My most difficult trials were over, but little did I know that the journey had only begun. The day Link and I reunited became yet another race for survival. I soon learned that the rest of the Ordon children resided in that place called Kakariko Village, which, during that very afternoon, was raided by Bulblins. King Bulblin was among them, and he and his minions kidnapped the boy Colin. It was I who carried Link through battle to rescue him. Before then, I was never trained as a warhorse, however, with Link guiding me, I faced my fears with renewed confidence.
We underwent many ventures after that. I visited and revisited every landmark of Hyrule, until I knew every province by heart. I knew the mappings of the plains, the foothills, and the name of every river and town. I forged pathways through lands no horse could cross before myself, took my master to places he could not have reached alone.
Link could not always be with me; he often disappeared for days, or even weeks at a time. Our partnership remained as happy and strong as ever, although it had changed. Our tasks no longer entailed herding goats or clearing hurdles. My master was no longer the wrangler I remembered. He had evolved, in an unfairly short time, into a swordsman. A warrior. A killer.
I never thought Link to be capable of killing, but during our ventures I saw it with my own eyes. With his sword he slaughtered every enemy that crossed our path, every foe that stood in our way. Something else had changed about him, the way he acted, and even the way he looked. Though he was as good and kind as he ever was, Link always appeared to hide some mystery beneath his words, something that flashed into view once in a while as he brandished his sword. It was mirrored in his eyes. Something beastlike.
I was terribly lonely when he was absent, although I always remained hopeful. I could hear the sound of that song, the one Link used to call me with, echoing in every part of Hyrule. There was a mysterious power in that melody. I could hear it from miles away, no matter where I was, and if I followed the music I would always find Link standing in front of me, smiling. That was a notion I kept close to my heart, of every minute Link was away. I would always hear that song eventually, and eventually, my master would always return to me.
I migrated across Hyrule Field for a season. For almost three months, I did not see my master. I strained to listen for the song, my song, but I could never catch a note. Our last parting occurred in Kakariko Village. It was also then when Ilia was brought there, rescued and in one piece, although she seemed strangely distant from me. Link's departure was abrupt; he did not even say good-bye. He probably meant for me to stay within the confines of the village, for my own safety. But nobody would keep me contained there. I left of my own accord, and headed north.
The time crept by, with no sight or sound from Link. I was filled with sorrow. Hating myself, I believed he had at last abandoned me. Had he traveled so far away, he had forgotten his life here in Hyrule? Did he decide to become the Chosen Hero? It was a title that people soon began to address him with when he turned warrior. Was he the same Hero I had heard of in the Hidden Village? The very worst theory, one I refused to believe, was that he was dead, killed in some battle, and erased cruelly from existence.
My wanderings brought me back to Faron Province, to the woods I used to know so well. It was a clear night, with the stars glistening and the moon looming above my head like a white orb. The woods were teeming with sights and sounds; rustling leaves, groaning tree branches, crickets chirping, frogs croaking. I stopped by the forest spring to rest; my travel-worn hooves were dully sore. I lowered my head to the spring water and began to drink.
I raised my head up at once. My attention focused on the cave through which I had come through moments ago. From the shadows came a beastly wolf, padding along slowly with its head lowered passively. I backed away from the spring, snorting with alarm. It was not the wolf that frightened me, but the strange creature that sat astride its back. It was small, imp-like, and coated with shining black skin. Its rather large head was crowned with some kind of ebony helmet, covering one of its eyes. The eye that was not covered was bright orange and cat-like.
The pair ignored me completely, for the moment. The wolf made his way toward the spring and drank from it, heaving slightly from exhaustion. The imp rider sat back against the wolf's spine and yawned dismissively. She was asleep within minutes.
For some reason, I did not run. Something told me that the wolf was not a danger to me. As a horse, I knew what to look for in a hunting predator, and my instincts allowed me to relax in this wolf's presence. However the imp was a mystery to me, being some kind of cross between animal and human. I watched it warily from the corner of my eye.
The wolf drank to his heart's content, and only then did he tilt his gaze toward me. I started. Something in those compassionate blue eyes was familiar….
The wolf spoke to me quietly, but clearly. "Epona, how wonderful to see you."
"What?" I snorted again. "You know who I am? Who are you?"
The wolf turned to me, craning his neck up to meet my gaze. "Epona, it's me, Link."
Before I could retort, he resumed. "I know I look different, but I assure you, it's me. You never knew this, but I can change forms."
"You can't be," I said. "It can't be possible…" But it was. His scent was the same, though it mingled with the smells of rain, and blood. "Prove it to me," I demanded.
"We first joined up again in Kakariko, remember?" the wolf said. "You nearly ran me over."
I was incredulous. "It's really you, Link. For the first time in my life, I can well understand your speech."
"It's certainly astounding," the wolf said. "Ever since I learned to speak with animals, I wondered what it would be like to talk to you. To understand you truly."
"You understood me well, Link," I said. "And I thought I knew you well, but you have grown intriguing. I cannot read you as I once did. Tell me; how did you get this way?"
"Oh, you mean the fur and the tail?" The wolf gestured comically. "Yes, it is a rather interesting story. You know of the Twilight?"
"The Twilight?"
"It is a parallel realm that exists independently from the Light. However, when Ordon was first attacked so long ago, the Twilight began to combine with our world. I tumbled into it by mistake, and I transformed into a wolf."
"Just like that?" I asked. "How?"
"It's hard to say. It's come to my attention that the Goddesses were behind it. Throughout Hyrule's history, there echoed a prophecy of a Chosen Hero who would save both the Light and Shadow worlds from evil." He sounded distant, thoughtful. "The Twili always believed that the Hero would appear as a divine beast, bearing the crest of the Goddesses."
I did not respond for a moment. My gaze fleeted from the gray wolf standing before me to a glowing light emanating from his paw. The shapes of three golden triangles were evident on the mitt. Finally I breathed, "You're the Chosen Hero." The wolf nodded meekly.
"I always had the feeling," I said. "You changed quite a bit, Link. It wasn't just the sword, or the fighting, but the way people saw you from then on. I could have told you how many times people preformed a double take when you walked by, how they whispered things in undertone about you. The way they nicknamed you the 'hero.' Yes, I thought it would be you."
The wolf's lips curled in what appeared to be a smile. "You know me as well as any human, Epona," he said. "Perhaps more so. I had hoped that when I saw you again, that I would be human instead."
"What ails you?"
The wolf heaved a sigh. "I'm trapped in this form. You see, the reason why we haven't been together in so long is because of Zant."
"Zant? Who is Zant?" I asked.
"The reason why Twilight pervaded the lands," the wolf stated simply. "It was he who cursed Hyrule in the first place. He took over Hyrule Castle, cast everyone into spirits, and set loose those horrible shadow beings. For months now, I have been trying to thwart him, to gather fused Shadows in order to match his strength."
"Did you succeed?"
The wolf glanced downward, eyes downcast. "No. Zant caught up to us in the end, and stole the Fused Shadows, and cursed me. He hurt Midna, too." He turned his muzzle over his shoulder to where the imp was quietly sleeping. "Stuck in my wolf form, I carried her all the way to the castle. She was cured of her injuries, but for an enormous sacrifice…" His voice trailed away.
"Link?" I said.
The wolf's head snapped up. He shrugged slightly, and then continued. "I won't be human again, not unless I reach the Sacred Grove. There is a relic waiting for me there…the Master Sword. That, I believe, will break my curse. It is somewhere in these woods, I know it."
As I listened to Link's story, I marveled at the concepts he spoke of. Human matters had always been beyond my realm of understanding. Now as I comprehended his words, it occurred to me how wonderfully complex humans really were. They worried so much about concepts that were beyond me; justice, rationalization, and destiny… they all seemed far-fetched, imagined. My kind was different from people; we did not argue such things. My lifestyle was all about finding food, and staying alive. That was all. I could no longer deny how vastly different I was from Link.
"You see now what I must do," the wolf Link said. "I need to retrieve the Master Sword and break the curse. And, I must keep Midna with me always. She needs me. She won't admit it," If a wolf could chuckle, he did. "…But we really need each other now. After I return to normal, then, who knows?"
I nickered sadly. "Our lives shall never be what they were. Will they?"
"I don't know," Wolf Link said truthfully. "Probably not."
"Then will we ever see each other again?"
The wolf nodded his head. "I am sure of it. In fact, I may need you before this is all over."
"You can rely on me," I assured him. "If you ever need me, for any reason, call me with that song. I will come."
Wolf Link's eyes glinted, reflecting his gratitude through his pupils, and he inclined his head. "I shall. You are a good horse, Epona. You really are."
He began to walk away, still looking at me. The imp called Midna did not wake, but her face twitched slightly in her slumber. The wolf twisted his head around one last time, and said, "The Sacred Grove is waiting. I must go." And he trotted back into the forest cave, and disappeared.
"Good bye, Link," I said to myself. "Hurry up and return to your true form…"
A/N: And so ends another short story by yours truly. I hope you all enjoyed it. Obviously, everything else that happens with Epona and Link is fleshed out in the game.If you haven't played the game, then, uh, PLAY IT!
Anyway, I do hope that you all will leave more reviews. I'm also hoping for some more Author Alerts, because I do intend on publishing some more new stories REAL soon.
Happy Reading,
Twilight Stallion