Upon Wings Of Change

Chapter 19

I remained in my corner for a while longer. My stomach growled, and I knew that they had heard the quiet noise. They would wait me out. Kymari were very patient when they wanted to be. It wouldn't surprise me if they remained where they were for hours on end.

All I could think of was when my neighbor's new dog had gotten into their garbage. They had put another bag out, and when the dog went after it, they punished it at that point so that it would connect its actions with the punishment.

Considering I was still alive, I hoped that my punishment wouldn't be too bad. I slowly rose to my feet and carefully crept forward with my belly skimming the surface of the end table. It wasn't that big of a table. I hesitated as I got about halfway, and Taureen once more called softly, "Come on."

I paused and looked him right in his eyes. I usually avoided direct eye contact with anyone since it was safer that way. He returned my gaze with a calm and relaxed one of his own. I took a deep breath and continued forward.

I was close enough to touch the child's hand at this point, and I was quite unsettled. I paused in my nervousness. Soranto made a sound of agitation and took a step forward. My head whipped around to face him as I backed up several steps. He obviously did not like me near his daughter and was probably recalling that I could breathe fire.

Taureen made a huffing sound of annoyance at him. Soranto shook his head before taking a seat in the furthest chair, clearly unhappy with Taureen's plan. I watched him warily; he was the likeliest one to harm me. I heard Taureen's quiet voice once more. "Come. Come on."

I turned my attention to Taureen. I slowly re-gathered my courage and regained my lost steps. I hesitated before slowly and carefully stretching out my neck, noticing that the child was holding her breath in excitement. I carefully picked up a berry before backing up a few steps to eat it.

I came back for six more berries before my nerves simply couldn't handle it any more. I retreated back under the heat lamp and curled up on the warm sand. The other two Kymari seemed to be more relaxed now, and Maria went back to her father while Tkael finally took a seat.

Tkael tilted his head and watched me as I warily regarded them. He said, "I fail to see how that creature attacked a sicora with no reservations and acts so skittish."

Taureen shrugged. "I was there, and they showed no fear when attacking it. You saw the videos."

He nodded. "Yes. I also saw the fire that they were breathing. That detail still has the vet teams scratching their heads. Have you seen any hint of her breathing fire yet?"

Taureen shook his head, "No, I had assumed that it was a last line of defense, but Maria put that theory to flight."

Tkael examined me for a few moments before quietly replying, "I didn't realize that you had made so much progress with her. All we ever saw was her threatening us as soon as we entered the room."

Leaning back on the couch, Taureen said, "She acts differently as soon as someone else enters the room. She is much more relaxed if it is just the two of us. If she is hungry enough, she has no qualms about walking right up to me for a good treat. She gets more cautious the instant she is within arm's reach, but that is about it. She isn't bothered if I move around the room at this point."

Tkael nodded thoughtfully. "You ought to start handfeeding her all of her food. It will help develop a bond with her faster."

Please no... Leave me some independence. I felt like slamming my face into the sand as I saw Taureen nodding in agreement. "That is a good idea. She hasn't eaten her supper yet, so we can start with that today."