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Rayla considered herself to be very lucky. Unlike most kids, she had three dad's. Her biological father, Lian, was at the Storm Spire with her mother as members of the Dragon Guard. Her other two dads were Runaan and Ethari. When her parents joined the Dragon Guard, she was sent to live with them and they treated her like she was their own daughter.
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It had been over a year since Rayla's parents joined the Dragon Guard. At first, Rayla would get sad when she would see the other kids with their parents. But then she realized that she wasn't alone. Her parents' two best friends Runaan and Ethari were taking care of her. So, when she saw that Father's Day was coning up, she decided to do something special for them.
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Rayla woke up early on Father's Day. Quietly she got out of bed and opened her door. It was crucial that she didn't wake Runaan or Ethari or her plans would be ruined. Moon Lily, the Shadowstrider pup that Luna (a friend of the family) gave her over a month ago, followed closely on her heels. Moon Lily had grow quite a bit in over a month and now was as big as a St. Bernard. Runaan and Ethari had told Rayla that it was time for Moon Lily to move out of the house and into the paddock with Runaan's Shadowstrider Eclipse and Ethari's Shadowpaw Crescent but Rayla kept insisting that Moon Lily had to stay with her.
"Be quiet, Moon Lily," Rayla said when the pup yipped.
Quietly, the two slipped down the hall. They stopped outside the open door to Runaan and Ethari's room. Rayla could hear steady breathing coming from the room and, looking in, could see that they were still asleep. This was perfect. Quickly but quietly, she slipped pass with Moon Lily right behind her. Now was the time to put her plan into action.
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Early morning sunlight was just starting to come through the window. It was one of those lazy summer Sunday mornings. Traditionally, Rayla slept in on Sundays which meant that Ethari (and Runaan when he was home) could also sleep in. Normally, they would stay in bed until they heard Rayla move around but when an hour passed and they still hadn't heard her moving in her room, they knew they had to check on her. The room was empty and the bed unmade. They knew that Rayla hadn't been taken since the Silvergrove was not only so small that they knew every elf that lived there but also hidden to the point where a special key was needed to get in but also Moon Lily (and Eclipse and Crescent) would have alerted them to someone in the house. Their big concern was that Rayla (having not seen her parents since Christmas) may have snuck off for a trip to the Storm Spire.
"With any luck she hasn't gotten far and we'll be able to catch up with her and Moon Lily on Eclipse and Crescent," Runaan said as he and Ethari made their way to kitchen, the quickest way to the paddock.
The two stopped short upon entering. Rayla was leaning over the stove attempting to make breakfast while Moon Lily was eating the food that fell on the floor. Bacon, egg yoke, cream, and broken egg shells littered the counter and some of the cream and egg yoke was dripping down the counter to the floor.
"What are you doing?" Ethari said picking Rayla up and moving her away from the high flame before she burned herself.
"It was supposed to be a surprise," Rayla said.
"What was, Sweetie?"
"I wanted to make breakfast," Rayla said gesturing to the mess that she had made.
"That was very thoughtful but you're still a little too young to be cooking. The three of us will make breakfast together, okay?"
Rayla nodded.
"And we need to talk about the Ambler in the room," Runaan said.
"What Ambler?" Rayla asked.
The three of looked at Moon Lily now licking the cream and egg yoke off the cabinets and floor. Rayla shook her head knowing full well what Runaan meant.
"It's time Rayla," Runaan said. "Moon Lily is getting too big to stay in the house and she's only going to get bigger. She needs to move out to the paddock with Eclipse and Crescent."
"No!" Rayla said.
"Rayla, you know Runaan is right," Ethrai said. "Moon Lily is going to be as big as Eclipse. You knew she wasn't going to be able to stay in the house forever. And it's not like she's going back to Luna's house. She's just moving to the paddock out back."
Rayla didn't say anything. She knew they were right. Moon Lily was big and getting bigger. She couldn't stay in the house much longer. The sooner they got her used to living outside and being around Eclipse and Crescent the better. Runaan and Ethrai helped her clean up the mess and make bacon and the Xadian version of French Toast.
"Now," Runaan said as they sat down. "Why did you want this to be a surprise?"
Rayla looked at her plate and toyed with a piece of bacon.
"I wanted to do something special for both of you because of what today is," she said.
"What are you taking about, Sweetie?" Ethrai asked.
Rayla looked up shyly.
"It's Father's Day," she said. "And both of you have been taking care of me for over a year."
"That is a very sweet gesture, Rayla," Runaan said. "But, next time you want to cook something, tell one of us, at least until you're older. We don't want you to burn or cut yourself. Okay."
Rayla nodded. She knew from the first time her parents left her in Runaan and Ethari's care that she had to obey them the same way she obeyed her parents. She was in their care and they only wanted to keep her safe. She looked between the two of them.
"Happy Father's Day," she said.