Link had no idea where the beast had come from, only that it blocked his path. It was a monster, a horrible creature of enormous size. Its torso was that of a male human, but that's where the similarity ended. A thick, reptilian tail sprouted from where its legs should've been, and its head resembled something between a cat and a dog. It had six arms, but only one pair was remotely human. The other two were saber cat paws and the pincers of an animal Link had heard of called a crab. Dezra shifted uneasily under the hylian, and he could tell she was on the verge of running.

If he thought that the camel could outrun the beast, Link would've let her turn and bolt the second he caught sight of the beast. But something about it told Link that he'd never get away. He just held his position, hoping that the creature would back down. The flicker of intelligence in its eyes made him doubt that, though.

For almost a minute, they stared at each other, neither willing to make the first move. The only sound was the gentle swish of their breathing. And then the beast spoke.

"Ocodar vran. Vashi ku zebe riictu. Vocaten bori ra sufraden ku vutabem. Vocat mir be gamam."

Sand-tongue, the old language that most desert-going people learned before the more common language, Hylian. Link knew this tongue, though he hardly ever used it. What struck him wasn't the language, though, or ever that the beast could speak. It was what it said. It wanted to kill him.

Link tried to get Dezra to turn around and run, but the creature slithered forward impossibly fast and had grabbed the front of his tunic in one pincer. With almost bored casualness, it flung him from his camel's back and into the canyon wall as a trader would some rotten fruit. So quickly did it do this that Link was hardly aware anything was happening until he felt the impact of the wall against his back. The hylian felt the air leave his lungs, but he couldn't seem to draw another breath. The air rushed by him as he fell to the floor ten yards below.

Almost all of Link's body hurt, and where it didn't hurt, he was numb. The strength had left his limbs the moment he hit the ground, so Link couldn't even look up when the creature spoke for the second time.

"Tamdea hylian. Ruda vocat bei zav facien. Whum mari ku, fa larn ragier."

Link felt the beast grab his hair and yank him up. The hylian's head spun from the sudden movement, but he was lucid enough to make out the creature's body to a degree. With its unoccupied hand, it was making a bizarre shape in the air. A roar came from its lupine jaws that sent waves of pain down Link's spine. The world dissolved into a red haze. He couldn't feel anything but pain; couldn't hear anything but that unearthly roar.

And then it stopped. But Link fell unconscious before he could process anything else.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Oh, are you awake?" It was a kind voice, one that drew Link back from the void.

Link groaned. His entire body felt like one big bruise. He didn't feel like waking up just then.

"Just wake him up, old man," another voice added, this one more annoying that the first. "It's not like he's bunged up anymore."

"Dren!" The first voice adopted a scolding tone for that short, quiet shout. "This boy had a brush with Staltoria. By all accounts, he should have twice as much rest as he's already had."

Link's mind came up from its unthinking state. He realized that his eyes were still closed, and something else. I don't feel any stone, he thought. I'm on something soft. A bed, maybe? If so, it's a lot better than that mat I used as a bed back in Katigura. But then, where am I?

With more than a little effort, Link was able to open his eyes.

Above him was a ceiling of wooden planks. Tilting his head downward, the hylian could see most of the room. It was square and plainly furnished; besides the bed on which he lay, there was only a simple, round table to his right. He was in a corner of the room, facing away from the wall. A window opposite him had blinds drawn across it, letting in only a small sliver of light that struck the worn wood, fading the dull red even more.

Near the foot of his bed stood two people. One was a short man who looked like he hadn't gotten much exercise in the last few months judging from the size of his gut. He was completely bald, but a huge, red beard hung from his chin which merged with a moustache that obscured his mouth. His robes were the kind color of blue that one could only see in the clearest of skies. Beside him, leaning against the wall, was a kid about half the man's size. He was dressed in tawny clothes, the same color as his hair. It only took Link a moment to recognize him.

"Dren," he croaked. "Where am I?"

"Oh," the man said, mild surprise in his deep voice. "You know each other?"

Link opened his mouth to say yes, but couldn't get the word out. His throat was too dry. So he just settled for nodding slowly.

"Hmm. Dren didn't mention that when he brought you here." The man paused, putting a hand to his hidden chin. "Anyways," he continued, "I think it hardly matters. You're in a Sasuna guild house. Don't worry. You're quite safe here."

Link looked to Dren. The boy just shrugged. "As safe as you're gonna get, at least."

"But now that you're awake," the man cut in, "you must be starving. Three days of sleep can do wonders for your health, but it also empties the stomach quickly. I'll bring something from downstairs." With that, he turned and rushed out a door that Link hadn't noticed earlier.

Dren stayed put. Link, feeling like he'd been very lazy, pushed himself into a sitting position. Oi, he thought as a dull pain ripped through his stomach, I am really hungry. I hope that guy comes back soon.

"That's Tauren," Dren said. Link hadn't expected the thief to speak, so he started at Dren's words. The boy laughed lightly. "That guy… his name's Tauren. I found you and that camel in the plateau pass, so I brought you to him, here in east Hyrule. Hylia Village, to be specific. Just if ya wanted to know."

Link nodded. "Thanks," was all he could croak in reply. He wanted to say more, but nothing else came out.

At that moment, Tauren came back in, carrying a tray of food. He gave it to Link, probably assuming that Link couldn't get up, which was actually quite accurate. Just like the room, the food was simple: half a loaf of bread, scrambled eggs, and a few strips of bacon. Link eagerly took a bite of the bacon. He was amazed; it tasted delicious.

"Well," Tauren said as he turned to Dren, "let's let him have his privacy." Turning back to Link, he added, "You can keep an eye on yourself, I assume. Just yell if you need anything."

Link nodded and looked back at his food. Tauren took that as a signal and walked out, half grabbing Dren and wrestling him through the door. Link watched them leave out of the corner of his eye, then turned his full attention back to the tray on his lap.

Tauren, as Link assumed, had put a cup of water on the tray, too, and the hylian immediately took a big gulp from it. It hurt.

It must be worse than it originally felt, the hylian realized. Well, at least my injuries could've been worse. He sighed. I'll just eat up. I think that with food in my belly, I'll be up to walking, at the very least.

And I still need to figure out what I'm going to do. And… Staltoria? Who is that?

Link sighed again and proceeded to consume his bacon, followed closely by the eggs and bread. He'd get his answers after breakfast.

A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than I usually do, but I couldn't figure out a good way to shorten it. Anyways, here are the translations. Yeah, there are a lot of them in this chapter, but I think that this is as bad as it'll get, so don't worry too much about future installments…

Ocodar vran… I'm annoyed.

Vashi ku zebe riictu… My sleep has been disturbed.

Vocaten bori ra sufraden ku vutabem… You've come into my domain uninvited.

Vocat mir be gamam… You will be punished.

Tamdea hylian… Foolish hylian.

Ruda vocat bei zav facien… Killing you is too easy.

Whum mari ku, fa larn ragier… Bear my mark, and live in shame.