Fan Fiction Friday: The Man Behind the Masks – Part 23b

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In a flash all returned to chaos. Almost on top of the tornado, Elrora flapped frantically to prevent us from being sucked into oblivion. The bright yellow feathers of her crest spiked up. “Ronri, now is the time.”

If what Azamuku said is true, then this should work, I thought, despite the cocktail of excitement and terror churning inside my stomach. With my eyes closed, I imagined the swirling mass of cloud with a gaping hole. I could make that hole happen. I could pass through the wild winds and emerge on the other side without a scratch. A familiar heat built up in my fingertips. I feared it no longer.

“Go!”

Shoom! The energy pulse forced me back. I only just managed to grab a fistful of feathers as Elrora dived towards the glowing spot that had appeared. An irritating crackle fizzed in my ears, like a loose piece of wax that refused to budge. Then with a loud pop I could hear again.

“Did we make it?” Elrora asked in disbelief. “I can’t see him.”

A bluff? I tried to get my head around this fact, but it still wouldn’t sink in. Tatsumaki existed within a tornado’s illusion. The outer shell was powerful and twisted with a ferocity that would convince almost anything to stay away. Inside, a dense green fog and a slight breeze stirred.

We flew on through the fog, eerie silence made it difficult to pin point his exact position. I had no choice and focused on the nefarious life force. “He’s definitely in here,” I gasped, the uncontrollable anger of the creature hurt my brain. If I tried to pull away from his aura, however, I lost all trace again. “This fog is so thick…it’s unnatural.”

Further in, an awful smell clung to the air. The stench reminded me of a deer carcass Yasei and I discovered in the woods one day. I remembered the body, infested with wriggling maggots, and the beautiful swift violets-stained red. I pinched my nose. To see death out in the open like that. Two children, torn between sadness and morbid curiosity. I went to find it the next day, but it had already disappeared.

“We’re very close,” I whispered to Elrora. “I just wish we could do something about this fog.”

“There is a way,” she replied.

The Watarara Chieftess shook her wings and as she did so, they shone brightly for a moment. She flapped, sending a shockwave of rainbow coloured light into the murky green. It cut through the fog revealing pearly white rocks. Is this another island? I wondered. Coming closer, the smell increased ten-fold and I swallowed bile back down my throat. There were red strands that hung from those rocks and something cold and wet dripped down my back.

“Ganon’s breath!” I dug my heels hard into Elrora’s sides.

My body jerked to the right. Sharp daggers from above chomped together, narrowly missing the Watarara’s tail feathers. Further blasts of rainbow coloured light dispelled more fog, and ultimately revealed the beast. The campfire stories and encyclopaedias failed miserably to capture even a horrifying fraction of what I saw right now.

Tatsumaki roared and thrashed his large tail. This dragon was a far cry from a thin, flying snake with no wings. Muscular arms and legs teemed with silver scales. Smoke plumed from hairy nostrils.

“We have no quarrel with you,” Elrora shouted. “Let my people go and we shall part peacefully.”

Tatsumaki’s voice rumbled. His words were torturously slow as if recalling the Hylian language had to be dragged from his memory. “Peace? You harbour that.” A jagged claw at least two metres long, pointed accusingly at me.

“He is not to blame for what happened to your kin.”

“Lies.”

Huh? The dragons started it, didn’t they? I rubbed my temples, bringing up old arguments years after the fact wouldn’t help. Like the Interlopers and the Goddesses there were always two sides. Would history recall every detail accurately? Probably not, nor stories, songs or sonnets. They were only fragments of the truth. A truth based on those who made the records or spoke the words.

“The human in exchange,” the dragon snarled.

The proud Watarara Chieftess tossed her head.

“Don’t waste this chance, Elrora. You must get everyone to safety,” I reminded her. Even if this was a trick, Yasei and Kilton were relying on me. Slipping down from the perch, I instantly missed the security of her warm feathers. Yes, what a sight it must have been to see little old me floating about in this crazy dimension!

“Ronri, I cannot in good conscience leave you here.”

My fake smile had been perfected for occasions such as this. “It would be irresponsible to put the safety of the flock at stake for one person. Not only this generation, but the generation of future Watarara. Can your conscience allow that too?”

As expected, the Chieftess struggled with such a question. Naïve morals and making wise decisions did not always go hand in hand. She still saw the rules of this world in black and white. Elrora bowed her head. “What about your friends?”

“Tell Yasei…” I stopped. What should I tell her? I would have liked to see her face one last time. Haven’t I regretted this once before? My thoughts were a mess. My heart, goodness my heart. I tried again. “Tell her to warn King Hyrule about the shadow beast and…not to be angry with me.”

“May the Goddesses of Hyrule place their blessings upon you,” Elrora said.

I flinched. Whenever the Goddesses were mentioned, I remembered the helpless bodies as they struggled against a bright light. “Thank you, that is very kind. Don’t worry, all will be well.”

As Elrora spread her wings and took off, I wrestled with a shameful desire to call her back. Now the dragon and I were alone.

Featured art: Alison Patten via Canva.com

Alison Otwl continues her Fan Fiction here at Zelda Dungeon. She likes reading manga and collecting Japanese wind chimes. Her favoriteZelda game is Ocarina of Time. Check out more of her fanfiction over at: Otwl.