Krystal blinked her eyes twice and looked around. She was surrounded by pitch blackness. Her eyes, normally suited for darkness like this, couldn't make out anything. She shivered involuntarily; she wasn't cold, but the seemingly endless darkness all around her was making her fears and insecurities rise up. What was this place? How did she get there? Was she…all alone?

Suddenly, she noticed something down between her feet: a faint light that seemed to be slowly getting brighter. She raised her head up and realized it was coming from behind her since there was still darkness in front of her. She turned around and saw the light was coming from off in the distance. She could also see what appeared to be a stone bridge with railings on the sides a couple of meters in front of her. She looked down and hesitantly took a step onto the bridge. Nothing happened after a few seconds, so she carefully took another step. She took a few more slow steps before she started to walk more earnestly, soon breaking into a run.

The light source got closer as she ran. It was still too far away to make out what it was exactly, but she could make it and her surroundings out a little bit more. The light appeared to be coming from inside a large round mostly green and blue object that seemed to be slightly transparent and was rotating. The darkness was fading away to more of a blue color and there were shining lights dotted around like stars in the night sky.

The bridge wasn't very long and she could soon see end of it. She also noticed that someone seemed to be standing there. She couldn't tell who it was or what they looked like, though, since they seemed to be wearing a hooded cloak. She came to a stop near the end of the bridge, panting slightly as she looked up at the figure, which was a head taller than her. Silence ruled the area for several long moments before the figure's head moved up slightly and she could make out a small flash of red and peach-colored fur under the hood.

"Krystal…"

Krystal blinked at this. The voice clearly belonged to a male and it sounded a bit raspy. It reminded her of Orca, but she knew it wasn't him, though it did sound familiar to her for some reason.

"Krystal, come here…"

Before she could decide whether or not to heed, a small glowing light blue orb suddenly appeared between them, hovering in the air. Without warning, it began to shine brightly, causing Krystal to close and shield her eyes and take a step back. The light continued to shine, forcing her to keep her eyes closed. While she was like this, she felt like her hands were pressing against a wall all of a sudden. She took a step back, but it seemed like the wall was following her and forcing her to keep stepping back…

Krystal's eyelids clenched a few times before they parted, her eyes darting around for a second before focusing on Aryll, who was still asleep in front of her. The sight of her little sister caused her mind to clear. She was still at home; she'd just been having a strange dream. It was hardly the first time she'd ever seen something unusual in her dreams, but she hadn't had an experience like that in some time. For some reason, it felt like what she had seen had gone deep inside of her mind, giving her a glimpse of something she couldn't rightly recall, something that she couldn't remember now that she was awake.

She rolled over onto her back and slowly sat up. Looking towards the window, she could see the sun was just coming up. It was the beginning of a new day. Krystal closed her eyes and leaned forward, extending her arms and legs in front of her as a groan escaped her mouth, shaking the traces of sleep from her body.

"Good morning, Krystal. You're up early." Krystal opened her eyes and looked to her left. Grandma was standing in front of the fireplace, looking at her.

"Not as early as you, Grandma. You always wake up much earlier than we do," Krystal thought to herself. She turned and swung her legs over the side of the bed, looking down at her feet for a moment before looking up at the older woman. "I… think I had a strange dream last night, Grandma," she said, speaking in the same low voice that Grandma had used to avoid disturbing Aryll.

"Oh? What happened?" Grandma asked.

Krystal looked down, thinking for several seconds before looking up again. "I can't seem to recall what it was about now, but I'm certain it was something unusual," she answered.

"Sometimes we see strange when we sleep, things we never thought our minds could conjure. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, my child," Grandma replied. Krystal looked at her for a moment longer before looking down at the floor and sliding off the bed, her feet slipping into her sandals. "Where are you going?" Grandma asked.

Krystal looked up while shifting her legs a bit, "I want to go see the sun rise over the island from the hill."

Grandma nodded, "All right. And remember…"

Krystal looked at her as she started to walk to the front door, "No going into the forest. I won't forget, Grandma." When she reached the door, she left her sandals on the edge of the rug and slipped on her boots. She then left the house and broke out into a run across the quiet island.

A little while later, when the sun was higher in the sky but not high enough for it to be noon, Aryll awoke. The first thing she noticed upon opening her eyes was that Krystal was gone. She raised her head off the pillow, her hair slightly messy, and looked around, but Grandma was the only one she saw. "Good morning, Aryll. Did you sleep well?" she asked as she looked up from the pot hanging in the fireplace.

"Yes, I did Grandma!" Aryll replied. She pushed herself up onto her knees and asked, "Where's Krystal?"

Grandma replied, "She woke up earlier and went out to go watch the sunrise from up on the hill." She looked towards the window for a moment before looking back at Aryll, "She hasn't come back since… Could you go look for her for me? I need to get her ready for her special day after all…"

Aryll's eyes lit up, "Oh yeah! Of course I'll go get her, Grandma! I'll grab my telescope." She crawled over to the edge of the bed and leapt down onto the floor.

Before she could leave, Grandma moved faster than one might expect her to and caught her granddaughter in her arms, saying, "Hold on, my dear. You can't go out with your hair looking like that!"

A couple minutes later, Aryll stood out in front of the house with her telescope in her right hand and her hair looking like it usually did, ready to go. She raised her left hand to the side of her face and called, "Big Sister!" After a few moments of not seeing or hearing anything, she ran down the front ramp and down onto the beach, where she stopped and yelled, "BIG SISTER!" She brought her telescope up to her right eye and looked through it. She still couldn't see Krystal anywhere.

She made her way to the other side of the island and ran down the boardwalk to the base of the lookout tower. As she was getting close to the top, she could hear soft snoring and breathing and she instantly knew who it was. "Big Sister!" she said as she reached the top of the ladder, looking through her telescope at the blue fox sleeping on her side.

Krystal opened her eyes and blinked softly. She placed her hands on the floor and turned her upper body and head to look towards the ladder, having heard her sister's voice calling her, but when she looked, she didn't see her there. Confused, she shifted her legs underneath her and stood up, looking in the direction of her home. She raised her arms over her head and stretched, a soft groan escaping her lips as she did. She reopened her eyes partway and thought to herself, "I guess I was able to fall back asleep after all. I don't think I dreamed of anything strange, but I could've sworn…"

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard Aryll say, "I had a feeling I'd find you here!" Krystal blinked and looked behind her to see her little sister standing there with her hands behind her back. As she turned fully to face her, Aryll said, "Hee hee! I know how much you like high places, and this is one of the highest places on the island." She paused for a moment before asking, "So, do you remember what today is?"

Krystal stared, "Um…" She didn't know what else to say; she couldn't remember anything particularly special about this day.

Aryll shifted from side to side, giving her an anxious look as she spoke, "…I guess you're still a little sleepy, even with that nap. Anyway, do you remember?" After a few more seconds of Krystal giving her a blank look, she smiled again, "Big Sister, it's the day Grandma found you! That means it's your birthday!"

Krystal's eyes opened wide at this. "Oh! …I guess I did forget," she sheepishly admitted.

Aryll said, "That's why Grandma's been waiting for you to come back to the house! She's been waiting for a while now… It's a good thing I came to find you! You should go see what she wants, okay?" Krystal nodded and turned, walking over to the ladder and climbing down.

Her run back to the house was interrupted when, halfway across the bridge, she noticed Joel standing on the rock looking at something. She slowed down and he turned to look at her as she came up beside him. "'Hoy, Krystal! Hey, are you able to run and jump to that rock out there? Huh? Can you?" he asked.

Krystal looked to her left at the three rocks sticking out above the water. She decided she could spare a little time to give him an answer so she said, "Well, let's find out, Joel." She turned and ran to the edge of the rock before jumping. She easily made it to the first rock and just as easily to the second one. The third was a little higher, though, so she had to grab the edge of it and pull herself up. She let herself indulge in her little victory, raising her arms above her head before making her way back to Joel. "I guess I can," she remarked to him.

"Wow… I hope I'll be able to jump like you someday, Krystal…" Joel breathed in wonder.

Krystal patted him on the shoulder as she said, "Keep working on it and eat all the meals your parents make, and you just might find yourself able to do it sooner than you think." She continued on her way and came across Abe crouching in the grass when she finished crossing the bridge. "'Hoy, Abe. What are you doing?" she asked as she approached him.

The man quickly looked towards her and rapidly gestured with his arm, telling her to get down. Krystal did as she was being told and crouched down before making her way over next to him. Once she was beside him, he whispered, "I'm in the middle of something right now, Krystal. See through the grass there?" She turned and peered; past the blades of grass, there was a pink pig sniffing around. "My wife has been talking about getting a pet for our new pen for a while now. That pig looks perfect," he explained. He turned to Krystal, "What do you think, Krystal? Do you want to try catching that pig?"

Krystal thought for a moment before replying, "Sure, I'd like to try."

Abe nodded, "All right. Now remember: you can't just run up to it. Stay down and approach slowly to get close before you try to grab it. You could also use bait to distract it, if you have any."

Krystal thought back to yesterday, specifically to fishing with Orca. After taking a moment to calm her thoughts, she got down on her belly and slowly crawled through the grass. The pig noticed her as she emerged from the grass, but it didn't pay her much attention, even as she got closer. When she was in front of it, she slowly rose to her feet and moved her hands close, but not too close so as not to make it panic. Then, in one swift motion, she moved forward and scooped it up off its feet, holding it upside-down above her hand. "Got it!" she exclaimed.

Abe quickly stood up, pumping his fist as he said, "Yes! Good job, Krystal! Come on, let's take it up to the house." Krystal followed him up the hill to the house. The pig squealed and wriggled a little bit as they went, but it was unable to do much else. Rose was very thankful to Krystal for helping her husband catch the pig and they both each gave her a red Rupee as a birthday present. She thanked them and made her way down the hill to go back to her house.

Stepping inside her home, Krystal immediately went to peer around the corner at the beds, but she didn't see Grandma there. She then heard a rustling coming from the loft above, so she walked over to the ladder and climbed up it. Sure enough, she found Grandma up there along with a wreath that had leaves, flowers, and two wooden swords on it. And in the center was a blue shield that had three yellow triangles arranged like one big triangle on top and a stylized bird design underneath, which Krystal recognized as the shield Grandma had had for years. "Hanging the old family shield on the wall, as per tradition," she thought as she finished climbing up the ladder. "Grandma," she said as she approached the matriarch, who had her arms down with something green in her hands.

"I've been waiting for you, Krystal," she said. When the fox was standing in front of her, she held up her arms, revealing a set of clothes consisting of a green shirt with light brown long sleeves, a green cone-shaped hat, and white tights. "Krystal… Try these on."

Krystal looked down at the clothes, an apprehensive look crossing her face. "G-Grandma…" she uttered, unsure what else to say.

"Time certainly flies… I can't believe you're already old enough to wear these clothes," she remarked as she thrust the clothes into Krystal's torso. The blue fox brought her hands up to hold them and looked down at them as Grandma stepped back; she looked up at her a moment later with an unhappy look. "Don't look so disappointed, my dear! Just try them on. Today is a day to celebrate! As far as I can tell, you are now the same age as the young hero spoken of in the legends. You only have to wear them for one day, so don't look so down. Be proud, child!"

Krystal sighed softly and said, "Okay, Grandma." She sat down and set the clothes on the floor next to her and then brought her hands forward to pull her boots off. "It feels… strange to be doing this," she stated as she reached over to grab the tights first.

"Don't feel that way, my child. As you know, this was the day boys were finally considered to be men in the olden days. They were taught the ways of the sword to prepare them for battle with their enemies. You're not a boy, but it's still tradition for each family. Of course, as far I'm concerned, you're tougher than any young man on this island!" she said proudly.

Krystal had stood up at this point as she pulled the tights up her legs, already beginning to feel uncomfortable in the warm weather. "Grandma, you…" She stopped short as she realized she had a problem: the tights weren't sliding up all the way to cover her rear. "Grandma, these don't fit right," she said.

"Hmm? That's strange. I could've sworn I checked your measurements recently. They should fit you perfectly," Grandma remarked. A low chuckle escaped her lips, "Perhaps you're growing up faster than I realized. Or maybe you're right and you are starting to fill out due to my cooking."

Krystal cheeks turned red at that. She'd only said that the other night as an excuse to get out of the house for a little while. She hadn't actually meant it. "Grandma…" she moaned.

"Oh, don't be upset, Krystal. You're the last person on this island that I expect that to happen to, what with how active you are. Just take them off and let me have a look at you. I suppose you don't need to wear them right now anyway," Grandma said.

Krystal breathed a sigh of relief and slipped the tights off and put her boots back on. As she turned around and held her arms out at her sides to let Grandma look her over, she thought about her words. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you still need to wear them for today, so I'd better get to work making adjustments. I'm going to invite the whole town over for your birthday party tonight, and I want everyone to see you in the clothes," Grandma replied as she ran her hands over Krystal's arms, legs, and backside.

Krystal started to look worried again. "Everyone's coming over…?" she breathed.

"That's right, and now I have even more to do in order to get ready. It seems your measurements have changed after all, so I'd better make the adjustments now. I'm also going to be making your favorite soup tonight; I know you'll be looking forward to that! Mmmm!" Grandma replied. After another moment, she nodded and stepped back, giving Krystal's back a pat as she did.

"You're certainly not wrong about that, Grandma. I'd put up with just about anything for your soup," Krystal thought as she lowered her arms to her sides and turned around to face her.

"Can you go get your sister, Aryll, for me? Tell her I need her to come back here," Grandma said before turning to gather up the clothes on the floor. Krystal nodded and climbed down the ladder, her grandmother also climbing down as she left.

Aryll was still playing with the seagulls when Krystal returned to the lookout tower. She turned around when Krystal finished climbing up the ladder and quickly put her hands behind her back as she said, "Ah! Big Sister!" She noticed Krystal's outfit and asked, "You're… not wearing the clothes Grandma made for you?"

Krystal answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders, "There were some… fitting problems. I don't really want to ruin them trying to put them on."

Aryll looked at her up and down and frowned, "With all of your fur, I guess you would be really warm too…" After a moment, she smiled again, "Still, I hope I get to see what you look like in them!"

Krystal walked over to her as she replied, "Well, Grandma said she'll adjust them, so you will, just… later."

Aryll said, "Oh, okay!" She then got an apprehensive look on her face again, "Um… Big Sister…"

Krystal tilted her head at this, "Yes?"

Aryll asked, "Can you… close your eyes and hold out your hands?"

Krystal raised an eyebrow, "Um, may I ask why?"

Aryll giggled and said, "Because I want to give you your birthday present before you see it, silly! Come on!" Krystal rolled her eyes slightly before complying, closing them and holding her hands out towards Aryll. After a few moments, she felt something firm and slightly warm get placed in her hands. She then heard Aryll say, "Okay, you can open them!"

Krystal did so and looked down. The object she was given was a familiar telescope, the fox recognizing the drawing of a pair of seagulls near the lens. "Aryll, this is…" she started.

"Happy birthday, Big Sister! I'm giving you my most precious belonging… but only for today!" Aryll said.

Krystal looked at her for a moment before saying, "Well… thank you, Aryll." She stepped closer and wrapped her left arm around her in a hug, which Aryll eagerly returned.

As they separated, Aryll noticed something flying over the water and turned to look. Krystal looked as well; it looked like a Rito, a tribe of bird-like people who were well-known across the Great Sea as postal carriers. The two siblings watched the Rito fly towards the island and land near the mailbox by their house. Aryll ran over to the railing and stared for a moment before looking back at Krystal and saying, "Hey Big Sister, why don't you try using my telescope? Take a look at the postman over there!"

Krystal replied, "All right." She stepped up next to her and brought the telescope up to her right eye. She closed her left eye and used her left hand to adjust her view, zooming in on the mailbox. The Rito mail carrier was peering into the mailbox as she focused on him. He stood up after a few seconds and he spread his arms as he turned away from the mailbox, so Krystal expected him to take off. When he looked up, she saw his stern-looking face take on a shocked expression and he took a step back.

"What do you see, Big Sister?" Aryll asked.

Krystal lowered the telescope and said, "Something seems to have caught the postman's attention." She turned her head up and right to see if she could see it for herself and her eyes widened. She brought the telescope back up to her eye and Aryll turned to look too. She saw it almost immediately.

There was a massive bird soaring through the air towards the island. It was covered with dark blue feathers, it had four yellow and green tail feathers streaming behind it, and it appeared to have a metal mask sitting on top of its beak. It was easy to see the bird from where the sisters were, but with the telescope, Krystal could see it was clutching a blonde-haired girl in its left talon and she appeared to have her eyes closed.

As she zoomed out, Krystal noticed something fly over and past the bird. It looked like a stone ball. She shifted her gaze and saw where it had come from: a large wooden ship that had a large sail with crossed swords on it and a black flag with a skull and crossbones on it on top of the mast. Krystal had heard tales about ships like this, so she knew this was likely a pirate ship. She zoomed in a little more. A man wearing a green shirt, white pants, and a burgundy bandanna was standing at the bow next to a catapult, making gestures with his right hand and talking to, presumably, whoever was loading the catapult.

Several more shots were fired at the bird, which simply tilted its wings to avoid them as it kept flying. When it was flying over Outset, the pirates finally managed to land a shot, the stone ball hitting the bird square on the head and causing it to let out a loud cry. The bird went stiff and released the girl, who fell towards the forest atop the hill and vanished behind the line of trees while the bird went into a nosedive a second later. Fortunately, it missed Outset Island and landed in the ocean behind it with a loud splash and a big spray of water.

Krystal had been more focused on the girl while she was falling. She lowered the telescope when she could no longer see her and said, "That girl that bird was carrying landed in the forest!"

Aryll exclaimed, "What?! Krystal, that's terrible! She needs help! She could be hurt!"

Krystal nodded, "You're right." She tucked the telescope into her belt and turned and ran over to the ladder.

As she was starting to climb down, Aryll took a few steps towards her and said, "Wait, Krystal! The forest…"

Krystal looked at her and said, "I know what Grandma says, but this is an urgent situation."

Aryll replied, "I know, but there could be monsters in there! Your claws might not be enough to protect you. Isn't there something else you could use to protect yourself with?"

Krystal blinked and thought for a moment. She then turned her head to look towards Orca and Sturgeon's house, "I think there is." She climbed down the ladder and made her way over to their home.

Orca was thrusting his palms into the fish-shaped target on his wall when Krystal stepped in. He looked back at her as she stepped into the ring in the center. He approached her and said, "Krystal! You're a little late today. If I remember correctly, today is the day we celebrate as your birthday, and you are considered the same age as the hero in the legend as well."

Krystal nodded, "Yes, sir." She wanted to tell him what she needed, but she was trying to remain polite despite the urgent reason she came to talk to him about.

As it turns out, she didn't have to say anything. Orca looked at her face for a second before saying, "Is something the matter, Krystal? That urgent look on your face… It is as if you have something you want to say. I suspect it is no laughing matter…" After a moment, he said, "Ah, are you perhaps seeking serious instruction in the way of the sword?"

Krystal blinked and nodded, "Y-Yes, sir! That's exactly it!" Orca rubbed his beard as he thought for a moment and then nodded.

A minute later, Krystal was holding the sword Orca kept in her left hand and he was holding his fishing spear. The sword was light and easy to use, and its blade was well cared for. They did a small bow to each other and then they both leapt back. "Very good! Your first lesson is the horizontal slash. Do not fear for my safety. I am ready for you!"

Krystal did as he ordered and continued to follow his instructions as he gave them. Over the next few minutes, she demonstrated the vertical slash, the thrust, a spin attack, a parry, and a jump attack for him. At the end of it, Orca chuckled and said, "Very good, Krystal! That was a fine display!"

Krystal panted a bit as she replied, "Thank you, sir."

Orca looked at her for a moment before starting, "Perhaps it is because you have practiced with it so many times before, but I believe something has changed about the sword you hold…" He turned and walked over to where he had retrieved the sword from as he continued, "An eagerness of sorts, something that goes beyond the desire to be wielded on the field of battle… Since olden days, this sword has been used to fend off evil…" He picked something up and turned around; Krystal could see he was holding the sword's scabbard and the belt it was attached to in his hands.

She looked up at his face as he walked over to her and asked, "Sir?"

Orca came to a stop in front of her before speaking, "I do not know what has happened, what that racket outside was… But I have faith in you, Krystal. I doubt you will misuse that sword." He held his hands out to her, "Here. You may have the sword as well as this. I give it to you freely."

Krystal set the sword down on the floor and took the offered items. "Thank you, Orca, sir! I promise I won't let you down!" she said gratefully.

Orca watched her put the sword in the scabbard and slip the belt on, adjusting it a bit so it fit comfortably. When she stood up, he said, "This blade is infused with the desire to become strong and righteous. That is what I want from you in return. Be strong, Krystal." They shared another bow and Krystal left afterwards.

Upon stepping out of Orca's house, Krystal looked forward and saw the ship she saw earlier. It was very close to Outset Island now, but it hadn't reached the dock yet and it would surely take time for the crew to drop anchor and disembark. Krystal decided she wasn't going to wait to see what happened next; she was going to go help that girl herself. She turned and ran back to the other side of the island, heading up the hill and squeezing between the trees blocking the path. At the top, she ran across the bridge, leaping over the hole in the middle, and ran through the opening into the forest.

As soon as she stepped through the entryway, she spotted the girl. She was dangling from a tree on the ridge in front of her, the back of her vest caught on a branch. Krystal couldn't tell if she was hurt or worse, and the ridge was too steep for her to climb up directly, so she ran to the right to make her way around to it.

A dark blue creature known as a Bokoblin was standing in the dip in the ground. Krystal noticed it as she jumped down and quickly pressed her back against the rock wall next to her. She peered around to look; it seemed like it hadn't seen her, but its pig-like nose was flaring and it stood in front of the stump she needed to use to climb up. She had a feeling it wasn't going to just let her by, so she drew her sword and closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. She wanted to be sure she was as ready as she could be for her first real fight.

The Bokoblin spotted her almost as soon as she revealed herself. It ran towards her while bent her knees, bracing herself. It turned its head to follow her as she took a few steps to her right. It suddenly jumped at her, raising its right leg for a kick; Krystal jumped to her right and, after it landed and turned to her, she slashed it vertically down the face. The strike didn't scare it off and it raised its right hand to strike her, hitting her across the side of her face. She turned back to it and glared as she raised her sword again, this time unleashing a series of vertical strikes like Orca showed her. The last strike struck the Bokoblin diagonally upwards and it let out a cry as it was thrown off its feet, landing on its back with a small bounce and disappearing in a cloud of dark smoke afterwards.

Krystal panted a bit as she stared at the spot where the monster had been. As she calmed down, she realized what had happened. "Wow… I got him!" she exclaimed. She felt pretty proud of the fact that she took down an actual monster, but this was no time to get excited. She still had to help that girl. She climbed up on the stump and jumped to the nearby ledge. She then ran up a nearby log that was leaning against the ridge she needed to get up over and jumped down.

She was almost to the tree the girl was dangling from, but after she took two steps, her ears suddenly twitched. She looked around warily, hearing what sounded like a bird call, then another. Was it that big bird? She got an answer several moments later when two birds that looked like smaller versions of that bird flew above the canopy, each one carrying a Bokoblin. Before they flew over her, they both dropped their Bokoblins, both of which landed in front of Krystal with a yell. She avoided their kicks and ran past them, stopping and turning back to face them with her sword held out behind her. When they ran at her, she knocked them off their feet with a spin attack. She was going to do her best to keep them from ganging up on her.

While Krystal was dealing with the Bokoblins, the pirate girl suddenly began to regain consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and closed a few times before staying open, and it took her a moment to realize she wasn't on the ground. She let out a yelp and started struggling, trying to reach for the tree branch. She couldn't reach it, but somewhat luckily, the branch wasn't strong enough to endure her struggling for long and it suddenly snapped near its base. It swung down towards the tree trunk and the girl cried out as she was taken along with it.

Krystal had finished taking out the Bokoblins when she heard a thud behind her. She turned around and couldn't see the girl from where she was. She immediately noticed the branch was broken and sheathed her sword as she ran towards the ridge. She could hear her groaning in pain as she got close and saw her when she grabbed onto the edge and pulled her head up, pushing herself up from the ground next to the tree, looking dazed. "Excuse me, are you all right, miss? Are you hurt?" Krystal said as she continued pulling herself up.

The girl turned her head to look at Krystal as she climbed up, looking her over as her full body came into view. "Wow. What's your story?" she asked after a moment, still a bit dazed.

"Er, what?" Krystal asked, not sure how to respond to that.

"Well, whatever. So, where am I…?" the girl wondered aloud.

Krystal started, "Well…"

The girl blinked, the haze in her mind starting to clear, and said, "Oh, that's right! That giant bird came and…" She trailed off, not sure what happened next.

Suddenly, they both heard someone call, "Miss! Miss Tetra!" Both girls looked towards the forest entrance. Krystal saw it belonged to the man she saw on the pirate ship earlier, the man shuffling anxiously in place.

"Gonzo!" Tetra called as she pushed herself up onto her feet. She leapt down from the ridge and made it as far as the log Krystal had scratched the previous day before she needed to stop, her balance a little shaky.

Gonzo ran over to Tetra as she leaned against the log to steady herself. While Krystal quietly went the wide way, making a smaller jump down, she listened in as Gonzo blubbered, "Oh, thank… thank goodness you're safe! I was sure Zuko said you'd been dropped on this summit, which is still better than where that bird landed, but I was so afraid you'd…" He stopped talking, wiping his eyes as he continued to blubber.

"Summit? So, that bird let go of me over a mountain?" Tetra asked. She pushed off of the log, "Well, wasn't that nice of it!" She ran towards the forest entrance, pausing briefly to look back at Gonzo and say, "Well, come on! Don't just stand there! Time to repay our debt to that bird in full!"

Gonzo hesitated, looking over at Krystal as she stood nearby. He'd noticed her earlier, but had been too caught up in Tetra's wellbeing to really determine if she was a threat. Now, seeing her close up, he guessed she wasn't a danger, but he wasn't sure what she was doing here. He looked back in Tetra's direction, "But, Miss, what about this… girl?"

Tetra stopped in the entryway to look back and call, "She's fine, don't worry about her! Come on!" Gonzo looked over at Krystal one last time before hurrying after her. Krystal hurried after them after a moment, not wanting to be alone in the forest and unsure of what to make of things since they happened so fast. She found them standing near the bridge when she exited the forest, looking towards the village. "Where are we?" Tetra asked.

"This is Outset Island, miss. Certainly not a bad place to land," Krystal remarked as she approached them. They both looked over at her, but before either of them could say anything, they all heard someone else.

"'Hoy! Big Sister!" Krystal looked across the bridge and saw Aryll standing at the other end waving with a few seagulls flying around her.

Krystal raised her left hand to wave back, calling, "Hi, Aryll! She's okay!" Aryll started to walk onto the bridge, so she called, "No, Aryll, stay there! The bridge still…" She trailed off as she picked up on something, her right ear twitching as she heard something other than the sounds of seagulls calling and the ocean waves.

As she looked to her right, Tetra looked at her and walked over, asking, "What? What's with you?" She looked and saw what had caught Krystal's attention. The water behind the island was bubbling furiously. It almost looked like the water was boiling, but there was nothing to indicate that the water was heating up. Something was creating those bubbles, and it was coming up.

They got their answer a few moments later when the surface of the water was broken and a massive figure shot out. Krystal, Tetra, Gonzo, and Aryll all stared in shock as the giant bird flew straight up into the air. It stopped and spun itself around, spreading its wings wide with a loud screech, sending loose feathers and water droplets flying. It then flapped its wings and looked; its gaze fell on Aryll, still standing out on the bridge near the hole.

Without warning, it shot down and brought its talons forward when it was on top of the bridge, letting out another screech as it grabbed Aryll in its left talon. Both of its talons also hit one of the ropes, breaking it and causing the bridge to list worryingly to the right. "ARYLL!" Krystal screamed as the bird flew off with her sister.

Tetera's attention turned from the bird to the bridge, realizing that, with part of its support broken, it wasn't going to hold long, and if they didn't get across it soon, they'd be stuck on this outcropping until someone came to rescue them. She turned to Gonzo and said, "Gonzo, go! Get across the bridge before it breaks!" When he looked ready to protest, she shouted, "I'll be right behind you! Go!" He flinched and did as she said, running across the bridge. Tetra was about to follow when she noticed Krystal hadn't budged, the fox staring in the direction the bird had flown off, her eyes wide in shock. She grabbed her right arm and pulled her, saying, "What are you doing?! Get it together, come on!" Krystal's legs moved as Tetra dragged her, but she continued to stare as the bird flew away from the island.

The loud sound of snapping caused Krystal to shake off her shock and she looked back. They had made it past the hole, but even though Gonzo had made it to the other side, there was still too much weight on the bridge. The ropes were giving way and they weren't to the other side yet. She faced forward and started running as fast as she could, getting right behind Tetra and pushing her forward. "Hey, wha-?!" the pirate girl started to say before Krystal suddenly pushed her as hard as she could towards Gonzo, right before the bridge broke in two.

Gonzo gasped and held out his arms, managing to catch Tetra when she lost her balance after getting off the bridge. He looked down at her and was relieved to see that she was okay, but when he looked up, his eyes widened; he didn't see Krystal. He let Tetra go and scrambled around her, uttering, "That girl…!" He got down on his hands and knees to look over the edge. He spotted her after a moment, hanging onto one of the planks, though she was close to the end of their half of the bridge and she looked like she was struggling to hang on.

Tetra was beside him a moment later and, after seeing Krystal, said, "Well, don't just stare, Gonzo! Pull her up!" He grabbed onto one of the planks at that and began pulling it and Krystal up. Pulling it up was no trouble for him and he was able to reach down and grab Krystal after less than a minute, pulling her up onto solid ground.

Krystal lay on the ground for a moment before she suddenly shot up and looked in the direction of the bird once again. She stood up and looked like she was about to run towards the edge of the hill. Just as it seemed that she was about to do so, she felt a sharp pain as she felt something grab and pull her tail. She looked back and saw that it was Tetra. "Let me go!" she yelled.

"Uhhn! Stop it! Get ahold of yourself! It's too late. She's gone," Tetra said. Krystal looked back again and was forced to admit that she was right. She could barely see the bird on the horizon. She felt Tetra release her tail as she sank to her knees, but she didn't really care. She stared forward numbly in shock. Her sister was gone, carried away by some monstrous bird for reasons she couldn't even begin to fathom.