Chapter 7: Juto

"Goddesses I hate him!" Dark Link roared, holding his clenched fists at his sides; body shaking with rage. He whipped around and stalked off in the direction he had left Sean in, keen on proving Link's words wrong about the Dead Hand.

The entire forest was silent, possibly from the wraith's anger. Sunlight shone through the trees and a light breeze blew, but still there was no sound. It was as if all woodland creatures had been exterminated, but every so often a bird or squirrel would move slightly in their hiding place.

Dark Link stopped by a large tree, red eyes glowering with utmost hatred, and kicked it with an explosion of splinters and moved on; leaving a large dent in its side, and he occasionally cursed Link or some other person who as at fault for something. The cracking of branches caused his to look up to see a Kargorok sitting in a tree slightly above his eye level.

The bird's long spindly neck curved in an 'S'-shape so its large vulture-billed head rested on its feathered chest. Its twin feather tails dangled behind it, swaying in the soft breeze. Its large talons sunk into the bark and it flexed its wings, to stay balanced, every so often.

"What are you doing here?" Dark Link asked, anger in his tone.

The Kargorok made a soft cawing noise in reply.

"The others want to know when? Tell them it'll be awhile yet," Dark Link said. "Nothing's ready. These things take time." He fell silent when the bird began to squawk a little. "He's ready too?" The wraith gave a laugh. "Tell him he won't be needed until much later. Despite anything he tells you, he's not coming!" Dark Link's hand moved to hold his left arm below the shoulder. "It's too risky if he was to come now." He put his hand back down at his side. "I know your kind is restless and impatient, but your assistance is not needed yet."

The Kargorok bowed its head in acknowledgment.

Dark Link began to walk away, but stopped and looked back at the bird.

"And if you see Mekoh, tell him the next time he sees me will be his last." With that, Dark Link turned back to his path and continued down it.

Sean sighed and limply kicked at the air in front of him from his seat on a large rock. He aimlessly flipped his hand at his long, white bangs that hung almost over his eyes. Dark Link had run off somewhere a few minutes before and Sean hadn't heard anything more of him; he had just vanished. Sean had no idea what was wrong, but all he had gotten out of that was it seemed that Dark Link was talking to himself. Whatever it was, Sean was sure it wasn't anything really important, or anything he should worry about. He sighed again and noticed a red smoke had ceased coming out on his breath.

"Thank the Goddesses," Sean said with relief, closing his eyes. "It was beginning to be annoying."

He opened his eyes and looked nervously down at his right hand. He slowly pulled back the sleeve and looked sadly at the bandages. It felt like a curse to have that tattoo on his arm. There was no way to remove it and even if he lived long enough to become adult, he'd always bear this scar of his childhood. He placed his left hand on the knot and stopped. So badly did he want to tear off the bandages, yet at the same time he wanted to hide the mark from all eyes. Sean closed his eyes again, his left hand trembling on the fabric. The tattoo was beginning to burn slightly, like something red-hot reaching closer and closer, but as quickly as the burning had come…it was gone. Sean pulled his hand away from his arm and lowered the sleeve, opening his eyes.

"What was that?" he asked himself softly, not really expecting an answer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sean saw something in the shadows of the massive trees. When he focused both eyes in the shadows, two small orange eyes stared back into his own. Sean gasped and scrambled over the rock to get behind it. He slowly peeked over the top of the rock to stare into the huge orange eyes of something sitting on top of the rock, right in his face. Sean gasped again and did a backwards crab-walk to get a better view of whatever it was.

All he saw was a fuzzy, black ball that had bright, shining orange eyes. The strange creature stared back at Sean, unblinking and causing the boy's spine to tingle. Sean's breath lodged itself in his throat when the black ball gently, and silently, bounced off the rock and up to Sean. The white-haired boy continued to back up until he was stopped by the huge trunk of a tree. With nowhere else to go, he sat stone still, not knowing whether this thing was friendly or not. He didn't relax until the creature's eyes softened in sadness and it made a sad purring sound.

"Are you okay, little guy?" Sean asked, picking up the strange creature.

In his hands, it felt soft and fuzzy, like the pelt of a cat. With the index finger on his right hand, he gently stroked the creature's head, causing it to close its eyes and purr happily.

"You like that, huh?" Sean asked the little fluff ball.

It answered with a happy, "Kyuu!"

Sean laughed and continued to pet and nuzzle the soft little creature.
Dark Link rested his forehead in his hand as he walked, closing his eyes momentarily.

"How the hell does he do that?" he asked to nobody, but himself. "He's only a mortal and I'm a wraith. I should always exceed him in power and strength, but somehow he's managed to exceed even me! How does that weasel do it?"

Dark Link looked up as he entered the clearing where he had left Sean when Link had begun talking to him and immediately saw the boy cuddling a small black, fuzzy creature. A small smile played across his lips, an expression he rarely used, but even he thought the scene was slightly cute; that much he was willing to admit. He approached them both soundlessly and caused Sean to jump in surprise when the wraith placed his hand on the small creature's head. The creature, with a loud "KYUU!", turned around and buried itself into Dark Link's shirt. Dark Link simply sat down on the ground across from Sean and cradled the small furry ball in his hand; the little creature purring happily.

"What is that little guy?" Sean asked, sad that the creature had left him for Dark Link.

"He's a Black Boe," Dark Link answered, stroking the little Boe with his thumb. "His name is Juto."

Juto rolled in Dark Link's hand so it was leaning against his chest on its side, still purring.

"He's been with me ever since I saved him from a Wolfos." Dark Link paused. "That would've been when I first came here."

"When was that?"

"Close to ten years now."

"Whoa. Is he your only little friend?"

"Oh no," the wraith answered with a smile Sean wished he had never seen and made the boy feel like a fool, "There are others, but they don't hang around me. And I wouldn't call them friends."

Sean gave a slight nod, slightly confused by Dark Link's last words, and there was a silence between the two.

Dark Link stood up and Juto jumped to his shoulder, snuggling against the wraith's neck and wrapped up in his black hair and Sean remained where he sat, watching Dark Link walk away; Juto on his shoulder. Dark Link didn't really seem the type to have a humane side, yet when Juto was there, it showed itself a little. If he was so cold, then how could he have a friendly side? One that was like a normal human. Sean slapped himself. He had to stop asking himself all these questions. Just as being curious around Link would get him killed, the same was more than likely to happen around Dark Link.

Dark Link stopped at the edge of the clearing and turned his head enough to glance at Sean through the corner of his now malevolent red eyes. Upon seeing the boy scramble to his feet, the wraith turned his back on the boy once again and continued into the forest beyond.

Sean panted as he stumbled after Dark Link, every so often falling onto his hands from the momentum of all his weight going forward too quickly. He didn't want to be left behind with Mekoh hiding anywhere nearby. The creature would definitely take him the next time they met. Sean tumbled through a bush and landed hard on the ground. He pushed himself up and shook his head, but that only gave him a headache. When he looked up, he saw Dark Link standing in front of him, smirking with his arms crossed. Sean's heart sank and he let his head drop, feeling extremely stupid. He waited for Dark Link to snap at him, but the wraith only chuckled softly.

"How do you expect to stay off the menu with all the noise you're making?" Dark Link asked, clearly enjoying the disappointment running through Sean's mind.

Sean kept his head down.

Dark Link sighed. "You're not under the protection of Lizalfos, Moblins, or even Link anymore," he told the boy. "You're going to have to learn how to defend at some point."

Sean looked up, but Dark Link had already turned his back on him; Juto resting on the wraith's shoulder. Sean looked off to the side, disappointment reflected in his eyes. His eyes shot back up when the wraith sighed.

"I don't see what Link saw in you," he snorted. "Either way, I can't let you return to him."

"What makes you think I want to go back?" Sean asked, his own eyes giving a flash of cruelty as he got to his feet.

"Link may not be the nicest person around anymore, but dying back with him would be so much less painful than dying here with me."

Sean jumped at his last comment.

Dark Link smirked. "Don't annoy me and you'll be fine for the time being."

Sean tried to suppress the ever growing shivers that were racking his spine. Link and Dark Link truly were the same in temper, but their behavior differed slightly. Dark Link had a bit of a heart deep inside, but he suppressed it well, and whether Link was still human inside, Sean did not know. To him, they both were murderous monsters. How the world could cope with the two of them, Sean didn't know and didn't really care much.

Sean stood up, Dark Link having once again turned his back on the boy and walking away. This time, Sean walked quickly to catch up with the long legged wraith, his ice blue eyes burning from behind his white hair. Dark Link was right; he'd have to learn to defend himself if he wanted to survive. Sean never let his eyes leave the back of Dark Link's head, but he let his ears wander to the forest around him. He dug the heels of his boots into the ground and pivoted to face his left, standing stone still. He had heard something that he didn't like.

Dark Link turned around when he heard Sean scuff to a stop. The boy was staring at the underbrush, his face twisted in fear and eyes jerkily searching the foliage for an unseen threat. Juto stared off in the same direction that Sean was, giving a soft growl. Dark Link wasn't surprised that the two of them had spotted something before him, but it didn't take long for him to hear their stalker.

Dark Link grabbed the collar of Sean's shirt and jerked the boy roughly into him as a large blur erupted from the bushes with a roar. The ground shook beneath the feet of the creature as it landed and turned to its missed prey. Its slitted yellow eyes glared at the white-haired boy and its silver fur bristled at its shoulders, saliva dripping from its jaws.

"A Gray Wolfos," the wraith muttered, smiling slightly as the wolf growled. "The largest not including the Artic Wolfos, am I right?"

The large wolf growled in return.

Dark Link moved Sean behind him, Juto jumping down to the boy's shoulder.

"I always wanted to see how tough this version could be."

The Wolfos bared its fangs, not too happy at the taller creature blocking its path to its prey. It pawed at the ground in frustration. It bent down, preparing itself for the pounce.

"Get into the bushes behind me," Dark Link ordered Sean. "Its sights are set on me now, so it may not see you leave. Juto, I want you to protect him if this mutt gets past me."

Juto made its "Kyuu" sound and Sean dove into the bushes and fell immediately silent. Sean watched Dark Link turn his full attention to the Wolfos, who hadn't moved yet.

"Well, well, well," the wraith said with cold glee. "It's just you and me."

The Wolfos growled in reply.

"Since I'll be killing you, I don't want to have to clean my cloak of your guts," Dark Link said, unclasping his cloak and letting it fall to the ground.

Sean blinked, staring at Dark Link's back. His black clothes hung loose on his body, but Sean could see the wraith's muscles ripple under the cloth. Dark Link looked so much more powerful without his cloak, but maybe he wore the cloak to hide his inhumane strength. Seeing Dark Link standing there reminded Sean of Link, who shared the same inhumane strength. Both were cold tempered murderers, getting joy from killing anyone in their paths. Sean snapped back into reality when Dark Link began to talk again.

"To put the odds a bit into your favor, I'll drop my sword," he said with a cold smile that was planning something.

Dark Link undid the buckle of his sword belt and dropped it to the ground with a slight metallic clatter. He then moved into a fighting stance and awaited the Wolfos' next move.

"It's been awhile since I've fought anything worth fighting and killing," he said with sick delight, his tongue hanging slightly out of his mouth. "Don't disappoint me."

The Wolfos launched itself at the wraith with a roar, paws extended in front to shred its opponent's flesh. Dark Link simply ducked from the claws, grabbed a giant forepaw as it came over him, stood, and swung the giant wolf into a tree.

The tree gave in to the Wolfos' body and toppled over with a thunderous crash. Nothing moved past the wood dust of the giant tree, no sound came forth. Sean closed his eyes and sighed. When he began moving out of the bush, Juto pushed back on his ear, pleading him to stay put.

Sean looked at the small creature and settled back down. All Sean knew that happened next was that the wolf erupted from the derbis with a loud roar and Dark Link simply jumped out of the way. Sean's eyes darted around, trying their best to follow the blur of the wraith's body gliding effortlessly in and out of the Wolfos' reach; darting around the creature's legs, causing its anger to rise to a boil. The wolf would slam its large claws into the ground where the wraith stood, but then he would appear somewhere else and the large gray creature would turn around and do it again. To Sean, the Wolfos seemed so slow as it went after Dark Link, but in reality, it was lightning fast and Dark Link was faster still.

The whole scene seemed to slow way down when Dark Link had leapt onto the Gray Wolfos' back, holding on to its thick neck fur as it salivated and snarled.

"You've put up quite a fight," Dark Link laughed, his eyes wide in crazed bloodlust, "but this is where it ends." He lifted his right hand above the wolf's head, all fingers straight like the end of a spear. "Lights out." After he said that, he drove his hand straight into the Wolfos' brain and through its lower jaw.

The Wolfos let out a quick screech of pain and staggered for a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a rib-cracking crunch.

Sean scrambled out of the bush, snapping twigs and having a hard time staying on his own two feet. After freeing himself from the bush, he straightened himself, took a deep breath, and sprinted over to the Wolfos' carcass.

"Dark Link?" Sean whispered softly, trying to peek over the giant ribcage of the animal, but it was taller than he was.

He ran around to the wolf's large head when Dark Link's cold cackle entered his ears and sure enough, the wraith was leaning against the back of the large creature, untouched save for a blood covered arm.

"That was fun!" he laughed, uncaring of Sean's presence.

Sean's face slightly took the look of disgust, hating how Dark Link found entertainment. He looked nervously up at the dead animal.

"What do you plan on doing with this?"

Dark Link's red eyes rolled in their sockets to look at the young boy.

"What would I do with it?" he asked, as if answering.

Sean shrugged slightly.

Dark Link stood up and walked around the Wolfos to his cloak and clasped it back around his neck.

"I could always eat it," he said picking up his sword belt and replacing it around his waist.

Sean seemed to gag on his own saliva.

Dark Link smirked while fastening the belt buckle.

"But that would just bring more wolves."

"I don't want to see anymore of those!" Sean said, closing the distance between him and Dark Link incase the wraith decided to leave the boy in the dust again.

"The woods are full of them," Dark Link answered. "We're bound to run into this one's pack." He motioned to the carcass. "They'll be catching wind of its death soon so we should get going.

Dark Link turned on his heel and continued down the path that they had been walking before the wolf had attacked. Sean had to jog to catch up.

"Shouldn't you wash your arm off?" he asked, once at Dark Link's side.

"Why? Wolf blood tastes so good anyway," he answered, licking the back of his hand in a way Sean could compare to a starving carnivore with a newly found carcass.

Sean grimaced and looked back at the path in front of him, the forest closing back in around the pair and the sound of Dark Link lapping up the blood off his arm filling his ears. A shudder racked down the young boy's spine, the sight of the wraith's fangs in his mind. Dark Link for sure was no normal being; his lust for blood and strange appearance really set him apart, yet he looked exactly like Link and Sean could see many similarities between the two.

A soft purr and touch against his neck caused Sean to almost jump out of his skin and he saw Juto sitting on his shoulder, wrapped up in his frost white hair. Its flame orange eyes were sparkling in the sunlight that broke through the trees. Sean gave a small smile and stroked it with one of his fingers.

"We'll be coming up on a village if we keep heading down this road," Dark Link said after a time of silence. "I figure you might need some things from there."

"Like food," Sean blurted, almost too enthusiastically.

One of Dark Link's fangs protruded from between his lips, licked clean of any blood.

"Like food," the wraith repeated back in a dry tone. "I'll never understand mortals," He muttered, rubbing his forehead, "more less Terminians." He looked back down at Sean. "But before we get there, something has to be done first."

Sean did not like the way Dark Link grabbed his shirt, the gleam of the long sword glinting in the boy's eyes.