Champions of a Fallen Age

Left Behind

"Mommy!" he called out, trying to keep the desperation he felt out of his voice. He knew she hated it when he was needy, but she had left him on the rock hours ago, and the sun would be setting soon. He almost didn't care if his father heard him. He knew that it would only cause trouble, but his fear of the noises that he was hearing outweighed the fear of whatever his father would do.

For as long as he could remember, they had only ever expressed disdain in him. They avoided him most of the time despite how he tried to please them. He had picked flowers for his mother once. She threw them away. He had tried to make one of the small trinkets that he knew his father liked. It had been shoddily made, but he had done his best. His father had pointed out every flaw, every failure, before promptly tossing it away in disgust.

Since he could see they didn't like him, he did his best to stay out of their way. The little Rito isolated himself in their little house, doing his best to stay out of their line of sight. He knew he couldn't make them happy, so he thought that he could give them the opportunity to pretend he didn't exist. Maybe that would make them happy. It hurt to admit that pretending to not exist was the best he could do to contribute to their happiness, but they were his parents, and he wanted to see a smile on their faces, if only just once.

His tiny heart froze as he heard a rustling in the bushes. "Wh- who's there?" he called out shakily.

The response he got was a growl as a bear burst through the foliage and charged him. Revali stumbled, tripping over himself in his haste to get away. He curled up, trying to make himself as small as possible as the animal roared. It stood up on its hind legs when it reached him and raised a massive paw, ready to crush him.

"Enough," a woman said calmly. Revali peaked around his tiny wing to see the bear frozen in place. "There are many sources of food for you in these woods- " he saw a woman covered in golden feathers step into his field of view as she approached the large creature- "but you may not have him. Go, find your fill elsewhere."

The bear did as it had been told, settling back on all fours and lumbering back the way it had come.

"Are you well, little one?" she asked as she turned back to him and knelt down.

"y-yes," Revali sniffled as he wiped away the tears in his eyes and got unsteadily to his feet. "Are my are my mommy and daddy are they okay?"

"As well as they can be," she murmured.

He wasn't sure why she looked so sad when she told him that. She said they were alive and well, which should have been a good thing. Yet, the way she said it made him wonder what was wrong.

"Do not fear for their safety," she said, as though knowing what he was thinking, "it just saddens me when I offer my help and people cast it away."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Do not be," she replied as she smiled at him. "Now, why don't you climb onto my back, so I can take you to the Village?"

"They told me to wait here until they came back. What if I'm not here when they come back?" He didn't want to stay there, but he also wanted to be a dutiful child. He didn't want to make his parents more miserable than he already had.

"Do you love your mother and father?" the woman asked, staring deeply into his eyes. He wasn't sure he could look away, even if he wanted to.

"I know I embarrass them and make them feel bad, but I still want them to be happy." It really hurt to admit it out loud. He wanted to cry because his chest hurt so terribly.

"But do you love them?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Y-yes."

"Then believe me when I tell you that the best thing you can do for them right now is to return to the Village. I know that right now, it may not make sense, but with time and wisdom, you will understand why I say this."