With his new gear, Link certainly was the talk of the town. The kids were giggling and pointing, Sue-Belle swung her head to look at him before she dropped her pot of water all over herself, Sturgeon spat his herbal tea all over his window when he caught a glimpse of Link's ridiculous outfit while wave-watching, a large woman named Rose almost ripped her pig catalogue in half as Link shuffled by and a grass-cutter let go of his scythe mid-swing when he got an eyefull, sending it helicoptering through the air. Link stopped speed-walking and started sprinting across the jetty to Aryll's lookout as the hooting crowd stopped at the ladder he climbed up before walking away, still laughing. The only people missing from the mob were Sue-Belle, Rose and Orca.
The bloomin' 'Hero of Time?' I look like my clothes just saw a better set on a different person! They're flippin' green with envy! Grumbled the boy's brain.
Link finished climbing the ladder and slumped on the floor at the top. The sound of his sister snapped him back up.
"AAAAH HA HA HA HA HAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAA! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU WEARING?"
Aryll thought his outfit looked funny as well, as she burst out laughing like a hyena. She was laughing so hard, she was beside herself. No, seriously. Link was so hot in his clothes that he started seeing double. He simply stood straight with his hands on his hips, looking as stern as he could but when you have giant cat eyes like Link, that is easier said than done.
"Are you done?" He asked politely.
There was a long beat that went on for a while. Aryll eventually broke the silence.
"Nope! AAAAAAAAAAAAH HA HA HA-"
I wouldn't be lying when I said this went on for five minutes but to save space, therefore, the wasted paper, therefore, the trees, therefore, the forests and therefore, the world, I will just cut straight to where something else happens.
"Finally!" Groaned Link. "You'll never believe this, Granny just said this is what the Hero of Time wore! I wish my birthday was in the winter!"
"Did this 'Hero of Time' wake up a bunch of kids and make them fly so they could fight pirates?" Giggled his sister.
"I'm gonna make you laugh even harder in a minute!"
"Oh, please do!"
Link smiled and narrowed his eyes. Using the power of 'Exact Words' was his speciality. Thank goodness he just used them for harmless pranks rather than maliciousness.
Suddenly, Link took out a packet of 'Laughing Powder' and poured it down the back of Aryll's top.
Sure enough, his sister began laughing and laughing and laughing some more for good measure. This time, she was gripping at her clothes and twitching. Also, her guffaws were interrupted by shouts of "Gedditoff!", "It's on my back!" and "Please! This hurts!"
Wait, 'this hurts'?
"Oh, shoot."
The boy ran over and ruffled her dress about to remove the last of the powder. He inspected her face for any possible allergic reactions. For a moment, he thought she was crying but after a mini heart attack, it turned out just to be more laughter. He looked at the pack. The expiry date was three days past.
The seagulls that surrounded the girl hissed at Link and spread their wings to intimidate the leprechaun in front of them. When I said that everyone Aryll met adored her, I wasn't kidding, even seagulls. The seagulls all seemed to HATE her brother, though. Often, he would approach them with All-Purpose Bait and they would scream, fly over him and very deliberately defecate all over him until he looked like a snowman.
"S-s-s-sorry! I forgot about the use-by date!"
His sister brushed herself off, still chortling.
"A-a-as I was about to sa-a-a-ay.. I am go-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
The girl was barely coherent. She was REALLY ticklish, so Link pulled this trick a lot.
"I am going to show you my birthday present!"
She broke into another fit of chuckling.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hands!"
Link did as he was told. He could hear her laughing and pulling something out of her pocket, something clicking and then he felt long metal in his hands. He opened his eyes and there lay his sister's telescope!
In shock, the boy nearly dropped the item to the floor. The kids were given two gifts on a past birthday. Link got a Picto Box to take photos with and Aryll received a telescope which she carried everywhere. This made her gift all the more surprising.
"I am going to let you use my telescope today!"
Link stared at his sister with eyes the size of a human head.
"Am I dreaming? You usually don't let me SEE this thing, let alone borrow it!"
"Well, yeah. Today is your birthday, though! Plus, you need something to take your mind off of those hot clothes!"
That certainly was a good way to do so. Link smiled at his sister, turned around and began surveying the island. From the high lookout, Link could see a whole lot that he couldn't on his own. The island wasn't even all that big but the telescope still made a difference Since the island was being shown through a lens and not a screen, he could see in a lot higher quality than his Picto Box. It also zoomed in further. He could see his granny making some of his favourite soup through the window, Rose painting a giant pig on the side of her house, Sturgeon headbanging to music, the grass cutter getting lost in his grass, the flying postman landing in front of the postbox, Orca going to use the toi-
Wait, go back! Go back! Link zoomed the telescope back to the postbox. He loved watching the postman gliding through the air with his wings and landing at the postbox, leaving parallel lines where he skidded to a stop.
Mostly, the kids were interested by his look. He had white hair and dark shaded skin like a milky hot chocolate. He wore a robe, golden boots and had retractable wings exiting from his back. Think of a cat's claws. A yellow beak replaced his nose. He was often completely silent and unresponsive when he did his rounds so neither Link nor Aryll went to ask him questions about his people.
This time, the postman held several wrapped gifts in his arms. He had to open the lid of the postbox to fit them in.
Those must be more Birthday gifts! Thought the boy.
The postman took one look at the sky and his jaw fell open. The rest of the presents clattered to the floor. He began jumping up and down, flapping his wings and yelling in a foreign language.
"¡AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! PÁJARO GIGANTE! ¡CADA UNO, ENTREN!"
Aryll looked at him from the distance.
"What is he saying, big brother?"
"'AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!' um… That's all I got." Replied the boy.
Aryll rolled her eyes. This eye roll caused her to notice that in the sky was a giant silhouette cutting through the air.
"BIG BROTHER! LINK! LOOK UP IN THE SKY!"
Link looked into the blue above and zoomed in on the black shadow. As he zoomed, he noticed something.
SOMETHING AWFUL.
SOMETHING THAT ALMOST MADE HIM SCREAM LIKE HE HAD DONE HIS BELT UP TOO TIGHT.
IT. WAS. A. GIGANTIC. BIRD.
With lines of golden feathers trailing from it's bum like sparks, the bird looked like it had just eaten a Catherine Wheel for breakfast. It also wore a silver mask and it had crimson and black feathers. Link surveyed the bird from all over with Aryll's telescope. Where was this bird going?
One of the bird's feet was closed and the other was open, as if it was holding something. Zooming in on that area revealed a shape being held in the bird's closed claw.
BOOOOM!
A rock hurtled past the bird. With no warning, another thunderous blast came from below.
BOOOOM!
Another rock went zooming past. Link moved the telescope south-east to see what was going on.
"OH, MY GOODNESS!"
A pirate ship was cutting through the water like scissors through paper. On board, Link could see several burly men loading a cannon with a rock. A dirty, short teenager stood at the ready with a box of wicks and some matches.
"Gonzo, we need to fire more projectiles at once!" Ordered a muscly man with a blue, tatty shirt and a grey beard.
"But Senza, we'll break the cannon!" Gasped a big, strong bloke with a green shirt, a big nose and a red bandana.
"FORGET THE BLASTED CANNON! We can't let that eyesore of a bird get away!"
Looking a bit unsure, Gonzo loaded up the cannon with four rocks at once.
"FIRE!" Bellowed Gonzo, pointing a giant claymore at the bird.
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Four rocks flew out of the cannon all at once like a set of reverse skydivers. They grouped together and flew towards the giant bird. Wondering what the screaming air was, the bird craned it's neck to look behind itself.
CRAAAAASH! "AWK!"
The bird recoiled as it was hit in the face with all four projectiles at once. It's mask absorbed the damage but not the force. The bird opened it's formerly closed claws as the shape fell through the air like a ragdoll.
"Big brother, follow that shape over there!"
Link kept the telescope focused on the person falling through the sky as it disappeared into the Forest of Fairies on top of the right island. It was brief, but Link was able to make out tanned skin, a tall hairdo and some leather clothes.
"Sis, you wait here!" Ordered the boy. "I'm going to get help so that guy can leave the island."
"But, brother, what if something happens?"
"Yeah, what if that bird comes back and begins turning our island upside down for his catch? Nothing good."
"But who is experienced enough in combat to help?"
Link's brain whirred with residents from his island. He made a checklist in his head and crossed off those who didn't fit.
/ Aryll
/ Granny
/ Sue-Belle
/ Abe
/ Army of seagulls
/ Rose
/ Joel
/ Zill
/ Sturgeon
/ Orca
Before the boy could announce his decision, his legs had carried him to Orca's front door like a set of dodgy propellers. Link looked at the frankenhouse. The top was immaculate and made of a smooth wood while Orca's part of the house was made of bent, dirty metal like a shanty. This just showed how different the two were.
Link's head filled with thoughts. Will the old man help me? Is he busy? Is he on the toilet? Swallowing his fears, Link started pounding on the metal door at such speed that it sounded like a machine gun.
"Orca? ORCA? Are you in there?"
THUMP! CRAAAAASH!
"BELT UP, YOU LOONY! THAT'S THE SECOND TIME TODAY YOU'VE KNOCKED EVERYTHING OFF THE SHELVES!"
For a second, Link thought that Orca was shouting at him but when he recognised that it was just Sturgeon, he knocked on the door harder.
"Orca? Please! This is an emergency!"
A deep gasp came from the inside, followed by loud and fast footsteps. The old fighter pushed the door open, almost smacking Link in the face with it.
"An emergency? What is it? Who is it? Where are you?" The elder looked left and right, directly over the boy's head. To be fair, Link was quite short for his age.
"Um, down here… sir."
Orca looked down and let out a puff as he saw his embarrassing mistake.. He was a rather tall and slender man, so him not seeing Link was rather excusable, considering he was standing on a doorstep. Orca was so slender, you could see his rib lines. He did, however, have a large paunch that made him look like he'd eaten a whole watermelon.
"What is the emergency? It better not be that there's a pig running in your house again. HA HA HA!" The man laughed uproariously at the thought. Clearly, he did not believe that this was a true crisis.
Link beat down and swept his annoyance under the rug. "Well, there was this giant bird..."
"'A GIANT BIRD? Come in! It's not safe out here!" He ran back inside and before he could tell his mind otherwise, Link was standing in his house. Orca kicked a stool towards him from behind, which swept him clean on top of it.
"Sit down, m'lad!"
"I'm already sitting down, sir."
"Tell me more about what you saw!"
Link began to twiddle his thumbs anxiously. Two thoughts in his head wrestled each other.
'Tell the truth' scored a clean TKO against "Chicken Out", so Link told the man everything. How his sister lent him her telescope and he witnessed a giant bird drop a tough looking kid into the-
"FOREST? You're telling me that a giant bird got a face full of rock and dropped some kid from way high up into the forest?"
Wow, now that I think about it, that really doesn't sound real. Thought the boy as he wrestled uncomfortably with what was about to happen. Orca did NOT seem convinced. He probably though that this was a prank or something.
"The world is a very bizarre place, laddie. Nothing here is off limits. Who knows? Maybe boats have ghosts. For that reason, I choose to believe your story."
Link regained some hope. He and Orca would go marching into the forest, they would save the lad and send him back to the ship and the bird wouldn't be coming back for-
"HOWEVER," blasted the old man's voice. As Link was fantasising about the upcoming adventure, Orca's sudden shout nearly made him fall off his chair. "I will not be able to accompany you into the woods.
"What?" spluttered Link. "Woah, woah, woah. Record scratch, go back, go back, go back. YOU thing that I can fight? That forest is crawling with beasties!"
"I started as a simple page like you. We all did, yet in my glory days, I could perform a technique that could knock over everything in a circle around me! That's not easy. Nowadays, I am simply too old." Orca limped to a cupboard and pulled out a slightly rusty sword. As if he was presenting it to the queen, he carried it across the room and dropped it onto his new pupil's lap. Link looked at the sword in amazement and then gave a quick glance out the window in case his grandmother was watching. She was uncomfortable seeing him around sharp objects.
"This was my great grandson's sword that he used to defend his ship from attackers back in the day." The man explained. "It's a little rusty, but I'm sure that I can train you to use it."
With no words, Link looked up at the greybeard. He was going to be in SO MUCH TROUBLE if his granny walked in by mistake.
Orca went back to the cupboard and pulled a battered scarecrow.
"Let the training… begin!" Declared the teacher.
Link was sure that using a sword was really hard. His main worry was cutting himself with the blade but as he assaulted the scarecrow's tough, leather front, not once did he ever feel close to injuring himself. It was as if his ancestors were all top notch warriors. Every technique, he did perfectly.
"YES! That's the way! It's a smooth motion! You follow through with your sword!"
"GOOD! If your foe swings horizontally, jump over their attack and strike their exposed head! If they attack vertically, roll to their back and twirl into the air!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I'M SEEING! It took me a year to master the Spin Attack! How do you do it so flawlessly?"
"STERLING! Use your downwards momentum to make a more powerful slash!"
Link had gone through nearly all of Orca's techniques, but there was one more. The scarecrow was now covered in several more slashes from Link, all of which were much deeper than the others.
"The final technique I can teach you is the Surprise Finisher! Put your shield away to lower the enemies guard, then charge with your sword outstretched for a fatal stab. Finally you turn around, grip the handle with both hands and pull it over your head to remove your weapon!"
Link gulped. Not because of how difficult the attack is, but the fact that he may have to use a graphic attack like that in the forest. The boy closed his eyes, ran with his sword outstretched and stabbed the scarecrow as hard as he could. He turned around, put his right hand on his sword and pulled with all his might.
Suddenly, Link's sword came free. Unfortunately, so did the scarecrow. It shot out of the ground and hit the ceiling with a loud bang. Accompanying it was an all too familiar sound.
CRAAAAAAAASH!
"STOP THROWING YOUR CHEAP EQUIPMENT AT MY FLOOR! THAT'S THE THIRD SET OF POTS YOU'VE KNOCKED FROM MY SHELVES!"
"Where does that nutcase get all of those awful pots from...?" mused Orca as he shook his head.
"Anyway, well done! You have passed your test with flying colours! Go show those monsters what for, my pupil!" The two faced each other and bowed. In the middle of their bows, two noises came from upstairs.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah! AAAARGH!" BONNNNG!
Sturgeon had tripped and toppled straight into a gong that he had confiscated from Orca because of his excessive use of it at night, making for a rather fitting interruption.
Link sprinted up the hill that winded up the left island's peak and to the rope bridge. Scrambling over a stile, he continued up and up and up until finally, he was on top of the world (Well, his island, at least) and was about to set foot onto the dangerous rope bridge that no one had crossed in months because of it's chance of snapping in half.
"Well, either I succeed and the bird doesn't come back or I turn back and the bird destroys the island."
With hesitation, the boy prepared for his first step onto the bridge...