===========
Chapter 12
===========
I sprawled on the roof of my audience hall and sipped sake from my bowl. Lily sat on my back, scratching me behind my left wing, and drumming her feet idly against my shoulder.
Mindy gave me a look. "Yrog, what did I tell you about about kidnapping other peoples' children?"
She sat next to me, her feet dangling off the edge of the roof.
"But I didn't kidnap her, Mindy, she's just... on loan. Till her parents arrive."
Lily giggled, and dug her fingers into my feathers just above my wing joint and found that special spot I can never quite scratch myself. My left leg twitched involuntarily.
"Kiddo, I know Yrog likes to act like big puppy dog, but she's really a savage creature of tooth and claw," Mindy admonished.
"Mindy, you know I'd never hurt my pet or her family," I rejoined.
Lilly dug her fingers in and scratched more. My leg thumped the roof.
"But I may have Lily teach Sarah this trick."
Mindy rolled her eyes and sipped from her own cup.
"Speaking of family," I say, "I invited your father to the hunt."
My news caught Mindy mid-sip.
"Wha..," she coughed, sputtered, sent sake out her nose.
I wrapped my tail around her waist to keep her from falling off the roof during her coughing fit. Mindy collected herself.
"You what?!"
"I invited you father to the hunt. It's his Fifth Jubilee this year."
Mindy held my tail in her lap, "Yrog, there's a reason I didn't return home while you were asleep."
"Come on, Min, it's been four centuries. I'm sure, by now, your father just misses his daughter. Besides, this is my turf and I'll be on claw in case anybody needs to be eaten."
"What ever happened to not hurting your pets' family?"
I stroked Mindy's hair with the inside edge of claw.
"I though you weren't my pet anymore."
Mindy leaned into my claw.
"You're a jerk, Yrog."
~~~~~~~~
Journal 2
~~~~~~~~
Yrog says the more detail I put in, the more I will appreciate it later. Tonight, I'm camped out with my family. They made it to the mountain lake where I first met Yrog when Milly and I found them. Garth wasn't there. He stayed behind with his wife (she's pregnant!) and took over the rest of the flock. The Milton family was there too.
Milly caught a buck before we arrived. I was riding in the pet pod and it was terrifying! Yrog is such a gentle flier that all the straps seem overkill, but when Milly dove on the buck, I was glad I was strapped in tight! I almost passed out.
I've watched my dad and brothers butcher sheep, and I've cleaned fish and jackalopes myself, but when Milly bit off the buck's head and field dressed it, I barfed. Good thing the barf-bag was handy. I wonder where it went? I spent an hour cleaning the blood off the pod. It was a good supper though.
