Out of concern, Iris pulled down one of Sable's eyelids to remark "You know, I can't even tell when you're tired, your eyes are always bloodshot."
Sable waved the Deku off with a sluggish gesture, she had been asleep for a few days straight and her body only wanted to crawl back into bed. The fact still remained that she had successfully performed a shape shift and she had claimed the soul of a second legendary beast. However she did not feel as joyous as she thought she would, mainly because not even Onox could warn her of how much energy it drained from your body to cast such magic. Sable held her head, furs surrounding her as she remained upright on her bed.
Iris was perched near her with an expression of confusion "Are you feeling better at all?"
"No…" Sable groaned back "But I know I shouldn't sleep more, we should probably get moving."
"Yeah, we've both got what we were looking for." She brushed a few leaves from around her face "So where are we heading now? What did the fairy tell you?"
"Well, we have a choice. Either Clocktown or Great Bay"
The Deku jumped up and down with excitement, her eyes becoming wide like a small puppy "Great Bay, please! Can we go there next? I've never seen the ocean before"
"Me neither, but that's an excellent reason to check it out!" Sable nodded "Let's get our stuff together, we're hitting the road again!" She then fell out of bed as her legs refused to work "Right after my body gets back to normal."
Gorko walked in to find Sable awake and struggling to remain standing. He handed her two potion bottles, one red and one blue, with a gentle smile "Try these, goro."
Iris piped up "Those smell like the potions Mistress Kotake brews."
"I heard a witch in the swamp makes these, goro. The merchant brings them in every so often, goro." Gorko shrugged, holding one bottle up to the light of a torch "We Gorons don't really use them but they look pretty, goro."
Iris prescribed "The blue one will fix you up in no time!"
"So I'm guessing you'll be leaving soon?" Gorko asked as he looked down upon them, Iris was wide eyed and as excitable as a puppy while Sable was drinking down the potion and looking around for her jester hat "I can escort you out of the mountains. Winter ends in a few months before the Carnival of Time so it's still dangerous to go alone."
"Thankyou for letting us stay with you Gorko." Iris nodded cheerfully "If you ever go travelling and need someplace to stay in the swamps just talk to Mistress Kotake at the potion shop."
Sable added as she finished drinking "Shikashi is also near Clock Town, if you ever need to visit and the Stock Pot Inn is full. He lives in the observatory just outside Clock Town."
"You're welcome girls, I've enjoyed your company and I'm sure we'll cross paths again."
After gathering their belongings, Sable and Iris descended down the mountains once more. With Gorko leading the way the journey went by much quicker. The warm fur coat around Sable and the frost mane spell in Iris' repertoire also nullified the effects of the freezing weather. The verdant fields were within eyesight as Gorko parted ways with them, leaving the two apprentices to continue their quest for self-improvement.
"What kind of sick-" muttered Iris, she could hardly believe what they were looking at.
"Joke is this!?" finished Sable, she too was shaking her head and kicked a nearby rock.
They both stood at the entry point to the Great Bay, the western region of Termina. The ground here was sandy and golden as the beach was only a few steps away. Aside from pools of water there were also decorative white walls woven among the dunes. The largest of which now blocked their path into the Great Bay and looked near impossible to scale.
"This can't be happening!" snapped Iris, her arms flailing wildly "We're so close to the sea! Sable can't you turn into something and get us over?"
"Well… I could turn into a Forest Fox and just climb over or as a Fire Salamander I could just break down the wall completely." Sable reluctantly informed the bright eyed Deku "But we're out in the open and on a main trading route directly connecting to Clock Town." She pointed to the city in the distance "It's risky to use my powers in such an open place. Can you imagine how freaked people would be if they saw?"
Iris reluctantly cursed to herself as her hopes were shattered. Then again Sable was definitely correct in what she was suggesting.
"Even if I manage to make it over I'd be a sitting duck once my rest period kicks in," Sable knocked on the wall with her knuckle "I don't think either of us is going over unless we ride something over it."
"Ride… that's it!" cheered Iris as a light bulb went off in her brain.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm an apprentice witch, I have to learn how to fly a broom sooner or later."
"Well, if you're confident enough to," Sable paused and said "What's with this change in personality? A few weeks ago you were so shy you couldn't keep eye contact."
"I… I guess…" Iris thought a little more "I guess being out of the swamps makes me realise that people don't care about who I'm related to. It's a relief."
"Now I'm curious, can you still not tell me why you were raised by witches?"
Iris winked "Maybe one day soon I will."
Sable laughed "So we're going back to the swamp then so you can get lessons from Koume and Kotake?"
"Not exactly Sable. The training ground for flight is located to the south west of Clock Town. In ancient times witches went there to practise their levitation magic" Iris elaborated with wild gestures of her arms, her sleeves were sent aflutter as she informed "The wards present in that place made them immune from any injury suffered from falls. This is very lucky considering flight is a dangerous thing"
"Alright, so let's go to this training ground. But… do you actually know what you're doing?"
"I won't know until I try, so let's move out already!" cheered Iris, she proudly marched back up the dunes and headed south.
Sable smiled back at her Deku companion, a small part of her was happy for Iris' change in disposition as she gained confidence in herself and her abilities. In fact she was perhaps a little envious as it felt that her shape shifting magic was not developing as well as it could be. Sable had managed to learn possession and soul reaping, yet to actually change forms as will, this skill was still too unstable for her liking. Her mind was brought back to reality as Iris cheered her on from afar. Although she knew this was not the last time her doubts would flood back into mind. Sable ran over the sandy ground to catch up with Iris.
A strange shadow lingered in the sky over Clock Town, it was rather peculiar but did not appear life threatening or dangerous. It did not appear to be a big enough cause of distress as the denizens of Termina went about their daily business as they always did. Romani Ranch was no exception, the open fields were fenced off from the encroaching swamplands of the south and the tropical plants of the western shores. This was farming land as the majority of the open plain hosted all manner of cows. A cucco hut and dog breeder remained as permanent structure at the edge of the field. The two owners never seemed to bother Cremia as they paid their rent on time and helped out when requested.
Times were tough though as random acts of vandalism destroyed much of their merchandise to trade with Clock Town. Cremia knew it was the Gorman brothers who owned a farm nearby, yet she did not have any proof to accuse them openly. She brushed her red hair off her face and cracked her back. The barn had finally been tidied to an acceptable level. Cremia adjusted her work clothes as she headed outside to find her younger sister, Romani, practising her archery.
They were like two peas in a pod in the ways of appearance and were both fine beauties in their own right. However as Romani was still too young, Cremia was left with the brunt of farm work for most of the year. Fortunately, each year a travelling mask maker often set up camp at the ranch just before the Carnival of Time and offered the services of her errand boy to help. Judging by the time of day and the fact the carnival was still a few months away, Cremia had a feeling they would be arriving within the next day or so.
As Cremia walked past Romarni aimed and drew her bow. Taking a breath to steady herself, she fired and hit a bullseye on a makeshift target. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she cheered happily "I did it!"
"Did what?" asked her older sister.
"Cremia! I did it! I hit a bullseye!"
"Well done Romani."
Romani threw her arms in the air "Those aliens won't know what hit em!"
"Aliens?" muttered Cremia, she just shook it off as Romani had always had a vivid imagination.
She left her sister alone to resume her archery practise. From her position near the main house she could see every part of the ranch. A smile crossed her lips as a familiar armoured caravan rolled into view and down the main path. The horses came to a halt by the house, a burly youth waved to Cremia and Romani from his place atop the carriage. His cohort, a tall and slightly blue skinned woman was at the reins and politely bowed, throwing a sack of rupees down to Cremia "We're back again, my dear. I hope this covers the rent and Ox is ready to help."
Cremia caught the bag, nervously looking at the strange travellers, their unnatural skin tones and strange eyes never failed to make her wary. Then again they could pay to stay and they were not malicious as far as she could tell. She smiled and curtsied back "Always a pleasure to see you again Veran, you too Onox."
Romani cheered happily "The Fairy and the Dragon are back!"
"Romani! Don't be so rude." Cremia shook her head at her sister and her strange habit of giving people nicknames they did not necessarily want.
"It's fine, I like being called a dragon." Onox leapt down from the carriage "Feels… Right."
Veran corrected "However I don't think I'd make a good fairy, child."
"But you remind me of one," Romani nodded "Yeah, you got a pretty face just like a fairy queen."
"Well I can't argue if your sister has a reason like that." Veran brushed her hair behind her ear, Cremia blushed from embarrassment.
Romani pointed to Onox "Yeah and he's a dragon cause he's all bulky and breaks things like a dragon!"
"Bulky?" Onox looked himself over in confusion.
"And you don't question the breaking things?" Veran slyly remarked "Well I know you've had to let your belt out a few notches lately and I've seen that little paunch under your cuirass."
Onox coldly glared back at her "You need fat in order to grow muscle."
"Whatever you say." Veran smirked, she turned to Cremia "So just tell him what needs to be done, I'll be in the carriage and I don't want to be disturbed yet. I still have a few orders to fill before the carnival." Having issued her commands, Veran slinked into her workshop without another word.
Cremia shyly looked to Onox who was still cursing under his breath over his employer's remarks. She started as she picked up her pitchfork and a bucket, "Onox," he glanced to her "Can you please get to work on smashing some boulders?" she gestured behind her "I'll show you where."
After quickly retrieving his flail from his belongings, Onox waved to Romani before following after Cremia. The sun was still high and the wind whistled in their ears. As they moved across the field and past the herds of cows he saw a familiar jester hat in the distance. Cremia felt nervous at the sight of the girl, her skin made her look diseased and the Deku by her side looked even more suspicious in the clothes of a Terminan.
The Deku screeched, frantically diving to her knees and tearing up the grass as she looked for something "It's gone!? How is it gone!? It can't be gone!"
"What's gone?" asked her jester friend.
"The training ground!" She cried out of frustration "Trust me to arrive at a place long gone."
"Well, Kotake has been around since the Giants know when"
"Still, the magic is here. It's faint, but it's still here"
Cremia asked "Can I help you?" her hands tightened around her pitchfork just in case these drifters wanted trouble.
"Good afternoon Sable, Iris." Onox beamed to them "What brings you here?"
Cremia shot him a puzzled look, perhaps they were not troublesome if he trusted them.
"I heard there were wards here to help witches train in levitation." Iris piped up "But they're all gone now! How am I supposed to learn how to fly a broom?"
"Iris… maybe you shouldn't be so open about the magic stuff around her." Sable pointed to Cremia.
Onox interjected "I can assure you Cremia is not narrow minded or fearful of the idea of magic."
"Thanks Onox," Cremia paused for a moment "Wards… oh, that must be those strange drawings."
Iris' interest piqued once more "Drawings? Where? Tell me! In fact, could stay here for a little while?"
Cremia physically hesitated to answer and stepped back. The excitable Deku was rather adorable but borderline unnerving in her current demeanour.
"Of course, we wouldn't expect you to take us in for nothing," informed Iris as she gestured to her friend "While I'm training, she can help you out around the ranch."
The jester girl looked confused for a second before she snapped to her friend "Wait, what!?"
"Come on, we need to give her something for letting us stay."
"Why didn't you ask me first!?"
"Deal" said Cremia before the offer could change. She liked the idea of having more help around here.
"Wonderful, I'm Iris by the way" the Deku noticed the stunned expression on her friend's face "And uh… this is Sable"
"Pleased to meet you, name's Cremia. I'm the owner of this ranch" she informed strongly "You two can sleep in the barn because we don't have space anywhere else. I'm fine with giving you food and shelter, just as long as you pull your weight"
Sable let out a sigh as Iris finalised the deal. It was hard enough dealing with her need for rest from teenage growth and learning to shape shift. The last thing she needed was to become a rancher's servant. Her distress lightened from the sound of Onox's laughter. He waved her to follow on as they walked after Cremia and Iris.