Tessa's POV:

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring the new city, which was a nice change. I was glad for the awnings overhead that shielded us from the direct sunlight. Even without the sun hitting us, it was warm.

The few parks we visited were very different, and we didn't stray far from Taureen and Aeria. Everything was strange, and we weren't sure what kind of wild animals were around. There could easily be venomous snakes as well.

I gave a quiet whistle as I nudged Taureen's cheek. He pulled a water bottle out of his pocket and unfolded the lid so it made a tiny bowl on the end. I greedily drank more of the cool water. Once I was done, he offered it to Mom as well, and she took a few sips.

"We still haven't reached the hottest part of the day," Taureen observed as he passed Aeria the water bottle for Dad and Dirk.

"They aren't used to this climate," she replied, "and I don't want to take any chances with them overheating."

"I was thinking the same thing. I'll call for a shuttle, although I want to stop in the shop across the road for a moment."

The air inside the store was much cooler, although the fruit lining the shelves caught my immediate attention. My mouth watered as I tried to figure out which one would taste the best. There were lots I hadn't seen before.

"It's been a long time since I had shia fruit," Mom said longingly. "I know we originally agreed that the children had to wait until they had handlers before tasting it, but since they are both certain they are remaining with the Kymari, I'm sure we can break that rule."

With a faint smile, Taureen walked over and picked up several of the blue and pale pink colored fruits. The name rang a bell, although I wasn't sure why Mom wanted it so badly. Taureen picked out a few other things I hadn't tasted yet. Aeria also selected some fruit before going to the counter and paying for everything.

The tempting fruit was put into bags, and we went back outside. The heat seemed worse after the reprieve, which was odd considering how much time we usually spent sunbathing and under heat lamps. The dry air was making me constantly thirsty.

A shuttle landed beside us, and I was relieved to see it was ours. Even a long, boring ride home was better than this unyielding, dry heat. We got in and sat down as the shuttle began our lengthy flight home.

Taureen opened up the bag he was carrying and pulled out four small paper plates. As wrappers crinkled, a hard crystal was dropped on each one with light thud. He passed two to Aeria and put the other two on the seat beside him.

"Go here," he said, tapping the seat.

Mom and I both dropped down with wing assist. I sniffed one of the objects in confusion, although Mom promptly picked hers up and began chewing on it. The snapping, cracking, and crunching noises made me stare at her with wide eyes.

Tentatively, I sniffed mine again. It smelled cold... and fruity. With a glance at Mom, I tentatively licked it. It was some sort of frozen fruit juice. I picked it up before trying to cautiously bite a piece off.

Only a few flakes of ice came free, but they tasted good, and – more importantly – they were cold. I could feel the chill radiating through the scales on my hand, although it didn't overly bother me.

With my next bite, I dug my teeth in harder, determined to break a piece off. With a snap, a section gave way beneath my sharp teeth, and I began chewing it. The frozen juice felt unpleasant against my teeth, although the cold fragments and sweet taste were worth it.

Dirk was also chewing his icy treat, still trying to get used to the shattering feeling of it breaking into pieces. Mom and Dad had already halfway finished theirs.

I quickly ate the frozen treat before it melted and then licked the few melted drops off the plate. With our unusual snack gone, I went back up to Taureen's shoulder so I could look out of the window. I was no longer overly warm, and I felt much better now.

The city we were leaving was not a place I had any desire to return to. I rested my chin on Taureen's shoulder pad and watched the scenery below grow more distant.

       When the doorbell rang, I jumped into the air even as Taureen called out, "Come in."

I whizzed around the corner to greet Soranto, finding it amusing that Tkael had expected this and waited for his friend to enter first. My landing on Soranto's shoulder pad was a bit harder than usual, although it didn't stop my whistle of greeting.

I continued chattering at him excitedly while he walked into the living room. Soranto sat down and watched me in amusement as I continued to chirp, whistle, and chitter until I ran out of breath.

"Your day was that exciting, huh?" Soranto asked me in amusement.

Tkael asked Taureen, "How did the trip go? Did you find any crawlers?"

"No," Taureen replied, "although there were some ktari."

"At least it wasn't a wasted trip. The ktari would have swiftly multiplied and made a nuisance of themselves."

"They handled the trip fairly well. If I have to go that far again, I'll probably bring a toy or something to keep them from getting bored in the shuttle."

"That's a long ride for them if they have nothing to do."

They continued discussing the trip and what they could do to make it less boring for us in the future. Soranto listened as he scratched behind my ear tuft.

Once I grew tired of the scratching, I grabbed onto his hand and pretended to chew on his fingers. He pulled away, and I jumped onto his hand, not relinquishing my grip with my claws or my teeth.

"I thought you guys were supposed to be vegetarians..." Soranto muttered as he began the long process of trying to reclaim his fingers.

It took him a bit to get his fingers out of my hands and mouth – then I promptly latched onto his other hand and wrapped my tail around his wrist.

By the time Soranto finally managed to deposit me in his lap, I was breathing hard and baring my teeth in a grin. The faint smirk on his face showed that he had enjoyed the wrestling match as well, even if a few tiny scratches now adorned his hands. They weren't deep enough to draw blood, but they had left faint marks.

After I caught my breath, I went back to tormenting him until he pulled a cleaning kit out of his belt pouch. Apparently, he had learned the secret to immobilizing us. I stretched out on his lap as he cleaned my already spotless scales and then oiled them again.

I murmured unhappily as he set me beneath the heat lamp. Mom glowered at him but didn't even growl.

"Have a good evening. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning," Soranto said cheerfully.

I sat up, all traces of my sleepiness vanishing. He hadn't been around most of the day – I didn't want him to leave yet. Tkael also bid Taureen a good evening before heading to the door with Soranto.

Flying after them, I landed on the wall perch in the hallway just in time to see the door close behind them. Folding my wings, I stared at the door, trying to understand why I wanted to go with Soranto so badly. It wasn't my turn to stay at his place, but I really wished it had been – and I didn't know why!

Shaking my head hard, I went back to the heat lamp. My emotions were all jumbled together, and I couldn't straighten them out.

"Is something wrong?" Mom asked.

"I don't know. For some reason, I really wanted to go with Soranto." I sent my confused emotions down the mindlink, hoping she might be able to understand them better than I could.

She blinked slowly in understanding. "You really miss him when he's not around, don't you?"

"It feels strange when he's not around. It's getting more noticeable lately. It makes me feel strange and fidgety. I'm not getting sick, am I?"

"No, from what you showed me, you love him like I love Taureen. A love of friendship and loyalty. I feel something like that when I haven't seen Taureen for a while or if I know he's gone."

"You do?"

"Yes, even when we visit the main park, I occasionally fly back to ensure that he is still there."

"I'm still not sure why I'm feeling it."

"It's the love that a dragonet has for their handler," Mom said quietly. "It calls to your heart and makes you want to be with them."

"But I love all of you, too," I said almost desperately, understanding that she was hinting my love for Soranto was overpowering my desire to remain here.

"I know. And I'll always love you, too. I loved the park, but I left it for Taureen. Follow your heart – and know that you can always return."

I curled up against her, pushing my head against her chest as my heart pulled in both directions. I wanted to stay with my family, but part of my heart longed to go with Soranto, as if he was truly mine.

Deep down, I had always known that Taureen was Mom's, and Aeria was Dad's. My parents had never minded sharing, but some deep part of me recognized their bond as theirs and wanted something like it for myself.

This kind of bond wasn't something that allowed two dragonets to share with one handler, unless they were mates like Serena and Tom. Even then, there was some friction. I knew it with the same certainty that I knew the sun would rise again. I could see it clearer now, not that it helped with my swirling emotions.

Unable to come up with words, I shared it across the mindlink with Mom. She draped her wing over me compassionately.

"I am here for you. If you ever need me, or even if you just want to talk, give me a call. Not much can stop a direct mindlink between a parent and their child."

I rested my forehead against her shoulder, faintly aware of the others watching us, but not hearing our private discussion. This felt like a turning point – one that I had to choose. It wasn't something that could be postponed for later without problems, and it loomed over me as it waited for my decision.

"You knew this was going to happen eventually, didn't you?" I quietly asked Mom.

"When one picks a handler, they eventually have to leave where they had been as they take their next step. All of those who chose to leave the forest have gone through exactly what you are feeling now. You have the option of picking where to stay each night, but I think you know how that is going to work after tonight."

"I'll still get to see you every evening and morning, right?"

"If Soranto tries to skimp on the visits, I'll send Taureen after him," she promised.

I finally raised my head to look into her eyes. She gently touched her nose to mine before turning towards Taureen.

After a few seconds, he asked, "Do you want me to call him back?"

There it was. The question had been asked. My chance to go forward, or decline and stifle the bond that was growing between Soranto and me. I could postpone the decision for a day or two, but it came at the price of being torn emotionally.

I could still love my family and have a handler.

"Please."