Chapter Text
"PUP!"
"CHAMPION! RANCHER!"
"NO!"
It came out of nowhere. The guardian came out of nowhere.
Wild said it was safe to split up. This was his Hyrule, after all…surely he would know if it was safe. He did not.
Twilight pulled him closer, hiding his cub under his shield. Red lights reflecting off of it. The chime of death sped as the light grew more concentrated. There wasn't time for the two heroes two escape. The champion had broken his ankle running from the mechanical murderer. It was pathetic. He had fallen into a hole. Now both boys would die because of it. He hugged Twilight tight.
Wild couldn't see them, but he could hear the screams of his family trying to rescue them in time. Only he knew they wouldn't be able to make it. He held his breath, waiting for the hit.
The air exploded. With a sound, only two had heard before.
BANG
The guardian's eye was shattered to pieces, fumbling around before it exploded. Destroying this particle threat forever.
The world seemed to slow as the acceptance of life reentered both young men. Eyes being drawn to the source of their saving grace.
It was the Sailor. Top of a small hill that separated the party of heroes. His face was cold and unforgiving, a stark contrast to his usual charming demeanor. In his hand was an object neither hero had seen before. It looked similar to a crossbow, only without the bow. Instead, it donned a metal cylinder tub with smoke seeping from it. The champion was memorized by it. How could such a small item destroy a guardian so quickly and so efficiently? He had to use it.
Wind's eyes scanned the area. He refused to let his guard down just yet. He couldn't risk his brother's life like that. So he watched. He watched for any movement in the bushes, any shadows crawling against a tree. Any whispers on the wind, ready and willing to warn its masters.
There was nothing.
The sailor relaxed, reeling in his invisible guardian angel wings. While a firm hand was placed on his shoulder. He glanced up, pleasantly surprised by the chosen hero's kind countenance. "Well done." He whispered voice lost on the wind. Both guarding their brothers from the top of the hill while Hyrule and legend shot by. Nearly falling down while running.
"DO–" the Traveler caught his breath. "Do, do any of you need healing?" He announced, hands at the ready, magic beginning to course through his veins.
The captain was at the champion's side, examining the younger's wound. "Easy there, soldier, no need for you to drain yourself. If you can help me reset it, then a potion should do it."
Hyrule nodded, kneeling down on the opposite side of warrior.
"What happened?" Legend demanded, pulling a potion from his bag and handing it to the captain.
Wild shrunk on himself. Sheepishly looking over towards Time, Twilight, and Four.
The old man sighed, "One of our Champions metal demons surprised us by blending in with the forest. We didn't see it coming until it was too late, and he misstepped." Time explained, void of judgment.
"Then what was that loud boom? It sounded as if thunder cracked–okay, captain on three, one– two–" Hyrule counted down as warrior held wilds leg steady.
"That" the champion screamed like a pained seagull. "Was–the sailor." Time explained, wincing at the sound of cracking of bone. As warrior shoved a red potion down Wild's throat.
"You called?" Wind nervously chuckled while entering the group with Sky in toe.
"Yes!" Wild shot up, lunging forward, almost causing wind to fall on his back because of how much he leaned over him. Clearly, the potion had worked. "What was that weapon you used! Are there any more? Could I make one? Can I try it?" His eyes sparkled like fairy dust.
"Actually, I would like to know myself, might want to add one to my collection." Legend chuckled, always the item opportunists.
The sailors' faces grew serious. "Absolutely not." He sounded older than time. Everyone was a bit startled by his reaction.
Wild quickly shook his shock off. "But why! You took out a guardian! Do you have any idea what that–that whatever that thing is called could do for my Hyrule!" The champion's eyes were desperate.
"It's called a pistol, and it's not something to mess around with." The sailor continued to stay steady.
"No offense, sailor, but since when were you so careful about weapons? You play around with them just as much as the champion." Legend teasingly hissed. Very quickly realized this was the wrong topic to push the sailor's buttons with.
Wind's eyes mimicked the storming sea he had traversed a thousand times over. Forming it into daggers to shoot at the veteran. "Since a weapon like this could blow your brains out, with no chance of survival."
The party stilled, with only a soft breeze brushing through their tunics. Time being the one to break the tension by steadily pulling Wild away from wind.
"A last resort weapon then?" The old man lied. He knew exactly what it was for and how it was used.
The sailor nodded, happy to have Times support.
"Still," the champion clenched his fist, "could you at least teach me?"
Wind wanted to snap. His no meant no, but he took a deep breath. "Afraid not, Champ, it's only for emergency situations. Like what just happened."
"And war," the captain whispered into the old man's ear.
"What was that?" Legend raised an eyebrow, suspicious of what the older heroes were discussing.
"Oh, nothing," time chuckled. Moving to the outskirts of the group. "All right, let's move out. We'll travel about two hours north before resting for the night."
An array of groans let out as the group started to fall into a matching pattern, with Four, Legend, and Wild surrounding Wind.
"Soooooooooo," smith bravely spoke out. "Could we at least see the weapon up close? I'm really interested in the craftsmanship."
"No," wind didn't even bother to look at them.
"How about telling us how you got it?" Legend nudged his elbow into wind.
"Definitely not," he forced the elbow away.
"What about telling us how it works!" Wild ran in front of wind, giving him the sweetest eyes.
"Hmmmm, you know what! NO!" Wind flicked the champion's forehead and dashed his way over to Twilight, grabbing onto his sleeve.
"Rancherrrrrrrr, their bothering meeeeeeee," He whined.
Twilight chuckled and ruffled wind's hair. "Cub, Vet, Smithy, stop bothering your youngest brother." He sternly teased.
Legend was offended. "Oh yeah, sure, go running to one of the older ones for protection, traitor." He glared at wind.
Who stuck out his tongue in response. "You guys are annoying me and trying to guilt me into something I don't want to talk about!"
"WE'RE JUST CURIOUS!" Wild protested, frustration and bitterness evident in his voice.
Which earned him a darkened glare from Twilight. "Drop it." He demanded.
The three boys pulled back, pouting at not getting their way. Four accepted defeat and deciding not to bother with it anymore. Legend pondered ways to get wind to show him later down the line. Wild wouldn't and couldn't let it go. It was something he needed, something that could quiet the demons.
The sailor stuck with the Rancher for the rest of the trip. Even offering Twilight the coveted hammock time with him, the boy still couldn't understand why his brothers hadn't purchased or made one for themselves. Sleeping in a Hammock was ten times more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. Twilight accepted though it would be sometime before he be able to join him.
Finding a safe space to rest for the night, the group fell into routine. Champion would start preparing dinner, while Hyrule and Sky would collect firewood. Time, Warrior, and Twilight would scout the area just to be on the safe side. Four did maintenance on any swords that needed it, and legend and wind tailored rips or tears on the hero's tunics.
The vet made his way towards wind, trying to sit with the sailor in his hammock.
"Nah, Ah! You are banished from the hammock today. That right goes to Rancher." Wind scrunched his nose at the veteran hero.
"First off, rude, second off, he's not even here right now, so!" Legend playfully fell on top of wind. While the hammock started swinging.
"CAREFUL WITH THE NEEDLES!" Wind expressed trying to get out from under the bigger hero. "SMITHY, HELP! I am being crushed by a mentally unstable man who refuses to wear pants!"
Legend squawked. "Okay, now you've done it." The vet laughed while letting all of his weight smolder the younger.
Four rolled his eyes and leaned against his elbow. "I don't know, Sailor, you did abandon us today for the Rancher."
Wind pecked his head out from under legend, expression dumbfounded. "LIKE You don't go frolicking over to the rancher when we annoy you!"
"Ooooooh," legend added, feeding fuel to the fire.
"You know what," Four breath popped as he casually walked over to the hammock rope, smugly grabbing it.
Both sea men's eyes went wide. "Don't you dare." the vet hissed.
The smith smiled and, ever so sweetly, began violently swinging the rope. Forcing the two heroes trapped within to hang on for dear life.
Wild watched from a distance as the younger boys screamed with delight and anger.
It was only the four of them….
The sailor's bag was sitting next to everyone else's….
Nobody would notice.
The champion left his preparation of food and quickly and quietly started rummaging through the youngest bag, searching for the item. The pistol, as the sailor had called it.
'Where can it be?' His mind buzzed as his quest yielded no results.
"SMITH, I SWEAR, STOP! I'M GOING TO VOMIT!" Legend polity informed the whole forest.
"VET, IF YOU THROW UP IN HERE, I STAB YOU WITH MY WINDWAKER." The sailor threatened.
"YOU WOULDN'T DAR–OW SAILOR!" The veteran screeched.
"I WARNED YOU!" Wind barkingly laughed.
Wild froze, he knew the wind waker was an essential item to the sailor, and even now, he had it with him. The pistol appeared to be an essential item as well….so did that mean it was with him too?
The champion softly walked away from the bags. Not to draw any attention to him, and ever so quietly continued to make dinner. Forming a plan.
How would he get the item away from the sailor? He could use all his stealth items and an elixir and try it that way. The only problem was even when the champion used all that stuff, wind always knew. He was by far the second best at stealth in the group, possibly even the best by natural talent. They need to test that one day. Either way, it would be a foolish plan unless the sailor wasn't mentally there….
….
Unless the sailor wasn't mentally there. Wild looked at his slate and started browsing through his inventory.
He never do anything to hurt wind, and mixing up herbs to drug him to sleep was not hurting him. If anything, it's helping him. Growing boys need plenty of deep sleep.
…yeah…
He could never hurt him.