Tessa’s POV:

  I slowly spread my wings as I watched the sun. It was going to be my first time flying with the Morning Song. I was pretty sure Mom and Dad wouldn’t crash into me, and Dirk had decided to remain on the driftwood.

  The call grew stronger as the sun rose. 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 in an almost magical fashion in a small section of the air. I struggled to keep up with their dance, but I wasn’t even a quarter as fast as them. They were doing all sorts of aerial maneuvers that somehow flowed together and 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’d started. I just hadn’t been listening to it.

  Taking a deep breath, I ignored what my parents 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 realized Mom and Dad were participants on this aerial dance floor. 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 as I tried to get my mind working again.

  Mom flew beside me as I glided to a big 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 backward, falling off the rock and rolling into the grass. I stared at Mom in shock—she had nipped me! I checked the sore spot; thankfully, her teeth hadn’t left a mark on my scales, but that didn’t change how much it had hurt.

  She hopped 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 nose-bunted her chest as a thank-you, and we trotted through the grass to Taureen and Aeria. I could see bowls of fruit already waiting for us.

  ***

  Keeping low, I stalked through the grass toward my unsuspecting target. The grasshopper paused in its cleaning. I froze, hoping 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 a memory image, matching it up to the Blood Memories. “Grasshopper. They are good to eat.”

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  She was quiet for a moment before she looked in a different direction. “Keegan, did you ever eat grasshoppers?”

  “Actually, yeah. During a student exchange trip to Thailand. They aren’t bad, actually. Why?”

  She sighed before flying away. “You get to explain to Tessa that grasshoppers aren’t just a different kind of berry.”

  Dad glided over and landed beside me. After glancing at the house, he whispered, “Just don’t let Mom catch you eating them.”

  I grinned at him, and he winked at me.

  He peeked over his shoulder again, then said, “How about we catch the biggest one we can find, and once she falls asleep, we put it in front of her. What do you think? ”

  I flapped my wings and trilled in anticipation. “Yes!”

  Both of us began searching the shrubs and plants for grasshoppers, comparing their sizes across a private 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 knowing about our surprise.

  My eyes focused on a big brown grasshopper. It was the biggest one I had seen.

  “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.”

  It was going to be hard to kill it without damaging it too much. I crouched down and slowly crept closer. 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.

  I snuck closer and tilted my head as I regarded the numerous 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.

  When it burst out of hiding, I swatted it with my wing, knocking it back into the grass. I pushed the grass over top, then slowly peeled back the stems until I could see its head. Grimacing, I poked my claw through its back. It kicked a few times before 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 and took flight. Just wait until he saw it!

  When I reached Dad, he nodded in approval and pointedly looked at Mom, who was sunning on a flat rock. He retreated to a high branch to supervise.

  I quietly flew over 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. I snuck away on foot so she wouldn’t hear my wings, then flew up to join Dad in the tree.

  Taureen pulled out the video recorder while he sat in the lawn chair, knowing Mom’s morning naps never lasted long. I wasn’t sure where Aeria was, although Dirk was snoozing in her chair.

  My eyes widened as Mom stirred and shifted. 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 fire erupted from her jaws. The flames vanished as she realized what had happened. Her head swung around, immediately locating us in the tree.

  “Keegan!” With that, she launched herself into the air.

  “Run!” Dad yelled as he darted away.

  I dove off the branch as I looked for a good hiding spot. A loud splash informed me of Dad’s fate... When I glanced back, glimmers of gold and silver beneath the water proved that Mom had already caught Dad and dunked him in the pond. I really needed my best hiding spot.

  Banking to the side, I landed with my feet running as I dashed under the rose bush beside the house. 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…”

  Like any person in hiding, I remained silent, although she knew 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. She drifted lower and landed on the grass not far away. With her nose near the ground, she kept walking closer and closer in an almost straight line—following the exact path I had taken while running to my hiding spot.

  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 she 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. A flash of blue scales heralded Dirk’s arrival as he landed on Mom’s back. In her distraction, I managed to get out of her grasp.

  With reinforcements at hand, I grabbed her ankle to pull her off-balance. Without looking away from my now-pinned brother, her tail pushed me over.

  “Come help us!” I called to Dad, who was sunbathing on a rock to dry off.

  He stretched his wings and came to our aid. The three of us were finally able to pin Mom. Once she huffed a big breath of defeat, we all laid down in the grass to relax and catch our breath.