Something jabbed his ribs, probably a foot. Why should he wake now? Couldn't he just sleep?
"Hey! Kid! Get up!" A woman's voice, sharp, but kind floated into his ears.
Slowly he opened his eyes; all he saw was a horse, Epona.
"Epona? When did you speak?"
"Hey, we're behind you boy!" The same voice said again, more careful now. Link sat up, and rubbed his eyes. Then he turned around to face the new one.
It was a dark haired woman, in Hyrulean Armour with eyes green as the fields looked down on him.
"Hi!" Link said, confused as he was, he couldn't remember anything from last night.
"You killed the Dark-Dog?" She asked pointing behind Link, then he realized he was lying on a cadaver, of a huge fearsome hound of some kind. And he remembered.
"Y… Yes…" He answered after going through last night in his mind.
"How?" She asked curiously.
"Well, I jabbed it in its chest with my knife the first time, but, that didn't help, so I choked it!" He answered simple. The girl's eyes grew big, and whispering surrounded them. Link fond out that there were quite a lot of people gathered around him, everyone Hyrulean Soldiers.
"Is that so?" Another voice said, a man's voice, powerful and dark. Link found the voice far more kind than the girl's though.
"Yes, I think you can find proof of what I say in the beast's eyes!"
"I do, I do!" The man said, checking out Link, - Does this hurt? He asked and put a finger on the claw marks on Link's back.
"No, I feel the wound, but, I can't say it hurts." Link said. He rose up, taking off his ruined Tunica, looking around on the people.
"Who are you guys anyway?" He asked the man.
"I am Rendorian, and I am collecting recruits to the Hyrule Army. Where are you from?" He asked suspiciously.
"'m not quite sure, the people on Lon Lon Ranch found me in the Market when I was young, they adopted me."Link answered before thinking.
"We're on our way up there now, to collect Malon, Is that you?"
"No, no, Malon is a Girl, I'm Link."
"Hi Link, would you like to join the Hyrule army? We could have use for one as you."
"I don't think so." Link said, "And if you don't mind, I would be pleased if you didn't collect Malon either."
The man laughed a good laugh and looked down on him with a warm smile.
"She your girl?" He asked.
"No. But we need her on the farm, especially now!"
"And why is that?"
"Well, you see, it's a farm, and there's a lot of work to do! And we're only four people working there."
"Yeah, well I still have to go to your farm, to let the horses rest and have some food. So I'll check on Malon then. Lead the way, farm boy!"
"You mind loaning me a Tunica till we get there?"
"You want to join the army?"
"No."
"Then I suppose not." The man said with a mean grin on his face.
Link started walking up from the valley, he planned to lead them quite far from the farm, actually, he planned to take them down to Meshika valley, and ditch them there. The woods were so close, and there were endlessly of hiding places there. And they would use more time getting to the farm. Witch was a bad idea, now as Malon was gone with Talon, he could lead them to the farm, and they couldn't afford waiting. So they would probably leave before she got home. He swung himself onto Epona's saddle.
"Keep up if you can then!" Link said to the man.
"Run Epona, Run like the wind, if they want to rest the horses on the Ranch, they better be exhausted!" Epona listened closely, and gave on more.
"Eat dust!" Link yelled behind his shoulder looking back at the Soldiers far back there. The sunshine twinkled in their armour and weapons. And Link somehow felt an urge to go with them, to wield a sword. But he ignored it; he didn't want to leave all the work to the rest of the family. They needed him.
Back at the farm he got quite the surprise, Malon and Talon had returned. And all three were waiting on him, by the stables. When he approached riding up they were happy, but got quite worried when they saw him without a tunica, and with trails of blood that had been running down over his chest and stomach.
"What in Din's name have happened to you? There is blood on you, how much of it is yours?" Malon asked with a near-panic-voice.
"I kinda ran into a cute little puppy!" Link said. "But I'm all right"
"All right!" Your whole back is scratched up, you're soaked in your own blood, how could you possibly be all right?
"Honestly? I have no idea. Usually it would take some time for a wound like this to grow, but it has anyway, and I don't feel a thing!"
"What kind of cute little dog did you run into?" Ingo asked, that was the first time the man ever was serious.
"Some kind of Dark-Dog. You ever heard of it?" Link asked. Everyone shook their heads-
"Well it's big as a horde, claws long as knives, and sharp as razors and the teeth is long as spikes; eyes red as blood, and evil like the tyrant himself!" Link explained carefully, and extremely excitingly.
"Link, you're exaggerating" Malon said in a sharp tone.
"Not quite" Link replied with a voice cold as Lake Hylia during winter time. "But for now, we've got bigger problems"
"What's a bigger problem than Dark-dogs running freely around attacking people?" Ingo asked with his squeaky voice.
"The Hyrulean Army coming to fetch me and Malon; or just Malon, or just me." Link said, their faces went pale, If Link thought their faces were pale when he arrived, then maybe he was mistaken?"
"Before you say anything, I'll have to say, I've made my choice. I go with the army, you need Malon here, and besides, She wouldn't like it one bit with the Army."
No one said anything; they just watched him in silence as he ran over to the farm house to pack his things.
He didn't return outside before long after the Army had arrived. Then he just walked up to them, after a quite so long goodbye with his only known family. They rode in silence for a long time, Din's eye had settled long ago, and they were setting a camp out on the plains when the man from earlier came to him.
"That's a fine, strong horse you've got there Link!" he said taking a short glance over at Epona.
"The fastest, strongest, and finest horse in the whole land." Link said using a hammer to nail a tent plug to the ground.
"I knew you would come with us!" The man said.
"If you say so." Link said bothered.
"You have it in you, a soldiers look, a warriors pride, and a Hero's heart." He said like Link wasn't even there.
"We all are who we are, we are non else. I know my place. Lon Lon Ranch!" Link said tossing the hammer aside, walking towards Epona.
"So, that's what you think you are? A farm boy? No kid, after choking a dark dog to death, even you know, and feel that your destiny is awaiting."
Link again felt the drawing towards the market. The swords call.
"More than you would ever know!" Link said, unsaddling Epona. "But I know, I wouldn't enjoy killing, and fighting. For glory nor any other thing."
"For your family then?" He asked.
"That's something else." Link said giving Epona some food.
"No, its not; you see, there haven't been a war in Hyrule for ages, so there wont be any fighting nor killing. But if there would happened to be a war, you would fight and kill, to protect your family. Wouldn't you? He pressed.
"Yes, of course I would!" Link said tired of the man's nagging.
"You would stand against any enemy, to keep them from reaching Hyrule, from reaching your family, right?"
"Yes" Link said, before wandering off inside one of the tents to finally get some well deserved rest.
"Follow your heart Link! Always!" he shouted after him, Link was to tired to take notice of the words, all he wanted was to get some sleep.