Legend of Zanian
Chapter Two
Teressa had heard the howl as she was heading towards Zanian's home. She started running towards the tree-house to make sure Zanian was okay. Teressa climbed the ladder and opened the door. "Zanian! Are you-" she started before she saw the wolf standing uneasily in the middle of the room. Then she screamed and ran out.
"Teressa wait!" Zanian called. But it just made her scream louder.
"She can't understand you." a voice said. Zanian turned to the voice to see a squirrel standing on the window sill.
"Why not?" Zanian asked.
"Have you seen yourself? You're a wolf. Everything you say comes out as growls, howls and barks, or whimpers if you're hurt." the squirrel explained.
"Why am I a wolf?" Zanian asked.
"I'd say it has something to do with that Skull Kid you saw the other day." the squirrel said.
"That what I saw the other day?" Zanian asked.
"Skull Kid. When kids get lost in the Lost Woods they become Skull Kids." the squirrel said.
"So somehow that thing that tried to kill me turned me into an animal?" Zanian asked.
"Yeah, they're magic you know, or cursed, whichever you prefer." the squirrel said.
"So, I kick the Skull Kid's butt and he turns me back to normal?" Zanian asked.
"Well, you'll probably have to kill him." the squirrel said. "And they can disappear into thin air." he added.
"I think I know what I can do." Zanian said.
Zanian walked into the clearing where he first found the Skull Kid and sat. He waited and waited until he could hear music coming closer and closer. The Skull Kid jumped out of the trees onto his stump and was surprised to see Zanian. "Zanian, you have returned." the Skull Kid said happily.
"Yes, and I challenge you to a game of hide and seek." Zanian said. The Skull Kid's face lit up with joy.
"Okay, but the rules will be different this time. When I find you, you have to beat my friends." the Skull Kid said.
"Deal." Zanian said before closing his eyes and counting to ten. He opened his eyes and picked up the Skull Kid's scent with his sensitive nose. He followed the scent to a tree where the Skull Kid sat humming again. Zanian jumped up and bit the Skull Kid. The Skull Kid jumped onto his stump with a smile on his wooden face.
"My turn." the Skull Kid said before closing his eyes and counting to ten. He opened his eyes and instantly saw Zanian's tail sticking out from behind a tree. He jumped over and yanked Zanian from his hiding spot, sending him soaring across the clearing. Then three of the puppets appeared around Zanian. He bit the closest one's head off but the other two charged him at once. Zanian jumped at one and kicked off, shooting himself straight at the other one, taking its head off. The last puppet flew at him but Zanian simply stepped out of the way and let it crush itself against a tree. Zanian smirked at the Skull Kid before closing his eyes and counting to ten. He opened his eyes and once again followed the Skull Kid's scent to a small bush. Zanian looked into the bush and saw the Skull Kid sitting there, staring off into the distance. Zanian bit him and heard the wood starting to split. The Skull Kid jumped onto his stump and started counting to ten. He opened his eyes and quickly ran over to a tree. He jumped up and grabbed Zanian's tail and again threw him across the clearing. This time five puppets appeared. Zanian dove below one and grabbed its foot with his teeth and threw it into another, killing both. The last three rushed him as one. He tackled the middle one tearing it in half before throwing both halves at the last two puppets. He then ripped one's head off and crushed the other's. He almost laughed at the Skull Kid before closing his eyes. The Skull Kid smiled back at Zanian before realising that if Zanian found him again, he would die. The Skull Kid panicked and disappeared into thin air. Zanian opened his eyes and followed the Skull Kid's scent, feeling confident. But when he realised how far away the Skull Kid had gone, he started running. After about ten minutes, Zanian emerged from the woods and stopped on the edge of Hyrule Field.
"That's big." Zanian said before seeing a small figure sprinting across the field towards the castle. "How could anything move that fast?" Zanian asked himself before continuing to chase the Skull Kid as the sun was setting.
Zanian had almost caught up with the Skull Kid when it reached Castle Town just as the sun disappeared below the horizon. The Skull Kid had stopped just past the drawbridge and stood there, smiling at Zanian. Zanian smirked but his smirk soon disappeared when he realised the drawbridge was being raised. Zanian put on a burst of speed and leaped, just managing to dig his claws into the wood before it left his reach. Zanian sighed in relief before he felt the top of the gateway pushing his paws off the end of the drawbridge. He tried to pull himself up but he was pushed off the edge before he could actually do anything. "Din damn it!" Zanian yelled as he fell towards the moat. He hit the water with a splash and started floating along with the water. "Wonder where this goes." Zanian said as he floated away. Zanian eventually came to a small courtyard behind the castle. He dragged himself out of the water and shook his fur. "Been a canine for a day and I'm already shaking myself." Zanian commented. He walked over towards the castle when he realised a large stone stood near the doorway. He walked over to the stone and observed it. It appeared to be covered in moss and had an eye in the middle with a hole in place of the pupil. Three triangle rested on top of the eye and what looked like a tear hung from the bottom. He started to walk away before he heard a sound coming from the stone. He walked back to it and listened. It sounded like a howling wolf. When it started again, Zanian howled along with it. He continued to howl along with it as he closed his eyes, but then another howling joined with his. Zanian opened his eyes and saw that he sat on the edge of a tall cliff, across from him, a golden wolf was also howling on another cliff. When they finished howling Zanian tried to talk to the golden wolf but it jumped off the cliff. Zanian blinked and he was back in the courtyard. Zanian looked around before noticing the golden wolf was standing opposite him. Suddenly, they were in a white area. Zanian looked around before realising that he felt taller. He felt himself, realising he was a human again. He looked back at the wolf to see a skeleton wearing armour covered in moss and carrying a sword and shield. "Who are you?" Zanian asked.
"My name is unimportant, but you may refer to me as Hero's Shade." the skeleton said.
"I'll just call you Shade." Zanian said.
"Do you know why I brought you here?" Shade asked.
"To teach me magical hidden skills so I can banish a horrible evil from the land of Hyrule?" Zanian asked.
"Exactly." Shade said.
"Wait what? I was just kidding around." Zanian said
"Kidding or not, that's why you're here." Shade said.
"And I suppose the final skill is combining all the elements into a final devastating blow that should only be used against a terrible evil in the final showdown between good and evil." Zanian said.
"What you will learn now and what you will learn later are two very different things." Shade said.
"Alright, what's the first magical skill of awesomeness?" Zanian asked.
"The ending blow." Shade said. "I will attack you and you must dodge and knock me down, then strike the final blow with a down thrust preceded by a bounding leap." Shade said.
"What?" Zanian asked.
"Now!" Shade said as he attacked Zanian.
"I don't even know how to use a sword!" Zanian cried as he cowered behind his blade. Shade stopped and sighed.
"Then this first lesson shall teach you the art of swordsmanship." Shade said.
"So, I'll be able to use a sword?" Zanian asked.
"Exactly, although you will need to make sure you practise every chance you get." Shade said.
"Why?" Zanian asked.
"Because you're still a wolf." Shade said flatly.
"Oh, right, I knew that." Zanian said.
"First off is the form, would you say you rely more on speed or strength?" Shade asked.
"Strength." Zanian said instantly.
"Then hold your sword with both hands, to increase the force of the blow." Shade said. "Make sure that you stand slightly on an angle, so you can actually attack a charging enemy in the least amount of time possible." Zanian did as instructed. "Good, now stop my charge." Shade said before charging at Zanian. Zanian panicked and dove out of the way. "It would seem you have more speed than strength." Shade commented.
"I'm kinda used to running away from any real danger." Zanian admitted. Shade nodded and charged at Zanian without any warning. Zanian dove away again.
"Stop diving, simply side-step." Shade ordered. He charged for Zanian who jumped off to the side. "Side-step." Shade growled. Zanian tried to face Shade but could barely muster the courage to look him in the face. "Dodge my attack and strike my back." Shade ordered as he charged at Zanian. Zanian side-stepped and tried to strike Shade's back. But he miscalculated the distance and the weight of the sword and ended up flat on his face. "This is going to take a while." Shade sighed.
After a few hours, Zanian had mastered the side-step and had started learning the speed form. "It is time for me to go." Shade said.
"Come on, I almost got it." Zanian moaned.
"The sun is rising. You should go if you wish to catch the Skull Kid." Shade said before he started fading.
"Wait, how do you know about that?" Zanian asked as the surrounding area started going black.
Zanian awoke as a wolf outside Castle Town just as the drawbridge started lowering. Zanian sat patiently as the drawbridge reached his level, then he walked in. He walked into the town square before remembering people don't respond well to wolves. Everyone started throwing things at him or running and hiding in their homes. Zanian ran back the way he came and quickly entered a building near the entrance. He sighed in relief before looking around, he was in a dark shop with the only light coming from candles behind the counter where a strange being stood. He was covered in a red cloak and had a glowing red dot where his face should be. "Welcome to the Ghost Shop." the being said. "I see that you have quite the... unusual predicament." he added. Zanian just stayed in place, trying to gauge whether or not this person was a threat. "You search for the imp many know as a Skull Kid." he said. Zanian's ears perked up. "It made you this way and you seek revenge with the excuse of trying to turn back to normal." the being said. Zanian growled at them. "You say I'm wrong, that I don't know what I'm talking about, but I assure you, I know exactly what I'm talking about, for I am reading your mind at this very moment." the being said with amusement. "Destroying the imp will only prevent you from becoming normal. Its magic stays in effect even after it is killed, but after it is killed, it is much harder to combat its magic because it can no longer be stopped by the imp. But I'll make you a deal." the being said.
"What kind of deal?" Zanian asked.
"If you bring me ten Big Poes, I will tell you how to revert back to your human form. Well, more specifically, their souls." the being said.
"You're a soul hunter?" Zanian asked.
"Actually, I'm a ghost hunter." the being said.
"Who can understand wolves?" Zanian asked.
"I can read minds." the Ghost Hunter corrected.
"So what do these Big Poes look like?" Zanian asked.
"You'll know when you see one, they're big, they're fast and they carry lanterns, just from that you'll know one when you see it." the Ghost Hunter said.
"So why don't I just go get them now?" Zanian asked.
"They only come out at night and you can only see them when you use your heightened senses." the Ghost Hunter said.
"What do you mean, heightened senses?" Zanian asked.
"Your wolf form allows you to use heightened sense, enabling you to see ghosts and scents but it impairs your long range vision." the Ghost Hunter said.
"How do you know all this?" Zanian asked.
"Let's just say that my eye was opened a long time ago." the Ghost Hunter said.
"For now, I'll just hunt the Skull Kid and try and get him to undo this." Zanian said as he left the Ghost Shop.
"Goodbye Zanian." the Ghost Hunter said.
"Wait a minute, how does he know my name?" Zanian asked himself after the door closed.
I don't own Shade or Ghost Hunter, they are the only canon characters appearing in this story probably, barely any places belong to me, the ones that do, hmm, hidden river and where the water runs dry, nowhere else yet, unless you count the giant field in the introduction but meh