If you have not read my full fan fiction, The Winged Ones, you will likely find yourself lost while reading this.
Art for this story http: / / lilleahwest. deviantart. com /art/color -Kakariko-Prince -Sheik- 199610451 (delete the spaces...I have to put spaces or it cuts off part of the link when I save)
Chapter 1
Deep in the Lost Woods, at the threshold where Termina meets Hyrule, two figures stared at each other in disbelief.
They had practically bumped heads as they made their way through the thick underbrush.
The one was intrigued to see the other's red eyes and odd blue clothing.
The second was shocked to see the other's huge wings and marked face.
Neither had seen a person with these traits before.
"What…are you?" the red eyed being asked.
"May I ask the same?" the feathered youth said politely.
The red eyed one stayed quiet. The winged one responded to their gaze.
"Right, you asked first. My name is Kakariko. I am a Tenshioni, a member of the race cursed by cold. I am on an urgent mission to find a place to relocate to, if you don't mind telling me what lies behind you…"
The red eyes grew wider "A place to relocate…"
Kakariko was taken aback by the man's expression, he knew that look in his eyes.
"Your people are under threat as well…aren't they…"
The blonde with blood colored eyes darted back. He now noticed the large double helix blade clipped to the side of the winged one's armor. He drew his knife "Are you the one behind it!" he snarled.
"Sir, I have no idea where I am let alone what you are talking about…but if you tell me at least one or the other, I may be able to help."
The riled up young man looked into the other's gentle blue eyes and his own expression softened. Something about those warm hearted eyes told him this silver haired winged one could be trusted.
"I may be able to help you as well." he said, sheathing his weapon. "Cursed by cold?…"
"Yes, aside from me, my people are bound to a land of snow. For some reason fate decided to spare me of the temperature intolerance my kin share. I alone was able to leave and try to find a place of refuge from the demon…" his eyes held pain as he said this.
"My name is Sheik. I am a Sheikah, a member of the red eyed shadow folk…I too seek a land of life and hope that my clan can retreat to…It seems that no matter where we hide in Termina something still finds us…."
"Termina?"
"Yes…"
"I have never heard such a name, I come from Hyrule."
"Well seems we have lots in common, I have never heard that name either."
Each cracked a faint smiled despite the tense nature of their encounter.
"In Termina there is, as you would put it, a land of snow. There is a place beyond the peak of Snowhead that stays winter year round. It is a long trip but I can lead you there, if you show me to Hyrule."
Kakariko grinned slightly "Hyrule is about a day's travel back that way. I even know of a place your people can flee to that is uninhabited at the moment. You can see the landmark easily from a distance, it's a another half day's walk from where I can lead you but it is easy to find."
"I wish I could say the same about Snowhead…it is summer …and the path to the part that remains frozen is deadly if you do not know the way.
It may take over a week to get there and back if something slows us down."
"Then let me show you the place at the foot of Death Mountain first, you can get your people moving while you show me the way to this land of snow."
Sheik cracked a faint smile. "I like how you think."
The two made their way through the wild woods. As darkness fell they stopped in a patch of tall grass to bed down for the night.
Until now Sheik had been too worried to sleep, he is not roused from slumber easily, even by the greatest of threats... But tonight the Sheikah took comfort from the fact that there was now one extra set of senses to be alerted to danger in the night.
However, his nerves were still rattled, and right now he could swear something was moving in the forest around him, but it was too dark to see.
There was a rustling and the Sheikah shot up with the long knife drawn.
"Don't you dare hurt them." the winged man said, not moving from his cocoon of feathers in the grass. "It's a forest child, they are harmless. Seems their guardian is letting them be awful wild though."
"Guardian?"
"Yes, a spirit tree." he yawned.
"A tree?…Well I guess that is a befitting guardian of forest folk. I wonder if you speak of dekus?"
"No not dekus, these are more human…." his voice trailed off.
The Sheikah laid back down, he curled up in a little ball in the grass trying to get comfortable.
Just as he was about the pass out the rusting grew louder and more irritating.
Sheik sat up and growled "Scram you little pipsqueaks! Or I will turn you into woodchips! I have not slept for days!"
He sat for a moment. Content that things would stay quiet he plopped back down.
"Remind me not to piss you off." Kakariko said flatly, his voice muffled in the feathers laid over his head.
Sheik snort out a laugh "Trust me, I am normally more refined than this, being awake for three days straight tends to rattle one's nerves…"
"Well, trust me, I am not one to swear like that, but being kept awake by one's new friend tends to rattle one's nerves as well." he said with sleepy sarcasm.
"New friend huh?" Sheik said as he closed his eyes "Well, then goodnight, my new friend."
As morning came they continued through the woods and to the land beyond. As they reached the edge of the trail they found the thick woods opened to a more spacious forest. It was overgrown and wild, but signs of primitive settlement could be found in the remains of large dead trees.
"Is this were those forest children live?"
"Yes, though I have only seen one of them up close. They seem wild, and shy of outsiders, I don't think they have ever left this forest."
They made their way through the eerily quiet wilderness and to a passage that led out of the place.
"Um, I can see why they have not left."
There was passage through the cliffs that surrounded the forest, but there was no bridge from here to there, and there was no ladder in the valley below either.
"I can fly you across."
"No, no. I have my own means of dealing with this. I grew up in a canyon, getting past such obstacles is in my nature."
Sheik unwound the roll of rope hooked to the pouch at his hip, Kakariko saw there was quite the sizeable hook on the end.
With a skilled toss the hook bit into the earth at the opening in the opposing cliff face. He gave the rope a firm tug and then tied off the end.
"I'll meet you on the other side." The Sheikah said as he effortlessly walked across the slim rope. Kakariko was impressed that one without wings could practically walk on air in such a manor.
An expansive field met them on the other side.
"Not much further now, you should be able to see the mountain within the hour. There is an empty patch of land nestled at the foot of the peak. If you cross the river and follow the cliff you will find a narrow pass in the rocks that leads up to this area. It should be perfect for you."
"It sounds nice and secluded."
"It is."
"Perfect. We Sheikah for the most part like to keep to ourselves."
"My people also keep to themselves, though not by choice. The Tenshioni are bound to one place and many wish they could venture further. I find it odd that your people choose to be separated."
"Well not all do, it is tradition though to remain as shadows to the outside world, and going against this is frowned upon. My brother for instance, went and got himself disowned from the family by abandoning his name as a warrior and moving to the central town with his wife.
My father has no idea I am here doing this, it was my mother and I whom decided we should leave Ikana…My father will likely stay to the bitter end, but I cannot let my people die because of his stubbornness. I will take anyone who is willing and start a new home with new traditions here in Hyrule."
As time passed Death Mountain came into view.
"Well, that is it. Follow that landmark and your people are home free. Now lets hurry back and find this new land of snow…before my home becomes nothing more than a desert…"
His last words lacked his usual cheery tone, Sheik could sense much unrest behind Kakariko's sunny exterior.
"May I ask what is going on in the land of snow?"
"Yes, but it is your turn to answer me first, if I may ask the same of you?"
Sheik cringed, his eyes drifted down to the ground as he started his tale.
"Something, something unseen, is killing off my people slowly one by one. And it is only those with red eyes, every other race has been spared.
It does not happen every day and for a while we even thought it had stopped. Sometimes no one would even notice until someone would fail to show up for supper and then fail to come home at all…by morning we would always find them…and would always wish we hadn't.
And last time.."
he paused, his voice had become shaken and angry
"last time it was a child! He went missing in the night, what we found the following day…what monster would be so cruel!" he was on the verge of tears though he forced them not to fall.
The winged man's heart was gripped with empathy as he looked to the troubled red eyed man, he opened his mouth to speak but Sheik was not finished.
"We have to get out of there! I tried sending scouts to other places of Termina but whatever is happening got to them too. My groups would always return at least one member short…I can only hope and pray that this thing does not follow us to Hyrule…"
"I can say the same, I hope the creature plaguing us stays put as well. Unlike you, we know our killer. It is a demon creature made of flames…it's slowly stripping my home of life and killing off everything in the process. The natural snowy state of our land has been destroyed. Our lives are now only sustained by great creatures known as wolfose, it is their magic that keeps our land filled with frost…The demon has been slowly and maliciously picking them off one by one…leaving their scattered remains strewn across our once white land…staining it red...
The people outside our land and race have likewise been spared, this demon's focus seems to be solely on us.
But. Unlike you, my father knows I am here. I wanted to stay and fight! I can get close to flames without getting hurt, I can handle heat without falling ill. I can get close enough to fight…But my father is far more wise than I, and I trust him with all my heart…
And so here I am, doing what he hopes is best. And I hope he is right, I dearly dread what I may find upon my return…
If the number of wolfose drops below five the remaining grip of cold on our home will fail…At that point only staying close to them can keep my kin alive…If just one can survive then my clan can follow it to a new land of snow…"
"…Our plights are so similar…It seems fate has brought us together in this time of crisis. Perhaps this means we are destined to help one another?"
"In that case, I promise I will help you in any way I can, if you can say the same for me."
"Yes, I can say the same… I believe that together we have a better chance of saving our people."
"Well, let us hope that merging our crossed paths means we will share a brighter fate as our new path unfolds. So far it seems we have already helped each other greatly."
They smiled to one another. Their grins were the first bit of sincere happiness to grace either man's face in a long time. The stranglehold of doom on their souls loosened and their serious demeanor became far more relaxed.
As they reached the Lost Woods it was getting dark and soon they would have to stop for the night.
Sheik stretched and yawned "Man I am so hungry… I wish I could fry up a skulltula right now."
Kakariko paused with a disgusted look on his face "Why in Din's name would you eat one of those?"
"What? Do you not like crunchy stuff? They taste great if you cook them right."
The winged man scrunched up his face "You seriouslyeat skulltulas?"
"Well the legs can be an issue, they like to get stuck in your teeth."
"Sheik!... If you don't stop talking…I'm going to have to hurt you."
The Sheikah chuckled, the Tenshioni too…that is until the sound of one of the creatures in question reached his ears.