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As places to be dumped from a portal went, Satori Mountain was one of the better ones, the air cool and calm as wisplike clouds drifted slowly on unfelt winds.
“It’s my Hyrule, guys,” Wild announced to the group, “and this is a pretty peaceful spot. We might want to restock supplies here before we head down.”
A sigh of relief rippled around the party of heroes as they relaxed. Way too many times, they had been thrown into the middle of a perilous situation and had to fight their way out, so this was a nice change of pace. The group fanned out to take in their surroundings, the elevation perfect for surveying the land as the sun rose higher in the sky.
The next few hours for Wild were spent pointing out all the hidden foraging spots around the mountain, the ever-abundant growth taking some of his companions by surprise. When he’d shown Twilight the apple orchard, he had remarked that it was no longer a mystery why Wild had 300+ apples stored in his slate.
Of course, that had also meant showing them the pond at the summit. Though it wasn’t exactly rich in forage save for some wild carrots growing around the base of the tree, it was still captivating, even without the Lord of the Mountain’s presence.
Sky seemed smitten by the place: While the others had gathered more around the shrine for now, he had settled by the foot of the always-blossoming tree, looking down at the plains of Central Hyrule, seemingly lost in thought. Curious, Wild wandered over, picking his way across the rocks round the pool.
The Chosen Hero looked up as he approached, slightly smiling but coloured by something Wild couldn’t place. “Is something the matter?”
Wild sat next to him, sending a few petals flying. “I was going to ask you something like that.”
Sky huffed a semi-laugh, looking down at the carpet of moss and petals. “Just thinking. This place… it kinda feels a little surreal.”
“I know what you mean. The first time I found this place was a weird day… Mostly because of the weird horse spirit thing, now that I think about it.”
That earned a Look from Sky. “Weird horse spirit?”
Wild sucked air through his teeth. “Uhh, well. Every now and again, this mountain glows, and when that happens… This… big, blue horse… goat spirit appears at this pond.”
“That’s… honestly creepy.” Sky looked tense, as if the Lord of the Mountain was going to sneak up on them any moment.
“Yeah…” Wild decided to leave out the whole two faces thing for now. “But, it’s friendly! ...Ish. It runs away if you’re not careful, but I managed to ride it a couple of times.”
“You RODE it?” Sky straightened up, his facial expression almost matching the time when Time told the Moon Story the first time.
Wild just grinned and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I said it was a horse…”
“You also said- You know what, never mind.” Sky pinched the bridge of his nose as he collected himself. “Still, that maybe explains the feeling I have about this place. It feels… Alive.”
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the distant crows and the chirping of crickets, before Sky spoke again, soft and low.
“Every time I think I know everything about the surface- about Hyrule, I find something new and wonderful. And… though I know the future won’t be peaceful all the time, and I wonder if it’s worth it… Hyrule is a special place. Worth protecting.”
As he finished speaking, a sprig of blossom drifted down from the boughs of the tree, delicate flowers budding and blooming from the green wood stem. Sky caught it, landing directly in his palm as others began to fall. Gently, he examined it, running his finger over the petals.
Wild looked at the falling petals, and at the gently swaying Silent Princesses nearby. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
And then he looked at the fallen sprigs, and had an idea. Picking several up, he began to tie the bendy stems together, creating a chain. Sky watched quietly, as the length grew until Wild tied the two ends together, making a circle… which he promptly placed on his head.
Sky held back a snort of laughter at Wild’s smug expression. It was silly, yes… but Heroes were apparently prone to such things. ‘What the heck’, he thought, ‘enjoy the good days to the fullest.’
“I bet I can make mine better than yours.”
“Oh, you’re on.”
The only words said later when they rejoined the group with crowns intricately woven of flowers were compliments, and even if they weren’t? They had a good time.
