"I'll tell you what: If you can find me someone who can get past all the obstacles on Dragon Roost to get to Valoo... THEN I'll listen to anything you say!"

Chapter Seventeen: The Two Tribes, pt. 2

"What do you mean, we have to separate?"

"That's what the Hero wrote before departing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. Look at it."

"Um, I can't really read Hylian…"

"We are to vote. Those who want separation, raise your hands."

"But where are we to go? We didn't discuss this!"

"Go live on the clouds or something, human!"

"You all should, bird freaks!"

"That's enough! We'll vote and no one is to complain about the results!"

Dragon Roost Cavern, 2nd floor…

"How much farther?" Sarada asked.

The four scaled the cavern, a dimly lit, lava-filled cave that didn't seem to lead anywhere. Specifically, the sky. Sarada complained the whole time, saying things like the cavern reminding her of Death Mountain in Hyrule. The mention of it caused Kiba a slight headache, along with the idea that he had been in those mountains before, despite only knowing of Windfall Island.

The second floor had a series of bridges that led to an outcropping and a door. The heat of the cavern was nearly unbearable and Kiba was thankful that his entire body wasn't covered with fur. But, his wolf form did and he hoped no transformations would occur. The place was just far too hot.

"Kiba, that's your name, right?" Komali asked.

The hybrid nodded and he said, "What happened to make you…look like that?"

"Wow, super intrusive, Komali," Medli told him.

The Rito didn't see anything wrong, saying, "What? I'm just trying to figure out some things about our new companions. Especially as it seems we'll be seeing more of each other. And I need to get my mind off of this wretched heat."

"Well, your tribe agreed to stay on this volcano…" Medli muttered.

Komali didn't catch that and awaited a response from Kiba. The hybrid said nothing and Sarada said, "He doesn't talk…like at all. But, he doesn't remember anything from before washing up on Windfall Island."

"You're from Windfall?" Medli asked.

Kiba nodded and Komali said, "A freeman or slave?"

"When me and my partners arrived, he was a slave for this Lord Xander guy. Ever since we helped him escape, we've been on the run," Sarada told them.

Kiba nodded again and the four reached the door at the outcropping. Komali opened it and they ran outside. There, the group found themselves above the clouds, but there were more higher up. And Kiba could barely see rocky formations in the clouds, like some kind of sky islands.

He tilted his head and wondered if he had seen such things before. But how? He hadn't left the island until that voice prompted him to.

"Hey, you coming?" Komali yelled.

Kiba ran, seeing the trio at a set of stairs. Medli and Komali started off climbing the stairs and Sarada and Kiba followed. Just as they were in the middle of the staircase, a tremor rocked the mountain and Kiba heard a crack.

The stairs behind him had started to fall and the four began running. Komali immediately took off, his arms becoming wings and he flew. Sarada performed a ninja run as the stairs began falling faster. Kiba sprinted and Medli did the same, but she quickly tripped over her own feet.

She fell face first, but the stairs kept falling. Just as Medli tried to get up, the stairs she was on gave way and she fell. Kiba tried to jump to catch her, but Komali caught the girl before she could fall to her doom.

Glaring, she said, "Why didn't you do that in the first place?"

"Hey, I still saved you, didn't I?" Komali asked.

Medli grumbled as he helped her to where Kiba and Sarada stood. They were relieved and Kiba hoped that another tremor wouldn't rock the place.

Rito Village…

"So, you say that Komali's working with a member of the Wind Tribe?" Revali asked.

The Rito surrounding him agreed, with one stepping forward with a picto of Komali and Medli, hiding in a cave near the Wind Shrine. Another was a picto of Kiba and Sarada at the shrine. Revali remembered seeing a wolf near the girl, but not a humanoid. And those same two were the ones he had imprisoned for trespassing.

"If he is truly working with her, then it will shatter centuries of peace and tradition," an elder said.

"And I'm not one for working with those humans," a youth said.

"Yeah, this mountain belongs to us!" a second cheered.

Revali silenced them, saying, "Her arrival is indeed unfortunate, as she lured Komali into her trappings. And had him participate in helping prisoners escape."

"And one of them belongs to me."

The Rito chieftain saw a group of humans step into the cavern. As expected, the group readied their weapons and the rotund blonde's group did the same. Revali held up his hand, saying, "Hold. What are you humans doing here?"

"Hello, there, Your Grace. I am Lord Xander Nohrian of Windfall Island. I am here with my group to collect my property, a certain human-wolf hybrid that was in your custody," Lord Xander said.

"And you think we have such a thing?" Revali asked.

The man nodded, saying, "I have eyes and ears everywhere. And I would hope that you would be civil and return my property to me."

The Rito laughed and Revali said, "For the things you want, there's always an exchange. What are you willing to offer for our help?"

"Well, the creature is what I want. And I'm sure that you want to be rid of imperial presence off your island. The empire…subjugating such a proud tribe to being just postal workers. And the fighting that you have with a Wind Tribe," Lord Xander said.

"Just state plainly what you're offering," Revali said, getting impatient.

Lord Xander grinned, telling him, "We will offer our assistance in riding the imperial presence from your waters if you join us in the Great Sea Alliance. In exchange, I want the hybrid back. He is quite powerful and will aid us in keeping the empire out of our hair."

Revali didn't see how. The empire's lackey constantly harassed them, their ships appearing once every two weeks. They would infiltrate the island, taking things for taxes and collecting ore from the cavern for their weapons, despite the place being forbidden to the Rito. The man's offer was tempting, but…

"What assurance do I have that you can do this?" Revali asked.

Lord Xander handed him a flag that had the image of a swordfish jumping out of the ocean with a backdrop of the sun rising. It was a flag the Hero had introduced to the region from Koholint, quickly becoming the symbol of the Great Sea. Revali took it and said, "Don't make me regret this, human."

Dragon Roost Island, mountaintop…

"We…We finally made it…" Sarada said, collapsing.

The four reached a shrine at the top of the mountain, one that was the former home to Valoo, the sky dragon. It was similar to the Wind Shrine below with a gate welcoming visitors. Carved into the walls were images of dragons and a man handing the Rito and Wind Tribe a scroll. Stairs led to the very top, which had a golden statue of a roaring dragon in midflight, surrounded by clouds. Behind it was a dais and in a small cavern underneath was an altar, where many unlit candles and pinwheels were offered.

Medli rushed for it and Komali yelled, "Hey, wait!"

She stopped at the shrine and said, "Good. Everything's the way I left it. And…"

Going behind the altar, she found a sailcloth. It was shaped like a parachute, something…that Kiba oddly remembered, and the youth smiled. She returned to the group and said, "Okay, now all we have to do is pray in front of the statue of Valoo and hope that the whirlwind will take us up above the clouds."

"Wait, what?" Sarada asked.

"Above the clouds. My hometown," Medli said.

Sarada looked up and asked, "B-But, we're going up above…Um, do-do we have to?"

"It's either that or be imprisoned by my father," Komali told her.

The half-breed groaned, looking terrified. She looked to Kiba and said, "If I don't survive, find a guy named Daruk and tell him I love him."

Kiba tilted his head, wondering why she couldn't do it as she had telepathy. Sarada answered with, "My telepathy's limited. You know that."

Komali approached the statue with Medli and the two began praying. Sarada and Kiba joined them and Sarada prayed, "Please let us reach Medli's hometown safely…without anyone falling. Seriously, I don't wanna think about that…"

Kiba didn't know how to pray. He stared at the statue and could've sworn he saw it before. His mind wandered, seeing a redhaired man dressed in all black. The man approached the shrine and apologized for something…

A snarl and Kiba stepped away, holding his head. The others stopped praying and Sarada asked, "Are you okay?"

Kiba fell to his knees, holding his head as it felt like it was splitting apart. Sarada called his name again and the hybrid became quite dizzy. Everything swirled around him and he felt very sick. A vivid image of the redhaired man appeared again and someone said, "Prince Komali, carry him upward into the vortex. Hurry!"

"Why are you sorry, child?"

Hasan looked up at the dragon, Valoo, and the red scaled dragon was worried about his wellbeing. He felt as if he failed the Rito and Wind Tribes as the Rito had tricked him by changing the words on the scroll he gave them, detailing what to do about their rivalry. He wanted them to be unified, but the Rito changed it to where they had the island and the Wind Tribe had to be scattered to the winds.

"I…I should've known that was going to happen. I shouldn't have walked away when they were discussing their terms. I should've checked the scroll before presenting it to the two tribes," Hasan told him.

Valoo pondered it and Hasan told him, "I'll leave. Hopefully, they'll work out their problems."

"No. The separation will aid you. Yes, it seems you may have messed up now, but it will help in the long run," Valoo said.

"How?" Hasan asked.

"Well…Let's just say that you'll need the power of Earth soon," Valoo told him.

Kiba woke up, gasping for air as it felt as if he had been suffocated. He had a vivid dream of a guy named Hasan and a dragon named Valoo. He was apologetic over something, the subject of the Rito and Wind Tribes.

Holding his head as the headache returned, Kiba whimpered and gasped for more air. It didn't work and made everything worse. Guilt also welled up within him and his whimpers became shuddering sobs. He curled up, putting his head on his knees.

"Kiba? Kiba! Oh no!"

Sarada found him, and he didn't notice the room he was laying in. It was a simple bedroom, with stone walls and a window that brought in a fresh breeze. A lamp hung by a steel chain was suspended from the ceiling and carpeting was on the cold stone floor. Barriers blocked off other rooms, making makeshift walls.

Ignoring all that, Kiba continued to cry, but didn't know why. He also ignored that it was the first time in a long time that he used his voice, his human voice. Sarada hugged him and said, "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

Kiba started to calm down, still shuddering. Another in the room, a redhaired woman dressed in blue and pink, asked, "Why are you crying, child?"

He looked up, seeing her and noticing that she looked like an older Medli. She approached, saying, "Hello there. My name is Mistral. I'm Medli's mother."

Sarada told Kiba, "Medli's mom found us when you passed out three days ago. She helped us here and watched over you with me when you were still unconscious."

"Yes. And I have spoken with our elder, Lady Siroc, about you. And she knows of your running away from your master, Lord Xander of Windfall, and your subsequent capture by Prince Komali's father, Cheiftain Revali. As long as you're with us, you'll be safe," Mistral told him.

Kiba whimpered and she said, "When you're ready, Lady Siroc would like to speak with you. And if you're hungry, you can go down to the kitchen and speak with Haley and Sora."

The woman left and Sarada asked, "Why were you crying?"

Kiba turned away and looked at the window. Sarada rolled her eyes, saying, "You know you can tell me or at least let me in your mind."

He shook his head and she asked, "Why not?"

He pointed to himself and shook his head again. Sarada then asked, "So, you're trying to keep a secret? Why? It's not like I'm gonna blab it to everyone."

Kiba refused to look at her and she said, "Alright. But you'll tell me."

The hybrid fell back onto his bed as she left the room, shutting the wooden door behind herself. He stared at the ceiling, wondering why he felt so guilty. He definitely wasn't that Hasan guy and he…

"Hey. Hey!"

Kiba sat up, hearing someone calling him. The voice was familiar and he gave a small whimper. The voice called again, saying, "So, you're really mute?"

An image of the redhaired man in black appeared, him sitting at the foot of Kiba's bed. Kiba snarled and the figure said, "Aren't you that tafrah that appeared in my…? Hmm. I guess everything I dreamt was true."

Kiba growled and the figure asked, "You really don't remember? The dream where we met? And we fought that giant dark Wolfos?"

The growls ceased and the figure said, "Yeah. It's me. Hasan! We met in that dreamscape. Apparently…we're the same person or something."

A confused whine and Hasan told him, "I dunno either. But I was told that I can be both…"

Another confused whimper and Hasan said, "Well, what was the first thing you remember upon waking up? Besides pain and a migraine?"

Kiba pointed to himself questioningly and Hasan said, "Yes. You. We all muttered something. What was yours?"

Kiba shrugged and Hasan knew he was lying. The Gerudo-esque young man said, "I vaguely remember what I said and I'm still in disbelief over it."

His translucent hazel eyes locked onto Kiba's and he asked, "What's your name?"

Kiba covered his mouth and Hasan said, "And I'm not talking about the name you woke up with. Kiba, right?"

The hybrid's eyes widened as he was sure that he gave no indication of his name, and his mind was closed. Hasan put a finger to his temple and said, "Gerudo are good with Spirit magic, remember? Telepathy and all that."

Kiba grumbled and folded his arms. With a smirk, Hasan said, "I'm sure you do know what your name is. And don't worry. You won't instantly lose your memories or anything by saying it."

The hybrid rubbed his throat, telling him that he couldn't and Hasan said, "Just try. You cried earlier and that takes vocal cords."

Kiba wasn't too confident about that as he didn't know why he had started crying. And he couldn't really use his voice as all he could do was scream or cry. He never spoke actual words and anytime he did, it ended as whimpers or snarls.

"Just try. You can do it!" Hasan cheered.

Kiba looked down at his lap and he couldn't think of anything to say. All he knew was that his name was Kiba and he was a hybrid, a "tafrah". And that dream Hasan mentioned, he couldn't remember much.

"And? What's your name?" Hasan asked again.

The hybrid opened his mouth and coughed a few times, trying to start his voice. With a very small, raspy voice, he said his first words, "L-Lin…Lin-Link…N-N-No…dor…"

Hasan's eyes widened and he said, "Really? You too? I kinda was hoping that I was wrong…"

"My…name…real name…L-Link…" Kiba said, getting used to the sound of his voice.

"Well, hello there, other me," Hasan replied with a grin.

Kiba looked up and he could see the mark of Farore glowing on Hasan's right hand. A glow came from his own right hand and he saw the same mark. Apparently, the dream he had really wasn't.

"Yep. And since we're finally connected, I guess we can start by helping out the Rito and the Wind Tribe," Hasan said.

Kiba didn't get what he meant and his other self told him, "Well, I'm all the way in Snowpeak, still asleep, and I can't help from where I am. But, you're there and I do remember something really bad happening between the two tribes. Something I didn't get right."

The hybrid remembered seeing Hasan speaking with Valoo over the trickery the Rito committed to keep Dragon Roost. But, the sky spirit wasn't around to confirm what really happened. Hasan sighed and said, "Well, that Lady Siroc's waiting on you, right? So, let's go and see what she wants."

Kiba's stomach growled and Hasan added, "After you eat."

Woo! Kiba's finally awake as well. So, three down, five more to go? And thanks to Oracle of Hylia for their review on the last chapter. And more of Kiba's pictograph taking will be relevant later.

-miano53