Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of NIntendo Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.
The Hunt
Chapter 49
The buzz wouldn't go away. It was ever-present, a low-key vibration in his head and ears that never stopped. He could be distracted from it, for a few seconds, but that only seemed to make it more persistent. A bass note that never faded. If Link had to be honest, that was what bothered him the most.
The restraints, padded as they were, were loose enough not to hinder him too much. He found the excuse for them, his own protection, a little flimsy since he was hardly about to start hurting himself. He was willing to overlook that, however. He understood them. They were as scared of this as he was.
His eyesight had changed, too. He found himself seeing a little worse than usual—distant objects were just a little fuzzier than before. In the dark, however, he saw far better than before. Sheik had claimed it was even better than that of a Sheikah, which was impressive indeed.
His voice...still gone. That had frustrated and scared him greatly at first—how could he possibly live without it? Now, though...now he could communicate with a shaky but rapidly improving grasp on Tao's sign language, and the rest he could write on a small chit he'd been given. Not being able to talk...to whisper to Sheik at night...that was a horrible loss...but...he could live with that. After all, Tao did, didn't he? Why couldn't Link?
He could identify people by smell now, as they approached. Everyone had their unique scent, to his surprise. He knew exactly who was approaching the infirmary based on the sounds of their footsteps, and the scent that preceded them. This he found more interesting than anything upsetting...at least with those who had more pleasant scents than others.
His mouth itched. His teeth had changed. The incisors had grown a little sharper, a little longer. The rest had changed shapes, more suited for ripping and tearing than gnashing and crushing. All were capable of tearing just about anything to shreds. And they weren't done. Every now and then, he could swear he felt them shifting in response to strong feelings, like anger, but that was surely just his imagination. Truth was, he didn't want to know. He pretended he could still live in denial of what was happening to him, that everything was fine, despite that simply looking into a mirror would confirm that was far from the case.
He found he missed his eyes. They'd been his mother's. A deep sapphire, the colour of the depths of the ocean...now replaced by a light grey that occasionally shifted to amber, according to Sheik. When Link asked when it happened, Sheik was surprisingly unwilling to answer, and no one else wished to enlighten him either. Perhaps they hadn't noticed? He hoped Sheik was joking, making some sick joke...because that colour had been the same colour as the beast's...
Somewhere in the fortress, a door slammed shut, and the buzzing grew a little louder in response. He could hear so much of what went on in the Studio. Distant conversations, though muffled...footsteps several floors above or below...the distant pounding of the smiths' hammers...certainly useful to a wolf on the hunt, he thought to himself bitterly. But those distant sounds only made the buzzing more prominent to him, to the point where it kept him awake at night.
"Tinnitus," Kaura had called it. "Everyone has it to some degree—seems whatever the monster's blood is doing to you is making it a worse for you—or perhaps it's simply your hearing's gotten more sensitive to it, along with everything else."
As she'd spoken, sitting five feet away, Link had been surprised to realise he could hear her heart beating in her chest. The air filling her lungs, expanding them to strain against her ribcage... She'd noticed his look, and asked him what was wrong. He'd lied, said it was nothing. The less he thought about it, the better.
The silence, and the buzzing accompanying it, was worst at night. He was left alone, then, in the infirmary's store room, which they'd converted to house him...and imprison him. There was always someone in the main room of the infirmary, ready to help (or call for it) in case something happened, but they felt it best that he was given some privacy when he slept, as if to make up for the barrage of tests and questions they levelled at him during the day. As he lay there, a small beam of light streaming in from under the door, he wished whoever was out there (Erd, judging by the smell of paper and chemicals. Ard smelled very similar, but he had a more...inky tone to him) would come and keep him company, to produce more normal sounds until he nodded off from exhaustion.
"You need to learn how to block it out," Kaura had said. "Until you do, it will always be an annoyance."
Easier said than done, he'd wanted to bark at her (literally), but he'd settled for a fierce glare instead, hoping she'd understand how he felt about her rubbish advice. If she were concerned for his wellbeing, she'd at least let him get some proper sleep...
Sometimes, when it was Sheik's turn to stand guard at night, he'd creep inside Link's room. Sheik's presence calmed him. The scent of spices, with a tiny hint of strawberries (for some reason) always made him feel at ease. Less calming were the thoughts that pervaded his mind whenever Sheik was close—an absurd sense of...possession? A desire to protect? He wasn't sure, but he found himself thinking, on more than occasion: Mine.
They did little but kiss, and Sheik occasionally snuck beneath the sheets to help lull Link into sleep with his body heat, which was endlessly more comforting than even the soft blankets he'd been given.
He shifted, ignoring how the chains of his rattled against each other. The gums near his molars were itching fiercely, and nothing would stop it. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. That too had grown longer and shaggier, almost like fur—
He shook his head, trying to stop that train of thought from even departing the station. He'd disagreed with his father on many things, but they shared the opinion that positive thinking was important when facing adversity. This was just temporary, after all.
That slight mental hiccup had distracted him...and now the buzzing was back. Growling, and trying to ignore how animal-like that sound was, he turned onto his side and buried his head into the pillows, wishing they'd help shut the noise out...but that was difficult since the sound was, essentially, coming from him.
There was a knock on the door, and the smell of paper grew clearer as the door opened slightly. Erd poked his head inside, looking concerned. He flinched a little when Link turned his head to look at him. Why?
"Are you all right? I heard...you sounded angry." Erd was careful, as if every word might set him off, or something. He was right to be worried. Link had been...very angry when he'd first been told of the changes...but he'd never dream of attacking them. He wasn't even angry at them, but at the damn beast!
Link gave him a weak smile, false, nodding.
Erd gave an equally weak smile in return. "Ah, sorry, I suppose I woke you, then."
Link shook his head, and made a sign.
Awake. Cannot sleep.
"I see...is there something I can get you? Water? Something to eat?"
Nothing. Fine. Tired.
Link had none of Tao's dexterity and speed when making the signs with his hands, but he was learning more and more of them every day, and since those who spent time around him also took the time to at least be able to interpret them, they got by surprisingly well. Tao assured him he would become just as fast, with time. It didn't help that Sheik was learning it faster than Link, but he supposed that was just the nature of his...lover? Graceful and majestic in absolutely fucking everything...
His momentary annoyance must have showed, because Erd swallowed thickly, the beats in his chest increasing just a little in speed. "I apologise for disturbing you, Link. Good night."
The door closed, and the lock clicked shut. Wholly unnecessary, but Link once again understood the...assurance it provided the others. He just wished the entire situation wasn't necessary in the first place.
Could he have done things differently? Probably. He was sure just about every hunter in the Studio would gladly give him their own version of what they'd have done in his stead. Many would probably have resulted in their deaths, but some might have emerged victorious and without the presence of...what had Kaura called it? Foreign cells invading, adapting, and thriving with his system? He hadn't liked the sound of that.
Kafei and Mana assured him they'd have done the same thing, were their roles reversed at the time, but it wasn't as much of a comfort as they'd hoped.
You don't have to be afraid of me, he thought.
He missed being able to say that...
Sometime later, there was a change in the air. Link smiled as he heard the footsteps approaching the infirmary, followed by the hint of spices. There was a gentle knock on the outer door, which Erd opened. There was a brief, hushed conversation, so quiet Link couldn't hear it through the door. Erd chuckled, and then the door opened once more, and his footsteps quickly left the same way.
The lock to Link's room then clicked, and the door slid open. Sheik gave Link a smile when he came through, carrying his circular oil lamp, bathing the room in a warm glow. He closed the door behind him.
"Hope I didn't wake you," he murmured as he shed his coat, hanging it over a chair, and then pulling off his boots. Link shook his head. "Still can't sleep very well, huh?"
Link signed. Ears loud. Nightmares.
The less said about those...
Sheik hummed in sympathy, removing his jacket and moving to stand next to Link's bed, waiting as if he was asking permission. "I know you're having a rough night...do you mind if I...?"
Link quickly shuffled to the side, allowing Sheik to climb into the bed beside him. As soon as Sheik was within reach, Link tucked his face into the crook of Sheik's neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply, blushing all the while. He couldn't explain why he felt the urge to do this, or why it seemed to provide him with more comfort than all other efforts combined...but there it was. Add the delightful little shivers Sheik produced whenever he did this, and...well, Link saw no reason to stop.
"At first I was afraid I smelled bad, but clearly that's not the case," Sheik whispered, eyes widening slightly when Link quickly claimed his lips in a kiss. He responded soon enough, moving his lips against Link's, moaning a little as the Hylian's hands roamed all over his body. He didn't do anything, just lightly touching where he could, as if to confirm he was still there.
Withdrawing to let them draw breaths, Link gently knocked his forehead against Sheik's, carefully running a finger beneath the scar on his cheek. He'd taken to wearing his cowl a lot more among the hunters lately. Had they commented on it, maybe? Was he embarrassed? If someone made fun of him for it, Link would show them his displeasure...
"It's nothing," Sheik said, practically reading Link's mind. "Just...I don't like it, is all."
Link harrumphed, giving Sheik a glare before pointedly kissing the scar, humming. And then he inhaled once more, expecting nothing but the scent of Sheik, but...there was something else. A hint of steel and...blood? Moving away so he could look at Sheik, he narrowed his eyes. A sudden anger had welled up within him. Someone else had left a hint of their scent on Sheik, had touched him...touched him without permission!
Who touch?
Link's sign was sudden, and it took Sheik a moment to remember what he was seeing. His eyes widened even more than before, and then he looked away.
"Just...another hunter. He wanted to see the scar, that's all—"
No touch. Who?
Link felt like a child, having to communicate like this, but his chit was on the table at the other end of the room, and he didn't want Sheik that far away, all of a sudden. He touched Sheik's chin and gently guided the Sheikah to look back at him.
"It's not important, Link, it's just—"
Link settled for glaring this time. It worked.
"Eugh, it's just this human...his name is Iteos. Assassin from one of the kingdoms near Lumina. Pretty sure he only became a hunter to escape a hangman's noose, but he's good at what he does, so...never liked the bastard, myself." Sheik sighed. "He came back from the watchtower today, and he noticed the scar. Wanted to see it, so he pulled down my cowl and touched it. That's all. Reno chased him away afterwards."
Link cocked his head at the unfamiliar name.
"Another hunter who just got back from patrol," Sheik explained as Link slowly began to rub his cheek against Sheik's scarred one. The smell of this Iteos had to go away, right now!
If Sheik noticed what he was doing, he didn't make a comment, only continued to explain.
"He always beats Iteos during sparring, and is about the only person he's afraid of. I'm pretty sure they knew each other from before becoming hunters, too, because they certainly seem to share a history...mostly of hatred, but still."
Link hummed again, and then kissed Sheik once more. He'd gotten rid of Iteos' scent, mostly, and that was good enough for now. When Sheik kissed back, Link grew a little bolder, licking almost shyly at Sheik's lips, which parted and allowed his tongue inside. The feeling of exploring Sheik's mouth, their tongues duelling...was always so indescribable to him. It made his heart gallop like it was about to explode, filled him with heat, and warmth, and comfort...and said heat quickly spread to other places. He felt and heard Sheik's heart beating wildly too, and a growing hardness between the Sheikah's legs.
Got to see to that, Link thought, letting his hand ghost over Sheik's groin, eliciting a moan from the hunter, muffled by their joined faces.
"We...shouldn't..." Sheik said, panting from the lack of air. "What if...someone...comes...?"
Link huffed, and slid his hand under Sheik's shirt, making it clear what he thought of that possibility. As he found a nipple and pinched it, Sheik practically whined and quickly thrust against his other hand.
So that is your weak spot, Link thought with a grin, continuing his ministrations.
It was a long night, and all the while a single word kept repeating itself in Link's mind, was spoken silently on his lips, was expressed with his every touch, his every action.
Mine!
To be continued…
Yeah, Link's a possessive wolfie, it seems... Also, fluff!
