Tessa's POV:

Aeria held up a new harness. "Your new harness won't have the flaw that your older ones did, so it won't be possible to get out of this one. We had to disguise it on your last harness so Soranto wouldn't see it. Considering he's coming over soon to watch the Morning Song, I can either leave this one on the hook or leave your old one hanging for today."

I understood the subtle hint; this was my last easy chance to back out of my plan.

"We can hang up the new one," I confidently replied.

She nodded and put the slightly larger harness on the hook. I subtly glanced at Dirk, who was still sleeping beneath the heat lamp. I still hadn't told anyone about his cuddling session, but I was wondering if he was having second thoughts about potentially joining the wild flock.

My eyes strayed to the window, although there was still some time until the sun rose. Between my undisturbed sleep in the back room and the anticipation of Soranto arriving early, I had been the first one to wake up. Soranto would also get to come with us on patrol again today! I was really looking forward to it.

I flew to the front door and peered out the window to see if he was coming yet. The worst part about this window was that I couldn't see any of the east-facing windows. The possible lure of the rising sun had me flying back to the living room again to check.

Taureen opened up the back door. "Why don't we go outside? He'll likely show up at the back gate since he is coming right from his place."

A place to wait for both Soranto and the rising sun? I couldn't pass up that offer. I flew past him and landed on the driftwood where we usually waited for the Morning Song. It was so hard to sit still. Normally, I had no trouble waiting for the sun to rise, but this morning I kept looking at the back gate.

Spreading my wings once more, I flew up to the top of the fairly short trees for a better vantage point. The netting wasn't far away, but the height allowed me to see the wide walking trail that separated the backyards. The benches, shrubs, and trees that grew beyond the fence made it hard for those in the backyards to see who was walking there, which was probably the point.

I twisted my head to the side and stared at a clump of bushes that I had seen a glimpse of motion behind. My wings sagged in disappointment when I got a better look at the Kymari walking there – it wasn't Soranto.

Waiting had never been my strong point, especially when I was excited. With a groan, I deliberately overbalanced while hanging onto the branch, flipping upside down. Then I just hung there while watching the empty trail.

I heard the back door open as Aeria's voice became audible. "-she's out here somewhere. It isn't unusual for her to be the first one to wait for the sunrise."

My head whipped around in surprise, and I almost lost my grip on the branch. Soranto was here! I let go of the branch so I could fly over.

As I was flying over, Taureen greeted him, "Good morning. I'm surprised you didn't walk."

Soranto shrugged. "The shuttle was faster, and I got a bit distracted with a few small renovations."

I landed on Soranto's shoulder pad with a trill of welcome, happy to see him again.

He reached up to scratch behind my ear tuft. "Good morning to you, too."

I warbled my amusement. I was looking forward to the day he learned that I could understand him perfectly, although that was a very long time away. In the meantime, he seemed to be getting the gist of things.

A glimpse of gold flashed past the corner of my eye as Mom flew over to the driftwood. Dad glided past as well, followed by Dirk. There were still a few minutes left, so I remained on Soranto's shoulder as I softly whistled a quiet, happy tune, although my eyes were mostly focused on the horizon.

It wasn't too long before I left his shoulder to join the others on the driftwood. The sun was just starting to rise above the horizon, and it was demanding my attention even though the Morning Song's call was still faint.

The silence before the Morning Song was a time when I actually had patience – and I would be willing to wait forever during this quiet spell. The suspense was growing as the call continued to strengthen. Not suspense, exactly; perhaps it was closer to anticipation. Or a combination of both.

We couldn't feel the rhythm of the dance and song yet, which was part of the suspense, but the Morning Song was always good, and we anticipated the joy it would bring. Regardless of which words best described it, we eagerly waited for the Song to begin.

Finally, the light seemed to shimmer as the call strengthened. With a joyful trill, I threw myself into the air. No clouds adorned the sky this morning, so the theme was a simpler one. No day was plain, though, so subtle hints had to be woven into our dance – people had to purposefully look for them to notice them, much like the small joys that could be found in any day.

Our flying was cheerful and exuberant as the early morning sunlight caressed our scales. My singing was almost a match for Mom and Dad's – even Dirk's was pretty good. I slideslipped to avoid Dirk, before beating my wings hard to shoot up into the air, twirling as I went.

It was almost magical, as our wings let us manage incredible maneuvers – somehow never completely running out of breath despite our unceasing song. Happiness filled every wingbeat, and delight, joy, and hope echoed through our voices.

A brand-new day had begun.

As the song faded, we glided back towards the Kymari, who were sitting in chairs beside the house. Dirk picked up speed, trying to beat Dad to Aeria so he could have his oiling first. His efforts were in vain though, and Dad easily landed on Aeria's lap first.

Mom landed on Taureen's shoulder, and Dirk quickly took advantage of the opening, hoping to get his itchy scales soothed. Both of us were going through another growth spurt, so I knew just how badly he wanted the itching gone after spending the night under a heat lamp. I landed on the arm of Soranto's chair, leaning over to pointedly stare at the scouring pad that was mostly hidden in his hand.

"I think I'll have to start coming over every morning. They sing early enough that I can help out before I have to leave," Soranto said as he moved his hand above his leg and opened it, letting me see that he had a vial of oil as well.

I hopped onto his lap and partially spread my wings as I looked up at him with a hopeful trill. He smiled and began rubbing the scouring pad against my shoulders. With a happy sigh, I laid down and spread my wings out.

Through half-closed eyes, I saw Mom glide over to the table and begin picking the raspberries out of all of the bowls. That was the hazard we faced if we got oiled first – having someone else pick out most of their favorites. Luckily, we tended to prefer different types of fruit, so no one really minded if Mom raided the raspberries, or if Dirk went after the orange slices.

Time seemed to lose meaning as Soranto cleaned my scales and then gently massaged the oil in. It took a conscious effort to check, but Dirk had fallen asleep and Dad didn't look far from it. The best part was that there was no rush for me to move so someone else could have their turn, nor did I have to worry about completely missing out on breakfast. This was nice.

Once Soranto finished, he just petted me as I half dozed contentedly. My relaxation was ruined when my stomach growled insistently. I rolled my head to the side to look at my food dish as I debated how much longer I could ignore my hunger.

As if it heard me, my stomach pressed its demands yet again, loudly enough that all three Kymari glanced at me. With a smile, Aeria picked up my bowl from where she sat and passed it to Soranto.

My ear tufts perked up as I realized that I wouldn't have to move to enjoy breakfast – this was even better! I happily accepted the berry he offered me and swallowed it in three quick bites. The following piece of banana disappeared just as quickly.

Soranto jokingly asked, "Let me guess, she hasn't eaten in three days?"

"She nibbled on a few apple slices just over an hour ago," Aeria replied in amusement.

Soranto grinned and offered me another berry, which I took with a bit more grace. I was very glad to see that there were no pieces of kiwi in the bowl Aeria had given Soranto. The lack of cantaloupe was a tragedy, though.

Despite sniffing the air, I didn't smell any in the other bowls either. Perhaps it was in one of the treat bags. I really hoped it was. It was always a sad day when there was no cantaloupe.

I couldn't quite manage to eat all of my breakfast this morning, which was usually the case since the bowls held more than we could normally eat.

The morning was quite lazy until Dirk landed on the arm of Soranto's chair and pulled my tail. With a squawk, I tried to swat him with my wing, but missed. When he leaned down again, I got to my feet, causing him to flee into the air.

I quickly pursued my pesky brother. Dunking him in the pond seemed like a good way to pass the time if he wasn't going to let me relax during my rare attempts to do so.

He knew exactly what my plan was and swiftly hid underneath a bush. Trying to get him out would involve a wrestling match that I probably wasn't going to win. I landed on the grass in front, glaring at him and hoping he would try chasing me instead.

He bared his teeth in a grin as he laid down, plainly not about to fall for that trick again. I noticed the Kymari all going inside, likely to get ready. With a snort, I flew after them, eager to see what kind of training we would be doing today.

Soranto went to get my harness and came over to where I was sitting on a shoulder-height wall perch. He took his time as he put it on and adjusted the straps slightly.

When Taureen and Aeria came into the room, Soranto glanced over his shoulder and said, "Five days from now, Adeline has the day off and is wondering if you would be interested in coming over for dinner."

Aeria smiled. "That would be nice. Does she want us to bring anything?"

"Just our flying friends and their supper, if you could."

"That's easy enough," Taureen said, going over to pick up Mom's harness. "We can host dinner here the day after."

"Sure. They have me scheduled to accompany you every three days, so I can help cook as well."

My ear tufts perked up as I listened to their plans. I liked playing with Maria and Adeline, and I didn't get to see them as much as I liked.

I was looking forward to seeing Soranto's house again. I might even get to see what their kitchen looked like. If we were going for dinner, then I would have time to try napping under that special heat lamp. Perhaps he had even fixed the toilet. I would have to check.