Author's note: There's not too much to say about this chapter; I heavily edited the narration, cleaned up the action scenes, removed the excess of detail, condensed everything to get on with the story. There's a lot happening in this chapter, and I hope I have found a good balance of description and action to make it interesting to read.

Chapter 5

''Whoops, here we go!''

Midna's strangely resonant voice accompanied Link's painful landing into cracking wood and rotting leaves. He crashed through a fallen tree branch, rolled down a small hill and came to a halt with his nose poking a large mushroom stump. Panting, he drew himself up and looked around himself; Castle Town and its many stone towers had vanished. The air was clean and free of black speckles – just breathing in the sweet scent of moss and moist earth made him shudder with delight. The blackness of the night and the hooting of owls enshrouded the forest where, before, Twilight had clouded the world in a sombre half-light.

I'm back, he thought, and attempted to dust himself off. Instead, his body shook all by itself, sending bits of earth and leaves flying against the tree trunks. Looking down at himself and finding the now familiar wolf paws and tufts of grey-white fur on his chest, a frightened whine escaped him.

He turned around to where the voice of his imp companion had come from. Show yourself you lying scum, he barked angrily.

A giggle resonated behind him. ''Hehe, well look what we have here! A little Human trapped in a wolf's body, in the middle of the Light World full of hunters and predators. Whatever happened here?''

He growled at her but paused as he noticed the imp's abnormal appearance. She had turned pitch black and oddly transparent as if her shadow had been ripped from the ground and taken on a physical form. But his anger towards her was stronger than reason. He tensed his hind-legs and jumped at her with a loud, furious bark. I've had enough of you!

Midna stood as still as a rock while he pounded into her, arms folded and her one eye glowing in the moonlight. Link whimpered as he tumbled back to the ground behind the imp and buried his nose in the same mushroom stump.

''I'm afraid you won't be able to do that any more. Unlike you, I lose my body in the Light World.''

Link stared at her, his eyes now reflecting more disappointment than anger. She leaned over him, arms still folded. ''Well, it seems you did not transform back like I said. What a shame. But at least you're back in your lazy little village. And look! No Twilight here yet.''

At her words Link perked up. He sniffed the air and recognized the smell of straw and spruce; he had landed in the small area right behind his tree house. Rusl, he thought. He will recognize me by my earrings. He'll know what to do.

''Hey! Where're you going?'' Midna called as he dashed forward into the coppice. ''Have you lost your mind? They will hunt you down!''

But Link ignored her and passed the destroyed gate into the village, stopping abruptly to take in the mess.

The path was trampled, sporting deep hoof marks, and not a single pumpkin patch remained unharmed. Parts of the fences around the creek had been smashed and lay in heaps by the shore, and Fado's porch was no more than firewood. Near the village centre laid a large carcass; sniffing, Link could discern the stench of boar. It was one of the mounts that had been ridden during the invasion. And piled close to it were the smouldering remains of four veiled monsters, their black corpses cracked and smoking in the pit that had been dug to burn them. Link turned away, gulping.

At this time of night only the flickering torches brought movement to the deserted path, but near the creek he made out the voice of a man. His nostrils perceived a strong smell of honey – over the stink of fire and death – along with the distinctive scent of ale. Lots of ale.

''How did it come to this…'' the man sobbed. ''Please, give me back my daughter.'' A limp object smelling of hay and lilac was cradled in his crooked hands. It was a handmade puppet. Beth's puppet.

Hanch! Link called, full with relief, but all that came out of him was a loud bark. The lamenting man jumped up and turned around. ''Good Goddesses!'' he screeched, brandishing his own sword and holding it awkwardly in front of himself. ''Don't come nearer, you beast!''

No, Hanch! It's me! the big wolf barked, advancing on him while holding his head low. Don't you recognize me? The apiarist backed away with a squeak upon Link's approach and swung the blade at his head with all his might. Link's heart skipped a beat and he ducked only at the last moment, barely avoiding the weapon. Hanch's courage left him after the miss, and he ran with flailing arms while screaming like a maniac.

The village was thus roused out of its lethargy, the houses spilling the few inhabitants into the street wielding torches and swords. Link did not dare make another attempt at confronting them, and silently crept from the mob towards Rusl's house. To his confusion, the blacksmith had not joined Mayor Bo and his group despite being by far the most skilled swordsman. As he approached his childhood home, he saw light behind the linen curtains and heard a soft female voice speak admonishingly to another. He jumped as the door swung open, revealing a very weary looking Rusl with his sword in hand.

''No, Uli. What if the children have returned? Let me do one more search, please.''

''And what if we are being attacked again?''

Link quickly backed into the shadows and took in his surrogate father's battered and bloody appearance with a horrified gasp.

''Honey, I promise I will be careful,'' the smith said. ''I know my limits.''

Link had never seen his father figure this hurt. The few burns or the occasional purple finger a blacksmith called his occupational hazard paled in comparison to the many bandages that had been wrapped around the man's right leg, head, and torso. Some of them were soaked with blood. He was still in the clothes he had worn for Link's departure, their meticulous weaving torn and stained red and brown. On his back, the weapon he had made for the Ceremony of Peace still rested in its ornate scabbard and rang angrily as he pulled it out. Its polished steel sent flashes onto Link's grey fur.

Deciding that his father figure was the likeliest of the Ordonians to recognize him, he carefully stepped into the light of the torch Rusl was holding. Yet the moment the brightness fell on his body, Uli screamed and grabbed her husband's arms to pull him backwards. The smith turned around with a yell.

Link tried to lower his head, showing submission, and began whimpering softly all while gazing deeply into the smith's eyes. Rusl halted, the sword poised in mid-air defensively, widened eyes watching the wolf. His hesitation made Link hopeful, and he slowly began to approach his surrogate parents. Uli held on to her husband's arms, trembling and wheezing.

Then, roars and screams rose from the village path below. Link turned in fright and saw the mayor and his men race towards the house. Rusl's weapon flashed in the torchlight and soared towards Link's head, meeting his temple. The searing pain of the slice rendered him briefly blind, drops of blood stung in his eyes.

''Get inside, Uli!'' Rusl shouted and hobbled towards Link, the sword raised for a new blow. Link thought better about trying to mutely reason with him, and made a bolt for dear life.

The collapsed roof of Epona's destroyed stable gave him shelter. He cowered in the darkness, shivering, covered in dust and mud, while he watched the men he had once shared his life with scout the trees and bushes in search of him. Their calls echoed in his ears, feet that broke through the coppice approached and retreated, torches sent sparks into the night sky and more than once covered his twitching fur with light. But the shadows hid him well, and soon Ordon's men shuffled back to the village murmuring and disappointed, leaving the woods once more in deep blackness.

It was only after a very long time that Link stopped trembling. The smells that the villagers had left behind were still imprinted on the ground and hung in the air like a mist. He could discern Hanch's ale, Jaggle's sawdust, Moe's tobacco, Mayor Bo's cheesy feet. But it was Rusl's blood that haunted him the most; the metallic smell of open flesh wounds the smith had left behind hovered everywhere, tree trunks he had leaned against to catch his breath were stained red and reeked of pain and fear. Link had never known that smells could drive someone mad, but he felt close to losing his mind if he did not get rid of them soon.

He shook his head and ran a paw over the stinging cut Rusl had given him. His fur had begun to soak with blood but worked to stop the flow. There was not much he could do in his state, and so he wriggled his way out of his hiding place and started down the road into the forest. Blissfully the smells of undergrowth, rotting leaves, and broken wood took over his senses. He had not noticed it before, but his vision was astonishingly bright and clear despite the darkness of the night. Gazing around he could see his beloved forest heavily damaged; boughs and branches, early flower buds, and freshly grown leaves littered the soil in masses. He stopped momentarily as he saw a small shape lie on the ground next to a tree trunk, and upon approaching it he saw it was a dead bird, impaled with an arrow much too big for it. The projectile had struck all but the tail of the poor creature, the rest had been smashed to a pulp by the arrowhead.

As he looked at the slaughtered bird he felt a powerful anger well up within him. What right did those monsters have to invade his forest and massacre its inhabitants? Why did this small fellow have to die? If they killed a bird just because it gave them pleasure, what would they do to children? What would they do to a girl of fifteen? He had seen all of his friends being taken, and he had failed to bring them back.

It was then that Link's sadness finally overtook him. Crouching before the bird carcass he rolled himself to a ball, his paws laid over his glossy snout. The wolf did not allow him to shed tears, his sobs instead turning to soft whimpers in his beastly throat. The forest was quiet and the sky was cloudy; it looked like an ordinary spring night, and yet, nothing was as it had once been.

The children were gone. Their parents maddened with grief. The others haunted by fear. His own father gravely injured.

And him trapped in the body of a monster.

It was the arising of yet another scent that brought him to his feet. Like embers slowly consuming tinder after the spark had found its mark, so did the smell roll over the earth and made his every hair stand on end. Its pungency reminded him of burnt hair, sweet yet sour and acrid, lingering like the imprint of a skunk. And it was coming from Ordona's spring.

He did not need to know the origin of the smell to know it bore trouble. His strong legs carried him swiftly to the holiest place in the Ordonian region where, for centuries, its inhabitants had brought their children to be blessed, their sick to be healed, their worries to be erased, and where Rusl had once found the tiny bundle containing his adoptive son.

As Link's paws made contact with the snow white sand of the basin, he was frozen in place with terror. The creature that slunk towards the carven stone monoliths was so black it absorbed the light of the water and looked, even to Link's eyes, like a distorted, faintly human-shaped hole. Its long fingers and bony feet sank into the sand with every lumbering step it took.

It was the same creature that had pulled him into the wall of blackness. The very same monster that had turned him into a wolf. Link's blood seemed to freeze. As if feeling his prolonged stare, the demon turned its grotesque, mask-like face to him. His legs began to tremble.

One of the creature's claws slowly lifted, and a sudden screech resounded from the spring. Link watched on, paralysed, how a drop collided with the water and made its glittering surface glow like golden fire. The light assembled to a bulky mass, more drops now assembled by thousands as if to form a body, but another swish of the black monster's hand drew a new scream from the spring, high-pitched and racked with pain, that froze Link to his very core.

''Move, you stupid wolf! Attack it!''

Midna's shout startled him out of his stupor, and without even knowing what he was doing he jumped as high as he could, aiming for the monster's nape. Teeth bared and roaring, Link crashed into the monster and sent it tumbling to the water. It growled at him as it struggled to a stand, but Link was quicker. With another growl he ran around it, crouched deep, and propelled himself right at the beast's exposed throat. A gurgle escaped his thrashing opponent, one of its claws collided with Link's injured temple and wrapped around his snout in an attempt to pull him off of it. Link's strong jaw did not let go even as the monster wrenched the wolf as well as the inside of its own throat away. Its wretched body fell, shaking with spasms and tainting the holy spring water with its black blood.

Link shook his head in disgust and spat out the fleshy lump still clenched in his maw. He watched it slowly sink into the knee-deep water and dissolving into small black speckles. The body of the black monster began disappearing in a similar fashion. Only the thick cloud of blood showed where it had lain.

Sighing, Link turned to where he had heard Midna's voice shout out to him, and saw his companion hovering beneath a tree by the bank, arms folded and scowling. As she saw him gazing at her, she lifted her hand and pointed at the spring.

It was then that a voice rang out behind him. ''I thank you, Blue-Eyed Beast, for having saved this land from Twilight.''

It was nothing he had ever heard before; he was unsure if he could really call it a voice. It was more a rustling, a singing, a chirping, or could it truly be… bleating? Yet it sounded so crystal clear and soft that, when he turned around, he instantly knew why he took its voice as the call of one of his Ordon goats.

For in front of him hovered a massive being, shining golden like the rising sun on an early summer day yet glistening like the purest gem of silver. It bore a shape he knew all too well, a bulky body, long ears, an excessive tail and, towering over its head, a circular horn bearing in its centre the brightest orb of light that he had ever seen that radiated like a little sun itself.

The guardian spirit of his homeland, Ordona, in the form of a golden goat, hovered mere feet in front of him.

''O brave youth, you who was transformed by the power of shadow…'' she said, her voice humming like the wind blowing over the southern fields. The tone of her words made him feel at ease instantly, all those regrets and fears he had lived since Ordon was attacked dissipating to nothingness.

''I am one of the four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the Goddesses. With the power I wield, I bring life and hope to the plains and forests you call home.''

If Link could have smiled, he would have worn the happiest of all. Yet it would have faded at her next words. ''But that power resides no longer with my brethren, who have been robbed of their light by very beast you slew.''

The spirit lowered her head, and a single tear slid down her glowing cheek. ''The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the cursed powers of Darkness, and the blight will not stop with Hyrule. Before long, the entire world of Light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the Twilight.''

Link hung his head, his tail retreating between his hind legs.

''However…'' Ordona inclined her head at him, and Link looked up. ''There is still hope walking my forest paths. You, brave youth, have been given a sacred power blessed by the Goddesses. While the helpless people of Hyrule wander about this darkness as groping spirits, a feral beast has awakened within you that guides you through the blackness with vision unclouded.''

What? Link thought. This form he had taken on had been a gift from the Goddesses? The very creators of the world whose lore had swept through Hyrule for centuries bringing wisdom and hope to its people?

Ordona's eyes bore deeply into his. ''A soul transformed by the powers of shadow cannot recover its original form. Unless…'' She paused while fixing Link intently. ''Unless you were to return to where you were first transformed, and restore the light spirit with its lost light. There, by the power of my revived brother, you shall find the means to regain your other state of being.''

Link's heart leaped. So there was a way to become himself once again? He would at last be able to enter Ordon without being taken for a monster. He would be able to depart in search of the missing children and bring them home. Oh, just the thought of enjoying the touch of his own hands, of tracing the curves of his face, felt like a wonderful dream. Even his Hylian ears would be much welcomed. But…

Why me? his rational mind screamed. Why would the Goddesses give me this form?

Ordona blinked once. ''You have not yet discovered the true extent of your powers,'' she said mysteriously, cocking her head. ''Go to the light spirit Faron, and revive his forest. Farewell, o brave youth…''

Wait! hebarked. What powers? But the light in front of him was slowly fading back into the spring. Helplessly he watched the spirit disappear, the precious Light orb protected by her horn dissipating into tiny, glowing drops that returned to the water and gave it its characteristic shine. The spring fell asleep once more and looked as if nothing had ever happened.

''Well well, wasn't that interesting.''

Midna's hovering form approached him from the side. ''So there is a way to return you to normal. How nice of the spirit to spill the beans so conveniently, huh?''

Link nodded and turned from her, already making his way down the path.

''So what now, wolf? You'll restore the light spirit, get back your human form, and search for your friends, is that it?''

Her shadowy form suddenly appeared before him, and he flinched back. ''That's all nice and good, but I don't see what's in it for little Midna. We had a deal, remember? You're to do as I say, and sadly my plans slightly diverge from yours.''

Link began to growl at her. The audacity! Just because she had freed him from that cell did she think she could order him around? As far as he was concerned, their time together was over. Snorting, he passed by her and ran along the path. It took him not long to reach the ominous black wall towering at the junction to the Southern Road, and the moment it loomed into view, Link's tail betrayed his fear by tucking itself between his legs. He shot the appendage a dark look; as useful was it was in keeping his balance, he was slowly growing tired of it trailing behind him and telling the entire world how he was feeling.

He approached the glowing marks slowly appearing over the surface and closed his eyes, waiting for the wall to pull him in. But nothing happened.

Frowning, he sniffed the ground and even poked his nose into the wall, but as much as he pushed he could not pass it. Many minutes ticked by in which he became increasingly more desperate, until he plummeted to the ground with his head on his paws, musing.

''Saved the world yet?''

Angrily, Link bolted up and soared towards the imp who was hovering behind him, arms folded. He growled and barked at her and was half glad she could not understand him; he himself had not known such profane word-juggling was in his might.

Her raised palm stopped him. ''I've had about enough of you, dog,'' she grunted. ''Don't you remember what happened before transforming into that flee-infested heap of fur? Last time you entered the Twilight, it was because a shadow beast pulled you in. You just met it, back at the spring, and you killed it. In other words, you've killed the one thing that could have enabled you to enter Faron Woods and free the light spirit. Good job!''

As she spoke Link felt the icy shower of disappointment overcome him. That demon she had called a shadow beast must have been behind the wall for a reason, possibly for pulling those dreadful monsters and the kidnapped children into the Twilight. Link had had the bad luck of standing right where the beast still lingered and which had pulled him in thinking he was another monster demanding entrance.

Midna saw his countenance change and sneered. ''If you want to go that way, you need the cooperation of someone from the Twilight Realm. Someone like me. So you really have no choice but to do as I say.''

With a painful sting, Link realized that she had won once again. Growling, he glared at Midna but nodded reluctantly. The imp grinned from ear to ear before drifting towards the droning wall of shadow. Her form flew right into it as if entering a body of water, and the wall oscillated softly from the impact. Link remained still, waiting, but regretted it a moment later. From behind the curtain of Twilight appeared a massive orange hand, scooped him up and tore him off of his feet. He felt the cold embrace of the wall engulfing him, the fluttering of the air that intensified upon being released from Midna's grasp. Small black speckles immediately began flocking around him.

''Back in the Twilight at last,'' Midna called out, and Link turned with a yelp to find her perched on top of his back.

You pestering vermin, I am not a horse! Link barked at her. But the Twili was gleefully stretching and flexing her freshly formed black fingers and toes before turning around and lounging comfortably against him. ''It's fine, you can thank little Midna when you have a mouth that can talk. I believe we should better be going now. You know the way to the spring, don't you?''

Link contented himself with a low growl and silently bore the humiliation of being used as a mount once again. Thankfully, he would not have to endure it for much longer, for now he knew how to find his true form again. Looking down at his body thoughtfully, contemplating his strong legs, he wondered how long it would take to reach the spring if he ran all the way…

''Eeh!'' Midna yelled the moment he bolted off, her tiny fingers clinging to his fur. He did not mind the slight pain issuing from her tight grip but instead focused on the sheer speed his legs allowed him to reach. The wind howled around his ears and flapped at his tongue that he let dangling while feeling his body heat up. The forest around them was now nothing but a swirling mass of dark green swishing past him. Had he been human, he would have howled with delight. He had never run this fast in his entire life, and it felt as if his legs would carry him to the end of the world and beyond.

But the sweetest pleasure exceeded even the quad of powerful legs he now possessed; every time he lost a little speed and jumped to regain it, Midna gave a frightened hiccup and tightened her grip. What would he have given to see the look on her face.

0

Either she was downright stubborn or too proud to admit that her buttocks were awfully sore when Link and his little companion arrived at the spring an hour later and she hopped off a little stiffly. He glanced at her with an inward sneer while she stepped awkwardly to the water, visibly trying to hold herself straight. She soon gave up and instead hovered into the air, turning a sulking eye to the amused wolf.

''Now come on, we haven't got all day. This stupid spirit needs your help.''

As if on cue, Link became aware of an odd sound coming from the dark waters. Like crystal flutes playing completely wrong among themselves, Faron's lamentation made Link almost feel the pain it caused the spirit to be engulfed in shadows, robbed of its essence. The once fair coloured, silver water had taken on a sickly shade of orange, the ever-present black speckles floating among the few remaining sparks of light that still hovered like lone fireflies above the surface.

''Please… come to my spring… o brave youth…'' it whispered feebly, and Link carefully stepped into the tainted water. He had seen the sheer magnificence that Ordona had portrayed, and that the Twilight – which was not affecting him very much at all – could maul a spirit so badly it became a mere breath of its former existence, pained him nearly as much as thinking of his kidnapped friends. He was definitely not the only one who had suffered injustice at the hands of the Twilight invasion.

''I am… Faron… I preside over these… woods. Blue-Eyed Beast… Seek my lost light… and store it in… this vessel.''

The sparks flying dazedly about slowly moved together, amassing around an empty shrub of energy where they appended like golden grapes to form a loose bunch. Link watched how it sank towards him, and suddenly grew panicked. He looked around, flexed his paws, and even tried to lift himself on his hind legs to catch it. He was just debating whether it would be damaged if he held it between his teeth when Midna's small body pressed against him.

''Oh, move over, you stupid beast,'' she grumbled, shoving him aside and extending her hands towards the floating grapes that settled within her black and turquoise fingers.

''My Light… was stolen by… insect-like creatures… You must find them…'' Faron murmured quietly. ''The form you took on… is the key to locating them… Use your body… Do not deny your abilities… and bring back my light…''

It relapsed to silence, and said no more. Link nodded to the remaining sparks and cast a glance at Midna who was holding the vessel in one hand while cupping her chin with the other.

''Well, what are you waiting for, wolf? The light won't come to us on its own, we'll have to search for it. Insects it said, eh?''

Link frowned thoughtfully while scanning the area around him. What kind of insect was he looking for? Insects were everywhere, in the soil, on trees, in the foliage, in houses, and under rock. How would he possibly find the right ones? Nonetheless he huffed out resolutely and trotted back into the dense forest northward. If he just continued up the Southern Road, perhaps a certain type of insect he had never seen before would manifest itself somewhere.

The smells had once again changed now that the forest was covered in Twilight. Every scent seemed somewhat dulled and underlined with a note of smoke as if the foreign atmosphere had burned them. The earth was devoid of its moist aroma and seemed dry and scorched. Leaves smelled of kindling, branches of coal. Yet their original perfumes were still there.

The more he strained his senses and sniffed the soil, however, the more difficult it became for him to see properly. It was not the dim, shimmering light that affected his vision, but more the myriad of different smells he picked up which, strangely, took on a very specific colour for each of them. There was mostly green and brown which he associated with the different leaves, bushes, rocks, and twigs littering the forest path, but when he looked closely he could discern various shades of green, hues glowing brighter, scents that glistened slightly, and even some that stuck out painfully and stung his eyes.

''Hey! Eyes front!'' Midna suddenly yelled. His concentration slipped out of his grasp, instantly clearing his vision to the black speckles and orange shine around him. She was pointing at something moving in mid-air along the forest path. It looked like a glowing orb of white fire shaded with green that stood out painfully from the orange bloom of Twilight. Link lifted his bushy brows and carefully walked nearer, prepared for an unexpected attack or reaction. But as he inspected it closer with eyes formed to slits, a shimmering outline appeared that faded again as Midna spoke.

''Well well, and what are you doing in these parts, all by yourself? It's dangerous to go alone, with all those monsters around. You could become one of them, hehehe.''

Link looked back at her with a questioning look, and she sneered at him. ''I thought you'd be able to see it whole, with your senses so sharp and pronounced. Look closely, and you'll know what this is.''

He concentrated on the flying ball, trying to intensify the faint outline he could already make out. It flickered like a dying flame in the spray of a waterfall, always slipping out of his vision as it floated away from him. Deciding to walk alongside it while staring at it with all his might, Link strained his senses once more, and suddenly his eyes widened.

The orb, pulsating like life itself, was the very centre of a small, stubby man. Wrapped in an old travelling cloak, with a leather bag around his shoulder and a net with full glass-bottles in the right hand, he was trudging along the dry forest path with his hood draped over his head. A faint mist of yellow wafted around him that Link recognized immediately: the smell of lantern oil. Link took two steps away from him and was briefly stiff with surprise, his mind piecing together the puzzle and realizing just what was in front of him.

It was the spirit of this man trapped in Twilight, one of the very spectres the princess had spoken about. All citizens of Hyrule and beyond had been transformed into those sad beings, and if he recalled her mournful tale then those unlucky souls were not even aware of the fact that they were now – bereaved of their light just like the spirits – a mere breath of a human being.

''You seem to know what it is now, don't you?'' Midna said and instantly broke through his focus. He cast her an angry look before setting his eyes back on the spirit, ready to crouch low and make another try at looking harmless.

Strangely, the reappearing spectre did not show any sign of having heard her. The man just walked by and did not even bother to look at them. Out of sheer confusion, Link stepped right in front of him and barked quietly to draw his attention. Yet the man promptly walked through him, briefly dissipating into white fog before reassembling behind the shocked wolf.

Midna only snickered. ''Well, I guess you understand, don't you? Those spirits can't see you. You're invisible to them, not worth their attention. Like a spectre on your own, wandering this transformed land with no possible goal or ambition. Oh no, that's not true!'' She clapped a hand on top of his head. ''We're here to find those shadow insects, remember? So quit dawdling with thin air that doesn't give a thought about you and get a move on!''

As they were trotting their way north in the hopes of stumbling across a curious insect, Link's mind kept reverting back to the little man he had seen walking up the Southern Road. What was his name? What was he doing there all alone? And what was in those bottles he was carrying? From his cloak he knew the traveller came from the river village of Bando, a hamlet so obsessed with fish that it even included the curved shape in its fashion in form of tablet-woven ribbons sewn onto the hems of their garbs. However, those of the man's cloak had been worn, dirty, and the once bright colours faded as if the garb had suffered the same fate as its bearer.

The content of his bottles had smelled and looked like lantern oil, and slowly the man's story became clearer. He had probably bought his oil from the chu cavern not far away where a little man named Coro and his pet bird made fortune. Yellow chus were goo-like creatures shaped like slugs but the size of a dog and which could be bred in the unlikeliest of ways: by taking a long sabre and cutting them in half. Link had never understood how this worked and how the creatures survived, but they did, and once large enough they were tossed into a press and mashed until nothing but juice was left. Juice that all people of the southern provinces used as lantern oil.

Coro was a friendly little man with hair as thick as a bush and shaped like a big brown ball atop his head where his pet bird Trill lived. The first time Link had seen him, aged four, he had been greatly amused to see an actual nest of twigs and hay with three little white eggs inside woven into the man's hair, and the blue bird cackling and screeching at any customer visiting their cavern that dared to come nearer. They had their home among the trees, a shabby little shack in a reclusive area of Faron not too close to the main road; Coro considered himself a hermit.

If a lone man had to travel from Bando all the way to Coro's in order to get lantern oil, then something was not right. The pile dwelling village was sustained by the only merchant vessel that sailed through Faron province, the Red Lion, and Coro regularly drove his large oil vat to the harbour store house to be sold. Something must have happened to the ship, Link thought.

It was no use. In his current form Link had no means to help or even speak to these spirits, as Midna had so eloquently pointed out. He was neither part of the Light World, nor fully part of the Twilight, and only a strange blessing prevented him from turning into a spirit. More and more questions tumbled in his mind the more he tried to find answers until he forced himself to ignore them. All he knew was how to bring the light back to Faron Woods. Once the Twilight was gone, the Bando man would return to life, and Link's own Hylian body would have hands to work properly and a mouth to ask all the questions he wanted.

The only truly useful tool he had at his disposal now was his powerful nose. The more he concentrated, the more colours appeared drifting over the path, some blue, some brown, most of them green, and a few stood out like rays of sunlight. There was a distinctive orange fragrance that carried an array of different smells – old stones, cobwebs, sewer, wet dog – that he traced back to its owner perched on top of him and giving him a confused scowl. He turned back and instead followed a bright pink cloud crossing the path before heading into the woods.

This scent was different, and fresh. Whatever had left it must still be close by. Link began to trot through the coppice, his nose rummaging the earth to keep track of the pink trail giving off that musty, oily smell. It was so close that he would see the pink cloud forming in the distance and swirling from a pair of peculiar fans that made the air vibrate. He approached it further.

''What the–'' came Midna's yell before Link was suddenly struck by a searing bolt and forced to back into a bush. His nose stung from where it had been hit, his vision clearing to make the colourful trails vanish.

A low buzzing rang in his ears the moment the creature appeared, peeling leaves off its silvery body with forked claws, its wings fluttering to make it drift into the air. A pair of glowing green eyes bore into Link's as the six-legged beetle hovered in front of him. The insect, glowing white in the dark of Twilight from the stolen light inside, was nearly as large as a cat, and crimson bolts of energy were still sizzling around it. Undoubtedly the cause of Link's burning snout.

''Err, attack it, I guess?'' Midna said, and Link growled at her. Not helpful. But no better thought manifested itself to him, so after a moment of indecision he pounced at the insect. His teeth collided with the outer shell and closed upon it, and the creature let out an ear-piercing shriek while wriggling in Link's maw, its wings still buzzing in a desperate try to get free. The wolf only bit harder, causing the bug's shell to crack and resulting in the monster to altogether explode in a rain of cartilage, goo, wing membrane, and hairy legs.

''Oh, sweet golden Goddesses…'' Midna moaned and floated away, leaving Link shake off and spit out the goo by himself. As he wiped the filth away with the aid of his paw, however, he caught sight of something that instantly brought joy back to him.

Above the wretched corpse of the mutilated insect hovered a fiercely shining ball of light. Its colour was of a piercing blue so bright it illuminated the entire area, and smaller drops of silver flocked around it to accompany its slow flight towards Link's amazed eyes. The moment Link realized it was gently headed towards him, he grew panicked again, desperately barking at Midna to help him. The imp just sighed while holding the vessel towards the orb. As it poured into one of the empty compartments, it brushed against Midna's black hand. Link was startled by her giving a sudden hiss of pain and pulling her hand away as if she had been burnt. He looked at her with instinctive worry. The Twili, however, only grumbled and acted as if nothing had happened.

''Quit dawdling, there are still many to find,'' she spat, plummeting onto his back brusquely.

Biting back a growl, he let her sit on him without complaint. In truth, Link was beginning to realize that he needed her more than he wanted to admit. She had to be his arms and hands to do what his paws could not. And a small part of him was glad to have her company, be it as sarcastic and bad-tempered as a brat with mood swings.

From the insect carcass rose the same dank smell taking on its bright pink hue. He looked around and was delighted to find many more trails departing from the path into the wilderness. It was ironic, he thought, that the wolf's sensible nose would prove to be the very part of his curse that would lift it. Full with hope he darted off after the next insect, ignoring Midna's faint moan and tightening grip. If she wished to ride on him, she'd have to pass through this.

0

''Come one, faster! There's just one left,'' Midna called, pouncing up and down on Link's back while he trudged along the path, heckling and wheezing.

For hours they had chased after the shadow insects and collected drop after drop of the stolen light, and Link had finally reached his limits. He had galloped through the throng of trees following one lone trail of bright pink after the other without stopping longer than a few minutes for a breather. His fur had become sticky with shadow insect goo, and a vile taste had settled on his lolling tongue. He was thirsty, hungry, and fed up with the seemingly never-ending enthusiasm of his eccentric Twili companion.

''Hurry up now, we're almost there. I can feel it!'' Flying up into the air with the precious vessel in her hands, she left Link with at least a little less weight to carry. He was unsure of where they were, but judging by the ever denser growing population of willows and the damp smell in the air, they were not far from Faron River.

''That's a lot of smoke over there,'' Midna called from above, and Link grew worried.

It took not long for the first torches to be made out through the trees along with the dry, overwhelming stench of a large fire. Aghast, he summoned up the last of his strength to sprint the remaining few yards to the shore.

They had travelled all the way to Bando where a blazing fire had gripped one of the houses at the entrance of town. Dozens of the bright green lights danced around it as if celebrating the massive bonfire, but as he strained his senses he uncovered the terrified villagers screaming orders and emptying buckets of water onto the wooden walls of the building. Luckily this house was built on the shore instead of on the water's surface next to the condensed pole houses, so their buckets could rain on the crumpling building from all sides.

As Link approached the screaming spirits and heard their voices like through a distant, echoing dream. The chaos around the burning house took on an entirely new level of horror as soon as he saw something move inside the wall of flames.

It was completely black, standing out of the raging fire like an ink spot of darkness on a white page. Its long filigree arms were thrashing about furiously as if trying to catch one of the helpless spirits running around it. Link's jaw was hanging loose while he watched the terrifying scene, and recognized the monster only as he looked twice.

It was another shadow beast almost identical to the demon who had attempted to steal Ordona's light. Its arms whipped about breaking through wooden beams and shingles all while a steady, piercing scream emerged from its throat. Its gyrations caused the south wall of the building to crumple and collapse, barely missing a young woman who was busied in a bucket line.

Suddenly, the beast's oversized hand reached for her and wrenched her off of the ground, drowning her in the flames. Link roared the moment she disappeared and felt his legs propel him forward before he could stop himself.

''No! Come back, you stupid wolf!'' he heard Midna's yell behind him, but he ignored her. He ran passed the two houses separating him from the burning one, built up tension in his hind legs and jumped snout first into the fire. The smoke instantly rendered him blind, forcing him to a crouch. He yelped the moment a sudden, cold rush collided with his back.

He turned around and saw an old man with a bucket still in throwing position. At first he thought the man had doused Link on purpose to protect him from the flames, but the Bandonian had his terrified eyes locked on the roaring flames, and Link remembered that the spirits could not see him. He had caught the water out of pure luck – or the Goddesses were keeping a watchful eye on him.

''Sitha!'' the elder shrieked at the highest of his crackling voice and attempted to jump into the building before being stopped by another man.

''Don't, Donan!'' the man cried and waved more men to his aid to hold the elder who had now crumpled to the grass in a miserable heap, crying out in lament. In the burning house, Sitha's screams were muffled by the ear-splitting noise of the fire and the shadow beast's shrieks.

Dripping wet, Link gathered up all his courage and jumped as high as he could, colliding with the monster's left upper arm. It roared out more in surprise than pain and toppled over, plunging into the fire with the shrieking woman still in its claws. Link closed his eyes and began biting and tearing at it with all the savagery he could muster. Hungry flames licked at his paws and belly, smoke clouded his vision and choked the breath out of him. His teeth and chest were soon tainted black with blood. The shadow beast thrashed and clawed at him and would have managed to wrench the wolf off had it not been for the burning walls obstructing it.

Finally the limb got off with another maddened shriek from the monster. Link made sure the wriggling spirit of the woman was still in its clutch before he dragged her together with the arm out of the fire. In his desperate try to manoeuvre the woman through the least dangerous parts, he did not watch where he went. The moment his hind paw touched the piece of blazing timber, a sickening hiss was heard along with his shocked wail of pain.

He tumbled the last few steps out of the fire and let go of the bleeding arm. Rolling on the ground he yelped in agony, trying to lick at his burned paw all while recoiling from the pain that flared as he touched it. Behind him, the shadow beast's roar rose into the sky before the flames smouldered the last of its violated life out of it. It was also the last thing Link heard before a wave of dizziness blurred his vision. The thumping pain in his left hind paw faded to a numb pulsing before his eyes finally closed. He allowed himself to cherish the overwhelming tiredness that forced a dreamless sleep upon him, and he sent a silent apology to Midna, to the children, to Ilia, to Faron.

They would all just have to wait a little longer.

000