Chapter Text
Wild still isn't sure of all his new friends. That's to be expected after only a couple of days spent with them, and yet, he feels bad for it. They saved him from being beaten to death… again. That thought earns a wince and Wild immediately pushes it back into the dark trench it belongs in.
Time and Twilight saved him. The rest of the big family that lives on this ranch has welcomed him into their home. They are feeding him, and he can sleep safely through the night now, and… He owes these people. He knows he owes them, yet, Wild still finds trusting most of them hard to do.
Twilight and Sky are easy. Despite not trusting the majority of the group, Wild finds that he does already trust those two for the most part.
Twilight is huge, tall, muscular and built broad with dark colored tattoos on his face, large rams horns on his head and several facial piercings, but the rough intimidating appearance is a stark contrast to how soft and warm he is inside. It helps that Wild has seen the darker side of Twilight, the anger and the inhuman amount of raw strength Twilight has, and he knows that Twilight could effortlessly crush him, but Twilight chooses to be gentle and show Wild nothing but patience and affection.
Wild trusts Sky for similar reasons. Sky and Twilight seem very close, and Wild is certain they are in a relationship. It's nothing like watching his Mama and Daddy together, it's a much more gentle sort of love that makes Wild wonder if it's how love is supposed to be. They have a lot in common too, much like Twilight, Sky has something wrathful and powerful simmering just beneath his skin, Wild can feel it, but he chooses to handle others with softness and exudes a feeling of calm and something else just beyond Wild's realm of comprehension.
Time, Malon, and Four are also a bit easier for Wild, but he can never fully relax around them nor can he fully trust them. They feel more like authority figures, and Wild instinctively fears them on principle because of that. Still, they are always nice and they don't make him work until he nearly passes out or withhold food because he hasn't 'earned it.' Four even let Wild borrow some of their clothes until Wild gets some of his own, though, even their clothes are comically large on Wild. Time, Malon and Four have all been nothing but nice and Wild does feel bad for still being scared of them.
Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said of the rest, Wild is actively afraid of Legend, Hyrule, Wars and Wind and he's not as keen on trying to fix that. Legend is so loud and mean all the time and he doesn't seem to like Wild very much at all. On top of that, his energy is painful to be around for too long. Hyrule is with Legend a lot of the time and though they seem nice enough, they are a stranger that Wild doesn't spend time around often due to their proximity to Legend who Wild is scared of. To their credit though, they do tend to smooth out the sharpness of Legend's energy, but not enough to make him comfortable to be around.
Wind… is friendly enough. But he has too much energy for Wild's taste and like Hyrule, he's with the scary people a lot. Wars is… was… a knight. A Captain. Like Wild's father. That's enough of a similarity that Wild avoids him like the plague and knows little else about him. He seems vaguely familiar in an odd way, but Wild refuses to investigate why. It doesn't help that Legend is at his loudest around Wars either because Legend is scary anyways, but Legend is a lot scarier when he starts yelling. Wild does not like the yelling. Yelling always means beatings…. Wild shakes that thought away.
Wanting to have more time to observe everyone so he can attempt to build trust is what led Wild to drag his tired aching body outside with them when everyone was going out for farm chores. He also wanted to help around the house and farm, but Time forbade him from even thinking about it when he asked. Wild feels bad that he's not allowed to help, but Time was very adamant that he had to wait until he was less skinny and his bruises healed. Wild didn't have the heart to tell Time that he is injured far worse than just bruising. Better that they all don't know what his father actually did to him, and better that Wild doesn't have to think about it as much as possible as well.
Wild was allowed to come outside though, which is nice. He was kept cooped up inside by his dad for the most part, it's nice to feel the sun on his skin and not have to look through a window. He'd hoped the fresh air would be easier to breathe too, and it is to some extent, but not what he'd hoped for. It still feels dense somehow. It takes constant effort to breathe. But that might just be all the broken ribs. Oh well. It's still so nice to be allowed outside. He's even more thrilled when Twilight says it's okay for him to explore on his own.
Maybe Wild should have taken it a little easier though… he spends a lot of the day exploring as much of the ranch as he can. He plays with the horses, chases bugs, digs up plants to look at their roots and then carefully buries them back, anything he can get his starved beaten body to do, Wild runs amok doing it. He's never had such freedom to just explore so he definitely over-does it. Which is what ends up coming back to bite him towards the evening.
He's limping back to the farm house, his old wounds hurt from over exertion, as do the cuts, bruises, and broken bones he still has. His sides are agony from his broken ribs and it's so much work to breathe. All of it brings back unpleasant memories that Wild has been doing everything in his power to bury so that he could enjoy being away from his father. He's already teetering on the edge of something he knows will be horrible when he finally drags himself to the farmhouse where most of the others are gathered watching a spar between Wars and Legend.
Wild somehow makes it the last few steps over to Twilight, shivering from pain and exhaustion. He doesn't miss the first set of worried eyes to notice him arriving, which belong to Sky, but he just wants Twilight and his pelt right now. He pulls on Twilight's shirt, wheezing lightly, and the large gentle man looks down at him, smile dropping when he sees the pale, shivering, wheezy little mess Wild has made of himself.
"Whoa there, you alright Cub-"
"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!!!"
Legend's voice cuts Twilight's off, closer than Wild expected because of getting thrown to the ground near him and very suddenly loud and violent and angry where Twilight's voice had been soft and gentle. His ears droop, his chest gets tight, he can't breathe-
"You little fucking ASSHOLE!!! What did you break now?!"
Link gasps, freezing in fear as his father advances on him and the broken plate he'd been trying to clean up before he got caught. He cowers down, trying to make himself as small as possible, fear making answering the question impossible. Link feels entirely helpless as his father towers over him.
"Cub? Hey, it's okay! Legend didn't mean to yell, you're safe."
Twilight reaches for him, but Wild doesn't see Twilight at the moment. All he is aware of is the flashback and his brain is convinced that's reality-
His father reaches down towards him and grabs a handful of his hair to yank his head back so he has no choice but to make eye contact with the man. The painful pull of his hair makes Link yelp, but he knows better than to attempt to resist. His father has gotten so close to Link that Link can smell the alcohol on his breath, and that only makes him more terrified.
"I asked you a question, you clumsy, worthless brat. You WILL answer me. You have five seconds."
Link has to battle for a voice, and panicking only makes it worse, but he manages to choke out the answer thankfully.
"P-p-plate! It w-was a plate! I'll clean it, promise!"
Please please please, just let that be good enough! Please don't hurt him again! His father sneers at him, and Link lets out a terrified sob.
"I'm not hearing an apology. You will clean this up, you're right about that Runt. But first!"
Wild lets out a weak scream as he's full body lifted and hurled over his father's shoulder at maximum strength. His body absolutely explodes with agony as he crashes into a large glass vase and hits the wall behind it back first. The air was knocked out of him. He coughs and gags trying to get air. Glass mercilessly buries into his skin. He ignores it. He's in pain… but daddy doesn't like it if he doesn't get up.
"GET THE FUCK UP YOU WORTHLESS RUNT. I didn't say you could stay down yet. You're pissing me off awfully early into this punishment, don't you think?! Break the rules again and I will get the branding iron, I'll give you five seconds to get up. If you don't, the consequences will be worse than the brand."
Wild scrambles as fast as he can to get himself up. He is in a corner. Literally. That is what he noticed when he gets himself up barely within the time limit. He's in a corner, and Daddy is advancing on him again. Another weak terrified sob rips out of Wild.
"Thats better. But I'm still not hearing an apology. First the plates and now you shattered my favorite vase. You didn't apologize for that either. Guess its time to teach you a lesson on what happens when you break someone's things and don't apologize."-
"N-no! Please Daddy, I'm sorry!!! Please, please, don't hurt me!"
He cries the plea out loud in the present, and then ducks Twilight's hands and bolts. It hurts, it hurts all over, everything hurts but Wild still runs as fast as he can as if running will help him escape the memories. He immediately ducks into the first place he finds that he can get under to hide, which happens to be under the porch of the farmhouse. Tears roll down his cheeks in streams. He curls up, putting his arms over his head to protect it from getting hit as badly-
"Please… please don't… I'm sorry… I promise…. Don't hurt me…"
"Alright. Since you asked me so nicely, I guess I can let it slide this time."
Link almost believes that. His father's hand is gently placed on his head and rubs his hair. He tenses, and his breath shudders with fear. Don't run. Daddy will get mad and do even worse if Link tries to run. Just wait to be dismissed… Link gasps sharply when his father's hand suddenly tightens, gripping a huge handful of Link's hair and lifting Link off the ground by it. Daddy is even angrier now and has no clue why! He said he would stop, why is he more angry-?!
"I thought I'd taught you more manners, you're supposed to say thank you!"
Link doesn't get the chance to beg for mercy this time or try and amend his mistake, he's cut off by his father's knee mercilessly slamming into his stomach. He feels something break when his back hits the wall. His body heaves painfully and he can't stop himself from hacking out a big mouthful of brilliant gold blood onto the floor.
He's dropped back onto the ground, right into the broken glass. His body trembles. He can't convince his lungs to uncramp and let air in. Something is broken or torn inside, because the sharp agony in his stomach is not subsiding. It hurts so bad… but he has to get up. If he doesn't he will only get in more trouble. It's the rules. He has to get up… somehow, he manages to stand up. The moment he gets to his feet he hears the next blow whistle through the air and only has a few moments to brace before the side of daddy's fist bashes him in the temple and violently sends him slamming back onto the floor.
Link heaves for breath and attempts to get back up. He has to follow the rules… The hard unforgiving heel of daddy's military boots cause several pops and snaps and crunches when it collides with Link's ribcage after he'd managed to get up again. The cycle of forcing himself to stand and getting immediately beaten back down to the ground goes on for several more rounds. Daddy is not stopping…
"Wild?? It's okay, I promise! It's safe here, no one is gonna hurt ya."
The gentler voice cuts in, confusing and scaring him further. Nothing makes sense. It hurts! He's so scared!!!
"Get up."
The demand is absolute. It's a rule. Link is supposed to get up. But he doesn't know if he can anymore. Is daddy going to kill him this time? He doesn't want to die yet… it's hard to breathe. Link's hands are slippery with his own blood. Every part of his body is howling with agony. Getting up seems impossible.
"I said GET. UP."
Link tries to, more scared of what will happen if he doesn't. He doesn't want to be branded again… he manages to push himself up a little with his arms, but they shake horribly. He doesn't have the strength left to get his legs under him… it's so hard to breathe….
"You have exactly five seconds, runt."
Fear shoots through him. He tries. He really does. But it just isn't working. He can't… his arms slip out from under him and he thumps onto the floor. Terrified and trembling, desperate to do what daddy wants so he won't get hurt worse, Link tries again, straining with the effort of attempting to stand. His father's voice interrupts the struggle and makes his blood run cold.
"Time's up, you pathetic worthless little brat. Why do you insist on being difficult? It's not like I enjoy this! You're forcing me to punish you by being disobedient and disrespectful!"
Link lets out a shuddering sob. He continues trying to get up, desperately hoping if he manages it daddy will forgive him. His blurry vision focuses in on his father's boots walking into view and stopping just in front of him. Link trembles with bone chilling terror and weakly looks up at his father with a pleading look. Daddy just smiles at him, with cold, calculating, hateful eyes glowing in the darkness.
"I'm doing this for your own good. Because I love you."
Link squeezes his eyes shut, whimpering as he tries to brace himself for impact. He still can't hold back the breathless squeak when Daddy stomps down on his back and causes several more of Link's ribs to shatter. Darkness closes in…
Someone's reaching for him. He's in pain. He can't tell what's real and what's not, so he screams in terror, retreating further under the porch until his back hits something solid-
Link is only unconscious for a second two, but its enough time for daddy to not be in his line of sight anymore. Is it over now? Link strains his good ear to see if he can figure out where daddy went. He hears something metallic scraping from the next room where the furnace is. Pure panic ignites in his chest. Not that! Not the brand again!
Booted footsteps echo through the house as Link's father returns with the molten hot weapon. Daddy's hands come back into his sight, and Link just sobs quietly. If he struggles, it will be worse, and he couldn't even do it anyways. He's too weak to even beg for mercy now. A calloused hand wraps around the back of Link's neck, holding him face down against the floor. Cherry red metal enters Link's limited field of vision. He sobs harder, panic raising at the sight of the brand, but he knows he has no other choice but to just take it if he wants the beating to be over..
Daddy is merciless when he presses the metal rod down with enough brute force to put agonizing pressure on Link's battered ribcage. The brand sizzles against the spot on his back that is still unhealed from all the previous times he was branded. A tortured scream rips out of Link that he couldn't stop if he wanted to.
Link wakes back up on the floor in front of the broken plate, with no memory of how long the branding went on before he passed out. It was a few hours at least… because he is healed a little bit. Still… He hurts… and he doesn't want to move. If Link doesn't move though, and clean up his mess, it will only mean worse pain. He painstakingly pushes himself up, crying from pain and sadness as he starts to pick up the glass-
"Wild? Can you hear me? I am not going to touch you, but I need you to look at me okay?"
Wild? That's right… they do call him Wild now… his father called him Link… but they call him Wild. He shakily looks up towards the soft voice that had requested it at the opening of the porch.
"There you go, good job. Now can you take deeper breaths for me? You are breathing too fast."
Thats true… He is breathing in quick wheezy puffs… is that why he feels like he's not getting enough air? He's shaking so bad… he's scared… of what? His father isn't here anymore right? No one here wants to hurt him like that… right? Wild tries to take a deeper breath but his side pulls wrong and pain shoots through his chest making him whimper and more tears drop down his cheeks. That hurts! Nonono-
"Hey, hey! Look at me! Keep looking at me okay? Try again, deep breath."
The coaching is firm, but not loud and not mean. It's grounding, so Wild latches onto the presence and does what he can to keep his focus on it. He shakily sucks in the deepest breath he can manage with his broken ribs. And then another one. And another one..
"That is better. Keep doing that okay? Do you know where you are?"
Does he? Wild looks up at the wood above him… yes he knows. He looks back towards the voice that he's now able to place as Wars now that he's calmer.
"Ranch. Lon Lon Ranch. Under the porch."
"That is right. It is just us Chosen and Malon at Lon Lon Ranch, none of us would ever intentionally hurt you. You are safe."
Safe… Wild doesn't feel safe. He knows that these people don't want to hurt him, but he can't convince his brain of that. He doesn't know if he will ever feel safe no matter how much he really wants to. Still… he's not being hurt right now. It's just his injuries he already had hurting.
"I'm not… I'm not in trouble? I wasn't bad?"
Wars frowns a little for a second but then forces his expression back to a semi comforting smile. Wild really hopes he didn't make Wars mad… he's already afraid of him…
"No, you are not in trouble. You did nothing wrong, you were just frightened. We all understand. Can you come out for me now?"
Wars reaches towards him. No! Knight, Captain, Wars has been nice but Wild can't trust him!
"N-no! Don't touch me! You promised!"
"Okay. Do not panic, I am not going to touch you, I was just offering to help. I will never touch you if you do not want me to, I promise."
Wild stares for a moment, deciding whether or not to believe Wars. A few tears streak down his face and he relaxes with a nod. None of them have lied yet…
"Okay…"
"Will you come out for Twilight?"
"Yes."
The simple answer is all Wild can manage. Wars nods though, not commenting on it before disappearing a moment and being quickly replaced by Twilight. Wild doesn't wait for Twilight to speak before he's crawling into Twilight's arms. He's lifted by those large safe arms. The last dredges of his panic smooth over. Safe… He will have to thank Wars for calming him down later…
"I'm sorry, Cub. I didn't mean t' scare ya like that."
Wild is quick to shake his head and reassure Twilight.
"Not your fault. You didn't scare me. It was… the yelling. And the cussing. It… made me think of bad stuff. My dad used to do that before he'd…"
Wild doesn't finish the sentence. A shudder passes through him just thinking about it, and strangely enough… Sky shudders at the same time in a similar way, looking oddly haunted by the whole situation. The inquisitive little gears in Wild's head start turning, but… it's not his business.
"Legend, I done told ya t’ quit bein' ugly and cussin' like that in front o’ a kid like ya ain't got no good sense about ya!" Twilight snaps, glaring at the one that reminds Wild of a rabbit.
"Oh piss off Twilight! I didn't even know the twerp was there! Besides, I've cussed in front of him plenty and he didn't have that reaction!"
Twilight absolutely looms over Legend for a second, and Wild is worried that they might really start arguing for a moment so he cuts in before Twilight can say anything in anger.
"It's okay, he really didn't know. And… I don't think it was the cussing itself. I've heard a lot worse than anything he's said around me. Just… if he could try not to yell out the cuss words like that…"
Wild hides his face against Twilight's shoulder. He hates to ask for anything, but he doesn't want what just happened to him to ever happen to him again. He got away from his dad, he's supposed to be free of the pain now… Legend gives an audible sigh of annoyance, making Wild flinch a bit, and Wild has a moment of deep fear that Legend may refuse.
Legend taps one of his little bunny feet a few times making hearty thumps with each tap and crosses his arms in annoyance but he relents, "Fine. Whatever. I'll watch what I say a little better."
That makes Wild's head lift back up. He can tell Legend doesn't like him very much… well… it's more that Legend is acting like he doesn't like Wild than it is actual hatred. Wild doesn't quite understand all of the layers. But it means a lot that Legend is still willing to help.
"Thank you…"
Legend just huffs and turns around with his arms still crossed. Wild sighs, hiding his face back against Twilight's shoulder. Exhaustion still weighs down on him. His entire body hurts, especially where Twilight's arms are wrapped around him, but there's nothing that will make the pain of his injuries stop until they have had time to heal. It's manageable for now... Wild doesn't want to bother the people who were kind enough to take him in with something that can't be fixed. He can deal with it, he's had worse pain.
"You wanna head on inside Cub? We'll get somethin to eat. You look tuckered out."
Wild feels his tummy growl at Twilight mentioning food. He is definitely hungry, and he's glad that food is being offered. He couldn't bring himself to ask. A nod is all Wild can manage in response. Twilight carries him inside, humming softly as they go. Wild nearly falls asleep on the way there to the deep reverberating sound of Twilight's voice. He almost falls asleep again after finishing his dinner, having only been able to muster enough energy to wolf down the food before nearly faceplanting on the empty plate.
"Okay, I think you've had enough excitement for today. Bedtime now."
Wild looks up at Time, confused. He won't argue, but it isn't even dark yet is it? A look towards the window proves Wild very wrong about that. It also means his tired brain isn't paying attention when Time leans down to pick him up. He recoils when Time grabs him, Time's grip tightens accidentally out of fear of dropping Wild, it's too late for Wild to adjust to the better position for his ribs- crunch.
The scream escapes Wild before he can stop it. He feels his unhealed ribs snap out of place under Time's gentle but unprepared hands. The pain is enough to make his vision go white for a second. He has to remind himself to breathe in again. Keep the breaths shallow… measured. Careful. He doesn't want to bleed inside again… last time he thought he was going to die… Wild eventually manages to regain his bearings and finds himself crumpled on the floor. His breaths come in shallow gasps as he tries to both breathe through his pain and not breathe too deeply. Time is kneeled beside him, hands hovering and face pale with horror…
"S-sorry… I know I'm not… supposed to scream."
Time only looks more horrified than before. Twilight is sporting an equally horrified look, and for some reason, the only other occupant of the room, Sky, looks strangely angry. Did Wild… say something he wasn't supposed to?
"Don't … don't apologize for… I think I just broke your ribs, don't apologize to me for screaming. I'm so sorry I hurt you-"
Wild is quick to shake his head to that. He doesn't want Time to feel guilty over something he didn't do.
"You didn't… they were already broken… there are a lot of broken ones. You just… unset them was all. My fault, I usually… twist a little when you guys pick me up… so this won't happen."
The idea was that explaining was supposed to help make everyone calm down some. That is not what Wild's explanation does, it only makes things worse. He's so confused… unfortunately, Hyrule and Malon arrive before Wild can ask what he said wrong.
"Malon told me Wild is hurt? What happened?"
Time is still pale looking when he glances at Hyrule. Wild desperately wishes that he understood why.
"Yes, he's hurt. I thought I'd broken some of his ribs picking him up but he says they were broken already and I unset them."
Now Hyrule has the same pale horrified look. Seriously, why is everyone but Sky reacting that way? And why does Sky look angry enough to start breaking someone else's bones like Twilight had broken Wild's father's??? The broken ribs aren't that bad, it could be worse. It would have been a lot worse if Wild had not run from Dustyn and found Time and Twilight. Why is everyone so upset over a few broken bones?
"Wild, I know you don't trust me quite yet, but can I have a look at your ribs for a bit? I'll see how much I can heal you with my magic, you'll feel better."
Hyrule is right, Wild doesn't trust them, but he trusts Sky and Twilight and he mostly trusts Time and Malon and they will protect him. He nods, if only so Hyrule will be able to tell everyone that it's not that bad.
In only a moment Hyrule kneels beside Wild and a soft light envelopes their hands as they lift them to Wild's sides. The relief is immediate and Wild almost bursts into tears. The pain almost completely vanished. He… he had forgotten what it was like to not be in agony every time he took a breath. The rest of his body still hurts of course, but this relief is more than Wild has known in his entire life. Unfortunately, the hope that Hyrule would tell the others it wasn't that bad is dashed, because Hyrule looks like they are going to puke.
"He's… he's right they are broken. Three on his left completely broken and one more cracked, and six completely broken on the right. Hylia, I don't even know how this could've happened…"
Wild takes that as prompting for an explanation, and fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
"Uhm… Military boots? I fell down while my dad was punishing me and I couldn't get back up when he said to. He didn't like that, so he kicked me… A few times… and uh…"
It takes a few seconds for him to realize that maybe that had not been prompting for an actual answer. Because everyone is staring at him again like they just saw a ghost. Miss Malon has tears in her eyes and is covering her mouth with both hands and Hyrule looks like they are going to burst into tears too.
"Oh no! Don't cry! Please don't cry! It's okay, it could have been worse really, I'm fine! I got away before he could hit me while my ribs were broken like this! He has done that before and it made me cough up blood for days, I felt awful.. I was scared I would never wake up again if he did it again… but I ran away and I found Time and Twilight! So it's okay! I even know how to set them back in place all by myself!"
Hyrule is in real tears only moments later and Malon has to excuse herself and leave the room probably because she's crying too. Wild feels horrible for making them cry but even more horrible for not understanding how he made them cry.
"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad, Hyrule. I didn't mean to make anyone sad or upset. It's okay I've… I've had worse."
Time puts both of his hands on Wild's shoulders, drawing Wild's attention solely to him, but it's too sudden. Wild gasps and jolts trembling with fear at the sudden touch and certain he's about to be punished for making Hyrule and Malon cry. Time immediately takes his hands away, but the way he raises them to do so looks like how he would raise them to hit. Wild flinches, whimpering with fear and arms up in front of his head to protect it as he braces for pain. Don't run, it's worse if he runs or jerks away or struggles no matter how much he wants to, he knows how much more he will suffer if he does-
"I'm not going to hit you, I would never hurt you, you're safe."
Time's voice is very patient, and Wild peeks at him to study him for a moment. He's relaxed, not angry. Not even annoyed that he's had to say that multiple times. Patient hands held where Wild can see them but not in a position where he could hurt Wild. He's still horrified, and sad, but he's not angry at all. Wild relaxes as he slowly manages to convince his brain that Time is being honest and won't hurt him.
"It's not okay Wild. None of this is okay. No one should have ever ever hurt you like this, least of all your own father. It will never be okay that he did this to you."
Wild doesn't understand. His father hurt him… to punish him. Because he was bad. Wild had run away out of fear, like a coward, but he was running from discipline in the end. All the Knights that Wild has been allowed to meet agreed with his dad and joined in on the punishments sometimes. No one in Castle Town had ever helped him when he was seen with bruises and starving. If it wasn't okay… then why did everyone act like it was? Why didn't anyone help him before now?
"But… but he was disciplining me. My dad hurt me because I was bad. Lots of people saw him hurting me and they all acted like it was okay. If I had not been bad and made him so mad he wouldn't have had to hurt me. It was my fault for being bad."
Wild's vigilant hearing catches the sound of movement. He turns to look, but it is only Twilight moving closer to Sky. Twilight does seem angry a little now, but more sad than anything. Sky, on the other hand, is so angry that it reminds Wild of the rage of a thunderstorm. Sky's anger is a force of nature. Wild is all the more intrigued as to what could inspire such a feeling. Maybe he was wrong earlier. This mystery actually is his business. He turns back to Time once he has assured himself there is no danger, but Sky remains on his mind.
"Wild. Listen to me. Hitting you is not discipline, and beating you to the point of broken bones is definitely not discipline. That's abuse. Your father was wrong to put his hands on you. All the people who saw it and did nothing were either just as bad or just too scared to stand up to the Captain of the Royal Guard."
Wild feels himself start tearing up. This is… the first time he's had a word for what was done to him. Abuse. It's also the first time someone has assured him that it was wrong. It's.. a new concept. That it was wrong for his dad to abuse him.
"So… it wasn't… it wasn't okay for him to hurt me? I didn't deserve it? That's… not what love is supposed to be like?"
Time's hand brushes against his cheek to wipe away Wild's tears, and he finds himself leaning into the touch despite still being a bit wary of Time.
"No. You absolutely did not deserve to be hurt. And no one that truly loved you would have hurt you like this."
"Oh…"
How is he supposed to respond to that? It somehow makes things… more confusing. If he didn't deserve it then… why? Why had his dad hurt him so much for so so long while nobody did anything to help? It doesn't make any sense…. Hyrule shifts a bit awkwardly from where they are still kneeled at Wild's side with tears still streaming down their own face.
"Uh… Time? I'm sorry but… my healing magic still requires that the person I'm using it on has the natural energy and internal resources to actually heal. Just like red potion. But Wild is so malnourished right now… I can't heal his ribs. There's nothing I can do."
The moment Hyrule's magic fades, Wild's pain comes back in full force. He makes a choked sound of agony and hugs his chest, unable to hold back the soft sobs that follow. He's so overwhelmed.
"Oh Farore! I'm so sorry! Just hang on, I think I can at least help with the pain."
After a few seconds, the searing pain soon fades back down to a bearable throb and the magic fading doesn't make it come back this time. Wild blinks up at Hyrule in wonder.
"There. Is that better? It's not perfect but I hope it's helping- oof!"
Wild throws himself at Hyrule, tackling them into a hug. He could almost cry with relief. He is crying… that's okay.
"Thank you…"
"I'm just happy I could help. It will wear off in a few hours but I can redo it as many times as you need me to."
Hyrule returns the hug a bit awkwardly. After a few more seconds, Wild lets go and then turns back to Time. He's exhausted and overwhelmed, and he doesn't think he can deal with much more emotion right now.
"I'd… like to go to bed now. If that's okay."
Time just nods with a tired smile and scoops Wild up much more carefully. Hyrule is still crying a little bit, Twilight looks absolutely sick to his stomach, Malon is still gone… Wild really made everyone sad… everyone but… Sky. Who is absolutely shaking with what Wild can only describe as pure rage when Time passes him carrying Wild to bed. The reaction is so different from everyone else's that it greatly perplexes Wild. He waits for Time to make it into the room that has been set up for Wild to stay in and set him down on the bed before attempting to ask about it.
"I didn't mean to upset everyone."
There's a soft sigh from the elder, and he kneels down to Wild's level to brush a lock of hair over Wild's ear. Wild has to suppress a wince at the weird feeling of knowing Time's hand is there near his ear but not being able to hear it because it's his bad ear. That will never not be weird.
"It's not your fault. We were upset because it's hard to fathom how anyone could hurt such an adorable kid. It's no one's fault but Dustyn's."
Wild looks down a bit bashfully at being called adorable. More importantly though, he's gotten Time to acknowledge that the general reaction had been a sad sort of upset. Now there's no way he can deny it when Wild asks about Sky's much different reaction.
"How come Sky reacted differently?"
Time blinks and then looks away, his single eye focused thoughtfully on the wall as if he's not sure what Wild means. Trying to avoid the question. Wild isn't going to let him.
"Differently? I'm not sure what you mean, he was upset too."
"Yes, but everyone else was sad upset. Sky was mad upset. Very very mad upset. Enough that it was super weird."
There's another brief moment of thought from Time, but Wild is certain he's backed his opponent into a corner now, so he's happy to wait. Time rises and moves towards the door before answering.
"Sky is… from a different place than everyone else. He was raised in a different culture with different and much stricter moral values. Don't worry about it too much, he will cool down. Get some rest Cub."
Time leaves, and Wild pouts after him. That was…. Somehow both an answer and an artful dodge of the actual question. Now Wild is even more curious. Is Time not giving a straight answer because he doesn't know or because he just doesn't want to say? Wild will just have to personally ask Sky. He's seemed pretty nice to be around, so Wild isn't afraid to approach him about it. Wild slides out of bed and makes sure Time is out of sight before sneaking back out of his room. There's no way he will be able to rest until his curiosity is satisfied, exhausted or not. He sets out on his mission to find Sky.