Wings of Freedom

Chapter Nine

I sit patiently on a small branch in the canopy of the park's forest, watching carefully as the Kymari circle the area cautiously. There are three of them, two males and a female. They often come around, searching for dragonets to observe. We almost never let the Kymari see us, besides the Morning Song, and this has caused a few to become more adventurous, guided by their curiosity and lack of anything better to do.

I let out a signal to the dragonets below as the Kymari get close, a whistling for three short seconds followed by a low chirp. Immediately the dragonets get up and ravage their nest, ushering their hatchlings away with gentle nudges. The parents trill a grateful tune to me before disappearing into the bushes.

They are a new family, the hatchlings only a few days old, and had asked for some help guarding their nest. The parents are among the younger ones who had hatched in the original lab, only 15 at the time of their kidnapping and just had their first hatchlings.

The problem is that neither of them has experience with children and are exhausted from taking care of their new hatchlings. Exhaustion and hatchlings do not mix, especially for new parents, because the parents easily lose their alertness and thus make themselves, and their hatchlings, vulnerable to attack.

The Kymari stumble across the remnants of the nest a few moments later, frowning when they finger the warm sand still heated where the dragonets were laying. With a defeated sigh, they glance around quickly before starting on their way with nothing to show for the day's exploits.

I observe them as they go, tracking their path to ensure they don't discover any other nests in the vicinity. Once they finally take the last step out of my vision, I relax and unfurl my wings, letting the wind drag me out of the tree before making a soft landing on the mushy dirt.

Ever since the incident with Lucas a few weeks ago, I've been more gentle with landings to ensure my legs heal properly. If I end up going down funny, there's a high chance that the sprains in the three of my legs will become fractures, possibly even actual breaks.

Kassie and Clarissa have been more careful with me than usual and Lucas is always fretting, having random episodes when I'm not near which will cause him to start frantically searching for me until I appear. It's sweet how much he cares and I put up with his constant worrying patiently, knowing a lot of it stems from the seeds in his mind that tell him it's his fault I'm hurt. No matter how many times I reassure him it wasn't his fault, anytime anything happens his brain automatically defaults back to the assumption he's the one to blame. It can be a bit... Aggravating at times, especially with my wild temper.

Glancing up at the sun, I blink in surprise. I had started my shift at 8am, having nothing else to do I decided to help out. It currently looks to be around 3pm, the sun still burning high in the sky. I quickly mindlink Xavier, the dragonet booked for watch duty now and give him a heads up on the new location of the family. Closing the link, I stretch out like a cat, listening to the pops and cracks of my bones.

"That doesn't sound too good. Were you on watch duty this morning or what?" A familiar voice comes from behind me, soft yet confident reminding me of my old cat. She always thought she was the queen of the world and us her slaves. Kind of like the person behind me, just with a less charming attitude.

"Yeah. Just finished actually. You interested in stopping by the stream for a quick dip and relaxing on those steaming rocks?" I ask over my shoulder, scratching some nearby bark to strengthen and sharpen my claws. Since this morning I've had a bad feeling about today. I don't know why, but it's growing bigger each second, leaving me drowning in a pool of apprehension. It was part of the reason I couldn't sleep much last night. It's time I try to relax.

I watch her shrug out of the corner of my eye. "Yeah sure, why not?" She replies, staring up at the vast blue sky.

I watch her for a moment before dashing into the air, faintly calling out a "Race ya there Lori!" I hear her curse loudly before shooting after me. I laugh, knowing full well she's going to tackle me when she gets the chance. She's just that kind of person.

Her name is Loraine, but she hates being called by it. It's Lora or Raine. I'm the only one who calls her Lori. We became friends a little while after Alissa had her hatchlings, seeing as Alissa was always busy with her new babes and Cami enjoyed Kymari-watching I didn't have any female friends to hang out with until I met Lori. We ran into each other in a game of tag. Literally. She sent me sprawling to the ground as she raced through the air away from whoever was 'it'. We got to talking and bonded easily, instant friends. Ever since we've stuck together like glue.

I alight onto one of the boiling rocks next to the stream, admiring the thriving plants that are weaving their way up and around the thick boulder. Resilient flowers sprout from the stems of the plants, scattered around like abandoned seashells on a long beach. Smiling softly, I pluck a bright red flower, tucking it between the scales on my shoulder as decoration.

Just as I finish adjusting the flower, Lori comes skidding to a stop on the rock next to me. She narrows her emerald eyes at me, playfully swatting at my head. I shrug innocently, stuffing a yellow daisy into the crook behind her ear. It beautifully compliments her shimmering gold scales.

Lori stares at her reflection in the water with awe. "You're forgiven, that looks really pretty," She says, tilting her head to see the flower from all angles. I laugh and nudge her shoulder, gesturing to the water. She ignores me, obsessed with her new decoration. Inspiration strikes me as I gaze heavily at the blue flowing liquid.

With a mischievous grin, I cannonball into the fresh water, holding my breath and squeezing my eyes shut as the refreshing coolness washes over me. I quickly pop my head up from underwater to see Lori's reaction. She stares down at me with wide eyes and her jaw dropped, the water from my huge splash soaking her like she ran through a sprinkler. I giggle lightly as she growls menacingly.

"You're so going to pay for that!" She quickly jumps in and chases me around in the flowing stream, diving under only to pop up again and spray me with water. I quickly return the favour and thus the water fight begins, water droplets sizzling as they make contact with the small and large rocks decorating the border of the river.

A few hours later, we're relaxing on the stones and absorbing the heat waves as the sun beats down heavily on our scaled bodies. My ears twitch as the sound of beating wings and frantic footfalls become more evident. I open my eyes in concern as a purple dragonet bursts into view panting hard with his eyes flickering around crazily. He glances at me and my eyes narrow to slits, sensing the stench of an unknown predator on him.

I see Lori sit up out of the corner of my eye but do not move, crouching low to the ground with an angry hiss. "What the hell happened and what is that stench you reek of?!" He looks at me as my words echo dangerously in his head. His eyes are wide and his tail is anxiously fumbling about behind him. His next sentence sends me frantically spiralling into the skies, a tornado of emotions ravaging my mind and adrenaline pumping through my veins like a drug, causing me to ignore Lori's loud pleas.

"Kassie and Clarissa are missing."

***

Hey guys!

I plan on updating on Fridays from now on so that I have time to make at least one chapter, hopefully more though, so that if I'm having a hard week or something, I can upload a previously written and edited chapter. If I feel like updating again because why not, I might though.

Sorry, I'm quite indecisive and the wait for Friday is killer!! Thanks anyways!