Zelda tied back her platinum blonde hair as she soared through the bright morning sky on the back of her Loftwing. She carefully searched the area for Link's crimson bird, but to no avail. Her heart sank further by the minute. She could only imagine how terribly frightened Link was likely feeling, not knowing where his Loftwing was. She had always admired Link for maintaining composure in almost any circumstance. However, she also knew this meant he kept his feelings bottled up inside, which worried her. Setting these thoughts aside for the time being, she stayed determined and focused as they continued their search.

Link was having no better fortune on the ground, and as Zelda guessed, was ighting back an urge to panic. He asked Jakamar and Professor Horwell, neither of whom had seen the bird. He made his way back toward the Knight Academy to enlist additional help from Fledge. On the way there, however, something caught his ear. A few yards away, Groose and his gang of misfits, Stritch and Cawlin, were cackling about something. Normally Link would have easily ignored them. However, he overheard one of them say something suspiciously coincidental, or coincidentally suspicious.

"That was one feisty bird."

Link came to a full, abrupt stop. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, honing his senses to listen more closely.

"It put up a good fight, but we got'em."

"Shhhh, shhhh… not so loud, idiot."

Link's fingers curled into tight fists, his nails digging into the skin of his palms, leaving red marks in their wake. He turned and set his sights squarely on Groose, his self-proclaimed rival.

"Got who, exactly?" he called out as he approached them.

"Ah, Link! How're ya doing, buddy?" Groose scoffed, crossing his muscular arms over his puffed out chest.

"Got who, exactly?" Link repeated. He felt the vein on the side of his head throbbing at the sound of Groose's obnoxious baritone voice.

"You know, Link, it's awfully rude of you to be eavesdropping on our conversation," Groose retorted, appearing somewhat annoyed. "Besides, shouldn't you be practicing for the race? We've already gotten in a few laps ourselves. We didn't see you out there this morning."

Link was always one to be careful with his words, and with his accusations, even more so. His fierce forest green eyes darted back and forth between Groose, Stritch, and Cawlin as he thought of how to proceed. Finally, he let out a sigh and gave a quick eye roll.

"My Loftwing is missing," he confessed reluctantly. He wanted to outright ask what they did with his bird, but decided on a less confrontational approach. "Have you seen him?"

Stritch and Cawlin roared with laughter. Link felt anger coursing through every fiber of his being, but he kept his composure, refusing to be undone by these fools. Groose, with a low chuckle, pulled from his belt a single red feather and twirled it around in his fingers. Despite all efforts to appear unfazed, Link flinched at the sight of the feather, recognizing it immediately. Worry for his crimson friend and not knowing if these ghouls seriously hurt him sent a shock wave through his body.

"Oh, you mean that untamed, unruly turkey you try to pass off as a racing bird?"

With another scoff, Groose flicked the feather, allowing it to drift away in the breeze, aimlessly.

"No. We haven't seen him. Good luck finding him before the race, though."

Groose, Stritch, and Cawlin walked away, with Groose thrusting his elbow into Link's shoulder. It took every ounce of self-control Link had to not turn around and tackle him to the ground, but he knew deep down that it would do nothing to help him find his Loftwing. He didn't want to resort to childish tattle-tailing either, so he could not involve the Professors or Headmaster Gaepora. He would have to figure this out on his own. Or at least, he thought so. Suddenly he heard a "Pssst!" He glanced this way and that until another "Pssst!" drew his attention to a nearby shrub, behind which Fledge was cowering. Link walked over and was promptly pulled down to Fledge's crouched level by the sleeve of his beige shirt.

"I think I know where your—" Fledge mumbled, becoming less and less coherent as he went.

"You know what now?"

Fledge repeated himself the same way as before; mostly incoherently. Link was losing patience, yet he was determined to avoid taking it out on innocent Fledge. His clenched fists rose to his temples, but then, holding his breath, he lowered them again slowly, palms open, tone level.

"Spit it out, Fledge. Whatever you have to say, it's okay—"

"I THINK I KNOW WHERE YOUR LOFTWING IS!"

In a complete reversal, Link quickly cupped his hand over Fledge's mouth. Groose and his gang were probably still close enough to hear such an outburst. After peering over the bush and seeing that their attention had not been drawn, he licked his dry lips and turned to Fledge, nodding his head to encourage more information.

"Where?" Link asked straightforwardly, heart pounding.

Fledge hunched down further, pulling Link with him.

"Early this morning - at breakfast - Groose, Stritch, and Cawlin were talking about a plan to meet behind the waterfall. They specifically mentioned taking a rope, a muzzle, and a blindfold with them."

He suddenly began speaking as if he was teetering on the verge of hyperventilating.

"I… would have told you earlier… but until now… I did not know that they were plotting to—"

"It's okay, Fledge. You did the right thing," Link gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder. "I have to go. Get back inside and act natural."

Link sprinted at full speed toward the waterfall. Although he was an adventurous boy (prone to climbing anything there was to climb), to see Link running on Skyloft was a rare sight. Normally he was too laid back to run anywhere, so of course a few people took notice, one of whom was Pipit, an upperclassman. He crossed Link's path, forcing him to come to a sudden stop.

"What seems to be the problem, Link?" he asked in that smug upperclassman kind of way.

Link took a moment to catch his breath before responding. "My Loftwing is missing."

"Really? Today, of all days?"

"Yes, and I believe he's trapped behind the waterfall, so I'm going to check it out."

"I see," Pipit replied, taking note that Link was not asking for permission.

Pipit stood silently with his hands on his hips for a few seconds, pondering how to best proceed. Generally, underclassmen were not permitted to go behind the waterfall. To get there on foot, one would have to go through a cave, which housed a few territorial beings which known to attack if they felt threatened. This, however, was a unique circumstance. Despite his head being in the clouds at times, Pipit knew Link to be fairly down-to-earth, honest, and mostly responsible. He had no reason to suspect foul play or deception.

"Go ahead. I'll hang back here and make sure no one else spots you."

Link offered a nod of appreciation and almost started off again, but Pipit stretched out his arm and paused him once more.

"Wait."

From the belt of his yellow tunic, he produced a dagger, only to be used by students nearing their graduation.

"It's dangerous to go alone. Take this, and only use it if you absolutely need to."

"Thanks, Pipit."

It was common practice for younger students of the Academy to dare each other to go into the cave, risking severe punishment, among other things. Most never made it more than a couple of minutes before getting spooked. Link, Zelda, and of course Fledge, were the only three students who had yet to enter until now. The cave was, unsurprisingly, dark and murky. Had it not been for the radiance of the morning sun shining through the entrance and exit, it would have been pitch black and impossible to navigate. A few steps in and Link could already feel goosebumps bubbling up on his skin. The atmosphere was chilly, damp, and heavy. Despite this, Link couldn't help but to appreciate the quietness of the cave. All he could hear was the occasional drip of water, the sound of his leather boots tapping against the cold stone, and the subsequent echoing of both.

After the first minute or so, he thought to himself, "This isn't so bad." Of course, that meant he would soon face some trouble, as fate would flaunt its twisted sense of humor and perhaps teach the youth not to be so naïve. Link didn't notice a slimy little creature inching its way towards him until it had wrapped itself around his leg. It was a ChuChu. Link had learned about these strange beings in the Academy. For a creature with no muscles, it could squeeze his leg surprisingly well, though not enough to cause any real pain. One swift kick was enough to launch it away.

Unfortunately, it was joined by several others. Link watched with a grimace as the sentient blue blobs of goo took turns consuming one another, ultimately morphing into one large ChuChu, which was now almost as tall as (and certainly thicker than) Link was. "Now that one might do some damage," he told himself. The creature suddenly leapt from the ground and, with surprising speed, hurled itself at Link. He thrust the dagger into it, causing it to separate into two smaller ChuChus. Link repeated this attack until all that remained were some lifeless puddles.

Link picked up his pace after the assault. The thought of his Loftwing possibly being trapped with these hostile creatures around worried him greatly. The exit was not far off. Link sprinted toward it but was once again halted, this time by a swarm of Keese. These flying fiends weren't exactly as harmless as the ChuChus. They had actual teeth to bite with, and some were rumored to be venomous. Link tried defending himself with the dagger, yet the winged vermin evaded his every swing. He quickly grew tired, and suddenly, felt a pinch on his right hand, causing him to recoil.

In his skin were two small puncture wounds with blood beginning to drip from them. He had no time to worry whether or not the bite was venomous. Seeing his odds of success in besting the Keese dwindling, Link decided his best option would be to outrun them into the daylight, where they would not dare to follow. The plan worked, and Link exited the cave relatively unscathed. Just as he was emerging, Zelda and her Loftwing were coming around the bend.

"Link!" she called out, gracefully leaping to the ground. "We spotted your Loftwing from the sky. He's this way."

The two ran further down the plateau, and soon they came to a large indent in the rock. It had been sectioned off by several handmade spokes, behind which was Link's crimson Loftwing. His eyes were blindfolded and his beak muzzled, rendering him completely helpless.

"The poor thing!" Zelda gasped, feeling terribly sad for the bird.

Link made quick work of the wooden spokes, snapping them in half with his bare hands, aided by his anger at seeing his companion in such a state. The bird was alarmed by the noise, yet was quickly soothed as his master placed a hand gently under his beak.

"It's okay, it's me. I'm here now."

Link broke off the muzzle while Zelda removed the blindfold. As soon as it was able, the bird thrust his head underneath Link's arms, nuzzling him in gratitude. Link wrapped his arms around its large neck and laid his head down on top of the bird's, stroking the top of his feathered head.

"I'm so sorry. I never should have let this happen."

The bird responded by stretching out its wings and letting out a loud, victorious screech. He flapped his mighty wings a few times, creating the most wonderful, blustery draft for Link and Zelda. The two laughed in relief as the wind tussled their hair.

"Come on," Link beckoned, "maybe we can still make it back before the race starts. At the very least, we can get you back in time for the closing ceremony."

Link's Loftwing joined Zelda's in the sky, red chasing blue. Link prepared to leap from the plateau, but just before he did, he looked back at Zelda curiously, having noticed that she had gone silent and motionless. Her brow furrowed as she looked off into the distance. It appeared as if she was once again searching for something. Link tried to find what she could have been looking at, though there seemed to be nothing more than the empty expanse of sky ahead of them.

"Zelda? What is it?" he inquired, taking a step closer to her.

She remained there, staring off into the sky, her face paling. It wasn't until Link gently laid a hand on her shoulder that she finally came to.

"Oh, dear." she said, almost breathlessly. "I'm sorry. I must have been daydreaming."

The color quickly returned to her face, and her eyes began to sparkle once more as a smile crossed her lips. Link was unconvinced, but Zelda insisted they make haste to the ceremony, so he declined to press further. The two leapt from the plateau, joined their birds, and flew to the Goddess Statue with great haste. Link intentionally flew behind to keep a close, cautious eye on Zelda on the way. She seemed to be alright, but Link could not shake the unsettled feeling in his heart. Something was wrong, and she was not telling him.