"Mommy!" he called out, trying to keep the desperation he felt out of his voice. He knew she hated it when he was needy, but she had left him on the rock hours ago, and the sun would be setting soon. He almost didn't care if his father heard him. He knew that it would only cause trouble, but his fear of the noises that he was hearing outweighed the fear of whatever his father would do.

For as long as he could remember, they had only ever expressed disdain in him. They avoided him most of the time despite how he tried to please them. He had picked flowers for his mother once. She threw them away. He had tried to make one of the small trinkets that he knew his father liked. It had been shoddily made, but he had done his best. His father had pointed out every flaw, every failure, before promptly tossing it away in disgust.

Since he could see they didn't like him, he did his best to stay out of their way. The little Rito isolated himself in their little house, doing his best to stay out of their line of sight. He knew he couldn't make them happy, so he thought that he could give them the opportunity to pretend he didn't exist. Maybe that would make them happy. It hurt to admit that pretending to not exist was the best he could do to contribute to their happiness, but they were his parents, and he wanted to see a smile on their faces, if only just once.

His tiny heart froze as he heard a rustling in the bushes. "Wh- who's there?" he called out shakily.

The response he got was a growl as a bear burst through the foliage and charged him. Revali stumbled, tripping over himself in his haste to get away. He curled up, trying to make himself as small as possible as the animal roared. It stood up on its hind legs when it reached him and raised a massive paw, ready to crush him.

"Enough," a woman said calmly. Revali peaked around his tiny wing to see the bear frozen in place. "There are many sources of food for you in these woods- " he saw a woman covered in golden feathers step into his field of view as she approached the large creature- "but you may not have him. Go, find your fill elsewhere."

The bear did as it had been told, settling back on all fours and lumbering back the way it had come.

"Are you well, little one?" she asked as she turned back to him and knelt down.

"y-yes," Revali sniffled as he wiped away the tears in his eyes and got unsteadily to his feet. "Are my… are my mommy and daddy… are they okay?"

"As well as they can be," she murmured.

He wasn't sure why she looked so sad when she told him that. She said they were alive and well, which should have been a good thing. Yet, the way she said it made him wonder what was wrong.

"Do not fear for their safety," she said, as though knowing what he was thinking, "it just saddens me when I offer my help and people cast it away."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Do not be," she replied as she smiled at him. "Now, why don't you climb onto my back, so I can take you to the Village?"

"They told me to wait here until they came back. What if I'm not here when they come back?" He didn't want to stay there, but he also wanted to be a dutiful child. He didn't want to make his parents more miserable than he already had.

"Do you love your mother and father?" the woman asked, staring deeply into his eyes. He wasn't sure he could look away, even if he wanted to.

"I know I embarrass them and make them feel bad, but I still want them to be happy." It really hurt to admit it out loud. He wanted to cry because his chest hurt so terribly.

"But do you love them?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Y-yes."

"Then believe me when I tell you that the best thing you can do for them right now is to return to the Village. I know that right now, it may not make sense, but with time and wisdom, you will understand why I say this."

He didn't understand. Not in the slightest. Even so, he obeyed her command to climb up on her back. He clung to her tightly as she lifted them gently into the air and glided over the forest they had been in.

His parents had never taken him flying, not even to the woods where they had left him. They had walked for two days, his parents growing more impatient by the minute. As soon as they had chosen the spot, they had taken to the skies themselves, leaving him virtually stranded, with no idea of where he should go if something were to happen. As such, his curiosity overcame his nerves as he peered over the side. His little heart just about stopped as he saw just how far above the ground they were. He withdrew quickly, burying his head into the feathers of her back.

"Don't worry," the woman called over her shoulder. "Should you fall, I will catch you."

He took a deep breath and looked back over her shoulder. After he regained his breath, he became mesmerized by the way the land flowed below him. Whites, greens, browns, blues all bled together to form one large earthen river. The way the wind whipped past him was exhilarating, tearing through his feathers in a delightful fashion.

He was almost sad when she landed and set him back down on the ground. Wordlessly, she set a hand on his back and guided him gently towards a home that he recognized.

"Why are we at Mister Kaneli's house?"

She knelt down in front of him and looked him in the eyes again. "Mister Kaneli has been worried about you for a while now. He will take care of you."

"You're leaving?"

"Before I go, little one, will you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Remember that I am always with you, even if you cannot see me or hear me, I am still with you. Will you do this for me?"

"O-okay."

"Thank you, little one."

He wasn't sure what he should do or say as no one had ever smiled at him quite as warmly as she was.

"Revali?! What are you doing here?!"

He turned at the sound of Kaneli's voice, catching sight of the owl-like Rito. "Mommy left me on a rock for a long time and there was a bear, and then she saved me –" he said as he gestured in the woman's direction "- and then she brought me here and –"

"Who?" Kaneli asked.

"Her right there," he said as he pointed towards the woman again.

"There's no one there."

Revali was about to correct the man when he looked to his side, where she had been crouched. No one was there beside him.

The young Rito knew that Kaneli wasn't sure what to make of his story; however, Revali kept trying. Kaneli had always been kind in their few interactions. Even as he explained what had happened, he kept shooting glances around, hoping to catch one last glance of the woman who had saved him.

Revali flapped his little wings as hard as he could, but he couldn't get himself off the ground. He huffed in frustration as he started pacing back and forth. Ever since his parents had died to protect him and Kaneli had taken him in, he had become obsessed with flying.

Maybe it was the other kids in the Village. Ever since he had somehow returned, Kaneli had been pushing him to go and play with the other children; however, they were far from welcoming to him. When specific adults were around, they played nice. When there were none or even a select few who didn't care, they liked to remind him that nobody cared about him. That not even his parents had loved him. A lie that infuriated him more than anything else they said.

The memory wasn't quite clear, but even through the odd jumps in between the clarity, he knew that a monster had attacked him and his parents. They had died trying to protect him, and then he had managed to escape unharmed and made it back to the Village. He knew that his parents loved him, so he wasn't sure why the words that were thrown at him hurt. Why they made him so angry.

He didn't want to admit it, but something about the memory of that day was wrong. It left him feeling like there was a hole in his chest, yet rather than making him feel lighter, it burdened him, slowly wearing him down as the days went by.

Maybe his obsession with flying had to do with the dreams he'd been having. How he knew what it felt like to feel the wind whipping through him was a mystery as he had never flown, yet it was something he longed to feel again. He wanted to watch the colors of the land bleed together into the rivers he saw in his dreams.

Maybe he just wanted to escape from it all. Yes, the Village was where he slept, but he couldn't really call it a home. Most days, he felt like an outsider, peering into other people's lives. Though he was surrounded by members of his race, he felt like he was stranded on an island all his own.

The little Rito stopped his pacing. Maybe all he had to do was give himself a little push. He crouched low and jumped up, flapping his wings unsteadily as he tried to grab the air as he watched the adults do. All he managed was to wind up with his feet above his head, yelping as he collided face first with the ground.

He pushed himself up, wiping his eyes as he did so.

"Did you see that?" A voiced called loudly. "He just fell flat on his face!"

He heard a whole host of laughter as the other kids suddenly came out of hiding.

"Hey, no wonder he looks so ugly."

"Guess that's why mommy and daddy left him with Kaneli!"

"I'd be embarrassed too," another said.

"Shut up!" Revali shouted.

"Oh, what're you gonna do? Cry?"

"I said shut up!" he choked out. He hated the jeering faces and the shrill laughter. He hated feeling that the entire world was closing in around him. He hated the way his eyes were burning as his throat started to clench up. More than anything, he hated that they were right. And so, he did the only thing he could think of.

He ran away.

He could hear the others chasing him, so he ran faster. He kept running even as their calls and laughter faded away. He kept running and running until his stamina finally gave out and he collapsed, trying to cry as quietly as possible. He didn't want anyone to find him, especially Kaneli.

It wasn't that he hated his guardian, it was just that Kaneli didn't understand. He insisted that Revali's memories were wrong. He insisted that Revali still try to make friends with the children that made him so miserable. He told the little Rito that he couldn't fly yet and that he would just have to wait until he molted and grew new feathers made for flying.

He lay there for a while as the dirt under him soaked in his tears. Eventually, he regained his composure, getting back to his feet and wiping at his eyes as he did so.

'Remember that I am always with you…'

"Then, where are you?!" he shouted angrily.

There was no answer.

He deflated in an instant, feeling ashamed that he had resorted to yelling at someone who wasn't even there. He didn't even know where the words came from, only that it made a bitterness well up within him. Not even the voices in his head would hang around it seemed.

He turned around, ready to find his way back to Kaneli's, when he found an eagle perched on a low hanging branch, nearly at eye level. It stared down at him with golden eyes.

"What do you want? Here to make fun of me to?"

The eagle cocked its head, staring at him for a moment longer before it spread its wings and glided down to the ground, landing just a few steps away.

"What? I get it, okay. Poor little winged Rito can't even fly right," he muttered. "Just go now."

The bird stayed where it was, continuing to eye him.

"What do you want?!" he shouted. When the bird still gave no answer, he picked up a stone and flung it, but the bird danced back, giving a few weak flaps as it hopped away from the stone. It eyed him again, this time spreading its wings wide, holding them out at its sides. It gave a large, exaggerated flap as its talons dug into the earth, keeping it in place. "I get it!" he snapped.

The eagle flapped again.

"What? You need a demonstration? Here!" The little Rito imitated the bird's actions, mocking it by twisting his face into the oddest expression he could think of.

He flinched violently as the eagle screeched at him, looking as though it were about to launch itself at him. Its eyes remained narrowed as it spread its wings again and flapped.

"Whatever," he grunted as he turned away. Within seconds, the eagle dove out of the sky, cutting off his escape. "Why won't you just leave me alone?!"

It raised its wings again, giving him a very pointed look.

"Fine" he growled as he raised his wings to match. He figured that if he at least humored it, maybe it would leave him alone.

He flapped in the same idiotic manner as the eagle did, causing it to flap again. Over and over the duo gave one large flap and then reset their wings to repeat the motion. It wasn't until he lost track of how many times they had replicated the motion that he noticed several differences between his actions and the bird's.

His arms were not coordinating properly, meaning that the entire time, each wing had been acting as two different entities rather than a single one. As they continued, he tried to correct that problem, as well as applying the other differences he saw. He noticed that it wasn't just the bird's wings that were engaged, but its entire body. He worked at that too, feeling the muscles in his stomach begin to ache just like his arms did.

Eventually, it began to flap more naturally until he could put his entire body into it just as before. After that, it began adding extra flaps, still expecting him to not only keep pace but put the same attention into each stroke of his wings.

Their wingbeats grew faster and faster and faster until the branch that the bird was perched on began to bend upwards. Revali, despite the pain in his muscles, couldn't help but grin at the comical sight. Oddly enough, he noticed that his body was beginning to drift upwards as well. The tips of his talons never left the earth, yet he could feel himself being pushed up.

Their wingbeats died down until his wings were left hanging numbly at his sides as he tried to catch his breath. The eagle cocked its head at him again before giving a nod. The majestic creature spread its wings and took to the sky, leaving the little Rito to watch it soar away. He watched it, determined to fly like that one day.

Revali made his way back to his guardian's house, more exhausted than he had ever been. He gave a curt greeting to Kaneli as he entered, answering his guardian's questions with as few words as possible before climbing shakily into his hammock. As his eyes drifted closed, he saw that familiar dream that he loved so much, except this time, he was joined by a familiar face.

"Well look who it is," one of the kids drawled as his friends surrounded him.

Revali glared over his shoulder at the kid that had spoken. He hadn't bothered learning any of their names. As often as Kaneli asked, there was nothing he could do to stop the little Rito from being treated as an outcast, but it didn't matter to Revali anymore anyway. As it was, he was better than any of the other children.

He had snuck far away from prying eyes every day and practiced what the eagle had taught him. Every single day, he would go home, tired, grumpy, and in pain, but every morning, he waited until he could get away again. He made a ritual out of it, something that didn't escape Kaneli's attention, but Revali refused to talk about it. His guardian had already told him he couldn't, and he was determined to prove that he could. And so, he practiced every single day.

Before he knew it, he was able to leave the ground. It was only for a few seconds, and it required a tremendous amount of force, but he had done it.

A few weeks after his impromptu lesson with the eagle, Kaneli sat him down and tried to convince him to take flying lessons with the other children. He had staunchly refused, especially when he saw what the "lessons" consisted of. All they had the kids doing was flapping like he did, except, they relied almost solely on wing strength.

Even if he hadn't had the few extra weeks of practice on them, he still would have lifted off before any of them. Even as they started being able to get off the ground, he was already flying short distances. It was exhausting, but each day he improved just a little.

As pleased as he was, his minor victory was made all the better by the fact that he was the only one that knew. He had been planning on keeping it to himself a little longer, but maybe it was time to show them just how much better he was.

"So, did you finally come to learn from the best?" the ringleader continued with a sneer.

"The best?" Revali scoffed as he finally turned to face them. He cringed internally, considering how the act of folding his wings and cocking his head must look. After all, he himself had thought it was an utterly ridiculous look; however, he had started to emulate some of the body language he had experienced. It helped him feel like he was indeed superior to those around him, but that was when he was alone.

"You heard me." The child pushed off the ground and climbed a couple feet into the air, maintaining his place and smirking down at Revali.

Revali smirked back as he spread his wings dramatically. He launched into the air, climbing higher than his rival with practiced ease. He only stopped climbing when he was far above, staring not just at the Rito who had challenged him, but everyone else as well.

He stayed where he was, even as his rival crashed back down. Once he was sure that he had everyone's undivided attention again, he began climbing again, hearing their awed remarks as he did so.

A small voice in his head warned that he was climbing too high. The last time he had reached this altitude, the winds had knocked him back down. Even so, he was determined to do it right this time.

The winds buffeted him as he continued flapping, fighting to maintain his balance. He struggled to make any progress forward, but he continued, spurred onwards by the audience down below.

He yelped as a particularly strong blast of wind caused him to lose his balance. He fought back, managing to regain some control. He knew it was dangerous to be up as high as he was, but his pride refused to let him back down. He had worked hard to get to where he was, and he didn't want to lose the opportunity to prove everyone wrong.

He looked up as he heard a cawing. His eyes widened as he caught sight of a familiar bird gliding down gracefully towards him.

"It's you!" he said as it sidled up to him. It cocked its head to stare at him unsteadily before flapping harder to climb. Desperate to learn whatever he could while his silent mentor was still there, Revali beat harder, his face screwing up from the strain of trying to ascend while also not being knocked from the sky.

It felt like he had been fighting for an eternity, but he finally managed to catch up with his teacher. The bird eyed him again before it did the most terrifying thing Revali could think of.

It dove down.

Though it terrified him, the little Rito clenched his abdominal muscles as he forced his body to reorient. All of his senses screamed at him as his feet were suddenly over his head, sending him hurtling downwards. His eyelids tried to shut on their own to protect his eyes from the screaming winds; however, he kept a careful eye on the eagle just below him.

Suddenly, the bird threw its wings out, catching the winds.

Revali shouted in pain as he did the same, feeling as though his wings were about to be ripped from their sockets. Even so, he grinned as the winds that had buffeted him now held him up and sent him soaring over the land below.

Just below him, the bird looked up and met his gaze before ascending up to meet him.

Together, the duo flew away from the village, riding the winds wherever they took them. Revali looked down, entranced by the flowing landscape. He closed his eyes, loving the way the wind whistled as it ruffled his feathers. It was the same as his dream, but even better as it was something he didn't have to wake up from.

He opened his eyes and looked back at his mentor. The eagle was eyeing him again, meaning it was about to show him something new. No sooner had he given it his attention, it propelled itself forward and took its place in front of him.

He stared forward, readying himself for whatever came next.

The bird tipped its left wing down, causing it to curve in its path. Revali followed suit, trying his best to keep his balance as he turned through the air.

His eyes widened as he came back around, finally noticing how far he had flown. The Village was a mere speck in the distance.

Even before he returned, he felt a smirk growing on his face. He wanted to hear what they all had to say about what he had just done.

He pulled his legs underneath him as he gave a few finishing strokes before landing clumsily on the landing pad that he had left from. The others were still there, gazing at him wide-eyed as the bird flew away. He turned to watch it, giving his only friend a silent goodbye.

When he was ready, he crossed his arms and turned around, a cocky smile twisting his face as he met the gaze of his peers.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I heard you earlier. Who did you say was the best?"

The ringleader glared at him. With a huff, he stomped away, followed by his lackeys.

Revali grinned for a moment before his mirth faded entirely. He had finally proven that he was the best of them all, had finally proven that they had been wrong to think so little of him. Despite all that, he was still alone.

He kicked a nearby stone in frustration as he stalked back towards Kaneli's house, where his guardian would likely ask in the same stupid way what was wrong, or he would suggest in the same stupid way that he try to make friends, as though he hadn't tried before.

He had finally managed to make his dream a reality and yet, he felt even worse than he had before because, in the end, nothing had really changed.

Revali grunted as his makeshift bow shattered in his hands. He threw his wings up, aggravated beyond belief that things had gone so horribly wrong.

He had easily surpassed everyone in the Village as a flier, and that was to say nothing of the fact that he was still an adolescent. No one could match his speed, endurance, or even his maneuverability. He had left them all in the proverbial dust.

That being said, he had just been told, once again, that there was something he could not do. While he had been developing his aerial prowess, he had neglected to develop other skills. Taking note of this, he had finally deigned to learn with others and had taken up a bow as a result.

He had spent weeks training with his peers, yet he never made any progress whilst they were growing by leaps and bounds. They were striking target after target as he continued to miss the mark each time. The most humiliating thing was that he couldn't even pull the bow into a full draw.

Not long afterward, his instructor had informed him that he was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, untrainable. As such, the young Rito had received a "cordial" invitation to stop attending the lessons. The irate young Rito had stalked off as was his custom when upset with a particular outcome.

Despite his former instructor's words, Revali refused to accept the fact that he couldn't do it. He had gone back to his spot and had crafted a bow for himself. He had debated on buying one; however, considering the nature of the Village, everybody likely knew that he had no talent for archery. The bow he had made barely qualified as a weapon, but it had sufficed, at least until it had broken.

His second attempt at crafting a bow was better, but it still lacked the power that most bows had. A short time later, that bow had broken as well.

He was onto his sixth bow now, and still, they were ill-equipped for anything more than ridiculing his own inability to craft a proper weapon.

Suppressing his irritation as best he could, he sat down and pulled one of the branches he had collected towards himself. He had made a habit of having extra branches on hand seeing as all of his bows thus far had broken. He reminded himself that at least the persistent problem gave him the opportunity to experiment with different materials for bows.

He sighed as he set to work removing the excess from the branch.

"Revali… I hate to interrupt, but I brought you something."

The young Rito froze as he recognized Kaneli's voice.

"How did you find me?" he growled as he looked over his shoulder.

"I've known about this spot for years," Kaneli murmured as he looked around the clearing that Revali frequented.

"So, you followed me out here?" he asked accusingly as he got to his feet.

"I know that you need your space, but you need to understand that I am responsible for you."

"I don't need you!" he snarled. It infuriated him that people thought that he needed them.

"Maybe," Kaneli replied sadly, "but I need to be sure. If anything happened to you because I wasn't there I'd –"

"You're not my father!"

"I know," Kaneli replied, patient as ever. The statement was nothing new, especially in the last few years. Revali knew that the man was still making an effort to be involved in his life, despite the young Rito's resistance. As a result, this particular conversation was far from a rare occurrence; however, in Revali's mind, this was far worse than his previous attempts.

"What?" he asked shortly, trying his best to at least honor his guardian's commitment to taking care of him despite his anger.

"I was out shopping earlier, when I found this," Kaneli murmured as he pulled out a bow.

Revali's eyes widened as he took the weapon. It was simple, something he would have overlooked had he been in the shop, yet it was still a finer piece than anything he had been able to make.

"Why?"

Kaneli opened his beak, seemingly conflicted as to what he should say. "… I made many mistakes while taking care of you. I told you that you weren't ready to fly, and so maybe you thought I wasn't willing to teach you. And, well, look at you now."

"And?"

"I heard about what your instructor said, so I thought maybe I would… show you my support this time. I think it's too little too late, but maybe –"

"Dinsake!" Revali spat as the arrow missed the mark yet again.

"Language," Kaneli sighed. He had likely known that Revali had stopped listening, but he had still continued.

"Whatever," Revali sighed as he drew the bow again. He bit back another curse as he realized that, again, he couldn't quite pull the bow to a full draw.

"I wonder," Kaneli murmured quietly.

"What?"

"Well, you are struggling to draw, right?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"Well, what if you drew it the same way you fly," Kaneli suggested uncertainly.

"What?" Revali asked as he released the tension on the bow and lowered it.

"You once said that the reason no one could keep up with you was that they flew with their wings alone, but you flew with your whole body. What if you drew the bow that way too?"

Revali gave his guardian an odd look. He had always considered himself and Kaneli to be on different wavelengths, yet here was his guardian, making a suggestion that wasn't completely off base.

"Did I say something odd?"

The young Rito rolled his eyes as held the bow back in front of him and drew it. Rather than keeping his shoulders in place though, he rotated them as he pulled back. The string pulled further this time, but he didn't release. He held it, feeling his muscles begin to protest the continued strain. Kaneli may have been right in his suggestion, but he was determined to outclass everyone in every category.

After thirty seconds of holding the bow as taut as he could, he released the string, watching the arrow fly with a critical gaze.

"You did it," Kaneli breathed.

Revali rolled his eyes again. He hadn't hit it, he had barely not missed, though if he were willing to lower his standards, then yes, he had hit it.

"I'll show them," he growled as he drew the bow again, "I'll show them all."

Guest Reviews:

E.A.T: Teba and Revali are not actually related. In fact, if memory serves, we don't really learn about any of Revali's relatives. Also, "I don't know this ceiling" is the reference.

Guest (1): I don't know why, but I always had a soft spot for the Medli from Wind Waker. And yeah, I think Kass' family will be happy to have him back.

Angie: Thank you. Was this soon enough?

Guest (2): I do try to keep my standards at least somewhat high.