Twilight sighed in contentment as he happily consumed Wild's cooking. He really couldn't get over how this kid could make such great food out of just about anything.

They were camped out on Sky's surface world at the moment. Sky had heard some rumors about monsters near Lanayru, so they'd set out as soon as they could. The atmosphere was relatively peaceful, though there was an air of worry for their newest member.

Just last night, Sky had come back from looking for Wild with said hero asleep in his arms with puffy eyes. Neither had elaborated on what had happened. All Sky said was that Wild had confessed some personal things to him. They all knew to drop it at that—if Wild wanted anyone else to know, he'd tell them.

Even still, it worried them how little Wild spoke of his Hyrule and journey. He only talked about his Hyrule when directly asked (though sometimes he now chimed into a conversation with little bits and pieces of how theirs was different from his), and almost never talked about his journey.

He glanced over at Hyrule, who was sharing a story from his travels. Wild seemed to love it when the others told stories. Twilight thought some of them shared stories so Wild would feel more comfortable sharing his own.

"It was a pretty nasty injury. I've still got the scar from it." Hyrule showed them a nasty scar on his shoulder.

"I have a pretty nice stab scar." Green lifted his shirt to show them. "Got it in a fight with…" He trailed off and Vio looked away.

"I had to make someone believe I'd switched sides." Vio spoke up, and the other colors startled a bit.

"Switch sides?" Wild leaned in a bit. "Like a double cross?"

"Exactly." Vio nodded. "But I didn't have time to tell anyone, and I was led into a situation where I needed to kill Green."

Red winced. "It was scary. For a minute, we really didn't know what to think."

"It's incredible the trust you four have for each other." Twilight spoke up. "Even after something like that, you trust Vio with your lives. It speaks volumes about your characters."

The three other colors flushed a bit. "Vio had to injure me, but he was careful to make it non-lethal. He also slipped a potion into my pocket to make sure I'd be okay." Green smiled. "I knew the moment he stabbed me exactly what was going on."

"Even still…" Red looked down and the other three fell quiet.

"Well, yeah. That's how Green got his scar. If one of us is hurt while we're separated, only that individual gets the scar." Vio closed the topic.

"I've got a pretty nice scar on my shoulder." Warriors shifted his armor a bit to show them. It was thick and looked nasty. "It isn't even from my journey, but from my time as a trainee." He chuckled a bit. "See, one of the guys thought it'd be fun to spar with live steel instead of the practice swords—which are dulled for a reason. But they left it mixed in with the normal practice blades. So when I sparred against a knight with more experience, well…" He winced a bit. "He didn't get in trouble, but the kids who were messing with the swords sure did."

"I've got this one on my arm from the time my older brother thought it'd be great fun to shove me down a hill." Hyrule spoke up softly.

"You have a brother?" Wind perked up.

"Three." He nodded. "I haven't seen them in a long time, though." They understood the silent message and dropped the topic, despite the curiosity shining in the eyes of many of the heroes.

Several of them turned to Wild, inviting him to join in. For a moment, it looked like the longhaired Link was going to pull up his hood and turn away from the conversation. Twilight wouldn't blame him, honestly. Scars could be very personal and private matters.

Then, to their surprise, Wild reached down and pulled off his tunic, shivering in the cool night air. He couldn't help but stare. The scarring on his face was bad, but he'd never realized how much worse it was further down. Hylia, there were chunks missing. Never mind all the other scars on his torso. They crisscrossed to weave a web of horrors and trials that the hero before him may not even remember. He could pick out stab scars and slices, small scrapes and near amputations, even a few burns. But overarching them all was the horrible wave of burned flesh that clawed its way across the entire left side of Wild's body. From his hip to his ear, it was as if someone had set off a bomb right beside him. He didn't doubt his leg was similarly scarred.

Looking at it this closely, Twilight honestly found it hard to believe that Wild had survived it. This… this child—because with only a handful of years of memory, that was what he was—had been put through hell and somehow still managed to put on a smile and help them out when they needed it.

A deep well of something within him stirred. This sense of protectiveness washed over him like the waves of Wind's Hyrule, and Twilight felt something inside of him shift. Wild was like a little wolf cub. He was small and had been forced to use his fangs far too young. No cub should have to use their milk teeth to defend themselves.

"Whoa! Did it hurt?" Wind asked with a wince, snapping Twilight out of his thoughts. He couldn't help but feel like it was an incredibly insensitive response, and Time looked like he felt the same.

Wild just smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "I'd certainly rate it in the top three."

"Was that from a beamos?" Warriors tilted his head. It was an open-ended question that could easily be answered with a 'no', allowing Wild to elaborate if he wanted to.

"No way! That's way too large to come from a beamos!" Red shook his head.

"He's right. That's far too much damage for a beamos." Vio agreed.

"But what else could cause that kind of scarring?" Legend frowned. He looked like he was wracking his brain to figure out what Wild could've faced.

Twilight also found himself questioning what creature could do that. Was it a monster none of them knew? Like how Twilight had the Twili monsters during his Journey?

"It's from a monster native to my Hyrule." Wild stated, pulling his tunic back on. "At least, none of you seem to have anything like it. And if you did, you would've recognized my Sheikah Slate."

"What kind of monster?" Wind piped up again.

"It's called a Guardian." For a moment, there was a haunted look in Wild's eye. Twilight didn't like that at all. Wild didn't often show his true emotions openly, despite the carefree and seemingly trusting face he put forth. Twilight knew that he was only starting to trust them. And honestly, he couldn't blame the cub. From what little they'd heard, he'd faced betrayal and isolation with no real positive memories to draw on. He was honestly shocked that Wild was even attempting to open up to them. "I'm fine showing you guys the scars, but I'm not ready to tell you the story behind it. Sorry."

"Aw, not even a little?" Legend nudged him good naturedly. There was a sort of teasing tone to his voice, but Twilight wasn't sure if everyone caught it.

"Leg, if he's not ready, he's not ready." Hyrule reminded him. "Joking or not, don't push him."

"Right. Sorry." Legend frowned.

"You're good. I know it's a bit frustrating. I'm sorry." The scarred youth sent Legend a grin.

"Hey, Wild?" Warriors finally spoke up. "Been meaning to ask this, but… you seem rather closed-off about your journey. How long was it after you completed it before Hylia brought you to us?"

"Hm? Uh… maybe a month or two?" Wild answered, and the others went quiet. "Wh-what, is that not right?"

"I had ten months." Wind stated. "Everyone else had a few years after their journeys ended."

"Oh." Wild looked down, as if he was ashamed.

Dear Hylia, this kid had gone through what seemed to be literal hell, and had barely any time to process anything before he was shoved through a portal into a completely foreign time. It was truly no wonder Wild was so closed off. Twilight had had years, and he still couldn't talk about parts of it.

"Sorry… I hadn't realized it'd been so fresh for you." Legend apologized awkwardly, once Hyrule elbowed him in the ribs.

"No, it's all right." Wild gave him a grin. "It's just… My journey isn't something I'm proud of. I love the people I met and the places I went, but it's overall not really a happy topic for me. I'm sorry. I'll tell you all one day."

Twilight didn't know what to say to that. Wild wasn't overly open about his real feelings, so this was a huge step in the right direction for him. He was showing them a little bit of his vulnerable side. He wondered if this newfound confidence might've had something to do with Sky's talk with him the other night.

Twilight smiled softly before he jumped in and took the spotlight off of Wild with a tale of lost love. If Wild could take a painful step in the right direction, then so could Twilight. Even if talking about Midna—even indirectly—hurt like a bitch.

They were making progress. Wild was getting more comfortable around them. Once he let the story pass to someone else, Twilight stood and stretched.

"I'm going to do a quick patrol." He informed them before heading out into the woods. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he shifted to his wolf form. He shook himself—it'd been far too long since he'd taken this form. His bones ached from the transformation and he padded through the undergrowth to walk it off.

Scents assaulted his sensitive nose. Rabbit, deer, the stale scent of a monster that hadn't been there for a few weeks… He made his rounds quickly and with much more ease than he would've had without his secondary form.

He debated with himself at the edge of camp for a moment. Sure, Sky had warned Wild about Wolfie, but he really didn't want to be attacked on sight. Maybe if he let someone else see him first?

Twilight padded around the perimeter of the camp, and he mentally cursed when he saw Wild's ears twitch. His eyes were locked onto his position almost instantaneously. This kid was too aware!

"Wild? What is it?" Wind asked, tilting his head curiously.

"There's something in the bushes… some kind of animal."

Well, his cover was blown either way, so… He slowly stepped out into the firelight. Wild's eyes went wide as a flash of recognition passed through them. "Dusk…?" He asked breathlessly, though Twilight was sure nobody else heard it. He'd only barely heard it with his wolf hearing.

"Oh, it's Wolfie!" Sky grinned. "Remember that wolf I told you about? He's super friendly."

"O-oh." Wild shook his head as his eyes shined in disappointment. "Right, Wolfie."

Wasn't Dusk the name Wild had mentioned the other day? The name of his fallen companion? Twilight wondered why Wild had nearly mistaken him for his old wolf friend. Maybe the darkness hid his markings? Either way, he felt bad for getting the kid's hopes up, so he walked over to Wild and nuzzled his hand.

The youth chuckled and scratched him behind his ear—likely a reflex from his own companion. But Twilight was not a pet. He flattened his ears and growled to warn Wild against messing with them.

He hated it when people touched his ears. It reminded him of Midna.

"Wolfie doesn't like that." Time stated, a smirk of amusement on his lips. Twilight sent him a glare. Just because he was the only person in the group who knew who Wolfie was didn't mean he could tease him about it!

"Yet he loves belly rubs." Wind grinned as he came forward, and Twilight backed away a bit. Normally, he was all for belly rubs. It was the most relaxing magnificent thing he'd discovered as a wolf, yet. It was a one-way ticket to bliss and sleep. But right now, he was trying to comfort Wild a bit, because he still felt a tad guilty over that false hope.

"Come on, Wolfie." Time patted his leg, and Twilight came over to his side without question. "We'll take the first watch. Why don't the rest of you get some sleep?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Warriors grinned as he laid out his bedroll.

Wild shrugged and climbed up another tree. He still primarily slept in them, despite the fact that they'd bought him a bedroll. Twilight could count on one hand how many times the kid had slept on the ground with them. And each of those times, he seemed to either have horrible nightmares—which Twilight had started to learn was the norm for the cub—or be unable to sleep at all.

Twilight and Time sat, side by side, as they watched the moon start to rise above the trees. It looked bright. Perhaps it was full tonight. Despite spending months traveling, they didn't often see full moons—likely due to hopping between times. He eyed the bright orb as it started to float up into the sky. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a full moon. He supposed they just tended to miss them.

A shift of movement on the edge of his hearing had him turning to look at the source. Time glanced in the same direction. It was Wild. The cub hesitated a moment before he sat down next to Time.

"It's late, you should get some rest."

"Can't sleep." Wild answered, looking up at the full moon.

"Does Wolfie make you nervous?"

"No." Wild shook his head. "If anything, he makes me sad."

Twilight whined softly. He hadn't meant to startle Wild earlier. He'd only been trying to help. Was the kid really that shaken up over it?

"Oh?"

"He looks almost exactly like Dusk… He even has the same markings. But Dusk was a lot older. He had white around his muzzle…" Wild trailed off for a moment. "I don't know how, but… do you think Wolfie could be Dusk's younger form?"

"Wild, you're from very far into the future. I really don't think a wolf could survive that long." Time answered gently.

"I know." He looked down, frustrated. "But… Dusk even had the same…" He sighed and took out his slate. He hesitated a long moment before tapping and bringing up a picture.

It was a bit bright in the darkness, but once his vision adjusted, Twilight could hardly believe his eyes. Standing there, next to Wild in the wilderness of his Hyrule, was himself. He had the same markings, same eyes, even the same damn chain on his left paw! But… how? He shared a perplexed look with Time.

Time. His mentor. And it clicked.

It hit him with such a force that he was sure he would've fallen flat on his butt if he hadn't had four legs under him. Time was Twilight's mentor. He'd managed to take a spiritual form and train him even after he'd died. The photo was the proof. Twilight was Wild's mentor. He was meant to take this tiny little puppy—this cub—under his wing and protect him. He'd somehow stuck around for several thousand years to meet Wild again, and protect him in his own time.

He'd never found a way to tell Time about how he'd met his shade. He suddenly found himself unsure if he should tell him at all. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to rest even after death was a daunting and mildly horrifying realization.

Time shot Twilight a look. He didn't need to say anything for Twilight to understand. Maybe you should tell Wild.

He really didn't want to. What if he reacted badly? But he had a feeling that Wild would figure it out before long. He already knew him—in some capacity. Who's to say he wouldn't put two and two together? He sighed and nodded his head.

"Wild, there's something you should know about Wolfie." Time started after making sure everyone was asleep.

"Oh?"

"He's not what you think."

Twilight took a few steps back before transforming. Wild's eyes went wide for a moment—disbelief and awe shining in them. Twilight saw the moment the understanding dawned on him.

"You… you're Dusk." He whispered.

"I think I am. Or will be, one day." He wasn't prepared for an armful of Wild. He shared a look with Time, who was equally surprised. Wild normally shied away from physical contact to the point where some of them were starting to worry about some kind of abusive situation in his past. He'd never initiated it like this before.

"I'm sorry. I know you're not Dusk yet, but I want to tell you anyway… That you're the first friend I've ever had. And I wanted to thank you for saving me. I'm sorry for being such a reckless idiot, and for all the grief I've given you, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'll cherish these memories until the day I die."

Twilight took a moment to let the words sink in—to commit it to heart. Because while they may not hold much meaning for him now, they would one day. And for his little cub, this was perhaps his only chance at closure. "Look, cub. I may not be the Dusk you knew, but I'm still Wolfie. I'll be here for you, okay? Ah… but you and Time are the only two who know." He quickly amended.

Wild looked up, taking a step back to sit down again. "Why?"

"Because not everyone is so accepting of 'dark magic'." Time answered.

"But Twilight is Twilight." Wild answered simply, crossing his arms. "His form doesn't change who he is."

The two were silent for a moment before Time started laughing. Twilight wasn't sure he'd ever seen Time laugh before. It was a freeing sort of laugh, like Wild had said something that had struck a personal chord with Time. It was nice… The laughter made him look years younger.

"Never change, Wild." Time smiled as said hero gave a large yawn.

"Looks like someone's ready for bed." Twilight grinned.

"I'm fine."

Twilight sent him a look. "If I have to transform back and pin you to your bedroll, I will." He promised.

"All right." Wild put his hands up. "I'll try." He glanced at the moon again. "It's almost midnight."

"Not a fan of full moons?" Time glanced at the pristine white orb.

"No, not at all. But… it's so white." Wild whispered. "I've never seen a white full moon… or at least, not since…" He winced.

"Never seen a white moon?" Twilight echoed, confused. What other color would it be?

Time had an almost understanding gleam to his eye. "What does the moon look like where you come from?"

Wild was silent for a long moment. Twilight noticed the way he had tensed as the moon rose higher. "Red. Like blood."

It was an ominous image. A blood-colored moon? What on Farore's green earth could cause such a thing? He opened his mouth to ask when Wild sighed.

"I should get to bed." It was obvious that he was trying to get away from the topic he'd inadvertently breached. Twilight frowned lightly.

"Get some rest, Cub." He finally said. Wild hardly got any sleep anyways, so whatever he could get was worth more than some answers at the moment.

Wild sent him a small smile before he wandered off towards the slowly dying embers of the campfire to try to snag whatever piece of elusive slumber he could. It looked like he wasn't even going to try to climb the tree again, so Twilight wasn't sure if he was actually trying to sleep or simply running away from the conversation.

Twilight and Time shared a look. He understood that his journey was still very fresh, but it wasn't healthy to bottle it up like this.

"He's your protégé." Time smirked.

"Yeah, and I'm your problem." Twilight reminded him. "In a way, that makes you like his grandpa."

Time choked. "I am not that old."

"Uh, huh. Sure you're not." Twilight smirked, dancing away from his mentor's swat. "But those grey hairs say otherwise."

Time's eye gleamed with mischief, and Twilight realized his comment may have gone a step too far. "One…" Time stood up and Twilight let out a small eep. Definitely too far. "Two…" He quickly transformed back into Wolfie and started running for it. "Three."

.

.

.

The next morning, the others woke up to Twilight covered in cucco feathers and Time looking rather satisfied with himself—nobody was willing to explain.

Time set his now empty plate of breakfast down as he took another sip from his morning tea. The others were still enjoying their food, and Time couldn't help but marvel at how well Wild had integrated into their little group.

When they'd first met, Wild had been nothing but cautious, and now he was playfully shoving Legend as he and Hyrule teased him about something. It was heartwarming to see him so cheerful. He had no clue what Hyrule and Sky had spoken to him about, but he hoped they'd managed to resolve whatever it was. All these boys deserved some joy in their lives.

Sky's and Wind's Hyrules were the closest any of them ever got to a vacation. It was kind of sad, honestly. He couldn't help the feeling of guilt churning in his gut. More than half of these boys had to face horrors and nightmares because Time had failed. Because he couldn't just leave well enough alone, and had to unlock the Sacred Realm. Sure, he'd been a kid at the time, but that was hardly an excuse.

He shook his darkening thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time to go down that road. There was nothing he could've done. Such was the curse they were placed under. He let the boys mess around for a while longer before standing up. "All right, let's get moving. Sky, what did your source say again?"

"Beedle told me about some unusually strong monsters nesting around Lanayru."

"Beedle?!" Wild perked up. "You mean the merchant that obsesses over Energetic Rhino Beetles and has a backpack like a stag beetle?"

"You know him?" Sky blinked.

"Yeah, I sell stuff to him all the time in my Hyrule!"

"Wait… you mean you have the same exact merchant in your Hyrule several thousand years into the future?" Legend blinked.

"There's a Beedle in my Hyrule, too." Four spoke up.

"And mine!" Wind beamed. "Maybe he just keeps getting reincarnated?"

"Maybe…" Wild hummed. "I want to say there was another Beedle before I lost my memory, but…"

"It's probably the same guy." Legend replied offhandedly. "Or his dad?"

"You really think he's kept the same profession in the family for hundreds of thousands of years?" Warriors asked.

"Wonder what kind of woman would—Ow!" Legend glared at Hyrule, who gave him a displeased look.

"There're kids, Leg."

"Oi! I'm not a kid! I'm a pirate!" Wind protested.

Time chuckled. "Getting back on track." He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "What's the terrain like?"

"Rocky. It's in the desert so there are lots of canyons and a lot of sand. Perfect for an ambush." Sky winced. "I'd recommend sending Wild or someone with good stealth to scout ahead."

Time hummed. "Any volunteers? Other than Wild?"

"I'll go." Wind volunteered. "I can be sneaky when I need to be."

"Hey, why not me?" Wild pouted.

"Because you'd fight them before coming back to get us." Legend rolled his eyes.

"… That's fair." Wild conceded.

"I'll scout." Twilight offered. "I'll take Wolfie with me—I'm pretty sure he's around here somewhere."

"Right. Twi, you and Wolfie will scout ahead. Come get us when you find them." Time agreed. "Until then, let's pack up camp."

The walk was relatively quiet, but Wild seemed to be taking in everything with a sense of trepidation.

"What're you looking at?" Red asked, coming to walk beside the scarred youth.

"The divinity in the air here… there's something tainting it." He frowned a bit.

"Oh yeah. Sun did mention that you could sense divinity." Sky mused. "You may be sensing the lingering impressions of Demise, the Demon King."

"Demon King?" Wild raised an eyebrow and Time realized abruptly that they'd never properly explained Sky's journey or its significance.

Sky sent Time a look and sighed. "You already know that I founded Hyrule. But my Journey is a little more complicated than that. Many generations ago… long enough for the people of Skyloft to forget about the Surface world, a great evil rose up. This was Demise, the Demon King. Hylia alone wasn't enough to fight him, so she sealed him away and sent the surviving people into the sky. This was the enemy I fought. When I defeated him, he uttered a curse—a curse on the Hero's Spirit and the one with the Blood of the Goddess."

"A curse?" Wild frowned. "Like… a taint?"

"In a sense." Sky nodded. " 'Those like you… Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero… They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!' Those were the exact words he uttered before I sealed him within the Master Sword."

Time felt a shiver run down his spine. It was one thing to know of the curse, and another thing to hear the same words that had doomed so many of them to pain. Wild had a contemplative look on his face.

"'An incarnation of my hatred', huh?" He scoffed lightly. "Sounds about right."

"I'm sorry?" Sky looked over at him.

"Nothing, forget about it." Wild shook his head. "But you actually fought a tainted god? I only had to fight a tainted messenger of a goddess and that was hard enough!"

"Messenger?" Legend quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Wild nodded. "Naydra—messenger of Nayru—had been corrupted for a bit. I had to free them."

"How does that work?" Wind scrunched up his face a bit just as Twilight came back.

"Welcome back, pup." Time greeted, and he noticed the way Wild looked mildly relieved at the exceptional timing of his return. "Find anything?"

"Bokoblin camp up ahead." Twilight winced a bit. "Some of them are Cursed."

"There shouldn't be any Cursed monsters around here." Sky frowned.

"What do you expect with this weird infection?" Green shrugged. "Things aren't where they should be—we aren't and neither are the monsters."

"Still waiting for that shoe to drop." Blue muttered, earning an elbow from Red.

"Cursed?" Wild tilted his head. "Like… bound to us?"

"No, nothing like that." Wind spoke up. "They're monsters that'll prevent you from holding a sword or shield if they hit you."

"Prevent me from what?" Wild blinked in surprise.

"It's so horrible." Warriors complained. "It's almost impossible to keep a hold of something when they've got you! Like the grips on all your shields and weapons are coated in oil."

"Yeah, last time I nearly got my arm lobbed off." Legend scowled.

"And I had to have my finger reattached." Wind glared at the ground for a moment. Time winced. That was not a fun experience for anyone.

"How many?" Time asked.

"Not too many." Twilight answered. "I think only a handful are cursed. There's a fair number of enemies, but we should be able to pair up—that way if someone gets cursed, they're not totally defenseless."

"Wild, we're going to be relying heavily on your ranged combat skills. Bows are the most effective weapons against these cursed monsters." Sky informed.

"Right!" Wild beamed. "Leave it to me. I'll cover you."

"Just so long as I keep my limbs, I'm happy." Legend grumbled.

"Don't worry." Wild shot him a grin. "I'll keep an eye out for you." Legend flushed a bit and looked away, grumbling some mild insult under his breath.

Time wondered if Legend knew that Wild did that on purpose. Leave it to the rebel in the group to befriend the prickly hedgehog. "Come on, then." Time spoke up. "We'll formulate a solid plan once we've had a good look at the area."

It wasn't long before they came upon what would be their battlefield. There were monsters crawling all over the place. A few. Right. He spotted the cursed ones pretty easily. He pointed them out to the others so nobody would be caught unaware. Wild was already gone, scouting the best point to fire from, more than likely. It was honestly unnerving how good he was at sneaking away undetected.

Their signal came when the first Cursed bokoblin went down. They charged in before the monsters could figure out where the arrows were coming from. Time lobbed off the head of one bokoblin before quickly ducking away from the swipe of a cursed one that came up on his blind side.

He was used to this dance, though his old bones protested it. His body flowed through the familiar stances he'd drilled into himself over the years. He sensed the monster coming up behind him and swiftly dodged, allowing his two foes to take one another out.

Time was quick to aid Warriors when he finished his own enemies. Warriors' Hyrule was infested with monsters. Hordes the likes of which none of them had seen before. But on an individual level, they were incredibly weak. In one-on-one fights with stronger monsters, Warriors was fine for a little while, but when he had to face multiple stronger ones for any real length of time, he tuckered out quickly. Something Legend never failed to tease him about. Either way, Warriors was grateful for the help.

"Ack!" Time glanced over at the sound of a sword clattering to the ground. Hyrule was holding his wrist with a glare as Legend stood before him protectively. He must've gotten cursed. An arrow quickly ended the bokoblin responsible, and Time knew the boys were safe under Wild's hawk-eyed gaze.

It was over remarkably fast. By the end of it, Hyrule was the only one who got cursed, and was scowling at the sword that he was temporarily unable to pick up off the ground, much to Legend's amusement.

"That's… it?" Wind asked, blinking owlishly as Wild leapt down from the cliff. Time had a moment of panic before he brought out his paraglider at the very last second, landing with hardly a sound. "I remember it being a lot harder before."

"Yeah, well we've got someone who's good with a bow, now." Legend huffed, shooting Wild a meaningful look.

"Huh? I mean, I know I'm a good shot, but so are the rest of you, right?"

They all blinked at the cook. "Wild, do you have any idea just how horrible most of this group is at archery?" Legend asked, ignoring the protests from the others. "Most of these guys can barely keep a passable grouping on a target, let alone a bull's-eye like you."

"Oh." He blinked for a moment. "I mean, if you want, I can try to show you guys some techniques?"

"Really?!" Wind grinned. "Please?!"

"Aw, yeah! Archery lessons from Wild!" Warriors cheered.

"We should probably pick this up." Hyrule gestured to the monster loot that littered the area. He hesitantly bent down and cheered when he managed to pick his sword up again. "Yes! The curse is gone!"

"Congratulations, butterfingers." Legend smirked as he started gathering some loot as well. "What's this?" He frowned at something as Sky came over to take a look.

"Oh, sweet! A rare drop." The Chosen Hero grinned as he picked up a purplish ball with a cloth, careful not to touch it with his skin. Time didn't like the feeling it gave off. It felt foul, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth much like Majora's Mask had when he'd first encountered it. While this tiny orb didn't feel anywhere near the tier of power the Mask held, it was still unnerving.

"What is that?" Warriors asked, leaning over for a better look. "I've never seen something like that before."

"It's crystallized—"

"Malice." Wild's breathless whisper cut off Sky. The scarred youth was staring at the orb with a wide-eyed expression that Time didn't like. Obviously, this malice held many horrific memories for Wild. "That's Malice, I'd recognize it anywhere."

"You have Malice in your Hyrule?" Sky jolted.

"Yeah, Calamity was practically made of the stuff. It burns like you wouldn't believe—I still have scars from it." Wild hadn't taken his eyes off the 'rare drop' that Sky still held, and Time was starting to wonder if the hero was aware of what he was saying.

"I assume that this is that Calamity Ganon you spoke of before?" Time asked softly.

Wild winced for a moment before he answered, tearing his gaze away from the purple ball to stare at Time. "Yeah, Calamity Ganon. He could control Malice."

"Malice is unique to the Demon King, Demise. The God of Hatred." Sky explained. "If your Ganon could control this… Then it's entirely possible that this Calamity Ganon of yours was closer to Demise than what the others have faced."

"Woah, wait! You're telling me that Wild fought a god?" Legend crossed his arms.

"I wouldn't call Calamity a god." Wild spoke up. "He was certainly monstrous, but I wouldn't say he was anywhere near god-level."

"Don't sell yourself short, Cub." Twilight shuddered with a far-off look to his eye. "I'm sure that Calamity was utterly terrifying." Time wondered if it was at all possible for Twilight to recover any memories from his future self as Dusk. Perhaps it was more of a feeling that his Pup was getting.

"You have no idea." Wild muttered, shaking his head.

Wind looked like he was going to ask something else when Hyrule—who Time had figured was looking for a topic change—found a chest.

"All right! A purple rupee!" Hyrule cheered as he held up the sparkling gem.

Wild's head whipped to the side abruptly, head tilting to the left. Time had noticed he tended to do that whenever he sensed another portal cropping up.

Sure enough, a new portal swirled into being exactly where Wild had been staring. It was almost creepy the way he could sense them, but it was a bit of a relief to know they'd never have to worry about missing a portal again. That had happened once, and it was not a fun trip.

"Aw, man! Again?! We just got here!" Wind pouted. Sky looked crushed, and Time couldn't blame him. They'd only been here for two and a half weeks, after all. Most of them had gotten a little longer in their Hyrules.

"All right. You all know the groupings by now." Time called out.

The group nodded as they separated into their designated pairs. Time clapped Twilight on the shoulder as they stepped through, heading towards their next adventure.