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“What’s your Loftwing’s name?” Wind asked suddenly while Wild was working on dinner. “Do they even have names?”
Sky startled and then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Yes, they have names. It’d be weird if they didn’t… I can’t believe I never mentioned his!”
Legend snorted. “You forgot to mention the name of your other half?” he teased. Sky flapped a hand at him as he flushed, embarrassed.
“Yes, I forgot. But it’s because he gets so embarrassed about his nickname… he can be a little proud. His name is –”
Here he broke off with a screech, a rising caw, and trailed off with what sounded like a coo if it had come from an eagle.
They all stared at him. Sky continued talking as if he hadn’t thrown a metaphorical bomb right in the middle of camp.
“…But that’s kind of a mouthful, so I like to call him – ” he made the cooing noise again, but somehow it was even more screechy, “He tends to fluff his feathers and complain about it in public all the time.”
“…You…” Warriors started, and then cleared his throat. “You sound like you talk with your, uh, Loftwing? Like, full conversations?”
Sky’s fond smile turned puzzled. “…Yes? Do you not talk with Epona?” He directed the last bit at Twilight.
“Oh, no. I definitely have never talked to Epona in a real conversation,” Twilight said, sounding a little odd. Perhaps he was still shaken by the ungodly noises that Sky just let loose. Epona snorted at him, unimpressed.
Sky was on watch while everyone else dozed in various states of fitfulness. Twilight, however, was wide awake. He was also particularly wolf-shaped.
Sky had yet to make that connection, however, and it was unlikely that he’d make that connection tonight. He was very still, ears perked in a clear indication that he was listening carefully.
Somewhere nearby, an owl hooted.
As a wolf, Twilight found that he could understand only a certain range of animals. This range, unfortunately, did not extend to birds.
Another owl, very close by, also hooted.
Wait.
Twilight shifted to get a better look at Sky, who had his hands cupped around his mouth.
Sky, who was the owl he had heard.
There was another hoot from the owl in the trees, and then silence. Sky relaxed, but only slightly. He glanced down at the wolf staring at him.
“Did you get that?” Sky asked. Twilight blinked, and Sky chuckled.
“Maybe if I can’t understand your kind, you can’t understand mine, either,” he mused aloud.
Yeah. None of that made sense whatsoever.
Whatever the nearby birds were singing about must have been the funniest thing Sky had ever heard, since he was spectacularly failing at keeping his laughter in check.
Legend refrained from shaking his head in bewilderment.
Sky could talk to birds. That, or Sky had gotten loopy from living on the surface. Or maybe Legend was just crazy, that was always an available option.
He glanced over at Hyrule, who was doing a poor job of pretending he wasn’t outright staring at their resident bird-whisperer. Noticing Legend, Hyrule waved a hand in Sky’s direction. “I think he talks to them,” he whispered. Wind must have heard him, as he whipped his head around and opened his mouth. Before Wind had the chance to say anything, though, Sky fucking chirped. And then burst into giggles.
Legend slapped a hand to his face. “I can’t handle this,” he hissed, and stomped to the front of the group, where the people were less likely to be ridiculously adorable.
Around them, the birds chittered. Legend hazarded a look back and found that a little bird was now hanging out on Sky’s head.
Ridiculous.
They were at Wild’s house in Hateno. Sky had been relaxing in the grass and had since progressed to straight out napping.
It was sort of impressive, Wild mused, at how quick Sky could go from awake to dead to the world. It was also hilarious, since Sky had conked out with his limbs all splayed out in different directions. Wild plucked the Slate from his side to commemorate the moment, and then almost choked at what he saw flutter to a standstill in front of Sky’s face.
A tiny hummingbird made an equally tiny peep, and Sky’s eyes flew open, crossing as he took notice of his new little friend.
“Oh my goodness,” he breathed out, and sat up carefully. The little bird buzzed its wings to hover until it settled in Sky’s cupped hands.
Wild remembered that the Slate had a video option, and that he could stop taking pictures every second.
The hummingbird made several squeaky tweets at Sky, who managed to reply with a high-pitched noise before the hummingbird, seemingly satisfied, zipped off to who-knows-where.
Sky was still looking at his hands in shock as Wild approached, the Slate resting on his hip once more.
“Uh,” Wild started, and Sky slowly looked up at him.
“That,” Sky said, “Was the fastest I’ve ever heard anyone speak in my life.”
Wild refrained from pointing out that for most people, “anyone” tended not to include birds.
Sky dropped his head into his palms. “And he was so small,” he rasped, sounding a little choked-up. Wild awkwardly patted his shoulder in commiseration.
The next time they were at Lon Lon Ranch, Sky practically made a beeline for the Cuccos.
Malon had seen a lot, what with being married to a time-traveler able to change the weather with an ocarina, but she had yet to see anyone ever be so excited to deal with those birds. Sure, she worked with them, but it was a strictly professional relationship that mostly involved avoiding getting scratched when collecting eggs.
She barely had to turn to her husband before Time responded, “He talks to birds.” He sounded a little exasperated. “But I can’t believe that those creatures make for any decent conversation.”
She swatted at his arm playfully. “Mind, you wouldn’t have any omelets without those creatures.”
Still, the point remained. Cuccos, as far as she was aware, were only interested in strutting about, showing off their feathers, and unleashing an unholy temper at anyone else. What a sweet boy like Sky could find so compelling about them was beyond her.
“Maybe they’re teaching him fighting techniques,” she murmured. Time barked out a laugh.
“I’d certainly fear a man taught by those beasts,” he said, chuckling again at the sight of Sky trying to hand Warriors a particularly plump Cucco. Warriors must have jumped about a couple feet into the air before booking it to the other side of the house.
“We better head inside,” Malon said, her tone becoming a little urgent as Wind dove out the way of an approaching Sky, “I think he’s heading toward us next!”
His wife was wise indeed.
They were still in Time’s Hyrule when they encountered a particularly ferocious mob of monsters that were not only infected, but also armed to the teeth.
There was barely any room to breathe. Four wasn’t sure if he was safe blinking, lest an enemy find it an opportunity to attack. He felt bruised all over, and dread began sinking in its claws as he noticed that they were being steadily surrounded.
His tenuous grip on his emotions shattered at the sound of a choked-off scream. Sky. He had to get to him, before it was too late –!
He was violently kicked to the ground in the moment he took to try to find his injured comrade. He tried to maneuver into a better position, but there was only so much he could do with his back on the ground.
Should he split? Would that just lead to four Links prone on the ground?
He was jarred out of his plans as the sound of fluttering wings overtook the noise of battle, accompanied by squawks and clucks.
Wait.
The monster slashing down at Four was suddenly bowled over by several blurs of white and red. In fact, all of their assailants were being attacked by what seemed like an endless supply of feathered and dubiously domesticated warriors.
“WHAT THE FUCK!” Wind cried out gleefully as he stabbed a Lizalfos that had managed to extricate itself from the swarm of Cuccos.
Was there a Cucco that had been caught in the crossfire?
Four started running before the thought even finished.
Warriors was already at Sky’s side, keeping as much pressure on the wound splitting Sky’s torso as much as possible. Time and Twilight were on guard, although the Cuccos seemed to be keeping the monsters adequately busy.
Also adequately dead.
Twilight looked a little shell-shocked. As Four dropped to his knees to help Warriors, he asked, “Never seen a Cucco revenge squad before?”
Twilight nodded numbly. Hyrule finished chugging magic potions and went to attend to Sky but stopped abruptly.
Four and Warriors had the acute sensation of being watched by several beady eyes.
“Um…” Hyrule said nervously as he tried to edge around the Cucco in his path. “I’m going to help him.”
The Cucco stood her ground.
He showed her his glowing palms. “I have magic, see? It will help heal him.”
At this, the Cucco stepped aside, trotting over to Sky to coo at him. Sky, who was very pale and was squinting in pain, still managed to crack a smile and coo back.
Four and Warriors sat back to let Hyrule work his magic and tried not to stare at the Cuccos milling about. Wind, Legend, and Wild awkwardly stepped around the feathery crowd, Legend looking more tense than he had been in battle.
Sky let out a long breath of relief when Hyrule finally lifted his hands away. “I think I’m going to pass out now,” he slurred.
Hyrule nodded sleepily in agreement as he slumped against Warriors.
The moment Sky nodded off, one of the Cuccos clucked loudly. The rest clucked in response, and then, as one feathery mass, they fluttered away into the air.
“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Wild said, “And I’ve died!”
Warriors looked a little dazed. “They followed military patterns…”
Time crouched down and lifted Sky into his arms, his smile wry yet fond. “Now that is a power that no man should be able to wield. Never thought Cuccos would be helping to fight a common enemy.”
Wild opened his mouth, and then closed it. Twilight shot him an amused look.
That was definitely a story for another day.
Besides, if an army of Cuccos were ready to defend Sky at any moment, he was a little afraid to know how Sky would react at learning how many Cuccos Wild had thrown in the direction of Lynels.