Okay...i'm a bad bad author cringes That hiatus was a result of major writes block and trying to do an entire school year's worth of work in just a few months but I've got be feet back underneath me and thanks to 'Welcome to Hyrule Mr Black' acting as a release for all my frustrations with this story I'm back on track!

First off I'd like to grovel at the feet of all my wonderful reviewers;

Epona1995, TwilightxRose, Shadows of the Twilight, Sanosuke Hidane, Zukassi, Maze2010, Megalamer, StarryFIF, Drake0x, Reiha moon child, ltlangel3a, NigaleCross, AzuraVerda, sasukeuchiha180, AzuraAquarius, Angel of my Darkness, Spector Von Baron, FinalSerenity, Ri2, Nena Firewind, Lady Sichi, Spiritual Stone, Tehshi no Toki, Dephanie, Zeldafreak84067, Rollercoaster217, Steeple333, ANONYMOUS2131, Vaati The Wind Sorcerer, Jade Pearlstone, Arie Under Presure, cougard, lini mogknight

Your input and constructive critisim is really appreciated, and I'd like to take this time to thank you all perfusely for taking the time to write me a review. On a side note is there anyone out there willing to beta for me? My dyslexia thwarts all spelling and grammer checks heh ;)

So here's chapter 3 for you, its not as long as I'd like but writing it wasnt like yanking out teeth eather so i'm fairly happy with whats here, so enjoy kids...

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Chapter 3

The messenger sent from Kakariko was a boy no older then Link and far more inexperienced with a sword. He and his horse were found that morning in the Eastern field by the very same General that had escorted Link back to Ordon. He wouldn't have been found at all if it hadn't been for the small boy the General found lurking near the lantern seller's house.

The boy, who claimed to have been sent from Castletown on an errand for the princess's eccentric cousin Agitha, was sitting in the dusty road clutching a worn satchel and bawling uproariously. When the General made to approach him, the boy jumped to his feet guiltily, growling defensively, as he clutched his satchel tightly. General Indar, a oddly warmhearted man despite his profession, approached the child like he would an abused dog, and finally managed to pull an odd tale out of the boy.

Apparently the boy, Soal was his name, did live in Castletown with his ailing mother and spent most of his days on street corners polishing shoes for a few rupees to pay the doctor and the apothecary for the care and potions she needed. However there was rent to pay as well so the boy turned to Agitha for employment, and it was thus that he found himself scouring the land for golden bugs in exchange for a few extra rupees from the "Princess". He had been sent to the Southern field today, catching a ride with a traveling merchant, but before he could even begin his search a cloaked thief had leaped from the bushes and stolen his purse.

So the Princesses' Most Elite Fourth Squadron found themselves, instead of returned to the castle the way they had come, crossing the Kakariko Gorge (oblivious to the chaos inside the town) and entering the Eastern Field.

Months ago, before the Hero of Twilight had vanquished Ganondorf and sent the Bulbins back to the desert the Eastern Field was widely avoided by all people Goron, Zora, Hylian, Ordonian and Kakarikian alike. Now all races flocked to the barren hill top where the hero had plunged his sword through the dark king's chest, hoping to find a souvenir of the battle or perhaps see the Ganondorf's, red-eyed, Gerudo stallion that now roamed the red hills like a phantom. As the squadron reached the top of the first rise Indar's hand immediately went to the hilt of his sword.

The field was empty.

Not a breath of life could be found as the squadron moved forward cautiously, Soal hanging on tightly to Indar's cloak as they went. The usual parade of merchants, gypsies and tourists were nowhere to be seen (nor was Soal's thief for that matter) but, even stranger, the skies were clear as well. No Kargaroks or Guays to be seen anywhere, whereas they usually dotted the skies- no longer attacking travelers- and roosted in the surrounding trees.

Indar was becoming increasingly apprehensive, there was a heavy silence to the air that was anything but calming, and he could not seem to keep his hand off the hilt of his sword. So, with a murmured apology to Soal, the General turned his squad towards the west making for the bridge to Castletown and headed for it at a gallop. Soal seemed less then pleased with this change of events, making a strangled noise of protest that Indar couldn't quite here over the thunder of his horses hooves but remained still in the saddle. The General made a silent vow to buy the boy and his mother a supply of food and possibly medicine when they got into town.

The distance between themselves and the bridge was quickly closing and the two flag bearers took their customary place a few strides ahead of their General and the rest of the Squad. Their horses front hooves had barely touched the wood when a terrible wrenching sound echoed up from the depths of the black abyss below. The bridge was ripped from its supports by a flash of something black as oil with great red eyes and a leering mouth full of fangs as long as a man. The two flag bearers disappeared into the void, their mounts' screams ripping through the stillness along with the bridge.

Indar's cry was echoed by the other soldiers as he wrenched his horses' reigns back, nearly bringing the creature down. The Squad came to a shaking halt on the lip of the crevasse, staring in frozen horror at what rose up to meet them.

Few ever saw the Light Sprits, Indar himself had only ever seen Lanayru for a brief moment as he sought spiritual cleansing before he was named a General, and to the best of his knowledge the only time they had ever left their sacred springs was when the Twilit beings had ripped their light from them and scattered it throughout Hyrule.

But Lanayru was staring at them through scarlet eyes, its fangs were dripping blood and gore and its hide was black and oily, scattered with strange markings and the small emanating from it was one of staleness and death. No light was radiating from it except a sickly yellow-red gleam in its eyes. For a few precious moments it stayed still staring it them with a dumb maliciousness, then the creature that had once been a guardian of light, struck out at them blindly its roar strangely thin.

Indar's sword was out of its scabbard in an instant but the monster struck the left flank and two of his men and their shrieking horses were pulled out of sight. The rest of the squad seemed to come out of the cold shock they had been in, whirling their horses and galloping wildly toward Kakariko. Indar- though the thought was foolish- instead, gathered the reigns of his plunging mount, a fierce anger and will to avenge his lost soldiers burning in him. He did not notice Soal still clinging to the cantle of his saddle -though later he would be appalled with himself for placing the boy in danger- nor did he care that the monster would surly kill him with one lunge. He allowed his frantic horse to back off a few yards then reigned it in turning to face Lanayru.

"To me, beast!" he cried sword aloft.

The great black snake rose, again, out of the darkness with a reedy cry its mouth agape, the stench of decay overwhelming. Indar's horse shrieked, rising on its hind legs as the creatures' slimy torso slid slowly out of the mouth of the ravine and onto the ground. Indar let loose another wordless cry of rage and fear as it reared before them…

Then it was still.

The beast seemed to be looking through Indar, its entire body quivering, muscles twitching, then suddenly it gave another high shriek- sounding almost as if it were in pain- and dived back into the blackness.

Wordlessly and openmouthed Indar gazed around at the scarred earth and the remains of the bridge until a small, dry sob caught his attention. Realizing how foolish his actions were, Indar sheathed his sword and pulled the boy from his horses' haunches, setting him in front of the saddle. Holding the shaking boy tightly to his breastplate, he finally have in to his horses wishes and let loose the reigns, the animal would surly be able to sense the safest way home.

Indar's horse plunged ahead across the field, towards the Bridge of Eldin, and Indar did nothing to stop it. He needed to reach the Princess and get the boy to safety ahead of anything else. He didn't even dare to think of the kind of corrupt power that could turn the Goddesses' Guardian into a rampant beast. Indar had left the castle before dawn so he had no way of knowing if the monster had wrought havoc in Hylia but he feared the worst. Soal did not speak but that was for the best, Indar didn't trust himself to voice the thoughts swirling in his head.

They were nearing the bridge of Eldin and Indar felt his stomach churn, he saw the errant Guays converging on the middle of the bridge in a frantic black cloud. He felt his horse balk underneath him but continue on, apparently this would be the lesser of the two evils. The cloud dissipated as soon as they turned on to the bridge and Indar prepared himself for a gruesome sight, but the mangled corpses of a boy and a horse were still enough to make him steer his horse to the far edge of the bridge and press on without stopping, shielding Soal from the sight as best he could.

They were Kakarikian though… that much he could tell.

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Link road on through Faron Woods alone, after much discussion he and Rusl had decided that Link should go on the Kakariko while Rusl stayed and evacuated Ordon.

Link was less then pleased by this arrangement. He yearned to be in Kakariko to make sure his friends were still alive, but Ordon was his home and its people were his family, the last thing he wanted to do was abandon them to whatever darkness was plaguing this land while they attempted to escape to the safety of castle town. But they didn't know the extent of the corruption, Faron's spring seemed calm as Link passed it but that didn't mean that he, nor Lanayru would be spared this dark plague.

After stopping briefly to assure himself that Coro was still visiting his sisters at their shops in Upper Zora river and not in immediate danger Link legged Epona on and they flew out of Faron Woods. They headed east towards Kakariko at a breakneck speed that only Epona possessed, for once not bothering to kill the marauding Bokoblins on his way.

They reached a Kakariko Gorge with no incident but as Link turned Epona onto the path to she did something she had never done before, and refused to go further. She slid to a halt, lock kneed and quivering and Link was almost sent flying off. For a second Link was sure she would turn and bolt but his horse was an infallibly brave creature, just not foolish.

The stench was the first thing Link noticed, as he righted himself in the saddle and drew his sword. A thin cry broke the silence and Epona shivered again. She could sense, better then Link, the wrongness stemming from beyond Kakariko's gates, and stood fast. Link however was not so content to stand outside the village and allow it to be pillaged.

"Please Epona," he hissed. "You've ridden down the King Bulbin and the Lord of darkness himself, we'll overcome this-"

His pleas were cut off as she suddenly reared and trumpeted an echoing challenge towards the village, and then Link saw it…

Eldin, turned black as night, glowing with the sickly light of Twilight, rose above the red mountains in an erratic and twisting spiral. It roared its shrill cry once more then dived straight at them, talons outstretched.

Link's sword was in his hand as the thing descended upon them, but it did not hum with the protective magic that the Master Sword did, the situation suddenly felt horribly hopeless. Epona screamed again and rose up to meet the monster as Link thrust his sword up preparing for impact.

At the last second Eldin pulled up. While Links sword struck home, slashing one of its legs, its other caught Link across the chest, talons digging through his chain mail, and he was thrown back, off of Epona. With a groan of pain Link pulled himself up, ready for its second attack, but the field behind him was empty of life.

Suddenly, a white hot pain enveloped Link, radiating out from the claw marks on his chest. It sent him to his hand and knees as his body twisted and writhed in a way that not even six months could make him forget, an agonized howl replaced his scream…

The blue eyed wolf slowly picked himself up off of the ground…

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So what'd you think, I apologise ahead of time for the spelling and grammer mistakes I know are hiding here, I tried to get them all the best I could but I was too excited to get this posted. I prolably wasn't a thorough as I could have been.

On a side note; I heart Ganondorf's horsie, in my take of things the stallion was mearly knocked out for awhile and now roames free through the Eastern part of Hyrule. You'll be seeing more of him :)

Any questions that you have regarding this story, i'll be happy to answer.

Flamers are exploited and laughed at

Reviewers are whorshipped

(pokes Link Bow to the wonderful people!

Link: grumbles I could do without the poking thank you very much)