Lawrence, I must ask. What's your favourite flavour? I like raspberry or watermelon, but what about you? It can be any kind of flavour in the world. Ketchup, cheese and onion, hummus, you name it.
Favorite flavor? I don't know.. I don't think I've ever thought about that. I usually eat fast food or quick grab-and-go things so.. I mean.. I like it when there's a particularly crunchy piece of lettuce? Or when a vegetable is thicker than normal, like pickles or tomatoes? That's not so much a flavor as it is a texture. Sorry.
The flock flies all the way to Legend and Ravio’s house, but it’s a near thing. All the passerine birds are hitting a molt; losing feathers and making it hard to stay in the air. It’s good timing, though, because it’s much nicer to be grounded at a house than on the road.
Legend, Hyrule, Wild, and Four are all clumped together. The other birds follow them, albeit with some wariness. Patchy feathers make them itchy, grouchy, and—in Hyrule’s case—prone to biting.
The bowerbird nearly kicks the door open and ignores it slamming into the doorstop. “Ravio we’re here! If you’ve ruined my walls again, I will murder you!”
Sure, it might be a little harsh for a greeting, but Legend is in a bad mood. Molting sucks. The raptors don’t fully understand, only losing the odd feather here and there. They certainly aren’t grounded for extended periods.
There’s silence from the house. “Ravio?” He gives their special flock call, but no one answers. “Well, maybe he’s out right now. Come on in everyone.”
The flock file in after him, spreading out and heading for bedrooms. Thank Hylia Legend splurged on the house expansion before the adventure started. Sure, it was originally so he had more space to store his stuff—and a certain merchant who took over his living room.
The vet wasn’t getting the space back, so an expansion built another one. He’d added another locking door between the shop and the rest of the house. The last thing he needed was Ravio’s customers wandering through his house.
After this adventure started, Ravio converted the storage rooms into basic bedrooms. It might not be as big as Lon Lon’s ranch house was, but the ranch didn’t have a nook, either.
Four warbles behind them. “I want a bath. Everything itches.”
“I don’t have a dirt bath, just a regular one.” At the bee-eater’s considering look, he holds up a hand. “Don’t even think of rolling in the dirt before you get in the water. I don’t want it all muddy.”
“Fine!” Four fluffs his wings, watches as one of the feathers drifts free to the floor, and stalks down the hallway.
Wild is leaning on Hyrule, but the brown thrasher keeps pushing him off. “Stop it! You’re hot!”
“I’m cold! I’m losing all my feathers!”
The plea falls on deaf ears and Hyrule gives a warning snap. Wild screeches and snaps back. Tempers are high and patience is low. Legend isn’t doing much better, but he might be able to work this to his advantage. He was hoping to ask Ravio…
“Hey, Wild, if you preen some of my loose feathers you can use the nest.”
The magpie lights up, ditching Hyrule. “Yes! Blankets!”
“You good, Rulie?”
He gets an annoyed chatter in return. Well, Time can deal with his attitude if something comes up. Legend tows Wild to the nest.
Ravio’s clearly taken advantage of his absence to pull all the blankets and pillows into the middle of the bed. Surprisingly, Legend’s favorite red pillow is carefully set to the side. At least the merchant has some sense of decency.
Wild chirps and throws himself at the nest, pushing all the pillows off to the floor and burrowing into blankets.
“Hey! My wings!”
“Blankets!”
“They itch!”
Annoyed! The magpie chitters, but his head pops out of the blankets. “Fine! Hurry up and give me a wing. I want to roll up in a blanket.”
“You’ll overheat.” Still, Legend climbs onto the nest and extends a wing. He can’t help his sigh as Wild starts combing through, feeling for loose feathers to pick. They really do itch.
“I’d only overheat if I didn’t look like a plucked cucco!” He grumbles to no one, plucking quickly. “I hate molting.”
“That bad?”
The chattering increases. “Lost all my feathers once. Bad time.”
And if that isn’t a worrying statement. Related to the yiga incident perhaps? Legend doesn’t press, just extends his other wing. He can work on the inner feathers himself; he just needs help with the back.
“You know,” Wild tugs at a stubborn feather, and the bowerbird grunts, “I wonder if Sky’s gust bellows would speed this up.”
“You want to look like a mess again?”
“I’m already a mess!” He picks a few more feathers, then stops. “I’m cold! Get Ravio to do any others.”
Legend rolls his eyes at no one. Wild is already burrowing into the blanket pile. “Gee, if only Ravio was here to do it for me.”
The blanket pile doesn’t answer. That’s all the help he’s getting for now. At least a little of the itching is better. Legend doesn’t extend the same offer to Wild, because there’s no way the magpie is letting him tug feathers with his trauma.
He better make sure Hyrule didn’t bite anyone.
Hyrule did, but Twilight probably deserved it. Legend is standing in the kitchen, wondering if he has to feed the entire flock or if Wild will pull it together enough to cook. The front door opens and there’s a nervous whistle, then a warning call. Defend, protect!
Ravio is back. Legend gives a flock call and can’t help but smile at the exuberance it’s answered with.
“Mr. Hero! You’re back!”
“In the kitchen, Ravi!”
The satin bowerbird nearly slides into the doorframe as he rounds the corner and throws himself at Legend. His bunny hood falls back and his wings flutter. The vet catches him, wrapping his wings around them both.
“I missed you!”
“I missed you, too.” Legend squeezes him tight and nuzzles at his neck, breathing in the smell of his flockmate. It settles the constant pulse of tension from being apart. When he gives their flock call, Ravio’s response is bright in his ear.
Too soon, the merchant pulls back. “I saw the piles of gear, is everyone else here too?” Legend nods. “Oh! And look at the state of your wings! Are you molting?”
“Four, Wild, and Hyrule are as well.” The vet’s wings haven’t dropped the majority of feathers yet, but they are patchy. He’s reminded of the last—and first—time he molted around Ravio. The bowerbird spent those few weeks red as a rupee and tiptoeing around.
It wasn’t until after Legend’s molt was done that he found out about the difference in customs between Lorule and Hyrule. For Ravio, molting was only something for bonded or close family. For Legend, any friend could help—and did. New feathers were itchy, dammit!
Sure, there were creams for soothing the itch, but they were expensive and didn’t last forever. Legend rarely picked it up because the chances he’d be away on an adventure when molting were always too high for the cost.
A tiny part of him was looking forward to being home while molting. Ravio was so careful preening last time, and it was pretty cute to watch him twitter and flutter around, even if he hadn’t known why.
Rather than turn red, Ravio just nods. “We’ll make sure they get help preening, then. I was going to start dinner, although I guess I’ll need to make more food now!”
Legend pulls his wings in tighter, picking at one of the spots a feather is coming through. Din’s tits, it itches.
Ravio notices the motion. “Oh, do you need any help with your wings?”
Legend stares. That’s it? Just a tacked-on afterthought? What happened to the stuttering and fluttering? Ravio isn’t even flashing his secondaries! “Wild helped. I’m fine.”
“Great,” Ravio chirps. “I’ll start on dinner! Glad you’re home, Link!” Then he heads to the cabinets, humming as he pulls out food.
Legend finally leaves. Is he…disappointed at the lack of response? Maybe.
Four spends dinner verbally slaying anyone who dares look at him. “Warriors, pairing a scarf with a crop top is stupid. And your shorts are too short! No one wants to look at your ass hanging out when you fly!”
Warriors' nails dig into the wood, possibly leaving scrapes on the table.
“Wild, I know you have a stash of bugs you won’t give me. I’ve seen your slate inventory! I like bugs more! You can eat literal garbage!”
“I do not!” Wild’s wings puff in anger, but it’s a poor display.
“Garbage! Your taste is trash!”
Time breaks in as the magpie starts a throaty kekeke. “Four, I know you’re bothered but—”
“Don’t try to mother me!” Four’s wings flare, hitting Hyrule on one side. The thrasher snaps, landing a bite on the wing bone. Four screeches and launches himself at the traveler. The two fall off the bench and thrash, sending loose feathers flying.
Sky uses the opportunity to reach across the table and steal Four’s dinner roll. Wild takes a bug out of his slate and crunches on it to make a point, glaring at Twilight when he winces. Then he waves the half-eaten bug at him. “Do you want some legs?”
“No! Goddesses, just eat meat!”
“Legs are crunchy!”
“They are gross!”
“Crunchy noodles!” To make a point, Wild makes exaggerated slurping sounds and pulls off a leg.
The hawk’s wings start to rise, but then he takes a deep breath and visibly settles. Time buries his head in his hands; he’s not going to be able to stop the chaos. Ravio watches it all with wide eyes, pressing a little closer to Legend. Oh, so now he wants to pay attention to his flockmate?
Hyrule and Four’s shrieks drown out further conversation. It’s going to be a long evening.
Imploring everyone (in the U.S.) to vote next year and do research rn on the presidential candidates (a lot of good sites who give you blurbs about someone. You can e-stalk them if they're interesting tbh). If you're underaged/can't legally vote, do research on who's running in BOTH parties just to be informed.
