Author's Note: My apologies for once again for a long delay between chapters.

Twilight Princess - Silent Maiden: Chapter 6

Fire. All he could feel was fire.

The burning sensation rolled through Link's body, a continuous sensation that would recede for a few moments, but then return twice as strong. His head ached, his torso felt like it had been compressed inward, and all of his limbs felt wrong, not responding to his commands the way they should have. Everything about him just felt... wrong.

He opened his eyes, wincing slightly at the light above, wondering just where he was. None of the images he was seeing now matched his memories of where he last remembered being. It looked like he was in... some sort of prison cell?

How... How did I end up here? ... Where exactly IS here?

A current of air tickled the underside of his chin, then paused and reversed itself as pressure from the outside waxed and waned. The cycle repeated itself at inconsistent intervals, creating invisible eddies that brushed against his skin like fountains of roiling water. His breathing was calm, if slightly ragged, but still soft in comparison to the assortment of other sounds that propagated outside the holding cell. Chief among them was the slow yet steady rhythm of 'doink… doink… doink…' from condensed droplets striking the stone floor just off to his left. Of the smells, none of them were exactly friendly: blood, sweat and mold. Some of it fresh, while other parts had lingered for quite some time.

Outside the tiny window, the sky appeared strange, an unnatural glow permeating though everything, draining it of light and warmth. Even the air felt like it was empty, devoid of life. What happened here that could have caused such unnatural sensations not only to his senses, but to the physical world itself?

Shaking his head, Link tried to rise off bricked floor, but struggled greatly; he felt different, strange even. Something was clearly wrong, his body not quite obeying his will to move, yet that didn't let him deter him as he managed to raise up into a crawling position. He gave out a weak gasp as he soon realized he was chained to the floor, a tight metal shackle encasing his forearm.

Only... it wasn't a human hand and forearm he was looking at.

Panic coursing through him, Link looked at himself frantically, finding even more changes, growing more distressed with each one he found. As he examined his reflection in a nearby puddle, suddenly the burning sensations made total sense. He was no longer that young man from Ordon, but a rather a large, fearsome looking wolf! Somehow his body had been forced into a new form entirely!

What the hell happened to me?!

Instead of words, Link let out what sounded like a pained, agonized howl. Words were impossible in this form. At most he could growl and roar, but that was it.

But…but how did I-?! The young man cried out from inside his wolf body, then stopped himself. Calm down. Focus! You need to get out of here. Panicking won't solve a damn thing! I need to get back to—

He suddenly froze, eyes wide. Oh goddesses, no! Ilia…Colin... Lyanna!

Whatever happened to them! Did…did those creatures do something to them too? Had they been transformed into beasts as well? They could be stuck here, lost and alone in other cells just like he was!

I gotta get out of here. I got to find them, and fast!

Not caring about hurting his new canine teeth, Link began to bite off the chains; one pull here, a bite over there, trying to somehow pull out the metal spike or shake the chains loose... but nothing appeared to even scratch the hard metal.

"Eh heh hee... You're not very bright, are you?"

Link froze, the voice snapping him out of his line of thought. It didn't take long to find the source of the unexpected voice, for the intruder had no interest in concealing themselves. It was an impish creature, black and pale blue with green rune-like emblems all over its body, wearing a strange helmet that covered its head and one eye. Long orange hair snaked down its back, tied in a makeshift ponytail, shimmering not unlike the unnatural light outside. As Link stood there watching the stranger, the little imp grinned maliciously at the wolf, before suddenly jumping into the air, landing right in front of Link, its visible eye alight with glee. "I finally found you!" it cried, the voice indicating that it belonged to a young woman, now that Link listened well.

Who are you? the wolf wanted to speak, but all that came out was another animalistic growl. This apparently amused the imp, causing her to chuckle.

"Ooh!" the imp mocked, folding her two small arms over her chest. "Well, aren't you big and scary! Ee hee! Are you sure you want to be doing that? Barking and glaring at me?" she asked mockingly.

Who are you?! the wolf repeated, his ears twitching back slightly. It was no use though. The imp clearly didn't understand a word he was saying.

"Oh, if you are going to keep doing that, well," the imp began, cocking her head. "I was going to help you get out of here if you were nice..." She tilted slightly forward, expression of one waiting for a misbehaving puppy to listen to its master.

Somewhat reluctant, Link nevertheless complied, knowing his options were limited. In his situation, beggars couldn't be choosers. He stopped his growling and glaring, hope visible in his blue eyes. The imp grinned, amused once more by his change of behaviour. "Eee Hee! Much better! You humans are sure obedient to a fault, aren't you?" Walking a little closer to Link, the small imp pat him on his new mouth, hard enough to sting, then suddenly gasped in mock surprise. "Oops! But you aren't human anymore, are you? You're just a beast now!"

At that moment, having had enough of the imp's taunting and attitude, Link snapped at her. But the imp was too quick, easily evading his lunge and all but dancing out of the way.

"There, there," the little imp cooed. "No need to get rough and start biting heads off!" Before Link could try to lunge at her once more, the imp put her hands together, and in the matter of seconds, formed a small ball of black and orange energy. She let the ball go, catching Link by surprised as the chains around his paw suddenly shattered, releasing him. The creature only managed a laugh at the wolf's reaction, before getting closer to him and surprising him even more. "You look kind of surprised! Eee hee hee! What, did you think I was just going to leave my new friend all locked up?"

"I'd hardly call us friends…" Link began, only to stop when he realized that the imp wouldn't understand him. The imp, for her part, quickly lost interest in her 'friend', floating in midair towards the bars of the cell. Her body began to shimmer and fade all over, another spell of some sort. With a simple spin, she slipped clean through the bars and was out of the cell that imprisoned the wolf.

"So! I bet you're wondering where we are, right?" Link shrugged, or at least did the wolfish equivalent. He was still trying to come to terms with that bit, nevermind everything else. "Well, since you have been such a good boy for me, I'll tell you!" Suddenly, the little imp stopped talking, but continued after giving Link a toothy grin, her eye never breaking contact with his own as she bowed theatrically. "You, my little beastly friend, are currently in the dungeons of Hyrule Castle!"

"What?" Link cried out, surprised.

Panic returned anew. The trip to Hyrule from Ordon took several days at least when travelling by horseback, and far, far longer on foot. Had he been unconscious for so long? And if he hadn't, how in the world did he get to Hyrule so quickly? It couldn't have been those creatures... could it? No, that couldn't be right. Surely the castle defences would never let such monsters enter invade or infiltrate so easily. Just what in the world was going on? It didn't make any sense!

As this thoughts circled his head, the little imp spoke up once more, confirming at least some of his thoughts.

"Of course, beasts like you, coming to visit the castle this time of year, well... Let's just say you're not exactly welcome here!" She gave the confused wolf a small grin, that was soon replaced with a frown, as she turned to look away. "But then... Well, what with with your kingdom's new ruler, anything is possible I suppose..." The last comment managed to get Link's attention, and he stood there, maw opened.

What are you talking about? Princess Zelda was the ruler of Hyrule now, wasn't she? After her father had relinquished the position due to ailing health, he had appointed his daughter to be the ruler in his stead, which she had proven herself very capable of despite her youth at the time. Wise beyond her years and very much loved by her people. There wasn't a single soul that didn't know that.

...So why was this imp suddenly suggesting the current ruler was—

"Wondering about your little princess, eh, doggy?" the imp asked, making Link blink in bewilderment. "I wouldn't delve on the past too much. Nothing can change it..." The mocking tone on her voice faded, replaced by a certain sadness... or were Link's ears not hearing right? "...Hate to break the bad news to you, but... she's dead. Been dead for a while, in fact."

At those words, Link froze. The ruler of Hyrule... the fair princess... the one that he had to deliver the sword to... she was dead? But how…? Surely news would have travelled if that was true!

"She gave a good fight, or so I hear... yet, she lost... and now, she's dead," the imp went on, catching Link's attention once more."The Kingdom's been trying to keep things quiet, so I guess it makes sense you don't know... but... Perhaps, if given enough time to..." Confused at her last comment, the wolf barely noticed as the imp abruptly vanished, reappearing in a blur of motion and landing roughly on his back.

What the—? Link began to buck and scramble, attempting to get her off of his back, but the little imp held tightly to his fur, giggling like a child at his efforts.

"Whoa now! Take it easy! You want my help or not?" She smiled as Link slowed down to a stop. "Good boy! You're a pretty good listener, aren't you? But... listen here, since I'm helping you, you have to do something for me..." She grabbed Link's new ear, bringing him to attention.

HEY!

"My help will cost you, however," she explained, not letting go of Link's ear, even as he started growling a warning at her. "If I help you get out of here, you have to do some... things for me... and maybe, if you do them, I just might help you find your missing friends! Maybe even get back in time to see the lady mute again, if we're lucky!"

The imp let go of Link's ear, as he looked back at her in surprise. How did she know about his friends? About Lyanna?

"There now, that's better! Shall we get going? We've wasted enough time as it is! I'll tell you all you need to know, but you better get going!"

For a long while. Lyanna was aware only of the burning in her back and the inside of her ribcage. Each breath was painful, bordering on laboured. As far as her episodes went, this one had been by far one of the most sudden and by far one of the most painful. Her sense of time was skewed; it was hard to tell if days had gone by, only a few minutes, or even over a year. She could hear the rumbling of a cart being pulled forward, bouncing over uneven terrain, the snorts of boars, and the occasional hushed chatter of the other occupants all around her.

She winced at the bright light of the sun as she slowly opened her eyes, dried blood cracking on her face when she moved. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. Her head hurt horribly, which was to be expected, given what had happened, but she couldn't remember actually being hit in a way that would draw blood. Everything was a bit fuzzy initially, but slowly returned to focus as she tried to move. Only now was she aware of the bindings around her wrists, chafing her skin slightly as she struggled to pull her hands free to no avail.

"Hey, Lyanna's awake!"

A couple pairs of small hands were suddenly at her shoulders, puling her upward, helping her up into a rough seated position, her back against the cart's side. Before she knew it, the faces of Talo, Malo and Beth were all surrounding her, a mix of happiness and dread plain on their faces, wide eyed and anxious.

"Hey are you okay?!"

"Where is Ilia?"

"Where are they taking us? Do you know?"

"I wanna go home!"

She had to shake her hands as best she could within their bindings to get them to settle down instead of overwhelming her with nonstop questions. She had only just woken up! Taking a moment to try and collect herself, she saw now that they were still captured by the Bulblins. The cart was surrounded by several of their imposing boar mounts, each one large and dangerous. The leader of the group, the one Lyanna remembered being the one that grabbed her, was riding directly in the front. He was surprisingly disciplined for a Bulblin, snapping at his troops when they got sloppy or distracted, but otherwise standing up tall and firm in the saddle of his much larger mount. The posture reminded her of an old friend from her past life. Of several friends actually, from a life long since abandoned.

She then focused her attention to the children in front of her. They did not appear to be injured like she had been, just scared. That much was a relief. Collin was with them as well, hugging his knees as best he could, head down and mumbling to himself. The relief faded as she saw there was no sign of Ilia anywhere. She couldn't see the mayor's daughter on the backs of any of the boar rider's mounts, nor was she in the cart. What could have happened to her?

Asking what had happened with her hands was a lot more difficult with the bindings pinning the wrists together. She had to shrug her shoulders in an exaggerated fashion, the universal 'I don't know what's going on' gesture. Fortunately, the children understood what she meant by her gesture and did their best to explain what had happened.

They had all been captured in the chaos of the attack, the children gathered together and all tied up, thrown into a cart they had somehow acquired and had been travelling away from Ordon ever since. Anyone who tried to fight back in the initial struggle had been quickly scared off, the villagers neither equipped or prepared to deal with a Bulblin raider party.

'They not hurt you did they?' Again she looked them up and down again for any injuries she might have missed.

Beth shook her head. "They... never hurt us even a little. I don't think they wanted to."

Lyanna found that very hard to believe, recalling how both Link and Ilia had been taken down without hesitation. And speaking of Ilia...

'What happened Ilia?'

They all frowned and shook their heads. They had no idea.

"She got separated from us." Collin hugged his knees closer to his chest. "My dad, he... He tried to fight back. But the big one grabbed him and..." He shook his head, unable to speak further.

"Hey! We don't know about that! They could have got away!"

"..."

"Ugh. You're such a baby! Your father's gonna be okay! Geez!" Talo sighed, calming down a little before continuing, "But yeah, we've been riding in this cart ever since. The monsters don't hurt us if we behave, but they won't let us run away either."

"You had another attack while unconscious." Malo added in a matter of fact manner. "Hit your head a couple times while thrashing. We couldn't do anything to help."

Lyanna nodded, understanding. That explained the blood at least. She then turned her attention to the area around them. She wasn't able to completely pinpoint where they were without a map, but her travels in exile had on occasion taken her this far south before. The rocky crags, steep canyon walls and mountains were all signs that they were approaching Goron territory. No chance of getting rescued as far as she could tell. They were completely isolated, lost and alone in unfamiliar territory, with only the Bulblins around them for company.

She closed her eyes. This was entirely her fault. The children were innocent, yet now found themselves in danger for no other reason than being too close to her at the worst possible moment. Collin, Talo, Malo, Beth and Ilia. Five more names to add to her already long list of people that had suffered because of her choices, because of her actions. How many more had to be punished for her failings? How many more lives did she have to ruin until it was all over? She should have left when she had the chance. At least then the village would have been spared from...

Her silent scolding was interrupted by sniffling off to her left. Eyes snapping open, she turned to Beth, who was starting to cry. The poor girl was terrified. Were it not for her hands being bound, she would have at least tried to comfort her, if only to make things easier. The other children were hardly doing any better. They all looked scared out of their minds, not knowing what to do.

"Hey, don't cry, Beth." Collin suddenly shifted forward, trying to comfort the girl. Though he looked just as scared as everyone else, there wasn't even a tremor in his voice. "Link is coming to save us all! He always does! ...I can feel it!"

Lyanna stilled. Link...

He hadn't been taken like the others. Wether it was an oversight on part of the Bulblins or simply not wanting him as a prize, she couldn't be sure. But maybe-

She wasn't certain exactly what reaction Collin was hoping for, but it wasn't the one he got. Without warning, Beth suddenly pushed him away. Hard enough to knock him off balance, bumping against the opposite side of the cart. The next moment, Talo was shaking his head back and forth much too quickly, nerves raw and equal parts fear and anger in his voice.

"You really think he's coming?!" he demanded. "Even if he is, you saw what they did to him! There's no way he would win! There's... there's no way... not without… not without help…"

Collin winced, head dropping and avoiding eye contact, but his voice somehow remained strong. "I know he'll come. I know he will. And he'll rescue us. He never gives up..."

The unshakeable faith. Not so much thinking Link would come to rescue them, but treating it as a matter of fact. Even as Talo continued to argue with him, Collin remained convinced. The normally timid boy remained strong in his belief. The more Talo and even Beth argued, the more determined Rusl's son became.

... and despite her own earlier dismay and doubt, Lyanna found herself starting to believe Link would come for them too. The man who had taken her in at her lowest low, who continued to be there for her and everyone else through thick and thin. She had seen it herself, had she not? No matter the task, Link always kept going. No matter the obstacle, his heart and courage remained unshaken. Always fighting back. Always moving forward. It didn't matter what life threw at him. He was a simple farmboy, but one that possessed the courage to rival even the bravest knights. Given enough time, he could overcome anything.

... Maybe it was time she started fighting back too. For the Silent Maiden to borrow some of that courage, if only for a little while.

Long enough so that she could keep the children safe until Link found them again.

Without warning, Lyanna slammed her foot down on the floor of the cart, startling the arguing children into looking in her direction... and promptly paling in response to the glare she levelled them with. It was a look they had never seen from the Silent Maiden before, a look of absolute authority that had the power to subdue them without even needing to speak. It brokered no argument, commanding them to stop fighting right then and there. Not a word was spoken among them as they settled back down; they all silently hoped to never see such a glare directed at them ever again.

Carefully, slowly, Lyanna managed to calm them down, her expression softening as she tried to reassure them they were going to be okay. With Malo aiding her by translating her stilted and bound gestures (part of her still wondered exactly how the child could translate her sign language so easily, but she wasn't complaining) she promised she would keep them safe. She would protect them until Link found them again. It took a little trial and error, but slowly and surely, each child returned to calm. She could see it in their expressions; they trusted her completely, enough to risk following her into the unknown.

Whatever her misgivings as a leader, now wasn't the time to dwell on them.

Now was the time to prove that their trust in her was not unfounded.

Quickly, she scanned her surroundings, trying to come up with a plan. Again, only the rocky crags were around them, but now she could see the potential uses of exploiting them. Indeed, the canyon walls were far from impervious. Narrow openings lined the walls if one knew where to look, each signalling a pathway they could take. Each large enough that she and the children could easily slip through the cracks and where the Bulblin's boar mounts couldn't get through. As for the Bulblins themselves, they were dangerous in larger numbers, but overall lacked intelligence. Without a powerful leadership figure to keep them in line, they would be easy to deal with, even with her hands tied. They just needed to get the leader distracted.

How to distract him though... that remained to be seen.

She turned to look at the other bulbins surrounding the cart. Each was armed with a bow, arrows, some of them with blades. Her attention immediately focused on one of the nearest scouts, seeing her own sword on the back of his saddle. No doubt taken from her as a trophy of some sort. She would need to get that back somehow. Then she noticed the knife at his belt. Small in size, but sharp and surprisingly well maintained, easy to maneuver to cut through their bonds. That would be useful. But how would she retrieve her sword and what she needed without being spotted?

Unfortunately for Lyanna, she had focused on that particular bulbin a little too intently.

"I got it, Lyanna. Leave it to me."

Startled, she turned back to the children-

... just in time to see Talo preparing to jump off the side of the cart!

Talo, what are you-?! She tried to grab and pull the boy down-

Too late. The boy was already airborne, crashing into the bulbin Lyanna had been focused on. Despite his small size, he was fast and sudden enough that he succeeded in knocking the Bulblin right off its mount, causing it to crash to the dirt with a startled squawk.

Almost immediately, the Leader snapped his head towards the noise, red eyes widening in both surprise and anger. But before he or the remainder could do anything, Talo dug his heels into the sides of the boar mount, mimicking what he had seen the Bulblins do throughout the journey. It worked almost immediately. A high-pitched squeal erupted from the mount, which rose up high into the air, before suddenly plowing forward at lightning fast speed. The last anyone saw of Talo was the sight of the boy holding onto rope reigns for dear life as he soared ahead of the others, nearly plowing straight into the leader before taking off around the nearest turn in the rocky roads.

The leader roared in anger, snarling orders in his own language, first pointing to one of the others still mounted, then in the direction Talo and boar had just bolted away in. Kicking his own boar forward in hot pursuit, a massive plume of dust billowed up into the air all around them. Several more snarls, squeals and bellows, and then the majority of the pack followed him along.

... and as the dust cleared, only two bulbins remained. The one the leader had pointed at, evidently to remain to watch the cart and its prisoners, and the one Talo had stolen the boar from.

"Did..." Collin could hardly form the words, staring."Did Talo just...?"

"My brother's an idiot." Malo announced, blunt as ever.

Even Lyanna couldn't help but stare for a moment, despite herself.

Not... quite what I had in mind. But it works.

Snapping out of it, Lyanna sprung into action. She needed to act fast and get to Talo before anything bad happened to him.

But first, she needed to free the others.

She first targeted the bulbin that was still mounted, leaping from the cart and driving her knee right into the creature's head before it could react. Both of them went crashing to the dirt. The bulbin, stunned but not quite out yet, tried to recover. Lyanna never gave it a chance, rolling as she landed and rising to her feet before it had even tried to get back up. With a single stomp and resounding crack, the bulbin was dealt with. Grabbing the bulbin's blade as best she could with her bound hands, she turned around just in time to see the last obstacle to freedom getting back to its feet. Bow in hand, it took aim as she charged straight towards it. Lyanna rolled as it loosed the arrow, back on her feet and swung, a two handed slash right across the chest. As it howled in agony, Lyanna switched to a reverse grip, plunging the blade in deep as it collapsed. As quickly as the fight had started, it was already over.

Searching the body for the knife and retrieving her sword was the easy part. Giving the knife to the children and silently instructing them to cut her free, difficult, but doable. The moment her hands were free, she gave her instructions, slowly and deliberately, making sure Malo could translate them. Then she pointed towards a small gap within the cliff walls.

"She says to hide inside there. Wait until she's back with Talo. Do NOT try to come after her!"

"We'll wait right here!" Collin promised. "Be careful!"

Lyanna nodded, a short, confident nod and smile. Unknown to her, it was the exact same nod and smile Link himself used when reassuring them. Her eyes then turned to the boar mount. She didn't exactly know how to ride the thing per se, but the boar would be much faster... and as the idea popped into her head, it would prove a much needed distraction.

Hold on, Talo. I'm coming!

Maybe this wasn't such a good ideaaaaaa!

It took everything Talo had to hold onto the reigns, his grip the only thing keeping him attached to the frenzied boar as it continued to charge at breakneck speed. The wind was howling loudly in his ears, whipping past him hard enough that there were tears in his eyes from how fast they were going. If he wasn't so focused on not falling off, he would have been laughing. Wether that was from fear or not, he couldn't say.

It was impossible to tell exactly if the boar was just running blindly or following the path ahead out of chance. The canyon walls all around him looked exactly the same, though it would have been difficult for anyone to get a good look at anything, given his current situation. He thought he saw parts of a village during his rampage, but at this speed couldn't make out anything clear.

The sights and sounds of the charging beast were so sudden and frantic, Talo could barely register as the boar abruptly came to a crashing halt, sending him flying through the air after a pair of arrows struck his mount in its flank. The boy soared through the air, barely able to get his arms up, before coming crashing down into a small reservoir, the water breaking his fall and thankfully preventing injury. Sputtering for air, Talo tried to get back to his feet, turning back to see what had happened. With his hands still bound, it was difficult to try get himself balanced, but he managed.

What he saw when he turned around made him stiffen in shock.

The Bulblin leader was already on him, having already closed the distance his mad dash had given him and already caught up to its prey after his painful tumble. And judging by the look on its face behind the armoured helm, it did not look happy at having to chase after him again.

Really not a good idea. He tried to flee on foot, hoping to give Lyanna as much time as possible. He just had to keep running.

"Help!" he shouted as loud as he could, trying to escape before the bulbins caught him again. "Somebody! Anybody! We need help! Please help!"

He didn't get very far before a massive hand grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic, hoisting him high into the air with a yelp. A moment later, Talo was face to face with the bulbin leader, growling and snarling with barely contained fury. Out of pure desperation, the boy swung his bound arms as hard as he could... and only succeeded in hurting himself. And, if possible, only made the leader even angrier. He cried out in pain as he was thrown hard into dirt once more.

Can't give up. Can't give up. Gotta get away...

Another snarl behind him. The leader was giving orders to his followers again in their strange language. He couldn't understand a word spoken, but the tone of voice did not sound good...

Not one of them saw the boar, driven into a frenzy charge and sprinting blindly forward, until it suddenly plowed straight into him. The sight and sound of the impact was so colossal, it made everyone flinch and turn away, simply out of instinct. To the other Bulblin's shock, their leader was now sprawled out in the dirt, both him and his boar disoriented, struggling to register what it was that had just hit them. The other boar responsible for the carnage was similarly down and out, on its side and head spinning in clear disarray.

What just happened...?

Another pair of hands suddenly grabbed him, these ones much softer and gentle but no less urgent. Pulling him up to his feet all in one fluid motion, Lyanna immediately sprinted towards the gaps in the canyon walls. The bulbins screeched and squawked, some trying to ready their bows. A few moments passed before several loud twangs filled the air, the creatures arrows hot on their heels.

Lyanna dared not slow down, turning briefly to make sure Talo was right behind her, which he was, before running as hard as she could. The boy was scared and a bit beat up, but still okay. That was a relief. Now they had to resort to hiding within the rocky crags until they were able to elude the enemy. If they used the rocks as a barrier, where the boars couldn't reach them, they should be safe enough until-

A sharp jolt shot through her core, staggering her.

She suddenly found herself bent forward before even registering the impact. Then pain, first sharp and then burning red hot, erupted from her shoulder and collarbone, so intense that she would have stumbled and fallen to her knees were she not able to press her weight up against the canyon wall immediately next to her. Panting silent breaths, she turned her head to look, and to her surprise found herself looking down at an arrowhead that had sprouted a few inches out from her shoulder, her blood dripping from its jagged tip.

"Y-you're hurt!" Talo's eyes were wide, horrified at Lyanna's wound.

She froze at the sight, eyes wide and barely comprehending the damage. Panic bubbled within her, making her want to flee or crumple, or just succumb to the pain. If not for the fact her vocal cords lay flat in her throat as they always had the past three years, Lyanna might have screamed.

Instead, Talo's words snapped her out of her fear. Instinct and adrenaline took over, forcing her to fight through the pain. She grabbed the arrowhead as best she could, then twisted sharply, making sure the shaft of the arrow struck against the canyon wall, ignoring the spike of pain that shot up her arm and torso with each hit. Once... Twice... Three times she repeated the movement, until finally she heard the loud snap of the wooden shaft breaking in two. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the arrowhead out, ignoring the large spurt of blood such actions caused. She knew it wasn't a good idea to pull the arrow out the way she did, but it wasn't smart to keep the arrow stuck in her shoulder during a fight either, lest it do even more damage.

Pointing aggressively with her good arm, she made sure Talo was running in the right direction before moving as quickly as the environment around them and her wound allowed. They needed to escape before either one of them was struck again, or before the Bulbin's leader recovered. The cries and bellows of the leader's pack seemed to come from everywhere at once, some still launching arrows at them, while others tried were completely disorganized, unsure exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Thankfully, as expected, none of them were able to keep pursuing them once they were deep enough inside the openings of the canyon walls.

Adrenaline and desperation fuelled them, hoping to use the terrain to their advantage and lose the enemy in the maze of rock and dust. Lyanna looked down for a moment, then immediately averted her gaze. An ugly red blotch had already formed on the wounded shoulder, growing larger by the second as more blood continued to flow down her arm. It was getting harder to move her damaged arm, the pain and blood loss starting to affect her, but she refused to relent. They weren't safe yet.

"Lyanna! Talo!" Collin, Malo and Beth rushed towards them once they were close enough , and were all equally horrified to see she was injured. She motioned them to keep moving, an urgent gesture that didn't need translating. They couldn't afford to stop. The children hesitated, worried at the sight of all the blood, but listened to her all the same.

A single horn blared out across the land, unnaturally loud. The leader had recovered, and was calling for reinforcements.

To her dismay, another horn rang out, in the exact direction they were headed.

Then another. And another still.

And as she looked high into the sky, Lyanna saw a large portal of the Twilight Realm became visible. Dread filled the entire core of her being. It would only be a matter of time before monsters far more monstrous than anything encountered in this land were on the scene. Monsters she had been trying to avoid over the last three years of her exile.

They were completely surrounded. And as the horn calls continued to signal one another, it became clear they were closing in. The rocky crags, previously their only defence and means of stealth, were very quickly shaping up to become their tomb.

"W-What do we do?" Talo whimpered.

"We're trapped!" Beth clung to Lyanna, trembling and in tears.

Collin clutched at the sides of his head. "Link! Please help us!"

Lyanna tried to think so something, hoping to come up with some sort of alternative to get out of here. At the same time, she drew and readied her sword as best she could. If nothing else, she was prepared to fight and protect them as long as her body held out. None of the children would be harmed, she vowed, not while she could still fight.

BOOM!

A massive explosion, followed by a series of smaller but no less powerful bangs, suddenly shook the entire canyon. Looking up, both Lyanna and the children saw a bunch of debris, boulders of various sizes, come crashing down all around them. Far enough away that none of them were harmed in the ensuing rockslide, the explosions had managed to cut off Lyanna's faction from those following them entirely.

"Here! Over here!"

The new voice got their attention before they could fully process what they had just seen. Turning towards it, Lyanna saw a dark skinned man in shaman garb trying to get their attention.

"This way! Quickly, before they recover!"

None of them were willing to question their sudden good fortune. The alternative was to remain and be captured by the Bulblins... or worse. One by one, the kids rushed to follow the man who had come to their aide, Lyanna remaining behind just long enough to make sure the others were clear before following as well. She ran directly behind the man, ducking through the gap in the canyon walls the man had come from.

"Barnes, NOW!"

A few seconds of silence... followed by another loud series of explosions up above. More debris came crashing down behind them, small tremors rattling their every step, cutting off their hidden passageway, but no one dared to stop running, even as the horn blows slowly began fading behind them.

Only once the horns had died off completely did any of them begin to slow down. Relieved that they were now safe, Lyanna sheathed her blade and applied as much pressure as she could to her wounded shoulder, ignoring all the blood coating her arm as she did so. No doubt Link would be furious to see her in such a bloody state...

"Here." The shaman's voice broke into her thoughts. In his hands was a healing poultice and some rags for makeshift bandages. "This will not stop all of your bleeding, but for now it will ensure you will not collapse from blood loss. If you will let me tend to your wound?"

She nodded to him in thanks, holding out her arm as best she could and letting him apply the concoction to her shoulder. It stung terribly, but the shaman's skill was truly impressive. Deft, knowledgeable hands wrapped the poultice firmly into place, tight enough to close the wound, but light enough so as not to cause too much discomfort. Once he was done, the pain had lessened considerably. His face was nothing but intense concentration as he worked, the desire to heal others plain on his features. With one last tug, everything was secured. Still bloody and hard to look at directly, but no longer bleeding freely like it had been.

"There now. That should do until we are someone safer to properly tend to you. How do you feel?"

She tried to gesture with her hands, assuring the man she was alright now, thanks to him and his unexpected assistance. Alas, as was so often the case, her actions only confused the one she was trying to communicate with.

"Are you unwell?" He asked, scanning for any other injuries, "Were you injured elsewhere? Please, tell me if-"

"It's not her fault!" Talo rushed to her side. "Lyanna can't talk at all! She doesn't mean to be rude, really!"

The man's eyes widened, then turned once more to Lyanna, who could only nod in confirmation, smiling apologetically.

"I see... Forgive me, Lyanna was it? I was not aware." His gaze slowly turned over the group, cupping his chin at the newfound developments. "The five of you seem to have travelled quite some distance. You do not look like you come from the Eldin province. But for now, questions will have to wait until we are safe. Please, follow me."

The children hesitated, unsure wether to obey. All eyes turned to Lyanna. She nodded in affirmation, and even started to follow the man herself. This man was their ally, having risked much to come to their rescue. He had even tended to her wound, not once asking who she was or what had caused such grevious injury. She knew they could trust him. Pacified, they all quickly moved to follow her as well.

"Where are you taking us?" Collin asked.

"Kakariko Village is not far from here. Worry not. I promise you will be safe once we arrive. Oh, and my name is Renado."

It had not been too difficult for Link to get the sword and shield as requested, despite the all the effort and improvising it took him to ensure he wasn't spotted. As a human it would have been much easier. As a wolf, it had been a lot tougher. A part of Link felt a pang of guilt stealing the weapons, but he knew that if he didn't do what the strange imp ordered him to do, he wouldn't have a chance of finding or rescuing anyone. He made a promise to make up for it to everyone at the earliest opportunity.

Ugh. Moving around in this body just doesn't feel natural...

Moving around on all fours like a wolf had been awkward at first. More than once in Hyrule Castle alone, he had stumbled over himself and crashed in a heap, much to the imp's amusement while he tried to scramble back to his feet. His sense of balance was all off, causing him to misjudge distances and leading to old muscle memory related mishaps, trying to move in ways he no longer could in his new form. It required a lot of trial and error to finally get used to walking all over again, slowly transitioning into running and more complex manoeuvres. Even so, the motions still felt completely alien to him. He had a feeling that that wasn't going to change for a while yet, assuming he ever did manage to change back to a human soon.

What really surprised him was the help he received by the animals in the village, all whom had recognized his scent, and easily identified him as one of the village, despite his changed appearance. Apparently becoming an animal somehow allowed him to speak to the birds and beasts of the land without issue. Whatever his thoughts on this unexpected development, he buried them deep down, focused more on what needed to be done over debating how such things worked. The animals, from squirrels in the trees to hawks flying through the air, had all given him valuable information on how to acquire what he needed. Combined with what he had overheard by the villagers, it had been rather simple to navigate Ordon undetected.

It was during this eavesdropping that he had seen Rusl. The man was covered in bloodstained bandages, trying to protect the pregnant Uli from further harm. Despite his gruesome injuries, Rusl seemed determined to defend Ordon, while his wife looked on worriedly, fearing for his safety. It took all of Link's willpower to not whimper at the scene, knowing that there was nothing that could be done as a wolf. If anything, Rusl would just attack him as well, thinking him a dangerous foe. With a silent apology for not being there to help when it all started, he launched himself into the Faron Woods, promising to make up for it by bringing the children home safely.

"Now, listen, little wolf," the strange imp, Midna, announced. Emerging from his shadow, her skin was a darker, more transparent, but still that malicious grin was ever present. "When we get back to the twilight realm, no sudden moves, okay? Let me take care of getting you back inside the twilight realm, kay?"

Yeah, yeah... I got it.

"...You do know I have no idea what it is you're saying, right?" she asked him, causing the wolf in question to shake his head in exasperation, earning another chuckle from the imp as they continued forward. Spirits, she was a real pain...

...Wait...

Link skidded to a stop, startled by the unexpected voice. Midna gave her own opinions about the sudden stop and how it nearly sent her flying, but he ignored her.

Who's there?

Come…to…my spring...

Link, for his part, decided best not to argue against the strange voice, and went as quickly as he could towards…the strange voice's spring?

You have…been…transformed by the power of shadows…the voice noted, drawing Link's attention to the Ordon Spring's warm waters. Come to me…

A touch hesitant, Link nevertheless moved forward. This voice was different, one he didn't recognize before, among people or animals. Could this new voice be another type of creature he hadn't seen yet? Could they help him with his predicament?

Unfortunately, at the exact moment his front paws touched the spring's waters, something else emerged to make itself known.

From the heavens, several strange magical pillars fell to the ground, striking hard into the water and digging deep into the ground. All black and hard like crystal, various runes carved down their lengths. For a moment a wave of crimson seemed to surge in between the pillars, creating a barrier around the spring, trapping Link inside.

"Oh great... Nice job walking into a ambush, you dumb dumb!" Midna cursed from within the wolf's shadow.

Beware… A shadow being… It approaches…

As if on cue a strange black hole — some kind of magic portal — appeared directly above the spring, its runes and markings near identical to the ones carved into the pillars. Definitely not friendly then. From within the portal, a strange black creature dropped from the sky, causing an almighty splash as it crash landed into the spring. The ground shook heavily under Link's feet from the impact, causing him to take a step back simply out of instinct.

Rising to its full height, the creature let out a loud screech, near ear-splitting in its intensity. Large, powerful arms covered in runes, a thick and intimidating circular shaped helmet, with long hair darker than the night sticking out from the back. If Link didn't know any better, he would have admitted that this creature and Midna were of the same species. But unlike Midna, this creature wanted to tear him apart. He wasn't about to give this thing that satisfaction.

Letting out that strange screech again, the monster charged towards Link, its large hands ready to cut him clean in two or crush him in its grip. The wolf was faster, bobbing and weaving, leaping out of the way whenever it came close. He jumped over the black creature, and bit down hard, aiming for the neck and throat and trying to hold his own. The creature let out another screech, this one clouded in pain, as Link chomped down repeatedly, teeth digging deeper with each bite. When it managed to dislodge him, Link repeated the process, leaping away, dodging its wild strikes, then striking at the opening and targeting the same spot.

Finally, after a third attempt, he managed to secure his spot on the creature's back, pulling with all his might. With a loud series of tears drowned out by an even louder roar of pure agony, the man turned wolf leapt off the creature, spitting out the large chunk of black shadow matter that had once been the creature's threat. The creature flailed about in pain for a few moments more, only to suddenly freeze mid struggle to live, collapsing to the ground as the life left it entirely. Without warning, the creature's corpse exploded, tiny pieces surging up into the portal, but wether in death or simply retreating, Link could not tell.

What…what just happened? Link mentally asked, as the strange pillars began to fade away as well, leaving no evidence of the battle just moments before.

"Wow... Not bad, little doggy." Midna's singsong voice rang in his ears. "You might be useful for more than just running around after all!"

Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence…

Before he could determine what to do next, a blinding white light engulfed him and the spring whole.

The wolf stood back, as a large ball of light sprouted from the waters of the spring, floating proudly in the air in front of him. It stayed there for a couple of moments, before it soon began to transform, changing its shape into a massive creature of light. No longer was there a ball of light, but rather an Ordon Goat engulfed in a heavenly light, looking down at the small wolf with those bright golden eyes.

The Spirit of Ordon.

O brave youth… the spirit's voice was deep and powerful, echoing within his mind and body with every word. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, young one… I am one of the light spirits that guard this land of Hyrule…my name is Ordona…it said, nodding its head at the still, gaping Link down in front of him. …the shadow being you defeated was here to steal the power of light I wield… The entire kingdom has been turned into a netherworld ruled by the cursed power of darkness…

...'cursed powers of darkness'? the wolf wondered, trying to process it all.

He didn't notice how his shadow twitched ever so slightly.

Yes… Ordona answered. However... The blight will not stop with Hyrule. Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king that rules the Twilight.

The king that rules the Twilight? Link thought, as he stared up at the spirit. Was this King of the Twilight the one who caused all this destruction? Was he the one who killed the princess?

… Was he the one that had caused the kidnapping of the Ordon children and Lyanna?

A very deep growl escaped him then. If this monster was the one responsible, he would find and tear them apart.

To save the land from the King of Twilight, the lost light must be recovered. Ordona went on, snapping Link out of anger. The three spirits who have lost their light must be revived. There is but one that can revive them and free this land… The huge spirit gave a small pause, as it and Link looked in each others' eyes. …You…

Me? Link was stunned. Him, a simple goat herder, his body turned into that of a wolf? How the hell was he supposed to do anything of the sort?

But then... thoughts of the Silent Maiden came to mind. How a single woman had travelled the world all on her own and helped wherever she could without thought of reward. Even at the cost of her own health and wellbeing, she never once stopped trying to help others. Lyanna had been everything and more she could to help others. Could he not do the same for those he loved and cared about?

At the very least, he knew he had to at least try, obstacles be damned. Giving up before he had even started wouldn't help anyone.

If the spirit in front of him sensed his doubts or inner musings, it did not comment on them.

You have yet to discover your true power… There is a courage within you that gives you the strength to keep moving forward... Those transformed by Twilight usually cannot recover their original forms… If you were to return to Faron Woods…the place where you first transformed and revive the light spirit…there…by the power of the light spirit, you may find the means to return to your original state of being…

So...this isn't permanent? That was a great relief. Now he had a chance to fix things. when he saw the large spirit dip its might head towards him in a somewhat stiff but still very majestic bow.

Have hope…brave youth…the spirit of light, Faron, will aid you…Farewell…

Link didn't even get a chance to speak before the large spirit disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

"Turning yourself back to normal, huh?" Link could almost feel the imp's grin from within his shadow. "This could be fun! Just remember I asked for your help first. I need you to gather a few things for me, right? In exchange, I will help you find your friends... But that'll be easy part, trust me..."

Midna's teasing tone faded away, and yet still Link stood there, wondering many things. What an incredible series of events he suddenly found himself thrown into... Quickly, though, he decided that he wasn't going to get many answers to his many questions by just standing there. For now, he needed to head out towards Faron Woods. It was as good a starting point as any.

I will find you guys, he vowed as he sped forward as fast as his current form allowed him to. Lyanna... Ilia... Everyone... I swear it. I will find all of you. Just hold on a little longer.