Chapter 20

Wolf

The two swam for hours. After their race, they challenged each other to a good old fashioned breath holding contest. Then they had a splashing war. After that, they simply floated on their backs, looking up at the sky. Making up shapes in the small white fluffy clouds that floated high above them was perhaps the best thing Link could have thought to do with his day. Ilia saw mostly animals, like rabbits and turtles. Link had seen plenty of dragons and an assortment of weapons. A few monsters…but he didn't tell Ilia about those.

After that, Link noticed Ilia's skin starting to become pink. He himself was pretty tan from all of his travels and so was fine, but afraid for her safety, he suggested they head back toward the shade. Climbing out of the water and into the shade of the original tree, they sat back down beneath it. They air dried for some time, simply talking about minor things, or every day things. Link was more than happy to discuss his favorite foods which he never had the privilege of revealing to anyone before. And after that, they talked about the foods he hated.

"Uli kept putting them on my plate!" he said, still struggling to contain his laughter so he could speak. "I kept making faces at her, but she just kept loading them on there! I think she was ignoring me because she thought they were good for me. But by the end of it, it looked like a mountain of brussle sprouts!" Ilia giggled too, happy to hear any sort of story from Link. After all, she'd never heard any of them before.

After their conversation, both discovered that they were relatively dry. As such, they started to get dressed.

"Shall I keep my shirt off for you?" Link teased. Ilia slapped him playfully.

"You idiot!" But Link only laughed. Pulling his shirt back on, he saw Ilia starting to leave the spring. He quickly slipped his sandals back on, then jogged to catch up with her. The two reentered the forest. The summer sun still high in the sky, the yellow beams of light that filtered down through the trees were still as beautiful as they had been that morning. A bird sang sweetly off in the distance as a cicada began to hum. It was much cooler in the woods, and both breathed in the crisp clean air. It was a relief from the hot sun they'd just been baking in. Walking side by side, Link glanced down to their hands. Ilia's was very near his, swinging gently back and forth. He wanted to hold it, and not quite the same shy boy he once was, he immediately reached out, taking a hold of her small palm.

Ilia, slightly startled, looked to him. Link's grin grew widely, overtaking his face as he smiled her way. Ilia giggled. He sure was cute.

The bird from earlier twittered it's song again, and this time, Link whistled to it in response, trying his best to imitate it. Ilia decided it was actually pretty darned close.

"That's impressive," she said. Link smiled, but this time was oddly quiet. Ilia looked to him, and found him staring off into the distance, a pensive expression on his face. Worried that he was thinking about the war again, or maybe his scars, she quickly asked,

"What's the matter?" Link shifted his blue eyes her way.

"Nothing really," he said. "I was just wondering…" But then his voice trailed off. Ilia watched his face as he struggled to find his words.

"Wondering what?"

"Well…I was wondering…I'm of age now, and you will be on your birthday this spring. I was wondering if your father wouldn't agree to let me marry you right away." Ilia stopped walking, and because Link was holding her hand, he stopped too. Blinking, he looked to her, at first worried that he'd been too direct. But when he saw her face, he knew he hadn't been. Ilia was simply glowing, her eyes shining and huge with girlish delight.

"Oh! Oh Link! I'm sure he would! I don't think he'd mind at all! After all, we've been in love for years! And the entire town already knows we're bound to get married one day!" Link blinked in surprise. He hadn't really expected it to go so well.

"Really? You're ok with it being that fast?"

"Fast? Link! I've been waiting for years! Haven't you? I mean, you said just last night how I was um…tempting for you."

"Uhh…" Link quickly released Ilia's hand then turned away from her to hide the redness that bloomed over his face. Already flustered from the mere mention of it, he struggled to get himself under control. It was of course, one of the main reasons, other than love, that he wanted to marry Ilia so soon, because she was right. He had been tempted for years. And apparently…she had been tempted too.

And that thought suddenly made his frustration so very much worse. Face beat red, and the day suddenly far hotter than he remembered it, Link tried to find a way to sober himself up. Lifting his head to the greenery above, he closed his eyes.

Oh Nayru! Pour your wisdom over me and keep me on the straight and narrow path! He silently prayed. Struggling desperately not to think of marriage, or Ilia, or any body parts she may have, or how he'd just been so close to her while swimming…touching and all sorts of other things, he instead tried desperately to think of something else.

Something unappealing! He thought. Moblins! Or Bokoblins! No! I know, Re-deads! And that actually worked. Probably a little bit too well. Re-deads had been the most horrific creature he'd ever had to fight during the war. They looked like they may have once been human, but with their flesh rotting and falling off their carcasses as they sauntered toward him, it was hard to tell. And of course…he could never forget the stench.

Oh dear…I went a little too far… He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the memory of it, then was brought into a new mental battle of keeping himself from falling too deeply into his past.

"Oh…Link…don't worry about it." Came Ilia's sweet voice from behind him. "It was a very inappropriate question I posed. I'm really sorry. You don't have to answer. I already know what you think of me. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Link started to calm at simply hearing her tones. Her very voice seemed to heal him. Feeling his heart slow from its rapid pace, Link also found his blood starting to cool. Feeling much better, he was brave enough to turn and face her once more. Quickly, he smiled to show he was fine.

"It's ok," he said. "It was my fault for bringing it up. I'll discuss things with your dad later. Then we can talk about it again, ok?" Ilia nodded and returned his smile. It sounded good to her. It seemed pretty much an affirmation to his earlier statement.

So he is planning on marrying me in the spring! Ilia giggled as she started to walk forward once more. She couldn't stand the idea of waiting, but knew that she had to.

It'll only be that much sweeter when we do get married! Then, unable to control herself, she suddenly started skipping down the forest path. Link let out a quick laugh when he saw it. Wrinkling his brows together, he couldn't help but to think it was cute. If he made her that giddy, so be it. Jogging to catch back up to her, she stopped once she saw him. Then, reaching out, they took a hold of each other's hands once more. Gripping each other tightly, they continued on their path through the sun beam strewn woods and back toward Ordon village.

Once back in town, Link had to head back to work for the afternoon chores. But he promised Ilia he'd be back to get her at sunset. Quite frankly, he just couldn't stay away from her. And so, he rode off on Epona and toward the ranch, nothing but thoughts of Ilia swimming through his golden head.

He thanked the goddesses that work didn't take too long, and just as promised as the sun began to descend in the sky, he rode out of the ranch and away from work and back toward Ilia's house. He made it to her door just as the sky was changing from a brilliant orange to a deep blood red. He ran up the front steps and onto the porch. Standing in front of her door, excited to see her, even though he just had a few hours ago, he lifted his hand to knock. But before he even had the chance, the door was flung wide open, Ilia standing in its frame, torch light from inside framing her in a yellow glow.

"Link!"

"Ilia, I-!" But he never got the chance to speak, for she had already flung herself forward, and wrapping her arms around his neck, she planted a firm, wet kiss on his lips, silencing him. She held him there, hostage to her love for him, and Link, really, really didn't mind. Closing his eyes, he took the moment to really feel her, really taste her and smell her. Her presence enveloped him. He was falling deeper and deeper into the moment, losing himself in it when a loud guffaw came from within the house.

"Well well, look at the two love birds! Kissing right here on my very own front porch, right where I can see em too!" Link immediately pulled his head back and away from Ilia, and then tried to pull away entirely, but she refused to let him go. Clenching her arms even more tightly around his neck, she didn't release him as his face turned a brilliant crimson at the understanding that her father had caught them.

"I…I'm sorry sir! I…"

"No! You stop that Link! You're not sorry! You loved it!"

"Ilia!" Link almost shrieked with horror.

"Shush! I've got this." Still not releasing her boyfriend, Ilia turned and looked into the house, directly at her laughing father. "Shame on you father! Shame for embarrassing Link like that! You approve of us and everyone knows it! Link's the only one who'd fall for a trick like that and it's only because he so readily wants your approval!"

"Ilia!" Link shrieked again, humiliation flooding him.

"Oh, hush. My father knows that already too. He's just playing a horrible joke on you. You pay him no mind. Come on Link, let's head somewhere away from prying eyes!"

"Aw, buttercup, don't be so mean to yer old dad." But Ilia wasn't having any of it. She quickly closed the door, cutting off her father's view of them. It seemed harsh, but Link knew that pretty much everything that had just happened was in jest. Ilia and Bo had a close relationship like that. He trusted her, and Link knew he trusted him too, or he never would have allowed his baby girl to go running off into the sunset with him. Link's face quickly changed into a relaxed grin.

"That's a relief. He likes me after all, or he would have killed me a long time ago." Ilia giggled.

"You've got that right. I'm pretty sure he'd snap the legs off of any boy he didn't like. But daddy never had to show his mean side because…well…I've liked you all along." Link chuckled, taking the compliment to its fullest height. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he hoisted her up into the air, spun her around, then gracefully put her back down on her feet just down past the stairs of her porch.

"Woo! That's one way to get off of my porch!" Smiling, Link then stepped down the two stairs himself, his Ordon sandals crunching the dirt and gravel. Hands on his hips and the red sun setting just behind him, he faced his lovely girlfriend.

"So, where shall we go? I know it's late, but we could always go for another walk in the woods. I loved it this past afternoon." Ilia smiled.

"Sure, we could do that."

"Ok." Reaching out, Link took her hand as he had earlier. Seemingly content to have her by his side and to simply be with her, the two started down the village path. Smiling and giggling, laughing and flirting, the two very quickly found themselves at the edge of town. And as always, just before the entrance to the forest, was Link's house.

Here, Ilia stopped walking. Link looked to her and found her staring up at his house, a new look of wonder and awe on her face. She was adorable no matter what she did, but this was an even cuter look for her, Link decided. He smiled in seeing such a great expression on her.

"What're you thinking about?" he asked. Ilia's eyes lowered from the house and moved to him. A small smile graced her lips as the first star of the night appeared overhead in a quickly darkening sky.

"I was thinking…how this will be my house someday soon too." Link's smile only grew at that. It filled him with joy to think of such things.

"Our house," he said. "Only you can't throw away any of my stuff when you move in!" Ilia let out a quick laugh.

"Most of it is safe, but I've had my eye on that ugly totem pole thing ever since you got it! If I'm moving in, that thing has got to go! It gives me the willies!"

"Oh, no! Not my totem pole. I got it from Renado during the war."

"I don't care. Either it goes, or I go. Hmph!" Ilia stuck her nose into the air and crossed her arms over her chest. She turned away from Link, but of course, she struggled to keep a grin off of her face. Link knew it was all a game. As such, he marched back over to her.

"Come here you," taking a hold of her shoulders, he spun her around to face him.

"Hm?" Not even thinking of it, he leaned in to kiss her. Gripping her shoulders tightly, he gently and lovingly pressed his lips into hers. Ilia's spring green eyes fluttered closed. The setting sun descended behind them, sinking slowly below the mountains. And as Link breathed in Ilia's scent, he couldn't help but to lean further into her, his need for her rising as it always did when they came together. He kissed her again, this time less sweetly and a bit more eagerly. He felt Ilia's pulse pick up pace from beneath his hands where he gripped her. Her breath washed over him, and she started to kiss back.

Behind the young couple, the very last rays of the sun sunk down below the horizon, the bright red of the sky began to dwindle to a deep purple, and as the last sight of the sun was seen, the full moon began to rise. And the moment this occurred, Link felt something inside of himself shift. He let out a quick gasp, pulling back and away from Ilia in alarm. Ilia, confused, stared at him.

"Link? What's the matter? Why'd you stop?" Link stood for a second, the pale light of the rising moon washing over him, as he tried to determine the answer to that question.

"I…I don't know. Something feels strange." A throbbing began in the center of his chest, and with every passing second, it grew. Link lifted a hand to it, clutching at his shirt. It sent waves through him, pulsating throughout his limbs. And then, very suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain pierced him from within.

"Augh!" He doubled over, not really having much choice in the matter, his face twisting in on itself, and when he did, that was when he recognized what was happening to him, for he'd felt this exact phenomena before. His blue eyes widened with dread. Fear pierced him as quickly as the initial pain had, and with it he broke out into a sweat.

"No…no! Not this!" Ilia watched on, still terribly confused, but much more alarmed than anything else. She quickly rushed forward.

"Link! Are you ok?" Link, seeing her approaching, quickly held out a hand to halt her.

"Stay back!" he ordered. "I can't stop this!" Terrified of the pain that was coming, all Link could really do was brace himself inwardly for it to come and take him. And even as he thought it, the transformation began. His muscles tore first, followed very quickly by the breaking of his bones. His insides churned, marrow grinding apart and then back together in order to change his shape. Ilia watched on in horror as Link fell to his hands and knees. Pain riddled him. White hot and flaming red, his vision swam as fire burned him from within. And as his body tore itself apart, he couldn't take it for more than a second or two.

He let out a dreadful scream. His beautiful new voice rose into the night air, splitting the peace of the Ordonian evening with the complete weight of his agony. And Ilia, unable to believe her eyes or bear the burden of his screams, could do little but watch. She watched as her loves skin split open, dark gray hair springing fourth. She watched as his body was broken before her. It shifted horrendously, and she could hear the sound of bones and cartilage churning together.

Links screams of torment filled her ears. The same voice she'd heard singing praise to the goddesses just earlier that day now rose in pitch, reached its limit, then broke and split. Her heart froze in her chest like ice. Shaking wildly, she found herself paralyzed by the horror of the scene before her.

Link's fingers shrank away, then widened into massive paws. His pointed ears pulled back along his head as his golden locks changed to a deep, raven black. A tail sprang fourth, tearing his clothes right off his body. And there, halfway between man and beast, Link looked more like a monster than anything poor Ilia had ever seen before in her life.

His screams became a horrific mash of both human and wolf like cries. His human voice, which he had just so rightfully earned, turned into howls of despair. And as she couldn't tear her eyes away, the last thing she lost from him was his handsome face. It warped, his nose elongating, his teeth becoming pointed canines, and in just another moment more, it was all over.

Ilia stood, hands covering her face in shock as she stared out at the creature before her. For right before her eyes was a very large, very terrifying looking wolf with strange markings on its fur. But…the creature only lasted a second, then immediately upon finishing its transformation, its blue eyes rolled back in its head and it collapsed to the dirt and onto its side. There it lay, still and unmoving, but it was panting heavily, and despite its loss of consciousness, she could still see that the beast was in pain.

For a long moment, she simply couldn't move. There was a large part of her that was certain she was dreaming. After all, none of this could possibly be real…right? But she was in so much shock at the scene that she couldn't even think, or breathe, or blink. She simply stood, mouth agape, green eyes wider than the full moon overhead.

But if it was a dream, it was the most realistic one she'd ever had. She could still smell Link's scent on her clothes. She could still taste him on her lips. She could still hear his sweet voice, whispering in her ear. His warm, tender hands had just been holding her shoulders. And then he just…

Ilia let out a sudden, choked cry of delayed horror. And really, in not knowing what else to do, she slid her feet in the dirt and ran to her fallen boyfriend. Falling to her knees beside the beast, she reached out her hands to touch it, but instantly halted herself. The wolf before her was huge, and very real this close up. She could feel the heat coming off of it as her hands hovered just above its thick coat. She watched its sides rose and fell as it breathed. She listened to it heave its hefty breath.

"This can't be real, it just can't be real!" She shrieked. "This can't possibly be Link, my Link!" But Ilia knew there was only one way to be certain, and that was to touch the creature before her. She hesitated only once more, then, as fast as she could, she lowered her hands to the creature's coat.

Almost right away a lot of her fear died. The wolf was soft. And its fur felt an awful lot like Link's golden hair. And as she slid her hands through its coat, she couldn't help but to look at the beast's unconscious face. It had blue earrings on its ears…the same ones Link had been wearing that day. And its features oddly seemed familiar. Still, Ilia hadn't been sure…that was, until she saw the creatures left paw.

There, on its left ankle was a missing patch of fur. It was about the size of a shackle, and it went all the way around the creature's wrist. It was then that Ilia could no longer deny the truth. This was Link. And for some reason, he'd turned into a wolf outside of the Twilight.

"Oh dear Farore have mercy," she whispered into the darkening night. Still in shock, Ilia spent several more seconds simply staring. After all, what on earth was she supposed to do in a situation like this?

"I…I should go get daddy…or…or Rusl! Maybe Rusl will know what to do!" But of course, that all felt like it was just wishful thinking. Ilia already knew that no one else in the village knew of this. If they had, someone would have spoken about it by now. Ilia was certain she'd been the only one Link had told of his wolf form.

"Well I can't just let him lie here!" She argued with herself out loud. Sitting up straight, hands clasped tightly in her lap, she stared at her fallen boyfriend. Knowing she had to do something, anything at all, she convinced herself to at least stand back up. Once on her feet, she thought she'd better head back into town and get some help. Link was far too large and heavy for her to carry, so she would simply have to leave him here. But that thought in and of itself frightened her.

What if he wakes up while I'm gone? What if he runs off somewhere? It seemed absurd. Why would he run away? But all the same, she couldn't help but to think it.

The pressure of the situation rose in her chest. In staring at him, unconscious and as a beast, Ilia knew she simply had to swallow her fear, and head into town.

"I…I'm sorry Link! I have to leave you for a little bit. I'm going to get help! If you can hear me, please, stay where you are!" Then Ilia turned on her heel and ran out and away from Link's house. As upset as she was, she had her vision swimming with tears. Her head hung low, she wasn't exactly watching where she was going. This in combination made it easy for her to run right into someone. With a crash into someone's chest, she let out a cry and almost fell, but a pair of strong hands reached out, grabbing onto her shoulders.

"Whoa there! Careful Ilia." Blinking through her distress, Ilia looked up to see Rusl's rough and unshaven face.

"Rusl!" She cried, then unhesitant, she threw herself at him. Burying her face in his chest, she began to sob hysterically.

"Hey now!" Alarmed and not knowing yet what had taken place, Rusl grabbed a hold of the young girl and tried to calm her down. "Ilia, gather yourself for a second if you can. I came up this way because I heard screaming. What's happened? Where's Link?"

It was very difficult to get a handle on herself. Sobs still racking her body, Ilia lifted a hand to her face to wipe at her tears. Gasping for breath and near hysterics, she tried to speak.

"L…Link! He…he just…he just fell down on the ground and…and he started screaming! And I tried to help him but he just…he just…" She squeezed her eyes shut, then let out a few more sobs before she could say another word. "He turned into some sort of creature! A wolf!"

Well, Rusl really didn't know what to make of such a story. At first, it had sounded like Link had a heart attack or something of the sort, but when Ilia finished up with this wild tale of transforming into a beast, well, he just wasn't sure what to believe. Rusl knew Ilia to be an honest, truthful, person. He knew she'd never lie. But perhaps some crazy phenomena happened to trick her eyes into thinking something so wild. There just had to be some other explanation. All the same, Rusl had heard the screams. And afraid that Link was hurt or in danger, he knew he had to at least go along with Ilia's story weather he believed it or not.

"Take me to him," was all he said. Ilia nodded. Turning, she ran back the way she'd come. Rusl followed close behind, and of course, because she hadn't traveled far, it didn't take long to get there. Turning around the bend, Rusl stopped short in his tracks.

There, dead ahead, lying in a patch of moonlight, was indeed a very large, very frightening looking wolf. It was clear that it was no ordinary wolf. Rusl had seen plenty in the forest. This one had strange markings, and was far, far too large. It looked almost like a creature of legend or something out of a children's fairytale. He stared, at first in shock and frozen in place, but that was only until Ilia rushed forward and toward it.

"Ilia, no!" Horrified for the girl's safety, Rusl lurched forward. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed her by the arm, halting her. "Are you crazy? Stay away from that thing! It's clearly dangerous!" But to his shock, Ilia started to struggle in his grasp.

"No! He's not dangerous! That's Link!" Rusl gaped. Was the girl mad? Tears continued to stream down her pale cheeks. She appeared simply traumatized. Perhaps something had happened to Link and she couldn't cope with it? Perhaps this creature…had…hurt, or eaten Link? Was that the screaming he'd heard?

Rusl lifted his eyes to the scene before him. There was no blood. Not a drop in the area. And Rusl knew his Link. Link was tough. Tougher than most anyone else he knew. A creature like this wouldn't have been able to take him down. There would have at least have been signs of a struggle. No. Rusl knew this wolf hadn't done anything to Link.

"It's Link! It's Link!" Ilia insisted. "Look! Look at his clothes!" Rusl did look. The wolf was indeed lying on top of a set of shredded clothes. It was the very same outfit Link had been wearing that day. And it looked almost as if…the creature had…popped right out of them.

"And he's wearing his earrings! And his scar on his wrist is the same!" Rusl saw the earrings. He didn't know anyone else who wore such a blue pair. And if this was a prank, well…who in their right mind would get close enough to put earrings on a monster like that?

Rusl didn't know about Link's scar. But he did see the patch of fur that was missing. Rusl struggled with it inside. Without having seen it for himself, it was still so difficult to believe, even with good evidence.

"This can't be what it looks like," he said to himself out loud. "It just can't be." Ilia looked to the stunned father then, a small flame of anger making its way through her tears and fear. A small scowl coming forth, she suddenly glared through her grief.

"Well it is!" Violently yanking her arms free, she stopped her foot at Rusl. "This is Link whether you believe me or not and he needs help! He's hurt!" Ilia was fully prepared to argue with the older man, her face reddening in preparation when a small whine came from behind her. Blinking her leaf green eyes, she turned. And there, she found Link starting to come around. She saw the wolf's face contort, his eyebrows coming together in an expression of discomfort. A small, pitiful whine escaped the creature. Then, slowly, its eyes fluttered open. And it was at that moment that Ilia knew even Rusl couldn't doubt. Link's eyes were exactly the same shade of blue that they always had been. And beast or not, it was easy to see the human intelligence hidden within them. He was aware, in a way that animals simply weren't.

"Link!" Ilia raced for him, and this time, Rusl didn't stop her. All he could really do was stand in shock. But Ilia, reaching her boyfriend, immediately fell back down to her knees. "Link! Link! Are you ok? Dear Farore! I was so terrified! I know this isn't normal, but, please please at least tell me you're ok!" For a second, Link only lay there, seemingly trying to come back to consciousness. But once he had and was fully back around, he moved to get up. Putting all four feet down beneath him, he stood with ease. After all, he'd been a wolf plenty of times before, and knew perfectly well how to use his animal body. Ilia sighed with relief.

"Oh thank goodness!" Still on her knees, she was now the same height at Link. As such, he had easy access to her face. Instinct took over, and his desire to let her know that he was indeed ok, moved him to lick her cheek. He did so without thinking much of it, and he wouldn't while in beast form. As a wolf, a lot of what he did was driven by powerful urges and seemingly unstoppable impulses. He remembered traveling with Midna and sometimes stopping in the middle of the road to dig at a particularly soft spot of soil, or to sniff a very potent smelly thing. He once had started chasing his tail without first realizing what it was he was doing.

It was because of these things and for these reasons that he was often afraid of losing himself while in wolf form. Link had never truly liked it, for it wasn't who he was or who he was meant to be. The goddesses had made him a man. And that was exactly what he wanted to be. As a beast…a part of him always felt like it was in danger of being lost forever.

But of course, Rusl and Ilia didn't know any of this. They'd never been forced to change into an animal, and they probably had no idea how powerful instinct actually was. All the same, the effect of wanting to let Ilia know he was ok seemed to work. A shaky smile spread over her face after his slobbery kiss.

"Oh…that's not the kind of kiss I'd been hoping for…but…it'll do until we can figure out how to change you back," she said. Then, standing up, she looked Link over one more time. Thanking the goddesses, Ilia found that he at least appeared ok. When she was satisfied that he wasn't hurt, she turned to Rusl.

"Rusl, what should we do?" But when she faced him, she found the older man wide eyed and petrified. It was clear the truth of the situation had finally sunken in, and he was not taking it well.

"This…this is…my son?" Link let out another soft whine, worried for his father figure. But he knew that there was nothing he could do for him. This was just something Rusl would have to accept.

Rusl took an unsteady step forward. Then another. He took another still until he was standing right next to Ilia and right before Link. Link sat down on his haunches, so as not to appear threatening in anyway. It seemed to work, and for several long seconds, Rusl only stared. But as he did, Link watched as he saw his eyes widen even further still.

"I…I recognize this wolf," he said. Ilia blinked in surprise.

"You do?"

"Yes. He…it was back when you got kidnapped Ilia. You and the other children had gone missing. Myself and the other villagers had thought Link had been taken with you too. But…that night, a wolf had wandered into Ordon. We…we thought he was a monster. We thought he was one of the creatures that had taken the children."

Link and Ilia both watched as the older man started to tremble in place, guilt overtaking his features. His yellow eyebrows knit themselves together.

"Link was probably coming to us for help. It was probably the first time this had happened to him. And we…we attacked him!" Link stared up at his father, horrified to see tears entering his eyes. It was very rare indeed that he'd ever seen Rusl cry. But here in the moonlight, staring at his transformed son, a glimmering appeared.

"We threw rocks at him. H…Hanch attacked him with the hawk. And I…Link came up to me, he was probably terrified. And I…I…I hit him in the face with a torch. I…I burnt him! We…we chased him out of town!"

Ilia lifted a pale hand to her mouth, covering it. But she didn't say a word. Link however, hated that everyone was so distraught. Although it was true, Rusl's story, it had been a few years ago. Besides, he understood. He knew what he'd looked like. He knew how scared everyone had been. Everyone's children were missing, and they knew monsters had taken them. Link was sure…he would have done the same thing had he been in their shoes.

And although Link was frightened for himself currently, for he had no idea why he'd transformed, he didn't want Rusl to feel any guilt. And so, stepping forward on his new paw pads, he lifted his nose, nuzzling it into Rusl's palm at his side.

Blinking, and looking down to his newly transformed son, Rusl at first was too upset to react. But…in seeing Link was ok, and not only ok, but trying to cheer him up, he just had to smile.

"Wow…" he said. "You're so good in your heart that you even try to make me feel better when you're in such a terrible state yourself." And then, running on human instinct, Rusl reached down and patted Link on top of his head. It was fine of course, because Link could hardly fight his wolf side, which liked such a thing very much. Quite subconsciously, his tail began to wag. He may have sometimes been at war between his human and wolf side, but one thing he always agreed on with himself was who he did and didn't like. And Link very much liked Rusl. So a pat on the head was welcome.

Ilia, however, in watching the whole thing, grew even more concerned than she was before, if at all possible. She understood in the few short minutes of Link being awake, what his predicament was. She immediately noticed that some of the things that made him human were gone, and not just physically. The transformation clearly also had to do with his mind. And that did not make her happy. Not one bit. For the things that made a person human were the most important gifts of all from the goddesses. And she was not about to sit back and watch her boyfriend lose himself to more basic instincts and needs. She wouldn't let him forget his soul.

"Link needs help," she said again. "And we have to help him right away." Rusl nodded in agreement.

"Of course. But…what to do about something like this? I've been through a lot in my lifetime, but I've never come close to seeing a situation like this one." Scratching Link behind his ear, Rusl lifted his eyes to Ilia. "Did Link mention anything to you? Like why he transformed to begin with, or how he returned to human form?" Ilia shook her head sadly.

"No…we've had such a short time to talk…" And Rusl saw the pain in her face as she said so. Link had only had his voice for a day, and then…it was all taken away again. He couldn't imagine how that made Ilia feel. Rusl would have been more worried about Link, but, he seemed oddly content in his wolf body. That made him nervous. He should have been much more upset.

"Maybe we should take him to the doctor in Castle Town?" Rusl suggested. Ilia shook her head.

"We don't have the money for that quack. Besides, I wouldn't trust him with whatever it was he said." Ilia, of course, still remembered the time when that doctor wouldn't help the dying Zora prince. "Maybe…a sage…or a healer? Do we know anyone?"

Rusl was quiet for a moment, and so was Ilia as they thought. But then, Rusl's eyes lit up with an idea.

"What about the Shaman that's a good friend of your fathers? Renado in Kakariko village? Didn't he also help you regain your memory?" Ilia's eyes lit up as well.

"Yes of course! How could I have forgotten? He's a good friend of Links too. They helped each other during the war, and he helped look after me when I'd lost my memory. He watched over the children, and as I recall, he knows quite a bit about strange supernatural things. He could probably help!"

Rusl nodded firmly.

"Then there's no time to waste. Ilia, I know the sun just set, but…I believe we should head out right away. Never mind if you're tired. I feel this is very serious indeed. I think we should gather just enough things for a one day trip, then meet back here and head out for Kakariko. If we leave within the half hour, we should get there around sunrise."

Ilia nodded in complete agreement.

"I'll head home and tell father everything that's happened. I'll pack some clothes and some food. I'll meet you back here."

Rusl nodded in agreement as well. He would have to go home and tell Uli of all that was happening and gather a few things of his own, but it shouldn't take long.

"Ok, let's go." Both of them turned and hurried back toward town. Link, not having received any instruction from either person, initially, and instinctively ran after Ilia. He hadn't given a thought about it, he just…followed her. But of course, she soon saw what was taking place. Stopping, she turned to face Link.

"No, Link. You have to stay here. No one in the village knows about this yet. Rusl and I have to tell everyone what's going on. If you show yourself before then…well, they might attack you again, like they did before."

Of course, Link thought, suddenly feeling very stupid. Ilia was right. And he should have been able to realize that on his own. But seeing her turn and run away from him had just made it…so impossible not to run after her. But with his wolf instinct now in check and his human brain in control, he made himself sit down to show that he understood. Ilia smiled.

"Good boy!" But when she said that, both Link and Ilia frowned. Was it so easy to treat him like a dog? Link supposed it was. He sure felt like one when he was in his wolf body. He didn't begrudge her. And in fact, supposed that human instinct to treat dogs the way they always had was just as strong as his wolf instinct. No one knew what else to do with him. Link let out a small whine, only once, then lay down to wait patiently. Ilia stared at him, her leaf green eyes wide and threatening to fill with tears once more. But after holding his gaze for just a second, she forced herself to turn away. Kicking up dirt from the soles of her flip flips, she disappeared around the bend, leaving Link to wait for her return.