A New Beginning

Chapter 11

Tessa's POV:

I yawned and shook my head to dispel the dreams of a time when dragonets had two legs, soft skin, and wore clothing. Being a dragonet was better. The complicated life Dad had been showing us didn't look any fun.

I looked around, although the living room was empty. Dirk was snoring beside me, but no one else was in sight. Getting to my feet, I shook out my wings as I looked towards the window, although the sunrise was still some time away.

My tummy gurgled as it told me how hungry I was, so I wandered to the edge of the end table where the bowls of fruit and water sat. I got a snack as I thought about what I wanted to do. I wasn't tired, but the sun wasn't going to rise soon.

I nosed some pieces of fruit around the dish, avoiding the pieces of kiwi and orange slices as I ate the better stuff. Cantaloupe was my favorite.

For once, I didn't eat until I was stuffed. I wanted to practice flying more, but it was hard to fly if I was too full. Dirk snored softly; there was no point in waking him up since he would be grumpy and wouldn't want to play or fly anyway.

I stretched my wings as I examined the room; previously, I had only flown across it, or in circles around the main area. I had never been out of this room yet. Two hallways led to other parts of the house, and I wondered what those rooms looked like.

I spread my wings and jumped as I beat my wings down. Keeping Mom's and Dad's lessons in mind, I gained height as I flew towards the one that led to the kitchen. I flew higher and higher as I went. There were various pieces of wood and perches attached to the walls where I could land and rest if I needed to.

The open area ahead looked different from the living room, and I angled my flight to a large perch on the wall. I wobbled a bit as I slowed down, but managed to backwing and land on the big piece of wood without an accident.

The shiny stone counters and table were different than the end tables I was familiar with and looked slippery. I craned my neck as I examined the various sized doors above the counter and along the wall. I tried to focus on the Blood Memories, and discovered that the doors were attached to something that preserved food.

They also told me that if I was in front of them, I should be able to see what was inside. In curiosity, I spread my wings and glided down to the counter in the middle of that area. I stretched my wings wide and backwinged to slow down as much as possible as I tried to land on the slippery stone.

I held my breath as I skidded a bit, fanning my wings wider – and I came to a stop without sliding off the counter!

Once I had safely landed, I folded my wings and turned my head to gaze through the clear door. To my disappointment, it was mostly bowls and containers that concealed what they contained.

My claws slipped a bit as I gingerly walked along the counter, looking at the few cooking gadgets on it. As I walked by a glass door beside the counter, I glanced inside and stopped in my tracks the moment I realized what I was seeing.

It was almost completely filled with fruit.

My Blood Memories bombarded me with tidbits of information that I was more than happy to receive – matching up the little pieces of fruit I had been eating with the big objects I was seeing.

I hadn't realized that fruit could be so big! Some of the pieces were much bigger than me!

Some were bright, others were dark, a few were prickly, and a couple looked like things I left in the litter tray. I craned my neck as I examined the fruit lining the long shelf inside.

My eyes widened as I saw a cantaloupe. It was huge! Much bigger than me.

I licked my lips, wondering how hard it would be to get it out. Wait until I showed it to Dirk! I stood up on my back legs as I took a closer look at the door. It wasn't much taller than me, just longer.