Too much happened that day. When I touched down in the nest, only then did I realise how much that one flap cost me. Despite my immense excitement and curiosity, I fell from fatigue on the spot, not even noticing what was going on around me.

***

Opening my eyes I saw the grey wall of our nest, the moon’s light reflecting upon it, and my head resting on Mother’s tail.

Craning my head to the sides, I saw my sisters sleeping, covering me in their green.

I must have made everyone really worried… That flap, back then I did not realise but it was different from any other. Something was not the same, a different, unknown feeling.

I just could not point it out. Let’s not think about it for now. My sisters were sleeping peacefully, and I envied them, being unable to fall back to sleep.

They have an almost identical appearance from afar, but were easy to differentiate if you paid attention.

On my left is my sister Spiky. She has very pointy scales and sometimes it hurts when you lick. Her tail has more spikes than Mother or my other sister too, so I call her Spiky.

On my right is my other sister, Friendly. She has shorter scales with a lighter tint of green. She is not as rough as Spiky. At least she doesn’t always aim for the head with her tail, so I call her Friendly.

I licked Friendly’s nose, and she twitched her head in response.

I intensified my licking, which woke her up. She tried to get away but I wouldn’t let her, so then she licked my head in retaliation.

The agitation woke Spiky. She blinked a few times before joining the licking battle against me. The battle ended with my defeat, and mother waking up to us tumbling around.

***

After a few bouts of licks, I started showing them father’s battle with the big black, switching characters as I went through it. Spiky and Friendly were excited all throughout my performance, while Mother watched silently.

I tried spewing the super bright stuff, like Father did, but I had no idea how to do it, so I turned to Mother. Surely she would know?

I called out to Mother, and did the best imitation of Father I could. I reeled back my head while lifting my chest, before lowering it back in one motion, spewing some spittle. Hopefully she understands…

I had to repeat it 3 times before she understood, while my sisters copied my every move. Her eyes enlarged for a short moment, only to just shake her head, not explaining anything. She stood up, walking to a corner.

But I was not discouraged in the least. I ran in front of her, throwing complaints her way. She looked down in my eyes for a moment before shaking her head once more.

I kept complaining until she bent down and roared at me, leaving me stunned in place. She fixed my eyes for a long time while I dared not move a claw. Then, she licked my face before walking past me.

Spiky and Friendly hurried over, touching heads and comforting me, while Mother laid down in a corner. In their embrace, my mood improved a little. But still, this bad feeling lingered inside.

Why did Mother react this way? As far as I recall, she had never roared at me in the past. I can only ask Father and hope for the best.

***

As the sun rose up in the sky, Father came home, dust scattering around as he landed. He and Mother touched heads before she took off flying.

I ran up to him excitedly and asked to be shown how to spew the super bright stuff. He looked me in the eyes and shook his head before walking away. Just like Mother, he did not want to teach me.

I did not try convincing him further, as that would only be asking for trouble.

I took off dejected, and called out to my sisters to play.

I focused on improving my dodging while we played catch, which I found lacking after my experience with the big black.

I was getting really hungry when Mother’s figure appeared from the horizon, coming down to land in the nest. When Father flew out, I followed him to go hunting some tasty prey. Spiky and Friendly continued playing together.

While we flew far above ground, I scrutinized the forest for any hint of the big black or other threats, relieved at finding none. We reached a large open area where a pack of big greys was eating grass.

Perfect, exactly the prey I needed. Father called me and signaled to dive down. He aimed for a large one, while I chose a smaller one, around medium size.

I retracted my wings and dove, the grass on the ground coming closer every moment, the wind howling in my ears as my speed increased.

This is it, the thrill of the hunt!

Father caught his prey, alerting the whole group. Before my target could take a step I was onto it. I shoved it to the ground with my momentum and clamped my jaw on its neck in a flash. I used force and crushed its throat, the delicious taste of fresh blood entering my mouth.

It struggled for a few moments, its brethren running away in the distance. Soon it went limp, becoming my food.

***

Burp! That hit the spot. I stepped away from the half eaten carcass, leaving the rest to scavengers. I looked around, saw that Father was still eating, and took a walk. The big grey group had long left the area, leaving a large trail of stepmarks crossing past a collection of massive rocks.

On the opposite side of those rocks was the forest, large trees covering the ground in their shade. As I came closer to take a rest under the trees, I sniffed a familiar smell. Funny prey!

I looked back to make sure Father wasn’t paying attention before investigating. Nose to the ground, I followed the smell to a small clearing.

There I saw funny prey kneeling on the ground, doing something.

What funny thing is it gonna do this time? I approached with large steps, funny prey turning around to cry in surprise. Only now did I notice it was a similar creature and not funny prey.

It was stockier and did not have the long fur on the head. I stopped for a moment before the prey ran away. Who cares if it’s not the same one, if it runs away it is prey!

I ran after it with excitement in each step, while the prey screamed left and right. I got closer, only a few more steps away, when the prey jumped over a small bush, too small to be any hindrance to me. I’m going to catch you!

I stepped over the bush, my feet landing on something that did not feel right. Graaah! Painful shocks coursed around my body, stunning and tripping me down.

The pain was numbing everything, stars in my eyes and ants furiously biting me inside out. I kept crying in pain when I breathed in something purple or blue.

I felt heavier and tired amongst the unbearable pain.

I could not stand it any longer, my vision darkening.