Chapter Text
He hated seeing Twilight like this. Laying in a bed that wasn’t his own, in a place that wasn’t his own, in a time that wasn’t his own, in a body that wasn’t his-
No, Twilight is Wolfie as Wolfie is Twilight. He just hated to see how drained he looked. The rancher was always a lively one, living in the moment more than anyone else. A flower that bloomed in the warm light of the spring sun, one plucked from the ground only a day after it bloomed. Perhaps he’s one of those that blooms many flowers and each one gets plucked off the stem. Now the stem is left alone to wither as the flowers dry up and shrink. The once well-built man laid as nothing more than a man growing smaller and paler by the day. He didn’t want to see the sight but he just as much couldn’t look away.
A curse that burned life itself away. Slowly burning the rancher till the last drop of life fades into ash and joins the earth again. Hyrule was doing his best but it did nothing, the curse continued to burn and all they could do was watch. Twilight accepted his death, accepting he would die slowly and in pain. He’d seen this too many times. Ganondorf, the king, and Ciela. All accepted that their time alive was over, leaving to a freedom only reachable in death.
He needed air.
He walked outside of the inn, the wind running a hand through his hair as he took deep breaths in and out. A warm breeze that carried the strange but familiar smell of salt and the sand, almost like back home. If he closed his eyes he could see the ship. Feel the way the ship rocked on the water like a dance made for two. Speaking of two, he could see that familiar figure, the one that always sat on the railing, watching the sea and waiting to follow whatever came at them. Blonde hair that waved with the wind as they noticed him, a bright smile always on that face as they talked. Why can’t he remember their face?
He opened his eyes, looking to his right as if expecting someone to be there. He missed home, whatever it was. He let his eyes stay to the spot on his right before looking at the door and walking back inside. It was better that Twilight knew there were people around him, wake or not.
Then he got better, walked into the room he, Four, and Legend were in. The relief he felt bloom in his chest was heavy as it was sweet. The rancher was still pale and weak, but there was a tint of color on him. The smile he gave was small and weak but real. Twilight was alive. And he’ll live.
“I- I knew you could win!” He gave Twilight a smile as the rancher reached out to him and Four.
“And you too? Both of you?”
“You really had us worried.”
Twilight dropped the arm reaching out to him as he looked around, “I appreciate the warm reception.”
He could tell, so did everyone that as much alive as Twilight felt, he was still weak. Legend pushed a chair behind Twilight as he sat down. He and Time had a quick chat before the old hero looked at him, “Now, would youth be kind enough to lend some swiftness”
He nodded as he moved to the door, “I’ll be right back!”
He started moving as he heard Time speak one last time, “Go get everyone”
He brought back Wild and Sky, his right hand holding the doorframe as he let Wild pass. Sky came after, looking panicked. “What is it?!”
“Notice anything?” He asked the hero who now looked angry.
“This really isn’t a good time for games unless-“
He watched the hero look over and gasp at the sight of Twilight who gave a simple howdy. They exchanged gratitude before the rancher started explaining what he felt, what he remembered.
The once blooming feeling in his chest hardened, like the ovary of a blooming flower hardening to form a fruit around the seed of familiarity.
The feeling of something going out for your very life force, burning you as you lay helpless in its hands, waiting till you become the ash after the fire that is carried by the wind. But Twilight’s was different, the claim didn’t continue. It stopped, faded away like it had ran out of power on its own. Like Warriors said, sudden and strange.
But the mood came up with Twilight’s words as he hugged Wild before pulling Hyrule into a side hug with them. It brought smiles to everyone’s faces. Wild looked at him as he agreed, “Yeah, can’t lose any one of you. Not a single one.”
He agreed, they can’t lose anyone. The fruit in his chest bruised as he hoped outside of this group, he wouldn’t lose someone out there. Someone who’s face he can’t remember.
A few weeks later and Twilight was doing better. He walked into the small clearing as the rancher finished slicing a stump of wood, a perfect form but lacking power as Time said. He was healing and that’s what mattered. The area was nothing more than a bruise and a faint pink scar. He pointed his right hand at it, “Did you get a cool tough looking scar?”
He lightly touched it. It would be a good scar to show off, he thought as he watched Twilight flinch forward in pain. He forced his hand to his side, quickly apologizing before Twilight revealed his teasing. Then the conversation changed to the strangeness.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Asked Warriors.
“Are you feeling a little hostile?” He added, narrowing his eyes as he watched Twilight.
“A little aggressive?” Legend added.
“A little E V I L ?” He added again.
The rancher only answered with a joke about an old break up, not that he understood to some degree. He then added the facts that it prevented healing items or healing magic and that it didn’t last. It was strange. As far as he knew, no one had mentioned life draining spells or curses. Of course, he himself never mentioned them. This was different, something different then whatever Bellum was. It had the same ability to drain life but weaker. Why had it stopped just before the job was finished?
“Maybe it was because you fought it off.” Legend told Twilight.
“Or it ran out of its potency?” It would explain the stop. Similar to the stone breaking when Bellum was beaten down the first time before it came back. Similar but different since it ran itself powerless alone.
“Either way it ran its course” Hyrule stated.
“So it’s like a curse, but also like a poison.” He added. It was the best description they can assume. After it ran out, the wound was a normal one. It still stopped some of the effects of Hyrule’s Life Spell, leaving Twilight to recover his strength alone. They had no answer, only assumptions, theories, ideas of what it could be.
If this was similar to Bellum, it would be even more of a mystery. He never truly did find out what it was. A demon? A deity? It didn’t matter for he’ll never know, all he can do is assume it was something like Bellum, only weaker. But, they had defeated the shadow so it couldn’t be the link to this poison curse. Unless… it wasn’t actually defeated.
The armor came off but that was it. Perhaps it did affect the shadow but since they left it alone, it had the time to regenerate and escape. If he had stayed just a bit longer, he could have shot it down.
It doesn’t matter now. They know now the shadow can transform and that the sword was the source of that poisoned curse. Avoid it and we all avoid the fate Twilight had. But then how did the sword come to gain that poison curse in the first place?
He silenced his thoughts as he got his letter from Sky. From Aryll as usual, he opened and read it before pocketing it with the rest. They all got ready to leave once again. He picked up his sword with his right hand and strapped it on. He followed everyone outside, chuckling when someone told him off for how he left the inn. Then they were off to the new portal Sky and the Master Sword found. He talked to Hyrule before the conversation turned to Twilight and his wolf form.
The king of red lions looked a lot like his ghost form so he wasn’t so surprised. Oshu on the other hand, well it was the opposite since he went from human to whale. That was pretty shocking but so was finding out it was all fake… how would Ciela look? Probably a bit like Aryll, short hair and big eyes, maybe a dress similar to Aryll’s? Hmm…
Then he stood in front of the portal. The round triangle with a light purple arch. The whole thing reeked of something evil, something that would consume anything with a spark of light. It hurts to look at and hurts even more to walk through, like it tried to eat him every time.
An early wave of nausea rolled over him. Familiar colors and feelings rolling over him, why does it always come back when he sees it.
Doesn’t matter, they're gonna go to a new place and hunt down that shadow. And maybe he’ll learn what-
“You doing alright, sailor?” Hyrule asked next to him.
“Yeah! Just feeling the giggles of excitement” he grinned. Looking into the portal as everyone walked through. He walked in with Hyrule, it hurt but Hyrule’s presence helped, he liked partnering with Hyrule because of that.
Another forest.
“Uuuugggghhhh treeeeessss” he groaned, already feeling tired. “Walking again… why can’t that thing just make us fight him!”
“Settle down, sailor, he can’t keep running forever” Warriors said.
He can’t walk forever!! What a pain! He missed his boat and the sea…
A gentle breeze blew behind them. He felt the warmth of it hold his shoulder, caressing his right cheek before the warmth fell to his hand. It moved forward and he almost reached out, like he knew someone used to be there. Always taking his hand, pulling him somewhere new. He was always on the left, and they were just ahead on the right, being the captain of the ship. Always looking back to him with a smile on their face- why can’t he remember anything else?
But for now, walking… who to talk to now?
He slumped to the floor as they stopped walking, the sun just about to sleep on the earth and he was going to.
Sky laid next to him, looking ready to sleep too, “already going to bed?”
He nodded, lazily putting his bedroll on the floor. “Too much walking” he grumbled to which Sky nodded.
“Good night, Wind” Wind looks over at Sky, smiling.
“Night Sky, night everyone!”
Wind laid on his mat, looking up at the stars that don’t feel the same. Maybe it was the missing rocking of a ship or maybe it was someone talking about all the stars in the sky, was it him or someone else that talked. He felt his mouth twitch as if he knew the words of a script.
Wind closed his eyes only to open them again. He saw the hot sun rising in the sky, at the edge of the ship sat the same body. Blonde hair danced in the wind as they turned to look at him. A smile grew on their face, the sunlight shining in his eyes, not letting him see the eyes of the person he missed so much. He could barely see their lips moving as they spoke, but the sound of the waves and wind blowing stopped him from hearing them.