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Link and Zelda had run out of money, and while out on the road, no less. And in his experience, the fastest way to make money was to find something of value and sell it. They scoured a wooded area, inch by inch, checking the grass and bushes and tree trunks for elusive critters that might be worthwhile to collectors.
Zelda dove onto her belly in the grass, hands clapping empty air. “Ugh, almost had a lizard. How about you? Any luck?”
“Not yet.” Several paces away, Link stared at some green mushrooms growing at the base of a tree, mouth watering. His finger tickled an arrow in the quiver on his waist. If he stabbed one with a fire arrow, would that be enough to roast it?
A light tremor vibrated across the ground, just strong enough to shake the leaves overhead. Darting to Zelda’s side, Link helped her to her feet and held her steady in his arms. The vibrations stopped soon afterwards.
“What do you suppose that was?” she wondered just above a whisper.
Closing his eyes, Link listened, turning his head. At like volume, he said, “I'll go have a look. Stay still until I get back, okay? Keep your remote bombs handy.”
“I will. Be safe.”
Hurrying away, he zigzagged through the trees in the direction of a noise like the heavy pounding of earth.
The source of the noise was clear before he got to the tree line: a Stone Talus had awakened. What wasn't obvious was who or what had disturbed it. The boulder beast faced off to the side, its ore deposit jutting from its upper back, making slow-moving stomps towards what looked like a figure in dark-colored clothes raising a bow and aiming at the Stone Talus's front. The arrow bounced off of the monster’s body.
The Master Sword, ever-present on his back, wouldn't be so effective here. Link took the bow from his back and dug in his quiver for a bomb arrow.
The Talus raised its boulder fist. The figure darted away from its ground pound towards the tree line. He had to do a double-take. The figure wasn't a person but a very small Lynel, probably around his height. Its short, shaggy mane and tail were red compared to its dark-brown body fur, and its horns were short nubs on its head, but it clearly resembled the Lynel he'd had the displeasure of meeting on Ploymus Mountain not so long ago. It kept its arms close to its upper torso as it galloped towards the trees.
Link snapped out of his astonishment and raced out of the trees. The Talus threw a punch, literally; its fist launched after the little Lynel. With an ear-splitting crunch, a tree snapped and fell over even as the boulder shattered to pieces. Slowing to a stop, Link released a bomb arrow at the monster's precious ore deposit. One fiery explosion later, the Stone Talus collapsed onto its front, stunned. He was quick to nock three more bomb arrows all at once and loose them. Chunks of stone spewed into the air. The felled monster’s entire body trembled for a moment before it burst into a cloud of purple smoke.
Wailing cries erupted from the trees. “Rooowr! Rooowr!”
Rocks rained down onto the field in all directions. The grass glittered with amber and opal and other gemstones—valuable items. But the cries drew Link into the trees. As he came closer, the cries stopped, replaced by voiceless, franting breathing. Finally, he encountered the little Lynel, lying on its side on the ground. Its equine hindquarters were crushed under the weight of the toppled tree. The bow it had used earlier lay on the ground in front of it, the string snapped.
Their gazes met. For a moment, the terror was plain in the young Lynel's eyes. Link's heart stirred. Then its face scrunched into a snarl, nose wrinkled, fangs bared, little round ears pinned back on its head. “Rowr!”
Link stepped forth towards the tree, only for the Lynel to swipe at him with its clawed hand. Moving aside out of reach, he pushed against the fallen tree with all of his might, trying to roll it away. Its weight made it difficult to move. It barely budged, and the little Lynel hissed with pain.
There had to be a better way.
Straightening with a huff, Link drew his Master Sword, its blade glowing with power. The Lynel issued a loud growl. Aiming with care, he slashed, slicing through the imposing tree as easily as through a gourmet steak. A second cut on the other end of the tree shortened the segment pinning the young Lynel. Sheathing the sword, he hefted up the log and set it off to the side.
The Lynel foal (or was it a cub?) continued to watch him with an uncertain eye. Though it no longer bared its teeth, that was probably more because of how it gasped in pain. Its injured legs remained stiff on the ground behind it.
Link kneeled down a few paces away—more for its comfort than his own safety—and dug around in his waist pack for a moment. Aha, a fairy tonic! He had meant it for emergencies, specifically for himself or the princess. This was emergency enough.
If Lynels could use weapons, then surely they could drink out of bottles, right? Just in case, Link did his best to communicate to the little Lynel, pointing to its hurt legs and pantomiming drinking the tonic, before rolling the bottle along the ground to it. Thankfully, it understood and, despite trembling hands, drank the entire bottle.
Over the next moments, Link watched the Lynel in wonder—getting to interact with one up close without fear was an opportunity he'd never had before. The way it lifted its head and shifted its tiny ears on alert was akin to how deer behaved when he stepped on a twig while hunting. It rolled onto its knees and eased onto its feet the same as his steed would after a roll in the dirt. The little Lynel took one, two, three careful steps on its hind legs, before bursting into frolicking skips reminiscent of a playful pony. Link couldn’t help but smile.
He was so enamored with the little monster that he didn't register the thundering of fast-approaching hoofbeats.
By the time Link looked towards where the sound was coming from, the fully-grown Lynel had sprung high into the air. Its silhouette blocked out the sun. Link hurried backwards to gain some distance, drawing the Master Sword again. The Lynel, covered in short blue fur with a thick blue-gray mane, landed on the ground before him with an earth-shaking thud, its own sword in hand. The mighty roar it bellowed in his face echoed against the trees, though it wasn’t needed for intimidation—big enough to dwarf even the largest stallion, the monster's muscular body and curved horns could strike terror into any normal Hylian warrior.
Link gripped his sword, glaring down the monster. He hadn't a shield on his back, and there was no time to take one from his pack. His only wound-healing potion was gone. Could he fight in such tight quarters without getting hurt?
“Grawr!” barked the little red Lynel as it bounded up beside its fellow.
It patted the bigger Lynel's front knee the way a young child would to get their parent's attention. Clutching the empty tonic bottle, it gestured emphatically while uttering noises like a grumbling kind of intelligible speech. The blue Lynel's glowing glare and fang-filled snarl didn't change at all. Link stayed ready in case it decided to make the first move.
Then, slowly, the grown Lynel risked a look around, first at the fallen tree Link had sliced, then at the empty tonic bottle. Its expression softened; its eyes lost their vicious glow. Straightening into a relaxed posture, it replaced the sword on its back. A mixture of relief and amazement came over Link, and he sheathed his own sword.
His amazement only grew when the big blue Lynel shifted its forelegs to lower itself to one knee, bowing at the waist. It nudged its child, who imitated it with haste. Link acknowledged them with a standing bow of his own.
Standing up again, the grown-up Lynel began to herd its child back out to the grassy field, picking up the child's bow. The little Lynel, still holding the empty bottle, glanced back at Link with a squeak crossed with a growl before trotting away from the woods. The parent followed closely behind, head turned slightly in Link’s direction—still holding some suspicion of him.
Link waited until their footsteps were out of earshot before he went on his own way, back to the field where he had taken down the Stone Talus.
“Princess? I'm back.”
Zelda hopped to her feet from underneath the tree where she had been sitting. She ran to meet him. “Link! I was so worried. I heard some explosions, and it was quiet, and then this loud, beastly roar, like a Lynel. What happened? What did you find?”
Reaching into his waist pack, Link presented her with several opals and a ruby. “It’s a long story,” he said. “Let’s use these to get us a couple of rooms at the stable. I can tell you all about it there.”
Zelda’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Excellent work, Link!”
“Here. You get a head start. I won't be far behind.”
She pocketed the gemstones. “I can do that, but what will you be doing in the meantime?”
Link walked to a tree a stone's throw from where they were standing and plucked several green mushrooms from around its roots. “Foraging. I'm hungry!”