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Warriors unclipped his scarf and unwrapped it from around his neck. As soon as it was off, he stretched his wing out, then shook it out. Somehow he always managed to get dust in his feathers, even though his scarf was draped over it most of the day.
There was an ache at the base of his wings, which wasn't unusual, but it was annoying. Without daily flights, the muscles had atrophied so there were some days where even holding his intact wing in place strained his muscles. Warriors sighed and dropped to the ground, sitting near the edge of the cliff. Behind him was the camp they'd set up as soon as Wild said they'd gone far enough. In the air beyond the cliff, most of the heroes soared, stretching their wings after a long day of mostly walking.
It still burned his pride, if only a little bit, that all nine of them were forced to walk for his sake. Even Wild could manage some flight, with his mechanical wings and their strange technology. In his own world, he could fast travel to his shrines and even summmon a mechanical beast that moved faster than a horse. So now that they were in Wild's vast world, they could have covered ground much faster if it weren't for Warriors. The trek up the mountain had been rough on all of them, and as much as he'd tried to get the others to just fly up, they insisted on continuing to walk with him and Wild.
Wild, of course, didn't seem bothered by the situation. In fact, he'd practically skipped up the whole trail. Hadn't said why they were climbing this specific mountain, just insisted that they had to stay at least one night there, since they'd landed so close. His excitement only made Warriors feel more guilty. Wild never seemed to get down about his missing wings. Though he supposed that the other hero didn't remember ever having them. And the prosthetics that the Sheikah in this world had developed for him at least gave him a semblance of flight.
Warriors drew his knees to his chest and stretched out his wing. The wind ruffled his feathers and cooled his skin. He shut his eyes, listening to the sounds of his friends flying and Wild starting a fire in their camp near the strange, glowing shrine. Soon, he would go help with dinner. He could at least make himself useful that way.
Warriors groaned and tangled his fingers in his hair. He dug his fingers into his scalp until he felt his fingernails pressing divots into his skin. Why was he feeling so bad for himself? You are alive. That's what matters. Proxi's words, from that terrible day, had become a mantra of sorts for him. A reminder that he'd survived. Everything else would come with time.
He huffed out a breath and stood up. He needed to stop pitying himself.
Wild looked up as he approached, smiling brightly. The turn of his lips pulled at the scars on his face. Warriors returned the smile as he kneeled down. "Can I help?"
Wild looked over his collection of ingredients, laid before him. He already had a cutting board out and a pot warming over the fire. "It's mostly just a lot of chopping," he said. Then his expression turned thoughtful. "But there's something else you could do if you don't mind?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"Hold on."
Wild got up and took a few steps away. "This might be… well." Wild shrugged, cheeks turning pink.
He reached back over his shoulder with one arm and behind his back with the other. With some straining, a bit of wiggling, and what looked like intense concentration, there were a few metallic clicks.
And then his wings fell off.
Warriors bit back a gasp. Of course he knew that Wild's wings came off. He'd had to adjust something once or twice on their journey, and the cloth that allowed him to glide was removable as well. But something about seeing his friend's wings just detach… Warriors shuddered.
"Sorry, I'm sure that's not the easiest thing to see." Wild turned away, but not before Warriors caught the momentary flash of embarrassment and hurt cross his face.
Warriors winced. He was the last person that should have reacted that way. Regardless of his own injury, he knew plenty of soldiers from the war who'd lost limbs. Some used prosthetics, some didn't. He'd had plenty of time to get used to seeing all kinds of disabilities, so there was no excuse to react like that.
"No, I apologize. There is nothing wrong with you or your wings." Warriors stepped forward and placed a hand on Wild's shoulder. His muscles were tense, but after a moment, Wild let out a breath and relaxed. "What did you need help with?"
Wild's ears perked up. "Oh yeah!" He pulled away and knelt down to pick up the metal and canvas contraptions that had been attached to his back moments ago. He carried them over to a clear patch of stone and laid them out. They looked even bigger like this.
"See this?" Wild pointed out the edge of the canvas near the wingtip of the left wing. "The fabric got a little torn in the last fight. Do you think you could sew it for me?"
Wild looked so hopeful that Warriors' heart practically melted. "Of course. You should have mentioned it sooner. Do you have specific thread for it?"
Wild nodded. "A whole kit just for this purpose. Some wax, too, to make sure the stitches are waterproof like the rest of it. I can do that part after, though. The joints need oiled anyways and that's always finicky."
"If you show me how to do it, I can help in the future too? That way you don't have to take them off to do maintenance if you don't want to."
"That… would be great actually." Wild grinned. He went back to where he'd left his bag and rifled through it until he found a small box. He brought it back over and showed Warriors the contents. Thread in all the colors of the wing cloth. Special needles, strong enough to sew the thick fabric without breaking like Warriors' normal needles would. And the wax and oil Wild had mentioned as well.
Once Wild instructed him on how to repair the fabric, he left to go back to making dinner.
Warriors pulled the fabric into his lap and got to work. It wasn't long before he fell into a rhythm, the movements familiar even with different materials. Wild hummed as he worked, and the soon the aroma of food filled the air. A few crows landed in the trees around them, as if hoping to be part of the meal. Warriors knew that Wild would eventually toss them something. He was always trying to get animals on his good side, though Sky and Twilight were almost always more successful.
He'd just finished the last stitch, tied it, and cut the loose thread off when the rest of the heroes started landing, one by one. They were all smiling and laughing, hair windblown and wings shaking and stretching off their flight. Warriors smiled, glad to see them so happy and relaxed.
Wild greeted them with bowls of rice, meat, and vegetables, and it wasn't long before they went quiet as they ate. Wild's food usually did that to them, if only briefly.
Warriors looked up as footsteps approached. Wild carried two bowls in his hands and held one out for Warriors. "Come eat with the rest of us. You can finish after."
"It's already done, actually." Warriors stood up, brushing off his pants before taking the offered bowl. "Though we still need to do the wax and oil."
Wild looked between him and wings, eyes wide. "That usually takes me twice that long."
"I have a lot of practice, even if I'm usually sewing other kinds of cloth."
"Amazing. I'm asking you to do it from now on."
Warriors flushed. "I'm happy to help."
They walked back to the campfire, and Warriors was greeted by the rest of the heroes. He took a seat between Wind and Sky, the former of which immediately leaned on his arm and started telling him about a time he'd fought a dozen octoroks mid air with only a shield.
"There were soooo many rocks everywhere. You wouldn't believe!"
Warriors laughed at Wind's exaggerated gestures. The young hero nearly spilled his food several times, but didn't even seem to notice.
By the time they'd finished dinner, the sun was beginning to set. The sky took on an green tint, washing the clearing in an odd light. If possible, Wild's excitement only grew.
They cleaned up quickly and then Wild gathered them all around. "Okay, I have a surprise. Leave your weapons here and be quiet."
They all looked at Time, who rolled his eye. "I already took off the armor."
Warriors huffed out a laugh. Of course Time could be sneaky if he wanted to be, but the plate armor did him no favors.
The heroes did as asked and removed their weapons, leaving them by their packs. Warriors was reluctant to have them all unarmed, and to leave their things unguarded, but he knew that Wild wouldn't lead them into danger.
Warriors finished removing his chain and undid his bracers for good measure. It wasn't like he slept with them on so he might as well get them off now.
They all gathered around Wild, waiting for his direction.
"You have to be very quiet, okay? I've never had so many people up here. Follow close behind me!"
Wild turned, and Warriors followed behind him. The rest of the group followed behind, their footsteps muffled by the grass. A lizard skittered away as Wild passed, and he saw Wild's hand twitch, as if to reach for the creature. His attention remained on the path ahead. The light was brighter there, and a softer blue. He could see the top of a tree covered in pink flowers, rustling in the wind.
The path sloped down and Wild turned, holding up a finger to his lips. He stepped to the side and gestured for Warriors to come forward.
Warriors stepped up to Wild's side, and gasped. Around the pond in the small clearing were a dozen creatures, glowing blue-white. They looked like a cross between rabbits and owls with leafy antlers. They hopped around, sniffing in the grass, undisturbed by their presence.
Standing in the middle of the pond was an even stranger creature. Glowing with the same light, the horse… or deer had the same antlers but its head… Warriors grimaced. It had two faces, looking in different directions. Luckily, none of its four eyes saw the group of heroes.
If he ignored that one, the rest of the creatures were quite cute. He could see why Wild was so excited. And he had to admit that the big one was certainly intriguing. He wondered if it was a spirit, or some creature of the goddesses.
After a few more moments, he backed up to give the others more room. He didn't want to risk the creatures getting scared before everyone saw them.
He followed the path back towards the clearing, stopping where the three paths met. He could still see the heroes but this way, he could keep an eye on their camp as well. He crossed his arms, hoping to retain some warmth while he waited.
Movement caught his eye and he looked up to see a lizard on the stone across from him. Somehow, it clung to rock, face down, its beady black eyes staring at him. Just how a reptile was able to survive on a mountain this cold, he had no idea.
It wasn't long before the heroes came trickling back, one by one. All of them were grinning, as delighted as Wild about the mysterious creatures.
Warriors took up the rear as they went back to camp, looking one last time over his shoulder as the blue glow faded. Yet another of Hyrule's great mysteries, he supposed.