A/N: This one-shot is a tribute to my favorite part of Spirit Tracks, and it's what you get when I'm bored and have a lot of time on my hands. XD
To the Rescue
Link hung over the side of his train as it chugged along the Spirit Tracks, squinting out over the rocky landscape. He was here in the Fire Realm on a mission, and constant vigilance was imperative. He had pinned up his rail map by the controls so he could easily check where he was going.
"Just one more," he muttered, eying all the small circles and x's dotting the map of the kingdom.
This mission was going to be incredibly difficult. The mountainside was a shade of reds, oranges, and browns that blurred together into one color before his eyes, which were watering from the ash in the air and from being forced open for so long. He wiped at them with his sleeve quickly before sweeping the landscape once more.
And then there! A movement behind the rock caught his eye, and quick as a flash, without dropping his eyes from their purpose, his hand reached out and fumbled at the whistle string, finally twisting it around his palm and yanking as hard as he could. The Mountain Rabbit leapt five feet up from behind the rock, and Link brought the train to a screeching stop while maneuvering his cannon to the perfect position.
BOOM! Rock and earth exploded into the air, mingling with the ash. The rabbit hopped about frantically, but Link was determined to keep his prize. He grabbed his net and gave chase. He would only have a couple seconds…
Trying to anticipate the animal's movements, Link threw down the net a second too late, and it bounded off to the right. Quickly, he shook the dirt from his clothes and stalked up on the rabbit. It feinted left, but this time Link was ready for it and triumphantly trapped the flighty creature in the net, where it thrashed about for a minute or two until he snatched it by the ears.
Congratulations! You caught a Mountain Rabbit! Bring it to the Rabbitland Rescue!
Link grinned. "Gotcha, little buddy."
He put the rabbit in the cage he prepared and watched it hop cautiously and sniff its new surroundings. With a sigh of relief, he circled the spot on his map and crossed it out with an x.
"The last one," he said, elated. He needed to show the Master.
[xx]
"Master!" Link cried, waving his rabbit in one hand. "I caught the last Mountain Rabbit!"
"Wonderful!" the Master replied, clapping gleefully. The black ears on his head wobbled in his enthusiasm. "Good work, my apprentice. A prize for your efforts!"
Link's face brightened as the Master reverently handed him a star fragment.
"Did I catch them all, Master?"
The Master straightened and shook his head sagaciously. "Oh no, my dear apprentice. There is still much you do not know of the world, and of frolicking with rabbits. There are still ten more rabbits you must find, hidden within the sands of the Ocean Realm."
Link nodded, hanging on every word. "Yes, Master."
"You want to frolic with the rabbits, don't you?"
"Yes, Master!"
"Then off you go!" the Master cried. "Catch the lost Desert Rabbits, and then you will understand what it means to be a Rabbit Master!"
Link's eyes shone. Rabbit Master. The word sounded so smooth on his tongue, as if it belonged there. He hopped on his train, giving it a loving pat as he chugged his way out of the station and on to the desert of the Ocean Realm. After all, he never would have gotten this far if he hadn't been an engineer.
A/N: Pretty short, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Now I'm gonna go catch some more rabbits while enjoying the Overworld Theme.