Tessa's POV:

I held still as Aeria put my harness on, tentatively inquiring, "We aren't going back to the room with the sicora, are we?"

"No," she replied, "we are going to see some friends of your Mom and Dad. They have the morning off, so we're going now."

She could hear me if I tried to talk to her now. My attempts to warn her two days ago in the sicora room had worked, but she hadn't replied because there had been video cameras watching us.

I perked up my ear tufts in curiosity, wondering who these people were. Mom didn't really like any Kymari besides Taureen and Aeria.

It wasn't long before we were walking down the sidewalk. I was on Aeria's shoulder again, looking around in curiosity. There was so much to see along the street. Hover vehicles flew by quietly, other Kymari walked past, there were plants beside the sidewalk, and some buildings had interesting carvings on them while others had very smooth sides.

We left the sidewalk and approached a house. A big fully enclosed backyard was visible even as we walked up to the front door. Taureen touched his finger to an odd carving beside the door, and a doorbell inside chimed.

"Come in, Taureen, Aeria. We're in the living room."

Taureen opened the door for Aeria, letting her enter first. Mom sat up in excitement, and even Dad looked eager to go inside. We went down the hallway and entered a room. My jaw dropped in surprise when I saw two dragonets under a heat lamp on a central table.

One had red scales like me! The other dragonet was bright purple. Both of them were watching us as Aeria and Taureen sat down on a couch and unclipped our harnesses.

"Go on," Taureen told Mom at the same time that Aeria nodded at Dad.

Mom and Dad immediately flew towards the purple and red dragonets, who were also spreading their wings and taking off. I watched with wide eyes as they whirled and twirled around one another happily.

"About time you came to visit, Tasha! I have been waiting to see your children for weeks!" The woman's voice came from the red dragonet.

"Things only happen so fast," Mom replied. "Their first outing was only the other day."

"Let's land and see if we can coax the cuties closer."

All four of them landed on the central table, looking at Dirk and me.

"Dirk, Tessa, come meet Serena and Tom."

I was suddenly nervous – I had never met another dragonet before. Taureen and Aeria were relaxed, though. Somewhat shyly, I glided over and landed on the edge of the table close to Mom. Dirk landed beside me, also unsure of what to make of Mom's friends.

"Dirk, Tessa, this is Serena and Tom. Alec is their handler, and he is in the loop." As odd as her wording was, I knew that it meant he was one of the trusted ones.

I nodded a greeting at the dragonets and took a step closer. Serena took a few steps forward and happily bunted her nose against my shoulder in a greeting.

"It's good to see you. I've been waiting to meet you ever since your Mom told me that you two hatched."

I didn't know what to make of this very friendly lady, and I just blinked at her, unsure of how to respond.

She kept talking. "And you have red scales, too! I bet you know exactly how hard it is to play a fair game of hide and go seek."

That one made me grin. It was very hard to play hide and go seek when your scales stood out so much. She draped a wing over me as she grinned in return.

"Let's enjoy the heat, and I can tell you some tricks to get around that problem."

I glanced at Mom, and at her nod, I followed the scarlet female the short distance to the warm sand.

As soon as I settled down, she started talking, "The easiest way to hide is to find a dark place. Red doesn't stand out as much in the dark. Your Mom or Dad couldn't pull that off with their bright scales, but reds and purples can. Another way is to roll in the mud, keeping in mind that your Mom might throw a fit. Oh, and let's not forget about-"

I listened intently as she kept talking. She had a lot of ideas, tricks, and tips on how to hide and move without our bright red scales being seen. Other than an occasional nod or tilt of my head if I didn't understand something, I didn't even have to talk.

Dirk was probably going to regret my visit with Serena.

It didn't take long before I lost all nervousness around the two friendly dragonets. Once I got used to how they occasionally nuzzled me or draped their wing over me, I was completely relaxed. It struck me as odd until I realized that the Kymari rarely touched us unless we came to them. Dragonets were different, and in a way, it seemed more natural.

I began shifting my wings more often, and Serena grinned as she spotted the early signs of my restlessness. She jumped to her feet and gently whacked me with her wing.

"Tag! You're it!" She blasted into the air like a red lightning bolt, the wind from her takeoff scattering sand across the table.

I scrambled to my feet before pursuing her. After one loop of the room, it was clear that Serena was just as fast as Mom. My sights turned to Dirk, who saw me coming and jumped down from the table in an attempt to evade me.

My dive took me down as I carefully, yet quickly, banked into the limited space between the Kymari's legs and the center table. Dirk hadn't expected that. Balling up my fists, I tapped his back as I flew over him.

"You're it!"

He managed to jump up and tag Mom's tail where it rested along the edge of the table. Dad bolted into the air before Mom could catch him, and Tom wasn't far behind.

Serena swooped past me. "This way, quick!"

My wings beat faster as I tried to keep up with her. She darted through a small access door and out into the backyard. A glance over my shoulder showed that the Kymari were getting to their feet, likely guessing that this game was heading outside, but they didn't look worried or concerned. Mom was airborne, searching for any sign of weakness or mistakes among her potential targets.

That was good enough to count as permission for me.

I pushed the door open with my nose and scampered through it. This backyard had more trees, and in many places, I couldn't see the fence past all of the leaves. Serena was nowhere in sight.

If I wasn't the fastest to evade getting tagged, then I had to avoid being found. My wings quickly took me into the shelter of the leaves as I searched for a better hiding place. The backdoor opened as the Kymari came out. While the door was open, streaks of silver, gold, blue, and purple shot past them.

Where could I hide... My eyes scanned the openings in the leaves. The red scales on my hands stood out brightly against brown bark and green leaves. There was no mud that I could see, although I wouldn't have used it just for a game. Mom would not be happy if I got that dirty.

The other easy way to hide was in the shadows. Where could I go if I wanted to be in the shade where people couldn't see me from above? Hiding below a bush or in a log weren't options with my family – they always looked there. I needed an unusual hiding place.

My eyes focused on a possible place. I just had to get there without being spotted. Peering out of the leaves, I could see a few glimpses of shiny scales in the trees against the back of the fence. No one was close by.

I took off silently, weaving between the branches to keep my bright hide mostly hidden. My wings remained mostly level with my body, since raising or lowering my wings much would make me much more visible.

I ducked under the overhang of the roof and glided along the underside of it, looking for a place I could perch. To my delight, I found some sort of light fixture tucked up close in the gap under the overhang and landed on it.

The Kymari were just to the side, barely visible past a tall shrub. Other than a few smaller shrubs, nothing else was close to the house. No one would think to look here. The three Kymari didn't even notice me sneak into my hiding place. They continued talking quietly as the whistles, screeches, squawks, and other sounds came from the dragonets in the trees across the backyard.

"Have you had any real problems so far?" Alec inquired.

"Not yet," Taureen replied. "Although they are just old enough now to mindspeak someone other than their parents."

"Hmmm... I assume they are old enough to understand that it might not be a wise idea to let every Kymari in the immediate area hear them?"

Taureen nodded. "Yes, Tasha and Keegan both had several long talks with them about that. Their abilities are still limited by their youth, so they have to focus in order to be heard by someone."

"At least we won't have to worry about them forgetting and accidentally talking to dozens of people. The last thing we need is a couple of the old bloods getting wind of it and demanding that all of the fire lizards contribute in some way if they want to live in our cities."

"The Elders would flatten their demands in an instant," Aeria asserted quietly. "They would speak with each tame one to ensure that they were willing to stay with their handler, but once they ensure that it isn't slavery, they will let things mostly continue as they have been. Granted, changes would be made so the fire lizards are more recognized as intelligent, but they already have a protected status."

Alec sighed quietly. "You're correct. I'm just overthinking things. Anyone in the city knows that our companions have always returned, even when off-leash, so it is clear that they are coming back willingly."

Aeria reassured him. "Enough fire lizards have followed people out of the park that every incoming spaceship can be inspected. Those few have managed to protect an entire planet, and it isn't as if there are many fire lizards to begin with. It will be centuries before the main park won't be able to support their numbers. They have no technology and seem more than happy to co-exist, so the Elders won't consider them a threat even if they learn that they are intelligent."

"I'm not entirely certain that the Elders are unaware." Taureen's words were so soft that I could barely hear them, but it got the immediate attention of the two beside him.

"What?" Alec blurted out, staring at Taureen.

Taureen pulled something out of his pocket and handed to Alec. "I sent an update to Elder Dairno yesterday; look at the reply he sent this morning. Just the wording of it... it was enough that I went back through all of our correspondences and checked the notes I made about our conversations."

Alec murmured as he read, "...and I hope all efforts will be made to ensure that the fledglings enjoy their training. Please keep me updated, particularly if they show signs of choosing a handler in the foreseeable future. I grant permission to take them into the main park without a leash, although I will request that they be introduced to as many Kymari as they are comfortable meeting during such outings. There are to be no restrictions on the youngsters' choice."

"There's nothing concrete," Taureen said in frustration, passing him a few more pieces of paper, "but I'm now quite positive that they have some idea of how smart our friends actually are, and that they are content to let the fire lizards pretend to simply be clever animals."

Alec scanned the rest of the letter, before quickly moving onto Taureen's notes.

"I helped someone else train a bond animal in the past," Alec finally said in a somewhat troubled voice. "Bond animals generally choose their handlers, and we try to ensure that they like their training, but this isn't a typical letter. The wording in the other ones isn't what a handler usually sees, either. I've never seen this many suggestions about the bond animals getting to choose what they want."

Alec frowned at the papers before handing them to Aeria.

He looked back at Taureen. "Is there any sign of them wanting confirmation or more details than the updates they are specifically asking for?"

"No. Thankfully, everything I am seeing is more or less telling us to continue as we are, unless 'something comes up.' The wording around the handler section is making me think that there won't be any repercussions if a fledgling joins the wild flock and refuses to return."

"That is what I am understanding as well," Alec replied. "Objectively, there really isn't any harm with them staying in the park. They are quite safe there, and so far, every injured or ill adult has been found and rescued. The escaped youngster might decide to choose a handler later on. It wouldn't be the first time that a fire lizard started following someone around, so more might still join the ranks."

Taureen looked thoughtful. "Those are good points, but I think it may be more than that. If the Elders are aware of the fire lizards' intelligence, this may be their assurance to them that any youngsters born in captivity will still have a choice."

"I think you might be right," Aeria said quietly, leafing through the papers again. "It might be my imagination, but there is no emphasis here that they need to choose a handler. However, Elder Dairno does state that his instructions will apply to any youngster. The Elders might be worried that the bonded ones won't have young if they think their children don't have a choice."

"That could be it," Alec stated. "We have had several pairs of bonded fire lizards for five years, and this is the first clutch. The wild population has had at least twenty-five clutches during that same time. If the Elders are certain of their intelligence, this is likely their way of offering an option for the future generations. If we are jumping to conclusions and they aren't aware, then it makes sense to let an ambitious youngster join the wild flock, grow up, have a few clutches, before possibly returning."

Aeria frowned slightly. "The Elders always take the long view of things. The fire lizards are the only known species that can detect sicora, and they are critically endangered. Either possibility fits because it ensures that the population will continue to grow."

They looked at each other for a long moment before Alec asked, "So, basically, life goes on until the fire lizards themselves decide that they want to take the next step. Whether it is to remain with us, choose a handler of their own, or return to the park."

Taureen nodded slowly. "As far as I can tell, yes."

The group fell silent, lost in thought.

I blinked slowly, wishing that they had kept talking, even if I didn't understand everything they had said. Their conversation had been fascinating to listen to. I hadn't realized that barely twenty dragonets and their handlers managed to protect an entire planet. We were the only ones who could stop the sicora and crawlers.

I also had a feeling that I hadn't been meant to overhear this conversation. Quietly, I glided back the way I had come and around the corner of the house. Landing on the grass, I darted underneath the bushes as I made my way towards the trees.