oooh for the beat the heat write a thon, how about something fun with Son Squad! All I have planned for them in the near future of writing is some not great times so they deserve a break
Link took his hat off to wipe the sweat off his face for the thousandth time. He forgot how awfully hot the desert was. But this desert was strange, different. He’d figured because he wasn’t familiar with the weird red masked guys that he must be in some other land, but…
He dreaded thinking about it, honestly. He wasn’t sure what land he had fallen into, but he knew something was supposed to go bad. That was always why he was sent somewhere.
He guessed things had kind of already gone bad. The teenager he had been imprisoned with was in bad shape, after all, and Wolf wouldn’t let Link give Scars a potion. Link couldn’t figure it out, but he chose to listen.
Wolf was a strange companion. Link knew he was more than just a wolf, as he seemed very smart and was willing to help and listen to him. Which clearly meant he wasn’t an animal, and he wasn’t a wolfos. So Link figured he was some sort of magical creature. But the frustrating thing was that every time Link tried to use a potion to help his other companion, a teenager covered in wounds and therefore named Scars, Wolf would stop him. He didn’t know why, but he’d given up trying. The Song of Healing hadn’t help either, though, and Link was all out of fairies.
He had to find help for Scars, or he would die. And Link didn’t want him to die. He supposed he could use the Song of Time until he figured something out, but he needed to know where he was first, or he’d be going in circles forever.
Why did Wolf have to make it hard? Link was sure he could force some potion down Scars' throat, even if he was sleeping. Whatever. Wolf was a helpful companion. And it was fund riding on his back.
Except Link couldn’t ride on his back right now. It was too hot and Wolf had to carry Scars.
What they really needed right now was directions, some kind of landmarks of settlements where he could start figuring things out. He was fairly used to being dropped into completely foreign places at this point, but this heat was really starting to bother him.
And then he saw a giant skeleton up ahead, and he wondered if it was real or not, but it was something, so he headed towards it.
As they got closer, Wolf's ears perked up, and he picked up his pace. Link tried to hurry along as well, the sun directly overhead, beating down on them. Wolf sniffed the air, moving faster, and Link got hopeful - this couldn't be something fake, then, like those images in the desert sometimes were.
It felt like it took an eternity to get there, but the sun was still high as they finally reached the giant skeleton. Link had no clue what it was, but it provided some semblance of shade, and...
Whoa, was that water?! Link dashed forward, finding a giant flower bud of some sort filled with water. He paused, a little hesitant, but he could sense magic, and more specifically fairy magic.
A fairy fountain! This was perfect! Link immediately dunked his head into the water, happily slurping it up and enjoying the coolness. When he emerged, Wolf was also lapping at it.
And then there was a rumble, and Link quickly moved towards the mushrooms that looked like a stairway. A great fairy burst out of the water, glancing around. "Oh! Who is disturbing the water? Oh! Hello, little one."
Link smiled, waving. Then he pointed to Scars. "Please, he needs healing."
"Oh, my," the great fairy noted, leaning over to examine the teenager. Then she glanced at Wolf, who sneezed and backed away a little, poking Scars with his nose. The great fairy giggled. "Oh, poor cursed ones. I'm afraid I cannot heal him completely."
Link glanced worriedly at Scars. "But--he may not live much longer."
"No, he most certainly will not," the fairy agreed. "I can bless him a little, help keep him alive and sustained for a time. But he needs stronger magic than what I can give. My powers have diminished over the years, with the darkness that overtook Hyrule."
Hyrule? They were in Hyrule? "What about Princess Zelda?"
"I know little of the princesses of these days," the fairy replied with a sigh, finger resting on Scars' forehead. "Visit my sisters. We can each impart a little of our magic, for both of your friends. But I believe the Spirit of the Forest might be able to better assist you."
Spirit of the...? Did she mean the Deku Tree? He was just a scrub, and his job was to protect the Kokiri Forest, not heal strangers. Link scrunched his nose a little. He wasn't sure about this fairy. But maybe they could visit the others and see what happened then.
Assuming Scars lived long enough.
"Rest, in the meantime," she bade with a gentle smile. "Drink and bottle the fairy water, it will sustain you longer than normal water. And my little ones will hush away your worries and pains."
Wolf wagged his tail as a bunch of fairies appeared, hovering around them with little chimes, reminding Link of Kokiri Forest. He smiled, watching them flit about, and sat on the mushrooms, dipping his hand in the water as he watched the great fairy give some magic to Scars.
Then she sank back into the water with a goodbye, leaving the three alone with the little fairies.
Link sighed. They had a long road ahead of them, he guessed. But he'd keep everyone safe.
And he really needed to figure out how this place was Hyrule and who those masked guys were.
Dad squad? Music because I'm playing in two concerts this week
Link was glad he'd gotten his things back. A lot of them were really useful, and some were downright dangerous in the wrong hands.
Like the one item he was still missing.
He didn't know where the mask had gone, but he was definitely scared that it was lost. So he tried to reassure himself in different ways, focusing on helping Scars, petting Wolf, and playing his ocarina. He picked innocent tunes, things he'd heard in different towns and villages, things he knew didn't have a magical effect. He swayed in place as he played, closing his eyes and basking in the melody.
And then, one night as he played, Wolf began to join in.
Link didn't know what to make of it at first. Wolf howled, and initially he didn't know what it would be like. All he'd ever heard were wolfos. But this was different, more elegant, and...
Distinctly tone deaf.
Link scrunched his nose and then laughed.
Wolf glanced at him, tail wagging slowly, as if confused or reading his reaction, and then his ears flattened. He huffed, standing up and walking over to Scars, sniffing at his forehead and huffing again as he gave Link a stink eye.
Trees passed rapidly as the wolf tore through the forest. Link held tightly to his fur, crouched low against his body and glaring fiercely ahead. They were hunting, and he wanted to make sure they caught up to their prey quickly.
Those Yiga jerks weren't going to keep their filthy hands on Scars if he could help it.
He felt so stupid how it had happened. He'd found a river and wanted to go swimming and have fun. He'd noticed fairies and wanted to follow them, and Wolf had to track him, leaving Scars at their camp.
Which meant the Yiga could sneak in and kidnap him. It wasn't like Scars could defend himself, after all.
So now here they were, tracking the Yiga's smelly banana scent and racing to catch up. Wolf snarled, and Link grabbed his sword to get ready.
He didn't really have much fighting to do. Wolf was ferocious, claws and teeth shredding skin and bone. Link swung once or twice, knocked a Yiga down with his slingshot for Wolf to finish off, but their little band of bad guys quickly fell to the ground or fled.
Scars was in the middle, curled in on himself. Link gasped, jumping off Wolf as his furry friend patrolled quickly before also joining them.
"Do you think they hurt him?" he asked as he looked his friend over. Scars had only just started waking recently, not really aware of anything, but at least able to drink. It seemed taking him to different fairy fountains was helping a little, at least.
Wolf sniffed Scars, licking hesitantly at his forehead. Scars flinched at the touch, snorting a little in response, making Link giggle.
"Hey, look! More bananas!" Link pointed out, noticing a cache of the fruit. He was honestly starting to grow a little tired of it, but sometimes he cut it into fun shapes. Wolf didn't seem to like it all that much, but Link figured that was because wolves ate meat. He'd never seen a wolf eat a banana, after all.
Maybe he could get Scars to eat one?
Grabbing the bananas, he stuffed them in his pouch. He still hadn't gotten all of his supplies, even after burning down the Yiga dungeon. They'd taken it and spread it around. He really hoped they weren't using his ocarina or his masks. Especially the Fierce Deity.
He... he was scared of what might happen if they use the deity mask. It would be Termina all over again. But he felt like that would be obvious, and the world wasn't ending or anything, so that was a good start. He'd dealt with worse than this. It would be fine.
Wolf licked him unexpectedly, drawing a giggle out of him. Wolf was silly sometimes. He wagged his tail, nuzzling Scars, who scrunched his face, noticing Wolf's wet nose tickling him. Link giggled at that too.
"Come on," he prompted, pushing Scars a little. Wolf laid on the ground so he could try to ease the teenager on to his friend's back. Then they rode off towards the edge of the woods. "The fairies earlier told me there was another great fairy nearby!"
They'd fix Scars up, and Link would get his gear back and find the final boss for these Yiga jerks, and that would be that. Wolf would leave him, just as everyone else did.
But he'd at least have fun in the meantime, he guessed.
"How is it possible that you were bamboozled by a child, a dog, and someone in a coma?!"
Link giggled as he heard the Yiga (he'd finally figured out what they were called) get chewed out by his superior. He winked at his wolf friend before climbing on his back once more, carefully holding Scars in place as they tore across the fields to the nearest fairy fountain.
ohh if you’re still doing the instrumental ask game, how about We Must Be Prepared? It’s by Brightam Orchestra. (You can find it on Yt it wouldn’t lemme attach a link) :/
Link coughed a little as sand was kicked into his face. He really didn't like the desert that much - it was so different from the bright colors of his home, the gentle sunlight and milder weather.
Also people weren't usually trying to kill him in the Kokiri Forest, a place he used to call home. Most of the time. Those club moblins were an exception.
And the octoroks. And the babas.
Okay, maybe some things were trying to hurt him back in the forest too. But it wasn't this hot!
An arrow flew by his ear, and Link focused. He goaded his steed to move faster, and then he wondered for a moment - if he was this hot, wouldn't his wolf friend, covered in black fur, be even hotter?
The panting certainly indicated as such.
Glaring back at the people in red trying to pursue them, Link growled. Then he ordered, "Get Scars out of here!"
Leaping off the wolf with a flip, Link brought his blade down on the nearest foot soldier, knocking him out quickly. He ducked around another attack and swiped sharply, startling a little when the man disappeared in a puff of smoke. He heard rustling behind him, making his ear twitch, and he rolled to dodge an attack as the person reappeared elsewhere.
More soldiers gathered around him. Link glared at them defiantly. He'd faced down multiple opponents before; he wouldn't go down that easily.
His wolf friend snarled, teeth bared viciously, and tore into one of the men, making the others jump. Link took the opportunity and eliminated a handful more, causing the rest to retreat. Then he looked at the wolf.
"I said get Scars out of here," he sighed. "I guess you don't understand that much."
The wolf's ears flattened and he barked softly as if in a huff. Traipsing lightly to some ruins, he nudged gently at the sick teenager.
"I don't know, Wolfie," Link said softly, bending down and placing a hand on the teenager's shoulder. "I don't know much about healing. But we have to find someone. Maybe we can give him this potion in the meantime. Can you help me roll him onto his back?"
Wolfie watched him, whining softly. Link ignored his wolf friend a moment, doing the deed himself and grunting as Scars flopped helplessly onto his back. Then he pulled out the potion he'd snagged from the dungeon.
Wolfie barked, pushing against him with his muzzle. Link stared at him, bemused. He pet the wolf reassuringly and moved to give the potion, and his friend barked again.
Link looked around to see if there was any sign of trouble. When he saw no threat, he stared at the wolf again, even more confused. "What's wrong? Do you want some potion?"
Wolfie wagged his tail.
Link bit his lip. Could wolves have potions? He knew his friend had gotten hurt in their escape, but he wasn't... well... dying. Link had seen enough people die; he didn't want Scars to die as well. Not if he could help it. And he could help it. Returning his attention to the motionless teenager, he bent down to force the liquid into his mouth, and Wolfie finally knocked him to his side, making him topple over and nearly spilling the concoction.
"Wolfie!" he snapped as the animal picked up the potion and trotted away. "Get back here!"
