Sir Link Outset made it to the Hebra Trailhead lodge without much difficulty. However Harth hadn't heard anything about Zelda, but he did suggest that Tulin could help. Harth had explained that Tulin had developed a way with his wings to put adults to shame. He could create gusts of wind to propel things forward. Apparently the fledgling could traverse the storm riddled skies and report back with little issues. Harth had advised Link to go find the young Rito, who had gone off with Laissa and Gesane in search of food in the Hebra South summit cave. Now as Link grudgingly trudged through the snow, he worried about asking Tulin for help.
The fledgling may be powerful, but he was still a child, no matter how much he denied it. Link knew what it was like to be a child in an adult uniform, and he didn't want to force Tulin to do the same. To distract himself, Link went to the Rospro Pass Skyview Tower and paraglided down to look for the bonfires Harth mentioned would mark the Hebra cave. Link could barely see anything through the snow and the biting cold.
When he found the cave, he only found Laissa inside who told him that Tulin was farther into the cave with Gesane. Link thanked her and moved into the cave. The cold was worse here, and it was darker, but Link didn't want to use bright blooms unnecessarily. From what little he'd explored of the Depths below Hyrule, he knew he should save them.
He went further into the cave until he found Gesane, who told him that Tulin had run off, or flown off in the Rito's case. Apparently the heard-headed fledgling had gone to fight a group of monsters! Gesane, an adult, hadn't even gone after Tulin! Link very nearly cussed out the Rito man in sign but instead ran after Tulin. Gesane said that the monsters were seen at a lone cedar tree on Talonto Peak, and Link flew there like he had real wings.
He found a Boss Bokoblin and its pack near the base of the peak, and dispatched them without mercy before continuing on. As promised, Link found Tulin on the peak looking at an Aerocuda that was flying over some Zonai ruins.
"Supid monster!" Tulin said, his little body shaking with anger, but when Link approached he turned looking confused. "Wha- Link? Where did you come from?"
Link managed to sign "What happened." without making his movement too rigid in his anger. Tulin could tell though, Link could see it by the way his face sobered like a child caught stealing cookies.
"Oh uh… you see… That rotten monster stole my bow." Tulin pointed at the Aerocuda. "See? That's the bow napper! I've gotta get it back. Help me out, Link?" Tulin asked. Link nearly said no just out of spite for the egotistical rock-head of a Rito, but he knew that if he didn't help Tulin, the boy would just go alone.
Link nodded. "Sure."
Tulin smiled big. "Really? Thanks! Didja know that I can blow a strong gust of wind anywhere I feel like?"
Link nodded, not sure where this was going other than perhaps Tulin bragging. Great Hylia, Tulin reminded Link of Groose, an old acquaintance of his at the knights academy, though perhaps Tulin had more talent. Well… Revali had reminded Link of Groose as well so perhaps an ego was something talented Rito shared.
"I can do that for you too!" Tulin chirped, "That way you can glide over to where the monster went."
Link nodded, it was a good plan, and Link felt a twinge of sorrow that he had judged Tulin harshly. Link had judged Groose, who had actually been a small amount of help to Link with training. He'd misjudged Revali though he'd never let the Rito know it. Still Revali had hated him on principle until almost the end. Link was beginning to realize that Tulin and he would have to fight together. The least Link could do was support the boy as he became a man, no matter how unfairly soon it was.
Link nodded at Tulin, and jumped off the peak, immediately signaling Tulin to blow a gust of wind. Link shot the Aerocuda in mid air and dropped to the ruin's ceiling. Tulin caught the bow in his talons and turned to Link.
"There we go! I owe you big time, Link!" an Aerocuda's screech interrupted Tulin and they looked up to see more monsters from the camp moving towards them. Three Aerocudea's were carrying two red Bokoblins and a blue Bokoblin.
"They are so not gonna make a fool of me twice!" Tulin spat and flew forward, bow drawn and arrow knocked. Link rushed forward too without much choice. He took out the blue boko first and turned to find that Tulin had headshot the two red ones while Link was busy.
"We did it!" Tulin said, and looked around. "Hey, look. I think this might have been a hideout for these monsters."
Suddenly a wind that seemed to glow with a golden light, maneuvered through the two of them. Link immediately thought of Zelda. Her Light powers felt like this.
"Hmm? What was that wind?" Tulin asked, then he shook his head. "No that- that couldn't have been. Must've been something else."
"Hey, Tulin! Link!" Harth flew down to the ruins, Gesane on his wing. "That was some impressive teamwork between you two!"
"Wait. You saw that Harth? Talk about embarrassing." Tulin said. Link smacked him lightly on the shoulder.
"Working with me is embarrassing?" Link signed, smiling a little to show he was teasing, but Tulin frowned.
"No, I meant… I didn't listen when Gesane tried to stop me. I thought I could handle it. But I just ended up losing my favorite bow to those stupid things. I thought I was fully-fledged, but there was no way I could've gotten it back on my own."
"Bet now you see why we were treating you like a small chick." Harth said. Instead of denying it, Tulin hung his head. "Yeah. Dad was right- it's really important to work as a flock. I think I get it now." Link tapped Tulin's back again, now making the boy stand up straighter. Tulin smiled, but turned to Gesane when he spoke.
"Is that all there is to the story?" He asked. "It seems unlikely you would let your bow get taken."
"Oh yeah, there's a funny story about that. There was this whole thing with Princess Zelda." When Tulin said that name, Link whirled to face him directly.
"You saw Zelda?"
Tulin nodded. "I spotted her getting attacked by a monster. It was such a surprise that I dropped my bow. The monster stole it, but I guess Princess Zelda was fine because she zoomed up above that cloud."
"What? The Princess flew above the cloud. But how can that be?" Harth asked. Link's mind was racing. This was exactly what happened back at Hyrule castle. Link would have to go up there and investigate-
"You should go with him and investigate the cloud you say the princess soared into." Harth said. Link had missed part of the conversation! Before Link could object, Tulin did it for him.
"Huh? But I thought I wasn't allowed?"
"I got a report before coming here." Harth said, "We think it's likely that the blizzard is coming from inside that large cloud. I want to see for myself as soon as I can, but the strong winds make any approach from the sides impossible. The only way is through the top, but.. There is no Rito alive capable of crossing this stormy sky, except one." Harth sighed and Link thought perhaps he was thinking of Revali. The Rito wouldn't be alive now even if the Calamity hadn't killed him, but there was no Rito like him.
Except Tulin.
Great Hylia, Link would have to take Tulin.
"I'm talking about you, Tulin." Harth confirmed. "Only you have the skill and strength to create gusts of wind at will. "Tulin will be the finest Rito warrior of all once he understands the value of working with his allies." You know who said that to me? Your old man, Teba."
"Dad said that?"
"Yep. And I'll make sure he knows what you accomplished here today. Now it's time for you to go with Link and find Princess Zelda and whatevers causing this blizzard!" Harth said.
"No problem. The two of us together have got this!" Tulin said, and Link felt his heart wrench. Tulin turned to him. "I saw Princess Zelda up on the sky islands near Hebra peak. Let's check there first."
Harth wished them good luck, and Link turned away. Link teleported himself and Tulin to the Pikida Stonegrove Skyview tower before turning to Tulin. He needed to make sure Tulin knew what would befall him if he took this on.
"Tulin." Link said, and the boy gasped, not having heard Link speak before.
"I knew someone like you 100 years ago. He was a Rito. He had talent with the winds like no other, and skill with the bow that was famous all around Hyrule."
"Revali." Tulin guessed.
"Yes." Link confirmed. "Do you know what happened to him?" Link felt his voice tremble when he asked and felt his resolve waver. Could he really open Tulin's eyes to the reality of the situation? Would that not take his childhood away anyway?
"Of course, everybody does. He fell in his Divine Beast and held back the shard of the Calamity in spirit form-" Tulin reciting, just as Zelda had told all of Rito Village seven years ago.
"He died young." Link interrupted. He glanced at Tulin's horrified face and lost the ability to speak. He crouched down so he could look Tulin in the eyes.
"I was around 13 when I pulled out the Master Sword from its pedestal. I got lost in the Lost Woods and somehow ended up in the Korok forest, and brought the sword back to my father. Princess Zelda was six when she lost her mother and she trained every day of her life until she was seventeen, the day the Calamity struck. Revali was only a few years older than me. You're only a little older than I was when I found the Master Sword. I wasn't ready to wield it. I accidentally cut myself hauling the thing back to my father. My point is that… you are far too young for this, and I hate having to take your childhood away, because when you come out of that cloud, you will be a champion of your people, whether you want it or not."
Tulin took in Link's signed speech in stoic silence.
"I understand, Link." Tulin said, and Link could see in his eyes that he did. Great Hylia, had Link already taken away some of his childhood with that? No way to turn back now.