“No.” Tsugi quickly laid back on the bed and threw the duvet over herself like a petulant child.

“Will you stop behaving like a stubborn child and get up?! Come on!” Lugo pulled off the blanket and balled it up in his arms.”Fine if you don’t get up, I’m taking the ocarina back!”

“No!” Tsugi sat up and glared at him. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Watch me.” He darted out the door with the ocarina.

“Give it back!” She yelled and jumped out of bed, chasing after him.

He jumped from the top of the stairs and landed gracefully at the bottom, taunting her once again by waving the ocarina into the air.

“Ooo, you better hope I don’t catch you or I’ll kill you myself!”

“You can try!” He ran throughout the house jumping over the couches and tables with Tsugi diving after him. “Whoa!” Lugo opened a portal and moved Tsugi to the opposite side of the room. “That was a close one!” He smirked, running out the back door.

Ruzo’s ears perked up and he gleefully hopped along with them, careful not to step on them.

“Down!” Tsugi yelled and Ruzo did as he was ordered, watching them excitedly with his wagging tail, whirling up a gust of wind.

They hopped and jumped over Ruzo, with Lugo teleporting back and forth.

“Gotcha!” She dove at him, but he threw the blanket over her and ran away. With her vision obscured, she dove her head into the wall, making a loud banging sound, practically shaking the whole house. Her body went limp and lifeless. She didn’t move and her breath was shallow.

“I know you’re lying!” Lugo called back, chuckling. But his smile soon faded. “Tsugi?” He waited but she didn’t respond and still hasn’t moved. “Shit! Tsugi?” He ran over and pulled the blanket off of her, shaking her in his arms, but she still wasn’t responding. “Tsugi! Come on, wake up! I’m sorry, okay, I’m sorry!”

“Gotcha!” She flung her arms around his neck and held him in a headlock.

“Ugh…okay…okay! I give!” Lugo choked. “I give!”

SMACK SMACK!!!

Tsugi let go and they both crouched rubbing the tops of their heads with their hands. Looking up, Ellie stood in front of them with her hands on her waist and a shoe in one hand. She threw the shoe to the ground.

{Will you two behave your age?! You’re both worse than teenagers!}

{He started it!} Tsugi pointed at Lugo. {He took my ocarina and refused to give it back and then-}

{I don’t care! You two are behaving like children! – Again!}

“Sorry.” Lugo stood to his feet and bowed with an apologetic face. “I was just trying to get Tsugi out of bed.” He gestured toward Tsugi. “And it worked!” He smiled innocently. Ellie’s lips pulled tight into a straight line and she raised an open hand into the air, making Lugo flinch.

Taking pity on Lugo’s scrunched face, Ellie sighed and rubbed her forehead instead. {This is why I don’t want kids! Because you two are already worse than any kids I know!} She picked up the shoe and stomped back inside the house.

“Look what you did.” Tsugi muttered.

“What I did? I didn’t do anything!”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Yes you did, if you didn’t-”

SMACK SMACK!!!

Ellie threw two shoes at them, hitting them squarely in the face before slamming the door.

“Sorry.” Lugo mumbled and rubbed the red shoe print on his face. “At least I got you out of bed.”

Tsugi groaned in defeat. “Now where was this place you wanted to take me to?”

Lugo grinned from ear to ear. He opened up a portal and held out his hand to her. “Close your eyes.” Tsugi glared at him. “You trust me?” His voice was gentle and caring.

Tsugi groaned, took his hand and after a deep breath, closed her eyes. “Ruzo come.”

“Uh…I think he should stay.” Lugo said.

“Why?”

“There’s monsters there, so it might be safer if he stays.”

“Well, if there are monsters, then it’s all the more reason to bring him. Besides, he can handle himself.”

“He will be by himself though. Where we go, he can’t follow.”

“It’s fine, I feel better if he comes with us.”

Lugo sighed. “Fine.” He took her hand and led her through the portal.

Tsugi felt a really hot heat wave hit her. It was as if she was in the middle of the desert again. She could feel the heat rising from the ground and in seconds she was drenched in sweat.

“Are you trying to cook me alive?” She frowned, her eyes still closed.

“Just a little.” He chuckled. “Okay – you can open your eyes.”

Blinking her eyes open, they really were in the middle of the desert. Not a single life could be seen for as far as the eye could see, not even a cactus, only the mirage in the rising heat waves, with the scorching sun, blaring down on them.

“Oh wow. A desert.” Tsugi was sarcastically monotonous and unimpressed.

“I know right?” Lugo let go of Tsugi’s hand and walked over to Ruzo. Placing his hand on Ruzo’s muzzle, he muttered something to him before turning back around. He held his arms to his sides and walked backwards. “Isn’t it just the most amazing desert in the world!”

Tsugi squinted at him, unsure if he too was being sarcastic or not. He smirked and turned back around. Holding his hands to either side of his mouth, he made a loud roaring call, unlike any Tsugi’s ever heard before.

“What are you doing?” Tsugi wiped the dripping sweat out of her eyes.

“I just thought that it’s too hot and we should cool off a bit.” He shrugged. Lugo’s eyes widened with glee and he looked up into the sky. Loud flapping wings came closer and closer, throwing Tsugi’s hair all over the place, flinging them into her face. She closed her eyes and shielded her face from the sandstorm.

The ground shook thunderously and the wind ceased. Tsugi felt a little cooler, and when she opened her eyes, she was in an enormous shadow.

Ruzo sat quietly, panting behind her. If he didn’t react, then maybe she had nothing to fear. Looking up, Lugo was face to face with a majestic black dragon with a red shimmer to its scales. Its spine down to the tip of its tail was bright red along with its belly. It was two times bigger than Ruzo.

“This is Arzo.” Lugo placed a hand on its nose and whispered something to it. It spread out its wing as if it was a ramp for them to climb onto its back. Lugo walked over and stepped onto the edge of the wing, holding out a hand to Tsugi. “Come.”

Tsugi was still in shock and awe that she was seeing a real life dragon up close and personal. Taking his hand, they walked up the enormous wing span and sat on its back. Lugo sat behind Tsugi and grabbed onto the horn sticking out of Arzo’s spine.

“Mana’jamy.” Lugo whispered the words that sounded so majestic and entrancing. The dragon lowered slightly before pushing off the ground with such force, it pressed Tsugi’s face against its surprisingly cool scales. They proceeded to advance higher and higher into the sky, flying toward the burning sun.

Tsugi finally opened her eyes and watched as Ruzo turned smaller and smaller before he was nothing but a small black speck. All around them was nothing but desert, not a single greenery was seen. Finally as they got higher, far off in the distance, Tsugi could see water. On one side, sat a gigantic mountain that led all the way up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

Tsugi kept watching as they reached over the clouds, she saw the tip of the mountain peak rise above it, covered in white snow.

They continued to fly higher and higher, where the air got thinner and colder.

Appearing from the sky looked like a giant floating rock. As they approached, it grew bigger and bigger. Reaching around it, Tsugi realized it was the bottom of a floating island. On the island was beautiful lush green grass and flourishing plants that seemed to be alive, moving side to side as if they were waving, saying ‘hi’.

Hundreds of dragons were perched on the island: some sleeping in the sun; some flying around; the little ones were chasing each other, blowing red, blue and black flames as if they were playing tag.

Arzo made a few large circles around the island like it was giving them a tour, but it didn’t land. After it finished, it took a nosedive, straight toward the ground, leaving Tsugi’s heart back in the sky, floating amongst the stars.

Tsugi screamed with elation as ecstasy coursed through her veins. Oh this was heaven if she ever saw one. She couldn’t help but laugh, feeling as though her heart couldn’t have been any more full. She felt so damned free, and happy with not a single worry in the world and she loved every second of it.

Nearing the earth, Arzo swooped back around, spinning through the air, flipping them upside down, and around with such speed and force that made Tsugi giggle and laugh like a carefree teenage girl.

Lugo leans down as though he were to impart a secret to Arzo. “Kinow’gath.” He mutters.