Tasha had talked well into the night, telling her story and answering questions. I had not asked her anything, because I knew my parents were listening. But the next day, after the Morning Song, I searched for her. My friends said she was on the other side of the park, away from the Kymari who were watching us. She was alone, and just like me, my friend's parents refused to let them go see her. They had questions, too.

The entire day went by, and we didn't hear anything through the mindlink except gossip about the story she had told us the night before. I wasn't allowed to go to the other side of the park without an adult, and none of them were going. It took about an hour to fly there, and my parents would know if I disobeyed. So, I sat in a tree by the big pond, debating my next move, when I saw them.

Six Kymari stood on the bank, just staring at the pond. There was no sound, just a lingering sadness in the air. That was shocking to me, since Kymari showed no emotion unless someone attacked them.

"I can't believe she is gone," came a quiet voice.

"How did the gate get broken?"

"She lived here for years in this park. How could she drown? Or did something kill her and throw the body in the pond?"

They believed she was dead. They would not look for her anymore. I looked around to see if any other dragonets were around, and I saw none. They always ran away whenever they saw Kymari. I decided not to share this information on the link, as that would let my parents know I had been this close to the aliens. I'd tell Tasha, though, so she didn't have to continue to hide.

I recognized the male with pads on his shoulders was the one who had picked Tasha up after her injury. He wasn't speaking at all, just staring at the pond. I watched him closely, and I realized the Kymari did feel emotion. He was indeed in pain from this turn of events, devastated at Tasha's loss, just as we had been when he took her away.

They didn't leave for quite some time. Once they did, I returned to my burrow and thought about it all: the rumors; Tasha's story; what I’d seen and heard from the Kymari.

My parents were wrong.

These aliens cared about us. I did not believe they would ever intentionally hurt or kill us just because we could think and reason.

I asked my friends if any of them had seen Tasha, or if they were going with their parents to see her. Everyone said no. Tasha was alone on the other side of the park, but no one wanted to interact with her! These friends who had grieved her and stated how brave she was to defend the nest and bite the Sicora were now shunning her because the alien race that was protecting us had caught and cared for her.

The week before, I had breathed fire for the first time, and I’d learned how to control it. Maybe I would go to the Kymari and train to kill the monsters. I needed to talk to Tasha before I could make that decision, but honestly, I was leaning more and more toward leaving the flock.

A new day dawned, and we sang the Morning Song. It raised my spirits, but I was still unsettled, as the general mindlink was quiet of news about Tasha. She was still all alone on the other side of the park. No one knew when or if she was coming back to join the flock, and none had interacted with her. Everybody had stopped asking after her.

By late afternoon, I'd had enough. I didn't care anymore. Tasha was being treated horribly, which went against everything my parents had taught me. I decided to find her, with or without their approval.

Just as I reached the pond, I saw her.

Tasha.

She was staring intently at something and not moving; I wasn’t even sure she was breathing. I stopped to watch her. If there was danger, I could spread the word quickly through the mindlink. I didn't know if the flock would help, but I would at least do what I could.

She was looking down. I followed her line of sight to a Kymari, the same one from the pond, her handler. He was sitting on a bench, staring at the pond. He wasn’t wearing his shoulder pads, but I recognized him, anyway.

Suddenly, she took flight and landed on his shoulder. I got closer to see what was happening. He took her off his shoulder and cradled her in his arms.

"I thought I lost you."

His voice sounded broken, like she was very precious to him. She hummed at him and nuzzled his chin. Obviously, she cared for him, too, and she had missed him.

After another deep breath, he got up and carried her away from the pond to the path that left the park. I followed them until they reached the entrance where the two other Kymari were waiting. They looked stunned to see Tasha. One of them ran to her and her handler. I was right above them, so I could see and hear everything.

"She's alive. But how? I picked that tracker because it had never failed, and it showed her at the bottom of that pond."

"Look at her flank. Whoever broke through the garden door also cut her tracker bead out. When I get my hands on him, he will pay," her handler said.

I had NEVER heard that much anger coming from a Kymari. It was against all we had witnessed and seen in the Blood Memories. They showed anger or sorrow only when a child or mate was in danger; even then, they usually kept that emotion private.

"Who would do such a thing? And why go through all that trouble when she could easily return to you?" the other asked, also angry.

"I am not sure. I am not aware of any who may have a grudge against me. I don't think she was let her go either, or I would have found her yesterday, or with the wild ones this morning. I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever took her underestimated her curiosity and wasn't aware of her ability to undo latches and open doors. I am pretty sure she simply escaped."

I knew it was Drake who had cut the tracker out and dropped it into the pond, but even Tasha had said in her story she didn't know why the gate had been open.

"How did you find her?"

"I wasn't even aware that she was around. She landed on my shoulder."

"Let me call you a shuttle," his friend said. "I am not sure she will sit still for that long walk without a harness. You don't have your shoulder pads, either, and she is used to sitting on those."

It was fantastic that she was allowed to sit on her handler’s shoulder, like she was equal to him.

"Thanks."

"Do you want to use a cord loop around her neck to secure her while waiting?"

What? They were going to tie her up?

"No, I am not sure what she went through, and I don't want to spook her until I know how she will react."

I took a deep breath and looked at Tasha.

A good, hard look.

She looked content. That was an emotion I had not felt with the flock since she had been hurt. My only sense of joy came during the Morning Song.

As I watched her enter one of the flying cars, I realized I didn't need to talk to her. I had made up my mind on my own.