Chapter 3: The School Bully and the Waterfall Cave

But when Link whistled, nothing happened…. His Loftwing did not come. "Oh man!" Link panicked, as he continued to fall.

Headmaster Gaepora and Zoey got near the wooden dock thingy. "Hmm…" Gaepora was thinking about it. "His bird sure is taking a long time to get here…" He frowned. "Something's wrong! His bird isn't showing up!" Zoey stammered.

"!" Zelda gasped as she dived after Link and whistled and called her own Loftwing. She got on it and with amazing speed, her Loftwing grabbed Link with its talons and carefully flew them back to Skyloft. "Hang in there, Link! I've got you!" Zelda assured him.

"Thanks Zelda! Whew! Thank the goddess…" Link sighed in relief. The Loftwing got them to ground and rested its weary bones. Link took deep breaths while Zelda tended to her Loftwing.

"Are you two all right?" Zoey asked them. Zelda looked at her Loftwing in guilty. "I'm sorry, friend. I didn't mean to push you so hard. You didn't sprain your wing, did you?" Zelda asked in concern.

Gaepora turned to Link. "This is very odd, Link. What could have possibly happen to your Loftwing?" He questioned. "I don't know… It usually comes when I whistled…" Link sighed. "For a bird to ignore the call of his master… It's unheard of!" Gaepora frowned.

"And I can't sense my bird anywhere." Link added. "And you still can't sense your bird nearby, eh, Link?" Gaepora asked in concern. "Yeah…" Link nodded. "This is quite a problem, especially considering the Wing Ceremony is about to start…" Gaepora folded his arms in thought.

Zelda turned to Link with a sad look. "Link, when you said you couldn't sense your Loftwing, well… I should have believed you. …I'm sorry." She apologized. "It's alright, Zelda." Link assured her.

"I need to tend to my own Loftwing, so I'll catch up with you later. You'd better go on ahead and see if you can find where your bird has gone!" Zelda told him. "I will." Link nodded, but the bell ranged.

"My, how did it got to be so late? If I recall correctly, this year Instructor Horwell is presiding over the ceremony. Link, you should go explain the situation to him and he's willing to delay the race a little so that you can find your bird." Gaepora suggested.

"Understood, I will." Link nodded. Zelda has a playful smile on her lips and she said "But, Father, you're the headmaster of the academy! If Link asks Instructor Horwell, he'll probably just come talk to you about it."

"Ah, quite true. As usual,, you make an excellent point, my dear. Very well, I'll explain the situation to him myself. Link, run along and tell Instructor Horwell to come see me in my quarters." Gaepora instructed.

"Got it." Link nodded. Before Link can leave, Zoey stopped him. "Wait! Link… Can I… come with you?" Zoey asked meekly. "I don't see why not, sure." Link smiled as they exited the Altair of the Statue of the Goddess.

They came across a worker working on the gate to the area where the bazaar is. "Hey!" Link called out. The worker's name is Jakamar. Jakamar noticed Link and Zoey and smiled as he stopped what he was doing.

"Hey Link! I see you made a new friend. So what's up?" Jakamar asked cheerfully. "Link can't sense his Loftwing." Zoey told him the bad news.

"What!" Jakamar gasped, then growled as he figured it out. "I bet it has something to do with Groose and his cronies." He said bitterly. "Who's Groose?" Zoey asked him. Link sighed and said "Groose is the school bully at Skyloft Academy. He doesn't like the fact I hang out with Zelda. Where did Groose go?" Link asked Jakamar.

"I saw him and his cronies at the plaza. If you hurry, you may catch them." Jakamar told him. "Thanks, but seeing you work on the gate to the bazaar, we have to talk to Instructor Horwell first. Thank you, Mr. Jakamar." Link and Zoey bowed politely as they head off towards the mid roof to talk to Instructor Horwell.

"Instructor Horwell!" Link shouted as he and Zoey ran up to him. "What's wrong, Link? You're looking a little pale…" Instructor Horwell asked in concern. Link took deep breaths after panting and said "My Loftwing's missing." Link told him calmly.

"What? Your Loftwing is missing! How strange and troubling. Do you… think you two can find him?" Horwell asked in concern. "We're gonna look for him now." Zoey told him seriously.

"How will you make it back in time to fly in the ceremony, Link!" Horwell asked worriedly. "Please give us some time. Headmaster Gaepora told us to talk to you about postponing the ceremony." Link pleaded.

"It looks like your participation in the ceremony hinges on futher, or not you can find your bird on time… Ahem. Excuse me…" Link and Zoey told him about the headmaster wanting to see him.

"I see… So the headmaster has summoned me? All right, I'll go speak with him immediately. I still owe you for helping me out earlier, so don't worry about the ceremony for now. You focus on finding your Loftwing!" Horwell smiled.

"Thank you, Instructor Horwell. Come on, Zoey." Link said gratefully. "Right." Zoey nodded as they exited the school and head towards the plaza.

When they got there, they saw two young men who wore orange and blue clothes, the first one has yellow hair, the second one has blue hair and they are tending to a big burly man who has red hair, wore green and blue clothes who has scratches on his back.

"… You know, Groose,, that sure was a pain, what with all the scratching and pecking." The short blue haired man stated. "Course it was. You thought a big Crimson Loftwing like that was gonna go down without a fight?" The man named Groose mumbled. He sounded like Patrick Warbutton, ya know, the guy who voiced Kronk in the Emperor's New Groove?

"But we got him, and I don't care how tough these birds are supposed to be. He's not getting out of that pen anytime soon, boys." Groose smirked darkly. His lackeys got up and gasped as they see Link and Zoey glaring angrily at them like that. Groose got up and turned around and gasped.

"Whoa! Link! So, uh… yeah. Just how long have you been standing there?" Groose gulped. "Long enough…" Link glared. Groose then walked around Link in circles. "What's your problem, anyway? Oh, wait… I get it. You're here to talk about today's race. I can see it in those dopey eyes of yours. They're pleading 'Oh, Groose, can you please find it in your heart to let me win today? Please!' You're just desperate to win so you can get some alone time with Zelda up on the Statue of the Goddess at the end of the ceremony." Groose mocked.

"Shut up! That's not it!" Zoey snapped. "Well, sorry, pal. Groose doesn't do charity for wimps. My advice? Work hard and wish with all your heart. You might even come in second." Groose smirked. Link glared with a snarl.

"…Say, come to think of it, how come I don't see your bird? Where is that scruffy pile of red feathers? I can't imagined what could've happened to him. Do you think his tiny brain got confused by all the clouds and got lost?" Groose laughed.

"How dare you mock my Crimson Loftwing…" Link growled dangerously. "Give him back to Link, now!" Zoey shouted. "Pfft. Sure. Only thing is, I don't know how you're going to do that with no bird! You gonna grow wings?" Groose mocked as he pointed an accusing finger at Link.

"You know, we're all getting tired of how you never let anyone forget you and Zelda go way back. You've been friends since you were kids? Big deal. It doesn't change the fact that you float through life with your head in the clouds. Would you wake up, straighten up, and grow a backbone already?" Groose growled. "Hey…" Link sounded offended.

"Dopes like you are dragging our honored academy through the mud." Groose added. "And just who might you be talking about, Groose?" Zelda's voice said a little angrily. Groose yelped in surprise as he and the others saw Zelda with her hands on her hips and looking angrily at Groose.

"Oh… Zelda. Hey. Nah, it's…uh…" Groose stammered as Zelda marched up to him and pointed her finger at Groose. "Don't even try it, Groose! You're picking on Link again, aren't you? He's a student at the academy, like all of us. Why do you insist on bullying him around so much?" Zelda frowned.

"Yeah... I supposed…" Groose stammered again. "You suppose? Suppose what?" Zelda frowned deeper. Groose stared at her and drooled, as steam came out of his nose. "I… suppose… you… Er…" Groose snapped back to reality.

"Pfft! Forget it. I wasn't supposing anything, OK?" Groose and his gang walked towards the pier. "OK, we're outta here, boys. Later, Link! Hope you find your bird, or else you're gonna have to sit out today's race!" Groose mocked. "That could be a major setback towards knighthood, so find that bird fast, or get real used to the taste of failure! It's your special flavor." Groose taunted as he and his boys jumped off and got on their Loftwings and flew off.

"Ooooh! I hate that guy!" Zoey stomped her feet angrily. "I hate to say it, but I'm beginning to suspect that those blockheads had something to do with your Loftwing's disappearance. Link, those guys aren't gonna help us find your bird, so we'd better start searching." Zelda turned to her friends with a smile.

"I'll fly around Skyloft and see if I can spot any trace of your bird. Father said he'd talk to Instructor Horwell about delaying the start of the Wing Ceremony, so don't worry. We'll find your bird in no time." Zelda smiled as she jumped off the pier and got on her Loftwing.

"Question is, where to begin?" Link rubbed his chin in thought. "I think I have an idea. Let's try the academy." Zoey suggested. Link nodded as they head back to the academy,

When they got to the academy, the orange teacher from before came up to them. "Link! Maid girl! Over here!" Link and Zoey nodded as they ran up to him and Link's friend, Fledge who looked guilty of something.

"Link, I was just looking for you. I have information regarding your Loftwing. I heard your Loftwing is missing, so I thought I join in the search. And get this: when I asked Fledge what he knew, he started acting weird." The orange teacher stated. Fledge turned to Link and bowed in apology.

"I'm so sorry, Link! I really wanted to tell you, but… if Groose found out I told you…" Fledge looked down guilty. "It sounds like Groose forced him to keep quiet about it." Pipit turned to Fledge with a stern look and said "Go on! Tell him the truth."

"Just a little while ago, when I was cleaning the dining hall, Groose and his buddies came in. They didn't notice I was there and started talking about their place to hide your Loftwing. I wanted to warn you, Link. But just as I tried to sneak away… Groose and his gang grabbed me…" Fledge whimpered.

"That's low!" Zoey gritted her teeth angrily. "They said if I told you, they'd make sure I would never to ride a bird ever again!" Fledge stated sadly. Pipit turned to Link.

"It seemed like Groose and his buddies had a plan to capture your bird and hid him near a waterfall. Well, near a waterfall would mean…" Link got out his map and saw the waterfall in his map. "I see. Thanks, Pipit."

"I'm really sorry, Link! I can't help being a coward!" Fledge wailed. "Fledge! It's ok. Plus, we have Headmaster Gaepora on our side. He'll make sure you won't be hurt." Link smiled.

"But that place is teeming with monsters. You need a weapon to enter it. Like for example, a sword." Pipit crossed his arms. "Hold on. I think I'll go into the sparring hall to ask the Sword Instructor to lend me a sword." Link suggested as he went into the Sparring Hall.

3 minutes later, Link came out with a gray sword and brown sheath. "Neat!" Zoey smiled, admiring Link's borrowed blade. "The Instructor let me borrowed since I told him my Loftwing is missing. Come on, let's go." Zoey nodded as the two of them head towards the waterfall cave.

When they got there, Link tensed. "Link? What's wrong?" Zoey asked. "I can feel my Loftwing, it's calling for help. I got to help!" Link yelled as he drew his blade and slashed the wooden poles blocking their way into the cavern. "Right. Let's go!" Zoey nodded as they charged in.

Link and Zoey walked carefully in the cavern. "I-I-I-It's so dark in here…" Zoey stammered as she got closer to Link. "Now is not a good time to be afraid." Link said bravefully. Suddenly, blue blob like monsters appeared and started attacking the two. Zoey yelped in surprise as Link did a horizontal slash and killed 3 of them.

"They were right. It is teeming with monsters." Zoey gulped. "Come on, not much farther." Link told her, Zoey nodded meekly.

Sooner or later, they made it outside. Zelda on her Loftwing saw them and jumped off it and landed near the two.

"Hey, Link. I was hoping I find you and Zoey here. I heard you and Zoey have gone off searching for your bird around the waterfall, so I thought I'd fly around and help you look. How's your search going? Any sign of your Loftwing?" Zelda asked, hoping for an answer. "No…" Link shook his head no.

"Oh no… Well, let's not lose hope yet. There's a place up ahead that Groose and his gang are always hanging around. Maybe we'll find something here!" Zelda then gasped as she turned to face the clouds below.

"Who… Who's that?" Zelda gasped. "Who's calling for me?" Zelda wondered. "What are you talking about? Are you okay?" Zoey asked in concern. "Oh, sorry Zoey, I got distracted for a moment. Let's go!" The two nodded as they pressed on.

When they got where a wooden pier is, they saw a beautiful red Loftwing behind some wooden planks like a cage. "Look! There he is!" Zelda gasped. "No doubt about it. That's your Loftwing, Link!" Zelda pointed out.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" Link yelled as he drew out his blade and cut the ropes holding the planks, they fell. The Crimson Loftwing squawked happily as it slowly stepped out of its prison.

"Whoa…" Zoey gasped in awe.

To be continued…

Next time: The Big Race: The Unexpected Twist of Fate

A/N: There will be a Heroes and Villains Profile episode on the next chapter, so stay tune! Also, at NO NAME: I don't appreciate you bugging me about my WKC fanfic and insulting me when I work on other fanfics. I will resume it when I feel like it! So stop bugging me! Sorry about that, everyone. See you next time!