A/N: Hey, guys! Look who's posting something! Probably won't be more anytime soon though...

I started this one-shot last summer after I got Skyward Sword, and I only just got around to finishing it. Also, what is it with me and writing from the point of view of minor characters? I guess I'm just always wondering what those side characters we hardly ever see are doing all the time... Anyway, enough from me- enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Legend of Zelda or its characters, nor do I make any money from writing this. It is solely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of others.

The wind was howling, screeching, wailing. It flung him about and disoriented him, showing no sign of weakening. Dirt and debris that shouldn't be in the Sky rushed all around him. He thought he heard screaming. Was it just the wind? Or was it a voice? The voice of the one he was sworn to protect? There was no way to tell.

Dark eyes frantically swept over what they could see of the cloud barrier below. Blood-red feathers jerked free and spiraled away in the wild air currents. Enormous wings flapped madly, trying to stay upright. He was having trouble staying in control, and his human partner was unquestionably hurtling through the air at the mercy of the gusts. He had to find him. He could never live with himself if he didn't.

He felt a tug in his mind, his heart. He could sense him! The boy that was his rider. His boy. Dirt blew full-force into his eyes as he attempted to fly in the direction the connection was pulling him. Blinking rapidly, he managed to spot a light-colored form being tossed around violently at the base of the dark whirlwind. Without hesitation, he dove, struggling to stay on course.

The closer he got, the worse the winds became. He could barely get close enough, and with each missed chance the human boy was jerked further away. At one point, an unidentifiable chunk of debris clipped his wing, causing him to veer away from his rider with a squawk of pain. He was on the verge of despair.

Fortunately, the goddess seemed to be on his side. Just when he feared he would lose sight of the boy, an updraft sent the young human's limp figure close enough to be snatched out of the air by a large talon. Not taking a second to feel relief, he promptly changed direction. He had to get his companion out of there. Flapping his wings, fighting exhaustion, thinking only one thing:

Save the boy.

He made it out of the turbulent gusts, the sudden stillness catching him off guard as his wild flapping abruptly jerked him sideways. This jostled the human that he clutched in a strong yet gentle grip below, causing him to stir and mumble.

"Zelda… No…"

Zelda. His partner's favorite human companion. She had been with them when the winds had turned violent. She and her partner (one of his own kind- blue feathers) were nowhere in sight. He couldn't concern himself with them, however. His partner needed help. Help that only another human could give.

His wings were heavy. His eyelids drooped. He was tired. But the boy had become still again, and he knew that if he didn't find the right human in time, his efforts would be meaningless. Drawing on a strength born solely of his determination to save his young partner, he directed himself toward Skyloft and a human that he hoped could help.

Gaepora stood at the base of the Statue of the Goddess, watching the Sky with mounting grief. He had seen the black whirlwind appear without warning, and in its fury swallow up his teenage daughter and her best friend, Link, along with their Loftwings. The sight had frozen him to the ground in shock, but it wasn't long before he was rushing toward the Statue of the Goddess, praying fervently for the teens' lives.

Gaepora had thought nothing of the two of them going off on an afternoon ride, as they often did when they had free time. They were responsible kids, and he felt they deserved it after the Wing Ceremony- Link especially. He had been the one to obtain the bird statuette and advance to the senior class. Why shouldn't he be allowed to relax with his friend? How could anyone have predicted that something so terrible would happen? Which was why Gaepora was here, beside himself with worry, beseeching the goddess to bring them back safely, or at the very least tell him why…

Why them? Why now?

He was startled out of his prayers by a loud, somewhat forced squawk. He looked up to the sight of a Crimson Loftwing, the only one of its kind, flying toward him, its red feathers burning in the light of the setting sun. It was a bird that everyone in Skyloft could recognize as belonging to one person. Its flight was unsteady and it appeared ready to collapse, but what caught the headmaster's eye and dampened any relief he might have been feeling was the limp, helpless form it carried. Gaepora felt his heart sink.

The Loftwing painfully lowered Link onto the ground, trying to be as gentle as it could. Landing a few yards away, it looked at Gaepora with tired eyes before closing them and collapsing with a groan. Gaepora wasn't sure, but he thought he had seen a silent plea in those eyes.

Link's Loftwing was in bad shape. Even from a distance, the headmaster could see the patches of skin where feathers had been ripped out by the violent winds, small rivulets of blood trickling down. And judging by the difficulty with which it had been flying, at least one of its wings had to be damaged. Perhaps a strained muscle or, at best, an inconveniently placed bruise. It was exhausted, too. Dangerously so. Gaepora found himself hesitating to look at Link, in fear of what might be found upon closer inspection. If his bird was so battered, he didn't want to guess Link's condition. But Link was smaller than his Loftwing and maybe, just maybe the winds hadn't left as much of a mark. And it wasn't like Gaepora could allow himself to just leave him there, regardless of his state.

Steeling himself for what he might find, Gaepora moved toward the lifeless form lying crumpled on the ground. Slowly, cautiously, he knelt down, heart racing in his chest. He placed one hand behind Link's head to keep it from knocking against the hard stone platform, and turned him onto his back as gently as he could. The boy flopped where he was moved.

Gaepora felt his heart breaking as he looked at the teenager's deathly pale face. Taking a shaky breath, he reached out and placed two fingers on the side of Link's neck. An agonizing second passed before Gaepora detected a faint throbbing. A pulse. Link had a pulse. He was still alive. The headmaster sighed in relief, rubbing a hand over his bald head as he allowed himself to relax slightly.

"Thank the goddess," he breathed. He checked Link for injuries, finding a couple nasty bruises and a few cuts slowly oozing blood, but nothing more. He must have fallen unconscious due to an inability to breathe in the turbulent gusts. Gaepora watched Link for a while longer, taking note of the uneven rising and falling of his chest, which was steadying out as each second passed. He would recover quickly.

Amidst his relief over Link, Headmaster Gaepora felt a darker worry overtake him. Link's Loftwing had rescued him and brought him back. Zelda's had not. Where was she?

Abruptly, he remembered the Goddess Sword. It had begun glowing about a week ago. Barely noticeable at first, but a glow nonetheless. He had dismissed it as a trick his old eyes were playing on him, but now he wasn't so sure.

What was it that the legends said? That when the sword began glowing, the great apocalypse would awaken. But it also said that the hero chosen by the goddess would be revealed. Could that be the reason Link was the only one able to make it back? And if that's true, does that mean that Zelda is…?

The boy lying unaware in front of him offered no answers. Heaving one final sigh, Gaepora slid his arms underneath Link and carefully lifted him up. Glancing at the exhausted Loftwing nearby, he started briskly for the Knight Academy. He would send someone out to care for Link's bird as soon as he could. As for his daughter… Gaepora was certain of only one thing: she was not coming back that night.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome and a lovely way to brighten my day! :)