Tessa's POV:

I yawned and shook my head to dispel the dreams of a time when dragonets had two legs, soft skin, and wore clothing. Being a dragonet was better. The complicated life Dad had been showing us didn't look any fun.

I looked around, although the living room was empty. Dirk was snoring beside me, but no one else was in sight. Getting to my feet, I shook out my wings as I looked towards the window, although the sunrise was still some time away.

My tummy gurgled as it told me how hungry I was, so I wandered to the edge of the end table where the bowls of fruit and water sat. I got a snack as I thought about what I wanted to do. I wasn't tired, but the sun wasn't going to rise soon.

I nosed some pieces of fruit around the dish, avoiding the pieces of kiwi and orange slices as I ate the better stuff. Cantaloupe was my favorite.

For once, I didn't eat until I was stuffed. I wanted to practice flying more, but it was hard to fly if I was too full. Dirk snored softly; there was no point in waking him up since he would be grumpy and wouldn't want to play or fly anyway.

I stretched my wings as I examined the room; previously, I had only flown across it, or in circles around the main area. I had never been out of this room yet. Two hallways led to other parts of the house, and I wondered what those rooms looked like.

I spread my wings and jumped as I beat my wings down. Keeping Mom's and Dad's lessons in mind, I gained height as I flew towards the one that led to the kitchen. I flew higher and higher as I went. There were various pieces of wood and perches attached to the walls where I could land and rest if I needed to.

The open area ahead looked different from the living room, and I angled my flight to a large perch on the wall. I wobbled a bit as I slowed down, but managed to backwing and land on the big piece of wood without an accident.

The shiny stone counters and table were different than the end tables I was familiar with and looked slippery. I craned my neck as I examined the various sized doors above the counter and along the wall. I tried to focus on the Blood Memories, and discovered that the doors were attached to something that preserved food.

They also told me that if I was in front of them, I should be able to see what was inside. In curiosity, I spread my wings and glided down to the counter in the middle of that area. I stretched my wings wide and backwinged to slow down as much as possible as I tried to land on the slippery stone.

I held my breath as I skidded a bit, fanning my wings wider – and I came to a stop without sliding off the counter!

Once I had safely landed, I folded my wings and turned my head to gaze through the clear door. To my disappointment, it was mostly bowls and containers that concealed what they contained.

My claws slipped a bit as I gingerly walked along the counter, looking at the few cooking gadgets on it. As I walked by a glass door beside the counter, I glanced inside and stopped in my tracks the moment I realized what I was seeing.

It was almost completely filled with fruit.

My Blood Memories bombarded me with tidbits of information that I was more than happy to receive – matching up the little pieces of fruit I had been eating with the big objects I was seeing.

I hadn't realized that fruit could be so big! Some of the pieces were much bigger than me!

Some were bright, others were dark, a few were prickly, and a couple looked like things I left in the litter tray. I craned my neck as I examined the fruit lining the long shelf inside.

My eyes widened as I saw a cantaloupe. It was huge! Much bigger than me.

I licked my lips, wondering how hard it would be to get it out. Wait until I showed it to Dirk! I stood up on my back legs as I took a closer look at the door. It wasn't much taller than me, just longer.

How did people open doors? I knew that Taureen and Aeria often opened and closed doors, but I hadn't watched how they did it. This door didn't have a handle either.

I scampered along the counter, occasionally slipping, as I searched for a way to get inside the storage area. Reaching the end, I whined unhappily, still unable to get to the fruit I wanted.

Inspiration struck, and I sat down as I closed my eyes, focusing on the Blood Memories. They always had an answer, even if it confused me more than it helped me. I just had to find it.

Sifting through the strange information was hard. I wasn't even exactly sure what I was looking for; just some way to open the door and get to the cantaloupe. Images of dozens of different types of doorknobs appeared, mostly from the old human world. I shook my head, trying to focus on the door in front of me which had no doorknob or handle.

It was hard to focus like this, but I really wanted that cantaloupe. My eyes flew open – this door would slide open when a lever was pulled! I found the answer!

I went back to the other side and spotted the lever pointing up. I was just tall enough to reach it and tugged on it, although it didn't budge. Pulling as hard as I could, I lifted my feet off the floor – but even all my weight wasn't enough!

Faint glimmers passed through my mind, and I braced my feet against the wall as I pulled again. Suddenly, the lever swung open, and I lost my grip as I fell forward and landed on my side, sliding across the counter. My legs and tail flailed as I tried to get on my feet and slow me down – but I didn't manage it in time.

Almost in slow motion, my feet went off the counter as I slid into the air. Without thinking, my wings popped open and beat hard as I twisted, trying to get right side up so I could fly properly.

I blinked in shock as I realized that I was already flying back up. Grinning triumphantly, I beat my wings again as I gained height and went back to the counter.

Pleased with my flying abilities, I proudly landed on the counter again – and forgot to slow down, which promptly sent me sliding across the slippery surface into the glass door, lightly colliding with it.

I ducked my head sheepishly, glad that no one else had seen that. The slightly opened glass door caught my attention though, and I knew that it slid open once unlatched. With an eager grin, I pressed my shoulder against the edge as I pushed it open. My feet struggled to find traction, but it was sliding open fairly easily.

Once I pushed the door far enough, I walked up to the cantaloupe. It was much bigger up close. I blinked slowly, trying to think of how I was going to move it. It was far too heavy for me to even think about lifting.

It was round, though. Round things could roll, right?

I cautiously nudged it with my nose, but it didn't even shift. Standing up on my back legs, I carefully pushed with my hands, causing it to roll. Digging my claws in lightly, I pulled it towards me.

I stepped down over the small doorframe ledge, once more on the smooth counter. The cantaloupe rolled over the edge and tried to roll faster, but I dug my claws into its skin a bit more, trying to spin it to a stop. The claws on my feet slid across the slippery surface, although I managed to make the rolling fruit go a slightly different way.

I let go of it as it rolled across the counter, coming to rest against the wall. I breathed a sigh of relief at having accomplished so much. The open door behind bothered me, though – it was supposed to be closed. Turning around, I tilted my head as I tried to figure out how to close it.

The hidden memories once more provided the answer, and I went back to the lever. It was easier to push it up than it was to pull it down. The lever didn't offer any resistance as I lifted it up, causing the door to slowly close by itself.

That done, I turned back to the big fruit on the counter. How was I going to get it into the living room? It just seemed wrong to push it off the counter. It didn't have wings, and the fall would probably hurt it. The Blood Memories confirmed that fruit got 'bruised' when it fell on the ground.

But it also told me that it could fall into something soft without being harmed. So, I would have to find something soft that it could fall safely on.

The mats! They cushioned my falls, so they would be able to save the cantaloupe too!

I crouched down and pushed off with my legs – and my feet slipped, making me belly-flop onto the counter instead of going into the air.

This counter was evil...

Pinning my ear tufts back in embarrassment, I got to my feet and lightly shook myself off. There had to be an easier way to take off. Images flickered along the edges of my mind, showing me another way. I walked over to the edge of the counter and took a deep breath as I spread my wings before letting myself fall from the counter.

It was almost too easy to turn my fall into a glide this time. I was beginning to think that the air was safer than that counter. Refocusing on my mission, I started flying towards the living room as fast as I dared.