Chapter Text
"Open your eyes..."
Slowly opening one of his eyes at the unfamiliar voice, yet flinching upon tasting the unmistakable familiar sting of divinity hanging in the air, he calmly watches the golden tendrils of holy magic swirling in his prison.
"Open your eyes.."
Not wanting to wake Dusk up, Dark has to reframe from hissing due to equal combinations of anger and pain caused by the unwanted and very unwelcome appearance of Hylia's holy powers, so he glares at the golden tendrils silently wishing she'd leave them out of whatever game she is trying to play this time.
"Open your eyes"
However the voice continues trying to wake up his soulmate even though it is not time for Dusk to wake up yet... the blood moon is not near enough for the younger Twili to wake fully without any ill effects after being asleep for so long, and Dark doesn't want the small one to have nightmares should he be awakened too soon.
"Wake Up Link"
Dark rolls his eyes muttering under his breath that no one here is called Link, quickly becoming irritated when the woman's voice makes Dusk's eyes flutter slightly as the younger Twili slowly begins waking up.
Briefly he wonders what the woman wants but considering she is saying the name Link that means whatever she wants is not anything good for them... the divinity in the air only makes his skin crawl shivering slightly as he holds Dusk closer to his chest muttering softly in the younger Twili's ear "ignore her and go back to sleep" then as if to prove him powerless the woman speaks again.
"Link you must wake up"
Growing more irritated than before the elder Twili starts purring knowing that it'll help drown out the woman's siren like voice, Dark grins when his purrs seemingly put the small one back to sleep, despite the fact that the woman is continuing her attempts to try waking him once again.
The sound of glass shattering quickly followed by the disappearance of the seal trapping them inside his prison, makes Dark's eyes flicker towards the only exit... and yet the Twili doctor only buries his face into soft blonde hair not daring to get up from their stone bed nor bothering to get his Hopes up, knowing that Hylia is definitely trying to drag them into her newest game by tempting him with the false promise of freedom.
This is not his first time being imprisoned nor is it even the last time Hylia is going to offer freedom that he'll never have, so instead of wasting time foolishly Hoping, the doctor decides that focusing on his Dusk is a far better use of his time without a single regret doing so.
Eventually the golden tendrils of divinity fade away and his skin stops crawling uncomfortably, the pain caused by the goddess's divinity soon fades into nothing besides a dull familiar ache that never truly fades.
Dusk didn't fully wake up so he thinks it should be okay... but he also makes mental notes to be prepared in case his other half begins suffering from nightmares due to Hylia's interference, drawing in a shaky pained breath he begins dozing off only falling into a feather light sleep.
Not trusting the goddess to not try something else due to her earlier failure to gain new playthings.
An unknown amount of time passes by when the blood moon finally arrives...
Dark's eyes snap open due to sensing pain and fear from his counterpart Dark ignores the fact his body feels smaller than it had last time he had been awake, the familiar taste belonging to the wisps of malice tainted darkness that always means the blood moon as it rises once again.
Instead he feels horror and fear strike his heart like a blade especially when Dark notices the blue runes of his prison have turned malice red, before quickly turning his gaze toward his soulmate who is screaming silently thrashing wildly in pain while the younger Twili begins seizing in their stone bed, the doctor curses Hylia knowing that she probably had something to do with this situation as he jumps into action using both his healing magic and his medical knowledge to make sure that the seizure doesn't end up killing Dusk.
It takes too long for the seizure to end, it only ends when the blood moon does... and Dark has no idea why which terrifies him greatly because it means his counterparts life is all but linked with the already random blood moons that seem to only happen whenever the event feels like happening, the randomness of the blood moons nature is going to endanger the younger twili and...
He has no clue how to help without the aid of his dream catching mirror, which is lost to him every time he gets sealed away and he's only found it twice after escaping from Hylia's games, he needs to find his mirror wherever it ended up in this era hopefully she doesn't have it... he keeps failing to sense the mirror so that probably is not a good thing, he still needs to try finding it though Dusk needs it.
Thankfully his partner is alive after the event of the blood moon which is more than the older Twili could've asked for considering by all logical reason the other boy should be dead right now, yet he doesn't have time to wonder why or how Hylia somehow managed to turn the blood moon against a Twili.
Curiosity can wait as pained blue eyes stare up at him with confused recognition, however before the shadow can ask if Dusk wants or needs anything, the doctor soon finds himself flying off his feet when the smaller boy tackles him to the ground in a tight hug.
Neither child is in any rush to end their cuddle season to help the pair ground themselves into reality and calm down after the scary awakening that the blood moon caused, mourning the fact there is no blanket to wrap around them for warmth Dark's eyes dart toward the goddess dammed pedestal he knows to be the key that opens the door of his prison...
The pedestal houses a strange object that he has been attempting to get to work since his first day inside his prison, he's lost track of how many thousands of times he's tried to get it to do anything, Dusk notices where his gaze is firmly locked, and eventually after those keen blue eyes stare at the pedestal, curiosity gets the better of the blonde who nuzzles his cheek affectionately before the smaller boy leaves the warmth of their cuddle pile.
And now he holds his breath as the smaller boy asks for Dark to help him be taller in order to reach the top of the strange pedestal to touch the object, eyes widening in awe after all these many many endless years of failure, the object actually does something! soon lighting up underneath Dusk's fingertips.
Both children tense up ready for the worst as the divinity laced voice that Dark hasn't heard in no one knows how long ago rings out.
"Link this device is called the Sheikah Slate, its power shall aid you in your journey take it"
Flipping off the rune covered ceiling knowing that Hyila can see them from atop her comfortable golden bejeweled throne, he laughs in amusement when Dusk uses his shoulders like a springboard to jump into the air doing a few little twists before landing in front of the door, not wasting a second he joins his better half as the door opens.
Finally open...
Not long after exiting his prison that leads to another small hallway like room with a few objects randomly littered around, his ears perk upon hearing giggles from a nearby corner, so the shadow turns his curious gaze toward the giggling blonde who is trying to decide between two different pairs of clothes.
Blushing heavily upon realizing that both of them are completely naked and that they had been cuddling earlier... Dark quickly dresses in the clothes his partner hands him stating the red shirt matches his eyes not finding any reason to reject the others reasoning for choosing red for him.
Although when Dusk whimpers softly the shadow turns his gaze away from the red shirt, wondering what happened Dark is about to ask when he notices that somehow the buttons of Dusk's blue shirt end up getting stuck in the blondes messy hair and the smaller boy can't manage to get the fabric free... chuckling while helping his counterpart with shirt he blushes again when Dusk aims a dangerously adorable smile at him as thanks.
Thankfully the pair do not have to leave without any clothes, too bad there wasn't a blanket as well, soon walking hand in hand the pair leave the cave, stepping out of the shrine for the first time in...? Dark doesn't bother trying to recall how long it's been since he's last been able to freely touch grass or breathe fresh air without Hylia's painful divinity tainting every breath he takes.
Gripping tighter onto an equally shocked and amazed Dusk's hand, all the two Twili children can do is enjoy the unbelievable moment, the wind blowing their wild hair into even messier states of messiness, icy breath due to the chilly night air, a sky filled with an endless sea of stars and the full moon still baring a slightly reddish tint from tonights earlier event.
"It's beautiful" Turning his gaze away from the stars Dark stares at the shorter Twili holding his hand, the moon reflects in Dusk's blue eyes almost making him appear sightless even blind to the world around them, but he knows better than anyone in this realm even if the smaller boy was blind and deaf that his Dusk would still be completely in intertwined with the natural world around them better then everyone else.
All Twili are born with shadow magic yes, but each Twili is also born with a different kinda magic and natural talents of their own, It is not something that can copied or passed down through blood or runes, so of course his counterpart's magic is nature related because it tastes like nature so it is not so shocking, that not even five minutes outside Dusk is already at home in this feral wild world of nature.
When those otherworldly glowing moony blue eyes flicker toward him the older Twili grins widely baring his fangs in an impish grin "you are right and such a lovely night is the perfect night to tattoo your first rune set" the shadows grin only widens stretching his face unnaturally into what most beings would call a monstrous horrific smile of nightmares, when he watches with fondness as dusk begins bouncing on his tiptoes looking very excited at the mention of finally getting his first set of runes carved into flesh.
Soon enough after the younger child calms down, both children are settled on the edge of the high cliff basking in the moonlight as the older child begins what he knows is going to be a full night's worth of work, but the first set of runes is important for their kinds growth into adulthood so it is worth all the effort, magic and blood that its going to cost Dark in order to complete the four runes in a single night.
It is a good thing that the doctor's talent is rune crafting or else tattooing this first set would generally take a week to finish, his healing magic also makes it mostly painless for Dusk which is good, the elder Twili would be upset if he were to hurt his counterpart during the process even though the tattoos are a tradition that cannot be skipped nor denied.
During the tattooing process, the pair talk about which star pictures are their favorites even though neither of them knows the names of the star pictures.
Dark bites his tongue until he tastes blood making sure his hands don't shake while trying his very best to ignore the familiar sting of divinity on the edges of his senses, Hylia is watching them and has been since they stepped out of the shrine, honestly he'd be more concerned if she wasn't watching them because that could only mean one thing...
Sighing heavily he begins his day like he always does while continuing to wait for the fated day.
After breakfast, he goes to the apple tree near the resurrection shrine to wait for Link to return, hmmm tomorrow he needs to go chop wood and gather more supplies, only the goddess knows how long he going to have to wait for the chosen hero to finish healing so he needs to be prepared, what....? what in Hylia's name is that?
Walking past the apple tree heading toward the cliff that's located outside of the shrine entrance, although King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule is shocked to see two children sleeping curled up together like stray dogs like they aren't sleeping on the edge of a cliffside, the blonde haired is obviously Link who has apparently been turned into a ten year old by the shrines healing magic.
But who is the silver haired child....?, and what are those strange markings on Link's legs? reaching out in curiosity intending to shake the knight awake to question him about the situation.
HHHiiissss!!!
Startling backward at the threatening hiss directed at him, staring in utter shock as the silver haired boy crouches possessively over Link's unmoving form, glaring at him with fierce angry red eyes... the boy must be Ganon's offspring or something how else would he have red eyes the shade of the blood moon!
The demon child begins growling through bared fangs, while slowly advancing toward him like a tiny Lynel stalking its prey and the former king is trying to figure out how to get Link to safety away from this unknown danger because child or not, the chosen hero is Hyrule's only hope of survival, and as Zelda's personal its also Link's duty to save the girl as well after saving the kingdom.
But the old man really shouldn't have forgotten to keep his eyes on the other child, as the former king soon finds himself being beheaded by a wood cutting ax unable to do anything to stop the event from happening, it is a good thing he's a ghost or else he would've really died...
Gripping his newly acquired weapon tightly Dusk glares at the disappearing body of the old man who woke Dark up after the other boy had been up all night tattooing his legs, glaring coldly at the ghostly mist as it reforms to become the old man in fancy clothes who has his mouth open in what might be shock as the geezer stares at his blood covered weapon and then to Dusk himself only to stare coldly at His partner who is now standing beside him where the other Twili belongs.
"Vile Demon what have you done to the chosen hero! what spell have you placed Link under release him at once!" Not liking the evil Santa claus's words or the way Dark flinched like he was being hit at the word Demon being directed at him, Dusk hisses tightening his grip on his weapon until his knuckles turn bone white under the pressure planning to get rid of the evil man once and for all.
The ghost takes multiple steps backward in shock, not expecting Link out of all his loyal subjects that remain alive to defend the demon who clearly put a spell on the knight "Link! Wait I am not your enemy!" the old man's plea to wait only falls on deaf ears as the ten year old silently takes a step toward the ghost while readying his ax to strike again, Dark sighs tiredly knowing what set off his counterparts protective nature and as much as he would love to watch the smaller boy torture the ghost, he also has to be the voice of mostly sound reason it would seem... considering the younger Twili is completely feral and has zero hesitation when dealing with threats, not that Dark minds his partner's nature, knowing better than anyone exactly what happened to make the other instinctively acts in this seemingly savage manner.
But they need information about this new era and this ghost king has the answers, using his taller height to his advantage Dark pulls his murderous Dusk to his chest making sure to not lose his grip or else the smaller boy is going to aim for the ghost's throat, lowering his head until his mouth is level with a pointed ear while making certain to lock eyes with the ghost king as he speaks "calm down Feral, we need the answers he can provide before I let you kill him permanently" smirking when his magic laced words make Dusk shiver soon going completely boneless against his chest almost purring while those blue eyes gleam with intense murderous intent, the sharp eyes of a hunter having never strayed away from the old ghost king in front of them.
Grinning widely marveling at the waves of possessive emotions that are rolling off the tiny Twili in his arms, the doctor is almost purring in happiness knowing that his own possessive mannerisms most likely won't be rejected by his counterpart, not that he plans to reveal them anytime soon unless the other were to fall sick or get injured somehow, no matter how hard he tries to prevent it Dark can't help but fear his soulmates reaction to his darker nature once it is eventually revealed...
"W...What do you want to know..." the old man trails off looking very terrified when he realizes that the boy he called Link is gone and that the resurrection shrine brought back only Link's body which now belongs to the demonic child, who wants him dead and the only thing stopping the devilish child from killing him a second time is the very same demon he had yelled at earlier.
Ice floods his body piercing his ghostly heart with death's cold touch as the former king realizes that the goddess Hyila is not going to come to his aid judging by the wide smile on silver haired demon's face as the child purrs coldly "Everything" Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule understands that his beloved Hyrules fate now depends on two demon children.
Hopefully the two demons shall be even a little bit kind to the kingdom weaker than themselves, by saving Hyrule and its people from their father, now knowing that there is no way out of this dangerous situation gone wrong, the old man starts explaining about the guardians and what happened a hundred years ago, only...
For the silver haired demon to shake his head slowly looking annoyed "hey king dead man shut up, when I said tell us Everything I didn't stutter nor lie as I meant exactly what I said by even the most basic definition of Everything, did I say I want to Only have knowledge about what has happened in the past one hundred years? that I wanted to Only know about Your Hyila dammed fetch quest about defeating Ganon to save your daughter?, only for you to tell us in three seconds we can only kill him after gaining the master sword, only hinting at fact that Fi is with the giant talking tree and we also need to..." as the demon child begins ranting about side quests, needing to avoid any traveling new companions as neither of them trusts adults, wondering if any shops sells fairy's in a bottle, the list continues to grow as does the child's smile soon slitting his face happily baring his fangs in a sinister grin of curiosity.
Oh... oh my... the former king... h... he can see the family resemblance... the silver haired child looks like just his father when he smiles so terrifyingly... the ghost almost starts having a panic attack wondering how the taller demon seems to all of these sensitive important things about how the world works... and even though it should be impossible the boy snarls while going as far as to rant about the goddess Hyila not being able to make a recently fun and entertaining fetch quest, that she can go.... oh.... what... what did the goddess do to this kid... the kings already wide eyes widen even farther as his mind begins shattering, listening to the silver demon begin breaking reality around them like such a powerful act is as easy as breathing,
Only for the ghost to gasp for air once Link Link Link Not Link Link Link snaps his fingers once, hmmm m...maybe it is just better to tell them Everything... then hand over the paraglider ignoring that fact he was going to make them earn it by going on a what's definitely not a tutorial fetch quest which only ends after he gives them the paraglider, due to it being the only key that breaks the goddesses golden seal surrounding the great plateau not allowing anyone or anything to esacpe this place... a prison inside a prison...
Inside another prison...
Inside another prison...
Inside another prison, inside another prison....
Inside another prison, connected to another prison that's surrounding an even smaller prison... Oh yes let's not forget to give them all the rupees he's found over the last hundred years plus secret treasure maps he had found, and teach the kids how to make their own paragliders while telling them anything else they want to know... he really wants his kingdom to be saved and hopefully they don't kill him again, he doesn't want to die, he doesn't want to die....
SNAP!!!
Grasping tightly at his chest his heart hammmering in his ghostly chest, the powerless ghost refocuses again thanks to a second snapping of the tiny eldritch horror's finger, who grins hungry at him before pointing at its mate while the elder being's grin widens impossibly, even while it is so gently petting the blondes head fondly, while looking proud and happy at the smaller being's newest achievement...
"Hmmm thank you Feral, Now that your paying attention again ol man Santa Claus tell us everything or I won't prevent my counterpart from claiming your life a second time" These words seemingly cause laughter from the blonde demon wearing the chosen hero's body like Link's revived corpse belongs to the nightmare, as the small demon starts to lick his lips while gazing hungrily at the ghost, even going as far as to begin trying to escape the taller demons grasp..., who thankfully doesn't release its already lossened carefree grasp on its slightly thrashing mate.
All the while the former king silently begins frantically praying to Hyila that these kids hold no love or any respect for their father Ganon and they would be willing to kill the elder demon, having driven himself mad by angering not one but two eldritch younglings who aren't even fully aware of what they even are.
Maybe it would just be better to let Ganon keep Hyrule and Zelda, rather than leave his kingdom in the hands of the same eldritch younglings who shattered reality for only they knows how long... not even Hyila knows how long it was shattered...
Because by Hyila they're all doomed when Ganon's demonic offspring inherit the kingdom after they eventually decide to eat their father...
From the high point of the ruined tower, they can see all the way to the castle where evil Santa Claus's enemy is waiting, the same place the voice wants them to go, silently looking towards the field crawling with guardians and malice, Dusk begins shaking in fear as his mind starts flashing with images that tell him exactly what a dangerous threat guardians are...
Heart hammering quickly in his chest upon smelling the scent of burnt flesh even though he is not injured... paired with flashbacks of a wartorn battlefield of death and destruction is what causes the child to instinctively want to be as far away from as possible due to the guardians, not knowing why he is afraid Dusk whimpers taking a step back away from the edge of the tower, sensing fear from his counterpart Dark sighs knowingly while gazing at the battlefield that has so many active guardians roaming around guarding the malice covered castle.
Knowing that dusk is about to bolt into the nearest forest for safety, Dark pulls the smaller Twili into his arms allowing his healing magic to cover them like a blanket, even though he wishes they had a real blanket because it would be better than his magic... but he pushes the thought away when his partner tries to speak for the first time since they woke up.
The first four attempts are complete failures ending in a painfully hoarse whimper of frustration from the younger boy, the doctor knows it is caused by disuse and that each attempt is probably very painful to try speaking vocally at all...
Yet Dusk eventually after the tenth attempt, his counterpart finally manages to speak his voice tearful from emotions and throat painfully raw "w... hy? why... am I afr...aid?" gently placing his lips to Dusk's throat beginning to use his healing magic to heal the other Twili's throat knowing that leaving it in such a state is not a good idea, to bad his magic can't help Dusk overcome the troubles the other is facing with vocal speaking.
In order to fully heal the long term damage of Dusk's throat they would need a fairy's magic to help with daily vocal rehabilitation and the great fairy's aren't very fond of Dark anymore... Hyila's brainwashing has made them all forget that he wasn't always the creature he is now.
So not seeing any reason to hide the truth he explains the situation at hand currently, while using one of his free hands to gently rub a crying Dusk's back "the guardians killed you, so it is only natural that you are afraid of them, and if we listen to the dead old man's wish or that stupid voice then it'll only lead to our deaths at the guardians lasers before ever reaching the castle" carefully lowering them to the floor Dark cradles the distressed boy closer.
Waiting patiently and keeping a watchful eye for danger, during the next two hours until Dusk has cried to the point of running out of tears, exhausted from crying and not knowing what to do because the fear he feels won't go away! Dusk looks at Dark who is staring back at him calmly waiting for the blonde to figure out what he wants, not wanting to waste Dark's energy on healing hom again the smaller shade instead uses Zora signs to speak "what... what do we do now?" the taller Twili boy looks both pained and slightly amused by the question, watching those fear filled blue eyes flicker back and forth between the guardians crawling across the battlefield only for those same eyes to dart back to him for answers.
And it makes sense considering even though he has been de aged to match his soulmate's age, it is an odd mirroring event that happens with Twili soulmates to help them match life spans better, thankfully Dark's age doesn't change the fact he has more experience and knowledge due to being the older of the pair, but even with the ghost kings knowledge about Everything, there is still too much about this new era that the Twili doctor doesn't know or fully understand just yet.
So he answers the question with a question of his own "clearly not listen to the wishes of a dead king and Hylia's newest meat puppet, so Feral what do you wanna do instead?" his words and the nickname both seem to gain him a rather adorable reaction as Dusk blushes heavily tilting his head to the side blue eyes shining with such fragile hope... hmmm maybe it is a good thing the mirroring de aged him instead of aging up his partner, Dark isn't certain he would survive such cuteness aimed at him if the other was fully grown, yes the smaller boy's cuteness is probably going to kill him someday...
Knowing that the taller boy hates lies and thus does not lie himself either, the small shade decides that maybe it's okay to be afraid and his hands shake heavily as he signs "c...can i... w...we still s..save everyone? ev...en though I'm still afraid... even thou..gh Hylia is an evil mean...ie and I'm not the c...chosen h...her..." his shattering words cut off so gently by Dark gently grabbing onto his uncontrollably shaking hands.
Using a unknown force to begin softly brushing away the bloody tears that are falling down his cheeks as the older boy speaks his tone serious yet fond "I'm a doctor so I know from experience that we can't save everyone but we can still help, I don't care about chosen hero or not chosen hero, because anyone can be a hero, we can be heroes together if that's what you want and we don't need a fancy sword or the title Link to do so, but if we're saving the world from Hylia's latest game then you need to promise me one thing" this time its Dusk's turn to be a blushing trainwreck due to how pretty Dark's smile and eyes are right now while the taller boy is staring intensely down at him.
Not understanding what the fluffy warm feeling in his stomach is or why Dark makes him feel so strangely warm even though it is cold tonight, soon the smaller boy silently nods his head not knowing what to say, and Dark still has a hold of his hands so he really can't say anything yet...
This seems to be the reaction that the other Twili wanted as Dark's smile turns into a wide grin "marry me before we go fight Calamity Garon" not really knowing what his partner wants but thinking that it would make Dark happy, pulling his no longer shaking hands out of his Dark's grasp to begin signing his response to this important matter "I promise that we'll get married before going to fight the giant pig" giggling when his answer gains happy purrs soon he begins purring as well knowing that this is a good thing, the shade hugs the shadow tightly shivering from the cold wind breathing a sigh of relief when the older boy uses his magic to chase away the cold again.
Maybe he should ask someone what marry and married means... or better yet why does he know the word married but not the meaning, or that the monster they're supposed to fight is a giant pig even though he has never seen it before... Dark might know considering it's his wish but Dusk doesn't want to make his counterpart sad by not knowing exactly what the shade has promised by agreeing to marry the shadow, so he'll just have to ask someone else later before they go fight the giant pig.
Eventually as the night grows later, the pair decide that staying far away from the castle is the best idea, so they start planning to go to the nearest shrines they find so long as it is not near the guardians, even though the journey won't be fast or easy finding all the shrines will help them prepare to fight Calamity Ganon.
Maybe they'll even survive the battle
The pair of Twili children never notice the skeleton horse that is watching them from a nearby cliff before it vanishes in a few wisps of shadowy smoke, only to reappear in a pretty area of waterfalls near a giant plant bulb that hasn't bloomed in a long time, its no ordinary flower nor is it a monster in hiding.
This is where the god of death resides for the moment considering none of the god's wards or underlings have the ability to unseal their beloved god, so it is here that Malanya slumbers waiting for the time when someone is able to help him break the seal.
But that does not mean that the god is without help nor knowledge as the countless stalhorses and lynels continue gathering information about the ever changing world while safeguarding their kind powerful god.
Tonight has been very interesting so the stalhorse settles in front of the massive flower bulb, lying down as it begins telling the slumbering Malanya all about the two Twili children it found on the great plateau, finding it strange that both little ones smell like death and yet aren't staying dead for some reason.
The stalhorse wonders if the lynel who lives on the great plateau knows any information about the undead foals.
Jack the dog leaves her owner's side after sensing something familiar and powerful heading toward the stable, the scent of deep forests, mixed with a calming magic tells her that whatever is arriving at the stable is not a threat.
So Jack waits near the cooking fire.
Eventually as dawn arrives on the horizon gently lighting the canyon, Jack sees whoever she has been waiting for and tilts her head to the side curiously at the sight of two pup age kitten like creatures, cats are a rarity in this world kittens even more so, she sometimes wonders if there even felines left...
Pushing sad thoughts away Jack instead observes the small feline like beings who have also noticed her as well, the silver furred kitten is strange... the scent of healing magic helps hide his shape evershifting form, between the illusion he wears before flickering to what the canine assumes to be something closer to his true form... for some reason, her mind won't allow her to think about that form, the heavy scent of medical herbs helps calm her down from any rising panic due to the unforeseen event, and so it is probably for the best that she turns away from the pretty sight by blinking her brown eyes.
Gazing at the golden furred kitten... her tail begins to wag wildly when she realizes that this kitten is a nature spirit of some sort as the kitten is neither male nor female but a mixture of both, their form shifts between several things that her mind refuses knowledge of, before always returning to the feline like appearance, but it is wonderful soothing magic that rolls off the kitten in massive waves that has Jack so happy, the scent of deep forest is only the first layer... and she won't risk making the little spirit angry by trying to dive deeper into their mysterious soul.
Both kittens have magic which is not surprising as cats were always more magically talented than dogs, yet their magic won't save these kittens from harm, after all magic didn't save the cats... Jack decides she is going to protect them as long as the pair are here and eventually she'll travel with them as well, but it is not yet time for her to leave this place because her condition is too fragile knowing that this is going to be her last litter of pups due to her rising age.
The nature kitten pets her fur gently greeting her like they've met before so many times, like seeing Jack is the most natural thing in the world and the silver kitten smiles fondly while beginning to gather the necessary items that the humans use to cook, playing a short game of chase with nature kitten Jack wonders what silver kitten plans to cook, potions maybe? he seems like the type to brew magical potions which is not any surprise considering healers are strange creatures.
Time passes and somehow Jack finds herself lying down near the cooking fire, watching in amusment as nature kitten who is armed with a spoon, angrily chases after a purple rito with the bird playfully dodging the nature kitten's attacks, it is the bird's fault for trying to sneak a bite of food during the cooking lesson... huffing at the silliness of the situation wondering why silver kitten needs to teach nature kitten how to cook.
After about an hour or so the fun ends with Jack being the unofficial winner, the small group settles down for food, the group now includes the purple rito who is very happy due to getting a bowl of stew, while Jack drifts off into a light sleep, listening to silver kitten ask the purple bird why the Rito wants to fight Hyila in a boxing match of all things, but gleefully agrees to make that dream a reality after finding out the birds reasons.
None of which Jack listens to as she senses her owner approaching the cooking fire, probably having smelt the yummy food and wanting to eat some as well, however with every step her owner takes toward the small group, the canine grows more alert when she scents heavy amounts of fear beginning to roll off of the two kittens bodies in waves as they leave for the safety belonging to a nearby high tree top
Leaving both the purple rito and Piaffe confused about what happened, as they look around for any monsters but find none.
Jack on the other paw is not confused about what happened to make her kittens flee, clearly her owner did something to make them afraid so she starts barking at him scolding him for being careless by not noticing the fearful scent, the stable owner of course looks shocked that his dog is growling at him while not allowing anyone near the tree that those two kids climbed in the blink of an eye.
Fear is not easy an emotion to battle
Kass blinks in bewilderment when he arrives at the Garudo Canyon stable having planned to stay the night and rest before continuing his journey.
The situation he arrives to find is unusual, as barks and snarls from Jack alerting everyone that there is danger, yet... there aren't any monsters or yiga, and even worse Piaffe is the one being threatened by his own dog no less... as the canine fiercy stands between the Hylian and two Hylian? children who are hiding in a tree.
Deciding to help the stable owner the bard walks toward the group, Piaffe explains what happened to the best of his ability and after figuring out what probably happened Kass asks the other Rito to go with Piaffe inside the stable and leave the terrified kids to his capable wings, the dog stops barking after the owner leaves and the bard looks up into the tree gazing at the two fledglings.
Who looks seconds away from either attacking or fleeing into the desert alone without any supplies, neither option is a good one so Kass stares a few moments longer not missing the fear in their eyes or the way both kids expect to be hit... the adult does a good job of not letting his feathers ruffle up in anger upon realizing that the little fledglings are in a state of survival.
So knowing that the situation cannot go on like this without calming them down, Kass begins playing his accordion deciding to play Epona's song first even though something tells him that it is going to take more than one song to calm these ferals down enough to convince them to not go into the desert right now.
It takes four hours of Kass doing nothing besides sitting at the tree's base while playing one of the songs that usually helps calm his fledglings from a nightmare, slowly... very slowly and untrusting the pair climb down from the tree, and the rito adult breaths a sigh of relief that his plan worked.
The blonde child looks happy when Jack the dog returns to their side even going as far as to hug the neck of the canine, the silver child stands protectively between the smaller fledgling and Kass making a clear point that no one is allowed to touch his counterpart, however even though his face is mostly covered by Jacks fur the bard doesn't miss the skillful manner in which the blonde child's eyes scanning everything around the area searching for something.
Kass doesn't mention either of the children's mannerisms instead he addresses the pair calmly while continuing to play a rito lullaby "it is dangerously cold in the desert at night" at the mention of the desert being deathly cold at night Dark snarls knowing that they can't go any farther without a blanket because his magic is not enough to keep them alive and unfrozen.
Feeling a tug at his shirt Dark turns his gaze partly toward his partner while making certain that the adult is still within his gaze as well, Dusk is already shaking from the coldness of the evening and Jack is trying to pull the shaking boy into the building, mostly likely for warmth... sighing tiredly knowing that even though he needs to find his mirror as soon as possible he won't risk Dusk's health to do so.
And besides... being naturally curious by their very souls the two Twili children share a silent look between themselves, after a wordless conversation the pair decide that staying the night is probably for the best, considering neither of them knows what dangers await them in the desert and that risk doesn't only include the cold or the monsters.
Figuring that the kids need one final push to get them into the safety of the stable Kass chirps softly "the blankets here are very soft and warm" really wanting a blanket to chase away the cold and not sensing any lies from the rito Dusk grabs his partner's hand pulling a grumbling Dark into the strange horse building, yet never forgetting that a little trustful curiosity could only lead to one of two options...
But it has yet to be seen if this adult is going to be kind or try to hurt them, so both children continue to keep their guards up as the bird speaks with the Hylian who is tracked in the weird wooden thing at the front of the building, Jack the dog jumps onto one of the beds looking at the pair in a expecting manner.
The grandmotherly canine's actions make Dusk giggle soundlessly, while his Dark grins widely, clearly finding the fact that Jack the dog is telling them to go to bed to be very amusing.
Turns out the blankets are very soft and comfortable...
Piaffe almost cries when Jack nearly bites him, for placing a second blanket on the sleeping kids she is guarding like the pair are her newborn puppies.
Safe from the freezing night air inside the warmth of Garudo Canyon stable.
Kass once again waves off Piaffe's attempts at getting him to rest, the rito is more worried that the two children might run off into the desert without any supplies if he sleeps, so he continues gathering the necessary items they shall need to continue their journey even going as far as to include two daggers, a blanket that Piaffe insisted upon, some medical supplies, food, rupees and a letter for them to read later, hopefully they can read... not that he minds teaching them at a later time.
Humming softly to himself while his mind wonders about the fact his wife is going to tease him about accidentally adopting two fledglings but forgetting to bring the fledglings home with him, however as much as the bard would love to bring the two young ones to rito village as soon as possible, he also understands that neither of them plans to abandon their quest nor do they trust him.
So all he can really do at the moment is help make sure the children are as prepared as possible and hope he gets to cross paths with the unusual pair again soon, Kass does wonder why two ten year olds are heading into the desert without the proper supplies or any adults, yet something tells the rito that right now the fledglings do not trust him enough to allow any help from him, at least not out right hence the bag of supplies.
The thought of who could've hurt them to such a length makes his feathers ruffle in anger, maybe the kids were held captive by the Yiga or someone else with less than kind intentions... the world they live in is not a kind place thus Kass has serious doubts, that the fear in the pair's eyes every time an adult is to close to them is not a reaction that is gained without a painful history, anyone with half a brain could see the distrust clear as day in the children's mannerisms.
How the slightly taller red eyed child always looks moments away from shielding or fighting for his friend's sake, and the smaller blue eyed child appears harmless even though his eyes are always keeping track of everything around the pair, both are prepared for pain being the only response when adults are involved, the normally kind friendly stable dog Jack even growled at him when the bard approached the kids earlier, the dog protecting them going as far as to not allowing the canines own master near them...
A sense of protectiveness rushes through the adult as he finishes preparing the supplies, while his thoughts turn to darker ideas that he knows his fiercely protective wife would share with him once he tells Amali about his observations regarding the feral fledglings, maybe she won't mind him returning to their nest covered in blood... he really wants to find and talk with whoever harmed these kids to the point of them being forced into a state of constant survival.
Maybe he shall eventually get the answer as to who his target is, of course only after gaining the children's trust one day but for now, it is time for his own journey to continue even though he would've stayed longer to help the fledglings through the desert, leaving the bag of supplies beside the kids shared bed Kass pays for the little one's bed even though the piaffe states he wasn't planning to charge the kids as it feels wrong to do so.
With a final glance at the peacefully slumbering pair smiling slightly when he sees Jack in the bed cuddling with the little ones, the bard leaves hoping their journey does not end in their untimely deaths.
Kass never notices the blue eyes watching him leave nor does he hear the words whispered into the night "be safe nice birdy" the only ones to notice are of course Jack the dog and Dark who says nothing regarding his partner wishing the bird safe travels, only wrapping the blanket tighter around the smaller Twili not wanting Dusk to get sick from the cold.
They'll have to thank the bard bird next time they cross paths maybe with a meal or a kind dream, silently wondering how to thank the Rito for the supplies the doctor continues keeping guard for any of Hyila's tricks, his gut sinks in an eerie manner as the twili begins wondering where his mirror is located in this era.
It's impossible for Hyila to destroy it... he would've dreamed of its destruction if she had been the one to destroy it, only another twili of royal blood or one born with healing magic could've managed such a dangerous task, however no sane Twili would've destroyed it as there would've been no reason to do so either.
His mirror is just a simple dream catching mirror that was an eighth birthday gift from his mother, so why can't he shake this sinking feeling whenever he fails to locate his mirror...?
Maybe Hyila sealed it away, eitherway hopefully they find it soon Dark needs it in order to train Dusk on how to travel the dream realm, its dangerous to train without a dream catching mirror the dream might kill his counterpart if he's weaker than it, but as much as he would rather not train Dusk in dreams there is little choice in the matter as the third set of runes require a dream crystal and Dark isn't allowed to give one of his own.
Dusk has to find it inside the dream with only the aid of a dream catching mirror
But thankfully they have five years until the third rune set is needed, but the feeling still doesn't go away, so he tries ignoring it again by petting Jack the dog's fur to help soothe his nerves a little.
Jack allows the silver kitten to continue petting her fur, also keeping her ears alert for any dangers like monsters or those strange creatures in red, the canine wishes she could go with the two kittens for an adventure but she cannot leave in her current condition and then she'll probably stay until this litter can be adopted out to new homes at other stables.
One day... one day she's going on her final adventure with these kittens.