~Ten Minutes Remain~
"You're cutting it close this time, Link..."
"I know, I know! Stop reminding me!"
Though it was difficult not to be reminded of your impending doom when the moon hung low in the sky, tremors hitting every hour as it descended lower and lower upon Termina. Usually Link would have used the Song of Time and been safe within the next three day cycle at this point, but reuniting Anju and Kafei had taken a bit longer than he'd expected. Now with a mere ten minutes left he was scrambling about the deserted Clock Town, the only residents left a few guards holding their hands over their hearts, and the stubborn man who still wished to have the Carnival of Time. Everyone else had fled to hopefully safer land, but Link knew that it would be no use. The moon would obliterate everything if he allowed it to fall, no one would be spared.
"Link..." Tatl's voice cut through the air again, a tad more urgent this time. "We really need to go back..."
After taking one final glance around and confirming he'd done everything he needed to do in this cycle, Link pulled the familiar blue ocarina from his tunic pocket. He felt a pang in his heart as he held it in his hands, this particular ocarina held many memories for him. Back when he was romping around Hyrule with Navi by his side.
'Navi...'
"Link!" Tatl screeched again, snapping Link from his thoughts. He sighed as he brought the instrument to his lips; while Tatl had admittedly grown on him, he still missed Navi terribly. In fact, Navi was the entire reason he was in this parallel universe in the first place! He wondered as he began to play the song if he'd ever see her again.
Suddenly something collided with his leg and Link lost his balance; the ocarina falling from his hands and being snatched up by the dog who always tried to attack him when he was in his Deku form. The dog scampered away as Link just stood there stunned for a moment, before his heart sunk and his pupils shrank as he realized what that meant.
He had eight minutes. Eight minutes to locate the dog and get his ocarina back. Wasting no time he broke out into a dead sprint, Tatl trailing behind him and glancing up at the sky on occasion in panic. The moon was even closer now, accompanied by another tremor which knocked Link onto the hard ground below. He groaned for a moment before rising and continuing his chase. From the looks of it the dog had been heading towards South Clock Town, where it usually was during the day. Perfect - he knew South Clock Town like the back of his hand since he always started there at the beginning of each cycle. Wasting no time Link hurried towards the main attraction of Clock Town - the Clock Tower. With any luck the dog would be there with his ocarina.
The closer Link got to the Clock Tower, the darker and warmer it became. A chill shot down his spine and fear filled his heart as he cautiously glanced up at the grotesque face of the moon, the nose of it nearly touching the top of the tower. He wondered if Skull Kid was watching from his perch atop the tower, taunting him with that horrid laugh of his. Link momentarily wondered if Skull Kid had been responsible for the dog snatching his ocarina. He wouldn't put it past him... Skull Kid had done some pretty horrible things to the townsfolk.
Link jumped as the dog in question trotted past him, ocarina still clenched tightly in it's jaw. Link made a dive for it but the dog lept out of the way causing Link to painfully tumble to the ground again. One sight of the moon was enough to make Link stand back up and frantically glance around - the dog was nowhere to be seen.
"The Laundry Pool! It was headed towards the Laundry Pool!" Tatl yelped, and Link immediately careened towards the stairs that led to the serene area. Or rather, it would be serene if the moon wasn't reflected in the water, the fiery sky surrounding it making it look like a portal to Hell itself. Scanning the area Link found the dog resting near the mailbox, the ocarina between it's paws as it unsuccessfully attempted to chew through it. Moving slowly Link advanced towards the dog, not wanting to startle it and have it run off again. It whimpered as Link approached, before growling and barking, snapping it's jaws at Link.
"Calm down, I'm not gonna hurt you..." Link murmured in a soothing voice, reaching out a hand in order to pat the dog on the head. What he didn't anticipate was the dog biting him on the arm so hard it drew blood; he screamed in pain while Tatl let out a cry of shock. Another tremor shook the ground, they were running out of time.
"Please... listen to me," Link seethed through clenched teeth. "All I want... is the ocarina... please... I need it..."
The dog's jaw slackened and Link was able to pry his arm away, wincing at the deep bite marks the dog's teeth had left behind. That was the least of his concerns at the moment though; hesitantly he reached for his ocarina, the dog growling for the briefest moment before scampering away, leaving Link and Tatl alone in the Laundry Pool.
"Thank goodness!" Tatl exclaimed brightly. "Now all we have to do is play the Song of Time, and -"
She was cut off by yet another violent quake, and both Link and Tatl panicked as they realized the moon was descending at an alarmingly fast rate. They needed to act quickly, or else Termina would be obliterated.
"Quick Link, the song! Hurry!"
Link scrambled to grab the ocarina, feeling a tad bit disgusted at the fact it was coated in dog slobber; it made the instrument difficult to hold. Bringing it to his lips he began to hastily play, keeping a paranoid eye on the sky above; it looked like it was on fire. Just as he played the last note the moon hit the top of the Clock Tower...
...and everything went black.
Link panicked, wondering if he'd somehow messed up, if maybe the moon fell before he was able to finish playing the song. His legs gave in and he collapsed to the ground, feeling like he was going to cry. Had he doomed Termina to a terrible fate? Was he going to be forced to watch the flames envelop the places he worked so painstakingly hard to save, before he himself was trapped in the inferno, doomed to die alongside them?
Suddenly he was falling, a white light enveloping him as he faintly heard the melody he just played on the ocarina. A surge of relief swept through him, he was going to be fine, everything was alright...
He was back standing just outside the Clock Tower, gazing into the streets of South Clock Town. A quick check confirmed that the moon had been pushed back into the sky, still close enough to cause paranoia but not a significant threat just yet. Relieved Link sunk to the ground and allowed himself to breathe. Tatl flitted next to his head, and even though he couldn't see her face he could tell that she was relieved as well.
He'd managed to save Termina this time around, but next time he may not be so lucky. Next time he'd need to make sure that there was enough time left so something like this never happened again. With a sigh he got up from the ground, dusting off his tunic. Exchanging a nod with Tatl they set off for their next three day adventure, the dog lazily watching as they sprinted by.
Dawn of
The First Day
-72 Hours Remain-