The Lizalfos' weapon fell to the ground. He ran to his equipment and prepared to return to the fight against his opponents, but when an arrow landed very close to his foot and two of his opponents roared at him, the Lizalfos decided it wasn't worth the risk and fled to where he saw his other companions go. With luck, they would get a new hiding place before the storm that was brewing fell.

Blue and Shadow quickly stopped screaming when they saw the last monster in the camp escape. Vio prepared his bow again, ready to actually hit the enemy, but Shadow signed with his free hand to him, and the archer reluctantly lowered his weapon, letting Lizalfos escape. Green and Red, who had already scared the enemies by their side, were collecting things from the nearby trees, mainly taking the available fruits and mushrooms.

The barbarian warrior stretched before entering the claimed camp and leaning against the wall to rest, holding his Ancient Battle Axe protectively. Green handed the ingredients he got to Shadow and started exploring the boxes and chests together with the archer, who had already come down from his lookout post after a quick inspection of the area. The dark-haired turned to the last member, who was skipping excitedly, and they both approached the fire to make a meal for the group.

"Hey, Vio." Vio turned, his body tense, Green gave a soft smile and showed a well-crafted bow made of what appears to be wood and fish bones or the like. "Want to trade?" Vio looked at the bone-ornamented bow that he took from the remains of a Bokoblin for a few seconds and looked at the warrior suspiciously before nodding, quickly switching weapons and exploring again, a little further away than before.

"Did you find anything for us?" Red asked as he stirred the pot, Green frowned slightly as he watched their new objects.

"We have some green rupees, a blue rupee, fresh fish and ... A yellow jewel, I think." He said while picking up the item, maybe it's a rupee in its raw state? He would have to search his Sheikah Slate later. "... Apart from the bow that I gave Vio and a ... Boomerang sword?" Green stared at the new weapon in confusion before shrugging. "... There's no weapons left. I think they ran away with most of the equipment in hand." Green started to turn to the brunet, ready to ask him something.

"You can have it. I think my sword can still take a few fights before it breaks." Shadow answered before Green asked the question. He looked at the chains wrapped around his wrist, the part that had broken and separated from his sword during the fight. "... I can't say the same for my chains, however."

"Urg, I can't wait to find other people. I'm tired of just seeing monsters and just meeting equipment in shrines, or being content with monster and rusty weapons. " Blue commented, opening his eyes and turning to the group. "Where the hell is this' Kakariko Village 'anyway? We've been looking for this place for weeks!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Blue, it's only been three to five days since we left the Great Plateau. Hyrule is big, and even though Rhoam said it was 'between the two great mountains', there are still plenty of places to explore. " The lancer replied while placing some fragments of Rock Salt before trying the meal he was making, his eyes suddenly shined and he asked the tanned to taste it.

"Not bad, it's really good, Red." Shadow proven it again, feeling the taste carefully. "... If we had something creamy, it would be perfect. But we are not going to be too demanding, right?" He gently ruffled the lancer's long hair, winking at the end. "Let it cook for a few more minutes now."

Green frowned before picking up the Sheikah Slate, looking at the colorless map again. He still couldn't understand why the location of Kakariko Village didn't exist on the map, but it was definitely hindering their progress. It doesn't help that the King said it was a very well hidden village.

The sound of thunder echoed where they were, which made the warriors quickly divert their attention outside the shelter. The rain started to fall lightly before it got stronger and stronger, a second thunder resounding in the shelter. A big smile appeared on Shadow's lips and he quickly approached the entrance to the shelter, extending his hand and letting it be wet by the rain.

"Red, can you handle the food yourself for now?" He asked, Red quickly waved and Blue rolled his eyes, trying and failing to contain his smile.

"Are you going to dance in the rain again?" The swordsman nodded and the barbarian snorted. "Why do you keep doing this? I think it's a waste of energy."

"I have no idea. This feeling is stronger than I can contain, and I find it a lot of fun! " The swordsman laughed and turned to his partner, extending his hand. "Vio, do you want to dance with me?"

The archer blinked at the sudden invitation before looking outside again. The rain was stronger and more violent, making the water run down the steepest places like waterfalls, taking whatever they could with the newly created currents. The wind pulling the leaves off the trees, and some branches were also taken away sometimes. The lightning was falling on the ground a few kilometers from where they were, the light seeming to cut through the sky and the sound making the earth tremble with its power and fury.

Vio tightened his jaw tightly as he felt his body tensing at the mere thought of leaving his safe shelter to go into the storm. He definitely didn't want to go out into that deadly trap outside, but he also doesn't want to end up saying something that could be rude to his partner. With no other options, he simply turned to the brunet and shook his head, still with his jaw tightly closed. Shadow simply shrugged and removed all his gear, putting it in a safe place before leaving.

The four warriors watched the swordsman spin and scream with joy as he danced outside, unfazed by the fury of nature around him. A cold wind entered the shelter where the warriors were and three warriors shuddered, the lancer and barbarian being the most affected.

"Ho-How does he do that?" Blue grunted as he approached the flame that cooked the food, looking with a certain jealousy at the dark-haired who remained unperturbed as always, even in the rain and cold wind.

"I-I don't know." Red also moved closer to the flame to keep warm, noting how Vio was unaffected by the cold and just continued to look intently at the swordsman with an expression equivalent to concern on the archer's face. "M-Maybe he and Vio are immune to the cold ..." His gaze fell on Green, who just started rubbing his hands on his arms to keep warm.

... Or maybe we both have zero cold resistance ...

Green took a deep breath, smelling the still-wet earth, before continuing to walk while suppressing a yawn. Just a little while longer and he would have finished the round, and then he could answer the sleep call and leave one of his teammates to watch the place.

He looked away from the moon, frowning slightly when he noticed that it was a slightly pink color. Green hoped that this strange change did not mean that something bad was going to happen, as it usually did. Before he could get more distracted, a small noise caught his eye, and Green quickly turned around, his hand ready to pick up his weapon.

A fox was in front of him, seeming to analyze him to see if he was a threat or not. Green blinked, his posture relaxing a little before taking a step back, wondering whether to attack or ignore him. There was a reason why he, Blue and Red left the hunt for the other two: They could easily face monsters, especially when they attacked first, but none of the three had the same courage to kill an animal.

While lost in thought, the fox had decided on him, walking slowly away from him, without looking away, before running away. Green watched the little animal walk away, letting out a relieved sigh as he let his guard down, ready to go back to the camp...

... When something attacked him in the back.

Instincts he didn't even know existed reacted to the attack, making Green take a backward blow to get away from his attacker and roll quickly to get away from danger. Green then stood up, turning to his enemy with his weapon in hand, ready for combat. His enemy was a blind wolf with one eye, ready to fight or flee, snarling with an object in the mouth. A very familiar object.

Green's hand shot to his waist, and he couldn't help but look away, his eyes widening when he confirmed his fears. Before the warrior could do anything, the wolf turned and ran away from him.

Taking Green's Sheikah Slate with him.

"H-HEY! WAIT! COME BACK HERE WITH THIS ! " Green screamed desperately as he tried to follow the wolf. He tried to hit the wolf with his weapon, but the wolf dodged easily, causing the boomerang sword to return with force to the warrior and almost making him lose his balance when it slipped from his hand.

Without being able to stop to retrieve his weapon, Green continued his pursuit of the thief animal, not stopping even for a second to try to breathe, the sudden adrenaline in his body and the fear of losing sight of his most valuable asset giving him an abnormal vitality. The wolf ran faster than the warrior, but Green had a strange feeling that the animal was not running at full speed, possibly trying to get the warrior to tire while saving his energy.

Green had no idea how much time he spent chasing the thief animal, it must not have been more than a few minutes, but it seemed the scariest hours for the unarmed warrior, with all the muscles in his leg burning with effort and his heart racing, whether from running or panic. There was a terrifying moment when he was sure he had lost the animal, but Green quickly spotted it going up a hill after a stream, and he headed in that direction.

The sight with which he was received when he reached the top made him stop, surprised.

Blue was leaning against the entrance, looking outside for signs of danger while his teammates slept. He knew that Green was checking the area, but a little extra caution never hurts. Especially for them.

"... You know you don't have to keep an eye on us as if at any moment we're going to attack you, don't you? We've been on the same side for a while." He finally commented, his gaze straying to the only other person awake at that moment.

The archer's only response was to frown more, still holding his bow firmly while he sat near the sleeping dark man.

The barbarian sighed before looking away again at the night sky with some clouds. It was useless. No matter how many times he tries, it seems that every word that comes out of his mouth is some kind of subtle threat to Vio's ears. How exactly can he get along with this guy?

They are a team, as absurd as it may be, they are all connected by common goals, so the least they needed was to put up with each other until they found something better. He was already a teammate with Red shortly after they met, and he had known Green long enough to not have a problem with him joining too, even though it's kind of annoying when he plays leader. And as strange as Shadow is, he was a guy who was easy to put up with, or to ignore...

... Now Vio ...

All interaction with him was as if they were handing him one of Shadow's Remote Bombs. Fighting beside him, exchanging equipment, talking to him... Dammit, even approaching him seemed to be reason enough for him to consider you a threat. His paranoia was so frightening, especially with this lack of expression, that Blue really feared the reaction of the archer when he arrived somewhere crowded with people.

Shadow shifted in his sleep, looking a little uncomfortable as he turned. Vio quickly turned to him, his expression becoming neutral as he took the leafs behind him and folded them, making an improvised pillow while gently placing it under the dark-haired's head, who sighed contentedly in his sleep. Vio watched him for a few more seconds before looking back at the barbarian with suspicion.

Blue couldn't help but roll his eyes while grunting. Of course, Shadow is the only one he treats like that. Honestly, Blue suspected that having Shadow on the team is the only reason why Vio is still with them, otherwise the archer would have already tried to kill them all or would have run as far away from them as possible. He had no idea what the swordman had done, but it must have been something impressive so that the archer wouldn't question his leader's order to follow a bunch of people he obviously doesn't trust as if he were his dog...

"Partner."

The barbarian's line of thought stopped abruptly as he blinked, turning his attention back to the source of the voice. Vio hadn't changed his position, but the little frown on his face changed from distrust to disgust, as if Blue had just insulted something he liked. And that change alone was already frightening.

Blue blinked again, a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"... What?"

"Partner." Vio repeated, his scowl deepening. "Shadow is not my leader, he is my partner. We take care of each other, whether external or internal enemies. He doesn't like to be called a 'leader'... " For the first time since they met, the archer's eyes had a spark of anger as he spoke in a lower tone. "... And. I'm. Not. His. Dog."

"..." Unconsciously, Blue moved to stand by Red's side, holding his axe firmly in his hands, ready to protect the lancer if necessary. Consciously, the barbarian was honestly speechless. He tried so often to get the archer to speak to him, and he unconsciously said out loud what he thought was what made the archer speak? What should he say?

A strained silence came into place, with the two warriors looking ready to kill themselves at that moment. The tension was interrupted by an exasperated sigh that sounded from the lancer, leaving the two armed warriors surprised, while the lancer sat and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Can we get through a single night without you getting in each other's throat? And your last comment about Vio being a Shadow's dog was pretty rude, you know? " Red asked, turning to the two armed warriors as he yawned. A moment later, the swordsman also sat down, stretching a few times before turning around.

"Yes, it was very rude." Shadow took the leafs and placed them behind the archer. Vio blinked, looking a little confused, before relaxing and leaning against the wall with the makeshift pillows.

"... Wait, were you two awake all this time ?!" Blue finally asked, feeling his blood boil for some reason.

"Just when you started to murmur, it sounded like an animal snarling, I suddenly woke up with this." The dark-haired replied with a small smile, and the lancer nodded. His expression became serious, however, when his gaze fixed on the barbarian, the red iris seemed to glow in the dark. "Now, I know you're frustrated, Blue... But never again dare to call my partner that way, do you hear me?"

A shiver ran down the barbarian's spine with that look, the look that the swordman reserved for when he fought seriously. They still had no idea whether that glow was normal or not for 'whatever-the-swordsman-is', but that's a little scary the way those eyes gleam sometimes, it sure is.

Not that Blue was going to admit it out loud, but still ...

Quickly looking away, he noticed the expression that Red usually gave him when the barbarian argued with someone, which was basically the physical version of the phrase 'you deserved it'. This made Blue look outside, trying to reflect the conversation in his head as a mixture of anger and shame burned in his chest, threatening to explode externally against his teammates.

Fortunately, this time, shame spoke a little louder than anger.

"... My bad ..." He finally whispered, so low that he was almost sure that no one heard.

He was apparently mistaken, however, since when he turned to face them, Shadow's eyes had returned to normal while he smiled slightly.

"It's okay, just, please, don't do it again, okay?" When Blue nodded, Red leaned over to stand in front of him and gave him a thumbs up, and he quickly went the other way, winning a little laugh from the lancer. Shadow took the opportunity to turn to his partner, leaning towards him while speaking quietly. "He has a point, however ... We are in this together, Vio, all of us. You can't be acting like this forever, you need to trust them. "

"..." The archer looked at the other pair, with the lancer teasing the ruddy barbarian a little more until the barbarian put his hand on the lancer's face in irritation and started arguing with him, before looking at the ground. "... I know ... But I don't feel very comfortable working alongside people who have tried to kill me before ..."

"I know, and I'm sure this is normal ..." The swordsman grimaced, remembering their meeting with the trio. If he hadn't arrived before Blue almost knocked Vio over towards those rocks, maybe Vio's injuries at the time would have been even worse.

Maybe Vio wasn't even on your side now.

... No, without those kinds of thoughts now!

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Shadow tried to calm himself, ignoring the furious thunder in his chest and the burning in his eyes. This is past now, all that was a misunderstanding, they are all on the same side now. Everything is fine now.

Vio is fine now.

"... But couldn't you give it a try?" He opened his eyes and turned again to the archer, keeping a little distance between them, he knows how Vio likes his personal space. "I'm not saying to be friendly and sociable with them, I doubt you can do something like that." The dark-haired's comment was met with an empty look from the archer, causing the swordsman to laugh a little. "Just... Try to give a vote of confidence in them, after all, it was because of your vote of confidence in me that the two of us are united now, wasn't it?"

The archer's expression went from empty to thoughtful as he shifted his gaze to the floor, before gently nodding. Timidly, he dragged his left hand towards the swordman until it touched his hand, and the swordman soon held his hand gently, making the archer relax with the touch.

A synchronized noise from the four Sheikah Slate caught the attention of the warriors, who quickly stopped what they were doing to check their equipment. Due to the pulsating harmonic glow of the Sheikah Slates, it was probably some kind of update that Green must have done, possibly the map of the place. The object looked hotter as the warriors turned on the screen.

Update coming...

Regional map extracted.

The warriors gasped in surprise when the new region on the map was cleared, showing all the obstacles in the form of hills, mountains and rivers that this place had. That wasn't what caught their attention, however. It was the name of the house-shaped mark that Green had placed near the end of the regional map.

The name of the place they have been looking for since they left the Great Plateau.

Kakariko Village