The quest for cows
Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda so you can't sue me.
Val turned the map around, then to the left, then flipped the whole thing over. "Well, how do you read the stupid thing anyway?" she asked Cowstalker who just looked at her and snorted.
I suppose you know your way around!" she replyed. Today was day number three (Day one was spent urging Cowstalker over the bridge and day two trying to keep him from going back over it)
She looked around, in the distance was a hill and to the oppisite to it was a gate way to what she belived to be Lake Hylia.
"Well what should we do first?" she asked her horse who just kept on eating. "Lake Hylia it is!" she yelled jumping on to the back of Cowstalker, who turned and gave her an evil glare. "Sorry...geez you are so touchy" she pouted as the horse began to walk down the incline to the gates.
Later, she wasn't sure how he did it but he had managed to get over both fences without breaking out of his slow walk. She looked at the beautiful lake "Wow...I've never seen so much water before..."She turned around "Or such huge bugs" She managed to make Cowstalker run over them all, squishing them.
She rode all the way to the edge of the water and got her horse to swim over to the fishing pond.
Val walked into the hut "Can I help you?" asked the man behind the counter. "yea...what is this place?" asked Val. "This is the fishing pond, you can catch fish here." Val looked confused "What's a fish?"
The man just stared a second then shook his head wondering "You can swim but you don't know what a fish is?" Val shrugged, little details never bothered her.
"I'll tell you what.."said the man "I'll let you fish for free, see if you can catch anything"
He handed her a rod. Val walked to the edge of the water and after a few trys she managed to set the hook. When the line began to move you got worried and pulled it in, seeing a large form at the end of it she thought a sea monster or something was trying to take the bait she had put on it, she fought with it till she pulled a large shiny thing out of the water. "Uggg" she groaned as she pulled it close "I'm not touching that thing...maybe the man will take it off the line for me...then I can get back to this fishing thing..." she took it to the man at the counter, but before she could say anything he took it and weighted it.."Wow...this is a real lunker" he said surprised "It must be beginner's luck, I'll put it in this tank with your name on it....and here" he said handing her a golden scale "This will let you dive for longer periods of time"
"Thanks" said Val happily. She left the hut and mounted her horse again. This time when Cowstalker got into the water he decided to take the long way around despite the yelling girl on his back. As they neared the pilliars close to shore, a blue and white head popped up. "Hey!" it yelled "I thought horses where for traveling on land?"
"He doesn't feel like it right now" said Val as she slid off Cowstalker's back and into the water, she swam to shore and watched Cowstalker swim in around circles like a dog. The odd-looking creature got out of the water and sat next to her. "What are you?" asked Val as she wrung out her hair.
"I'm a Zora...one of the aquatic people that live in lakes and rivers, my name's Aquacade...what's yours?"
"I'm Valdemir, I'm a Gerudo from the desert tribe, that's my horse Cowstalker" she said pointing to the animal that was now rolling on his back in the sand.
Aquacade looked at her "Why do you call him that?"
"Well..." began Val " He was my first horse, and the week that I got him all our cattle got loose, we went out to gather them up. He found every single one...just like a dog hunting down cats you could say" She laughed "My aunts dissaproved of an animal that would rather hunt cattle that enemy warriors...so they called him a stalker of cows...it stuck" Val smiled. The Zora streached out " Why are you here?" Val shrugged "I'm looking for lost cows...and my father" The Zora thought a moment "I haven't seen any cows around but I did see a boy talk to the scarecrows over there, then play them a tune...and one danced, it was really weird" the Zora said as he watched Val unload her horse. "What are you doing?" He asked. "I'm setting up camp" She said. The Zora looked around nervously and said "I don't think here would be such a good idea, there's those giant spiders and sea monsters that rise out of the lake at night and eat poor travelers..."
The Zora pointed to a rope bridge "It would be better if you go over to that small island over there and set up camp" Val nodded and followed Aquacade to it. Later that night the two of them where sitting by the fire Val had made. Val had just finshed telling about her quest to find her father. The Zora had listened with rapt attention as she explained she would be traveling all over Hyrule to find her father and missing cows. " I've always wanted to see the outside world" He muttered "I've been told tales of a mighty creature, that many races fear and respect..." here he paused a second a look of wonder across his face " It's called a...chicken"
Val looked at him "Huh?" was all she managed before bursting into a fit of laughter. He looked angry "Mock me if you will, but someday..." He said as she stared into the shy shaking a clenched fist " I'll be the greatest cuokoo master in all of Hyrule!"
Val was wiping the tears from her eyes "I'm not laughing at you" She gasped "It's just that I've never heard of anyone searching for chickens" She began to laugh again, rolling on the gound holding her sides.
He stood up and walked to the edge of the small island. " I must return to Zora's domain, but I will return in the morning" and with that her jumped into the water and disappered. Val yawned and crawled into her tent and went straight to sleep. No one had noticed the huge dark shape of an owl perched in the branches of the tree, with a final look around to make sure no danger would disturb the sleeping woman through the night, the owl flapped his huge wings and flew into the night.