This chapter might seem a little strange, so I apologize in advance. If I find a better way to fill in the spot between the last chapter and what I have planned for the one after this one, I'll change it (unless people like this chapter). Bear with me, please.
And, just as a warning, this chapter is going to be a lot shorter than the other two. The reason for this is that I can't seem to get the story to flow from the end of the second chapter into the next part of the plot gracefully. I guess you can call this a "filler" chapter if you like. I promise you things will get a lot better once I move past this evil block.
Oh, and Twilight Stallion (Tails! I'm apologizing all over the place! Don't get any on ya.)...I'm sorry if part of this chapter sounds a bit like part of your story.
After that first, painful day of indecision, Saria was able to add a bit more to her scant knowledge about the mysterious, secretive creature known as the Wolfos. She learned that goat milk was a passable substitute for the milk of their mother. She saw that they were quick to learn and solve problems (such as how to suckle from something that wasn't made to be suckled from)—even before their eyes had opened, at that! Finally, and perhaps most important: She discovered that the pups, even runty Penata, were hardier than they appeared, and were able to go without food for longer than she would have thought. Though she didn't want to push to find out just how long "longer than she would have thought" was, the Kokiri felt satisfied knowing that the adopted cubs would not starve if she left them alone for a few hours at a stretch.
Fed by Nara's milk, the young Wolfoses were growing well. Seven days after their birth, Saria noticed a difference in the weights of Iamb and Bicca when she held them for feeding. The flesh beneath their gray pelts now had a small layer of fat, and the two brothers ate more than ever. The girl was disturbed by Penata's apparent lack of growth; though the Wolfos did not appear to be starving to death, she was clearly not as strong as either of her littermates. She tried coaxing the runt to drink more, or to feed more often, but Penata seemed bound to a strict diet: She would drink half of her bottle, then pull away and refuse anything until a few hours later. It was frustrating and worrying, but Saria was afraid to do anything but what Penata wanted.
Before her evening encounter with the dying mother Wolfos, seven days would not have seemed like a long time to the child. She was one of the Kokiri tribe, a race of eternal children who lived in a mysterious Forest far away from chores. The Kokiri's days were full of nothing but warmth, games, friends, and exploration. With so much free time, a week seemed like nothing more than a handful of days spent playing until the sun went down. Seven days...It would have been like mere minutes to her in the time before she became the mother of three Wolfos pups.
But since that night, nothing had been the same. Saria's days were now filled with responsibility, something she had not been weighted down with for what felt like an eternity—the last time she'd been so home-bound was when Link was still a baby. She hated waiting until the cubs' bellies shrank and flattened before feeding them; now she spent her time measuring out the hours until their next feeding. She got out of the house some, yes, but not nearly as much as she was used to. All too often, she would be down at a creek fishing for minnows with her friends, or hiking through the woods, or simply enjoying the beautiful afternoon...when suddenly Fael would alert her that it was time to feed the pups, and the poor girl would be forced to abandon her fun to care for them.
The stress began to show physically. Her clothes were messy. Every night, after giving the pups their evening feeding, she would often curl up in bed beside them wearing the clothes from the day. Her hair, once pulled back from her face and tucked so neatly behind her favorite headband, now straggled in her eyes and looked dull. Her eyes began to lose their brilliant sparkles, and dark circles appeared beneath them. In place of the glimmering light was a dark and hunted look. At times, her eyes would lock with someone else's, and a pleading look would flash across her face for a fleeting instant. She wanted to ask for help, to have someone to confide in, but she didn't dare.
Deep down, Saria was terrified to ask for the help she knew she needed. She was haunted by the knowledge that she had done something Forbidden. (The word always sounded like it had a capital letter to it because of its severity—though the Kokiri were children, they rarely had anything Forbidden to them.) She had endangered her friends by taking in the three young predators. There was no guarantee that the Wolfoses would return the love and care they had been shown once they grew to hunting age. They could very well turn on their loving surrogate mother and destroy the entire tribe. The girl hated to admit it, but she knew it was true. They were harmless now; she could not say for sure they would stay that way. If anyone found out that she was raising the potentially dangerous creatures, they would be abandoned in the Lost Woods, and Saria could not bring herself to risk that. The Wolfos pups were Forbidden, but they were also secret, and they were her secret.
The other Kokiri were getting suspicious of their friend's mysterious self-isolation. They would knock on her door after she made a disappearance, often startling her as she was feeding the pups. Her door stayed locked, something it had never been as long as anyone could remember. Saria knew it would only be a matter of time before someone found her out...She only hoped it would be after the pups' eyes had opened, whenever that was going to happen.
Boing! Boing! Boing!
The small ball kicked by Fado bounced to a stop on a tuft of grass not far from Link's boots. The boy bent over to pick it up in the typical little-boy manner: knees straight, feet planted together, bending at the waist while sticking the rear end up in the air. He jerked up holding the toy in both hands, grinning happily. Thrills of excitement ran through his blood, and he ran a few steps before throwing it to one of the Know-It-Alls. The boy, though his eyes were obscured by a layer of thick, scruffy, light brown hair, stepped nimbly to the side and snagged the ball in the air. He then spun on his heel and tagged the running girl with the ball.
"You're out!" he cheered. Fado crossed her arms and huffed, pouting slightly as she walked off the field. "Good stop, Link! We wouldn't've gotten her if you hadn't been there." The rest of the small team offered similar praise.
Link couldn't help a little caper of glee. He leapt into the air and clapped his hands together exultantly. Mido stepped up to the small, flat rock being used as "home plate" with a cocky sort of saunter. He narrowed his eyes and tried to spit, but only succeeded in a few small drops that mostly spattered on his tunic. This sent Link into a quiet fit of giggles. The little boy wiggled in his place expectantly under Mido's hot stare. The blonde girl pitching the ball adjusted her grip, then let the ball roll towards the Big Boss.
"Too slow!" Mido stopped the ball with his foot and kicked it back. "C'mon, Jano, pitch it like you mean it!" Jano, the pitcher, frowned, her tongue poking out to lick the fine sweat from her upper lip. She cocked her arm back and let the ball fly. Mido paused, aimed himself, and unwound a vicious kick that sent the kickball screaming past the infielders.
Link, still feeling victorious from his last play, let his pride get the better of himself. "I got it! I got it!" he cried excitedly, his short arms stretching up towards the speeding toy. "I got it! Mido's as good as out now!! I got it! I go—!"
Just as he uttered the last word, the ball slammed into his round face with sickening speed. The other Kokiri children flinched as one, letting out a group moan of "Oooooh..." Link staggered backwards for a few moments, his arms flailing for balance, the landed flat on his bottom. The ball fell away from his face and rolled down his front, leaving a small, spotty trail of red on his tunic as it did. Blood ran in clear, bright streams from his nose. His blue eyes were wide, but somewhat glazed. The others took a few hesitant steps toward the boy, but it was clear that no one wanted to be the first to reach his side. Link offered them a dazed grin.
"I—I'm okay," he panted. "Really, guys...It's just a little...a little..." His eyes widened as a particularly large drip of blood dropped from his nose and into his lap. His hands reached up slowly to touch his upper lip, then moved in front of his face while he examined his red fingertips. Suddenly, the realization that he had been hurt surged through his mind like an icy arrow, and the young boy's breathing started to come in hiccuppy sobs. His lower jaw quivered, his vision blurred, and before long he had burst into tears. Jano broke ahead, and soon the others followed her lead. They crowded around the fallen boy, repeating his name and asking how he felt.
Jano was the first to see the solution. She turned to the nearest Kokiri, Fado. The two locked gazes, and Jano said, "Fado, go get Saria. She'll know what to do for him."
The look on Fado's face clearly asked Why do I have to be the one to get my head bitten off?! But she nodded nonetheless, and took off in a blur of green and yellow towards the now-reclusive Kokiri's house. As she ran, she passed by Mido, who was tentatively sidestepping away from Link and the others, a nervous look on his face. He seemed far from remorseful, although it was clear that he had not intended to kick the ball hard enough to actually hurt the younger boy—at least not that seriously.
"Saria! Saria! Are you in there?" Fado called repeatedly, tapping her fist against the door in a quick, staccato rhythm. Her forehead was creased with worry, her blue eyes shifting from side to side with each knock. She was nervous about interrupting Saria—there was no telling what kind of mood she was going to find the other Kokiri in.
Fado recalled the days when she and Saria had been inseparable friends, always confiding in each other, staying up all night whispering secrets. She knew that Saria was deathly afraid of the spider-like Skulltulas that could be heard scratching and chewing in the night. Saria knew that she—Fado—secretly wished that the Kokiri could leave the Forest...if only to be able to see what lay outside the trees that sheltered them. The past week had gone by with agonizing slowness for Fado, as well as for her friend, with the blonde girl wondering if she would ever be able to giggle in the night with Saria again. Filled with a sudden pang of anger for the slowly spiraling friendship, Fado lashed out with her fist at the door in a loud, swift knock.
The door swung open on its hinges. It was unlocked.
Trembling slightly, the blonde Kokiri girl entered the house. The shades were tightly drawn. The only light came from the open door, and even that didn't seem to be enough. The air was warm, and smelled heavily of animal urine and musk. Fado gulped, her pulse pounding in her ears heavily. "S-Saria?" she stuttered. She was scared stiff, and her legs shook pitifully with each step into the darkened room. "Saria?" she tried again, raising her voice slightly. Shuffling noises came from the direction of the young girl's bed, causing Fado to wonder if Saria was simply sleeping. That would explain the darkness and the lack of response. "Saria, we were playing kickball and—"
She stopped dead, her words failing her, as she realized that now there were sounds coming from the bed. Not sleepy-Saria sounds. Animal sounds. Yipping, whimpering sounds. Suddenly the air got thicker and heavier, and the smells more powerful, and the door further away, and the light dimmer, and—
"What are you doing in here?!"
Fado whipped around, hand to her heart, as a shadow fell across the strip of light coming from the open door. She wanted to cry with relief as she recognized Saria standing there. She smiled, feeling so wonderfully at ease—until she realized that Saria was not smiling back.
The other Kokiri girl stood in the doorway, her arms folded tightly against her chest. Her mouth was a thin, grim line drawn diagonally across her face. The dark crescents under her eyes took on a bruised look, their shadows enhanced by her scowling face. Her eyes were narrowed angrily and blazed with blue fire. Though in reality she was no taller than Fado, she seemed at least six feet tall. In a firm, serious voice, Saria demanded again, "What are you doing here?"
"I...I..." Fado tried, but the words were charred to fine ashes in the fire of the glare she was under. Saria made her way to Fado's side with quick, mincing steps. Fado nearly burst into tears. She never thought the day would come when she was afraid of her own best friend. She felt terrible, so horribly...betrayed. Saria stood before her, arms folded, eyes burning, waiting all too patiently. In a surge of tears, Fado's will crumbled into dust. "We were playing kickball, and Mido got up to kick, and Jano pitched it to him, and he kicked it, and Link caught it, but he caught it with his face, and now his nose is bleeding, and I don't know if it's broken, but no one knows what to do, so Jano sent me to get you, and I came in because the door was unlocked, and then you were there, and now you're here, and now I have to ask you, so what should we do, because no one knows, and you're good with this stuff, and I don't know if Link's gonna bleed to death, but—"
The words sprayed out of her mouth at such an amazing speed that Fado felt as if she were vomiting them. Saria watched her the whole time, her gaze never shifting. Occasionally one of her ears would twitch, and her body would shift slightly in the direction of the bed, but she did not move her feet. When Fado reached the last of her speech, her hand flicked up, cutting the other girl off. "I'll be right there," the Kokiri said in a frighteningly grave tone of voice. "Wait outside while I get my first-aid kit together."
Fado did not need to be told twice. She all but bolted out the door. Only when she got back to the field where they had been playing kickball did a thought occur to her. When she had entered, Saria's arms had been folded over her chest, but that had been because she had been holding something in them.
Three full bottles of milk.