(I lied. There's no Kings in here. Sorry not sorry. In the meantime have more angst *cackles in 'why do I write this way'*)
Time turned to make a head count.
Legend and Hyrule in the back; a tired-looking Wind clinging to Sky, who was blinking against the sun; Four right next to Time himself; and Warriors just stepping out of the portal—
“Where’s Twilight?” The captain asked. “Wasn’t he right in front of me?”
“No telling,” Time answered gravely. He attempted to punch the nausea back down to his stomach where it belonged, to no avail. Where was his pup? Where—
He was in wolf form, standing with legs splayed like he was trying to keep his balance. The portal closed behind him as he wheeled around, and he howled softly in the back of his throat, clawing at the ground. Anguished, clearly.
“Twi, what’sa matter?” Wind asked. His eyebrows furrowed sleepily. “Weren’t you Hylian ‘afore the portal?”
The wolf froze. A quick, guarded glance around must have shown him something he didn’t expect, because in the next second he was bounding onto Time. He had gotten bigger, Time realized as paws pounded over his pauldrons.
A shadowy vibration revealed the Hylian behind the wolf. He looked even more distraught in this form— hair wild, clothes tighter than normal, hands awkward like he had been wearing gloves his entire life and didn’t know what to do with bare fingers.
“T-Time,” the younger man sobbed. “I have to go back. I can’t— left him— three years and I can’t even finish out the job— damn portal—” the words were interspersed with panting and head shaking, like he was trying to remember— something. Words?
“Pup, slow down,” Time said. Panic filled his mind but no, he was the leader here. He had to be calm. “You’ve lost us. What happened to you?”
“Forced to— wolf for two, three years— met…” His eyes calmed for a millisecond, taking on something protective and proud. “Him. My pack— my pup.”
Pup? Where on earth had Twilight met someone he thought of so highly, without anyone from their Chain knowing? And being gone for two or three years— No, being a wolf for two or three years—
“I’m changing back,” Time’s pup warned, hands dropping to his sides. “Have to… find Him. Nose’s better for it.”
Quick as an arrow the wolf was standing in Twilight’s place. He snuffled for a few seconds, then bolted off towards—
Was that the old shelter?