Tessa's POV:
The next three days were very similar. We got to sing the Morning Song in the backyard before spending most of the day playing amongst the bushes and in the pond.
I got much better at swimming and flying. They still hadn't discovered my hiding spot yet, although I didn't go there if I thought they might see me.
Later in the afternoon, we would go back inside the house to nap and relax while Taureen and Aeria made and ate their evening meal.
I yawned and stretched my wings beneath the heat lamp as I woke up from my nap. Dirk snored beside me, still fast asleep. I got up and noticed that the two strange Kymari were on the other side of the room.
Mom was once again glowering at them unhappily. I wasn't sure why she didn't like them. They never even looked at her. They simply visited with Taureen and Aeria like they did every evening.
I went over to the food bowls and picked out my favorite pieces. I left one raspberry for Dirk, although Mom would probably eat it if he didn't wake up soon. She really liked raspberries. Dad was lounging on Aeria's lap while she diligently buffed the scales on his back that he couldn't reach himself.
As I got a drink of water, I heard Dirk stir and wake up. He came over and quickly claimed the last raspberry. Spreading my wings, I flew a few laps around the room before landing on a wall perch.
I nibbled on an itchy spot along the edge of my wing. Rustling my wings back into place, I looked down, but to my dismay, Dirk was already on Taureen's lap. I snorted faintly and shook myself; the motion didn't produce any sound, but neither did it help relieve the growing itch on my wings and back.
I twisted a few times, trying to scratch the itch, but I wasn't able to reach between my shoulder blades with my front or back claws. The itch was driving me crazy and trying to chew on it with my teeth wasn't working very well.
I couldn't stand it anymore. Swooping down, I landed beside Taureen and picked up the small vial of oil in my mouth. I could barely get my jaws around it, but I managed to hold it securely.
With a jump and a quick wingbeat, I glided towards our guests. They were friends of Taureen, and they probably wouldn't mind helping me since both Taureen and Aeria were busy.
Soranto had always seemed more easygoing than Tkael, so I angled my flight towards him. I wasn't used to carrying something, and I almost lost my balance when I tried to land on his knee, although I still managed a good landing without digging my claws in.
Folding my wings, I gazed up at him. He seemed oddly still, as if he was holding his breath. He also looked somewhat worried. I tilted my head as I examined his expression – it was definitely worry.
I ignored Mom's hiss from where she lay under the heat lamp as I tried to figure out why both Kymari suddenly seemed tense. The vial of oil was still in my mouth as I tilted my head and attempted to trill at him, hoping he would take the hint.
He was mostly looking across the room, so I glanced back over my shoulder. Taureen also appeared somewhat concerned, although he was watching Mom. She was on her feet with her wings half-unfurled as she watched Soranto with narrowed eyes, still hissing.
Even Dad was sitting up alertly, somehow ignoring Aeria as she massaged the oil into his shoulders. Dirk was snoring on Taureen's lap.
"Why are you hissing?" I asked Mom, confused by her behavior.
After several long seconds, she sneezed violently before slowly settling back down on the sand. Her glare didn't ease up, nor did she fold her wings or spread them out under the heat lamp. The loud hissing subsided into a low growl, although she didn't look away from Soranto.
She never did answer me.
I tried again. "What's wrong?"
She still didn't reply. Something was making her unhappy, but I couldn't figure out what or why. Her gaze rested on Soranto, though, so I probably wasn't the one in trouble.
Dad was also watching intently, although he seemed more concerned than upset. Their reactions confused me, almost as if Soranto was a threat. Mom and Dad had never told us to be careful around these two.
"Is he bad?" I tentatively inquired, halfway scared that I had unknowingly gotten myself into trouble.
After a long moment, Mom reluctantly replied, "No."
I faintly sighed in relief, although the various emotions behind her voice didn't help with my confusion. My back was still itchy, though, and my jaw was starting to hurt from holding the vial.
I turned back and took two steps so I could drop the vial beside Soranto's hand. When he didn't move, I nudged it closer until it bumped against his fingers. He remained motionless, still not taking the hint.
I snorted faintly in exasperation and spread my wings as I creeled at him. The begging noise had always worked very well for me in the past, and my bright red wings weren't exactly easy to ignore.
He glanced down, before his gaze moved back to Mom, and then back to me. Moving very slowly, he opened the vial and put his finger over the opening as he tipped it, letting the oil touch his fingers.
With equally slow movements, he righted the vial and – finally! – rubbed his finger along my back. I hummed happily as the itch slowly disappeared wherever the oil was spread. His touch was very light and delicate, barely brushing my scales.
I lay down and let my wings rest on his legs so he could oil them as well.
Taureen quietly spoke, "Tasha, come."
I turned my head so I could watch them. Taureen had placed Dirk under the heat lamp and was holding out his hand to Mom. Her head turned to face him for a long moment, before going to me, and then back to him.
She got up and stepped onto his wrist. He cuddled her against his chest as he began massaging oil from another vial into her shoulders. Eventually, she lowered her chin until it rested on his forearm as she lay on his arm, although she kept watching me.
Tkael spoke softly, "That was close. I didn't expect her to come right over like that."
"The fledglings have no reasons to fear Kymari," Aeria quietly replied as she massaged oil into Dad's wings. "We aren't sure how outgoing they might be in comparison to the wild ones."
"That is true," Tkael agreed. "At the moment, they are young, curious, and trusting. Some of it will likely fade as they mature, but, as long as nothing spooks them, they probably won't be nearly as touchy as the wild-caught adults. Time will tell if their reaction to sicora is an instinctive or a learned behavior."
Mom hissed faintly as her eyes moved to Tkael.
"Easy, Tasha. There are none here." Taureen reassured her before moving his gaze back to Tkael. "It's likely instinctive, although if it is a learned behavior, it shouldn't be too hard to rearrange the training area and use an old hide while the parents teach them."
"That would work, although I suspect it will be a while before they get to that stage."
Taureen nodded. "From watching the wild ones, we know that it will be a year before they are almost as big as their parents. The Elders are pleased that the population is slowly growing, and they aren't in a rush when it comes to training. These two won't be able to go on a spaceship until they are six months old, at the earliest."
