Chapter Text
Wild watched the cracks cutting through the ceiling of the chasm where the defeated beast lay below burst. Water slammed into him, gushing down his Supra, knocking him back into the wall, his head slamming into rock. Stars exploded across his vision, spots dancing, and Wild hacked as water flooded into every orifice in his face. His lungs screamed, burning violently, his arms pinwheeling to right himself out as water greeted him from every angle. If he just swam up, he should’ve breached the surface. All he had to do was swim up.
Wild tipped his head up, but panic flooded through him at the sight of an approaching falling boulder. The roof crashed down towards him, and he dove out of the way. At this rate, he wouldn’t make it in time! At this rate, he would drown before he could get up!
Wild had to try. Situating himself, Wild pushed up off the falling boulder as it shot past him. Propelling himself through the water, he kicked and swam with all his might. His chest ached, screaming for breath, longing to cough. Black spots danced in his vision, creeping into the edges, sending panic radiating through him. His heart rate increased in response, stealing more energy and oxygen from his body, and a cold numbness swept through him. His vision blurred, but he knew of he passed out, he would drown. His body would inhale, and he would be done for. He just had to keep pushing.
Another boulder approached, but when Wild tried to move out of the way, his limbs dragged sluggishly through the water. He just barely felt the boulder start pushing him down before his limbs refused to listen. His heart slammed in a panic, lungs preparing to inhale and choke him, but something yanked him.
He floated through the water like a ragdoll, a strong grip bracing him, grabbing his skin and arms, before he felt hands on his cheeks. With his eyes so far rolled back, Wild couldn’t see a thing— he didn’t know who had saved him or how.
Something slid over his head, shoved down his body, before he was 99% sure he was being dressed underwater. Wild’s body instinctively gasped as air flooded through him again.
Water rushed by again, the hands grabbing him, yanking him up, and Wild’s spinning head struggled to follow. Above him, a larger figure pulled him towards the light of the surface. Golden hair rippled through the water like sunlight itself, brown boots catching his eyes next, then the blue tunic swirling around the other person’s body.
Wild kicked with everything he had, though he found himself irked by the lack of needing to breathe. It was as if his body was taking oxygen from something else— somewhere else— and his eyes cast down to take in the blue tunic fitted around him. How in the goddesses—?
Wild finally breached the surface, the hands shoving him up, before the person breached beside him, coughing and gasping. At the introduction of air, though, he gasped and coughed, water spurting out of him, his chest burning with each horrible shudder. His savior dragged his shuddering, numb body towards the edge of the pool, where hands grabbed him, and yanked him into daylight.
Wild rolled over, kneeling over the ground to better help the water escape. Hands swatted his back, aiding in the shooting pains coursing through his ribs. Water dribbled out past his lips, sunlight warming his water-chilled skin, the wind gusting around him. The surface. He was okay. He was safe.
The second he caught his breath enough, someone forced him upright, and his blurred vision struggled to make out a face.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Hands rocked him, shaking the water off him like a wet dog, before they wrapped a white cape around his shoulders. “You could have been killed!”
“I won…!” Wild cheered weakly through clattering teeth. He squeezed his eyes shut, coughing bitterly into the warm air, and the cape tightened around him.
The figure jolted back, as if genuinely surprised by that fact. Another person rounded on him, breathing out a shocked answer.
“You what?”
Wild pounded his chest, brow furrowed. “Yeah,” he glared up at the two figures—Sky, Time, and Twilight— puffing his chest out triumphantly. “I. Won!”
“Against that thing?” Time demanded.
“All by yourself?” Time added in disbelief. He wrung out his soaked clothing, still panting from breath from his rescue mission.
“Are you hurt?” Sky demanded, leaning forward to squish Wild’s cheeks between his fingers, inspecting him.
“He what?” Wind squeaked.
“He said he won,” Hyrule said.
“How’d he do that?” Legend asked.
Sky dove forward, pulling Wild into a hug, pressing Wild’s head into his warm shoulders. “I’m so sorry we doubted you,” he said. “I just… I wasn’t sure with how sick you were… I’m sorry…”
“We… all are,” Twilight said and moved forward, smiling at Wild.
“We are—?” Legend piped up, only to earn a sharp jab in the ribs by Warriors.
“We are,” he confirmed and clapped Wild on the shoulder. “You’ve proved yourself, albeit idiotically. We do apologize.”
“Speak for yourself,” Legend grumbled, rubbing his side.
Wild watched them all in awestruck shock, a smile growing on his face, before he promptly nodded gratefully, dipping his head. “Thanks, guys,” he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “That… actually means a lot.”
Four laughed, moving forward to side-hug Wild, rocking his shoulder with a hand. “That’s awesome, Wild!” He grinned. “I knew you had it in you!”
“No, you didn’t!” Wind scrunched his nose. “You said—!”
Time elbowed the kid this time, and for the first time since Wild had met him, he smiled. “We’re proud of you, kid,” he leaned forward, dubbing Wild with a playful hand, before grinning. “Welcome to the team.”
In a way, that day, Wild won in more ways that one. He’d won the fight yes, but in doing so, he’d won the trust of The Chain. And that was almost priceless.
As they helped him to his feet, his chest glowed with pride and perseverance, and Wild knew that things would turn out alright after all.