Watch and Warning
Summary: The heroes have ended up at Lon Lon Ranch right in the middle of tornado season. Some aren't as willing to shelter in place, and a few hours spent in a basement with a dozen people isn't fun for anyone.
Words: 1300
AO3
Characters are from @thatbrokenpromise
The air was heavy with rain and unease. Lon Lon Ranch was safe, for the most part, stone walls protecting those inside from monsters and human enemies alike. The land was open to the elements, however, and the weather was nasty today. Thunder didn’t usually make Rabbit flinch, but this storm was unusually violent. He didn’t like it, and whenever he saw one of his companions he could tell that they felt the same.
“How has the weather been recently, Malon?” Skyloft asked softly, his hands wrapped around a mug of tea.
“Cold,” their host said with a bitter frown. “It warmed up as soon as you dropped in, which isn’t a good sign this time of year.”
“That’s a trigger for tornadoes, right?” Rabbit said. “Is there a place we can shelter if it gets bad?”
“We have a basement, yes,” Malon said. “Do you mind checking that everyone is nearby? I’d like to call everyone in quick if it comes to it.”
“Of course,” Rabbit agreed, and stood to search the house.
Most of them were inside, talking or mending their gear or setting up their sleeping mats. Rabbit completed his headcount by the time he found Far, Chief, and Hateno gathered on the front porch. Rabbit closed the door behind him and they watched the storm for a silent few minutes. The wind was strong, tearing dark clouds across the sky and sending rain in all directions.
“Looks pretty cool,” Far said, almost shouting to be heard over the storm.
Hateno took a step forward, halted by Chief’s hand closed around his. He shot the medic an annoyed look as lightning struck, followed by instant thunder. Rabbit jumped, stumbling into Far who wrapped an arm around him.
“Do you need to go back inside?”
Rabbit swallowed hard, staring into the storm. “We all do,” he said, loud enough for Chief and Hateno to hear. “Malon thinks a tornado could form soon, we should head to the basement.”
“I’ve never seen a real tornado before,” Hateno said, a disturbing lack of fear in his voice.
“And it’s not happening today,” Chief snapped. “Those things pick up trains. The aftermath is…” he shuddered and trailed off.
The wind picked up, and Rabbit shielded his face from the rain. “Come on, it’s safer inside.”
He led the way, Chief practically dragging Hateno in behind them. Far was at the rear, and lingered to look out a window instead. Malon and Skyloft were nowhere to be found, and Kokiri waved them over to the basement door.
“Where’s Malon?” Rabbit asked, letting the other two descend first.
“She’ll be back soon. Everyone else is downstairs,” Kokiri said helpfully. He looked worried, something that was rare to see and Rabbit wasn’t comforted by it.
“Woah, the sky’s green!” Far exclaimed, and Hateno nearly bolted back up the stairs.
“Come on!” Rabbit and Chief snapped simultaneously, and between them got Hateno fully down into the basement.
It wasn’t the biggest space, but there was enough room that they didn’t have to squeeze in shoulder-to-shoulder. Ordon was handing blankets to Outset, who wrapped them around himself and Skyloft. Four was inspecting the stores of food while Smith ran nervous hands down her braid. A familiar aura suggested that Minish was hiding under the stairs. Prince stopped his pacing to go to Chief, placing a hand on his shoulder in relief.
Rabbit turned around to see Far join them, then Malon and finally Kokiri. Baby Draga was in Malon’s arms, fussing and upset that she had been woken from her nap. Malon went to sit against the wall, quickly convincing Draga to settle down. Kokiri wasn’t as easily convinced, and set to pacing around the room while Prince took his place at the top of the stairs. Rabbit sat beside Far, and Ordon settled on his other side.
Maybe, sitting between them, he would stop shaking.
Kokiri paced, around and around and checking things that didn’t need to be checked. He passed Malon, wove through the other heroes, went up the stairs to talk to Prince and touch the door and began his cycle again. Rabbit felt restless just watching him, and after a while Malon stood and blocked his path.
“Just take her,” she said firmly, and Kokiri shook his head and tried to protest but Malon was pressing Draga into his arms. Kokiri froze for a moment, then retreated to the far corner of the basement to hunch protectively around his daughter.
Rabbit released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Malon was truly one of the few people who understood Kokiri.
Of course, the peace didn’t last. Hateno growled something under his breath, and all of the attention snapped to the center of the room as he raised his right arm with a flash of green light. Before he could follow through, Chief tackled him to the ground and held him there.
“Don’t you fucking dare what if the house collapses on top of you?!”
“I want to see what’s happening, not be trapped in here!” Hateno argued, squirming beneath the heavier man.
“And what if the winds take you away? What if we get moved? I don’t know about you but I’m not in the mood to kidnap the baby,” Chief hissed.
Kokiri’s cold glare was too much for Rabbit to meet, and Hateno only lasted a moment before he groaned and pressed his face to the floor. “Fine.”
The wind picked up, and Draga began to cry in earnest. Kokiri looked ready to panic, then Malon knelt beside him and sang a soft lullaby that soothed the child to quiet whimpers. Malon rested her head on Kokiri’s shoulder, and he closed his eyes and let her.
The next hour or so passed in relative silence while the storm raged above them. Chief continued to sit on Hateno’s back, mindlessly braiding and unbraiding his long hair. Rabbit was still nestled between Far and Ordon, his fear diminished now that he could see that they were all safe. A few of them got up to stretch, but there was none of the restless pacing from before. They were content to wait it out- or at least, most of them were.
When Outset left Skyloft’s side, he went straight to the stairs. Prince stared down at him, unamused, and Ordon translated aloud as Prince signed.
“I know you’re ready to leave, but the storm isn’t gone yet,” Prince said. “It isn’t safe.”
“We can’t stay down here forever!” Outset argued, and Hateno sounded his agreement from the floor.
“Skyloft looks cold,” Prince signed instead. “Can you see if he needs another blanket?”
Outset scoffed, but his desire for freedom didn’t outweigh the worry for his friend. He made his way back to Skyloft, who had a bright look in his eyes that led Rabbit to believe that he knew exactly what Prince wanted. Outset, none the wiser, plopped down and was instantly beset by a cuddly Skyloft. Outset squawked, but didn’t have the heart to push him away and was promptly smothered.
More time passed, and finally the storm moved on. Prince, Far, and Hateno were the first to scout outside and returned with the all clear. Ordon coaxed Minish out of hiding and went to help Skyloft up the stairs, and Rabbit followed the others out of the basement.
Thank all the gods, the house was still standing. There was still a light rain shimmering against the sunset, and Rabbit opted to stay inside rather than check for damage. Hateno ascended through the ceiling to survey the roof and stayed there, still upset that he hadn’t been allowed to brave the storm by himself. Kokiri gave Draga back to Malon and left to see Hyrule Field, returning after a while to report a path of destruction that had miraculously avoided any major settlements. Rabbit offered to hold the baby while Malon sorted out dinner, listening to her plan to visit Kakariko and Castle Town. Draga fell asleep in his arms, content despite the earlier scare, and Rabbit felt the same. Everyone was in one piece, and all was well.
