Mrs. Diderot woke up earlier than usual that day due to a mixture of excitement and a bit of nervousness. She wanted to be sure her family packed everything needed for the trip; warm clothing, pet food and carriers, money, reservation tickets, etc. As she combed her wavy black hair, she went over the list of items again and again. About half an hour later, she woke up Mr. Diderot, who would have likely been late otherwise. 

Eila and Tomas, however, were getting dressed and ready, excited to go on their first ever winter vacation outside their hometown, in a villa by Mount Reilu, where they would go skiing and hiking. After the family had breakfast, Mrs. Diderot told the twins to do a final check on their luggage, and make sure they have everything that was on a list of items she had prepared. Mr. Diderot took care of locking their pastry shop and preparing a cat carrier for Nino. 

Tomas had begun preparing a large plastic tub to house the family's miniature blue dragon, Ari, though Mr. Diderot recommended having Ari fly alongside their car, saying, "Ari's smart enough to follow us, plus she might appreciate stretching her wings once in a while. Besides..." 

He briefly looked over to Ari, who was outside basking in the morning sun. Her light blue keeled scales glistened in the sunlight, her two short and smooth ivory horns almost seemed to glow as well. Her long neck and stout head were kept raised as she observed her surroundings proudly. Behind her emerald eyes were her small frills, which she kept folded against her neck in a relaxed position. Likewise, she held her large pair of wings and long tail close to her body as she lie on her favorite basking rock, with her hind legs tucked into her torso and her front legs crossed over each other, displaying her grey claws. 

After a short pause, he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "I think she might be too big to fit in a tub like that, boy."

Tomas then tilted his head slightly and squinted his eyes while looking at Ari, "She's getting kinda big for a 'mini' dragon. I mean, we've had her for only a year and she's already taller than me!"

Mr. Diderot chuckled, "Well, true dragons grow to be very, and I mean very, large. Trust me, they could easily grow to the size of a house. Good thing we have a yard big enough for a mini dragon at least."

Tomas asked, "So how big will she get once she's grown up?"

"Well, blues grow up quite fast on their first two years, then they slow down a lot. She'll be fully grown after 4 years or so, and I reckon she'll be slightly bigger than a horse by then."

Tomas had trouble imagining such size, thinking she will barely fit in the house at that point. Still, Ari seemed happy just running and flying outside, and she did not spend much time inside as she used to anyway. 

His father then began packing up some of Ari's toys and water bowl, placing them with Nino's toys. Tomas patted Ari's head, who was lying on the rock, and went back in the house to finish packing. About two hours later, the Diderot family put their luggage in their small car after packing up soaps, medications, brushes, and other bathroom items. Eila then called Nino, who gracefully ran out the front door and jumped into the car, while Mr. Diderot led Ari off the backyard. 

Mrs. Diderot checked the house once again, making sure all doors and fences were locked. After that, the family went into the car, and began their 2-day trip to the mountain villa. Tomas could see Ari flying around the car, gliding up and down with much grace while screeching happily. While their parents chatted, Eila put on her earphones and listened to music, imagining their days playing in the snow, sliding down snow hills, eating smores and drinking hot chocolate by a fire.

Throughout the day, the Diderot family traveled out of the familiar grassy fields and hills, slowly transitioning to the rocky roads sparsely covered in bushes leading to Mt. Reilu. Eila spotted a small pack of mountain sheep grazing the lands and attempted to take a photo as the car moved past them. The weatherman talking on the radio forecasted many days of clear skies, with light snow that would cover Mt. Reilu in the following week.

"Good weather, don't cha think, dear?" Said Mr. Diderot. Mrs. Diderot was half asleep but managed to nod in response, which made Mr. Diderot laugh a bit. 

After stopping by a food truck and having lunch, Mrs. Diderot said, "We're gonna have to stop at an inn for the night and get to the villa tomorrow, alright?" The kids knew it would be a long trip, but still sighed after Mrs. Diderot's announcement. 

Eila whispered to Tomas, "At least it's just one night." Tomas nodded, resigned to waiting another day for their winter vacation. 

He continued listening to music from his phone, watching Ari glide alongside the car, though he noticed she was slower than earlier in the trip. "Just a few more hours, Ari. You'll get to rest soon," he murmured.

At about 5:40 p.m. according to the car's clock, the family arrived at the inn. It was a small, three-floor building, with red walls and a garden in front of it. A smaller flower sprite like Flora tended to the plants, waving to the family as they got their luggage out of the car. Her overall appearance was very simple compared to Flora's extravagant mermaid-like dress and colorful flower crown, as she wore a long leaf dress and a crown made of blue flowers. As the family carried their luggage into the inn, Eila smiled and waved back to the sprite as they walked by her.

 After checking in, the family quickly settled in their room and ordered food to be delivered to them, spending a calm evening at the inn before continuing their trip the following day. Ari spent the night in the room's balcony, though she went into the room for her chicken dinner alongside Nino. Next morning, they quickly got dressed and ate and had breakfast on the first floor of the inn alongside other guests. Once finished, they got their luggage in the car, with Eila holding Nino, and Ari following Tomas.

Once on the road, Tomas watched as Ari caught up to their car, gliding and flying about as gracefully as ever and playfully chasing birds. Eila listened to music while petting Nino, who napped beside her. Tomas then read the resort guide, which advertised Mt. Reilu as one of the more popular places for skiing, so much that many major competitions took place there. 

As for hiking, the most common paths up the mountain range start up the hill where the cottages are, past the luxury suites. The hike up Mount Reilu would pass by a temple dedicated to the guardian of the mountains, Khiboreas, whose pristine white feathers are said to bring good luck and protection for hikers. Tomas thought it would be awesome if he could get an authentic feather, though the guide then mentioned that sightings of Khiboreas are said to be rare.

The day went by slowly, since the family made a few stops to have lunch and buy some extra supplies for their trip. After eating at a small restaurant, they made their way up some rocky roads and towards the villa up in the mountains. Mrs. Diderot had to close her eyes while putting her seat down, as she was getting carsick from the turns they took up the roads. 

At about 3 p.m., they finally arrived at the main building of the resort, which had many cottages around it. Mrs. Diderot's face was a bit green, as she was still nauseous, while Eila looked sleepy. Ari was also tuckered out from flying, and Nino sat beside Eila while yawning. The cold air made the twins shiver, even with warm clothes on. Two men approached the family, offering to park their car and take their luggage into the lobby while they check in. After Mr. Diderot agreed, the family went to check in, making sure to get a dragon-friendly cottage, of course.

Their cottage was on the side of a small hill, which has the more luxurious cottages at the top. It was a wooden one-floor building with a red roof and a front porch with two rocking chairs. Once inside, the family looked around the living room, finding that it led to the kitchen and a bathroom at the end of the hall across from the entrance. Their bedrooms were opposite from the fireplace, where they had one room with two queen-sized beds. Beside each bed was a table with a mirror and a closet for their clothes. The living room was just large enough for Ari and Nino to sleep next to the fireplace, with two small couches and bean bag chairs surrounding it. 

Tomas and Eila quickly put their clothes and utilities in place, after which they went out to the porch to look around the resort. It was early evening, so the streetlamps combined with the beautiful orange glow of the sky, had them looking at the landscape down the hill slack jawed. They saw the lobby and the saunas at the very bottom of the hill, with a few cottages lined up on the sides of the snow-covered road up the hill. Theirs was high up, enough to clearly see the luxury suites up top; some had two or three floors, with many shades of blue and green roofs. Eila saw some younger kids playing by the window of one of the suites with their dog. Nino, lying beside Eila, wagged his three tails slowly and purred as he observed the landscape. 

Tomas looked towards the mountain range with sparks in his eyes and a small grin, anticipating the ski trip tomorrow and the hikes up the mountain later in the week. Mrs. Diderot then called the twins inside for dinner, where they spent the evening eating by the fireplace while Ari sleeps near it. And much like Eila imagined, they later drank hot chocolate with some marshmallows while sitting on the beanbag chairs. The family went to bed on their wood-framed beds, getting comfortable under the soft and warm blankets.

Meanwhile, a cloaked figure scours the mountains, unseen by the rest, murmuring, "I feel a storm coming, and a strong one as well, but I cannot rest now..."