Chapter 2: An Old Friend
Aryll had just walked into the house, when she heard her grandmother calling.
"Aryll! Go out to the balcony, there's something you should see." She ran outside to the wooden platform by the house and saw Link looking at something in the sky.
"Wow..."
A gigantic crow, far larger than a tame normal one, was soaring across the sea. It had a bronze or copper armor covering its head and the top half of its beak, except for its blue eyes. Aryll ran back in to get her telescope, and went back out, handing it to Link. He took it and looked through.
"It's a crow, alright," he reported. "And a pirate ship behind it. They're pointing the cannon at it..." The bird flew right over their house.
"Uh oh."
"Heads up!" The bird screeched, hurting their ears. "They're coming! Get inside!"
Aryll and Link ran back inside and shut the door, not pausing to wonder how the bird could talk.
BOOM.
The cannonball whistled as it headed straight for the giant crow. Aryll winced and closed her eyes, knowing what was going to happen. But they didn't hear any cry from the bird. Link peeked outside and saw it was still soaring, then landed on their house.
"He escaped!" he announced, and Aryll wiped a tear from her cheek. Link cautiously walked out and saw the pirate ship still there, but it was approaching quickly.
"AHOY!" He yelled as loudly as he could. Much to his joy, he saw the familiar mast of the pirate ship he rode on a year ago. A female pirate with a red bandanna and blue vest waved from the crow's nest, and he waved back. The ship drew nearer, and he was overjoyed to see for sure it was Tetra in the 'nest!
"How's Island life?" she hollered back. "I bet it is terribly boring, eh?" The ship docked by the shore and lowered the ramp. Tetra climbed down from the crow's nest and boarded off the ship. Link jumped off the balcony to go meet her.
"Why are you back so soon?" he asked, panting. Tetra smiled.
"We're chasing that crow. The bird perched on your house stole something of ours and we've been chasing it all over the sea. It's been like this for days.
"He took an artifact -sorry swabbie, won't tell you what it is - that is of a great value and we want it back."
She looked up at the giant black crow on Link's house, and it puffed up its feathers angrily, making it looked bigger than before.
"I took it for the right of my kind," he chirped. "Our way of life is threatened at the moment." Then, it opened its wings and took off, heading to the north-west, flying against the wind.
"Isn't he heading toward the Forsaken Fortress?" Link asked.
"Yes," said Tetra, her spirit down and her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "He is flying against the wind, too. We'll never be able to catch him. We might as well have to wait for the wind's direction to change..." She faced the direction the crow had flown off too, and snuck a glance at Link. She smiled, with an look in her eyes that said, "Inspiration!".
"You know, you can probably help."
"Oh no, it's Tetra again."
"All you have to do is jump on our ship and come along."
"And then stick me in a barrel and shoot me over the wall of Forsaken Fortress, sending me to the fate of crashing into a wall and losing all of my weapons."
"Actually, that's a good idea."
"You must be kidding." Link crossed his arms over his chest as he said that.
"Don't be talking like to Princess Zelda."
"Sorry, your Royal Highness."
"Well, I was thinking of something else."
"And what's that?"
"Your Windwaker," Tetra answered in triumph. "Use it to change the direction of the wind, or warp us there with a cyclone or something. If we get there faster, we'll have a better chance of getting back the Golden Talon."
Link pondered, and realized it.
" 'The Golden Talon'? That is the thing that crow stole?"
"Yes."
"What does it do?"
"I'll tell you about it if you come along."
He paused at Tetra's answer, then looked behind him at his home. This was his chance for an adventure! But he would have to leave his family behind - again.
"I'll discuss it with my folks," he said.
"Okay, alright," the pirate answered. "But I won't be here all day."
"How long will you be gone?" Link's grandmother asked.
"I don't know," Link confessed. "But I'm sure it won't be more than a year."
"Can I come with you?" Aryll asked.
"I am not sure about that, Aryll," Link answered. "I don't know how dangerous it will be."
"I cannot believe I'm saying this," Link's grandmother said, "but isn't Aryll old enough now to go overseas, let alone by herself too?"
"Yeah!" Aryll piped up. "I am nine years old, after all. I'm gonna turn ten next month, too!"
"Well..." Link pondered.
"Please?"
"Alright."
"YES!" Aryll jumped for joy. "I can't wait to see Niko, and Senzo, and Gonzo..."
Later, the two siblings were under the house, again.
Link was busy trying to figure out what she should bring, when he had an idea.
"You really are 9 years old, right?"
"Yeah, so?" his little sister answered from the platform above his head. She had climbed up there using the ladder, and it was where she kept some of her findings. She was busying herself with polishing her telescope, which she would take along.
"Would you be brave enough to be in a battle?"
"Believe me, I was tough enough to survive being picked up by a giant bird, locked up in a cell for a month, and keep my breakfast down on the pirate ship." She laughed at her remark. "I think I could handle it."
"Great!" Link said happily as he took down his old sword from its shelf, along with a shield, a bow with arrows, and his boomerang not far behind, and some other items.
"Next stop: Orca's house!"
As they crawled back outside, Tetra was waiting for them.
"We're going to leave in one hour. You have time to prepare yourself completely..." She took a look at Link, then Aryll.
"Got pants under your dress, Aryll?" she asked. Aryll nodded. Tetra smiled.
"That's good, because if you're going to help Link battle monsters and that sort of stuff, you'll have freedom of movement. All you need is a shirt and you're good to go."
"Okay," Aryll said as she followed Link toward their house for her to change.