#plucking

For now, they traveled the woods like normal, which Kass was starting to hate. He couldn’t blame the other men for this, but he spent his time in the skies, flying over forests, rivers, deserts, all of it, and only landing when he needed rest or when he arrived at his destination. But he couldn’t do that here, lest he leave the strangers behind and become defenseless. He survived moblins and bokoblins, even Lynels thanks to his powerful flying, but he knew that the puppeteer wouldn’t be as stupid as those enemies. There was safety in numbers, even if that meant he’d have to walk for much longer than he was used to.

“Do you want me to find the trail ahead?” Kass asked, anxious to get his wings moving, and Leon nodded.

“That would be great. It’s hard to know where to head next, and I don’t want to lose the Links.”

Kass nodded, spreading out his large wings and taking to the sky, instantly feeling better as he went above the trees. Looking around him, Kass was able to spot a town just outside of the forest, and noting what direction it was in, he landed back down where the others were and pointed.

“There’s a town just up ahead,” he said, and Leon nodded.

“Thank you Kass, let us make haste before the sun sets.”

The others nodded and moved ahead, also anxious to leave the crowded woods. It didn’t take long for them to reach the town, with the sun barely beginning to set behind the mountains, and they were able to quickly find an inn that could house all of them. 

“Oh finally, a bed,” Talon cheered when they entered the room, immediately plopping himself down onto the nearest bed.

“Hey, who says you get the bed?” Linebeck asked, light-heartedly. There were only three beds, but the men had grown used to that and took turns sleeping on the ground or couch. Talon sat up, giving Linebeck a look.

“I did. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna take a quick nap.”

“Hold on Talon we just got he—“

The man rested his eyes and immediately went to sleep, leaving Linebeck baffled. Rusl let out a chuckle, turning away from the already sleeping man.

“Oh leave him be, we oughta get some food anyways,” he said. Leon nodded and pointed to the door.

“Yes, I’ll head out and collect some food for us and the rest of you can—“

“Now hang on just a second.”

Leon stopped staring at Rusl who had his arms crossed.

“Pardon?”

“I think you should do what Talon is doing and get some rest,” Rusl said, gently but firmly. 

“I-I’m fine—“ Leon began to protest, but Kass walked up, nodding his head.

“I agree with Rusl. You’ve been through a lot these past few days. Let us do something to help you.”

“But—“

“Nope, it’s settled. Go to sleep,” Rusl ordered, pointing to a bed. Leon sighed, but was clearly too tired to argue further.

“Fine,” he complied, sitting on the bed next to Talon. “But only this once. I don’t need to be coddled.”

“I know you don’t, Leon. But for once I want you to let us do the work for once, ok?” Rusl pressed.

“I get it,” Leon grumbled, though he looked grateful for the help. “Stick together, alright? Rusl’s in charge.”

“Aw what?” Ammon protested, but it was in a lighthearted manner. The man all laughed and left Leon alone with Talon. The town was still crowded despite the setting sun, and the group all walked over to someone trying to sell the rest of their bread and cheese. Using up what was left of their rupees, they got the food and left, each stranger observing every person in the town.

“Do you think the Links are here?” Benji asked, watching as someone jogged past them.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to ask around,” Rusl said, letting out a sigh. Benji looked up at Kass, a thoughtful look in his eye.

“This is the closest we’ve ever been to the Links,” he stated, “do you think Kass could fly ahead and… I dunno, find them? That way we don’t have to be chasing them?”

Rusl looked over at Kass. “It ain’t a terrible idea. You’ll be close enough to us and you’ll be able to stop the Links from moving away from us.”

Kass nodded. “That’s smart! I can definitely do that if you need me to!” He looked up at the sky and sighed. “I fear I’ll have to wait until it’s light out, though.”

Rusl smiled and nodded. “No worries. I wouldn’t want you to fly at night anyways.”

“Yeah, you need to rest too!” Benji added, and Kass smiled and nodded.

“Thank you! I’ll head out first thing tomorrow morning!”

The men all cheered in response and headed back to the inn, where Leon was waiting anxiously. He clearly hated sitting around, and was noticeably relieved to see the men return.

“Welcome back,” he said, standing to greet them, and Rusl gave him a quick side hug.

“And here I thought you’d be sleepin’.”

“I couldn’t fall asleep,” Leon stated, staring at the bag in Rusl’s hands.

“Got some food for us,” he explained, setting it down on the ground, and the men all started to dig in while saving some for Talon, who was still asleep. They all sat down and began to eat in silence, until Leon spoke up.

“So what do you think of the town?” He asked, and Rusl shrugged.

“It’s hard to tell with it so dark out. I don’t think the Links are here, but we’ll ask around tomorrow.” He pointed at Kass. “He’s going to fly out tomorrow morning to see if he can intercept the Links. They have to be close by, right?”

Leon nodded, looking almost impressed with the idea. “That’s a good idea. That way we’re not running around mindlessly. Good work, you two.”

Benji cleared his throat. “I came up with the idea!”

Rusl chuckled while Leon remained silent, simply nibbling on his cheese. The men all slowly settled down as the night dragged on, and soon they were all fast asleep, hope in their minds for the first time in a while that they’ll finally see their sons again. It was exciting, and Kass couldn’t wait for the morning to arrive. When it did, he was up and ready to go. Leon was showing him a map and pointed to the southern trail leaving the town they were in.

“Search this trail first, and everything around it. I want you back here at night so we know what’s going on, then we can hopefully reunite with the boys.”

Kass nodded, smiling at Leon who looked slightly worried.

“Be safe, alright? I expect you here at night,” he said firmly, and Kass nodded again, smiling wider. Leon was a very caring man despite his tough exterior.

“I’ll be back with news of the boys, I promise!” He said, and with that, he left the inn and took to the skies, ignoring the townsfolk gasping in response. 

Finally being up in the air, Kass was able to see much more, and he was pleased to see a big open plain where the trail was leading. It meant he’d have an easier time finding the Links. Kass flew around the area, scanning the ground and searching for any clues. An hour passed, with the sun beating down against his back, but he saw a small trail leaving the forest ahead, with a large group traveling across it. Floating closer and squinting his eyes, Kass’s heart leaping with joy when he recognized a blue tunic. It was Link! They were there!

“Finally!” He cheered, rushing to catch up with the Links. He was far from them, but there was no doubt he’d be able to reach them in a few minutes. Pumping his tired wings, he rushed past the trees, the wind blowing through his feathers, his Link getting bigger as he got closer. And right when he was about to call his name, a concerning sound rang out. Kass barely dodged a net hurtling towards him, crashing violently against a rocky wall nearby, and it made Kass stop abruptly. Dread rested within his stomach as he searched the trees below him, trying to find out where the net came from. Then the sound rang out again, and another net was shot at him. Kass gasped and took off, trying to avoid the nets that were constantly being shot at him. He tried to rush to the safety of the Links, but he was no dodger, and while avoiding one net, another one suddenly shot directly at him, and he yelped as he was ensnared inside it. Falling to the forest floor, Kass grunted as he pummeled through branches that immediately gave way to his weight, and he landed with a painful thud.  

“Ugh… no… no no no no,” Kass muttered, trying to squirm out of the ropes. Flashbacks from the mountain shot through his mind, and in a panic, he began ripping the ropes apart to break free. This couldn’t be happening, not when he was so close!

Why was the puppeteer doing this again? It had to be his doing, he did it before after all! But this time, Kass was truly defenseless, with no one nearby to save him. And Link was too far to hear him!

Kass was able to tear through a loop right when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and he looked to see the silhouette of his perpetrator, but it wasn’t the puppeteer.

He was a tall, burly man, who looked to be a normal Hylian with pointy ears and brown hair. But his entire face was covered by dark goggles and a scarf, and he wore a hat that was a style Kass didn’t recognize. He was covered head to toe in dark clothing, and he watched Kass from the shadows of the trees, making his skin crawl.

“Found you,” he said, in a deep and raspy voice. Kass thrashed away from him, tearing apart more of the net and breaking free. But right when he was about to take to the skies, another net was shot at him, throwing him to the ground once again. The man clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disappointment. “We can’t be havin’ that now.”

Kass struggled against the ropes again, and a heavy boot was placed on his back, the man leaning over and observing him.

“Pl-please. I don’t know what you want from me, but please let me go!” Kass begged. “I need to reach these boys up ahead and—“

“Save your sob story, it won’t save you.” The stranger said bluntly, standing up straight and resting his weight on one leg. Kass watched in fear, waiting in anticipation for the man to suddenly charge and kill him, but he remained still and unmoving.

“Who are you?” Kass asked, wondering if he was working for the puppeteer. The man tilted his head, then he shrugged.

“Call me a business man,” he said simply, reaching behind his belt and pulling out a bag. Kass whimpered slightly and tried to squirm out of the ropes.

“Who sent you? Was it a Sheikah? Are you a hitman?” He asked, and the stranger turned his head to look at him, clearly confused despite his expression being covered.

“I guess I am somethin’ of a hitman,” he said simply, standing while observing a machete. “But I don’t got one client, I got several.” He knelt down and put the machete up close to Kass’s face, which made him freeze. “You Ritos got such pretty feathers,” he muttered, and Kass frowned. 

“Excuse me?”

“They’re quite popular with the other races, you know that?” He continued, gently caressing one of his larger feathers on his head. “Such a nice color too. I really hit the jackpot.”

The man stood, walking towards his discarded bag, and Kass started squirming again, using all the strength he had to break free, but it was no use. He was completely trapped!

“Quit your squirmin’,” the man said, returning to Kass, but this time with a set of large pliers. It made Kass’s blood run cold. “You’re lucky I don’t have any demands for beaks and talons.” He knelt down, his covered face inches away from Kass’s. Kass whimpered again, trying to move as far away from the man as he could.

“A-are you going to kill me?” He asked, his voice pathetically shaky, and the man tilted his head at him.

“If you behave, I might just let you live,” he simply said, moving the pliers closer to Kass’s eyes. “Otherwise I’ll have to collect those talons of yours.”

Kass stared at the pliers, his breathing shallow as panic settled in. “P-please don’t do this,” he whispered, and the man shrugged.

“Sorry, bird, you know how it is. A man’s gotta eat.”

~~~

“Pardon me, have you seen a group of boys at all?”

The shopkeeper stared at Leon as if he had mushrooms growing out of his head. The friends across eras were all asking around, making sure they knew where the Links were headed, or if they were still in the town. Leon gave the shopkeeper a look and she shrugged.

“There was a large group of boys, some young, some old,” she said. “They made a mess of things I do know. They harassed some cuccos and broke some pots. Then they left.”

Leon looked behind him at Rusl and Benji, who both shrugged.

“That kinda sounds like my boy,” Rusl muttered, and Leon nodded at the shopkeeper. 

“Do you know where they went?”

The shopkeeper sighed, looking up to remember. “I think they went south. They mentioned going to Ordon Village for some reason. Which I don’t know why, they were all Hylians. I mean one was dressed up as an Ordonian but otherwise they clearly don’t belong down there.”

Leon looked back at Rusl again, who looked more excited. He bowed to her in gratitude and began to walk away. “Thank you very much!” He said, and the group began to travel to the fountain, where the men all agreed to meet up in.

“Ordon… we know where they’re going!” Rusl cheered. “They’re going to Ordon! I wonder what that place is like in this era.”

Leon nodded, a small smile on his face. “Yes. I think I told Kass to search in that area too! There’s no way we won’t reach them now!”

Rusl and Benji both grinned, and they excitedly met up with Linebeck, Ammon, and Talon, telling them the news.

“How far is Ordon?” Ammon asked, and Leon shrugged.

“No idea, but we can go on that trail and look for them! We’ll finally be able to reach them!”

“There’s no way Kass should miss them then, yeah?” Talon asked, and Rusl nodded.

“He’s looking in that area, so no, he shouldn’t.”

“Oh, this is so exciting!” Talon cheered. “Should we meet up with Kass then? I’m sure he’s found them by now!”

Leon nodded. “It’ll save us some time. Come on, get your things together.”

The men all nodded and rushed to the inn, grabbing their things and moving to the southern trail. They moved with high spirits, all excited to finally end their search and go home. They just needed to find Kass first, who was probably in the sky or with the Links.

“Will Kass be able to find us if we don’t find him?” Ammon asked, and Leon nodded.

“He will, he has good eyesight and will see us walking.”

“I’m glad that Rito can fly,” Benji said, and the men all muttered in agreement. He was always so helpful to the men with his abilities, and they were grateful to have him on their side. They didn’t know where they’d be without him. 

The men walked through the large open plain, seeing if they could spot Kass flying, but they didn’t see him. Even when they entered the forest way ahead of them, they didn’t see him, which gave them hope that he was with the Links.

They were finally going to find them. After all their searching, it would come to an end! 

They could hardly wait.

~~~

It was deafeningly silent as the poacher gathered the last of Kass’s feathers into the chest, prickles of blood dropping onto the dead leaves and soaking into the ground. The poacher stared at one of the larger feathers, gently stroking with his gloved hand.

“Such beautiful feathers,” he murmured, setting it into the chest with the others. “You take good care of yourself. It makes my job much easier.” He turned to the rito that was still and unmoving, save for his heaving chest going up and down in a strained motion. The poacher stood, reaching into his pockets. “I appreciate you not fighting back. Many Rito do, and I’m left with no choice but to kill them. It’s such a waste.” He knelt down next to Kass, who wasn’t looking his way, whether out of defiance or out of weakness, he didn’t know. “But you actually behaved yourself, so you get to live to see another day. Thank you.” 

The poacher pulled out a dagger and cut the net off, not at all fearing the big Rito now that he was finally free. He was clearly too weak to move; he probably wasn’t even awake.

“Here,” the poacher pulled out a bottle with a red liquid inside, and he set it down on the ground. “For your follicles. And this,” he pulled out another bottle with a clear liquid, “to help your feathers grow back faster. Something tells me they’ll be popular.”

He set the other bottle next to the red potion, but Kass remained unmoving. The poacher stood up and walked over to the chest full of feathers, tossing Kass’s head pin with his wife’s feathers over to him.

“You can keep that. I look forward to seeing you again, bird,” the poacher said, and he closed the chest, lifted it up onto his shoulder, and left Kass alone. 

Every inch of his body was on fire, and he kept shivering violently, a pained moan escaping him occasionally. It was so cold, yet so hot, it felt like needles were piercing straight into his skin, and he could feel the emptiness of his feathers as a breeze blew. He weakly turned his head to look at the red potion, attempting to reach out to grab it, but the sight of his plucked arm sent him into a spiral. 

Kass’s breathing grew heavy, his throat going dry as he stared in horror at his pink and bloodied skin, with patches of his tiny blue feathers scattered across it. His small fingers looked wrong, his wing looked weak and pathetic, and the realization of everything that happened came crashing down. Tears streamed out of his eyes, pathetic wails escaping him as he tried to tear his eyes away from his plucked body, but he couldn’t. He could only lay there in one position, his body feeling like it was trying to kill him. He was hysterical at that point, his voice gone despite him trying to scream in agony. Though the remedy for the pain sat right in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to drink it, he honestly completely forgot it was there as he cried. 

The shaking in his body didn’t end, and it didn’t seem to matter where Kass writhed in pain, his raw skin up against the forest floor felt like a glass shard shooting straight through him. How would he even recover from this? He was plucked, his beautiful feathers stolen from him, his wings empty and flightless, everything that made him useful was gone. The wind blew again and he shivered uncontrollably, the only sound leaving his beak being his quivering. He felt so exposed.

As he laid there in agony, he didn’t notice hands gently grabbing onto him, trying to feed him the two potions left behind by the poacher. He choked on them, coughing and sputtering without understanding what he was drinking, and it irritated his already aching throat. But as the liquid finally went down his throat, the pain slowly subsided, his shivering died down, and his vision cleared to see his friends watching him in horror. Rusl and Talon were supporting him from behind while Ammon held the potions, trying to feed them to the wailing Rito. Leon was the furthest away, looking like he could kill someone, while Linebeck and Benji looked nauseous and pained, their faces sympathetic to him. Kass whimpered, staring at the potion Ammon was once again trying to give him, which he didn’t fight back this time. He finished the red potion, his skin clearly healing from the trauma before, and Ammon stared at the clear potion in confusion looking up at Kass to see if he knew what it was. Kass went to say something, anything to the men, trying to explain what happened, but his memory slipped from him, and his vision went dark.

He awoke in a bed, a blanket resting over his large body with the clear potion resting on a nightstand beside him. Every joint in his body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and Kass couldn’t bring himself to move from the bed. He was so… tired. Hushed voices were speaking outside, and he recognized Benji and Leon speaking sharply to each other.

“We’re going to lose them,” Benji said, “we should split up and try to find them.”

“We’re not splitting up anymore,” Leon argued. “It’s too dangerous to be away from each other.”

“But we’re so close, Leon! We’re gonna lose them again and then we’ll be back at square one!”

“Kass is in no condition to travel!” Leon snapped. “I’m not risking any more of this, ok? They’re going to Ordon, we know that, so we’ll head there as soon as Kass recovers!” 

“And what? Pray that they don’t leave by the time we get there?” Benji’s voice was bitter, something that was rare from the man, and guilt wormed its way into Kass’s heart. They were so close to the Links… but they were losing them, and it was all his fault! He whimpered, shifting inside the covers yet finding no strength to move out of them, and Talon suddenly appeared in his vision, his expression soft.

“Hey, Kass,” he said softly, resting a hand against Kass’s cheek. It felt strange with how thin his feathers were. “Are you feelin’ better?”

Kass opened his beak, but no sound escaped him—his voice was still gone from his screaming before. Leon and Benji’s voices grew louder, and Kass turned slightly to look at where it was coming from.

“Don’t mind them, they’re just trying to figure things out,” Talon explained, grabbing the clear potion and giving it a curious look. “Do you know what this is?”

Kass squinted his eyes. What did the poacher say it was? Was it to help regrow his feathers? 

“Something tells me they’ll be popular.”

His stomach churned from the poacher’s words. If his feathers grew back, would he return to steal them again? Would he have to endure the pain all over again? What if he wasn’t as lucky? What if he took more than his feathers, also his talons and beak? What if he was killed, never to see his family ever again—

“Kass?”

Talon rested his hand against his cheek again, wiping away a tear that escaped Kass’s eyes. Should he even drink the potion?

“Is it safe?” Talon asked, and Kass swallowed, slowly nodding his head. “Will it help you?”

Kass paused. To have his feathers gone, it left him extremely vulnerable and flightless. It would certainly help him… but… 

“DON’T THINK THAT I DON’T CARE!” Benji’s voice suddenly shouted, making Kass flinch. He heard someone shoot up from their seat, and the door to the room swung open.

“Kass is awake,” Ammon scolded, and it was silent for a moment, until footsteps were gently shuffling inside, the door shutting.

“How is he?” Leon asked, and Talon shrugged.

“I’m not sure.”

Leon came into his view, and Kass couldn’t help but look down in shame. These men were expecting so much from him, and he failed them. Their hope in reuniting with the Links was gone, and it was all because of him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and Leon’s expression turned distraught.

“Don’t apologize, Kass,” Leon assured. “You did nothing wrong. I’m… so sorry we left you defenseless.”

Kass swallowed again, feeling pathetic under the covers of the bed, but he still had no strength to move. Talon picked mindlessly at the clear potion, and he offered it to Kass.

“Here, I’m sure this will help.”

Kass sighed, accepting the potion, and his fate. 

“Who did this?” Leon asked, his voice dark and murderous, but Kass didn’t say anything. He just couldn’t.

“Let’s just give him space, alright?” Talon suggested, and Leon sighed, nodding his head and leaving the room with some of the others following. From what it seemed, Talon and Ammon stayed with him, and Talon slowly fed him the potion. There weren’t any immediate effects like the red potion, but Kass did hope that his feathers would grow back quicker. Despite the risks that came with it, he couldn’t bear to look at himself with his feathers gone. He cared a lot about his looks, preening his feathers carefully and fluffing them up so they’d be nice to look at. With them now gone, he felt so hideous and empty. 

“Everything’s gonna be ok, Kass,” Talon whispered when he finished the potion, gently petting his head. “We’re here for you.”

Kass smiled slightly, finishing the potion and snuggling further into the bed. For now he was safe. For now, nothing would hurt him.