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“Hey, Captain? Mind doing a headcount?”
Wars nodded and turned to count the others who were following behind them. “One, two, three, four… five, six, seven, eight.”
Assuming Wars wasn’t including himself, Time thanked him and went to continue down the path. It’s good we’re all here.
When Sky woke up, it was, unusually, to complete silence, save for the dulled creaks of the forest.
If he had to guess by how the sun had changed, he would say it had been a few hours since he fell asleep. Well. It was a good nap while it lasted.
He yawned, rolling his neck and pushing himself to his feet, wincing at the aches covering his body. It had probably been a bad idea, falling asleep in that position. His legs felt like jelly from exhaustion and discomfort and his back was sore from where bumpy bits of the tree had been pressed into his skin.
He blinked to clear his vision more. He knew he had wandered a bit from the camp, only about a minute’s walk, but to be fair the clearing in which they’d settled for the night was awfully dreary. The spot he’d discovered that was solely touched by the sun’s comforting rays was much better. Hopefully the others were all packed up now. He had finished packing early, hence why he decided to wander around for a bit. Surely a few hours was enough; he should head back now.
As he wandered through the thick trees and bushes, he couldn’t help but smile at the little birds that ran out of his way when he walked by or the squirrels that scampered into the bushes when they heard him coming. He really did miss Skyloft, but it was somehow easier to deal with when he saw so many of its traits in this timeline. Sometimes he wondered if some of the things on the Surface in the future were just evolved versions of what was on Skyloft. It was a possibility, he knew, but still a little strange to think about.
Oh, he must have arrived already. The walk had been a bit shorter than he thought-...
Wait, what?
He stared at the completely empty space in front of him. He was sure this was where the camp was, but of course there was the chance he’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. That was it.
Sky turned his head around, straining his ears to try and pick up anything that could indicate his brothers’ location. Nothing but subdued squeaks and bird calls. He cursed his bad hearing for what felt like the millionth time and went back the way he came, to the sunny spot with an open sky above. He’d be able to find his way back from there.
He hadn’t been able to find his way back.
No matter how many times he retraced his steps back to where he’d napped and picked a different direction to walk in, he couldn’t find his brothers anywhere. He had marked every direction he’d gone in on the tree, and only briefly entertained the possibility that he had just forgotten he originally made a turn after circling the entire perimeter in which he knew the camp was (as he’d done the same the night before), but still nothing.
All eight of them had just… vanished. Along with any trace they were there at all.
He wondered, for a split second, if he’d somehow managed to hallucinate their entire existence. But no. Putting aside how ridiculous it sounded anyway, his brain would not have the capacity to subconsciously create so many unique people and make it seem like they were real.
Maybe he was going insane. Maybe he’d actually wandered hours away from camp and perceived it as a minute.
But that would mean going far from the spot and risking getting lost without his way back, and that was a potential danger he wasn’t willing to let happen.
He really, really wished he hadn’t given Fi to Wild to keep in their slate during sparring early in the morning.
Sky sat down at the base of the tree where his own bedroll had been set up a mere couple of hours ago, at least, he thought it was. Though saying otherwise may as well be considered denial at this point.
There were many pairs of footsteps squished into the sodden earth. He had tracked them but they’d ended at a river he knew he wouldn’t be able to cross on his own. In the center of the clearing, there was a small pile of charred wood still vaguely warm to the touch. There was a little piece of shrimp tossed to the side like somebody had tried to throw it into the bushes but missed. There was even half of an arrow embedded in one of the tree trunks circling the clearing as if it was snapped in half upon a person attempting to pull it out.
There was no doubt, now. This was the camp the Chain had all stayed up until this morning. All the signs were here- except for the heroes themselves, who were nowhere to be found. They were just. Gone.
His throat felt thick and tight with- something. Anxiety, maybe. There were so many nameless emotions swirling in his chest he couldn’t discern what was causing what.
They were gone. And he had no idea where they went or why.
Maybe they’d been dragged off by monsters? No, there was no sign of struggle and his brothers were better than that. But maybe the attackers had somehow knocked them all out with something before taking them? That was at least a little more probable, but he had clearly seen eight sets of footprints that he was certain belonged to his brothers, and they would’ve never just-...left… him…
Oh Hylia.
What if there were no attackers or monsters? What if it was- was deliberate? What if they’d packed up their things and left while he was sleeping on purpose, what if they meant to leave him behind?
The thought was almost too overwhelming to consider, too horrifying to dwell on.
No. They couldn’t. They wouldn’t… would they?
Doubt began to creep up to the edges of his mind and his breathing sped up. No, no, no, there was no way that's what happened. Well- a few of them had given him strange looks last night, and Wars had volunteered to patrol with him so maybe that meant he didn’t trust him, but surely none of that could mean they had been planning to abandon him in the middle of a forest with no resources? Were they hoping he would die out here? He didn’t understand, what did he do wrong?
Unless it had been an accident. They thought he was behind them and didn’t think twice about it. That had to be it.
They must’ve just… forgotten.
Like Sky was something that could easily be forgotten about. He fought down the rising despair at that. It’s better than being left here on purpose.
He ignored the part of him that screamed it was worse.
It became apparent, as his brain felt slower and his feet began to ache, that the sun was beginning to set.
It would still be an hour or two before it finished doing so, but was becoming an urgent matter nonetheless. He knew how risky it would be to try and stay out here by himself with no weapons for the night. It was practically asking to be crept up on, and even though he’d somehow avoided all monsters so far, he would lose the advantage of awareness in the dark.
So now he had to make a choice.
He could either find a spot in the forest and try his best not to fall asleep, or he could try and find a town to stay in, following where the footprints had left off.
Normally he would choose the second option without hesitation. It made the most sense, after all. But now he wasn’t sure. What if they hadn’t wanted him to follow them? What if they were trying to leave him behind and would only get angrier at him for whatever he did if they saw him again?
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fully convince himself that they were completely unjustified in leaving or forgetting him.
Maybe they’d been right. Maybe they’d been doing what was best for the team.
But why? Why did he have no idea what had caused this? Did it even matter? Did he even have the right to be upset? Maybe he should just follow what they were thinking, sit down by a tree and wait to be killed by monsters or die of starvation-...
But Sun would miss him. He knows he would miss her, too. And he couldn’t just leave Crimson behind, he’d seen what happened to Loftwings who’s Hylian counterparts had died, and he couldn’t bear that happening to his own. He had a home to go back to, responsibilities he couldn’t abandon. He would just have to keep going.
I’ll cross the river and find a town to sleep in, just tonight.
He had no clue how he was going to cross the river by himself, but he also found he didn’t really care. As long as he didn’t actually die, did it matter? His brothers, the people that’d comforted him after nightmares and supported him when he was at his lowest were gone, had left him behind. Likely for a good reason. He wasn’t going to die when there were people who still needed him, but he couldn’t say he would care much if something else happened. He must deserve it, right?
As the sun inched lower and lower in the dimming sky, the rushing sound of the river was clear, even with his hearing. He followed it, exhausted but kept going with a new motivation. It wasn’t too dissimilar to the feeling that drove him during his adventure, though he wasn’t sure how to feel about that particular observation.
He missed Fi. He missed the familiar weight in his hand or on his back, the subtle chimes that told him she was about to say something or the comforting pulse when he was using the dowsing technique. He felt safer with her in his hold then he sometimes did in his own bed. As much as he was unsure about seeing the others, he was going to get her back.
The river stretched about 5 or so meters across, not incredibly long but not very short either. It wasn’t a very calm river. The white rapids were loud and violent, with a few large stones sticking up above the water. He’d have to try and hang on the those in order to get across-
Behind him, there was a sudden hissing noise.
His eyes widened, and he turned around in time to be whacked with the spiked tail of a Lizalfos in his left arm, slicing clean through his skin and knocking him into the currents of the river. The last thing he saw was a boulder rapidly approaching his head as he was swept away in the water, and then nothing.
The others would usually cover his back in case he couldn’t hear something coming. Later he would tell himself it was his own fault, and would ignore the bitterness in him that told him otherwise.
Wild unhooked their slate from their hip and tapped the screen lightly. It flashed blue as it unlocked, and they began to swipe through the categories of materials.
They paused at the weapon category, clicking on the wooden ladle-
But then they frowned.
They still had the Master Sword in their inventory. They should probably give it back to Sky, they were honestly a little surprised he hadn’t asked for it the minute after their sparring session ended.
As they glanced around the small group of trees where everyone was taking a break, they realized after a moment that they couldn’t see him. Maybe he was just in a darker spot or was looking around the area or something.
They turned to Twilight, sliding the slate back into place on their belt. “Do you know where Sky went?”
“Yeah, he’s…” The Rancher hesitated. “Actually, I don’t know. I don’t remember seeing him sit down or anything. Maybe someone else knows?”
They shrugged and stepped over to Legend and Hyrule. “Have you guys seen Sky?”
Hyrule considered the question. “I thought he was…” he seemed to think back for a moment, before his face went pale and shocked. Wild raised an eyebrow as the Traveler turned to Legend, who was also opening gaping.
“What?” They asked, growing a little worried. “What is it?”
The two both suddenly looked very, very guilty, which did not help their concern. “We… I don’t remember seeing him since he wandered off to go take a nap before we left early this morning,” Legend explained. “I don’t even remember seeing him come back.”
Oh.
Oh.
Oh, no.
“Fuck,” they whispered, not quietly at all. “Fuck!”
“Language,” Time called from a few meters away.
“No, no, no- you don’t get it!” They insisted, panic taking over them. “I still have his sword from this morning, we- we left Sky behind!”
Everybody instantly froze. A few of them looked around, as if just realizing that their resident Skyloftian was in fact not present.
Wind came to his senses first, breaking the silence. “We have to go back for him, right?” He demanded. “He’s all alone out there! We have to go back, come on, let’s go!”
Nobody argued.
Wild took the lead of the group, going as fast as they could while accurately retracing their steps, trying to ignore the clawing guilt and the feeling that Sky was not as safe as they hoped he would be.
When Sky awoke, it was to shallow water lapping at his face and tiny fish nibbling on his ears. He stared blankly up at the pitch black night sky dotted with stars, only vaguely registering that he must’ve been knocked out for a few hours before immediately flailing and heaving what felt like his entire lungs out of his body.
He sat there for a couple minutes, coughing up water and attempting to steady himself from the pounding headache that seemed like it was getting more painful every time he tried to move.
Reluctantly, he lifted his right hand up to dab where most of the pain was before bringing it up to his face, hissing at the sting of contact. Color was extremely hard to make out in the darkness, but he could tell that there was something dark coating his fingers. That was not good.
It was at this moment he registered his left arm. The adrenaline of trying to get all of the river water out of his lungs has distracted him entirely from the rest of his body, it seemed.
A moment later it promptly gave out and he collapsed on his side.
What?
He couldn’t even feel it… all the sensation there was a dull throb, and the rest was completely numb. He spat out the bit of water that had made its way into his mouth from the splash and pushed himself back up with his right hand. He dragged his left into his lap with some difficulty, leaning in to inspect it.
It was covered in blood.
Even with how dizzy he felt, he knew it couldn’t all be from his head.
All of a sudden he realized what was happening.
The Chain were not here. He was alone. He had been snuck up on by a monster and fell into the river. It was nighttime and he was unarmed and injured.
Oh Hylia.
I need to get out of here.
He forced the panic back down. This wasn’t the worst situation he’d ever been in, far from it. All he needed to do was figure out how far away the nearest settlement was, and if it was too far to safely travel tonight, he would find someplace hidden to sleep, or maybe he would sleep in a tree, though he wasn’t sure how easy climbing it would be with his arm. First things first. He could see a hill nearby that reached over the side of the river, maybe if he was lucky he’d be able to see something from-
There was rustling in the trees.
Immediately he was on his feet in a defensive position, ignoring how his legs ached and his head spun. He was so tired. The adrenaline had left his body and fatigue was starting to set in. But he would prefer to not be murdered by yet another monster using the cover of darkness to sneak up on him.
A single stalkoblin emerged from the treeline to his left, bones rattling and eyes bright red. It was probably bad that Sky almost felt comforted by the single small source of light.
He tensed as another came from in front of him, arms raised above its head, presumably holding a club. He knew there was a small chance he’d be able to take care of them. If he was at his peak state he would likely be able to pull off some parkour or stealth trick or even manage to get them into the water or take them down with rocks- anything. But he doubted he could now.
Now, his best option was to run.
And so he ran.
He ran sideways at first, following along the river before crossing into the trees. He knew they wouldn’t be very fast, but he still didn’t dare look behind him, not even when an arrow grazed his neck and he stumbled slightly.
But his legs couldn’t carry him forever.
He could feel them grow weaker and more shaky with each step, could feel himself getting more and more out of breath all the time. He was going to have to hide somewhere, but as he glanced around himself he realized he’d run straight into an open field with short, dead grass. There was nowhere to go. He had nowhere to go. He was going to be killed by two weak stalkoblins in the dead of night and it was likely nobody would ever find his body.
No. No, it wouldn’t… he couldn’t just die like that, could he? But really, what else could he do? He wouldn’t last long running. He couldn’t hide anywhere close by. The sun was hours from rising and unless he could somehow last by dodging attacks for that long… maybe he could call for help? Maybe someone was nearby? But what if he just put them in danger, what if-
He shook his head as if to clear it. It was that or die.
Taking a deep breath, he called as loud as his scratchy voice could manage, “Help!”
Wild’s ears perked up a bit. “Did you guys-?”
Twilight was already taking off. Wild and Wars shared a look, and went after him, the rest of the group following not far behind.
After a minute or two of running through the underbrush, they broke out of the forest to a wide open field. It was too dark to see anything beyond the dull light of the torch Hyrule was holding up, and there were no more calls of what they thought must’ve been for help from any direction.
Wolfie barked from somewhere further down into the middle of the field, and they all hurried to follow where the noise was coming from.
Getting closer, they squinted and was able to make out three figures in the darkness: one lone silhouette slowly backing away from two others, both of whom had very familiar glowing red eyes.
They hadn’t even realized they recognized who it was before they were running and taking out the Master Sword to toss his way.
Sky reached up to snatch it out of the air with practiced ease, and they noticed he was favoring his right arm instead of his left, and then they noticed his left was covered with blood and there were still two stalkoblins approaching.
Moving quickly and precisely, they whipped out their bow and nocked an arrow, aiming directly at the one holding its own bow and arrow’s head before letting it fly straight into the bone with a thunk. The head went flying off the monster’s shoulders and they watched as Wolfie crushed the thing with his paws, leaving the rest of the body to crumble into purple dust.
Meanwhile, Sky had knocked the other one’s legs out from under it and shoved his sword downward into its skull.
And then all that was left was the eight of them, separated from the ninth. Nobody knew what to say.
And apparently, neither did Sky, but he had the excuse of promptly collapsing into the grass.
It was like a glass had been shattered because all of them immediately surged forward, Wild at the forefront, already moving Sky’s head into his lap and checking him over while Hyrule knelt close to them with the torch.
The Skyloftian, to put it mildly, did not look good.
A thin, slicing cut ran over his cheekbone, still wet and fresh. The back of his head was sticky and matted with dried blood. Upon closer inspection, there was no way his left arm wasn’t at least fractured, and it had four rough and jagged gashes around the elbow, all of which seemed to be varying in seriousness. His clothes were soggy like he’d fallen in a pool.
His eyelids opened a bit, squinting at the brightness of the torch before his eyes flew open wide and he tried to sit up. Wild pushed him back down as gently as they could, and it seemed once he realized who they were he settled again, though still appearing alarmed.
“...Wild?” Sky’s voice was a bit raspy. “Wha… guys? What are you doing here?”
They swallowed. “We, uh, heard you call for help.”
“Oh…” he blinked slowly, seeming sleepy all of a sudden. “Why did you come? I thought you… I thought you didn’t want me around anymore.”
Oh.
They blinked back a sudden wave of tears. “No, Sky. That… that isn’t it at all.”
“...I messed up the headcount,” Time admitted, coming forward. “This should’ve never happened. I don’t think it would even be enough to apologize at this point, but… I’m sorry.”
Wars put a hand on his shoulder. “It was me who did it, wasn’t it? It’s as much my fault as it is yours.”
“No,” Wind mumbled, sitting cross-legged next to the two of them and looking like he was trying very hard not to cry. “It’s all of ours. None of us even noticed you were gone until a few hours ago. We should’ve noticed. We should’ve realized you weren’t with us when we left, and we definitely should’ve noticed after that. But we didn’t. And now you’re hurt.” His voice wobbled a bit at the end.
Sky reached over and gave the Sailor a pat on the head the best he could manage. “...It’s fine. I… I don’t blame y-”
“No!” He protested. “No, it’s not fine! We left you alone and unarmed for hours in a forest full of monsters! Don’t say it’s fine!”
“...Okay,” Sky said, staring up at the night sky. “I won’t.”
Nobody said anything after that, not when the knight’s eyes filled with tears and he began to cry, not when multiple of them started to cry with him, or when they all surrounded him in a group-hug-turned-group-cuddle and stayed there until the sun finally rose. There wasn’t anything they could do to make it right, that much was obvious, but Hylia be damned, they were all going to try.