New Horizons - A Skyward Sword Aftermath Story

21 - Tektite Trouble

Just as Zelda was about to start planning her next adventure into the depths of the desert, a violent sandstorm shrouded the entire terrain. Sand picked up by the strong winds felt like it could rip apart your skin.

Cawlin and Stritch, who had previously attempted to fly their way through the desert, had no choice but to promptly return after feeling nature's wrath.

Cawlin tilted his head to the side and patted his head repeatedly. The others watched in surprise as grains of sand came falling out of his ear.
"Yeah, you're definitely not gonna go to the desert anytime soon. You can barely see a hand in front of you!"

Zelda turned to look up at the fierce Eldin Volcano in the distance. Her eyes scanned along the horizon, at all the rocky mountain peaks surrounding it. She rubbed her chin.
"Then...what about... the dwellers of rock?"

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In order to survive the harsh conditions of the Eldin region, Zelda realised she would need an accessory of protection, made of fireshield stone, an extremely rare material, that was previously used to craft the red earrings Link now wore.

After the group's long hunt for ore of the special stone, and after some of Gondo's craftsmanship, another pair of fireshield earrings were created. However, there was an issue to overcome: Zelda had never had her ears pierced before.

"Oh, come on! How bad can it be?" Zelda argued with Karane, as she grabbed a chair and placed it alongside the central bonfire. Link silently watched the two girls squabble.
"Zelda! When you have your ears pierced, you have to take good care of them!" Karane argued back. "You need to have them done properly, you can't just shove a dirty needle through them! You should wait until you go back to Skyloft to get them done properly."
The Goddess turned to the hero.
"Link! You have your ears pierced! Surely you know more about this than we do. It can't be that bad of an idea, right?!"

Link stared at his friend, his expression a combination of concern and disappointment.
"It's a terrible idea."
Zelda scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on! I thought at least YOU would support me."
The girl straightened up and looked back at Karane.
"You know what, let's just do it. What's the worst that could happen?"

Karane placed ice in a flannel on her friend's ear, while she held the needle over the orange flames. Once she could feel the heat slowly burning her fingers, and saw the end of the needle begin to glow, she turned around to face the other.
"Are you ready?"
"Of course! Just do it!"

Link cringed as he watched the nightmare that was about to unravel before him. Using a flaming hot, BLUNT needle? Of course, what could possibly go wrong?
Karane narrowed her eyes as she focused. "Okay!

Three...

Two....

One...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGH!"

A blood-curdling scream filled the air, turning the heads of every forest creature within a mile radius. Birds hurriedly flew away from the treetops in terror. Link and Karane winced as they felt their eardrums explode.

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Later that morning, Link and Zelda set off on their adventure, leaving the others behind once more. They brought their over-loaded bags of gear like they did last time; blankets, pillows, food and all the other necessities.

Holding a salt-water-soaked cloth to her ears, a teary-eyed Zelda walked through the wilderness, Link alongside her. They departed that morning, after doing their usual map checking, and making the others promise that the town wouldn't be on fire by the time they returned.
"How are you feeling now?" The boy asked.
"A little better." His friend replied. "I'm sure they're still going to be sore for a while."
Link nodded.
The girl turned to him.
"How are *your* ears?" She joked, referring to her demonic scream in agony previously. He let out a small chuckle.
"Still bleeding."