Upon Wings Of Change

Chapter 18

I flattened my head into the sand and pinned my ear tufts back as the child got off the couch and walked up to the corner of the end table. I gave a slight rumble that she would hear, but the adults wouldn't.

I squirmed backwards until I was in the corner. I glanced at the adults, but they still seemed concerned by the scene below. Since when did the Kymari ever leave a child unsupervised? Especially when they knew that I was in the room. I was beginning to wish that I was once more in the cage since the glass would have kept the child at a distance.

She tilted her head as she looked at me in curiosity before reaching her hand towards me. I grew far more worried and flattened myself down more as I started shaking with her proximity. I glanced around, but I was backed into a corner and couldn't get away.

My breathing became faster in my growing distress. I didn't dare threaten her loudly since Soranto would probably kill me if he thought that his child was in the least bit of danger. If I gave a warning swipe and he saw it, I was in similar trouble.

Turn around you idiot and catch your child. He was deaf to my silent desperate pleas. She gently touched my shoulders as she slowly stroked them, and I whined lightly in distress. She seemed confused by my cast and pressed on it lightly. Pain shot through my wing, causing me to yelp in pain and swat at her hand in pure reflex.

"Maria! Get back!" Soranto covered the distance between them with startling speed and scooped her into his arms. He twisted to the side before backing up, in case I continued my assault. I pressed myself further back into the corner. Now I had done it... I was terrified of his reaction, and he was carrying several weapons that could make short work of me.

Taureen asked in concern, "How bad is it? I heard her strike connect from the window."

Soranto held his daughter in one arm and examined her hands in confusion. "Maria, where is the injury?"

They seemed surprised when she pointed to her unblemished wrist. Soranto put her down and turned over both of her hands, searching for any injury. He murmured, "There is no scratch... But we heard the slap when she connected."

Maria spoke, "She hit me, but she didn't use her claws. I didn't realize that her wing hurt or I wouldn't have touched it."

Taureen glanced at my trembling form in the corner. "You touched her bound wing?"

She nodded. "She let me pet her shoulders, but when I touched her wing, she yelped."

Soranto heaved a sigh. "The fire lizard must have realized that Maria was only a child. I am very surprised that she didn't hiss or growl beforehand."

Tkael quietly spoke, "I am amazed that she let Maria so close to her. Then again, she was cornered so that might have had a hand in it. Those claws are sharp enough to slice skin wide open and leave a wound that would need stitches, yet Maria doesn't even have the slightest bit of scraped skin."

Maria looked guilty. "She did make a rumbling noise, but she looked scared, and I wanted to calm her down."

Soranto shook his head in slight exasperation. "I told you Taureen was looking after an injured fire lizard and that you weren't supposed to go near it."

Maria ducked her head at the rebuke. "Sorry. I didn't mean any harm."

Taureen glanced at me before coming over to sit in his usual seat with a sigh. He dug around in his pocket for a moment. Holding his hand out to Maria, he said, "Come here." Maria left her father to approach Taureen. Soranto kept most of his attention on me.

I was still shaking in the corner, terrified, and waiting for the fallout. I had made sure to retract my claws as much as possible and ensured that they didn't come into contact with the child's skin, but I had still landed a strike on his child. Kymari did not tolerate any threat to their children.

I probably wouldn't have to worry about surviving the next few weeks until I could be released. I had just signed my own death warrant. I watched as Taureen sat the girl on his lap. He held her hand open and dumped a dozen sunburst berries into her palm.

He held her open hand in his own and put it on the edge of the end table I was on. The other two adults were watching closely from where they were standing. Soranto wasn't exactly happy, but he didn't say or do anything.

Taureen looked at me and spoke softly, "Come on. Maria didn't mean to hurt you. Come get the berries."

I blinked at him in disbelieving terror from my corner. Maria sat quietly on his lap, simply watching me with a pleading expression. She saw this as her way of apologizing. I didn't move from where I was.

Minutes passed and slowly my shaking ceased as the adrenaline and fear wore off. The way I was pressed into this corner was uncomfortable, and I was going to have to move before my muscles cramped up any more. No one else had moved yet. Taureen seemed to realize that I was about to move for the first time since I had yelped. "Come. Come on," he said, his voice soft and reassuring.

I felt my body relax slightly. It was past the time when I usually got supper, and I was hungry, so the berries were tantalizing. If it had just been Taureen, I would have had no issues. The problem was that the berries were in the child's hand, and she was in his lap.