The Wolf With Steel Fangs

Can you really run when there is a wolf one step behind you? Just when you think you're safe, you find that there are wolves in the walls.

But you know the name of the wolf...does that mean you control it?

The Wolf With Steel Fangs

Ratsuikksu

As she drifts through our lives
Tossing coins into the air
Watch them twist
Watch them fall
Turning hope into despair
Watch them twist
Watch them fall
Then she suddenly revives
Every dream that we've had
And we find ourselves
Alive

Link slowly opened his eyes and yawned. His stomach growled and the familiar pain of hunger ripped through his abdomen. He slowly sat up, looking at the water-blue walls around him that both gave him protection and kept him prisoner. He looked over at the remaining aura, the glowing circle that would take him outside. But he dare not venture forth. It was too dangerous. He knew that the Royal Black was looking for him. This was probably the last place they would...

Link jumped to his feet, panicked. If they didn't look here, then they would look in the forest or the ranch! Link grabbed his sword and rushed over to the transport circle. He reappeared outside, alone. They hadn't found him yet. Link whistled, and Epona's red shape came charging over the hill and across the bridge. She seemed overjoyed to see him. She slowed to a stop and nuzzled him for a moment before he swung into the saddle, his heart racing.

Epona whirled, rushing over the bridge and over the field to the forest. Link's heart was pounding as a vile trail of black smoke cleared the treetops. As he came to the entrance of the forest that was his home, he saw nine great black horses in black armor. They were huge, to the point that Epona almost looked like a Shetland Pony in comparison. The ferocious mounts were neighing and wheeling and refusing to follow their masters into the forest. Epona sailed right past them and they vanished into the gloom.

Link could feel the fire before he saw it. When Epona cleared the trees, Link's blood ran cold.

Everything was burning. Epona leapt over a wall of flames and into the center. Link turned her, the two running to houses to check for survivors. Finding the burning hell empty, Link urged Epona towards the Lost Woods. They had to be there. This couldn't be happening. Not here. Oh Goddesses not here...

There was more flames, licking at Epona's hooves as she charged through the maze as if she had been there thousands of times. Link's eyes were open, looking for anything, any sign of life. The flight of stairs leading the entrance to the Forest Temple was splattered with blood. Epona charged up them, and Link drew his sword. At the top, Epona put an extra spring on her muscles and sailed into the air. Link jumped, and planted his sword through the pitch black helmet of the nearest member of the Royal Black. The man screamed and fell, alerting the other eight members to his presence.

Link didn't waste any time. He was on the next member, felling him in almost the same fashion. The Royal Black surrounded him, pointing their lances at his chest. Link was faster though. One graceful back flip sent him onto the shoulders of the nearest Royal Black. Link raised his sword to drive it through the armor, but the same black shape knocked him off. She was here.

She knocked Link's sword from his hands. The two circled each other once they hit the ground, landing elegantly. She jumped at him, and he planted his fist in her stomach. She didn't flinch; instead she whipped around and struck his head with her knee. Link staggered, and she was upon him again. But she was one second late, and a quick arrow hit her left shoulder. She didn't wince, instead pulling the arrow out, tearing her clothes instead. Link almost froze at what he saw.

There was only a glimpse of it, a piece of metal nailed over her heart and surrounded by scars...

She jumped at Link again, knocking him to the ground, clawing at him. He grabbed her by the throat and threw her. A moment later they were both on their feet again. Link jumped at her this time.

A searing pain ripped through his arm, and he hit the ground, hard. The head of a lance pinned him to the ground, like a bug. The members of the Royal Black surrounded him. Link grinned, whistling a strange tune. The Royal Black watched as his entire body became that of blue stardust and slipped away. They nodded to each other and rushed to their mounts. The girl growled and turned her attention to the red horse. Epona laced her ears back. The girl jumped at her, but two strong hooves planted themselves in her stomach. The girl dropped to the ground, skittering off before Epona could finish the job.

Epona whinnied, and Saria emerged from the Forest Temple with a dozen other Kokiri behind her. Together, they all made their escape as their home burned.

Link took refuge in the Water Temple once more, for a moment anyways. The bleeding in his arm had stopped, but it hurt...a lot. He sat in the entrance, one hand over the wound. He had killed two...two of how many? Eighteen? More? He swore to himself before he stood on shaky legs. He felt terrible, but he knew that the Royal Black would be back, soon. He heard their footsteps, almost overhead. Link turned and looked at the pool of water at the entrance. It rippled. A visitor.

Ratsuikksu

(That name...yes...that...)

She surfaced and tried to jump at Link. He swatted her aside. She growled at him and tried again.

"Rathix."

She stopped, falling to the floor, eyes wide. She looked...confused. Link grinned to himself. The one name he remembered from the two journals. Her name.

Link took this opportunity and stepped into the circle once more. He was outside, standing behind the members of the Royal Black. But they knew he was there.

One member, a leader, twirled his spear and pointed it at Link. Link's hand curled into fists. Link jumped at him, running on the spear and sending his gold gauntlet into the helmet. It broke, revealing the face of a hardened warrior, not at all like the cruel face of Ganondorf. In this moment of hesitation, the man drove his lance through Link's stomach. Blood spurted from Link's mouth. The man held him over the edge of the island, grinning.

"You've been allowed to wander where you don't belong long enough, boy. It's time to put you down." He said. Link looked at him, a strange and almost determined look in his eyes.

Link's hands curled around the lance.

"You talk too much." He whispered, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth.

Link pulled on the lance, driving it deeper into him, but also pulling himself back onto the island. With his feet planted on dry land, Link took advantage of the situation. He gripped the lance and swung his full weight into it. This took the man off guard, sending him tumbling into the lake, drowning in his armor.

That was it. Link sank to his knees, feeling both victorious and defeated. He wearily glanced up at the remaining members, hidden by black helmets. One ripped the lance from Link's body, and he collapsed onto the grass. Another bound his wrists together. A third picked up his drained and bleeding body and set him gently on the saddle of one of the great black mounts. Yet another bound his legs and gagged him. Link didn't even try to resist. He couldn't. There was no more strength left to fight.

The wolf reappeared, not looking at Link at all. One of the remaining members shouted at her and his black gauntlet connected to her skull. She growled and sprinted off ahead, out of sight.

Link's wounds were taken care of, almost to his dismay. While still weak, the Royal Black locked him up, chaining his wrists together and hanging him from the ceiling of a dark, cold room. After what seemed like hours, seven members of the Royal Black, all leaders, entered. Some carried candles, lighting the small room. They all removed their helmets. One caressed Link's face in his hand. Link pulled away.

"He still has a bit of fight to him." One said.

"The more fun it will be then." Another added.

"True." The first one replied.

A strap of leather was fastened over Link's eyes. He felt blind. But he was not deaf. He twitched when a rough hand traced an invisible line from his chin to his navel. Link could feel the color drain from his face when hands began stroking his cheek, as if they were amazed. They were toying with him.

(Oh Goddesses...no...This can't be happening!)

"Who wants him first?" A voice asked.

"I do. He killed my brother." A cruel voice answered.

"Then we will leave you. We'll decide the order while we wait. Come to us when you've finished."

Link was alone, alone with another. He heard knuckles cracking, and a soft chuckle followed. A whip struck his back, hard. Link cried out in pain. The tormenter laughed and struck him again and again, hitting the same spot with insane accuracy. The agony lasted for only a few moments before the door closed and the man was gone. Link felt like crying, but bit his lip to keep from doing so. Five others came, doing similar torture routines. Strange to say...Link almost got used to the pain...like he could handle it.

But he knew...the seventh one would be different. Link had vomited blood moments before the door opened and closed once more, and his blood was already all over. This final person was different. Link heard no weapons, but he heard clothes...being removed. Link's heart pounded. This seventh one removed Link's boots, then his white leggings, then pulled the shreds of his white shirt from beneath the tunic. Link struggled, but this seventh one wouldn't let him. A leather collar was placed around Link's neck. Link didn't like this...at all...no...

(Don't rape me!)

A jagged, stabbing pain ripped through Link's body as the seventh one thrust himself into the once legendary Hero of Time. Link screamed. The seventh pulled sharply on a leash, and the collar tightened, silencing Link's cries. The final tormentor slowly drew himself from Link, then sharply trust himself in again. White spots explode before Link's closed eyes. Again and again the seventh thrust himself into the poor boy, pulling tighter and tighter on the leash until Link was gasping for air.

After what seemed like hours and hours of unbearable suffering, the seventh finally pulled out of Link, removed the collar, got dressed, and left.

There, alone in the silence, Link cried.

I don't know what words I can say

The wind has a way to talk to me...