Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Link didn’t know why he’d been in that specific spot at that specific time or the consequences of it. Often times he just followed his instinct, heading in whatever direction seemed most interesting. Other times he had a goal, but was simply too distracted by the stuff around him to continue on the path.

So maybe it was the worst of luck that he’d been near Taobob Grassland during the strange storm.

A few notes about Toabob grassland:

- The first time Link had happened upon the place was a complete accident, just happening to paraglide his way there from the Great Plateau.
- He was instantly inthralled by the giant horse and spent the next four days chasing it.
- When he finally got the horse and begun to ride to the nearest reachable stable(the one by the lake), he is greeted not by one, but two Lynels.
- He nearly dies twice and uses Mipha’s Grace seven times trying to scramble his way past since the only weapons he had were the master sword and a single shoddy torch.
- The horse is absolutely fine and bucks him to the Lynel’s hooves two separate times
- He names the horse Maggie after the lady who beat him up for stepping on her flowers because they are both pains in the ass.

Needless to say, he has not been back since.

Still, he wanders around as he always does, lone tree branch in hand while the master sword recharges. He’s shed all of his clothes since the only people out here would probably be the Yiga. He does not particularly care if the Yiga see his underpants.

It is only when Link’s retrieving a few bird eggs from the tall thick trees when he realizes something may be a little off.

The air around Taobob Grassland is typically dry and hot. Now it is humid, almost unbearably so as his hair frizzes out unflatteringly. Every time he tries to fix it up he gets a static shock. Instinct tells him it’s a lightning storm. Typically, Link follows his instinct, but lately a small Zelda like voice in the back of his head has been speaking of ‘logic’ and ‘actually thinking things through instead of charging forward like a wild beast.’ So he checks the sheikah slate and sees that it’s sunny for the next few hours.

He bites his lip, and looks at the sky. It is dark and cloudy. His eyes flick back to the glow of the screen. The sun icon stares back at him.

He waves off the signs. After all, the sheikah slate sometimes messes up with weather by the borders of regions and he isn’t far from the great plateau border.

It’s only after several hours(spent happily chasing after horses and eating fruitcake), when the wind whips long tangled blond hair into his face and nearly takes him off his feet that he admits the sheikah slate may be wrong.

When he hears the first crack of thunder he admits the sheikah slate is definitely wrong and moved to put on the thunder helm just in case. Before his fingers can even press down on the slate a harsh wind blows him off his feet in a force that rivals Revali’s Gale.

He whips out his paraglider, but instead of drifting around he is strewn about aimlessly, tossed through the air like a hyper child’s doll. Eventually his body makes (incredibly painful) contact with a tree. His fingers grab onto the black trunk desperately trying to get a solid grip in the sudden rain.

He rests his head against the trunk and hides from the rain in his hair trying to calm his frantic heart. He hasn’t got the heart for these sorts of aerial stunts dammit! A presence that feels suspiciously like Revali snickers in his mind, which he dutifully ignores.

He prepares to slide back down to sweet ground, clutching onto the tree, takes a single deep breath... and the tree breathes back.

...

Link is not holding onto a black barked tree.

The hylian yelps as he’s roughly thrown to the ground when the pitch black monster turns.

It’s a tall creature that is more neck then man, Its body dark like malice and tall as hebra. The only part of its body not made of the inky abyss flesh was its face. Its face was a wooden carved face, parodying a hylian screaming, their face twisted in never ending agony.

“Hi.” He says, too terrified to even be remotely sane.

“Hi.” The monster responds politely.

Then it screams in demented pain and smacks down its gigantic claws on his body.

Instinctively, he raises his arms and Daruk’s reliable spirit appears to protect him.

The barrier shatters when the tormented creature hits it with its paw, but instead of being knocked back it just screams in the way that makes Link curse his hyper sensitive ears. Before he even realizes that had been Daruk’s last shield before charge time, he’s pinned.

He struggles under the Beast’s grasp, gasping when it squeezes. Frantically tapping at the slate, he goes to grab the Master Sword but stops in his place after a particularly loud crack of lighting.

The monster, perhaps emboldened by his lack of response at being pinned down squeezes him tight and begins to lift him.

He repeats a strange word he sometimes hear Zelda say in the labs and makes a split decision.

Lightning or whatever this thing is.

With horror, he sees that the monster has a mouth previously unseen under it’s mask. The mouth is lined with rows and rows of sparkling white teeth. The two largest glisten with saliva and span larger then his full height.

‘Lightning it is then,’

He can hardly move his finger to select the Master sword, but feels a reaffirming buzz and the wooden feel of the tree branch in his right hand is replaced by the legendary blade.

The creature hisses and roars, holy light bursting through the abyss of its grip.

Link lands in a crouch, keeping a wary eye on the beast.

‘The master sword only glows for the infected Calamity,’ his mind whispers.

‘It’s impossible. We defeated the Calamity!’

“You!” He cries, pointing at the monster. It had replied to him, directly before attacking. “Are you working for the Yiga?”

“You!” It hissed.

Its mouth opened wide, and dark energy spilling from its lips. Instinctively, Link knows it’s going to fire an attack similar to a Lynel’s fire breath by the way it tilts its claws back and reaches its neck forward.

He prepares to takes cover behind one of the large trees.

He’s too slow. The attack takes him by surprise and his whole world is engulfed in dark.

-

-

-His eyes open.

The glaring sun greats him, forcing Link to squint at the sky. Several gigantic horses graze around him, completely unperturbed by his presence.

Slowly, he sits up, and clutches his head instantly as black spots appear in his vision.

The gigantic horses huff at him.

He paces himself getting up, both not wanting to be trampled because of sudden movements and preventing the urge to throw up.

He takes a few steps away from the giant horses, not quite ready to tame another wild beast.

When he walks, he feels slow and useless. His legs hurt, and with a detached sense of horror he realizes he’s sniffling. Sniffling like a lost child.

Suddenly he feels an incredible amount of alarm. Where those trees always so big? Wasn’t that horse the one he rode just a while before the storm? His breath catches in the dry air, his lips dry from lack of water. He scrambled to grab the Sheikah Slate from his waist. It is huge in his hands and so much heavier.

His shaking hands are tiny and pudgy.

He clicks the camera and switches it to front view. Wide blue eyes stare back.

His eyes are wide an sparkling with unshed tears. His cheeks are pink and chubby. Link’s tangled hair is the only thing that hasn’t changed in size, which may present a problem since it now spans from head to below his waist.

‘Okay, okay.’ He tells himself. ‘No use panicking. I’ve been cursed, now I just have to figure out what I was cursed with.’

‘One. I’m more emotional then normal,’ Link was almost certain that he this was a factor of the curse since he didn’t think he cried that often, even in extreme cases like this.
‘Two. I... think I’m younger,’ he presses his hand against his face, one side smooth and soft, the other still scratchy from his scar.
‘Three...’ His stomach growls loudly.

He rubs his stomach uselessly. He’s gonna need Zelda for this one.

Chapter Text

Sky was fairly certain that he now hated soup. Don’t get him wrong, he loved Hyrule, and loved that he wanted to help with cooking. He did not love the backlash to the stomach.

“So...” Hyrule asks, a hopeful smile on his face. “How does it taste?”

Sky swallows his mouthful harshly, taking all of his energy not to hack it back up. He musters a huge smile, that’s only a little painful.

“So much better then last time!” He says truthfully.

Hyrule smiles at him proudly, sunshine incarnate. “I knew I could do it!”

He turns to the rest of the camp, where everyone is waiting with empty bowls.

Sky feels a bit spiteful that everyone had taken the moment to dump out their portions at his moment of sacrifice.

Hyrule claps his hands together. “Wow! Everyone’s already finished, should I make more?”

Silent panic runs through the camp.

“That’s okay,” Time said, and everyone gives an internal sigh of relief. “It was very filling, and you’ve already worked so hard.”

Hyrule is so sweet and so kind and Sky wishes he was good at cooking. He almost feels guilty going behind Hyrule’s back. Almost.

He discretely empties his bowl while his back is turned, and takes a spot next to Legend on an overturned log.

“Need me to check your pulse?” He whispers.

“I need a doctor, not dry wit.” He responds blatantly as his stomach lets out a mournful cry. “Ughhg...” Sky winces, clutching his stomach.

“By Hylia, Sky, do you actually need a potion?” Legend asks, wide eyed.

“...Water...” He croaks, and stands to move to nearest stream.

He catches Time’s eye while leaving, and an unspoken gaze of understanding passes between them. He leaves the camp alone with an earnest Hyrule.

The last portal had taken them to an abandoned world, without any signs of life aside from the lush greenery and plethora of monsters. The world had been particularly alarming for the heroes, seeing the land they worked so hard to protect in shambles. Time had stared at the ruins of Hyrule castle for hours, not willing to move or speak.

Sky wasn’t unaffected either, to be quite straight. What had happened to Zelda’s world? Could it be a world abandoned by even Hylia?

A deep seated discomfort sat in Sky’s gut(one not originating from the soup.).

They had taken shelter in a place they think used to be Hyrule field. Several destroyed stone buildings are scattered along the edge. Camp for the night had been set up in one of the ruined houses.

“It’s not exactly a town,” Warriors had said, furrowing his brow and looking a little worse for wear. “It’s called a Garrison. It’s where military knights and soldiers live in a town as a base, or to protect it.” He had explained to Wind, who hadn’t been as bothered by the ruined world as the others.

“What happened to them?” Wind had asked back, and no one had an answer.

Sky didn’t normally like drinking lake water, but he didn’t want to keep the taste of the chunky soup in his mouth so he made the sacrifice. He wipes his mouth of water and eases himself up. His stomach groans in protest, but he stands nevertheless. He turns to head back to camp.

And stared straight into the snout of a red moblin.

“Hylia!” He yells, and jumps backwards to get space between him and the monster.

Sky reaches for Fi, but instead of being greeted by her familiar cool hilt, it is warm and beaten.

He holds a rusty sword in the hands where the Master Sword once lay.

“Fi?” He whispers. The sword, predictably, does not respond.

Not Fi then.

In his confusion the moblin moves forward and takes a bold swing with its club. He dodges, barely.

‘Too close,’ Sky thinks quickly, mind rushing.

It’s just a red moblin, but the disappearance of the Master Sword has set Sky into panic.

The moblin sets to swing again, but stops in its tracks. Three arrows imbed into its skull.

“Legend?” He guesses, because Legend can be quite the marksmen when he’s worked up enough.

His expectations are dashed when a tiny child with tangled blond hair slams their skull into the moblin’s stomach. The moblin, already weakened by the arrows falls to the ground pathetically with a cry.

Before Sky can even wrap his mind around the fact he was just saved by a seven year old, the kid comes bounding up to him.

The kid is even smaller then he originally thought, barely making it up to Sky’s waist. They have wide blue eyes that scan him thoroughly. Sky cannot tell if they are a boy or a girl... though he bets a boy since he does not know any girls willing to walk around without a shirt. Or pants.

The most disturbing thing is the patchwork of scars covering his body from head to toe.

What happened to him?

“Do you have food?” The kid asks.

Sky thinks of Hyrule’s soup and grimaces, but nods.

“I have food back at my camp... Why don’t you come with me? It’s dangerous out here.” He implores.

“Can’t,” He says. “Besides, I’m not a child, I’m over a hundred years old so you don’t have to treat me like a baby.”

Sky blanks. The boy said he was over a hundred years old? Oh, a game! Yes, he had played pretend when he was younger.

Him and Zelda played the story of the first hero, a ridiculous tale of old that was outlandish but fun. Zelda had played the hylian version of Hylia, while he had donned a red piece of cloth and called himself a hero. Zelda had insisted to go first at everything because she was the hylian form of the immortal goddess Hylia, and oldest went first.

“Right,” he said. What had Twilight said kids liked?

Candy was clearly out of the question, even if they had the materials no one could bake it.

No one had any toy animals or dolls(that they’d willingly give up anyway).

But...

“What if I gave you a ride?” He asked, crouching down to demonstrate.

He knows he had succeeded when the kids eyes sparkle.

“Okay, how fast can you run?”

Sky falters, almost offset by the ominous tone of the question.

“Umm... medium?”

The boy hops on his back with no warning.

“Go that way.” He points in the direction of two mountains that have a narrow split going through.

“Why don’t we go back to my camp instead?” Sky says, trying to be reassuring, turning his head to see the boy.

The kid narrows his eyes. “You aren’t gonna... try to eat me are you?”

“What? No!” He readjusts his grip on the kid trying not to drop him. The childish question throws him off. What sort of world has this boy grown up in? Could... he be the last survivor of this Hyrule?

“What’s your name?” Sky asks.

He doesn’t respond for a second. Sky trudges forward and wonders if he upset him.

“Link.” He says flatly.

“Ah,” says Sky, screaming inside of his mind. Link is a common name, Link doesn’t mean hero. Just a name not a title. “You don’t happen to know where the Master Sword is do you?”

“Course I do.” Link huffs. “I have it.”

Of course.

Of course this world has a hero.

Of course it’s an eight year old.

“You must be the hero of this world then,” Sky’s is soft and distant. Foreign to his own ears.

“What do you mean?” Link asks suspiciously.

“There are many worlds with many heroes.”

He doesn’t get a response, but Link tugs on his hair to continue.

“My name is Link too. I’m the hero of the Skies. The other heroes call me Sky.”

Link goes still behind him.

“The hero of Time, the hero of Twilight, the hero of Legend... do any of those names ring a bell?”

Link is stiff. “Yes.” He responds.

“They’re all at my campsite! We’ve traversed time and space on a mission for Goddess Hylia. Please, come meet us.”

Link giggles behind him. “You’re crazy. You gonna eat me?”

“No! I’m telling the truth, I promise. The heroes of past are real, and here. And if you are who I think...”

-

-

-

Listen, Link knows he probably shouldn’t be riding on the crazy guy’s back, but he’s so tired of going slow. And he’s trying to get to Hateno.

He’s not sure what teleportation would do this tiny body since he’d held a lizard before teleporting and landed in Rito village with lizard soup. Link isn’t keen on taking his chances.

The crazy guy looks really friendly and harmless and Link isn’t especially worried about him being a Yiga since they always show themselves sooner and don’t get attacked by monsters. He actually resembled Link a whole lot, with bright blue eyes and blond hair(although his hair was more of a natural dirty blond). If it wasn’t batshit insane and Link was an actual eight year old he might’ve even believed him.

They enter one of the dilapidated stone houses, one that still had all its crumbling walls.

“Sky!” A male voice calls. A young teenager with brown hair and a green tunic that remind Link of his wild clothing set calls out. He must be around Link’s actual age, minus a hundred years or so.

“Welcome back! I was worr-“He cuts himself off. “Sky... you, um, have a child on your back.”

The rest of the camp stirs and five pairs of blue eyes greet him.

The creepiest part of the camp is that everyone looks alike in a way, but they don’t look related in terms of worldly presence. They all wear diverse strange clothing. The largest wears armor, is missing an eye, and has (maybe religious?) face tattoos.

The smallest has a green headband and a multicolored tunic.

They both have blond hair and blue eyes.

“Hi everyone. Everyone, this... is Link.”

The calm crackle of the fire is the only sound. The once comforting sounds of the world now only added to the heavy silence.

Link curls in on himself. Just what was happening here?

“...Sky, you don’t mean...” One of the older blonds trials off. His armor and weapons are well cared for and polished. He seems to hold an air of grace and superiority. His long eyelashes eventuate the deep cobalt of his eyes.

“Sky. Is this..?” Another boy says. This boy’s eyes are blue as well, but his hair is colored pink like it’s made from the feathers of a rito.

“Yes.”

The tall one with face tattoos takes a deep breath and puts his head in his hands.

“You guys have food?” He asks, effectively ruining the somber mood.

Once he is situated, they give him their tiniest bowl of a white liquid with chunky white materials bobbing up and down.

“It can be... strong on the stomach.” Says the one with pink hair. “Drink it slowly.”

The pink boy, (Legend, he overhears)is stoic and doesn’t seem to have a lot of experience with little kids. Which is fine, because Link isn’t a little kid.

He sips the soup delicately and quickly determines that it’s a little watery, and needs more flavor.

Well, one of those things can be fixed pretty easily. Reaching into his slate, he pulls out a bottle of goron spice and pours a large portion of the bottle in the soup.

“So...” he says, nonchalantly. “Where are you guys from?”

He gets several blank stares.

“I’m from Hyrule Castle Town, or at least it’s where I live now.” Says the fancy one. “I’m... Warriors, by the way.” He says, somewhat awkwardly.

“Uh huh.” Link responds, recalling the immense ruin of his Castle Town. “Makes sense. I’m Link.”

“Yeah,” Warriors’s shoulders tense and his eyes fixate firmly at his boots. “I heard.”

The group dissolves into silence.

“I’m from Outset Island!” A kid wearing a shirt with a lobster on it said. Link had the exact same shirt. He used to like to wear it as pajamas, but now it would be more akin to a nightgown. “It’s really warm there, and it’s pretty much just me and my little sister plus my grandma. I’m Wind, or Link, the Hero of Winds.”

Link nodded. It was sort of cute how the kid was fanboying the hero enough to play pretend with these guys.

“That’s Four, the Hero of the Four Sword!” Four, the short boy with the headband looked up and nodded before returning to fiddling with a metal buckle.

“The grumpy one that’s missing an eye is Time, he’s the oldest.” Some faint laughs poorly disguised as coughs float through camp.

The tall man—Time— huffed and crossed his arms in mock annoyance, but the slight tick of his mouth betrayed a little amusement.

“Time.” He said. “Like... the Hero of Time?”

Time’s blue eyes met his for a split second before he rubbed the back of his head, sighed and nodded.

Wow. These guys were bonkers.

“Hyrule, Four, Legend, Time, Sky, and Warriors... and Wind!” Wind counted off.

Sky, who was seated directly to his left on a large chunk of stone wall, shifted to cover his mouth, not wanting any stray giggles to escape.

“We are missing a member right now, though.” The boy said, resting a hand under his chin and looking surprisingly thoughtful. “Twilight went hunting. We call him Twi sometimes.”

A little ping went off in his mind. Suddenly, the smells of dogs and fried food hot from the pan made themselves at home. A ghost of a memory... soft fur gently brushes against his chubby little hands.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Sounds and people around him flit along, surrounding him.

This makes Link feel nothing.

“Woah, woah, guys! Give him some space!!”

Sky’s voice rang through the camp.

His eyes open.

Everyone is staring.

“Back off, I’m serious.” Sky tells the group sternly. Sky stands between him and the rest of the group, hands outstretched like he’s trying to calm a reaeing horse.

There is a few weak protests, but everyone backs away and returns to their tasks. Several ‘Heroes’ look at him worriedly, some more curious.

“Ki... Link. Why don’t you go rest? It’s probably been a very long day for you and you must be very tired- staring off into space like that.” Says Pink(Legend?). He has stubbornly stood a step behind Sky.

A small offended noise comes through Link’s mouth at an octave he previously thought himself incapable of. “I’m not a child. I can handle myself.” Despite that, Link can feel his eyes start to droop. His body tires far easier in this weaker form. “But I do need to save up my strength if you’re gonna give me a ride tomorrow...” He ponders, putting a hand to his chin and desperately trying to suppress an incriminating yawn rising through his throat.

“Yes! That’s true,” says Sky, looking very relieved for some reason. “You’ll need all the strength you can get.”

Link narrows his eyes. “I’m way older then you, don’t patronize me.” Nevertheless, he allows himself to be led towards a spot by the wall opposite of the direction the smoke of the fire blows.

They give him a warm blanket with a squishy feeling thing underneath. The blanket is thick and clearly made for travel. In the cold night, the blanket and the fire pair together. He curls his body into an even smaller form, bunching up the blankets to rest on him and capture warmth. Link blinks hazily at the orange light of the fire, the heat warming his cheeks and nose.

He falls asleep listening to the crackle of the fire and not the hushed conversation of the strange men that look like him.

Chapter Text

“It’s not your fault you know,”

Time is an intimidating figure, standing over Sky. His physique is muscular and has seen many battles. His eye has unknown knowledge, teasing everyone with curiosity. His battle scars were unrivaled, until earlier today.

Sky is never nervous around him.

Despite Time’s appearance, he was never a fighter. He seems so tough and strong, with scary tattoos and a fierce gaze. In reality, Time is one of the most gentle hearted people Sky knows. It reminds Sky of one of his old part time jobs. He’d worked as a loftwing stablehand.

There had been an elderly loftwing that had used to be brilliant blue. It’s feathers had faded to a blue grey with age. Even though the old bird was ancient enough to keel over at any second(this is not a nudge to Time’s age), it was strong and the alpha of the flock. He was the easiest to feed for younger him because of his docile nature and gentle heart. Sky was too small to even reach its belly when he’d been a stableboy, even so it had been so affectionate and cuddly with him that some of the older stablehands joked that he was the loftwing’s new chick.

Once, he’d gone to hide in the stable after a particular bad fight with Groose. Names had been called(Groose was called cone-head by Zelda, which Sky had gotten yelled at for) and pigtails had been pulled. The loftwing grabbed Sky by the shirt and pulled him into his stall. It had nuzzled the tears away from his face. All the hens in the stable had gathered around the one stall and nested together, like the original wild loftwings. He had fallen asleep with a bright crimson chick in his arms.

A week later, the loftwing died.

“Time?” Sky questioned, offset from the sudden sad memory.

“I know you’re thinking it,” Time says while crossing his arm. His eyes are stern in the strange way Impa’s sometimes get. “The boy isn’t your fault.”

Sky glances down towards said boy.

He’s curled up in a little ball facing the fire. His hair is splayed in every single direction. He’s drooling.

Guilt and unease spikes in his gut.

“...He’s so young, Time. He’s so scarred.”

Time furrows his brow and opens his mouth but Sky intercepts him.

“I know! I know it isn’t my fault, but I...” his lower lip trembles, and he turns away from Time. All the other heroes are so stoic and strong, Sky feels his face heat up even more when the bottom of his eyes become wet. He doesn’t understand how everyone else doesn’t cry. It’s so hard not to.

“It’s Demise’s fault. I know that. He’s bad.” Sky hopes that Time will just let the little gasp before the level sentence go. He really doesn’t want to cry.

But Sky feels Time’s hand on his shoulder, and knows that in his own weirdly emotionally stunted way, he’s supporting Sky.

If Sky does cry... well, no one has to know.

—

His eyes always take a moment to adjust to each form.

In wolf form, smells are so pungent he can see them with his canine eyes. He often pushes his friends into the river after a... particularly colorful day. Colors, shapes, saturation is all new to him. Even his depth perception is different.

If no one is around when he shifts, he often spins in a circle enough to get dizzy and readjust his spinning vision to the new normal.

So when he sees a tiny Wild sleeping in his bed he checks his eyes.

He sniffs the boy(Yes, he’s in his wolf form, otherwise it’d be creepy). He smells like Wild if he was covered in soap.

Dear Hylia.

How long had he left this world behind??

And when had Wild had a child?

His wolf form sits dizzily.

Castletown was still in ruin, which means it hadn’t been incredibly long after Twilight had returned to his dimension.

Which means... Wild had to have had the kid as soon as he left.

‘I’m going to kill him.’ Twilight thinks. ‘Getting hitched at seventeen?’ Incredulous thoughts run through his mind, as a small noise somewhere between a whine and growl escapes his mouth.

“Wolfie?” A squeaking voice asks. Wind yawns, and pats him on the head thrice, unaware of his inner turmoil. “What’s the matter?”

Twilight continues gazing at the tiny Wild, his mind and body frozen in limbo.

“Oh, him?” Wind said, staggering and looking ready to collapse into a heap. “That’s the new hero. He’s just Link right now cause’ we dunno his nickname.”

‘The hero?’

‘Ah.’

‘AH.’

Twilight let out a little huff, relaxing his back. His fur had been all ruffled up.

‘Thank goodness it’s just dark magic and not teen pregnancy.’

Hylia, his life is weird.

———

Listen. Link isn’t always the most brave, despite the rumors. Sometimes he runs away from situations. He finds that normal and healthy, as Mipha can only take so much stress before she rises from the dead and kills him herself.

So, he feels no guilt when he slips away from the group in the early morning.

The one who promised to carry him was panting the entire time he was carrying Link. Not ideal in a long stamina ride. He stayed for the free food, bed, and warmth. Otherwise, he was outta here.

The morning was misty and the grass was wet with dew. One of the ‘heroes’ kept a watchful eye on the camp. The little one with the headband- Four, he recalled. He was sitting high on the wall, looking off at a wandering red moblin.

It wasn’t hard to silently creep his way up the opposite wall. As he reached the top, he turned to do a quick check over camp.

Five...six. Seven, including Four.

It seems that the other hero hadn’t returned yet.

Link shakes his head once it starts becoming foggy like last night.

‘Weird...’ He thinks. ‘I wonder if I know the guy.’

He hops down off the wall, and flinches at the cold wet grass on his dry feet. Link speed walks away, trying to be discreet, which is not one of his more natural skills.

Once he’s out of the Garrison, he passes over the bridge, glancing at Brigo who gives him a wide eyed look and a wave. Link raises his hand and returns with a tiny little wave, wiggling his fingers a bit.

It’s only after he crosses that he breaks into a run. His bare feet cover themselves in mud as he runs along the river, the sounds of flesh against mud a resounding smack. He veered into the woods off of the river, just before dueling peaks.

It was a small stretch of forest, too small to even had a name.

But Link was in no position to judge anything’s size.

He stopped in front of a grassy indent filled with water from previous rain.

He slowly collapses onto his knees and gently cups some water into his hands. The hands are soft and unable to carry much water. Thankfully, he didn’t have to drink as much anymore.

Something flickers in the water, and Link flinches, before realizing it’s his own reflection. Blue eyes blink back up at him. His hair creates ripples in the water when he becomes so close to his reflection that he could stick his tongue out and touch the water.

A single hand caresses his cheek, slowly running up to the scarred area around his eyes.

He didn’t really think about his scars when he had his real body. It had just been something he’d always had. He’d left the plateau with them, he’d tamed the Divine Beasts with them, and he’d defeated Calamity Ganon with them.

But... on the face of a child.

Link had always believed people when they said he was handsome. At first, he didn’t really understand what they meant by it, having no standard for what beauty was or represented. But, he began to realize people were friendlier, especially those camped out by Gerudo Town, when he was dressed ‘prettier’ or in better quality clothing.

Seeing his scars on the face of a boy was off putting. Shocking, in a way that made him uncomfortable. Battle scars weren’t something you wanted to see on a kid.

They were ugly.

He whipped his head away from his reflection, pushing down whatever feelings deep down inside him, where they would never ever be seen or heard from ever again.

And met gazes with a large wolf.

“Woah!” Link fell onto his backside and scrambled backwards.

The wolf huffed as if it was amused and strode forward.

The wolf was dark grey with a white underbelly and muzzle. The wolf also had strange markings on its forehead that were shaped like...

Hold on.

“W... Wolf?” He asked.

Wolf grinned at him, then sneezed.

The bastard.

“Where’d you go?” He said, jumping to his feet. “I thought...”

The wolf whined, and licked his cheek.

“Heh...” he pushed his muzzle away. “Stop that.”

The wolf barked, and lifted his paw up on Link’s chest softly.

“Yeah, just some dark magic. I’m hoping it’ll wear off soon. I’m going to try and see Zelda anyway.” He explains. “It’s really annoying.”

The canine waved his head back the way Link ran from.

“...You want me to go back?”

The wolf shook its head up and down, as if nodding.

“No way!”

The wolf barked.

“No- those guys were crazy!”

The wolf barked several times, as if he was arguing with Link.

Link crossed his arms and sat.

“I’m not going!” He said stubbornly. “And you can’t make me!”

“I am going to Kakariko!” His hand flew in the direction of the hidden village, wildly exaggerating a simple movement.

“Then I’m going to Hateno!” His hand moved clockwise towards his home.

“I’m gonna find Zelda!” Link says, probably being a little louder then necessary.

“And have her undo this!” He aggressively gestures to himself in annoyance.

“Got it?” He asked, squinting at Wolf.

The wolf leveled him an unimpressed stare, like he was the one being ridiculous.

“I’m not arguing with a dog!” He said stubbornly.

Chapter Text

Sometimes. Just sometimes. Being a wolf sucked.

Wild sat there(like a child!), with crossed arms, sitting criss cross applesauce, pouting.

Honest to Hylia, pouting.

‘Wild, you are seventeen years old. Not seven. Get off your ass right now, and back to camp.’ Was he aware Wild couldn’t understand him? Yes. Was it therapeutic to yell at his idiot kid? Also yes.

“I can’t hear you!” Wild stuck his hands over his ears. “La la la la~”

‘I swear to Hylia above Wild. Am I seriously going to have to turn in front of you?’ Twilight barked.

“Mm!” Wild said. His face was scrunched together in way that made his cheeks pink. He was actually quite cute, but would be even cuter if he wasn’t over a hundred and throwing a tantrum like he was two.

He huffed, and felt dark energy overtake his body as he shifted.

Twilight’s head spins as his height increases.

“Ooh, that’ll do it.” He said, clutching his head.

Twilight’s eyes meet Wild’s, whose face is blank and his mouth is open.

“Close your mouth Link, you’ll catch flies.”

Wild’s mouth snaps shut, and his finger flies up.

“You! What are you- how long-” Wild sputters.

“Shh...” said Twilight, blinking quickly. “Uggh... migraine.”

“WHO ARE YOU!”

“Hylia, Link. Don’t yell, I obviously have a headache.”

Wild glared up at him, puffing his chest out and curling his hands into fists. He’s clearly trying to be intimidating... adorably.

“Well, this is awkward, but I’m the wolf you’ve been traveling with.”

“So... you can turn into a person.” Wild’s blue eyes are narrowed and Twilight meets them evenly.

He nods. “Yes.”

“The whole time?” Wild asks, eyes widening again.

He nods once more.

“Like... the entire time?” He asks, looking a little lost.

“Uhhh...”

———

“Hey guys?” Hyrule’s voice cut out through the quiet morning.

Several people groaned, not wanting to participate in early morning shenanigans.

“This better be good,” said Legend, who couldn’t get back to sleep once being awake.

“Okay... don’t freak out.”

Legend raises his eyebrow. “What. Did. You. Do.” He spits. Yeah, Legend isn’t a morning person.

“The- um... the kid’s gone.”

Instantaneously, the heroes stirred.

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Time asks, groggily blinking his eye.

“Like he’s not here!” Came the semi-hysterical answer.

“Oh Hylia...” Said Warriors, rubbing his head, and slowly leaning up from his makeshift bed. He had deep circles under his eyes, a large contrast to his normally flawless skin.

“Four, weren’t you on watch?!” Hyrule asked, still a little hysterical. “Sky wake up!” He shook Sky’s body back and forth. Sky obviously did not stir.

“I didn’t see him.” Four replied, shaking his head. “He’s probably with Twilight though.”

“Okay, we should just look around the area... he’s really short guys, how far could he of gotten?” Wind said, somewhat hypocritically.

Four scoffed.

“That sounds... actually reasonable.” Warriors looked at Wind, surprised.

Wind said something under his breath about ‘never going back,’ and ‘youngest’, before dashing towards his gear.

As if Wind’s movement had broken the barrier, everyone began to grab their stuff and shovel leftover raw ingredients as sustenance. (Everyone except for Sky, who Wind had declared comatose.)

———

“I can’t believe this.” Legend pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and covered him and Hyrule with his shield in his left. “Why did all of us go? What happens if Twilight comes back to camp and no ones there? Whose idea was this?”

“I didn’t see you having any better idea Pinkie!” Wind retorted, dodging a blue bokoblin swing. It had found a rusted sword somewhere in the fight.

“Brat!”

“Rat face!”

“Kelp head!”

“Asshead!”

“Boys!” Time’s stern voice interrupted them. “Enough! Focus! And watch your mouth Wind!”

Four snickered from his perch, where he was sniping some of the straggling bokoblins. “Wind’s in trouble~” He sang to himself.

Wind grumbled something inaudible to everyone except Sky who gasped and dropped his shield and was rewarded with a bop on the head from a red bokoblin.

“Ow!”

“Twilight probably has him,” Four said, once again. “All of you need to go back to school.”

“Oh my Nayru! Time, do you think the kid has been to school before?” Sky asked, completely missing Four’s point.

“Why does that matter?” Time huffed, swinging the Biggoron sword into the stomach of a particularly stupid moblin. “I never went to school and I turned out fine.”

“Did you seriously say oh my Nayru?” Asked Warriors, more to himself then anyone.

“Wait, stop.” Legend’s face had gained its signature grin back as he smacked a red bokoblin on its head as it tried to sneak behind Warriors. “You didn’t go to school, Time? What’s two plus two?”

“Four!” He shouted back.

“You got it! How about two times two?”

“No! Not- Four, watch out!” Time warned.

Four looked back to find a moblin just barely tall enough that its hands could reach him and pelted it with some of the crumbling rock.

“I don’t see the big deal,” Hyrule added. “I didn’t go either. My schools were only for babies anyway.”

“I don’t believe this. How did you two learn to read?” Warriors shot an arrow into the head of a monster coming up behind Wind and received a thumbs up of gratitude.

“I dunno actually, I forget.” Hyrule blanked, suddenly pausing.

“Hylia’s sake Rule’, move!” Legend tackles them both out of the path of a charging moblin.

“Thanks Legend,” Hyrule said, completely unfazed.

“Pay attention!” He yelled back. “And get off of me!” Legend demanded, and pushed Hyrule off of him before waiting.

“Hey, whats that?” Wind pointed at the river.

There was a spray of water as something moved in the nearby river. A large mass flicked its tail obscured by shadow and darted towards the group.

“What the-“ started Wind, backing up.

The water sprayed everywhere as a large golden reptilian creature burst out. Its golden scales shined in the morning light.

“Lizalfos!” Time yelled. “Duck!”

Wind dropped to the ground just as a multicolored tongue whipped out in his direction.

“Gross!” He cried.

“It’s infected!” Legend called, pointing with his shield hand at a scrape along the monster’s leg. Black blood was visible against the golden scales.

The lizalfos jumped side to side and rushed Hyrule.

It’s claws scraped his cheek just as Hyrule jumped back.

“Yah!” Hyrule cried. “He’s fast!”

“Everyone back up!” Warriors commanded, swiping his arms back.

Everyone(except Four, who leaned back and wiped some dirt off of his sword.) fell back deeper in the garrison.

The lizard creature hissed and spat, but stayed in its own space, angrily hopping back and forth.

“How are we sposed’ to take this guy?” Wind whispered to Warriors.

“Hmm...” Warriors pulled on his scarf, and peeked out from the stone wall he and Wind used for cover. “It’s fast. Almost uncontrollably so.”

Warriors pauses for a second.

“I wonder... if we could use its speed against it to lead into an explosives trap?” He pondered, glancing at Wind.

—

“This is a horrible idea,” Twilight spits, rushing to the bridge. They had encountered a Golden lizalfos that had taken off down the river after Wild had nearly bitten it’s leg off. Yeah you read that right. Bitten. While they(Wild) had succeeded in scaring it off, it had fallen into the river and shot off towards the other heroes.

Wild mumbled something under his arm.

“What? I can’t hear you.” He pants, having sprinted all the way here.

“Throw me.” Wild says, like it’s a completely normal thing to say in this situation.

Twilight sighs. “Listen, I get that you’re a kid now, but we don’t have time for those games right-“

“No!” Wild flails, face and ears suddenly a deep red. “At the lizard you big stupid dumb mutt!”

“Hey.” Twilight said in a scolding voice, and then realized that it was the same voice he used on his younger siblings in Ordon.

“Throw me!” He insisted, and accidentally(hopefully) kicks Twilight in the gut with his thrashing.

“I-“ Twilight moved to deny him. “....actually..” Wild was actually seventeen years old in his mind... surely he could handle being thrown at that overgrown lizalfos?

“Yes, yes, yes, yes-“ Wild chants, waving his fists up and down.

“Calm down Wild! I’m thinking.”

He blinked up at Twilight. “Wild?”

“That’s your hero name. Hero of the Wild. I’m the Hero of Twilight.”

“Twilight? Like the missing member from yesterday?” Wild processed donning a thoughtful look. Then, his little face was overtaken with an expression of horror. “Wo- Twilight?!”

“Huh?” Twilight asked, surprised by Wild’s sudden move swing.

“I called the Hero of Skies crazy...” Wild whispered, looking like he killed his own mother.

Twilight snorted loudly, unable to hold it in. He was awarded with a tiny kick to the stomach.

“Don’t laugh! This is serious! I-I called the Hero of Time crazy too!” Wild yelled, looking more like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

At this Twilight could simply not hold up the bubbling laughter at Time being insulted by someone who weighed less then eighty pounds soaking wet.

“Hylia kill me.”

“Don’t be morbid, it’s weird when someone who looks like child asks the goddess for death.”

“I feel like an idiot child.”

‘That’s because you are,’ Twilight thinks privately.

Wild buries his face into Twilight’s cloak and says something that is muffled by the pelt.

Twilight pats his head in a way he hopes is comforting.

“Don’t worry, they are crazy.” He says reassuringly.

Wild groans into his side.

—

Time narrowed his eyes at the beast, who was(unsuccessfully) trying to claw its way up to Four’s perch. Four yawned, not looking up from his sword.

“Four!” Sky stage whispered.

“Sky! Have you lost your mind?” Legend whispered back, covering Sky’s mouth with his hands. “Shut up, it’ll hear us!”

Time glanced to the side, seeing a flash of blue in his peripheral. Warriors waved his hand slowly, back and forth in a deliberate motion.

“...Looks like the Captain has a plan.” Legend whispered into his ear, surprising him. Even though no one could tell.

“He does? Isn’t Wind with him?” Sky asked.

Hyrule nodded, his bangs flopping in his face. “Yeah, Wind has the constipated look again.”

Indeed, when Wind poked his face out from behind Warriors, his features were scrunched and his eyes were narrowed in his ‘constipated face’.

“Don’t make fun of him!” Sky whispered, crossing his arms.

Hyrule scratched the back of his head. “I just thought everyone called it that...” he said, looking a little bashful at the scolding.

Legend snickered into his hand.

Blue moved in his peripheral once more. Time turned, and met Warriors eyes. He was crouched forward in a battle ready position. In his hands he held something small and shiny like a dark crystal ball.

In reality, it’s an unlit bomb.

Time’s eyebrows shot up. He grabbed the back of Legend and Sky’s shirts and placed them squarely behind him next to Hyrule.

“Bombs,” He turned his head slightly, explaining so that an already red faced Legend doesn’t through a hissy fit at being carried for .02 seconds. Sky is unproblematic as normal and nods in understanding.

“Everyone stay back, bombs can have a large r-“ Whatever Sky’s warning was gets cut off by a large yell.

“Hey!” Twilight yells at the monster, and Time and Warriors both facepalm. He had somehow snuck over the bridge behind the monster.

“Woah, guys! It’s him!” Hyrule said, pointing to the boy tucked under Twilight’s arm. The boy looked unharmed but looked to be a strange mix of disgruntled and shell shocked. “What’d you know? He was with Twilight all along, who would’ve guessed?”

“Why would he call for attention when he has the kid?” Legend asked frantically, not bothering to keep his voice down any longer.

As if Twilight was answering him, he lifted the tiniest hero back in his grip, like he was going to throw a ball. The new Link narrowed his eyes at the Lizalfos, who had just abandoned Four(who still hadn’t even blinked at this turn of events, only sighing and shrugging), determination shining through his face.

It almost looked like...

Oh.

“Twilight!” Sky screamed, likely realizing what Time had. “Do not throw him!”

Poor Sky looked ready to pass out.

“Twilight!” He roared, maybe a little harshly. “What has gotten into you?!”

Still Twilight pays them no heed, and he launches the eight year old into the face of the lizalfos.

Chapter Text

Hyrule kneeled next to Wild’s body and gently shook it.

“Wild... Wild.”

“Mmf,” he responded, face down in the dirt.

“You have to get up and eat at some point. You’ll be hungry if you don’t.” Hyrule said, trying to reason with him.

Wild hadn’t moved since Twilight and Time had gone on one of their mysterious walks, except this time the reason was a little more clear cut.

“Time’s still not back yet... Twilight must really be getting his ass handed to him.” Legend said to Warriors sardonically.

Warriors just furrowed his brow. “Why would Twilight ever do that? I never imagined he was even capable of such idiocy. Other heroes? Yes. Twilight?” He wonders aloud, shaking his head.

Hyrule returns his gaze to Wild, who has finally picked his head up and is staring at him. His wide sky blue eyes glisten at him unreadably. Wild has such an old stare for someone so young. He supposed a world like this makes it necessary to grow up fast. It was like that for him too.

“Why isn’t Twilight back?” Wild asks.

“Umm...” Hyrule blanks.

“He’s getting yelled at because he threw a damn toddler at a lizalfos. And he deserves it.” Legend answers in his stead, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes.

“But I asked him to.” Said toddler responds flatly.

“You don’t get to decide battle plans until you are at least twelve.” Warriors cuts in.

Wild’s face turns red, and he pushes himself off the ground. His whole stomach is covered in dirt and mud. “I am twelve!” He stomps, and then pauses. “Wait, I’m older then twelve! I’m older then you!” He shouts.

“Guys, keep your voice down. Sky’s asleep and Wind has a headache.” Four says over from the less active side of camp.

Wild stares at him in disbelief, then looks at his feet, then at Warriors. He practically falls back onto the ground.

“C’mon Wild, you’re gonna get dirty again.” Legend cuts in, staring on the downed boy. “After you finally got all that blood out of your hair.”

Wild says something back that sounds a bit like ‘mmmphaawuuyo’.

Legend glares at the back of his head. “Fine, be that way.”

Warriors snickers. “Are you offended the kid is ignoring you?” He asks, severely lessening his lifespan.

Hyrule decides to tune out Legend’s response just in time to hear Wild’s stomach growl. His stomach curdles in sympathy, knowing the feeling of hungry nights all too well.

Before he can even open his mouth, Wild shoots up looking around like a farmer with a lost cucco. Warriors and Legend are both staring, having halted their little spat to look on the child standing like a bloodhound towards the center of camp. After a second of Wild staring off into the distance, and everyone watching with varying degrees of confusion, he darts off towards the campfire.

“Four,” someone calls, maybe worried about Wild burning himself. Hyrule can’t be bothered to pay attention. There’s something fascinating about the seemingly random spark of madness and ingenuity that has appeared in Wild’s eyes.

He pulls an overturned pot from beside the campfire over it’s  flames, and sets it down. He carries it with some difficulty, as if he isn’t used to the heaviness, and drops it as soon as his arms are above the spot he wants it to be. It lands with a loud clang. Several sparks fly from the campfire as the pot lands.

“Four,” someone says again, probably not wanting the kid to be burned by any sparks. Four, who is closest to Wild, doesn’t move. He looks at Wild with a strange look, as if he’s just realized something, or found something entirely new.

Wild’s face splits into a mad grin as he pulls out several ingredients from behind his back. None of the ingredients should logically be able to fit behind him, and Hyrule has no clue where they could’ve possibly come from.

“Woah!” Gasps Wind, suddenly standing beside Four. Wind’s eyes widen to a cartoonish size when Wild pulls out a pumpkin larger then the sailor’s head.

Wild’s arms move like time is slowed down for everywhere except himself. Before Hyrule even realizes what’s happening, Wild’s chopping vegetables with the Master Sword. Everyone is too shocked to stop him(or too afraid of the mania Wild suddenly possesses).

Ingredients go flying, suddenly halved in mid air, the sizzle of the pot growing louder and louder. The slosh of whatever is happening in the pot grows louder too, as Wild takes a spoon from nowhere and stirs the mystery liquid.

A delicious smell drifts through camp, one that smells so warm and inviting that Hyrule shivers a bit, and inches closer. His ears flick, and he hears a stomach growl. He gazes into the faces of his teammates and sees open mouths and hungry eyes. Several heroes are clutching their stomachs and staring at the cooking pot pathetically, like starving men who haven’t eaten in days.

Wild stands over the pot, arms at his hips and hums a little song, which Hyrule might of giggled at if he wasn’t so focused on the steaming soup in the pot.

Suddenly, Wild gives out a tiny little bell like laugh, and scoops a gutted pumpkin from the ground. He takes the pumpkin and dips it into the stew, using it as a makeshift bowl. He barely takes any of the stew. He made so much for such a little kid.

The kid then trots back over to his little spot and plops down proudly. He sips from the pumpkin and makes a small satisfied noise. Hyrule rips his gaze from the scene, and wipes the corner of his mouth where there is, embarrassingly enough, a little bit of drool.

“Uhh, What just happened?” Legend asked, summing up everyone’s collective thoughts.

Wild shrugs. “Don’t you guys eat dinner?”

Hyrule thinks about the old dried meat and the bruised apples they were planning on eating. “No, I guess we don’t.”

There’s a little padding noise Four’s feet make as he stalks towards the cooking pot. “Can I have some, please?” He asks, his eyes suddenly wide and shiny in a way Hyrule didn’t think was possible for Four’s eyes to get.

As if Four has broken the dam, everyone shot pleas to eat the stew at Wild. Hyrule can only bring himself to nod dumbly.

“Jeez, fine. I made enough for everyone anyway.” He says, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing like it’s a chore. It doesn’t escape Hyrule the little color to Wild’s cheeks and the tiny stretch in his mouth. The little monster is proud.

Hyrule hides his smile and rushes to the pot before someone can eat it all.

———

Wild smirks at the heroes surrounding the pot. The recipe was original, one of his own. It was a mix between the meat stuffed pumpkin recipe and pumpkin stew. One of his better smelling recipes. Perfect for enticing weary, hungry travelers.

Slowly, as to not draw any attention, he stands. His feet step silently backwards. Wild keeps stepping backwards, until he can’t feel the warmth of the fire. Then he turns. Then he runs.

The loud smack of his feet ground him as he dashes wildly. Many times he almost falls into slippery mud. Still, he follows along the trail of footprints.

Twilight’s footprints.

He’s huffing and panting by the time he reaches his destination. The trails teeter to stop and at the end there are two figures.

Wild narrows his eyes. “Got him,” he whispers.

———

“I can’t even begin to understand what happened Twilight. Please tell me why you thought to throw a child into the jaws of an infected monster?” Twilight flinched at the use of his name. Time had donned a standoffish expression on the walk away from camp and hadn’t spoken until just now.

Now, he was tense, his eyebrows furrowed. Not quite fury, but extreme annoyance shone through his normal aloof features. It was the most intensely negative expression Time had ever made at him.

Suddenly he forgets that Wild is actually seventeen. He forgets how capable Wild is as his own hero. He forgets everything that made it okay. All he remembers is Time’s stern glare.

“I- um...” He trails, not remembering what he’s going to say. He had thought about what to say along the trail, but in front of his mentor all he could think of was his newfound guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he manages. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No.” Time says, matter of factly. “You weren’t.”

“Sorry.” He says again. He wonders why he’s apologizing. Wild is seventeen, and handled the monster just fine(ripped his face clean off. Yes, it was horrific to watch).

“I never expected this behavior from you, Twilight. Why did you do this? I can’t even begin to understand.” Suddenly Time’s face looks older as he paces. He covers his face with his hand and sighs deeply.

Twilight stands there like a scolded child getting his playtime privileges taken away for being too rough with his younger siblings(which isn’t too far from the truth).

Time opens his mouth again, likely to scold Twilight once more before he is interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

‘Oh no.’ Is the only thing Twilight’s short circuiting brain can spit out.

“Hey! Stop right there!” Says Wild self-righteously. He marches long exaggerated steps towards them.

“Oh Hylia,” He whispers to himself, watching Wild get his foot stuck in some mud and nearly trip.

Both he and Time watch Wild dumbly as he trots up to them like he owned all of Hyrule.

“For the love of Hylia,” Time’s annoyance ringing through the night clear as day. “Does no one know how to supervise a single child?”

“Excuse me, boy?” Wild says, and Twilight nearly smacks his face into both his hands. Wild’s playing the senior card again. Whenever he went to stables he always tried to get the seniors discount, on the basis of being one hundred and seventeen. It worked... more times then Twilight is willing to admit.

“What did you just call me?” Time responds, and Twilight can’t tell if he is shocked by Wild’s shear idiocy, or offended at his disrespect.

“You heard me! Don’t talk down to your elders,” Wild spits, pointing his little hand up at Time, who stares at him blankly.

Time turns to Twilight briefly, and then back to Wild, as if he’s trying to process the ridiculousness of being talked down to by the equivalent of an elementary school student.

“Okay but he really is one-hundred-seventeen,” He blurts, and then dies a little in his soul.

Time blinks at him, and then he makes a strange expression. “Twilight... how are you feeling?”

“I- What? No I’m fine, Time, he’s actually-“

Before he can finish, Time puts an ungloved hand to his forehead. “Oh, you’re a little warm, Twilight.”

Time shakes his head and furrows his brow. “I’m sorry, Pup. I didn’t even think you’d do all these crazy things because you were sick...”

Twilight receives a pat on the head for his grief. “Okay, I might have a fever, but I’m telling the truth.”

“He probably has a fever because he fell into the river,” Wild says, covering up grin on his face with his pudgy little hands.

‘The little bastard.’

“You fell into the river?” Time says, his disapproving gaze boring into his face.

“Yeah, it was really funny. He slipped trying to get to the lizalfos and smelled like a wet dog.” Wild giggled, completely forgetting about upstaging Time’s authority.

“Wild!” He hisses. “Not helping!”

“Well, I think we should head back to camp then.” Time puts a hand on Twilight’s shoulder, and glances at him from the side. “You’ll need all the rest you can get. No watch shifts for you tonight.”

Wild snarls, “Don’t think I’m done with you!” He shouts, his voice squeaky and high. “You think you can trip up this old dog? Think again!” He curls his hands into little fists and gets into a horrible martial arts stance.

Twilight barely suppresses a groan. ‘Why are you like this?’ He thinks. ‘I taught you better then this, didn’t I? Is this my fault?’ Floats through his dying brain.

Time only chuckles, perhaps having lost the rest of his brain matter in the short conversation with Wild. “Let’s help Twilight back to camp before we do anything crazy.”

Wild is surprisingly sated by this, and nods.

Twilight thinks the world might be ending again.

Chapter Text

“Twilight don’t you dare!” Sky screams desperately, tripping over himself trying to get to him.

The new hero squeals, and laughs in a way that one could describe as maniacal when Twilight takes him by the waist behind his head.

Sky’s blood roars in his head as the little boy flies through the air and lands directly onto the face of a gaping lizalfos. 

“Twilight!” Time roars, and Twilight has the audacity to blink at him in confusion. 

A loud scream pierced the air. The boy has somehow crawled to the front of the monster’s face and stuck his fingers in it’s eye, blinding it.

Sky’s feet move forward suddenly and desperately, before he’s pulled to an abrupt stop.

Warriors tugs him away from the lizalfos with one hand, the other covering Wind’s eyes. Wind is weakly protesting, but seems to accept that Warriors won’t let up. 

“Warrio-“

“Sky, just look.” the Captain said, instead of a normal explanation. 

“What?!” Sky says, on the verge of passing out. “All I see is a little kid thrown into the-“ he trails off.

Said little kid had just ripped out one of the lizalfos’s horn as it thrashed. It screams bloody murder, but the boy is unrelenting. He takes the very horn he ripped out and stabs it into its skull.

Sky flinches when the lizalfos cries out in pain and thrashes, not even to attack, just to try and disjoin the boy from its back.

The child doesn’t stop there, and bites the lizalfos in a sensitive neck area. Black blood oozes from the wound. The lizalfos makes a pathetic noise that might of been a roar in another life.

It charges Twilight who easily sidesteps and bashes it in its bleeding head wound. The child roars a high pitched battle cry and scrapes at its good eye.

Sky blinks for one second and Time is there. He grabs Twilight by his animal furs and throws him like a ragdoll behind his back. He heads straight for the mostly blinded lizalfos and tackles it, child and all.

Sky nearly covers his eyes as Time stabs through its chest with the Biggoron Sword. He isn’t normally queasy about this sort of thing, but this fight feels particularly... brutal.

Time plucks the boy from where he’s trying to not so subtly crawl away, and frees the Biggoron Sword from the decaying monster’s chest. The kid is thrown over Time’s shoulder unceremoniously.

The boy spits and yelps, and does what looks like an attempt to bite Time. He is absolutely caked in black blood. Most of it’s in his hair.

Time stands stock still, one arm with a struggling child, the other a bloody sword.

Then he turns.

To stare at Twilight.

To Twilight’s credit, he still doesn’t look any less confused. He does seem to sense that Time is not happy with him, and dons a guilty expression.

“Twilight,” Time’s deep voice rang, cutting through any hope of Twilight being gently scolded like butter. “Come with me.”

Then, like he hadn’t just made everyone witness Twilight’s untimely execution he strides up to them holding the child.

The kid seems to have calmed down a little, even looking a little alarmed at the turn of events.

“Take this.” Time says, shoving the struggling child into Sky’s arms and condemning his favorite tunic to the laundry.

“T-Time?” Sky asks, trying to get a grip on the bloody hero. The littlest hero did not cooperate.

“If you lose him, I’m killing Legend.”

Legend lets out an offended squawk. “Why me?”

“Do not take your eyes of him, got it?” Or I’ll kill you was left unsaid.

Sky’s heart beat frantically, head light and still trying to process the events. He nods sharply.

And then immediately passed out.

———

When Sky’s eyes flutter open, the group is once again, three seconds away from death.

Wind and Four lay next to him, in their respective bedrolls.

“Are... you going to bed?” He asks Four, who is idly playing with his nails. It was still light out, which was an unusual time for the two to go to bed. Wind in particular normally stayed up until he passed out or Warriors lost his patience.

“Nah,” Wind answers for him.

“We’re gonna pretend to be asleep so we aren’t killed when Time gets back.” Four says plainly.

“Rest in peace Legend.” Wind puts a hand over his heart in remembrance.

“What?” Sky’s voice becoming even more muddled with confusion. “Legend-didn’t...Time,” and then Sky’s mind focuses.

“Where’s the kid?” He says, flopping out of his sleeping bag.

“His name’s Wild,” said Wind, barely audible after stuffing his mouth with something orange.

“I-“ Sky stopped himself, suddenly realizing the empty camp. “Where is everyone?”

Wind giggled to himself, because a lost child in an apocalyptic world was so hilarious.

“Hyrule and Warriors went to look, Legend went with them, but I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s scared of Time breaking his legs. Or worse, being grounded.” Four answered, and Wind splits into more giggles.

“What’s so funny Wind? This isn’t something to joke about.” Sky throws off his blanket and ties his sailcloth around his neck.

“Sky’s in trouble~” Wind sang.

“He’s right. Even if we aren’t pretending to be asleep, we have youngest immunity. You’re nineteen. And the only one left at camp.”

Sky gives them a sharp look.

“I’m not a child, but I seemed to be surrounded by children. And I’m not talking about Wild.”

Four nodded sagely, and Wind spat.

“Remember not to bother Sky after he naps. Noted.” He plops down into his pillow.

Sky scoffs, then immediately feels guilty. “You’re right... I’m being too harsh. I’m...” He turns to look at Wind, who has suddenly lost consciousness in an uncomfortable looking position.

Time is standing over him.

“Time!” Sky squeals. “We were just wondering where you were! So funny!”

Time raises an eyebrow, saying nothing. He only stares. Stares straight through Sky’s fragile soul.

“Yes! That’s... where everyone is! Looking for you!”

Time narrows his eyes. “Even Wild?”

Sky falters.

If there is one thing Sky is absolutely horrible at: it’s lying. Zelda joked that he couldn’t lie to save his life. He probably couldn’t.

“Y-yep...” he answers, sweat rolling down his cheek.

“Really?” Time said, nonchalantly.

“Mmhmm...” he shakes his head, looking down at his shoes and not at Time.

“Sky...” Time’s voice pulls the y of his title out in a manner that’s almost teasing.

“Okay! Okay! We lost him.” Sky burst. “I swear I only found out a second ago. I was asleep, and then I woke up, and he was gone, and everyone was gone, and, and-“

“Sky, calm down.” a hand lands on his shoulder, and Sky breathes. “You aren’t in trouble. None of you are. Except Legend, he’s grounded.”

Wind snored the fakest snore Sky had ever heard to cover up a snicker.

“Why Legend specifically?” Sky asked, a little lightheaded from his long winded explanation.

Time shrugged. “He took the last piece of bread. And he’s got attitude problems.”

A familiar childish giggle echoes through camp. Sky’s head snaps to the side and meets gazes with the creator of all their recent problems.

Wild sits on Twilight’s(who is looking a little worse for wear, but what do you expect after being yelled at by Time all night) shoulder’s and very much looks like he thinks himself king.

“You had him?” Flies out of his gaping mouth.

“I found him. On a one man quest to usurp me.”

Sky blinks at Time, then looks to Wild, who sneezes in Twilight’s hair.

He snorts, then covers it up with a cough and covers his mouth thoughtfully. “I see.”

“I wish I didn’t.” Time wanders away to stand above his bedspread. “I’m going to bed. Sky, you’re in charge. Ground Legend for me. And figure out watches.” On that final note, he pulls the blanket over his head.

Sky decides not to remark that Time decided to wear his armor to bed and instead turns to Twilight.

“What’s wrong with you?” He asked, most of his annoyance drained leaving only tired confusion.

Twilight stared at him with dead eyes. “I have a terminal disease.” Before Sky can process this, he continues. “It’s called having a little brother.”

“Excuse you! I’d be your big brother.” Wild interrupted.

Twilight’s eyes widened like he hadn’t even considered that. Sky wonders if he’s humoring Wild, or has actually just lost whatever semblance of his mind he once had.

“Absolutely not. No.” Twilight decided.

Wild blows a raspberry and tugs on his hair.

“You don’t get to be a big brother when you’re the size you are. In either size.” Twilight grimaced.

———

The morning light shone through the sky, lighting the mist of a chilly morning. Twilight groaned as he sat up, face burning from the sudden cold. He hobbles to his feet, pulling his furs closer. His eyes meet a figure curled up by a distinguished fire.

He stares down at his protege. He’s tiny now, not even reaching Twilight’s chest. Somehow, curled up into himself, he looks even tinier.

His legs ache as he crouches down to shake Wild awake. He suspects he’s feeling the effects of the cold in his joints. Wild’s flesh is cool to the touch when his hand brushes his shoulder.

Twilight breathes out a little.

“Wild?” He says, his voice sounding metallic even to his own ears.

Wild doesn’t stir.

A brief spark of panic in his chest sends out a flaring warning sign.

“Wild.” He says, a bit more harshly. A small memory flits through his head. A baby in Ordon had died in the night. The village had been devastated, the loss unexpected and grief inducing. She had died of hypothermia.

“Wild.” Twilight shakes him this time.

“Ughh...” Wild groans, and curls into himself more.

The rancher breathes again, and his shoulders slump.

“Don’t scare me like that...” He whispers, not even sure if Wild can hear.

“It’s c-oooold...” Wild groans, his teeth chattering.

He huffs. “You aren’t wearing clothes or a blanket. I should hope that you’re cold, if you were warm I might of thought you’d been replaced by a skull kid in the night.”

Wild’s eyes open lazily, his hands rubbing slowly on his arms. His long blonde hair swishes back and forth when he stands.

Instead of running off like Twilight expected him to do, being the little bastard he was- he simply falls onto Twilight’s chest like all the energy suddenly left his body. Twilight instinctively curls his hands around Wild’s body.

“Hylia, Wild! You’re freezing!” Twilight exclaims, pulling Wild closer to his chest.

Wild mumbles something, but all Twilight can sense is a little vibration through his tunic. He swings his cloak off his shoulders with his free hand and wraps it around Wild. After a moment of hesitation, he picks Wild up.

“Hehe... you look like a cucco sandwich wrap.”

Wild weakly pushes a little fist against him in a mock punch, and begrudgingly rests his head on Twilight’s shoulder.

He can’t fully see Wild’s face, with the angle his head is, but he sees that his eyes are closed. His breathing is calm and even. Still, Twilight gets the sense that the feral child is just resting, not sleeping.

“Wild...” He trails, wondering how to address his growing guilt. “I’m sorry, I left you alone. I was keeping you warm during the night.”

Wild and ‘Wolfie’ had curled up together last night in front of the flickering fire. The night had been cold, but it had been bearable, even comfortable with the other’s body heat and the fire.

Wolfie left in the night to shift back. He didn’t even think about Wild. He’s such an idiot.

Wild sighs against him, blowing cool air under his ear.

“S’okay.” He whispers. “My face hurts weird.”

“Wild.” Twilight says. “You have to start wearing clothes.”

Wild shifted a little, and pushed Twilight’s chest so his arms held him and Twilight apart. He looked up at him, blue eyes twinkling with one hundred years of untold secrets. “I refuse to wear pants.” He stated.

“You little monster.” Twilight groaned. “I wanna say you were easier to deal with as a seventeen year old but I already know it isn’t true.”

The boy laughed softly, amused by the rancher’s suffering.

“Let’s take a walk. It’s shady over here, and there’s more sun over the hill.” Twilight says, blowing his bangs out of his eyes and adjusting his grip on Wild. “I’ll carry you there.”

Wild nods placatingly, not a word that is normally associated with him.

Legend has watch, because he’s in the doghouse for... some reason. He sends Twilight a pleading look, and Twilight silently promises himself he’ll bring Legend something forgeable to eat. He wonders if Legend was giving Time attitude again. He fears for the day Wild gets back to his teenage form. Perhaps Time would invent a new, more permanent style of grounding(if that’s what you could call it).

Before he knows it, him and Wild find a sunny clearing with an overturned log. Twilight sits, and considers shifting, before deciding that he could probably use some sun with the tiny cold and all.

“I can’t believe he didn’t believe me.” Twilight ponders aimlessly, letting Wild out of his grip to wander.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Wild says, and Twilight already knows that it won’t, because a.) it’s Wild. b.) Time thought he was crazy. “I’d probably think you were crazy too.”

“Thanks.” he says voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You’re welcome.” Wild says, in that annoying sing-songy little kid voice.

“I don’t know what I expected.” Twilights shakes his head.

Wild laughs and starts to open his mouth(probably to say something else to insult him), and then stops like he’d been sniped by an archer.

“...Twilight?” Wild asked, suddenly stock still, pointing himself like a hound dog towards the overturned log. His voice had gained the higher pitch he desperately tried to stifle, mostly unsuccessfully. “What... is that?” He pointed at the log.

Twilight stared at the log.

“It’s a log, Wild.” He answered, lifting an eyebrow.

“Not the tree!” Wild squeaked angrily, stomping his foot on the ground. “That!” He says, gesturing at nothing.

Twilight looks at Wild, and then at the log, and then at Wild.

“How much did you sleep last night?”

Wild did not like that. He very much did not like that.

“I am not a baby! You are just a stupid dumb mangy dumb buttsniffer!” He says, and then kicks Twilight in the shin.

“I think we need to talk about your anger management. And you said dumb twice. Also, What I sniff when I’m a wolf does not reflect on what I’m like as a person. Just putting that out there.” Twilight responds, rubbing his shin and pretending it hurts a little. It would’ve probably hurt more(but not much since Wild weighed an impressive mass of two pounds) if the small boy had even the most basic shoe.

Speaking of which... “Why haven’t you put on clothes yet?” Twilight kneels down in the guise of better tending to his completely unhurt shin and meets Wild’s bright eyes.

“What? How can you think of clothes at a time like this?” He says in disbelief. “What about that?” Once again, Wild points to the log.

Twilight looks at the log, wondering if Wild is trying to communicate something metaphorical to him.

“Wild, I am beginning to worry. Also, you need to wear clothes.”

“I do not. I can dress myself, I am a grown man.” Wild’s voice pitches at ‘grown man’, in such a childish manner Twilight has to put his hand on his chin thoughtfully to hide his smirk(he has two shins after all).

“I realize you are very mature and know what you are doing.” Twilight says.

Wild eyes narrow, and he nods suspiciously.

“...buuuut....” he adds.

“What!?” Wild says, tugging on his hair. “Whaaaaaaaaaaat?”

Twilight holds in more laughter. Sometimes he wonders if Wild is effected by the curse and gains this new childish charm. Other times he thinks that Wild is just a genuinely funny and weird person to be around. There’s probably truth to both.

“I’d imagine the others would take you more seriously if you’d put on some clothes.”

Wild’s eyes glint, and Twilight can tell he’s enticed. He’s not quite convinced yet though, a little more prodding. And Twilight knows exactly what will push Wild over the edge.

“Wearing clothes will mean you won’t get as dirty... which means...” he trails off, meeting Wild’s stare.

“No more washing up.” Wild finishes.

“Well, maybe a little-“

“No more cold rivers! No more soap!”

“I didn’t mean none-“

Wild giggles, not quite hearing him.

Suddenly, strings of blue light enveloped Wild’s tiny form, curling around him and forming into tunic and trouser like shapes on his body. The light bounces off and he’s wearing a little version of the Wild clothing set.

”When did you even get a mini version of that?” He asks, inspecting Wild’s(admittedly pretty adorable) new outfit.

“It’s the same one,” he says, twirling around like a teenage girl at the tailor shop. “It shrunk with me like my underpants.” Wild then pauses. “Not saying these are underpants, because they are clothes. So no more river cleaning.”

“I didn’t mean-“

“Now we can take care of that!” Wild’s hand flies out towards the log.

Twilight stares at the overturned tree. “Wild, I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

Wild’s eyes widen at the tree. He holds his hand out palm facing up and gives a tiny gasp. He slowly moves his hand back towards his face like he is carrying something small and precious in his empty hand.

Twilight glances to the side then back down at his wayward protege. He sends a quick prayer to Hylia that mania isn’t one of the side effects to the curse and picks the smaller up to carry him back to camp. Miraculously, Wild barely stirs, not even sparing a glance away from his hands.

Twilight huffs and shifts Wild onto his back before turning into his wolf form. Wild doesn’t complain, still enraptured. Twilight gives a sole bark as warning and shoots off into the woods.

Chapter Text

“Go on, hold out your hands.”

Wild lifts his hands, revealing the tiny mouse creature. They chirp in appreciation.

The edges of Four’s eyes crinkle and he allows a soft smile to shine through.

“That would be a minish.”

“A minish?” Wild asks, fingers curling slightly. 

Four holds his hand out to the minish, and they gladly jump to him.

They chatter tiny hellos and picori greeting to him.

“Minish are the tiny people of the world. Have you ever found a rupee in the grass or under a rock?”

Wild pauses, but nods hesitantly, still meeting steady eye contact with the person in Four’s hand.

“That’s them. They leave little treasures to find.”

“It doesn’t show on the camera?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Four shifts a bit, uncomfortable in his crouching position, but still wanting to be courteous to the minish hitching a ride.

“Never mind.” Wild dismisses. “Is it singing?”

The smith looks down at the little minish, flashing it a friendly smile. The minish language is bell like and carries a certain rhythm to it that doesn’t exist in other languages. “No, they’re just saying hi.”

“It’s crazy that you can understand them.” Wind says, suddenly behind Four and scaring the life out of him.

“Wind!” He hisses. “Don’t do that to me. I have a fragile heart.” He pats his chest with his free hand for emphasis.

Wind sends him an easy grin. “Sorry.” He says, not looking even the least bit sorry. “I hate to break this up-“ Wind begins, and motioned his head back towards camp.

Four’s eyes widen. “We’re packing? It’s far too late in the day to set out.”

“That’s the case normally, but Sky found another doorway.”

The clearing is silent, save for the chattering of the minish.

Four sighs, and lowers his hand to the ground.

“Goodbye, little friend.” He whispers to them in the language of the little people.

“Wait!” Wild interjects. “How-“ he pauses, trying to formulate coherent thoughts. “How do I find them again?”

The smith looks down at the minish, who has chirped their last goodbye and disappeared into the grass. “They’ll find you.”

Wild’s gaze follows the little disturbances in the grass with frightening attentiveness for his age. He only looks away when Wind gently pulls on his arm, signifying the need to leave.

-

Wild’s eyes reached into an inky black abyss. The abyss shifted, gurgling like an elixir.

“...What... is that?” He asked, feeling very small and fragile.

A sudden fear of being swept into the void pops into his head, which he remedies by tethering himself onto Twilight’s leg.

“It’s a portal,” Twilight says, smile strained. He rests a hand on the top of Wild’s head and ruffles his hair. “It’s what brings us to the other worlds.”

‘You were serious about that?’ Wild thinks, heart pounding in his chest.

Warriors steps closer and closer to the portal, aimlessly fiddling with his scarf. To Wild’s horror, he steps into the dark unknown. Wind races after Warriors, yelling something insulting to Legend. He disappears right after him.

Wild clutches Twilight’s leg harder.

“The portal is hard to get used to.” Twilight explains, continuing to pat Wild’s head. “But you do get used to it. It’s not scary, I promise.”

“Well, I’m not scared so it’s no problem.” Wild said, shaking his head of Twilight’s hand.

The other gives out a soft laugh. “Would be easier to believe if you weren’t cutting off the blood flow of my leg.”

Wild feels heat under his eyes and unhands him.

The prospect of other worlds is frightening, terrifying even. But... it’s also-

‘Incredible.’ Wild’s mind whispers to himself.

New land. New people. Towns. Farms. Plants. Animals... Monsters.

Unlimited resources, a VIP card to infinity lay before him.

A familiar feeling bounces in his chest. The same feeling as leaving the Shrine of Resurrection. The same feeling as leaving the Great Plateau.

This world was another Great Plateau, and this portal was his paraglider to Hyrule. To all of Hyrule.

He curls his fists into the hem of his tunic, and takes a step forward. He shakes off his fear, his doubt, and walks towards the portal.

Wild is so close to the abyss, if he were to move a foot forward his nose would be inside it. He shakes off the little shiver that threatens to rise, and takes a deep breath in preparation.

Beside him, Hyrule and Legend walk in with joined hands.

“Wait!” Twilight calls.

Wild spares him a moment to catch up to him.

“In the portals, we are supposed to go in with buddies or groups.” He says. “Go with me.” He stretches out his hand towards Wild.

Wild nods, and takes the offered hand.

“Where does it lead?” He asks.

“We’ll find out.” Twilight responds, and then steps into the portal, the only thing keeping him from vanishing into the dark is Wild’s outstretched hand.

There’s a split second where he considers letting go of Twilight’s hand, and running far away. Where the heroes of the past didn’t think he was a child, where the world was smaller and he was larger again. Where things made sense.

Then he thinks about the Great Plateau. Then he thinks about Twilight, waiting on the other side of the portal for him.

And he makes his choice.

-

The world is a sparkling day when he steps out on the other side.

He squints. The skies had just been purple and dotted with stars, and his eyes didn’t seem to want to realize it had changed. Once he blinked and rubbed his eyes enough, he saw the other’s colorful shapes running through the meadow.

Hundreds of wildflowers dot along the field. Flowers of every color fight to catch his eyes.

Hyrule and Legend were gathering herbs and wildflowers, as was Four. Four stared down at a selection of a few different colored flowers and was making conflicting expressions.

Sky and Time were out of sight, likely scouting for camp.

Wind sat in the grass, making strange noises and flicking grass into Warriors’s hair. Warriors remained oblivious of the growing green patch in his hair and continued polishing his sword.

“How do you feel?” A deep voice cut into his thoughts.

“I’m fine.” Wild responded, not moving to look up at Twilight. Twilight squeezes his hand a little before gently breaking away. He walks into the field a little ways from the others.

“Where are you going?” Wild calls, rushing to meet up. He glances backwards. The portal is gone.

This does not lessen his anxiety.

“Just for a walk. Maybe to meet Time.” Twilight says, not stopping.

“Do you know where he is?”

Twilight stops, turning to face Wild. He taps his nose. “I have the means.”

“...Well, I’m coming with you.”

He hopes Twilight will just let it fly, but no such luck. He looks back towards the forest along the edge of the meadow, showing Wild his back.

“I’d prefer if you stayed here.” He says, and strides away.

Wild sneers at Twilight’s back. “Fine then!” He shouts, and receives no response, which is the most infuriating response Twilight can give.

He storms away from the Rancher’s retreating form, stomping towards the others. Then he settles down a fair distance away, plopping down in the grass.

The grass is so tall, half his vision is obscured with grass. The grass covers his sitting body completely, save for the top of his head.

He sits there stewing in his anger for what feels like an hour, but is probably more like twenty minutes.

His day does not improve when Sky stumbles over his body and kicks him in the face.

“Oh my- Wild! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” He tries to twist around, having landed on his hands and knees.

Wild attempts to say something rude, then feels guilty because it’s Sky, catches himself just before and eloquently says something along the lines of: “HaaYYKK!”

“You said it!” called Legend, who was either mocking him or believed that his weird hyena shriek had made some points. Hard to tell with this group.

He turns from the group, ears droopy and red with embarrassment, and accidentally locks gazes with Time. It takes all of his inner will not to scream out of shock.

“Take a tumble?” asked Time, offering him a gloved hand.

Wild stares at the hand, and slowly meets it with his own. Time grasps his hand and pulls him up, but overestimates his weight and accidentally sends him flying through the air for a second. Miraculously, he lands on his feet.

“Where’s Twilight?” He asks, trying to play it cool and steady himself.

Time frowns at him. “Just off in the woods. Why?”

Wild shrugs. He isn’t sure if Time knows about Twilight’s wolf form, and he isn’t gonna be the one to snitch. On the other hand, he isn’t even certain Time knows that Twilight is an experienced dimensional traveler, having visiting his world more then a handful of times.

That’s gonna be an awkward conversation.

The hylian shakes his head, dismissing the topic from his mind.

“-Camp for tonight.” Warriors ends. Apparently been talking. Whatever.

“Seems right.”

“Here?”

The group scatters out with bits and parts of sentences and unfinished words flying out. Everyone splits to do their own thing.

Legend works on the fire, Wind goes to grab firewood. Hyrule and Sky have disappeared into the woods, likely to forage, and Time holds a fishing rod above a small pond. Four is on laundry duty in the same pond a little further down.

The only one missing is...

“Wild,” Warriors says.

His eyes flick to Warriors. He stands beside Wild, calm and collected.

“You should go help with camp. We all have our own jobs.”

‘No kidding,’ Wild thinks, watching the machine like efficiency of the group.

“...do you remember when you made that soup?” He asks, looking shy for some reason.

“Yeah?” Wild answers, tilting his head to the side.

“Maybe you could do something like that.” With that, the Captain retreats to do his own tasks.

The day goes on fairly peacefully. At lunch, Sky and Hyrule return and pass a group of mushrooms and wild vegetables to Warriors, who passes it to him. Time returns with a bundle of fish and plops them next to the herbs.

Warriors insists that Wild makes lunch, backed heavily by the rest of the camp. Time seems hesitant to let him near an open flame and hot metal but relents.

“What sort of effects does this fish give?” Wild asks, shoving a large fish that still flopping on its last legs of life.

Warriors reacts in the normal way people do when a giant smelly fish is shoved into their face. Which is making an embarrassing noise and stumbling backwards. Legend points at him and laughs, holding his stomach. The Captain turns a deep shade of red and shoves Legend by the shoulder.

“What kind of effects does this fish offer?” Wild asks again, shaking the fish for emphasis. He hopes someone answers soon, his arms are starting to hurt.

“Kid-“ Legend shoves his hand over Warriors face with an audible smack. “What are you talking about?”

Wild blinks at him. “The effects of the fish in the food. What is it?”

“Wha-“ Legend started, before he swiftly entered a head lock courtesy of Warriors.

“Haha! Got you!”

Wild sighed.

He then set the fish onto the ground and snapped a quick picture of it for the Hyrule compendium. He’d just have to make normal fish skewers.

“Making fish skewers?”

Wild nods.

“What kind of fish?”

“Beats me, I don’t even know what world we are in- much le-“ The cook stops. He looks up at the owner of voice.

Twilight stares down at him.

“You’re back.” Wild states.

Twilight bobs his head absentmindedly, and strides past him towards the group leader. The fish lay forgotten as Wild watches Twilight’s retreating form, his eyes burning on his pelt with the force of Death Mountain’s flames.

Twilight whispers something to Time, and his eye widens. He reaches behind his back and pulls out a large sword. This spurs movement all around Wild.

Suddenly, everyone is grabbing weapons and sharpening knives. Four and Wind argue over whose quiver is whose.

Twilight turns back towards him, like he hadn’t just thrown the whole camp into chaos by just saying two words to Time.

Twilight smiles down at him, in that annoying way he does.

Wild snorts at him.

“What is it?” Twilight asks him, and pats his head.

“Stop-“ Wild shakes his head like a dog after getting wet.

“Sorry, sorry.” Says Twilight, putting both his hands up in the air in mock surrender. He smiles at Wild easily, and then looks off into the horizon. “I saw a monster camp out there.”

“So?” Wild asks, which makes Twilight flinch.

“There isn’t supposed to be one there, Wild. Monster camps aren’t supposed to be common. What’s worse is it’s on a main path to a village.”

“So we’re taking it down.” Wild grins, clutching his fists in anticipation.

Twilight met his eyes and nodded.

“Yes.”

—

Wild stared.

It feels like he does an awful lot of staring, and not an actual lot of doing. At least, back in his world, he’d had some semblance of a plan(which is more then he can normally say for himself). Now, all of that was gone.

It is so hard to be a kid.

Mostly he stared at Time, who ignored him, the arrogant bastard. He’ll see, one day. When Wild returns to his ripped normal form he will be delivering hell.

(If Time could comment he would argue that Wild was already delivering hell)

At this point, Time supervised the rest of the group as they geared up to raid the monster camp. Wild chest grows light and excited at the thought. Finally something he could do. Utter destruction and chaos came to him like waves to the ocean. He could massacre that entire camp in an afternoon and cook a gourmet dinner for a family of nine afterwards.

He readied himself, rolling his shoulders and cracking his fists.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Time asked, looking down at him with his hands on his hips.

“...Getting ready?” He squinted up at Time, the glint of sun against his armor obscuring his features.

“You aren’t coming.” Time spoke simply.

“Wha... why?!” Wild spat incredulously, eyes widening. “I even killed that lizalfos! I can help!” 

Time snorted, not even bothering to hide his amusement. “First of all, you did not kill that monster- I did- and even if you did,” he paused, meeting Wild’s eyes and rubbing salt in the wound by craning his neck to look down. “There is no way I’d ever take someone your size into a war zone.”

Someone(Four) sighed.

Wild whipped his head towards Twilight, his petite features curled into a snarl.

Twilight gave him a wide eyed shrug and an apologetic expression, and motions to Time with a ‘What Can you do?’ gesture.

“Haha, sucks to be you,” Wind mocks, following Sky to the outskirts of camp. “I’ll bring you back some monster gu- yaah!” He yelped in surprise as Time pulled him backwards by his blue lobster shirt.

“Nope. You aren’t coming either.” Time commanded.

Wind’s face turned sour and then turned to Warriors who made the same exact gesture as Twilight. It would’ve been funny if Wild wasn’t completely livid.

“Why can’t I come?” Wind asked, shoulders tight and voice loud.

“Wind...” Time started, halfway turned around. Then he stopped. And knelt down to be level with the pirate. His words were whispered, and Wild had to strain his ears to hear. “I need you to protect this camp, and I need you protect Wild. I’m trusting you with them, got it?”

Wind’s back is facing Wild so he doesn’t see any facial expression change, but sees a jerky little nod after a second.

The man sighs, perhaps in relief. “Good. We should be back before the sun sets.”

And with that, the group scurries out after their tall leader. Wind’s head bobs down but otherwise does not acknowledge his friends departure.

Once the group is far enough away, Wild sets his tongue loose.

“This is so stupid. They didn’t even wait to eat lunch.” He grumbles.

“Right?!” The sailor whirls around, meeting Wild head on. “It’s such bullshit! Just because Time’s old he thinks he can look down on us?”

“I’m olde-“

“And another thing! We are perfectly capable! I’ve had two adventures- more then Sky and Twilight!”

“Actually Twil-“

“Not only that, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself! No offense, but babysitting is wayyy below my paygrade.”

“Uh, full offense!” Wild interjects Wind’s spontaneous rant.

Wind groans and drags a hand down his face. He collapses next to the unmade campfire.

“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry.” He says, sounding tired beyond his years.

He feels a little spark of guilt when he sees Wind’s face. He isn’t...sad looking per se, but has a weak, tired look to his eyes.

Wild’s mind churns through itself, searching for any memory, any thought that would cheer up the boy.

“It’s like we need them anyway.” He says.

Wind cocks his head, looking away from the fire spot. “What do you mean?”

“We are strong capable heroes!” He reasons. “Why do we need to listen to Time anyway?”

“That’s ridiculous! Time’s the leader.”

“But why??” Wild stretches, planting the seeds. “Aren’t you just as experienced as him? Aren’t you just as qualified to fight monsters?”

Wind nods slowly, and speaks to himself. “Yeah...” And then louder. “Yeah!”

“We are Heroes too!”

“Yeah!”

They both strike their fists to the air.

“Let’s show them,” Wild whispers, quieting the discussion. “Let’s kill some monsters.”

Wind hesitates, and for a second Wild thinks he might draw the line.

But then he smirks.

———

“What is that thing?!” Wind yelled, nearly jumping out of the sky.

“This,” Wild says, sliding a hand down the smooth surface of the Master Cycle Zero. “Is a divine beast.”

“It’s like Time’s goat...” Wind’s mouth, previously hanging wide open shuts on realization.

Wild spins around, meeting Wind’s eyes frighteningly fast. “The Master Cycle is not a goat.”

“No- a horse! Right, sorry, my bad.”

“Before, I couldn’t ride it. I’m too short right now in this current form to reach all the handles. But you... you just barely make the height requirement.” Wind furrows his brow, but nods to Wild.

He creeps forward, stepping as if he was passing by a sleeping hinox.

‘It’s not going to bite you,’ Wild wants to say, but also doesn’t want to push Wind too hard as he is the only plausible method of escape as of now. (Twilight was always an option, but he was by nature a deplorable oaf who followed Time’s every whim)

He hesitantly pushes himself up, and settles down into the seat. Wind pats the bars for a second, looks at him, then back at the Master Cycle. He starts to giggle, whether from excitement or nervousness Wild couldn’t tell.

Nevertheless, he hops on hastily and wraps his arms around Wind’s waist.

“Twist the handle forward to go.” he instructs.

Wind nods, and continues to giggle. He slowly turns the knob and they begin to drift forward.

Wind yelps and stops the cycle.

“...What?” Wild leans the right to get a clear view of the drivers face.

Wind’s face is contorted strangely, twisting up in an expression that looked like he had bitten into a lemon while expecting it to taste like bread.

“Uhh, nothing. I can do this.” Wind says, and Wild doesn’t know if he’s talking to him or himself.

The blast forward at a pace that’s more like four miles per hour rather then a quarter mile.

“So, just to be clear... what’s the plan here?” Asks Wind.

“Plan?” Wild asks.

“Please tell me yo-aagh!” The brakes slam on, and Wild’s face is smashed in between Wind’s shoulder blades, squishing his nose.

“What happened??” He cried, dodging Wind’s unintentionally sight blockade.

He is greeted by several ducks crossing the path.

“Wind!” He scolds.

“What?!” Wind responds loudly. “What was I sposed’ to do??”

“Run them over!” He yells back. “Free meat!”

“No! What’s wrong with you?!” Wind yells, scandalized.

“We could have fresh meat for dinner!”

“She has chicks!”

“Step on the gas!”

Wind responds with a frustrated yell, which Wild has no choice but to yell back. The noise seems to have spurred the ducks to startle which spur Wind to step on the gas.

Wind screams as they rocket forward, wind whipping past them.

“That’s more like it,” Wild says, grinning at their newfound speed.

They motorcycle whirs as if agreeing with him, and launches up into a large grassy clearing. In the center is a clueless red bokoblin scratching itself.

Wild feels his grin widen. He grabs the driver’s hand before he has the chance to ease the breaks.

“Don’t stop,” he says.

“What?”

He feels his face split, barely holding back cackles. “Run it over.”

Wind’s back tenses, but his ears flick in obvious excitement. They speed up.

The bokoblin screams in realization of its own imminent death and swings its arms wildly, trying to run.

The master cycle is unimpressed by its pathetic escape attempt and sends him twenty feet into the air. The bokoblin perishes on impact.

Wind laughs hysterically. “This is the best!” He screams to Wild over the air currents obscuring their voices. Wild laughs back.

“Look,” Wind yells, lifting a hand off the master cycle. “More monsters!”

Indeed, in the distance a large fire’s smoke drifted. Monster noises were audible.

No one had to say anything. Wind geared the cycle towards the fire.

They both laugh and scream as they go over a large ramp and catch air. Wild’s hair smacks his face and tries to go into his mouth in the harsh wind.

“Bokoblin coming up!” Wind warns from ahead.

Wild reaches his head from behind Wind and finds his face inches from a strange looking bokoblin. He hadn’t noticed before, but the bokoblins look different then the ones of his world.

He quickly retracts his head as the monster goes flying past the cycle and gives a victorious holler, to which Wind chips responds in kind.

The monster noises grow louder and louder, until the seem to be right ahead.

The Master Cycle rips through a helpless shrub and through it, they realize exactly where they are.

They’ve landed in the midst of a battle.

The battle.

Bokoblins and (what Wild assumes are) moblins stand stock still, all staring at the Master Cycle and their sudden entrance.

As did the hylians.

Warriors-who had clearly just defeated a moblin judging by the corpse directly under him-stands with his shield loosely in his arm, mouth wide open. As the seconds pass his expression changes from something shocked to something panicked.

Time is next to him and drops them an intense gaze, even though he seems rather startled.

Twilight has on hand holding his sword, one hand scratching his head. He sighs and shrugs, as if this was an inevitable event.

“Oh fuck.” Wind says, and presses down on the handles.

Chapter Text

“Oh fuck.” Wind says, and presses down on the handles.

“Wai-“ Wild starts, and is cut off by the jerk of the cycle going forward.

Legend yelps, scurrying out of the way, allowing passage to an absolutely massive moblin.

The Master Cycle goes off a bump, sending it up into the air on one wheel. It lands on the moblin’s chest. The moblin cries bloody murder and unceremoniously dies from the blunt force. 

The rest of the camp jolts to action, like a corpse brought back to life with lightning. Except the corpse was the camp, and the lightning was running over a moblin with a motorcycle. 

The rest of the battle is a mess. The Master Cycle evaporates into blue sparks and Wild jumps into the fray. Wind lands on his butt, but quickly readies his quiver. 

He climbs on top of the first monster he can find, which is a weird purply-red bokoblin. He ignores Sky’s scream of ‘No! Not again!’ and fetches the Master Sword from the slate. 

“You had that the entire time?” Said Four, rushing forward and stabbing his bokoblin mount in the chest. The small hero is completely unfazed by the turn of events. Four’s just like that apparently.

“Aagh!” He shouts, slipping off. He lands on the ground and scampers to another monster, ignoring Legend crying out curses towards him.

“So help me-“

“Hey Wild.” Twilight greets, landing next to him. 

He bobs his head in greeting, then stabs an encroaching bokoblin. 

“Be careful, or I’m gonna get in trouble again.” He says, side-eyeing a distracted Time.

“Relax!” He retorts. “I can handle a bunch of punky bokoblins!” 

Twilight snorts at him while plunging his sword into a hastily approaching bokoblin. He smiles at Wild for a second, a small secret smile meant only for him. That smile is turned on it’s head, and his face twists suddenly. 

“Wild!” He shouts, frantically tugging at his sword which had imbedded itself in monster guts. “Watch ou-“

He spins around quickly, met by an incoming club. He gasps, and leaps to the side but the club makes his mark. Wild faintly registers the cartoonish bonk noise before his vision dims considerably and his legs collapse. 

‘Poor Wind.’ he thinks as he loses the last of his consciousness. 

———

—

———

——

-I’m just saying! You could have-“

“Enough!”

“Wind, what were you thinking? Following a kid around like that. You know better.”

Quarreling voices echo through skull, bouncing like flittering keese. It’s too loud, and makes Wild want to curl up and die. Everything is bright. Even with his eyes closed, it’s too bright.

He groans to himself.

“Woah!” Someone exclaims next to him, somehow louder then anything Wild’s ever heard. “He’s ok!”

There’s some shuffling noises, and some yelling that fluctuates between sounding like it’s spoken underwater and screamed in his ear.

“C’mon guys-back off! Don’t crowd him.” The voice, now recognizable as Hyrule, orders.

There’s some more muffled shuffling and the occasional pitch of volume that has Wild reeling as the people around him obey. Once the boys around him have relaxed into a calmer tone, he cracks his eyes open. His eyes itch from the strenuous sunlight, and he blinks furiously.

Wild’s vision clears, and he stares into Hyrule’s face. He hasn’t yet noticed Wild’s new alertness. He has a small book in his hands and an odd looking branch that looked like it was burned at the end.

‘Pencil.’ Something in his mind whispers.

Wild shakes his head slightly as a habit to the intrusive thought and is rewarded with a spike of pain.

When his vision focuses again it focuses on Hyrule’s book. He’s doodling a frog next to a funny picture of a hylian that looks a lot like Legend. 

Paper Legend has his arms crossed and is glaring at something unseen.

“Hyrule,” Wild says, making himself known.

Hyrule nearly drops the book in surprise, stumbling and stuffing it in his pack quickly.

“Wild,” he breathes, holding the bag shut. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Wild nods, and then clutches his head at the resulting pain. 

‘Why did I think that’d be a good idea...’  

“Aah...” Hyrule says, stumbling over to him on his knees. “Don’t move your head too hard- you probably have a concussion.”

Wild resists the urge to nod and instead sighs. Most of his language is physical. He talks using his hands and shaking his head. Talking with movement was the only reason he survived early on, what with his limited grasp of the hylian spoken language. 

Slowly, as to not cause unnecessary strife, he moves his head to survey the camp.

Time, Warriors, and Sky are all crowded around Wind speaking at varying volumes. Time leans against a tree, arms crossed and eyes closed in a mock resting position. His eyebrows furrow and create lines between them. Warriors is most assertive in the argument, throwing his hands around and furiously speaking to Wind. Wind looks like he wants to disappear into the ground. 

Legend is right next to Hyrule, and eyeing him pensively. Wild glares back at him, and Legend shrugs and looks away. 

“Twilight went to scout ahead for a town.” Hyrule explains. “We met a traveler on the way back to camp who gave us directions, but we... didn’t want to move.” He says, scratching the back of his head and suddenly looking sheepish.

Wild’s mind is sluggish and he distantly recognizes that they didn’t want to move him too far- something that would’ve normally sent him into a self induced rage ending in a mini coup but he seemed to only feel a small spike of discomfort before laying back down.

“Hey don’t lay down,” Hyrule instructs, and explains something about concussions that Wild could not personally care less for.

‘Where’s Twilight when you need him?’ His fluttery consciousness spins, having few thoughts that were clear from the noise. His body drifts into a strange blur of static, where he isn’t conscious but not unconscious. 

He breathes in and out, distantly feeling his body shift.

———

The trip into town is sluggish and heavy with tension. Wild was unconscious an entire night, something Hyrule seemed nervous about.

During the walk to town Wild wakes from his haze five times and vomits twice. 

Twilight nearly collapses in relief when he sees the welcome sign of an Inn. He guides the others, who have similar reactions, to the welcome rest stop. 

They briefly chat with the owner of the Inn, and he sets them up hastily, sensing their desperate need for a room.

“A healing spring?” Legend pondered aloud, repeating what the Inn owner had listed off as tourist attractions downstairs.

“Seriously?” Sky gasped. “We should go and take Wild!”

Time cleared his throat. “I doubt he’d be able to make it down the stairs without vomiting.” 

Several people shudder to Wild’s clouded embarrassment. 

“We’ll wait to take him until tomorrow, when he can get there safely.” Time commands absolutely. The others nod, chattering to themselves. 

“It’s not that late...” Twilight says, gently shifting Wild to take the full chair. “Should we go to town to get supplies?” 

“Yeah!” Hyrule jumps up, accidentally hitting Legend in the face with his elbow. “We really, really, really, need healing items.”

‘After what happened yesterday.’ Went unsaid.

“Alright,” Time pushes off the spot he was leaning on and gently stretches his shoulders. “Anyone else?”

Several requests for food, clothes, sightseeing, and interaction flooded the air.

“I’ll stay back with Wild,” Sky volunteers.

Twilight opens his mouth to say the same, and is stopped by a hand. 

“Pup, you’re with me.”

Twilight resists the urge to sigh, and turns back to a bleary eyed Wild in apology. 

“He’ll be fine,” Time assures. 

Twilight is not so certain... he glances at Sky. He is settled into the chair next to Wild. He smiles at Twilight reassuringly. 

Twilight feels a little better if it’s Sky- he’s easily one of the most responsable of the heroes... still, he can’t feel he’s forgetting something crucial about Sky. It’s at the tip of his mind...

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Warriors voice cuts through his thought.

Wind stares back almost guiltily, in the motion of taking his boots off. 

“Going to bed?” He asks as a question.

Warriors pauses, before rolling his eyes and scoffing. “It’s mid afternoon.” 

Wind diverts his attention to the floor. 

It’s a little disheartening to see how distraught the (actual)youngest hero was about the Master Cycle incident.

The Master Cycle had scared Warriors out of his mind and sent him into an overprotective rage. And... Twilight could sympathize. 

The first time he’d encountered the Master Cycle in his wolf form had been horrendous at best and traumatic at worst. It was frightening how impactful a misplaced rock, clumsy paws, and a fairy tonic resulted in many, many tears. 

He shudders, bringing himself back to reality.

Warriors eyes shine with something that looks like regret and sympathy, and he gently reaches out a hand.

“You’re with me, Wind. We can check out that store you were looking at.” He says.

‘Softie,’ Twilight snickers, gently patting Wild’s back in goodbye. 

They take their leave, all of them splitting into their normal group partners.

-Warriors and Wind

-Time and Twilight

-Legend and Hyrule

-Four and doing whatever he wanted

As Twilight walks in front of the inn, something in the windows catches his eyes. Wild watches, smiling from the highest window, eyes clearer then when they left. His smile reminds Twilight of the last time he’d had that same smile. And the last day (wolf)him and Wild carried a tent(he’d never seen anything so thoroughly destroyed).

A shiver goes down his back. He wants to race back and demand to stay with his protege but is anchored to the real world by a single hand on his shoulder. Time guides him away from Wild. 

Wild gives him a little wave, fully knowledgeable of his inner turmoil.

———

Wild snickers at Twilight’s anxious face. Even from that far away, he could read the Rancher’s expression like a book. 

He glanced back, and fake yawned. Listening in maniacal glee as Sky copied him.

“Yawns are contagious.” Zelda had explained to him once.

If the others wouldn’t fix his head, he’d do it himself. Now, to get rid of his glorified babysitter...

Within fifteen minutes, Sky curled into himself, mumbling in his sleep.

“This’ll be a piece of cake.” Wild says, then instantly stumbles and nearly cracks his concussed skull onto the hardwood ground.  He groans and rights himself, mentally preparing for the next challenge. 

He bundles up his shirt in a ball and yanks off his boots. The hat and shoes get absorbed into the sheikah slate, he holds his shirt out, forgetting what he’s doing with it. His mind is confused and dense with fog, eventually he gives up on remembering and moves on.

He grips the shirt like a comfort blanket and marches out the door.

———

Amie was just a simple shrine guard. She guarded the shrine, people came in, people came out. She had a spear and armor. 

She still considered herself a principled woman, not allowing intoxicated people or bandits into the sacred spring at the bare minimum. 

She did however, have some strange experiences with the holy spring, like when an old woman had gone in empty handed and returned with a live dog and three hyrdomelons. 

Or like now, when a small(naked?) boy with long blond hair and his clothes tucked away in his hands walks through the entrance of the shrine completely unsupervised. Normally, Amie would at least attempt to stop the child, but... Hylia, it was almost the end of her shift. She was certain a coworker could deal with the runaway on the way out.

She can only thank Hylia that the boy is at least wearing underwear. 

The boy stumbles to the entrance, eyes a little unfocused and his steps unbalanced. One side of his face has some intense scars. Amie’s discomfort rises.

For the next hour, not a single soul even approaches the shrine. Another odd occurrence, normally there would be a flood of religious hylian folk ushering their kids to the spring. Today, the stairs to the shrine are barren. 

The town lights glitter in the distance, the golden light separating itself from starlight, and Amie squeezes her spear. 

Her ears catch some noise in the wind, sudden splashing, and a high pitched yelp. Her head whips around to the wooden door leading into the spring and she suddenly wonders if she will become the next story old women tell to kids to scare them into behaving. 

The night is in full swing now, the lights of town and the shrine paper lanterns lit, contrasting against the dusk. 

Shakily, she turns away from the wooden door. 

Her heart leaps into her chest when she hears the bells on top of the door ringing, and then heavy footsteps that do not belong to a child. Shouldn’t the other guard of come already? Shouldn’t she be home having dinner? Shouldn’t she have a normal non haunted job??

She slowly turns to meet the door-opener. And she can’t breath.

Their hair is long and golden, surpassing their waist. Their features are hardened with muscle but somehow lithe and graceful. Their face is androgynous, in a delicate way that Amie has never seen on a person before. Sparkling bright blue eyes, soft facial features and tanned skin. A gigantic scar makes its way along the persons right side, a stark contrast to the rest of them. She stubbornly avoids looking at the person’s chest(why aren’t they wearing a shirt?! ...or pants??)

“H-w-you’re...” Amie sputters, fumbling with her spear before ultimately dropping at the ground. ‘Just my type.’ Her brain finishes for her, forever intrusive.

The person just gives her an odd look(like she’s the weird one) and walks down the stairs, golden hair billowing behind them like pure sunlight, disappearing into the woods before Amie can even process any of this.

She drops to her knees and clasps her hands together. 

“That child...” she feels her voice crack within her throat. She prays to Hylia. She’s certain that the child had been some sort of demigod or spirit, taking the form of a mortal child to visit the holy spring, then changing their form as they left to show her their divine power.

Truly, a remarkable thing had just happened at the shrine. A great beautiful spirit had visited the small shrine, blessing it with their presence. 

“Thank you, kind spirit.” The guardswoman includes in her prayers. 

What a graceful and honorable spirit...

———

Wild sinks his teeth into a raw bird leg, chewing until there was only bone, which he gnaws on with fervor. 

Being back to his larger form is amazing, but it’s also making him extremely hungry. 

‘Now,’ he thinks, between bites of meat. ‘I must return to the group, and show them my true form. Easy enough, they should be right where I left them.’ 

Fortunately, the weird shrine lady had just let him go without further questioning, albeit acting a little strange.

His scratches his now healed head. ‘I wonder why?’ He thinks. 

Of course, he’d never expected the spring to go this far when healing. Apparently it had the abilities to remove curses too.

Wild begins to laugh, then stops as something purple catches his eye. 

“Oh.” He says. “Oh no.” And then he sprints into the woods like a deer under fire.

———

After some shopping, Twilight cannot quell the restlessness within him. He excuses himself for a walk, which Time agrees to, even if he clearly feels a bit apprehensive. 

He groans, resting on a wooden fence of a house on the outskirt of the village. 

Closing his eyes, and listening to the sounds of the night. The sun had long set, and hopefully Twilight would soon retire as well.

The night was peaceful and he felt himself relax.

Crickets chirping...

The summer breeze through the leaves...

“Twiiiiiiiiilight!!” 

Twilight’s eyes snapped open in alertness, a sudden weight to his side knocking him off balance. 

“Wild!?” 

Wild grasped his cloak in his hands, looking up at him desperately.

“You’re...” he trailed off, taking in Wild’s new grown features. Wild seemed to be in the exact state Wolfie had left him in, all one hundred and seventeen years of age accounted for.

“No time! Look!” Yelled Wild, grabbing a fistful of his own hair. It had a strange murky light attached, it looked like a relative of malice, but less bulky and purple rather then red-pink. “I don’t have much time before I’m a kid again!”

“Wh-“

“We can finally prove my age! We just have to go into town-“

“Wait!”

Wild paused, still in position to make a break for it.

“You’re naked! You can’t-“

“Twilight!”

“You’ll be-“

“We have to move!” Wild bounces back and forth. “Where are the others?”

Twilight comes to a decision, flinging his pelt off his shoulders and dropping it over Wild’s. Several things bounce in his mind screaming for answers. Why was Wild here? Why was he naked? How is he back to normal? Where’s his concussion? He sets all of them aside- he has more important things to deal with. 

“I agreed to meet Time by a store. He’s probably there.” 

“Great!” Said Wild curling his hands into balls excitedly. “Lead the way!”

They rush through town in a mad dash, barely avoiding pedestrians who give them dirty looks.

“There’s Legend!” Wild calls, from behind him.

Legend wanders in front of the meeting spot, sans a Hero of Hyrule.

“Legend!” Twilight yells. 

Legend for all his credit, barely glances at them, before realizing that yes, there’s definitely something wrong with this picture, and focuses on Wild.

Legend’s eyes widen into dinner plates. His mouth hung ajar in the most un-Legend like expression Twilight had ever seen, pure unadulterated shock. 

And then Wild collapsed on the ground, dark purple light consuming his hair and then the rest of his body. The dark purple light overtakes him and then rapidly decreases, spitting out Wild’s smaller less developed form. 

Wild blinks from his position on the ground, breathing heavily. 

Legend and Twilight watch him, both their hands raised up as if they had any idea on what action to take.

Wild sits himself up shakily, and Twilight rushes to his side so he can lean on him.

“What’s going on here?” A familiar voice called. 

“Time!” Twilight exclaims loudly. “Please tell me you saw that.” He pleads, nearly dropping Wild.

“...Twilight, what are you talking about?” Time asks tiredly, running a hand across his head. “And why is Wild here?”

“Bastard!” Wild shouts, without any real purpose.

“Wild!” Both Twilight and Time scold.

“What the fuck,” Legend says aloud, blankly sitting on the wet ground.

“Time, Wild was literally just a teenager- you didn’t see that all?” The Rancher pleads desperately.

“What?” The (second)eldest asks.

“Oh for the love of Hylia...” Twilight groans, all traces of hope melting off his face.

“What the fuck,” Legend repeats, still sitting on the ground.

“I think it’s about bed time for you.” Time said with raised eyebrows. “You were next to Wild all night long and didn’t sleep, you’re clearly feeling it right now.”

“That’s-“ Twilight’s eyes widen. “Time. Time. Please.”

“Why don’t you go back to the Inn and get some sleep, Pup. I’ll take care of the kid.” Time’s voice is softer when he stand in front of his protege. He gently pushes Twilight in the direction of the Inn.

Twilight stumbles forward, turning his head backwards to meet Wild’s.

Wild narrows his eyes at him. ‘I’ll take care of this,’ he attempts to communicate.

Twilight scrunches his eyebrows together, turns back around and sighs. He emptily trods away.

“What the fuck,” Legend whispers, voice cracking slightly.

Wild mentally adds the word ‘fuck’ to his vocabulary, and marches past Time, who watches him with no small amount of amusement.

“Where you heading?” He asks.

Wild sticks his tongue out in answer.

Time laughs, the laugh a deep subtle rumble in his chest.

Before he can turn around and show Time exactly what he can laugh at, he feels large arms around his waist lifting him into a fireman carry.

“Hey!” He shouts, smacking a tiny warning fist onto Time’s back. He manages to bruise his fist on the armor.

“Careful there,” Time warns.

“I don’t need to be carried, I’m an adult!” He yells.

Time squints at him and keeps walking. Several townspeople give the two odd looks. Well, Wild guesses, It’s probably because a gigantic armored man with face tattoos is carrying a screaming naked child with a huge fur cape around.

Wild’s eyes catch on something brightly colored. Legend follows behind them, an incredibly apprehensive look on his face.

Wild glares at him. Legend’s ears flick downwards in an unidentifiable expression.

“Tell him,” he orders.

Legend glances at Time, then back at him.

His face is scrunching together, reminding Wild of the time Zelda had eaten a soured voltfuit for ‘science’.

Legend sets his face and silently looks up at Time, gritting his jaw.

“Wild!” The Chosen Hero- the current bane of Wild’s existence, yells.

He is flung from Time’s grasp into Sky’s and wrapped in a bone crushing hug. “I am so sorry!” He says loudly, nearly in tears. “I fell asleep when you needed me, and you had to get to the spring all yourself!” The hug tightens.

Wild sighs. He does feel a little guilty now, making Sky worried about him like that.

Time coughs, gaining the groups attention. “Well, I think we’ve all had a long day.” He says, not subtly directing everyone to the door of the Inn.

Wild blocks out the chatter of the group checking him over, and the scolding of some.

Just how was he supposed to be convince all these idiots of his age?

Chapter Text

“So.” Legend asks, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let me get this straight.” 

“You,” He gestured to Twilight. “Knew Wild before we met him, when he was... and I quote, ‘jacked as a moblin on razorshrooms’?”

“I’m sorry, what? I did not say that.” Twilight floundered.

Wild simply nodded. “Yep, that’s me.” 

The three heroes stood in a small clearing a ways away from the group. Once again, they were on the road, this time traveling to this world’s Castle town. They had excused themselves, in Legend’s words: ‘To teach the resident ignoramus to fish’.

Wild, who did not know what an ignoramus was, agreed.

The three stare at each other. 

“Well... huh.” Legend says.

“That’s it? That’s all you have?” Twilight demanded.

“What more am I supposed to say? Honestly if I were you I would be so annoyed.” Legend said, gaining a certain tone Twilight wasn’t sure he trusted. Legend snickered. “I would totally be super bent on revenge if that happened to me.”

Twilight gritted his teeth. “Stop being stupid. We don’t want revenge, we want this cleared up and over with. Right Wild?” He asked Wild, glaring at Legend. “...Wild?” He asks again after he doesn’t receive an answer. Twilight looks to his small protege. Instead of agreeing with him he has donned, to Twilight’s no small amount of horror, a thoughtful look on his face.

He turns his body to tower over Legend. 

“You...” he drawls, thinking up every possible threat he could hold over him.

“Hey now!” Legend says, holding his hands out in mock surrender infuriatingly. “It’s not like I told him to get revenge. I just said it’s what I would do.”

“Fine.” Twilight snaps. “So come help me tell Time about Wild.”

“No.” 

“...No?” He repeated, not even believing what he’s hearing. 

“There’s no way Time would believe me, if he didn’t believe you.” Legend sighs. “Think about it.”

“It’s not- that doesn’t-“

“Shhhh...” Legend puts a hand to Twilight’s lips and Twilight sternly reminds himself that he is not Wild and he does not bite teammates when he is cranky. “It’s not like he won’t figure it out eventually. Besides, the curse is fading.”

“What?”

“What?!”

“The curse.” Legend repeats, blinking at them both. “It’s fading. It’s a really strange magic signature, and I just thought it was your natural magic aura, but it’s probably the curse since I can feel it getting weaker.”

“But...” Wild starts, looking lost. “I don’t even have magic.”

The vet rolls his eyes. “All of us have magic. Even Wind and Warriors have magic, even though they suck at it. Yours is just less pronounced. Magic is weird.”

“Okay,” Twilight stops the discussion in its tracks, wondering how either of them had managed to get through their adventures without getting hopelessly distracted(He didn’t have to wonder too hard for Wild, as that was exactly what he did). “What you’re saying is you won’t tell Time?”

“What I’m saying, is that there isn’t a point.” Legend corrects. “It’s fading, and I don’t like confrontation or being talked at like I’m delusional. No offense Twilight.” 

“Why would I be offended...?”

“It’s decided then. Wild does whatever he wants and so do we.”

“Now wait just a-“

“You’re free to tell him again, if you want.”

“You- you know why I can’t.”

“Hey Legend?” Wild asks, pulling on Legend’s red tunic to get his attention. “Will I be back to normal all at once.”

The vet squints at him. “...it’ll be a little all over the place.”

Twilight dragged his hand down his face. “What does that- how do you even know this?”

Legend winks at him, only adding to his confusion.

——

Warriors was a hard worker, and everyone knew that. When he was first starting out as a knight, a hard worker had been what the kingdom needed, so he had come through and done the work. That being said, hard work deserved rewards, which is why Warriors found himself in a small local bar, surrounded by army soldiers and knights having an after work drink. The team had just been passing through a small military town when the bar had caught his eye and he’d excused himself.

“Hey look!” Shouted one of the soldiers, which was quickly followed by some good natured jeering. The Captain chuckles heartily, remembering when he’d been the one yelling to passing recruits.

The knights swarm around a wayward passerby, yelling drunken songs and laughing merrily.

Warriors tips his head back, leaning into the wall. He allows himself a rare content smile, relaxing his shoulders. 

The unfortunate knight the men fixated on burst out of the cackling mob like a bull through hay. The other knights roar in playful outrage. 

The knight is small- much smaller then the others. Tufts of blond hair escape his helmet in an unprofessional mess. 

Warriors sighs. ‘Young soldiers and their poor hair hygiene... I should really write to Zelda about it.’ He thinks, pitying the boy’s (likely mangled)hairbrush.

Just looking at that tangled blond hair reminded him of their littlest addition to the team. Now that he thinks about it, the soldier’s play cry of outrage reminded him of when Wild had jumped on that Lizalfos’s back and screamed to all Hyrule(Hylia above, they all needed a vacation). 

And... he had similar looking eyes too. 

Warriors sets down his glass, briefly glancing at the contents and deciding that he was done for the night. 

The knight turned sideways, and Warriors is grateful he discarded his drink, as he would’ve spit it out in shock. Half the small knight’s face is covered in heavy scarring, highlighting his bright eyes with red-pink broken tissue. They match Wild’s scars completely.

The knight turns away from the partying soldiers, towards him. For Warriors, this moment is slow, and the sounds of the world are muted. He finds himself trapped in the boy’s solid gaze. 

The scarred boy smiles mischievously, a conspiring little smile. He puts his finger to his mouth, in the universal ‘shhhh’, and disappears into the crowd. 

Warriors stares after him, mouth hanging open. 

“Careful Captain!” One of the less helpful knights yells. “You’re gonna catch flies!”

—

He eyes Wild, who innocently mashes some fruit together. His brow furrows. Who exactly had that soldier been? It wasn’t like none of them had ancestors or descendants, which would’ve been a perfectly reasonable explanation had the look-alike not had Wild’s exact same scars. 

The smacks of wood against wood slow to a stop as the current subject of the Captain’s confusion places the fruit bowl away and moves to stare at him. Wild’s eyes glint, despite lacking any identifiable emotion.

“...What?” He asks, off put by Wild’s boldness.

“You were staring.” He says simply, not breaking eye contact.

They stare at each other for a good minute, getting more awkward by the passing second.

“Are you two finished looking into each other’s eyes or are we getting Hyrule to make soup again?” Twilight asks, trodding up to the pair and equipping his rare teasing tone.

Warriors mutters a silent thanks to Twilight(thank you so much I will never ever doubt you again that was so awkward why d-) when Wild looks away to address him. 

Wild pouts at Twilight childishly, and Warriors is suddenly struck with a vision of Wild defeating Ganon by staring at him until he combusted from the stress. 

“Wild,” he asks, against his better judgement. “What did you do today?”

Wild looks at him lazily, stirring the crushed fruit sluggishly. “I was with Twilight.” He answers plainly.

Warriors looks at Twilight, who has an odd expression on his face. Twilight nods at him.

“Yeah, Wild was...” he hesitates. “With me.” 

A sense of unease curls in Warriors gut which he shrugs off.

“Why?” Wild asks. “Did you see something?” A ghost of smile lay on Wild’s face, the same as the boy knight’s parting smirk. 

“...No,” he says, after a moment. “Nothing at all.”

“Wild.” Twilight states emotionlessly, putting his hands on his hips and looking down at the smaller hero. “Come take a walk with me.”

Warriors watches them retreat into the woods over the crackling fire. A small movement catches his eyes. Wild had turned to him, his back to a slowly receding Twilight. He puts a finger over his lips in the ‘shhhh’ motion. He then giggles like he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world and darts into the woods. 

“...Hey Captain?” Hyrule asks, appearing by his side next to the veteran, each carrying a bundle of wood in their hands.

“Close your mouth.” Legend finishes. 

—

It’s a peaceful walk down the road to Castle Town. It’s no ones Hyrule, just a world in between heroes, and none of them recognize the terrain. 

Calm chatter suddenly subsides to silence. Before Four can even process what’s happening, a single chuchu hops out from behind a road sign. Wild, at his side, seemingly blinks out of existence and appears next to the chuchu to everyone’s horror.

“Wild!” Time reprimands, lifting him under the armpits off the ground. Wild kicks his legs in protest, but doesn’t manage to reach anything. “No fighting! You’re benched.” The elder orders.

“What the fuck!” Wild yells, swinging his limbs around forcefully. And then team goes very still. The chuchu hops towards them, going(at best) at a snails pace.

After a long moment of silence, Four bites the bottom of his lip, trying to hide the encroaching smile. Wind, next to him, is less successful in hiding his amusement. They share a brief moment of hilarity filled eye contact before immediately looking away to prevent more laughter.

Four has to slowly and purposefully take some distance and discreetly hold his gut when everyone looks at a blank faced Twilight. Twilight looks to his left, then to his right, noticing everyone’s eyes on him. “What?” He asked, completely clueless. 

“What?” Warriors echoed sardonically. “Are you serious, Twilight? Teaching little kids swear words?”

Twilight falters for a second, obviously not quite processing. “I didn’t teach him that.” He responds, confusion apparent. “In fact, I think the last time Wild had a chance to learn it...”

Twilight turns to a slowly backing away Hero of Legend.

“Fuck!” Wild repeats. 

“Wild!” Time scolds, accidentally giving Wild a little shake. 

Wind fully turns away from the group, unable to handle the situation in front of him without being reduced to tears.

“Legend, I think we should talk.” Sky said, uncharacteristically impassive.

Legend, caught in the act, surveys the area for possible escape and finds none.

“Go play Wild. We’ll talk later.” the Chosen Hero says, waving him away.

Wind guffaws, ready to see Legend in trouble.

“Four, go watch Wild. Make sure he doesn’t try to set anything on fire.” Time says, only partially kidding. 

Four slumps his shoulders. He wanted to see Legend get chewed out too. 

He trods behind the scrambling boy who darts into the woods like a startled fox. The smith resists the urge to sigh again(this stress can’t be good for his skin), and follows after him.

“Wait up!” The sailor calls from behind him. 

“I can’t, I have to keep chasing him.” He says, projecting his voice back.

“Wild!” Wind pants. “Wait up!” 

Surprisingly, Wild does stop, and they end up in a small grassy opening away from the group. Wild plops himself down on the ground like he didn’t launch the team into chaos for the hundredth time in short expanse of time he’s been with the team.

“Wild, you said you were a hundred and seventeen, right?” Four asked, idly playing with metal Ezlo at the tip of his hood. 

Wild leaps up from his seat on the ground in a crazed motion, furiously nodding his head. “Yes!” He yells, almost violently.

“Your world...” Four hesitates, pondering his wording. “Was it always in ruins?” 

Wind shuffles next to him, sending him a questioning gaze. He didn’t think that playing along with Wild’s age game was (inherently bad)manipulation. At least just in order to gain information about Wild’s world, something that Wild has said little to nothing about despite the burning curiosity everyone held for the ruined world. 

The kid’s mood seemed to somber, his posture becoming less excited and more droopy. “Oh, no. That-that happened when I was... younger.” 

“Younger? What are you-“ Four elbowed Wind in the stomach, effectively silencing him.

“What happened?” Four asked cautiously. “You don’t have to say if you are uncomfortable.” He added.

“No, it’s not a big deal for me. I’m totally over it. Doesn’t bother me.” Wild said, clearly not over it. 

“If you’re sure.” 

Wild closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath. “One hundred years ago, there were five champions of Hyrule.”

His eyes become hazy, filled with a deep sorrow unique to the hero’s spirit. Four recalled seeing it on Twilight and Warriors, even Hyrule and Wind. 

“Revali, Champion of the Rito. Greatest archer in the land, and he knew it too.” 

Something about this conversation doesn’t sit right. Wild speaks as if he knew Revali personally, from the knowing sad smile on his face, to the minuscule furrow of his brow as if he was deep in a memory.

“Chief Urbosa, Champion of the Gerudo. One of the greatest leaders they’ve ever known. She could wield electricity as a weapon against monsters.” 

“And...” Wild’s voice cracks pathetically. “The mighty Goron Chief, Daruk. He had this ability to protect things with this bubble shield thing. It was really cool.”

Wild stays still for a long time after that, his eyes turning glassy and unfocused. “Mipha...” His voice is soft and tender, and his face can not hide the flood of emotions threatening to break through. “Champion and princess of the Zora. The best healer Hyrule has ever known, and ever will know.” 

Wind and Four look away from Wild, at each other, even more alarmed then before. What was going on here? 

“And the hylian champion.” He says passively, an astonishing lack of emotion compared to Mipha’s intro.

“Together w-they banded together to destroy the calamity.”

“Calamity?” Wind asks, in the natural break of Wild’s sentence. 

Wild sighs tiredly. “Calamity Ganon.”

The group is silent for a moment before Wild hastily continues.

“They worked with the princess to try and awaken her powers to seal the calamity away.”

“Princess Zelda?” Wind asks, interrupting again and eating another elbow to the gut courtesy of Four. 

“Yeah,”

“Was she pretty?” Wind asks, as if Wild would have any idea what the princess from one hundred years ago would look like. 

Wild’s cheeks turn pink. “I don’t know. How would I know?” He huffs, crossing his arms. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

“No matter how much the princess did, she couldn’t awaken her powers. And then, one day, the calamity struck.”

Wind excitedly balled his hands into fists as Four’s stomach dropped.

“And then the princess got her powers and the hero came and defeated Ganon!” Wind finishes, pumping his fist into the air. 

Four’s eyes dance between Wild’s sorrowful expression and Wind’s excited one. The excited expression slowly falling. 

Wild’s world was in ruins, and he was telling them a story of one hundred years prior. 

This wouldn’t end in victory.

“The princess and the hylian champion ran to Castle Town when each champion went to their divine beast.” Wild continues, tilting his head down so his bangs covered his eyes.

Four shoves Wind as he opens his mouth to ask about divine beasts.

“Then,” He said. “Each of them fell.”

“Fell?” Four echoed hollowly. Wind takes a shaky breath next to him, shock evident in his wide eyes.

“They died.” He says, confirming Four’s suspicions.

“The last to die was the hylian champion.” He continued, shaking.

Four opened his mouth, to say that he didn’t have to tell him. That the story was obviously making him upset and to take a break. To say anything at all. His mouth was dry, and no words came out.

“I... He protected the princess until the very end of his life. The princess, um, when she saw his body, awakened her powers. She destroyed the enemies surrounding her and left to fight Ganon herself.” 

“I’m sorry.” Four says, hating the way Wild shook like a leaf. “That’s horri-“

“Be-Before she left, she heard a voice.” Wild interrupted, continuing over Four. “The champion’s sword spoke to her and told her a way that she could still save him.”

Four feels his heart stop. 

“The... champion had a talking sword?” Wind questioned.

‘He doesn’t get it.’ 

‘He doesn’t realize what he’s saying.’ 

“The only talking sword I ever heard of was-“ Wind cut himself off, stopping his sentence like he was struck though by an arrow.

“Wild.” He asks, several parts of him scrambling for order. “What...” emotions threaten to reign free. “What his the champions name?” He asks, already knowing the answer.

Wild lifts his head so Four can finally see his eyes from under his bangs. 

‘So that’s where he got his scars.’ Part of him realizes.

“His name was Link.”

Chapter Text

“Ah,” Wind whispered hollowly. “I-I...” his lower lip trembled slightly, and a small sniffle made itself audible.

Wild jumped back a little. “Hey! Oh, ah- uh, don’t... don’t..” he spread his hands out to Wind, who looked about ready to burst into tears. The cook’s eyes were wide with surprise. Out of all reactions(anger, disappointment, disgust), he never prepared himself for tears.

“Wild... you were-“ Wind takes a large drag of air, gasping in between quiet sobs.

“Hey... c’mon now...” Wild says awkwardly. He robotically moves his hand to Wind’s back where he stiffly rubs it.

‘Where’s Twilight when you need him?’ His contorted face reads.

The sailor buries his face in his hands and mumbles something that is inaudible.

Four furiously blinks his eyes, whipping his head away from the scene. There’s a familiar sour feeling behind his eyes that he desperately stifles.

‘Red.’ Four warns. ‘Red.’

He feels a wetness to his cheeks.

‘Dammit Red.’

“Seriously guys,” Wild says, waving his hands around, panicking. “You shouldn’t cry! I don’t even remember!”

He sputters out some more excuses and condolences. Wind practically falls onto him, leaning on his body in an extremely one sided hug.

Wild, strangely enough, says nothing. His mouth hangs open wide as if he had been mid sentence then turned to stone.

“Oh.” He finally says.

Four lets out a choked giggle. The giggle, apparently contagious, hits Wind. He squeezes Wild into a larger hug, the giggle turning to a hearty laugh.

Wild stares at them both like they’ve lost their minds(Which isn’t exactly wrong at this point...).

“You were!” Wind laughs hysterically, cutting his sentences up. “One hundred and seventeen!?”

Four snickered. “...Time made Wind babysit you.”

Wild turns red. “Would you- I- Please just pick one emotion!?”

Despite Wild’s contempt at being the butt of the joke, Four and Wind continue to laugh. At some point in their uncontrolled laughter Wind starts to cry again. Four, seeing Wind’s pathetic expression starts to cry too.

“Just stop!” Wild screams at the hysterical boys.

They all freeze. Even Wild seems surprised at his outburst, covering his mouth with his hands and looking at his feet in silent shame.

“I’m sorry.” Four says automatically.

“Me too.” Wind adds quickly.

“No, it’s fine.” Wild says.

“Wild?” Wind says.

“Wild?” Four says at the same time.

“Yeah, what?” He asks.

“It’s okay, we are here now.” Wind comforted, resuming his hug and pushing Wild’s face to his chest.

“I know?”

“We can protect you.” Four reassures.

“Stop- just...” Wild looks down at his feet. Where had his shoes gone? Twilight had made him put his boots on in the morning. He must of lost them along the way. “I know. I know. I know.” He says on mantra.

Four pats his back lightly, which for some reason, almost makes Wild lose it. Four doesn’t normally show affection like the others. Despite his young age, he didn’t seek out affection from others- hardly touching other people. But he’s patting Wild’s back now.

He doesn’t know what that means.

“What’re the others going to think when they see the two of you crying alone in the woods? They’re going to think I tried to beat you up or something!” Wild explains, flipping his hands around.

Instead of a response, all he gets is a weird look from the two boys.

“What?”

“Wild...?” Wind asks slowly.

“You’re crying too.” Four finishes.

“What? I’m not-“ he smacks a hand to his face. It is wet. “Oh.”

Four and Wind give him matching looks of concern.

He does what any sane hero does at this point.

He starts to giggle.

“They’re gonna come out here and see us all crying and be like, what happened here?”

Wind’s face splits into a happy grin, Four wrinkles his nose to keep himself from doing the same.(it doesn’t quite succeed)

“They won’t say anything. After all...” the sailor starts, trailing off to build anticipation. “We’re the kid hero gang!”

“What?” Four and Wild say at the same time.

“Yes... It’s all coming together...” Wind says, holding Wild’s shoulder and widely sweeping his hand into the air. “Wild’s our mentor, and we get into wacky hijinks like taming sea monsters and mugging nobles and giving their rupees to the poor!”

Four snickers.

Wild blinks up at Wind. “Kid hero gang?” He repeats dully.

Wind huffs. “It’s a placeholder!” He defends.

“I don’t know, I’m never included in kid hero shenanigans.” Four responds.

“What?” Wind’s brows furrow in confusion. “What shenanigans, we just formed!”

Four shoots him a blank unimpressed look. “You rode a giant mechanical horse into a monster camp, gave Sky a heart attack, and killed a moblin with said horse.”

“That’s not fair! You were allowed to go on the mission!” Wind shoots back.

“Shouldn’t Hyrule be in the... ‘gang’ anyway? I’m fifteen and he’s sixteen. He’s only like a season older then me.” Four argues.

“No, because then Legend would get to joi-“

They both pause, their expressions containing dawning horror and excitement respectively.

“Absolutely not.” Four concludes.

“He’ll be our crack uncle! The loose cannon! Every gang needs one!” Wind insists.

“Hey!” Someone yells through the greenery. They all freeze.

Sky, brushes past the plants blocking him, pushing his way into the clearing.

“We couldn’t...” he paused, taking in the current state of the three.

Wind and Four were mid argument, Wind’s hands frozen in a mid flail as they stare at Sky. All of them have red tear tracks down their faces. They had been laughing and yelling when Sky had entered the clearing.

“....Find you...?” Sky ends in question.

“Scatter!” Wind proclaims, and as it is a new order from the kid hero gang, Wild has no choice but to obey.

“Wh- wait!” Sky yells, scrambling for balance as three emotionally stunted children rush by him.

“First one to camp does laundry!” Wind screams.

“You’ll just make me do it anyway!” Four yells back.

——

Somewhere, somehow, the topic of baths was discussed. The only reason Wild was forced to do this was because of Twilight’s consistent nagging.

“You stink!” He’d said to Wild.

So now he’s following Hyrule and Legend through the woods, in search of some random pool Hyrule wanted to find. Great.

“Warriors was complaining that your hair was really dirty and... unprofessional.” Hyrule laughed at the last word. “Like you were another knight.”

“I am a knight.” Wild says nonchalantly.

Hyrule giggles at him. “Sure you are!”

“Don’t patronize me, boy.” Wild spits.

Hyrule puts his hands up and takes a playful step back. Legend glares at him.

“Watch it, kid.” Legend snarks.

Wild is about to tell Legend exactly what he’ll be watching in a second before Hyrule exclaims: ”Here!”

“Isn’t it wonderful! A clear pool, in the middle of the woods! This is such a weird Hyrule, right?” Hyrule rambles excitedly, rushing up to the side of a steaming pool.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.” Legend admits, crossing his arms.

‘Softie.’ Wild thinks.

“Softie.” Wild says.

The veteran shoots him a glare, and moves forward to join Hyrule at the side of the pool. Hyrule, encouraged by Legend’s presence, starts to ramble about the oddity of the water clarity.

Wild sighs contently. Hyrule’s rambling reminds him a bit of Zelda. Zelda apparently, is not exclusive to him. He knows that shouldn’t surprise him, what with her being Zelda the xxxxth or something.

Deep in his thoughts, he barely noticed a projectile flying towards him, ducking half a second before impact.

“Hey, watch it!” Wild yells at Hyrule, who had probably meant to through his shirt on top of the bush behind Wild rather then at Wild.

“Sorry!” He says excitedly, pulling off his boots and pants.

He cannonballs into the water, splashing Legend. Legend groans, pulling at his tunic. Wild snickers.

Wild, unable to resist, jumps in after Hyrule, splashing Legend again.

——

The former knight hears Hyrule and Legend’s playful screeches turn bubbly and muted. His eyes squint and he puffs his cheek to adapt to being underwater.

He faintly registers the sloshing noise of Legend getting splashed with water. Smirking, he spies Legend’s unprotected ankles.

‘Hehehe..’ he gurgles, bubbles drifting out of his mouth.

His little hands begin to reach out for Legend’s legs.

His stomach lurches.

An odd feeling flitters through him. He begins to feel... lighter? Heavier? More graceful, yet more clumsy.

——

The veteran haphazardly covers his face with his arms, shielding from Hyrule’s splash.

“Look- look at Wild!” Hyrule points down towards a cloud of golden hair. The cloud darts towards Legend.

“Gah!” Legend exclaims, splashing backwards.

“Aww... he’s like a little minnow.” Hyrule says.

“He’s an ankle biter is what he is.” Legend glares down at the golden hair.

Then, the hair floats upwards. The hair expands in mass, floating around them.

“Uhh... Legend?” The traveler asks, taking a cautious step backwards, and lifting his arms from the water.

Legend glares at the hair. “Seriously?” He says, irritably.

The hair shifts, and out of the water comes a shape.

The figure lifts the golden hair like a curtain, and Hyrule is suddenly face to face with Wild.

A teenage Wild.

“Hello.” Wild says simply.

“Hi.” Hyrule responds weakly.

——

“Wild!” Sky exclaimed, tapping his shoulder. “Me and you are foraging today.” He says invitingly.

“Oh?” Wild responds, idly playing with a strand of hair.

“Wild’s coming with me today.” Twilight interjects, placing a hand on Wild’s other shoulder and giving a little squeeze.

Wild dutifully ignores that Twilight has to lean down to do so.

Sky frowns. “Oh... Time said Wild was with me today. But I don’t mind!” He assures.

“It’s true.” Time chimes in, appearing behind them and nearly scaring Wild out of his only remaining clothes.

“Time!” Twilight jumps. “But- but why?” He asks.

Time shrugged. “I honestly didn’t think it’d be a big deal.” He supplies.

“Yeah, it isn’t. Why would it be?” Twilight asks rhetorically, right eye twitching.

Wild shoots Twilight an unimpressed stare and moves from his side to follow behind Sky.

Twilight makes a face, no the face. The face where he desperately wants to say no to something but could not.

Wild sticks his tongue out, and rushes into Sky’s peripheral to avoid any repercussion.

They end up at the corner of a large field with long soft grass. Wild sighs contently in the afternoon sun, ready to stride into the field.

Sky grabs the back of his shirt and yanks him back, stealing his breath.

“Wha-“ he starts angrily, wiggling out of Sky’s grasp.

“Shh!” Sky presses a finger to his mouth.

Sky looks to the center of the field. Curious, Wild follows his gaze.

Wild feels his lungs turn to ice.

A large, masked figure stands in the center of the field. It’s a large creature that’s more neck then monster. The mock face placed on the end of its neck has is a nondescript hylian screaming in agony.

His breath catches in his throat.

The monster turns in their general direction, prompting Sky to shove him into a bush, closely followed by Sky himself. Wild peers through the leaves of the bush, trying to ignore his and Sky’s nervous breathing and fast heartbeat.

The monster’s mask contorts like it was trying to escape off its face and twists into a smile.

Wild barely realizes what happens next, only the movement and the feeling of warm arms around his waist. His eyes are squeezed shut, and he carefully opens them.

Sky’s supporting him and he’s hanging on by Sky’s shoulders. Behind Wild’s back, the chosen hero holds a metal shield as well as he can with Wild sitting in the crook of his shield arm. Wild’s eyes catch on the glint of the Master Sword in the sunlight. He holds it in his other hand.

The monster is standing directly where they had been, the bush enveloped in purple flame.

Sky takes this as a cue to run.

“Sky!” Wild yelps.

The Chosen hero is already panting, desperate panic straining his soft face.

‘He can’t keep running.’ Wild realizes with dawning horror.

Sky realizes the same soon after as he rushes behind a thick tree and gently sets Wild on his feet.

“Sky?” Wild’s voice sounds tiny even to himself.

Sky rests both hands on Wild’s shoulders and kneels to a crouch in front of him.

“Wild...” he gives Wild a soft, sad smile. “I’m not fast enough to outrun that monster, and I don’t have enough energy.”

Wild bites his tongue to keep from interrupting.

“I’m going to stay and fight. I need you to run back to the others and get them to-“

“Sky. No.” Wild can’t stop the protests from leaving his mouth. “You can’t... this thing it-“

“Wild.” Sky says, stopping him. “I have fought against a god and come out on the other side. I’m not sacrificing myself, I am taking responsibility. Responsibility for you, responsibility to my descendents, and responsibility to this world.” He says, and Wild swears the world quiets at his declaration.

Sky seems so soft and inviting- No, he is soft and inviting, while still being able to stand up and fight.

‘I wonder...’ Wild thinks. ‘How strong he is. To stay nice.’

Wild shakes his head like he was a dog covered in water.

“Can’t leave.” His voice cracks. Sky looks ready to argue, but Wild presses a hand on his chest. “You’re here. Could be....” He doesn’t finish his sentence, refusing to meet Sky’s understanding gaze.

Sky’s eyes crinkle in possibly one of the most loving smiles he’s ever seen. He stands to his full height, gathering Wild in his arms and bringing him up with him.

He flashes Wild another sad smile. “Sorry.” He says.

“Wha-“ He starts, and is unable to finish as he’s hurled through the air. “Sky!” He screams as he flies through the air.

He catches a glimpse of Sky rushing towards the monster and he feels something inside him audibly snap.

Wild feels his body change again.

Chapter Text

Sky is prepared.

He’s prepared to protect his descendants who he unknowingly cursed. He’s prepared to protect Wild, the littlest, youngest hero.

He is not however, prepared to be lifted from the back and thrown far away from the beast attacking.

“Your turn!” Is yelled as a parting cry.

Sky lands on his butt in the soft grass, completely unharmed.

He can see someone fighting the monster dressed in rather strange looking clothes.

A flash of purple, and the person leaps away, leaving a flash of blond. They land facing Sky.

Sky feels his heart slow to a stop.

“Wild!?” He screams.

Adult Wild screams a mighty war cry like a wild beast, wearing bones and leather, covered in warpaint. “Stay back!” He warns Sky.

“Wild!” Sky shouts again, shooting off the ground, confusion and fear taking hold and tightening his chest.

Sky takes a running start.

“I said-!” Wild starts, suddenly stock still, glaring into him.

Something prickles in the air, and Sky takes a hazardous step backwards instinctively. The hair on his arms and back of his neck stand on end.

Sky meets Wild’s eyes, Wild warily keeping an eye on the creature who slowly trudges forward. Towards Wild.

Sky almost moves towards it right then, to keep it from the other hero.

“-Stay back!” Wild yells, and the air electrifies.

The monster freezes, twitching from the amount of voltage crammed into its measly organs. It collapses on the ground, instantaneously dead.

Sky reels for a split second, processing and then shakes his head violently, snapping himself out of it.

Wild wipes some splattered black blood off his mouth.

He holds his hands out, and Sky watches in morbid fear as they become engulfed in dark purple energy. It spreads all over Wild, until he’s just a mass of dark purple. The mass turns smaller, into a familiar shape.

Wild gasps for air.

——

After the burst of energy, Wild lets out a breath that seems to contain the last of his stamina.

He feels his body change back, his vision briefly flashing purple, and he is closer to the ground. The barbarian set he’d been wearing hadn’t shrunk with him, looking comically large on his small body. The skull helmet in particular was consistently flopping over and obscuring his vision.

He felt as if he was ready to collapse, and he is about to do just that before his eyes catch on the blue green of Urbosa’s spirit.

No- not Urbosa.

Riju, in spirit form, stands where Urbosa had stood, wearing a tight frown with her arms crossed. Her features were unusually sharp, and she wasn’t wearing her normal makeup. Her frame was larger, more muscular, but still similar.

Wild realized with a jolt that he wasn’t looking at Riju.

“Urbosa?” He croaks in disbelief.

The spirit pinches the bridge of her nose, sighing pointedly.

“Sa’oten.” She says, and then fades into the background, leaving only a fading blue flame.

“Wild!” Sky yells towards him. He shuts his gaping mouth, and tilts his head towards the source of the voice.

Sky is standing, frozen in place, at the spot Wild had told him to stay put in. Wild takes a deep breath, and uses the rest of his energy to run towards the other hero. Sky breaks himself out of his trance and runs towards Wild.

“Wild...!” Sky pants.

“Sky!” Wild says.

“What... What...?” He asks, lost.

A second passes, the only sound is the slight breeze and Sky’s panting. It’s strange to Wild, how quickly the mood of the meadow had changed. A battlefield to a sunny field with a small warm breeze.

“...Remember when I said I was one hundred seventeen?” Wild asks, mischievous smile slowly appearing.

Sky, for all his credits, does not look any less confused. “What?” He says again.

“Yeah, well, I think I’ve earned an ‘I told you so.’” Wild snickers, dragon bone helm flopping over his head.

“Woah, woah, wait just a minute!” Sky shakes his head furiously, gesturing his hands in the universal ‘stop, slow down’.

Wild turns, his back facing Sky, and begins to walk. “C’mon! I’ll tell you all about it on the way. We should head back anyway. The others are probably worried, and I think you should get Hyrule to look at you.”

Sky blinks at him slowly, then covers his mouth and snorts.

“What?” Wild asks defensively.

“Since when did you care about worrying the group? Oh my- when you attacked that lizalfos I thought I was going to have a stroke. Or when you rode that-that, thing into a monster camp...” Sky pauses for a second before bursting into nervous, but genuine laughter. “I thought I was going to die of a heart attack Wild! You almost gave me white hair!” He complains.

Wild feels his amusement rise. He feels another mischievous smile coming on, and is about to respond when something flickers in the corner of his eye. Instinctively, his body moves.

“Where are you going?” Sky calls, as he shoots off to find it.

“I see something shiny!” Wild explains, nearly tripping over his large outfit. Speaking of, the barbarian set is really heavy when you’re Wild’s size, so Wild has to sort of awkwardly waddle-run in it.

Sky says something else, something about crows and shiny things that the cook doesn’t bother to pay attention to.

There, where the monster perished, a shiny flint like stone in the shape of a silent princess lay.

“What?” Wild whispers.

“It looks like an obsidian lily.” Sky remarks, coming up from behind Wild. “Must be monster loot.”

“Cool.” Wild says, picking it up and startling Sky.

“Hey, don’t pick it up!” The Chosen hero jumps. “Who knows what it does?”

Wild glanced up at Sky and back down at the silent princess. “It’s probably fine, it’s not doing anything.”

“With that attitude, it’s a wonder you haven’t been cursed!” Sky scolds.

Wild blinks.

Sky blinks, processing what he’d just said.

They look at each other.

And both burst into laughter.

——

Fortunately, neither of them are hurt too much by the monster, and they’re able to get going soon after a bit of rest.

“I’m telling you!” Sky stretches out his arms, unusually excited. “It was taller then a mountain!”

“And you killed it?” Warriors asks, flopping his bangs out of his eyes to properly look at Sky.

“Actually,” Sky smiles. “Wild did!”

The camp pauses, continuing their walk but holding their breath to stare at the feral child. Wild does a mental count. Everyone except Time and Warriors(he is almost certain Warriors has some inkling something funky is happening) knows his true form.

“I electrocuted him.” He says proudly, prompting Wind and Four to snicker.

Legend glances at Wild and tilts his head at Sky in silent question.

“Sky knows.” Wild answers aloud, subtlety be damned.

“Sky knows what?” Warriors asks, confused.

“Sky knows?” Hyrule cuts in.

“Wait, Hyrule you know?” Wind asks.

“You do too?”

“So does Four.”

“Legend too.”

Twilight looks back and forth. “You guys know? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Time blinks. “Know what?”

“Roll call.” Wind claps his hands together. “Raise your hand if you know.”

Wind, Four, Hyrule, Legend, Sky, Twilight, and after a moments hesitation Wild, raise their hands.

“What are you all talking about?” Time asks, cautiously surveying the group.

“Warriors should know, he hasn’t figured it out yet.” Wild adds.

Warriors squints at him. “What are you- what sort of secret are you even...” he trails off, and his eyes widen in realization. His eyes narrow in an inscrutable expression. “No. Nooo.”

“Yes. Yeees.” Wild says back.

“Oh, oh you little shit.” Warriors glares down at him, gritting his teeth.

“Warriors!” Time scolds. “What has gotten into you? Have you all gone mad?”

Everyone looks at each other.

“Imagine how funny it would be if no one told him.” Legend says, grinning.

Wind snickers, and even Sky is trying and failing to hide a smile. Most surprising of all, Twilight’s mouth contorts itself into a ferocious smile with all too many(unnaturally sharp) teeth.

“What are you all talking about?” Time’s voice reaches an annoyed tone, and the group scrambles to furiously avoid eye contact.

Time snorts when no one responds, shaking his head lightly.

“Kids.” He says, amused and completely unaware of the irony of that statement.

Chapter Text

Time stares dubiously at the camp, in disbelief of his current sight.

Wild stares back at him evenly as everyone meanders about like not a single thing is wrong. Twilight sits next to him, not even glancing up from polishing his sword.

“You good, old man?” Legend asks, passing by him with an armful of firewood. “Did you catch anything?” Legend continues lazily, not waiting for him to answer the first question.

“A Hyrule bass.” Time responds, still not breaking his eyes away from teenage Wild look-alike.

“Nice. That’ll go good with the bread we have left from that last town.” Legend mutters to himself as he heads to drop of his firewood to Four, who was in charge of lighting the fire.

“Does anyone...” Time pauses, watching sorta Wild idly fiddle with his nails. “Know what...” a small silence stretches out, where Time holds out his hands gesturing to (maybe) Wild. “This,” he decides on. “Is about?”

He receives a few uninterested blank stares from the few people paying attention.

“Twilight?” He asks.

Twilight spares one last glance at his sword before resting it against the log he and (probably)Wild sat upon.

“Yeah?”

“Who’s this?” Time states, in the tone that says ‘this is not an optional question’.

“Oh,” Twilight turns to grin at not-Wild, who is staring at Time like he was directing an economics lecture on the world’s most boring events and comparing how boring they were to other boring events. He didn’t looked riveted, to summarize. “This is Wiiiiiillllllllll-“ His eyes suddenly go wide as he draws out the sentence. “-ld’s older brother!” He finishes with a companionable smile.

Someone choked behind him, something that would of distracted Time given any other situation.

“His older brother.” He repeats, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

Wind- and yes, it is definitely Wind- snickers ungracefully behind him.

He observes Wild’s ‘older brother’ for a moment, watching as the teen’s wide eyed gaze at Twilight turns back to his initial deadpan.

“Yes...” the boy says.

Time waits for him to continue. He does not.

“What’s your name, Wild’s older brother?” Time narrows his eyes at the blond, specifically the scars that line the side of his face.

“My name?” Wild’s brother asks. “Easy. I have one of those. We all have names.”

Time closed his eyes for a second to refrain from twitching. “What is it.” He demands.

“...my name?” He whispers, in question. He coughs into his hand. “Wild is my name!”

“You’re saying your name is Wild?”

“That’s the name I was born with.” The teen crosses their arms over their intricate blue tunic. “It’s a coincidence my amazing talented younger brother has his hero title named after me. So I should probably pick another name, huh?” he trails off thoughtfully.

“Your name. is Wild.” Time repeats slowly. Someone behind him makes a faint wheezing noise.

“But you can call me...” Wild goes silent, turning serious with thought. Behind Wild, Legend appears and whispers something in his ear. “Link!” He shouts out automatically. It seems as soon as he shouts that, he realizes the stupidity of picking that particular name, instantly looking like he’d rather be cuddle buddies with a redead then be here at this exact moment.

Everyone gives Wild looks of varying disbelief.

“I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM CRAZY BAD.” Wind screams, darting off into the woods holding his stomach and looking very red.

“Oh Hylia.” Hyrule whispers, putting a hand over his face, pointedly hiding his mouth(and probably a wide grin).

Legend, behind Link/Wild/Whatever is frozen in silent laughter- the kind that makes your stomach hurt from hysteria. The beginning of tears form in his eyes.

Time grits his teeth. ‘Why is everyone acting like this?’ He wonders. ‘Wild’s older brother... that’s ridiculous!’ He takes a deep breath, waiting for camp to calm.

“Tell me... Link? Should I call you?”

“Please call me Wild.” Wild responds, looking rather pink faced. Twilight snorts.

“Tell me Wild, why is it that you have the same scars as the Hero of the Wilds?”

The heroes go silent, waiting with baited breath at Wild’s answer.

Nothing could prepare Time for his answer, or the horror that would ensue.

“What scars?” Wild blinks up at him innocently.

Dead. Fucking. Silence.

Time stands, frozen. That’s... he’s messing with him, right? How do you answer that question?

Wild flutters his eyelashes, giving him a curious smile. “What do you mean, Mr. Time Sir?”

“Your- Your scars!” Time points his hand towards the entire side of Wild’s body covered in scar tissue.

“My- oh...” Wild said, suddenly distraught. His eyes cast down, and he seems to curl into himself. “You mean my birthmark...”

It takes a moment for that remark to strike Time. “That- oh Hylia. That’s a scar.”

“A birthmark.”

“A scar.”

“Bad acne day?”

“Excuse me?”

Suddenly, Twilight shoots up from his spot, his hands moving at a ridiculously fast speed to cover Wild’s flicking ears.

“Time!” Twilight shouts, and he is momentarily set off balance by Twilight’s bold tone. “I don’t know about you- but I don’t insult people’s skin conditions.”

“What!?” Time yelps, completely unprepared for the confrontation.

“Wow, didn’t realize you had it in you.” Legend shakes his head disapprovingly, tutting.

“I didn’t-“

“Time.” Sky says harshly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t make fun of people for their skin.”

Time looks at Sky. He looks at Legend. He looks at Twilight, and then Wild. He takes a deep, steeling breath.

“I apologize, Wild.” He smiles, one that looks more like a painful grimace.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear that?” Wild says, gently moving Twilight’s hands off his ears.

Time’s eye twitches and he desperately schools his features. “I apologize, Wild.” He says, gaining a warning tone.

“Accepted!” Wild yelps.

“Where is the Hero of the Wilds then?” Time turns from the pair, surveying the land and showing the camp his back.

“Uhh...” Wild starts.

“H-He went home!” Four shouts over a newly made fire.

Time puts a hand on his forehead, slowly dragging it down and stretching out his face. He turns back to the group with a stoic face.

“Home? How?”

“Ye-yeah! It was, um, really weird.” Hyrule laughs nervously.

Time evaluates his situation. Either Wild is lying, and is fooling the entire camp somehow- or everyone already knows and is trying to pull one over him.

The hero finds the second one unlikely- first, what motive would they have? If anything, why him?

So that leaves Wild deceiving everyone...

Time clenches his fists. He’d prove it to the group somehow.

He focuses on Wild, who is looking at his feet and sweating profusely.

Somehow.

——

A shrill cry sounded through camp, everyone instinctively leaping up and towards the cry.

“Sky?!” Warriors yelled back, shooting towards the source of Sky’s scream. “Sky!”

The group tears through an unlucky bush that had separated Sky from the rest and are promptly met with an unusual sight.

Time, looking all too tired, holding Wild by the scruff of his green shirt, presenting him to Sky(who looks as if he’s ready to keel over with a heart attack).

Everyone reacts to this with the true reflexes of a hero: by completely dissolving into chaos.

“Wild is Wild!” Time declares, holding said person he higher.

“Uhh...” Wind says.

“Can we get this guy a motherfucking award or something? Hylia.” Legend crassly dismisses.

“What?” Time asks, expression suddenly very blank.

“Hylia Time, keep up.” The veteran mocks. “See, this is why you need to go to school before it’s too late.” Legend says to Hyrule, who nods fearfully.

“What-“ Time starts, an annoyed tone joining his initial confusion.

“I don’t understand.... Legend, you said the curse wore off! Did you get the date wrong!?” Sky shouted, lifting Wild off the ground like a lost cat that had wandered into a road.

Wild, unpredictably lets himself be held, a shit eating grin stretching his face.

“Wrong?! I wasn’t-“ Legend starts, and stops himself from blowing up with a deep intake. “The curse was supposed to wear off. I can’t tell why-“

Twilight tunes the rest of the conversation out, instead opting to observe Wild’s twisting face.

“Alright!” He barks(In the normal, hylian fashion, thank you very much), effectively shutting the peanut gallery up.

Everyone quickly moves out of the way, forming a clear path to Wild, who stares up at him from within Sky’s grip.

Wild’s eyes hold a familiar spark of madness.

“What did you do.” He orders, not phrasing it as a question.

“Hm?” Wild asks, smiling.

“What.” He reaches forward, grabbing the back Wild’s shirt and lifting him upwards. “Did you do.”

Wild swings his legs like a hyperactive child(which is sorta what he was at that point) forced to sit down for too long. He offers Twilight another wide smile, showing off his teeth.

He wondered if Wild had baby teeth in this form, and what would happen if he lost his teeth. Would he be missing his teeth in teenage form? Or would they not count as they were technically baby teeth?

“Wild I will beat you within an inch of your life I swear to Hylia,” Twilight threatens.

Wild laughs hysterically, kicking his legs harsher then before. Clearly, he’d seen through Twilight’s (admittedly rather see-through)bluff.

“Wild-“ he starts.

“The flower!” Wild interrupts.

“What?”

“The flower, Twilight. Look!” Wild gestured to a stone flower buried in his hair with one little hand. Twilight had missed it because of its precarious placement in Wild’s nest of a head.

He hovers his hand over the flower, mindful not to drop the squirmy sorta child. Twilight flinches back from touching the object.

“That... is a cursed object.” He feels a strange chill go up his back, and if he wasn’t so apprehensive about touching it he’d have already ripped it off of Wild.

“I know...” Wild says somberly. “Isn’t it great?! I can go big or small whenever!” He bounces in Twilight’s grip.

“A tool to make you smaller,” Four pauses, deep in thought. “Seems useful.” He decides, a small knowing grin on his face.

“So what?” Sky cuts in, sounding a little frantic. “We just let him keep the dark magic... thing??”

Legend sighs. “I don’t see why not.” He ended with a lazy shrug, trudging back to camp.

“You all knew?” Time asks blankly. “Every last one of you?”

Twilight feel a twinge of sympathy, and then a twinge of annoyance as he watches everyone retreat to camp, leaving him to explain.

“Well,” He begins. “It’s a long story, so take a seat.”