Twilight ran and ran. The chilly air tickled his nose as if to cover the scent he is currently tracking. It took him a while to find a lead; the cold and the strong odor of pinecones and monster blood overwhelming any other scents. He has not been able to register the stranger's scent earlier, afraid to frighten them should he transform into a wolf. He had no choice but to go in blind and rely on whatever odd his heightened sense of smell could find. Fortunately, he found one - muted but definitely Hylian - hidden beneath the mishmash emanating from his immediate surroundings. It is as if nature itself is hiding this person. It smelled like the fresh earth after a downpour, the first rays of the morning sun, and ripe apples. He is also caught the undertones of the salty ocean, monster blood, and the fragrance of something he is not familiar with. A wildflower native to this Hyrule, perhaps? There is the stench of a stable too - something he is familiar with - but it seemed to have dulled for months of distance away from the source.
What bothered Twilight was not how the mountain itself seemed to be trying to deter him from his quest (which only means he is on the right trail), but how the scent itself smelled familiar. It was as if he knew who it belongs to and has been carved deeply in his subconscious memory, that he is safe on this person's hands, and how frustratingly he could not remember anything about it. Those, and the knot of longing and the elation of reuniting with someone long-lost tightening in his chest. It almost made it hard for him to breathe, but he did not stop running. He could not stop running. At the back of his mind, a voice kept telling him, urging him, that he must find this person as soon as possible and protect them, no matter what.
Twilight bolted up a slope, digging his paws into the snow and leaving pawprints for the others to follow. That is, if the weather decided not to screw with them first. Heavy, black clouds started to drift overhead, and Twilight could only pray to the goddesses that a blizzard would not strike anytime soon. None of them are familiar with the weather patterns of this Hyrule nor confidently prepared to face them. If nature decides to fuck them up right now, he will have to withdraw and wait until it lets up. He is certain he will lose the trail completely if that happens, and he could not have that.
Seconds, minutes, and hours passed by, and his limbs begged for reprieve. His paw pads were raw from running, and he has yet to reach a fourth to the mountain. He could already imagine how sore he will feel the next day. The only incentive is that the scent had gotten stronger and more defined as if the source just passed by here. Scratch that. That person is here.
He dashed past remnants of monster camps and a set of stone pillars and half-buried stairs. The scent of monster blood got stronger the higher he ascended. He tried not to let his eyes linger on the frozen black blood painting the snow underneath his paws or the burnt pieces of wood that littered the path. He could see the peak, no matter how far it might actually be. If he turned his head a little, he could see another misshapen pyramid perched at the far northwest from the summit. As he reached a steep curve, his ears caught the soft crunch of snow ahead of him. He skidded to a halt at the end of the curve and crouched low against the rock face, ignoring the cold biting his fur.
They are here.
A more pressing question popped into his head. How did they get here that fast?
Twilight tiptoed silently as he trekked the slope, ears pricked up to any sounds from all sides. He discerned the sound of rapid heartbeats and the scent of agitation. How should he approach them? Does he have a plan? If anything, he knows he should transform back to Hylian. He does not know how the people here perceive wolves, and he could not risk it. Only then will he approach them, make himself appear harmless and probably trustworthy. The plan is vague and flawed, basic even, but it is a good plan, nonetheless.
He lifted his head to look for any hiding spots to transform back when he was met with a pair of impossibly blue eyes. His not-so-good plan quickly fell down the drain, and his right paw froze mid-lift in the air. He was too engrossed with putting a hastily drawn plan that he did not hear the person stepped in front of him.
"Wolfie…?"
Their...his voice sent a shock on Twilight's spine. He called him Wolfie. How did he know that name? The first person who gave his wolf form that name was Time. It was a month after Hylia sent the younger version of his mentor to his Hyrule, and shortly after Time found out that he could transform into a wolf. At first, it irked him. The name is so childish, almost frustratingly so, yet something about it felt right. He once told Time not to call him that, but the name just stuck. The other Links began calling the wolf him the same as well, and he later realized that it does not bother him anymore. There is something affectionate about the name Wolfie, and he could not put a finger on it.
"Wolfie? Is that…really you?"
By the goddesses! His voice was raspy yet sounds so small, so young, and hopeful. Did this kid mistake him for his pet wolf? Is taming a wolf normal in this Hyrule? Twilight shifted paw-to-paw, finally recovering from his prior surprise. The boy was still staring at him, his eyes scrutinizing his every movement as if he could not believe that he is there, standing right in front of him. He flinched when the kid approached and knelt down, one hand outstretched for him to sniff. Even with the hood pulled down, there was gentleness in those blue eyes – a contrast to the kid's earlier demeanor. Emotions swirled inside Twilight's chest; many were those he could not fit well with the situation.
Twilight pondered what his next move is. Should he pretend to be this kid's Wolfie? It sounds cruel, but if he could gain his trust and eventually lead him to the others, it would be worth the guilt. Their worlds-saving quest comes first; it is not like they will stay long in this Hyrule, nor he might see this boy again once they jumped worlds. The kid does not have to know that he is actually not his Wolfie and is not actually a wolf, but a Hylian like him.
"Wolfie?" The boy repeated, more solemn than before. He is patient, but there is fear struggling underneath it. Twilight swallowed the guilt and the self-loathing already building up in his throat, trying not to think of the kids in his Hyrule or from the others' Hyrule he has gotten to know over the past months.
Yes…this would be for the best.
He tilted his head in a show of comprehension before lifting one paw. The kid was watching him, but before Twilight could place his paw on his waiting palm, the kid jerked back. He noticed his ears twitched, and the kid rose suddenly. His eyes narrowed at the seemingly endless landscape of snow as if seeing, or sensing, something coming. Twilight lifted his head and took a sniff. The scents surrounding them have not changed, but there are new ones that are seeping in. He recognized them – five of them – and he knew that the other Links have picked up on his trail and are on their way to where he is.
A low growl rumbled on the kid's throat, and he turned and began to run. Twilight has no choice but to stumble after him. The snow piled deeper and deeper as they pushed forward, yet it did nothing to slow the boy's pace. If anything, it does not seem to bother him at all. Every few minutes, he would slow down and glanced over his shoulder, checking if Twilight were still with him. After the fifth time, he considered their trek a tad slow for his liking and waddled back toward Twilight.
Ripping a rectangular item from his hip, the kid placed a firm hand on his back. The sudden touch made Twilight flinch, and he fought down the urge to growl at him. "Hold…still." The boy murmured, eyes flicking restlessly at his surroundings as he swiped a finger on the tool. "We're…we're going to…teleport."
Wait. Did he just say…teleport?
Before Twilight could bark out a protest, neon blue light began to filter before his eyes, and he looked down to see his paws dispersed upwards into strings of light. It happened so fast that one moment he felt weightless as if he were the air itself, and the next second he was standing on higher ground, solid and whole again. He felt lightheaded that it took him a while to register the boy leaving his side and stomping toward the misshapen pyramid he glimpsed earlier.
Still grasping the rectangular item, he leapt on the platform and inside the mouth of the structure. He stood on the tan circle inside with the glowing symbol of the Sheikah tribe inscribed on it. He turned around to look back at Twilight, eyes almost glowing in the same blue light against the dim entrance. It took the Hero of Twilight a second to realize that the kid is waiting for him.
Twilight could feel the panic set in. He glanced at the horizon, hoping to see seven figures marching on the snow. Their scents are still far away, too far for his liking, and the kid seemed to be getting more restless by the second. The heavy clouds dominating the late afternoon sky were not helping matters. It is either he gets the chance to win this kid's trust or lose him and their possible way of getting in touch with the Goddess.
"Wolfie." The boy coaxed, soft and reassuring at the same time. "Come here. It's…" He winced as if speaking a few words was already taking a toll on him. "It's okay. We'll be…safe here."
Twilight blinked at him and then glanced at the hike down the mountain. He looked back at the kid whose eyes were silently pleading and swallowed the lump of anxiety in his throat. He reluctantly stepped toward the platform, and the boy moved aside as Twilight sidled next to his legs in such a tight space. He felt a hand rest on his back again, and before he could snarl a warning this time, the ground beneath them rumbled. The Sheikah eye beneath them glowed and a shimmering blue cascaded by their feet. The platform broke away from the rest of the entrance floor and descended. The mountainous landscape of black, white, and orange transitioning to complete darkness and then to a curtain of neon blue vertical lines in a matter of seconds.
The first thing that came up in Twilight's mind the moment they stepped off the platform was the word ancient. The obsidian floor and walls, the opaque white roof, the snaking design that seemed to crawl on every surface of this place except the floor, and even the orange lights – everything is ancient. The air is musty of age, with the scents of the mountain blending in just recently. The temperature is just right – a glaring contrast to the merciless cold outside. In front of them, a ledge leading to the next area was slightly submerged in a rectangular pool of water. At the leftmost corner of the room, there was a pedestal similar to the one outside. An inverted triangular rock was jutting above it, glowing in the same neon blue. A low metallic fence is situated just beside it, giving a view to another section of this place. It was quiet, too quiet in fact, and it bothered Twilight that he could not hear a thing coming from the outside world.
"Sorry...to bring you...here, Wolfie." The kid's voice startled Twilight out of his thoughts. "I know you…that you hate going...inside the shrines."
So, these structures are shrines. The Rancher tucked that knowledge for later. He peered at the hooded boy, who seemed more relaxed now they are out of anyone's sight (or the other Links'). He briefly wondered if his family finally found the shrine they went in and if it is possible for them to enter the way they did. He watched as the kid knelt down on the floor and began swiping a finger on the rectangular item he was gripping tightly earlier. Strings of blue light swirled down on the ground before him, and a bundle of wood and a black-colored rock materialized as if magic.
No, that has to be magic. Twilight thought as the boy placed the tool down, unraveled the string, and set up the firewood into a circle pointing inwards. A strange-looking short sword with a glowing blade materialized on the kid's free hand, and with a quick strike against the rock, the firewood ignited. Once satisfied with the intensity of the fire, he summoned a cooking pot and placed it over the campfire.
"What…what do you want to...eat?" The kid asked, not looking up as he browsed again on that tool of his. Twilight crept cautiously next to him and peered at what his now-companion was burning his eyes with. "Pumpkin stew is your favorite...but I…I haven't gone foraging yet. The Rito were making it…making it hard for me...not to be seen…."
The Rito? Why would this kid want to hide from the Rito? And how did he know his favorite? Twilight wanted to ask but dumbly remembered that he is still a wolf, not Hylian. The boy removed his gloves and rolled up his sleeves. The Rancher did not miss the scars covering the side of the kid's left forearm and on his palms. Four more items materialized on the boy's bare palms - some of which Twilight recognized. The boy pulled out a kitchen knife and a chopping board and began cutting the meat and a type of herb that Twilight did not recognize. Milk was poured into the cooking pot, followed by the cut meat and herbs and two pinches of what smelled like salt. His companion stirred the pot, humming to himself – the notes broken with each rasp. Once done, he poured some on a bowl and offered it to Twilight.
Twilight has enough experience with bad (or borderline evil) food thanks to the other Links. If he could refuse food made by his second family, why not strangers? But the aroma was so divine that it made his stomach grumbled, and he was reminded that he did not finish his breakfast earlier and did so much running thanks to this stranger. The boy was watching, gauging his reaction, and Twilight will be damned if he was left here just because he is being overly cautious.
He tipped his head down, took one lick, and immediately lighted up. The soup is rich - the milk complementing the herbs into a burst of flavors on his tongue. The meat was soft and tender, having absorbed the soup well, which enhanced its natural flavor. It was so delicious that Twilight almost cried. When was the last time he had such heavenly homemade food? Even the food they had in his Hyrule is nothing compared to this.
Twilight dug into his food, having forgotten his current predicament temporarily and the fact that the other Links might already be turning this Hyrule upside-down searching for him. He whined when he realized his bowl was empty and looked up to the kid. A quiet chuckle escaped from the boy as he picked up his bowl and refilled it with a fresh batch.
By the time the pot was emptied, the Rancher had lost count on how many helpings he had, but he was full and warm, and that is all that mattered. He laid down on his belly, soaking in the afterglow of one of the best meals of his life, as the boy packed up his cooking materials and excused himself to change into something warmer. Twilight decided to take it as an opportunity to see how the others are faring and stood up. He pawed at the platform, whining to get the boy's attention.
The kid looked hesitant at first on the prospect of letting him go by himself but caved in eventually. Perhaps, due to the fact that his Wolfie hated these shrines. He stood next to him as he held the rectangular tool in his palm. "Just…be careful, Wolfie." He said quietly. "There are…dangerous people out there. There's a bridge northeast...from here. I'll wait...wait for you there."
Twilight let out a huff as the platform ascended, and the boy disappeared from his sight. If those people are indeed dangerous, he would have been dead months ago. Just his luck, he is one of them, and if he is right on his hunch, a few of them are freezing and downright pissed. He let that last train of thought lingered before sighing in relief.
At least, he got saved from an incoming food catastrophe.