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“I’ve seen you talk to girls,” Legend sneered. “There’s no way she let you do that!”
Warriors tossed his hair. “Well, I know I’m telling the truth. She only let me do it the once, you know.”
“I don’t even think you could convince a chu to do that—”
“Can we please talk about something else?” Four asked, covering his hot ears.
“Yeah,” Legend agreed. “Regale us with more of your lies, Wars.”
Warriors rolled his eyes. “It’s not a lie.”
Wild nudged Hyrule. “Do you think it’s true?” he whispered to the traveler.
Hyrule shrugged, wide-eyed. “I didn’t even know it was an option.”
“Is that normal on the surface?” Sky asked Twilight curiously.
Twilight glanced down, crooking his brow. “Nothin’ ‘bout Wars’s normal.”
“Have you and Ilia done—”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Twilight said, tapping his fingertips to his palm.
“I wanna hear more!” Wind whined.
Time shook his head, turning a stern look onto the others. “You can all talk about this later. Preferably after Wind and Four have gone to bed—”
“No!” Wind protested.
Four shook his head. “Why do you wanna hear about that stuff?” he asked, revolted.
Twilight paused suddenly, glancing up at the trees. Sky stopped with him, examining the rancher’s sudden alert look and then followed suit, but found nothing amiss amongst the trees.
Legend rolled his eyes. “Oh brother,” he huffed. “You find a stick?”
Twilight snapped a shush at the veteran. He frowned, gathering his face in some confusion. He reached out, set his hand against a tree, and then, he knelt to press his ear to the ground.
“Rancher?” Time asked.
Twilight shook his head, sitting up on his knees. “It’s gone now. Whatever it was.”
“What’d you hear?” Wild asked.
Twilight hummed. “Dunno. A growl, I thought, but there ain’t nothin’ ‘round.”
The others drifted into a natural formation, their backs to one another, hands resting on sheathed weapons. Twilight seemed unconvinced that the threat had passed. The forest around them was quiet. Water burbled past, down a steep slope of earth and pine needles. The skinny trees towered over them all, full of leaves which rustled in the wind.
“The birds,” Hyrule realized.
Warriors’ eyes widened. “You’re right. Where’d they go?”
“Rain?” Wild asked, lifting a palm to the air.
Wind shook his head. “Huh-uh, this weather’ll hold for a coupla days still.”
Twilight bristled again, throwing himself back to the ground, pressing his ear against the earth as flat as possible.
“Do you hear it?” he whispered.
The others traded looks, all shaking their heads.
Twilight jolted upright, snapping his attention towards a fir tree. The groan he could hear grew louder, enough that the others could hear it. The tree seemed to wail. It trembled, losing loose needles, and then, the trunk began to bend, the bark slowly splitting to reveal the wet wood underneath.
“That’s not right,” Hyrule said.
Twilight was up on his feet, sword drawn. The fir gave, careening to the earth. The rancher half-expected a monster to jump out from behind, but there was nothing but the silence.
Twilight whirled on his heels, leveling his sword towards another tree as the wood cried out. The trunk began to fail and as it did, a third tree began to buckle.
“What’s happening?” Four asked.
Time shook his head. “I’m not sure, but we’d better move.”
Quickly, Time and Warriors began to channel the other heroes forward. Twilight sheathed his sword again, prickling at all the noises around him. Something in his gut twisted, an instinct overcoming all his reason.
Wind let out a wail as the rancher suddenly shoved the sailor down the sheer slope. Shouts went up around Twilight, all of the others alarmed as Wind rolled all the way to the bottom of the gully, screaming in surprise as he did. Wild ran after Wind, Hyrule chasing the champion to help. Before Warriors could grab Twilight, the rancher all but body-checked the smith, sending him after the rest.
“Twilight!” Time shouted, grabbing the rancher.
Twilight snarled, baring his teeth at the man. With all his strength, he grabbed Time and hurled him down the slope. The rancher turned on Warriors. The captain knew he couldn’t hold Twilight back alone, and he was proved right as Twilight hooked him by the front of his tunic and sent Warriors tumbling down.
“Twi?” Sky asked, stunned
Legend went for his weapon, but then he froze.
A deep rumble filled the forest. All the trees seemed to quake, letting loose a flurry of leaves. Small pebbles on the dirt began to bounce slightly, more trees screaming as they folded and fell. Twilight shoved Legend down the slope and then he grabbed Sky by the arm and bowled him down too.
The rancher followed, skidding down the slope. There was a frenzied look on his face. Warriors and Time got the others to their feet, shielding them from the rancher.
“Twilight!” Time yelled. “Enough!”
Twilight twisted his head, struggling to get words out as reflex alone drove him.
“Sky!” Warriors ordered. “Get the others up the other side—”
“No!” Twilight roared, a vicious look on his face. “Down!”
“Twilight,” Sky said, reaching for him.
Twilight wrenched away, covering his ears with a sharp whine.
“There!” Four yelled. “Watch out!”
A pine tree fell, its shadow landing across Twilight and Sky. Before it had a chance to strike, Wild launched a sword into the wood, splitting it open. The halves fell on either side of the heroes.
“What’s happening?” Wind demanded.
“Twi,” Sky urged, shaking the rancher’s shoulder. “It’s okay, c’mon. What’s going on?”
Twilight shook his head feverishly. He crushed his palms against his ears, trying to blot out the thunder beneath his feet. His skin prickled with sensation, his hair rising on end. He screwed his eyes shut, struggling to find air over a crash of panic.
“Mountain gods,” Twilight choked.
“Gods?” Legend balked.
“Look out!” Hyrule yelled.
The heroes followed the traveler’s finger. From the path they followed, the top layer of soil began to shake loose like a skin. It broke at the flat ridge they’d been on before Twilight threw them all downhill. Roots held the earth in place like a failing seam and as they broke, the sheet of dirt started to sag downwards.
Wind startled as another tree crashed. And then another. A deep roar filled the valley, a sound like a hundred wild horses charging across the land. Warriors followed the noise, losing color as he saw a wall of water headed straight for them, surging down the little brook.
“Move!” Warriors ordered.
The water hit them like a brick wall. In less than a second, they were washed up in its wake, thrown across eddies and currents, slammed into fallen trees and loose rocks. A root caught Legend by his ankle and pulled him down, just for the earth to fall apart a second later and shoot the boy back over the churning surface of the flood.
Wild felt a familiar weightlessness. He’d gone over an edge somewhere, and now he was falling, trapped in a column of rushing floodwater. He could hardly make sense of up or down, but he did know that there was a massive tree nipping at his heels.
Pain seized Hyrule’s body as he smashed into the surface of the lake beneath the drop. Clawing and clambering, he fought his way above the water, only to be thrown back down by the rush which carried him. He tumbled across the lakebed, his lungs burning. He grasped at anything he could find, but everything was just as loose as he was.
Wind found himself thrown onto the grass. He coughed and wheezed, throwing up water over and over again, spitting up leaves and sticks too. Haggard, he used his arms to bellycrawl out of the lake. He dragged himself to dry land before he collapsed in a wet pile, struggling for air. “Wi—Wind!” Warriors rasped.
Wind opened his eyes. The captain was on his hands and knees, struggling to reach the sailor.
“Cap’n,” Wind wheezed. He reached out his hand.
Warriors took the sailor’s hand, relief filling him.
“What was that?” Wind managed.
Warriors shook his head, helping Wind sit up. “I’m not sure—”
As the captain lifted his eyes, he felt small. Insignificant. The sudden flood which failed to kill him had destroyed everything else. The lake overflowed its natural banks, now consuming most of the pasture surrounding its edge. The water was dark with mud and debris, upturned boulders and fallen trees clogging it all up.
“The others,” Wind gasped, worry gripping him.
Across the lake, Four found himself waking up unceremoniously. His lungs burned, his belly hurt. He threw himself to his side, puking up a stomach full of floodwater. His body ached, every joint sore, his skin littered with scrapes and bruises.
“You’re up,” Legend sighed, relieved.
Four wiped his eyes. “Barely.”
Legend was no better off than Four. His eyes were bloodshot, still burning from the detritus in the water. A branch had caught his shin, leaving a nasty gash, but Legend was quick to get it as clean as possible and stop the bleeding.
“Where…?” Four began, stopping to cough up more water.
Legend shook his head. “Somewhere below.” He pointed up at the cliff face. A thin waterfall sprayed down from its top. “We were up there.”
“The others?”
Legend moved his finger, pointing a smear of smoke. “I bet that’s Wild there.”
Four nodded, dragging himself to his feet. He winced, crumpling over his ankle.
“Easy,” Legend said, catching the smith’s weight.
Four glanced at his ankle, bending it experimentally. “I think it’s sprained,” he said through his teeth.
“I’m just glad it’s not worse than that. C’mon, lean on me.”
Together the two hobbled over sore muscles and stiff bodies, fighting every throb of pain from every bruise across them. They picked their way over a debris field of rocks and branches, slopping through churned earth and frothing mud. Finally, they caught the glow of a fire.
“Hey!” Legend yelled, though his voice was strained.
A sharp whistle echoed back.
“What’d I tell you?” Legend sighed in relief.
They quickened their pace, freshly motivated. The two stumbled into some slipshod camp the champion had thrown together. A little fire burned over a hole to protect it from the wet earth. The soggy wood put out more smoke than flames, but the smoke rose tall and thick and Legend assumed that was its purpose anyway.
“You’ve got Time!” Four realized.
The eldest lay on a bed of sloughed bark, a crude shelter of branches protecting his face from the sun.
“Barely,” Wild replied grimly. “He was out when I found him. Barely got him to come to, and he’s been like that since.”
“Have you seen anyone else?” Legend asked.
Wild shook his head. “No. I think I saw the captain’s scarf snagged near the edge, but it wasn’t close to me. I thought if I made smoke, it would draw everyone here.”
Legend nodded. “Good idea.” He forced Four to sit on a damp rock. “Get your boot off, smithy. Let’s see what we’re working with.”
Further down the lake, Hyrule cracked open his eyes. He groaned as he stirred. He put his hands down, he pushed up—
“Ah!” a yelp left the traveler as he plunged into the lukewarm water.
He flailed, coming back up in a wild splash. He reached out, grabbing onto the log he realized he’d woken up on. He clung to it, breathing hard as he took in his surroundings. After the roar of the flood, the absolutely cacophony of its sweep, everything seemed too quiet. Around Hyrule was shallow water, green grass and delicate flowers still growing from the bottom. The trees around him were all crushed and scattered, the earth spongy where the flood had receded as it passed through.
Hyrule took a breath and threw himself headlong for the beach. He splashed into the mud, the ground beyond the water sucking him down. He dragged himself upright again, his entire front stained black with mud. Hyrule began an arduous crawl, fighting every inch of the way as the muck threatened to eat him up.
Finally, he found stable enough ground to collapse. His body ached, sore and exhausted. He felt waterlogged himself, uselessly trying to smear mud from his eyes and nose and mouth. Instead, he couldn’t help but swallow grit as he tried to catch his breath.
Hyrule forced himself to his feet, even as he sagged from fatigue. He swept the debris field with his eyes, searching for anything—Hyrule lit up. A swathe of white cloth clung to a boulder.
Hyrule plodded towards it, clumsily scrambling over rocks and trees to reach it. He grasped it, having to tug a few times before he managed to free it. Sure enough, Hyrule recognized the crest on the back.
“Sky,” he said aloud. He lifted his gaze, searching the plain around him. “Sky! Hey!”
Hyrule startled, hearing rocks grind just beside him. He screamed as a pale hand thrust out from a gap, clawing at the air.
“H-hello?” Hyrule asked.
“It’s me!” Sky replied, voice muffled.
“Sky!” Hyrule cried. “Hey, are you okay?”
“I think so, but I’m stuck.”
“O-okay, hang on.” Hyrule got up, catching a second wind.
He searched for a sturdy stick, though most of them were weak with water, peeled away from young wood. Finally, Hyrule found one he thought might work.
He wedged the stick into the little hole and almost climbed on top of the other end, forcing it with all his weight. The rock began to rise, little by little. From beneath, Sky helped push upwards.
“Hurry!” Hyrule got out. “It’s gonna give!”
Sky squeezed himself through a gap almost too small. The stick snapped, the rock slammed back down. Sky barely escaped being squished beneath it. As the rock landed, the pile they were on trembled and slid. Both heroes were thrown back down the ground, but landed safely.
“That was horrible,” Sky complained.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
Sky nodded, agreeing. “Just banged up. You?”
“The same, I think,” Hyrule replied.
“Anyone else?”
The traveler shook his head. “I haven’t seen anyone but—”
“Hey!” Warriors called.
The two perked up, peering at two limping shapes, one big and one small.
Sky raised his hands over head, waving to them both.
“You’re okay!” Wind gasped, relieved.
The sailor ran at his brothers, grasping them both in a hug. “It was just Wars ‘n me ‘n I was so worried!”
Sky hugged the sailor back. “It’s alright, we’re both safe.”
Warriors took the two of them in. He and Wind had managed to get somewhat dry, and Warriors was sure to treat them of their own injuries before they went looking for others. Hyrule was stained black in a casing of mud, a gash apparent across his brow. Sky sported a few black fingernails, but seemed alright besides some wear and tear.
“Good,” Warriors said. “Do you see that?”
The captain pointed into the distance, at a pillar of smoke.
“Wild,” Hyrule and Sky said together.
“And I bet the others are going there too.”
Hyrule tried to get up, but his legs failed him. His eyes welled with tears.
“Rulie?” Sky asked.
Hyrule shook his head. “S-sorry, I just—I’m too tired.”
“It’s alright,” Warriors eased. “I’ll have a look at you both, and then we can figure out how to move ahead.”
At the edges of Wild’s sloppy camp, the rancher limped forward. He held his side in one hand, every breath clearly labored as he managed to reach the smoke.
“Twi!” Wild cried joyously.
Twilight nodded, more or less forced to drop to the ground to sit. He let out a strained groan as he leaned his weight on a splintered tree.
“Hey,” Four greeted.
Twilight nodded at the smith. Four hopped over a splinted ankle, but he seemed fine otherwise. His forearm was wrapped up in a clean bandage, his skin clouded with bruises. Twilight imagined they all looked a little worse for wear.
“Did you see anyone?” Four asked.
Twilight shook his head. “No,” he managed. “Jus’ me.”
“We saw a lightning strike,” Four explained. “Legend assumed it was Hyrule and went to bring him back. Time and Wild are here.”
“‘N the rest?”
Four shook his head. “No sign yet, but we’ll keep the fire burning as long as we can.”
The smith handed Twilight a damp cloth. Twilight wiped grass and dirt and blood away from his face, then he accepted a cup of clean water passed to him.
“Time?” Twilight prompted, peering towards the fire. He only saw Wild stooped over the flames, babysitting them.
Four pointed to a tent made of sticks he lashed together. “We think he hit his head. He’s alright, mostly.”
“Mos’ly?” Twilight scoffed.
Four nodded. “He got a fairy.”
“Right.”
“Gottem!” Legend called, announcing his return.
In tow, to the others’ relief, the veteran had all their missing members with him. Hyrule rode on Sky’s back, Wind on Warriors’. All of them were struggling to stay upright as their bodies yearned to give out and collapse into slumber.
“Thank Hylia,” Four sighed, relieved.
“Is that everyone?” Wild asked as he took a headcount.
Warriors counted everyone too. The captain nodded, satisfied. “Right. Good. I want to have a look at everyone. Wind, go fetch us some water to boil. Sky, help Hyrule wash up. We can peel the bark off these trees to keep our camp dry.”
Wild stood up, posture rigid as he responded to Warriors’ confident authority. “Sir, Time needs you first.”
Warriors nodded, frowning. He clapped Wild on the shoulder. “Good work, champion. If you’ve got the energy, do you mind warming us up some food?”
Wild nodded. “Can do.”
Despite the exhaustion obvious in his body, Warriors slinked into the little shelter covering Time. The camp was silent then, everyone too tired to chatter, all focused on their jobs or wounds.
After a while, Warriors emerged from the shelter again. The sun sank low, dusk falling over them all. Wild cooked up a plain pot of rice for everyone’s sour stomachs, just in case more water needed to come up after all. The smell of smoke filled the night air, the soft lap of the flooded lake almost hiding the devastated silence of the earth around them.
One by one, the captain checked in on everyone else. He finally came to Twilight, giving the rancher a stern look.
“You have some explaining to do,” he said.
Twilight rolled his eyes.
“But first, let me have a look.”
“I’m fine,” Twilight protested.
“You haven’t helped at all,” the captain pointed out. “So I know you’re not. Where is it?”
The rancher’s eyes were as strained as the others’, though one was stained red, clearly injured. He was peppered with the same horrible bruises as the others, a lace of thin cuts across his face and arms, but Twilight kept a hand pressed to his ribs.
“Here,” Twilight confessed with a grimace.
“Is it broken?”
“I didn’t look.”
Warriors nodded, helping Twilight out of his top. The rancher seethed in pain, cursing to himself as he moved. Staining the rancher’s rib from armpit to hip was a deep bruise, black in color and flecked red where the black wasn’t enough of an indicator. But nothing bulged or seemed out of place. Twilight withstood the captain’s prodding, miserable all the while.
“Bruised,” Warriors concluded. “Can you breathe alright?”
“It hurts,” Twilight said, “but fine I think—”
The rancher froze.
“Twi?” Warriors pressed.
Twilight darted a fearful gaze up to the captain. Despite his discomfort, Twilight was suddenly on his feet. He climbed up a pile of rocks and trees, sending some down as he pushed them aside. At the top, he fell quiet, slouching backwards, staring into the distance.
Cursing, Warriors climbed up after the rancher. “Would it kill you to tell—”
The captain stopped. There, not far, it seemed like the world itself had come apart. There was a deep chasm where there hadn’t been just half an hour before. One side of the abyss stood higher than the other, audibly groaning. A shudder jostled the earth, sending the heroes off balance, pitching them one way and then the other, and then it stilled again.
Warriors watched as the lake rose again, flowing over more and more of the pasture, but they were thankfully far enough away to escape it. The water began to drain again, and then suddenly, the lake surged with more debris.
One by one, the others joined Warriors and Twilight. They were safe where they were, but they could hear it all, and they watched in awe.
“What…?” Sky murmured.
Twilight frowned. “Mountain gods,” he said with some grim reverence.
Wind peered out into the distance. “It’s an earthquake,” he corrected.
“A what?” Hyrule asked.
“Earthquake. I didn’t know you got them on land too.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Legend sputtered.
“Me neither,” Wild agreed.
“Well,” Wind said, “as long as we don’t go pokin’ around, we should be okay.”
Warriors nodded, sighing softly. “Everyone stay close, no one goes anywhere. Even if you have to pee, take someone with you. We need our rest now—we’ll regroup in the morning.”
Slowly, the heroes began to pick their way back down the pile. But Twilight and Sky stayed where they were, both drinking in the sight. Separately, side by side, the two began to pray to their gods.