Forward Warning:
This is a Horror Legend of Zelda story! Don't like horror then don't read it! Things are only going to get worse as the story goes on. This is just the first chapter after all.
You have all been warned.
Chapter 1
It is often said that endings and beginnings are related. I was once told there is no such thing as a true ending, only new beginnings. There is no such thing as death, only another step one must take in their existence. If this is true, then what trials await? What battles need to be fought? Should this be the task set to me by the Goddesses or... thoughts immediately stopped no sooner had they come to wander upon the topic of the Goddesses.
The Goddesses, they had become a sore subject matter for the Hylian. Subconsciously his hands curled into fists, anger beginning to mount from within. IF it wasn't for them, he'd never be in this situation nor his previous one if it wasn't for them! Did they enjoy toying around with the lives of mortals like this? Snort issues forth from the male, he couldn't afford to waste energy on something like this, not now anyways. Still, he couldn't help but be burned by the deities' actions! What was he to them? Some sort of play thing which invoked a limited fascination before he was tossed aside for having bored them? It's your destiny...it's your job Link. You are the chosen wielder of the Triforce of Courage... he sarcastically thought to himself, mentally imitating what he thought the voices of the deities might sound like.
Yeah, it was my destiny to clean up THEIR mess. Link spoke aloud, disdain lacing the undertones of his voice. Not even so much as a simple thank you. It's not like he was expecting them to actually appear before his eyes and offer congratulations. No. But not even one of them could have boosted for a simple telepathic thank you or good job? Link was for sure certain they could have done that at least. They were deities after all, the ability to speak in another's mind had to be on their list of tricks. No, to them he merely did what was expected of him and therefore it did not warrant anything on the Goddesses' half.
To anyone else, the hylian sounded like a spoiled child, but no one else had endured the past year of hell he'd gone through either! It wasn't as if Link was saying he only took on the task of saving both Hyrule and its princess now queen, Zelda in return for a reward. He would have done it regardless even if he never held the power of the Triforce. This was his home after all and he would soon be dead than see it destroyed by the hands of someone like Ganondorf!
Albeit, upon being told this was his destiny, what he had been practically born to do, well; who could honestly blame him for thinking matters would have turned out a little differently? So far, not even the townsfolk were showing him a shred of respect. Then again most of them had no clue about the twilight as its effects on normal people practically froze their souls in time. It was as if nothing had ever happened to them. If only they knew exactly how close they'd been to a certain brutal demise under Ganondorf's rule should the Gerudo King have succeeded! Better yet, to have seen the utter shock and befuddlement upon hearing it was Link who'd saved their hides! Link, the farm hand from no where.
Those days were long since past by a year if not longer. Thoughts of home seemed so faint to the hylian now. He could barely recall the names of the villagers, let alone the name of the ranch he'd spent his childhood and most of his teen years working at. This wasn't much of a surprise given what he'd gone through. It wasn't unheard of for battle hardened soldiers of war to remain fixated in the realm of combat, unable to re-adjust to civilian life. A slight shudder rippled down Link's spine at this. Truth be told he'd pondered off and on as to what his life would be like once the twilight had been removed from Hyrule and all was set right, provided he lived. Would he be able to simply go back to his old life as though nothing had ever happened?
He had the answer to the question and it was a definite NO. Being on the go for so long, fighting the elements and monsters alike, struggling to survive, living day by day never knowing if he would see the sun rise again...it was heavy. Knowing what he did now, Link was certain he could never fully return to his previous way of life. He knew he would always be looking over his shoulder, endlessly searching the shadows and confines of darkness, scanning the horizon for signs of impending threat. His senses had become fine tuned, almost one with his environment. Living like this, on his own in the wilderness, it was tempting to stay. No one around to bother him, to judge him; he would be free to take care of matters at his own pace without someone else breathing down his neck. To retain this freedom...
Ragged sigh escaped from the estranged male, vibrant cobalt blue eyes lifted heavenwards, set to gaze upon a never ending forest. Gentle breeze sifted through the golden hair of the male, dancing across his pale skin as though it were the delicate fingertips of one he loved, left behind during battle. Tongue gingerly prodded at the tips of his top set of canine teeth as the male became lost in thought once again. Having only arrived here a few days ago, the young hylian had not yet made contact with any of the inhabitants of this strange area.
He did not exactly have the right to call this new area he'd ended up in strange, after all it, for the most part, resembled his homeland. Still, he could not shake this eerie feeling of detachment, as though he were in a dream, seeing things through a hazy fog. A slight shake of the cranium was required in order to remove the troublesome thoughts from the front of his mind. Unnatural feelings or not, the point remained he was still an unknown and more than likely, an unwelcome tourist into a land which could very well prove ten more times dangerous than the place he dared to call home.
Eyes cast about, desperately searching for a route hidden within the numerous sea of trees that might be lucky enough to lead him to civilization. If these inhabitants were in the least bit like those in which he grew up with, they should accept him despite what was probably a strange appearance given what exactly he was. Currently reclined upon his hindquarters, the male leaned forward, stretching out in a rather dog like fashion. Giving himself a hearty shake, the unknown male quickly stood up, placing his weight upon two legs instead of four.
iSeems as though I still retained a bit of animalistic habits./i Nearly three months ago, upon Ganon's defeat by a combination of the Master Sword and the fangs and claws of his wolf form, Link was stripped of his ability to shape shift. The original shift had been triggered over a year ago upon the arrival of the Shadows within Hyrule. When he came into contact with the evil energy, the Triforce of Courage awoke within the hylian, transforming him into a wolf so at to be destroyed by the taint. At first there was no controlling the transformations, his body would automatically morph when the Triforce sensed he was too near the taint.
Thanks to Midna and the unintentional gift of the Shadow Crystal from Zant, Link was able to shift between his beast and hylian forms at will. With the realm of Twilight back to its original state, the shadows destroyed and Ganon sealed away, Midna left for her homeland, taking with her the Shadow Crystal and Link's ability to transform. At first the hylian bulked at the thought of taking an animal form. It didn't take him long to change his mind. What he wouldn't give for that ability now! He had grown so use to the shift it felt alien to remain in his hylian form as long as he had. Being uncomfortable in one's own body, that was never good.
As if loosing the ability to shift wasn't bad enough, Link awoke one day to find the normally glowing Triforce on the back of his left hand gone and his body feeling like it was made of iron! Little had Link realized just how heavily he relied upon the strength granted to him by the Triforce. How easily he became exhausted, how frail his body had become! Where he could once withstand multiple punishing blows, Link nearly had his lights knocked out by the force of something he once considered to be light!
Anger and frustration only mounted upon this discovery. It was part of the reason Link refused to return home. His goal was to train, endure the hardships of wilderness living in order to boost his abilities back to what they once were. He was ultimately sick and tired of being the one who was seen as weak, worthless, helpless and a burden upon others! He didn't give a rat's ass about being under estimated, this often played in his favor as he was normally capable of taking enemies by surprise with both skill and speed. He might have lost his speed but certainly not his skill! All the same, Link was hell bent on not being seen as someone to be handled with caution. Even more so, he was not going to become the prey of some wild beast!
Prey...prey...prey...the thought did not sit well with Link at all. He was no one's prey be it monster, animal, or person. The way Ganon had gazed upon him...the glint in those eyes, they had said he was weak, one who could easily be over powered, one of no threat or warrant of concern. Never again would he allow himself to be looked upon like that. The mere thought of it triggered his anger to spike once again. Oh how he remembered the expression Ganon wore all too well, his laughter and mocking seeded deep into Link's memory.
Hand tightened about the hilt of his sword, the rage he felt then, what he would've longed to have done in wiping that infuriating expression off the Gerudo's ugly face! Never before could he recall feeling such rage, the overwhelming urge to have charged head long, sinking his hand deep into the abdomen, ripping through flesh as he tore out the foul innards, strangling Ganon with his own intestines! The murderous thought caused a slight grin to curl upon the corners of the hylian's lips. Upon realizing this Link shook his head once more. This wasn't like him at all! Such thoughts had never brought appeal to him before!
Grunting as he resettled the shield upon his back, Link set off again. Light was fading; he needed to find cover and quickly, who knew what creatures dwelled within this forest? Eyes had no problem with such low levels of light, hearing finely tuned to listen for the approach of anything or anyone. Head inclined ever so slightly, the male sniffing at the air. Well, at least he seemed to have kept the boost to his senses granted from his wolf transformations. No telling how long this would continue to last though. Staying on the ground would leave him vulnerable all the way around, climbing into a tree seemed like a better course of action then again there was no telling what might be up there either. And judging by the landscape a cave was very unlikely. Then again, he'd always avoided caves ever since he had the misfortune of taking up residence in the home of a rather angry monster.
Damned if he did and damned if he didn't. Time to pick the poison. Ground it was, at least he could make a fire there, might help to keep him safe. Boots trudged more heavily than he would have liked upon the forest floor, why did his body have to be so haphazard? Snorting once more, keen eyes detected a change in the light pattern through the trees. A clearing was up ahead. Now urging his walk into a jog, the male came to the tree line, intently scanning the area. Good, the grass was only ankle high, nothing large could hide in it, shrubs were nearly non-existent, less for animals to stalk him from. Cautiously Link stepped into the clearing, dropping upon all fours, creeping along, his underside brushing slightly against the grass. This was something he would never stop doing as it proved to be an invaluable maneuver for him both in wolf form and hylian.
Hearing picked up the sound of running water. Daring to poke his head up just a bit he spied a small stream moving through the center of the clearing. Still creeping forward Link came to the water's edge. Rippled reflection stared back at him, sunken and sullen eyes nearly devoid of all life stood out against his paled and dirty skin. How long had it been since he last was able to cleanse himself? The male couldn't even remember. Stooping, he reached forward, dipping his cupped hands into the cool water before bringing it to his lips. Link drank heavily, a little on the dehydrated side, the crisp, clear water proving rather refreshing. He gave pause long enough to gasp for breath having been downing water non stop for the past couple minutes.
Fire, fire, he needed to build one before the sun set completely. Judging by the dampness of the earth around him, this stream flooded about 4 feet up the small bank from where he currently was. Even though the skies were clear, there was no telling when a freak storm might pass through. Last thing he could afford was to be swept up in a massive torrent of raging water, being dragged downstream to who knows where! The opposing bank was steeper than this one, making it a favorable place to rest; he'd be protected from sudden rising water over there. Hands were placed against the ground once again, body coiling up. Kicking off hard, arms outstretched in front of him, Link sprang in a rather frog like manner across the stream. Fingers found their holding as they instantly snatched hold of the thick grasses lining the bank. Heaving to, the male eased himself up over the edge, plopping down in the cool grass.
Briefly pausing to remove the unwelcome dirt from his hands, Link strode forward using his feet to gently prod the ground, making sure it wasn't going to suddenly give way under his weight or an unseen whole suddenly swallowing him up. If he had a rubee for every time he'd fallen into some ditch or tunnel in the past year, well, he'd be a fairly rich man. Ears dropped, that thought didn't help much. Now he was only succeeding in making himself sound like some clumsy oof! Alright, so maybe his senses weren't so top of the notch when he first started out on his mission but he learned, he trained! Gritting his teeth, Link finally chose a spot upon the ground. Drawing forth his sword, he began to slice away at the grass, it being taller than the opposing bank.
This thing is worthless... sword fell from his grasp, Link clearly agitated. Snatching around his back he furious grabbed hold of his shield, wincing in pain as he drew is arm back around. Great, he just over extended the muscles! He really was a pathetic mess wasn't he? With the shield held in both hands, he dug the large side edge of it into the earth, pulling back. The reason for this madness? Link was attempting to dig a fire pit in order to avoid burning down the damn forest. That's tempting...no sooner has the words been uttered did the hylian push those thoughts aside. Grumbling once again to himself, Link set to work piling up stones into a circle, or something as close to a circle as he could make. Honestly, he didn't give a shit at this point.
With the pit dug and stones in place, snatching up his sword once more he began to hunt about for fallen branches in the tree line. Cobalt gaze shot a rather nasty glance in the direction of his sword. Not only had he lost his ability to transform, the power of the Triforce, but also the Master Sword! Apparently there was no need for him to keep it and thus he was forced into returning it to the pedestal within the ruins of the fabled Temple of Time. Even if there wasn't an apparent need for it, that didn't mean the hylian wouldn't have liked to keep it for awhile! What if something happened and he did require the sword's power? Now he was stuck with this useless piece of scrap; he tried sharpening the edge with a wetting stone but stopped, afraid the ancient piece of metal might suddenly shatter into pieces.
What was going on here? It was as if the entire world had suddenly turned against him! Was it something he'd done? But that didn't make any sense, could he have possibly done to piss the Goddesses off so much they left him with nothing and in the middle of no where? If he didn't find a way out here soon he would surely perish! I wasn't meant to survive... heart stopped dead, body froze up as the cruel realization struck him. Strength gave way; legs buckling as his body came crashing to the ground. With arms thrown out to either side, dull eyes remained transfixed upon the heavens above in all their fiery glory as the setting sun danced upon the horizon.
Use me, abuse me, loose me...heh...I should have seen it sooner. weak smile began to etch itself across the exhausted features of the male. Breath came in deep torrents, chest rising and falling in a rhythmic fashion. His body felt numb, yet tingly all over as if some type of charge was moving across his skin. Mind began to drift aloof, eyelids slowly closing as they only grew heavier and heavier. There was no point in fighting it now, not when he'd come to the truth. If only he could simply drift off into eternal slumber, yes, that sounded nice. He was so tired, so weary of fighting his muscles ached, feeling as though he suddenly weighed a ton.
I have no other purpose now with Ganon gone, the Twilight realm healed and Zelda back on the Throne of Hyrule. I was supposed to meet my end at Ganon's hand, the two of us striking each other down. That's why they took it all from me. They figured that would be enough to kill me off, that I would never be able to survive without their help, their power, their permission to exist...
Those last words were breathed with the most abhorrently hateful tone; escaping from him in a voice never once heard from the hylian. The once peaceful notion having begun to wash over his entire being was gone, replaced with only a writhing energy. To hell if he was going to lie down and die! No one, NO ONE, controlled his fate, dictated his life and no one decided when he would die! Sitting bolt upright, hands feverishly snatched up the load of twigs and branches he'd collected earlier. Hauling himself to his feet, adrenaline flooding his system, Link moved with a set purpose. He was going to live, he was going to survive, even if it meant fighting the ones responsible for his creation tooth and nail along the way! He wasn't some play thing to be cast aside; he was a living, breathing, sentient creature!
Throwing the wood into the pit he'd dug earlier, left hand out stretched as he cast Din's Fire, the wood suddenly bursting to life in flames. Sitting cross legged in front of the fire, Link drew his shield and pack next to him. With his sword lying upon the ground in front of him, he pulled the bag into his lap, now digging through it to see exactly what he had left. Several empty water skins, a few potions, another set of clothes, a few small rolls of cloth, a few empty bottles, the stone he used for sharpening his weapons, his hunting knife, some extra string for his bow, wood whittling knife...but no food. Pulling out the empty water skins he laid them out as a reminder to fill those from the stream. Hand grasped about the hilt of the hunting knife, pulling it out.
There was some fishing line tangled about the hilt he hadn't notice earlier. Holding the knife in one hand he tried to untangle the line but not to much avail. Growling to himself he set the knife between his teeth so as to use both hands to remove the fishing line. Finally managing to separate the two he hastily threw the line back into his bag, irritated. About the only thing he could do with the line now was hand fish, given the fact he had no pole. But unless he found a lake or pond, the line wasn't going to be catching him anything. Unless, he used it as a snare. Groping around in the bag again he pulled it out and began attentively untangling and de-knotting the line. With it finally rendered usable the hylian tied the loop snare at one end and with the rest coiled in the palm of his other hand he sped off into the trees.
Hastily glancing about, Link had to set the trap properly otherwise he'd catch nothing. With the hunting knife once again clenched between his teeth, he chose an ideal spot to set the trap. A bush baring fruit. Having no clue as to if it was poisonous or not there was no way he was touching it! Staking the line into the ground right under the edge of the bush, his trap was set, any animal with a foot small enough to fit into the loop would be caught the second it tried to move away! The line he had wasn't all that strong, the most he could hope to catch with this was a rabbit. With the trap set, Link hurried off, not wanting his scent to cover the area and scare off any potential meal.
Returning to his spot by the fire, all he could do now was wait. Waiting, it was something the hylian never took kindly to, but he had no choice. Crossing his arms, head bent and eyes closed, he focused on listening, making use of his race's uniquely sensitive ears. Only problem was, any sounds he might have picked up concerning an animal caught in his trap were being drowned out by the growls currently issuing forth from his own midsection. Doing his best to keep his concentration, Link drew his knees up to his chest, pressing his torso tight to his legs. It was a rather pathetic attempt to muffle the protesting snarls of hunger emanating from his empty gut.
Given his age, being 17, Link's body was still growing and maturing, and like all 17 year olds, he was not exempt from the near constant requirement of food. It had been awhile since he'd last gone without eating like this; even during his mission to quell Ganondorf and the Twilight, he either bought food to take with him when stopping into town or merely ate the meat of monsters he'd put down. The latter was an acquired taste but there was no arguing, food was food. But here, there were no towns and so far no signs of life other than insects and the occasional bird. Given the time of year, Link knew it was pointless to start climbing trees or hacking through bushes in hope of finding a nest or several full of eggs. As of now the hunger was annoying but he could put up with it for the time being, but for how much longer he wasn't sure.
Being as physically active as he was, always on the moving, fighting monsters and so on, his body was use to receiving high concentrations of calorie rich food, use to having a near constant supply of energy to keep it going. But now, he wasn't adapting too well that was for sure. The warrior lacked fat stores, his metabolic rate too high to allow for much of the substance to accumulate upon his body. He basically worked off anything he had put on in battle all the time. It would only be a matter of days before his body began breaking down his own muscle, consuming itself in order to survive. Well, Link got what he wanted, a real test of survival. Now was as good a time as any to prove himself worthy to exist. If he died out here, no one would ever know.
Fingers interlaced about the hilt of the dagger next to him. Removing the leather sheath, Link checked to make sure the blade's edge was sharp and ready to go. Waiting was one method of hunting, the prey coming to the predator. It was rather efficient as the predator expended very little energy in the process but the waiting period could take hours if not days. Link was not only too impatient for that; he knew he didn't have that amount of time! Looks like he was left with only one choice go looking for his dinner. This wouldn't be nearly as difficult if I could still transform! he said to himself. Stashing items back in his bag, Link began to remove some of his clothing. He couldn't afford to be weighed down or make noise which might alert his target. Pulling off his tunic he quickly undid the straps and buckles securing the chain mail to his body, yanking it off over his head. He also removed the white shirt he normally wore under the chain mail. Shivering slightly in the night air, Link pulled off his boots and socks.
One of the most important assets to any hunt was stealth; the boots were noisy and clunky. Without them Link would be able to feel the ground underfoot, helping to assure his agility and silence. He did leave his arm-guards on, needing something to offer any amount of protection against an angry beast. Sword and shield were left by the fire as he strapped the large hunting knife to his left thigh. Clad only in his pants the young hylian took to the forest. Using only a hunting knife was insane but with no arrows for his bow he didn't exactly have a choice. Tonight he would attempt to hunt as he had before, only this time, not in the form of a wolf. Link kept to the shadows, moving low to the ground, often times creeping along with some effort upon all fours.
Pointed ears twitched, moving every so often several degrees up and down as he did his best to triangulate the source of any sounds he heard. At least his ability to see in low light was still there. Fruitlessly he sniffed at the air, hoping against hope he could detect something. Link was being foolish, a hylian's sense of smell might have been a little better than a human's but it wasn't a sense they relied upon heavily. It wasn't for lack of trying as far as Link was concerned. He kept his movement through the dense forest fluid and silent, eyes searching for even the slightest movement. The sound of his own heart beating a tattoo against his ribcage was starting to become bothersome. Inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling slowly through his mouth, Link refocused himself.
Something had been triggered in his mind, as if a switch had been flipped. No longer did he worry, no longer was he concerned. His body moved of its own accord, now weaving through the trees and underbrush with purpose, line of sight narrowed as it was subconsciously blocked from registering in the brain, tunnel vision taking over, his eyes trained on something. Forbidden shivers of delight swept down his spine, muscles tensing, senses spiking, ready for the real hunt! Link began to grow fidgety, unusual for him and a bit out of character to say the least. All higher reasoning began to shut down, reducing the hylian to a mere animal. And not just any animal but the most dangerous of them all! An animal who only knew life and death, kill or be killed, a beast who wished to feel its life with the death of another.
Pupils constricted, elongating in height while narrowing in width morphing into vertical slits. Cobalt blue that was the iris began to glow dully the light from behind his eyes fueled with a lust for blood building in anticipation of a fresh kill!
Link began to hyper salivate, jaws clamped firmly shut to prevent the saliva from dripping out of his maw. Disgusting but what could the hylian do? Instinct proved stronger than mind in this instant, oh, how he longed to plunge his canines up to the gums in the soft under throat of his prey! To watch the light in his helpless victim's eyes fade away, gasping for breath with his jaws ever tightening their cold, vice grip!
Movement came to a dead stop, body flat to the ground, barely fifteen feet from him sat a rabbit, its back to Link, completely oblivious to the danger it was in. Slowly, ever so slowly, left hand reached down, fingers curling about the hilt of his knife, drawing it out of the sheath. He slid it up along the side of his body, exercising caution to prevent any star light from glinting off the blade, giving him away. Such a delicate creature this rabbit was, so fragile as it sat upon its haunches, little front paws rubbing away at its face, grooming. How wonderful it would taste once the bothersome fur had been removed!
Crawling forth upon his stomach, one arm over the other, Link crept ever closer. Rabbits were fast sprinters, even in wolf form they had originally proved challenging upon his first several attempts to catch them. But he learned, he became wise to their tricks, the key to capturing a rabbit was to aim for the spine. Even a small amount of pressure applied while the creature twisted would shatter the delicate bone. This was its weakness, evolution having traded durability for speed. Even in his feral mindset, Link knew he had one shot at this, there was no way he could keep track of the rabbit once it took off into the woods, not in his current form anyway. If he could immobilize it, it was all his.
Hands steadied, muscles ready to spring, the hunting knife soared through the air, sharp edge succeeding in hitting its mark, sinking deeply into the flesh of the rabbit, effectively impaling it to the ground! Leaping to his feet in victory Link crossed the distance between himself and his quarry in only several strides. He watched as the creature writhed about in pain, squealing in eternal agony, its feet frantically flailing about, little claws scraping hopeless against the earth as it began flinging up bits of dust. Blood began to pool under the little animal's body as it continued to struggle, held fast to the ground by the blade. This meant nothing to the feral hylian, he felt neither remorse, pity, nor regret for what torment he was forcing this animal to endure.
The creature's struggle only served to further wet his appetite. Corners of his mouth twisted upwards, lips parting into a sinister sadistic grin as his tongue slid across his teeth, prodding at the tips of his canines, saliva beginning to run down from the edges of his mouth. Reaching down, Link took hold of the knife's hilt in one hand, the other grasping the rabbit by the scruff of its neck. With a tug, the knife came free from the ground, the rabbit still impaled through. Now dangling in the air from Link's hand, the creature screamed only louder as it threw its entire body about, desperate beyond all reason to escape the looming fate! The rabbit's flailing succeeded in throwing a thin line of blood across the hylian's face. Once more his tongue made itself present, licking away the traces of which it could reach.
Time to end this little game. With a mere flick of his wrist, Link snapped the dieing animal's spine in half, the body hanging limply from his grasp, cobalt eyes trained upon the bulging black ones of his prey, watching with an inhuman satisfaction as the essence of life left those eyes. Yanking the knife from the rabbit's corpse he brought the blade to his mouth, tongue gliding across the shiny flat side surface, gathering up the blood which stained it so. Having cleaned the knife in this abhorrent manner the hylian set the tip of the blade against the rabbit's back once more, slicing all the way from its head to its tail, he set to work stripping away the pelt.
If Link was in his right mind he would have taken time removing the fur and cleaning the rabbit, but in his current state he merely hacked away savagely, unable to remove the fur fast enough! Sinking his nails into the dangling hide he tore it away, revealing the shiny red, blood soaked muscle under neither. The rabbit wasn't much, appearing half its size without the fur. Sadistic smile upon his lips began to fade, this was a disappointing catch; but beggars couldn't be choosers. Without another thought or so much as a glance, Link sank his teeth deep into the rabbit's flank. The muscles were hot, flushed with adrenaline from the struggle moments ago, soft flesh giving way under the hylian's powerful bite. Jaws closed slowly, the male reveling in every moment of this forbidden act! Warm blood pooled in his mouth, trickling down the back of his throat, there were no words which could have described the predatory glory he was in!
Upon feeling his teeth strike each other, Link jerked his head sharply to the side, the action serving to tear off the chunk of flesh, pulling along the rest of the muscle up the back as it too was torn free from its place. He blinked, taken slightly by surprise as to the extra meat trailing forth from his jaws. It mattered not to him for that soon would be devoured. He didn't even bother chewing the section of muscle he currently had in his mouth, it was so tender so juicy, given how much he was salivating he knew it would go down easily. Like many predators before him, the male tilted his head back, jaws parting as he released the morbid prize into his throat, tongue drawing in the piece still dangling forth from his maw.
Eyes closed, sensation of the flesh gliding effortlessly down his esophagus sent chills through out his body. He could feel the muscles working, squeezing it along until finally it reached its destination, his stomach. If there was one thing the hylian had learned to master while spending the past year in the wilds, it was learning to control his gag reflex as he was forced to choke down some of the most disgusting things. Once mastering that he was even able to exercise control over the muscles in his chest and abdomen, allowing him the ability to eventually constrict a muscle group which served to pull open the tightest part of the esophagus in the chest cavity right before the opening of the stomach; allowing the hylian to swallow a larger amount of food at once while lowering the risk of it becoming caught and choking. One might fathom as to why he learned this in the first place, the answer was the same as before. With constantly being on the move, never knowing if he might end up some monster's dinner, Link couldn't afford to stop. He had to be able to consume his food quickly and while on the go, this was the solution he was given.
No sooner had he swallowed the first mouthful was he back for a second! This same sort of behavior continued for several minutes until the rabbit had been stripped bare of flesh. He'd even eaten the internal organs as they'd become caught up in the last several mouthfuls of meat! Seemingly disappointed if not depressed there was no more, Link began biting open the small bones, slurping out the nutrient rich marrow from within. Once these too were gone, a rather dejected expression etched itself across his blood stained features. Hungrily he licked away at the blood upon his hands, desperate for more! The rabbit had been small, only providing him with half the amount of meat he'd been hoping for. Still entranced in this feral mindset, Link returned the knife to the holster upon his left leg. The snare! Perhaps he'd caught something! Ears perked up and with a fresh wave of bloodlust washing over him, the sadistic smile returned as he hurried off to where the trap was set.
What luck! Even before seeing the trap, Link could hear the sounds of an animal struggling, little squeals of pain and fear echoing forth. Another rabbit, just what he needed! Grasping the frantic creature by the scruff of its neck he removed the noose from its leg, and just as he'd previously done, a quick flick of the wrist and the animal's life was over. In the same fashion as earlier, the estranged hylian feverishly hacked away the rabbit's skin before resorting to tearing it off all together. Once again he sank his lusting canines deep into the flesh, stripping it away one mouthful after the other. And within no time, all he was left with were bones. In turn, he bit each one open, sucking the marrow out before tossing them aside, when these too were gone, a sigh of contentment escaped from his blood stained lips.
Licking away the blood upon his hands and arms, Link made his way back to the stream, thirsty from his meal. This time he didn't even bother to cup the water into his hands but instead merely jerked his head down, drinking in the same fashion as an animal. With both hunger and thirst satisfied for the time being, the male made his way back to the fire side. Kicking several logs into the flames, Link reclined upon the ground, curling up next to fire, falling fast asleep in no time at all. In the same fashion as all predators before him, the male had eaten his fill and would now sleep his fill as the savage beast he truly was. Little did Link know, he'd just taken the first step into darkness. He drifted off into dreams while still in his feral mindset, who was to say what would occur upon his awakening as his normal consciousness regained control. Would he remember his actions from the night previous? Would he know what type of monster he was to become?
CHAPTER 1 END