(A/N) So this is to make up for the long wait and incredibly short chapter last time...

Chapter 9

The Forest Temple

Link shivered as he saw the multiple spiderwebs near the entrance of the temple.

"God, I hate spiders.." He muttered, yet Midna was close enough to hear him.

"Why?" She asked, "You never had a problem the last time we were here."

"You know damn well why, Midna." He shuddered at the memory, "The Temple of Time?"

"Oooohh... Armogohma. And all its... children..." She attempted to supress a shudder, but failed spectacularly.

"I mean, I never really liked them, I don't know anyone who does, but now... To be honest, that thing still gives me nightmares. It's the only one that ever truly scared me. Well, Diababa caught me off guard, but I was just getting used to the idea that there was more than just bokoblins and bulblins out there." He continued, walking forward into the familiar temple opening. He stopped and looked around; no monkey to save this time.

"Your plan? Go straight to the focal point*? Or are you actually gonna explore?" Midna asked. He shrugged.

"Haven't really thought about it. Only thing I have thought about is that it's been a hundred years, and these dungeons aren't going to be anywhere near the same. So, maybe we should head for where we fought Ook." He set out, but was immediately stopped by a wall which no longer held vines. "Well. This presents a problem."

"Look." Midna said, pointing to the side wall-area. "There's vines over there. Think you can climb them?"

"Well..." He replied, examining them, "Maybe... They look really thin... Let's try it." He surmised, grabbing the vine, testing its strength. About three-quarters of the way up, however, the vines started to unravel and fall, taking Link with them. Link scrambled up as fast as he could, all the while shouting obscenities that would make the most hardened pirate on the Great Sea blush with shame. When he got to the top, Midna floated over to him, grinning evilly, and remarked: "Link, I never knew you had such a... colorful vocabulary. Where in Din's name did you learn to talk like that?"

Link only laughed for a short while, and finally replied, "You think that was bad? You should hear Zelda when she stubs her toe." And broke out laughing again.

"Shouldn't we get going?"

"Yeah." He said, getting up and dusting himself off. "Let's go."

As they progressed through the temple, Link felt that he was being watched, somehow. He initially dismissed it as paranoia, until he looked at the ceiling of the room he was in.

It was covered in Skulltulas.

Supressing a rapidly growing urge to leave the temple screaming like a small child, Link relayed this information to Midna, whom he wisely advised to not look up. He picked up his pace, wishing to leave that room as quickly as possible. When they arrived in the next room- if it could be called that- they found themselves in the giant clearing, with the large pit.

"How are you going to get across?" Midna asked. "I know one thing's for sure, there is no way in hell that I'm going back in there."

"Seconded." Link replied, testing the strength of the old rope above him. It didn't seem decayed at all; time had been kind to it.

"You're crazy." Midna stated.

"You just now noticed?"

"That thing will fall the moment you get out on it."

"So? If I fall, I fall. I climb up and try another way."

"Are you insane?! The fall would kill you!"

"Then let's hope it doesn't break." He replied, as he set out across the old rope, hand-over-hand. The rope held, for the most part, not breaking until he was already on the other side, thankfully.

"Told you it'd break" Midna scolded, smacking Link upside the head.

"Well I'm alive, aren't I? Come on, let's see what's in here."

When he entered the room, however, familiar bars covered the door, and he heard a loud screech from above. He looked upward and saw a crimson bird that looked like a mixture of an eagle and an owl, only as large as himself, heading straight for him. he rolled out of the way just in time, and the bird got stuck in the dirt. Link seized the moment and drew his sword, swinging at the creature, wounding it, but not outright killing it. The bird flew up and circled aroud Link, who was watching the bird carefully, waiting for it to swoop down again so he could take it out. The thng was smart, however, and always feinted his swoops before actually did, catching Link off guard every time. However, by this time, Link had figured out the bird's pattern and after in faked him out twice, Link surprised it by slicing its wing off on the third swoop, followed by a qick stab to the head. The creature collapsed and exploded, like most of Ganon's fiends did, and a treasue chest appeard near the entrance. Link approached it and opened it, only to be shocked by the contents.

All of his gear was there.

Link hastily pulled out the pouch he kept his things in, and made sure it was all there: Bow, with a quiver that he slung over his right shoulder, opposite his sword, Clawshots, Ball and Chain, A no-longer-functional Spinner, a Dominion Rod that fell to ashes the moment he took it out of the pack, Gale Boomerang that still worked fine, broken Lantern that he needed to replace, an okay-condition Fishing Rod, and finally, his Iron Boots. Looking deeper, he saw the HawkEye was missing, and so was the slingshot. Lastly, at the very bottom, he found Epona's Horse Call, the one Ilia gave to him. He slung it around his neck and tucked it inside his shirt, for safekeeping. Looking back inside the treasure chest, however, he saw the one thing he wanted more than anything else

The Shadow Pendant.

He picked it up and slung it around his neck as well, but didn't bother with tucking it into his shirt. It was made from the Shadow Crystal that Zant had cursed him with, most of the dark magic had been taken out of it, so that he could hold it. Midna had made it for him before she had left for the Twilight Realm the first time, so he could continue to use his wolf form with her gone, and the aster Sword returned to its pedastal.

"Well, aren't you lucky?" Midna commented.

"Yeah, a little too lucky... But still, I have most of my important gear back now, sans bombs. Let's go." He finished, before turning into a wolf and letting out a mighty howl before running back to the previous room.

The cliffs were manageable this time around, and Link had no trouble getting to the small room that led to the dungeon's focal point on the far side of the room. Once they reached tha antechamber, Link carfully padded along the walls, knowing that a single slip meant almost certain death, before jumping to the ledge that held the door. Returning to human form, he asked, "You ready?" Midna simply nodded, as he pushed the door open.

It closed behind them. Naturally.

The entire room was filled to the brim with sand. It was unusually arid here, too. Link walked forward a bit, and suddenly the sand shifted, as three massive heads lifted out of it, and roarded simultaneously.

Link drew his sword and shield, and prepared for battle. The first head swooped down at him, while the second breathed a hot jet of flame his way, he dodged both, and waithe for the third's attack, but it never came. Instead, it just watched him, while the second let loose another fire breath. Link rolled out of the way, just in time, and tried to think of where he had seen this thing before. He knew he had read something about a monster like this somewhere. Suddenly, it clicked in his mind, as he dodged another tackle from the first head: Gleeok! That was what it was called! Two of its heads are blind, so the third watches and directs the other two heads on where its prey is! If he blinded the third head with a couple of arrows, the damned thing couldn't see at all! He sheathed his sword, and drew his bow and an arrow. He jumped out from behind the rock he had taken cover behind and loosed an arrow at the third head's eye. He didn't need to see that his aim had been true, the beast's cries of pain told him all he needed to know, however, he didn't expect the thing to recover so quickly, and the beast nearly took his arm off, but ate the shield on it instead. Link drew back another arrow, and swore he must be possessed, because the second arrow hit just as well as the first, with the third head slumping down.

'Now's my chance' he thought, and rushed towards the downed head, running up its neck, drawing his sword and striking where he thought the heart might be. He knew he was right, because the second he stabbed, all three heads began spasming wildy, and Link was thrown off the main body. Soon after, the beast violently exploded, forming into a Fused Shadow, and a small, blue crystal clinked on the ground. Midna took the Shadow, and created a portal where the monster was. Link picked up and examined the crystal.

"What do you think this is? And where's the sage?" He asked.

"I don't know, but let's get out of here, get some sleep, and think about it tomorrow." She replied. Link nodded, looked at the crystal once more, and dropped it in his pocket, then entered the portal.

(A/N) WOW THAT WAS LONG. So, what'd you think?

* THe focal point of the dungeon is the point where its magic is stongest, hence why it's whare the boss is. I also didn't want to just call it a boss room.