Hero Of Harmony

by MattTOB

[15] Comforts of Camping

The first rays of the sun were creeping over the horizon as Spike awoke. He yawned, slowly looking around as the gentle grip of his sleep released him. They were under a tree near the bank of a river, exactly where they'd set up camp last night. Their ostrich was tied to a large branch, the remains of their campfire had long since died down, and the two fairy siblings lay atop his nearby hat, fast asleep.

Spike had to admit that, while he did miss his bed greatly, there was a simple comfort to camping like this. He decided that, once he got home, he'd spend more time outside.

Now that he was fully awake, he arose from his spot under the tree and stretched the morning stiffness away. Reaching for the canteen, Spike was disappointed to discover that they'd already almost run out of water. He used his fire breath to restart the campfire, then dug through the supplies Zelda's staff had provided him with, finding a water purifying kit. With it, he headed down to the nearby river and got to work filtering it.

As he used the fire to purify the water, Hamzah stirred from his own slumber. "Good morning, Hamzah," Spike greeted quietly, so as not to wake up Nuha.

"Morning," the fairy replied, before yawning. "Did we already run out of water?"

Spike nodded. "I guess going through a volcanic region made me thirstier than I realized. That, and the fact that we're making this unexpected detour to Lanayru...."

"I guess so," Hamzah admitted, before an awkward silence hung over them. "So, uh... Have any dreams last night?"

"Nothing special, really; just a dream about being back at home, helping Twilight with her work." He chuckled somberly. "It's funny; I used to hate how overboard she went with everything, but right now, I actually miss that."

"I can't even imagine how you must be feeling. Separated from your family for so long? Heck, even if she drives me up a wall sometimes, I don't think I could survive without Nuha."

Spike nodded, before another silence set in - this time, a more comfortable one. The crackling fire was the only thing that cut through the quiet sounds of the early morning.

Finally, once the water had boiled for long enough, he took the container off the fire and set it aside to let it cool. While he waited, he began to cook some of the pork from his rations. "So, did you have any dreams last night?"

Hamzah thought for a moment. "It's a little fuzzy now, but I remember most of it. Nuha and I were kids again, and we were back with our parents. They said something, before they flew backwards into the shadows. Nuha and I tried to find them, but we got separated, and I found myself in Princess Zelda's Study.

"Zelda came in, rushing to and fro, pulling books off of shelves and skimming them before throwing them away. Then a guard entered and started speaking to her about a roast that she'd forgotten about. They went back and forth, before the guard got mad and stormed out, disappearing into shadows as well. I tried to approach Zelda, but smoke started to pour out of the door, obscuring my vision, and when it cleared up, I was in Goron City and Nuha was there once again.

"After that, the dream went off in a crazy direction involving two minecarts and a giant magnet, and I honestly don't remember most of it," Hamzah finished.

Spike had fallen completely silent, enraptured in the story. He knew better than most that dreams could hold a lot of significance. But that was in Equestria, where they could be influenced by magic; were the rules here different?

A drop of water hitting his nose brought Spike out of his thoughts. He looked around; it was starting to drizzle lightly. Thankfully, their campsite was mostly protected by the tree.

Nuha yawned, finally waking up. "Oh, good morning, guys," she said drowsily. "Did I oversleep?"

"Not at all," Hamzah assured her. "We woke up early, and were just talking about our dreams."

"I dreamed I was a snow leopard riding a raft down the trunk of the Deku Sprout," Nuha stated as though that were the most normal thing in the world.

Spike and Hamzah looked at each other, then chuckled at the sheer absurdity.

---

After Spike had his breakfast, he packed everything up and boarded the ostrich once again. Checking the map, they continued to head towards Zora's Dominion.

As they approached two watchtowers marking the border, the rain steadily grew heavier, turning from a drizzle to a shower. Spike took a moment to slow down the ostrich, taking in the scenery around him. Several ornate lights made from luminescent rocks marked the path into the dominion, and the wet rock faces reflected them, creating a cascade of colors that danced as the water shifted. The river cascaded down several small waterfalls as it left the mountains, churning lightly enough to where he could still hear the birds chirping. And the watchtowers themselves were made from a similar rock to the lights, decorated with intricately carved patterns and shaped to resemble fountains of water.

His musing was interrupted by a stern female voice shouting "Halt!" Spike stopped the ostrich completely, looking around for the source of the voice. Finally, Spike looked up at the left watchtower just as a figure leapt down from the top, performing a front flip in midair before landing perfectly on the ground in front of them.

It was what Spike assumed to be a Zora, taller than a Hylian and with muscles to match. Her dark red scales contrasted well against her silver cuirass, belt, and helm; she had an ornate silver sword at the ready; cuts from battles long past scarred her head-fins and her legs; and her face was pulled into a practiced neutrality, despite the fact that her golden eyes betrayed her suspicion and sternness.

And she was missing her right arm.

Author's Note:

I'm back with a new chapter, FINALLY!

Sorry to keep you all waiting; I was busy with my YouTube channel, and I was also having some trouble deciding how much I should include in this chapter. I think I struck a good balance, though; what do you think?

Comments

[SpikeSmolder fan]

Sweet new chapter here, glad Spike & Co had a chilled time time here before the next step of the journey, especially with that Zora encounter at the end there!

Looking forward to more Matt, keep up the good work!

[Teraunce]

Nice new chapter.