«Mina!» Pixit shrieked as she fell. Mina saw him streak through the sky, flying to her rescue. Bits of electricity shed from his tail as he dived toward their yard.

Pixit, no! You’ll spread the fire!

“What’s he doing?” Gaton cried.

Orli flew to stop Pixit, and Arde barreled out of the fields, huffing and snorting, coming to protect Gaton from whatever was upsetting him. Mother and Papa ran across the yard.

Pixit, stop sparking! Mina cried.

«I don’t know how!»

Then fly higher!

But Pixit got so flustered with Orli flying toward him and everyone shouting at him that he lost control of his newly discovered wings. He landed in a tumble. In Mina’s head, she heard him babbling, «I’m so sorry—​very, very sorry—​I didn’t mean . . . I wanted to help!»

Mina ran to Pixit and threw her arms around his neck. She felt his electricity skitter over her skin. It felt like a tickle of grass on bare feet. Everyone was yelling. At Orli. At Pixit. At Mina.

“Arde, go sit on the fire,” Mina said, but no one heard her.

Pixit’s voice echoed in her head, but in a funny, distant kind of way, as if he wasn’t talking to her. «Arde, do as Mina said! Go sit on the fire! Please!»

Hearing him, the sun beast, Arde, skidded to a halt in front of them. He plowed up dirt and grass with his front paws with the force of his stop. He looked at Pixit, then at the fire in the field, then at Gaton. And then he bounded through the field. They all watched as he trampled the cornstalks and leaped, his massive body lurching into the air, and landed with a whomp on top of the flames.

He smothered the fire.

Closing her eyes, Mina sagged against Pixit, and Pixit leaned into her. Pixit’s tail curled around Mina. It continued to give off sparks that crackled and popped.

For one glorious moment, everyone was silent.

And then they exploded into even more shouting.

“What is that thing?” “Is that a lightning beast?” “Did your egg hatch?” “Did it start that fire?” “This has to be a mistake! You can’t have gotten a lightning beast!” “Whose beast is it?” “Where did it come from?” “It can’t be Mina’s! How could it be Mina’s?” “Mina, what happened?” “Mina, how can this be your beast? This can’t be right!” “Mina, answer us!”

«It’s loud outside my egg,» Pixit observed.

Yeah, Mina agreed. Maybe we can both go back in it.

Chapter
Three