A/N: Takes place in Year 25, a few weeks after "Like Father, Like Son".

Ganondorf strode down the hallway of Hyrule Castle, nose deep in a status report. The Gerudo Valley had been low on resources lately, and he was working with Ralis to divert as much water to the region as possible. He had just gotten to the results of that endeavor, when he thought he heard a giggle from behind. However, there was nothing but an empty hallway greeting him when he turned around.

He hadn't made it more than twenty steps before the giggle came again, and this time there was a swoosh of curtain as he turned to check. A grin coming to his face, the Gerudo king tiptoed over to the large drapery and was just about to peek behind, when he was suddenly tackled to the floor by a huge red and white wolf. His little pumpkin was sitting on its back.

"Papa, I found a doggie! Her name's Puffball."

"Marin, this isn't a dog, it's a bear!" Ganondorf shimmied out from under the huge furry creature his daughter had managed to wrangle, and sat up to inspect it. Perhaps it was a dog, it was certainly sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail like one. On the other hand, it was bigger than Link's wolf form, had a thick weatherproof coat, and paws that could handle all kinds of terrain. Not to mention the teeth. "Where did you find this... creature?"

"She found me!" the little four year old yipped with glee, hopping on the dog's back and burying her face in its fur. "She says she's gonna protect me."

Getting to his feet, Ganondorf moved to remove his youngest from the animal's back, but was interrupted by a vicious growl. Marin mimicked the growl, before bursting with giggles.

"No, Papa, Puffball stays! She's our new pet."

"Marin, this is nonsense." The doting father seldom scolded his little miracle baby, but he was having a very difficult time with this latest request. "...What about Fi's cat?"

"Puffball won't eat Mews," Marin answered with a nod, completely missing the point of his question. "Asides, Puffball says she'll protect Mama, too. Cuz her grampa told her to."

"Grampa?" Ganondorf thought back to Link's tales of the Hero's Spirit, and how he took the form of a golden wolf to aid her in the fight against Zant. Maybe Link needed to meet this 'Puffball' herself. "...Alright, we'll go see what Mama has to say about the 'doggie' first."

It took a little bit, but they finally tracked Link down in the courtyard, watching Agahnim as he flew his kite. There would be no more injuries due to stuck leads on the courtyard wall, she'd make sure of that. Puffball dashed forward as soon as Link came in view, alarming Ganondorf and causing him to give chase.

Link heard a commotion approaching and turned her head, finding the most curious sight she'd seen since the first time she came to Hyrule. A furry creature carrying her baby on its back was galloping toward her, with her large Gerudo husband charging behind in a panic.

"Mommy, I found a puppy!"

"Link, get down! That thing will tackle you!"

Shaking her head at such nonsense, Link crouched down as the giant dog heeled in front of her and licked her face. "Aww! What a nice puppy!" Giggling, she fluffed its face and scratched its ears as Marin jumped off its back. "Where did this puppy come from, Marin?"

"Um..." Marin swayed back and forth as Ganondorf approached and crossed his arms, his own earlier attempt at wringing that answer from her unsuccessful. Marin chewed her lip for a moment before suddenly jumping into her mother's lap, and proceeded to bury her face in Link's chest.

Ganondorf sighed, before running a hand through his hair. "She was playing in the graveyard again, wasn't she?" He had a strong dislike of the place, and wouldn't go near it. He especially didn't want the children doing so, either. "I don't think a little child should be playing around in the resting place of the dead. What if you get cursed?"

"I was just sitting under the big tree, dats all," Marin mumbled from her mother's lap, perking up when Puffball nuzzled into her tummy. "Den Puffball came over and said she was here to protect me. She even scared away some big rats who were gonna bite me."

"The big tree, did you say?" Link smoothed her baby's hair, then looked to the dog. "That's the tree my great grandfather is buried beneath. Maybe it's a sign that your puppy pal came to you while you were sitting under that tree."

"She did say the beast was under orders from the Hero to protect the two of you," Ganondorf murmured. "That's why we-"

"PAPA!" Marin turned to her father, a strong pout on her face. "Puffball is NOT a beast, she's a fluffy puppy!" A puppy the size of a wolf, perhaps, but from the way the dog was acting it was clear this animal was no threat to the children. When Agahnim came over to investigate the giant furball, he even got some sloppy kisses for his trouble.

Link smiled at the children as they played tag with the dog, and leaned against her husband. "It looks like we have a new member of the family..."

"That enormous thing?! You can't be serious, it will eat our poor babies when we're not looking! Did you see the size of its paws and teeth?"

"It's just an arctic dog," Link clarified, teasing Ganondorf with a poke in the ribs. "I saw them when I visited Snowpeak with Rusl. They're not wolves, just big, furry dogs that pull carts and freight along the snow. She'll be a good companion for the children, and you can take her for a run in the mornings before they're awake."

Ganondorf made a face in disbelief, though it was quickly knocked off of him as Puffball and the children came over and tackled him to the ground. "Oh, Papa, thank you for letting us have a new pet," Agahnim cheered, while Marin howled alongside her new doggie guardian.

"And I suppose I'll be in charge of cleaning up after it, too?"

Link chuckled at Ganondorf's little protest, before crouching down beside Puffball and whispering into its ear. Puffball looked around for a moment, before letting out a bark.

"Puffball says she'll try her best to go only in the areas we tell her to," Link translated, to the surprise of her husband. "I'll take care of the rest, since you have so much to do."

Ganondorf sat up in disbelief. "You can understand that thing?"

"Of course I can, silly," Link answered with a laugh. "I was turned into a wolf, if you recall. Where do you think our little baby got her gift from? Besides, can't you talk to pigs?"

"That's a misconception," Ganondorf snorted, causing Link to giggle.

A/N: Puffball is a rather large and fluffy Malamute. She's mostly white, but has a little color along her back and points. AO3 user GlamAngel3766 suggested a one-shot where they adopted a dog, and I thought it would be funnier if the dog adopted them. :3