A New Beginning

Chapter 45

Beside me, a long branch and numerous overhanging fake leaves formed a hollow where a faint blue light shone. It looked big enough to comfortably stretch out in. I stuck my head inside before jerking back with a surprised snort – it was much cooler inside.

"It's the opposite of a heating lamp!" I excitedly told Dad, who had just landed beside me.

After sticking his head inside, he crawled through the almost-real-looking leaves to check it out. "I have never seen anything like this before."

He came out and hopped up to another branch to check out another mostly enclosed spot. I followed after him, curious to see if the barely visible red light inside meant that it was warm instead. To my delight, it was; in fact, it was almost like enjoying sunlight while relaxing on a branch.

Next, I flew over to the sandstone shelf, discovering that the heat lamp was now hidden beneath a big branch. Looking up, I could see that the heat lamp was almost twice as long as it had been before. It also matched the slight curve of the branch, which kept it from looking unnaturally straight, while also following the curve of the shelf.

The edge of the sandstone shelf was a slightly darker color and hard. When I took a few steps, I discovered that the paler sand was soft and sunk beneath my feet. Out of curiosity, I dug down a bit without finding the bottom. It was deeper than our sand tray at home.

Dirk joined me when I flew down to the floor to check out the small pond. The edge was raised, although the clear water itself probably wouldn't even come up to my stomach. It was so tiny that I probably wouldn't have been able to curl up inside of it – it was clearly just meant for drinking.

I sniffed it before taking a sip. The cool water flowed over my tongue; it lacked the stagnant taste that the water in our bowls usually got within an hour, but it also didn't have the muddy or plant taste from the creek in the park. The clear, pure taste was something I knew I would miss when I left.

Dirk also took a sip, and his eyes widened before he began drinking deeply. "How did he make water taste like this?"

Mom landed on the shelf above and tried the water in the drinking bowl before responding, "Part of it is because it isn't sitting, but there must be some sort of filter as well."

Looking around, I flew over to the new end tables, picking one beside Soranto. The outer edge was polished wood, but the inside had a round tray of sand sunken into the end table. Intrigued by the fact that there wasn't a single raised sand tray in the room, I stepped onto the sand and nearly jumped when my hands touched the warm sand.

Lowering my head, I sniffed the sand before looking up. There was no heating lamp, yet the sand was nice and warm.

"Is there a heater on the bottom of the tray?" Taureen inquired, watching my reaction.

"For that one and most of them, yes. I put a heat light above the ones I could, since they like sunbathing so much, although I left a few without anything. Three of the alcoves in the tree branches have cooling pads."

"I'm surprised that you managed to get all of this done in just a week," Aeria commented, watching me dig a small hole in the sand to curl up in.

Soranto gestured to his wife and daughter. "It turned into a family project that we spent most of our free time on."

"It was really fun," Maria said with a smile, "although we only managed to get this room done. We haven't done much to the rest of the house."

"I can't see you doing something this elaborate to every room," Aeria commented.

Adeline replied, "No, this is where we spend most of our time. We will make some changes so the rest of the house matches the new theme and provides some perches and resting areas, but it won't be as extensive."

I wondered what their version of 'not as extensive' was. Adeline was someone who seemed to do something with her whole heart once she decided to do it, and I wasn't sure if anything would limit her since Soranto and Maria were just as enthusiastic with the renovation project.

Taureen curiously asked, "What more do you plan to do?"

"Mostly just wall perches to match these," Soranto replied, "although we plan to cut a few holes in the wall between the living room and the kitchen so Tessa can wander through the main areas as she pleases without worrying about the doors. We're still trying to determine which center table we want."

I was getting more and more excited, so much so that I couldn't sit still. Getting to my feet, I flew over to the perches in front of the windows facing the backyard. Not much had changed out there, but some plants had disappeared, and other ones had replaced them. The new ones didn't really fit into the cultured theme of the backyard, so I suspected that more changes would be coming.

A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed that the rest of my family was still exploring the trees along the walls. My head twisted more sharply when I saw Dirk walk behind some leaves and disappear. Turning around, I took to the air as I flew right over to where he had been.

It wasn't until I landed on the branch that I saw the hidden tunnel behind the leaves and tree trunk.

"What's back there?" I asked Dirk as I tried to peer down the narrow tunnel.

"It leads to a room inside the tree trunk." He also sent an image of a very dark – and very roomy – area as light trickled in through the tunnel he had just followed.

"Cool... I wonder how many more hiding places are in here."

"This is the fourth one I've found so far."

Backing up a bit, I looked around, trying to spot more potential hiding spots. I didn't see a single one from here. Apparently, I was going to have to investigate every single branch if I wanted to locate all of the hiding spots.

As I gazed around the rather big living room, I realized just what a large task that was going to be. At least Mom, Dad, and Dirk were helping, if only out of curiosity. I joined the exploration as the Kymari watched us in amusement.

As I flew past the slightly opened bathroom door, I landed on the ground and walked through the narrow gap to see if anything had changed. The lights turned on when I entered, and I flew up to hover in the middle of the bathroom.

There was now a proper wall sensor, as well as an additional shelf with a bowl of water and a drying towel. With my curiosity satisfied, I left the bathroom to see what else I could discover in the living room.

Adeline was just entering the door that led to the kitchen. Flying quickly, I managed to swoop in after her.

"Land here," she said kindly, tapping the island counter. "This kitchen isn't quite safe for you guys yet."

I obediently landed on the slippery surface and folded my wings as I watched her in curiosity. This kitchen was larger than Taureen's and had more appliances, some of which my Blood Memories couldn't identify.

Adeline gracefully pulled big dishes of food out of several different food preservation doors. Some steamed, while others didn't. She set them on a large tray along with empty plates, cups, and cutlery. As she turned back to the counter I was sitting on, she offered me a sunburst berry.

I was delighted with the treat, and once I finished it, she held out her hand in front of me. "Step up."

Being careful with my claws, I climbed onto her hand and wrist while partially unfurling my wings for balance. She raised me up to her shoulder, and I stepped off. The material under my feet was stiffer than I expected; I carefully scratched it and realized it was like the material on some of Aeria's shirts. My claws wouldn't pierce it.

Soranto came into the kitchen and picked up the heavier tray, leaving the lighter one for Adeline. With me still on her shoulder, all three of us left the kitchen.

I flew up to the trees as the Kymari settled down to enjoy their dinner. There were several bowls of fruit on the end tables, but I wasn't hungry yet. I wanted to keep exploring.