to smell them all.
Most were by the house, so I wandered around and smelled them. A few shrubs and trees also had blooms on their branches. The shrubs were kind of creepy, like something could be hiding in them. The trees were probably safer since most creatures couldn’t fly.
I stared up at the tree branches, where a pale pink blossom bobbed gently in the breeze. I had never flown that high before, but I really wanted to know what it smelled like. Taking a deep breath, I jumped into the air. I lost count of how many wingbeats it took—it was a long way up!—but I finally made it! Then I realized the branch was much narrower than the wall perches. I had seen Mom and Dad land on similar branches though, so I knew it could be done.
As I started backwinging, I clamped my hands and feet around the branch. My claws clicked as they overlapped around the narrow object. I did it! Proud of my accomplishment, I folded my wings and stretched my neck out to smell the flower. My weight shifted, and I squawked as I flipped upside down, still hanging onto the branch.
What was I supposed to do now?
With wide eyes, I looked at Mom and Dad pleadingly. Mom simply blinked, neither surprised by my predicament nor worried about it. Dad stretched his wings before lazily flying up to me, landing easily on the branch without falling over.
He tilted his head as he gazed down at me. “Use your tail for balance next time and dig your claws into the bark.”
“How do I get on top of the branch?”
“You’ll have to let go. Once you’re flying, you can try landing again.”
I was beginning to think that flying involved a lot more falling than I realized. With a resigned sigh, I spread my wings and examined the large airspace between me and the bushes below. I let go.
After this morning, I knew what to expect and managed to right myself without panicking. I banked and beat my wings to get higher. Dad watched as I landed on the branch again. He curled his neck downward to inspect the bottom of the branch.
The show-off!
“Your claws have a good grip. Take a look at them.”
Was he trying to make me fall over again? I tilted my head as I examined how his tail was further out and how he leaned back while his head was under the branch.
My claws gripped the bark more tightly as I carefully lowered my head. I wobbled a bit, but I managed to see the underside of the branch. The gentle breeze made the nearby leaves rustle, and one tapped my ear tufts. Startled, my head jerked up—sending me upside down once more. Perhaps this branch was defective.
The Blood Memories showed me glimpses of adult dragonets even climbing up tree trunks, so simply sitting on a branch should be easy.
“How did you stay up?” I asked Dad, hoping to learn his secret.
“Practice and experience.”
I huffed. That was not helpful.
The flower swayed gently in the breeze, beckoning me to try again. With a sigh, I let go of the branch. The breeze made flying harder. It kept wanting to catch my wings and send me the other way.
I tried landing on the branch, but the wind pushed me away before I could grab on, making me circle around. My next attempt to land was successful. This flower had better smell really good considering how much effort it took to just get close to it.
I leaned over and sniffed the blossom. It had a light sweet scent—not as strong as I would have thought. The trees were much bigger than the flowers by the house; shouldn’t they have more smell?
“Follow me,” Dad said, dropping off the branch and gliding toward a couple of trees on the other side of the open grassy area.
I hesitated for a moment before following him. He flew past the trees and landed on a rock near a spot where the netting reached the ground. I gazed up, trying to see how big the net was.
“This netting encloses the entire backyard. You can explore in here as much as you want. Your Mom is leading Dirk to a different section so we can play tag. Last one to get caught wins.”
I loved tag! But—“What about animals?” My mind could see flickers of dangerous creatures that liked to hide around trees and shrubs.
“This area is safe. Outside of it, you will have to stay close to us.” With that, Dad jumped into the air and quickly disappeared among the leaves.
The game had started whether I was ready or not. I couldn’t catch Mom or Dad while flying, so my best plan was to hide. Maybe I could ambush Dirk. With that thought in mind, I scampered underneath a bush. My ears twitched as I tried to listen for any sounds hidden by the rustling leaves.
After carefully peeking out from under the shrub, I darted across the grass to hide under a bushier one. My smaller size meant I could hide in more places than Mom or Dad, but my scales were really bright, especially against the green leaves.
I scooted under a denser bush to lie in ambush.
***
A glimpse of blue scales had me crouching down as Dirk slinked between bushes. He kept low to the ground and glanced around nervously. He knew I was out here somewhere.
It was hard to hold still, but any movement would give away my location. After a few minutes, he scurried toward the bush I was hiding in. With a fierce cry, I jumped out at him. He reared up—squalling in surprise—and fell backward.
“I caught you!” I proudly exclaimed as I tapped his tail and danced around him.
A flash of silver above made me bolt back under my bush. Dad aborted his dive and sideslipped low enough to tag Dirk then flew up to land on a branch, waiting for me to come out.
Dirk got to his feet and ran off before Mom showed up, which left me in hiding with nowhere to go. I knew I couldn’t fly faster than Dad—even Mom wasn’t that quick. But I was smaller. Could I get to a bush with branches too dense for him to get into?
I stuck my head out for a better look. Dad sat on the branch, patiently watching me. I took two steps forward to see what he would do.
He shifted his wings but didn’t swoop down yet, knowing I could back into the greenery before he reached me, but I saw something he didn’t. I took another step out, half-unfurling my wings to keep his attention on me.
At the last second, he seemed to realize something was amiss and glanced up. With a trill of alarm, he launched off his branch as he tried to evade Mom’s divebomb. I gaped at their speed and rapid changes in direction but soon remembered I needed a better hiding place. I dashed away, running under bushes to keep out of sight as much as possible.
I managed to get to the house without being spotted by Mom, Dad, or Dirk. Taureen and Aeria watched me weasel my way under the shrubs that grew beside the house. I bet they’d never think of looking for me here.
I curled up and waited. And waited. And waited. With a silent yawn, I rested my head on my hands and tried to stay awake.
“Tessa, where are you?” Mom’s somewhat worried voice interrupted my half-doze.
“If I tell you, that makes it too easy.”
Her faint relief came over the mindlink along with renewed determination to find me.
I had almost fallen asleep again when Dad called out, “Alright, you win this match. Come out.”
Staggering to my feet in my haste, I slipped out of my really good hiding spot and ran over to Aeria, climbing onto her lap. That hiding place was going to be my secret. Aeria began petting me as I saw Mom’s golden scales gliding above the bushes.
“Tessa. You can come out now,” Mom said, echoing Dad’s earlier call.
“I came out. I’m with Aeria.”
Mom immediately looked over and altered her course. She landed on Aeria’s armrest and nuzzled me. “Where were you hiding?”
I grinned at her. “It’s a secret.”
She snorted and looked at Taureen.
He shook his head in amusement. “You’ll just have to look harder next time.”
She snorted again and shook herself hard enough that her scales made a chiming sound. My eyes widened at the pretty noise.
“Can you do that again?”
She shook once more as her scales made the same neat sound. I shook myself but didn’t hear anything.
“How did you do that?”
Mom told me, “Once you get bigger, your scales will chime too. They’re too small right now.”
My ear tufts drooped, and Aeria petted me sympathetically. She may not have been able to hear my mindvoice yet, but she could hear Mom’s. I lay back down, still disappointed.
Taureen passed Aeria something—a small vial of oil!—and she began massaging my back. I cooed in delight as I wiggled around, happy to have every hint of itching disappear.
I closed my eyes and relaxed.
***
I yawned and stretched, still not ready to open my eyes after my nap. The sun was warm. It felt nice.
My stomach growled, ruining my relaxation with its demands for food. I finally pried my eyes open with a big yawn. I wasn’t sure how long I had slept, but it must have been a while if I was this hungry.
The food bowls were absent, and I continued looking around. There was always food nearby. Always. My eyes widened when I saw the cantaloupe on the grass in front of the chairs. There was more than enough there for a snack!
Eagerly, I flew over and landed next to it, too impatient to go on foot. My nose snuffled along the textured rind; there were pinpricks from when I had rolled it, but I wasn’t sure if my claws were sharp enough to actually cut it.
I braced myself and tried to dig one claw in. Flickers of proper ways to do this skittered along the edges of my mind, and I shifted my claw so the sharper base could slice while the tip pierced deeper.
My claw wasn’t long enough to reach the center, so I pulled it out and set it sideways against the skin, sawing back and forth. I grabbed the peel in my teeth and pulled it away while I kept shaving more of the rind off.
The peel came loose. I dropped it by my feet, my mouth watering at the strip of gold inside. I quickly cut a piece out by twisting my claw through the soft fruit. The sweet juice filled my mouth, and I happily chewed as I shaved more of the peel away and made the opening bigger.
The fruit was very good, although the seeds were yucky. It was a lot of work to scoop them all out, and I had to roll the cantaloupe away from the mess a few times, but it made it much easier to cut pieces free.
Eventually, there wasn’t room for another morsel. I was so full I wasn’t sure if I could fly. There was still lots of cantaloupe left. A yawn announced Dirk’s waking, and he jumped down from Aeria’s lap and came over to stuff himself with the juicy fruit.
A strange burbling sound made me stand on my hind legs and stare at where Taureen was kneeling beside a big puddle of water, somehow making water come out of the rocks he was stacking. It was the sound of water running.
I waddled over as Mom landed by the water and waded deeper until just her neck and head showed. It seemed wrong to walk in something that I might have to drink. I hoped the water in our water dishes didn’t come from here.
“The water is warm,” Mom told me.
I wasn’t too sure why she was telling me this. I preferred to drink cold water, but not if someone had their feet in it.
She noticed my silent confusion and clarified, “Come in.”
Ah. I sniffed the water suspiciously, unsure why anyone would want to get wet. Flickers of dragonets swimming crossed my mind, showing it was a common pastime. Reluctantly, I stepped into the cool water. I went deeper and jumped when the water touched my warm stomach.
Mom paddled to the shore, stretched her wings, and dipped a wingtip in the water before flicking a shower of droplets at me. When the water hit my sun-warmed scales, I squealed and flared my wings in objection. With a mischievous grin, she flicked more water at me.
If she could do it, so could I. It was harder than I thought. The water didn’t want to go in the right direction, and it took me several tries before any drops actually hit her. They promptly slid right off her scales and landed back in the pond.
She splashed me back as she romped through the deeper areas. Scooping my wing under the water, I tried to throw a lot at her—and she disappeared under the surface!
I looked around wildly. Where did she go? A shimmer of gold moving beneath the surface made me back up quickly. Her head lifted out of the water when it was too shallow to cover her shoulders.
I quickly skimmed through the Blood Memories as I gathered tips on diving and swimming. It looked like fun! I bounded into deeper water, took a deep breath, and closed my nostrils before plunging beneath the surface.
When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Mom’s face beneath the water as she watched me. The small waves made the sunlight ripple along the bottom in fascinating patterns. It was an entirely different world down here.
It was hard to move though, and I had to dig my claws into the sand to get any traction. Once I was deeper, I lifted my head to get another big breath of air before returning to the underwater world. Strangely enough, the water no longer felt cold.
Mom swam closer, using her legs to paddle while her tail propelled her forward. Copying her method made my swimming attempts easier. I paddled deeper, moving my head from side to side as I examined the sand and ripples of light. Swimming was fun, although I still had no plans on drinking this water.
Mom and I continued playing until I grew tired and went to rest in the sun.