Amali eyed her hammock for the dozenth time. She wanted so desperately to collapse, rest her head for just a minute, close her eyes and let the breeze flow past her feathers. But she couldn't. As her husband might put it, her duty would not be complete. It was thus up to the soft smoke and smell of her cooking to keep Amali lucid. Dinner for six, just like every other night.

The girls were likely back at Warbler's Peak, Amali mused, but Notts and Kotts would have the sense to corral the other three back to the village by sundown. The two eldest daughters hadn't quite reached flying age yet, but they were thankfully mature enough to help their mother out once in a while. Genli and Cree were next up in order of age, and little Kheel was the youngest of the five, her baby feathers still intact. In other circumstances, Amali wouldn't have worried so much over her daughters. But the world outside Rito Village was a scary place, and the village itself was growing less safe by the day. It was already enough to be the mother of five girls, and the threat of Vah Medoh did not make Amali's job easier.

As the scent of meat and rice wafted through her home, Amali once again glanced at her hammock.

"Excuse me?"

Amali looked away from the empty hammock and toward the voice by the bridge to her home. It was a Hylian boy, a teenager from the looks of it. It had been a while since a non-Rito had entered the village. The landscape, with its extreme altitude and sketchy infrastructure, was fairly dangerous for the wingless species of Hyrule. Amali had almost forgotten how short Hylians were.

"I'm looking for the chief…" the boy stated simply.

"At the very top of the village. Just follow the path all the way up, and Chief Kaneli will be in the last building," Amali responded politely.

To her knowledge, this was the first traveler to enter the village since the towers rose. Most merchants conducted their business at the stable nearby. She didn't blame them. It wasn't worth the risk to cross the bridge over Lake Totori, and the Divine Beast that hovered over the spire didn't make Rito Village look any more appealing. Amali felt it was only right to treat this Hylian with respect, regardless of his age.

"Can I take a peek at what you're cooking?"

Amali stopped stirring the pot, and nodded at the stranger. She hoped this kid wasn't trying to get a free meal. The boy rummaged in his pack—was he trying to pay her for food? Her question was answered when he dug out a small bottle of red powder and held it out to her.

"Try adding some of this. Just a little pinch."

Amali gave him an inquisitive look.

"Goron spice," he elaborated. "Bought some off a merchant in Tabantha."

Amali had to admit that the spice smelled phenomenal, and she decided to take the boy's advice to add some to the curry in the pot. He must have seen the excitement on her face, because he rejected Amali's attempt to return the spice bottle, explaining he had plenty extra.

At that moment, five tiny Rito girls charged into the cooking area and froze in wonder at the sight of the Hylian. The boy, whose name was still a mystery, looked delighted at the sight of the children.

"Would you like to join us for dinner…?" she paused, waiting for his name.

"Link," he finished.

Dinner for seven, Amali thought. It had been a while.

…

If Harth could not be battling alongside Teba in the skies above Rito Village, then he would continue the fight from the ground below. The two Rito had grown up together in a Rito Village still recovering from the destruction and loss of life wrought by the Calamity. While Harth kept up with his best friend in their early years, it was clear by their adolescence that Teba alone would follow a warrior's path. Teba's silvery feathers quickly became a symbol of peace and protection for the village; if the title of Rito Champion hadn't dissolved after the Calamity, Teba would surely have been the one to earn it.

Harth, meanwhile, dedicated his efforts to supporting his friend in any way he could. He was not a world-class fighter, but Harth could hold his own in a fight, and the weapons he crafted gave himself and his allies a wing up in combat. Although Teba was in contention for the honor of best Rito warrior since Revali, his flying and aerial combat skills did not translate to bowyery. Harth had watched his friend try to string a bow before. It did not… go well. So, for every bow that Teba broke, and for every arrow that he fired, Harth would craft replacements. Harth's passion to protect his people was sated by helping from the sidelines.

The system was perfect until Vah Medoh woke up. The Divine Beast which once heeded the commands of Revali suddenly turned against the Rito. One could not fly above their homes without becoming a target of Medoh's guns. For the first time in its history, Rito Village was a no-fly zone. Every attempt to quell the beast resulted in failure. Warriors resigned their posts in shame, and many Rito had all but given up on reclaiming the skies. But Harth and Teba were stubborn, and their stubbornness had put Harth in the position he was currently in: on the floor of his workshop nursing a burned and broken arm.

Not all was lost. What some prideful Rito didn't understand was that failure did not mean total defeat. Harth believed wholeheartedly that losing one battle did not lose the whole war. Defeat was temporary, and Harth and Teba's failure gave them valuable information about the Divine Beast that circled Lake Totori. Vah Medoh's shield had weak spots, exposed and vulnerable to explosives. Teba had landed a couple bomb arrows on the beast's weapons before a blue beam shot Harth out of the sky. He was injured, but his analysis was fruitful. They finally had a way to get back at Vah Medoh, and the duo would just have to wait. Harth could endure the weeks of recovery and humiliation. In his downtime, he had made great progress reverse engineering the Great Eagle Bow used by Revali a century ago, capable of firing three arrows with a single pull of the bowstring. Working on a bow with an injured arm was tough, but not impossible, and it helped Harth avoid the crushing emotions he felt when his hands were idle.

Today, Harth was inspecting a composite bow he had designed specifically to fire bomb arrows in rapid succession, when he was interrupted by a familiar face accompanied by a stranger. It was Teba and a blond Hylian. On Teba's face sat an expression Harth hadn't seen since their teenage years: something had rekindled his competitive fire.

"Harth," Teba started. "How is the bow coming along?"

Teba's voice was serious, but Harth knew his friend well enough to deduce that the warrior was excited for something.

"It's… done," Harth answered slowly. "I'm just looking it over for any errors or weak points."

"Here's the deal," Teba dropped the professional tone and took on the slightly crazed look that Harth had seen so often in his friend. "This kid, Link, just tied my target practice record at the flight range."

"But he's—"

"A Hylian, I know," Teba cut in.

Harth turned to this Link and looked him over, astonished.

"Listen Harth. We could give it another go as soon as today. Link has the bomb arrows and he just needs the bow to fire them."

"You mean he's going with you up there?" Harth turned his head to the boy and fired off another question. "Can you even fly?"

Link, who hadn't said a word, merely pulled a paraglider off of his back and held it up for Harth to see.

"I'll run interference," Teba said, "while Link dismantles the shield and lands on Medoh. He has a plan to tame the thing. Permanently."

The three sat in silence as Harth processed these developments. He didn't like the idea of having a Hylian enter the fight against Vah Medoh, but also didn't want to let tribal instincts dominate his feelings on the matter. If what Teba said was true, and Harth believed him, then Link was the best shot they would have at quelling the Divine Beast.

"I'm going to go let Saki know what the plans are. In the meantime, why don't you show Link the bow he'll be using?" Teba addressed Harth and then turned to go find his wife, leaving Link and Harth alone in the workshop.

When Harth glanced over at the boy, he could tell that Link was studying his wounded arm.

"It was a laser," Link whispered, soft and confused.

His statement surprised Harth. The boy's first words to him were about his injury, and Harth began to feel uncomfortable. How did Link know what caused the burn? Harth decided to ignore the stray remark and turned around to focus on the task given by Teba.

"This is a swallow bow. It's crafted specifically for firing in the air, and the bowstring requires less force to fire…" Harth trailed off and his breath hitched when he spun back around to face the boy.

Link's tunic was on the floor, his focus pointed downwards, and his fingers traced a large, red blemish on the left side of his torso. It was a mass of scar tissue, the shape of which eerily similar to the mark on Harth's arm. Harth clasped his beak shut when he noticed it was hanging open. The boy didn't notice—his face was tight as though he was struggling to recall something and he appeared to be lost in his own world.

"I think… I was hit by one of those," Link spoke in that same, muddled tone.

"It burns," Harth blurted out, surprising himself.

"Yeah," Link agreed.

That seemed to snap Link out of his stupor. The Hylian retrieved his shirt from the floorboards. Harth noticed that the blue of the tunic was ever so slightly faded in the same spot—the left side of the torso. While Harth was lost in his thoughts, Link grabbed the bow from his hands. Its wooden frame seemed oversized for the short Hylian, but something told Harth that Link would be able to wield it regardless.

…

Harth stood with Amali and her daughters on Revali's Landing to watch the battle up above. She had made a spot for him on the crowded deck, chock full of Rito anxiously watching Teba and Link weave around Medoh. Amali was always trying to engage Harth since his injury. It was likely due to her loneliness with Kass being away, Harth mused, but he appreciated her effort nonetheless. It was usually awkward; Amali was the mother of five children and Harth was a single weaponsmith. Now, at least, the two had something in common they could talk about.

"The girls are really worried about him," Amali murmured to Harth.

That made sense, Harth thought. Amali had told him that Link joined her family for dinner upon arriving at the village. A fresh and friendly face was always exciting for kids.

In the skies above, a small explosion rang out.

"He's kind of weird," Harth said bluntly.

"Well," Amali laughed, "that's awfully kind of you to say."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Harth raised his voice defensively. "I'm just saying… the more I learn about Link, the less I understand him."

Amali raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I could see that."

The light of further explosions shone through the clouds. Amali's face softened.

"He told me he would keep an eye out for Kass," she said thoughtfully. "So he's good in my book."

One final explosion echoed in the air, shaking the deck on which the Rito stood. The red shield surrounding the beast disintegrated, and Teba descended rapidly and shakily.

"Clear out!" Harth yelled to the Rito in the area. His friend was hurt!

As bodies shuffled to make space on the deck, Teba's leg dangled limply in the air. Once he touched down on the landing, Harth rushed to his side. Teba smiled through the pain.

"It's done," he grunted.

"Where's Link?" Amali asked hesitantly.

"Inside."

It was Teba's last word before passing out.

…

Thankfully, it did not take long for Teba to awaken. Harth had converted his workshop into a makeshift infirmary and took the hour or so Teba was out cold to treat his singed leg. Inside Harth's hut sat Amali as well as Saki and Tulin, Teba's wife and son. Finally, Harth and Teba had emerged victorious, and the former took this time to relax for the first time in weeks.

"You know," Teba spoke as he sat up in his bed, "I think Link is going after Ganon."

As if on cue, Vah Medoh let out a sharp cry and sent a bright red laser toward the castle in central Hyrule.

Well, Harth thought, that would explain a lot.