Chapter Text
Link watched the group from afar, listening to them as they spoke about the monsters with black blood and the help they need from 'the Hero'. He assumed they meant him. What stuck out the most, was their wonder about how big ‘this new Hyrule’ was, and how their search could take forever.
It didn’t seem like they were Yiga. He’d never seen so many traitors in such a large group, so he believed his gut and trusted they were honestly looking for his help. Zelda wanted him to search for an end to these new and more dangerous monsters. It was getting annoying to realize the color system was no longer as useful in determining how serious he needed to take a fight.
Link followed the group of fighters at a distance, his Sheikah Stealth clothes helping to keep him hidden.
Admittedly, they were intimidating. He had followed the sounds of them when they were fighting the nearby bokoblin camp. He would have helped them, but he had never seen such a big group traveling together before. It seemed risky. They worked together easily and were comfortable with their skills. These fighters were all fine, and then they sounded so serious as they searched the monster blood and reporting that it wasn’t black.
Of course it wasn’t. Link had hunted down the aggressive and more dangerous monsters just yesterday.
Still, it was so different from what other people would do. Link had followed them as they explored and eventually found the stable just up the cliff.
The group shortly set off from Lakeside Stable, and from the sounds of it were hopeful to find Kakariko. They had a simple map and were realizing that they were in for a long trek. Link wasn’t going to make them wait that long. He just wanted to get a feel for this group first. They had initially wanted to visit Hyrule Castle but had thought from the unusually cheerful chatter of the stable that the castle was demolished. Link had defeated the Calamity only a year ago, so it was actually just under reconstruction. The anniversary was coming up, so while it was uncomfortable to have his fight gossiped about, he did understand that everyone was very happy.
All of Hyrule looked forward to celebrating their victory.
Link was still following these strange travelers when they crossed the bridge leading out to the less humid part of the jungle. A fake faced traveler was waiting along the trail. Link put on his Champion Tunic, to better keep the obvious Yiga footsoldier focused on him and not the travelers, and put on his sturdiest pants and hood. When the group passed, the liar looking casual to not start a conversation, Link let himself walk out into the path to be noticed by the traitor.
When he was, the yiga member's expression shifted quickly to anger and determination upon losing their advantage of surprise. Link saw a dark shadow growing under them and rushed closer to stop whatever new magic he was trying to do. He didn’t expect the soldier to fall in. Link fell in after him, the shadow growing too large to avoid when he tried to jump away.
They landed in a different part of the jungle and Link took his chance to strike the dazed follower of Ganon. One hit was enough for the traitor of the crown to admit defeat, dropping his loot as a rather good distraction to put distance between them. But, he didn’t disappear.
Link tightened his grip on his sword, prepared to continue the fight, when the Yiga footsoldier let out a laugh, and then slit his own chest with another murmur of magic. In a burst of dark smoke that looked very similar to the type when monsters died, and his body became a shriveled husk similar to what he had seen of the Monks in the Shrines.
The hilt in his hands was definitely not the Dragonbone Moblin Club he had been using all week. With only a sigh to the Master Sword's strange whims, he sheathed it before approaching his loot.
“What, was that?” A deep voice demanded. Link startled, drawing a bow out and aiming it before realizing it was the group he had been following. They were staring at him, some holding their weapons ready, while the youngest looking one was gaping in awe. Link carefully put his bow away, shifting to hide the corpse behind him from the children.
Even as he held his hands out in peace, he couldn’t help but collect the rupees and banana with his feet.
Wild, because in a group of heroes who share the same name he needed a different one, found himself in the back of the group. The black shadow hadn’t been the doing of the Yiga. It was, in fact, a portal to a different Hyrule; Hyrule’s land and time, if he understood correctly.
It was a relief to learn there was a large party looking for him and not wanting to kill him. They were, in fact, looking for his help just as he thought. This party of Links had answers to many of his questions about the rise of monsters, but even they didn’t know everything. He couldn’t ask the smaller questions he had anyway since the ones named Twilight, Warriors, Legend, and Time intimidated him.
The first three were an angry bunch, full of sassy comments and emotional pride. The last, Time, was the leader. Wild didn’t remember what it was like to be a subordinate, but he had the feeling it was a time full of stress. Thus, he had yet to be able to say anything in the group. His throat was closed, a ring of anxiety and worry muting him so that he couldn’t say anything wrong.
It was fine though. The group was comfortable with their dynamic. Wild didn’t need to disrupt anything as long as he could watch them and be allowed to follow so that he could help. He was sure they’d relax soon. It couldn’t be any worse than getting Revali to admit they were friends.
‘You say that, but it really was hard on you, huh?’ The rito murmurs in his mind with a tone of apology. Link didn’t think so. He was mostly focused on Zelda to be offended by the showy Rito Champion. ‘Are you saying you didn’t even pay attention?’ was the indignant squawk. Wild considered, and then realized he had been more amused than anything. ‘How dare you disrespect the-’ Revali’s voice was pulled to the back of Wild’s mind, where the other spirits of the Champions could offer privacy and quiet.
Wild wished they didn’t. They were the only friends he had right now.
“We’ll stop here.” Time said as they spied a vaguely overhanging rock. Not quite a cave, but enough to shelter them from the evening winds. The group collected towards the shelter, leaving the empty fields and entering the edge of the woods.
“If we keep walking, we could make it to the nearest town around midnight.” Hyrule suggested, eyeing the sky warily.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Sky said, clapping a reassuring hand on Hyrule’s shoulder before heading to claim a spot to drop his bag.
“Yeah. Even if we did continue, would anyone even be awake in the town when we arrive?” Four wondered absently as he unpacked his own bag.
“Whose going to cook tonight?” Legend asks as he sets up the fire. Everyone, to Wild’s astonishment, exchanged nervous glances.
“I’m on firewood duty.” Hyrule frowned as he looked around them. “I still can’t believe none of you have been able to recognize the cleanest trees to burn.” Wild considered the trees. They did look rather strange, but, unclean?
“Sorry, Hyrule.” Wind shrugged, hopping away from his spot to the other man. “I’ll help you if you want. I can ask you to check what I find.” He got a smile for that, and then Wild realized Twilight was staring at him.
“Hey, can you hunt?” Wild blinked, wondering why he would need to, but nodded anyway. “Great, you’re on hunting duty.” Wild nodded, flicking his hood and stepping into the trees behind him without complaint. He could hear the others chatting behind them, and would have liked to see how a group really set up camp, but he understood that contributions must be made. He focused on the forest around them.
The trees were tall and skinny, bark dark and pale in splotches of health and disease. That must be what Hyrule meant, in looking for safe wood to burn. He would have to avoid his more flammable weapons.
Thirty minutes later in tracking wide footsteps, Wild had found a group of rather bulky moblins armed with wide shields and long spears. It was an easy fight, but now he had bits of branches sticking to him from trying to shield jump off their shields and shoot his arrows in the air. As he snatched up spare materials and weapons, he became aware of just how quiet the woods were.
Standing for a moment, Wild waited for the feeling of danger. The birds remained quiet and hidden. There were no deer or boar around. The wind was small and weak. He considered the forest, and then realized there would be no hunting. There was nothing to hunt in this rotting woods, unless the others wanted to risk dubious food from bugs and questionable mushrooms.
Still, he was meant to hunt for them. He wanted to help take care of the group and find his own place with them. Wild browsed his Sheikah Slate, considering the plants and herbs he had and the meat he hadn’t cooked. Well, at least he had a lot. Nothing ever went bad, and he did like to make surprise meals for his friends so he had more than enough supplies to choose from. Still, would it be suspicious if he came back with something not native to the land? Were wolves or goats something the others would recognize?
Wild had some raw whole birds and hoped it would be enough. He didn’t know how much the others ate, or if they were picky. He took out some herbs and a mushroom for flavor. Looking around, he was a little saddened to realize that this Hyrule, or at least this area of Hyrule, wasn’t healthy. He hoped it was getting better.
“Whoa! You actually got something!” Hyrule said when he saw him, standing up to meet him. Wild handed over the food, freezing in surprise but letting the other hero brush off the leaves still clinging to him with a small laugh. “Did you climb trees to get these?”
“We have fresh food? Awesome!” Wind threw a fist in the air. “Twilight was just saying how you might not find something because Hyrule’s world normally doesn’t have anything.”
“Of course it does. Wild just proved it.” Hyrule rolled his eyes, taking the meat back to the fire.
“Well, if bird is all we have, I guess I have no choice.” Sky sighed. Wild considered the other man’s rueful look and made a mental note that he doesn’t like to eat birds. He never considered that as a problem, more familiar with an aversion to horse or dog meat.
‘Foolish. Birds are superior is everything and would only give him the strength he clearly needs.’ Revali scoffed. Link side-eyed him, reminded of the one Rito he had met in Gerudo Town.
‘Er, are you saying you eat, bird?’ Daruk hummed.
Link let the chatter of everyone, heroes and champions alike, wash over him. He tried to give Hyrule the herbs and mushrooms he had, but no one recognized them and didn’t seem interested in trying aside from Sky and Time.
The meal was simple, roasting the bird meat over the flame and everyone digging in with their hands. Wild ate slowly, trying to hold his share between herb stalks and careful of the juices that threatened to drip down his arm.
“This is really good!” Wind chewed cheerfully, his cheeks shining in the firelight.
“Where did you get this?” Legend wondered, eating thoughtfully.
“And what was it?” Warriors added, licking his thumb.
Wild looked at the group, some eating enthusiastically and others with more consideration. His throat tightened and he became hyperaware of how close Time was sitting to him. He shrugged his shoulder, trying to keep from tensing, and ducked his head lower so his hood shifted.
The group chatted easily, not needing any more input from him. “I wonder what we need from my Hyrule this time?” started a slew of ideas that ranged from rescue missions to a person with more information.
Wild had wondered how everyone learned what they knew, and now realized they didn’t actually know anything about the black blooded monsters other than what they’ve noticed during a fight. They were unable to control where they were brought by the portals because they had asked who recognized the forest they were in. With a quiet sigh, he finished his meal with only half an ear.
“We could rescue another princess!” Wind guessed with energy.
“There aren’t any other princesses.”
“So? I rescued Tetra three times!”
‘A lively bunch.’ Urbosa commented. Link agreed.
‘Even if they are oblivious or arrogant.’ Revali huffed. Wild didn’t look up to see who Revali was talking about. He was sure it was fine. ‘No, it isn’t fine, Link. You’re mute, but that doesn’t mean they can’t include you. That one over there practically gifted you a fool’s errand!’ Wild looked at his friend, wings crossed tightly and crest risen in ire.
‘How do you mean?’ Mipha asked, settling closer to him in support. Time was on her other side, just far enough for her to have room if she were physically there. She caught his glance but didn’t smile. She was worried.
‘I thought you were all ignoring it before, but I guess you missed it after all. Didn’t you see how everyone was surprised at Link’s ‘hunt’? This Hyrule is a place they know is hard to hunt game in. Instead of letting Link get to know everyone, they sent him away on a mission doomed to fail.’ Wild didn’t want to be suspicious, but Revali was a little right.
‘Still, the little guy was able to bring back food.’ Daruk tried to calm his friend. ‘That’s all that matters. He still did something beneficial to the team. Surely they have no reason to think ill of him for succeeding?’ Wild rubbed his greasy fingers, no longer hungry. If he didn’t have the Sheikah Slate, he wouldn’t have been able to.
‘Your skills and advantages are not something to ignore. Don’t worry about that.’ Urbosa soothed. He won’t worry. It was just a period of getting used to everyone, he supposed.
‘If I may, it would be rather difficult to get used to them and vice versa, if they don’t actually speak with you.’ Oh, Mipha, you agree with Revali? ‘I just noticed, well, yes. No one is really trying. Wouldn’t they be curious? Even if you can’t speak, surely they would be able to think of yes or no questions to learn more about you? It does look rather unfriendly of them.’
That was the core of the matter. So far, everyone has been amiable around him, but not really to him.
‘It’ll take time to become close brothers in combat! Don’t worry, little guy. Until then, you still have us.’ Daruk let his spirit condense, settling in his soul warmly and as sturdy as he had been in life.
‘Don’t let them hurt you. I know how fragile you can be compared to me.’ Revali encouraged in his own way, also taking his leave to give him peace as well as support better from in his soul.
‘Give them time, as well as a fair chance. They are all heroes like you, after all.’ Urbosa settled with the others, her lightning a comfort with Daruk’s warmth and Revali’s winds.
Link glanced at Mipha, but she was looking into the fire. She was prepared to stay out for a little longer, judging by the study she was making of the others.
“Yes?” Time asked. Wild blinked, having forgotten himself. His friends weren’t physically present, even as Mipha shifted to settle herself in front of Wild so he wouldn’t be caught looking at someone else by accident. He noticed Time was done, that everyone seemed to be finished while he was still holding half of his meal. Without anything else he could say, he offered the rest of his dinner to the older man. “...For me?” Time asked in a low tone. Wild looked away, but kept his offer up. “You should eat all you can. We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Hyrule mentioned a town just a few hours from here. Wild couldn’t imagine what they would need to do tomorrow that would require him to eat enough to be sick.
‘Sick? Oh, Link. Is there anything I can do?’ Wild shook his head, for Time and Mipha. He rested the stick of his food in the space between him and Time, holding his stomach when he was done. The thought of some of the group not even wanting him simply made his stomach clench and nausea roil in his chest. He can’t eat with them. It was like his ability to not talk. Sometimes, he simply couldn’t.
“Are you poisoned already?” Warriors asked, looking at his food with a grimace. Wild shook his head, patting his belly to show it was fine.
‘I understand. You won’t be sleeping tonight, either?’ Mipha asked sadly.
“So you’re fine?” Sky asked. Wild nodded, looking up only long enough to notice Mipha and the rest of the camp staring at him. It made the back of his throat ache, even though Mipha was quick to look away with a gentle hand on his knee. It settled him quickly.
‘I will remain, then.' She told him, and he was thankful for her. 'It is my pleasure.'
“Hey, what is our schedule like now that there are nine of us?” Four wondered in the silence.
“That’s a pretty good question. Are we putting Wild on rotation right away?” Sky asked Time.
“We were all pretty much doing it right off.” Legend added. Time hummed, considering Wild with a heavy look in the firelight.
“Will you be alright to handle a watch detail tonight? It’ll be a few hours out of your sleep.” Wild nodded. He may not be able to speak, but could protect everyone while they slept.
“By himself? You don’t want someone sitting with him in case he needs to make an alarm?” Warriors wondered. Not wanting to have uncomfortable company, Wild clicked his tongue before standing up. With all eyes on him, and comfortable in the knowledge he had slain the closest monsters in the forest, he let out a shrill whistle as loud as he could.
With everyone flinched into the ground, Wild proceeded to find the tallest tree and climb in it.
Mipha sighed from her spot on the ground. ‘They’ll learn, Link. I believe in all of you.’
“…Can I be on watch with you Wild?” Wind called as he stood up quickly to dust himself off.
“Are you crazy!? What if you had called something to us?” Twilight yelled as soon as he stalked toward the tree Wild climbed in.
“You need your rest, Wind. You won’t be on the rotation tonight.” Time was answering.
“It’s not like I’m asking for midrats! I can do a first shift! If Wild wants me to.”
“Mid what?” Warriors asked, also looking in Wild’s direction with a dark expression.
“Wild! Wild, can I?” Wind ignored everyone as he leaned onto the bark under Wild. He was looking up, eye wide as they tried to see him through the shadows. The boy was young, but not inexperienced. Still, Wild had the thought, perhaps it would be easiest to open up to Wind? He may be the youngest, but he did like children. They were always the easiest to speak to. They judged harshly, but only when you deserved it or wronged them directly. Wind was the one who had spoken to him the most, at this point. He hadn’t spoken in his stead, as if he weren’t present. Maybe, with him, he could try?
‘Go on, Link. Be open to them.’ Wild shifted, rustling the branches, and figured the shorter hero would need a boost up. He dropped down behind his tree, startling Wind, and offered a hand. Wind beamed at him, taking his hand quickly before yelping in surprise at the sudden burst of wind that pushed them into the highest branches.
“Wind!”
“What was that?!”
“Hey, watchman! How did you miss Wind getting kidnapped right from under you!?”
Wind was high enough that the moonlight was easy to see by and close enough to Wild that he could see his face. Wild tried not to look annoyed at the sounds of rising panic below them, but Wind still saw it and let out a loud laugh.
“That was amazing! We’re so high up! Whoa! I can see so much from up here. It’s like a crows nest! Why hadn’t we done this sooner? Time! Hey, Time! Wild says it’s okay for me to stand watch with him!”
“Are you alright, Wind?” Sky asked.
“Was that Wild who took you just now?”
“Yeah! He asked if I needed help up, and he helped me in the coolest way ever!”
“He, asked you?” Someone else murmured.
“Time, he literally just let out an alert to our location. We should move camp.” Warriors said at the same time.
“Aw, no way! I just got up here! Besides, there’s nothing around. We’re fine.”
Time narrowed his eye as he looked up the tree. Wild wondered how well everyone could see, having been staring into the fire as they were. Could they even see them through the sparsely leaved branches?
“I’m doing a perimeter check anyway.” Twilight sniffed. Wild let out a soft breath as the feral looking man stalked away. He could feel his chest tighten in a strange discomfort. He will need a long time to be able to speak with Twilight.
“If you think we’re safe, then we’ll stay.” Time eventually relented. “Wake me for the second watch, will you?”
“Sure!”
The group cautiously settled back down, letting the fire dim. Mipha remained on the ground, eyes following every conversation with a carefully still posture he couldn’t identify.
Wild eventually relaxed. Wind was holding onto the trunk with one hand and onto his tunic with the other, leaning over the branch they were sitting on with curiosity. He gently pulled the boy upright, noticing that he had one eye closed as he looked down. He tilted his head, wondering what the other hero had seen. Wind grinned at him.
“In Sky’s explanation earlier, he introduced me as the Hero of the Wind. I bet that doesn’t really tell you anything, huh?” Wild could only blink, having the feeling the boy wanted to say something specific. “You wanna hear about my adventure?” He looked eager, proud, and excited to share. Wild’s fingers twitched, wanting to reply but certain he couldn’t. He did a quick glance around them, finding Twilight closing in on the direction of the monsters he had killed earlier, and then nodded to Wind.
Wild had overheard various snippets of everyone’s skills and experiences. He was only just getting a read on everyone’s personalities. Despite learning about who they were, Wild couldn’t really guess what anyone had really been through in their journeys. A part of him wondered if they weren’t willing to share because he couldn’t reply in kind.
“I know you can’t really talk, but, if you want me to elaborate on something, you could tap me here, okay?” Wind asked, tapping his shoulder. Wild offered a smile as he nodded. It was a consideration he wasn’t expecting. It was soothing to the tentative ache from his anxiety-induced muteness.
‘Hm. A poor flock if the chick is more observant than the adults.’ Revali clacked his beak.
‘Don’t act like that, Revali. It’s storytime!’ Daruk chuckled, pushing Revali away to squawk in the tree over.
“I guess, I started my journey on my birthday. My grandma had given me this itchy costume because of tradition, and before the day was done my sister was kidnapped, and there were monsters spawning all over my island!” Wind began, taking care not to speak too loud over the camp below. He sounded dramatic, leaning comfortably in Wild’s arms as he waved his hands in the air to point out directions of places only he could see.
Wild listened, content to let the small body in his arms warm him in the cool night as he kept an eye out around the moon splashed forest. His grip on the other hero tightened every time he lowered his voice at a dangerous part in his tale, or a sad one. He mentioned feats of infiltration and battles with beasts many times his small size.
He mentioned Ganon attempting to revive after 100 years of imprisonment, and a ghost of the King of Hyrule.
Wild didn’t realize what he had done until Wind made a soft sound of question. A small hand gently pulled Wild’s hands away from the sailor’s mouth, and the boy was looking out of the tree tensely.
“Did you see something?” Wild shook his head, taking his hands back and twitching his fingers unsurely.
He wanted to ask, did Wind also die? Is he resurrected, or reincarnated? Did he have missing memories? Why was he so young when he had to fight Ganon? Why did he sound like he had a fondness for the spirit of a king who lied about who he was for so long? How was he so cheerful and talkative all the time?
Still, Wild already could guess many of his answers. The biggest difference between him and Wind was that the other boy had an actual childhood, and not just one full of training under the shadow of a distinguished father. And Wind didn’t fail, even with the minimal help in his trials.
‘So young. And he’s gone through much the same as you, struggles and victories alike.’ Urbosa hummed quietly, half drowsing in his soul and half standing behind his back.
‘He even has a sister like you did, Link.’ Wild felt the sway of the tree distinctly at Mipha’s casual musing. ‘You have much in common. Let him in.’ Wild was still wondering about what Mipha had said before. His sister? He had a sister? ‘Oh dear. I am so sorry, Link.’
“Um, oh! I’m sorry.” Wind murmured, relaxing his tense frame at a thought. “I guess it is time for the next watch.” Wild had forgotten himself, reluctant to let Wind go but realizing that he was technically supposed to be on duty.
Wind was a good hero. Selfless, determined, and just gutsy enough to say he had courage and not lack of sense. He helped the other jump down soundlessly, and Wind grinned at him with a whispered request to teach him how to sneak as silently as he was. Wild gave a thumbs up, realizing after a beat that Wind couldn’t see his answer from the dim embers.
“Time, you’re up for watch.” Wind touched the leader’s shoulder, not reacting to the sudden eye opening to look at him. Wild could feel his pulse flutter back down after a moment of no further movement.
“Wind. Thank you for actually waking me.” Time murmured back with a soft grin. “Anything to report?” He asked as he sat up, stretching his shoulder as he woke up more.
Wild shook his head at Wind’s questioning look.
“No, nothing happened.” Time hummed.
“Well, I can’t say I’ll have the same advantage of a high lookout, but I’ll keep you safe. Get some rest. Both of you.”
“Aye aye.” Wind saluted before bounding to his sleeping roll and pulling out a waterskin for a sip. Wild looked around the camp, where Time was settling on a log the others had used as a seat by the fire, and then chose a different tree to climb. He was just a jump in when Time spoke up.
“Wild.” He turned around to look at the leader of his new group, wondering what the man’s tone meant. “Do you not have a sleeping mat?” He’d never needed one before. Sleeping directly on the ground meant he could feel or hear the ground directly for anything approaching him. Being in a tree gave him coverage and distance from anything that might be hunting. A lit fire was always enough for a night, as very few things traveled towards something glowing in the dark.
‘I see now why you’ve been dubbed Wild, little guy.’ Daruk murmured fondly.
‘Ruffian would be a better name, in my humble opinion.’ Revali crooned.
Wild shook his head a little insistently. He shrugged his shoulder before Time could say anything, and then finished pulling himself up the branch. He watched Wind frown up at him in contemplation, and then exchange looks with Time before the boy said a quiet good night and laid down.
‘Good night, Link.’
‘Good night, little guy.’
‘Good night, Champion.’
Wild settled in the new branch, and Mipha settled near him. He wouldn’t be able to sleep, but he could doze if he tried hard enough. His body was rested enough.
The group traveled together, and Wild saw many new types of plants and many more types of similar plants to the ones he knew. Ancestor plants, probably. He kept to the back of the party, content to let the others talk to themselves while he darted back and forth to take pictures of everything he thought Zelda would like. He caught new bugs and picked new herbs. His Sheikah Slate was handy to identify all of them.
They arrived in the town Hyrule was leading them to in the early afternoon, and Wild took many more pictures of the buildings and people. It was so rustic and new and colorful!
“Hey, Wild, look over here!” Wind called out, waving from the corner of a new street. The other heroes looked back at him, looking surprised to notice how far behind he was, but Wild passed them quickly as he darted nimbly to Wind’s side. “I figure maybe you’d like to see the market!” Wild grinned at the boy, who pulled out a little box of his own.
‘What is that?’ Revali mumbled from inside of Wild’s soul, the only one peeking out at the moment.
“This is my Picto Box! It takes pictographs of whatever I see. You look like you know what that is!” Wild looked at the small box with an accordion face to try to figure out exactly that, and then flinched at the flash that came from the top. “See?” Wind offered as soon as Wild could blink the white spots out of his eyes. He was shown a small paper, and quickly realized the little box had printed its picture of him.
How amazing! Wild’s Sheikah Slate couldn’t actually make his photos physically. Before he could think about it, Wild had shifted Wind’s hands to pose with his picto box and Wild had snapped a picture of his own. He turned his slate around to share.
“Whoa! It’s in color too!”
“What are you both doing?” Warriors asked, leaning over them from where they were crouched to compare photos.
“Back off! This is for the Delux Club only!” Wind stuck his tongue out, hunching over his little box more.
“Yeah? What do I need to be a part of this club, then?”
“You need to wear all blue,” Warriors was already gesturing to his scarf, “And have a Delux Picto Box.” Wind smirked.
“Ugh, that thing again? Come on Wind, we have stuff to do.”
“He’s jealous that he doesn’t have one, and that I was able to get a picture of him looking dumb.” Wind whispered loudly, eyes glittering in mischief as they tracked Warriors stomping away.
“I am not, and no you didn’t!” Wind snorted, casually pulling out a photo to show Wild while Warriors rejoined the main group in a huff. The picture had been taken from underneath the other hero. It made his chin look large and his eyes look small, catching a strange shape of his mouth as he tried to yell something before being photographed mid-word.
Wild could only widen his eyes, still surprised to see serious and pompous Warriors caught in such a pose. He could feel the urge to smile, the feeling of laughter bubble in his chest. Wind chuckled lightly, making him keep his volume low in response.
“It’s the best picture I have.” Wind bragged as he put it away.
“Keep up, you two! We can explore after finding the inn.” Four called out from ahead of them. Wild looked into the street Wind had been trying to show him, and the boy pat his arm.
“We’ll come back.” He promised before darting back to the group.
Wild took a quick picture of the street, just in case, and followed at a slower pace as he continued to look around.
Wind was a kind hero. There were many things they had in common, and Wild was hopeful he could speak soon. The others were all very close to each other, with bonds visibly strong and meaningful. As soon as he could speak, he wanted to share moments like this with all of them.
The village had no room at the inn, so the group picked up what they could find of what they needed before continuing on their way. At some point, Time and Twilight decided to scout ahead, and Wild kept to the back of the group with a few less steps between them.
It didn’t make him nervous to have the group split up, but it did make him want to stop exploring and focus more on keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Sky and Legend were comparing swordsmanship grips, Sky periodically mentioning a ‘Fi’ and whether she minded or not.
Four and Warriors were talking about the missed opportunity of exploring the shopping market of the village, trying to make Wind feel better.
Hyrule was slowly letting the others pass him, letting Wild catch up with him.
“I know you also wanted to see more of my Hyrule,” He said quietly. “I’m sorry we couldn’t let you explore more. Time and I figured we’ll find my Princess Zelda and give her an update of what we’ve been through and found out. So long as we don’t get thrown into a different Hyrule before we can do so.” At Hyrule’s look, Wild nodded that he was paying attention. “We probably can’t take our time. My Hyrule isn’t really safe. But, if something interesting is nearby, I’ll try to let you know.” Wild nodded again, glad.
There were so many types of plants that he didn’t recognize. He wanted to collect as much as he could. Zelda would love the samples. If they were able to make it to Hyrule’s castle, he may be able to take a real photo of this world’s Zelda. It would be the best photo he could offer Zelda; a real glimpse of her ancestry.
“Time's back.” Someone called without enthusiasm.
“Wolfie!” Wind cried out with joy.
Wild froze.
Surely, he wasn’t? Here?
Wild felt the breath knocked out of him, seeing the familiar form of a large and dark wolf grumble but still lick at Wind as everyone gathered around. The shackle, the markings, the puppy blue eyes...it was him.
Wolfie. It was really him.
Wild grinned, heart eased from a worry that he held since his final battle with Calamity Ganon, and he walked excitedly closer to the group where they were asking Time about his patrol (they had found a path of monster footprints) and Twilight’s location (he went on ahead to see if he could get a headcount). He had stepped next to Legend when Wolfie spotted him,
and then growled at him with bared teeth.
“Whoa!”
“Hey! Watch it!”
“Wolfie!” Time snapped.
Wild blanked, moving without conscious thought to jump away from the group and get some distance from those dangerous teeth.
“What was that for?”
“He’s never done that, right?”
“Why would he growl like that?”
“Hey, is he sick?”
Wild stared, not blinking, and not breathing as the dark wolf he had missed so much huffed and let Time push him further away behind him.
Leaving him, again. Abandoning...?
‘Oh Link.’ Mipha whispered in his mind. The Champions were quiet while the rest of the Heroes cautiously approached Wolfie and Time again. Wild stared.
This was Wolfie. And yet...
Wild had placed protection gems from Gerudo Town onto his shackles. He had healed Wolfie from a horrible Guardian claw which caught his shoulder and left a dip in his fur from the scar. His friend had been through so much of his journey with him, his muzzle bleached from the sun and his paws thin and sharp-clawed to better traverse the varied terrain of Hyrule.
This Wolfie had a darker tint in his shaggy fur. He was thicker, his fur fuller with youth, and still looked to have puppy paws. He had no scars of the battles Wild had shared with him, and those eyes were cold and unfamiliar. His shackle was a few links longer, and dark, and bare of the protections Wild have gifted him.
This was Wolfie, undoubtedly, but... Though they were traveling through time, this wasn’t his Wolfie.
Wild swallowed back his tears and heartache. His Wolfie was gone. His Wolfie had done his best to say goodbye as Wild prepared to take down Ganon, not that Wild had recognized it as such. After the battle, his Wolfie had never returned.
His companion was gone, traded off with the Champions that he thought were also gone but instead chose to remain with him and Zelda.
Wild put his hood up and avoided looking at anyone as Time approached him.
“Are you alright?”
Wild nodded, keeping his head ducked and refusing to lift his eyes from the ground. He watched as Time’s shadow shifted as if he were rubbing the back of his head.
“He’s normally a good judge of character. I’m sorry that he startled you like that. Don’t worry. He’ll get used to you soon, I’m sure.”
“Or maybe Wild just isn’t a good hero.” Legend called from next to the wolf.
“How can you say that!?” Sky demanded, sounding more awake that Wild had heard of him. “All of us have the same Courageous Spirit of the Hero! Fi wouldn’t have chosen us for no less of a reason!” Time interrupted with a stern voice, marching away from Wild and between the others.
“Now isn’t the time. We need to catch up with Twilight and take care of the monsters nearby. They’re getting too close to the village and we need to head to Hyrule Castle as soon as possible.”
Wild let the others lead. He watched as this younger Wolfie lowered his nose to look at him, his eyes sharp and suspicious, his markings on his head darker than Wild had ever seen...
His markings were like Twilight’s.
Oh.
Twilight was someone who didn’t seem to like him, wasn’t he? He was the one Revali said had sent him out to hunt knowing he could fail.
But, then, what about his Wolfie? Was his Wolfie, the same one who cuddled with him in the snow and shared apples with him after fights, really Twilight? An older Twilight?
This Twilight didn’t like him, that much was clear. But, surely, later on, they would become friends? His Wolfie wouldn’t have been by his side for so long otherwise, right?
Wild felt his chest loosed up a little. Yes, they had to become friends. He could look forward to that. He would just have to wait for his chance to befriend this Twilight. It was something to be excited for. He would be able to talk to Wolfie again. To have a real conversation with him. He could feel his body relax in anticipation of something good. It was something he wanted, yearned for, and couldn't wait to have. It was something to look forward to!
Wild flinched back at this Wolfie’s sudden glare when he came too close to the group. He skittered back, knowing how far Wolfie could leap and not wanting to risk his wrath. Time knocked once on the wolf’s head in response with a nonchalant fist that only made the wolf whine once.
“You’re leading, right?” Wolfie snorted at their leader and then bounded forward. They jogged to keep up, and Wild could only follow from behind, keeping the same distance as before even with Wolfie so much further ahead.
They darted through the trees, following a path only Wolfie could see. Every so often they would catch up with the beast as he sniffed the ground or the trees to get his trail back, and then they continued on.
When the group started to lag behind (“How much fucking further did you and Twilight go?” “Language, Sailor. We already passed the point that I had been. Twilight must be following closely.”) they lost Wolfie and stumbled onto Twilight kneeling behind a tree. His focused expression kept them from shouting their relief, and it was a good thing too.
Just a few yards more, just outside of the tree line and into the valley dipping below, a whole camp of monsters were milling about.
“How many?” Warriors asked, leaning close to whisper.
“I counted twenty-four, but it’s hard to tell from behind their little shack and I'm not sure if any others are doing patrols.” Wild thought they were trying to make a wooden tent. He also thought it would be easy to light their structure on fire and cause a good-sized distraction.
“I see a lot of different colors in these monsters.”
“That means some of them will be harder to fight and smarter than expected.”
“My bag’s there if you wanna take it off for the fight.” Twilight gesture. Wild saw the group do so, taking out preferred weapons and stretching their shoulders.
It was strange since Wild never had a bag to think of keeping safe from a fight, let alone warming up before dealing with monsters.
He tensed his fist, holding a bow in hand as he kept careful space between him and Twilight. He avoided even looking at the man, just in case.
“Warriors, Four, try to avoid fire this time.” Time said lightly, looking only a little amused at the disgruntled faces the other men made at that. Wild mentally put away his fire and bomb arrows, figuring the order was for the sake of preventing friendly fire.
Oh. Oh no. With so many enemies, how was he supposed to fight alongside so many allies?
“Ready?” Wild considered how everyone had a sword, and it looked like they were planning to charge forward. “Set.” He was too close to everyone to use his stronger swords. How was he supposed to fight like this? “Go!”
Wild took a breath, notched an arrow, and stayed behind long enough to get a running start to leap off the small ledge Twilight had been on.