The two had chatted about singing and new games, then played a few until evening, when Gretel once again said goodnight to the revealer yearling and took off. Instead of sleeping, however, the wind type hatchling resumed her search for a suitable island Efron could move to, this time heading west.
The tiny white wyvern summoned a tailwind for speed, relaxing her forelimbs to let the purple-striped wings stemming from them glide on it and conserve her energy. After breezing above the ocean for a few miles, she was pleasantly surprised to spot an island two more miles ahead.
Her keen hot-pink eyes shone with excitement as they caught sight of movement within it; she focused more intently, then let out a delighted chirp to discover it was a revealer dragon–lots of them. This must be where Efron's family came from!
The closest two were a yearling and a two-year-old, who were similar enough in color to assume they were sisters. The duo were on the outskirts of a forest on the edge of the island's cliff, the pouches on their lower bellies overfilled with plants, fruits, and berries. She could see their smiling mouths moving as they sat chatting with their legs over the ledge and watching the setting sun’s light sparkle over the ocean.
Gretel dove close, then ended the tailwind when she was near enough to hover beneath the cliff out of their view and eavesdrop; the juvenile wind dragoness stilled the air around herself, preventing the sound waves from her wingbeats from spreading so she was effectively muted.
“But it's so pretty down here!” the younger revealer was saying. “Can’t we stay a little longer?”
Her sister chuckled. “I wish we could, but you know everyone's waiting for us to come back.”
The smaller juvenile frowned. “But I don't wanna leave yet…”
The older one sighed through her nose. “You can't just wander and play out here like when you were a hatchling; you're a forager now. The whole point of coming down here to the forest was to gather food for everyone.”
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“Can't we stay just a few more minutes?”
Yeah, what's the rush? Gretel silently sided with her.
“No. It's getting late and we've been gone long enough as it is… We need to get going,” the eldest insisted.
The yearling’s ears fanned out as she stood up and scowled at her sister. “It's not fair! The grownups get to stay out as long as they want!”
“That isn't true; they're only out late to keep watching for fire types.”
Fire dragons? the wind type thought. Don't they get too heavy to fly far from their volcanic homes?
“Everyone has a job, and we need to finish ours by bringing the food back,” the older revealer continued. “Now let's get going, okay?”
“Hmph. Well what if I don't want to be a forager? What if I want to keep watch like they do?” her little sister harrumphed.
“You're too young for that, and you know it,” she chided. “If a fire dragon saw you, you wouldn't even be filling as a snack to them! In fact, the longer we stay out, the greater the chances we both will end up as snacks to them.”
The youngest’s ears lowered along with her Z-shaped tail. “Sorry… You're right. I just miss being able to play for as long as I want without others depending on me…”
Her sister’s gaze softened sympathetically. “Remember what to do when we feel sad?”
The yearling nodded and sighed. The gemstone on her back between her wings glowed for a moment, then her tail and ears lifted again. “Hm,” she hummed, glancing over the ocean as if wondering why she'd been upset in the first place.
Was that a conceal? Gretel recognized that sudden positive shift in demeanor. Wait–that’s something they're taught to do?!
“Ready to go home now?” the eldest prompted her encouragingly.
“Yep!” she replied with genuine cheerfulness. She climbed onto the older one's back and the latter took flight toward the top of a very tall plateau.
The wind hatchling released the air around her after she was sure they were out of ear shot. I guess suppressing normal emotions isn't unique to Efron and his cousin–but to all revealers… Maybe it's better that Efron keeps his distance from society.
Then Gretel felt guilty for considering keeping him in the dark about the island when she remembered his cousin's words about social dragons–revealers in particular–not faring well alone.
She shook her head. He isn't alone; he has me! He doesn't need a society if they'll tell him what he should or shouldn't feel. I'll show him what freedom looks like!