Author's Note: I think it is important to say that this story happens at most seven or so years after the game. Yeah, I think it's important. Have a good read! I'm having fun with this, so even if people don't like it, I'll continue it, 'cause it's fun. Ok? Ok. Good evening, folks!

Ilia ran as fast as her bare feet could take her. What was a wolf doing there? There hadn't been any sights of wolves for a few years, now. Why would one be here of all places? On the way to the village, she passed by Link's house, where Epona was calmly eating the grass near the base of the tree. Amy was hiding behind her, shaking nervously. Ilia stopped in front of the house and, breathless, took a look behind her. There was nothing. She had thought the beast would pursue her, but she didn't hear anything either. The animals were calm, as well. The girl breathed deeply, trying to calm her heart to reason herself. The wolf was maybe simply resting. It had nothing to do here. However, by looking at Amy and Epona, she thought maybe it was after the goats. Amy was, indeed, quite fat… Sighing, she approached the goat, brushing Epona's mane on the way. The great mare's ears pointed up and her eyes rolled toward her as a small groan escaped her throat. She wasn't nervous at all. If the wolf was coming, she would be showing signs of it. Sighing, Ilia petted the goat's head and tried to calm her down.

"It's okay, Amy," she said. "I'll bring you another time to the spring. Come, I'll take you back to the ranch."

The smaller goat bleated happily, as if she had understood, and slowly trotted out of her hiding spot, much to Epona's pleasure. Ilia guided her back to the village. Upon entering, she saw the village the same as she had left a few minutes ago. Rusl, Jaggle and her father were all busy repairing the waterwheel, which had broke during the last winter storm. They had to wait until all the snow had cleared before beginning to work on it. Uli and Colin were near the river, and Colin's sister, who was now seven years old, was playing with a tiny wooden sword. The little cutie was named Galina, and she appeared to have a lot in common with her mother. She was shy and mostly stayed glued to her brother. The now older Colin didn't mind that much, except when he had work to do.

Ilia was looking around in a daze, looking for that tuff of uncontrolable hair that belonged to Link, when she noticed that the goat was heading back on her own toward the ranch. Good, she thought, she had other things to do. She quickly walked over to the little laughing family and had to crack a smile when Galina pointed her gasping:

"Lilia!"

She had always had difficulties saying her name, but she made it sound so cute that Ilia never scolded her for that detail. Colin and his mother both looked up and greeted her happily.

"Hello Ilia," said Uli gently. "Wheren't you tending to that injured goat?"

"Well, actually, yes, but… Um… Have any of you seen Link? I kind of need him for something…"

Colin shook his head and pushed his longer hair behind his ears.

"No. Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him all day yesterday either. Is Epona still there?"

"Yes, she is…"

She sighed nervously, at a loss of what to do. She had thought Link could scare that wolf away and persuade it to leave. He was good with wild animals, she had already seen him tame a wild boar out in the fields.

"Maybe he's in the woods," she mumbled to herself, her eyes focusing on the currents of the river.

"Is there a problem I can help with?" Colin asked her, suspicious of her strange actions. "You seem… troubled. That's not like you."

Ilia eyed him carefully. She remembered that Colin was not the shy little child that he used to be. Rusl had been teaching him everything about the ways of the sword for the past seven years. He was now able to go out to hunt with Link and his father, and was even taking horseback riding lessons from Link. Epona was reluctant to have someone else other than her master on her back, but with Link beside her, she let Colin ride her. Ilia had to crack a smile, looking at him. He was a man, now. He no longer needed her protection. It was his turn to protect his little sister, now. So, she gestured him to come closer, and when he did, she whispered in his ear:

"I don't want to scare everyone with that. There's a wolf in the Spirit's Spring. That's why I couldn't take Amy there. I wanted Link to scare it off, but he's not here…"

Colin drew back and thought about that for a second, scratching his pointed chin. It was easy to see on his face that he had quite grown, as well. Finally, he nodded.

"I'll take care of that. Just wait for me over at Link's house."

On that word, he smiled widely, turned on his heel and left toward his parents' house, under the confused gazes of Uli and Galina.

"Where's Big Brother going?" innocently asked the little girl.

"I don't know," answered Uli, sharing a look with Ilia, silently asking her to answer for them both.

"I just need him in Link's stead, it shouldn't be long," she assured, waving her hands in front of her. "He'll be back soon. I'll see you two later!"

The young woman quickly left using the village's dirt road, back to Link's house, to wait for Colin. It didn't take long; the young man came up in a matter of minutes, his scabbard and shield on his back.

"So," he said, approaching her. "Where is that wolf you mentionned?"

"I'll show you. Come."

Ilia guided him out of the village toward Ordona's spring, and as they both approached, there was indeed a small whine that could be heard. Colin frowned and silently drew his sword, cautious. Crouching as to make as less noise as possible, they both walked slowly toward the entrance. Ilia was the first to poke her head to look, soon followed by Colin right above her. As she thought, the wolf was still there. She hadn't been able to look at it carefully the first time, but now that she could, she noticed how big it was. It was laying in the water, cleaning its fur with its tongue's help. Its shoulders were large and its sleek muscles swelled under every move it made. She suddenly regretted asking this to Colin. That wolf was way too big! The young man, however, seemed confident. He silently made his way through the entrance, holding his shield out in front of him and his sword at the ready. The wolf had its back turned and seemed too busy to notice. When Colin got close enough, the wolf lifted its head and turned, having probably sniffed him out, and stared at the swordsman. Colin held out his shield with a hiss, trying to impress it and make himself as big as he could. The wolf didn't make a single move. It simply stared back and clearly wasn't impressed. It tiredly blinked, then let out a pained whine, before setting its head back down in the sand.

Confused, Colin slightly dropped his defenses and frowned at the beast. He looked back at Ilia, as if to ask her if it was that dangerous, and slowly crept closer. Now he had a good view of the creature's problem. It was its leg. It was definitely broken.

"I think it's injured," he called to Ilia without taking his eyes off of the beast. "That's why it won't move."

"What do we do, then?" the woman asked, coming out of her hiding spot.

The wolf whined once more and rolled its eyes toward her. Its pained gaze hit her straight at her heart and she couldn't help but feel pained herself for thinking it could have attacked her. She went next to Colin and eyed the injury.

"You poor thing…," she whispered.

"We should probably alert the mayor about that," Colin said. "If it's hurt and can't move, the others must know it will stay here."

Then, just as Colin finished speaking, the wolf moved. It pulled itself off of the ground, moved its injured leg up and propelled itself on three legs. Colin pushed Ilia behind him and raised his shield in front of him, calling:

"Don't move!"

The beast looked at them with a passive look, as if accepting something, and turned its back on them and walked toward one of the rocks producing out of the spring. Colin and Ilia both noticed there was what seemed to be a bag, which the wolf took in its mouth before turning and heading toward the exit, limping. Surprised, Colin and Ilia looked at each other, then slowly followed it. The great animal didn't turn toward Faron Woods. It turned to the village. Colin quickly jumped in front of it and tried to scare it back, saying:

"Not there! In the woods! Back off!"

The wolf stared back for a moment, then shook its head, as if saying no, and simply tried to circle him. Ilia stayed near the spring, looking at the animal. Its behaviour was too strange… It was acting like it needed to do something in particular. The woman stepped forward, calling to her friend:

"Wait! Let it go."

"What?" Colin exclaimed, looking at her. "But what if it goes in the village?"

"I just want to see where it goes," she assured. "If it heads in the village, you can stop it. Let's just see."

Colin sighed, unnerved by all of these unusual events, and stepped on the side of the road, watching as the wolf limped forward toward the village.

"I don't like this," he said as Ilia and him followed it. "The mayor will have my head if it goes on a rampage."

"Well, it didn't attack us," she countered.

The wolf arrived near Link's treehouse, and as they were expecting Epona to panick and rear back at the sight of the predator, she simply looked up from her meal and neighed, as if greeting it. The wolf looked up at her sniffing and waged its tail. Ilia and Colin could only watch in bewilderment. There was definitely something weird about that wolf. It stopped in front of Link's treehouse and looked up at it. The animal bent down, letting the leather bag fall from its jaws, and pushed it using its black nose until it was against the ladder, before backing away and sitting down. Keeping an eye on the wolf, Colin approached the bag, Ilia in his steps, and they both bent down as well to look at it closely. Despite the fact it was beaten up pretty badly, the only noticeable detail about it was the Ordon crest embroidered on its lid. While Colin opened it carefully, Ilia looked back at the wolf. It had layed back down on its side, as if waiting, its tongue hanging out of its large mouth.

"Where did you find this…?" she mumbled toward it mostly to herself.

Surprisingly, the wolf answered. It lifted its paw up to its chest and tapped it three times. The young woman blinked, confused for a moment. She lifted a finger and tapped her own chest, asking:

"It's… yours?"

The wolf blinked and nodded its head, and before she could register that this animal understood her, Colin said in a confused tone:

"What are these things…?"

She looked back down at the bag and saw that Colin had turned it upside down, taking all its contents out. They looked like little shards of rock, some pure black and some tainted bright orange.

"I don't know," she answered. "I've never seen anything like that…" She turned back to the wolf. "Can you try to explain? We cannot guess."

The large canine blinked and made a move to stand up, when both Ilia and Colin noticed a couple of figures coming up the road from the village: it was Beth and Talo, probably out looking for the missing Link. Ilia jumped to her feet and was about to yell something, anything that would keep them from coming. Beth was the first to screech.

"A wolf! Talo, do something!"

Talo obviously didn't know what to do in this sudden situation and just stood there, mouth agape, eyes transfixed on the large creature. Beth's scream had echoed down in the village, and already they were hearing the elders running over, calling out to them. Colin ran between the wolf and the two idiots that had ruined it all and yelled to it:

"Run! Go in the woods!"

It was as if the wolf wasn't injured anymore. It barked, leaping out into a run out toward the woods' road, disapearing just in time. Rusl was the first to show up, sword in hand, soon followed by Bo and Jaggle. Ilia gulped as her father met eyes with her. How was she going to explain that?