A Kindling, of Sorts (Revali x reader)

kaysa

The ride home was uncomfortable, to say the least. Revali barely spared you a glance, even when you'd dried off and gotten dressed. He'd only looked in your general direction dully when you climbed onto his back for the journey.

By no means did you want to ride home with him like this, but you weren't given much of an option. What, were you just going to walk across the expanse of half of Hebra out of spite?

And so, here you were, on the back of your brooding friend, a couple hundred feet up in the air. This was not an ideal situation.

Whistling wind and the clattering of the bucket filled the tense silence as you flew through the sky. Silently, you looked down at him, trying to gauge his emotions, figure out what he was thinking. His beaded braids clinked together as the air rushed past, and you took yet another moment to admire them. They really were pretty.

"Your hair is always braided so nicely, Revali," you offered, trying to stir some kind of conversation up. "The beads— um— they match your eyes." Your escort didn't say a word in reply. You sighed and lay flatter on his back. How had you messed things up this bad? Was this even your fault?

...No, it wasn't. This was something for the both of you to sort out, there's no question about it, but the weight of this argument doesn't rest solely on your shoulders. You were going to say something else, but something got your attention. You took notice of the darkening sky a moment; the weather looked much worse than before, like a blizzard could start any second. The distinct smell you get right before it snows was present too.

"...is it me or are the clouds getting darker?" Revali gave no response, no acknowledgement, no nothing. Irritation nipped at you, but you ignored it, deciding to turn your attention elsewhere. He knew what he was doing better than you. Probably.

It was difficult to see anything from this height(and through the gathering clouds that went unrecognized), but you could make out... glowing? Something sparkled in the distance below, golden, iridescent, and barely visible. Then, the odor. A sickeningly sweet smell found its way all the way up to you, leading Revali to retch.

"Ugh— what the hell?" he cursed, swaying in the wind, eyes watering. His flight path staggered, and he suddenly made a deliberate dive, though you didn't realize it at the time. You screamed in terror as he cut through the air, thinking he'd somehow been knocked out or something like that. One way or another, you were falling fast.

The grip you had on him tightened as you saw the ground become clearer and clearer until—

Until he gave a couple quick flaps and landed safely in the snow. Still coughing and retching, the champion pushed you off his back and hung his head, panting. His words from earlier flashed across your mind, his voice nearly ashamed; "I felt miserable...still do."

"A-are you okay?" you asked shakily, stumbling over to him and lightly touching his wing. Revali gave a noncommittal grunt and stood up straighter, glaring at you. Or really, behind you. Slowly you turned, and before you stood a giant glowing flower, radiating that same stench you smelled before. Well, almost. Strangely, it smelled much better up close. Spotted petals were splayed in the snow, bright yellow and speckled with massive mushrooms. Golden sculptures adorned the middle well of crystal- clear water, and a pink mist covered the area.

"Its some kind of... fountain?" Revali stood up straighter and walked over to the giant flower. You followed close behind him, still shaken from the fall. "...Curious." he muttered to himself, poking a petal with a talon. Seems pretty much harmless.

Slowly, you made your way up to a colorful mushroom path that seemed to lead up to the fountain and poked it with your toe. Nothing. You went on to walk up the path to the edge of the sparkling well. The water was so clear, it was almost like you were looking in a mirror! Almost jokingly, you took a moment to pose a little and check your teeth in the reflection. You're as handsome as ever, I suppose.