"The Destiny Stone"

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or any characters, places, or events thereof, so there! Of the original characters, I came up with Timbre, Kat, Aka, Benz, Vulcan and some various bit characters here and there. Sond owns the rest. Thanks Sond! Rej is © FogFrontier!

*****

Exams are over! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and the ones who wished me luck. Well, now that I'm finished, I now sit on the end of my bed, peering at my iMac with my keyboard on my lap. And no, it's not a laptop :P. Anyhow, we're hitting the big 2-0 here, peeps (and in a month or so, so am I! Eep!). I'm hoping this whole saga'll be great. I'd hate to think of losing steam before the tale is fully woven. Or something. Sorry this has been so long in comingbut somebody went and bought herself a Gamecube and the Wind Wakerand then wouldn't do ANYTHING until she beat it. I'm now halfway through the pajama quest' and going crazy with the Nintendo Gallery.

*****

"The Destiny Stone" — Chapter 20: Shadows of Doubt

Koume scowled. Kotake scowled.

Koume sighed and stretched, focusing her tired old eyes on the ruined canyon below. The fact that it was currently nighttime didn't faze her sight, not when she didn't need actual light to see what she was looking for. Or rather, sensing for.

Her sister, hovering beside her on her own decrepit broom, groaned creakily, like a weathered screen door with rusty hinges. Cracking her neck, she turned toward the Fire Witch. "I am not ssssensssing anything, sssissster."

Koume didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't either. "No, we're just not looking hard enough. It's got to be somewhere in that rubble."

Kotake sighed. "But even we don't know fully the propertiesss of the Triforcefor all we know, it might have been desssstroyed with itsss carrier-"

"Don't talk crazy, of course it wasn't destroyed!" Koume flung her hands into the air in exasperation, before flailing and grabbing back onto her broom before she fell off. "We're talking about a mighty relic here, not some cheap parlor trick!"

"But ssstill" Kotake pointed out, "The Triforce may have gone dormant. In which cassse, it isss currently down there, buried under tonsss of rock next to the body of one of the renegadessss, unable and unwilling to be sssensssed."

"Well, we'll just have to go shift rock until we find it then, won't we?"

Kotake sighed. "But it alssso may have ssssimply left the area completely, to find a new hossst"

Koume snorted. "What?"

"I wasss jussst sssayingwe have no idea how it would react to the termination of itsss current hosssst. For all we know it may have left, and all we would find isss a reassssonably crusssshed body. Perhapsss if we had a better way of knowing-"

"We don't!" Koume hissed. "It's the night of the full moon, remember! Any divination we did would be skewed, as the moon's light blocks out that of many starts. Light pollution, as it were. We don't have another way."

The Fire Witch was correct in their assumptions — the high full moon that hung in the sky over so many events in one night managed to affect them all in its blatantly unsubtle way. It was one thing to divinate from the stars, but when one couldn't see the results of said divination, it made the action quite pointless. With this in mind, Kotake posed a tough question: "Ssso, what ssshould we do, then?"

Koume made a few choice magical gestures in midair, and conjured up a pair of small spades. Busily, she handed one of them off to her sister.

"Start digging."

*****

Sond approached Timbre's prone form with the speed of concern, though her senses warned her to be cautious. A good thing too, as she drew close, she heard a quiet growl start up from the otherwise motionless form of her friend.

Kat stared ahead from her kneeling position on the rough ground, though her ears too picked up on the growl. She groaned loudly, and rubbed her temples as if nursing a splitting headache. Sond wondered idly if this meant her memory was returning. It had taken a few familiar faces to jog hers around, and the rather spectacular appearance of Timbre might have been enough to remind Kat. The dizzy girl blinked several times, and looked over at Sond. "I'd be carefulwhat if that thing bites?"

Sond twitched. If Kat remembered everything, she wouldn't refer to Timbre as that thing.' At least, not seriously. "He does. But he doesn't bite friends." Sond reflected on this. "Not usually, anyhow." She looked at Timbre again, and reached for an arrow.

"You're gonna-"

"No, just making some light." Sond murmured, and another Light Arrow flared into existence. Light glinted off of Timbre's muddy fur, and she saw the wolf twitch slightly. "Tim?"

The wolf's tail thumped once against the ground with a dull sound, and he growled again.

Ouch. Sond winced, noting several rather angry looking gashes that her friend had sustained, plus several conspicuous red stains. "What happened to you?" There was no response. I think he's out of it. However, as she reached out tentatively, Timbre' head abruptly snapped up, and flinched backwards from her hand with another growl. His green eyes glinted strangely, his pupils dilated in the glare, looking wild and disjointed. Sond caught a flash of teeth.

He's confused. Sond scooted backwards slightly so he didn't feel crowded, then sat cross-legged on the ground, deep in thought. Whatever happened to him, it's bad enough to completely disorient him. He's probably not even really awake at the moment. That's just his instinct telling him not to let anything near him, as he's hurting.

Kat quietly joined Sond, looking from her to the wolf with much confusion. "Um-"

As Kat approached, Timbre's ears flicked back and he made a quiet sound that resembled a groan. With that, his chin sunk down until it was resting on the ground, and his eyes blurred shut again. Kat blinked at this odd behavior. "What's wrong? Well, besides the obvious, anyhow."

"He's been running from those Wolfos," Sond said. "That's obvious enoughthough it seems they might have caught up to him a few times. Either way, he's here now, though I'm not sure whyI mean, where's Link? They were supposed to come back here and bring the last part of the Master Sword with them"

Kat raised an eyebrow, confused. "Those two? Buthuman-"

Even as she spoke, Aka trotted up. After watching the scene, he'd decided to investigate. He'd stood, watching the Poe and Pedro argue, until the fairy had finally flown away in an orange huff. As he ran over, he tripped over something, picked himself back up, and then jogged the rest of the way to the others. "What's up? Why's there a Wolfos here?"

Sond shook her head, slightly vexed. "Okaynumber one, Timbre isn't a Wolfos, he's a wolf. Second, yes, he's one of the guys who went looking for the sword. He has a human form, he's justnot looking it at the moment"

Aka raised a nonexistent eyebrow, his eyes aglow. "Say what?" Kat expression mimicked a similar perplexion.

Sond sighed, and reiterated her point. "He's one of the two guys after the sword piece. He's just been hurt, and so he's in a bit of a mood."

The Skull Kid blinked. "Wait a second" His wandering gaze turned back towards the object he'd tripped over. Stooping, he lifted a crescent-shaped bundle of cloth, which had started to come undone. Curious as ever, he flipped open the bundle, finding it not to be simple cloth, but rather-

"A coat?!" Aka flapped it in the night air, trying to identify it though the mud. As he shook it, something metallic flashed out, gleaming in the light of the moon, to hit gently into the earth.

Sond stared. "That looks like a boomerang."

Aka lifted the metal object, and scrutinized it. "Yesmade of metal too. Pretty thingwoah!" He nearly dropped the boomerang as it suddenly began to shake in his hand. "W-what is with this thing?!"

As Sond stared at the strange object, she suddenly heard a noise from behind her. Timbre was stirring. Ponderously, he struggled to get all four paws planted, though he looked pained to do so. Sond bit her lip. "Timdon't, you'll just hurt yourself-"

But the wolf ignored her pleas, foundering about like a newborn calf in his attempts to stand up. His nose was pointed directly at Aka, holding the boomerang as it continued to vibrate. "Grrf."

Kat hastily drew herself back. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was feeling intimidated. "Something's making that thing act up," she said vaguely. It wasn't clear what that thing' referenced to, either.

Sond, however, had other ideas. She placed herself firmly between Aka and Timbre, whose eyes were fluttering with the glow of a sleepwalker. "Don't do thisyou're hurtdon't make me have to stop you"

Timbre, however, seemed ill bent on stopping. As soon as he found firm footing, he lurched densely towards the Skull Kid and boomerang. Sond threw caution to the winds, and threw herself about Timbre's furry neck, attempting to stop his lunge.

It worked. Sort of. Normally, Timbre would have easily been able to shake her off, but his apparent weakness stopped him, though he mindlessly still pressed forwards. "Grrrf!"

Kat's eyes were wide. "What're you doing! You'll be hurt!"

Sond dug her heels in as she felt herself slowly losing grip on the ground. Timbre's persistence was starting to drag her along with him. Keeping one arm firmly locked about his neck, she fumbled in her side-pouch with the other with gritted teeth. "I'm justto stop him!"

"Grrf!" Timbre lurched again with gritted teeth.

Inside her pouch, Sond's fingers suddenly closed about something ceramic. Without thinking what it was, she swung it out in an arc, aiming for the back of the wolf's skull. "Sorry bout this, Tim!"

THWACK.

Timbre crumpled in a furry heap with a loud yelp, and Sond hit the ground beside him, breathing hard and staring upwards at the sky. "Whew." She brought her hand around, wondering what she'd managed to hit him with.

"A coffee cup?!" Kat almost laughed, despite the situation. "Wellit did the job. You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No," Sond managed a grin, realizing that Timbre had abruptly gone from an it' to a he' in Kat's vocabulary. Pulling herself up, she assessed the unconscious wolf and her coffee cup. Neither had taken any permanent damage. "He's just knocked out. Poor guy, probably needs the rest. StillI have to wonder why he was so crazy after that boomerang."

Aka shook it, and looked a bit surprised as it suddenly pulled at his grip like it were magnetized. "Dunnothis thing's weird"

"Can I see it?" Sond held out her hand, and the Skull Kid trundled over and handed the weapon over. Sond squinted at the boomerang, her arm shaking from its incessant pulling. "Ya knowthis thing's acting like it would fly up to the village if I were to let it go-"

"And just *squeak* what is going on here?!" demanded a rather sleepy and squeaky voice. Sond, Kat, and Aka all turned round as Benz waddled up from his spot, apparently awoken by either the noise or by the fairies, who now all nestled, three told, in Benz's leafy green hair. Tael appeared to be asleep, Cyrus and Dink very intent on keeping him from falling down again.

Sond grunted, waving with the boomerang. "You missed all the action."

"Yeah, Squeaks!" Aka's short attention shifted to an enthusiastic air. "Ya shoulda seen er! She nailed two Wolfos down with arrowspow!" Aka mimed shooting a bow at his companion, who looked slightly nonplussed.

"Yeah, yeah *squeak* whatever, bu-Wolfos?!" As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Benz's eyes widened. "Why were there *squeak* those things here? They're gone, right?!" The scrub drew his cape close about him, suddenly looking very nervous.

Aka waved a hand carelessly. "Yep. And one of the people came back. You knowthe statue people"

"Huh? They caught one of the thieves? Where?" Benz peered about.

Aka gestured down at Timbre. "He's knocked out," he iterated, as if that explained everything.

"Cripes!" Benz abruptly shot into the air, and found himself clinging once again to Aka's hat. Deku Scrubs weren't known for their jumping skills without the aid of a flower, but in certain alarming moments, they could out jump even the leggiest of athletes. The two conscious fairies yelped and clamped themselves onto the third before they all fell off. Quaking until his leaf-hair made a rattling sound, Benz squeaked unhappily. "Waa!"

Aka looked slightly embarrassed. "Come on, Squeakshe's not gonna hurt youhe's not even awake-"

"Kill it kill it kill it! *Squeak!*"

Sond, meanwhile, had thrust the boomerang into her belt and was rummaging through her pouch again. Her face lit up as she found the extra red potion that the Kokiri had given her before she left. "Knew this would come in handy" She delicately pried her friend's mouth open, and squinted. "Geez he's got big teeth"

Benz squeaked something incomprehensible.

Busily, Sond ignored him and uncorked the bottle, pouring most of its contents into the wolf's mouth. She quickly closed his jaws before he started spluttering, and waited. Gently holding his muzzle shut, Sond didn't let go until she saw him swallow. Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she saw Timbre's brow crease slightly, as if displeased at the taste. Well, either way, it would certainly help his injuries.

Aka blinked. "What're you doing?"

Sond was now trying to lift Timbre. "I just gave him something to help him healthough I think he'd wake up on his own. Either way, we got to get him back to the village before he does-oof, he's heavy" Sond strained, wishing Link or his power bracelets were handy. The fact that Timbre was dead weight, and rather ungainly was probably the main difficulty, though it didn't stop Sond from trying. She managed to lift his front half up to the shoulders before having to admit to herself that it wasn't going to work alone.

"I'll help," Kat said suddenly, as if trying to prove to everyone she wasn't afraid. Hopping lightly over, she lifted Timbre's back end with a grunt. "You're righthe is heavy." Between the two of them, they were able to support the furry bulk, though both looked a bit strained. Then, slowly, they began making their careful way back up the slight incline towards the village.

Aka followed, with Benz still squeaking uncontrollably.

"What're they *squeak* doing?! It'll wake up any moment and *squeak* we'll be fighting for our lives!"

Aka's eyes roved upwards to his accessory. "No, she knocked him out pretty good. And he's hurt, he could barely move as it was. Besides, he's a good guy" The Skull Kid trailed off, his brain suddenly on the brink of an epiphany. Aka regarded the unconscious wolf, then the mud-encrusted trenchcoat that was draped over one of his own shoulders. Looking back to Timbre, he suddenly noticed the muddy yet unmistakable bush of spiky fur between the wolf's ears.

"Spikes! Squeaks, its Spikes, remember?!" Aka jumped in elation as he finally made the connection. "He came back!"

Benz stopped quivering a moment. "Akathat's preposterous. That isn't even *squeak* human" He shook his head. "Maybe being away from the forest is hurting your sanity more than we thought"

Aka sighed and tried to pry Benz off his hat. The scrub clung like a limpet, however. "You're so stubborn," the Skull Kid scowled. "Ya know that?" He finally decided on removing his hat, and set it deftly down on the ground. "Get off."

Benz peered around, and let go sullenly. "Bu- th' Wolfos-"

Aka leveled his sternest gaze. "If you're so worried, why don't you go back to the village? And while you're at it, go tell Impa, or something. We're gonna need some help here."

Benz did trundle off at a rather fast pace considering his short legs. "Fine," he grumbled. The fairies rode on his head still, concerned for Tael's well being. Bringing him back to the village would be all for the better.

Aka trotted over to Kat and Sond. "Well, that got him out of the way"

Sond tried to make conversation in order to distract her from her work. "Is he really that scared of canines?"

Aka shrugged. "Guess it's a Deku Scrub thing. Canines and them don't mix."

This made Sond smirk slightly, remembering a certain incident years ago, during the group's first sojourn into Termina. "Wellcan't blame himif I didn't know he was a friend, I might be scared too."

"Besides, we will need the help eventually," Kat groaned. "I dunno how much further we'll be able to go."

Sond glanced back at Kat, nearly stumbling in the process. "Thanks for helping. What changed your mind?"

"Hmm?"

"WellI thought you were afraid of this guy." Her eyes roved up towards their burden, though Timbre remained unresponsive.

"I wasn't!" Kat said back, stung a little. "Wellmaybe a little" She bit her lip before her knees buckled. "Dunno, reallyI guess it was the look in his eyes."

"Hmm" Sond wondered how much Kat was remembering. "Looked familiar?"

"No, it wasn't thatthey just stood out a bitwhen he tried to stand up, and he looked forwardsthey just looked so desperate for a momentI've never seen a monster with that kind of expression before."

They continued walking for some time, in which Kat seemed to be deep in thought. It was a while later that her voice sounded up again, sounding smaller than it usually did. "You knowmaybe I had seen eyes like that before"

Moments later Sond stumbled as the boomerang lurched from its place on her belt, and Kat jolted out of whatever thoughts she was having. Dropping to the ground, the metal weapon hummed like an angry hornet. Sond stared down at it. "I wish I knew what was up with that thingwhy did Timbre bring back a boomerang? They were looking for a swordor rather a piece of one"

Aka picked up the weapon once more, and studied it carefully. "Must be important," he mused. "Otherwise it wouldn't act socreepy." Years of archaeology' had given Aka a slight idea in the craft of things, and he scrutinized the boomerang again, more closely. As he did, his questioning yellow eyes suddenly widened. "Ya know" he started, "its funny how things can be remade."

Timbre's legs twitched slightly, and Sond looked up. But the wolf was still out cold, just trembling unconsciously. However, the movement was making her grip on his pelt all the worse. "What do you mean?" she gritted, as Timbre's middle began to sag, slipping out of her grip.

"What I mean ispart of this boomerang wasn't always one" Aka held up the weapon, pointing at an indented charm' set in its center. "Y'see that? It's a different metal altogether."

Sond squinted. The charm' that Aka was pointing out was a small odd shape, carved with the insignia of the Triforce. In fact, as her shoulders bowed from fatigue, her mind went back to another time. "I thinkwait a second!" Her eyes snapped open. "It is! That's the missing piece of the Master Sword! He really did find it!"

Their elation was great, although subdued due to the fact Timbre was slowly sinking towards the ground. Fearlessly, Aka threw himself into the ranks, and propped himself under Timbre's middle before Sond dropped him completely. "Yikes!"

Fortunately, help wasn't far off. Though they'd been only able to move at a snail's pace, Impa, with Vulcan and several hefty townsfolk in tow, arrived soon after to help out. All three of them stared up gratefully, and Sond gave the signal to put Timbre down. Aka and Kat did so, and the three sighed, looking very fatigued. They were so winded, they didn't quite notice the strange looks they were receiving at first. The Hylians seemed slightly taken aback when they saw the trio's very strange cargo.

Aref, one of them, chewed his lip. "That a Wolfos?" His questionable expression made them wonder what he was thinking.

"No," said Sond tersely, though she was in no mood or condition to explain. "He's a friend."

Impa, however, didn't seem to flinch at all, though her red eyes narrowed like they did when she was trying to figure something out. When Aref looked like he was about to say something more, the woman silenced him with a single frown. "Go on."

The townsfolk didn't argue with their caretaker, though they did pause slightly as they reached Timbre, maybe because of his wounds. Vulcan, however, limped over to the wolf without fear. Kneeling with some effort, he placed a calloused hand gently on the wolf's injured shoulder, as if assessing the wound. "Well," he said after a moment, as if this were routine, "A wolf, then. I'd never guessed he was one of them. Then again, that's the way they want it." Vulcan then looked up at Impa. "Wounded, but he'll live."

"I gave him some red potion," Sond offered, handing the bottle to Aref. "It should help, a little."

The Sheikah's serious brow seemed to relax slightly. "Take the wolf to my house, and leave him on the bed in the guest room," Impa instructed, without raising her voice. "Then leave. Allow the potion to take effect. Until he wakes, I do not want him disturbed." As they did so, the Sheikah woman turned towards the three, and they knew this last had been aimed at them as well. "What happened?" she asked tersely.

Kat, who had finally regained her breath, described the incident as best she could, finishing with their discovery of the boomerang's secret. Impa nodded with closed eyes.

"Then he has been successfulvery well"

Vulcan, who hadn't said a word during this exchange, shook his head as if things suddenly made sense. Accepting the boomerang, he regarded it darkly. "I was beginning to wonder, the pieces back at the forge were shaking like there was an earthquakethey must have been reacting to each other." He shook his head as he regarded the boomerang in his hand. "This weapon weeps," he said vaguely. "It has seen too many deaths."

Kat looked slightly alarmed. "You'll be able to fix it, right?"

Vulcan nodded. "I will. But where is the one to wield the Sword?"

Sond opened her mouth to reply. "I don't know." She said finally, feeling helpless.

Vulcan sighed, seeing the concern in her eyes. "I'm sure he'll be around eventually"

Kat was back to rubbing her temples. "Stranger and strangerwho would've thought things would end up like thisthis is easily the strangest day I've had in a while."

"You gonna be alright?" Aka asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I think somaybe I'm just tired."

"I think we all are," Impa said sagely. "Therefore, I believe it is time for you three to get some rest. Vulcan and I will finish the guard for the night." A very stern gaze that told them this was not a request followed this statement. Sond, Kat and Aka got the gist, and headed towards Impa's house after thanking her.

Kat and Aka were bent on getting some sleep, though Sond couldn't help but hang back slightly as a worried frown passed over her brow.

Where was Link?

*****

Sond's worries about her friend were not without their merit; as Link currently dozed, a mile up above the waves, with nothing surrounding him but eternal ocean in all directions. Tatl flew behind the Hylian, just to make sure he wasn't lost in his sleep. Kafei and Nick flew on slightly ahead, and although they were careful not to break away from the group, the darkness seemed to swallow up their features until they were nothing but blurs of light to the fairy.

With the passing of midnight, the four had decided to trade off a few hours of sleep. Therefore, they'd stopped pressing forward as quickly, allowing the Skyway's air to move them towards their destination, while they passively floated in mid-air for the ride. Currently, Link was the one off-line.'

Though Link's eyes were shut and his body in a state of rest, his mind seemed to knead itself like a baker's dough. Apparently fairies had much less lucid dreams than humans; as Link found himself replaying old memories in his head, surface thoughts floating in and out of them.

The first memory he dreamed was of the first time he'd seen the Master Sword. Razor-edged, with a sheen that seemed to cut the very light surrounding it, he remember just how stunning it had been. He'd been awed by its simple presence, though at first he'd tried to resist its seemingly inviting call. A weapon, no matter how beautiful or magical, was still a weapon. And weapons were used for destruction. Despite this, he'd drawn the Sword anyway — and abruptly found himself (and his friends) locked in stasis for seven years.

Had it been a foolhardy action? Would things have been different for he and his friends, had he simply turned himself around from the beautiful blade and walked away? Ganondorf may have never taken Hyrule. Or at least, he would have never done it with the help of the Triforce.

Then again, Link thought to himself, it might have been fate. Or destiny. Or whatever it wants to call itself. That jolted the Hylian out of his first memory, and into his second.

The Destiny Stone. Again, he'd failed to listen to the voice of reason (though Timbre was hardly reasonable himself sometimes), and put his hands on another magical relic. And again, he'd found himself and his friend preserved for his folly. Maybe it's a joke or something, Link thought. Someone with a lot of influence was probably laughing at his expense, somewhere. I've spent more of my life in a coma than I have living. What had made him so eager to take the Stone? He'd sensed its power, certainly, but that should have made him wary, not eager.

Sometimes I wonder about how foolhardy I really am. He knew he tended to act impulsively, doing and saying things before thinking them through. It just kind of shocked him about how, well, dumb he saw those actions in retrospect. Well, and look where it's got you. Impulsiveness was something best left to combat, not other situations. And even then

His eyes flickered back and forth over his closed eyelids as he continued to doze. As his mind slowly blanked, not really focusing in on anything, he suddenly felt the pull again. The missing sword piece — the one now trapped within the boomerang — seemed to call out from far across the ocean, in the direction they were heading.

He really did make it, Link suddenly thought with wonder. As he did, he felt a half-dozen answering hums, from the same direction. The other piecesit was like they were resonating with the need to become whole once more. That same longing seemed to echo through his mind as well.

This caused him to furrow his brow. Why was the Sword so eager for him? When the time comes, he thought, will I be ready to be stupid again and take up the Master Sword once more?

He knew the answer to that one, of course. If he wasn't too mistaken, that decision seemed to have been made for him, by the Triforce. Somehow, this caused the resonation singing through his body to increase. Even if he refused, the Sword would still-

As doubts surfaced, Link felt his left hand tingle, and slowly quell his heartbeat back to normal. Link had often wondered about his Triforce. There were three, each with its own blessings and properties. Power he could understand, as could he visualize Wisdom. Those advantages seemed useful, and tangible. Power gave one great strength; Wisdom gave one great knowledge. But what had Courage ever given him? Calm nerves? It couldn't be, he still felt fear, after all. Maybe it just served like a palliative, to stop him from doubting or panicking? Or was the Triforce to blame for his foolhardy nature? Link wasn't so sure.

Am I foolhardy because of the Triforce? He began to wonder about this. Maybe it isn't me at allafter all, there's a fine line between courage and stupidity.

Like a frustrated child, Link turned his mental back on the Triforce for a moment, refusing to be calmed. I don't want to be led like this. This is scaring me, he thought. Until now, he hadn't realized how complacent he'd been to the Master Sword's call. All this fetching of the missing pieceevery time he'd had any doubts, they'd gone away again. He couldn't help but feel like he were a bridled horse, being led blindly and sedately towards whatever fate had in store for him. And what if that fate is bad? This thought garnered an even more horrible idea: What if this is all just a trick by Ganondorf?

The backlashes from both the Sword's call and the pain in his hand were so indignant that it completely jolted him out of sleep mode completely. Link's head snapped up, a haunted expression in his wide eyes. "Ah!"

Tatl started. "Something wrong? You alright?" The yellow fairy halted, grabbed Link's wrist, and hauled upwards before he started to falter. The Hylian turned fairy quickly snatched his and away and grabbed his left wrist in his right hand, clutching it to his chest as if in pain.

Link's head fairly buzzed as he felt the Sword begin to resonate again. His left hand slowly stopped throbbing, the dull ache returned, and Link began to worry. He looked at Tatl, though his eyes were unfocused and she appeared distorted. What ifsomething was to happen to the Sword? Feelings of self-doubt began to wash away from him. I'm to wield that sword, he thought suddenly, because I'm the one who is supposed to. I'm the one with the TriforceI can't just turn away. Because if he didwhat if when the time came, he wasn't able to take it? Or worse yet, willing? And what if it fell into the wrong hands?

What if Ganondorf found it? This last thought made Link shudder fitfully. What was he doing here? He needed to get to Hyrule, now!

Shaking his head several times, Link's flight steadied. Nick and Kafei both turned and stopped, looking somewhat alarmed. "L-link?" Nick asked tentatively. "Y'aright?"

Their expressions slowly faded as they saw Link's eyes return to focus. Passing a hand through his messy hair, Link managed a half-smile. "YeahI think so. Just a dream."

"What about?" Kafei asked curiously.

Link shrugged. "It's not important," he said finally, his head turned towards their destination. "We can't dawdle anymore." With a suddenness that startled his friends, he suddenly took off with a buzz of wings, heading like a bullet into the night.

"S'up wi' im?" Nick raised a glowing eyebrow.

Tatl shrugged. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is, we're currently going to lose him if we don't hurry after him!" The yellow fairy flew off, closely followed by Kafei and Nick.

At top speed, and aided by the air currents of the Skyway, they flew along at a pace twice as fast as before. They shouted after their friend, but received no reply for their efforts, only a kind of slow lonely echo in the winds. After several worried minutes of blank sky, they suddenly picked up on a green glow that slowly grew larger and larger as they caught up to Link.

"Link!" Tatl cupped her hands about her mouth and hollered. "Slow down!"

Either he didn't hear them, or chose not to listen, for they received no reply or response.

"Something's not right," Kafei muttered, and threw himself forward, despite a growing ache from wing strain. The others nodded in consent and followed pace. Even at their fever pitched momentum, Link's glow only grew larger with great reluctance.

Slightly annoyed, Kafei threw himself to even greater speeds, Nick following in his wake. It was only by nearly exhausting themselves completely that Link's figure soon fazed into view.

Drawing even with him on either side, Kafei and Nick tried to talk some sense into their friend.

"Hey! What're you exactly up to?" Kafei fairly shouted.

"We're wasting time," Link said without looking at his friend. "If we want to get back to Hyrule quickly, we can't afford to sit around and doze."

"What's gotten into you?" Kafei said, exasperated. "One minute you're asleep, next, you're spazzing out. Come on, you can't tell me nothing's up."

"I just realized we were going too slow, that's all"

"Link, you can't just drive yourself to the ground!" Kafei tried to argue. "Cause that's what's going to happen! We're barely keeping up to you as it is!"

"I'll be fine, really. You can catch up to me later, if you want."

"Bu' lissen t'yourself!" Nick said. "Either two thin' gonna appen if y'keep at this pace. One: y'keel over from xaustion, an' we end up aulin' ye till we keel over. Two: Y'keel over, we don' manage to catch ye, an' y'end up as fishbait somewhere on tha' ocean. Then Hyrule's sunk."

"Hyrule's sunk if I don't get back in time," Link retorted angrily. "I've been feeling it calling again, and every time it gets more and more urgent."

"Yeahyou burning yourself out isn't going to help any," Tatl huffed as she finally caught up. "You know," she added as an aside, "If you strain your wings too much like this, you'll damage them."

As if on cue, Link huffed, and jerked to a sudden halt, managing to tangle everyone up in the process. "Ouch." He winced as his back muscles screamed black agony at him for straining. "But-" he started to say, until Nick stopped him.

"Don' star' it," he advised. "Now, i' Sond were ere righ' now, what wou' she say? Or wha woul' th' lobo say?"

"They'd probably call me foolhardy or something, and Sondshe'd probably hit me with something while she was at it," Link said, and this simple exercise managed to somehow calm him down. "You're right again, of course."

"Ju' be fortunate t'ave th' voice of reason about," was all he got in reply. "Y'promise not t'do that gain?"

Link looked from face to face, and got the feeling that if he said no, he'd find himself trussed up like a foal for branding. "Yes," he said, defeated.

"Now, that we're all sane again," Tatl remarked dryly, "I'll have to admit that last spazz took us a fair wayis everyone still alright for the time being?"

There was a collective nod.

"So if we just let the winds take uswhose turn is it for a break?"

Kafei nodded. "I guess it's mine." He yawned. "Guess I'll zonk out for a bit, then."

Tatl nodded, then turned to the green fairy. "Link, you and I are on back duty, alright?" She said this in a kind of I-don't-want-you-taking-off-again-so-I'm-keeping-my-eye-on-you' tone.

If Tatl wanted to play mother hen, Link wasn't about to argue with her. In fact, he was kind of glad. Who knew if the Sword would be so insistent again? He'd rather be on his guard, too.

"Hey, I asked you a question!"

"Eh?"

Tatl tweaked his ear. "Boy, you really are out of it tonight. I said: what gave you the bright idea to do that, anyway? Flying off on some hunch?"

Link shrugged. "Just some old doubts, I guess." But I'm not going to let those bother me again, he thought to himself. He resolved as they picked up their old pace to simply let things play out. No more doubts. It might be a reckless thing, but if it would save the world, he'd be willing to take that risk.

And if I'm going to be reckless, he thought, I'd rather do so with Evil's Bane at my side.

*****

Pamela sighed, staring at the ceiling of the Great Fairy's Fountain. The water patterns playing about the ceiling almost gave the impression of stars, while the skylight mimicked perfectly the full moon that shone outside.

Daray was dozing nearby, his goggles pulled up from his eyes so they didn't dig into his face while he slept. Pamela smiled a bit. There were two circles about the blind boy's eyes that were noticeably less dingy then the rest of his face, making him resemble some kind of masked creature.

Though she thought it would have been cold in the Fountain, Pamela actually found that it was humid, and at least pleasantly warm. The girl was thankful about this, seeing as at the moment she wasn't sure how long she and her companions would be remaining here. The cave-in had effectively blocked their path from the real world. Though she didn't mind it for short periods of time, Pamela wasn't exactly pleased, thinking her subterranean lifestyle might become permanent.

The Keaton, curled thoughtfully about her ankles, looked up at her curiously. "Something on your mind, child?"

The woman sighed again, and shrugged, leaning back against the stone wall. "Just thinking about things. Like long will it be before we see the sun again? I mean, more than just a shaft of light-" Currently, that shaft was dark, as the sun had gone down long ago. Pale moonlight trickled in, though it was hardly a replacement.

"Your father is hard at work looking for the way out," the Keaton observed. Every few hours, the group digging away at the cave-in would switch. Daray had been denied access to the cave-in due to the danger involved, so someone was always left with him at the Fountain to keep the boy company. Currently, Pamela was off duty. The Keaton's third tail twitched from side to side. "That, and a way to Clock Town."

"Yeah, but" Pamela sighed. She'd been referred to as having a strong' personality before. Some blamed Tatl was rubbing off on her. "I can't help but wonderwhat'll we escape to? A winter-swept wasteland? Are we going to have Goriyas waiting for us? Or those witches? My Stone Mask might work for one or two of us, but not the numbers we have. How are we going to get to Clock Town? And back, if need be?"

The Keaton just nodded, letting her speak her thoughts.

"Andwhat about all the other residents of Termina? Besides the Hylians? I mean, Gorons don't enjoy the coldthe Zora were smart, they already left, but the Deku Scrubs, they live in the jungle for a reason."

The ghost fox sighed wearily. "You certainly have some good questions" He looked slightly mournful. "However, I don't think anyone will have answers readily"

"What?"

"Well, no human knows all of Ikana Catacomb's secrets anymore," the Keaton observed drowsily. "Though I have tried to comprehend it."

Pamela sighed. "Maybe the Great Fairies know," she thought aloud.

The Blue Great Fairy suddenly materialized out of the Fountain, looking slightly tired. "Hmm?" The being yawned as she slowly floated upwards.

"Was just thinking," Pamela murmured apologetically. "Well, wonderingabout the catacombs."

"Well, some of its secrets cannot be revealed," the Great Fairy stated. "Just as my sister's oath and loyalties lie in the protection of Clock Town, mine lie with Ikana. Some of what you ask was a secret kept by the ancient Royal Family, and I am not allowed to speak of it."

Respectfully, Pamela nodded. "I understand."

"I can tell you this, however: The Catacombs do not spread merely underneath of Ikana valleyits tributaries run throughout the land of Termina. Some of the tributaries are indeed still in use today, such as Clock Town, though it is widely unknown that they connect."

"The tunnels runeverywhere?"

The Great Fairy nodded. "Ikana was once known as an Eternal City."

Eternal City. Either because people here came to take their eternal rest, or because the city itself seemed to go on for eternity. "This is certainly amazing," she remarked. "It must have been even more so in its days of glory."

The Great Fairy didn't comment further on this, so Pamela politely changed the subject. "How did you know where the other guy — Timbre went?"

The blue Fairy smiled. "Not all of Ikana's secrets are forbidden. Eons ago, the ancient Hylians had many connections between Termina and Old Hyrule. Why do you think Hylians are still found in both countries? Your friend was fortunate enough to stumble upon one of the ancient traveling devices that still functions today. There is actually a similar device in Clock Town, though its access is very difficult to come by. A recent shift in the nearby earth practically buried it."

"Ah." Pamela was slightly awed. Ancient artifacts- "Where does the portal lead?"

"Well, Hyrule, obviouslyI think that one connected the Lost Woods area"

Pamela chewed her lip. "Do you thinkif we can dig through the cave-in, and get to Clock Town, we might be able to dig through there as well, and find that portal?"

"It could be possible."

Pamela excitedly shifted her weight, and the Keaton, who had dozed off again, blinked and yawned. "You seem like you've thought of something," he remarked quietly, noting the twinkle in her eyes.

"Perhaps. We might not need to find a way out after all," Pamela thought. "What about-"

"Pam!" A sudden burst of crimson-colored slight practically exploded into the room. "Pamela!" It was Keeto, and the fairy was yelling rather uncharacteristically loud.

Pamela was decidedly concerned. "Keeto? What wrong?"

"It's the cave-in area," Keeto started, and Pamela's stomach gave a lurch.

"It's not starting again, is it?"

"No, no" the fairy shook his head wildly. "Thank goodness for that. No, we just need every able body we can get. And well, frankly, humans are a bit better at shifting rock than fairies are."

"Alright," Pamela stood and brushed herself off, Daray shifting and yawning.

"What's happenin'?" The boy asked, confused.

"Don't worry," Pamela told him. "Just switching off. Keeto's gonna keep you company a while, alright?" The boy nodded sedately, and Pamela turned towards the fairy.

"Why this sudden need?" She asked him suspiciously.

"Well, we're trying to get through," Keeto explained. "We found an old beam that's been well-preserved, might have been part of an archway at sometime. We were trying to lever it into the fill, and shift some of the earth and rock in the way, but that requires weight. And pardon me for saying, but I think you weigh a bit more than I do."

"Ah. But why so sudden? Sounds awfully impatient."

"That's just it. As odd as it might soundthere's people on the other side of the cave-in, out towards the main way, and they aren't Goriyas."

Pamela squinted. "Who is it, then?"

The fairy shrugged.

"Is it such a good idea to be opening up the way if we don't know?"

"That's the other reason I'm here," Keeto wheezed. "We're going to need the Keaton to go ahead and find out for us."

The ghost fox stood and stretched. "I was about to suggest that myself," he stated genially. He jumped up onto Pamela's shoulder without a sideways glance. "Best we be off."

"Right," said Pamela, and did so, though she took her blowgun, just in case.

At the site' of the cave-in, small piles had been dug out everywhere. Pamela's father looked rather haggard and ill-rested, as he had assumed full responsibility for the dig. As Pamela arrived, he was detailing Jim and the Bombers in the installation of the beam lever. They were clearly planning to use it to somehow open a way to the main line that they'd originally traveled down. This made sense, since it had led to the entrance.

"Dad?" Pamela asked, concerned. "You need help?"

"Yes," Pamela's father said. "Thank you for coming so quickly"

The scribe didn't even have to ask the Keaton, who slipped wordlessly off of Pamela's shoulder, and walked towards the rubble. He paused, then slipped into the solid rock as if it were mere water. There was a slight ripple as his tails flicked once, then the Keaton disappeared from view entirely. The Bombers, used to this kind of thing, barely even stared. Jim glanced up at the beam, adjusted a few stray pieces of rubble, and then walked over to where Pamela and her father stood.

"Well, it's in as well as we'll manage," he said, dusting his hands off. "I'm just hoping we won't bring down the whole ceiling on us."

"Hopefully we won't," the older man remarked. "T'would be a shame, after all we've been through."

"Dad," Pamela began, not exactly sure how to go about this, "I think I might have an idea about alternate escape routes"

Her father looked up sharply. "How so?"

"Well, I was thinking aloud, and was talking to the Great Fairy of Ikana about this place. She couldn't tell me much, because of her oath and loyalties, but what she did speak about was really helpful." She briefly outlined the concept of the portals to them both, with Jim nodding, and her father asking for clarification on some parts.

"And," she finished, "The Fairy mentioned a similar portal in Clock Town, deep under the Clock Tower. She said it's access has been blocked due to another blockage, but!" She grinned. "If these Catacombs stretch as far as saidwho's to say we can't follow a tunnel straight into Clock Town, and that particular portal?"

"The sewers!" Jim suddenly burst out. "Near our old hideout, there's that underground sewer leading to the Observatoryit is entirely possible that the two tunnel systems are one and the same."

"If that's the case, we don't need to even leave these systemswe could tunnel' right into Clock Town itself, through the Catacombs! Then we find the refugees, bring them back underground, and try and find that portal. And if that doesn't work, they could always come back here. Anything's better than where they are currently."

Pamela's father nodded slowly. "In theory, a plausible idea-"

"Did the Great Fairy know where that particular portal led?" Jim cut in.

"She said the Lost Woods in Hyrule," Pamela answered. "Which could be a good thing, or a bad thing."

Jim nodded. "That forest has a reputation," he said. "Though we have to weigh our chances against other dangers, too. It may prove the lesser of two evils."

Pamela's father was deep in thought. "Dangers notwithstanding, we have to take into consideration certain things-"

"But will it work?" Pamela finished, used to her father's process of thought.

"It would take some difficult preparation," he answered, "But, luck permitting, things went as planned, it could very well work." He sighed. "I'm not saying it's an excellent idea, or our only one, just a possible thought. I only wish I were more educated in spelunking methods," he finished.

Even as he spoke, the Keaton re-emerged, catching the last bits of conversation. "You may indeed get your wish," the fox remarked.

"What's up?" Jim asked.

"I've been speaking with our visitors," the Keaton said. "It is actually somewhat amusing. We thought they might be enemies. Well, they were thinking the exact same thing: they've been curiously listening to your digging for a while."

Pamela's father's brow creased. "They have?"

"Yes. I informed them of our situation. They've kindly requested the use of the beam as shoring when they break through."

"B-break through?" Jim spluttered.

The Keaton nodded. "In the meantime, they've requested that we adjust our lever fifteen degrees down, then apply about two-hundred fifty pounds of even pressure halfway up the beam."

Pamela raised an eyebrow at the precise instructions. "Sounds like they've got an expert tunneler. Or something."

"Indeed."

"Who is it?" Jim asked, curiously.

"You'll see," the Keaton said with slight amusement.

Afterwards, they got busy following the instructions they'd been given. In the end, the hardest part was moving the lever, afterwards it was just a matter of hanging weight. Eventually, it was decided that if Jim and Pamela both sat on the lever, it would constitute a fair amount of weight. Despite the careful instructions, Pamela couldn't help but worry as the lever creaked ominously.

"I hope they know what they're doing."

Her father stood by, listening in interest to the sounds of digging, which grew louder every minute. "I believe they do. If the Keaton says so, I'll take his word for it."

The Keaton wasn't a proud creature, but he did draw himself up slightly at this remark.

Pamela shifted her weight slightly so that Jim could sit more comfortably. As it was, the ceiling was rather close to her head, and the ceiling was hardly flat. Spears of calcified stone threatened to jab her at every angle, and several of them dripped cold water.

"Ooh!" She yelped as she felt a cold splat trickle down the back of her neck. "I do hope they'll hurry up!"

As it was, not twenty minutes later, the vague scraping noises suddenly crackled into stunning clarity, and the Bombers hopped back as several small boulders shook and tumbled down the pile with dull thuds. Soon after, a part of the wall about two feet from the uneven ground started to pop inwards, indicating that their mysterious benefactor had broken through.

Pamela's father approached the newly broken hole, he called out. "Erh-hello?"

A deep gravelly voice answered him. "Greetings. Please excuse my abruptness, goro."

"Um, do you need any assistance?" The man abruptly remembered his manners.

The hole was too small to admit the Goron, for that was what the scribe now found himself facing. It winked one round eye at him and grinned. "Nay nay, don't mind." The Goron turned his head slightly from side to side, assessing the small tunnel. "It'll do for now, I suppose. Y'littles up there on th' lever, you can come down now, goro."

Pamela and Jim needed no second bidding, as the beam hadn't been exactly comfortable. One of the Bombers couldn't help but ask the digger a question. "Umbegging your pardon, but isn't that hole a littlesmall?"

The Goron laughed. "O'course it'll be widened a bitbu' firs' things firs', we have to get all our littles through once that's done, we'll shore it up." There was a scraping sound, and the Goron's head disappeared from view.

"Littles?" Jim turned to the Keaton. "Does he mean to say there's children down here?"

"Some," the Keaton remarked. "But what he means is the Gorons are currently sheltering another tribe from Termina. It appears the Great Fairy's story was true: these catacombs have entrances throughout Termina. And local tribes that knew of these entrances took refuge in them with the coming of the blizzard, unaware that their caverns were part of a greater whole."

A sudden small and polite voice sounded from the tunnel, so unlike a Goron's as to give the entire group a start. "Excuse me, but do you *squeak* suppose someone could give me a hand up, please?"

Pamela blinked, knelt down, and offered her hand. A tiny hand, the color and texture of tree bark, grasped her own. Shaking down surprise, Pamela hauled upwards.

"Oof!" Seconds later, a Deku Scrub popped out of the tunnel like a cork from a bottle. The plant-person, clearly a female, took a moment to disentangle her dress robe from the rest of the rubble. She stepped aside politely to clear the tunnel, shaking her head at the state of her clothing. "Oh dear, I suppose this dress is ruined now."

Now that the first had arrived, Deku Scrubs were now exiting the hole at an alarming rate. The humans stood by in relative surprised silence, watching the number of creatures in the room start to increase dramatically. Short, thin, fat, and lanky, the plant-creatures varied in size in weight among themselves, though none were taller than a Hylian child. In fact, Jim was even more surprised to find that several of the new guests were not Deku Scrubs at all, but small white-furred creatures that he recognized as Woodfall monkeys. The torrent of small creatures stopped around fifty, and Pamela, the Bombers and her father suddenly felt like they had suddenly entered a knee-high forest. It had also become noticeably cramped, and nobody moved in fear of treading on anyone. The Goron's head reappeared.

"That's all th' littles, goro. We'll be along shortly, soon's we widen this hole a bit."

"Erhow many of you are there?" Pamela's father asked curiously, wondering where they would be able to fit even one Goron.

"Not too many," the rock-person reassured him. "Around twoscore."

Jim and Pamela looked at each other.

"Oh boy."

*****

*cues Quantum Leap theme music* Hehe, just kidding. And there you go. If my updates have beenI apologize. With a move back, a new game, a slightly ill budgerigar, and tons of summer job organization, not to mention a party or two-I've been hard-pressed for time. I do try to contribute a little bit every night, though. As soon as the scanner's hooked up again, I should be doodling again.