Author's Preface:
Greetings once more. Labor Day weekend has provided additional time for editing, so I'm happy to release this chapter a day early. Expect Tuesday releases to resume next week.
If a different day is desired for new chapters, I'll be happy to change chapter drop days. I just know many stories update on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes the site overcrowded on those days it would seem. I'm attempting to avoid that influx of stories to provide more exposure. But enough of the boring logistics. Enjoy the chapter!
Recommended Background Music: Temple of Time - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The night came and went, but Link slept fitfully. Though used to it somewhat after several months, his dreams haunted him. One moment he was reliving the events of the twilight invasion, the next he was saying farewell in front of a mirror in the desert.
The most constant recurring dream however was hunting for something on four legs in the middle of the night. Tracking a scent and desperately pursuing it with a wolf's speed. And despite the urgency, Link in his dream enjoyed the freedom of the hunt, the feeling of land passing under his paws. It was then that Link awoke suddenly, breathing hard and sweating.
No matter how much he reminded himself those times were over, his dreams seemed to constantly battle him on the matter. He reluctantly let the recurring dream pass and realized through the tiny rectangular window in his room that dawn was fast approaching. Link sighed and prepared himself for the day's outing.
He quickly threw on his green tunic and chainmail before gathering his equipment. Much of his belongings were still with Epona in the guardhouse, but he still carried some of his gear with him. Namely, his sword, shield, bow, and quiver. He also carried a few bombs despite the majority of them being in the bomb bag on Epona's saddle.
A few of the items from his adventures remained back in Ordon, namely the chain ball and shadow crystal. The first was too heavy to practically drag everywhere without knowing if it would be useful. The second was too dangerous, both because of its inherent evil and because of Link's temptation to use it. Epona currently had the rest of his gear.
He quickly walked out of the tavern, blinking weariness from his eyes. He noted with interest that nobody seemed to be in the tavern at all, not even the bar tender from last night who seemed to own the place.
The village also seemed eerily deserted in the early pre-dawn. Few occupants moved around and only a handful of houses had lights on in them. The village's pathways were simple though, and Link easily found his way back to the guardhouse.
One hylian soldier stood at the entrance, apparently half asleep. He murmured a greeting to Link as he recognized him and pointed to the stable around the back. Link nodded and moved around to find exactly where Epona had been housed for the night.
He saw the stable entrance as he turned the edge of the building. As he approached it though, he saw a figure emerge from it with Epona's reigns clenched tightly. He quickly recognized the armored figure and helmet of another hylian soldier. This one had his left forearm bandaged however, and Link realized he was looking at Sergeant Letz, the guard he had rescued yesterday alongside Captain Garsus. Letz noticed Link as he exited the stable and walked over to him, Epona in tow.
"Thought I'd give you a hand this morning with your horse, but when I got here she was already saddled up. Guess the stable boy beat me to it. He's a village lad, but a decent sort." The man hesitated as he gave the reins over to Link. Link took them from him in one motion. Link took the silence as an opportunity to ask the guard a question.
"I guess there's no villagers that could help me navigate the woods?" Link didn't think there would be any issues. The Ordonian had a good sense of direction and was an experienced woodsman. However, a villager would offer some local insight in a region he was unfamiliar with. The guard quickly shook his head.
"No villagers in Vinwaka would be caught alone in the woods with a hylian," Sergeant Letz replied sadly. He looked up at the stranger who had fought so effectively the prior day. The guard once again fell into silence, as though piecing together exactly what he wanted to say to Link. After a moment the sergeant finally seemed to find the courage to speak.
"I guess I'm also out here this early because I wanted to speak to you, if you can spare a moment before you head out," the man stated, still seeming uncertain. Link nodded his consent and the soldier before him seemed to argue with himself for a second. Finally, he sighed and took off his helmet.
Even after the events of yesterday, Link realized he had never seen the sergeant with his helmet off. The man appeared to be in his late twenties and had grown a sharp moustache that accented his thick eyebrows. His hair was dark black, and his eyes were a pale blue. The man held his helmet in his uninjured arm and seemed to consider Link.
"I just wanted to say thanks for yesterday. I know there's been a mixed reception here at Vinwaka, but I want you to know that I appreciate the rescue in front of the gates. Captain Garsus, he seemed to breeze by it, as though you owed it to him to aid him." Letz seemed to anger for a moment at that, before hanging his head.
"I know for a fact none of the villagers would have helped," the guard continued, "and I realized after that fight that my life would've been over right then and there if you hadn't intervened." The man clearly struggled to get all the words out and spoke slowly as though trying to carefully choose his words. Link saw the earnestness behind the man's eyes.
"Don't worry. As I said, I'm here to help the village. I intend to do just that." Link gave him a small smile before moving to mount his horse. Letz moved to grab his shoulder behind him, but Link's reflexes kicked in as he sensed the movement subconsciously.
He whipped back around and grabbed Letz hand before realizing there was no threat. Letz's face displayed shocked at the movement, quicker than his eyes could follow. Link met his eyes for a second before releasing the soldier's arm sheepishly.
"Sorry about that, guess I'm on edge here." Letz just continued to stare at him for a second before shaking his head and responding.
"Yeah, I don't blame you. Listen, I just wanted to tell you I've got your back and you can count on me if things get dangerous around here. Apparently, you don't need anyone to, but I'll be there anyways since I owe you my life. Unlike Lieutenant Fassil I was never good at following orders, but I do remember those who act selflessly for others." Once again, the main seemed to ponder his words before speaking.
"Trust me, you might need some support here in the coming days. Just remember I'm on your side no matter what." The man slowly put his helmet back on. "Good luck with the lizard hunting," he finished as he turned back towards the stable.
"Thanks, keep those bandages fresh on that arm," Link replied, slightly confused at the sergeant's words. He pondered the guard's words as he mounted Epona. Letz waved back in acknowledgment as Link led Epona away from the guardhouse.
The village still appeared dull in the early morning mist. The bleak wooden walls and straw roofs left little color or vibrance to the buildings. Link passed through the palisade gate with the two doormen glaring at him. From there he trotted Epona across the clearing between the village and the forest.
Link released a held breath he didn't know he had been holding. The village was a hideous place of vengeful people, he decided inwardly. The villagers hated the guards, and the guards disliked their post. The whole social problem was one outside of Link's control and, if he was honest with himself, far outside his expertise.
Link was a swordsman and horseman first, then a tracker and explorer. None of those roles seemed to help with the tense situation in the village. He was glad to be out of it, even if only for the extent of his tracking expedition. Link hoped that removing the lizalfos threat would let everyone in the village ease up a little instead of being at each other's throats. With this in mind, he set his eyes on his objective ahead.
Link approached the edge of the forest where the lizalfos had emerged the previous day. He quickly dismounted and knelt to examine the tracks. The lizalfos left deep claw marks in the soil as they had careened after the soldiers in front of them.
Their tracks were far deeper than the soldiers' boots, showing their great weight in comparison to the soldiers, even with their armor. How they moved so fast, Link would always wonder. He looked deeper into the woods, seeing that the five lizard warriors had left a large, easily followable trail. He remounted Epona, patting her neck as he did so.
"Well girl, they gave us an easy-to-follow path. We just have to make sure we don't get ambushed like those soldiers did." Epona nickered in response. He grinned at her, patting her again before urging her forwards into the woods. He couldn't help but be glad to have her with him.
As they rode, he would occasionally test his senses, closing his eyes and trying to hone the slight scent lines he could barely see on the edges of his vision. He was able to tell they were on the right path from the mass of lizalfos scent. However, he still didn't have the senses of his old wolf form, and he was unable to follow the path as directly as he liked. Instead, he occasionally stopped Epona and dismounted to investigate the forest to make sure he was still on the right path. The Lizalfos had been in a hurry though, and it took little effort to keep on the track.
With that in mind, he found himself following a pretty straight shot through the woods. He felt the strong gait of Epona under him as the forest closed in around them tighter. Epona had picked up on his desire to follow the Eastern direction and managed to avoid the tighter undergrowth while not losing the Lizalfos trail. He couldn't speak to her anymore, but it was amazing how well in tuned the two of them were.
The forest itself became thicker and thicker. The branches came lower, and briar patches were becoming more common that Epona had to find a way around. Link was about to dismount and lead her on foot when the forest suddenly started to open again. The trees became more spaced again, and the light came through the trees better. Without much warning, a clearing opened up ahead of them.
Link quickly dismounted and led Epona to the edge of the clearing, peering out cautiously at the sunlight filled area ahead of them. The clearing was composed of a small stream with tall grass blowing slightly in the breeze. Small rocks could be seen under the running water. The stream was somewhat gullied out, with a four or five foot incline on either side. On either side of the stream, the small flatland extended for around sixty yards.
Large boulders protruded from the tall grass like giant gray eggs, creating slight shadows in the sunlight. The Lizalfos trail clearly extended straight into the clearing. The boulders offered decent ambush locations, Link decided after a moment of consideration. He then led Epona to North side of the clearing where he could see the backside of all the boulders on his side of the stream.
No forms laid still in ambush. The best place to cross the stream however was directly in the center of the wide-open area. Link couldn't see the backside of the boulders across the running water, and he quickly considered his options. He could look for a different crossing, but that would take time and possibly not grant any results. No, he was best off to continue ahead, Lizalfos ambush or not. With a drink from his canteen, he mounted Epona and led her into the clearing.
The advance to the crossing through the open ground was uneventful. The whole time Link had his eyes and ears as aware as he could manage. His body was tense as he tried to gather whatever wolfish senses he could muster to react to any threat. No lizalfos jumped at him or fired bows from across the river. He relaxed slightly as he approached the stream.
A gleam caught his eye on the bank of the river. A quick look told him it was a metal object, and he stopped as he approached it. Jumping down, he picked it up out of the soft creek bank soil to reveal a Hyrulean helmet. Link remembered Captain Garsus had said one man had tried to slow down the Lizalfos that had attacked yesterday. Link guessed the helm belonged to him. He stowed the helmet in Epona's saddle.
"Poor man. He did pick a good spot to make a final stand though. Tried to slow down the Lizalfos as they crossed the stream," Link murmured thoughtfully as he stroked Epona and examined their surroundings. Epona neighed quietly in response. Seeing nothing of interest, he shook his head and remounted.
Carefully crossing the stream, he emerged on the other side to very similar terrain. Link returned to being highly alert as they passed through the boulders on the other side of the water. A sudden movement in the tall grass caught his eye, and he instantly had bow in hand with an arrow drawn. A small rabbit emerged. Link smirked in amusement as he reshouldered his bow with a sigh of relief. A wolf scared of a rabbit, he thought amusedly. What would Midna think? The rest of the clearing he passed quickly without incident.
Entering the woods past the clearing, Link quickly picked up the trail again. Now he knew he was near where Captain Garsus had been ambushed the previous day. He began making more careful progress, dismounting Epona and leading her to remain downwind of the trail's general direction. He zigzagged through the woods in this fashion, keeping alert for any sign of lizalfos scouting or hunting parties. The lizards had a fine sense of smell, and Link wanted to avoid conflict for the time being.
His caution paid off eventually, as the reek of Lizalfos suddenly hit his finely tuned senses. He immediately dropped Epona's reins and approached alone for thirty or forty yards. There he saw two lizalfos heading southwest on a game trail. Quickly recovering Epona he made after the direction they had came from, and the scent of lizalfos became stronger and stronger.
Once again leaving Epona, he slowly advanced towards the scent's origin. Up ahead he could make out the bright sunlight of another clearing. Crouching he approached with extreme caution, taking care where he placed his feet. Once he got right within the edge of the clearing, he dropped into a crawl before looking out at what was obviously a Lizalfos camp, sitting in a small open area.
Lizalfos were not as industrious as bulblins, but they did understand basic defenses. A few wooden barricades had been constructed along the edge of the clearing. Weapons and bones lay scattered across the ground. Two cook fires had been set up along the center of the area. Lizalfos lounged or slept along the entire clearing. Occasionally, one would hiss at another, and a small fight would break out, usually concluding in one pinning another to the ground.
A small wooden hut had been built at the dead center of the encampment, obviously for their chief or leader. Link counted four sentries. He watched their activity for around twenty minutes. No lizalfos came or went in that time, and he counted a total of twenty-one lizalfos that he could see. He was about to withdraw back to Epona when two figures emerged from the hut.
The first was a lizalfos chief, marked with bright dyes and a large animal skull mounted on its head. The second figure was larger, and Link was surprised to make out the armored form of a dinolfos. He didn't know the relationship in general for the two lizard species, but the two emerging from the tent were clearly in an argument. They hissed and shrieked at each other, waving to the rest of the camp and to the vague direction of the West.
Link watched, fascinated, as the dinolfos apparently became tired of the argument. The larger lizard brought its armored, clawed fist around the neck of the chieftain. The chief's shrieks reached a high pitch as it struggled in the dinolfos's grasp. Eventually the armored lizard released the chief with a low hiss, and the chief bowed low subserviently.
Link shook his head. He had no idea the lizards could suffer from in-fighting, but it may help on the battlefield. Lizard politics, he thought ironically before turning back and slowly making his way to Epona.
After reaching Epona, he quickly began retracking his path back to Vinwaka. As he passed through the woods, he tried to memorize landmarks and frequently checked his direction. His plan was to lead the soldiers of Vinwaka to the lizalfos the next day after all.
He still tried to avoid game trails and keep downwind of where he'd expect lizalfos activity. Finally, he emerged back at the stream clearing. The sun was past its zenith and long shadows formed behind the boulders jutting out around the creek and long grass.
He scanned quickly for movement before advancing. He didn't expect any lizalfos to be waiting now due to the lowering sun. Additionally, the small party he had seen was headed in a different direction from this crossing. He idly wondered if another crossing existed to the south that also avoided the steep embankment.
Link slowly passed through the open field and crossed over the stream. He had just crossed when he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Instantly alert, he scanned the field ahead of him. Something was amiss.
He instinctively dived out of Epona's saddle as he heard an object scream past him in the air. As he hit the ground, he rapidly unslung his shield as another arrow was fired from behind a boulder twenty yards ahead of him. He crouched to better cover his body as the arrow hit the dirt next to him. He glanced at it before returning his focus to the boulder ahead of him.
From behind the boulder a figure emerged, mounted and drawing another arrow. The rider wore a crimson jacket and a black hood. Link grimaced as he recognized the rider from the tavern the night before. Velretta, he thought disgustedly. She couldn't keep her threats inside the village.
Further consideration was prevented by another two arrows headed his way. Link quickly dived behind the closest boulder to him, hearing the arrows cling off the rock. He scowled, drawing his own bow with a feral look in his eyes.
Turning the corner, he fired four shots toward the rider in quick succession. Velretta sharply turned on her small horse, avoiding the arrows by a slim margin. She fired another two hasty shots at Link before retreating towards the wood line in the direction of the village.
"Oh no you don't." Link growled as he swiftly mounted Epona, bow in hand to pursue the fleeing rider. He drove her to a full gallop, but almost instantly knew something was wrong. Her gait seemed out of sync with his saddle.
A second later, he heard a loud tear. An instant after that the world spun, and he was tasting dirt. Standing up groggily, he looked down to see the entire saddle had torn away from Epona. Luckily, he had been riding all his life and recovered quick enough to see two more arrows headed his way as Velretta circled back. He once again jumped behind a neighboring boulder.
The situation looked grim. His bow had been thrown from him when he had fallen. It now laid fifteen feet or so in front of the saddle. The saddle was close to him, but he would have to expose himself to get to it. He suddenly realized this ambush was far more well executed than a lizalfos one, if not as aggressive.
Velretta moved in a half circle around his boulder, occasionally shooting arrows if she caught a glimpse of him. In this way, she effectively held siege to Link's poor position behind the boulder. He waited a moment or two before risking himself to drag his saddle behind the rock.
Velretta had apparently expected this and fired three arrows at him as he attempted to move the saddle back. One thudded into the saddle, the next clanged off the shield on his back. The final hit him hard in the ribs bouncing off painfully as it failed to pierce the chainmail. Link tried to catch his breath as he took stock of his predicament, gripping his now bruised side with his right hand.
Epona had continued galloping for some yards past where Link had fallen off. She now meandered around the clearing past Velretta. The crimson-clad rider had obviously already discounted the large horse.
Link examined Epona's saddle. As he had begun to suspect, the primary strap had been knifed nearly through. Light riding wouldn't have broken the remaining leather, but that attempted gallop sheared it almost immediately. Link now knew someone had sabotaged his saddle, probably in the soldiers' stable the night before.
That meant either Velretta herself snuck in and cut it, or more likely one of the villagers did. He also couldn't discard the fact that Sergeant Letz or the stable boy could have done the deed. He cursed as another arrow flew by his face, and he shifted his body to better cover himself behind the rock.
"Come out now, with your hands up, and I won't kill you," Velretta yelled across the clearing. Link laughed at that.
"You can't come in to finish the job, and you only have so many arrows," Link replied in a yell, scanning the terrain hopelessly for any advantages he could procure for himself.
"Yeah sure, but I have time, food, and water. I brought a spare quiver just for this hunt. Surrender or be trapped here till the lizalfos come for you, I don't care." With that, she returned to her slow back and forth movement on her horse, watching Link's position intently.
Link sighed as he considered his options. Idly he reached down and picked up the arrow that had bounced off his chainmail. Holding it up, he examined it in the fading light. He suddenly realized a purple ooze was dripping from the tip. She poisoned her arrows, Link thought with a grimace.
Fortunately, her small hunting bow didn't have the power to pierce his chainmail, or this fight would already be over. Whatever was on that arrow, it probably only needed to pierce skin once to incapacitate him. He didn't really think the lizalfos would come up behind him, but it was a possibility.
Link knew he needed to act soon though if he wanted to return to the village before nightfall. He also didn't know if Velretta would try something in the dark. With all this in mind, he began to cobble together a plan to turn this combat to his advantage.
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Velretta continued to circle the boulder slowly. She was careful not to push her mount too hard, as she had no idea how long the stranger intended to remain under cover. If she tired her steed out too soon, it would provide no real advantage. She glanced over at the large brown and white mare, now unsaddled, that had belonged to the traveler.
I suppose I could just take his horse, she thought to herself. It would take time to switch her saddle over to the larger horse though, and the hylian could take advantage of that if he was fast on his feet. She mentally shrugged, better to keep up the current strategy than to change it now.
And the strategy was a good one. She realized when she heard the traveler rescued the soldiers that he could be a serious threat to the village. Sabotage his equipment, ambush him at the crossing, pretend to flee to make his saddle fail, and then pounce on a fallen and stunned prey was the plan.
Velretta had applied her special mixture to her arrows as another precaution. She didn't want to take any chances after the hylian's stunt at the palisade gate. Of course, he probably got lucky there, she mused. He had been fighting stunned lizalfos from an explosion if the accounts she heard were correct. Here the hylian was at the disadvantage and should have fallen into her grasp already. But several things had gone amiss in her plan.
Namely, the swordsman had regained his bearing after falling far faster than she expected. The other major hinderance was that her arrow hadn't pierced his armor. Velretta had seen the hit as the hylian tried to recover his saddle, but it clearly had bounced. Perhaps I should invest in a crossbow, she mused. Her small hunting bow was no war bow, and she doubted she could draw a larger bow anyways. But the sacrifice in rate of fire would be considerable.
The stranger had a proper war bow but had lost it in the tumble. Now it was a waiting game. Velretta was no brawler, and the hylian had a proper sword and shield. Unfortunately, it seemed the stranger had also guessed this and was content to wait her out. Velretta was on edge though. The hylian could certainly have more explosives similar to what he had used on the lizalfos the previous day. She made sure not to get her mount too close in case he could throw those bombs with any accuracy. No, if the stranger wanted a fight, he would have to come to her.
A flash of movement caught her eye. Sure enough, the hylian had tossed a round explosive out towards Velretta. She laughed aloud as she realized the bomb hadn't traveled even a quarter of the distance to her.
Velretta shot a single arrow in his direction, being careful not to cut herself on the poisoned tip. I have to remind him I'm here after all, the crimson-clad hunter thought to herself. The arrow clanged off the hylian's boulder. His bomb's fuse was nearly halfway down now, and Velretta prepared herself for the blaring noise of an explosion.
Then out of nowhere she heard the sound of a loud gust of wind. Confused, she looked around, there hadn't been but a light breeze in the clearing. Suddenly, she saw the stranger step out from behind cover. In his hand was a white boomerang.
Wind seemed to attract itself to the weapon and the tempest whirled around the green-clad figure ominously. Velretta just stared in stunned surprise. What in Hyrule is that?! Velretta had no idea what to expect, but she shook herself from her stupor and began to draw her bow back to fire.
The hylian threw the boomerang then though, and her view of him was blocked by a sudden tornado of wind. The whirlwind picked up dust as it advanced quickly. Velretta didn't think it would harm her, but it was very intimidating. Maybe a distraction? She hurriedly considered. That was when the whirlwind traveled over the bomb, picking it up and lifting it to the top of the small tornado, right at eye level with Velretta on her horse.
Velretta paled instantly as she realized what was about to happen. The tornado carried the bomb forward in an unrelenting advance. She attempted to spur her horse forward, but the boomerang curved as though expecting her to attempt such a move.
The cursed weapon suddenly swirled around her, blowing everything around in a disorienting way and ripping her bow out of her hand. Then the fuse on the bomb disappeared right in front of her, and her eyes widened with terror. Brooooom! Velretta felt her body blasted from her horse, and everything went black as her head hit the ground.
Velretta awoke to a throbbing head and ringing ears. She painfully rubbed her head through her blond hair and stumbled to her feet. It was apparent she had only been out a few minutes. Her horse had apparently been spooked in the explosion and had run off. Velretta tried to regain her bearings even as a wave of dizziness hit her.
She looked over to the Hylian's last position, quickly identifying the green-clad swordsman. He was standing just past the boulder, a wooden whistle in his hands. Velretta saw him bring it up to his lips and blow in it but heard nothing. Suddenly she realized that the whole clearing had gone silent. She couldn't hear the crickets or birds. Velretta tried speaking, but once again heard nothing. The explosion had left her deaf she realized in horror.
Looking back at the hylian, her terror amplified. The stranger had somehow recalled his horse, and was now riding it bareback towards her, sword in hand. He yelled something as he approached, but no sound was heard by Velretta. She quickly tried to run for the woods, stumbling as she went. The dead silence of the pursuit only added to her panic.
Velretta felt the thrumming of her heart as sheer terror filled her. The wood line was hopelessly far away. She drew one of her knives from her belt and turned toward her attacker.
The traveler dismounted a few feet away, his blue eyes and wolfish grin giving his face a predatory look. He spoke something and waved his sword toward the village. It meant nothing to Velretta in her current deafened state. She made a weak lunge with her knife, but the swordsman intercepted it with his blade and flung the knife into the tall grass.
Velretta expected to die then, and she closed her eyes in anticipation. Instead, she felt the prodding of the swordsman with his silver-handled sword, forcing her towards the boulder the hylian had been hiding behind previously. Realizing she had somehow been beat and yet was still alive, she allowed herself to be led to the stranger's previous hiding spot. Through her pounding headache, Velretta tried to rid herself of the feeling of despair and defeat.
Author's Note:
A very fun chapter to write. Gale boomerang is such a fun item from the game and yet so easily forgotten. I recently started the Twilight Princess Randomizer, and oh boy is it great! So many interesting scenarios due to the items you have or don't have. Please rate and review if you have enjoyed the story so far. I'll be back next week!