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“You cheated,” Revali said flatly. He must have. It was the only way.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Link had the gall to say, even raising an eyebrow at him.
"I was ahead of you," Revali protested. This was their third time racing down the mountain that day, and he had assumed his third victory—until he made it to the finish line to find Link already waiting for him, grinning broadly. "I passed you! There's no way you made it that far ahead without me noticing."
"Hard to see in all this," Link pointed out, the snow-laden wind gusting over them both as if to prove his point. Link’s ponytail whipped out frantically behind him, and the ruby set into his snowquill headpiece flashed with life as the temperature continued to plummet. “Anyway, how do you cheat at shield surfing?”
Revali scowled, momentarily stumped. Link took the opportunity to kick his Hylian shield up out of the steadily deepening snowbank, slinging it across his back. To anyone who didn’t know him, Link’s too-wide eyes might have given the impression of innocence, but Revali had the misfortune of knowing and loving that man. Somehow, Link was lying through the skin of his teeth.
"You found a shortcut," Revali realized, fixing Link with a glare and a pointed finger. "That's it, isn't it? That's why I didn't see you."
"What, over the lake?" Link said skeptically, and—okay, so that didn't seem terribly likely. Before Revali could think his way through that particular roadblock, another gust of wind sent them both stumbling sideways, thick snow pelting them from every direction.
The two exchanged wary glances, their argument briefly forgotten. They both knew from harsh experience just how quickly storms could form in the Hebra mountains.
"Let's put this on hold for now," Revali muttered, retrieving his own Rito shield before the wind could snatch it up. They would pick it up again later, of course, because Revali had not yet admitted defeat. "Back to the village? We can get a fire going."
"Sounds good to me." Link shivered, patting at his belt for his Sheikah Slate. "It's freezing out here, and I swear this snowquill's doing noth…"
He faded off, still patting uselessly at his thigh. A frown twisted his face. Looking down, Link turned in a slow, careful circle, feeling all around his belt for the missing piece of Sheikah tech. Then he looked up.
Their eyes met: Link's wide, Revali’s narrowed.
"You're kidding me."
The next blast of wind nearly knocked Link over entirely, though he caught himself quickly enough, mouth set in a grim line.
“It has to be somewhere,” he said, his firm voice not quite masking a desperation that bordered on panic. “It must have fallen off while I was shield surfing. I’ll just… retrace my steps.”
And he began tramping up the mountain as if to do just that, making very little progress through the wind and snow. Revali watched him leave in wry exasperation, his own braids dancing around his neck in a clatter of beads.
“Of course. Just walk back up the mountain as a blizzard's starting," he called out after him. A petty part of him couldn't help but add, "That would be the same path I took down, right? No… shortcuts?"
Link stopped, the swirling snow partially obscuring his silhouette.
“Oh—“
The wind stole whatever words came out of his mouth next, which Revali decided was probably for the best. Teasing Link was all well and good, but with the Sheikah Slate missing and a storm well underway, he thought it might be time to give it a rest and get out of there.
Then again…
“Well, I hope your shortcut works both ways,” Revali said. Calling on the wind to swirl around him, he grinned at Link’s startled expression. “I’ll just meet you back at the top then, shall I?”
“But—“
Revali shot into the sky without waiting to hear his response, wavering more than he cared to admit on the ascent as the wind bucked against his control. He had considered flying them out of Hebra entirely, but fighting the wind with an extra body to carry, he decided they might be better off finding shelter nearby. Up near the course’s starting line he’d seen a cabin that would do the job nicely.
Still, he waited a respectable minute more, hovering out of Link’s sight until…
"...vali!" Even yelled at the top of his lungs, Revali could only just make out Link’s words, fading in and out on the wind. "Are you seriously… get back down…"
Tucking his wings, Revali dove towards the hazy shape that was Link. Link yelped as talons curled around his shoulders and, with a grunt and an extra push from Revali's Gale, the two of them lifted unsteadily into the air together.
“Sore loser,” Link muttered, his legs dangling beneath him. “You still won two out of three, you know.”
“Three out of three,” Revali corrected him shortly, too absorbed in the effort of staying airborne to say much else. Link must have done something. Once Revali had a moment to think it through, he'd figure out what.
His wings had started to ache by the time the banners marking the trail’s starting line finally emerged from the snow, followed closely after by the cabin itself. Setting Link down less gently than he might have otherwise, Revali stumbled through his own landing, leaning forward to catch his breath. Rubbing at his hunched shoulders where Revali’s talons had gripped, Link wasted no time trudging against the wind towards the already half-buried cabin. From the dark windows and cold, smokeless chimney Revali had judged the place abandoned, but Link knocked anyway before wrenching the door open through the snow piled up against it.
"Come on!" he shouted. Link waited for Revali to shove through the doorway before slamming it shut, the rush of wind cutting off all at once. After the blinding white of endless snow, the darkened cabin interior looked practically pitch black in comparison.
While Revali stood waiting for his eyes to adjust—Rito really didn’t see well in the dark—Link kept up a flurry of motion, digging unashamedly through the cabin’s store of supplies and emerging with a pile of wood and some flint. Only once he had the spark of a fire growing in the fireplace did he start to relax.
“Should start to warm up soon,” he muttered, brow furrowed as he fed twigs to the tiny flames. Safe from the icy wind, Revali could already feel his feathers settling against him as his body relaxed its attempt to retain heat, though of course Link had no such natural mechanism. “Guess we’ll just have to… wait it out.”
"Looks like it.”
Gradually, the room’s dim interior came into focus, and Revali examined their surroundings with growing curiosity. Though most buildings he'd found up in these mountains were left abandoned or derelict after the Calamity, this place looked recently occupied despite the cold hearth—tidy and well-stocked, with bearskin rugs spread across worn floorboards and a bottle of Gerudo wine left out on the table. An eclectic collection of shields caught his attention, displayed prominently along every wall. While most appeared to be of Hylian make, a painted Rito shield with feathered tassels matched the one at Revali's back.
"Is this some kind of shield surfing lodge?" Revali asked doubtfully, pausing to examine a golden royal shield that had wandered far astray from its original purpose. Somebody must have gone to great pains to maintain the place, if so.
"It's Selmie's Spot," Link said, as if that explained anything. Still poking at flames that were finally starting to give off a bit of heat, he looked glum.
Again, Revali considered the problem of how Link could have pulled so far ahead without him seeing. He must have discovered a shorter route, whatever he said… but flying high enough for an overhead view of things was out of the question in this weather. Revali would have checked the map on the Sheikah Slate, but—oh.
He mentally kicked himself as Link’s downcast expression took on new meaning. Of course he wasn't moping around because of the weather.
"We'll find it, you know," Revali told him, approaching hesitantly. "Once the storm clears up. It must have landed somewhere along the trail." Revali just managed to refrain from asking where that trail was, exactly, or even suggesting that Link had brought this upon himself, which he considered remarkably generous of him.
"Sure," Link grunted, poking at a coal so sharply that sparks flew. "Except wherever it is, it’s buried under at least a foot of snow by now. Do you know how much I managed to carry that thing through without losing it, only to drop it shield surfing?"
"Snow melts." Never fully this far up into Hebra, but bit by bit it would. "We have time. That thing must be pretty sturdy to have lasted as long as it has."
Seating himself on the rug by the fireplace, Revali tugged at Link's waist, who reluctantly let himself be led to the ground in front of him. Bits of snow still clung to Link’s hair in melted droplets, and Revali brushed them away with his wing.
"I'm sure we can replace it, if we have to," he said, running his fingers more slowly through the hair at the nape of Link’s neck. A light shiver swept over them both. "If Purah made you one, she can make you another."
"Yeah, but… do you know how much stuff I have stored on that thing?" Link sighed morosely even as he leaned back into Revali’s touch.
"About five hundred apples, if I had to guess," Revali said, and at last the hint of a smile crossed Link’s face.
"Five hundred twenty," he corrected, though he sobered again quickly. "All my weapons, my armor…" His lip stuck out petulantly. "My jewelry."
"Well, that is a tragedy." Revali paused to pick out a tangle with his beak, and this time Link shivered so hard, the sliver of visible skin at his neck pebbled up. "If it’s missing, I suppose I’ll have no choice but to lavish you with gifts."
Wrapping his wings around Link to hold him closer, Revali leaned in to nuzzle his cheek, but a hand on his beak stopped him.
"Our pictures," Link said solemnly, and Revali felt a pang of realization. “All of the photos we took together… they’re on that slate.”
“We still might find it,” Revali murmured. They had nothing pressing calling them away from their search. “If not… well, there are worse things than starting over. I think we’ve both woken up at one point or another with less.”
“At least I’d get to start out with clothes on this time,” Link muttered, a bit of good humor breaking through again as he gave Revali a small, mischievous smile over his shoulder. "...Maybe."
Revali’s breathing hitched. This time when he leaned in, Link didn't stop him from leaving a string of short, gentle nips along the side of his jaw, his own breath stuttering strangely. The fire on the hearth had at last become a blazing source of warmth, and a bead of sweat slipped down Link’s neck to disperse along the fur edge of his snowquill tunic.
"All those towers we visited…" Link said hazily, turning in towards him. "The shrines… we'd have to find them all again, wouldn't we?"
"I suppose we would."
It was Revali’s turn to shudder as Link’s lips sought out their favorite space beneath his beak, his hands tangled against Revali’s scarf in an urgent attempt to loosen it. Batting them aside, Revali tore the garment off in a single gesture.
"I guess I could live with that," Link pulled back for long enough to whisper before continuing his trail of kisses down the front of Revali's neck, lips lingering on the shallow dip between collar bones. The wind outside howled its frustration against the cabin walls, the smoldering Iogs in the fireplace crackling with heat. Revali shrugged hurriedly out of the shield blocking the latch to his armor as Link leaned up against him, pushing him to the ground—
And an icy blast of wind burst through the room as the door swung open, white light streaming in around a short Hylian figure.
"Phew! Can you believe this storm?" The person entered, stomping snow from their boots as the door slammed shut behind them. "Almost didn't think I'd make it back up the mountain! Glad somebody got here first to start the fire."
Revali thought it might be a Hylian woman, bundled up against the cold. Shaking wet hair out of her eyes, she glanced around—and stopped short at the scene in front of her. Her eyes moved from Revali leaning back on the rug to Link still sprawled out on top of him, and blinked slowly. A delighted grin curled across her face.
"On the floor, even? You know there's a bed right there."
"Selmie!" Link stammered, falling backward, and Revali's mind put a few things together as he reached awkwardly for his scarf. Selmie's Spot… Selmie's house. Ah. "We weren't really—I didn't think you were—"
"Oh, trust me, I get it!" Selmie said cheerfully, walking inside and letting her shield fall to the table with a clatter. "These mountains get cold sometimes, don't they? Only, you know, you've got a nice fire going now, and the wine is right here. Can't believe you didn't break into that yet, actually…"
From the clear pleasure she took in watching Link squirm, Revali thought she must have seen him at his cockiest a time or two. He had the feeling they would probably get on well together, assuming they ever got past their awkward meeting–not that Selmie seemed at all put off by finding them in that position.
"Thought I might run into you here, actually," she said, leaning up against the desk. "Well, not you," she clarified, nodding in Revali’s direction. Bemused, he nodded back. "Found something on the slopes that I think belongs to you. Look familiar?"
And she held up the missing Sheikah Slate.
"You found it!" Link exclaimed, embarrassment forgotten as he scrambled to his feet. "Selmie, I think I could kiss you."
"What, in front of your bird?" she laughed, handing it over. Turning to Revali as Link began flicking rapidly through screens, she said, "I'm Selmie, by the way. You and Link, huh?"
"Revali," he said, nodding stiffly. “Champion of the Rito”... didn’t feel like the right title to append that with at the moment. Feeling a bit warm beneath his feathers, he added, "Link didn't tell me this was somebody's home."
"I live here, if that's what you mean," Selmie shrugged. "Found this place, claimed it, and nobody's called me out on it yet." Looking Revali up and down, she smirked. "Should've known Link would hook up with a Rito. Do you cheat at shield surfing too?"
Beside her, Link froze, his finger hovering over the slate.
"I don’t think he needs to hear about—"
"Oh, let her speak!" Revali interrupted him, leaning in closer with the abrupt intensity of spotting prey. "Do tell, how exactly does one go about cheating at shield surfing?"
"Well, the Rito I've met will up and start flying whenever the course gets rough." Grinning, she jerked her head in Link’s direction. "He just takes his paraglider right over the lake. Don’t give me that look, Link, I've seen you do it."
"I knew it!" Revali crowed triumphantly, whirling to jab a finger at Link’s chest. Both hands raised in defense, Link looked a perfect picture of guilt. "I knew it! I beat you three out of three!"
Selmie raised an eyebrow.
"I'm… going out to grab some more firewood. Make yourself comfortable… though you know, not too comfortable."
Revali waited for the door to slam behind her before rounding on Link again, stalking towards him in grim satisfaction. Blue eyes wide, Link backed up against the table.
"I knew it," Revali repeated, looming over him. "Well? Anything to say for yourself?"
Link stared, and a small, helpless smile spread across his face.
"Sorry, it's just… your feathers fluff up when you're mad," he said, puffing his fingers out in demonstration. "You know?"
Revali blinked, looking down at himself as he took that in… and couldn't hold back a snort of his own.
"When Selmie walked in, you looked like you'd dunked your whole head in wildberry juice."
Link’s guilty grin widened—and just like that they were laughing uncontrollably, clutching each other to keep from falling over.
"You thought…" Revali could barely get the words out through his laughter. "You really thought you'd dropped that slate in the lake, didn't you?"
Link had to lean against the table for support, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
"I would have told you myself, you know," he managed to gasp out. "I mean… eventually…"
"What, after we'd been up and down the mountain ten times?"
Shaking his head, Link threw his arms around Revali, burying his face in Revali’s chestplate until their hysteria slowly began to subside. At last, Link peeked up at him.
"Well, now that we do have it back… is there anywhere you want to go?"
"I don't know." Revali rubbed Link’s nose fondly with his beak. "There is a fire here, and wine… and you probably owe Selmie an apology…"
"Probably. I think she liked it, though." Stroking Revali’s beak, Link pressed a quick kiss against its tip, grinning back at him. "How long do you think it takes to go get firewood?"
As he spoke, the door opened again.
"What did I just say?" Selmie asked, hefting a bundle of wood and staring at them in mock dismay.
But Link and Revali were already too far gone laughing to respond.