#commander eagus

"A magic you don't know?"

"Not an unknown magic, simply an unknown forest," Fierce clarified. "I'm familiar with the Lost Woods. This feels similar. It also feels... raw."

"What does that mean?" Abel asked.

"This magic is less contained, in a sense," Fierce tried to explain, looking around. "This feels more akin to..."

Fierce paused, lips parting slightly in surprise, and he retracted his hand from where he'd been poking around the trees.

"...Fierce?" Rusl prompted.

"I don't know," the deity finally said. "It's familiar but it isn't."

"Most forests do look similar," Abel noted dully, still trying to find a landmark. The sooner they could--

Wait, did he just hear something?

"Was that yelling?" Rusl questioned quietly, still as he honed in on the noise.

"This way," Abel whispered, rushing towards the source of the sound. The closer the three men got, the more distinct it became.

"There are Yiga ahead," Fierce reported as they moved. "I can sense their magic."

Abel and Rusl glanced at each other and readied their blades at the same time. Eventually the thickets became too tight, and Fierce moved in front of the pair, swiping at them with his large sword and clearing a path.

Just in time for someone to dart by them in a panicked rush. Abel and Rusl both yelped, nearly getting knocked over, and all he could see was a flash of red before he heard another yelp as Fierce reached for the person.

A Yiga foot soldier.

Abel immediately put his blade to the man's throat. "Where is the Hero?"

"L-let go, it'll kill us all!" the Yiga snapped, wiggling. He quickly started to channel his magic before Fierce promptly knocked him out.

"What'll kill us?" Rusl asked, looking around warily.

"Doesn't matter. We have a prisoner." Abel ground out. "So long as we keep him weak he won't be able to use his magic. We can interrogate him properly--"

An unholy screech filled the air.

Startled, the men looked around wildly, blades at the ready, when Abel glanced around the opening to the thicket that Fierce had just made. He saw more Yiga up ahead, some on the ground, and traced the yelling back to them.

And then he saw why they were yelling.

It was a beast, a massive birdlike creature covered in feathers and fur that matched the sunset, with gold and purple highlighted hues on the edges. Its beak was large enough to fit someone's head in it, which it was currently trying to do with one of the Yiga, leading another to swat his sickle wildly to ward it off. The beast, despite its enormous size, was fast, however, and it snapped at the attacking Yiga with such ferocious strength Abel could feel the sound in his chest. The bird hissed, wings spread out a little as it fluffed itself to look even larger, and the Yiga backed away, trying to rouse their fallen companions and failing.

"We have to get out of here!" one of the Yiga shouted.

The two remaining soldiers who were standing hastily escaped in the opposite direction, and Abel heard their magic signal their departure.

Rusl and Abel remained low to the ground, hidden behind the brush as the bird stomped around a little bit, a low growl emitting from its throat. Fierce, on the other hand, stood in the center, plain as day.

"Get down!" Abel hissed.

The deity smiled, stepping into the clearing despite both Abel and Rusl's protests.

"Hello," Fierce greeted gently, stopping just after entering the area.

The bird watched him a moment, all its feathers flattening to its body, its neck elongating. Then it let out a high pitched screech, fluffing up once more. It tilted its head to the side to watch the deity and then waddled towards him steadily.

"Is he going to kill it?" Abel asked, eyebrows rising.

"I don't think so," Rusl noted. "And it doesn't seem as hostile now."

Great. And Abel thought Rusl was the animal whisperer.

Fierce nodded his head, and the bird bowed.

Rusl rose, also ignoring Abel's protests, and the former knight sighed heavily as the Ordonian followed Fierce.

Honestly, am I the only one who is cautious about anything?!

"Well hello," Rusl greeted cheerily, standing beside the deity.

The bird watched him a moment, chattering its beak loudly enough to make Abel wince, and then it gave a purring sound, stepping away. Its feathery tail was thin, but a nimble, muscular tail unfurled a little, sweeping along the grassy ground as it moved.

Abel finally moved, slowly joining his companions as Rusl chuckled, looking at Fierce.

"What a beautiful creature," the Ordonian noted. "How did you know it wouldn't attack?"

"That is a loftwing," Fierce explained. "I... remember very little of them, but I do remember they were animals of Hylia. They would never hurt us."

Animals of...?

Abel looked back at the bird, awed and confused, having never heard of such a creature, when his eyes spotted something that stood out from the forest floor. It was white, and it looked like fabric, and it was shaped in a strange lump, and--

A person. That was a person.

Abel took a hesitant step forward, suddenly wanting to check on whoever this was, but years of caution held him back.

The beast--loftwing--stepped towards the white bundle, its beak lowering to gently nudge the person. A groan emitted from the white cloth, and the person underneath it shifted a little.

"But what were the Yiga doing here?" Rusl pondered, unaware that someone else was here.

"I suppose we can have our prisoner tell us," Fierce said. "Sir Abel seems quite capable of handling such matters."

Abel glanced at them automatically upon hearing his name, distracted, and then looked back to see--

A boy. A teenage boy. Clad in green, looking exhausted.

Green. Teenage boy. That hat.

Abel had only seen it twice. A tapestry in the castle depicting Hyrule mythology, and on the little Hero's head they'd just rescued.

"Link," he surmised, furrowing his brow. It had to be another one. Why else would the Yiga be here?

"What?" Rusl looked around. "Link?"

The bird spread its wings, screeching again, and the teenager chuckled, yawning and stretching and hopping on its back.

"Wait, is that--" Rusl started before the crimson loftwing took off into the sky with a loud cry. The wind from its takeoff blew Abel and Rusl back a hair, and Fierce steadied them, watching it rise into the air.

"The Spirit," Fierce muttered before chuckling. "The Yiga are getting bold and foolish."

"Was that another Hero?" Rusl asked, looking up and shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Indeed," Fierce answered. "These Yiga are dead, however. It seems his mount had the situation handled."

"There are still some who escaped," Abel noted. "We need to hunt them down."

Rusl nodded. "I agree. We can't leave any of them here. Let's grab our prisoner and move out. We, ah, clearly can't follow the boy."

Abel glanced up, trying to follow where the loftwing had flown, but the clouds had covered its path. It was nowhere to be found. He shook his head. "Let's go."

It was strange, how they suddenly were getting a slew of victories despite having infinitely more ground they could be covering. That item they'd recovered from the dungeon was certainly useful. Perhaps it honed in on the Yiga--

Wait.

"The way the Yiga travel from world to world," Abel thought aloud as they moved. "Do you think it's similar to the one we're using?"

"Well it must have similar magic," Rusl surmised. "They both do the same thing, after all."

"Yes, obviously," Abel dismissed with a wave of his hand. "But I mean they could be set of some sort. After all, we're constantly on their heels with this thing. Everywhere they go we're right behind them."

"It is possible," Fierce pondered while hauling their prisoner over his shoulder. "If that were the case, then it likely would guide us to its twin. We could utilize this to our advantage."

"So we just need to move faster," Abel surmised.

Rusl held an arm out to stop everyone. "I hear something up ahead."

And indeed he did, for Abel also started to hear the sounds of blades clashing, of grunts and pants, the sound of the exertion of battle. The men dashed ahead to see the remaining Yiga fighting a large man wearing a light green tunic with beige layering over his shoulders and belt. He had a similar hat to the teenager, though it was slightly different in shape and color, and he pushed off the remaining three Yiga with his shield.

Abel ran into action quickly, eliminating one of the Yiga as they stumbled, and the opening allowed Rusl and the man to take care fo the remaining two.

And then the man turned his blade towards them.

"We mean you no harm," Rusl said hastily, sheathing his sword and holding his hands up. "We were tracking them, that's all."

"Who are you?" the man demanded. "I've never seen you before, just as I've never seen them! Are you Surface dwellers? Shapeshifting beasts?"

"We are not beasts," Fierce stated calmly. "We would look quite different, after all."

"We're allies, I promise you," Rusl continued. "Those Yiga are our common enemy."

"Yiga?" the man repeated. "Then what are you?"

Abel sighed, lowering his blade but still keeping it handy. "Our sons are missing. These men took them."

"But who are you?" the man demanded. "Where are you from?"

"Well, that's... complicated," Rusl tried to answer.

"We are from the future," Fierce said simply.

Abel looked at the deity in exasperation. How was that statement going to help? The man would think they were insane!

"The future?" the man repeated, expression very clearly stating he thought they were insane.

"Never mind him," Abel dismissed. "The point is we're looking for our boys. What difference does it make where we're from?"

"I know almost everyone," the man said firmly. He looked over the three with sharp eyes, and then he finally sighed. "I suppose you can't be too much trouble seeing as you're not beasts. But what are Yiga? Why were they attacking? I want answers."

"Let's start with introductions, shall we?" Rusl offered, putting a hand on his chest with a warm smile. "My name is Rusl. This is Abel, and, ah, Fierce. As Abel said, we're looking for our boys. The Yiga are a cult, they're tracking down boys who they think would try to attack the demon they worship."

"Demon?" the man whispered, eyes widening. "I--I have to find Link--"

"He is safe," Fierce assured him. "We saw his loftwing eliminate the Yiga and take him elsewhere."

The man stared a moment and then laughed. "Ha! That terror sure does live up to his name. I should've known. Poor boy's been through enough. My name is Eagus, and I'm the commander of the knights on Skyloft. We've been starting to do sweeps of this area to check for safety as people wish to come down to the surface. I take it you're from other settlements, then? I still can't believe I don't know you, I recognize most people."

"We are from the--," Fierce started, but Rusl quickly cut in.

"The far end of the area, very far," Rusl said with a welcoming chuckle. "Our friend is a man of mystics and magic, he speaks in strange ways sometimes. But the Yiga are from Abel's area, and he knows them best. We were trying to track them down, but it seems you outed the last of them."

Abel was trying to follow along. This man was a commander in charge of knights? Skyloft? He supposed it wasn't too worth trying to understand any of it, seeing as the Hero from this land was now safe and there were no remaining Yiga, but he was curious. Shaking his head, he brushed the matter aside.

"The Yiga are handled now, though," Abel noted, finally putting his sword away. "Thank you for helping us eliminate them. We'll let you go about your business."

Commander Eagus watched them uncertainly, but Abel turned away before he could speak. Rusl bade a far warmer farewell, and the two headed into the thicker part of the woods to find a suitable place to activate the item and leave this place.

Fierce remained. Just for a minute longer, looking the man over.

"Skyloftian," he said. "Give Hylia my regards."

"Give--what?"

Before Eagus could adequately register what the strange being had said, he vanished into the woods as well.

The commander stood in silence, baffled and worried. He should pursue the men, really, but he needed to check on Link. The boy was still recovering from his quest. Whistling, he called for his loftwing. He'd gather a search party later to find the men; they seemed harmless enough.

But who in the world were they?

Eagus worried over the matter as he flew into the sky, feeling the air cool and grow thinner as he reached his destination. He saw the crimson loftwing gliding lazily, letting the wind carry him, but no one was on his back. Landing on Skyloft, the commander moved towards the knights' academy, and he peeked into one of the rooms.

Link was there, tucked into bed already, halfway undressed, snoring quietly as the daylight started to fade. His gear was precariously perched on his desk.

Eagus sighed, relieved, and entered the room, rearranging the boy's sword and shield so it wouldn't fall and startle him awake. Then he pulled the blanket a bit more tightly around Link before departing, figuring he'd grab knights in the morning to search the woods.