Once I'd circled Skyloft a few times and had plenty of people stop and stare – yes, even I like to show of once in a while, don't look at me like that – I finally came in alongside Karane and Pipit, who were waiting where Pipit had pushed me off. I simply leapt over and used my own natural gliding to make a safe landing.
"You know what that was?" Pipit asked, looking suitably impressed.
"Besides a Loftwing?" I responded.
"Not just a Loftwing – that was a Crimson Loftwing."
"You don't say!" I got given a pair of almost matching hard looks at that. "Alright, that mighta been a bit excessive. I just had the most fun I've had for a fair while. What's so special about my Loftwing?"
"They were thought to be extinct," Karane explained. "The Crimson Loftwings are stronger, more agile, even swifter than most others. They haven't been seen for years now."
"I don't think it was just coincidence," Pipit mused. "You and that weird guy Link... there's something more going on here. I wouldn't be surprised to find out the Goddess is looking out for you."
I'd heard of the Goddess during my time here, sometimes known as Her Grace and more informally as Hylia, but beyond this I knew very little. Skyloftians don't seem to feel the need to venerate their deity as openly as others do. Personally though, I knew Link to be the one responsible when he wasn't busy complaining to Fate.
"Do you mind?" Link interrupted. "I did not complain! I was just... a little frustrated at the time."
"As I recall, Fate scolded you almost every time I saw you," Knuckles said. "Do you know, one time after you'd disappeared Fi even remarked that she thought you were being overly childish?"
"That would be Hylia's fault," Link grimaced. "She was the one who created Fi, and She knew me. I'd worked with Her on occasion before Fate had me take on this task. I imagine She warned Fi about me."
"Just who is Fi – besides your companion, I mean," Silver cut in.
"Let me tell the story and you'll find out, Knuckles replied.
Karane took over my handling of the sword from Pipit, who as the resident expert on Loftwings got me through the early stages of taking care of and building a rapport with my Loftwing. The latter seemed largely unnecessary as the great red bird appeared to trust me completely. Pipit had casually noted that more than a few trainee Knights had been sent to the infirmary with bite wounds caused by their Loftwings, and he seemed completely baffled by the fact that not once did it show even the slightest intent of harming me.
On the other hand, it did pick up a fair bit from me. While Loftwings generally roam free, there's a cavern underneath the Knight Academy where they can roost, places for them to let their Knights check up and take care of them. I tried to be there whenever I got the chance, mainly because the novelty of flight had yet to wear off, and both my Loftwing and I never passed up the chance.
Groose and his company also noticed this however, and frequently came to pester me. He had learned well his earlier lesson, but with the three of them in the presence of their Loftwings as well, they grew bolder and started making all kinds of stupid remarks and comments about me, even going so far as to make absurd claims about my Loftwing, simply because it was different.
I drew the line there, and I was about to lash out when my Loftwing darted forward, swift on its feet as well as in the skies and tried to bite Groose's hand. Not once, and certainly not satisfied with his beak clicking closed over nothing, he then proceeded to try again and again, practically chasing them on to their Loftwings to make a hasty retreat.
In time though, my two tutors believed there was little else they could teach me and simply spent their time keeping me in practice. Swordplay is not like some other skills, you have to practice regularly to keep it up. Flying was much the same, though that depended more on my Loftwing. What had first seemed so simple was only the beginning – there were intricacies I hadn't expected at first, all manner of subtleties that would make manoeuvring in the sky far easier. Which came in useful.
Mostly I was just marking time until the Wing Ceremony came along, in which Groose, Stritch, Cawlin and I would all be taking part. Zelda explained it to me in advance since I was unfamiliar with it – a bird statuette would be attached to a yellow Loftwing and sent out into the sky. First we would have to locate it, then we had to take it from the Loftwing without harming it, and then we had to hold on to it and stop the others stealing it. The one who got it back was instantly awarded their Knighthood, and in theory, the remaining trainee Knights got a second chance. In theory.
Following that there was also the ritual that followed, the new Knight taking part with another who took on the part of the Goddess. Zelda was the one planned for that role this year.
On the day of the Wing Ceremony I planned to get in some early practice flights before it started, trying out a few ideas I'd had. Karane heard me getting up far earlier than usual and tagged along to watch, and it was just as well she did, because when I dived off the edge of Skyloft, my Loftwing was nowhere to be found.
While I fell, I flipped on to my back to get her attention, then fell back on gliding as before to slow myself. Karane didn't miss the significance of that after the first time, calling her own Loftwing to retrieve me and get me safely back up. I tried a second time, just in case, and again no Loftwing came.
"This can't be right," I muttered irritably to myself once we'd landed. "A day like this, surely he'd be here."
"Loftwings are highly intelligent. If you've mentioned it to him, he'd be here," she assured me.
"Then where is he? Something's fishy about all this. Loftwings don't just ignore the call, not twice, right?"
"It's completely unheard of," Karane replied. "Something must have happened... but I don't know what."
"Talk to Fledge," Link told us, sitting on a fence nearby having somehow appeared without us noticing.
"Fledge?" I asked. "Why him?"
"I can't answer that. This is something you're supposed to do. I can only nudge things in the right direction. It's all I ever do," he shrugged. "Oh, and you might want to talk to Horwell too. Isn't he the one who's presiding over the ceremony this year?"
"Aren't you the one who's supposed to know?" Karane accused him. "And if you do know, why don't you 'nudge' things a bit further?"
"It doesn't work like that," Link protested, trying to mollify her. "Stuff has to be done in the right order, if I mess things up Mother will chew me out for it!"
"I'll chew you out if you don't start making yourself useful!"
"I'm just doing what I have to do, it's no good taking it out on me! It wasn't my idea to-" he broke off guiltily.
"So you do know something! 'fess up!" she demanded.
"This is not going how I thought," Link muttered. He backed away from the advancing Karane, made a vague gesture and vanished back into mist again.
"I'm going to kill him," Karane muttered. "Who does he think he is?"
"Maybe we should take his advice," I suggested. "Since he's decided not to be a punching bag. I'll find Fledge, you talk to Horwell?"
Karane thought for a moment, then answered, "He'll want to talk to Gaepora about it, especially if we have to delay the race for foul play. I'll just drag them into the same room and make them listen." She paused, then in a slightly more calm tone, "Well, if I ask them to, anyway."
I almost felt sorry for poor Pipit, knowing she had her sights on him. She had a lot of fire in her when something irritated her, that's for sure!
This left me looking for Fledge, and I knew he was usually another early riser, with good reason. The morning was usually the only time he had to go pick up things around the town and generally run errands without Groose picking on him, so he made full use of the time. Which also meant the most likely place I was going to find him was one of Skyloft's broad plazas.
Fledge wasn't there, but predictably Groose was, backed by Cawlin and Stritch. I was going to ignore them, until I overheard them talking amongst themselves.
"... was a pain, with all that scratching and pecking," Stritch was saying as he wrapped a bandage around one of Groose's hands.
"'course it was," Groose replied. "You thought he'd go down without a fight? He's as fierce as they come, but we don't have to worry – that pen will hold him good and tight."
"Behind you," Cawlin murmured, just loud enough to be heard. I chanced a glance and saw he'd spotted me. Groose turned and started back.
"Knuckles!" he boomed. "Uh... just how long you been standing there?" he asked, looking guilty.
"Long enough," I replied. "Why don't you tell me where this pen is, and maybe I'll 'forget' to tell anyone what I just heard."
"What pen?"
"Sorry, I thought you were trying to deny it for a moment there," I said flatly. "That's a fairly large bandage you've got there. Get hurt by something did you?"
"Remember what I said?" Cawlin murmured to Groose.
"What? Oh – right. A bit of wood fell on me. Had nails in and stuff, scratched me up pretty bad."
"And this bit of wood – it just happened to have a beak, did it? For all that pecking?" I raised my fists threateningly. "Want to see if you get away with it this time? You didn't do so well when you tried to steal the Master Emerald, and now you think you can get away with this?"
"I never said anything about stealing your Loftwing!" he protested.
"Really? Who said I was talking about a Loftwing? I never mentioned one. Where's the pen, Groose?"
Rather than answer, the three of them turned and ran, leaping off the nearest edge to flee on their Loftwings. It at least told me who was responsible – just not where. And I still hadn't found Fledge. Given that Groose and his bunch had been around though, I rather suspected I knew where the timid Fledge would be and made for the Knight Academy.
Karane must have alerted more than just Instructor Horwell about what had happened, because Pipit was waiting outside with Fledge, and unusually for him, he had his sword drawn. Resting point down in the earth, but it made it clear he was expecting trouble.
"Knuckles!" he called to me he spotted me. "C'mon over here – you need to hear this!"
"You heard what happened then?" I asked.
"I doubt anyone doesn't. Karane woke everyone up telling us your Loftwing had gone missing. I asked Fledge about it," he said, and Fledge tried to look even more meek than usual. "And get this – he started acting all weird."
I turned to him and just gave him a questioning look. Knowing Fledge, I don't really blame him for trying to hide behind Pipit. Word about what I'd done to Groose had spread, after all.
"I'm sorry Knuckles, I wanted to tell you but Groose... he said if I told you..."
"Groose forced him to keep quiet about it," Pipit finished for him. "Hence the sword. It was the only way I could convince him to talk. Now tell him," he told Fledge firmly.
Stuttering and stammering due to nerves, he explained. "I was in the dining hall, helping clean, when Groose and his friends came in. They didn't... I made sure they didn't notice I was there. I didn't want them to bully me again, but I listened in."
"Let me guess. You overheard them talking about capturing my Loftwing?"
"You knew already?" Pipit asked.
"I saw the three of them just a few minutes ago. They all but confirmed it. Go on Fledge, you might know something they didn't tell me – like where he is."
"They were only talking about planning to do it, Knuckles. I wanted to warn you, but when I tried to sneak away... Cawlin noticed me and pointed me out to them. They kinda... they grabbed me and told me if I said anything they'd make sure I'd never ride a bird ever again!"
"It sounds like them, but I could do with a place, Fledge. Anything."
"They mentioned something about a waterfall. Does that help?"
"There's only two waterfalls on Skyloft – the one that goes off the edge and down below, and the one just north of your island," Pipit told me. "I've seen them up there often lately too. Carrying wood and some tools. I thought they might be doing something constructive for once."
"Yeah – like constructing a pen to hide my Loftwing in," I added. "I'll take a look. I'd ask you to come along, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to leave Fledge alone in case they come back and find out."
"Don't worry yourself Knuckles," Pipit said grimly. "I've been dying for a chance to show them how a real swordsman fights. You go get your Loftwing back, and make sure he's alright. You need to be on top form for the Wing Ceremony."