skyward-floored

[skyward-floored]

I want to share WRITING but I don’t have any FINISHED and I’m suffering

[skyward-floored]

FOUR POUNDS OF PRETZELS FOR 2.99 AHAHAHA

[skyward-floored]

The cat’s out of the bag chapter 9

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52017334/chapters/178216111#workskin

Back again with that fic that keeps giving me grief lol, why does it keep getting longerrrr. this was originally going to only be half a chapter, but then people kept TALKING so now it’s a whole chapter. Oops. On the bright side, I have half of the next one already done! Hopefully it won’t take as long to finish up...

We’re going back in time a little for the first bit here, but then it syncs up with everything else :]

(and a little warning for a brief description of past animal death, but it’s nothing too bad)

Chapter 8 | Next (coming soon)

————————————————————

Twilight and Four walked through the woods together, Twilight’s namesake darkening the world around them. Wild was humming under his breath in Twilight’s arms, but it only added to the peaceful atmosphere of the woods, birds quieting down for the night, a few errant fireflies drifting around.

The others had gotten ahead of them just like Warriors had predicted, and Twilight felt impatience simmer under his skin as they trooped along. He wasn’t resentful of carrying Wild— in fact, it was pretty comforting having him in his arms, being able to hear him breathing steadily after the scare they’d had. But it was definitely slowing them down, and fear for Wind was baying at Twilight’s heels like a whole pack of wolfos.

Familiar dread and worry like what had hounded him on his entire quest churned in his stomach and spun in his head, and Twilight tried to speed his steps again. Wind had to be okay.

He had to.

“You think the others have found anything?” Four spoke up suddenly, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. He’d attempted conversation a few times before now, but Twilight was focused on moving, and Wild had mostly slept, blood loss taking its toll. “I bet they’ve made it to the river by now.”

Twilight shrugged in response. “Dunno.”

“I bet so,” Wild spoke up quietly, awake from his latest catnap (oh Twilight’s chest hurt). “Hyrule’s good at tracking.”

“Not as good as you or the rancher,” Four said with a faint smile, and Wild let out a tired chuckle.

“Guess so. Wolfie has us both beat, though.”

Twilight couldn’t help but wince at the reminder of Warriors’ angry words that the comment brought to mind. Though they’d already been tumbling endlessly around his head since he’d heard them anyway, so it didn’t change much.

Four didn’t reply to Wild’s comment, and things were silent among them again, nothing but the distant noise of the river and crunch of grass and leaves underfoot. It was going to be a cool night, Twilight thought. The air felt like it.

Is Sky out there somewhere freezing?

“Rancher?”

Twilight glanced at Wild, and saw him giving him a scrutinizing look, one he didn’t like the look of. He turned his head away, and Wild made a grumbly noise when he didn’t respond.

“...Twi. Come on. Knock it off with the blame,” he said quietly.

“It’s my fault this happened,” Twilight said in a low voice.

Wild huffed. “It’s not.”

“It is.”

“It’s not.”

“Wild—”

“It’s not.”

“...I’m not doing this.”

“Well, I am,” Wild said cheerfully, then winced when he moved a little too fast. “So... too bad.”

Twilight looked at him in concern, but Wild just shook his head and leaned on Twilight a little more.

“C’mon Rancher. You can’t just keep moping,” he said, and Twilight looked at the ground.

“Champion, please. The captain was right, just... drop it,” Twilight murmured.

Wild made a huffy noise. “Ugh, he had to open his big mouth... look,” Wild said, looking up at him with a crease of pain on his face. “Even if it is your fault... which it’s not... being all broody isn’t going to fix it.”

“He must think it will, since it’s all he’s been doing,” Four mentioned from further ahead, a teasing lilt in his voice. Twilight glared at him, but Four didn’t turn around.

“We’ve all made bad mistakes,” Wild continued, more quietly now. “Some... pretty big ones. I get it. And I’m scared for him too. But you can’t change the past. We just have to move forward, and do what we can today.”

Twilight and Four both stopped and stared at him for a moment.

“Great Ordona, when did you get all wise on me?” Twilight said, and Wild smirked.

“Too many good influences or something. But seriously rancher, this is like... fifteen percent your fault. The other eighty-five is a combination of bad luck and Wind being stupid.”

“You can’t blame Wind for this,” Twilight immediately rebuffed, and Wild gave him a flat look.

“We all told him multiple times to stay back if there was a fight, and he jumped into it anyway. He gets at least a little blame,” he said pointedly, his voice more tired than before.

Twilight gave him a look, and carefully adjusted his grip, the champion’s face still scrunched. Wild relaxed a little, and closed his eyes again.

“All right. He gets a little blame,” Twilight conceded. If he wasn’t so sick with worry, he probably would be pretty annoyed at the sailor. “He was just trying to help, though. And I’m just... Hyrule’s world is so dangerous. And Wind is so defenseless right now, I can’t help being concerned, what if... what if he’s...”

He couldn’t finish the thought.

“I don’t know,” Four answered quietly, and it was then that Twilight realized how tense the smithy looked. He’d been staying pretty upbeat during their traveling, but Twilight abruptly realized it must have mostly been for his benefit. “We just have to hope that he’s okay. Wind is smart, and capable. I have faith in him.”

Twilight swallowed, and nodded. He did have faith in Wind, but as a Hylian, not a tiny cat who’d fallen off a cliff.

A memory came to mind from when Twilight had been little, a storm that had gone through and swelled the stream in Ordon so much it nearly flooded a few houses. Afterwards, while Twilight had been poking around, he’d found a drowned kitten on the edge of the stream, a tiny, soaked scrap of fur. It was the first time Twilight had ever seen death firsthand, and he’d gone to Rusl in tears, asking him to fix it.

Rusl had gently explained it wasn’t something he could fix, much to Twilight’s dismay. He’d given as much of an explanation of death as he could, then helped Twilight dig a small grave for the kitten under a tree.

That incident had stuck with Twilight all his life, but now all he could think of was Wind in a similar position, waterlogged fur and dull eyes, body still and cold.

The sick feeling in his stomach lurched, but Twilight swallowed it back as best as he could, and took a shaky breath in, then out, banishing the memory and his terror from his mind. If Wind was alive, thinking like that wouldn’t help him. It wouldn’t help anything.

If he was going to make up for his mistake, he needed to stop thinking about what might have happened, and figure out what did.

“You’re right,” Twilight said softly, tilting his head towards Wild. “We need to focus on finding Wind. And I... can’t change what happened. We need to focus on Wind, not ‘what-ifs’.”

“Well let’s keep moving then,” Four said, still looking worried, but with equal determination now. “It’s not too dark to travel yet. Let’s make the most of it.”

“Maybe we can still help search,” Wild said hopefully, and Twilight snorted, lightly ruffling his hair as they continued through the woods.

“We can. Not you, buddy.”

“We’ll see,” Wild mumbled with a smirk, but his eyes were drooping, and he fell asleep again a few moments later.

Twilight smiled down at him as Four chuckled nearby, then looked out at the woods, his brief amusement fading.

He knew this was his fault. Wild could argue with him about it all he liked, but Wind wouldn’t be a cat, wouldn’t be vulnerable, and wouldn’t have fallen off that cliff if it weren’t for Twilight being so insistent on keeping his secret.

This was Twilight’s fault.

And he was going to fix it.

(...)

It was properly dark by the time Twilight and Four finally reached the river, the thin crescent moon casting tiny silver ripples across the water.

Wild snored quietly in his arms, and Four perked up as they drew near the river, a familiar noise reaching their ears. Twilight heard the talking before he saw the small campfire, and the shadows of rest of their group rose around it, voices raised. It sounded like they were arguing.

“...Haven’t checked everywhere yet, we should go further downstream,” Warriors’ voice said, and Twilight heard Time sigh.

“It’s too dark, Captain, we might miss something,” he said, and as Twilight drew closer he saw Warriors grimace, looking away from him. “I’m worried about him as well. But we aren’t getting anywhere in the dark.”

“We can’t just give up on him!” Legend spoke up.

“We’re not giving up on him, I’m merely—”

“We can’t leave him,” Warriors pleaded, voice more worried than Twilight had heard in a long time. “Time, what if he’s...”

Time sighed again. “I know. But I just don’t think— ah, rancher, smithy.”

Everyone gathered around the campfire looked up as the two of them walked over, and Four gave a little wave. Twilight didn’t look at Warriors.

“Any luck?” Twilight asked the group, and the relieved looks brightened by the fire faded.

“We just got back from searching, we scoured the immediate area. No sign of him,” Legend reported, head resting on a hand as he poked at the sandy dirt with a stick. “Not so much as a pawprint.”

“We’ve been making a gradually bigger circle, but... nothing,” Hyrule added softly.

Twilight sighed, and nodded as he lowered himself to the ground, Wild’s head lolling. The champion had fallen asleep more deeply than before, and Twilight was glad to see it. He badly needed the rest.

Wild’s cry as the ax had hit him, Wind’s terrified eyes, the blood by Sky’s footprints—

“How’s Wild?” Hyrule asked softly as Twilight readjusted him, and Four shrugged.

“Exhausted. Dealing with blood loss. The same as earlier, really. Though apparently blood loss gives him a heck of an ability to give pep talks,” the smithy observed with a faint smile.

Hyrule huffed a quiet laugh, and he helped Twilight get out Wild’s bedroll, then get the champion settled in a way that his arm wouldn’t be unduly stressed. Twilight set his pelt over Wild when he finished, the champion’s skin still much too cold, and brushed a hand over his forehead, reassuring himself one more time that Wild was okay.

Then he stood, and stretched.

“I know that look,” Time said in a warning voice, looking intently at him. “It’s late, Twilight, and we’ve already done a lot of searching.”

Twilight crossed his arms. “You all have. I haven’t. I might notice something you all missed,” he said pointedly. “We haven’t found Wind, and it’s not pitch black out here yet. I’m going.”

“All right,” Time acquiesced, holding his hands out. He seemed to have sensed that it wasn’t an argument he would win. “One more search. But then we’re done for the night, no buts.”

Twilight and the others nodded. He’d be happy enough with that.

Warriors cleared his throat then, and they all looked at him. “We should split up, make more progress. Two people can stay to watch Wild, and the rest of us can go by twos as well, one duo downstream, the other up. We’ll cover more ground,” he said, and Time nodded.

“That seems wise. Any volunteers to stay?”

“I’ll stay,” Hyrule spoke up, raising his hand. “I want to try and draw a map of the area anyway, I can watch Wild at the same time.”

“I’ll stay and help,” Legend said, to Twilight’s surprise. He would’ve thought Legend would be chomping at the bit to keep looking. “With Wild and the map.”

“All right then. Let’s meet back here in no more than an hour. Smithy? Let’s go upstream,” Time said casually, and Four nodded. Then he paused, glancing over at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, and then shrugged and moved over to Time.

Twilight froze as he realized who that would leave him to search with, but Time only smiled, a glint of mischief in his eye.

And then left before Twilight could protest the choice of duos.

Really old man? Warriors? Twilight inwardly groaned, fighting the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. Did you forget that whole big argument from a few hours ago?

...Actually, that was probably why Time had dumped them together.

Thanks a lot, old man.

Twilight glanced at the captain as Time and Four disappeared upstream, and Warriors sighed, and stood up. He turned and started downstream without a word, and Twilight grimaced.

“Uh... good luck?” Legend said as Hyrule moved to sit by Wild, and Twilight let out a bitter chuckle.

“Thanks,” he replied, then followed after the captain.

We’re gonna need it.

It seemed much darker away from the campfire, but once Twilight’s eyes adjusted again, it wasn’t too bad. The moon was thin, but the stars were bright, and Twilight’s slight night vision gave him an edge. But even with all of that, Twilight didn’t want to miss clues or signs that Wind had come this way, and so he went for his lantern.

Twilight tugged it from his pack, using a precious bit of oil to light it. A circle of light spread out, brightening the night and sparkling off the water and catching on dewy grass, and Twilight glanced at Warriors.

The captain ignored him.

Twilight sighed and scanned the riverbank intently, looking for any hint of Wind having come this direction as they walked. The captain was obviously pretending he wasn’t there, having not spoken a word the entire trip, and Twilight tried not to be hurt. He did kind of deserve it.

A few crickets chirped softly as they walked past some bushes, Twilight listening intently. The river and their footsteps were the only other noises he picked up though, even though he kept his ears pricked for any meowing or other sounds. But aside from a few bugs and an owl at one point, there was nothing.

No sign of Wind.

Twilight looked at Warriors again, but the captain didn’t look back at Twilight, didn’t acknowledge him, didn’t check to see if he was following or not. Just marched on ahead, scanning the ground, but in a way that made it seem like he’d already checked this section. He must have searched it earlier.

The blatant cold shoulder made Twilight bristle uncomfortably, and he tried not to dwell on it. Their argument from earlier was still sharp in Twilight’s mind, and he was just fine with keeping his distance. Even if it did hurt.

The silence between him and Warriors seem to only get worse the longer they went though, and Twilight fidgeted as Warriors slowed down to look a little more intently. They must have reached the point past where the others had searched earlier.

“You see anything?” Twilight asked, cautiously breaking the silence.

“No.”

Warriors didn’t elaborate, and the silence dragged like a physical weight as they continued along the shore. Twilight did his best to ignore it again as pebbles clicked under his boots, focusing on looking for any sign of Wind, but he could practically feel Warriors’ anger in the air around them and it was incredibly distracting.

And he’d had enough.

“Captain,” he said finally, unable to bear the frosty silence a minute longer. Warriors only flicked an ear. “Captain, look, we— would you stop for a second?”

Warriors paused, scarf rippling from the movement, and Twilight crossed his arms as he looked at him.

“I’m sorry for not telling you, okay?” he said. Warriors stilled. “I get it. I’d be upset too.”

Warriors didn’t move, didn’t turn to face him.

Twilight breathed in, frustration and worry making him feel sick. “I know you’re mad. It’s my fault Wind is in this mess at all, I’ll take the responsibility for it. Spirits know it’s already been haunting me. And I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I don’t expect it, but can you put your mood aside for now so we can focus on finding Wind? Then you can go back to being as furious at me as you like.”

Warriors rested a hand on a tree trunk beside him, and he lowered his head with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.

“I’m not... furious with you,” he finally admitted in a quiet voice, and Twilight raised an eyebrow. Could’ve fooled me. “I’m merely... frustrated.”

“Oh, well, that’s way better,” Twilight said flatly. “Frustrated.”

“Not just at you, okay?” Warriors snapped, finally looking at Twilight. “At just— just this whole thing. I’m frustrated at you, and frustrated at Wind for not staying back when we told him to, and at Sky’s disappearance and your necklace and whatever reason you don’t want to talk about it, and just... everything. I hate it. I hate feeling so powerless and I hate not knowing if Wind and Sky are even alive or not.”

He breathed in, and Twilight heard the noise wobble.

“I know I shouldn’t take it out on you. And I know it wouldn’t fix everything. But I just wish you’d told us.”

Warriors’ voice was a little thick, and Twilight sighed, and scratched the back of his neck.

Well. He could certainly relate to all of that. He was pretty darn frustrated too.

And sick with worry over Wind and Sky, unable to get the sound out of his ears of Wind’s terrified cry as he’d dropped, or the sight of the ruined clearing where Sky had obviously fought—

“Well... I’m sorry for not telling you,” Twilight said finally. “And everyone. I really was going to. Things just... kept happening, and the longer it went, the easier it was to just go with it. And...”

He hesitated, and Warriors looked at him again, eyes flickering in the lantern light.

“...And?” he asked quietly.

“That... form,” Twilight began, just as quietly. “A wolf. They’re not exactly well-liked animals, and it’s... not been received well, in the past. I didn’t want that to happen again.” The scar on his back ached, and he snorted. “Uh, obviously that backfired. But uh, I guess it’s good that it’s out now.”

It was sort of a relief, even if it hadn’t been how he’d wanted to do it.

The captain kept looking at him without saying anything, but there was something in his expression now, something that hadn’t been there before. Twilight thought it was sympathy at a first glance, but then he shifted the lantern, and realized it was something more like guilt.

“You were afraid to share it because of how it’s been received, and I yelled at you,” he said blankly.

“Uh... kinda yeah,” Twilight shrugged.

The guilty look in his eyes got even brighter, and Twilight felt a mean flicker of satisfaction at the sight. He stuffed it away immediately, ashamed at the vindication, and busied himself with adding a bit more oil to his lamp.

“It’s water under the bridge, Captain. Let’s just focus on finding Wind,” Twilight said with a sigh that came out more shakily then he’d wanted it to. He was sick of secrets and arguments. He just wanted to find Wind safe and sound, and Sky, and get the sailor back to normal.

And apologize for putting him through all of this.

...Please spirits, let him be alive.

Warriors hesitated at Twilight’s words, then nodded as he lowered his head.

“That... seems wise. And for the record, Rancher, I... I don’t hate you. Or your other form. And I apologize if it came off that way. I just want to find Wind,” he said in a whisper.

Twilight paused at the shine in Warriors’ eyes, then nodded, briefly patting his shoulder. “I want to find him too. Let’s... let’s focus on that.”

Warriors swallowed, and didn’t say anything for a moment.

Then he breathed out, and straightened his shoulders.

“Right. We’re nearing where our traveler said there were rapids,” Warriors continued with a shake, putting off the vulnerability of a few moments ago and slipping into business mode. “If Wind was able to get out of the river he’d do it here. But if he isn’t around here, then... I don’t know where we’ll look.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Twilight replied with a determined look, and they finally resumed their trek down the river, the atmosphere lighter than before. It wasn’t... perfect, by any means, but at least Twilight didn’t feel like Warriors would jump on him at any moment.

...And it was nice to know the captain didn’t hate him.

The two of them came to a slightly skinnier section of river, the last part before the current turned frothy with rocks that stuck out of the water. The thought of Wind being sucked down into that current and battered against the stones threatened to make him ill, and Twilight quickly turned his attention to searching.

He scanned the undergrowth carefully, checking the rocks and sand on the ground for any sign of disturbance. Warriors did the same nearby, and as the two of them scanned the shoreline, water rushing, moon rising, night inching on. Twilight’s back began to ache from being hunched over. All that time carrying Wild probably wasn’t helping, not to mention the bruises from the fight earlier.

He hasn’t realized it until now, but he was actually pretty exhausted.

Twilight straightened with a wince after a while, rubbing his spine as he looked out at the river. The moon was higher now, still sending silver sparkles onto the ripples in the water, and Twilight admired it for a moment. They really were pretty, even if he was frustrated and tired and nauseous with worry. The way the moonlight caught the little ripples and sparkled a bit, and contrasted with the shadows from the branch that was stuck in some rocks—

Twilight froze.

Without hesitation he scrambled into the water, ignoring Warriors’ question behind him, and was nearly waist-deep before he could reach out and grab the branch.

And there, stuck on a bit of bark, was a small tuft of pale yellow fur with a dash of blood on the tip.

Twilight wasn’t sure whether to be elated or terrified.

“What? Did you find something?” Warriors asked urgently as Twilight turned back towards shore. Twilight wordlessly sloshed back, and showed Warriors what he’d found.

Warriors froze, and stared at it.

“That must be Wind’s,” he breathed, almost reverently picking up the tuft as Twilight waded out of the water with a small shiver. “Where was it?”

“Stuck on that branch,” Twilight said, gesturing to it. “And I saw claw marks, it looks like Wind might’ve grabbed it, possibly used it to climb out of the water.”

Warriors exhaled with more relief than Twilight had ever heard from him in the time they’d known each other. “That means he’s alive.”

“Maybe,” Twilight cautioned. He was thrilled by the discovery, but was also afraid to get his hopes up. “The scratches might have been from something else. I can’t tell for sure. If was him though, I think he would’ve come out on the other side. We’d have to check the other shore for signs of him.”

“And the current is too quick here to safely swim,” Warriors scowled, and kicked at the rocks.

“I can’t see a good spot for clawshots either,” Twilight added, and they both grimaced.

“It... looks like we’ll have to come back when it’s light out.”

“Looks like it.”

Neither of them moved.

Twilight frowned, looking across at the darkened shore, then cupped his hands around his mouth.

“WIND?! YOU OUT THERE?!” he yelled, and he and Warriors listened for a few moments.

Nothing.

Twilight swallowed, and looked at Warriors. The captain was rubbing the tuft of fur between his fingers, not seeming to care about the half-dried blood he was smearing around, and Twilight saw him smooth his thumb over the fur. Then he sighed, and closed his hand around it.

“We... need to tell the others about this,” he said finally, breathing out. “Wind obviously isn’t close. It’s too dark to search any more, and we can’t risk stumbling on any monsters. We’re not in good shape.”

“Wind might not be either,” Twilight said quietly, and Warriors swallowed.

“I know. But the hour the old man gave us is almost up, and... we need to rest. We can formulate a plan, and come back ready once we regroup.” He gave Twilight a look. “And get you into some dry clothes, you’re shivering.”

“It’s not too bad,” Twilight muttered, forcing his shaking shoulders to still. He’d been right about it being a cool night, and he’d gotten soaked up to his waist. The combination wasn’t very pleasant, especially without his pelt.

“I know,” Warriors replied. Still neither of them moved, the captain clutching the tuft of fur, both of them straining their eyes to look at the opposite shore.

“We’ll come back,” Twilight whispered finally.

“Dawn at the latest,” Warriors agreed quietly, and Twilight nodded, his throat tight as they both looked out at the river.

“Dawn at the latest.”

Just hold on, Sailor. We’re coming for you.

[skyward-floored]

I have a meeting I have to go to this morning, but when I get back I’m going to try and ride that sweet sweet boost that comments always give me and accomplish more writing RAHHH

[skyward-floored]

I have pretty cloud pictures for you this morning 😍

Oooooh wow those are so pretty!!! I love how there’s sort of two layers going on, and how the sun is shining through and making the edges all shiny, so pretty :D

[skyward-floored]

Can we have Wild nad his mom? for the writing event?

Typically Tilieth received a letter from Abel that her husband and son would be coming home for a break, but this time the rumors beat any word from her family.

It was hard not to miss them, the whispers of destiny and heroes and magical swords. Tilieth knew the stories, of course, but it was troubling that there was talk of a country knight-in-training who had managed to find the legendary Master Sword.

She knew it couldn’t be true, or certainly couldn’t be her sweet little country child. But when a letter came from Abel stating he and Link were coming home, Tilieth had started to worry that the rumors might be more pertinent than she’d anticipated.

Her husband and son rode into town with different expressions than usual. The typical openness and cheer was gone, burdened by anxiety instead. Abel’s expression in particular was heavy with worry, while Link seemed both confused and nervous, glancing constantly at his father. It seemed the entire village was staring at them, but no one saw any magical sword, and after a few moments of tension, it released when Til and Abel’s other child, Lyra, ran to her father and brother while squealing excitedly. Link leapt down to greet his sister, picking her up, and then the villagers greeted the pair warmly as if it were any other day.

Tilieth stood up the hill a ways, watching the pair, noting how Link wore a heavy cloak hiding anything that he was wearing or carrying. She watched how her husband seemed to be alert, despite everyone else relaxing, and how he was acting as if he were still on duty, even when Link handed a wiggling Lyra to his father for her to sit on his lap.

Her heart sank.

It wasn’t as if such news wasn’t astounding. Quite frankly, Tilieth didn’t know how to register it. But the way she saw her boys carry themselves did not lend itself to excitement. And what dangers lay ahead for her son now? It was already frightening enough that Abel trained the boy at such a young age, constantly pointing out that he was practically a prodigy. Tilieth loved her husband dearly and knew he loved their son as well, but sometimes she thought he pushed the boy too hard.

So for him to be hesitant and protective of their child was telling.

Abel led Link up the hill, dismounting when they reached the bridge where Tilieth stood waiting. His expression relaxed a little, a small smile pulling at his lips as Tilieth moved towards them. Abel reached his arm back, bidding Link to approach so he could greet his mother first. When Tilieth knelt down to hug the little one (but Hylia he’d grown, he looked even more mature now, how was time passing so quickly and she was missing most of it due to his training), she felt a sword at his back underneath his cloak, and ice filled her veins as she glanced up at her husband.

Abel’s smile grew strained.

“I missed you, baby,” she whispered, kissing Link’s ear.

“Missed you too, Mama,” Link muttered, holding her more tightly.

Tilieth didn’t let go so long as her son didn’t, but Abel’s anxiety started to become apparent, so she finally pulled away. Her husband motioned with his head towards the house, putting his hand on Link’s back and guiding the party across the bridge as Lyra hopped down and rushed ahead. When they’d finally reached their home, somewhat isolated from the rest of the village, he relaxed, letting Tilieth hug him.

“Is everything all right?” she asked quietly.

“Let’s go inside,” Abel replied just as quietly before directing his attention to their son. “Link, get your sister.”

The parents corralled their children indoors, and Lyra dragged Link to their sleeping area under the stairs, showing him all her toys and asking him to play with her.

Abel sighed heavily, sitting at the table and rubbing his face tiredly. Tilieth sat beside him, hand on his back, worried.

“Everything is fine,” he finally said, and Tilieth almost laughed with how ludicrous it sounded given everything she’d observed so far. “But I… I didn’t have a chance to write ahead, I’m sorry. Not… not everything, at least. I couldn’t risk the information being compromised.”

“Are the rumors true, then?” Tilieth whispered. “About the… the Master Sword?”

Abel nodded.

Tilieth didn’t really know what to do with this information. It was incredible, but it was terrifying as well.

“That’s… so Link is…?” she tried to parse out, losing her voice midway.

“The Hero of Hyrule, as chosen by the goddesses themselves,” Abel finished for her. “I…”

Tilieth waited for him to continue, and Abel swallowed thickly.

Eventually, he sighed. “I’m proud of him. But he has a long way to go, and… I’d rather others not know about the matter yet. We’ll need to train him more, he’s not used to such a large blade.”

“But Abel, you just got back,” Tilieth noted.

“Link found the sword almost two months ago,” Abel noted. “We had to go see the king before we were allowed to come here. Link and I have to leave in a few days to head to the training camp near the Lost Woods. That’s where we were originally, when he’d wandered off and found it.”

“He’s only thirteen,” Tilieth argued. “Surely he can have a few weeks off.”

“The king said there isn’t time for that,” Abel replied. “We have no idea when…”

Abel grew quiet, and the sound of their children playing filled the air.

“Surely they… they don’t think it’ll be soon?” Tilieth choked out. “The princess isn’t ready, either.”

“They don’t know, that’s the issue,” Abel pointed out. “The sooner we get him ready, the better. Link is the most promising swordfighter I’ve ever seen. He’ll be all right. This is an honor.”

Oh yes, it certainly was an honor, but Tilieth still didn’t like how it ripped away Link’s already fading childhood, she didn’t like how Abel was now a worried mess, paranoid and cautious and upset.

Tilieth wondered why Hylia would choose their little boy this early. Maybe nothing terrible would happen for decades, and this just gave him an early start.

She could only pray that was the case.

But aside from Abel’s behavior, she had to notice Link’s behavior as well. The young one tried to smile and be cheerful for his sister, and her buoyant happiness seemed to help, but he still hadn’t taken his shoes and cloak off, still hadn’t gotten comfortable, was still acting as if he were about to leave again.

“Link, honey,” Tilieth said gently as she approached him. “Take off your cloak. You’re staying a while, you know, silly.”

Her son watched her a moment, blushing a little, and looked at his father for approval. Tilieth felt a twinge of something in response to that, but when Abel nodded, Link relaxed.

Did he even know? Did he even realize what this meant? She supposed he must have an inkling, considering he’d had to meet the king.

She didn’t get much chance to talk to him about it. Lyra kept Link busy, and Tilieth decided to work on dinner and ensuring her husband and son ate and slept. Tomorrow would be a new day and bring new opportunities.

The next day, her boys were both up early. Abel was playing with Lyra, eyes soft with his love for his daughter, but gaze growing distant as he thought about what was to come. Breakfast had been a quiet affair, and Tilieth found herself worrying all the more as she watched Link. His appetite was still intact, but he was far quieter, mirroring his father’s silent contemplation.

It was midmorning when Tilieth found her son sitting with his feet dangling off the bridge, eyes looking at the water down below. She walked over to him, settling on the ground beside him, carefully placing her hands on her lap.

Neither spoke, simply listening to the birds singing, to the water lapping. But eventually, Tilieth prompted him. “Your father said he spoke to you about the sword.”

Link played with a blade of grass between his fingers, lips twitching a little. He was a little stiff from anxiety, and Tilieth tucked some of his hair behind his ear to settle him. She knew when she grew too nervous she couldn’t speak very well, so she tried to do some of the speaking for him. “He said you met the king as well. A lot has happened since we last saw each other on your thirteenth birthday. Are you okay?”

“Papa said I’m strong, that this is an honor,” Link noted quietly, releasing the blade of grass and watching it fall into the water below.

Tilieth tilted her head to the side. “That wasn’t what I asked, sweetheart.”

“I am honored,” Link replied fervently. “But I…”

He didn’t dare speak, face scrunching in fear and worry, and Tilieth put her hand on his back.

"Honey," she said softly. "No matter what title you have, no matter what sword you wield, I want you to know you'll always be my baby boy."

Link's lip wobbled, and he gave her the first smile she'd seen from him since he’d arrived, leaning in to let her hold him tightly.

Her boys didn’t stay long. Only a couple days later, they were packed and ready to hit the road again. Abel was both nervous but excited, eager to teach his son and train him as much as possible. Link seemed just as earnest and willing to accept the challenge.

Tilieth worried all the same. She worried as she packed food for them, as Lyra cried that they had to leave so soon, as she kissed her husband and held her son.

Link gave her one last smile as he crossed the bridge with his father, and Tilieth said a prayer for them both.

And then she took a breath, hopeful and proud, and picked up her baby girl to comfort her.

It would be all right.

[skyward-floored]

The cat’s out of the bag chapter 9

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52017334/chapters/178216111#workskin

Back again with that fic that keeps giving me grief lol, why does it keep getting longerrrr. this was originally going to only be half a chapter, but then people kept TALKING so now it’s a whole chapter. Oops. On the bright side, I have half of the next one already done! Hopefully it won’t take as long to finish up...

We’re going back in time a little for the first bit here, but then it syncs up with everything else :]

(and a little warning for a brief description of past animal death, but it’s nothing too bad)

Chapter 8 | Next (coming soon)

————————————————————

Twilight and Four walked through the woods together, Twilight’s namesake darkening the world around them. Wild was humming under his breath in Twilight’s arms, but it only added to the peaceful atmosphere of the woods, birds quieting down for the night, a few errant fireflies drifting around.

The others had gotten ahead of them just like Warriors had predicted, and Twilight felt impatience simmer under his skin as they trooped along. He wasn’t resentful of carrying Wild— in fact, it was pretty comforting having him in his arms, being able to hear him breathing steadily after the scare they’d had. But it was definitely slowing them down, and fear for Wind was baying at Twilight’s heels like a whole pack of wolfos.

Familiar dread and worry like what had hounded him on his entire quest churned in his stomach and spun in his head, and Twilight tried to speed his steps again. Wind had to be okay.

He had to.

“You think the others have found anything?” Four spoke up suddenly, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. He’d attempted conversation a few times before now, but Twilight was focused on moving, and Wild had mostly slept, blood loss taking its toll. “I bet they’ve made it to the river by now.”

Twilight shrugged in response. “Dunno.”

“I bet so,” Wild spoke up quietly, awake from his latest catnap (oh Twilight’s chest hurt). “Hyrule’s good at tracking.”

“Not as good as you or the rancher,” Four said with a faint smile, and Wild let out a tired chuckle.

“Guess so. Wolfie has us both beat, though.”

Twilight couldn’t help but wince at the reminder of Warriors’ angry words that the comment brought to mind. Though they’d already been tumbling endlessly around his head since he’d heard them anyway, so it didn’t change much.

Four didn’t reply to Wild’s comment, and things were silent among them again, nothing but the distant noise of the river and crunch of grass and leaves underfoot. It was going to be a cool night, Twilight thought. The air felt like it.

Is Sky out there somewhere freezing?

“Rancher?”

Twilight glanced at Wild, and saw him giving him a scrutinizing look, one he didn’t like the look of. He turned his head away, and Wild made a grumbly noise when he didn’t respond.

“...Twi. Come on. Knock it off with the blame,” he said quietly.

“It’s my fault this happened,” Twilight said in a low voice.

Wild huffed. “It’s not.”

“It is.”

“It’s not.”

“Wild—”

“It’s not.”

“...I’m not doing this.”

“Well, I am,” Wild said cheerfully, then winced when he moved a little too fast. “So... too bad.”

Twilight looked at him in concern, but Wild just shook his head and leaned on Twilight a little more.

“C’mon Rancher. You can’t just keep moping,” he said, and Twilight looked at the ground.

“Champion, please. The captain was right, just... drop it,” Twilight murmured.

Wild made a huffy noise. “Ugh, he had to open his big mouth... look,” Wild said, looking up at him with a crease of pain on his face. “Even if it is your fault... which it’s not... being all broody isn’t going to fix it.”

“He must think it will, since it’s all he’s been doing,” Four mentioned from further ahead, a teasing lilt in his voice. Twilight glared at him, but Four didn’t turn around.

“We’ve all made bad mistakes,” Wild continued, more quietly now. “Some... pretty big ones. I get it. And I’m scared for him too. But you can’t change the past. We just have to move forward, and do what we can today.”

Twilight and Four both stopped and stared at him for a moment.

“Great Ordona, when did you get all wise on me?” Twilight said, and Wild smirked.

“Too many good influences or something. But seriously rancher, this is like... fifteen percent your fault. The other eighty-five is a combination of bad luck and Wind being stupid.”

“You can’t blame Wind for this,” Twilight immediately rebuffed, and Wild gave him a flat look.

“We all told him multiple times to stay back if there was a fight, and he jumped into it anyway. He gets at least a little blame,” he said pointedly, his voice more tired than before.

Twilight gave him a look, and carefully adjusted his grip, the champion’s face still scrunched. Wild relaxed a little, and closed his eyes again.

“All right. He gets a little blame,” Twilight conceded. If he wasn’t so sick with worry, he probably would be pretty annoyed at the sailor. “He was just trying to help, though. And I’m just... Hyrule’s world is so dangerous. And Wind is so defenseless right now, I can’t help being concerned, what if... what if he’s...”

He couldn’t finish the thought.

“I don’t know,” Four answered quietly, and it was then that Twilight realized how tense the smithy looked. He’d been staying pretty upbeat during their traveling, but Twilight abruptly realized it must have mostly been for his benefit. “We just have to hope that he’s okay. Wind is smart, and capable. I have faith in him.”

Twilight swallowed, and nodded. He did have faith in Wind, but as a Hylian, not a tiny cat who’d fallen off a cliff.

A memory came to mind from when Twilight had been little, a storm that had gone through and swelled the stream in Ordon so much it nearly flooded a few houses. Afterwards, while Twilight had been poking around, he’d found a drowned kitten on the edge of the stream, a tiny, soaked scrap of fur. It was the first time Twilight had ever seen death firsthand, and he’d gone to Rusl in tears, asking him to fix it.

Rusl had gently explained it wasn’t something he could fix, much to Twilight’s dismay. He’d given as much of an explanation of death as he could, then helped Twilight dig a small grave for the kitten under a tree.

That incident had stuck with Twilight all his life, but now all he could think of was Wind in a similar position, waterlogged fur and dull eyes, body still and cold.

The sick feeling in his stomach lurched, but Twilight swallowed it back as best as he could, and took a shaky breath in, then out, banishing the memory and his terror from his mind. If Wind was alive, thinking like that wouldn’t help him. It wouldn’t help anything.

If he was going to make up for his mistake, he needed to stop thinking about what might have happened, and figure out what did.

“You’re right,” Twilight said softly, tilting his head towards Wild. “We need to focus on finding Wind. And I... can’t change what happened. We need to focus on Wind, not ‘what-ifs’.”

“Well let’s keep moving then,” Four said, still looking worried, but with equal determination now. “It’s not too dark to travel yet. Let’s make the most of it.”

“Maybe we can still help search,” Wild said hopefully, and Twilight snorted, lightly ruffling his hair as they continued through the woods.

“We can. Not you, buddy.”

“We’ll see,” Wild mumbled with a smirk, but his eyes were drooping, and he fell asleep again a few moments later.

Twilight smiled down at him as Four chuckled nearby, then looked out at the woods, his brief amusement fading.

He knew this was his fault. Wild could argue with him about it all he liked, but Wind wouldn’t be a cat, wouldn’t be vulnerable, and wouldn’t have fallen off that cliff if it weren’t for Twilight being so insistent on keeping his secret.

This was Twilight’s fault.

And he was going to fix it.

(...)

It was properly dark by the time Twilight and Four finally reached the river, the thin crescent moon casting tiny silver ripples across the water.

Wild snored quietly in his arms, and Four perked up as they drew near the river, a familiar noise reaching their ears. Twilight heard the talking before he saw the small campfire, and the shadows of rest of their group rose around it, voices raised. It sounded like they were arguing.

“...Haven’t checked everywhere yet, we should go further downstream,” Warriors’ voice said, and Twilight heard Time sigh.

“It’s too dark, Captain, we might miss something,” he said, and as Twilight drew closer he saw Warriors grimace, looking away from him. “I’m worried about him as well. But we aren’t getting anywhere in the dark.”

“We can’t just give up on him!” Legend spoke up.

“We’re not giving up on him, I’m merely—”

“We can’t leave him,” Warriors pleaded, voice more worried than Twilight had heard in a long time. “Time, what if he’s...”

Time sighed again. “I know. But I just don’t think— ah, rancher, smithy.”

Everyone gathered around the campfire looked up as the two of them walked over, and Four gave a little wave. Twilight didn’t look at Warriors.

“Any luck?” Twilight asked the group, and the relieved looks brightened by the fire faded.

“We just got back from searching, we scoured the immediate area. No sign of him,” Legend reported, head resting on a hand as he poked at the sandy dirt with a stick. “Not so much as a pawprint.”

“We’ve been making a gradually bigger circle, but... nothing,” Hyrule added softly.

Twilight sighed, and nodded as he lowered himself to the ground, Wild’s head lolling. The champion had fallen asleep more deeply than before, and Twilight was glad to see it. He badly needed the rest.

Wild’s cry as the ax had hit him, Wind’s terrified eyes, the blood by Sky’s footprints—

“How’s Wild?” Hyrule asked softly as Twilight readjusted him, and Four shrugged.

“Exhausted. Dealing with blood loss. The same as earlier, really. Though apparently blood loss gives him a heck of an ability to give pep talks,” the smithy observed with a faint smile.

Hyrule huffed a quiet laugh, and he helped Twilight get out Wild’s bedroll, then get the champion settled in a way that his arm wouldn’t be unduly stressed. Twilight set his pelt over Wild when he finished, the champion’s skin still much too cold, and brushed a hand over his forehead, reassuring himself one more time that Wild was okay.

Then he stood, and stretched.

“I know that look,” Time said in a warning voice, looking intently at him. “It’s late, Twilight, and we’ve already done a lot of searching.”

Twilight crossed his arms. “You all have. I haven’t. I might notice something you all missed,” he said pointedly. “We haven’t found Wind, and it’s not pitch black out here yet. I’m going.”

“All right,” Time acquiesced, holding his hands out. He seemed to have sensed that it wasn’t an argument he would win. “One more search. But then we’re done for the night, no buts.”

Twilight and the others nodded. He’d be happy enough with that.

Warriors cleared his throat then, and they all looked at him. “We should split up, make more progress. Two people can stay to watch Wild, and the rest of us can go by twos as well, one duo downstream, the other up. We’ll cover more ground,” he said, and Time nodded.

“That seems wise. Any volunteers to stay?”

“I’ll stay,” Hyrule spoke up, raising his hand. “I want to try and draw a map of the area anyway, I can watch Wild at the same time.”

“I’ll stay and help,” Legend said, to Twilight’s surprise. He would’ve thought Legend would be chomping at the bit to keep looking. “With Wild and the map.”

“All right then. Let’s meet back here in no more than an hour. Smithy? Let’s go upstream,” Time said casually, and Four nodded. Then he paused, glancing over at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, and then shrugged and moved over to Time.

Twilight froze as he realized who that would leave him to search with, but Time only smiled, a glint of mischief in his eye.

And then left before Twilight could protest the choice of duos.

Really old man? Warriors? Twilight inwardly groaned, fighting the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. Did you forget that whole big argument from a few hours ago?

...Actually, that was probably why Time had dumped them together.

Thanks a lot, old man.

Twilight glanced at the captain as Time and Four disappeared upstream, and Warriors sighed, and stood up. He turned and started downstream without a word, and Twilight grimaced.

“Uh... good luck?” Legend said as Hyrule moved to sit by Wild, and Twilight let out a bitter chuckle.

“Thanks,” he replied, then followed after the captain.

We’re gonna need it.

It seemed much darker away from the campfire, but once Twilight’s eyes adjusted again, it wasn’t too bad. The moon was thin, but the stars were bright, and Twilight’s slight night vision gave him an edge. But even with all of that, Twilight didn’t want to miss clues or signs that Wind had come this way, and so he went for his lantern.

Twilight tugged it from his pack, using a precious bit of oil to light it. A circle of light spread out, brightening the night and sparkling off the water and catching on dewy grass, and Twilight glanced at Warriors.

The captain ignored him.

Twilight sighed and scanned the riverbank intently, looking for any hint of Wind having come this direction as they walked. The captain was obviously pretending he wasn’t there, having not spoken a word the entire trip, and Twilight tried not to be hurt. He did kind of deserve it.

A few crickets chirped softly as they walked past some bushes, Twilight listening intently. The river and their footsteps were the only other noises he picked up though, even though he kept his ears pricked for any meowing or other sounds. But aside from a few bugs and an owl at one point, there was nothing.

No sign of Wind.

Twilight looked at Warriors again, but the captain didn’t look back at Twilight, didn’t acknowledge him, didn’t check to see if he was following or not. Just marched on ahead, scanning the ground, but in a way that made it seem like he’d already checked this section. He must have searched it earlier.

The blatant cold shoulder made Twilight bristle uncomfortably, and he tried not to dwell on it. Their argument from earlier was still sharp in Twilight’s mind, and he was just fine with keeping his distance. Even if it did hurt.

The silence between him and Warriors seem to only get worse the longer they went though, and Twilight fidgeted as Warriors slowed down to look a little more intently. They must have reached the point past where the others had searched earlier.

“You see anything?” Twilight asked, cautiously breaking the silence.

“No.”

Warriors didn’t elaborate, and the silence dragged like a physical weight as they continued along the shore. Twilight did his best to ignore it again as pebbles clicked under his boots, focusing on looking for any sign of Wind, but he could practically feel Warriors’ anger in the air around them and it was incredibly distracting.

And he’d had enough.

“Captain,” he said finally, unable to bear the frosty silence a minute longer. Warriors only flicked an ear. “Captain, look, we— would you stop for a second?”

Warriors paused, scarf rippling from the movement, and Twilight crossed his arms as he looked at him.

“I’m sorry for not telling you, okay?” he said. Warriors stilled. “I get it. I’d be upset too.”

Warriors didn’t move, didn’t turn to face him.

Twilight breathed in, frustration and worry making him feel sick. “I know you’re mad. It’s my fault Wind is in this mess at all, I’ll take the responsibility for it. Spirits know it’s already been haunting me. And I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I don’t expect it, but can you put your mood aside for now so we can focus on finding Wind? Then you can go back to being as furious at me as you like.”

Warriors rested a hand on a tree trunk beside him, and he lowered his head with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.

“I’m not... furious with you,” he finally admitted in a quiet voice, and Twilight raised an eyebrow. Could’ve fooled me. “I’m merely... frustrated.”

“Oh, well, that’s way better,” Twilight said flatly. “Frustrated.”

“Not just at you, okay?” Warriors snapped, finally looking at Twilight. “At just— just this whole thing. I’m frustrated at you, and frustrated at Wind for not staying back when we told him to, and at Sky’s disappearance and your necklace and whatever reason you don’t want to talk about it, and just... everything. I hate it. I hate feeling so powerless and I hate not knowing if Wind and Sky are even alive or not.”

He breathed in, and Twilight heard the noise wobble.

“I know I shouldn’t take it out on you. And I know it wouldn’t fix everything. But I just wish you’d told us.”

Warriors’ voice was a little thick, and Twilight sighed, and scratched the back of his neck.

Well. He could certainly relate to all of that. He was pretty darn frustrated too.

And sick with worry over Wind and Sky, unable to get the sound out of his ears of Wind’s terrified cry as he’d dropped, or the sight of the ruined clearing where Sky had obviously fought—

“Well... I’m sorry for not telling you,” Twilight said finally. “And everyone. I really was going to. Things just... kept happening, and the longer it went, the easier it was to just go with it. And...”

He hesitated, and Warriors looked at him again, eyes flickering in the lantern light.

“...And?” he asked quietly.

“That... form,” Twilight began, just as quietly. “A wolf. They’re not exactly well-liked animals, and it’s... not been received well, in the past. I didn’t want that to happen again.” The scar on his back ached, and he snorted. “Uh, obviously that backfired. But uh, I guess it’s good that it’s out now.”

It was sort of a relief, even if it hadn’t been how he’d wanted to do it.

The captain kept looking at him without saying anything, but there was something in his expression now, something that hadn’t been there before. Twilight thought it was sympathy at a first glance, but then he shifted the lantern, and realized it was something more like guilt.

“You were afraid to share it because of how it’s been received, and I yelled at you,” he said blankly.

“Uh... kinda yeah,” Twilight shrugged.

The guilty look in his eyes got even brighter, and Twilight felt a mean flicker of satisfaction at the sight. He stuffed it away immediately, ashamed at the vindication, and busied himself with adding a bit more oil to his lamp.

“It’s water under the bridge, Captain. Let’s just focus on finding Wind,” Twilight said with a sigh that came out more shakily then he’d wanted it to. He was sick of secrets and arguments. He just wanted to find Wind safe and sound, and Sky, and get the sailor back to normal.

And apologize for putting him through all of this.

...Please spirits, let him be alive.

Warriors hesitated at Twilight’s words, then nodded as he lowered his head.

“That... seems wise. And for the record, Rancher, I... I don’t hate you. Or your other form. And I apologize if it came off that way. I just want to find Wind,” he said in a whisper.

Twilight paused at the shine in Warriors’ eyes, then nodded, briefly patting his shoulder. “I want to find him too. Let’s... let’s focus on that.”

Warriors swallowed, and didn’t say anything for a moment.

Then he breathed out, and straightened his shoulders.

“Right. We’re nearing where our traveler said there were rapids,” Warriors continued with a shake, putting off the vulnerability of a few moments ago and slipping into business mode. “If Wind was able to get out of the river he’d do it here. But if he isn’t around here, then... I don’t know where we’ll look.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Twilight replied with a determined look, and they finally resumed their trek down the river, the atmosphere lighter than before. It wasn’t... perfect, by any means, but at least Twilight didn’t feel like Warriors would jump on him at any moment.

...And it was nice to know the captain didn’t hate him.

The two of them came to a slightly skinnier section of river, the last part before the current turned frothy with rocks that stuck out of the water. The thought of Wind being sucked down into that current and battered against the stones threatened to make him ill, and Twilight quickly turned his attention to searching.

He scanned the undergrowth carefully, checking the rocks and sand on the ground for any sign of disturbance. Warriors did the same nearby, and as the two of them scanned the shoreline, water rushing, moon rising, night inching on. Twilight’s back began to ache from being hunched over. All that time carrying Wild probably wasn’t helping, not to mention the bruises from the fight earlier.

He hasn’t realized it until now, but he was actually pretty exhausted.

Twilight straightened with a wince after a while, rubbing his spine as he looked out at the river. The moon was higher now, still sending silver sparkles onto the ripples in the water, and Twilight admired it for a moment. They really were pretty, even if he was frustrated and tired and nauseous with worry. The way the moonlight caught the little ripples and sparkled a bit, and contrasted with the shadows from the branch that was stuck in some rocks—

Twilight froze.

Without hesitation he scrambled into the water, ignoring Warriors’ question behind him, and was nearly waist-deep before he could reach out and grab the branch.

And there, stuck on a bit of bark, was a small tuft of pale yellow fur with a dash of blood on the tip.

Twilight wasn’t sure whether to be elated or terrified.

“What? Did you find something?” Warriors asked urgently as Twilight turned back towards shore. Twilight wordlessly sloshed back, and showed Warriors what he’d found.

Warriors froze, and stared at it.

“That must be Wind’s,” he breathed, almost reverently picking up the tuft as Twilight waded out of the water with a small shiver. “Where was it?”

“Stuck on that branch,” Twilight said, gesturing to it. “And I saw claw marks, it looks like Wind might’ve grabbed it, possibly used it to climb out of the water.”

Warriors exhaled with more relief than Twilight had ever heard from him in the time they’d known each other. “That means he’s alive.”

“Maybe,” Twilight cautioned. He was thrilled by the discovery, but was also afraid to get his hopes up. “The scratches might have been from something else. I can’t tell for sure. If was him though, I think he would’ve come out on the other side. We’d have to check the other shore for signs of him.”

“And the current is too quick here to safely swim,” Warriors scowled, and kicked at the rocks.

“I can’t see a good spot for clawshots either,” Twilight added, and they both grimaced.

“It... looks like we’ll have to come back when it’s light out.”

“Looks like it.”

Neither of them moved.

Twilight frowned, looking across at the darkened shore, then cupped his hands around his mouth.

“WIND?! YOU OUT THERE?!” he yelled, and he and Warriors listened for a few moments.

Nothing.

Twilight swallowed, and looked at Warriors. The captain was rubbing the tuft of fur between his fingers, not seeming to care about the half-dried blood he was smearing around, and Twilight saw him smooth his thumb over the fur. Then he sighed, and closed his hand around it.

“We... need to tell the others about this,” he said finally, breathing out. “Wind obviously isn’t close. It’s too dark to search any more, and we can’t risk stumbling on any monsters. We’re not in good shape.”

“Wind might not be either,” Twilight said quietly, and Warriors swallowed.

“I know. But the hour the old man gave us is almost up, and... we need to rest. We can formulate a plan, and come back ready once we regroup.” He gave Twilight a look. “And get you into some dry clothes, you’re shivering.”

“It’s not too bad,” Twilight muttered, forcing his shaking shoulders to still. He’d been right about it being a cool night, and he’d gotten soaked up to his waist. The combination wasn’t very pleasant, especially without his pelt.

“I know,” Warriors replied. Still neither of them moved, the captain clutching the tuft of fur, both of them straining their eyes to look at the opposite shore.

“We’ll come back,” Twilight whispered finally.

“Dawn at the latest,” Warriors agreed quietly, and Twilight nodded, his throat tight as they both looked out at the river.

“Dawn at the latest.”

Just hold on, Sailor. We’re coming for you.

[skyward-floored]

The cat’s out of the bag chapter 9

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52017334/chapters/178216111#workskin

Back again with that fic that keeps giving me grief lol, why does it keep getting longerrrr. this was originally going to only be half a chapter, but then people kept TALKING so now it’s a whole chapter. Oops. On the bright side, I have half of the next one already done! Hopefully it won’t take as long to finish up...

We’re going back in time a little for the first bit here, but then it syncs up with everything else :]

(and a little warning for a brief description of past animal death, but it’s nothing too bad)

Chapter 8 | Next (coming soon)

————————————————————

Twilight and Four walked through the woods together, Twilight’s namesake darkening the world around them. Wild was humming under his breath in Twilight’s arms, but it only added to the peaceful atmosphere of the woods, birds quieting down for the night, a few errant fireflies drifting around.

The others had gotten ahead of them just like Warriors had predicted, and Twilight felt impatience simmer under his skin as they trooped along. He wasn’t resentful of carrying Wild— in fact, it was pretty comforting having him in his arms, being able to hear him breathing steadily after the scare they’d had. But it was definitely slowing them down, and fear for Wind was baying at Twilight’s heels like a whole pack of wolfos.

Familiar dread and worry like what had hounded him on his entire quest churned in his stomach and spun in his head, and Twilight tried to speed his steps again. Wind had to be okay.

He had to.

“You think the others have found anything?” Four spoke up suddenly, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. He’d attempted conversation a few times before now, but Twilight was focused on moving, and Wild had mostly slept, blood loss taking its toll. “I bet they’ve made it to the river by now.”

Twilight shrugged in response. “Dunno.”

“I bet so,” Wild spoke up quietly, awake from his latest catnap (oh Twilight’s chest hurt). “Hyrule’s good at tracking.”

“Not as good as you or the rancher,” Four said with a faint smile, and Wild let out a tired chuckle.

“Guess so. Wolfie has us both beat, though.”

Twilight couldn’t help but wince at the reminder of Warriors’ angry words that the comment brought to mind. Though they’d already been tumbling endlessly around his head since he’d heard them anyway, so it didn’t change much.

Four didn’t reply to Wild’s comment, and things were silent among them again, nothing but the distant noise of the river and crunch of grass and leaves underfoot. It was going to be a cool night, Twilight thought. The air felt like it.

Is Sky out there somewhere freezing?

“Rancher?”

Twilight glanced at Wild, and saw him giving him a scrutinizing look, one he didn’t like the look of. He turned his head away, and Wild made a grumbly noise when he didn’t respond.

“...Twi. Come on. Knock it off with the blame,” he said quietly.

“It’s my fault this happened,” Twilight said in a low voice.

Wild huffed. “It’s not.”

“It is.”

“It’s not.”

“Wild—”

“It’s not.”

“...I’m not doing this.”

“Well, I am,” Wild said cheerfully, then winced when he moved a little too fast. “So... too bad.”

Twilight looked at him in concern, but Wild just shook his head and leaned on Twilight a little more.

“C’mon Rancher. You can’t just keep moping,” he said, and Twilight looked at the ground.

“Champion, please. The captain was right, just... drop it,” Twilight murmured.

Wild made a huffy noise. “Ugh, he had to open his big mouth... look,” Wild said, looking up at him with a crease of pain on his face. “Even if it is your fault... which it’s not... being all broody isn’t going to fix it.”

“He must think it will, since it’s all he’s been doing,” Four mentioned from further ahead, a teasing lilt in his voice. Twilight glared at him, but Four didn’t turn around.

“We’ve all made bad mistakes,” Wild continued, more quietly now. “Some... pretty big ones. I get it. And I’m scared for him too. But you can’t change the past. We just have to move forward, and do what we can today.”

Twilight and Four both stopped and stared at him for a moment.

“Great Ordona, when did you get all wise on me?” Twilight said, and Wild smirked.

“Too many good influences or something. But seriously rancher, this is like... fifteen percent your fault. The other eighty-five is a combination of bad luck and Wind being stupid.”

“You can’t blame Wind for this,” Twilight immediately rebuffed, and Wild gave him a flat look.

“We all told him multiple times to stay back if there was a fight, and he jumped into it anyway. He gets at least a little blame,” he said pointedly, his voice more tired than before.

Twilight gave him a look, and carefully adjusted his grip, the champion’s face still scrunched. Wild relaxed a little, and closed his eyes again.

“All right. He gets a little blame,” Twilight conceded. If he wasn’t so sick with worry, he probably would be pretty annoyed at the sailor. “He was just trying to help, though. And I’m just... Hyrule’s world is so dangerous. And Wind is so defenseless right now, I can’t help being concerned, what if... what if he’s...”

He couldn’t finish the thought.

“I don’t know,” Four answered quietly, and it was then that Twilight realized how tense the smithy looked. He’d been staying pretty upbeat during their traveling, but Twilight abruptly realized it must have mostly been for his benefit. “We just have to hope that he’s okay. Wind is smart, and capable. I have faith in him.”

Twilight swallowed, and nodded. He did have faith in Wind, but as a Hylian, not a tiny cat who’d fallen off a cliff.

A memory came to mind from when Twilight had been little, a storm that had gone through and swelled the stream in Ordon so much it nearly flooded a few houses. Afterwards, while Twilight had been poking around, he’d found a drowned kitten on the edge of the stream, a tiny, soaked scrap of fur. It was the first time Twilight had ever seen death firsthand, and he’d gone to Rusl in tears, asking him to fix it.

Rusl had gently explained it wasn’t something he could fix, much to Twilight’s dismay. He’d given as much of an explanation of death as he could, then helped Twilight dig a small grave for the kitten under a tree.

That incident had stuck with Twilight all his life, but now all he could think of was Wind in a similar position, waterlogged fur and dull eyes, body still and cold.

The sick feeling in his stomach lurched, but Twilight swallowed it back as best as he could, and took a shaky breath in, then out, banishing the memory and his terror from his mind. If Wind was alive, thinking like that wouldn’t help him. It wouldn’t help anything.

If he was going to make up for his mistake, he needed to stop thinking about what might have happened, and figure out what did.

“You’re right,” Twilight said softly, tilting his head towards Wild. “We need to focus on finding Wind. And I... can’t change what happened. We need to focus on Wind, not ‘what-ifs’.”

“Well let’s keep moving then,” Four said, still looking worried, but with equal determination now. “It’s not too dark to travel yet. Let’s make the most of it.”

“Maybe we can still help search,” Wild said hopefully, and Twilight snorted, lightly ruffling his hair as they continued through the woods.

“We can. Not you, buddy.”

“We’ll see,” Wild mumbled with a smirk, but his eyes were drooping, and he fell asleep again a few moments later.

Twilight smiled down at him as Four chuckled nearby, then looked out at the woods, his brief amusement fading.

He knew this was his fault. Wild could argue with him about it all he liked, but Wind wouldn’t be a cat, wouldn’t be vulnerable, and wouldn’t have fallen off that cliff if it weren’t for Twilight being so insistent on keeping his secret.

This was Twilight’s fault.

And he was going to fix it.

(...)

It was properly dark by the time Twilight and Four finally reached the river, the thin crescent moon casting tiny silver ripples across the water.

Wild snored quietly in his arms, and Four perked up as they drew near the river, a familiar noise reaching their ears. Twilight heard the talking before he saw the small campfire, and the shadows of rest of their group rose around it, voices raised. It sounded like they were arguing.

“...Haven’t checked everywhere yet, we should go further downstream,” Warriors’ voice said, and Twilight heard Time sigh.

“It’s too dark, Captain, we might miss something,” he said, and as Twilight drew closer he saw Warriors grimace, looking away from him. “I’m worried about him as well. But we aren’t getting anywhere in the dark.”

“We can’t just give up on him!” Legend spoke up.

“We’re not giving up on him, I’m merely—”

“We can’t leave him,” Warriors pleaded, voice more worried than Twilight had heard in a long time. “Time, what if he’s...”

Time sighed again. “I know. But I just don’t think— ah, rancher, smithy.”

Everyone gathered around the campfire looked up as the two of them walked over, and Four gave a little wave. Twilight didn’t look at Warriors.

“Any luck?” Twilight asked the group, and the relieved looks brightened by the fire faded.

“We just got back from searching, we scoured the immediate area. No sign of him,” Legend reported, head resting on a hand as he poked at the sandy dirt with a stick. “Not so much as a pawprint.”

“We’ve been making a gradually bigger circle, but... nothing,” Hyrule added softly.

Twilight sighed, and nodded as he lowered himself to the ground, Wild’s head lolling. The champion had fallen asleep more deeply than before, and Twilight was glad to see it. He badly needed the rest.

Wild’s cry as the ax had hit him, Wind’s terrified eyes, the blood by Sky’s footprints—

“How’s Wild?” Hyrule asked softly as Twilight readjusted him, and Four shrugged.

“Exhausted. Dealing with blood loss. The same as earlier, really. Though apparently blood loss gives him a heck of an ability to give pep talks,” the smithy observed with a faint smile.

Hyrule huffed a quiet laugh, and he helped Twilight get out Wild’s bedroll, then get the champion settled in a way that his arm wouldn’t be unduly stressed. Twilight set his pelt over Wild when he finished, the champion’s skin still much too cold, and brushed a hand over his forehead, reassuring himself one more time that Wild was okay.

Then he stood, and stretched.

“I know that look,” Time said in a warning voice, looking intently at him. “It’s late, Twilight, and we’ve already done a lot of searching.”

Twilight crossed his arms. “You all have. I haven’t. I might notice something you all missed,” he said pointedly. “We haven’t found Wind, and it’s not pitch black out here yet. I’m going.”

“All right,” Time acquiesced, holding his hands out. He seemed to have sensed that it wasn’t an argument he would win. “One more search. But then we’re done for the night, no buts.”

Twilight and the others nodded. He’d be happy enough with that.

Warriors cleared his throat then, and they all looked at him. “We should split up, make more progress. Two people can stay to watch Wild, and the rest of us can go by twos as well, one duo downstream, the other up. We’ll cover more ground,” he said, and Time nodded.

“That seems wise. Any volunteers to stay?”

“I’ll stay,” Hyrule spoke up, raising his hand. “I want to try and draw a map of the area anyway, I can watch Wild at the same time.”

“I’ll stay and help,” Legend said, to Twilight’s surprise. He would’ve thought Legend would be chomping at the bit to keep looking. “With Wild and the map.”

“All right then. Let’s meet back here in no more than an hour. Smithy? Let’s go upstream,” Time said casually, and Four nodded. Then he paused, glancing over at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, and then shrugged and moved over to Time.

Twilight froze as he realized who that would leave him to search with, but Time only smiled, a glint of mischief in his eye.

And then left before Twilight could protest the choice of duos.

Really old man? Warriors? Twilight inwardly groaned, fighting the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. Did you forget that whole big argument from a few hours ago?

...Actually, that was probably why Time had dumped them together.

Thanks a lot, old man.

Twilight glanced at the captain as Time and Four disappeared upstream, and Warriors sighed, and stood up. He turned and started downstream without a word, and Twilight grimaced.

“Uh... good luck?” Legend said as Hyrule moved to sit by Wild, and Twilight let out a bitter chuckle.

“Thanks,” he replied, then followed after the captain.

We’re gonna need it.

It seemed much darker away from the campfire, but once Twilight’s eyes adjusted again, it wasn’t too bad. The moon was thin, but the stars were bright, and Twilight’s slight night vision gave him an edge. But even with all of that, Twilight didn’t want to miss clues or signs that Wind had come this way, and so he went for his lantern.

Twilight tugged it from his pack, using a precious bit of oil to light it. A circle of light spread out, brightening the night and sparkling off the water and catching on dewy grass, and Twilight glanced at Warriors.

The captain ignored him.

Twilight sighed and scanned the riverbank intently, looking for any hint of Wind having come this direction as they walked. The captain was obviously pretending he wasn’t there, having not spoken a word the entire trip, and Twilight tried not to be hurt. He did kind of deserve it.

A few crickets chirped softly as they walked past some bushes, Twilight listening intently. The river and their footsteps were the only other noises he picked up though, even though he kept his ears pricked for any meowing or other sounds. But aside from a few bugs and an owl at one point, there was nothing.

No sign of Wind.

Twilight looked at Warriors again, but the captain didn’t look back at Twilight, didn’t acknowledge him, didn’t check to see if he was following or not. Just marched on ahead, scanning the ground, but in a way that made it seem like he’d already checked this section. He must have searched it earlier.

The blatant cold shoulder made Twilight bristle uncomfortably, and he tried not to dwell on it. Their argument from earlier was still sharp in Twilight’s mind, and he was just fine with keeping his distance. Even if it did hurt.

The silence between him and Warriors seem to only get worse the longer they went though, and Twilight fidgeted as Warriors slowed down to look a little more intently. They must have reached the point past where the others had searched earlier.

“You see anything?” Twilight asked, cautiously breaking the silence.

“No.”

Warriors didn’t elaborate, and the silence dragged like a physical weight as they continued along the shore. Twilight did his best to ignore it again as pebbles clicked under his boots, focusing on looking for any sign of Wind, but he could practically feel Warriors’ anger in the air around them and it was incredibly distracting.

And he’d had enough.

“Captain,” he said finally, unable to bear the frosty silence a minute longer. Warriors only flicked an ear. “Captain, look, we— would you stop for a second?”

Warriors paused, scarf rippling from the movement, and Twilight crossed his arms as he looked at him.

“I’m sorry for not telling you, okay?” he said. Warriors stilled. “I get it. I’d be upset too.”

Warriors didn’t move, didn’t turn to face him.

Twilight breathed in, frustration and worry making him feel sick. “I know you’re mad. It’s my fault Wind is in this mess at all, I’ll take the responsibility for it. Spirits know it’s already been haunting me. And I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I don’t expect it, but can you put your mood aside for now so we can focus on finding Wind? Then you can go back to being as furious at me as you like.”

Warriors rested a hand on a tree trunk beside him, and he lowered his head with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.

“I’m not... furious with you,” he finally admitted in a quiet voice, and Twilight raised an eyebrow. Could’ve fooled me. “I’m merely... frustrated.”

“Oh, well, that’s way better,” Twilight said flatly. “Frustrated.”

“Not just at you, okay?” Warriors snapped, finally looking at Twilight. “At just— just this whole thing. I’m frustrated at you, and frustrated at Wind for not staying back when we told him to, and at Sky’s disappearance and your necklace and whatever reason you don’t want to talk about it, and just... everything. I hate it. I hate feeling so powerless and I hate not knowing if Wind and Sky are even alive or not.”

He breathed in, and Twilight heard the noise wobble.

“I know I shouldn’t take it out on you. And I know it wouldn’t fix everything. But I just wish you’d told us.”

Warriors’ voice was a little thick, and Twilight sighed, and scratched the back of his neck.

Well. He could certainly relate to all of that. He was pretty darn frustrated too.

And sick with worry over Wind and Sky, unable to get the sound out of his ears of Wind’s terrified cry as he’d dropped, or the sight of the ruined clearing where Sky had obviously fought—

“Well... I’m sorry for not telling you,” Twilight said finally. “And everyone. I really was going to. Things just... kept happening, and the longer it went, the easier it was to just go with it. And...”

He hesitated, and Warriors looked at him again, eyes flickering in the lantern light.

“...And?” he asked quietly.

“That... form,” Twilight began, just as quietly. “A wolf. They’re not exactly well-liked animals, and it’s... not been received well, in the past. I didn’t want that to happen again.” The scar on his back ached, and he snorted. “Uh, obviously that backfired. But uh, I guess it’s good that it’s out now.”

It was sort of a relief, even if it hadn’t been how he’d wanted to do it.

The captain kept looking at him without saying anything, but there was something in his expression now, something that hadn’t been there before. Twilight thought it was sympathy at a first glance, but then he shifted the lantern, and realized it was something more like guilt.

“You were afraid to share it because of how it’s been received, and I yelled at you,” he said blankly.

“Uh... kinda yeah,” Twilight shrugged.

The guilty look in his eyes got even brighter, and Twilight felt a mean flicker of satisfaction at the sight. He stuffed it away immediately, ashamed at the vindication, and busied himself with adding a bit more oil to his lamp.

“It’s water under the bridge, Captain. Let’s just focus on finding Wind,” Twilight said with a sigh that came out more shakily then he’d wanted it to. He was sick of secrets and arguments. He just wanted to find Wind safe and sound, and Sky, and get the sailor back to normal.

And apologize for putting him through all of this.

...Please spirits, let him be alive.

Warriors hesitated at Twilight’s words, then nodded as he lowered his head.

“That... seems wise. And for the record, Rancher, I... I don’t hate you. Or your other form. And I apologize if it came off that way. I just want to find Wind,” he said in a whisper.

Twilight paused at the shine in Warriors’ eyes, then nodded, briefly patting his shoulder. “I want to find him too. Let’s... let’s focus on that.”

Warriors swallowed, and didn’t say anything for a moment.

Then he breathed out, and straightened his shoulders.

“Right. We’re nearing where our traveler said there were rapids,” Warriors continued with a shake, putting off the vulnerability of a few moments ago and slipping into business mode. “If Wind was able to get out of the river he’d do it here. But if he isn’t around here, then... I don’t know where we’ll look.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Twilight replied with a determined look, and they finally resumed their trek down the river, the atmosphere lighter than before. It wasn’t... perfect, by any means, but at least Twilight didn’t feel like Warriors would jump on him at any moment.

...And it was nice to know the captain didn’t hate him.

The two of them came to a slightly skinnier section of river, the last part before the current turned frothy with rocks that stuck out of the water. The thought of Wind being sucked down into that current and battered against the stones threatened to make him ill, and Twilight quickly turned his attention to searching.

He scanned the undergrowth carefully, checking the rocks and sand on the ground for any sign of disturbance. Warriors did the same nearby, and as the two of them scanned the shoreline, water rushing, moon rising, night inching on. Twilight’s back began to ache from being hunched over. All that time carrying Wild probably wasn’t helping, not to mention the bruises from the fight earlier.

He hasn’t realized it until now, but he was actually pretty exhausted.

Twilight straightened with a wince after a while, rubbing his spine as he looked out at the river. The moon was higher now, still sending silver sparkles onto the ripples in the water, and Twilight admired it for a moment. They really were pretty, even if he was frustrated and tired and nauseous with worry. The way the moonlight caught the little ripples and sparkled a bit, and contrasted with the shadows from the branch that was stuck in some rocks—

Twilight froze.

Without hesitation he scrambled into the water, ignoring Warriors’ question behind him, and was nearly waist-deep before he could reach out and grab the branch.

And there, stuck on a bit of bark, was a small tuft of pale yellow fur with a dash of blood on the tip.

Twilight wasn’t sure whether to be elated or terrified.

“What? Did you find something?” Warriors asked urgently as Twilight turned back towards shore. Twilight wordlessly sloshed back, and showed Warriors what he’d found.

Warriors froze, and stared at it.

“That must be Wind’s,” he breathed, almost reverently picking up the tuft as Twilight waded out of the water with a small shiver. “Where was it?”

“Stuck on that branch,” Twilight said, gesturing to it. “And I saw claw marks, it looks like Wind might’ve grabbed it, possibly used it to climb out of the water.”

Warriors exhaled with more relief than Twilight had ever heard from him in the time they’d known each other. “That means he’s alive.”

“Maybe,” Twilight cautioned. He was thrilled by the discovery, but was also afraid to get his hopes up. “The scratches might have been from something else. I can’t tell for sure. If was him though, I think he would’ve come out on the other side. We’d have to check the other shore for signs of him.”

“And the current is too quick here to safely swim,” Warriors scowled, and kicked at the rocks.

“I can’t see a good spot for clawshots either,” Twilight added, and they both grimaced.

“It... looks like we’ll have to come back when it’s light out.”

“Looks like it.”

Neither of them moved.

Twilight frowned, looking across at the darkened shore, then cupped his hands around his mouth.

“WIND?! YOU OUT THERE?!” he yelled, and he and Warriors listened for a few moments.

Nothing.

Twilight swallowed, and looked at Warriors. The captain was rubbing the tuft of fur between his fingers, not seeming to care about the half-dried blood he was smearing around, and Twilight saw him smooth his thumb over the fur. Then he sighed, and closed his hand around it.

“We... need to tell the others about this,” he said finally, breathing out. “Wind obviously isn’t close. It’s too dark to search any more, and we can’t risk stumbling on any monsters. We’re not in good shape.”

“Wind might not be either,” Twilight said quietly, and Warriors swallowed.

“I know. But the hour the old man gave us is almost up, and... we need to rest. We can formulate a plan, and come back ready once we regroup.” He gave Twilight a look. “And get you into some dry clothes, you’re shivering.”

“It’s not too bad,” Twilight muttered, forcing his shaking shoulders to still. He’d been right about it being a cool night, and he’d gotten soaked up to his waist. The combination wasn’t very pleasant, especially without his pelt.

“I know,” Warriors replied. Still neither of them moved, the captain clutching the tuft of fur, both of them straining their eyes to look at the opposite shore.

“We’ll come back,” Twilight whispered finally.

“Dawn at the latest,” Warriors agreed quietly, and Twilight nodded, his throat tight as they both looked out at the river.

“Dawn at the latest.”

Just hold on, Sailor. We’re coming for you.

[skyward-floored]

Breath of the Wild. I’ve wanted to do some fan art for some time, so here it is. Wow, what a game, featuring my preferred weapon of choice 👌#Loz #link #zelda #breathofthewild #art #illustration #digitalart #nintendo #fanart

[skyward-floored]

I'll make a proper post later but i just got big stomachache and feel gross but i put the next kitty wind chapter up

[skyward-floored]

For the beat hte heat writing can we see more forsaken au stuff?

The woods were filled with gentle birdsong all throughout, except in one place. It stood around in the center, a silent monastery, long abandoned by its tenants, forgotten to time, overrun with the magic of the forest. Sunlight spilled through a broken canopy, casting parts of the building aglow.

The stillness was disturbed when a dog trotted in happily, sniffing around the area and barking in excitement when a little chu appeared. The brown dog pounced on it easily, making it explode, and it gave her so much excitement she went in search of more. A cloaked figure entered next, watching the dog run around with enough energy to tear the ground beneath her, tail tucked and back legs nearly driving her faster than her front ones.

Link smiled.

He hadn’t really intended to venture this far into the Lost Woods, but his sweet companion had wanted to sniff to her heart’s content. He also knew she loved antagonizing chus, and this was the best place to do it.

When his faithful companion nearly crashed into him, though, he jumped up onto the broken entrance stairs, chuckling and chiding her a little. “Easy, Friend.”

The chocolate chonk paid little heed to the man’s words, panting and running around ecstatically as she found another chu. Link chuckled again, settling for sitting on the stairs and watching the pup.

And then he heard screaming.

“EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!”

Friend and Link both jumped, startled, and the cloaked man looked towards the entrance to the dungeon. What idiots were foolish enough to venture this deep into the Lost Woods and then go into the most dangerous part of it?!

“WHY ARE YOU SHOVING ME FORWARD I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO???”

“WELL DO SOMETHING!!!”

“YOU’RE THE ONE WITH SACRED POWERS???”

“IT’S A SKELETON!!!”

Link stiffened. Sacred powers?

Friend’s hair stood on edge slowly walking towards the stairs, ears peeled back, and Link leaned against the entrance, eyes looking down at the floor to see a few forest monsters slowly fading into dust. There was no sign of weapon damage to them, so clearly whoever had done this had used magic.

Sacred powers…

Good goddesses above. No. No.

Link twirled around in an instant, heading back for the exit, when he heard the girl scream again, alongside the boy’s voice. Friend barked. Link sighed.

“Fine,” he grumbled, twirling on his heel yet again and drawing his sword.

It had been a while since he’d actually entered this dungeon. It had murals and icons still lining the walls, half faded or burned in whatever had turned this sacred place into a desolate death trap. Friend sniffed happily at the dusty stone floors, but perked up when a partially broken chandelier swung loudly in the breeze. Link drew his sword – he wasn’t sure if there were any beasts left in this area, but he knew it wouldn’t be hard to find the pair in need of rescuing.

“OH MY GOSH LINK DO SOMETHING!!”

Link?

The quiet cloaked man paused, confused. Did… there was no way they knew he was here, was there?

Once again, he looked towards the exit, and he sighed heavily. She sounded too young and was acting far too ridiculous to be the Zelda he knew. But how was she calling for him?

This had bad news written all over it. He should leave.

Friend barked and rushed ahead instead.

“Friend, wait!” He hissed before groaning and moving quickly to keep up. The hallway the two rushed into was colorful, and he saw broken stained glass along his left. He fretted even more, successfully catching up to Friend and scooping her up before she could dash her paw against any shattered glass. She was far too excited to be carried initially, butt wiggling as she wagged her tail and squirmed, but once he held her more securely she started to lick his face, and his worries melted into laughter.

Another squeal made both of them jump, and Link quickly moved ahead, letting Friend practically leap to the ground once they were out of the hallway. The corridor turned sharply, and he heard gasping and frantic movements, alongside an unnatural growl.

Putting his hood back on, Link moved ahead of Friend, sword ready. As soon as he entered the next room, he found the source of the ruckus.

It was two teenagers, facing off against a stalfos.

Link scowled. He hated stalfos.

He quickly took in the scene, stiffening. One teenager, the boy, was very tall and broad, wore a tan sleeveless shirt with a burgundy sleeveless tunic overtop. His clothes were filthy and torn in some places, a clear sign that they had been struggling through the woods and the dungeon, but he was still easy to spot in the dull room by his gold jewelry that adorned his ears, neck, and upper arms, and his bright red hair pulled back into a braid. The girl was hiding behind him, hands clinging to his tunic as she squealed. She was dressed far less humbly, with dark brown form fitting trousers hidden beneath a long light blue dress with a split skirt, a pink sleeveless vest with silk trim, and now torn arm length silky blue gloves. Her tan skinned fingers had traces of something on them, a wisp of gold and dust, soot and silver—magic.

Link felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, but he pushed beyond the two in order to face the cursed skeleton advancing on them. He saw traces of dark magic curling off it in waves, like a body that had just been burned and was giving off the last vestiges of smoke. But something curled with the burgundy fumes, aquamarine and even thinner in consistency, choked out by the dark magic.

A spirit. He knew it.

Stals came in many shapes and forms, but one thing was true of all of them. They were cursed remains of what was once living, and though it wasn’t as big of a deal for stals of beasts, when they resembled people…

Link took a steadying breath, letting his magic curl around his sword and warm it slowly. He thought he’d purged the world of stalfos, how was there one here?

The cursed fallen Hylian lashed out, and Link quickly batted the incoming sword away. He dodged another attack, tripping up the poor creature’s footing. It hissed, jaw opening maliciously, and he focused his gaze on its empty eyes.

No, not there… where is it?

He parried another attack, pushing back against the sword with his own to throw the creature off balance, and as it stumbled, he saw a swirling cloud in its chest, just under its sternum.

There you are.

Link focused his magic until his sword was nearly glowing, and he went down on a knee to take a shot from beneath the rib cage. His sword sank into the Poe, hearing it squeal, and then the bones collapsed. Aquamarine wisps continued to waft into the air until they converged into the form of a Hylian soldier. Link locked eyes with the man, and though the man’s lips moved he could hardly hear his voice.

He understood the gratitude all the same. Nodding his head, he watched the spirit rise into the sky, disappearing through the ceiling.

He heard someone exhale loudly, and he remembered he wasn’t alone in the room. He also hastily moved forward to stop Friend from retrieving any of the bones, calling her back sharply. Her ears peeled back a little and she moved towards him, and he guided her out of the room and back into the corridor.

“Hey, wait!”

Link ignored the girl’s call, continuing on his way, but he did say, “You two should leave.”

“Well, uh, thank you,” the boy said shakily.

“Let go,” the girl hissed.

“He said we need to leave, so that’s what we should do.”

“We are leaving, but—hey! Wait!”

Link moved faster, picking up his companion once more so she wouldn’t step on glass.

“Hey! I’m talking to you! Gosh, don’t you have any manners?!”

Friend wagged her tail. Link just wanted to run. But it was silly to flee from a couple dumb teenagers. So he waited until he entered the main hall and put his sweet cupcake down before turning around. Crossing his arms, he addressed the boy first. “You’re welcome.”

The teenager paused from his little fight with the girl, and he awkwardly nodded.

The girl, on the other hand, finally wiggled her hand out of her companion’s wrist and shot forward. “Who are you?”

“No one,” Link answered dully. “You two need to leave. The exit’s that way.”

“We can’t leave until we’ve found who we’re looking for,” the girl insisted. “My name is Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. This is my faithful friend, Link. We’re on a quest, bidden by destiny itself to save Hyrule, and—”

“That’s lovely,” Link quipped, twisting around and walking towards the exit. “I can escort you out of these woods. If you don’t wish to leave, then that’s on you. Goodbye.”

Princess Zelda bit her cheek, face flushed with annoyance, while her companion knelt to receive kisses from Friend. “Will you at least tell me your name?”

“Fred.”

“No, it isn’t!”

“Well, if you know my name, then why are you asking for it?” Link snapped irritably. “Stop trying my patience, girl.”

“That’s princess to you, Sir Edgy!”

Link halted, baffled. “Sir—what?”

“If you’re going act all mysterious and angry, then you should get an appropriate nickname,” the princess huffed, watching him as he looked at her. “I sensed your magic, it’s extremely powerful and well controlled. You’re not just some random guy, I can tell.”

“You’re not in some random forest, either,” Link countered. “You have to know magic to survive here. And that’s what I do. I live here. I’m not some destiny chasing child like you. This place is not for the Princess of Hyrule or her Hero or whatever you are.”

“I’m a masseur, actually,” the other Link said, a mild annoyance in his monotone.

Link stared, even more bemused. But Friend barked, snapping him out of it, and he headed outside without another word, already growing frustrated and afraid at what was being thrown into his lap.

The princess of Hyrule is looking for a Hero, stalfos are returning—

No. Everything was fine. Some wayward cursed Hylian souls was not anything to worry about.

But what about that sword—

No. It was fine. Everything was fine.

“Ugh, oh my gosh, why is he being so difficult,” Princess Zelda grumbled under her breath.

“Well, he clearly doesn’t want to be bothered, Zelda, maybe you should actually take the hint this time,” the boy argued. “He’s offering to escort us out, let’s just take it. He clearly knows his way around as word.”

The princess was silent as Link and Friend reached the bottom of the stairs, walking into the clearing. There were no more chus for Friend to find, so Link moved quickly to leave all this behind him.

“Wait.”

Link paused at the calmer command, voiced in a tone that was more of a request than anything. He turned halfway, glancing at the pair in profile.

Princess Zelda was far less worked up, face a little placid, brow furrowed only slightly. She stepped forward, standing tall at the top of the stairs. “I accept your offer of protection.”

In that moment Link was hit with such nostalgia, not seeing the princess but her mother, that he forgot to breathe for a second. Friend licked his hand, and he snapped back to reality.

“Well. Good.” He stammered, keeping his voice even. “Let’s—”

“If you tell me your name!” The princess continued with a smile.

“No,” Link immediately replied, exasperated and walking away.

“Hey, wait, you can’t just leave us!” The princess protested as she and her companion rushed to follow him.

Link sighed heavily. It wasn’t too long a walk to the edge of the woods, so hopefully it would be fine. Friend kept them busy in the meantime, continuously running between their legs and tripping them up.

The boy giggled a little, petting her, and asked, “What’s your dog’s name?”

“She’s Friend.”

The teenagers glanced at each other. “Uh. I mean, yeah, she is your friend, but, what’s her name?”

“Friend.”

“No, we know she’s your friend,” the princess said slowly. “We’re asking what your friend’s name is.”

Link bit his lip, almost getting annoyed, but he just rolled with it. So he replied just as slowly, “Friend.”

“I just said—!” The princess tried to grumble, but her friend interrupted her.

“You named her Friend?” He asked, judgment dripping from his tone.

Link bristled a little, and then he remembered he was arguing with a teenager. “I don’t care about names, and I’m not good at them. If you prefer, you can call her Cupcake.”

“I like Miss Chonk, actually,” Zelda noted.

“You can’t call her that.”

“Why not? It’s better than Friend!”

“How did you two even end up here?” Link asked, changing the subject.

“I told you,” Princess Zelda replied exasperatedly. “We’re here because of destiny! We’re searching for the Hero.”

The girl walked faster to be in line with the man, leaning forward a little with a suspicious gaze. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you? It’s said that the Master Sword used to reside here, in that very monastery.”

This girl knew perfectly well that the Master Sword now resided in the Temple of Time where it had been placed. She was trying to trip him up.

Link shrugged. “I don’t even know what a Master Sword is.”

“Oh, come on!” Princess Zelda groaned. “You can’t be that oblivious!”

“I live in the woods.”

“He does have a point, Zelda.”

“Not you too!”

The teenagers got into a mild bickering match, exciting Friend, who barked and ran around, diffusing the situation as Link smiled. They’d be at the edge of the forest soon, and then the princess would not be his problem anymore.

At least that was what he told himself as they entered a clearing, as the darkness of the canopy bled away into an open field with sunshine and a gentle breeze, as he turned to the two teenagers. “This is where our paths split, Princess. You and your royal masseur need to leave.”

“Royal masseur?” The boy repeated. “Huh, wait, if I can use that as a title I could charge more for my massages.”

“Good luck,” Link bade as he moved back towards the forest.

“Now listen here, I’m not leaving until I get answers!” Princess Zelda protested, stepping in his way. “You know I’ll just follow you back into the woods if you don’t talk. Tell me what your name is.”

This girl was annoyingly persistent. Link swallowed, biting back a sharp remark. She was a child, eager to see what destiny had in store for her, having never seen what it truly meant to fight darkness. He wanted to yell at her, honestly, tell her that she should be more serious over such a venture…

He didn’t care that much, though. Also, that would definitely make her latch on to him.

“I told you. It’s Fred.” He answered.

“That can’t be your name!”

“Then call me whatever you like, I’m still leaving.”

The princess puffed up to protest more, but her friend pulled her aside. “Come on, Zelda, he said he was going to leave, we can’t make him stay.”

“No, but we can follow him!”

“I don’t want to go back into that place, it’s terrifying.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, ready to argue more, when she noticed that her friend was being serious. She sighed, the fight draining out of her. “Come on, you know my magic can keep you safe.”

The boy’s fear morphed into exasperation. “Oh, like when that skeleton thing attacked us?”

“IT WAS A GIANT SKELETON!” Zelda noted, throwing her hands in the air. “I don’t do skeletons, that was scary!”

“That’s what I mean!” Her friend argued.

Link slinked into the woods while the two yelled at each other, taking Friend with him. He hadn’t gotten far when his chest clenched a little at the thought of the girl dragging her friend back into the woods, at the thought of something worse happening and him not being there to help.

Friend wagged her tail, panting a little as she watched him with her big brown eyes and happy smile.

“You just want more friends to play with,” he grumbled, sighing heavily.

He wasn’t going to travel with them. He refused. But perhaps he could tire the girl out and convince her to go back to the capital where she belonged. He could lead her on a merry little chase. Maybe even have some fun with it.

Well, probably not fun, honestly. He hated all of this. But if she was going to be adamant about following him until he gave her what she wanted… he wasn’t going to give her what she wanted. But he would make sure he was places that, if she did manage to find him, she wouldn’t get herself or her friend killed.

Her friend was certainly an interesting character. He seemed fairly reluctant. Link wondered if he’d been dragged into this just as she was trying to drag himself into it.

Probably. Poor kid.

Well, if there were places he could try to lose her that were less dangerous, he would need to start thinking of them now. He could exit the forest a little ways down and find a wild horse to ride. Friend would love the opportunity to run.

Formulating a plan, he made his way through the trees, listening to the forest spirits giggle as he snuck around, and he winked at one of them as he went.

He would lose the girl, and the kids would be safe. It was a win all around. It would be fine.

Everything was fine.

[skyward-floored]

I think I finally beat the stupid conversation I was stuck on into something worth reading, which meeeeeans...

New kitty wind chapter possibly today 👀

[skyward-floored]

hey psssssst Swamp Link, you should tell us about snakes :D

- hero-of-the-wolf

Link: *vibrating* OH?

Rilla: oh boy, here we go—

Link: DID YOU KNOW there’s a type of snake that can fly by launching itself out of trees and flattening its body?? It’s really more gliding than flying but they can control their direction really well!!

Link: there’s also this one kind of snake that lives in the desert that has horns on its head, it’s super venemous and I didn’t even get to see one when we were there which is a bummer but some of the natives told us to watch out for them and drew a picture to show us and it looks SO cool

Link: OH and did you know there’s sea snakes?? They live in the ocean in coral and stuff and can swim! They’re all really venomous but mostly leave people alone, they’re all stripey, they’re a fascinating sight!

Link: WAIT ALSO I forgot to mention there’s also a species of really tiny snakes!! They eat mostly bugs and seem like worms but they’re actually tiny snakes! They’re really cute 🥰

[skyward-floored]

Video game tag game

Thanks @16mistypaw and @hero-of-the-wolf! I decided to make my own post since the other one was getting a little long (...and had totk spoilers on it lol)

First game you ever played: I’ll be honest I do not know. Probably either this pet shop cd-rom game we had on the computer, or maybe something on my dad’s old Atari?? I really don’t know.

Favorite game: impossible decision I’m afraid. Skyward sword is definitely up there, but I have a lot of game I enjoy :)

Game you’ve played multiple times: pretty much all the Zelda games I own lol, if doing them again on master mode counts! Oh, and super Mario Galaxy, I’ve played that game through at least five times. Good game.

Game with favorite ending: hhhh idk. I like the endings of a lot of games okay?? Ocarina of time makes me cry though so I’ll say that one. Also skyward sword. Because hhhnbghghgbgh.

Game with worst ending: okay I don’t know if it’s “worst” but like. Has anyone ever played drawn to life the next chapter. Because. That is. Yeah. Oh and also shoutout to Yoshi’s new island because the ending just gets progressively more and more ridiculous and I remember the first time playing it i was just laughing because it was just... ridiculous!

Favorite game relationship(s): can I just say Link and Zelda because if I went into every relationship ever I enjoy in games we’d be here all day

A game you like watching others play and want to play: hmm. Well I technically did play a little too, but I watched a friend play some of echoes of wisdom and it’s very fun! I’d love to play the whole thing someday.

A game you like watching others play but DON’T want to play: uhhh I actually don’t know? If I take the time to watch it I probably wanna play it XD

Online/multiplayer or solo: it depends?? I’m usually very open to multiplayer though, comes with having nine siblings lol. I always appreciate games that have optional multiplayer, like super Mario Galaxy!

No pressure tags for: @thetanzanitequill @nevermatchandscpsradadventures @telemna-hyelle @smilesrobotlover @adrift-in-thyme @doodlesaur-central @kikker-oma and anyone who’d like to hop on!

[skyward-floored]

Rilla, can I ask how you got the scars on your shoulder/back?

Rilla: ...

Rilla: I... I don’t really want to talk about it. Sorry.

[skyward-floored]

Swamp and Rilla

if you two really are twins then who do you think is older?

Link & Rilla simultaneously: me, of course!

Link:

Rilla:

Link: look why would you be older? I’m taller!

Rilla: you absolutely aren’t taller, your hair is just more messy. Anyway I’m more mature, so I’m probably older.

Link: excuse me? You’re more mature? Just last week you asked me what a horse was!

Rilla: you didn’t know for a while either! And wanting to learn new things is a sigh of maturity, so there.

Link: well already knowing things is too! Like about snakes for instance, did you know that there’s a type of snake that has these ribs that can—

Rilla: so help me Link if you go on your snake rant again—

[skyward-floored]

I’m so happy you liked the drawings I did! Now, eventually, though I cannot guarantee when at all, I might do other drawings with your boys, but those’re what I’ve got for now

Anyway, you’re so sweet with your reblog comments! 🥰 tysm

- SCP-42605

Yeah I did! They were all real fun, thanks for playing with my guys XD If you ever want to do more, you have my permission :)