Tessa's POV:

I sat on Aeria's shoulder as she leaned against the house. The sun was just starting to rise, not that we could see any hint of its location through the thick clouds and steady rainfall. We remained dry under the roof overhang while we waited.

Once the Song called us, we would brave the rain since there wasn't nearly enough room to fly under the overhang. We could fly inside, but it was far more natural outside. The air itself even felt different. It was worth getting wet to fly under the open sky.

Mom and Dad took off as the call got stronger, heading to the middle of the backyard. Dirk and I followed readily enough. The raindrops splattered against my scales and smoothly rolled off.

The worst part about the rain was that it got in my eyes. Having a raindrop actually hit my eye while flying was very uncomfortable. Keeping my eyelids mostly closed helped some, but not much.

The Morning Song began, and we eagerly responded. It wasn't possible to ignore the rain – it was part of the new day – so we incorporated it into our song and dance. The smell of the new grass and growing things became more vibrant as we started singing.

The sound of the rain hitting the leaves before plopping down onto the grass simply accented the melody we sang today. It was the sound of a peaceful day, one of relaxation and restoration. Our dance was slower and flowing, reflecting the steady rainfall that fell out of the sky.

The Song had a surprisingly gradual finish. When it ended, we swooped through the door that Taureen held open. The rain may have had an excellent purpose, but it was still wet and cold. I didn't like being cold.

All four of us crowded underneath the main heat lamp as well as the second smaller one that Taureen had temporarily brought into the living room. I rubbed my chin and neck against the warm sand. Some of the grains stuck to my damp scales, although they would fall off shortly as I dried.

Aeria came out of the kitchen with bowls of fruit. "The rain is supposed to last most of the morning before clearing off. The forecast for tomorrow is the same."

"Hmmm... In that case, I think we should go to the main park on the third day," Mom said. "Tessa and Dirk have never joined the flock during the Morning Song. It should be an interesting experience."

My ear tufts perked up, suddenly intent on the conversation. I would get to fly with Abby and the other fledglings!

"We can do that," Taureen agreed easily.

I trilled happily as I rubbed my chin against the sand again. It was warm – unlike the rain.

It didn't take long for us to warm up enough that breakfast became more tempting than the heat lamps. After a cleaning and an oiling, we were set to start our day.

Work didn't stop just because it was raining. They used something like an umbrella to shield us from the rain when going between buildings or crossing the streets, although many places had extended their long awnings above the sidewalk to protect those walking there.

Dirk, Mom, and Taureen had the joy of tracking ktari in the training center today. That left Aeria, Dad, and me to wander the streets and check out buildings. We even got to visit the port area outside the city and watch a spaceship land. It had already been checked by one of the other bonded dragonets.

Rhay and Sadria were present, as they always were during our 'shift', although I wasn't sure why since we weren't really working. It was still nice to have them along. They tended to talk with Aeria more than Taureen did with Tran and Vick, although that was just a reflection of their personalities.

The guards tended to keep their friends fairly up to date on what was happening in the city, on the planet, and across the star system. Most of it was gibberish to me, and I ignored it, preferring to enjoy the sights around us.

The morning and early afternoon passed by without anything unforeseen or particularly exciting happening. Once our shift ended, all of us headed to the park to meet up with Taureen's group. Thankfully, the rain had stopped hours ago.

I partially unfolded my wings when I saw Dirk flying our way and asked him, "Ready to go see if that group is back?"

"Yep!"

I whined as I looked at Aeria, knowing that I had to wait for permission when other people were present.

She smiled. "Go on."

I launched off her shoulder as I angled myself towards the trees. Dirk quickly followed me, hoping that they would be there again. Weaving expertly among the trees, I headed straight towards the distant meadow.

They were here! Some friends had joined them as well, although two were arriving at a quick jog. They must have just gotten here, which made sense if they had school.

One of them noticed our approach and pointed with a grin. "She returned! It looks like she dragged her brother along, too."

I swooped down and glided in a wide circle around the seven teenagers with a cheerful trill. One of the two women was noticeably younger than all of her friends, and she held a video recorder like Taureen's. She sat on the bench, clearly a spectator.

One of the two I had played with yesterday bounced the ball off his knees, somehow keeping it close enough for his other knee to tap it back up into the air. "You're going to have to work harder today if you want to win! If we lose too many more games against you, our coach is threatening to replace us with squirrels."

With a quick wingover, I dove down at a high speed. Flipping sideways, I curled my hands into fists and thwacked the ball mid-bounce as I whizzed past it. My speed startled him, but it also had the effect I wanted – the ball was no longer in his possession.

With a mid-air roll, I corrected my flight to land beside the ball, bounding after it. I promptly began pushing it towards the rock in the middle of the decent-sized meadow.

"Cheater. You're supposed to wait for the game to start. Or, at the very least, let most of the other players get onto the playing field."

Dirk landed beside me, and I let him take the ball. The six Kymari stretched as they leisurely walked into the main section of the meadow. By the time they caught up, Dirk was getting the hang of controlling the ball while going faster than a trot.

I jumped in front of Dirk and used my tail to flick the ball ahead, stealing it from him. "Remember that there is no way you would have learned the rules yet..."

He grumbled and took to the air to follow from above. I picked up speed as I aimed for the rock. The Kymari closed in, and it wasn't long before one of them stole the ball from me. Dirk dove down and tackled the ball, quickly running away with it – in the wrong direction.

A teenager I hadn't seen before managed to get the ball away from Dirk, only for another guy to steal it from him. This game was moving faster than the one yesterday, although they were no less careful around our tiny bodies.

Dirk quickly got over his nervousness, thoroughly enjoying the game. His heavier frame was far more adept at tackling the ball away from the players. On wing, both of us were a match for the Kymari's speed if we had to catch up.

"Where are you guys?" Abby called in confusion. "Your parents are sunbathing, so I know you're around."

"Playing Ply-Ball!" I replied excitedly

"Ply- what?"

"It's a game! And we're outnumbered! Come give us a hand!" I sent her the mental coordinates to our location, although I kept who we were playing against out of the mindlink.

I darted after the ball again and managed to get it to the rock, successfully scoring another goal.

"What on Earth..." Abby's stunned mindvoice trailed off.

"It's actually pretty fun," Dirk told her. "You can join, if you like."

"They would probably step on me."

"They are being really careful," he replied. "They haven't so much as brushed against my scales yet. Sicora and ktari move faster than the Kymari move their feet when they are close to us."

She fell silent, and I actually thought she had left until I saw a green shape gliding along the treeline. Circling high above, she watched, but was too nervous to approach the quickly-moving Kymari.

Dirk and I kept playing, although the Kymari were making me work much harder to get a goal today. I whistled a victory as Dirk managed to score his third goal. A Kymari kicked the ball across the field as we chased after it.

The Kymari came to a sudden stop as a green dragonet nervously landed near the ball. Tentatively, she nudged the ball, glancing furtively at her observers before gingerly bumping it with her nose again.

"It's a wild one..." someone murmured in surprise.

"Drop back. Let it get used to our presence. We can do the same thing we did yesterday and let Rasha try approaching it."

I ran forward with a happy trill. "Awesome! Now it's three versus three versus three! We'll help show you the ropes."

"You owe me big time for even attempting this..."

"How about three sunburst berries?" I knew that Taureen would give them to me if it was bribery for helping a dragonet get more comfortable around the Kymari.

"I'm beginning to think that you are determined to challenge my sanity to the breaking point."

"I knew you'd say yes!"

I bunted the ball with my nose as I began pushing it towards the rock. Abby trotted after me, nervously eyeing up the group of Kymari we were approaching. Several of them backed up while the others remained where they were.

Her eyes were wide and her pupils were mere slits, but she didn't fly away even when we passed close to one of them. A Kymari – the same one from yesterday – began jogging beside us. He edged closer and carefully toed the ball away from me.

I jumped after it, batting it to the side with my tail. Abby picked up where I left off, and since she had the excuse that she could have been watching from the trees, she began pushing it towards the rock.

The Kymari, who must be Rasha, lightly jogged beside us for a bit before easing closer to steal the ball. Abby half spread her wings and hopped away from the ball fearfully. He immediately took a step back.

Knowing it would take Abby time to adjust, I took the ball and continued rolling it. I was actually very surprised at how well Abby was doing. She followed behind me as Rasha matched my speed again.

In a repeat, he stole the ball from me, only for me to tackle it away. Gathering up her courage, Abby joined once more. This time, she didn't flee when Rasha gently nudged the ball away from her. I was impressed by her rapid progress.

Dirk swooped in to help out. After a few more scores, another Kymari joined the game. When a third one came closer, Abby flew further away and landed in the grass to watch from a distance. With a disappointed expression, the Kymari went back to the sidelines, opting to let her play instead.

Abby glanced after him with a somewhat guilty look, knowing that he meant no harm. She just wasn't ready to be so close to more than one or two Kymari at a time. Until Dirk and I had come along, she had never gone near one before. Now, she was near two while they were moving.

She rejoined the game, and we kept playing. Abby never got brave enough to steal the ball from either of the teenagers, but she no longer looked so terrified if they dared to take it from her.

It looked like I was going to have to ask Taureen about those berries.

       As I flew through the forest, I mindlinked Taureen and Aeria. "Uh, I probably should have asked first, but I promised Abby three sunburst berries if she joined us and the Kymari for a Ply-Ball game. She joined our game for almost two hours. The berries can come out of my treat bag if they have to."

I was reluctant to lose my quota of berries, which was about one a day. My saving grace was that Taureen and Aeria were very fair and rarely gave out our treats if we promised something to another dragonet. Especially if it helped a dragonet relax around the Kymari.

Dirk and Abby followed me, oblivious to my shielded mindlink. It was a pity that the Kymari were unable to respond through the mindlink.

We entered the field where the handlers and guards normally waited. They never seemed to mind sitting on the benches here for several hours a day while we romped through the forest. It wasn't unusual for the other dragonet handlers to show up and visit, although it was just Taureen and Aeria at the moment.

I grinned when I saw three orange, pea-sized objects drop beneath the bench from Taureen's hand, unnoticed by the guards. Neither Abby nor Dirk commented, so I suspected that they hadn't seen them fall.

"Abby, Taureen just dropped the three berries beneath the bench."

I kept my words strictly for her. If she was subtle about it, Dirk wouldn't even know what she was doing beneath the bench. As we got closer, Aeria uncovered a small bowl of fruit. It was more common stuff, but the snack was welcome.

Dirk and I arrowed in to land on her lap while Abby glided around the back of the bench. It wasn't unusual for her to need a few moments to build up her courage to land on a Kymari. Although I knew she was sneaking under the bench for a much better snack this time.

It only took a few minutes before she flew up from behind the bench and landed beside Dirk. Some of the fruit in the container were things never seen in the park. A few types were currently out of season, so the wild fledglings had plenty of incentive to show up at snack time.

"Where is your brother? I haven't seen him the last two days."

Abby glanced at me, her mouth full of kiwi. "He has a fever and isn't feeling well, so he is keeping close to our burrow with Dad."

"Oh. I wasn't aware of that."

I hoped Glen got better soon. The wild dragonets weren't really able to go to the vet clinic if they wanted to stay in the park. I had already met several of the veterinarians, mostly so that I would be somewhat familiar with them if I ever did get sick or hurt.

"Speaking of Glen, I'm going to grab a few pieces to take back to him."

"Tell him to get better soon."

"I will." She grabbed several pieces of the rarer types and jumped into the air as she went to find her brother.

Despite our best efforts, Dirk and I were unable to empty the large container that held enough to feed a dozen fledglings. We did succeed in pigging out on our favorites, though.

I sprawled out in the grass near Aeria's feet, too full to even bother tormenting Dirk. He was equally as stuffed and idly tossed pieces of grass onto Tran's boot. A classic display of boredom at its finest.

It wasn't much longer before Taureen and Aeria called for Mom and Dad. Neither I nor Dirk budged as the graceful silver and gold dragonets circled the area. Mom landed on Taureen's shoulder and gazed at us in amusement.

"Come on, you two. Time to get going." Taureen reached out with his light boot to gently nudge Dirk.

"Do I have to?" Dirk asked plaintively, not ready to move yet.

With a chuckle, Taureen leaned over – moving slowly to allow Mom to back up and keep from falling off – and picked Dirk up. Aeria got to her feet as she walked over to me.

"Are you going to sit on my shoulder or am I going to have to carry you?" she asked me in good humor.

I rolled on the grass with a yawn. She chuckled and bent down to pick me up. I rested my neck on her arm as I stretched out in her arms, clearly lacking any and all ambition. With a smile, she began walking down the path. I propped my chin on her arm to observe our walk home in style.