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Morning had arrived bright and sunny in the Kokiri Forest and the Kokiri themselves were going about their daily business.For most this meant coming up with new games to play, while others took the pleasant day as a chance to do some cleaning in and around their homes.One Kokiri, however, had risen even before the sun and the cheery blue sky did little to lift the worried clouds that hung over her and the fairies that drifted around her.Two weeks.It had been nearly two weeks since Saria and the Deku Sprout had received Princess Zelda’s unexpected message via the Forest Temple and its Sage (her ‘teacher’, as Saria was only a sage candidate in this timeline).The Sage himself had acted peculiarly upon relaying the message and had been annoyingly vague with his wording, merely stating that an ‘incident’ had occurred and that the princess, via Rauru and the Forest Sage himself, had asked Saria and the other Kokiris to keep an eye out for Link, who may be in need of assistance.Navi, upon hearing the news, had been even more frantic than Saria had felt, and it had been incredibly difficult to prevent the fairy from attempting to leave the forest to search for her former partner.“Still no further news from Princess Zelda?” the Deku Sprout called upon Saria’s return from her latest lesson in the Forest Temple.“None,” Saria sighed alongside Navi as they and her fairy sat down beside the sprout, “and he’s still being so vague on just what it is that’s supposed to have happened to Link!”“Hmph! Rotten old man!” Navi huffed from her place atop Saria’s shoulder, “bet he thinks we’re nothing but stupid kids!”“I don’t know about stupid,” Saria laughed wryly, “but, yes… I do believe my being a Kokiri is proving to be a factor in why he won’t say anything further upon the subject….”“Really?” the Deku Sprout hummed with a thoughtful expression upon his face, “well then, perhaps… could it be about that, I wonder…?”“That?” Saria and Navi repeated, interest now piqued, “what do you mean ‘that’? Do you know what he was talking about?”The Deku Sprout had only just opened his mouth to answer when he and Saria both tensed as a foreign presence was felt entering the woods.And then Saria couldn’t stop herself from crying out in relief as the presence revealed itself further and then she was running, Navi and her own fairy calling her name as they hurried after her.Further calls of her name were made as Saria made her way through the Kokiri Village, all of which she ignored, only coming to a halt once she stood upon the bridge that led out of the Kokiri Forest.She then pulled out her ocarina and began to play her song, the magic of the forest responding instantly to the tune.In her mind’s eye, Saria could see that person’s head lifting as the song reached his ears, repeating gleefully as it drew him onto the path that would lead him back to the home he’d been away from for so long.Saria only lowered the ocarina once the figure was at the foot of the bridge she stood upon, girl and fairies all hopping in excitement and relief as a familiar figure in green upon a chestnut horse appeared before them.“Hmph! So, he finally came back home, did he?” Mido’s voice suddenly scoffed from behind Saria, causing the girl to shoot a wry grin in his direction.“He has!” she chuckled, fondly shaking her head and laughing at Mido’s grumpy face, “and you’d better be nice to him, Mido.”“Why should I?” Mido pouted defiantly, “you’ve been worried sick about him for the past two weeks! And after I already warned him after that last time! You better believe I’m gonna give a piece of my—”“Wait, something’s wrong!” Navi suddenly cried as she rushed forward, “Link looks like he’s about to fall!”Indeed, the figure sitting upon the oddly slow moving horse was wobbling precariously from where he sat and the two Kokiri quickly rushed forward themselves as he suddenly pitched to the right.What came next was a great scrambling of fairies, Kokiri and even the horse herself as they fought to keep Link from hitting the hard wood of the bridge.The boy himself was no help, his body limp and only the flash of blue eyes and a small groan indicated that he was still conscious, if only barely.“Link, what happened?!” Navi cried once Link had been safely lowered to the ground.“He’s burning up!” Saria yipped, worry building as Link emitted a low whine, pain evident in his voice. “Oh no, he must be really sick and… what’s that thing between his le—?”Saria didn’t even get to finish her question before Mido let out a strangled screech.“What the heck are you doing you idiot?!” Mido cried as he suddenly raised his fist and hit Link solidly on his head, “how dare you show something like that to Sar—?!”The next thing any of them knew Mido had been thrown to the ground, Link’s face a terrifying sight as he snarled like a Wolfos, sword in his hand and pressed threateningly against Mido’s neck.“Link, NO!!!” Saria screamed, flinching back as that resulted in a growl being emitted from the larger male.A strange and really scary smell was suddenly hanging in the air, one that had a whimper building in Saria’s throat as she curled in on herself.But, at the same time, it also made her take a tentative step forward, as it brought forth memories of when Link or one of the other Kokiri had been sick or hurt and Saria had been taking care of them.“Link,” she called again, taking one more tiny step forward as Link’s gaze darted all over the place, his chest heaving, “Link, hey, look at me, please?”“Link!” Navi called at the same time, fearlessly flying to hover before her old partner’s face, “Link, calm down! It’s just Mido, see? I know he was being a jerk again b-but, l-let’s put the sword away, okay?”Link emitted a strange sound as his gaze continued to flit between his friends, that equally strange scent growing ever thicker in the air.But then Saria managed to lay a gentle hand upon his arm, causing Link to flinch before bringing his attention fully upon her.He looked so confused and sad and so, so scared that the next thing Saria knew, she’d wrapped her arms around him, hugging Link tightly as a strange sound and vibration came from her chest.“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Saria found herself murmuring as she stroked Link’s hair, “no one’s going to hurt you, it’s okay….”Saria was startled when a much louder sound suddenly started up and Link’s body began to vibrate.But she found herself calming as it continued and, strangely, her own sound and vibration picked up in intensity as a result.“What the heck is going on?” Mido grumbled as he managed to crawl out from underneath Link. “How dare you point a sword at me you jerk?”“You started it Mido,” Navi huffed as she and the other fairies strained to drag the fallen sword farther away from Link. “You shouldn’t have hit Link like that! What got you riled up anyway? The weird bump between Link’s legs?”“Oh, hey, yeah,” Saria mumbled as she glanced downward curiously, “what is that? Did something… crawl in there, or…?”“Er, uh, w-well I-,” Mido stammered nervously, only growing more flustered at Saria’s raised brow, “I-I… I’m pretty sure… that’s, uh, one of his, uh… his boy parts….”“Really?” Navi asked as she hovered by Link’s head, softly grazing against it as he sighed, “but, I never noticed a bump like that before on our journey….”“Well, it’s, uh-,” Mido continued to stammer, although now he was looking confused as well as flustered, “I… I’m not actually sure why it does… what I think it’s doing… or, maybe it’s… different? I-I don’t know—”
“Mido, Saria, can you hear me?”
“Deku Sprout?” the two Kokiri called, gazes travelling upward at the call of their names.“It seems like my suspicions were correct,” the Deku Sprout announced. “As such, it would be best if you would bring Link to me… everyone, please help Mido and Saria as well….”Upon his request, the rest of the Kokiri appeared, all muttering worriedly as they beheld the sight of their missing brother.It took all of them working together alongside Link’s horse, Epona, but finally they were able to transport the nearly unconscious boy to where the Deku Sprout stood.The young tree gazed upon Link somberly before turning to address the Kokiri themselves, who stared back in varying levels of worry and curiosity.“Is Link sick?”“Is he dying?”“What’s that weird smell?”“Why’s he making that noise?”“How come his thingy is like that?”“Quiet please, everyone,” the Deku Sprout requested, “Link is in a very delicate state right now, it would be best not to agitate him any further.”“So he is sick?!” Navi cried worriedly.“At the very least, he was dangerously close to becoming sick,” the Deku Sprout replied gravely, “very sick indeed, so it is good he managed to make it here when he did….”“Should we get him some medicine, then?” Saria asked, her own worry growing as she took in Link’s pale skin and labored breathing.Everyone murmured in concern as Link suddenly emitted a loud whine and began struggling to sit up before the Deku Sprout called out once more.“No, no, that won’t do! I know this is confusing but you all must strive to keep your scents calm and soothing!”“Our scents?” Saria repeated.“Yes, your scents,” the Deku Sprout replied with a nod, “or rather, your emotions. Right now, Link needs you all to be calm and welcoming, this will help to ease the anxiety and paranoia he is experiencing due to his rut.”“Rut?” Navi repeated this time, “what do you mean? What is a rut?”“I shall explain that shortly,” the Deku Sprout stated, “right now it would be best for someone to run to Link’s house and grab his pillow and blankets alongside a number of mementos….“You as well, Saria,” the Deku Sprout added, causing the girl to tilt her head in curiosity, “as the one who has always been closest to Link, and given the nature of your second gender, his recovery will be greatly aided being surrounded by your scent.”“Wha-, what are you saying Deku Sprout?!” Mido cried, lowering his voice into an angry hiss upon Link’s sharp growl, “wh-why does Link get to have Saria’s things?”“You can bring your own as well,” the Deku Sprout replied with a shrug of his tiny branches, “in fact, why don’t you all gather your comfiest pillows and blankets? We may as well make one nice big nest and hold a slumber party here….”“Deku Sprout,” Navi called, ensuring she was hovering right next to Link’s cheek, Epona settling down at his side as the Kokiri carefully headed back to their houses to gather the recommended items, “is Link really going to be okay? Shouldn’t we get a potion or something?”“Hmmm, honestly, I’m not sure,” the Deku Sprout admitted as he gazed upon the drowsy Link laying before him. “The information left by Father is limited on this subject, since it doesn’t apply to Kokiri, really.“Still, I think we should try the method that information suggests,” the Deku Sprout stated firmly, “if it doesn’t work, then we should probably try to get in touch with Kaepora Gaebora and Princess Zelda… since they’ll probably be better equipped for these instances.”Navi hovered uncertainly, clearly unsatisfied with the still cryptic response, but Link’s sudden whine drew her attention back to him, the fairy and horse acting as diversions until the Kokiri returned.“Now you see, everyone,” the Deku Sprout began, once everyone had gathered before him, a nice big nest of blankets, pillows and toys spread in front of the young tree, with Link at its center, “in this world… there are things known as ‘genders’….”“Yeah, boy and girl, right?” one of the Kokiri chimed in.“Correct,” the Deku Sprout replied with a nod, “those are the two main genders… but there is also a set of secondary genders. These secondary genders are called Alphas, Betas and Omegas.”“Okay, but, what does any of that have to do with what happened to Link?” Saria asked, peering down at her best friend, who had finally fallen asleep properly after burrowing into a nest of his sheets and various knick-knacks from her and the others.“Do you all remember that incident with the rabbits?” the Deku Sprout asked, adding on as the Kokiri responded in the affirmative, “well, the same thing happens with Hylians once they reach Link’s current age.“From what we have seen so far,” the Deku Sprout continued, “it is highly likely that Link’s second gender is that of an Alpha. And as an Alpha who has come of age, this means that his body will undergo changes to prepare for the act of creating baby Hylians.“In order for that to happen, Alphas will go into a period of what they call ‘rut’. Their bodies will begin emitting a scent that will draw in potential mates and, once a mate has been selected, they will engage in the process of creating new life.”“The babies,” one of the Kokiri stated bluntly, to which the Deku Sprout nodded in affirmation.“However,” the Deku Sprout stated, the now somber tone causing the Kokiris attention to perk up immediately, “a rut can also cause an alpha to feel a heightened sense of unease and restlessness.“It is highly likely that Link, unaware of what was happening to him, fell deeply into that unease, his heightened senses causing him to grow ill the further agitated he became… only growing worse as he had no partner to aid in calming him.”“He seems okay now, though,” Navi remarked from her perch upon the sleeping boy’s head.“That is because he is now in what he identifies as a safe place,” the Deku Sprout replied, before turning to the Kokiri, “and because, as you are Kokiri, you will forever be Pups.“Because of that, and because you are his ‘pack’, you were able to transform Link’s rut into a ‘warm rut’. This means that his need to find a mate will ease and all he will require now is snuggles alongside good food and plenty of water.”“We can do that,” Saria stated firmly, smiling down at Link as he nuzzled against her in his sleep, “it doesn’t sound too different from what we do when one of us catches a cold.”“But what if he snaps like he did before?” Mido asked as he eyed Link suspiciously.“That only happened because you scared him,” Saria reminded the Kokiri leader pointedly. “Come on, Mido, Link is sick! He needs us!”Mido frowned, then glanced at Link, who’s breathing was still a bit labored and face flushed.The freckled boy then sighed as deeply and dramatically as he could before plopping back down into the village sized nest, mouth tilting in confliction as Link rolled and snuggled against him in his sleep.“I guess it is like one giant slumber party….”Saria smiled as Mido gently patted Link’s hair before pulling out her ocarina, playing a nice lullaby until the rest of the Kokiri and fairies drifted into the arms of slumber, the Deku Sprout watching over them lovingly….