If the others commented how jumpy the Rancher has been, it would not be an exaggeration. Twilight had been keeping a vigilant watch since that night three days ago. Any slight sound had his head snapping in that direction almost immediately. It was strange, to say the least - the encounter felt like a fever dream. The Hero of Twilight had expected they would run into trouble by supernatural means, but everything had been peaceful.

While he cannot bring himself to complain like the others, it is more reason to be alert. From their experience, danger lurks where you least expected it to be. The less aware one is, the less they are prepared when it strikes. Twilight did not want that. None of them does. However, it is not like he could admit to anyone that he might have angered the guardian of this forest.

"Are you okay?"

The Hero of Twilight paused from cleaning his sword and looked up. Sky was staring at him with a concerned expression on his face. "Yeah…" He lied. "Just thinking about…stuff."

"Home?"

A bitter laugh nearly bubbled from Twilight's throat. It was that one word that meant a lot to them. However, he could not admit to the other hero what was really bothering him. Instead, he just nodded and parroted the same thing. "Home."

Sky did not seem to suspect anything else. Thank Ordona! Although, the worry on his face had not diminished. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The Rancher shook his head, and the Skyloftian said no more. The latter patted him on the shoulder - a reminder that someone would be willing to listen - and left him to his own devices. Twilight sighed and looked down at his tired reflection on the blade.

Could it just be a dream? Or a trick of the eye? Twilight thought that would have been wonderful if that was the case. Still, it would be annoying if he lost three nights' worth of sleep over something like that would be annoying.

SCRITCH! SCRITCH!

The Rancher froze, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his sword tighter. Another series of scratching sounds reached his ears, and his surprise turned to wariness. The sounds were coming from beneath him, specifically from the hollow log he was sitting on. He silently scooted to one end and, with his blade at the ready, cautiously peered inside -

Twilight thought he had faced it all but was not ready for a ball of red-orange fur barreling toward his face. He had barely a second to avoid getting hit and hitting the unfortunate animal that was hiding inside the log.

A fox zipped past his bangs and into the bushes. If Twilight were not used to handling speedy animals as a farm hand and as a Twili wolf, he would have missed the familiar blue markings on the left of its hide. His body was up before he had made up his mind. He sheathed his sword and ran after the beast. Time would give him that look, but he would be damned if the spirit hurt the others. He has to let it know that they meant no harm to it and its forest home. How? The Rancher did not know, but he would cross that bridge once he caught up with the fox.

Then again, Twilight might be heading straight to a trap like an idiot. The spirit was fast, weaving between trees and bushes in a burst of speed that only his wolf form could match. However, the hero cannot transform without scaring the fox as he did three nights ago. A part of him envied Wild - the Champion was as graceful as a deer navigating the wilds. Very fitting of his hero title.

Now that he thinks about it, where did Wild and Hyrule go this morning? It is almost time for lunch, but the Rancher has not seen the two heroes since waking up. It was nothing new, but the Champion had become more elusive to him since that night. Neither had spoken a word to the other, and he could tell it was driving the others insane. The only good thing was that Wild kept his promise, though it would often be limited to exploring and over there. Still, it was progress, so they were not complaining much.

The spirit broke out from a line of trees, and the Ordonian nearly tripped as he tried to leap after it. He would have been close enough to grab it when a shrill voice screamed. "LOOK OUT!"

Twilight had barely a second to jump out of the way as the brown creature charged in his direction. A bear three times his size stormed past him, and the hero only had a moment of shock to register the familiar blue and green sitting atop it.

Wild and Hyrule - the goddess-damned idiots! - were riding the FUCKING bear like one would mount a tame horse. The Champion was having the time of his life, whooping and laughing, while the poor Traveler clung to the other hero's waist for dear life. The Rancher swore he heard the Hyrule curse many times in one go as they passed by him.

Twilight remained on the ground and stared in utter disbelief for a few seconds before rushing after them. He had so many questions right now and had forgotten about the fox, but fucking hell, Hylia! What was those two thinking? Why a bear, of all things? Where did they even find one? What in the name of Ordona is happening right now?

Twili magic rippled around his body as he transformed into a wolf and chased after them. He was faster in this form, and it did not take long before he was running right beside the odd trio.

"Wolfie!"

The Traveler looked like he was about to cry right now at the sight of their resident wolf friend. Because of fear or joy, Twilight could not tell. Wild did not seem to notice him, too drunk in the dangerous thrill. Scolding would come later - the Rancher's main priority now is to stop the bear before anyone gets hurt. While he was faster, the other beast was bigger and stronger. Sheer strength would not work in this situation.

"Hey!" Twilight barked. "Stop! You're going to get them hurt!"

"Then, tell them to GET OFF!" The bear roared. "The blue one jumped on me for no reason! He even said something about fire!"

Wait…WHAT? It all took the Rancher's willpower not to skid to a stop. Did Wild just pounce on a bear for no reason AT ALL? Why? And what was with fire?

A yelp caught Twilight's attention as the bear attempted to scrape the two heroes off by running too close to a tree trunk. Wild gripped the back of the animal's furry neck and pulled back. The bear halted abruptly and reared on his front legs before turning in a different direction. The Ordonian cursed inwardly as he scrambled not to get plowed at the sudden shift of movement and dashed after them. He searched his surroundings for anything he could use, but all he could see were trees, bushes, a cliff, and a fox seemingly grinning like an evil mastermind -

Wait a minute.

Before the Hero of Twilight could warn the bear, it skidded and stumbled in a last-second attempt to avoid colliding with the spirit or skidding off the scarp. Hyrule and Wild were flung off its back, and the Rancher rushed upon instincts. One second, his paws were on solid ground, and the next, his body cushioned the two heroes' fall a second before they hit the forest floor. The impact punched the air out of his lungs before a tree finally stopped their momentum.

Twilight whimpered as a sharp pain shot through his body. He could not tell which exactly, but he might have broken a rib or two. The world spun before his eyes, and he briefly glimpsed the fox spirit watching him, unmoved from its spot. Panicked voices frayed to static as the edges of his sight swiftly crumbled to black.

The Ordonian did not know how long he was out, but he gradually woke to a warm hand gently scratching him behind the ears. He gave a low whine, batting the limb away with a lazy paw. The hand paused from its movements but did not leave atop his head.

"Finally awake?"

The Hero of Twilight cracked one eye open and saw his mentor beside him. He barked softly and tried to sit up, only to whimper at the dull throb across his chest. Time placed a firm hand on his descendant's furred back and coaxed him to lay back.

"Just stay there and rest. Your ribs hadn't been completely mended yet." The Old Man told him. "You've taken quite a hit, but it isn't life-threatening. The Traveler advised having you stay in bed for a few days."

The one-eyed hero leaned sideward and spoke in a low voice only the two could hear. "I already told the others I sent you ahead to patrol. Used that form of yours as an excuse since you'll be unable to warn us of danger."

Twilight nodded in understanding before letting his eyes flit to their surroundings. He searched from one hero to another, locating the two he had been worried and panicked about earlier. Hyrule was curled next to Legend, nervously fiddling with empty bottles of potions. Guessing from the scowl on the Veteran's face, he had given his successor a good reprimand. Wild was nowhere to be found, which sent alarm bells ringing in the Rancher's mind.

Time seemed to read his descendant's thoughts. "The Champion shouldn't be far." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He looked so guilty and dejected that I didn't have the heart to scold him. I was afraid too that I might say something harsh if I did."

The Hero of Time patted the transformed hero. "Try talking to him once you fully recover." He encouraged. "It's up to you how and in what form you'll do it. Either way should work. Just make sure to try at least to console him. Tell him not to do this again."

Easier said than done. Twilight huffed and laid his head on the older hero's lap. He knew Time was right, but it felt like the other man was putting a nearly impossible task on him. Comforting someone would be one thing. Scolding them about a mistake would be another. It would be more manageable if it were any of the six heroes and not Wild. He had to be gentle and harmless as possible, like how he would approach a frightened animal. Him getting through the Hero of the Wild before felt like a lucky shot, and the Rancher never considered himself a lucky person. How long would it take before his luck runs out?

However, trying is better than doing nothing, and if the Ordonian had to sit the Champion down for a talk, he would do it. He would have better odds with that than twiddling his thumbs like an idiot. He also had to deal with that fox spirit, whose intentions seemed to align with mischief based on today's events.

Twilight would not consider it an evil entity yet, but it would be better to become more vigilant and get out of this forest as soon as possible. If it were just warming up, it would only be a matter of time before it actively seeks harm to the heroes. He cannot let it happen. He would never let that happen.

The Rancher eyed the heroes as he slowly drifted back to sleep. His gaze lingered last in the direction of a distant blue tunic, unaware of the eyes of nearly the same color watching him high above the tree branches and leaves. A wicked smile curved on its muzzle before disappearing into the darkness.