Mornings were different now. Instead of waking up to check the mirror, he woke up to find Neko biting the big toe of one foot, and Koma licking the sole of the other. He got used to walking around barefoot because the cubs ruined all of his socks.

  The boy returned from a walk to find something on his doorstep. It was two letters, both sent to him from his brothers. He opened the one up from the middle triplet Zappary first.

  Sup Fireball,

  ItS been real long Since weve Seen you! Hope your not to lonly out in tHe woodS witHout uS. youv probly made FrendS witH tHe treeS and named tHe SkwirlS by now.

  Ive been wanting to drop by For a viSit. I Fownd SHadow in a random town, So we decided to come viSit you For a day or to. Hope you don't Have anytHing to brakable. you better be practiSing your magik, becauSe Ive been working on my own SkilS Im ready to SHow you wHoS boSS next time we Spar! don't burn down tHe ForeSt beFore tHen, okay?

  Se you in a week!

  yor Favorite brotHer,

  Zappary.

  Phoenix rolled his eyes loudly as the cubs pawed at the door, "Ugh, he knows I hate that nickname." He then read the letter from Shadow, the eldest triplet.

  Dear Phoenix,

  I hope this letter finds you well. It has been too long since we have seen each other, and I am pleased to inform you that Zappary and I will visit you soon.

  I recently encountered him, and he insisted that it would be worthwhile to visit you. I have been reading up on the ecosystem in your region, and I look forward to seeing it firsthand.

  I also want to inquire about your own studies. How have your powers progressed? Have you been practicing your abilities regularly? I hope that you are developing your skills to their fullest potential. After all, you know we hold the highest responsibility on the planet. Also, knowing Zappary, he will try to burn the forest down in a battle between you. Try not to burn the forest down before we get there.

  I look forward to seeing you next week.

  Sincerely,

  Shadow.

  "Still won't use contractions. Wait... next week?"

  Phoenix looked at the date. The letter was dated a week ago.

  "Uh oh."

  He rushed into the kitchen to wash the dishes, breaking three in the process. He wiped the floor and swept the counters. The living room needed to be dusted and the couch cushions needed to be rearranged. The cubs tried to get up for a nap, but they kept getting thrown off. After that he went to his room to fix up his bed and put away his potions and spellbooks.

  While Phoenix did his best to keep himself hidden from the village, he did make a bit of a scene buying out a vendor's stock of vegetables. After getting back, he lit a bunch of candles to get rid of the animal smell. The boy ripped the vegetables apart with his bare hands until he heard a knock at the door.

  "Ohhhhhhhh, Fireball!" yelled a voice.

  Phoenix opened the door, and in front of him were two faces identical to his own.

  "Fireball!" said Zappary as he engulfed Phoenix in a bear hug. Noticing he still had a brace on his left wrist. "You would not believe where I found Shadow, it was weird, it was in the middle of a random village, I think it was a Sunday, I don't remember completely, but it was extremely humid, I can't believe we're still the same size, I thought I'd be taller by now, but enough about me!"

  "Zap, Shadow," Phoenix replied, trying to catch his breath. "Good to see you guys."

  "It has been a while," said Shadow with a cough. "How are you?"

  "Fine," Phoenix replied. "What brings you guys here?"

  "Just wanted to come and see you," Zappary said as he pulled Phoenix into a headlock to give him a noogie.

  "Hey, your tick's gone," Phoenix pulled himself away.

  "What –tssst!– tick?" exclaimed Zappary.

  "Come on in," invited Phoenix. "I put some tea on the stove."

  Neko and Koma ran up to the door, and took a position to pounce as they bared their little fangs. Phoenix crouched down and pulled them by the scruffs of their necks.

  "Sorry, they don't really see other people." They kept growling as he picked them up.

  Shadow cleared his throat, "A pagos wolf and a fotia lion." he looked at the cubs warily. "Are they even safe?"

  Phoenix nods. "Yeah. It'll just take a second for them to get used to you two."

  Zappary tried to pet Neko, but the cub nibbled on his finger. "Are you –tssst!– sure about that? I don't –tssst!– think biting is a –tssst!– friendly sign. Or is it? I mean it doesn't –tssst!– hurt, but I think we'll get pretty –tssst!– annoyed, which you shouldn't do to your –tssst!– guests–"

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  "Zap! I'm sorry about that," Phoenix says to his brothers. "By the way I wouldn't leave your bandanas lying around, same goes for your suspenders Shadow. They've pretty much ruined all of my... socks..." He looked down at their boots. "Are those the same boots we bought last time you visited?"

  "Yes," said Shadow. "What about it?"

  "Take them off, I got an idea." said Phoenix.

  Zappary and Shadow exchanged a confused look but reluctantly complied with Phoenix's order. Zappary quickly kicked off his boots while Shadow carefully took his off. Phoenix noticed the eldest triplet's right ankle, the brace was still there.

  "Hold them up," said Phoenix. "Stuff the socks in there, they really need to stink."

  "What are you doing?" asked Shadow.

  "I dunno, but I'm very –tssst!– interested to see how this turns out." said Zappary.

  Neko and Koma sniffed the boots, inhaling deep as their attitudes changed immediately. The cubs could finally be set down, they approached the brothers and began sniffing their feet.

  Zappary giggled, "They tickle!"

  Shadow clenched his lip, but chuckled anyway, "I do not understand."

  "They like the –tssst!– smell of little piggies," joked Zappary, crouching down to pet Neko.

  "Exactly," said Phoenix. "The boots were all made of the same material, and animals remember certain scents. We wear the same shoes, ergo, same odor, ergo, they see you as part of my pack, ergo, they don't attack."

  "Ohhhhh, okay, I see your point now," said Zappary as he sat on the floor. The lion cub curled into a bun and purred at the middle brother's touch. "Awww, you guys are just big softies, aren't you?" Zappary held Neko's face in his hands. "Yeah, you are a tiny, mini, adorable, big-spirited, hyper, future machine of death!"

  "I suppose so," said Shadow as he awkwardly patted Koma on the head, still a bit wary.

  "They're my little buddies." Phoenix knelt down, the cubs ran right to him.

  Zappary and Shadow exchanged a look, all stood up.

  "Who's hungry?" asked Phoenix.

  Zappary, with a mouthful of food, responded, "Oh, you know me. I've been building machines and gadgets like crazy lately. You should've seen the new hoverboard I made. It can go faster than the speed of sound, it's actually how I got here!"

  "Where's it now?" asked Phoenix as he took a bite of the salad.

  "It blew up," said Shadow, wiping his silverware until it was even more spotless.

  "The fire didn't spread, right?" asked Phoenix.

  "No, we are not –tssst!– incontinent," said Zappary.

  "Incompetent," said Shadow.

  "What –tssst!– ever!" mocked Zappary. "We threw it into a pond before we walked the rest of the way! Y'know there's a ton of birds and animals here? Well of course there are, it's nature, but I'm talking different kinds of animals. I think I counted at least four different kinds of fish in that pond alone!"

  "Shadow, what about you?" asked Phoenix

  "Still trying to remove these," Shadow pointed to Zappary's brace.

  "Still no luck?" asked Phoenix.

  Shadow nodded.

  "I picked up the violin again," said Phoenix.

  "Really?" asked Shadow.

  "I needed something to fill my time," said Phoenix.

  "How are your eyes?" asked Shadow.

  "Doing fine, how are yours, four-eyes?" asked Phoenix. "Since when do you need glasses?"

  Shadow took off his glasses putting his fingers through the frames. "No lenses."

  "And your voice?" asked Phoenix.

  "Getting better," said Shadow.

  "How can your voice get wetter?" asked Zappary.

  "You gotta enunciate, remember?" asked Phoenix. "Anyways, other than taking care of the cubs, I've really just been training more."

  Shadow raised an eyebrow. "That is all you do?"

  "I've gotten better," said Phoenix.

  "Really?" said Zappary with a chuckle. "I bet I can win against you."

  Phoenix rolled his eyes. "You're willing to bet on that?"

  Zappary grinned mischievously, "No I'm not betting a –tssst!– hat, I just wanna see who wins!"

  Phoenix gulped the last of his juice and sighed, "Challenge accepted!"

  Shadow interjected, "Do not get carried away."

  Zappary rolled his eyes, "Lighten up. It's just a little friendly competition. A tiny sparring match. A small tussle between brothers. What's wrong with that?"

  Shadow swallowed hard, "Last time we fought you nearly burnt down an island."

  "Nearly!" clarified Zappary.

  Phoenix agreed, snapping his fingers to extinguish all of the candles. "We'll be fine, Shadow, it's all in good fun."

  Zappary gulped.

  Shadow rolled his eyes, "Alright."

  They all got up from the table, "Loser has to clean the dishes," said Zappary.

  "Loser has to a sleep with the fishes?" asked Zappary. "Seems a little –tssst!– harsh doesn't it?"

  "Clean the dishes!" dictated Phoenix as he pulled the cubs over to the eldest triplet. "Sit."

  All three sat.

  "Shadow," said Phoenix.

  "I thought it was funny," said Shadow.

  The air around them crackled as Phoenix and Zappary stood across from each other. Flames danced around the youngest's fingers, while the middle's feet sparked with yellow bolts.

  Zappary grinned widely. "You ready, Fireball?"

  "Do I get to use both powers or just one?" asked Phoenix.

  "Ehhhh, just fire!"

  "If you say so."

  Zappary moved quickly, darting in and out of Phoenix's range, striking with quick shots of electricity. Phoenix dodged and sent a wave of heat, singing a few strands of Zappary's hair.

  Zappary chuckled as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Impressive, but I've got plenty more tricks up my sleeve."

  The Lightning Elemental lunged swiftly, kicking a bolt of electricity at the youngest Elemental. Phoenix dodged to the side and retaliated with a burst of flames. The middle triplet sped up, the youngest could barely keep an eye on him. As Zappary jumped around, Phoenix closed his eyes, listening for footsteps. They were light, but audible.

  "Left!" Phoenix shouted, only having to shoot one fireball.

  The middle triplet grinned after tumbling to the ground, "Not bad at all, Fireball. Not bad at all."

  "Make less noise, Twinkletoes."

  Koma barked, Neko meowed, Shadow stood up.

  "Wait," Shadow lowered his suspenders, removed his sweater, and put the suspenders back on. "My turn to join." He placed his folded shirt beside the doorstep.

  "Did I just see that right?" asked Phoeinx. "I get the suspenders, but why keep the glasses?"

  "They make me look smart," responded Shadow.

  "But you are smart."

  "Now I look like it."

  "Alright!" said Zappary, ripping off his top and tossing it aside.

  "I guess I'll get that fixed up later," said Phoenix, removing his tunic and hanging it on a nearby tree branch. Neko and Koma ran up and pawed at Phoenix's leg whimpering. "It's okay, we won't burn the forest down."

  Shadow and Zappary did their best not to notice the bandages around Phoenix's chest as they stood in a triangle. They each took a deep breath and channeled the surrounding energy.

  The three brothers charged at each other, and their match continued until nightfall. They went until they collapsed onto the ground, panting. After a few moments of silence, laughter came straight from Zappary's and Shadow's bellies. They fought so long, the night had already fallen. The brothers adjusted to lie beside each other, looking at the twinkling sky above.

  "The sky is beautiful," said Shadow.

  Zappary grins, "It's funny how you forget to look up."

  Phoenix chuckles, "I still get to see that every night. I can't make out any shapes, but they seem brighter tonight."