"There's a real peculiar cave toward the backside of this here Dragon Roost Island. Yeah, real peculiar. But I doubt you'll ever get there to see it, small fry-unless you manage to sprout wings and fly, that is... 'Cause you won't be getting there otherwise!"

-Great Sea fisherman

Chapter Sixteen: The Two Tribes, pt. 1

Three days ago, Great Sea…

Makar, still panicking, looked around the ocean and saw nothing but seas, seas and more seas. He looked as if he was having an anxiety attack and Sarada asked, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not! These rough waves...and we don't know where we are and…!" Makar started.

His face turned green and Sarada was so sure that he didn't suffer from motion sickness all the time they sailed together on the Kah Mael. Maybe the boat was too tiny and didn't distribute the rocking around. That or Makar was being overdramatic.

She looked to Kiba, who stopped the boat awhile ago off the coast of Pawprint Isle. Sitting on the front of the black and white boat, he stared at the Sheikah Slate Master Lenzo gave him and seemed to be a bit lost. Wanting to move as they only had so many provisions, Sarada approached and asked, "Kiba? Kiba, are you okay? Are we lost?"

He turned to her and she saw his eyes went from topaz to gold then to blue and back to topaz. Shaking his head, the half-Wolfos gave a small whine and Sarada told him, "I'm just wondering what we're to do. Like Makar over there's…Huh?"

They looked up, hearing what sounded like a small whirling blade and saw Makar hovering with a Deku Leaf. He frowned up and gave a rather offensive hand signal that Sarada vowed to punch him in the throat for. Who taught him that, she thought?

"I'm out!" Makar yelled.

Sarada rolled her eyes and said, "So, where to next since he abandoned us?"

Kiba went back to the helm and pointed where Pawprint Isle was. Sarada stared and asked, "Why there? There's nothing but Chu Jellies there."

She approached and he made a hand motion that said he wanted to go and take a picto. Showing her the slate, Sarada saw that there were three pictures Master Lenzo wanted of the island. The first was the island itself. The second was the monsters called Chu Jellies that lived in the caverns below. The third was of the treasure hidden on the island.

Kiba pointed at it and Sarada took the slate from him. With a sigh, she said, "Alright. Fine. I'll go and do it. But we can't stay here for long. That Xander guy's probably looking for you."

Weeks later, Laruto 10th, Dragon Roost Island…

After traveling around, taking pictographs for Master Lenzo and narrowly avoiding the naval ships from Windfall, the duo of Sarada and Kiba arrived on the volcanic spire of an island called Dragon Roost. Long ago, one of the Heroes traveled to the island, meeting a bird-like tribe calling themselves the Rito. Amongst their kind were red-haired humans calling themselves the Wind Tribe, as they had mastery over the winds and rode large birds called Loftwings. The two tribes warred on the island, using their various abilities to cut the other down.

When the Hero arrived, those who were pacifists appealed to him, wanting the war to stop as the island had nearly been destroyed and their guardian deity, Valoo, left the island from the strife. He agreed and used his power to force the two sides to cease fighting. They did so, reluctantly, but the Rito were given the main island and the Wind Tribe were given the sky islands in the heavens nearby. When the empire took over the islands, both were used for an international delivery service. But the rivalry remained, with neither tribe befriending the other and fights occasionally breaking out between the two.

The two arrived and docked. Hopping onto the beach, Sarada could see the island was a massive volcano, seemingly dormant. A pool of water was at her left, as well as Bomb Flowers and a dirt path leading up the cliffs. A tunnel was in front of her and led to the two tribe's Wind Shrine. Another path leading up the cliffs was on her right and a red mailbox was located at the top.

If she didn't know any better, Sarada would've thought the island was abandoned as there were no guards or any activity outside. Even the docks were empty as the only boat that was there was theirs. Kiba, thinking the same, sniffed the air and looked up. Sarada did the same, seeing a swirl of dark ash clouds at the top.

"Oh. That's not good…" Sarada said.

Kiba growled and the half-Sheikah told him, "It's okay. How many pictos does Lenzo want from here?"

He checked the slate and found he wanted five. The first was of the island itself, the picture already taken by Sarada. The second was of Bomb Flowers, to which Kiba figured out how to take pictures himself and did so. The third was of the Wind Shrine, dedicated to Cyclos and Zephos. The fourth was of a Rito tribesman. And the last was of a Wind Tribe member.

"Well, the two aren't on good terms, last I remember. So, I don't know if we could get the last two pictos," Sarada told him.

Kiba whined and made several hand motions that Sarada translated as, "Pictos…Curious…Want to see."

"Okay, okay. We'll go see them. But I doubt they'll want to see a half-Wolfos or a human like me," Sarada said.

"Who…Who's that?" a redhaired youth in a black and white dress asked.

Hiding, as she wasn't supposed to have left her home in the clouds, the young teen girl spied on the two newcomers to the island. One had green hair, but red eyes like the empire's Sheikah. The other was some kind of abomination, a half-human, half-Wolfos creature. They came in on a boat and the girl hadn't seen boats arrive there…ever.

The pair went through the tunnel leading to the Wind Shrine and she was shocked that anyone would care to visit. Neither the Rito nor her tribe, the Wind Tribe, went there as it was a part of the agreement. Neither tribe would lay claim to the worship site and can only come together during the New Year. The shrine, a small islet with a temple gate and two monuments was dedicated to the twin wind gods, Zephos and Cyclos. Zephos was responsible for normal winds while Cyclos represented windstorms. The Rito worshiped Zephos and Valoo while the Wind Tribe worshipped Cyclos and Valoo, the dragon being the only constant with the two tribes.

"Seriously, who are they?" the teen asked.

"Medli? Medli? Medli! You still here?"

A Rito with dark blue plumage and dressed in princely attire dove into the cavernous tunnel. He was carrying a basket full of fruit, bread and two bottles of spring water. On his back was a mail bag and a golden bow with quiver. He handed it to Medli and she said, "Komali, are we ready?"

"Yeah. We gotta find out what they did with your tribe's Loftwings," the Rito, Komali, said.

Medli nearly cried, not able to believe that her penpal would actually help her. Their being friends and even being in the same air was forbidden, a decree made by a Hero long ago. Komali smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "I'm not like my dad. Not at all. Holding grudges over stuff that happened long ago is stupid and if we want the empire gone, we gotta work together."

"Yeah, but first, we have to see who these guys are," Medli said.

"Oh wow…Um, is he…?" Komali asked, seeing the half-Wolfos.

"I dunno. But I doubt your dad wants something like him here," Medli said.

"Yeah, he wouldn't," Komali agreed.

At the Wind Shrine, Sarada could feel someone watching them and she really wanted to leave the island. Kiba, however, continued taking pictos, trying to take the right shot. Sarada called out to him and said, "Um, we should probably go. We won't see any Ritos or anyone from the Wind Tribe. So, please. Let's just go, okay."

Kiba stopped and gave a small whine. His face was pitiful and Sarada said, "No. Oh no. We're leaving. We're not staying."

His whines became louder and he sounded so much like a pitiful puppy. Sarada shook her head, telling him again, "No. We're not staying. Let's go."

She turned to him and his went from semi-human to wolf form. Sitting in front of Zephos' shrine, Kiba howled loudly a melody Sarada hadn't a clue about. The winds swirled about and went off towards the north.

Flapping of wings caught Sarada's attention and she saw what looked like birds descending towards them. Those "birds" were actually Rito and Sarada tried to run when they ambushed them. The bird men surrounded the two and Sarada pulled out a kodachi. But, she was quickly disarmed as an arrow was sent flying and struck the weapon, knocking it from her hand.

The Rito aimed their weapons of spears at them and Sarada held onto Kiba. The wolf looked around, confused at what he was looking at. The pair were then arrested by the Rito, snatched up by the bird men's clawed feet.

"Mister Hasan, what do you mean?"

"I mean that you all should find a way to make a truce. I mean, fighting like this all the time's gonna reduce this island to rubble. I'm sure you guys don't want that."

"Yeah, but we can't have the Rito claim this place."

"And why not? We were here first!"

"No, we were before you bird-people showed up!"

"No, we were!"

"NO, WE!"

"ENOUGH! Can you two stop arguing already? Just make a draft with conditions and I'll look over it later!"

Dragon Roost Island, jail…

"This sucks! Makar probably had the right idea leaving…" Sarada whined.

Kiba, back in his hybrid form, stared at her as she talked. He didn't get why she was so melancholy. It was better than getting instantly executed. Those Rito weren't too nice, not at all like he imagined other peoples would be.

Checking his claws, Kiba started to wonder if he could dig or claw his way out. Tapping the floor, he found it was stone and it wasn't a good idea to try to dig. Maybe if he knew how to use Earth magic like Bart, then…

"Why are you thinking about that guy? Wait…is it that…?" Sarada asked, apparently reading his mind.

Kiba went back to thinking about ways of escape. The "jail cell" they had them in was an old storage room. Red boxes marked with icons of letters were in the corners, stacked like pyramids. The door was locked and it was made of thick hardwood. Small windows dug out of the rock were near the top of the ceiling and was behind Sarada and Kiba, who faced the door.

"Seriously, I didn't want to stay here. I told you it was going to be a bad idea to stay," Sarada yelle.d

Kiba covered his ears, but he could hear her voice in his head. She was fuming and said various things in the Sheikah language…and then some Goron. Folding her arms, the teen huffed and muttered, "This sucks…"

To their relief, the door opened and several Rito entered the room. They lined up and the last one to appear was a Rito with blue plumage. He was dressed in tradition garb, with a bluish tint to his clothes, and had a bow and quiver on his back.

Glaring, he said, "And what do we have here? Some of the empire's lackeys?"

"No. We're just travelers," Sarada answered.

"Oh, so you travel around with a freak?" the Rito asked.

Kiba said nothing. Sadly, he was used to it, people calling him that. Sarada, however, said, "It's not like he chose to be this."

"Still, he's a danger to our island, half-breed," the Rito told her.

"How? He's with me and he's very docile. If anything, he's scared of just about everything and he wouldn't try to hurt anyone," Sarada said.

"What about during the Blood Moon? What then?" the Rito asked.

Kiba gave a small whine and the bird-like tribe looked to him. He gave hand motions, trying to tell them that he came in peace. But, no one got it. Except for Sarada.

She translated for him, telling the group, "He wants you to know that…Wait, no! I need you for the boat!"

Kiba shrugged and the leader asked, "What did he say?"

"He said that if he turns and he attacks, you have his permission to end him," Sarada translated.

Kiba nodded and he was fine with it. As long as he didn't hurt anyone, his ultimatum was fine. The Rito was pleased and said, "Alright. Of course."

They started to leave and Sarada yelled, "Uh, w-w-wait! How long are we supposed to stay here?"

"As long as we wish it," the blue-plumed Rito told them with a smirk.

The door was shut and locked again. Sarada began screaming in frustration and Kiba shut his ears. She was awfully loud.

"Seriously! This is your fault!" Sarada shouted.

Kiba looked up at she stood over him and she said, "If you had listened to me, we would've escaped this island hours ago!"

A whine and she said, "Don't start those puppy eyes with me! You're not getting out of this!"

Another whine and Kiba tried to make himself look as pitiful as possible. Anything to stop her from yelling at him. He didn't like when people did that. His ears would hurt and it scared him. Like all the times Lord Xander did while beating him with sticks, whips, pans, whatever he or the other servants could get their hands on.

Sarada sighed and told him, "Don't compare me with that master of yours. He's a jerk and I'm not one. I'm just upset and frustrated that we've been jailed for no reason!"

Kiba found a corner, as he could see that the sun was going down outside, and curled up. He watched as Sarada thought aloud on how to escape. But, each ended in some form of frustration. The hybrid thought she would be better after going to sleep. That's what he planned on doing as he was tired.

"Alright…But, if any of us goes missing while we're sleeping, I'm blaming you," Sarada told him, finding a spot on a wall to sleep at.

Hours later…

Medli and Komali, sneaking around the main chamber of Dragon Roost, waited behind a group of mail crates. Komali overheard that his father, Revali, had captured some fugitives, ones from the Hyrulian Empire. One was a hybrid and the other was a Sheikah half-breed. When he confronted him about it, Revali shooed him away as he had a meeting.

Taking that as a cue to investigate, Komali flew around the island until he reached the openings that looked into the old storage room. His father used it as a "jail cell" for intruders, which usually included members of the Wind Tribe. Since Medli came to him for help, he helped her avoid such a fate, as Wind Tribesmen were beaten and sent back to their tribe residing in the heavens.

It was cruel and completely out of character for Revali. Komali, remembering his position as the prince, vowed to restore relations between the two tribes. And helping Medli was a start.

"So, how are we gonna get those two out of there?" she whispered.

Komali remembered seeing the two "fugitives" and he knew the door was locked. They could steal a key and get them out of there. But what were they to do with the guards at the door? He had a master key, so there was no trouble there. And how were they to get off the island without his father noticing? The Rito had the power of flight and the fugitives only had a boat.

"I can cause a ruckus. You know they don't like my kind," Medli told him.

Komali almost shushed her as a guard walked pass their hiding spot. He sighed, telling her, "What if you get caught?"

"I'll just use the wind to guide me," Medli answered.

He looked around for more guards and he said, "But you're not that good with Wind Magic. I've seen you in action with it."

Medli glowered and he said, "It's true and you know it."

"Fine. I won't be a distraction. Your plan?" Medli asked.

"I can open the door with my key. And then…I dunno," Komali said.

"I'll be the distraction and we can run into Dragon Roost Cavern. Your Dad's not gonna follow us there," Medli said.

Komali shook his head, telling her, "We're supposed to get off the island. Not stay."

"We can reach Valoo or at least get close enough to the heavens where we can go up into the clouds. Unless you think running towards that boat and trying to get it started is a better idea," Medli said.

Komali reluctantly agreed, hoping that it would end well. Jumping out of her hiding spot, Medli spotted a guard and said, "Hey! Over here! Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!"

"Ah! Come here! You're not supposed to be here!" one of the guards yelled, chasing after her.

Medli ran off and Komali prayed for her success. As she was going around, making a ruckus, he headed for the "jail" and the guards were confused as to what was going on. Komali told them, "A Wind Tribe member is here."

"Wind Tribe?! They've violated our agreement!" the two said.

They ran off, leaving Komali there and he quickly took his chance. Putting in the key and opening the door, Komali was quickly tackled by the hybrid, who snarled viciously. The Rito glanced to his cohort, the half-breed Sheikah and she said, "Okay. Good! You scared him!"

The hybrid got up and Komali said, "Wait! You need to come with me!"

"Why? You guys imprisoned us," the girl asked.

"Just…There's no time to explain. Come with me or else you'll die staying here," Komali said, getting to his feet.

Neither wanted to die, so they followed Komali. Going through the various tiers, Komali could see the havoc Medli caused. Guards were running around in a panic, pottery was shattered, boxes were broken and mail was scattered. Medli apparently took being a distraction seriously and Komali motioned for the two fugitives to follow him.

They headed for a cavern that lead to Dragon Roost Spring. Despite the recent earthquakes, the bridge was still there and the trio ran across. Stopping on the other side, Komali looked for Medli and luckily she found her way out. But the guards were hot on her tail.

"Medli! C'mon!" Komali yelled.

Medli ran, with the guards chasing her on foot. Some took to the skies and Komali yelled, "Oh no!"

The half-breed, Sarada, yelled, "Blind them!"

A wave of shadow went pass them, hitting the Rito guards. Their eyes turned black as they were blinded by the shadows and Medli was unaffected. She crossed the bridge, jumping onto the other side. Sarada continued to blind oncoming Rito, both in the sky and on land. Most were affected, while others weren't. So much so that some had started crossing the bridge.

The four continued to run, jumping onto platforms in a lava pool and reaching the entrance to Dragon Roost Cavern. When they reached it, more Rito in flight headed towards them. Komali pulled out his bow, ready to shoot them down when Kiba started screaming.

He held his head and his veins started glowing fire red. Sarada pushed Medli and Komali into the cavern and a wave of fire shot out of Kiba. The force of the flames pushed the half-Sheikah into the cavern and the entrance was blocked by terrible flames.

"What the…?" he muttered.

"Whoa…Is he some kind of Sage or something?" Medli asked.

Sarada tried to rescue her friend from the flames, but they were too hot to approach. She looked to Medli and Komali, asking, "Where's the water in this place?"

"Where…Sarada?"

A figure covered in flames stepped through the entrance. Its eyes, gold in color, glowed with an ethereal light. Medli screamed, Komali aimed at the creature and Sarada asked, "Kiba? Is that you?"

"Why are you talking to it? It's a monster!" Komali yelled, shooting an arrow.

Kiba, the figure made of flames, was shot, but the arrow was turned into ashes. He tilted his head and the voice asked, "Sarada…safe?"

"Yeah. I think we're safe now. But, where are we to go? The Rito probably gonna dismantle the ship," Sarada said.

"Safe…new friends…safe?" the voice asked as "Fire Kiba" tilted his head the opposite direction.

"Y-Yes?" Medli answered.

The voice sighed and the flames dispersed from Kiba's body. Back to normal, whatever that was, Kiba swayed and was caught by Sarada before he could hit the ground. Shaking his head, he looked at the Rito and Wind Tribe member and gave a small whine. He then smiled, showing a bit of his sharpened canines.

"Um…Well, the only place we can go to now is the Realm above the Clouds, my home. I'm sure that my Mom won't be too mad that you're coming with us," Medli said, looking at Komali.

"I sure hope so," Komali said.

"What about us?" Sarada asked.

"Um, I think she'll understand you all's situation. We'll need all the help we can get if we wanna know where the Loftwings went," Medli replied.

And that's chapter 16. For those that played Minish Cap, the Wind Tribe were people who lived on the clouds and had the Wind Element, the one Link needed to power up the Four Sword. And the Rito were originally from Wind Waker, but their appearance in this is based on Breath of the Wild.

What role these two tribes will play out in the long run is yet to be seen. Until then, review?

-miano53