The bulblins are still in a state of revelry when I return to the village; apparently the instructions that I'd overheard were not intended to be immediately implemented. I probably missed that detail in my mad bid for escape. But really, I can hardly be blamed for that. I lie concealed in the shadow of a small alley, huddled as close to the wall of one of the houses as I can, fighting to ignore the sounds of laughter on the other side of the village.

"Alright, time to get some supplies. I might be able to use magic, but I can't produce food and weapons out of midair. Well, okay, I can produce them out of midair, but they have to be there first, if you catch my meaning. So, first things first, let's find you a sword and shield."

My ears prick up in surprise. A sword and shield? How am I supposed to use those in this form? Does that mean she knows a way for me to change back? Or does she just want them as a precaution? Well, either way, I know exactly where to go from here, and I'm more than a little relieved that it means I'm going to be headed away from the center of the village. I use the back alleys, slipping through the little gardens scattered throughout the village.

"Hey. Any of these things worth eating?"

I pause, glancing around one of the little enclosures. There are some early berries, carrots, and greens, but I don't know how well the latter will keep. I glance towards some of the other gardens. There's rhubarb in one, peas in another, and plenty of herbs all around.

"Today, please? And don't worry about them spoiling; I can handle that." With a slight sigh, step forward, nudging the first bunch of collard greens. I'm more than a little startled when, in a flash of reddish light, they vanish from view. "Sheesh, don't look so surprised. Magic remember?" Shaking my head slightly, I move to the next patch of edible foods and watch that disappear as well.

That's how things continue until we reach Rusl's forge, a little ways outside the edge of town. Midna cheerfully uses magic to open the door for me again and I slip inside, breathing the familiar, ashy scent that always pervades the area. Midna materializes beside me, releasing a low whistle. "Wow. When I tell you to go find weapons, you know where the good stuff is, don't you?"

I huff slightly in amusement, stepping towards the rack of swords, daggers, and even a few axes. There's an entire other wall simply covered in farming tools - both new and repaired - but this is Rusl's true playground. His best work seems untouched; we're lucky that bulblins seem not to have discovered his forge yet. Perhaps they didn't realize that he lives here. Midna eagerly joins me, reaching out to grab one of the swords, but her hand passes straight through it. My mouth curls into something akin to a smirk, but the anatomy of a wolf's face doesn't quite let me pull it off. Still, I know that I manage to get it across when I sense her pout even without properly seeing it.

"Ooh!" Midna gasps suddenly, floating across the room towards Rusl's work table, where he puts the finishing details on his weapons. I trot to her side, but where the table is at eye level to me now, I have to rear up on my hind legs, falling forward somewhat clumsily and clinging tight to the wood so that I can get a clear view of whatever caught the imp's attention. My eyes widen slightly.

The newly completed tribute to the royal family lies on the table alongside its scabbard. A perfectly sharpened, single-handed cavalry sword, perfectly balanced and forged from the finest metals available, the faintly blued steel blade printed with the Hylian crest and the bronze hilt wrapped with wire.

Yeah, we're really lucky the bulblins haven't found the forge yet.

"I'll just hold on to that, hm?" Midna grins, snapping her fingers so that the sword disappears in another burst of energy. "Any place we can find a shield around here?"

I hesitate, my brows furrowed. Rusl doesn't make armor; it requires an entirely different skill set from weaponry. He does have some that he uses to test his blades on, but frankly those have been beaten to a pulp and wouldn't do me - or anyone else - much good in a real battle. There is, however, another possibility. I turn back to the door, slipping out, and Midna hurries after me, disappearing once again into my shadow.

I take the long route around the village rather than risk discovery by passing directly through it. Even so, there is one panic-filled moment along the way when one of the patrols very nearly catches sight of me. Fortunately, the man is a bit tipsy, so he doesn't quite have the presence of mind to search for me after his initial suspicion fades away. Even so, I remain very still until I'm absolutely certain that he has moved on. Fortunately, we don't encounter any other hiccups before we reach the pond and the little stream flowing from it.

"And the reason why a shield would be in a flour mill is… what now?"

I sigh, shaking my head slightly, the thought chased away before I can complete. The reason is that Jaggle likes to collect odd items, but there's no need to explain that to her. Right now, I really need to be focused on figuring out how to get inside the aforementioned flour mill without being spotted by the group of bulblins hollering what's likely supposed to be a drinking song outside of the front door when the only window outside of their line of sight is on the second story. I glance skyward, towards the bright afternoon sun.

Why did we decide to do this during the day again?

I nearly leap out of my skin when something brushes against my back leg, whirling on the spot to try and figure out what it is. But the only living creature that I can see is a small brown dog that I quickly recognize as belonging to Jaggle's family. I blink at him, bewildered, as he trots forward, sniffing curiously.

"You have that warrior's smell."

I actually flinch at that, staring at him in shock because I just heard him speak. Well, maybe not speak per say - I can't actually hear any words - but somehow, I can read his body language so perfectly that it's as though he feeds words into my mind. How am I doing that? Did the ability just… come with this new form? Like the way I can smell emotions?

The dog woofs, cocking his head to one side. "Yes, warrior. At least, that's what the Master's pups call him. What are you?" I cringe back from the little dog, my ears flattening against my head, unsure how to answer - both literally and figuratively. But it would seem that he can read my body language just as easily as I can read his, because he relaxes, righting himself. "You don't know, but you can't be bad if you have his smell. Do you want to get inside?"

My ears prick up and my new friend's tail wags eagerly in return. "Follow me," he says, turning and trotting down the slight incline towards the river. I creep after him, staying close to the shadows. We eventually pause beside the waterwheel itself, still turning dutifully with the gentle flow of the river, and I am slightly surprised to find that there is a small, swinging door placed just beneath it, hidden from external view, obviously intended to allow the dog in and out. He pushes through easily. Where I am twice his size, it takes me considerably more effort, but once my shoulders have passed through the narrow opening, the rest of me manages it considerably more easily. The dog is already settled in his little bed, his ears raised and his eyes bright, his tail wagging slightly as I glance towards him. It's as though I've unknowingly thanked him, and he's just responded, "You're very welcome".

If communicating with other animals is going to be this useful, then maybe I don't want to work on controlling my body language.

I quietly weave my way through the maze of various items stored here, then head towards the loft on the far side of the building, where I can see a wooden shield hanging on the wall with the Ordon goat symbol burnt into the wood. Of course, now there begs the question of how the heck do I get up there when I can't climb a ladder. After a moment's thought, I climb onto the kitchen table, thinking that perhaps I could jump, but I quickly realize that it's still too high.

My stomach grumbles, and I glance down. My eyes widen slightly as I realize for the first time that the remnants of last night's meal are still lying on the table: goat cheese stew, berries and homemade bread. I can feel my mouth watering as I am reminded - yet again - that I haven't had anything to eat in over twenty-four hours. I don't know if wolves are strictly carnivorous or what, but right now, I don't care. I practically inhale the stew, then snap up the bread and berries as well.

A low bark catches my attention, and I glance up towards the dog, now on his feet, legs braced, his expression one that I can only describe as scandalized.

"You mustn't eat Master's food! That's not allowed!"

I cock my head slightly to one side. "Why?"

"Because Master could still come home! It must be there when he comes back!"

I cringe, my ears flattening, and glance away. "He isn't coming back."

"What? How do you know?"

A glance up, and a heavy gaze. "I know."

"Do you know where he is?"

My head lifts and I feel my hackles settle. "Yes."

"Show me?"

I pause, glancing up towards the shield. Which has, inexplicably, vanished. "Don't worry; I've got you covered," Midna's voice smirks in my head. "Seems kind of cheap compared to the sword, but I guess we'll take what we can get. Now, can we make one last stop before we head to the Twilight? That cheese smelled really good. Anyplace we can get more of that?" I huff, but jump down from the table, glancing expectantly towards the dog, and he hurries to my side. "Why is he following us now?"

Oh. Right. Midna can't follow our silent conversation. Too bad, I guess, because I'm not feeling inclined to translate. Actually, I'm not even sure if I can translate, but it doesn't really matter anyway. Whether she considers me her servant or not, I don't need to explain myself.

Together we slip out of the water mill, then pause, listening to the noise of the bulblins. I lead the way around the village and through the goat pastures, which I quickly discover are currently being inhabited by the giant boars that the bulblin slavers ride. I can read their body language too, although not quite as well as I can read the dog's. Still, what little I am able to 'hear' assures me that I'd really rather not talk to them anyway.

It's about halfway across the field when I smell it: the mystery scent that had made me feel so ill when I was watching Jaggle and Mayor Bo. I pause, sniffing curiously until I can determine the direction of the source, then I take a few cautious steps towards it. Beside me, the dog cringes, a low whine escaping his throat, his tail tucking between his legs.

"What is it?"

"You don't want to go there."

"Why?"

"Death."

"What?"

"It's where death is."

I stare at him for a few seconds, momentarily convinced - or at least momentarily trying to convince myself - that I have misinterpreted him. But when he turns his mournful, dark eyes towards mine, I can't lie to myself any longer.

No.

I dash up the low rise as though dragged by some invisible force, heart pounding and stomach churning. Once I reach the summit, the world seems to stop.

No!

The pile of bodies thrown into the depression includes at least a dozen people, all with faces and names that I should recognize, except that each and every one of them have been burned, their bodies and the grass around them blackened, smoke still faintly rising from the charred clothing. The only thing that I can make out clearly, sticking out from underneath the body of someone that had tried to protect her, is the long dark hair and small hand of Saria, the butcher's three-year old daughter, now pale and still in death.

Oh Goddesses.

I cough and choke, panting and gasping around the bile as I scramble back, the contents of my stomach suddenly emptied on the hillside as I tear my eyes away from the sight. They fall instead on the village, on the smoke rising from the center.

I hear the laughter and the world crashes down around me.

Smoke billows in my face and I recoil, trying to use my arms to shield myself from the heat.

I hear her screaming.

I don't know if it's from pain, or if she's telling me to run.

The roof collapses.

Silence.

Then my own voice, screaming itself hoarse before the laughter shocks me silent and a man steps around the corner, eyes gleaming in the firelight as sparks fly around his curled horns, teeth bared in a grin.

Then the pounding of feet in time with my own heart, the blistered hand clutched in mine, the wide, teary hazel eyes of a child distraught with fear and pain and grief, the thunderous pounding of the hooves of the boars. The pricking against my leg and the crippling knowledge that I'm never going to see her again.

I'm never going to see her again.

Never again.

I lurch back into consciousness, recoiling sharply with a sound somewhere between a whine and a growl as I feel something wet on my face. When the world comes back into focus I can see my canine companion, whining softly with his ears flat and his tail tucked between his legs.

"Hurting. You were hurting," he whimpers.

I blink at him, and am surprised to feel tears sliding down my oddly-shaped face. My eyes fall to my paws, to the strange triangular mark, then to the hillside as I struggle to take in my surroundings. I'm lying at the bottom of the hill, instead of the top, where I had been. Did I fall down? It's not impossible, I suppose. There was enough of an incline for me to slide down if I had lost my balance in the midst of my flashback. It wouldn't be the first time that something like that had happened.

A soft woof, and I see the dog cautiously approaching. "Are you better?"

I'm not entirely sure how to answer that. That was the longest flashback that I've had in months - at least an hour, judging by the position of the sun. I may be conscious, but I'm still shaking. I don't know if I can stand, actually. Not the best of circumstances given all that we need to accomplish in the two or so remaining hours of sunlight we have.

I startle slightly when I feel a gentle nudge, and realize that the dog is headbutting me softly, prompting me to rise to my feet. My lips try to tug into a smile, then slowly, cautiously, I gather my legs underneath me and stumble to my feet, shaking my head as a wave of dizziness washes over me. I shoot one more glance towards the summit of the hill, then shudder and turn away. The dog presses close to my side, supporting me as best he can as I stumble my way across the remainder of the pasture, idly turning my steps along a path that my feet know better than my head at this point.

Dwelling on what's happened isn't going to help anyone. I can't bring the dead back to life. I have to move forward to save those that still live.

"Hey Wolfy, what happened back there? I kept trying to talk to you, but it was like your mind completely shut down," Midna's voice comes to me, cautious with maybe a thread of irritation. I shake my head weakly; there's no way for me to explain this without actual words, so I really shouldn't even try. "Ugh. One of these days you're going to have to communicate, you know that? The 'strong and silent' act gets old real quick, I'll have you know. You'll never win over your lady love with that kind of attitude." I'm too tired to protest, verbally or by any other means, and so the imp falls grumpily silent.

We stop outside of the goat barn, and I frown up at it, trying to remember why on earth we're here. Eventually I realize that we weren't trying to come here at all, but rather to my house, and the cheese-making room. But, since we're here anyway…

I push my way inside, and am immediately greeted by the panicked bleats of the fifty or so goats prancing anxiously behind their stall gates, their nostrils flared with the smells of smoke, meat, and now, wolf. There's so much movement happening around me that I'm finding my own senses overwhelmed with the number of messages flashing towards me at once:

"Danger!"

"Monster, you won't-"

"- done to us-"

"- beasts in our home-"

"Danger!"

"- the masters -"

"-wrong with his scent?"

"DANGER!"

Before I can contain it, a sharp bark explodes from my chest, and I send a fierce glare around the room. To my surprise, the majority of them fall silent, their body language fading from the equivalent of frantic shouting to anxious mutters. I feel myself relax slightly, until I catch a message that I wasn't expecting out of the corner of my eye.

"Link?"

I stiffen, focusing on an old bellwether with its head cocked curiously in my direction, its dark eyes soft and intelligent. "You smell like him. And you speak like him," he seems to say.

I allow my head to dip forward slightly. "I am him. I'm sorry for what's happened."

The shifting turns into agitated whispering as I step forward and rear up on my hind legs, using my teeth to grip the metal pin holding his pen closed and yanking it free. When I step back, he moves forward, walking patiently into the open. He seems so much bigger than me now. It takes all my willpower not to duck away when he leans over me, gently brushing my forehead with the tip of his nose. "It was not your fault. Now what do you wish us to do?"

I lift my head, new determination burning in my chest. "I want you to run away. Leave the pasture. Scatter in the forest."

"But-"

"Why?"

"What did he ask?"

"- not safe -"

"Danger!"

"We will do it," the bellwether interrupts, walking towards the main door. I nod, then continue to move around the room, pulling pins and setting the goats free. In the process, the dog trots up to me, his expression one of concern.

"Why do this?"

"So the monsters can't have them."

"But the Master can't either."

"I prefer this to the alternative," I reply simply, pulling the last pin. Then I run out of the barn, ready to help break down the fence in any way that I can. Only to discover that there's no need. The bellwether already hooked his horn underneath the top bar of the fence posts and pulled it loose, opening the way for the herd to hop the lower bar and follow him into the Ordona Forest. I nod to myself in satisfaction, then turn towards Mayor Bo's - my - house in order to fulfill Midna's earlier request. And speaking of the imp -

"Smart, Wolfy," she muses approvingly. "Guess you're not completely useless after all."

I huff, a little bit insulted by that assertion, but I'll have to wait before I can actively complain about it.

"Is Master here?" the dog asks, running up the hill alongside me.

"No."

He cocks his head to one side. "Then why…?"

"Wait here." He sits obediently, and I jump onto the back porch. I see a tell-tale flicker of Midna's magic around the knob, and the door swings open.

Unlike the mill or Rusl's forge, the bulblins have obviously ransacked our house. The kitchen is a mess, the tables overturned and the remnants of the dinner I never got to eat scattered across the floor. I weave through the wreckage, my stomach twisting. Hungry though I may be, especially after throwing up, I'm too nauseous to eat anything.

I glance towards the ladder leading up to my loft, but there's no way for me to get up there anyway, so I probably shouldn't worry about whatever damage the bulblins may have caused to it. Midna appears beside me, her expression eager as she darts towards the cheese room. "Oh yeah, this'll do nicely!" I hear her call cheerfully, and the sound is quickly followed by the soft snap of magic that usually precedes when something disappears. I, on the other hand, find myself drawn down the hallway, towards the second door on the left.

Ilia's room.

The moment I step inside, a familiar, soothing scent seems to wash over me, washing away a little of the horror of the day and conjuring in its place mental images of summer picnics by Ordona Spring and horseback rides through Faron Woods and gentle hands wiping away tears in the darkness of the night. I desperately wish that she was here to do that now, to wake me up from this nightmare and tell me that everything is going to be alright, to find that Saria and the others aren't dead, that Ilia hasn't been dragged off to face unknown horrors without me by her side.

I close my eyes, banishing such thoughts behind a padlocked door in my mind and thinking instead about how strange it is that I've somehow unconsciously managed to learn Ilia's scent so thoroughly. It truly is a comforting smell. Calming, even. Maybe that's why I find myself nosing at her pillow, where her scent is strongest, desperate to lock away such dark thoughts. Then, to my surprise, I discover underneath it a leather cord strung with eight wooden beads and a wooden horseshoe amulet positioned in the center.

My heart constricts and my stomach flips in a strange way as I stare at it.

I made this for her, over two years ago. I carved the beads and amulet myself and asked Uli's help to dye them, then I gave it to her as a necklace on her birthday - a thank you for everything that she had done for me. She wore it every day for a year, but eventually the leather cord had frayed and snapped, and she'd never gotten around to replacing it. It would seem that she hadn't thrown it away though. She'd taken the shortened cord and tied two more beads to either end, turning it instead into a little charm and placing it under her pillow, within easy reach whenever she had nightmares.

Ilia's nightmares.

Bulblins.

Grotesque black monsters with really long arms.

It's like there's a permanent sunset.

You died.

Pretty ridiculous, right? Thinking that these dreams might come true.

In Nayru's name. All these years, we thought it was just a coincidence when she found me… But then, were they all true? Every nightmare Ilia ever had… But how is that even possible?

"Hm? Find anything good?" I jump when I hear Midna right next to my ear, cutting off my train of thought. I really need to stop doing that, but I really don't like it when she moves around in this shadow form. She doesn't make any sound or give off any kind of scent… it's unnerving. She peers down at the little charm as though she hadn't noticed my reaction, but her smirk says otherwise.

By the Goddesses, she's doing it on purpose!

"This is pretty," the imp muses, her fingers fluttering close to it, but then pulling away. It's a good thing that she doesn't try to touch it; even knowing that her hand would pass through it in this form, I think I would growl at her if she did. "Does it belong to your lady love?" she smirks. I glare at her, but I can't refute the thrill of tension that passes through me at her question. Midna giggles and takes a step back. "We can take it with us if you want. I imagine you wouldn't want those creeps to find it, would you."

What put her in such a good mood? I can't help but wonder as I frown at her. She grins broadly, as though she can see my suspicion, dancing on the spot as she waits patiently for me to nod. Another giggle and a snap of her fingers, and the charm vanishes to whatever plane Midna is carrying everything in.

I'll take the time to figure out the mystery of Ilia's nightmares another day.

"Well, come along Wolfy. Things to do and places to be and all that!" She ducks back into my shadow, leaving me to roll my eyes and cast one last, mournful glance over the room before I return outside. My new canine friend perks up when he sees me, rising to his feet, tail wagging.

"We're going to Master now?"

"Yes."

I leap down to the grass, glancing towards the barn one last time. The goats have all disappeared now. If they're lucky, the villagers will find them, but at the very least the bulblins won't be able to use them for meat. That will leave them with just the pond, the forest itself, and the gardens as food sources - and Midna and I have scrounged most of what's currently edible from the latter source already.

I hope that they all starve.

They deserve it after what they've done.

We head into the forest from there, using my scent map to guide us back to where the villagers had been camping. When we arrive, there's probably only a little more than an hour of daylight left. My doggy companion rushes forward, sniffing eagerly at the trees and around the fire.

"He was here! He was here!"

"Do you think you can follow him on your own?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

I feel a rumble in my chest, less like a growl and more like a chuckle. I suppose it's the closest that a dog gets to a purr. "I have to go then. Good luck."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the dog seems to yip back, then he rushes deeper into the forest, following the scent trail of his family. I watch him go with a strange sense of sadness. I want to go with him, but I can't. There are other people relying on me, other people that I need to protect.

"So, are we done with detours?" Midna asks next to me. I twitch, but manage to resist the instinct to jump away from her this time. She cocks her eyebrow at me, her yellow-red eye bright slightly accusing. I sigh, but nod, and her expression immediately morphs into a grin. "Good boy. Then let's head back to where you first tumbled into the Twilight, hm?"

I feel myself stiffen slightly before I force myself to turn and walk in the direction of Faron Woods, ignoring Midna's questioning look before she vanishes from view. Good boy. That's what Ilia used to call me. It was our inside joke. What would she say if she could see me now? I shake my head to clear it. If I want to ask her, then I have to find her first, and that means no more distractions. Let's just head back to the Twilight and-

A shrill scream rings through the trees, turning the blood in my veins to ice.

I don't even pause to think. I just race towards the victim, streaking among the shadows, ignoring Midna's exclamations in my head.

"Uli!"

"Rusl, no!"

Clang!

"Agh!"

No!"

A second later I burst out of the trees, a ferocious snarl erupting from my throat.

Three figures.

Two on the ground.

One with a sword.

Never again!

Red eyes consume my field of vision.

The bitter scent of sweat fills my nostrils.

A crunch and a gurgling gasp snaps in my ears.

The taste of copper and iron rushes into my mouth.

A fading pulse beats against my lips.

Goddesses-!

I recoil sharply, choking and gagging, all of my senses flooded with the sight and the scent and the sound and the taste and the feel of blood. My stomach churns in a nauseating way as I paw frantically at my face, trying to get it off of me, but that only spreads it to my hands - paws - and suddenly I understand that the Twilight has not only changed my physical appearance.

A sharp gasp causes me to turn, still panting, tongue lolling from my mouth.

Uli and Rusl stare at me, eyes wide in horror, clinging to one another. Rusl instinctively shifts in front of his wife, reaching for his fallen sword, even though I can see that his wrist is rapidly swelling and his torso is heavily bandaged.

A low whine builds in my throat. I can feel my ears pressing flat against the top of my head, my lips peeling back from my teeth, my tail - Oh Goddesses, I forgot I have a tail! - tucking between my legs as I back away and stumble over the leg of the man I killed. I glance towards him, at the blood pouring from the puncture wounds in his neck, staining his leather armor, and all at once my courage fails me and all I can think to do is run.

...

Author's Note:

I made some slight adjustments to chapters one, four, and seven at the suggestion of Lleu. Nothing that severely impacts the story, but if you want to go back and reread it, you can! I always welcome suggestions, as they make me a better writer!