Wolfie is a simple wolf.

He is the self-appointed guard wolf of a group full of heroes who share the name Link. He patrols the perimeter of every temporary camp they build and ensures everyone is accounted for on behalf of their de facto leader. He tracks down wayward heroes, leads them back to the others (with a side of scolding later), and watches to guarantee they would not sneak out anytime soon. The mysterious beast is a source of comfort during difficult nights and a quiet company on better days. He listens to the heroes' worries and complaints with an empathetic expression that is a tad strange to see from a wolf.

Then again, Wolfie is not an ordinary wolf.

He is an alternate form taken by one of the reincarnations of the Hero's Spirit - someone who was given the title of the Hero of Twilight. It is a secret only a few in their dysfunctional group know about. He is also the mentor of the recently dubbed Hero of the Wild, who had taken off with the Hero of Winds for some long-overdue 'private' conversation by a riverside. They had been in this unknown Hyrule for two weeks and had yet to see another settlement since they left the first town.

Twilight could understand the hero's need for some time alone - the past fourteen days were used to re-acquaint the whole team with their apparently not-reincarnation. Wild told them everything that had gone in his journey - from waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection (Twilight could tell he was uncomfortable about it) to freeing the Divine Beasts. During lunch the next day, he detailed his fight against Calamity Ganon and did not even leave out the part where he had to pull the Master Sword and got burned in the process. Twilight stayed next to him through it all and gave small encouragements on aspects his Cub finds difficult to speak about.

There was a myriad of emotions on the others' expressions as the Champion willingly presented himself as an open book, but the Rancher could see the pride that shined the brightest in those eyes. That act alone seemed to stir something within the heroes, and Twilight could sometimes glimpse one hero having a heart-to-heart with Wild - probably to tell how they appreciate the scarred man or to share a secret that they held close to their hearts.

The Rancher would catch Wild's eye after that, and his protégé would give him a tilt of the head and a small smile. He did not question what they had talked about - he understands it as the others' token of trust to the Hero of the Wild. If anything, he was happy to see them getting along well despite the revelations that came into play.

Now, here he was, lying down on a patch of sunlit grass as he watched the two heroes from afar. He would have left them to their devices was it not for the monsters in the area. They decided to follow the river's length and stumbled upon a small camp of ten uninfected Bokoblins just two hours ago. It was a quick battle - they had gotten used to dealing stronger black-blooded ones that it seemed like a child's play. Despite that, Time did not want to take their chances on getting ambushed and decided to send Twilight to watch the two. It would have been enough of a reason, but then, there was that time that Wind and Wild nearly set a forest fire two days ago, so….

"...About what you said that night." Twilight's ears pricked up at the sound of Wild's voice. It seemed the distance he decided on was not enough to give the two their privacy. "You said that I - I mean, the Link in my era has a sister?"

A sister? The Rancher heard Wind hum as he nodded. "Yeah. Her name is Aryll. She's actually a, uh...a ghost."

The transformed hero could imagine Wild's eyes widened at that. His voice lowered to a whisper. "She... she's dead?"

Wind nodded grimly. "She died while waiting for her older brother to wake up. She told me that their mom died while giving birth to her. Their dad too, when he protected Hyrule against...you know." There was a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Her spirit's here with us right now. I actually...I could see and talk to her and to, well, other ghosts."

Wind can talk to ghosts? Twilight should not be surprised by this because he could do as well as a wolf, but only within areas shrouded in Twilight. To hear that their youngest could interact with the dead freely...life truly still has a lot of surprises in store for them.

Still, he should not eavesdrop on the rest of their conversation. The Rancher stood up to find a different watching spot when he caught Wild's gaze. His protégé must have heard him - he sometimes forgets that the Hero of the Wild has a keener sense of hearing than him - and decided to reveal their unwanted company.

Wind noticed that Wild was distracted and followed the older hero's line of sight. The Champion gestured for the wolf to approach, and Twilight was left with no choice but to follow, or else he would not hear the end of it from him. The wolf padded next to the scarred hero and plopped on his side. He laid his head on Wild's lap as the latter reached to scratch him behind the ears.

"Do you mind?" Wild asked the Sailor as he gestured at the wolf. "He won't tell anyone else, I promise."

Wind shook his head and smiled. "Nope! Not at all."

The Champion cast a subtle look at the transformed hero that Twilight immediately understood. He chuffed as he placed a front paw on the Sailor's knee as if to reassure the youngest hero. Wind's grin grew wider, and he scooted closer to join Wild in petting the wolf. The latter gestured for the other to continue.

"Uhhh...so yeah, I can see and talk to ghosts." Wind repeated. "Aryll said you could too. Though, she told me that a few times, and I forgot, so…" A pair of hopeful eyes flicked to the older hero. "Can you really interact with ghosts?"

"I can," Wild admitted. "At least, that's what I think. I only managed to speak with five ghosts since I woke up. King Rhoam and the four Champions. That was months ago."

If Wind's ears were as expressive as Wild's, it would have drooped by now. "Oh...so you can't see Aryll. That's…."

Wild gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

The Sailor waved his hands. "No, no! It's fine. It's just…." He wrung his hands together. "You have many ghosts following you, and Aryll...she has a lot to say to you."

Twilight could not precisely tell whether Wild was surprised to hear that he had an army of ghosts around him or that this ghost girl wanted to speak to him. Maybe both. The Champion whipped his head to look for anything incorporeal and dead hovering around him before turning to the Sailor with nervous eyes.

"Uhhh...should I be concerned?"

"Nope!" The Hero of Winds chirped. "They're not out to harm you. It's more like umm…." He tilted his head side-to-side. "They're watching over you. Protecting you, even."

"That's…" Wild frowned. "That's good to know, I guess?" He inched closer to the younger hero and whispered. "Protecting me from what exactly?"

Wind looked up to nowhere in particular. He nodded a few times to a silent one-sided conversation only he could hear before turning back to the Champion. "Aryll said they're trying to protect your soul. Something about it not functioning right."

Wild's eyebrows scrunched together. "My...soul?"

"Yeah." The Sailor bobbed his head. "Aryll said you're really his brother and have the Hero's Spirit. It's unstable, she thinks. Like you can't recognize that you are you. She said that most ghosts who stayed with you couldn't move on until they're sure you're okay. It's their way of atoning for not being able to support you one hundred years ago."

What…? If Twilight is bewildered, he could only imagine that Wild is more. The heavily burned hand that was petting his head just a second ago stopped abruptly as its owner gazed at the blue-clad hero with an unreadable look.

"That's…" A low chuckle rumbled in Wild's throat. There was no humor in his eyes, however. "That's ridiculous, you know. How could a soul be unstable? That's... that's impossible!"

Wind's face fell. "I...Aryll said she didn't know the full details. Sun might know, and so does the Spirit of the Master Sword. She said you should try talking to -"

"NO."

Wild's voice cut off sharply that even Twilight tensed. The Rancher looked up to his protégé and whimpered. There was a frigid look in the Champion's eyes as he glowered at the Sailor. It did not last long when he turned his face away.

"Sorry. I just…" The Champion sighed. "I can't do that, Wind. The Master Sword will burn me," He grasped his trembling hands. "No… it will definitely burn me again. It always does."

The Sailor pursed his lips. "...Aryll said it won't do that. Not anymore. She said that the Master Sword burned you because it didn't recognize your soul. She said it has been trying to get your attention for a while now." He reached out to clutch the hem of the Champion's shirt. "Won't you try? I know you got hurt because of it, but maybe this time -"

"That's enough!"

Wind flinched and withdrew his hand as if he was electrocuted. Twilight instinctively rose to his paws to bar the two heroes from each other before a fight broke out. The wolf growled at the scarred youth, and that alone was enough to snap the Champion out of his rising anger. Guilt lodged itself in Wild's throat, and he turned his face away not to meet either heroes' eyes.

"Wind, I..." Wild shook his head as his expression contorted to pain. "I can't. I just can't. That ghost doesn't know anything! The pain I felt when I touched the Master Sword...none of you would ever understand. Even if I tried, I doubt it would speak to me. Sky and Warriors can't see the spirit anymore, and none of you even heard its voice even once. Me? I'm better off not seeing the Master Sword at all, much less the spirit that dwells within it. It...it would be the best for both sides."

There was a beat of silence as the dejected frown on Wind's face slowly morphed into understanding — his shock from earlier diminished to nothing but an afterthought as he bobbed his head. "...Okay." He said. "But my point of not believing what Twilight and Sky said stands! Aryll said that you have the Hero's Spirit, so that must be the truth. I refuse to believe otherwise!"

It amazes Twilight even to this day how swiftly the Sailor bounced back from his lows, though he suspected it would not be the last time that the blue-clad hero would bring the subject up. Wind is stubborn just like that.

The Champion sighed in defeat. "I don't have a sister…." He told him that, but Twilight could sense that even the hero was unconvinced with his words. "But believe what you want. I'm not going to force you. I know how it feels being pushed into something with no way out."

"Well, you won't!" The Sailor huffed and lifted his chin indignantly. "And I will help Aryll find out the truth. The real truth! So, that you won't suffer anymore."

Wild chuckled as he reached over the wolf's back to ruffle the younger hero's hair. Twilight huffed and would have rolled his eyes if he were not in his wolf form. He returned to his position beside the Champion, but not without watching the two younger heroes.

"Fine. Do what you want."

Wind puffed his chest with a proud smile. "We sure will!" Then, he inclined his head as if listening. "Ummm…."

"What is it?"

"Aryll said to stay away from the shadow guy. She said he's bad news." The Hero of Winds raised a finger and drew something on the air. "White hair. Red eyes. Does that ring a bell?

It had not gone unnoticed to Twilight the dramatic shift on Wild's face. "How did she -?" He rapped his knuckles on his knee. There was a distant quality in his eyes, but the Champion was quick enough to hide the troubled expression on his face for the Sailor to notice.

"Wind, could you go tell Twilight to find our dinner's missing ingredients?" Wild unhooked his Sheikah Slate that Sky returned before they left the inn and passed it to the Sailor. "I have the recipe in here. Twilight should know where to look. Tell him to find everything in the exact amount as I've written, okay?"

Wind took the Sheikah Slate with a frown. "Sure, but aren't you going back to camp? Twilight might get mad if you don't come back with me."

"I doubt it." The Champion smiled thinly. "I just need time to...to think about everything you've told me."

"But Time said -"

"Wolfie is here with me." Wild patted the wolf, who gave a small huff. "He will protect me, so don't worry. But in case something happens, I'll shout, okay?"

The Sailor's eyes landed on the wolf in consideration before nodding slowly. "Okay." He said. "But don't blame me if Twilight gets angry at you."

The Champion chuckled lightheartedly. "Sure. You're off the hook when that happens. I'll even let you use the Sheikah Slate to take pictures."

"Deal!"

Wind stood up and waved his See you later! before he bounded off towards the trees. The two waited until the youngest hero was out of sight, and Twilight readied himself to change back to his Hylian form. Wild, however, placed a hand on the curve of the wolf's furry back and shook his head.

"Stay like that for a bit and listen to me."

The wolf flattened his ears and cast him a wilting look that promised an interrogation later. Despite that, he did not change back. The scarred hero flashed him a grateful smile before turning to gaze thoughtfully at the river before them.

"Say, Twi. Do you remember when I told you about my dream where I met a younger Time, and he warned me about the Shadow?" Wild asked. "The truth is, I haven't told you everything about that dream."

Twilight's ears perked up. Oh?

"Time warned me to be wary of the Shadow." The Champion continued. "Someone he also called as the Dark Hero. He kept telling me to be vigilant. He was…" He tried to pluck for the right words. "Time was desperate. He kept telling me the same thing until he was…he was stabbed right before my eyes."

What? Twilight nearly rose on all fours, but his protégé's firm hand kept him down. The scarred hero did not look at him, but the Rancher could immediately tell Wild was not done yet. Instead, he was just starting.

"He was stabbed, Twi, right in front of me. I wasn't able to do anything except get buried underneath his corpse. When I tried to see who killed him, I…." Wild pursed his lips. His hand closed around the patch of moss green fur underneath it. "I saw a black figure. It copied Time's appearance, and...he looked like the Time in my dream, but he was different. Just like what Wind told me. Nearly all black with white hair and red eyes."

Twilight frowned. Black, white hair, and red eyes...why does that sound familiar? The description seemed to stir something in his memories - something he had seen in his journey. Where did he see it? Where did he -!

The wolf's eyes widened. The Interlopers! After the Light Spirit Lanayru was revived, it showed him a vision about the creation of Hyrule and the history of the Twili to warn him about how dangerous the Fused Shadow is. But how? How did a vision even become sentient?

"It wasn't the first time." The Champion took a shuddering breath and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I had another dream with that same entity. Except it copied the Captain first multiple times before everyone else, even you, Twi. They nearly tried to kill me - no, Warriors, before I woke up."

"And you know what's worst?" When Wild turned with a haunted look on his face, Twilight felt chills run along his spine. "I've met him. I've met the doppelganger that appeared in my dreams. The very one that murdered Time and nearly killed Warriors. He called himself Dark Link, and he admitted that he was the cause of," He gestured to nowhere in particular. "All of these strange happenings. He's the reason why we're sent in this quest, Twi. He's the one we're after. He's our target."

There was a waft of cold air as Twili magic brushed against Wild's side. An arm bumped against the Champion's slumped shoulder as Twilight shifted beside him. "I believe you, Wild." He said. "But I want to know, what did he say to you? Did he threaten you?" A low growl rumbled in his throat. "Did he hurt you?"

Wild wondered how the Rancher could just blindly believe him like that. Twilight's one of the more cautious heroes in the group. Maybe not as paranoid as Time and Legend, but he is one of the 'responsible' adults - someone who will keep the younger and not-so-young heroes in line, including himself. If he had not met the Ordonian before this mess, he would have suspected it to be a ploy to get his guard down. Not that it worked when he encountered him and Hyrule in the Temple of Time.

Wild shook his head. "N-No, he didn't. I…" He looked down clasped his hands together. His lips quivered as he spoke. "I think he wants me to join him to...I don't know. He's been trying to get inside my head. Every time I think I don't belong, every time I feel like my emotions would swallow me whole, I could hear his voice. I could hear every word he said to me when I first met him as if he was right there with me! No...he has always been there. He has always been watching and waiting for me way before that. And I…"

Wild gripped the front of his shirt. That night in the inn still vividly imprinted in his mind - how Dink's words echoed in his head, how the darkness closed in on him, and how his shadow opened its arms to embrace him. "I'm losing, Twi." He confessed. "I feel like I'm on the edge of a cliff every single time. I'm afraid that someday he'll win, and I'll surrender to what he wants. I don't want to hurt anyone, Twi. I... I'm scared."

Twilight bit the inside of his lip. There was a prickling sensation on his chest as he looked at his protégé. Why does the Goddess treat you like this? Why does it have to be you who has to suffer like this?

"Cub, listen. You're far stronger than the Shadow takes you for. I know because I've been with you for most of your journey. I've witnessed firsthand what you have to endure, what you have to face, and what you have to survive. You're one of the strongest persons I've ever met, and not just as a warrior, but as a person as well. You're kind-hearted, courageous, and reliable, and it is Dark Link's mistake for underestimating you like this."

Twilight planted his hands firmly on the Champion's shoulders, urging the latter to lift his head to meet his gaze. "However, it doesn't mean you have to face him alone. We're here, Cub. We're not going to let him get you. We're going to help and protect you. I'll protect you even if it's the last thing I will do. So, please rely on us a bit more. You're not alone in this. Do you understand, Cub?"

"But the others…."

"I know things are messy right now with the team," Twilight said. "But it will pass. Aren't you talking with others to start fresh and get to know each other more? Haven't you gotten a bit closer to them these past two weeks compared to before?"

Wild dug his nails on his palms. "Yes...but not all…."

"Which is natural." The Hero of Twilight gently took the Champion's hands and coaxed his fingers to relax to prevent him from hurting himself further. "We might share the same spirit, but we are our own persons. Getting to know each other takes time, but you and the others are doing well, from what I could see. There might be bumps along the way, but I'm sure they're not something you can't overcome. If things turn for the worse, there are seven of us ready to help. You just need to say the word, and we'll mediate. Okay?"

Wild pursed his lips as if to consider his words and then nodded slowly. "...Okay." A small reluctant smile graced his features. "Thanks, Twi."

"Don't mention it."

Twilight tousled the Champion's hair, earning him an indignant squawk from the hero. The latter swatted the Rancher's hand and huffed as he patted his unkempt hair. His ears flicked, and he whipped his head towards the trees. He saw a glimpse of red disappear between the trunks, and he stood up.

"Wild?"

"I…" Wild swallowed. He clenched his hands on his sides as he turned to Twilight with determination in his eyes. "I'm just going to catch up with the Veteran." He said. "There's something I want to talk to him about."

Twilight scrutinized his protégé before smiling. "Alright, but don't do anything rash." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his trousers. "And be back before dinner. I'd hate to drag you back by the scruff like the cub you are."

The Hero of the Wild gasped in mock betrayal. "I knew there's a reason why you call me that!"

Twilight laughed. "What can I say? That's the first impression you gave me." He patted him on the back. "Now, go. We'll wait for the both of you at camp."

Wild nodded and marched to the direction where he had seen Legend go. Twilight watched the scarred hero's lone form navigate the massive tree trunks and thick underbrush before he turned in the opposite direction. There was a flicker of movement in the growing shadows, and when he looked back, he saw nothing but the last glimpse of Wild as the darkening forest swallowed him whole.