Search of the Missing Loftwing
In all honesty, Link didn't know where to start looking. Skyloft was huge, and there were plenty of places to hide. He tried to sense any trace of his bird. It was faint, which indicated that he was still around here. But Epona could be anywhere.
Was he okay? Was he hurt? Link didn't know, and he needed to find out soon.
"Link!" Keet jogged over to him. "I saw that whole exchange from a distance. Your friend Zelda looked so mad at Groose that I thought he would wet himself. What's going on?"
"Epona is missing." Link told him.
"What?! Your Loftwing is…missing? That's terrible! I was sooo looking forward to seeing that red blur streak through the sky."
"Don't count him out just yet. The headmaster and Instructor Horwell are delaying the start of the race so I can look for him. Have you seen any sign of my bird?"
"No, no…I haven't seen him. Sorry."
Link let out a defeated breath. "He could be anywhere. I don't even know where to start."
"Maybe you could try the residential district?" Keet thought deeply. "Come to think of it, there was a group of women doing laundry by the lake earlier. One of them was Pipit's mom, I think…"
"Mallara?" Link guessed.
"Yeah, her!" Keet snapped his fingers. "She was doing laundry with two others when I left my house earlier. They had a lot of clothes to wash, so I think they might still be there. Try asking them."
"Thank you, Keet. I might go do that."
Link ran over to the Residential District of Skyloft, which took up almost half of the island. The river pouring away from Skyloft Lake separated the district from the other half of the island. The only way to get there was to swim or walk across the bridge. At the edge of the bridge, there were three women, all with big baskets full of clothes.
The one on the left is a plumpy middle-aged woman in a blue dress named Goselle, who once ran the Gear Shop in the Bazaar until her son Rupin took over a few years back. The one on the right is an elderly dark-skinned woman in a yellow dress named Greba, whose son, Gondo, also runs the Scrap Shop in the Bazaar. In the center is another middle-aged woman in an orange shirt and white skirt, whose face alone can tell anyone who knows Pipit well that she is his mother, Mallara, just by looking at her face & hair color. All three were having a simple conversation.
"Such a beautiful day, but we're too busy to enjoy it. I would think I would be less busy with my Rupin running the shop. Some things never change, I suppose," Goselle expressed with mournful acceptance.
"Isn't that the truth! The only thing my lug nut of a son is good for is getting grease on his shirt!" Greba grumbled out loudly. "Don't get me wrong, I love Gondo with all my heart and support whatever he wants to do with his life, but I wish his line of work wasn't so messy. Even with the Bazaar closed for the ceremony today he's still working in his trinkets which means more dirty clothes. All I do is laundry, laundry, and more laundry. It never ends!"
"I hear you!" Mallara agreed. "And I'm terrible at washing clothes. I wish I could get someone to do it for me. At least my son already competed and won his Wing Ceremony last year. I could have never missed it for any reason. It was so wonderful."
"So you went on about a dozen times already today," Greba remarked annoyedly.
"Don't give Mallara such a hard time, Greba," Goselle chided the elderly woman. "One can't blame her for gushing about even though it's been a year."
"It was great to see Pipit win his ceremony. I've never been prouder. It brings back memories of his father back when he was still…You know," Mallara trailed off.
Link moved closer to the women, deciding to make his presence known. Mallara instantly caught sight of him, brightening her mood. "Link! Good morning and Happy Wing Ceremony to you!"
"Hi, Mrs. Erhard."
"Link, please, I've told you before, you can call me Mallara. It wouldn't be right for my late best friend's son to address me so formally. You're practically family."
"Right, sorry, Mallara." Link glances at the other woman. "If you're too busy, I can come by later-"
Mallara waved her arms. "Oh, nonsense! I'm always happy to talk to you. We were only chatting about trivial things."
"Like how much laundry we have," Greba growled lowly, adjusting the basket on her back. "Trust me, kid, I'm more than happy to do anything else other than that."
"Say, Link, Mallara told us earlier you're participating in the race this year. You must be so excited!" Goselle beamed.
"Yeah, I am," Link stammered. "Look, I like to chat, but I'm kinda in a hurry."
"What's wrong?" Mallara inquired with concern.
"I don't know where Epona is."
"You mean Epona is missing?"
"That's certainly not good," Greba pronounced.
"How dreadful! Especially today of all days!" Goselle lamented.
"Have any of you seen him?"
Mallara glanced at Goselle and Greba. Both women shook their heads. "We've been busy with laundry all morning and haven't really paid attention to the sky. Sorry, Link. But I promise we'll keep a look out for your bird."
"And you should get others to help you, young man," Goselle suggested.
"I do. Zelda is flying around Skyloft looking for him. Pipit's even asking around the academy for me," Link shared.
"Ever the helpful person that he is. Pipit's always been looking out for his friends," Mallara mused to her companions. She turns back to Link. "If we hear anything about your bird, we'll let you know."
"Thank you!"
"Don't stand here yapping with us. Go find your bird now!" Greba insisted.
Link quickly dashed away from the women. He moved so quickly that he almost bumped into a little girl. Jakamar's daughter, Kukiel.
"Hi, Link! This house belongs to Kukiel." She pointed to the nearby house. "Psst, by the way, that's ME."
"Yes, I know." Link crouches down to Kukiel's eye level. "While I got you, You wouldn't happen to see my Loftwing, wouldn't you?"
"I haven't. Why?"
"Just want to make sure he's not nervous about the race. I'm competing in the Wing Ceremony today." Link wasn't going to share his predicament with Kukiel. Being five years old, she likely wouldn't understand the dire nature.
"Mom & dad said you were. I hope you win! Are you coming by to play with me later?"
"Sorry, kiddo. Not today."
"That's okay! I'm can go play with my special friend! It's going to be so much fun!"
"That sounds great. I'll catch you later."
"Bye-bye, Link!"
Link continued strolling around Skyloft. He asked almost everyone who passed by about his bird. So far, they all said the same thing: They hadn't seen him. Link's worry for Epona grew the more he heard the same answer, but he wouldn't give up yet.
Amid his search, he spotted two people: a brown-eyed teenage girl with brown hair styled in two braided pigtails, dressed in a dark orange shirt with light orange sleeves and dark red pants, a white shawl around her shoulders, and blue earrings. And a man with a broad structure taller than her, at least a decade older than her, with light brown hair, a tan shirt with gray sleeves, and black pants.
Link recognized the man as Parrow, a known doctor for Loftwings, and the teenage girl as Orielle, his little sister.
"Nice breeze today, huh. Perfect for the ceremony! Don't you think, big bro?" Orielle commented.
"Oh yeah. If I were participating in the race, this would be ideal weather for me," Parrow affirmed.
"Who do you think will win today?"
"Tough to say, really. There are a lot of good flyers this year, but I think the two promising ones are Link and Groose. It may come down to those two."
"That is true. Fledge often tells me about how great of a flyer Link's Crimson Loftwing is, and Groose is a strong contender, but…" Orielle trailed off. "The winner will get blessed by a village girl chosen to represent the goddess! Isn't that romantic?"
"I doubt it will be romantic for Zelda if Groose wins." Parrow pointed out.
"I guess you have a point there. She hates his guts, and who can blame her? Groose is always picking on her friends, especially Fledge…"
"Speaking of which, did he make the cut? I swore you mentioned that he was trying out."
"I haven't really seen him much over the past month. I should really pay him a visit…."
Parrow was about to say something else when he noticed Link. "Well, well, if it isn't Link! Didn't expect to see you here."
"Hi, Link," Orielle greeted with a wave.
"How're you doing today?"
"I've been fine," Link responded unsurely.
"You must be pumped for the ceremony today. If you win this thing, you'll be bumped up to the senior class."
"Yeah, totally. Really excited for that."
Orielle noted Link's hasty responses. " Is everything alright, Link? You look like you're in a hurry…"
"I'm looking for my Loftwing."
"Looking for him? Did something happen?" Parrow inquired.
"I can't sense him anywhere. He wouldn't come when I called for him. Have either of you seen him?"
"I'm sorry, we haven't," Orielle responded.
"We spent most of the morning at our house, so I don't think we could see him," Parrow said regretfully. "Thats so strange for a bird not to respond to their rider's call...The only way that's possible if its stuck somewhere or the bird is..." Parrow cut himself off, realizing that the next words have not so great implications. "Well you know..."
Link got the idea what Parrow was about to say, which already added more to his nerves.
"You know, you could try to look for him by the Statue of the Goddess. You'll have a good view of the whole island from way up there," Orielle suggested.
"Yeah, you can practically see a good majority of Skyloft from the Isle of the Goddess."
"That's not a bad idea. I'll go do that. Thanks!"
Link ran in the direction of the academy. The gate Jakamar was working on is probably fixed by now. Still, Link wanted to see if Headmaster Gaepora has any updates. Maybe he could find Pipit to know if he heard anything. Link entered the academy, making his way to the headmaster's office. He entered to see Gaepora talking with Instructors Owlan & Horwell.
"...You're saying Mia's been acting odd today?" Gaepora said to Horwell.
"Yes! It's quite unusual. I've never seen her like this before. She's been so skittish all morning."
"How so?"
"She, erm, almost ran off from me, but I managed to catch her. I don't know what's gotten into her. It's like she's afraid something is going to happen."
"I'm no Remlit expert, but do you think she could feel the energy over Link's missing bird?" Owlan hypothesized.
"Possibly. This whole thing is unusual, but I'm not sure if it's enough to warrant a reaction of this scale," Horwell hummed. "Even funerals don't make all the other Remlits this jumpy."
"Could it be her health then? Is she coming down with an illness?" Gaepora was alarmed with the possibility of his beloved pet falling sick.
"She seemed pretty healthy, so I don't think it could be that. Then again, looks can be deceiving. The only way to be certain is if I monitor her throughout the day." Horwell let out a tired breath. "But with me presiding over the ceremony, I don't think I can properly do that."
"I can watch Mia. She is my pet, after all," Gaepora insisted.
"You're the headmaster and the leader of the island. You can't miss the Wing Ceremony," Owlan reminded him.
"Owlan's right. Your presence is needed. And you already have enough on your plate," Horwell affirmed.
"Perhaps I could take your place, Horwell," Owlan offered.
"Are you sure?"
"This wouldn't be the first Wing Ceremony I presided over," Owlan said, grasping Horwell's hand. "You just focus on Mia."
"That means a lot. Thank you, Owlan," Horwell let out a warm smile.
"Hello...?" Link walked forward, causing the three men to jump in shock.
"Link! I'm sorry we didn't hear you walk in," Gaepora said apologetically.
"Everything okay?"
"There have been some…other unexpected developments regarding the Wing Ceremony," Horwell explained. "But nothing for you to be worried about."
"Have you managed to find your Loftwing yet?" Gaepora asked.
"Not yet," Link answered solemnly. "I was hoping you all had something."
"Unfortunately, we haven't found any clues regarding Epona's whereabouts," Owlan expressed sadly.
"But we can share that the start of the Wing Ceremony is being delayed until you find your Loftwing. Good news isn't it?" Horwell beamed.
"Have you found any clues on your part?" Gaepora inquired.
"I might have a suspect on who was responsible," Link shared. "Jakamar told me that he saw Groose's bird chase Epona earlier. I think Groose might've had something to do with it."
"You suspect Groose had a hand in your bird's disappearance?"
Link nods his head. "I overheard him talking about a Crimson Loftwing. Cawlin also had a bandage on his arm. He claimed it was from a Remlit, but the bandage looked too big."
"Given Groose's…track record, I wouldn't blame you for suspecting such a thing," Gaepora said exasperatedly. "I tell you, that boy is always up to trouble."
"This can get him disqualified from the race today, right?"
"Yes, it could…"
"...But we can't do that," Horwell remarked.
"Why not? This is clearly cheating!"
"Do you have any proof?" Owlan questioned.
"Wha-...No-...But…I know he-" Link stammered.
"Then we can't do anything about it without physical proof." Gaepora maintained.
"But he's obviously behind this!" Link exclaimed.
"Believe us, Link. We don't like this either," Owlan confessed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And in my opinion, Groose shouldn't be training to be a knight at all."
"Owlan, be professional here," Horwell rebuked.
The platinum blonde instructor straightens himself. "Sorry…Anyways. We can't disqualify Groose based on mere words and no physical proof. It would go against Skyloft principles."
"Owlan is right. Unless we find proof, or he or his friends confess, Groose can race," Gaepora explained. "If you go on blatantly accusing him without proof, he could use that against you, Link."
A silence lingers in the room. Horwell's eyes then lit up.
"...But he did give us something that may be helpful. Groose made it easier to delay the start of the race. He wouldn't have the gall to complain openly, considering it's his fault we had to delay it in the first place."
"And if he did complain, it would draw attention to him," Owlan concluded.
"Indeed…Groose has painted himself into a bit of a corner, hasn't he?" Gaepora hummed in agreement. "Well, it's settled then. Link, don't worry about the race starting without you. Take the time you need to find your Loftwing."
"Yes. Leave the ceremony to us. You just focus on finding your bird as quickly as you can," Owlan encouraged.
"Thanks. I'll try to be as quick as possible," Link promised.
Gaepora watches Link jog to the door, exiting his office.
"So much like his parents…"
Link stepped outside on the second floor of the Knight Academy. Since he was close to the statue, he decided to follow Orielle's advice and look from up there. Link started to walk to the stairs leading up to the Isle of the Goddess.
"Hey! Link! OVER HERE!"
Link turns toward the Knight Academy Sparring Hall. Pipit stands in front of it, waving him down. Behind him is Fledge, who looks nervous.
"I have some information about Epona. Come over here!" Pipit called out.
Link moved his way to the ledge close to the Sparring Hall. Any normal person would've gone through the academy to travel down to the ground floor. But Link was not like most normal people and was in a hurry. Without further adieu, Link sprinted to the ledge. Pipit eye's widen once he realized what Link was doing.
"Wait, no! Not that-!" Pipit watches Link leap from the second level, landing on the ground, rolling down, and straightening back up. "-Way…" Pipit then mutters to himself. "I should've expected that."
"You said you have information about my bird?" Link prodded.
"Uh, Yes. But not from me."
"Who then?" Pipit pointed to Fledge. When Link walked close, he noticed the boy tensing up. He had never done it around Link's presence. "Fledge? Do you know something?"
"I... I… I'm so sorry, Link!" Fledge blurted out. I really wanted to tell you, but…if Groose out, I told you…"
"Groose?" Link questioned.
"It sounds like Groose was involved and forced Fledge to keep quiet about it," Pipit concluded.
"What are you two talking about?" Link contested.
Pipit turns to Fledge. "Go on. Tell him the truth."
Fledge sucked in air through his mouth, twiddling his hands nervously. "Earlier this morning, before the barrel thing, I was cleaning the dining hall when Groose, Cawlin, and Strich came in. They didn't notice I was there when they started discussing Groose's plan to hide your Loftwing. I wanted to warn you, Link. But just as I tried to sneak away…Groose grabbed me." Fledge lowers his head. "He said…if I told you or anyone, he'd make sure I would never ride my Loftwing ever again!"
"You knew this whole time?" Link breathed out in shock. "How could you not tell me this? You're my friend!"
"G-Groose threatened me!"
"Groose is an asshole, but he wouldn't do something that drastic! You know this!"
"I-I didn't think he would actually go through with it! And if he did, I figure Epona would've fought him off!" Fledge stumbled with his words.
"Well, that clearly didn't happen." Link bit back sarcastically. "Forgetting that today's the Wing Ceremony, my bird is Goddess knows where! Did you stop to think that Epona could be trapped, hurt, or worse?! I barely sense him, so I don't know for sure! I've been scrambling around Skyloft, worried sick, looking for him. And you kept quiet about it when you knew all along!"
"That's enough, Link! This isn't Fledge's fault!" Pipit stepped in between the two. "Taking out your frustrations isn't going to help you find Epona."
Link took a moment to calm down. Once he saw Fledge's frightened expression, his chest filled with guilt. Pipit was right. Fledge wasn't at fault for any of this and shouldn't be the target of his frustrations. Link let out a breath as he rubbed his face.
"Do you know where they took him?"
"They mentioned the waterfall…" Fledge meekly answered, keeping his gaze away. "Please forgive me, Link. I can't help being such a coward…I'm really sorry."
"Waterfall…" Pipit muttered. "Groose must've hidden Epona somewhere around Skyloft Lake."
"Then that's where I'm heading." Link was about to dash off when he felt Pipit tug on his arm.
"Wait, Link. You should probably take a sword with you. You know there's a ledge on the underside of Skyloft near the lake. The only way there is through the cave. The one with dangerous, creepy, crawly things. Better safe than sorry."
"Alright, I'll bring a sword. Just hope the Knight Commander won't mind."
"He'll understand. Hell. I'll even take some of the blame. Your bird is more important."
"Thanks, man."
Link walks inside the Sparring Hall. Wooden stakes are planted around the room, and there is no sign of the Knight Commander anywhere. Link heads for the back room, where all the swords and practice swords are kept. There are many impressive swords plastered on the walls, swords that Link could use one day. But today, he opted to borrow one of the practice swords. These swords are ones students at the academy practice with. They still have fairly sharp blades.
With a sword strapped to his back, Link exited the back room and made his way for the exit.
"Hey! Link!" A booming voice stopped him in his tracks.
Standing on the far side of the Sparring Hall was a brown-haired man with a beard. He was dressed in an apple-green knight tunic, a white shawl, and a white cap. He stood firm with his arms crossed. Link let out an nervous expression.
"Knight Commander Eagus."
"You know it's against the rules to take swords outside the Sparring Hall. What do you think you were doing sneaking out with that?!"
"You don't know?" Link said back to him with a raised brow.
Eagus narrowed his brows concernedly. "Don't know what? Is everything alright?"
Link spent the next few minutes summarizing the situation regarding his missing Loftwing to the Knight Commander. Eagus was surprised to hear all this.
"Your Loftwing is missing and maybe somewhere by the waterfall?"
"Yes."
"And you're going to look for him?' Link nodded. "Normally I wouldn't allow non-Skyknights to walk out with the sword, but given the circumstances I guess I could make an exception for you to bring a sword with you just this once."
"Thank you."
"But don't forget that you're still in training and Skyloft is a peaceful place. I don't want to hear that you were swinging your sword around like a crazy maniac out there!" Eagus then muttered. "Otherwise, we'll both get in a ton of trouble for this..."
"Don't worry. I'll be responsible." Link reassures him.
"In that case, good luck on your search! And bring it back once you're done, please."
Link exited the Sparring Hall. Pipit was still standing out there. Link could also see Fledge sitting on the ground, back against the outer wall of the Sparring Hall, knees to his chest.
Pipit walked over. "You got the sword?"
"With Eagus' permission, so you don't have to take the heat from me." Link glances at Fledge. The young teenage boy glances at him briefly with guilt in his eyes before looking back down. Seeing his friend like this makes Link feel bad for how he reacted earlier. "How's he doing?"
"He's still shaken up. He feels pretty bad about the whole thing." Pipit crossed his arms and gave Link a sharp look. Link knew he was referring to his getting upset earlier.
"I know…I'll talk to him later. I got to go find my bird."
"Before you do, let me give you some advice. Before you head out, send a prayer to the goddess. You might need it."
Link thought it over. "I might do that."
"Good luck, buddy. You're gonna need it."
Link made his way away from the Sparring Hall. Near the pathway to Skyloft lay a Loftwing statue, one of many stationed throughout Skyloft. Link remembered the advice Pipit had given him. He decided to listen, figuring it would hurt.
Link stood in front of the state, lowered his head, clasped his hands together, and prayed.
"Goddess Hylia and her golden sisters, hear my prayer. Please watch over my bird for me. Keep him safe. Just until I reach him."
With that said and done, Link bolts straight into town.
And here we have the Link searching for his bird, running into some NPCs, and getting the bombshell from Fledge. Now he knows where to look. Will he find Epona in time? We shall see.
I tried to add in an explanation for Horwell's absence in the Ceremony. In the game Gaepora stated that Horwell was in charge of the Wing Ceremony. But when it started it was Owlan who was in his place. Someone suggest the reason may be was that Horwell was dealing with Mia the Remlit so I thought I added that here. Question remains: What's gotten Mia riled up, hmm?