The wolf collapsed to the ground. He could barely see, only shapeless blobs penetrated his mind. At one point the wolf had been able to see in color, a remnant of his other form, but now even the colors faded, leaving only tints of grey in their place. Sounds jumbled together, losing meaning, and scents blurred even further. Soon he could not even tell up from down.

Something moved in his vision, a dark shape. The wolf tried to separate its scent from the others, tried to identify what it was. But he had no luck. A sound reached his ears, but all he could only decipher one word from it: Link.

Who was Link? He knew it was a name, but that was all. The shape moved toward him and he snarled. The shape moved back, uncertain. That was good… if he could only keep it away… but blackness claimed him before he could even finish the thought.

Itzal stared at the wolf that was Link, shocked. His eyes were clouded and foam spilled from his lips. What had happened?

He shook his head and picked up the unconscious form, not without difficulty of course, but he managed. He shoved Link onto the disk and tapped it twice. The disk grew, now three feet in size.

Itzal hopped on, teetering precariously on the small space left by Link's unconscious form. He focused Midna's face, and the disk sped away again.

Egon sat in the clearing, uncertain what to do. Cover, no, Itzal, was right. Egon had known him his whole life. Cover, Itzal, was never very important in the village, he was simply there. But that was enough for the fact that he was associated with magic users to be shocking. Were they really evil? Cover (ITZAL) was sure he was doing the right thing, and only the big scary man that had threatened him really acted like he was evil.

Egon shook his head; he didn't have to worry about it any more. They were gone. But this had been the most exciting thing in Egon's life, and he wished there was something he could do for the heroes. He paused for a second, surprised at what he had thought. Not the part about helping them, he had realized already he wanted that, however much it shamed him.

It was that he had called them heroes. But that was what they were to him. They were heroes.

Suddenly there was a whinny from behind him and Egon whirled around. There was a black horse there, a black horse with red eyes. There was already a saddle on her back. And the look in her eyes was clear: get on.

Egon paused for only a moment before getting on.

Lilith suppressed a shudder as the boy got into the saddle. The boy, though having no illusions about being her master, was far from worthy. But her warrior called for help, so she would bring it.

When Zelda finally found Link and Midna, they were laying next to a campfire, Link in wolf form. Next to them was a stranger, one that seemed peaceful, but a stranger none the less.

She approached cautiously, and in one quick movement she pulled out her sword and pressed it against the stranger's throat.

"Don't move."

The stranger stiffened, but didn't seem frightened "It's Cover Zelda. I came to help."

"Cover? You're suppose to stay with Egon!"

"I was told to help you here."

"Told?"

"Sit down, this might take a while."

Itzal told Zelda everything he had told Egon, and what had happened since they had left camp.

"And then I found Midna and we landed here. I can't carry them both on this thing, it doesn't grow any bigger. So I can only hope Ganondorf is all right."

Zelda nodded "Well I'll see what I can do for these two."

She went to Link first. She ran her hands over the fur on his head, instinctively knowing that was where the damage was. Her right hand began to glow golden, and the glow ran into Link's body.

Zelda explained to Itzal as she worked "He used the triforce, channeled it into a blast of power. My guess is Ganondorf showed him how. But he tried to channel it through his forhead, and for the power to do there, it had to pass through his front leg, his chest, his neck, and his head." She paused for a minute, reluctant to say the next part "Just because it is his triforce, doesn't mean that it can't damage him. He half fried his own body, including his brain and spinal cord. His triforce has already healed him quite a bit though, so I don't need to do too much."

Even as she finished speaking, the glow stopped, and Link's breathing returned to normal "He just needs rest now."

She went to Midna next, examining her wounds more closely than Link's. As she did so, she turned paler and paler.

"She's anemic from blood loss. And… she has been poisoned" Zelda recalled the giant bird's saliva "I think the bird's spit, or at least the spit of the biggest one, is poisonous. She could only be saved with an antidote, which we don't have."

Itzal looked solem "So she might as well be dead already."

Zelda shook her head "I didn't say that."

Her triforce began to glow again, flowing into Midna as it did into Link. But it wasn't the power alone that went to Midna this time. Zelda was transferring the triforce of wisdom to Midna, the only way to keep her alive until the poison was cured.

Zelda shivered and turned to Itzal "Don't tell Ganondorf that I gave Midna the triforce."

"Why?"

Zelda was shaking, fear was no longer held back by the triforce "Because the triforce is my value on this journey. I am its chosen guardian, so I wield it best. But we can't take the time to find an antidote, we have to go straight to Muerte. So Midna must keep the triforce until we have defeated it. I can't fight well enough to be valuable anymore, I'm only a burden. Ganondorf has had a grudge against me for ordering him around. If he finds out I'm useless." She gulped "He will kill me."