The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.

Chapter 37 - A Force of Nature

Link breathed in deeply and let the air out slowly in a contented sigh. The sky above was beautiful, nary a cloud to be seen, the sun shining down on him with its warming rays. It felt like forever since he had been able to just...breathe.

He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the lake around him. The water splashing against the rocks, the quiet buzz of dragonflies, the wind rustling through the grass on shore. The industrious sounds of the army gathering at the Domain did not reach this spot.

Heaven.

Beneath him, Sidon took a deep breath as well, and Link felt the warmth of his lover's body, felt Sidon's powerful muscles shifting with the expansion of his lungs. Then the Zora's fingers found Link's ears, gently exploring them until they found the lobes. The gentle pressure of the massage caused the Hylian to let out a surprised moan.

"Is that good?" Sidon asked, his chest vibrating with a chuckle beneath Link. It grew more intense when Link could do little else but let out a breathless yes. "I'm glad."

It had been the prince's idea, suggesting it was a good way to get Link to relax. He had led the Hylian along a path that snaked its way up into the hills surrounding the city, away from the camps set up by the army. Hidden behind several thickets and an unfriendly-looking copse of trees, and surrounded on almost all sides by towering cliffs, was a lake.

Well, Sidon called it a lake. It was really more of a deep pond, with a tiny rocky and grassy beach. Virtually unknown by the Zora, Sidon was more than happy to share it with Link, convincing the Hylian to strip down to his shorts and join him in the water. It was a little cold, being so high up, but the sun quickly took care of that whenever he surfaced.

"Can I try something?" Sidon had asked, and Link had nodded. Before he knew it, he was lying on his back on top of Sidon's considerable chest, the prince acting as a raft beneath him. Link had protested at first, but when the warmth from Sidon seeped into him, he'd surrendered to it fully.

So there they were, floating in a pond with not a care in the world.

Well, Link had some cares (quite a few of them, really), but as comfortable as he was right now, they seemed far away. Far enough away that he could simply focus on the lovely things Sidon was doing to his ears. He had no idea he could feel like this!

"Are you about to fall asleep?" Sidon asked, clearly noticing that the Hylian on top of him was steadily turning into mush.

"N-No," Link said.

"Liar," Sidon teased. "Go ahead, I don't mind."

"'s not f-fair," Link said, shaking his head to make Sidon let go of his ears. Carefully, he turned himself around so that he was lying on his stomach, so they were face to face. "C-Can't j-just use y-you as a m-mattress."

Sidon grinned. "Why not? I'm sure there's more than a few people in Hyrule who would be honoured to have the Hero use them as a mattress. I'm certainly one of them!" He looked so genuinely happy at the thought. A bit like an excited puppy, really. Knowing how Sidon's tail fin would sometimes waggle if he was particularly happy or excited only further added to that image.

Link felt his cheeks heat up, and he hid his face in his lover's chest. "Why m-must you say such th-things?" he asked, his words muffled.

"Because doing so makes you react like this," the prince said happily, lifting his arm to let droplets of water cascade onto Link's back, causing the Hylian to hiss at the cold. "This is a side of the Hero of Hyrule only Sheik and I get to see, no?"

Link grumbled at that, refusing to show his face until Sidon carefully tugged at his hair. The look of adoration that greeted him was like staring into the sun. It was probably a trick of the sunlight, but even Sidon's teeth glinted. Link still couldn't help but be fascinated by them, even more so now that he knew just what they could do to him...

"Beautiful," Sidon said, taking Link's arms and pulling him a little closer so that their lips could meet. "And mine," he added as they parted.

Link reached out, letting his fingers caress the edge of Sidon's crest, enjoying the rumbles of approval the prince let out. It made him sound like a purring cat.

A giant, scaly cat with a set of teeth capable of ripping a person to pieces with little effort.

"M-Mine," Link whispered, kissing Sidon again, which the prince returned happily, his hands roaming Link's sides, seemingly mapping out the patchwork of scars that marked the Hylian's skin with reverence.

Link lost track of time...and space, for that matter. One minute he was using Sidon as a flotation device, the next he was on his back in the grass, the Zora looming over him with a look that spoke of a ceaseless hunger that made Link feel hot and fidgety.

"I might not let you leave," Sidon said teasingly, nipping at the skin of Link's shoulders, his chest, his stomach. "Might keep you here with me for all eternity."

"M-Maybe after," Link said, gasping when his shorts were deftly removed, exposing him to the cold air.

"After?" Sidon asked, breath ghosting over him.

"After I d-defeat G-Ganon." He whined, wishing Sidon would do more than just breathe on him, which only served to heighten his sensitivity.

Sidon chuckled. "Is that a promise?" he asked, lowering his head just a little closer.

"Y-Yes," Link grimaced. "Just...p-please!"

"As you wish," the prince replied, and proceeded to devour Link the most pleasurable way.

Sheik seemed to be enjoying himself.

From his perch on the armrest of King Dorephan's throne, he spoke to the gathered military representatives. When he spoke, showing them the various plans and strategies they could (or damn well should, according to Sheik) take into consideration when making their eventual assault on Hyrule Castle, they listened.

They actually listened.

Sure, there were some begrudging snorts and looks from certain men or women when they realised that the voice speaking to them wasn't coming from a living, breathing creature, but they seemed to accept that Sheik knew what he was talking about...or at the very least had useful intelligence in the form of highly detailed maps taken directly from the Sheikah Towers dotting the landscape around the castle.

Granted, one particularly irate Hylian man was very belligerent and refused to listen, but Sheik shouted him down pretty quickly.

"Do you want to plan an assault on a castle that will be heavily defended by all manners of horrible creatures and mechanical monstrosities that will most likely get hundreds, if not thousands, killed all by yourself? Then be my fucking guest!"

"Now, now, gentlemen," King Dorephan had said soothingly, hoping to ease the tension. "There is no need for such heated arguments. We are all on the same side here, and I am sure the captain meant no offence..."

A withering glare was directed at the Hylian in question, who nodded demurely. "O-Of course not, your grace," he muttered.

"And I am sure Master Sheik will remember that, as obvious as it may seem to him, the rest of us might need things explained in more detail than others, hm?"

Sheik seemed to take the comment to heart, slowing down his rapid deployment of the incredible insights he could provide the officers in front of him. Dorephan was relieved. This meeting was a waste of time unless everyone actually understood what Sheik was talking about.

"Very well," Sheik said, increasing the magnification of the map he was currently projecting into the air above them. "As you can see, a river runs past the castle, serving as its moat. Like I said before I was so rudely interrupted, my suggestion is that the heavy ground forces—that is, Hylians and Gorons—keep the main forces occupied while the Zora swim up said river and emerge from the moat behind the enemy. They'll be caught in a pincer movement, and utterly destroyed."

"A sound strategy, Master Sheik," King Dorephan said, his deep voice reverberating throughout the throne room. "What will the Sheikah be doing at this time?"

"Well, seeing as we're not really frontline fighters, the Sheikah will be harassing the enemy from the back." Sheik highlighted the ridge that overlooked the back of the castle on the map. "Link and I observed this point of attack a while ago—it was unguarded at the time. With the main battle hopefully drawing the bulk of the enemies' attention, the Sheikah will climb over the walls and infiltrate the castle itself, preparing the way for the Hero to deliver the final blow."

"Hero, huh?" a snide voice from the back said. "Are you talking about the stuttering kid who's afraid of his own shadow? Who nearly drowned himself in a foot of water yesterday?" They snorted. "If he's our best hope, we might as well give up now."

The room, which had filled with the buzz of small conversations between the various officers, fell deathly silent. Some stopped speaking out of curiosity, others out of fear, and yet some out of agreement.

All eyes were on the slate as the holographic map was dismissed, the screen dimming slightly.

Dorephan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He, too, felt anger at having his boy disparaged. His grip on the armrest was so tight he was afraid he'd warp the metal. As much as he wanted to shout the man into submission, however, preserving the unity of their forces until the final Divine Beast was freed and they could finally launch their attack was paramount. He, in his precarious position as leader of this alliance, could not lose his temper at what was, if not entirely diplomatic, a fair question.

As king, he had to remain calm. As a father, however, he was seething.

Luckily, Sheik was there to take on the role as the verbal sledgehammer.

"What. Did. You. Say?"

The words spoken by the slate were distressingly quiet.

Dorephan quite liked Sheik. The boy was a bit abrasive, true, and his volume control could use a bit (a lot) of work, but he was refreshingly honest and direct, which were qualities that were sorely missed in a royal court. Muzu could be quite cutting with his remarks when confronted by particularly disrespectful individuals, true, but little could compare to the sheer force that was Sheik in a browbeating mood.

Dorephan liked the screaming. It was entertaining. Which was why he was absolutely terrified of what would come next, because he had never heard Sheik be this quiet before.

"Well?" Sheik said, just as quietly. "Speak up, whoever you are."

The tone was almost pleasant. Dorephan shifted a little to his left, away from the slate. Sheik may not have had a body, but his presence was certainly there, and it was oppressive.

"I said," the man spoke, a little louder, as he stepped out from a small throng of Hylian soldiers. Well, perhaps soldiers were a bit much. Their mismatched armour and weapons spoke of lives more accustomed to herding sheep than wielding swords. The one who'd spoken looked a little rough, his bald head shining in the lights of the throne room. "If we've to put our trust in that little boy, then we're all dead! Where'd you dig him up, eh? Been searching the villages for the prettiest one, and dolled him up with a fake Champion's tunic and a replica sword he can barely lift? Some Hero!"

A few of his companions snorted at that, and Dorephan wondered if he should just take their names and put them on a list of casualties pre-emptively. It'd save some time.

"That boy, as you call him, has already done more for Hyrule and this alliance than you and your little buddies there will ever do in your festering lives," Sheik replied, the projector lens lighting up again, slowly building an image that had Dorephan's jaw dropping a little.

It was Link—the current Link, whose demeanour made Dorephan's chest ache with sadness—locked in battle with the most hideous creature he had ever laid eyes upon. Link was wearing the armour Mipha had made for him—another ache in his chest—and had his sword posed to stab the damn thing directly in its mad eye, his shoulder bleeding profusely from a wound Dorephan had never seen.

Had this been the battle against the evil inside Vah Ruta?

"This was one of Ganon's avatars. Link has defeated three of them, two of them without the damn Master Sword, and nearly gotten killed more times than I can count—and I can count really fucking high! He has freed the Divine Beasts and proved himself a threat to Ganon! Link has been fighting for you, for all of you! Without him, you'd all still be living in fear of the moment Ganon breaks out and comes to destroy you all!"

"And now we're just marching off to battle so it can kill us all in one fell swoop!" the man countered. "What good is the Hero to us then?! And where is he, anyway? If he's so important, shouldn't he be part of these plans?!"

"He is getting some well-deserved rest after a harrowing battle with the Divine Beast of the Rito," Dorephan said, hoping to disarm whatever explosive outburst was about to ensue.

"And even if he weren't, he does not need to know these particular plans," Sheik added. "He will have his own duties during the battle."

"What, like running away?" the man asked with a grin.

"No, that'll be your job," Sheik said drily.

"Gentlemen, please," Dorephan interrupted. This was rapidly going to turn into an argument they could ill afford to have. "May I remind you that you are speaking of a boy as dear to me as my own son—I would advise you all to simmer down before any of us say something we will regret."

He fixed the Hylian with a level stare that quickly had the man lower his head in submission.

"It is every man and woman's choice to be here, to fight in this army. It is imperative that we all agree on our goal, as well as trust each other to do the jobs we are assigned. The Hero of Hyrule—Link, as some of you may call him—has the unenviable task of facing Ganon itself. It is our job to distract the beast's armies long enough for Link to defeat it. We will have the support of the Divine Beasts, as well as the combined armies of Hylians, Sheikah, Rito, and Zora. That, alone, will be a severe threat to Ganon's forces."

"And the Gerudo?" a Goron asked, his turned down in a mighty frown. "Will they not join us?"

There were muttered agreements. Dorephan was prepared for the question, however.

"I have already reached out to Lady Riju, Chieftain of the Gerudo, asking for her support in our endeavour. I have yet to receive a reply, but I am confident she will commit her forces to ours—"

"And if not, I'll scream until she does," Sheik added. "The Gerudo Desert happens to be Link's next destination, for those who are curious."

"And that, as we all know by now, will have her begging us to let her help," the king added with a small grin, to which there were scattered laughs. "Fear not, my friends. We will have all the allies we need. We will free Hyrule from the Calamity!"

"Hear, hear!" the slate agreed.

"I should have screamed at him," Sheik said once the throne room had emptied, leaving him alone with the king.

Muzu had gone to speak with the army leaders on the diplomatic matters that would be resumed upon the defeat of the Calamity. It was the sort of talk that usually had Dorephan convinced his brain was dribbling out his ears after a while due to how grating he found them. In these times, Muzu was a godsend. Good old Pancake Head...he'd been there to rein in Dorephan when he was young and foolish, and full of energy.

A bit like Sidon, really, though Dorephan's son definitely had him beat in the energy department, even when the king had been his age. It was a wonder, really, that Muzu hadn't gone insane from trying to keep Sidon calm for more than five minutes, no matter how many threats he'd made, or how many punishment duties he'd forced on the prince.

It was hilarious, then, how Link managed to accomplish with a smile what Muzu had failed to in a century.

Even more hilarious was how the boys thought they were being subtle.

"I think you handled it well," the king told the slate, now secure in his hand once more. "While he definitely deserved a bit of a tongue lashing, we cannot afford cracks in our foundation at this stage. We seem to have assuaged the man's worries for now, and once you free Vah Naboris and convince Riju to join her forces with ours...well, they won't dare to leave for fear of being labelled cowards."

"Oooh, I like that," Sheik said, sounding gleeful. "A man's reputation is all he has, huh?"

"Something to that effect, yes," the king agreed. "We must use whatever tools we have at our disposal to ensure the fragile alliance does not crumble."

"How...pragmatic," the voice from the slate said, sounding a little awed.

"You sound surprised," Dorephan noted.

"Just didn't expect such words from you," Sheik replied. "Does Sharky know his father can be so ruthless?"

"He does, but it is not a side of me he sees often," the king admitted. "Not anymore, at least."

"Not anymore?"

"After Mipha...I was despondent." He lowered his head, putting his face closer to the screen, which shone bright with Sheik's attention. "In the span of a single day, I'd lost almost everything. My daughter, Link, King Rhoam...the only thing that prevented me from giving in to despair was Sidon, but even then, I found myself growing...pragmatic, as you say. I made some decisions that, looking back, were questionable. All in the interest of preserving what I had left—my people, and Sidon."

"What changed?"

"Sidon grew," the king said, lips twitching with a smile. "And became a force of nature."

Sheik snorted. "That's true enough," he agreed. "Hard to be in a foul mood with him around."

"Quite," Dorephan said with a nod. "He saw my pain, and he refused to let me give in to it. He can be relentless when he puts his mind to something, and I was quite unable to resist."

"Neither can Link, heh..."

"Nor you, from what I understand," Dorephan said, giving Sheik a wink."

"I...I don't...huh?" Sheik faltered.

"Hm, is that so?" the king asked, amused at the sudden bashfulness. It was adorable, really, how the boys believed they could keep secrets from him. "Have I gotten the wrong impression then?"

Sheik was quiet for a moment, before saying quietly, "Depends on the impression..."

Dorephan couldn't suppress his chuckle. "Ah, to be young and in love...such a wonderful feeling, is it not?"

"It's nauseating, is what it is," Sheik said, with no real venom behind it. "...but I guess it could be worse."

"Indeed," the king said, trying hard not to laugh. Young'uns were all the same when it came to their supposedly secret affairs coming to light—all false bravado or embarrassment. Or both. "Much, much worse. Now, what do you think those two are up to at the moment?"

It was a leading question, and one he hoped would get a rise out of Sheik.

"Fucking, probably."

He should have expected that, really.

Teba landed gingerly on the tree branch, his foot still smarting from the burn he'd received in the fight on Vah Medoh. He reached out to the trunk for stability and crouched down, letting his eyes roam the tree line, searching for movement.

The moon was cloaked by a thick layer of clouds that had showered the village with precipitation all day, though it had slowed down to a drizzle by now. Teba thanked the gods for giving him excellent night vision, or he'd probably have crashed into the tree. He gave another silent thanks for that. Saki would have killed him if he returned with another injury...that is, if she didn't kill him for sneaking out on patrol when he was supposed to be on bed rest.

He couldn't ignore the report he'd been handed by one of the scouts, however. Said scout had been stationed in one of the lookout towers, and while she couldn't be certain, she believed she'd seen something moving in the rain, making its way into their valley. Something...unusual. She'd lost sight of it, and the heavy rain made it impossible to go after it, so she'd submitted the report instead.

Teba was going to organise a patrol the day after once the rain stopped, but his curiosity was piqued, and he couldn't resist the urge to go look for whatever had decided to slip into their valley unbidden.

(If he was worried that Link had forgotten something and decided to come back, and got caught in the rain, and was now freezing to death somewhere in the woods...well, that was his little secret, now wasn't it? Saki couldn't know; she'd mock him mercilessly.)

Whoever they were, they had definitely left a trail. Boot prints in the mud, disturbed foliage, and small animals forced out of hiding were everywhere. Teba had followed it here, to a small copse of trees that would, in theory, provide some sort of shelter from the rain. He couldn't see any movement, however, and there didn't seem to be—

A branch snapped, and Teba's eyes landed on the spot it had come from immediately, unslinging his bow in a single movement, waiting for whatever hade made the sound to move again.

It didn't.

Releasing a tense breath, Teba spread his wings and let himself drop to the ground in a slow glide, careful not to put too much weight on his foot. Drawing an arrow from his quiver, he put it to the bowstring and aimed at the copse. The string thrummed as he released it and sent the arrow into the trees at a high angle. It thunked into a trunk somewhere in there.

"I know you're in there," he announced, drawing and preparing another arrow. "You're in Rito territory. Come on out, nice and easy."

He held his breath, waiting. Nothing. No movement, no sounds.

...at least, not in front of him.

He ducked and rolled, just in time. The sharp, sickle-like blade swung through the air where his neck had been moments before. He got up into a crouching position, only to have another blade, this one straight, swinging down and trying to cleave him in half. He parried it with his bow, praying the wood would be strong enough and shoved forwards, putting his weight behind it. The attacker stumbled backwards and slipped in the mud, barely keeping themselves standing.

It was all the time Teba needed to return to his previous position, arrow nocked, and string drawn, aimed directly at the enemy's heart. No one was quick enough to dodge something like that. He had them.

His opponent seemed surprised, though it was hard to tell with their face hidden behind the white mask. It was a little hard to see, but there were red lines painted in a symbol that looked very similar to the one on the Sheikah slate.

A Yiga, then.

"Drop 'em," he ordered firmly. "Or you're dead."

Sheik had told him about these people. Sheikah traitors, allied with Ganon. They were hunting Link, trying to stop him before he could free the Divine Beasts. They'd almost gotten him once, too.

The urge to let go of the string and kill the piece of filth in front of him nearly overwhelmed his common sense.

"I'm not going to ask again," he said when the enemy made no move to drop their weapons.

A tense moment, and both blades fell to the ground.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, even if he already knew the answer. It was too much of a coincidence for a Yiga to suddenly stumble into their valley a mere two days after Link left it. Teba was thankful for Sheik and his abilities, then, since they'd have run right into this bastard if they'd gone on foot.

The Yiga remained silent.

"Answer me, or your chest will feel the bite of my arrow," Teba barked.

It took a moment, but then he heard the Yiga draw a shaky breath. His eyes narrowed when they spoke.

"Hero...where...?"

The voice sounded...wrong. It had a warbling, reverberating quality to it, and it couldn't just be attributed to the mask. It almost sounded...damaged? Or...like the vocal chords hadn't been finished. The words were uttered haltingly, hesitantly, like the speaker was unfamiliar with them.

At least Teba had his suspicions confirmed.

"Who?" he asked.

"Hero," the Yiga replied, more firmly this time. "Where is...Hero?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about," Teba replied, keeping a firm grip on the arrow. For all he knew, the Yiga wasn't alone.

"Young..." the Yiga said. "Hylian...slate...Sheikah..."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Teba said, keeping his face calm so he wouldn't betray his emotions.

"..."

The Yiga spoke again, but their words were mumbled and unclear, impossible to make out. Teba growled.

"Take your mask off," he demanded. "Show me your face!"

The Yiga hesitated. "Face...?"

"I won't ask again!" Teba hissed.

Carefully, the Yiga reached up and undid the string that held their mask in place. The mask fell and was smashed to pieces against a rock at their feet. Teba barely noticed, his gaze riveted to the face that had been hidden behind it.

His eyes widened.

"What? How are you..." he gasped, glancing down at the broken mask for a second.

It was all the enemy needed. There was a sharp sound, the ground in front of him exploded in a flash of blue, showering him with soil and leaves, throwing him backwards against a nearby tree. His back collided with the solid trunk and forced a grunt out of him. His bow was gone, dropped somewhere, so he landed in a crouched position and drew his curved hunting knife instead, holding it in front of him, ready to parry whatever the Yiga—or whatever the fuck they were—threw at him.

But no attack came. The smoke cleared, and all that was left of the enemy was its broken mask, the dropped blades, and a smoking crater. If it had hit Teba directly...

Seconds ticked by at an agonising pace, and nothing happened. The rain continued to drizzle, the smoke from the crater began to dissipate, and Teba slowly realised he was, once again, alone in the woods. The enemy had retreated...for now.

That is, if they were the enemy. Teba had no idea how to parse what he had just seen, but it made him stomach roil and his heart beat wildly in his chest. He had been afraid, and that was not an emotion he encountered often.

But the fear wasn't for himself. It was for Link and Sheik.

He took a moment to find his bow, dismayed to see that it had not survived being used to parry a blade and getting thrown aside by an explosion. Harth was going to kill him for breaking yet another bow so soon.

He shook his head and took a running start, beating his wings as hard as he can, trying to gain altitude. Still no follow-up to the attack, luckily, so he was probably in the clear for now. If his gut feeling was right, however, someone else wouldn't be.

Finally achieving flight altitude, he turned towards the centre of the valley, to the rock that housed the Rito Village.

He didn't even stop when his feet hit the wooden platform of Revali's Landing, running heedlessly of his injured foot, along the boards until he crashed through the door to his house.

"Where have you been?" Saki demanded from her seated position on the floor. She'd been reading to Tulin, and while both of them looked annoyed to have the peace and quiet, they stopped short at the sight of Teba. "Teba—!" Saki gasped.

"Dad, what happened?!"

"There was...something in the woods," Teba said, fighting to keep himself calm and to go about things rationally. No good ever came of panicking at crucial moments like these. "Saki, can you prepare my travelling outfit?"

His wife rose to her feet, looking worried. "Teba, what happened? What did you find in the woods?"

He stared at her imploringly, wishing she'd just do as he'd asked, but he should've known better. Saki had never taken his crap lying down, had always forced him to explain himself. This time was no different.

"Tulin," she said sharply. "Go to the other room and get your father's hood and cloak. Take your time."

"But I—"

"Tulin."

His son nodded and did as he was told, not even protesting when Teba closed the door so he couldn't hear.

"Explain," Saki said curtly.

"There was a...a...some sort of enemy creature in the woods," he said, trying to find a way to explain this to Saki without sounding insane. "It looked like...like..." There really was no way of doing that, it seemed.

"Like...?" Saki asked, walking up to him and beginning to inspect his feathers, which were wet and covered in mud and dirt. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not," he said, letting her nuzzle her beak against his for a moment. "And it doesn't matter what it looks like—I need to go."

"Where?"

"To Zora's Domain—I have to warn Link and Sheik. They're in danger."

"Alone?"

"I need to be fast, others will slow me down," he insisted. There was a delegation of Rito going to the Domain to coordinate their respective forces' movements, and he'd intended to go with them, but this new enemy had forced his hand. "Saki, that thing...it's going to kill them."

Her eyes met his, searching for something. Apparently finding it, she nodded. "All right, but be careful, understand? You can't help the boys if you get shot down on the way."

"I'll fly so high I'll be invisible," he promised. "Tulin!"

The door opened, and Tulin emerged from the room with Teba's travelling clothes, as well as a small pack for food and other supplies.

"Where are you going, dad?" the chick asked, looking excited.

"I'm going to help Link and Sheik," he replied, crouching down to ruffle Tulin's crest. "Turns out they're going to need it. Look after your mom for me?"

"Of course!" the chick exclaimed.

"Your bow," Saki said, glancing at the very obviously empty spot on his shoulder.

"I need a new one."

"Get dressed, I'll talk to Harth," she said, leaving the house with no further fanfare.

By the time Teba was dressed and ready to go, trying to calm down an extremely enthusiastic Tulin, she returned, bearing a new bow from Harth.

"Thank you," he said, nuzzling her beak.

"He said you'll pay him back one way or another," she said, giving him a look. "Something about a bet made ten years ago?"

"Not important," he said hurriedly, slinging the bow onto his back. "I should go."

"Yes, you should," she agreed, pulling him close. "Make sure they're safe...and come back to us."

"I will."

It was past midnight when he took off from Revali's Landing once more, the rain decreasing little by little until he broke through the lowest layer of clouds, letting the currents take him to a comfortable cruising altitude.

The Domain was a few days' travel away if he really pushed himself. He could only hope he wouldn't be too late.

He couldn't be.

Or his boys wouldn't survive.

Sorry about the lateness of this. The heatwave this summer basically killed me for a while, and after that all inspiration left me up until now. Hopefully I'll get this thing back on track. Thank you for your patience.