Wings of the Wild

by Sleepyyyyboi

Summary:

The unthinkable happened. The Calamity won, and darkness reigned over the land.

Hyrule is shattered, chunks of land ascending into the sky, luckily missing any settlements.

The Sheikah barely have a chance to activate the Shrine of Resurrection before it too ascends.

High up in the clouds above, the long forgotten Loftwings sense new islands ascending into the sky.

Only this time, there's a flickering light of a soul deep inside one of the islands, sealed by something they can't recognise. It makes them curious, so they reach out and feel something unknown connect.

That is, until a new soul emerges from a place full of unknown technology, a blank slate they latch onto.

The Hylians had no way of knowing the old stories of the Loftwing soul bonds were actually true.

Or: Upheaval and Calamity basically happen as the same event. Hylia sends her hero into the skies to keep them safe once more. The Loftwings that remain up above decide Link is their favorite Hylian of all time. They latch onto him immediately, and now Link has a ton of bird friends.

Notes:

And in a vote that came down to the wire, with 5 - 4 votes, the bird fic wins!

Get ready for a ton of birds, the sky, and a Link that feels much more comfortable in the air than on the ground.

Chapter 1: Birds of a Feather

He stirred.

There was a bright light, it weighed on him like a stone, pulling him to consciousness as he blearily opened his eyes.

There was a persistent ringing in his ears, and the light burned even brighter now that he was more awake. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to get the burning to stop. 

It didn't.

He didn't even realize he was encased in some kind of fluid until it was draining away. It wasn't water. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew instinctively it wasn't water. He didn't even remember what water felt like. Maybe it was too thick?"

It was obviously a pattern that he wouldn't realize something was happening until it happened, because suddenly whatever was sealing him broke. The see-through material lifted away from him, disappearing somewhere in the ceiling.

He sat up, coaxed by that ever-present light. He didn't recognize where he was, but he felt at peace. It was odd, by all accounts, he should be panicking. But something about... where he was made him feel like everything was going to be okay.

'Link, Link!' A feminine voice called, snatching his attention. Again, no panic rose when it very much should have.

He felt like he knew this voice, though he didn't know where. She had called him Link. Was that his name? He felt like it fit. It felt right. Like it was something he'd always known, despite the fact that he had no idea what it was a few moments prior.

'Please, Link, open your eyes.' She said, pleadingly. 'You have been asleep for a long time, but we need you.'

Well, it certainly explained why he felt like he was thinking through a fog. Again, no panic. It would have concerned him if he felt any concern either. The only thing he really felt that was negative was a growing desire to leave. To get out of this room. To see... something.

There was a shifting on a pedestal of stone ahead of him, and he pushed himself up. He stood on unsteady legs, looking over at what seemed to be a glowing piece of stone in confusion.

'Take the Sheikah Slate from the pedestal, it will help you on your quest.'

Wobbily, he moved to the other side of the room one step at a time. He almost collapsed, but he was close enough the use the pedestal to steady himself. Unsurely, he gripped the 'Slate' and pulled it from its resting place.

He held it uncertainly, but moments later the engraved section of the wall next to him rose, and an entryway was revealed. 

Some intuition inside of him told him that going through there would be a step closer to getting out. So he made his way through the 'door'.

His steps were more confident now, much more assured as he found two weirdly shaped containers he identified as chests.

He knew intrinsically that they would probably contain something important, so he opened the first one to come across a pair of trousers.

Clothing. That would definitely be useful for the future. He didn't realize how bare he felt until he was rushing to pull them on.

He idly noted that the trousers had a kind of hook that allowed him to hold the Slate by his hip, so there was no doubt that these clothes were meant for him.

Opening the other chest, he found a thin beige shirt that he threw on immediately. 

Feeling much more comfortable with actual clothes to cover him, he surveyed the rest of the room. There were rotten crates and barrels around him, but one look told him they held nothing of value.

At the end of the room, which he noticed was much larger than the one he'd woken in, he saw another glowing pedestal. It glowed the same color as his Slate, so it was quite obvious they were connected.

'Place the Sheikah Slate on the pedestal, that will show you the way.'

He felt a spike of irritation for the first time as he looked between the very obvious door and the pedestal. While he was thankful he didn't just wake up completely alone, he wasn't an idiot. He could see that the rectangle went in the rectangle hole.

He unhooked the slate and pressed it to the stone, watching as the orange was replaced by a bright blue. The wall groaned as it lifted and revealed the way out. Glimmering light shone through the door, actual light. The light of the sun.

The breeze drifted through the opening, carrying an air of something that made his spirits soar.

He broke into a sprint through the doorway, clambering up the decayed staircase as he emerged from the dusty air of the shrine into the open breeze.

His eyes widened as he took in the surroundings.

There were bright fields surrounding him. He stood on the edge of a small cliff that overlooked a great deal of this area. There was a great forest out beneath him, and to his right he saw the remains of a temple.

But what really caught his attention was the clouds. The feel of the air, the chill of the breeze.

He could easily see how the slice of paradise hit a certain point and just dropped off. There was nothing beyond it but open air.

"The Sky," He thought with no small bit of wonder.

It was odd, something within him protested. Screaming that it wasn't right, that it should be impossible for the piece of land to just be in the sky. But it also felt right. It felt like it was meant to be in the air. It felt like he was meant to be in the air.

He heard a call of a bird, and turned to see a wonderful sight. There were several giant birds of all colors flying around the island. There were tons of them, he assumed they had to be native to the area. Somehow, a name came to his mind.

Loftwings.

There was something about them that captivated him, a sort of pull that made him feel like they were connected.

He dragged his attention away from them though and pondered his next move. He was interrupted by the voice again, helpfully giving him a new direction.

'Link, head to the point marked on your map. Use the Sheikah Slate to guide you. I fear the world may be more changed than I anticipated.'

With that vaguely ominous message, he felt the Slate chime.

He stared at it, perplexed, before he tapped at the front of it. It opened up to... a black screen with a triangle, which he assumed represented him, and a glowing yellow marker.

He looked in the general direction of the yellow dot and saw a rock outcrop not too far away. 

It was as good a lead as any, and he literally had nothing better to do than listen to the whims of a mysterious voice, so he began his trek down the hillside. 

Along the way, he collected sticks, apples, and some kind of mushrooms. He was very interested in how they seemed to simply disappear into the Slate, reappearing in whips of blue light when he called on them.

He kept a stick slung across his back, it seemed sturdy enough to serve as a weapon in an emergency. He didn't know why he needed a weapon, but he knew two things. He felt much more comfortable with a weapon the defend himself with across his back, and going out unarmed into the wilds was a very bad idea.

He walked past an alcove, noting its position on his map. It could serve as a potential shelter if the weather turned nasty.

Though how it would do that was unclear, given that he was apparently above the clouds.

He ventured onward, deciding to follow the beaten path laid out for him for as long as he could.

He heard snorting up ahead and quickly hid in a bush.

Peering through the undergrowth, he quickly spotted a pig-like creature. It was bipedal and carried a club that was probably much more sturdy than the stick he carried now.

A Bokoblin.

Seeing the monster stirred an unfamiliar emotion in his gut that he recognized to be hate. This thing was dangerous, he knew that. And he'd have to fight it. And he also knew he'd win.

He grasped his stick firmly, muscles tensing as he adopted a posture on pure muscle memory. He rushed the thing while its back was turned, bringing his stick down full force over its head.

The thing squealed in surprise, but Link didn't stop hitting it. He swung until his stick shattered, pulled a new one from his Slate, and went back to pummeling.

It didn't take long for the thing to stop moving, seeming to poof into a cloud of purple smoke.

There were a few horns and fangs along the ground where it once was, and he begrudgingly tapped them against the Slate to store them.

He wrapped his fingers around the creature's club, hefting it and testing the weight.

It wasn't much better than the sticks, but it would last longer in a fight, so he slipped it onto his back and stowed the stick into his Slate.

He followed the path, not coming against any more monster resistance.

The planes were eerily quiet. Only the piercing cry of the Lofwings disturbed the otherwise silent air.

He didn't like it. That monster he killed definitely wasn't the only one. Somehow, he knew Bokoblins always lived in groups. The one he killed must have been a hunter or some kind of scout. The question was, where was the rest of the group?

He approached the rock outcrop, swiftly finding it to be hollow, and went inside.

Inside, there was some more of the weird stone that the weird room he'd woken up in had been made of, and a glowing pedestal with a rectangular slot in the center.

Thankfully, the voice didn't insult his intelligence and tell him to put the rectangle in the rectangle hole once more.

He unhooked the slate and placed it in the slot. There was a chime that sounded like a beep of affirmation.

Sheikah Slate confirmed.

... What?

Watch out for falling rocks.

He barely had time to process the message before a deep rumbling pulsed through the island. Whatever he was standing on began to ascend towards the heavens, and it was all Link could do to hang onto the pedestal and hope for the best.

He could feel the cries of the animals, birds shrieking whilst smaller critters rushed for cover.

And all too soon, it stopped. The tower reached its apex, and the violent vibrations ceased, an unsteady calm running through his body.

Tentatively, he let go of his death grip on the pedestal and stepped back. He saw a drop of strange blue liquid gather on the end of the stone, it coalesced into a single drop that fell with a splash onto the Slate.

He saw something light up on the Slate and rushed over to see. Part of the darkness that obscured the map had been filled in, giving him a view of the area. It was surprisingly detailed.

'Link. Link!' Came the voice once more. There was golden light that was different from that of the sun. It pierced through the cloud barrier below, reaching out to him.

'Remember, try, try to remember!' She pleaded with him.

Remember what? He couldn't remember anything, the thought was incredibly concerning. But what did the voice want him to know? What did they want him to remember?

'You have been asleep for the past 100 years. If the beast breaks free, this world will be ruined. Please, you must hurry, Link!'

He... didn't know how to respond to that.

This mysterious voice wanted him to fight some kind of beast? Oddly enough, that felt correct. It felt like he was meant to do that, just another thing he'd always known, even though he couldn't remember any of it.

And 100 years... he could feel his breathing quicken. How was he still alive? How much had changed? Was this why some part of him felt like he shouldn't be in the sky? That there shouldn't be anything in the sky?

He took a deep breath of the air, and let it out slowly. Whatever calming properties the air held, he felt the tension building in his body slowly relax.

He'd figure it out.

Apparently, he'd have to.

Clearly, he wasn't going to figure out anything monologuing to himself on top of a high tower, so he looked around before beginning his descent down to the bottom. 

About halfway down, he heard an earsplitting shriek.

It was the call of a Loftwing, only it seemed to be in pain.

He dropped to the ground, spinning on an axis to survey what seemed to be some kind of jumping?

There was a group of 4 Bokoblins, led by the one who had a blue pelt, attacking a Loftwing with a beautiful crimson coat.

The poor thing's wing looked bruised, and it was struggling to flee. Link felt white hot anger surge through his chest and broke into a sprint.

He slammed his club into the leader with enough force to send him sprawling. As he was flung away, Link grabbed the sword he'd dropped and stowed his club. He stabbed the blade into the neck of another, ripping it out to block the strike of a third who'd recovered from the initial shock.

He kicked the shield the second Bokoblin had dropped into the air and grabbed it with his left hand. He used it to intercept the fourth one's counterattack, before retreating out of range from the two Bokoblins.

The blue one was pushing itself off the ground, so Link moved to reengage. He thrust his sword at number three, only for it to be batted away by its club.

It swung for him, and he dodged. Time seemed to slow.

Deciding to roll with the punches, he pressed the advantage, slashing and slicing at the monster. When time resumed, it fell over dead.

He whipped around to aim a decapitating strike at the disoriented leader, only for his sword to bite empty air.

The blue one came at him with a wide hook, but he ducked and slashed at the overextended arm.

The beast howled in pain as its arm was severed, which gave him the opening to slide his sword between its ribs.

He whirled around, only to see the final Bokoblin fleeing for its life. He'd have given chase if the whines of the Crimson Loftwing hadn't draw his attention.

It was in pain, he could obviously see that. It was looking at him with wild, wary eyes.

He tentatively reached forward to brush a hand against its face, and he felt it relax as he began to gently stroke it.

"Shhh, it'll be okay." He soothed the creature. "I'm Link, it's nice to meet you."

Notes:

What should his hero name be? Or should it still be Wild?

By the way, I like to imagine there's a limit to how far ghosts can teleport, so basically the spirit of the king manifested and looked up at the Plateau rising into the sky and was like 'how the fuck do I get up there?'

There are fewer monsters on the Plateau because Ganon's malice couldn't really reach the skies, so the only monsters there are the descendants of the ones who lived there when it was first lifted.

Chapter 2: How to train your dr- Loftwing

Summary:

Link bonds with his newfound friend, and unsurprisingly gets attached to the first living thing that hasn't tried to kill him.

Link soothed the Loftwing as he attempted to assess the injuries.

He didn't exactly know the anatomy of these creatures; however, from what he could tell, nothing was broken, which was definitely good news.

The Bokoblins had been using mostly blunt weapons, with the only sharp thing being the short sword the blue Bokoblin carried. He could see that, apart from a few cuts that had largely stopped bleeding, the poor thing was mostly bruised and spooked rather than anything serious.

They definitely wouldn't be flying for a few days, but they'd be healed up in no time.

The easy part was soothing the bird whilst he did what he could. A mixture of petting them and whispering sweet nothings seemed to largely calm them down, and they were much less wary of him than he'd been after he killed most of the monsters.

He started looking around for the rest of their flock. They'd probably just been separated, and the monsters took advantage. Unfortunately, the nearest Loftwings he could see were on the other side of the island. 

Crim, as he decided to name them after their unique coat, seemed content to merely rest for the time being. They were clearly in no rush to leave and were visibly enjoying his attention, so he decided to settle down and rest alongside them.

The mysterious voice had told him to hurry, but to what? To the beast? How long did he have until it struck?

He took a breath and tried to sort through his racing thoughts. He had no idea where he was, who he was, or why he was here aside from a vague goal and his name. It was infuriating, and distressing, and overwhelming. He didn't know what to do, or what he was meant to do. He didn't know anything. He couldn't even remember-

He was broken from his internal panic by his new friend nuzzling into him, letting out a soft chirp.

He giggled and resumed his petting, and the bird settled back down, relaxing into the sensation.

He didn't know anything, but at least he had a friend. No matter how animal they were.

Crim curled up around him, and he found himself surrounded on all sides by soft feathers. He gently ran his fingers over bruised skin, massaging their aching wings. The world didn't seem so bleak with them here.

He didn't know how long he lay there, basking in the warm sun with his feathered friend, but eventually he came to. He knew he should probably move on, especially if he was supposed to save the world. So, wincing at the whiny chirps of Crim, he pushed himself up.

"C'mon, bud, let's get you home." He sighed. It pained him to part so soon after meeting, but he'd have to do it eventually. Besides, his friends would probably know how to help him.

Unconsciously, he gave a sharp whistle, and Crim pushed themselves to their feet.

... He decided to shove that in the process later pile and continue with his day. 

He started to walk, before realizing he had absolutely no clue where he was going. Sheepishly, he turned to face Crim. "Hey, Crim, do you mind leading the way?" He asked.

Suddenly, he started wondering if Crim could actually understand him. That question was answered when Crim turned to face what he assumed was around north-west, and gestured with their head.

"Huh, well let's go." Link shrugged.

Crim carefully tested out their legs and took a few tentative steps, before crowing in delight.

He had barely taken two steps when he found himself being lifted up by the hem of his shirt. 

He couldn't even process what was happening, something he guessed was going to be a theme for this adventure, before he was flung into the air.

He landed on Crim's back, who immediately started to walk towards where they'd indicated with Link perched on their back.

"I can walk!" He grumbled, leaning forward to lazily run a hand through their feathers. They just chirped in amusement.

He decided to let Crim lug him the rest of the way. If the bird wanted to carry him despite being injured, then that was on them. Though Crim was clearly less injured than Link thought, considering that apart from some pained whines when his leg brushed against a bruise, they seemed completely fine. 

They carried him through the forests, having to weave around some trees when the path was too overgrown to follow. 

Eventually, they breached the tree line to see a small alcove with a small rise of earth around it. There weren't nests in the typical sense when he thought of a bird's nest, but the entire flooring seemed to have been adapted into one large nest.

If he had to describe it, it would have been as if they'd converted a cave and a fair bit of the ground outside of the cave into a giant den. Though given the size of Loftwings, it was to be expected.

It was by the edge of the island, he could taste it in the air. This was an area where the natural winds of the skies mixed with the mystical aura of this island.

And then there were the Loftwings. By his count, about 10. Though they were probably the ones who were there at the moment. There were coats of all different colors, from pink to teal to gold. It was breathtaking.

Crim spared no mind as he unceremoniously dumped him in the middle of the nest. He was spewing leaves and twigs as he pushed himself off the ground, which was surprisingly soft.

He heard Crim chirping something to the other Loftwings, which he could really only hope were good things. He didn't know what Loftwings ate, but he was starting to wonder if he was brought here as a free meal. He hoped that wasn't the case, because he thought they were adorable.

Luckily, it seemed like Crim was regaling them with the stories of how he valiantly saved their life, because they seemed quite friendly as they began to interact with him.

"Well, hello there." He murmured, scratching the pink one on the head when they came to investigate him. It leaned into the touch, closing their eyes as they let out a contented chirp. It was obvious that they hadn't seen many Hylians, because they seemed to want to try and investigate how he worked as much as he wanted to understand them.

He was nudged slightly by a green one, who obviously also wanted in on his head pats. He surrendered his free hand to give them attention, too. Of course, it wasn't long until he had more Loftwings than hands and found himself the center of some kind of death by endless cuddles. 

The Loftwings were nothing but curious, he liked them. And some part of him knew that they liked him too.

---

After he had finished whatever induction procedures these Loftwings had, he'd eventually surrendered to just spending some time with them.

He'd tried to leave a few times, and every time he found himself picked up by the hem of his shirt and placed back down, so it wasn't like he had a choice.

He found they liked to hear him talk. No matter what it was about, they seemed to find it soothing, so he tried to keep talking, no matter how much his throat protested. It was weird, it felt like he'd never talked this much in his life.

He imagined he must have been rather quiet before he woke up on the island.

He elected to start flicking through the Slate, trying to uncover how it worked. He found a setting titled 'Runes' that was completely blank, much like other parts of the Slate, only this seemed intentional.

There were a fair few sections that seemed damaged, most likely due to 100 years of decay, but this seemed to be empty on purpose.

He had an idea. And it might just free him from his fluffy prison.

"Hey, Storm?" He asked the dark-grey coat Loftwing, who cocked her head at him.

He held up the Slate for her to inspect. "Have you seen anything that looks like this on the island?" He tried. "I don't really have a plan for my next move, but I was kinda hoping there'd be more of this Sheikah stuff for me to find."

Luckily, she seemed to get the general idea, no matter how much of his words she understood, and chirped in affirmation.

"Neat! Is it far?" He asked, to which she also chirped. She then crouched down, and Link took that as his cue to get on. He looked around, but didn't see Crim. He was probably somewhere sleeping, waiting for his wing to heal, so Link decided to settle on.

"So, are you going to carry me there?" He asked, as Storm crouched down and spread her wings wide.

Suddenly, she sprang, and with a few forceful flaps of her wings, they were soaring in the air. 

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Link screamed as they climbed higher and higher. He clutched on tight, burying his face in her feathers. He knew the Loftwings could carry him, but he didn't think they were strong enough to support flight!

Once he'd gotten over the initial shock, he found the flight was actually quite pleasant. He was going on autopilot as he kept balance on her back and gently guided her. The wind whipping through his hair was exhilarating, and he let out a whoop of excitement as they ascended higher.

Examining their surrounding, he saw they were currently flying around a snowy hill. If he looked behind him, he could see the Loftwing den a decent distance away.

Storm rumbled underneath him, and he looked ahead to see what she was looking at. As they ascended the peak, he saw a glowing orange structure, casting light through the chill.

He tugged on her feathers, and she followed his direction to land down by the entrance to the structure.

He dismounted and immediately felt the intense cold bite through his clothing.

He rushed over to the entrance and scanned the Slate against the pedestal. The shrine lit up a partial blue, and the door opened.

Bidding farewell to Storm, he stepped into the structure and felt the floor begin to descend. 

No matter what was inside here, he could be thankful for one thing. 

At least it was warm.

---

He braced for the chill as he ascended back up the elevator. The cold bit through his clothing like the pitiful defense it was as he stepped out of the shrine.

So, the runes were some kind of special power the Slate could harness. That was good to know. From the look of it, there should be 4 more runes out there.

Were they all on this island? Or spread out in other places in the sky?

He supposed he would have to wait and see.

Of course, that was when he stumbled across his second problem. Storm was gone.

She'd probably left because of the cold, but he didn't really have a plan to get off this freezing mountaintop.

Yet he didn't panic, because all he needed to do was... whistle?

How did he know that?

Regardless, he put his fingers to his mouth and let out a long, piercing whistle that carried an undercurrent of other that he didn't have time to analyze. He heard wing beats and suddenly Ivy, forest green Loftwing, landed in front of him with a thud.

Okay, he could work with this.

Taking a brief look around the mountain, he found he could easily see two other shrines down below.

Welp, this would probably be difficult for someone who didn't have a Loftwing, but he was confident his new friends wouldn't let him down.

Looks like his fears with Crim were misplaced.

He doubted he could say goodbye even if he really wanted to.

Notes:

I was using a map of the plateau to write this chapter, the area I'm talking about is literally the most north-western spot.

Also, hero of the skies muscle memory?

Chapter 3: Nothing like the open air

Link smiled as the boulder went flying. This new stasis rune was actually quite fun to play with! Even if he'd been hit by that rolling boulder a few times trying to get the chest.

He stepped up the stairs and broke the seal that contained the monk. And a short monologue later, another purple ball flew from their grasp and into his chest. It was a weird sensation, but not entirely unpleasant.

He was then treated to the delightful sensation of the world going black before he suddenly woke up back in the elevator again.

How pleasant.

He pulled himself off the floor and hoped that whatever the shrine was using to knock him out and bring him back to the start had no ill side effects. New ability in hand, he exited the shrine and looked out over the cliffs Ivy had dropped him on. 

He was higher now than he was on the tower, and looking around, he could see what surrounded the island.

Nothing but a steep drop.

He could see the cloudy expanse continue for miles, with only a few islands out in the distance to break up the otherwise empty expanse.

It was almost ethereal.

Shaking his head, he focused his attention on the task at hand. He examined the land beneath him and found another shrine behind some weird collection of statues that made his chest ache. Shrugging, he filed that location as where to go next.

He was about to whistle when he stopped himself. He looked over the cliffside and found it was a pretty long drop. It would take a minute to hit the ground if he jumped.

Ivy had shown up a few seconds after he whistled, hadn't he?

He grinned. This was probably a terrible idea, but he couldn't deny it would be fun.

He got a running start and jumped off the cliffside, putting his fingers to his mouth to let out a piercing whistle as he picked up speed.

He heard the flapping of wings, and in a few moments, a purple Loftwing shot around the corner, and he landed safely on its back. As dangerous as it was, he couldn't deny that free-fall had its thrills.

Vio evidently disagreed, as they began to chirp and squawk in indignation and anxiety, but he just laughed and stroked their neck soothingly.

"Hey, I'm alright buddy. It's fine, we're all fine." He whispered, running hands through their feathers.

He felt them relax under his touch, though they were still particularly grumpy. They let out a disapproving squawk.

"I can't promise I won't do that again, but I can promise I'll give you more warning next time." He offered on a whim.

Vio clearly wasn't satisfied with his answer, but didn't seem to like their chances of pressing him for anything more. He took stock of his current position and found they were sailing lazily over the main fields.

"Down there!" He indicated, pointing towards the collection of statues. "I see another shrine!"

He tried to guide Vio down, but strangely enough, they seemed resistant. He did find the lack of Loftwings in the general area to be odd, but decided to press forward. 

At his touch, Vio begrudgingly started to descend towards the glowing Sheikah structure. At least, until one of the statues lit up.

It seemed broken, but for some reason, it set his nerves on edge.

Its head swiveled before it caught sight of their approach.

He didn't like the glowing dot that appeared on Vio's body, and Vio clearly didn't either.

"Shit, pull up!" He yelled, holding tight as the Loftwing changed course and flapped its wings hard. At the same time, something within the construct discharged, and a beam of energy narrowly missed them as they changed course.

Vio spiraled as he pulled into a tight swerve, taking them towards the giant tower as the construct finally seemed to power down. 

"What the hell was that thing?" He asked aloud, fully aware that Vio probably couldn't respond. All he got was a look over their shoulder that clearly read 'I told you so.'

"It was the reason you guys don't go over there, wasn't it?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Link took a deep breath. "Okay, set me down there, please." He said, indicating a new spot on the ground a fair distance from the shrine. They crowed in agreement and folded back their wings.

Link very much didn't scream as they dropped like a stone, thank you very much. Vio unfurled their wings at the last possible moment, catching the wind and pulling them into a low glide. They then gently settled down, before unceremoniously dumping him on the ground.

Guess that's what he gets for jumping off a cliff, the killjoy.

He got up, brushing the dirt from his clothes, and turned to his steed.

"You can head back if you want, Vio." He said, stretching. His back cracked with a satisfying pop. "I'll approach this one on foot. It'll attract less attention that way."

They let out a squawk that took a second to mentally translate. "Yeah, well, as you just proved, a bright purple Loftwing isn't exactly inconspicuous." He sassed, to which they gave him a firm peck on the head.

"Ow." He pouted, rubbing the sore spot. "Go on! Get! I have an ancient tomb to raid!"

He huffed in amusement as Vio took off with a few flaps of their wings, flying in a lazy arc before presumably heading off to... do whatever they do in their free time. Get food? Fly around?

He turned towards the shrine and made his way back. He couldn't help but notice how slowly it felt to move when a Loftwing wasn't propelling you as fast as the wind.

Perspective was really one hell of a thing, wasn't it?

He trudged over the terrain, hopping over a wall as he approached the northern side of the stone complex.

'Wait, which statue was alive?' He wondered, trying to remember. Unfortunately, the whole sequence where they'd nearly been shot down was a rush of adrenaline and purple feathers, so he was at a loss.

He proceeded with caution, watching each relic warily as he quietly scurried across the grounds. It clearly didn't matter, as one statue in the corner it up in bright red light, reacting to his presence as its eye glowed.

He ducked behind another statue, holding his breath as he listened to the thing whirring and beeping. Thankfully, it didn't seem capable of movement and only remained active for about half a minute before powering off.

He waited a bit, keeping his ears open for any noise at all, but it remained silent.

Taking the chance, he sprinted as fast as his legs could take him. He heard the whirr as the thing reactivated, but he was already by the wall.

He scrambled up and immediately went to ground, just in time for the thing to sound out with a chime before a beam of light passed over his head.

He pushed off the ground and jumped down to the shrine, panting heavily as he held the slate to the pedestal. The shrine lit up, the orange partially chased away by a synthetic blue. He stepped onto the platform and hoped this shrine was quick, he really wanted to get out of this location.

---

Bombs.

He'd gotten an infinite source of bombs.

He'd never been happier.

For not the first time that day, he was overcome with the desire to meet one of the ancient Sheikah who built this technology, if only to shake them by the hand and thank whoever put 'infinite bombs' in the suggestion box.

When he left the shrine, he immediately grabbed the slate off his hip and pressed the fast travel option he'd seen while messing with the slate not too long ago. 

He nearly threw up when his entire form began to dissolve, warping into blue light that rose into the air around him. He felt weightless as blue overtook his vision before he suddenly found himself standing atop the imposing structure of the Sheikah tower.

He started to make his way back down, hopping from stone to stone and hoping the punishment to his ankles wasn't causing any permanent damage, when he noticed another glowing structure.

He still had a few empty slots on his Slate where runes were meant to fit, but given the fact that the bomb shrine had given two, he was hoping there wouldn't be too many more. The puzzles were interesting, but he didn't know how many more he could take. He was also interested in what would happen when he'd finally collected all those weird purple spheres they kept chucking into his chest cavity before making him black out.

He landed with a soft thud, looking out over the lake that separated him from the shrine. To his right, he spotted a monster camp with a few Bokoblins. Given their proximity, they were probably friends of the ones who attacked Crim. The ones he executed without mercy.

Of course, he could go around the other side. It wasn't that much longer and would result in no bloodshed at all. However, an itch had been building in his skin for some time. He yearned for the thrill of battle, and here were the perfect targets.

Besides, he could see the glint of a few metal swords. He could do with more than one. Besides, Infinite. Bombs.

He tapped at the slate on his hip, and a bright glowing orb flickered to life in his hands.

He held it over his head and hurled it into the camp. The Bokoblins let out snorts of confusion, swarming the ball to investigate it.

He tapped the button again.

A supernova of energy erupted from the camp, Bokoblins flying in every direction he could see. The lone archer that was out of the blast radius cried out in alarm, but unfortunately for them, Link had used the distraction to sneak around back. The monster quickly found a sword between its ribs.

It exploded into dark smoke, leaving its bow that Link quickly snatched out of the air. He picked an arrow out of the things' quiver and unleashed a shot into one of the survivors of the blast. They let out a pained cry as they finally dissolved into mist.

With ruthless efficiency that was maybe fueled by a need for revenge for his newfound bird friends, he executed the remaining Bokoblins before stowing the bow over his shoulder.

He looted the weaponry, and several travelers' swords, shields, and clubs found their way into his slate. Just as it should be.

He didn't know why he felt so strongly about monsters wielding weapons he knew didn't belong to them, but he did know it made his skin crawl.

He ventured over to the final shrine. Compared to the others, it seemed grossly unchallenging. The others were all on top of mountains for Hylia's sake! And the one that wasn't was defended by murder statues!

This just had a lake in front of it and an entirely avoidable monster encounter.

Something told him he was meant to do this one first, maybe that was why it was so close to the tower.

Regardless, he held the slate to the pedestal, and 15 minutes later, he walked out with the Magnesis rune.

One more to go, according to the missing slot.

He was about to fast travel back to the tower for a bird's eye view, but a shimmering gold light caught his eye. It was similar to the one he'd seen peaking through the clouds when he'd first activated the tower, but this was different. It was brighter somehow, brimming with more power.

It beckoned him to a decaying building he hadn't explored yet. It was crumbling, but its structure held firm. He had a feeling that whatever questions he had, he'd find answers within. So, like a moth to a flame, he set out for the temple.

Notes:

Adrenalin junkie Wild, my beloved.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Wild Loftwings