CHAPTER TEN: THE KITSUNE'S AND DRAGON'S STORY

"What is it you have to tell me Impa?" Link asked as she closed the front door.

"I wouldn't have mind Yo-Ko and Hikari to be here, but Yo-Ko still hasn't gotten over the fact that his mother passed away," Impa spoke, walking over to a bookshelf.

Link stood there speechless, "His mother? But what of his father?"

"Just settle down Link, and I'll explain a bit of Yo-Ko's story to you, just so you know his background a bit."

Link at first hesitated, but sat down on a chair as Impa took out a picture from the shelf. "I'm sure you heard that a few years ago, there was a terrible plague that fell on Hyrule. But the plague appeared as a fever to the Hyrulean while it was deadly and painful to the Zoras, Gorons, and the rare Kitsune race.

"Yo-Ko was the second to last villager in this village to be affect by the plague, but since he had the blood of a Hyrulean in his veins from his father, he managed to hold out long enough for the illness to fade away. His mother, Izuna, also known as Lillian to those who where close to her, died from the plague."

"How did she?"

Impa wore a face of sadness as she continued, "While Yo-Ko was ill, she stayed next to his side and tended to her ill son. But she knowingly exposed herself to the plague and in time before Yo-Ko's birthday, she passed away from the plague. It hurt Yo-Ko so badly, his body slowly started to die from depression.

"Since his father was the King's personal knights, I could take Yo-Ko under my care. But no matter how hard I tried, Yo-Ko lost interest in life and kept blaming himself for his mother's death.

"Then one day, Zelda was kidnapped by a dragon hunter so I was called to Hyrule Castle."

Flash Back

A guard on horse back rode up to Impa's door, quickly he dismounted and knocked on her door harshly. The sheikah opened the door, "What is going on? Did something happen over at the castle?"

"Yes, it's Zelda, she's been kidnapped by a Dragon Hunter."

A look of shock and rage clouded her face, "I knew I should have stayed with the Princess!" She glanced over behind at Yo-Ko who was curled up on the couch, clutching dearly to a picture of his mom. "Yo-Ko, you stay here, I'll be right back Ok?"

The young boy glanced over at Impa, his pale face showed no emotion other than sadness, "Yes Impa."

She frowned, but knowing the princess was more important, Impa jumped on her horse and rode quickly to the castle.

"By the time I got there, young Prince Link rescued Zelda, so everything was resolved, although there was a few arguments about letting that of dragon blood wander the castle. But as I returned to Kakariko Village, Yo-Ko was gone."

Impa comes through her door, but finds the house dark, "Huh, Yo-Ko? Why are the lights off? I thought you were afraid of the dark. . . .Yo-Ko?" She lit a lantern and fired up the fireplace. "I wonder if he's asleep already," she muttered to herself as she walked over to the table, but there was a note next to an empty picture frame.

Impa picked it up and looked at it, "'Dear Impa, thank you so much for trying to care for me, but I'm afraid I can't be a burden to you no longer since the Princess is missing, so I'm . . . leaving. Yo-Ko. . . .' No he didn't, Yo-Ko!" She burst outside and ran to Yo-Ko's former house. After searching inside with no luck, Impa went to the grave yard.

On Lillian's grave was a note also. "'Dampe, please take care of my mother's grave for I am leaving Kakariko Village forever.'" Impa stared at the note then looked down at Lillian's grave to see flowers and a note tied around it.

I'm sorry mom.

"I tried to look for Yo-Ko, but all my searching failed, and fearing that he had died, I had gave up looking for Yo-Ko."

The youth in green frowned, "But how did you found him?"

Impa suddenly smiled a bit as she recalled something, "After I came back from the castle due to that siege a few days later, a shop keeper I knew informed me about Yo-Ko coming to the village earlier."

"Hey Impa, I have to tell you something that may interest you," a shopkeeper called to her as she was passing his stand.

She looked over at him confuse, "What is it?"

He switched hands with the broom and gestured with his now free hand, " I just saw young Yo-Ko today."

"What? He was here? What was he doing?" asked a shocked Impa.

"Easy there, I knew this would interest you," the man laughed, smoothing out his bushy mustache, "I saw him this morning right before you came here.."

"Did he buy anything?"

The shopkeeper lend back a bit as he tried to remember, "Yes he did, he bought a couple of blue potions, some gauze, rolls of bandages, and some food. I don't see why he need all that medical stuff fast, seeing that he wasn't harm in anyway. In fact he looked like he was worry over someone else instead of himself. And he must have got those rupees he had from someone else, I never seen Yo-Ko with a few orange rupees, let alone a blue rupee!"

Impa thought for a bit, guessing who the injured person in question was and who's rupees they where also, "Which way did he go to? Did you see him off?"

"Yep, he went that way, into the woods," he pointed at the woods straight across his stall.

"Thank you, may you have a pleasant day," Impa smiled as she headed towards the woods.

After a while, she saw some footprints on the floor, that belonging to Yo-Ko. Impa followed them quickly, but then hid herself to see Yo-Ko entering a small cave, trying to put down the stuff he bought earlier.

"I knew I would find you Yo-Ko," Impa spoke as she stood up from her hiding place.

The startled kitsune boy glanced back at her. "Impa? Is that you? How did you-"

"The storekeeper was kind enough to inform me that you where in the village, may I ask what use you have for that stuff you are carrying now?"

Yo-Ko glanced worryingly over at the cave, "A boy named Prince Link, he's badly hurt and I'm trying to tend to his wounds."

Impa looked up at the cave, "May I see to him Yo-Ko?"

"Go ahead Impa, he told me that he stayed at Hyrule castle and met Princess Zelda." The boy entered in as Impa followed in also.

The young boy was lying on a makeshift bed made of a large pile of soft leaves and moss. Although he was bandaged skillfully, some of the bandages still showed some signs of blood still bleeding through.

Impa walked up to him and knelt down on one knee to get a closer look at his face. "Prince Link, are you awake?"

The boy winced unconsciously as his eyes slowly opened, "Impa? Is that you?"

"It is young Prince, what has happened to you?" She asked, removing the bloodied bandages and started to dress his wound again with a new roll of bandage Yo-Ko handed to him.

"Artof found me. . . He meant to harm Zelda, but she manage to escape from his grasp while I distracted him. Unfortunately, he and his right hand dragons beat and whipped me for disobeying the Dragona rule. And now," Princey held up his hand and took off his glove, exposing a dragon birthmark with a diagonal burn mark across his mark, "I hold the cursed betrayal mark of my land. . ."

"But you did what was best for Hyrule Princey," Yo-Ko spoke, looking at Princey worryingly.

Impa looked up at Yo-Ko. This was the first time he took interest in someone else even though he was troubled by the condition this young boy was in. "Princey? Is that what you name him Yo-Ko?"

He nodded, "Yep, but he doesn't mind, right Princey?"

"Right, it's better than Prince Link of Dragona," he smiled weakly at his new friend. Yo-Ko's long lost smile that use to brighten any room , no matter how gloomy the day was, returned. This caused Impa to smile also.

"This was the first time in a long time since I had seen Yo-Ko's smile before he fell into his depression. In fact, I think Prince Link somehow reached out and managed to help Yo-Ko forget his worries for awhile."

"I sorry to make this question sound random, but why didn't Princey-I mean Prince Link return to the castle?"

Impa looked over to hear footsteps coming out of the room. Then the young Prince Link awakens, then you should know, as of now, my only reason was to tell you about Yo-Ko and how he and Prince Link came to met."

Renado stepped out of the room, cleaning his hands with a rag, as Link looked up at him, "So? Will he be alright?"

The tall man nodded, "With a good night's rest, he should be well in the morning. You may go in, but it's best not to disturb him. Dragons heal best when left to heal undisturbed."

Link nodded and went inside. Renado turned to Impa, "I'm surprise to see one so young manage to survive that wound he suffered. So Impa, how's young Yo-Ko doing? Is he still morning over his mother?"

Impa shook her head, "He still feels sad, but he's more alive now that he is by Prince Link's side."

Impa and Yo-Ko were both sitting outside the cave's entrance as they both gazed up at the stars twinkling in the dark sky. "So Yo-Ko, when Prince Link heals and leaves this place, where will you go?"

"With him." The lady looked over at the boy as he still continued, "I can't leave him though, because. . . He is like the older brother that I never had."