Kobah eyed the distance, quagmirous soil of Ludfo's Bog as he stood along the crossroads of the western plains, scanning the area for signs of the others. Raising his hand to his forehead to shield his vision from the ill-temperate rays of the midday sun, his lips quivered for a moment in worry, having done this a hundred times himself in his old age, wondering what might be taking them.

At his side came a sudden jolt at the end of his shirt, forcing his attention toward Baba, the boy having come alone for his first experience collecting Dargarnon's most precious commodity. Kobah's paternal glance rested upon the child as Baba watched with his jaw lazily dropping the magnificent storm cloud that hovered endlessly over the deeper portions of the bog.

"It's not gunna get 'em, is it?" he asked with a tremble to his voice.

Kobah chuckled, "No, no. That storm never moves. So long as they keep close, they haven't a worry, 'n nor should you."

He eyed the horizon, noticing the sun's departure from its zenith, before continuing dryly, "Although, if they take too much longer, I cannot be certa'n of their safety…"

"I-! I thought you said-!"

Kobah smirked, "Their safety when they return and I beat their hides like a cow's hind-end."

Reaching down to pat Baba's shoulder, the old man nodded, noting with a wry grin, "Take that as a lesson, child. Never worry yer elders."

"Never… worry…" Baba recited in reply, having been taught by his mother that such repetition was beneficial to memory, "yer…"

"Your," Kobah verified dryly, "Your mother will have my hide if she finds out yer not speakin' proper because of me."

Baba's brow curled, "There sure are a lotta hides…"

Chuckling in reply, Kobah acknowledged, "Only when we don't act right. If you speak her yer supposed to, and if Lam 'n the others get back soon, there'll be no hides today."

"No… hides…" Baba repeated, earning him a downturned glance from his current guardian.

"Don't repeat that," Kobah instructed coolly before returning his attention toward the bog, "And as if in premonition- Look who it is."

From beyond a sheer incline of hilly terrain came the heads of Kobah's son, Lamim, and two other boys, the lot of them nearly keeled over in exhaustion as they desperately held onto the massive straps of clothen bags that draped over their shoulders and onto their backs, proof of their large success.

Kobah's shoulders dropped with relief as he took Baba's hand, leading the child toward the three teenage boys, the complaining voices of the adolescents carrying closer and closer as they drew near. Kobah gave a quick wave in greeting as the three huffed their way to a pause, dropping their massive sacks from their shoulders with careless abandon, leaving mushrooms scattering out along the grass, leaving Baba open-faced in wonderment.

"There, alright?!" Lam complained with a tired heat in his voice, "We got the mushrooms. Happy?"

Kobah tilted his head in appraisal, muttering in answer, "Well, no. I was hoping such a task would whip the rebellion outta you, but yer attitude-"

Lam eyed his dad with a deadpan expression, leaving Kobah to chuckle, "But, perhaps, that won't be a battle won in a single day. Ica? Kalu? You guys holdin' up?"

"…aye, sir," creaked Ica, the teen's body having fallen onto all fours as he panted breaths back into his body.

Kalu nearly nodded, unable to find a breath at all.

"Well, I'll make a few parents happy today," Kobah smirked, reaching into his pocket to dig around, "I know the first few attempts at harvesting those suckers can be tough, so- Here. I brought some refreshment."

The middle-aged man pulled out a pair of canteens, handing them off toward the boys, though only Lam was the only one able to accept the offer, despite his haggard breathing. He kept one before passing the other off for the other two to share, taking a drink as his father went on.

"Figured I'd bring Baba along to see all the hubbub. Not too many more years, he'll be followin' in all y'all's footsteps," Kobah nodded with nostalgia.

"Hubbub…" Baba recited quietly.

Lam watched the kid with a warning glance, "Put it off as long as you can. This sucks."

"So you say, now," Kobah reminded, "but these mushrooms will create the finest foods you could ever conjure up. Remember mom's mushroom fondue?"

Lam lowered his head with a sigh, admitting, "Yeah… It was good."

"See? Not to mention its monetary value. It's about the only thing we have out here worth buyin'," Kobah shrugged, "And given we had three strappin' boys doing the harvestin' today- We might just make a bit back for the community pot."

Ica warily spoke up, passing the canteen to Kalu after a drink, "Did they have to be such a pain getting out the grou-"

"Dude! Gross!" Kalu shouted, throwing his hands up to push away the canteen, "I don't want your germs all in my mouth!"

Ica glared toward the others in astonishment before grinning widely, shrugging, "More for me, then!"

Kobah laughed at their adolescent behavior, sighing in recollection of his own youth, "Ah, you three… You ought ta appreciate the back-breaking labor while you can. Break your back enough times, like me, and yer stuck playing chaperone all the time, eh, Baba?"

"Mommy says you lollygag," Baba admitted obliviously, leaving Lam to eye his father with scrupulous eyes.

"He does, doesn't he..?" the son slowly agreed.

Kobah smiled wide, but irritation clearly showed in his tightly shut eyes, "Nevertheless! All that groaning you three were doin'- You're teenagers! Yer too young for old man grunts and groans!"

Kalu muttered with smarmy reply, "Then when can we start making old man noises? Take me to that age…"

A humourous cackle came from Ica as the teen buried his head low to hide from Kobah's steady glare.

"Ah, yes; nothing like youth to be wasted upon the young," Kobah noted aloud, turning toward Baba, "You won't take it for granted, will ya, string bean?"

Baba vigorously shook his head, "No! I wanna eat anything I want and stay up late!"

Eying his peers, Lam uttered sarcastically, "Yeah, when's that age?"

"Only after that rebellion's been stripped outta you like a breath on a chilled night," Kobah assured with a grin, "The last thing we need're three boys getting in touch with their stupid sides and runnin' off."

"Running off…" Lam muttered languidly, "To where? We're practically chained here…"

Despite his attempts at remaining bright, Kobah's eyed slowly began to sour at those words, leaving him with a reckoning sigh, "Son- One of these days-"

"Oh, yeah; I love the 'one of these days' speech," Lam grumbled in upset, "You say that as if we'll actually leave this place at some point. but nobody born in Dangarnon ever leaves Dangarnon."

Ica muttered distastefully in chorus, "Yeah. My great, great gramps was a founding member, 'n now look at me."

"Well, that's why I'm here to do my best to help raise you all right and proper," Kobah nodded hopefully, "Give ya all the best chance to make the most of yer lives. Be it here or anywhere."

Lam complained, "By breaking our backs..?"

"In some cases, perhaps," Kobah smiled, pointing at the collection of mushrooms that had strewn out across the field, "Now, enough rest. Up 'n at 'em!"

"-at 'em…" Baba noted.

"Goddess, dad; Baba's not gonna know how to speak listening to you."

Kobah frowned, glancing down toward the child with a speculative stare, "I've been trying to watch my words, you know."

"Heh heh," Ica chuckled, turning toward Kalu with a mischievous look, "Word watchin', huh?"

Kalu tried to resist a boyish giggle himself, though he succumbed soon enough, leaving Kobah with a dry stare as he concluded, "Y'all can keep yer inside jokes 'n all, but I assure you, I'm doing the best I can to help you all."

Smattering his hand against his face, Lam explained wearily, "They weren't talking about you, dad…"

"Oh?" Kobah spoke up with interest.

Lam frowned, "It's nothing."

"Nothing, eh?" his father mused with deepening excitement, forcing Lam to start waving off his two friends, though their snickering continued as Kobah attempted to put two-and-two together.

"Shut up!" Lam pleaded amongst the three teens, "Just- Get the fuckin' bags 'n-!"

"Language," Kobah reminded.

"Fucki-"

He swiftly gave Baba a glance that said everything he needed to speak without doing so.

"I understand, son, don't worry," Kobah muttered hautily, forcing a scrupulous glance upon his son's face as he watched his father hauntingly, knowing his old man well enough to know that such a statement was merely to disarm him.

Sure enough, Kobah went on, "I know you boys are probably busy talking about girls 'n all that-"

"Dad!" Lam shouted, "We've got the bags! We're coming! Just-! Stop!"

Kobah shrugged, "Whatever do you mean? I just explained that it's my duty to impart wisdom unto you all. I know you're all at that age where-"

"Goddess," Lam complained through a groan as he covered his face, "Dad!"

"Yeah…" Ica grumbled, "It's not nearly as fun hearing that stuff from-"

His words, however incomplete, confirmed Kobah's assertion before Ica could catch himself. Lam shook his head in defeat, as the three teens stumbled along behind Kobah as the old man took Baba's hand, leading the small troupe of men back toward the road en route back to Dangarnon.

"You know, you all ought to appreciate the lack of young women in our township," Kobah instructed, "There's nothing worse than a young man looking to prove himself to impress another. Why, given your boys' penchant for wily outings- I'd hate for one of you to hunt down a hinox merely to die looking for a trophy to offer a maiden."

While Lam and Ica drolled along with disgust, Kalu seemed slightly interested, the quieter of the trio muttering in question, "How, uh-"

"How do I know? Because I was a stupid boy, myself!" he confirmed with a wry smirk, "How'd you think I first tore my back up? Lam's mother- her eyes caught some fruit atop one of the massive stalks of mushrooms down in the scablands, so I did my darndest to acquire some to offer her."

He sighed, "You let your hormones do all the thinking. I'd like to think your mother saved my life by being as interested in me as I, she. After that blunder'us ordeal, I needed no further trial to prove my worth. She had seen it all along."

Smiling, Kobah turned toward the boys, "We actually were not married by the time Lam came along, so his birth was rather the impetus for-"

"Dad!" Lam shouted in complaint.

"What?!" Kobah questioned lightly, "You were an adorable little thing; you should be proud of how wittle and cute you were."

A blush shot across Lam's face as he avoiding a snickering glance from Ica, shouting, "Shut up, Ica! And dad! Cut it out!"

"I'm just saying, is all," Kobah smirked, "In fact, if you're all comfortable speaking of women- I'll have you all know, when your mother was younger-"

"Dad!"

Shrugging, Kobah questioned, "So why is it terrible when I share the same things as you all?"

"Because-" Lam began, though his attempt at tact quickly came under fire by Ica's interruption.

"You're kinda old, sir."

Scoffing, Kobah began to laugh as Lam took a swipe at his friend.

"Well, you got me there, young man! That thick-headedness will truly be your folly if you're not careful."

Ica turned to Kalu warily, "What's a folly?"

With a swift twist of his hand, Kalu took a smack at the back of Ica's head, sending the latter into a quick moment of upset, "Hey!"

Kobah reached into his pocket as his trembling laughter subsided, shaking his head in relief, "Ah, well; I'm told laughter does keep your heart young."

The cluster of bodies turned after having passed the crossroads, taking themselves off the main dirt path just as Sartori Mountain loomed in front of them, creating a picturesque background that painted itself beyond the shaky architecture of Dangarnon, creating something of an ugly juxtaposition that lined most facets of life out here amongst the Ridge. Kobah strayed a bit as the exhausted trio of teens began up the hilly landscape, just case one of them needed a helping hand- or, whatever helping hand he could possibly hope to muster.

"You still comin' over to help with my weapon wall?" Ica asked toward Lam, who responded with a sidelong glance.

"You know I wouldn't miss it!"

Kobah's eyes narrowed, "You, young man, will need to get to bed as soon as we get back into town.

"What?! Why?"

"Because Rabil took your place in the watchtower last night," the father reminded, "So you take his place tonight."

Lam eyed him with pleading anger, "But dad, I-! He was the one who wanted to switch! not me!"

"And you agreed," Kobah noted, "Without equal exchange amongst our community, everything that's been built here breaks down. You're lucky Rabil is taking shifts at all after what happened to him and Ahie."

Frowning at the prospect of missing out on his friends' activities, Lam grumbled lowly, "Understood…"

"Maaaan," groveled Ica, "I just finished repairing that lance I found, too. I also worked out that hitch in my crossbow, too; it's shoots as straight as a blade of grass now!"

"Yeah, if you could aim," came a tease from Kalu, sending a glare from overtop Ica's shoulder as the older of the two sneered.

"I'll remind you that I have the quickest time when it comes to hunting the varmints getting into the stockroom," Ica scolded, all while Kalu smirked in reply, "So you should thank me for your meals, too!"

Kalu scoffed, "Yeah, right. I'll get on that as soon as you learn the difference between a spoon and a fork."

"That was one time!" Ica challenged as the group stepped into the small town, leaving Kobah to interrupt the bickering as they approached a horse-drawn cart that sat waiting for their return, a younger woman standing at the far side of the vehicle, hands clutching the wooden boundary of the cart as her head hung low.

The father spoke up, "Okay, you three; enough of that. Dump the mushrooms and we can call it a day, alright?"

"Couldn't agree more," came a smarmy answer from Lam as the three teens sauntered nearer still to the cart, struggling to lift the sacks of mushrooms high enough to clear the cart's height.

Kobah stepped toward the cart, nodding toward Ahie as he watched her gloomily, her hands still shaking even as they so tightly held the side of the wagon.

"Just push!" shouted Ica as Lam struggled to shove the sack overtop the wagon.

"That's what I'm doing!"

Finally, as Kalu wormed his way between the two of them, creating an army of three, the sack finally toppled over the wall lining the edge of the wagon, sending mushrooms tumbling aimlessly across the inside, allowing the three teens a brief respite as they noticed the other two sacks still in need of work.

Baba tugged at Kobah's pant leg, staring at the older boy in awe, "Will I ever be that strong?"

Kobah smiled, patting the child's back before crouching down to pull Baba up into his arms, pressed into his shoulder, before returning his attention to the three as he replied, "Keep eating your mushrooms and you'll be just about as strong as anyone. Dangarnon's mushrooms are chock-full of everything a Hylian needs."

He turned toward Ahie with a warm smile, "You've have Ahie's Mushy Mess, right?"

"Yeah!" Baba declared with enthusiasm, earning a soft grin along Arie's downturned face, "It made good paste, too!"

"That, uh-" Kobah suddenly sputtered in reply, his look turning nervous while Ahie peered up toward him knowingly, "Baba, you're not supposed to say stuff like that."

Baba frowned, "I can't lie, I can't tell the truth… Whadd'ya want from me?!"

His comical air left Ahie agiggle, if only for the briefest of moments, as Kobah returned Baba to the ground, frowning, "Alright, then go ask mom and dad about it, okay? I'm not equipped tah be answerin' those sorts of questions."

Nodding with confused exuberance, Baba spun away, taking off in the direction of the inner plaza of the village, the square-like patch of pock-mocked stone that sat between the circular ring of buildings and the watchtower- all that made up Dangarnon. Kobah sighed as he lifted himself back up ashamedly, frowning in Ahie's direction.

"Sorry about that."

She shook her head, speaking in a chilled voice despite that moment of brilliance a moment earlier, "Don't mention it…"

Kobah lowered his eyes, taking in a breath as he allowed the air to settle, accompanied by the teens' rigorous attempt at dumping the next sack of mushrooms. Carefully, Ahie reached into the cart, slowly separating the mushrooms that had already been thrown asunder, doing her usual task of ensuring the mushrooms most visually appealing were the ones to be sold, leaving the undesirable ones to the side for the villagers to eat themselves.

"How, uh-" Kobah briefly muttered, nervously scratching the back of his head, "How are things? You and Rabil, that is."

Arie's sorrowful frown seemed to magnify, though she still managed with an aching gait to her cadence, "It- I don't-"

She carefully slid the mushroom in her hand back into the wagon, gripping the side of the vehicle once again, as if she were struggling to keep hold of her tears.

Kobah stammered with a rushing voice, "That is, uh- Only if you feel comfortable with-"

"I-" Ahie interrupted, doing her best to muster up a weak, wiry smile, "I still- have my jobs to do. I can't, uh- I can't mourn forever."

She felt a choking mass in her throat.

"Even if I would like to."

Kobah's lips turned low with worry as he reached across the cart, carefully placing a hand upon her shoulder, running a tender thumb along her quivering body, "Look… I've lost many things in my life, but- A child is not one of them. I cannot begin imagine the pain of that; few of us can even come close to understanding. So- Lamim did a solid and helped Rabil with what he needed last night. If you'd like to go home, I can stay and sort these out today."

She gave a weak chuckle, peering off into the distance, "Rabil only needed help getting away from me…"

"Now, I've already spoken to him about that," Kobah noted, solidifying his already known role as an elder of the village, "He knows better. But you are allowed to grieve, as is he, even if it's in ways that don't make sense to-"

A whooping holler broke the air as the boys managed the second load of mushrooms, sending another sizable bunch of soft toadstools stampeding across the length of the cart, leaving Kobah's attention waned as he peered down to see the teens slowly hovering toward the final bag.

"I carried that child for months," Ahie quietly concluded with a shiver, "Her death was-…"

Kobah watched her with a pained expression, unable even to empathize with such a feeling. He turned toward Lam, his son's strapping body in far more motion than Ahie and Rabil's daughter would ever hope to achieve in death. What if his son had died? right now? What would he feel?

It was a thought he couldn't ever believe himself capable of conjuring, even for the sake of experiment.

Ahie shakily reaching into the wagon once again, as though a weight had been lifted for a brief moment as small pockets of tears began to form along her nearly-shut eyes. Kobah lowered his gaze reverently, twisting his lips in dismay over the situation before him. His life-long obsession with mediation tugging at his heart-strings, the thought of being helpless, among a couple so dangerously in need of help-

"-two! THREE!"

With a final, mastodonic shove, the three boys sent the final allotment of mushrooms coursing along the interior of the wagon before their bodies gave way, sending the teens sauntering to the ground to sit, although Ica immediately fell onto his back, simply lying there as he collected his breaths.

"Goddess, that sucks!" Lam complained.

Kobah nodded, "It builds muscles as much as it builds character, I'll have you know."

"Lovely," Lam dryly muttered toward Kalu, "The 'character-building' speech, too."

Kalu smirked, reaching over to stroke Lam's arm with a brusque movement, sending Lam immediately leaning away, "Two for two today, buddy."

"Alright, alright," Kobah suddenly warned, reaching down to stop the ensuing scuffle as his eyes remained upward, catching the man approaching the cart, "Motom's comin' over."

At the very utterance of their village elder's name, the two teens put a stop to their arguing, simply recovering from the ordeal as Kobah returned upright, offering his hand as Motom's dragging foot kicked up a trail of dust that followed him wherever he went, only stopping once he came to a halt, smiling as he shook Kobah's hand.

"Aye, sir," Kobah nodded.

Motom grinned, appraising the wagonful of mushrooms with a sparkle in his eye, "Well, goddess bless! These kids must'a gotten a kick outta all those mushrooms!"

"More like a kick to the shoulder," Ica breathed heavily from his prone position.

The elder chuckled merrily, "Ah ha! Good ta see ol' Kobah hasn't worked all that spunk outta y'all just yet. You'll need it for the winter, no doubt, and up until you're all old men, knowing my beloved Dangarnon."

Lam rolled his eyes out of sight from the scruffy mass of hair that nearly covered the whole of Motom's face, the elder stroking his beard with interest as he peered over the horizon, "I just came ta let you all know- Word's come outta Willowdale. Princess Zelda's on the way."

Kobah's eyes narrowed as Kalu spoke up with excitement, "Princess Zelda?!"

"Goddess!" Ica shot next, immediately rising up from the ground.

With a confused look, Kobah asked, "W- Why?"

Motom shrugged, "No clue, although the traveler said she was with a rather eclectic bunch when she entered the inn seeking lodging. A Gerudo, Goron, and a Zora."

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Motom surmised uncertainly, "I would be foolish to think it's meant to actually appraise our town after many decades of the Kingdom not giving a cucco's backside about it, but- Who knows?"

He looked over the mushrooms, "So, I figured I'd let you know to keep plenty of the best ones in case she'd like a meal. If we're ever to sway opinion, our prized crop will have to be the vehicle to do so!"

Kobah looked away in wary contemplation as Motom stepped closer to the cart, chuckling at the thought of such royal company, thinking aloud, "Ah, yes, Ahie, you'll absolutely have to make up some of that Mush if they decide to-"

He paused, his beard falling noticeably as he caught Ahie's downtrodden state, speaking suddenly, "Goddess, I'm so sorry, my child. I didn't mean ta-"

Ahie immediately shook her head, "No- don't… I'm okay."

Wiping away a stream of tears, she forced a weak smile, "I'll be happy to serve the Princess."

Nodding uncertainly, Motom acknowledged, "Alright- I mean, if you're up for it. I wouldn't want-"

The elder paused, noticing Kobah's discerning eyes, allowing the middle-aged man to ask, "Do we know when they're arriving?"

"As soon as tonight, I'd surmise," Motom shrugged, "The traveling merchant just relayed this to us, and he had a few hours of a head-start. So, I'd like this village to be in tip-top shape! Sashi and her sister can ready some water and firewood. Thopo can get the- Ah! Rabil's gonna be in the tower tonight…"

"Actually," Kobah noted, much to his son's chagrin, "He swapped with Lamim last night. My son'll be in charge of lookout tonight."

Frowning in thought, Motom crossed his arms as he looked down toward the teenage boys, lips hovering between dismay and uncertainty, "Hmm… I'd like nothing to go wrong this evening. If Rabil isn't up there-"

"Lam is more than capable of the task, sir," Kobah assured.

"Still-" Motom sighed, thinking for a moment, "Alright, but I want these other two on rotation. Swap out as you'd like, but I want two of you up there at all times, understood?"

Ica's shoulders fell, "What?!"

"Why us?!" Kalu whined, leading to a swift kick at his back from Kobah.

Motom frowned, "Had I a reason to deprive you all of a royal audience, I'd have all three of you up there at all times for tonight. Be thankful that I've offered you three that much."

The elder sighed, clearly not enthused by having to scold his town's up-and-coming denizens, before patting his chest with low enthusiasm, "And with everything in order, here, I'll have to alert the rest of the village. You all understand?"

A chorus of nods accompanied Kobah's reply, "Yes, sir."

Motom smiled widely, removing his thinly brimmed hat to place atop his chest before giving a polite bow, kicking up dirt as his dead leg dragged alongside him, his movement in jerky motion as he battled the impediment. Kobah watched with uncertainty while the boys chattered amongst themselves.

"Whoa! The princess, man!" Ica charged with awe, "They say her hair is like sunlight! Gah! To be in the same room as her!"

Kalu went on a worshipful tangent as well, though Kobah was interrupted by Lam rising to his feet to challenge, "Dad! Why do I have to be in the tower?! Motom wants Rabil up there!"

"Because that's what he ended up deciding," Kobah ordered, sending a jolting glance toward Ahie, "Do you wanna tell Ahie that her husband should spend a second night up there?"

Lam gave short consideration to the thought he hadn't accounted for, still sluggishly carrying his shoulders as he groaned, "No…"

"Good," Kobah nodded, "Like Motom said- Be thankful he's allowing you all turns to meet the Princess. It's been close to fifty years since we've had a royal guest, so you all better be on your best behavior."

He kicked a plume of dust toward the two other boys still boorishly discussing the Princess, earning their attention as they threw their arms through the air to prevent the dust of smothering them.

"That means no staring," Kobah made clear.

"Y- Yes sir!"

"Okay! Okay!"

Groaning to himself, Kobah ran a hand across his face, knowing his simple night indoors had been painfully averted by this new situation he hadn't foreseen. Despite his optimism, he had come to understand that, nights like these- Night where everything was supposed to go right…

His eyes glanced across the tiny plaza in the center of town, watching the decrepit tower rising up like a shambled spire, symbolizing a century of strike, with little help from the Kingdom to show for much of it.

His eyes narrowed with uncertainty.

Nights like these were when the demons came.