Upon Wings Of Change

Chapter 42

I splashed in the water at the edge of the shallow pond. Taureen and Aeria were walking in the knee-deep water closer to the large waterfall. The strong wind blew the spray away from them, and I also remained on the upwind side to avoid the mist. I chortled as Taureen's neck flushed slightly at some comment she made; I couldn't hear it over the waterfall, but it had likely been a compliment. The last two weeks had seen her show up every morning to watch me.

She often stayed to help feed and groom me, which had taken more than a bit of effort on my part. It wasn't easy for me to get used to allowing another Kymari near me. From discussions I overheard, Taureen had admitted to Tkael and Soranto that he had always had a slight crush on her since their youth. Apparently, Aeria and Taureen had grown up in the same city, and Taureen's confession did not seem to be news to his two old friends.

This was Taureen's second walk with Aeria, and they both seemed to be enjoying it. I get to enjoy not having him focus solely on me the entire time as well. An extra bonus.

It was windy today, and the trees at the top of the waterfall were swaying strongly. The one tree was starting to lean pretty good though. My eyes widened in fear as I watched it; the large tree was starting to fall - and Taureen and Aeria were below that section of the cliff.

The tree shuddered as the base gave way, and it started to fall over the cliff. The two below didn't hear the noise above the roar of the waterfall. The image of the tree toppling towards them was branded into my mind. "Look out!"

Taureen glanced up before grabbing Aeria's arm and swiftly hauling her out of the shallow pond. Both swiftly backed up as the massive tree settled where they had been standing moments before. Aeria's voice shook slightly. "That was a close call. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Taureen turned to glance at me as I sat in the far end of the pool watching them. Realization crossed his expression for a split second before it disappeared. I pinned my ear tufts back in sudden worry. Uh oh. He must have heard my mindvoice. It was the only way he would have known about the tree. Now what is going to happen?

Aeria glanced at the top of the waterfall and said, "Why don't we go down the trail? Once we are away from the waterfall, we will hear if any more trees decide to come down."

Taureen nodded and held up his hand. "Tasha, to fist."

I was nervous, but flew over like normal. Play it cool. Act normal. Hopefully, he didn't notice anything and I am just overreacting. I landed on his fist, and he transferred me to his shoulder as they walked down the path. They paused in a meadow to let me fly around for a while before parting ways to head back home.

I settled down under the heat lamp as my mind still moved at warp speed. My mind kept going back to the scientists in the lab, where such a discovery would have meant certain death for us. Taureen settled into his usual spot and seemed deep in thought. He turned his head to look at me. "Thank you for that warning. It probably saved both Aeria and myself."

Shit. He knew it was me too. I shifted uneasily as I realized that he had connected the details. He slowly blinked as he watched me. "My words scared you. Why are you nervous? Surely you know that I won't hurt you."

I forgot how well he could read my body language after all this time. He reached over, and I closed my eyes. I couldn't stop a slight tremble as my nervousness increased. He gently ran his hand over my back. "Easy." This time he spoke as if to a small child.

He gently picked me up and cradled me against his chest in both arms. He held me quietly for some time as my heart rate slowly decreased. He spoke softly and slowly, "I tell you truly, I would never harm you. Please, tell me what is scaring you."