Hello all! I'm back at it with Chapter 8! Not much to say so I'm just going to jump right on into it.

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO

DUDES AND DUDETTES

I NOW PRESENT:

Chapter 8 – Panic

That night Serina didn't get any rest, so she grabbed out her sketchbook and drew until the sun came up. She sat on the landing working on an intricate picture of the Hebra Mountains.

The cold morning air gave her goose bumps and she shivered. She finished her drawing and brought her cold hands to her mouth, breathing slow warm breaths in an attempt to warm them up.

"Don't tell me you stayed here all night," Revali's smooth voice came up behind her.

"Guess I shouldn't say anything then," Serina stared down at the finished drawing in her lap as her feet dangled off the edge of the landing.

She heard him walk up and stand next to her, but she didn't look up at him as she was occupied in trying to keep her hands and arms warm.

"Cold again?" He sat next to her.

She shrugged, "Not as bad as last time."

"You're still shaking," He said.

"I just don't like the cold, is that such a crime?" her grey orbs wandered over to him.

"It might be," He wrapped his large wing around her arms.

"Now what do you think you're doing?" She asked.

"Taking you under my wing," Revali smirked.

Serina grimaced at his joke, "Hylia help me… anyway.. Like I said, it's not as bad as the last cold environment we were in, I'll be fine."

As much as the warmth from his wing comforted and completely shielded her from the unwanted cold air, she tried to show that she was tougher than she looked.

"Just enjoy it while you can," He chuckled.

She sighed and shook her head, looking out towards the sunrise.

"Oh, Serina, I'm glad I could catch you before you left," Lena's voice sounded behind them, immediately she took notice to Revali's wing around Serina, "Oh, um, am I interrupting something?"

Serina's head snapped towards Lena, facing away from Revali so she could hide her now red cheeks.

"No you aren't," Serina quickly stood up, the cold air coming into contact with her bare arms, "What is it you need?"

Serina ignored Revali's laughter behind her as she approached Lena.

"I had forgotten to mention it yesterday, but you left this here after your last visit." Lena held out a grey sweater, "You had bought it from the store here but never took it home with you."

"So that's where it went," Serina smiled, "I thought I had lost it."

"It gets cold around these parts, it'll be good to have around," Lena glanced behind Serina towards Revali, "But… it seems to me you may not need it."

Serina shook her head and glared back at a smirking Revali, "Are you kidding? This will make my life a lot easier."

"Also, I packed some food for the road." Lena handed her a small pouch full of different goods.

"Lena," Serina put on her sweater and took the pouch into her hands, "You didn't need to worry about that… thank you so much."

A smile formed on Lena's beak, "Of course I did, I want to make sure you stay fed and healthy. You could call it my motherly instinct."

Serina looked at Lena's hands now holding her stomach where her new family member resided.

"I can't wait to meet the new little one," Serina gave Lena a tight hug.

"Be safe, and come back soon." Lena returned the hug.

"I'll try to be back as soon as I can," Serina said, releasing Lena from the embrace.

Revali stood up and approached the two, "Shall we set out for Goron City?"

Serina faced Revali, "Yeah, we have a long way to go."

"Take care you two," Lena waved at Serina one last time as they made their way to the entrance of the village.

"You sure you need that sweater?" Revali smirked.

"Oh shut it." Serina glared.

A Few Days Later

Serina and Revali stood at the base of a tall rocky mountain range the stood in their way of moving forward. The day had grown warmer and Serina removed her jacket, placing it in her bag.

"Looks like our only option is to climb," She sighed.

She grabbed onto the rough surface of the rocks and began her climb up the first tall rock. A gust of wind blew her hair into her face, and she looked up to see Revali perched at the top of the rock she was climbing. As she reached the top he held his wing out to her, pulling her up.

"You sure took your time in getting up here," He pretended to look as if he had waited an eternity.

"You have wings, I don't," Serina shook her head, grabbing onto the next big rock.

Another gust of wind blew her hair into her face. She brushed it out of the way as she clung onto the rock. Revali stood at the top once again, looking down at the girl struggling to climb up. Her grey eyes glared daggers into his. Eventually, she was able to grab onto the edge, hoisting herself onto the top.

"Why don't you help me out and use that skill of yours to bring both of us to the top of the mountains?" Serina brushed the dust off her clothes.

"You're the one who wanted to climb," He smirked.

She opened her mouth but closed it, unable to find the correct response. She grabbed out her sailcloth and unfolded it.

"Would it be too much trouble?" She gave him an annoyed look.

"I suppose it wouldn't," He gave her an over-exaggerated sigh.

Revali flapped his wings and created an updraft that propelled both of them up to the top of the mountains. Serina nearly lost her balance as she landed, but was able to regain her footing. She pulled out her map and held her glasses closer to her eyes.

"If we keep heading this way, we should hopefully come across an inn so we don't have to settle for another cave." She said.

Revali looked over her shoulder at the map. She pointed out the location of the inn then removed her glasses, placing them back into her bag.

"Convenient, it's not far out of the way at all." He remarked.

"We should be able to make it to the inn just as the sun sets." She pulled her sailcloth back out.

They both took off from the top of the mountains and glided in the direction of the inn. Serina looked down and noticed that the ground was farther than she expected. Revali flew a fair distance ahead of her, lazily allowing the wind to keep him in the air.

Serina took note of how small some of the tree seemed from how high up she was, and how they slowly got bigger as she descended. She heard the sound of running water, a branch of Hylia River rapidly flowing beneath her. In the distance, other birds were chirping as they flew in their own place in the sky.

Then, there was a tearing sound from above her. She looked up and saw a small tear in her sailcloth, and it was gradually getting bigger.

'Maybe it can last me until we land, we're almost there.' She thought.

She thought wrong. The cloth ripped to the point that she was no longer gliding, but falling.

From behind him, Revali heard a surprised shriek. He turned his head, and noticed Serina was no longer behind him. His eyes widened and he immediately started scanning the area for Serina.

SPLASH

His gaze shot towards the water, and he dropped into a dive towards the river scanning the whole area over trying to find her.

The impact of the cold water felt like thousands of needles stabbing her all over her body. Her head was able to break the surface of the fast moving water, only to get pulled back under by the strong current. She tried to swim back to the surface to get a breath of air, only to inhale a massive amount of cold water instead. When she was able to make her way to the surface, she choked and sputtered, trying to breathe in air, only to breathe in more water.

Revali was unable to catch sight of her, and he began to look for her more frantically, refusing to fear the worst. He began to call out her name in the hope of hearing a response.

Her head was able to break the surface once more, and she heard her name. Even with all of the water in her lungs, she still tried to call out to Revali. Her attempts were futile, as his name came out in coughing and choking noises, but nonetheless, he still heard her.

One last time, Serina was pulled under the water by the strong current. With all of the strength she could muster, she made her way to the surface. The water pushed her onto the shore. She dragged her top half onto dry land, her legs still rested in the water.

Revali finally caught glimpse of her and landed in front of her, kneeling down and placing one of his large hands on her back.

Her whole body was numb from the ice cold water, and she soon became more of a coughing and choking mess. She coughed out mouthfuls of water at a time onto the ground, yet some still refused to come out. Her lungs burned and her eyes watered from all of her choking.

Revali began to pat her back in an attempt to assist her.

She gasped for air in between her non-stop coughing fits, her vision becoming fading in and out of focus. Eventually, she was able to empty her lungs of the water completely.

Serina tried to use her arms to lift herself up, but she was unable to support her own weight and dropped back to the ground.

"Hey now, take it easy, Serina…" Revali's voice was gentle and soothing after hearing nothing but her own choking.

"R-revali..?" Her voice was raspy.

"Yes, I'm here," he rubbed her back, "You're going to be alight."

Serina's vision faded to black and she fell unconscious. Revali felt a slight hint of worry after not hearing a response when he said her name. He pressed two feathery fingers to her neck, and breathed a sigh of relief when he still felt a pulse.

He looked around and saw the inn they were flying towards and scooped her limp body into his wings. Usually he would complain about his feathers getting wet and heavy, but at that point, his main focus was getting Serina somewhere warm and dry.

Alrighty! That's all for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a review and stay tuned for more to come! Until then, farewell!