Hey guys... I know, I know, I havn't been working on SiH for a long time and I'm sorry but i have writers block so I'm writing this to clear my mind. Anyways yeah...
Disclaimer- I don't own Legend of Zelda! But I DOown Cleleste and her fox form and the changes I made to the plot. ;.;
(A/N: This is a Dec 12/11 edit note. This chapter has been edited)
(AN 27/10/12: This chapter has been rewritten! I kept the old AN's just for nostalgia's sake. Enjoy the new an improved TWatF chapter 1!)
The Wolf and the Fox: Chapter 1, Meetings -Rewritten-
"Eeh hee hee! Tell you what; I like you so I'll help you out of here. But in exchange you have to do exactly what I say!"
The large, grey wolf hesitated; he didn't like the sound of that, but what else could he do? How long would it be before someone else came along and decided to rescue him? He'd have to take his chances. The imp, a strange creature with a black body, white stomach, and white markings, giggled and bonked him on the head; the signal for him to get going. The wolf growled before trotting forward. It was strange and unfamiliar having something riding on his back, but what really threw him off was the large stone helmet the imp was wearing. How could she float around so easily without her head dragging on the ground?
She must have some pretty strong neck muscles, he thought. Suddenly, the imp hit him again. He yelped in surprise. What was with all the abuse?!
"Start paying attention and pull that chain so we can get moving!" she snapped, pointing to a rust chain hanging in the dark of the cell next to him. He grimaced and cautiously stepped into the cell.
As he was about to pull the chain he heard a low growl come from behind him. He whirled around and saw a creature, half the size of him, blocking the door of the cell. It stood, the upper part of it lowered to the ground, hackles raised; white teeth glinting in the faint light of the dungeons. It appeared to be a fox, but he had never seen one with its coloring. The fox's dark russet fur was matted and its white underbelly, neck fur, paws, and tail tip was covered in grime from the cell. And, even though the fox looked battle weary, the wolf narrowed his beastly blue eyes and raised his hackles in a snarl.
"Hmm… I didn't think anyone else were in these dank, dark dungeons." the imp said casually, flicking dirt from her fingernail.
"Well you thought wrong, didn't you?" the fox growled. The wolf was surprised he could understand what the other was saying. Although, he remembered afterwards they were both animals and mentally kicked himself for being stupid.
"Sorry," said the imp. "But I can't understand you. Now, if you wouldn't mind, we'd appreciate it if you stopped playing monster and let us leave peacefully. I really don't like bloodshed; it just isn't me."
The fox snorted and relaxed her position; still a bit weary of the strangers. Although, she was mostly glad to have someone's company besides the odd rat spirit that couldn't even see her. She had no idea how long she she'd been in the dungeons. It could've been a week, or a month. She didn't know. All she knew was these strange people were probably her only way out. The only thing was; could she trust them? The wolf hadn't spoken to her, but he did respond to her hostility towards them. The strange markings on its forehead almost appeared gold in the dim light and his eyes… They were a deep blue that fit his wolf body perfectly. They were feral, but they also held something else. Something she couldn't quite place her finger, er paw, on.
The wolf redirected his attention back to the chain. As he jumped up and caught it in his mouth, he noticed the fox studying him intently. He let go as the grate in front of him lifted. He was about to proceed, but stopped and looked back at the fox. She was now staring at nothing, her face scrunched up like she was having an internal battle with herself.
"Are you coming?" he asked.
The fox looked up in surprise. She hadn't expected his voice to be so… friendly. There was some sort of cautiousness in his words, but he didn't sound like how she expected him to. He stared at her expectantly.
"You don't have to come," said Midna. "It'd probably be faster without you tagging along."
The fox scoffed and ran ahead of the wolf. "Doubt it. I know these sewer systems like the back of my hand. I'll be the one speeding your journey up."
"Whatever you say, Miss Fox." the imp giggled. "And again, I can't understand you~!"
Following obediently behind the fox, the wolf followed her down the tunnel until it opened up into the actual sewers. The fox didn't spare a glance at the floating ball of fire in the corner, but the wolf stopped in surprise. He tipped his head and squinted. The fire slowly dispersed and to turn into a shivering soldier, clutching his spear in front of him protectively.
"Huff… huff… Can't… run… any... longer… That's… far enough… right? I'll be safe here… I think…" The wolf's ear twitched as something from deeper within the sewers made a noise and the soldier froze. "What was that noise?! Don't… don't anything come near me!"
"You can't do anything for him," said the fox. "He can't see us."
"That was a soldier's spirit," the imp stated. "Maybe it's someone from another world? Eeh hee! There are lots of other spirits roaming around here, you know. Keep honing your senses to see them. Maybe they'll know things…"
"Come on, let's get moving. It's not safe to stay in one place for too long down here." The wolf nodded and followed after the fox.
The wolf lost his way after the first five minutes. The sewer system was complicated and the changing water levels did not help at all. However, the fox seemed to know exactly where she was going and exactly what chains should be pulled. Unfortunately, there was the added threat of small monsters that attacked anything that moved and could swim.
Running up a small dirt ramp, the two animals met up with the imp who had left them a while back. She giggled when she spotted their fur full of dirt and sewer waste.
"Eeh hee, did that little detour tire out my little animal pack?" the imp asked, plopping herself back down on the wolf. The fox only rolled her dark-amber eyes and continued on.
They soon reached a tall, spiralling staircase that was broken in a few places leading up to the top of a tower. The wolf followed the fox up the stairs until they reached the first break. The fox hesitated, unsure if the ledge a few feet away was safe enough to jump on. Stepping forward, the wolf crouched then leapt to the ledge. He yelped in surprise as the stone gave away and he fell into the murky water below.
"Ugh, what are you doing?" the imp whined, shaking water from her hair. The wolf ignored her and hauled himself out of the water and shook the liquid from his fur.
"The other part looks stable. It was just bad luck that you landed on the crumbly part." the fox stated, looking ahead as the wolf came to stand beside her.
Midna crossed her arms and floated forward. "Guess I have to do everything for you… look I'll show you where all the small ledges are and you can just jump where I'm floating. Got it?"
Both animals nodded and watched as she hovered above the unbroken part of the ledge. The fox jumped first this time and landed lightly two ledges away. She turned her head and motioned for the wolf to follow. Their travel up the tower took some time, having to target jump a few more times and learning how to tightrope walk while on the move. Eventually, they reached the top and leaped up onto a window and out onto the roof.
"So we were finally able to get out," the imp said, stretching. "And look at the sky! Isn't the black cloud of twilight looking beautiful today? Do you know where this is?"
The wolf shook his head as he watched the fox walk forward to inspect another soldier's spirit.
The imp giggled. "You still don't know? Look there's someone I want to introduce to you… but I'll need you to go to that tower to do it."
"Hey! Let's get moving, it's dangerous to stay in one place for too long up here!" the fox said, already a few feet ahead. The wolf followed obediently behind, but stopped when he spotted another soldier's spirit.
"What… what are these monstrous birds? What in the world is happening here? Ah, our poor Hyrule Castle!" His ears pricked at the mention of Hyrule Castle and fox nudged his shoulder impatiently.
"Eeh hee! That wasn't the person I wanted you to meet by the way…" the imp said as they started moving again. "Well let's just try to get to that tower."
There was a large crate which the wolf pushed against a wooden ledge before they had to kill two faceless birds. They reached a dead end at the top of a watch tower, but to their right was roof leading right an open window of the tower they were headed to. They target jumped to a large wooden pole then to the roof. Making a final dash for the window, they were glad to be inside and out of the rain.
The two beasts shook out their pelt and looked around. They were in another spiral staircase with a few torches to light the way. The fox cautiously led the way up and paused when she saw two large wooden doors; one slightly ajar. Padding forward, the wolf glanced at the fox before pushing through the opening. He immediately felt the gentle heat coming from a crackling fire to his right. The room was quite dark, the only light coming from outside and the fire. He growled suddenly as his gaze fell upon a cloaked figure sitting by the window. The figure let out a slight gasp and whirled around.
"…Midna?" The imp giggled.
"Eeh hee! You remembered my name? What an honour for me…" Midna said, trailing off.
"So, this is the one for whom you were searching…"
"He's not exactly what I had in mind, but… I guess he'll do." said Midna nodding her head. The wolf watched attentively as the girl lowered herself to his level. She glanced at his left paw.
"…You were imprisoned? I am sorry." the girl apologized softly. The wolf blinked in understanding.
"Poor thing, he has no idea where this is or what's happened…" said Midna, patting the wolf on his shoulder. "So, don't you think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much… Twilight Princess. Eeh Hee!"
The girl looked away.
Meanwhile, the fox sat outside, watching the exchange through narrowed eyes. She listened intently as the 'Twilight Princess' explained to the wolf how the King of Twilight came and shrouded Hyrule in the twilight and that it was now ruled by shadow beasts.
"Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits. Within the twilight, they lived on; unaware that they have passed into spirit forms… All the people know now is fear… Fear of a nameless evil… The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remained its princess…"
The fox's eyes widened as the girl pulled down her hood to reveal blonde hair pulled back by a tiara and a solemn face. The princess looked exhausted, having heavy bags under her eyes, and parts of her hair in messy tangles.
"I am Zelda." she said at last.
"You don't have to look so sad! We actually find it to be quite liveable. I mean, is perpetual twilight really that bad?" said Midna, putting her hands behind her head.
"Midna… This is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you." Midna pushed herself off of the wolf and floated into the air, her legs crossed and her arms behind her head. "Why is this?"
"Why in deed? You tell me! Eeh hee hee!" Princess Zelda sighed.
Distant footsteps resounded off the stone walls and the fox flattened her ears. She barged into the room, giving the trio a scare.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I can hear the guard coming," she said, motioning to the door with her head. "Let's wrap this up, yeah?"
Zelda stood. "She must be talking about the guard…"
The wolf grunted as Midna landed on his back. He turned and the fox quickly lead the way out, not sparing a glance back at the princess. As they ran down the staircase, Midna suddenly pulled on the wolf's ears. He skidded to a stop and let out a low bark. The fox halted and turned to look at him.
"Not that way! The guard's coming! Boy, he's prompt!" They all froze when a light appeared under the doorway. Midna looked around then spotted the window they had come through. Patting the wolf on the head, she pointed to the window. The two beasts barely made it out before the tower door swung open.
As they came out into the rain, Midna floated from the wolf's back and jumped across the rooftop. She twirled around then giggled as the two animals caught up to her.
"Eeh hee hee! Well? Do you understand where we are now? I guess a promise is a promise, so I'll let you go back to where you first tumbled into the twilight… But…" Midna tapped her chin in thought for a few seconds. "Are you sure you should be going back? Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything important?"
Flashing the wolf a one fanged smile, she twirled and transformed into a screaming girl, then a small boy. The wolf growled and took a step forward.
Giggling happily, she said, "Eeh hee! Do you want to save them? Well, in that case, little Midna will be happy to help you! But… Well you'd have to be my servant; you'd have to do exactly what I say. Why don't you go back, take a little time, and give it some thought. Eeh hee hee!"
The wolf nodded almost immediately and Midna smiled. As she a blue portal appeared in the sky, she looked at the fox.
"And, what are you going to do?" she asked, crossing her arms and legs. "Are you coming with us? As I understand, you don't belong in the twilight, do you?"
The fox nodded.
"Well then, off we go!" The wolf and fox both yelped in surprise as their body turned into a cloud of black squares and flew into the portal. Midna flew up after them and they all disappeared out of the twilight.
A few minutes later, another portal formed over a quiet spring, and the two clouds travelled down and reformed into the wolf and the fox. The smaller, quickly jumped out of the water and onto the soft sand.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention one thing… Though you may have left the darkened realm, you haven't transformed back into your former self… and you won't anytime soon!" The two beasts looked around when they heard Midna's voice, but she was nowhere to be found. "Eeh hee hee! See you later!"
The wolf let out a long sigh and walked onto the grass, plopping himself down. He watched as the fox looked around then padded towards the exit.
"Where are you going?" he asked, raising his head.
The fox turned. "None of your business."
The wolf was taken aback by the fox's sudden attitude change. "I thought you said you were coming with us."
"Yeah, coming with you to escape the twilight. I have my own things to do. Besides, Midna is not being much help right now.
"OK… well, before you go, at least have a rest." The wolf said, motioning to the spot beside him. The fox looked at him suspiciously. She knew she needed to get moving, but she was tired and a nap sounded good at the moment.
Reluctantly, she padded back to the spring and lay down on the opposite side of the spring. The wolf seemed pleased and laid his head on his paws. The fox was ever more cautious as she crossed her front paws and lowered her head. She watched the wolf, put he seemed to be asleep. After a few minutes, she slowly closed her eyes was about to drift off to sleep when the wolf suddenly spoke up.
"What's your name?"
The fox opened one eye in annoyance. "What's yours?"
"I'm Link." he said.
The fox paused a long moment before finally answering, "My name… my name's Celeste.
So what did you guys think of it? Like it? Hate it? LOVE it? Want to kill me cuz of it? Let me know what you think! Um not really a plot with this story yet, but oh well. Next chapter will probably be out tomorrow or the next day. Warning this is probably going to be a LinkxOC. If you don't like it then don't read!
-CMilkLOL
...Oh one more thing! This story will probably be in third person, Link's POV, and Celeste's POV. Switching between the three. And R&R!