~Lost hope~
Red eyes scan around the forest, white hair sweeping back and forth across his shoulders as he sat. The cool breeze was welcoming, the rustling leaves tickling the back of his neck.
Link kicked his feet off, back and forth as he hummed, looking down below the branch he sat upon. It had been fairly quiet since he had snapped. He was not quite sure how he felt about that time. It was like a release. He did not kill any of his attackers that time, and it seemed to work. But for how long?
A voice was heard from the distance. Pausing a moment, he thought over the sound, listening silently when he heard it again.
Brows knitted, Link leaped down from his perch the wind rushing by much like every jump he ever made from massive heights. The feel of diving down.
Flipping towards the end, his feet tapped the ground as he landed on the tips of his toes. He twirls his sword in his hand, a blade he confiscated from one of his many attackers as he approaches the noise.
Reaching a forest clearing, he saw what created the sound, a young woman and her child passing by the following path. One of the many he had seen within the forest.
A simple family walking by. Or so they tried to make it seem. But the two looked off. Sheathing his sword, Link rested his weight against one of the nearby trees and watched the two silently.
Link, (they are not here for anything other than to lure me out) He rationalized.
The woman's child began to weep now, his scared whimpers making the once hero frown.
Watching the two, Link ghouls see the shivering of both, smell the fear. He watched the two for long moments. Studying their appearance and other things.
The boy, probably the larger creatures son, he had a birdish appearance much similar to the parent. His mother most likely. He had black feathery scales covering his whole body, flashing a deep green when the dim light hit it. The mother, a light blue or shimmering lime green.
He watched as the woman scooped down to gently caress her son's face. He heard her coo softly, comforting her child saying, "everything will be fine."
Link sighed, head falling back as he looked up, aspirated. (They want me so bad that, it's to the point of sacrificing their own... Do they not realize it is only them who hunts me? I could care less about them... If they just keep their distance I would keep mine... But they keep insisting that I want to kill them all.)
Link turned away, planning to leave. But, then, the child's cries grew, a desperate/ scared nature to them.
The cries pulled at something, something he had chosen to forget the longer he stood within this world.
(To protect the weak... No matter what)
A voice said from within, and before he knew it, his feet begun to drag him back and to the mother and her kid.
Moving as quick as he was able, Link pulled one under each arm before they could even register and sprinted out.
Multiple voices screamed and shouted from behind, coming from what sounded to be the men who plotted this. His hunters.
Link also overheard the mother's epp and the child scream of fear, but he was not going to focus on that. Not at the moment. He was not going to fight an army when two civilians were around and in possible danger.
Link, (...Even if they all see me as a monster. I will still save these two.)
Running near the town boundary, a little ways before the inhabitable inside would see him, he made his stop. Right at the hill just above the town, he gently placed both parties on the ground right beside of one another.
Once they seemed settled, and calmed if not confused, Link turned his back ready to bolt away before they screamed again and begged for their life.
What he did not expect though, was to feel a light tug on his tunic.
"Sir?"
Link turned to the boy in question. "They said you are a ruthless... Murder, why did you take us home?"
Link simply smiled. Slowly he kneeled down before the odd child and ruffled his hair. The mothers' eyes seemed to have widened at the sight, she the action not at all predicted by her.
"Why do they hunt you..?" She asked, seeing the soft nature of the boy all in her land feared.
Link started to frown again and stood up, turning his body to walk away again when-
"Wait!" The mother called out, making him pause.
Her soft footsteps were heard, her breaths seeming to hesitate at some moments as if held back. "People, the people who used us. They are a group of Mercenaries that hunt you for money... They will keep attacking our village and they're not stopped." She paused.
Link sighed at the silent plea and crossed his arm, now turning to face her. She seemed startled at first, taking a few steps back with predicted fear until she noticed the young hero's expression.
His brow was arched curiously, his aura soft, warm and welcoming. As if encouraging her to speak more.
Realizing the silent message, the mother smiled and jumped up in joy, her wing like hands clapping together. " Oh you will help us, won't you! That is why you're listening."
Link smiled and nodded his head with confirmation. (That peppy attitude, reminds me of Zelda just a little.)
After Link's agreement to help, the woman had told him about everything. About the camp over at the riverside of the town, and how the located was a huge abandoned military base now surrounded by mercenary demons.
Link listened carefully to each word and description, eyes detouring every now and then to chuckle at the curious son who walked circles around him and poked at his body with innocent curiosity.
The mother would apologize, several times, but always ended up laughing as she saw that the young hero didn't seem to mind her son's silly antics either.
"That's all I know..." She finished off, giving a smile to the young lad before her. "But please, young man... Be careful, and after you handle them. Please visit. My son and I would love to see you again."
Link looked to her with a mix of bafflement and surprise.
Link, (someone... Actually wants me around?) He asked himself in puzzlement.
She seemed to notice this and walked just before him, her hand rising to gently caress his face, slowly pushing back silvery hair. "I can tell, you are not like us... So different. Lost. You don't belong here and didn't choose to be trapped." She sighed humming under her breath. "It must be so hard on you... So, when you feel lonely. Please, don't hesitate to visit. And if that idea makes you uncomfortable, think it as a way of us saying. Thanks. Thanks for saving us."
Link felt his lips curve up, nodding his head to her with an ok.
The woman smiled gladly and released her hold to tap her son for him to come near her. "We live on the far edge of the town. It's the brown hut with the garden of purple flowers... you can't miss it."
Link inclined his head again eliciting a broader grin from her and Her son as well before they both wished the Hero, "good luck."
~~
A lizard-like man walked across a high wall passage, heavy armor decorating all but his face. He watched the ground level just outside of the fort with cat-like eyes, the black slit moving back and forth.
He had deep red hair that stopped at the end of each flat ear, his black beady eyes gazing up to one of his many archers, the caption in charge gazing back at him with a cattish grin.
"Clear commander," the deep voice of the caption echoed to him.
The man was feline like, with long black hair flickering a gold every time the moon shined over it. His eyes were a deep green, moving to glare back down at the forest ahead for any signs of movement.
Commander, "have you seen our patrol yet?" He finally asked, watching as his subordinate frowned, and shook his head.
Archer caption, "they have not reported...Yet, sir."
The commander grimaced, holding his head with aggravation.
Then the archer perked up. "Wait... what's that!?" He asked out loud both pairs of eyes moving to look down at the forest, seeing a figure emerge.
Every step the figure took, the more clear the picture came. Faded green grey cloth, pasty skin, silver hair... and red. A red dyed sword that painted the floor every step, and red eyes... so taunting, flickering dangerously and striking fear.
That being below looked up to them with an open grin across his face, taunting in all manners. The youth only stopping after he was at the center of all their view, sure to be seen by all on the wall before he posed right where he stood, resting his hand on top of his hip.
Head tilt to the side, he gazed up at both the commander and caption with that leering grin, his shimmering silver hair brightly contrasting his dark yet vibrant blood red eyes.
The archer's eyes widen at the sight and his face dropped "T-That's him... That is the creature of the forest we sent them to hunt."
The Lizard-like man grounded down his shark-like teeth. "Then he killed them all and here we stand just staring!? SHOOT HIM! KILL HIM NOW!!! Stop wasting time!"
The archer obliged immediately, shooting multiple arrows each spaced a little from the other with equal timing.
The once hero's smirk grew wider at the sight, eyes moving to calculate each shot as they neared.
When they almost reached, and the boy had yet to move, the commander thought he would taste victory when the being suddenly vanished.
Shocked, eyes widened as he saw the form reappear, landing on the first arrow and then vanishing again just to appear on the next, and then... The next.
Before either could react, Link was standing on top of the very ledge they were looking down from, a cocky, toothy smile making them quake.
Link, (let's end this now.)