(These are my ideas for the main plot of the story from here on out, they do need refinement, but I'm just thinking... I really want some input on these ideas, I'm not keeping this if I don't like it. I need to see what you think first.)
- - -
Shad and Ashei followed Ooccoo into the nearest building, a giant egg-shaped structure. Shad never put away his journal, and was drawing, what he called, 'quick sketches' of everything that caught his eye in the Oocca world. Ashei glanced over his shoulder and gasped at how extrodinary his pencil sketches were. Ashei knew she could draw just fine, but Shad was beyond her skills. Every detail in his drawings were percice, though they were a bit sketchy. He even put shading and highlights in their proper positions, and used his finger to blend the shading into a unique looking 3-demensional effect. What surprised Ashei was how fast he did it and the quality of it in the amount of time he used.
"That's really good, Shad... I'm impressed." She said.
Shad blushed and closed his journal, even if he was in the middle of drawing one of the buildings. "Oh, I didn't know you were watching..." his ears turned red as he grimaced. "I... they're horrible, aren't they...? You're just trying to make me feel good."
"No, Shad..." Ashei gave him a look of confusion. "Those are some of the best drawings I've ever seen done in such a small amount of time."
"Oh, I know, they're completly imperfect..."
"So you've done better, is what you're trying to tell me?"
"Oh, yes. I've sold quite a few of my better ones... I draw wildlife and the sky sometimes... I'm more partial to bigger paper and pens other than this old pencil of mine..."
"I didn't know you were so passionate about art." Ashei asked as a small gust kicked up, blowing her black hair to the side. She shook her head slightly, brushing her hair back in place. They were almost inside the building.
"Well, my mother was very intrested in the arts... she taught me how to draw at a young age... how to get the proportions exact, to study the figure, and use the shapes of the subject as guidelines, then adding in the details where they belong..." His voice got quieter as he spoke. He said something else, but it was too quiet for Ashei to hear. He sounded very nostalgic and morose. Ashei looked closely, and could almost see a hint of anger burning in his pupils, as if he was housing a deep hatred within him.
"You've never mentioned your mother before," Ashei said as Ooccoo stopped in front of the door that led inside the egg-like structure.
"Does it really matter?!" Shad whirled around and faced Ashei with a distasteful look in his eyes. "Does it really matter if I've ever mentioned her or not?!" A stray tear slid down his cheek as his eyes began to turn a bit red around the edges. He sniffed, brushing away the tear quickly with his finger, then said quietly, his shoulders falling as he spoke, "I... I apologize for my abrupt rudeness, I..." He turned away, his cheeks turning bright pink, "I... I think the wind just got something in my eye... oh, I'll open this door for you, Ooccoo..." His voice choked as he quickly opened the door and dashed inside the room.
Ashei frowned. So that's why... I'm beginning to get the impression that he lost his mother when he was a child. Maybe it has something to do with when he joined the Resistance...
So we have more than we thought we had in common...
- - -
When inside, Ashei found Shad speaking to another Oocca, who was standing on a table. When Ashei approached them, she realized they were speaking a completely diffrent language. The conversation stopped when Shad noticed Ashei.
His eyes and expression appeared normal now, he had probably gotten himself calmed down. Ashei's tongue was burning to ask him more about his mother, but she found it best not to bring it upon Shad if it bothered him so much.
"Your friend speaks our language very fluently." The Oocca said, stumbling slightly over the Hylian words. "He says he's been studying us ever since he learned to read when he was two."
"You learned to read when you were two?" Ashei exclaimed. "I barely can read, and I'm roughly twenty."
Shad smirked, but his smile vanished quickly. "My father is a scholar himself, but he's too old to continue his research on the Oocca. That's why I'm doing it for him. I've been studying their language mostly, but I'm not that great at the pronounciations yet..."
"He's fine speaking our language." Ooccoo said, hopping onto the table with the other Oocca. "I think you sound excellent."
"By the way, his name is Ooccii." Shad pointed to the male Oocca who was standing on the table. The male looked absolutly no diffrent than the female, Ooccoo. Shad would never be able to tell if it wasn't for their distinct voices to match their genders.
"He is also my husband." Ooccoo said, and Junior hovered over to his father. "See, this is Daddy!" He squeaked.
"I'm Shad, and this is my companion, Ashei." Shad said in Hylian. "If you find it hard to understand me, I can speak Oocca at any time if you want..."
"We can understand you fine." Ooccii said. "But I don't think your friend Ashei would be able to understand Oocca if you tried."
"Nope." Ashei said with a chuckle. "It all sounds like gibberish to me."
"Oh, it truly is fascinating..." Shad said. "I mean, once you get the hang of it, it's very-"
Ashei cut him off. "Don't even try to get me to speak Oocca, Shad. I'm never going to have the heart and mind to do it. I think your brain capacity is somewhat better than mine in some areas... if only you had the brain capacity to hold in combat tequniques, you might actually be useful."
Shad ignored the comment, then turned to Ooccii. "So, as I was saying, it has taken me simply years and years to find you, and I never would've done it if it wasn't for Link. Link's been here, hasn't he?"
"Yes, Link has." Ooccii said. "He killed a Twilit Dragon here, named Argok, who was terrorizing us."
"At any rate," Shad continued, "I really want to learn about you for a while, and live among you for a few days. If you have any secrets you are willing to share, I must know! My father Sunari wants to know everything there is to know about you all."
Ooccii and Ooccoo paused, and exchanged glances. "Well, we would love to show you what we can... to start things off, I believe we will show you one of our deepest secrets..." Ooccoo said.
Ooccii said something extremly fast in Oocca, and Shad couldn't pick up everything he said. After a few moments of listening to the couple exchange words, they turned to Shad.
"Actually, there's something we would like to show you right now..." Ooccii said softly. "Please, come into this room."
Shad's journal trembled in his hands as he followed the two birdlike races down a corridor in the room, with Ashei following close behind. "I can't believe this is actually happening!" Shad exclaimed, looking over at Ashei with excitement. She grinned, glad to see he had returned to his normal self after enduring the mention of his mother. Ashei still wasn't sure what happened to her, but she intended to ask him later at a better time.
The corridor turned into a slope heading downwards, and they kept walking for a few minutes until they were in a very large basement under the hovering building. In the basement, the arcitecture was extremly amazing, and there were many strange statues, floating water bubbles, and other unusual, even unhylian things.
"This," Ooccoo explained, "is where we keep all of our most treasured things, including our portals."
"Portals?" Ashei questioned.
"Portals to what?" Shad asked at the same time.
"Portals to the two universes we are afflitated with. As you may know, we are known for creating the Hylians... but, we were only partially involved. No, what we created most of was the Lizalfos..." Oocoo said, walking over to a nearby portal.
Shad gasped, then jotted down Ooccoo's words in his journal.
"We originally placed the Lizalfos inside a seperate realm... if you look through this, you will see their universe."
Shad and Ashei walked over to the 'portal'. It looked like a giant, thin bowl of water, but instead of seeing a reflection of himself, Shad saw through the water and into another world. From what he saw, it was all burned and destroyed, and there were no life.
"However, the Twilight Monsters were also sent there long ago, and they pushed the once peaceful Lizalfos to a lifetime of war and fear... they became mad... and they left the realm we made for them through our own portals, and entered Hyrule."
"Why are you telling us this?" Ashei spoke up. Shad shushed her.
"I'm sure they have their reasons... at this point I don't care what they tell me, just as long as it is information I can use."
"Whatever," Ashei said quietly as Ooccoo continued.
"That is how the Lizalfos got in Hyrule... they were scared into it by the Twili... but that isn't all I wanted to share with you, brave Shad..."
"Brave?!" Ashei chuckled, and Ooccoo turned to face Shad. "The Lizalfos are spreading through Hyrule like a wildfire... and it is our fault they came to be...and now, even as we speak, the Lizalfos Queens are building secret nests throughout Hyrule, and they are positioned in a circle around Hyrule Castle... and they are even turning into completely different creatures... their breed is expanding, becoming unstable... Dominating... and it is the Oocca's fault. This, Shad... this is why we resemble chickens. We were afraid and did nothing to stop the Lizalfos, and now, they are becoming a tick to Hyrule."
"Lizalfos?!" Ashei said. "They're like bugs! You can slap them around and they won't hurt you."
"Not anymore." Replied Ooccii. "They've been training. They've become so much more powerful, so much more fearsome. They may even match up to the talents of Link..."
"We used to resemble fair creatures of intelligence," Ooccoo said. "And now, we were downgraded to the kinds of beasts you see before you..."
Shad's excitement turned to morbid fear as he listened to the Ooccan family, but he did not put down his journal and pencil. He glanced up at them occasionally, trying to imagine what they used to look like.
"We were aware you'd show up for quite some time... and now we know who exactly you are. Shad, you and your companion must do something about these creatures... we have chosen you."
"What?!" Shad squeaked, and Ashei yelled in surprise at the same time. "I... I am no warrior! All I wished to know from you all was information of your race..."
"I promise you'll know everything you must know about us... but these are serious times, and they call for a Legendary Hero..."
"Link! You've got the wrong person, you want Link!" Ashei said.
Ooccoo and Ooccii smiled, but with sad eyes, then said, "Link has already played his role as the Legendary Hero... you must understand that there are in fact, more than one hero in a world, and they must each be a hero in their own unique time and place. Link's task is done here, and now, it is your turn. You two must rise up as the next heroes... the heroes that will remove the Lizalfos from Hyrule." Ooccoo explained.
"I am no warrior!" Shad's voice cracked. "I... I read! I mean, if you think giving the enemy papercuts is a proper way of battle-"
"Not all heros were meant to be soldiers." Ooccii said.
Shad looked down, and exhaled with nervous fear. He closed his eyes, taking in their words, then when he opened them, he said, "What must we do?"
"I'm in this too." Ashei said, walking near Shad and looking down at the bird creatures. "Shad and I won't ever part up until our task is done. We work as a whole."
Her words made Shad blush a bit, but he said nothing about them.
"All I wanted was to continue my father's work... and now..." He choked, then said, "...and now... you want me to kill the Lizalfos? ...What kind of person do you think I am?"
"We never said you had to kill them. We said they must be removed from Hyrule. We believe they can be brought here, to the Sky City, and placed back into the portal which brings them back to their world. While you are doing that, we will go to their world and repair it from the destruction unleashed upon it.
"You see, we were waiting for Ganondorf to be defeated so the Twili could live at peice in their realm, and the rest of the evil Twilit monsters were lifted from the world. Now that they are gone, we can place the Lizalfos in their proper realm without harm, but they can be killed if you must kill them."
"But how can this be done?" Shad pressed a hand to his temple, his fingers over his eyes, as his thoughts were induced with stress. "How can this be happening to me?!"
"We all have our tasks in the world, great or small..." Ashei explained. "I guess this is ours."
"We don't know how you'll be able to do it. We Oocca are definatly not all-knowing creatures. You are smart, Shad, very smart. Of course you could come up with a way to get rid of the Lizalfos before they spread." Ooccoo said.
"Kill the weed at the root." Ooccii said. "You must visit each of the Lizalfos nests and get rid of the queens. We suggest you don't kill them, we want the Lizalfos to live, but you must kill all the soldiers as need be."
"But why have I been chosen?" Shad breathed. "Why me?"
"Some questions can't be answered." Ooccoo said, "but this is what we've decided."
Shad looked away. "Are we alone in this?"
"No, of course not! It is your decision to do what need be with the Lizalfos, wether it be alone or with an army, but you have been chosen to be the leaders."
Shad turned away. "Where are these nests?" He asked as he looked at the exit of the room. "I believe there may be a way to get the Queens back to their land... but I'm going to need the help of Junior. If he can warp things, I can use him to warp the Queens back to their realm."
Ooccoo seemed reluctant to let her son travel with Shad in such unforgiving places, but it seemed like a good plan. It took her a while to decide, as well as some quick exchanges with her husband in Oocca before she finally gave Junior the all-clear to travel with Shad.
"I like pockets," Junior said. "I can hide in your pocket when you don't need me, okay?"
"What do you eat?" Shad asked. "Clouds," Junior said. "If I get hungry I'll go to the sky, but I'll always come back to you."
"Intresting..." Shad said, but he failed to write this in his journal. He had too much going on in his mind.
"You may leave at any time, and you can come back whenever you like, but most of our people will be buzy in the vacant Lizalfos realm, tidying things up. There are six hidden nests, where exactly, I do not know, but they are surrounding Hyrule. I believe their plan is to take over Hyrule Castle, so they shouldn't be too far from there. If you destroy them before they spread too much, they will become easier to handle, so you must hurry."
Shad reluctantly began to leave. "I'll be back occasionally to check on things... I hope..." He said. "I promise to keep Junior safe to the best of my ability. You can count on that... and I don't normally break promises..." He hesitated, turning to Ashei. "Um... do I?"
"No, you don't." Ashei confirmed. "And if he fails to keep your son protected, I'll jump in, alright, Ooccoo?"
Ooccoo nodded. "Very well. Shad, Ashei... good luck."
- - -
Dear Father,
Wonderful news! I
found the Sky Beings! I'm mailing you the pages of my journal that
were most appealing to me... I hope you enjoy these. Though I
couldn't ask all the questions we wanted to know, I assure you they
will be answered when I go back later.
The natives of the land
tasked me and my friend Ashei with a surprizing and disturbing
undertaking... we are to help the soldiers of Hyrule- nay, lead them-
into destroying hidden nests of a strange army of Lizalfos... I don't
know many details... I don't know how big their army is, or how
diverse their race became, but this is my duty. Please don't fear for
me- I'll be alright. Ashei can take care of me pretty well if I get
too nervous in battle.
However, there's a
little something you should know...
I even have a child of one of the Oocca with me. His name is Junior.
Anyway, its
late... write back if you feel like it.
I love you dearly,
Shad.
Shad hesitated, looking over his letter, then folded it into a cloth envelope and laid it on the bartable for the mailman to pick up.
The mailman was a very eccentric fellow- he never told anyone his true name, only wishing to go by 'the Mailman'. He was gifted with the ability to run at inhuman speed, and was efficiant at his mail delivery even on foot. He often stopped at the tavern to get supplies, but he was mostly on the road. Shad didn't talk to him much, he found the mailman confusing and a little frustrating to talk to. The only topic he seemed to want to discuss was mail. Then again, Shad got the thought that he was being rather hypocritical, for all he wanted to talk about was the Sky Beings. It made him wonder what others thought of him. He hoped he didn't get on their nerves.
Shad walked back to the table in the back of the room, sitting at it and sipping from a cup of hot tea. Suddenly, the door opened, causing him to jerk, spilling a drop from his cup. He was expecting to see Ashei, but instead, he was surprized to see Rusl.
"Rusl!" Telma shouted with a broad smile. "Oh, its nice to see you!"
"Hi, I've decided to stop by and check on things." Rusl said, dropping his backpack on the ground. "My wife and daughter are doing great back home. My daughter is very healthy and is a rather quiet baby."
"I like quiet babies," Shad said, attempting to talk about something other than Sky Beings, just to show the others he could. "It just seems so much easier to have a quiet baby than a loud one."
"You may think that at first, but crying is how babies tell us something's wrong. She may be dying one day and we wouldn't even know. But its true, quiet babies are, in my opinion, less of a hassle." Rusl said, ending his sentance with a slight chuckle.
He then noticed that the comment came from Shad, and he suddenly perked up.
"Shad! I thought you were off traveling with Ashei?" He said as he walked to the table.
"I found them." Shad said under his breath. "The Sky Beings." He then caught himself. He just couldn't help talking about them, could he?
"Well!" Rusl said with a smile. "So did you like them?"
"Oh, I loved them. They were very intresting creatures, but..." He sighed. "You're not going to like this..." He took a deep breath, then explained to Rusl about the Lizalfos, and what the Oocca tasked Shad to.
A rare look of horror swept across Rusl's face. "I..." He began, then said, "...I just got back home..." He mumbled. "I don't want to be caught up in another war right now... I have a wife and kids..."
"I never said you had to help with this..." Shad said.
"Hyrule needs me!" Rusl said. "This is the Resistance. We are one and a whole, dedicated to fighting the monsters in Hyrule, and this is definatly a problem."
"Should we get Link?" Telma asked from behind the table.
"Only if he wants to be a hero once more." Rusl said. "He should be of great help in this."
The door to the tavern opened once more, and in came Ashei. She gasped when she noticed Rusl, but then noticed the look on his face.
"So, Shad told you about our little problem?"
"Yes..." Rusl breathed. "It pains me..." He sighed, then hesitated. "Well, I suppose our first task would be to scout the lands for anything unnatural. We need to find where these nests are. Are they underground, or in the trees? Mountains? Water?"
"We'll never know until we do some exploring. We also need to ask anyone we can find about it." Ashei said as she took her place at the table.
"Just when I thought the wars were ending... another one gets flung at us."
"I guess this is the fate of Hyrule... forever. A land always besieged by conflict." Shad said. "I was thinking about first scouting the land, with horses, if possible."
"Horses are rare these days, and they cost a fortune!" Telma said. "How would the three of you ever get horses, assuming the three of you are all needed to scout the land in a good amount of time?"
"I could sell my books..." Shad said, the look in his eyes stating it was a bloody sacrifice. "I hear there's a few young and sturdy horses on sale in the marketplace currently... If we hurry we may be able to get at least one horse."
"We could negotiate borrowing Epona from Link, too." Rusl suggested.
"But he's attached to that horse!" Ashei said. "It would be like Link asking you to borrow Colin for undercover work in the enemy base."
Rusl hesitated, finding the comparison slightly overboard, but true nonetheless. If Link was willing to give up Epona, or even come with them on their expedition, it would be a great help but a sacrifice.
Rusl stood up. "I will send for Link or his horse. In the meantime, you and Ashei can probably fit on one horse if you manage to buy one.
"I'll pitch in five hundred rupees." Telma said kindly. "I can still manage the tavern without them." She slid five orange rupees onto the table.
"We can't take this!" Shad breathed. "This is your money."
"No, it is the Resistance's money." Telma replied with a smile. "Take it, Shad. Remember, I'm part of the Resistance too, and though I may not be a warrior or dexterious enough to explore, I sure can pitch in my money for the sake of Hyrule!"
Shad sighed through closed lips, his gaze softening, then he said, "Alright..." He took the rupees from the table and pocketed them. It just doesn't seem right... me carrying around all this money... oh, I am bound to be mugged!
"This certainly will buy us a horse." Ashei said. "Come on, Shad. Let's check out the market."
The two stood up and left.
- - -
"This young stallion is well over five hundred rupees." The stablemaster said, brushing a black mare's coat with a large horse brush. "He's the fastest horse on the ranch, and probably in Hyrule! One thousand, four hundred, at the least. And you better pay more, because someone has already placed an offer on this horse for that amount. I'm only going higher."
Shad hesitated, examining the horse.
"What should we do, Ashei? This horse seems definatly capable... look at its muscles, and it seems to respond so well..."
"I don't know anything about horses." Ashei said, her arms crossed. "You're better at this than I am. I'm just here to protect you in case you get beat up for that sum of money you've got on you."
Shad knew he definatly couldn't afford it with rupees, but he knew something else on him had to be worth something of great value.
My Sky Writing book... I've already memorized it, and I've found more than enough of Sky Beings... I've got one in my pocket!
"Hold on, right there... I have this with me... its definatly a bargain..." Shad reached behind him, and unlatched a book which was strapped to his pants. It was also his dagger's sheath, and he found it also an intresting bookmark. He took the dagger out and slid it into his pocket.
"This is an ancient Sky Being book... its definatly worth more than one thousand Rupees, I do believe."
The horse tender took the book with intrest. "Sky Beings? I've heard of them..." He flipped through the odd book, and found it quite intresting. "How much do you believe this is worth?"
"I've heard it was worth one thousand fourty before... but I promise you it is no less than one thousand."
The stablemaster hesitated. "You seem like an honest lad, and this book does apprear authentic and definatly rare... Throw in that five hundred you have and we will have a deal."
Shad gasped. He didn't think the horse master would even care to have such a book. Though he did feel as though he had just lost a close friend, he knew that book would be no help in scouting Hyrule, and he already knew it by heart. "Thank you, sir..." He bowed, taking the five hundred rupees from his pocket and giving them to the man, who counted them and bit them just to make sure they were real and a good amount.
"His name is Zephyr. He's a very strong breed, very fast. He will follow your orders, though maybe not without question. It'll take practice, but you should be able to handle him all right."
"Does he come with equipment, like a bit and reins?"
"No. You'll have to get those seperate."
Shad groaned. Where would he find horse equipment?! Horses were extremly rare in Hyrule, and the only horse Shad has ever seen galloping with its rider was Epona and Link.
"Where-" He began, but the horse keeper cut him off.
"There's a barterer who lives to the south of Hyrule Castle, just next to Lake Hylia. He owns a horse supply shop, and the items are always sold at a fair price. He shouldn't be too hard to find."
Shad nodded. "Alright... so, where do I keep this horse?"
"You mean you don't even have a barn or stable for it?"
"No..."
"Then I'm not going to give you Zephyr until you find him some adequate housing!" The man growled. "Think before you make such a choice, boy."
Shad looked away. "Sorry..."
Ashei clicked her tongue. "Well... come on, Shad... let's see if we can find out where we can find a stable or something."
- - -
"My task in Hyrule is done..." Link breathed as he gazed out his window. "But I know I can offer my support still."
He turned around. Rusl saw that he was wearing his standard Ordon outfit again. He wondered if Link had lost his powers, and was no longer the Legendary Hero, but decided it was best not to ask.
"But," Link continued, "Colin seems to be getting very strong, as you've probably noticed, being his father..." Link's voice trailed. "I can stay in Ordon and train Colin. When he becomes strong enough, he may be able to help, right?"
"Maybe..." Rusl said. "But Colin is only a young boy... I wouldn't want to put him in any danger."
"As for Epona..." Link sighed. "If you can find someone who can ride her... you can borrow her. But if you hurt her, bring her back here to be healed, and you can only have her back if Ilia can bring it upon herself to lend her back."
Rusl smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Link. For everything."
"I'm only doing what is best for Hyrule."
"And my son," Rusl added. "I'm afraid Colin thinks of you more of a father than I am... I only wish I had more time to spend with him..."
Link turned around. "Colin looks up to me, true, but I doubt anything can replace a father like you, Rusl."
"Thank you."
Rusl turned and left Link's treehouse, and found Epona near a pole, grazing. He pet her gently on the neck, finding her fully equipped for riding. He untied her from the post she was held to, then mounted onto her slowly.
"Easy, girl..." Rusl breathed, taking the reigns. He was surprized at how well Epona responded to his commands. She didn't ride as well as she would when Rusl would watch Link ride her, but she still was sturdy.
With Epona, Rusl could make it back to Hyrule Castle quickly and without much danger, but it would still take a day or two.
- - -
Shad and Ashei had both decided to go to the barterer on Lake Hylia, the one who was said to sell horse care items. Shad had a hunch that they also knew where to find a barn where they could keep the horse.
Lake Hylia was a day away, and it was sundown. Shad laid down his burden and sat on the grass, taking off his shoes.
"What a day..." He said under his breath.
"Hungry?" Ashei asked, dropping her pack.
"A little..." Shad said. "I'll be fine without, though..."
"Didn't you skip breakfast this morning?!" She growled. "Shad, either you eat this apple here or I'll force it down you. You're not taking care of yourself!"
"Oh, fine." Shad groaned. "Toss it here."
Ashei instead tossed him two green apples and a sack filled with dried meats. She then said, "I want you to eat all of that. I worry about you, Shad. Why don't you ever eat?"
Shad looked down. "Oh, I know I should really get over this..." He mumbled, "But somehow... I just can't. I don't know why, but..." He looked away from Ashei for a second, then he said, "My mother was a great cook. Everything she made tasted like it was cooked by angels. I really loved to help her cook, food and art was always my specialty... and alongside that, my father taught me how to read and all..."
Suddenly, Ashei noticed that the strange yet obscure anger was once again burning in Shad's sad eyes.
"Then... they came." He stopped there for a moment. "I... I can't remember what they were... it was so long ago...To make a long story short..." He gritted his teeth, "They killed her. And there was nothing I could do."
Shad munched solemly on a peice of the dried meat, closed his eyes, and sighed.
"You may not understand, but the relationship between my mother and I was... very strong... and when she was killed... something within me... I don't know. It was as if a tight rope which bonded us together snapped, and so did my mind..."
Ashei frowned, and waited to see if he would continue. He never did.
"Well..." She said after a long silence, "we have more in common than you may think."
"What?" Shad perked up, but Ashei had already stopped talking and had left to eat her supper and set up her bedroll far away.
- - -
Late that night, a sound woke Shad from his light sleep in an instant.
He blinked, sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked around. The crickets were still singing, and the moon was still high.
Shad paused, something in the air causing chills to rise up his spine despite the fair weather. Slowly he stood up, laying a hand on the hilt of his dagger. His sharp, pointed ears picked up a rustle nearby, causing him to grimace.
"Ashei," he said quietly, "wake up!"
She moaned, rolling over, then said, "why?"
"I hear something."
Ashei immediatly sat up and walked over to Shad.
"What is-" she began, but her voice was cut of by a sudden screech which tore through the night. Seconds later, two creatures jumped out of a nearby shrub, armed with large swords. Shad yelped, nearly falling backwards, but he succeeded in holding his ground and holding out his dagger firmly. Ashei strained to see the creatures which approached slowly, as if they were ready to pounce.
"What are you?!" She demanded, drawing her sword.
"We are Lizalfos." One of the strange monsters hissed. It didn't look anything like a Lizalfos, which confused Ashei.
"Lizalfos are smaller... they don't have huge spikes running down their spines and their axes which are roped to their tales aren't natural..."
Her observations were true. The "Lizalfos" were much larger than an ordinary Lizalfos. They had large spikes running down their back, and an axe head was growing out of their tails.
One Lizalfos then jumped for Shad, picking the weaker one instead of Ashei. He gasped, sidestepping, but the axe on the end of its tail nipped him on the arm. He gasped, a jolt of pain stinging the new injury as he staggered backwards.
"No one hurts him when I'm around!" Ashei cried, leaping for the creature, but the other one took advantage of her and snuck up behind her. Ashei, however, was prepared, and pulled off another Link-inspired spin move, slashing it across the arm, nearly severing it.
It hissed, walking backwards as dark purple blood streamed from its injury.
Ashei sprung for the other, holding her sword high above her head and bringing it down. The Lizalfos evaded and readied its axe. Ashei ducked, the axe flying past without harming her. She grinned, standing upright and stabbing the weapon forward like a spear.
Meanwhile, Shad had gathered himself and took his dagger firmly, circling around the injured Lizalfos.
"I'm not as weak as I look." Shad said with a scowl. "I'm tired of being useless. Its time I showed everyone what I'm capable of."
"You can't harm me, boy." The Lizalfos spat. "I'll sever your head."
Shad gave a short battle cry, jumping forward and jabbing with his dagger. The Lizalfos hissed as though he were amused, and grabbed the dagger with his good hand, on the flat, and wrenched it out of Shad's hands.
Shad gasped, and quickly ducked as the axe went wizzing overhead. He rolled aside as the Lizalfos jumped to his previous position and hissed in its low, groggy voice.
"I'm not finished with you yet..." It growled. "Come here, worm!"
Shad stood his ground as the Lizalfos approached again. This time, it swung its tail lower, but Shad jumped over it. However, he was prepared even ahead of time, and he timed his landing onto the tail. He stomped on the tail, barely missing the axe. Then, he grabbed its tail firmly.
It hissed, whipping its tail sideways, jerking Shad, but he dug his heels into the ground and managed to steady the tail, then he pulled the tail as hard as he could and wedged the axe in-between two rocks in the side of a small cliff.
The Lizalfos screeched, finding it impossible to free its tail. It dropped the dagger, then grabbed its tail, trying to pull it out. Shad rolled forward, grabbed the dagger, then went strait for the creature's neck.
As his dagger made contact with the Lizalfos's neck, he knew it would kill the creature. The dagger slid through the juglar vain perfectly, but he wasn't prepared to be sprayed with the dark purple blood, as the creature was taller and towering over him.
Shad dropped to the ground in a daze, having killed his first large creature, but he disliked the outcome with great intensity. Now, he was covered with the creature's hot blood, but was too traumetized from killing the creature to dwell upon it.
"Shad!" Ashei called. "You killed it?!" Her voice was filled with surprize. "I tied up the other one. I'm sure we can interrogate it and find out where its nests are."
Shad didn't reply.
"Shad?"
"I killed it..." He moaned. "An intelligent creature... I'm... a murderer..." "Those things aren't intelligent. Lizalfos aren't even supposed to be smart."
"But this one... it was... and... I killed it... I..." He stammered. "I didn't mean to... to kill it... I just..."
"Shad, get a grip! I'm just surprized you actually killed such a strong monster!"
Shad hung his head in defeat, even though he had won. "You don't understand... I killed that thing... it must have a home... a family..."
"Family is nothing." The other Lizalfos said. "We are tools. You shouldn't mourn for our lives, weak human boy. We merely are bred to conquer. Our queens will some day rule this land."
Ashei turned to the creature. "And where exactly are your queens?"
"Why should I give away our positions?"
"Speak or you'll end up like him!"
"My life is nothing. I am a tool."
Shad turned to the creature, anger burning in his eyes. "You aren't just tools! You are living creatures! You should see yourselves as higher value than an object!"
"We are objects. We are bred for war. Nothing more."
"Why do you fight?" Shad asked more calmly.
"We fight because we are told to."
"And why do you fight just because of an order? Do you not fight for your land?"
"We have no land to fight for anymore. We have come to Hyrule to expand. Our old land was destroyed by the Twili. Our race has changed from peaceful to bloodlust. I don't know why."
"You don't fight for your world? Your family? You don't fight for anything at all?"
"No." The Lizalfos said firmly.
"And why is that?"
"Because..."
The question stumped the Lizalfos. It grumbled, then said, "because we have nothing else to live for. We are bred to fight."
"Well, I'll tell you how I see it." Shad said, walking over to the captive Lizalfos. "I see fighting as a way to save those you love... the people, the cities, the land... I see fighting as a way of ridding evil from the world. And creatures like you are what we see as evil. What do you see us as?"
"Inhabitance. We see no good or evil. We only live and die."
"Well, we are only trying to protect our lands from the likes of you." Ashei spoke up. "Now, if you don't tell us where your queen is, we will kill you."
The Lizalfos sighed. "Your speaking to me has opened my eyes... now I see the wrongs in our doings... I do not know where the other tribes' queens are. I am from the Mountain tribe. We rest near Kakariko Village on Death Mountain. Kill us if you must... that is what life is about."
"No, life is not about that." Shad said. "Life isn't living and dying. It is so much more."
"And what is that?"
"You can find out for yourself some day. I want you to give up fighting." Shad told it. "I'll release you."
"What are you doing?!" Ashei squeaked, but Shad had ignored her as he cut the creature's bonds. It scattered away.
"You said you would kill it if it didn't tell us where his queen was. He told us. So I let him go."
--
TO BE CONTINUED