Link continues to look for the Master Sword and stops to chat with a friend while the author figures out what to do with this plot.

Kilton looked at the Hylian that had startled him. The Hylian was sitting on an large block of ice with an odd design on it and wearing some glowing armor. Kilton had initially wondered if some new monster species which was previously undiscovered came here.

"I suppose you're here because you heard I was opening a monster shop and you wanted to see for yourself."

"Monster shop? Um, I'm here because I look for Master Sword?"

"Master Sword? I'm opening a monster shop called Fang and Bone. I'm still preparing for my grand opening." Kilton handed over his business card to the short man then asked for it back. "Anyway... Do you, uh... Are you into monsters?" Link looked so confused that Kilton realized he might need to repeat himself. With Link's strange accent Kilton should have known he'd need to speak more clearly.

Link said after the third back and forth, "Am I into monsters?"

"Yes. That's what I'm asking." Kilton could smell various creatures on Link. He hoped maybe this was a foreign monster researcher who could compare notes with him or even tell him about new creatures outside Hyrule's borders.

Kilton did not pick up the note of dry sarcasm when Link said, "I like them."

"How much do you like them."

"I ADORE monsters."

"I LOVE MONSTERS MORE THAN YOU DO!"

"Ha! Say, do you know about Master Sword?" Link stared openly at Kilton, who stared back.

"No? I don't know if it exists. Who cares about it when we can talk about MONSTERS."

"Um, okay." Link looked thoughtful for a moment and pulled out a notebook. He flipped through torn and scorched pages. Kilton hoped he was looking at a new variant of Lynel when Link held up a picture. It looked less... sharp. "What about animals? Do cats be in Hyrule?"

Kilton wasn't sure why Link looked so disappointed after they talked more. Kilton really wanted to hear more about tiny monster Lynels that people tamed and became best friends with.

Hateno Village had been quiet today.

Manny saw the strange foreign guy riding in on a magnificent horse. Link seemed to have new armor and although Manny hadn't seen him before, his reputation preceded him. Link was stopping to talk to everyone in his strange accent and it didn't take a spyglass to see people getting confused by the questions. Soon enough, Manny's turn came. He was going to check and make sure he could figure out what this guy was up to.

Manny leaned back and casually said, "Hi."

Link remained on his horse and was already flipping open his notebook. "Hi, I'm Link."

"Hi. I'm Manny."

There was a lull in the conversation. After waiting to see if Manny had more opening pleasantries to add, Link got out a book. Some of the pages looked a little scorched. This might explain the faint smell of smoke which lingered about Link's person. "You know of Master Sword?" Link pointed to a sketch in his notebook.

"Uhhh, no one knows where it is? It's only a legend." Manny didn't see the page Link was writing on. His list of vocabulary had another tick mark next to 'legend' and he planned to check his understanding of the word later in Kakariko.

Link flipped to another page and pointed at a strange creature Manny had not seen in Hyrule. It had a strange resemblance to a Lynel. The drawing looked less menacing, somehow. "You know if any of these in Hyrule? Is cat."

"Um, what is that?"

Link flicked his notepad shut. "Is a cat. It small. Goes 'meow' and is this big." Link held out his hands to indicate size. "Is cute and fluffy."

Manny was very skeptical this was a real thing. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say."

Manny witnessed Link snap upright as if a marionette string was pulled. His face momentarily contorted with dread? Apprehension? It was as if he'd heard an approaching Moblin. "Liiiinnkyyyy Iha venew runesf or yo uto hel pme looka t. Youwe rer ude tojus tl eave wit hout say ingg oodby elas ttime."

Link whispered something into Epona's ear and then dramatically clung on for dear life as she reared. "Manny, sorry, bad horse problem."

As the peculiar visitor galloped off wildly, a Shiekah child darted past Manny while she was yelling. It was the same voice that had been spouting gobbledygook earlier. "I know your horse is better behaved than you! Get back here and translate runes!"

Manny went back to trying to look cool and checking things out. That little girl was probably related to Purah and any relative of hers was bound to be weird.

Malanya stretched and gave his mane a good shake in the late morning sunlight. It hadn't been much time and his day was already off to a good start. He'd had a few wild horses come by for a chat and managed to scare off a few Bokoblins.

Malanya heard hoofsteps and sensed a familiar horse. Epona and Link were coming along the trail. They were followed by a wolf who wasn't a wolf.

Link said, in ancient Hylian, "Hey, I've got a few questions. Also, how have you been?"

Epona nickered.

"You cannot imagine how nice it has been these past weeks. Being able to breathe properly and chase off Bokoblins is truly priceless." That screaming had been delightful. Anyone who tried harsher methods of horse capture in front of Malanya's spring had to be on a suicidal level of stupid. Given that these were Bokoblins, that lack of intelligence was a given. "They were mistreating horses in my domain. If you ever think of doing that, I WILL END YOU!" Malanya laughed and Epona came as close to laughing as horses ever did. "I jest."

"So, um... I'm trying to find my sword. Would you happen to know anything about the Master Sword's whereabouts? Seriously, you would think that the Princess would at least have told Impa where she was gonna stash the Sword that Seals the Darkness, but nope." Link was procrastinating Vah Medoh by undertaking something of equal or greater importance than stopping the flying fortress. He suspected Revali would not be half as welcoming as the other champions. Last reason: Rito village sounded flammable. Maybe even more than Hateno or Kakariko.

Malanya shrugged. "My horses haven't had any news on that front. Sorry, Link. Historically it has been put in the Temple of Time or in the Lost Woods."

"Oooohhh I should try the woods. Thanks, Malanya! Do you think you could give me directions?"

"Sure!"

After some time where Epona, Malanya, and Link were chatting away about the latest gossip, ("So this horse was grazing and he saw some guy left his cooking stuff unattended and kept stealing Hyrule herbs every time he wasn't looking." That sort of thing.) Malanya changed the subject.

"Link, what do you plan on doing after this quest of yours is over?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm trying to figure out a place to go Epona likes and that isn't too flammable."

"What? Why worry about that? Just take the basic precautions with fire and you'll be fine."

Link rubbed the back of his head as Epona explained about the arson. And the standing on tables while talking to people. And the general stupid acts.

"...So you just set things on fire without meaning to? Strange, that wasn't something you were known for before you defeated Ganon."

"Yeah. It's not the only thing too. I have this weird thing where it just... irks me when people are taller than me. I can't stand people looking down at me. I'm wondering if it's brain damage from before the Shrine of resurrection but it feels like it could be something else? Also, there's this wolf no one else can see and I think he's a coping mechanism my brain came up with."

"That wolf who came with you? That emissary of the Gods?"

"Oh, that's what he is? I thought he was a coping mechanism my mind came up with. Sorry for doubting your existence, Scruples. So, what about the other stuff?"

Malanya held a hand to his chin and rested an invisible elbow on the other. "The brain damage is the most likely cause of your problem. There is another possibility. Have you considered that there might be side effects from you being stuck with Ganon for a few thousand years?"

Link froze and stared wide-eyed at Malanya.

"If that's the worst side-effect you are incredibly lucky. It could have been permanent deformations or narcissism or something."

Link considered this. "I mean, when you put it that way... It could just as easily have been disassociative identity disorder or violent outbursts." Something else was bothering him today. Link steeled himself for the next question. He was dreading the answer would be bad news but had to know. "Malanya... did... did cats go extinct in the past few thousand years? I haven't seen a single cat since waking up in the shrine. People don't seem to comprehend what a cat even is. The closest anyone came was some guy who thought I was talking about a new species of Lynel."

Malanya snorted. "Nah, cats made a mass exodus for the most part. I'm pretty certain that they'll come back from other countries once this mess with Ganon is sorted out."

"Oh, thank Hylia. That has been bothering me for days now."

Note: Well there's one of the plot holes. I forgot about the hair color. I'll just dig another plot hole over there.