(( art is © and the story is © me. Legend of Zelda franchise is © Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo ))

They were uglier, smellier, and slower than a horse, but these riding boars seemed to have one good quality: they didn’t seem to ever give a damn who rode on their backs and led them. “It’s no horse, but it’ll definitely provide a certain amount of safety in travel. I hope the girl will forgive me for the bumpy ride.”

He quickly gathered his things and approached the girl first. Her state of dress won’t do for the road ahead if we run into anyone. Though Vaba has told me I should never touch a woman without permission… this might be a little bit of an emergency. He brought an extra shirt from his pack and gingerly set about getting it over her body, doing his best to not touch her skin. Much to his astonishment, his shirt was big enough to nearly cover her fully, the bottom hem coming to a stop just above her thighs. Hylian women are short. Or are the men also just as height-challenged?

Careful not to touch any of her wounds, he picked her up and carried her over to the boar, who had been staring hard at Haciel ever since it had noticed him. He knew the riding boars usually didn’t care about who or what got on their backs, but all the same he began to talk soothingly to it, hoping that, like any other animal, it could be tamed.

“Friend boar, I do not wish you harm. I have need of your sturdiness and power to traverse this desert in safety. I beg your assistance.” Haciel placed a hand on the boar’s side as he spoke. When the boar’s expression softened slightly and it let out a confirmative snort, Haciel knew his plan had worked.

“Hopefully you can get us safely out of the desert. When you do, I promise to set you free so you can wander this wilderness to your heart’s content. No beast deserves to be slave to Bulblins.” He could have sworn it smiled back at him, but it could have been a trick of the moonlight.