TOTK: The Lonely Hero

Frozen Rito Village

Morning had risen, as Link walked out of the stable by Tabantha Bridge. He squinted his eyes, as he slowly let them get used to the sunlight once more.

After his battle with the gloom spawn the night before, he and Epona had ridden as fast as possible over the rocky terrain of Hyrule Ridge. Twas only after midnight that they finally arrived at the stable. Link hobbled his way inside the stable and rented a bed for the night. He promptly collapsed onto his bed and passed out instantly, not waking till daybreak.

Heading over to the traveling merchant, Beedle, he bought a hearty lizard in order to make a healing elixir, as well as some more arrows.

"Thank you!" the vendor exclaimed, before pocketing the rupees.

Sitting down by the fire, Link tossed the lizard in with some monster parts, cooking it until it became a bright red liquid. After pouring it into a bottle, he then pulled out an egg and cracked it into the pot. Seasoning it with some hylian herbs, he stirred the egg in the pot until he was left with a fresh omelet.

After eating his breakfast, he fed Epona an apple before hopping into her back.

"Giddyup," he ordered. The mare was soon off again, her speed unmatched by any other horse from the stable.

Crossing over the Tanagar Canyon via the Tabantha Great Bridge, the two made their way through the frontier, between the great rocky hills and mountains.

As they were passing in between two of the mountains, Rayne and Piper, something caught Link's ear. He stopped Epona to listen closer, leaning forward and making as little noise with his breath as possible. It was distant, but Link could make it out. It sounded like the flapping of wings, constantly going up and down, sending gusts of wind through the air. But how could it be so loud?

And that was when he saw it. A huge creature flying overhead. Reacting quickly, Link quickly had Epona ride into some nearby brush to avoid being seen. Activating his camera, the swordsman zoomed in to get a better look at the beast.

It was huge. Its scaly hide was dark like ash. On its back were a pair of great wings, flapping up and down, keeping the behemoth in the air. It bore three heads, each with a single eye over its jaws. Atop each head was a fiery horn.

Snapping a photo, the Purah Pad informed him what he was witnessing was what it called: a gleeok.

Link was careful not to make any sudden movements, as he waited for the beast to pass. For several minutes, both rider and steed waited, unsure if it had seen them or not.

To their relief, after it circled through the air a few times, it flew off, setting itself down behind the cliff face of the Rayne Highlands.

Breathing out, Link and Epona continued on the road, at first in a trot so as to not alert the beast, followed soon by a full gallop once he was certain they were far enough.

The two rode so fast and so hastily, it was only until they were well inside the region of Hebra that Link noticed an oddity. Shivering, he realized the entirety of Hebra was covered from top to bottom in snow. And not just any snow either. It was a massive blizzard. Snowflakes were thrown around in the air, as the wind howled wildly. The sun could not be seen, the dark clouds above obscuring it from view.

And the source of the great storm was a giant pillar of swirling wind and clouds, illuminated every now and then by small bursts of lightning from within the great pillar of wind.

Shivering in the cold, Link and Epona rode as fast as they could downhill. To his relief, he saw a stable building nearby with an open campfire. Not wasting a single second, the moment he arrived, he leapt off of his mare's back, planting himself face first into the snow, before fishing himself out and hurrying inside to warm himself up.