Legend of Zelda: Spirits of Alana
Chapter Seven: A Hero is Called Upon
Link walked down the Cave of Moaning Spirits to the lair of Keita, the Place of Calming Waters. The blue crystals that were on the wall and the cool breeze that was hitting his back were leading him down the tunnel. The moaning of the cave followed him as he walked. He saw the light of Keita's cave up ahead. His steps quickened and then, he made it into the den.
The waves of the pond lapped at the rock shore quietly. The fox queen was not in here. Link walked up to the shore, remembering how Keita appeared the first time he came into the Place of Calming Waters. He closed his eyes and began to relax. He listened to the water and heard the distant call of a bird. Then, he heard the water begin to stir and the sweet scent of Keita lingered in the air around.
Link opened his eyes and found the large fox queen in front of him. He backed off a little so Keita could stand with her forelegs steadily on the rock ground. Keita looked at him and smiled.
"Greetings Link," she said warmly. "I'm sure you are doing well."
Link smiled at her. "Yes. How are you?"
Keita dipped her head. "I am fine. Thank you. Did you figure out who the girl was?"
Link nodded. "Uh-huh. She is Zelda, princess of Hyrule."
Keita looked at him and cocked her head. "Princess?" She asked calmly.
"Yes ma'am."
Keita's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "This is bad…"
Link looked at her in confusion. "Bad? Why?"
"The princess of Hyrule is gone and that is not a good thing…"
Link began to get a little nervous. Keita looked at him seriously.
"Link…I fear both of our lands are in trouble or is going to be."
Link jumped a little and looked at Keita. "Wh-why do you think that?"
"I had a vision…I looked into the reflection of the water in this cavern on the last full moon. It wasn't clear but this what I could see…A nameless, dark evil conquered the throne because the princess was gone. Then, it showed me an image of the evil standing over a burning field, clearly setting destruction to the land. I'm guessing that is what will happen to Hyrule if nothing is done."
Link trembled at Keita's description of the vision. But he didn't understand why Alana was in trouble.
"Um…what is wrong with Alana that you fear?" Link asked quietly.
Keita sighed. "My kin are disappearing left and right. The heart of the forest grows weaker and weaker with each passing day. Soon, the heart will give up, and kill the forest and all of its inhabitants. The dark creatures you fought will go to Hyrule and destroy it too."
"That's horrible," Link muttered.
"But I have an idea on how to stop this evil," Keita said, becoming a bit more optimistic.
Link looked at her. "How?"
Keita's eyes looked at him softly and her voice softened to a mere whisper. "Link…close your eyes and free your mind of any dark desire or thought you have in mind. Open your eyes then when you feel ready."
Link looked at Keita hesitantly. The fox queen had a certain look on her face, like she knew what she was doing. Link followed her instructions and closed his eyes.
But when he closed his eyes, he began to feel weird. The soft ripple of the water in the den seemed to disappear and was replaced by the sound of leaves rustling in a calm breeze. Keita's sweet scent still lingered but it was mixed with the scent of foliage and flowers.
Link's eyes shot open and he wasn't, as he thought, in the Place of Calming Waters anymore. He was in a small clearing, circled by tall oak trees. The clearing had nice, lush tall grass with white flowers that were fully bloom. The day had turned to night with a clear, star-filled sky above. A large full moon floated above the clearing, lighting everything clearly. Link looked around the clearing, looking for Keita.
"Keita?" He shouted. "Keita! Where are you?"
"Behind you…" Keita's voice said quietly behind Link.
Link jumped a little and turned around to face Keita. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Keita's true beauty. The fox was standing on her long limbs. He never knew how tall the queen was and was shocked to see that she was a lot larger than Teranika in height. She had a nice slender body with a silver pelt that glowed in the moonlight. Link saw nine very long tails that lay on the ground behind her. Link stared awestruck at Keita as her soft green eyes looked at him.
"Link," Keita began. "This is an ancient sanctuary that only one human before this time has come to."
Link looked around. "Cool…"
"Link…are you ready for what your destiny is?" Keita asked, narrowing her green eyes at him thoughtfully.
Link looked at Keita's face and nodded. "I guess so."
Keita nodded. "Very well…" She looked up at the moon and she raised her voice. The fur on her body shone vibrantly as she looked at the moon.
"I call upon the ears and power of the warriors past and the four ancients of the elements," Keita's voice was powerful, making Link tremble a little. "Dark times are descending on both Alana and Hyrule and I call upon you to give me the power…"
Keita looked down at Link. "Link…you are the chosen hero by the three goddesses who dwell in the sacred realm."
Link's eyes widened in shock. In a bright flash around his body, Link's clothing changed from his Ordanian to a green tunic. He now had on a long green hat and white tights with brown boots that came up to his knees. There were now guards on his arms too. Link looked at his new outfit and looked back at Keita.
"Wh- I'm no hero," Link muttered to Keita.
Keita looked at him warmly. "You are mistaken…Remember back in your village? When you fought alongside Teranika to stop Pyrrhus? You have proven your courage there to fight alongside a dangerous creature and the goddesses find you, Link, capable of this task."
"That's great and all but…I don't have a sword or shield."
"No fear, young one," Keita reassured.
Two of her long white tails came up and each made a circular motion. Then, a bright flash came to both of Link's hands. He looked down at them and saw a shield on his right arm and a sword in his left hand.
The sword was finely crafted with ancient writing inscribed into the steel. The handle was made of wood and was very smooth. The shield was made of wood. On the face was an image of a crescent moon. The moon was painted silver. Around the moon were more ancient writings that Link couldn't decipher.
"These are weapons created by our fallen warriors and the four elemental ancients," Keita explained. "The ancient writing means that it will guard and guide the user through any rough journey they should go on."
Link looked up at Keita and nodded.
"Link…all of mankind depends on you. My people will help you as well if you need it. I will pray for your safe journey and hope that we, together, will put an end to whoever is harming our lands."
The fox queen walked slowly up to him and she lowered her large head down to look at him at eye level. Link looked into Keita's soft green eyes. He could see the pain that she has gone through as well as the newly rekindled hope that she found when she looked at the Ordon youth. Link reached out his hand slightly, as if he were going to reach up and pet the giant beast. He froze though, worried about the consequences he might receive if he touched a queen.
But Keita looked at him and smiled. She thrust her head gently into his hand. He smiled when his skin felt the softness of the fox's white fur. But instead of feeling the warmth that most animals had if they had a pelt of fur, he felt cold and lonely, like the look hidden in Keita's calm eyes.
"Now, we will return to the Place of Calming Waters…" Keita whispered, closing her eyes. A light surround them. The light was so bright, that the moonlit forest clearing disappeared and Link could only feel the pelt of Keita.
"Tomorrow…you will journey to Hyrule and look for clues on how to stop this dark evil," As Keita spoke, her words began to fade and so did the feeling of her fur. "Now matter what happens…If you think of the forest and of the creatures you met...you will be protected. I believe in you and hope for your safe return…Link."
After Keita's last word, Link was back in the Place of Calming Waters. But Keita was not there. He looked around the cave for the fox queen but she was not there. The only trace left of her was her sweet scent that still lingered in the air. He looked out at the blue water of the pond. He smiled a little, knowing that queen might still be in here after all.
"Don't worry Keita," Link said proudly. "I'll protect both Hyrule and Alana. You'll see, and I will make you proud!"
Link turned to the exit of the cavern and ran out.
"Good luck, my young friend..." Keita's words echoed. "May the ancients and my fallen warrior kin light the path before you…"
The sun was beginning to sink lower and lower under the tall trees of Alana when Link came back to the gathering place. Link walked through the pathways between the den houses. He decided to go to Aideen's den, to see if Zelda was finished with the medicine spirit of Alana. As Link walked, the spirits who were still too young to become warriors were playing in the pathways. They nudged a large ball made of sticks and leaves around with their heads and feet. Link thought was kind of cute the way they played and they shared a close resemblance of a group of human child playing.
"Hey! Link!" A voice shouted.
Link turned around and saw Teranika running up to him. The wolf, who was just the size of a puppy the day before, regained her true size and looked more energized than ever. She stopped a small distance away from him and bowed her head in greeting.
"Hi Teranika," He said cheerfully, happy to meet his wolf friend that guided him to the land of Alana. "How are you?"
"I'm good," Teranika replied. "Sorry I was so cranky the other day when I was the size of a pup."
"It's no problem," Link said with a shrug. "By the way, why were you like that?"
"If I'm tired or wasted too much of my power, I change into a pup," Teranika said. She added with a small chuckle. "It's kind of a nuisance really…"
Link smiled at her. "I thought you were kind of cute when you were cranky."
Teranika narrowed her eyes and flicked her ears at him. "Um…anyway, the reason why I'm here looking for you is to show you your den. I cleaned out an old rock den near my own and thought it would be perfect for you."
Link nodded. "Thank you."
Teranika nodded at him. "Come on! Let's go see it."
Teranika turned around and started padding off in the direction she came. Link had to run to catch up with the long-limbed beast.
They went past Aideen's den. Link tried to look in the entrance but it was to dark in there for him to see anything. Link sighed in disappointment, upset about not seeing Zelda.
"Don't worry," Teranika reassured him. "You'll see her soon."
Link looked at the white wolf. "How did you know I was-"
"I'm a wolf…I can sense these things," Teranika said with her well-known smirk on her face.
Link rolled his eyes at her. "Why you always have to be like that."
Teranika shrugged and didn't answer. The wolf stopped in front of a small den made of rock. "That is where you will be staying."
"It looks alright," Link responded.
As they walked up to the den's entrance, Teranika spoke to him. "I put some blankets that Kallias made and I made a bed of moss and leaves for you. There is also a vase you use to carry water from the river and I'll show you the fresh-kill pile in a little while after you get settled in here."
"Sounds nice," Link said. "Thank you. Is there anything else?"
Teranika chuckled slyly. "You'll see…"
As he walked into the den, he definitely saw something that surprised him. It was Zelda, sitting down on the ground adjusting a lantern that was on the ground. He looked at the princess and his jaw dropped. She looked absolutely stunning in the lantern's light.
She looked up at them as they entered and smiled at them. She stood up and brushed herself off.
"Hello," she greeted politely.
Link waved at Zelda like an idiot while Teranika dipped her head in the traditional way the beast's greeted each other.
"Greetings Zelda," Teranika said. She turned her head to look at Link. A mischievous glow came to her red eyes and a playful smile was on her lips. "Link…you two will be rooming with each other."
Link looked at Teranika and narrowed his eyes at the wolf.
"I insisted that we should share a den," Zelda spoke up. "I knew they didn't have enough dens to spare so…I just asked if it was okay to share one."
Zelda…insisted on it? Link thought to himself. His cheeks began to turn pink as he thought about it.
Then, he felt Teranika's tail poke his rear. The wolf looked at him and smirked a little evilly. He gave her an evil glare and then looked at Zelda, his face softening to a polite grin.
"Um…thanks," he said cheerfully.
"Now, I'll be back here in a little bit to show you the fresh-kill pile," Teranika said. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm out…especially you, Linky poo."
Teranika flicked Link over his head with her tail playfully as she acknowledged him. Link narrowed his eyes at wolf. The wolf looked at him with a playful glint in her eyes and trotted out of the den, leaving Link and Zelda alone. He watched as the wolf went away to her den.
"I like your new outfit," Zelda said quietly. Link jumped at the sound of her voice and turned to face her.
"Um…thank you," he muttered. "So…now what should we do?"
"Well, Teranika did most of the work in here and she won't be here for a while," Zelda sighed, sitting back on the ground. "I don't know what we should do now."
"Maybe we could talk?" Link asked, shrugging a little. "You know, get to know each other a little since we will be sharing this place."
Zelda looked at him. "Sure, that'll be nice."
But just as they were about to settle on the moss bedding of the den, the dragon, Morag, and the golden bird, Kallias, came up to the entrance. The bird and dragon looked in but there bodies remained outside.
"Hello," Morag and Kallias greeted warmly. Link and Zelda waved at them in greeting. Kallias spoke up, "Is everything okay in here?"
"Yes. Everything is fine," Zelda said, standing up and walking over to the golden bird. "Thank you Kallias."
"No problem," Kallias said. She looked at Morag with her kind, golden brown eyes. "Zelda, this is Morag. I'm sure you haven't met each other yet."
Zelda shook her head. "We haven't." She looked at Morag and smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Zelda."
Morag bowed his head in greeting and brought his head to Zelda's hand. "It is nice to meet you."
"Well your being a gentleman today, Morag," Kallias said jokingly. She looked over at Link and hopped over to him. "How did the meeting go with Keita?"
"It went fine, thanks," Link said with a smile to Kallias. He stood up and walked over to stand next to Zelda. Kallias hopped back over to stand next to Morag.
"Greetings Link," Morag greeted to Link. Morag's smart red eyes narrowed as he looked at Link's new outfit. His dragon lips curled back in a smile. "You look like a true hero now," Morag said warmly, like father would to his son.
"Thank you," Link said politely to the dragon. "What are you two doing here?"
"Kallias wanted to see how you two were doing in here," Morag said. He looked around the den. "It seems like you two made it to your liking."
"Yes, we did," Zelda answered. "Thank you."
"We also wanted to see if you wanted to get something to eat with us," Kallias said. Just before they could say that Teranika was going to bring them, Kallias interrupted. "Don't worry, Teranika said that we could. She'll just meet us there."
"Hey guys!" A young female voice yelled. "Are we going or not?"
Bounding up the path to the den was Sappho, the medicine spirit's apprentice. She stopped behind Kallias and shook herself.
"Ugh...What's taking you guys so long?" Sappho asked Kallias. "I'm hungry!"
Morag looked at the hyperactive tigress. "Patience Sappho...Link and Zelda are coming with us."
Sappho rolled her eyes and lashed her tail impatiently. "Well they better hurry! Where's Teranika? She better get her white wolf butt out here or I'll claw her good."
Link and Zelda chuckled under their breaths at Sappho's comment. The tigress looked at them and narrowed her eyes.
"What?! I will," Sappho growled.
"Oh, Sappho…keep your damn fur on," Teranika grumbled as she walked over to the group. "I'm right here now."
Sappho turned to face the wolf and her neck fur began to bristle. "It's about time! You know how freaking hungry I am?"
Teranika smirked at Sappho. "You know how much I want you to shut up right now?"
Sappho and Teranika continued their argument while the other four watched. Zelda asked,"Do they always fight like this?"
Morag nodded."Yeah. Don't know why, they just always seem to get at each others throats."
Kallias hopped over to stand in between them and she raised her large golden wings.
"Enough you to," Kallias said calmly. "If you guys won't quit arguing and you don't apologize, I'll cast a spell on you that'll make you both be silent till I feel like you learned a lesson. You got that?"
Sappho and Teranika looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "We're sorry," they said in unison.
Kallias giggled. "Thank you."
"Well, let's quit wasting time!" Sappho said loudly. "Let's get going before all the good stuff is gone. Kael and his group of jerks will probably get all the good stuff if we don't hurry."
"Alright…we're going." Morag grumbled. He looked at Zelda and Link. "Are you two ready?"
Both Zelda and Link nodded. "Alright…let's go," Morag muttered.
The group walked away from the den, with Sappho and Teranika in the lead, Kallias and Morag in the middle and Zelda and Link in the back.
"This is experience is pretty interesting so far, don't you think?" Zelda asked in a whisper.
Link looked at her and nodded. "It's definitely something most people experience."
"And I'm sure it'll get even more weird," Zelda added with a smile on her face.
Link looked at her smiled. Then he looked away from her and looked at the ground.
"Dark times are descending on both Alana and Hyrule… you are the chosen hero by the three goddesses who dwell in the sacred realm …all of mankind depends on you."
Remembering Keita's words made him shiver. Tomorrow, he will begin his journey to save both his homeland and Alana. He just hoped that Keita was right for picking him to do this perilous journey that could possibly destroy them all.
The forest was now covered by the night with a waning moon in the sky. The forest floor was covered by the shadows casted by the trees. Walking through the trees, a small white fox with pink markings on her face and back walked over to the river's edge. She looked over the edge at the dark water to look at her reflection. Her green eyes looked at the reflection for a long time, like it was a picture or something.
Then, a soft breeze blew, rustling the fur of the fox. A smile curled on her lips. It looked like an evil snarl. She closed her eyes and looked at the moon, letting out an evil laugh.
"This is perfect!" The fox laughed. "Soon, my power will reach to its full capacity. But first…I need a perfect little pawn."
She stood still and thought about it for a second. "Maybe that human boy can help me. Before he sets out, I'll go to him and ask him to do a little favor for me."
She opened her eyes. The green color changed to an evil glowing red color. "Then…I can kill the heart of the forest and easily conquer that wretched human world. This game will be far too easy…"
The white fox looked up at the moon. "I hope you're ready sister…because your beloved home will fall along with the human world and a new era will be brought…an era of chaos and madness!"
She then let out a vicious howl at the moon, which then got covered by the clouds that were surrounding it.
