Revali pulled the Slate out of the terminal and walked towards the edge of the tower. He had visited two towers that had been separated by a river and had downloaded the corresponding map data. While the quiet of his solo journey had been a relief, he wasn't ready to return to the others yet.

So, he chose to dive off the tower into the crumbling structure below.

It had caught his eye as he had been flying past. The typical, run of the mill ruins wasn't something he found particularly interesting, but this one was different. For starters, it was covered in destroyed Guardians. Even the small portions of the bridge that led over a crevasse were covered in the machines. The whole scene looked like the remnants of a war zone.

He flew through a section of the citadel that had been blown off, likely by a Guardian blast. The Rito touched down lightly and looked around. Weapons and shields lay scattered around, some whole and others shattered beyond repair. There were skeletons as well, broken and charred, scattered in unrecognizable heaps. Some lay in the center and some sat against the walls.

"What happened here?" he asked one of the skeletons at his feet.

"Well Birdbrain, this is where we all died after we led the Guardians away from all of you Champions." Revali nearly shot out of his feathers. He spun around quickly to find a Hylian with brown hair and green eyes giving him a boy-like smile.

"Who in Din's name are you?"

"Wow!" the Hylian exclaimed as he shook his head, "You really don't remember me? I suppose it would be odd for you to remember me when you were more concerned about how Link's existence damaged your ego," he finished thoughtfully.

"Who. Are. You?"

"Owen."

"Owen?"

"That's what I just said." Owen began waving his hand in front of Revali's eyes. "Is everything alright in there? Did your nap mess anything up… well, more than it was before?"

"I'll have you know that there is nothing wrong with me! Nothing in the slightest!" Revali tried to push the Hylian back, but his hands went straight through the young man's chest. "What?"

"Wow, you must have really fried your brain if you didn't notice that I said I died here," Owen chuckled.

"Well, you're certainly cavalier for a dead man."

"What's the point in worrying when you're already dead?" Revali was quickly beginning to dislike Owen. His offhand manner was extraordinarily disrespectful.

"I don't have time for this."

"Fine, fine. I'll get to the point, but it involves doing me a favor."

"And if I- "

"There is something in it for you."

"Oh fine," Revali sighed, "I'm listening."

"I need you take something to Link."

"You do realize I'm not a messenger bird, right?"

"What? You mean that scarf doesn't make you a messenger pigeon?" Revali patience was receding faster than he ever thought possible.

"Whatever is in it for me had better be worth it."

"I'm sure you'll like it," Owen replied as he stepped over the decaying remains of his fallen brothers. "See this handsome guy right here?" he asked as he gestured to skeleton missing its right arm. "That's me, or what's left of me anyway."

"What does this have to do with your favor?" Revali asked nervously. He really didn't want to have to touch Owen's dead body.

"I need you to take this- " he muttered as he knelt down and unstrapped the shield that was attached to his remaining arm, "- to Link. I borrowed it after he fell."

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Touch that?"

"Because I wanted to?" Owen replied. Suddenly, the young man's face widened as he understood. "Oh! You want to know why you couldn't touch me, but I was able to pick this up?" he asked as he held up the shield.

"No, I wanted to know how you're able to speak the same language- yes I want to know how that happened."

"Uh… I don't really understand the specifics myself," the Hylian soldier responded as he waved a hand dismissively. "It's something to do with how a spirit's will can interact with the physical world or… something. I don't really know. I didn't pay attention to afterlife orientation."

Revali narrowed his eyes as he took the shield. At least Rhoam had taken the situation seriously. "So, what's the deal with this thing?" he asked as he took the shield. The base color was a deep blue that was covered with gold and red accents that formed three golden triangles with a bird beneath it.

"Apparently, shields like this were created back before even the Divine Beasts were made. I guess they were magically enhanced, and they are dang near indestructible. This one was passed down in Link's family. Anyway, not only is this thing strong, but it has a few magic properties, one of them being the ability to knock back Guardian blasts."

Revali scoffed at that.

"What? You don't think you can do that with just any pot lid, do you?" Owen asked innocently. "Link already tried that… it didn't work."

"Fine. I'll give it back to him." Revali snickered quietly as he thought back to the story Impa had told him about Link trying to protect himself with a pot lid.

"Awesome! Now, as for you…" Owen frowned as he looked around. "Where did it- oh! There it is." The Hylian knight crossed the floor quickly and began digging through a pile of rubble. "Ha! Gotcha!" he exclaimed as he held up a black and purple bow.

"What is this?" Revali was fascinated by the metalwork on the weapon as he inspected the craftsmanship. It was smooth and elegant, and the darker palette appealed to him greatly.

"It's a Royal Guard's Bow," Owen replied.

"How powerful is it?"

"I think you managed to put an arrow through a Guardian at over 400 meters."

"400!?" That was nearly double what he could do now.

"Yeah, it's strong, but I wouldn't use it often. Those things are about as durable as your ego. Just a little too much prodding and boom- " he grinned as he threw his arms wide, "- no more bow."

"I think I get the picture," Revali grumbled. "Now if that's all."

"Jeez, why do you always try to leave the party early?"

"Why would I stay? So you can continue slandering me."

"I actually had something else to give you, but if you're sure you want to leave…"

"What?" He would refuse to admit it, but the Hylian had piqued Revali's interest.

"Nah, don't worry about it. You said you were leaving. I won't take any more of your time," Owen sighed as tilted his head back and draped a hand over his face. "I'll just sit here for the rest of eternity, all alone."

"What is it?"

"Fine, fine. You're always so pushy. Here –" Owen muttered as he handed over a quiver that he had picked up. "These are ancient arrows. Unlike normal arrows, these can actually, you know, kill Guardians. Might make you feel more useful."

"I'll have you know that I helped kill one on the Great Plateau!" Revali snapped defensively.

"But could you have done it by yourself?"

"…"

"Right," Owen sighed, for once dropping his childlike grin. "Do you remember how you fell one hundred years ago?"

"No, but even if I did, what would these arrows have to do with it? We fell because Ganon infected the Divine Beasts."

"Yes and no. Even before the Calamity attacked the Beasts we were having problems. The Guardians had turned against us and there was little we could do. Urbosa, Link, and Daruk were really the only ones who could do much of anything to them. You could have, but your idiotic ego just had to get in the way."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He didn't like where this was going. It was beginning to sound like Owen was blaming him for their failures, and that couldn't be right at all.

"We had the perfect weapon to even your odds against the Guardians, and you refused to use it because you didn't need a 'crutch' as you put it. Your arrows couldn't even put a dent in them. All they really did was buy us one or two more moments."

"If you're bla- "

"Just shut up for a minute will you!" Owen snapped. "Look, when it comes to ordinary soldiers like me or the rest of these guys, one or two making stupid mistakes doesn't really change much of anything. When it's a heavy hitter like one of you Champions, it can make a world of difference. Can you imagine how much better off we would have been if you had just swallowed your pride and used the Goddess forsaken arrows."

"Even if that were true," Revali spat, "it doesn't make all this my fault," he finished as he gestured to the destruction around them.

"You're impossible," Owen muttered as he palmed his forehead. "I'm not saying it's entirely your fault, but I'm not doing you any favors by letting you run away from your share of the blame!"

Revali looked away, trying to tamp down the anger that sparked within him. "What do you want from me?" he finally asked.

"I want you to actually be a Champion."

"What, like your 'friend' Link?"

"No," Owen replied evenly. "He's got his own issues to work out. I want you both to be better than you were."

"Wow, your loyalty amazes me. To think that you would speak so highly of a friend, even in death, why, it's simply admirable."

"Yep," Owen replied cheekily, his former carefree attitude returning. "I was his friend, and now I'm trying to be yours. Sometimes, being a good friend means calling people out when they need it. Link needed it and so do you."

"I can make friends that are better than the likes of you!"

"If you say so," Owen chuckled. "Now then, I should get going. Make sure you give that shield to Link, alright?"

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll haunt you," Owen replied with a smirk as he brought his hands up playfully. "Say goodbye to restful nights."

"You know," Revali replied slyly, "Rhoam informed us that he was trapped on the Great Plateau. He could appear there as he pleased, but he was also trapped there by his own regrets."

"Yeah, but I didn't die with regrets," Owen replied calmly. "You know what that means?"

Revali said nothing as his smirk fell flat while the Hylian's became devilish.

"Yep. I'm not held here. I could appear anywhere I want. So, you might wanna get moving, Bird Brains." Owen disappeared from view, but his disembodied voice continued, "oh, one other thing, tell Link it's crunch time, so he'd better get it together."

The Rito had no qualms about leaving the place behind.

Link wished he could double check the map just to make sure he wasn't crazy. He had no memory of a town being marked not far from the fork in the road that led to Zora's Domain. He had double checked the route they would take before he had handed the Slate off to Revali, and he was certain that there hadn't been a town. He wished that was the only thing that bothered him.

Something about the place felt distinctly familiar.

"Was this place on the map?" Daruk questioned as they entered the small town.

"No," Link replied. He supposed it had something to do with the novelty of the village. He wasn't an expert, but even he could see that the paint that coated the wooden houses had only recently been applied.

The thing that really stood out was the distinct lack of people. Even when they reached the center of town, they only ran into a small handful of villagers most of whom couldn't be bothered by the presence of their visitors. Link found it odd. He thought that, ordinarily, villagers would be quick to greet visitors, to make them feel at home. Here, the villagers didn't seem to care.

"Do you suppose this the town that those two travelers mentioned?" Urbosa asked thoughtfully. "They mentioned that New Ordon was in danger of being washed away. Wouldn't it need to be close to the Domain for that?"

"It would have to be." Mipha's response was, for once, completely neutral. There was nothing to indicate how the Zora Princess felt about being here.

The conversation quieted down as Link continued forward, guided by some force he couldn't quite understand. He was drawn through the town to a little house who, even though it was surrounded on both sides, appeared separate, as though it didn't quite exist with the others.

It was small and homely, covered with a pale creamy hue that would not have been his first choice. There were two windows on the bottom and only one on the upper story. The yard itself was torn up and would likely take a summer of long hard work to get it back in order. All in all, it was not the ideal image of a home, but something about it tugged at his heartstrings.

"Hey, Little Guy, is it just me or does this place look familiar?"

Link and Owen stared up in amazement at the giant that blocked out the sun. He was orange and rocky with a beard, and he was really, really big. Despite his massive size, Link didn't feel threatened by the rock man. Maybe it had something to do with the kind-hearted grin that split his face.

"Hey, do you guys know an Ellen?" the giant asked.

"What do you want with my mom?" Link asked as his awe was lost to defensiveness. Though the giant hadn't struck him as threatening, that didn't mean that his mother wasn't in danger.

"Wait! Are you… uh…" he trailed off. "What was his kid's name again?" the giant murmured to himself. "Uh… Lyn, no… Linkle, no, no… wait! Link! That's what it was," he finished confidently. "You're Link, right?"

"Y-yes."

"So you're the Little Guy that your dad talked about."

"You knew my dad?"

"Did he not mention me?"

"No. Were you guys friends?"

"Even better," Daruk replied as he pounded his chest, "I'm his brother."

"Whoa," Link breathed. "Does that make you my uncle," he asked excitedly.

"Yep!" Daruk replied as he went to pat Link on the back.

"Daruk! Don't you dare break my son's back!" Link sighed as his mom's voice rang out from behind them. He loved her, but she had a habit of being overprotective.

"Ellen! It's good to see you!" Daruk cried as Link's mother walked up to him and set her hands on her hips.

"Don't you 'Ellen!' me," she scolded as one her hands removed itself from its perch on her hip to shake a finger at him. "I saw you about to slap my son on the back like you would do to Henry."

"No, I wasn't," Daruk replied quickly as he raised his massive hands defensively. "Well not as hard anyway," he finished with a wince.

"Do not slap him on the back, or you'll be stumbling back to Goron City."

"Will do," a very flustered Daruk replied as he nodded quickly. Link and Owen exchanged a grin as they watched the massive rock man. It was hilarious to watch someone so big be cowed by his mother. Then again, Daruk had been nice, if a bit excitable.

"Good. Now then, it's good to see you again," Ellen said as her glower morphed into a welcoming smile as she went to hug the Goron.

"I'm glad to see you're still doing alright, especially after… well, I'm just glad you're ok."

"It is a struggle some days, but we'll make do," she sighed. "Now come, come. You know Henry would be upset if I didn't at least show you around."

"Before we do that, there's somethin I've been meaning to tell you. I'm sorry that I didn't make it to Henry's funeral. Things were just hectic in the City, and they needed me up there."

"We both know that he would have wanted you where you were needed most."

"Yeah, but he was a brother." Link's face fell as heard the sorrow in Daruk's voice. It was in that moment that he understood just how important his father had been to the Goron. No one sounded that sad for someone they didn't care about.

"I know, I know. He was important to a lot of people," Ellen murmured as she began leading the Goron away. Link was about to follow when he felt Owen tug on him.

"Hey!" Owen whispered excitedly. "I've got an idea." Link grinned at his childhood friend. Knowing Owen, it had to be good. "Let's go get that pail that we always use and climb up to the top of your house and wait for that guy there."

"But we almost always do that," Link muttered. It wasn't just that he was disappointed at the overall lack of creativity, though, he should have expected it as Owen always started the same way with each new victim. He just wasn't fond of the idea of pranking his Father's friend.

"Yeah, but he looks like someone that would enjoy a funny prank."

"I guess," Link sighed. He wasn't entirely convinced, but sometimes people found it humorous… after they were finished being upset by it.

"Awesome!" Owen cried as, together, the two boys went about their mischief.

After completing the less than fun part of filling a bucket and climbing up the side of the house with it, the two sat on Link's roof waiting for his mother and their guest to come strolling their way. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, their target came around the corner.

"Ready?" Owen asked.

"Definitely," Link replied, his earlier reservations forgotten.

Link watched the two like a hawk as they slowly made their way towards the house. He smiled as he watched Daruk talk. The giant kept making large motions or slapped his stomach and the large grin seemed to be a permanent addition to his face. He rather liked Daruk.

Link frowned as his neighbor's dog started barking at the Goron. It wasn't unusual for the stupid creature to bark at anything that moved, but Daruk seemed really bothered by it. Though he was much larger, he lost his grin as his face slackened. It was almost like he was trying to hide his massive self behind Link's mother as he tried to edge carefully around the dog, who kept trying to lash at the Goron but was restrained by a leash.

Daruk visibly relaxed as they put some distance between the dog and himself, though he was still rather tense and would occasionally throw glances over his shoulder.

"Hey, Owen, do you think he's scared of- " Link stopped short as the rope snapped, letting the dog free. It began charging wildly, barking madly as it raced after Daruk and his mother. Daruk started sprinting away, clearly terrified of the small creature charging towards him. "Come on!"

"Hey! Wait up!" Owen cried as Link slid down the roof towards the section that was closest to the ground. He hopped off and rolled as he collided with the ground, glad that he finally had a use for the trick that he had spent hours jumping out of trees to master. The boy came out of his roll and ran towards the dog, diving towards what was left of the rope.

Though he dug his heels into the ground, Link was still dragged after the animal. He stumbled, somehow maintaining his grip on the rope as he rolled around on the ground.

"I got your back!" he heard Owen call. Suddenly, the tug of war that Link had been engaged in began to turn in his favor. He managed to get back to his feet and sent a strained grin over his shoulder. "Together?"

"Heave!" Link cried

"Ho!" Owen responded as they pulled with all their might, managing to drag the raging animal back a few steps.

"Heave!"

"Ho!"

"Heave!"

"For heaven's sake! That's a dog, not a goddesses' forsaken monster you lousy- "

"You can stop there," Ellen interrupted. Even though he was not the source of his mother's anger, Link still shivered as his mother stormed up to Terrence, their neighbor, and set her hands on her hips. "You may not speak to my child like that!"

Terrence paled slightly at the short but fierce blonde in front of him. Ellen had a reputation in Ordon for her temper. Even Henry, who was famous for his reckless courage bordering on foolhardiness, was cowed by her choler, though not easily.

The man turned away and grumbled petulantly as he took his still barking dog and stalked off. Ellen shook her head as Terrence left.

"Are you alright?" she asked Link as she knelt down to look at him.

"I'm okay," Link replied quietly.

"Good. Now, I know you wanted to help, but I need you to be more careful, okay?" She pulled him in for a hug as she continued, "I don't know what I would do if you got hurt."

"I just grabbed his leash, nothing dangerous."

"Link, you know that dog bites and bites hard. Don't go and do such dangerous things."

"Okay…"

"Sorry, everyone," Daruk grumbled as he left his hiding spot. "I didn't mean to make a scene."

"It's okay, everybody is scared of something," Link replied with a small smile.

"I guess..." Daruk sighed. "I'm just glad you guys were there."

"Speaking of that, how did you two get here so fast." Link paled slightly as his mother narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Owen and I were waiting for you two on the roof."

"And why is that?"

"..."

"You two weren't planning on dumping water on somebody's head, again were you?"

"Yeah," Link sighed as his foot traced a circle in the dirt.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to- "

Ellen stopped mid-sentence and turned to Daruk as the Goron began laughing. "That reminds me of the time your father convinced me that a simple ruby was a rock roast." He frowned thoughtfully as he continued, "I'm still not sure how he did that. Oh! and there was this other time he- "

"Daruk, don't be putting ideas into their heads!" Ellen interrupted quickly. She must have seen the grins that had crept on to his and Owen's face.

"Aww, mooom," Link whined, causing Daruk to begin laughing again.

"You okay, Little Guy?"

Link shrugged as he stared at the house before him, not entirely sure how to feel about it. A part of him was glad to see another building standing where his home had, even if it wasn't the house he grew up in. He wanted to go in and explore the new house, to see if it held anything for him, but he couldn't just walk into any building he pleased.

"I see you have fine taste," greeted a new voice. He turned to find a man with a pink headband and matching earring smiling genially at him. "We built that house during the town's construction, but, luckily for you, nobody's taken it."

"How much?" Link asked as his gaze returned to the house.

"Normally, I'd say fifty thousand rupees, but nobody wants it. I also like you," the man decided. "All right, how does three thousand rupees sound?"

"Link, are you sure about this?" Mipha asked from beside him. He hadn't noticed her presence until she had spoken.

Link's hand found his purse and began counting out the change. He began to lose count as his mind began to drift to some of the memories that he had regained.

He remembered how he and the Bazz Brigade would train together. How he and Sidon would invariably find every method to enrage Muzu. How Owen would come up with some hair-brained scheme to distract Muzu and the young Prince so that he and Mipha could have one private conversation.

"I've changed my mind," Link muttered as he began shoving the rupees back into his purse.

"Wait!" the man cried. "I can go lower!"

"No," Link muttered quietly.

"Can I ask why?" he sighed.

"I already have a home," Link replied. "I just forgot."

"That's a bit much too forget, don't you think?"

Link just shrugged as he turned his back and walked away, not once looking back at the little house.

"He wanted you to have this," Revali finished stiffly as he handed over the shield to Link. He wasn't fond of being a messenger bird, but he figured that somebody had to do it. "I suppose it doesn't really count as a gift, seeing as he borrowed it from you in the first place."

The first thing he had done when he had rejoined the others was to pull Link aside and explain to the Hylian the fate that had befallen his friend. To Revali's surprise, Link's face visibly fell. Not as much as he would have expected of a normal person, but more than he had expected from the normally stoic Hylian Knight.

Link took the shield and held it as though it were a foreign object. Revali almost felt… pity for his Hylian compatriot. The boy had been looking lost the past few days and learning of his friend's fate likely wouldn't help him in the slightest.

"He also wanted you to know that he died without regrets," he finished as he folded his wings and looked away. He had tried to sound apathetic about the whole affair, but there had been the tiniest hints of sympathy in his voice. It annoyed him greatly, but he bit his tongue regardless.

"Thank you." Revali eyed Link out of the corner of his eye. The Hylian had bowed his head as he held the shield, likely acknowledging his friend's passage into the next life. After he had finished, Link removed his battered Knight's shield and replaced it with his family's heirloom.

"Just don't go thinking you're indestructible now. Someone has to deal with the cannon fodder that way the actual grownups can deal with the real problems."

Link rolled his eyes.

"Don't you get snippy with me," Revali growled as he stepped forward and jutted his face towards the Hylian. "Need I remind you that I was the one who saved your life during the fight with Naydra."

Link raised a brow as he refused to break the Rito's gaze. The contest continued for what seemed to be hours before Link finally spoke.

"Thanks again for this." Link turned his back on the Rito and walked back to the cookpot that Urbosa had been attending in his place.

Revali was sincerely considering going on another scouting mission. He let out a deep breath and followed after Link.

He chose a seat next to Daruk, who oddly enough was staring at Midna. The Goron looked at him as he sat down.

"What's wrong?"

"That idiot boy keeps mounting his high horse."

"Give him a break," Daruk murmured patiently as he began stroking his beard.

"And why should I do that?"

"He's had a day."

"And what does that mean?"

"We visited New Ordon today, and he remembered something."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Revali asked skeptically.

"Yeah, but it's a lot to process," Daruk muttered. For some reason, he looked back down at Midna as he continued stroking his beard.

"What do you mean 'a lot to process?'"

"Just wait til you get some of your memories."

Revali had been impatiently waiting for his memories to return ever since he had learned that it may be possible. Now, as he observed how tired Daruk looked and thought back to how odd Link had been, he wasn't as eager. He wondered if he truly wanted to know.

"Hmm," Daruk hummed as he looked back at Midna. "You don't seem to bother me now." Midna looked up at him and tilted her head.

"What?" Revali asked, completely baffled by the exchange.

"Oh, uh… it's nothing," Daruk replied quickly.

"I'm sure. If I didn't know better, I'd say you just remembered you were afraid of dogs," Revali sighed.

"What!? How did you know?!"

"Wait," Revali said as his brain began short-circuiting. "You can't mean you actually are- "

"No! I'm sure that wasn't it at all! See, I'm sitting here with Midna and I'm completely fine!"

"So, Big Guy, care to explain what all the shouting is about?" Revali flinched slightly as Urbosa appeared out of nowhere, draping her arm over one of Daruk's shoulders.

"Nothing."

"You know, there's a difference between your 'I'm happy' shout and your "I'm really nervous right now' shout"

"Daruk and I were just discussing how often he accidentally breaks people," Revali replied smoothly. He felt a brief moment of camaraderie with the Goron as Daruk sent him a relieved smile.

Urbosa frowned at Daruk and then at him before sighing. "Since Revali doesn't feel like playing, I guess I'll just go ahead and ask: are you really afraid of dogs?"

Revali wondered whether or not the Gerudo Champion was, in fact, a descendant of the Calamity. Her sly grin certainly made him think so.

Midna growled in frustration as she stared her reflection in the pond. All she was trying to do was curve her lips up the same way that the others did, but no matter how hard she tried, her face was incapable of moving the same way. When they bared their teeth with upward facing lips, they appeared happy or excited. When she bared her teeth, she looked ready to attack.

Her reason for trying to learn the action was simple. Since before they had visited the River Swimmers, Brother had been miserable. In her old way of living, if one of the pack had a problem, he had to deal with it himself. Here, they took care of each other, and she would try to do the same despite her lack of communicative ability.

Though she had learned what some of the sounds that they made meant, she couldn't make them herself. She knew the sound that meant Brother, or Mother, or any of the others for that matter, she even knew the one they had made for her; however, she couldn't make them. It was endlessly frustrating to feel like she knew what was going on but was never really able to give her input except through growls.

Hence her reason for trying to learn how to bare her teeth without looking like she was going to kill something. For some odd reason, the action was contagious among the two-legs. One would do it, and soon enough, even the Large Chicken would be doing it to no matter how he tried to hide it. What was more, they all were genuinely in a better mood because of it. She didn't really understand it, but very little of what they did made sense.

Besides, Alpha had been giving her funny looks all day and had even sat next to her. He didn't usually pay her any mind, so the action was peculiar, though, not entirely unwelcome. That was until she had noticed how intently he was staring at her. She supposed it must have something to do with how hectic things had been the last few moons…

she really needed some sort of normalcy to return.

She tried one more time, throwing far more effort into forcing the corner of her maw upwards. She growled again. The only real progress she made was keeping her hackles from raising. It made her look mildly less intimidating.

She turned sharply and marched over to Brother who was sitting in front of the light that he made every night. She sat down firmly in front of him, much to his surprise. She waited until the dopey expression left his face and then she pulled her lips back. The corners of his lips turned down, but she kept her mouth frozen in place. Suddenly he leaned forward and clutched the sides of his chest as he made the odd breathing sound she had come to associate with amusement.

She wasn't sure whether to be angry that he was amused with her or glad that her efforts had amounted to something. On one hand, at least he wasn't sad anymore, but on the other hand, he was poking at her pride.

She chose to be offended. She growled at him before promptly leaping at him and tackling him to the ground. He rolled underneath her and pushed her off, jumping to his feet quickly. He was baring his teeth now but in a playful manner. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sister and Mother tensed, ready to jump in, but Brother waved them off.

She crouched quickly as Brother made it look like he was about to jump on her, but it was merely for show. She raised herself slightly, immediately went low again as Brother pulled the same stunt. He stood still after that, waiting to see what she would do.

The wolf, thoroughly out of patience, leaped forward and tackled him again. The two of them fell to the ground in a tangled mess of limps as she playfully nipped at his arm. For his part, he wrapped his arms around as though to crush her, but only hard enough to hold her in place. She writhed and twisted in his grasp, finally managing to break free.

Midna retreated and got ready to pounce again, but Brother beat her to it as he was the one to tackle her this time. His arms wrapped around her again as he rolled back and forth, disorientating her. She wriggled out and, rather than retreating, she jumped back on top of him and began nipping at him again.

Brother got out from underneath her and the two separated, both tense and ready for the next bout. Brother playfully growled as he feinted again. Midna, exhilarated by their wrestling match, pawed at the ground impatiently. Just before she pounced, she heard the Chicken grumble something. That was okay, she'd deal with him later. Right now, she needed to put Brother in his place.

A/N: And thus begins my least favorite arc... sigh. Oh well, I guess I need to get this out of the way before I get to my favorite arc...

Anyway, for you LBW fans, there's a story I would recommend for you called "When the Brush hits the Canvas," by HelenTheMoon. It's a novelization of the game that looks fairly promising, so if you're in the process of looking for other fics, that's one that I would recommend.

Guest Reviews

Guest: I considered telling the second story as well, but I feel like it might be funnier in people's own minds.

Lost my Account: I have to keep writing and updating to see my grand plan come to fruition... and to stave off anxiety. That needs to happen.

Heather: I'm glad you enjoyed it. As I recall, you also asked if Link would ever find out about Owen... he did.

GSC1: ... you just had to call me out huh? On a more serious note, I have good news and bad news. The bad is that regardless of who winds up in Smash 5, the roster I'm making won't change to compensate. On the bright side, by the time the multiverse will actually become relevant, they'll be working on Smash 7 or 8, so...