Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A voice spoke from the edges of Link’s consciousness. It called his name, encouraging him to wake from his sleep. Slowly his eyes drifted open, and he stared blearily at the sky as it was bathed in twilight. He had lied down for an afternoon nap and must have slept a bit too long. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. He felt a little disoriented. He sat up and looked around. He could have sworn somebody had been trying to speak to him, but he could see no one around. He breathed out a sigh and gazed back up at the sky. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew the voice that he had heard, and at that time of day it felt painfully ironic. Of course he would dream about her during the twilight hours. He was about to curse his stupid brain for the pain he now felt anew in his chest when he heard the voice again.

“Link! Please, I know you can hear me. Please respond!”

Link blinked again, eyes wide in shock. He couldn’t have been imagining it this time. He could hear her speaking as clear as day. As if she were sitting right there beside him. Tentatively, he tried his own voice.

“Midna…?” he asked softly.

“Yes, Link.” The voice said fondly. “It’s me.”

Link hastily got to his feet and looked around some more, desperately hoping that he would be able to find her by doing so. “Where are you? Why can’t I see you? How are you talking to me?!” he cried out, feeling his heart sting and tears forming in his eyes. “I’ve been looking everywhere for a way to reach you. So why? How can you suddenly be talking to me like this?!”

“Please calm down. I know. I long to see you once more, too, Link. I’m afraid I do not have the time to explain, but I’ve discovered something.”

“Midna…” Link whispered, hating the way she was speaking to him. It felt like she was playing some sick prank on him, suddenly talking to him like this after all the years he had been searching for a way to reach her again. And yet he continued to listen. He was sure there was no way he could block out her voice even if he tried.

“There is someone who needs your help. I can feel a power from where he is. Link, go to him. Help him. Give him whatever aid you can. If you do then I am certain… I am certain you will find a way for us to meet again!”

Tears fell from Link’s eyes freely and he pressed his palms to them. His breath was shaking, and his voice was high and choked when he spoke. “This is a cruel thing you are doing to me, you know that. Right?”

“I know…” Midna replied, her voice soft. Hurt, almost. “That is why I got straight to the point. My time is short. I cannot give you all the details before the sun’s light fully recedes from the land. So please; go to this person. Go to where he is.”

Link sniffled and tried in vain to wipe his tears away. He took a deep breath and turned his face to the sky, his eyes closed, and let out it out in one long breath. “Alright… Alright! I’ll go to this person. Where is he and how am I to get there?”

“That is the tricky part… In order to reach him, you will need to borrow my power. I can give it to you, but it will be by his will that you will go to him.”

“Borrow your power?” Link asked, confused by what she meant. “And what do you mean by ‘his will’? Does he even want me there?”

“I’m afraid I am out of time. I need your final answer. Will you take my power as your own and help him?”

“I will!” Link stated resolutely.

“Then I will grant it to you.”

For the first time in two years Link felt the familiar shifting of his body. He fell onto all fours as his body changed. Fur, fangs, a tail, and an iron chain clasped around his left foreleg. His ear twitched and he took a quick look at himself as best he could.

“Good luck, Link. I hope for both of our sakes, and for his, that you are successful.”

Before Link could even attempt to respond, although he knew he could not speak in the form he was now in, a black portal appeared above him and he felt its pull as he was warped away from where he had been napping peacefully just minutes earlier.

*****

Link sat alone atop the ruins of the temple. A few days ago he had awoken from a deep, deep slumber that he had apparently been in for a hundred years. He remembered none of what had put him in such a state, but once he stepped out into the sun he had been guided by a friendly old man. The old man had an item in his possession that intrigued Link: a paraglider. He had said that if Link wanted to get down from the plateau they were on, he would need said paraglider. All he asked in return for it was that Link retrieve a treasure from four shrines that had become activated when Link had inadvertently raised a huge tower from the ground with an object called a Sheikah Slate that hung at Link’s hip from his belt.

Link’s search for each of the shrines had him trekking all over the plateau. For such a small area it was surprisingly diverse in its biomes. A dense forest, ruins, a less dense forest, and a cold mountain with a frigid lake. He had explored all of it and completed every shrine the old man had asked of him. The “treasure” he had obtained from each shrine did not seem to be something the old man could have, however. Thankfully the old man was simply satisfied that Link had gotten them. He instructed Link to return to the Temple of Time, and Link had. There he had seen that the statue of the Goddess was glowing and when he prayed to it he was allowed to make one of two wishes. He made his, and received a heart container. Afterwards he stepped outside again and the old man called to him from the roof. Link had been climbing things from the moment he had awakened and so he scaled the outside of the building, only to feel a little silly when he got to the roof and saw there had been a ladder. He had to climb a bit higher, however, as the old man was waiting for him at the very top.

Once there the old man revealed a great many things about himself, Link, and the land of Hyrule in which they were in. Link still struggled to really take in all in. It sounded like something out of a fairy tale or a book. A Great Calamity, a dead king, a trapped princess, and a knight who had fallen in battle and had been asleep for a hundred years. Link remembered nothing of it. In fact, he only knew what his name was because it had been used to address him by the voice of the princess from when he had woken up. He didn’t really know if he could believe everything he was being told, and yet, he had seen for himself that the old man was nothing but a phantom and that there was definitely a vile aura encompassing the castle far in the distance.

He breathed a dejected sigh. He pulled the Sheikah Slate from his hip and looked at it again. There were five powers it granted him; five runes. Two runes gave him two different types of bombs, one gave him the power to create and destroy pillars of ice, one let him lift and maneuver metal objects of any shape and size and weight, and the last let him stop an object’s time for just a few seconds. They were all immensely useful in the right situations, he was sure, but something about the screen bothered him. There was distinctly a sixth slot for a rune, but he still did not have access to it. He glanced up from the screen and around at the world he could see far off in the distance. He couldn’t see it from where he was, but he remembered spying another shrine from the top of the tower, one he couldn’t reach because it was beyond the plateau. He thought perhaps he would find this mysterious sixth rune there. He looked back down at the screen in order to turn it off.

And his eyes widened.

There was another rune! It was not where one was obviously supposed to be. This one had had no indication that it existed and it certainly had not been there before he looked up. Curiously, Link tapped it. A softly glowing circle appeared before him, pulsating gently. He stared at it, unsure what it was supposed to be or what he was supposed to do with it. He tried tapping the screen again, but nothing happened. The circle just sat there.

A thought occurred to him and Link stood up and used the ladder to climb back down to the ground. The roof of the temple where he had tried to use the new rune was terribly uneven. He tapped the new rune again to activate it upon the mostly-flat ground. Again all it did was create a glowing circle. This did not really surprise Link, as he often saw strange effects when he activated runes before actually putting them to use. He tapped the rune again, hoping that would make it do whatever it was supposed to like all the others did.

Something did happen. A strange black thing appeared in the air above the circle, a few feet off the ground than Link was tall. It expanded in size with black squares materializing out of nowhere. What looked like some sort of portal opened within it, and the black squares rained down onto the ground, taking shape and changing color. The portal then vanished along with the circle itself. It had all happened in just four or five seconds. Link blinked, shocked and bewildered at what had just happened and also at what was now standing in front of him.

It was a wolf. It was huge, easily taller than Link if it stood on its hind legs. It was grey, sporting lighter colored markings all over its body. Three things stood out as especially unusual to Link as he stared at it. The first was the iron chain clasped to its left foreleg. The second was the blue earrings it wore. They were strikingly similar to the ones Link had found himself wearing upon waking. And third were its bright, intelligent blue eyes that were clearly considering him just as carefully as he was considering it.

Link let out a cry of delight and hurried to it. He paid no heed to the fact that the beast was a massive predator that could probably kill him. As far as he was concerned, his Sheikah Slate had suddenly decided to put a giant puppy in front of him, and there was no force in Hyrule that was going to stop him from petting it! The wolf jumped in surprise as Link kneeled down and excitedly threw his arms around its neck, giggling like an idiot. He leaned upright again and rubbed his hands all through the long fur at the wolf’s neck, eventually coming to massage its ears. The wolf closed its eyes and wagged its tail happily.

“So you’re a friendly doggy.” Link stated, grinning gleefully. “Strange way for you to show up, though. I wasn’t expecting this thing to be able to materialize an animal. I wonder what the purpose of that is. All the other runes are useful. Is there something you can do for me?”

The wolf perked up and looked around them. It seemed like it was searching for something, but Link had no idea what. It separated itself from his grasp and trotted a short ways away from him in all directions before coming back over to him and sitting down with a huff. Link knew better, but it almost looked like the wolf was upset about not finding whatever it had been looking for. A smile graced Link’s features and he patted its head.

“Don’t worry, buddy. Even if you’re useless I think it’s great that you’re here!” He plopped his other hand on its head to rub its ears again. “Hey I know, why don’t you stick with me? You know, keep me company?” The wolf wagged its tail, although he couldn’t tell if it was because of the head rub or what he was saying. He assumed the former. “Hm, if you’re going to stick around, I should give you a name or something, shouldn’t I?” The wolf jerked its head away and stared up at him, its tail wagging a lot. “Huh? Are you trying to tell me you already have a name?” The wolf nodded and the gears in Link’s head came to a screeching halt momentarily.

“Woah…” he muttered. “Woah woah woah! Wait a second! Hold up! Did you just nod?!”

It nodded again.

Link gaped at it. “Seriously? I was just joking around before! You know, talking to an animal like any person would! I didn’t realize you could actually understand me! And not just that, you can respond to me, like a person!” he waited a moment. “Do you…do you really understand me? Uh, nod and turn around three times if you do.”

The wolf stared at him, and for a moment Link wondered if he had been imagining everything. But then it nodded and turned itself around in a circle three times before sitting down again. Link, who had still been kneeling, fell back onto his rear end, barely catching himself with his hands behind him before he could fall any further.

“That’s… That not a thing wolves are supposed to be able to do. Um… So then… You’re eyes aren’t just foolin’ me. You’re actually intelligent. Wow. That’s… I don’t know what to make of that.” He babbled.

The wolf stepped closer to him and came to sit by his hip. It stared down at him, and Link was now able to register that there was genuine empathy in those brilliant blue orbs. Link had to wonder if the wolf was just as surprised and confused about everything that was happening as he was.

“Well, since I guess you can’t really tell me your name at the moment, why don’t I tell you mine? You can write yours out in the dirt with a stick or something later. Ah, you can write, yeah?”

The wolf nodded again. And then again to answer his second question.

“Alright. My name, according to those who have told me, is Link.”

The wolf suddenly jumped back and whined, its tail moving wildly and its eyes open wide. Link sat up and stared at it curiously. That was not the reaction he had been expecting. The wolf clearly had something it wanted to tell him. A strange thought wormed its way to the forefront of Link’s mind and he scrunched up his brow in puzzlement.

“Don’t tell me… Is that your name, too?”

Twice more the wolf nodded.

“Weeiirrd.” Link stated, dragging out the word to emphasize how uncomfortable he was with the situation. “Why do we have the same name? Are you just named after me or something?” He quickly grabbed the Sheikah Slate and turned it over in his hands. “Was this thing programmed to make an intelligent companion for me, but messed up and used my name or something?”

The wolf growled and suddenly the slate was pushed from Link’s hands. “HEY!” he shouted, watching as it skidded across the ground a couple of feet away. The wolf had shoved it out of his hands with its head and it glared up at Link. It wasn’t growling anymore, and none of its fur was standing on end. It wasn’t trying to be aggressive.

“What?!” Link shouted, snatching up the slate again and quickly making sure it hadn’t been damaged. It wasn’t. “Geez, you could have broken this thing! Be careful. It’s important.” He scolded, putting it back where it belonged. “You don’t like me talking about you as it you’re something it made? Is that it? Are you telling me you’re a real, genuine animal that can understand human speech and are smart enough that you can respond and that your name just happens to be the same as mine?”

The wolf only nodded again.

Link groaned and allowed himself to fall over on to his back. He scowled up at the sky. The sun had already set, the last of its light barely on the horizon, and the whole of the day’s weirdness was starting to catch up with him. He groaned again and covered his eyes with his right arm. He heard the wolf sit down beside him again, but he didn’t look at it.

“Okay. Okay I get it.” He muttered. “Honestly? You’re the least strange thing that’s happened to me today. That’s happened to me recently. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm by what I said, honest. I’m just sort of at my limit here. I need some rest, and some sleep. A reboot or something, you know?”

He felt the wolf lay down beside him and breathe a sigh of its own. Link had a feeling the wolf had had an unusual day as well, although it was hardly able to tell him about it. Link moved his arm from his eyes and turned his head to look at it. He definitely saw forgiveness and sympathy in its eyes. Link dropped his hand onto its head and gave it a quick scratch. The wolf closed its eyes to enjoy it.

“So your name is the same as mine by some bizarre coincidence. I don’t want to offend but calling you ‘Link’ feels weird. I’ve only known my name for a few days, but I’m sort of attached to it already. Would you mind if I called you something else? Like a nickname!”

The wolf thumped its tail on the ground once. Link assumed this was an okay since it hadn’t responded in a distinctly negative way like it had before on other matters.

“Let me think…” Link stared up at the sky again, taking a moment to admire the stars of what was now properly the night. “I’m not really feeling very creative. How does ‘Wolf’ sound?”

He had been certain that wolves could not roll their eyes, but this one pulled it off spectacularly. Link frowned.

“Hey, I tried! You got anything better? We’ll go find a stick and some dirt. You can write it for me.”

The wolf rolled its eyes again and shook its head. It breathed out what sounded like an amused huff.

“Yeah, I thought not.” Link laughed. “From now on your name is ‘Wolf’ then. ‘Wolf Link’.” He grinned and sat upright. “So,” he held out his hand to the wolf, “nice to meet you, Wolf!”

Wolf sat up as well and laid its paw in Link’s hand. He wrapped his fingers around it carefully and moved them both up and down a couple of times, making them shake hands. He got to his feet after that and brushed the dirt from his backside. It was getting very dark, and Link knew that the stal-bokoblins would soon be crawling up from the ground in order to attack them.

“Come on. This isn’t a good place to sleep. There’s a cabin not far from here. It’s… It’s empty now. We can spend the night there.”

Wolf stood up as well and gazed up at Link as if to say “lead the way”. Link did just that. He clambered down the ruined path in front of the temple and swung around to the right, heading towards the less dense of the forests. Wolf tagged along at his heels, glancing around them to take in their surroundings. Link didn’t blame him. He had been plenty curious about the place, too, when he had first woken. He’d clambered all over the plateau and seen basically all there was to it now, but Wolf was still getting his first looks around.

As they passed by some more ruins, Linked pointed to them and spoke up. “Be careful not to go in there. There’s some weird, nasty things in there. Guardians, I believe they’re called. I went in to see if there was any treasure or something, but those things nearly killed me! I only managed to get out by the skin of my teeth.”

Wolf nodded, staring curiously at the ruins before turning to look where they were going again. The cabin Link spoke of was coming into view and Wolf trotted ahead a little before stopping to look back. Link smiled at him and gave him a nod.

“That’s it.” He confirmed

Wolf wagged his tail and trotted off again, heading for the cabin. He got halfway there when three stal-bokoblins clambered up out of the ground. Wolf jumped back immediately and hunkered down, growling lowly. Link drew the sword on his back and ran to catch up. The skeletons hobbled towards Wolf, and he lunged at them, powerful jaws snapping sharp fangs around collarbones and knocking them to the ground. The monsters fell apart, but only for a moment. Their bodies pulled themselves back together and began stumbling around, their heads bouncing towards them in an effort to rejoin the bodies. Wolf stared, bewildered at the sight. Link swung his blade and cracked all three of the hopping skulls. The boney bodies shuttered before falling apart again and the whole of their bodies evaporating save for their horns and an arm each.

“Nice to see that you’re able to defend yourself.” Link chuckled. “But you’ve gotta separate and take out all of the heads for them to die.” He explained to the clearly confused Wolf. He bent over and picked up all the horns and two of the arms. “I was confused about it at first, too. I broke a couple of good weapons on them, trying to beat their bodies to dust before I figured it out. I kind of regret it. I’m down to these arms, this sword, and a spear.” He stated.

The look Wolf gave him clearly said that he didn’t understand something about what Link had just said or done. The problem was, Link didn’t know which part that was and he was too tired to try and play 20 Questions just to figure it out. Instead he exhaled a breath and motioned for Wolf to get to the cabin already. Wolf complied, trotting ahead again and sitting in front of the empty doorway. Link caught up with him and went inside. He removed his weapons and dumped them onto the table. He then fell face-first onto the bed and groaned happily at the softness enveloping him. He heard Wolf’s claws clicking upon the floor and heard him curl up beside the bed.

“I know there’s no door.” Link muttered, remembering how Wolf had been staring at the empty frame. He raised his head off the bed and turned it to the side so that he could breathe and be understood better. “Don’t worry. I’ve killed all of the normal monsters up here. The only ones left are those stal-bokoblins, and they won’t bother us in here.” He paused for a moment. “At least, they never have before.” He saw Wolf’s tail thump against the ground again and smiled. He grunted as he shifted around in order to pull the covers out from under himself and drew them on top of himself instead. He looked down at Wolf one last time. “You going to be okay down there without a blanket?”

Wolf gave the slightest of nods. His eyes were shut, and Link assumed he was nearly asleep. Link didn’t blame him. He didn’t know what Wolf had been doing before he suddenly appeared before him, but he had certainly shared in Link’s confusion over what exactly was going on. He must have been pretty worn out from all of that, too. These thoughts were the last Link remembered having before he slipped off into dreamland.

Chapter Text

The sun peeked over the horizon, causing birds to awaken and start the day with loud chirping. Wolf’s ears twitched and he groggily opened his eyes. It was still fairly dark, but there was enough light that he could see the little birds hopping around in the grass outside. He watched them for a few minutes, mind still filed with a sleepy haze. Slowly it began to dawn on him that he was in an unfamiliar world and that just the evening before he had been sent somewhere far, far away all so that he could help somebody. Not to mention he was back in the body of a wolf.

He sat up with a wide yawn and shook his head a little, attempting to clear the fog from it. Beside him on the bed, Link was still sound asleep, drooling on the pillow his head rested on. Wolf stared at him, taking in his face once again. He couldn’t get over the striking resemblance the boy bared to himself. He knew that Link had not seen what he truly looked like, but for Wolf there was no denying that they shared many similarities. It wasn’t like looking in a mirror, there were plenty of differences between them, but it was still eerie nonetheless.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Wolf wondered if he would be able to show this to him. Midna had said that he was borrowing her powers, but he had no idea what exactly that meant. Was it just that he had to use her powers in combination with that weird object Link carried in order to be teleported to him? If that was the case, then was it really borrowing her powers? Wouldn’t that rather be “receiving her aid” instead? He sighed. There was so much about the situation that he didn’t know. From the snippets he was able to get from Link the night before, the boy had no idea what was going on either. In fact, he seemed to know less about it than Wolf. He sighed. If only he could contact Midna about this…

Wolf’s thoughts were interrupted when Link’s stomach loudly growled all of a sudden. Thinking about it, Wolf hadn’t eaten anything since noon the day before. He wondered if Link had skipped dinner, too. He got to his feet and stretched, feeling a little odd to be starting the day off on four legs. He’d one it plenty of times two years ago, but that was two years ago. He’d been all human since then. He remembered being very awkward as a wolf at first, but now, even after all this time, it wasn’t so bad. Just odd.

As he wandered outside, Link’s words from the day before rang in his head. “Is there something you can do for me?” was what he had asked. Looking around, Wolf spotted a small flock of fat pigeons feeding in the grass not too far away. It was perfect, Wolf thought. He lowered himself to the ground to the best of his ability and crept forward. He’d never been much the sneaky type, even when he hunted, but he never felt the need to. In fact, once he had gotten just a handful of feet closer to the birds, he shot forward, racing at top speed and catching one between his teeth before the whole flock could fly off. The kill was easy after that. He picked the bird up carefully, hoping not to damage the meat any more than he might have already. Outside of the cabin was an iron cooking pot that sat upon the remnants of a campfire. He trotted over to it and dropped the dead bird inside.

He peeked into the cabin and saw that Link was still sound asleep. Wolf wagged his tail while he thought. A single pigeon was probably not going to be enough for the both of them, if Link’s appetite was anything like his. He couldn’t cook, not as a wolf, but at the very least he could get all the ingredients for Link. He began to look around the area, sniffing about until he found some mushrooms growing beside a felled log. They smelled safe enough to eat, and Wolf trusted his nose. It had never led him astray before when he was on his own journey, after all. He pulled up the mushrooms and carried them to the pot. He sat down, staring at the contents. There was still something missing and he knew it. It was missing a vegetable of some kind. He wanted to put a vegetable into the pot, too! With that in mind, he got back to his feet and began to scour the area again, looking for the last ingredient he wanted. He hadn’t seen any vegetables around, but he sniffed about anyway, hoping that he’d locate something. He stopped beside a large barrel on the edge of the area. He sniffed it again then considered it carefully. There were carrots inside. He knew there were! He scratched the barrel and found that it was quite old and not in the best condition. He wondered if he could break it open if he charged at it just right…

*****

Link woke with a start, sitting upright immediately in a comical fashion at the sound of splintering wood. In a bit of a panic he threw the blanket off of himself, snatched his sword from the table, and darted out of the cabin to see what was happening. He glanced about frantically, his heart pounding in his chest. He had killed all of the monsters on the plateau, he was sure of it! What was going on? His jaw dropped as he spotted the source of the noise.

Wolf’s tail was wagging happily as he picked up two large carrots in his mouth and trotted back over to the cooking pot, an air of self-satisfaction about him. It wasn’t until he had deposited the carrots into the pot with his other spoils that he acknowledged that Link was awake and watching him. He turned to him happily, tail still waving about in delight. Link sighed.

“Jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Link groaned, clutching his chest for emphasis. He rubbed at his eyes with his free hand and approached the pot. “Just what have you been doing out here?” One look inside the cooking pot told him all he needed to know. He stared down at Wolf, a mixture of disbelief and surprise on his face. “Is this your way of saying you’re hungry or something?” he asked.

All Wolf did was sit down, look at the pot, and then back up at Link. In that moment Link’s stomach growled again and he laid a hand on his face in embarrassment.

“Alright, alright. Thank you for finding us something to eat.” He plopped a hand down on Wolf’s head and rubbed his ears. Wolf in turn closed his eyes and wagged his tail some more. “I suppose this means I have to be the one to do all the prep work and actual cooking. Oh well. Can’t expect somebody to do either of those things with no thumbs. Alright, while I do this, would you bring some wood over so we can make a fire under the pot?”

Wolf stood up and began to do just that. There was a little pile of firewood by the cabin, and one by one he took a piece in his mouth and shoved it under the pot until it was nice and full. In the meantime, Link plucked the bird and went about butchering it. Once it was ready, he cut up the mushrooms and carrots. Everything edible went back in the pot and he grabbed a couple of buckets to go fill with water from the nearest pond.

This left Wolf behind on his own for a few minutes. During that time he decided to do one last pass of the area for anything that could be added to their breakfast. A little bit further from where he had roamed before was an apple tree. Lying on the ground beside it was a single, bright red apple. He turned it over carefully, checking it for imperfections. Seeing none he picked it up and carried it back.

Link returned soon after with both buckets filled to the brim. He poured one into the pot and set the other aside for them to drink from. He noticed the apple Wolf had somehow delicately balanced on the edge of the pot while filling it and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Should I put that in, too?” he asked. Wolf nodded, of course. “Alright. Can’t say if it’ll taste good, but there shouldn’t be any harm in trying!” He quickly cut it up into small, bite-sized pieces and dropped them in. “Now to light this sucker up!” he announced, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of flint, laying it beside the firewood. He drew his sword. “Stand back.” He told Wolf, who did just that. With a wild grin on his face, Link struck the flint with his weapon and the sparks caught the wood on fire. Link let out a whoop of triumph and put his sword away. “I love doing that!” He laughed.

Wolf cocked his head to the side, wondering how anyone could enjoy lighting up a cooking fire so much. He couldn’t ask, but even if there was some way that he could speak, he wouldn’t have. Instead he sat down beside Link, who in turn sat beside him. It didn’t take more than half a second before the boy’s hand was buried into the long fur on Wolf’s neck. He massaged the area gently, bringing his hand up slowly in order to rub Wolf’s ears a bit before working its way back down to his neck and finally down to his shoulders. Wolf whined and laid down, enjoying the attention while they were waiting.

A new thought occurred to Wolf; if he were to go back to being a human, how would Link react? For the time being Wolf was alright with the way he was, but he knew it was going to pose some problems if he remained that way. He wasn’t certain, but a feeling churned in his gut that told him there had to be some way he could go back to being himself. If he figured it out and turned back, just how much would Link freak out? It was a curious thing, really. No one had ever known that Wolf was a shapeshifter of sorts back where he came from. No one but Zelda, Midna, and his enemies ever knew. Even his allies, his best friend included, were never entrusted with the knowledge. He and Midna were always fearful that they would react badly if they learned of it. If Link found out, that would put him among the very rare few. Wolf had to wonder…maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing if he knew. Maybe Link would be alright with it, and that would open up so many possibilities for the both of them.

Of course, that was all hypothetically speaking. Again, Wolf had no idea if he was going to be able to turn back at all.

Their meal was ready fairly quickly. Link had let everything boil for about ten minutes before checking if the bird was done. It was, and he went to find a ladle and some bowls for them. There was only one bowl in the cabin, but there was also a mug and he figured that would do them well enough. He served up some of the food for Wolf in the bowl, and filled the mug for himself.

“I left the bones out.” Link stated. “Of course I can’t remember how I know this, but cooked bones are all shatter-y. Not good for dogs to chew on.”

Wolf didn’t care. He was already digging into the soup-like meal Link had made. He knew he had been hungry, but the way he swallowed it down surprised even him. Link laughed at the sight before basically drinking down all of his mug in one go. Wolf finished what had been given to him and was licking around his mouth when he turned up to see Link breath a happy little sigh and wipe away a trickle of broth from the corner of the his own mouth. Big, messy eaters. It was just one more similarity between them that Wolf saw. Link noticed that Wolf’s bowl was empty and he finished off what he had, too. He served them both again and they tucked in with almost as much vigor as before.

Their third and final helping was enjoyed at a much slower pace. The soup itself wasn’t the most flavorful thing Wolf had ever tasted by a long shot, and the ingredients barely went together in any way. But it tasted alright and it was filling his stomach, so he had no complaints. Link chewed on and swallowed a mouthful before suddenly speaking up.

“So… I haven’t really explained what’s going on yet, and I’m not sure I’d be able to do it any justice if I tried. But right now we’re on top of this massive plateau and the only way down is, well…” he stopped, trying to figure out how to explain it. “I got this paraglider thingy from an old ghost man who used to be up here helping me. He said in order to get down, I would have to use it. That’s cool and all, but I don’t think I’ll be able to carry you down with me. And it’s a long drop.”

Wolf’s ears drooped upon hearing that. He wondered if there would be some way for them to, perhaps, build some way for him to come down with him. Perhaps with a lot of rocks and logs or something. But from the sound of it, that would take quite a while if it were possible. He cursed mentally. How was he supposed to be able to help Link if he wouldn’t be able to follow him less than twenty-four hours after meeting him?!

An idea struck him suddenly and his ears shot up, eyes widening. Link noticed the change and raised an eyebrow.

“Something on your mind?” he asked. Wolf nodded. “Is it…some way you’d be able to get down there with me?”

Wolf wanted to shrug. He couldn’t say for certain if it would actually work yet or not. He wanted to test it, but he had to figure out some way to communicate that to Link. He looked around, wondering if he could find something to write with. Seeing as the pot was now empty, he snatched the wooden ladle from it and wandered over to an empty patch of dirt. Link watched as he set the ladle down and readjusted how he held it in his teeth before starting to scribble something down with the end of the handle. It took some time and some real effort on Wolf’s part, but after a few moments he stepped back and stared at Link expectantly. Link finished what was left in his mug and stood up to see what Wolf had written.

“Go back to the temple.” was what the crudely-scrawled message said. Link said it aloud to make sure he had read it correctly and Wolf wagged his tail. “Should I stay there or…?” Wolf nodded. “Okay. It’ll take me, I dunno, fifteen to twenty minutes to get over there. I’ll wait for about ten when I get there in order for you to do whatever you’re thinking of before heading back. Is that alright?” Another nod was all Link needed before he dumped what was left of their drinking water onto the fire putting it out. He grabbed the rest of his belongings from the cabin and hurried off on his own.

To give him time, Wolf set the ladle back in the empty pot and ate the last of his breakfast. Afterwards he wandered over to the trees nearby. He had noticed a felled pine tree a short ways off and wanted to investigate it. He marveled at how it had apparently fallen in just the right way so as to bridge a gap above a steep drop. Having never lost his footing as a wolf, he hopped on and trotted across, not a care in the world for how far down it would be if he slipped. The other side didn’t have much to it. Aside from some cliffs that he certainly couldn’t climb, there were only more trees and a weird structure made of rock. He assumed it had once been a shelter from the elements for whatever monsters Link had claimed to have killed.

He sat down on the edge of the plateau and looked out into the distance. There were other tall, sandy cliffs that reminded him of the Gerudo Desert where he came from. A part of him hoped that his plan would work and that one day he and Link would go to that desert-y place. He missed the sands. They reminded him of when Midna first started to open up to him.

He shook his head. What was wrong with him? Midna had been coming into his thoughts a lot that morning, and he blamed her suddenly speaking to him and throwing him into the mess he was now in. He had been fine before! Sure, he had been searching for a way to reunite with her with everything he had, but it wasn’t like she occupied his thoughts all the time. He sighed.

He gave Link another minute or two before assuming it had been long enough. He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. He hadn’t gotten a good look at the temple due to how dark it was, but he had a feeling that knowing the general location of where he wanted to go was beneficial. In his mind, he focused on the image of Link standing beside the large, ruined structure. It took a moment, and he nearly gave up on his attempt, but suddenly Wolf felt the pulling sensation of one of Midna’s portals above him and he was teleported away.

Link arrived at the front entrance to Temple of Time. He had only been there a few seconds before he began to wonder what could be up Wolf’s sleeves. He very nearly jumped out of his skin when a portal like the one from the previous night opened up a few feet in front of him and Wolf came into being right in front of him again. Wolf blinked and glanced himself over, not entirely believing that it had actually worked. He wagged his tail and panted happily up at Link.

“Woah! So you can teleport!?” Link cried out, elated at this discovery. “In that case, you should be able to come to me once I’m safely on the ground away from the plateau, right?” Wolf nodded. “Oh sweet deal! I won’t have to lose my dog just because I have to go save the world or whatever!”

The way Link had worded that concerned Wolf just a little. Or rather a lot, but he didn’t get long to think about it because Link practically tackled him after his little outcry. Wolf yelped in surprise and was just barely able to relax himself enough that being forced onto his back didn’t hurt him in any way. Link giggled and buried his face in Wolf’s fuzzy belly, scratching his sides wildly like a child who was overwhelmed with glee and didn’t know how to handle animals. Wolf…didn’t have the heart to complain at him. Link meant well in his excitement, and clearly he was enjoying Wolf’s company. Who was Wolf to try and get back up and tell him that he wasn’t allowed to cuddle him? After all, Midna had done it plenty of times, always telling him how soft his fur was and how nice to hug he was. It was something he had always wondered if others would agree on and now he suddenly had confirmation of it.

When Link was satisfied with rubbing his face in the soft fur of Wolf’s belly, he sat up and rubbed it instead. “I was really concerned there for a bit, you know? I mean, I’m sure I could do whatever it is that I’m supposed to do on my own, but thinking about you stuck up here by yourself made me really sad. So it’s really cool that you can teleport! I don’t know where I’ll end up going, or how I’ll get there, but at least now I don’t need to worry about ever leaving you behind.”

Wolf huffed, amused by how honest Link was but also in agreement with him. It was fortunate that he was actually borrowing a portion of Midna’s powers as she had said. That was when a thought struck him. It was by Midna’s power that he had changed and teleported twice. Midna bared him no ill will, but it was her Twili magic that had turned him into a wolf. Before, when he had changed into a wolf by the Twilight he had to be purified again by a very powerful light spirit or source of light. When he had been forced into being a wolf by Zant, it had left a crystalized shard of Twili magic embedded in him, and that required the holy power of the Master Sword in order to be extracted. So then…what exactly were the rules if it was Midna’s power that he now wielded for himself? Maybe, just maybe, if he willed it hard enough, he would be able to turn back…

Before he could put this theory to the test, Link gave his belly a couple of pats and stood up. “Well then, since we know you can follow me anywhere now, let’s get this show on the road!” he announced happily, raising a fight into the air.

Wolf rolled over and got to his feet. It seemed the time for experimentation would have to come later. For now, he had to make sure that his plan to teleport down to Link after the boy jumped off the edge would work. Link led the way down the temple’s ruined path once more. He made a beeline for the crumbled walls that had once surrounded all of the Great Plateau. Wolf trotted after him, turning a curious eye up to an oddly-built, glowing, blue tower as they passed it. The pair came to stop on a portion of the wall that was collapsed enough that it was level with the ground. Wolf peered down over the edge. He had gotten an idea of how high up they were when he had crossed the log earlier, but he had to admit that the fall did not look pleasant. At all. Link watched him and smiled.

“I told you; it’s a really long drop. Watch me carefully and come to me as soon as you can, okay? I don’t know what’s down there, so I’d rather we do this quick so I don’t have to worry about you and monsters. If something goes wrong and you can’t follow me for whatever reason, howl.” He stated. “If you do that, I’ll come back up here on my own and we’ll figure something else out.” He placed a hand on the Sheikah Slate at his hip. “This thing will let me come right back up to the tower here, no problem. I don’t know how it works, exactly, but it can teleport me to certain places like you can. Does that sound like a good plan to you?”

With a nod from his canine companion, Link took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He brought out the paraglider he had mentioned and gazed down the edge of the plateau again. He hadn’t gotten a chance to try it out yet, thanks to Wolf suddenly showing up. He hoped it would be able to carry him well. The old man, King Rhoam, had been able to use it just fine and he had been considerably larger than Link. But then again, he had only been a spirit. Link tried to shake these worries from his mind and he put on his most resolute face. He took a running leap off the edge, raising the paraglider over his head and praying for everything to be okay.

It worked like a dream! Link let out an excited whoop as his descent slowed drastically and his momentum carried him away from the plateau by quite a ways. His feet hit the ground in the middle of a road that ran between yet more ruins. The Sheikah Slate played a quiet little chime, indicating that it had registered a name for the place. Link ignored it for now and tucked the glider away and turned around. He gazed up at the top of the plateau he had just jumped off of and spotted Wolf waiting patiently for him. He waved his arms above him in a wide arc, signaling that he was safe and ready. Not a moment later he heard the soft noise that he was beginning to recognize as Wolf warping to him. He turned around just in time to spot the large beast barreling at him. He barely reacted fast enough to catch him as Wolf sprang at him, although he still fell onto his butt with Wolf ending up laying across his torso and between his legs. The canine really was bigger than him, after all.

Again Link was laughing and he pet Wolf’s neck as the beast dropped his head onto Link’s stomach in a manner similar to how he had done before. Link recognized this and smirked.

“So is this your way of getting back at me for earlier?” Wolf raised his head and panted a little. Link giggled. “Good boy.” He stated.

Link gave him another quick scratch behind the ears before Wolf got off of him and was able to stand again. Before they departed, Link pulled up the Sheikah Slate and turned it on. Wolf cocked his head to the side, having been curious about the device since Link had said it was important. Link noticed his gaze and decided to explain what he knew about it.

“When I first woke up, this was the very first thing that was given to me before I was able to leave the place I was in. It’s called a Sheikah Slate. What that means, I have no idea. Apparently it was made by an ancient race with ancient technology, along with a bunch of other stuff. It’s got several useful functions, though. There are these things called runes that give me some pretty nifty abilities. In fact, I used one to summon you last night.” He was still on the rune page and saw that the weird seventh one was no longer there. “It’s not here anymore, though… Well, that’s something to worry about later. But see, it has this other interesting thing, too.” He switched over to it and showed the screen to Wolf. “See this mark here? That’s us. This thing is like a map. If you’ll noticed…” he pointed to the brownish section. “That’s where we just were. It’s all filled in there, but it’s blank where we are right now. From what I gathered, I have to visit a bunch of different towers if I want this thing to give me more info.” He glanced around them. He had spotted several from the plateau, and he cursed himself silently for not marking any of them earlier. “Rats! They’re these really tall orange things, you see. We passed by one on the plateau while going to the edge, only it was blue, remember?”

 Wolf did and nodded his reply.

“Cool! Now, the direction the king said to go was east so…” Link oriented himself using the map. He then raised the slate up to eye level and the screen displayed an image of what was in front of him, only much, much closer up. Even from his spot on the ground, Wolf could see that. Link tapped the very top of one of the two mountains off in the distance and what looked like a red beacon appeared upon it. No such beacon showed up in reality, however. “I can drop little ‘pins’ on this thing’s map like this so I can always tell if I am headed in the right direction, or mark something if I want to remember it for later.” He explained, switching back over to the map view and showing the little red marker that was now on it, off in the blank distance to the east. “Anyway, those mountains are apparently the first check point to where we’re going. So let’s get moving, shall we?” he asked.

Wolf nodded again and Link hung the slate back on his belt. He took the lead, heading down the old road. Wolf tagged along at his heels as he had done before.

Chapter Text

The time Wolf and Link got to spend enjoying their success at leaving the Great Plateau together was cut incredibly short. They had barely begun on their way when a big, ugly, red creature with a short trunk-like snout charged at them. It swung a huge, wooden club above its head. Link shrieked and drew his sword, having never seen an enemy so big. Wolf on the other hand didn’t bat an eye. While Link was fumbling to react, he shot forward and leaped at the monster, clinging to it and sinking his fangs into its neck over and over again. The monster cried out in pain, trying desperately to flail enough that Wolf would lose his grip on it. It didn’t work, and as quickly as the monster had attacked, it fell to Wolf’s relentless bites. All that remained of the monster was its club, horn, and a fang. Link picked all of these things up. Wolf watched him, clearly curious as to what he was doing. Link didn’t have any way to explain it, so he didn’t bother.

As they wandered further into the ruins, Link became more and more sidetracked from the task at hand. There were old, rusted weapons of all kinds strewn about, and Wolf was amazed that Link actually picked through all of them in the hopes of finding something good. He never did. In one ruined building, the pair surprised a blue bokoblin which had been taking a nap. Wolf attacked it the same way he had the red moblin earlier, only he was unable to hang on until it died. The bokoblin was smarter and managed to grab Wolf and shove him away from itself. Link took the opportunity to stab it with his sword. Wolf, who had hit the ground none too softly, managed to catch just the right moment of the fight to see Link’s sword shatter into dust. Wolf gaped at the sight, having never seen a weapon break quite like that. Link was unperturbed, and a second later he held one of the stal-bokoblin arms in his hand, which he then beat the blue one with a couple of times until it died.

Wolf was still processing what had just happened as Link nonchalantly picked up the spiked club the bokoblin had been carrying. If weapons broke so easily, Wolf suddenly understood why Link kept picking up the things his enemies wielded. What still bothered him, though, was why Link insisted on pocketing the random body parts they would leave behind.

Link didn’t seem to notice Wolf’s stares. As soon as he had everything of interest on his person, he was looking elsewhere for something new to root around in. Towards the middle of the ruins were two large, defunct things. In a way they looked like spiders; they had a round center with cylindrical heads in the middle and six long, lanky legs. They were clearly not made of metal or stone either, and they had moss growing on them. Wolf had seen a couple on the plateau, but none so up close. Link approached them and searched around at their bases. He pulled free a few of their parts that had come loose and, like everything else, he pocketed them. Wolf sniffed one of the things, very, very curious about them.

“These are guardians.” Link stated, seeing Wolf’s interest in them. “They’re apparently all over the place. The ones I told you to watch out for are still active. These appear to be busted. I think most of ‘em are. Just be careful, ‘cause you never know if one’ll come alive.”

Wolf took his words to heart and followed him as he went into another ruined building. The boy thoroughly explored every building around them, and Wolf kept a sharp eye out for any other marauding monsters. They were in the clear the rest of the way. As they continued down the road, a few things of interest came into view.

First was that there was a junction in the road; a sign stood by it to tell travelers what was around. Second, there were several moblins prowling the ruins ahead of them. Wolf’s ears pinned back and he started growling at the sight of them. Link told him not to worry about them, that they seemed too far away for the dumb monsters to bother them. Third, were a bunch of purple mushrooms growing out of the side of a short ledge nearby. And fifth was a tall, stone pillar up on the hill beyond the junction. Wolf’s thoughts were that they should proceed, rip apart the moblins, and keep moving. Link had other plans.

The boy meandered over to the ledge and climbed up it, picking each and every mushroom on it. He then proceeded to investigate the sign at the juncture. He read it out loud.

“East to Dueling Peaks is the way we’ve been going. And if we take this other road south this says we’ll get to Lake Hylia.”

Wolf’s ears twitched and his eyes widened. Lake Hylia?! That couldn’t be! He quickly looked around them. This…this was not Hyrule! Nothing about this place looked familiar at all! Well no, that wasn’t right. There had been those sandy cliffs and plateaus before… But that was just a coincidence! Surely it was! Yes. And Lake Hylia having that name also had to be one. That was the easiest explanation. But then again, Wolf and Link shared the same name and were so similar it almost creeped Wolf out.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Link speaking to him. “Wolf? Wolf you okay? You look kinda bothered.”

Wolf stared up at him. He was not okay. Not okay at all. But how was he supposed to convey that to him? With a whine, Wolf shook his head. Link knelt down in front of him and rubbed his neck with both hands.

“What’s up, buddy? You suddenly started acting weird when I read that sign. Is something on it bothering you?” Wolf nodded. “What part? Dueling Peaks?” Wolf shook his head. “Then Lake Hylia?” Link was given a nod. “Do you… Is that a name you’re familiar with?” Again Wolf nodded. “Then are you from around here?” A shake. “So the place you know and that place are not the same, but have the same name?” A nod. “Wow. That’s… I don’t know what to say, boy.” He brought a hand up to rub one of Wolf’s ears. “I’m sorry. Things must be so weird for you. If…if it helps any, they’re pretty messed up for me, too. But c’mon, here isn’t exactly the best place to be chatting.” Wolf nodded in agreement and Link got back to his feet. “C’mon, let’s get up to that pillar.”

The pair climbed the hill and Link wiped sweat from his palms on his pants as he circled the base of the pillar. Wolf watched him and was only partially surprised when the boy began to climb it. Wolf sat and watched him climb as much as he could, marveling at his ability to scale such a smooth surface. When he could no longer see Link from where he was sitting, he looked around them instead. He was still disturbed by what the sign had said, and he hoped that taking in his surroundings would take his mind off of it. A short ways off, back the way they had come and on top of the ledge that Link had barely climbed was a small forest. Wolf could see another pillar similar to the one Link was climbing, and near it appeared to be a crudely built observation platform. He squinted and could just barely make out some more bokoblins occupying it.

He scanned the area some more, and for the first time his eyes landed on what appeared to be a castle shrouded by a strange, malicious purple fog. Something in the back of Wolf’s mind told him that it was the source of whatever worries Link might have, and certainly what his journey would end up sorting out at some point. Looking just a little further east, a chill ran down Wolf’s spine. There was a volcano spewing ashy clouds into the sky. It bore more than a striking resemblance to Death Mountain. All the similarities were starting to get to Wolf, and he almost felt ill.

Thankfully he was pulled from his thoughts again by Link shouting to him. Wolf backed away from the pillar until he could see the boy standing on top of it.

“I got something shiny from a chest that was up here!” he shouted down. “Can you see that building up there, on top of the hill?” Wolf turned around and sure enough, he could see what appeared to be an abandoned lookout tower. “I’m gonna jump off this thing and paraglide over to it. So head on over there!”

Wolf didn’t bother responding. He broke out into a run, proceeding up the uneven terrain. A few seconds later, Link’s shadow appeared beside him, followed by the boy touching down and running beside him for the last few feet.

The lookout was far less spectacular up close than it was from below. It was little more than a crumbling foundation with a couple of walls barely standing. On the foundation sat a single, large rock. Curious, Wolf sniffed it and then immediately stumbled back. It smelled…gross. Link’s eyes widened in excitement when he spotted the rock and he grinned as he reached down to pick it up. The moment he lifted it into his hands, an odd little creature made of wood with a leaf on its face appeared. It cheered something about Link having found it in a cute, friendly little voice and held out a seed towards him. Wolf had to wonder if he would ever stop getting surprised by everything in this strange place. Link took the seed with a happy “thank you” and tucked it away.

The creature then turned to Wolf and started at him curiously. It took a step towards him, and Wolf in turn took a step back. It laughed and asked if Wolf could see him, too. Hesitantly, Wolf nodded. The little creature seemed delighted by this, but then apologized that it didn’t have a seed to give him. Wolf felt he could live with that.

“I’ve found a few of these little guys.” Link informed his companion. “They’re called koroks, and there’s a bunch of ‘em hiding all over the world, apparently. They’ve been giving me seeds when I find ‘em, but I dunno what they’re for.”

“They’re for Hestu!” the little korok said gleefully.

“Yeah like I said, I dunno what they’re for.”

Wolf was starting to get the feeling he understood what Link meant when he said he didn’t know about or understand something. All the other times he had said something like that, he did in fact know about the thing or subject at hand. What he didn’t know were exact details or inner workings. If Wolf could speak, he felt he’d be hard pressed not to push Link for more info on the other things he had said that sort of thing about.

Already the boy was looking for the next point of interest. He let out a delighted shout and pointed off towards the mountains. Wolf allowed his train of thought to come to an end and followed his finger until he caught sight of the top of an orange glowing structure that resembled the blue tower. Link brought out his Sheikah Slate again, and Wolf watched as he moved the pin from the mountain top down to the top of the tower. With that done, Link focused his sights lower and noticed they were near a river. A bridge crossed it, connecting the road they had been on to the other side. Link informed Wolf of this and said he was going to paraglide down. He did just that, and Wolf watched him, waiting for the moment his feet would touch the ground. It was amusing, in a way, how the boy had seemingly taken quite a liking to the paraglider.

Link had had every intention of reaching the river’s shore the way he had gone. But his attention was stolen by a large boulder sitting suspiciously beside an odd divot that was just big enough to hold it snuggly. He tilted the glider and swung over to it, dropping down to the ground. He heard Wolf teleporting to him, but he didn’t pay him any mind. He pressed his body against the boulder and gave it a hefty push. It moved and rolled smoothly into the divot as Link suspected it would. Another korok appeared and gave Link another seed. Wolf began to see what Link meant by them hiding everywhere.

Finally they reached the riverside and began to walk along it. But once more they were interrupted. There was an odd rock formation in the water. Link stopped, certain it meant another korok. He stared at it, wondering just what he was supposed to do to make the little creature appear. He could tell even from where he stood that it was too far out for him to dive into, and he wouldn’t be able to swim between the rocks. He brought out the slate again and tried the cryonis rune. The world was suddenly bathed in an odd blue glow in Link’s eyes, and he angled the slate down towards the rocks. He clicked his tongue when he was unable to make a pillar in the space between them.

He felt Wolf nudging his thigh and shut off the slate. “What?” he asked. Wolf gave a fair sized rock that was sitting behind him a shove and Link got the idea. “Oh, I see what you’re getting at!” he exclaimed. “Good boy!” he tucked the slate away and heaved the rock up into his arms. He lined up his shot and chucked it. It missed by a few inches. With a huff Link looked around for another one. To his surprise there were plenty about. It took him four more tries, but he finally managed to get one of the rocks to splash down into the middle of the formation. Link cheered and Wolf wagged his tail as yet another korok appeared and gave Link his hard earned seed.

Before they moved on again, Link brought out the slate one last time and dropped a blue pin on the other side of the river. Wolf could see two oddly shaped structures and could see why Link wanted to be certain to remember to visit them when they crossed the bridge. The last thing that stopped their “journey” to the aforementioned bridge (which had honestly only been a five minute walk that had already turned into somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty minutes) was a shrine. It glowed orange and Link was immediately excited by the sight of it, so Wolf knew it had to be something important.

The boy broke out into a run, Wolf giving chase. He brought the slate to a pedestal that sat on it and it went from orange to orange-and-blue. Several horizontal bars moved out of the way to reveal a little entrance. Wolf peered inside curiously.

“This thing here is a Sheikah Shrine.” Link stated. “I don’t know what’s up with them,” there was that wishy-washy phrase again, “but there were four on the plateau. They gave me the runes I told you about. I’ve been wondering if there was another because I’m missing a rune. Plus those things gave me something pretty neat, so I expect this one will too. I think you’re going to have to wait out here though. It only seems to react to the Sheikah Slate and the one holding it.”

Wolf was disappointed to hear that, but he sat down obediently. Link gave his head a quick pat before he stepped inside and the elevator activated, taking him down inside the actual structure itself. Below the surface, Link stepped out into the main chamber of the shrine. Looking around he saw that there was no pedestal waiting to give him a new rune. He was disappointed, but it was easy to see what the gimmick of the shrine was going to be. There were huge fans all over the place, blowing powerful gusts of air across wide gaps. Using his paraglider, Link rode these gusts and collected whatever was to be found inside. His spoils were a piece of amber and a claymore that was better than anything he currently carried. He discarded the skeletal arm for it. At the end Link found another ancient monk like he had in the other four shrines. Like the ones before it, this one gave him a spirit orb and Link was sent on his way back to the surface.

He blinked as the bright noon sunlight hit his eyes and because of it, it took him a few seconds to realize that Wolf had moved while he had been underground. He was sitting almost exactly where he had been before, but a dead fox lay at his feet. Link raised an eyebrow and Wolf wagged his tail. He had seen it on the hill while Link was doing whatever he was doing and decided to catch it. As far as he was concerned, he had just done his part in taking care of lunch for them.

“Alright, lemme carve this thing up and get whatever meat I can from it. I’ll cook it up for us when I get the chance.” Link stated. Wolf waited patiently for him to do so.

Once the meat had been collected, Link distracted them once more from reaching the bridge. Near the shrine were a few oddly shaped rocks jutting out of the ground. Link inspected them briefly, muttering about what they could be. Wolf hadn’t any clue. A glint in Link’s eye told Wolf this was about to become dangerous and he backed away just as the boy drew the spiked club again. He bashed it against the rocks, breaking them both and the club in the process. The broken rocks left a few gemstones lying on the ground, and Link snatched them all up. Wolf had to wonder if Link really needed them or if he just liked shiny things. He couldn’t blame the kid either way, not really, but he still had to question it. However his method of beating wildly at something with a fragile and useful weapon when he didn’t know what it was disturbed Wolf greatly.

Back at the road, the pair noticed three bokoblins hiding in the grass waiting to ambush travelers. Link knelt down and brought out a bow. He lined up his shot and sniped the one closest to them. It didn’t die, but it did get knocked away a few feet and it dropped its weapon. The other two jumped up and ran to aid their ally by coming for Link and Wolf. Wolf charged for the single blue one, and Link raced forward to snatch up the gardening hoe that had just been dropped. With a loud cry, Link swung the makeshift weapon, connecting with the two red bokoblins and sending them flying again. One of them died, and the other dropped the mop it had been carrying. Wolf bit into his foe one last time and caught Link bringing down his makeshift weapon upon the belly of the last monster, killing it. Wolf had to admit that a hoe was one of the furthest things he imagined when he thought about a weapon, but Link was making some fine use of it.

After the fight, Link breathed a sigh and meandered over to a flagpole. Wolf looked at him, at the bridge, and back at him. Link hadn’t seen this, but he still called over his shoulder to explain that he wanted to see if he could spot anything interesting from the top of it. Wolf groaned and followed him. While the boy climbed, Wolf wondered why he hadn’t tried climbing any of the other similar flag poles they had passed. He also had to wonder again how it was that Link could climb so well!

Link didn’t quite make it to the top. He let go suddenly and fell back down, opening up his glider at the last moment to catch himself and land without injury. He stumbled away from it, panting a little. Wolf couldn’t help but wonder if the boy was running out of energy. Link was considerably smaller than him, not so much in height but more so in muscle. Yes, Link was fit, but his stamina seemed poor and he was certainly no body builder. While Link recovered from his climb, he pulled out his map and set a little leaf-shaped marker at their location.

“I saw what I think is a korok up there. I wasn’t able to reach him, so I thought I’d leave myself a reminder should we ever come back this way.” Link explained.

Wolf had no complaints with that. However it made him wonder if they had missed others on the other poles, or if Link had simply lucked out in finding the one. Either way, the pair finally reached the bridge! Like a bored child, Link hopped up onto the edge and began to walk along it. Wolf couldn’t help but think that Link was far too easily distracted.

As they reached the halfway point, a stranger who had been peering at something on the riverbank shouted at them. “HEY! Don’t be rash! You won’t change the world by jumping carelessly to your doom, don’t ya know! That would only do one thing… And that’s… Drive me batty! Seriously! Think of the shock I’d suffer, seeing something like that! Now calm down and climb off that rail. And don’t climb down THAT way. Climb down THIS way!” he shouted, faster than Link could reply.

Both the boy and Wolf found it highly unusual that the man would automatically jump to the idea of suicide instead of Link having fun/being an idiot, and that it was highly conceited of him to worry about his own sanity rather than Link’s well-being if he were to jump. Nonetheless, Link hopped back down onto the bridge properly.

“Phew! You had me worried there. Don’t mess with people like that.” The stranger told him as the pair approached.

Link rolled his eyes and Wolf felt he returned the sentiment. “What were you doing here, anyway?” Link asked.

“Don’t you know? We’re doomed!” he shouted. “I mean, don’t panic! Er…who are you? Well, doesn’t matter who you are, really.” The pair were together in thinking that was a pretty terrible thing to say to somebody who he thought had just been about to kill himself. “I was getting tired of talking to myself, so you’ve come at a good time. By the by, those strange things that popped out of the ground… Did you see them? I’m not talking about mushrooms here! I’m talking about those towers! They seem to have popped up all over the place! And that’s not the only strange thing that’s happened. Those long-deserted shrines suddenly started glowing! You know that this means, don’t you? The end is here! With all this craziness happening, I’ve been keeping an eye on that thing. Just to see if it suddenly starts moving, ya know?”

The pair were now convinced this man was nothing short of a doomsayer, hooked on the idea of everyone and everything either being out for death or was going to die horribly. They decided to continue hearing him out regardless, if only for politeness’s sake.

“Yeah, good idea.” Link said, not meaning a word of it.

The man didn’t notice his tone of voice at all. “Yeah, that guardian is worth watching.” He pointed to the shore where a lone, decrepit one lay. Both Link and Wolf were only reassured in their assumption about him. “It’s just like the ones from those old stories. Did you know some of them can move? One of them once chased me down and tried to kill me!”

“This one here?”

“No, it was a different one. That one was closer to the castle but before the forest… When they spot you, they shoot blue beams of light at you! Man, I was so sure that was the end for me. I was prepared for the worst. But I somehow managed to escape into the nearby woods. You think it was my lightning-fast reflexes that saved me? Ha, I wish. Truth is, I just got lucky. Anyway, I hear guardians like that still wander around Hyrule Castle. Be careful.”

And just like that, the man turned away from them and went back to watching the broken guardian. Wolf couldn’t help but think the man was simply full of crap, but after what he had just said Link couldn’t help but feel a little bit of pity for him. The boy whispered for them to keep going, and Wolf was all for it. On the other side of the bridge was a makeshift shelter which presumably belonged to the man on the bridge. A short ways up the riverbank was a tiny bokoblin camp, but they were far enough away that they were unlikely to bother anyone. Although they would become a problem once Link and Wolf proceeded that way in order to investigate the thing that Link had pinned on his map. For now, though, Link sat down beside the man’s campfire and began laying out the fox meat to be roasted. Wolf got the hint and sat down beside him.

“Remember I said that I couldn’t do it justice if I tried to explain everything to you?” Link asked. Wolf nodded. “Well… I don’t think that’s fair. I may not get all the details right, but I think you deserve to know what’s going on. You see, something called the Great Calamity happened. Apparently I was involved, along with four other people and the princess of this land. That old man I keep talking about? He was the spirit of the former king. He’s the one that told me about this. He said that he and his people knew a calamity was going to happen, so he and his kingdom were taking great measures to use what our ancestors had left us to fight it off. The apparently found for Divine Beasts, which were being piloted by the four I mentioned. There were also a bunch of things that could move on their own; the guardians. Apparently everyone thought we were going to succeed, but the source of the calamity, Calamity Ganon, it took over the Divine Beasts and turned the guardians against everyone. So many people died… I was gravely wounded and brought to the Great Plateau, a sacred place, in order to be revived. That was…that was a hundred years ago. And I’ve absolutely no memory of any of it.”

Wolf stared at him, awestruck. For how goofy of a person Link had been, that was certainly quite the bombshell he had just dropped. As if the amnesia and the kingdom being in peril weren’t enough, the name the boy had spoken sent another terrible feeling to Wolf’s gut. Calamity Ganon… He had to wonder if it had anything to do with the Ganondorf that Wolf had slain two years ago. Link didn’t look at him, didn’t see the conflict that Wolf was feeling. All he did was stare at the fire and bring a hand up to gently stroke Wolf’s soft fur.

“It… I understand why that guy is so afraid. At least a little. I’ve seen what those guardians can do, even when broken. I’d hate to encounter one that is still walking about like he said he had. It’s no wonder he’s keeping an eye on that one back there. Although to be honest I’m surprised he hasn’t run for the hills away from it! But…it bothers me. Although I don’t remember a single thing about what happened a hundred years ago, that man spoke of the Great Calamity as if it was just some old tale! I was nearly killed; a lot of people were killed! Those ruins and the rusted equipment strewn throughout them are proof enough of that. And yet that guy seems to think all of it is just a rumor!”

Sympathy. That was all Wolf could feel. He knew what it must feel like. Two years ago, he had pushed himself to his limits. He had gone to all corners of the world just to thwart Zant’s plans and to drive back the twilight. And yet whenever he heard people talk about it, they always spoke of what happened as if they were rumors or some such. It was always “a friend of a friend’s brother said that his friend had said” or the like. It had only been two years and no one knew a thing about the reality of it! Wolf knew…he knew that the common people would never seem to know that such things had really happened, nor of the “heroes” who had saved the world. He wanted to tell Link all of this so badly, but he still didn’t know how to go back to normal!

He hung his head and closed his eyes in frustration. Link watched him, not quite sure what Wolf was thinking but understanding that it must have been something meaningful. He gave the beast a quick scratch behind an ear.

“You know, sometimes I wish you could talk. That’d be really fun, I think.” Link stated, clearly trying to change the subject. Wolf couldn’t help but think how wrong he was. “I wonder what you’d look like as a person.” The boy laughed. “I bet you’d look really weird!”

Wolf huffed. “Weird” was right, but probably not in the way Link was thinking. If the boy knew just how similar they were he would freak out. This train of thought led Wolf to imagining himself the way he knew he was supposed to be. In fact, his own face came vividly into his mind, and for a moment it was all he could think of. How he longed to be that way again…

The exact moment Wolf began to feel himself shapeshift, Link cried out in surprise and withdrew his hand, shrinking back out of shock and fear. Wolf changed, but he did not return to his Hylian form completely. The both of them stared at him, eyes wide and taking in Wolf’s bizarre new form.

It was like he was stuck somewhere in between forms. Link felt himself to be human-shaped again, but with some additional features. He still had his tail and his wolf ears. His hands and feet had short claws on them, and while he wore the clothes he’d had on when he changed into a wolf, his boots were missing. The backs of his hands, tops of his feet, arms, legs, sides, back, and back of his neck still had fur on them, too. He ran his tongue over his teeth, finding his canines were still long and sharp, like fangs. He ran a hand over his face, finding it to feel pretty normal. And lastly, the iron chain was still clasped onto his left wrist.

Link was the first one to overcome confusion and he dove straight into a line of questioning. “I didn’t know you could be a person!” he shouted. “This is so cool! Hey, can you speak now? Say ‘Hello Link! My name is Wolf!’ Oh! Or better yet, say ‘Hi, I am your loyal puppy Wolf!’ Oh oh oh! Does this mean you can use a sword? Hey, are you actually a dog or a person? By the way you look super weird. I knew you would! Can I still touch your ears? I KNOW! Do you get fleas?!”

Wolf stared at him, utter disbelief written all over his face. Just how immune to the bizarre was this boy that he’d be so energetic about Wolf suddenly transforming out of nowhere?! Not to mention he couldn’t keep up with his questions whatsoever.

“Could you…say that all again but slower?” Wolf asked.

Link practically squealed in delight. “That’s not what I asked you to say, but that works too…” he whispered.

Wolf narrowed his eyes. “No really, all I got from what you just said was ‘are you actually a dog or a person’.”

“Well, answer that then!”

“I’m a person.”

“Really? You don’t look like one.”

“Yeah…” Wolf looked down at his hands. “I don’t know what’s going on here. Let me try it again.”

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself normally again. Nothing happened. Testing the waters, Wolf tried reverting back to being a wolf. That worked! Once more he tried to go back to normal, but he only ended up half-turned back.

“I… I can’t seem to go back to normal…” Wolf said, panic starting to set in as he looked at himself again. He snapped his eyes closed and breathed in a deep breath to steady himself. “No. NO! You know what? This is fine. I’m fine.” He stated with determination. Slowly he cracked his eyes open again and took one more look at himself. His hands were shaking a little, but he refused to panic about the situation. “I wasn’t even expecting to be able to turn back, if I’m honest. So really, this is better than I had hoped. It’s okay.”

“I’m still getting over the fact that my dog is a dude.” Link stated, partially hoping that admitting to his shock would help Wolf.

It did, just not in the way he had thought. “About that… You keep calling me a dog.” Wolf gazed at him sideways. “You know I’m not a dog, right?”

“Of course I know that now! You’re a people!” Link announced happily.

“No. I mean when I change form. I am not a dog.”

“You…aren’t?”

“NO!” Wolf bellowed angrily.

“Well then what are you?!”

“A wolf!”

“SAME DIFFERENCE!” Link shouted.

Wolf groaned in exasperation. “Have I ever mentioned that you speech patterns are terrible?”

“No, but you only just started talking.”

Wolf rubbed his temples. “This is going to be a long journey…” he muttered.

Before he could say or do anything else, Link held out one of the chunks of meat towards him. Wolf eyed it for a moment, confused, before taking it and thanking him. Link beamed widely and picked up his own portion of their lunch.

“Hey, you killed it. All I did was stick it in a fire.” Link stated, biting into the juicy chunk.

“I suppose you’re right.” Wolf sighed. “Let’s just eat and get back to the task at hand. The day’s only halfway over and I’m already at my limit.”

“You’re tired? That’s weird, you look like you’re in better shape than I am!”

Wolf suppressed a groan by stuffing his face with food. Somehow, he regretted revealing that he could talk to the boy, and it had only been a few minutes. This was going to be a long journey indeed…

Chapter Text

“So uh… We gonna take out those guys down there before we get moving?” Link asked, eyeing the three bokoblins down by the water.

“We probably should. That guy on the bridge probably shouldn’t be sleeping so close to a camp, even if they seem pretty harmless at this distance.” Wolf stated.

“You want the reds or the blue one?”

Wolf stood up and stretched, taking a brief moment to enjoy being on two legs again. “You can have the blue this time.”

“Sweet!” Link hopped up and pulled out the hoe he had picked up. He gestured towards the camp and grinned at his companion. “After you, doggy.”

Wolf narrowed his eyes at Link. “I thought we established that I am a wolf.” was all he said before reverting back to his beast form.

Despite his complaint, he bounded down the short hill and sprang into battle against the bokoblins he had startled. Link followed after him, swinging the hoe in a wide arc and knocking the blue one around repeatedly. Finishing off all three monsters took a minute at most, and Link set about looting the camp. With their combat done with, Wolf shifted back to his half-self and watched the boy. He cringed when he saw Link pick up what appeared to be some internal organ that had belonged to the blue bokoblin.

“Gross!” Wolf declared, disgusted by the sight.

Link rolled his eyes. “Says the one who keeps biting the things! You like the taste of monster blood or something?”

“Of course not.” Wolf replied indignantly. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t exactly have any equipment with which to fight. I used to, before I came here, but I don’t know where all of that stuff is. I assume it’s all having a great time partying with my boots,” he gestured towards his bare feet, “wherever they are!”

The boy glanced around the camp. “Alright, well, take the stuff that’s here! I just broke my hoe, so I’ll take one of the clubs or something. But there’s a bow and some arrows here that one was using, and there’s a fishing spear right there by the fire, and the blue one was even using a spikey club. Heck, there’s even a shield for ya! Take your pick!”

“I’d rather not.” The older of the two stated simply.

“Then don’t judge me, Mr. Monster Blood Fetish!” Link shouted.

“Hey, when the stuff around here stops breaking at the drop of a hat, then maybe I’ll consider picking up a weapon! I don’t know what’s going on with your weird world, but swords and farming equipment don’t just shatter like that where I come from! So unless we find something that isn’t going to break after a single fight, I’ll stick to my own fangs, thank you very much. I know they won’t break!”

Link rolled his eyes and went to sorting through his belongings to make sure he had the best weapons and shields he could have on him. Wolf let the conversation drop, and he noticed a bokoblin horn that had somehow been knocked into the river and had washed back up onto the shore. He leaned down and picked it up, turning it over in his hand curiously.

“What do you even pick these things up for?” he asked.

“Huh?” Link looked up and spotted the horn. Wolf held it out to him and he took it. “Oh, I dunno. I just have this feeling they might come in handy someday.” He stated.

“Hm, I suppose of all answers that one is fair enough.” Wolf admitted. “By the way, there’s this chest here. You want me to open it for you?”

“Yeah sure.”

Wolf did just that. The single chest the bokoblins had been guarding was wooden and sat near the river. Wolf opened it and found what looked like a gemstone of some kind. He knew Link had been collecting those too, so he tossed it over to him the next time the boy looked his way.

“Oh sweet deal! Another shiny!” Link cried out happy when he caught it.

Before the two moved on, Link suddenly tapped a couple fingers to the Sheikah Slate hanging at his hip. A strange, glowing cube appeared in his hands and he told Wolf to back away from the river. Wolf did, and Link chunked the object into the water. A second later the cube exploded. The older of the two’s eyes widened, having never seen a bomb quite like that. Link didn’t seem to notice his shock and dove into the water to retrieve the four dead fish that were now floating on the surface.

“Link- Wow that does feel weird to say…” Wolf began, stopping to acknowledge why the boy would want to give him a nickname. “Anyway, I don’t believe that is an entirely legitimate way to go fishing.”

“Why not?” the boy asked.

“It hardly gives them a chance. They don’t know to swim away from a bomb.”

“They don’t know to swim away from a worm on the end of a hook, either. And this is faster.”

“No, but there’s more work involved in enticing one to a hook than there is to surprising them with an explosive.”

Link shrugged. “I dunno, the way I see it I just took care of getting dinner for us.”

Wolf simply groaned, seeing that this conversation was going nowhere. The two began to meander along the shore towards the goal Link had pinned. As they did, Wolf asked about the bomb he had thrown. Link decided it was as good a time as any to give him a quick rundown of the fives runes he had, adding that he did not in fact find the sixth in the shrine he had visited. Wolf had to admit that while they were certainly an unusual collection of powers, they seemed like they had some pretty good uses in the right circumstances.

They arrived at the strange structures that they had seen earlier. They appeared to be two sets of cubes set up in an inexplicable pattern. It took Link all of a few seconds to spot one that appeared to be out of place. It was made of metal and was too heavy to lift, so Link got to show off magnesis. Wolf watched as the boy effortlessly caused the cube to float and maneuvered it over to the pile it had not been on. Link carefully dropped it into the one place where it could go to make the two piles the same. As soon as it had been placed, another korok appeared to congratulate Link on finding it.

The older boy had to wonder just how a small, wooden creature was able to move the cubes so as to “hide”, but he decided it was probably best not to dwell on things that were clearly magical in nature. He had never been very good at such things as magic. Which was probably why he was stuck as a half-wolf.

While he pondered over this, Link broke out a sledgehammer and bashed open a couple of ore rocks nearby to retrieve their “shiny” goods inside. Once that was done the two began on their way back to the road. As they walked, Linked noticed a rock that they had passed right by the first time and stopped to lift it. Another korok sprang out and rewarded him in the same way the others had. This had Wolf puzzled over two things. The first was how he failed to be able to smell the little creatures unless he was actively sniffing for them. The second was just how many of the darn things there were if they had found so stinking many in such a short span of time!

When they got back to the road, Link brought out the map again and showed it off to Wolf as he spoke. “See this? I pinned that spot but because I got there the pin went away. Cool, right?”

Wolf nodded. “That seems quite handy.”

The conversation went nowhere from that. They continued walking and Link got sidetracked three times just long enough to lift some more rocks that were on the side of the road. To his delight, beneath one of them was a shiny green object, which he snatched up and showed to his companion with glee.

“Look at this, look at this!” he shouted, holding it up for him to see. “What do you think it is?!”

Wolf stared at it in disbelief. “That’s…that’s a rupee.”

“A what?”

“A rupee. It’s the currency back where I come from.”

“Is…is it common for them to be under rocks?”

“Surprisingly.” Wolf admitted. “But why would one be here?”

Link gave a shrug and pocketed it like everything else interesting that he picked up. “No idea, but I’m keeping it!” He was about to keep moving when he noticed that Wolf was still thinking to himself. “Hey uh… You… You okay?” he asked carefully. He extended a hand and laid it gently on Wolf’s head, petting him lightly. “Not gonna lie, a lotta stuff around here’s been upsetting you, it seems. If you wanna stop and talk about it we can.”

Despite himself, Wolf wagged his tail just a little at the head pat before shaking his head. “No. I’m o- …No I’m not.” he breathed a sigh. “I’m most certainly not ‘okay’ at the moment. It’s…it’s difficult to explain. Or rather, I don’t feel like here and now is a good place to be trying. We should find a place to rest first, then we can talk. Try not to worry about it for now. I’ll do the same.”

The pair lapsed into silence for a few minutes as they continued walking. There was absolutely a lot that needed to be spoken about, but what Wolf had said was true: out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the day was not the best place to be talking about things that were frankly kind of disturbing. Especially if Wolf had more on his mind than what Link knew of.

Despite the heavy atmosphere, the boy was able to become distracted again when they crossed paths with several fallen, rotted, and hollowed out logs forming a sort of path up the hill beside them. Wolf was not at all surprised when the boy veered off the road and ventured towards them. The pair spotted an odd yellow flower growing inside the first log and Link brightened up considerably.

“Oh, I love these ones!” he shouted happily.

He ran towards it and touched it. The moment his fingertips made contact the flower quivered and vanished, only to reappear again further up the hill beneath the next log. The boy gave chase, and Wolf trotted along behind him. The flower continued to move away up the hill until it reached the top where a huge stump sat. Wolf noticed that the flower was white now, and when Link touched it again another korok came out of hiding.

From that vantage point the tower could be seen clearly. It stood on the other side of a river that ran on the opposite side of the road as the fallen logs and korok. Looking both up and down river, there were no obvious bridges to take to get over to it. Sensing what Link was thinking about doing, Wolf pre-emptively turned back into a beast and waited for him. Sure enough, the boy brought out his paraglider and hopped off the stump, intending to glide the whole way across the river.

That didn’t happen, of course, as he noticed something of interest right at the water’s edge. He dropped down and whipped out his bow to kill three octoroks that hid in the water only a few feet away from where he landed. While he did, Wolf rejoined him and waited to see just what the boy had stopped for. Before he got around to that, Link swam out into the water to pick up the body parts the octoroks had dropped.

Link told Wolf to get off the slab of rock he happened to be standing on, so he did. Link broke out the slate again, this time getting a chance to show what stasis could do. He stopped the slab and gave it a few whacks with his sledgehammer. The instant the rune wore off, the slab went shooting off towards the road about ten feet off. Beneath the slab was a chest with another gemstone.

“So, can you swim?” Link asked him.

Still a beast, Wolf nodded.

“Cool!”

The pair swam across the river with little effort. Once on the other side, Wolf shook the water from his body, causing Link to flinch and cover his face from the flying water droplets. The boy laughed and patted his head before he returned to his half-form.

Before the tower was another bokoblin camp, this one larger than the others Wolf had seen. There was a large, oddly-formed, skull shaped hill or something in the middle of it. Wolf was prepared to go in and fight the whole lot of the monsters milling about, but Link stopped him and crouched down. The boy didn’t speak a word, but Wolf got the idea that he was going to try and take the camp out in a much sneakier and possibly more strategic way. Impressed, he stood back and let the boy do his thing.

Link crept towards a tree that was closer to the camp and climbed it as quickly and quietly as he could. He pocketed a couple of bird eggs as he climbed, but his attention was back on the monsters in an instant. He brought out a better-made bow than he had used before and fired a single shot straight into the head of a bokoblin who had been standing watch on a rock a few feet in front of him. It died instantly and without a sound.

The boy hopped out of the tree and proceeded to creep up on the skull cave. He slunk around behind it, careful not to make too much noise and alert the inhabitants within. The next thing Wolf knew, Link had climbed up the back of it and was now creeping along on top of it towards one of the eyes. Wolf noticed that each eye had a lit lantern hanging in them and wondered if, and how, Link was going to use them to his advantage in some way.

What the boy did next was inhuman, even for Wolf who had sniped a freaking tiny stick of a flagpole on top of a building on top of a cliff from all the way across Kakariko Village! Link stood and drew a deep breath before sprinting off the skull, leaping at the last second. In midair, the boy whirled around and fired a single arrow. It cut through the rope of the hanging lantern and fell inside, setting off a huge explosion that was certain to have killed most of the monsters inside. Link landed, looking a little out of breath and switched over to one of his melee weapons in order to bring down the only bokoblin that remained alive in the vicinity.

Once it was dead, Link signaled that Wolf could join him again. Wolf did so, and with a couple of questions for the boy as he went about looting what he could.

“How did you know there were explosives in there?”

Link shrugged. “These things are pretty stupid. I’ve seen explosives in every other camp they’ve made, so I assumed there were some inside. Honestly I’m glad I was right! Blowing them all up is so much more fun than hacking away at them!” He said with a wide grin. Wolf was suddenly very concerned that Link’s answer to problems seemed to default to using explosives.

“Okay, what about that other thing you did?”

“Other thing? What other thing?”

“You turned around, aimed, and fired your arrow faster than anything I’ve ever seen! I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve pulled off some ridiculous shots with a bow before but nothing quite like that!”

“Oh. Um… I don’t know.”

Wolf glared. “Don’t say that. You always know something when you say that.”

“I don’t! I’ve done it a few times now and I can’t explain it! When I’m airborne and draw my bow, it’s like time suddenly slows down to a crawl! I can move and aim and shoot just like normal, but everything else around me is so, so slow. I don’t know how I do it, I just do. Not to mention it wears me out somethin’ awful when it happens.”

“That’s better.” Wolf stated. “See, you can give me a better explanation than ‘you don’t know’. Just because you don’t have all of the information doesn’t mean you can’t give me details.”

Link frowned. He wasn’t sure what Wolf meant by that or how he could be satisfied with a description like he had given him. Heck, Link wouldn’t even necessarily call it a “description” so much as an “excuse” as to why he didn’t know. Either way, Link finished up what he was doing and turned his sights onto the last few monsters in the area. They were up on a slope that lead up to another small camp on the edge of a short cliff that was very close to the tower.

Link went for it, Wolf reverting to beast form to charge ahead of him and take care of the regular red bokoblins that lined the slope and blocked their way. The pair of them took out the small camp together. When everything was dead Link did his usual looting, picking up a claymore and the meat they had roasting over a fire in the process. The edge of the cliff was a perfect vantage point from which to paraglide over to the tower. Wolf sat and let Link do his thing.

The boy landed on what appeared to be the lowest of several outcroppings along the tower’s shaft. From there, Link began to climb. It was fairly easy. The surface of the tower was like a lattice, providing him with ample hand and footholds compared to the things he usually climbed. There were three more outcroppings on his way up, and he made use of them in order to stop and regain his breath. He really did need to work on his stamina. When he made it to the top, he waved down to his companion and Wolf teleported back up to him. He didn’t bother to change form, as he was sure Link would glide back down, but he wanted to see what it was like when Link interacted with the tower.

“I take it you want to see how this thing works, yeah?” Link asked, receiving a nod. “Cool. Watch this.”

He placed the Sheikah Slate onto the mechanism in the pedestal that sat in the middle of the platform. It got spun around a bit until it laid flat with the screen facing upward. A little voice from the slate chimed, “Sheikah Tower activated.” Beneath them the tower switched from glowing orange to blue, and Wolf noticed that a small circle on the platform they were standing on began to glow as well. “Scanning area…” the voice chimed again. Above the Sheikah Slate was a large rock suspended from the roof. It began to glow in an odd blue light, foreign writing covering it as well. At the bottom, what appeared to be the Sheikah Eye, a symbol Wolf had seen before, showed. A single drop of something formed at the point beneath the eye, completing the image for a brief second before it dripped down onto the slate. The screen flashed to life and revealed a wide section of the map that was newly filled in with the surrounding terrain. Link looked like he was about ready to reach out and take the slate back when the little voice spoke up again. “Regional map updated. Sheikah Slate updated. Additional functionality detected.” A little icon on the map’s screen flashed, showing him that it was new. “Sheikah Sensor acquired. You can enable or disable the Sheikah Sensor on the map screen.”

Link took the slate back when it was offered to him again. He stared at the new little icon curiously. He had no idea how it worked, and he had a feeling there was no way to get it to tell him. Still staring at it, he meandered towards the edge of the tower out towards Dueling Peaks and the sensor suddenly sprang to life, chirping as he walked. The moment he stopped, so did it.

“Huh. Guess it only works when I’m moving? That’s kind of a bummer. I wonder what its sensing.” He muttered.

Wolf hadn’t the slightest idea. The weird technology in this bizarre world baffled him just as much as everything else about his situation. Link tucked the slate back where it belonged and half-turned to him.

“I’m gonna glide down to about where the two mountains begin.”

Wolf nodded again and Link jumped from the tower, gliding far out towards the river between the mountains with ease. The moment his feet touched the ground again, Wolf teleported back down to the ground a couple feet away from him. Link barely paid him any mind, as he had spotted a shrine up on a ledge to their left in between the mountains. The sensor chirped wildly as he approached it, and the pair wondered if maybe that was what it had been detecting. Wolf returned to his half-form and sat down by the river to wait for the boy to return from his mini task.

The puzzle inside the shrine was all about pressing switches to angle slopes in order to roll balls into specified divots. It was simple enough, all things considered. Once a ball was in place, a moving platform appeared to carry Link to the next part of the puzzle. At the end he noticed a chest beside the final slope. Said slope had to remain angled a certain way for him to read it, and so he did the one thing he could think to. He used his stasis rune on the button he was weighing down and quickly climbed onto the platform. It took him across and he ran up the slope just quickly enough that he was able to loot the chest. Inside was a red bandana. Link found it odd to be given clothes like that out of nowhere, but he tied it onto his head all the same. It had to be good for something, right? Besides, it looked cool.

His stasis had worn off of the button and he wandered back along the no-longer-sloped segment towards the old monk. He noticed down on a lower ledge that there were a couple of metal barrels and realized too late that he probably could have used them to weigh down the button. He shrugged. His method had worked, after all. He collected his spirit orb from the old monk and returned to the outside.

Wolf heard him coming back out and stood up. “Nice bandana.” He commented. “Looks good on you.”

“Thanks! It’s cool, right?” Link laughed, getting a nod in answer and leading the way further up river. His slate continued to chirp at him, and he muttered that maybe it wasn’t detecting shrines after all. He had half a mind to turn the sensor off just to shut it up, but decided that if he did that then he really would never figure out what it was sensing.

In the river were two lizalfos. Link had never seen them before, and they took him completely by surprise. They spat water at him and Wolf from the safety of the middle of the river. The pair retreated as far back onto land as they could, just barely out of their reach.

“You don’t happen to be able to fight in the water, do you?” Link asked.

“Not without my gear.”

“Of course.” He sighed. “Alright! Then I’ll do things my way!”

Wolf already knew what that meant before Link pulled out not one, but both types of bombs that he could. He lobbed them both into the water between the two monsters and set them off one after the other. It clearly damaged the monsters and they raced up onto the shore where both jumped at him. Wolf was on the first, who had tried to spear Link through his head, in a flash. Link beat back the other on his own. The two went down fairly quickly all things considered and Link picked up what they dropped.

“Out of curiosity…” Wolf began after turning back so that he could speak. “Do you happen to know what all of these monsters are called?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“Right, no memory.”

“What would you call them?” Link asked out of curiosity.

“Well, they vaguely resemble some monsters from where I’m from. The littler guys look like bokoblins. The big ones are kind of like moblins. And those lizard things are certainly more aquatic than the ones I know, but I’d call ‘em lizalfos.”

“Those names work for me. I’ve been calling them ‘small uglies’, ‘big uglies’, and just now ‘lizard uglies’. Hey, what about those things with the tentacles? I was thinking ‘water uglies’.”

The look Wolf gave him was nothing short of baffled and concerned for Link’s wellbeing. “…Octoroks.” He said carefully.

“Fine, have it your way!” Link snickered.

At the bokoblin camp further upstream, Link spotted a huge boulder made of metal. He lifted it high into the air with magnesis and carefully positioned it above an explosive barrel. He dropped it, and the barrel detonated, taking out all but the stronger blue bokoblin. A few slashes from the claymore that Link had picked up was all it took to end its life. A chest beside the camp which had been glowing purple suddenly turned yellow.

“Never seen that happen.” Wolf commented.

“Oh, it’s been a while since a camp has had one of these!” Link said excitedly. “You can’t open the chest unless all the monsters are dead, for some reason. Usually the thing inside is pretty good.”

Inside the chest was a wooden boomerang. Link muttered that he had tried to throw some weapons before, but his aim with them was terrible. He offered it to Wolf who shook his head. Link had been expecting that, and he tucked the boomerang back where it came from, a little disappointed that the first glowing chest he could show Wolf hadn’t been all that great.

As the pair left the area between the mountains, a huge, lone tent came into view. On top of the tent was a large, wooden structure in the shape of a horse’s head. Judging by the surrounding area, it looked to be a stable of some kind. A pang of sadness struck Wolf as he suddenly missed his Epona. He glanced down at Link, whose eyes were wide and practically sparkling at the sight of the horses.

“Have you ridden a horse? I mean, that you can remember.” Wolf asked.

Link shook his head. “They look so pretty, though. I want to ride one!”

“It’s a lot of fun.” Wolf stated. “You’ve got to be gentle with them, but once they trust you they’re amazing creatures to be around.”

“Aw man, I’m jealous!”

Wolf smiled. “Maybe you can get yourself one.”

Link looked like he liked that idea. “Yeah. We’ll have to see about that. For now though…” he eyes trained over to a shrine that was across the road from the stable. It was surrounded by water, and thick thorns grew around it, preventing people from simply walking up to it. “I should probably clear that thing out. Which will be cool, because I can teleport to shrines and towers. So I’ll be able to come back to this stable really easily.

“That’s interesting.” Wolf told him.

Link only nodded as he climbed his way up onto a ledge. From there he glided over to the shrine and landed neatly on top of it, avoiding the thorns altogether. Wolf sat down beside the water and waited for his return, wondering just what it was like inside those shrines.

There were a few waterfalls flowing in the area, and Link had to use cryonis to create pillars in order to navigate to the main puzzle of the shrine. Before doing that, he doubled back and climbed further up the waterfalls in order to open a chest that had been hidden out of sight. In it was a purple rupee, and Link pocketed it while thinking that he would have to ask Wolf how much it was worth.

The main puzzle contained a huge waterfall spilling over several sloped ledges. An orange ball dropped from the ceiling and rolled along a few of them and then into what appeared to a bottomless pit. Link got the idea and began placing ice pillars at key points so that the ball would roll down in a specific way and come to a rest in a glowing divot designed for it. As soon as it was in place, the door to the exit lifted and Link collected his reward and left.

Back the surface, the thorns receded and Link was able to walk away from the shrine. He and Wolf agreed that it was certainly an unusual thing to happen. The pair then approached the stable to investigate what was going on with it. There were a few people milling about, including a couple of young children. One of the men who was standing out in front of the place called out to the pair in a friendly manner.

“Hey there! Welcome to Dueling Peaks Stable!” he greeted, a smile on his face. “You folks don’t look like you’re from around here.” He stated, eyeing Wolf’s unusual appearance none too subtly but remaining friendly nonetheless. “What do you think of the place? Pretty nice, yeah? It might be hard to imagine now, but this place was nearly destroyed about 100 years ago. However, thanks to the blessings of the Dueling Peaks, everything is full of life again. Even the wild horses are back. There’s a lot of energy in this place.”

Link’s eyes widened at that. “Wild horses, you say?”

“Huh? Did you not see any horses on your way here? Certainly not as many as in years past, but there are still quite a few around… Horses in the wild are…well, wild! No one has trained or cared for them. If you manage to catch one, let my brother Tasseren know. He’ll register the horse for you!” He gestured out towards the plains and forests behind the stable. “You should be able to find them out that’a way.”

“So if I were to go get one of those, you’ll let me keep it here?” Link asked.

“For a fee, of course, but certainly! They’re wild, so ‘til you calm ‘em, it’s gonna be one crazy ride. But there’s no feeling quite like taming a wild stallion!”

“Or mare.” Wolf muttered.

The man nodded. “Or one’a them!” he gave Link a wink. “Just so you know, kid, I took second place in the Hyrule Horse-Taming Competition!” Wolf felt his blood run cold and he stood rigid where he was. Neither Link nor the man seemed to notice. Instead Link simply raised an eyebrow at the man. “HEY! What’s with that look? You don’t believe me? Let’s go, pal! You and me. Right here. Right now. You want to challenge the second-place Hyrule Horse-Taming Competition winner to a tame-off?! YOU GOT IT, MISTER!”

“Yeah uh…okay! Sure, I’ll take on your challenge.” Link stated.

It was then that Wolf suddenly grabbed Link by the shoulder. The boy yelped, his companion’s grip being vice-like. The older boy was staring with unfocused eyes at the ground and he looked like he was going to be sick. The man blinked at him with concern.

“Is…is he gonna be okay?” he asked.

“Link…” Wolf said, breathing heavily and beginning to shake. “Link, we need to talk. NOW!” he said in a demanding tone.

“Um, okay. Yeah. Let’s go do that.” Link said, understanding and concern in his voice.

He quickly excused them from the man and Link put an arm around Wolf’s shoulders. Wolf’s legs felt like lead and he was too dizzy from panic to properly see where he was going, so Link led them away from the stable and across the road to the edge of the water around the shrine. Wolf dropped like a rock onto the ground, barely putting in the energy to sit comfortably. Link sat down beside him, a hand still on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure Wolf that he was still there. Wolf forced himself to breathe deeply, trying to focus so that he could ask what he needed to.

“Link… I need you to be absolutely honest with me. No dodging the questions, just tell me what you know. Understood?” Wolf asked, eyes trained on the ground beneath the water in front of him.

“I understand.”

“Where…where are we? Not the stable, I mean what land is this? What is it called?”

“The land? According to my map, we’re in West Necluda.”

“Link?”

“Yeah?”

“I really need you to focus here. What did that man say? About the horse taming thing he took second place in.”

“He said it was the Hyrule Hor-” Link froze, his eyes widened. He suddenly had a gut feeling what it was that had triggered Wolf into a panic. “…We’re in Hyrule.” He stated.

Wolf released a long, slow exhale. His head felt fuzzy and he was shaking again. “That’s…that’s the name of the place I come from. Our names, Hyrule, Lake Hylia, rupees, heck even that volcano over there and those sandy cliffs I saw! Link. I know all of this, but it’s all different from what I know! Tell me, you mentioned a princess before. Would her name happen to be Zelda?”

“It…” Link swallowed, throat suddenly feeling dry. “It is.”

“Fuck!” Wolf muttered sharply. He laid a hand upon his face and closed his eyes. “What is going on here?!”

Carefully, Link began to rub his back and shoulders. The fur felt weird beneath his shirt, but he tried to ignore it for his companion’s sake. “I… I don’t mean to make things any worse, but could you tell me about how you came here?” he asked. “Maybe that will help?”

“I don’t see how it would. Honestly I know almost as much as you do about that.” He sighed. He took a moment to compose himself enough that he could speak without his voice shaking. “I’ll tell you what I know. You see, for the last two years I’ve been searching for someone. Or rather, I was searching for a way to reach her. The night I came to you, the night I showed up here, she suddenly spoke to me through my mind. She said that she had ‘found something’. She told me…that there was somebody who could use my help and that I should go to him. If I did, then I might find a way to be reunited with her. So she lent me her powers and…next thing I knew I was here. In this sick, twisted version of the Hyrule that I know!” he pounded a fist onto the ground beside him out of frustration. “I assume she meant you. That I’m supposed to be helping you. But honestly? I don’t know how that is going to help me, or what I am supposed to be looking for here.”

Link was at a loss for words. He wasn’t even sure he would know what to say or do if he still had his memories. The most he could do was try and get Wolf to talk some more and maybe see if there was anything else he knew that could help them.

“You said she’s lending you her powers. Is that why you don’t seem to know how to do the things you do?”

“You mean teleport and transform? Yes.” Wolf stated. He brought his hand away from his face and looked at it hard. “The circumstances are strange, but it is by her magic or something like it that I become a wolf and can teleport. I assume being able to return to normal is an augmentation of that, but clearly it either doesn’t work quite right or I’m doing something wrong.”

That didn’t really help the way Link had hoped it would. “Alright, so, this person you want to see again and who sent you here. I’m going to assume you like her.”

A faint, disheartened smile tugged at Wolf’s lips. “You… You could say that.” He admitted fondly. “I’d even go so far as to say that she and I were very close.”

“So then, I assume you trust her.”

“That I do.”

“Well, the answer seems obvious enough to me.” Link stated. He wasn’t certain if what he was about to say would actually mean anything to Wolf, but the hopeful look the older boy gave him made him try saying it anyway. “Clearly she wants you to find or do something here. Something that cannot be found or done in your version of Hyrule. So she sent you here, because it can be found or done here. I think you should try putting your faith her.” He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, trying to think of how to explain what was on his mind. “This place and your place, I don’t know why but it’s pretty clear that they’re the same, only different.” He gestured between the two of them. “We’re the same, only different.” He cringed, knowing he wasn’t exactly making any sense. “You get what I’m trying to say?”

Wolf blinked at him, speechless. For the most part Link had just been speaking gibberish, but a part of Wolf wanted to understand, wanted to believe what he was saying. He breathed another sigh and ran his hands through his hair, pinning his ears back momentarily in the process.

“Not really.” He admitted. Before the boy could apologize or try to explain it better, Wolf spoke again. “I don’t understand how two places can be the same, but different. Not like this. I don’t understand how two people can be that way. But you are right: whatever it is she meant, Midna wouldn’t purposefully lead me astray or put me under stress for nothing. I may not know what in the world is going on here, but I should put my trust in her and continue doing as I’ve done.” He raised his head and cast the smallest, but most honest of smiles at Link. “Thank you.” He said softly. “I’m… I’m still not okay. But I needed to get that off my chest. So thank you for listening to me.”

Link patted him on the back before reaching up to scratch around his ears. “Whatever you need, bro. If you need me to listen to ya, then I will.”

Wolf’s tail moved a little, barely a wag. The corners of his mouth tugged up just a little more. “Bro? Are we brothers now?”

“Well I mean, it’s weird to think of us as the same person, right?”

“It is, yes.”

“So why not think of it like we’re brothers?”

Wolf huffed, a little amused and shook his head. “I suppose that isn’t the worst way to view it. Although speaking of us being the same person, I’ve been meaning to ask; how old are you?”

It was a question Link shouldn’t have known the answer to, as he hadn’t even known his name when he first woke up and no one had told him of his age since then. Yet somehow the number came to him as naturally as if he hadn’t forgotten.

“Seventeen.” He stated, a little startled that he knew that.

Wolf saw the look on his face and assumed it wasn’t something he had been told. “You look about that age, yeah.” He agreed. “That means you’re younger than me. You’re about as old as I was when I first met Midna.”

Link tilted his head to one side. “How old are you?”

Wolf flashed him a smirk. “Nearly twenty. I’ll be there in a couple of months.”

“Wow, you’re old!” Link cried out playfully, laughing.

Wolf huffed. “Twenty is still young!”

“Old man!”

“No really, twenty isn’t even out of peak physical condition range.”

“Grandpa!”

“If I’m old, then you’re a child!”

“Geezer!”

“Brat!”

“Disgusting codger!”

“Annoying little ankle biter!”

“Crotchety old fart!”

“Loud, obnoxious whipper snapper!”

The two glared at each other for a moment before both sputtered and double over with laughter. They spent a moment getting their giggle fit out, tears forming in the corners of their eyes. Wolf was the first to take a deep breath to try and collect himself. He wiped his eyes, fighting off more laughter.

“You still have those fish, right?” he asked.

Beside him, Link looked like he was in stitches. He could barely breathe and he was clutching his sides. Wolf nearly began laughing again just looking at him, but he managed to remain in control of himself. He waited for the boy to contain himself and answer.

“Y-yeah…” he choked out, laughter threatening to overtake him again. He sat up and drew in a long, although fractured, breath. “I got ‘em.”

“I’ll cook then. That sound fair? One catches, the other cooks.”

“Yeah, sounds fair to me.”

Wolf got back onto his feet and held out a hand. Link took it and let himself be helped up. They turned back to the stables, and Wolf’s eyes landed on a cooking pot that was going unused at the moment.

“Let’s ask if they’ll let us use that.” He stated, nodding at the pot.

“Sure!”

Link began to walk back, but Wolf caught the sleeve of his shirt. The boy turned back to see what was up. Wolf was staring at the ground again, the look in his eyes a little apologetic.

“Really though, um…thank you.”

Link flashed him a grin. “Like I said, I’ll listen if you need me to, bro. Now c’mon, all that laughing’s made me hungry!”

Wolf smiled back at him and the pair sought out the woman who was currently cooking for the stable workers and children to see if they could borrow the other pot.

Chapter Text

Permission to use the cooking pot was granted to the two boys and they sat down in order to get their dinner made. To Wolf’s surprise and delight, Link revealed that he had a lot of random ingredients on hand that they could add to the fish. Rock salt, hyrule herbs, and hylian mushrooms got thrown into the pot to cook, too. While they ate, Link decided to bring up the subject that had been dropped earlier due to Wolf’s panicking.

“So… This horse taming thing… I want to take on that guy’s challenge. Do you have any idea how to tame a horse? Because I don’t.” he stated.

“It all depends on the horse. Sometimes it isn’t too hard, sometimes they put up a huge fight. Obviously the best way is to gain its trust first, but if push comes to shove you can always climb onto its back and hang on until it calms down. Trying to soothe it during that time is important, too.” Wolf replied.

“Oh good, sounds like it’s going to test my stamina.” Link groaned. “Guess I know what to pray for once I get another spirit orb…”

“Spirit orb?”

“That’s right, I haven’t told you about those yet! Lemme see…”

Before Link could go into detail, the man who had put forth the taming challenge called out to them and approached them. He had his eyes on Wolf, a bit of concern evident on his face.

“Sorry, you can go back to your conversation in a moment. I just wanted to make sure you were doin’ alright, young man.”

Wolf cracked a smile. “I’ll be okay. Sorry about earlier, and thank you for your concern.”

“Good to hear that.” The man looked between the two of them and addressed them both now. “A good night’s sleep might do you wonders, you know? We got beds for rent. Pretty cheap, too. Only 20 rupees apiece! My brother’ll take care of you if you’re interested. And boy,” he looked at Link, “come talk to me again if you’re still interested in taming a horse!”

“Thank you. We’ll keep that in mind.” Wolf told him.

The man nodded and let them be. The two looked at each other again and Link thought of something.

“OH! Hey, while we’re on the topic of money, I found this in a shrine. How much is it worth?” Link dug around in his pocket and held out the purple rupee.

Wolf’s eyes widened. “Wow, most random treasures I find are red rupees… That thing is worth fifty!”

Link cocked his head to one side. “I take it that is a lot.”

“I don’t know how much things cost in this world but… Green rupees are worth one. Blue are five, yellow are ten, red and twenty, purple are fifty, silver are a hundred, and gold are three hundred. So what you’ve got right there is fairly high-priced, given the values.”

“Neat!” Link exclaimed happily. “I’ve already forgotten what everything else you just said is, but if this is pretty valuable and is worth fifty, that’s good enough for me!”

“You’ll learn their worth in time.” Wolf assured him. “Now, about this spirit orb business…?

“Right, right. Those. Hold up a second, lemme just…” Link about emptied his pockets of apples, hylian mushrooms, and acorns. He began tossing them into the pot in random combinations. “Might be good to have some snacks for the road.” He explained. “Okay, now while I cook these up, I’ll explain. See, the shrines are way bigger than you might think they are. Underground they have large rooms with puzzles inside of them. Normally they make me use my runes to solve the puzzles and navigate my way to the exits, although one time I had to use the paraglider which was kind of odd. But anyway, at the end of them are these old, monk-like dudes who are like, preserved in some way, and when I disrupt them they give me these things called spirit orbs. Then they sort of dissolve into dust. It’s kinda weird. After that, I get taken back to the elevator and I leave.

“When I get four of those orbs, I can pray at a statue of the goddess and she’ll grant me a wish. I can either increase my health or my stamina. I’ve done it once before. I chose health. I’m thinking next time I should go for stamina.”

“So they’re like pieces of heart.” Wolf commented.

Link shrugged. “I dunno what those are, but if that’s what they make you think of, then sure.”

“You mentioned a goddess just now, too. What’s that about?”

“The goddess? I…honestly do not know. No one’s spoken her name to me, and I don’t remember anything about her. I just know she grants my wishes.”

“That’s interesting… Hold on a moment.” Wolf got up and retrieved a twig from beneath a tree at the back of the stables. He sat down again and began drawing in the dirt. “You see, where I come from we have a tale that has been passed down for generations. There were three golden goddesses who made all of Hyrule. The first was Din, the goddess of power, who shaped the land. After her was Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, who gave the world is laws. And last was Farore, the goddess of courage, who gave life to the world. Once their task was complete, the goddesses returned to their sacred realm, but not without leaving one last thing behind in ours.” He finished his drawing. “It’s called the Triforce. It is said that whomever possesses all three pieces is granted their greatest wish. If their heart is pure and good, then their wish will be to the benefit of all. If their heart is corrupt, however, darkness may descend upon the land. But it isn’t just three pieces together that are worth something.” He tapped each segment in turn as he spoke. “The Triforce of Power, left behind by Din, grants its wielder immense strength and influence. The Triforce of Wisdom, left behind by Nayru, grants is holder the gift of prophecy. And the Triforce of Courage, left behind by Farore, grants its user the bravery to face down any foe.” He paused and held up his left hand, showing the back of it to Link. Wolf did what he could to channel Midna’s magic through his body without transforming. It worked, briefly, and the sacred mark appeared on the back of his hand, the Triforce of Courage glowing brighter than the others. “It is because of Farore’s sacred power that I become a wolf when exposed to the Twilight and Twili magic. Otherwise I would become like a spirit and blind to the world as it is.”

Link’s eyes shined brightly and he grabbed Wolf’s hand in his, staring at the mark of the Triforce. “Woah… That is so cool! I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like that before! Aw man, now I want to know what the story behind the one goddess is… I wonder if it even holds a candle to what you just told me. Seriously, how did you get something so powerful as a…sacred…triangle thingy?!”

Wolf snorted with laughter. “Triforce. And you know, I haven’t the foggiest idea. I spent seventeen years not even knowing I had it. But then, well, a lot happened and my world kind of got turned upside-down. I never really stopped to think about why I have it.” He admitted.

Link hummed thoughtfully at that, but said nothing. He released Wolf’s hand after a moment, the mark no longer visible. He removed the last of what he had been cooking up from the pot and tucked everything away neatly.

“Changing the subject a bit here, want me to pay for a couple of beds in the tent, or do you want to camp out? I’ve got enough money, if I still remember how to do math correctly.”

“You can sleep in a bed if you want. I’m fine on the ground.”

“Then I’ll sleep outside, too!” Link declared with a smile. “It’d be rude of me to be in a bed while my bro is on the floor.”

“You’re really committed to this brother thing, aren’t you?” Wolf laughed. “Well, suit yourself. Camping’s not going to hurt us.”

Link stood up from the stool he had been occupying and stretched. “Right. So, because the night’s still pretty young, I’m gonna do somethin’ real quick and then try that guy’s challenge before going to bed. You comin’?”

Wolf nodded and got to his feet as well. It only came as a slight shock that the “something” Link had mentioned was to climb the outside of the tent. The boy carefully walked across its top to the horse head, which he climbed up as well. Once on top of it, he crept his way out onto the nose and another korok appeared. After that he climbed back down off the head and hopped down from the tent.

The man who had issued the challenge was delighted that Link still wanted to take him up on it. The rules were pretty simple: Link had two hours to tame any wild horse and bring it back for him to see. He gave Link the start, and the boy hurried off towards the forest behind the stables, Wolf following after him.

The first herd the pair spotted had four horses. Wolf asked if any of them struck Link’s fancy, and the boy studied them carefully. It didn’t matter which he caught, but he felt if he was going to do it he should at least choose one he liked. His eyes were drawn to a black one with a spotted butt and a white mane and tail. He pointed it out to Wolf, who agreed that it was kind of pretty.

Sneaking up to the horse proved a challenge in and of itself. Night was upon them, and one-eyed flying monsters kept swarming by to harass them. Wolf insisted they were called keese, but Link thought the name “flying uglies” was better. On top of them, several blue slime creatures kept popping out of the ground and spooking the horses. Before Link could even try to tell Wolf what sort of “uglies” they were, the older boy named them chuchus. When Link finally managed to get close enough to his horse of choice, he climbed right up onto its back. The horse barely put up a fight, much to their relief, and allowed Link to begin steering it back towards the stables by its mane.

“Well done!” Wolf congratulated him. “Looks like you found yourself a calm one.”

“Seems like it.” Link smiled, giving it a pat. “Now to get…him? Her?”

“Her.”

“Now to get her back to that guy. Nuts to his second place, I won this challenge!”

With a laugh, Wolf followed his companion back to the stables. The man was most impressed that Link had managed to do the challenge in just over an hour. He forked over the reward, which was another purple rupee. He then directed Link to his brother, suggesting that he register the horse with him. Link thanked him and went to do just that. As he did, Wolf caught the man mumbling something about the “Hyrule Horse-Taming Competition” actually just being between him and his brother. Of course, this made his second place victory much less spectacular, but Wolf kept that to himself.

The fee for registering a horse and getting it outfitted with a locally-made saddle and bridle cost Link twenty rupees altogether. He paid it happily and the man began to fill out the paperwork. Link hopped down from his new horse so that it could be outfitted properly.

“What are you going to name it?” he asked the boy.

Link grinned and proudly declared, “Speckle Butt!”

The man was clearly taken aback by this. He looked to Wolf who could only sigh and shake his head. Really, Wolf had just about been expecting that name. With a look on his face that clearly said he thought Link was crazy, the man wrote down the name.

“Say, can you take care of her tonight?” Link asked.

“Of course! In fact, let me tell you a few services we and other stables offer. Once your horse is registered, we here at Dueling Peaks Stable can use a special kind of magic to summon her from anywhere she is in the world! The other stables can do the same. So if you leave her somewhere, or want to retrieve her from a different stable, you’ll be able to get her with a simple request. All of that is included with the registration fee.”

“Wow! That’s really cheap for something like that, considering a bed for the night costs the same amount.”

The man smirked. “A bit of horse-magic is easy for us.”

“Well, thank you.” Link told the man. “I’ll probably ride her out of here tomorrow sometime. Right now I’m beat.” He looked to Wolf. “You ready for bed?”

“I’ve been ready.”

“Are you boys renting?”

“Nah, we’re camping. Maybe next time.”

“Alright. Have a good night!”

Exhausted from the day’s walk and ups and downs, the pair found their way over the lone tree behind the stables. Link flopped down onto his back, and Wolf laid down a couple feet away from him. Link drew in a deep, contented breath and smiled.

“The nights can be cool. You gonna be okay?” he asked.

“I have fur. I’ll be fine. You warm enough?”

Link nodded. “This doublet’s actually quite warm. I’m good.”

“That’s good. Well, good night, kid.”

“Kid?”

“I said you were right about using the name ‘Link’.”

Link laughed. “Oh yeah. G’night, bro.”

*****

In the morning, the pair made do with the snacks that Link had cooked up. While they ate, Link informed Wolf that their next destination was to the north; a place called Kakariko Village. Wolf paused briefly, and for a moment Link was afraid he was going to freak out again. Thankfully, he only muttered, “Of course it’s named that,” and resumed eating his breakfast. When they were ready, Link made to get Speckle Butt so they could set out on the road. Before he reached the window, both boys stopped as they caught a part of a conversation two men were having inside the tent. They said something about a treasure and a bandit, and it was enough to pique Link’s curiosity.

The two men of course called Link out on his listening in when he approached and asked them about it. However they still told him that they were treasure hunters and were seeking a treasure left behind by a bandit named Misko. Link asked where it was, and both men declared that they couldn’t just give away information like that! One of the men nudged his buddy and whispered something about telling Link just so that he’ll go away; that besides, they couldn’t figure out the riddle so there was no way he could. The other man agreed that this was probably the smartest move. He told Link that he would tell him the riddle that led to the treasure if Link paid him one hundred rupees, even though the treasure was surely worth a thousand!

“Don’t do it, kid.” Wolf sighed.

“No way, I’m gonna do it!” Link declared, only to realize he was a little short on cash. “You two wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Wolf shrugged at the two men, who had cast him a dumbfounded look, and followed his shorter companion. He caught up to the boy as he was being directed to a funny looking man by one of the stable men. As it happened, the funny looking man was a wandering merchant who frequented all of the stables in Hyrule. He introduced himself as Beedle, a beetle maniac who could be easily recognized by the huge beetle-shaped pack on his back. To Wolf’s surprise, Beedle offered a decent sum for a couple of the snacks that Link had cooked up, enough to cover the twenty rupees he needed to pay the two men, plus a little more. With the money in hand, Link hurried back to them and forked over the cash.

“All right, here’s the riddle. ‘The little twin steps over the little river. My cave rests above that river’s source.’ My partner and I have been thinking that over for ages, so good luck figuring out what it means before us! And you can bet the info is good because I got it directly from the former dog walker of one of Misko’s underling’s descendant’s neighbors.” The man declared with confidence.

Wolf laid his face in his hand and suppressed a groan. Link, on the other hand, looked like he was thinking of something. He grabbed the sleeve of Wolf’s shirt and dragged him out of the tent. Outside, he opened up the map on his slate and leaned over so that Wolf could see what he was talking about.

“Okay, obviously they’re talking about something in twos around here. There seems to be a lot of twos; two peaks, and as you can see there are two bridges and two rivers.” He stated, pointing them out. “So…the ‘little twin’ that ‘steps over the little river’ would be this smaller bridge over the smaller river. And the cave would be upstream of this river.”

“Is it really that simple?” Wolf asked, amazed by what Link was telling him.

The boy shrugged and began to head for the two bridges. “Well, there’s an easy way to find out…” As soon as he stepped onto the larger bridge, the Sheikah Slate chimed and displayed a name over the bridge. He grinned. “Look! ‘Big Twin Bridge’!” he exclaimed. “Which means the little twin really should be the other one.”

“You might actually be onto something.”

Link nodded and looked about. Near them was a platform up on a tall pole. Link climbed the ladder to get a better vantage point. He gazed upstream and could just barely make out what looked like collection of loose rocks above the river’s source. In addition, he could see another tower out to the east, which he pinned on his map. He hopped back down, assisted by his glider, and informed Wolf about both of these things. They continued on their way, Link pausing to confirm that the smaller bridge had the name of ‘Little Twin’ when they crossed it.

Partway upstream the Sheikah Sensor came to life again, but for the life of him Link couldn’t see what it was the thing was detecting. He decided to ignore it once again and kept moving. Near a waterfall he climbed up some rocky terrain before gliding back across the river to flatter ground. Wolf hopped across after him, not seeing the need to teleport such a short distance.

They entered a small forest, and both quickly spotted the same potential hazard. Wolf transformed and was prepared to fight it, but Link told him to stay back. The boy crouched down and crept up on the creature. Somehow, he managed to sneak up behind it. Wolf cried out in shock and horror as Link made his intentions known by climbing onto the back of the bear he had approached! He hung on for a moment, but his stamina gave out and he fell from the beast’s back. Before he could get back on his feet, the bear turned on him and smacked him hard, tossing him several feet and into the river. Wolf wasted no time in bringing it down before rushing to the river to check on Link. To his relief, the boy was alive and conscious. Link managed to swim back to the shore and Wolf changed back in order to haul him up onto the bank.

Link laid out on his back in pain. “Not…not one of my better moments…” he grunted, digging into his pocket for some food, which he stuffed down his throat.

“No, really? Trying to ride a bear wasn’t a good idea?!” Wolf shouted.

“Hey, you know it would have been cool if I’d pulled it off!” the boy laughed.

“You’re an idiot. You could have been seriously hurt.”

“Says the one who actually went head-to-head with that thing. I didn’t know dogs could kill bears.”

“Normal wolves can’t. Not alone, anyway.” Wolf sat down beside him, seeing that they were obviously taking a moment to let the boy recover. “But I’m not a normal wolf, in case you haven’t noticed. I’ve killed much larger and smarter things than bears before. I know my limits. Clearly you do not.”

“You’re a buzzkill.” Link grumbled.

“And you’re a fool.”

“C’mon, at least admit that it would have been awesome if I had managed to ride that thing!”

Wolf sighed. “Look… Just promise me you won’t do that again until you can at least tame a horse that puts up a fight.”

“Alright, alright. I promise. But I will ride a bear one of these days.” He raised a finger and shook it at him. “Mark my words!”

Satisfied with that, Wolf got back up and offered a hand to Link. The boy took it and allowed himself to be helped up. He winced, his wounds not completely healed, and went to pick up the chunks of bear meat that were still good. They resumed their walk upstream, not a thing distracting them from their goal until they reached a taller waterfall that poured from halfway up a cliff.

Jutting out of the river at the base of the waterfall was a moss-covered rock. Link hopped over to it and lifted a smaller rock from its surface. Another korok sprang out and rewarded him. The boy glanced over to Wolf, who was already sitting down to wait for Link to do his thing. The boy began to climb the cliff, staying near the waterfall but not going into it.

Just above the waterfall’s source was a ledge which Link could stand on. As he had seen earlier, there were a bunch of rocks piled over what looked like a cave entrance. A carefully placed remote bomb was all that was needed to clear them out. Inside the cave were several chests containing gemstones, which Link collected. There were also some roasted mushrooms and meat, which he thought might make good snacks. He considered picking up a spear that sat on the ground, but decided to see what else there was to loot. There were yet more rocks which he blew away to reveal one last treasure chest. Inside of it was a flameblade. Link’s eyes lit up and he snatched it up, not regretting ignoring the spear one bit. He gave the cave another once-over but didn’t find anything else of interest. He hopped down the cliff, again assisted by his glider, and landed beside Wolf.

 “Was it worth the hundred?” the older boy asked, genuinely curious.

“I’m not entirely sure. I found some more food that seems like it’s still good and some gemstones. But more than that, I found this!” Link held up the flameblade for Wolf to see.

The older boy cringed and leaned away a few inches. “I’m not sure if I should trust you with that.” He said aloud.

“Why not?”

“You seem like the type who would abuse fire, if I’m quite honest.”

Link shrugged. “Look, just because I lit some dry grass on fire with a torch in order to destroy a bokoblin camp back on the Plateau once doesn’t mean I’m a pyromaniac. Besides, I prefer explosives.”

The look Wolf gave him was nothing short of skeptical, but he said nothing more. He got back to his feet and asked if they were heading back. Link confirmed this and they wandered back into the forest to see if there was anything of interest while they walked. To their surprise, almost right in the middle of the woods lay a large pile of huge bones. They approached them cautiously, but the bones did not stir. Wolf wondered if maybe the situation would be different at night, since that was when the stal-bokoblins turned up, but did not say as such.

Near the bones was a large rock. A small segment appeared to be crumbling, and Link bombed it. It turned out the rock was partially hollow, and a chest sat in the middle of it. Link opened it curiously and was delighted to find another purple rupee.

“See? I made some of my money back!” the boy laughed, showing Wolf.

“No really, I am a bit jealous. Almost every random, mundane chest I ever found only contained yellows or reds. You keep finding purples.”

“Remind me again how much those are worth.”

“What you just found is fifty.”

“Right…”

“Yellows are ten, and reds are twenty.”

“Wow. The chests in your world suck!”

“Tell me about it…” Wolf mumbled.

The rest of their walk back was uneventful. They passed a small bokoblin camp, but as there was no obvious chest waiting to be looted the pair opted to ignore them. When they got back to Little Twin Bridge, Link withdrew his Sheikah Slate and announced that he was going to use it to travel back to the shrine near the stable. Wolf said he would teleport over there as well and watched in awe as Link dissolved into blue light.

When both showed up at the shrine, Link stated that he was finally going to get his horse in order to ride it all the way to Kakariko. He asked if Wolf would be okay with that, and Wolf informed him that if he needed to he could transform in order to keep up.

“You could get yourself a horse, too.” Link suggested. “I’ll pay for you to register it.”

Wolf shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but no. I’ve got a horse of my own back in my world. I’ve had her since she was just a little filly. It would feel wrong to ride anything but her.”

“Really? What’s her name?”

“Epona.” Wolf replied, a fond smile gracing his features. “She’s so beautiful. She’s mostly red, but she’s got some black in places. And her mane and tail are white.” He frowned. “I miss her. Not just because I’m here, but because I haven’t ridden her in a while. I left her behind to investigate a suspicious place and didn’t call her after I left. It’s…probably been a week since I last saw her.”

It was Link’s turn to frown. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Oh yeah. She’ll be just fine. She’s a very smart and resourceful creature.” He laughed. “I should know. She would scold me when I spoke to her as a wolf. She always told me to stop playing around and do my job properly. Come to think of it, I think she’s had quite the influence on me.”

“You can talk to animals?!”

“A little.” Wolf admitted. “Most of them don’t have anything worth saying. Animals really are about as intelligent as you’d expect them to be. That’s why I liked speaking to Epona now and then; she was sharp.”

“So because you’re so attached to her, you’re not going to get a horse in this world?”

“That’s right. Besides, if I’m honest when I could freely turn into a wolf two years ago I rarely rode her anyway. There’s just something so freeing about being able to run around on your own four paws. Not to mention it was one of the few ways I could get Midna to stop hiding in my shadow.” He laughed again. “She loved riding on my back.”

Link rolled his eyes. “Okay bro, keep your weird fetishes to yourself.”

Wolf flushed bright red. “That’s not what it was!” he shouted indignantly.

“Look, I don’t care. If you were into this Midna chick riding you, that’s your business. I just don’t want to hear about it.”

Wolf sputtered, his blush still in place. “It was nothing like that! She rode around on my back like I was a horse! She was really small, only about this big.” He held his hands out to indicate about how tall she was. “So to her, I was just the right size to ride on.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to know the details?! I don’t need to know that she was into bestiality and that you were into children! I’m pretty sure both of those things are illegal, anyway! Or at least immoral!”

“I’m a hylian! And she’s older than I am!”

“Then why was she so small?!”

“It’s a long story.” Wolf groaned. “Look, I’ll tell you all about her some other time. In fact, I would be delighted to talk about Midna all day, but we should probably get going. Get your horse and let’s go. I want to get to this village as soon as possible.”

With the conversation dropped, Link went to retrieve Speckle Butt. While the man working the counter sent for her, Link dropped inside the tent to inform the two men that he had found Misko’s treasure. Neither of them believed him, to which Wolf muttered, “Their loss.”

When Speckle Butt was brought out, Link gave her a pat and mounted her. Wolf fell into step alongside her, not needing to transform at a walking pace.

A short ways from the stable, the pair were stopped by a man on the side of the road. He informed them that a blood moon was going to happen that night. Link peered down at Wolf, who looked as puzzled as he was, and asked what that meant.

“You don’t know?” the man asked, shocked. “Every so often for the last one hundred years the moon will be red when it rises. When midnight strikes on nights like those the whole sky turns red and monsters that were previously slain all come back to life! I don’t know why this happens, no one does, but it’s best to be prepared. I’ve been studying the moon’s cycle for many years, and I can tell you for certain that a blood moon will rise tonight. So be sure to be safe.”

Wolf and Link both felt a little bothered by this news. There was no doubt in either of their minds that the so-called blood moons were Calamity Ganon’s doing. That said, they both thanked the man and got a move on again. Even if it was only that the monsters would come back to life, neither particularly wanted to spend the night outdoors during that.

As they continued down the road, Speckle Butt began to act a bit unruly and tried to stray from the path Link had her going down. Almost instinctively Wolf gently placed a hand on her neck and spoke to her softly. She calmed down again and Link was able to get her moving once more with ease.

“How did you do that?” he asked, mildly impressed.

“If you soothe and comfort a horse when it acts up, it will calm down quicker and grow more trusting of you.” Wolf told him.

“Really? I’ll keep that in mind.”

The pair passed by a field covered in ruins. For a moment Wolf wondered if Link would stop in order to investigate them. When he looked up at the boy curiously, he noticed Link shudder and tear his eyes away.

“There are guardians over there. A lot of ‘em.” The boy muttered. “I’d rather not chance them coming to life.”

It struck Wolf that he had yet to see one of the guardians in action. He only knew to fear them because Link clearly did. He had to wonder if there was some way to bring them down that maybe Link hadn’t thought of, but he kept these thoughts to himself.

At a fork in the road, Wolf hurried ahead in order to read the sign that was posted. One road headed east to Hateno Village, the other continued north to Kakariko. The decision was obvious to Wolf, but he passed the information along to Link in case he had some reason to change destination that he had not said yet. As expected, Link chose to head over the bridge in front of them and keep going to Kakariko Village.

It was then that it began to rain. Both boys grumbled about how they were going to get soaked now and picked up the pace. Link got Speckle Butt up to a run, and Wolf changed forms in order to keep up with her. Much further up the road, the two slowed up when they spotted what appeared to be a huge korok standing beneath a tree (that was skinnier than it) for shelter. Link stopped and asked what it was doing.

“Shalaka?! You! You can see me?!” it cried out in a childish voice, clearly startled.

“I can.”

“Shala-zah! Shala-kah!” it sang. “It’s been a hundred years since anyone has been able to see me! I’m Hestu, and I need your help!” The pair recognized the name, and so Link was quick to jump to ask what he could do to help. “Those monsters over there stole my beloved maracas!” It pointed up the road to a small opening between some rocks. “I think they’re still there on the other side of those rocks. I can’t use my powers without them. Shoko…” it sighed. “So please! Please get my maracas back from them!”

Link nodded and dismounted, taking a moment to pet his horse. “Keep an eye on Speckle Butt for me, would you?’

Hestu nodded and Link proceeded on up the road. Wolf just barely caught the large korok giggling the horse’s name under its breath like a little kid would.

Once at the opening between the rocks, Link told Wolf to wait a moment. He climbed up on top of them and eyed the camp of bokoblins carefully. There were three of them, and all were blue which he had come to learn meant they were stronger than average. A single bomb wouldn’t be able to take them out, but he figured it could probably knock them around a bit. With that in mind he brought one out and chucked it. It fell just short of the middle of them, but all three hobbled towards it curiously. Without missing a beat, Link detonated it, knocking all three of them onto their backs.

After that both he and Wolf descended upon them, hacking and tearing them apart with relative ease. Once all three were dead, the chest that sat up on a nearby raised platform lit up yellow. While Link climbed up to it, Wolf reverted back to his half-form and stated that he was surprised Link hadn’t used his flameblade.

“I’m saving that for a special occasion.” Link replied, grinning widely. Wolf felt that “concerned” would be putting it lightly as to how he felt about that statement.

To neither of their surprise, inside the chest was a pair of red maracas. Link gave them both a quick shake, but neither made any noise. Wolf appeared puzzled by this too, but they decided to take them back to Hestu anyway. When they presented them to the large korok, it cried out happily in its childlike voice.

“SHALA-KALA! Those are… Those are my maracas! Please giiiiive them to meeee!” it sang. Link handed them over with a smile. “SHAAAA-LAAAAAA-KAAAAAAH!” it sang out again, gleefully shaking them. It stopped and gazed at them curiously. “But wait! There’s something wrong with my maracas! The korok seeds inside are gone! How am I supposed to dance now? Shoko…” it hung its head and whined. “If I had just one korok seed, I could sing, dance, and use my powers to help you. You see, I have the power of inventory expansion! So let me know if you find some korok seeds! The children of the forest must have taken the korok seeds from my beloved maracas. I never thought I’d be the target of one of their pranks. Shoko…” It sniffled and paused. “Wait…” it sniffed again and eyed Link suspiciously. “Do you have a korok seed?!” Link couldn’t help but nod. “You do! You got a korok seed from one of the forest children! If you’ll give me just one korok seed, I’ll make your inventory bigger!” It cried out, wriggling about giddily.

“Yes, please do that!” Link replied, digging into his pockets for one of the seeds, which he handed over to Hestu.

“SHALAKA!” it shouted happily, slipping the seed into one of its maracas and giving it an experimental shake. “So which stash do you want to expand? Weapons, bows, or shields?”

“Um… I could always stand to be able to hold onto another weapon…”

“OH, YEAH! Shaky sha-kah!” it sang loudly.

It then broke out into dance, shaking both maracas energetically even though only one had a seed inside of it. The chunky korok’s body wiggled with its movements as it danced with glee, and Link couldn’t help the big smile he had on his face as he watched it. Even Wolf couldn’t help but mutter “cute” under his breath. Just before Hestu’s dance ended, its maracas glowed red, and upon it striking its final pose a shower of confetti popped out of both of them by magic.

“Dah-na-na-na-naaaaaah!” Hestu sang. “Your weapon stash has been expanded. Shalaka! I still smell korok seeds on you. Want me to expand your inventory again?”

“Yes, please!” Link shouted, hoping to see him dance again. “Do my shields this time!” He withdrew another seed, and Hestu put it in the other maraca.

“OH, YEAH! Shaky sha-kah!” it sang again, repeating its dance. It was the same all the way through up until the maracas began to glow. This time they were blue. Link and Wolf didn’t care; the way the huge korok danced was just as cute the second time. “Dah-na-na-na-naaaaaah!” it giggled. “Your shield stash has been expanded. Shalaka!” it paused and looked up at the sky. It was starting to get dark. “Oh! Look at the time! I need to get back before Grandpa yells at me. Shoko… Sorry, I have to go. But I still need korok seeds, so bring some to Korok Forest if you find any!”

“We will.” Link promised, if only because he hoped Hestu would dance for him again.

With that, the huge korok hurried down the road, away from Kakariko Village. Link watched him for a moment before mounting Speckle Butt again. It was still raining, but both he and Wolf were already soaked down to the bone, so they didn’t bother to hurry like before. Not far from where Hestu had been, the horse began to act up again. This time Link was on top of it and patted it gently, shushing it as he did. It got the idea and calmed down.

“Good job.” Wolf complimented him.

A short while later, Link dismounted again. He used magnesis to pick up a cube that sat on the side of the road. On the cliff walls around them were a couple of structures. He fitted the cube into place on one of them so that they would match each other, and received his korok seed reward.

“Well, we know what those are for now.” Wolf commented.

“Yep! And I can’t wait to meet that thing again.” Link giggled. “That had to be the most adorable thing I’ve laid eyes on since waking up; and I’ve seen you as a dog!”

“Wolf. And I don’t think I make a cute one, honestly.”

“Well I beg to differ.”

Wolf felt it fortunate that Link was preoccupied with mounting his horse again and didn’t notice the way Wolf blushed. The older boy considered himself pretty good at taking compliments from people, so he had to wonder why Link’s had bothered him. He shook his head and fell into step beside Speckle Butt again.

When the village’s gates came into view, the Sheikah Sensor sprang to life once again. Link muttered that he really was thinking about turning it off, but didn’t touch the slate. He did, however, stop and get off his horse again. On the gate was a lone, bright yellow beetle. He snuck up on it and caught it with a triumphant shout. After that, he took a few steps back and gazed up at the top of the gate. There was a lone plaque near the center, and three arrows stuck out of it. Curiously, Link pulled out his bow and fired one of his own. He hadn’t expected it, but another Korok made itself known and rewarded him. Link turned back around to get on his horse again, but stopped when he noticed Wolf staring at the ground in front of him, eyes somewhat glazed over like he was deep in thought.

“Wolf…?” Link asked. The older boy didn’t respond. “Hey! Hey, Wolf!” Link reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Wolf nearly jumped out of his skin and finally looked up at him. “You okay, bro? You look kinda flushed.”

Wolf blinked. “Do I…?” he asked.

“Yeah. Did you catch a fever in the last ten minutes or something?” Link brought his free hand up and pressed the back of it to Wolf’s forehead. “Hm…doesn’t feel like it. What’s wrong?”

Wolf shook his head. “Nothing.” He claimed calmly. “I think… I think I’m just tired. My head feels kinda fuzzy.” He admitted. “We should keep moving.”

“Alright, but you’d better tell me if you start to feel worse.” The hand on Wolf’s forehead reached higher and scratched one of his ears. Wolf melted a little into the touch, his tail wagging gently and his eyes slipped closed. He heard Link chuckle. “Why do you let me do this?”

Wolf shrugged. “Feels good.” He stated.

“But you’re not a dog.”

“Wolves can like getting their ears rubbed.”

“You’re a person.”

“So?”

“Never mind.” Link said, smiling and shaking his head. He withdrew his hand and got back on his horse.

The trip into the village was very short after that, almost not far enough for Link to have bothered riding Speckle Butt the rest of the way. Once in the village proper, Link hopped off of her again and led her to stand beneath a tree. She shook off some of the rain and promptly went about nibbling at the grass. Link stroked her neck gently before turning his attention to the path into the village.

To one side of the path and beneath another tree was an elderly woman. She had a little campfire burning under the protection of the tree. She narrowed her eyes at the pair entering the village, eyeing the object at Link’s hip in scrutiny.

“Say traveler… Where did you get that…object hanging from your waist?” she asked him

“Hm? This thing?” Link asked, placing a hand on it. “It was just there when I woke up on the Great Plateau.” He replied.

“Yes. I see…” she muttered, nodding in a knowingly fashion. That Sheikah Slate is a symbol. It means you are the hero of legend. Though there are few who know of such legends anymore… But we Sheikah have been waiting for you for a very long time.” She smiled up at him. “Please…before all else, I must insist that you meet with our leader, Lady Impa.”

“Yeah, sure. Where is she?”

The woman rose to her feet and pointed out into the village, towards the largest building that Link could see. “Lady Impa’s house is just below Lantern Falls - just over there. In any case… It was a real honor to meet you. Heh, I suppose you’re used to that, having lived as long as you have.”

Without another word, she sat back down. Link hadn’t been used to hearing that. Not at all. In fact, up until then no one but the spirit of the dead king had really acknowledged him as any sort of “hero”. He turned to Wolf, expecting the older boy to say something about the old woman’s remark, but only found him staring at the ground again. His face was still flushed.

“Wolf!” he called out, touching his arm again to get his attention. It worked. “C’mon, we should get inside. I don’t think this rain is doing you any good.”

Wolf blinked, slowly, like he wasn’t actually focused on Link or what he was saying. “Yeah…” he said quietly. “Okay.”

Link worried his bottom lip, concern for his friend growing by the minute. Still, he led the way into the village. He hoped that once they had gotten a chance to dry off and rest that Wolf would go back to normal. He had been so honest before, so Link suspected he wasn’t lying about not feeling sick. But if Link were to be honest with himself, that only caused him even more concern.

Instead of going directly to Impa’s house, Link opted to see just what the Sheikah Sensor was picking up. It took him up a short path to a shrine that overlooked the village. The moment his map registered it being there, the sensor shut off again. He muttered that maybe the sensor had been detecting shrines after all as he activated it. Before going inside, he glanced over to where Wolf had already sat himself down. The older boy still looked out of sorts, but Link decided to leave him be for the moment and went inside.

Within the shrine, Link was surprised to find that the room was wide open and mostly empty. A couple of chests sat off to either side of the entrance, and a huge hole was in the middle of the room. Link looted both chests, finding a decent shield and sword within them. He then approached the middle and was started when a small guardian was raised up in front of him. It activated and unfolded a glowing sword, but did not move. The voice of the old monk usually only spoke to Link when he first entered a shrine and when he disrupted it at the end. However this time it spoke again, and following its instructions, Link was reminded of several things he was sure he had known before his slumber. How to dodge, use something called a flurry rush, parry, and how to use charged attacks, all of these things felt so familiar to Link. The whole time, the little guardian did not move save for swinging its weapon so that Link could practice. When it died, Link snatched up its sword and the parts that it dropped and proceeded to the exit, acquiring the last spirit orb he needed for another wish.

When he arrived back on the surface, night had definitely descended. Hanging in the sky was a full moon, as red as any blood Link had ever seen. Wolf was staring up at it, his face flushed, lips parted, and panting just a little. Once more, Link called out to him to get his attention. Thankfully he looked over at him without having to be touched.

“You’re not making a good case for yourself, bro. Are you sure you’re doing alright?”

Wolf shook his head. “I… I feel strange.” He admitted. “But please, don’t worry. I just need some rest. Let’s do what we came here to do and then get some sleep.”

With a slow nod, Link led the way back down into the village. Outside of Impa’s house were two guards. Link ignored them for the moment and instead turned his attention to five little statues just beside the house. Each one had an offering dish in front of them, and four had an apple in them. Getting the idea, Link put an apple in the last dish and was rewarded by a korok. He then glanced around and snatched up all five apples. He half expected Wolf to scold him, but when he looked at the older boy he saw that Wolf was back to staring at the ground with a glazed-over expression.

It was then that the two guards took actual note of Link and called out to him. He approached and they asked about the Sheikah Slate that he carried. Confirming that that is what it was, they stood aside and told him that Impa had been waiting for him inside. Before they could question Wolf, Link quickly vouched for him, claiming him to be trustworthy. They didn’t appear convinced, but they allowed him to go by as well.

A young woman was cleaning at the top of the stairs, and the sound of Link’s and Wolf’s footsteps startled her. “A man?! Ah, two men!?” she shrieked, covering her eyes. She hid her face for a second before peeking out between her fingers. She looked Link up and down, her eyes landing on the slate at his hip. “Huh? Is that-?! It’s…a Sheikah Slate! Could you be the hero my grandmother told me about? What was his name? Li…Lin… Ummm… Oh, it’s not that I forgot…I’m just bad with speaking.” She insisted. “As for me, my name is Pa… Paaa… Paaay… Oh! My name is Paya! Phew! I got it out…” she sighed and uncovered her face, although she still fidgeted shyly and could not meet either of their eyes. “I know I should be able to say that easily, seeing as how it’s my own name and all. I’m so…sorry.”

“It’s alright, calm down.” Wolf told her with a friendly smile. Link gaped at him, alarmed by how calm and normal he seemed in that moment.

“Oh, um… Thank you…” Paya whispered. “Anyway, my grandmother’s been awaiting your return ever since I was little. Plea…please hurry inside.”

As instructed, Link opened the doors and stepped inside. Wolf cast Paya another quick look before following him in. At the far end of the room, seated comfortably on a stack of cushions, was an elderly woman. She glanced up as soon as the doors were open and a smile graced her features.

“…So you’re finally awake. It has been quite a long time…Link I am much older now but…you remember me, don’t you?” she asked. There was a pause wherein Link couldn’t help but frown. “What is the matter? You are looking at me as though I am a stranger to you. Those eyes… They lack the light of familiarity. It is I, courageous one. Impa. Surely you must at least remember the name Impa?”

“…Only from other people instructing me to speak with you.” Link admitted.

“I see… So you have lost your memory. Well, it matters not. In fact, that may actually be a blessing in disguise for the time being. Dearest Link… Please come a bit closer.”

Link obeyed, entering the room fully and approaching the small raised platform on which Impa sat. Wolf closed the doors behind them and followed him over. Impa looked Link up and down, presumably checking that he was in good condition. Her eyes then turned to Wolf and she raised an eyebrow at his unusual appearance.

“Before I begin, tell me, who is this young one?” she asked.

“Oh, him? That’s Wolf. He’s uh… He’s my brother!” Link declared proudly. The look Impa cast him was skeptical. “…You don’t believe me.”

“Link, I do not know a great many things, such as the exact natures of your personal relationships. But I do know for a fact that you are an only child, and that if you did have any siblings, they would be dead by now. Not to mention they would not appear so beastly…pardon my saying so.”

Wolf shook his head just a little, back to looking under the weather. “No offence taken.”

“Oh… Right… Okay.” Link sighed. “Well, it’s a long story. But believe me, he’s here to help me and he’s trustworthy. He’s just a bit out of sorts at the moment. He’s not feeling well. But we came here to speak to you, so please do go on. We’ll take care of him afterwards.”

Impa nodded. “Very well. A hundred years ago… Yes… A hundred years ago, the kingdom of Hyrule was destroyed. After you fell, Princess Zelda’s final wish was to place you in a sacred slumber. And then…all alone… Alone she went to face Ganon. Before Princess Zelda went to nobly meet her fate…she entrusted me with some words she wished to say to you. I have been waiting one hundred years to deliver the princess’s message. However! These words, which the princess risked her life to leave you… Well, if you are to hear them… You must be prepared to risk your life as well. But I am afraid that burden may be too much to bear while you are still without your memories. I leave the choice to you.”

As if on cue, Wolf’s knees suddenly buckled and he collapsed to the floor. His face was even redder than before, and his panting was heavier. Both Link and Impa were alarmed by this, and Link dropped to his knees beside him.

“Wolf! Wolf, what’s wrong?” he asked, panicked.

Once more Wolf only shook his head. “I just… I need…rest…” he panted.

Link turned his concerned look back to Impa. “I’m so sorry. I will come back to hear the princess’s message soon.”

“I understand. You take care of the matter at hand first.” She told him.

With Link’s help Wolf got back to his feet, but the moment he was standing upright, Wolf pushed Link away from him and muttered that he did not want to be touched. Link worried his lip again and led them back out into the village again, Wolf staggering behind him. He looked around and spotted what looked like an inn just across the way. He motioned for Wolf to follow, and was momentarily taken aback when he noticed Wolf watching Paya as she was cleaning.

“Wolf, c’mon bro. There’s an inn.” He called.

Wolf’s ears perked up and he followed after Link, still looking worse for wear. Link paid the price for a room with two beds. The moment they were in the privacy of the room, Link began to strip himself of his wet clothing and suggested Wolf do the same. He said that the dampness probably was not helping his condition any. Wolf didn’t budge. He just stared at the floor and panted.

“You’re really scaring me when you ignore me like that, bro.” Link told him. He reached out to touch his shoulder and began to repeat that he should get out of his wet clothes so that he and his clothing can dry properly.

Wolf suddenly slapped his hand away before it made contact. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” he snarled, baring his fangs. He blinked, and his face softened into shock and confusion. “I… I… I’m so sorry!” he muttered distressfully. “I… I need to leave for a bit. Do not follow me! I’ll… I’ll be back soon. I swear!”

Before Link could object or ask him any questions, Wolf turned on his heel and bolted from the inn, back out into the pouring rain of the night. Link stood in the doorway of their room, jaw hanging open as he watched him leave.

Wolf ran out of the village in a different direction than they had come in. He followed the road a ways and came to a stop when he was sure he was far enough away from anybody who might be out wandering in the night. He fell to the ground, shaking and panting as if he had just sprinted a marathon and not run a couple hundred yards. He swore and looked back up the blood moon.

“Why am I being affected by this?” he whined. “I’m not a monster!” he clutched his head in his hands. “I’m just under a Twili’s magic. I shouldn’t be reacting to Ganon’s magic, especially in this way…” He tried to gulp down a few deep breaths, but it did little to clear his head. He eyed his lap and swore again. He’d somehow been able to control himself earlier, even around a female about his age, but now it seemed he was at his limit. With a shaking hand he reached down and palmed at his erection through his pants. He whined again. “Midna…why? Why am I like this right now?” he asked softly. “I wish… I wish I could see you right now…” His hand found its way into his pants and he began stroking himself, whispering Midna’s name every so often.

*****

To Wolf’s relief, taking care of his sudden physical needs seemed to clear his head of the fog that had consumed it since sundown. His temperature went back down to normal, and he was able to breathe properly again. He cleaned himself up and got back to his feet. He didn’t know how long he had been outside, but the moon was still red and there was a strange, purple fog in the air. He shuddered, feeling the cold of the rain and the night finally. He jogged his way back to the village.

Back in their room, Wolf found Link fully dressed and pacing a hole into the floor. The moment the door slid shut, Link jumped and relief visibly washed over him.

“Oh thank the Goddess that you’re back!” he shouted. “You’ve been out there for like an hour! I was just trying to decide if I should go look for you! You… You look so much better…”

Wolf smiled at him. “I feel much better.” He admitted. “I’m…I’m sorry I worried you. I can almost say for certain that I’ll be fine now.”

Link breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He stepped towards him, arms open and clearly intending to go in for a hug, but he hesitated. Wolf had a feeling he knew why and instead he approached the boy and pulled him into a hug.

“You can touch me again.” He laughed.

The boy grinned and happily returned the gesture. “Good. Because you’re soft and fun to pet.”

Wolf chuckled at that, but was taken aback when Link suddenly pushed him away. The boy’s face was scrunched up and he covered his nose in distaste.

“You smell like a wet dog!” he complained loudly.

Wolf couldn’t exactly deny that. He admitted that he needed to dry off and Link fetched him a towel that had been given to him by the innkeeper. Wolf thanked him and both shed themselves of their wet clothing, hanging them up to dry properly. Wolf toweled himself off, thanks in part to Link who could reach the thick fur on his back. After that, both retreated to their own beds to turn in for the night.

As Link began to hear Wolf’s breathing shift over to sleep, he had to wonder just what Wolf’s problem had been, and how he had gone about fixing it…

Chapter Text

A while after dawn, Wolf finally stirred from his rest. A quick glance across the room to the other bed was all it took for him to see that Link was still sound asleep. He breathed in deeply and released a sigh, closing his eyes again. It had been quite the eventful night, and now that he had calmed down and could reflect on what had happened, Wolf felt tremendously embarrassed.

He had never really thought himself much of a sexual person. Sure, he had a healthy interest in it, but he had always been able to suppress his urges before. Even the nights he had curled up with Midna, the person of his affections, not a dirty thought had ever entered his mind. He had just been happy to snuggle up with her. And yet thanks to the blood moon, some way, somehow, he felt like he had crossed a line. Not in thinking about her while he touched himself, he’d gotten over that shame years ago, but in how badly he felt he had needed her there. And not just her! When he had looked at that other young lady, Paya, if he could remember right, he had had some very indecent thoughts spring to the forefront of his mind. What also felt awful, but in a wholly different way, was how he had responded to Link touching him just before he ran off. The boy touching him was nothing new, and Wolf really did not mind it, but the night before…

Wolf shook his head. He chalked it up to being in a pathetically aroused state that even the slightest touch from Link had threatened to make Wolf want to do something very indecent to him. If there was a way he could apologize for that without outing himself, he most certainly would. Too bad he couldn’t think of anything of the sort.

Wolf’s ears perked up at the sound of rustling blankets on the bed a few feet away. He opened his eyes and found Link had sat up and was rubbing his eyes. Wolf smiled. Link’s bedhead was terrible that morning. Wolf decided to voice as such.

“Is it…?” Link asked sleepily, reaching up to touch his hair, although he certainly couldn’t tell just by doing so.

“Do you have a hairbrush or something?” Link did. It was something he picked up in the old man’s cabin soon after he woke up. He fetched it out from his belongings and Wolf sat up on his bed, sitting on the edge with his feet on the floor. He held out his hand for it. “Let me.” Link handed it over and Wolf motioned for Link to sit down in front of him. Link made himself comfortable on the floor between Wolf’s feet and the older boy worked his hair tie free before beginning his task.

“So…you’re really gentle about this. Is this something you used to do for that Midna person?” Link asked after a moment.

Wolf shook his head. “No. Midna’s hair wasn’t exactly hair-like when I knew her, so I never got the pleasure. There was a girl I knew growing up, Ilia, who had hair just about as long as yours. There were a few times she had me brush it for her.” He smiled faintly. “She was a real sweetheart. I haven’t seen her in a while, though.”

“You talk about her almost the same way you do Midna. Do you like her?”

Wolf blinked in surprise and his hands stilled for a moment. “…You know…” he returned to his task. “There was a time when I was fairly certain that I would marry her, settle down, and raise a family. So in a way, yes, I do like her. Now though, well, I don’t think I’d be here if I still felt that way.”

“Because you want to be reunited with Midna.”

“Exactly.”

A short silence fell over them. Link had many questions he wanted to ask his companion, but he didn’t really know where to start. Not to mention if he got too into asking them, they may end up wasting far too much time. He still had to speak with Impa, after all. In the quiet though, with his hair gently being handled by another person, a thought occurred to him. He filed it away to inform Wolf about it later. Depending on what it was Princess Zelda asked of him, he would bring the thought to Wolf’s attention after speaking with Impa.

When Link’s hair was brushed and tied back again properly, the pair ate through more of the little snacks that Link had prepared. Between the two of them eating them for a whole day and then some they were quickly running out. It was all the more reason for Link to do what he had in mind. When they were ready, they left the inn. The walk to Impa’s house was interrupted only once. Directly across for her home was a single statue of the Goddess. Link approached it and offered up a prayer. The Goddess acknowledged the spirit orbs he had obtained and granted him a stamina vessel in return. Once that was done, the pair trekked up the steps and entered the grand house.

Link informed Impa that he felt like he was ready to hear the words Zelda had entrusted her with. Impa was impressed, stating that despite not having a memory to his name that Link was “just as intent as ever to charge forward with only courage and justice on his side”. Somehow, being told that he had not changed one bit warmed Link’s heart a little. Impa had both of her guests sit down while she recounted the tale of what happened a hundred years ago.

She explained that the history of Hyrule and its royal family was also the history of Calamity Ganon. She stated that time and time again, Ganon, a primal evil, had been turned back. The tales always involved a courageous warrior who had the soul of a hero, and a princess with the blood of the Goddess. She indicated the tapestry that hung behind her and the three figures in its middle. She told them that in time, each conflict would fade into legend. She then went on to explain a legend from ten thousand years ago, which the tapestry depicted.

Impa stated that Hyrule had been becoming a highly advanced civilization, to the point where there was almost nothing that could pose a threat to the realm. They used their technology to ensure that their land would remain safe should Calamity Ganon ever return. This made them construct four gigantic mechanical wonders known as the Divine Beasts, along with a legion of autonomous weapons called Guardians. Each of the Divine Beasts had a pilot, one of four exceptionally skilled individuals from across the land.

When Calamity Ganon returned, they were ready. The princess, the hero, and the four champions fought alongside each other against him. The guardians protected the hero, and the Divine Beasts unleashed a huge attack upon the foe. The hero wielded a sword that seals darkness and delivered the final blow, and the princess used her sacred power to seal away Calamity Ganon.

A hundred years ago, Hyrule decided to follow in its ancestors’ footsteps in order to drive back Calamity Ganon upon his inevitable return. But in the end, they underestimated his power. In order to avoid making that grave mistake again, the princess left some words for Link. Impa leaned forward and emphasized,

“Free the four Divine Beasts!”

At the curious look both boys gave her, Impa elaborated. She said that they were ancient Sheikah weapons who were wielded by the four champions. There was Vah Rudania, controlled by Daruk of the Gorons, Vah Medoh, controlled by Revali of the Rito, Vah Ruta who was controlled by Mipha of the Zora, and Vah Nabooris, who was controlled by Urbosa of the Gerudo. Impa advised that Link not try to face Ganon without the Divine Beasts’ power. She stated that Link would have to infiltrate each Divine Beast and bring them back to his side, somehow. She said that more information about each Beast could be obtained from the leaders of each race across Hyrule.

She then asked to see the Sheikah Slate. Link passed it to her, and Impa marked four points on his map. She explained that they were where he should be able to find the home of each of the races. As she passed it back to him, she also commented that it seemed his slate was not complete yet. She said that it should be able to act not only as his guide, but also as keys to his memories. She suggested that he go see the director of the research lab in Hateno Village. After once more stressing that Link was Princess Zelda’s, and Hyrule’s, only hope, she let the two boys be.

Link and Wolf got back to their feet and moved to a corner where they could talk to one another quietly. Link showed his companion the map and noted that the road sign they saw the previous day indicated that Hateno Village was to the east. Wolf took a look at the map and mentioned that the location just to the north of them would probably be the easiest to get to first. Link agreed, but also remarked that he wanted to see what this “key to his memories” business was about. Understanding that sentiment, Wolf agreed that perhaps then they should go to Hateno Village first. As Link tucked away the slate again, he decided to inform Wolf on what he had been thinking about back in the inn.

“Hey bro, um… Would you mind if we kind of, I dunno, take a break? Just for two or three days.”

Wolf cocked his head to one side. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s my first time since I woke up that I’ve been in a village, or anywhere that could be called ‘civilization’ for that matter. And last night was really nice; sleeping in a place where I didn’t have to worry about monsters or anything.”

“I don’t mind, but may I ask how long it was before I showed up?”

“Five days.” Link replied, a touch of sadness in his voice. “And the old man was around, sure, but it wasn’t like we really…talked. We didn’t spent very long together at all. A couple hours total, maybe?”

That certainly put it into perspective how lonely Link was feeling and why he had been so excited for Wolf to be able to join him. It also explained why he wanted to take a few days to relax and spend time in a proper civilized area.

“Sure, we can take some time off.” Wolf reiterated, smiling down at him. “I could go for the change of pace, too. It’s probably been about as long for me since I was last in a town or something.”

“Great!” Link chirped, a happy grin on his face. “Then let’s wander around the village and see what there is to do around here!”

“Pardon me, young men, but if I may…” Impa spoke up, drawing their attention to her. “On that desk behind you is a journal that the people of the village use to write down any concerns they might be having. I do not mean to assume but, perhaps something in there would help you find a way to spend your time?”

They decided that it couldn’t hurt to look. The journal had several fairly recent entries within it. The first was by a man whose wife had posed the ultimatum of her or the cuccos…he chose the cuccos. Another man expressed suspicion for a painter who had arrived in town, saying he did not trust him and was worried that he might harm the Great Fairy Fountain near the village. The following entry made snort out a laugh and he had to fight to stifle his laughter over it.

“Those two new guys in town look like they really know how to tune a bow. I hope one of them comes by and nocks an arrow for me. It’s been WAAAY too long. –Lonely Arrow Girl” the entry read.

Link didn’t get it. Wolf glanced around them, saw that Impa and Paya were in the room with them, and told him that he’d explain it later. The next entry was by a woman who worked for the tailor’s shop. She talked about some kind of pain and coping mechanism, and lamented that she could not walk among the fireflies anymore. Lastly, and perhaps most interestingly, was an entry written by somebody who had to be Paya. She talked about an heirloom that she had begun hearing voices from, and how she thought that it was a part of some important destiny.

While they read it, Link’s eyes slid over to a glowing orange orb that rested near Impa and the tapestry. Paya was busily cleaning it’s alter. Link nudged Wolf and pointed to it.

“I noticed this last night but…that orb…I’ve seen some like it before.” He muttered softly.

“Really? Where?”

“In the shrines. I usually have to carry or guide them into these pedestals with little divots in their centers. I’ve never seen one above ground, though.”

“Maybe you should ask about it.”

Link nodded and approached Paya, getting her attention. The young woman was just as shy as ever, but she managed not to hide her face for too long and asked what she could do for Link. He asked her about the orb.

“This… This priceless artifact here? Is that what you want to know about?” she inquired. Link nodded. “This is a Sheikah heirloom that we have long protected. ‘The hero, as chosen by the Sheikah heirloom, will be gifted the blessing of antiquity.’ With these words as our guide, we have watched over this sacred artifact since my grandmother’s grandmother’s time… And even HER grandmother’s grandmother’s time before that! I cannot say that I entirely know the meaning of these words.” She paused and lowered her voice, talking to herself. “But now that I think about it… ‘The hero, as chosen by the Sheikah heirloom...’ Could it be…” and she trailed off. After a moment she seemed to remember that Link was standing there and she jumped a little. “Oh I’m sorry. Um… Is there anything else I can do for you two?”

“May I ask about this village?” Wolf asked. “I’m quite curious about it.”

Link wasn’t entirely surprised. He figured his companion was very curious about the place that shared a name with one he knew in his world. Paya of course didn’t know this, but she answered to the best of her ability anyway.

“We Sheikah have long served the royal family of Hyrule in secret. During the Great Calamity of one hundred years ago…the royal family was destroyed, and the members of our tribe scattered.” She frowned before continuing. “Sadly, there were some who swore allegiance to Ganon at that time. They joined together as the Yiga Clan, seeking out all who opposed Ganon…cutting them down, one after another.” She turned her attention to the other boy. “Master Link, now that you are awake, you are surely the most formidable opponent standing against them! No doubt they will come for you, employing whatever underhanded methods they can devise… Oh, but of course, if there’s anything I can do to help you, all you have to do is ask!”

It was then that Impa chose to cut into the conversation. “The Great Fairy Cotera… Only a few remain who know this, but this village was built under her watchful eye. The mysterious power of Cotera is that of sacred protection… I suggest you seek her out.”

“Oh! Yes.” Paya responded, turning a little smile to Link. “The Great Fairy resides behind the shrine that overlooks this village. That is where you should seek her. You can put your trust in the Great Fairy. I can’t think of any reason she wouldn’t be happy to help you, Master Link.”

While Link considered his next question for her, if he even had one, Wolf decided to tuck away the very real fact that Paya had continued to address Link and express concern for him despite who had spoken to her.

“So then… I guess, what’s your story?” Link asked her.

“You… I… Me…” she stuttered. “You want to know my st-story?” she spat out quickly. “Well… My name is Paya. Th-the reason I was named Paya is because I have a birthmark shaped like a papaya seed…”

“Really? Where is it?” the boy asked curiously.

Paya turned pink at his question. “Well… It’s kinda…” she hid her face, unable to answer.

Behind them, Impa chuckled. “Um, Master Link… I advise you change the subject.”

“I’ll answer you some d-day… Just…just not today!” Paya insisted, causing Wolf to raise an eyebrow.

Nobody noticed his reaction. Link thanked her and Impa for the information and he led Wolf back out into the village. Once out of earshot of the ladies, Wolf leaned against Link in an exaggerated manner and cast him a mocking grin.

“You know, I think Paya’s taken a liking to you.” He teased. “She’s pretty cute, too.” To his satisfaction, Link blushed. Before the boy could say anything to that, he smirked. “Or perhaps your type is a little older? A bit more experienced, maybe? Like somebody who has been married before…? After all, ‘nock an arrow’ sure does sound like a euphemism for sex…”

The boy went beet red to the tips of his ears and below the collar of his shirt. “Don’t tease like that!”

“Who says I’m teasing?” Wolf laughed, standing upright again. “Paya is cute and she seems very concerned for your well-being. That’s a fact. Also, if I were to be completely honest you’re fairly easy on the eyes. It’s no wonder a divorced woman would have her eyes on you.”

“What about you, then? She seemed interested in both of us!”

Wolf shrugged. “Even if she could find the way I look appealing, I don’t see any value in having a romp with somebody like that. You should know by now where my heart is.”

“Well, whether you’re in love with Midna or not, I don’t think you look all that bad. You’re kinda cool like this, in fact.”

The older boy laughed again. “Well, aren’t you a smooth talker?”

“What was it you said? That I’m ‘easy on the eyes’?” Link countered playfully.

“Alright, so neither of us are good at this complimenting thing.” He conceded. “But I was being honest, you know.”

“I know.” Link began to head down the stairs. “And so was I.”

The next few days were anything but uneventful. The pair explored the village quite thoroughly. Link sold off a few of the gems he had been collecting and spent some of the money he made on a hood and tunic that matched his pants. While he went to change into them, Wolf eyed up the skin-tight Sheikah outfit the store also had for sale, wondering who would be okay wearing something like it. When Link had pulled on his new clothing and came back out, Wolf gave him an approving nod, adding that it looked quite good on him. They spoke with the painter who had come to the village, although he didn’t have a whole lot to say to them, as he was distracted by the landscape he was attempting to capture.

They sought out the Great Fairy Fountain behind the shrine as was suggested to them. It wasn’t difficult to locate. There was a small woods on top of the mountain, and tucked away there was a gigantic flower bud. The pair crept on it quietly so that Link could snatch four small fairies that hung around it. When Link approached the large bud, a voice spoke to him from within.

“Boy… Sweet boy… Please… Listen to my story…” The voice pleaded. Link told it to go on. “I am the Great Fairy Cotera… This place was once a beautiful spring… But as time passed, fewer and fewer travelers arrived to offer me rupees. As a result, my power has abandoned me. I’m nearly powerless now, so I beg your help. I need rupees to become whole again. All I need is one hundred rupees… Once my power has been restored, I can help you do great things, boy. Now… If you have rupees, hand them over to me. Quickly!”

Link glanced back to Wolf, who only motioned for him to go ahead. The boy dug around in his pockets to retrieve the money needed. He thanked coincidence for having sold some things before heading up to investigate. He held the rupees out, and to his and Wolf’s surprise a giant hand reached out between the leaves and snatched them away.

The bud churned and fell open, revealing a huge, pink flower with a large pool of water in its center. A gigantic woman, covered in silver and rainbow jewelry, burst from the water with a satisfied cry. She gazed down at Link, a smile playing on her lips. She informed him that to thank him for restoring her power she would enhance his clothing, if he had the right materials. To Link’s delight, he had what was needed for her to enhance both the entire outfit he had on as well as the bandana he had. He gave her the items she needed, which included several monster parts, and she blew a magic kiss his way. After that she retreated back into her pond.

Link grinned at Wolf. “I told you those monster parts would come in handy!” he declared.

“A bit unorthodox but…I suppose I’ll give this one to you.” Wolf relented playfully.

After that, the pair explored around the woods a little more. To Link’s surprise, they found one of the pedestals that he had described to Wolf earlier. Wolf proposed that they should ask Impa or Paya about it, but Link shook his head, saying that it sounded like Paya was waiting for the right moment from the sound of her journal entry. Wolf decided to go along with this.

The rest of the time they spent in the village was a mixture of doing little things for the villagers as well as Link finally asking Wolf some of the questions he had been thinking of. While they scoured the village for seven missing cuccos, Link asked about Midna.

Wolf went into detail about the Twilight Realm and the citizens thereof. He explained that Midna was, at the time, their princess, although he suspected she was now a queen. He told Link about how her throne had been usurped by a Twili named Zant, and how she had been cursed into the form of an imp. Wolf then went into detail about how because Zant had imposed the Twilight on his world, he had transformed for the first time, and how Midna had found and freed him. He showed off the chain on his forearm.

“I had been wondering about that!” Link exclaimed.

Wolf said that he and Midna hadn’t exactly been on the best of terms when they first met but they had come around to each other after a while. With a smile he described her as being quite sassy, but always concerned about her people and how amazed he was about her determination to rescuing the lot of them from Zant’s rule. He said that he had spent many months with her, all the while not knowing what she really looked like. His cheeks turned a little pink as he admitted she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen when she finally was able to return to her true form. Link watched in silence as he saw Wolf’s eyes turn sorrowful.

“When she went back to her realm…she shattered the only known way to join the two realms.” He stated. “That’s why I’ve been searching. If there’s another way to get to the Twilight Realm, I want to find it.”

“And because of that, you’re here.”

Wolf nodded. “That’s right.”

Link located the last of the missing cuccos up on a rooftop and he began to climb up to it. “Well bro, I hope for your sake, and hers, that you find whatever you’re looking for.” He stated with sincerity. “If you’re willing to choose her over that friend of yours, then she really must be important to you.”

“She is.” Wolf stated. “I love Ilia, I do, but Midna is… She’s everything to me. I could still settle down with Ilia and be a husband and a dad, but at this point I feel like that would be wrong. I’d just be lying to myself, and her, and Midna if I were to do that. I’d rather waste my time looking for something in a whole other world than lie to all three of us like that.”

Link picked up the cucco and looked around. From the expression on his face, Wolf guessed that he was trying to think of how best to get down. Wolf’s ears perked up and he smiled.

“Hold the cucco above your head and jump!” he called up to the boy.

“What?!” Link shouted.

“Just try it!” the older boy replied, his tail wagging in anticipation.

With a shrug, Link hopped off the roof. The cucco began flapping its wings furiously, and to the boy’s surprise their descent was slowed by a large amount. He landed safely and Wolf trotted over to join him.

“I used to do that all the time. I even participated in a bit of a carnival game that involved gliding over a lake with one.” Wolf admitted. “If cuccos can carry me, I figured they could carry you just fine. Seems I was right.”

Link grinned at him. “And here I thought you were more of a killjoy!”

That made Wolf frown. “What made you think that?”

Link shrugged. “You just seem like you would be the type.”

The two returned the cucco and their owner rewarded Link with a purple rupee.

“Well, aren’t you quick to judge?” Wolf grumbled.

Link dropped a hand on the back of his neck and pet him gently. “Hey, cheer up! At least I’m changing my opinion of you!” he stated with a smile.

It was well into the evening of their third day in the village when they completed their cucco hunt. It had needed to be evening to finish it, even if the one on the roof had been the last one they found. One of the birds had made its way into a plum orchard whose owner refused to let them go in, so they had had to wait until she had gone back to her home. The two meandered over to a little outdoor cooking area they had been using in one corner of the village. Two young girls were there, one sitting at some tables and the other working on cooking dinner for her family.

When Link asked, the girl told him she was making Hasty Veggie Cream Soup. She proudly said that it was something her mother used to make and she was following the recipe. She rattled off all the ingredients before gasping loudly and shouting that she had forgotten the swift carrots. She asked the pair if they could get her some from the store, and that she was already making a lot and would give them some, too, if they did. Link had no problem with this. He slipped Wolf the purple rupee he had just made and the older boy returned only a few minutes later with a handful of the carrots. The little girl, Koko, thanked them and returned to cooking. Wolf joined Link at a table separate from the other little girl.

“So uh…what’s your Kakariko Village like?” Link asked.

“It’s very different.” Wolf stated. “It lies between a couple of mountains, but the whole of it is one long strip, and it’s at the base of a volcano called Death Mountain. It’s mostly abandoned, or was when I last saw it. The people living there aren’t like the ones here. Everyone here is a Sheikah, right? Well, those folks looked like Hylians to me. ‘Course there was only the chief, his daughter, and an older man who made bombs.”

“Daughter huh? Was she cute?” Link grinned, hoping for a chance to get back at Wolf for teasing him the day before.

“She was a child…” Wolf informed him.

“Well, that’s a bummer.” He huffed.

Wolf had a feeling he knew what Link was on about. “If it helps, there was a young old girl in my village who I’m pretty sure had a crush on me. Then there was the owner of the bar in Hyrule Town, but then again she flirted with practically everyone. There was also a young boy from my village who I also think was rather taken with me.”

Link blinked across the table at him. “Wow, sounds like you were quite a lady killer! Boy killer, too.”

“Only about as much as you appear to be.”

“Fair point.”

When Koko was finished cooking, she served up Wolf and Link’s portion of the meal before getting her sister to help her carry the rest home. The two thanked her before digging in. It was delicious, and both almost wished they had bothered to commit the recipe to memory.

They camped out that night as they had the one before, Link not wanting to waste all of his money at the inn. The boy spent the early hours of the night collecting fireflies, thinking maybe he would be able to help the girl who wanted to see them sometime. He and Wolf then huddled beside a campfire near the Goddess statue and spent the night sleeping there.

The following day was just as lively as before. The little sister, Cottla, found them a little before noon and thanked them for helping her sister. She asked if they would play with her, and they agreed to. They settled on hide and seek, and she and Link ran off to hide. A part of Wolf wanted to sniff them out, but he decided to play things fairly. He made a lap around the village, not seeing hide nor hair of either of them. On a whim he decided to check behind Impa’s house. He found Cottla, and the little girl frowned when she was told she had been found first. Because she had lost, she asked if Wolf could carry her while he searched for the other boy, since he looked so big and strong.

He picked her up and set her on his shoulders, as he had done with all of the children in the village he grew up in at some point or another. Cottla grabbed his ears gently, marveling at them with a quiet little “whoa” when she realized they were real. She wasn’t rough, so Wolf allowed her to keep petting and poking at them while he continued looking around.

Wolf found Link up in a tree near the shrine. He was idly eating an apple he had picked from that very tree. He grinned brightly at the sight of his companion and the little girl and hopped down when Wolf casually announced that he had found him. Wolf let Cottla down off his shoulders, and she thanked them for playing with her. She gave them a chunk of rock salt, saying it was one of her favorite things for Koko to add to their dinner, before running off to play on her own some more.

The pair picked a few more apples from the tree and sat down beneath it, looking out at the village below while they ate.

“You seem like you’re good with children.” Link commented.

“Do I? Well, I suppose I might be. There were some little kids back in my home village, Ordon. The girl and boy I mentioned, along with two other boys. In a way I was kind of like their older brother. I spent a lot of time playing with them, or just keeping an eye on them if their parents were busy.”

Link chuckled and leaned against him in a way reminiscent of how Wolf had done before, a mischievous smile on his face. “No wonder you were thinking of settling down and having kids before you met Midna. You were my age, right? Kids are like the last thing on my mind.”

“You’ve got an awful lot on your plate at the moment. And I still want to be a dad, just not with Ilia.”

“Still, I can’t imagine being a father anytime soon. Even once this whole Calamity Ganon thing is over with, I don’t think I’d be ready to settle down.”

Wolf gave a shrug. “To each their own. Also, get off me!” he said playfully, rolling his shoulder in an exaggerated manner to jostle Link.

The boy only laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders in order to stay in place better. “No! You’re comfy!” he declared, laying his head on Wolf’s shoulder.

“And you’re a dork!”

“Ow, that’s harsh bro!”

“And you’re still on the whole ‘brother’ thing.”

“It’s easier on my brain than trying to imagine us as the same person.”

Wolf rolled his eyes, though a smile still graced his features. The hand on Wolf’s shoulder moved until it was once again petting his head. Wolf’s eyes slid closed and his tail wagged.

“Is there a reason you touch me so much?” he asked.

Link shrugged. “I told you, you’re soft and fun to pet. Why? Do you not like it?”

Wolf shook his head. “No… What I said before is still true; it feels good.”

“I see… So what was that the other night? Why did you not want me to touch you?”

Wolf’s face lit up pink and he turned his head away. “That… It’s kind of awkward…”

“Really? How awkward?”

“Awkward enough that I don’t want to talk about it. Ask me something else, since that seems to be your thing lately.”

Link went silent as he thought of a new line of questioning. Wolf almost thought he was out of ideas, but of course the boy perked up as he came up with something.

“What’s it like being a dog?”

The older boy turned a curious gaze back at him. “Wolf.” He corrected. “And how do you mean?”

“You know… Is it any different? Do you think differently? How much do you remember?”

It took Wolf a few moments to think it over. Eventually he took a deep breath and stared out at the village. “I suppose it is a little different. I do remember everything, and I’m still me. But if I were to try to describe it… I guess it’s a bit easier to be swayed by instinct? Not to the point where I can’t think straight, but…say I smell something terrible but I need to go towards the source. Being a wolf makes that a little bit harder, not just because I can smell better, but because it’s natural to avoid such things. Or I might sense a person’s intentions better. Am I making any sense?”

Link hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah, I guess so…” A devilish grin suddenly split his face in two. “Hey so, as a dog, have you ever done that butt-drag thing?”

Wolf’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “Butt-drag thing…?”

“Yeah! You know, you put your butt on the ground and then use your front paws to drag yourself around?”

“…Kid…”

“Yeah?”

“I have never done that in my life.”

“Oh. What about chasing your tail?”

Wolf flushed a little, but smiled. “A few times. I was bored and wanted to see what the fuss was about.”

“Did you ever catch it?”

“A couple of times.”

The boy giggled at the image that came into his head. “Cute!”

“I have never been called ‘cute’ so many times as I have since coming here.”

“Really? That’s a bummer.” Link’s train of thought moved on again and he grinned even broader. “So another thing dogs do… Have you ever licked your own butt?”

“WHAT!?” Wolf shouted.

“That’s a thing dogs do! I’m certain of it! They lick their own butts, and their crotches too.” He gasped. “Have you ever licked yourself?! Oh man, I feel like every guy has tried to give themselves a blowjob at some point in their lives, but you’re a dog, so you could actually do it!”

Wolf’s face was completely red, and he stared at Link in shock and horror. “Why would I have done that?!” he shouted.

“Because you can! C’mon, don’t tell me it’s not something you haven’t tried as a person. I don’t even have my memories and I’m pretty sure I have.”

“That is disgusting and not something I needed to be thinking about…”

“Bah! You’re no fun!” Link laughed.

Wolf breathed a sigh. “Well, I’m so sorry.”

Link wrapped both his arms around Wolf, a dumb smile on his face. “That’s okay, I forgive you!”

Despite knowing that he was being teased, Wolf quickly put an arm around the boy as well. They spent another few minutes relaxing before Link announced that he wanted to pay a visit to the arrow shop. Wolf smirked and raised an eyebrow at him, and the boy assured him that he just wanted to buy some arrows. The moment they stepped through the door of the shop, the woman behind the counter lit up. She greeted them warmly and sold Link a bunch of arrows when he asked for them. Afterward, she asked if he would do something for her. The torches near the Goddess statue needed to be lit, and she requested that Link do it for her using arrows. Link agreed and left the store to do so. Wolf stayed behind, as it wouldn’t take the boy very long. The woman hurried to the window and sighed dreamily as she watched him.

“Your friend is such a hunk!” she declared. “The way he handles a bow is so manly…”

“You and me have two very different definitions of those words…” Wolf mumbled. He half expected her to respond, but she was too caught up in what Link was doing to notice he had said anything.

Link came back only a minute later, and the woman rewarded him with twenty rupees. She suggested he come back again some time to show her his real skills. Link blushed and said nothing; Wolf cast him a smirk. The two left the shop again and Link brought out his Sheikah Slate. He told Wolf that he was going to go to a shrine they had been to before in order to try and reach the korok he had seen before. He said that between his greater stamina and the bandana, which seemed to increase his climbing speed a little, he thought he might be able to climb the flagpole. Wolf told him to go ahead and Link teleported away.

In the meantime, the older boy wandered over to the water surrounding Impa’s house. There were several fish swimming about, and part of him wished he had his fishing pole. Instead he decided Link would have to take care of catching them for dinner. Sometime later the boy returned. He informed Wolf that he had found the korok, although he had to get rid of a few pesky monsters in the process. Wolf told Link about the fish in the water and the boy agreed that they would be a good meal. Once more he used his bombs to kill them and then dove into the water to collect their floating bodies. While he did, he spotted where another korok would be hidden. He dove into the ring of water lilies and collected the seed from the little creature. Wolf cooked them their dinner and they sat down to eat while Link prepared more on-the-road snacks.

“I think we should head out tomorrow.” Link stated between bites.

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Who knows how far Hateno Village is? And who knows how much we’ll get sidetracked? I mean, maybe we’ll find another giant korok or something!”

“I suppose you have a point. Alright. We’ll leave in the morning then.”

“I want to sleep in a bed one last time before we go, though. Camping is fine, but bed are so great.”

“You want to spend the forty rupees just for that? I mean, it’s your money, but…”

“Would you rather I spent twenty and we share the bed?”

“That- No! That is not at all what I meant!”

“Really? I’d be okay with it, espcially if you were a dog!”

“I’m a wolf.”

“I’m still cool with that. It’d be awesome to be all cuddled up against something warm and fuzzy. It’d be like a personal heater!”

“Just spend the forty…”

“Aww… And here I thought we could have bedtime cuddles…”

“You’re an idiot.”

Link laughed, having no retort to that. They spent the night at the inn as planned, and when morning dawned they awoke, ate, and got ready for their departure. Link found Speckle Butt grazing not far from the village and mounted her once more. With that, they began to head south towards the fork in the road.

Chapter Text

Along the road towards Hateno Village, the first thing of any interest was a single bokoblin lying in wait to ambush any unwitting traveler. Its attack was so inconsequential that Link didn’t even get off his horse; instead shooting it in the head and killing it with one arrow. As they continued passed it, destroyed guardians began to crop up. The further along the road they got, the more destroyed guardians began to litter the area. When Link halted Speckle Butt and dismounted, Wolf spared him a quick, worried look. He wasn’t surprised to see that the boy appeared to be nervous as he began to rummage around the broken machines for random parts that he could pick up.

Wolf followed him quietly around the field and along the road, unsure of what to say about so many of the machines being in the area. He knew Link didn’t remember anything about them, and even though Wolf was burning to know what had happened in the area, he was afraid that voicing how terrifying it must have been to be there a hundred years ago might frighten the boy. So instead he remained silent, even when they reached an old, partially destroyed wall where a few guardians had clearly been bested as they were trying to climb over it.

Link naturally turned and wandered along the wall, continuing to inspect each guardian. Wolf couldn’t help but notice that the boy had calmed down a bit, presumably due to none of the dozens of machines coming to life. In a way, the older boy was a little disappointed. He wanted to see for himself why they were so feared.

The goddesses, or maybe just goddess, appeared to have heard his silent thoughts, although Wolf wished they hadn’t been. Almost the last guardian on the northern end of the wall suddenly began to glow and sprang to life when the two boys approached it. Link swore loudly and snatched Wolf’s arm as its head pivoted around and spotted them. The boy yanked him along at a sudden sprint, the guardian beeping loudly behind them, until both were able to dive behind the relative safety of an inactive guardian. Not a second later the ground shook as it fired off a blast at the machine they were using as a shield.

“Crap! I didn’t think any of them would actually come to life!” Link shouted, panic clear as day on his face.

“Can we fight it?” Wolf asked, daring to peek around their hiding spot. The guardian’s sight targeted him and he quickly ducked back so that it wouldn’t fire at him.

“I don’t know!” the boy shrieked. “I barely managed to get passed them the first time I ran into any!” He dropped to his knees and gripped his head in his hands. “Dammit, we gotta get far enough away from it. Those things can see a stupidly long way, though. UGH! Why did one have to come to life like this? I was enjoying not having seen one in so long!”

Wolf knelt down beside him and set a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down. We’ll make it out of this. Trust me.” He peered around the broken one again and took a good look at the machine that was now swiveling about, searching for a target. “That thing doesn’t seem to be too bright. And it’s got one huge eye. If I know anything about monsters, be they organic or manufactured, it’s that one eye like that means a weak point.”

“How the hell am I supposed to hit it when it’s shooting those beams at me?!”

“About that…” Wolf tore his eyes away from their foe and hid as it spotted him again. “I’m fast. I think I can outrun that thing if I keep moving. You can still do your slow-down with your bow, right?”

Link nodded very slowly. It was clear that he was still afraid, but he was listening as best as he could.

“Then I’ll draw its fire. You climb up somewhere and unleash hell on it when you get the chance. Think you can do that?”

Link closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. When he let it out, he furtively glanced around them, looking for a good place to climb up. The obvious and best answer was the wall, although he certainly would not be able to make it there and to the top without getting targeted under normal circumstances. He equipped his best bow and the few bomb arrows he had obtained from chests. He met Wolf’s eyes and gave him a nod. It was full of apprehension, but he had agreed to the plan no less.

“Okay. Wait until it has spotted me and then do your thing. Don’t worry about me; I can take a beating.”

“Wolf?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you, bro.”

Wolf was briefly taken off guard before he cracked a smile. “Relax, we’re not about to die. If things get ugly, run for it. I may get hurt, but I’ll keep it from targeting you and I will catch up.”

“Right… Right.” Link took another deep breath. “I really don’t want to do this, but the sooner I figure out how to fight these things, the better.”

“Are you ready?”

“…Yeah.” Link whispered. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply again. When he opened them, he met Wolf’s eyes again, this time with something akin to courage burning in them. “Yeah!”

“Good boy.” Wolf teased. “Then I’m off.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, he reverted to his wolf form and barreled out from behind their hiding place. A second later Link heard the beeping sounds that indicated that the guardian had spotted him. Link steeled himself and made a break for the wall. He didn’t spare even a glance toward his companion or foe, knowing that any seconds he wasted would put Wolf in that much more danger. He barely made it to the wall when the guardian fired off its beam. Link didn’t hear Wolf make any sound, so he assumed it had missed him. As quickly as he ever had, Link scurried up the wall and whirled around to face the action.

Wolf was do a magnificent job of running circles around the guardian, the machine unable to hit him with even its second beam. Link nocked one of his bomb arrows and waited. He had to leap off at just the right moment or he wouldn’t be able to fire even a single shot at the thing’s eye. As soon as the thing spun just enough that its eye was in Link’s line of sight, he sprung from the top of the wall and drew his bow.

Time slowed for him, and he watched with bated breath as the guardian’s single, glowing eye slowly turned in his direction. It was still tracking Wolf, and was almost fully charged to fire another one of its beams. Link took aim and fired, hitting his target exactly where he needed to. The eye’s glow ceased and Link managed to fire off another bomb arrow into its weak point before he ran out of stamina and hit the ground. Back to feeling time normally, Link watched as the guardian reeled from the impact of both hits and its head whipped around wildly, as if it was dizzy. Link panted, and Wolf zipped between him and the guardian. The beast growled and lunged for the machine, striking it to draw its attention again so that Link could climb and repeat the whole process.

The second set of arrows nearly did it in, but the guardian still hung on. Both boys were out of breath, and Wolf wasn’t running as fast as he could anymore. Link bit his lip as his companion got the machine’s attention once more. The boy whirled around so as to climb again. He barely made it up the wall when he heard the guardian fire again. His heart sank when he heard Wolf let out an ear-splitting yipe. Link pulled himself up the rest of the way and was relieved to see Wolf getting back onto his feet, only to realize a moment too late that the guardian had its next attack almost fully charged. Wolf barely managed to move a single step before he was blasted a second time and set rolling across the ground. Link released a whole string of curses when he realized that the guardian wasn’t going to give Wolf time to get moving again, which also meant Link wouldn’t be able to target the thing’s eye as it was between him and Wolf.

In a last ditch effort, he leapt off the wall and fired a normal arrow to draw its attention. He landed quickly and stood his ground as it spun to face him. He glowered up at it as he drew his bow once more, another bomb arrow ready to go. Aiming in normal time wasn’t as easy, and the way the thing’s eye shined made it difficult to find the exact spot he had to shoot. He bit his lip again and fired his arrow not a moment too late, hitting his mark exactly and damaging the machine enough that it began to spark.

Linked ducked and covered his ears, and out of the corner of his eye he could see a wounded Wolf do the same. Bright light radiated from the guardian for a moment before it exploded, leaving behind a pile of random and possibly useless parts. Link would have cheered at his first victory over the incredibly dangerous machines, but he immediately sprinted over to where Wolf was and came to a skidding halt beside him, worry plastered all over his face.

Wolf turned back and groaned before flopping over onto the ground. His eyes were screwed shut and he was panting heavily. Afraid, Link asked him where the guardian had managed to hit him. Wolf groaned again and muttered his reply.

“Shoulder…and thigh… Right side…”

“Okay, got it. Um…” Link dug through his belongings, finding some of the apples he had cooked up and offering them to Wolf. “Eat these. And then I want to take a look at your injuries.”

Wolf nodded and sat upright, wincing as he did. He had been hurt much, much worse before. He knew he had. But Link wasn’t kidding when he had said guardians were dangerous. The only things that Wolf could remember hitting him so hard were the corrupted bosses of the dungeons and temples he had explored. Link was a lot more fragile than him, so it was no wonder the boy would be so terrified of them. Really, Wolf had to wonder if the boy would be able to survive even a single shot.

When the offered food had all been scarfed down, Wolf obliged Link’s wishes and removed his shirt and pants so that the extent of the damage could be observed. Link apologized in advance if he was about to hurt him, and began checking him over. The places he had been hit were red and extremely tender, causing Wolf to hiss at even the slightest touch. Thankfully aside from the two burns there was little damage aside from the scrapes and bruises associated with having been sent rolling across the ground.

“I’m glad you’re not more hurt.” Link stated as Wolf pulled his clothing back on.

The older boy was clearly pained as he got dressed again. The adrenaline was leaving both of their bodies and so Wolf’s nerves were finally picking up on the amount of damage that had been inflicted upon him.

“So am I.” he stated. He turned a serious look at Link. “And I’m glad you fired when you did. Who knows what that thing could have done to you!?”

Link flinched and cast him an apologetic smile. “At least we both made it out okay. Well…mostly okay.” He got to his feet and went to loot what he could from the exploded guardian, giving the older boy a moment to rest. He then returned and held a hand out to Wolf. “Can you stand? I can support you if your leg doesn’t want to do it.”

With caution, Wolf allowed himself to be helped up. Indeed, pain shot up through Wolf’s body the moment he tried to apply weight to it his right leg. True to his word, Link allowed his taller companion to lean against him and the two slowly made their way back along the wall and towards the opening where the road went through it.

A man had been watching them for at least a short time and came forward to offer his assistance. The boys thanked him, but there was no way for him to help carry Wolf. Instead he guided them over to the fire he had built on the other side of the wall and allowed Wolf to sit and rest there. Link too sat down to take a short breather. The other side of the wall was a small woods, and the cool, moist air felt good to the two boys who had just been in the thick of a tough fight.

“I heard something explode and, well, I must admit that I first ran and hid.” The man told them, taking a seat beside them. “I knew one of them guardians out there was still active. I thought it might have somehow gotten back on its feet and was going to come my way. When nothing happened, I went and looked. I saw you two coming my way and there was nothing where that thing had been. Don’t tell me you two actually beat that monstrosity!”

They both cast him a sheepish look.

The man let out an impressed whistle. “Well, I’ll be… In all my life I’ve never actually seen anyone fight one of those things and live!” he paused and gestured towards the wall. “This place is called Fort Hateno, although it isn’t much of a fort anymore. It was the last line of defense for Hateno Village from the terrible tragedy all those years ago. That’s why there are so many destroyed guardians around here. Really though, I’d hate to think what things would have been like without this fort and the soldiers that were posted here. They might be the only reason why Hyrule isn’t gone entirely, or at least us Hylians.” He let a small, but sorrowful smile tug at his lips. “It is the duty of us who survived to pray that the soldiers who fell find peace, and to pass on their stories, you know?”

Link and Wolf agreed that they understood that sentiment. It was getting dark and Link stated that he wanted to do a little exploring before he couldn’t see anymore. Wolf let him, content with sitting by the fire and wishing for his wounds to stop hurting. Link accomplished several things while he was up. First, he located where another korok was sure to be. While on top of the wall again, he saw an odd pinwheel. Upon approaching it, a couple of acorn-like objects began to be tossed from above the trees. He was able to shoot one with an arrow, but ended up breaking his bow trying to hit the other. Instead of continuing, he marked his map and moved on.

There was a green pillar to climb, which rewarded him with another gem. Beside it were a bunch of crumbling rocks which he blew away with a remote bomb. Beneath the rocks were two chests. One contained a shield he had no interest in while the other had an alright sword. A large metal door sat nearby, and he moved it over and looted a third chest that was beneath it for another gem. Finally, he wandered back over to the campfire to see how Wolf was doing.

“I could stand to lie down and sleep this off.” He admitted.

The man, who had mainly been making awkward small talk with the strange-looking older boy, perked up a little at this. He pointed further into the woods towards a small light that they could just barely see. “There’s a cabin over there. The guy who owns it is kind of weird, but he might let you rest in there. It’d beat sleeping out here in the open when you’re hurt.”

The boys agreed it was worth a shot and Link helped Wolf to his feet again. Once more, Link supported his companion and the two hobbled their way to the cabin. A quick knock was all that was needed for the owner to hurry over and open the door. He was an older, middle-aged man, and he took one look at Wolf’s clearly injured form and allowed them inside. Upon being asked, he quickly gave permission for them to pass the night in his cabin, although it was clear that his interest in their presence ended there, as he turned away from them and began muttering to himself.

“I saw some good mushrooms out there, so I’m going to go pick some.” Link told Wolf once the older boy was seated comfortably on the floor in a corner. “And I’m going to call Speckle Butt. I don’t want her staying where she is all night.”

“Take your time.” Wolf stated, closing his eyes and slumping back against the wall. “I’m not going anywhere for now.”

Once the boy was outside and the door shut beside him, Wolf began to think that maybe he’d just go to sleep. It was still quite early, but he had a knack for sleeping at any time. Plus it would help him heal faster. He shifted and got more comfortable, intending to turn in bright and early. His attempt to sleep was interrupted when his ears refused to stop straining to try and pick up on what the man was muttering about. With an exasperated sigh, Wolf decided to try engaging him in conversation. After all, he had learned that people that caught up in their own heads often had something of interest to talk about.

The man seemed a little surprised that Wolf wanted to know what was on his mind, but he enthusiastically declared that it was groundbreaking research. He stated that he was surprised Wolf did not recognize him, and said that he had dedicated his life to researching shrines. Wolf’s ears twitched. Whatever this man knew was sure to be of interest to Link if it was about shrines. He asked to hear more.

The man introduced himself as Doctor Calip, with an emphasis on the ‘doctor’ part. Calip stated that he had been analyzing some ancient texts and had discovered something extraordinary. He claimed that he would soon reveal his research and that the world would hail it as the discovery of the century! He said that even his own wife and children knew nothing about what his work was, it was so secret.

Outside, Wolf heard Link whistle for his horse and decided he’d better get what he could out of the man quickly before Link came back inside. It appeared to Wolf that Calip had no intention of actually telling him what he had hoped to hear. But Wolf wasn’t going to be beaten. He had a feeling he knew exactly how to get the man to talk. He gave Calip an impressed and curious look.

“Of course, Doctor Calip. You wouldn’t want to run the risk of somebody stealing your research!” he stated, assuming by the man’s insistence on the correct title that it was a weak point of his.

Wolf knew he had hit the nail on the head when Calip’s eyes widened in surprise and he blinked down at Wolf in disbelief. “You… You called me ‘Doctor’! Wow… No one’s… No one’s ever called me that. Not even my own wife!” Wolf suppressed a cringe, suddenly feeling sorry for trying to manipulate Calip into giving him more information. “Well then, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you about what my research has uncovered. After all, a doctor such as myself hasn’t been able to figure out what it means just yet. Why should it do any harm to tell a strange young man such as yourself?

“There’s a riddle connected to a shrine, you see. It goes something like this: When a dark light resides in the cursed statue’s eyes, pierce its gaze to purge the seal from the shrine. You understand?”

Wolf nodded, although he certainly didn’t.

“Wonderful! Now then, if you do not mind, I am going to return to pondering over this riddle.”

The door opened a minute or so later and Link stepped back inside, announcing that he was done with what he had set out to do. Wolf motioned for him to come closer and whispered to him.

“As nice as it would be to sleep indoors, this man’s pretty strange. And I have something I want to tell you. It should be okay to be outside at night in this place if that other guy is, right? Let’s sleep outside.” He said suggested quietly.

Link didn’t fully understand, but he nodded. He thanked the older man for letting Wolf rest, and all he got in reply was a slight wave in his general direction. Again, Wolf was helped to his feet and half-carried back outside. Speckle Butt was nibbling on the grass around the area, and the two boys found a quiet, comfortable spot to sit down. Link passed Wolf a little more food to make sure he was full before digging in himself. While they ate, Wolf recounted what the older man had told him about a shrine.

“Interesting…” Link stated. “It sounds like there’s a statue to shoot somewhere, and when you do, a shrine might appear or unlock or something.”

“That’s what I got out of that.” Wolf agreed. “Although it is beyond me where such a statue would be or how a shrine would be connected to it.”

“I guess we’ll have to find out sometime.”

After their stomachs were full, Wolf laid down and announced that he was going to try and sleep. Link bid him good-night as he laid down and closed his eyes. Not too long afterward, Wolf was vaguely aware of the sound of Link lying down to sleep as well.

*****

A short while after dawn, Wolf felt himself being pulled from the clutches of sleep. He groaned and tried to shift around, but found there to be two problems with that. The first was that his right side was still tender, and moving around too much made the pain flare up in his tired mind. He nearly whined, not liking the feeling of being in pain first thing in the morning and wondering how he had managed to do it so many times two years before. The second problem was a much larger surprise, although certainly more pleasant.

Sometime in the night, Link had rolled over and plastered himself against Wolf’s left side. Wolf cracked open an eye and gazed down at him. He couldn’t really blame the boy; it was a chilly morning. He had likely moved closer to Wolf in his sleep, seeking out the already-close source of warmth. Wolf smiled. He didn’t mind. It was how Midna had come to cuddle with him before in the first place, although in her case there were certain feelings involved with having her pressed snuggly against him. Affection, fondness, joy…love… With Link all that was there was amusement and understanding. Still, Wolf let him be until the boy woke up on his own.

The moment Link realized what was going on he shot up, cheeks pink, and apologized. Wolf just chuckled and told him that there was no harm done. With minimal flinching, the older boy managed to sit up as well and informed Link that if he had had a problem with it, he would have found some way to remove himself from the situation. For some reason, this only make Link’s face burn brighter.

“What’s wrong?” Wolf asked, concerned. “I just said I didn’t mind it.”

“N-nothing!” Link replied, just a little too loudly to be normal. He clearly noticed this and dropped his voice to an average speaking volume. “I-It’s nothing. Really. Don’t worry about it. Man, I’m hungry!” he announced, setting about getting breakfast for the both of them. “And I miss having meat. Maybe I should shoot some animals while we walk today. Would you be okay with that?”

Wolf blinked at him, clearly confused about the sudden change of subject. “Yeah, that’s fine with me. Just don’t kill any goats. I like goats.” He replied, giving up on talking about why Link was so flustered about their sleeping position like the boy clearly wanted to.

They ate in relative silence, Link still looking embarrassed and Wolf not knowing what to talk about instead. As soon as they were done eating, Wolf got to his feet to see how well he would fare on his own. He found that without the haze of sleep, the pain was bearable and he was able to put weight on his leg again, although he did have a slight limp. Link offered to let him ride his horse, but Wolf refused. He said that as long as they moved slowly, he should be alright. When they were ready to get back on the road, Link called Speckle Butt over to him and mounted her again. He brought out his map and checked how close they were to the pin he had dropped. He grinned at how close it was and showed Wolf.

“See those cliffs just up ahead? I think it’s around and on the other side of them.” He stated, pointing to where he was talking about. “We should get there in no time!”

Wolf nodded. “Then let’s get a move on.”

Beside the road they were on was a river. It ran beneath the cliffs and on the other side of it was a large bokoblin camp. The pair opted not to try and deal with it, as they posed no threat to any people and a cursory glance told Link that their weapons were not worth picking up.

A short ways down the road, the boy suddenly veered off to the left, leaving Wolf to wonder what was up and to tag along after him. Link announced that the little space in the mountainside looked unusual and he wanted to check it out. He dismounted his horse and the two wandered further into it. The area was covered in strange, human-shaped statues, and there were more and more of them the further they walked. At the back of the area, the two were startled to see Calip meandering around the area talking to himself. Link motioned for Wolf to lean down closer to him and the older boy did.

“So I think it’s obvious that it’s one of these statues that needs to be shot. The question is: which one of them? I don’t see any glowing eyes.” He whispered.

Wolf glanced around a little more. “I don’t see anything, either.”

The pair spent a few minutes looking around some more and thinking over the riddle. Finally, a thought struck Link and he quickly trotted over to his companion in order to share it.

“That man was in his cabin all night, right?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I was asleep.” Wolf pointed out.

“Okay, fair point. Let’s assume he was, like any normal person, asleep last night. And pretty much all other nights, he goes to sleep. So what if…what if this statue’s eye only glows at night? We’re not exactly on the beaten path over here, no one would see something glowing from the road if they came by. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that it would go unnoticed.”

Wolf glanced up at Calip, who was either blissfully unaware of their presence or willfully ignoring them. “I suppose that’s not an impossible theory. Mark this place on your map or something, and we’ll come back sometime to test it.”

Link nodded and did just that. The two began to leave, Link mounting Speckle Butt again when they met up with her. As they got back to the road, a passing traveler waved them down. The two approached her, and she gleefully stated that they looked like a couple of people who could handle themselves in a fight. At first Wolf thought this meant she had a monster or something she was hoping they would kill for her, but she went on to add that Link looked like he knew how to handle both a sword and bow. She then asked if they wanted to join the Yiga Clan.

Both boys became apprehensive, having remembered that name from when Paya had mentioned it. Link decided to decline, and did so with obvious caution in his voice. The traveler narrowed her eyes at them and frowned. She then announced that she was a part of the clan, and that they were dedicated to defeating the hero whenever it was that he was due to return. Because Link fit the description, she would make it her duty to kill him. With a puff of smoke, she transformed, now donning a red bodysuit similar to the Sheikah style and wearing one of their masks upside-down on her face. She brandished a sickle, and Wolf cursed his luck that he would have to fight with his burns.

Link sprang from his horse’s back, using the added height to trigger his special ability with his bow. He managed to get two shots in before hitting the ground, much like before. In that time, Wolf transformed and bared his fangs to attack. The Yiga Clan member raced towards Link, and Wolf sunk his fangs into her before she was able to strike him. Link stayed back, choosing to shoot her a few more times so as to avoid accidentally striking Wolf with one of his melee weapons.

The clan member went down fairly quickly. She separated herself from them and announced that things were not going to end just because they had bested her. With another smoke bomb, she vanished. All that was left behind were about forty rupees, her sickle, and a bunch of bananas. The two boys shared a look that clearly conveyed that they were both a little worried about there being more out there who would come after them, as well as wondering “Why bananas?”

Despite the oddities, Link collected up everything she had dropped and Wolf went back to walking on two legs. The younger boy quickly checked in that he was still doing okay, and Wolf said that his wounds were smarting a bit, but he would be alright until they stopped for lunch. Link got back onto his horse yet again and they continued down the road.

As they rounded the cliffs, the tower came into clear view. It was incredibly close, just across the river and a short trip up the side of the mountain. At the first bridge across the water, three bokoblins tried to ambush them. Having grown tired of the weak monsters trying to play it tricky, Link shot all three in the head, killing them with ease. Wolf stooped to pick up the parts that were left behind so that Link wouldn’t have to dismount, although he did mutter that it was gross again.

To their dismay, they found that the whole path up the mountain was lined with moblins and bokoblins. With some reluctance, Wolf transformed in order to help Link fight them off. The boy continued to shoot them from Speckle Butt’s back, mainly targeting the bokoblins he could bring down with one hit. Wolf did his part by ripping into and chewing on the moblins, which he had learned how to cling to so as not to be removed so easily. He would then pick up and deliver the monster parts to Link, and the two would move on to the next monster.

Most of the way up the mountain the terrain leveled out into a pretty field that covered the top of the cliffs they had gone passed earlier. There were some horses about and more monsters, some of which rode on the poor animals who surely did not like having them on their backs. Link and Wolf made certain that all the monsters in the area were dead before stopping beneath a small cluster of trees near the tower. The area had clearly been used as a campsite, and Wolf turned back and sat down to rest. Link decided to leave Speckle Butt with him while he made the rest of the short climb to the tower.

Hateno Tower, as it was called, was surrounded by and covered in thorns. Link had to tread carefully in order to reach its base. After which he had to climb around it in an unusual way in order to reach the top. Before activating it, he gazed out at the world below. There were many things of interest to him, but the one that stuck out the most was what appeared to be a village. He assumed that was where they were headed and he dropped a pin right at its entrance. After which he did what he had intended to do and activated the tower, filling in an impressively large area of his map in the process.

When he glided back down to where Wolf and his horse were waiting, he showed and informed Wolf of what the map now looked like and what he had seen in the distance. Wolf agreed that the region the tower covered was quite large and that they would have to explore all of it sometime. First thing was first, however, and that was reaching the village. In addition to that was, of course, having lunch.

While Link had been away, Wolf had been giving a chance to think about a few things. It was with some reluctance that he had decided to come clean to Link about what had happened during the blood moon. He thought that, while embarrassing, it was important to tell him about it so that the boy would understand and not feel bad if Wolf didn’t want to be around him when it inevitably happened again. Because of this, he nervously spoke up while they ate.

“So…about what happened during the blood moon…” he began.

Link looked at him curiously. “Oh, we’re talking about that now?”

Wolf nodded. “It’s…it’s not something I want to talk about, exactly, but I feel like I should. I don’t want you thinking I was behaving like that by choice.”

“Behaving like…? Oh, you mean pushing me away?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I mean. I don’t know why the blood moon even affects me, but I’m fairly certain it was the reason for how I felt.” Wolf frowned, not wanting to be blunt about it but also not knowing any way to put the situation lightly. “I’m not at all proud to admit this, and in fact it is very embarrassing. But, during the blood moon, I sort of… Well…” His face flushed. “I was suddenly overcome with some very indecent thoughts and um… That is…”

Link blinked and his eyes slowly widened as understanding dawned on him. “Oh… OH!” he exclaimed, also blushing a small fraction. “Yeah, uh, that would make things weird.”

“And it isn’t just that.” Wolf admitted, laying a hand over his face both to avoid looking at Link as well as from how ashamed he felt. “I… I was also… I was…really…really er…you know…aroused…”

Link’s complexion nearly matched the apple in his hand. From what he could see of Wolf’s cheeks and his neck, the older boy was not doing any better embarrassment-wise. Link took another bite from his apple, if only to give himself a moment to think over what he should say, if anything. By the time he had finished chewing and swallowing the piece, Wolf had calmed down a small fraction and had removed his hand from his face with a heavy sigh.

“So… You didn’t want me to touch you because…” Link tried, although he found himself unable to finish his thought out loud.

“Yes.” Wolf stated. “I didn’t want you to touch me because even the slightest bit of contact actually put me about a hair’s breadth away from possibly doing something unforgivable to you.” He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. “It was pathetic! Yes, I don’t find you unattractive, but I shouldn’t have to literally run away from you, or anyone else, because I’m afraid I am going to do something horrible to you! I’ve never been in such a sorry state like that before. And I can’t even begin to tell you how guilty I feel about it because of Midna.”

“You don’t want to cheat on her, huh?”

“Of course not! That is…we have never been together romantically or…sexually…but I still don’t like the thought of doing something without her permission.”

Link gave a little shrug. “I can’t exactly relate, bro, but… If it makes you feel any better, I personally wouldn’t berate myself for ‘cheating’ on somebody I’m not even with.” There was a half-second’s pause before he quickly added, “Not that I want you to do anything to me! I’m just saying I don’t think you should beat yourself up over it! Especially when you were under the blood moon’s spell or whatever.”

Wolf gave it a little thought. “I suppose you aren’t wrong.” He relented with another sigh. “At any rate, I wanted to let you know. So the next time one of those things rises, just let me go off and be alone until it passes.”

Link nodded and offered him a smile. “Alrighty. I can do that!”

The pair finished up their lunch break and once more took to the road. With their goal close by, they felt confident in reaching Hatano Village before nightfall. There were fewer monsters going away from the tower, and Link managed to shoot and kill two foxes as they walked. He spared Wolf from playing fetch and dismounted both times to pick up the meat from them. When they reached another fork in the road, the sign posted there indicated that the place they had seen was indeed where they wanted to go. Beside the fork, however, was a large bokoblin tree fort. Link announced his intention to run passed it, and Wolf silently went along with this by transforming. His shoulder and thigh still hurt, but it wouldn’t do for him to let that restrict is ability to move quickly.

They raced by the trees that had been built upon, drawing the attention of the monsters that resided in them. A couple of arrows got shot their way, but none hit their marks. Near the bottom of the hill they had been running down, Link slowed up Speckle Butt and Wolf returned to normal. As they reached a small forest at the base of Hateno Village, the Sheikah Sensor flared to life.

“I wonder if all settlements have a shrine near them…” Link muttered mostly to himself. “That would be really handy.”

“Makes you wonder if the people deliberately built near them or if it was coincidence.” Wolf commented.

“Good question.”

Sure enough, just as night fell and they made it through the trees, they saw the gates of the village. A quick look at the Sheikah Slate was all they needed to know that they had arrived at their destination.

Chapter Text

Before either Link or Wolf could even set foot in Hateno Village, a man with a pitchfork stopped them. By all accounts, it looked that he was trying to act as a guard for the place. Both boys stopped so as not to antagonize him needlessly. When he asked to know who they were, Link replied simply.

“We’re travelers.”

The man studied them briefly. “You do appear to be Hylian… Although I don’t know about the one with you.”

“He’s tame, I swear!” Link insisted. “You wouldn’t take away somebody’s pet, right? Well, he’s my dog!”

“Good to know he still thinks of me as pet…” Wolf thought to himself with a sigh.

“Hm… Well, you two don’t appear to be here to cause trouble, so I’ll let you pass. But I’d better not catch either of you trying to stir anything up!”

With permission to go by, the pair proceeded into the village. The first order of business was to find the shrine that was setting off Link’s sensor. They found it a short ways into the village, up on a hillside and situated near three weirdly cubic houses. While Link activated and stepped inside it, Wolf found a comfortable patch of grass to sit and relax on.

The puzzle in the shrine was new to Link. He had to use his slate in conjunction with a strange apparatus in order to tilt a whole chunk of the floor that seemed to be floating. The idea appeared to be to tilt the floor about in order to guide a ball that was on it through a maze of fences. The problem with that was there were several gaps around the edges in which the ball could fall through. A pillar hung from the ceiling just above where the ball started, causing Link to assume that if the ball fell a new one would be given to him from it.

He spent a minute or so trying to guide the ball through the maze as intended. After failing three times a thought occurred to him. He intentionally scrapped the fourth ball and quickly tilted the whole maze up until it was mostly on its side. The ball was then deposited into the final lane of the maze due to the angle. With a grin, Link titled it back to normal and then to one side to get the ball rolling towards the ramp it needed to reach. At the last second he flicked the maze in the other direction, tossing the ball over the short gap between the maze and the ramp. While the ball did as it needed to and rolled down towards the divot where it was required to be, Link rocked the maze back so that the final lane’s end was just a fraction below the ramp’s level and then left it positioned that way.

He meandered passed the exit as the gate blocking it sprang open. Instead, he hopped down onto the ramp and followed it up. At its end he used the paraglider to cross the gap and to stand within the maze himself. He could clearly see a treasure chest right around a corner, and he looted it with little trouble. It only contained an opal, but Link thought it better than nothing.

The real trouble of the shrine came when Link realized he then had to figure out how to get back to the main part of the room. He couldn’t get back up the way he came by jumping. He tried gliding from the back of the final lane, but he didn’t have enough height for it. Instead he wound his way up to the highest point of the maze’s floor and looked around again. The place where the ball rested was the lowest point in the room, and it wasn’t too far off. Assuming it to be his best option, Link tried gliding over it to the area. It worked, and he finally went to the exit to collect another spirit orb.

Back outside, Wolf’s ears perked up at the sound of him returning. The older boy stood and dusted off his backside as he came to join Link.

“That one took you a while.” He commented.

“Yeah, it was a little weird.” Link replied. “There was this huge section of the room that was floating, and I had to tilt it around a lot.” He let out a laugh. “I think I cheated, actually!”

Wolf smiled. “Well, sometimes wisdom is in finding ways to cheat in order to get the answer, not in getting the answer the way the teacher expects you to.”

“Wow! Did you just call me wise?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth. But yes, I am impressed with you.”

Link threw an arm around Wolf’s shoulders as he laughed, and the older boy’s tail wagged despite himself. With the night still being young and being in the safety of a village, they decided to investigate the strange houses near the shrine. No one appeared to be in them, and something about how empty they were led the pair to believe them to be un-lived in. However there was a bridge situated near them that lead to an older, more normal house. They wandered over to it, their curiosity only piquing as they caught the sounds of sledge hammers pounding against the walls.

The first person they came across was part of the cause of the noise, swinging his hammer in order to make the bricks weaken and hopefully crumble. Link asked him what he was doing. The man replied that they were tearing down the house. He said that the owner went off to Hyrule Castle some years ago and never came back or wrote. This seemed to catch Link’s interest and he asked where the person in charge was. The man said his boss, Bolson, was around back.

The boy eagerly hurried off to go find him. The man turned a look to Wolf, who could only shrug and go after him. Wolf found Link speaking to a colorfully dressed, middle-aged man behind the building.

“You’re in charge here?” Link asked.

“I am.”

“Can I buy this house?”

Wolf’s jaw nearly hit the dirt. Sure, Wolf himself had a home back in his world, but it was just a treehouse he had built as a kid with the help of a few villagers. Villagers whose assistance he paid for by doing chores for them and what little he ever earned herding goats. For Link to suddenly want to buy a real, prebuilt, and a decently large house… Wolf had no idea how he planned to afford it!

Apparently the man in charge of its demolition also didn’t think much of Link and his proposition. He muttered something about “young moneybags” before turning his attention more seriously to the boy.

“Okey-doo… Let me lay it out for you.” Bolson began by motioning to the building. “See this house? Been vacant for years. So the villagers had a meeting, argued, voted, and decided to tear it down. The demolition costs, with associated fees, permits, and other such details…come in at fifty thousand rupees. So when you say you want to ‘buy’ it, you’re talking about fifty thousand rupees… You got that much on you?”

Wolf knew that Link did not. Link even said something along the lines of it being impossible. Bolson sniffed at that, turning his nose up just a little as he continued to speak.

“Heh… Figured. When I was your age, I had serious money problems too, so I know how it feels all too well…” He paused and hummed to himself thoughtfully. “Although it would be a real shame for this place to simply be torn down. It isn’t my style at all, not nearly flashy or unique enough, but still a good house.” He smirked. “…All right. Alright, look. Here’s the deal! Just for you! I’ll cut you a special price of 3,000 rupees. BUT IN RETURN! I’m going to need you to bring me thirty wood bundles. Building materials… You know how it is. Anyway, you understand the terms? Then get to it. And show me what you’re built out of.” He laughed and winked. “…That’s a construction joke.” He then turned and called out to his workers, wandering away from the two boys. “Hudson! Karson! Stop what you’re doing!”

While Bolson explained to his workers what was up, Link turned his gaze back to Wolf. “So… Is it normal for thirty bundles of wood to be worth forty-seven thousand rupees or am I just dumb and should have gone into lumberjacking?”

“No, that is not normal at all.” Wolf replied. He brought a hand to his chin in thought. “I don’t mean to judge, but a part of me wonders if maybe that Bolson guy is willing to cut you a huge deal because he finds you attractive.”

Link blinked and tilted his head to one side. “Why do you think that?”

“Are you kidding me? I’d be willing to bet you any amount of money that that man is the furthest thing from straight!”

“Oh, that. Well, I mean if we’re gonna generalize here then I ought to let you know that not everyone who’s gay is that flamboyant.”

Wolf gave Link an unamused look. “Link, believe me, I know. I was thinking more that you’re very unlikely to find a man like him who is straight.”

“I…suppose you’re not wrong.” Link relented. “Well, it’s getting late. Let’s find a place to cook up this meat.”

Beneath a tree located near the house was a small place that had clearly been used by the construction workers as a camp. The remains of a campfire were easy to spot beneath a cooking pot. The two put more wood under it, and Link finally demonstrated why he hadn’t used his flameblade in combat by swiping it against the pile. The wood caught fire immediately.

“Now I don’t need to worry about carrying flint!” Link announced with a laugh.

“I’m amazed you thought that far ahead.”

“I’m amazed it worked.”

As Link had technically killed the foxes whose meat they were going to be cooking, Wolf took up the task of making them dinner. Into the pot he threw the meat, some carrots, mushrooms, and herbs. While it began to cook, he mumbled something about one day cooking Link a special soup he had learned to make years ago. Link had no idea what sort of soup that could be, but if Wolf wanted to share it with him, then it had to be good! He grinned as he announced that he looked forward to trying it some time.

While they ate, Wolf asked if they would be camping out or staying at an inn that night. Link weighed the options, but ultimately decided that camping would be the way to go. He hadn’t gotten a chance to look in the village’s shops yet, and he wanted to be sure he had enough money for anything he wanted to buy. Wolf found this to be reasonable enough.

There was one more thing on the older boy’s mind, and he decided it was as good a time as any to voice it. “So… Have you remembered anything while we’ve been traveling?”

Link frowned and shook his head. “Not only have I remembered nothing, but nothing I’ve seen even feels familiar. Honestly I see you looking around from time to time, just staring at things in awe and honestly? I feel the same way. Like I’ve never seen what’s around me before and I want to take everything in. Not a single thing even rings a bell for me.”

“Are you eager to get your memories back, then?”

“I… I think it would be best if I could remember.” Link stated, staring down at his food with a sad expression. “I wouldn’t say that I’m ‘eager’. I don’t really know if I am. In fact, in some ways it kind of scares me. Impa said I hadn’t changed a bit but…she only saw me very briefly. What if I have changed? What if I’ve changed a lot? What if I am so different from how I was before that, I dunno, that I hate how I was before? Or worse, what if I come to hate how I am now? I don’t want that!”

The older boy could hardly say he was used to Link’s moments of seriousness. He frowned while the boy made his confession, wracking his brain to think of what he should say to him.

“You know… My best friend, Ilia… She… She lost her memory once.”

Link lifted his gaze to Wolf, staring at him in surprise and curious as to what he had to say.

“You know how I said that I had been turned into a wolf and was captured? Well, just before that my village was attacked by monsters. All of the children were taken, and Ilia was abducted as well. That was the reason I went into the Twilight in the first place; I had tried to chase after the monsters who took them away. When I met Ilia again, she couldn’t even remember her own name. But…” the tiniest of smiles graced Wolf’s features. “Despite not remembering a single thing, she had gone well out of her way to see that a Zora child who was sick got treated. She didn’t have even the slightest memory, but she was just as kindhearted as she had always been. She wanted to help that boy, above getting help for herself, just because that was the kind of person she was. She was the same as she had been before; always putting others above herself.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I don’t think people can suddenly become not themselves just because they don’t remember anything. Sure, you might be a little different without the burdens of your past, but I don’t think you’re drastically different from how you were before. At the very least, I don’t think hating yourself now or then is something you should be worried about.”

The younger boy couldn’t help the soft, tender smile that tugged at his lips or the way his eyes teared up faintly. He reached over and gently rubbed between Wolf’s ears.

“Thank you…” he whispered. “Really… That makes me feel a lot better. I’m still kinda nervous, but that does ease my nerves a great deal.”

Wolf smiled back at him, tail wagging slightly. “Hey, you’ve helped me out before. I’m just glad I could return the favor, if even a little.”

“Well, while we’re still on the subject, there is one thing I’ve been thinking about.” Link admitted. “I wonder if I once knew some way to fight guardians more efficiently.”

This piqued Wolf’s curiosity. “How do you mean?”

“Supposedly I was with Zelda when the whole Calamity thing happened. So it stands to reason that I was right in the middle of it all. And while I was gravely wounded at some point, I must have been able to fight them to some extent if the both of us didn’t die. Which means there should be a better way to destroy them.”

“You said there were sometimes smaller ones in the shrines, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Perhaps you can try finding a weak point or something with them?”

Link gave a shrug. “It’s possible. I suppose it’s something to keep in mind, at the very least. I’ll try some things out the next time I find one.” There was a moment’s pause before the boy spoke up again, changing the subject. “Hey um, so, is there any place that you know of called Hateno Village? You haven’t reacted negatively since the name of this place was brought up.”

Wolf shook his head. “No, this village is entirely new to me. If I’m honest, I’m grateful for that. This whole ‘different Hyrule’ thing is still worrisome to me.”

“Makes sense. Well, I’m glad something about this Hyrule can be more comfortable to you than the rest.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The two finished eating a minute later and they stood up again. They briefly considered sleeping near or in the abandoned house, but as Link had yet to buy it they decided the better thing to do would be to find somewhere else to rest. They made their way back over to the shrine and got comfortable on the hillside it sat upon.

Wolf let out a big yawn and curled up on his side. Link giggled at him and said he really did look like a sleepy puppy. Too tired to correct Link, Wolf decided to humor him a little by turning back into a wolf. This made the boy a little antsy, and Wolf cracked a questioning eye open at him.

“Can I… Can I cuddle with you?” Link asked softly.

Wolf simply huffed and closed his eye again. Link understood that to be a silent ‘go ahead’ and he gasped in delight. He laid down behind Wolf and wrapped his arms around his stomach, burying his face in the soft fur of his neck. Wolf’s tail thumped against the ground once, and the two slowly drifted off to sleep together.

*****

First thing in the morning after eating their breakfast, Link and Wolf sought out the research lab they were told to go to. They asked around the village a little and were eventually pointed to a tall building out on the edge of a cliff away from the village proper. They were also told that “a weird old man and a weird old woman” lived up there. Not really caring what sort of person it was they needed to speak to, the boys headed up the road towards the lab.

As they began to approach it they spotted a series of signs along the side of the road. Each one confirmed that the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab was ahead, as well as giving a message to anyone who actually bothered to read them. The first read “NO SOLICITING”. The second said to mind the lanterns, of which Link and Wolf noted not only the one nearby, but all the ones they had seen around the village and the whole way up the road to that point. The third told them to enter at their own risk.

The last of the signs was directly outside of the building. It stated, “If the flame is blue, the furnace is hot! DO NOT TOUCH!” The boys spotted what could loosely be called a furnace to one side of the door. Not only was the flame not blue, but it was entirely unlit. Unsure of what that meant, Link knocked upon the door before opening it carefully.

Inside the lab were two Sheikah; an older man who was rummaging along bookshelves at the back of the room and a little girl on a stool by the table in the middle of the room. Wolf immediately found it suspicious that a little girl would be there when the villagers had mentioned an old woman. His intuition told him that if anyone, the girl was who Link should try speaking to. The boy, on the other hand, approached the man and got his attention.

“Hello.” He greeted Link cheerfully. “I imagine you’ve never seen so many books in one place. Pretty incredible, isn’t it? We’ve gathered all of Hyrule’s known literature on ancient civilizations here. As for the actual number of books, well…” He paused when his eyes caught sight of the slate on Link’s belt. “…Hmm? Is that… That thing on your waist? Is that a Sheikah… There’s no mistaking it. That’s a real Sheikah Slate, isn’t it?! I’ve never actually seen one in person! If you could just show me the runes on it, I’d be most appreciative.” Unsure why the man would want to see them, Link decided to show him. He didn’t need to name any of them, however, as the man seemed familiar with all of them. “Stasis… Magnesis… The remote bomb and cryonis… And what else? Let’s see… So that’s it for runes… But… Hmm… Strange… It doesn’t seem like you have the basic runes… I don’t understand why they’re missing. There must be some reason…” He handed the slate back to Link and seemed to realize that in his eagerness to see Link’s slate, he hadn’t actually given the boy his name. “Ah! Where are my manners? I nearly forgot to introduce myself! My name is Symin. You are… Link, right?”

Link blinked in surprise. “You know my name?”

Symin laughed. “Lady Impa caught me up to speed. You see…we were told, ‘A young man holding a Sheikah Slate will appear. And you must do all you can to help him. He will be the hope that awakens from the Slumber of Restoration. His name will be Link.’ Oh, dear! I forgot to tell you something very important.” He turned to look at the little girl who was watching them from her stool. “Director! Listen, Ms. Director! This is a real Sheikah Slate!” Symin told her enthusiastically.

“Wait, she’s the director?” Link asked, dumbfounded.

“Oh, that’s right… I haven’t introduced our director. Ms. Purah happens to be right over there… As the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab director, Ms. Purah is the world’s foremost authority on ancient Hyrule culture.” Symin stated happily.

The little girl, Purah, hopped up onto her feet, standing on her stool, and struck a little pose. “Check it!” she laughed.

“I have the utmost respect for Ms. Purah and all she’s accomplished. I’m honored to be her assistant. On that note, Link… You see, the director may look like a young girl, but… Well…maybe it’s not my place to be telling you these things. You should talk to Ms. Purah herself.” The man told him.

Still flabbergasted that the child was the person he needed to speak to, Link approached her. Wolf, who had been standing near her the whole time, cast his companion a little smirk that went unnoticed by him.

“Hey! Heeey! Are you surprised?! The director of this laboratory is not Symin! It’s me! Snappity snap!” Purah stated with a giggle. “Even your strange friend here seemed to figure that out!” She motioned to Wolf. “Anywaaay. Linky! Do you remember any dreams from your time in the Slumber of Restoration? You don’t look like you’ve changed a bit in the last hundred years, but something must have happened in all that time! Well, no matter! I’m just happy you’re still in one piece.” She paused and stared at him curiously, humming to herself as she did. She narrowed her eyes and pouted. “…Linky? What’s with that look? You do still remember me, right?”

Link shook his head.

“Really?!” She shouted, becoming even more animated in her speech than she had been before. “Well! I’m so shocked I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to recover from this! Even though, one hundred years ago, I took you to the Shrine of Restoration after Calamity Ganon fatally wounded you… Even though I was the one who put you safely into the Slumber of Restoration… Despite all that, you still don’t remember me?”

Link shook his head again, a frown on his face.

Purah pulled a notepad and quill out of a pocket. She hurriedly scribbled down that after the slumber, Link had lost all memories. She then apologized and stated that she had a bad habit of abruptly taking notes, although she added that she thought it to be a charming quirk.

“Anyhoo… Do you have any questions for me?” she asked.

“Aren’t you a child?” Link asked.

“How very rude!” Purah declared before dropping her voice to a mumble. “Hm, or perhaps it’s not rude at all… I suppose that’s actually a rather logical conclusion to jump to.” She hummed again and spoke up. She explained that the way she looked was due to a “failed” experiment of hers. It had actually been a success, but it was a bit complicated. She stated that the whole thing was detailed in her diary upstairs, but insisted that it was embarrassing and that Link shouldn’t go reading it.

“Anyway. Enough about that!” she stated. “Back to the topic at hand! Here you are, after a hundred years! Here to defeat Calamity Ganon, who is growing in strength with every passing moment! And to rescue our beloved Princess Zelda! That is, if you’ve got the courage to try. And to help the one true hero, I, the one and only Purah, will restore the basic functions missing from the Sheikah Slate! Aaaand what do you say to thaaaat?”

Link lit up at that offer. “Yes, please do that!”

She giggled again. “I knew you’d say that! All right, then. First I need you to run an errand for me.” Link frowned and she stomped her foot on the stool. “What’s with that look on your face? You didn’t think I’d fix your Sheikah Slate for free, did you?”

“Well, I was kind of hoping. It was a long trip to get here and I assume I need it fixed to do what I’m supposed to…” he admitted.

Once more, Purah scribbled on her notepad. “Hmmm… Post Slumber of Restoration subject is plagued by…presumptuous…tendencies. Noted!”

Beside her, Wolf stifled his laughter.

“Let me explain what this errand entails.” Purah resumed. “You know the unlit furnace on the wall just outside this laboratory? Could you please bring the blue flame from the ancient furnace in town? Oh, and also use it to light our furnace? This sweet little guidence stone will start working once you do that, allowing us to restore your missing runes!” she paused and mumbled to herself again. “Huh… I wonder if young women these days still say things like ‘sweet’ and ‘little’ Ah, well. I suppose it doesn’t matter anyway.” She flashed Link a bright grin. “Okay then. I’m counting on you for that blue flame!”

Link nodded and led Wolf back outside. As soon as the door closed behind them, Wolf smirked down at the younger boy.

“Alright ‘Linky’, are you going to do what I think you are and go read that diary?” he asked.

A huge smile split Link’s face in two. “You bet!” he declared.

They found a staircase spiraling its way up the outside of the building and they began to climb it. The first room they came across was neat and tidy, and from the minimal décor they assumed it to be Symin’s. At the very top of the building was another room that was much messier than the other. Before going inside, Link quickly scaled the outside of the building and climbed onto the broken guardian that sat on its roof. His korok senses had been correct and he received another seed. He hopped back down and the two began to investigate the room at the top. A notebook sat open on a table in the middle of the room and Link flipped through it. Sure enough, it turned out to be the diary Purah had mentioned.

The diary went into detail about an anti-aging rune that Purah had been developing and tested on herself. In a matter of days, she recorded that she had gone from being over a hundred and twenty years old, to looking like she was six. In addition to her documenting the rapid change, Link was surprised to see that she had been writing about her laments over how Link had fallen in battle and how close the Hyrule royal family and the Sheikah had been, along with general sorrow over what had happened during the Great Calamity. Because of these rather private feelings that she had been writing down, Link and Wolf felt kind of bad about reading her diary. All the same, they were once again reminded that everything really had been devastated a hundred years before and Link’s task had only just begun.

Outside of Purah’s room, the pair could see a faint blue glow on the outskirts of the village. It vaguely resembled a flame, so they set their sights on it and proceeded towards it. As they began to descend the hill, Link suddenly grinned and laughed and trotted ahead a few steps. He hopped into the air and quickly hooked his shield onto the soles of his feet. Upon landing he successfully began to surf along the grassy side of the road. Wolf blinked in surprise, briefly wondering why he had never tried to do something like that. He gave pursuit, running on two legs because Link wasn’t traveling fast enough to warrant a transformation.

Near the bottom of the hill, Link hopped again and removed his shield so that he could stand again. Wolf caught up to him a second later and mentioned that had been a clever idea. Link laughed again and declared that he had tried doing it on some snow on the plateau because he had been bored. He added, with a bit of disappointment, that he didn’t do it more often because it damaged his shield something awful. Wolf couldn’t help but remember again why he hadn’t taken up arms and instead chose to rip things apart with his teeth.

The blue flame the pair were after was located out among the village’s wheat fields. They hopped over a stream in order to cut their travel time a little. Link happened to be carrying a torch on him, and he lit it with the unusual flame. Because of the fire, they decided not to chance going back over the stream in case Link tripped and all the hazards that could bring. So instead they made their way through the village. The path they took occasionally had a lantern along it, and Link stopped to light each one with the brilliant flame. Several people in the village marveled at the sight, not objecting to the lanterns being lit at all.

“You know, I have to wonder if lighting all of those lanterns will do something. It’s strange, but that’s often the case for things like this.” Wolf stated as they left the village proper and began to ascend the hillside to the lab.

“Really? I haven’t encountered anything like that.”

“It isn’t common, but it’s happened to me often enough.”

“Guess we’ll have to try it some time.”

When they reached the top of the hill, Link carried his blue flame to the furnace outside and lit it. Sure enough, the blue flame had an immediate effect on the lab. The travel point outside the door sprang to life, and a quick look at his map told Link that he could now travel there at any time. With his task complete, the pair stepped into the lab once more.

Purah began thanking them almost the moment the door opened. Link couldn’t help the smile on his face as Purah poured over her guidance stone being active once more. She declared to the boy that with it, she would be able to restore the missing functions of his Sheikah Slate. All she wanted from him now was “a nice SNAP”.

Wolf blinked, a little confused. “Snap?”

Link, on the other hand, decided that if he was going to have to do something strange then he might as well get into it. He put a hand on his hip, striking the sassiest pose he could think of on the spot, winked, and giving a snap of his fingers while he brightly called out “SNAP!”

Purah jumped up and down, giggling in delight. “Nice one! Hokay then, Sheikah Slate repair…underway!” She fiddled with her strange machine a little. “Guidance stone lock removed! Now…let’s do this thing!”

Link placed his slate in the pedestal beneath the glowing blue stone. Like the towers, the stone seemed to gather some kind of data into a single droplet, which then fell onto the slate’s awaiting screen. The slate flickered to life and one after another it restored not one, but three functions that had previously been damaged and unusable. The slate read out that the camera, Hyrule Compendium, and album were now fully operational.

When Link picked the slate back up, his eyes widened in delight and he let out a little laugh. He turned to Wolf and happily showed him that the weird sixth rune was now accessible, that it was the so-called ‘camera’. While Purah got her guidance stone locked again, Link fiddled around with the slate some more just to see what all was new. He marveled at just how many things appeared to be in the compendium. But what amazed him more was that the album was not empty. There were twelve images of landscapes, each more accurate to life than any painting could ever hope to be.

“Aaaand…it’s done!” Purah announced as she finished up what she was doing. “So?! Is it fixed up now? Hmmm, lessee here…” Link let her take the slate so that she could give it a quick once over. “Which one is it… Camera, Hyrule Compendium, album… Yep, looks good!” she announced, handing it back over. “So I know this is sudden, but hear me out. Take a picture of me with the camera! Oh, and don’t forget to lemme see it!”

Figuring it had something to do with her experiment, Link activated the rune and was amazed to find that what was in front of him was being displayed on the screen. Even Wolf leaned over him curiously to watch what he was doing. Link took a step back so as to frame Purah better and took the shot. He saved the image and then flipped over to the album so that he could show Purah what she looked like.

“Did you get a cute pic of me? Oooh, I can’t wait to see it! Lemme see, lemme see!” she said eagerly, bouncing on her toes. Link leaned down a bit more so that she could get a better look. “Hm? My, who is this beautiful young creature?” Purah said happily, giggling to herself as she took a good look. After a moment, Wolf cleared his throat, hoping to move things along again. “Huh? Oh, I guess that’s my cue! Sorry, I kind of lost it there. It wasn’t on purpose.” She admitted, allowing Link to put the slate away again. “Hmmm… Ah, it’s not just a pretty girl in those images, if I saw it right. Yes, there are also some old landscape photos stored in the album. I knew Princess Zelda had made frequent use of the camera feature, but this…” She put her hands to the sides of her head while she thought. “Hey, Linky! It dawns on me that you were Princess Zelda’s appointed knight, which means…there’s a strong possibility that you accompanied her to all of the places where these pictures were taken.” She pointed out. “These pictures could be the missing pieces to help restore your lost memories!”

Both Link and Wolf couldn’t hide their excitement at hearing that news. While landscapes hadn’t triggered any memories for Link thus far, they had to agree that perhaps the things Zelda found worth saving meant something of importance to her and Link.

“If my hunch is correct, I suggest you check in with Impa. She knows more about Princess Zelda than even I do!” Purah advised. The boys frowned at the prospect of going all the way back to Kakariko Village so soon instead of proceeding to another destination. Purah didn’t seem to notice this, as she had just recalled something else she wanted to say. “Oh, yeah! There’s just one more thing I need from you! You don’t have to worry about this until after you see Impa, but I want you to bring me back some ancient materials! Bring them either to me or to Robbie at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. As if my joy weren’t enough, if you bring us ancient materials, we’ll give you something good as a reward.”

“Who is Robbie?” Wolf asked, surprising both Link and Purah that he had managed to speak up before Link could ask about the reward.

Purah let out a sigh. “Robbie is my subordinate. There, I said it.” She stated, sounding oddly like she didn’t want to get into the subject. “I think he’s still up on the edge of Akkala researching Guardians… Haven’t seen him in a hundred years, though. So who knows?” Wolf wondered if she was upset that he hadn’t visited her or something. No matter the case, he didn’t press her further. “Anything else?” she asked them.

“You said something about a good reward?” Link said.

“Aha! I’m glad you asked! If you bring me some ancient materials, I’ll power up your runes! Three ancient screws, three ancient shafts, and three ancient cores will power up your Sheikah Sensor, remote bombs, and stasis!”

“Oh? I happen to have some screws and shafts.” Link stated with a grin. “Let me see…” he turned out his pockets, showing that he had more than enough to cover two of those upgrades thanks to his incessant looting of the destroyed guardians. He passed three of each over to Purah who took a moment to coo at them as she looked them each over in turn.

“Then why don’t we go ahead and power up your Sheikah Slate?” she said with a bright smile. “Now then, in exchange for these ancient materials… I’ll power up those runes on your Sheikah Slate! Three ancient screws, three ancient shafts, and a cute snap!” Once more Link gave her an enthusiastic, but silly, snap of his fingers. Purah hopped up and punched the air excitedly. “Here I goooooo!”

While she and Link went about getting the guidance stone set up and his runes upgraded, Wolf had to wonder why the whole snapping thing was necessary. It made sense for Purah, in a weird way, what with how animated and odd she was. But how easily Link had gotten into the act was a little creepy.

“Hey-ho! Got it! Hokay then, Sheikah Sensor and remote bomb upgrades…underway! Guidance stone lock removed! Now…let’s do this thing!” Purah announced, stepping aside so that Link could put his slate back into the pedestal.

As expected, the stone gathered and dripped a bit of data onto the slate and in turn the slate announced that the runes in question had been upgraded.

“Yahoooo!” Purah cheered before saying in a sing-song voice, “My little guidance stone did the trick! Hee hee! With that, your remote bombs will have a little more bang and a little more range. And the Sheikah Sensor+…”

Symin, who had been quietly listening to them from the back of the room as he worked, spoke up, drawing the attention of all three other people in the room. “Ooooh! The Sheikah Sensor+! I reaaally want to see it…” he stated.

Purah laughed. “Yes, quite. So if you don’t mind, how about showing Symin that spiffy Sheikah Sensor+? He can tell you all about it!”

Link decided to do just that. Purah returned to the table and cleared some books off of another stool and offered it to Wolf before taking her own again. The older boy thanked her and took a seat, watching Link and Symin curiously.

Symin explained that he wanted Link to take a picture of a sunshroom and to register the image to his compendium. He stated that one could be found growing behind the lab, indicating a back door for Link to use to get to it quickly. Link stepped outside, found the mushroom in question, and snapped a picture of it. The slate did the rest and registered it in the compendium. Feeling it could be useful, Link picked the sunshroom before going back inside. Symin confirmed that the compendium had worked correctly.

He then asked that Link bring him three of the special mushrooms. He said that with it registered, Link could use the sensor to locate the mushrooms easily. He also added that they should be able to be found in Retsam Forest, which was just a little below the road leading up to the lab. Link confirmed this on his map and turned his attention to Wolf.

“I’m going to go take care of this really quick. You want to wait here?” he asked.

“Sounds good. I’ll organize a search party if you’re not back by tomorrow night. Maybe.” Wolf teased.

Link flashed him a grin before departing through the back door. There was a moment of silence in the room before Purah gazed up at Wolf curiously.

“I must say, you are certainly an odd companion for Linky to have. He’s not been unfriendly, but he hasn’t ever been good at making friends, I’m told.” She stated.

Wolf was surprised to hear such a thing, and the shock must have been clear on his face because Purah giggled. The boy scratched the back of his neck as he began to tell her his semi-prepared speech, having known the question of his presence and appearance would come up again eventually.

“I’m just somebody Link picked up a little while ago.” He half-lied. “I’m under a spell right now, which is why I look so strangely. I am actually Hylian.”

“A curse?”

Wolf shook his head. “A bit of magic gone wrong, more like. It’s nothing harmful, I just don’t have enough experience with the spell to fix myself at the moment. I’m actually following Link in the hopes of finding something partially related to the spell, as well as to assist him in whatever way I can.”

“Hmm… Sounds complicated.” She said, her tone indicating that she wasn’t going to press the issue any. “Although… Impa never said anything about Hyrule’s hero having an ally.” She hummed for a moment. “Then again… She has said that some of the tales, those much, much older than the one from ten thousand years ago, have spoken of the hero having an inhuman companion or guide. I would guess that it wouldn’t be out of the question for you to be that person for Linky.” She blinked and gasped. “Where are my manners?! I haven’t asked you for your name!”

Wolf smiled. “Link’s been calling me ‘Wolf’.”

Purah giggled again. “Wolf eh? That’s a bit on the nose…” she gave a shrug. “But who am I to complain? I named the Sheikah Slate, after all.”

*****

Out in the forest, Link found that sunshrooms were not the only thing growing in abundance. He set out to try and pick every last one of the various types of mushrooms that grew at the bases of the trees. He hardly needed the Sheikah Sensor, as there were plenty of the type he needed and finding them was not difficult. Once he had gathered all that he needed and then some, he used one of his weaker swords to cut down a few trees. He gathered up their wood into bundles, starting his collection for Bolson and his weird house discount.

All in all it took Link maybe half an hour to do what he needed to and the extra bits he wanted to. He clambered his way back up the hill and ran the rest of the distance to the lab again. He went in through the front door, as it was closer, and announced that he had obtained what Symin wanted. He was rewarded with three hearty truffles for the sunshrooms. Symin then stated that he had something else he wanted to give Link. He explained that the guidance stone still had some old pictures on it that he could transfer to Link’s compendium. He stated that he wanted to give it a try, and Link agreed to let him.

“I don’t normally like to let people use my little guidance stone for free, but… I kind of want to see what’ll happen, so…just this once I’ll let it pass.” Purah stated.

With her assistance, Symin got everything set up and used the stone to transfer one of the images to Link’s slate. The image that Link was given was of something called a voltfruit. He thanked them, and Symin informed him that if he ever wanted another image to be added, it would cost him a hundred rupees per picture. Feeling it a bit pricey, Link simply nodded that he understood. With that, Link’s tasks within the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab were, for the most part, completed. He and Wolf departed from the building.

Link took a moment to skim through the compendium again, awed at just how many things he would need to take pictures of in order to fill it out. Wolf suggested he take photos of the various things he already had on hand to get him started. Link agreed it would probably be a worthwhile thing to do, but decided to do it later.

“Let me guess, you want to spend a few days going around the village and getting into everyone’s business.” Wolf laughed.

Link grinned up at him. “Of course! If there are simple chores or things to be done that will reward me, I want to do them!” he announced. “And just because I am methodical about things like this, let’s start back at the village gate and make our way back up the road.”

“Sounds reasonable to me. Although I must say I wouldn’t exactly call you ‘methodical’.”

“Hey! I am too! Haven’t you noticed it while we’ve been traveling? I’m always very careful about making sure I explore every nook and cranny when I’m staying in one area for a prolonged period.”

Wolf gave that a moment’s thought. Now that it occurred to him, a lot of Link’s meandering actually did seem to have a sort of logic to it. From exploring the ruins below the plateau, to how he tackled exploring Kakariko, and even to how he had gone about investigating every guardian by Hateno Fort. While Link seemed to be all over the place, when Wolf got right down to it he did realize that the boy had actually put some thought into his method of searching around.

“Alright, I’ll admit that I was wrong.” Wolf stated.

“Good boy!” Link laughed. “Now c’mon, let’s get back to the gate, have lunch, and see what we can do before dinner!”

Once more the boy hopped onto his shield and surfed his way back down the road. While he didn’t need to, Wolf transformed in order to keep up with him just a little bit easier. They made their way all back through the village and stopped beneath a tree in order to eat before seeing what there was to do around the area.

Chapter Text

The very first thing Link did upon his and Wolf’s more thorough exploration of Hatano Village was step inside the general store. There wasn’t a whole lot he was interested in, but he did buy up every arrow that was in stock. After that he went to investigate the clothing store. The owner was a shy woman who hid in a corner near the door, and the two boys nearly missed her entirely. A set of actual armor was for sale, but just out of Link’s price range. He and Wolf thought it over and decided that they would wait and see if there was any money to be made in the village rather than sell anything.

The next place of interest was a strange little shop that was covered in different colors. When they spotted the owner, Wolf muttered to Link that Hateno seemed to be “weirdo central”, although he admitted to having seen weirder people where he came from. The owner, once he realized he had customers, informed them that he ran a dye shop and could change the color of their clothing if they wanted him to. All it cost was a small fee of twenty rupees per dye job and materials for the color. Wolf was just fine with the green hue of his clothes. Link on the other hand was eager to give it a try.

The owner and Link quickly discussed color options and what materials he had on hand. In the end, he decided to try turning his Hylian clothing set white using white chuchu jelly. The owner had him hold onto five blobs of the jelly and stand on a raised platform along one wall. He was instructed to stand on the clearly marked X, and Wolf was all too aware from where he watched that the boy was about to be dropped into a large vat of ink. He kept this to himself, however, and watched patiently for the moment this fact dawned on Link. He wasn’t let down, for a look of terror crossed the boy’s face half a second before the floor beneath his feet fell open and he plummeted into the vat.

Wolf about doubled over in laughter, clutching at his sides while Link clawed at the edges of the huge pot and hauled himself out. Probably by some form of magic, the only thing affected by the white dye were his clothes. Wolf’s laughter was cut short when he opened one eye to see how things had turned out. He stared at the boy, dumbfounded and his cheeks colored a very light pink. The owner of the shop expressed his own delight over the dye job having been a success, but that was not what amazed Wolf.

Link quickly looked himself over as best as he could. There were no mirrors in the shop, which Link found highly unusual. So instead he asked Wolf for his opinion on the new color. It took the older boy a moment to formulate a reply that wouldn’t completely embarrass him.

“Um… Yeah! It looks good!” he said somewhat dumbly. Inside he couldn’t help but scream, “You look ridiculously cute!”

Satisfied with Wolf’s approval, Link decided to stick with the color.

The first task they found that was in need of being completed came when they went to check out the inn. An overweight man about Wolf’s age stopped them, saying something about how it was his job to keep an eye out for strangers, or some such. Both Wolf and Link were unconvinced about whatever explanation he gave them, as it seemed abundantly clear that he was only looking for cute girls who might come into the village. In fact, he asked them if they had seen the woman who ran the inn. They told him that no, they hadn’t. After some more rambling on his part, he finally said that guys like them ought to be good with women and asked them to talk to her and figure out what she likes, and then to go tell him.

As they were going to the inn anyway, they agreed to. While they climbed the stairs, Link muttered, “How is it that I look like I’m good with women? I mean, I could have understand if he just said you did but…”

“Have you forgotten already that Paya is clearly into you? And I know you weren’t there, but the archery woman had some choice things to say about you as well. Not to mention the great fairy seems charmed by you, too. Face it, Link, you’re a girl magnet.” Wolf stated.

“That’s weird.” was all the boy had to say about that.

Inside the inn, Link quickly found the innkeeper. Without missing a single beat he approached her and unceremoniously asked her what she liked. Wolf slapped himself on the face, cringing at how badly he was handling the man’s request. The woman, too, appeared to be shocked by his forwardness. After a moment she suddenly declared that she loved restless crickets, and that it was her dream to own a hundred of them!

Link seemed satisfied with that answer, but Wolf had to question it, going so far as to mutter, “Girls like swarms of locusts, right?” under his breath.

The younger boy reported his finding to the man, who was startled that he had gotten an answer so quickly. The man then announced proudly that he was a “connoisseur” of restless crickets, before quickly wondering if he had used the correct word. His doubts aside, he then asked Link if he would be willing to catch ten of them for him. Link thought about it for half a second before agreeing.

The two boys took a moment to decide how to go about getting said crickets. Link stated that they could be found in tall grass, and that he could probably get plenty from the outskirts of the village. The two decided that because Wolf lacked a way to hack through said grass he would stay behind while the boy went hunting for them. Seeing an outdoor kitchen of sorts near the inn, Wolf decided he would pass the time by making them some more food. Link handed over a bunch of ingredients and the two separated to do their different tasks.

Link’s took much longer than he expected. He got the ten crickets fairly easily, but he went a bit overboard so as to have some for himself. He knew he could make them into elixirs, something he hadn’t done a lot of, but thought he might one day. In addition to that there were some bokoblins milling about that he had to deal with. By the time he got back into the village, a little more than two hours had passed. Link couldn’t help but wonder how worried Wolf might be, but was pleasantly surprised by what he found upon returning.

A group of five children were running about on the main road, shrieking and laughing as they did. Playing with them was a large gray wolf who was unmistakably Link’s companion. Wolf bounded around with them, tail wagging and not minding at all when they would tackle him. The sight made Link pause, a delighted grin growing across his face as he watched. An old man who had been outside of the inn approached him with a smile.

“Some of the kids asked that friend of yours if his ears and tail were real. We were all surprised when he suddenly transformed! But the kids were real excited and he’s been playing with them for a while now. I must say for as big and frightening of a beast as he makes, he’s been as gentle as a Hylian retriever.” The man stated.

Link could feel his heart warm at that information. He watched his companion play for a moment longer before finally getting his attention. Wolf stopped and turned his head towards him. He had two young boys sitting on his back like a horse, and he glanced at one of them before trotting back over to Link. Before Link had a chance to speak up, the boy who Wolf had looked at spoke up.

“Are you Mr. Link?”

Link nodded.

“Mr. Wolf said I should ask you about this.” He slid off of Wolf’s back, along with the other boy. The other boy didn’t seem interested in what was happening, so he quickly said good-bye before running off to play elsewhere. “See, my grandfather really liked all sorts of weapons before he died, and there were a bunch he always wanted to see. I know most of his favorites, and I was wondering if you could bring them to me so I could see them for him.”

“Sure!” Link replied. “What sort of weapons are you looking for?”

“Well… The first one my grandfather always talked about was something called a traveler’s sword.”

Link frowned. Those were common enough, but he currently did not have any on hand. He had dropped the last one he had in favor of a soldier’s broadsword.

“Do I have a time limit for this?” he asked.

The boy shook his head. “Just so long as I don’t forget, which I don’t think I ever will.”

“Alright. If I find one, I’ll bring it for you.”

The boy beamed. “Thank you!” he shouted before turning around and running off to play again.

Wolf and Link watched him go for a moment before the older boy turned back. He stretched his arms far above his head, sighing happily at the feeling. Somehow Link couldn’t bring himself to tease his companion about playing with children again. Instead he simply informed him that he had the crickets they needed.

“Are you going to give them straight to the innkeeper?” Wolf asked.

“No. Why would I do that?”

“Oh, I dunno, maybe you were thinking of stealing that man’s girl. After all, like I said you are a girl magnet.”

“Bro, I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but I’m not into her. Or that archery girl. And I’ll admit that Paya’s cute, but she isn’t my type.”

Wolf nudged him playfully. “I’m just teasing you.”

Link rolled his eyes as he sought out the man who wanted the crickets. He was thrilled to receive them, and to reward Link’s efforts gave him a silver rupee. Delighted by the amount (and Wolf thoroughly shocked by it), Link immediately made for the clothing store again. He was able to buy all the pieces of the soldier’s armor, and still had a bit of money left over. Wolf was not at all surprised when his next destination was the dye shop.

“Are you going to dye all of your clothes?” Wolf asked as they stepped inside.

“Only if I get whole outfits like that. And why not? I think it’s kind of fun to have flashy, unique clothes. Not the same boring green ones you always wear.”

It was Wolf’s turn to roll his eyes. He quite liked the green tunic and hat he had on. All the same, Link chose the color he wanted to turn his new armor, and carried five flint up to the platform. He was prepared for the sudden drop this time, although it still took him by surprise. When he climbed his way out, his armor was black. Wolf found it to be an unusual choice for somebody who was supposed to be playing the role of a hero, but Link stated that that was exactly why he had chosen the color in the first place.

Considering his upgraded Hylian clothes had greater defense than the basic armor, Link swapped for them again before going back out into the village once more. While they continued to look around, Link began taking pictures of various things. Gardening tools, animals, and even the apples on the trees all got photographed. When dinner time rolled around they sat again under the tree near the entrance. Link took the chance to take pictures of all the different items he had on hand, from weapons, to shields, to materials. The Sheikah Slate logged all of them in the compendium.

“I take it we’re camping again?” Wolf asked while they ate.

“Yeah. I don’t have enough for two beds.” Link stated. “Maybe if we can get some more money tomorrow I’ll get us a room. But for now we’re staying outdoors.”

“Works for me. I’m certainly not sensitive to the elements.”

After their meal, Link decided to do something he had thought of before but hadn’t given a try. Up on a ledge near the entrance to the village was a flagpole. Link donned his climber’s bandana again and began to climb it. While he did, Wolf decided to investigate a little area that branched off the path to said flagpole and the weirdly cubic buildings. Link was disappointed that there was not a korok waiting for him when he hauled himself on top of the flagpole. He took a moment to survey the area, however, and dropped some pins on various unlit lanterns around the village, as he still wanted to try and light them all with the blue flame. He then glanced around and caught sight of Wolf, who waved up at him. Link hopped off the flagpole and glided down to him.

“Check this thing out.” Wolf told him, gesturing to a strange horned statue.

No sooner had Link taken a look at it than both of them heard a weird voice emitting from its general vicinity. “Ahhhh… So there are some who still pay me homage.” It muttered.

“You can talk?!” Link shrieked at the statue.

“You don’t say… You can hear my voice?” the statue inquired.

“I can hear you, too.” Wolf replied.

“Now, that is a surprise.” The statue chuckled, clearly intrigued by their awareness of it. “What were you praying for? Long life? Wealth, like so many of your kind? Whichever it was, you came to the right place. A dealer in life and power… That was me, once. Alas, my life-for-money bargains didn’t sit well with the Goddess Hylia.”

“Hylia?” Wolf asked, looking at Link. “Is that her name?”

“Oh, right!” Link exclaimed. “Yeah. The weird old monks in the shrines have called her that. I kept forgetting to tell you.” He stated.

“She trapped me in this stone statue long, long ago.” The horned statue continued, a little miffed that it had been interrupted. “The villagers here call me the Horned Statue and don’t even bother to wipe away the bird droppings. One would think years upon years of such treatment would have made me mend my ways… One would think wrongly. I have only been biding my time for the moment someone who can hear me appears. Someone such as you. But I’ve said enough. No then, shall we strike a bargain? Then stay that way. No further action on your part is required.”

Link gasped softly, feeling something being pulled from him. A sudden feeling of vulnerability washed over him, and he staggered back a step and a half. The statue chuckled.

“Fa ha ha… My touch is as subtle as ever… Note how I took that essence from you without leaving a mark.”

“Give it back!” Link demanded, suddenly furious and panicking at the loss of his heart container. Wolf, who hadn’t felt anything, stared at him with a started expression.

“Fa ha ha…” the statue laughed again. “Did you think I’d deceived you? Perish the thought. I hope that ours will be a long and profitable relationship. So which will it be? As I may have mentioned once or twice, I’m a dealer in life and power. I can provide a valuable service to you. I take heart containers or stamina vessels from you…and then, for a price, return whichever of the two you like.”

“Give me back my heart container!”

“A wise choice. Now, remain still.” The same feeling washed over the boy as when he had first gotten the container. He breathed a deep sigh of relief, placing a hand to his chest in a vain attempt to still his frantic heartrate. He then turned his attention back to the statue with a hardened glare.

“You look skeptical. Not to worry. Money and life are as one to me. If you’re ready to begin, then first you must sell me either type of essence for one hundred rupees. If you want to buy an essence back, the price rises up to one hundred and twenty rupees. Before you cry foul, know that you may choose which one I return to you: a heart container or a stamina vessel. I’m eager to tamper with your essence anytime you want to return and pray here.”

Link shuddered and he quickly grabbed Wolf by the arm, leading him away and back towards the village properly. Wolf waited until he assumed they were out of earshot of the horned statue before he spoke up.

“Are you alright? Did that thing really steal a heart container from you?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

Slowly, Link nodded. “I’m alright, and unharmed. He did take it, but he gave it back like he said he would.” He replied. “Goddess… That was not a pleasant feeling. It didn’t quite make me feel nauseous, but it was close.” He shuddered again and wrapped his arms around himself. Gingerly Wolf pulled him in for a hug, and after a moment the boy returned it.

“I’m glad you got it back.” Wolf stated. “What a gross power! I can’t imagine that thing would actually be of use to you…”

“Actually…” Link muttered, keeping his head buried in Wolf’s shoulder. “It might come in handy someday. You never know, there might be something I need to do that requires more health or stamina than I have. It might be worthwhile to trade one for the other. Although I do agree that it isn’t exactly a power I want to deal with again, but I’m sure it’s potential is there.”

Wolf wasn’t convinced, but he accepted that perhaps Link saw something behind the statue’s power that he did not. Tired from the day’s wandering and activities, the pair made themselves comfortable near the shrine once more. Wolf did not transform, and Link didn’t ask to cuddle, but the two did stay rather close to each other. Before either drifted off too much, Wolf muttered that it felt like there was a lot of moisture in the air and wondered if it would rain. Link shrugged.

“It would explain why tonight is cooler than normal.” He stated. “If it starts raining we’ll just have to find somewhere else to sleep.”

The older boy agreed, and shortly thereafter both fell asleep.

*****

It didn’t rain that night, but it began to the next morning while Wolf and Link were having their breakfast. Below them in the village, the early birds were rushing to take cover indoors. The two boys sighed and both resigned themselves to being in wet clothes most, if not all, of the day. When they had eaten, they made their way back into the village and proceeded further up the road towards the lab. There was a ranch between it and the village, and Link wanted to see if there was anything to be done there.

“I’ve told you that I used to herd goats, right?” Wolf asked while they walked.

“You mentioned it before in passing.”

“Ordan Village was famous for its goats. There was always plenty of goat milk, cheese, and butter to be had. They occasionally got a bit rowdy, though, so I would get on my horse and herd them back into their barn. It wasn’t especially hard. The worst of it was when one would manage to get away from the ranch and would run into the village. I was usually the one who had to grab it by the horns and wrestle it to the ground in order to calm it. Occasionally I would even have to carry them on my shoulders to bring them back. You’d be surprised how heavy a goat can be.”

“Why am I not surprised that you’ve wrestled goats?”

Wolf raised an eyebrow at that statement.

“I dunno, something about how much you seem to like goats and the way you’re built. It just doesn’t surprise me.”

“I’m starting to think you’ve known a lot of strange people in your life, even if you can’t remember them.”

“Are you saying that you’re strange?”

“Not particularly, but I suppose you can interpret it that way.”

They dropped the subject when they came across a lone woman standing just outside of the ranch. She was staring passed them, down the road towards the bay, a scowl on her face. When Link asked her what was wrong, she stated that some monsters on the beach kept coming up and stealing her sheep. She said that two more were stolen just that night, and she was hoping they would be dumb enough to come for more so she could fight them and kill them. Of course Link made the offer of going to the bay and getting rid of the whole lot of them for her.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I’ve been told they’re nothing to sneeze at. Real strong, those monsters are.”

“I came here from beyond Dueling Peaks. I know my way around a fight with monsters.” Link replied, assuredly.

“Hm, well, alright. You get rid of those pests and I guess I’ll find some way to reward you. Just be careful, alright? Don’t need you boys gettin’ killed out there.”

The pair again told her that they would be fine before turning back and heading for the fork that would take them down to the beach. The road was fairly steep down the mountain, and its turns were too sharp for Link to ride his shield along it. They noticed a pretty little pond just off the road and tucked up against the mountainside. Wolf stated that after they got done with their little quest they could probably stop and wash themselves up in it.

Link snorted. “I think the rain’s doing plenty to clean us.” He stated jokingly.

“There’s a difference between getting rained on in your clothes and scrubbing yourself clean while naked in a pond.” Wolf replied, smiling as he knew Link hadn’t been serious.

“Right, right.” The boy laughed. “We’ll get a bath when we come back this way.”

Down on the beach they both took a few minutes to run about and catch some crabs. The rain had let up, so Link even climbed up a few palm trees to pick the fruits that grew on them. Of course, he also made sure to take pictures of the new animals and food. After they had snatched up everything in the immediate vicinity the pair gazed around them.

What appeared to be a monster camp was a ways off, on a section of the beach to the east of them. However, Link’s curiosity had drawn his attention towards some rocks out in the water to the southwest. Knowing Wolf wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it, the two began to ponder how to get over to them. There wasn’t a raft around that they could see, at least not one that was easily accessible. In the end Link opted to swim, using cryonis to create pillars for him to climb up and rest upon. Wolf assured him that he was a good swimmer and turned back into a beast.

Their progress was slow, and overall resembled an awkward version of leap frog. Wolf would swim out a ways and Link would create a pillar of ice under him. He would then swim to it and climb on. When Wolf was ready, he would dive back in and swim a ways out again, only to be raised up on another pillar. Truthfully Wolf could have made the swim just fine, but he wanted to wait with Link while the boy regained stamina and couldn’t climb the pillars himself, and treading water would have been needlessly tiring.

A few feet out from the shore both boys began to hear music being played. Sure enough, its source was a large, blue, birdlike man who was standing atop the middle rock. He was playing an accordion, and appeared unaware of their awkward approach. Wolf hauled himself up onto a rock that was just above the water and Link climbed his way onto the one the bird stood upon.

The boy got his attention about the time Wolf changed back. The bird turned around, surprised to find himself in the company of not one but two people. He spoke calmly, his demeanor and voice oddly pleasing to both boys.

“Are you a bird?” Link asked him once he had finished stating his alarm at their presence.

“Have you never met a Rito?” he asked.

Link shook his head and looked to Wolf, who repeated the gesture.

“I see. Well, I suppose we are quite like birds.” He laughed. “My name is Kass. I am a traveling minstrel.”

“I’m Link.” The boy stated. Before he could think to introduce Wolf out of doubt that he could hear them well enough, the older boy did it himself.

“Call me Wolf.” He said, able to hear them just fine with his strange ears.

“It is a pleasure to meet the both of you. By the way, I know many a legend about this land. In fact, I know a song about this very location. Would you like to hear it?”

“Sure!” Link said happily.

Kass smiled and turned to face the ocean once more as he began to play again. “An ancient hero spoke these words: 'One day I'll return to fight evil. My cache is at 17 of 24, this rock will point toward its retrieval.'" He stopped and looked at Link once more. “17 of 24. I do wonder what that means.”

Link thought about it for all of half a second before bringing out his Sheikah Slate. He hummed and quickly climbed down the rock and swam over to where Wolf was. He spoke loud enough that Kass might hear him, and the Rito watched him curiously as he showed and explained to Wolf what he was thinking.

“17 of 24 sounds like time, to me.” He stated. “It’d be five o’ clock in the evening, yeah? Well, I don’t feel like waiting that long. So instead let’s look at it another way just to check. Think about a clock. North would be twelve. So if that’s the case…” he shifted until he was certain he was facing north. “Five o’ clock would be behind me and a little to the right. And if I were on the rock…” he glanced across the water to the rocks on the other side of the middle one. “It would be right over there, yeah? I wonder…”

Link switched over to his runes and activated magnesis. Sure enough, when he peered between the rocks and down into the water, he could see the unmistakable pink splotch of a treasure chest. He knew that Wolf and Kass would not be able to see what he could, but he still grinned brightly. He shut the rune off and swam over to a rock that was closer to the chest and reactivated it. With ease he lifted the chest from the water, and Wolf gapped at him, having not expected Link to be able to see it.

Link dropped the chest right in front of him and kicked it open. Inside was a single gold rupee. The two boys shared a quick, knowing look. They weren’t going to be sleeping outside again that night! Kass hummed loudly, getting both of their attention.

“I was not expecting the song to be about a literal hidden cache.” He admitted. “I am a little disappointed, but I suppose not all songs and legends need to be about great wonders. Still, I am happy to finally know the answer to this riddle. I suppose you two will be going then?” he got a nod in reply. “May the light illuminate your path.” He said with a soft smile.

Link flashed him a grin and pocketed the rupee. He then turned his gaze back out to the ocean. Wolf swam across to join him, and there wasn’t a single question as to where the boy was now looking. To the southeast was a tiny island with a shrine on it, and further beyond that was a larger island. Both were quite a long ways off, but the tiny island was already drawn on Link’s map thanks to the Hateno Tower. Link informed his companion that at the very least he wanted to go visit and activate it.

And so the pair began their ridiculous leap frog game again. It took considerably more time to reach the island than it did the rocks, and both fell onto the sand to catch their breath when they reached it. It began to rain again, but they were already wet so neither really paid it much mind. Link activated the shrine, and Wolf sprawled out on a patch of grass beside it.

The time Wolf spent relaxing was rather short. His internal clock counted out the usual ten-to-fifteen minutes it would take for Link to return. He sat upright and gazed at the shrine’s entrance, expecting to see him come back any time. As the minutes ticked on, he began to wonder if it was another rare long one, or one that required something more time consuming in general. Worry began to set in around minute twenty-five, and panic not five minutes after that.

Link had never been inside a shrine so long before. His mind raced, frantic to come up with some reason why his companion would not have returned yet. Wolf did not know a whole lot about them, only that they often involved a puzzle of some sort. He wondered if maybe Link was simply stumped. But if that was the case, what was preventing him from coming back out and running the puzzle by Wolf? In fact, was it even possible for Link to come back out without finishing the shrine? He had always completed them in one try, so Wolf had never thought to ask if the boy could readily leave them.

True horror shook Wolf as he remembered something else about shrines. Link had said that sometimes there were little guardians in them. He had said that they weren’t nearly as strong as the one they had fought at Hateno Fort, but… Wolf swallowed thickly, eyes wide with panic as he kept them trained on the entrance of the shrine. …but what if some of them weren’t so weak? Who was to say that all of them had to be easy, or that perhaps there couldn’t be a big one inside? If that was the case, then there was a chance that Link was already-

Wolf shook his head frantically, refusing to allow himself to finish that thought. Link was okay! He was certain of it. There was no way somebody so like Wolf would be overcome by a foe, no matter the circumstances! He must have told himself this a thousand times, trying to reassure himself and quell his rapidly beating heart while he waited. He told himself over and over that Link would emerge from the shrine at any second…

His ears shot up when he heard the quiet, familiar sound of the shrine’s elevator. He sprang to his feet faster than he had in a long, long time and ran to see Link with his own eyes. The two barely caught sight of each other before Link took a single step out of the elevator…and immediately fell forward. Wolf hurriedly caught him in his arms, pulling him close and easing them both to the ground. Link’s hand clung weakly to the front of Wolf’s shirt and the older boy quickly raked his eyes over him, taking stock of all the wounds that he bore.

Cuts, bruises, and burns littered his body, making Wolf treat him gingerly as he laid him down. He didn’t want to touch or bump or otherwise aggravate any of the boy’s injuries even accidentally. At length Link breathed a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. He cracked open his eyes and found Wolf kneeling over him, worry overcoming his features.

“So…you know how I said that shrine guardians were easy…?”

Wolf swallowed again. So his hunch had been right, after all. He nodded.

“Yeah… It turns out that some of them are actually really, really dangerous.” He took another deep breath and carefully sat upright. Before Wolf could tell him that he shouldn’t move around too much, he continued. “This shrine… The old monk said it was a ‘major test of strength’. It wasn’t kidding. That guardian was small just like the others but it brandished three powerful weapons, and it had more health than anything I’ve seen! I… I broke every weapon I had on me.”

Wolf’s eyes widened in shock. “All of them?!”

Link grimaced. “Well, most of them. I still had a torch and the flameblade, and several bows. But I broke everything else, including my best bow. I must’ve put at least two dozen bomb arrows into that thing just to finish it off!” he laid his head in his hands. “Fortunately, it did drop all three of its weapons, and again they’re really, really powerful! But… I’m also down all of my fairies, and I’ve had to consume most of the food we had just to keep going.” His breath was ragged as he took a moment to speak again. “This…this makes it three times. Three times that I’ve nearly died! What the heck? How am I supposed to be the ‘hero’ when I’ve almost lost my life three times in a matter of days?! Sure, I may have been asleep for a hundred years, but counting only the time I’ve been awake... And one wasn’t even to something Ganon has his hands on!”

Wolf drew him into his arms again, holding him softly and pulling his head to rest against his chest. The older boy rubbed his back and shoulder, trying to be soothing but also mindful of how hurt Link was. When Wolf had first arrived in this strange version of Hyrule, he had been amazed at how restorative food was. It had similar effects as the heart potions he had drunk back in his world, only the exact amount each bit of food healed varied depending on the ingredients. However as time went on, he began to notice more and more that food did little to heal flesh wounds, no matter how abundant or painful they were. In fact, he had been certain of food’s inferiority to the potions he knew when he had gotten burned by the guardian. Seeing Link so beaten up despite probably being at full health was simply the final nail in the coffin.

“Hey, can I ask you something, bro?” Link asked after a long several minutes of silence wherein Wolf didn’t know what to do or say other than just be there for him.

“Go ahead.” He replied quietly.

“Was it ever... Was it ever this hard for you?”

Wolf grimaced. Certainly there had been a number of times where he had been beaten down, forcing him to use every last resource he had in order to emerge victorious. Yet somehow, in some way, he couldn’t think that anything he had gone through so early on in his own journey had been so dangerous.

Finally, just about when Link was beginning to wonder if he would get an answer, Wolf spoke up.

“Yes.” He stated. “However, I don’t think the circumstances are at all comparable.” Link raised his head to cast him a curious look. “The first time I faced a foe so terrible that I nearly lost my life was many, many weeks into my journey. I was in a mansion in the deep depths of a snowy mountain range. The couple who lived there were very kind, but their home was not. Thinking about it, there were a number of times I probably should have ended up with frostbite but… Anyway, it wasn’t until I was almost done with the place that I came face-to-face with death the way you have.”

The younger of the two let out a single huff that was almost a laugh. A tiny, cynical smirk tugged at one corner of his lips. “So my world really is still in the midst of a calamity. I may not be as strong as you are, but-”

“No, that’s not fair. I started out just as frail as you are. The only reason I am strong is because I have come across a lot of heart containers.”

“Alright, but that doesn’t change things. Not a whole lot. The point I was trying to make is that this world is starting to feel like it’s out to kill me. The way Hyrule is now…it’s amazing that there are even pockets of civilization. And even then, bokoblins and the like never seem to be too far off.”

Wolf nodded. “Yes, I’ve noticed that. Still, despite three brushes with death, here you are: still alive and well enough to continue the fight.”

“Yeah. And I’m not about to give up, either. I just… I’m exhausted.” Link sighed.

“And I’ll still be here with you, so long as you don’t give up. Even if all of your swords and bows and shields break, I’ll protect you with my fangs. Just…next time a shrine tells you it is a ‘major test of strength’, maybe save it for later?”

Link flashed him a smile. A genuine, happy, perhaps somewhat affectionate, smile. He wrapped his arms around Wolf in a quick hug.

“Okay.” He whispered softly.

Wolf gave him another moment before speaking again. “So, are you feeling up to getting rid of those monsters for the ranch, or going to that other island? Or are we calling it quits for fighting and exploring today?”

The younger boy breathed a heavy sigh. “No, but we probably should take care of the monsters. I don’t want them to steal more sheep tonight when we said we’d take care of the problem. It wouldn’t be right. And we can always come back here and go to the other island later.”

The two slowly got back to their feet, Link grimacing at the ache in his muscles and joints. It would take a while for his wounds to heal, but he could bear with the pain a while longer. There was a raft on the island, but Link lacked a korok leaf in order to propel it, and there wasn’t even a single tree on the island to potentially get one from. So instead they began their game again. Link and Wolf both weren’t sure that ocean water would be good for Link’s injuries, but swimming was the only option. Besides, they planned to wash up soon anyway.

The rain had let up a little when they reached the beach. Link took the briefest of moments to climb another palm tree in order to pick its fruit. After which the two crept up a little closer to the monsters’ camp. There were a lot of them loitering about. Link counted six bokoblins and a moblin. On top of that, the moblin was blue, three of the bokoblins were blue, and one was black. The two boys could only assume this meant the moblin was stronger than the red ones they had faced, and that the black bokoblin was worse still. While Link got a picture of all of them for the compendium, they decided it would be easiest to try and draw them away a couple at a time. Wolf stated that if they couldn’t do that, he would try to distract as many as he could while Link fought them.

Their plan worked initially. The moblin spotted the boys first and barreled towards them. The bokoblins somehow remained blissfully unaware of them. It was certainly stronger than the reds they had fought, but between the two of them and a spear the guardian had dropped, they managed to kill it. Link snatched up its weapon, more than eager to fill his half-empty inventory with pretty much anything.

The next phase of their plan failed miserably. They had intended to draw out two of the blues, but instead the bokoblins all rallied together and attack en masse. The sudden swarm of strong creatures put Link on edge, especially when three of them wielded spears and therefore had more reach than he did. The two did well enough to start, Wolf bringing down the two reds while Link dodged around the horde of stronger monsters. He barely landed any blows upon them, but a single jab of the black one’s spear had him on the ground, most of his health taken away in the one hit. Fear crossed Link’s face for a split second, and Wolf snarled.

What Link witnessed in the next moment had his jaw hitting the ground in astonishment. A black aura radiated from around Wolf, engulfing the four remaining bokoblins in a strange orange static. Wolf then lunged at each one, tearing into their throats in rapid succession and with almost surgical precision. The three blues were killed instantly, and the black was severely wounded. Before Link could even blink and register what had just happened, Wolf turned back to his half-form, snatched up the spear the black one had dropped, and with a shout, plunged it into the thing’s heart.

Wolf panted, eyes still a bit wild from the fight. He looked down at Link, his expression immediately softening into concern. He extended a hand to the younger boy, and Link took it. Wolf pulled him up onto his feet with ease.

“Wow…” Link muttered, still processing what he had witnessed. “How did you…?”

Wolf blinked, looking startled and confused as if he didn’t know what Link was talking about at first. It took him a moment, but he realized what it was on his own. “Oh, the aura thing, right. I… I honestly don’t know how I did that.” He handed over the spear that he still held, and Link inspected it quickly before deciding that it was strong enough to keep. “In the past, that was a special skill Midna and I performed together. She entangled enemies in her magic for a brief moment, and it allowed me bring down most anything in one bite. I guess I have the ability to do that on my own now.” He gazed down at his hands, looking them over thoroughly. “Problem is, I’m not sure if I can activate it again so easily, since I wasn’t consciously trying to do it.”

“Meaning you lost control of yourself.”

The older boy raised one his hands and rubbed the back of his head. “I guess so. I wasn’t even intending to pick up that spear and yet…” he shrugged. And frowned. Sincerity crossed his face. “I just didn’t like seeing you get hurt again. Not after that shrine…” he admitted.

Link didn’t know whether to feel elated, honored, or just plain grateful that Wolf had wanted to protect him so strongly. He also didn’t know whether or not he should be frustrated with him for losing control of himself like that. In the end he decided to keep any negative feelings he had about the situation to himself, since it was clear that Wolf’s actions had come from a sincere place of concern. Link reached up to scratch Wolf’s ears.

“Thank you.” He said simply. “I mean it. It’s nice to know you have my back, bro.” Wolf’s tail wavered side to side, just a little. Link drew in a deep breath and looked around them. There were a number of weapons and monster parts to pick up, along with a couple of treasure chests. He also spotted what he assumed were the stolen sheep. “Let me gather up everything here and we’ll get going back to the village, okay?”

Wolf nodded. While Link began to pick through what the monsters dropped, the older boy decided to make himself useful and looted the two chests. One contained a red rupee, the other a ruby. He waited by the sheep and passed both treasures over to Link once he was ready to go. The two decided to bring the sheep back while they were at it, and with a little coaxing and a carrot, they managed to get them moving.

When they made it back to the pond, the sheep seemed to get the idea and went on ahead into the village on their own. The pair knew that their owner would be able to see them the moment they reached the top of the mountainside, so Link and Wolf didn’t bother to follow them further. Instead they waited a few moments until they just barely heard the woman call out to them as she went to retrieve them. They let a few more minutes pass to ensure that she wasn’t going to come looking for them before deciding to get on with the bath they had planned.

It started out fairly boring. Both focused on scrubbing down their sweat, dirt, and rain soaked bodies in relative silence. Somewhere along the line Link began to splash Wolf. It was only a little at first, barely a few playful little flicks in the older boy’s general direction, but it didn’t take long for things to escalate and for Wolf to retaliate just as fiercely. The water of the small pond sloshed around them as they ran about, doing their best to fling as much of the cool water at each other as possible. At some point their splash fight became more hands-on, and they ended up trying to wrestle each other into the water. Wolf won, having far more experience with that sort of fighting and far less tired, and Link was thrown down onto his back in the shallows.

He lie there for a moment, panting and trying to swallow back as much air as possible. Wolf too was feeling the exertion of the day, breathing heavily as he dropped to his knees in the cool water. A chill ran down Link’s spine and he sat upright again.

“We should probably check in with that lady and go to the inn.” He sighed. “I’m getting cold.”

Wolf nodded. It had been quite the hectic day, and he had a feeling that Link wasn’t fairing quite as well in the cool evening as he normally would because of it. Wolf helped him back up onto his feet and the pair put their rain and sea soaked clothing back on. Link shivered again, which prompted Wolf to put an arm around his shoulders.

“Thanks, bro.” Link sighed, leaning into him a little both for the added warmth and because his whole body was starting to feel like it was made of jelly.

The woman at the ranch thanked them for killing the monsters like they said they would, and for herding her sheep back as well. Link was rewarded with another gold rupee for their troubles. As they made their way back into the village, Wolf suggested they splurge and pay for softer beds. Link couldn’t have agreed with him more.

It was still fairly early when they reached the inn, so rather than stop and getting them a room, they both sat down by the outdoor kitchen in order to build up their food supply again. Wolf had not eaten lunch, and Link still had quite an appetite, so they also ate as they cooked up the more abundant of their ingredients.

“Out of curiosity, did you get anything decent out of that shrine?” Wolf asked.

“Hm?”

“Well if I recall, you sometimes get something special from them besides a spirit orb. I was wondering if such a difficult shrine gave you anything.”

“Oh! Right. Actually, yeah, it did. It gave me this shirt-thing that I think has the same properties as my bandana. I haven’t had a chance to test that out, obviously.” Link replied.

Wolf flashed him a smile. “Do you think there’s matching pants to complete the outfit somewhere?”

“I sure hope there is!”

“And what color are you going to dye it if you find said pants?”

Without missing a single beat, Link grinned brightly at him. “Pink!”

The older boy snorted with laughter. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Hey now, pink’s a manly color.”

“Hm, I prefer green.”

“I’ve noticed.”

As the pair were finishing up what they were doing, the rain began to pour down again. The few villagers who had chosen to leave their homes all started to hurry back indoors once more. A woman who had been standing on a dock just behind the dye shop took refuge beneath the kitchen area with them. She breathed a sigh and cast the two a friendly smile.

“Don’t you just love days like this when it rains for twenty minutes every hour?” she asked in a teasing manner.

“I’m just thankful that I haven’t needed to climb anything most of the day.” Link replied. “The rain makes climbing impossible!”

The woman laughed. “I can imagine! Say, you two are travelers, aren’t you?” she got a nod from both of them. “Let me tell you something. I was cleaning up the storage room of my house just the other day and I came across an old book. Part of it talked about a secret of sorts nearby. You want to hear about it?”

“Sure!”

The woman pointed north towards the frost-covered mountains. “You see those three tall pine trees? There’s a riddle connected to them. ‘When the three summit trees become one, turn your back to them and head toward the sea. A trail encased in stone awaits you there.’ As far as I know, no one’s ventured up there to investigate. Maybe the two of you could find what’s up there.”

“Interesting…” Link muttered.

Wolf could see the gears turning in his head and decided to speak up and thank her on his behave. She simply giggled and said that she may as well tell them about it so that at least somebody might be able to make use of the information.

After that, the pair decided to finally go back into the inn to rent their room. As planned, Link paid the extra rupees to get them each a soft bed. They closed the door behind them and Link had barely peeled himself out of his wet clothes and toweled himself off before falling face-first onto a bed with a heavy groan. Wolf removed his own clothes, hung up both of theirs, and dried himself off. He sat down on the edge of his own bed.

“I think I’m gonna be stiff tomorrow.” Link complained, his voice a little muffled by the pillow.

“I’m not giving you a massage.” Wolf laughed.

The younger boy whined. He lifted his head and turned it to face his companion before plopping it back down. "Even if I say ‘pretty please’?” he pouted.

“Even if you bribed me with a steak.”

“Bummer.” The boy stretched, delighting in the cracking and popping of his joints before he curled up more comfortably into the bed. “Just to let you know, I’d be all for going after whatever is hidden up on that mountain tomorrow, but I don’t think my doublet will be able to keep me warm enough up there.”

“You could use some fur. This stuff’s great for keeping warm.”

Link stuck out his tongue playfully. “Don’t make me shave you.”

“Is there any way you’d be able survive colder temperatures?”

The younger boy frowned. “Well, I could probably cook something for it. I’ve got some spicy peppers. Those would help me survive the cold a bit better.”

Wolf raised an eyebrow. “Is that how it works?”

Link shrugged. “Apparently. You want me to do that so we can knock out almost everything there is to do in this village before we leave?”

“It might be nice to do. It’s hard to say when we’ll be back, or if we’ll remember to go up there when we do return.”

“Okay then. I’ll cook up those peppers tomorrow.”

They lapsed into another silence. Link sat up long enough to pull on his doublet to help keep him warm. He then snuggled under his blanket and his eyes slid shut.  Wolf decided to lie on his back, blanket only up to his waist. He wasn’t nearly as tired as the younger boy clearly was, but there wasn’t much for him to do to pass the time. He tried closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep, but inevitably he’d end up staring up at the ceiling and feeling bored.

Nearly an hour after they had gotten into their room, Wolf began to feel antsy. He shifted around, suddenly rather overcome with discomfort despite the bed being very comfortable. It took him longer than he would have liked to figure out what was wrong, but the moment he realized it, he flushed bright red and laid a hand over his face.

The night was still quite young, and Wolf suspected the moon had only just risen minutes ago, but he would have bet every rupee he had ever made in his life that it was a blood moon. Now that he was aware of the situation, he felt the familiar restlessness that came with a low level of arousal. He knew that it would not be more than half an hour before he would be fully under the blood moon’s effect. He muttered a soft curse under his breath and kicked off his blanket before sitting up again. From the other bed, Link cracked an eye open.

“You okay?” the younger boy asked, his voice quiet and mumble-y from tiredness.

“Didn’t know you were still awake… Anyway, I need to step outside for a bit.” Wolf sighed, already standing in order to get his clothes. “There’s another blood moon tonight. I can feel it.”

Link’s cheeks colored. “Oh… Well, try to be quiet when you come back. I’ll probably be asleep.”

“I’ll do my best.” The older boy stated. He quickly dressed himself and made his way to the door of their room. “Sleep well, Link.”

Link nodded. “You too, when you’re able to.”

The door closed behind Wolf and Link breathed out a long breath through his nose. His face was still a bit flushed from the knowledge of what Wolf was feeling and what he had probably left in order to do. Link shivered again, although not from the cold as he had before. He wracked his brain, trying to think about when the last time he had touched himself had been. It was before Wolf had shown up, that much was certain. He blamed it on that for why he was suddenly feeling a little worked up himself.

“I should probably take care of myself, too…” Link thought, reaching down the front of his boxer-briefs to fondle himself a little. “Now…what am I going to think about?” He wracked his brain, trying to come up with something. Somehow, he began talking to himself about it.

 “Maybe Paya? She’s cute.” He muttered quietly to himself.

“Paya?” his mind questioned. “Okay. So…where do you think that birthmark of hers is?”

Link’s face twisted into a frown. “I…don’t know.”

“C’mon, this is supposed to be a masturbation fantasy! Just pick somewhere! A breast, her hip, the inside of her thigh… Heck, it could be on the back of her right knee! Use your imagination!”

Somehow Link had to wonder why he was even arguing with himself. He knew he wasn’t really attracted to Paya. He could appreciate cuteness and other good qualities without those things being associated with attraction or basic lust. He knew most people could. He gave up on trying to think of some sexy situation involving the shy girl and tried to think of who else he thought was attractive.

Wolf’s naked form from during their bath invaded his mind and Link’s face burned hotly. He yanked his hand from between his legs and stuffed his face into the pillow. There was no way he was going to allow himself to think about Wolf while touching himself! That would be crossing far too many lines for his comfort. He decided to ignore his needs and after some time managed to fall asleep.

Wolf came back to their room close to an hour later. He disrobed, dried off, and climbed back into his bed in order to sleep, none the wiser to what had crossed his companion’s mind just ealier.

Chapter Text

The younger of the two boys was very happy to see that Wolf was in their room when he woke in the morning. Link wasn’t particularly worried about him having gotten hurt somehow, but seeing that he was safe and sound was reassuring nonetheless. The two got themselves dressed, Link opting to clothe himself mostly in his climbing clothes, but kept the Hylian pants. Their breakfasts consisted of random things they threw into the cooking pots. They decided that Wolf would work on cooking the spicy peppers Link had while the younger boy ran around the village to finish lighting all of the lampposts that were in the village.

Neither task took particularly long, but of course Wolf finished his first. By the time Link had scoured the village again twice over to make sure he got everything, the older boy had begun playing with the children again. Link met up with him, and the kids were disappointed that Wolf was going to be leaving. He quickly got confirmation from Link before telling them that he would be back occasionally and would play with them again if he had the chance. This sated some of their disappointment and they left him to do what he needed to.

“So it turns out that nothing’s happened with the lampposts.” Link pouted. “And here I was hoping some super-secret treasure or something would be revealed.” He threw up his hands in an exaggerated shrug. “Oh well…”

“This place has been very rewarding so far, we had to run out of luck some time.” Wolf noted. “Speaking of treasure, though, are you ready to climb that mountain?”

“I think so… How many peppers did you cook up?”

“You should know, you only gave me six.”

“I didn’t count! Anyway, that’s not going to buy us a whole lot of time. Three peppers each won’t last long at all.”

“I’ll be fine without them.” Wolf stated. Link blinked up at him, confused. Wolf sighed. “I have fur, remember? I’ve withstood freezing cold mountains before. Trust me, I won’t need to eat those.”

“Hm…okay. If you say so. Just don’t go trying to act all macho and refuse them if you do get cold. You’re manlier than me, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer just because of pride or something!”

Wolf sighed and shook his head. He cast a smile at Link and agreed that he would speak up if he got too cold. With that out of the way, Link brought out the Sheikah Slate once more and looked up at the mountain. He pinned the two trees he could easily see, and with that located where all three were on the map. He removed the pins he had just laid and instead spread three of them out along the mountain, heading towards the ocean. He told Wolf that it was so he could remain on track even if the terrain was bad.

With that out of the way, both boys quickly teleported themselves up to the Research Lab. From there, they traveled through the small forest where Link had collected sunshrooms and began their climb. Wolf proved himself very bad at it, but thankfully there were just enough ledges and flat enough surfaces that he could heave himself up without much trouble. If worse came to worse, he would warp himself over to where Link had managed to reach without him. In time, both were able to say they were standing atop the mountain. Link shivered and quickly swapped the climbing shirt for his doublet again. True to his word, Wolf appeared to be just fine in the cold.

As they began to head for the first of the pins Link had dropped, his sensor sprang to life. He took a moment to run around in a circle, trying to make sense of the thing. Eventually he got enough of an idea of how it worked and began to lead the way again, following the signal. The further up the mountain they climbed, the colder it got. Sure enough, Link had to eat one of the peppers in order to warm himself. Around the same time, goosebumps rose across Wolf’s arms and he reverted back to his wolf form. Link had half a mind to tease him about it, but decided not to as he still hadn’t needed any peppers.

They continued to travel for a while, Link having to stuff down another pepper as they walked. At one point the two were ambushed by a handful of weird little rock creatures. With a quick picture taken by Link, he identified them as being frost pebblits. Their bodies were too cold for Wolf to be able to attack, but Link’s sledgehammer destroyed them all with ease. Each one dropped a gemstone, which the boy swiftly picked up and pocketed. After some time and another pepper, they came to a point where the ocean stretched before them and off into the horizon. They were still very high up and there was plenty of mountain left to explore, not to mention the sensor was still apparently telling them to go that way.

What got Link’s attention more than that, however, was an odd little tree stump near them that had a picture of a leaf carved onto its surface. When Link stood atop it, a little light shot out from it and a yellow ring appeared out near the edge of a cliff below them. Link informed Wolf that he was going to glide over to it, so Wolf prepared himself to teleport. Link took a couple of steps back off of the stump and ran back over it and leapt from the edge they were standing on. He sailed out and just barely missed the timing, resulting in the ring vanishing before he could slip through it.

Wolf was quick to join him, and with good timing too. The small ledge was teaming with frost lizalfos, of which Link took the time to take a picture of for his compendium. Wolf thought it kind of silly, but allowed him to take it regardless before helping him in tearing them apart. Once they were all dead and looted, Link paid attention to his sensor again. It only took him a few seconds to figure out that the shrine was hidden behind some bombable rocks. He took a moment to consider his options. He still had a few peppers left, and he really wanted that korok seed. Not to mention he was likely to just teleport back to Hateno Village once he was done with the shrine. He told Wolf to wait and made the climb back up to the stump.

He had to eat another pepper once he reached it again, and took another running leap to try and reach the ring in time. Wolf sat and watched him the whole while, unsurprised when he missed the ring again. He also was not shocked when Link clambered back up the mountain and missed it a third time. Or a fourth. Or a fifth. He was beginning to wonder if Link had ever heard the definition of insanity when the boy downed a fourth pepper and hurried back up the mountain again. This time, however, he chose not to glide. He sprinted across the stump like before, but instead of bringing out the paraglider he threw his shield beneath his feet and surfed down the side of the mountain at breakneck speed! Doing things that way allowed him to finally zip through the ring with a couple of seconds to spare. He stumbled a bit as he came to a stop, all too aware that he had been about to plummet over the edge of the short cliff. The little korok was waiting for him with his reward when Link finally stood firmly on his feet again, and he gleefully collected the seed. Wolf wanted to make some comment on the whole ordeal, but of course couldn’t as a beast. Instead he silently followed the boy as he finally returned to the task of uncovering the shrine.

The rocks were easily cleared away with a bomb, and both boys slipped into the little cave where the shrine was located. Wolf curled up in a little spot more-or-less out of the cold breeze in order to wait for Link. Link for his part disappeared into the shrine as always. Wolf had just about made himself comfortable when he heard the sounds of the boy returning already. He looked up, thoroughly curious as to why he was back already.

Link approached him, scratching the back of his own head as if he didn’t know what just happened either. “So it turns out that this shrine just had a chest sitting there and the old monk wasn’t even locked off or anything.” He told the puzzled beast. “The good news is, I now have climbing pants!”

If Wolf could have spoken, he would have said, “Which means it’s time to go make that whole outfit pink.” Instead Link practically shouted as such, complete with punching a fist into the air with excitement. The boy then stated that he was going back to the shrine in Hateno Village, and both of them teleported back to the safety and warmth of the small pocket of civilization.

As soon as they were back, Wolf returned to his half-human form and stretched. Link gave him a moment before hurrying off to the dye shop. Twenty rupees, five rock salts, and a quick dunk in the dye vat later and Link was sporting his new, very pink climbing outfit. Since they weren’t going to be exploring any more cold places for the foreseeable future, Link decided to remain in his new, rather silly looking clothing.

“I’m thinking we shouldn’t warp straight back to Kakariko just yet.” Link stated as they meandered towards the village gate.

“You want to figure out that shrine first?”

The younger boy nodded. “That and there was a lower road we didn’t take because of the tower. I want to see what’s up with that if possible.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. We’ve spent this much time, making Impa wait another few hours, even another day, isn’t going to be that big of a deal. At least, I should think it wouldn’t.”

With that plan in mind, Link whistled for Speckle Butt. The horse had wandered off into the small woods outside of the village in order to graze. She came immediately upon hearing her master’s call, and Link mounted her once again. Link set off at a trot, making sure to give his horse a little pat to strengthen their bond. Wolf followed them on two feet for a while, but eventually gave in and transformed to make keeping up easier.

The road they took led them down between the mountains and cliffs where the occasional bokoblin would try and attack them. Wolf spared Link the trouble of having to climb off his horse again by killing them with ease and bringing back anything Link would typically pick up. At the bottom of road appeared to be ruins of some kind, and Link decided to take the small detour if only to buy them some more time so that they were sure to reach the shrine at night.

There were quite a few monsters in the area, and so Link left his horse by the end of the road and he and Wolf went in together. None of the bokoblins or moblins proved to be difficult foes, for which Link was quite thankful for. He had had far too many close calls just the day before for his liking. While he picked through the weapons that were now strewn about, Wolf began searching the area for anything else of interest. It didn’t take much looking to notice several wooden targets hung on signposts around the area. When Link had everything he wanted from the available loot, Wolf pointed these signs out to him. Gleefully the boy made a lap around the place, putting an arrow into each and every one. With all ten destroyed a single balloon with a target painted upon it appeared, floating above an abandoned house. It was a telltale sign of a korok, and sure enough when Link put an arrow into it he was rewarded with another seed. He then quickly went inside and was delighted to find that ten of his arrows had essentially been returned to him thanks to a treasure chest.

After that, the pair left the area and Link mounted up again. The rest of their trip down the road was rather uneventful, aside from passing by a merchant on a horse and a few stray bokoblins who failed to understand camouflage. It wasn’t until the location of the shrine came into view that they bothered to stop again. A young woman was standing beside the road, crying. She had her face hidden in her hands, and both boys approached her with some caution but wanted to help if they could.

“What’s wrong?” Link asked her.

“I want… I need… I need…!” the woman wailed, unable to finish her sentence.

Link quickly exchanged a glance with the beast that was Wolf. “Is there something we… No, wait, what are you looking for?”

“I need…grilled salmon.” The woman sniffed and looked up at Link from between her fingers that hid her face. The pair barely had the time to realize that her eyes were not red nor full of tears before she grinned and added, “And to take the hero’s life!”

For the second time, Link was attacked by a Yiga Clan member near the shrine. He cursed his luck and drew his bow. Wolf was on top of things as well and lunged at the woman, fangs sinking into her forearm. It only took a few shots from Link in order to have her running scared for her life. Just like the last one, she only left her weapon, a handful of rupees, and a bunch of bananas behind. Link gathered up all of them.

“What is up with the bananas?” Wolf asked, having turned back.

“I have no idea.” Link answered.

“Do you really not know, or are you just saying that again?”

“I really don’t!” the boy proclaimed. “I mean, the most I could tell you is that if cooked they’ll make you stronger for a time. But I can’t see that being the reason as to why they drop them! They certainly don’t appear to be eating them themselves…”

Wolf frowned. He couldn’t quite buy that explanation, but as it appeared that Link really didn’t know the answer he decided to let it slide. With the woman out of the way, they were free to turn their attention back to the shrine. It was only sunset, but they decided to investigate anyway. Link led Speckle Butt into the small area between the cliffs, releasing her only after they reached the first statue. Sure enough, one of the statues in the middle of the area had very obvious, purple, glowing eyes. Neither boy was surprised when a single well-aimed arrow caused the shrine to rise up out of the ground. Without a word Link made for the shrine and Wolf began to look for a good place to rest and wait until he returned.

The shrine contained a large rotating drum with three huge metal spiked balls inside. After a quick glance inside, Link could see a few platforms that were being made to rotate around a central point. He figured he could ride up those platforms and climb onto the center. But first, he wanted to be rid of the spiked balls. He grabbed the largest of them with magnesis and hauled it out of the drum, dropping it into the bottomless pit on either side of him. He did the same with the closer of the two smaller balls. With them no longer posing him any threat, he stepped inside.

Just as he had planned, the rotating platforms allowed him to reach the center, which was a large turning cogwheel. From it he made a short glide to a treasure chest. He had to make his way back up to the center cogwheel, and he noticed another chest passing just over his head. He waited and hopped onto the side of the platform it was on, carefully balancing himself and moving as it continued to turn until he was able to loot that chest as well. After which, he stayed on that same platform, only leaving it once it had reached the top of the drum and lined up with a broken staircase that led to the old monk.

While he retrieved the spirit orb and noted that it was the fourth now in his possession, Link had to think that the shrine had been a lot more pleasant than both the major test of strength along with the weird apparatus. Once back outside, Wolf waved him over and pointed out a pair of littler statues similar to the ones they had seen in Kakariko Village. One of them had an apple sitting in its offering tray, so Link dropped another into the second tray. Sure enough, a little korok appeared with a giggle and a seed for him.

Now that they had the shrine taken care of, Link mounted up Speckle Butt again and the pair made a dash for Fort Hateno. There Link made quick work of climbing the wall and once more trying to uncover the korok that was there. This time he managed to pull off shooting the little acorns with hardly any effort, and the seed was his. With that done, neither boy saw any reason to make the whole trek back to Kakariko the normal way. Besides, they didn’t particularly want to stay outdoors in the wild that night if they could help it. Link still wasn’t quite over nearly dying, after all. With a wash of blue and a rain of black squares, both teleported back to the increasingly-familiar shrine that overlooked the Sheikah settlement.

Within the safety of civilization, Link decided to get a few things done before they turned in for the night. The first on his list was to pay a visit to the great fairy in hopes of upgrading his new gear. Wolf trailed behind him, having nothing better to do while waiting for him and knowing those woods to be quite safe. Link surprised him by suddenly stopping and thrusting an arm out in front of him. A quick look was all it took for Wolf to notice why they had stopped.

A strange creature sat on his haunches just a few feet away from them. It was like a rabbit in appearance, but not quite. Most obviously it was a pale blue and glowed ever so faintly. Its ears were instead yellow antennae, looking similarly to a moth’s. A quick picture of it informed the pair that it was a spirit known as a blupee. Before Wolf could read the full description of it that the compendium offered, Link tucked his slate away and drew his bow.

A blink was as much time as Wolf got before the boy fired an arrow, hitting his target with ease. The blupee leapt into the air and ran away at breakneck speed, leaving many rupees in its wake. While Wolf was still reeling from that event, Link crept forward and snatched up all the money that was lying about. The older boy opened his mouth to say something, but once again Link fired an arrow and hit yet another blupee that had just been out of Wolf’s sight. It too dropped a lot of money before running away.

“Can I ask you something, Link?” Wolf spoke up, assuming he was allowed to speak again from the cheerful laughter that rang out from the younger boy after the second creature had run off.

“Sure, bro!”

“What in Hyrule goes through your head that the first thing you do upon seeing a cute, small, seemingly defenseless spirit is to shoot it with an arrow?!”

Either not noticing the incredulous tone in Wolf’s voice, or ignoring it, the boy grinned at him. “It just seemed like the right thing to do! Besides, I just made about two hundred rupees, so I’d say I made the right call.”

Wolf laid his face in his hand while Link once again crouched down. This time his aim was to catch the four small fairies that were lazily floating about the fountain. Wolf didn’t have to question him about that, he knew all too well how helpful a fairy could be. He was mildly surprised, however, that the boy didn’t even need a bottle to contain them.

Once Link had successfully abused or captured all the magical little animals that they could see, he stepped up to large flower that contained the fairy’s pond. She was quick to greet him, and informed him that he did have some clothing that could be upgraded. To Link’s delight, all of his soldier’s armor and the rest of his climbing gear could be upgraded. He turned over the materials for them, and the great fairy blew him a kiss to finish the deal.

The pair stumbled their way back into the village after that and Link swung by the goddess statue in order to pray for another heart container. After he was given what he had asked for, Link informed his companion that he wanted to take just a moment to search for the woman who had written down that she wanted to see fireflies. Wolf was feeling very tired, having gotten less sleep than the younger boy, but agreed that they could spare a few minutes in order to try.

Sure enough, it did not take Link long to find the house the woman lived in. She was of course alarmed to have visitors so late, but she calmed down upon recognizing the pair. When questioned, she explained that she missed seeing fireflies and would love it if Link and Wolf could set five of them free in her house. This was easily accomplished, as Link had more than five on his person already. He released the small handful and the woman sprang to her feet, eyes wide and joyous as she watched the pretty little insects fly about the room.

“They glow so prettily… It’s magical…” she said softly, not taking her eyes off of them for a single moment.

Link nodded. “They are. And you’re pretty too!”

Wolf’s jaw nearly hit he floor, but the woman only giggled and thanked him. In returned for the fireflies, she handed over a purple rupee. When the two boys left her home, Wolf gave him a little smirk.

“Well, at least I finally know your type.” He snickered.

Link stared up at him, confused. “I dunno what you’re talking about. I told her she was pretty because it’s true. That doesn’t make her my type.”

The older boy groaned. “Then why did you compliment her?”

Link shrugged. “Just seemed like it was the right mood for that kind of thing.”

While the younger boy hooked them up with a basic room at the inn, Wolf had to wonder if Link even knew what flirting was…

Chapter Text

The night passed peacefully for Link and Wolf. For once they were sleeping in a bed without having just come out of the rain and there was no blood moon to bother them. It was nice, and neither of them took it for granted, sleeping in a bit extra to make sure they were recharged and ready for the day.

Their day did not remain so peaceful, however. It was apparent almost from the moment that they left the inn that something was not right. The two men standing guard outside of Impa’s home were on edge, both looking like they were ready to attack anyone should they be startled. The boys approached them carefully, not wishing to be on the receiving end of their blades.

The guards explained to them that something had been stolen from Paya in the night, and they requested that Link go inside and speak with her. He and Wolf had been intending to go in anyway, but their priorities were now shifted from updating Impa on their progress and instead on hearing what had happened. Inside the house, they immediately spotted Paya sitting on the floor and weeping in front of where the heirloom had been kept. The heirloom was noticeably not present. Link approached her and knelt down beside her, Wolf standing a back few feet.

Paya sniffled. “Link… I swear I only took my eyes off it for a second! What should I… What should I do?” she hiccupped. “The Sheikah heirloom… The heirloom has been stolen! And just when I had finally discovered the heirloom’s secret…”

Impa spoke up to lessen the amount her sobbing granddaughter had to say. “‘The hero, as chosen by the Sheikah heirloom, will be gifted the blessing of antiquity.’” She recounted. “Paya thinks ‘the hero, as chosen by the Sheikah heirloom’ is you, so she stayed up all night researching the heirloom. She came to the conclusion that ‘the blessing of antiquity’ refers to one of those ancient shrines. And that the heirloom is the key that opens the shrine. And just before we were able to tell you this, the thing was stolen!”

Well, that certainly confirmed Link and Wolf’s suspicions about the orb and the pedestal they had seen in the woods near the fairy fountain.

The girl on the floor tried to dry her eyes on her sleeves as she continued. “I had been cleaning the heirloom regularly every day from morning to dusk. Someone must have stolen it during the deepest hour of the night. This place is off-limits to outsiders… And no one from the village would do such a thing! Would they? Someone with evil intent came into this sacred place. I’m glad Grandmother is safe, but I still feel so…violated.” She murmured the last word with a weakened voice.

Impa chose to speak again. “Link… Paya is afraid that the thief may still be nearby. Would you please stay by her side today?”

Link nodded and turned to Wolf. “Sorry bro, looks like you’re on your own today.”

“That’s alright. You keep an eye on Paya. Impa too. I’ll look around the village and see if anyone saw anything.” Wolf replied. “Although I’m sure your guards have already thought to do that.”

Impa shook her head. “They have been holding their positions all morning. They have not had a chance to ask around. If you would do us that favor, we would be most grateful.”

The older boy nodded and watched as Link stood and offered Paya a hand to help her stand. With another sniffle she accepted and got to her feet. She thanked him softly before whispering that she still had chores to do that day. Link promised he wouldn’t leave her side until she went to bed, for which she thanked him again. With both of their tasks laid out for them, Wolf left the house and decided to start his part of the deal.

One by one, Wolf went around to each home and shop, speaking with every last person in the village. A few mentioned that some of the villagers had been acting a little oddly in the evenings, but they hadn’t seen anyone particularly shady. On top of that, none of them had heard about the heirloom being stolen and couldn’t offer any leads on who might have taken it.

A little after noon, the older boy reported this to the guards, who thanked him. He then decided to stop and make lunch for himself. One of the little girls, Koko, was busily trying to prepare a meal for her family as well. She recognized Wolf and made the offer that they cook together, which he agreed to. While she went over the recipes she had from her mother, Koko suddenly let out a shout. Somehow she had forgotten to buy some butter, and Wolf decided to fetch some for her. The general store was right next to the little cooking and eating area, and sure enough they carried butter. While Link had most of the money they had obtained, Wolf did have a few rupees on hand just for occasions such as this where he might need to go and buy something cheap for them.

With the butter in hand, he returned outside and handed it over. Koko thanked him generously and set to work. When she had finished making what she wanted to with it, she shared some with Wolf. She had made hot buttered apple, and Wolf told her that it was delicious. She giggled happily at the praise. The rest of the afternoon Wolf played with Cottla while she waited for her older sister to finish dinner.

*****

Around sunset, Link escorted Paya up to her room. She had spent the day cleaning and cooking for herself, her grandmother, and for Link. At first she didn’t say much and Link didn’t know how to try and talk to her. Nearly an hour had passed in silence before the girl asked Link how his journey to Hateno Village had been. Link wouldn’t consider himself much of a story teller, but he recounted what he could to her, purposefully omitting the parts where he had very nearly died. Paya seemed to appreciate the attempt as it gave her something to think about other than how she had failed to protect the heirloom.

Once inside her room, she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Master Link… Thank you for staying by my side for the whole day.” She told him with utmost sincerity. “I see now that crying and feeling scared won’t help us get the heirloom back. Dorian and Cado said they didn’t see anyone other than the villagers around and that your strange friend, Wolf, hadn’t turned up anything either. I’ll try again to remember all I can about the night the heirloom was stolen, but the thief may still be hiding nearby.” She held a hand gently to her heart with worry. “I have a bad feeling. If you spot any suspicious movement at night, don’t approach…” Her eyes were pleading as she told Link.

Link knew that was not going to be what he would do. Still, he thought it best to placate her worries some. “I’ll stay safe. Don’t worry. Get some rest.”

She nodded silently and Link left her alone. Downstairs, Impa thanked him again for helping Paya. When he finally left the house, he spotted Wolf carrying Cottla on his shoulders over to the eating area. Evidently Koko had just called that it was dinner time, and the older boy was bringing the little sister over so that she could eat. Wolf spotted Link approaching them and met him halfway.

“So? How’d things go?” he asked the younger boy.

“I mostly told her about what we’ve been up to since we were last here while she cleaned. You know, just to take her mind off of things. How ‘bout you? I heard you didn’t find anything.”

The two were invited to eat with the girls, which they took them up on. Koko eagerly shared the buttered apples she had made, along with the rest of the meal. They thanked her, and Wolf took a bite before answering his friend.

“I didn’t, no. It’s quite worrisome. No one saw or heard anything and there’s been no outsiders in the village save for you and I and that painter. The innkeeper can vouch for all three of us being at her place all night. Which just leaves the villagers themselves, and of course they’re not going to out themselves.” Wolf breathed a heavy sigh. “A few of them did say that there had been a few people behaving strangely in the evenings, but that was about it.”

Link nodded. He complimented Koko on her cooking, causing the girl to blush and giggle happily. He then turned back to his companion. “In other words we have no leads.” Wolf nodded. “Well… Paya looked like she was worried about me before I left. She said that if I see anything suspicious I shouldn’t look into it.”

“Meaning you’re planning on doing the exact opposite.”

“Pretty much. I want to find that orb. If not just for Paya’s and the village’s sake, but maybe I’ll finally be able to see if it belongs to that pedestal.”

“So we’re pulling an all-nighter then.”

“Maybe. We should plan for it, at least.”

And so they did. When they were finished eating, both boys made one last circuit around the village to make sure no one had thought of something in the meantime. No one had, but the two tried not to let that bother them. It was pretty late and they were heading for the shrine in order to rest up and keep an eye on the place from above when Link suddenly grabbed Wolf’s arm, stopping him. The older boy was about to ask what was wrong, but Link shushed him and dragged him behind a house. Silently, they peered around the building.

One of the guards, a man by the name of Dorian, was muttering to himself and heading up the main road. He stopped by the path to the shrine and glanced about. His home was nearby, but he suddenly started running up towards the shrine. Wolf didn’t need to be told what they were doing now. He and Link hurried after the man as quietly as possible.

They followed him all the way up to the shrine and passed it. They tailed him into the woods and up the hill. He slowed to a walk again as he crossed the wooden bridge over a pond. The boys crept forward, watching him look around the forest as if he was expecting something. Slowly, cautiously, he approached the orange pedestal.

Suddenly he drew his sword and shouted, “I know you’re there! Show yourself!”

Both boys jumped, thinking they had been caught. Instead they were surprised yet again when a tall, muscled Yiga Clan member with a large katana appeared on top of the pedestal.

“You don’t have to shout. I’m right here.” The Yiga Clan member grumbled.

Dorian grit his teeth. “So you’re the ones who stole the heirloom!”

The clan member chuckled. “Heh… Such anger. It seems this thing is truly special to the fools of the village.”

“Why would you steal it?”

Even with a mask on, the eye roll he must have given was apparent in his voice. “Don’t play dumb, Dorian. You knew what you were getting yourself into when you decided to leave the organization. You forfeited your life the moment you left.” The guard frowned, unable to find anything to say to that. “You did well to tell us about the heirloom. Unfortunately, your usefulness has come to an end, as must you.” He brandished his sword and Dorian shifted, clearly ready to fight. However, the clan member then turned his head and gazed across the bridge. “But first… It appears we have an audience!”

Unfazed by being caught and called out, Link drew his weapons and charged across the bridge. Wolf too wasted no time in transforming so that he could back the younger boy up. Link was able to dodge the first of the Yiga Clan member’s attacks, and both boys made note of the gust of wind that came from his strike. The younger boy was able to land a few hits of his own, but the clan member’s next swing hit home and Link was sent sprawling to the ground. One of the fairies he had picked up sprang from his pocket and healed him…

The world seemed to lose color for Wolf as he watched the little creature do its thing. He knew all too well about how fairies would free themselves of their confines in order to revive their fallen captor. That a single strike had made one spring to Link’s aid… Time seemed to slow and the black aura spread out around Wolf and a growl garbled up in the back of his throat. The Yiga Clan member became entangled in the strange orange static, and with a vicious snarl Wolf went for his throat.

He wasn’t sure which happened first. It seemed that his target managed to turn at the very last moment to protect his vitals, and Link’s voice rang clearly in Wolf’s ears.

“DO NOT KILL HIM!”

Wolf’s fangs sank into the masked man’s shoulder, and suddenly the world was moving at the correct speed again. The clan member threw Wolf off of him, the older boy hitting the ground hard and becoming a bit dazed from the whole ordeal. Link was already back on his feet and aiming his bow. Thanks to the damage Wolf had inflicted a few arrows was enough to drive the clan member back. Finally the man cursed and fled the same way others of his clan had before him. All that he left behind was a large glowing orb…the heirloom.

Wolf turned back and approached it with Link and Dorian. The man breathed a heavy sigh and addressed the two boys.

“I can’t believe I was being followed.” He muttered. “I’m sure you’ve figured it out, but all of this is my fault… There’s no point in trying to hide it.” He shook his head and confessed, “I am…a member of the Yiga Clan. Or I used to be, anyway.” Before either of the boys could say anything, he began to defend himself. “But then I met the most incredible woman who blessed me with two amazing children. And so I tried to change my ways. Tried to leave the clan. But the Yiga… They took my wife’s life as punishment. I couldn’t let them hurt my children, so I used my position as gatekeeper to gather information for the Yiga. I told them about you and about the village in exchange for safety. But my grief over losing my wife consumed me, and I finally decided to cut ties with the Yiga completely! I decided I could protect my children from the Yiga. I wasn’t afraid of them. But the Yiga are pure evil. They told me they would kill both Impa and Paya if I didn’t play along!” Tears spilled from his eyes as he spoke, shining softly upon his cheeks in the moonlight. He took a deep breath to try and steady himself, and he pointed down at the orb. “Paya figured out that this heirloom is the key to opening an ancient shrine. We weren’t able to make it work, but Paya thinks that maybe you can. Paya…and all of us are devoted to helping you in your quest.” He explained. “Now, please restore this heirloom to its pedestal.”

With some caution, Link picked up the orb and carried it to where it ought to belong. He set it down carefully in the little divot on the pedestal’s surface and the whole thing turned blue. Sure enough, a shrine arose from the ground only a moment after. Behind Link, Dorian gasped.

“The shrine! So the heirloom was the key to opening the shrine. Incredible…” Link turned around to face him and he breathed another sigh. “Master Link, I… I’m very sorry for all of this. I know it’s a selfish request, but do you think you could keep what really happened a secret? I truly don’t deserve mercy, but I don’t want my children, Koko and Cottla, to suffer anymore. I know it doesn’t make up for what I’ve done, but I pledge to protect the village and my family from now on. No matter the cost.”

Link didn’t know what to say other than to give Dorian a nod that he wouldn’t say anything. Wolf placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and told him softly, “Koko and Cottla are both good girls. Take care of them.”

Relief washed over Dorian and a few more tears trickled down his cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you both. I need to return to the village now. I hope this shrine is of use to you.”

Without another word the guard left them. Wolf and Link both approached the shrine. While Link activated it, Wolf muttered that he hoped the man would stay true to his word. Link paused and smiled up at him.

“He will. I guarantee it. He’s not a bad person, just confused and worried about his kids. He’ll protect that village well.”

Wolf couldn’t really argue, so the boy went on into the shrine and he leaned up against its walls to wait. It was very late, and he worried that if he sat down he would fall asleep. As soon as the younger boy was transported underground, Wolf let out a yawn and thought back on the fight that had just occurred. Again without thinking he had used that power that would normally kill anything with a single attack. Again it had happened without his knowledge. Again it seemed to have been a knee-jerk reaction to seeing Link in great danger. Link…had reminded him not to kill the man they were fighting, even if he was clearly prepared to take Link’s own life. Wolf breathed a sigh and rubbed his face.

Blind and protective panic wasn’t like him. Not really. The last time he could remember feeling such panic and moving with only one goal in mind was when Zant had hurt Midna and trapped him in the body of a wolf. He had moved without thinking, only hearing Midna weakly telling him to find Princess Zelda. Everything after that was a blur right up until he found her, aside from the weak, uneven breathing of Midna upon his back. That instance and the two times he had panicked recently were not quite the same, but they were not like him at all. It had Wolf wondering what that meant as far as how he saw Link.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the elevator arriving again.

“Another short one?” he asked the younger boy as he stepped out of the shrine.

“Yep. There was just a chest with a pretty strong sword and the old monk.” Link replied. He was about ready to head back to the village when he paused and gazed up at Wolf, a wrinkle in his brown out of concern. “Hey…you feeling okay?”

Wolf didn’t even have to ask what he meant. “Yeah… I think so. Just reflecting on some things.” He stated. “I’m… I’m sorry.” The younger boy raised an eyebrow. “I attacked without thinking. I saw you in danger and kind of snapped. You even had to remind me not to kill that man. So… I’m sorry.”

A little smile appeared on Link’s face and he reached up to scratch Wolf’s ears. The older boy’s tail wagged gently. “I’ll admit you scared me there for a moment. I don’t want to see you killing anything but monsters. But… I forgive you. I know your heart’s in the right place.” He withdrew his hand. “Just, um, you know… Try to keep a hold of yourself, okay?”

Wolf smiled back at him. “Right.”

Link patted him on the back and made for the bridge. “Cool! I think its bedtime now! We’re sleeping in, too. We can tell Paya what happened when we get up, and Impa can wait until after that to hear about what Purah did for me.”

The older boy had no objection to that, and the pair settled in to sleep near the shrine that overlooked Kakariko Village.

*****

It was nearly noon when the two woke from their slumber. They didn’t hurry their eating or their walk down into the village. Although they had two different things to settle at Impa’s place, they felt no need to rush. They were both certain that Dorian had informed the village elder about what had happened, after all.

Paya was cleaning outside when they arrived, and she stopped what she was doing in order to speak with them. “Master Link… Because I wasn’t there…the heirloom… Our precious Sheikah heirloom…” she began, obviously not sure about what to say. She took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking again. “The heirloom...has finally fulfilled its purpose. Right?” Link and Wolf both gave her a nod. “Thank goodness!” she sighed. “It doesn’t matter how it happened, as long as the object we have guarded preciously for generations… So long as it was able to help you out in some way, I couldn’t be happier!” she smiled peacefully. “I pray that the protection of the gods of old follows you wherever you go…”

Link thanked her and then went inside, Wolf on his heels like always. Impa raised her head and grinned at the pair.

“Thank you boys again for your help. But now then… I heard Purah was giving you the runaround, but you seem just fine.” She began motioning for both boys to come to her, which they did. “Now then… Let me see what has changed.” Link withdrew the Sheikah Slate from his waist and handed it over to her. She flipped through it briefly before letting out a triumphant laugh. “Aha! This is, without a doubt, the camera that Princess Zelda used one hundred years ago.” She declared. She handed the device back to its rightful owner. “It could be that if you visit the locations within those pictures, you will be able to restore some of your lost memories. Come back here once you have tried going to at least one of those locations. There is something I wish to give you.”

The pair gave her a puzzled look, but Link nodded and lead the way out of her home again. He and Wolf sat down in the dining area and looked over the pictures in the album. There was one that clearly depicted Dueling Peaks, but not from an angle they were immediately familiar with. The rest escaped both of them as to where they could have been taken. While Link mulled them over, Wolf decided to ask a rather important question.

“What makes Impa believe that visiting locations that were important enough to Princess Zelda as to have taken pictures of them will bring back your memories? Wouldn’t those places be important to her, not you? And furthermore, who’s to say you were even with her when the pictures were taken?”

Link chewed on his lip and he tucked the device away again. “You know, I hadn’t thought of that. I guess maybe Impa thinks I was with her? That’s kinda weird, but I guess if I was important in the whole Great Calamity thing it might make sense that I was.”

Wolf leaned back on his stool, bracing himself with his hands behind him and holding onto its edge. “I suppose the best way to find answers would be to track down those pictures. But aside from the Dueling Peaks one, I have no idea where to even begin.”

“Neither do I.” Link admitted. “So I guess we should find that place first.” After a few seconds of silence he got to his feet and breathed a little sigh. “I’m gonna make some food, sell it, and go by that other outfit the clothing store had for sale.” He announced.

And he did just that. He threw together whatever he thought might work, making more food than even he and Wolf could eat in three days and then went into the general store. He was able to sell a lot of it, as well as a few other odds and ends he had on hand. When he left, he motioned for Wolf to follow him. The pair wandered towards the clothing store and were surprised when the painter called out to the two of them.

“You there, travelers! I have some news.” He told them. Link vaguely remembered the man had told them before that he had been looking for the fairy fountain the last time they were in the village. “I did more research regarding the Great Fairy Fountain…and I have a lead! However…although I know of the spot where it’s likely located, it’s really hard to get there. I’m not sure I can do it…” He breathed a heavy sigh, and Wolf and Link had to wonder how hard it could be to visit a place barely fifteen minutes outside of the village. “Even if it’s just a picture, I’m dying to see it…”

Link perked up at this. “You know, I could help you out.”

The man whooped with joy. “Oh! I knew it! I just knew there was someone like me nearby who appreciates true beauty. Sadly, I can’t pin down the exact location of the Great Fairy Fountain. I haven’t put it all together yet, but there’s a suspicious place I have my eye on… In fact, I was about to head there now. Would you like to come along?”

The boys shared a look and Link replied, “We were just about to stop into the clothing store. Give us a few minutes and we’ll be right back. You can take us there afterward.”

The man agreed to this and they returned to their original goal. The stealth outfit that Link wanted was very expensive and drained nearly every last rupee he had. He managed to purchase every piece of it however, and he went to change into it. When he stepped back out, Wolf felt his cheeks flush. The thin material clung to and hugged Link’s skin tightly, leaving every shape and curve of his body on display in almost excruciating detail. The younger boy didn’t seem bothered by it in the least, or at least he was too busy getting his hair to stay up properly to care. Once his hair was right, he spread his arms to his sides and flashed Wolf a grin.

“So? How do I look?” he asked.

Wolf blinked a few times, trying to get his mind to quite faltering and to force himself to stop studying the shape of Link’s waist and hips. Sure, he had seen the boy naked before a few times, but some of the outfit’s little details seemed to accentuate certain parts of his body. “It… It looks good on you!” he answered honestly, hoping nothing about his voice or expression gave away just how distracted he had been.

“Sweet!” Link tried to turn himself around so that he could see his own backside. “It’s a little strange feeling, but quite comfy.” He admitted.

“What color do you plan on dyeing it?” Wolf tried not to allow himself to look at Link’s butt as the younger boy futilely turned himself in circles a few times.

Link finally stopped and faced Wolf again. He hummed in thought. “I’ve a few ideas. I’ll decide later, since we won’t be going back to Hateno for a little while.”

With his new outfit purchased and approved of, Link stepped back out into the village. Wolf breathed a thankful sigh that Link wore his quiver in such a way that his butt was not easily seen. The younger boy sought out and informed the painter that he and Wolf were now ready to accompany him. Wolf had to slap himself mentally when the man didn’t seem at all bothered by what Link was wearing and instead eagerly lead them up the path towards the shrine. The man made it just a short ways passed the little Sheikah building and then doubled over, panting heavily.

“So…tired…” he gasped. “Hills aren’t easy for old fogies like me. Sorry, but I don’t think I can go on…” his speech was broken often by his panting. “The Great Fairy Fountain should be…along the path that leads past the shrine… That’s what I’ve been told, anyway.” He wiped sweat from his brow. “Yeesh, I’m completely out of breath! That always happens right about here… I think I’d better rest for a bit. You go on ahead. And hey, if you find it…don’t forget to get a picture!”

He sat down to rest, and Link and Wolf exchanged a shrug and ventured onward. Once they were out of earshot of the man, Link grinned wickedly up at his companion.

“‘Old fogey’. I’ll have to remember that one for the next time we argue.”

Wolf smirked down at him and replied sarcastically, “Well aren’t you a precious little tyke?”

Link let out a laugh and stepped up to the great fairy’s fountain. To his delight he had what was necessary to upgrade the new outfit that he had on. The whole reason he had the painter wait for them was so that he could try it, after all. Once she was done with her work, the fairy retreated into her water. Link backed away from the fountain and took a picture of it with his slate. Once that was done, he and Wolf made their way back to the out-of-shape man they had made most of the trip with.

“We found it!” Link called to him as they approached.

“Ahhh! You...you found it?! Really?! Are you serious right now?! And if you are, then where’s the picture? You remembered to bring the picture, right?” he asked eagerly. Link quickly brought up the picture he had just taken and showed it to him. The delight on the man’s face quickly faded upon seeing it. “This…is the Great Fairy Fountain? It’s certainly beautiful, but…I thought it would be more…sacred and elegant.” He muttered sadly. “Well, I’m impressed you found it. I want to give you something to show my appreciation, but I don’t think I have anything on me… I know! Is there a place you’ve been seeking? I’ve traveled all over Hyrule, so I might be able to help you find it.”

Link’s eyes lit up and he quickly switched over to the album of pictures that Princess Zelda had taken. He held them all out to the man to see. “Do you recognize anything here?”

The man studied each of them carefully. After a moment he pointed to the eleventh one. “A large gate with a snowy mountain beyond it… Oh, I know that place! There is a big mountain east of this village… It’s called Mount Lanayru.” Link did not miss the way Wolf’s ears twitched. “At the base of Mount Lanayru, on the west side of Naydra Snowfield, lies that gate. I’m almost certain! I’m glad I knew about that location. I suppose my help was useful, then?”

The boys both confirmed that he had been and the man got back to his feet and began to slowly descend the hill back towards the village. Link questioned Wolf about Mount Lanaryu once they were alone again. He shook his head.

“Thanks for the concern, but don’t worry about it.” He stated. “Lanayru was not a mountain where I’m from. Now let’s see if we can figure out where this place he spoke of is.”

Link switched to his map and the pair found the mountain in question. Also on the map was Naydra Snowfield to its west. Further west than that was a large body of water. Link dropped a pin between the water and the snowfield. They studied the map a little further in order to find what they believed to be the best way to reach it. They decided that going up and around through the woods they had just been in would be the best way to start, and with any luck they’d be able to follow along the edge of the water that they saw until they reached the place they were after.

With that in mind, they decided to kill some time. They knew it wouldn’t do to get started right away, as more than half of their day was gone already. Instead they went to check out another area just outside of the village. It turned out to be a huge, grassy slope. Something about standing on top of it gave Link a giant itch that he most certainly chose to scratch. Wolf wasn’t all too surprised when the boy ran forward a few steps and began to surf down it on his shield. The younger boy let out a delighted whoop as he continued down, and Wolf gave in and transformed to give chase. The two spent a few hours this way, climbing the hill and going back down it at top speed again and again. It was entirely dumb, both of them knew it, but they didn’t really care. They hadn’t done something just for the sake of having fun in a while.

Link’s shield broke around the time that the sun began to set. They decided that it was as good a time as any to go back to the village. Koko was busily cooking again, with Cottla waiting patiently. The older sister excitedly had the two of them join her in cooking once more. Neither boy was really surprised when it turned out that she had forgotten an ingredient, and Link gave her the last of the meat he hadn’t yet cooked. She thanked him, and showed the pair how she went about cooking it with a pumpkin. Link and Wolf added a few little dishes of their own to the mix, and the four of them ate their dinners together happily.

*****

The sun had barely risen when Link and Wolf departed to locate the place that the painter had told them about. Just as planned they made their way through the woods around the fairy fountain and continued to the north-east. They made a quick stop once for Link to move a metal block with magnesis for another korok seed, but that proved to be the only distraction along the road. While they walked, Wolf couldn’t help but wonder if there was some way to suggest that Link change out of his new stealth clothing. It really was hard not to stare.

A huge stone archway became visible as they followed the road when it bent more to the east. Both boys stopped and checked the picture. The structure of the arch was the same, but the perspective was wrong. If they squinted they could see a similar one on the far side of the area that expanded out in front of them. Link’s map registered the area as Lanaryu Promenade. Just as they had hoped, there was a stone walkway along the sides of it, one of which connected to where they were. They proceeded forward with a bit of caution, fully expecting there to be monsters along the way.

Sure enough, a few blue bokoblins inhabited the walkways, of which Link made quick work of. After a while the walkway began to slope downward towards the water, and Link’s sensor began to chirp at him. He looked around and figured that the shrine was on the far side of the water. With a quick chat, he and Wolf decided they’d go after it once they were done finding the picture’s location.

The pathway ran just a little beneath the water at its lowest point. A few lizalfos could be seen swimming around, but they weren’t close enough to attack. The sight of the place made Wolf hum with thought.

“Did I ever tell you about the giant spirit flea thing I once fought on the surface of a lake?” he asked aloud.

Link gawked at him. “No. No you haven’t! What’s the deal with that?!”

The older boy chuckled at his companion’s bewilderment. “It’s a long story.”

“I mean, unless we’re fighting we have the time for it.”

Wolf nodded and thought over where to begin as they continued. He explained that three times on his journey he had had to collect things called Tears of Light in order to restore three guardian spirits. Each tear was protected by a little bug-like creature. He had had to hunt them down as a wolf and kill them in order to collect the tears. Once he had all that were in a region, the guardian spirit would be restored and banish the Twilight infesting their home. He added that they were what had turned him back to normal from being a wolf. He also said that one time, the last time he had to restore a spirit’s light, there had been a single, giant insect that swam around on the surface of a lake. He had had to fight it on a handful of floating wooden platforms in order to get the tear it held.

In the time Wolf took to explain all of that, he and Link had cleared out yet more bokoblins (including a black one), a blue moblin, and a lizalfos from the walkway. Link was in awe at the story, if only because it made him wonder what else the older boy had been through. It seemed like every time Wolf spoke about himself, another layer was peeled away, only for a thousand more to show themselves. As they neared the edge of the promenade, Wolf frowned and spoke softly.

“Lanaryu was the name of the whole region of Hyrule where the lake resided and that fight took place.” He admitted. “It was also the name of the light spirit that guarded all of it.”

Understanding crossed Link’s face. He didn’t have to say anything for Wolf to know that he now knew why the name had caused him some concern. Wolf laid a hand on Link’s shoulder and waited for the boy to look up at him. He flashed him a quick smile.

“Our two worlds have a lot in common. I’m getting used to that.”

Link nodded and the pair drew closer to the other archway they had seen. Link paused again and withdrew his slate. He glanced at the picture and sure enough, the place they now stood in was certainly the general area from which it had been taken. He looked up from his slate and glanced around. At first there didn’t appear to be anything significant about the place, but as he took in everything around him a sudden rush of familiarity overcame him.

His vision was hazy at first, and lacking color. But the more he focused on the weird sensation overwhelming his senses, the more he found he could vividly see and hear something going on. He was there. He had been there before. He was walking with a girl in white. There were four others as well, each of them from a different race. He and the four all had matching light blue clothing of some kind. They were talking, and somehow things felt…depressing. Something bad had clearly happened. The smallest one present, a red fish-like girl, stepped forward to try and comfort the distressed girl in white. Before she could get too far, the ground began to shake. The Rito that was with them took to the air and reported back only a moment later that the castle was being enveloped by Ganon. It was clear that everyone was trying not to panic, and they began to move out. A giant woman calmly told the girl in white that she should get somewhere safe, but she refused. She insisted that she would stay and fight with them.

And that was where his memories faded back into nothing. Link slowly opened his eyes, equally surprised to find himself staring up at Wolf and that his companion was looking down at him with concern. It took him a moment, but Link figured out that he must have fainted and that Wolf had caught him. He blinked a few times and sat up on his own.

“What was that?” Wolf asked him.

Link rubbed his head, still trying to piece together what he had just seen. “I think… I’ve been here before.” He stated. “I suddenly remembered something.” The shine in Wolf’s eyes was enough to tell him that he was curious as to what it had been. Link took a deep breath and did his best to relay everything he had just remembered.

“So you didn’t recognize anyone in your memory?” Wolf asked after Link was done.

The younger boy shook his head. “No, not at all. And none of them spoke any names. But…I get the feeling the girl in white might have been Zelda.” Wolf only nodded. “And the other four… They said something about the Divine Beasts. I think they might have been the pilots of them.” He turned his gaze up at the tall, snow-covered mountain in the distance. “I also think that Zelda, if that is who she was, had been looking for something up on the mountain. If that’s the case, then I definitely want to go up there someday. Not right now, since it looks really, really cold. But…someday.”

They stayed sitting on the hard ground near the archway a little while longer. Their break was in part so that Link could calm down and collect himself from the memory and so that they could take a quick lunch break. It was passed noon and they were both quite hungry, after all. Once they had consumed part of the food they had made previously they got back to their feet and wandered back along the edge of the promenade.

There was a broken bridge that lead over to the other side of the water. Link glided and climbed his way to the other side, with Wolf teleporting after him. He stayed as a beast as they explored further, killing a few more lizalfos along the way. The area was somewhat triangular, and sure enough the shrine appeared to be yet on the side they had not been to. On top of that, it looked to be behind a waterfall that cut the two sides apart from each other. The gap between their current side and the next was even wider than the last, and so Link had to glide and climb once more. Wolf warped across as he did before.

Sure enough there was a little cave in the side of the cliff. Within it sat the shrine, waiting patiently for Link to go into it. Wolf sat down and Link activated it and went inside.

In the floor in the middle of the room sat a huge button. Link found that his weight was not enough to depress it. Using magnesis he gathered up three metal chests that were strewn about the area. After looting them, he dropped them upon the button and sure enough their combined weight did the trick. A gate opened up to give him access to a large metal cube. He dragged it and himself onto a moving elevator and road it to the top. Once there he clambered onto a grate and waited for the elevator to go back down so that he could hop onto the cube. When the elevator rose again he was able to hop over to a higher grate and approach the old monk that was waiting for him.

Once back outside, he took a moment to smash some ores that dotted the cave. Two of them gave him something called luminous stone. He and Wolf had to wonder why they had such a name, but since it wasn’t dark they couldn’t find out. At last they decided to go back to Kakariko Village. Wolf returned to his half-form once they were back and he and Link made straight for Impa’s place.

The old woman greeted them with a smile. When Link approached her, a little flicker of recognition could be seen in her eyes.

“Ah, I see. Yes…” she whispered. “Now that you have seen some of the princess’s memories, you must have started to remember certain things… Here. I have something to hand over to you now, before I forget.” She had Paya fetch something from upstairs, and Impa presenting Link with the same light blue tunic that he had seen himself wearing in his memory. Impa explained, “This is something of yours that I have been keeping safe, by request of the princess. This clothing was specially made for you when you became a Champion. Please handle it with care.”

Link thanked her, and Impa told him to return to her after he had visited all the other locations in the album. He promised her that he would, and he and Wolf left once more. The sun was setting now and sure enough Koko was cooking by the dining area, with Cottla waiting as patiently as she could. The two joined them again. Once more Koko expressed that she forgot an ingredient which Link was able to give her. She had needed honey, which she then mixed with apples to create a delicious little desert. While she made it, she began to sniffle and tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. When Wolf asked her what was wrong, she said that she had just remembered that her mother would always make her honeyed apples when she was sick, and that she missed her. After a few more tears and sniffles, she wiped her face on her sleeve and proudly declared that she would keep working hard so that she could become as good a cook as her mother had been. When the apples were ready she happily shared with the two boys.

It was the best thing she had made for them yet.

When they had eaten their dinner and said good-night to the two little girls, Link told Wolf that he wanted to go to the Great Fairy again and see if he could get his Champion’s Tunic upgraded. Sure enough that was something she could do for him, and he gave her three of the unusual flowers that grew sparsely around her fountain in order to do it. With his tunic upgrade, Link finally changed out of his stealth clothing, choosing to partner it with his Hylian hood and pants.

“Does it look okay?” he asked Wolf.

Wolf looked him over carefully. It wasn’t a bad look, certainly less distracting than the tightness of what he had just had on. But…

“The color seems a little strange to me, somehow.” The older boy noted. “However blue does look good on you, and that outfit seems okay to me.”

That was all Link needed to hear. He gave Wolf a little smile and they returned to the shrine that overlooked Kakariko Village. He offhandedly mentioned that they were going to camp out that night to save money, which Wolf had no problem with. He suspected that Link was very short on cash after buying his expensive outfit. They sat down on the soft, familiar grass and Link pulled out his map. He leaned in close to Wolf so that the older boy could see it too and they considered it together.

There were five places they could go to, the way they saw it; Robbie’s lab that Purah had mentioned, as well as the four points that Impa had marked for them before. One of the areas Impa had pointed out for them was to the north of Lanayru’s Promenade and the place where Link had recovered one of his memories. There was no obvious road leading out that way, and the fact that Link did not have the region they were looking at filled in did not help. Eventually, after scrolling around a bit, they decided to start from the stable to the south of Kakariko and pick up Speckle Butt. They would head west back towards the plateau and then go north, hoping to find roads that would lead them where they wanted to go. Link also mentioned that he wanted to explore Dueling Peaks some more for the shrine his sensor had picked up on, as well as the one near the treasure they had found before at the top of the waterfall.

With a game plan in mind, they settled in and got ready for sleep. The next day was sure to be a long one, and the days after were probably going to be hectic as well.

Chapter Text

First thing in the morning (after eating of course), the pair warped on over to Dueling Peaks Stable. The men there greeted Link warmly, and acknowledged his furrier companion as well. Link requested that Speckle Butt be brought to him, and the man in charge was quick to retrieve her. Link mounted up and the two boys made their way south to the Big and Little Twin Bridges. Once the path ended, Link hopped off his horse again in order to better follow the sensor. He found that the shrine in question was across the river in the cliff-side, its little cave being covered by rocks. With a bomb chucked into the water the rocks were all cleared away.

“You wanna wait over here so you don’t get all wet?” Link asked as he approached the water’s edge.

“Yeah. Might gather some stuff from the forest around here while I’m waiting. If you don’t see me when you come out, give a yell or a whistle or something.” Wolf replied.

The younger boy gave him a shit eating grin. “I’ll call for you like I would a cute puppy, don’t you worry!”

Wolf only rolled his eyes and shooed Link away. The younger boy laughed and waded out into the water, swimming across until he could pull himself up into the little cave around the shrine. As soon as Wolf saw that he was “safely” going down the elevator, he turned around and meandered into the forest.

The shrine was another apparatus puzzle. There were a number of platforms and stairs that Link had to rotate about until they formed paths across huge gaps in the walkway. The treasures within it were nothing particularly special. However the third and final section that needed to be moved about had a chest with a key that needed to be opened. All in all, it didn’t take him all too much time to get through to the end and to collect the spirit orb.

He wasn’t surprised when he found Wolf to not be waiting for him just across the river. Continuing with his teasing, Link gave a few whistles, going so far as to add a “Here Wolfy Wolf! C’mere boy!” into the mix just for good measure. A part of him was surprised to not have a log or a boulder chucked at his head for being rude. Instead Wolf only approached him with a bunch of mushrooms and a playful smack upside Link’s head. The younger boy could only laugh again as he put away what Wolf had picked for them.

Once more Speckle Butt was mounted, and again not for very long. Link dismounted only a short way passed Big Twin Bridge and the lookout tower beside it. He and Wolf assessed the cliff faces of the two mountains around them.

“I’m getting the feeling that the shrine we’re after is at the peak of one of these.” Link stated. “I’m gonna try climbing the south one first, since its right here and I don’t want to swim across the river again.”

Wolf couldn’t help but feel a little skeptical about this plan. “You think you can climb it that easily?”

“I think if I can get around to the back the slope will be less steep. The question is: can you follow me up there? There’s a few ledges on this side, but they don’t go all the way up.”

“I think I can follow. As long as I can see you or know where we’re going, I should be able to make it.”

Link donned his climbing outfit once again and together they began scaling the mountain. Sure enough when they managed to reach the backside of it the slope was significantly more manageable. Link was able to scramble his way up with relative ease, although Wolf still had to teleport a few times due to his paws slipping. They reached the southern peak and sure enough a shrine sat waiting. Due to the elevation making the air colder Link had to put on his doublet. Before he went to tackle the shrine, he stopped to drop an apple into an offering tray beside one of two statues in order to obtain another korok seed. Wolf sat down to wait for him and Link slipped into the shrine.

He was greeted with a large room full of glowing divots and several orbs that were already nestled into various spots. A stone slab in front of Link provided him with a hint: “The shrines atop these peaks share a connection—their memory the answer to the other’s question. Commit to memory before you start, lest, a failure, you will depart.”

“These peaks, huh? So there’s another one on the other side…” Link muttered to himself aloud as he took another look around the room. A moving platform situated off to one side of him offered him a chance to view the orbs and their positions from above. “So if I’m guessing this right, the other shrine needs to have its orbs moved to where this one is showing, and vice versa. Hm…”

He sat down on an unmoving ledge and studied the placement of the orbs. He knew it would take him forever to memorize where they were, and that he would forget it all the moment he tried to memorize the other shrine’s layout. Instead he wracked his brain as to how he could make it easy on himself. After a few minutes he had a stroke of genius. He brought out his Sheikah Slate and began to place stamps near the northern peak; Using one shape to mark the empty divots and another shape to mark where the orbs had been. He quickly reviewed what he had just done and then climbed down off the ledge and went up through the elevator again.

Wolf made to stand up as soon as Link reached the surface, but Link motioned for him to stay as he was. Silently Link gazed across to the other mountain and sure enough found another shrine nestled away near its peak. He informed Wolf that he would explain what was happening later before gliding across to the northern shrine.

Just as Link had expected, the interior of the second shrine was practically a mirror image of the first. He rode the platform up to the ledge and stamped out the pattern that lay before him for the southern shrine before dropping down to solve the puzzle before him. As soon as the five orbs had been moved to their appropriate spots the gate leading up to the monk opened up. Link took a moment to look around again in order to find the hidden chest he knew was in the shrine. Its treasure wasn’t anything he was particularly interested in, so he collected his spirit orb and returned to the surface.

From there it was just a quick warp back to the southern shrine. Wolf cocked his head curiously at Link’s return and the younger boy stated that it would only take him another moment and he would be done. His first order of business once he was back in the southern shrine was to loot its chest. The sword it held was decent, so he kept it. After that he moved the orbs, which opened the gate, and then retrieved the spirit orb. Once back on the surface he instructed Wolf to go ahead and go back down to the road, which he did without complaint, and Link followed by leaping off the peak and breaking his fall with the paraglider about halfway down.

Wolf had teleported himself closer to where Speckle Butt was waiting than where Link had landed. As such he turned back to his half-form and led her up the road in order to meet back up with the younger boy. Link thanked him and got back on her.

“Wanna take a guess what the puzzle was?” Link asked Wolf as they began to meander along the road again.

“I don’t have any idea.”

Link held out the slate for him to see the stamps that he had made on the map. “There were two shrines, and I had to use the positions of their orbs to solve the other. I did this so I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting their patterns.”

“Interesting…” Wolf replied. Link took the device back and began to delete the stamps, trusting Speckle Butt to keep moving along the road for the few moments it took him to do so. “It sounds like those shrines still have some interesting concepts to them.”

The younger boy frowned a little, deleted the last stamp, and tucked the slate back onto his belt again. “I dunno about that. The one before was another apparatus. You know, the thing I had to use in order to turn floating platforms and things.”

“I never said there wouldn’t be any repeated ones.”

With a little shrug from Link, the two fell into an amicable silence. They were traveling back along a road they had already come down and had explored fairly thoroughly, so there wasn’t a whole lot to distract them. As they reached about the spot where they had crossed the river to take out a bokoblin camp and to get access to the tower from, Wolf lifted his gaze a bit and noticed something.

Far, far off in the distance was an unusual object. It was floating high above the ground, far above the peaks around it and well out of the reach of humans. Wolf watched it for a few seconds and realized that it was moving. No part of the object itself moved, but rather it seemed to be floating across the sky.

“Link, have you seen that thing?” the older boy spoke up.

“Hm?” Link glanced down at him and then followed his gaze. It took him half a moment, but finally he figured out what Wolf could have been talking about. “Oh! That. Yeah, I saw that thing not too long after I woke up. It’s always been out that way. I took a closer look at it with my slate, but it was too far away still. I wonder if my camera can zoom in closer…”

The pair stopped to take a rest when they reached the bridge where Wolf had first shapeshifted. It was still a little early, but they decided to wait out the night before continuing on. The man who had thought that Link was going to kill himself was still on the bridge watching the broken down guardian. As such Link and Wolf rid the bokoblin camp by the river of its inhabitants again and made themselves comfortable there. While they made their dinner, Wolf’s gaze flitted over to the river and the fish that were swimming just beneath the surface.

“I wish I had my fishing rod. Your bombs are okay, but I’d like to be able to catch some myself.” He muttered.

“I dunno, I think we’ve got this worked out okay. I bomb the fish, you kill the wild game.” Link gave a little chuckle. “Unless I shoot them.”

“I’d still like to go fishing again.” Wolf sighed. Suddenly his ears perked up. “Say, that’s another story I could tell you…”

Link didn’t even bother to hide his excitement as he scooted a little closer to Wolf, eyes wide with wonder. “Ooh, story time! Story time!”

Wolf grinned at the way Link wriggled in anticipation, just like the little kids from Ordan Village every time they were expecting something good. And so Wolf began to recount how he had helped to rescue a young zora who turned out to be a prince. At one point the prince had returned the favor by giving him an earring made from a special type of coral. Wolf had affixed it to his fishing line and used it to catch a certain smelly fish that liked to feed on the coral.

“Ugh…” Wolf blanched and rubbed at his nose. “I can still remember that fish’s awful stench…” he grumbled.

“You know…the more you talk about yourself, the more I get the feeling that you’ve done everything.” Link remarked. “I mean, I’m not exactly one to talk since I literally only remember about five minutes of my seventeen-or-so years before waking up, but I’m kind of jealous.”

“Believe me, I’ve not done ‘everything’.” Wolf sighed. “If there’s anything that all my time spent traveling and even coming here has taught me, it’s that I haven’t even scratched the surface when it comes to doable things.”

Link rolled his eyes. “How insightful. You know what I mean! You’ve told me a bunch of stories, and I can tell you’ve probably got a thousand more like them in you, some that would probably even blow my mind. It’s really cool!”

The older boy couldn’t help the smile that graced his features. “Somehow I get the feeling that when all is said and done here, you’ll have plenty of stories to tell of your own. For example: you tamed a wild horse and gave her a ridiculous name, you’ve met a giant korok that dances, and just today you’ve been through not one but three shrines with their own unique puzzles. And you haven’t even gotten near one of those Divine Beasts.”

Link scrunched up his face a little as he thought about it. “I mean, I guess? None of that sounds so grand, though.”

“Maybe to you, because you’ve lived it and haven’t had time to stop and think about any of it. It took me a while to realize that anything I’ve done could be considered interesting.”

Link couldn’t really think of anything to say. It wasn’t until they were making themselves more comfortable by their campfire before bed that they said anything more to each other. Even then, it was only a quite set of good nights before they drifted off to sleep.

*****

Once again Wolf found himself to be the first one awake in the morning. He sat up, yawned, stretched, and began to sleepily think about what he should do in order to pass the time. Link was still sound asleep and there was no sign of any immediate threats, so he transformed and went hunting. It didn’t take him long to track down and kill another fox. He gathered the meat himself and scrounged up some more mushrooms and a Hyrule herb as well. When he got back to their camp Link was still asleep, and so despite their usual plan he decided prepare their breakfast as well.

With such an idle task before him, Wolf’s mind wandered back to his and Link’s conversation the night before. The more he thought about it, the more he found that Link really did have stories he could tell if he wanted to. All of the things they had been through together aside, there had been a few times were Link would mention something that had happened to him on the plateau before Wolf had shown up. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about what the boy had been through during that time.

Of course his thoughts didn’t stop there. Thinking about all he had seen Link do and what little he’d heard about led him into once again marveling at how alike and yet not alike the two of them were. While their similarities still felt eerie, it was their differences that Wolf had begun to take more notice of. A bit surprisingly Wolf didn’t feel like he noticed them out of some desire to distance himself from the younger boy, but rather because he found them hard not to notice. Both of them were heavy sleepers, and Wolf could remember back to the days he would lounge around his home simply because it was too hot or two cold. Perhaps it was due to all of his traveling having matured him, but Wolf found that he didn’t sleep as long or as heavily as the other boy. Both of them had huge, unending appetites, but Link’s hunger for meat or fish wasn’t actually as strong as his own. Wolf would have happily eaten nothing but them if given half a chance, but link downed apples and mushrooms like nobody’s business.

And then there was, of course, the obvious differences between their personalities. Before coming to this world and meeting Link, Wolf had often thought of himself as being pretty carefree and a bundle of instincts when it came to fighting. Seeing Link in action had changed his opinion of himself some. He couldn’t help but feel like he was the most responsible person in the universe whenever Link randomly strayed from the path in order to pick apples or uncover a korok. However, seeing the boy in combat only solidified Wolf’s feeling that he always operated by instinct rather than training. The special moves he had learned from the Hero’s Shade aside, Wolf had never been shown how to handle a sword. Everything he knew was purely from experience. Link, however, was surprisingly sensible behind many of his actions. His ability to sneak, his use of several different types of melee weapons, and especially the slow-down thing he did with his bow indicated he had been taught at some point, even if he couldn’t remember it.

And speaking of instinct… Wolf shuddered at the memory of both of his sudden outbursts. He wanted to blame them on being a wolf, on them being nothing but a wolf’s instinct to protect its pack…but Wolf couldn’t deny anymore that his actions had nothing to do with him being a wolf. He had even picked up and used a spear as a part-human! He had never held a spear before, let alone used one, and yet he had stabbed the bokoblin with it as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. And furthermore his position on using such breakable weapons hadn’t changed; he still wanted nothing to do with them. And yet…he had snapped and used that spear all to protect Link. Then on top of that he had snapped and nearly killed a person to protect Link.

Out of the corner of his eye Wolf noticed that Link had begun to stir. The older boy quickly shook his thoughts from his head. “It’s okay, I would be protective of anyone.” He thought to himself dismissively.

*****

When Link woke again it was to the smell of meat and random foraged items cooking away. His stomach growled and his mouth watered at the scent. Sleepily he sat up and crept closer to the pot where Wolf was preparing their breakfast.

“Morning.” The older of the two said.

“Mornin’…” the younger groggily replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“I caught a fox for us. And some more mushrooms and an herb. We should think about buying some real vegetables next time we’re in a village or something.”

“Probably.” Link agreed, stretching his arms high above his head and yawning in the process.

They ate half of their meal in silence. Every now and again, Link’s eyes would flicker up to Wolf, but they wouldn’t remain on him for more than a second. After a while Wolf became puzzled by this and asked what was wrong.

“Just…you seem kinda, I dunno, distant? Like you’re thinking about something.”

“Busted…” Wolf thought before breathing a sigh. “I guess I shouldn’t lie and say I’m not.” He said aloud.

“So what’s on your mind?”

“I’m still thinking about what happened before. When I snapped.”

Link pouted. “Oh, c’mon! Didn’t I tell you it was okay as long as you try to keep a hold of yourself?”

“That’s the problem, though. I don’t know if I can just do that.” Wolf met the younger boy’s eyes and held them intently. “You were in danger. I can’t stand to see you on the brink of death!”

Link’s eyes widened for a split second and he fell silent. Wolf held his gaze and watched as a flash of understanding seemed to cross the boy’s features. Link drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly to help compose himself and he tore his eyes away from the taller boy’s.

“Right… Yeah… Okay!” When Link met Wolf’s eyes again, his expression was resolute. “Then I won’t ever put myself in that sort of danger again. I swear!”

It was Wolf’s turn to feel shaken up. “How can you say something like that? You don’t know what the future will bring!”

“I don’t, no, but that doesn’t mean I can’t work on myself! I’ll admit I’ve been a bit reckless. I mean, I’ve got a lot of food to heal up with, and some fairies, and you to look after me. So I haven’t been handling things as efficiently as I could have been. That was thoughtless of me, and I feel terrible knowing I’ve worried you like I have. So for what it’s worth: I promise that I won’t ever put myself in that sort of danger ever again. That way you won’t have to worry about seeing me die.”

“Link-”

“But! In return, I want you to promise me that instead of losing control of yourself you’ll only work to protect me while I heal back up. That includes if I end up having to use a fairy. You’re not to use that big attack at all unless it is intentionally.” Link instructed.

Wolf’s ears drooped, but he couldn’t deny that what Link had said was fair. It was the older boy’s turn to draw in a deep breath.

“You’re right.” He admitted. “Then I promise too.”

“Good.” Link smiled and extended his hand palm up. “Shake!”

Wolf let out a huff and shook his hand like a person. “I’m not a dog, I’m a wolf.”

*****

The plan was to barrel straight through the ruins until they came to the cliffs of the Great Plateau. Doing so was easy, with both Speckle Butt and Wolf being much faster than any stubby-legged bokoblin or moblin. When they came to a stop in a relatively safe part of the road near the cliff, the pair slowed up and Link checked his map again. The area ahead of them wasn’t marked on the map, but judging by the way the road ahead of them bent and the small potion they could see briefly looping back into known territory on the map, they guessed that they were still headed in the right direction.

They proceeded at a walk, having gotten passed the area they had already explored. The road they were on soon split into a fork, and they continued along the one that went north-east. Even though the area was new, there wasn’t a whole lot that caught either of their interests, and it didn’t take long for Link to feel bored. If only to be rid of the silence between them he decided to ask a question.

“Hey, Wolf.”

“Yes?”

“What’s your home like? The place where you’re from, I mean. Or-something Village.”

“Oh. You mean Ordan Village? Well, what’s there to tell? It’s a little place at the south end of Hyrule, nestled at the edge of a forest. It’s cute and quiet. Good for people who liked to take things at their own pace, or wanted to raise a family somewhere nice and peaceful. There’s a river to fish in, the goat ranch… Not a whole lot of features to talk about. I don’t know if I was born there, but as far as I’m concerned it’s where I’d always lived. The people there helped to raise me until I was old enough to take care of myself. And of course I gave back when I could. I’d herd the goats, play with the younger children, and do small errands around the village if somebody needed a hand…” he chuckled. “I kind of miss it now that I’m thinking about it.”

They stopped at a fork in the road in order for Link to check their orientation before they picked a way to go. While he did, a gentle, if somewhat sad, smile crept across his face. “It sounds lovely. If I’m honest, it makes me feel a bit jealous.” He determined that the road leading south only looped back around to the ruins they had just left and decided to continue northward.

Wolf couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. “Really? Is it because you can’t remember your childhood?”

Link shook his head. “I don’t…really know. I don’t think that’s the case. Just something about growing up in a nice place surrounded by nice people makes me jealous.”

“Huh… Makes me wonder if maybe you didn’t have that great a childhood yourself.”

“Could be…”

“Well if that’s the case, then here’s hoping that what the future holds for you is a lot better.”

Link flashed him a little smile, one that was far less upset than the last had been. “Thanks.”

They came upon another fork, and this one was guarded by a bokoblin camp. The two stopped in order to clear it out and to take a quick rest, as it was passed midday. Inside a chest was a claymore, which Link decided to take with him. They sat down by the campfire that was already burning in order to eat their lunch while Speckle Butt grazed nearby. Link mentioned that he was hoping to find a safer place for them to rest that night, since there was a chance a blood moon might come if they kept staying at bokoblin camps. Wolf couldn’t agree with him more.

When their bellies were full and Speckle Butt had gotten a good amount of food in her as well, they continued along the road heading to the east. The more they traveled, the more Link was sure that they were going to come out around the area he had thought they would. Yet another fork was passed, and they kept going the direction they had been. Link’s sensor sprang to life a short while after, and following it they found that the road split once more. They were very near to the place Link could see on his map, but the sensor made them detour to the north instead.

Both boys were delighted to see that the shrine was situated near another stable. Before the pair stopped for the night, they of course went to the shrine which was up on a hill across the road from the stable. Link dismounted and asked Wolf to take his horse to the stable, which he did.

The interior of the shrine had three metal crates whose sides Link could climb up. It didn’t take him long to figure out that he was supposed to move them around with magnesis so that he could get access to the high platforms in the room. One of which had a metal slab that was also climbable. It took a bit of fiddling, but Link managed to make a pillar with the crates and used the slab as a ramp to make up the rest of the distance he needed to climb in order to reach the monk. When he got up to where the old Sheikah rested, he turned around and activated the rune once more. He picked up the slab and smacked it hard against the sides of the crates, toppling them all over. With a giggle Link proceeded properly to the monk and the exit.

Almost immediately upon leaving the shrine, Link heard Wolf calling out to him. He spotted the older boy across the road and beneath a tree. Beside him towered a familiar figure, and Link trotted over to join them.

“Hello Hestu!” Link greeted cheerfully.

“Ah! Hello again Mr. Hero!” Hestu giggled. “I wanted to get home to Korok Forest, but I lost my way.”

“That’s terrible!”

Again the large korok giggled. “It happens a lot. I’ll remember soon, so I’m not worried. The people around here call this area Central Hyrule, so I know that Korok Forest is still much farther north. But I thought since I’m here I may as well relax a while.” He sniffed the air a few times. “Hey, you smell like you have more korok seeds. Would you like me to upgrade your stashes again?”

“Yes please!”

Link turned over three seeds for Hestu to upgrade his shield stash twice, which resulted in the same dance the korok had done before but with a blue finish. After that he gave up another two to do his bow stash again, and then five more after that to do his weapon stash twice more. The whole while Link and Wolf both delighted in the creature’s dancing while he performed his magic. Upon the last upgrade, an idea struck Hestu and he cried out with glee.

“I think I remember how to get to Korok Forest again!” he shouted. “I bet Grandpa is waiting for me, so I should get going.”

The pair said their good-byes to him, and Hestu toddled off into the rapidly-descending night. Being a magical creature that only a special few could see, it was no wonder he didn’t fear the darkness and the monsters as most might. Link and Wolf decided that it was time for them to settle down for the night and so they made their way to the stable proper in order to prepare their dinner and sleep.

Chapter Text

Those residing at the Riverside Stable were just about as unusual as the folks who had hung around the Dueling Peaks one. While Wolf and Link sat down inside of the large tent and ate, a woman approached them and struck up a short conversation. She introduced herself as a collector and explained that she used to sneak into Hyrule Castle looking for treasures. However, due to the eerie mist surrounding it now, as well as the machine-like creatures that guarded it, she was no longer able to. Somewhat out of kindness, Wolf asked what sorts of things she would look for. The woman said that she was particularly interested in the equipment that was once used by the royal guards. Supposedly their weapons were legendary among collectors.

The conversation caught the attention of an older man. He came to join them with the question of “Are you talking about the castle?” Somehow the man was able to steer the topic from there to how he admired all things beautiful. He described a lot of the scenery found in nearby areas, his eyes sparkling as he recalled each and every one. On and on he talked, to the point where the woman who had started the whole thing got up and left, and the man didn’t seem to realize she was gone.

“…Speaking of, has anyone ever told you… You have the most beautiful features!” the man suddenly said to Link, catching the younger boy’s attention after it had long drifted away from what he was spewing. Both boys gawked at the man, wondering where such a comment had even come from in the first place. As if not even noticing what he himself had just said, the man then began to talk about beautiful foods. Amidst his rambling he mentioned one of his ancestors having worked as a chef in the castle, and how he himself had unfortunately grown up quite poor and could only dream of what sorts of foods members of the royal court would have upon their plates. Finally he got back to where he had caught the boys’ attention again, although it was in a less than satisfying way. “Anyway, excuse me… I seem to have caught myself prattling on. But looking upon your perfectly symmetrical face and discussing meals of beauty has rekindled my desire. If you should happen to set foot inside Hyrule Castle, could you find it in you to keep an eye out for a cookbook? There must be one lying around somewhere in there! I’m simply dying to finally sample the food of the royal court.”

With that, the man left the two alone. Link and Wolf shared a disbelieving look, both of their jaws slack with dumbfounded-ness.

“Did…did that guy just come over here…” Link began.

“Yep…” Wolf replied.

“…and talk about things he found beautiful…”

“Yes…”

“…and compliment me…”

“Uh-huh…”

“And then ramble on about food, all to ask us to get him a cookbook that may or may not still exist inside of an exceedingly dangerous castle?”

“That is exactly what he just did.” Wolf nodded.

“Wow… I’m…speechless.” Link ran a hand over his face. Wolf narrowed his eyes and leaned in a little closer to him, which caught the younger boy off guard when he noticed. “Um, what are you doing?”

“He said your face was perfectly symmetrical.” Wolf stated. “I would have to disagree.” Link only blinked at him in confusion. “Your right eyebrow is just a bit thicker and darker in color than your left.”

This drew a short laugh from the younger boy and he gave his companion’s shoulder a playful shove. “Shut up! You’re weird to notice something like that!”

“I’m only stating a fact.” Wolf laughed. “Nobody’s face is perfectly symmetrical. Not when you take the time to actually look at somebody. That said, however, he wasn’t wrong about you having beautiful features.”

A faint blush stained Link’s cheeks and he gave Wolf another shove. “Don’t you go half-demanding something from me that I can only get from inside that castle.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Link paid for a couple of beds and the two slept soundly that night. After they woke and had their breakfast, they left the tent to see if there was anything of interest in the general vicinity. Almost immediately the pair spotted a familiar face hanging about out front, happily painting away. Link and Wolf shared a look that told each other that they were thinking the same thing: how in the world had an old man who could barely make a fifteen minute walk out of town already be caught up to them days after they had left ahead of him?

Despite the absurdity of the situation, they decided to go and talk to him.

“Oh! You two are the ones who found the Great Fairy Fountain! Funny running into you here.” Pikango exclaimed upon seeing them.

“That’s our line.” Link stated.

The old man chuckled. “Are you traveling too? I’ve traveled all over the world, you know. Say, you had some pictures you were trying to find the locations of, weren’t you? Would you show them to me again? I might just be able to help you out some more.”

Link fumbled with his Sheikah Slate until he could show the album to him. Pikango took a good, long look at the eleven photos he hadn’t identified. After a minute or so he pointed to the second one, the very one that depicted the Dueling Peaks from a distance. “That’s Lake Kolomo, isn’t it? It’s an oddly shaped lake west of here. There’s a forest on the west side of it. Yes, I can see more trees here as well. It must be over there.” He looked back up at Link with a smile. “It must be over there. I’ve been there before. It’s a rather beautiful spot, you know? Well, I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Thank you very much.” Link said with a grin.

The area that the old man had described wasn’t filled in at all, and so Link simply put a star-shaped stamp a short ways out to the west to remind him that something important was in that general direction. After that the pair went back to looking around the stable for anything else of interest. They found a woodcutter’s axe, which Link picked up and added to his inventory with a mumbled “need to collect more wood”. Aside from the axe there wasn’t anything particularly interesting. So Link stepped around behind the tent to where he was out of anyone’s immediate line of sight and quickly changed back into his blue tunic and Hylian hood and pants. Once that was done, he had Speckle Butt brought out to him and the pair left the stable altogether.

They made their way south, back to the road they had been on the day before. When they reached it they took a left and began heading east once more. Just before a bridge was a small bokoblin camp, and Link opted to rid it of its residents. As if to prove that he was intent on the whole “being more careful” thing, Link started off by firing a bomb arrow smack dab in the middle of three of them. The two reds were killed instantly, but the blue lived. Link blinked in surprise, momentarily taken aback by something that went unnoticed by Wolf, who rushed forward to finish off the blue. By the time it died, Link had recovered and easily sniped the remaining red that had been playing ineffective lookout.

Wolf went ahead and opened up the chest in the camp while Link scurried about to pick through the weapons and remains. When the older boy handed him the opal that had been inside, Link asked him about what had thrown him off guard.

“Hey uh…did you see anything weird when my bomb arrow hit those bokoblins?”

“…No? Why?”

Link scratched the back of his head, face scrunched up as he thought about how to explain it. “There was…I’m not really sure what it was, to be honest. It felt like I could see those monsters’ life energy? It was really weird.”

“That is weird.” Wolf agreed. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. Think it could be some magical property of your tunic?”

The younger boy looked down at it, grasping the bottom of it and pulling it out a little so that he could get a better look. “Dunno… I guess it’d be like my climbing outfit in that way, or something.”

“Well if you can see an enemy’s health then that certainly makes it a useful tunic. I can see why Impa would want to return it to you. You know, besides the whole it being a prized symbol of your status.”

Link hummed thoughtfully and climbed back onto his horse. With the conversation seemingly at its end, the two crossed the bridge and finally entered the region of the map that Link had thought they would come upon. While they walked, the pair noticed a shrine and a tower off in the distance, and Link was quick to pin them both.

The road lrd them into a little forest surrounding a lake. There was yet another tree fort riddled with bokoblins, and the pair came to a stop before they could be spotted by the monsters. The moment Link pulled out his bow, Wolf knew exactly what it was he was going to be doing. All around the edges of the platform were barrels filled with explosives, and a single bomb arrow was enough to set them all off. A part of the grass caught fire and Link leaped off his horse in order to ride the updraft so that he could pick off the two remaining monsters with his bow. He landed on the platform after they had been taken out and released a long breath.

“You know, the whole slow-time thing really takes a lot out of me.” Link panted.

“I don’t understand how, but I’ll take your word on that.” Wolf called up to him. “By the way, when you had said that you were going to be more careful about how you dealt with battles, utilizing explosives was not the first thing that came to mind.”

Link flashed him a little grin. “That’s because you’re boring! Besides, it was effective, wasn’t it? And they were practically begging for it to happen with all those barrels!”

Wolf only smiled and shook his head. “I’ll have you know that I’m pretty well acquainted with bombs and bomb arrows myself.”

The younger boy only chuckled and got to picking up the various things that were left behind by the bokoblins. After getting all of the remains he sorted through their weapons, finding most of them to be uninteresting. Upon picking up one of the bows, however, he remembered something.

“Hey Wolf, was it a traveler’s sword or bow that that kid wanted to see?” he called down to his companion.

“Sword!” Wolf, who had ventured to the edge of the forest to forage a few things, shouted back.

“Rats…” Link muttered. He kept the bow all the same, though, since he had the space for it thanks to Hestu.

After he had looted the fort Link turned his attention to the tall green pillar beside it. Laying not too far off in the lake was a metal cube, which Link grabbed with magnesis and moved right up next to the pillar. Once it was in place he climbed up onto it, changed into his climbing outfit, and tackled the pillar itself. The chest that sat atop it had some bomb arrows, and Link kept it to himself how amusing it was that the world seemed to be encouraging his new, “less dangerous”, way of dealing with things.

When he got back to the ground, Wolf was already waiting for him with Speckle Butt. Link took all the mushrooms, herbs, and even a hearty radish that Wolf had found. He didn’t yet mount his horse, though, as he instead chose to take his new axe to a few of the trees surrounding them. As he worked they discovered that the forest was riddled with octoroks who possessed obnoxiously good aim. After getting hit twice, Wolf decided that he had had enough of them and transformed. Link didn’t know how he did it, but the older boy darted back and forth around him, destroying only the bushes and saplings that the annoying monsters hid beneath before launching into them to finish them off when they popped up in surprise. Once he had cleared out all of the immediate threats, Wolf turned back and picked up everything that they had dropped. Link thanked him with a quick ear scratch before taking everything. With several new bundles of wood, Link finally got back on Speckle Butt and they proceeded down the road.

Leaving the forest, as it turned out, did not mean they were out of harm’s way. Almost immediately three bokoblins came charging at them on horseback. Both boys were momentarily stunned, having not expected them to be smart enough to ride horses. In that very moment one of them managed to land a hit on Link with its spear, knocking him off of Speckle Butt. Wolf could tell just by looking that the spear was weak, but that knowledge did little to stop him from snarling at the monster that had just hurt his companion. He transformed and went about doing what he could to aid Link, which amounted to barking and drawing the bokoblins’ attention away from him.

Link got back to his feet fairly quickly and once more drew his bow. He didn’t want to hurt the horses if he could, and so chose only to use normal arrows. With Wolf’s help distracting them, hitting each of the monsters in the head wasn’t too hard a task. When all had been killed the horses they had been riding took off to somewhere else.

“Stay safe, now!” Link called out to the retreating animals.

“One can hope they will.” Wolf muttered, having turned back and rejoined Link.

“You know…are you sure that you don’t want a horse? Isn’t walking all this way kind of tiring to you?”

“I’ve told you, I’m just fine with walking. Besides, think about it for a second. If I’m on a horse, then getting into a position where I can fight would be an absolute pain. You can draw your weapons and fight on horseback, or leap right off and lead with your bow. I can’t do that. If I want to ‘draw my weapons’ I have to transform. It’s much less convenient.”

Link groaned. “Okay, I get that weapons break and you’re not used to that, but is it really such a bad thing? I mean, I find way more weapons than I can use all the time! It’s not like we couldn’t keep the both of us well supplied. Heck, you did pretty well with that spear.”

Wolf’s ear twitched in annoyance. “I’ll concede that transforming all the time isn’t as easy as picking up a sword that’s been dropped on the ground, but yes, it is that bad that your weapons break! Unless there comes a time where transforming into a wolf is even more inconvenient than it is now, I won’t use those weapons.”

The younger boy only sighed and climbed back onto Speckle Butt. The conversation having ended, they continued to meander down the road. Neither were surprised when the sensor eventually flared to life, as they were approaching the shrine that Link had pinned. At a fork in the road the two ventured off the path and headed due north. The shrine, they found, was on a little island right in the middle of where a river split in two. The water that rushed around it flowed in their direction, making swimming across a little more on the difficult side. Wolf and Link both made it across without aid, however.

The island was covered with beautiful little flowers. The pair took a moment to admire them, and then Link stepped forward to approach the shrine.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! You must not harm the flowers!” a woman suddenly shrieked. Both boys nearly jumped out of their skin and turned to find the woman stomping around the flowers in order to angrily scold them up close. “I planted flowers around the shrine. Please be careful when you step. You don’t want to hurt them, do you?”

“Um…right, sorry.” Link whispered.

The woman let out a “hmph” and marched back to where she had been standing in the shade beneath a tree. Link and Wolf followed her, as there appeared to be an opening in the flowers nearby. Wolf opted to remain behind as Link ventured forth, keeping a close eye on where the flowers had been planted. Not too far into the strange flower maze, several chu chus popped up out of the ground and slowly rolled their way towards Link. The boy couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed that the monsters were apparently allowed to step on the flowers, but he wasn’t. He brandished one of his swords and swung at one of the monsters in his path, and the air was split with another horrified shriek by the woman, this time telling him how dangerous it was to swing a sword around near the flowers.

Wondering if the woman had any semblance of empathy for another human being who was currently being surrounded by monsters, Link complied and sheathed his weapon again. He instead decided to run passed the chu chus, hoping to get to the shrine and be done with the woman’s craziness. He did well navigating the flowers the rest of the way…right up until he reached the very end. A small patch of flowers grew directly in front of the shrine’s steps, and the woman screeched at him yet again when he accidentally stepped on one.

Resisting the urge to shout back at her, Link went on ahead and entered the shrine. He had hoped that it would be a simple “here’s your reward” sort, but unfortunately it had a puzzle waiting for him. Thankfully it was an easy one. All he had to do was make use of cryonis to get across some flowing water. A metal chest sat at the bottom of the artificial river, which he brought up and looted. There was a second body of water flowing around in a circle. A few explosive barrels drifted along with the current, along with a wooden chest. Link fished up the chest with another cryonis pillar, looted it, and then turned a bomb arrow on one of the exploding barrels. It detonated beside a crumbling wall, and Link used cryonis again to get over to the ledge where the exit sat.

Just because Link had successfully cleared the shrine did not mean he was in the clear, apparently. As he stepped out of the shrine he once more tread upon the flowers that grew right in the middle of the path. The woman’s familiar shrill cry pierced the air and Link looked to her in frustration. Wolf, too, was not thrilled by her outcry.

The woman hung over in melodramatic distress, muttering about how she had told Link so. Many. Times that he should not harm the flowers, and how did he not understand. Before either boy could speak up against her, the woman screamed again and went ballistic. She ran all about the little island, treading all over her own precious flowers in the process, all the while screaming and flailing about with her arms. She only stopped when she tripped over her own feet and fell face-first into the dirt and grass. Link crept forward, hoping to have a chance to get across the flowers before she got back up. The woman was quick to recover, though, and she stood panting for a moment.

“I…will make you understand…the flower’s rage!” she shouted before charging at him.

Wolf was faster. Having anticipated that she would try to attack Link, he transformed and shot forward. He knocked Link off his feet and onto his back, taking off again just before the woman could reach either of them. She fell again, and Wolf carried the both of them back to the edge of the island where neither wasted any time in swimming back across to safety.

“Freaking lunatic…” Link muttered as he hauled himself onto dry land.

Wolf shook off and turned around to see the woman shouting and stamping her food, likely on the very flowers that she didn’t want anyone to harm. He transformed with a sigh and grumbled, “You can say that again…”

With a nervous laugh, Link clambered back onto Speckle Butt. “You’re really strong though, you know?” he asked his companion. “I didn’t expect you to be able to carry me like that.”

The pair made their way back towards the road and continued to follow it northward. “You’re certainly too heavy to carry around all the time, but I’m just as strong as a wolf as I am a human. Why wouldn’t I be able to haul you a short distance on my back?”

“It still surprised me.”

“You haven’t seen the half of what I can do.” Wolf flashed him a grin.

“Really now?”

“I don’t want to spoil anything, just on the off chance that I can somehow get my equipment back, but there’s a certain something I used to wield that weighs about as much as you do. So being able to carry you is no surprise to me whatsoever.”

Link whined playfully at not getting any juicy details, but didn’t push the subject any further. They had crossed a bridge and were now in uncharted territory again. There was a bit of a ridge beyond the bridge and they were approaching the top of it fairly quickly. A lone tree grew at the top, and beside it was a large rock. Link steered them off the road in order to approach the tree. He was disappointed that there wasn’t a korok hiding by it in some way, but something else caught his interest.

“…Woah…” he murmured in awe from the top of the tree.

“What’s up?” Wolf asked him.

“Um, just a second.” Link replied, hopping over to the rock and climbing it to get to an even higher point. “Come up here! You have got to see this!”

Curiosity piqued, Wolf warped up to him. It didn’t take him more than a second to see what it was Link wanted him to, and when he turned back his jaw hung open in shared wonder.

From that vantage point they could see what felt like everything. Before them sprawled a vast wetlands, and further beyond that rose the absolutely massive volcano that they had seen earlier. There were several towers that could be seen, which Link pinned as best he could. The pair took a moment to marvel at just how far away some of them were according to his map. In addition to that, they recognized a slope out to the east as the one they had gone sliding down near Kakariko Village. Continuing to look around them by turning more to the left, they could see the Riverside Stable that they had just left to the south, and further beyond that they spotted the tower standing tall and proud upon the Great Plateau. There were yet more towers that they could see out to the west, but Link lacked the pins in order to mark them, instead opting to keep the ones that were in their more immediate vicinity. To the northwest stood Hyrule Castle, shrouded in the foggy aura that belonged to Calamity Ganon. Between the castle and the volcano, the two could just barely see what appeared to be a huge cherry blossom tree rising above a forest.

“You know…this version of Hyrule is incredible…” Wolf whispered, gaze still upon the magnificent view before them.

“The view from the towers has always impressed me, but this is the first time I’ve felt like I’ve been somewhere that’s actually offered a view like this.” Link conceded. “I might just have to climb up to high places more often, if only to see if there’s anywhere that could rival this.”

Wolf chuckled. “I don’t think I’d mind if you did, so long as you give me a shout if you find something good again.”

They decided to take a short break, both to enjoy the view a little longer as well as to eat their lunch. There was still some time for them to keep traveling, but they were a little reluctant to leave the rock they sat upon. Eventually they felt it was time to get moving, and so they climbed and teleported back down. Speckle Butt, oblivious to the beauty the two boys had just beheld, had been filling her own belly while she had waited. Link gave her a quick petting before climbing back onto her and leading the way back to the road.

Chapter Text

Toward the bottom of the ridge was another large tree. Link’s first thought upon seeing it was that there would be a Korok on top of it, but then he noticed some boulders sitting awkwardly beside it. Using stasis and a sledgehammer, the boulder on top was easily bashed out of the way. Sure enough upon lifting the smaller rock beneath it, a Korok popped out and rewarded Link.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand the purpose of those things hiding the way that they do. If Hestu was meant to find them himself to get his seeds back, how was he supposed to be able to move all of the heavy objects they hide under or around?” Wolf muttered as they continued heading north.

Link shrugged and steered them to the right when they reached a fork in the road. “I have no idea. Best guess is that Hestu knows more magic than what he’s showed us. And considering those Koroks got under those things anyway…I mean it’s not impossible.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Wolf relented.

Before the wetlands were a bunch of ruins. The two boys stopped short of them when they spotted a strange creature prancing about in the air. Link raised his slate and took a picture, and his compendium identified it as an electric wizzrobe. The younger boy asked Wolf if he had ever seen one, to which Wolf shook his head.

Link dismounted, not certain of how safe Speckle Butt would be if he fought the thing close to her. He crept forward with a claymore in hand, and Wolf transformed and followed him. Their sneaking managed to get them close enough that the horse was likely out of the way, but they weren’t able to pull off any surprise attacks. The wizzrobe spotted them and turned invisible. Before either boy could freak out even a little, they noticed ripples in the air from where it was skipping about and simply kept an eye on it that way. Much to their dismay, however, the monster was well above their heads when it decided to reveal itself again. With neither being able to immediately hit it, the thing swung the rod in its hand. A ball of electricity flew through the air and struck Link, shocking him enough to make him drop his weapon.

The younger boy waved off Wolf’s concerns immediately, having only taken a small amount of damage. Despite this, Wolf bared his fangs at the creature and snarled. The wizzrobe only giggled and vanished again. It danced about while Link brought out his bow. When it reappeared, he quickly shot it in the head before it could attack. The hit stunned it, and it fell to the ground. In that moment Wolf pounced and Link snatched up his claymore and in order to deliver the finishing blow. Unlike all of the other monsters they had faced, the wizzrobe didn’t leave behind a single thing except for the rod it had been wielding. Link decided to ditch one of his damaged weapons for it, thinking it might come in handy with all of the water around the area they were headed into.

When they finally reached the wetlands the road turned into a series of wooden docks, and on top of that it began to rain. They didn’t get very far along before two more bokoblins on horseback decided to charge them. Before either could reach them, Link drew his bow and fired a coupe of arrows, each knocking one of the monsters off of its mount. Wolf made to attack them, but Link told him to stay back and brought out the electric rod that he had just picked up. A single ball shot from it struck the water at the bokoblin’s feet, and both were electrocuted on the spot.

Wolf quickly fetched what they had left behind and they continued forward. His job at playing retriever happened again when Link spotted a water buffalo and two herons hanging about in the water. Thinking about his options, Link fired a shock arrow. It struck the buffalo and because of the rain both herons were affected as well. All three of them fell to the one arrow, and Wolf let out a whistle at the impressive shot.

“Been a while since we had meat that wasn’t fish, huh?” Link laughed.

Wolf could only nod in agreement before hurrying over to retrieve their future meal. Try as he might, the older boy couldn’t help but salivate a little at the thought of a freshly made steak.

Despite the shrine being well within their view and fairly close, the pair chose to stay on the path a while longer. They could see a few islands in the wetlands and docks connecting them together. They decided that they would follow these over to the shrine in due time. As they kept going, a number of lizalfos attempted to ambush them. Wolf spotted a shock arrow in Link’s hand and refrained from transforming in order to attack. Sure enough, the lizalfos fell to the shock which had only been made worse by the rain. After that, Wolf simply stayed back and allowed Link to continue using the valuable arrows and the electric rod to pick off any foolish lizards.

At the first island were yet more ruins, as well as another wizzrobe. A little to Wolf’s surprise, Link’s arrow of choice to start things off was an ice one. Only when the soaking wet creature had been frozen by the arrow did he understand why Link had made that choice. Without a word of complaint he transformed and finished it off before it could defrost and recover itself. Link swapped out the rod that he had with the one that had just been dropped.

“I think I’m going to visit that shrine, and then we can come back here and rest for the night in one of these buildings.” Link stated, glancing around them at the ruins.

“You sure that’s going to be okay with this rain?”

The younger boy shrugged. “Beats me, but it’s better than not having any shelter at all.” He shielded his eyes and gazed out over the area. The trees were sparse and provided little protection, and there didn’t appear to be any decent shelters that wouldn’t be infested with monsters. “And from the looks of it if we don’t stop soon we might not have any good spot to rest for the night.”

Wolf sighed. “You’ve got a point there. Alright. Let’s get over to that shrine then.”

The lizalfos that dotted the path to the other island and the shrine were easily brought down by the electric rod. When they reached the shrine, Link hurried to go inside while Wolf sought out a meager amount of shelter from the rain beneath a tree.

The shrine was centered around magnesis this time. A pool of water sat in the first room with three orange orbs floating in it. In one corner was a caged off space where one of the orbs was obviously meant to be dropped. At the bottom of the pool was a large metal scoop. Link picked it up and carefully maneuvered it in order to pick up an orb and drop it into the cage. Just as expected, the bars preventing Link from moving forward slid out of the way. A quick look into the other room told Link that he had to bring the scoop with him, and so he did.

The next one was trickier. The caged off area had a roof, and so Link had to be very careful about gently placing an orb onto it so that it would not immediately roll off. It took him a few tries, but once he had it he then dropped the scoop onto a huge button that was submerged in the water. The roof of the cage dropped open, and the orb fell into place. The water drained from the area and Link was free to move onto the exit. Before did, however, he checked the first room again and found that the water had receded there as well. A little room at the bottom was now accessible to him, and it contained a treasure chest. Inside of it was a silver longsword, which he decided to take with him, dropping the mostly-used up rod. With that out of the way, Link made his way to the monk to collect the spirit orb.

When Link returned to the surface he was grateful to find that the rain had let up. The younger boy told Wolf to stay sitting and opted to cut down a couple of nearby trees for their wood. After which the two began to head back to the first island and the ruins. They barely got anywhere before they heard a splash and somebody called out to them.

“Hey! You there!” a female voice shouted.

The pair looked around, puzzled as to where the person was. Both were shocked when they spotted a red, fish-like person swimming closer to them in a deeper portion of the water. She looked them both up and down and grinned brightly.

“I knew it! You are a Hylian, aren’t you?! Yes, you must be a Hylian! Otherwise you’re one unfortunate-looking Zora!” She laughed.

“You’re a Zora…?” Wolf muttered softly in confusion.

Whether she had heard him or not, the female Zora continued talking. “Well, your timing couldn’t be more perfect if you tried! I was ordered by Prince Sidon to find a Hylian! I’ve been searching nonstop! Yes, quite! I certainly wasn’t just floating around and splashing in the water for fun!” she cleared her throat and turned around. She pointed off into the distance in the general direction of the tower. “Prince Sidon is a member of the distinguished Zora royal family. He’s waiting at Inogo Bridge, which is on the other side of that tall tower. I do hope you’ll agree to go there and meet with him.” As she turned back to the pair, she let out a nervous little laugh. “Ah, yes… You must be taken aback by such a sudden request. My apologies. For us Zora, this is our top priority right now. So I must beg you to grant my request. Oh, and…if you do meet Prince Sidon… Perhaps don’t tell him I was splashing about and playing in the water. Deal?”

“Um, yeah, sure.” Link replied. “I won’t say anything.”

Wolf nodded. “My lips are sealed, too.”

“Thank you so much. Please do hurry now.” With that, the female Zora swam off, heading in the direction she had pointed them.

Before they continued, Link decided to climb a green pillar that had been beside the pond she had been in. It was a bit too high even with his climbing outfit, but he found a way to give himself the boost that he required. He kicked Speckle Butt into a trot and jumped off of her back just as she ran passed it. By doing so he was able to reach the top and loot the bomb arrows that were in the chest.

When the pair returned to the ruins, they searched around a bit in order to find the best spot to stop and rest for the night. While looking, Link found another chest that had a purple rupee inside of it. They found a spot the both of them were comfortable with and settled in.

“So…you’ve met Zoras before, right?” Link asked as they dug through their food supply in order to eat their dinner.

“I have, yes.” Wolf replied. “They lived upstream of the lake where I fought that giant spirit bug. I did a lot of dealing with them. They’re a friendly lot, actually. Or at least they were in my Hyrule.”

“Huh… Yeah and that prince gave you an earring that you used to catch that smell fish, I remember that. So why were you all confused back there?”

Wolf frowned. “She looked differently than the ones I know. The ones I’ve seen were all more of a blue and white in color, and were very muted at that. Nothing like that bright red that she was. Even the prince and the deceased queen, who were pinker, weren’t like she was. Also something about her face was different, but I suppose other than that they look similar enough…”

“Hm… Well I mean… I guess if you and I can look so different from each other, then why can’t other people? They’re not even the same person, so it would make sense that they would only look a little bit like each other.” Link reasoned.

The older boy couldn’t help but breathe a quick laugh and smirk. “Link, you have no idea just how similar the two of us look. I must’ve told you before but our resemblance is uncanny. I don’t normally look this way, remember?”

The younger boy tilted his head and stared at him curiously. “Yeah, you might’ve mentioned that but… Ah man! Now you’ve got me all curious about what you really look like!” he huffed. “We’ve gotta find a way for you to go back to normal, bro! I want to see the real you!”

Wolf chuckled. “Perhaps one day we will. I’ve been trying all this time to turn back whenever I’ve been a wolf and it just isn’t happening.” He worried his bottom lip for a moment. “…To tell you the truth, even Midna couldn’t change my form by herself…” Link stared at him silently, and so Wolf continued. “I’ve told you about Zant before… While being exposed to Twili magic would change me and the power of a light spirit could turn me back, it was thanks to Zant that I became able to transform freely. His magic had become powerful enough that it solidified into a shard and embedded itself into my head. We were able to extract it, and Midna would use it to turn me into a wolf whenever I wanted. But changing me back was a whole other thing.

“You see, when the shard first entered by body, I was stuck as a wolf. The light spirits were all weakened and could no longer turn me back. Princess Zelda might have been able to change me, but for various reasons she had to use her own light in order to heal and protect Midna. So all that was left to me was something called the Master Sword. It was just a legend, a myth, but I was able to find it deep within the very forest I had grown up beside. It was with the light from that sacred sword, the ‘Blade of Evil’s Bane’, that I was able to extract the shard from my body. From that point on, whenever I turned into a wolf, it was that sword which was able to turn me back. Although she couldn’t wield it, Midna would hang onto it for me when I couldn’t, just as she did the shard, and used it for me. Thinking about things that way, it isn’t too much of a surprise that Midna’s magic alone is not enough to let me turn back to normal, even if it is now powerful enough to change me into a wolf…”

Link stared off into the distance thoughtfully. Nearly a minute passed before he spoke up again. “So you’re saying that we need to find a very pure and great source of light to turn you back?”

Wolf nodded. “That might be the case, yes.”

The younger boy hummed softly. “…I feel like I should know of something like that, but…well…you know…”

The older boy sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know. Your memory. C’mon, we should get to sleep. That tower looks close, but who knows when we’ll get the chance to rest again.”

Link didn’t object to that, and so the two laid down and made themselves as comfortable as possible on the floor of the half-destroyed building.

*****

The rest of their trek through the wetlands was mostly uneventful. Link managed to kill a few more water buffalos, to which Wolf couldn’t help but remark with delight that they were going to eat well for a few days, whenever they were next able to do some cooking. Link, too, was excited to have meat on the menu again.

When they reached a heavily wooded section on the northern side of the wetlands, Link spotted a chest half-stuck in the mud. He pulled it out with magnesis, earning him another purple rupee. Now in addition to meat, the two boys were looking forward to sleeping in a couple of nice, comfy beds again. While Link shot a strange acorn dangling from a tree, he had to ask,

“Do Zoras sleep in beds?”

“Sure! Water beds.” Wolf replied jokingly.

Link accepted the seed from the Korok he had found. “Really? Since when were you the one who made the dumb jokes?”

“Hey I saw the opportunity and I took it.” The older boy stated. “I’ve got to prove I’m not old and boring, since somebody likes to tease me about those things.”

“Man that person sounds like the sort I’d like to meet.” Link laughed. “You should introduce me sometime.”

“Now I’m wondering if Zoras have mirrors…”

With another laugh, Link led them through the trees. Once on the other side of them, the pair could see what appeared to be a monster fort of some description. To Wolf’s surprise, Link dismounted and wandered off to their left. The older boy followed him and soon realized that Link had been curious about a little, vacant camp that was along the side of the river. It didn’t have much, but there was a cave in the rocks just above it.

The cave held a blue and a black bokoblin, and Wolf didn’t even think twice before engaging the stronger of the two. Link dealt with the blue one on his own, the silver longsword coming in quite handy against it. Wolf took just a little longer to bring down the black bokoblin, but they finished up just about the same time. The older boy raised a puzzled eyebrow when Link smiled at him and patted his head.

“Good boy! Keeping your word and protecting me instead of losing yourself!” he laughed.

Wolf could feel his cheeks color. “You noticed that, huh?”

“Well the last time we fought black bokoblins you kind of flipped out. Of course I noticed.”

Despite being caught, Wolf still smiled and his tail wagged a little at the petting. When Link was done, he went about looting the area. Although the clubs the two monsters had been using weren’t terrible, Link decided to leave them both. The cave contained a treasure chest, which had a gold rupee inside. Wolf was shocked by this, and when he reminded Link of how much it was worth, the boy hurriedly tucked it into his wallet so as not to drop it.

In addition to the chest, Link found both a traveler’s sword and a bow. He told Wolf about the sword and that they would have to return to Hateno sometime in the near future. He ended up keeping both weapons, as despite the bow being weak he had the room for it. Lastly, the younger boy used his sledgehammer to break apart two ore deposits and picked up whatever came out of them.

While they made their way back to where Speckle Butt had been waiting, Link announced that he intended to leave her behind while they cleared the fort out. Wolf had to agree that it was a smart plan of action.

Both boys ended up being rather disappointed by the inhabitants of the fort. In total there had been three lizalfos and a single octorok. Two of those monsters had been easily defeated with the last of Link’s shock arrows, and the others were done in by his longsword and Wolf’s fangs. The chests in the area also weren’t spectacular. A spear, an opal, and ten arrows were all that Link had gotten from them. While he had taken all of them, he couldn’t help but feel a bit let down, especially after having just found three hundred rupees in a dinky little cave.

As the two stepped off of the wooden docks that made up the fort, a thunderstorm kicked up. Both boys lamented that once again they were probably going to spend the night soaking wet and Link raised his fingers to his lips to whistle for his horse. While he did, Wolf noticed that the sword on Link’s back was beginning to spark. He was a moment too late in bringing this to Link’s attention, and the both of them were suddenly stricken by a bolt of lightning.

They had to take a second in order to recover, and Link wasted no time in removing the metal weapon from his back. They both had to eat something to heal back up, and Link rifled through his belongings in order to find a melee weapon that wouldn’t get him shocked. The only things he had that fit the bill was a torch and the two weapons he had picked up from the guardian that he had fought in the Major Test of Strength. They were both incredibly powerful, and he didn’t really want to use them because of that. Still, he felt better having a weapon at the ready, and so he equipped the sword. A little to his relief, both his bow and his shield were not metal.

“Are you going to be okay, Wolf?” the younger boy asked, eyeing the chain on his arm.

Wolf glanced down at it. “I think so… I might get shocked a few times because of this thing, but I can take it. Might need a large meal afterward, though.”

Link nodded and held out his hand in order to touch Speckle Butt’s cheek, as she had finally caught up to them. Before he could mount her, the two boys heard another splash in the water and turned their heads to find another Zora approaching them from the river.

“Hey!” he called out to them. “This is the first time I’ve seen one of you… I’m Tottika of the Zora! Aren’t you…a Hylian?” he asked.

“I am.” Link replied. “Technically we both are, if you can believe that.” The Zora glanced at Wolf suspiciously before giving a shrug. “Is this about your prince wanting to speak with a Hylian?”

“What? Yes! You’ve already heard?” the Zora asked. Link nodded. “Well that makes things easier, then! Prince Sidon is just on ahead. Please do hurry to meet with him. Hylian, I’m counting on you!”

Before Link could answer him, Tottika dove back into the water and swam on ahead upstream. Link shared a look with Wolf.

“Hey, does it bother you any that people don’t recognize you as a Hylian?” he asked.

Wolf frowned. “A little bit.” He admitted. “But I really can’t blame them.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Just one more reason we should hurry up and find a way to get you back to normal!”

All Link got in return was a nod. The younger boy got onto his horse and they continued onward. Just as they got to the road, the Sheikah Sensor began chirping. They followed the sound to the east, heading ever closer to the tower. At the fork in the road they caught a glimpse of a bridge. Despite this they went left in order to keep tracking the shrine. They found it nestled behind a rock and tucked near a few trees.

The voice of the monk inside the shrine greeted Link like always and informed him that the shrine’s trail would be a Minor Test of Strength. This worried the boy, horrible memories of the last test of strength flashing through his mind. On edge, he proceeded forward. His worries were laid to rest as he actually began to fight the small guardian. With the knowledge he had gained from the last time, as well as having slightly better weapons at his disposal, he was able to deal with the little machine fairly easily. When he had beaten it, he picked up both the sword and shield that it had used, as well as a bow that was in a chest sitting in front of the monk.

Back outside, the two boys chose to go back down the road instead of down the cliff. When they took the fork leading to the bridge they found themselves approaching a blue lizalfos. Link broke the only spear he had on it, and Wolf proceeded to finish it off for him. To the younger boy’s delight, he was able to snatch up the monster’s spear to replace his. They also found some new mushrooms in the area, zapshrooms, which they picked. Link wondered about how useful they would be growing in an area with as much water as there was, but he kept them all the same.

He didn’t bother to get back on Speckle Butt, as there was clearly another blue lizalfos waiting for them just ahead. Like before, Link broke his spear on it, Wolf finished it off, and Link picked up the monster’s claymore as a replacement weapon.

During their two fights the lightning had stopped, but the rain hadn’t let up. While they took a moment to catch their breath, Wolf remarked that at least he hadn’t been hit because of the chain. Link, on the other hand, groaned about the hood of his outfit doing absolutely nothing to protect against the persistent downpour.

The road beyond the second lizalfos was blocked due to a landslide, and they determined that they wouldn’t be able to bring Speckle Butt any further. They climbed over the rubble and at long last approached the bridge.

“Say, hey there! Young one! Up top! Above you!” a man’s voice called out to them. The two turned their heads upwards and caught sight of a red Zora on top of one of the bridge’s lookouts. He leapt off of it, did a rather impressive flip in midair, and landed on his feet. He rose to his full height, and both Link and Wolf’s eyes widened at how huge he was. In addition to being about ten feet tall, his musculature put Wolf’s to shame. And as if that wasn’t enough, he was dressed quite a bit more regally than the other Zoras they had come across.

“Pardon the entrance, but you’re a Hylian, aren’t you? I was hoping perhaps you’d have a moment to talk…” he spreads his arms wide and grinned excitedly.

“Y-yeah… I’m a Hylian…” Link muttered, still gawking at his enormous stature.

“Aha! A Hylian! Yes, I knew it! Oh, pardon me… I am Sidon,” the man struck an unusual little pose as he introduced himself, shark teeth grinning brightly at the two of them, “the Zora prince! And what is your name? Go on, please tell me!”

“Erm… I’m Link, and this here is Wolf. We’re both Hyli-”

“Link? Your name is Link?!” Sidon interrupted him, beaming happily. “What a fantastic name!” He brought a finger to his cheek and tapped it curiously. “Hmm, though I cannot shake the felling that I have heard it somewhere before… Well, in any case, it is a strong name! To be honest, I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen the way you work. I can tell by how you carry yourself that you are no ordinary person. Link! You must be a strong warrior among the Hylians, correct?!”

Link shared a look with Wolf.

“I’d say so.” The older boy stated with a shrug.

Link turned a little pink and mumbled, “Not particularly…”

“No, no, no! Do not be so humble! I can tell just by looking at you. I am a Zora prince, after all. I have an eye for talent that is unparalleled!” Sidon insisted. “Yes! Exquisite! I have been searching for someone like you for a long while. A man like you, Link, who carries himself with power! Right now, Zora’s Domain is in grave danger because of the massive rainfall coming from Divine Beast Vah Ruta! Please, promise you will help us! We need your strength, warrior! Won’t you please come to Zora’s Domain with me?”

“Divine… Yeah! Sure thing!” Link replied excitedly.

“Wow! Really?! Thank you, Link! You are indeed the man I thought you were! Now Zora’s Domain will be saved for certain! No time to waste! Hurry up and head over!” he turned and pointed towards the bridge behind him and the road beyond it. “Because of the rain, the cliffs are too wet to climb. To reach the domain, you will need to go straight along this path. As a Hylian, I know you are unable to swim up the river.” He explained. “As such, the path to the domain may be a bit treacherous. You likely have a tough fight in store—there are monsters up ahead that attack with electricity. Don’t give up!” He struck another one of his little poses, grinning down at Link with confidence. “I believe in you! … Oh! That’s right! I have something that I would like to give to you! This is just a small trinket to show that I have faith in you.” He produced a bottle of electro elixir and held it out for Link to take. “It is a drink that will increase your resistance to electricity! I am not sure why, but its effects do not seem to work for Zora. Perhaps because it was made specifically for Hylians. It should work wonders for you, though! I shall go on ahead and make sure there is not anything strange going on where you are headed. I’m counting on you!”

Before Link could reply to him, Prince Sidon back flipped into the water and swam towards the waterfall at breakneck speed. The two boys watched him go until he swam up the waterfall and disappeared out of sight.

“…And suddenly I miss my Zora armor…” Wolf muttered softly.

“Could you swim up waterfalls with it?” Link asked him.

“No, and I certainly couldn’t keep up with that guy either, but seeing him swim like that just made me miss being able to swim more freely than I can right now.” He glanced down at the other boy. “And by the way…you were staring at Sidon quite a bit just now… He wouldn’t happen to be your type, would he?”

“What?! No!” Link shrieked, causing Wolf to cover his ears momentarily. “Where’d you even get an idea like that?!”

“Relax, I was just teasing you.” Wolf sighed. “Like I said, you were staring a lot.”

“You were, too!”

“I’ve never seen a Zora as big as he was!”

“Yeah, me neither!”

“So he isn’t your type?”

“I already said no!” Link groaned and laid his face in his hand. “I’ve been meaning to ask this but, why exactly do you care so much about what my ‘type’ is? You keep asking about it every time I show a little bit of interest in anyone.”

Wolf frowned. “I…that’s a good question, actually…” he muttered, thoroughly confused with himself now that it had been pointed out.

The younger boy stared at him a moment longer before shaking his head. “Whatever… If you really must know, my ‘type’ is on the short side and strong enough to bench press me. There. Happy now?”

Without another word, Link began to head towards the bridge, leaving a stunned Wolf behind him. The older boy’s mind raced, going through every person he knew of and finding that not a one matched Link’s description…except for one.

“Are you coming or what, bro?” Link called back to him, shaking Wolf out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry!” Wolf replied, jogging to catch up with him.

Link held out the elixir to him when he caught up. “I was thinking you should have this, since that chain might cause you trouble.”

Wolf only pushed it back to the younger boy. “No, you take it. I’ve got a lot more health than you do. I can take a few shocks; you can’t.”

Link frowned but pocketed the elixir without any further complaint. The two fell silent, and once more Wolf’s mind wandered back to what his companion had said.

…The only person that Link knew who fit his description was Wolf…

Chapter Text

The path that lay ahead was dotted with lizalfos and octoroks, none of which posed any real threat to Link or Wolf. The road itself was winding, and Link was disappointed to find that there wasn’t a good place to try and climb up in order to reach the tower that was so very close by. When the pair reached the next bridge, which was quite literally just a flat rock that spanned the river, Link decided that it would be in their best interest to scramble up the cliff anyway and head for it. Doing so wasn’t hard, but being unable to climb meant that the younger boy had to be extra careful of where he could get proper footing. When he reached the top, he was surprised to find that Wolf hadn’t transformed and was instead staring at the rocks and cliff analytically.

“You doin’ okay down there?” Link called down to him.

“I’m trying to figure something out. Give me a moment…” was the reply.

And so Link gave him that moment. He waited and watched curiously as Wolf seemed to figure something out and transformed himself. His eyes swept over the rocks again and he sprang forward. His paws touched the rock for barely a second before he launched himself over to the next one, and the one after it. In the end it took him only a few jumps to reach the top and he turned back with a grin.

“Alright!” he laughed victoriously.

“Woah, that was cool!” Link stated, his eyes sparkling a little. “How’d you do that?!”

“It’s something Midna taught me to do. If there was a particularly tricky bit of terrain I would have to climb or get by, she would find some places where I could get solid footing and point them out for me. It let me leap up and reach places I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. Watching you climb up the way you did sort of worked as a substitute.”

“But is it easier than teleporting? That’s the real question.”

Wolf nodded. “It’s much easier. I’m used to being a wolf and using my body to accomplish things. Controlling Midna’s magic, on the other hand, is still somewhat awkward for me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time I need to climb something. I’ll try to find you some good footholds to jump to.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

The pair’s progress forward was interrupted almost the moment it began again. A huge, fat creature was slumbering on its back not that far from where they had climbed up. Link took a picture of it, and his compendium named it as a black hinox. A chill ran down his and Wolf’s spines. They shared a look and silently agreed that creeping passed it would be the best course of action. It wasn’t just that they didn’t know what a hinox was or what it was capable of, but that it was a black variant concerned them. If a black bokoblin still caused Link some grief, there was no way he would be able to handle something that big and with that coloration.

Once they were out of danger, Wolf breathed a sigh. “I really wish I had my equipment. I might have been able to take that thing.”

Link gave one of his ears a quick rub. “Maybe one day…”

He opened his mouth as if to say more, but was cut off when his eyes fell upon what appeared to be gigantic rib bones sticking out of the ground around the tower. Wolf was about to ask him what was wrong, but his eyes too found the bones and he gaped at them.

“Well… I must say that even the biggest of creatures I’ve faced weren’t big enough to leave bones like that! Forget the hinox, what in the world could have died here before?!” the older boy shouted.

“I… I’m not sure I want to find out.” Link admitted.

After taking a brief moment to recover from their mini-encounter with the hinox and the realization that some time long ago there was something even bigger and potentially more dangerous in the area, the pair decided it was high time they get back to reaching the tower. For the first section of it there didn’t appear to be any sort of trail to follow, so they simply proceeded straight ahead. Link shot down several monsters that were guarding the way up, with Wolf helping him out where he could. Despite there possibly being treasures hidden about the area, Link showed no interest in locating them. Wolf presumed this was because of the rain making him hesitant about going somewhere he would have to climb out of.

Eventually they came upon a tall fort standing beside a lookout tower. Wolf stayed down on the ground, hidden from immediate view of any monsters in the fort. Link climbed the long ladder up to the top of the lookout, intending to snipe any monsters that he could from that vantage point. When he reached the top, and black bokoblin that had been waiting on the platform drew back an arrow aimed at him. Without missing a beat the boy smacked the monster with of his two-handed weapons, which knocked it off the platform before it could fire at him. It hit the ground, hard, and Wolf finished it off.

There were only a few bokoblins in the fort itself. Link shot each and every one of them, and despite his arrows not doing a whole lot of damage to the blue ones, killed all of them in that way. With them dead he jumped from the tower and glided down to the fort’s platforms. He quickly scoped out the rest of the place before calling Wolf to head on up. While he waited for his companion to rejoin him, he looted a silver bow from a chest.

When Wolf met up with him again, he turned over a handful of zapshrooms that he had found growing beneath the platforms. Link thanked him, and they proceeded along a walkway at the top that lead further up the mountain towards the tower.

They stopped again briefly in order for Link to snap a picture of some strange-looking ore deposits. The compendium said that they contained something called luminous stone, and so Link cracked them open. Both boys couldn’t help but wonder why they had such a name, considering they weren’t glowing. Link speculated it was because it was still too light out to see the glowing despite there being so much cloud cover.

Beyond that the pair spotted another wizzrobe. Unlike the others it was blue in color, and sure enough it was named as being ice element rather than electricity. Getting a funny feeling that his fire arrows would be useful, Link decided to try shooting one at the thing. It ended up being a good move, as the wizzrobe evaporated from the single hit. Link couldn’t help but cheer at his assumption being correct and raised his hand to Wolf for a high-five. The older boy rolled his eyes, smiled, and obliged him.

Their moment of celebration was over far too quickly, however, as a couple of bokoblins became alerted of their presence due to the wizzrobe’s death. So the pair had to go about killing them.

There was another lookout tower, and Link found that its height was perfect for reaching the base of the tower. He informed Wolf of this, and the older boy went and sought out shelter from the rain beneath a ruined building that was near where the wizzrobe had been prancing. Link meanwhile scaled the lookout and glided across to the tower as planned. Thanks to the surface being like that of a trellis, Link had no problem climbing it despite the rain. Once activated, the tower scanned the area and dropped the information onto the Sheikah Slate like always. Link took a look at the map out of curiosity…and let out a long groan.

When he returned to Wolf’s side, he took a moment to show him what he had seen. The older boy’s reaction was identical to Link’s. They could clearly see the road they had been on and how much farther it appeared they had to go. It was a winding stretch that was occasionally broken up by a bridge, and the thought of following it all in the heavy rain was disheartening. Not to mention it looked like it could easily take them the rest of the day even if there weren’t any monsters to slow their progress. Although the monster part was just wishful thinking and the both of them knew it.

Thankfully getting back down to the first bridge, where they had met Sidon, was easy enough. A quick jump and a glide and a teleport was all it took. Making their way up to the second bridge again was also painless enough. In fact, even making it the short distance to the third bridge (which was just a rock, much like the second) wasn’t too bad.

“Hey! Link!” Sidon called out suddenly. The pair had just crossed the bridge, and they turned back around to find the prince waving to them from the water. “Sorry for calling out to you from the river! Since I pressured you into coming, I was not sure you would really come through. I am pleased things are going well. Ever since this strange occurrence, there have been a lot of monsters around here. Be careful as you proceed! And hurry! All of my fellow Zora are anxiously awaiting your arrival!”

Link gave him a quick wave to signal he had gotten the message, and the prince did a backflip before continuing on upstream ahead of them.

“He sure is flashy…” Wolf muttered.

“Yeah, but is that really so bad? He seems nice.” Link laughed.

“Hm… I suppose it isn’t bad.” The older boy admitted. “I’ll admit that the Zora I knew could be a bit flashy, too. Although not as much as him.”

“He is a prince, after all.”

“The Zora prince I knew was a lot cuter.” Wolf stated rather flatly. “Well, let’s get a move on.”

A little puzzled by Wolf’s behavior, Link followed him along. Further up the river several boulders came crashing down the road. The two managed to avoid them easily enough, and it tipped them off that there were definitely monsters ahead like the prince had warned. Sure enough, they soon came upon a little tunnel that was being guarded by a lizalfos. It went down as easily as any of its kind, but their progress forward was still blocked.

Huge thorns lined the whole of the tunnel. Link reached out and poked at them, only to yank his hand back in pain.

“What did you think would happen?” Wolf asked him incredulously. Link stuck the bleeding tip of his finger in his mouth.

“I knew it would hurt, okay?” the younger boy grumbled. “I wanted to see if they were dry or not… Which, by the way, they are. So stand back a moment.”

Wolf stepped aside and watched as Link shot a couple of fire arrows into the tunnel. The thorns, dry from the shelter of the ceiling, went up in flames easily. A few seconds passed and all of them burned away, opening the path for the two boys. Before that, though, they spotted a treasure chest sitting in plain view now that the thorns were gone. In it was a purple rupee that Link happily pocketed.

Beyond the tunnel was a camp full of lizalfos; all of them wielding shock arrows. Link downed the elixir that Sidon had given him, and he and Wolf got to work. There were about six in total, and twice Link was unable to dodge their shots and ended up getting shocked into dropping his equipment. True to his promise, Wolf refrained from doing anything more than getting between him and their enemies and tanking hits while Link recovered and snatched up his weapons again. Once they cleared out the camp of monsters, Link handed over some food so that Wolf could get back his health as well, and then went about looting whatever he could in the meantime.

Beyond the camp were a couple of cliffs on either side of the road. When they reached the other side of them they were once again interrupted by Sidon from the river.

“HEY! Over here!” the prince shouted, waving to them. Link approached the edge of the river in order to hear him a little bit better. “Sorry for calling from so far away! The domain is still a ways off, but you’re making good progress! I shall be along soon myself. I won’t be much longer! In the meantime, I’ll be cheering you on from here in the river, so hang in there! You can do it! Stay strong!”

Link gave him another wave, and the prince did another backflip before swimming away.

“He sure has a lot of faith in somebody he’s only just met.” Wolf remarked. “I can’t tell if that makes him an idiot, suspicious, or a very honest person.”

“I mean, I had a lot of faith in you even when we first met.” Link stated. “You were such a cute, smart puppy dog.”

“Wolf! And that’s because you’re an idiot.”

The younger boy flashed him a grin. “Well, I don’t think he’s suspicious at all. So by process of elimination, that should make him an honest one!”

Wolf only shook his head and followed the younger boy further along the road. Ahead of them were a bunch of electric keese, which were sound asleep on the overhanging cliffs. Each one was easily shot down and killed with an arrow, so thankfully they weren’t a problem. What was a problem was that a thunderstorm kicked up again just as soon as they were through the tunnel the keese were resting in. With some reluctance Link switched over to the least-powerful guardian sword he possessed, as it wasn’t made of metal.

A short ways beyond that were three lizalfos. Having picked up a few shock arrows from their buddies at the camp, Link decided to get some revenge and electrocuted each of them. And just to add insult to injury, he swiped the meat they had been roasting…but mostly it was so that he and Wolf could use it to recover more health they were bound to lose during the rest of their trip.

Before the next bridge Wolf suddenly stopped Link and pointed out a metal chest on a rocky island. The younger boy activated magnesis and noticed that there were others beneath the water as well. He couldn’t reach the first chest from the shore, so instead he swam out to get it. It only had arrows, but he was okay with the find, considering he had been using a lot of them recently. From the rocky island he also fished out the first of the other chests. It contained ice arrows, which he happily accepted. The boy then swam back to the road where Wolf was waiting for him.

While Link had been mucking about with chests, Wolf had gone on ahead and killed another lizalfos and stolen the fish it had been roasting. Link stepped passed the bridge in order to get the last chest he had seen from the water. It had another silver bow inside of it, and he decided to take it along. When they stepped onto the bridge, Wolf had nearly asked if Sidon would show up again. He hadn’t even been able to voice the first word of his question when the prince himself called out to Link again.

“Hey! Link!! You’re almost halfway to Zora’s Domain!” he shouted happily. “Oh, by the way, there are a few spots up ahead with lots of enemies…but I’m sure you will be fine! I believe in you, Link!” As soon as the prince got the wave from Link, he did yet another backflip and was off again.

“I really am not convinced by how enthusiastic he is about this.” Wolf stated.

“Aw, c’mon bro! Relax! Even if he’s putting on a front or something at least he’s warning us of danger.” Link sighed.

“Yeah…you’re not wrong.” Wolf said. “I just…I don’t know. Something about him is rubbing me the wrong way. I’m not sure why.”

“You know what I think?” the older boy raised an eyebrow at the question. “I think we’re both sick and tired of being out in the rain! It’s about sunset already, we’re soaking wet, and we still have a ways to go before we can rest. Come on, let’s just tough this out until we reach the domain. Then we can sleep.”

Wolf agreed and was about to follow him. He stopped short when he noticed the chain upon his wrist beginning to spark. Link turned back to see what was up just in time see him get struck by a bolt of lightning. Wolf let out a yelp, but true to his word he was relatively okay.

“Yeah. I am ready for us to be done with this rain business.” He grumbled. He was just about to eat one of the fish that he had picked up, but Link offered him the steak instead knowing that he preferred it. Wolf took it gratefully and followed him further along the path.

The road was lined with boulders, some of which even came rolling down the mountain at the pair. At one point, one rolled right into the path and got wedged between the cliffs. Link was able to scramble over it, and Wolf jumped over it as well. On the other side the two boys found another lizalfos, this one possessing quite a collections of spears. After killing him, Link snatched up the ones that looked the best.

A short way beyond it were four more lizalfos; two of whom had shock arrows. Link quickly picked off the two archers with his own shock arrows while Wolf dealt with the lone blue one. After that, the remaining normal lizalfos was a cinch to kill.

With the monsters out of the way, the pair turned their attention to a large, strange carving in the stone wall. Link squinted up at it, shielding his eyes from the rain in order to read it. The carving told about a piece of Zora history. In ancient times there had been an abundance of pure, clean rainfall in Lanayru, and so the Zora gathered there. The domain was built 10,000 years ago. The land had been rich with a special ore from which the Zora developed a unique form of stonemasonry to build their home with. The result being their domain, which still stands as a hallmark of the artists who made it and a symbol of Zora pride.

“A special ore, huh? Wonder if that means the luminous stones…” Link muttered thoughtfully.

“If that’s the case, it must be beautiful at night. Look.” Wolf said, pointing up towards the cliffs around them.

In the darkness that had descended upon them, there were a few spots in the distance that were glowing blue. Link dug into his pockets and pulled out a chunk of the stone he had gotten earlier. Both boys were momentarily awed by the soft, blue light it gave off, and they agreed that they were both now even more excited to reach the domain.

Despite wanting to reach their destination and get out of the rain as quickly as possible, they swung off the path in order to kill a few more lizalfos and to raid their camp. Link found a few decent weapons lying about, and Wolf opened up a chest that held a silver rupee. After that they returned to the road and made their way toward the longest bridge yet.

As if on cue, halfway across the bridge the prince once more called out to them from the river. Link hurried to the edge of the bridge and nearly had to lean over the tall railing in order to see him.

“You are still pretty far off, my friend! But I was sure you’d be passing over this bridge, so I have been waiting for you. You will be in Zora’s Domain before you know it! In fact, I’m going to head that way too! I shall meet you there!” Sidon was about to leave him, but he stopped and shouted, “Whoa! Link!! Beware, warrior! A monster approaches from behind you!”

Sure enough, a blue moblin had somehow managed to sneak up behind the two boys while they had been paying attention to the prince. It didn’t prove to be difficult, especially with Wolf being tired and more willing to sink his fangs into such a large enemy more than he usually was. As soon as it was dead, the two checked if Sidon was still down in the water. He wasn’t, and so they moved on.

There was a little tunnel just beyond the bridge and the two stopped to take a quick breather. Some mushrooms grew in the area, and Link picked them up to add to their supplies. To Wolf’s surprise, it was the boy who breathed a sigh and muttered,

“I wonder if it’d be alright to stop here for the night…”

“I mean, I doubt it would hurt. But the prince did say the domain was right nearby, didn’t he?” Wolf asked. “And if you’re so trusting of him, wouldn’t you rather not make him worry by waiting until tomorrow?”

Link brought out the map and look a look at it. It was obvious that there was only one last winding stretch of road until they were at their destination, and so the boy relented. Wolf put a hand on his shoulder and stated again that he too just wanted to be done with this bit of their travels.

An electric wizzrobe was waiting for them it a sharp corner in the path. Just like the others before it, an ice arrow was enough to make it freeze and fall to the ground where both Link and Wolf were able to attack it. Near where it had been roaming was another carved wall, and Link read it out for his companion.

“History of the Zora, Addendum 1: King Dorephan Stands His Ground. Around one hundred years after King Dorephan ascended to the throne, a stray Guardian crossed Upland Zorana into our domain. The Guardian seemed unstoppable. Our best soldiers’ spears barely left a scratch on its metal hull. It was then that our King Dorephan, without a thought for his own safety, came out to face the Guardian himself. With supernatural strength, he lifted the Guardian and hurled it into a ravine. The impact of the fall left the Guardian in pieces, and it was never to trouble another Zora ever again. The citizens celebrated the king’s valor. From then on, their trust and respect for him grew beyond compare. You can still see the scar he earned that day on his forehead—a token of his triumph.”

“Sounds like the king is even bigger and stronger than Sidon.” Wolf commented. “If he was able to lift and throw one of those things…”

“Yeah… Which probably means the prince isn’t done growing yet.” Link added with a glance at Wolf. “Definitely not my type.”

The older boy groaned. “I get it, I get it! I’ll stop asking if you like everyone we meet.”

Link flashed him a grin and the pair continued along the path. At the top of the mountain, two things of interest came into view. In the darkness of the night they caught a glimpse of a strange, pinkish glow off in the distance. It appeared to be spouting water endlessly into the sky, and both boys silently wondered if it was the cause of all the rainfall. Second, they could see a structure of some sort that resembled the tail of a fish. As the road descended towards the second point of interest, they assumed it to be a part of Zora’s Domain.

There were only a few moblins obstructing the path from there, and they were easily eliminated. At long last Link and Wolf came upon the bridge that lead into Zora’s Domain. They both stopped to take a look at the magnificent structure that glowed ever so faintly in the night due to the luminous stone it had been created from. It was awe inspiring, to say the least.

“Say, is this place anything like the one you know?” Link asked softly, eyes still roaming over every little detail that he could make out.

“It’s… The architectural style is very reminiscent of the Zora’s Domain I know…but otherwise no. They’re completely different.” Wolf replied.

“Which would you say is prettier?”

“At night? This place. We’ll have to see how it holds up in daylight, though.”

After a few minutes they remembered that they could do more than stand and stare at the place, and so they began to cross the long bridge. Several steps along, Sidon came hurrying up to meet with them.

“Whoa! I’ve been waiting for you, Link!” he shouted happily, striking another of his poses complete with grinning shark teeth. “Welcome! Behold the pride of my people, Zora’s Domain! Now I shall introduce you to the king. Hurry, this way!”

The prince led the two through the domain. The first thing that both boys noticed was a large stature of a young female Zora at the center. Link whispered to Wolf that she was rather pretty, and the older boy had to agree. Perhaps more interesting, though, was a shrine that was tucked away behind it. Link made himself a mental note to activate it before going to sleep. Prince Sidon led them up a staircase and the three passed by an older Zora who was repeatedly zapping himself on a shock arrow, crying out in pain with even the slightest spark. As the prince said nothing about it, neither boy spent too much time thinking about what was going on. At the top of a second staircase sat a Zora who was undoubtedly the king.

Just as Link and Wolf had been expecting, he was huge. Wolf would later liken his size to that of some of the bosses he had faced off against, but at the moment was just as amazed as Link was. It was probably not a stretch to say that he was larger than even the hinox they had snuck passed.

“Ah. You must be the Hylian that Sidon brought here, correct? You did well to come all the way here! I am King Dorephan, ruler of the Zora.” The king greeted. For a second his eyes roamed over Link before widening just a fraction. “Hm? That object upon your waist…is that not a Sheikah Slate?! HMMM?! Now that I have gotten a good look at you, it is all too clear who you are… You are the Hylian Champion, Link! Do not tell me you have forgotten me…”

Sidon let out a gasp and his jaw went slack. “The Hylian Champion? You can’t mean the Link? That Champion?! So that’s where I have heard your name before! What a fateful coincidence that we should cross paths!” He grinned at the boy even more happily than he had before.

“I cannot believe it. The Hylian Champion, Link, has appeared before us…” the king said. “We have met numerous times, I’ll have you know. Ah… So many memories! My mind is overflowing with nostalgia, my friend. I had heard a terrible rumor that you had fallen in combat, but it appears you managed to survive. Extraordinary!”

“I did fall.” Link admitted. “I’ve…I’ve been sleeping all this time in the Shrine of Resurrection.”

“Come again? Sleeping, you say…” the king hummed as he seemed to put a few pieces together. “Is that why you do not seem to remember me? But surely you must remember my precious daughter, Mipha, yes? You do, do you not?”

Link averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “That name doesn’t ring a bell…”

Dorephan’s eyes became filled with sadness. “I cannot believe it… Have you truly forgotten my dear Mipha as well? You and Mipha were so close… Yet you do not remember her?”

“If I may; Link’s forgotten everything.” Wolf stated. “He doesn’t remember anyone, not just your daughter.”

“I see… And who might you be? I do not recognize you.”

Wolf gave him a somewhat awkward smile. “Wolf. I’m just a friend. Although I do not look it, I’m a Hylian just as Link is. Please don’t pay it or me too much mind. I’m only here to assist him.”

The younger boy nodded in agreement. “He’s not a bad person. And anything you have to say to me you can say in front of him.”

The king nodded, finding the explanation satisfactory for the time being. “Young hero…” he said, addressing the younger boy before gazing over his head and out to the rest of the domain. “Please look upon the beauty of Zora’s Domain. Do you see that statue? Does gazing upon Mipha’s immortalized form still not jog your memory?” Link recalled the statue and shook his head. “Well, perhaps your memory will return in time. I dearly hope so.”

“Father… I do not believe discussing my sister is helping matters at the moment. Link seems confused.” Sidon interrupted.

“Oh? Yes, of course. But first, it is worth noting how remarkable it is that Sidon brought a Champion here without realizing it! That is quite a feat, my boy!” The king laughed happily at what appeared to be a joke that only he understood. “That is a good one! Link, I doubt not that you have endured a great many trials. Still, I must ask you to hear my plea.”

“Right. I’m here to help, after all.”

“Now then. Hero and Wolf…I must inform you that Zora’s Domain is in danger of vanishing because of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. I shall do you the courtesy of speaking bluntly. We alone cannot stop this beast. Will you lend us your strength?”

An elderly Zora who had so far been quietly standing nearby and listening to the conversation nearly screeched. “What?! King Dorephan! My liege! Please do not speak so! To ask Hylians for help… Why, the very thought of it curls my fins!”

“Muzu, I expected more of you.” The king admonished him. “How can you still protest?”

“Muzu! It is rude to speak that way to your king and his guests. Link is here because I invited him, and his friend is welcome as well!” Sidon interjected. “With such unprecedented rainfall, we have no choice but to rely on the aid of a trustworthy Hylian…or two. Have we not already discovered this and arrived at that very conclusion? Link is the key to saving Zora’s Domain. I have no doubt in my mind.”

“Indeed! Link is a Champion, through and through. And this other boy here, Wolf, is his ally.” The king agreed. “As things now stand, Zora’s Domain… Nay! Perhaps all of Hyrule…is doomed to be swallowed by the sea. This is bigger than all of us, my friend. Zora and Hylians alike must put aside our differences and band together.”

The Zora known as Muzu wasn’t having any of it despite his king’s and prince’s reasoning. “Have you forgotten already, my king?! We cannot trust these lowly Hylians! A hundred years ago, they abused the power of an ancient civilization and turned Hyrule into what it is today! And that is not the least of it!” He paused and let out a depressed sigh. “It is their fault that Lady Mipha was lost to us…”

The king fell silent for a few moments and breathed a deep breath. His gaze returned to Link and he returned to the subject they had been on before Muzu had spoken up. “Link… Divine Beast Vah Ruta has great power. It has the unique ability to create an endless supply of water. Of late it has been mercilessly spouting water into the air. As a result, this area has been plagued by heavy rains. For us Zora, water and air are as one, so you would not think this would be quite so critical of a problem. Sadly, the rains have filled the eastern reservoir nearly to the point of flooding. If the reservoir bursts, as it soon will, I fear immense damage will befall not only Zora’s Domain…but also the area downstream from us. There, Hylian lives are in very grave danger.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud, echoing sound emanated from the east. All heads within the throne room turned and gazed up at the mountain. Sounds of a vast amount of water moving about could be heard, and another sound echoed again.

“Hmm… The Divine Beast is crying out once again…” The king muttered softly. “The Divine Beast Vah Ruta… Your princess, Zelda, often studied the Divine Beasts. That is, in the time before the Great Calamity. According to her research, the orbs located on Ruta’s shoulders…are mechanisms that can control the water it generates. However, they require electricity to work. These orbs are clearly out of control now because there is no electricity coursing through to stop them.”

“That…seems like an awfully bad design choice.” Wolf stated. Link didn’t say aloud, but he had to agree. What the Zora thought of it, they didn’t let on.

“Seggin, who is quite shock resistant for a Zora, hit one with a shock arrow.” Sidon explained. “Sure enough, it slowed the water a bit. Unfortunately, as an aquatic race, we Zora are terribly vulnerable to the power of electricity.”

“Seggin… That wouldn’t happen to be the guy we saw shocking himself would it?” Link asked.

Sidon nodded and continued. “Perhaps because we could not safely strike it with enough electricity at once, the water soon returned to its full force.” The prince struck another one of his poses. “That is why I went in search of a Hylian who could help us! Link, I am certain you have already figured this out, but… We need you to use shock arrows to get those orbs working properly again! I will aid you in any way I can, of course. Please, hero… I beg of you. Help me stop Ruta’s rampage of destruction!

“Funny you should ask that of me.” Link began. “See, Princess Zelda actually said that I need to get on board that thing and free it…or something? That’s why I’m here in the first place.”

The king leaned forward in shock. “Whaaat?! Princess Zelda herself instructed you to board the Divine Beast and appease it from within? So then…Princess Zelda is still alive?”

“Yep. She’s in Hyrule Castle, I’m told.”

Dorephan sat back in his throne, still utterly shocked. “I do not believe it… She was alive this whole time, just as you were! The events of one hundred years ago cannot be altered, it is true. But if we can regain control of the Divine Beasts…they may yet prove useful in sealing Calamity Ganon once and for all!”

“I did not know you had such grand ambitions, Link…” Sidon stated, striking yet another of his poses. “Wondrous! Naturally, I shall help too! Once it has stopped rampaging, you can easily climb inside it. Come, Link! Let us appease Ruta together!”

“I’m in. You in, Wolf?” Link asked.

“You know me, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Then let’s do this!” the younger laughed.

“Thank you, Link. Truly. We are in your debt. Our goal is the same. That means our meeting was nothing short of destiny.” The king stated. He took a moment to reach behind his throne and picked up a chest, which he set down in front of Link. “Now then, allow me to offer you this gift as a show of faith.”

He waited a moment for Link to open the chest. Inside was a blue piece of armor. Link could tell just by touching it that the fabric was quite water-repellent. Sewn into the upper arms and shoulders were a lot of scales, much like the ones the Zora themselves had.

“So long as you wear this, you can ascend waterfalls, just like a Zora. Please, take good care of it.” Dorephan explained.

“King Dorephan!!” Muzu shouted indignantly. “Surely you do not really intend to give this outsider the Zora armor! Countless generations of Zora princesses have gifted that armor to the one they have sworn to marry! Princess Mipha made that one there with her own hands! It is far too important to entrust to a shady Hylian!” he glared at Link. “He may be a Champion, bit Mipha had no such relationship with him. So why should he receive such an honor?” Fed up with his king’s behavior, the old Zora stomped away in a huff, muttering as he went, “This is just too much, my liege! I do not understand it one bit!”

“Hmph. That Muzu is not easily swayed once his mind is set.” The king sighed again. “You must understand… He was in charge of educating my dear daughter, Mipha. Naturally, she means a lot to him…just as she means the world to us. Ever since we lost her to the Calamity, he has grown to despise Hylians. I hope you can forgive his rudeness.” Dorephan frowned. “Hmm, but what shall we do now? I tasked Muzu with finding shock arrows we will need to appease Vah Ruta. But now he has rushed off in a huff…”

“Link! Do not let his words concern you. I will work this out with Muzu. I shall return shortly!” Sidon stated before giving the old Zora chase.

“Sidon… I suppose that means you are going to tell him…” the king muttered. He cleared his throat and addressed the younger Hylian again. “Link… Muzu is most likely at the square down below. Would you mind going down there? I would like you to try to speak with him.”

Link nodded and turned to leave the throne room in order to do just that. Wolf followed behind him. As soon as they were away from the king, the older boy let out a heavy sigh. Link gave him a little smile and patted his head softly.

“You and me both. We’ll just finish up here and then we’ll find an inn or something. I am done with today!” Link told him.

“Wet, cold, and tired. Not a good combination.” Wolf agreed. “Let’s hope this business with Muzu will go over quickly…”

Just as the king had suspected, the pair found Sidon and Muzu standing in front of the statue. It appeared that the prince hadn’t yet tried to speak to him, and the old Zora cast Link and Wolf a look of displeasure the moment they joined them.

“Hmph. You came all the way here, but it was in vain. I have no desire to speak with you.”

“Listen well, Muzu. There is something you need to know.” Sidon began, apparently feeling emboldened by Link’s presence. “He who stands here…the man called Link…is the one whom my sister, Mipha, had feelings for.” Both Wolf’s and Link’s eyes flew open in shock upon hearing this, and both of their gazes shifted up to the statue before them. “I was only a child then, so I did not know it myself at the time. But it is so. I grew up hearing my father tell stories, some of which were about my sister’s undying love for a Hylian named Link.”

“What?!” Muzu shouted in disbelief. “No… You cannot fool me with such a fanciful lie. Not this Zora! How could Lady Mipha possibly have feelings for a Hylian like him?! The facts are clear. He remembers nothing. Even when he looks upon Princess Mipha’s statue…”

“It is the truth, Muzu. Though you never knew it, he was ever in Mipha’s heart.”

While the prince tried to explain the situation to the old Zora, his declaration that Mipha had been in love with Link had caused something to stir within the boy’s mind. He felt himself go faint as a memory flashed briefly through his head.

He had been sitting atop the trunk of a giant, mechanical elephant in the middle of a lake. The same red fish-girl that he had seen in his previous memory was with him. There was a gash on his arm, and she was healing it for him and talking to him softly. She recounted the time when they had first met, saying that Link had been just a reckless child and would always get himself hurt. She would heal him, just as she was doing in the memory. She laughed softly, if a little disheartened, and stated that as a Hylian he had grown up faster than she had… But, she was always willing to heal his wounds, even back then. Her current healing finished up and his arm was as good as new. The girl briefly wondered just how much they were really going to be able to do if Calamity Ganon did in fact return, and added that they didn’t know what they were going to be up against. Despite this, she said again that no matter what, if anyone ever hurt Link, then she would heal him. There was a brief pause, and she spoke again a bit more wistfully. She asked Link if, perhaps, once the whole thing was over, they could spend some time together.

The last thing that Link could remember was the girl’s face smiling ever so gently at him, eyes blossoming with affection.

Link felt his body become heavy and his mind hazy. He let out a soft groan and opened his eyes, having again not realized he had closed them in the first place. The first thing he saw was Wolf standing before him, expression a mix of concern and curiosity. Before Link had the wherewithal to say or do anything, he also noticed that he had not collapsed to the ground like the last time, and that there was a pair of strong hands holding him by the arms and solid body behind him keeping him upright. It seemed that Sidon had been the one to catch him. However, Link became aware that one of his hands was being held in Wolf’s own, and that caused a blush to paint itself over Link’s cheeks.

“What is the matter, Link? Are you unwell?” the younger boy heard Sidon ask him, causing him to wonder just how long he had been lost in the memory. It seemed to have felt much longer than it had actually been.

“Hm? You are quivering like a hatchling… Whatever is the matter?” Muzu inquired.

“Mipha…” Link whispered, catching the interest of all three present even more than his fainting had. “I remember.”

“WHAT?!” Muzu cried out in anger. “Do not mistake me for a fool, Hylian! There is no way you remembered her just now, when it is most convenient. In any case, without any solid proof, I cannot possibly take you at your word! If you have any such proof, now is the time to show it. Do so, and…and I…I shall tell you how to get those shock arrows! Yes, as well as anything else you wish to know.”

The old Zora turned away from him, apparently furious and not wanting to look at Link any longer. Prince Sidon leaned down and whispered close to Link’s ear. “The stubborn fool. Lucky for us, we have proof! Link! Go ahead and put on and show Muzu the Zora armor my father gave you!”

The prince made sure that Link was steady on his feet again before releasing him. At the same moment, Wolf gave a subtle tug to the younger boy’s hand, which caused Link to stumble a bit closer to him. While Link brushed it off as a fluke and pulled his hand free in order to change clothes, Wolf cast a pointed glare in the prince’s direction. It went unnoticed, as Sidon was far too eager to see Link pull on the armor that his sister had made. As soon as he was dressed, the prince gave him a nod and called to the old Zora again.

“Muzu! Look closely at the clothes Link is wearing!”

The old Zora groaned and turned to face them again. “You really think changing your clothes is going to make me… Eh?!” his jaw dropped and his eyes took in every part of Link’s chest and arms where the armor covered. “What in the… That is the Zora armor from before! Lady Mipha made that by hand…and yet it fits you perfectly! What is the meaning of this?!”

“Now you understand, do you not?” Sidon asked. “Now you know who her heart belonged to and who she made this special armor for. The fact that this armor fits Link perfectly should be proof enough that Mipha made it for him and him alone! You have always disliked Hylians, even before the Great Calamity. That is why Mipha never told you. Now that you know, you must promise to help him save us all, Muzu. Please… Tell us where we can find the shock arrows we need. Knowing you, I bet you have already figured it out.”

Muzu did not appear to be thrilled by the confirmation, and he grumbled to himself, “Hmph. I never would have imagined she would make that special armor for one such as he…” He turned his gaze back to the stature of Mipha for just a moment before looking back at Link. “…I do not approve of asking for help from a Hylian, but I suppose it is our only option at this point. I am a proud Zora. That means I must take responsibility for my unwarranted behavior toward you. As promised, I shall tell you where you can collect as many shock arrows as you will need.” He pointed off towards the mountain to the northeast. “That tall mountain over yonder… It is called Ploymus Mountain, and there you will also find Shatterback Point. A terrifying creature has made its home up there. This awful beast shoots volley after volley of shock arrows. Even a single one could be fatal to a Zora.”

“Aha! You must mean that Lynel!” Sidon declared. “He is a man-beast, that one! That beast does indeed wield shock arrows. That is certainly one way to collect them quickly. He is vicious, to be sure. But I am certain Link will rise to the challenge.”

“In order to appease the Divine Beast, I estimate that you will need…hmm…at least 20 shock arrows. Do you think you can gather that many?”

“Why do you still doubt him, Muzu? I have no doubt he will be triumphant! Okay, Link. The fastest way to Ploymus Mountain is to ascend the waterfall east of the domain! That Zora armor should come in handy. Just swim to the waterfall basin, and then go up the waterfall from there!” Sidon explained.

“Great. I’ll get right on that…tomorrow.” Link stated, catching the prince a little off guard. “Wolf and I are wet, and cold, and tired. Before we go slaying any man-beast, we should first get some sleep.”

“Of course. I’ll wait for you at East Reservoir Lake tomorrow, right by the Divine Beast. Gather at least 20 shock arrows, and then come join me!” the prince replied.

“Got it!”

“Wonderful! Together we shall stop that Divine Beast’s onslaught!”

With that, Muzu and the prince returned to the higher levels of the domain, presumably to inform the king of their plan. Link and Wolf were left alone at last, and the both of them let out heavy sighs of relief. The mere thought of finally being able to lay down and sleep after the day they had had washed the last of their energy from their bodies. Luckily they found the inn right near the statue. Link didn’t think twice and splurged for them both to have more expensive beds.

“You know…when I said that Zora would sleep on water beds, I was joking.” Wolf couldn’t help but comment when he found out what the eighty rupee beds were.

Link laughed and threw himself onto his own bed, delighting in the way it kept jiggling about. “Really? I think this is amazing!”

Wolf sat down on his own bed, a lot more unsure about it than his companion. “I’m afraid my claws might pop it…”

“Aw, you’re just worrying too much.” The younger boy laughed again, bouncing on the bed in order to enjoy more of its wriggling motions. “Man, I was going to activate that shrine before turning in but now I can’t bring myself to get up again.”

“You can activate it in the morning. May as well activate and clear it in one go, after all. And stop bouncing on that! I thought you were seventeen, not a child!”

“I might be seventeen!” Link corrected. “We don’t actually know how old I am.”

“You’re still too old to be doing that.” Wolf sighed.

“And you’re still an old man who doesn’t understand what fun is.”

A towel got thrown into Link’s face and the boy grabbed it and sat up. Without another word the two dried themselves off as much as possible with their clothes still on. Unfortunately the inn only had one large room where all guests were expected to sleep, so they couldn’t strip down to their underwear and dry off that way. Still in their wet clothes, the two made themselves comfortable in their beds and finally allowed sleep to overcome them.

Chapter Text

Both boys felt incredible the following morning when they awoke. Despite sleeping in their wet clothes, they woke feeling more alive and refreshed than they had in quite a while. They easily agreed that paying the rather large sum of rupees for the water beds had been the very right thing to do.

“We didn’t have a chance yesterday but…care to tell me about what you remembered?” Wolf asked him as they ate their breakfast together. “Clearly you remembered Mipha, but there’s got to be more to it, right?”

Link nodded and fell quiet for a moment. He pieced together what he had been able to recall again, and relayed it all softly. “Mipha and I were together. I think we were sitting atop Vah Ruta. She was healing an injury I had on my arm. I…I have no idea where it came from. She was…gentle. And was talking to me. From what she said, it seems like we had known each other since I was just a child. I think she might have been just a little upset because, as a Hylian, I had grown up much faster than her…I get the impression that relatively speaking she was still what we might consider thirteen or fourteen years old. But I know one thing for certain: she absolutely did love me.” Link lowered his gaze to the floor, a solemn expression upon his face. “I could see it in her eyes, and in how carefully she treated my wound. Plus, she had said that she was hoping that we could…that we could…” he let out an uneven breath. “That we could spend some time together again after the whole business with Ganon was over.”

There was a brief silence wherein Link took several deep breaths to try and calm himself. Wolf watched him curiously, but the younger boy never looked back up at him. A question burned inside of Wolf’s mind, and so despite Link clearly being upset, he asked it.

“Did you love her?”

Finally Link looked up at him, confusion and irritation painted upon his features. “I mean, she was cute but... I thought you were done asking this sort of thing!”

“What I’m asking is different this time. I’m not asking if you do like her. I’m asking if you did love her. Did you return her feelings?” Wolf pointed at what Link was wearing. “Would you have accepted that Zora armor, knowing the implications of doing so, if she had given it to you herself?”

Still clearly annoyed by the question, Link averted his eyes again and worried his bottom lip for a brief moment. "I...” he breathed a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face before threading his fingers through his hair, nails dragging across his own scalp. “I don’t know!” he shouted in frustration. “And truthfully, I think that’s the part that bothers me the most about this whole thing. I know I felt something when she smiled at me, but I don’t know if it was love, or sadness, or just plain guilt. I feel terrible about all of this, though, that’s for sure. I don’t like that I can’t recall how I felt about her at all. I can’t even begin to guess, the memory is that brief!” he groaned and buried his face in his hands. “I hate this…” Link admitted, voice beginning to crack. “I hate that I don’t even know the names of all these people I was supposedly close to, and then when I do remember even one of them I still don’t know anything about how we were!”

Wolf stood up from his bed and crossed the space between them in order to sit beside Link. He placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it just a little to help soothe the disheartened younger boy. “It isn’t your fault that you can’t remember. I understand that it is frustrating feeling so uncertain, and that you feel like you might owe somebody something but can’t possibly know…at least for the time being. I know this probably sounds like empty words, like I might just be trying to placate your feelings but… I find that admirable; that you’d be so concerned about feelings of a person who has passed away who once loved you. I’m sure that if nothing else, you cared about her quite a bit. I don’t think a girl as kind as you think Mipha was would fall for somebody who clearly didn’t regard her fondly.”

Link sniffled a little and leaned heavily upon Wolf’s shoulder. The two stayed that way for some time. Although the younger boy’s face was mostly obstructed by his hood or turned so that he could not see the expression on his face, Wolf was able to spot a few tears roll down Link’s face. He continued to sniffle from time to time, and Wolf eventually raised his hand in order to stroke Link’s hair in much the same way that Link would often pet Wolf’s own head.

Eventually the younger boy sat upright and wiped his face on a corner of his hood’s cape. He sniffled one last time and stood upright, not looking back at Wolf even for a second.

“Thank you…” he whispered. After a beat of silence he let out a single, quiet laugh. “It’s kinda funny… You really are like an older brother. You know that?”

Wolf stared at him, puzzled and unsure how to respond. Oddly, and despite knowing that Link meant well by his words, Wolf felt a slight sting in his heart. Oblivious to the older boy’s brief inner turmoil, Link drew a deep breath and straightened himself up. He breathed another deep breath and whirled around on his heel to face the older boy with a bright smile; only the redness of his eyes giving away that he had just been crying.

“We should get back to work! Sidon’s probably already waiting for us, and I want to take a look at that shrine before head out.” He snapped his fingers as a thought occurred to him. “Hey, I’m probably going to be going into that Divine Beast right after we calm it down. Should probably cook up a lot more food just in case. Think you could do that while I get the spirit orb?”

It took Wolf half a moment to process Link’s sudden change in mood as well as his statement and request. He let out a huff and smiled. Getting to his feet, he replied, “Sure. Give me some things to work with and I’ll cook them up.”

They found a cooking pot that Wolf could use just outside of the inn, and Link forked over nearly everything he had, telling Wolf to not be shy about making them stuff. After that, he made his way to the shrine, which was practically right next door to the inn.

The shrine contained a long slope with water rushing down it. Huge stone balls continuously rolled down in several places, eventually falling into an endless abyss. There were several obstructions in the way on the slope, including a laser beam. Link’s first task was to reach the top of the slope, which he did with stasis and crynosis helping him navigate around the balls. Once at the top, he found an orb of the same size as the stone balls. He could see the place it was meant to go all the way at the bottom, and there were a couple of ramps along the sides of the room from which he could better maneuver the orb. Following one of them in order to get a better lay of the land (and to loot a chest), Link determined that he would need to use cryonis in order to block paths or lift the orb over obstacles as it rolled down the slope.

Actually accomplishing this took him several tries. He was quick to figure out where and when he needed to raise the icy pillars, but the last one caused him some trouble. He found that he had to be a lot more precise than he kept thinking in order to stop the orb from rolling into the abyss and to then raise it over the last wall and thus drop it into the divot and not off the edge. After half a dozen attempts to get the last part right, he finally succeeded and the gate to the monk lifted. He collected his spirit orb and left the shrine.

Having ten spirits orbs in his possession, Link’s next order of business was to locate the Goddess shrine that he was certain he had seen the night before. He motioned for Wolf to stay sitting where he was and ventured up to the higher levels of the Domain by himself. He found the statue located on the second floor between the staircases leading to the king’s throne room. Link’s first wish was for another stamina vessel, which he received, and then for a new heart container. With them both obtained and added to his spirit, he returned to where Wolf had been waiting.

“So, are we going to explore the Domain a little, or head straight for that mountain?” the older boy asked him.

“Well, even if Sidon weren’t waiting for us, there’s the whole rain problem we’ve still got. This place looks like it could have some good stuff hiding around it, but since I can’t climb anything right now I say we deal with the Divine Beast first and foremost.”

“Sounds good to me.” The pair got to their feet and Wolf passed Link most of the food he had made, saving a couple of dishes for himself just in case. He gestured toward Ploymus Mountain. “Lead the way.”

On their way, Link took a moment to snatch away the shock arrow that Seggin was once again zapping himself upon. The Zora shrieked in indignation.

“HEY!! I am in the middle of my shock arrow training. I MUST learn to withstand them! To commit such violence with the great Seggin standing right before you…” he grumbled before suddenly declaring, “In that case, YOU take the responsibility of appeasing the Divine Beast Vah Ruta! Hmph!!”

Link shrugged and resumed his walk towards the waterfall. “One down, nineteen to go!” he stated with a grin.

Wolf groaned and laid his face in his hand.

As they crossed the bridge, a pale Zora on guard duty informed them that all was clear in the area. They thanked her, and she suddenly cried out in surprise. She introduced herself as Gaddison, and informed Link that she used to play with him as children a hundred years ago. She said that she was surprised that the Hylian that Prince Sidon had brought was actually “Master Link”. She then remembered that Link was on important business and that she still had a job to do and quickly apologized for holding them up.

Once they were out of earshot, Wolf couldn’t help but snicker. “You sure are popular around here, ‘Master Link’.” He teased.

A little to his surprise, Link’s cheeks lit up a nice shade of pink. “Don’t you start with that! It’s weird enough hearing it from people I don’t remember at all. I don’t need it from somebody I actually know…”

Wolf laughed again. “Sorry, sorry. I had to.”

Up on the mountain was a sign pointing in two different directions. The right indicated the path to the reservoir, and the left read that there was a “shortcut” to Ploymus Mountain. Unsurprisingly the two boys found a waterfall a short distance behind and to the left of the sign. They stood on a rock that sat at the base of it and took a good, long, look up at it. With his new armor, Link knew he would be able to swim up it. In fact, he was eager to give it a test run. Wolf of course would be able to teleport right up to him the moment he was at the top.

The armor worked like a dream! Not only was Link able to swim up the whole length of the waterfall with ease, but he managed to throw himself high into the air once he had reached the top. A little bit startled by the armor’s effectiveness, he nearly forgot to open up his paraglider so that he could land properly. The second his boots touched the ground, Wolf joined him. There was another, shorter waterfall just behind the first and they repeated the process in order to reach the top of it without exchanging any words.

At the top of the second waterfall, Link took a moment to look around them. His jaw fell open and Wolf was quick to follow his gaze…and was just as impressed. Off in the distance was a gigantic, mechanical thing. Its shape was that of an elephant, and water sprayed endlessly from its trunk. No doubt it was the thing that they had caught a glimpse of the night before, and there was no doubt in their minds that it was Vah Ruta itself.

“Well… I guess that’s why they’re called Divine ‘Beasts’…” Wolf murmured, unable to tear his gaze away from it.

“Yeah, sure looks that way… You know, I saw that thing in my memory, but everything but Mipha was a little hazy. I thought maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me but nope! That is definitely a giant elephant.”

They stared at it just a little bit longer before they returned to climbing the mountain. Further up ahead was another carved wall, and Link read it over quickly before relaying to Wolf what it said. The wall said that there had once been a giant octorok in Hateno Bay, as large as a mountain, and that it had been terrorizing the village’s fishers. Prince Sidon had heard about it and went to eliminate the thing personally. However, after dodging one of the octorok’s stones, he was inhaled whole. Apparently that had been the fate of many strong warriors who had gone to slay it, and that not one had come back alive. However, the giant octorok began to twist in pain, and the tip of a silverscale spear pierced the octorok from within. Prince Sidon had continued to fight despite being swallowed, and the octorok coughed him up due to being unable to bare the pain. It then scrambled to escape. Apparently, ever since then the fishers of Hateno Bay have passed down the heroic tale of The Prince Who Slew the Fell Octorok.

“Hm… So that guy’s muscles aren’t just for show.” Wolf muttered, admittedly quite impressed. “But from the sounds if it, this happened fairly recently. Sidon himself said that he was too young to understand his sister’s feelings for you one hundred years ago, so he was likely not old enough to kill such a huge monster back then.”

“I’m glad you were able to think of that. I’m still stuck on the fact that he killed a mountain-sized octorok and I still find the regular ones kind of annoying!” Link declared.

Wolf chuckled. “Well if you ever get eaten by one of those things, you know what to do now.”

“Right. Although I don’t think a regular octorok would be able to swallow me.”

“Hm, I don’t know about that…” the older boy teased, eyeing Link up and down. “You’re not exactly the tallest person in the world.”

“Hey, I’m adorable!” Link declared. “And it’s not like you’re all that much taller than me.”

“Yeah, adorable, let’s go with that.” Wolf snickered.

“Do you disagree?” Link pouted, placing his hands on his hips.

The older boy hummed again and shrugged. He began to head further up the path ahead of Link. “No, not really. I think I can safely admit that much. Now c’mon, that waterfall over there isn’t going to climb itself.”

Not looking back, Wolf didn’t catch the brief blush that once again stained Link’s cheeks. The younger boy took half a second to slap his own cheeks before trotting a few steps in order to catch up to his companion.

At the base of the waterfall, Link chucked one of his remote bombs into the water in order to catch a few more fish. He ascended the waterfall just like before, and landed safely upon the top of it. Before Wolf was able to warp up and join him, Link spotted a couple of shock arrows stuck in the side of a tree. As soon as Wolf was beside him again, Link showed them to him and they concluded that they must be getting close to the lynel. They found more arrows in other trees as they continued up the path, and Link was sure to take each and every one of them. At last they came upon another sign, this one saying that Shatterback Point was just ahead.

“I wonder what this lynel thing looks like…” Link muttered.

“Well we’re about to find out.”

Climbing the last of the distance to reach Shatterback Point, they were suddenly startled by a loud roar. The two turned towards the source and both yelped upon spotting the beast that was charging at them at full speed. The giant lion-man-horse slashed at them, and Link just barely fumbled to raise his shield in time to block it. The shield was able to take two hits, but the third shattered it. In a bit of a panic, Link tried to stab the thing once. He cursed loudly, realizing not only had he barely done any damage to it, but attacking had left him wide open for its next attack. A single hit from the lynel’s sword knocked him down to barely more than a single heart, despite the extra life energy the water bed had given him.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Link shouted, realizing just how badly beaten he was by the thing.

He looked up to see the lynel raising its sword again, ready to strike. In a flash, Wolf intercepted and took the hit for him with a loud yelp. Taking the chance that Wolf had given him, Link scrambled to his feet and made a mad dash back down the mountain. Behind him he heard the sound of Wolf’s racing footsteps as well as heavy hoof beats. Shock arrows rushed passed him, but by some great fortune not a single one managed to hit him. He didn’t hear Wolf cry out again, so he was fairly certain that he hadn’t been hit either. It wasn’t until he reached the waterfall and had jumped down it that he even thought about pausing to check if the thing was still after him.

Wolf teleported down to him and reverted back to his standard half-form and sat down heavily upon the ground. Seeing that the monster had apparently given up on chasing them, Link dropped to the ground beside him. His own body throbbed in pain, and he quickly produced enough food for the both of them to eat and heal up with.

“That thing…it’s no wonder the Zora are so afraid of it…” Wolf mumbled, accepting the food gratefully.

“Yeah, really! And here I was feeling pretty good having a whole new heart container, too…” Link replied. He lifted his shirt to inspect the damage done to his chest and winced at the amount of blood that was there.

“You going to be okay?”

“Yeah… Smarts like no tomorrow, but I’ll live. What about you?” Link asked.

“Bruised up, but okay…” the older boy sighed. “So, it’s pretty clear that we can’t kill that thing. What are we going to do to get those shock arrows?”

“Actually, I noticed there were a lot more shock arrows stuck in the trees and rocks around the area. I think if we’re stealthy enough, we might be able to just collect those and move on.” Link stated.

“You were able to see all of that in such a short amount of time?” Link responded with a nod. “I’m impressed. Avoid conflict, get what we need, and get out. Sounds like a plan to me.” Wolf agreed. “And if that thing spots us again, I’ll act as a buffer so you can get away again. I think I can take about five hits from that thing…that’s enough time for you to get a head start to safety and I can always warp to you and get out of harm’s way.”

“Wait, five? That lynel easily did seven hearts of damage to me! Just how many do you have?!”

“Twenty.”

“Okay, the math still doesn’t add up here… How much damage did it do to you just now?”

“A little more than three. I think you’re forgetting something.” Wolf indicated the chainmail that was beneath his tunic. “I think this chainmail is better armor than your Zora thing there.”

Link paused and thought about it for a second. “That…that actually makes a lot of sense. Okay. Be my shield if need be, but don’t get yourself killed.”

“I won’t.”

With their new game plan laid out and their wounds mostly healed, they went back up the waterfall again. Link quickly changed into his stealth clothing, and Wolf turned back into a beast, and the pair approached the lynel’s territory with caution. They found the monster patrolling the area, and they fell into step some distance behind it. As they crept along, Link took advantage of the moment to snap a picture of the thing for his compendium. He caught Wolf rolling his eyes, but didn’t respond in away way for fear of making a sound and catching the monster’s attention.

They followed it slowly around the perimeter. Just as Link had noticed, there were shock arrows embedded into nearly every tree, as well as a few lying on boulders and stuck in the ground. The two boys carefully collected each one, ever fearful of alerting the lynel. When they were about halfway around the area, Link motioned for Wolf to go on ahead further up the mountain and wait for him there. Knowing that he wasn’t as good at sneaking as Link could be, he went along with the plan without any hesitation. Still, he remained ready to intervene should Link make a wrong move.

The younger boy continued to creep and crawl along behind the huge monster. Several more shock arrows were available for him to pick up, and he took them all, even after getting as many as Muzu had suggested. With twenty-four of them in hand, he was finally approaching the spot where he had started following the monster. A little wave of relief washed over him.

And in that very moment he slipped up.

He had been steadily getting closer to the lynel the whole way around. He had gotten close enough that the sound of stepping into a pond was enough to alert the monster to his presence and it whipped around and spotted him. Before the monster could roar in anger again, Wolf was already on the move to try and help the younger boy like they had planned.

Understanding that he would be unable to outrun the lynel without his companion’s help, Link stood with a new shield ready. He would stand and fight until Wolf could catch up! The lynel slashed with its sword in a wide arc, and at the last second Link did a backflip in order to avoid it.

Wolf was completely floored at the sight that happened before him. That Link could be quite quick was nothing new to him, but that was nothing compared to the speed with which he hit the ground and sprang forward. Link hacked and slashed at the monster’s stomach faster than anything Wolf had ever seen before. The moment Link backed off from it again, Wolf had finally caught up with him and the monster.

“Change of plans, bro. We’re killing this thing!” Link announced, a fire burning in his eyes.

Unable to argue verbally, Wolf only went along with it. Link kept the lynel’s attention, and so Wolf did what he could to damage it. He bit at its legs, ankles, and occasionally managed to sink his teeth into its arms between its barrage of attacks against his companion. The lynel, for the most part, ignored the beast and continued to try and attack Link with its sword and bladed shield. While the younger boy wasn’t able to time it just right every time he dodged, he still managed to pull off a few more of his strange speedy moments. After breaking a boomerang and a spear on it, the monster was finally brought down below half health.

The lynel suddenly leapt backwards and began to suck in a huge breath. Wolf instantly recognized the tell and got well out of the way. It wasn’t until fire began to pool in the monster’s mouth that Link figured out what was happening and began to run. He managed to avoid each blast, and a brief moment after the third one noticed that the lynel was done. He whipped around on his toes and was delighted to spot the grass still burning behind him despite the rain. He took advantage of it and used the updraft in order to get above the monster.

Bringing out his best bow and ice arrows, Link hoped to freeze the thing in place if only for a few seconds. He pulled off three shots, and not only did he somehow miss the thing’s huge head but also not a single arrow froze the lynel. He cursed his luck, as he presumed that meant the lynel couldn’t be frozen at all. Which wasn’t good for him, as when he landed he was completely out of stamina. While he had been in the air, the lynel had drawn its own bow, and Link was unable to avoid the shock arrow that it shot at him.

One of the fairies Link had on him did its thing, and the boy groaned in pain. Before Wolf had a chance to freak out, Link had the wherewithal to hold up two of his fingers for him to see. Taking that to mean that Link still had two more fairies, Wolf held off on using his big attack and instead went for the lynel’s throat the normal way. Link had just enough time to swallow down more food before Wolf was shaken off and the battle resumed. Link’s spear, bow, and shield broke not long after. But with a final dodge and barrage of attacks with a greatsword, the Lynel cried out one last time and dropped to its knees…and died.

Both boys stood where they were for a single moment before both collapsed to the ground. They panted heavily, adrenaline still coursing through their bodies. It was Link who broke the silence with a single, breathy laugh…and then another…and a second later he was giggling happily at their victory over the mighty foe. Wolf let out an amused huff and turned back, smiling over at Link beside him.

“How in the world did you do that?!” he shouted.

“What? The flurry rush?” Link asked between giggles. “I don’t know! I think it’s something I knew how to do before the whole memory loss thing. One of the monks inside the shrines made me remember. I just sort of…dodge an attack at the right time and suddenly everything slows down. It’s the same kind of feeling as using my bow when I’m in the air, only it doesn’t leave me exhausted.”

“You certainly do have a lot of little tricks up your sleeve. Any others you want to tell me about so I’m not caught off guard again next time?”

Link thought about it for a few seconds and shook his head. “I don’t think so. You’ve seen what the Sheikah Slate can do, and the flurry rush and bow thing now too. That’s all I know of off the top of my head.”

“Well, that’s still impressive.”

“I guess so… The flurry rush is kinda hard to pull off, though. That’s the first time I’ve been able to use it since remembering it, you know? Weird that I got the timing right against such a big enemy but can’t seem to get it right with the little guys…”

“Fear for one’s life can lead to some crazy things.” Wolf remarked.

Link could only nod his agreement and breathe a deep sigh. Had the weather not been raining he would have liked to remain lying on the cool grass a while longer to rest. Instead he sat up and finally collected everything that the lynel had left behind. Its sword, shield, bow, and horns all laid together in a heap. Link happily took them, but what he was even more excited about were the twenty shock arrows he found among the remains. While he looted, Wolf sat up as well, and the two of them devoured part of the food he had made earlier in order to get their strength back.

With everything said and done, they got to their feet and made their way further up the mountain. There were a handful more shock arrows stuck in a tree up the path, which Link picked up for a grand total of fifty of the things in his possession. At the top and edge of the cliff stood another sign, this time reading “JUMP AT YOUR OWN RISK!” Looking down, the East Reservoir Lake sprawled out before them. Standing close to the middle and in clear view was Vah Ruta. Looking around, Link spotted a dock near to the domain. He and Wolf agreed to meet up down there, and Link leapt from the cliff’s edge.

He glided down gently and landed near the back of the place. Not a moment after, Wolf teleported to him. Prince Sidon waited at the end of the dock for them, but apparently hadn’t noticed them arriving. Link took the opportunity to put on his Zora armor and other pieces of Hylian clothing again and took a quick look around them. Weirdly, he saw what appeared to be a bed beneath a little roof. He also found a chest nearby which contained a very good shield. Wolf, who had continued looking around while he looted, got his attention and pointed to a block puzzle on the side of a cliff a few feet away. Link moved the one misplaced block with magnesis and happily accepted a korok seed for doing so. With all of those things taken care of, the two finally approached Sidon.

“Glad to see you’re here, Link!” the prince said happily, striking his pose yet again. “Are you ready for this? Do you have enough shock arrows?”

“Yeah, I’ve got everything. I’m ready.” Link replied.

“Wonderful! You never cease to amaze, Link! Now then, let us go and appease that Divine Beast as one! Here we go!!” Excitedly, Sidon did a back flip into the water. When he surfaced again he turned and pointed towards Vah Ruta. “Gaze now upon the Divine Beasts’ back!” The two boys did, taking in the four waterfalls that poured from the thing’s back. Atop each of its shoulders was a bright pink orb as well. “Do you see those glowing, pink orbs? You will need to shoot each of them with a shock arrow! With your Zora armor, you now have the ability to ascend waterfalls! So I shall take you right up to the side of the Divine Beast, and from there you can swim up and take aim! I know you can do it! I believe in you! Now hurry up and get on my back!”

The two boys turned to each other, sharing a look for a brief moment. Wolf glanced at Sidon and posed a question.

“I’ve been wondering this but…is Link the only one who would be able to board that thing?”

Sidon seemed to be a little taken aback by the sudden question. “I’m afraid I must say that is the case. Only a Champion can board a Divine Beast.”

Link frowned, and Wolf let out a huff. The older boy reached out and put a hand on Link’s shoulder. “Once I see that you’re on board, I’ll go back to Zora’s Domain. I’ll be waiting for you there. Take your time and do what you have to with care. Don’t go killing yourself on that thing.”

“Right. You look after yourself too.”

Link hesitated briefly before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Wolf in a tight hug. Wolf blinked in surprise before smiling and gently returning the gesture. Once they parted, Link informed Sidon again that he was ready.

“Let’s get going!” The prince turned his back on the pair, and Link hopped into the water. A little unsure of what he should do, he placed his hands on Sidon’s shoulders. “OK! Here we go!” Sidon shouted before taking off at full speed. Link yelped and clung on a bit tighter, holding onto the prince’s waist and hips with his legs as well. The prince laughed at Link’s reaction. “Ha! I am unstoppable in the water!” he shouted proudly. Ahead of them, the Divine Beast cried out and began to shift around some. “Ruta is responding to our presence! I’ll move away and wait for an opening before we approach! I’ll keep going at full speed! It’s up to you to ward off Ruta’s attacks! Are you ready? Divine Beast Vah Ruta will undoubtedly use its ancient and mysterious powers against us… That includes hurling giant ice blocks that we will need to watch out for. I shall leave those to you!”

“Got it!” Link shouted back to him.

The Divine Beast created three blocks of ice that strongly resembled the sort that Link could make with the cryonis rune. Immediately he figured out that using said rune would be the way to go, and destroyed each ice block as it was flung in his and Sidon’s direction. True to his word, the prince swam in close to Vah Ruta once the way was clear. As soon as they reached the first waterfall, the prince leapt from the water and flung Link into the waterfall. The boy swam up it with ease and burst from the top of it to take aim at the glowing orb. He shot it without problem and fell back into the water. Sidon was waiting for him, and the moment Link had a firm grip on him, took off again at full speed.

The next wave of ice blocks contained two more than the last time. Link had no trouble getting rid of them like before, and he and Sidon repeated the same chain of events as the first time at a different shoulder. The third round brought about a bigger difference than the others. Instead of ice blocks, Vah Ruta produced five spiked balls that it launched into the water. The blocks, by some unseen force, proceeded to chase them, and Link had a harder time targeting them with cryonis in order to destroy them. All the same he managed it, and Sidon once more brought him in close to the Divine Beast.

Unfortunately it didn’t go as smoothly as before, and Link missed both shots he took at the glowing orb. He hit the water, cursed, and grabbed ahold of Sidon again. The prince assured him that he would get it the next time and sped away from the Divine Beast before it could summon its next spiked ice balls. Again Link destroyed them, and this time he was able to shoot the orb as planned.

The final wave consisted of both blocks and spikes. Despite knowing fairly well how to deal with both, Link was unable to destroy all ten the first time each came at them due to having to switch between aiming behind them and in front of them. He and Sidon both sustained a bit of damage when they struck, and Link apologized each time. And each time, Sidon only replied that it was nothing and that Link should stay focused. The ice that wasn’t shattered properly got regenerated and eventually thrown at them again. It wasn’t until Link was able to take out each one that Sidon was clear to bring him in to the fourth and final waterfall. Link swam up it, took aim, and shot the last orb flawlessly.

As soon as Link hit the water, Sidon swam up to him and the boy grabbed on again.

“WOW! That was astounding! An absolute thrill!” the prince shouted joyously. The water spouting from Vah Ruta’s shoulders stopped, and the water from its truck slowed up considerably. As a result, the skies began clear up as well. The Divine Beast let out another cry and began to rise from the water some more. “Link, Look! The water spouting from Ruta has slowed down! Ruta is floating higher now! You wanted to venture inside it, right?!”

“I do!”

“I’ll bring you closer! We’re counting on you, hero! Do good work in there!”

Prince Sidon brought Link all the way up to the newly opened entrance on the side of Vah Ruta. The boy hopped off of his back and turned to give a wave to Wolf who was still watching from the dock. The older boy waved back, and Link turned his attention back to the one who had carried him there.

“Looks like this is where the real work starts.” Sidon told him. “Best of luck. Nice job cutting off the water flow from this Divine Beast.” He struck another of his poses. “Show the enemy no fear. I’ll see you back at Zora’s Domain. Farewell.”

The Divine Beast began to move again and started rising up even higher. Sidon swam away slowly, watching as Link turned around to begin his new task.

*****

The prince leaped from the water with ease and landed on the dock with a roll. He turned around to take a look at Vah Ruta again, but Link was no longer within view. Still, he continued to search a little more while he decided to address Wolf, who had been sitting nearby.

“Link is truly amazing! Simply incredible! Don’t you agree?” he asked.

“He is.” Wolf replied. “I should know; I’ve been traveling with him for a while.”

Whether the prince caught the scathing tone of Wolf’s voice or the glare he received, he didn’t let on. “Oh? Then perhaps you would be able to answer this question for me! I had been wondering since last night when he said that Princess Zelda was still alive… Does he, perhaps, have feelings for her?”

Wolf’s ear twitched in annoyance. “That’s not something I know. We’ve never talked about it.”

Sidon hummed to himself thoughtfully and his perpetual smile grew wider. “Then… Well, this might be foolish of me, but I must admit that Link is quite magnificent to look upon…”

Wolf’s tail thumped upon the dock and he barely restrained a growl that threatened to slip out of his throat. “Stop right there, Prince Sidon! We have talked about you, and Link isn’t interested.”

The prince started a little and turned to Wolf in surprise. There was a split second of silence wherein Wolf only glared and failed at not growling, and Sidon gaped at him, unsure of what to say.

“Oh… I see…” the prince finally murmured. “I had thought as much when the two of you hugged but… Well in truth it appeared that you two were not used to such things between each other so I hadn’t thought you were quite so far along… Forgive me! I did not mean to intrude upon the two of you! I will not pursue this, or Link, any further.” He flashed Wolf a grin and struck one of his poses. “When Link gets back, you be sure to tell him how you feel! I’ll be cheering for you!”

With his part said, the prince began to head for a stairwell that presumably headed back down to where Wolf and Link had read the sign about the “shortcut”. Wolf watched him go until he was out of sight and then turned his gaze back to Vah Ruta.

“…Tell him how I feel, huh?” he whispered aloud.

He waited a few more minutes before deciding it was time that he do as he had told Link that he would. He got to his feet and followed after the prince. Silently, he prayed for Link to return soon and in fine condition.

Chapter Text

To stave off boredom and worry, Wolf spent his time wandering the Domain and speaking with the Zora who lived there. It didn’t come as a surprise at that point when several of the adults admitted to having known Link when they were young, but all expressed surprise at seeing him again. One Zora in particular had a rather interesting tale to tell. She said that she had had a crush on Link, just as Mipha had. But in the end she got married to another Zora whom she loves dearly and now they have a daughter together. Somewhere in the back of Wolf’s mind he was both happy for her for having found somebody, but also glad that she no longer had any interest in pursuing Link romantically. He also had to wonder just how many people would end up liking or having liked the younger boy. One thing for sure: Link was apparently quite the lady killer without even trying to be.

In addition to those Zoras, Wolf met and chatted with a few who wanted things that he thought perhaps he and Link could help out with. One woman wanted to see a picture of lynel so that she could rightfully scare the children away from Shatterback Point, one child was seeking a collection of tireless frogs, another wanted some luminous stones in order to make some minor repairs around the Domain, and more. Wolf did his best to mentally jot down every last one he came across, but eventual broke down and picked up a sheet of paper from the inn in order to write it all down instead. There was just that much going on!

Night was fast approaching when the first sign in a long while came that Link had made progress with Vah Ruta. The Divine Beast cried out, its mechanical trumpeting echoed around the mountains surrounding Zora’s Domain. A great amount of movement could be heard in the waters of East Reservoir Lake, and many turned their attention towards the sound curiously. A certain feeling of apprehension arose in the air. That Vah Ruta was crying out could mean a number of things…and most of them were not good.

The sloshing of water went away, and a few seconds later another cry could be heard coming from down river of the lake. Everyone’s attention was now upon the apparently moving Beast. The Zora waited with baited breath for another sign as to what was happening. To everyone’s astonishment, Divine Beast Vah Ruta began to rise from the top of a mountain in the distance. Unlike before, it was lit up in a brilliant blue rather than pink. Wolf know immediately that this meant it was back under control, and he hurried towards the entrance of the Domain in order to get a better look at it.

It knelt down and raised its trunk into the air. Its tusks extended outward, and a huge red beam fired from them. Judging by the direction it was facing, Wolf figured out that Vah Ruta it must be firing it toward Hyrule Castle.

“He did it…!” a nearby Zora guard murmured, watching the spectacle in awe.

Wolf was about to voice his agreement when something caught his eye. For the briefest of moments he thought he could see a small figure standing atop Vah Ruta’s ear…but it vanished just before he could get a better look at it.

Not that he would have been able to take a long look at whatever it was anyway. For not a second later the familiar little blue lights that accompanied Link’s teleportation appeared just feet away. Putting the figure out of his mind for now, Wolf hurried forward to meet with his companion again. Link smiled up at him, obviously tired and weary. The older boy hesitated, wondering if it would be appropriate to hug him. However, Link didn’t give him a chance to do so.

“We should go speak to the king. I’ll give you all the details later.” he stated calmly.

Wolf could only nod and go with him as Link proceeded towards the throne room. Behind them, a number of excited Zora followed after. The king, Sidon, and Muzu were all awaiting Link, the latter of whom dragged a treasure chest along with him as he took his spot beside the king. Dorephan smiled down at the pair, and waited just a moment for the other Zora to crowd into the throne room before speaking.

“Link! You did well to survive your trial! I have been awaiting your return!” King Dorephan announced happily. “The violent downpour has disappeared, as has the threat to Zora’s Domain! It is all little more than a bad dream now. Thanks to your efforts, there is no longer any danger of a great flood laying waste to Hyrule! You appeased the Divine Beast Vah Ruta and thusly saved Zora’s Domain! We are all truly grateful! What you did for us is more than we could have ever expected of you.”

Muzu cleared his throat and took a step forward, getting the younger boy’s attention. “Link… I must sincerely apologize for my harsh treatment of you. That whole time, you were thinking of Hyrule’s and Lady Mipha’s well-being, just like the rest of us. All of the members of our council humbly fold our fins back in gratitude, along with the rest of our people. Perhaps the older generation of Zora, myself included, misunderstood Hylians after all. It would seem so. That said, I would be overjoyed if you could find it in your heart to forgive me. If not now, then perhaps one day.”

Link offered him a smile in return; a sign that forgiveness had already been given. The king chuckled a little.

“Link! I must reward your efforts! Now then! I implore you to collect the treasure inside that chest over there.” He indicated the treasure chest sitting beside Muzu. “It was cherished by Mipha. A memento of sorts. I would like you to have it as a token of our friendship. Please take good care of it.” There was a half-second’s pause before he quirked an eyebrow. “By the way, Link. I see you are without your trusty blade…the sword that seals the darkness. Did you perhaps lose it when you lost your memory?”

Wolf’s ears perked up and he couldn’t help but go a little slack-jacked at the king’s words before quickly turning a curious gaze over to Link who stood just in front of him. Link, on the other hand, scrunched up his face in confusion.

“What sword?”

The king hummed in minute sadness. “So you have forgotten that as well… That is a legendary blade that only you, the Hylian Champion, can wield. It undoubtedly found a safe place to wait for you…sleeping soundly, just like its master.” He smiled again, deciding to carry on with his congratulations. “Link, all of the Zora thank you from the depths of our hearts for your heroic and selfless work!” Dorephan then turned his head to face the prince. “…And you too, Sidon.” The Zora in question raised his gaze up at his father curiously. “As your father, I am proud of you for fighting the Divine Beast alongside Link. You have grown much recently. I know you will be a worthy heir when your time comes.”

Sidon gaped at him a moment before lowering his head in embarrassment, although clearly happy. “Father… I… Thank you!” He said quietly but honestly.

Dorephan turned his attention then not to anyone in particular, more addressing the crowd than Link or his son. “The heavy rains have stopped, and the Divine Beast is our ally once again! How glorious! Truly splendid! Wah ha ha ha!” he laughed happily.

Coming out of his moment of embarrassment, Sidon struck one of his poses and grinned down at the younger boy. “Link! This is wonderful!” he shouted, approaching him and taking one of his hands in both of his in order to shake it vigorously. Link wobbled a little from the force behind the prince’s excited handshake. “Link! Thank you so much! Truly, I could never thank you enough! You helped save our home from vanishing away! This calls for a top-tier expression of gratitude! ZO! ZO! RA RA RA!” a few other Zora began to shout with him, continuing on as he finished with, “With all my heart… Thank you!”

The prince let go of his hand and took a step back. He bowed his head to Link, and the entirety of the Zora around them went up in cheers. Link shyly laughed, unsure of what he should be doing and if he was even worthy of such praise. Wolf took that moment to step forward and throw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in for a quick hug. Link did know how to respond to that, and it was by faintly blushing.

Being so close to Link, Wolf suddenly became acutely aware of his scent and a strange feeling crept over him. He cursed internally and forced the thought and feeling aside. Now was not the time to be dealing with that! The crowd behind them slowly dispersed, and Link finally decided to see what it was that had once belonged to Mipha. Within the chest was a white trident, and Muzu quickly named it as being the Lightscale Trident. Link thanked the three Zora who remained within the room, and he and Wolf left…but not without Wolf catching a quick glimpse of Sidon on their way out. The prince mouthed something to him, and Wolf had a sneaking suspicion it was something along the lines of “Tell him!”

Upon stepping out into the open air, the first thing either of them noticed was the bright red moon coming up over the mountains.

“I knew it…” Wolf mumbled.

“Well…that’s a bummer.” Link added.

“Oh? How do you mean by that? You can still go to sleep; you don’t have to wait up for me or anything.”

Link shook his head. “I’m exhausted, sure, but my head’s kinda full. I was hoping I could tell you about everything before going to bed but…looks like I won’t be getting a chance.” He breathed a sigh. “That’s gonna make falling asleep a pain.”

There was a brief pause wherein neither of them said anything, or even moved. The younger boy raised his head towards the reservoir and a thought occurred to him. “Hey, um… I don’t want to stay at the inn tonight. As much as I liked the water bed, it’s just not really all that private and I could use some space away from other people. There’s a bed up there by the lake. We saw it earlier, remember? Let’s sleep up there tonight.”

“If you want to sleep there, that’s fine with me. You go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

Link grabbed him by the arm, sending an unsolicited shiver down Wolf’s spine. The younger boy continued to stare off at the wall of the reservoir, not making eye contact at all. “Wait! Come with me first. You can go off and do your thing later. I just…”

Wolf tried gently to tug his arm free, but Link only gripped him more tightly. “Link, I really shouldn’t be around people right now. That includes you. It’s only going to get worse and harder for me to control myself the closer to midnight that it gets.”

“I know that!” Link cried out, his voice borderline desperate. Immediately Wolf stopped trying to get away from him. “But… I don’t want to be by myself just yet. Please. Just come up to the lake with me, and you can run away afterward. That’s all I’m asking!”

Feeling that Link definitely had a reason for insisting, for practically begging, for Wolf to go along with him, the older boy finally relented. Link still did not look at him, merely tugged him by the arm and lead him along. The two walked silently this way, all throughout Zora’s Domain, along the short path on the mountain, and up the long flight of stairs leading up to East Reservoir Lake. The whole while Wolf found himself falling short of breath and a tingling sensation around where Link still held him. It took most of his willpower not to forcefully extract himself from the younger boy and run away.

At long last, Link came to a stop. He released Wolf, who quickly pulled his arm away, and sat down on the edge of the single bed that was there. He stared out at the quiet waters for a moment before kicking off his boots and raising his feet up onto the bed, hugging his knees tightly.

“…You can go now.” He whispered. “I…I really just want somebody to be here with me right now, somebody I’m close to…but…I know you need to go and…you know…”

Wolf couldn’t help the groan that escaped him. “Link, you know I can’t decide on when a blood moon happens. I’m sorry, but I really can’t just hang around here. Don’t go trying to guilt-trip me!”

“I’m not!” Link shouted suddenly. Apparently the volume of his voice startled himself as well as Wolf, as he lowered his voice again immediately. “I’m just saying that I really don’t want you to go. So…promise me you won’t take that long, okay? Do your thing and get back here quickly. Go!”

The older boy hesitated briefly before walking off towards the mountain, away from Shatterback Point. He knew better than to head over that way, since the lynel was sure to return the moment the blood moon reached its peak.

Link waited until he was sure that his companion was gone before lowering his face onto his knees. He felt tears sting at the corners of his eyes, but refused to let them fall. His head swam with thoughts of what had happened to him that day…especially the last thing that had occurred while he had been aboard Vah Ruta. Eventually he began practically counting the seconds, wondering just how long Wolf would be.

Despite everything, Link found himself breathing a single laugh. There he was, sitting all alone and being miserable, and Wolf was no-doubt jerking off somewhere over in the mountains. The whole situation felt ridiculous. Despite that, Link’s mind began to wander.

“Wolf’s out there touching himself… I wonder what he’s thinking about.” Link’s mind questioned.

“Isn’t that obvious? It’s Midna. He’s absolutely head-over-heels for her!” he replied to himself.

“Well…yeah… But what sorts of things could he be imagining with her?”

“I don’t know, I’m not him.”

“I mean, technically in some ways you are. Apparently.”

“Shut up…!”

“...I bet he’s into some weird BDSM stuff. He probably likes to imagine this Midna person dominating the heck out of him. Chains and all! I mean, he hasn’t even mentioned wanting to remove the one on his wrist!”

“Why am I even thinking about this?” Link groaned.

The voice inside his head immediately gave him an answer, and Link’s face lit up again. He knocked his head against his knees to try and shake the thought from his mind. Despite that, he couldn’t…couldn’t really deny what his brain had supplied him with. He groaned and flopped back onto the bed, letting his legs and feet hang over the edge.

“Even if I think he’s handsome and stare at him a little too much whenever he’s been undressed, I still think it’s going a little too far to try and imagine what sorts of things he’s into sexually. That’s just…dirty!” Link chastised himself. “I shouldn’t be doing that!”

A short few seconds later he breathed a sigh and sat up. Figuring that he wouldn’t be able to get any sleep just yet, he pulled off his socks and made his way over to the water. He plopped down and dangled his legs over the edge, toes just barely dipping into the cool lake below. He stared up at the moon, admiring its beauty despite the threat its color posed. Around him the air began to fill with dark red fog, and it caused him to become aware of the fact that he hadn’t ever seen a blood moon reach its peak before.

The minutes ticked by, and thankfully Link’s head remained blissfully empty as he watched the sky, the reflection on the lake’s surface, and the fog growing ever thicker. Then, seemingly all at once, it all stopped. The fog lifted and the moon returned to its normal, bright, silvery hue. Link couldn’t help but find it a little strange, the way that everything just went back to normal with no pomp and circumstance to it at all despite the buildup. He knew of course that in the last moments all the monsters he had killed had been revived, but on top of the peaceful dam it had all been so anti-climactic.

“You’re still awake?”

Link was shaken from his thoughts by Wolf’s voice and he turned to face him. The older boy was noticeably shocked to find him sitting where he was and Link offered him a little smile.

“I couldn’t sleep.” He admitted. “And you took a long time.”

Wolf scratched his head sheepishly. “Yeah… I uh…” he paused and glared down at the younger boy. “You know what? No! It is passed midnight and you’re in dire need of sleep. Come here!”

Before Link could question what was up, Wolf knelt down and scooped him up into his arms. Link let out a yelp at being picked up, but Wolf merely hauled him back over to the bed and dumped him unceremoniously onto it.

“Sleep!” he commanded. “We can talk in the morning. You’ve caused me enough worry for one day.”

He was just about to become a wolf in order to sleep on the floor, but Link once again grabbed him by the arm. Quietly, almost shyly, the younger boy whispered “stay”. It took Wolf half a second to figure out what he meant.

He sighed. “Alright. Move over then.” He relented.

Link did just that, shoving the blanket out of the way as well. Wolf laid down on the bed beside him and the younger boy pulled the blanket back over the both of them.

“Sorry… I just really want you here right now. Okay bro?” Link whispered.

Sidon’s voice rang out inside of Wolf’s head, and the memory from earlier of the prince silently encouraging him joined it. Wolf practically had to bite the inside of his own cheek.

“No… I shouldn’t. Not right now.” He thought to himself. “Link is tired, and half-asleep despite his own protests. I won’t tell him!”

With that decided, he closed his eyes. Beside him, Link tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Wolf didn’t know which of them ended up falling asleep first, but he was certain that neither of them achieved unconsciousness easily that night.

*****

Morning came all too soon, despite the both of them sleeping in until after ten o’ clock. Furthermore, neither were entirely surprised when they woke and found that Link had once again moved in his sleep and had been clinging to Wolf’s arm. It was a single bed, after all. There wasn’t a whole lot of room for the both of them in the first place. Despite the older boy again saying that it was fine, Link couldn’t help but be embarrassed by his own unconscious action.

On top of that, Link was weirdly quiet all throughout their breakfast. Wolf had explained to him that he had a list of things he might be interested in and handed the paper over. Link had only taken it and looked it over without a word. It wasn’t until they were done with their meal and Link had folded and tucked the paper into his pocket that he finally spoke up.

“I…won’t go into detail about everything that happened in there but… I fought something near the end.” Link murmured, his voice still a little hoarse from sleep. Wolf turned a curious and attentive look his way. “I managed to get a picture of it. In fact…” he brought out the Sheikah Slate and flipped through the photos until he found what he had been after. He showed it to Wolf. “It was called ‘Waterblight Ganon’.”

The horrific monster displayed on the screen made Wolf cringe. Despite himself, Link had to chuckle at his reaction.

“So that thing, whatever it was trying to be, was definitely Calamity Ganon’s doing. Possibly even a part of him in some sick, twisted way. Um…don’t be mad at me but… I actually ended up using both of the fairies I had on me while fighting it.”

The look of horror that crossed Wolf’s face as he was retroactively concerned for Link’s safety did not go unnoticed. "Goddesses… You really don’t know how to play it safe!” he shouted.

“Hey, I did the best that I could given the circumstances! I really did! Anyway, when that thing finally died I-” Link choked up and tears formed in his eyes. “I… Dang it! I don’t want to be crying so early in the morning again!” he reprimanded himself, going so far as to laugh at himself. He rubbed at his eyes and sniffed. “When that thing died, I saw Mipha again. I mean, I actually saw her. It wasn’t a memory. She was…a ghost. She spoke to me and…she gave me something.”

Just from that alone, Wolf was able to figure out that the figure he saw standing atop Vah Ruta had to have been Mipha’s ghost. Despite that, he prodded Link further. “What was it?”

“…Her powers. She said that they would be wasted on her as she was. I don’t…really know what that means for me to have them but I got this weird feeling that she meant that she would heal me if I were to become fatally injured. Anyway, she said something about having almost given up and surrendering to the idea that she would be trapped in there forever.” Link clutched at his chest. “It hurt…to hear her saying something like that. A girl who had once, and I suppose still does love me…being so distraught. I feel like I nearly betrayed her or something. And what’s worse is…this probably means that the other three champions are still trapped. Trapped, and suffering, and praying for me to come along and rescue them! Including Zelda!”

When Wolf wrapped his arms around him in a hug, Link gave in instantly and leaned all of his weight against him. The younger boy finally let himself go, sobbing into Wolf’s chest. Wolf held him gently, but firmly and continuously rubbed his back and ran his fingers through his hair, silently reminding him that he wasn’t alone and could let it all out.

“I…I…” Link hiccupped and sobbed. “I knew that…that time was n-not on our- on our side but…!” his breathing was becoming unsteady and he began to struggle to speak. “I d-d-did…n’t- I didn’t-…realize th-at…” he sniffled and tried to calm himself down. It didn’t work. “Th-ey’re st-st-sti-ll wai-ting f-for… A-all o-of th-them!”

Wolf shushed him softly, petting his head again. Link obediently gave up on speaking and continued to hiccup and struggle to breathe properly against him. Eventually, Wolf began to rock the two of them, gently and comfortingly. It seemed to help, and Link’s stuttering breaths slowly evened out into sniffles and dry sobs. The younger boy had his hands fisted in Wolf’s tunic, and he would occasionally loosen or tighten his grip, if only because he wanted to be doing something other than sitting there crying.

Several minutes passed, and all Link did anymore was sniffle and allow himself to be comforted and rocked. Finally, he tried speaking again. His voice was weak and a little squeaky, but he didn’t really care.

“…Bro…?” he asked softly.

“Hm?” Wolf answered him, almost too quiet to have been heard.

“This is…probably dumb of me… In fact, I know it is. I- I shouldn’t say anything. I know that I’m too emotionally compromised at the moment to think straight. I should just keep my mouth shut!” he breathed a tiny sigh. “But…”

Wolf’s heart began to pound in his chest, and he hoped and prayed that Link couldn’t hear or feel it. But he knew that with the boy’s fist in his tunic right over his heart that that was not very likely at all.

“I… I want to kiss you…”

The pounding of Wolf’s heart stopped as his entire being and time itself seemed to come to a screeching halt. Despite this, he was unable to think quick enough to form a response before Link suddenly pulled away from him, holding him back at an arm’s distance.

“SORRY! That was stupid! Forget I said anything! I already regret it!” the younger boy screeched.

Wolf’s arms reached out and pulled him back in close faster than either of them could blink. The pounding of Wolf’s heart had come back in full force, and this time he forced himself to speak without knowing at all what it was he was about to say.

“No!” he heard himself shouting. “It’s okay!” He swallowed and allowed his mind to catch up with the rest of him. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this…”

 Link turned his gaze up at curiously, a spark of hope clear in his eyes.

“Link… I still love Midna; that much hasn’t changed and probably never will. I came here to find a way to meet her again, and I still intend on returning to her side if there is any way of doing so. But…I care about you. A lot. I honestly want to be there for you in your times of need. Whether that means being your shield or holding you like this when the burden of your quest gets to be too much…I want to help you.”

Link stared him in the eyes for a moment before letting out a single laugh and cracking the tiniest of smiles. “Yeah… I get what you mean. I mean, I don’t really know what it is that I’m feeling myself but I do know that I don’t and never have seen you as an older brother. No matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise. I want to be able to talk with you more, and pet you more, and hug you more. And most importantly, I want to kiss you.”

It was Wolf’s turn to smile. “You know, I think I’ve given up on feeling guilty for following my heart. Even if that means ‘cheating’ on somebody I’ve never technically been with in the first place. In other words, I want to kiss you too.”

All things considered, it was a shy kiss. Link closed his eyes and allowed for Wolf to lean into him. Their lips brushed softly, more than a barely-there feather-light touch, but not by much. When Wolf pulled away again, Link opened his eyes again and they stared into each other’s matching orbs for a scant few seconds. Both felt butterflies fluttering in their stomachs and a twin pair of smiles crossed their features.

At long last they decided to get up and head back to Zora’s Domain. As they walked, the both of them could only pray that their racing hearts would settle down soon.

Chapter Text

The first priority for exploring the domain was obvious: look for treasures and Koroks! With the help of the Sheikah Sensor, Link tracked down quite a few treasure chests containing rupees, gems, and even weapons. Thanks to the Zora armor and numerous waterfalls spilling from the structure, Link even found some chests in the waters below and then happily swam back up to rejoin Wolf. As for Koroks, of course he found a couple on top of the fish statue that sat atop the domain!

During his exploration, he and Wolf came across a Zora who insisted that diving was a thing of beauty. He claimed that, while looking for a Hylian by the prince’s orders, a tower had suddenly sprung up below his feet. He had to jump off of it and dive into the waters below, and in doing so realized that a person’s true colors shone brightest while diving. He asked Link to dive off the domain where they stood, and Link willingly did so. The Zora was of course delighted by his form and told him to swim on back up. The younger boy did, and the Zora thanked him and rewarded him with five fleet-lotus seeds. Although Link cold easily find those in many damp areas, he still took them because hey, free stuff!

Checking the list, Link asked Wolf for his suggestion on what to do next. The older boy checked it as well in order to refresh his memory and then led the way to where the Zora who wanted luminous stone had been. Thanks to Link’s incessant collecting of basically everything that he vaguely crossed paths with, he had just enough of the shining stones to give to the man. In return for the ten stones, the Zora handed over a couple of diamonds.

Going down the list now, Link and Wolf located the woman who had wanted to see a picture of a lynel. She let out a yell when she was shown the one that Link had taken before. She exclaimed it was even more frightening than she had imagined, and thanked Link profusely for showing her. In return, she gave him something truly interesting: Zora greaves. She explained that they were made for Hylians as a sign of friendship after building the reservoir, but that her father’s armor shop went out of business because so few Hylians ever visited. The greaves that Link now had were the last pair that he had made.

The last of the simple tasks on the list was to speak with a Zora child. They found him, and the kid said that his mother had been gone a while. He declared that he didn’t want pity, or charity, but that he wanted tireless frogs that he could then sell. Again, Link had more than enough on hand and turned over five of them as the child had requested. As thanks, Link was given a single amaranth. It was less than even the fleet-lotus seeds, but given the circumstances Link couldn’t even think to complain.

“Now then… All of that leaves us with three things left. The first should be pretty apparent, but there’s somebody around here looking for his missing wife. I didn’t get all the details, so we should speak to him here soon.” Wolf explained as Link crossed the kid’s request off their list. “After that is a woman looking for somebody to kill another monster that is near the domain, and an old Zora looking for somebody to find all of those stone monuments we stumbled across.”

“Alright. Then how ‘bout we take care of all of those in that order?”

“Sounds fine to me.”

They managed to locate the man whose wife was missing. He explained that she had gone fishing some days ago and hadn’t returned. He thought that she might have gotten washed far downstream thanks to the torrential rains, which meant she might have gone as far as Lake Hylia. Link and Wolf hadn’t even been there, but they remembered the signpost that had pointed towards it. That was…days away! They told the man that they would keep an eye out for her, and he thanked them.

“Well… I feel pretty bad about this, but I don’t think we’re going to be going to look for her for a while.” Link said softly when they were out of earshot of the man.

Wolf nodded in understanding and agreement. “That river is incredibly long. To search all of it would take at least a week. And who knows how far away the lake is and how much of it we’d need to look through. I hate to say it, but for now I think we should focus on things we can do more immediately.”

With that unfortunate decision made, they began to look for the next person on their list. Once again Wolf led the way, but Link stopped abruptly when he heard a young Zora girl singing near the statue of Mipha. Curious, he got Wolf’s attention and the pair approached her.

The girl took one look at Link and giggled. She muttered something about Prince Sidon being handsome, but that Link was quite attractive too. Link was a little taken aback, but Wolf only rolled his eyes. Clearing his throat, Link asked her about the song she had just been singing. The girl said something about it having been sung at the Champion Festival the year prior.

“A gift from the sky…a scale of light… Splits the feet…of a Veiled Falls sight… Your trial awaits… It’s glowing bright…” was how the song went, according to her.

She added that Link should speak to Trello if he wanted to learn more about it. She described him as an old man who organizes the Champion Festival, and she pointed out towards the western part of the domain.

“He suddenly started mumbling to himself earlier and walked over there in a huff. I think he’s still there.”

Link thanked her, and then went with Wolf again to get back to their original set of tasks. They found the Zora woman practicing with a spear at the back of the domain near the bathing pools. She explained that there was a hinox living to the southwest near a pond, and that she wanted it slain. Link of course said he would see what he could do, and she went back to practicing. And last but not least, they approached the elderly Zora who was a few feet away inspecting an old, broken monument.

This Zora seemed to be happy to see Link and his companion. He explained that there were ten monuments all over the area that had precious Zora history engraved into them. Seeing the one monument in Zora’s Domain crumbling, he desired to compile all of what the others had to say into a book. He asked if Link could visit each one of them and create rubbings of them so that he could transcribe them all. To sweeten the pot a little, he even mentioned that one of the monuments should have the location of a treasure written on it, and that Link was welcome to have it if he found it. Both boys of course mentioned that they had found three of these monuments, and the Zora was delighted to hear that. They agreed to find them again, as well as the other seven, and the Zora gave them all of the materials they would need to get the rubbings, as well as gave them the general whereabouts of all ten monuments. Link wrote them all down, not trusting himself to remember them otherwise.

Seeing that it was passed midday, the two decided to see about the hinox first and foremost. They began to head out west, and of course crossed paths with Trello in the process. The Zora of course recognized Link and mentioned that he was trying to find the Ceremonial Trident. He said that it was something used in a festival to honor Champion Mipha. He also explained that it was a replica of the Lightscale Trident, and that he had dropped it off the bridge by accident. He added that it wasn’t a huge deal if he got it back or not, as it was a fake and he could just have another one made.

While he spoke the last part, Link wandered to the edge of the bridge and activated magnesis. His eyes scanned the waters below, and he told Wolf to wait just a moment. He climbed up onto the railing and proceeded to dive into the water. He found a little ledge to stand on and used his rune again to look below the surface. Sure enough, he spotted a pink shape and picked it up. He hauled it back onto land and took a moment to marvel at how true-to-form the replica trident was. With it in hand, he climbed up the cliff back to the bridge in order to show Trello.

The old Zora was happy to see Link had been able to retrieve it, but refused to take it back. He claimed that he’d already given up on it, and that it would be of better use in Link’s hands now. In addition to this, he mentioned that the part the trident had played in the Champion Festival took place over by the nearby waterfall. Link thanked him for the information, and Trello happily meandered off.

“A gift from the sky, a scale of light splits the feet of a Veiled Falls sight. Your trial awaits; it’s glowing bright…” Link muttered under his breath, eyeing the trident and the waterfall.

“You think all of that’s about a shrine, don’t you?” Wolf asked him.

“I think so.” They began to head for the point of interest. “In truth, I only fetched this trident because it was connected to Mipha. But since that guy doesn’t want it, now I’m wondering if it’ll do to solve this riddle, if it even is one, since the Lightscale Trident’s kinda, you know, important.”

Wolf nodded in understanding. They reached the waterfall and, sure enough, an orange Sheikah platform sat at the base of the falls. Link’s map even confirmed that the name of the landmark matched the song. The younger boy muttered the first part of it again and eyed the waterfall carefully.

“Okay, this might sound weird, but I think I have to swim to the top of that and jump off of it.” He stated. “Then stab this platform with one of the tridents.”

Wolf shrugged. “You’re better at figuring out this cryptic stuff than I am.”

The younger boy took a moment to put on his new Zora greaves, as he wasn’t too keen on changing into them while they had still been in the domain. He then swam over to the waterfall proper and went up it. He landed at the very top and leaned over to get a look at where he had to land. Wolf backed up several feet and watched. Finally Link took a deep breath and jumped off. Rather than bringing out one of the tridents, however, he opened his paraglider and slowly fell down to a level that wouldn’t kill him if he were to drop from it. Then he whipped out the Ceremonial Trident and fell the last few feet, point-first.

The moment the trident struck the pedestal, the ground nearby began to shake. A shrine protruded from the earth, and Link let out a whoop of joy. Wolf couldn’t help but give a small laugh and raised his hand as the younger boy made to walk passed him. Link gave him a quick high-five and of course proceeded into the shrine. He had wondered if there would be a puzzle within the shrine, as one of the two “shrine quests” hadn’t required anything of him. Sure enough, this one simply had a chest waiting for him, and he could reach the monk right away. The chest had silver rupee inside of it, and Link happily took it before obtaining the spirit orb.

Back outside, Wolf didn’t appear too surprised by how quick Link had been. With that out of the way, they returned to the original reason they had gone out west: to defeat the hinox! They found it sleeping near a pond, just as the Zora woman had said it would be. But they were both almost immediately bothered by the sight of it. It was blue. Link had still never faced a regular one, whatever color those were, so they had no idea how well the fight would go. Despite that, Link declared that if he could bring down that lynel, then he at least wanted to try killing it. Once again Wolf declared that he would act as a shield for him should things turn sour, and Link simply smiled at him and said “I know” before reminding him that he did have Mipha’s Grace now too. The younger boy then took a moment to put on his most defensive gear, which happened to be the Champion’s tunic and soldier’s helmet and greaves. With that done, they crept up on the monster.

Link started things off by unleashing a charged attack with the Ceremonial Trident. The hinox woke with a loud cry and threw itself onto its feet. It’s single, huge eye locked onto Link, and Wolf immediately recognized what was going on.

“Shoot the eye!” he shouted before transforming and moving in to attack the monster himself.

Link whipped out his bow and did just that. The hinox grunted and covered its face in its massive hands, falling back onto its rear end in pain. This gave the pair a chance to attack. To Link’s surprise, he saw its health drop rapidly. In only the two single barrages of attacks it was already halfway dead!

But that was where the easy part ended. When it got back on its feet, it proceeded to cover its eye with one hand. Link wasn’t able to get a clear shot to the eye, and he relayed as such to Wolf. The older boy snapped at the monster’s shins to draw its attention. This gave Link a chance to watch its patterns to see if there was any way to make it fall again. He got his answer when the thing raised both of its arms in order to try and hit Wolf.

“I got it!” Link cried out. “Stay close to it; try and bait it into attacking you like that again!”

Wolf got the picture right away and did as he was asked. The next time that the hinox prepared to strike at him, Link got a clear shot at its eye and pierced it with another arrow. They dove back in for another round of attacks, rinsed, and repeated the process again. After the fourth bout, the hinox grunted and died. Link gave a little cheer, and Wolf turned back.

“That was…a lot easier than expected.” The older boy remarked.

“I guess that’s why the Zora weren’t terribly concerned about its close proximity.” Link stated.

He began to pick through the remains, and Wolf blanched. “Are you…really picking up that thing’s toenails? And guts?!”

Link shrugged. “Why not? They might all come in handy. Also don’t worry; I’m not going to be picking those up.” He indicated what appeared to be three roasted fish floating in the water where the hinox had died. “Even I’m not crazy enough to eat anything that’s been in that thing’s belly!”

While thankful for that, Wolf still couldn’t quite think of everything else as being anything but disgusting.

Link finished up his gathering, and they both warped back to the domain. The Zora who had asked them to kill the monster was quite impressed that they had managed to do it, and so quickly! She gave them a silver rupee, and stated that the Champion really was in a whole other league than she and the other guards were!

And at long last, all that was left for the pair was to track down the monuments. It was already getting to be late, so they decided to stop at the inn. Link paid only for regular beds, and the two sat down beside each other upon one of them in order to check the map against the information that the old Zora had given them. The younger boy placed stamps in the general areas that he believed were correct, and was surprised to see that two of them were fairly close by to the west.

“If you want to go take care of those now, I’ll go with you.” Wolf told him.

“Nah, you can stay here. This shouldn’t even take me an hour. I’m gonna get the one from Ploymus Mountain too.” Link replied. “I’ll be right back.”

Before Wolf could either argue or say okay, Link quickly wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. He pulled away quickly and hopped to his feet, and the older boy saw his cheeks flush. Link flashed him a grin, and then made a dash for the bridge heading west. Wolf couldn’t help but worry for him just a little, but decided that with Mipha looking after him, he should be okay for the short time it would take him.

Sure enough, Link returned unscathed just a bit less than an hour later. He sat down beside Wolf and showed him the three rubbings, and gave him a quick overview of what the two new monuments had written on them. One talked about how there had been a Zora king who had no talent for combat, but he was still well-loved. Monsters had gathered nearby, and the king had declared that he would protect his people. His queen, out of concern for his life, sewed one of her own scales into his armor in hopes that her love would protect him in battle. Apparently things had been going well, but a lizalfos found an opening and drove the king into a corner. A miracle happened then, and a beam of sunlight reflected off the single scale and blinded the monster. That was all the Zoras needed in order to steal back victory and win the battle. Since then, it became a custom for Zora princesses to craft armor for their future husbands.

The two sat in silence before Wolf murmured, “It’s a shame Mipha’s wish couldn’t come true.”

Link gave a slow nod. “I may not know how I felt about her back then, but… Yeah.” He lifted his head and turned his gaze out of the inn, eyes finding the source of the red beam off in the distance. Divine Beast Vah Ruta, where Mipha had met her end.

Wolf noticed where he was looking and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she’s happy just being able to help you one last time.”

Link nodded again. A single moment passed and he leaned against the older boy. “Yeah…” They stayed that way for another minute before Link drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Anyway, about the other monument…” he showed off the second rubbing and a little grin spread across his face. “This one was a message written by the stonemason who carved all of the monuments. He praises himself a lot, and apparently two of the monuments were just some things that he decided to write himself. I think this one was the last one he made, since he said he decided to make it a nice even ten after making those two. But the funniest part? He said, ‘So long as I remember to sign these monuments, my name will be remembered forever.’”

“Let me guess; he didn’t sign that monument.”

“Nope!” the younger boy laughed. “And I don’t remember seeing a name on the other four, either!”

“I guess that’s what happens when you toot your own horn a bit too much.” Wolf snickered.

After the two finished having their laugh at the unknown person’s expense, they ate their dinner together and got into their respective beds. From what Link had pieced together with the hints and his map, they were going to be going all over the place the next day, so they wanted to get as much sleep as possible.

*****

Sure enough, their hunt for the monuments had them backtracking halfway along the road to the domain, and then some. Besides they ones they had already seen, they were scattered in various strange locations that were off the beaten path. Although embarrassing enough, they had somehow completely walked by one that was just before the long bridge into the domain.

The one that sat closest to the Zora’s home was damaged, but Link could just barely piece together what was written. It told a story of a Hylian who had once slain a lynel on Ploymus Mountain. The Zora helm that he had worn now rested north of the domain, in the ruins of a lake. It was put there in order to honor the deeds of the hero L---. No matter how the pair looked at it, they surmised that it had to have been talking about Link and something he had done in the past.

“I guess you have more history with that monster than we thought.” Wolf commented.

Link was silent while he got the long sheet of paper secured to the monument’s surface. “Yeah… I suppose so.” He breathed a sigh. “I… I don’t really want to talk about things I apparently did before. It’s useful to know about that helmet but the rest of this? I’d rather just hurry up and get this rubbing done so we can move on.”

Wolf fell silent. He didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. Link did the job as quickly-but-legibly as possible and pulled the paper free. He rolled it up and tucked it away before bringing out the slate and the map again. They found the next nearest point and began to head for it.

The other monuments had information more pertaining to the Zora themselves. One of them talked about how and why the reservoir had been built, which was interesting to know. Another spoke about a Zora princess from a time long, long ago, before even the creation of the Divine Beasts. Her name had been Ruto, and she had helped the hero and Hyrule princess of her time as a sage in order to defeat an evil man who had brought disaster upon the world. Because of her deeds, the Divine Beast was named in her honor. It ended with the speculation that the Zora princess Mipha had been fated to pilot Ruta because of that.

Reading the last portion of that monument once again soured Link’s mood a little, but he didn’t complain as he did what he had been tasked to do. But of course, the monuments didn’t let up on worsening his mood.

The next two were both exclusively about Mipha. How she had been so excited to see Ruta when it had been discovered, and how overjoyed she had been to be chosen to pilot it. Dorephan felt guilty over letting her do it, and he prayed for her soul to know peace. But it was the last one that was the real bombshell.

It told a story of how Mipha had come to wield the Lightscale Trident, and how everyone had loved her. When the Great Calamity happened and she did not return, the whole of the domain fell into mourning such that the mere mention of her name would cause a person to cry. They had tried to send the trident downstream to offer her soul repose, but it began to glow and everyone heard Mipha’s voice telling them that she and the trident were one. She told them to abandon their grief and to know joy once again. Not to cry, only remember. So they kept the trident, and instead celebrated their princess, and thus the Champion Festival originated.

Link remained silent after reading the words out for the both of them. Wolf did too, again not knowing what he could say or do to make the situation any better. When the younger boy finished his work and rolled up the last of the rubbings, he breathed a long, steadying sigh.

“Right… I’ll do as Mipha said and not cry anymore. Not about this.” He said softly. “I still feel conflicted when I think of her, but I won’t let it consume me.” He offered Wolf a little smile. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting all of this to affect me so much.”

Wolf shook his head vigorously. “Don’t be sorry! I should be the one apologizing. I couldn’t even think of anything do say to you earlier.”

“It’s fine.” Link assured him. “Let’s just go back to the domain.”

The older boy had no objection to that. Their search had taken them a long time, and once again the sun was setting. While they walked, Link gave a soft hum and decided to inform Wolf of his plans for when they were all done with everything the domain had to offer them.

“When we leave, I’d like to go back to the Great Plateau. Afterward… I think I want to try going south. We’ll have to see if there’s another stable along the way so we can pick up Speckle Butt, so until then, I’ll just be walking with you again.”

Wolf tried to remember if he had seen anything of note out that way. A thought clicked. “South? As in…towards those cliffs that looked like they belonged to a desert?”

“Yeah! I know it’s kind of far away, and we should probably visit some places that are closer, but I was thinking a change in scenery like a desert would be nice. That okay with you?”

Wolf grinned. “That’s fine with me. I love the desert!”

When they arrived back at the domain, they made a beeline for the inn. Once more they spent the night there in regular old beds, and once more they awoke shortly after daybreak. While they ate their breakfast, a little orange Zora girl went running out of the inn carrying a large cylinder. Her mother, the wife of the innkeeper, shouted for her to come back. The girl didn’t listen, and the woman breathed a sigh.

“Sorry about that. My daughter, Finley, is probably going to the Bank of Wishes to toss her letter into the river. Link, I hate to do this, but could I ask you to go and make sure she’s okay? I don’t like her going out when there’s been so many monsters about.”

Link exchanged a look with Wolf, who only breathed a sigh as well and nodded. “Alright. We’ll go check on your daughter soon.” The younger boy told her.

“Thank you.”

After they ate, the pair geared themselves up. Link checked his map and found that, fortunately, the Bank of Wishes was about halfway down stream and not far from where Vah Ruta now sat. Going near the Divine Beast again tugged at Link’s heartstrings, but he refused to let it bother him. They both warped over to it, and peered below. Wolf could just barely see where Link would be landing, but was confident he’d be able to get there once Link had touched down. With that sorted out, Link ran off the edge of the cliff and opened his paraglider. True to Wolf’s word, once Link’s boots touched the bank of the river, the older boy joined him.

The girl, Finley, turned her head at the two who had just joined her. She considered Link for a moment before asking, “Do you have a wish for the water fairy too? Oh… I suppose not. If you did, you’d have a letter to send. But wait, does that mean you’re…a servant of the water fairy?!”

Seeing an opportunity, Link jerked his thumb at Wolf. “I’m not, but he is. Why do you think he looks so strange and can change shape?!”

Link grinned, Wolf glared at him, and Finley eyed the older boy up and down suspiciously. “That can’t possibly be so…” she let out a huff. “Please don’t make fun of me just because I’m a cute girl.” Link flinched and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “But it’s lucky for me that you’re here! I have an important request for you! Once I release it, I’d like you to follow my love letter and get to know whoever picks it up. Once you do that, please report back to me so I can find out what kind of person he is…” she waved a hand dismissively before adding, “I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, ‘Why not just go yourself, lazy girl?!’ I’m right, aren’t I? The thing is, I promised my mother I wouldn’t venture out too far. So I’m begging you. Please… Find the person who picks up this letter. OK?”

The two boys agreed, and she thanked them. She made sure that they were ready before warning them that the letter container breaks easily. She then gave it a push into the river, and both boys dove in after it.

Immediately they saw a problem with following the letter. Up ahead in the water was a wooden blockade that they were almost certain had not been there before. Link hurriedly swam to shore and blew it apart with a bomb arrow. Wolf gave the container a little nudge to make sure it would not get stuck on a rock, and it floated on passed the spot that had been blocked off before.

They kept on following it, even down a couple of short waterfalls. After the second one, the letter got stuck in a little space where the river flowed into, but not out of. The two found this to be fortunate, as there were three octoroks in the water just ahead. Wolf picked up the container and carried it along the shore while Link sniped the monsters. Once the path was clear, Wolf tossed it back in and they continued to follow it again.

It flowed on down another waterfall, and eventually passed the area where the boys had left Speckle Butt. They saw that she was happily munching on some grass away from where the blue lizalfos had respawned. Link called out to her and waved, and she lifted her head to watch him curiously. When it became apparent that he was not calling her over, she went back to grazing.

They climbed out of the water on the opposite shore and followed the letter from there. They were coming upon the lizalfos fort that they had cleared out before. In the waters beneath it was another blockade, and this one had all sorts of debris gathered on it. Another bomb arrow cleared the path, and the container floated on through.

The two got back in the water to follow it. A couple of lizalfos tried to attack them, and they ended up simply taking the hits. They didn’t want the letter to leave their sight, but they did stay a decent distance from it so that the monsters wouldn’t hit it accidentally.

Eventually they came to the little cove were they had seen a camp, and the cave with a bunch of rupees had been. There was a man sitting by a fire, and he perked up when the letter washed ashore near him. He trotted over to it and waited for the two boys to join him.

“Sorry for the random question, but have you ever been to Zora’s Domain?” he asked. The pair nodded. “I see… Is it far from here?”

“Um… It’s not that far.” Link replied.

“I see… Oh! Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Sasan, the traveling merchant.” The man began to explain himself. “I was on my way to Zora’s Domain…but a love letter in this inlet caught my eye. The writer seems to be a lovely Zora named Finley. I’ve been corresponding with her by giving my replies to travelers heading to Zora’s Domain. So…you were following this letter?”

“Yeah. She asked us to follow it in order to see what kind of person you were.”

“Is that it? Well, earlier I lied when I wrote to her that I was a buff traveler. She said she wanted to meet me, but… Even though I’m dying to meet her, I can’t do it.” He breathed a dejected sigh. “I’ve really blown it. If I had known this would happen—that I’d fall for her—I never would’ve lied…”

A thought occurred to Wolf and he quirked a smile. “You know, I don’t think she’ll be disappointed about that. You should still go and meet her. Love finds a way, after all.”

“Love finds a way…” Sasan muttered. “Hmm. I suppose it does. Ya know, hearing that does make me feel a little better. OKAY!” He nodded determinately. “It’s time for me to take a chance and try to meet her… Oh, that reminds me… I wonder if the torrential rain has stopped.”

“It has, no worries about that.” The younger boy told him.

“Great. She’s waiting in Zora’s Domain. That’s what her letter says, anyway. So I’ll achieve two goals at the same time, and train up my muscles on the way there! I’ll get super beefy! Yeah, that’s the ticket! I’ll run all the way to the domain! Catch ya later! We’ll meet again at Zora’s Domain—I’m sure of it!”

With that, he broke out into a run. They watched him race through the lizalfos fort, dodging passed them like a pro. After which Link said they should go tell Finley what was going on. They quickly went back to where Vah Ruta was and then back down to the Bank of Wishes. She was happy to hear that her letter had been delivered safely, and that the man was currently heading for Zora’s Domain. She thanked them before hurrying back herself.

With that taken care of, they decided to go back in order to finish up with a few other things. First and foremost, they sought out the old Zora Jiahto again. He was very pleased to learn what was on each monument and approved of all ten rubbings. As thanks, he gave Link a diamond.

The next thing on Link’s list of loose ends to tie up was seeing about getting the Zora helm. His map did indeed show a lake to the north, up passed a massive waterfall that they could see from where they were standing by the old Zora. They went around to the west in order to get as close to the first waterfall as possibly. Link swam on up it, and of course Wolf teleported to him as soon as possible. After that, the younger boy had to tackle the big one. It took him much longer than any of the others he had ascended, but thanks to the Zora armor, it was still entirely possible. He landed, turned back around and waved down to Wolf. The older boy joined him again and returned to half-form.

“You okay?” he asked Link.

“Yeah, why?”

“Just making sure you’re not tired from all that swimming.”

“You know…weirdly enough going up waterfalls isn’t really a problem. I don’t seem to use up stamina the way you’d expect!”

“That is surprising. Good to know!”

The lake with the ruins was within view from the top of the waterfall. A hop, skip, and a jump was all it took to reach them, and Link began to check through the waters with magnesis. It took him a couple of minutes, but eventually he spotted a chest at the bottom of the lake. He hauled it up to where it could be opened, and sure enough he found the Zora helm safe and sound within! He plopped it on his head and swam back to shore where he then twirled around in order to show off to Wolf.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think that I am sorely missing my own Zora armor right about now.” Wolf stated. “It wasn’t made for me by a princess or anything. Although…it did belong to the former Zora king… Anyway, I think it’d be fun to go swimming together.”

“I wish I could see what yours looks like sometime. Must be cool.”

Wolf nodded. “Yeah, I suppose it was. Very useful, too. Also…” He took a step closer to Link and put a hand on his shoulder. He quickly looked him over again and felt his cheeks flush. “You look very good.”

Link grinned, also a little pink in the face. “Thanks!”

They returned to the domain after that, and Wolf decided to wait on the stairs while Link went to make a couple of pit stops. The younger boy went on over to Hateno Village in order to finally show the one child the traveler’s sword he had picked up. The boy rewarded him with a red rupee, and requested that Link show him a fire rod next. While he was in the village, Link also stopped into the dye shop in order to spruce up his Zora gear and stealth outfit. After that it was over to Kakariko Village to upgrade his Zora stuff and to pick up four new fairies. Once done, he returned to Zora’s Domain.

Wolf quirked his eyebrow at the green hue of his Zora gear. Link beamed at him and explained that he thought it’d be fun to look like a frog! The older boy couldn’t exactly fault him for that, but in all honesty he thought the blue had looked better. But of course, that was nothing compared to the abomination that Link had made of his stealth clothes.

He didn’t put them on to show Wolf, but he didn’t need to. The dark blue fabric that had clung so enticingly to Link’s form was now a bright and frankly obnoxious shade of orange! Wolf already felt the disappointment of having to look at that color whenever he snuck a glance at Link wearing it in the future. Despite Wolf’s disapproving expression, Link only smiled wider.

“One question: why?!” Wolf shouted.

“I mean, what could possibly be more sneaky than bright orange!?” Link laughed joyously. “Bro, this stuff is magic, the color isn’t going to make a difference. I thought I should take advantage of that and have some fun!”

Wolf groaned and dropped his face into his hands. “It looks awful.” He stated honestly.

“Exactly!” Link declared proudly.

Giving up on attempting to make Link see reason before even trying, Wolf only sighed and suggested they go see Finley. While the younger boy had been gone, Sasan had made good on his word and had shown up at the domain, completely out of breath from running so fast. Impressed by this, Link agreed and followed Wolf to a somewhat remote part of the domain where he had seen the two go off to.

“Oh! It’s you!” Finley cried out when she spotted the two coming. “Hey, Sasan! These are the guys who made sure my letter reached you safely!”

“I remember you!” the man laughed. “As you can see, I somehow made it to Zora’s Domain. Thanks to you, I managed to work up the courage to finally meet Finley. At least, that’s how I see it.”

Finley giggled. “Thank you so much for introducing me to my soul mate! Sasan and I discussed it, and we decided we just had to thank you the next time we saw you. So here… This is from both of us. Thank you for everything!”

The young Zora girl handed over a gold rupee, which Link took without question. The girl then addressed her new boyfriend again.

“Sasan! Be sure to swim and climb and lift and stuff. A LOT. That will help you build up those muscles you promised me!” she giggled.

Sasan seemed a little weary of that, but he smiled back at her all the same. “As you wish…my darling. I’ll try my best.”

With their part done, the boys left the two new sweethearts be. As they approached the entrance of the domain again, Wolf smirked and muttered softly.

“That wasn’t quite what I had meant about her not being disappointed, but I’m glad to see they’re trying.”

Link quirked an eyebrow. “What had you meant, then?”

“I mean that she’s a child, and he looks to be barely older than me. I know that he would grow old faster than she would eventually, so that doesn’t particularly bother me. I’m just amazed that he’s willing to give it a try regardless of if he ever gets to see her all grown up.”

The younger boy chuckled. “You were the one who said ‘love finds a way’, after all!” he reminded him. “But you’re right, it’s cute that they’re still giving it a shot. I’m gonna pray for the best for them!”

While they had been talking, the two had inadvertently crossed the bridge out of Zora’s Domain. In the vague privacy they now had, Link cleared his throat to indicate a shift in tone for their conversation.

“Hey uh… I’ve been thinking…”

Wolf suppressed the urge to tease him about that statement, sensing that he was trying to have a serious moment. Instead he raised an eyebrow and waited patiently. Link stared at the ground and continued to talk.

“There’s… There’s a lot of emotional baggage involved with me having the Lightscale Trident. I don’t want to give it back to the king, not after he had summed up the heart to give it to me. But… I can’t just throw it away, that’d be rude! And I don’t exactly have a safe place I can put it so… What I’m saying is…” He struggled to speak his request. So instead he brought out the weapon in question and thrust it into Wolf’s hands. “You take it!” he shouted, still avoiding eye contact.

The older boy stared at him for a moment, bewildered by what Link was doing. Slowly, he closed his hands around the trident’s shaft and lifted it from Link’s hand. The younger boy swallowed thickly and finally looked his companion in the eye.

“Whether you use it or not, I don’t care. I just can’t hang onto it anymore. So at the very least, just keep it on you.”

Wolf nodded solemnly and fitted the weapon onto his back. Link had turned away again while he did, and so to get his attention again Wolf said his name. When the younger boy turned his head, Wolf swiftly leaned in to place a kiss to his cheek.

“I understand.” He whispered. “I’ll use it in a way I think Mipha would like; to protect you.”

Tears stung at the corners of Link eyes, but he managed to keep them from falling. “You jerk!” he shouted, giving Wolf a small shove. “I said I wasn’t going to cry over Mipha anymore! Don’t say things like that!”

Wolf only chuckled and apologized. Link pouted at him briefly before sighing. The older boy opened his mouth to say something, but Link suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for a proper kiss.

Chapter Text

The Great Plateau tower was an easy point to reach. For Link, it had been an important landmark almost from the very start. For Wolf, it was one of the few places on the Great Plateau that he had known. The two of them stood together at its top, gazing out at Hyrule Field and all that it lead out toward.

“It feels weird being back here…” Link muttered softly.

Wolf cocked his head to one side, puzzled by his statement. “This is where you woke up and spent a long time at, right? Why is that weird?”

The younger boy frowned and shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t really describe it. I spent so long up here, all by myself with only that old man occasionally cropping up in the weirdest places. I guess… I guess this place just makes me feel lonely?”

There was a moment of quiet wherein Link pinned a tower to the northwest, in an area they were going to be passing through. He wasn’t sure if they were going to be visiting it, but he figured it was better to have it marked than not, just in case. Finally he breathed a sigh and said “Let’s go” before climbing down the tower. Wolf followed him, briefly amused by the way that the platforms spiraled down this one particular tower, making it easy to descend from.

From the tower it was only a quick trip over to the edge where they had first dropped down from. Feeling much bolder about using the paraglider than the first time, Link jumped from the edge and only brought out the thing just before hitting the ground. Wolf too was a lot more confident in his ability to teleport to the younger boy, and he warped down behind him in an instant. Before Link could turn and face him, Wolf returned to his half-form and threw his arms around Link’s neck, causing him to stumble and let out an alarmed shriek. Wolf only laughed and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“At least I didn’t knock you over this time.” Wolf teased him playfully.

Link flushed, but couldn’t help but smile as he realized what the other had been doing. They had tackled each other just before and just after leaving the plateau the first time. He gave Wolf a light and playful shove before leading the way along the road heading north.

Almost due north of the plateau, the two of them came across a crying young woman. The last time they had met somebody like her, she had turned out to be a member of the Yiga Clan. They didn’t feel good about just leaving her, and so they approached her with some caution, asking if she was okay. Sure enough, between her sobs the woman announced that she wanted, needed the hero’s life and attacked them.

Having been prepared for the attack, both boys easily avoided her initial strike. In the time it took for Link to draw his bow, Wolf had already whipped out Mipha’s trident and went to town on the woman. A flurry of jabs was all it took to bring her down. She cursed loudly and vanished in a cloud of smoke and tags, leaving behind rupees, her weapon, and of course a bunch of bananas. Wolf whistled and toyed with the sharp points of the trident while Link gathered up what was useful.

“Wow, this thing really packs a punch!” the older boy exclaimed.

“Yeah, it does.” Link agreed. “I wasn’t expecting you to use it so soon, or so well.”

Wolf gave a shrug and slung it onto his back again. “I said I would use it, so I am. Besides…I didn’t know how to use a sword when I first picked one up. Everybody has to learn somewhere.”

“Your instincts must be sharp, then. I like spears plenty, but they’re not at all like using a sword.”

Wolf couldn’t help but give him a wry little smile. “If there’s anything I’m confident about, it’s my instincts. I would think you’d know that by now, what with me being the way I am.”

Link stuck out his tongue at him. “You’ve only mentioned instincts when it comes to being a wolf versus being a human. Still, I get the point.”

Just passed the place where the woman attacked them, they veered to the right in order to head for the tower. Wolf couldn’t help but glance around them and noticed a large, castle-like structure on their left. He pointed it out to Link, who expressed curiosity about it and said something about coming back to it one day to explore. For now, though, he simply wanted to keep moving.

That was…until Wolf’s curiosity drew his attention down another road to their right. It went into a little cluster of trees and then out to a lake. He couldn’t quite tell from where they were, but he had a hunch that Dueling Peaks could be seen from the lake’s shore. When he informed Link, the younger boy immediately caught his drift and the pair followed the path. He withdrew the Sheikah Slate and opened up the picture that Pikango had told them about before. Sure enough, it appeared they were in the correct general area. With some searching around, they found a little mound of dirt between some trees overlooking the lake. On the other shore were ruins, and further off in the distance the two mountains stood tall and proud. No doubt, that was the very spot the picture had been taken from.

Link looked around, taking in every little thing there was to see. He had a nagging feeling that he had been there before, and it didn’t come as a surprise when he was suddenly overwhelmed with a memory.

He was following the person he presumed to be Zelda. She wasn’t in the white dress he had seen her in before. Instead, she was wearing blue, and a shade of it not unlike his Champion tunic or the cloth that he had seen Mipha and the others wearing before. She had the slate, his slate, in her hands. Link remembered her talking about somebody named Daruk and how he was getting better at controlling one of the Divine Beasts. She stopped after a moment and quietly asked him how proficient he was with the sword on his back. She stated that legend says that an ancient voice resonated inside of it.

Much to Link’s dismay, the rest of the memory faded from him. Try as he might, he couldn’t recall what came after that. When his eyes fluttered open, he wasn’t surprised to find he was leaning heavily against Wolf. His legs felt like jelly, so it was nice feeling the older boy’s arms around him, holding him up securely. Link breathed a little sigh, taking a moment to enjoy the solidity of Wolf’s body before standing upright and sinking down to sit on the ground. Taking the hint, Wolf sat with him so that Link could recount what he remembered.

“That sword…” Wolf muttered. “I’ve been thinking about that. Dorephan mentioned it too; the sword that seals the darkness.”

“Yeah… I… I honestly don’t remember anything about it.” Link groaned. “I wish I did. It sounds like something that was really important to me!”

“Don’t take this the wrong way but, ‘sword that seals the darkness’ and ‘blade of evil’s bane’…don’t you think the two descriptions are awfully similar?”

The younger boy looked taken aback as he thought about it. He muttered something to himself before saying, “So…you think maybe my sword is…?”

“This version of Hyrule’s Master Sword.” Wolf stated with a confirming nod. “And if that’s the case, I think we should put a little more priority into finding it again. If it really is the same weapon, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll come in handy against Calamity Ganon. Not to mention…well…”

“It might be able to turn you back!” Link declared, grinning brightly.

Wolf smirked. “Yeah. That.”

Link sprang to his feet in excitement. “That alone is reason enough to look for it!” he declared. “I was going to go searching for it eventually, but now you’ve got me excited!”

Wolf got to his feet as well, dusting bits of dry grass from his backside in the process. “Then how about after we take care of things in the desert, we make finding that sword our first priority?”

“Sounds like a plan to me!”

With the memory and new plan of action sorted, the pair returned to the road and continued on their way north. As they walked, Wolf was surprised by Link starting to hum a little to himself. It only took him a few notes to recognize the tune. He was about to ask about it, when Link spotted some ruins just ahead. He dragged Wolf over to them, and the two explored them quickly but thoroughly. To Link’s disappointment, there wasn’t anything of interest to be had there.

As they kept moving, passing by a bokoblin fort, Link’s sensor came to life. It led them towards another set of ruins. As they approached, a young couple suddenly cried out for help. A pair of blue bokoblins had cornered them in the ruins, and the two boys were quick to charge in and bring them down. The couple thanked them profusely, and the woman offered them a part of their food as thanks. Not one to turn down a meal, Link accepted the grilled fish.

Upon leaving the couple and the ruins, the two found the shrine they had been looking for tucked away beside the hill across the road from where the couple had been. While Link went inside, Wolf began to search around the area for something.

The shrine was obnoxiously huge, and at nearly every turn Link found himself wondering where the end was. The first puzzle that it had was using stasis to knock a hanging ball into a set of stone doors. After which, Link used magnesis in order to stop some rolling spikes so that he could cross a hallway. The next room had a couple of small guardians, which he snapped pictures of before taking out with his bow. After which he had to burn away some dried leaves and vines, along with a wooden platform, which then sent a ball rolling in order to push open another set of stone doors. He found a couple of chests in the area, both containing swords that he swapped out for less powerful or damaged weapons that he had on hand. Through the doors that he had opened were two more guardians and another set of stone doors. Taking a moment to assess his surroundings, Link found that the way to open the doors was beyond a gate that was across from them. Continuing on, Link was surprised to find that a part of the floor was unsteady, and with some poking at discovered it worked like a see-saw. He stasised it and hurried across.

After that he found another apparatus that was controlled by his slate. The purpose of the thing was to knock a metal ball into another ball, sending it along a ramp and eventually into a hole in order to open the doors. Link didn’t bother with the apparatus. Instead, he used magnesis on the first ball and flung it as hard as he could into the other. It took a few shots, as there were boxes in the way that had to be smashed. But eventually he knocked the stone ball into its proper spot. The doors opened, and Link quickly looted a chest for an ancient core. After that was another ball on top of a platform that had to be burned away. A button near it raised a small portion of the floor beneath it, and there was another part of the floor that would tilt when weight was placed on it. It took a little timing, but Link was eventually able to stasis the wobbly floor and press the button at the right time to fling the ball along the floor and into a set of doors.

At last Link was on the other side of the gate that he had seen earlier. He bombed some blocks and found a silver rupee in the chest that they were hiding. He then stepped onto a button that lowered the gate, stasised the battering ram that was in the middle of the room, and bashed at it until it went flying along the tracks on the floor. It shoved open the doors, and Link proceeded through them. In the room beyond it was another switch. He hit it, and it caused a piston beneath his feet to shoot up. It sent him flying into the air, and a wave of relief washed over Link as he spotted the exit up on a ledge. Before going for it, he brought out his glider and landed on the edge of the little area the piston was in. He followed the edge around to a chest that contained a diamond. After that, he hurried on to collect his well-earned spirit orb and to get out of the place.

When he stepped out into the sunlight, the first thing that Link noticed was a couple of high-pitched whistles. He spotted Wolf nearby fiddling with a piece of grass. After some fussing, the older boy brought it to his lips and blew. The whistling he made with it was brief, only a couple of notes, but Link recognized what it was he was attempting to play.

“That song…!” he found himself shouting.

Wolf raised his head, a little startled by his presence. “That one took you a while.” He commented and stood up.

“Yeah, that shrine was stupidly long. But never mind that! That song you were just playing-”

“It’s the one you were humming earlier.” The older boy confirmed. “I’m surprised you know it. It’s Epona’s Song. It’s something I would play on a grass whistle in order to call or soothe her.” He held up the blade of grass he had been using.

“Epona’s…? Then why do I know it? As far as I’m aware, I’ve never had a horse with that name before.”

“Your guess is as good as mine on that. But you were humming it, and it made me wonder if I could still play it. The grass around here isn’t quite right for it, but clearly you heard what I can play.” There was a beat of silence before Wolf added softly, “Ilia made a special charm for me so that I could play the song whenever I wanted, without grass. I got it from an old woman in a secluded village, and when I showed it to Ilia again, she was able to regain her memories. It’s…kind of unfortunate that there doesn’t seem to be any one object like that that can return yours.”

Link shook his head and offered Wolf a little smile. “The slate and those pictures seem to be doing the trick just fine. I’m sure I’ll remember everything eventually.”

“It’s still a shame…”

Link stared at his companion, completely unsure of what to say to that. Instead he wrapped his arms around Wolf in a quick, tight hug, and said again that it was okay. In an attempt to distract them both from the unpleasant topic, he then announced that they should get a move on and took a single step towards the tower again.

“About that…” Wolf spoke up, stopping Link in his tracks. “While you were in that shrine, I had a little look around. I saw one of those things, one of those guardians. It was moving about, just like the man on the bridge had said! It was patrolling the area between us and the tower. It didn’t see me, obviously, but it definitely will if we get too close to the tower.”

The younger boy took a moment to think it over. The tower was so close by, it would only take them a few minutes to reach it and for him to scale it! And then they would be able to see the region of the map that they currently were in! But he remembered the trouble they had had in destroying even a broken one of those things. Guilt washed over Link when he thought about the burns that Wolf had sustained fighting it. They both had proper weapons now, but to fight a guardian that was fully operational and mobile? That just…didn’t seem worth it.

He voiced as such to Wolf, and the older boy had to agree. Before they turned back around, Link changed the pin he had dropped on the tower. He turned it into a stamp, one resembling a crystal. He took the opportunity to do the same to the other towers that he had pinned, if only to clear up some of the clutter on map and to free up those pins for other things. After which, the two boys turned around and retraced their steps down the road back to the plateau.

It was starting to get late by the time they reached it. Not quite nightfall, but it would be soon enough. The pair agreed to keep moving, as they didn’t think the immediate area would be safe for the night. As they passed the castle-like structure, they found another fork in the road. To the north they could see a stable, and that was perfect! With barely a word exchanged between them, they made their way towards it.

The stable was tucked up against a mountain. It appeared to be a bit of a logging site, as across the road from it were a number of tree stumps, and beyond them a pretty little lake. One of the first things they noticed upon arriving was a young woman hanging out beneath a tree. She was giggling to herself, so of course Link had to approach her to see what she was up to.

“You’re finally here… So it was true! I met the hero of Hyrule under this sacred tree!” she shouted happily.

Link was once again taken aback. “Uh… What?” he asked, confused.

“So, uh, you’re not the hero of legend? I was so sure…” the woman breathed a sigh. “…But now that you mention it, you’re way too scrawny to be the hero. And you don’t have the legendary sword. If you happen to meet the hero who wields the legendary sword during your travels… Tell him I’m waiting for him here.”

Link and Wolf exchanged a look before hesitantly agreeing that they would. After they got a few feet away from her, Link whispered that that had been weird.

“That’s putting it mildly.” Wolf replied. “Especially the ‘scrawny’ part. You may be small, but you’re far from scrawny. I’ve seen you naked, you’ve got a nice bit of muscle on you.”

Link flushed and gave him another playful shove. “Okay, it’s weird when you say it like that.”

“Is it? I’ve said before that you’re not unattractive. Why is it weird now?”

The younger boy turned his head away a little. “It just is! I mean…we’ve kind of kissed. So hearing you say that now makes it a little more…you know? Real?”

“Shouldn’t that make it more flattering?”

“It is!” Link shouted a little too loudly. “Just…never mind. Let’s find the shrine around here.”

They found the shrine sitting on top of the hill behind the stable. They decided that after the last one, Wolf may as well do something useful while he waited. Link passed him the silver rupee he had gotten from the last shrine and told him to go and get them a couple of beds at the stable. Wolf took it and began to trot back down the hill while Link activated and went into the shrine.

The shrine was…odd. There was a switch that, when struck, would rotate the middle of the room by ninety degrees. In hitting it once, Link found an orb sitting in the middle of the room on the floor. He picked it up and moved it nearer to the front of the room. He took a moment to look around, and found a chest with a small key in it. He shot the switch again, and the room returned to its original position. He tossed the orb into a little basket beside the switch, and used the key to unlock a door. When he hit the switch a third time, the orb dropped into its respective divot. A piston activated in the middle of the room, just beneath where the opened door now was. Link used it to get on top of the moveable structure. He spotted a metal chest on a ledge, which he brought over to himself with magnesis. It contained a one handed sword, but Link didn’t bother to take it.

The last part of the shrine was a little tricky. He had to hit the switch again, which moved the part of the room beneath his feet. He moved with it carefully so that he wouldn’t fall off. When it stopped, the way to the exit was now open and he went straight over to it.

Back outside, Link couldn’t help but notice the moon. It was very red. Seeing it, he was not at all surprised to find that Wolf wasn’t waiting for him by the shrine. He wasn’t worried, but instead of going to bed he decided to spend a few minutes searching the immediate area for koroks.

He found one out on the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake. It had been under a rock that was all-too suspicious the moment Link laid his eyes on it. He then looked around and noticed the hill nearby that was covered in trees. He was certain there had to be another korok up there, but a strange part of him felt weird to be going up there. Instead he meandered back over to the stables in order to ask about the beds. The owner confirmed that his companion had paid for them, but then said something else.

“That guy came in and sat down on one. But then he started acting squirrely and left. I think he went up onto that hill there.” He stated, pointing to the one that Link had just been considering.

Immediately Link felt relief that he hadn’t gone up there. He thanked the owner and stepped inside the tent in order to sit down and relax. Or at least, that’s what he intended to do. He thought about going to sleep, since he knew that Wolf would be back soon enough. But something…compelled Link to get up again. He couldn’t describe it, and he knew that no amount of reasoning could explain why he felt the way that he did, but he wanted to go up to that hill where Wolf was.

He didn’t change into his stealth clothing, as there wasn’t an easy place for him to. Still, he tried to be as sneaky as he could be. He climbed the hill, keeping low to the ground and being incredibly conscious of where and how he stepped. It didn’t take all too much hunting for him to spot Wolf sitting with his back against a tree, out of view from the road and the stable.

Even in the low light and the bad angle, Link couldn’t mistake what it was he saw. Wolf’s hand moved over himself rapidly, and the softest of little pants reached Link’s ears. The boy’s cheeks colored horrendously, and he immediately turned to leave Wolf alone, his morbid curiosity more than sated. He only took a couple of quick steps when he was forced to pause.

Wolf had breathed something quite audibly.

A name.

Link’s name.

The sound of it sent a shiver down the younger boy’s spine and went straight between his legs. Without a second thought, he bolted back to the stable. He was thankful that everyone else but the owner had gone to bed already. He didn’t bother to go inside, instead choosing to go around to the side where the horses were. He sat down near them, hoping that their presence, although sleeping, would help give him something to think about that wasn’t what Wolf was currently occupied with. In a way he got his wish. Instead of the horses providing him with a distraction, a dog came over to see what he was doing. Link couldn’t help but smile at it and lavish it with love and attention and pets. The dog ate it all up, going so far at one point as to plop its head onto his lap so that he could give it head rubs easier.

A giggle escaped Link at more than one point. The dog was softer than Wolf was, and displayed none of the intelligence that the older boy had when they first met. Yet something about the act of petting it and watching the way its tail wagged reminded him of when he would give Wolf attention. Briefly Link thought it strange how Wolf really didn’t mind being treated like a dog at times, but he guessed that was due to still not being back to his normal self.

Link was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a throat being cleared. He looked up and found Wolf standing over him, a little smile playing on his face. The younger boy blushed again and asked how long he had been standing there. Wolf replied it hadn’t even been a minute, and Link felt relief that he had likely missed some of the giggling, meaning he wouldn’t ask about it.

Before the two went into the tent to sleep, Wolf knelt down to give the dog some pets of his own. It puts its paws on his raised knee and licked at his face. Wolf laughed in delight and gave it a quick hug before standing up again.

“You like dogs?” Link asked him.

“Of course!” Wolf replied. “I love animals. Goats, cuccos, horses, dogs, cats… I love a lot of animals!”

“No wonder you’re a dog yourself.” The younger boy laughed.

“…You know what? I’m not going to bother correcting you right now.” Wolf sighed, earning him a victorious grin from Link. “Let’s just get to bed. I’m tired.”

Not having any objection to that, the two went inside and claimed their beds. Link fell asleep with his arm dangling over the edge. The dog had followed them in and had laid beside his bed, so Link had been petting it when he had drifted off. Wolf, on the other hand, laid awake a little bit longer.

He stared through the darkness at Link’s sleeping form and he chewed at the inside of his lip a little. It was strange… He had been so certain earlier, while he had been in the little forest... He could have sworn that he had caught Link’s scent on the wind, however briefly. Before he could stop himself, he had even called out Link’s name. It hadn’t been out of some fantasy, but out of a sudden, overwhelming desire for him to come closer. But then just as soon as the scent had drifted to him, it was gone. Wolf wasn’t certain, didn’t know if he wanted to be certain, but he was thankful that if Link really had been nearby for some reason that he had left when he did.

Wolf really wasn’t sure if he could be held responsible for what might have happened if Link hadn’t…

Chapter Text

The two boys had a guest during their breakfast. The dog that Link had befriended the night before sat with them and stared up at the younger boy with big, begging puppy eyes. With permission from the dog’s owner, Link offered it some meat. The dog ate it up quite happily, earning a smile even from Wolf, despite his slight disappointment at the loss of meat. To both of their surprises, after every last scrap had been eaten, the dog looked up at Link and barked. It danced back and forth, tail wagging in excitement.

Link tilted his head as he stared down at it. “Does…he want me to follow him?”

“I believe so.” Wolf replied.

The pair swallowed down the last of their meal and followed the dog like it had wanted. It lead them only across the road to where the tree stumps were. At the base of one, it began to dig furiously. After a minute or so, Link’s eyes widened as he spied something metal buried in the ground. Shooing the dog aside, he used magnesis to grab the object and haul it up out of the ground. It turned out to be a treasure chest.

“Oh!” the stable owner called out. “I’d heard the loggers who used to be here hid something, but I’d never been able to find it! Who knew my dog would know where it was. As thanks for being so good to him, you’re free to have whatever’s in there!”

“Thanks!” Link shouted back.

He opened the chest up, and inside found a silver rupee. Wolf took one look at the treasure before kneeling down to the dog and petting its head.

“Thank you.” He told it.

In return, the dog puts its paws on his knee again and licked his face some more. After which, it decided to go and greet a merchant who had just arrived at the stable. Link pocketed the rupee and breathed a sigh.

“That dog’s kissed you as much as I have…” he stated, whining just a little.

“We could fix that.”

“Huh?”

Link looked up at Wolf and, seeing the somewhat suggestive way he was smiling back at him, felt blood rush to his cheeks. After only a second of considering the offer, he frowned and shook his head.

“You’re covered in dog slobber! No thanks.”

Wolf could only laugh at that response. He had a feeling that Link would be the type who wouldn’t mind a dog licking his own face, so complaining about Wolf having been licked was just silly. Despite that, he didn’t argue the younger boy’s decision.

Besides, a man who worked at the stable was approaching them and looked like he had something he wanted to say. He explained that he had seen them feeding the dog, and thanked them again for doing so. He mentioned that since he had started working at the stables and ended up getting put out there in the middle of nowhere. He expressed that he didn’t mind it so much, but that the work left him awfully tired. He wanted to eat some meat for energy, but unfortunately most of the stable meals were vegetarian. As such, he was in the market for raw gourmet meat from any travelers who might possess some and be willing to sell. As it happened, the pair did have a couple pieces from the buffalos that they had killed out in the wetlands. Despite Wolf’s saddened expression, Link sold off one of them to the man, who paid handsomely for it with another silver rupee. He joyously thanked them several times over before heading to the cooking pot to make himself a meal from it.

Link of course noticed the way Wolf’s ears were drooping, and he reached up to pet his head. “We’ll get some more.” He told his companion. “Besides, this way I can afford plenty more arrows whenever we find another village or something. I’ve been running a bit low.”

Wolf breathed a sigh. “I know that money is important. You’re even saving up for that house. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to be disappointed about losing that meat.”

The younger boy only ruffled his hair and suggested they go looking for koroks. Just as Link had suspected, there was one on top of the hill where Wolf had been the night before. Both of them felt a weird heaviness to the air while they were there, but neither said a word about it. They didn’t want to admit to each other the things that had happened… Instead, Link shot the two acorns that were tossed above the tree tops in silence and received the korok seed as planned.

They breathed a bit of a breath of relief when they got back to the road. The next place to look around was up on the mountain behind the shrine. There were some ruins at the top, but more importantly there was also a fire wizzrobe. An ice arrow was enough to kill it, and Link snatched up the fire rod that it had wielded. He explained to Wolf that after seeing the traveler’s sword, the kid in Hateno Village had wanted to see one of them.

The ruins the monster had been prancing around didn’t have anything of interest. But the tree near them had a rock sitting on top of it. Upon lifting the rock, a korok appeared and rewarded Link. Despite there still being some places they could investigated, Link decided that that had been enough exploring for the time being. He announced that he was going to make the trip back to Hateno to show off the weapon, as well as to pray for another stamina vessel. Wolf let him do just that. The kid was thrilled to see the weapon, paid Link with another red rupee, and then asked to be shown a moblin club. After which, Link tracked down the village’s Goddess statue in order to turn over four of his spirit orbs. With his stamina successfully increased, he warped on back to the stable.

While he had been away, Wolf had begun to chat up a few other people there. He had done so partly to pass the time, but of course had also been curious to see if there was anyone else who had something he and Link could take care of for them. He finished up a short conversation with one person when a new arrival caught his attention. In that moment, Link surprise attack him by practically jumping onto his back.

Wolf let out a loud yelp and stumbled forward, barely managing not to fall over. Link laughed and wrapped his arms around his shoulders and his legs around Wolf’s middle.

“Got you!” the younger boy cheered victoriously.

Wolf straightened up some, hands coming to support Link’s thighs better. “You scared me…” he sighed.

“It’s called revenge, and it is best served cold.”

Wolf could only shake his head and sigh again. “Right. Anyway, Pikango’s here. Want to check in with him?”

Link looked over his shoulder, and sure enough the old man was having a laugh at their antics while he set up his easel. The younger boy unwound himself from Wolf and the two approached him. Pikango agreed to have another look at Link’s album, and he studied the pictures carefully. After several quiet seconds, he pointed towards the tenth one. It depicted a horse statue, and he said that it was definitely the one that could be found nearby at the Sanidin Park Ruins. He stated that they were on Safula Hill, to the northwest.

No sooner had he spoken the name of the hill than another elderly man cried out excitedly. He apologized for eavesdropping and explained that had been relaxing against the side of the stable a few feet behind them, and their conversation had caught his attention. He stated that there were rumors that a pure-white horse had been spotted out that way. Supposedly, it was descended from the royal family’s stallion from a hundred years ago. He asked that if Link and Wolf ever saw such a horse on their travels that they would register it at a stable and bring it back to show him. Of course, they agreed to do just that.

Despite their intentions to go south, both boys agreed that it might be very beneficial to explore Safula Hill first. From what they had gleaned, it wasn’t that far off, so at most it may delay them by a day to go and investigate what was there. On a whim, Link cooked up a few stamella shrooms. He reasoned that if he was going to be taming a horse that was the descendant of royalty it might come in handy to be able to replenish his stamina. Wolf couldn’t agree more with his logic. Once that was done, they headed off down the road again, heading northwest.

The walk was fairly quiet, but neither of them minded. It was the sort of quiet that was peaceful and relaxing, unlike the awkward one that had befallen them on the hill just earlier. Link brought out the slate and began to skim through the pictures he had taken of various monsters and objects since the camera rune had been restored. Most of them he deleted so that he had room for more, but a couple he held onto. Wolf stepped closer to him and watched curiously, simply because it was something to do.

They crossed a bridge not too far from the stable. Link raised his head to gaze at the hill beyond the river. Two things caught his eye. The first was what looked like ruins on top of it, further up river than where they were. The second were two little statues beside a tree closer to the road they were on. He pinned both of them just in case.

They ascended the hill across the bridge, sticking to the road for the time being. Just as it began to dip again on the other side of the hill, there was a fork. The pair headed right, assuming that they hill they were on was the one that everybody was talking about. Link scurried on up it a little more in order to investigate the statues. Sure enough, a pair of offering trays sat before them. He dropped an apple into the empty one, and a korok appeared with their signature little “Yahaha!”

The two boys didn’t get a chance to continue onward towards the ruins for more than a few steps. They both stopped suddenly and knelt down. Beside the road between them and their presumed destination was a white horse. It was casually grazing on its own, blissfully unaware of the two watching it. Taking advantage of this, Link scrambled into his stealth clothing. Wolf stayed back and watched as the younger boy approached the horse with utmost caution.

Link managed to jump onto its back, and it began to go wild, kicking and bucking in order to shake Link off of it. He held fast, thanking his new stamina upgrade for his ability to hang on for so long. As he suspected, he had to quickly down one of the mushrooms he had cooked up, but thankfully that was all he required in order for the horse to calm down and stop fighting. He gave it a quick pat and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Wolf trotted over to him and the horse. He congratulated Link while he let the cautious animal sniff him. Once the horse had decided that Wolf was not going to try and eat him, Link gave him a little kick and the three proceeded to the ruins.

The ruins were at the northern-most part of the hill. To Link and Wolf’s delight, the horse statue they had been looking for was there. Link hopped off the white horse, taking a moment to pet him and whisper gentle words to him. Once certain that he wouldn’t run off on them the two climbed the stairs and took a good look around them. While Wolf took a second to gaze out at the view of Hyrule, Link shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted up at the statue.

He began to feel the familiar tingling sensation that would overcome him at a memory and he was just barely able to murmur Wolf’s name before something came flooding back to him.

Once again, he was with Zelda. They were on horseback, riding up the road he and Wolf had just been walking upon. She was atop a stallion that looked remarkably like the one he had just tamed. She was in the midst of talking about how he had given her good advice on how to get her horse to trust her. She mentioned how she had been unsure if she had wanted to outfit the stallion with the royal gear. She thought he should have to earn it, but she stated delightedly that he wore it well!

They reached the ruins and dismounted. Zelda made her way up to where Link and Wolf were standing and stared out at the kingdom in the light of the setting sun. She pointed out Mt. Lanayru in the distance, and mentioned that it had a very specific decree. “No one is allowed, under the age of seventeen… For only the wise are permitted a place upon the mountain.” She then breathed a sigh and said that she had already prayed at the Spring of Courage and the Spring of Power, but neither awoke anything inside of her. She hoped that maybe up there, on the mountain, something would happen…but then murmured that if she was to be honest with herself, she had no real reason to believe that would be the case. The last thing that Link could recall from that moment was Zelda saying that the following day would be her seventeenth birthday, and that she would go and make her way up the mountain.

Link came to, and once again found himself in Wolf’s arms. Judging by their position Wolf had just managed to catch him when he called out, as the older boy was kneeling and Link slumped awkwardly. Extracting himself from the older boy’s hold, the two sat down properly so that Link could go over what he remembered. Much of it intrigued Wolf, moreso than previous memories he had had.

“I’m amazed you could tell her how to handle a horse.” He stated.

“I am, too! I had no idea how to do that before you helped me. I guess Zelda and I aren’t too different from each other.”

“Speaking of which, if she turned seventeen just after that, then you really must be about that age.”

“You think so?”

Wolf nodded. “I do. The Zelda of my world was also the same age as me. If anything it’s another parallel between us and ours.”

“I guess so…” Link muttered. “Weird how you’re two years older than me, though.”

He shrugged. “The point is seventeen seems to be a big year for both of us. Now…” he looked at the mountain and back at Link. “Can I see your album again?”

Curiously, Link let him. Wolf only needed to take a quick look at the pictures that Zelda had taken to confirm his suspicion. Frowning, he put his thought to voice.

“The picture that comes after this horse statue is of the gate by that mountain. Which means…it was probably only a matter of days before Calamity Ganon reared his ugly head.”

A chill ran down Link’s spine, and he stared down at the two pictures. His hands were beginning to shake, but he was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice. He and Zelda had gone up to the mountain together for something. Something that sounded like it was a last resort. And then Calamity Ganon… Link’s lips curled into a deep frown.

“Mt. Lanayru…” he whispered, barely audible enough for Wolf catch. “I think, as far as priorities go, we should go there after we look for my sword. There’s got to be something important up there, I just know it!”

“Desert, sword, mountain. Sure.” Wolf agreed.

Link slowly nodded and the two got back to their feet. He looked around and found the white horse had returned to grazing. He was glad to see that he didn’t try to run away, and Link was able to mount him again just fine.

“Let’s get this boy back to the stable.” Link stated and glanced at the sky. “We should probably wait and sleep there again, too. It’s gonna be getting late here soon.”

“Sounds good to me.” Wolf ran a hand over the horse’s neck. “He’s quite handsome, this horse.”

The younger boy cracked a smile. “He sure is. I gotta think of a name for him before we get back.”

They got back to the stable around dinner time. The owner was shocked by their find and remarked at how pretty the stallion was, and even called for a stable hand to go and find the old man who worked there. Link slid off the horse and paid the fee to have him registered. When prompted for a name, Link groaned and stated that he couldn’t think of a good one. Not a second after, Wolf cut in.

“Ilia.”

Link raised an eyebrow at him. “Uh Wolf, I may be bad at naming but this is a boy horse.”

“I know. I just thought that such a beautiful horse should have an equally beautiful name.” Wolf replied, and Link didn’t miss the way his cheeks flushed the lightest shade of pinks.

Link elbowed him playfully. “You’re such a sap. Alright! Then this guy can be Ilia the Second!”

Not a moment later the old man came hurrying up to them with the stable hand in tow. His eyes sparkled at the sight of Ilia, and he said quietly that his grandfather hadn’t been lying. He said excitedly that Link and Wolf had just made his life, and that living in such a godforsaken land may have just been worth it after all. While he thoroughly looked over the horse, he said that as thanks he had a surprise for them. The stable hand approached him, arms full with a purple bridle and saddle. It was the very same set that Link had seen on the horse in his memory, and the old man explained that his grandpa had handed it down to him. It was indeed the royal family’s saddle and bridle! He and the other stable hand outfitted Ilia in them, and then all four of them and the owner took a moment to admire the stallion once more.

They all had to agree that he looked most regal.

“My grandfather said that the sight of the princess riding atop the white horse was supposed to be a beauty beyond words. I have no doubt that such a beautiful, pure horse is the grandchild of the one she rode long ago.” The old man stated.

When all was said and done, Link asked that Ilia be kept there for the night. He also brought up Speckle Butt, who was still waiting out on the road to Zora’s Domain. The owner told him that that was no trouble, and he was able to bring her to the stable as well. Satisfied that both of his horses would be well taken care of, he and Wolf sought out a place to sleep.

They decided that despite the rupees that they had made that day they wanted to save money. After all, as Wolf had said Link was trying to save up for the house. They made themselves comfortable up near the shrine, and passed the evening and night up there, chatting about this and that with one another.

*****

When morning came, they finally tackled the big question: how would they be continuing to the desert? Obviously they had to go south, but how did they intend to get there? Link remarked that he wanted to ride Ilia some more so that he could form a better bond with him. Wolf couldn’t blame him. Ilia was no doubt a good horse and a good mount. It would be beneficial to build up that bond as quickly as possible.

But then he surprised Link.

“Since you’ll be riding Ilia, do you mind if I take Speck?” he asked, refusing to call Speckle Butt her by her full name.

Link’s face lit up at the prospect. “Sure! You can ride her all you want!” he announced. “Oh man, you have no idea how excited I am to see you on a horse!”

Wolf wasn’t sure how to feel about the way Link practically squealed his admission. “Great. I don’t mind following on foot, but right now I think we should get a move on. It’ll be faster if I ride with you.”

When they returned to the stable proper, Link requested both of his horses be brought to him. He took a moment to pet Speckle Butt and tell her how pretty she was. She seemed to enjoy the attention after not particularly seeing him for a little while. He then went to pet Ilia, who by comparison was quite obviously still nervous of being around him and other people. Wolf gave Speckle Butt some attention as well before climbing into the saddle.

“Wow…” Link whispered, staring up at him in admiration. “Has anyone ever told you before that you look like you belong on a horse?”

Taking that as a compliment, Wolf smiled and patted Speckle Butt again. “It’s an odd feeling, being back on a horse again. Especially one that isn’t Epona.” His tail twitched and curled against his leg so that it sat more comfortably in the saddle. “The tail is weird, too.”

“Well, I think you look really cool!” Link grinned, hauling himself onto Ilia. “Let’s get going. Show me how a former ranch hand rides a horse.” He laughed.

Wolf rolled his eyes, and the pair began their travels once more.

At the fork in the road, they went to the right in order to keep going south into uncharted territory. They only moved at a trot. Link wanted to ensure that Ilia was comfortable with him, and that if he started to act up it wouldn’t get them into trouble. He did fidget and try to fight Link now and again, but thanks to the experience he had gained with Speckle Butt, Link was able to soothe him right away each time.

They spotted some burned trees not far from the fork in the road. A fire wizzrobe skipped around them, seemingly proud of its work. Without even stopping Ilia, Link drew his bow and fired an ice arrow at it. The monster evaporated, leaving only its rod as always. Already knowing he didn’t want it, Link simply tucked his bow away again and kept riding.

“Was that really necessary?” Wolf asked. “Aren’t those arrows really precious?”

Link shrugged. “I just wanted to see if I could make the shot, if I’m honest.”

The older boy couldn’t fault him for that; he’d done much the same a couple of times before.

Further down the road, some moblins stood between them and a bridge. All three were red, and the two boys didn’t bother to dismount. They went down easily, and Link finally hopped off Ilia to pick up their remains. Along with their horns and fangs, he snatched up one of the clubs they had been using. Wolf asked if it was for the kid in Hateno, to which Link said yes.

As they took their first steps onto the bridge, the Sheikah Sensor began to chirp at them. On the second of several tall pillars above the lake they had been crossing, Link stopped again and began to look down below them. They couldn’t see the shrine anywhere, so it was the only thing that made sense. He spotted what might have been a chunk of land below the bridge, but couldn’t get a good look at it. He voiced as such, and muttered that he was going to get a better look from the next pillar.

That was when Wolf pointed out that a blue hinox was sound asleep on the pillar ahead of them. Neither were particularly afraid of it after having killed the last one so easily. Wolf slipped out of Speckle Butt’s saddle and the pair rather casually crossed the bridge on foot. Despite Wolf not distracting the giant monster, his spear made up for Link’s inability to shoot it in the eye once it caught on to what he was doing. It died faster than the first one they had killed together. Link snatched up the remains like always and swapped out his damaged sword for something his slate identified as a moonlight scimitar. Like before, he decided the fish it had eaten were not worth taking.

With the hinox out of the way, Link went back to looking for the shrine. Sure enough, he found it beneath the bridge and tucked up against the pillar the second pillar. He informed Wolf about it before gliding down to it. Above him, he heard Wolf whistle for their horses to catch up.

The shrine was a minor test of strength. Link breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wouldn’t be another obnoxiously long one. Besides, after some of the things he’d taken on recently, he weirdly felt very comfortable with fighting the weak little guardian. Because of this, he spent a few minutes messing around just to see if there was a more entertaining way to beat it. It paid off. On a whim, Link tried to deflect one of the beams it shot at him, and he was stunned to find that it had worked! He tucked that new information away for future reference…

The chest at the end contained an ancient core. With excitement, he dug through his belongings and found that he had two more of them! Well, that certainly made his upcoming trip all the way back to Hateno that much more worthwhile. Tucking all three away again, he approached the old monk in order to receive the spirit orb.

Once outside again, Link changed into his climbing gear and made his way up the pillar. Wolf was of course waiting for him with both horses. All Link had to tell him about the shrine was the name of the “puzzle” and the older boy understood. They mounted up, and continued across the rest of the path across the lake without issue.

However, on the other side where the desert began, a couple of bokoblins on horseback decided to have a little mounted duel with them. Like the other monsters before them that day, they didn’t pose much of a challenge. The horses they had been riding ran away from the two boys, stopping to rest beside the canyon wall.

“You know, I feel sorry for the horses that end up getting ridden by those things.” Link stated.

“I do too. I’ll bet bokoblins don’t treat them well at all. But, there’s not a whole lot we can do about that.”

“Unfortunately.” Link sighed.

As they continued on at a trot, Wolf did something a little unexpected. He began to idly twirl his trident in his hand seemingly out of boredom. The odd behavior managed to pull a laugh from the younger boy, and Wolf only cast him a little smile.

At the bend in the road, they stopped briefly in order for Link to investigate some bombable rocks. Doing so uncovered a little cave containing a bunch of boulders. One of them was made of metal, and Link used it to bash aside a small pile of boulders in the corner in order to reveal a chest that contained a topaz. Not terribly exciting, but not a bad diversion, he decided.

Up ahead was a sign in the road. Along with an arrow, it read “Gerudo Canyon Stable: You’ll want to stop before entering the desert. Trust me. –Proprietor”

“So my hunch was correct…” Wolf muttered.

“Come again?”

“When I first saw these canyons, they reminded me of the Gerudo Desert. Turns out I was right. My version of them…the desert was a very important place for me. So I’m curious what this one will be like.”

Link waited a moment before asking, “Do you want to talk about it or…?”

“I suppose we have time.” Wolf decided. He began to explain as they kept going at a walk. “The desert was the first place that Midna and I visited after we had a particularly nasty encounter with Zant. I had just gotten the Master Sword, too. It was out in the desert that Midna explained to me that she was the Princess of the Twlight, the rightful heir to the throne. It was also the time when she began to soften up and cooperate with me better. Because if I’m honest? She was pretty nasty when we first met.” He paused for a few seconds before adding, “That desert is also the place where I saw her last. That’s where the portal to her realm was located.”

There was a short span of silence wherein neither spoke. Wolf certainly had more he could say on the subject, such as how she had left him and broken the mirror, but he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to say such things aloud. On the other hand, Link had no idea what he should say, if anything. Fortunately neither of them had to speak another word on the subject, as the sensor began to chirp once more.

“Again?” Wolf asked, raising his head and looking around them.

“Apparently so.” Link replied, more than a little relieved for the tense atmosphere to be broken.

They found the shrine up on a ledge just ahead. They both got off their horses, and Wolf brought them over to a sliver of shade to get out of the afternoon sun. The shrine mostly revolved around conveyor belts and orbs. The first puzzle was to shoot one being carried along a belt and into its little divot. Easy. The second room was very much the same, but two weak little guardians were also on the conveyor belt. Link took them out first and waited for the orb to come back around so that he could deal with it. The third and final room was much trickier; at least, it was at first glance. Before trying to figure it out, Link grabbed a metal chest off a conveyor and opened it up for an opal.

This time, the orb was in the corner near the doorway. Scanning the conveyors, the blocks upon one of them, and the three lasers, Link came up with an idea. He picked up the orb and waited for a couple of blocks to loop back around to him. Once they were in the right place, he began to run along the belt that he could reach. The blocks did their job and blocked the first laser’s path so that he could get passed and stop on a little platform beside the second one. While the next part was the hardest, it only took Link one try to do right. He set the orb down and waiting again for some blocks to come along. He then stasised the laser beside him, snatched up the orb, and cleared the last of the conveyor belt with the blocks’ assistance for the third laser. He placed the orb down where it belong, and the exit opened up to him.

Back outside, he met up with Wolf again and they mounted up. Just as they set off, Link lowered his head.

“Hey uh…” he said softly. “I just wanted to say… I’m sorry you had to go through all that. With Midna.”

A sad smile painted Wolf’s features. “Thanks.” He replied. “I don’t really like thinking about it, obviously. But, that’s why I’m here. I’m in this other Hyrule helping you so that I might be able to see her again.”

Link’s heart sank a little. There was little doubt in his mind that Wolf was hopeful that they would find what they he was looking for in the desert. Hoping that the parallels between their worlds would be that similar. If that were the case, then Wolf… Link glanced over at his companion and he found the older boy smiling warmly at him.

“But don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere until your job is done!” Wolf stated firmly. “I said I would help you and protect you, so I will. Yes, I want to see and be with Midna again, but I can wait for this Hyrule to be freed from Calamity Ganon before doing that. Even if we find something out there in the desert, I’m not just going to up and leave you!”

Link felt his heart flutter a little at that promise. “Right.” He smiled back.

While they talked, the canyon walls around them began to be lined with wooden catwalks. It certainly caught their attention, and after a little bit they agreed that they should explore them a little later. First and foremost they wanted to find the stable so they could have a safe place to rest for the night. Shortly thereafter they came across a man beside the road. Due to the bits of a camp around him, they were less hesitant to approach him when he called out then they were the Yiga woman before.

“Hey, hey, I sure wasn’t expecting to meet anyone out here… Maybe this is just the upturn in luck I needed!” the man said happily. “Yeah, so yeah, I’m a traveler like you… And I was attacked by monsters in this very canyon… That’s when my partner, that’s to say, my horse, ran off. And hey, I’ve been stranded here ever since… All I need is a horse to continue my travels. A horse… A horse… If I just had a horse!”

Wolf and Link exchanged a quick look. The man was most certainly trying imply that he wanted Speckle Butt or Ilia. Seeing their faces, he added that he was willing to pay if they would bring him one. Link decided to tell him that he would bring him one soon. To his credit, the man didn’t appear too upset by this and even thanked him.

As they rode on, Link told Wolf, “Once we get to this stable, I go back to the other one and find a horse around there for him, register it, then come back and ride it over to him. It’d be faster to pick up one those bokoblins where on, but I’d feel bad separating it from its friend.”

“Sounds fine to me.” Wolf replied.

They eventually passed by a series of ramps that lead up into the catwalks. It made them feel a little better about their decision to explore them, as it made climbing up to them that much easier. A short ways passed the ramps was an unusual obstruction. A bunch of boulders sat right in the middle of the road, blocking everything between the canyons. Link got off his horse in order to clear the way with stasis and a sledgehammer. After that, it was only a short trip until they saw the stable.

They checked in and had the horses taken into the stable’s care. Weirdly, they found the shrine up on a nearby hill across the road, completely out of sight from the stable. While Link went in, Wolf decided to go and do his usual chatting-up of people in and around the tent.

The shrine puzzle was something new to Link. There were metal balls with strange green electrical things inside of them. In order to solve the puzzles, he had to move them and other metal objects around so that the current would flow to and open the gates. There was a locked door at one point, but the key was easy enough to find. Even the guardians weren’t a big deal to get rid of. At the very end was a metal chest, but the sword inside wasn’t of interest. So link simply took the spirit orb and left.

When he got back to the stable, Wolf greeted him and informed him that an old man who worked there was offering to pay a diamond in exchange for fifty-five rushrooms. Despite his looting of practically everything they came across, Link didn’t have nearly that many on hand. He half-joked that he was going to have to start writing down all of these little things of interest. Once that was out of the way, Link once again left behind his companion in order to fetch a new horse.

He decided that instead of going back to Outskirt stable where they had been that morning, the Dueling Peaks Stable would be better. There were horses very close to it, whereas he hadn’t seen any right near the other. He wandered out into the woods and spotted a herd of four. Looking them over, he decided on a splotchy brown one. She was easy enough to mount and calm, and he registered her to make it easy on himself. When asked for a name, he chose the first one that came to his head: Butt Butt. The stable owner gave him a look, and Link only sighed. Honestly if Wolf had been there he would have tried a little harder, but he wasn’t so…

“I’m not going to be keeping her.” Link told the owner. “There’s a man out in Gerudo Canyon who wants a horse. He can rename her to whatever he wants. So I don’t really care about her name right now.”

Still a little disapproving of the name, the owner went ahead and registered her with it. With that out of the way, Link popped back over to the stable in the canyon and had the people there retrieve her. Wolf groaned when he heard the name she had been given, but Link only gave him the same spiel.

With that, Link quickly made his way back to the man who was waiting. The man was surprised that Link had kept his promise, and so soon! True to his word, the man forked over a gold rupee for Butt Butt. Without asking for her name, he declared her his new partner and climbed up into the saddle and began to ride out of the desert. Link breathed a sigh and finally went back to the stable in order to rest.

Link wasn’t too surprised to find that Wolf had found a dog. It sat beside him, enjoying a good belly rub while Wolf waited for him. Link of course said hello to the dog, who rolled onto its feet and shoved its head into his hands. He gave its ears a good scratch before sitting down with Wolf in order to eat their dinner. As expected, the dog begged them for food, and Link fed it a chunk of raw meat.

Just like the one before it, as soon as the dog was done eating, it barked at Link. The two boys watched as it walked away a few steps before looking back as if it wanted them to follow. Link went ahead and got up to see what it wanted, and it showed him over to the other side of the tent before it began digging at the ground. It uncovered another treasure chest, and Link decided that he would feed every dog they met from then on, no matter how much Wolf may be disappointed by that. The chest contained some ice arrows, and Link felt that the one he had spent on the wizzrobe earlier had been an acceptable bit of wastefulness.

*****

They spent the night behind the tent. It was fairly peaceful and private, if a bit uncomfortable because of the hard dirt. But they slept well enough.

They were woken just at daybreak by loud, frantic talking. When they were awake enough to listen in, the two boys heard a man talking to the stable owner about his four friends. From what they could hear, they had been exploring up along the catwalks and had been attacked by monsters near Koukat Plateau. He took off running, but the others apparently didn’t manage to get away.

Link and Wolf were quick to get themselves ready for the day. As soon as humanly possible, they left the stable and headed for the ramps they had seen before. The only thing that distracted them was a little pile of rocks, which Link quickly bombed in order to get a ruby from a chest. After that, it was straight up into the catwalks.

As expected, they were crawling with monsters. They found a girl being harassed by a bokoblin just to the north of where they can climbed up. Link knocked it off the platform, and it died upon impact with the ground.

“Wait… Am I…saved?” The woman asked as she realized what had just happened. The pair took a moment to explain to her what had happened at the stable. “At least I’m safe now. No thanks to Sesami. As soon as the monsters showed up, he ran away as fast as he could and left us for dead. Who does that? Especially to a girl! He’s at the Gerudo Canyon Stable? If he thinks I’m going to forgive him for this, he’s got another thing coming!”

With a huff, the woman marched off for the ramps.

“Harsh…” Link murmured.

“Can’t say I blame her, though.” Wolf sighed. “Come on, there’s three more people somewhere around here!”

They continued to explore along the northern wall, killing bokoblins as they went. Each one of them fell to their deaths, and Link made a passing comment about what a shame it was that their remains would go to waste. Their search was paused just long enough to loot a purple rupee from a chest, which only took a couple of seconds.

At the end of the short section they were walking along was a man trying to hold off two blue bokoblins on his own. The pair stepped in and helped him, and he let out a joyous cry.

“Wh-what wonderful forms! I’ve never seen anyone fight like that!” he cried out. That…hadn’t been what they were expecting him to be so happy about. “My name is Oliff. I’m a decent fighter, but I was caught off guard while traveling with my friends… The monsters vastly outnumbered us, so I thought it was unwise to challenge them. I hate to think what would’ve happened had you not shown up. By the Goddess, I’m grateful…” Again, Link explained to him how one of his friends, Sesami apparently, had run all the way back to the stable and had been looking for help. “Sesami is waiting for me? Ah, I’m glad to hear he’s safe. I shall hurry off to the Gerudo Canyon Stable where he waits.”

The man put away his sword and shield and took off running. The pair continued their search by crossing the canyon again and began to explore the more elaborate southern end. The catwalks led them back up the road they had initially come down for quite a ways. Eventually, they found another man cowering from yet more bokoblins. They took out the monsters just as before, and when the noises they were making stopped the man cautiously looked up.

“Huh? I’m… I’m alive? But…the monsters… Did you get rid of them?” The pair gave him a simply nod. “That’s incredible! You’re incredible! You might even be braver than Sesami!”

“Eh, yeah about that…” Link began.

“We heard him shouting back at the stable. He said he ran away as soon as you guys were attacked.” Wolf explained. “He should be waiting back there now with two more of your friends.”

“Sesami…is waiting at the stable? He didn’t come to save me? But he said he’d mastered the martial arts. Did he…lie to me about that? Nah…this must be a misunderstanding.” The man muttered. He thanked them before carefully making his way back.

“I dunno about you, but it sounds like Sesami has some explaining to do to his buddies.” Link stated. “I do not envy him.”

“You reap what you sow.” Wolf said plainly. “But, three down one to go. Let’s hope they’re okay.”

They kept going. When they came to a ladder they dropped down and hopped over a short gap in the catwalks. There was another ladder taking them back up, which they both questioned what the purpose of the lower part was. When they reached the end of the catwalks without coming across they fourth person, they turned around and began to head back. Link took a moment to investigate a suspicious rock on top of a natural arch over the road. Sure enough, there was a korok hiding under it.

They hurried back and eventually found a ladder leading even higher. Up there were more and more bokoblins to get rid of, and yet more ladders to climb. At last when they reached the top they found the last person they had been searching for. She was cornered on a lookout sticking out from the catwalks. Like the second person they had rescued, she was armed and attempting to hold her ground. Link smacked the bokoblin hard, sending it plummeting into the canyon below.

“Thanks for the assist, pal. That could’ve been the end of me. Boy, I’m gonna be sore tomorrow. Filthy bottom-feeders…” Once more, the pair relayed what had happened to her. She grit her teeth in anger at what she heard. “So Sesami was kicking his feet up in the stable while I was being tortured by those sorry sacks?! Oh, I’m going to go give him a piece of my mind, all right. A piece of my fist too!”

Link stepped back so that she could leave, and she bolted back the way they had come. Relieved that all four people would be safe and sound, Link turned his attention to the chest that had been sitting behind her.

“Well, whether his friends are mad or not isn’t really our problem, is it?” Link asked, pocketing the fire arrows he had found.

“That about sums it up.” Wolf replied, his attention elsewhere. “Hey Link, since we’re already up here why don’t we go take care of that?”

Link raised his head and spotted what Wolf was looking at. The tower for the region stood not too far off on the very top of the canyon. From the little lizalfos camp just in front of them, there would no doubt be a lot of monsters to fight off. Yet Link agreed that it would probably be a smart move to get the map filled in while they were there.

The lizalfos were strong, being two blues and a black. There was even a bokoblin archer attempting, and failing, to keep lookout. Wolf about threw himself at the toughest of the lizalfos, and Link briefly wondered if the older boy would ever stop being such a worrier. Although he was still glad to have his assistance. Once all the monsters in the area were defeated, the chest became accessible. It contained a bow, which Link swapped with the one he had been using. After that, they took advantage of the still lit campfire in order to break for an early lunch.

“By the way, I’ve got a few things to do in Hateno again.” Link mentioned. “Not just with the moblin club. I think I have enough materials for Purah to upgrade my rune, and I have enough spirit orbs to get a heart container. I was thinking about doing that when we’re all done here. Want to come with this time?”

“Sure.” Wolf decided. “I liked Purah. Would be nice to see her again.”

The younger boy laughed. “I thought as much!”

After that, the two began to assess the terrain between them and the tower. Link decided that it would be easier to just make a beeline for it than to try and find a path. Sure, there was plenty to explore up there, but for once he just wanted to get to their destination. They set off again, heading straight for the short cliffs and ledges that separated them from the tower. Link did what he could to find places for Wolf to jump to, and as a result the older boy was able to make it up with minimal teleportation. They came across a ladder that lead up to more catwalks, although they weren’t as long and intricate as the last set and basically lead right up the cliff face. At the top of the catwalks, they opted to climb and warp again rather than go all the way around. This also happened to give Link a chance to pick a few more rushrooms.

When they reached the next plateau, they were surprised to find a little oasis sprawling before them. Immediately Link spotted a weird rock formation that had an acorn hanging from it. He broke open the acorn, and a korok happily appeared before him with his reward. Meanwhile, Wolf noticed a boulder sitting right beside a ditch and elected to shove it in himself. The korok that popped out handed over the seed, which Wolf then gave to his companion.

They got rid of some unfavorable electric lizalfos hiding around the oasis. Both boys quickly discovered that they did not like them much at all. Their electric attacks combined with the water on the ground and the metal on their persons had them in quite a bit of pain. Still, they managed to clear out all of them and stopped to take a breath and shove food down their throats in order to ease the stinging of their wounds and nerves.

“You know…” Link said, looking around the area. “This place is actually kinda pretty!”

Wolf took a better look at the place too. “Yeah, actually. Would be a nice spot to sit back and relax for a while or something.”

“I was thinking about this earlier,” Link began, “there was a little pool of water by the stable’s shrine. I was thinking we should take a quick bath or something while we had the chance. But this place is a lot better for that! Quieter, prettier, farther away from potentially prying eyes…”

Wolf smiled and nodded. “Agreed. Let’s come back here once that tower’s taken care of.”

Once that was decided upon, it was right back to climbing! They barely made it up onto the next little plateau when they were attacked again. Several black and blue moblins had apparently heard them and had been waiting. For once, a monster ambush had worked. To make matters worse, there were a number of electric chuchus, which meant it would be difficult to attack without getting shocked.

The two boys managed to put a few feet between them and the monsters, and Link came up with a plan. He told it to Wolf, who decided it was as good as anything. One-by-one, Link would shoot the chuchus. When they died they would inadvertently shock the moblins around them. During that time, Wolf stepped in and did what damage he could with his spear, since his attacks had no arc to potentially hit the chuchus with. The shocked moblins weren’t able to move for a few seconds which gave him plenty of time to get in a handful of jabs. Once all of the chuchus and at least one of the moblins had been taken care of, Link properly joined in the fray to help finish off the rest.

Link picked through the moblins’ weapons. He chose to take along the black one’s sword and shield. The chest they had been guarding contained a topaz as well. Once the pair caught their breaths they made a beeline for the tower. There were more catwalks on ledges to either side of them, which they ignored entirely. Instead they went up the few short cliffs until they were finally at the very top.

The tower was surrounded by a strange, dark, bubbling tar-like substance. Standing in it were some huge stone slabs. Around the edges were several metal crates and boxes, and Link confirmed with magnesis that there were more in the tar itself.

“Be careful around this stuff.” Link stated, talking about the stuff. “One step into it is basically guaranteed death.”

Wolf frowned. “Do I want to know how you know that?”

Link shook his head, and Wolf decided not to pursue the issue. Link made an effort to stack the metal objects in the tar so that he could have a crude walkway over to the tower. But because he couldn’t see beneath the thick, dark substance when he was manipulating an object, he had a hard time judging where to place them. Seeing the way he was struggling, Wolf tried to think of another option.

“This stuff’s pretty goopy, it looks like. Can you freeze it?”

With another misplaced box and a groan, Link replied, “May as well try.”

Both were delighted when Link discovered that yes, he could freeze the tar with cryonis. He created himself icy pillars all the way across, ever careful of how far away he made them. The last one he made knocked into one of the stone slabs and caused it to fall over, creating a domino effect with the next few until they formed a crude path to the tower. Link hopped up onto them and then began his climb.

Despite being up so high, Link couldn’t get a good look at the desert itself. A huge dust cloud blocked much of his view. When he put his slate into the tower, it revealed to him the whole of the desert on his map. Several places immediately caught his eye, and he glided back down to Wolf in order to show him. First and foremost was almost certainly a town in the middle of the desert and at the end of singular long road. One of the markers Impa had placed for him sat on it, too. Then to the southwest were seven objects in a circle, and hidden away to the southeast was a weird rectangular structure. Link put stamps on the latter two, and then tucked his slate away again.

“Looks like we’re going to be out there exploring for a while.” Link remarked. “That desert looks huge and full of stuff!”

“Fine by me! I’ve said it before, but I like deserts. I’m excited to see what all is out there!” Wolf replied happily. “But for now: bath time!”

“BATH TIME!” Link shouted, grinning broadly.

*****

Link did not think his decision through thoroughly. When he had conceived of and suggested the idea that they get a bath it had all been innocent enough. They were sweaty and dirty, and while they had spent time in the water and rain it really wasn’t the same as stripping down and soaking and scrubbing and splashing in clean water. He just wanted to give them both a chance to clean up and relax before going into what was likely to be a big ol’ sandpit.

The two of them decided to occupy the northernmost portion of the oasis, as it was the furthest point away from the two koroks. Link was quick to pull off his clothes, as he had very much been looking forward to the bath. It was only when Wolf removed his shirt after having taken off his tunic and chainmail that Link had realized what a huge mistake he had made. Yes, he had seen the older boy naked or in his underwear a few times before, had even wrestled with him the last time they had bathed together. But the situation between them had changed since then!

Link’s eyes defied all of his pleading to stop staring at Wolf’s body as he disrobed. They took in the curve and hard line of every muscle he had on his chest and stomach. His strong arms that had held Link or even lifted him a couple times before, toned legs… It was only when Wolf made to take off his underwear that Link snatched control of himself back and looked away. He was now suddenly and acutely aware of the fact that they were once again both naked around each other. And he prayed to Hylia that he could keep himself together and that his body wouldn’t do something stupid and without his permission.

He felt cold water splash against him and Wolf chuckled.

“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to clean yourself up?” the older boy asked.

Although difficult, Link kept his eyes away from even the general direction of the other. “I am! I was just, uh, just-”

“Enjoying the view?”

“NO!” Link shrieked, earning another laugh from Wolf.

The older boy knelt down and quickly splashed his face with water. He rubbed it down thoroughly before standing up again and invading Link’s personal space. The younger boy squeaked and made to take a step back when he realized Wolf had gotten so close, as he had still been looking away. With a smile, Wolf laid a hand on Link’s cheek and placed a quick peck to his lips.

“I don’t care if you look at me.” Wolf stated. “Nothing you haven’t seen before.”

Link’s face flared up red and his body went rigid so as not to accidentally do something stupid. “I-I… This is…”

Thankfully, Wolf took a step back and went about getting himself washed up. Link’s brain was able to reset after a few seconds and he heaved a great sigh. He really was being stupid about this, and he knew it. Wishing again that his body wouldn’t betray him, he went ahead and followed Wolf’s lead. They bathed in almost silence. Only the sound of water being moved around and the occasional happy sigh escaping their lips could be heard. Eventually, Wolf flopped down on his back in the water, just enjoying the feeling of it.

Despite how difficult it was to keep his gaze above the waist, Link couldn’t help but smile at him. In fact after a moment he decided to do the same and plopped himself down beside Wolf. The older boy chuckled and turned his head to face his companion.

“See? Nothing you have to be so skittish about.”

“It’s still embarrassing.” Link sighed in defeat.

“You’re the one who suggested this.”

“Have we not established that I am an idiot?”

“Only jokingly. By the way, you’re even less scrawny than before.”

Again Link blushed. Beside him, Wolf tried to stifle a laugh before giving up and erupting into a fit of laughter. He didn’t get much of a chance to keep laughing though, as Link paid him back for earlier by splashing a huge wave directly onto his face. Wolf sputtered and sat up abruptly. Now it was Link’s turn to laugh at him. The older boy glared at him for a moment.

“You little…” he growled before tackling Link.

The younger boy shrieked and fought back playfully. The two ended up rolling and tackling and kicking and shoving each other about in the water. Both laughed without restraint, only occasionally cut off by being knocked into or around a bit too roughly. Still, they kept at it for several minutes until they had just about undone any cleaning they had managed to do.

Things came to a screeching halt when Wolf managed to pin Link onto his back and trapped his wrists in his hands beside his head. The two grinned devilishly at each other, the fight still in both of their eyes…but only for a second. At all once it dawned on them that not only were they all muddied up, but the position they were in was compromising to say the least. Both of them turned scarlet at the same time and Wolf scurried off of Link. The younger boy sat up and cleared his throat. Neither of them looked at each other.

“We should…move to a different pool and rinse off again.” He suggested.

“Good idea.”

They moved to different pools so they could wash themselves up once more. They hadn’t meant to, but being in different places gave them a chance to calm down and collect themselves. Only once they were finished and pulling on their clothes did they chance to look at each other again.

“You really like your climber’s outfit, don’t you?” Wolf remarked.

Link flashed him a little smile. “Yep! It’s comfy, and not to mention really useful.”

“And pink.”

“That’s just the sugar on top!”

Wolf rolled his eyes. Somehow having reestablished some type of normalcy, they decided to head on back to Hateno again. Finding the boy who wanted to see the moblin club wasn’t hard, and he gave them a purple rupee for it. After which he asked to see a duplex bow. With that out of the way, they wandered up the road towards Purah’s home, only stopping long enough for Link to pray for another heart container.

The Sheikah girl-woman was happy to see them both again. After greeting them she asked if Link was ready to upgrade the last of his runes, which he was. Like before, she had him hand over the materials and give her a good, animated SNAP! Link complied happily, and Purah cheered before doing what she had to. When all was said and done she gave him a bit of a congratulations on upgrading all of his runes.

“With your Sheikah Slate and your legendary swordsmanship, we have nothing to fear. Yes, quite! Nothing at all… Not even… Calamity Ganon!” She declared confidently.

Link wasn’t quite so sure about that. Certainly, the vote of confidence was nice, as was Wolf’s agreeing nod. But he couldn’t help but think it was still too early to be saying such things. Still, he thanked Purah. They said their goodbyes, and Wolf and Link returned to Gerudo Canyon Stable together.

In the time they had been away from the stable several interesting characters had arrived. First and foremost, even from the shrine, Link could hear an accordion being played. Oddly enough the song was the one Wolf had identified as Epona’s Song. Kass greeted them warmly and they chatted a little. He was impressed that the two of them had come so far, as even he, who can fly, struggled a bit to make it there. The Rito also explained that his teacher had been the court poet of the Hyrulean royal family. He said that the man had come face-to-face with the Calamity at Hyrule Castle and had been forced to flee. As such, Kass knew a song about the ancient hero, as his teacher passed it down to him. He then asked if they cared to hear it.

“Yes please!” Link replied, excitedly.

“Excellent! Without further ado…”

Kass began to play and sing. His song spoke of the battle against Calamity Ganon ten thousand years ago. How the Divine Beasts and guardians were created and their purpose, the Champions who piloted the four Beasts, and of the knight and princess who delivered the finishing blow and sealed Ganon. All of it were things that Link and Wolf had heard before, but song was still powerful and inspiring nonetheless. When he was finished, Kass thanked them for listening and told them to come talk to him again should they cross paths.

Having listened to the tale from so long ago again, a burning question came to Link. He glanced at Wolf, but didn’t dare voice it just yet. He didn’t know how the people around them would handle it if they were to hear the two talking about it…

Instead, they sought out the other familiar face who had arrived. Pikango was painting away as per usual. He checked out Link’s album once more and was able to identify the fourth picture. It was of an oasis that he named as Kara Kara Bazaar. He said that it was just outside of Gerudo Town and claimed that Link and Wolf couldn’t miss it if they stayed on the road.

After thanking him, they decided to go and talk with the group of friends they had helped out who were all gathered around a campfire. Sesami recognized them, if only because of his friends’ descriptions, and got up to speak with them when they approached.

“Oh, hey! I’ve been waiting for you.” He stated. “You saved them! I thought my friends were dead, but you brought them all back to me! I can’t thank you enough. My friends said you were outnumbered, but you were still able to take those monsters down with style. As soon as they all got back safely, a wave of emotion washed over me. Thank you. Thank you so much. I want you to have this.” He forked over a handful of rupees, adding up to three hundred upon later inspection. “Sorry it’s so small. Everyone chipped in for it, but we’re in the middle of traveling, y’know? In a way, I’m kind of glad all of this happened. It’s helped me realize just how important friendship is. Opening up to others might make you more vulnerable, but it’s also the only way to give your life any value.” He stated, glancing back at his friends. “That said, caring for others is an emotional liability, so my friends and I have all decided to part ways! Not really sure what the takeaway is here…”

The others thanked the pair as well and expressed similar sentiments about going their own ways being for the best. Sesami sat down with them again, presumably to enjoy his last night together with them.

Once they were far enough away from the group Link muttered, “Well, as strange of a turn of events as that was, I guess they’re all safe and happy?”

“Not everybody is cut out to travel, let along with other people. So…yes.” Wolf replied. “Personally though, I enjoy traveling with another person.”

“Me too!” Link stated with a grin. “I can’t imagine how lonely it’d be not having you here. I’d probably go mad and try to burn down forests, or strip naked and run around Kakariko, or spend all of my time seeing if I can stasis rocks for a quick method of transportation. …Come to think of it actually I might still try that last one.”

The look Wolf gave him was nothing short of concerned. “And suddenly I am more thankful that I came here than I already was.”

The younger boy only laughed and decided to change the subject. It was still a bit early, but not so much that they felt comfortable leaving for the desert proper. They found a little spot away from everyone else and settled down there to relax and have their dinner. Being out of immediate earshot of other people, if they kept their voices at a low-normal speaking volume, Link finally decided to ask his question.

“Hey uh… From what you’ve told me, your Hyrule doesn’t have anything like Divine Beasts or guardians or things. Right?”

Wolf nodded. “All of this stuff is entirely new to me. Honestly, it’s incredibly impressive. The most technologically advanced thing from my Hyrule was the City in the Sky. Which…honestly was still astounding and I have no idea how it was made or works, but I digress. Divine Beasts, guardians, shrines, even your slate...my Hyrule has nothing like them.”

“Then what about your old tales? What do they speak of?”

“Mostly they’re about the Twilight. Until Zant came along everyone, including myself, simply passed those old stories off as mere legend. But Midna confirmed most of them. How her ancestors were sorcerers who had tried to seize control of the Sacred Realm after the Triforce was created. The three goddesses in turn banished them to a realm that only just barely intersected with mine.” He glanced at the mark on the back of his left hand. “It’s strange how our old myths are both so out there, and yet, they’re both very real.”

“And how different they are from each other.” Link added. “I mean, just for starters, you’ve got the Triforce and three goddesses! Meanwhile I’ve got giant machines and one goddess.”

Wolf stole a glance at Kass, who was still playing his accordion several feet away. “Your Hyrule also has races I’ve seen before. Sheikah? Rito? I’ve never heard of them.” In that moment, another new comer arrived at the stable. A giant of a woman with dark skin and fiery red hair, clothed in such a way neither boy was familiar with, and rocking the most impressive set of abs either had ever seen. “Speaking of races I’ve never seen…” Wolf muttered.

“Woah...” Link gasped. “You know I’m not really into tall people, but I might just have to change my mind. Because wow!”

In a strange way, Wolf had to agree with him. While not exactly his type, the woman was certainly quite the beauty and impressive to look upon. Out of purest curiosity, the two of them decided to get up and talk to her. The woman was surprised that they approached her. Even seemed a bit apprehensive that they did. She eyed them both suspiciously as they said hello.

“Hmmmm… You look like your everyday travelers, but how can I be sure?” She asked them.

“Well, I don’t think we are everyday travelers.” Link told her. “My friend and I are kind of on a quest or something of the sort. And we’re both swordsmen. So…I guess you could call us adventurers instead of travelers?”

The woman gave them an approving nod and lowered her voice a notch. “Don’t tell anyone…but I’m no merchant. I’m a Gerudo Town soldier in disguise.”

“So you’re a Gerudo?”

“I am, yes. Out of curiosity, have you ever heard of the Yiga Clan? They’re a group of thieving bandits who have caused all sorts of trouble back in town. I got a tip that some of them go incognito as travelers to ambush the unwary. That’s why I’m dressed as a simple merchant. My mission is to blend in and stay on guard in case they strike. They were bold enough to strike at Gerudo Town, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they struck at travelers, too…”

“We’ve met a few.” Wolf told her. “They were pretending to be in distress, but attacked us when we got near to help.”

“It’s good that you are both capable of defending yourselves, then. Unfortunately not everyone is.” The woman stated. “So far I have not run into any, but there are other soldiers from Gerudo Town out there who might have. Along with your average, unsuspecting traveler. That’s why we’re out of the desert; to try and lure them out so we can capture as many as possible.”

“In that case, good luck! I hope you’re able to round up at least a few of them.”

The woman nodded. “Sarqso. I wish you safe travels, adventurers.”

They thanked her. After which, they decided to return to the area behind the tent where they had slept the night before. As they were settling in, Link eyed a stone pillar beside the stable and decided to climb it just out of curiosity. Doing so only took him a moment, even with picking the rushrooms that grew from it. At the top of the pillar, just as he had suspected, was an out-of-place rock. And of course, there was a korok beneath it.

Link sat down beside his companion and let out a yawn. He had been about to say something when all of a sudden he felt Wolf’s arms around him, hugging him tightly. Flustered, Link stutteringly asked him what he was doing.

“Those people earlier, the ones who decided to part ways. It made me think that I should repeat myself. I won’t leave you! Not until this business with Calamity Ganon is done and over with.”

Link stared at him, stunned. “You…were thinking about that?”

Wolf nodded. “You looked so concerned before when I said it the first time. I thought you might be again.”

The younger boy couldn’t help but smile affectionately at Wolf. He reached up and scratched his ears with both hands, earning him a little tail wag. “I wasn’t, but thank you anyway.” He stated. There was a pause before he asked, “Can I cuddle with you again? You know, while we sleep?”

That earned him a laugh and a returned smile. “I wouldn’t mind it.”

Link curled himself up against Wolf’s side when they laid down. He draped an arm over his chest and, despite it being more comfortable, restrained himself from wrapping a leg around one of Wolf’s. In turn, the older boy cradled him in his arm and allowed Link to lay his head on his shoulder.

*****

Morning dawned, and the pair forewent their horses when the stable owner informed them that they weren’t allowed in the desert. So instead they set off on foot.

Chapter Text

There was a bit of a drop-off before the desert proper. The two boys came to a stop at it, not because they couldn’t easily hop down or use the ramp two feet to their right, but because they were in awe of the huge expanse of just…sand! Wolf was of course expecting it, but even he’s amazed at the large, rolling dunes. In addition to that, they two could easily see the bazaar and town from where they stood. Even the shrine outside of town glowed almost like a beacon from across the sands. The two finally hopped down the short ledge and took their first steps into the desert.

The road before them was barely visible in the sand, but they didn’t really need it. Instead they just meandered along towards the bazaar. But not before Link could be distracted by photographing and picking some hydromelons that were growing near the entrance!

Just down the road and to their left was a little pit containing an electric chuchu, two black bokoblins, and an electric lizalfos. While easily skippable, Link decided to take care of them if only because they were so close to the road. He shot the chuchu to stun them, and Wolf moved in to fight the bokoblins. This left Link with the lizalfos. The younger boy found himself almost wanting to fight one of the stronger monsters instead, as the lizalfos repeatedly tried to shock him with its horn. Link put some distance between them and took aim at its head. By accident he struck the thing’s horn, which caused it to discharge upon itself. The lizalfos fell over, and it only took Link half a second to figure out what had happened. Taking the opportunity presented to him by the accident, he charged in and hacked the monster apart with a sword.

Wolf was nearly finished with the two bokoblins, so Link put an arrow in the last of them to finish it off. As Link gathered up their remains, Wolf inspected the trident.

“You know… I don’t think this thing’s taken any damage.” He stated.

Link came closer and looked the weapon over himself. “Yeah… I was actually wondering about that myself yesterday. It was lasting you quite a long time, so I found it odd. But looking at it…you’re right! It hasn’t taken any at all! That’s…both weird and also really amazing!”

“Fortunate, too. A spear isn’t really my weapon of choice, but it’s nice to have something that won’t break on me. You know, like all of your weapons.”

Link rolled his eyes. “Hey, these things have been getting sturdier! It’s not so bad anymore.”

“No, it’s still terrible.”

“Not really. Plus I kind of like picking up new weapons and trying them out!”

Wolf breathed a sigh and put the trident away. “Let’s agree to disagree here. We should keep moving.”

Despite being visible from the desert’s entrance, the bazaar took them a couple of hours to walk to. As they walked, Wolf couldn’t help but comment on how it would be easier to handle the sand on four legs. Link groaned and muttered “lucky”, to which Wolf only chuckled and pointed out that he wasn’t transforming for a reason.

No sooner than the older boy had finished speaking, a strange gurgling noise rumbled across the dunes. The two boys stopped short and turned towards the huge sandstorm where it had emanated from. Through the sand it was kicking up, they could just barely see what appeared to be a gigantic robotic camel stomping about.

“The Divine Beast is kicking up a storm right now. I don’t recommending going to Gerudo Town while that thing is so close by.” A Gerudo guard stationed a few feet off, by the bazaar, stated. “Although, you two are voe… Even if you make it to town, you won’t be able to get in.”

“Voe?” Wolf asked.

“Males. There is a law forbidding them from entering the city.”

Both boys exchanged a look. Well. That was going to be a problem…

“The law’s been there for hundreds of years. Men were not allowed within the entourage of the Hyrule royal family when their vai visited. The king himself was not permitted to enter. Even the voe Champions from a hundred years ago were not exempt.” The woman stated.

Oh yeah. That was going to put a wrench in their plans. Still, they thanked her for the heads up and moved on to explore the oasis and bazaar around it. All things considered, the place was pretty small. In addition to a little inn set up inside of a mound of rocks, there were only two little stalls. Aside from that there were only a few people were milling about, one of which was a race that Link had never seen before. Wolf took one look at him and identified him as a Goron, an all-male race that was at least partially made of stone.

As they walked about, a woman hanging around near the inn called out to them. “Sav’aaq. Who are you?”

“Huh? Oh, um, I’m-” Link began, but was cut off before he could give his name.

“You… The two of you are voe, aren’t you?” the woman asked.

“Voe is a male, right? Yeah, we are. Why?”

The woman stared at both of them, judging them as her eyes raked over both of their forms. “Hmm… No. I bet Mama would have a problem with a delicate voe like you. Or an unusual looking one like you.” She said to Link and Wolf respectively. “Oh, yes, I’m Rhondson. I hail from Gerudo Town. This search for the love of my life… I’m so exhausted by it.”

“Why are you searching so hard, then?” Link asked.

“Ugh… I don’t know why I’m even saying this—it’s no business of a Hylian like you, but… I’m constantly being bothered by my mother over not having found the love of my life…”

“I know that the town doesn’t allow men, but are there no male Gerudo around?” Wolf asked curiously.

“You guessed it. Since it’s so rare for a voe to be born to a Gerudo, we seek out husbands from the world beyond Gerudo Town. I’ve proven myself to be a gifted tailor, but none of the voe I’ve met seem to appreciate a well-hemmed garment. I was hoping my craft would help me find a mate, but it doesn’t seem like there’s much work for a tailor around here. I wonder if there really is someone out there for me…”

Despite not really understanding, the two at least wished her well in her search. She thanked them and returned to staring off into the distance, awaiting the next man who would come by. Before Link and Wolf could begin really looking around themselves, the younger boy spotted something far more important: a dog! Like the ones before it, it had something to show them once it had been fed. The chest it dug up beneath a little cluster of palm trees contained a bow. While he would have rathered it be more rupees, Link decided to take it all the same.

After that was done with, they decided to chat with some of the people around the oasis. One man, a Hylian like them, stated that he was a part of a merchant caravan and that his leader had gone on ahead to see about getting into town. He mentioned that it had been a few days, and he was beginning to wonder what was holding him up.

The next person they spoke with was the Goron. He was sitting across the water from the road and pointed out a sandstorm that wasn’t caused by the Divine Beast. He said that it supposedly died down for a few hours every day, so he was keeping an eye on it out of curiosity.

While talking to people, the two boys began to feel the heat of the day beating down upon them. Despite being in shorts and a T-shirt, Link was far from immune to the sun’s harsh rays. But it was Wolf who felt it first and felt the worst of it. After telling Link about it, the younger boy looked around until he found a cooking pot that they could use. Although neither wanted to be particularly near to a fire, Link assured his companion that he had an idea that would help them. He produced a few winterwing butterflies that he had caught while up on the cold mountain north of Hateno Village while looking for a shrine. He boiled each of them up in turn along with a bokoblin horn in order to produce half a dozen or so chilly elixirs. He dipped the bottles into the water to cool them off a little before handing one over to Wolf. The two each drank one down, and immediately they could feel the effects as suddenly the heat didn’t feel so unbearable.

A male Rito who had been resting near the water’s edge had been watching them. He called out, getting their attention. He explained that he had come from Rito Village, which was far to the north and was a modest village on the Tabantha Frontier. He had planned to do a lot of traveling, but the heat of the desert had sort of grounded him. He asked if they could spare him one of their elixirs, which Link decided to as he still had a few other ingredients he could cook up if they needed more relief. The Rito thanked him delightedly and gave him a purple rupee in return. He also mentioned that in the Gerudo language, “thank you” was “sarqso”, and then proceeded to happily exclaim the Gerudo word of gratitude.

The last person that the two boys were interested in speaking with was up on a short lookout tower. He was gazing off at the same sandstorm that the Goron was, and said much the same thing about it. However, he mentioned that an ancient civilization had supposedly hidden a treasure inside of the sandstorm. This piqued Link and Wolf’s curiosity and, once they were out of his earshot, they decided that it might very well be like the statues that the one doctor had been researching before. Which meant, if anything, that checking it out would be a night job.

And finally, they began to look around for the memory that they were told would be in the area. They found the spot the picture had been taken in just off the road leading into the desert. As if to make up for the last time, Wolf proved that he was ready to catch Link by preemptively wrapping his arms around the younger boy’s chest and stomach in a little embrace from behind. Link turned a shade pinker, but chuckled and studied the area carefully…

Zelda was running away from something, and desperately so. Two Yiga Clan members appeared in front of her, and she came to a screeching halt before turning around. A third showed up behind her, startling her into tripping over her own feet and causing her to fall to the ground. It was Link himself who dashed in to her rescue. He knocked the third one out and turned on the other two, who took off with the aid of their smoke bombs. The last thing he remembered about that moment was Zelda staring up at him in awe.

Link was slumped back a little against Wolf when he came to, but the older boy held him securely on his feet. Wolf asked him if they should sit down, to which Link shook his head. After gaining his legs again, which only took a few seconds, Link went ahead and explained what it was that he had remembered. Wolf too found it odd that it had been so…brief. According to Link’s photo album, that incident had happened sometime after Zelda had asked him about his sword…but there was a still-unaccounted for memory between the two. They surmised that things might make a little more sense if they were able to obtain that memory.

But while Link didn’t voice it, something about his newest memory had him feeling…off. There had been something uncanny about it, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He decided to think on it later, as he and Wolf still had a lot of distance to travel if they wanted to reach Gerudo Town that day.

Before they left the bazaar, Link decided to take a quick peek into the waters of the oasis. Just as he had been expecting, there was a chest lying at the bottom of it. He hauled it up onto shore, to the awe of those around him, and opened it up for a silver rupee. After that, the two boys began the trek to Gerudo Town.

*****

There was a weird amount of travelers and merchants leaving from the direction of town while they walked, all of whom were male. Many of them were talking to each other or muttering to themselves about how they had been hoping to get into the “town full of women”. From what they had just seen around Kara Kara Bazaar, all Gerudo women were tall and built like soldiers, even if they were just regular merchants. It was no wonder certain Hylian men would be attracted to them, but seeing just how many there were was a little creepy. Link and Wolf were beginning to see why the Gerudo would ban men from their biggest town.

Partially to distract them from yet another man coming from the town’s direction, Link stepped off the so-called road in order to pick some voltfruits from a cactus. The lower one he could get just fine, but the higher one was out of his reach. Before he could even think about jumping up to get it, Wolf did it for him. Despite the height difference between them being minimal, it was enough that all Wolf had to give was a short hop whereas Link might have had to leap up.

“Now you’re just showing off.” Link teased.

“I might be. But mostly I thought it’d be easier this way.” Wolf replied, handing the fruit over to him.

As they continued on, they found that the already bad road was now practically nonexistent. Thankfully, they needed it about as much as they had needed one to get to the bazaar. They ambled through the sands, passed what looked to be a monster camp infested with electric lizalfos, and on straight ahead towards the town.

It was late afternoon by the time they managed to reach it. The shrine sat off to one side of the entrance, but the pair ignored it for the moment. Instead, they decided to test the waters on entering. Sure enough, the two Gerudo standing guard barred their way and sharply told them that voe were not permitted to enter. They stated that if they wanted a place to rest on their travels then they should head back to the oasis. They had been expecting that, and Link gave up on the attempt to get in. Instead they made to investigate the shrine.

Link handed over the rest of the cooling elixirs he had made to Wolf while he went into the shrine, as he had a feeling he wouldn’t be needing them inside. Wolf, meanwhile, turned his attention to a man who was standing nearby. He was staring at the wall and muttering to himself what sounded like thoughts on how to sneak into the town. Already tired of seeing people like him on the road, Wolf asked him if he was planning on spying on the women in town.

“What?! N-no! I’m not a spy! I’m a merchant! I may not look like it, but I’m actually the leader of a caravan! I’ve traveled all the way here, but this town doesn’t allow men to go in. So…that’s why I…had to…um…”

“So you are spying.”

“It wasn’t spying! Think of it what you want, but I’ve finally found some key info on how to sneak into Gerudo Town!”

Wolf’s ears perked up, now far more interested in what the man had to say. “What info?”

“Heheheh… See, even you want to get in. We’re not so different! Well, allow me to share with you…my heroic tale! It’s been close to a week now… The guards have kicked me out more times than I can count… I almost gave up hope… HOWEVER!! I have learned only recently of a man that slipped into this well-guarded town! I heard that man is frequently traveling between Kara Kara Bazaar and Gerudo Town. I’ve been waiting here, trying to spot him as he travels!”

That most certainly was interesting news. If a man were traveling between the bazaar and the town, then he might be troublesome to spot, as there were a lot of those. But if he could somehow get into town, then it might just be worth it to speak to everyone in the area…

*****

The shrine contained another electricity puzzle. There was a mess of circuits on the floor, all meant to link the green electrical object near the start to various gates. The whole of the puzzle was moving metal objects such as cubes, barrels, and chests about in order to close the circuits and open the different gates. It wasn’t a difficult puzzle, just a little time consuming due to all of the objects that Link had to move about one at a time. The chest he uncovered had a thunderblade in it, but he decided against taking it along since the creatures of the desert all seemed to use that element, too.

When Link returned to the surface, Wolf was already waiting for him with the new information he had been given by the not-spy. He relayed what the man had said as they began the trek back to the bazaar.

“Hm, but if that guy has been watching the entrance, then it might be really hard to spot that man.” Link stated. “Like, maybe he’s really womanly or something and blends in well.”

“It’s possible. There are some very androgynous people out there.”

They decided to ask around the bazaar when they got there. The sun had already set by the time they arrived, but they still gave it a try. Of everybody that was around, only the innkeeper had something in particular to say about a suspicious person who frequently traveled between the two locations. She stated that a strange looking woman would often climb up to the top of the inn at night, and even remarked that she might be up there right now.

There were a couple of ladders leading up to the top of the precariously balanced rocks up above the inn. The pair climbed up them, wondering if this strange woman could be the person they were looking for. Sure enough, they found a lone person standing on the rocks and looking out at the desert. Whoever they were looked like a Gerudo woman wearing a purple outfit that matched what they had seen other Gerudo wearing. Still, something felt kind of…off…about her. Link and Wolf shared a look before the younger boy approached her.

“Excuse me!”

The person turned around, and even in the darkness of night both boys could see the stubble growing on their face where their veil failed to cover. The person took one look at Link and began to coo over him.

“Oh, my. What a lovely young lad you are. Do you need something from me?”

“Uh, er…well… This might sound strange but… My companion and I…heard there was a man who snuck into town.” Link told them.

“What’s that? You’ve heard about a man who snuck into Gerudo Town? Oh, I don’t know anything about him… Sorry I couldn’t be more help.” The person stated almost playfully.

Link squinted up at their face. They certainly looked feminine, but that stubble… He wasn’t convinced at all that this person was being honest. At his staring, the person let out a little giggle.

“Heehee… You’re making my cheeks warm looking at me like that.”

Hurriedly looking for an explanation that wouldn’t sound rude, Link spouted, “You’re very beautiful!” which…wasn’t a lie, per se. It just wasn’t what he had been expecting to come out of his mouth. Behind him, he heard Wolf’s palm meet his face.

“Oh, such a nice thing to say! And I’m sure you’d agree that these clothes only help my looks, right?” The person studied Link again briefly. “Now that I think about it, this style would look quite fetching on you… I have a spare set of clothes that I think would fit you. I’d have to charge you, of course, but I bet people would see you completely differently if you wore them! What do you think? Do you want to buy them for…six hundred rupees?”

Link wasn’t so certain about that idea. While the clothes were pretty, he wasn’t sure what purpose wearing them might serve. He turned to Wolf and was about to ask him what he thought, only to notice the way the older boy had perked up at the prospect.

“Uh… What do you think, Wolf?” Link asked anyway.

“You know, it’d be worth a shot. When I said before that some people are androgynous, I kind of meant you were included.”

While a bit pricey, Link did have the money for it. So he steeled himself and said that he would take the clothes! The person seemed thrilled by this as he handed over the money.

“Heehee… I have the perfect outfit for you!” they said giddily as they fished the clothing out of their belongings. They handed them over to Link in excitement. “Go ahead and change into it right now. Don’t worry. I’ll look away!”

True to their word, the person quickly turned on their heel and stared out at the desert again. Link shot Wolf a weird look.

“What?” the older boy asked.

“You turn around, too!” Link insisted, grinning for some reason.

“Why?”

“Just do it!”

With a sigh, Wolf went along with whatever it was that Link that was doing. He faced the other way, and Link proceeded to get changed into his new clothes. It took him several minutes, as he had to figure out what each piece was and how it all went together. And then came the trouble of figuring out the correct way it was all supposed to get onto his body. More than once, Link stumbled or messed something up and would grumble under his breath about it. Wolf did his best not to laugh or offer to help the younger boy.

When Link was finally ready, he told the two that they were allowed to look. The person who had sold him the clothes let out a squeal of delight when they laid eyes on him. Wolf had to step around Link in order to see him from the front, and his eyes noticeably widened. All of the attention caused Link to blush a little, and he decided to play up the girly cuteness a bit when the person’s praise only continued.

“You look adorable!! Ahhh heeheehee… Just as I thought! You make for quite a good-lookin’ gal.” the person told him happily. “That’s a traditional Gerudo outfit. It’s such a striking look around here, I doubt anyone would even suspect that you’re a man! On top of that, it breathes so well that it’s sure to help you deal with the desert heat… At least a little! I’m so glad I was able to help you out.” They then turned and ran a scanning eye over Wolf. “Hmm… I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t believe such an outfit would be as flattering on you. I know you two wanted to get into the town, but you may have to settle for just the one.”

Wolf waved them off casually. “I wouldn’t worry about that. I think I know a way that’ll work for me.”

The person giggled again. “If you say so. Now then, if either of you are free to grab something to eat sometime, keep me in mind…” Just then, a gust of wind blew passed the three of them. It wasn’t too strong, but it was just enough to push the veil away from the person’s face. They let out a choked sound and hurried to put it back into place. “Heh… Make sure you watch out for the wind.” They advised Link.

Link facepalmed. Well, that explained the veil… They were certainly pretty when their nose, mouth, and chin was covered, but otherwise…

They cleared their throat. “If you want to get more lady’s clothing, come back anytime…”

The pair thanked them and made their way back down the ladders. As soon as Link’ new shoes touched the sand, he turned and grinned up at Wolf, who was still coming down the second ladder.

“Well, what do you think?” the younger boy asked. He waited until Wolf was on the ground and looking his way before twirling in place.

A smirk tugged at Wolf’s lips. “I think…” he took a step closer and placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his partially-covered cheek. “You look entirely too cute like this.”

The younger boy felt heat rising to his face. He raised a hand in order to undo one side of his veil before meeting Wolf for a quick kiss. When they parted, Wolf took a step back to admire Link again as the younger boy fixed his veil back into place. If he were to be asked, the older boy couldn’t say that he thought Link looked like a girl. But if the other person could get into town with that stubble, then Link should be able to pass as well.

Link turned around and gazed out into the desert, and it only took a half second for Wolf’s eyes to follow his. The sandstorm that had been raging during the day had calmed. That corner of the desert was clear in the night air, just as they had suspected it would be. They decided that pulling an all-nighter might not be a bad idea if it meant getting to a shrine.

A chill ran down Link’s spine once they were out of the safety of the bazaar. Despite the days being as hot as they were, the nights out in the desert apparently got quite chilly. So even though he had just put on his new clothes, Link opted to change into his warm doublet and Hylian hood and pants. He didn’t make Wolf turn around, though, which the older boy assumed meant that Link had been intending to surprise him the last time.

It wasn’t long before Link’s sensor came to life and began to guide them. Around that same time, however, two skeletal creatures clawed their way up out of the sands. The both of them were carrying bows, and took aim at the pair.

“What in the-?!”

“Shoot! I forgot about these guys!” Link shouted.

They didn’t get much of a chance to say anymore until the two monsters had been disposed of. Despite having had every intention of helping, Wolf didn’t really get much of a chance to do so. Sure, he stabbed at them with his trident, but they didn’t seem to die when he attacked them. Only once they were dead and Link was picking up their remains did he offer an explanation.

“Those things are called stalizalfos, apparently.” He said, indicating his slate. Wolf wasn’t surprised that he had found time to take a picture of them some time during the fight. “I’ve seen others that look like bokoblins, too. But they all handle the same. They only come out at night, and you have to beat on them a bit until they fall apart. Then smash the heads. And not just that! If you don’t take out all of the heads in a group, the bodies will still attack. They’re really annoying and frankly a waste of weapon durability, if you ask me.”

“And I thought stalhounds were bad…” Wolf muttered softly.

Fortunately for them, no other skeletons decided to bother them. As they managed to catch a glimpse of the shrine through the rocks, they also spotted a large camp of lizalfos. Link whispered to Wolf that he wanted to get rid of them, but first he wanted to get to the shrine just to make sure they had time to get there before daybreak. So they both crouched down and crept along slowly until they had gotten passed the camp and its lookouts.

The shrine itself was up on a ledge, which Link was able to climb just fine even in what he was wearing. Wolf decided to wait on the sands below for him.

First thing that Link had to do in the shrine was go through some corridors, killing a guardian in the process. He found a small pit at the end of them. A platform was slowly moving back and forth across it thanks to an electrical current stemming from a metal cube. He hopped onto the platform and picked the object up with magnesis once he was close enough. The power to the platform was cut, and Link found that if he held the cube to the metal bar along the wall that it would move again. He then took it up a ramp to another platform that needed power. There was a chest halfway up the platform ride, which contained another moonlight scimitar. Which he decided to take.

The platform stopped at the top of a short ledge. He dropped down into an area that had a lot of metal slabs on the floor. Link found that he couldn’t move them at all. Instead he turned his attention to another chest, one that held an ancient core. After that, he decided to push the metal cube that was seemingly in the way. It moved smoothly along its rail and he was allowed into the next part. The path split there, and he decided to investigate the lower area first. There was a switch that, when hit, caused a platform down where he had first picked up the cube to rise. Just when he began to think it pointless, he noticed that it dipped down below the floor when it went back down. He dropped down after it and found yet another chest, this time with a silver rupee.

He decided to bring the cube around what he suspected to be the “hard way”. He took it from the platform where it still sat and carried it high above the metal flooring so as not to electrocute himself. He then took the higher path and rode yet another platform up to a little cage area. There was a spot very much like the one the cube had initially been sitting on, so he placed it down again there. It activated one last platform on the far side of the now wide open room. He rode the platform across, shoving a large metal cube out of the way when the time came. Once he had passed it, he pulled it back a couple of feet and wasn’t surprised to find a fourth chest in the little alcove he had shoved the cube into. It contained a radiant shield, which he also took along. Then it was just a quick wait for the platform to return so that he could make the short distance back to where the exit was.

By the time he came out, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Link found Wolf sitting down below, and the older boy pointed out a couple of strange animals seemingly swimming through the sand. The compendium named them as sand seals. Wolf casually remarked that he had been watching them and couldn’t help but envy the way they made traveling across the sands look easy.

Despite their being very tired, they decided to take out the camp like Link had wanted to. Just as Link had done the first time they decided to tackle such a large camp, he started off by climbing up the back of the skull. From there, he sniped the four green lizalfos that were on lookout. With the way clear, Wolf began to creep around closer to the entrance and waited for Link to handle the next part as well. The younger boy drew a deep breath and sprang from the surface, using whatever power it was that he had in order to shoot the lantern that was in the skull’s eye. Predictably it fell and caused the barrels inside to explode. Only three lizalfos survived.

And they were black. Wolf cursed at the sight of them. The two black bokoblins had been a pain to handle before, so he knew that they were going to be in for quite a fight. As such, he hurried to Link’s side in order to fight beside him. Despite being just about half-dead from the explosion, all three lizalfos put up a huge fight. They barely ever came within Link’s reach with the scimitar he had picked up. Instead they would, quite annoyingly, leap back out of the way every time he got close enough to them. And they would only ever spring forward in order to strike with the swords that they were wielding.

Link took a hit from one such attack, and in addition to getting knocked to the ground he was only left with a quarter of a heart! He shouted a quick “HELP!” to Wolf, who, in a flash, jabbed his spear into the lizalfos that had hurt him. Link scrambled to his feet and shoved the first piece of food he could get a hand on down his throat. As soon as he was feeling better, he brought out his bow again. Between Wolf’s longer reach and Link’s arrows, they were eventually able to finish off the three monsters. The chest inside of the skull became unlocked, and both boys fell back onto the sands.

They both took a moment to catch their breaths and heal up. When he was ready to, Link stood back up and began to go through the remains and weapons the lizalfos had been using. He found that all three black ones had been using royal broadswords, which explained how they had hit for so much damage. He took all three of them, unfortunately scrapping his barely-used scimitar in the process. They also had a couple of very nice shields among them, which Link swapped out for his weaker ones. Inside of the chest was a Gerudo spear. All things considered it wasn’t a bad weapon, but he didn’t want to drop anything else he had in order to pick it up.

All in all, they both decided that raiding the place had been worth it if only for the equipment that Link did get from it. It was definitely daylight by the time they were finished, and yet the sandstorm hadn’t started raging at all. They suspected it was tied to the shrine in some way. They made it back to Kara Kara Bazaar and settled down near the water’s edge in order to catch a few hours’ sleep.

They woke with the afternoon sun beating down on them. Still tired, but all too hot, Wolf practically crawled into the oasis. The water was still cool, which helped him some. Link on the other hand found a little spot behind the inn where he could change into his new clothes. He came back to find Wolf reluctantly pulling himself out of the water.

“You know, that person was right. This outfit really breathes!” Link exclaimed happily, unaffected by the heat.

“You are lucky. My fur and these clothes make this murder!” Wolf groaned.

“You could always get rid of the chainmail and tunic. Or go shirtless entirely. You won’t hear me complain.”

Wolf raised a disbelieving eyebrow at his companion. “I strongly doubt you’d be so comfortable with me going shirtless.” He stated, causing Link’s cheeks to color once the younger boy picked up on what he had meant. Link really was weak to seeing Wolf’s body… “Besides, I’ve got a better idea.” The older boy stated. “We’re going to be trying to get into town, right? Well, men aren’t allowed. But…” he turned himself into a wolf and stared up at Link.

The younger boy grinned. “But a dog should be able to get in, no problem!” Wolf breathed a huff, causing him to laugh. “Can’t correct me if you can’t talk.”

With that, the two of them warped back over to the shrine outside of the town. With their disguises, they began to head for the entrance. They didn’t make it too far before a man running about in the sand outside of town came up to Link and stopped them.

“Sa-sa-sa…sav’aaq!” he said in greeting, a big smile on his face. “Oh yeah, hey, the name’s Bozai. I’m 35, single and I LOVE jogging. Especially on sand.”

Wolf’s ears pinned back against his head. He could already see where this was going…

“Yeah, everyone says I’m tenacious as a tick! And I think some of them meant it in a nice way, too! S-so…you out here on your own? Pretty rough and tumble place… Wanna hang out with me awhile?”

At the man’s invitation, Wolf began to growl at him. The man cowered a little, but Link quickly hushed him. Despite not knowing what Link was doing, Wolf stopped growling and waited to see what would happen.

“I’m not alone, see?” Link said, indicating the beast. Bozai didn’t seem too sure what to think about that. “But you know? I’m impressed you can run so well in the sand.”

“Ah… You noticed these old things?” Bozai asked, looking down at his feet. “Yeah, they’re my sand boots. They allow me to traverse the desert without being slowed down at all, so jogging is a breeze. If you’d like to check them out, we could grab a quiet corner and…”

“Would you mind lending me those?” the younger boy asked bluntly. Suddenly Wolf got what was going on here.

“Huh? Oh… Well… Here’s the thing. These sand boots are super rare, and I’d happily give them to you, but…” He stopped as he seemed to realize something and began to mutter to himself. “Wait. This is a golden chance to woo…” Bozai grinned broadly as he spoke to Link again. “I mean, sure! I’d LOVE to give them to you, you hungry little boot monster! But first, a favor.” Wolf’s ears pinned back again and he bared his fangs, but he didn’t growl. Despite his clear threat, the man continued without a care. “Ever heard the legend of the eighth heroine?” Link shook his head. “Everyone’s heard the legend in the Gerudo region about the seven heroines, but…some tell of an eighth heroine… Wiped clean from history, and no one knows why or how… A phantom heroine known to all but seen by none… I’ve been taken with the legend since I was a child. Find her! Show me the eighth heroine, and I’ll give you these sand boots. What do you say?”

“Sure, I’ll go look.” Link replied.

“YESSSSSS!” the man exclaimed loudly. He paused and cleared his throat to regain his composure. “According to those who idolize the eighth heroine, she is enshrined somewhere in the Gerudo Highlands. Apparently they even have a nickname for her: The Bronze Giant. Catchy. Beyond that, I don’t really know much… Who knows, there might be someone in Gerudo Town who knows more about the legend of the seven heroines. Maybe that info would help. I don’t know. Anyway, draw a picture or something if you find her! And then show me! I’m pretty picky about pictures, too. If you get one, make sure at least the statue’s upper half is visible, okay? Oh, and here… If you’d like, you can use these. I’m sure they’ll come in handy. Besides, you seem really into boots.” He fetched a pair of snow boots from his bag and handed them over to Link. “The Gerudo Highlands are covered in deep snow, so it’s hard to walk, right? Everyone knows that. But with these snow boots, you can walk through snow like it was flat ground… No… You can walk even faster than that! No one makes these anymore, so they’re extremely valuable. As such, you can’t keep them, okay?” He began to mutter to himself again. “Many have investigated the eighth heroine, but it’s an inscrutable legend, an unsolved and possibly unsolvable puzzle…” His voice dropped yet again as he began to walk away. “And as Ms. Boots spins her wheels on it, we’ll grow closer… And closer… And then… Hee hee!”

Bozai took off at a run. Wolf gave Link a look. And Link? He tucked the snow boots away and began to explain himself.

“I have no plans on actually spending any time with that creep. I just thought those sand boots would come in handy if we’re going to be out here in the desert awhile.”

One of Wolf’s ears twitched, clearly still not happy. Link knelt down and kissed his head.

“I promise I’m not going to be doing anything with him. The guy’s twice my age!”

Unable to lecture Link any, Wolf only rolled his eyes. Link ruffled the fur of his neck and gave him another kiss on the head before standing again. As they were, the two made their way to the town’s entrance. The guards were understandably cautious of Wolf, but Link was quick to assure them that he was tame and well trained. Having seen the way he behaved with Link and Bozai, they decided to believe that Link would keep a handle on him, and both were let in.

There was a lot to take in, even just beyond the entrance. There were an abundance of stalls lining the main square. They looked everything over curiously, taking a cursory sweep of their area with their eyes alone. Before they moved to get a closer look, Link’s gaze fell upon something interesting. Tucked against the wall of the entrance and near the clothing store was a little storage area. There was a chest there, which Link quickly raided for a silver rupee. Wolf got his attention with a soft little bark, and the two eyed a small pen containing a few sand seals. Link stated that he would have to check out what that was about later.

With that out of the way, they decided to take a closer look at the wares that were for sale. As Link snapped a few pictures of some fruits they had never seen before, a Gerudo woman stepped out of her stop and breathed a heavy sigh. She muttered to herself, sounding like she might have been in a bit of distress. Ever the nosy individuals, Link and Wolf said hello to her.

She greeted them in her own tongue, and then sighed and said that they were getting the last of her free time. She explained that she normally sold handmade accessories, but had run out of flint. She stated that she wanted to get at least ten pieces, and was just beginning to wonder where she would be able to obtain some. She said that she would even offer a reward if some kind vai could get them for her. Link inquired as to what sorts of accessories she made, to which she explained that she would use rubies, sapphires, and other gem to make them, and that each had a certain power that could be given to the wearer.

Intrigued by this, Link fetched the flint she had been looking for from his belongings and handed them over.

“Uh… What?! You’re just…giving these to me? Sarqso!” the woman exclaimed. “But…I can’t take this all from you with just a sarqso. We hardly know each other, and you’ve been so nice… The shop’s been closed so long, I hardly have any inventory… Oh, of course! Now that I have some flint, I could make a jeweled accessory for you if you’re interested in something.”

She offered Link his choice of a ruby or sapphire circlet, or a set of topaz earrings. She also explained what benefits each piece could give him. It took Link all of a second to decide, and he asked for a sapphire circlet in return.

The woman laughed. “I thought you might pick that one. Please give me a moment…” She stepped into her shop for a few minutes, and Link and Wolf both waited patiently for her outside. When she came back out, she presented Link with the beautiful head ornament he had requested. “Brand-new, especially for you! I think it turned out really well! Thanks to you, I got the shop running again, so if you ever need an accessory, please come by for a special discount. Just…don’t tell my other customers, okay?” She shot him a playful little wink before returning to her shop.

No sooner had she stepped out of sight than Link turned to his companion. He knelt down and carefully placed the circlet upon his head. Immediately the older boy felt the effects take hold, and what remained of the heat seemed to wash away from his body. Breathing a happy sigh, Wolf took advantage of Link’s kneeling in order to lick his face…even though it was veiled. The younger boy laughed, understanding the heartfelt thank you for what it was and gave him a quick hug in return.

After checking out the other stalls a little more thoroughly, they decided that there were two people in particular that they wanted to speak to. The first was a Goron, who was clearly a man.

“Er… Sa...botta? Was that it?” he asked. “I can’t tell… Apparently you really have to bite your lip to get that V sound out clearly. A little kid made fun of me yesterday for not being able to get the pronunciation right. I don’t know why, but it sounds the same to me no matter what I do…” He gave a shrug.

“Beats me, I haven’t tried to speak any of their language yet.”

The Goron had to chuckle at that. “Anyway, Gerudo Town really is full of women, isn’t it?” A big grin split his face as he spoke. “It really smells nice here… Hang on...” His face fell as he began to contemplate a thought. “I thought men weren’t allowed in this town… Why did they let me in?”

Link gave a shrug. “Maybe because you’re all men?”

“That might be it.” The Goron agreed. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”

The next person of interest was a female Rito who was contemplating the meat stand. When she said “good evening” to Link, she immediately followed it up by saying that she really wanted to use the Gerudo greeting instead. She stated that she was worried she would mess it up and embarrass herself in a ‘Look at me! I can speak another language!’ sort of way. Link told her not to overthink it so much. She agreed that he was probably right and explained that she was from Rito Village. Her home didn’t get a lot of visitors, so she wasn’t really familiar with non-Rito. Their rather one-sided conversation ended with her saying she would try to enjoy herself, whether or not she used the Gerudo’s words.

Beside the meat stand was another that sold all different types of arrows. Link shelled out for three bundles of regular ones, which just happened to be all that they had in stock. Fifteen arrows wouldn’t get him far, especially with how much he had been using them lately. But it was better than nothing.

Lastly, Link took a quick look at the clothes that were on display outside of the clothing store. He teased Wolf with the idea of buying him a set, even if the person before had said they wouldn’t look good on him. Wolf’s ears only drooped, clearly not too keen on that idea.

With the main square thoroughly inspected, they decided to do a little more looking around before getting a room at the inn. Somehow, they ended up going into the canteen. The owner of the place informed Link that he looked a little young to be in there. She explained that the placed mixed and sold adult drinks. He was still welcome to look around, but she wouldn’t be serving him anything. So look around he and Wolf did.

There were four women in the other room. One of whom was passed out asleep on her own, and the other three were sitting around drinking and gossiping. They mentioned some rumor about a secret club that required a password. Supposedly one of them had acquired this password and was eager to tell her friends of it. They all stopped when they realized that they were no longer the only ones conscious back there. They scolded Link for listening in, despite them talking rather loudly in a public space. Still, he decided to leave as there was nothing of interest to be had there.

Once they were outside again, Link leaned down a hair and said to Wolf softly, “I kind of want to get that password from them now. I’m curious what this ‘secret club’ is. Besides, they’re the ones who were talking so loudly about it. I think there was a grate behind them that we should be able to listen through.”

Unable to readily object, Wolf went along with the younger boy’s idea. Link went into the building next door to the canteen. Sure enough, there was a grated window in the wall, and the two of them crept up to it in order to listen. The three women were still muttering about how rude “that little Hylian vai” had been, which both boys had to roll their eyes at. Finally, one of the woman reminded her friend to give them the password. She said it was “GSC♦” which stood for “Gerudo Secret Club”…with a diamond. She also mentioned that the place was supposed to be just around the corner from the clothing store in the square.

Now it wasn’t just Link’s curiosity that was piqued. When the younger boy mentioned that he wanted to go find the place, Wolf had no objections whatsoever. They stepped into the alley between the buildings in the square and found a lone door on the wall around from the clothing store. Link stepped up to it and gave a quick knock. A voice from within asked for a password, which Link gave. The lock turned, and he opened the door.

The place was dimly lit, and there was a fragrant purple mist hanging heavily in the air. The owner of the shop greeted them as they entered.

“Hey… I haven’t seen your face around here before… Hmm…” She stared a bit too long and suspiciously at Link’s chest before cracking a smirk as if she knew a secret. “Heh heh heh… Looks like we’ve got ourselves a rare visitor. I guess I have a suspicious mind… So maybe you don’t ask too many questions, and I won’t either.” She informed him. Her eyes fell to Wolf, that same knowing look still on her face. “I don’t really know what’s up with you, but, same deal. Okay? You two are members here now, so thanks for your patronage.”

A little disturbed by how easily the Gerudo woman had seen not only through Link’s disguise, but also Wolf’s, the two began to look over her wares. She had two outfits for sale. One of which was glowing faintly with a skeletal pattern upon it. She explained that it was made with luminous stone, and that if Link wanted it she would need him to trade her the materials in addition to rupees. The other outfit was distinctly Gerudo design, but was most certainly meant to be worn by a man if the lack of anything resembling a shirt was any indication. Both interested Link, but they were far out of his price range.

The pair decided to leave for the time being, but not before the woman could tell them to come back anytime in a mockingly sweet tone.

Finally, they decided to hit up the inn. They were thankful to be able to get a room to themselves, even if Link had explain their need for two beds by saying “My dog is kind of picky”. Once the door was closed and they assured themselves that there were no open windows in the room, Wolf turned back to his half-form and breathed a sigh. Despite the privacy they were now in, he kept his voice down just in case.

While they ate their dinner, Link mentioned that he was going to have to find a way to make some money. He really wanted at least one of those new outfits, since they would probably come in handy. He stated that he didn’t want to sell all of his gems because he had a funny feeling that he would need them to upgrade his clothing someday.

“The food you made before sold for a fair bit, didn’t it?” Wolf asked him, recalling the time he had done so in Kakariko Village.

“It did, yeah. And I’ve got plenty of stuff on me. I guess I could do some cooking tomorrow and see what I can get from it.”

*****

Wolf wasn’t so sure he was happy about suggesting the idea to Link anymore. The younger boy had spent a good chunk of the morning whipping up various dishes at a cooking pot just to see what sorts of things sold for the most. He quickly discovered that meals made with meat sold for a lot. Despite Link assuring him that he wouldn’t sell all of their meat, Wolf couldn’t help but whine about just how much he was planning on selling. Link got a good price for his food and a few of his gems from all of the shops and stands, selling a few things to each one. By the time he had made a lap around the square, Link had more than enough rupees to pay for at least one of the outfits.

They returned to the secret club and Link had to give the password again at the door. He inspected the two outfits. The one requiring luminous stone was still out of his reach, as he just barely did not have enough of the precious material on him. Instead, he shelled out for what the shopkeeper called the “desert voe” armor. Link didn’t bother to put it on, as he had a feeling the guards who not approve of him wearing it within their walls.

When they were back outside, Link informed Wolf that he wanted to go back to Kakariko and Hateno to see about making his new outfits better. Due to being stuck as an animal within Gerudo Town’s walls, Wolf felt like he would be bored if he waited for him there. So he went with him. The great fairy by Kakariko informed Link that the desert vai clothing couldn’t be upgraded, which was a little disappointing. However, his newest outfit certainly could be, and he forked over the materials for her to do it. In addition, he asked about the circlet that was still upon Wolf’s head despite him having gone back to being on two legs. The fairy told him what she would need for it, and Link handed that over as well. She blew one of her kisses Wolf’s way, which he had come to know as her way of improving equipment. With that done, she said good bye and dove back into her fountain.

In Hateno Village, Link immediately sought out the dye shop. Strangely enough, Link told his companion to wait outside for him. Although puzzled by it, Wolf didn’t have a problem with that. He leaned up against the wall of the building, knowing that it should only take Link a of couple minutes to be done. Because the door to the shop was wide open, Wolf was able to hear both times that Link was dropped into the vat of dye. After the second time, he stood upright again and turned to the door, expecting Link to step out at any moment.

Wolf’s jaw fell open and his eyes went wider than he knew was possible when his companion came back out. He had seen the outfit on the mannequins in the store, so he already knew what it was supposed to look like. But seeing the desert voe armor actually on Link’s person? Wolf…was not at a loss for words, but none of them were the sort that he could say in as public a space as they were currently in. The smirk on Link’s face spoke volumes about how much he had been expecting that kind of reaction.

“I decided to make this thing blue. The other one is light blue now, too, but really only the pants changed color. I thought I’d make the two of them kind of match, you know?” the younger boy explained, although the color of his clothes was really about the last thing that Wolf was worried about at that exact moment.

Cognizant thought finally seemed to return to the older boy, and color spread across Wolf’s face as he finally snapped his mouth shut. He snatched Link by the wrist, causing the younger boy to cry out as he was dragged to a more remote and private corner of the village. As soon as they were away from prying eyes or listening ears, Wolf pulled Link in close and crushed their lips together with an almost bruising force. Link squeaked, body freezing up in surprise. And yet, somewhere in the back of his mind he had had a feeling that Wolf would be a fierce kisser once he really got started. Wolf’s free hand came to rest upon Link’s hip, and after a moment, Link laid his own on Wolf’s shoulder. Their lips parted a fraction of an inch, and they turned their heads to try a different angle. The hand on Link’s wrist fell and Wolf interlocked his fingers with Link’s, who returned the gesture with a little squeeze as the younger boy melted into their kiss.

Their kisses ended some half a dozen or so later, both red in the face and Link to the tips of his ears. Their breathing was a little heavy, but Wolf refused to back away and give them space, instead choosing to rest their foreheads together. For his part, Link didn’t seem to mind. His eyes were still closed and he panted ever so slightly.

“Wow… I uh-” Link began, breathless. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “I wasn’t expecting a reaction quite like that…”

The hand that had been on Link’s hip came up to brush a few stands of hair out of his face. “And I don’t have any excuse for that.” Wolf admitted. “Other than you look really, really good like this.”

Link blushed marginally more, as his face was still very red. “Well then, I guess that means I should wear this more often. It seems to be even more breathable than the vai outfit, so…when we’re not in town…”

Wolf chuckled. “Just don’t expect me to not kiss you stupid the next time.”

Despite his embarrassment, Link flashed him a devilish smirk. “You know, I think I’m gonna be looking forward to you keeping that promise.”

While Wolf visibly reeled from that comment and its implications, Link backed away and their hands slipped from one another’s bodies. The younger boy quickly got himself changed back into the desert vai clothing. Wolf had to look away while he did, if only so that he could breathe several deep breathes to calm himself down a little. By the time Link was ready to go back to Gerudo Town, the older boy had recovered. They warped on back to the shrine, and once more Wolf remained as a beast so that they could get inside.

It was time to see about doing what they had originally gone to Gerudo Town for: dealing with and reclaiming the Divine Beast.

Chapter Text

“Could you imagine if I had boobs?”

Wolf slowly turned his head to stare at Link, confusion and disbelief written all over his face. Link didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy staring down at his own chest, hands pressed flat against his chest. The older boy waited a moment, but it quickly became apparent that if he wanted an explanation, then he would have to ask for one.

“Come again?”

“Could you imagine if I had boobs?” Link repeated plainly.

“Why…is this a thing you’re asking me?”

The younger boy shrugged. “I dunno. I just thought maybe I’d look better in this outfit if I had some. Plus, you know, boobs are great.”

“I don’t want to be thinking about your boobs, Link.”

“You don’t?” At last Link looked up at Wolf, shocked by his statement. “That’s weird. I could totally picture you with boobs.”

“Please don’t.”

“You’d make a really cool girl, you know that?”

“Link?”

“Hm… Maybe I should buy you one of these outfits.”

“Link…”

“We could dye it green for you, too! Your favorite!”

“Link!”

“What?”

Wolf groaned. “I do not have boobs. I will never have boobs. And there is no way you’re getting me to wear something like that. Furthermore, I don’t want you to have boobs. I don’t want to imagine you having boobs. You’re adorable the way you are. If you had boobs, it’d be weird.”

For a moment, Link was caught between disappointment and happiness. He hadn’t been serious about this line of discussion, but the way Wolf refused it so much was saddening. On the other hand, hearing his companion say again that he was cute was kinda nice…

Wolf groaned again and fought with himself for a moment before adding, “Also… If you had boobs that would make you changing in front of me or us bathing together really, really awkward for me…”

The younger boy didn’t miss the way Wolf’s cheeks burned as he admitted that. It took Link a second to put two and two together, but he grinned mischievously when it clicked.

“So you did imagine it.”

“I did not!”

“Did too. It’s written all over your face.”

“You’re the one who started this whole weird conversation!”

“You still thought about it.”

“And you’re the one who gets flustered seeing me naked!”

“Yeah…well! You’re… Look that’s different!”

“Then don’t go teasing me about imagining you with boobs!”

Link giggled a little. He playfully leaned against his companion. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop talking about having boobs.“ Wolf was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but was interrupted by the younger boy’s hand suddenly groping at his pecs. Wolf sputtered and was about to question what he was doing, but Link beat him to the punch. “I think you look better without any, too.”

Confused and embarrassed about the whole conversation, Wolf heaved a groan and laid his face in his hands. Talking to Link was like a roller coaster sometimes. It made him wonder how he had lived with it for as long as he already had…

Chapter Text

There were a couple of guards outside of what appeared to be a throne room of sorts. Link and Wolf found a young woman begging them to help her when they approached. With her distress being so obvious, Link couldn’t help but stop and ask her what was wrong. The woman explained that she had finally met the voe of her dreams and had married him recently. But he’d fallen ill with a rare disease that required molduga guts to cure. She said that, unfortunately, molduga are terrifying beasts that she would never be able to kill. She said that she had asked the soldiers to help, but that they had other issues to deal with and didn’t have the time. The woman breathed a depressed sigh. She stated that she understood, since molduga are strong and no one had ever been able to fight one and come out unscathed. So it was foolish of her to expect somebody to stick their neck out for a stranger.

When Link inquired as to what a molduga was, she explained that they were giant creatures who swam through the sands, and that one was often spotted west of town in Toruma Dunes. She said that they were sensitive to vibrations and would attack anything that got near them, so approaching them was very dangerous.

Of course, Link decided then and there that he would go looking for such a monster as soon as he got a good opportunity to do so. But first, he still had to seek out whoever was in charge so as to deal with the Divine Beast.

He and Wolf were able to walk right into the throne room, which was a little surprising. But once inside, Link understood why. Standing beside the throne was a tall, burly Gerudo woman with a sword that was at least as big as either boy. It was obvious that she was all the defense person in charge really needed under most circumstances. In the throne itself, however, was a person who was practically the opposite of her in every way. She was young, perhaps only thirteen or fourteen years of age or whatever the equivalent for a Gerudo might be. She was also remarkably small in stature. Despite the steps at her feet and the booster seat beneath her in the chair, she looked like she might be swallowed up by the throne at any second.

She had been reclining against one arm and raised her head only a fraction when the pair entered the room. “Yet another traveler…” she muttered, sounding almost bored. Suddenly her eyes widened a hair and she gave a curious little smirk. “It seems you have something rather interesting there…”

The woman beside her banged the tip of her sword against the floor, causing Link and Wolf to stop their steady approach at the bottom of the stairs before the two women.

“You stand before Lady Riju, chief of the Gerudo!” The woman announced boldly. “Declare your business, but come no closer!”

“Hold on, Buliara…” Riju began. The girl sat upright and considered the two boys. “These two appear to be more than common travelers. You there—what is your name and that of your pet?”

“I’m Link, and this is Wolf.” Then, before anyone could question it, he added, “I’m not good with naming, I know.”

“Link and…Wolf… And what is it you’ve come all the way here to tell me, Link?” she inquired.

“I came to calm the Divine Beast.”

“You think you have what it takes to subdue something so powerful as a Divine Beast?” Buliara asked incredulously. “The only ones who could ever control them were Champions like Lady Urbosa. And all of the Champions died in the Calamity one hundred years ago.”

Riju hummed to herself a little before cutting in. “Buliara, a memory just jumped into my head—something my mother spoke of. When the Calamity happened, the princess of Hyrule placed a fallen swordsman into a deep sleep. That swordsman, much like our new friend here, was named Link…though it always seemed more legend than fact.”

“But, Lady Riju! Do those same stories not also say that the Hylian Champion carried a legendary sword? I see no such weapon in this person’s care.”

“They do indeed…” Riju conceded. “If I recall correctly, it was called the sword that seals the darkness. The Princess of Hyrule supposedly hit it away in the middle of a deep forest.”

Link and Wolf both perked up at that information. If true, then that would certainly narrow down their search options greatly. Especially when they already had a general idea of where one such forest might be: nestled between Hyrule Castle and the volcano.

Despite their contemplating, Riju continued on with what she was saying to her guard. “What of the device on that one’s hip? It appears to be a precious relic of the Sheikah. I can’t imagine they would give something so valuable to a simple drifter and her pet—can you?”

Buliara squinted in confusion. “…I don’t remember ever hearing of a Hylian vai among the Cham-” she stopped suddenly and banged her sword upon the ground again, turning a glare to Link. “Wait a moment, you’re a voe!”

Link visibly flinched, more than giving himself away.

Riju smirked again. “A voe within our walls is a great crime. But a voe who is a Champion…” she chuckled. “Well, we’d never mistreat a friend of Lady Urbosa. And if you’re here to help us with Naboris, then we are allies.” She turned her gaze passed Link and out into the desert where she could just barely see the cloud of dust that the Divine Beast was kicking up. “I’m sure you saw it on your way to our town. Divine Beast Vah Naboris, cloaked in a massive sandstorm, hurling lightning at any who dare approach.” Her gaze returned to the pair. “We have to do something to stop it, but we have yet to find any way to appease the Divine Beast on our own. If you truly are a Champion, perhaps you will be able to enter Naboris and calm its anger.”

“Lady Riju!” Buliara exclaimed again. “I don’t see how you can trust a complete stranger with something as important as this task. Perhaps if this person were first to prove his worth by recovering your stolen Thunder Helm…”

“Ah, yes… An interesting suggestion.” The chief agreed. “You see, there is only one thing in all of Hyrule that can withstand the lightning from Naboris. The Thunder Helm, a family heirloom and relic of the Gerudo. But as Buliara says, it was stolen from us.” She spat out the last part angrily.

“You needn’t worry, Lady Riju. If he truly is a Champion, this should be an easy task for him.” Buliara stated before addressing Link himself. “Our soldiers can tell you all you need to know about the thieves who stole Lady Riju’s heirloom.” She gestured to her left. “Head through this arch. It will lead you to the barracks. Then, seek out Captain Teake and ask for a full report.”

“Without my heirloom, you’ll never be able to approach Naboris.” Riju stated. A beat later and she breathed a single laugh and smiled down at Link. “You know… I take heart in having such a rare visitor as yourself. Lady Urbosa must be looking out for us.”

Despite the instructions, Link meandered over to the other side of the room and out through a different arch. Wolf followed him, wondering just what the younger boy as doing. They stepped outside to find another woman standing guard over a seal creature like the ones Wolf had pointed out before, but this one was blue. The guard explained that the seal was Patricia, the chief’s favorite sand seal. She added that Patricia was no ordinary sand seal, but something of an oracle, and that if given some fruit then she would give some words of wisdom in return.

Curiosity piqued, Link approached the seal and offered her one of the many apples he had. She ate it happily and began to make noise once she was done. The guard nodded a few times before translating.

“The southern desert is…” she paused for a split second, “…searing hot during the day! Bring gear made for it!” She cleared her throat and added quietly, “I have spared you the painful seal pun…” She explained before thanking Patricia for her wisdom.

Link had to snicker at that. Just the implication that a “wise oracle” seal had made a lame pun tickled his funny bone. Wolf on the other hand could feel the pain of the bad joke despite the guard’s attempt to spare them from it.

With his curiosity sated, Link finally led the way back into the throne room and to the other arch. Riju appeared to be amused by his choice of actions, but Buliara didn’t look so thrilled. Neither of them said a thing about it, however.

In the other courtyard were the soldiers. Captain Teake stood watching over the lot of them from the top of some steps. At first she spoke in a hostile manner when Link tried to speak with her, but she quickly calmed down once Link explained what he was doing there talking to her.

“What? Buliara sent you? My apologies! I’m the officer in charge of the soldiers, Captain Teake. The chief’s heirloom was stolen by thieves belonging to the Yiga Clan the other day, so everyone is on edge… We’ve determined that the Yiga’s hideout is in Karusa Valley, but… The soldiers are all exhausted, so I was just thinking about requesting some extra help…” She raised her head to address her troops. “Hey, everyone! Listen up! This Hylian vai has agreed to help us, so offer her any information you can!” the other soldiers gave her a little nod to show that they had heard, and she looked back down at Link. “Consider yourself a part of our unit! If you have any questions, my troops will be happy to help.”

Despite what she had said, Link and Wolf found that none of the ones in vicinity had anything of use to tell them. But that didn’t mean there was nothing interesting to be learned from them. Two of the soldiers were talking to a third who was asking about somebody named Barta. Apparently, she had gone to scout the thieves’ hideout, but had been gone for two days. The two soldiers didn’t report any of it because they thought she would be careful and come right back.

Checking his map once they were away from the soldiers, Link knelt down beside Wolf and the pair began to wonder over where Karusa Valley might be. The only place they noticed that might be where they needed to go was an awkward little strip filled in on the map far to the north. Going there would obviously take them around a day’s walk to reach, so they decided to hold off for the time being. Instead, Link dropped a pin to the west so that they could try and track down the molduga they had been told about. With that plan made, they went to the north-west town gate.

There was a woman standing by the gate whose job was renting out sand seals. She suggested to Link that he take one if he planned on crossing the desert. She explained that all he would need to do is stand on his shield and let the seal pull him along. It was an interesting prospect, but the problem was the furry beast standing beside him. Link turned a questioning look down to Wolf, who only gave him a little nod. With his companion’s go-ahead, Link decided to give it a try.

“Let’s seal the deal!” he proclaimed. Wolf groaned.

The woman appeared to be confused and asked if that was how young people talk now…or if it was a thing outside of the desert. Wolf wanted to tell her that no, it was just a stupid pun and Link had only thought of it because he had just head something similar from Patricia. Instead all he could do was shake his head, which went entirely unnoticed by the woman. Link paid the twenty rupees for a seal, and the woman got him hooked up.

The seal proved to be a very efficient means of travel when it came to speed. Despite its large, blubbery size, it powered through the sands as if they were water. Link was a little caught off guard at first, nearly finding himself yanked off of his shield. But it only took him a couple of minute to get the hang of riding behind it. Wolf, on the other hand, had to remain at top speed to keep up with the thing. Thankfully for him he wasn’t so impeded by the sands on four legs as he was on two, and his stamina was vastly superior to Link’s, so it wasn’t too difficult for him to keep pace.

They started out moving north-west. A large sandstorm brewed to the north, so they tried to steer clear of it by moving more westwardly. After a short while, Link took a look to the south. Yet another huge sandstorm was raging out that way. He had to wonder if either of them were connected to other shrines in some way. But he didn’t contemplate it for too long.

Navigating the rocks and cacti and monsters scattered among the dunes proved to be harder than Link had thought it would be. The seal pulling him did not turn sharply at all, and his distance from it did not help matters whenever he needed to avoid something. More than once he found himself being flung around widely and his shield would drag across the very hard surface that he had been trying to avoid. By the time the two found anything interesting, Link had to wonder if the seal had been worth it. Sure, it was probably a great way to get from Point A to Point B in the long run, but trying to take it through an obstacle-ridden area would probably not be a smart decision.

The pair came to a stop at the top of a short ridge. Out before them were four little rock formations, but they were not what caught the boys’ attention. The sand around and between the rocks was shifting and undulating, as if something huge was moving beneath it. Assuming that was what they had been after, Link got the sand seal moving again and they made their way down and around the ridge.

The monster beneath the sand noticed them approaching, but Link and Wolf were faster. They both scrambled up onto one of the rocks moments before it passed beneath where they had just been. The sand seal that Link had been using panicked and darted away, stopping some distance from them. Oddly, but thankfully, the monster didn’t seem to care about it.

Wolf returned to his half-form and watched the shifting sands with Link. “Something tells me my clawshots wouldn’t even be able to stun that thing…” he muttered.

“What was that?”

“There are sandworms called moldorms in my Gerudo Desert. They jump out of the sand to try and attack travelers. I had some tools called clawshots that, among other things, made killing them easy, since they tended to keep their distance unless they were attacking. But this thing looks like it is much, much bigger than them. I don’t think my clawshots would do anything to it.”

While they considered the moving creature, Link stripped out of his Gerudo clothes and into the Desert Voe armor. Despite his promise, Wolf didn’t really deem it to be a good time to even appreciate the sight. If Link thought anything about it, he didn’t say anything. Instead he brought out his bow and tested what the molduga would react to. The arrow struck the sand as planned, and the monster reacted by charging straight for it. To both of their shock and horror, it leapt completely out of the sands and then some, huge mouth agape, just to eat the thing! It was at least as big as a hinox, if not moreso! The molduga fell back onto the sand and immediately burrowed back underneath.

“I have an idea…” Wolf stated, watching it move around again. “Your round bombs roll, don’t they?”

Link got the idea right away and chucked one of the explosives onto the sand. It rolled along a few feet, more than drawing the attention of the monster. Like before, it burst from the sand, mouth wide open and ready to chomp down on whatever was above it. Link detonated the bomb and the molduga cried out in pain. It fell to the ground, stunned. Both boys sprang from the rock with weapons drawn in order to attack it.

They retreated back to the rock once the monster began to wriggle. A moment later it dove back under the sand and returned to swimming about the area. Another bomb was enough to draw it again, and this time when it fell to the sand, stunned, Link snapped a picture of it before joining Wolf in their attack.

Between the two of them dealing damage, the molduga barely required a third round in order to be killed. Its guts and fins littered the sand, and of all things a chest fell along with its remains. Link picked up everything, and decided to take along the sword inside of the chest since he had broken one of his on the monster.

“You know, it’s a good thing these rocks were here. I’d hate to fight one of those on open sands.” Wolf commented. Link had to agree.

Before going back to town, Link decided to try something out. The rock they had been taking shelter on had a standing torch on it. He could see that the other three rocks all had one, too. So he lit one with a fire arrow and then lit his own torch with it. Once all four torches were ablaze, the ground between the rocks began to shake. The sands bulged and parted right in the middle, and a shrine rose from the ground. Delighted by his discovery, Link went on inside. It was a simple one with just a chest and the exit right there. The bow wasn’t particularly good, but at least it was another spirit orb in the bag, Link reasoned.

Link was tackled to the ground the moment that he stepped out of the shrine again. He let out a yelp of surprise, but it was swallowed up not a second later by Wolf’s lips. The older boy barely bothered to prop himself up as he kissed him, and Link found it strangely comfortable to have practically all of Wolf’s weight pressed against his chest and stomach. They parted for breath once and changed angles before kissing again. Despite not knowing what he should be doing, Link picked his hands up off the ground and wrapped his arms gingerly around Wolf’s back, pulling him a fraction closer.

Their kisses stopped not long after. Wolf pulled away and held himself above Link with his elbows on either side of the younger boy’s head. Both were lightly flushed and short of breath, but not nearly as much as they had been the last time that Wolf had roughly claimed Link’s lips…which Link licked as he contemplated his words.

“You know… I don’t feel any stupider…” He said carefully.

The grin that spread across Wolf’s face and the dangerous flicker in his eyes sent a delightful chill down Link’s spine.

“Is that so? Well then, I guess I’ll have to double my efforts…” Wolf said in a low voice.

Wolf’s palm found Link’s cheek, and this time the younger boy was ready for the lips that found his. But he wasn’t at all ready for the tongue that swiped across his bottom lip. With the tiniest of gasps, Link timidly parted his lips, and Wolf took no time at all in order to begin exploring the expanse that was Link’s mouth. It only took the younger boy a moment to do the same, and both felt electricity prickle beneath their skin as their tongues licked and slid against one another noisily.

Link had to pull away first so as to catch his breath. Wolf left his lips with a gentle bite to the lower one, and he sat up to give the both of them space. Link stared up at his companion, and Wolf stared right back. Both were pink in the face and panting, and their lips were just a little puffy, and their eyes just a bit lidded.

Link grinned lopsidedly. “Okay… I feel pretty stupid now.”

Wolf had to chuckle at that. “Mission accomplished, then.”

The older boy stood and helped Link to his feet. Once they had calmed down some the young boy began to change clothes again, and Wolf helped him brush the sand from his back. They found the sand seal still waiting for them a short ways from where the molduga had been circling and Link got himself hooked back up to it. After Wolf transformed, they went on back to town.

They found the woman that they had been trying to help begging the soldiers that were outside near the barracks. A bit too casually, Link handed over molduga guts that she so desperately required. Shocked by Link’s kindness, the woman teared up and thanked him profusely in addition to giving him a gold rupee. With their good deed done for the day, the pair began to look around for a quiet place to rest for the night.

In their searches, they ended up wandering into the alley behind the clothing store and secret club. Back there they found a Goddess statue, as well as an old Gerudo woman sitting beside it. The woman started to greet them, but stopped mid-word and raised an eyebrow at them.

“What’s a voe doing here?” she asked. Link’s shock caused her to chuckle. She assured him that it didn’t matter much to her and that she wouldn’t go telling. But of course, she did ask if he would stay and talk with her a little. Having nothing else on the agenda besides sleeping, Link and Wolf sat down to indulge her some. The younger boy asked about the statue and why it was in such a remote spot. The woman explained that it had been there for a very long time, but that Gerudo didn’t really believe in that stuff anymore. She added that they tended to avoid it, like they avoid her. So she’d decided to keep the statue company.

Link asked if she had ever left the town, and she had to laugh again. She said that she used to be quite the traveler when she was young, as well as quite the beauty! She bragged that it was rare for a voe not to have noticed when she entered a room. But she had had a fairy-tale notion in her mind and had been looking for something called the Lover’s Pond and had hoped to meet her true love there. She had traveled all over, but couldn’t find it. Before she had known it, she’d grown old and the voe didn’t turn their heads for her anymore. Both boys felt pity for her, and she simply smiled at them and assured them that she stopped being bothered by it a long time ago. She was happy to have chased her dreams. Her parting words to them were “live your life to the fullest”.

The place that Link and Wolf ended up sleeping was in a corner of the main square, near the cooking pots. It wasn’t particularly comfortable or private, but it was safe and did the job. The following day, they were ready to head for the Yiga Clan’s hideout! They made their way towards the north-west exit again, but before Link could rent another sand seal they overheard the solider standing guard at the gate muttering to herself about the sandstorms that were still raging. Thinking that she might know something about them, Link decided to ask her first.

The woman stated that even “us Gerudo” have trouble navigating the storms. The danger of them often made perfect hiding places for bandits and treasures alike. Link inquired about Karusa Valley, and immediately she assumed that he was the person that the captain had mentioned. She pointed him to the north, just barely out of the way of the storm. She then warned that the path ran deep into the highlands and was longer than one would expect.

Link then asked about the supposed treasures.

“Having said that, I don’t really know the details either.” She stated before indicating a statue of a woman pointing a sword out into the desert. “There are statues of swordswomen scattered across Gerudo Desert. They’re remnants of ages long past. People talk about the statues pointing to the hiding place of ancient treasures…but that’s just superstition. Even if it was true, there are dangerous monsters in the sandstorms. I wouldn’t risk it.”

With that information, of course the pair decided that they would have to risk it! Link decided to forego getting a sand seal, as they were probably going to be changing directions a lot and he was not confident in making so many turns with one of those animals. So instead he went out on foot, Wolf following behind him. Without having to discuss it, they decided to go looking for the supposed treasure first. They followed the direction the statue was pointing and soon found a second one.

As they were far enough from town, Link put on his desert voe clothing and Wolf changed out of his beast form again. Link pulled a half-buried chest out of the sand to find five shock arrows, and the pair began to go the way the statue pointed them. They veered off course just a little so as to avoid some monsters, but a third statue was easy enough to find anyway.

It stood among some ruins at the edge of the storm. A bit nervously, they put their backs the swordswoman and stepped into the sandstorm. Out of curiosity, Link took a peek at his Sheikah Slate. Both the map and sensor functions were screwed up inside of the storm, so the two were now essentially flying blind.

Thankfully, they were able to spot a fourth statue beside some huge bones. Soon after, they found a fifth at the base of some more ruins. The tight quarters of ruins, bones, and rocks they passed by made Link happy that he didn’t take a seal. While it might have been faster, he certainly would not have been able to navigate the area with one. They snuck passed a lizalfos camp, hoping that the next statue was not within it. To their luck, they just barely spotted the next one among an even larger rib cage. And more importantly than that, just over the dune and beneath more bones was a shrine.

The puzzle within it was incredibly simple. A metal ball with electricity inside of it was being tossed back and forth across the room. All Link had to do was grab it with magnesis and touch it to the obvious crystal-thing beside the exit in order to open the gate. To get the chest, he had to lift the ball up and over a cage and set it down beside another switch. He took the sword inside of the chest and left the shrine.

Wolf remarked that, like before, the sandstorm had died down while he had been inside. This only made them more curious about the storm to the south. But instead of going to check it out, they decided they should get a move on with going to the Yiga’s hideout. Judging by the map, they were already quite close to the entrance of Karusa Valley. They hugged the canyon wall as they proceeded, and after some time had to agree that the place was a bit further than it had looked.

Several rock spires strung together with ropes and Yiga Clan flags signaled that they were in the right place. Link spotted some lizalfos lurking up above on one of the spires, and a single bomb arrow was enough to get rid of three. The fourth one scrambled down to fight, only to be killed by Wolf in a matter of seconds. Before they got too far into the valley, they decided it would be best to stop and rest for the night. It was still a bit early, but they had a funny feeling that they were going to need all the time they could get to finish up their task.

They made their way up onto a ledge by the canyon walls and set up a campfire to keep the night’s cold at bay. While they ate, Link decided to ask about the Gerudo Desert that Wolf had been to.

“Let’s see… Well first off there weren’t the huge sandstorms like there are here. It was actually pretty easy to look around because of that. I think the most interesting part was that I had to ride through a bulblin camp at one point.”

“Bulblin?”

“They’re a lot like bokoblins, but smarter. They often worked together on the backs of these huge obnoxious pig beasts called bullbos. I had to ride one of those things around in order to get through and bust up their camp. Their leader, King Bulblin, had been causing me problems before I got to the desert. I got to fight him face-to-face while I was there.”

Link tilted his head curiously. “I see… What sorts of problems had he been giving you?”

Wolf released a sigh as he reached into his memories to try and list everything off. “Well first of all, he’s the one that attacked Ordan Village. He clubbed me over the head, and he and his bulblins ran off with Ilia and the children. Then at Kakariko he showed up again and snatched away Colin, the boy who looked up to me the most. I had a battle with him and his minions on horseback, up to and including a bit of a jousting match with him on a huge stone bridge.

“He attacked us again on another bridge going over Lake Hylia. I had been escorting Ilia, the ill Zora prince, and a woman named Telma to Kakariko. He wasn’t too hard to beat then, either. I just had to shoot him full of arrows. Our fight in the desert was technically our third one. But he turned up at Hyrule Castle later, and I beat him then as well. The strangest thing, though, was that he wasn’t just some huge, powerful bulblin. He proved to be intelligent and even spoke to me after our last encounter. He said…that all he’d ever known was that the strongest survive, and that he acknowledged me as being stronger than Ganondorf. So he stopped following him and left people alone from then on, as far as I know.”

“Dang…” Link murmured, in awe of what he had just learned about his companion’s adventure. “So that guy was, like, the whole reason you started your adventure, huh?”

“Kind of. If he hadn’t taken Ilia and the kids, I might not have given chase the way I did.”

The younger boy beamed brightly. “You really are protective of them, huh? Bit of a papa wolf in you!”

Wolf rolled his eyes, but smiled back. “I suppose so… I just did what I thought I could in order to get them all back safely. Everything else happened just because it coincided with trying to rescue them. And by the time I had seen to the children’s safety and helped Ilia recover her memories, I had already grown close to Midna and done so much to defeat Zant that I just…didn’t stop. Not until everything was finished.”

Link leaned back, propping himself up with his hands. “Man… When I hear you talk about everything you’ve been through, it makes me feel kind of envious.”

The older boy raised an eyebrow. “How so? You’re here trying to salvage things and rescue all of Hyrule! All I was doing was stumbling around half-blind just hoping to save some children.”

“But that’s just it!” Link insisted. “Your heart must’ve really been into what you were doing. Me? I mean, yeah, I want to do what I can to get Hyrule out of this whole Calamity Ganon predicament. I know what I need to do and I’m slowly doing it. But really…the way I see it, I just woke up and suddenly it seemed like my destiny was predetermined for me. Free the Divine Beasts, infiltrate Hyrule Castle, defeat Ganon, save the world. Everything about what you’ve done just sounds so much more personal. That’s the part I’m envious about.”

“You’re also doing it to help your fellow Champions. And the princess.” Wolf stated.

“And? I barely remember Mipha, let alone the other three. And as for Zelda…” Link chewed at his bottom lip for a moment. “Actually speaking of her…”

Wolf waited a minute before speaking, “…Yes?”

“I don’t… That’s…” the younger boy heaved a sigh and sat up again. He slowly ran his hands down his face in contemplation. Wolf waited quietly for him to speak, and eventually Link decided that now was as good a time as any to bring up what had been bothering him since the memory at the bazaar.

“Call me crazy but… I don’t think the things that I’ve remembered, aside from that bit about Mipha…I don’t think they’re actually my memories.”

Wolf leaned forward, surprise and curiosity written all over his face. Link sighed again as he fought to put to words why he felt the way that he did.

“It’s strange, and I get that I was with Zelda when she took the pictures in my album… But there was something very off about the one at the bazaar, and thinking about it, the others are kind of similar. It’s not as though what I see and remember is from my own perspective, if that makes sense? Like, there’s things I remember that I don’t think I should have. When Zelda was running from the Yiga Clan members…I wasn’t yet there with her. I ran in to save her at the last second. I shouldn’t have known exactly what led up to my being there. At the statue, I was busy soothing my horse when Zelda first ran to look at the mountain, yet I distinctly remember seeing that mountain unobstructed even though I didn’t really look at it until she started talking about it. And to top it all off, I’ve seen myself a few times! That makes no sense!”

The two were silent for several seconds. Link because he was confused, which was frustrating him. Wolf because he was contemplating what Link had just told him. Not just the bit about his memories not being his, but the original topic of him not even remembering the people that he was on his quest for. At last a thought occurred to Wolf, and he did his best to voice it carefully.

“I… I don’t have anything to say about you not remembering the other Champions. I understand what you mean when you say you don’t feel like you’re doing all of this for personal reasons. But as for your memories…those pictures were taken by Zelda, yes?” He asked, receiving a nod in return. “This is just a wild hunch, but what if the things that you remember are not just your memories alone? Instead, they’re both yours and Zelda’s?”

“I know I was the one who said they don’t feel like my own, but how could that even be a thing?!”

“Beats me.” Wolf admitted. “But then, I’ve seen some pretty crazy things before. All of Hyrule cloaked in Twilight, cursed insects and artifacts from that realm turning people and animals alike into hideous monsters, spirits of light, an entire city floating high above the clouds. I’ve explored the whole of a temple some thousands of years in the past… For crying out loud, I turn into a wolf and currently can’t turn all the way back to normal! At this point, having your memories be merged with those of somebody else isn’t beyond the scope of possibility, in my opinion.”

Link had to breathe a strained laugh at that. He turned his gaze up to the sky. A few moments later he sighed yet again and allowed himself to fall onto his back, limbs spread out wide.

“I guess when you put it like that, yeah, it could be my memories are both mine and Zelda’s. It just…it feels weird to think about the only things I know about myself from before are partially hers too.”

He heard movement, and a moment later Wolf appeared in his vision, leaning over him. The older boy smiled down at him softly, and Link leaned up just long enough for them to share a quick peck on the lips.

“I know this is bothering you, so if it helps, why not try to think about the other people you’re doing all of this for? Impa, Paya, Purah, Sidon and Dorephan, Pikango, Kass… And now Riju and Buliara. It’s not just Princess Zelda and the other Champions who need Hyrule to be saved. Everyone else does, too.”

Link thought about it for a second, and thinking about it made him crack a weak smile. He wasn’t particularly close to any of the people that Wolf had named, but he couldn’t deny that they were counting on him.

“You…aren’t wrong about that.” Link conceded. “I still don’t think it measures up to what drove you to do what you did…but you aren’t wrong.” His smile grew a bit wider and he looked Wolf in the eye. “Thank you.”

He let Wolf kiss him again.

*****

The valley was covered in strange frog-like statues, most looking down at them from ledges. Some rushrooms on the canyon walls caused Link to climb up onto a couple. From there he found smaller statues that had cloths over their faces with the Yiga Clan’s mark painted on them. The smaller statues had offering trays before them, but not a single piece of fruit. At first Link tried apples, but that didn’t work. Then it hit him where he was and he gave bananas a shot. The koroks appeared and gave him their seeds once their trays were filled with the long yellow fruits. Link made sure to gather the bananas back up and hopped back down to where Wolf was waiting for him.

A couple of times the pair had to hurry out of the way of falling boulders, but for the most part the first chunk of the walk was uneventful. About halfway through the valley they came upon a short ledge. It seemed that the desert more-or-less ended there, and the two climbed up to where there was actual dirt beneath their feet. They followed the path a bit higher up, only to be attacked by a Yiga foot soldier.

Because he used a bow, it was Link who ended up doing most of the work. Wolf couldn’t get close to him with his trident, so Link simply returned fire whenever the foot soldier would appear and take aim at either of them. A handful of arrows was all it took, and the soldier fled like the others before him. Link investigated his bow after picking up the bananas and rupees that were left behind. He was delighted to find that it was the very type of bow that the boy in Hateno Village wanted to see, and it wasn’t half-bad to boot! So he picked it up in favor of the bow he had been using.

Before moving on ahead, Link took a moment to investigate behind them. Wolf asked him what he was doing, to which the younger boy replied that he had a feeling there would be a shrine somewhere nearby. Sure enough, they found a pedestal sitting not too far off. Link stated that shrines always seemed to be near important places, so it had only been an assumption, but neither were complaining about him being right. Just before they reached it, another Yiga archer made himself known and was taken down just like the one before him. Link picked up his bow, too.

There was a stone slab in front of the platform that read, “If you seek power untold, offer a shining blue stone.” Both boys took a quick glance at the luminous stone veins surrounding the platform before looking at each other incredulously. It had to be the easiest puzzle to reveal a shrine yet. Link broke the veins apart and dropped one of the stones upon the platform. Despite it being daylight and the stone not glowing, the shrine still rose up from the ground for them. Link pocketed the stone again and went inside. As always, Wolf was left to wait for him outside, but he kept the Lightscale Trident drawn and ready in case more Yiga Clan members decided to attack.

Inside the shrine were two closed doors and some boxes. Link bombed the boxes and stepped into the room they had been blocking off. There was a piston to launch him up to the top of a column, but behind it was a chest with a silver rupee. Through being tossed into the air, Link quickly discovered that he needed to place a bomb on the piston instead in order to activate a switch in a cage. The door across from the room he was in opened upon doing so. The next room had another piston, but it was controlled by a switch around the back. He dropped a bomb there and another on the piston. Using the two together, he activated the second switch and the other door opened for him. The third room had a total of four pistons. Two of them were meant to fling a bomb back and forth over a caged off switch. The other two were beside the door and were meant to toss Link onto a ledge when the switch was activated. Somehow, he got the feeling that he was going to need both bombs. He found that the cubed one fell into the cage with the switch when it got flung. The round one, on the other hand, was lighter and kept getting tossed back and forth. He stood on one of the two pistons by the door and detonated the cube one. Sure enough, he was raised up to the exit, but at same time a gate got dropped into the doorway. He blew up the round one when it was just above the switch and the gate opened up again and he was allowed to reach the old monk.

Back outside, Wolf had nothing to report. Apparently despite being within the Yiga’s territory, they weren’t going to put a whole lot of effort into driving them off or capturing them. So the two continued on toward the hideout.

They came upon a spot with larger frog statues, all with their faces covered. Three Yiga archers appeared there to try and protect their hideout. Thankfully, despite their bows being good, their aim wasn’t the best and oddly enough their arrows didn’t hurt very much. As such, Link was able to take care of all of them quickly. Like before, he discarded some of the bows he had been carrying in favor of picking up the ones they had been using. Then he and Wolf stepped into their hideout.

The first room was circular and had a pedestal in the center covered in burning torches. Around the room were several hanging cloths with fiery symbols upon them. Wolf picked up a torch that was lying nearby and together the two of them went about burning each of the cloths. In addition to a bunch of keese, they found a couple of chests containing a sapphire and a purple rupee, some boxes, a few barrels, and a set of stairs leading further up into the place.

At the top of the stairs they found a Gerudo woman sitting in a jail cell. She of course turned to look at the pair when they approached, surprised to see people that weren’t Yiga around.

“Are you…Barta?” Link asked her.

“How do you know my name?” Despite her asking, she didn’t give either of them a chance to answer. “Not that that matters at the moment. What you two doing here? This is the hideout of those Yiga thieves who stole the Thunder Helm… If they spot you, they’ll call their friends for sure. There’s no way you can take them all on, even with two of you! If only you had some way of distracting them…but I don’t know how. All I ever see them do is patrol and eat bananas. I haven’t seen anything else that you could exploit as a weakness. Listen, this place is dangerous. You should get out of here while you can. I can take care of myself.”

Wolf frowned. “That might be a problem…”

“You don’t think you can sneak through?” Link asked him.

“Probably not. I hate to say it, but you’re going to have to do this yourself.”

The younger boy nodded. “Okay. Barta, you seem like you know a way to get out of your cell. If I go in there, you’ll have a chance to escape, right? Let my friend here see you back to town.”

The Gerudo woman agreed to go with this plan, as did Wolf. Before they split up, the older boy gave Link a quick kiss.

“Don’t get yourself killed.”

Link flashed him a grin. “I’ve got four fairies and Mipha looking out for me. I’ll be okay.”

“Even if you say that… If you’re not back before midnight the whole of this hideout is going to have to answer to me.”

“Then I’ll be sure to get back before then.” The younger boy promised him with another kiss.

Link snatched up a couple of bananas that were sitting beside the cell before descending another staircase. Once he was out of view of the others he changed into his stealth clothing and crept further into the hideout. The first person he came across was easy to avoid. The man was patrolling in a circle around a column. All Link had to do was follow him slowly and he was able to hurry down a set of steps into the next part of the room. There, a man was guarding the doorway.

Link ducked behind one of the rocks in the middle of the room. He thought about what Barta had said. It felt like a stupid idea, but it was all that he could think to do. He tossed some bananas out into the open a few feet in front of the guard. Oddly, he didn’t seem to question it. Instead he began to sneak forward in a rather comical fashion, all the while making noises oddly reminiscent of a monkey. Stifling laughter at the man’s behavior, Link slipped around behind him and went through the doorway.

He decided to pass up the next room in favor of investigating a ladder at the end of the narrow hallway. It took him up above the room and over to something that nearly had Link give himself away with a snort before he could clasp his hands over his mouth. He held his face tightly, trying to muffle the fit of giggles that tried to wrack his person. After he had calmed down enough to release himself, he wiped a tear from his eye and brought out his slate in order to take a picture of the table that was absolutely covered in bananas. He just had to show Wolf later! Once that was out of the way, he took each and every banana and looted the chest that was in the same little room. It had a topaz, and Link couldn’t help but giggle again when he thought to himself, “Ah yes! The banana of gems!”

There was an opening in the wall up there, and Link took a moment to observe the room. There were several men patrolling the area, and one standing in front of the doorway he needed to get to. He could just barely see a ladder on the side of the room across from the entrance. He figured that he might be able to sneak along and make it over to there. Then, once at the top of the ladder, he determined that he could walk along the rafters to the doorway and drop a banana to distract the guard.

Or…

Link climbed up onto the side of the wall beside him and began to shimmy his way around until he was hanging onto the outside of the wall. Slowly but surely he made his way across the outside of the little room until he was level with the rafters he had been considering. With a short hop, he made his way across the gap. After that, his plan was the same as before. He tossed some bananas down in front of the guard and he too didn’t question it. Once he was sufficiently away from the door way, Link dropped down and slipped on through.

“And Wolf thought bright orange wasn’t the sneakiest of colors…” Link thought to himself triumphantly.

The next room was void of people. Instead there was a treasure chest sitting in the middle of it.

“This is too easy. So that means…” Link muttered to himself. He kicked open the chest and snickered at what he found inside. “Yep! More bananas!”

He took another look around the room and noticed that there were three chests stuck in the ground. Upon activating magnesis, he also saw that one of the walls was fake…but first he dragged out the chests and looted them for a couple more topazes and a ruby. Then he took hold of the wall with his rune and pulled it open.

Link had not expected to step outside again, let alone into what appeared to be an arena with a giant pit in the middle of it. A man appeared behind him, causing Link to whirl around. Judging by his outfit, the man was obviously supposed to be the Yiga Clan’s leader…but his outfit was the only thing that dictated as such. One look was all it took for Link to know that he wasn’t going to have too much trouble with him. Instead of being large and imposing or sleek and agile, he had a noticeable gut.

“Hey! Who the heck are you? And what are you doing in my napping spot?! Wait a minute…” The man rubbed at his eyes, even though his mask was covering his entire face. “That thing on your hip… Is that… Could it be a Sheikah Slate? If it’s a Sheikah Slate… Then that means… Yeah, IT’S YOU! You’re that Link guy I’ve been looking for! What luck! My scouts are out in the field looking high and low, but you just wander into my hideout! Oh, excuse me. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am the leader… Of the Yiga Clan!” He announced dramatically before striking some weird poses. “The strong! The burly!! The one!! The only!!! MASTER KOHGA!!! Now, prepare yourself!”

Rather than drawing a weapon and charging into combat, Kohga instead began to spin around rapidly and hurried away from Link. He threw up a magical shield in front of him, so Link waited and watched to see what he would do. Kohga summoned a giant stone sphere above his head. His shield vanished and Link quickly put an arrow into him, which caused him to lose control over the ball. It fell on him, planting him into the sand beneath their feet. Link stifled another laugh before closing the gap between them and going to town on him. Kohga managed to pull himself out and the process repeated again. Link had to roll his eyes when yet again he was able to drop the sphere on his head. He even took a moment to take a picture of the poor man while he was in the sand again.

The next time Kohga freed himself, he zipped over to float above the pit. He stomped his foot on nothing in frustration and this time summoned two balls. They began to circle around him, and as he didn’t have a shield this time, Link simply shot him again when one was above him. The impact of the ball sent Kohga flying to the ground beside Link and the boy continued to wail on him.

Kohga became really angry when he got back up. Once more he floated above the pit, but this time steam practically came out of his ears. Instead of his regular stone spheres, he decided to summon a large one made of metal and covered in spikes. On top of that, he finally got the bright idea to leave his shield in front of him as he reeled back to attack. Link had to snort with laughter and activated magnesis. The newest ball easily left Kohga’s magical grasp, and Link bashed it into him with little effort.

Kohga managed to land on the ground. He was noticeably panting, and absolutely furious. “Who would’ve thought…I’d be done in like this… And by this guy, of all people!” He began to stamp his foot again. “You think I’m just going to let this stand?! Do you?!” He stopped with his tantrum and cleared his throat. “I almost lost my temper there… Argh, what a pain… I can’t go out this way. What to do, what do to… Ha! I got it!” Seemingly quite pleased with himself, he began to laugh in a mocking, evil genius stereotype manner. “I need to bust out my serious moves… A secret technique taught by my father’s mother’s father! It will…destroy you! This is the end!” Link raised an eyebrow and watched curiously. Kohga let out a cry, and this time he summoned a giant spiked metal ball. It fell down between them with a loud thump, blocking each other from view. “Ahahaha—uh... Huh. Maybe it’s just a tad too big. Are you still over there? Well, no matter. Pretty soon you’ll be gone! And not just from my line of sight! Only the leader of the Yiga Clan…” As he kept talking, the ball slowly began to roll in his direction of its own accord. Kohga noticed this, but instead of getting out of the way kept trying to explain his technique. “…can use this secret technique… It is…the ultimate…” A bit too late, he shrieked and Link just barely heard what sounded like him starting to run away. The ball rolled into the pit, taking Kohga with it. But the man did not let that be the end of it. “Coward! I shall be remembered! The Yiga Clan will track you to the ends of Hyruuuule!”

Link heard a very quiet thump a few seconds later, indicating that he had hit the bottom of the pit. A treasure chest appeared a few feet away from the boy moments after. And finally… Link burst into laughter. He doubled over and clutched at his stomach, his giggles spilling forth unrestrained. Tears weaseled their ways out of the corners of his eyes as it became difficult to breathe and his knees buckled. Uncaring, Link allowed himself to fall over onto the ground where he laughed even harder. Eventually he began to try and quell his laughter if only so that his face would stop turning purple from lack of air.

When he calmed down enough that he could breathe, he rolled onto his back and spread his arms out beside him. Little bubbles of laughter still escaped him every few seconds, and he knew he had a stupid grin on his face. Really though, after the monkey noises and all of the bananas and the hilariously pathetic leader, Link was not going to be able to look at the Yiga Clan the same way ever again!

 At last he noticed the color of the sky. It was getting to be dark and the first little stars could just barely be seen. He sat upright, dusted the sand from his back, and stood up. He wasn’t surprised at all to find the Thunder Helm waiting for him inside of the chest. He slipped it away and changed his clothes so that he could get back into town. He had a funny feeling that Wolf was going to be worried sick about him even though it was still a ways from midnight.

Sure enough, the moment that Link stepped back into Gerudo Town’s main square, the giant beast that was Wolf came barreling over to him. Link readied himself to be knocked down, and was surprised when instead the older boy stood up on his hind legs and put his paws on Link’s shoulder’s. Not a second later, the younger boy’s face was being covered with licks.

“You worrywart…” Link teased him while giggling again. “I told you I’d be okay.” Wolf stopped his licking and intelligent blue eyes stared into Link’s. The younger boy ruffled the long fur of Wolf’s neck. “Come on. I’ve got a lot to tell you about.”

Wolf removed his paws from his shoulders and dropped back down to four legs. He followed his companion as the younger boy led them out of the town again. They stayed near the walls, but went all the way around to the southwest where there weren’t any guards posted. Link sat down there, and Wolf followed suit, changing back in the process.

There, Link relayed everything that had happened. He showed off the banana picture, which had Wolf snickering as well. When he finally got to the fight with Master Kohga, the older boy didn’t seem to believe him at first. The picture of the man buried in the sand, however, made him howl with laughter. For all of the buildup that had been made about the Yiga Clan, the reality of how not-at-all dangerous their boss was was entirely ridiculous.

After their little chat, Link announced that he wanted to get them a room at the inn again. He reasoned that they were probably going to be very busy the following day, perhaps even heading out to enter the Divine Beast. So he thought that getting a good night’s sleep would be for the best. Wolf didn’t have any complaints about that. They got their room, and Wolf again resumed his half-form once they were alone. They didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking like they normally would have, instead choosing to try and sleep as early as possible.

*****

Sometime in the night, Wolf woke to sounds of movement coming from across the room. His eyes slipped open and he caught sight of Link sitting up and sliding out of bed. He raised his head a little before asking,

“You okay?”

Link started a little at his voice, but offered a smile. “Yeah… Just… You know…can’t sleep.”

Wolf tilted his head a fraction. “You want to sleep with me?”

Again, the younger boy flinched. “Oh! Um… No. Thanks though. I’m just gonna go take a walk or something. I’ll be back soon.” He stood up and added, “I swear, everything’s okay. Go back to sleep.”

Choosing to believe the boy, Wolf laid his head back down on the pillow. Link stepped over to him and gave him a quick, peck on the cheek that was a bit clumsy due to the darkness. After that, the younger boy crept out of their room and presumably out of the inn entirely. Wolf waited a few seconds before rolling onto his back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“What could be bothering him? He’s usually pretty open about it if there’s something wrong.” Wolf thought to himself. “Even if he says that he’s okay, I can’t help but wonder.” He brought a hand up to his cheek where Link had kissed him. Suddenly, a thought occurred him. “Wait… I’ve been here for how long now? It’s gotta be a couple of weeks, right? And in that time, I don’t think he’s ever… Oh… OH!” Wolf’s cheeks burned and he turned onto his other side. “Right… I dunno how he’s managed it so far, but the poor guy is probably feeling close to bursting.”

Despite the images that wanted to flood his mind, Wolf stamped them all out and even managed to achieve almost-sleep by the time Link returned. The older boy was vaguely aware when the door to their room opened again and Link returned to his own bed. After that, he was out like a light.

*****

Buliara informed them the next morning that Riju was waiting for them upstairs outside of her room. She said that Link was allowed to go up there, but should he try anything funny the consequences would be anything but. With that warning, he and Wolf made their way up the stairs and back outside. Just as they had been told, Riju was standing out on a little balcony and was staring out at the desert where Vah Naboris was still stomping about. Seeing her standing, her young age became all the more apparent as she was shorter than Link.

“I’ve been waiting for you…” She stated before turning to look at the pair. “Oh, you needn’t say a word. As the chief of the Gerudo, I can sense the power of the heirloom flowing from you. I know that you’ve succeeded!” She gave them both a suspicious little grin. “And I heard the two of you outside the walls last night as well. But do not worry, I won’t have your ‘pet’ thrown out just because he too is a voe in disguise.”

Link gave her a sheepish look and muttered a quiet apology. Wolf hung his head. Riju only shook her head and continued with what she had to say.

“I am, as you have no doubt noticed, still but a child. The people look on me with nothing but warmth in their eyes, but even this brings me some pain, I must admit… I’ve tried so hard to be worthy of their love, to be a worthy chief…and to prove to myself that I was worthy too. When my family heirloom was stolen, I felt as though a shadow had fallen over me… Yes, your arrival in the midst of all of this must be the work of Lady Urbosa… Now, please give me the helm.” Link handed it over. Riju removed her normal head ornament and carefully placed the Thunder Helm on her head instead. “Um. How do I look?”

At the sight of the Gerudo girl wearing the helm, Link felt the increasingly-familiar feeling of a memory returning to him.

Zelda and the Gerudo woman he presumed to be Urbosa were together on the beast, the Thunder Helm resting beside them. Link approached them to find Zelda sound asleep on Urbosa’s shoulder. The woman was happy to see that Link had arrived quickly, as was fitting of Zelda’s appointed knight. Urbosa explained that the girl had been very busy that day. She asked him if he and Zelda had been getting along well. His silence spoke volumes, and she was able to gather that they had not been.

Urbosa explained that Zelda got frustrated whenever she saw the sword on his back, and that it made her feel like a failure at her own destiny. The woman assured Link that he was not to blame for any of that, however. She said that it was only unfortunate, as Zelda had put so much time into hers. Zelda had apparently gone through rigorous daily routines from a young age in order to show her dedication and to try to unlock her sealing powers. The woman even said that the girl had passed out in freezing waters once. And yet, she still had nothing to show for her efforts. That that was why she was so driven in her research.

After affectionately brushing a strand of hair from Zelda’s face, Urbosa turned to Link again and told him to be sure to protect Zelda with his life, and that doing so was quite the honor. She then mentioned that it was getting to be quite chilly and that they should take Zelda inside. A mischievous smirk crossed Urbosa’s features and she snapped her fingers. A bolt of lightning struck the sands outside of the Divine Beast, causing Zelda to wake with a fright. She asked what was happening, and in her panic her eyes landed on Link. She scowled at him and asked him what he was doing there. Instead of offering an explanation, Urbosa only laughed heartily, which only served to confuse the princess.

When Link came to, he found himself awkwardly being held up by Riju and was partially leaning and sitting against Wolf’s back. Apparently the two of them hadn’t been able to catch him properly, but together they had at least prevented him from falling and getting hurt. He apologized and stood himself upright again.

“What’s wrong? You were just staring and then you fell-”

Link raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t worry about that. It’s happened before. What was it you were saying?”

Despite his assertion that he was okay, she was still frowning at him. “Then… Okay. I asked you ‘how do I look?’ How is it?!” She asked again, gesturing to the helm.

Link stared at her for a moment before replying, “It’s…a tad big…”

A second later, the helm fell over her face a bit more. Riju quickly fixed it. “…You don’t say.” With a little sigh she turned back towards the desert. “The threat Divine Beast Vah Naboris poses has only grown since we began searching for the heirloom. I believe that Gerudo Town itself may be in danger before too long… As chief, and as a Gerudo, I must find some way to stop that thing before it threatens my people. Will you help me?”

“Of course!”

“Heheh, who would have thought that, just before such a momentous battle…hearing a simple, confident pledge of support from you would be what puts me at ease? I’ll head out now. Let’s meet up at the lookout post south of town. There’s only one way to get close to Naboris, and that’s with the help of a sand seal. The lookout post isn’t too far from town, but you should take a sand seal there. You can get some practice in that way. I’ll be there waiting for you with my favorite sand seal, Patricia.” The helm fell again onto her face and she quickly made to fix it. “Still… It really is a little big…” she muttered.

With their plan made, Riju left Link and Wolf alone on the balcony in front of her room. The two boys didn’t feel right looking through her stuff, but they did take a quick peek. They saw a couple of seal plushies on her bed that were quite cute, but otherwise they didn’t poke around too much.

Before heading out to rent a sand seal, Link took a quick break in the alley where the Goddess statue was. Wolf watched quietly as the younger boy fiddled with the Sheikah Slate. After a few moments, Link let out a groan and explained what he was doing.

“When I first got this thing, I swear there was a way for me to write stuff down on it. When we were talking to Riju just now, I remembered something again. Although I’m sure you figured that out already. Anyway, it made me remember that feature, so I was hoping to find it again. I was thinking… I want to try and piece together a timeline for my memories. We’ve got the twelve pictures, but what about the stuff I remember otherwise? I’d kind of like to know what order all of these go in. Plus it’d be handy to be able to write down all of the little things people have asked us to do.” With a heavy sigh Link shook his head and tucked the device away again. “I’ll take another look later. We should get moving.”

The woman renting out seals by the southeast gate was just as confused by Link’s seal pun as her mother had been. Still, she got him set up with a sand seal and he and Wolf set out into the desert. A short ways out, they stopped so that Link could change and discuss what he remembered. One of the two big things to be gathered from it was that Urbosa and Zelda had apparently been quite close. The other…

“That certainly explains why you were with her so much.” Wolf commented. “If you were Zelda’s appointed knight, then of course you would be there when she took all of those pictures. Also… You’re a knight!” he exclaimed.

“Apparently so.” Link replied.

“That’s amazing! I was just a farmhand, at most! No wonder you’re so good with all of these different weapons.”

“Yeah… But you know, I may be a knight and all but… Why are the only people who are ever shorter than me actual children?”

“Didn’t you say you were adorable?” Wolf asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I mean, I am. It just seems weird that they would make somebody so short a knight!”

The older boy breathed a little huff and kissed him. “Well, I happen to like it! Besides, size doesn’t determine a person’s skill in a fight.”

“Don’t you go using kisses to try and sway me!” Link shouted, giving Wolf a playful shove. The older boy only laughed. “My point is that I don’t really feel like a knight. Even if it explains a lot about me, I still feel more like I’m just some fool bumbling around the wilds with a dog at my side.”

“Wolf. And perhaps you are. Let’s face it, I’ve already saved my Hyrule and I still think of myself as some guy from a village full of goats. Whatever your rank or title is doesn’t dictate who you are as person.”

Link heaved a sigh. “I guess you’re right… It just doesn’t feel right.” He stretched his arms high above his head and picked up the rope attached to the sand seal again. “Well, let’s keep going. I’m sure Riju’s getting tired of waiting.”

Before Link could give the command for the seal to start moving, Wolf stole yet another kiss from him. The younger boy let out a gentle breath and mumbled,

“You have got to stop doing that so suddenly. Why do you think I had to get up last night?”

Those few words, combined with the flush on Link’s face, confirmed Wolf’s suspicions. The older boy cleared his throat and apologized. Link flashed him a quick grin before giving the sand seal its command. Wolf transformed and chased after them.

A short while later they reached the lookout that Riju had told them about. Seeing as they couldn’t find her anywhere down below, the two turned to a ladder that lead up to the lookout platform proper. They climbed on up, and sure enough, the younger Gerudo Chief was waiting for them there.

Chapter Text

Riju turned her head at the sound of the pair joining her up on the platform. Her eyes, covered by the Thunder Helm, raked over both boys’ forms. Having already figured out that Wolf wasn’t actually a wolf, she wasn’t at all surprised to see him looking, er, a bit more human. She cracked a little smile at the pair.

“Well then… That’s what you really look like, huh…” she giggled a little. “With voe banned from town, it’s not very common for me to see someone like you.” For a moment, Wolf felt the possessive urge to move closer to Link. He didn’t, as the chief turned away from them not even a second after she had made her comment. “What a sight.” She said, staring off towards the sandstorm where the Divine Beast was stomping. Link and Wolf followed her gaze. “Divine Beast Vah Naboris is pretty intimidating… If we want to get close enough to that thing, we’ll need to use sand seals… Are you ready?”

“Of course!” Link answered immediately.

She giggled again. “Feeling confident? Good. First we’ll use the sand seals to get in really close to that thing. I’ll take the lead. I’m counting on you to shoot at its feet with bomb arrows. Naboris draws energy from the ground to keep moving. If you damage the feet, I think you can stop it. Those lightning strikes, though… Getting hit even once could prove fatal. The Thunder Helm can repel the lightning strikes, protecting me from harm. But it can also shield a limited area around me… You’ll have to stay close if you don’t want to be shocked. And listen… If you’re too injured to keep fighting, promise me you’ll retreat here, to the lookout post. Don’t do anything reckless under any circumstances.”

Wolf gave Link a look, fully agreeing with the girl on her last statement. Link gave him a sheepish grin in reply. Riju then stole their attention again by handing over a bundle of bomb arrows.

“Here. There aren’t many, so be sure to put them to good use. This is the last time I’ll ask… Are you ready?”

“Before that, I take it I am not going to be of any use in all of this?” Wolf asked.

Riju shook her head. “I’m sure your presence is useful to Link for many things, but for this it would be best if it were just him and me.”

“I thought as much.” He turned his attention back to the younger boy. “Stay safe.”

“I’ll do my best.”

The younger boy got up on his toes in order to give him a quick, reassuring kiss. So much for telling Wolf not to surprise him with kisses. Whether Riju had any reaction to that, neither of them was able to tell. Wolf cleared his throat and told her to be sure to protect him. She gave him her word, and then she and Link both descended the ladder and hooked themselves up to their sand seals.

The two moved away from the lookout by a few feet. They stopped to allow Riju to offer a prayer to her ancestors and Urbosa to protect herself and Link. A wide barrier expanded around them, and a moment later the two were off at full speed, disappearing into the sandstorm after Naboris.

Unlike the battle against Ruta’s defenses, watching Link tackle Naboris was far more nerve wracking. He couldn’t see either the younger boy or the Gerudo chief through the sandstorm. The first time the Divine Beast had begun to charge its lightning had his pulse racing in his ears. And despite the distance he had from the thing, he could feel his skin prickle and a bolt of worry struck him when it finally unleashed its attack. He swore and forced himself to sit down before he did something stupid…like leap off the platform and go after them without even a sand seal!

Thankfully, a breath of relief came only minutes after the first attack. Naboris let out a cry and stumbled briefly. A part of the sand blew aside enough for Wolf to spot three purple glows near the ground. Assuming they were its feet that meant that Link had just managed to take out one of them. This gave him reason to feel more confident in the younger boy, not that he had actually doubted his ability in the first place. He was just worried because Link was often too reckless, okay?!

The battle took a while longer than the one against Ruta had. Wolf couldn’t even begin to guess why that was, but he nearly stood and cheered when he noticed the fourth and final foot had been damaged. Naboris let out another cry and promptly fell to its knees. The sandstorm began to settle down around it, steadily giving Wolf a better view of what was going on. He managed to spot the younger boy clambering up onto the beast before it let out another noise and slowly began to stand back up. It seemed to steady itself for a moment and then resumed walking about, this time not kicking up any sandstorms as it did. Wolf could see Riju collecting Link’s sand seal and heading back his way.

When she reached the lookout, she stopped and looked up at him. She shielded her eyes from the late morning sun and shouted to him.

“He got on board just fine!”

“I saw!” Wolf called down to her. “Thank you for protecting him!”

She gave him a little nod and looked back to the rented seal with her. “Do you want me to leave this guy with you?”

Wolf shook his head. “No thank you. I can get back without him!”

Without another word, she spurred Patricia into moving again, taking the rented seal along with her to be returned to its owner. For a while Wolf simply watched Naboris stomp around the desert. He had half a mind to return to town, as surely there were things he could do there to pass the time even as a beast. However, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there had to be something better he could be doing. Sure, he’d been told that only Champions could board a Divine beast. But technically he and Link were the same person…right? So then maybe… Ah, but then the two of them were so very different in the first place! But then again…

Despite his better judgement, Wolf reasoned that he simply had to try before he completely dismissed the idea. Summoning up all of his concentration, he did his best to teleport onto Naboris. It wasn’t easy, and he hadn’t expected it to be. He’d learned through trial and error that there were only two ways he could teleport. The first was that if he could clearly see where Link was. That was the easiest way. See Link, go to Link. He assumed he could do that with just about anyone, but Link was the only person he had tried it with. The other was a bit more difficult. He had to be able to clearly imagine the place that he wanted to go to. What did it look like? What were its surroundings? Places like Hateno or Kakariko or Zora’s Domain or Gerudo Town or the stables were fairly easy. Even some of the shrines were in relatively notable locations. But going straight on board a machine that he had never even seen up close? That…that was a whole different story. And try as he might, he never once felt even the slightest pull of Midna’s magic indicating that he had begun to succeed.

He was about to give up when the Divine Beast did something interesting. Its long neck, which had previously been sticking straight out, raised to stand up straight. Even from his distance, Wolf could see what looked like a platform descending down the back of it. A second later and it began to rise again, and he could just barely make out a person standing on it. Wolf felt a small flutter of hope and tried again to teleport, this time using Link as a guide.

He felt Midna’s magic envelope him, and he returned to his beastial form. However in the next moment he let out a yelp as he was thrust back a few feet along the platform. He clambered back to his feet and stared frantically at the Divine Beast. A strange forcefield flickered around it just long enough for him to catch a glimpse of it before it dissipated. Naboris continued to stomp through it, as if nothing had happened.

So…

Naboris had rejected him even from that distance…

Dejected, he leapt down from the platform. There was no use in him sticking around and watching the Beast stomp about all day. He was certain that Link would be returned to the town when he was finished, and so Wolf returned there in order to eventually meet him. He made it inside without issue, as the guards had gotten used to him being around.

*****

Wolf had to leave town once in order to eat lunch. During that time, he set a few rupees aside. That way, when he turned back into a wolf, he still was able to have some money on hand. He slipped them away in one of the alcoves packed with stored goods. He spent his afternoon lazily wandering about, trying to see if he could catch any interesting conversations. He didn’t. Instead he found himself being the target of interest for two little girls who were bored from waiting with their mothers at their stands. And honestly, how was Wolf supposed to say no when they excitedly asked him (as a person would a puppy) if he wanted to play? So most of his afternoon was spent playfully chasing the two around town. They even played a couple games of hide and seek; the girls delighted that he was a smart enough animal to know how.

It wasn’t until after sundown that anything important happened. Wolf had just finished a chunk of meat that he had bought from one of the stands. The woman in charge of it had laughed when he had come up and dropped money down in front of her with a wag of his tail. She quickly counted up what he had given her, and gave him a tiny discount on a cut of seared prime meat. He happily took it and found himself a quiet place to chow down. He had barely finished licking his chops when Vah Naboris let out a suspicious loud cry. He hurried on over to the main gate and his eyes easily found the machine.

He watched in awe as the now-blue Divine Beast slowly began to climb up the cliffs near the region’s tower. It knelt down and took aim at Hyrule Castle with a red beam just as Ruta had done before it. In the darkness of night he was able to spy another ghost standing atop its head even from such a great distance. A tiny, almost imperceptible blue speck. He didn’t get much of a chance to observe it before Link appeared before him in his usual wave of blue. He was already wearing his Gerudo clothes, which Wolf assumed he had changed into knowing that he would be put just outside of town. That knowledge aside, Wolf bounded over to greet him.

Link dropped to his knees just in time to catch his companion in his arms. Wolf licked his face happily, tag going a mile a minute. Link laughed tiredly and hugged him tightly, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I told you I would be okay.” Link mumbled, a little smile tugging at his lips while he scratched behind Wolf’s ears. “I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now we should report back to Riju and then get ourselves a place to sleep. I am beat.”

Wolf backed away from him enough that Link could stand again. Together, they made their way through the main square and to the throne room. Riju noticeably sat forward upon seeing them enter, and both Link and Wolf were allowed to approach her beyond the stairs in front of her throne.

“Oh, you’re back?!” she exclaimed when she spotted them. She settled back in her chair and waited until they were close enough to hold a conversation without raised voices. “I’m glad you’re okay… Truly, I am… It seems that Naboris is no longer a threat to the town… I’m still worried about the larger threat to Hyrule, but at least my people won’t be troubled by Naboris anymore.” Riju turned and gestured to a set of chests placed behind her throne. “These pieces of equipment are priceless treasures of the Gerudo people. They were once worn by Lady Urbosa. Link, since you and Lady Urbosa were friends, it’s only right that you have them.”

Without further ado, Link was allowed to open the both of them. Placed carefully within them was a scimitar and a highly ornate shield. He held them out at arm’s length one at a time in order to admire them. Wolf, who had quietly followed him, eyed them from his spot beside him. Link couldn’t help but remark at their beauty, likening them to their previous owner. While Wolf didn’t know at all what Urbosa had looked like, he did hear a small giggle from Riju. Despite that, Wolf had to silently agree that both items were indeed very beautiful. Once Link had had his fill of admiring them, he tucked both away carefully.

The younger boy thanked Riju for her kindness, which was calmly brushed off as being the least she could do to thank him for his efforts. The pair turned and were about to leave the throne room when Link suddenly stopped and eyed the Thunder Helm, which was now delicately perched on a pedestal beside the throne. Buliara promptly tapped her sword against the ground the moment Link took a step toward the Gerudo relic.

“Halt!” she bellowed. “That is the treasure of the Gerudo! You may be held in high esteem, but this does not give you the freedom to lay your hands on the pride of our people.”

Link flinched away from it sheepishly. Riju raised a hand to her guard.

“Becalm yourself, Buliara.” She raised an eyebrow at Link. “You…desire the helm?”

“I mean…I wasn’t going to ask; was only gonna take a closer look at it. But if you’re offering…”

Riju smirked. “I see… And yet, despite the great debt we owe you, I cannot just give such a precious thing to you.” She raised a hand to her chin in thought. “…But you are up against the enemy of Lady Urbosa… And if you truly desire it, then perhaps I can lend it do you…”

Link perked up at that. “I won’t say no to the chance of borrowing it!”

“Well then, let’s see how serious you are. This helm is a cultural treasure. To earn it, you much gain the trust of our people. I want you to address their concerns and bring a resolute peace to our town. We already know that you are powerful. But you can’t solve all of my people’s problems with power alone.”

Link agreed to these terms, and he and Wolf finally left to get a room at the inn. As soon as they were alone once more, Wolf changed form and let out a long sigh. They sat together on their own beds while Link ate and informed Wolf of something he had thought of while dealing with the Divine Beast. He stated that he wanted to go looking for the eighth heroine for the guy with the sand boots. Wolf didn’t even need to ask, but he did anyway. Link’s reasoning was that he wanted to be able to move more freely in the sands while they explored the rest of the desert. They decided that in order to search the highlands where the statue supposedly lay they would start in the morning by going to the shrine near the Yiga hideout. Link also added that he would tell Wolf all about what went on inside of Naboris while they explored, as they would likely have plenty of time for conversation. With that agreed upon, they settled in for the night.

*****

First thing upon warping back over to the shrine, Link changed into his climbing clothes. Wolf wasn’t surprised; if they were going to be going through the highlands then the younger boy was going to have to do some climbing. Link had already mentioned that, if possible, he wanted to find the tower for the region while they were up there. He scaled the nearest cliff side, with Wolf following him up to the top like usual. To their surprise and delight they found the tower almost immediately. It was just to the south-east of the shrine. It appeared to be in the middle of a large quarry that was overrun by monsters. On the opposite side was a lot of scaffolding that lead even higher up onto the cliffs and would prove to be a good place for Link to glide from. As it was, Link Jumped from where they had been standing and made his way as far up the slope as he could, with Wolf joining him the moment his feet hit the ground.

There wasn’t much fighting at all to be had for the short distance that they walked. Even the scaffolding was free of monsters. It made climbing up it (and part of the cliff face) to the top of the cliff very easy. They spotted a bit of a platform jutting out from the cliff a few feet away from where they climbed up and made their way over to it. It seemed like it would make for a great take-off point for Link. Strangely, they began to hear music as they approached. Sure enough, even from the distance they were standing they could just see Kass perched at the edge of the tower. Now curious to see what he was doing, Link hurried over to the tower. He easily landed on the lowest set of platforms around the tower’s base and climbed his way up from there. Link went ahead and activated it while Wolf joined him, and then the two of them approached their feathery acquaintance.

The Rito was lost in thought at first, but seemed pleased to meet them again. He explained that his teacher had written a song about the area meant for the hero who fell a hundred years ago. He claimed that because his master had always kept faith that the hero would arrive to hear it, he too would keep faith and continue to practice it. He asked if the pair would like to hear the ancient verse, to which they of course said yes.

“‘As light shrines from the northwest skies, from the tower’s shadow an arrow flies. Pierce the heaven’s light to reveal the prize.’ I still don’t quite understand the lyrics, but knowing my teacher, they’re the key to revealing a secret. Best of luck, and may the light illuminate your path.” Kass told them kindly.

From where they stood, they could see a pedestal for the shrine down below. Though it lacked the signature orange glow that they always had. Link theorized that they would have to return some time in the afternoon when the sun would be in the west. As it was still morning, they decided to move on to the task of finding the eighth maiden…but before Wolf could even turn back into a beast, Link suddenly plopped himself down on the tower and brought out his slate.

Wolf inquired as to what he was doing, and Link grumbled that he wanted to write this whole song thing down before he forgot it. Remembering that Link had mentioned something about writing things down before Wolf knelt down beside him to try and help him figure it out. It took some fiddling, but Link finally was able to remember how to do it again. Immediately they began to go over all of the things they had left to do. The shrine thing Kass had just told them about, visiting Robbie in Akkala as Purah had suggested they do, buying the house in Hateno, bringing the duplex bow to the boy in Hateno, getting the Thunder Helm from Riju, getting the picture of the heroine, bringing fifty-five rushrooms to the man at the Canyon Stable, finding the Zora wife who was likely at Lake Hylia, finding royal guard gear for a woman at the Riverside Stable, finding a recipe in the castle for a man at the Riverside Stable, and lastly proving that Link is in fact the hero to a woman at Outskirt Stable by showing her the legendary sword. It was quite a lot, and it took far more head scratches to remember than either would have liked to admit, but at least now they had a way that they would not forget any of them.

With all of their notes made, they both breathed a sigh of relief and took a look at the map that had just been given to them. The Gerudo Highlands looked to have two sections to them, as far as highest points went. There was a strip to the west, and to the east (which was just north of them) was something like a sideways V of mountains. In order to cut back on the amount of exploring, they figured if they were to look around from those high places they’d be able to find the statue much easier. Which meant, obviously, that they would start with the mountains just to the north.

They returned to the top of the cliff that Link had glided to the tower from. There were a few monsters to fight and a lot of things to climb. As such, Wolf stayed as a beast until they had made it all the way to the top. Halfway up the mountain Link put on the snow boots and his warm doublet. Despite that, he still found it to be too cold. Luckily, he had had the foresight to brew up some cold-resistant elixirs before they left town. With all of that together he was able to handle the cold.

The first thing they had to deal with at the top was a blizzrobe. Even using fire arrows, Link found it a bit harder to get rid of than its weaker counterparts. It moved around a lot more and only made itself vulnerable for a second or two while it used its rod to fling ice at the pair. Because of this, Link actually got to take the snow boots on a bit of a test run. Once the monster had died, he remarked that they worked like a dream!

It was while they began their exploration in earnest that Link told Wolf about Naboris. About how the mechanics of the Divine Beast had worked and how confusing that had been, the puzzles within it, and of course the fight against Thunderblight Ganon. From the way Link spoke about the fight, Wolf automatically knew that it had not gone well. His suspicions were confirmed when Link admitted the fact that Mipha had stepped in to revive him, on top of using two fairies to do the same. The frown Wolf gave him had Link recoiling a little.

“I wasn’t being reckless, I swear!” he insisted. “Thunderblight Ganon was an absolute nightmare to fight, like I said! He was so fast! And I didn’t have a whole lot of non-metal options on me to fight him! I did everything I could to stay safe, but sometimes that still doesn’t cut it, you know?”

Wolf breathed a heavy sigh and ran a hand down his face. “I… I suppose you’re right. I’m…not happy to admit that but… You’re right.” He paused a moment and added, “It upsets me that I can’t even help you, either… I gave teleporting on board a try. Twice. It uh, it didn’t work.”

Link’s mouth turned into a frown at that. “So even though we’re the same person, the Divine Beasts don’t recognize you as a champion.”

“That’s what it seems like.”

Not feeling any hostility or frustration towards him from Wolf anymore, Link leaned against him momentarily. “You being here for moral support is more than enough.”

Wolf cast him a little smile. “And you called me a sap…”

Link couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “I guess we both are, then. Anyway, Urbosa’s ghost spoke to me afterward, and she gave me her power the same way Mipha did. I’ll have to show you some time. …Then she told me to take care of Princess Zelda…” He stood up straight and paused in his walking. His companion turned a curious eye to him. “…By the way, now that we’re not in town anymore…” The younger boy began. He bought out the Scimitar of the Seven and the Dawnbreaker and carefully held them both out to Wolf. “These two… They don’t feel as sentimental to me as the Lightscale Trident, but I still feel kinda weird having them. I was thinking you could put them to better use than I would.”

As much as Wolf would have liked to say that he was surprised, he had had a feeling that was going to happen. Even though he saw it coming he still graciously accepted both items. The shield was built for a right-handed wielder, which he pointed out to Link as being a bit of problem. Link had to agree that it made things kinda awkward, and promised to have it fixed up as soon he could without drawing suspicion…which meant once they were somewhere that had a blacksmith that wasn’t Gerudo Town. Instead, Wolf gave the scimitar a few swings to get the feel of it, and grinned happily at the results.

“Wow…” Link murmured, eyes wide and transfixed on the older boy. Wolf stopped and made a questioning little “Hm?” sound. “Oh, uh…” Link scratch the back of his a little shyly. “I was just thinking about how natural you look with a sword. I can already tell you’re really skilled! It’s no wonder you were a hero in your own world.”

Wolf chuckled at that and put the weapon away. “It makes me happy to hear you say that.” He quickly gestured towards the way they had been going. “C’mon. We should keep moving. You only have so many of those elixirs.”

Their exploration yielded a couple of interesting finds. The first was a weird, huge lump of ice off to the north, near the northern portion of the mountains they were on. Link dropped a pin on it to make sure he investigated it once they were over there. They avoiding a bokoblin camp, and Link pulled a few treasure chests out of the snow. One of them had a piece of amber inside of it, which reminded the younger boy to go and check out the jewelry store back in town when he got the chance.

Just before the turn in the mountains there was a little frozen-over lake. Because it appeared to host a human camp, they decided to investigate it. As they got closer, they couldn’t help but notice there were a handful of bananas strewn about as if set out as bait. Link immediately started laughing at the sight. Even Wolf couldn’t help but smile at how pathetic a trap it was. Despite knowing exactly what was in store for them, they decided to go right on ahead and walk into it. Sure enough, three Yiga footsolders with bows appeared and made to attack them. They were brought down easily, and Link snatched up all of their bows.

There was no sign of the heroine by the turn in the mountains, so they followed a natural bridge over a large monster encampment in order to keep looking through the other side. Link’s sensor came to life the closer they got to the pin he had dropped. Seeing as they were close by, they decided that they may as well drop down and see about melting the ice that was surely encasing the shrine. It was being protected by a couple of prancing ice wizzrobes, which Link easily got rid of during his fall to where the ice was. They examined the ice, finding that their weapons and the remote bombs weren’t enough to break through. Link had a feeling that would be the case, as he’d encountered similar ice before. Although he did not like the idea of using the wood for it Link went ahead and got three campfires lit in order to make it melt quickly. The elixir that he had been under the effects of wore off and he reached for another one. Sure the heat of the campfires was nice, but he wanted to make certain that he was comfortable. Wolf stopped him by suddenly wrapping an arm around him and pulling him in close. Although a little embarrassing, Link had to agree that it was nice and warm snuggled up beside Wolf, such that he really didn’t need to take the elixir.

The ice melted away completely, leaving a shrine in its wake. Link was loathe to tear himself away from Wolf’s warmth in order to go inside, but he did so anyway. Just before he stepped onto the elevator, the older boy informed him that he would look around on top of the mountain again in the meantime. If he were to come back outside and Wolf wasn’t there, he should wait so that they don’t somehow miss each other. Link nodded and went on inside.

The shrine offered an unusual challenge. He was instructed to bring a block of ice to the old monk at the end. There was one right in front of him, but one look around told Link that there was going to be a plethora of fire that he would have to navigate around. He picked up the ice block and started his test. It was easy to avoid the three geysers and to go passed a rotating block with fire spewing from two sides of it. Beyond that was a row of fire that was just high enough to hit the ice while he was carrying it. He set it down and gave it a quick smack with a sledgehammer. It slid across the floor with ease, safe and sound from the fire. Link went under the streams himself and picked it up again.

He hopped across a pool of lava using a metal cube that was submerged in it. He picked up the cube with magnesis and used it to block the fiery wall ahead of him. Once passed it, he set the ice down in a safe little spot and picked up the cube again in order to use it to block more fire, this time so that he could glide over to a small alcove that had a chest inside of it. The chest contained a frostblade, which caused Link to remember that he still had a flameblade that he had picked up a long while ago. Before even getting to Hateno Village. The frostblade was pleasantly cool to the touch, and it made him wonder if it would help him out in the desert. And subsequently, if the flameblade would help him in the cold. He dropped the half-broken weapon he had been using and took the new sword with him, thinking he should test it and the other elemental blade out sometime.

He hopped off the ledge and climbed a ladder that was conveniently placed near where the ice block still waited for him. The next bit of fire was coming down from above, so he couldn’t block it easily. As the ice was still quite big he decided to try chucking it through the stream. He was right to assume that it wouldn’t melt completely from the quick exposure. He picked up the metal cube again and raised it high above his head in order to slip through without harm. He lifted the smaller ice cube and carried it on up towards the closed gate before the monk. As he approached, the gate opened for him. He set the ice down and went on ahead to collect the spirit orb.

Wolf was waiting for him when he got back outside. Link immediately felt the bite of the cold and hurried over to him. The older boy didn’t miss a single beat and wrapped his arms warmly and securely around him. Wolf informed him that he hadn’t seen any sort of statue, which was a bit of a shame. As it was nearing midday, they decided to go back to the tower and see about the shrine that Kass had talked about in his song. After all, the shrine that Link had just done was a good waypoint for them to come back to later.

Sure enough, the tower’s shadow was just touching the pedestal when they arrived. As the shadow eclipsed the very smallest portion of it, the pedestal because to glow the ever-familiar orange color. Link quickly glided over to it. The moment his feet touched it, he whipped around and shot an arrow towards the sun. Just as he had expected, the shrine emerged from the ground. Link struck that whole thing from his notes before going inside. It was a modest test of strength, which Link handled easily enough. The chest at the end held another, better, frostblade so he swapped it for the one he had picked up in the first shrine.

Once back outside he returned to the tower where Wolf had been waiting for him. The older boy proposed they go back to town to avoid sleeping in the cold. Link thought that a smart way to go and, as Kass had apparently decided to move on since their last encounter with him, changed his clothes.

First on Link’s list of ways to pass time until bed was to inspect the jewelry store. Of what was available, Link decided to invest in a ruby circlet so as to stave off the cold of the highlands better. He also picked up a pair of amber and opal earrings. He knew that he had armor that could do the same jobs as them, but they were cheap and so he figured it wasn’t bad to have them just in case they might come in handy one day.

After his little shopping trip, Link and Wolf went around town to see if they could find anybody they could help out. The first person they came across was a little girl who was crying by herself in an empty corner of town. Link knelt down in order to ask her what was wrong. The girl explained that she wanted to plant a little farm in that area and had very carefully prepared the earth. But trash kept getting washed into the water trough so she couldn’t use it. Link eyed the water spilling from the channels on top of the city walls and noticed a melon rind falling into the trough. He climbed up onto the wall in order to find where it had come from. Wolf made it up in a single jump, which Link couldn’t help but express amazement at. Wolf simply wagged his tail at the praise.

Melon rinds drifted lazily through the water every now and again, so the pair followed them. Near the back of the town was a Gerudo woman chowing down on a large pile of hydromelons. They watched in astonishment as she spotted them and lazily tossed yet another rind into the water.

The woman of course was more than a little miffed that an outsider had come along and was trying to tell her to stop her littering. Even upon mentioning the child who was crying, she didn’t seem too keen on letting up. Link shot her a glare, and Wolf’s ears also flattened back against his head in anger with her. The woman groaned and stated that she would stop, but only if Link did something for her in return. “Altruism is for suckers,” as she put it. She expressed a desire to taste wildberries which grew in the highlands. She wanted ten of them, since only one would be barely any point. Having just been in the highlands, Link easily had ten on him that he had picked during their exploring. The woman was startled by this and took the handful of berries from him.

She popped one in her mouth and her eyes flew open wide at the sweet taste that overflowed in her mouth. She exclaimed how delicious they were, and was thrilled that there wasn’t even a rind to toss. She went on a little more in her delight, eating a couple more in the process. After half of them were gone, she stated that there was no way she could go back to melons. She paused for a moment and mumbled about how horribly selfish she had been. She got to her feet and stated that she was going to go and help the little vai clean up the trash. She thanked Link and climbed down off of the wall. Before getting down as well, Link took the opportunity to climb to the source of the water. Just as he had suspected, he found a korok up on top of the rock that had water pouring down from it.

Giving the Gerudo woman some time to do as she promised, the pair went to find somebody else to help out. A woman in the building next door to the canteen could be heard mumbling to herself from the road outside. When Link stepped into the place to ask her what was wrong, she explained that she was an archaeologist of sorts. She had finally decoded a part of some ancient texts. Despite her hopes that her findings would be able to make a name for her, she was willing to impart what she had learned to Link, stating that she trusted him for some reason. She told him that there was a temple east of the entrance to the Gerudo Desert. It was dedicated to the seven giant statues of the heroines, who were said to be divine protectors of the Gerudo. Her ancient scripture that she had found there read, “When the symbols of the seven find their place, the blessed path will be revealed.” She hadn’t yet deciphered the rest. She explained that people once came from around the world in search of the heroines’ blessing. But as far as she could tell, no one had been able to find it yet. When asked what she meant by a blessing, she explained that she didn’t know much about it either. She stated that the heroines’ powers were a part of a bigger whole, and that each one held a different power: skill, spirit, endurance, knowledge, flight, motion, and gentleness. She expressed that all seven looked the same to her… But she grinned excitedly and exclaimed that it wouldn’t be long before she had deciphered the entire text! With the Divine Beast having calmed down, she could go back and conduct her research in peace.

When they left the building, Link couldn’t help but notice that Wolf appeared to be thinking about something. As he couldn’t speak, the younger boy didn’t bother to ask him about it. They spotted the melon woman leaving the little farming corner with a load of dripping wet melon rinds in her arms and decided to go see the little girl again.

She was ecstatic about the woman who had come to help her clean up the trash. She thanked Link for telling her about the problem, as now the trough was back to normal! The woman had even shared a couple of hydromelons with her, which she gave one to Link as thanks. She also stated that the woman had given her some wildberries, so she was going to plant them. She said that Link was welcome to eat the berries anytime he liked.

After that was done, they continued their wandering. They ended up back in the courtyard with the soldiers. One of them was interrogating two others as to Barta’s whereabouts, which was cause for Link and Wolf to stop and listen in. Apparently Barta had run off again. This time to the leviathan bones in the southwest. The two women tried to say that they hadn’t actually expected her to go, as that area was the domain of molduga. On top of that, the area was extremely hot. The one woman who was obviously in charge groaned and stated that “that scatterbrain” wouldn’t realize that she was in danger, which was why she had gotten captured by the Yiga.

Without needing to be asked, Link opened up his map and took a look at the southwest portion of the desert. Upon zooming in closely, he spotted what looked like a huge skeleton, complete with skull. He marked that area to be investigated later. They wandered the town some more, but found no one else that was in immediate need of assistance. They retreated back to the inn towards nightfall and Link again paid for a room.

Wolf returned to normal and flopped down onto one of the beds. He muttered about how much of a pain it was becoming to not be able to talk while they were in town. Link felt sympathy for him, and added that paying the rupees for a room all the time was getting to be a little bit of a pain as well. They began to eat their dinner, and Link finally asked him about what he had been thinking about when the seven heroines had been talked about. Wolf only shook his head and stated that he wanted to see them first before he said anything. While confused about that, Link decided to drop it. Instead he stated that he intended to explore the rest of the highlands the next day. Then, with the sand boots, he wanted to go and find Barta. After that all he could think for them to do in the desert was to investigate the heroines and the two weird places (one of which he was pretty sure was the heroines) that he had seen on his map when he had first gotten the desert filled in. Wolf, of course, agreed with the plan.

*****

The shrine that had been encased in ice the day before was still melted when they returned to it. With the ruby circlet and warm doublet, Link had no use for the couple elixirs that he had left. And of course with the snow boots he was able to walk around just fine. Wolf was pleased to hear this, as even though he didn’t have the same problem with the cold, even not as a beast, it made him happy that Link would have an easier time that day.

Their exploration through the western part of the highlands started off with a lot of climbing. Link snatched up some rushrooms in the process, drawing just a little closer to the magical fifty-five that he needed with each one. They got to the top of the mountains soon enough and once again began to wander about in search of the heroine.

For a while there wasn’t anything of note. Some monsters (which included a couple of pesky treasure octoroks…Link figured out that if he used a bomb to disturb them he could easily put an arrow into them once they popped up to see what was going on), a few cracks spewing gusts of air from the ground, and a whole lot of snow. It wasn’t until they reached a section where they had to climb even higher that anything actually caught their interest.

It only took them a couple of minutes of looking around to find what appeared to be a gigantic stone sword propped up against a rock and embedded in the snow. Finding it fascinating, they wondered if it had been a part of the statue that they were looking for. Getting a funny feeling that it was an important find nonetheless, Link snapped a picture of it just in case.

The sword was not the only thing to get their attention, however. In the space just beyond the sword was a lynel. It had a different coloration from the one that they had fought before. The compendium described it as white-maned, and Link couldn’t help but notice the gap between it and the one that he and Wolf had been able to kill. When he pointed out to Wolf that the compendium tended to order monsters by their strength, this sent a chill down even the older boy’s spine. It was obvious that they wanted to avoid the white-maned one at all costs, since Link had barely managed to beat the other one. They stayed to the south and climbed over some rocks near the sword in order to keep away from it.

For a little while, there wasn’t anything of interest again. As they reached the south-western edge of the higher region they spotted the orange glow of a shrine not far off. Link briefly thought about going to it, but decided that it would be easier to go back for it. He pinned it, and they started making their way to the north. They walked passed a tree stump that no doubt hosted a korok puzzle, but the arrow on it indicated that Link would have to backtrack some in order to get it. So instead he simply marked it and they kept moving.

They were about to turn again in order to explore the norther section when Wolf stopped abruptly. He pointed down below them, to what looked like what could be a couple of statue-esque arms protruding from the mountainside. Link perked up at the sight and broke out the glider in order to go down and investigate. Wolf of course teleported down with him in short bursts.

They got about level with its head and walked along the edge of the cliff for a few yards. Sure enough, it looked like a giant statue of a woman to them! Her arms were held out awkwardly, but there was no mistaking that this had to be what they were looking for. Link found a good location to snap a picture from and the both of them breathed sighs of relief.

Before going back to the shrine, Link scrambled back up the cliff to see about getting the korok seed. Wolf stayed down below, as he felt the two of them wouldn’t be in any real danger with such a relatively short distance between them. Link touched the stump and glided across a small drop in order to get his seed. In doing so, he noticed another puzzle on a lower ledge and decided to hop down in order to do it. This one required a metal cube, which magnesis told him was on top of an arch nearby. He waved to Wolf to wait down below while he dealt with the monsters guarding the cube. There weren’t many of them, and one he even knocked off the arch. Wolf promptly killed that one for him. He picked up the cube and managed to get it up to the two structures and fit it into place for the second seed.

Whether Link felt a rush of air, a static-y prickle through his body, or heard Wolf’s sudden yelp first he didn’t know. Link whipped around to see what was going on and nearly screamed.

A dragon.

A huge, yellow-green, dragon.

It was flying leisurely through the small canyon between the cliffs. Wolf warped up to him and threw his arms protectively around him. The two watched in awe and terror as it began to move up and over the arch that was only feet from them. Despite it not seeming to care about them at all, its massive size and the electricity crackling off of its body were absolutely of concern. Thinking quickly (or as quickly as he could when he was terrified), Link snapped a picture of the absolutely massive creature. They watched it as it flew a bit higher and then turned to go off into the highlands.

They both exhaled deeply as soon as it was out of sight and collapsed to the ground. Although still shaking, Link opened up his compendium again in order to find out what in the world it had been. Wolf held him still, arms wrapped around his middle and Link sitting between his legs and leaning back against his chest. The older boy stared curiously over his shoulder as Link announced that it was apparently called Farosh and read the short bio the Sheikah Slate had for him.

“A spirit of lightning has taken the form of this giant dragon. Making its home in the Faron region, it’s said to have served the Spring of Courage since ancient times. An old saying goes, ‘The dragon ascends to the heavens as the sun begins to set,’ but nobody has seen this in the current age. The electricity that coats its body makes it dangerous to get near, but Farosh bears no ill will toward people.”

Wolf breathed another sigh of relief. “That’s good…” he stated. “I’ve fought with some huge monsters before, but that thing, Farosh, puts them all to shame. I don’t know if any of our weapons would even disturb it if we tried to attack it.”

Link wiggled in the older boy’s grasp enough to turn and plant a kiss to his jaw. “I know what you mean. But I guess if it doesn’t really care about people, then it isn’t really anything to be concerned about. Although it does make me scratch my head some… It’s still daylight and I don’t think this is the Faron region.”

“I guess a dragon that size can just do whatever it wants.”

Link shrugged. “I guess so…”

Despite being kind of comfortable sitting with Wolf the way they were, Link got back to his feet and the pair made their way over to the shrine. They could see it from where they were, so getting to it wasn’t a problem at all. Before going inside, Link asked again if Wolf was okay in the cold. Even though the older boy assured him that he was fine, Link quickly snatched the sapphire circlet from his head and replaced it with the ruby one that he had been wearing. Wolf let out an amused little huff and pressed a quick “thank you” kiss to Link’s lips. The younger boy then went on into the shrine.

It was a major test of strength. Link had half a mind to turn around and leave immediately, as he wanted to ensure that he would not worry Wolf again. …But then again, he did discover that he could deflect guardian beams. So surely he would be okay, right? After all, he had beaten two Blight Ganons since the last one, and Mipha’s Grace had been recharged, and he still had two fairies and a good amount of food on hand. On top of that, he had just picked up some decent guardian weapons from the last one. He had learned that they were very effective against the machines that normally wielded them. So with that in mind he decided that he was going to do it. He threw on his most defensive clothing and equipped his best guardian weapon (a battleaxe++ that he still had from the first major test), his best shield, and his best bow. With everything ready, he stepped into the room that was allocated as the arena.

The first half of the battle was rough. Even with his best armor the guardian knocked him down to a quarter of a heart with a single hit! He shoved back food and mostly went on the defensive. He did what he could to attack whenever he got the chance, including managing to activate his flurry rush a couple of times when it tried to do its spinning trick. He broke his battleaxe on it and swapped over to a guardian spear instead. At the halfway point things got much, much easier for him. Although he still took a few heavy blows, the guardian would no longer spin-rush him. Instead it shot a laser out around it in circles. Because of this, Link was easily able to put a lot of arrows into it. And of course when it began to charge up its heavier shots, it got even easier. Link stabbed at it with the spear over and over again before running circles around it to avoid the blasts. The spear ended up breaking, too, but a couple more arrows was all it took to destroy the little machine. Link decided that even with the broken weapons, he had come out on top in the end. What with being able to pick up the very battleaxe and spear it had been using, as well as its shield!

Thrilled with his victory, Link looted the treasure chest that waited for him and found a silver rupee inside. He collected the spirit orb from the monk and made a mental note to visit the Goddess statue in Gerudo Town eventually, as he now had eight of the things on hand.

The moment Link was back outside, Wolf pulled him in close to keep him warm. The older boy raised an eyebrow at his attire, and Link explained what the shrine had been. Before his companion could become angry with him, Link went into detail to prove that he really wasn’t any worse for wear! Wolf breathed in deeply and sighed. He decided to let it go as everything did come out alright this time. He then informed Link that Farosh had circled by again, but this time it went on up into the sky and had eventually vanished from sight.

After that, Link changed quickly and the two of them hurried on back to town to get away from the cold. It was getting dark out, but Bozai was still frolicking through the sands in front of town as he had been before. Stealing himself, Link ran on over to catch up with him. They managed to do so around the corner of town.

“Oh! Oh, thank goodness! You made it back safely! You were gone for so long, I started to fear the worst…” Bozai exclaimed when he caught sight of Link. The boy chose not to point out that he had been around town plenty since the last time they had spoken. “I have to come clean. The eighth heroine is just an urban legend—it doesn’t actually exist… I… Well, I just wanted an excuse to get close to you, y’know? I wanted to keep you engaged so I just thought up something impossible to hold your interest… And as a result, I put you in harm’s way! I’m a cad! And I’ve been so, so worried… I won’t put you in danger anymore! From now on, I’ll be your protect—”

“I found it.” Link interrupted him, not at all desiring to hear him taint the very words that Wolf always told him in earnest.

“Are you trying to console me because I’ve been so heartsick over this? You’re such a kind soul. But no need to coddle me. From now on I’ll—”

Link had been fiddling with the slate as Bozai had been trying to talk and now held it out for him to see, cutting him off with a, “Look at this!”

Bozai blinked in surprise. He leaned forward just a little so as to get a better look. “That…certainly is…the way it was rumored to look… That— THAT’S AMAZING! I thought it was just an old wives’ tale! The eighth heroine actually exists?! If the rest of the world knew this, it’d be absolute bedlam! …But I won’t tell anyone… Yeah, that way, it’ll just be our little secret, right? Sort of a bonding thing. And yeah, i-if it’s OK, I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you—”

“Sand boots, please!” Link stated simply, growing tired of the man’s persistence.

“Oh… Oh, Okay… Just a second. I’ll take them off…” he mumbled. He did as he said he would and removed the sand boots. He handed them over and told Link to “Treat them as tenderly as you would me.” If it weren’t for them going to be incredibly useful in the near future, Link and Wolf’s first thoughts were something along the lines of wanting to chuck them into a dumpster. Bozai cleared his throat and extended a hand to Link, palm up. “And now, could you be a lamb and return my snow boots? Otherwise ol’ Bozai’s going to be barefoot!” With a shrug, Link handed the snow boots back over to him and Bozai put them on instead. “All right, we’re done here! Boy, but these will make running in the sand pretty difficult, and I’m pretty tired anyway from my jogging regimen… I think I’ll just park myself under the tent in front of Gerudo Town and take five. Care to join me later?”

“Bye!”

“Huh? Aw… Good… Good-bye.” The man sighed and slowly walked away, hanging his head.

Link glanced down at Wolf. Despite the older boy’s clear disdain for the man, he couldn’t help but feel that Link might’ve been just a little harsh with him. The look on his face conveyed as much. Link merely shrugged and asked if Wolf would rather he stayed and flirted him up. Wolf was clearly disgusted by that idea. Link laughed and knelt down in order to pet him and press another kiss to his forehead. In doing so, he spotted the ruby circlet still adorning his head. He took that moment to switch it out for the sapphire one again. The older boy licked his cheek in thanks.

Link stood again and was about to go into town. In fact, Wolf had even taken a few steps without him and only stopped to look back because he realized that Link hadn’t moved an inch. The younger boy was looking back towards the front end of town.

“I want those snow boots…” Link muttered.

Wolf could only let out a huff and follow after him as Link rounded the corner and approached the man who was getting himself settled in under his tent. Bozai nearly jumped out of his skin when Link entered his line of sight.

“You! You came!” he shouted, thoroughly surprised. “I mean, hey, yeah, of course. Figured you’d swing by. Yup. Do the ol’ swing-by. We didn’t get a chance to spend much time together earlier, did we? Whoosh! Total whirlwind! So…wanna hang out?”

“I want the snow boots.” Link told him plainly.

“What? You want my snow boots, too?” Link gave him a nod. “Ha! Well aren’t we greedy! Or should I say insatiable for boots. A boot thirst that cannot be slaked! Adorable. But listen, if I give you these, then I’ll have nothing for my feet!” The man lowered his voice and began to mutter to himself. “Oh, man, what should I do? Think, Bozai! Can’t put her in a bad mood… Okay… Do not blow this. Just relax and work a little verbal magic…”

Link and Wolf glanced at each other incredulously. How obvious could a person possibly be when he thinks he’s being crafty?!

Bozai raised his voice again to address Link. “How could I resist a request from you? No lie, you really gave me a surprise earlier…and I love surprises. Surprise me again like that…and I’ll give you these snow boots as a surprise present! So let me ask you this: Did you notice that the statue of the eighth heroine…isn’t actually holding a sword? Pretty weird, right? Seven other heroines, they all have their swords! Suspicious, y’know? Which leads me to deduce that the eighth heroine must have had a sword as well. Must have! To see that such a sword actually exists, that my deduction is right… There could be no greater surprise!”

“I’ll go look for it.” Link replied.

“What?” Both Bozai and Wolf had to ask, although of course the older boy couldn’t speak. “You’re really going? Wow, all right, then. The sword would be pretty big, so I doubt it could have been carried off too far. I’m betting it’s probably somewhere in the steeps of the Gerudo Highlands. And the thing is, I can’t lend you the snow boots this time. Just can’t do it! I’m really sorry!” Once more he lowered his voice in order to mumble to himself. “No way a normal person can make it through the Gerudo Highlands without good snow boots… She’ll probably give up halfway through and come crawling back…” he about giggled to himself and spoke up once more. “Fine, you win. So headstrong! I love it. I’ll just be waiting here, Okay? If you ever need me for anything above and beyond footwear, you just come find ol’ Bozai anytime!”

Link nodded and made to leave. Doing so only confused Wolf more…until Link immediately turned on his heel and walked right back to the man. Now it was Bozai’s turn to be confused. Before he could get his hopes up that Link was going to forego the search altogether and instead jump straight to spending time with him, Link brought out the slate again.

“Feast your eyes!” the younger boy exclaimed with a grin, showing off the picture of the sword that he had already taken.

“WHAAAAAT?! It really exists?!” Bozai shouted. “And you already got a picture of it while you were up there?! I mean, the Gerudo Highlands are unforgiving. I doubt I could survive there long enough to have found one, let alone both the statue and her sword at the same time, and I’m burly.” Wolf had to roll his eyes in disagreement at that, which went unnoticed. “Who are you?!”

“The snow boots…” Link said in lieu of explaining himself. He was getting tired of Bozai’s chattering.

“Yeah… You did risk your life to fulfill your promise, after all… And then some… It’d be pretty uncouth of me to drop my end of the bargain. Just a second. I’ll take them off…” Just as he said he would, he removed the snow boots again and handed them back over to Link. “Well, now I’m barefoot… But if you’re happy, then I’m happy! And what’s more this whole episode has endeared you even more to me! Your cutely greedy side. Your sassy, playfully rude side… Your unexpectedly tough side… Not to mention, you probably thought of me when you saw that sword and knew that I would want to see it…” He paused and sucked in a breath, no doubt drumming up his courage. “Um… Would you… …g-g-go out… …w-w-w-with…”

Wolf snarled suddenly, causing Bozai to jump again. Link placed a hand on the older boy’s head to quite him before saying, “Not a chance.”

“Urk… I knid of knew you’d say that…but would it have killed you to let me finish the question?” Bozai nearly whimpered, hanging his head once again.

As they set foot back into Gerudo Town again, Link told Wolf, “And before you scold me for being harsh again, I never even strung him along. I only ever talked business. It’s his fault for making promises he only begrudgingly intended to keep. If he had just told me no from the start, I would have left him alone.”

The look Wolf gave him seemed to say something along the lines of, “But you approached him again for the snow boots.”

“Yes. I talked to him again. For the snow boots. And I already had the picture, so why should I have gone back to the highlands? Yeah okay the whole turning back around suddenly was a little much, but I wasn’t doing it to try and be flirty with him. You know me, I just wanted to do something stupid! It’s his fault for getting his hopes up again. I never said anything about wanting to do anything with him. I’m not one of ‘those girls’ who would tease a guy like that.”

Despite Link’s explanation, Wolf wasn’t quite convinced that he hadn’t been just a little harsh. But he decided to leave it be. Besides, if Link had tried to be friendlier towards Bozai, then Bozai would’ve gotten his hopes up even more and probably would have tried to be even flirtier with Link. Just the thought made Wolf want to gag.

Once they were alone in a room at the inn again, Wolf turned back and pulled Link into his arms. The younger boy gave a little squeak at the suddenness of the action, but happily cuddled up to him only a moment later.

“Sleep in my bed with me tonight.” Wolf mumbled into Link’s hair, nuzzling him just a little.

“Feeling possessive?” Link had to laugh softly.

“And if I am?”

The younger boy hummed playfully before leaning up to steal another kiss from him. “I guess I can let you be that way. But uh…just to make sure, there’s no blood mood tonight, right?”

Wolf flushed a little at the implication (and of course noted that Link was kind of pink, too). “It’s been a while since there was one, yeah. But no. There isn’t gonna be one tonight.”

“Okay then…” Link whispered, dropping his head onto Wolf’s shoulder and burying his face there. “I’ll sleep in the same bed as you tonight.”

Chapter Text

Sleep clung heavily to Link as he was roused from his slumber. His body felt heavy, and on top of that he could feel warmth wrapped all around him. It made him not want to get up. At all. He was comfy… He half-whined as he curled a little further in on himself. He wasn’t even sure what time it was; if it was even daylight out. He hadn’t opened his eyes and he wasn’t about to try and find out. He was about to drift off to sleep again when somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that he and Wolf had been cuddling together on one bed. As soon as he made that realization, he recognized that the warmth he was feeling was the older boy holding him close against his chest, strong arms wrapped securely around him. Link let out a content little sigh and shifted forward, burying his face even more into the firm, warm body that was holding him and wrapped his legs even tighter around one of Wolf’s.

His breath caught in his throat and his heart stopped.

Was…was that…?

Okay.

Yep.

There was no way that wasn’t-

Link forced himself to suck in a deep breath and to exhale slowly. Somehow his heart went from forgetting how to pump blood to pounding like he had just sprinted an entire marathon. He was sure he was blushing now. Every fiber in his being told him to vacate the bed and go about getting ready for the day. Get up before Wolf does. Do not make this an issue. It’s just a guy thing. It happens.

…Okay, every fiber but the one that happened to be the absolute loudest wanted him to do that.

Because there was no other explanation for why Link suddenly had the overwhelming urge to press his hip even further against the erection Wolf happened to be sporting in his sleep. Link took another deep breath, this one shakier than the previous. Why? Why could he not simply get out of bed and go about his business?!

Because it’s so warm and comfy in his arms.

“Shut up, brain! Now is not the time.” Link spat at it silently.

Aw, come on. You know it’s true~

“That’s not the point!”

Pfft, you’re one to complain. You know you don’t hate this.

“Seriously, that is not the-”

Just get a little bit closer. Just a little. You can barely feel it. Go on. He won’t ever know. And you’ve seen him naked. Just one little, teeny tiny, itty bitty movement. It won’t take much to feel that better. It’s not like you two haven’t gotten a little excited because of each other before.

“Listen here, you, that is called non-consensual and I won’t have anything to do with-”

A low, quiet sound escaped Wolf’s sleeping lips.

A moan, Link realized a moment late.

And another moment after that realized it was because his brain had somehow managed to get him to lean more heavily against the older boy without his knowledge, thus pressing his hip almost harshly up against his companion’s straining erection. Link swallowed passed the lump in his throat, now certain that he was beat red in the face. He knew Wolf was just a fraction larger than average. Nothing special. But actually feeling it (while hard as his brain helpfully chimed in) certainly made it seem impressive. Okay, Link wasn’t breathing again.

The soft sounds of Wolf’s sleep-heavy breathing were interrupted by a soft groan, and the arms around Link pulled him even closer. The younger boy let out a rather undignified squeak and his eyes flew open, desperate to know if Wolf was awake or not. He searched the older boy’s face as best he could. A wave of relief washed over him as he saw his companion sleepily open his eyes and blink, as if he had only just woken up.

Wolf looked down at Link, clearly still tired. “Morning…” he mumbled.

“H-hey.” Link replied, cursing himself silently for stuttering.

A lazy eyebrow raised on the older boy’s face. “You okay?”

“Uh. Yeah… Just um… I’m a little, well, sort of…” Wolf didn’t seem to catch on and only stared at him with a puzzled expression that, combined with his still-not-fully-awake state, Link couldn’t help but find adorable. But that was not the pressing issue at the moment! “I uh… I think you should consider letting me go…” Link stated.

Wolf opened his mouth to inquire as to why, but Link beat him to the punch. He deliberately rocked ever so gently against the older boy in order to silently make his point. Wolf’s breath hitched as he felt exactly why Link was behaving so oddly. Turning a lovely shade of scarlet, Wolf immediately released his companion and Link scooted away from him by as many inches as the small bed allowed.

“S-sorry!” Wolf exclaimed.

Link shushed him quickly and eyed the door to their room. Wolf clamped a hand down over his mouth as he remembered that he couldn’t be too loud while in Gerudo Town.

“Sorry…” he said again, this time just above a whisper.

“It’s okay. Not like I don’t get morning wood.” Link murmured back. “Just thought, you know, you’d rather not be holding onto me while that’s happening.”

The older boy gave a quiet, embarrassed little chuckle. “Right. Thanks.”

Link sighed and turned a smile up at Wolf before patting him on the head, which of course briefly turned into him scratching behind his ears. Wolf’s tail thumped against the bed once or twice.

“I’m gonna go make us some food. Either come join me when you’re ready, or I’ll be back in a few.”

“Okay.”

And so Link finally vacated the bed they had been sharing. He briefly had to thank the Goddess that he hadn’t ended up in a similar predicament as his companion, given how much his brain sure seemed to be against him. He stretched, joints popping and muscles straining comfortably. With a happy little sigh, he left the room.

It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes for Wolf to meet up with his companion by the cooking pots. While they ate their breakfast Link stated that he wanted to go south and look for Barta first and foremost. He had a feeling she was okay, but he didn’t want to leave her be for too long. Wolf of course had no objection to this.

Their first stop in leaving the town was at the Goddess statue. Link had the spirit orbs to pray for both another stamina vessel as well as another heart container. With those power ups now under his belt, he sought out a sand seal. A huge grin practically split his face in half and his eyes sparkled with joy when the trainer made a pun of her own, “Seal you another time!” when he again made one to her. Wolf let out the biggest internal groan to have ever existed.

They left through the nearby south-east gate. Link had fully intended to just go straight to the point he had marked on his map, so of course something else caught his attention. A manmade arch of sorts stood atop a hill. He veered off the course he had barely set in order to investigate. When he and Wolf arrived, they found a shrine pedestal as well as an orb. A couple of Gerudo women were chatting nearby. Curious, Link untied himself from the seal and approached them.

The older of the two, Shabonne, declared that the younger woman with an afro, Tali, was the current champion of the Sand Seal Rally. She stated that if anyone were to beat her record then they would be given the orb as a trophy. Of course Link was interested in this prospect. He paid the fifty rupee fee in order to give the race a try. Shabonne was adamant that he use their sand seal and not the one he had just rented so as not to fudge the numbers any. So he had to get himself fastened up to the one they provided.

Shabonne then cleared her throat and began to shout as if she were an announcer. Surprisingly, several women from town hurried to watch from the nearby gate. Wolf had to admire how loud the old woman clearly was capable of being. In her shouting, she explained that Link would have to stay on the course and pass through each of the arches that she had set out since Vah Naboris had been calmed. While she was doing her thing, Link did a few stretches, possibly out of boredom from waiting for her. At last she began the countdown and he settled in to start. The moment she shouted “GO!” Link and the sand seal were off!

Wolf couldn’t watch him for too long, as the course took Link far out into the desert and behind some rocks and dunes. He wondered how Shabonne was going to be able to keep track of him, and one glance told him that she was watching the finish line like a hawk. Beside her, Tali had shielded her eyes and was keeping watch over other the tiny sections of the track that were visible. Around the three of them, several of the women from town had come further out to watch the finish line too.

Wolf knew how fast sand seals were in comparison to running through the sands on foot. Still, he was started by how quickly Shabonne called out that Link had finished the course. He watched in amazement as Link rapidly made his way back to the start. The younger boy unhitched himself from the seal and looked to the two women expectantly, wondering just how fast he had been. He was surprised when Tali smirked and began to applaud him. Apparently he had beaten her record by just about twelve seconds!

“Perfect… I believe this belongs to you…” Tali told him, gesturing to the orb. “This trophy is something special, you know. Our champions have passed down a legend about it for ten thousand years. The legend goes… ‘When the holy jewel is offered unto the pedestal, the chosen one will be grant a new power.’ But that power has never been granted to anyone. Not even to me, obviously… And yet… I sense a power emanating from you… The likes of which I have never felt in anyone else. You should give it a shot.”

Link stepped forward and picked the orb up from where it rested.

“And so… A new champion is born!” Tali announced, causing the small crowd around them to cheer.

A little embarrassed by the fanfare, Link carried the orb up to where the pedestal was. He set the orb in it and sure enough a shrine sprung up from the ground. Both Shabonne and Tali, as well as the others around, were incredibly surprised. Tali chuckled and made a remark about how if it takes somebody like the “chosen one” to beat her record, then it is actually quite an honor to her. Shabonne on the other hand wasn’t quite as thrilled. She stated that watching that happen must have taken three years off of her life! She then declared that she was going to have to get back to training Tali in order to take back the title.

While the crowd began to disperse, Link went into the shrine. Within it was only a chest that contained a shield. He had ones that were just as good or better, so he left it there. The spirit orb from the monk was still nice, though. Back outside he caught Wolf trying to catch the sand seal he had rented as it tried to return to town. Link called out to him and told him to let it go. So Wolf did. Instead Link donned the sand boots and they began to travel south on foot.

A short ways out, away from prying eyes, Link put back on the Desert Voe spaulder and headband. Wolf too returned to his half-form. Despite his urge to pull the younger boy in for a kiss, Wolf managed to avoid doing so. However Link noticed the way his eyes lingered on his bare chest and snickered. He got on his toes, wrapped his arms around Wolf’s neck, and pressed a little kiss to his lips.

“I was half-joking, you know. Kisses aren’t entirely off limits.” He laughed.

Wolf couldn’t help but breathe a little sigh of relief. He pulled Link in closer by his waist and playfully nipped at his bottom lip.

“Good, because I don’t think I’d be able to resist forever.”

A shiver noticeably ran down Link’s spine at the little bite and he took half a step back from the older boy. “That uh… That might still be a problem, though.” He admitted with a clearing of his throat. He watched as Wolf went from momentarily puzzled by him stepping away to turning a light pink at the implication.

“Right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just…you know…warn me next time. Or something.”

“Will do.”

With their new boundaries set, the pair once again resumed making their way towards the skeleton where Barta presumably was. Their walk went pretty uneventfullt, all things considered. A couple of electric lizalfos tried to get the jump on them, but they went down without much effort. Although Wolf had to laugh the one time Link got shocked and cursed loudly in frustration when he dropped his bow. The younger boy grumbled an explanation once the thing was dead, saying he was still not quite over his fight with Thunderblight Ganon.

After a few minutes, Wolf stared out into the distance with that look in his eye that told Link he was thinking about something. When asked about it, Wolf replied with “Do you want to hear about the time I was shot out of a cannon and into the sky?” Of course Link did!

Wolf explained that one of the last things he did in his Hyrule was to be shot miles into the air by a humungous cannon out by Lake Hylia. He stated that he had already been launched by one before in order to get into the desert as well, but that was a story for another time. He talked about the Oocca that lived in the City in the Sky and how he had used some items called clawshots and a spinner to do most of his navigation through the floating city. It was there that he first fought a creature called an aeralfos, which were a winged variant of lizalfos…which were rather different than the sort that Link knew. The last monster he had faced while up there was a dragon known to the locals as Argorok. With the clawshots he scaled pillars around its arena in order to latch onto its tail and pull it back to the ground, which steadily broke its armor off of its body. He then had to scale the pillars again in order to hang from plant-monsters called peahats. He had to use them to avoid Argorok’s flames and to get around behind it where he could then latch onto the gem on its back and pull himself in to slash at it.

The younger boy drew in a deep breath to try and steady himself, eyes wide in astonishment over everything Wolf had been telling him. He ran his hands down his face, still trying to collect himself.

“So what you’re telling me is…you spent a day or two in a whole city above the clouds. The only things keeping you from plummeting to your death were a bunch of sentient chickens and a pair of ancient mechanical devices. And you’ve gone toe-to-toe with a dragon and won. Wolf…are you sure you’re not a deity of some description?!”

Wolf had to laugh. “It probably sounds a lot more epic than it actually was. I was pretty scared the clawshots would give out at any moment the first few times I used them to cross over gaps.”

“The first few times!? I would’ve been freaking out every time! Also, how did you even pull a dragon out of the sky?!”

“I had some very heavy boots.”

“Bro, no. ‘Heavy boots’ does not answer that question. How did you pull a dragon out of the sky?!”

The older boy tried very hard not to keep chuckling, but was failing spectacularly. “I don’t know what to tell you! I put on the iron boots and that weight was enough to pull it down to where I could touch the ground. And then I just, you know,” Wolf gave a quick jerk of his arms, as if he was pulling on an invisible rope hanging from the sky, “yanked it down.”

He then let out a rather undignified choking noise as Link grabbed his left bicep in both hands. The younger boy gave it a quick squeeze before blushing deeply and swallowing thickly.

“I know I said my type involved somebody who could bench press me, but I was kind of exaggerating. I was not expecting you to actually be able to do it...”

Wolf couldn’t help but snort at how entranced Link was with his strength. He flexed the arm that the younger boy still held and Link choked back a little whine as he felt the firm muscles tighten up in his grasp. Finally the younger boy released him again and took the nth deep breath that day to calm himself.

“Seriously though, bench press me sometime.”

The older boy could only shrug. “Remind me next time we’re relaxing and I’ll see what I can do.”

Shortly after that they reached the edge of the sandstorm that had been raging in the southern part of the desert. They used Link’s map to point themselves towards the bones before stepping into it. Just as before the map went full of static and became more-or-less useless to them. They continued to walk as straight as possible and with luck it didn’t take them all too long in order to find the giant skeleton. The sandstorm cleared up in the small area around it, and the pair took a moment to observe the massive bones in awe. Sure they’d seen others like them before, but somehow the skull being present just made it all the easier to imagine what such a huge creature must have been like when it was alive. Especially after having seen how massive a creature like Farosh is.

They found Barta resting beneath the skull, completely exhausted. She stared blearily up at the pair when they approached her. In her tired haze she asked if they were fairies or angels, there to guide her to the afterlife. She bemoaned that she was going to die without having eaten one last hearty durian. Both boys couldn’t help but feel she might have been a little melodramatic about the situation, but decided it might help to bring her what she wanted. Beneath the ribcage of the skeleton was a shrine and, perhaps more interestingly, a flower bud very much like the one that had turned out to be the Great Fairy’s fountain back in Kakariko Village. Link told Wolf to stay with Barta before activating the shrine as a warp point on his map. He then changed his clothing and made a quick trip back to town where durians were sold. It took him but a minute or two to come back. The heat of that part of the desert required him to change yet again, but he was able to bring the tired woman the fruit she desired.

Barta was all too happy to take it from him and scarf it down. It seemed to do the trick and she perked right up after having eaten it. She thanked him profusely before stopping suddenly and raising an eyebrow. “Huh? Is that you I spoke to before? So you are actually a voe… I thought you were a bit muscular for a Hylian vai.” She laughed. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Just like his.” She said, nodding to Wolf whom she already knew about. “I owe you my life, after all! Hah… Anyway, I’m totally exhausted. Maybe I’ll rest just a little longer then head home.”

“I wouldn’t if I were you. Your boss is mad.” Link told her.

“So…they knew I snuck off…” she asked, to which the younger boy nodded. “Oh, I am in so much trouble… Looks like I’d better go on ahead. See you later and sav’orq!”

After she left, Link took a moment to collect the fairies and the different types of flowers that were around the fountain. Having six fairies on hand put both him and Wolf more at ease. Once he had everything he decided to tackle the shrine. Wolf made himself comfortable in the shade to wait for him.

The first room of the shrine was simple. There were two metal blocks that were to be placed atop two short pillars in order to complete a circuit and open the gate to the next room. The first thing Link did in the much larger second room was to fish a metal chest out of the water for an ancient core. After that he moved a ball attached to a chain so that the electricity coursing through it activated a platform. It lifted him up to higher area where a metal ball with a green generator inside of it sat. In front of Link were several sections of flooring that were sure to flip and rotate if the nodes atop them were activated. On each of these sections sat a small guardian. Link lifted the ball with magnesis and used it to drop each guardian into the water below. He took a moment to retrieve the parts that they dropped upon dying and then returned to the upper level.

He carried the ball above his head with his rune so that it wouldn’t activate any of the nodes. Near the end of the room he found a little spot on the wall where he could set the ball down. Doing so lowered a fence in the wall so that he could cross and gain access to another chest. It contained a gold rupee! Link then picked up the ball again and placed it where it belonged near the exit…but the gate didn’t rise. A quick look informed him that there was a gear missing above the gate. He found another room off to the right. Sure enough, the gear he needed was there; locked behind yet another gate. In order to open it he had to complete a circuit by tilting a section of flooring via a switch and positioning a metal block in just the right way as to keep certain stone blocks from falling too far along their tracks. Once the gate opened up, he first moved the gear aside in order to get at the chest that was beneath it for a sapphire. He then carried the gear back to the second room and fit it into the open spot. The gate lifted and Link retrieved his orb.

Back outside, all that was left in the immediate area was to speak to the fairy in the closed up fountain. She introduced herself as Tera and explained that the place had once been a beautiful spring. But people stopped making her offerings and as such her powers had abandoned her. She requested five hundred rupees which, thanks in part to the gold one he had just picked up, Link was able to give her.

Like her sister before her, the Great Fairy was able to make a full recovery just from that. She was a lot paler than Cotera of Kakariko’s vicinity, and her fountain was more of an orange in color. But aside from that the family resemblance was very strong. She thanked Link and claimed that she had been watching him from inside of her bud. She remarked at how busy he had been, swinging his sword around, adventuring… Her eyes slid over to Wolf momentarily and she smirked. Neither boy wanted to think about what that was supposed to have implied. She then said that because she had been watching him so closely, she was going to predict what he was thinking. “Can’t we just skip to the part where she enhances my clothing…?”

She wasn’t wrong… With a laugh, the Great Fairy announced that because he had helped one of her sisters too, she was able to upgrade his clothes by another level. Thanks to his penchant of gathering everything, Link was more than able to put her recovered powers to work. Every piece of armor, clothing, and jewelry he had that could be upgraded got bumped up to their third tier. Including the sapphire circlet that Wolf still wore. The only exceptions were the sand and snow boots, which only got a single upgrade each. After all, he hadn’t killed nearly enough molduga to have the number of fins either of them required to go further.

All of the upgrades were done together by her kissing her finger and then playfully tapping Link upon his nose. Wolf couldn’t help it when one of his ears twitched. Why did everyone keep hitting on Link?! The younger boy of course didn’t seem to notice his frustration and simply thanked the Great Fairy for her services.

Before going back to town to inform Barta’s boss that she had been found, Link of course had to change clothes yet again. But not before Wolf pulled him in for another kiss. Link very nearly laughed at how obviously jealous Wolf was being, but the moment he parted his lips to do so he found a tongue invading his mouth. The younger boy found himself melting further into his companion’s grasp as their tongues met and slipped and slid passed one another. At some point one of his hands found its way to the back of Wolf’s neck and his fingers threaded through the fur and short locks of hair. A soft groan rumbled through the older boy’s chest and he again nipped at Link’s lower lip.

Then all at once Wolf pulled away and held Link out at arm’s length, causing the younger boy to whine.

“Sorry!” he shouted. “I did it again without asking!”

Link very nearly rolled his eyes. Instead he settled for wiping their combined spit from his lips. “It’s okay.” He laughed, a smile painting his features. “But do you mind if I ask why you keep doing that?”

Wolf wasn’t really sure if he could answer that properly. He still tried, though. “I guess I’m just growing tired of not being able to kiss you whenever I want to. Having to be a wolf in town and all. Plus it seems like everyone lately has had their eye on you and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting a little annoyed with that.”

The younger boy pulled him in for a quick hug. “Then let’s not stay in town tonight. And try to wrap up our business in the desert as quickly as possible.”

With that decided, Link was finally allowed to put on his Gerudo clothes again. They returned to town and sought out Barta’s boss. Both boys were pleasantly surprised to find that the woman had beaten them there. One look at her was enough to tell them that she had absolutely booked it back home, as she was still sweating and breathing heavily. Her boss was very thankful to Link for finding her, going as far as to say that if he were a Gerudo vai she would want him in her troop. She handed him a silver rupee, telling him to buy himself something nice at the market. Both Link and Wolf knew that the money was going to be going into the savings they were trying to build up for the house in Hateno Village, but the thought was appreciated nonetheless.

Before they were able to leave the courtyard, Wolf’s ears picked up on talking from inside of an odd little room tucked away beside the stairs. The two boys investigated it and found what appeared to be a classroom of some sort. On the chalkboard at the back of the room was a drawing of a man and a woman with a little heart above them. The teacher spotted Link and cast him a smile.

“Sav’saaba! Are you interested in taking my class ‘Voe and Vai’? I’m Ashai.” She stated. “During the day I teach a class on voe of the world, and at night I teach cooking classes. Why don’t you join us?”

Link wasted no time in shaking his head. “No thank you! I’ve already got somebody.”

A few of the women inside oohed and commented on how lucky a girl he was. Link could feel his cheeks coloring and slipped back outside. Once he and Wolf were away from the courtyard altogether, he sighed.

“I kind of want to laugh about them needing lessons on how to win a man over, but at the same time I can’t bring myself to. After all, we can be difficult at times.” He admitted quietly. “Best of luck, ladies…”

Wolf snorted, but he agreed with the sentiment one hundred percent.

Despite the late hour, the pair decided that they were not quite done with their day. They scarfed down their dinner before going back to the Canyon Stable. Wolf had no trouble transforming around people that weren’t Gerudo, but because they were out of view of the road from where they were Link quickly put his Desert Voe clothes back on, along with the sand boots. Once they were back to looking more-or-less like themselves, they slipped back into the desert. It would have been easy enough to stay at the stables again, sure, but Link insisted that they get to the place that had to be where the seven heroines were.

As they traveled across the dunes in the growing darkness they spied another shrine far off in the distance. Link wasted no time in bringing up his slate and pinning it for future reference. They also stumbled upon a couple of treasure chests buried in the sands. One contained an opal while the other held fifty rupees. Both were nice fines, especially after the fairy had drained Link of a few rupees and a lot of materials.

It was easy to tell when they had found the heroines. The seven giant statues were tucked away in their own portion of the desert. They stood proudly in a circle, all but one holding a sword in their hands. The one’s sword was broken in half. Wolf hummed in thought while they stepped further into the area and looking about them.

“This is…very different from what I had been expecting.” He admitted. “Yet at the same time it’s very familiar.”

“How so?” the younger boy asked, eyes not leaving statues as he continued to assess the place.

“In my desert there’s something like an arena. There are seven pillars, each with the symbol of one of the seven sages. I don’t know a whole lot about them but supposedly they were seven people who had once sealed Ganondorf away in the Twilight Realm. I was thinking these heroines were related to those sages, but I can’t see any of those same symbols.”

“How strange. But then, there’s been a lot of things like that so far. Things that are similar but very, very different. Anyway, how about we get some sleep here? We can get a better look at these statues in the morning.”

Wolf couldn’t object to that. They found a spot beside one of the statues and made themselves comfortable. Even though they had had a bit of an awkward morning, Link wasted no time in cuddling up beside his companion. And for his part, Wolf was all too happy to wrap an arm around Link and pull him in closer.

*****

“Bombs away!” Link shouted as he deactivated magnesis.

The heavy metal ball he had retrieved from the top of a statue fell to the sands below with a thud. A moment later and Link landed beside it, having jumped after it and used his paraglider to break his fall. Wolf only smiled and shook his head before picking up the ball for his younger companion. They had already located and consolidated the other six balls to the middle of the area. The one he held now was the only one that had been in a hard to reach location.

With all seven brought together, all that remained was for them to be put where they belonged. Each of the seven statues had a symbol on it (different than the ones for the sages, Wolf noted) and those corresponded to the colorful ones each ball had upon it. They both did their part in picking up the balls and putting them into their corresponding places. Link was almost envious of Wolf being able to carry them by hand…if he wasn’t too busy gawking at the casual show of strength. Really, what was taking Wolf so long to bench press him?!

The last of the balls to be placed was the grey one. Link snagged it with magnesis before Wolf could pick it up. As he carried it to where it belonged, the younger boy had to chuckle just a little bit.

“You know if this grey one wasn’t right in the middle these things would be making a rainbow!”

Wolf took a moment to think about it, looking behind them as they approached the last spot together. “You’re right…”

“Oh well. The ancient whoevers missed the opportunity.”

With that the younger boy dropped the last ball into its place. It rolled a few inches before settling into its little divot. As expected a shrine emerged from the sands in the middle of the area. Link wasted no time in going inside of it, unsurprised at finding only a chest within. It contained a flamespear. As Link was already in possession of a fire weapon and didn’t have anything he wanted to drop, he decided to leave it there. He got the spirit orb and exited the place. Wolf hadn’t bothered to sit down and was waiting for him just outside.

They set out for the shrine they had seen the night before. On the map it appeared to be about the same distance away from them as the rectangular structure. The only difference was that it was out in the middle of the more desert-y desert. Which basically translated to “the rectangular thing would probably be the better place to get stuck for the night”. The only thing that stopped them for any length of time in their travel was a simple block puzzle that granted Link another korok seed upon completion.

As they crossed a part of the area where Link had raced through on the sand seal, the younger boy got a brilliant idea. He whipped out his shield and swiftly slid down the dune they happened to be at the top of. Wolf smirked and decided to put Urbosa’s old shield to use and followed suit. On top of Wolf being quick to pick up on the how-to, the both of them didn’t take long to figure out how to slip and slide through the dunes in order to retain or build up momentum. As such, they reached the incline that was topped with the rock where the shrine sat very quickly. When both were no longer able to keep surfing, they hopped back to their feet and began to walk.

“How’d you learn to do that so fast? I nearly ran my face into rocks the first few times I did it on the Great Plateau!” Link inquired.

“I used to race a couple of yetis down a snowy mountain on a frozen leaf. Same basic principle.” Wolf replied nonchalantly.

“Alright wise guy, I am definitely going to want to hear more about that!”

“While we’re heading for that other place. One thing at a time…” the older boy replied, nodding towards the shrine.

Before Link could beg to be told about it right away, his eyes fell upon what Wolf had undoubtedly already noticed. There was a Gerudo woman draped over the shrine’s control panel. Link hurried over to make sure that she was okay.

“I’d just found the shrine too…” the woman moaned pathetically. “Ugh, my throat… It’s so dry… I can’t move a muscle… If this really is the end… I wish I could have one last taste…”

Link and Wolf exchanged a look. Why did this sound so familiar? Were all Gerudo this dramatic when they were exhausted?

“One sip… One sip of an ice-cold Noble Pursuit…” the woman whined.

“Okay, so what’s that?” Link asked.

Wolf hummed thoughtfully. “I think I heard the owner of the canteen muttering something about a drink by that name. Back when you were trying to listen in on those three women while standing right in front of them.”

“Really? Well in that case I guess I’ll have to go back to town and see about getting one.”

“I’ll stay here. I really am tired of transforming all the time.”

Link simply gave him a nod and changed before warping on back to town. When he arrived, he couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed that he couldn’t even make the shrine act as a warp point. What with the woman lying where she was.

The first mention of Noble Pursuit had the woman running the canteen a little iffy. But once Link explained what he needed the drink for she was all too understanding. However, she stated that the drink needed a lot of ice…and of course she was fresh out. She informed him that there was an icehouse in the ruins north of town, but that she was in no shape to be hauling ice that far. Of course Link was all too willing to go and do it for her. The woman thanked him and said that she would meet him by the entrance of the ruins if he would fetch it for her to there.

Finding the ruins was easy. There were a number of monsters about, but as he was kind of in a hurry Link went ahead and ignored all of them. The woman guarding the icehouse permitted him to take a large block once he told her about needing the drink. It seemed that the exhausted woman had a bit of a reputation about her when it came to the alcoholic beverage.

Now more than before Link had to hurry back through the ruins so that the ice wouldn’t melt too much in the late midday sun. Some of the monsters wielded fire arrows or flaming weapons, but again Link found it easiest to simply run passed them. A part of him hadn’t expected such a strategy to work and he had to laugh when he had successfully avoided the last of them. Stupid monsters.

True to her word, the woman who ran the canteen was waiting for him at the entrance to the ruins. She took the ice from him before he could protest and said that she was going to go and make the drink.

“You go on ahead and tell Pokki that I made the best Noble Pursuit ever and that it is waiting for her. That should be enough to get her to come running.” She laughed.

Link ran on ahead of her into town. He rented another sand seal and made a swift dash back over to the shrine. Sure enough, Pokki practically hopped right up at the mere mention of “the best Noble Pursuit ever” waiting for her. Link let her take the sand seal, as he and Wolf were surely going to be traveling on foot again anyway, and she bolted straight for town.

Once she was gone, Wolf revealed what he had been doing while Link had dealt with ice. He was most certainly terrible at climbing, but after having seen the younger boy do it so much he had gotten just enough of an idea as to how it was done in order to scramble about the rock they were on and to pick some rushrooms that had been growing there. He handed them over to Link, who happily exclaimed that they now had enough for the man at the stable! Link patted Wolf’s head to show both his appreciation as well as to say how impressed he was with the older boy’s learning. He tucked the shrooms away to deal with later. First thing was first: the shrine!

Which only had a chest with a diamond.

Back outside, Link couldn’t help but wonder aloud to Wolf if shrines somehow knew when he had done something nice for somebody or had solved a puzzle or something and rewarded him by being very simple. Wolf of course didn’t know the answer to that. The easiest assumption was that the puzzles in finding some were meant to substitute puzzles that would have been inside. But like Link had said, this time it had just been him doing something nice for somebody.

Either way, they turned their attention back to reaching the rectangular structure.

It was Wolf who began the shield surfing this time. Link quickly followed his lead and asked him about the yetis again. The older boy didn’t have time to tell him everything that had happened at Snowpeak, so he settled for talking about the two yetis and how they had both raced him down their mountain to their home. The wife, Yeta, had sledded down the whole way on her stomach and was a lot more skilled than her much bulkier husband. She was able to maneuver more sharply and knew how to take a few shortcuts that Wolf had had a little trouble using. In fact, he had lost to her at least four times before finally winning. She was a lot of fun to race, though. He couldn’t help but smile as he talked about how gleefully she would shout and giggle during the whole slide. Even Link couldn’t help but coo over how adorable she seemed to be.

“I promise you that you’d find her even cuter if you were to ever meet her.” Wolf told him as they arrived at the opening in the canyon that would lead to the rectangular place.

The sun was beginning to descend in the sky as they hopped off their shields and began to wander through the canyon. They both expressed a lot of curiosity about what they were going to find, as no one in town or the nearby areas had mentioned the place at all! A few lizalfos and some keese tried to ambush them, but they were easily dealt with. Now that both of them were quite armed they were finding that the average one or two monsters that needed picking off were barely worth their time.

Most interestingly, Link’s sensor flared to life as they got further into the canyon. They had been expecting a shrine to be in the area, and the confirmation further excited them. They finally rounded the corner just as it could be called evening. Both of them felt their jaws fall open at the sight that lay before them.

They had been expecting the structure to be big; they hadn’t been expecting it to absolutely dwarf Gerudo Town. Link’s map identified it as a labyrinth. Upon taking a single step through the opening they found the younger boy suddenly stopped short and shushed his companion when he tried to ask what was wrong. He listened intently for a few seconds before explaining that he had just heard what sounded like a monk’s voice speaking to him. There was indeed a shrine hidden somewhere in the labyrinth.

“The question now is…do we try to tackle this place and risk being lost in there all night, or do we take it easy for the rest of the evening out here and go in tomorrow morning?” Link asked.

Wolf frowned and considered the labyrinth. “I get the feeling it would be best if we were to wait. But…” he turned a grin to Link. “We’ve already done a lot of waiting around in this desert. And that would be boring.”

Link had to laugh and led the way further inside. They found the shrine right in the middle of the place, tucked in a small room beneath a grate below their feet. Wolf began to walk further down the hall, but Link hummed thoughtfully and knelt down to get a closer look at the room below them. He noticed what looked like a ledge off to one side whereas the other three appeared to be flat walls. He called to Wolf to keep him from going too far and changed into his climbing outfit. He hopped up onto the wall and started to scale it, Wolf coming back down the hall to where he had been.

Link made it to the top with just a little stamina to spare. He gazed down below him for a second before motioning for Wolf to join him. The older boy had no trouble teleporting on top of the wall beside him. One look below them had the older boy cringing.

“Ganon snot…” Link muttered aloud. “Or rather, I dunno what that stuff is but I’ve seen it all over the place in the Divine Beasts. Usually there’s an eyeball that acts as a brain. I know it sounds weird, but it’s true. Anyway, if they eye is destroyed the stuff goes with it. But I’m not seeing an eye amongst this batch of goop.”

Wolf, still a beast, turned a curious look up at him.

“I’m thinking there’s a reason this stuff is here, and that’s to make it harder to get to that shrine. I’m gonna try something.”

At that, Link leapt from the top of the wall. He glided across the hall and latched onto the opposite wall as soon as he got the chance. He followed it around the corner and hopped down only once he had cleared all of the purple gunk. He hurried on down the hall a short ways and peered around the first turn. A second later and he reappeared where Wolf could see him. He waved for the older boy to join him once more, and so Wolf did.

Once he had gone back to standing on two feet, Wolf followed him around the corner and spotted the shrine just ahead of them. They hopped down the two short ledges that lead to it, and Link let out a whoop of joy.

“I feel like I just cheated the old monk of this shrine, but at the same time brute forcing an entire labyrinth is too funny!” the younger boy laughed as he activated the thing.

“Something tells me those old Sheikah would be proud of you for being innovative.” Wolf replied.

Link giggled again and went on inside. Just as he had been expecting there was a lone chest in the lone room. He opened it up. And immediately became puzzled. Was…was it a vest? That was kinda weird. He removed his climber’s shirt and put the thing on. Somehow it came with warpaint, not that Link minded. What he did mind was just how much skin was showing…and what parts of his skin. He wasn’t really one to be embarrassed about showing off his body, but something about the thing felt a bit…too much. Even his Desert Voe splauder, which actually showed more, felt less revealing. He quickly put the climber’s shirt back on and tucked the new piece of armor away. He collected the spirit orb from the monk, feeling just a little disappointed that he had nothing to say about Link’s unconventional method of getting there.

Back outside it was just getting to be nightfall. Link was about to tell Wolf about what he had been given when he noticed the way the older boy was distractedly staring above them at the sky. Link turned his gaze upwards, not the least bit surprised to find that the grate had been retracted for future ease of access. What did concern him, however, was the slightest glimpse of red that he could see peeking over the canyon walls.

“Blood moon at last, huh?” he asked.

Wolf nodded. “We should find a place to rest for the night first.” He replied.

They made their way up the nearby ladder and left the labyrinth. They decided that the corner of the canyon nearest the entrance to the area would be a suitable place. As soon as that was decided, Wolf began to make for the exact opposite corner. He managed to take a single step in that direction before he felt a hand take hold of his arm again.

Link met his lips in a quick little kiss, and Wolf very nearly felt something snap inside of him. A deep growl rumbled through Wolf’s chest and he grabbed either side of Link’s face and pulled him in closer, tongue forcing its way passed soft lips and plunging as deep into his throat as it could get. The younger boy about cried out in shock before the noise was swallowed up and turned into something more closely resembling a moan. One of Wolf’s hands slid around to gently hold the back of Link’s neck while the other one slipped all the way down his chest and side to his waist. The younger boy didn’t resist at all as he was dragged closer still until they were pressed up hip to hip. In fact, Link’s own hands quickly balled themselves into fists in the front of Wolf’s tunic before splaying out across his chest and up to his shoulders. Link sighed into their heated kiss.

Wolf drew away in order to bite at his lips again, and this time Link didn’t tell him to stop…and Wolf didn’t even think to do so. His little nips didn’t stop there. He trailed a series of them all the way across Link’s jaw until he was at his ear. A single little love bite was given to the pierced lobe before Wolf’s hot, wet tongue glided all the way up the shell and out to the point of Link’s ear. Link shuddered and whined, blood rushing south and causing him to press against Wolf even more. The older boy chuckled lowly, taking just a second to lick and suck at the sensitive point before starting to kiss down Link’s neck. Lips found the junction between neck and shoulder, and Link shuddered again when Wolf gently bit down on his skin. It was entirely reactionary when Link turned his head to give Wolf a better angle.

And then just as suddenly as Wolf had been all over him, the older boy sucked in a breath and jumped away from Link, releasing him entirely. The younger boy nearly stumbled forward at the loss of support and turned a confused, if somewhat hazy, look up his companion. Wolf’s face was completely red and he looked just a little panicked. Hurriedly he apologized and sprinted away from Link. The younger boy stared after him for a second before collapsing to the ground on his butt. He brought a hand up to his lips (why was it shaking so much?!) before curling in on himself.

Despite his clear arousal Link fought down the urge to take care himself. It was awkward enough that he knew Wolf was probably going to be thinking about the “what if”s of what had just happened. The world did not need the both of them doing exactly that at the same time.

It was nearly an hour before Wolf returned to where they had decided to rest that night. In truth the older boy had considered staying where he had run off to all night…but that would have just made Link worry and they really need to talk about what had just happened. Despite feeling guilty about the whole thing, he was immensely happy to find that Link was still awake.

“Why’d you leave?”

Wolf had not been expecting the younger boy to be the first one to speak up, let alone to ask that kind of question. All the same, he already knew what the answer was even as he sat down beside Link.

“I… Something like that should be special. Call me a sap again, but I think the first time is supposed to mean something. I don’t want to do anything like that just because of a blood moon. I’m… I’m sorry.” He laid his face in one hand and let out a groan of frustration. “I should’ve pushed you away from the start instead of letting things get as far as they did.”

Beside him, Link scooted a couple of inches closer. “Just so you know… I wouldn’t have kissed you, knowing there was a blood moon out, if I hadn’t already considered where that could end up.”

Wolf didn’t even need to look down at his companion to know the other was blushing. He was blushing too. He could feel the warmth of his own face on his hand. He breathed in deeply and exhaled deeply. He knew he had to say something, had been preparing for a number things he might have to say, and yet it was Link who spoke up again instead.

“I’m sorry, too. It was pretty dumb of me to do that without, you know, consulting you beforehand. Especially given how much I’ve told you not to do things lately. Mixed signals aren’t something I want to be giving out. So, what I’m saying is… I um… I don’t mind you kissing me. At all. In any way. Tongue, biting, whatever that was you did to my ear…” he raised a hand and ran it over the very one that Wolf had given attention to, “I like it. And… I wouldn’t mind doing more. Going further. Just um… Give me some warning or something. You know?”

Despite himself, Wolf had to chuckle. He wiped his hand over his face and turned a fond little smile over to Link. “Only if you’ll do the same. Give me warning, that is. You’re just as guilty about what happened.”

“Right. It’s a deal then.”

Link held his hand out to Wolf, and the older boy shook it without a second thought. And then brought Link’s hand up to his lips in order to kiss it, not breaking eye contact with the younger boy. Link’s face flushed again and a second later he smacked Wolf playfully on the back with his other hand.

“Well aren’t you just the gallant knight?”

Wolf laughed again. “If either of us here is a knight, I’d think it’d be you.” He stated, running his thumb gently over Link’s fingers.

“Really?”

The older boy shrugged. “I’m certainly not. I’m just some farmer kid. If even that much.” He released Link’s hand and laid down on his back, staring up the sky. “And I know what you have to say about that, so don’t even bother. The point is that I’m not a knight.”

“A romantic, then.” Link said, lying down beside him to stare at the stars too. “Especially given the whole wanting your first time to be special. Not that I don’t admire that. I just think that maybe I could do that kinda thing with anyone I really liked. If you want to save yourself for Midna, though, that’s cool. I’m not gonna pressure you. Again, I’m really sorry about doing that.”

Beside him, Wolf shifted until he was lying on his side, propped up on one elbow and looking down at Link. “I never said it had to be with Midna… Just something more special than me being under the influence of a stinkin’ blood moon.”

Link turned onto his own side in order to face him, and a moment later they met each other halfway for a kiss.

“I see… That’s… That’s interesting to know.”

Again Wolf chuckled. “We should get to sleep. We’ve still got a lot of things to do tomorrow, don’t we?”

Link hummed and took the liberty of snuggling up to the older boy. For his part, Wolf wrapped an arm around him. “We’ve got a few side quests to turn in, if that’s what you mean.”

The older boy snorted. “Side quests? Is that what we’re calling them now?”

Link too had to laugh. “Yeah sure. It was just the first thing I thought of, okay?”

Wolf’s free hand brushed a few strands of hair away from Link’s face in order to press a kiss to his forehead. “Works for me.”

*****

The first thing they took care of in the morning was to go back to town one last time. They still had business with Riju as far as the Thunder Helm was concerned. Link made a quick detour in order to pray for another stamina vessel. After that they went straight to the throne room. Riju did not seem at all surprised to see them back. She greeted them with a smile and informed them that many of her people had been talking about what a help Link had been to them. She gave them her thanks on behalf of all Gerudo. And to top it off granted him permission to borrow the Thunder Helm. Link was allowed to remove it from its pedestal and he tucked it carefully in with his other belongings.

The next item to rather literally cross off their list was to visit the Gerudo Canyon Stables again. Finally being away from the desert for a long stretch of time, Link took a second to throw on his climbing outfit. After all, it was probably the most useful to him in day-to-day exploring. He and Wolf then made their way down to the stable proper. The old man was delighted to be handed exactly fifty-five rushrooms. He counted them all out quickly before rewarding Link with a diamond. He said that he couldn’t give him anymore of those, but he would buy more rushrooms from Link at double the market price…but only if Link sold them to him in sets of fifty-five. While it was a nice thought, Link didn’t know if he would be coming across that many of the mushrooms again anytime soon. Even Wolf couldn’t guess if they’d ever be back to take him up on the offer.

Next up they went ahead on over to Hateno Village. The little boy oohed and awed over one of the many duplex bows that Link had snatched from defeated Yiga footsoldiers. As thanks for showing him, the boy turned over another purple rupee. His requests didn’t end there, though, and he asked to see a windcleaver next. Both Link and Wolf had a sneaking suspicion that those were the blades wielded by Yiga blademasters. They both sighed at the thought that they weren’t done with those crazy clan members just yet after all.

And last but certainly on least on their to-do list was to drop off the wood that Bolson had wanted as down payment on the house. They found him and his two employees relaxing by a campfire near the building. He met them with a smile.

“Afternoon~” he said in a sing-song voice. “You ready to deliver thirty wood bundles?”

“I sure am!” Link announced. He dug through his supplies until he had exactly the number he needed. The flamboyant man stood up in order to accept them.

“Okey-doo~” he said again in that sing-songy way of his as he took them. “This is all I needed to see. Good-faith wood. You’re obviously serious about this, and now I know it. So, as promised, I’ll sell you this old house for the low price of three thousand rupees. Once you’ve got the money together, come grab me.”

The man had his men take the wood elsewhere before sitting back down at the campfire. Link didn’t quite have the money to buy the place yet, but he was quite close. He told Wolf as such as they wandered back into town.

“Meat sells for a lot, doesn’t it?” the older boy asked.

“When cooked, yeah.”

“Sounds to me like we should find a place that’s good for hunting.”

Link breathed a sigh. “I’m gonna need to buy up some more arrows first, if that’s the case. I mean it’s a good idea but…”

“Kakariko, Hateno, Zora’s Domain, and Gerudo Town. There should be plenty of arrows available between them.”

Link gave a couple little nods as he thought about. “I don’t want to go back to the desert right now, of course. But I suppose I could buy up what’s available everywhere else… Oh!” he snapped his fingers and grinned at Wolf. “And the Zora have a blacksmith! He should be able to fix up Urbosa’s shield for you!”

With that idea made, they hurried over to the general store in Hateno Village, followed by the paying a visit to the shop with the lonely woman in Kakariko. And lastly they returned to Zora’s Domain. Prince Sidon was out and about when they arrived, and he rushed to say hello to them as soon as he spotted them. He chatted them both up a little, declaring that he thought of Link as one of his best friends even. Wolf wanted to sigh at that, but really he couldn’t bring himself to argue with the Zora prince. He just looked so happy to see the younger boy again. Once their little talk came to an end, the two boys made their way to the general store at last. Link bought up all of the regular arrows that they had before going to the back where the blacksmith was hard at work on a soldier’s spear.

The man, like most of the older Zora, seemed pleased to see Link. He informed Link that should the Lightscale Trident ever break, he could repair it for him. It was good news to hear, for sure, but not something that was immediately useful. On the other hand, Link asked if he could do him a quick favor. The blacksmith took a look at Urbosa’s shield and wondered aloud if he had perhaps seen it before. After being told what it was, he almost seemed reluctant to modify it. He tried to insist that if anyone should do anything to it, it should be a Gerudo blacksmith. But Link insisted that he should be the one to do it. With a sigh the Zora named his small fee, which Link paid, and he set to work doing as requested. It only took him a few minutes to make the adjustments and he handed it back to Wolf.

“I don’t know why Link here is letting you use this, but I’m sure you two have your reasons. It’s not me you’ve got to explain to if Lady Urbosa or her folk learn of this.” He stated, putting an end to things.

Both boys thanked him and left his little shop. Wolf equipped the shield properly and gave it an approving nod. Even Link had to admit that he looked good with it, just as he had looked good with the sword. A part of Link couldn’t wait to see him using both at once.

And speaking of that, they decided that if they were to go hunting it should be done out in West Necluda. Near the Dueling Peaks Stable. Link didn’t get his wish though, as Wolf was nowhere near sneaky or fast enough to hunt with a sword. Instead he took to his beast form again while Link sniped things with his bow. They spent the whole afternoon picking off whatever animals they saw. They ended up making at least two passes through the various clusters of trees and woods, earning them more than enough meat to cover the cost of the house. Once it was all cooked, of course.

They returned to Hateno Village after dark and Link lit the cooking pots with one of the nearby blue-flamed lanterns. Wolf made a quip about using such a seemingly sacred thing for such a mundane purpose. Link too had to laugh about it, but explained that he didn’t want to use up a fire arrow or durability on his flameblade. Honestly, Wolf couldn’t argue with that. He still found it funny, though.

The shops were closing up by the time that they were finished cooking. Despite being so very close to maybe being able to spend a night inside of Link’s new house, they decided not to disturb anyone and settled for sleeping outside. Link was about to make for the shrine again where they had stayed before, but Wolf stopped him.

“That spot is nice, but I was thinking we could find somewhere less…open?” he hinted.

It took a second for Link to catch on, but Wolf knew exactly the moment when he did because his cheeks colored.

“O-oh! Yeah. Um, okay. Uh…” he looked around, trying to think of where the closest place might be. He gazed up the hill and caught sight of Purah’s laboratory perched at the top. Doing so gave him an idea. “Come on!” He took Wolf by the hand and led him up the road.

They ended up in the little forest where Link had gathered the sunshrooms for Symin. It was quiet, secluded, and the chances of monsters showing up was very low. Link let go of Wolf’s hand once they stepped into the trees, but the older boy continued to follow him as they went just a little further in. The younger boy slowed to a stop, and Wolf saw him take in a deep breath. When Link turned to face him, he was smiling a bit shyly. Still he approached Wolf who met him with open arms. Link kissed him once.

“Is this okay?” Wolf asked softly.

The younger boy nodded. “Is now okay?”

The older boy chuckled and pressed their foreheads together. “Yes…”

Chapter Text

Their lips met again, slower this time. Whatever heat had been between them just the night before was replaced with timidity. Not that they minded. They didn’t know what they were doing, so taking things slow felt just right. It was Link who parted his lips first in order to deepen the kiss but Wolf was no slouch in matching his change of pace. Once again the older boy’s hand found its way to the back of Link’s neck, fingers carefully touching sharp claws to the shorter hairs that were there. Link broke their kiss just long enough to pull off his bandana and free his hair from its usual ponytail. Wolf didn’t waste any time taking the hint and fully threading his fingers into the younger boy’s hair. Link about giggled before they kissed again.

At the first little whine that slipped from Link’s mouth, Wolf retreated from his lips and instead pressed a few kisses to his jaw and just below his ear. “You liked this, right?” he asked, touching his teeth to his earlobe for emphasis.

“I do.” Link murmured, craning his neck so that Wolf could have at him easier.

The older boy bit down gently, sucking the lobe into his mouth and taking the time to swipe his tongue across the spot a few times before once more licking up the length of Link’s ear. The younger boy shuddered again, although not nearly as violently as the night before. Link’s hands found their way to Wolf’s chest. One of them slid down to his stomach and the belt that he wore. He hummed again, causing Wolf to abandon his ear and raise a curious eyebrow.

“This might sound like I want to rush this but... I think we should probably take some things off before we get too much farther.” Link stated.

Wolf took a step back and considered them both. He had a point. They took a few minutes to shed themselves of weapons, belts, gloves, and pretty much everything but their most basic articles of clothing. Link wasn’t going to say it, but he quite enjoyed the fact that Wolf went as far as to take off even his tunic and chainmail. They really were going to do this…

To Link’s surprise, Wolf sat down on the ground and patted the spot beside him. Deciding to be a little more bold than that, Link instead sat sideways on his lap. Wolf jumped at that, prompting Link to ask if it was okay. Wolf only chuckled and wrapped his arms securely around him.

“Oh yeah…” he breathed huskily before capturing Link’s willing lips again.

Wolf again found his way back to Link’s neck, delighting in how receptive Link was to all of the little kisses and bites that he wanted to and did leave there. The younger boy was just beginning to pant when Wolf felt the bottom of his shirt being lifted. Link’s hand found its way beneath and skimmed over his abs. He seemed to like what he felt, because the next moment Link groaned and buried his face into Wolf’s shoulder. He didn’t stop touching though, as his hand only crept higher to feel up Wolf’s hard chest.

A fingertip brushed over Wolf’s nipple and the older boy nipped Link’s ear again. He rolled them both over, pinning Link beneath him on the forest floor. He didn’t bother to ask if it was alright, as Link’s response was to slide his other hand around to hike up his shirt in the back so that he could run his hands through the fur that grew there. Wolf kissed him yet again, briefly, before lifting Link’s shirt up to his collarbones. The older boy didn’t miss how Link blushed at that. Wolf understood that feeling. Sure, they’d seen and even put their hands on each other while naked, but this was…this was something more than goofing off in a pool of water when they should be bathing. A lot more.

Partially to distract himself from how embarrassing the whole situation probably was Wolf leaned down and licked a stripe up Link’s sternum. The younger boy wriggled at the odd sensation but otherwise seemed to kind of like it. Feeling encouraged by that, Wolf swiped his tongue over one of Link’s pink little buds. The younger boy had a stronger reaction to it than Wolf had, going so far as to let out a short gasp. Wolf continued to lick and suck at it, eliciting even more sounds from Link beneath him. The hand on his back curled, fingernails digging into his skin and pulling on his fur in the best of ways.

And then that hand yanked at his shirt some more until Wolf was about forced to sit up enough to shed himself of the piece of clothing entirely. Link’s hands wasted not even a second before they were upon his chest, eyes marveling at the expanse of muscled body before him. Not to be outdone, however, Link raised himself up and pulled his own shirt off. Although Link decided that as Wolf had already had a good look at his chest, it was okay to tease him a little by pulling him back down for another kiss before the older boy could fully appreciate the sight.

Link had half a mind to flip them over, to lay on top of Wolf, but somehow he felt that things were just fine the way that they were. He quite liked the way that Wolf looked above him, and especially liked the weight of the older boy resting on his hips and thighs. And speaking of that, Link couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of pride at the stiffness he could just feel pressed against him. Sure it wasn’t much less embarrassing than the last time he had felt it, but the situation was different and he knew they were actually going to be doing something about that soon.

They were going to be…

Link flushed and buried his face into Wolf’s shoulder again. The older boy touched his cheek and ran his thumb over his sensitive ear.

“Something wrong?” Wolf asked him cautiously.

Link shook his head frantically. “Not at all.”

“Embarrassed?”

Link nodded.

Wolf laughed again and settled a little more heavily against him. “Me too…” With another quick nip to Link’s ear, the older boy ground his hips forward. Their matching erections pressed against one another for a brief moment. It caused Link to suck in a breath and to hold onto Wolf tighter.

“Again.” The younger boy breathed shakily.

And so Wolf repeated the motion. Link sighed against his collarbone and began to move against him, too. They found a slow pace of rubbing gently against one another. It wasn’t nearly enough, but it was a good start to something completely foreign to both of them. Link’s breathes came in little pants and moans, and Wolf fought back every urge he had to kiss him because he didn’t want to muffle those sounds any. The younger boy clutched at his back with both hands now. And suddenly Wolf felt an overwhelming need to feel those fingers really take hold of his fur and yank.

He surrendered to his desire for another kiss and leaned up just enough to meet Link’s parted lips again in a messy way; teeth and tongues a lot less coordinated than before. Once Wolf thought that Link was good and distracted, he reached down with one hand and slipped his fingers into the waistband of the younger boy’s pants. Link groaned into their kiss and to Wolf’s surprise raised his hips so that Wolf could work them down a little. Wolf’s fingertips traced the exposed skin of his hip and lines of the V on his lower belly. He felt Link shiver again and made a mental note to try and taste that area instead next time. Goddesses how he wanted to taste him already!

Wolf settled for licking up the column of Link’s neck instead. The younger boy hissed and made a sound like he had something he wanted to say. Wolf let up long enough to give him a chance to speak.

“Just take ‘em off already…!” Link whined.

And if that didn’t pull a growl from deep within Wolf’s chest, then he didn’t know what did! In one swift motion he not only drew Link’s pants off entirely, but his underwear went with it. Completely exposed beneath Wolf, Link was kind of amazed that he wasn’t more embarrassed. Even as he watched Wolf obviously drag his eyes over Link’s exposed and achingly hard cock he couldn’t bring himself to be too shy about it. Especially not after the way Wolf groaned and licked his own lips while his eyes were still taking in everything.

“Your turn~” Link giggled, sliding one of his hands passed Wolf’s tail and down into his pants in order to give his butt a squeeze.

Again, Wolf didn’t need any more convincing. He shed his own pants and underwear in record time. And if he deliberately gave Link a few moments to stare before pressing up against him again, Link certainly did not mind. They kissed yet again, naked bodies now flush with one another. They quickly fell back into rhythm with each other, their pace a lot faster and more satisfying now.

It was Wolf whose hand came between them in order to wrap around both of their weeping cocks. Link whined again, fingers flexing and nails digging into Wolf’s back. A little word of approval hissed out between the younger boy’s teeth and his head fell back heavily. Taking that as an invitation, Wolf began to lavish his throat with attention yet again as he started stroking them. Link only seemed to get louder with each movement of Wolf’s hand and thrust of their hips. If Wolf were to have guessed, he was getting close. That thought made him groan and tighten up his grip just a fraction.

When their movements began to veer toward the uncoordinated, Wolf knew they were close. Link’s hands clambered for purchase at his back. Which resulted in some very delightful fistfuls of fur being grabbed and yanked upon between nails digging into his skin. Wolf growled yet again and licked up the shell of Link’s ear. The younger boy cried out sharply and his hips stuttered. The next thing Wolf knew, his fist on their cocks was being coated by several spurts of cum. The younger boy thrusted weakly all through his orgasm, and Wolf was more than happy to help him with that. As soon as Link had just enough wherewithal to do so, he threaded his fingers into the fur on Wolf’s neck and pulled him in for another sloppy kiss. Wolf’s blissful groan when he came was swallowed up that way.

The older boy just about collapsed on top of Link. He was strong, but that didn’t mean he wanted to continue holding himself up after having just cum. Link held him close, shaking fingertips now gently soothing over the areas he had scratched up and pulled upon. The hand on Wolf’s neck reached higher and came to gently rub the back of his ear. Wolf’s tail gave a half-hearted wag and the tip of his tongue peeked out in order to gently lick Link’s neck.

“That was…amazing…” Link breathed quietly, closing his eyes and allowing himself to relax.

Wolf hummed his agreement. They continued to lay in silence for a while longer. Gentle touches of all kinds were liberally given as they came down together, until eventually Wolf sat up and Link begrudgingly followed him. They were fortunate that there was a lake nearby and that in the dead of night nobody would notice them rinsing themselves off. They pulled their clothes back on, the cold water and the night air not making for a very good combination. At last they settled down again, this time Link cuddled up on top of Wolf’s chest.

“I really do like you.” Link murmured sleepily.

Wolf idly played with the strands of Link’s still untied hair. “I do, too. I’m certainly not going to regret my first time being with you.”

“Same.” The younger boy giggled.

Chapter Text

Dawn arose and with it Link and Wolf did as well. The morning air was cool and crisp around them, but not unpleasant. Especially with how Link was still lying on top of Wolf and how Wolf had his arms securely around him. It was kind of a strange feeling, to reflect on what they had done the night before, but they smiled at each other and both moved in for a kiss at about the same time. Somewhat begrudgingly Link sat up and off of Wolf so that the other could get up and so they could eat something. It was quiet for a while, both not really sure what they should say…if anything. But the quiet wasn’t uncomfortable.

Eventually Link stood up and stretched. “I think that carpenter guy should be awake by now.” He stated.

“Bolson? Probably. Gonna buy the house first thing?” Wolf asked, getting to his feet as well.

“I think so, yeah. Since we’re in the village. We can figure out what we’re doing after that.”

Wolf nodded and the two meandered back to the main part of Hateno Village. Sure enough, Bolson and his two employees were sitting near the campfire outside of the abandoned house. They looked up at the pair as they arrived and Bolson shot them a smile.

“Mornin’!” he said in a sing-song voice. “Did you get three thousand rupees together?”

“I did.” Link told him happily.

“Seriously?! You’re really gonna give me three thousand rupees? Like, with three zeroes? You aren’t just posturing?”

Link nodded.

“No way! Talk about studly!” he exclaimed. Wolf rolled his eyes. Their definitions of the word were somewhat different, it seemed. “I’ll just take that off your hands.” Link stepped forward and handed over the money. Bolson counted it up quickly and gave a nod. “Thanks for the sweet investment. Spending so much money on anything at your age… It’s just so…studly! There’s a weapon mount in there that never sold… Consider it a housewarming gift. Hope you get some use out of it.” He hummed as he thought. “So…next-job time, baby! What’d I have lined up again? Oh, yeah, that’s what’s next. I was going to send Hudson up Akkala way to clear some land!”

The older man employed by Bolson gave a little nod like he was remembering the plan as well. He stared at Link for a moment before speaking up. “Did you really buy that house?”

“Um… Yes?” Link asked, confused.

“Impressive. You’re just a pup.”

Despite himself, Wolf let out a short laugh at that. Link only raised an eyebrow. “Come again?”

Hudson shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Anyway…” he fell silent, like he was expecting Link to speak up.

So he did. “What?”

“Looks like I’ve gotta head out and leave this place now.”

Again, he stopped talking. So Link spoke again. “Why?”

“I’ve been transferred.”

Link cast Wolf a look. Was this guy not saying much because Link should already know this, or was he just not very good at carrying on a conversation? Wolf only gave him a shrug.

“Transferred…”

“Bolson Construction is planning to expand big-time.” Hudson explained.

“That’s… Great! I think.”

“Yeah. Big expansion.”

“So uh… Where are you going?”

“Zora’s Domain is north of here. We’re going north of that, though. An area called the Akkala region.”

Link had never been to Akkala, of course, but he thought about how far Zora’s Domain had been. He let out a low whistle at the thought of the distance this man was going to be covering for his company.

“That’s pretty far.

“Yeah…well.” Hudson gave a little shrug.

“Good luck!”

“Okay then.” He got to his feet. “Well… No time like the present, right? I should be getting on my way… If you’d like, you should come to the Akkala region and say hello. Well… Take care of yourself.”

And with that, the man began to wander off. Link brought out the Sheikah Slate and made a quick note beneath the one that told him to visit Robbie that he should try to find where Hudson was when he finally got around to exploring Akkala. After he was done, he turned to Wolf with a grin and said he was going to take a look at the house. Wolf followed behind him.

They had kind of been expecting it from the glimpses they’d had inside, but the place was completely barren. The only thing of any merit was the one weapon mount on the wall. Despite this, they both still went upstairs to the loft just to get a complete look at the house.

“A lot more spacious than my old place.” Wolf stated. “Although that’s to be expected when I lived in a treehouse.”

“A treehouse? Really? That’s so cool!” Link exclaimed. “How’d you build it?”

“I guess it was cool. Kind of inconvenient at times, though. A couple of the older men of the village helped me build it when I was a boy. Rusl especially. Although I suppose they weren’t exactly ‘older men’ at the time, since they aren’t that much older than me… But you get the idea.”

Link nodded. “I do! That’s nice that they helped you out so much.”

Wolf had to agree. “That’s why I was always so willing to lend a hand wherever I could. Whether it was herding the goats, or doing small things around town, or just playing with the children during my free time. It was also why I was going to deliver a sword to the princess on the day of her coronation as queen. But well… I’ve told you how that went.”

Link frowned and gave another nod. He remembered that part. How bad things had happened and Wolf ended up starting his own adventure. Link looked around the house a little more and breathed a sigh.

“This place could use some work.” He stated.

Wolf let out a laugh. “Yeah. Like a door. And a bed.” He smirked down at Link. “Good thing you didn’t buy this place last night.”

Link’s cheeks went pink but he had to smile at the comment. It wasn’t wrong. “Come on, let’s see if Bolson can fix this place up some more.”

The old carpenter was all too thrilled at the prospect of doing so. He proposed working on it in increments that Link would have to pay for individually. Liking this idea, Link asked him to get started on a door and a bed for the house. The cost for both together was only two hundred rupees, which Link could just afford with what was left over from his meat sales. Bolson and his remaining worker got to their feet.

“This work ain’t doing itself. Karson! We are on!” he announced.

“Right on!” Karson cheered behind him.

It was obvious they were going to need some time to get everything made and put into place, so Link and Wolf sat in the shade of the tree and took a look at the map. They of course had intended to go for the sword straight away, but Lanayru Mountain was tantalizingly close! They could see it from where were! They decided that if they went to the shrine in the promenade then it shouldn’t take them more than the rest of the day to reach the top.

While they were examining the map, Link decided to try and figure where about Akkala was. North of Zora’s Domain was an incomplete potion of the map. That seemed the most likely place, given Hudson’s explanation. What’s more, the road that forked partly into the one leading into Zora’s Domain also branched off towards the direction of Akkala. Link put a little star marker there to remind himself in the future. Not that he doubted he wouldn’t come to the same conclusion about that road later.

And so with that they went on ahead and warped over to the cave behind the waterfall in the promenade. Upon leaving it Link went about gliding and climbing over to the walkway to their right. Once he was safely on the other side, Wolf joined him. The walkway was very broken, though, and so Link continued to need to glide and climb his way around. Wolf make good use of his longer jumps. Finally they reached the path they had used going through the area the first time. A few bokoblins were basically waiting for them on that side, but they weren’t anything the two of them couldn’t handle together. The same went for the lone moblin further down the road.

They came upon the large archway near where Link had gotten his first memory back. Both boys came to a stop and stared up at it and the mountain that lay beyond it in silence. A cold breeze blew passed them from the frozen peak and Wolf eyed his companion curiously.

“Have you remembered anything else from this area?”

Link closed his eyes and shook his head. “I still only remember coming back down with Zelda and meeting with the four Champions.” He gave a short, dejected laugh. “Well, I guess you could say I now know for certain who they all are. It’s kind of strange thinking about it now. Mipha… She really was kind. She had tried to comfort Zelda. And Urbosa really had been motherly to her. And Zelda was just as desperate to do whatever she could as she was in my other memories. The other two… I still don’t know anything about them, of course, but I’m pretty sure I will someday. But as for remembering anything else, nope. Still nothing. Not even from when Zelda and I first went up the mountain.”

Wolf put a hand on his shoulder. “That you’re able to identify most everyone in your memory now is just a marker of how far you’ve come.”

Link nodded and opened his eyes. “Yeah… But we’ve still got a long ways to go. Come on. We should get moving. Don’t want to get stuck on that mountain at night if I can help it.”

Together they proceeded through the archway, but not before Link could pick the spicy peppers that grew there. They didn’t get far. A lynel spotted them almost the moment they entered the small field and drew its bow. Just like before they didn’t have time to form a plan and they dove in opposite directions to avoid the ice arrows it shot. Wolf was quick to draw his sword and shield and to charge at it. Link took the time this bought him to switch on over to his strongest weapon and bow.

They traded off on attacking. When Wolf kept its attention, Link would get around behind it and land several good blows to its flank. Inevitably it would leap away and change targets after a few hits. Link would watch its movements carefully when it was close and put flurry rush to good use whenever he could. This was of course in addition to Wolf’s own attacks.

When the beast was nearly at half its health, Link told Wolf to stay back as it once again turned its attention on him. The younger boy took a second or two to charge up his attack, but Urbosa’s Fury paid off by striking all around him and stunning the lynel into falling to its knees. Wolf gaped.

“I wonder…” Link found himself thinking after his legs had already began to move. He effortlessly climbed onto the monster’s back and began to hammer away at with his sword. Needless to say that as soon as he was on the thing, it began to try and buck him off. The moment that it managed to, Wolf had snapped out of it and had arrived to land the finishing blows.

They both took a moment to catch their breaths and to eat something in order to heal up. While Link picked through the monster’s weapons and parts, Wolf asked him the burning question.

“I take it that was Urbosa’s power?”

“Yep! It’s really cool, isn’t it?!” Link flashed him a grin.

“How many times can you use that?”

“Three before it needs to recharge. I don’t think it’ll take as long to do that as Mipha’s powers do. Which is even cooler!”

“Seems like it. Although that charge time could be a problem…” Wolf looked at the chain on his arm. “If I were back to my normal self, I could at least buy you that time without getting hurt as much.”

Link approached him and planted a kiss on his lips. “You’re a lot of help even as it is.” Wolf smiled down at him fondly for a moment before the younger boy tapped his shoulder and gestured towards a little pond. But more interesting than that was the sleeping hinox that was just across the water. It was a normal one, so they decided to kill it while they were in the area.

The thing went down almost too easily to Link’s arrows and Wolf’s spear. Just as Link always did he gathered up what it dropped. But on top of that he lobbed a few bombs into the water in order to catch the fish that swam about.

The weather took a turn for the annoying as they reached the edge of the area. The base of Lanayru Mountain began at the top of a short ledge, and it began to snow because of it. The two boys heaved themselves up into the frigid area and Link immediately began shivering. Wolf waited while Link threw on the ruby circlet, warm doublet, and snow boots. Hopefully they wouldn’t find any more powerful creatures to fight, since the outfit was hardly the most defensive thing Link could be wearing. But despite the unpleasant climate on top of the presumably daunting task of climbing a mountain being what they were up against, there was something of a path already laid out ahead of them. So they followed it.

Aside from a number of icy monsters which weren’t much of a threat and the occasional cold mushroom or plant to be picked, there wasn’t a whole lot to their climb. After a few minutes of just walking, Wolf decided he may as well tell Link about the yetis’ home. The younger boy listened with rapt attention as Wolf told him all about fighting the frozen creatures who had come to invade their mansion of a house. The large and small monsters that breathed icy breath, the white spirit-like wolves, and others.

He explained that at the time he had been looking for a shard of a special mirror. The dragon Argorok had had a piece of it as well. But the yeti husband, Yeto, had said he had found a pretty mirror and had given it to his wife Yeta. She had fallen ill after that. Wolf was allowed to go and take a look at the mirror, which was in the couple’s bedroom. But Yeta had forgotten where she had left the key. So Wolf had to scour the whole of their home to find it. Which wasn’t all bad because in doing so he ended up finding various ingredients that Yeto added to a special soup he was making for her.

“Is that the same soup you said you wanted to make some time?”

Wolf nodded his affirmation before continuing. In that mansion he had fought a monster that had dropped a gigantic ball and chain upon its defeat, which he took along with him. It was the same one he said weighed about as much as Link. Again the shorter boy had to take a moment to collect himself as he was reminded of Wolf’s sheer strength and therefore needed time to swoon. Once Wolf had the bedroom key and Yeta had gotten some of her husband’s soup to make her feel better, she slowly led Wolf all the way up to the room. There she showed him the mirror…but she began to act strangely.

Wolf admitted that he wasn’t as surprised as he probably should have been when she became a monster. A giant, ruthless, and powerful one that could control ice at that. The mirror shards were Twili artifacts, and like all the others he had found up to that point they always seemed to have a terrible effect on those who came into contact with them. He’d managed to fight back against her with the ball and chain, and thankfully the mirror shard lost its hold on her before he had to seriously hurt her. Yeto had been so worried about her at first, but of course he had. He ended up telling her that she didn’t need a mirror to see how pretty she was. All she had to do to know that was to look into his eyes.

“So you learned how to be gross from a couple of yetis?” Link laughed.

Wolf shot him a look. “It was cute! You should’ve seen the amount of recovery hearts that came from them! Not to mention they made a heart container from that!”

It was Link’s turn to gape at him. He’d heard before about heart containers being left behind from the more powerful monsters that Wolf had fought. So at first Wolf wasn’t sure what the face was for. Then it clicked.

“You… Have never seen a recovery heart, have you?” Wolf asked.

“I don’t know! What are those?”

“They’re these little heart-shaped objects that are commonly found in grass and breakable objects in my Hyrule. They recovery health. It’s strange, but I’ve never seen them here. But then again, your food has a similar effect… Although Yeto’s soup did the same thing. Huh. I never thought about that before.”

“Man, these differences just keep getting weirder and weirder.”

Before the conversation could proceed any further than that, both boys stopped dead in their tracks. Their jaws hung open as they took in the sight of a small spring surrounded by massive spires of ice. A large Goddess statue stood in the middle of it. But perhaps more importantly was the gigantic dragon that had draped itself over the ice. The black and purple spirit panted heavily, like simply existing was exhausting all of its energy. What’s more, there was purple malice much like the stuff they had seen in the labyrinth dotting its body.

“A… A dragon…” Link murmured, shaking in his boots and not because of the cold.

“Like Farosh.” Wolf added dumbly. “What’s it doing here?”

The statue in front of them began to shine with a strange shimmering light, and Link heard a voice inside of his head. He told Wolf to stay quiet a moment as he paid attention to what it had to say. The eyes of the malice opened as it spoke and stared down at the pair curiously. Link drew in a deep breath to steady his nerves and pulled out his bow.

“This thing’s name is Naydra.” He stated. “That malice stuff has apparently possessed its body.”

“So it needs to be destroyed.”

“Exactly.”

Link took careful aim at the large eye upon the dragon’s head, not wanting to miss and therefore hurt it, and fired. The malice turned to smoke and Naydra stirred from its rest. Slowly its body left the ice and it began to fly higher into the sky, coming to circle the highest peak of the mountain. Link counted three other patches of malice upon its body, each one with an eye. He was going to have to get rid of all of them.

“I’m going after it. Wait here for me, okay?” he told his companion.

Wolf nodded, and Link hurried on to climb the ice. It took him a few minutes of scrambling about despite the ice not being slick at all to make it to the top. Naydra circled just overhead. The boy tried not to think about how close its claws came to touching his hair every time one of its six limbs passed over him. He took aim with his bow again and waited. The moment the eye on its upper body was in the right spot he fired. Naydra let out a soft but pained cry as the malice vanished from that portion of its being. Before Link could even begin to think about shooting another eye the dragon began to fly down the mountain towards the snowfield at its base.

Large updrafts and gusts of wind followed in its path. For a moment Link had to wonder if it was somehow using its magic to try and help him follow. Either way, he took off after it with his glider. Once he caught up to where the dragon was circling, he drew his bow again midair and took out the malice adorning its lower body. Again Naydra cried out softly and flew off again. Link followed it once more on the winds it left behind. Naydra came to a stop and circled over the tops of the trees. Link landed beside one and gave himself a moment to recover stamina before climbing to its top. From there all he had to do was jump at the right time, take aim at the last malice eye on its tail, and fire.

Naydra roared once more and began to shakily retreat towards the mountain’s peak again, but not before it could snatch Link up in one of its claws. Link shrieked in fright at being picked up so suddenly. Especially when the dragon’s flight was jerky and it felt like the thing could fall out of the air at any moment. To his shock the dragon began to glow and the black and purple coloration seemed to flake off its body. What was revealed was a pretty white and blue spirit that carefully and graciously brought Link back to the spring where it dropped him off before draping itself back around the ice. It stared down at Link, as if expectant of something.

“Welcome back!” Wolf told him, also in awe of Naydra’s true form.

The voice from the statue spoke again and Link frowned. “Thanks… But it looks like I’m not quite done yet.” He quickly snapped a picture of the dragon before bringing out his bow again in order to shoot an arrow into the tip of Naydra’s nose. The dragon fidgeted and the spot where it was shot sparkled and shimmered. Naydra began to fly on up into the sky and the sparkle fell behind it, leaving only a large scale at Link’s feet. “I’m supposed to offer this to the Goddess.” The younger boy explained as he picked it up.

He tossed the scale into the water of the spring and the statue’s glowing slowly came to an end. A doorway behind the statue lifted, revealing a shrine. Wolf let out a short whistle before following his companion into the little cave.

“I guess I’ll wait here for you to come back out.” He stated.

“I don’t think it’ll take long.” Link told him. “We should go back to Hateno after this. It’s getting late.”

With that Link stepped into the shrine. Sure enough, only a chest and the old monk awaited him. The chest had a frost spear in it. Normally Link wouldn’t have picked it up because he already had an ice weapon, but he had broken and damaged a few things fighting the lynel and the hinox, so he took it anyway. He got the spirit orb and went back outside.

Before they went anywhere else, Link took a peek at the pictures that Zelda had taken on the Sheikah Slate. One of them depicted a large, moss-covered Goddess statue. Curiously, Link stood a distance from the one outside and checked the surroundings. It felt…strange. The location wasn’t correct, as a simple look indicated, but there were a lot of similarities. He and Wolf concluded that the picture might have been taken at a different spring. Such as the ones that Urbosa had mentioned in Link’s memory.

Then together, the two of them returned the Hateno Village. Bolson and his one remaining worker were in the middle of crossing the bridge back towards their model homes when they went to check up on their progress. Bolson informed them that they had finished and installed the door and the bed. Said it was pretty flawless work, if he were to say so himself. Eager to see the improvements and to rest up, the two boys hurried on over to the house.

Even with only the light of the moon, they could tell the door was just about perfect. Link let them inside and, seeing that the bed was not downstairs, they went up to the loft. It was only a single, which Link almost had to wonder if it was meant as a joke, but Wolf didn’t seem bothered.

“Not like we haven’t shared a bed before.” He stated, sitting down on the edge of it. “And with the door there’s plenty of privacy.” He flashed Link a little smirk.

Despite the warmth that Link felt in his cheeks he sat down beside Wolf and they kissed. Although not intending on actually doing anything that night, they still shed their wet and cold clothes from traipsing around in the snow and huddled up under the blanket together. While they warmed up some, Link’s thoughts began to wander and he sighed.

“You know, helping Naydra and finding a shrine was great and all but… I was kind of hoping to find more up there.” He admitted. “Zelda wanted to go there so badly, it seemed. But I still don’t even know why, exactly. I thought maybe if I visited that place I’d find something related to her instead of myself.”

For a long while Wolf didn’t know what to say. He stroked Link’s back gently as he struggled to think of something. In the end, all he could come up with was to mutter, “Let’s just focus on finding the sword for now, then.” Which wasn’t entirely helpful, but Link nodded and snuggled closer to him nonetheless.

*****

Taking a look at the map the following day helped them figure out about where they should be headed for. The region furthest northeast was probably Akkala, as they’d figured out earlier. The one just to the west of that was likely the volcano. So the next one over was where they wanted to head in order to find the forest. They warped on over to the shrine nearest the road going into Zora’s Domain and set out heading west along the road on foot.

It was a fairly uneventful walk at first, aside from a strange line of bright-eyed crabs on the sands by the river which Link caught every last one of. They could see a shrine out on a little island in the water, which the road passed very close to at one point. They swam across and killed a couple of lizalfos that were stalking the island. The real problem came from the sharp thorns that surrounded the mound on which the shrine sat. There was a green pillar on the far side of the river that Link thought might help him, so he swam on over and climbed on up it. The chest at its top contained ice arrows, which gave him an idea if his current one didn’t work.

Which it didn’t.

The pillar just didn’t have the height needed for him to safely reach the shrine and he just barely avoided landing on the thorns. So instead he declared that there was an obvious solution here and whipped out a fire arrow. The thorns went up in flames, much to Wolf’s amazement. Link whooped with joy as he watched a nice little path open up for him between the spreading embers.

“Another victory for pyromania!” he shouted before charging up the slope and activating the shrine.

The first thing that Link noticed was a laser above the main floor of the room. Taking a look around confirmed that there was a switch to be activated by it. There was also a large wheel off to the left that presumably moved the laser around and around. The floor down below had a few inches of water, and on a ledge just to the right was a chest with an opal.

Link gave the wheel a try. A quick nudge did more than move the laser a little. The thing went a full rotation around the room! The switch caused the water to rise, allowing him to swim across to the other side of the room. There he found a metal barrel and a gate blocking the way to the exit. In a little pool was a floor switch. Okay, easy enough. Link lifted the barrel with magnesis and carefully positioned it right on top of the switch and released it. But…the barrel floated?! Well that seemed like a load of nonsense! Ooookay, so he was going to have to time this…

He used cryonis to create a place for him to stand and shoot the switch from. It took him several attempt to get the timing right, which meant he had to keep running back to the start and pushing the wheel to move the laser to raise the water and then make a block of ice and swim over to it again whenever he failed. But eventually he was able to shoot the switch and immediately glide off the ice before it broke and landed safely on the ledge. Then all he had to do was go through the opened gate since the barrel was already on the switch.

But then he stopped dead in his tracks. There was another chest in there. And it required the water to be risen. Oh for the love of…! Link cursed in frustration and went back out to the main room again. He once more raised the water level, but this time he made an ice block near the switch. He climbed onto it and tossed a bomb down beside the thing. Then he repeated the steps required to get over to the exit, which took him a few more attempts than he would’ve liked.

Finally he was able to get to the exit and set off the bomb he had left behind. The water raised and he plopped another ice block on top of it so that he could open the chest. All of his efforts rewarded him…a giant boomerang! Link felt his eye twitch as he pointedly closed the chest again. He dropped down from its ledge and collected the spirit orb.

Back outside, he found that the thorns had regrown. Wolf told him that it was quite a sight to see, the way they had crept back up from the ground the instant that Link had gone inside. The younger boy had to breathe a short laugh. Was the shrine trying to apologize for being annoying by giving him a reason to burn things again? Well that was nice of it, but Link wasn’t exactly in any mood to enjoy the flames as he waited for his path to be clear again.

“You okay?” Wolf asked him as they began to swim back across the river.

“Yeah just… Yeah. I don’t like that shrine.”

Seeing as Link said nothing more about it, Wolf didn’t bother him for details. They got back onto the road and kept on walking. A couple of minutes later, Link drew a deep breath and sighed heavily.

“Hey, tell me a story!” he said, voice a little more chipper than earlier.

“A story?”

“Yeah! You know, more about the things you’ve done! I know you’ve got more of those.”

The older boy hummed in thought as he went over what he’d already told Link about. It struck him that he’d never said anything about the first dungeon he had explored in the forest near his home. So he settled on that. It didn’t take long for Link to come out of his pouty funk and to listen intently and with curiosity shining in his eyes like they always did when Wolf talked about the thing’s he had done.

The whole thing had taken place inside of the largest tree in the woods. The monkeys that lived there had been trapped, and so Wolf had to go throughout the place and release them all one by one. They helped him across gaps by hanging from ropes and swinging him across.

“Strong monkeys…” Link commented.

Wolf had to agree. He told him about the plant monsters he came across and their various forms. Including the biggest one that had eaten a key he needed in order to progress. He said that bomblings, weird little living bomb monsters, came in very handy throughout that dungeon. He also had to fight the boss of the monkeys, or at least he assumed it was their boss, who was an even bigger monkey that wielded a boomerang that made gusts of wind as it fly. He had to knock the boss from the stone pillars it stood upon before he could attack it. When he did enough damage to it, a strange bug on its head fell off and it went back to normal. Wolf was allowed to take the boomerang and use it throughout his quest. In the dungeon it mostly helped him turn propellers to get him to the rest of the monkeys, who formed one big long monkey chain for him to swing with which got him to the boss’s room.

The boss itself was another plant creature. He had to use the boomerang to carry bomblings into its head so that it would fall to where he could attack it. After a while, it destroyed the bomblings near him, but thankfully the boss monkey came along and provided him with those. His reward for doing all of that? A Fused Shadow, which was one of the Twili artifacts that Midna had been looking for originally.

Thankfully for both boys, Wolf’s story came to its end just as a Yiga blademaster decided to attack them without warning. After a couple of curses and some fuss, the two of them brought him down and he ran off again. Link groaned as he picked up the windcleaver the guy had been wielding, as well as the bananas and amber that he left behind.

“Great! Looks like they’re gonna be more aggressive about coming after me now!”

“I guess they don’t appreciate that you took out their leader.”

“Probably.” Link sighed. “Well come on. The sensor’s been chirping for a bit and I think I see a stable up ahead.”

Sure enough, they found what was called the Woodland Stable. The shrine for it was tucked not too far away from it over by a small lake. Link said he was going to go and tackle it, so Wolf decided to chat up the locals in hopes of finding more for the two of them to do.

The shrine was very different from the last one. First off, Link had to go down a long drop (that was aided by an elevator). There was a railing preventing him from accessing most of the room, which was covered in water but had a ramp and a divot for an orb to go into. The orb itself sat neatly in front of the railing and beside it was a chest with a sledgehammer. There was also a switch to have another orb dropped should Link need it. It took some trial and error, but Link eventually found that exactly five hits to the stasised orb with a hammer was enough to get it where it needed to be. Aiming also took a bit of work, but he managed it well enough. He decided to switch out his sledgehammer for the new one in the chest before moving on.

The way that opened for him had a stone block that had to be knocked into a couple of times with stasis activated so that it would hit a stone slab and drop it so that it formed a ramp for him. The exit sat right there in the next room, completely open and free for him to go to…but a path just off to the left caught Link’s eye. He followed it around behind the exit and found another large room similar to the first. There was another chest with another sledgehammer and yet another chest behind a gate. The goal for the orb was a bit further away and there were strange blocky pillars obstructing part of the path. Once again, through trial and error, Link found that five hits with the hammer and then a strike with a one-handed weapon did the trick! The chest behind the gate had a giant ancient core. Link had no idea if that was a good reward, but he assumed that it was. He again switched his hammer for the newer one and returned to the exit.

Despite the late hour, Wolf did indeed have something for Link to do when he got back to the stable. There was a young boy who talked of an old story about a land in the sky. He was quite obsessed with it, and as such wanted to see something fly. He asked Link if he could make one of the barrels he was standing nearby float away with some balloons. Link could do that! He inflated and attached a couple of octo balloons to one and it rose into the air just above his head. The boy was thrilled and gave Link what he called a “treasure from the sky”. It was star fragment. Link had never seen one, so he assumed it was very rare. He thanked the kid and then went to show Wolf, who was equally impressed with the strange object.

The next thing of interest was that Pikango was resting up at the stable. The two boys found him and said hello. The old man took one look at them and, after greeting them of course, remarked that they looked even happier together than the last time he had seen them. Neither boy wanted to consider if that was because they had had sex, but they both thought of it anyway. Not that they said a word about that to him. He took another look at Link’s picture album and was once again able to identify the location of one. In fact, he identified where the first one had been taken. It was from a place just south of Hyrule Castle, from an old stage that used to be where knighting ceremonies were performed. They of course thanked him, but after some discussion came to the conclusion that they would not be going over there any time soon. If only because of the guardians that supposedly inhabited Central Hyrule. Still, Link made a quick note of this.

And lastly there was a dog at the stable. Giving it some attention and food made it lead them across and down the road a short ways. A treasure chest was buried at the base of a tree. Link pulled it up out of the ground and was rewarded ten ice arrows for his kindness to the doggy. There were also a couple of hearty radishes nearby, which Link snatched up.

With all of that out of the way, the two boys returned to Hateno for the night. They managed to catch the boy who wanted to see different weapons just as he was starting to head home. He was thrilled to see the windcleaver that the Yiga blademaster had been so kind as to drop after attacking them, and he rewarded Link with a silver rupee. He then asked to see an ancient battle axe+, which was of course something Link didn’t have on hand at the moment but had a general idea of how to get. With that out of the way, the two once more retreated to Link’s newly bought house. As they fumbled their way up and into bed, Wolf remarked that the place could do with some lights.

So of course, in the morning just before they went back to the stable, Link waited for Bolson to be up and about and paid him to put in lighting. It cost him another hundred rupees, which of course Link could cover thanks to the kid.

At the stable, Link had both Speckle Butt and Ilia brought out to him. Both boys gave their respective mounts a bit of attention before climbing onto them and making their way down the road once again. There was a fork immediately after the stable, but the tower that could be seen on top of the hill lead them off to the right, and then over to the left at the next fork.

The climb didn’t take very long at trot, but it gave them plenty of time to take in the dilapidated wooden ruins that littered a pool of brown malice. The place was crawling with monsters, even the area at the top where the tower poked out from. They dismounted in order to get an idea of how to get across. Link ended up deciding to go at it alone since he was better about maneuvering awkward terrain than Wolf generally was. The older boy hung back to keep an eye on the horses.

Between his glider and cryonis freezing parts of the malice, Link was able to navigate his way over to the tower fairly easily. A fire wizzrobe had been prancing about near the base, but Link took it out with one of the ice arrows he’d come into possession of recently. As the younger boy began his climb, he couldn’t help but notice what appeared to be a broken skull camp thing half-sunken into the murk. At the top of the tower he found the other half clinging awkwardly onto the spire above him. It made him chuckle.

When the map was filled in for him, Link of course spotted what looked like the forest that he and Wolf had been after just at the end of the road they had been on. It wasn’t all that far away either! With excitement he glided back down to his companion and showed this off. They quickly got back onto their horses and charged on ahead, eager to get to the entrance!

Chapter Text

A thick mist covered the sprawling forest that lay ahead of them, and it only got thicker the further in that they rode. It wasn’t long before it blocked out the sun such that it was impossible to tell the time of day. The two came upon a small set of ruins, an archway greeting them as they approached. It was only a hunch, but Wolf suggested that they leave their horses behind. Trusting his intuition, Link followed suit and dismounted with him. They passed through the arch to find a lit standing torch. A quick look around revealed that there were more nearby, seeming to form a path for them to follow. And so follow they did.

The eerie silence of the forest and the cool mist caused Link to shiver. He looked to Wolf and inquired if he had ever been to a place like it before. The older boy gave it some thought before answering.

“There was a part of the forest near my home that had always been enshrouded in mist, although not quite as heavy as this. After a while that mist turned poisonous, though a bright enough light or fire was enough to disperse it for a short time.”

This intrigued Link, but he didn’t have anything to say in response. They reached what appeared to be the last of the lit torches. Two of them stood beside each other, and a little carry-able torch sat propped against one. Despite it probably being useful, Link’s inventory was full and he didn’t want to drop anything in order to pick it up. So instead Wolf snatched it up and lit it for him. The two stood around for a bit, looking about and trying to figure out where they were supposed to go from there. That’s when Link’s eyes spotted little embers being blown from the torches by a subtle breeze, and he remembered what Wolf had said about light and fire being used to get through the mist in his world.

“I’m getting the feeling we should follow the wind.” He stated.

Having no better idea of what to do, Wolf held the torch out and the pair began to follow the direction the embers blew. Strangely enough, but also seemingly confirming Link’s suspicions, the wind began to blow a different direction after several feet. They turned and followed it again, doing so one more time before Link’s sensor started to pick up on a shrine. That surely meant that they were getting close to whatever their destination might be.

Their walk brought them to a path between two cliffs, and the sensor seemed to be leading them through it. The wind stopped guiding them as they slipped into the path, and so Wolf put the torch out and tucked it into his own inventory for the time being. A part of him found himself missing his lantern, which was strange since he so rarely ever used it.

As they passed through a hollow fallen log, the mist began to lift and sunlight was able to filter in through the trees, steadily giving the forest a green glow. More intriguing than that, however, were the dozens of curious koroks that peered at them from all over the forest surrounding them. They would scurry away as Link and Wolf got closer, but it was more than enough to make the two of them certain that they had made it to somewhere very special.

They stepped into what appeared to be a large clearing with only one absolutely gigantic tree growing in it. But both of them were too distracted to really notice said tree at all. Wolf’s eyes lit up with recognition as they both spotted a sword embedded in a stone pedestal. Before Link could take more than a second’s glance at it Wolf hurried forward, causing Link to run in order to catch up to him. The older boy came to a stop in front of the weapon and reached his hand out as if to grab it by the hilt, but stopped just short of actually touching it.

Link caught up to him and looked down at the blade and Wolf’s hand that was hovering barely an inch from it. “What’s wrong?”

Wolf shook his head and slowly pulled his hand away from the sword. “This sword… It’s mine. But… This one isn’t mine.” He replied softly.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I left my sword buried in Ganondorf’s head. This sword is just like it. But it isn’t meant for me.” The older boy stepped to the side and shot Link a little smile. “This one is for you. This is, without a doubt, the Master Sword that everyone’s been talking about.”

The way Wolf spoke of having killed Ganondorf would have been a little more jarring had it not been for the way in which he so confidently named the weapon right in front of them. A thrill ran through Link instead at the knowledge that the sword they had been hoping to find was indeed right there. Just waiting for him. Excited and filled with anticipation, Link stepped up to the blade and grasped the hilt firmly.

A flood of memories overtook him, all of them of Zelda. It was all jumbled up, though, and all he could distinctly make out were whispers of the princess telling him that the fate of Hyrule rested with him. He found himself stumbling back from the sword and into the ever-strong and supportive arms of Wolf. No sooner had his random memories settled down than a low yawn caught both boys’ attention. Their gazes drifted up and up, and then up some more until they finally landed on the tree, which upon closer inspection appeared to have a face…and that face was moving!

“Who is that…? Did I doze off again?” the tree spoke.

Despite being startled, Link put his weight back on his own two feet and the two boys stared up at the tree curiously.

“Hrm? Well, well…it’s you. You finally decided to return. Better late than never. After a hundred years, I’d nearly given up hope on seeing you again. Even my patience has limits, you know…”

As the tree spoke, several curious koroks began to poke their heads out to get a look at what was going on. Despite himself, Wolf found himself becoming distracted with the many pairs of eyes that were once again falling upon them and he shifted around to try and get a look at them all.

“That look on your face tells me that you have no recollection of me, however.” The tree continued. Link could tell that Wolf was looking about and even caught some movement in the corners of his eyes, but he kept his eyes steadily on the tree that was addressing him. “I have watched over Hyrule since time immemorial. Many have referred to me over the ages as the Deku Tree. That is the weapon created by the ancient Goddess. The sword that seals the darkness—that only the chosen knight can wield against the Calamity Ganon. Believe it or not…it was actually you who wielded that sword one hundred years ago.”

“Well, that confirms my suspicions about Link’s upbringing.” Wolf thought to himself as he watched the koroks come closer and closer to them. “There’s no way he isn’t a knight.”

“But I must warn you to take extreme caution. The sword stands as a test to anyone who would dare attempt to possess it. As you are now, I cannot say whether you are worthy or not…” Behind them, Wolf noticed a couple of koroks approach a stick embedded in the ground. The tree continued to speak, “If you sought to free the sword in any sort of weakened state, you would surely lose your life where you stand.” One of the koroks grabbed the stick and mimed trying to pull it out before dramatically putting a hand to its chest and falling over as if it had died. The other one appeared to wail in agony over the loss of its friend. The tree gave a hearty laugh before saying, “Best of luck, young one…”

With that part of the exchange finished, the koroks that had gathered dispersed to go and be where ever it was that they hid in the forest. Wolf was again able to turn his attention back to his companion and the Deku Tree.

“If you hope to pull the sword from its resting place, you must use your true strength. Let us see whether or not you currently possess said power.” The tree instructed.

Taking the hint, Link cautiously gripped the sword’s hilt once more. He didn’t feel the familiar rush of memory that had overcome him just earlier. So he wrapped his other hand around the hilt to get a firm grasp and began to pull. Almost instantly he felt a sharp pain in his chest, one that only got worse and began to spread throughout his body as he continued to pull. He grit his teeth to focus against the pain and kept at it. He had been horribly injured before, but never in his memories since waking had he ever felt something hurt so much! He began to feel woozy…

Just as he began to think he might be getting somewhere in removing the Master Sword from its pedestal, the Deku Tree spoke again.

“Enough.”

It wasn’t even shouted, yet it caused Link to lose his focus and to stumble away from the blade. Bizarrely, he felt completely refreshed upon releasing the weapon. As if he hadn’t been hurting at all.

“You would have lost your life if you hadn’t released your grip on the sword… Prepare before you try again…for I will not stay your hand partway through the next time.”

Link gazed down at his hands for moment. His eyes flickered up to the sword again before sweeping on up to the Deku Tree. He gave it a firm nod before turning to Wolf in order to fill him in on what he had just felt. The older boy hummed with interest and his eyes slid to the blade in question.

“That’s odd. The Master Sword accepted me easily. There was no trial of any sort.” He looked back to Link. “How many hearts do you have again?”

“Eleven.” Link answered him easily.

“That’s quite a few. More than half of what I’ve got, anyway.”

“Yeah, I know. Makes me wonder just how many more I’ll need before I can pull this thing free.”

“Think you’ll be able to just know?”

Link gave a shrug. “Maybe? We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?”

Wolf gave a few nods as his eyes fell to the sword once more. “Before that, then, there’s something I need to try.” He reached out for the blade, stopping himself only to turn the back of his hand to the hilt instead of making to grab it. The moment his fingers brushed against it a bright, glimmering light shined from the blade and Wolf’s form shifted from the half-turned state he had been stuck with for so long.

The older boy blinked to focus as the light died down to nothing. He gazed at his hands, free of fur and claws and missing the iron shackle and instead clad in his familiar gauntlets. He clenched his hands into fists and a huge smile overtook his face before he let out a whoop of joy. Link stared at him, slack jawed and eyes raking up and down the entirety of his companion’s form. Wolf flashed him a grin.

“Well, whaddya think?” he asked. For a moment Link said nothing, only stared. Wolf couldn’t help but recall when he had done the very same upon first seeing Midna as she really was, and for the briefest of seconds he wanted to parrot the words she had spoken to him at that time.

Link spoke first. “We really do look uncannily similar! This is crazy!” he shouted. “Dang, we really could pass for brothers like this.”

Wolf laughed at his reaction. “I told you so.”

“I’m glad we aren’t though. Because wow! You are way hotter than me!”

Wolf felt his cheeks color at that. “Oh yeah? I happen to think you’re much cuter than I am.” Thankfully that made Link blush too, if only a tiny bit. The older boy turned his attention back to the sword and his smile fell. “Even though I’m like this now, I don’t think I’ll be able to return to normal if I become a wolf again. Not without the sword.” He said with a sigh. “I probably shouldn’t get used to being like this.”

“Well that’s a shame.” Link stated simply. Wolf shot him a puzzled look over how casual he seemed about it. Link put a hand on his shoulder and quickly pressed a kiss to his lips and purred, “You are really handsome like this.”

Despite feeling bummed out about the reality of his transformation, Wolf couldn’t help but playfully bite at Link’s retreating lips. “Then you should hurry up and get stronger so that you can pull the sword out and use it to change me back all the time.” He growled lowly.

Link snickered. “Well when you put it like that…” he took a step back and tapped the Sheikah Slate at his hip. “I guess we should find the shrine then, huh?”

The sensor indicated that they should go around to the right of the tree. A familiar face came into view as they made their way around the huge, twisty roots. Hestu cried out happily and greeted them both. He said that he was impressed that they found their way through the Lost Woods. After which he of course said that he had made it back home safely, as they could see, and if Link wanted to upgrade his stashes he could always come visit him there from now on. Since they were already talking, Link forked over the many korok seeds he’d collected, an in turn Hestu upgraded all three of his stashes five times each! In total, the giant korok had now upgraded his weapon stash eight times, and his bow and shield stashes seven times.

Happy with all of the brand new space in his inventory, Link took the torch that Wolf had picked up from him and the two of them continued around the tree to find the shrine. With it located, Wolf announced that he was going to look around some more and wandered off. Link stepped into the shrine, hoping it wouldn’t take too long.

It was honestly one of the quickest puzzles he had ever had to figure out. On either side of the room were ten divots set in front of five sets of torches and a pair of constellations, along with two orbs. The stone slab in the middle of the room read “Look to the stars for guidance. The constellations are the key.” Link noticed that the far wall across the room had several constellations printed on it. He figured that he was supposed to count out how many of each there were and to place an orb in front of the correct number of torches for each one. He did so, and the gate opened right up.

The exit sat right in front of him, so Link glanced around to see where there might be a hidden treasure chest. He found that the wall to one side of the gate had another set of constellations. Seeing no other orbs or places to put them, he counted up the new set of stars and went back into the first room and moved the orbs that were there. It worked like a charm and the gate below the second set of stars lifted. The chest had a two-handed sword in it, which wasn’t anything particularly special, but Link took it anyway because he had the room for it. He then approached the monk in order to receive the spirit orb and to leave.

Link caught up with Wolf out front of the Deku Tree again. The older boy had taken a quick, cursory sweep of the area and had spoken to a few of the braver koroks that were about. However, none of them were interested in talking to him, as they only wanted to talk to “Mr. Hero”. So Link took it upon himself to go and chat with them.

The first was a rather tall one with a ginkgo leaf on his face and mushrooms growing from his head. He was excited to meet “Mr. Hero” and introduced himself as Chio. He informed Link that there were a set of Korok Trials in the forest that, if he passed, would make him strong enough to pull out the Master Sword…probably! He claimed that as the elder he too had one of those. But first he asked if Link was willing to test his mettle. Link happily claimed that he would do it!

“Ya know, if you keep doing everything everyone asks of you without question, you’re gonna get conned eventually…” Chio muttered. Both Link and Wolf gave each other a look. He wasn’t wrong but also, that was quite the weird thing to say... Either way, Chio went onto say that Link would need to visit all the shrines in the Korok Forest so that he would be considered a grown-up. The first was in the southwest: the Trial of Second Sight. The second was in the northwest: the Lost Pilgrimage. And the third was to the east: the Test of Wood! Link agreed to go and do those before proceeding to look around for more things to do.

A smaller korok was hanging around nearby and was equally as excited to meet Link. He even went as far as to say that Link was much, much cooler looking than he thought he would be! But of course, he wondered if Link was up for the trial he’s prepared for him. Of course Link was! The korok told him that he wanted to see a rod with the power of ice, and that ice wizzrobes loved them. The two boys had definitely seen an ice rod before, but didn’t have one currently. Link scribbled down that and a few notes about Chio’s trials for later and went back to looking around.

The Deku Tree had a hollow spot inside of him that appeared to be a bit of a living space. Outside of it stood another korok who happily greeted Link and told him that if he were to climb up along the root he was standing on then Link would be able to speak to the Deku Tree any time he wished. Inside of the hollow area was a cooking pot, a couple of shops, a Goddess statue, and a bed cutely made of things clearly from the forest. A korok who was standing by the cooking pot happened to want to see a picture of a blupee, which Link figured would be easy enough. Before leaving the hollowed area, Link bought up every regular arrow that the koroks had for sale.

All that appeared to be left was to tackle the three trials that Chio had given Link. Wolf had a feeling he had seen the entrances to them and offered to show Link to them. But Link had other plans first. He followed the root that they had been told about all the way up to just in front of the Deku Tree’s face. Link shielded his eyes from the sun as he gazed up towards the top of the giant tree. Wolf knew exactly what he was thinking before the younger boy even asked for the tree’s permission to climb him. The Deku Tree gave his consent and Link began to scramble up the side of the thing’s face.

Climbing it wasn’t too hard. Between Link’s stamina upgrades, climbing outfit, and the various bits that stuck out being flat enough to stand on, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be able to make it all the way up to the top. What did surprise him, however, was the sound of something penetrating into the thick bark beside him at one spot he had just been standing on. The rattling of a chain accompanied it, and Link looked down to find Wolf being hauled up to the spot by some strange device on his hand.

“Woah! Are those the clawshot things you talked about before?!” he shouted, eyes wide as he took in the sight of them.

Wolf smirked up at him. “That they are! While I was looking around I realized I had all of my stuff on me again. Thought I’d have a little fun while I still could.”

Delighted by this discovery, Link lead the way further up the tree. Wolf followed him up, either by hooking onto a spot where he could stand or by making use of both claws by continuously aiming higher and higher without stopping. At the top was a little flat area overgrown with foliage. A lone korok sat up there, sound asleep on what appeared to be a little throne.

As cute as he was, and as much as neither boy particularly wanted to wake him, the sounds of their walking was enough to disturb the korok. He recognized Link straight away and happy greeted him. He asked if Link wanted to face what he called the “ultimate trial”. Link shrugged and told him “Sure, why not?” The korok explained that he would tell Link some riddles about various objects, and all Link had to do was to bring him the correct one in order to solve them. Sounded easy enough!

And surprisingly, they were. The first riddle, “small, red, round, and sweet! Bring me one of this simple treat!” was about an apple. Link had more than enough of those to last him a lifetime, it seemed. He placed one on the leafy tray that sat in front of the korok’s little throne. The second riddle was, “Kakariko Village’s specialty fruit! Its rock-hard flesh is quite resolute!” While neither Link nor Wolf quite knew if a pumpkin counted as a fruit, the answer was rather clearly a fortified pumpkin. Link had picked up a couple of those, so he was able to solve that one too.

The next riddle was about a sunshroom, which Link had because they had grown so abundantly in the little forest where he and Wolf…uh…that was, where Symin had told him to pick some. The forth one had been about a type of fish called a voltfin trout. Link had a habit of bombing the waters whenever he saw a school of fish, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that he had a single one of those on hand. And lastly, the korok gave a riddle that clearly indicated he wanted to see a hoof. Link only had one kind of hoof on him, and it had belonged to the lynel they had slayed at the base of Mt. Lanayru. The korok was thrilled that Link had managed to solve all of his riddles and rewarded him with a diamond! Not bad, considering the two boys hadn’t really needed to go out of their way to get it.

Getting down the tree was not quite as easy as scaling it had been. At least, not for Wolf. Link was able to glide down to safety just fine as he had done so many times before. Wolf studied the surface of the Deku Tree, wondering if he would be able to get down without transforming. Although the Master Sword was right there, readily available for him to touch and turn back, he didn’t want to turn back into a wolf if he could help it. Instead he began to carefully slide down the side of the tree. It took him a bit of effort, but he came to land on the forest floor completely unharmed. He breathed a little sigh, impressed that his method had actually worked.

“Are you sure you’re not a cat?” Link asked him

The corners of Wolf’s lips quirked up. “Wouldn’t I be a lion?”

“Nope, I am not going to feed into that delusion. Just like the one where you think you’re a wolf!” Wolf rolled his eyes, his smile never falling. Link wrapped his arms around him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “So where’re these three trials that tall korok mentioned?”

Wolf led him to the southwest. The path led them through a few hollow logs that took them back into the dark mists of the outer forest. A lone korok stood on top of a rock and he called out to the pair. He briefly wondered if Hylians were even allowed to attempt the Korok Trial, but promptly exclaimed “Who care!” on that matter. He explained that all Link needed to do was to keep going and not get lost in the mist. At the look Link gave him, he said that he had a cryptic little hint for him, too.

“The hungry tree will show you the way. Spy their iron to win the day.” He recited.

That was explanation enough for Link. He motioned for Wolf to follow him into the mist and activated magnesis. Wolf had a feeling that he was going to do that, and so he waited patiently for Link to get his bearings using the “second sight” that only he had. The younger boy could clearly make out the shapes of metal rocks lodged in the “mouths” of certain trees, and so he followed the path that they created.

At the end they spotted a short mound with a rusty shield embedded on the top of it. Three stalkoblins burst from the ground, and for once Link felt like they should be defeated. He and Wolf made quick work of them before Link scrambled up to where the shield was. While he inspected it curiously, Wolf meandered over to a stone tablet that was sitting in front of a tree with an empty mouth and inspected it.

“Bring that over here!” he called back to his companion.

Obediently, Link picked up the rusty item and carried it over to where Wolf was. It only took him a second to spot why he had to bring it, as the tablet read “Feed me the aged shield guarded by monsters eternal. My brother will repay you in kind.” He dropped the shield into the thing’s mouth and they heard a dull thump from somewhere behind it. A treasure chest had fallen into the mouth of yet another tree. Link kicked it open and found an amber inside. No sooner had he done this than two standing torches across the small lake nearby lit up beside another empty tree and tablet.

“Could you swim over there and tell me what that says? I want to know if I need to do something with this chest.”

Wolf nodded and dove into the water. It was a short swim, and so Wolf didn’t have to raise his voice too much for Link to hear him after he read what the tablet had to say.

“Bring it over!”

Link nodded and used magnesis on the chest. He couldn’t quite hoist it all the way across the lake, so he dropped it into the water instead. He then swam across to join Wolf and fished the chest on out from the depths. As he lifted it into the tree’s mouth, he had to snicker at what was printed on the tablet.

“Please place my chest in my mouth.” And in smaller print it also read, “The shield eater’s brother stole it from me.”

“Cute.” Link remaked.

No sooner had he dropped the chest into the mouth of its rightful owner than the ground began to shake in the familiar way that meant a shrine was rising up nearby. It was yet again across the water of the lake, so the two swam on over to it. Seeing as they had just done a bit of a puzzle to reveal it, they assumed it would only take Link a moment to go into and be out of. And they assumed correctly! There was a single treasure chest waiting for Link and from it he obtained a giant ancient core. After that he received the spirit orb from the monk and promptly left.

Again, Wolf was hesitant to turn back into a beast so that they could easily teleport back to the main part of the forest. Understanding, Link led their way back on foot with his magnesis vision again. Wolf then led him a bit to the north where the entrance to the second of the trials, the Lost Pilgrimage, was located. Once again they followed a path out into the mist. This time they were met with two koroks hanging about the end of the trail. One of them quietly called them over, almost as if not to alert the other.

The first korok asked them if they were there to take the Korok Trial. Link nodded, and the korok seemed delighted by this. He asked if they could do him a favor and explained that his little Oaki had just set off to take it, too. He wanted to go along, but Oaki insisted on going by himself. The korok asked them follow Oaki without being seen; he was just so worried! The pair agreed to this.

Not being one for stealth, Wolf hung back a few feet while Link took the lead in following the young korok. Almost immediately they both found a problem with trying to follow him. He was so small, and the grass in the area was pretty tall, so he easily got lost in it. The thick mist also didn’t help as it obscured their vision some. On a whim Link brought out his slate again and activated the magnesis rune. With his vision painted in a pinkish tone he was able to spot the ripples in the grass much easier.

Progress was slow going. Oaki couldn’t walk very fast on his short little legs, and on top of that the young korok kept getting distracted or startled. This led to several moments of Link and Wolf simply hiding behind a tree and waiting for the little guy to get moving again. The worst of it happened just after he had gone through a hollow log. Link had barely stepped out of it when the little korok shrieked in terror and bolted back towards the log. Link hurriedly shoved Wolf back into the log in order for them both to hide in time. Oaki stopped just short of the log’s opening and cowered there for a few seconds before realizing that nothing was after him. A moment later and he giggled that it had just been a shadow! The two boys breathed silent sighs of relief before following him again.

But the korok’s journey wasn’t quite smooth sailing the rest of the way just yet. It wasn’t long before a wolf in the forest made its presence known and moved in to attack Oaki. Behind him, Link heard Wolf mutter a sharp curse before his familiar bark accompanied his large bestial form lunging forward. One wolf fighting another was nothing too special, so Wolf attacking and killing the other before darting off did nothing to sway Oaki from thinking that he was still alone. Silently Link thanked his companion for taking care of the thing, picked up the meat from the other wolf, and continued to follow the korok.

Wolf circled back around and rejoined Link just as Oaki made one final turn and a shrine came into view. Link thanked him when he went back to his half-form, and Wolf breathed a little sigh at the sight of fur covering his body again. The korok had begun to celebrate reaching his goal, and so the two gave him a minute or so before approaching.

“Yay! I made it! I finished the trial!” Oaki cheered. He then noticed that he wasn’t alone and jumped before turning to see who or what it was. “Wha? Who’s there?” He recognized Link and immediately brightened up. “Hey! Are you that hero guy? You know—Mr. Hero?” Link gave him a nod. “Guess what, Mr. Hero! I did the trial all by myself! Aren’t I brave? Oh, yeah! You’re probably here for the shrine. The Great Deku Tree said that the monk’s blessing is waiting in the shrine ahead! Why don’t you go take a look?”

Link went on ahead to get the spirit orb from the shrine after that. Oaki stared at Wolf curiously for a few seconds and mumbled that he looked familiar for some reason. But then shouted, “Oh well!” and announced that he was going back by himself.

The chest inside of the shrine had a normal ancient core for Link, and he began to wonder if the third trial would have something similar. When he arrived back outside he offered Wolf a smile and reached up to pet his head.

“NO really, thanks for transforming like that.” He said. “I know you didn’t want to.”

“Yeah…” Wolf muttered. “I can’t say I’m too happy about being forced back to this form… I just did what I thought would be helpful.”

“Well, consider staying like that for a little bit longer. I want to go find a blupee and an ice rod. And it’s getting kind of late. So you should come with me.”

And really, who was Wolf to argue with that? Why sleep in a forest when Link had a perfectly good house and bed of his own to crash in. The only downside was that Wolf would have to spend more time not as a Hylian. Which, if everything went well, perhaps they wouldn’t have to worry about for too much longer.

The first stop was at Kakariko Village. Their goal was to find a blupee in the little forest surrounding the Great Fairy’s spring. That was easy enough, as one would often show up just within the limits of the area. Link quickly snapped a picture of it and then he and Wolf took a moment to brainstorm where they might be able to get an ice rod. They remembered that they had seen an ice wizzrobe near the Lanayru Tower and decided to go on over to it. The wizzrobe had indeed respawned since they had last been there, and again a single fire arrow was more than enough to defeat it. Link snatched up its weapon and both boys went on ahead to make their last stop for the day in Hateno Village.

As they began to head for Link’s house, the younger boy stopped and stared intently down the hill. Wolf turned to see what he was doing and followed his gaze. He was looking in the direction of the strange statue that had stolen one of his heart containers so long ago when they first came to the village. Immediately Wolf understood what it was that Link was contemplating.

“Are you going to trade in your stamina vessels?” he asked.

“I’m thinking about it.” Link admitted. “I’ve got five I could hand over. And I’ve got a funny feeling that would be more than enough. But at the same time I can’t say that the feeling of having something like that taken from me is pleasant. Plus I’m pretty sure it’ll cost me.”

“Well it’s not like you have to decide right now.”

“Yeah…” Link nodded. “C’mon, let’s hit the hay.”

*****

By morning, Link had already made his decision. Before the two of them returned to the Korok Forest, Link made his way down to where the statue sat in order to strike a bargain with it. Tampering with his essence, that is, trading all five of his stamina vessels in exchange for heart containers cost him a total of a hundred rupees. Each step of the process wasn’t exactly pleasant, and Link found himself not at all looking forward to doing it all over again when all was said and done. After all, he felt so weak without his extra stamina even if he was technically hardier. Once his deal was completed, he sat down to have breakfast with Wolf, and then they were both on their way back to the Korok Forest. And their first order of business in the forest was, of course, to attempt pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal yet again.

“I’ve got sixteen hearts now.” Link stated, staring down at the blade with determination. “If I can’t pull this thing out, I’m… I’m not sure when I’ll be able to.”

“You’re very nearly as sturdy as me, so I don’t know either.” Wolf took a step back so as to give Link room before adding quietly, “Good luck.”

The younger boy nodded and once more grasped the hilt of the blade that was supposed to be his. Again, he felt the sharp, searing pain in his chest. As he began to tug at the weapon the pain began to radiate throughout the rest of his body. Link began to feel a tingling in his fingertips and very nearly let go because it was getting to be unbearable. But then, suddenly, the sword slipped. And it started to come out. And then nearly all at once the blade slid completely free from the stone as if it was the most effortless thing Link had ever done, and with it the agony that Link had felt faded away. He stared at the sword for a moment, letting it sink in what he had just done, before he raised it above his head.

Sunlight glinted off the metal, and a memory flickered through Link’s mind. But strangely, it didn’t make him feel faint like any of his previous ones had. Even more strangely, it was absolutely, one hundred percent, not something he should have been able to recall. Zelda was talking to the sword, which laid on the pedestal looking rusted and chipped and completely ruined. The princess, too, looked to be worse for wear. She was battered and bruised, and much of her was muddy as well. Despite this, she calmly told the sword that its master will come for it, and until then it would rest there. Zelda also somehow seemed to know that Link’s sleep in the restoration chamber would deprive him of his memories, and yet she sounded so certain that he would come for the sword.

Suddenly the Deku Tree spoke, pulling the princess from her thoughts. He asked what it was that Zelda was planning on doing next. Zelda answered him by saying that the Master Sword had spoken to her. She stated that her role was unfinished, and there was something she must do. She asked the tree if he would tell Link something when he returned, but the Deku Tree cut her off by saying that words meant for Link would sound much better in her voice. After which Zelda delicately picked up the sword and thrust it into the pedestal where Link had just pulled it from.

As Link blinked away the memory that had overtaken him for all of a second and lowered his sword, the Deku Tree spoke to him again, informing him that what he had just seen had taken place a hundred years ago. The tree told him that after he had been separated from the sword, the princess brought it to the forest where it would be safe under the tree’s watch. He reminded Link that Zelda was still in Hyrule Castle and had faith that he would return. In addition, he explained that the Master Sword would become suffused with holy light when used against Calamity Ganon or those tainted with his malice. At those times, the sword would show its true power. But the Deku Tree cautioned against overusing it, as it would lost its strength and become unusable over time. However if Link were to wait, it would surely restore itself again.

Understanding this, Link turned to his companion, who had been waiting patiently nearby. He approached Wolf and glanced between the Master Sword and his misshapen older counterpart. Before Link could even ask how they were supposed to do this, Wolf went ahead and knelt down in front of him. Feeling a bit silly, Link went ahead and raised the sword so as to touch the tip of its blade to his companion’s shoulder. Just as before the blade shone with a glittering light that forcefully caused Wolf to change and return to his true self.

The older boy rose to his feet again and Link sheathed his new weapon. The two studied each other for a few seconds before Wolf quirked a smile.

“You know, you look good with that sword on your back.”

“And you look good without dog ears.” Link replied with a grin. “Although I think I’m gonna miss scratching behind them and petting you.”

Wolf gave him a little shrug. “I wouldn’t mind if you still did either of those things even though I’m like this now.”

“Aw, but it’s no fun without the tail! You were so cute when you would wag it!”

The no-longer-dog-boy took a step closer to him and put a finger and thumb against his chin, tipping his face up to meet and hold his gaze. “I think I could find another way to make it enjoyable for you…”

Link flushed just a little and met him halfway for a quick kiss. He then backed off a couple of feet and stated that they should finish up their business with the koroks first. Wolf had to agree; they could continue this at a later time, in a more private location.

Their rewards for getting the picture of the blupee and the ice rod were a silver rupee for each task. The extra two hundred, Link noted, was just enough to pay off the cost of having his heart containers and stamina vessels tampered with. All that was left, in theory, was to complete the Test of Wood.

They followed a path to the east that was lit by glowing pea pods that were growing here and there throughout the rest of the forest. The korok at the beginning of the trial informed Link that he would need to equip a set of wooden korok weapons that he had hear him. Link was to then make his way to the shrine without unequipping or breaking the sword, the bow, or the shield. Because of this, Wolf was not allowed to accompany him. Link seemed fine with these terms, especially considering the extra heart containers he currently had.

The first portion of the trial wasn’t a problem at all. There were a few keese and small chuchus that easily fell to the wooden sword. The problem came when he reached a bunch of wooden boxes stacked to be in his way. He blew them apart with a single bomb, and almost immediately regretted it. As soon as he was within the line of sight of the enemies ahead they all began a relentless and annoying attack. Stalkolins standing higher up on rocks wielded bows and fire arrows, while fire keese swooped in to get at him. Link nearly yelped when he realized how vulnerable he now was. Thankfully, he noticed that the fire keese had lit the grass on fire behind them and so he used the updrafts to rise above most of the threats and glided a decent distance ahead.

When he landed he realized that he was still not out of danger despite being away from the keese and stalkoblins. A couple of large fire chuchus sprang up from the ground, and the path ahead of him was a swamp teaming with octoroks. Again, he used the updraft from the burning grass to carry himself over the murky water and enemies. The last stretch before the shrine was another, larger swamp. This time the stalkoblins and their fire arrows were back. Not willing to try shooting them between raising icy pillars to stand on, Link baited them into shooting yet more tall grass near his feet. With that fire, he glided on over to the shrine and to safety.

The korok that had been at the start of the trial announced that he had reached the goal and floated down on a leafy propeller in order to congratulate him. Link breathed a sigh of relief and stepped on into the shrine. He collected another giant ancient core from the chest and picked up a forth spirit orb. After that he went ahead and teleported back to the main part of the woods where Wolf was already waiting by the shrine for him.

They checked in with the elder to report on Link’s trial completion. Chio was more than impressed with him for doing so, going so far as to call him amazing and cool. Link flushed a little at the praise. As a reward, the korok gave him three big hearty truffles and old him that if he were to cook them they would soothe all of his aches and pains and then some! Link made a mental note to try that some time. Before allowing him to go, Chio also said that he was amazed that Link had pulled the sword out even before completing the trials and remarked that he must really be strong. Link thanked him and then stepped on into the shop area again in order to pray at the Goddess statue there for a stamina vessel.

“I’m gonna go back to Hateno again and get four more of those vessels back.” He told Wolf afterward. “After that… Think we should try our luck with that volcano, since we’re nearby?”

“Sounds alright by me. I’ll meet you by the stables south of here.”

Link nodded and they gave each other another quick peck on the lips before Link went on ahead to take care of his business. Wolf breathed a deep sigh and took one last look around the area before transforming and teleporting back to the stable. Once again he was only able to turn back halfway, but it didn’t bother him too much as he knew that Link would be able to restore him easily from now on. He spoke with the person in charge of the stables and had both Ilia and Speckle Butt brought over to him. After that it was only a short wait until Link arrived and met up with him again. The people around the stables were impressed when the light of Link’s sword changed Wolf, but they only remarked that it was impressive how somebody could be cured of such a strange affliction in such an extraordinary way and didn’t inquire as to the details of what was going on. So the two boys mounted Link’s horses and began to head back south and to the east towards Lanayru Tower once more.

“Alright, so, do you have any stories relevant to what we’re doing right now?” Link asked after a few minutes of riding.

Wolf had to laugh at his way of asking for a story. He gave it a moment of thought, thinking about his time on a volcanic mountain. The older boy glanced in the direction of the one they were heading for before deciding what to say about it.

“I’ve got some stories I could tell, yes. But I think I want to save them. I get the feeling they’ll be more relevant when we’re actually climbing that thing.”

Link let out a little whine. “So how are we supposed to entertain ourselves right now?”

“You could tell me about what it was that you remembered back in the forest.”

The younger boy blinked his eyes wide open in surprise. “Oh yeah… The Deku Tree said that I remembered something. That’s how you know about that…”

“Was it something not good?”

Link shook his head. “No, it was good. But it was…weird…” He then explained what had happened, and Wolf understood what Link had meant by “weird” without having to be told.

“That wasn’t your memory.”

Link nodded. “I’ve said it before but… I don’t think these memories are mine. Or at least, not entirely mine. And this one only proves it all the more. Somehow it seems like Zelda’s memories and mine have merged or something. Which is what makes all of this so weird.” He let out a soft laugh. “Although I guess it isn’t the weirdest thing to have happened to me lately.”

There was a brief silence between them. Link looked a little upset and, if Wolf were to have guessed, was thinking about what it could mean that his memories weren’t his. Wolf on the other hand was kind of at a loss for words. He wanted to comfort his companion or cheer him up in some way, but how was one supposed to do that for somebody who barely knew anything about himself and half of the things he did know weren’t even things he knew for himself?

“Hey, you’ve got all of your stuff back now, right?” Link broke the silence quietly.

“Yeah, I do.”

“You should tell me all about everything you have!” he exclaimed with a grin. “I only know about a few things. Surely you’ve got more junk to show off.”

Wolf thought about it for a moment and shrugged. If it would pass the time and since Link was asking about it, he may as well get him acquainted with everything. He started off fairly simply, showing the sword that had been meant for his Zelda that she allowed him to keep after he had given up his Master Sword. It was more familiar in design to him than Urbosa’s sword, but a bit weaker in power. In addition he showed off both his wooden shield emblazoned with the goat horns from his home village and the Hylian shield. The wooden shield wasn’t too terrible in stats, but the both of them were stunned to find that the Hylian shield far outclassed any that Link had ever picked up. And last of the easy-to-explain items was his bow, which wasn’t too bad either. Wolf asked for an arrow to demonstrate its power and Link passed him one. Wolf took aim at nothing off in the distance and fired. The younger boy let out a low whistle, shielding his eyes from the sun as he watched it fly.

“That thing shoots far!” he remarked. “You weren’t kidding about being able to shoot something from across a village!”

“And that’s not even the half of what I can do with this thing…”

This was a perfect segue for Wolf to show off the hawkeye mask and how he could strap bombs to his arrows for some variety. And as if his bombs weren’t fascinatingly different enough from Link’s, he also gave him a peek at the bomblings and water bombs that he had on hand, although he didn’t demonstrate those and only told him about what they were capable of.

From there he showed off the slingshot, fishing rod, and lantern. The first item they both agreed was probably not going to be too useful to them, Wolf argued the effectiveness of the fishing rod verses Link’s bombs only a little, and they both thought that with the lantern Link might not need to carry around a torch as much.

Link was already acquainted with the clawshots, and Wolf promised to tell him about how he had gotten the first one later. He also showed him the gale boomerang, and Link couldn’t help but be wowed at how easy the older boy made it look to wield, as his own track record with boomerangs was pretty bad. The iron boots, spinner, and dominion rod were cool to look at, but they had a feeling none of them would be particularly useful.

Saving the most impressive thing for last, Wolf dismounted Speckle Butt so that he could bring out the ball and chain he had talked about before. He swung it over his head a few times, standing away from the horses and Link so as not to hurt them. He threw it to demonstrate how he had used it to break up ice before yanking on the chain to pull it back to him. The younger boy swallowed thickly at the sight and his cheeks flushed again.

“Okay, that isn’t fair! You still haven’t bench pressed me and now you’re showing that thing off! Stop it!”

Wolf laughed and put the weapon away. “Sorry! I’ll have to find the time to pick you up again here soon, I guess.” He got back onto Speckle Butt and they continued on their walk. “And that’s basically everything I have to show you. Well, aside from my Zora armor and-”

“I am so looking forward to seeing that, not gonna lie.” Link admitted.

“I will gladly show it off when we get a good opportunity. Anyway, the last thing is something called magic armor and it’s…well… It makes me invulnerable.”

“Say what?” the younger boy asked flatly, taken aback completely.

Wolf had to laugh again. “It isn’t free, though! Literally. Every hit I take while wearing it costs rupees. Even just wearing it is taxing on the wallet. Don’t ask me how that works, I am not sure. Probably some kind of magic, as the name implies. Anyway, if I don’t have any rupees to power it, the armor becomes heavy and makes me sluggish and I can take damage again. So I don’t like wearing it too much.”

“But can we add it to the list of things I want to see you wearing some time anyway?”

“Sure. A few minutes to show off shouldn’t cost too much. Not right now though, of course.”

The road forked into the path leading into Zora’s Domain and further to the north. They took the northern road. Around that time it began to rain, and Link couldn’t help but joke that for once Wolf wouldn’t smell like a wet dog because of it! Wolf simply smiled and rolled his eyes.

A deep ravine ran between the road and the mountains leading to the volcano. In the distance they could see the tower poking out among the peeks. The problem was that they weren’t sure if they would even be able to get over to it from where they were riding. The road forked again and Link checked the sign. It indicated for them to take the western branch to reach the “Maw of Death Mountain”. Also interestingly the other road led into Akkala, confirming their suspicions of where that region was located.

It was only a short ride from there until they saw a shrine come into view. It was perched on top of a hill and below it stood a stable. When they arrived the two boys dismounted and Wolf led both horses to be taken in for the night. Meanwhile Link scrambled up the hill in order to get through the shrine.

It was pretty simple, all thing considered. There were lots of stone and metal balls rolling down ramps. The first part of the puzzle involved hitting one of the stone balls with stasis so that Link could safely run up the ramp it was rolling down. From there, he used magnesis to pick up a metal ball so that he could reach the top of its ramp and loot the treasure chest that was there. It held a sword that wasn’t anything special, but Link took it because he had the space for it. After that all he had to go was grab another metal ball and use it as a shield of sorts from the other stone balls in order to make his way up the third and final ramp. The exit was right there, so Link collected his spirit orb and left.

Wolf was waiting for him outside. It was still a bit early, but they decided to settle in for the night right where they were. As they made themselves comfortable on the grass, Wolf’s gaze drifted across the lake. Link followed his line of sight and took in what lay on the other side. There was a partially dilapidated bridge and near it, way up at the top of a ruined fort or something, was Akkala’s tower.

“I feel like I could almost go right over there and get that filled in tomorrow morning.” Link commented. “It seems so close by.”

“You’d have to go back and follow the other road though.” Wolf pointed out. “No way you can swim across the lake and climb those cliffs, even with your stamina back to the way it was.”

“I didn’t say I was going to do it. Just that it almost feels like I could.” The younger boy glanced back towards the volcano they were approaching. “Dang it. Should’ve picked another place to look around. I don’t think there’s going to be any water for you to swim in up there.”

“You want to see my Zora armor that bad?”

Link flashed him a grin. “Well you’ve seen me all dressed up. Fair is fair, I think!”

“We’ll get there. Eventually.” Wolf laughed. “But speaking of other places, what’s after that?”

“What do you mean?”

The older boy nodded at the volcano. It was hard to make out, but a strange thing could be seen crawling around near the mouth of it. If either of them had to guess, they assumed it was the next Divine Beast that Link was going to need to free.

“Hm… After that, there’s only one more. But since we’re nearby, I think we should take a look through Akkala after it. Plus…” Link brought out his map and indicated the regions far to the south. “This whole section doesn’t appear to have much of interest. So naturally, I was thinking it might be interesting to go and check out.”

“Akkala and then the south. And after that?”

Link pointed to the northwest portion of the map. “To wherever this is; where that flying Beast is at.”

All that left was the middle section, where Hyrule Castle stood and where guardians were abound. Wolf didn’t bother to ask about that. Of course they would be going to the castle once the last Divine Beast was back until control. And once Calamity Ganon was defeated, then Wolf’s purpose for being in this different Hyrule would be finished.

And yet…he still had no idea what it was or how it was that he was supposed to be able to see Midna again after Link’s quest was finished.

Chapter Text

When morning dawned, it was obvious what it was that they wanted to do first and foremost after breakfast. They hadn’t had a chance to explore the stable at all, and they had found that the people at them often had interesting things to share or otherwise were familiar faces. For example, Kass had arrived while they were eating and of course began serenading the residents and guests of the place. The two boys dropped by to say hello, which he returned pleasantly. The Rito even made a remark on Wolf’s altered, or perhaps he should say original, form. He didn’t have anything particularly interesting to tell them about, so they excused themselves to speak with others.

A man inside of the large tent was admiring a huge painting of a landscape on the wall. He explained that the owner had painted it and that it was of the stable from a southern direction. Upon closer inspection of the painting, the boy noticed the distinct glow of a shrine on the far side from the stable. It told them how recently the painting had been made, considering the shrines hadn’t been lit up until after Link had woken from his hundred year slumber. The younger boy snapped a picture of the painting for future reference, not wanting to double back along the trail in order to find it just yet.

After that they went to retrieve their horses. While a stable hand went to fetch them, a woman approached the two of them.

“I take it you’re headed to Goron City?”

“Uh…yeah.” Link replied.

“Dressed like that?”

The two boys looked at themselves and each other.

“Yes…?”

“Tourists! Always giving us a bad rep…” the woman muttered. “Listen, beyond the second checkpoint along the trail you’re going to catch fire because of the heat! I sell fireproof elixirs, they’ll protect you. I suggest three per person to anyone heading all the way up.”

“How much are they?”

“Fifty apiece.”

Both boys cringed. Three hundred for six elixirs was a steep asking price, but it sure sounded like a better deal than catching fire. With some sadness, Link handed over the money and the woman bestowed them with three elixirs each. Their transaction ended at just the same time as the other stable hand returned, leading Ilia and Speck with him. Link and Wolf mounted their horses and proceeded on up the trail. It didn’t take them long to reach a sign that read “Death Mountain Marker #1, Climbing Path Trailhead”. Surrounding the area were piping hot springs, signaling that things were indeed going to get very hot very soon.

The two of them rode on, but not for a whole lot longer. As they reached a broken stone arch over the trail they had to come to a screeching halt, not that they were going any faster than a trot. Patrolling the road ahead was a guardian stalker. It hadn’t yet spotted them, but they were going to need to get passed it. What’s more, both of them wanted to get rid of it if they could because it could pose a huge threat to anyone traveling the road. Also the stable wasn’t that far away so it could potentially wander too close and then cause harm to everyone there.

“Wolf, do you trust me?”

The older boy turned his head and eyed Link. “I want to say yes, but that you’re asking has me concerned.” he answered truthfully.

Link flashed him a weary smile, clearly not all that confident in himself or his plan either. “Mipha is ready to assist me and I’ve a few fairies on hand. Stay here. There’s something I want to try. If it doesn’t work, find a way to bail me out and you can yell at me about being reckless later.”

“I don’t like that plan but…okay.”

With a firm nod from Wolf, Link dismounted and drew a deep breath. He pulled out a shield, one of the weaker ones, Wolf noted, and began to walk straight towards the guardian. It was obvious that the younger boy was attempting to feign confidence, and Wolf couldn’t help but draw his spear in preparation for saving him.

The large machine noticed Link within moments and began to glow pink with rage. The younger boy raised his shield in front of him and remained still, waiting as the guardian charged its beam. It fired, and the blast connected, destroying Link’s shield and knocking him down in the process. He scrambled back to his feet, stuffing food into his mouth as he brought out another shield. The second beam also connected, nearly destroying the better shield in Link’s hands. Wolf’s grip on Speck’s reins tightened, absolutely prepared to charge in should the next attack hit him.

But when the guardian fired a third beam, something very different happened. Rather than it striking Link’s shield and destroying it and taking out a chunk of his health, Link swung his shield out at the last second. The beam deflected, flying straight back into the machine’s eye and dealing a huge amount of damage to it. Link clicked his tongue, disappointed that it hadn’t been destroyed entirely like the little ones would have been. But now he knew that it could be done just the same. The next beam got deflected as well, but the thing was still standing. Unfortunately, Link missed the timing on the fifth shot. Mipha was quick to bring him back to his feet, but the guardian had already begun charging again.

Not missing a beat, Wolf kicked Speckle Butt into a run. A quick jab from the Lightscale Trident distracted the guardian enough that it missed its shot. Link rushed forward, a sword in hand, and dealt the finishing blows that way. A leg was removed in the process, something Link didn’t really notice at the time, as he was too focused on the fact that he had just slain one of the even more powerful mechanical monstrosities that had been giving him a horrendous time ever since he had found the one on the Plateau. As the guardian fell apart into little pieces, Link felt his knees buckle and he collapsed onto the ground. A bubble of laughter escaped him, and a second later he was laughing joyously. Wolf slipped off of his horse and came to kneel beside him, throwing his arms around the younger boy as he joined him in laughter. The two of them ended up losing their balance and toppling over onto the ground, Wolf half on top of Link and smothering one side of his face with kisses.

“Oh my Goddess, I actually just did that!” Link shouted breathlessly.

“I have to admit, that was really well done! Even if you scared me half to death. How did you know you could do that?!”

“I did it once by accident against the little guys in the shrines. I thought maybe I could do it to the big ones too. But I didn’t expect them to be able to hold up against more than one of their own blasts, let alone two!” Link’s hand fell upon Wolf’s head. For a brief moment he found it strange to not find ears there to scratch, so instead he buried his fingers in the older boy’s hair and gently ran his nails along the base of his scalp.

Wolf sat up a little, just enough to look down at Link’s face. He was smiling, grinning brightly without fangs to make his appearance just slightly intimidating for once. The younger boy felt his heart skip a beat, suddenly remembering just how handsome Wolf really was. Oblivious to his thoughts, Wolf planted a quick kiss to his lips before climbing off of him and offering a hand to help him get back to his feet. Link took it, and again delighted in how strong Wolf was to be able to pull him up so effortlessly.

Despite the fluttering in Link’s stomach making him want to pull Wolf down and smother him with kisses, the two of them got back on their horses and set off up the trail again. For a little while there wasn’t much besides a few fire chuchus and the occasional bird that thrived in the heat of the mountain. They passed by a few piles of loose rocks, which Link stopped to bomb and then smashed up the ore veins that were contained within. But other than that they didn’t find anything too interesting until they came upon a roadblock of uneven boulders in the trail.

There was a signpost stuck in the ground that told them that this was the second marker. If what the stable hand had said was true, they were going to need the elixirs going forward. What’s more, because of the boulders they were unable to bring the horses any further. So once again they were made to dismount and tackle the road on foot. Sure enough, just as they reached the top of the roadblock they both felt the sweltering heat of the lava flow mere feet away from them. They both downed an elixir and almost immediately felt some relief from the insane temperature.

But their problems didn’t end there. Just ahead of them was yet another guardian stalker. Wolf placed a hand on Link’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. The younger boy in turn squeezed his hand back briefly before stepping forward with one of his remaining shields in hand. The high from having beaten the last one was still fresh, but he wasn’t stupid. Link still didn’t have the timing down pat and he had a feeling that Wolf would need to lend him a hand again. Luckily the older boy was already drawing his own sword and shield, just waiting for the moment he would be needed.

Link manage to deflect the first two blasts perfectly somehow, but the third struck him. In the same moment, Wolf charged in, proceeding to hack off one of the guardian’s legs. The thing stumbled back on the remaining five and finally it clicked that Link had done that to the last one. The time in which the guardian tried to move away from Wolf was more than enough for Link to slip in and slice off a second. Wolf took out a third, and the guardian was clearly not fit for walking any longer. It began to charge another beam, aiming again at Link, but the two boys finished it off before it had a chance to fire.

They remained on their feet that time, although both were feeling the adrenaline rush. Link breathed a deep breath and allowed himself to lean heavily against Wolf for a moment. The older boy wrapped his arm around Link’s waist, giving him a quick squeeze before letting go.

“As cool as it is to be able to take these things down, I really hope there’s not any more.” Link admitted. “I don’t have enough shields to keep fighting them.”

“We’ll have to wait and see. But I’m hoping we’re done with them for now, too.”

The trail led them just beneath the region’s tower, so Link took a moment to climb it. Surprisingly it was an easy climb. The tower painted in the whole of the Eldin region, which was covered in bright red splotches of lava. A few islands in the various pools, such as one that appeared to be shaped like a crab, caught Link’s interest and he knew he was going to have to explore them eventually. Aside from that he drifted back down to where Wolf was waiting for him and they continued their walk.

Link was beginning wonder just how far their elixirs were going to get them. The woman had suggested three each, which probably meant the average traveler could make it to Goron city and maybe even back again. But he and Wolf weren’t average travelers. They were going to need to stay up on the mountain longer than most people. He assumed that the butterflies and lizards that inhabited Death Mountain were going to be the ticket to remaining up there if they didn’t find something besides elixirs to keep them going.

The chime of the Sheikah sensor broke Link out of his thoughts. He decided to take a moment to locate it, finding the shrine’s glow out in the middle of a lava pool. Being essentially on a timer, he chose to merely pin it for later and to keep moving.

They didn’t get far beyond that before a weird octorok that had been hiding beneath an actual rock popped up in the middle of the trail and began to suck in air. On a whim Link hucked a bomb at it and the thing stupidly inhaled it. The moment it swallowed, Link detonated the device which blew the thing apart.

“Well that was fun!” Link laughed, hurrying forward to claim the parts that remained. They were beginning to smoke like they would catch fire at any moment.

Wolf smirked and rolled his eyes. “I suppose I won’t chastise you for using explosives just this one.” He eyed the slightly-singed monster parts that Link picked up and pocketed. “I wonder if you could cook food just by leaving it out in the open here.”

Now curious, Link tossed a couple of apples onto the ground. They began to smoke before catching on fire. The younger boy quickly put them out before picking them up, wiping one off on his shirt, and biting into it.

“Tastes good to me!” he announced, tossing the other to Wolf before they both resumed their hike.

They were coming up on a small cave covered in little puddles of lava. Curiously, though, there was a rock in the middle of it that was glowing with heat. Link slowed up, indicating for Wolf to do the same. When they got closer and into the cave proper, the rock began to tremble and out from the ground climbed a huge molten stone thing. Link clicked his tongue as his eyes quickly assessed the situation.

“I’m not going to be able to climb that when it’s that hot.” He surmised. “Wolf, help me out here.”

Before the older boy could ask what was going on he found Link thrusting a bow and a handful of ice arrows at him. He put two and two together and the pair of them dodged out of the way of one of the monster’s arms as it hurled it in their direction. Wolf took aim and fired at the main body, cooling it down considerably. In the moment he had, Link snapped a picture of the thing before looping around the other arm, which was still piping hot. He reached the smoother backside of the creature where he proceeded to climb up onto it. That was when Wolf noticed the ore vein protruding from the thing’s back. Link perched himself carefully on the ore and withdrew his sledgehammer, beating into it repeatedly.

The creature managed to shake him off after a few hits and then proceeded to reignite its body. As well it quickly turned in order throw out its second arm in Wolf’s direction. The older boy hurried out of the way and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Link had gone ahead and shot the thing with an ice arrow of his own. The monster stopped for a moment before slamming its body onto the ground. Link proceeded to climb up on it again before it was able to get back up. As it stood the thing pulled two brand new arms up from the ground with it and once again its body glowed with heat. Link was forced to jump off long enough for Wolf to shoot it with another arrow. At last Link was able to deliver the last few hits needed to bring it down and the thing crumbled into flint and gemstones.

“What was that?!” Wolf asked as Link regained his breath.

“Igneo talus.” The younger boy replied, tapping his slate at his hip before gathering up the remains. “I’ve fought a similar one before, but it wasn’t on fire like this one.”

For a moment Wolf was silent while Link ran about the cave breaking apart other veins that dotted the area. Somehow, the short battle had reminded him of something and it took him a few seconds to place what it was exactly.

“The Zelda of my world helped me out like this once…” he stated, holding out the bow and remaining arrows for Link to take from him. “When I was fighting Ganondorf. She rode on the back of my horse with me, using my bow to pin him with light arrows. While he was stunned I would get a chance to move in and attack.”

“Really?”

Wolf nodded. “Zelda couldn’t do much to help me beyond that, but I appreciated it at the time. I’d fought enemies on horseback before that, but it wasn’t exactly easy. Her help was very much welcomed.”

Link thought about it a moment before asking, “Do you love her?”

The older boy chuckled. “Nah. We didn’t exactly get to know each other. Even when all was said and done, she had her kingdom to rule as its queen. I got to see her a couple of times after that, what with her insisting that she honor my efforts in some way. But all of our encounters were either out of necessity or were strictly professional.”

“I see…”

There was a pause wherein Link had finished what he was doing. Wolf considered him silently before asking, in just above a whisper, “What about you? You’ve gotten back several of your memories. Did you love your Zelda?”

Link’s eyes fell to the ground and he worried his bottom lip. “I… I really…don’t know. I feel like I haven’t recalled enough about her to even try to make a guess.”

Wolf placed a hand on Link’s shoulder, causing him to look up and meet his eyes. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

The younger boy shook his head. “You’re fine. I would’ve asked me, too.” He nodded towards the wall of the cave keeping them from the rest of the trail. “We should get moving.”

The wall was a short climb for Link, and Wolf just barely managed to leap his way up onto it. Once he was returned to normal they both downed another elixir each and headed for what appeared to be a small mining camp. A handful of Gorons milled about the place, either resting or digging at the rocks around them. In passing, the two of them happened to hear one talking to his co-worker about how he didn’t like being a digger and wondered if there was another job that could make use of his strength.

More interesting, though, was the lone Hylian wearing a strange helmet that was hanging about. When asked, he claimed that he was on his way back from Goron City but wanted to catch some fireproof lizards as souvenirs. He lamented them being too quick for him. He looked Link up and down and noted that Link would probably be better suited to catching them and offered him a piece of heat-resistant armor if he could bring him ten of the things. Having caught a number of other lizards, Link agreed.

While the younger boy slunk around the mining camp catching the small reptiles, Wolf borrowed his sledgehammer and went about breaking open the ore veins that the Gorons were clearly not interested in. It didn’t take either of them very long, and Link even managed to pick up quite a few spares. When he turned them over to the man he was rewarded with a piece of flamebreaker armor. The man informed Link that the helmet he was wearing was too expensive to give away, but it and the pants could be bought in the city.

With that done the two boys took a moment to consider their options. It was quite late now, but the nearest warp point was the tower. They decided to push on through the night, which meant they also went back and forth over who should be the one to wear the armor. Wolf insisted that he take the rest of their elixirs and even claimed that if he were given enough time he might adjust to the temperature. He even went so far as to state that he had been in very hot places before. In the end Link acquiesced and donned the armor. It was the farthest thing from flattering, but it did the job.

Once they were back on the road and out of earshot of the camp, Wolf placed a hand under his chin in contemplation.

“Have you ever sumo wrestled a Goron?”

Link stopped in his tracks, gaping up at his companion with wide eyes. It took Wolf a second to notice that the other wasn’t beside him anymore and turned around, seemingly oblivious to what was wrong.

“…Why is that a thing you have done?!”

Wolf snorted and tried to stifle his laughter as the younger boy looked on in astonishment. “It was the easiest way to get them to trust me!” he declared, still laughing. “The Gorons of my world were very distrusting of Hylians for a while. I wrestled their chief and gained their respect.”

“Okay but really, what haven’t you done?”

“I’ve never fought a talus before today.” Wolf pointed out. “Besides, I can’t say that fighting those Gorons was all that pleasant.” He shuddered. “Be glad the ones of your world don’t have huge rock nipples…”

Even Link cringed at that.

Their conversation was mercifully cut short there. The volcano looming above them began to tremble and spew forth molten chucks of rock. The two boys hurried to take shelter beneath a stone outcropping beside the road. The eruption didn’t last very long, but in that time the both of them took a look around and noticed that the mountainside just up ahead was carved up with the faces of various Gorons. Even from the angle they were viewing it, Link could just barely recognize the one at the top as being the same Goron in his memories. It was the champion, he was certain of it.

He didn’t get to get a very good look at it, though, before a strange cry emanated from near the mouth of the volcano. From their vantage point they were able to get a clear view of a gigantic mechanical lizard stalking the face of Death Mountain. The Divine Beast roared again, its tail swishing behind it as its fiery feet grasped the mountainside and carried it around and out of sight once more.

“We’re nearly there.” Wolf commented.

“Yeah… Come on. The city should have a shrine. Let’s find it, clear it, and then go back to Hateno for some rest.”

The older boy gave no objection to that so the two kept moving. Sure enough, Goron City was not even ten minutes from where they had been hiding out. The place was built atop a pit of lava that carried the sweltering heat throughout the whole of it. Wolf downed the last of his original three potions. They assumed they had enough time to take a quick look inside of a shop to see how expensive the rest of the flamebreaker armor set was. The Hylian had been right though; it was expensive. The helmet alone was two thousand rupees and the boots were nothing to sneeze at either. They decided to wait on purchasing it a while longer.

They found the shrine up on top of a hill overlooking the city, much like they always seemed to. Wolf decided to sit and wait for him, their traveling through the night obviously starting to make him feel tired. Link went on into the shrine.

It was blessedly cool inside, but the puzzles looked like they were going to revolve around fire. The very first room had Link setting fire to a wooden shelf in order gain access to a heavy stone barrel that he could place on a button in order to raise a gate. There was a chest just off to the left that held a stone smasher, which he switched out for his beaten up sledgehammer. There was a water wheel that he couldn’t really do much about, and three small guardians that he destroyed with ease. Another chest in a corner held a ruby. Up a ramp beside the second chest was a locked door and a short set of stairs. At the top was a button that lowered a lit lamp on a metal chain. In front of him was a bunch of dead leaves and a metal ball sitting neatly on a wooden shelf. He swung the lamp with magnesis and the leaves burst into flames. The shelf caught fire too and the ball fell into a little track where it rolled until it reached another gate.

While searching for how to raise it, Link found a third chest, this one containing some ice arrows. He made his way down a narrow hall and passed yet another gate that held yet another chest. At the back of the hall was another button, and this one opened the gate for the ball. The ball continued its journey along its channel and fell onto the water wheel, which spun and opened up the way to the chest. No surprise, it had a small key inside of it.

Link unlocked the door and sighed a little as he found that he wasn’t quite done yet. There was still another button, and this one lowered a pair of burning lamps hanging from ropes. With an arrow he shot one down and it broke open to light the dry leaves on the ground aflame. The fire spread up the wall and allowed a second stone barrel to drop and be placed on a final button which in turn opened the last gate.

With the spirit orb now his, Link went back outside. He found Wolf leaning up against the shrine with his eyes closed. Link woke him gently and he apologized for nodding off. The younger boy brushed off the comment, saying it was time for bed anyway. With their new warp point, they returned to Hateno Village and Link’s house.

They slept in a bit, neither of them waking until a few hours after the sun had finished rising. After eating they did some cooking so that Link could get the rest of the armor. While doing so, they decided that they would split up for just a little while. Link wanted to visit the shrine they had passed by and Wolf said that he would go hunting and gathering ingredients from somewhere in the meantime.

Once the food they were going to sell was finished, they gave each other a quick peck on the lips before going their separate ways. First thing was first: Link returned to Goron City and purchased the rest of the armor. It really did nothing for him other than ward off heat, but it did that quite well. After that he detoured back to Hateno and then Kakariko to improve the armor. Once that was done he hopped back to the Eldin tower. The shrine was an easy glide away. Link noticed there were a number of metal boxes half submerged in the lava, which probably meant he could have used them to form a path of sorts. He decided his way had been better.

In the middle of the shrine’s one and only room was a huge scale. On top of one was a chest and some stone barrels, and the other had a wooden crate. Above the chest was a ceiling of spikes. At the back of the room was a locked area with three metal boxes, and to one side was another scale hanging from the ceiling. It was all too obvious what the first course of action had to be. Link set the crate on fire which sure enough lowered the chest down so that he could gain access to it. Inside was a key that let him at the boxes.

He weighed down the side without the chest with a box so that he could climb onto it. After moving the box off of it again he was raised up into the air. Again using a box he weighed down one side of the hanging scale so that the highest part was beside a ledge. Link glided onto the higher part and then dropped onto the ledge in order to open the chest that was there. It had a claymore in it.

He dropped back to the ground and then considered the main scale. There were stone blocks in the way of the exit. He moved the barrels off the scale entirely before setting a bomb on their side and raising it up near the blocks. They blew apart when he detonated the bomb. Then came the hard part, relatively speaking. Link had seen that if he were to just stand on the side that he needed to he would be pushed up into the spikes. So he put a metal box on that side and climbed up beside it. The other two boxes were used to weigh down the far end of the scale. It worked like a charm and the spikes were unable to get closer than another head above him. It was still a bit close for comfort, but he quickly slunk off and reached the exit.

Despite taking as long as he did to get back to Goron City, Link found himself without his companion just yet. He decided to peruse the other shops in the meantime. The general store had something called Goron spice in stock, which he bought a few of just because he figured it might be interesting to cook with some time. As he stepped out of it, he finally spotted Wolf coming down from where the shrine was. He met him halfway and took the various foodstuffs that he was laden down with.

“You dyed that, didn’t you?” Wolf asked, eyeing the armor.

“Yeah. It’s brown now.”

“Doesn’t stand out much.”

The younger boy gave a shrug. “None of the colors were going to make it flashy anyway. More interestingly though the great fairy said it makes me fireproof now!”

“That sounds it’s going to break a shrine puzzle or two.”

“Probably!” Link grinned.

With their little chores out of the way, it was finally time to look for whoever it was that was in charge. After all, that seemed to be the best way of figuring out how to get close to the Divine Beast. And as it happened, that was the chief who lived right beside where they had met up.

Chapter Text

Early morning light was streaming through the window when Wolf found himself waking from his slumber. He couldn’t have been asleep for more than three or four hours, and as such he was very much still caught up in the haze of sleep as he glanced around the little house. Everything appeared to be okay, and he was fairly certain that he hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary to have caused him to wake up. As he tiredly wondered what could have woken him, he peered down at Link. The younger boy was curled up beside him, his back pressed against Wolf’s chest and Wolf’s arm draped around his middle. He was breathing quietly, steadily, still completely unconscious. Wolf cast him a fond little smile, leaning in to plant a gentle kiss to his ear.

The movement caused him to notice something.

“Ah, so that’s what the problem is…” Wolf thought dully. He was hard; the warmth and softness of the younger boy’s backside quite pleasant against his erection. He pressed his hips in closer to Link and sighed contentedly. He closed his eyes again, deciding to ignore it and go back to sleep.

At least, that’s what he had intended. With Link warm and soft in just the right places in his arms Wolf found it difficult to keep himself from squirming. Whether he was trying to get closer to his companion or trying to back away, he wasn’t sure. But more and more he was starting to realize that every little movement was brushing his dick against Link in ways that were impossible to ignore.

“To heck with it.” He decided, pulling the two of them as flush together as possible. With utmost delicacy he pulled Link’s shirt free from his shorts and ran his hand over the younger boy’s abs. He hadn’t bothered to have him return him to normal after they arrived, so his short claws dragged lightly over the muscled flesh no matter how gentle he was attempting to be. He found Link’s ear with his mouth again, running the tip of his tongue over the bottom edge all the way out to the point. He felt the younger boy curl in on himself just a fraction more, but he relaxed again only a moment after.

Wolf snickered almost silently, his hand gliding lower and dipping beneath Link’s shorts. He worked his fingers under his boxers in order to grasp Link’s shaft which was just beginning to show interest in the situation. With a little bit of work, Wolf freed him from his confines and began to stroke slowly but deliberately. It didn’t take long for Link to become fully hard in his hand.

Link whined, being pulled gently from his sleep. Wolf took that moment to nip at his neck and to grind pointedly against his backside. It made the younger boy gasp and his eyes fluttered open. It took another few seconds still for him to put together what was happening.

“Couldn’t wait…?” he asked, voice still heavy with sleep.

Wolf shook his head, nuzzling into Link’s neck in the process. “We can go back to sleep after.”

“We’re gonna be a mess if we do that.”

“We can wash up before then.”

Having no other argument, Link shifted just enough that he could reach back and slide his own hand into Wolf’s pants. The older boy paused his grinding to let Link fondle him a bit, breaths coming out in heady puffs against the back of Link’s neck as the younger boy gave him a few tugs.

“I wanna try something…” murmured Wolf.

“Hm?”

The older boy withdrew his hand from Link’s shaft and proceeded to pull the younger boy’s hand away as well. As much as he could without dislodging either of them, he yanked Link’s shorts and underwear down to his thighs. After which he tugged down his own clothes until his cock was free. He then pulled Link flush against him once more, moaning at how easily his dick slid into crack of the younger boy’s ass. Link too gasped, finding the feeling strange but rather pleasant. They laid still for a few seconds, growing accustomed to the way the other felt. And then Wolf began moving again.

It was rough at first, but after a handful of gentle thrusts Link’s ass and thighs were coated with just enough precum to make the slide easier for them both. Wolf’s hand moved from his hip to being back around his shaft, pumping him in time with his thrusts. Their pace was faster now, but still the edges of sleep kept them from going too quickly. Wolf began pressing kisses to the back of Link’s neck, punctuated with the occasional bite.

Link’s body began to rock back against his companion. He was aware that he probably didn’t have to do anything and Wolf would be more than happy to get them both off. Yet he couldn’t stop himself from moving with him. It felt too good, and he wanted more.

A sharp pain jolted down his spine from his collarbone causing him to yelp. Wolf had bitten him again, and judging by the way he quickly withdrew from his neck he hadn’t meant to be so rough. He began to pant out an apology but Link beat him to the punch.

“Again!”

Wolf hesitated for all of two thrusts before sinking his fangs back into Link’s skin. The faintest taste of copper filled his senses and at the same time the younger boy whined and his back arched. That was all it took for the older boy to lose himself in the act, biting and marking up any inch of skin that he could reach with his mouth. Even his free hand that had been trapped beneath Link’s body managed to worm around enough that the claws on the end of its fingers could pull Link’s shirt up more and rake over his exposed stomach.

With Link panting and moaning in his arms, completely into everything that Wolf was doing to him, it didn’t take long for the older boy to snap his hips one last time and empty himself between Link’s thighs. The younger boy squirmed, trying and failing to keep the mess solely on his body and not to drip onto the sheets. His efforts were further made worthless when a twist of Wolf’s wrist against the head of his cock had him coming too.

The two lay still for a minute, basking in each other’s presence while they came down. Wolf was the first to move, pulling himself free from Link and then beginning to extract himself from the bed entirely. Link only raised his head and watched curiously as the older boy ditched his pants and underwear before heading downstairs. A moment later he came back up with a wet cloth. Link got the picture and kicked off the blanket. Wolf made a move to wipe him down, but Link took the cloth and did it himself, wiping up what he could from the bed too. Once clean enough he handed it back and Wolf took it back downstairs to rinse out. He came back up, got himself clothed again, and crawled back into bed. Link rolled over and buried his face in Wolf’s chest, and the older boy pulled the blankets back up and around them.

They settled in nicely, arms wound around each other. In a scant few minutes, both had drifted off to sleep again. They could wake up for real later.