Rise of a New Dawn
The day was lovely with its dazzling light, illuminating every leaf and shrub, but the half-light of morning through the heavy brush of the forest couldn't be topped. It made the fairy's natural aura light useful but still somewhat concealed to the casual passerby and gave a distinctly eerie feel in the air, which was still chilled from the night. Tatl smiled, her sunny glow dimming and brightening again as she bobbed around with excitement, wings flapping like a humming birds'. It was perfect. Just the right setting for pranks and foolishness.
She eyed her lagging companions impatiently. Flapping lazily by the forest floor was another fairy, Tael, who looked exactly like her except his aura was a serious violet tinged with scarlet. Tatl bristled a bit, looking at it. Her own aura lit up like a flickering candle on a lamp post, which provided excellent lighting but simply didn't look as fashionable as Taels' mysterious glow. It was nearly unbearable to an older sister to be one-upped by her little brother…she shook her head a little as if to cast off her jealousy. Not far behind Tael was a humanoid boy living in that short twilight that separates childhood from adulthood. He certainly looked outlandish by any standard, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, pointed shoes, and tattered clothes; if he were to stand perfectly still, one would think he was a scarecrow. But the strangest thing about his complexion was that he wore a mask. It was not a mask of any discernable creature, but somehow, it seemed as though the mask really was the face of some kind of nameless monster. Silvery horns jutted out all around the edges of the heart shaped and two large ruby eyes were painted on either side, giving off a permanently frenzied gaze. It was beautiful and terrible. But above all, it seemed malevolent. Tatl didn't like the mask, but she kept her opinions about it quiet. 'After all," she thought, 'With a name like Skull Kid, I guess that creepy mask suits him better than any other,'
"Hey, Tatl, ya see anything?" Tael shouted, now taking a break from skimming above the ground by resting on Skull Kid's clownish hat.
"Nah, this forest is drained. Well, maybe not, but I really haven't seen anything on the path all morning. I say we look somewhere else," Tatl said as nicely as she can through gritted teeth, thinking 'Sheesh, I would've told ya if I saw anything in my three hours on watch, you brainiac!' At this, Skull Kid jumped in for his say.
"I've already set up all of Terminia for pranks to last them all throughout the lunar festival, and I've got one in particular that requires a person of some stature…" Skull Kid's voice was that of a young bird, clicking and squawking and playful. Singsong. Sweet. But there was a kind of ambition within these words, an authority uncommon among tricksters. The fairies swooped down closer to listen.
"There is who fits my scheme, somewhere nearby. I say we keep watch," Skull Kid looked up suddenly at Tatl and Tael. Seeing their fatigued expressions, he let out a low chuckle.
"Oh, trust me on this; it's the Skull Kid you're talking to here! I've been a professional bandit ever since I broke out from the cradle, Just hang on a little longer,"
The fairies paused, but his apparent conviction silenced their apprehention. Tael spoke first, tentatively.
"Okay, I think we should actually start looking rather than just sitting here-,"
"-hoping it'll fall into our laps like bird droppings out of the sky," Tatl broke in with a smirk.
"How about you two go ahead and I'll trail you until we come across something? You guys are a lot better at scouting than I am, obviously," Skull Kid chirped, then stood up straighter and dusted off his hat.
"Sounds good to me," Tael said.
The two fairies flew ahead darting from branch to leaves to bush, with the Skull Kid following cautiously from a distance. Suddenly, Tael snuck behind Tatl and clipped her wing.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Tatl barked, landing on a branch to inspect her wing.
"Payback, my dear sister. But for Nayru's sake, why do ya always have to pick on me?"
"I'm your sister, it's my job! The whole sister gig, and stuff. You really didn't know that? Sheesh, have you got a lot to learn, Tael!"
It was the perfect camouflage. An emerald green tunic, along with muddy brown boots and leather straps. Link smiled mildly at his outfit, so classic, yet so perfect for adventure. The only thing that made him stand out from the brush was his milky-blond hair and deep sapphire eyes, but there wasn't anything he could do to change that. He was in his early teenage years, perhaps twice the age of the young mare he now led to the edge of a brook for a drink. Link suddenly felt pensive as he watched his horse lap up water, reflecting on his past quests hoping to find some kind of comparison to his current one.
"Epona," he said softly, "You have taken me down many a path inhabited by terrible beasts and fierce demons. Every hardship we've faced has been because of the presence of someone, known or unknown…And how funny it is that the most terrible thing we have faced right now is someone that is not with us." Link stared into the creek, a perfect, clear blue. A tear rolled down his face. That blue was the color of Navi's aura. The memories flooded back like a torrent…all the years he spent living in the forest with the other children in the Korkiri tribe…how they had teased him because he was not born with a fairy. He was blasphemous, unnatural…And then, a fairy finally came to him on his 10th birthday…Little did he know how much their homeland was relying on them to save their kingdom from the clutches of evil…
And then, when all had been saved, when things should have been joyous and peaceful, she disappeared. He searched all about Hyrule in vain, asking people from magicians to farmers in a search for clues as to where Navi had gone. A month of this fruitless endeavor was enough to convince him that it was time to leave his homeland, knowing in his heart that Navi couldn't possibly be anywhere in the kingdom. And so he set off with his essentials: his sword, shield, tunic, ocarina and Epona, feeling strange undertaking a quest that, regardless of outcome, only affected himself personally. But he didn't dwell on that for long. All he knew was that his friend was missing and needed help, and he was the only one with any chance of reaching her.
Epona suddenly nudged Links' side nose and nickered.
"All done? Good…I'm sure we'll find the next town by sunset. I don't know what I would do without you, Epona," he hugged her neck and carefully climbed on her back. Link deliberately rode bareback; he had seen the appalling treatment of horses on Romani ranch, which were always tied up, and he vowed to never constrain Epona by cruel tools.
They had not ridden very far when Link's ears pricked and a shiver went down his spine. Something wasn't right…he didn't know what it was or how he sensed it, but suddenly he was edgy. Epona sensed his nervousness and whinnied, pawing the ground. Link petted her neck, knowing how unpredictable her temperament could become once spooked.
"Epona, just stay still. Calm down. I think there might be somebody watch-
Twin balls of light suddenly flashed out from behind some tree branches, swooping in right at Epona's face! She let out a screaming of fright and reared up on her hind legs, throwing Link off her back…That was as far as Link could remember. His head hit a stone as he landed and he sunk into the black broth of unconsciousness.