Tessa's POV:

I flew between the trees, grinning back over my shoulder as Abby tried to keep up. We had lost Dirk and Glen a while ago.

"Ready to give up yet?" I taunted her.

"Nope!"

"Why are you huffing and puffing? You live out here all the time; you should be in better shape than me."

"Because I know how to relax," she retorted. "It's a skill that you really should learn."

"Nah. Sounds too boring," I replied with a breathless laugh.

"You need to have your head checked."

I snorted as I banked hard around a tree and kept going. Abby was tiring, so the turn really slowed her down. Four strange metal posts stood out of the ground, forming corners for a very large rectangle.

"Has anyone seen any more foxes?" I asked.

"Not for several weeks. A few people looked hard for them, too. It looks like all of them have been moved out of the park. I still think it's kind of strange that they left the traps up."

"From what Aeria told me, the containing shields won't activate unless a fox walks into it. They will probably leave them here for a few months, just in case they missed a few."

"I guess that makes sense. We chased a lot of different critters between those posts and nothing happened. One of those dog-like pets got caught in one; it was about the same size as a fox, though."

"Well, I'm happy that they are gone. That's one less danger to worry about."

"I agree! It's a relief, especially for those with young children. I've had nightmares about foxes finding me when I napped in the sun. That isn't something I have to worry about anymore."

"Foxes aren't the only things out here," I cautioned her.

"Oh, I know. But the foxes were the most dangerous. Now we just need to watch for eagles or very brave weasels."

"Is this another excuse to get lazier? Come on! Get those wings moving! You can't outfly an eagle if you can't even keep up with a butterfly!"

"What kind of butterflies have you been watching?"

"It might have been a hummingbird," I conceded.

"You don't have room to talk – you are breathing hard, too."

"Duh. Don't you ever listen to Mia? I live in a cage and never get a chance to spread my wings."

Her snort was audible even though she was falling farther behind. I snickered, weaving through some branches in another attempt to lose her.

It was hard, but I eventually flew far enough ahead of Abby to lose her. My teeth were slightly bared in a smirk at having outflown an older fledgling. Most adults would have been able to keep up, although some were quite lazy.

Panting hard, I landed on a branch to catch my breath. I looked around, but not a single dragonet was in sight. Having tired the other three out, they would probably want to sunbathe the rest of the afternoon. Well, Dirk would get bored in an hour, but we would probably be leaving by then. Besides, I could easily torment him at home.

The Ply-Ball team was gone for several days, so that entertainment wasn't a possibility. What else could I do in the park that wasn't an option at home? The list was rather short.

I had already explored this area of the park, and Abby and Glen had shown me other areas via the mindlink so I knew that there was nothing exciting around. The available ripe fruit in this area wasn't the most appealing, and I would rather wait for my own dinner. The lack of options was painting a bleak, boring picture of the rest of my afternoon unless I went to torture the guards.

My ear tufts perked up as an idea occurred to me. With a grin, I leapt off the branch as I headed towards the sunbathing area.

It wasn't too hard to find a big leaf in a forest, so that part of my plan was easily accomplished. I landed at the edge of the creek and folded the leaf in half. Walking on my rear legs was hard, but I got out of the creek with water cupped inside the impromptu leaf bowl.

Now, for the hard part. Carefully unfolding my wings, I fanned them hard as I tried to get airborne without spilling any of the water. Predictably, most of it spilled out as I got into the air, but some was still there. More than enough to accomplish what I intended.

I was going to have to pick my target carefully. Mom wasn't ideal – she leaned a bit too far to the wrathful side. Dad was far too quick. Mia was a grouch, plain and simple. Perhaps Drake would be napping, or maybe Glen had returned there to rest.

Keeping my glide just above the shrubs, I headed towards where the adults usually sunbathed. They wouldn't be able to see me until the last second, and, with luck, one of the better targets would have their eyes closed. I would have to make my decision quickly.

As I cleared the last shrub with silent wingbeats, I spotted Drake on his favorite rock. Even better – his eyes were closed. A few heads started to turn in my direction as I let go of the leaf, letting its cold contents cascade down onto the blue dragonet relaxing in the warm sunlight.

I pushed for speed as a yelp came from below. The wet leaf danced as it gracefully fluttered down to the ground. I was undoubtedly going to get dunked in the creek for this stunt, but it would be worth it.

Straining my wings, I climbed for height as swiftly as I could. A glance back showed that Drake was coming after me, ready to dish out some payback. My slender build and lighter weight gave me an advantage, but he was an adult with experience and stamina on his side.

He was unusually quiet as he closed the distance between us. Normally, he voiced his promises of revenge or complained so others would – hopefully – sympathize with his plight. His silence was not a good sign.

A flash of silver from above was all the warning I had to sideslip and avoid Glen's tackling dive. Now I knew why Drake had been so silent – he had been calling his rambunctious kids in as reinforcements. Abby's green scales would be harder to spot if she was waiting in ambush.

"Hey! Three against one isn't fair!" I called out. This was not how my plan was supposed to work.

"Sure it is," Abby murmured in delight.

I hadn't pushed my mindvoice that far, so she was probably close enough to see me. Glen was circling around as he tried to catch up after his miss. He didn't really worry me. Drake and Abby were my immediate cause for concern.

I gained height, rising above the treetops so Abby would have less of a chance to catch me unaware. The blue dragonet followed after me persistently, and a smaller green one joined it. I kept climbing; Abby would still be tired from our earlier race and the upwards flight would be harder for Drake than me.

The sound of my breathing became louder as my wings pushed higher. I had never really tried to fly very far above the trees, so this was the highest I had ever flown. My two followers weren't dissuaded by the height, although I didn't dare go too high in case a low-flying shuttle flew this way. Levelling out my flight, I bided my time.

As Drake began to catch up to me, I folded my wings and dove. He followed suit and quickly began to catch up to me. I realized my mistake; his heavier body was aiding his dive. Turning my fall into a rollover, I quickly changed direction, banking on him being unable to corner as easily.

It took him more effort to continue in pursuit of me, but it didn't buy me as much distance as I had lost due to my oversight. As far as I could tell, he was barely even breathing hard. Not that it surprised me. His six children had kept him from getting out of shape over the years.

My eyes scanned the trees not far below. Where had that silver nuisance gotten himself to this time? Abby was falling behind once more, still tired from before. Then again, I had been tired as well.

Drake was still catching up, and my time was running out. So were my options. I really had to start planning my getaway plans before I actually instigated my mischief.

The blue dragonet drew closer. Taking a chance, I did a partial mid-air somersault as I reversed direction, flying back the way I had come. It cost me a bit of height, but it also caught Drake off-guard, and he flew past where I had been moments before.

Cheering internally, I dove through the dense branches to reach the creek before my pursuers caught up. My fast landing sent water spraying up around me, and I ducked underneath a tree branch that dangled into the water, leaving just my head above water.

The leaf above me darkened momentarily as a shadow passed overhead. Then another. As they got further away, I could see Drake and Abby scanning the creek as they searched for me.

I waited where I was, and it wasn't long before a third shadow went by. My grin was silent as I watched Glen follow in their wake. Now was my chance to get out of the water and sneak through the shrubs.

They would be searching this part of the river, and their keen eyes would be watching the area between the underbrush and the tree canopy. I swam to the shore, and with a final look around, I exited the water as quietly as I could before dashing underneath the bushes.

Now was the perfect time to see how far I could travel under the cover of the numerous plants around here. The longer I could evade my airborne searchers, the lower their chances of catching me became.

While constantly peeking up in case of company, I quickly ran along the ground, using the shrubs for cover as much as possible. It would be quite an accomplishment if I could evade an adult, even if he wasn't trying his hardest.