"Come here," the Kymari spoke in a soft voice. I eyed the bright orange berry held between two of his fingers from the arm of the couch. I had managed to coax myself this far for fruit, but the next piece was beyond the reach of my perch. My hunger reminded me of how desperately I wanted the bright berry, and I knew the Kymari would wait me out with their endless patience.

Chloe told me his name was Svin. He was part of the night guard for the city wall, which explained his schedule. After I glanced at the armor he scattered in the corner a few minutes ago after he arrived, I watched his green eyes as he looked down at me. "You can do it." A small smile shone on his face.

I slowly placed my uninjured paw on his leg, briefly amazed at the warmth that radiated through the cloth of his skin. I glanced at Svin, who remained frozen in place. After a pause, I extended my neck to its limit towards the delectable fruit.

My teeth gently pierced the orange skin, and I quickly retreated to the armrest and slowly savored the meal. When the last sliver of orange goodness disappeared down my throat, I looked towards the window. A dull light sat low on the western horizon. Sunrise was coming, but the call of the Morning Song barely reached my heart. What little radiated from the atmospheric reflection I struggled to comprehend.

I ignored the next berry offered to me and returned to the end table. I climbed onto the branch Svin had mounted onto the table for me and watched the horizon. Though just a simple curved piece of wood, the new table ornament also supported a curved piece of cork bark suspended by a rope. I had used it earlier, and my blood memories showed me that it was like what humans called a hammock.

Refocusing on the window, I shifted my wings under their binding and accidentally whimpered in confusion. The call I was feeling was a small part of the song, and without the power of the rest, I struggled to make sense of what I was supposed to do. I felt like a child lost in the woods with a map.

I squeaked and dug my claws into my perch as it moved. Once I regained my balance, I fearfully looked towards Svin, my ear tiffs pressed against my head. "Everything is fine," his gentle tone did little to calm my nerves, "I'm moving you to an eastern window."

I blinked as he carefully walked across the room, my branch barely moving with each of my footsteps. I looked up to the Kymari, but his sole focus was on watching where he was going. He barely breathed. The door opened automatically for him; he silently slipped out of the room, all the while holding my perch perfectly still.

I looked up and down the hallway, slightly dismayed that it was mostly empty. There was an unidentifiable plant in a pot in the bend of the corner down the hall. Otherwise, all the doors looked the same. I couldn't read the symbols on the doors either, but I assumed they were numbering the rooms.

Svin carefully used his elbow to push a button next to the door and a muffled chime resonated through the door. A faint voice responded, and the door opened into a room almost identical to Svin's but mirrored.

I squeaked and clung to my branch as a second Kymari entered my view. Though he clung to the edge of the room, the burly green giant was too close. I was barely comfortable with Svin's presence.

"You are safe," my Kymari caretaker voice did nothing to calm my ease.

My focus drew towards the window as the golden light called to me. I fidgeted as the call slowly strengthened. As the first notes sprang from my heart, Svin secured the branch to the table beneath the window.

The clear morning sky provided a simple tune, but I poured everything into the notes. I had missed many Morning Songs due to the drugs. Though my wings remained bound under the cloth, I still danced and rocked back and forth on my branch.

I filled the song with my elation and joy as the song likewise filled my heart with happiness and calm. The sun will rise again and bring the Morning Song with it. For the duration of the song, my fears and doubts drowned in the elation that another day had arrived.

After the final note crescendoed and faded, I shook myself until my scales tinkled and looked towards my audience. The unfamiliar Kymari remained in the farthest corner of the room as he put away his camera.

"Feel better?" Svin offered me a piece of fruit from where he sat on the couch seat next to my table. After a blink, I succumbed to my hunger and slowly approached. I reached out and grabbed the juicy slice of pineapple with my jaws and ate it.

After a few more pieces of delectable slivers, I was on Svin's lap as he annoyingly fed me by hand. I missed the bowls, but at least the fruit lacked sedatives.

I stayed on his lap, but when I sated my hunger, I moved to retreat to my perch. That's the longest I've knowingly spent in his lap so far! I mentally congratulated myself for the personal victory.

"Want oil?" Svin asked me in a gentle voice, the small vial held between two of his fingers. I paused, then slowly laid down on his lap. My nerves calmed as he started to rub the oil on my lower back.

"She enjoys that," Svin's friend spoke in a gentle voice as Svin massaged me and I nearly fell asleep. "She isn't watching me anymore."

"As far as we know, all fire lizards respond like this to oiling," Svin unwrapped my wings and leg from beneath the binding, then began to stretch and massage all of the muscles. "Her wing is healing nicely. Soon I may be able to take the bindings off and let her fly around a bit, but I'll have the doctor check her out first. Her leg should be healed. We'll see what the vet says, but I think she would at least enjoy being able to stretch her wings." As he finished, he carefully folded my wings and replaced the cloth.

If I had not been so mellow from the oiling, I would have struggled to hide my excitement. The thought of flying again almost made me want to sing again. I can hardly wait to fly again!

Svin stood and took the perch off the nightstand, then smiled a bit to his friend. "Thank you for letting me bring her here, Alduin." Svin cradled my sleepy form as he walked to the door. As he continued to gently massage my back, he carried me back across the hall to his apartment.

After the door soundlessly opened, the Kymari walked across the room and gingerly placed me under the heat lamp with my back to the window. The warm sand nearly lulled me into a deeper sleep. However, I spotted Svin bring a crate-like from one of the closed-off rooms that branched off the central area.

I jolted into full consciousness and hissed furiously. My tail lashed and I arched my back. You are not putting me in there! No! I retreated from beneath the heat lamp and jumped onto the bark swing and growled a bit, my eyes locked on the cage.

"It's all right," Svin carefully placed the carrier on the floor by the door. When my hisses continued, he used his foot to slide it back into the room and closed the door.

With my enemy out of sight, I snorted and shook myself until my scales twinkled and rocked my hammock a bit. The rocking motion was not enough to soothe my nerves, but it was a bit of fun.

I watched Svin as he fiddled with his watch. It released a repeating low tone, then a voice speaking in the Kymari language came from its tiny speakers. "Southside Veterinarian, how may I help you?"

"This is Svin Stewa with the black fire lizard. She is terrified at the sight of a carrier, so I have to request Dr. Verun to come here for my appointment." He tapped a few buttons on his watch. "I sent my coordinates, so come whenever you have time."

"Thank you for the notice, I will try to keep the fire lizard calm, and Dr. Verun shall be there soon." When the voice finished, the device turned off

Svin refocused on me, "Shh... I won't put you in a carrier." He held a small cube out to me, held in the tips of his fingers. "Come here; no one will hurt you." When I refused to even look at him, he gently called me, "Come here, Kifini." When I failed to react, he tried again. "Drina? Loriev?" He unsuccessfully tried a few more names, then eventually stuck with silently holding out the tempting orange cube.

I snorted and suspected the food was the meal he was going to offer me to encourage me into the crate. Stubbornly, I remained where I was, my eyes narrowed. However, the Kamari's seemingly endless patience eventually defeated my hunger. With a grumble, I slowly left my swing and approached the fruit, my eyes locked on Svin.

When I arrived, I sniffed the fruit and only took it when I failed to scent any of the tell-tale metallic scents of painkillers. Once I took the small bit of fruit, I retreated to the perch on the end table and thoroughly inspected the morsel. Once I double-checked it, I finally ate the delicious cube or orange fruit.

I resisted the next fruit as possible, but eventually, he coaxed me onto the couch arm. However, after a few pieces, the door tone rang through the room and I hastily retreated to my swing, my eyes narrowed at the entrance.

"Come in!" Svin spoke gently to the door, which quickly opened and revealed a Kymari female in a white lab coat. "Dr. Verun," Svin stood and approached the veterinarian. Even across the room, I could smell the cleaning solutions that clung to her clothing. "Thank you for coming here. I calmed her down a bit, but she is slow to trust me again."

"I brought a hand scanner," The female nodded, her bun bobbing a bit in the motion. "you may have to remove the bindings later when her trust returns. A scan shall do for now, but before we potentially release her, the elders want a full exam."

She pulled a bag from her pocket as she approached my table. I hissed lowly, tense. "Look, shia fruit," she slowly poured a few cubes of blue and peach-colored fruit on the edge of the table.

My nostrils flared. Shia fruit? I had heard of the delicious secret fruit, but this was my first time seeing the chopped fruit. My blood memories told me it was edible, and I had heard stories of its greatness from the other dragonets. I've never had one, and now there's a small pile in front of me.

After a moment, I slowly emerged from my perch and approached the fruit, my mouth watering as I walked toward the food. Just as I grabbed it, I instinctually flattened myself against the table as light passed over my body. When the beam disappeared, I dropped the treat and trembled as I retreated to my perch. Though it hadn't hurt me, my mind flooded with the memories of the strange scanner box from years ago.

"It's over," Svin promised and slowly slid the delicious fruit closer to me while Dr. Verun studied the screen on her device. "It's ok."

His soothing words fell on deaf ears, and eventually, he focused on what the vet was showing him on the screen. It took me several moments to calm down enough to nibble on one of the cubes of fruit.

"The strain on the fire lizard's muscles has fully healed; the wing membrane is almost back to full strength. The area may be sensitive and itchy for a while, but it looks like it will heal without a scar as long as you keep the anti-itch ointment on it." The vet looked up to the screen and watched me as I nervously nibbled on my treat. "You have done an excellent job taking care of her."

"Thank you, Dr. Verun," Svin nodded to the veterinarian as she put away her equipment and stood.

"I would like to check on her again in a month, but she is in perfect health for when the elders make their decision." With that, the female Kymari left.

I calmed after the vet left and after Svin fell asleep on the couch and finally finished the small pile of shia fruit. With a deep breath, I unfolded my tight muscles and silently stretched them until the soreness disappeared.

With a yawn, I approached the heat lamp and laid down at the edge of the light, and succumbed to my stress-induced tiredness.