The sun shone oppressively in the sky. It was hot enough to fry an egg on a rock. The busy outpost harbor market had a constant stream of people and goods passing through, kicking up dust that hung in the air like an orange mist.

The heat made the manure Iris was shoveling from the villager's cart into her family’s jolly boat stink in a horrible sweet way. She wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her thin arm. It was heavy work for the young child but determination kept her going despite her aching muscles. Iris grunted and wished that she would have a sun hat or something to give her shade.

To the side within earshot, Iris's father Russus was going over the final formalities with the merchant farmer. When he was done confirming the amount of meat and water they had bargained for along with the fertilizer was correct Russus gave a satisfied nod. The well-covered merchant with a broad sunhat and white ivory rings picked dirt from his nails as he waited as he felt no need to check his own winnings.

“A pleasure as always doing business Russus. Come back anytime when you got some more bones to trade with.” The merchant smiled with much pompousness when he noticed Russus seemed done with his inspection.

Iris could hear the unpleasant glee in the merchant's voice that a salesman uses when they know that they are getting a great deal. It might seem dumb to the snake-like merchant but to Iris and her father trading dead bones for life giving food and soil heavy with nutrients and water was worth it every time. Besides this far out from the sky continents you either agreed to the scam or did not trade at all.

“Thank you for your time,” Russus answered curtly, shook the merchant's hand, and headed over to Iris to help load their little boat.

The two made for a measly pair, standing next to each other shoveling residue, both dressed in simple tunics and worn sandals. Russus had fluffy untamed hair and a wild beard the color of old red bricks. He was thin with flabby skin dangling from his arms where there once were muscles and carried plenty of wrinkles and scars. Despite this, the man stood tall with good posture and with determined dark eyes. He was like a tiger passed its prime, worn but still held a strong air of regality.

If Russus was a tiger Isis was a little red robin. Inheriting slight sepharim aspects from her mother, Iris had hints of vermillion feather fluff over her forearms and shins and with the tiniest set of wings on her back making an odd bump in her tunic. She was a tiny fierce little hunchback.

“Your beak is really showing today,” Russus commented while ruffling Iris’s short copper locks.

“I don’t have a beak! Annoying sunburns...” Iris mumbled in retort with a big pout. Her father always found how Iris could constantly keep her cheeks and nose sunburned to be slightly endearing and could not help but smile at his little red robin.

Russus chuckled and fished out a waterskin from their boat, handing it to Iris. Immediately her face lit up. She took two controlled gulps before passing it to Russus who also took two very precise sips. They both then quietly sent out murmured prayers to the heavenly beasts, thanking them for the water. With their little water ritual done, they got seated into the boat, unhinged the dock line, hoisted their little solar sail, pushed off the docks, and began their journey home.

With wind in their sails and the sun powering the wood Russus and Iris soared across the sky. Russus sat by the sail in control of the handle to steer while Iris handled the vertical by tugging on threads to increase or decrease energy going into the little heart tree that occupied the back end of the jolly. The tree was old and dry making it hard to keep stable, but never got worse than what Iris could handle.

As a gust of wind picked them up Iris let out a jovial whistle. She was so happy to be away from the suffocating dirty harbor filled with too many people, besides nothing could match the feeling of sailing through the sky on a perfectly windy day.

Gulls screeched by their side and clouds raced along with them. For a moment Iris spread out her tiny wings and imagined she could fly, the thrill of sailing causing butterflies in her stomach. Russus navigated with the wind streams and smiled. It was not every day the weather conditions were so favorable for sailing. “Glory to you Twin Gales, Aeons of the winds. We joyously receive your blessings.” Russus declared loudly to the skies. The wind whistled in his ears as if answering with a trickling laugh.

More gulls came to greet them as Millerscreek came into view. A floating island about 1.5 kilometers in diameter with a dried-up river going right through the middle. Next to the river stood an old watermill, though it had not been used as such for over five hundred years. Everything except for the foundation and stone walls had been stripped away or repurposed, leaving it as a little stone cottage with a red tiled roof on a mostly desolate plain, for there was a circle of short yellow grass surrounding the house.

"A crack on the underside to the left." Russus pointed to some fissures on the side of the island and Iris took note of the slits seeping out sand.

"Do you think we can save it?" Iris looked at the dung, biting her lip to steel herself for the answer she already knew was coming.

With a sigh Russus began explaining,

"Not worth it. We don't have enough water or time to get anything done. Stay away from the area and be ready when we get another break-off."

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Silently they sailed over to the cottage and lowered the boat into the river depression and tied it down to a post. After a quick cooling break in the shade of the cottage, the pair set out to work. Foodstuffs were carried into a little cellar under the mill and part of the fertilized soil was spread out around the cottage to give the grass they were cultivating some much-needed water and nutrition.

The goal was to have the grass spread out to stop the earth from becoming dust in the wind and be a foundation for other plants in the future. The rest of the dung was shoved over the boat and into the river where the partial shade and protection from the elements became a plot for growing vegetables.

Lastly, the pair took turns revealing themselves on the heart tree and then used their sail to cover over the tree, both for shade and to capture the moisture.

When all was done Russus and Iris laid down on their cott in the corner of the house, the little bird resting on the red lion's stomach. The rhythmic rise and fall of Russus' chest lulled Iris into a state of peaceful contentment.

"Dada. Will I ever be able to fly?" Iris yawned and stretched her sore muscles.

"Without a doubt," Russus whispered in her ear while lazily stroking Iris's hair. Her wing stumps fluttered happily. "What will you do once you can fly?" Russus continued.

Iris opened up a sleepy eye and looked at Russus. "I'll fly to the Aeons, and ask them to bring us rain, so we can have a river like the ones in the stories."

"And if the divine beasts don't listen?"

"Then I'll fight them until they do."

Russus let out a huff of a laugh while Iris comfortably drifted off to sleep. He spent his last moments before losing consciousness to think about their next step to spread the green, always planning and looking ahead for their future. The sun quickly set over the horizon and the island turned freezing cold just as quickly. The two clung onto each other with their blanket wrapped around tight.

The whole island trembled. Right before daybreak Russus and Iris sprang up from their cott and rushed outside. Holding each other's hands they watched as a part of the island slid down and out of view with a plume of dust. The gnawing stone teeth of the falling landmass clinging to the island, ripping and tearing off as much of the earth as it could before plunging down into the abyss.

The earth stilled. The pair stood in absolute silence as the gulls cried above them. The sky slowly turned a brighter blue with hints of yellow creeping up from below. Iris shivered as she began to register the cold dirt beneath her feet. Slowly Russus let go of her hand and sighed.

"I'll go check the house to see if everything is safe. The roof did not fall in this time but it does not mean there's no danger." The elderly man turned, straightened his back, and got to work.

"Okay, dada. I'll begin food preparation." Iris answered in a quick chirp as the panic from being awoken by an earthquake completely left her.

Iris tiptoed across the island to the opposite end from the crash where a group of gulls had made their nests. The birds were circling the air above and screeching both from the earthquake and the intruder getting way too close to their eggs. Iris apologized again and again as she fished out a few eggs and made a break for it. With the eggs secured Iris then went to begin scrubbing off some red roots the best she could so that they could cook them when they got home after their daily hunt. But mostly it was just to keep busy while waiting for Russus.

When Russus had confirmed that the cottage had not suffered any damages during the earthquake he and Iris began their regular everyday routine. They were both happy to find their sail slightly damp. It did also mean that Iris was free to play until it had dried properly. She ran around the island pretending to be an epic adventurer fighting big sky monsters. At a point one of the gulls flew down to attack Iris and she was forced to duck down into the river. Russus watched with amusement while whistling songs of old.

When Russus deemed the conditions good enough they prepared their boat and headed out to explore the archipelagos some ways afar from their home. These islands were made from old-world sea beds and forests and much like their own island, they had turned dry and empty over the years. While out hunting Russus and Iris were looking for bones, fossils, and anything else of interest that might be found on these abandoned scraps of land.

Once the sun stood high enough in the sky and it was too hot to continue they turned back and made dinner. By taking the threads that went from the solar sail into the mast and powered the wood and instead put them on a cooking plank they could fry the eggs Iris had collected earlier together with some vegetables and bird meat to make a filling meal. After the meal, they headed into their cottage for their midday nap. Usually, it was the only place cool enough that the both of them didn't want to be anywhere else. Then it was time for home maintenance. Cleaning the boat, shading the heart tree, tending the garden, fixing anything that was broken, etc.

However on this day while going through the day's catch, scrubbing and evaluating the finds, Russus and Iris could feel the island shake violently. They both rushed to stand out in the open away from the building and holding hands. But after a short round of tremors, the shaking stopped without any land breaking off. Waiting a minute in silence the two of them then went back to work since there was nothing to be done.

That night before going to bed the two sat outside gazing at the stars. Russus was pointing out the consolations that his father had pointed out to him when he was young, telling stories of heroes, gods, and battles, but Iris found it difficult to get excited over her father's tales.

"Dad. What is happening to our island?" She asked with the stars sparkling in her big dark eyes.

Russus frowned and then scooted over to hug Iris. "I don't know. But we'll keep working hard to keep her together. Maybe she just got excited hearing that you'll bring a river someday?" He smiled and kissed her forehead before deciding it was too cold and about time to sleep.

They were both sleeping soundly in each other's arms. The smell of the dung had died down over the day making it easier to sleep.

The night was still. Stars shone brightly on the cloudless sky. Deep within the earth, hollow crevices had grown as sand and earth spilled out little by little, with those small holes growing greater with each passing moment. Without giving the tiger and bird a second to react, the island that had fought so hard and stayed afloat for so long with only the most meager amount of greenery lost its grip and began to descend.

Russus and Iris woke up. Both felt calm and weightless. They both knew that this could become their fate, but faith and dedication had kept them coming back to the same island again and again.

"Dad! We are flying!" Iris screamed with happiness, sadness, panic, and serenity, all while flapping her wings and holding onto Russus' hands.

Around them the island and the house began to dissolve, pieces of rubble and dirt dancing with them.

"We are! Iris! I love you!" Russus cried with the widest saddest smile his face had ever worn. His world falling apart around him and his life flashed in front of his eyes. He had so many regrets and so much more work to do and all of it suddenly did not matter at all.

"I love you too dad!" Iris shouted back, their tears flying up and dancing with each other.

They then entered the stormy abyss at the center of the world. Thunder and lightning roared around them as thick dark clouds blinded them and violent winds tore them apart. Iris could feel herself getting lighter and lighter. Her descent slowed and she could feel herself becoming so light that she began to rise. Iris's body bubbled as her wings spread out. All senses left the little girl as she transformed into watery seafoam and misty clouds.

She ascended from the stormy abyss and flew high into the endless blue sky. Free from everything she traveled as a magnificent white, fluffy cloud dragon. With time she collected more and more moisture and found her way to the lush green lands of Dar'charta and Central. There she cried and collapsed, becoming drops in the river.