Snow was something Daruk had never seen, nor thought he would see. He insisted to Yunobo that they simply walk for a while, allowing him to take in the new sight.
"I've never seen snow before, either," Yunobo commented, reaching down as he walked to pick up a handful of soft, fresh snow. He let it crumble in between his fingers, before shivering, and wiping the water off onto his coat.
"That's not surprising," Daruk chortled. "We live in a volcano, for crying out loud- snow doesn't stand a chance."
"Usually," Yunobo uttered, glancing up at death mountain. It was barely visible- and the peak of the volcano was nowhere to be found. If Daruk squinted, he could make out the faint glow of Vah Rudania's eyes, moving slowly across the rocky mountainside. "I'm worried that death mountain will solidify by the end of this. There's something not quite right about this weather."
"When I looked out the window of the Castle, it looked like there was snow everywhere- is it?"
"Oh, yeah. Even in Goron City. We're lucky the lava is even still flowing through town, but the air is full of steam, since the snow is evaporating."
Daruk nodded. That would make sense. It wasn't a everyday occurrence up on Death Mountain, as the air was so incredibly dry, but it happened enough for Daruk to have noticed it in his previous lifetime.
He tugged at his coat as he walked; still not used to so much fabric. It wasn't too constricting that they couldn't roll their bodies up, it just felt… awkward. But at the moment, he was absolutely appreciative of the warmth it gave off- otherwise he probably would turn into a rocksicle.
"Whaddya say we pick up the pace?" Daruk offered, and Yunobo nodded aggressively. "This bite is really starting to get to me!"
Simultaneously, they coiled themselves up, rolling back through the snow. It wasn't as hard as he had expecting it to be; he had learned that on the way back from the sinkhole. The snow was soft and easily malleable, and it simply pushed out of the way.
As they finally neared Death Mountain, the grey sky shifted to a soft orange. The falling snow looked more of ash, which Daruk had been used to- but it was still cold to the touch.
Upon reaching the city, Daruk realized that the paths were completely void of any other Gorons. The air was steamy and wet, with condensation dripping off the sides of the buildings, and the bridge rails. The other city folk must have been avoiding the weather. As they continued to walk, Daruk following Yunobo, he felt a wetness on his forehead. Being a Goron, practically made of rock- he didn't sweat. He wiped the water from his brow, groaning out a semi disgusted sigh.
"You might want to get used to that," Yunobo chuckled, using the sleeve of his coat to do the same to his own face. "The water in the air sticks to practically every dry surface when you're outside. It's not so bad inside, though."
Daruk winced. He wasn't really looking forward to that, though he was surprised at how much different the air was when they entered a house. It took Daruk a second to look up, really realizing that the house they had entered was his.
"Hey!" He laughed, looking around. He had hardly even thought it weird to enter his room, for a moment, until he remembered it had been an incredible amount of years since he had been in it. He stepped forward, flipping through the thick pages of his diary, which had set neatly on his desk, with only a thin layer of ash covering it.
"Bludo thought it-" Yunobo started, but was cut off by a ear piercing slam of the front door, and a hand lashed up from behind them to grab the skin by Yunobo's cheek. With a yelp, Yunobo was pulled down low, face to face with a shorter Goron.
"I thought what?" The Goron rasped, his grip on Yunobo's face like steel. Daruk immediately recognized said Bludo, and opened his mouth to protest, but the old man continued on.
"What do you think you're doing, bringing some stranger into Daruk's home? Don't you understand how sacred this area is now?!"
"I understand, Bludo- I swear, I-"
"I don't want to hear it! You two have no reason to be in here. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Finally, Daruk took a heavy step forward, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, not really ashamed," he boomed, his voice thundering over the two, enough to finally cause Bludo to snap out of his rage, and turn to look up at him, startled. "I would appreciate it if you released your grip on my great nephew, now."
Bludo gasped, doing as he was told, and Yunobo's hand flew straight to his throbbing cheek.
"C-Champion- Champion Daruk?" He sputtered out, taking a few steps back. "But you-"
"Yeah, and I'm back," Daruk said, his tone strict. "Even if I wasn't, my room wouldn't have been off limits to visitors. Never had been, and I prefer if it never would be."
Bludo nodded vigorously, as much as his old body could handle. Daruk clearly remembered Bludo. Back when they were younger, Bludo was just as aggressive and bossy as he seemed to still be now. At the time, he had wanted more than anything to be champion, and if it hadn't have been for Daruk's protective power- he just might have landed that spot. He was jealous that Daruk had earned it, but instead of being aggressively jealous, he turned to idolizing him instead. It was a little strange, but nothing Daruk couldn't handle.
"I apologize," Bludo said, grumbling to himself. "You must be exhausted- shall I take Yunobo off of your hands so you can rest?"
Daruk recoiled. Take him off his hands? It was as though Yunobo was a napkin being passed around the dinner table.
"Absolutely not. He's my ancestor, and I would enjoy time spent getting to know him," he started, and as Bludo nodded, he added a tad bit of salt to his words. "Besides, Yunobo is a champion, and you should treat him as such. I would appreciate if you didn't act like he was equal to the gravel you eat."
Bludo blinked, but mumbled another apology, before excusing himself and pushing his way out of Daruk's front door. Daruk let out a huff of breath, propping his hands on his sides.
"Boy, is he always like that?" He asked, and Yunobo chuckled unsuredly.
"Well, yeah," he said, running his hand through his hair. "But he's kind of all I have."
Daruk frowned. He always watched Yunobo from his place in Vah Rudania, but he hadn't even really realized that the only person Yunobo hung around was Bludo- assumedly because he had been his student.
"Thanks. Y'know… for that," Yunobo added, looking down at his feet. "I've never really been brave enough to stand up to Bludo- and I don't think anyone else really is either. He's kind of the town elder at this point, and the other guys just don't really want to speak up to him. Goddesses forbid they look like jerks who doesn't respect their elders."
"Understandably," Daruk said. "I'm not afraid to, though. I was older than him, back in my day, believe it or not!"
Yunobo laughed, shaking his head. Daruk sat down on his rock bed, pulling his jacket off with only a little bit of hassle, before heaving his arms up behind his head.
"Yunobo, did you… grow up with Bludo?" He asked, gesturing for Yunobo to sit down across from him. "Where's you're family?"
Yunobo obliged, sitting down, before he simply shrugged. "I don't really know. All I remember is being told I was a descendant to you, and then working for him all my life. He's all I ever remember having."
Daruk frowned, but kept his mouth shut so that Yunobo knew he could continue.
"Sometimes- okay, I know this sounds silly- but sometimes, I would find myself talking to your face in the cliffside. I've always been an outcast here, for some reason, but I felt like… like I could trust you. Even though you weren't really there."
"I heard it all, kiddo!" Daruk smiled, and Yunobo turned his head up to him, a look of confusion on his face. "I wish I could have responded, but I just didn't have that power."
"You…. you could really hear me?"
"Yeah! It was kinda like a prayer, Y'know? I couldn't hear you all of the time, but when you specifically singled me out… Hell- I don't know how all of that ghost-y stuff works, but I heard ya!"
Yunobo laughed at that, rubbing at the back of his neck.
"I'm super grateful. I'm grateful that you and the other champions are back, and I'm thankful I got to meet Ganson, Mimi, and Holt; three other people around my age…. it's refreshing."
Daruk hummed in reply. "They're good kids. They're good for you. Social skills are important to have- and they're not something you can gradually acquire by spending time around Bludo… the old codger."
Yunobo nodded, smirking, and pursing his lips. The lull in the conversation wasn't awkward, and Daruk reached to pull a warm stone from the small pile that sat near his lava pool. He popped one in his mouth, before tossing one to Yunobo.
The orange snow continued to fall past the small window on the door, and the two of them watched on in content silence.
