It is their fifth battle today.

Twilight did not know if the Goddess has a not-so-secret hobby of making their lives difficult, but right now, he was about to concede that it might be the case. He had lost count of how many monsters he had cut down with his Ordonian sword, but he knew that it would take him hours to clean the blood and guts off the blade. There is also the issue with his clothes, but they have not been able to rest and clean properly, with the monster ambushes getting frequent by the day for the past two weeks.

"Rancher, behind you!"

A low growl rumbled from the Hero of Twilight as he swerved around and intercepted the sword directed to his throat. The opposing blades screeched against each other in a shower of sparks before an arrow pierced the Lizalfos' brain. The monster dropped dead immediately in front of him, its black blood pooling beneath his boots before the corpse dissolved into black smoke.

Twilight coughed at the smell of decay before turning around to look for his next prey. Their enemies were decimated to two, which Sky, Four, Legend, and Time had cornered. It did not take long for the battle to conclude, and everyone gathered at the cautiously center of the clearing after Hyrule healed a bloody gash across the Captain's chest and a throughout sweep of the scene.

A figure landed gracefully next to the Rancher, and the latter regarded their best marksman with a grateful nod. Wild gave him a sideways smile before surveying their surroundings, undoubtedly listening intently for any enemies in the vicinity. The younger hero's pointed ears twitched as he tilted his head subtly side-to-side. The Rancher observed every movement until the scarred hero's tense shoulders finally relaxed. The meaning of his protégé's body language had not gone lost to Twilight or the others, and a sense of relief rippled across the team.

Time sheathed his Biggoron Sword behind him, though his eyes remained vigilant. "Let's find a safe place to rest. It's almost daylight's end."

There was not a single complaint from the younger heroes as they nodded tiredly and sheathed their weapons. They were used to holding their weapons during long battles, but they were already at their limits.

Aside from Warriors, the others have their fair share of injuries from today's battles. Time favored putting his weight on his left leg after a Moblin nearly broke his right ankle that morning while Twilight had a shallow cut on the side of his neck when an Aeralfos got a lucky sword swipe at him. Wind and Four had multiple scratches on their face when a swarm of Keese almost ripped their faces, and Legend got a bruise on his right side after a Bokoblin hit him with a blunt club.

Sky and Hyrule were luckiest among them by far - the latter having one of the fastest reflexes among them, and the former more exhausted than wounded due to continuous healing. Wild had also escaped the same fate as the others, primarily because he opted to be their ranged chivalry throughout.

"Ummm…" Eight pairs of eyes turned to the scarred hero as he spoke up. He tensed at the gazes directed at him before continuing reluctantly. "I think I heard running water not far from here. There might be a river nearby that we could wash in…." His ears drooped slightly. "I-If you guys want?"

There was a beat of silence among the heroes. It was Hyrule's tired yet warm smile that broke the spell. "That'd be wonderful, Wild." He walked towards the Champion and wound his arm around his. "Come on! Lead the way. I can't wait to take a bath."

Warriors, ever the commentator, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "That's a lie, and you know that!"

"I'm not going to heal you anymore, Captain!"

"You know that you just dug your grave, didn't you?" Four said as he fell next to the Captain at the rear of the group. "Rule number one. Don't anger the healer. Remember?"

Warriors paused on his steps to consider the Smith's words. His mouth formed an 'O' in realization. "On second thought," He inhaled. "I love you, 'Rule!"

"I love Wild more!" Hyrule yelled back at the front. "And I stand by my word!"

Wild snorted and led them silently past rows of pine trees. He paused on his steps a couple of times, listening to any unusual sounds that might indicate an enemy nearby. The others followed his lead without question until they reached a river. The body of water cut through like a giant dragon with shimmering scales of blue and white between a field of grass and boulders. Once or twice, fish would leap out of the water to seemingly climb to the upper portions against the rapid currents. However, not all of them were successful in their attempts.

"Well now, it looks like we're going to have fish for dinner tonight." Warriors remarked. "It's been a while. I hope our resident cook knows any recipes, hm?"

Wild glanced behind him and let a small smile curve his lips. "I take that as a challenge."

"Attaboy!" The Captain clapped his hand. "That's our Champion."

"...Please don't call me that."

Wild slipped out of the Traveler's hold and unhooked his Sheikah Slate as he searched for a comfortable place to cook. He muttered to himself as he swiped through the Ancient Sheikah tool for everything he would need, with Wind trailing after him as his helper based on their agreed rotation. Time and Twilight immediately set out further down the riverside to catch the fish that the Champion will cook, much to the annoyance of their resident healer. The remaining heroes gathered to treat their injuries and dispersed afterward to clean themselves and build their camp. By the time the first stars marked the night sky, they were already seated around the campfire and having their fill of Wild's delectable Salmon Risotto.

"Whoa! So, you inherited Urbosa's lightning powers? That's so cool!"

A small smile flitted on the Champion's face as he turned to Wind. "Not quite." He admitted. "Urbosa just lent it to me before she moved on to the afterlife with the other Champions. I could still feel her ability inside me, but it wasn't as strong as it used to be. Someday, maybe soon, I will not be able to call for it at all."

Wind frowned at him and looked like he was about to say something, but Warriors beat him to it. "I feel like you're keeping something important from us, Champ. How did you even get in Gerudo Town?"

At that, Twilight barked out a laugh, and Wild threw his spoon at his mentor to shut him up. There was a flush of red on the tips of the scarred hero's ears. "What? I didn't say anything."

Not a word! Wild signed furiously to him. NOT. A. WORD.

"I'd say. I'm quite curious as well." Time joined in, and it had not gone unnoticed to the two the glint of amusement on his working eye. "The Gerudo are really strict with not letting males inside their town. They may not allow men, but the Gerudo are mighty warriors, and as warriors, they'll respect a worthy opponent."

Legend looked from his plate with mild interest. "So, you defeated them?"

Time chuckled. "No, I did worse." He let a smug smirk tug on his lips. "I humiliated them."

Wild stared at him as if he was not real while the Veteran raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Surprised?" Time looked pleased with their reactions. "Countless others had tried to get in, yet a single boy was able to sneak in and out as he pleased, to the point that the Gerudo chief had to grant me access. I proved to be a greater thief than all of Ganon's tribe." Then, he turned his attention back to the Champion. "How about you, Wild? Did you also find a way to slip through their guards undetected?"

Twilight covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. Wild glared at his mentor one last time before forcing a wobbly smile. "U-Uh, pretty much the same..."

Grant access? That is possible? Wild decided that the moment they returned to his era, talking with Riju would be the first thing he would do. As much as he enjoyed extorting others to give away their stuff while disguised as a vai, it would be nicer to come and go into Gerudo Town without worrying that his cover would be blown. He already had a few Gerudo who knew his real sex behind the veil. Having more would be risky.

"Oh, come on, Cub! Tell them." Twilight teased as he tossed the spoon back to his protégé, who caught it with a scowl. "I'll tell you now. It's a story you'd want to hear."

"Is it something about you dressing up as a - mmph!"

Wild brought out a loaf of wheat bread from his Sheikah Slate in a split second and nearly shoved it inside the Sailor's mouth. "Sailor, Sailor, does it taste good? It's better paired with honey or wildberry jam. Would you like to have some?"

Then, the Champion turned to Twilight with a honeyed smile laced with murderous intent. "How about you, Twi? I'm sure Wolfie would like it with a meat filling inside. Maybe mixed with pumpkins too?"

Oh, this little shit. Twilight narrowed his eyes at him. "I haven't heard of such dish."

"Oh, I can make it happen." Wild gestured at him challengingly. Try me.

The stand-off earned a few raised eyebrows while Time hid a smile as if he knew something that the others did not. Four rolled his eyes, who was already aware of the Rancher's not-so-best-kept secret. The two broke eye contact when they heard a light clatter of utensils against a plate.

"Already done eating, Vet?" Warriors asked. "Not going for seconds?"

"Yeah." Legend stood up from the small log they cut down to sit on and passed his tableware to the Captain, who was in charge of cleaning. "I'm going for patrol."

"Wild's here with us." Sky pointed out. "He can tell us in advance if there's a monster nearby."

"I know, but we can't always leave that job to him. You'll never know when things don't work in our favor." The Veteran brushed past the Skyloftian and towards the edge of the camp. "I'll be back before the first watch. Don't find me until then."

They watched the outline of the red-clad hero disappear into the darkness of the forest. Warriors set down the tableware on the ground and glimpsed on the slight droop of the Champion's ears. It perked up almost immediately when the Sailor requested for his third helping. The others did not seem to notice, but the Captain did.

That idiot. Warriors wanted to smack the Veteran upside on the head. He knows that the Hero of Legend is not one to trust easily, but at least, he should not be throwing shade like that. It would have been better if the man was more open to showing his contempt. He does not know if the other heroes knew it or just coined it as business as usual with the Veteran.

Should he punch him? The others would not like it, but it sounds like the only effective way to give the Veteran a piece of his mind. His eyes refocused on Wild, who was temporarily distracted with refilling the Sailor's plate.

Then again, maybe he should wait for the opportunity to address the more approachable half of the issue. His chance to do, however, came an hour later when he and Wild gathered the dirty dishes to wash in the river. They brought Twilight's lantern to provide light for their task.

"About the Vet," Warriors started as he scrubbed a stubborn grease spot on a plate. "Don't mind him. That's how he always is."

There was a clink of silverware as Wild stacked a fork over the others. "...I know." He mumbled, his voice just a notch louder than a whisper. "And I know everyone's been walking on eggshells around me."

Warriors neither deny nor confirm that because it is the truth. They may have somewhat come to terms that one of them does not possess the same spirit (and at a record-breaking pace at that), but the drastic change in the group's dynamics is not something they could easily ignore and remedy. Wild is more aware of that than anyone else and the most affected by it. Heck, the Captain would even admit he was wary of the Champion for the first few days since that big revelation in the inn.

"Except the Rancher. He knows you more than any of us."

"Yeah…I suppose." A couple of weak CLUNK! as plates were stacked together. "...Sorry."

Warriors sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ah, no! He is NOT going to listen to this. He dropped his dishwashing scrub on the ground beside his feet and wiped his hands with a dry dishtowel before turning to the Champion. He grabbed the Wild's left wrist to stop the man from his work and forced him to look at him.

"Hey, stop that. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Your existence isn't a crime. What's criminal is that you were forced into another person's body just to fix a bloody mess that isn't your fault, to begin with. The Goddess shouldn't have done that. She should've let you be born into the world in your own body and identity. It isn't fair that you have to take up a dead hero's place just to fulfill that person's duties. You deserve better. A normal and happy life not dedicated to fighting Hyrule's darkness. The Goddess owes you that, and she should know that since the beginning."

Wild sighed as he gently wrenched his wrist free from the Captain's hold. "Yet here I am, stuck with the eight of you." He chuckled humorlessly. "It seemed the Goddess isn't as kind as she was when she was still Sun."

The Captain smiled sadly. "That's something we have to address to Sky." He told him. "It's his Zelda, after all. Or you can talk to the Goddess and give her a piece of your mind. I don't think she'll smite you for ranting. I'm on your side for this one, but don't tell Time."

Wild snorted. "Don't tempt me, Captain." He said. "And so you know, I'm terribly bad at keeping secrets."

Warriors raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then, how about this?" He scooted closer and slung an arm around the Champion's shoulders. "I still consider you my brother, and I'm sure the others too. Maybe not the Old Man. He's the dad of the team. If he can, he'll probably adopt us legally in a heartbeat."

"And make his life more chaotic than before? I doubt that."

"Oh, please! He loves us, and he just doesn't want to admit it. He prefers to shower us with love through his actions than words. The Old Man's a little shit like that."

The Hero of the Wild laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that."

"Only if you keep it a secret." Warriors whispered and winked conspiratorially. "And the others too. I don't want the Rancher or the Vet to think of me as a sappy person."

He is, though. Wild smiled then, frowned. "It's just too bad I'm not a real knight like you or my era's real Link. All of the knightly training ingrained in this body was of the real Link. Not mine."

Warriors scoffed. "Don't sell yourself short, Champ. You're frightening on the battlefield. Maybe your battle style isn't as refined as ours, but that can be remedied. You just need to train and gain more experience. You've got eight fighters here to teach you, so that won't be a problem."

"Even you?"

"Even me." Warriors nodded and then smirked. "I would love to steal you from the Rancher. I bet I could do a better job at teaching you than some country bumpkin -"

"I'll have you know this country bumpkin could throw you off the nearest cliff with his bare hands."

The two heroes immediately stood up and fell into battle stances as they whirled around, only to see the Hero of Twilight standing behind them. He had shed to his simple white shirt and pants but kept his Ordonian sword strapped to his back. He crossed his arms as he glared at the Captain.

"What's this about stealing my protégé, huh, Captain?"

Warriors was unfazed by the Rancher but raised his arms to appease him, nonetheless. "You know, Rancher. You sometimes remind me of Wolfie. You two have the same expressions that it is uncanny. Like owner, like wolf, I suppose?"

It was Wild's turn to poke fun at his mentor. He covered his mouth to hide his snicker, which earned him a scolding look from the Rancher. The scarred hero removed his hand and shrugged nonchalantly. "He isn't wrong, you know."

Twilight clucked his tongue as he massaged his forehead. "Just hurry up, you two. Sky's going to take the first watch tonight. Time said we will set out early tomorrow, so we need to get as much rest as we could."

"Yes, yes. We heard you." The Captain sat down on the ground and picked up the discarded dishwashing scrub. "We'll finish this quickly, so don't worry. It's not like monsters will pop out of nowhere and ambush us here."

"Don't jinx it." The Rancher huffed. "Just don't take long. I'll be seeing you back in camp." Then, he turned on his heel and strode toward camp without another word.

Once out of their sight, Warriors cast an unimpressed look at the Champion. "He worries about you too much. Doesn't it bother you?"

"I'll live." Wild gave him a wan smile as he settled beside the Captain. "And I kinda understand where his worries stemmed from. He's pretty much the one that raised me."

"Well, at least he doesn't restrict you." The Hero of Warriors picked up the plate he had busied himself a few minutes ago. "And if I were him, I would be the same. Maybe a less of a mother hen, but more of a badass big brother."

"And here I thought you would have a fancy vocabulary fitting for a knight."

Warriors snorted. "Believe me when I say that the army is composed of a colorful assortment of people. You'll get to meet people from different backgrounds and learn things that widen your horizons." He inclined his head to the direction of the camp with a smile. A burst of distant laughter that sounded like Wind bounced off the forest. "I hope you'll experience the same in this quest, no matter how unconventional it is."

"I hope so."

Warriors reached up to ruffle the Champion's hair and grinned. "Alright, brother. Let's finish this mundane task before the Rancher wrings our neck for returning a second later. Pass that plate, will you? I'm already done with this one."

Wild chuckled and handed him a dirty plate. "I heard you, brother."

They laughed and nudged at each other playfully, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere, until Warriors recalled something to ask. "Now that I remembered...how did you get in Gerudo Town again?"