Katsuro emerged from the cottage, and sat down on the porch. He held his head in his hands as his mother appeared behind him.

"SWEETY WAIT!" She cried out.

"I'm right here mom... No need to yell..." He grumbled.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I thought you took off... I suppose you're a little more mindful than your father this... Sorry." She put her hands to her chest. "Just be careful with whatever you do, okay? Please? Promise me?"

The boy nodded. "Don't worry ma. I'm a grown man now. I'll be alright."

She teared up, and nodded. "Of course you are... Of course..." She closed the door, and the boy stood up, a smile on his face. He looked ready to attack the day. He set out towards the lake, not noticing your arrival.

Returning to Dogura's house, so soon after the attack by the Order, seemed a bit odd. Alpha had rarely come here anyway, not wanting to risk Dogura noticing his spying habits, but he'd taken the time to learn the area. That made it a simple task to open up a Void portal to this location, which was paying off now, as he wasn't familiar enough with Katsuro to lock on to his aura.

He emerged just as the boy was leaving from his home, and -- fortunately -- it appeared the samurai was nowhere nearby. That was a relief; Dogura might be willing to let his son go off into battle, but his curiosity might lead him to ask about how Alpha had come by the information on Moorshire. He doubted the samurai would react as favorably as Darkin had.

Taking another moment to double check the area for any signs of Dogura's passing, the Sheikah finally dropped out from the tree he'd arrived in. "Katsuro Shadowclaw," he called out as he approached the boy from the side, an arm raised in greeting. "I find myself in a position that could greatly benefit from your help, if you're interested," he began, hoping to tempt the boy's insatiable curiosity.

At least, he assumed it was insatiable. He was Dogura's son, after all.

Alpha wrote:"Katsuro Shadowclaw, I find myself in a position that could greatly benefit from your help, if you're interested..."

Katsuro was astonished by the Sheikah's perfect timing. An adventure is exactly what he had in mind! He didn't care where, he just wanted to set out on another quest. It would appear that the scaling of Death Mountain had put the hunger for adventure in him. The thrill of a near-death experience was exhilarating, far more than the boy had thought.

"You bet I'm interested! I don't care where it is, I'm just ready for action!" He had to wonder what the man needed the his help with though. Alpha seemed plenty strong enough to handle whatever came his way, much like his dad did. He decided not to ask; he didn't want Alpha reconsidering his offer.

"I was just leaving to slay some of the south-beasts actually, so I'm ready to go just about anywhere. What's the occasion?"

"A far grander occasion than that," the Sheikah replied with a smirk. Thank the goddesses that Katsuro was being so compliant -- he was getting tired of telling the story of recent events, and for Katsuro it would have required a great deal more effort. Having to edit out little details about Dogura and whatnot. "Though also a great deal more dangerous," he felt compelled to add in. "A small town in Eastern Hyrule has come under attack by ghouls, and I've been asked to intervene. I couldn't help but think of you and your new blade, so I came to extend the offer.

"I'm still in the midst of recruiting people, so if you want to come, there's a ship on the eastern coast of Parapa waiting for us. Should be manned by a Zora and a Deku. Maybe, if he's already there, a Rito with golden feathers too."

His eyes widened with wonder at the tale. Eastern Hyrule? A Boat? A Rito of Golden Feathers? It all sounded so magical. He couldn't believe his luck! The boy felt compelled to hug Alpha once again, but decided against it. He wanted to seem like a man now more than ever. He turned his head to eye the hilt of his blade out of the corner of his eye, and then back to Alpha. "You bet! I'll see you there!" He immediately took off North. He had no more questions; all he needed to know was the direction.

Alpha smiled at the boy's enthusiasm, but the moment Katsuro had turned and darted off a much more tense face replaced it. The boy wasn't thinking through things nearly as quick as the samurai would have . . . Alpha shook his head. 'He's Dogura's son, not his clone,' he scolded himself. Dogura would have wanted more details, and either way he was stronger and far more experienced; he wouldn't have just run off like that. For someone who had only recently feared for his life on Death Mountain, he had quickly reverted to his age's standard practice of thinking himself invincible.

He prayed to the goddesses that he wasn't making a mistake by bringing Katsuro along.

Because if he was, Dogura would probably kill him.

Well, try to, at least. But the Sheikah really didn't know if he was ready to fight that fight just yet. 'I'd like to prolong things as long as possible . . .'

For now, though, he had other things to worry about: namely, finding a third ally to accompany them. Darkin and Katsuro would both be fine choices, but he had rarely worked with either of them and really needed someone else whom he could trust . . . but both Tayro and Sakiko had escaped Magis' locating spell. Morgoth was the only one left, but Alpha had never felt too comfortable with his necromancy.

He walked back to a tree and jumped up inside it, where he reentered the Void and closed his eyes, reaching out with his spirit's senses. Maybe Magis couldn't find his old friends, but that didn't mean they were dead or anything. It was worth looking into himself.

So he reached out through the Void and began scouring through all Hyrule, seeking out any sign of their presences. 'Come on, Tayro . . . Sakiko . . . where did you guys run off to?'