Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: The Cub in the Cave

Link panted as he swiped the blood from his sword. The last Blood Moon had resurrected the black-pelted lynel as he'd thought, but it was tucked further back into its territory than usual. He shook his head, dislodging the thought. It didn't matter, it was dead, now. The roads would be safe for travel again, and—

What was that sound? A light frown tugged at his lips as he swiveled his ears about. He was sure he heard something—a squeaking pitiful sound like a kitten or a soaked puppy. He turned his gaze towards a small patch of bushes, realizing that there was a cavern hidden behind it. A sinking feeling had him stalking towards it.

Now that he was thinking about it, that lynel had been very adamant about keeping him away from this cave, hadn't it? That sound—mewling—was getting louder, now. With the blade that felled the beast, he carefully pushed back the bushes.

Wide terrified blue eyes stared up at him with an innocent confusion. Those eyes—set into a somewhat smushed face with a muzzle and a tiny floof of rough wiry hair around its neck and hooves and—

Dear Hylia, this was a baby lynel .

Link felt his blood turn to ice. He glanced from the tiny dog-sized creature to the dead one back in the clearing. He'd just taken this baby’s mother away from it. But... it was a monster! It would only grow up to hurt people... right?

Somehow, that thought felt wrong. As the little thing sniffled, shaky hooves carrying it a little further from him, Link felt his heart melt. He put his sword away, and carefully held out a hand. "Hey there." He kept his tone gentle, like when he was soothing a horse. "It's okay, little one." What was he doing? This was a lynel and this was a horrible idea and he could hear Sidon yelling at him already and —

But then a hand—so tiny and so very frail and cold—grasped his own. Another mewl. And Link's heart shattered . He couldn’t help but marvel at the velvety coat—so smooth and soft beneath his fingertips. The kitten— was it a kitten? What did one call a tiny baby monster anyways?—started to purr . 

Something swirled within his chest. A horrible mixture of awe and guilt. What had he done? And yet, this tiny creature… “I suppose you’re my responsibility.” He sighed, careful to shield the kitten’s view of its mother. There was no reason to traumatize it. Him . If he was keeping this lynel cub then he couldn’t simply think of him as another monster. 

A thought suddenly occurred to him. Could he… raise him? Train this cub to be more than a mindless beast drunk on Malice and rage? He took a deep breath. “Thoughts for another time.” He was about to say something more when a growling sound echoed in the stone cavern. For a moment, Link feared it was from himself—having just come out of battle. But then the cub squirmed in his arms with a pathetic mewing sound and he realized he was hungry . 

For a long moment, he simply sat there and stared. What did baby lynels eat? Milk? Wasn’t that what he once saw Lawdon give his dog’s puppies when they were tiny? He tapped his Slate, producing a bottle of milk. The cub just stared at him and mewed again, more irritated this time.

“What? It’s food.” He took a sip of the milk to show the cub that it was safe, and the little one gave him a dubious look. Regardless, the grumbling of its belly was enough to drive it towards the bottle. With clumsy hands, it carefully lifted it as Link had, and promptly spilled it all over its face. 

It snorted, shaking itself with a shocked expression, and Link couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re supposed to drink it.” He insisted, summoning another bottle of milk. This time, he held the bottle as the cub lifted it to its lips, allowing it to drink the milk instead of bathing in it. After a moment of consideration, it seemed the cub had decided that the milk was better than nothing and finished it off. 

Now with a full belly, it yawned and curled up beside Link. He went stiff, unsure of how to handle the abrupt close contact, but the baby didn’t have any such reservations and nodded off. 

Link sighed, careful not to wake his sleeping charge. Hylia… what have I gotten myself into? 

The tiny lynel was a good sleeper. Nice and quiet, not fidgeting overmuch. His legs were growing a little numb and the urge to move was prickling at him like an itch under his skin, but he forced himself to stay as still as he could.

After a while, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. His hand had descended, ever so slowly and carefully, until it hovered a fraction over the cub’s pelt. He had jumped on the backs of adult lynels before, but what did the pelt of a baby one feel like? Had he imagined the velvety softness of before?

His hand was still in the air. It would not go closer, no matter how much he mentally yelled at it. What if I wake it?

He took his hand away, feeling defeated on more than one level.

Link could not stay here. He knew only how to defeat lynels, not to care for one, and babies always had special needs as opposed to adults and he barely knew about babies from his own species! He needed someone with more information. He needed help. But who?

Purah. The smartest person he knew. Surely she would know something, she seemed to know a lot more than him about heaps of things. Now he only needed to figure out how to get to her lab with a baby lynel in tow.

It would be a reasonably short journey with his paraglider to carry him across whatever places he could climb up. Link stared at the cub’s hooves and frowned. Lynels were not made to scramble up cliffs and mountainsides. They certainly weren’t made to paraglide either, and he would be unable to hold onto both the paraglider and the cub.

Okay, so the short route was out. He could get there without climbing, right? Link hesitantly grabbed his slate, trying to interact with the screen without disturbing his new charge. He pulled up the map, zooming in and mumbling under his breath as he worked to plot out a course. Yes, he could go across that way, all the way around there, circle back and take that path, and make his way to the lab from there.

This was going to take longer than he’d hoped. Days, if not a couple of weeks. It’s fine, I can handle this. Just a nice stroll on the scenic route with a new, small… helpless… friend. It was fine. It would be fine. He would think of it as an escort mission - just get his charge safely to where they needed to be, that was all.

The cub flicked its hooves spasmodically, making little huffing mewls every couple of seconds, exactly like one of the stable’s dogs caught up in a dream. His hand reached down automatically, brushing gently across the baby’s pelt, to soothe it. Link’s brain took a moment to catch up and he sucked in a breath, looking down but now not daring to stop the petting.

Still asleep. Link slowly blew out that breath.

Until it wasn’t.

After it woke up, Link immediately wished it had stayed asleep. It was nice that he could completely feel his legs again after the painful pins and needles had subsided, but the cub had so much energy and curiosity that it was driving Link batty.

It poked at everything. An interesting flower? Have to go look at that. A cool pointy stick? Have to play with that. A mushroom of questionable toxicity content? Need to munch on that!

Link was utterly horrified to realize that this was not much different from how he’d acted when he’d left the Shrine of Resurrection. Dear Hylia, he was still like that! But taking risks himself was much different in his mind than a baby taking them. A baby that was meant to have a parent to look out for it, to keep it safe, and teach it what was safe and what was not. A parent he had killed.

He had a destination in mind, the little fellow was awake, and he needed to get moving. “Come on,” he said encouragingly, patting his legs like he was enticing a puppy. The lynel was about the size of a dog but it was not a dog, so why did he think that would possibly work-

The cub gave a curious mewl and trotted over as best it could. It stared at him, waiting for whatever he called it over to happen.

Link could only point, mouth suddenly dry. “We’re leaving,” he said, whirling around and walking away a few steps. He turned back, tilting his head, and made a beckoning gesture. “Come on little fella,” he repeated.

The cub gave a happy little noise, much like an excited squeak, and followed, keeping up well even as Link continued walking. After a moment he pranced ahead, as graceful as a drunkard on a rain-slicked path, and pointed at the large stone gateway that arched overhead. He mewled and squeaked, staring back at Link and waiting for an acknowledgement.

It was an impressive sight. Tall, weathered, with bits of moss and ivy clinging to it here and there. “This has been here long before you and even long before me. It’ll probably be here long after both of us are gone, too,” Link said suddenly.

The little lynel cocked its head, gaze moving back and forth between the stone and the Hylian. He trotted over, little hooves noisy against the stone pathway underfoot, and placed a hand in Link’s, nuzzling it briefly.

So sweet. So trusting. Guilt, white-hot like a newly forged blade, stabbed him. Every nuzzle, every brush of tiny fingers against his own felt like licks of fire, threatening to set him alight. Link would just have to do the best he could by this baby while he was its carer.

He shook the thoughts away, like shooing aside a pesky insect, and walked on. They passed the spot where he’d defeated a moblin shortly before taking on the black-pelted lynel. At least that was one threat he didn’t need to worry about. The stone path to this point had been fairly smooth, but now it showed more signs of age and damage. Gouges in the wall, shattered bits and pieces of pathway and stairs, like an earthquake had tumbled through and broken things.

There had been a couple of bokoblins on the upper part. They, like the moblin, had been in his way and so had been cleared out. Beyond that, the path dipped. Lanayru Promenade must have been an amazing sight a long time ago, but now it was battered and parts of it were underwater. Link, short though he was, could find places along the sunken path where he could still walk, the water not high enough to force him to swim.

But that was him. The baby lynel was much smaller than even his short frame, and there was no way he would be able to simply walk across with Link. Could lynels swim? He’d never really seen them in the water, not beyond just getting their hooves wet. He could just carry the baby through the flooded parts, right? All of the monsters should be cleared out so it would be safe if he didn’t have his hands free to grab a shield or weapon.

The Hylian Champion crouched down where the path started getting wet and spun around, holding out his arms invitingly. The cub mewled and rushed over, a tangle of uncoordinated limbs and enthusiasm, and threw himself into the hug.

No hesitation, no reserve at all. Link carefully got his arms under the horse limbs and waited for the cub to tuck his legs up. The cub did so without fuss, snuggling into his warmth and nuzzling the spot over his heart.

Guilt warred with affection but Link pushed it all aside to focus. He stepped into the water, doing his best to ignore the slight chill it carried. Things were going well until the water hit the lynel’s legs.

The cub squealed and thrashed in Link’s hold, almost desperate to get away from the unwanted sensation.

“Whoa, calm down! It’s fine, you’re fine, it’s just water,” he said soothingly, twisting one hand around far enough to pet the lynel’s velvety soft pelt. “I won’t drop you, you’re safe.”

The cub slowly stopped struggling and gingerly settled down, the calm, gentle strokes of his hand being the only thing keeping the baby in place voluntarily. A tiny squeak erupted every time the water lapped against a part that wasn’t already wet, little fingers holding Link’s shirt in a vice-like grip. Slow and steady progress was being achieved.

An odd sound was just barely audible over the lapping water and lynel squeaks. A strange whirring hum was growing louder, like it was coming closer. It reminded him of a-

Link lurched forward, the blades of the metal boomerang cutting into his bicep instead of perforating his chest cavity if he hadn’t moved. He hissed at the sudden flare of pain, a hot streak blazing across his cold arm. The cub panicked, crying out in fear, and thrashed. His unsteady footing, coupled with the new injury, made Link drop the baby.

A section of the path shimmered out of sync with everything else and Link swiftly grabbed a bow, firing several arrows at the spot as fast as he could. He was rewarded with a shriek as a lizalfos faded into view, one arrow in its arm, one in its neck, and two more caught on bits of armor.

Link ducked and wrapped his hands around the baby -which had quickly sunk- before it drowned or was swept away. He ran, in great lurching strides, through the water, eyes flitting between the dry section of the path ahead and the angry lizalfos.

The cub was coughing and hacking, shivering in his hold. He could just see the lizalfos, boomerang back in hand, pull back for another throw. “Swim for it! Go, go!” he urged the baby, throwing it as carefully as he could ahead. He nocked an arrow, lifted the bow he was still holding, and fired three more shots before crouching under the water to avoid the boomerang, blurrily watching it fly overhead.

He pushed forward, breaching, and picked up the cub again, feeling awful as it tried to empty the water from its lungs. An angry, pained shriek informed him that he’d hit the damned thing with at least one of those arrows.

How he wished a baby lynel had the limbs and ability to latch on and hold onto him on its own. The path rose out of the water just a short way ahead. They were so close, only a few feet to go-

“Go, go, go! Get out of the water!” he whispered urgently straight into one of its ears. Then he tossed the baby again, knowing it should be able to get enough ground under its little hooves to move with. Link turned and fired two more arrows, vindictively pleased when one of them hit the lizalfos in the eye.

The shaft sank a fair way in and the monster gave a cut-off shriek that fizzled into gurgles as it stilled for a heartbeat before toppling over like a cut tree.

Link had already turned away before the body hit the water, bow quickly returned to the Slate, and his mind barely registered the splash as he waded as fast as he could, reaching the cub as the small head broke the surface. He picked up the cub yet again, hands automatically offering pets and strokes as his voice crooned apologies and platitudes.

Once they were far enough from the water for Link’s jangled nerves to start settling, he eased down, taking the cub with him, and let it nestle in his lap. He flicked through the clothing stored on his Slate and selected the first shirt that was not covered in metal or bone. He wrapped the material around the shivering cub, rubbing vigorously to help ease the chills that wracked the small frame.

Link thought of his own sodden clothes and dismissed them in the same thought. He’d be fine until he found a good spot to set up camp and get a fire going. His priority was getting the baby lynel warm, he could wait.

It had been about two weeks since Link had acquired- no, no, that was the wrong word. It had been about two weeks since Link had fostered the baby lynel. 

After traveling across Hyrule to Hateno with a lynel, he had noticed one thing. Nobody wanted to be near someone carrying a lynel. Even the very obvious Yiga had decided against approaching him -to give him the banana merchant shtick- when he held the baby. 

So far only Purah knew as to why he had the lynel. After all, she was his best bet at figuring out what the lynel needed, and the more information she had the better. She didn't have much but she was able to at least give him a check-up, and from what she knew he appeared perfectly healthy.

"Soooo… Linky, tell me again why you have a baby lynel. I mean, I have never even seen a baby monster before let alone a lynel. I always just assumed the Calamity summoned them up. This destroys almost all theories on how they work. I mean, it's not even attempting to fight us!" Purah stated quickly. 

"Why does it not fighting us matter? They don't fight me when I have the masks on." Link asked.

“Your masks require some kind of deception to work. You must trick the monsters into not knowing you're a Hylian for them to work, no matter how silly it looks to our eyes,” Purah said. “What this means is that not only do monsters have children, but these children also aren't naturally hostile to the natives of Hyrule. Their loyalty to Ganon is merely something of culture or; or some kind of magic forcing them.” Purah continued. “It means we could, we could… We could potentially, we could potentially take them out from the Calamity's grasp, we could strip the Calamity of one of its major ways to exert its power!” Purah then continued to spiral into scientific rambling. Link proceeded to give Purah a look. “Aaannnd I guess save them from the Calamity’s influence and control over them. That’s probably a reason to do it too,” Purah said.

The baby lynel that had started this entire conversation, for its part, was wandering around the workshop trying to investigate Purah’s lab assistant.

Symin was having a pretty interesting morning. First, Purah managed to get something stuck on a high shelf again, so that was something. But then Link charged in carrying a baby lynel of all things. After the requisite amount of freaking out they calmed down and Link explained that he had killed the mother and instead of leaving had decided to stick around to find its baby, take said baby, and raise it as his own. Symin's own questions of Link’s sanity aside, he had to admit the thing was pretty cute. Purah seemed to have a handle on things though, so he went back to inspecting and shelving all the books Purah pulled out and left everywhere. It was then that Symin felt a soft pressure on his leg. Looking down he saw that the lynel was trying to chew on his leg.

…

"AAH!" Symin screamed, rapidly jumping away from the lynel. 

“Oh! Symin, did something happen?” Purah asked.

“The little fella tried to eat me!” Symin exclaimed.

“Symin, it's a toddler. A wild toddler, only raised by either a wild monster or Linky for its whole life. (Were Linky there to hear this he would be offended, but he was currently climbing the lab to harvest parts from the guardian on the roof, trusting Purah to look after the lynel.) "It's going to try and chew on stuff." Purah continued. "Oh! By the way, Linky, do you have a name for the little guy? I just realized I've just been calling him the lynel or fella this whole time,” Purah asked.

“Linky?” Purah questioned. Just then Link reentered through the door, carefully balancing 10 guardian screws and other assorted parts in his arms.

“Wha?” came muffled out of Link's mouth through several screws, as Link began putting the assorted parts into the slate.

“What’s the little fella's name?” Purah said and then continued, “you did give him a name, right?” Purah lightheartedly questioned.

“Oh! Yeah, totally, his name’s is uhhh, Fell-um, yea Fellum that works.” Link quickly stammered out as he had, in fact, not named this little fella yet. “So, while I'm here Purah, you come up with any new upgrades for the slate while I was gone?” Link asked. 

"Nope, sorry Linky. I'll still take the parts though. I'm sure I've got something around here to pay you," Puarh said before she began to ramble as she went through the materials in her lab.

“Alright well, I'm going to get out of your hair then Purah. Come on little fella- uh Fellum,” Link stated.

The lynel looked up from where it was trying to figure out one of the strange rectangles with squiggles in it and quickly trotted to his caretaker's side following them out of the strange cave. As the day wore on, Link decided to take Fellum to the pond right below because somehow the little thing had gotten grease in his fur. The cub was gleefully splashing about, Link got some soap and promptly called over the little lynel. It took a while for Link to convince the young cub that soap wasn't food, but now the cub was purring as Link scrubbed and scratched.

'Maybe… this isn't as bad as I thought.'

Chapter Text

After the duo left Hateno, they went on the road once again. Link was actually having a good time going back through areas. Since he couldn't teleport, as that would mean leaving Fellum alone in the middle of nowhere, he had to go the long way. On top of that, Fellum, wanting to look at every little thing he found, made Link find himself going through the areas much more slowly and thoroughly, finding a lot of supplies and Koroks he overlooked. It was a nice change of pace; Fellum playing with the Koroks and about to chew on one… ABOUT TO CHEW ON ONE! Link sprinted over to stop Fellum from gnawing the small forest spirit.

"No! This is not a chew toy, this is a spirit called a Korok. They are not for you to gnaw on!"

As he pulled the spirit away from the cub, Fellum gave a sharp chuff to being denied his chew toy, and decided to roll in a pile of leaves instead. He gave a sigh of relief; while profoundly apologizing to the little Korok. He checked his inventory to see what was low, and noticed that he was lacking in ancient arrows. 

'Guess it's time to pay Robbie a visit.'

Going to Deep Akkala was going to be a long trip, so he would have to find someone to take care of Fellum while he teleported over and got the arrows. On one hand, it would probably mean a sightseeing tour for his kid. His kid. It was still a bit weird and awkward to think about, but maybe this road trip would help clear his mind, not to mention it would be a nice chance to get to know each other better. On the other hand, it meant taking a detour of months from his quest, even with a horse, and he had already been putting it off. He glanced at his Slate and gave a hefty sigh before turning towards his child , the cub playing in a leaf pile.

"Fellum!" Link called. Fellum got up from the piles of leaves he was rolling in. He trotted up towards his side, with a pouty face on. 

Fellum wondered what papa wanted now. He took away his toy, made him get up from his leaf pile, and now papa called him over. 

"Okay, Fellum, Papa's gonna have to go away for a bit. I'm gonna leave you with some nice people at the stable up ahead." 

Fellum didn't understand much of that but he heard his name in there so he tilted his head, papa wanted him for something. He took out that weird glowy rectangle and pointed to something on it. It showed a bunch of wiggly worms connected to each other making odd shapes and weird markings.

“See that? That's where we're heading and where you're gonna stay for a bit.”

Fellum still couldn't understand Papa much but he recognized that “you're" referred to him and “stay” was what Papa always said when he had to deal with bokos that mama used to have to force away from the den every once and a while. She told him to stay while she was patrolling, so he assumed it meant a similar thing; don't leave this location. However, papa made a motion that meant "follow me". He went up to him and papa grasped his paw, and pulled him along. This gesture he wasn't familiar with, but it filled him with happiness as he felt the warmth emit from papa's paw. He gave a purr of contentment as he trotted alongside his papa.

The trek towards Duelling Peaks Stable was interesting. Much like the earlier bit of this trek, he was forced to go slower and so he was finding more stuff to endlessly hoard into his slate. He was close enough now to see the stable; it wouldn't be that much farther, however, Fellum seemed determined to investigate the massive guardian graveyard to the left, but Link wasn't having that. Even putting aside the possibility of one of them still being active. The area just didn't feel right to link, and not the normal sense of loss of when he went near old ruins and decayed guardians that he could mostly ignore. No, that area felt cold like something was gonna reach out and grab him at any moment.

 Fellum was giving him a pouty look but this was one thing he was gonna be firm on. (Even if it was extremely difficult. How could one child be so cute?). He took him away from the graveyard and walked down the path towards the stable. He was going to get stared at, and probably scolded by the stable master with Fellum by his side.

Once he got there, as predicted, the twin owners stared at him bug-eyed with dropped jaws. Link half wondered if a restless cricket would fly into one of their mouths. He cleared his throat and got their attention off of the little cub. Rensa and Tasseren nervously asked how Link was doing and how was his progress so far. Although he knew that they were wary of Fellum, he needed someone more responsible than him to look after him. So he asked them.

"WAIT WHA– Are you sure!?" Tasseren stuttered.

"Link, this is an odd request, but if you need to get something… We can look after the little fella for you," Rensa said with an understanding look. Link guessed that being a father, you know some stuff and he was grateful for that. After the exchange, he took Fellum towards the cooking pot and told him to stay there for a bit while he went to Robbie's. He gave Fellum a hug before going to the other side of the stable, disappearing in blue light.

This place was strange. He had been to many strange places lately. New, exciting spots far from the cave that had been his entire world for his whole life. That cave and his mother. She was gone now, and Fellum didn’t know when he would see her again. He missed her very much, but his new parent figure was very fun and took good care of him, all while showing him new wonders outside his cave each and every day.

So many plants and animals to discover!

But here there were more creatures like his father (Papa?) than he’d ever seen before. He had been left here while his new parent figure went away. Gone, just like his mama. Fellum hoped this one came back very soon, he missed him already.

The sights, sounds and smells were almost overwhelming. There were father-like creatures here, whose arms could wrap around him and pet all the right places, and hide him from the world for a while. But none of those arms were his.

He gave a cry of distress, wanting something familiar in this unfamiliar place. Something reached toward him, a hand, but it didn’t carry a scent he knew. Fellum shied away and backed up until his hindquarters hit something hard. He startled, bleating another cry, and his hooves scrabbled for purchase as his legs tried to go in more than one direction in his panic. He galloped in a frenzy, kicking over a barrel that caught fire when it rolled over towards the cooking pot. This caused another dad-like creature to scream in panic, and with the fire catching onto the hay bales, the other dad-like creatures started to shout and grab water to put out what he had caused.

Tasseren and Rensa frantically grabbed some buckets and yelled at the treasure hunters inside to put out the fire. Sagessa shouldn't have come up to the creature without Link properly introducing it to her. 

Tasseren knew how skittish young creatures were, and this just proved it even more; he was glad that his nephews were picking apples at the moment. Now with his bucket full of water, he rushed over towards the burning bales and lessened the roaring flame. 

However, the cub accidentally stepped on one of the cuccos, and the menace of a bird called in reinforcements. The cub ran towards the men, unleashing a fury of cuccos trailing behind the poor thing. Domidak got an angry bird to the face, causing to throw his bucket in the air. It landed straight down on Fellum’s head, as he let out a terrified yell.

"Dad! Uncle Tass! We got the apples!" Shibo and Darton exclaimed in unison, only to find the stable in chaos. The cuccos were attacking the treasure hunters, a strange creature flailing with one of the buckets on its head, Dad and Uncle Tass were running back n' forth with Sagessa replenishing their buckets to put out a fire, and the regular travelers looked on in dumbfounded shock.

"Why does interesting stuff always happen when we aren't around!" Darton whined, Shibo nodding solemnly with his statement. As the two put away the apples, they noticed that the strange creature ran inside. They followed it and found that it shoved half its body under one of the beds. Hearing tiny whimpers and sniffles, as they saw it tremble in fear. 

The noise and sudden flare of light and heat spooked him further, the fire reminded him of his mama and the way she would place rocks around the cave and heat them up the few times he had actually been cold. There didn’t seem to be any heating stones around, though there were some things that caught fire very easily and gave off some nice heat. Maybe it was these creatures’ version of heat stones?

They were very messy and noisy, his mama would be disappointed.

At least none of them were reaching for him anymore, but he feared if he stopped in the open they would notice him and try again, like the bokoblins that Mama always chased away from the cave. He just needed to keep moving, find somewhere safe or, better yet, his dad will come back. Dad’s arms were one of the safest places he’d ever known.

Not paying any attention to anything below his eyeline, Fellum yelped when a hoof struck something on the ground that gave a loud squawk-cluck noise of pain and anger. More angry clucking followed and the cub’s eyes widened as he saw many more of the strange fat birds heading his way. Some flew, some ran, but all were angry and all were aiming for him and dad wasn’t there to help-

Fellum’s wild run around the Stable kicked back up, more intense than before, as a veritable army of cuccos tried to descend upon the hapless baby lynel.

Dad wasn’t here, but maybe one of the dad-like creatures could help?

Mind made up, Fellum switched direction and ran straight towards the hylians that were standing around in a loose group. They were looking at the birds following him so he felt confident enough to weave between them. There was a smack and a lot of fluttering behind him but then the world went dark.

Fellum gave a loud, panicked cry. He couldn’t see!

He stopped running to rear up and buck, hoping to keep whatever horrible thing that had him from doing anything else. There were still so many noises that sounded odd now. Nothing had grabbed at him, but the urge to move overtook him again and his hooves led him somewhere his eyes couldn’t quite see.

If he looked down, he could see a bit of the ground, so he kept going until he saw something with a space between it and the floor. Shelter! He hastily kneeled down and shoved his head into the space, wriggling forward until the lower half of his body would go no further, unable to fit.

Fellum started to cry, whimpering for his mama or papa, especially papa, to come back and take the darkness away. To hold him and let Fellum soak up the warmth and affection he offered. The baby lynel’s energy left him in one big rush and he curled up as best he could, half exposed to whatever was out there, and trembled.

Something small touched his rump and he yelped softly, both back legs kicking out. He could feel one hoof hit something that also yelped, much like he did, and he curled back up to wait. He heard muffled shuffling and tensed, wondering what was going on. He was scared, he wanted his papa, he wanted his hugs. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his head, and instinctively scrambled backwards to get away from whatever was pulling his head. With another tug, he stumbled and fell on his rump and could see again. 

Looking around to see what was tugging his head. Fellum found two little father-like creatures, and in one of their hands was the thing that sent him to darkness. The other was holding their stomach, and Fellum remembered that he had kicked something. The feeling of guilt coiled in his gut, he had hurt someone in his haze of fear. He slowly moved forward towards the one he hurt and slowly wrapped his arms around them and emitted a low whine in apology. 

The tiny dad-like creature made a noise that he assumed was a forgiving one. Then, they took his paws and looked like they wanted to play with him. He was happy and joyfully trotted with them to play whatever games they had.

Streams of blue light weave and twist into a humanoid shape. Link appeared from that blue light and walked towards Robbie's lab. He opened the door and was greeted by the eccentric old man and his assistant. Exchanging pleasantries, Link made his way to the ancient oven with spare parts and rupees on hand and got what he needed. He was glad that the letter Purah had sent hadn’t arrived yet, then again, he did teleport so it was a given. Heading out, he teleported back to the Duel Peaks Stable, unaware of the chaos that had occurred. 

When the swirling blue lights rematerialized him, he was expecting the stable to be like when he had left but he should have known better. There were a few burnt crates, a trail of mud leading from the pond to the crates, and he saw Tasseren, Rensa, Domidak, and Prissen all laying on the ground. He rushed towards the now exhausted men covered in sweat, mud, and feathers. Tasseren quickly answered Link’s questioning look. “Someone spooked your little rascal and they ended up stepping on one of the cuccos. I'm pretty sure you can guess what that summoned. We only managed to chase the last of the hoard off a couple of minutes ago,” Tasseren stated. Link gave a shudder at the thought, however, Fellum wasn't anywhere in sight. 

"Don't worry, Darton and Shibo are playing with him," Rensa answered his unsaid question, "they're ‘round back."

Link gave a relieved sigh, but before he could head around back, one of the treasure hunters called out. "Hey! You better have something to compensate for this mess!" 

'I guess I'm cooking a feast tonight.' Link sighed internally. He made his way to find the three playing pretend. This scene made him feel warm and sad all at once. Before his dark clouds began to swirl, Fellum spotted him and voiced out a happy chirp. Link let out an airy laugh, extending his arms into a welcoming hug. Fellum smiled and eagerly delved himself into his papa's arms and nuzzled his head to Link’s chest. 

He felt less awkward hugging Fellum, but there was still that nagging feeling. Before he let Fellum go, Fellum spoke.

"Papa!"

That one word rocked his world, he wasn't expecting Fellum to speak. He knew that Fellum was intelligent, but this … this took the baked apple. Link stood there frozen as Fellum continued to hug him.

"Hey Fellum, are we going to finish the game?"

Fellum’s head shot up and he left Link's embrace to play with his new friends. As Link stared in wonder and shock, his heart fluttered like a flighty sparrow. He couldn’t help but grin at the implication of being a parent, even if it was to a lynel cub. He went back around to the front, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts. He almost ran into Hino, dazed, on his way to the counter where he asked for his horse.

"I'm gonna take Echo out, so he can get used to having Fellum around," Link informed Tasseren. 

"Oh, of course! I'll be out with him in a minute," Tasseren stated. As he got Echo, he observe that Link seemed happier after checking on the little rascal. "Okay, here's Echo, and I've noticed that you seem brighter than before."

"Ah, um, Fellum called me papa." 

He was surprised by Link’s answer as it meant that the little critter could talk. He quickly brushed it off seeing that Link was happy with the result. Tasseren guessed he was easing into fatherhood just fine. Passing the reins to him, Tasseren gave him a proud pat on the shoulder and as he walked inside, leaving Link slightly confused. 

"Hey… can I ask a favor?" This caused Tasseren to pause in his tracks. He wondered what he needed, so he asked what the favor was.

"Do you know where I can find a cart?"

Chapter Text

Herd Leader wanted him. Echo was walked out by the other creature like Herd Leader and had the thing Herd Leader sat on, put on his back when he saw it. Its bottom looked like one of his kind but it was not. It was very much not, and it was right by Herd Leader. Echo was about to trample the little thing before it could hurt Herd leader but Herd Leader stopped him.

“Calm down, Echo, he’s not a threat. Echo, this is Fellum and Fellum, this is my horse, Echo,” Link said calmly, hands held out placatingly.

Echo knew his herd leader was a strange one, but he was also a very good one. He helped others, he took good care of Echo, and he always kept them as well fed as he could. It was all anyone could ever ask of a herd leader, and Echo was glad that his herd leader was consistently good and didn’t tire of his herd duties in any way. Although the horse did have to step up and put his hoof down sometimes just to make sure the herd leader looked after himself.

A good leader, yes. But also sometimes little more than a headstrong colt.

Echo didn’t mind too much. Herd Leader did so much for him, he was happy to be able to give back what he could and that Herd Leader didn’t punish him for stepping out of his place. So, with this firmly in mind, the horse settled, standing there and taking more time to observe the odd little Fellum creature.

The lower half of a horse, the head of a feline of some sort, and the bit between them -while covered in fur- resembled the part of Herd Leader where Echo could feel and hear his heart and lungs. While Herd Leader also had ribs there, he seemed much more vulnerable in that spot than Echo. He could only guess, without touching the thing, that the creature was the same. Unless its body housed them in the lower part?

Confusing. If Fellum tried to hurt Herd Leader in any way then Echo would simply aim for the head. That was always a weak spot.

It was staring him in confusion, its wide eyes roaming over his magnificent form, taking in his strong muscles, shiny coat, and hard-earned battle scars. It looked to its own hindquarters then back to Echo, making a mewl noise before smiling and reaching forward.

Echo flicked his ear and turned to Herd Leader, who gave him a nod and an encouraging pat on the nose.

“It’s fine, he’s just curious,” came Herd Leader’s soft voice. “He’s… mine. I’m his… papa.”

Papa. Echo knew that word. He’d seen two-legged foals like Herd Leader use that word to call out to the two-legged stallions that sired them. So, Fellum was… Oh, Fellum was Herd Leader’s foal?! And he had wanted to trample the thing! Echo once again felt blessed that his Herd Leader was a kind and understanding soul.

He would have faced retribution of teeth and hooves in any other herd.

Contrite and curious, Echo lowered his head and let the small digits explore and pat. He snuffled softly, snorting a bit when a finger got too curious about a nostril, but he bore it for Herd Leader, who was grinning happily, now patting Echo’s shoulder.

Fellum stepped closer, stopping right in front of a foreleg, and forcing Echo to twist his neck to see what the foal was up to. Small, furry forelimbs wrapped themselves around his leg and Echo whickered gently.

Okay, Herd Leader’s foal looked strange, but he was pretty cute. Echo would do his best to watch out for their newest herd member. He brought his head towards the little foal and nuzzled its rump, appreciating the black coat that was similar to his own. Herd Leader gave a noise of amusement and went to the other creature and went somewhere near the unlimited food area.

After a brief scare, it seemed Echo and Fellum were getting along decently well which meant Link could turn his attention to other matters. Mainly how Fellum was going to keep up with Echo once they got moving properly. From his experience, walking here had proven that while Fellum could keep up with him well enough, it wasn’t satisfactory. Once Fellum grew up he doubted he would have any troubles as Lynels were fast creatures. But it seemed that Fellum, at least for now, wouldn't be fast enough to keep up with Echo, not when going full speed like he intended to. He was walking around the stable mindlessly when he noticed an abandoned wagon that was filled with hay, resting next to the stacked crates and near the cookpot area. He wondered if he could ask Tasseren again if he could use this wagon as he said he didn’t have a cart. Were a cart and a wagon different in any case, as both were pulled by horse and carry stuff?

"Yes, carts and wagons are different," Rensa deadpanned. "Carts are mainly meant for pulling goods and supplies, while wagons are meant for transportation and bigger items.”

'At least I know the difference now,' Link thought irritably. He shook his head and looked back at the other twin to seek his permission. 

"Well… We haven't used that wagon for transportation for a long while, so how about this; if you can clean and prepare the wagon, we'll let you keep it," Tasseren said.

"However, we will judge how well you did and for any mistake, you'll have to cook for us after any missed repairs," Rensa added.

Link thought how he already did that when he stayed at stables if he wasn’t completely drained of every last drop of energy; he gladly agreed to the terms. Getting the tools that were set, he made his way to the straw-filled wagon.

It had been 3 hours and Link could say at the very least; If he lifted the bottom of the wagon it wouldn’t collapse. The only problem was he had no idea how to do wheel spokes or anything else of that nature, and due to them being closest to the ground and as such the most exposed to water and runoff. (as the wagon cover kept the top mostly dry) they were severely rotted out and if not outright replaced; The repairs would be pretty intensive. He was determined to fix the wagon to the best of his ability, and any shortcomings would be guided by the two stable masters that gave him this challenge. He first checked the body to see if there were any planks that had rotted due to water damage or aging. There were a few boards that showed these signs and got tools to pry the damaged wood and metal.

After heaving off the planks, Link then got the new planks, nails, and hammer to replace where the old ones once were. With the planks done, he went on to the wagon’s canvas sheet. There were a few holes that had been torn and eaten away by bugs, so he grabbed the sewing kit that the stable kept on hand for travelers needing to mend any torn fabric. He pricked himself a few times and the stitches had an inconsistency, but it was enough for him to be satisfied with. Finally, he called over the two stable masters and they gave him the rundown of the parts he didn't understand and showed him how to keep maintenance on certain parts of the wagon. He put some hay and a little mat where Fellum might be comfortable, and made sure everything was in order. 

'I think we're done here,' Link thought proudly. He left to get Fellum.

With the wagon complete, Link brought Fellum to it, letting the little lynel inspect it eagerly. Finely furred hands ran over the wood, the wheels, the spokes, and anything else that was in reach. He blinked, pointed at the wagon, and stared at Link with his head tilted slightly.

“This is a wagon,” he said. “And it’s going to help us while we travel.”

Link hopped in to show Fellum how to get in, and where he and the supplies would rest while the wagon was in motion. He hoped the young lynel took to the rumbling and bumpy movements the wagon would produce as it was pulled over various types of terrain. He’d hate for all of this effort to be wasted if Fellum decided he hated the thing and refused to ride in it.

The hylian looked on, pleased, as the young lynel gingerly climbed aboard. Fellum looked uncertain, staring down at his hooves, as though worried the planks of wood that held him off the ground would break at any moment if he moved wrong. Slowly, the lynel cub folded their back legs and sat down indicating that he was comfortable enough. While the wagon was stationary at least. Link finished packing up the last of the things that couldn't be stored in the slate onto the wagon and hitched it up to Echo to set off into the early noon sun.

It was odd with the addition of the wagon. Link was so used to traveling just by himself with what he could carry or his Slate could hold, or with Echo. He’d only just gotten used to having Fellum along, so the wagon was going to take some time to get used to. With a quick flick of the reins, Echo started walking, hauling the wagon behind him.

A brief yelp and a confused whimper came from the wagon, followed by some shuffling and what sounded like hooves scraping across wood, barely audible over the trundling of the wheels and Echo’s hooves.

“It’s all right, Fellum! You’re safe! Try not to move,” Link called out.

The whimpers died down and the shuffling stopped. “Papa?” came a small, unsure voice.

“I’m here,” Link said.

One last sniffle and all was quiet. Link smiled sadly, proud of the little lynel cub. Horse, wagon, hylian and lynel continued on their way, leaving the Stable behind.

Chapter Text

The past few days were rough as Fellum gave out panicked cries whenever the wagon was jolted roughly, never able to fully settle down no matter what Link tried. The best method for keeping the lynel calm the longest was humming, though it wasn’t one hundred percent effective. Maybe it reminded the cub of purring? 

There had been very little trouble on the road so far, not counting some awkward terrain, and Link had been careful to tell Fellum to stay inside the wagon and hide whenever monsters were about. The lynel cub had listened, thankfully, so Link never had to worry as much unless a monster started getting close, at which point the foolish thing had forfeited its life whether it knew it or not.

Link may not remember much from before his long sleep in the Shrine of Resurrection but he did know what the world he’d woken up to was like. It was vast, being reclaimed by nature, full of monsters, banana-loving assassins, and the air was sometimes tainted with evil so thick it could be seen and felt with every breath.

While there had been many monsters since he’d acquired a baby lynel, it had been almost comparatively idyllic.

He didn’t like it. Nothing ever stayed so peaceful for long. That was a lesson he had learned very soon after waking and one that had only been reinforced multiple times since he left the shrine. Something was going to give and Link wanted to make sure that he and Fellum came out the other side in good condition.

The sun slowly traversed the sky, changing the light and shadows as it went, until it finally sank below the horizon. Link and Fellum watched it together from their little campsite. The cub would scamper a short distance away, bound back to Link for a quick hug, pat, or nuzzle, then frolic off once more to repeat the whole thing.

After a quick but filling meal, the sky was now a dark canvas painted all over with sparkly dots. Fellum dozed off, but Link stayed awake, a nagging feeling at the back of his mind not willing to let him rest. Time ticked on, seemingly taking an eternity to craft each moment, the darkness growing deeper and the little campfire burning brighter.

The moon became more visible, a glowing silver orb that cast a soft light on the shaded landscape. It did not stay silver.

Link sucked in a breath as the moon faded to red, like blood slowly staining a cloth, and the air became charged and heavy, with tiny wisps of darkness rising into the air and floating about.

As the Blood Moon rose to its peak, the dust, ash, and dried blood of a previously slain monster began to stir. Wisps of dark energy that oozed violence and malevolence rose from the ground, the dried blood flaking away and dissolving into the air, the tiny particles joining the flow. The corruption spread further, eating up more ground with each second that went by. A number of the wisps turned solid, bits and pieces of ash, darkness, and blood coming together, stitching themselves seamlessly into place. There was a consistent shape beginning to form, slowly turning into a dark, solid shadow of a lynel.

The very lynel that had tried to protect a young, vulnerable cub was now being revived by the dark power of the Calamity.

Her crimson eyes, as dark and deep as a blood ruby, snapped open as the last of her body formed from the remaining dark tatters and wisps. As the last of her form mended under the influence of the moon, her thoughts sparked to life. Memories drenched her mind. A fight, a golden-haired Skythos, the flash of a blade before it bit into flesh, embedded into her back. A roar, the shout of a Skythos, a whirl of agony that faded out along with any sights and sounds. Then nothing.

She had been defending something, not just fighting for herself. Blindly trotting around the area, her hooves brought her to a cave. Something had been in this cave - something precious. She walked forward and stepped inside, sniffing the air and rumbling as faint but familiar scents tickled her nose. Her scent was here, along with something that smelled like her, but also like milk.

Her precious thing. It should be here, waiting for her arrival. But the cave was empty.

Small drawings made by sharp stones and fire-darkened sticks decorated the walls, and the ground was scuffed in places. She had a foal. Her foal had been in the cave and she had done her best to protect him. It had been in vain as the place no longer held her precious foal.

No. Her foal could not be gone. She would search.

Papa was acting weird, it was dark but for some reason he wasn't going to sleep with him. He kept just staring down the boko's bodies like they were going to stand back up. They were staying in some weird formation of rocks. They looked nothing like the rocks dotted around his old den, they were square and stacked on top of each other instead of being one big chunk but papa had deemed it safe so it must be.

And that's when Fellum felt it - some kind of strange voice whispering in his head. It kept trying to tell him to hurt papa, but he couldn't do that, papa was so nice and what had this voice ever done for him? So, he told the voice no. That was a bad choice.

Suddenly pain shot through all of Fellum’s body at once; he tried to kick and squirm trying to hit away the voice but no matter how much he struggled the voice did not relent.

It kept trying to tell him to let him in, showing him images of other Mythos seemingly enhanced by its power. But mama had warned him of this, of the fallen ones; those who had touched those pools of glowing tar she described, had been brought back from the other side, or otherwise accepted this power into themselves.

She had firmly warned him against ever accepting. Its power would eat away at him, taking his mind slowly the more it was used until there was none of them left, only a puppet being pulled around by the Dark One. Mama had described it in truly terrifying detail. Saying she’d seen the entire process play out with one of her friends when she was a lot younger. Watching as her friend went from a vibrant individual to barely more than the shambling stalkoblins that sprung up and roamed places until the sun rose. 

He tried to focus on anything other than the voice trying to drown it out by putting more effort into his kicks until he could find something else to try and focus on other than the pain and the words...

Link had been dreading when this day would come. The blood moon had risen and something was happening to Fellum. He was squirming and struggling violently; it was clear that the blood moon was not having a positive effect on him. His only saving grace being that since the lynel was still very young he couldn't do too much damage in his frantic actions but it was still hard while trying his hardest to soothe the young lynel. He was worried about what Fellum would be like on the other side of this. While he knew logically that this was almost certainly not his first blood moon he had survived physically, he was still worried about the mental effects of Ganon’s power coursing through the young boy. 

This would be the lynel’s first blood moon to his knowledge away from his mother who probably knew better than him to handle the power flowing through them. How would he take that? How would the power flowing through him react if it found out? All these uncertainties were tearing Link apart. The only reason he wasn't freaking out like Fellum was that if he did he couldn't keep soothing Fellum, but mark his words he was gonna have a nice long scream after this.

Suddenly, his struggle intensified as the moon reached its peak. They were settled just east of the great plateau in the Outpost Ruins. It had taken roughly a week to get here and Link was keeping constant watch, the bokoblins who occupied this old fort usually weren't much of a threat, but any creature no matter how weak can do massive damage if it sneaks up on its opponent without it noticing. The old ruins across the realm always left him on edge anyway, may as well use it productively.

Huddled inside one of the more intact stone structures, with his back against a corner and a frantic lynel cub half in his lap, Link desperately wanted to hum to try and calm Fellum. The threat of bokoblins stopped him though and he clenched his teeth tight, grinding them together in frustration. Fellum’s hooves were flailing as if he was caught in a dream and running full gallop, his conscious mind only half able to interpret the signals into movement, leaving the limbs jerking around spasmodically, trying hard to score gouges out of the floor. Anywhere that was covered in dirt suffered greatly under this onslaught.

Why shouldn’t he try and hum? Fellum was making more than enough noise to attract unwanted attention anyway. He tried to pin the limbs under one of his legs, but the little lynel proved stronger.

Slowly but surely Link started to hum a tune he couldn't remember where he learned (what else is new?) and slowly but surely it started to work. Not completely, as a simple tune couldn't outdo Ganon’s power, but Fellum's struggling slowed down. Having something to focus on other than the horrible power trying to flow through him seemingly letting him focus on something other than the pain, and that's how the rest of the night went on. Fellum, still lightly squirming, as Link cycled through unfamiliar tune after unfamiliar tune until the moon finally set below its peak and the blood red drained from its surface. The lynel’s flailing calmed down as his mental battle died away and fell back into a peaceful slumber. 

Link quietly shuffled the lynel off his lap and set about reclearing the camp of the few bokoblins that had set up there and then returning to the bedroll, cuddling up next to Fellum, holding him securely as he himself went to sleep.

Chapter Text

Fellum was exhausted, he knew his mother had warned him about the Great Fallen One, but he wasn’t expecting it to be so real. He looked around and saw Papa holding him and that he had purple markings under his eyes. The markings were new, the little lynel was sure of that. Was Papa getting new markings? Wow, his Papa must still be young then, not even a proper grown-up. Every lynel, no matter their age, knew that markings only came to cleanly grace one’s pelt when maturity had been reached.

Fellum wanted to be happy for his papa, he really did, but he thought the purple eye markings did not look good on his papa at all.

He reached up with questing fingers, brushing the pads feather-soft over the purple. His papa groaned and his eyes fluttered open. Oops, he hadn’t meant to wake Papa!

Papa’s bright blue eyes were duller than usual and Fellum tilted his head in question, wondering why. His papa wasn’t getting sick, was he?

“Good morning, Fellum,” said Papa.

The little lynel made a purring chirp - the proper way to greet during the day - and happily said, “Papa!” His fingers slid down his papa’s smooth cheeks, stopping at the edge of his lips as they quirked upwards.

His papa’s face was so odd. It was mostly flat, with a pointy nose and no muzzle. How was he meant to fit all of his adult fangs in there? Hopefully, it would grow in, like the purple markings. Maybe Papa would even get more markings! Then he could take off the fake pelts and show them off with proper pride.

Yes, then everyone would know how great his papa was! Those other silly creatures his papa fought would think twice about messing with his family! He nuzzled into his papa’s chest, rumbling with purrs and cheering for the markings to appear soon.

It didn’t last as Papa shifted, standing up slowly with a lot of moans and groans. He gave a full-body stretch and Fellum heard several pops and cracks. Oh, that hadn’t sounded good at all! Was his papa injured?

Still watching his papa closely, Fellum stood and followed his example, bowing and leaning into a nice long stretch. There were no pops or cracks and he vowed to keep an eye on his papa’s health throughout the day.

Papa led the way back to the strange rolling cave home. It wasn’t Fellum’s favorite place. He much preferred having all four hooves solidly on unmoving land. But Papa wanted Fellum to be in the rolling cave home while they moved. He had to admit, it was a wonderful hiding place! What had Mama called it? Camoflag? Comaflog? Something that helps to blend you in with your surroundings.

Maybe Papa knew the word. But Papa didn’t speak properly, and Fellum didn’t know enough of Papa’s main tongue to actually ask. Papa could teach him though, right? And Fellum would teach Papa his own tongue! It was a perfect plan!

If he could just figure out how to ask in the first place…

Link woke up feeling like garbage. The lack of sleep combined with the cornucopia of bruises he had acquired soothing Fellum last night combined to make this morning just that little bit more miserable. There was a light touch on his face and a reassuring weight on his legs.

Fellum.

He couldn’t help but smile that the little lynel had made it through the night and retained his sweet demeanor. “Good morning, Fellum,” he said.

The lynel made a strange noise before exclaiming, “Papa!” while petting Link’s face.

The Hylian wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to hearing a Lynel, especially a baby one, speak the common Hyrulean language. It never failed to bring a warmth to his chest, one that bloomed to the very tips of his fingers and toes. It made the day just a little less miserable than it was before. 

He looked over the part of the route they were going to be walking today. If he and Fellum managed to keep a good pace they may just be able to make it to the stable by nightfall. Still, he couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something important along the route but, nevertheless, he couldn’t let that stop them. They had a lot of ground to cover if they wished to reach the stable.

So that’s what he had forgotten. Peering out across the small island chain in front of him, connected by wooden bridges, Link scanned the sleeping Hinox that took up most of the room on one island.

It was big, it was blue, and it was decidedly in the way. He could get around it by himself or even on horseback, but there was no way by Hylia’s Light that the wagon was going to be able to sneak past the brutish behemoth. He had to figure out a way past, and quickly.

He could try to fight it but the weapons he had on him at the moment weren't the best. Sure, they could deal with the small monsters well enough, but this was no small enemy. Their dulled, and occasionally outright rusted edges could cut through them provided he used enough brute force (usually enough to snap them in two after just a couple of hits), but this thing’s skin would easily be at least twice as thick if not more. 

That's when Link spotted the solution.

Around the monster's neck was a variety of properly sharp and maintained weapons probably taken off the last poor traveler to wake this thing up. But if Link could sneak up and grab them while not waking the beast, he could get good enough hits in to fell the creature before it could retaliate.

The last thing he wanted or needed was for the Hinox to wake up enough to start throwing things around. There wasn’t much to throw on the island, but Link bet it would happily rip up chunks off the edges if provoked. If something should happen to hit the wagon…

There was nothing for it. He had to get past. So, he donned his Sheikah set to provide him with extra stealth and went towards the sleeping giant.

This had been a terrible plan. Unfortunately for Link, it was too late to back out now as the beast was finally starting to lift the hand he was perched upon.

After he was deposited on its massive belly, he carefully made his way across to its necklace of weapons, his whole body rising and falling with each foul breath it took. Its breath was putrid and Link buried his nose and mouth under a sleeve to help muffle the stench. Slowly, he began to untangle the weapons tied by the rope. He got the first weapon out, it was a Soldier's Claymore, and miraculously its edge was still sharp. Next, was a golden weapon he had never seen before. He took his Sheikah Slate and took a photo, and in the compendium, it said it was a Moonlight Scimitar. He put the slate away, untangled the blade, and crept towards the last item on the Hinox's fatty neck. The last of the weapons was a Soldier's Bow; he could get some distance from the giant with that should the fight drag on.

He rushed to make his move, quickly pulling out the slate and pulling in the scimitar, and bow before quickly grabbing the claymore and twisting it to slice into the monster’s neck. The blow was deep, the blade biting into the flesh with relative ease, and Link could only hope it was an injury severe enough to take the huge monster down before it awoke, noticed him, and sent him flying over to the edge of the island.

The thing gasped. It’s one huge eye opening immediately, and it gave a short, wet, gurgly-sounding roar. Link jumped as its hands flew to its throat, coming away bloody. It roared again, in anger or pain it was hard to tell. With the amount of blood flowing out of the thing's neck, it probably couldn't keep fighting for long. He just had to keep it distracted. 

Its eye then locked onto Link as it rolled and lumbered forward. With much more haste than Link had ever seen one of these creatures move before. It probably knew its time was limited. He sprinted off to the side of the small island, quickly shooting off an arrow to try and stun it, but the beast blocked its eye. It quickly lunged out a hand to try and grab him but barely missed by a hair. 

There couldn't be long left now. The beast was slowing down, its breathing haggard, and its blue skin was beginning to turn just a hint paler. Finally managing to get an arrow into its eye, Link rushed forward and went at its legs, cutting deep slashes into them, and that was seemingly enough to finally put the beast under. Unfortunately, its corpse fell backward and off the island so Link couldn't harvest its parts, but at least Fellum wouldn't have to see it when he brought him across.

Quickly rushing his way back across the bridges to make sure Fellum was doing okay, he found the cub on the edge of the farthest island looking awestruck. It seemed he had come to watch the fight, though thankfully far enough away that he didn’t see too much of the bloody detail.

Fellum was making an odd baying noise, his arms raised in triumph. Was… Was he cheering for Link? That was pretty cute if so. Still, Link would’ve preferred if the little lynel had stayed safe and out of sight in the wagon.

He gave the little fella a small head pat and coaxed him back towards the wagon. After making sure everything was properly hitched up again, he jumped on Echo’s saddle and urged him to move forward across the pillar bridges. However, the sounds of pig-like grunts became louder as he approached the end of the bridge, and as the silhouettes of bokoblins grew closer, Link saw them equipped with bows and mounted on horses.

“Well, shit.”

It seems they had heard the commotion from their tower fort on the other side of the bridges and had sent a force to meet whoever was crossing. 

Luckily the bridges pretty heavily bottle-necked them. So long as he didn't let them establish a hold on one of the islands he could blast them off with bombs. Should be simple enough. 

Quickly running back to the highest island to get as much height as possible he paraglided over, miraculously not being spotted, and used the slate to drop some bombs just as they were crossing the bridge to the last island. He managed to blast off a good 80% of the force. 

The remaining monsters – 3 bokoblins – wouldn't be too hard to handle. So Link dropped down and decided to test out that new blade he got.

Moonlight Scimitar's curved edge took a bit of adjusting to, but Link quickly dispatched the 3 with great ease. It was just 2 reds and 1 blue after all, and if any of them proved a real haste he could have just knocked them over the edge. 

But he didn't need to. So, with one last strike, the last fell, and Link got around to looting the bodies for parts. 

Once that was done, his slate metaphorically weighed down with horns and teeth, he kicked the bodies over the edge with their brethren. Now it was time to finally take Fellum over the bridges.

Coming upon the tower fort on the other side he could see that they really had sent a majority of their forces. He could only spot one lookout and what was probably the leader of the fort remaining on the tower from the ground.

Swiftly making his way up the ladder he cautiously and quietly went up the two deserted floors just below the top layer, and quickly pushed the lookout off to their death. Finally he came face to face with the boss of the camp – a black bokoblin with a knight's broadsword. Quickly pulling put his shield and sword, he slowly approached them with his shield raised. The bokoblin opted for an attack of brute force first, trying to break his guard with a jumping slash.

This was a foolish move and with one swift parry they were sent careening over to the edge of the platform. They quickly regained their balance but they were now facing down Link with their back to the edge.

Link began to slash at their guard. Each strike getting them just a bit closer to a plunge and a bit more panicked, the bokoblin’s blows and defense getting sloppier with each passing second.

With one final kick, the monster was sent plummeting to its death. The stone chest’s magic unlocked with a notable click. Inside were some bomb arrows which Link didn’t hesitate to snatch up and store away, a pleased grin adorning his face.

Once Link climbed down he set up camp under the structure. It was too tall to provide any real shade except for when the sun was directly overhead, but it would work to keep at least some rain away if any came. 

He set up a roaring fire as the night approached. Even if they weren't in the desert proper yet the nights were still quite chilly and it would help keep them warm. Setting up his and Fellum’s bags he served dinner and prepared to go to sleep.

Papa was getting ready for bed as he approached. He had won some battles today against large and powerful foes, though he hadn't actually staked a claim to any of their territory. Just where was Papa's land? He still didn't know enough to ask but he had learned a new word of Papa's tongue. “Close” – it meant to stay near. 

He walked over to his papa and tried out his new word.

“Papa? Close?” 

He wanted Papa to stay near to him tonight.

Papa blinked for a second before a happy expression lit up his face. “You learned a new word!” he said. Fellum didn’t know what all of those words meant, but Papa was happy and eagerly let Fellum cuddle that night so the little lynel was happy too.