Birds of a Feather

Chapter 5: The Gerudo Desert

The crew made their way past the mountains and to the Gerudo desert, and well... calling it "hot" was an understatement. Revali for one felt like he was about to pass out, and Mipha didn't look that much better. Link and Zelda looked uncomfortable too, meanwhile Daruk was having the time of his life...

"Ah, I love this weather!" Daruk sighed, his voice booming. "Not too hot, not too cold!"

"I'd like to know what "cold" means for the Gorons." Revali muttered bitterly. "I'm going to become a drumstick if we're out here much longer."

Mipha nodded in agreement. Zelda turned towards the group.

"There's a Bazaar not far from here." She said. "Just hang on a bit longer, okay? I promise we'll be there soon!"

The Princess was trying to keep the group optimistic, but it was failing...

~~~~~~~

Not long later, they arrived at the Kara Kara Bazaar, which was good news for Revali and Mipha. The two looked like they were about to become cooked. Revali sheltered himself under a shady overhang while Mipha dove into the pond outside the Bazaar to cool off. It was significantly cooler here than the rest of the desert. Revali noticed Link smirking at him.

"What?" He said, rather harshly.

Link shrugged. Zelda elbowed them in the side and signed something. Link replied and she rolled her eyes with a slight smile. After Mipha was done swimming, they all gathered up.

"So as you all might know, the Gerudo village does not allow Vai, aka men, to enter." Zelda was saying. "So, you three," she pointed at the Champions. "Are going to stay here while Link and I bring back the Gerudo champion."

Daruk looked confused. "Wait, how is little guy gonna get in there? I assume there's not an exception for non-binary people."

Zelda looked a little nervous. "Yeah about that... they kinda use a disguise. I know it's not the most honest thing to do, but...yeah that's what we do? And the Gerudo chief is in close relations with Link and I and she allows it."

Revali seemed curious. Disguise hm? I bet it looks horrible on them.

He was proven wrong. Link did, in fact, look great it that outfit. Revali noticed that the Hylian looked rather frustrated with the outfit, but didn't comment on it. Instead he focused on his bow again, trying to think straight. 

"Alright!" Zelda clasped her hands together, also in a Geurdo outfit. "Link and I will be back in a few hours! Stay here, and try to keep out of trouble!"

Daruk patted Zelda's back and sent her flying forward, with Link catching her just in time. "You can count on us princess- oops, sorry..."

Zelda smiled at Daruk before righting herself. Then, the two Hylians left the Bazaar and made their way into the desert. Daruk sat next to Revali and Mipha.

"We should do some bonding!" Daruk exclaimed. "How about we share fun facts about ourselves? I'll go first. My favorite food is rock roast."

Mipha smiled. "Sounds fun, Daruk. Let me think... hm.. I like to swim?"

"Woah, what shocking information, I had no idea." Revali replied sarcastically.

Mipha crossed her arms and frowned. "Fine then, tell us about yourself. Maybe like, I dunno, how many metric tons your ego is?"

Daruk smiled nervously. "Okay... maybe we should stop this game..."

"I agree." Revali said, standing. "Do what you two want, I'm going to look around."

Without another word, Revali quickly walked off.

~~~~~~~~~

Revali found a place to perch on top of the Kara Kara Bazaar and watched the city in the distance, which was clouded by blowing sand. As a few hours passed, he saw three figures in the distance. Two of which were Link and Zelda, and one was a tall Gerudo woman. Revali flew down to Mipha and Daruk.

"They're almost back." Revali said, not looking at the Zora. "Just so you know."

Daruk stood up and stretched. "Ah good, I've been sitting still for too long. And I'm hungry."

Mipha smiled. "I'm sure we'll be able to get food soon, Daruk."

"Gosh, I hope so."

Revali stayed quiet. While he felt a little bit of guilt for being snappy towards Mipha, he tried to ignore it. Why should he care? He wasn't here to make friends after all. When Link, Zelda, and the Gerudo got back, everyone quickly made their introductions.

"This is Urbosa, the woman I was talking about earlier." Zelda said. "She's the chief, as you know, and will be traveling with us for similar reasons to Daruk."

"I should hope you left someone good in charge." Revali said, crossing his arms.

Urbosa looked at him steadily. "I assure you that every woman in my village is capable of leading."

"Anyways..." Zelda quickly interrupted. "After Link and I change back into our traveling clothes, we'll start back on our way to the Hylian Palace."

After changing, Link looked much more comfortable in their tunic. Revali caught himself. Why should I care?

He had better things to focus on.