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When most Links joined the chain, they were wary of the others at first. Every one of them were in different stages of recovering from their adventures, in different states of trauma, so it was understandable that they would be a little cautious about someone popping in and regaling them with some fanciful tale about Hylia sending them on yet another quest to do who-knows-what.
Perhaps the only exception to this rule was the last to join, Wild. When the eight heroes met him, he was quiet, watching from a comfortable distance. There was a sad little glint in his eyes as he looked over the chattering, laughing group. He was debating revealing himself to them; they seemed friendly enough, and oddly enough something seemed strangely familiar about them. Something welcoming.
It came as a shock to the chain when the boy stepped tentatively from the shadows and introduced himself in a broken voice, then immediately winced at the very sound. Everybody exchanged looks ranging from surprised to understanding to baffled, then settled back to Wild, who was wringing the frayed hem of his shirt. Time was the one who stepped forward to break the tension and introduce himself. He was big, and he looked strong, and kind. Wild decided he liked Time.
The one who wore the wolf pelt also caught his eye. Probably because the two looked similar. Time was obviously older, and taller. The pelted one was probably closer to his own age, and he was more muscular. He called himself Twilight. He didn’t know why, but there was something familiar about Twilight.
The others came up as well, but he already committed himself to Time and Twilight. He wanted to stay around them. They would keep him safe. Keep him warm.
He was being invited over to the fire. His curiosity was piqued; a fire? Was it warm? He was starting to feel cold. And they wanted him to join them. Eager, he padded over to where everyone else sat and took his place. Right between Time and Twilight. Twilight gave the boy an odd look, but Time just shrugged it off.
Hyrule was making dinner. The smell was revolting, and Wild audibly gagged. Hyrule shot him an ugly glare.
“What, think you can do better?” he challenged.
Wild indignantly pushed Hyrule away from the cooking pot and tossed the half-cooked “meal” away, all without saying a word or meeting his eye. Everyone else watched in disbelief as he took off his hip a strange rectangular device and summoned a variety of delicious-looking ingredients, tossing them into the pot in intervals. It was done quickly, and the aroma wafted through the air into everyone’s eager nostrils. Seven heroes eagerly devoured their meal, the eighth begrudgingly accepting defeat. From that day on Wild was named the official cook.
Night began to fall soon after, and everyone started winding down for the evening. Time offered to take the first watch, and set himself up just outside camp. The others situated themselves in their bedrolls, though Wild noticed how close to each other they were. And how far away they were from Wild. Was it something he did? He thought he proved himself over dinner!
He drew his knees up to his chest and whined, staring into the fire. It wasn’t warm enough anymore to take the chill off his shivering body.
He heard footsteps behind him, not quite trying to be stealthy but quiet enough to nearly go undetected. He turned his gaze over to the source of the disturbance. It was Time, the kind one with the scarred eye. He relaxed his tense shoulders a little bit. Time was safe.
“Can’t sleep?” the older male asked softly. Wild huffed and hugged his knees tighter. Time caught the sideways glance he briefly threw the others.
“You can join them, Wild. None of them will stop you,” Time encouraged, but Wild didn’t move. He had no idea how to just go up to a group of seven sleeping people and lie down with them. He looked back up to Time with a look of helplessness in his eyes. Time pitied the boy and, kneeling down behind him, hoisted him up into his arms, much to the younger’s shock and dismay.
“Okay, up you go. You need your sleep,” he declared, and hauled the exhausted young man over to where the others slept. Wild pushed against his chest, as if he could free himself from Time’s firm grip. Not that it mattered anyway, because the distance was so short that they were already at their destination. Time lightly nudged Legend with his heel to wake him for his watch, then crossed to the other side of the cuddle pile. Wild’s tense form was carefully set down next to Twilight, whose arms did not take long to snake around him, even in sleep. Wild tensed at the unfamiliar sensation. Before he could wriggle his way out, Time took his place as well, pulling Wild right up to him.
“Warm?” Time asked, his voice softening with sleep. The shared heat was working to relax Wild’s tight muscles, and he found his eyes beginning to slip shut against his will. His hands lightly gripped Time’s tunic and his head dipped down. All he really mustered in response was a light hum. Sleep tugged at the edges of his consciousness. He rested his forehead against Time’s chest with a sleepy yawn. Behind him, Twilight groaned, probably in the middle of some dream, and moved a little closer.
Yes, he thought. He was very warm.