#they may stop breathing briefly or have low O2 levels right after they finish

[skyloftian-nutcase]

For the ask game, migraine with Sky?

Ah, Sky, my baby. <3 I love him so much, I took some liberties, so I hope you don't mind.

Let's have some fun.

(Click here to read on AO3)

The night air was cool, though it felt much warmer and more humid to Sky now that they had spent a few days on Skyloft. The group had just departed his home through a portal, and Sky was eternally grateful that he’d had the opportunity to show them the sights and come to know that no monsters had attacked his home. Although it had taken his brothers a few days to physically adjust to the altitude difference, they’d managed to have a week of peace and relaxation before they had to leave once more. Sky still prayed in thanks for it.

Except now that they were wandering the dark woods in search of a place to camp, Sky felt strangely off. It made no sense, really – he’d just spent the last week relaxing and not doing anything strenuous; there was no reason for him to feel this way. His body felt tired, shaky, ill… he was coughing for no reason, his head was pounding, and his vision was blurred. Maybe he’d walked too much? He’d been taking it easy all week, and his body was downright pathetic in comparison to the others in his group, so he supposed it was possible.

Time mentioned something about trying to find a place with a better clearing rather than the brier they were forced to cut through in their current location. It made sense to Sky; they had a large group, they needed some more space. It would be nice if they could just clear this area for themselves rather than look for something naturally produced, though. Not that he wanted to cut any of the flora, he found it all very beautiful and fascinating, but goddess his head—

Sky lurched forward, stumbling on a root, and his world spun. He crashed into a tree, leaning heavily against it, blinking spots out of his vision. His head felt like it was being stabbed by Ghirahim’s daggers, his stomach felt like it was about to riot, and he couldn’t see.

He was hurting so much and he was so tired.

“Sky?”

The voice was loud, concerned. Sky cringed, mumbling, “’m ok… jus’ need a min…”

“Sky, what’s wrong?”

Sky hissed, sliding to the ground, cradling his head in his hands. Couldn’t they just be quiet and leave him alone for a minute? He could get this under control, but everything was too much. The stabbing sensation in his head only heightened as pressure built up, his eyes welling with tears and his sinuses running.

He felt hands touch him, and he shriveled into himself. He felt awful. He didn’t know what was wrong; Sky didn’t really get migraines, he didn’t suddenly get sick for no reason. Sure, he’d gotten very ill before, but not out of nowhere and not so quickly.

His head was screaming too much for him to piece anything together, but in the back of his mind some kind of nagging, urgent warning screamed.

Skyloft. Altitude sickness.

Surface sickness.

Oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, no.

“I… I’m going to…” he tried to explain, tried to piece together words and grit through the pain to say that he needed less air, that his body had adapted to the Sky far more than any of theirs, that—

Sky blacked out.

XXX

A strange scent entered Twilight’s nostrils.

He wasn’t really sure how to place it. He’d never smelled anything like this before, but something about it was nagging and it made him nervous. He turned, barely able to pick it up, and decided he should track it to be certain it wasn’t anything bad.

Grabbing his crystal, he said quickly to Time, “I’ll be right back, I need to check something.”

He shifted before Time had a chance to answer, and the scent hit him like a moblin’s club. Following it, he moved to the back of the group where Legend and Hyrule were clustered around Sky, who was leaning against a tree. That’s when Twilight abruptly realized the scent was coming from Sky himself.

But never mind the scent, Sky didn’t look well at all.

Twilight immediately shifted back into his Hylian form, and just as he was about to speak, Sky collapsed. Legend let out a yell of surprise and Twilight and Hyrule both dove to catch their friend. The rest of the group noticed the commotion and rushed over, but the rancher barely registered it.

Sky didn’t just pass out, he was convulsing.

Twilight put a hand on his arm to steady him, worried words on his lips. Sky was so tense, his arm would stiffen and relax and his entire body followed suit. The teenager grimaced but no matter what any of the heroes said, he didn’t acknowledge them.

“What’s wrong with him?” Wind asked worriedly. “Sky, why won’t you talk to us?”

Warriors walked around to Sky’s other side and motioned for Twilight to follow. The rancher did so, reading the expression on the captain’s face as something akin to recognition. “You know what’s happening, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Warriors muttered, and everyone honed their attention in on him. Rather than explain, though, he said, “Help me get him on his side.”

Twilight did as instructed, though it was surprisingly difficult since Sky’s entire body was fighting the motion tooth and nail. It wasn’t even like he was trying to push them off or anything, but he was so rigid that it was like trying to roll a misshapen, heavy wooden plank. Just as they got Sky onto his right side, his entire body suddenly relaxed, and he let out a deep exhale and stilled.

And stopped breathing.

“Sky? Sky! Sky!” Legend yelled, shaking him as everyone became alarmed. “What the hell did you two just do, he’s—”

Sky’s chest rose and fell.

And everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“What the hell was that?!” Wild asked no one in particular.

Legend immediately glared at Warriors. “You said you know what’s going on?”

The captain watched Sky as he knelt behind his back, a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Seizure. One of my men back in the war got a bad head wound and started having them, so I’ve seen a few. Looked just like that.”

“A head wound?” Hyrule asked, immediately running his hands through Sky’s hair, feeling over his scalp for any sign of injury. “But he’s not hurt. Has anyone seen him get hurt recently?”

“When would he have gotten hurt, we’ve been on Skyloft this whole time!” Legend noted, throwing his hands in the air.

Four looked at Twilight, eyes distant in thought. “Do you think it has to do with the altitude?”

Everyone quieted, looking at the smithy.

Upon noticing their scrutiny, he shrugged. “We got sick from being up there, could it be possible he gets sick when he first comes down to the surface? I’ve felt a little ill all morning, and I know you guys haven’t felt the best either. Nothing compared to when we were up there, but maybe it’s opposite for Sky?”

Time hummed thoughtfully. “It would make sense. He is far more adapted to being on Skyloft, after all.”

“So what do we do?” Legend asked, cutting to the chase. “There are no sky islands here.”

“Well, if we’re going off that logic,” Four continued. “Then what he needs is to rest so his body has time to recover and adapt.”

“And clean him up,” Twilight noted softly, seeing the moist stain on his clothes. He looked at Warriors. “Is that normal?”

The captain nodded. “Yes. He’s going to be unconscious for a bit, and he’ll be disoriented when he wakes up. It’s best someone be with him the whole time so he doesn’t wake up alone.”

Time looked around, and the calm, commanding expression that settled on his face helped everyone focus. “Champion, you and Traveler scout ahead and find a place to camp. We’ll take Sky to the river to the east. Contact Sailor when you find something.”

Wild nodded, determination gleaming in his eyes, and rose to his feet from where he’d been kneeling by Sky. Hyrule, hand still on the knight’s head, also shot to his feet and followed the champion farther into the forest.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Warriors asked skeptically. “They’re going to get lost.”

“They’re the best survivalists we have,” Time answered. “They’ll find a safe place for Sky to rest. Rancher can find anyone, and they only need to contact Sailor through that slate of his. I’m not worried about it. Let’s get him to the river.”

Twilight reached to roll Sky into his arms when Legend swatted his hands away.

“Let me get his sailcloth off first, he’ll throw a fit if it gets filthy,” Legend fussed, working with the brooch that kept it around their brother’s neck.

“I’ll get a change of clothes for him!” Wind piped in, clearly finding ways to diffuse his nervous energy. He grabbed Sky’s adventure pouch and nearly dove into it with gusto.

“Will he stop breathing again?” Time asked Warriors, his face paling a little at the thought.

“He shouldn’t,” the captain answered.

“Should… should we wait to move him?” Four looked between Sky and the captain. “Will it hurt him?”

Warriors’ face, which had been stony with everything happening, softened and he smiled. “No, Smithy, it won’t hurt him.”

Legend finished removing the sailcloth, allowing Twilight to hold his brother in his arms. He carried him close to his chest, his entire body relaxing at the proximity and at the thought that he could do something to assist. He’d felt entirely too helpless and overwhelmed watching that seizure. Time practically fished Wind out of Sky’s adventure pouch as the boy was only visible from waist to toes, his entire torso digging through the interior. When the sailor was plucked out, he had a change of clothes at the ready and a disgruntled look set upon his face.

“I was looking to see if he had extra blankets!” he protested.

Twilight chuckled and Warriors ruffled the boy’s hair. The group set out for the river.

The cool water did nothing to awaken the Skyloftian knight, making Twilight’s stomach churn with worry. When he looked at Warriors, though, the captain didn’t seem overly concerned. Unable to assist with the bathing, Wind preoccupied himself by getting into a splashing competition with Four, leading Time to take Wind’s pirate’s charm so he could listen out for Wild and keep watch. Both young teenagers were as soaked as Sky by the time Twilight, Legend, and Warriors were finished cleaning him up.

Sky was halfway redressed when his eyes started to flutter open.

“Sky?” Legend placed a hand on his bare shoulder as he shivered. Saying his name caught the entire group’s attention, and everyone hastened over. “Sky, how are you feeling?”

Sky’s breathing quickened and he grew anxious, trying to wiggle out of Twilight’s hold from behind him as the rancher was propping him up. Twilight took Sky’s arms and tucked them to his chest, giving a hug from behind. “It’s okay, Sky, it’s just us. You’re okay.”

“Link.” Warriors knelt in front of him, brushing wet curls out of his face. “You’re safe. You had a seizure. We’re taking care of you, you’re okay.”

Sky settled a little at the words, though from Twilight’s vantage point the teenager still looked confused and scared. His eyelids drooped and he nodded off shortly thereafter.

Time glanced at Warriors for guidance. The captain sighed, leaning back. “Yeah, he’s going to be like that for a while.”

Wind put his hands on his hips. “He’s cold, come on, get his shirt on him!”

Time glanced at Wind, caught off guard at the boy’s commanding tone, and then smiled.

As the group finished getting Sky dressed, Legend shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t think he’s had seizures before and then just not told us, do you?”

Twilight shook his head. “No. No, he hasn’t. Something in the air changed, he smelled different right before it happened. I’ve never smelled that before.”

“You could smell a seizure?” Warriors asked, eyebrow raised.

Twilight shrugged. “I mean I guess that’s what it was. All I know was it was different, and it was coming off him.”

Before anyone could comment, Wind’s pirate charm glowed, and Wild and Hyrule were excitedly telling them they found a place. Before either could even take a breath they were immediately asking about Sky’s condition, and Time quickly interrupted their interrogation.

“He’s doing okay,” he explained. “Just resting. Now where is this place?”

“Oh, it’s just south of the funny shaped boulder—”

“No, no, it’s southeast of the funny shaped boulder, but it’s south of the owl family with those cute little owlets—”

“Yeah, and there’s a tree that’s bent funny that looks like a portal but isn’t and that’s just like twenty paces away from the site—”

Twilight was grabbing his shadow crystal before Time even threw an exasperated look in his direction.

XXX

When he came to, he was… beyond disoriented. And confused. Because why did his head hurt? Why was he on something soft? Where was he? What happened? Why did his whole body feel like it had been stepped on by Koloktos, run over by Scaldera, and punched by Demise? Why did he feel so completely and utterly drained? Why was he on his belly? What was rubbing his back?

Sky groaned, trying to open his eyes, but he was so tired.

Something warm and gentle massaged his neck, and he involuntarily sighed as the tension was released. A gentle voice rumbled, “You’re okay, Sky. You’re safe. It’s okay.”

A little less anxious, Sky still tried to open his eyes. The voice sounded familiar. When he finally started to gather the strength to lift his eyelids, he flinched as something soft tickled his right eye. He kept it closed, opening his left, and he realized he was lying prone with his head turned to the left. The soft material tickling his face was a fur pelt.

Fur. Fur?

“Rancher…?” he mumbled.

He heard shifting on the ground, and then he saw a pair of knees before Twilight dipped down to be at eye level with him. He watched Sky silently, eyes warm and concerned, and then smiled. “Hey, Sky. Welcome back.”

Welcome back? “Where’d I go?”

Twilight chuckled, laying a gentle hand on his back. “Somewhere we couldn’t reach you for a while. You scared us. Smithy worked out that you probably got used to being up in the sky. We all did, in a sense; the Old Man even admitted to feeling kind of woozy when we got to the woods. But you just like to outshine all of us when it comes to the sky, don’t you?”

Sky smiled absentmindedly at Twilight’s low, gentle laughter, not quite catching everything.

Twilight’s hand went back to his neck, massaging it a little more. “Go back to sleep, Sky.”

Safe in his brother’s care, Sky settled, letting himself go.

#I might have escalated that migraine prompt a bit #now for seizure care tips and info! #if someone is having a seizure your job is to make sure they don't hurt themselves accidentally and time the seizure #so get them on the ground and lay them on their side #never put anything in their mouth or try to hold them down #just let them shake it out #being incontinent is normal #all their muscles just had a spastic frenzy so now they all just relax #they may stop breathing briefly or have low O2 levels right after they finish #not good but not unusual in seizures #please do rescue breaths if they stop breathing and have a pulse do not shake them like Legend #after a seizure they will be sleepy and confused it's normal they're what we call postictal #their brain just went through ctlr + alt + delete it just needs a bit to recover #other nerdy info! #dogs can smell seizures and some epileptics have service dogs for that #you can have too much O2 in your system it's called hyperoxemia but it's more of a critically ill hospitalized person thing #so unlikely Sky would get it but Sky is also an elf boy who lives in fantasy sky islands so I do what I want #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu sky #sicktember #ask game #writing prompt #you ask skye answers #lovely guardedchild #writing