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Wild smoothed the last piece of tape over Hyrule’s finger, inspecting his handiwork before giving a nod and stepping back with a grin.
“Ready?” he asked the traveler.
The young brunette nodded as he looked at the tape covering each finger. “I am!” Hyrule said excitedly, looking up the cliff in front of them.
The “cliff” was hardly more than an especially steep incline with some boulders, but Wild figured it would be a good start. Hyrule knew nothing about climbing, so this would give him the opportunity to figure out how to find good handholds without *too* much of a risk of injury. They did promise Time they would be careful, after all.
Wild brought Hyrule over to a few large boulders with good handholds to show him what to look for. Hyrule couldn’t help but be stunned while he watched Wild climb over different parts of the boulder, showing him how different handholds can impact where you go or how you ascend. To Hyrule, Wild’s ability to hold onto a bump in the rock with his feet propped just right and just hang there might as well have been magic. After Wild thought he had explained a sufficient amount he hopped down and told Hyrule to give it a try.
Hyrule felt a nervous excitement as he looked for a good place to grab. Wild and Hyrule were similar in height, but Wild had a few extra inches that could make a big difference. Not to mention Wild might as well be a monkey with agility like his.
“Here, if you put your foot here, you can use it to push off and grab the flat part there,” Wild spoke up after seeing Hyrule’s uncertainty, pointing to the where he was talking about. “I’ll stand behind you so if you miss you can fall on me,” Wild said reassuringly, flashing a grin at him.
The traveler nodded as Wild came up behind him, ready to spot him. Hyrule tentatively put his foot where Wild had indicated, adjusting his foot to make it more stable when he jumped from it.
“That’s right, now reach up and push off, just like a regular jump,” Wild said, lifting his arms, ready to catch Hyrule if necessary.
Hyrule hesitated a moment, but reached up to grab at the hand hold, though Wild failed to mention where to put his foot, so he was left scrambling to find a foothold. Wild moved forward to brace his hand under Hyrule’s food, holding him steady while he found a place for his other foot.
“There you go!” Wild said encouragingly, letting ‘Rulie’s foot go when he found another foothold.
Hyrule clung to the boulder, holding himself close to the rock wall. “Now where do I go??” he asked, voice pitched up in nervousness. He wasn’t afraid of heights by any means, but this was different than looking over a cliff or climbing a tree. This time he was clinging on by his fingers and toes.
“Next you find another foothold. I’ve still got you, dont worry,” Wild said encouragingly.
Hyrule cautiously lifted his foot after finding a place to put it. He found another spot for his other foot, but Wild interrupted to give him more advice and correct him. The traveler missed the next handhold and lost his grip, letting out a yelp as he fell. Wild caught him, wrapping his arms around the other Hero and stepping back to catch them and keep them upright.
“Sorry!” Hyrule apologized quickly, jumping forward and turning to look back at Wild.
Wild chuckled and shook his head. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said.
“Here, let’s try this,” he said, tugging the knot of his climbing bandana free. He turned the traveler back around and tied the bandana in place on his head. “A Great Fairy blessed this to improve your climbing ability. I’ll let you borrow it for now,” he said, patting his shoulder. “Ready to try again?”
Hyrule took a deep breath, then nodded and smiled. “I’m ready!”