Chapter 11
The Animal Within…

Link gazed about at his new strange surroundings; they were definitely not the same as what they had just been. That thing had kinda freaked him out and tingling sensations raced up his back as if she still haunted this room with her creepiness.

So all that was just a …dream? Link thought, thinking back to what was said about him escaping a dream world.

He pushed himself up off the metal table, but then froze as he felt a warm, sticky substance on his hand. His eyes focused in the red liquid oozing horribly from a hole pierced through his right hand…Link paled.

He sill had his hand injury, did he still have the gashes on his back? Link felt no pain, not in his back, not in his head, not even in his hand…it was as if his senses had numbed.

Taking his left hand, he ran it down his back and was shocked to feel not even a single hole torn in his tunic, nor see any blood on his hand. In fact the metal table he had just sat up from didn't have any blood. Apparently his back was now unscathed from that latest episode, but how had his hand remained punctured?

Suddenly the numbing of his senses dispersed and a sharp pain shot from his hand and straight up in arm. He jerked in a quick spasm like movement from the shock of such sudden and immense pain. Gritting his teeth as he ripped off the end of a tunic sleeve, he bound the cloth tightly around his punctured hand to help stop the blood flow. For the most part this problem was out of the way, for now at least. The only question that currently hindered his mind was how had his hand wound remained intact, yet none of his other injuries sustained? Then again he shouldn't complain lest he lose his somewhat good luck.

His sword still remained gone, it was no where around this room, nor had it been with him when he woke up…again…Life just keeps gettin' better and better… He thought sarcastically.

The room he was in was of a circular shape, vines hung off the walls almost as though they were nooses waiting to hang someone at the gallows, cobwebs were littered here and there, and a single lit torch radiated the dim light that allowed him to see what he could see…Compared to everything else, the metal table seemed so out of place here…

The thing had said something about a Moon Temple…was this what this place was called? If so, this was where he needed to be and now the only thing left to do was find those weapons Din had spoken of…and hopefully his sword…

He walked out of the room through the single door, treading cautiously. There was nothing laying about he could possible use as a weapon…and the worst thing about this was, he could feel a pair of unfriendly eyes piercing through him. He tensed, ready for something to jump out at him.

After a few moments of waiting with nothing happening, Link relaxed. And that's when whatever was watching him made its move, the opportune time it had been waiting for had arisen. Link cringed as the claws of a grey wolfos buried themselves into his skin. Twisting away, he stood face to face with his newly acquired enemy.

It's dark eyes eyed him hungrily, exactly the same way that werewolf thing from that recent 'dream' of his had eyed him…but this time Link was not helpless, sword or no sword, he was gonna take this thing down.

The wolfos seemed to sense this strong emotion within Link and its fur bristled with glee at the promise of a worthy adversary. But then it appeared to sense something else within Link and much to his astonishment, it cowered away in fear.

"What the heck?" Link voiced this question aloud.

When the wolfos made no move to attack but crouched there like a cornered animal, Link shrugged and turned to continue on his way…that's when the wolfos attacked again.

It leapt at him, paws outstretched and teeth snapping. It was as if some new instinct activated within Link, he suddenly found himself swinging around at the sound of a pin drop of a noise with his hands outstretched. The wolfos went flying into Link and they both toppled over to the ground with a loud crash. Much to Link's horror, he felt his fingers were sinking through the flesh of the wolfos.

"Uhn…" he moaned softly, shoving it off of him and pushing himself up…there just happened to be a slight clinking sound as the ends of his fingers made contact with the solid ground…The wolfos showed no sign of moving…almost as though it were…dead…?

With a scream, he stumbled back staring at his hands. Fresh blood dripped from his fingers…which weren't so fingery anymore…

Claws…the ends of his fingers had morphed into claws. Claws that were becoming longer and sharper as he stood there gaping at them with a nauseas feeling bubbling through him. What was happening to him?

His scream had never stopped. In fact, he had forgotten that he had even been screaming at all until this moment. But then his scream became hoarser and even less of the scream it had started out as…almost as if his vocal cords were being stricken down. Down to even where it was no longer a scream nor even humanly, but the howling of a wild animal. Link immediately freaked out and snapped his mouth shut, stopping the strange noise emitted by him. But that's when he discovered a dog-like snout had formed and he could see a wet black nose at the end of it…

Thick black fur had begun to sprout on his body, extending from his blood soaked claws on his newly forming paws, slithering up his arms like a snake to his shoulders, and all the way up and down his body…and there was nothing he could do to stop this horrible phenomenon, only stand there in terrible shock, shaking violently.

But then he could no longer stand, forcing him to drop down onto all four completely formed paws, each possessing a lethal set of claws. Who knew what else had changed? He walked like a dog to a large mirror hanging from a wall.

A frightened whimper escaped him as he saw what he had become; he cowered away just as the wolfos had away from him…when it must have sensed this beast within him.

He was no longer human…but that creature…he had become like the creature that had bitten him…a gigantic wolf…a werewolf perhaps?

His tunic was of course gone, replaced by the thick black fur that had taken over him and he now had a long tail, but his eyes…his deep blue eyes remained the same. Fear and uncertainty, sadness even, sparkled in those blue eyes.

For a while he sat there, of course like an animal would, his tail drooping miserably behind him as he studied his reflection from a short distance. Why had such a horrible thing happened to him? Why…?

He didn't dare open his mouth, he feared the sharp teeth he would find inside. The pointed tips of two fangs hung out partly and this already frightened him enough, not to forget his whole changing into a werewolf type creature. Then his mind began changing, becoming one with the animal he had transformed into. A ravenous hunger became his focus, the instinct to hunt and taste fresh blood. The last humanly thought to cross his mind before he became completely one with the animal he had become was, "I'm sorry Zelda…I failed you…I failed Hyrule…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eek…Well…I did the best I could with that chapter…it's still kinda short…I dunno if the next chapter'll be longer so don't count on it…although it is a possibility...thank you so much reviewers for your wonderful reviews : )

Oi…I only got 2 or 3 hours of sleep last night…lol. Yay for me o.O

-blondie91

Disclaimer: ((sigh)) Right now I'm feelin' lazy so go look at the other dang chapters. lol.