Trapped

"Maruka!"

Darunia's voice boomed from the other side of the collapse. It started loudly before growing meek. Maruka stood up in response. He fought the fear that started to take him over, the fear he thought went away when he mastered his control over fire.

"Maruka!" Darunia repeated. "Link! Trevor! Navi and Sheila! Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"We are!" Maruka answered, though his voice quivered. "No one's hurt."

Maruka's eyes had adjusted to the dark at this point. The children were in a place with dark blue walls and cold cracked rock floors. What he said about the others was true—the group was covered in soot, but all of them stood and seemed fine.

"Good," Darunia said. "Thank the goddesses. Curse it all…bomb flowers won't get you out of this collapse. They're too far away from here. We ran out of regular bombs." A hard thud rattled the collapse, but it wasn't struggle enough to break it. "Our torch light was taken out as well. We can't easily find a fire. You'll have to navigate your way out. On your own."

He looked back at his friends. They all looked worried as they gazed at their surroundings. Sheila seemed to shiver. Trevor wore a frown. Even Link and Navi, the boldest in the group, seemed discouraged. Everyone was silent, wondering what waited for them up ahead.

"Where do we go?" Maruka asked Darunia, pressing his ear to the collapse.

"Through the dangerous places," said Darunia. "Dodongo's Cavern is treacherous. There's no avoiding that. There are rooms in the cavern with lava pits surrounding the sturdy ground, just like the first chamber. Stay on the paths we made over the years. Be careful in narrow corridors. Dodongos are rampant right now. It was what we feared…stay away from them when you can, my son. This looks like Ganondorf's work."

"Where can find you?" Maruka asked.

"If my memory serves right, you'll see us in the main chamber. Keep your eyes open and your heart strong. We will reunite, Maruka. You will survive…I'm…sorry for bringing you here. I shouldn't have brought you. Forgive me."

Maruka's heart sank. He heard the guilt in Darunia's voice. The boy wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that no one could have really seen an attack coming and the joy of the harvest distracted the Calvary. Maybe it was Maruka's fault for being here. After all, why was he even on the mountain?

"I'll see you soon," said Maruka.

Maruka's heart pounded. He wasn't sure if he could believe in his ability to get out of here. The darkness took everything over. Even after adjusting his sight, nothing was certain. When he turned to face the rest of the group, Maruka realized he was trembling.

"You heard Darunia."

Navi's glow strengthened amongst the group. She raised her high above the children and smiled.

"We're going to survive," said the fairy. "I have enough light to guide us through all this. Each of you has skills that can save you. I believe in you all. Don't doubt yourselves. Not now. You hear me?"

Maruka nodded, bracing himself for the trek. He met Link's eyes, which glistened and even seemed sad. The forest boy took a deep breath and let it out before lifting his sword and shield.

"Let's go," said Link. "You and I can lead the way."

The group forged ahead, following Navi. They walked carefully, not wanting to make a sound that could attract unwanted enemies. Maruka wondered what the Dodongos looked like. He heard descriptions that would have haunted his dreams if Tuba didn't brush them off with her gentle smile. Regardless, he knew they weren't to be encountered unless you had no choice but to fight.

Maruka put the bomb flower down and the group backed away. A cascade of explosions transformed the pillar. It lowered itself into the foundation it was built into. The ridges jutted out, crafting the staircase Link saw in the pillar's design.

The cavern's darkness didn't want to leave. Maruka wished a torch was nearby so he could harness its light. Navi was good enough, but another glow, another guide would have done wonders for the group. When they turned a corner, all of them froze.

Strange footsteps lurked nearby. Each tap against the cracked ground was focused, as if whoever was walking had been on a hunt.

"Be careful," Navi whispered.

The group crept down the corridor they were in. Just as they were about to round another corner, fire blocked them. It barely missed the children as they jumped back from the fiery attack. A roar emerged afterwards.

Dodongo, Maruka thought.

The footsteps grew louder. A beast with emerged from the cavern's shadows. It was covered in scales and had spikes sticking out from its spine. The beast's nostrils huffed out twin strands of grey smoke. The children's surroundings seemed to heat up. When Maruka peered into the beast's eyes, he saw that they were two teal orbs without pupils. It was as if the beasts had no life in them to speak of, but only a violent rage.

"Be careful now!" said Navi. "I think it's going to attack again!"

The Dodongo bared two rows of sharp teeth. Its bottom row harbored two tusks that protruded out like daggers. It inhaled deeply and its wide frame body expanded. Maruka knew what would happen next. He dashed in front of the group without thinking. Both his palms faced the creature.

"GET BACK!" he yelled. "It's going to—"

The flames lit up the dark. Heat surrounded Maruka's hands, arriving in the form of amber flames not unlike the flickering mounds on his training torches. The heat was a sensation he grew used to. However, pain followed.

Maruka yelped. He felt his skin bubble and burn. Something tore on the back of his hands, causing his eyes to tear up. Suddenly, Maruka screamed as the pain grew worse. He almost fell to his knees. The cavern seemed darker, as if he were going blind.

As Maruka started to fall, he wondered what could have gone wrong. This had never happened before. Gorons told him stories about how he seemed to survive the heat more often than not. He survived the crater where the Fire Temple rested. Flames were under his command. They said he could have walked on the sun and survived, mastering the Morning Star above all else.

This was different.

Maruka gathered himself. He didn't know what caused him to get his second wind, but he widened his stance and focused. The fire was still painful, but Maruka battled through whatever hurt him. His foe—the Dodongo before the group—threatened them all. This couldn't be allowed. Maruka had to fight.

With a shout, he threw the fire back at the beast. The flames covered the Dodongo's face. Its loud roars soared through the cavern as it writhed, trying to shake off its own sense of pain. Maruka heard Link's quick footsteps, which led to the forest boy leaping in the air to slash the Dodongo on the head. The Dodongo uttered a gurgle and fell. A red tongue rolled out from its mouth as the flame charred its body.

Maruka allowed himself to fall. A pair of hands caught him before he landed face first into the frigid ground.

"I got you," Trevor said with a pained voice. "Why did you do that, bro?" He helped Maruka kneel on the ground, holding him steady. Navi shed her light on his hands. The burns shriveled his fingers. Blisters covered the backs of both his hands. Maruka tried to steady himself, but couldn't. He was made too weak from the attack.

"Jerome…!" Sheila covered her mouth. "Oh no…"

Maruka wasn't used to hearing his real name, but he didn't mind this time. He cringed as Sheila quickly borrowed a cloth from Link's satchel and wrapped it around his hands.

"This is too freaky," said Trevor. "Are there more of them? I hope not, dude."

"Let's not find out," said Link. "Where's the way out?"

The others looked around and surprisingly found a door made from steel. They rushed towards it, not wanting to run into other Dodongos. When they walked through the door, the air sweltered even more than it did in the dark corridors.

They were in a large area with molten lava. Only platforms of hardened red rocks separated the children from certain doom. The room's magma flowed around the island-like platforms. It eventually reached an edge where it spilled over into a place Maruka didn't want to think about. He was sure his friends felt the same way.

A ledge oversaw the lair of magma. There was already a first waterfall-like structure guiding the lava into the space. When the children looked up at the ledge, shadows caught their attention. Tall, looming figures stared down at them, brandishing swords. When they revealed themselves, Maruka's stomach flipped.

The figures had serpent-like heads. Their tongues slithered from their mouths, wriggling between two rows of sharp teeth. They had armor on their shoulders, with sharp clamps attached to their left arms. Tails stuck out from their backs. Their clawed feet seemed to dig into the ledge beneath them as their clawed hands clutched silver swords.

Their eyes were a violent gold. Each beast was full of malice. Maruka could tell. He knew that when they leapt down and landed perfectly platforms, there would be no choice for the children other than to fight for their lives.