A/N: Hello all!

Sword: Yay! Another one of these! Let's do it!

Pen: Calm down, you ninny. He hasn't even done the beginning bit.

Right. Knuckles and all Sonic related characters belong to Sega. The story, Sword, and Pen belong to me. Please do not use without permission. Thank you.

Sword: Story! Story! Story! Story!

Please enjoy.

Father-Daughter Time

"Are we almost done yet?" Ruby asked, her hand twitching for the handheld game in her pocket. She kept a finger held on the knot of vines her father tied to the altar's column and removed it when he finished the bow. "It's hot."

Knuckles wiped his soaked forehead and stood up, admiring their work. "Yes, almost," he said. The red echidna gave their newest contraption a once-over. "We just need to test it."

He bent down, tugging at the vine tied between the two rising, sandy-stained columns. Suddenly, two piles of grass and giant palm leaves rustled behind them and nets with weights on the ends launched into the air. Knuckles pulled Ruby out of the way and the nets landed harmlessly at the top of the steps.

"That should do it," Knuckles said, proud of their design. The Master Emerald floated in the middle of the altar, completely untouched and shining brighter than the sunny cloudless sky over Angel Island. "What do you think, Bat Jr.?"

"Dad," Ruby said, drawing it into a whine and pushing his hip. "Won't anyone be able to just step over it?"

"Yes, but they'll step on the trap panels," he said, then pointed to floor and the four thick columns at the points of the altar. "Panels in a square all around the floor that launch boulders from the columns, remember? Unless you know where to step. Foolproof."

"Uh, yeah," she said. Knuckles didn't notice her unconvinced tone. "Sounds great."

He nodded. "Not to mention our other little surprises for any intruders. And any trap will rattle the trees, shaking the Rainbow Parrots in the branches, and we'll hear their squawking. Once Tails finishes the sensors and stun lasers, this place will be locked down tight." He reached out to pat her head. "We did good." But he swiped thin air. Ruby was already entering his hut. His smile dropped and he sighed, giving the Master Emerald one last check, resetting the net trap, then following her.

When he entered the hut, Ruby already sat at the only table inside, her face shoved in her puzzle game and a small electric fan on the table, which did little to cool the hut. Although usually a shade darker than Knuckles, the sun had burned Ruby good, creating deep red splotches on her neck and arms. Her wings sagged at her side, barely flapping to keep her back cool, and her tank top clung to her body.

The living room didn't hold much more than the table besides some tools, supplies to patch up the hut, a few makeshift spears and gloves, and some toys and board games Ruby had brought and forgotten there during her visits when she was younger. A bed was shoved in the corner, with the pillow positioned properly to look out a window with a perfect view of the Master Emerald.

The living room-bedroom combo merged into a kitchenette with a basin of water, cupboards stocked with colorful fruit from the island, and some jarred juice from fruits and berries that Knuckles squeezed himself. The only part of the hut separated from the rest was the small, one-person restroom at the divide between the kitchen and living room.

Knuckles took a seat at the table and sighed. "Hey, I'm sorry about today."

"It's okay," Ruby mumbled, her game chiming as she played.

"I'm serious. I wanted to avoid coming today, but the sensors Tails made were too large and very loud. It would've disturbed the wildlife here."

"It's okay," she said again, absent-mindedly.

"Hey, can you put the game down?" Knuckles covered the screen and stuck out his tongue, teasing her. "How can you see? You can't see! Can't see!"

"Nooo! Dad! Stop it!" She slapped at his hand, but paused the game and set it down, giving him her full attention.

"We could go do something," he said. "Like a walk through the jungle."

"It's too hot," she said, plopping her head on the table as close to the fan as possible.

"We could go to Angel Lake."

"I don't feel like it."

"Well, I found some ruins a few weeks ago," he said. She perked up at that and he jumped on the opening. "It's a short walk from here. Has a lot of ancient text on the wall from my tribe, describing some of their way of life and how the old city looked."

As soon as her interest piqued, it was gone in a flash. "Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing," she said. "I just thought it might be like the stories I've heard Uncle Sonic tell about the Mystic Ruins. Lots of traps to get through and dangers that guard hidden treasure."

Knuckles frowned. There was a twinkle of Rouge's jewelry ambition in her eyes and he didn't approve of that. He internally cursed Rouge ever bringing their daughter on her "late night outings" to banks, high-rise penthouses, and shops. Even the security testing contracts she had been taking more and more over thievery during the last few years. They had planted a seed in Ruby that, despite his best efforts to nip at the stem, continued to sprout like a weed.

"No treasure," he said. "However, there is a lot about our tribe that I didn't know. For example, did you know we're sitting right where the barracks of the old city used to be?"

"Really?" she said, glancing at her game.

"Yeah. So what do you say? Want to come see it? There's some pretty cool murals as well."

"Thanks," she said, picking up her game. "Pass though."

"Hey," he said, covering her game screen, "you should show some interest. It's important and part of our history."

She ripped the game away from him and turned in her chair. "No, Dad. It's part of your history."

"Yours too," he said. "You're my daughter, which makes you a part of the tribe."

"Great," she said, rolling her eyes. "So you're saying I'll be stuck guarding the stupid emerald too someday?"

On one hand, anger immediately riled in his chest that she held contempt for such an honorable position. On the other, years with Rouge had trained his instincts to spot a loaded question a mile away and navigate around it. "That emerald is sacred and helps this island thrive," he said, choosing his words carefully, but tightening his fists. "It's a sworn duty of the entire line from our tribe to protect it at all costs."

"Well, I didn't swear it," she said. "I'm not doing it."

"I'm not saying you have to do it today. You know, maybe one day in the future, you could consider it?" he said hopefully, but his request fell on deaf ears. She still didn't raise her head from her game and his spirits sank. "Would you look at me when I'm talking to you, please?" He reached for her and she spun further in her seat. "Put down the game for a moment. Ru-Ruby, put it down." He was almost climbing onto the table. "Ruby, please put it down. Ruby!"

He snatched the game out of her hands. She whined, hands outstretched, grabbing at it and swatting at his arms. "Hey! That's mine!"

"Ruby, would you listen?"

"Listen to what?" she asked. "Listen to you go on about how much you love that emerald? You lied!" That froze him. "You lied to the therapist. Remember? You said you were going to spend more time with us!"

"That's not fair," he said, holding her game high above her head. She jumped for it, forgetting her wings in frustration. "I'm doing the best I can. When Tails finishes the sensors, then—"

"He's finished the sensors four times already!" she said. "I heard Mom talk about it. You keep nitpicking them."

He huffed and a shout welled in his throat. The heat wasn't helping matters either and only cooked his temper hotter. Although logic and reason screamed and pounded on his senses not to drag Rouge into this, his boiling blood won out. "Your mother doesn't know what she's talking about! She would sooner steal the Master Emerald than protect it! I have to make sure the sensors are just right, to prevent the emerald from falling into the wrong hands."

"How? With your dumb traps?" she said. "I could get through those traps! Florian could get through those traps! Shut up about your traps!" She kicked, hitting the dirt floor more than anything else, and threw up dust. Then she was out the door like a shot, running for the altar.

"Ruby!" Knuckles dropped the game and chased her to the altar steps. What is she thinking? She bounded up the steps two at a time and Knuckles leapt into the air, gliding as fast as possible to her. "Ruby! Stay away from there! It's dangerous!" Arms straight out, he curved, trying to block her path in time. Come on! Come on!

"No, it's not! Watch!" She jumped over the trip line they had set-up, then skipped from one block of the floor to the next, flying when a jump was too wide. She landed a bit wobbly and off-balance next to the Master Emerald, but otherwise unscathed. Then turned in a flourish and raised her arms in expected applause. "See?"

"Ruby!" he flew close to the Master Emerald, but she was already heading back to the steps. "Stay put!"

"It's easy," she said, ignoring him. She put one finger on the taut trip line they set-up and tugged it. The nets launched and she jumped closer to the Master Emerald, missing them completely. They caught Knuckles instead, weighing him down to the ground. When he fell, the floor beneath him sagged into the stone.

What the—? Slabs of stone sliding against stone echoed to his sides and he flipped around. The inner side of the two altar columns closest to him unfolded into chutes and collapsed with a boom! on the ground as large boulders rolled down them. Oh, no.

"Dad!" Ruby shouted, eyes wide and paralyzed in fear.

"Stay back!" he said, dodging one boulder. It crashed into the second boulder, sending it off-course and for the Master Emerald. Ruby deftly avoided both and flew to the edge of the altar.

From the tops of the columns, a whish, whish noise preceded a large wall of tangled vines spinning in wide arcs around the columns. "Woah!" Ruby flew higher and between the walls of vines. From the shuddering trees around the altar, beautiful birds painted all sorts of colors flew together, creating a moving rainbow and screeching a warning at the intruders. Ruby glided beneath them and landed.

Knuckles wasn't as lucky. He jumped in front of the wild boulder, bracing himself between it and the emerald. The vine wall caught him in the back, throwing him into the boulder. He raised his arms and the boulder smacked into his hands, pushing him backwards. The impact rattled his fingers down to his feet and his bones cried in pain.

He drew back a fist, punching the boulder and stopping its momentum, several feet away from the Master Emerald. Unfortunately, his feet dropped beneath him on another panel filled with finger-sized holes. Knuckles leapt back as stone spikes, made of the sturdiest stone on the island, shot up with a shnk! through the holes. One caught the edge of his shoe, missing his little toe, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Now far from the vines and the spikes, he rested against the Master Emerald on its raised pedestal in the center. When he glared at Ruby, she seemed worried. Then he noticed the metal tubes no thicker than a soda can and standing as tall as the pedestal. They surrounded the pedestal at its four corners and little barrels popped out of either end of each tube.

Knuckles was in the air and on top of the Master Emerald as soon as fire erupted from the barrels. The tubes spun round and round, the flames dancing in perfect choreography down below. Kind of wish Tails wouldn't always build his inventions so perfect.

Knuckles rocked on his feet, watching the spinning vine walls whoosh! by. Have to time this right. Otherwise, he would land right in the middle of his traps again and this time, he may not make it back to safety. He backed up to the edge of the Master Emerald, bending low and hiking his back in a runner's stance. His toes twitched, ready as he watched the wall pass once. Twice. Thrice. Four times.

Go already!

He ran forward, jumped in the air, and flew over his traps, all while roaring at the top of his lungs, as if it would propel him faster. He flipped on his side in the air, snaking around the spinning vines. Back and forth, back and forth. He had this. He had—

One of the walls clipped him, throwing him into the other vine wall. He tried to steer away, but it caught him, throwing him in circles on its edge until he pried himself off. Knuckles went sailing into the jungle, crashing into one tree after another. His fall was cushioned by some bushes with razor-sharp teeth lining their edges. He yelped and jumped out of the mass of green, crawling towards the altar and collapsing at the treeline.

"Dad!" Ruby skidded to his side. "Dad! Are you okay?" He groaned in response. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—I was only trying to—"

He raised his hand, silencing her, then crawled to a tree trunk, pulling himself up. It took several tries and Ruby bent to help, but he waved her off. Once upright, he took a deep breath and checked himself. Scratches and bruises all over. Nothing some ointment and bandages at home wouldn't cure. Otherwise, nothing broken.

"Dad," she said.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, checking her from head to toe. She seemed fine. Not even a nick from a trap.

"I'm good, I'm good."

A stern look shoved anything on her lips back down her throat and he swung his arms, taking deep breaths as the traps deactivated one by one. He hobbled pass Ruby, trying not to look in her worried eyes. Don't yell. Don't yell. That will only make it worse. "Good," he said.

"I wasn't trying to hurt anything," she said. "I just wanted you to see," his frown faltered her words and the rest dripped out one by one, like a leaky faucet, "that I could get past them."

Don't yell. Don't yell.

"Which I did," she said, a bit of hope in her voice.

Don't—"YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!" he said, exploding so loud he scared the birds away. His throat was hoarse with his shout and his body ached with the force, but he plowed through it. "Do you have any idea what that would've done to me? And your mom?" She looked at her shoes, ashamed and twisting them in the grass. "What on Mobius were you thinking?"

"I know. I'm sorry," she said. "I'm really, really sorry."

He raised a commanding glove and pointed it at her. "You," he said in a final tone, "are not to go anywhere near the Master Emerald or its altar again. Do I make myself clear?" She nodded and sniffed, wiping her nose. He turned around, continuing to walk to the hut with her in tow. "And no more games. Those are gone until I say so." No argument. "And no more trips with Mom to her robberies."

To his surprise, and disdain, that actually got to her. "What? That's not fair!" she said, stomping her foot. "I want to spend time with her!"

"And you can in any other way. But I'm not going to have you grow up to be like your mom," he said.

"What? Someone who tries to do stuff I want to do? Fun stuff? Someone who wants to spend time with her kids?"

His face darkened, but she stood up to him. "Now that's not true and you know it."

"Could've fooled me," she said, crossing her arms. "You don't even try to spend time with me and Mom. Something else always comes first"

"I want to spend time with you two, but I have my responsibilities to the Master Emerald."

Her expression twisted into ugly disgust. "Again with that stupid emerald! Shut up about it! Maybe I will become a thief like Mom and steal that emerald! All your traps suck!"

"Over my dead body!" he roared.

"I hate this island! I hate this heat! I hate the Master Emerald and I hate you!" Then she spread her red leather wings and took to the sky, disappearing somewhere over the jungle.

"Ruby!" Knuckles yelled and tried to chase after her, but his sores stopped him in his tracks. No chance of catching up to her like this. She knows the island, he reasoned to himself. First ointment. Then go after her.

After he carefully bandaged himself with a mixture of natural ointment concocted from the local vegetation and strips of bark and vines he had sheared down to almost like linen, Knuckles set out after Ruby. It didn't take long to find her angry trail of fallen leaves and footprints stamped into the ground. Shorter still to track her to a hole in the ground, with steps leading to an old corridor lit by torches. Above ground, the hole was topped by a stone roof that had been mostly covered by grass, save for a white stone column poking out of overgrowth here and there.

The ruins he had discovered.

Knuckles descended the stairs and grabbed one of the torches, holding it out in front of him. "Ruby!" he called. He pressed on, passing by ancient paintings and carvings of the tribe before him. One depicted a great battle, with the chief in a magnificent headdress leading the charge against a group of invaders. Another was covered in symbols and faded text around an echidna with no real features.

The corridor forked into two and each end went round and round, leading him to different rooms. In one circular chamber, he found Ruby, mumbling to herself and reading some of the text on the wall. Above the text was a painting of the sun, moon, and stars split in half, along with Angel Island holding up the Master Emerald while the seven Chaos Emeralds surrounded it. In the middle of the chamber, a round wooden wheel like a ship's helm on its side raised from the stone floor, which was etched with circles like ripples in a pond spreading out from the pedestal. All along the walls were shelves, with a small set of stairs leading to a second story. Only a few dusty scrolls were left here and there on the shelves.

Ruby growled and hit the wall with her first. Knuckles raised his torch to the text. "Ruby," he said. She turned and shuffled a few feet away, her head hung in shame. "Ruby, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "Nothing."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Look, ah, I'm sorry about yelling. It, well, it wasn't that," he wiped his face, wondering how to explain this delicately. He finally settled on, "You had me worried after your stunt. But I'm sorry for blowing up."

Ruby nodded, rubbing her arm. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gone up there."

He looked around, unsure what else to say and turned to the text she had been pondering over. "So, did you find something?" He had explored this room days ago, but hadn't found much of note.

She raised her head, surprised that he wasn't upset. "I think. That bit over there," she said, pointing at the text, "talks about how this place was a library."

"Yeah," he said. He had read as much during his search. The scrolls on the shelves were pieces from complete works, the rest of which were missing.

"But there's some parts below that I don't know."

"Well, it has been a while since I taught you any of the old language," he said, reading the carvings himself.

"It's not that. It's weird words that don't make any sense and some I never learned."

"Let's see then." He stared at the text, murmuring and repeating the sentences again and again. "Well, you are right," he said finally. "It doesn't make much sense."

"What does it say?"

He hummed to himself. "It says:

This House of Knowledge and Wisdom you do seek

Was founded round the bend of the morning bird speak

We turn to the seven stones of power

And study in our twisting towers

Knuckles paused for a moment, tilting his head. "That's the worst poem I've ever read."

Ruby's eyes lit up in the light and she tapped the text. "Dad, it's a riddle!"

"A what?"

"A riddle!" She ran to the pedestal and blew the dust off it. "Look!" At the edge of the pedestal was an arrow pointed straight at the paintings and text. "Didn't you notice in the riddle? 'Round', 'turn', 'twist'? We're supposed to spin this!"

"Okay." He passed her his torch, grabbed hold of the wheel's spokes, and twisted it around. Nothing happened.

Ruby rubbed her chin. "There's more to this. I know it. The first part. 'Was founded round the bend of the morning bird speak'." It was endearing to watch her mind work, almost like Tails drawing up his schematics. "What morning birds are on the island?"

"Plenty," he said. "The Yellow-Tailed Swallow, the Fisher King," he said, listing off the exclusive birds to the island that he had named.

"Is there one that you hear first thing in the morning?"

"Yes, the Spotted White Beak," he said. "They fly out to the West River every morning."

"West River. 'Bend'," she whispered in awe. "How many bends does the West River have?"

"Uh, four," he said.

"Turn the wheel four times to the left until the arrow points at the paintings again." He did and stopped dead on the arrow pointing to the text on the last spin. As the fourth rotation finished, a click sounded nearby, like a stone lock opening.

He smiled. "Look at you go. What next?"

"Easy. 'We turn to the seven stones of power'. Seven turns to the right." Another click! Knuckles couldn't help his excitement and prodded her for the next solution. She paced the floor around the wheel. " 'Twisting towers', 'twisting towers'. How many libraries were there?"

"Just this one, as far as I know."

"Were there any towers in the city?"

"No. They never built anything higher than the palace." He racked his memory for anything in the scrolls or wall text he had found. There hadn't been much description of the architecture. Some vague estimates and general placements. He studied the text, re-reading it and mumbling to himself. His gaze meandered up to the paintings, following the trail of Chaos Emeralds to the Master Emerald in the center. The Master Emerald on the—

"Altar!" Knuckles and Ruby shouted the answer at the same time. Four spins to the left again and a final click! With that, the ground rumbled all around them, the circular panels descending. Knuckles pulled Ruby to his side and the stones rumbled and groaned, shaking off age-old dust and dirt until they formed a set of wide stairs leading down to a lower floor.

"Woah," Ruby said. Knuckles merely nodded and took his torch, holding it close to the stairs. He carefully stepped onto the first step, testing his weight. It stayed firm and nothing moved.

"Okay," he said. "Follow a step behind me. Run back up here if something happens."

"Alright." Slowly, they followed the stairs down to a deep, dark chamber below. Once at the bottom, Knuckles located several unlit torches on the wall. As he walked around the chamber lighting them, his jaw dropped further and further.

Shelves upon shelves of scrolls and tomes surrounded them. The ribbons and seals tying the scrolls had long crumbled apart and the tomes were cracked and weathered by time. He opened one scroll, skimming through it. "I don't believe it."

"What?" Ruby asked.

"It's a story," he said. "One my father told me about. He didn't remember all of it and made up parts. But it was about a father losing his daughter in the jungle. A story parents used to tell their children about not wandering off. The whole thing, right here!"

He pulled out a tome, coughing and wheezing as dust burst into his face. When he opened it, all the text was more or less intact. He turned page after page, hardly daring to believe what he held in his hands.

"Dad?" Ruby asked, coming over to him and peering in the book. "What is it?"

"This," he said, flipping another page, "is a genealogy of every member of the tribe. And look," he pointed out a section to her. "This, this right here is our family. My father, his father before him, and his father before him. All guardians."

"All of them?"

"Well, most. Some of our family had other jobs. One was a soldier. Another was a farmer. It says another here was," he paused and his voice dropped. "A treasure hunter."

"Like Mom?"

"Uh," he read some more, "not quite. More like an adventurer." But there was that sparkle in her eyes that he dreaded.

"That's so cool!" she said.

"Yeah." He closed the tome, staring at the symbols of text etched on its cover and looked around the room. This room was his history. Their history. He couldn't believe it and choked. He quickly beat his chest, clearing his throat and turning from his daughter for a moment. Then he knelt down.

"Ruby," he said, holding her shoulder. "Thank you." He lifted the tome and set it back on the shelf. "You don't, you don't know how much this means to me."

She beamed and hugged him. "You're welcome."

He returned the hug and felt compelled that he should be honest with her. "Hey, listen." He pulled away from her. "I didn't only yell earlier about the traps. That was part of it, but well, I'm afraid. I'm afraid you might want to follow your mom's path. I'm sorry I brought her into this. I shouldn't talk about her like that. Your mom has a good heart, just," Loose morals? "My point is, if I seem to push you hard toward being a guardian, it's because I wanted to keep you from that. But I want you to be you."

"Dad."

"Being a guardian, well, it's what my family line has always expected and instilled in everyone. It's what my father did to me, but when it's all said and done, I still chose this. I don't want to choose for you. You should choose for yourself and not be forced into something you aren't meant for."

"Dad," she tried again.

He shook his head. "I know, I don't always see eye to eye with your Mom and I won't pretend I like you going out with her on her late-night activities. However, if that's your calling, then that's your choice. I may not like it or support it, but I support your free will and your ability to choose. Just please promise me you'll be careful. I'm still your father and I don't want you to get hurt. You know what can happen on—"

"Dad!" Ruby shouted, cutting him off. "I don't want to be a thief."

He blinked. "What?"

"I never wanted to be a thief. I don't care about jewels and treasure."

"Wait, then why did you make such a big deal when I said you couldn't go with her?"

She shrugged. "I like spending time with you guys. And I like getting to the jewels, not really the jewels themselves."

He scratched his scalp. "You lost me."

"Well, I like figuring out how to get past all the security, the lasers, the traps." She walked around the chamber, admiring all the shelves stacked upon shelves. "Stuff like this is cool too, but I liked the riddle upstairs more. Or helping you plan all the ways to protect the Master Emerald, guarding against anybody who could come to steal it in any way."

"So, that means, uh," he dropped his chin in his palm, "what does that mean?"

Another shrug. "I like puzzles. Solving them is a lot of fun."

"Puzzles?" Puzzles? Figuring out how to protect the Master Emerald and set traps to protect it. Her excitement over the riddle. Going with Rouge on robberies and never once mentioning how large and shiny the gems were like Rouge did. It all fell into place, with the final puzzle piece. Her puzzle video game.

He laughed, doubling over, unable to believe he couldn't see it when it was staring him right in the face. Whether relief or laughing at himself, who could say, but he laughed harder the more he thought about it.

"Dad?" Ruby shook him and helped him to his feet. "What is it?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said, trying to regain control of himself, but his voice was squeaky and broke constantly. "I'm so happy you told me. Puzzles, huh?" He wiped a tear from his eyes.

She huffed, a little of Rouge's fury in her face. "You can think it's stupid, but at least do it behind my back," she said. "Don't you know encouragement in interests is important at my fragile and developing age?"

"First off, no more daytime talk shows for you," he said, catching his breath. "Second, I don't think it's stupid. Honest." He picked her up and hugged her tight. "I'm sure you can find something great to do with puzzles. Make crosswords for newspapers. Or maybe help people with security like your Mom. The sky's the limit."

"Really?"

"Really."

"No, really? Newspapers? No one reads newspapers anymore, Dad."

"Don't sass me, little girl," he said, tickling her sides. She shrieked and kicked at him until he dropped her. "But I mean it. If that's what you want to do, then do it. And I'll be there to support you."

"It is," she said. "But I'll also help you protect the Master Emerald. I got some ideas for traps I could show you. That way, you could spend more time at home."

"I'd like that," he said, tussling her hair, then looked at all the shelves of knowledge.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "You won't miss the emerald?"

"Well, I'm not never coming back. I'll check on things during the week, probably while you're at school. But yes, I will miss it and the island," he said. "After all, Angel Island was home to our tribe. Therefore, this place will always be like a home, too. For me and my family." He patted her shoulder and looked at all the knowledge and history surrounding him. A part of him would always be here, there was no doubt.

"Come on," he said, heading back to the stairs. "I need to check with Tails and see how those sensors are coming."

Ruby lingered for a few moments. "Wait." She snatched a tome off a shelf and followed him up the stairs. She passed him the tome. The genealogy book. "Will you tell more about our family?"

His mouth drooped, unsure what to say. He blinked quickly and lifted his torch away from his face, hiding his eyes in the dark. "Of course."

"And can we go by the West River on our way back? I've never seen a Spotted White Beak."

"Sure thing," he said, smiling and feeling at ease about moving to his new home. For he knew that his tribe and the island's future were in good hands. He leapt up the stairs. "Race you to the river!"

"Dad! No fair!" she said, laughing and chasing after him.

A/N:

Sword: Awwww! I wish there was more of this!

Me too. But every story has to end.

Pen: *inhales excitedly*

Or at least each chapter end.

Pen: *heaves a sigh*

Thank you all for reading this. Please let us know what you thought of it. We'll see you later.

Sword: I want kids! I wanna enjoy the cuteness!

Pen: *clamps hand over Sword's mouth* Uh, she does not speak for all of us.