Chapter 3

For a moment I felt as if I were suspended in midair, lost in my senses as they were overloaded with the rushing air and feeling of freedom. I reached out mentally to my Loftwing and whistled for her to catch me. Not even ten seconds later she swooped down below me and I landed safely and softly on her back. Up here in the sky, I felt so elated and free, like I could conquer any obstacle in front of me!

I grabbed onto the reigns and swiftly flew after Strich and his Loftwing. I circled around him and wondered where it was that we were going. We had passed underneath Skyloft and were headed straight towards Thunderhead.

I guess the storms in Thunderhead calmed down finally.

Strich and I burst through the entrance of the cloud dome. The weather in this area certainly had calmed down, and I could see a lot of the floating islands. I continued to follow Strich, and after only a few more minutes, we landed on a round, stone landing area that was connected to a much larger piece of land.

I slid gracefully off my Loftwing and patted her beak. I let her know that it would be awhile before I left this place, so she could fly off to wherever she wanted. She seemed reluctant to go, however, and was more interested in staying with Strich's Loftwing. The two of them were as close as Strich and I, although lately it seemed like they were getting... closer...

With one last pat of my precious flying friend's beak, I turned towards Strich. "So, what do you call this place? And what exactly makes it so special?"

"It's only the most incredible place in the entire sky." Strich rolled his eyes and smiled sweetly at me. He lifted his arms up, gesturing towards the island. "I call this place: Bug Rock!"

I smiled to myself. Bug Rock, huh? That's... creative. I coughed in order to disguise a chuckle that made it's way from my throat. I would have named it Insect Haven, instead. Ah well, that doesn't really matter.

"Okay, so it's definitely a place where lots of bugs roam," I said. "But your eyes are sparkling with such fervor. Is there a new species of insect here or something?"

"Unfortunately, no." He looked a little sad at the thought, but it only lasted a second before his face lit up again. "There is, however, EVERY species of insect discovered so far living on this island!"

He was so incredibly enthusiastic right now, and his smile was as bright as the sun. I can't remember the last time I saw him so happy. This thought brought a smile to my own lips and warmed my heart generously. I always loved being able to see him so full of joy like this.

"Come on, I'll show you around the place!" He was so excited he couldn't even wait a second for me to react, because the next thing I knew, Strich was holding my hand and pulling me forward.

Oh goddesses, is he really holding my hand?

His hand was gentle to the touch and cool. My heart nearly skipped a beat in my chest. It had been ages since we last held hands, and that had been before I even started developing these strong feelings for him.

The next few minutes passed in daze, as I was feeling light headed and my heart started beating like a drum. He was showing me every nook and cranny of the place and pointing out each and every single bug to me. But I couldn't stop looking at him. Several times I wondered if he could feel or hear how fast my heart was beating, for him. But I don't think he noticed. He even seemed too enthralled in everything that he was showing me to notice how red my face had gotten.

I was short on breath and beginning to wonder how much longer I could continue on without passing out when finally he stopped while we were at the topmost region of the island.

"And that, milady, is Bug Rock!" he exclaimed.

It brought me a little out of my stupor until I realized he was still holding my hand.

Oh my goddesses, why hasn't he let go? Why is he still holding my hand?

"So, what do you think of it?" he asked me.

"Wha-? Oh! Well, it's so much to take in all at once..."

"That's how I felt first found the place, too. I just absolutely love it here, though!"

I tried to take a deep breath and hide the fact that I was blushing so hard. My face pulsed rapidly as the blood ran through my temples. "You know, I think it would be best if I just walked around and explored it on my own for a bit. I think then I might be able to take it all in properly and not be so overwhelmed."

"That's probably a good idea," he said as he casually let go of my hand. He smiled at me and acted as if it hadn't even happened. "I'm going to go work on a few building projects I started on my previous visits here." And with that, he waved at me and walked towards the slope leading up here.

Finally, some alone time to gather all my emotions back into a manageable form...