Una Morales and the Petal Guardians | ✔️

6. Imperial-red

The swallow-schlepped sojourners somehow swam against the air currents.

The tomcat's paw repeatedly peeked out from inside the backpack. He was trying to swat at one particular greyish chick.

A minor portion of the flock would display a stuck-out-tongue emoticon at the feline each time he failed to capture it.

"What are those... symbols of yours?!" Duo whinnied at the birds, irked. "I cannot seem to grasp their meaning."

"Duo! No! Don't touch the birds! Bad cat! Swallows are our friends! Don't swallow them!" Una shook the backpack left and right as if stirring a cat broth.

"Killjoy." Duo snorted. "Ah, at least you did not call me 'kitty.' I am tremendously bored. And I officially no longer have fear of heights. I had no idea flying is just like sitting in a waiting room, biding one's time till the appointment with Dr. Ground."

"Walking in the air is so delightful, Duo! I wish it wasn't so scary to be this far from the ground! My tummy keeps making nasty tumbles whenever I look down!" Una closed her eyes.

"Glad to see you out of the blues. I do not comprehend why you are travelling in the obscurity. You should be comfortable with our present flight arrangement. After all, you did navigate the air currents when you were but a newborn," Duo said.

"I didn't fly when I was a newborn!" Una's eight fingers protectively hugged her thumbs.

"No? What about that time when the stork found you in marshes? The same stork who brought Paz and you to the Morales family in a basket held in its beak?" asked Duo.

"Oh Duo! Don't you know? Mommy explained to us all about how babies come to this world! It has nothing to do with storks!"

"Of course it does. They placed the sweets for the stork on a windowsill. Thus, they duly notified the baby-bearer they were eagerly awaiting for the arrival of offspring."

"No!" Una chortled. "Mommy told us that when Mommys and Daddys love each other very much then Mommys get preGant. To get preGant, means to have a baby inside your tummy. You know what I think?" Una forgot all about her airborne malady.

"Do tell." Duo sighed.

"I think that maybe Mommys get preGant with girls and Daddys with boys! So Mommy got preGant once, with Paz and me! Daddy is lucky because he never had to get preGant!"

"Hmm. Today's children seem to be quite advanced," Duo sneered. "I was going to spare you of all that fiddlestick chat about preGancy. But, I see you are already familiar with it. As to the view, there isn't much to say. All I can see are ground-specks. If those ground-specks look up all they will be able to see will be fly-specks. Wait a moment."

A blue eye and a yellow eye joint-binoculared the ground.

"Una. There is some kind of kerfuffle down there. Maybe you should look, just in case. I am a mere tomcat after all. Who am I to comprehend the hullaballoo of The Human Affairs Department?"

Una understood only the "maybe you should look" part.

Plus, she stumbled upon the anxiety in Duo's voice.

She looked.

The lackluster landscape stretched its arms to embrace her at a dizzying speed, sporting a whirly kaleidoscope of colors.

"I know where we are! We are exactly above the Imperial Fresh Ice Cream Parlor! Something's not right, Duo!"

Puppy-shaped flames lovingly licked the building foundations with all-out ardor.