Rusl was a long way from home. Or, he would have been, if he had a home. In truth, he didn't really know what a home was, or what it should have been. Home, to him, was a tiny, one bedroom apartment, his mother passed out on the floor. It was empty bottles of alcohol and baggies of drugs strewn around the living room. It was a father who only came around between his time in jail. Home was sleeping in the back seat of a stolen car, broken down in some sketchy motel parking lot. It was being alone, waiting for his mother to return with enough money to buy him a gas station hot dog.
And after a while, home was a stranger's house with other kids like him. Home was the social worker's car as she took him seemingly all around Hyrule, hoping to find someone to care for him. Home was empty holidays, forgotten birthdays, and most of all, a reminder that wherever he went, he was not one of them.
He was nine years old when he took their car, hot wiring it just as his mother had shown him. Of course, he couldn't get very far, barely able to reach the pedals and see over the dash, and when he crashed the car just a few miles away from his foster home, he decided to leave it as someone else's problem and ran as far away as he could.
He had no idea where in the world he was in the first place, but it didn't matter. All he knew was that he wanted to get far away from it all. If he wasn't going to belong anywhere, then he wanted to be nowhere. His nine year old imagination pictured him living in a fort in the woods, collecting thrown out blankets and pillows and other odds and ends. He imagined branches intertwined together as his ceiling where broken string lights hung, and somehow, he'd get a tv hooked up in the corner where he could settle in and watch cartoons.
It all seemed so perfect, and even more, completely doable. He just had to find the perfect spot. Somewhere close enough to civilization where he could get by by stealing an occasional burger or use a public bathroom, but far enough away where no one would notice a lost, little boy living on his own in the woods.
That was how he came upon the farmer's market, somewhere in the world, wherever he was. In the hustle and bustle of the farmer's market, Rusl should have been able to steal a few stray apples to satisfy his grumbling stomach. But unbeknownst to him, on the border of Hyrule, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He tried to ignore the stares as he wandered through the crowds, but it became apparent that he was being watched very closely, for a reason completely unknown to him. He never knew people to be as mean as they seemed right there, in that moment, and he couldn't help but to feel like he did not belong there, wherever he was.
He tried to step out of the crowd, moving along the edges and darting between stands. He slowed to inspect each stand, their contents, and the people that stood around them, searching for the busiest stand to allow him an opportunity to sneak in and steal a few items. But as he searched, a man stepped out in front of him, sneering down at him.
"What's a Hylik* like you doing here?"
*Hylik - (non-canon) a derogatory slang used to refer to Hylians. Used to suggest that they perform sexual acts with the Goddess Hylia. Shik is also used in reference to Sheikah.
Rusl's brows furrowed, and he looked up angrily at the man, though he did not dare respond to him.
This only seemed to anger the man further, however, and he stepped closer toward him, bending down to get in his face.
"Maybe you didn't hear me with those ears of yours," he hissed. "I said, what are you doing here?"
"Hey." Another man stepped up, putting himself between Rusl and the angry man. "He's just a kid. Leave him alone."
The man sneered at him. "He's a kid that's gonna turn into scum like the rest of 'em."
"What are you going to do?" the second man said. He pressed in closer, driving the man off of Rusl. "Beat him?"
The man grinned. "No one would stop me." He straightened proudly. "In fact, no one would miss him if I killed him."
"Touch him," the second man sneered, "and I'll kill you."
The first man shoved his shoulder, taunting him. "Let's see it, then."
The second man was clearly annoyed, but he took a step back, his hand moving down to brush against Rusl. He pushed at Rusl's shoulder, and Rusl looked between them.
"Get out of here," the second man said to him. He glanced at him, though his expression seemed angry. "You shouldn't be here."
Rusl took a hesitant step back, looking between them once more before turning away and running back through the crowd.
He pushed his way through, running as fast as he could until the crowd finally thinned, and he dashed out of the fenced in area of the farmer's market and across the parking lot. He didn't stop until he reached the treeline on the other side of the packed lot, where he paused to catch his breath. He turned his gaze back toward the farmer's market for a moment, but it was clear that no one bothered to follow him out. He kicked his shoe into the dirt, shoved his hands in his pockets, and disappeared into the woods.
He spent the afternoon climbing boulders and hopping over logs as he searched out the perfect spot for him to set up his imagined home in the woods. From time to time, he stopped to chase a rabbit as it scurried away from him. Before long, it started to get dark, and he still had not eaten.
Figuring the farmer's market would be closed, he decided to try his luck once more, emerging from the woods in hopes of finding dinner. The parking lot, as he expected, was relatively empty, and except for a few nearby street lights, the fenced off area of the market was dark. There were still a few people milling about, packing up for the day and bringing the rest of their goods to their vehicles. Now was his chance.
He stepped out of the treeline and neared the lot, but to his dismay, he immediately recognized one of the figures, standing alone by a vehicle. The figure looked up as Rusl approached, and he, too, recognized the Hylian boy. A wicked grin split his face. He looked around himself for a moment, them walked toward Rusl, causing Rusl to freeze in his tracks.
"Look who's back," the man sneered. "Didn't get the warning the first time? Too bad, 'cuz it's the only one you're gettin'." He pulled a knife from his back pocket; the blade flashed in the moonlight.
Rusl turned to run, but the man was quicker. He lunged forward, grabbing Rusl's arm and dragging him to the ground. Rusl yelped and kicked desperately at the man, but he was much larger and stronger, and easily pinned the boy to the ground. Rusl watched in terror as the man raised the blade, and he closed his eyes.
He didn't understand the sounds he heard next, but he felt sudden relief from the weight of the man. When he opened his eyes, the man was on his knees, his hand over his nose, blood seeping through his fingers.
"You," the man hissed sharply.
"Guess I'm gonna have to kill you," the second man said, standing in front of Rusl. "You couldn't just leave him alone."
The man's lips pulled into an inhumane snarl. He put a hand on the ground, using it to push himself up as he lunged at the man. He had the knife in his hand, and he threw himself against Rusl's defender.
Rusl tried to shout in warning - he didn't want anyone to get hurt because of him - and reached out in an attempt to stop the fight. But at that moment, he felt a sensation he had never felt before. It was as if an imaginary wave was being pulled forcefully through his body. He could feel it running through his chest, his limbs, down his arm and into his palm, where the energy seemed to gather before bursting forth and knocking him backwards onto the ground.
When he looked up, both men were lying on the ground, motionless. His heart began to race as he scrambled to his feet. He looked between the two men, hesitant, but neither of them bothered to get up. He stepped carefully toward the second man, bending down and poking him, but the man made no response. He noticed, then, in the light of the moon, that both men had blood coming out of their noses, eyes, and ears. Upon further inspection, their shirts were torn and bloodied, their chests seemingly seared.
He stumbled backwards in horror, realizing then that they were both dead. He looked up again as the other people in the parking lot were alerted to what had happened. They hurried over toward them, and Rusl panicked. He pushed himself to his feet, and without looking back, he sprinted back into the safety of the woods.
It was morning when the police found him huddled under an overhang of boulders. He tried to run from them, certain that he was going to die for what he had done, but when the police caught him, they simply guided him into one of the cruiser's where he sat in the back seat.
They drove for what felt like hours until Rusl began to recognize his surroundings. He was relieved that they weren't going to kill him, though he really didn't want to be forced to go back to his foster family. He knew too well that he didn't have any other choice, but he was sure that they would find out about what happened, and he feared what would happen to him after that.
He was instructed to go to his room as soon as they got to the house, but he only went around the corner and hurried up half the steps before stopping to listen in to the conversation.
"Witnesses saw him in Eldin," the officer explained. "He killed two men, then took off into the woods, where we found him this morning."
"He couldn't have done it on purpose," Maree said. "He doesn't even know he's capable of that power."
"It doesn't matter," Ty replied. "It could happen again. He's dangerous. He could hurt the other kids." There was a pause before he continued. "He's Hylian; what did you expect?"
"What are we supposed to do? He has no one."
"That's not our problem," Ty pressed. "The safety of these kids is our main concern. He doesn't belong here with us, or with them. They will find somewhere else for him."
"Will they? No one will want to take him when they find out about him."
He sighed. "What do you want me to say? He can't stay here. We have kids, too. What if they get hurt? Or killed?"
There was another pause until the officer spoke. "It would be in your best interest. There are people that can take care of him and ensure he will not be a threat."
Maree sighed softly. "Alright. I'll call them."