A New Beginning: Passing The Torch

Chapter 10

Tessa's POV:

"Can I jump from here?" I looked at Dad with a pleading expression.

He nodded while replying, "Yes, but land on the mat."

"Yes!" I jumped off the couch and beat my wings down hard. I was getting better at this, and even one wingbeat sent me flying upwards.

"Tessa..." The warning note in Dad's voice told me that I really shouldn't push any more boundaries after my mistake this morning.

I spread my wings as I turned my flight into a glide, making sure I kept above the big soft mat that now covered most of the floor. I tilted one wing down a bit and leaned to the side as I carefully made a slow mid-air turn – something that Dad called 'banking'.

My wings were getting sore, and I was quickly getting closer to the ground. I was so close that I could almost touch the mat with my hands. Keeping in mind what Mom and Dad had shown us earlier, I angled up a bit while flapping my wings somewhat in front of me – backwinging – which caused me to stop and then drop the small bit of distance between me and the soft mat.

I sank up to my belly in the mat as it cushioned my fall. That landing was my best one so far! Most of my earlier ones had turned into somersaults...

Faint noises caught my attention, and I turned my head as I tried to locate the source. Taureen and Aeria were sitting side by side as both of them looked at a device in Taureen's hands. My ear tufts perked up – that was my voice coming out of the device!

I scampered over and jumped up on the couch, using two wingbeats to get up. Taureen let me climb onto his lap as I curiously examined the device. My eyes widened at the sight of myself and Dirk on the window sill as we flapped our wings for the rising sun.

Taureen commented to Aeria, "Well, they were certainly enthusiastic."

The video ended, and Taureen tapped the screen a few times as he said, "It's a pity you didn't catch her first flight on video. I was hoping to see it."

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting it. The moment I saw her in the air, I was already moving to where I could catch her."

He nodded in understanding as he pressed a few buttons. The screen went black, and I lost interest in it. I started walking towards Taureen's knee, intending to take off from there for another test flight. Taureen picked me up and moved me to his other knee. I looked up at him in confusion.

He saw my look and explained, "There is a scratch under the bandage, and I didn't want you to walk on it."

Oh. I wasn't aware that he had an injury. I was sad that he was hurt, and I trilled my sadness at him. He smiled softly and gently petted my back. I hummed and rubbed my head against his hand. Mom was on Taureen's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek with her head, thrumming apologetically.

He reached up and picked her up as he cradled her in his arms. He gazed down at her tenderly. "Don't be so hard on yourself. It was only a scratch."

Mom lifted her head slightly, but if she spoke to him, she didn't include me in her mindspeech. Something told me that this discussion was really between them. I quietly stepped off of Taureen's leg and onto the couch before walking to the end of it. I looked around before opening my wings and jumping into the air once more.

  

Tasha's POV:

Taureen held me in his arms as we watched both fledglings making small flight attempts across the room. I subtly glanced at the bandage on his leg once more. He may have called it a scratch, but I knew that he wouldn't have used a heavy-duty bandage for a minor cut.