Notes: Not much to say... I didn't have to re-write this chapter... R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda games/Nintendo. >(

Chapter Three: The Gates

"Rennek! Where are you," a voice called, echoing off the walls and ceiling of the cavern that sheltered the ironically named Cavern City.

The owner of the voice was rocketing at inhuman speeds down one of the many streets in the city, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was nearly running over several people. He rocketed around a corner, not entirely watching where he was going, resulting in him slamming into what he called a living road-block.

He stumbled backwards, away from the mass of feathers and scales that he'd crashed into. The ball shifted, a feather-frilled reptilian head revealing itself, looking back at the youth with a half-annoyed, half-still-asleep expression.

He edged around the creature nervously, it watching him the whole time. Completing his journey around the creature he took off running, it curling back up and resuming its sleep.

He stopped, sure that he was at least seven streets away from the snoozing beast, and leaned against a wall of a building, letting out a loud sigh.

"What the hell was a Amphithere doing sleeping in the road? I haven't seen one of those in a long time," he muttered.

"What amphithere? What are you talking about Fawlith," a voice asked, causing him to yelp and jump.

He turned to the source of the voice, looking very jittery. "Oh, it's just you Lexi…,"Fawlitth said, sighing in relief and closing his ambry eyes. "I just ran into a amphithere… literally."

Lexi raised a eyebrow, obviously not believing him. "Sure it wasn't just a giant cuckoo," she asked.

"Cuckoo's don't have scales, aren't green, and aren't forty-five feet long…," Fawlith stated, pulling a green feather that sparkled gold out of his dark brown hair.

Lexi took the feather, looking from it to the way Fawlith had come. "I have to see this for myself," she said, handing him back the feather and taking off.

He shoved the feather in his pocket, shrugging. "You do that… I'm not going near that thing again."

He looked around, back to searching for his friend. "Now to find Rennek… If I was Rennek, where would I be," he asked himself, scratching his head. "Feh, where else would he be besides his house?"

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.

Fawlith stopped outside a house, looking up at the leftmost second story window. "RENNEK! YOU UP THERE," Fawlith shouted, waiting for a reply.

The window panes shook before the person on the other side managed to fling them open, glaring down at Fawlith with and expression similar to that of the amphithere's.

"What do you want, Fawlith," the teen snapped, resting on the windowsill. "I was asleep!"

"I can tell… You look like that amphithere that I ran into."

"Wha…?"

"Nevermind… Anyways, there's something I need to tell you about the Gates," Fawlith said.

Rennek instantly snapped alert. "The Gates? What about them?"

"I'll tell you inside, okay," Fawlith replied, moving towards the front door.

"Okay, be down in a bit," Rennek said, disappearing back inside.

Fawlith stood at the door, silently counting to himself. "Five…four…three…two…one…n-"

-BOOM-

A loud thud sounded inside, signaling that Rennek had once again jumped down the stairs. He'd been doing this for days and years on end, eventually leaving a pair of foot-prints embedded in the floor at the base of the stairs.

The lock in the door clicked and Fawlith immediately opened it, walking inside. Rennek was crouching in front of the stairs, fixing the rug that was used to hide the foot-prints on the floor.

Of all the Kriaths who lived in Cavern City, Rennek was the strangest of the all. He was the only one who didn't have control over his appearance. He had scales, claws, wings, everything that was associated with the dragon people, every day and hour of the year; while everyone else could make themselves appear Hylain or Gerudian, depending on what they looked like in their non-disguised forms.

Rennek had navy-blue chin-length hair and golden-red eyes. Pale blue scales covered a vast majority of his body except for the undersides of his arms, the soles of his feet, his palms, and parts of his face.

"Now, what do you need to tell me about the Gates," Rennek asked, standing up.

"They're open."

"What?"

"I'll say it again. They're open!"

Rennek sat down on the floor, blinking in disbelief. "O-open? You mean after all this time, they're finally open? I-I can't believe it…"

The people of Cavern city didn't live there because they wanted to… They had been forced to. They were forced to, the only way out blocked by a pair of massive doors called the Gates. And it had been that way for five-hundred years exactly.

"You mean we can get out," Rennek asked.

"Yes."

"Then let's go," Rennek said, jumping up.

"Shouldn't we… er…you kinda disguise yourself," Fawlith asked, taking a involuntary step back and wincing as Rennek sent a withering glare his way. "I mean… It's been a while since the outside world has seen a Kriath… just a precaution!"

Rennek went silent, thinking Fawlith's suggestion over. "Alright, I'll do it. I mean, your right… Having me waltz out into the open as I look now would cause some panic…"

Rennek started up the stairs, azure wings twitching. "Be right back."

Several minutes later, Rennek jumped down the stairs, wearing a cloak of sorts. "Ready."

Fawlith nodded. "Let's go. We need to get there quick though."

"We can take my short-cut…," Rennek suggested, glancing up the stairs. "I need to leave my parents a note though."

"…Sure… I don't want to take your 'short-cut', but it's a lot faster than the regular way."

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.

Rennek stood on the roof above his room, waiting somewhat impatiently for Fawlith.

"Come one Fawlith… the Gates might close…"

Fawlith climbed out the window, closing it behind him and edging carefully around the edge of the roof. He took of after Rennek; who had decided that Fawlith was taking too long and had left without him, running across the next roof to catch up with him.

"Rennek, wait," Fawlith called rather nervously.

Rennek stopped, waiting until Fawlith had caught up to continue. The trip that normally took half an hour, only took fifteen using Rennek's 'short-cut'.

Rennek and Fawlith hopped off the houses, running across the clearing towards the Gates. Rennek stopped, dodging behind a boulder, dragging Fawlith with him.

"Wha," Fawlith yelped, shutting-up when he realized that someone must be nearby.

"Someone's over there…," Rennek whispered, carefully peering over the rock, Fawlith doing the same. Standing just inside the Gates was someone with shoulder-blade-length platinum hair, speaking with someone standing outside the Gates.

"That's Solvaring… What's he doing here," Fawlith muttered, motioning to the platinum-haired person.

"No clue… Who's that he's talking to," Rennek replied, referring to the person standing outside the Gates.

"I can't tell what they look like…"

"Shh! They're saying something," Rennek hissed, silencing his friend.

"I didn't mean for you to get trapped in here… That was a major mistake on my part. Anyways, that's in the past and it won't happen again," the person outside the Gates muttered.

"It'd better not happen again. My plans have been delayed for long enough," Solvaring replied. "Now, what news of the outside world do you have for me?"

The person outside the Gates sighed. "The only thing of importance is that the Kotzubue family is no more and the town of Ailyh has be destroyed."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing."

"Good."

"I do suggest that you hurry. It was hard enough to find and open these Gates, and it's much harder to keep them open."

Solvaring sighed, taking a step so that he was outside the Gates, which seemed to signal them to start closing on their own accord. Rennek's eyes widened, the large stone doors moving at a alarming speed.

"Fawlith, the Gates are closing," Rennek muttered, climbing over the rock they were behind.

"What?"

"I'll say it again. They're closing," Rennek yelled, running towards the rapidly closing doors. Fawlith watched, knowing that if he tried to make it, he wouldn't. Neither would Rennek.

"Rennek, you're not gonna make it," Fawlith shouted.

"I don't care! I have to try," Rennek shouted back.

Rennek dove into the gap between the doors, making it past them just as they shut. He didn't stop though. He still had to make it past the actual Gate, an impossibly thick slab of stone that was literally part of the mountain.

He ran as fast as he possibly could, praying to the Gaddesses that he'd make it to the shrinking window of freedom before he was crushed.

Seventy feet… Fifty feet…

The top of the Gate touched his head, forcing him to run crouched over…

Thirty feet…

He was crawling with the stone pressing on his back…

Twenty feet… Ten feet…

His clothes were rubbing on stone…

Three feet and then…

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.

A low resounding boom echoed from the Gates as they thudded closed, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt.

Fawlith could only pray that his friend had made it.

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.

Notes: Well, this chapter was a pain to write… The version that you just read is the fifteenth version I wrote of this chapter… . Stupid writer's block… Anywho, I'll be jumping from one point of view to another 'till I can get this straightened out. I have just one more character to add in, but they won't show up 'till a later chapter… Haven't figured out which one yet, but it'll eventually sort it out.

I hope this chapter was at least somewhat decent and you liked it, soleave a revieweven if you hated it! Just don't flame me, cause you'll just make yourself look like a complete and utter idiot if you do…