A New Beginning

Chapter 5

Tasha's POV:

When the doorbell rang, I hissed and spread a wing over the sleeping dragonets. Keegan growled lowly from the perch above as he sat up, ready to dive-bomb our familiar guests if he deemed it necessary.

Taureen went to let Tkael and Soranto in as opposed to just calling out and letting them come in on their own. He led the way back into the room as the two Kymari cautiously followed him.

A fierce hiss was my greeting to them; although, to give them credit, they didn't even glance in my direction. They likely thought that ignoring me would make me think they were unaware of the little ones under my wing.

They sat down on the couch on the far side of the room, still not looking in my direction.

Tkael asked Taureen, "How have you been doing? Getting tired of being cooped up yet?"

A tinge of guilt ran through me; Taureen wouldn't leave the house while I was here, and I wasn't about to leave the nestlings, even if Keegan and Aeria remained in the house.

Taureen didn't seem bothered, though. "I have been doing a lot of work around the house. Almost all of the renovations are done at this point. It could possibly get tiresome in a few more days, but I suspect that I might be able to take Tasha out for a walk by then."

Soranto was dubious. "I don't see how you will get her away from her babies. Her maternal instincts are clearly alive and well. It's surprising that she even let me in this room. If she wasn't so set on hiding them from us, I bet she would have chased us out by now."

Just for that comment, I was sorely tempted to do so. I refrained and simply growled at him again. Keegan was still sitting upright, alert and ready to make Soranto's words come true. Keegan was shyer than me, so I doubted that he would go after our guests unless they got too close.

I also knew full well that they wouldn't come close any time soon. For starters, Taureen wouldn't allow it, and he was my designated handler. When it came to us, his word was almost law, unless an Elder overruled it. That didn't take Keegan or myself into account either, and our claws were very sharp.

I remained where I was – with my wing over the nestlings – as the Kymari visited like they normally did. Tkael and Soranto didn't look directly at me, although I knew they were subtly watching, hoping for a glimpse of the nestlings.

Movement beneath my wings told me that they were about to get their wish. Hungry creels sounded as one of the nestlings bumped the underside of my wing. Keegan swooped down to land beside me, 'accidentally' sitting in the best spot to prevent our two guests from seeing the nestlings.

I stretched my neck out to grab some fruit from a nearby bowl before finally lifting my wing. At this point, both nestlings were awake and convinced that they were dying of starvation. Keegan and I both fed the nestlings while frequently glancing at our company. I never caught them looking at us, but I was sure that they were.

Soranto's disappointed comment confirmed my suspicions. "I can't see anything due to how they are sitting."

Taureen reached over to pick up a small sliver of fruit before feeding one of the nestlings. I rustled my wings in disapproval; he didn't have to show off that we allowed him to help with the nestlings...

Dirk got to his feet as he began to walk towards the litter tray, and I swiftly stood up to stand beside him – conveniently using my body to block Soranto and Tkael's view of my baby boy. Tessa was also starting to glance more and more frequently towards the litter tray between mouthfuls of fruit.

Tkael quietly said, "I am surprised that they are already learning to use a litter tray, although it makes sense, since the parents would want to keep the nest as clean as possible."