I would like to thank the people who pitched in to help form this AU. You know who you are. This fanfic is for you, guys.

This was the first time Sky had traveled with such a mixed group. Nearly all of the population living in Skyloft was comprised of harpies - there were no werewolves, merfolk, selkies, or even vampires. He had seen fairies and dragons, but even he had limited knowledge about them.

How did the future Hyrule become this diverse?

How did these new races come to be?

It was a mystery that baffled yet excited him to find an answer. Perhaps, he would find it along the way as he journeyed with these men - the heroes of Hyrule who succeeded him in their respective eras. Still, it frightened him to hear what trials and tribulations they faced just to secure the lands' freedom and safety for centuries between each other. His inadequacy was what allowed Demise to curse the Hero's Spirit and the descendants of the Goddess' incarnate into an endless cycle of bloodshed.

Would they blame him for their misery once they learned the truth?

Sky did not know the answer. Perhaps, they will. Maybe, they will not. Even so, that uncertainty did not smother the desire to learn more about his successors. It might be wishful thinking on his part for them to open up quickly. They had just met less than two weeks ago - the dynamics of this odd ensemble of men were new and unstable at best. Well, for most of them, anyway.

"Sky?"

The crimson-feathered harpy looked down from his perch. From between the clumps of leaves, he saw the familiar royal blue scarf of the Captain. The vampire sniffed the air and turned his head in his direction. The blue in his eyes turned to red briefly as he narrowed down and followed the Chosen Hero's movements among the branches.

Sky leaped off his perch and landed gracefully on his talons. He must have been a sight to behold - wings twice the size of his torso spread out as he glided from the tree. The Skyloftian had been told how breathtaking his plumage was many times before - the color unique even among his people. It was the shade of the setting sun, tipped with the royal colors of purple and gold. Appreciation lit up in the Captain's eyes as he whistled.

"I'd admit," Warriors said. "I'll never get tired seeing you fly."

Sky's crest flared slightly in surprise. Hearing that from the Hero of Warriors himself was something he did not expect. The man was the most conscious about his physical appearance - one of the first quirks they learned from each other a week prior. To be complimented like that by the Captain was…nice.

"I'm not putting down the others, of course," Warriors clarified. "But yours is more well-cared of compared to most. How do you maintain your plumage?"

"Ah, that's," Sky stretched his wings a bit for the Captain to see. "Zelda helps me groom myself whenever she can. She brushes the dirt and down feathers first before applying oil. Though we naturally produce oil, a little more wouldn't hurt to keep them waterproof and in good condition. I also rinse them with water sometimes, but it should be quick. Otherwise, I'll have to wait out for them to dry."

"Interesting." Warriors leaned for a closer look. He gestured at the harpy's wings. "May I touch it?"

The Skyloftian blinked at him. "Uhh…sure."

Sky extended his right wing in the Captain's direction. The vampire gingerly traced his fingers on the soft vanes with an expression of awe. If the harpy were not standing close to him, he would have missed the deep reverence in the other man's eyes. He had seen that look before when he met the others for the first time, along with other emotions varying from shock to fear. He had no chance to ask them why they reacted the way they did, but perhaps, it would explain why it was easier for him to approach and speak to some of them.

"You know," Warriors spoke up. "You're the first harpy that I've ever met. Even during the War Across the Ages, I didn't get the honor to meet one of your own. The olden stories didn't give your folk enough justice. I should ask Princess Zelda if there's something we could do to correct the history books…."

Apprehension gripped Sky's heart. That does not sound right. "What…What do you mean?"

The vampire's eyes flicked up at him. His expression shifted into something grim. "That's…" He bit his lip and shook his head. The Captain withdrew his hands from the harpy's wings and stepped back. "I think I've said too much. Sorry."

"Captain?"

"We should go back to camp." Warriors said as he turned on his heels. "The others might already be wondering where we are. It wouldn't be a pretty scene if we made them wait any longer."

Sky opened his mouth, but the vampire was already speeding away. The Captain was not even running, just walking at a fast pace that was difficult to follow. The Hero of the Skies wondered what that was about. Did he say something wrong? Did he ask something personal? The harpy wanted to know, but he felt like the Captain would just avoid his question or change the subject if he found a chance to do so.

Should he ask the others? Sky thought that would be a better option, but it felt wrong dragging others into this when this was between him and Warriors. He shook his head. He should not. It would be better to wait for the right opportunity to get answers from the vampire. They had just met - Sky did not want to compromise the still-fragile relationships he had with other heroes for a mere question.

...Or at least, that was what the Chosen Hero thought. The answer came not from the Hero of Warriors but the Hero of Winds. They traveled for two days before they stumbled into a waterfall carved deep into the mountains. Cool freshwater fell like a transparent curtain and pooled into a deep lagoon. It was a haven for their ocean-dwellers as it had been a while since they had been in their element. It was also a chance for the harpy to put better work into cleaning his plumage.

"Sky! Do you need help?"

The Skyloftian turned and saw Wind wading through the water toward his direction. The young selkie's coat of gray and brown trailed behind him, never wet due to the magic it possessed. While all of the Links except Sky had selkies in their era, it was the first time they met one that thrived in a warm climate.

Wind told them most of his fellow selkies from his era live in the tropics, and Wild had mentioned he had met a few similar to the Sailor residing in a small fishing village near the sea. Unfortunately, they were being pushed to extinction by monsters long before the Champion awakened from his deep sleep. However, the dragon assured them that everyone in his era was pitching in to help protect them and other endangered races.

Sky smiled at the selkie. "I would appreciate it."

The Chosen Hero shifted on the boulder he was perched on and stretched out one wing to the Sailor. The young fae did not need further instructions - he had helped once before - and cupped water with his hands. He carefully poured it on the outer side of the wing - the water ran smoothly to the tips and left perfect round droplets on the vanes. He spread the leftover moisture evenly while he kept an eye out for dirt and down that might have been stuck between the feathers.

"Hey, Sky." Two-toned eyes of blue and gold flicked to the youngest hero as the latter gently patted the upturned feathers flat against the rest of the wing structure. "How does it feel to fly?"

The harpy tilted his head as he pondered for an answer. It was not like he was the only one capable of flight among the heroes, but it was the first time he was asked what flying felt like. "It's hard to put it in words," He admitted. "But for me, it feels like I am one with the wind."

"There are no limits to where I can go. I can go wherever and whenever I want, and no one can tell me otherwise. The world is vast, and there is a lot to see." Sky smiled. It had not gone unnoticed to Wind the longing in the harpy's voice. "I am free to do as I wish. Flying is freedom itself."

The selkie stared at him with eyes of wonder as he drank in every word. "Whoa!" He exclaimed. "I wish I could fly too. I asked Wars and Hyrule before, but the Captain told me they're just exaggerated rumors, and vampires can't really fly. Well, not like I know because we don't have vampires in my era. Hyrule said he can't fly as high as you, so I asked you."

Sky chuckled. "Well, there you have it." He ruffled the selkie's hair. "Does my answer satisfy your curiosity?"

Wind grinned brightly. "Yup!" He chirped. "We don't have harpies like you in my era, but we have the Rito. They're really nice people, so I'll introduce you to them when we land in my Hyrule."

Sky's breath stuttered to a stop. Did…Did he hear Wind right? "Wind, did you just say," He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Did you just say you didn't have harpies in your era?"

"Mmm…" The aquatic fae nodded. "Just like how we don't have vampires and werewolves. Though, Grandma said they existed long before the gods decided to flood Hyrule." He picked up a tiny pebble stuck in Sky's feather. "I'm not sure, but I found some old murals during my adventures. I can't read the words, but the drawings looked like harpies. At least, that's what they looked like to me."

"Oh…"

Sky did not know how to take that information. Was that why Warriors was reluctant to answer his question two nights ago? Was that why the others reacted the way they did? Did his people get entirely wiped out at some point in history? He wanted to know how and why, but one look at the Sailor, and he knew that the younger hero did not have an answer. None of them does. Something nagged at the corner of his mind - a dream that Zelda told him before….

Wind peered at him worriedly. "Sky…?"

Sky shook his head and forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just…" He tried to pluck for the right words. "I just remembered something. Zelda…my Zelda had a strange dream. In her dream, she saw a bird's chicks at the base of a tree. They couldn't fly as they should because their wings were clipped. Instead, they survived and thrived on the ground."

"They grew in number by the seasons, and every generation produced a few chicks different from their parents. She said the new ones were unique from their predecessors in many ways. Those eventually formed their own colonies and spread to the world."

The harpy sighed and turned his head to the heavens. "I guess it isn't just a dream." He said. "It is a prophecy. A vision of the future. Maybe that's why my people no longer existed in your eras. We're meant to die before any of your births."

Stifling silence fell over the two. The steady trickling of water was no longer soothing to the ears as the gravity of that revelation weighed on them. The others did not seem to notice the grim atmosphere between the two heroes - they were busy enjoying the brief reprieve from their quest to pay any attention.

"I…" It was Wind. "I don't think that's true."

Sky looked at him in surprise. "What…?"

"I don't think that's true." The aquatic fae repeated. "Maybe they didn't die out. Perhaps, they just hid from sight." He gently pinched and rubbed a feather's soft vane between his fingers. "You see, Wild and I talked about our eras last night. Remember the Rito I told you about earlier? Mine's different from Wild's, but we think they might be descendants of harpies."

The Hero of Winds nodded in the Champion's direction, who was busy preparing their lunch under the shade of a tree. "I've seen pictures of Wild's Rito, and I think they're almost the same as your people. So, maybe harpies didn't exactly go extinct. Perhaps, they survived like the chicks in your Zelda's dream. Maybe, their new homes influenced them across the ages, and they became the races we know in our eras."

Then, Wind's eyes widened as a realization struck him. "Wait. Then, that means…." He grabbed the crimson harpy's scute-scaled arm and looked up with giddy eyes. "Holy shit, Sky! Selkies might be descended from harpies, too! Wouldn't that be cool?"

The possibilities from Wind's theory were mind-boggling. What if Sky was related to the other heroes not just by spirit but by blood, too? What if he had a distant descendant from them? Not to mention the near-certainty that the Skyloftian might have sired the first members of the Hyrulean royal family. It had been a subject of teasing from the other heroes since he revealed his era does not have an existing monarchy, and he and his Zelda were lovers. He had yet to tell them that she was Hylia's incarnate, but there was already a reigning assumption he might be the one who established the kingdom of Hyrule.

But wait…what if he had descendants that were neither royalty nor heroes? What if he had already met them, and he did not know? What if…What if…

Sky's head hurt. There were so many possibilities that they may as well be endless. Goddesses, he just wanted to curl up, sleep, and not use his brain for the following hours. He could almost feel his soul detach from his body and go to Hylia-knows-where. The harpy distantly heard someone's panicked call for his name, but he could not bring himself to care.

Sky would sleep the rest of the day.

...And no one was going to stop him.

AU Lore #1:

Most artworks of harpies are depicted to have no human arms. In this AU, harpies have human arms but have the same texture (scute-scaled) as their legs, and their hands are clawed. They also have a crest that juts out of their hairline. Some have feathers peeking out of their hair. Instead of a beak, I give them sharp teeth and retain the pointy ears. Note that this shape of the ears is still prevalent, no matter the person's race. Sky has the same plumage and tail as his Crimson Loftwing and wears the same clothes in the original LU, but they are customized to fit a harpy. His crest is similar to a Philippine Eagle's, which puffs out whenever he is surprised, angry, etc.