//------------------------------// // The First Day (Part 1) // Story: Silent Song // by SonicFan117DASH //------------------------------// Another day, another set of trials to face and overcome. To Ecco, this was an unavoidable fact of life. The Freshman Fair was only the first trial with many more on the way, and each one more treacherous than the last. In other words, he had to be prepared for anything. With a brand new backpack over his shoulders along with his harp, and a new pair of brown boots, Ecco strode past the statue, across the courtyard, and up to the front steps of the school building, holding his mothers’ hand all the way. Shortly after returning home after the fair, Cirratum announced to Ecco that walking around barefoot was considered somewhat taboo to humans. Zoras didn’t have any use for footwear except for the guards. So when they got home Cirratum made sure Ecco knew to wear shoes whenever he went to school or anywhere else in town. Luckily, with some help from their guard escorts, she was quickly able to find a pair of boots for her son and some high heeled slippers for herself from a nearby shoe store. At first the boots were a tight fit, but Ecco soon found himself to liking them. In fact, he thought they made him look good. Besides, the surface grounds were rougher and more susceptible to debris than in the water and Ecco didn’t like the thought of piercing his feet anytime soon. “I met the principals during the fair,” Cirratum declared, “And they are very polite women. They directed me to my very own classroom, gave me a private tour of the whole school, introduced me to the rest of the staff, and even showed me the teachers’ lounge! I don’t think I’ve ever known such pleasant people. Although the vice principal, Miss Luna, did seem wary of me, but I suppose that’s to be expected. Ms. Granny Smith, the lunch lady, on the other hand, is much more humble and friendly. You would like her.” It uplifted Ecco’s spirit, somewhat, to hear his mothers’ unshakable enthusiasm. He still had his doubts about attending school among humans, but at least his mother seemed happier to be away from Zora’s Domain and the unwelcome atmosphere it had. As long as she had a reason to smile, it didn’t matter to him. “I still can’t believe you managed to get into three different clubs at the fair,” Cirratum continued. “The young ones of this town must be a lot more welcoming than we expected. Not to mention I hear you got at least seven new friends right off the bat!” It was true. After recovering his harp and branding himself a new nickname, Ecco resumed his search for any potential club that he might enjoy. By an extraordinary stroke of luck, he was accepted into the art and book clubs. Back at Zora’s Domain, when he wasn’t landing himself in trouble, he always found the time to dive into literature or create his own pieces of art. Granted, he was still new to either activity but he enjoyed it a great deal. Now, he had the opportunity to put his skills to the test. After the main school day ended, of course. The two Zoras walked through the front doors and took a moment to admire the school’s interior. “Well, this is it. The moment of truth,” Cirratum sighed when they reached the center of the room. They stood in the foyer for a moment before they let go of each other’s hands, hugged, and wished each other good luck on their first day. “Be good,” said Cirratum before planting a kiss on her son’s forehead. “Make Mommy and your Daddy proud.” With that, both Zoras walked in opposite directions of each other and down their designated hallway. Privately, Ecco was thankful they arrived early enough and the school was still relatively empty so no one could see the interaction between him and his mom. He couldn’t imagine the amount of teasing he’d suffer because of it. Pulling a map out of his hoodie pocket, Ecco made his way to his new locker. Once he found it, he memorized the code of the lock, opened it, and began to lighten his load. He looked over his schedule and thought of the best way to manage coming to and from his locker between classes to exchange the necessary supplies. Once he was done, he closed the locker and turned to make his way to home room. By this time the halls were starting to fill with students, many of whom giving him a wide berth as Ecco walked by. Some of them glared at him distrustfully and made foreign gestures that he didn’t recognize, or just outright cast him the cold shoulder. Try as he might to ignore them, he began to overhear whispering again. ”Why is that thing here?” “He’d better behave himself, or else...” “Why is he carrying a harp?” “He looks more like one of those mythical sirens. I’ll remember to get some earplugs.” “Do you think that pointy forehead of his is a cephalofoil? If so, watch yourself whenever he’s hungry...” “I hear they can see in the dark. Better lock your doors at night...” Seriously?! I’ve heard of never being too careful, but that’s just stupid! And for the record, yes, it is a cephalofoil but I don’t use it for hunting! If there was one thing Ecco hated, it was rumor mills. They were just like spies; a well-said or carefully-worded sentence could possibly do more damage than physical actions could. It didn’t help that, especially in small communities, they spread as fast and as ruthlessly as wildfires or airborne diseases. He was desperately hoping that Nayru or Mipha keep him safe from such situations, but he had heard a saying from somewhere before: “He who lives on hope will die fasting.” A harsh and unavoidable truth, yes, but one he’ll have to deal with one day. *** Upon entering the room that would serve as his home room, Ecco found only one soul awaiting him. She was a middle-aged woman with dark orange skin, blonde hair, teal eyes, and wearing a purple business shirt, black trousers, an orchid scarf, and purple slippers. She also had a stern look on her face, one which briefly turned to surprised upon looking at who entered the room before reverting back. “Am I correct in assuming you are one of the Zoras who will be coming here for the foreseeable future,” the woman asked in a professional tone of voice? Ecco nodded. “Well, pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Miss Harshwhinny and I shall manage your home room for this year. Your name please?” Instead of giving Miss Harshwhinny his name vocally as she expected, Ecco reached into his right jacket pocket, pulled out a flash card, and handed it to her. Miss Harshwhinny took the flash card and read what it said. “’Ecco Henrialico Orcinus (Silent Song)’. A rather interesting name, but why did you not just tell me?” Ecco took back the flash card and handed her a different one, which she took with slight agitation. It was clear to him that Miss Harshwhinny wasn’t very patient. Forgive me, but I cannot speak. A bad accident from long ago has rendered me mute. I hope this won’t cause you or your colleagues any inconvenience. Miss Harshwhinny looked the Zora in the eye, unnerving Ecco a little. She then eyed his neck, looking for any physical evidence that could prove his statement. Unfortunately for her, she wouldn’t. Miss Harshwhinny eventually sighed and handed back the flash card. “I suppose some things can’t be avoided. Be sure to inform your other teachers, plus Principal Celestia for good measure, about this and I’m sure they will make arrangements in order to make things easier for you in the future.” Ecco put his flash cards away and nodded, thankful for the advice. “Now then, please find an open seat. Once everyone else has arrived we can begin.” Ecco nodded and looked for a favorable desk to claim. He debated between either the furthest at the back of the room, or the closest to the door. Out of sight of other students or give them a full view for hours on end. That quickly sealed the deal as he decided to avoid drawing attention to himself as much as possible. He reached the desired desk, dislodged his backpack and harp, and sat down. Now with everything gone quiet for the time being, he got lost in his thoughts. The flash cards were an idea that Cirratum had suggested. Since some people would inevitably ask him more advanced questions that required more than simple “yes” or “no” answers, it would be a good place to start by writing responses down on small slips of paper and have them read by the ones questioning him. It would be a hassle trying to find the right cards to answer specific questions, but Ecco thought it would be worth it unless time taught him otherwise. Other than the flash cards, Ecco thought about visiting the library later today to search for a book on sign language. It would be a big improvement and less awkward to communicate than with flash cards. He hoped it wouldn’t be too hard to learn; he’d need all the help he needed in order to not make a fool of himself or worse, his mother. And that was another matter. As far as Ecco knew, no one knew Cirratum was his mother yet. He was hoping it would stay that way. Not just to avoid teasing but also to protect her. If a bully, or anyone who talked too much, caught word of this it could spell trouble for both of them. Call it being overprotective, but Ecco could already imagine it: him being cornered and threatened by bullies to do their bidding lest he risk Cirratum’s safety. That scenario made Ecco clench his fists. Nayru damn me to the Dark Abyss if I ever let that happen again... Ecco took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn’t afford to get worked up on the first day. “Um... H-hello, Ecco.” That quiet, timid voice snapped Ecco out of his thoughts and he looked up to find one of the girls he saw from the Freshman Fair, the one he believed was called “Fluttershy”, taking a seat in front of him. He gave her a small smile in greeting. “It’s um... good to see you again. How are you? That is, if you don’t mind me asking.” Ecco silently debated wether he should fish out another flash card or use basic body language. Fluttershy didn’t know he couldn’t speak yet and he wanted to avoid coming off as rude for not responding. In the end, he gave the pink-haired girl a simple thumbs-up. “Oh, that’s good. A-are you nervous? I’m always nervous on my first day of school.” Ecco nodded. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He was really very scared. In fact, he personally called his triumph in making some friends and entering three different clubs nothing short of a miracle. “Well, I-I’m sure you’ll do fine. I believe in you.” That brought a smile to Ecco’s face. He didn’t know why this girl was being so nice to him but he found that he didn’t care either. As long as someone believed in him, that’s all that mattered. As the minutes rolled by, more students began to fill the room. Unsurprisingly, any initial conversation they were having was quickly halted when they laid eyes on Ecco. Soon they all started talking about him and what they felt about it. Ecco ignored them; their opinions were their own. Three minute before the late bell, Ecco was given another surprise when the remaining students to fill the classroom were none other than the four other girls who were with Fluttershy at the fair. One by one they showed themselves, the last being the rainbow-haired one mere seconds before the bell rang, and greeted each other as they sat down. Also one by one they acknowledged the Zora in the room. “Greetings, Sir Orcinus.” “Howdy, sea critter.” “HI!” “‘Sup?” Ecco’s only response to them was a polite nod of the head to each of them. Rainbow Dash looked at him with a mildly annoyed look. “You don’t talk very much.” Ecco only shook his head both in confirming Rainbow Dash’s claim, and in slight amusement. He had a feeling he would have that said to him more times than he could hope to count. At least she hasn’t asked me to explain it... “Care to explain?” Nayru, why must you turn your back on me? Ecco was really hoping to avoid conversation with anyone, especially that one question that everybody would want answered. He didn’t blame Rainbow Dash for being curious but even if he did want to explain his muteness to her, he just couldn’t. Maybe he should play it safe and pull out his flash cards again. “That’s a bit straightforward, ain’t it,” the girl wearing a hat and talking in a strange accent asked Rainbow Dash? “What? I was only asking a question.” Before anyone could say anything else Ecco was saved by Miss Harshwhinny as she gained everyone’s attention and soon the room fell into relative silence. Ecco felt very relieved from the students now paying more attention to Miss Harshwhinny rather than him. Still, a part of him knew he shouldn’t relax yet, for this was just getting started. This will be harder than I thought. *** For the next few hours things seemed to pass by uneventfully for Ecco. He would receive stares and overhear whispers during or between classes but he didn’t let that bother him. Still, some of the things the students would say about him did annoy him at times. Nonetheless, he kept quiet and went about the day. Ecco then wondered how his mother was getting along? Soon enough the time came for morning break but Ecco didn’t linger and made his way past the crowds and didn’t stop for anything for he thought he should lay low for now to avoid any attention. Besides, he had a quick errand to run. Consulting his map, Ecco trekked the halls at a fast pace to find the principle’s office. He decided to follow Miss Harshwhinny’s advice and inform the principal of his muteness to avoid any confusion and awkwardness. Nayru preserve me if I had to do that with every teacher I meet. As he walked through the halls Ecco couldn’t help but have hesitant thoughts about meeting the principals so soon. Sure his mom said they were very kind people but that may have just been an act to fool her. What if they were only acting polite because of them maintaining their profession and reputation? What if they were secretly prejudiced against Zoras and were plotting to disrupt his and her mothers’ social standing? What if-- Ecco furiously shook his head, his tail fin flailing madly behind him. His paranoia was making him overthink things. Besides, his mother was a good judge of character and could see through deception any day of the week. She wouldn’t have told him what she said if she didn’t believe it. Still, Ecco kept his guard up just in case it was an act. Soon enough Ecco found himself in front of a single door with a nameplate on the wall beside it reading “Principals’ Office.” He took a deep breath and knocked the door gently. “Come in,” a voice called from inside. Steeling his nerves, Ecco opened the door and walked in. Closing the door behind him, Ecco faced forward... and froze. Sitting behind a desk cluttered with various anything’s and everything’s foreign to Ecco was a woman with pale pink skin, bright magenta eyes, and huge flowing hair consisting of soft blue, green and pink colors. Her attire consisted of a white and purple shirt under a gold-colored jacket with a sun emblem pinned on the left side of the jacket collar, purple trousers and a pair of shoes that looked like they were made from pure gold. She was currently looking at Ecco with a look of mild shock that quickly morphed into a welcoming smile. “Good morning. You must be Ecco, correct?” Ecco stood silent, rooted in place. He couldn’t understand why but the sight of this woman’s sheer beauty stunned him. She radiates, for lack of a better term, an aura about her that told Ecco he could trust her without question. She bore a caring and motherly smile that rivaled that of Cirratum’s. It made Ecco think that this is what she would look like as a human. “Are you alright?” Ecco shook his head as he was brought out of his thoughts. After he cleared his mind he looked back to the woman in front of him, who was looking back at him confusedly. Ecco realized he must have zoned out and was staring at her for longer than necessary and most likely offended her somehow. He nodded his head to answer her question while simultaneously rubbing his neck, clearly embarrassed. To Ecco’s surprise, the woman chuckled. “There is no cause for worry, young man- er... Zora. I know how nervous new students can get when meeting their principals for the first time. I can assure you I am a very friendly and understanding woman who will help you through your time here at CHS any way I can. I took the liberty of informing your mother, Cirratum, about this as well.” Ecco’s scales went pale and his eyes widened in terror as his mind registered what the principal had just said. HOW DID SHE KNOW?! His panic must have shown clearly on his face because Principal Celestia was quick to raise her hands in reassurance and say, “She told me herself as well as your intentions of keeping that fact a secret. Plus, it wasn’t too hard to tell. Rest assured, no one else in the school staff other than me and my sister know about it. Your secret will be safe with us until you feel it necessary to reveal it.” Ecco released a breath he didn’t know he was holding, calming down from his initial panic attack. The principal’s kind words of reassurance managed to placate his mind and put him at ease. He also resisted the urge to laugh; he should have seen this coming. His mom must have sensed his worries and acted on them. His mother could read him like a book sometimes. Just then he remembered something else Principal Celestia just said. Wait, her sister? It was at that moment when a side door in the room opened and through it came a woman slightly younger than Celestia. Like Celestia she had an enormous flowing hairdo but that’s where the similarities ended. Her hair being colored a dark blue and a very light indigo. Her skin was a pale light blue and her eyes were a dark teal. She was wearing a light purple shirt with a large white collar, a dark blue crescent moon pin holding the collar in place, a navy blue belt with a silver-blue buckle, a similarly colored knee-length skirt and silver-white slippers. The newcomer was initially taken aback when she laid eyes on Ecco but quickly regained her composure. She looked like she wanted to say something but Principal Celestia spoke first. “Ah, Luna, perfect timing. I was just getting acquainted with our newest student, who is also our first ever Zora student. Luna, this is Ecco. Ecco, this is Luna, my little sister and the Vice Principal of CHS.” Ecco was once again taken aback. This woman had an intimidating aura about her that radiated a figure of authority. Her semi-stern look told Ecco that she was not someone to be trifled with. And yet, it was her eyes that mesmerized Orcinus above all else. The age-old term was that the eyes were the windows into a person’s soul. Vice Principal Luna’s eyes were not only a similar shade of teal like his mothers’ but they spoke of a person who is strong-willed and determined. They were the eyes of an individual who has seen things and experienced a lot in life in spite of how young she looked. Yet, behind that repressed exterior if one were to look deep enough, they could see she was also a passionate soul who could bring a smile to anyone’s face if she wanted to. Ecco was again face to face with someone who reminded him of his mother. ...Then he questioned wether that was overly convenient or just plain weird. Thankfully Ecco was better prepared to control his stature and quickly regained his composure as to not give the two women a reason to suspect his behavior. After taking a deep breath he faced Vice Principal Luna and nodded politely. To his relief she gave a small smile and nodded back. “A pleasure to meet you, young one,” Vice Principal Luna greeted in a professional tone of voice. “Now, what brings you by my sister’s office? Do you not wish to use your break time amongst your peers?” Ecco realized that he almost forgot what he was doing here and quickly pulled out a piece of paper from his hoodie pocket and handed it to Principal Celestia. It was a handwritten note he made to tell them of Miss Harshwhinny’s suggestion to inform the remainder of his teachers of his muteness. After reading the note, Principal Celestia looked to Ecco with a mildly shocked expression. “You can’t talk,” she asked? Ecco gave a small exhale through his nostrils and shook his head, frowning. Suddenly, Vice Principal Luna stepped forward and leaned towards Ecco, staring at him dead in the eyes. This unnerved him a bit and he felt a bead of sweat form behind his ear fin. What was this, some sort of human ritual or something? Whatever she was doing, Ecco found her gaze mesmerizing and it rooted him in place. After about a minute Vice Principal Luna straightened up and took a step back but didn’t take her eyes off of Ecco. “Post-traumatic vocal disarticulation. A condition in which a person is rendered mute after an extremely stressful or traumatic experience despite receiving no damage to their vocal chords. My guess is that you suffered an event so badly you found yourself unable to speak out of fear of reliving said event, or it probably had something to do with you talking at the wrong time and faced consequences because of it.” Ecco was... was... ... ...downcast. Ecco wasn’t a prideful Zora so he didn’t care if he felt heavy moisture gather up around his eyes and trail down his cheek in front of two strangers. He sniffed a small sniff and looked to the floor. He couldn’t fault the vice principal for her words; she just made a well educated guess. However, the fact that she hit it a little too close to home had made him think of that day and put him in a sad state of mind. He never liked to think about it because it only just put him in a sour mood. Thankfully, as if Nayru herself was watching, Ecco was mercifully yanked out of his thoughts by the sensation of something landing on his shoulder. His gaze shot up and briefly locked onto two big somethings concealed by golden yellow clothing before looking further up and locking onto a pair of bright magenta eyes full of concern and a hint of parental worry. “Please forgive my sister,” Principal Celestia stated. “She means well but can be a bit blunt sometimes.” She threw a quick frown at her sister, who only folded her arms in response, before turning back to Ecco. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t wish to pry, but I, too, can see that you must have gone through an awful ordeal. I won’t ask you to explain anything but just so you know, you can trust me and can come to me whenever you need to. You need not suffer in silence.” She then used her other hand to brush away the tears on his face. Ecco now found himself thunderstruck. This woman, whom he met a few short minutes ago, opened her arms to him without a second thought. She was willing to make him feel better about his problems despite not knowing the full details. He started to wonder if this was a dream because there was no way an individual as caring and as understanding as her could exist, right? These thoughts didn’t last long because Ecco could sense the sincerity behind her words and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and reverence towards her. Against his better judgment of keeping his emotions in check and his physical interactions with humans to a minimum, Ecco couldn’t stop himself from smiling and trapping the principal in a big hug. Principal Celestia froze in place at first before returning the hug. She couldn’t find it in her heart to tell Ecco exactly where he was currently pressing his face while he hugged her. She didn’t want to spoil this moment for him, nor could she fault him for most likely not knowing what they were just yet. To that end, she kept her composure and rubbed his back in spite of her discomfort. Ecco soon got a hold of himself and broke the hug. He stood back and gave Principal Celestia a grateful bow, to which she giggled. “Please, there’s no need for that. I am not royalty here, just your principal. Now then, about your request, you need not worry about it. I will personally contact your teachers and a few other necessary staff members of your condition and have them see to your work in a way where talking will not be needed. With that out of the way, I suggest you take the remainder of morning break and learn your way around the rest of the building. We don’t want you getting lost now, do we?” Ecco got up from his bow and gave Principal Celestial another smile, one which brought forth a warm chuckle from her. “Well now, it was an absolute pleasure meeting you, Mr. Orcinus. I hope you have a good rest of the day.” Ecco gave Principal Celestia another grateful smile, which quickly dropped before he glanced at Vice Principal Luna, who hadn’t moved from her spot since she last spoke. Ecco didn’t want to be rude so he gave the younger woman a simple nod before leaving the office with a sense of relief and hope. Along with one other thought. Her chest was oddly soft... Is that common among humans? Wait a minute, weren’t those the things that Mr. Progress and Mama said were- The entirety of Orcinus’ face turned bright red. He wouldn’t know the proper term for it just yet, but at that moment he performed his very first, and most painful, facepalm. How could I have forgotten about that when we were literally discussing it this morning?!