A New Beginning

Chapter 31

Tessa's POV:

I woke slowly and felt oddly lethargic. I tried to lift my head, but immediately bumped it on something. Light from the heat lamp flooded down as Mom folded her wing back.

I blinked at the sudden brightness, seeing Mom, Dad, and Dirk curled up around me. It reminded me of what happened last night.

Mom nuzzled me. "How are you feeling?"

"Strange," I replied quietly, sharing a glimpse of the heavy feeling in my chest and lack of desire to get up.

She nudged my shoulder with her nose. "I've felt that before. The best remedy I ever found was the Morning Song. It doesn't make it disappear, but it helps."

I didn't understand this feeling, and I didn't like it. Getting to my feet, I stretched, only now noticing the faint call of the Morning Song. It was close to starting.

The others had waited for me. I was touched that they were willing to forego the Song for me. I didn't want to hold them up or miss it myself, so I quickly headed towards the access flap.

We barely made it to the driftwood before the Song began. At first it was hard to focus on the Song, but it wasn't long before I lost myself in the intricate dance and melody.

Mom had been right. The heavy feeling disappeared as the joy and hope overwhelmed it. It would come back, but nothing close to what it had been since it had been vanquished once.

I flitted through the air, pushing my muscles to their limits with my dance. My throat helped shape clear notes that rose and fell as they matched the sun's cues.

The Morning Song seemed too short, and I was sad when it ended. It had helped, though. I felt much more normal now. I landed on the driftwood and watched the sun for a few more moments.

Eventually, I flew over to Aeria and Taureen for some breakfast and to have my scales oiled.

When Aeria began massaging the oil in, she gently inquired, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I was about to decline but hesitated. "Why did he leave? He was always happy when I came to him..."

She was silent for a moment. "I think it took him more by surprise than anything else. He is thrilled that you like him, although I'm not sure why the possibility of becoming a handler never occurred to him."

I lifted my head, asking hopefully, "He didn't say no, though. Just that he had to think about it, right?"

"Yes, so there is still hope. It's something he will have to discuss with Adeline and Maria. If he does accept, he is also going to have to do a lot of retraining. His current position doesn't require the same skills that Taureen and I have."

It was hard to focus on the conversation as Aeria massaged the oil into my shoulders.

Taureen muttered, "I'm not even sure if he owns any kind of armor... He borrowed that fireproof set from the main barracks the three times he wore it."

"I had to take some classes when Keegan accepted me," Aeria said, "but Soranto will have to forget a lot of his current training and learn different reactions in order to become a handler."

"It could take him several days to think things through," Taureen cautioned me. "We gave him quite the shock. It's been decades since I've seen someone that surprised, and Kymari tend to take time to get over something like that if there isn't immediate danger to focus our minds."

I nodded in relief. A few days wouldn't be too bad. Even if he refused to interact with us when he came back – much like Tkael did – at least I would be able to see him and have closure. I was hoping that he would return as his friendly self, though.