Chapter Seventeen:
"Excuse me?" Link said looking around for the strange voice that just answered. From the corner of a nearby house walked the old hag that lived in Kakariko. A very strange and mysterious woman who created the Super Potion that had aided Link on his last adventure.
"He placed it there to distract you," the woman repeated. The words still didn't seem to hit home.
"What are you talking about Ma'am?" Loraefin asked as if they didn't know anything.
"The spell of course. You were talking about the spell that Ganondorf left before he was banished into the Sacred Realm."
The three were baffled at this sudden turn in events.
"How could you know that?" Link questioned her.
"I know…and I know how to cure the Zora if you're interested…" She started to walk off back in the direction of her potion shop. The trio followed her inside where she sat down behind the counter.
"What may I do for you?" The old hag asked as if she lost all memory of what just transpired. Link looked blankly back at Loraefin who just shrugged her shoulders.
"You said you knew something about how to cure the Zora…" Link began.
"Did I?" The old woman said slyly.
"Yes you did," Navi piped up.
"I did? Oh, foolish me…"
"Well do you know something?"
"Perhaps…" She said and stroked her cat, "but my memory seems to be failing me these days and---"
"The King will pay you well if you do this service for him," Link knew her angle, but he didn't have time to play it. A wide toothless smile spread over the old hag's face.
"Very well young man, five thousand rupees for the antidote…supposing you supply the ingredients…"
"Five thousand rupees and we have to get the ingredients?" Navi fluttered over head. "That's outrageous!"
"I don't have time to haggle with annoying fairies. Take my price or leave, I should be asking for twice as much!" The old woman snarled at Navi. This was the Zora's only hope.
"What are the ingredients?" Link asked.
"Very wise young man," The hag smiled craftily. "They are an assortment of items that you can find in Hyrule…The scales of a Dodongo, a stomach sack of a Leever, Octarok tentacles, an electric Biris, the spirit of a Poe, water from a fairy fountain…and a Hyrule Loach. All of these mixed together will make the antidote that can cure the Zora, provided I add a little magic of my own."
"How are you so sure this will work?" Link questioned, "and how do you know about the black spell anyway?"
"I do. Bring the items back to me when you have collected them and you will get your antidote," the old woman said walking off behind the curtain to the back room and disappeared after it. Link follows her but she just vanishes and is nowhere to be found. Puzzled, they leave the hut, wondering if what had just happened really took place.
***
Link suggested that they stay in the village for the night, they couldn't get anything more done that day and they needed their rest. Luckily, Link was acquaintances with the caretaker of Impa's house and they were allowed to stay there for the night. The caretaker lit a fire for them and laid out extra blankets before he departed to his own home and family down the street. The air in the house was a bit damp, but after the fire had worked its heat for half and hour the air turned warm and dry again. The three shared a bit to eat over the table while making idle conversation with one another.
"So do you speak Gerudo at home more often? I only ever heard you mumble a phrase or two when we were there," Link picked apart a staling piece of bread absently then threw it into the fire with a crackling pop.
"Sometimes, more like half and half…Mostly when we're angry," Loraefin grinned at the thought, "coy rou judub ka' greis es'toona."
"What does that mean?" Link grinned, a sweet, good-natured smile with laughing eyes.
"May you never throw a pig into the river," the girl smirked. "My grandfather always said that, after he learned Gerudo of course, being Hylian and all. Based on a true story you know."
"Really?" Link's eyes lit up with interest.
"Oh, yes," she laughed, "when he was younger, before he met my grandmother Re'ale, he had taken a sow from the next farm and-"
"Why did he do that?" Navi alighted on Link's shoulder. Loraefin regarded her for a moment, quiet eyes staring off blankly before she continued.
"Well," she groped for the right words, "you could say he was a bit of a troublemaker, that's all." Loraefin shrugged her shoulders and reached to pour herself another mug of water. "Anyway he---"
"Wait, wait, wait, he was a thief?" Link cocked his head to the side and looked at her quizzically. He could see the muscles tighten in her throat and her grip clench on her water cup.
"Yes, you could say that," she said slowly, "what other kind of man do you think would wed a Gerudo woman?" Link considered this for a moment.
"I don't know. A really strong man…or a really brave one." He grinned and she couldn't help laughing.
"Exactly. I mean, he was a great man, a great man," her finger traced the rim of the cup, "kind, loving, brave…he was just young and rebellious. You probably know about that." Link just nodded.
"So, are all the other men in Murieope---"
"Most," Loraefin answered. "They don't like to talk about it much, they didn't think it was a 'appropriate' thing for their children to know, but yes, I think they broke into the jail and made my grandfathers an offer they…couldn't refuse?" Link made the mental image of a dozen Gerudo warriors breaking into the prison full of thieves and other scum and offering them their freedom in return for joining them. Gerudo women were beautiful, he could imagine they did not get much resistance. "A interesting family tree no?" She laughed faintly and stretched her arms out wide with a yawn. "Nayru, I'm tired. Where is the bed Link?"
"Oh, upstairs," he replied absently, "but there is only one." She paused at the foot of the stairs and looked at him questioningly. "I'm sleeping on the floor," he added. The expression faded and she smiled.
"Okay, waar jiwtu then."
"Night."
Link made up his bed with extra blankets about an hour later after the fire had gone down, but not all slept well after dark…
"You must hurry."
"We are! We can have the antidote within a few days!" Link was standing once again in the strange room.
"Three days until the Zoras demise…The rest of Hyrule will follow…"
"Three days? But that's almost impossible!"
"Three days…"
The Hero of Time jolted from his sleep with a cold chill running all up and down his spine. The fire had completely died out and the room was cold as well. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. First light was not long away so Link awoke Loraefin and packed their things. They were out the door in quarter of an hour.
The first stop was back up Death Mountain where they could get the scales of a Dodongo. Luckily for them, Dodongo's Cavern was before the avalanche so they didn't have to re-climb the towering piles of stones. Groggily, they walked up the trail in the early morning light.
"You never did finish your story," Navi flew happily by. Apparently morning grogginess didn't affect the fae.
"What story?"
"The one about your grandfather and the pig."
"Oh, well it's really not that funny now. He was just 'borrowing' his neighbor's sow and the neighbor caught him. He ran all the way down to the river with it, the neighbor chasing him the whole way and there wasn't a bridge anywhere in sight. So he threw the pig into the river and jumped in after it." There was a large pothole in the road and Loraefin took a pause to jump over it. "Turns out the pig was a better swimmer than he thought and when he went to grab it and drag it to the other side it ended up almost drowning him and gave him a few good gashes with its hooves. The water swept him a mile downstream before he found the strength to pull himself out, which goes to show you never throw a pig into the river." She yawned again and asked, "does he always get up this early Navi?"
"Only when he's on a quest or is going fishing," Navi giggled.
"Hey, I'm going to catch that crafty Loach one of these days!"
"You would think so…" Teased Navi.
"I am! I almost had him a week or two ago!"
"I got lost when you mentioned 'Loach' way back there," Loraefin added in. "What the heck is 'Loach' anyway?"
"It's a species of eel that lives in Lake Hylia. It used to be endangered, but since a few years ago it's managed to thrive with the help of the conservation project," Navi informed her. "Anyway, there is this one giant Loach who lives in the fishing pond that Link has been determined to catch for years now."
"Isn't a Loach on our list of ingredients?" Loraefin asked.
"Yes, but we can just pick one up at the Lakeside Laboratory," Navi answered. "The Professor breeds them."
***
It was dark and eerie in the Dodongo's Cavern, only miniscule rays of sunlight penetrated into the giant front chamber. The cave was damp and had a musty odor to it, somewhat like the smell of day-old meat that had roasted in the sun. The lava pools simmered in front the enormous Dodongo skull placed on the cave wall, sending a strange glow on the confined area.
"Ah, hardicata. It smells like my grandmother's meat and vegetable soup in here," Loraefin commented wrinkling her nose. "Nope, wait my mistake, my grandmother's smells worse."
Link lit a torch and walks further into the cavern. They needed to get to the ledge on the right side of the cave, so hopping down Link followed along the narrow edge in between the shelf they needed to be on and the pool of cooling lava beside them. Once on the end they were able to climb up the aged wooden ladder to the top.
"I take it you know where we're going?" Loraefin mentioned.
"Yea, you could say that."
She looked around the room they were standing in; she looked anxious.
"So, um…What are these Dodongos like anyway?" She said. Link thought for a moment.
"Well," he began, "there about as big as you, no back legs just front ones, they breath fire and when you kill one you better stand back because they blow up."
"Bre'kenaar," Loraefin replied.
They searched the first three rooms without success, it appeared that the Dodongos had got up and left with no reason at all. This was strange to Link, the cavern had always been filled with Dodongo…or at least every time he had been there. There were plenty of Keese to go around though, a constant onslaught of them to be precise making it hard to get anything done.
The trio searched every room except the last one on the right side where the Dodongo usually were, but none were to be had so far. Frustrated, Link walked over to the last room on that side of the cavern in search for them, Loraefin and Navi had to trot (well, Navi flew…) to keep up with him.
"Well I'll be…" They heard Link say as Loraefin was turning the corner.
"What? What do you see?" She asked just as she came into view from behind the wall.
"Sh!" He warned. "Quick come here!" Hastily she obeyed.
"What?!" Loraefin demanded.
"It's the Dodongo," Link whispered, "over there inside that room."
"OK then, let's go get the scales we need," she started to stand up but Link pulled her back down.
"Wait! There are to many of them do you want to get killed?" Loraefin sat down immediately.
"No," she said.
"Ok then, we are going to have to wait for awhile, I didn't think to remember that it's the Dodongo's egg laying season," Link looked cautiously behind him.
"It's their what?!"
"Sh! The females are extremely aggressive during this time. In a hour or two they will be done and will go to sleep, that's when we make out move."
***
Patiently they waited outside the chamber in silence, entertaining themselves with games of tic-tac-toe and rock-paper-scissors. Constantly Link would peer around the corner to see if the Dodongo had drifted off to sleep yet, which was a very long process. In the end it was almost Loraefin who fell asleep before the Dodongo, but after a grueling three-hour wait they were finally able to sneak into the egg laying grounds.
"When you pull the scales out won't they wake up?" Navi reminded Link as he stood over one of the Dodongo.
"That's why we need grab and run," he said. Quietly he leaned forward and motioned Loraefin to hand him the dagger that hung from her belt. She handed it to him and braced herself for anything that could happen. With one quick movement Link cut off several scales and jumped back; nothing happened. Curiously he went over to another one and repeated the step, taking several more scales; still nothing.
"This is odd, they're not waking," Link commented and took a few more of the Dodongo's plated skin. "Very odd inde-"
"Uh Link…Run!" Navi shouted as Link whipped around. Four huge male Dodongo blocked the entrance out. They snarled at the trespassers and started to move forward towards them.
"I don't think we need to worry about the females being aggressive Link…Is there another way out?" Loraefin interrogated turning to Link.
"Follow me!" He yelled as he turned sprinting behind him as the Dodongo let out a wall of flames. Down at the other end of the passage way Link hopped onto a platform that led to another doorway. "Fin! Can you pull that old statue over a little? That's it! Over that switch there!"
Loraefin looked to her left and saw an old stone figure standing there and grabbing it, pulled with all her might, but it only moved slowly across the dust and sand. The Dodongo were closing in on them and they were trapped at the end of the passage. Link jumped down and grabbed onto the statue, helping Loraefin pull it the rest of the way. The door on the platform swung open and the trio scrambled inside.
"It's a good thing Dodongos are slow," Link joked around. Loraefin shot him an evil glance.
They were now in a giant room, almost as big as the main chamber. The floor was molten rock with the exceptions of a few sparsely placed islands of land in that were the only way to get across. A door was visible on the opposite end of the room.
"Here, follow me," Link said as he started to jump from island to island.
"That's molten lava are you nuts Link?!" Loraefin called after him. He stopped and turned around.
"You can't be a hero if you're perfectly sane!" He called back, "now come on!"
Suddenly, the ground took an enormous jolt and it sent Link falling to the ground. A few loose rocks tumbled down around him. After the dust settled he looked around to check things out.
"You OK Navi? Fin?" Link shouted, coughing from the dust. He heard silence and started to panic. "Are you guys OK! Answer me!"
"We're fine Link…I think," Navi answered flying over to him, "Death Mountain again huh?"
"That would be my guess. Hey Fin! Where are you?" Link called again. His shout was met by Loraefin's choking cough. "Loraefin!"
"I'm here! I'm here! Stop shouting! I've already got a head ache for crying out loud. Ah, Farore dus happenda?" another tremor sent her bolting upright. A shower of tiny rocks fell from overhead. "I want to get out of here," Loraefin said frightened, "can we go…please?"
"Yea, sure," Link said softly as he jumped back to help Loraefin across. He helped her get up and tried to wipe some of the soot off of her face for they were both very dusty. "Hey, don't worry, we'll be out of here before you know it, I promise. Don't be afraid."
"Chased by fire breathing lizards, disease, cave-ins…boy do you know how to show a girl a good time," she tried to keep her voice from trembling. She turned away from him and with downcast eyes muttered, "I expected more of myself, but I guess the cold hard truth is when you take a small town girl out of the small town it's not long until her bravado gives out." She tried to smile despite her fear, her dusty cheeks gathering up at the sides of her face.
"I think you doubt yourself to much," Link encouraged, "after all, what hero doesn't get scared every now and then?"
"I'm no hero Link, hate to be the one to tell you."
Link looked at her sternly. "With that attitude you're not. Come on! Pick your spirits up a little will you? Your making me depressed," he followed Loraefin onto the next stone island.
Another tremor, smaller this time, shook the cave. Loraefin quickened her pace, as the weak tremors grew stronger and closer together by the second.
"I think we better hurry Link!" Navi tried to say as she dodged a falling rock. Loraefin had made it to the other side and Link was only a few jumps behind her. "Come on Link!" Navi called again. As Link's foot left the safety of solid ground it gave way to a sharp and violent jerk. Link lost his footing as he jumped and the motion sent him flying awkwardly forward. He yelled.
Link threw his weight out and his foot just barely caught the last platform. Rocks were showering all around them; Link started to fall backwards, the cooling molten rock below him. Loraefin's arm shot out and violently grasped Link's wrist at the last moment with all her might. The Hero of Time reached out with his other hand and grabbed the girl's forearm to try and help pull him up. She lurched back as her boots began to slip forward over the dust. Her legs were strained and her arms felt like they were loosing their grip on the young man at the other end.
"Pull Loraefin pull!" Navi darted about.
"I am pulling! Kresca su!" She grunted and tried to steady her feet on the shaking ground. "Link! You're…to…heavy," she groaned, "I can't…pull any…harder."
"You have to try Loraefin! You have to try!" Navi encouraged. "Just pull!"
Loraefin bent her knees so she was almost sitting on the ground and gave one last tug on Link's arms. Link came toppling down on top of her, his weight almost knocking the wind out of her. She panted for breath but Link pulled her up by the arm.
"We need to go!" He shouted. Fleets of stones were assailing them from over head; Link took off his shield and held it over their heads as they ran through the cave and back into the main chamber. The quakes had started to subside as they sprinted out the entrance and back down Death Mountain Trail to safety.
"Excuse me?" Link said looking around for the strange voice that just answered. From the corner of a nearby house walked the old hag that lived in Kakariko. A very strange and mysterious woman who created the Super Potion that had aided Link on his last adventure.
"He placed it there to distract you," the woman repeated. The words still didn't seem to hit home.
"What are you talking about Ma'am?" Loraefin asked as if they didn't know anything.
"The spell of course. You were talking about the spell that Ganondorf left before he was banished into the Sacred Realm."
The three were baffled at this sudden turn in events.
"How could you know that?" Link questioned her.
"I know…and I know how to cure the Zora if you're interested…" She started to walk off back in the direction of her potion shop. The trio followed her inside where she sat down behind the counter.
"What may I do for you?" The old hag asked as if she lost all memory of what just transpired. Link looked blankly back at Loraefin who just shrugged her shoulders.
"You said you knew something about how to cure the Zora…" Link began.
"Did I?" The old woman said slyly.
"Yes you did," Navi piped up.
"I did? Oh, foolish me…"
"Well do you know something?"
"Perhaps…" She said and stroked her cat, "but my memory seems to be failing me these days and---"
"The King will pay you well if you do this service for him," Link knew her angle, but he didn't have time to play it. A wide toothless smile spread over the old hag's face.
"Very well young man, five thousand rupees for the antidote…supposing you supply the ingredients…"
"Five thousand rupees and we have to get the ingredients?" Navi fluttered over head. "That's outrageous!"
"I don't have time to haggle with annoying fairies. Take my price or leave, I should be asking for twice as much!" The old woman snarled at Navi. This was the Zora's only hope.
"What are the ingredients?" Link asked.
"Very wise young man," The hag smiled craftily. "They are an assortment of items that you can find in Hyrule…The scales of a Dodongo, a stomach sack of a Leever, Octarok tentacles, an electric Biris, the spirit of a Poe, water from a fairy fountain…and a Hyrule Loach. All of these mixed together will make the antidote that can cure the Zora, provided I add a little magic of my own."
"How are you so sure this will work?" Link questioned, "and how do you know about the black spell anyway?"
"I do. Bring the items back to me when you have collected them and you will get your antidote," the old woman said walking off behind the curtain to the back room and disappeared after it. Link follows her but she just vanishes and is nowhere to be found. Puzzled, they leave the hut, wondering if what had just happened really took place.
***
Link suggested that they stay in the village for the night, they couldn't get anything more done that day and they needed their rest. Luckily, Link was acquaintances with the caretaker of Impa's house and they were allowed to stay there for the night. The caretaker lit a fire for them and laid out extra blankets before he departed to his own home and family down the street. The air in the house was a bit damp, but after the fire had worked its heat for half and hour the air turned warm and dry again. The three shared a bit to eat over the table while making idle conversation with one another.
"So do you speak Gerudo at home more often? I only ever heard you mumble a phrase or two when we were there," Link picked apart a staling piece of bread absently then threw it into the fire with a crackling pop.
"Sometimes, more like half and half…Mostly when we're angry," Loraefin grinned at the thought, "coy rou judub ka' greis es'toona."
"What does that mean?" Link grinned, a sweet, good-natured smile with laughing eyes.
"May you never throw a pig into the river," the girl smirked. "My grandfather always said that, after he learned Gerudo of course, being Hylian and all. Based on a true story you know."
"Really?" Link's eyes lit up with interest.
"Oh, yes," she laughed, "when he was younger, before he met my grandmother Re'ale, he had taken a sow from the next farm and-"
"Why did he do that?" Navi alighted on Link's shoulder. Loraefin regarded her for a moment, quiet eyes staring off blankly before she continued.
"Well," she groped for the right words, "you could say he was a bit of a troublemaker, that's all." Loraefin shrugged her shoulders and reached to pour herself another mug of water. "Anyway he---"
"Wait, wait, wait, he was a thief?" Link cocked his head to the side and looked at her quizzically. He could see the muscles tighten in her throat and her grip clench on her water cup.
"Yes, you could say that," she said slowly, "what other kind of man do you think would wed a Gerudo woman?" Link considered this for a moment.
"I don't know. A really strong man…or a really brave one." He grinned and she couldn't help laughing.
"Exactly. I mean, he was a great man, a great man," her finger traced the rim of the cup, "kind, loving, brave…he was just young and rebellious. You probably know about that." Link just nodded.
"So, are all the other men in Murieope---"
"Most," Loraefin answered. "They don't like to talk about it much, they didn't think it was a 'appropriate' thing for their children to know, but yes, I think they broke into the jail and made my grandfathers an offer they…couldn't refuse?" Link made the mental image of a dozen Gerudo warriors breaking into the prison full of thieves and other scum and offering them their freedom in return for joining them. Gerudo women were beautiful, he could imagine they did not get much resistance. "A interesting family tree no?" She laughed faintly and stretched her arms out wide with a yawn. "Nayru, I'm tired. Where is the bed Link?"
"Oh, upstairs," he replied absently, "but there is only one." She paused at the foot of the stairs and looked at him questioningly. "I'm sleeping on the floor," he added. The expression faded and she smiled.
"Okay, waar jiwtu then."
"Night."
Link made up his bed with extra blankets about an hour later after the fire had gone down, but not all slept well after dark…
"You must hurry."
"We are! We can have the antidote within a few days!" Link was standing once again in the strange room.
"Three days until the Zoras demise…The rest of Hyrule will follow…"
"Three days? But that's almost impossible!"
"Three days…"
The Hero of Time jolted from his sleep with a cold chill running all up and down his spine. The fire had completely died out and the room was cold as well. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. First light was not long away so Link awoke Loraefin and packed their things. They were out the door in quarter of an hour.
The first stop was back up Death Mountain where they could get the scales of a Dodongo. Luckily for them, Dodongo's Cavern was before the avalanche so they didn't have to re-climb the towering piles of stones. Groggily, they walked up the trail in the early morning light.
"You never did finish your story," Navi flew happily by. Apparently morning grogginess didn't affect the fae.
"What story?"
"The one about your grandfather and the pig."
"Oh, well it's really not that funny now. He was just 'borrowing' his neighbor's sow and the neighbor caught him. He ran all the way down to the river with it, the neighbor chasing him the whole way and there wasn't a bridge anywhere in sight. So he threw the pig into the river and jumped in after it." There was a large pothole in the road and Loraefin took a pause to jump over it. "Turns out the pig was a better swimmer than he thought and when he went to grab it and drag it to the other side it ended up almost drowning him and gave him a few good gashes with its hooves. The water swept him a mile downstream before he found the strength to pull himself out, which goes to show you never throw a pig into the river." She yawned again and asked, "does he always get up this early Navi?"
"Only when he's on a quest or is going fishing," Navi giggled.
"Hey, I'm going to catch that crafty Loach one of these days!"
"You would think so…" Teased Navi.
"I am! I almost had him a week or two ago!"
"I got lost when you mentioned 'Loach' way back there," Loraefin added in. "What the heck is 'Loach' anyway?"
"It's a species of eel that lives in Lake Hylia. It used to be endangered, but since a few years ago it's managed to thrive with the help of the conservation project," Navi informed her. "Anyway, there is this one giant Loach who lives in the fishing pond that Link has been determined to catch for years now."
"Isn't a Loach on our list of ingredients?" Loraefin asked.
"Yes, but we can just pick one up at the Lakeside Laboratory," Navi answered. "The Professor breeds them."
***
It was dark and eerie in the Dodongo's Cavern, only miniscule rays of sunlight penetrated into the giant front chamber. The cave was damp and had a musty odor to it, somewhat like the smell of day-old meat that had roasted in the sun. The lava pools simmered in front the enormous Dodongo skull placed on the cave wall, sending a strange glow on the confined area.
"Ah, hardicata. It smells like my grandmother's meat and vegetable soup in here," Loraefin commented wrinkling her nose. "Nope, wait my mistake, my grandmother's smells worse."
Link lit a torch and walks further into the cavern. They needed to get to the ledge on the right side of the cave, so hopping down Link followed along the narrow edge in between the shelf they needed to be on and the pool of cooling lava beside them. Once on the end they were able to climb up the aged wooden ladder to the top.
"I take it you know where we're going?" Loraefin mentioned.
"Yea, you could say that."
She looked around the room they were standing in; she looked anxious.
"So, um…What are these Dodongos like anyway?" She said. Link thought for a moment.
"Well," he began, "there about as big as you, no back legs just front ones, they breath fire and when you kill one you better stand back because they blow up."
"Bre'kenaar," Loraefin replied.
They searched the first three rooms without success, it appeared that the Dodongos had got up and left with no reason at all. This was strange to Link, the cavern had always been filled with Dodongo…or at least every time he had been there. There were plenty of Keese to go around though, a constant onslaught of them to be precise making it hard to get anything done.
The trio searched every room except the last one on the right side where the Dodongo usually were, but none were to be had so far. Frustrated, Link walked over to the last room on that side of the cavern in search for them, Loraefin and Navi had to trot (well, Navi flew…) to keep up with him.
"Well I'll be…" They heard Link say as Loraefin was turning the corner.
"What? What do you see?" She asked just as she came into view from behind the wall.
"Sh!" He warned. "Quick come here!" Hastily she obeyed.
"What?!" Loraefin demanded.
"It's the Dodongo," Link whispered, "over there inside that room."
"OK then, let's go get the scales we need," she started to stand up but Link pulled her back down.
"Wait! There are to many of them do you want to get killed?" Loraefin sat down immediately.
"No," she said.
"Ok then, we are going to have to wait for awhile, I didn't think to remember that it's the Dodongo's egg laying season," Link looked cautiously behind him.
"It's their what?!"
"Sh! The females are extremely aggressive during this time. In a hour or two they will be done and will go to sleep, that's when we make out move."
***
Patiently they waited outside the chamber in silence, entertaining themselves with games of tic-tac-toe and rock-paper-scissors. Constantly Link would peer around the corner to see if the Dodongo had drifted off to sleep yet, which was a very long process. In the end it was almost Loraefin who fell asleep before the Dodongo, but after a grueling three-hour wait they were finally able to sneak into the egg laying grounds.
"When you pull the scales out won't they wake up?" Navi reminded Link as he stood over one of the Dodongo.
"That's why we need grab and run," he said. Quietly he leaned forward and motioned Loraefin to hand him the dagger that hung from her belt. She handed it to him and braced herself for anything that could happen. With one quick movement Link cut off several scales and jumped back; nothing happened. Curiously he went over to another one and repeated the step, taking several more scales; still nothing.
"This is odd, they're not waking," Link commented and took a few more of the Dodongo's plated skin. "Very odd inde-"
"Uh Link…Run!" Navi shouted as Link whipped around. Four huge male Dodongo blocked the entrance out. They snarled at the trespassers and started to move forward towards them.
"I don't think we need to worry about the females being aggressive Link…Is there another way out?" Loraefin interrogated turning to Link.
"Follow me!" He yelled as he turned sprinting behind him as the Dodongo let out a wall of flames. Down at the other end of the passage way Link hopped onto a platform that led to another doorway. "Fin! Can you pull that old statue over a little? That's it! Over that switch there!"
Loraefin looked to her left and saw an old stone figure standing there and grabbing it, pulled with all her might, but it only moved slowly across the dust and sand. The Dodongo were closing in on them and they were trapped at the end of the passage. Link jumped down and grabbed onto the statue, helping Loraefin pull it the rest of the way. The door on the platform swung open and the trio scrambled inside.
"It's a good thing Dodongos are slow," Link joked around. Loraefin shot him an evil glance.
They were now in a giant room, almost as big as the main chamber. The floor was molten rock with the exceptions of a few sparsely placed islands of land in that were the only way to get across. A door was visible on the opposite end of the room.
"Here, follow me," Link said as he started to jump from island to island.
"That's molten lava are you nuts Link?!" Loraefin called after him. He stopped and turned around.
"You can't be a hero if you're perfectly sane!" He called back, "now come on!"
Suddenly, the ground took an enormous jolt and it sent Link falling to the ground. A few loose rocks tumbled down around him. After the dust settled he looked around to check things out.
"You OK Navi? Fin?" Link shouted, coughing from the dust. He heard silence and started to panic. "Are you guys OK! Answer me!"
"We're fine Link…I think," Navi answered flying over to him, "Death Mountain again huh?"
"That would be my guess. Hey Fin! Where are you?" Link called again. His shout was met by Loraefin's choking cough. "Loraefin!"
"I'm here! I'm here! Stop shouting! I've already got a head ache for crying out loud. Ah, Farore dus happenda?" another tremor sent her bolting upright. A shower of tiny rocks fell from overhead. "I want to get out of here," Loraefin said frightened, "can we go…please?"
"Yea, sure," Link said softly as he jumped back to help Loraefin across. He helped her get up and tried to wipe some of the soot off of her face for they were both very dusty. "Hey, don't worry, we'll be out of here before you know it, I promise. Don't be afraid."
"Chased by fire breathing lizards, disease, cave-ins…boy do you know how to show a girl a good time," she tried to keep her voice from trembling. She turned away from him and with downcast eyes muttered, "I expected more of myself, but I guess the cold hard truth is when you take a small town girl out of the small town it's not long until her bravado gives out." She tried to smile despite her fear, her dusty cheeks gathering up at the sides of her face.
"I think you doubt yourself to much," Link encouraged, "after all, what hero doesn't get scared every now and then?"
"I'm no hero Link, hate to be the one to tell you."
Link looked at her sternly. "With that attitude you're not. Come on! Pick your spirits up a little will you? Your making me depressed," he followed Loraefin onto the next stone island.
Another tremor, smaller this time, shook the cave. Loraefin quickened her pace, as the weak tremors grew stronger and closer together by the second.
"I think we better hurry Link!" Navi tried to say as she dodged a falling rock. Loraefin had made it to the other side and Link was only a few jumps behind her. "Come on Link!" Navi called again. As Link's foot left the safety of solid ground it gave way to a sharp and violent jerk. Link lost his footing as he jumped and the motion sent him flying awkwardly forward. He yelled.
Link threw his weight out and his foot just barely caught the last platform. Rocks were showering all around them; Link started to fall backwards, the cooling molten rock below him. Loraefin's arm shot out and violently grasped Link's wrist at the last moment with all her might. The Hero of Time reached out with his other hand and grabbed the girl's forearm to try and help pull him up. She lurched back as her boots began to slip forward over the dust. Her legs were strained and her arms felt like they were loosing their grip on the young man at the other end.
"Pull Loraefin pull!" Navi darted about.
"I am pulling! Kresca su!" She grunted and tried to steady her feet on the shaking ground. "Link! You're…to…heavy," she groaned, "I can't…pull any…harder."
"You have to try Loraefin! You have to try!" Navi encouraged. "Just pull!"
Loraefin bent her knees so she was almost sitting on the ground and gave one last tug on Link's arms. Link came toppling down on top of her, his weight almost knocking the wind out of her. She panted for breath but Link pulled her up by the arm.
"We need to go!" He shouted. Fleets of stones were assailing them from over head; Link took off his shield and held it over their heads as they ran through the cave and back into the main chamber. The quakes had started to subside as they sprinted out the entrance and back down Death Mountain Trail to safety.