Tessa's POV:
I slowly spread my wings as I watched the sun. It was going to be my first time trying to fly with the Morning Song, although Dirk had decided to remain on the driftwood this morning.
The sun slowly rose as the call grew stronger. My ear tufts twitched in my growing excitement and nervousness. The light began to shimmer as Mom and Dad took to the air. I was a wingbeat behind them, watching them closely so I knew what I should be doing.
They spun, twirled, and flitted almost magically as they danced in a small section of the air. I struggled to try and do what they were doing, but I wasn't fast enough to even attempt to keep up. They were also doing different aerial maneuvers that somehow flowed together and seemed to fit perfectly.
I felt sad and almost lost, unable to follow their rhythm regardless of how hard I tried. Their sweet song pierced the air in a way that made my heart long to know what they were singing about. I couldn't see it or understand it.
Close to despair and almost ready to give up, I closed my eyes.
Then I felt it. It was the Morning Song's call.
It had been here since I started. I just hadn't been listening to it.
Taking a deep breath, I ignored what Mom and Dad were doing as I tried to follow the Morning Song's flow without thinking about how I was going to do it.
It was like my wings had a mind of their own, and my voice produced sounds that I hadn't known I could make. I still couldn't quite keep up to the pace of the song, but I was trying. The Song flowed through my heart and filled my mind.
Now I could see that Mom and Dad counted as participants on this aerial dancefloor. I wasn't supposed to do exactly what they were doing. That was part of what made it so special.
I had never known such joy and happiness as I felt right now.
My wings were growing tired, but I couldn't even think of resting during such a glorious moment. My voice was a bit breathless as it wove almost perfectly among Mom and Dad's song. The small errors didn't matter, though. I was flying and singing to a rhythm that only the dragonets could hear.
Before I realized it, the Song faded and disappeared, leaving me to glide through the air in confusion at the sudden lack of its guidance. I blinked slowly as I tried to get my mind working again.
Mom flew beside me as I glided towards a big, smooth rock and landed on it. I shook my head, trying to shake off the lingering effects of the song. My head felt really full and weird. It was hard to even think.
A sharp pain above my leg made me squawk and jump backwards, falling off the rock and rolling into the grass. I stared at Mom in shock – she had bitten me! I checked the sore spot and was relieved to see that her teeth hadn't left a mark on my scales. That didn't change how much it had hurt, though.
She jumped down beside me and nuzzled me apologetically. "Sorry. That was the quickest way to snap you out of the trance. It often happens the first time or two someone flies the Morning Song."
I blinked in surprise as I realized that my head was now clear. Getting to my feet, I rubbed my head along her neck as a thank you before we trotted together through the grass towards Taureen and Aeria. I could see bowls of fruit already waiting for us.
I really hoped that I didn't get stuck in that trance tomorrow. I didn't want to get bit again.
I crouched down as I stalked through the grass towards my unsuspecting target. It paused in its cleaning, and I froze, hoping that it wouldn't notice my red scales. It watched the area for a few moments before it resumed cleaning its face with its front legs.
I pounced on the big bug and chomped it a couple of times before swallowing it. It was just as juicy as the other three I had caught.
"Tessa, what are you eating?"
I looked up at Mom and smiled. "I ate a bug."
She blinked slowly before replying, "You shouldn't eat bugs."
"Why not? They tasted good."
"What kind was it? Some can make you sick."
I showed her the image, matching it up to the Blood Memories. "Grasshopper. They are good to eat."
She was quiet for a moment before she looked in a different direction. "Keegan, did you ever eat grasshoppers?"
"Well... I did eat quite a few during a student exchange trip to Thailand. They aren't bad, actually. Why?"
She sighed before gliding towards the house. "You get to explain to Tessa that grasshoppers aren't just a different kind of berry."
Dad flew over and landed beside me. He glanced towards the house and then back at me, whispering, "Just don't let Mom catch you eating them."
I grinned widely at him as he winked at me.
He peeked over his shoulder again, before saying, "Now, what do you say that we catch the biggest one we can find, and once she falls asleep, we put it in front of her?"
I flapped my wings and trilled in anticipation. "Yes!"
Both of us began searching the shrubs and plants for grasshoppers, comparing their sizes across the mindlink. I wasn't used to limiting my mindvoice so only one person could hear me. It was strange, but I didn't want Mom to overhear our discussions.
My eyes focused on a big brown grasshopper. It was the biggest one I had seen. This one even had wings. It was going to be hard to catch and kill it without damaging it too much.
"How about this one?" I asked Dad.
"It looks perfect. I'm sure she will love it. Do you think you can catch it?"
"I think so."
I crouched down and slowly crept closer to it. This one was smarter than the last ones. I didn't get very close before it bounded into the air and flew into a nearby bush.
It took me a bit to get close to the bush. I tilted my head as I looked at the number of leaves. Where had it landed? I didn't see it. I poked my head into a few openings but still didn't see it. As my head went under the bush, I heard it spring away and quickly pulled my head out to track its flight.
I carefully noted the clump of grass it had landed in before inching my way forward. I was so close... An idea occurred to me, and I partially unfolded my wings as I peered into the tall grass.
It burst out with its wings buzzing, and I swatted it with my wing, sending it back into the grass. I pulled some grass on top of it and pinned it. Carefully, I peeled back the grass until I could see its head.
My claw quickly pierced its neck and back. It kicked a few times before it stopped moving. When I cautiously lifted the grass up, its legs slowly crossed in death.
"I did it, Dad!"
"Great job! Mom is napping, so let's put it in front of her."
I grabbed the grasshopper before flying towards him. Just wait until he saw it. All of its legs were even still attached. Dad landed on a tree branch and nodded towards Mom, who was sunning herself on a flat rock.
I quietly glided down and landed in the soft grass. It was hard to walk with the grasshopper in my hand, but I carefully slid it right in front of her nose before backing up. To avoid her hearing my wingbeats, I trotted beneath the tree Dad was perched in before flying up.
Mom didn't usually nap long at this time of the morning, so Dad and I wouldn't have to wait long for her to wake up. Taureen even pulled out the video recorder as he sat in the lawn chair. I wasn't sure where Aeria was, although I could see Dirk snoozing in her chair.
My eyes widened as Mom stirred slightly, and my claws tightened on the branch in anticipation. Her eyelids fluttered open, and her gaze focused on the brown object in front of her.
With a surprised screech, she reared back as flames erupted from her jaws. The flames almost instantly vanished as she realized what had happened. Her head swung around, and she immediately located us in the tree.
"Keegan!" With that, she launched herself into the air.
"Run!" Dad immediately followed his own advice as he swiftly took flight.
I quickly dropped off the branch and turned my dive into a fast flight as I looked for a good hiding spot. A loud splash made me look back. Glimmers of gold and silver beneath the water showed that Mom had caught Dad.
I really needed my best hiding spot.
Banking to the side, I glided low until I landed with my feet running as I dashed under the rose bush. The leaves mostly blocked my view, but Mom was still too busy dunking Dad to have seen me race into my hiding place.
Apparently, Mom didn't like grasshoppers.
I curled up and settled down for a long wait. My eyes followed Mom as she finally got out of the pond and circled the backyard, searching for me.
"Tessa, come out, come out, wherever you are..."
Prudently, I remained silent, although she knew that I had heard her. Her golden scales disappeared under a few bushes where I normally hid. She flew up to the branch where Dad and I had sat, before slowly gliding downward as she drifted from side to side.
I had never seen her glide so slowly before. How she remained in the air was a mystery. Her path got lower and lower to the grass until she landed on the ground not far away. With her nose near the ground, she kept walking closer and closer in an almost straight line.
The exact line that I had run along when darting under this rose bush.
My eyes widened as she looked up and grinned triumphantly at the leaves hiding me. Uh oh. With my hiding place no longer a secret, I bolted.
I barely reached the grass before Mom tackled me. We rolled several times before Mom pinned me to the ground with her hands.
"Well, well, well... what did I find?"
"Uh, can I claim that it was Dad's idea?"
"It likely was, but he already got dunked for it. You were the one who put it there."
With that, she began tickling me. I squawked, squirmed, and wiggled, but I couldn't get free. I saw a glimpse of blue before Dirk landed on Mom's back. She was momentarily distracted, and I managed to get out of her grasp.
With reinforcements on hand, I grabbed her ankle to pull her off-balance. Without even looking away from my now-pinned brother, her tail pushed me over. Turning my head, I spotted Dad lying on a rock in the sun as he watched us.
"Come help us!" I called to him.
He spread his wings wider before jumping into the air to come to our aid.
It took all three of us a few minutes to finally pin Mom. Once she huffed out a big breath of defeat, we all laid down in the grass to relax and catch our breath.