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“We’re being too negative. Maybe he's just had… a really normal few weeks.”
Warriors never thought he'd end up gossiping like a concerned mother - something he didn't have much experience in, to be fair - to Wind of all people. But the kid was persistent, snoopy and honestly quite mature. And he asked the right questions. It was only a matter of time before he broke Warriors.
“Okay. But consider.” Warriors raises a hand to the sky and pauses. Both of them look at it. “Maybe everything is horrible and bad. He's actually struggling terribly and we're just writing it off.”
Wind nods sagely out the corner of Warriors's eye. “Good point.”
“Ugh.”
“That's probably what's happening, actually.”
“Ugh.”
The grass is wet with morning dew, but for once Warriors can't bring himself to care (even if the back of his head and tunic are disgustingly damp). He's been stressed. It's bad enough having to deal with eight young adults - strategy they ignored half the time, supplies that were constantly running out, arguments - but their emotional welfare was something that weighed heavily on his mind as well.
Sky had been concerning ever since Legend had snapped at him a few weeks back for his - their, actually - coping mechanisms. As in, he'd not used said coping mechanism since. And as much as Warriors wanted to take that as a sign that Sky was feeling healthy and happy, he wasn't that kind of lucky, and Legend's words had been ones that cut deep. They always were. Legend knew how to get under people's skin; Warriors had been on the receiving end enough times to understand.
The others had woken up sometime during their gossip session - Wind had woken up before dawn and decided on bothering Warriors, who was on third watch. It was morning now - the weather was pleasant, a cool breeze blowing through and the sun warming their skin. Four had brought them breakfast but otherwise it seemed they'd be left alone.
“I don't know what to do,” Warriors grumbles. His hand drops back down to his chest. Something flies overhead, and Legend lets out a bark of laughter - they're probably playing keep-away with someone's belongings again. Absently, he prays for no Goron Spice in dinner tonight. That had sucked. “Can you tell this isn't my area of expertise?”
“I'd say you're doin’ a pretty decent job despite that,” Wind says. Warriors grins. A high compliment. Especially coming from Wind, who was probably the most emotionally healthy of all of them, somehow. The kid knocked sense into them more often than the opposite.
“Thank you.”
A moment of peaceful silence. Warriors shifts his legs so they're propped against a log at his feet, knees bent. The others keep up a steady stream of chatter in the background. It's a beautiful day, and for once, Warriors is feeling decently optimistic.
That's not allowed to last, though. Of course. Just moments after the happy thought crosses his mind, a heavy, familiar feeling weighs down his senses and a sound of dismay rings out across camp. Warriors tries to sit up, obstructed by a boot-strap getting caught on the wood.
“Portal soon,” Hyrule calls out.
“Fuck my life,” Legend swears. “Where's Sky?”
“He was taking a piss,” Twilight says. “‘s everyone else here?”
“Yup.”
“Well, we can just wait for him before entering the portal.”
Famous last words - Warriors isn't sure who said them, because he's too distracted by the feeling of reality swirling beneath him.
Another moment. This one isn't peaceful, but instead filled with a deep, unbearable irony. Then Warriors is tumbling backwards and everything becomes dark and significantly more wet.
-=+=-
“Guys?”
Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no…
It's raining. Each fat drop pelts his skin with the force of hail, soaking through all his layers almost immediately. And it's cold, and he can't feel Fi on his back, and the downpour is making everything really hard to see, but Sky's almost sure he can't see a single member of the Chain.
“Guys? Please?”
And he's slipping.
The portal was unexpected - it'd opened up right under his feet. Embarrassingly, he'd been moments from being caught - very literally - with his pants down. Less embarrassingly, deeply unfortunately, that meant he was unarmed. And alone. And it was cold, and…
No, no, no, he thinks, hands coming up to cup his face. A sob is rising in his chest. Breathe, Sky, breathe. You're big. Where are you?
Where was he? It was hard to tell through the rain, but there's stone at his legs, scraping through his pants. An involuntary step backwards and he trips over it, just barely managing to stay upright. A hand leaves his face to grasp at the rock. It feels like eroded brick. Ruins.
Ruins, ruins… Wild had a lot of ruins. Looking around at his surroundings, at the silhouettes of trees being whipped around by the storm wind, Sky can believe he's in Wild's world. Even if that doesn't narrow it down any.
Wild's era. Maybe. Okay. He rubs at his face. There's so much water. It makes his eyes burn. Okay. Now what?
Now what? A location- although its accuracy was dubious - didn't actually help at all. He could check what he had on his person. That'd be helpful.
A quick once over, although it's really, really hard to focus past the rain and the fuzziness trying to take over his brain. He's not got any injuries. No supplies. No sailcloth.No Fi, which threatens to push him over the edge. Fi was always there when he was in danger, even if she couldn't speak nowadays. Her heavy weight on his back was comforting, it was proof that she was there to protect him, that he could try to defend himself, and she wasn't there.
It's okay, he thinks. It's okay. You're okay.
It's not okay. Hysteria nips at his heels as he reaches for his back, hoping for something, anything. There's a weight there - not the familiar one of Fi, but promising nonetheless.
Ah. The Goddess Shield - lucky, because he tended to forgo his shield more often than not. Better than nothing. Better than nothing.
He feels - he feels-!
I'm an adult, Sky thinks waterily, Legend's voice echoing in his head. I'm a Hero of Courage. I can act like it. I can.
He wants Fi. He hasn't been alone, truly alone, in so long that being so now throws him off worse than a concussion. That's probably why his brain is trying so desperately to make him curl up and hide in a corner until the others found him, too - he had no chance against any enemies without a weapon. Parrying with his shield was barely feasible in this rain; there was no way he'd be able to do so without falling.
Okay, he repeats, trying desperately to stay calm. His eyes are burning, still. What do I do?
He'd call out for the others again, but it feels like his vocal chords have crumbled to ash - he doesn't know whether that's from the fear or… the other thing. Maybe he should just walk. The others would find him, and maybe he'd find something to hide under - hell, even a tree didn't seem that bad.
Away from the clearing, then. Sky raises the shield over his head, his eyes thankful for the reprieve from the battering rain even if water still leaks into them. A few steps, and he realizes how hard it is to stay balanced. A few more, and he ends up tumbling to the side, foot slipping in the mud, pressure borne of frustration growing behind his eyes.
This is when he'd usually spit out a few swears just to get the fury and self-hatred out. Right now, though, it feels like there's an invisible wall between him and any outlet. It leaves him simmering in his own mind, scrambling to try and get back on his feet.
What kind of hero are you? The moment you're in danger you panic. The voice in his head sounds like Legend still. Standing, with great effort. He looks around, the edges of his mind fuzzy, fuzzy, fuzzy. The shield feels a bit too heavy for his hands. You're helpless. What kind of hero is helpless?
There's something hulking at the edge of his vision. Sky's mind buzzes with sudden, vicious fear as the figure sniffs the air, long snout just barely coming into view. It's white - but a strange, silvery sheen covers it, even through the rain.
That's one of Wild's Moblins, he thinks. And it… it just smelled me.
He raises the Goddess Shield, readying to parry as the monster lumbers over. There's not just one - when he peeks around the edge, three more follow, all that same unnatural color.
He tries a few more steps backwards. It's slippery, and he can't outrun the monsters in this condition - the ground slick and unsteady, and his own sense of balance impaired. So he takes a few more steps, trying desperately to avoid falling. And then the Moblins catches up to him, and the first blow lands, and -
Ouch. He fails the parry and stumbles backwards at the force, slipping and falling back with his shield out. The impact travels up his arms and make his brain feel like a bell that's just been rung. And - and he's on the floor, and there's four white Moblins -
No. No. He raises his shield, trying to get to his feet at the same time, and then lets out a little ah! of pain as the shield just barely manages to catch the club. No!
He's out of the clearing, but now he's backed in a corner against an area dense with trees - easy to lose monsters in, easier to fall and die in. And - he can't get up. He's been trying.
He - he doesn't have Fi. He doesn't have a sword, he doesn't - he-!
The Goddess Shield is just big enough to hide behind, but it's been weak for a while now, and he can feel it weakening further under the Moblins whaling on it. There's so many, and there's noises, there's so many noises, and the ground is mulchy and wet and he keeps getting pushed backwards by the force until he's pressed up against a tree trunk, and sobs keep ripping out from his throat, and -
Clang! Clang! Cra-ack!
Sky sobs, frightened. The impact forces him into a little ball, the thin sheet of metal between him and the clubs starting to splinter. His shield arm hurts. The Goddess Shield is going to break soon - and then…
Please don't, he thinks, thoughts scattered and afraid. Please, please, please…
I'm gonna die.
A whimper escapes him when the next blow splits through the shield, the crack spreading cleanly down the middle but not quite to the edges. Another blow and it widens. Another, and…
I wanna go home. I don't… I don't wanna die.
The shield breaks. He tries to scramble backwards but there's no more space. The rain obscures their figures but the Moblins are huge, looming and hiding the dark sky above, and Sky -
Sky cries. He's going to die. He's going to die alone and it'll be painful and wet and cold and lonely, and he feels small and afraid and he's going to die.
The next club comes down. His hands raise to protect his head, but it's no use - he can't survive this. A terrified shriek rips from his throat and then…
The world goes white.
-=+=-
A scream splits across the forest. Then blue-tinted lightning arcs across the sky and Warriors is sprinting before the thunder even begins to roll. It feels like a chunk of ice has settled in his gut.
“That's Sky,” he shouts back to the rest of their group. “Wild, Hyrule, with me!”
It's hard to navigate the forest, especially with the rain still pouring down. Still, Warriors doesn't stop - picks the direction he'd seen the strange lightning and runs. Then the distinct smell of ozone and burning permeates the air, somehow not beaten down by the rain, and he follows that instead. Wild, Wind and Hyrule stay at his heels.
“Sky!” he shouts. “Sky, can you hear me?”
No response. He stops in his tracks, hair whipping into his eyes as he tries to surveil their surroundings. It's all just trees and rain and nothing identifiable. The smell has dissipated too.
“Fuck,” Warriors says, desperately. “We should've brought Wolfie.”
“He was already dealin’ with Legend,” Wind says. The Wind Waker is in his hand, but it seems to be useless in face of the downpour - the gusts of wind shift around them helplessly. “This ain't working.”
“Wait,” Wild says, and unsheathes Fi from her spot on his back, slung over the sword he’d already been using. “Can you…”
The Master Sword pulses in his hands, and Wild’s eyes widen as he swings her to their right, seemingly due to an invisible force. “Woah. Okay. This way.”
“Thank the Three,” Hyrule murmurs, looking pale. “Wars, that scream…”
“Sky doesn’t scream,” Wind says. The ground is wet and difficult to walk on, and Wild is nearly sprinting ahead - it takes all of Warriors’s focus to not slip and fall immediately. He doesn’t answer. The stress migraine growing behind his eyes throbs.
“Oh!”
Wild disappears. Warriors lurches forwards at the alarm at his voice, scrambling through the undergrowth and emerging in a small clearing. It’s still hard to see anything, and Warriors raises a hand to his eyes in an attempt to create some sort of cover. A moment to adjust, and there’s four of Wild’s Moblins - white, maybe? - knocked out about the clearing, divine sparks dancing in the air about them. And, nearby -
“Sky!”
Sky isn't the kind of guy he'd really describe as small. Even when regressed, he was a very physical presence - sitting tucked under someone's arm, chewing on something that wasn't supposed to be chewed or silently doodling out the next woodworking project. Now, though - now, here in the pouring rain, defenseless and framed by the wind-blown trees and electrified bodies of Moblins, the broken shield at his feet, the blood leaking down his arm and getting washed away - he looks pathetic. Small.
For a moment, it feels like their eyes meet, even if Warriors can't really tell through the rain. A beat - in which Wild skewers one of the Moblins straight through the head with the Master Sword - and then Sky bursts into tears.
“Wars,” he sobs. “Wars.”
“I'm here.” His knees slide in the slick mud, his body covering as much of Sky as he can in an embrace and simultaneous check-over. “I'm right here. You're okay.”
Sky's shaking viciously in his arms - Warriors doesn't know if it's from the cold or shock. A few frightened, weak sobs - noises that were explicitly not something Sky produced - escape him as Warriors looks him over. By the time he's done, Wind is hovering over his shoulder and Sky is… catatonic, basically, shivering silently in his arms.
“Is he okay?” Wind asks, anxious. “Is he…”
“I don't think so, and… I'm pretty sure,” Warriors says. The sound of another Moblin’s body dissipating reaches his ears. “Hey, buddy. Can I hold you?”
Sky doesn't answer beyond pressing his face into Warriors's shirt, which he takes as permission. He gathers Sky into his lap, the kid wracked by shudders, and presses the potion Wind hands him to his mouth. Sky's hands come up to grip at it, but they're unsteady enough that Warriors keeps his there for support.
The horrible purpling on his arm and the cut from which blood had been leaking from both fade, leaving only a ragged, bloodied hole in Sky's tunics. That was fixable, and he was willing to bet Legend would attack it the moment they reunited - he did well with distractions during storms. What's less easy to deal with, however, is the haunted expression on Sky's face. He looks…
Well, for the lack of a better word, he looks like shit.
It makes sense. For all intents and purposes, Sky was currently a child. That scream they'd heard earlier, the blood-curdling one that'd turned Warriors's veins to ice - that had been a scream of a kid in danger. Warriors was familiar. He'd heard it a million times during his time in the army.
Warriors doesn't even know what to do. His job had been to save those kids, to protect them from danger - never to deal with the aftermath. Suddenly he finds himself wishing he knew more.
“It's okay,” Wind says, gently, crouching over the boy huddled in Warriors's lap. He takes Sky's hands, letting them curl around his own. “Here, looks like you're holding your breath. Do you want to try breathin’ in deep with me?”
A long, exaggerated inhale. Sky copies it, then splutters halfway and chokes on small, wet coughs. Before he can spiral, Wind catches his attention again. “Good job. Another?”
Another one. This one is successful - Wind manages to guide Sky into holding his breath and releasing after a few seconds. The terrified haze in Sky's eyes dissolves a bit, and as Wind repeats the cycle a few times, it dissipates entirely. Tension melts out of Warriors's spine.
Of course Wind knew how to deal with kids. He was Aryll’s big brother - Aryll, who, by Wind's late-night accounts, was incredibly brave about her kidnapping during his adventure but still plagued by nightmares and memories. Aryll, who Wind had to take care of whenever he could.
“How are you feeling?” There's a little jitter at the end where Warriors can tell Wind's refraining from using a nickname. Sky didn't really have one at current.
Sky, still shaking, slowly raises his hands. It takes him a moment to sign out words.
Scared, he signs, and then repeats the sign a few times forcefully. Thought I would die. Alive?
“You?” Wind's voice tamps down the surprise. Sky's eyes are wide and wet and trusting as he nods. “You're alive, seabird.”
New nickname, although Sky seems a bit too out of it to appreciate. At Wind's words, he crumples back into Warriors like a deflated Octo Balloon.
Was trying to be adult, he signs, face hidden in Warriors's neck. Scared. No sword. Wet. Didn't know what to do. Legend was right. Not a hero.
“You are such a good fighter,” Wind interrupts. “This is the first time you've been caught off-guard like this, and that was because of a portal. You're doing great. Legend was wrong, okay? He was saying that because he was sad.”
“If you weren't a hero, you wouldn't be here,” Warriors says firmly. “If you were a liability, I would have you benched. You're not benched, Sky.”
Sky's body shakes with a sob, the sound muffled. He curls in, tucking further out of view and away from the rain.
Sorry, he signs, although the sign is a bit mutilated due to his position. I love you. Sorry.
“It's okay,” Warriors swears. “I promise that it's okay.”
They'd have to have a talk on safety after, especially in regards to any Link being vulnerable, but this incident wasn't one that could've been avoided with prior planning. Sky was usually a reliable fighter, even when hopelessly outmatched - Warriors had seen him in action a countless number of times, and the man had always made it out panting but grinning. Being separated from Fi had probably done a number on his psyche, and added to the helplessness and the fact that he'd been on the brink of slipping anyways…
It was a bad combination. No wonder the poor kid was so rattled.
They end up just sitting there as Sky cries himself out, the rain slowly growing less and less dense as Wild finishes scavenging and killing off the last two Moblins. When he sees them watching, he makes a concerned face.
“They're Silver monsters,” he explains, “and the lighting was turning them Golden, which is the strongest tier.” He gestures at Sky, hands covered in blood - regular - and guts. “Is he okay?”
“Better,” Warriors says noncommittally. “Relatively.”
Sky shudders as if on cue. Warriors presses a hand to his back, the soaked fabric molding to his skin.
“We'd best get back to the others,” Wind says. “I'm sure they're right worried out their minds.”
“I'd be,” Warriors says. “When you're ready, Wild.”
“Just the horns left.”
A few minutes, then. Warriors pulls Sky closer. They can do that.