The Legend of Zelda
The Winged Ones
Chapter 12 Feathers vs. Flames

It was Navi who watched the group as they slept that night, being a fairy she needed less sleep and she could just take her spot back in her favorite bed in the morning, that being nestled in Link's long hair under his long hat.
Navi was all the sentry duty they needed, her body may be small but boy was her voice loud…and some times quite irritating.

The night went without incident and they awoke decently rested. The faint light of dawn lit the room from above, the eerie images of a black winged figure still lined the walls around them. Chirin stared at them with trepidation "I know" said Link "they bug me too." Sheik stepped forward "I hate to say it." said Sheik, "But they remind me of that shadow creature Gannon made of you…only it's like a dark version of your Tenshioni form" Sheik said looking at the red haired black winged being whose threatening form dominated the cracked and crumbling mural on the walls "Yeah that is what I was thinking." Link said, but what he really thought, was that it looked more like Chirin.

Link put his hand on the floor to help shove himself off the gritty tile but as he did so he winced and his rear fell back to the floor. His hands were still badly scorched in this form just as they were when he was wounded as a Tenshioni, the Tenshioni form would heal as it laid slumbering within him but injuries sustained while in that form remained on his Hylian body.

Sheik looked upon the weary hero worried "Are you going to change back? Do you even have to? That form hurts you so much after you use it. And the last time you became Tenshioni while your Hylian body was hurt the results were dreadful." "I will recall my wings in a moment." Link said with calm determination pulling himself off the floor. "Kaepora said it was fate that chose to allow both me and our child to take on the form of the people this demon destroyed. Only, we are able to get close to it, unlike them, for our forms do not come with the curse of cold his people have. I think us both attacking as Tenshioni is how we will win."

Link walked over to where his sword had fallen, blade first into the ground, the lava had dried and was solid black. Link grimaced at the sight of the sacred blade in such a state. "I tried to get it out." said Sheik, the Hero of Time did not look away from the blade "It is not your sword so it would not let you. I have to" Link said "and in the form it recognizes." he said grasping the sword with his burned and ravaged hands forcing himself not to flinch from the pain. He pulled the sword from the ground the hard lava cracking off.

Link took on the Tenshioni form, his burned hands and wounds healed at a cost he would pay later when the form was dispelled again. Link signaled for the rest to follow and they made there way into the room the fire dragon came out of. Yubreit bounded after Chirin nudging him nearly knocking the boy down as the child recoiled from the sudden unexpected chill that touched him when the dragon's nose made contact. The dragon had all but fully healed overnight, their breed can heal immensely quick as long as their injuries do not go past a point of no return.

In the dark room that the fire dragon had come out of was a blue and gold treasure chest, the one which held the master key. As the room went back it became pitch black. They followed the wall of this dark room, using the feel of the stone to guide them, taking each step carefully should a trap await below their feet. Navi was asleep in Link's hat, he did not want to wake his dear little friend just so they could follow her glow.

At the end of the passage they found that this time they would have to go down, far down. A huge shaft laid before them "I can take care of myself this time thank you very much." Sheik said, Link gasping as they red eyed being jumped. With the skills only a Sheikah can master Sheik landed unhurt on the ground far below, the landing pose low to the ground hands and feet touching the earth resembling an animal about to strike. Sheik got up and looked around "It's safe down here, for now at least!" Sheik hollered up the huge shaft.

Without warning Yubreit jumped, Sheik's eyes grew wide at the sight of the huge animal careening towards the earth and the Sheikah scrambled to get out of the way. But the dragon did not freefall to the floor, the shaft was wide enough for its wings which the group saw unfurl for the first time, they shimmered like fresh snow, the unique mix of bat and bird with. The wing's arms and fingers were coated in small scales that got larger up top the webbing with their size and shape shifting to form huge feathers, the underside was sleek and smooth like a bat, truly fascinating to behold.

The dragon landed with the grace and poise of a creature much smaller and daintier than itself. "I will admit that was impressive." Link thought to himself, all Sheik could think was "I will admit that scared the crap outta me."

Link landed on the ground and Chirin landed square in the center of the dragon's back on the broad saddle. Chirin's Tenshioni form, though immune to heat still welcomed the sensation of sharp cold that radiated from the Ice dragon. Yubreit turned his head and the pair looked at each other gleefully. Link smiled for a moment, but the grin faded. They were not finished with this place yet and hopefully it would not finish them first.

Beyond the deep shaft was a long dark tunnel, Link considered waking Navi this time to guide them, the little fairy was still sound asleep in Link's hat nested in his dark golden hair. However the dragon seemed to know where it was going so Sheik and Link followed by sound on foot, Chirin still sat in the saddle.

They found themselves back in the room with four doors, they unknowingly had somehow ended up back in the same tunnel from whence they first came.

The fourth door still laid heavily chained, at the center the huge lock. Link inserted the key, a rush of foreboding nostalgia filling him as the familiar click of the latch made his hair on end. So many times has he done this that his very nature had adapted an instinctual reaction to unlocking a door the likes of this for what laid behind had each time nearly claimed his very life.
The sound was also so very familiar to the fairy who had joined him on these quests that the noise startled her from sleep and she swiftly untangled herself from her little nest in Link's hair and promptly took her spot at the hero's side.

As the heavy lock hit the floor Yubreit began to growl, the air was so thick with tension that Chirin very much wanted to embrace his mother for protection. But it was the form of Sheik that stood beside him, the form of a warrior, a form that reminded Chirin he needed to be strong and the young hero rekindled his courage.

As the door swung open Link saw…nothing, it was another elevator shaft like before only this one, like the doors, was huge.
Link was incredibly apprehensive about this, but what choice did they have but to trust that just entering this huge metal box was not in of itself a death trap? The group got in, a bit of a tight fit with so many feathers and a dragon, Sheik shivered as the cold from the dragon's skin chilled the air… and the box began going up.

"Brace yourself…. we may have no warning when we reach the top."

The creature knew they were coming. It may look like an animal and speak no words but its mind was shaper than that of Ganon, and the evil this creature held was by far more ancient than what Ganon wielded.

The heroes stood at the foot of its chambers, their forms hidden in shadow. The demon sat on a huge stone throne like structure, a throne large enough to seat a whale, a throne that once belonged to the giant wolfose for whom this chamber was made.

Its paw like limbs lay folded, cruel white claws at the tips of its toes. Its form like that of a wolf lit ablaze, no ears could be seen in the rippling flames of the inferno, the shape of a tail flicked slowly up and down on this huge which appeared to be made of roaring flames. Its red eyes mocked them.

As Chirin and Link stepped forward the Demon stood up, its eyes grew wide and wild with shock and anger staring at the gleaming white feathers of their wings.

The Demon's eyes became that of a creature insane with rage.

The group scattered as the demon lunged, Sheik whisking away the winged Chirin to one side, Link and the dragon retreated to the other, a claw grazing past Link tearing a hole in his the chest plate of his armor and drawing blood.

The demon grew wild again staring at one set of wings and then the next deciding which to strike first. Link could see the demon's fit of range was focused on their Tenshioni forms.

The demon lunged for Chirin first, Sheik took advantage of the demon's lack of focus and used the chain to snare the end of the beast's muzzle the hook biting into the bridge of its wolf like snout. The demon stopped annoyed, the attack did not seem to do much good as the beast easily shredded the chain and bashed Sheik to the wall with one swipe of it's clawed paw.
The wounded Sheikah painfully got back up of the floor, a torrent of blood streaming past equally red eyes and staining the sash that bore the clan's symbol.

The Sheikah warrior breathed heavily looking at the demon, a conniving grin struck Sheik's face as the warriors red eyes saw what they had hoped to see. The Sheikah's seemingly pointless attack did in fact do much good, for now they knew there was as solid form under that flame, that the demon was made of flesh, for now a small stream of blood dripped from its face and onto to the floor.

The demon glared at the Sheikah but upon seeing no wings it resumed pursuit of the winged child. Link flew past the demon so close to its face that Link's Wings were singed by the heat of the flames. Link began taunting it with his white feathered form keeping the demon's attention away from his son.

Kaepora had said that despite its animal form this creature was more cunning than Gannon himself, so there was a good chance it could understand speech. Link knew he could not verbally relay his plan to the others, he had to trust that their bond would be enough for them to instinctually work together in silence.

The demon bounded after the larger winged being, Link distracting its attention as best he could. Sheik and Chirin struck, not seeing much they could do each hacked off a toe with a swift and strong slice of their weapons. The demon screamed in pain at the severing of the flaming digits and retreated back towards his throne with a huge leap backwards to examine this new sensation for the demon had never really experienced "pain" before. The flame of the severed toes extinguished leaving behind what appeared to be burnt and crumbling stones.
The toes did not regenerate on the demons form.

"Well now we know it is not invincible" Link thought with new found confidence, Link could see the same light of hope in the faces of Sheik and Chirin.
The demon looked up from its bleeding injuries and growled, its eyes no longer crazy and wild but rather focused and filled with spite.

The demon lowered its head as it slowly and menacingly crept towards them, jowls quivering with its ceaseless growl.
It leapt with an unexpected speed that did not belong to a creature so massive. The demon gabbed Chirin in mid air, its clawed paw wrapping cruelly around a pearly wing as Chirin looked on in alarm. Link looked on in panic as the demon landed on the ground with prey in hand, the wing began to grow red in its grasp and the boy screamed. The creature sat up on its hind legs, Chirin's free wing was flapping in a futile effort to break free, the demon reached up with its clawed paw as if it planned to pluck the beating wing clean off the boy's form.

Sheik and Link's faces shone with cold terror as they helplessly raced to the boy's aid.