I knew I shouldn't have done this.

What was I thinking, letting Ilia bully me into taking care of them? Then again, how would I have turned her down?

Sure- it was only four, but still- that's enough. More than enough. Oh Goddesses, they aren't going to survive.

Calm down. The more you think about it, the more it will take over you! It's going to take a lot of willpower. Therefore… I am expecting a long night.

The four baby chicks peeped up at me from their box in my hands, trying to climb out. I pursed my lips. I don't blame them.

If only the others could know what I was feeling. If only they could understand- I am not myself anymore, and it's not my fault. At least- I think it's not.

But there's no way they could understand- or believe me, at that. They saw me with their own eyes- even fled. But they would never know it was me.

Those days were good. I had plenty to do with my time- I was constantly occupied. I don't love to kill, but I admit- I do love to fight for justice. It was the first time I ever had to take up a sword and let my ancestor's hidden instincts take over; and yet it was so thrilling. As if it was something I was born for.

Then there was the greater thrill of altering my form. It was painful at first… but it was a good pain. And I felt it often during Hyrule's crisis. Oh; the feeling of the breeze in my fur, my bare feet on stone, grass and snow, my strong jaws… the might of the wolf was mine.

And now… I crave that more than ever.

I am a strong-willed man. I can snuff out many powerful urges with no problem- like hunger, for example. I've gone for days without food, and though I was weak from it, I didn't even notice. Once I put the thought away, it stays there.

Not this one. It's an unnatural kind of urge. Something that simply should not exist in the mind of a Hylian. It brings about many undesired thoughts that beg to turn into actions.

Oh, and these defenseless creatures I so foolishly took into my care, are related to those undesired actions; just so you know.

The little chickens peeped and scrabbled at the box sides as I walked carefully to my house. I did my best to hold them gently in one hand as I held my nose with the other- blocking out their wafting aroma. At this point, I trotted a little bit until I got to the base of my ladder, and scrambled up it.

In my house, I set them on the table and distanced myself. I breathed deeply to let the smell leave my nose; for the most part. Guiltily, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Apparently I had been salivating.

They stayed on the floor by the fireplace in their little box; nice and warm, for the rest of the evening. I managed to spend that time outside on my balcony mostly, trying harder than ever to push this urge away.

I found it strange that this one was so different. It didn't want to go away…. It didn't want me to resist, because it felt like it was a part of me that shouldn't be tucked away. But how can that be? I had never felt this way until after my time as a beast was long gone.

Tales of werewolves I was familiar with. After what I have been through, I would believe anything. But there is nothing that has happened to me that would make me feel this way.

And yet… it's like all I knew was coming true, and getting worse by day. For weeks, I have been trembling at night… avoiding the blaze of the silver circle in the night sky that made my skin crawl and my jaw chatter. At times, I could hear my breathing… shallow and panting… repetitive, like it was as I comfortably breathed as a beast.

Maybe I was just stark, raving mad. I would accept that if I wasn't so concerned for the safety of others. When I became this way… I had such a blood thirst. It didn't matter how full my belly was at the time. Like now… with the sound of those peeping baby chicks in my house… I just wanted to eat them.

Ilia's scent also appealed to me that way. I didn't feel inclined to eat her like I do with the chicks; which would be absolutely ridiculous to want to devour a human, anyways. But I caught myself happily breathing her in earlier today at the base of her neck from a distance. I never noticed her nice smell… it was quite appealing. Even Colin smelled nice.

I wiped my lips again with chagrin. It was getting dark… and cold. I felt my lips curl over my canines as I let out a raspy huff. The moon would be at its fullest. Tonight… I would sleep in my basement.

It's cold in my basement. It always has been. The environment made it great for storing my beverages and keeping them fresh. Yet I didn't feel chilly. I was breaking out in sweats, instead.

I growled angrily, tearing my ghastly shirt off and throwing it at the wall. I pressed my clammy hands to my steaming face in an effort to cool it, running them down my torso as well. My stomach caved violently at times as I shuddered. This certainly wasn't a good thing to be happening.

As I sprawled my half-naked body on the cool floor in angst, I heard a knock at the door. I sat up instantly and went dead-quiet.

"Link? Are you in there?" It was Ilia. What in the blazes was she doing knocking at my door so late at night?

"H-hang on, I'll be up in a second." I called. I couldn't NOT answer her, much as I wanted to. I ignored my shirt- in fact I didn't even notice it was off, and climbed upstairs to the dreadfully hot upper room, and clicked the door open.

"Sorry, I know it's late. But I forgot to give you this for the chicks." I saw her eye me oddly. "Are you alright?"

No. "I'm fine. Thanks." I said softly as I took a bag of seed for the chicks from her.

Then I noticed her skin was pale. It was an odd thing to notice as I felt my bones start to burn throughout my body and my blood vessels popping, but that detail made me look up into the sky through the open door.

The moon was there. It was right in front of my eyes, just leaving the top of the horizon to govern the blackness. I felt my eyes start to sting. My hands, which were inadvertently holding my door open, suddenly clenched the wood. I could hear it splinter.

I ripped my hand off- apparently taking the door with it, and groaned. Ilia screamed in my sensitive ears- making them pound as my spine started trembling.

It was here. And stronger than ever before. And so was my best friend… who was sadly now watching in horror as my hands clawed into my floorboards.

Everything was a blur. Scents and sounds started popping up out of nowhere. I've felt this before… it was all too familiar. I was becoming a beast- right in front of a bystander.

Out of the sounds of my own screaming and hers, I caught sight of the open door, and leapt for it. I bounded on my burning legs to the edge of my balcony and jumped straight off it, landing painfully on my heels, and ran into Faron Woods.

I knew I was going to trip eventually, running this way. And I did. I stumbled on the ground, roaring in pain, bathed in the milky moonlight that filtered through the trees, and watched as my world was put into a blender.

My feet pounded the ground, the sound throbbing in my ear drums, steadily becoming heavier and louder. I clawed at my blonde hair in agony, crying out as I felt sharp claws rip into my skull. It was happening… it was happening once again! Despite the agony, I grinned in excitement- once again feeling my tail surge out from my tailbone and my face get pulled with a sharp hook. No hair lay in front of my eyes- only my ever-familiar muzzle that wrinkled with snarls.

I was complete. I flipped onto my paws, hissing in awe as I felt the ground with my claws and pads. I flicked my ears about and wagged my tail once. My clothes were gone- I wasn't surprised.

And yet- I felt different. I felt bigger, and hungrier. My limbs angled differently than that of a wolf. But I didn't care. There's no way I would care about that.

I was complete.

I wasn't Hylian any longer.

My mind became that of a careless creature, and I shook my fur. Then threw my head back and howled as loud as I could.

Blood. That's what I needed. It was close. I could smell it. I panted harshly as I galloped toward the scent, my jowls glistening with saliva.

I neared a towering solid place, where the scent drafted from. But I wasn't concerned about that. Because the scent was running away from the place, towards lots of other good scents. I licked my jowls and snarled, creeping forward to the biped creature that rang so sweetly familiar to me. It was a female.

I saw her eyes lock on me, and I chuckled happily, knowing she could see her predator before her. I rose up a little on my hind feet and stepped towards her with purpose. With her were tiny little things, and as I laid eyes on them I realized they were the lovely scent I was aiming for.

She made a good deal of noise as I neared, making me quiver with excitement. I got back down on my front paws and snarled at her. She was cornered between a large rock and a wooden picket-thing- still rattling with a good deal of cute whimpering. I readied to deal her a swift, lethal bite.

Then she seemed to drop all the lovely little creatures, and they ambled about, fretting and making more noise than she had. I perked up happily, ignoring the larger, less tasty quarry, and pounced on a single yellow fluffy creature. It screamed and squealed underneath my paw, and I sent drool everywhere as I snapped it up in my jaws and swallowed it with my powerful wolf's gullet.

Well now- these were quite the catch! I barked loudly in joy as I pounced on another, snapping it up lightning-fast. The other two yellow morsels were already dashing this way and that, and I snarled playfully as I chased them.

I ate them one by one, drooling gallons of saliva after each swallow. They just tasted so good! I was happy. I shook my head quickly to clean my wet jowls, and then remembered the bigger, less tasty food that was still there. I chuckled happily. How could I forget that?

She was shivering a good deal when I neared her. I eyed her fondly for a brief moment. She was quite dear- so fair and fragile. I had never seen such an exquisite creature.

I grumbled happily as I reached forward gently and snapped my jaws around her middle, my ears twitching uncomfortably at the sound she made when I did so. I didn't want this delicate thing to suffer- it clearly was louder than the yellow things. So I decided to eat her quickly, as she was rather small, and my ears didn't need more of her racket.

I then seized her by the top, letting her head disappear into my palate, and chomped her in two, chuckling happily as her sound instantly disappeared; and knocked her little body back. I finished the rest of her meager, yet tasty portion just as quickly, and licked my lips in satisfaction.

I think she was better than the little yellow things by far. A couple more snacks like her would be a great supper!

I then followed the scent of the other creatures like the last and trotted forward in bliss.

As the scent grew stronger, I looked up to see more strange constructs, and balls of light dancing in numerous places. My nose quivered in curiosity.

But another smell came across me. I stopped and looked to the left, up a hill where the scent came from. I growled curiously. This one was much greater in number than the two legged things, but also smelled a little like the yellow fuzzy things. I forgot about the two-legged prey and trotted up to this new smell.

I came across a strange tree lying sideways and stacked on other sideways trees. I growled curiously and leapt over them, and followed the scent into another wooden construct. I salivated instantly at the sight and the smell.

It was a giant hollow filled with large, hoofed animals. They brayed and bleated at the sight of me, and I dove inside to scour out the best one. I roared a killing cry and rose on my hind paws, and clenched one of the animal's heads in my teeth and yanked it out from the tree barrier it was behind. My front paws made good use of themselves by holding the animal down as I tore its throat out and started biting off hunks of meat and gulping them down whole.

I had hardly got to finish my supper when a larger two-leg came to the entrance of the prey-hollow. I caught sight of him and snarled in annoyance. My lips creased when it started shouting. How inconvenient! Why would something care about me eating another? He should be thanking me for not picking HIM instead.

I would have continued eating if it hadn't thrown something small and stinging at my nose. I bellowed a dangerous growl at him and leapt over my dinner's carcass, jaws opened wide, ready to tear him apart.

But I stopped quickly when it started running opposite of me fearfully. I snorted curiously and watched it run, then decided it would be best not to have TWO large dinners tonight. I didn't want my belly to hurt. If I killed him, though, then his meat would go to waste. So I let him go.

I licked my nose and turned back to my supper, then decided to carry the food somewhere nice and quiet. I slung it through my jaws and padded towards the forest, snuffling happily at the sound of worried prey in the jackpot I had left behind.

I rested in a nice open place in the woods and finished my meal. I decided to eat slowly to enjoy it more- even to the point of using my front paws to rip off pieces before putting them in my mouth. When I had finished, I bathed myself in the pool of water nearby and had a nice drink.

After drying myself off, I shook my dark grey fur and stretched earnestly, yawning widely, as it was almost dawn and time for me to sleep. I found a nice soft patch of ground, shaded by leaves, and curled myself up- tail touching my nose, and dozed off.

I woke up to an uncomfortable amount of cold, rough hands under my arm pits, and a good deal of shouting. I shot my blue eyes open and barely was able to stand up before someone- I recognized soon after as Rusl, slipped a cord around my neck and tightened it.

I shouted in anger and confusement, lashing out with my free legs as I was lifted off the ground and had cords tied around my wrists as well. "Hey!" I cried, mostly on accident due to the amount of shock of my situation, and was dragged off through the dawn-lit woods of Faron.

The men I knew didn't say a word, except for Rusl, who merely told me to stop struggling for my own good. I figured I must be dreaming; this was insane, to have my older neighbors drag me off like this without purpose.

When I first awoke, I was a good deal befuddled.

But now, I was absolutely sure why this was happening.

I swallowed loudly-louder with the cord gripping my esophagus, and broke into sweats.

They brought me to the center of town, where everyone else was gathered, frankly, and held me there. Bo, the mayor of our tiny town, was there, glaring at me with eyes of molten onyx. I had a really bad taste at the back of my mouth just now. I think it was stale blood.

My memory of last night was weak, but I recall the most important detail; I transformed into not just a wolf, but a werewolf.

The blood taste made my heart pound. I scanned the villagers naming every one, but there was no Ilia. She was the last person I remember being with.

I swallowed that blood taste immediately, feeling my gut wrench up. Oh Goddesses, no… not her… not her…

I started panicking as I saw how grieved Bo was- her father. Her father… oh Nayru, oh Nayru!

"Link, we are inclined to bring up the situation that has taken place in the last 6 hours- the night of yesterday and this morning." Rusl stated coldly as I was held in place with my hands tied behind my back. " Our witnesses claim that Ilia, daughter of Bo, was last seen delivering a bag of grain to your house at 9:00 last night. Not just 5 minutes after, the witnesses heard a ghostly wolf howl nearby, and preceded to pursue it." I could see him struggling with this claim. He even choked up when he looked at me.

I must have looked absolutely terrified. And that was something no one in this village had ever seen.

"They reached your house and found Ilia inside, fretting tremendously, with your door on the ground. They state that she told them that you had gone ballistic and disappeared into the woods." I felt my heart dissolving in my throat as I recalled everything… slowly.

"When they sent her home, they searched your house, particularly the marks in your floor. At the sound of hearing your name screamed by her soon after, they came to the door and watched as a giant beast…" He looked into my eyes. "…with eyes blue like the clear sky…" They were pouring forth with tears, making them more red than anything.

"…devoured her mercilessly."

It was then I remembered the thrill of last night's hunt. The scents… the sounds… the TASTES. I heard myself sob. The last I saw of my dear friend was her petrified face…

I groaned, feeling my chest searing with pain- it always did that when something terrible has happened. This time- it threatened to disintegrate my innards.

"Soon after, the beast…" I noticed he deliberately avoiding claiming it was me. "… went straight to the ranch and killed one of Fado's goats. He confronted the beast, but was frightened by both its size and its strength. Then it was gone, leaving a trail of blood from the carcass. I followed it not an hour ago, and found you, Link…"

I could hardly hear him through the ringing in my ears.

"…sleeping by the goat's carcass."

Yes. That was indeed my night. I wanted to tell them… I wanted to tell them most of all that I didn't mean for any of this to happen.

But that would never matter, no matter how much I drilled it into their heads. I'm a criminal now. A murderer. A murderer of my own best friend.

I DEVOURED my best friend.

I devoured her and enjoyed it. I devoured her, and thought NOTHING of it. I devoured her because I was hungry, because I was senseless, and because I had let myself fall to the beast within me.

"Now we come to this final statement, townsfolk, as to where the guilty stands. We will permit him to speak on his behalf… in favor of this conclusion." I guess it was my time to say something.

My throat was so tight- I could barely breathe, let alone speak. But I had to talk wisely, at this final moment.

I swallowed loudly- it was so quiet that everyone heard me.

"I-I admit that… last night, I was phased physically by a powerful force. A force much akin to the Twilight that once covered these lands."I found newfound confidence as my Hylian mind regained its wits.

"The absence of the Twilight… and a curse that the former ruler, Zant, cast upon me, as well as the dormant state of the blade of Evil's bane… has concocted a physical mutation that occurred in me last night; and has been developing for the past two weeks, indeed; altered my form at the sight of moonlight and converted me to more than a mindless brute.

"I will not plead innocence. I only ask that you don't hold Ilia's fate against me. I will accept the punishment gladly… any punishment. But don't remember me as the unholy beast that lost himself to the drive of nature. Remember me as the boy who once loved and cared for a ranch… who desired nothing but the simplicity of living."

I could speak no more. By throat desired nothing from it. I hung my head and drowned myself out with darkness and wallowing pain that I will have for the rest of my damned life.

All was still silent. Even Bo, the robust giant of a man, Ilia's FATHER, was drained of further words.

Then Rusl's wife, Uli; my seemingly adopted mother since my youth, decided to speak. "Link, we have no desire to end your life for the sake of one lost. One less young one in this village is enough…" I choked at those words.

"I believe… we should find treatment for the lad, and a suitable punishment. But that kind of treatment is not available here. I suggest we contact the princess of Hyrule immediately for further help dealing with the situation." I could barely hear her. The sound of Ilia's pain exploded in my ears.

I only caught the name "Princess Zelda"… and wept. No… no…. she is one other girl that is dear to me… I refuse to near her.

"Just lock me away and forget about me… please…" I pleaded as I was herded onto a hitched wagon; my hands still bound, and was sent away from Ordon without another word.

Rusl drove while Colin, his son and close to my little brother, and Hanch, Malo and Talo's father, stayed with me in the back of the wagon.

I was allowed to have my hands tied on my lap this time, but my feet were bound; I'm surprised I noticed through the cloud of guilt that surrounded me. Colin and Hanch only glanced at me several times during the trip. I know Colin had a lot of questions for me; but he was too shocked to at the moment.

It broke my heart to see that he was frightened of me.

I groaned in despair as Hyrule Castle came into view. This was a visit I was not looking forward to.