Guardian Ariko

Chapter Seven

It was dark.

The Guardian's gaze was still fixed upon the entrance to Kakariko, although its red indicator had long since turned off. The steady supply of power coming from the shrine seemed limitless, and the Guardian wondered just how deep it really was.

It was a patient being. Guardians needed neither food, water, or rest and could battle for literally an eternity, provided they weren't damaged sufficiently. In the Guardian's case, it had survived by a fraction of a fraction of a hair. It could only imagine what would have happened if the hero had struck its eye with that Guardian-made arrow.

A faint sound registered, and its attention deviated away from the entrance, towards a small child standing nearby. The child was dressed in a very long white shirt, had her short brown hair in a mess around her shoulders, and was clutching a miniature boar made from cloth and stuffing. Walking up to the Guardian fearlessly, the child looked up into its eye and said something.

The Guardian didn't understand what she was saying, but blinked in response. The young girl smiled, pulling her plush boar closer, then spoke again. When she recieved no response, she walked forward and sat down just in front of the Guardian's heft, putting her hands behind her and staring up at the sky.

Now the Guardian genuinely didn't know what to do. Looking around briefly, the Guardian realized that no one was nearby, and lifted its free leg experimentally. It'd been long enough that it could move it around much easier.

Looking down, the Guardian carefully curled its limb around the young girl, who shrieked in surprise. Pulling her a little closer, the Guardian rested its leg on the ground.

The child stood up, moving away in anxious surprise as the Guardian watched her. Cautiously, she spoke again. A question this time. The Guardian was tired of blinking as a response to everything, so it instead raised its leg again, this time waving the end in an awkward wave.

Laughing nervously, the child moved closer, looking up into the Guardian's large eye and speaking again. The Guardian recognized two of her words - one had been its title, and the other had been part of the village it was currently occupying.

Yawning, the child lay down, resting her head on the Guardian's side as it processed the words. The child had wanted to give it a name, evidently.

It was now Guardian Ariko.