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Wind flops down next to Four, arranging himself on his stomach on a little overhang over the water. “Hey, Four, whatcha doing?”
“Trying not to cry,” Four says, though he laughs. His hand dangles down into the little tide pool, protected from the strong ocean waves.
His response startles Wind. “Uh… why? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Look.”
Following Four’s direction, Wind peers over the edge of the overhang. It takes a second, but Wind knows to look hard. Down in the tide pool, a few little unusual animals skitter around the shells and rocks and sand, chittering to each other and up at Four.
When Wind sees them, his eyes widen. “There are Minish in my era?”
Four nods. “Yeah. They’re in the water.”
These Minish look a little different from those Wind has grown used to seeing in others’ eras, mostly Four’s. Their feathery tails look more like tadpoles’ fins now, and their ears look more like fins, too.
“They’re still so cute,” Wind says with a laugh. He sits up just enough to look through his bag, and pulls out a bit of smoked fish he’s been saving to offer to them.
Not all of the Heroes can see the Minish. It’s a secret shared between the youngest ones (and Twilight), and it’s always a treat to say hello. These Minish take the fish from Wind with excited noises, and though Wind doesn’t understand them, he knows from previous experience that they appreciate gifts—as long as they can give something back.
Sure enough, Wind and Four both walk back toward the camp on the beach with their pockets full of strings of shells and sea glass carved into the shapes of seahorses and boats, laughing.