A/N: And we're back again with another LoZ fic! This is a sort of sequel to 'A New Journey' as it follows Link and Tetra's adventures as they deal with the implications of their previous journey and what they went through in their struggle against Ganondorf. As you can gather from the title, this is about Link and his...well, scars. Anyway, here we go! Leave a review if you like it, and stay tuned for more!

DISCLAIMER: This is a non profit fanfiction. The Legend of Zelda is owned by Nintendo. Please support the official release.

Link opened his eyes to find that he was in an empty area full of sand. He looked around, but there was no sign of life anywhere. He instinctively reached for his sword, only to find that he wasn't carrying it. A wave of panic instantly hit him, as he was heavily handicapped without his primary weapon. What's worse, he didn't have his shield either, meaning that if he was attacked, it would be one hell of a fight. To make matters even worse, he had no idea where he was or how he got there. He tried to move his legs, and while it was difficult due to the sand, he managed to take a step forward.

However, as soon as he did, the entire ground started rumbling. Link froze, his eyes scanning the area, looking out for any enemies. Suddenly, something burst from the sand and leaped at him. Link cried out and instinctively used his hand to block the attack. The creature sunk its teeth into Link's arm, sending the boy into a world of pain. He cried out and punched the creature off his hand. Inspecting the wound, he found that the crimson liquid was spreading across his arm at a rapid pace. One of his teeth made a deep cut on the back of his hand as well, and the blood trickled down his arm. He also noticed a greenish tinge to the wound as a wave of exhaustion hit him.

'Poison in its fangs.….damn it!'

He began to feel dizzy as he fell to the ground, trying as hard as he could to stay conscious. Panting heavily, he looked to find an exit when he heard a roar. His eyes widened as another larger creature burst from the sand in front of him. Link gasped as he recognized it.

"I killed you! You should be dead!" He barely had time to wonder how the hell this had happened, however, as the creature quickly noticed him and rushed towards him. He tried to move but found that his legs were stuck in place. The creature let out another roar as it opened its enormous mouth, no doubt intending to swallow him whole. Link braced himself as its jaw clamped around him, sending him into an abyss of darkness and pain.

"LINK!"

Link's eyes shot open as he sat upright suddenly. He looked around him, expecting to see the slimy walls of the creature's mouth. Instead he found Tetra leaning over him, an expression of slight annoyance on her face. He looked around and saw that he was still on the pirate ship like normal. Tetra asked, "What on earth was going on? You were tossing and turning in your sleep; not to mention you were clutching your arm so hard I'm surprised it didn't start bleeding." Link looked at the spot where he had felt the creature's bite. The sleeve hid most of it, but Link knew there was a huge gash from where the creature had bit him. He closed his eyes and shuddered, remembering the battle against the guardian of the Wind Temple. He had gotten hurt far more than usual due to the treacherous terrain. Those mini creatures that spawned ended up injuring his leg and his hands to a great extent. Only the bit of the scar on the back of his hand was visible.

He sighed and said, "It's nothing. I guess I just had a bad dream, that's all." Tetra looked at him with her eyes narrowed. Link turned away, not wanting to meet Tetra's eyes. He didn't need her thinking that she was just some kid who couldn't handle a nightmare. He could look after himself – after all, he was the Hero of Winds, and heroes weren't supposed to show weakness. Not to mention he couldn't afford to look weak in front of her of all people. He had to protect her. It was his duty as the hero.

"I'm fine. What's going on?"

Tetra sighed and said, "We stopped at Windfall Island for supplies. I advise you pick up whatever you need as well because we won't be stopping anywhere for a while." Link nodded and stood up slowly. Tetra pursed her lips worriedly before saying, "You know, it's all right to have nightmares about what you went through. You've seen more horrors at your age than most people have seen in a lifetime." Link said nothing as he changed into his trademark green tunic. Tetra continued, "If you ever want to talk about it…..I'll be here."

"I'm fine, Tetra. Don't worry so much about me."

With that, he strode out of the room, strapping his sword and shield to his back as he did so. Tetra watched his retreating figure with a mixture of annoyance and worry. She sighed and followed him out of the room.

"Is that all, sir?"

Link nodded as the salesman counted up the items he selected. "All right, that'll be 150 Rupees." Link was a bit surprised that a bottle of red potion, a cleaning cloth and some berries amounted to that, but he handed over the gems nonetheless and thanked the salesman. He started walking back to the ship when he felt a tug on his tunic from behind. He instantly tensed and turned around quickly, ready for an attack.

"Sir, you forgot your change…?"

Link relaxed and smiled at the salesman. "Oh – sorry about that. Thank you." He collected the assortment of rupees from the salesman and slipped them into his pocket. He noticed the salesman looking at him rather oddly, and said, "Is something wrong?" The salesman pointed at his hand and said, "That's quite a nasty scar." Link looked to where he was pointing and saw that he was talking about a thin line spread across the back of his hand. He sighed and said, "Yeah – got it while out at sea." He did not elaborate further, and the salesman seemed to understand. He said, "Be careful out there – it's a nasty world, especially for a young one such as yourself." Link felt a stab of annoyance at being addressed as such, but didn't let it show, instead simply saying, "Right. Thanks for the tip." With that, he turned around and started towards the ship. He was at the dock when he felt yet another sharp tug on his tunic. He dropped the bag and lay his hand on his sword handle as he turned around, ready to attack.

"Umm….mister? I can't find my mommy. Can you help me?"

Link relaxed as he smiled at the small boy in front of him. He nodded and asked him, "Where was the last place you saw her?" The boy pointed in the direction of the bazaar and said, "I was checking out the stuff at that shop, and when I turned around, she was gone. She's wearing a yellow dress and she has a big red bag with her." Link looked around for a woman of that description, but couldn't find anyone. He frowned as there weren't too many places she could disappear to. He told the kid to stay, handing his bag to him while he headed over to the bazaar to look. He asked a couple of the townsfolk, but none of them had seen her. Scratching his head, he wondered where she could have gone when his flow of thought was interrupted by a yell.

"THIEF! STOP HIM! HE HAS MY MONEY!"

Link's head sharply turned to the source of the noise, and he barely had time to make out a figure clad in black running away from the same salesman from earlier, with a huge bag over his shoulders. Link sighed and thought, 'No matter how many monsters you kill, evil never truly leaves this world.' He ran after the thief without another thought.