Fun fact I learned while doing research for this fic! Hyrule canonically does not have a seasonal cycle. In fact, of the four nations in the area where Hyrule is (Hyrule, Termina, Holodrum, and Labrynna), only Holodrum has a seasonal cycle. Weird, isn't it?

Kronya had been searching the canyon for weeks, and she still hadn't found Dinraal.

She had decided to search to the northeast first. She hadn't found Dinraal, but she had found a large number of Guardians guarding some sort of temple. She decided that Dinraal probably wasn't living in the temple, so she decided to return to search to the southwest of the bridge.

The canyon was large, and it took a long time to search. By now, Kronya was sure the isolation was getting to her. The only interaction with others she had had since Kaysa was the occasional meeting with a Korok.

She had seen Dinraal in the sky a few times, but she had no way of getting the dragon's attention, and Dinraal flew faster than Kronya could run.

Her food supply was running low, so she would soon have to either find Dinraal or climb out of the canyon to find food.

She eventually saw something interesting in the canyon: a run-down wooden shack. Maybe it was where Dinraal lived!

Upon reaching the shack, it didn't seem big enough to be anyone's house. Still, she decided to investigate.

Mmm...no, no one was living here. The shack seemed appeared to be there just to serve as a door for a cave. Still, she wanted to see what was in the cave. Maybe there was something worth salvaging. So...lock-picking time it was.

Luckily, her stealth suit came with two convenient pins that served as impromptu lockpicks. What was in that cave? After getting the door open, she made her way into the cave to find what was being hidden there.

It turned out it was cheese. Someone had been using the cave as a place to store cheese. A lot of cheese.

Well, now she knew. She decided not to take any of the cheese, even though she was low on food. Anyone obsessed with cheese to the point that they had over a thousand kilograms of it would get angry if they saw any was missing.

As she went to leave, someone opened the door. "Shit. Just my luck."

The person in the doorway was a woman. She had long, flame-orange hair that she wore in a ponytail. Her skin was slightly tan, but not nearly as much as the bronze-skinned Gerudo women the Company had occasionally encountered in Hyrule. She wasn't as tall as most Gerudo either, but she was still tall. She was also wearing clothing that showed off her abs. She had red eyes, and had black tattoos beneath them, which reminded Kronya of her own face tattoos.

The woman's eyes landed on Kronya, and anger crossed her face. "What are you doing in my cheese storeroom?"

Kronya held up her hands. "I didn't know this place belonged to anybody! I thought it was abandoned and was looking for salvage! I didn't take any of your cheese, I swear!"

The woman eyed her suspiciously, but eventually seemed to decide that she wasn't lying. "Well, are you going to leave now? Or do you need to wait until the sun sets?"

"I can leave now," Kronya said. "I'm not actually Twili."

"No, you're not," the woman said. "You look Twili, but you lack the mark of Twilight magic. I just wanted to see if you would lie."

Kronya instantly realized who the woman was. "It's interesting that you would be able to sense that...Dinraal."

"So you know who I am," Dinraal said. "I'm surprised. Manaketes aren't a complete unknown in Hyrule, but it's not common knowledge that the Divine Dragons number among them."

"I've met Farosh," Kronya informed her.

"And how is my cousin?" Dinraal asked.

"She seemed like she was doing well," Kronya said.

"Good," Dinraal said. "Though, it would ease my mind more if you had met Naydra. I meet with Farosh on occasion, but I haven't seen or heard from Naydra in several years. I am worried for her, but she isn't at her home, and I have no idea where else to search for her."

Kronya shrugged. "I wish I could help you."

"I rarely have guests," Dinraal said. "Would you like to visit my home?"

"Sure," Kronya agreed. Dinraal probably wouldn't try to pull anything.

Dinraal's home was near the mouth of the canyon. Her house was neither big nor small, and there was a nearby field of goats.

As the two of them entered the house, she saw a large man with straw-colored hair and a tattoo around his eyes. Looking at him, she saw that he had only one arm. "Mother, who is this?"

"This is Kronya," Dinraal said. "She will be having dinner with us tonight. Kronya, this is my son, Volga."

Kronya recognized the name, and a jolt of fear rippled through her. But looking at Volga, the fear somewhat abated. This Volga wasn't a warrior who tore armies apart; he was a cripple. Looking at him again, his arm wasn't the only thing he was missing. One of his legs had been replaced with a wooden prosthesis.

Still..."The same Volga who fought in the War Across the Ages?"

Both manaketes' expressions darkened. "Yeesh, sore subject, I'm sorry," Kronya said.

"I did not even wish to take part in the war," Volga said, scowling. "Cia forced me into it. And now I cannot fight at all. Or do anything that requires two hands."

Kronya frowned. "I actually had an encounter with Wizzro."

"He still lives?" Volga asked.

"Unfortunately," Kronya said. "He's an asshole."

"Indeed," Volga said with a slight smirk.

"I was actually looking for you, Dinraal," Kronya said.

"Oh? What for?" Dinraal asked.

"Until recently, I was traveling with the Hero of Hyrule," Kronya said. Volga scowled slightly, but Kronya ignored him. "I had to part ways with him and the rest of his company, but I was hoping to find another way to help them. I was hoping to get your help to find the Yiga Clan's hideout and put a stop the assassination attempts."

Dinraal frowned. "I'm sorry, but I cannot help you."

Kronya also frowned. "Why not?"

"Calamity Ganon's power is mostly held within Hyrule Castle by the princess, but some of it does escape into the rest of Hyrule. Farosh and I have to bring our power to bear against Ganon's in order to keep it from affecting the world more than it must."

"That...would be a problem," Kronya agreed. "Could you at least find a time to meet with the company? One of the Hero's companions is a manakete, and she has a problem shifting into her dragon form. I think it would mean a lot to her if you would meet with her."

"I will try to do so," Dinraal agreed.

After a tasty dinner, Dinraal and Kronya went back outside. Kronya stared at the stars. They were still a beautiful sight.

Something caught her eye to the southeast. "What's that?"

Dinraal followed her gaze. "Naydra?" Her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh no."

"What's wrong?" Kronya asked.

Dinraal didn't answer. Instead, she took her dragon form. Her form was long and serpentine, with six legs, white scales, and orange spines.

"Climb on," Dinraal said. Kronya, despite her nervousness, nodded and climbed onto Dinraal's back.

As they took off, the moon began to turn red.