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EDIT: This story has been re-written as of 02/06/2021

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Rook took a deep breath as he followed dutifully behind Pam, the cool air soothed his aching chest. He glanced around, eager to take his mind off the anger that was bubbling away beneath the surface. The sun had begun to set, bathing the street in a vibrant orange haze, all around them, people were packing up stalls and making last-minute purchases before turning in for the night. His attention drifted to few groups of people in the distance, eagerly putting up their own stands and lighting small lanterns, a night market perhaps? Even with the din of the streets, Rook couldn't pull his mind from the foul taste of dye that lingered in his beak. It better not be toxic.
A sudden twisting in his stomach made him wish he'd never asked, he doubled over, his body shuddering as he spat bright blue fluid onto the cobblestones. His head was still spinning from the incident, wiping away the bile he shot a glance at Pam, she'd covered her face with one hand, but her twitching shoulders betrayed an attempt to hide her laughter.

“Are you sure you're alright?” She giggled, sauntering over to where Rook was crouched, she extended her hand towards him.
“Perfectly fine.” Rook could feel heat building in his cheeks. Is she... Pitying me? He swatted her hand away, trying his best to stand on his own, but his shaking legs weren't cooperating.
“Oh good grief.” Pam sighed and grabbed his arm, pulling him up to his feet. “What did you do to yourself?”
“Get off me!” Rook hissed, jerking his hand away from the young Hylian. “I don't need your help!”
“Fine! Be that way then. We're almost there anyway.” She shrugged, waving her hand in the direction of a tall building.

Looking up, Rook saw the impressive visage of The Great Ton Pu Inn, it sat upon a small hill, standing vigil over the market streets of Hateno. He recalled the stories he'd been told in his youth, of how it served as a refuge for all manner of people during the aftermath of the Calamity. His focus flicked to the shadowy crevice of the doorway, where he spotted Eru waiting patiently, he appeared to be thumbing through a stack of notes when he finally noticed them approaching.

“Ah, you're here!-” Eru shot the Rito a curious stare, Rook could almost hear the gears whirring in the Hylian's head. “Hold on. Your feathers-”
“Don't.”
“Ignore him, stubborn crow won't open up about anything.” Pam snorted. “But, we're all here now, so let's go over the plan.”

Rook fought hard to pay attention as Pam rattled on, something about Zora's Domain, whatever it was, the cramping in his stomach made it impossible to focus. Just how hard had Gus struck him? How much dye did he swallow? The feathers on the back of his neck began to rise as Rook became aware of a lengthy silence. Eru was staring at his stomach, his eyes wide with shock.

“Good gods! What happened!?” Eru yelled.
“Nothing, I'm f-”
“No. You're not fine! You need to lie down- Now!”
Rook was about to protest when a sudden sharp pain in his gut caused his legs to fail. He slumped to the floor, which was spinning wildly. His vision grew fuzzy and dark, the world itself felt off-balance as he heard the sounds of muffled shouting. He felt a pair of hands grab him, and the sensation of being lifted, before a searing pain made him slip out of consciousness.

===========

Rook's head was pounding. Where was he? He squinted around the room taking in what little he could see in the dim light cast by a nearby lamp. A chair, a table, and the bed he lay upon. The ceiling above painfully dull, with cracked plaster being supported by great wooden beams. He noticed a small hook on one of them, a spot for a hanging lantern perhaps?
Rook breathed deeply and lay still, granting his body the rare opportunity to relax. A loud creak pierced the silence, his gaze flicked over to the door as it slowly swung open, as Eru crept into the room, his head throbbed.

“Ah, you're finally awake. That's good.” Eru mumbled, he was struggling with a pail of water.
“Where am I?”
“The Great Ton Pu Inn. Luckily Helena had an extra-sized bed free. You've been out for about an hour.”
“Helena?”
“She runs the place, old friend of mine, owed me a favour.”
Rook paused, there was something different about Eru, instead of his usual dopey demeanour, he held himself with a level of unnerving professionalism. He watched silently as the Hylian grabbed a stool and brought it close to the side of his bed. Before he had a chance to speak, Eru raised his hand to silence him.
“You need to tell me what happened to you.”
“I don't need to tell you anything.”
“Rook-” He snapped. “-I don't think you understand. You were on the verge of needing surgery. You were bleeding heavily inside. I need to know how you got injured so I know how best to treat you. Those bandages will only do so much.”
Rook lay silent, his stomach still churned, he knew something was badly wrong, but could he really trust Eru? He'd only known him for a day at most, but if he refused, would this only get worse? It seemed like there wasn't much choice in the matter.
“Rook!”
“Fine, fine. Keep your skirt on-”
After a short pause, Rook recounted the events of the day, of his scuffle with Gus, and his unfortunate incident at the hands of Sayge. He was fully expecting Eru to start laughing, but instead he saw only a picture of concern written across his face.
“-There you have it. Satisfied?”
“You should consider yourself lucky to be in one piece. That Gus is a freak of nature.”
“He doesn't scare me-”
“He should.” Eru muttered, wringing water from the towel and pressing it to Rook's forehead. “Gus seems to have a thing against the Rito- Will you sit still?!”
“What do you mean?”
“He's pretty vocal about it. You should hear some of the colourful names he comes out with.”
Rook paused again, the cold towel on his head was surprisingly comforting, the hot flush in his cheeks slowly faded. It made sense as he thought about it, Gus had quickly resorted to violence when they met, his feathers bristled whenever he remembered being compared to a cucco. Those useless, flightless birds that could do little beyond lay eggs.
As if Eru could sense his rising anger, he spoke quickly. “You'll need to rest for a day or two at least. Give yourself time to heal. I don't want to see you up and about before then.” Slowly and with tremendous care, Eru began to unravel the bandages around Rook's middle.
“I doubt your sister will like that very much.”
“She'll have to lump it, won't she? You need medical attention.” Eru winced as he studied Rook's injury, even through his feathers he could see his skin had turned a dark purple.
“And how much is that medical attention going to cost me, exactly?”
“Cost?-” Eru recoiled, he looked as though someone had just kicked his pet. “-Don't be daft. Payment is the last thing on my mind when someone collapses in front of me.”
“What about this inn room?”
“Like I said. Helena owed me a favour. So I got her to give us this room.” He dipped the towel back into the water, before pressing it gingerly onto Rook's middle.
“All this, for someone you've known for about a day?” Rook gave a pained laugh. “Doesn't that sound a bit too good to be true?”
“Perhaps it does. But I am a healer, my duty is to help those who need it, no matter their wealth or class.”

A lengthy silence followed. Rook found himself stunned by his response, he didn't want to accept it, but he couldn't deny the grudging respect for the Hylian that was growing. He was reminded of the oath he took as a child, when Heroth gave him his training waster.

Protect the weak and vulnerable, and never raise your sword against them, you will be their shield, the wall that stands between them and the darkness. That is the oath we take, and the one you shall follow.

Eru had since finished his ministrations, with pail in hand he rose from his stool, giving Rook a polite nod, he silently made for the door, it closed behind him with a soft click, plunging the room into a deafening silence.
From his bed, Rook gazed wistfully at the sea of stars through a small window on the far side of the room, it was a beautifully clear night with not a cloud to be seen. He rolled onto his side, his eyes drifted down to the side of his bed, where his belongings had been neatly piled. Heroth's sword glinted in the thin strands of moonlight that shone through the window, the familiar sting of guilt sunk its teeth into Rook's mind. That sword had saved both his life, and Komogo's, at great cost to its original wielder. I've got to be more careful. She gave up her arm, and her career for me, I can't let that be thrown away. His eyes drifted again, following the shimmering moonlight as it came to rest upon his scarf, he reached out, taking it in his hand. His mind flew back to the day he received it, a week after the monster attack that Heroth had saved them from. Komogo had handcrafted it while recovering from his injuries, and presented it to him as a present. He remembered his brother saying it was a thanks for saving his life, and despite his protests, Komogo insisted he take it.
Rook didn't realise he'd been crying until he was blinded by hot tears, even now, he didn't feel worthy of this gift, he wasn't the one who saved them all those years ago. He wasn't the one who slew the monster, he'd only distracted it until Heroth arrived. And yet, this scarf was the only thing he had to remind him of home. He clutched it close to his chest and screwed his eyes shut, but no matter what he tried he couldn't push the images of his greatest failure from his mind. His body began to tremble as he recalled watching that awful blade arcing towards him, the sound of his brother whimpering behind him, the stench of blood, and the screaming of steel.

“Please- Be safe Koko. I'll be home before you know it. I promise.”