Wind isn't quite sure where he is.
He can't smell salt on the breeze so he doubts he's in his world. The trees surrounding him are eerily familiar, but not quite right. There is something about the wind blowing around him that sets his hair on end, a magic entwined with it that calls for mischief. There is grass all around him, rising taller than his knees, almost to his waist. It grabs for his fingertips and tangles his hands as he turns around, taking in the clearing. Rock walls rise around him behind thick trunked trees, hiding his escape.
Something isn't right with the woods, he can't place what sets him off. The sun is warm and gentle on his skin. The wind is cool and refreshing. Around him a gentle song of nature tugs at his attention, trying to reel him in. The smell of grass and pollen is so unlike that of the sea but calls to him all the same.
He walks towards the center of the glade, away from the rocky cliffs, each step slow and careful. The grass yields easily underfoot, even as it tightens its grip when he tries to move away. Every step sends pollen into the air, the smell invading his senses as he searches for the path he knows lies here somewhere.
Further into the grass he treads, closer to the walls surrounding him. He feels tired, but presses on. He has to get out and find his brothers.
A hollow between the roots of one of the trees invites him. Tall grass has already been pushed apart by something, perhaps a fox or deer, and he hesitates before making his way over. They were walking for so long, it wouldn't hurt to just rest for a few minutes before he goes looking for the rest of his friends.
Every step closer seemed to take more energy than the last. Exhaustion tugs at him as he wades forward through the thick pollen scented air. His legs feel like lead as he reaches the patch of flattened grass, sitting down heavily. He finds himself tilting, catching himself with an arm as he lowers himself the rest of the way. The bark against his back is surprisingly warm, almost curling against him as he settles. The tall grass blocks most of the clearing and sunlight from his eyes, and he lets them drift closed, just for a moment. He just has to wait for his friends to catch up. Just a moment of rest won't hurt.
When Wind wakes the sun is no longer visible above. Low lying clouds block out most of the sky, what light does come through being thrown to the ground with shifting shadows of tree branches and reaching hands.
The grass seems slightly shorter, only reaching the top of his boots. There are patches of flowers along the wall, red poppies dancing in the breeze, probably blocked from his sight earlier by the tall grass. He rubs his eyes, trying to clear the haze from his vision, and notices something that *definitely* wasn't there when he went to sleep.
A pile of blue berries.
They are the size of a rupee, round and firm. He squishes one between his fingers and red juice runs down his hand, staining his skin. It smells slightly plain, so he is surprised to find it tastes sweet as he licks the juice from his fingers. He's soon popping the crushed remains of the fruit into his mouth, several more from the pile following after, the hunger in his stomach seeming to grow with each one he devours. He must have slept longer than he thought to have worked up such an appetite.
Before long the berries are gone and he feels much better. The clearing is so safe and comfortable, the others might even stay with him if they find him.
He finds himself walking idly around the clearing, laying in the grass when he's tired, climbing the trees and smelling the flowers when he's not. More than once he finds himself eating a pile of berries left for him, content to wait here for as long as it takes.
When the portal had split them up, it seemed like the usual hassle. Kill any monsters they came across, head to the nearest town, and regroup. Instead, when the two parties finally reunited; Twilight, Four, Sky, and Hyrule in one group with the Warriors, Wild and Legend with him; their youngest had been nowhere to be seen. They'd waited at the inn for a few hours, buying supplies and information both, only growing truly worried when whispers had started through the town.
"The forest is writhing again," they'd said. "It's claimed another victim."
The forest is visible from the village, an hour's walk at most. Even from here they can see the mist above it, the white flashing between the grey and green. They had headed out soon after, leaving a message for Wind with the innkeeper and the barmaid, just in case.
Whether Wind is in the forest or not, the villagers seem sure someone has become trapped in its illusions, so they press forward, reaching the treeline before noon. They do a final check of their supplies and head in.
Time has been in several versions of the Lost Woods at this point. He's been in Wild's, white mist and phantom voices with ogre trees for added horror. He's been in Twilights, with its puppet wielding Skull Kid and swampy terrain. He's heard about the bandits and statues in Legend's and the eerie normalcy to Four's (who has a Lost Mountain instead). None of them quite fit the forest they are fighting now.
The instant they'd entered the light had dimmed, twilight descending like a curse. The mist had started a few feet in, subtle at first until it was so thick they couldn't see one another through its haze. Four's Gust Jar and Twilight's Gale Boomerang have no effect on the obscuring fog.
Grass tall and short covers the ground, devoid of any animal paths, long stalks tangled together to make walking normally near impossible. The ground is soft and muddy in random spots, sucking them down and tripping them up if they aren't careful. Roots seem to rise up just to trip them. Trees make going in a straight line near impossible, even as low hanging branches scratch at their faces and grab at their clothes and tangle in their hair. Legend looks seconds away from burning down the entire forest.
Time would probably let him if one of their own wasn't more than likely somewhere inside.
They'd entered at noon, and have been walking for an hour and twenty three minutes so far, but the light in the forest has remained dim and fleeting. Four had already lost a boot to the mud. Legend had to scrape moss off more than once as it tries to crawl over him the moment they stop. Hyrule was arguably having the worst time, fighting off vines and roots and branches at every turn as they tried to bind his feet or grab his equipment.
It's a nightmare.
Their saving grace is the Master Sword, whose blade flashes minutes after they enter the forest. Sky explains he can hear a familiar chiming, the sword's ability to douse for people and objects alike. Time is uncomfortable with why the blade has decided to intervene only now, and for a forest of all things, but as it is now letting Sky douse for their missing brother, he's holding off on questions. Anything to help find one of their own.
And they will find him. They will.
When Wind has climbed every tree and explored every flower patch, he thinks for a moment he smells salt in the air and suddenly longing for the sea slams into him like a Darknut. He chokes on his breath as his mind scrambles, wondering why he can't see the sea? Why is he here? Where are his brothers? His next steps take him towards the edge of the glade before something else catches his ears, whispers and promises if he'll follow. He does so, head clouded once more as every step sends the mesmerizing smell of pollen and fresh flowers wafting on the breeze. The wind dances around him as he walks, tugging his hair and tunic and then he's in a new glenn, with a little pond and trickling waterfall. All too soon he is pulling off his belt and pouch and wading into the water, suddenly hot and seeking relief in the cool liquid.
Wind drifts. The sounds from the forest are muffled here, water filling his ears and sending them flicking every time a ripple reaches their base. His eyes are closed, blocking out the hazy sky above him. He lets himself float, anchored to the center by some unseen force as he dozes off.
When he awakes his pouch is nowhere to be seen.
The little one has drifted again.
Yes
Yes
He rests in our magic.
Ours
Keep him!
Yes.
Ours.
Don't let him wander.
The others near.
The outsiders search despite our warnings.
Keep them away!
Ours
Ours
After struggling through the ever thickening vegetation, they reach a rocky wall. It's the first thing over than trees they've seen, and they all sigh in relief and take a moment to settle next to it and figure out their next steps. So far, the dowsing has led them deeper into the forest, but now it points to the wall before them.
Warriors is shooting Time looks that he pretends not to see. Four is just happy to stop and rest. The last root had nearly sprained his ankle. He's tempted to burn the forest down, but knows better. He can't split at the moment and Red is the one with fine control. Beside him, Hyrule is bandaging a cut on Legends arm while he fingers the grip of his fire rod at his waist. Twilight comes over to talk to Legend and distract him from thoughts of arson. Wild is messing with his slate, pretending not to listen.
Still, this forest is angry at them and only getting more violent. He wouldn't trust anything he sees here. Or hears, though the magic of the forest has been a repeating soundtrack despite all the chaos it's inflicted upon them. He's ready to be done with this mess. He hopes they find Wind soon.
~~~
Wind can hear something when he wakes up once more. Before it was only birds and bugs, buzzing and chittering. Now he hears something else, low and distant, a murmur like that of a brook. He thinks he should know the sound, but even as he goes closer he feels more tired, a weight in his gut telling him that way isn't safe. He tries to listen, but the trees start talking, whispers at first, murmurs as he tries harder to place the sound.
He moves closer and thinks he hears talking, but then the trees are screaming, and he whirls around looking for the danger. The branches above him shake and rattle, closing over one another until it is like dusk below the canopy, and he can barely see above him. He shakes as the wind in the clearing churns and spins, pulling at him aggressively. The roots below him begin to tangle around his feet until he's knocked over, on his knees and curled in on himself, clutching at his head.
~~~
Hyrule has been on edge since they entered the forest. It was bad enough when the light was stolen from them. When it took their vision of one another with mist, he was okay, they had hands to reach for one another through the fog. Then it began impeding them, roots and mud and branches, attacking Twilight and Four whenever they can't reach him. Time's Biggorn sword cuts easily through the greenery, but many of them are not so lucky. It's a fight to find their way without losing sight of the wall, their only reliable marker. It's no wonder he was on edge, with the magic writhing in these woods. It reminds him of the Skull Kids they once met in Time's world, forest and fae, but tinged with something darker.
It's Legend's scream that draws them to the tree. It's no different than the others around them, dark and tall, looming over them with branches like clawed hands. The bark though… faces of the lost have been etched into the bark. Wind's cheery smile stares at them below closed eyes, his bangs sweeping over his forehead like they've been rustled in a breeze. It looks like he's asleep in the tree, undisturbed by troubles or nightmares.
Legend is still screaming, sobs breaking through as he starts to drop. Hyrule grabs him and pulls him close, resting his head on his shoulder as he tilts up to murmur in his ear.
"It's okay, Vet. Ssshh, sshh, it's not him, it's a trick. It's okay.
Hyrule is just glad to know Wind is here, even if he'd rather have him wandering the land trying to find whatever village they'd all ended up in. The others seem to calm at that, Sky confirming it isn't their brother with the sword. They go back to the wall and rest, Legend taking a moment for himself before they move on.
"Time."
Time turns to face him, eyebrow raised.
"We've been here for longer than we think. I'd guess a few hours. What is it really?"
Time blinks and smiles ruefully, ruffling his hair. "Giving away all my secrets, huh traveller. It's been almost 2 days outside of this forest. The villagers likely think us lost."
Hyrule nodded. That lined up with that he'd felt of the natural magic below them.
Well, let the villagers think them lost. They had a brother to find.
~~
Wind could hear crying. It had been loud and short but someone was hurting and he wanted to go to them. The forest wouldn't let him leave. It wouldn't let him move. It shoved those blasted berries in front of him at every turn and spewed pollen into the air until it was hard to breathe and the trees would not shut up!
The magic blasted over him again and again every time he tried to rise, the trees singing sweetly in his ears, sweet nothings of the treats he'd find and happy days he'd have if he just stayed. Didn't he want to *stay*? To play in the meadow and chase fairies and curl beneath their branches and just *rest?* He tried to ignore it but it burrowed into him, keeping him weak and confused as the plant life around him came to life, crawling towards him and burrowing below and over him, weaving together until he was trapped, cocooned in the forest. His sword was lost, his pouch taken, he was weak and useless and as he laid there trapped, he wondered why he even bothered resisting. It was safe and warm here. He was safe here. He *should* stay.
The roots at his feet crept higher, little branches slithering over his skin as they spread. As they took, they shared, magic spreading over the little hero they claimed as their own.
~~~
Ours
Ours
Ours
Change him
Keep him
Protect him
Ours
Ours
Ours
Sky swore suddenly, running ahead of the group. Warriors shared a look with Twilight before they joined him, racing after the Skyloftian. Sky skidded to a halt in front of a vine covered part of the wall. The vines were growing before their eyes, twisting around one another in an attempt to defend whatever laid beyond. Sky raised the Master Sword skyward, striking down with tremendous force, a wave of blue cutting through the vines like butter.
Beyond it laid their brother.
They stepped into the clearing, trees seeming to bend towards them as if to block their way. The others poured in behind them, weapons drawn. Warriors carefully followed Sky into the glade until they reached its heart.
There is a strange mass in the center. Taller than Four and made out of entangled branches and roots and covered in thorns, protecting what lies within. *Who* lies within. Warriors is uncomfortable even looking at it, sensing something off.
He's felt off the entire time. It was bad enough the forest was silent in the mist, but now it is practically crying, birds screeching in the branches and bugs buzzing at them from the grass. The canopy above creaks threateningly, reaching down as if to snare them.
He is likely the least magically inclined of his brothers, but he can sense the darkness here. The forest has warned them and they have not listened. It is time to fight.
A cracking sound as the ground splits open is the only warning they get. Steam erupts from the ground and then they are surrounded, Deku Babas biting at them, Deku Scrub surrounding them, a group of Stalfos blocking their path to the pod in the center of the glade.
Legend and Time pair up against a group of Stalfos, Time weathering their hits against his sword as Legend darts in around him. Twilight pairs with Four who dances around the others' fury as they face a group of Deku Babas. Warriors faces three Deku Scrubs until he feels Hyrule step up beside him. They are lucky that their enemies are only in front of them at the moment, they don't have to fight back to back. Still, the plant life in the glade makes it near impossible to use his usual move set. No spin attacks or crashing through waves of enemies with his hard earned war sword. No, he will have to be careful, especially if Wind lies in the pod before them.
There is no clash of steel on steel. These enemies wield the forest, swinging thick branches or spitting nuts, the deku babas biting at anything in reach. Hyrule burns down more than one with a wreath of flames around his sword. Still, there are at least ten Stalfos and they are more persistent than usual. Their bones are not cracking or breaking as they normally would, instead collecting nicks and trying to bind their swords, almost like a tree branch would a saw.
Warriors realizes what is happening only due to that, he steps back and calls out to the others, Twilight and Four reaching them first. "Do you two have any fire items?"
They share a look and Four pulls another rod from his bag-just how many does he have- revealing a fire rod not unlike Legend's. Hyrule grabs a candle of all things from his pouch and hands it off to Twilight, embers dancing around his fingers at the other's look. Sky has not yet left the battle and Wild is staying by him, launching fire arrows at any approaching enemies- good. Legend and Time are the last to arrive, seeming to understand as they eye the gear in their brother's hands. Legend pulls out his other fire rod and hands it to Time, eyeing the one Warriors wears at his waist. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a handful of strangely shaped seeds instead.
Now prepared, he explains. "They aren't actually monsters, the Stalfos at least. It's the forest still, casting illusions. We need to burn them away, and quickly. For some reason they aren't fighting us. They want us away from the pod, and Wind's likely inside."
There are quick nods as they face their enemy again, advancing quickly and taking the pressure off Wild and Sky. Wild keeps looking around, ears flicking around his head, hearing something they can't. Hyrule too seems more nervous, standing close to Warriors as they burn through the Stalfos and knock back the deku seeds with their shields.
The pod beyond the cracks is growing slowly, more and more roots reaching up to cradle it. In the background Warriors can almost hear the wind, the clearing alive with gales that pick up the dirt and leaves around them. It seems centered on the pod, and if Warriors really focuses, he can almost sense the child inside.
He shouldn't be able to do that though, because Wind is just above him when it comes to having the least magic of their group, at least, as far as he was aware of.
The Stalfos are soon dispatched with their new strategy. They cut a path through the babas and shrubs, inching ever closer to the pod. There are thorns thick around it. Another defense.
But there is the pod.
Legend raises his fire rod as if to burn it away before Time stops him with a hand. Hyrule is the one who approaches, his magic visibly around him. Motes of light dance, gathered at his back and his fingertips. Embers appear and begin to burn away the thorns like kindling, ashes all that remain.
Then there is the pod.
Time follows behind their magical brother, eyes closed. His brow is furrows, lips pursed. His hand briefly flicks to the pouch on the side of his travel bag but returns empty. Instead he steps beside the traveler and lays a hand on the largest of the roots creating the pod.
A tree is beginning to grow from it. Warriors doesn't want to know what happens if it finishes.
Time steps back from the pod and nods to their traveler who lays his hands upon the pod. Both light up with an orange glow, the wood below their hands blackening and flaking away. The clearing suddenly feels heavy, the magic pressing down on them. Vines are snaking towards the group and he slashes at several with his sword, sending them skirting away until one pulls at his ankle from behind and sends him to the ground. Sky is there the next moment, Master Sword rendering them all to mulch.
The pod is opening up as Hyrule slowly burns through the thicker parts, working his hands down some unseen seam in the middle. He's halfway through when he is thrown back, Time catching him with one arm as the other holds onto his sword hilt, blade buried deeply in the ground.
The magic pushes even the rancher back as it rolls over them, flowing out of the ruptured pod. Once the wave eases Hyrule is out of Times grasp, reaching into the pod. Warriors approaches, growing more worried as their magical healer says nothing, merely leaving his hands in the pod.
Time comes forward, sword now at his back, and pulls Hyrule away. He reaches into the pod and pulls it apart further, the snapping of dry wood a bomb going off in the clearing.
He then pulls out Wind.
He looks tiny and fragile against Time's bulk. Blonde hair is plastered to his head with sweat, his eyes closed in sleep. His skin is pale, nearly green in the light, so unlike the usual sun kissed tan he boasts even after weeks away from the sea. Dark patches stain his arm, mud and dirt smeared over his skin. Leaves and grasses tangle in his hair.
*Oh.*
Some of what Warriors first thought to be mud or dirt is actually something far more concerning. Patches of bark appear all over their sailor, his shins and forearms covered in them, a larger patch peeking out from under his tunic, a patch exposed to the light on the side of his neck. The skin around it is tinted a bruise green, the veins underneath stark against his skin.
He also radiates magic.
It leaks from every pore, light as a fairies and green as a korok, full of life and fey and tinged with that same shadowy tint the forest had waved under their noses for hours.
Warriors looks around at his brothers. Time gazes into their youngests face, grumpy mask back in place. Sky hovers behind the pair, knuckles white where he grips the Master Sword's hilt. Hyrule is still standing by the broken pod, watching them. Twilight and Four are standing by Time's side, questions pouring from their lips and Wild stands silently beside them.
And Legend.
Legend stands in the same spot he was at the end of the battle, one hand on his sword and the other gripping a necklace against his chest. His brow is furrowed, his lips pressed tightly together. As he watches he turns to Warriors, words unspoken but well heard passing between the two.
They got their brother back.
Right?
