AN: Just a short drabble I thought up.
He never really slept much anyways, but tonight something new was keeping Link awake. Maybe it was his 17 year old body, too big for his cramped tree house in Kokiri Forest, begging for more space to stretch and relax. Maybe he had woken up from a nightmare he could no longer remember.
Either way, he was awake, and his overwhelming curiosity was going to keep him awake until he figured out what had woken him up. He was growing positive that it was a noise; a part of him longed for it to be Navi, or any other fairy, to have come to him like that one day so many years ago at the request of the Great Deku Tree, promising adventure and danger and excitement.
But there was no Great Deku Tree, Hyrule didn't need him anymore, and even the Kokiri had stopped treating him like a war hero. He was back to being lonely and unneeded.
Link grabbed his sword, just in case Stalchildren or a Skull Kid had wandered into the forest. He jumped down the ladder, too uneasy to turn his back to the dark forest, and rolled to a landing. There was a scratching noise, like that of nails on bark. A minute rustling was heard in the inky violet night.
"Who's there?" he called, and recoiled as a blast of fire, one that lit up half of the forest, surged past him and barely missed catching his arm on fire.
A Dodongo, so far from Death Mountain! Link thought, amazed. The only way that would be possibly is if Ganon, or some other powerful being, sent it...
Link reveled in the thought of another adventure, another journey to pass the long nights and make friends. To remind everyone that he was a war hero. Then, he realized that the figure in the darkness was fluffy, not scaly, and the size of a dog, not a small dragon. He felt a small plunge in his heart, but he wasn't doused completely; he still didn't know what small creature could breathe such amounts of fire. Excitement pounded through him.
As he took another step forward, another conflagration exploded past his face. He could feel the heat blazing past, and watched in horror as it, instead of burning itself out mid-air, caught onto a small bush. The small fire, however, provided Link enough light to get a good look at his assailant.
It was the size of a dog, because it seemingly was a dog. It had an orange and yellow pelt, and a friendly, but agitated, expression. Its eyes were narrowed warily. It growled.
"Hey there," Link murmured gently. He took a tentative step forward, reaching into his pocket. The dog creature growled louder.
"Don't worry," Link whispered assuringly. "It's a snack." He tossed the Dodongo-tail snack at the dog creature. It sniffed it cautiously, then slowly bent its neck to nibble the dried meat. It wolfed it down, its tail wagging slightly.
"Come here," Link commanded softly, and smiled when the dog creature padded up to him and sat down in front of him, its obedience remarkable. It had probably had a previous owner.
"What's your name?" he murmured rhetorically.
"Growlithe," the dog creature barked.
"Growlithe?"
"Growlithe!" it repeated, tail wagging more.
"How would you like to stay with me, Growlithe?"
"Growlithe!" it exclaimed, jumping up and placing its paws on Link's torso. Its tongue lolled out happily.
Link grinned and pet the Growlithe. His smile faded, as he realized this was the first time since Navi had left, and Ganon had been defeated, that anyone was acknowledging him again. The Sages had returned to their duties as protector of Hyrule. Princess Ruto couldn't be bothered to tease Link anymore, as she was busy helping her people cope with the harsh snow storm that had left Zora's Domain frozen over. Saria was watching over the Forest Temple almost constantly. Princess Zelda had become more engulfed in Hyrule's political affairs. Even Malon had been engaged to a nice Hylian man since then, and Lon Lon Ranch was as busy as ever preparing for the wedding and Malon's departure.
Growlithe licked Link's hand, and nudged his pocket, smelling the other chunks of Dodongo-tail. Scooping up the dog Pokemon, he popped another chunk of Dodongo-tail in its mouth, and carried it up into his tree house. Instead of going back to sleep, he decided it was time to leave. He was a has-been, it was the sad truth. There was no point wallowing in it.
Maybe it's time I went back to visit Termina, Link pondered. Realizing that the Carnival of Time would be celebrated in a few days, he made his final decision as he and his new companion packed and left for the Lost Woods, looking for the portal that would bring him back to Clock Town and rekindle his passion as a hero.