Arciite

“Nikki wake up.” Angel spoke softly to avoid startling their brother. “Times have truly changed haven’t they?” They added with a soft laugh. “Hmmmn..?” Nick blinked awake and yawned. “What do you mean?” “I seem to remember a pup that would get quiiiite upset when pops fell asleep during a story.” Nick’s eyes opened wide. “Yeah, both of us! Besides he fell asleep telling the dang story. We were just catching a power nap before finishing a very strenuous hike.” Angel chuckled at Nick’s indignance. “Right, right.” The pair stood up and stretched, feeling refreshed after a snack, a nap in the warm sun and a waltz through memory lane. “Ready for the home stretch?” Despite his defensive responses, Nick was in good spirits. “Bet.” Angel nodded and they set off once more. What remained of the trip was arduous, but the pair tackled it with enthusiasm. After about an hour of a rather difficult pace, they spotted the caldera ahead. “Hey Nick?” “Yeah?” “Isn’t it usually…

“Weird…” Nick murmured, taking in the ethereal glow of the dragon’s eyes. “Beautiful though.” Angel too had been consumed with examining the totem they had found hidden behind the wall of vines that had gotten them to where they now lay. Not only had the vines themselves seemed imbued with ancient strength but they had sheltered a secret for so long that neither sibling could remember ever having seen the likeness or heard of the deity whose totem they now held. “…and you are sure it’s a deity at all?” Nick nodded. “I can’t imagine it could be anything else. I hesitate to jump to conclusions normally but… I am almost certain these are sapphires. I doubt stones of this quality with cuts this perfect would be used for anything less.” “That logic seems sound.” Angel turned the totem around in their paws. The two were still lying on their backs where their climb had come to an end, transfixed by the item in their hands. “but then, who do you think they are? How could it be possible

“Alright, how do we tackle this?” The siblings stood at the bottom of a wall of lush green vines towering above them. The growth was so thick that a single vine seemed as wide as Angel’s wrist. They got the impression that the vines were as ancient as the mountain. Angel in particular smiled at the thought that some day, many many moons ago, what was now a tower of tangled greenery could have begun as a single sprout. A single seed carried by the ocean breeze had found its way to a crack in the wall and, as if by magic, grabbed hold, surviving wind and storm alike to drink up sunshine and strength before allowing them passage on that day. Ever the pragmatist, nick was distracted thinking up a plan to advance. “We should make sure to each keep at least one full point of contact at all times, two total. I don’t want us to put too much pressure on any single point.” He tugged at the vines one more time, testing them. “Although these are insanely sturdy..“ Curious, he tried to tug as

“Do you think she has pups of her own?” Nick asked, breaking the silence. “Who, the lady you weren’t interested in?” Angel snickered. “Not like THAT.” Nick snapped. “I was just curious, that’s all. She seemed really invested in the festivities at the foot of the mountain even though she clearly wanted to climb.” “Well don’t you have her all figured out. I thought you said you were bad with “people stuff.” Nick rolled his eyes. “I am, that’s why I’m asking you.” Deciding to drop the teasing for now, Angel hummed thoughtfully while they carefully maneuvered over a particularly slippery bit of path. “I did get that impression myself… I guess we can ask her over drinks after we get our climb done” Nick grunted in agreement. “Speaking of those. It wasn’t stupid of me to assume she meant alcohol, right? I mean she’s practically a walking cocktail.” “We were talking about kids Nikki. It would have been pretty strange.” Angel chuckled. “Besides how do you know that? Done any

The sandy shores of Mt.Tinder briefly became a raging desert as the siamese gorgis kicked up a storm in their haste. With a drift akin to that of an ice skater they came to an abrupt halt, sending one last volley of sand flying in front of them… and right into an unsuspecting fellow climber. “Hmmm, looks like my foot was the first forward ange-“ The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted Nick and alerted him to the unfortunate consequence of their little race. Nick offered a sheepish smile. “Erm.. sorry. We didn’t see you there.” “Oh my goodness we are SO sorry” Angel added, quickly giving the gorgi a few quick pats on the shoulder in a vain attempt to dust off the sand. “That’s quite alright.” The sandy gorgi sighed, a female with a purple flower clipped to one ear. “Just be more careful, please? You could have hurt someone or damaged something.” Her tone was kind, but firm as she gestured to a couple of pups crouched down working on a kite not far from her.

“Niiiiiick!” A clear joyful voice rang through the house and directly into the ears of an extremely annoyed looking dark furred gorgi. His ears twitched irritably, piercings catching the first rays of gentle morning sun that let him know it was way too early. “Angel… I’m literally right next to you. I could not be any closer. Do you really need to shout in my ears?” “Yes.” Angel smiled. Soft white fur, big blue eyes and floppy ears made them look appropriately seraphic. It was a stark contrast to Nick’s much darker appearance and clearly unhappy expression. “Lovely.” Nick sighed. “Time to head out already then?” Despite his prickly exterior and unpleasant morning demeanor, the dark half of the siamese duo recovered quickly and managed a sharp tooth smile. Ultimately, he was as thrilled as Angel to take on the climb they had endeavored to complete this year. He wasn’t as keen to show it though. Nick loved his sibling (it would have been hard to make it very far in their life otherwise) but sometimes their energy made him wish he could tear himself away. Most of the time headphones sufficed. “Yup! We want to be there bright and early to get a nice start and make sure we don’t get caught in the wolf’s mouth.” Angel was entirely too energetic for 5AM, especially given they had stayed awake well into the night before ensuring they had all their supplies ready to leave first thing. “Angel, as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm and planning… it’s the peak of summer.” Nick rolled his eyes but he was still smiling. “We would have to be moving as slow as grandpops if we got stuck up there till it was actually dark out.” “Faaaair~“ The pair rolled out of bed and made their way to the kitchen for a much needed dose of caffeine. That was something they were entirely in agreement about. Both preparing and enjoying their coffee was a great way to start every day in sync and had become an important part of their morning ritual, no matter how much of a rush they were in. Angel set the milk to boil while Nick measured out and ground the right amount of precious coffee beans. They worked in tandem to set the coffee to a boil, run it through a cloth strainer and finally top it with the piping hot milk. Years of practice and careful home set-up made it easy for the pair to optimize most tasks but this ritual was particularly effortless. In the end they were left with two perfect cups of coffee so strong that the aroma permeated their entire home. “Cheers.” Nick gently touched his cup to Angel’s. “Cheers big bro!” “Angel we-“ “Oh I know, I know. I’m not stupid but you have such strong big brother vibes.” Angel added cream and sugar to their cup, while Nick set about buttering some bread. “If you say so.” —— Now fully awake the pair grabbed their bags and headed towards Mt. Tinder. Given their proximity to the waters surrounding the strange magic island, the pair had made the trip for their family more than once before. After all, two heads… all that. Their years of experience had resulted in extremely efficient packing. Their gear consisted mostly of water bottles, a few snacks and the essentials needed in case of emergency. It wasn’t a terribly dangerous journey, but it was still a climb up a dormant volcano. Having some rope and first aid items handy was important enough to warrant taking up space in their bags regardless of any added weight. “Ooooh do you think we will bump into anyone this year?” “Probably.” Nick replied in a matter of fact tone. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we ran into Rhys on our way back *down* though.” They both laughed at the mention of their friend, whose night owl habits seemed more likely to have him going to sleep at 5AM than waking to the first rays of sun. “We shouldn’t underestimate anyone though.” Angel added after some thought. “This climb is important to all sorts.” “Speaking of important…” Nick shot a meaningful glance at his sibling as they undocked their boat. “Do you have our stone?” “Tenino?” Only Angel laughed this time. Nick’s lips twitched, poorly concealing his amusement. “You know what I meant, I’m serious!” “Of course I do silly. We spent a lot of time picking one just for me to up and leave it at home.” With a grunt and a nod Nick stepped onto the boat. It was a modest but sturdy little thing, maintained lovingly by the siamese siblings and their family. The boat had seen several travels to Mount Tinder, but it had also seen countless joy rides, fishing trips and other adventures. With practiced ease the pair began to row, perfectly in sync. The two made quite a sight, the silhouette of one gorgi holding two oars and a torso branching into two heads. To the locals it was the look of a quirky two for one pair of friends. To anyone else it may yet be a curiosity. Still, in a world where an Eldritch god had allowed magical creatures to survive despite being split in half… not many people questioned much. The ride was peaceful and quiet as the gorgis took in the sights. The light of dawn reflected beautiful hues of red, pink and purple on the calm waters the two so dearly loved. They knew the magic surrounding the volcano often ran wild, making the stillness of the water that morning a special thing to behold. Turbulent waters would not have posed much challenge to them, but this felt like the right way to start their trek. The sound of their oars rhythmically slapping the water had almost lulled Angel to sleep by the time Nick announced it was time to dock. “You look unusually sleepy Angel, maybe we should have made that coffee stronger.” He secured their treasured family boat and the pair stepped onto the shore. “Oh nonsense. I was just enjoying the morning…” Angel replied with a dreamy tone. A soft breeze ruffled their fluff like a gentle caress. “I know what you mean…” their brother nodded. The two headed towards the foot of the mountain, at ease but ready. Invigorated by the perfect seeming morning, they got the sense that the guardians their elders had spoken about in awed tones their entire lives had blessed this journey. It was a feeling both familiar and not. Comforting but exciting. As they took the steps they had many times before, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this year was special. “Hmm…” “What’s up?” Angel asked. “Do you get the sense that- … no, never mind. That’s ridiculous.” Angel rolled their eyes. “Oh come on Nick. No need to police yourself about how you feel. Especially not to me.” Nick relented almost immediately, a small sigh the only halfhearted indication of any resistance. “Do you feel a strange… I don’t know… anticipation in the air? Almost like static?” “Maybe the volcano will erupt!” Angel snickered. Nick regretted talking. “But no, really, I think I know what you mean.” Angel added, more softly. “Ever since we left the house I felt like something would happen today. It’s not foreboding, I don’t feel scared at all… but actually it’s really exciting!” Angel wagged their tail and there was laughter in their voice. “Yeah.” Nick smiled. “I don’t know what it is but it’s felt more and more like things are going to get interesting the closer we get to Mount tinder.” “Then we better hurry!” There was no sign of Angel’s prior sleepiness. “I’ll race you there!” This time, Nick laughed heartily. “Sure, first paw there wins.”