A/N: So... I wrote fluff for a change. For the LU Discord Weekly Challenge, actually. Since I normally write angst, I wanted to try the opposite. Forgive inconsistencies and mistakes. At its basic form, this is what my outlines look like. :Wild_Laugh: So yeah. People call my outlines first drafts, so I guess enjoy this super fluffy first draft. I might revise later, but for now it is what it is. :)

~~~

Link was an odd child. Many people pitied the poor orphan boy—the son of a great Skyloftian knight and a wonderful woman. His parents had died less than a year prior, on his sixth birthday. Nobody knew how it'd happened, but they'd gone off on a flight together with their loftwings and were never found again. It was assumed that they'd gotten caught up in turbulent winds and fallen below the clouds. Even their Loftwings weren't found.

Sometimes the other children would tease him about his parents abandoning him. Groose, in particular, was getting rather nasty about it. Especially since Zelda had taken to hanging around Link. Link knew better, though. He'd always had odd dreams... visions. He saw his parents get attacked by something very dark and very bad, and they fell with their loftwings to someplace below the clouds. He knew they were never coming home. He also knew that that wouldn't be the last time he saw the darkness.

He eyed the children playing near the plaza with a mildly jealous gaze. They were older—old enough to have their loftwings. Someone wasn't considered a whole being until they'd bonded with their loftwing. Every loftwing was born with a Skyloftian counterpart. Loftwings couldn't fly until they were about three, and they grew pretty quickly. Most loftwings weren't born until their Skyloftian half was about five, so most children didn't get their loftwings until they were eight to ten, when they'd meet them in a quiet ceremony beneath the statue of the Goddess.

Link heard that loftwings were born on a different island, but nobody really knew where that was. The loftwings refused to bring anyone there, so it was commonly believed to be a very sacred land of the Goddess herself. Link idly wondered if some loftwings missed home, or missed their parents.

His eyes narrowed when he saw Groose smirk and head towards him. Groose wasn't necessarily cruel, but he did take things too far. Link didn't like him. Normally, he had the energy to at least sit there and stonewall the redhead, but today made six months since his parents had left Skyloft. He was struggling and he didn't want Groose of all people to see that.

So with a frustrated sigh, he turned and walked away. "H-hey! Link, where'ya goin?" Groose called after him. "Ya scared? I dunno why Zelda hangs around a guy like you."

Link bit his tongue. "Just leave me alone, Groose." He sent the boy a glare over his shoulder. "I'm not in the mood today."

"Aww, don't be like that." Groose grinned brightly, a chuckle falling from his lips. "I saw how you were eyeing those loftwings. Don't worry, I'm sure the goddess will send you one in a few years. Of course, it won't be as cool as mine."

Link pushed his feet to walk faster. He rounded the bend towards the falls, ducking behind one of the trees by the edge of the island where Groose wouldn't see him, careful not to get too close to the edge.

"And when Zelda sees it, she'll surely be... hey! Where'd you go?! Link!" Groose growled in irritation before running a hand through his shoulder-length hair. "Fine. Be like that. I am going to go play with Zelda. All by myself. Humph." With that, he turned around and went back towards the plaza, leaving Link blessedly alone.

He let out a sigh of relief as he stepped out from his hiding spot, sticking his tongue out at Groose's retreating back. "Dummy. Just leave me alone."

A loud screeching noise startled him badly as something flew inches by his face—a keese from the nearby cavern, he realized belatedly. He eyed it warily. Small or not, it was still a monster. There was a reason why parents told kids to stay away from the cavern, and Link was only six. He couldn't take something like that, not without a sword anyways.

The keese flew towards him again, and he took a hasty step back to avoid its sharp teeth, only for his foot to meet air. His heart leapt up into his throat as the world tilted, a startled yelp falling from his lips. The edge of Skyloft rose before him as the keese fluttered there, mockingly, as he fell below the edge.

The knights would catch him, he thought. They always caught falling people, that's what they were there for, right? But nobody really came to this side of Skyloft. There were no loftwings in sight. Link wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't. Was he really about to go the same way as his parents?

He was about to accept it—he was far too close to the cloud barrier for someone to save him, now. He was dead.

Only... he wasn't. Something sharp dug into his shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the child, and a spread of white feathers blocked his view for a moment. It was a loftwing. But Link had never seen a solid white one before. He bit his lip as it flapped hard, lifting them both into the sky once more—talons digging into soft flesh.

He felt relief wash over him. He was about to call out a thank you to the knight flying with the loftwing but paused when he realised there was nobody there. Was this loftwing... unclaimed? Impossible! It was an adult, and loftwings and Skyloftians couldn't survive without the other. They were bound on a soul level. If something happened to one of them, the other would soon follow. So why was there an unclaimed adult loftwing?

Moreover, it wasn't flying towards Skyloft, but away from Skyloft. "Um! Hey, wait! Skyloft is over there!"

The bird ducked its head to look at him with a bright cerulean blue eye. It seemed amused and gave a rolling trill before continuing its path away from the only land Link had ever known.

He didn't know how long they flew, but the sun was dipping towards the horizon by the time he spotted another island. It was large—much larger than Skyloft—and full of trees and green. There was a very large hill—though it seemed far too big to be called a hill—with white stuff on top. Was that ice? Link had only ever seen it in drinks before!

He only had a moment to marvel before the loftwing gently set him down on the ground. Link hissed as it released its bloodied grip, and he held his shoulder gingerly. The bird looked properly apologetic, dipping its head and nuzzling the wound it'd created.

"It's okay." He soothed. "Thank you for saving me." He glanced around again. There was nothing but trees as far as he could see, and small animals he didn't have names for scurried around. One had a very bushy tail and scampered up a tree, while another had long ears that stuck straight up and a white fluffy ball for a tail. Its nose twitched as it looked at him before going back to foraging for food. "But where are we?"

The loftwing called out, and several loftwing calls answered it. Link blinked up when several birds took flight. His eyes widened. The only place where loftwings would go without their Skyloftians would be... "Is this... your home? Loftwing Paradise?"

The bird made a sound that looked like a yes to Link. He stared about them again. Nobody had been on this island before. He was the first. "But why me?" He tilted his head.

The loftwing glanced behind him, seemingly pointing with its beak. Link followed its gaze to see an adult loftwing land carefully near some dried up grass. On closer inspection, he saw a small fluffy head and very large beak pop up from the grass. It was a nest. He looked at the white loftwing again, question on the tip of his tongue, but it just gestured back towards the nest. Link turned to see the loftwing nuzzle its hatchling. It made something ugly swell in his chest. His mother couldn't do that anymore.

The white loftwing made a crooning sound and turned away. Link followed as they went deeper into the island. There were lots of strange creatures here. One had long hooved legs with a slender body and what looked like tree branches growing from its head, while another looked kind of like the remlits at home, but much much bigger with spots. When the loftwing stopped walking, he nearly ran into it. It made a quiet chirp before pointing again.

Link moved the ferns out of the way and stopped. It was another nest, but this one was obviously not cared for. This hatchling was bigger than the other one—older—but still far too young to fly. It stared at them with an eerie golden gaze. It was calm, but there was something familiar in its gaze.

Near the nest was a single lilac feather—the same color his mother's loftwing was. His heart clenched. This hatchling... it was alone like him. The white loftwing nudged Link towards the nest, and he didn't hesitate in walking towards the hatchling. There was something about the small creature that called out to him. The hatchling stood up, carefully stepping out of its nest and approaching Link. It came up to his chest, and it was absolutely filthy. He couldn't tell what color its feathers were.

He reached out a hand. "Hello. I'm Link."

The hatchling tilted its head before gently pushing its bill into his palm. There was a warmth there, a feeling of wholeness. It was like walking into the house on a cold winter's night, or basking in the sunlight on a lazy afternoon. The feeling of completion and serenity. Suddenly, he knew without a doubt that this hatchling was his loftwing.

The hatchling gave a happy chirp, nuzzling him excitedly. Link laughed, hugging it close. "You need a bath." He grinned, and the hatchling immediately started nudging Link in another direction. He made to glance over his shoulder at the white loftwing, but it was gone. A small smile graced his lips. "Thank you, White Loftwing."

The hatchling chirped at him, jumping from one foot to another as it waited for him to catch up. "I'm coming!" He giggled, following it to a gentle stream. He rolled up his pants and waded in, helping the bird wash the dirt from its feathers.

He was just looking for something he could use to scrub them better, when a wave of cold water splashed him. He looked up, startled, mouth hanging open slightly in surprise as the hatchling made a sound like laughter. A wicked grin crossed Link's face. "You wanna play, then?" He challenged as he splashed the bird back.

The hatchling squawked and shook itself, spraying droplets of water everywhere. Link laughed as he tackled the bird, shoving them both into the water. The hatchling used its beak to spray him, but Link was smart. With a gleeful squeal, he took the branch he'd found and drenched the hatchling. The surprised squawk only made him laugh harder.

By the time they were done, the moon was high in the sky. He panted, grinning wider than he had in months. The hatchling seemed to be just as pleased. It was also clean, now, and Link marveled at the fluffy feathers. They were mostly grey—the color all hatchlings were born with—but he could spot some red feathers too. They looked pretty cool.

"Can I call you Crimson?" He asked, tilting his head back from where he lay on the grass. The hatchling chirped in confirmation, puffing up its soaked plumage proudly. "We should probably get dry." He shivered a bit in the coolness of the night. "But I don't know how to build a fire." He frowned. They probably should've waited until morning for a bath. And now his shoulder was really starting to hurt. Shouldn't he disinfect it or something?

Crimson seemed to frown as he worriedly nuzzled the injury. "Oh, that pretty white loftwing saved me from falling. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt me." Link reassured his loftwing—and wasn't that a concept. He had a loftwing! A really young loftwing, but a loftwing! And he wouldn't trade Crimson for anyone else.

They returned to Crimson's nest, shivering in the cold night air. Link did his best to dry off the loftwing, but he was just as soaked. They settled down in the nest together, snuggling with one another for warmth. Crimson opened one wing, beckoning Link to snuggle closer. He was very warm. Link snuggled into the soft downy feathers that were already mostly dry. "Thanks, Crim. I love you. I'll see you in the morning." He muttered softly.

Crimson made a soft trilling purr that reminded him of the remlits at home. He idly wondered if Zelda or the headmaster were worried about him yet. He felt kind of bad, but right now he was happy. Right now, with Crimson, he wasn't alone anymore. He drifted off to sleep with a smile on his lips.

~~~

Link woke up slowly, cocooned in a soft downy warmth that left him feeling rested and content. The only thing that ruined the perfection was a bright something that hit his eye. He turned away, only to feel his bed move. Startled, he snapped open his eyes, only to relax when he saw Crimson.

A soft smile grace his lips as he ignored his throbbing shoulder. The hatchling was still sound asleep, snuggled up against his side, head lazily stretched out over his chest. Link gently ran a hand over the soft feathers of the loftwing's head, marveling at the tiny downy fluff that grew between his beak and forehead.

It was so soft. He'd never felt anything quite like it. A golden eye cracked open to stare at him questioningly, a quiet croon that sounded more like a groan vibrated in the bird's chest. "You are amazing." Link decided. Crimson gave an affirmative chirp before a wide yawn escaped him. He looked like he had half a mind to go back to sleep, but Link's stomach rumbling startled Crimson so badly that his feathers fluffed up.

He stared at Link in curious concern. "It's just my stomach." He assured his loftwing, gently soothing down the fluffed up feathers. "I'm hungry." He explained. Crimson made some kind of garble-like sound that Link really couldn't name and stood. He stretched and lifted his beak towards a tree. It was tall—Link liked to think it was almost as tall as the Academy—but there were little round yellow fruits that grew upon its branches. Crimson looked at them longingly, flapping his wings like he was trying to fly, but the downy feathers weren't suited to lifting off, and the most he ended up doing was whacking Link in the face.

"Hey!" Link complained lightly, and Crimson dipped his head in apology. He laughed a bit. "You want some of those, too?" He grinned before climbing out of the nest. He brushed dried grass from his tunic and carefully stretched. His shoulder was hurting him more than yesterday, but he didn't pay it any mind. "You can't fly, but I can climb." He grinned as he jumped for a lower branch.

He wasn't the best climber, and his stamina was kind of awful, but he was steady. If he put his mind to it, he could reach point B with a bit of effort. Link eyed the next branch, tongue between his teeth in concentration. He could make that jump. It'd be a bit of a risk—he dare not look down, he knew he was pretty high up—but he could do it.

With a powerful leap, he went for the branch. He nearly fell short, grappling desperately at the limb for some kind of purchase. He distantly heard Crimson squawk in alarm from the ground, but managed to kick off the trunk of the tree and swing himself onto the branch. "I'm good!" He called down, straddling the branch with a grin. He'd gotten a small scrape on his chin for his efforts, but he was now within reaching distance of the fruit. "I'm gonna start dropping them down, so get ready to catch them!" He warned the hatchling, who chirped back.

He plucked several fruits. The first one ended up breaking against the ground because Crimson hadn't reached it in time. The loftwing was more than happy to just eat it off the ground, and Link sighed to himself as he realized he'd either need to eat it like Crimson or carry a bunch down with him. They were almost as big as his hand though! He couldn't carry them down safely.

Actually, he hadn't really thought about getting down at all. He idly bit into one of the fruit, scrunching his nose at the sour peel. "Okay. Don't eat the skin." He noted, peeling the rest back. The inner fruit was soft and juicy and very sweet. It was amazing. Why didn't they have this back in Skyloft? He ate three before he decided he was full and stuffed what he could in his pockets. He dropped several more for Crimson—these ones didn't really break like the first one did, so maybe he'd have something to eat later after all—and started to carefully climb down.

He slipped a couple of times, earning a squawk from Crimson each time, but eventually he made it safely to the ground. The hatchling wasted no time in checking him over, sneezing at the scrape on his chin. He gave Link a reprimanding glare. "It's fine." He assured him. "It's just a scrape."

Crimson huffed, nuzzling him gently. "You're welcome." He smiled, scratching the chick under the chin. "So what's there to do around here? There's so many weird things!"

Crimson chirped happily, hopping from one foot to the other and grabbing Link's tunic in his beak. "H-hold on!" Link laughed. "Let me set these down and then we can explore!" He quickly hid the fruit in their nest before whirling around to follow the loftwing. The morning dew still stuck to the underside of leaves, and Link marveled at the island.

There were so many strange creatures. Butterflies in colors he'd never seen before—orange and black and green and—trees with branches that bent towards the ground, obscuring whatever was hidden beneath it, there were even small rock-like animals with legs and a head that retracted into its shell! He couldn't believe all the cool stuff in this place. Zelda would love it.

The thought had his smile dimming. Zelda... and the headmaster... they must've been worried about him when he never came home last night. Well, it'd be fine. He shook his head. Crimson was here with him, so everything was okay. He'd be back after a couple of days, and it wasn't like it was his fault he was gone so long. They'd forgive him when he told them about the white loftwing, and the Loftwing Paradise.

He smiled again when Crimson made an impatient noise. "I'm coming!"

~~~

"You know..." Link spoke softly in the quiet hours of the night. Neither of them were sleeping, so he didn't feel bad about waking Crimson. "Some knights have special calls for their loftwings. Think we should make our own?"

Crimson perked up, eyes wide and alert as he stared at Link expectantly.

The boy giggled. "Okay, how about... uhm..." He cupped his hands over his mouth and made a deep resonating sound. Crimson snorted and shook his head. "Mmm... maybe..." He put two fingers from the same hand in his mouth and let out a long solid whistle. Crimson flinched and sent him a glare. "Okay, not that one, then."

Crimson sighed and made a trilling sound with his voice. Link paused. Could he make a trilling sound? He hummed for a moment before putting an index finger from each hand in his mouth. The whistle had three different pitches, and he managed to make it trill a bit like Crimson's call.

The hatchling perked up, eyes glinting with something Link couldn't name. "Is that the one?" He did it again, and the hatchling chirped in confirmation. Link giggled. "Then we've got our own special whistle."

~~~

Link laughed. Crimson was taking him somewhere new today. It'd been nearly a week since he'd been brought to this place, and while Crimson didn't seem to know how to get him home—none of the other loftwings ever came close enough to ask—they were both content to just spend time with one another. With all the fruit on the island, there was no shortage of food (Link refused to eat any meat, because Skyloftians had to eat it cooked, and he didn't know how to build a fire. Plus, he didn't wanna eat the cute fluffy creatures that Crimson occasionally caught and devoured).

He shivered a bit. It was getting really cold, but they were very close to that strange white-capped hill he'd seen on his way over. He scrunched up his face when something crunched under his foot. He paused, looking at the odd white patch. Was this some kind of plant? He reached down to touch it, only to sharply pull away his hand. "It's cold!" He gasped.

Crimson gave him an amused look before nodding his beak up ahead. There was more white stuff. A lot of white stuff. It covered the ground like a blanket, and even sat atop the branches of trees! It was almost like it'd fallen from the sky, but Link couldn't think of any plant that fell from the sky.

He quickly followed after the loftwing, who was crunching his way through the white stuff with a fair amount of confidence. "Is it a plant?" Link asked, and Crimson laughed, shaking his head. The white stuff was getting less crunchy now, and was getting deeper. It was soft, but very cold.

He startled a bit when he realized his feet were kind of wet. With a light frown he bent down and scooped some of it up into his hand. He clenched his teeth against the biting cold and watched in awed fascination as it changed. It went from white to clear as it turned into water.

Water... "Is it solid water?" He asked in awe as the last of the stuff faded away. Crimson nodded, scooping some of it up into his beak. "So... I can eat it?" Link perked up, scooping more into his reddening fingers. He popped some of it into his mouth, startling a bit at the temperature as it melted into water.

"WOW!" He poked at more of it, marveling as it held its shape. "Think we could build with this?" He asked, and Crimson rolled some of it into a shape that vaguely reminded Link of a ball. He then flicked it, and the white stuff broke apart into a bunch of little white flecks that pelted Link in the face. He gave Crimson another grin. "Oh, you wanna go again?"

He scooped some up into his hands. He didn't want it to break apart like Crimson's ball did, so he squeezed it together until he thought it'd stay. He then threw it at the loftwing who startled as it broke apart on his beak. Link giggled as the sacred bird stood there and stared at him, feathers fluffed up indignantly.

Then, Crimson gave a low trill. It was the only warning Link got before he was bombarded with a frigid wave of white, courtesy of the hatchling's wings. Link laughed as they ran about. After a long while, bird and boy flopped down into the fluffy white stuff, paying little mind to the icy chill that soaked his back. He giggled a bit as he waved his arms up and down, making his indent look more like Crimson's.

"That was fun." He decided. The hatchling gave an affirmative chirp. "But I'm cold." He frowned. "Let's go home." He sat up, grinning at his loftwing. Crimson nodded his head and also got up. The two made their way home, leaving twin winged indents in the snow behind them.

~~~

Link didn't understand it. Crimson had corralled him into a cavern today instead of their usual nest. The sky wasn't very bright today either. He was confused. Were those clouds above them? Were the clouds supposed to be below them? He was about to ask his loftwing what was going on when a strange sound startled him.

It was like something hitting a leaf. He stepped outside to glance around, but didn't see anything. Then something cold and wet hit his nose. He jumped. Had someone spit on him? But there weren't any people here, just loftwings and animals!

Another wet droplet landed on his face, and he looked up. The sky. It was a dark grey color, but instead of looking scary like he thought it should, it was oddly beautiful. And... was it leaking? "Crim? Is the sky supposed to leak?"

Crimson snorted in amusement before gently pulling Link back into the cavern. Not a moment later, thousands of tiny water droplets fell from the clouds above them. Link stared in awe. "It's like we're under a waterfall!" He gasped. Leaves danced under the sudden weight of the water, and the soil soaked up the moisture until it started to flood.

He couldn't tear away his gaze as the world transformed. As green as everything had been before, it was even greener now! New sounds greeted him—odd creaking noises that sounded like some kind of animal, and the oddly pleasant sound of water falling upon foliage. The smells were amazing. It was like the air was refreshed as the plants breathed new life.

Despite his loftwing's disapproving look, he found himself stepping out into the falling water once more. He didn't know what it was called, but he loved it. It was amazing. Cold, yes. Uncomfortable, a little. But the feeling of springy grass beneath his shoes and water falling upon his face had him grinning so hard his face hurt.

This, he decided, was amazing.

He turned to smile at Crimson. He loved this place.

~~~

Link had long lost track of the amount of time he'd spent on Loftwing Island—as he'd started calling it. His shoulder was mostly healed, and Crimson had started to grow more red feathers. Though neither of them said anything, they both knew that Link would soon have to return to Skyloft. The thought made him guilty. He'd been gone for a while. Were they still looking for him, or did they think he met the same fate as his parents?

The day was cool and foggy. The weather here still fascinated him, and he was sure Zelda wouldn't believe him when he told her that water fell from the sky here. He snuggled closer to Crimson, munching on some of the sweet yellow fruit that they both loved to devour. The hatchling had a wing wrapped around him to help keep him warm, and while Link's tunic was a mild disaster and probably reaching the point of no return, he couldn't find it in himself to care. The young loftwing was quickly growing in height, and was now happily grooming Link's hair. He giggled a bit. His guess was that in a year or two Crimson would be ready to fly.

He wished he could see his first flight.

A soft crooning sound drew their attention. It was the white loftwing. Link hadn't seen it since he'd been dropped on this island, and somehow he knew that it was ready to take him back to Skyloft. His stomach twisted uncomfortably, and Crimson made a sad whine. "It's okay." Link soothed his loftwing, pressing their foreheads together. "I have to go for a bit, now. But when I see you again, you'll be big and strong, right? We'll go for a flight together." He promised, and the hatchling nodded.

Link and Crimson followed the white loftwing to the edge of the island. It was the same place he'd landed all those weeks ago. He turned towards his loftwing and pulled him into a hug, the hatchling tucking him under his chin to reciprocate. "I'm going to miss you, Crim." He hated the tremble to his voice. "But you'll find me when you can fly, right?"

Crimson gave a solid nod as he gently eased out one of his downy red feathers. He handed it carefully over to Link, who cupped it gingerly. After a moment of thought, he reached up and pulled off his necklace. "This was my mom's." He explained as the loftwing eyed the sparkling purple gem. "Will you keep it safe for me until we see each other again?" Crimson bent his head for Link to slip it over. He made sure the necklace was secured and wouldn't be too tight as the loftwing grew before stepping back to admire the shimmering gem. "Purple looks good on you." He decided.

The hatchling strutted a bit, showing off the gem. A gentle chuff from the white loftwing reminded them both that their time was up. "I love you, Crimson. I know you'll find me."

They pressed their foreheads together one last time before Link eased himself onto the back of the white loftwing. It took him a few minutes to figure out how to lay properly. It felt very strange to be on the back of a bird that wasn't his mother's or his father's. He imagined Crimson wouldn't feel so strange either. The loftwing glanced back at him for a moment before taking off.

The wind in his hair felt amazing, but his heart was bittersweet as he bid the island that'd been his home for what was likely over a month goodbye. He could feel the air getting warmer as they left the area. With it came a sense of familiarity. After what felt like both too long and far too short, the white loftwing landed upon a small island. Link carefully climbed off, staring at the loftwing.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you."

For a moment, the white feathers shimmered to a familiar lilac color. The patterns of reddish brown along the wings had him gasping in awe. This... was his mother's loftwing. Crimson's mother. But... how? She'd died along with his mother... hadn't she?

Illia—the name of his mother's loftwing—seemed to smile as her feathers bled back to white. A ghost of a melody drifted to him on the wind as she shimmered once more, this time vanishing into the air like a spirit.

Perhaps that's what she was—a ghost. A ghost who had come back to help him before he could fall. A small smile crossed his lips as he stared at the empty space she'd once been. "Thank you mom." He whispered.

The call of a loftwing had his head whipping up. A knight was flying nearby, and he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey!! Down here!"

The knight startled before banking left and pulling into a dive. He circled about the island, eyes wide. "Link?! Is that you?!"

"Yeah! Can you give me a ride home please?" He asked with a massive grin.

"Where've you been!?" The knight landed quickly and kneeled down to assess his physical state. "You're hurt." He eyed his shoulder, which still had some blood on it.

"I'm fine." He grinned. "I got saved by a loftwing."

The knight shook his head with a sigh. "Come on, then. Let's get you home. The headmaster has been out of his mind, and we've been searching everywhere for you for nearly two months."

"Two months?!" He gasped as they climbed atop his navy loftwing. It was strange to feel the smooth flight feathers after he'd grown so used to Crimson's downy baby ones. He held on tight as they took off.

"Yeah. Nobody knew where you'd been, and Groose was the last person to see you. We feared the worst." The knight admitted.

Link winced. "I'm sorry. But it's not like I meant to leave."

"Oi!" The knight called out as they neared Skyloft. Link felt the strangest sense of nostalgia as they landed. "I've found him!" Several people ran up as he helped Link down.

"LINK!" A blur of gold was all he could see as Zelda barrelled into him with the force of a gale wind. "Where have you been?! You've been gone for ever!"

Link gave a laugh, startling the girl. "I've got so many stories to tell you!!" He whispered. "But you've gotta keep it a secret."

"Wha...?"

"Link!" The headmaster looked so utterly relieved as he dashed over. "Are you all right? You've been gone for months."

"I'm fine. I fell off the island but a loftwing rescued me and took me somewhere else." He explained. "I saw lots of cool stuff, like frozen water and animals with horns and oh! Oh! There was water that fell from the sky!"

"Honestly Link, if you're going to make up a story, at least make it believable." Zelda chastised warmly. "Water from the sky?"

"It's true!" He pouted, crossing his arms.

"Now, now, let's not fight." The headmaster chortled. "Let's get that shoulder taken care of and then get you something warm to eat, okay?"

Link huffed. "Fine." Still... it felt kinda good to be home.

~~~

Link smiled. It'd been a year and a half since he'd returned to Skyloft. He was a very proud eight year old boy. He was finally old enough to call Crimson, and he felt through their bond that his loftwing was ready for him.

He hadn't told anyone of the loftwing's paradise. He tried to tell Zelda, but she hadn't believed him, so he let it rest. It didn't matter if nobody believed him. He was going to see Crimson again after so long. He was jittery with excitement.

The headmaster thought he was still too young. Even Groose—who was nearly a year older than Link—had only just met his own loftwing. He'd also fallen off his loftwing for the first two weeks. They'd finally graduated to walking around without someone falling down.

Link didn't care that they thought it wouldn't work—that they thought Crimson was still too young to fly. He knew better. They both did. He stood below the goddess statue with a wide grin, fluffy red feather clenched in his hand. He brought both hands up to his mouth, feeling the feather tickle his lip as he called out with their whistle. It'd been a long time since he'd whistled for Crimson, but he knew without a doubt that the bird would come.

They stood there for a moment. "That was an impressive whistle, my boy, but I'm afraid that your loftwing isn't quite ready to fly yet." The headmaster spoke softly.

"No." Link shook his head as a familiar cry reached him on the wind. "He heard me. He'll come."

It was at that moment that Crimson landed before him. He was very tall now, and his downy feathers and grey hatchling fluff were nothing but memories. Now he had the smooth plumage of flight feathers. He was a beautiful red color with yellow and purple along his wings, and around his neck was the purple stone Link had given him. He walked right up to his loftwing and Crimson bent his head so their foreheads could meet.

"It's good to see you again, Crim." He whispered, and the loftwing nuzzled him. He let out a laugh. "Ready for our flight?"

Crimson barely stopped himself from hopping from one foot to the other, like he had as a hatchling. Link found it adorable. The loftwing bent down and Link didn't hesitate in swinging himself up. It was perfect, like slotting into place in your favorite bed. There was nothing that needed to be said as he and Crimson lifted off into the sky, free as the wind.

Link laughed, spreading his arms like Crimson's wings. They would be together forever, now. Nobody could touch them.

For a moment, a white loftwing ghosted beside them. Link smiled. "We're home, Crim."