Rito-gust (Rito August)

"Have you seen Revali?"

The grey and white feathered Rito turned, a questioning look on his face as Blizzard's deep red eyes scanned the area, dimming in disappointment at not spotting him.

Blizzard had been searching for him, needing to pass on news from the Chief Warrior of the Rito. But trying to catch Revali in the village was like trying to catch the Lord of Satori Mountain. If one was lucky, he'd be entering or exiting, wings already ready to take him right into the sky and off to his other frequent spot— the newly built training ground at the base of Hebra South Summit in Dronoc's Pass.

Gusto had been the one to coin the term, amusement lightly lacing his voice.

"Did you check Revali's Landing?" he chuckled at the confused look that briefly passed through the younger Rito's face.

He waved his wing over the the large wooden platform, where several Rito where going in and out of the village. A quick scan told Blizzard that he wasn't there, and he turned back to the older Rito Warrior, confused curiosity still shining in his eyes.

"What'd you call it?" he asked, and saw the grin splitting the grey and white bird's beak.

"Well, you know how Revali's never really in the village, right?" Blizzard nodded. "I've noticed that when he is, he can be found on that landing platform right there. I suppose the ease of access to his hut makes it a prime spot, but I find it unusual how often I catch him there."

Blizzard laughed softly, a mischievous look entering his deep red eyes. Gusto said nothing as the brown and white speckled bird flew off, still looking for Revali. But, over the course of the next few weeks, he'd suddenly heard the little moniker far more often.

"Were we supposed to leave the Training Supplies on Revali's Landing or by the Inn?"

"What did Imra say about playing on Revali's Landing?! It's far too high when you haven't even had your first flight yet!"

"I think we're gonna need to replace the boards on Revali's Landing— they're starting to look worn out!"

"We'll meet at Revali's Landing first, then fly over to Warbler's Nest."

"I liked the name you gave it," Blizzard admitted after Gusto cornered him. "It fits! It's the only place we really see him in the Village, and besides— he likes it!"

"He… does? You called it that in front of him?" the grey and white feathered Rito shook his head in disbelief, but really, what shoud he have expected?

That bird had an ego the size of Death Mountain. And though he tried to hide it, he always had a hard time fitting in with the other Rito. It always felt like there was a wall between him and them— and neither side wanted to broach it and upend the peaceful balance they'd built. Gusto himself had witnessed how the Elder (who'd known Revali since he was a young hatchling) even kept an awkward distance from him, only barely toeing past the line as his "family"— or the closest he would get to one.

Although, he couldn't talk much— he stayed on the same side as the other Rito, too cowardly to own up to his mistakes… and the mistakes of his sister.

Well, it was… nice to see the others treating him like he was actually part of the village.

And judging from the smile on the blue bird's face, he did as well. So maybe there was hope for them yet. Maybe… maybe he would finally tell him the truth, finally let go of this weight that's been dragging him down since he'd arrived in Rito Village, unsure of if he'd even find him. It was only right— especially as talks of a great "calamity" were brewing. Gusto watched, seeing the worry on Elder Komali's face every time Revali left on a mission for Princess Zelda, wondering if this would be the last time they saw him. He'd tried to reassure the Elder that he was far more capable than he believed— that he wasn't chosen as the pilot for Vah Medoh for no reason. Still, he couldn't help the stutter his own heart made when he watched those brilliant deep blue feathers soar up and away, disappearing into the horizon.

This time, when he came back from meeting the Princess at Lanayru Promenade, he would tell him.

It was what his nephew deserved, after all.

======

She hadn't stopped crying.

Gusto could hear Kamelia's soft sniffles echo through the tensely quiet village, the fog of the battle's remains hanging over them. Rito in various stages of injury were lying in every hut, their medical ward having been overrun. The Inn was cordoned off for… the ones who hadn't made it… And everyone who was still able to work were up, clearing through the remains of what had survived. They'd been doing this for two weeks now, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with— it didn't make it less painful to stand in the ashes of their home and remember what was before, remember the smiles that had been present when it struck— it didn't make it easier to stop his mind from blocking out the screams, the frantic attempt to evacuate the village, to find a way, a place, for everyone to be safe. It didn't help his eyes flashing with the blue of a laser piercing through one after another warrior, ripping them from the sky like a child plucking flowers in a field.

It certainly didn't help erase the last time he'd seen him, bredraggled and covered in blood, a broken bow in hand and a quiver nearly empty. There were burn scars— laser burns across his feathers, a sneer of determination on his face as he stumbled in his landing, eyes locking onto the chaos that echoed around them.

The grey and white Rito tried to stop him on his way to his hut. But he wouldn't stop, his blue and white feathers outstretched as he craned his head back, looking at the hovering form of Vah Medoh.

"Be careful."

That'd been the last thing Gusto said. The battle was raging around them, the air was choked with smoke and iron and a brewing, malicious wind— but it fell behind him as Gusto looked at him, truly looked at him as if this was the last time he would see him. Inside, the words warred with the fear of being rejected in the worst possible moment. He should tell him. He should tell him.

But he couldn't.

Instead, he reached out, grabbing him tightly, pulling him in for a hug. He tensed, but Gusto only held on tighter, pouring into it all the birthdays he'd missed and the moments he'd been gone for— all the times he'd watched Revali waver, watched the longing in his eyes as he saw the other Rito with families, with people who cared for them, and turned a blind eye to his suffering. He tightened his hold once more, one hand running over his braids, swallowing the apology he knew he deserved, that he should be getting, and hoping his wildly beating heart conveyed how much he truly, truly loved him. How proud he was of him…. how much he admired the person he'd grown into, and hoped to see grow more.

He let go, shifting his golden eyes away from him. He didn't want him to see how he felt. He didn't want to know how Revali felt. Not now, when the ground shook with resounding booms and their friends and family were falling from the sky.

"Be careful." he repeated. "Please."

"I'm always careful— I'll be back before you know it."

And that was it. That was the last thing Gusto had heard from him.

They'd watched Vah Medoh return, watched her soar through the Hebra skies in the aftermath of the battle. But when they went to check, to see if he was fine… there was nothing. The Divine Beast was silent, the only sound being its motors and gears running. It felt… ominous, standing atop it without Revali. Even more so with what looked to be the remnants of a battle, the scarred and burned edges of pillars and feathers (his feathers) scattered all along the greenery.

Where had he gone?

Where was Revali?

There was no sign of him anywhere… the only proof of his existence being the Great Eagle Bow lying near the control panel, its string broken, and arrows blowing gently in the wind.

But where was Revali?

They'd tried entering, but then Vah Medoh turned, everything began glowing the same red as the Guardians, and Gusto called for eveyone to evacuate.

In the end, only he and Blizzard had made it back alive, only able to show that they'd lost. Terribly.

Hyrule had lost a Champion.

The Rito had lost their Champion.

They lost Revali.

The news that rolled in afterward painted a much more horrible picture for the rest of Hyrule: Vah Medoh's pilot wasn't the only one to fall in battle. Everyone had failed. Sir Link, Princess Zelda, the other Champions… Even the King of Hyrule himself. They'd all struggled and fell to the might that was the Calamity. It was a shock to Gusto— who'd become the new Elder in the wake of Komali falling during battle, trying to make sure everyone had made it out— and desperately, he tried to organize what he could, to gather resources for both Rito Village and potentially any other settlements that were in desperate need of materials.

But it had become abundantly clear that the (now tiny) Village would be in a predicament of their own. Vah Medoh had been attacking anyone who took to the skies, the lasers raining down on them relentlessly and felling more warriors. For now, it stayed in the Hebra regions, but every day, he could see it circling closer and closer to the village, its ominous orange and red lights flickering with every passing day. He'd hoped he didn't have to make a hard choice, but…

The grey and white Rito pushed those thoughts from his head as he stood in the doorway, golden eyes glazing over the trembling back of the lavender-feathered Rito, clutching a fabric in her hands. No one had wanted to, but she volunteered to clear his things from his hut, choosing to place them carefully and gently in storage for now. Because she hated to admit it, and so did Gusto, but there was some hope, some little burning flame in their hearts that he would come back, that he would be spotted on the horizon, blue and white feathers fluttering in the wind as he landed in the Village, alive and well and ready to help where he could. It was irrational, especially with the carnage he'd seen himself, but he couldn't help but to cling onto it desperately. It made sleeping at night better. It made it easier to go through the day, even if every passing second with no sign of him dulled that belief that he would see him again.

"Kamelia… you can wait, you know." He'd said, staying in the doorway. "There's no rush."

She didn't respond, running her wing over the fabric repeatedly, sitting in a circle of objects strewn about— some hair clasps, yellow ribbons frayed at the end, shirts that were too big and too small, bows that he'd long outgrown. And there were scarves— so many scarves, fluttering in the gentle breeze, their colors explosive against the wooden floor.

"I made him this scarf, you know." she answered quietly, still running her hand over the fabric. "He'd wanted something to stand out— to look different from the other Rito. To be different. And he always caught cold easily too… So I figured a scarf would be perfect for him too."

She let out a watery laugh, her body trembling. "I can still remember how his face lit up when I gifted it to him— how he tried to downplay it… How he… h-he asked me to t-teach him to make… make…"

Gusto rushed forward, hugging her tightly as she burst out into another round of sobs. Gently he rocked, feeling the sharp breaths shake her body, and he felt his own eyes water.

"We shouldn't have let him go… why did we let him go?" she asked quietly, shaking her head.

Gusto wished he knew the answer to that question; it'd been one he'd been asking himself every day since he was lost.