Chapter 5 Last Chance

Epona whinnied from where she was being held back, unable to help her master and friend in his peril. Over on the long, swinging plank bridge Link snapped and growled against his better judgement, tail between his legs. It was not looking good. Infact, it looked rather bleak. He tried to avoid fighting the men he used to call his fellowmen. He would never stop protecting the village, its people and livestock, whether they fought him off or not. He could never turn his back on them, they were all he could call his family and he would never, never betray that kinship whether blood-bound or not. They were all he had ever had.

An arrow whizzed past. Close, too close.

The lupine's ears were pulled as far back as possible, his fur stood up and his blue eyes blazed with self anger. That arrow had been too close. Far too close. Hang on, hang on just alittle longer, he told himself. If he could get away, away to Faron, he swore he would never bother them again. He was tired and afraid, but he vowed that if - when - he got away, he would lurk in the shade of the woods and just protect the narrow passes that lead to the village. He would keep the bokoblin numbers down in the woods....talk to Faron...maybe travel around Hyrule and visit old places.....watch the children grow and keep them safe from behind the trees when they ventured too far..

He felt burning pain in his haunch and yowled with pain. Focus Link! He bit out. He lunged for Jaggle who hurt him out of reflex, before catching himself and just knocking the spear from the elder mans hands. He spun around in time to spot and narrowly dodge, Bo's attack by a hairs breadth. He didn't have time nor thinking space to notice parts of his body beginning to change. His ears started to loose their fur, slowly evolving into his hylian ears. Although the horrified gasp and the enraged growls of Bo did make him realise with alarm that he had been moved to the middle of the bridge - and that he had very little room to maneuver between his attackers. He almost let out a half whine at the situation, to live, he may have hurt somebody. It was already going to be hard enough to leave Epona behind with Rusl, but if he wanted to survive, this was his last chance. Just as he was preparing to launch his way past Bo to freedom, his sensitive nose and ears detected something familiar, something that stilled his heart and froze the blood pounding through his veins.

His body jerked to a halt, he couldn't move his eyes from the young child with a sword in hand.

Talo! He yelped, just before he felt a crippling pain rush through him from a blow to his spine. He couldn't move from the agony as he felt rough -angry- hands drag his battered body into the air and pull him back, before releasing him, sending him flying toward the young boy. He was too weak, he couldn't right himself. Couldn't even hang on long enough to get away so he could protect their village hidden from sight. Pathetic. As he rushed to meet the ground his tail began to dissipate into dissolving Twilight Matter. He could feel his blood stirring as he began to loose his canine form. Landing in a mangled heap not far from the end of the bridge, almost right in front of Talo, Link tried to make sense of things through the excruciating pain. Poor young Talo couldn't even scream as he saw his hero being flung down at his feet, he just ended up choking before running the few steps toward him, trying to wrap his short arms around Links furry neck. For his part the lupine tried, really tried to lift his head and nuzzle to him, but he just couldn't manage, he could feel his strength pouring out of his body along with his blood and he mourned the loss.

Drawing on power from his triforce, he hung onto consciousness for as long as he could. It made him present enough in mind to feel the changes that had started in the fight completely over take his body. His form lost the fur, returning to his skin and the rough cloth of his village attire. His paws turning back into hands and fingers, feet- complete with toes- back in his beloved sandals. His wet nose retracting back into his warm skin, and his eyes loosing their brutallity.

"What the -"

"It's not possible!"

"Thats unnatural!"

"LINK!!!"

"What do we do?"

"What about poor Ilia?" Ilia. He hadn't realised what this may do to her, to find out that he was the wolf that had often spooked her in Kakariko Village. Ilia who loved Epona just as much as he did and he knew took a lot better care of her too.

"No! N-no....!" He heard sobs. Epona should go to Ilia.....nobody else....

"Was he cursed..?"

"D'you think it's really Link?"

"Ofcourse it's really him!" If only they understood how hard it was for him to keep the secret....

He coughed raspingly, his breath too it seemed wanted to leave him in this helpless state. Blood filled his mouth, so he took a guess that a rib had punctured his lung, it would certainly explain the crippling agony and paralysis. He felt his head fall heavily back onto Talo's small lap, no longer able to muster the stength and the will, to keep it suspended. As he lifted a trembling, glowing hand to Talos small shoulder, he realised that he was losing too much of his blood for even the triforce to peserve his life. The deep red, life sustaining substance was spilling onto the ground and staining Talo and Rusl's hands. The spear must have been barbed to cause such a deep and ragged wound. He couldn't help but let out a groan of pure agony at the consuming pain.

"Please, Talo," he squeezed lightly on his small shoulder, "Make sure Epona is left to run free or go with Ilia. Please." He begged.

"No! Don't talk like that!" Talo sobbed into his hair. "Your not leaving Link!"

"It's a fatal wound...."

"That wolf was Link?!"

"Thats what we said!"

"But.....why?"

"Fado, get Talo away from him.."

"...Your spear was barbed Jaggle, the wound..... the blood won't be able clot...."

"But he can't die!"

Tentatively his ears picked up the far-off sounds, only able to recognise a deep and regretful voice that could only belong to his mentor, and the choked sobs of 'Link!' from his human pillow. His sight was starting to fail, the pain starting to win. Surrender, it won't hurt anymore, thats right....just sleep....let it carry you away, he fought the lilting voice. He had something to say before he joined the many who had died before him. Something important, but everything was becoming so vague, he fought hard to concentrate.

"T-Talo, please.....listen to me," he wheezed, the movement causing burning pain in his chest.

"No, don't talk, it will make you weaker!" Talo cried. Link grimanced, he was too weak already, afew words would not damage him anymore than he was. But what he could speak, sounded so pathetic, he noted distractedly. Oh he wished he could be stronger.

"Whatever you do, where ever you may go," he struggled for his last breaths, "never, never loose sight of what is important;; family, your friends. Be.." His hand fell limp, his eyes closed and he choked on the blood in his throat and lungs. Talo desperately gripped him tighter, as if by holding him he could stop him from leaving.

"..Strong."

To all my faithful readers.

First off, I would like to give a huge apology for the disgusting and shameful wait I have put you through for such a lacking last chapter. It has taken me a while of ignoring it, thinking, writing down, rethinking and drafting to find a plot I could actually live with for an ending, and then it has taken me a descipable month to get it to this length, which I personally do not think is long enough, but I cannot manage to get any longer without rambling on with any old babble that you wouldn't read anyway.

So I am extremely sorry.

I now would like to take the time to thank you all for reading, for faving, for putting this on your alerts, for reviewing and most of all for reading. It really makes me feel good to know people read my work, whether they review, fav or alert it or not. So thank you a million times over.

I hope nobody kills me for killing off Link. It just seemed so fiting and was the only way I could solve it. Believe me, I was even considering Midna or Zelda being pulled into it, but it would just be so unbelievable, so I left them out. They are fine though.

So thank you VERY much, and I hope you enjoyed Wolf Raid.

Ritakna