Tessa’s POV:

  I yawned, enjoying the heat of the sun on my outstretched wings. Abby was fast asleep beside me.

  Scratching my ear tuft, I asked Dirk, “Feel like seeing if the Ply-Ball group is there yet?”

  “Sure.”

  “Abby, do you want to come?”

  She moved her head under her wing as she groaned. Apparently, she wasn’t in the mood for Ply-Ball at the moment. She had played with us the last four days, and her legs were sore from the amount of running she had been doing. It had taken time, but she was finally relaxed enough to allow all six players on the field without panicking.

  Getting to my feet, I shook out my wings before taking to the air. I circled the clearing as Dirk warmed up his muscles. We headed over to the clearing where the team showed up almost every day.

  A couple of the usual bystanders were waiting beside a bench, which meant that the others were likely on their way. Dirk and I landed in the tree above them to wait.

  “Oh, look. They’re here already.”

  “I wonder how long they’ll hang around. The game on Ferdac went longer than expected, so their space shuttle is just landing. It’s going to take them at least fifteen minutes to get here, even if they take a shuttle.”

  “I just sent them a message to let them know their friends are waiting.”

  “Darcy is almost here, and she has a spare ball. Let’s see if we can keep them entertained until they get here.”

  It wasn’t more than a minute or so before a teenager came running into the clearing carrying a ball.

  “Hey Darcy, can you kick that ball into the field? We might as well let the fire lizards play while we wait.”

  “Sure.” She turned around and punted the ball out onto the grass.

  Dirk dove after it, more than ready to score the first goal. I flew after him and landed in the grass. The two girls and a young man spread out to intercept Dirk’s path. Since I was faster, I stole the ball from Dirk and tried to dart ahead of them. They let us score several goals before the Ply-Ball team arrived.

  “Better hurry up! You’re already losing by five goals!” one of the girls called out with a grin.

  Rasha replied, “That’s your score. Not ours. The score gets reset when we actually arrive.”

  “Well, considering that Dirk is about to get another goal, you’re already behind.”

  Shaking his head, he jogged onto the field toward us. He wasn’t close enough to beat Dirk to the stone, so he didn’t hurry. Dirk rolled the ball against the rock and whistled in laughter.

  Rasha reclaimed the ball and began tossing it from hand to hand as he waited for his other friends to get onto the field. Once his friends were halfway here, he turned the other way and kicked it clear across the field.

  Dirk and I swooped down and glided right above the grass as we flew after it. Rasha jogged after us, secure in the knowledge that he could intercept us as we rolled it back.

  The ball slowed down as it neared the trees, and I landed at a run as I took off after it. I had almost caught up to the ball when Dirk whistled a frantic alarm call from above.

  “Look out!”

  With a hiss, I skidded to a stop and partially spread my wings, trying to figure out if the danger was coming from above or from the side. Rasha raced past me as he charged into the forest.

  Startled by his extreme speed and furious expression, I sprang into the air and climbed for height as swiftly as I could. Ignoring me, he raced through the tall grasses and shrubs. The vegetation in front of him shifted, and I spotted a flash of red fur trying to evade the angry Kymari teenager.

  Rasha didn’t have any weapons, but I didn’t think that was going to change the fox’s fate. He had almost caught up to it when they disappeared deeper into the forest. The panicked yelp and loud snap made me shudder.

  The other players slowed to a stop when they reached the edge of the forest, occasionally glancing up at me. The fox must have been hiding in the shrubs near the ball. Still trying to get over my fright, I landed on a branch above them. Dirk landed beside me and nuzzled my shoulder.

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  “Thanks,” I told him. “I didn’t even see it.”

  “I almost didn’t see it either,” he admitted, worry still coloring his voice. “Rasha must have spotted it before I did, since he was already running toward it.”

  I glanced back at the trees. “I didn’t know Kymari could move that fast.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Rasha came back out of the trees and looked relieved when he saw us safely on the branch.

  “Was that a fox?” someone asked him.

  “Yeah. I’ll have to let Taureen know. He will probably have to arrange for some guards to set up a hazing program so they learn to avoid the fire lizards.”

  “It’s only been a few years since we relocated most of them outside the walls, so I don’t think there’s a food shortage. More likely, it just saw an opportunity for an easy meal.”

  “Regardless,” Rasha grumbled, “if they’re a threat to the fire lizards, then they should be relocated. There are enough other small predators to keep the rodent population in check.”

  “I agree. It’s a miracle that a fox hasn’t caught one yet.”

  Rasha looked up at me and asked his friend, “Can I borrow your coat?”

  She handed her light coat over, and he wrapped it around his forearm and wrist.

  “I’m not sure if this will work,” he murmured. Holding up his wrapped arm, he gently called to me, “Hey, Tessa. Come on.”

  This was the first time they had ever called us over—the first time anyone other than Taureen or Aeria had used something close to a command. Other Kymari never tried to come into contact with us, opting to simply play with us if we came to them. I hesitated for a few moments, before gliding down and landing uneasily on his covered arm.

  Rasha also seemed at a loss of how to proceed now that I had actually come down. Slowly, he moved his hand closer and stroked my neck. I let him, although it was hard to not lean away since his hand smelled like fox fur.

  “There you go,” he murmured. “The fox is gone. Want to play with the ball?”

  He gave his friend a pointed look, and the guy gently kicked the ball so it rolled toward the center of the meadow. It was tempting, but I didn’t feel like playing at this moment. The fox had come far too close for me to forget about it right now. With a faint snort, I spread my wings and flew back up to the branch. Walking closer to the trunk, I settled down to watch.

  I told Dirk, “I’m not exactly in the mood to play, but I wouldn’t mind watching.”

  He tilted his head and glanced back down at the Kymari below, torn between staying with me or relaxing and having some fun now that the danger was gone. One of the players kicked the ball again, and the temptation was too much for him. He dropped off the branch and swooped down to the ball.

  Noticing that I wasn’t about to move anytime soon, Rasha commented to his friends, “She might come down in a bit. We’ll have to start checking the tree line and keep the ball away from the trees.”

  Most of them nodded and began jogging after Dirk, who had a head start. The three spectators remained beneath the tree with Rasha, who tapped a few buttons on his wrist comm.

  Taureen’s voice came from the device. “Hello, Rasha.”

  “Hi, Taureen. Just so you know, a fox got pretty close to Tessa. I’m not sure if she noticed it, although Dirk gave an alarm call. It’s dead now, but Tessa is sitting in a tree and seems a bit spooked.”

  “How is Dirk reacting?”

  “He checked on her and has already rejoined the game.”

  Taureen was silent for a moment. “Then just keep an eye on her. If she looks like she is going into shock or if Dirk becomes agitated, let me know.” He paused before continuing, “Rhay and Tran are heading your way to check on her.”

  “Thanks.” Rasha pressed a button to end the call, then told his friends, “I’m going to wait here until Tran and Rhay show up.”

  “We’ll stay as well. We can sit in the grass in case she wants company.”

  Their gazes moved between me and the group chasing the ball. I curled my tail around my feet, oddly grateful for their decision to hang out below. I wanted some space, but I didn’t want to be alone. My chin rested on my hands as I watched Dirk steal the ball from a player.

  My head turned as leaves rustled further into the forest. Tran and Rhay emerged from the foliage, slowing down as they came into sight. I blinked slowly, trying to figure out how they had traveled so far so quickly.

  Rasha pointed up at me, and the two guards looked up.

  “Has she moved yet?” Tran asked, gazing at me.

  “She was originally on a different branch, and we managed to coax her down. After a few seconds, she flew up there. Dirk checked on her and went after the ball shortly afterward, but she hasn’t left that spot since.”

  “What are you doing up there?” Rhay asked me in a friendly voice.

  Resting my chin on my hands once more, I trilled a soft reply. He dug around in his belt pouch and pulled out a sunburst berry.

  He held it in his hand, showing it to me. “Want this?”

  That was a dumb question. How could I not want a sunburst berry?

  Getting to my feet, I glided down. My claws clicked against the armor on his forearm, but the numerous grooves and joints gave me plenty of grip. I gently took the berry and ate it in two bites before leaning down to sniff his belt pouch, hoping for more treats.

  Since when did he carry sunburst berries? This was the first time I had seen one of the guards offer us any sort of fruit. Although Taureen or Aeria might have given it to him. Perhaps they might have given him more than one…

  My search turned up empty, and I rustled my wings in disappointment. The thud of a foot connecting with the ball caught my attention. The ball soared through the air, landing on the grass not too far from us. Dirk flew after it, his blue scales glinting in the sun.

  I didn’t see any reason why he should have all the fun. Launching off Rhay’s arm, I raced after the ball as well, trying to beat Dirk to it.

  I skidded onto the grass and began pushing it toward the rock once more. Rasha remained with Tran and Rhay for a few minutes, talking.

  Tran went into the forest, in the direction that the fox had disappeared. Rhay remained where he was along the treeline, although Rasha started jogging toward me.

  My pace picked up as I tried to get as far as I could before Rasha inevitably managed to steal the ball from me.