A/N: HEY! Hey! I'm so sorry that I'm a week late with this. Basically my laptop needed replacing, and then I had to work a bunch of overtime, and then I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my darling boyf, and then I got my second covid jab, and... I've learned a lot from this experience, but I'll elaborate on that at the end of this chapter. You, my dear, patient readers, have waited long enough.

I'd like to credit 'The Strength of Courage' by EquinoxWolf for the idea to have only one insect hold the stolen light. While I'm mostly sticking to the canon world-building, sometimes changes need to be made when adapting things from game to narrative. Multiple bugs might make for better gameplay but one bug makes for a better story in this case.


The Light Invasion

PART I - DESERT THE ARMY

Link of Ordon: Is your duty to your kingdom, or the parasite in your shadow.


Chapter 4 - Ordon in Twilight


The yellowing grass of Ordon Village was even more dismal and colourless under the dark cloud of Twilight. The log in the middle of town had been abandoned when the draft came. It was the only remnant of what life was like only a few hours ago, or however long Link had been out. Shutters had been pulled over windows, and furniture barricades covered the windows of the doors.

There were no shadowbeasts roaming in sight, but a long draw of the air caught their putrid, leathery scent mingling with blood. Mingling with Epona.

"Come on, Wolfie," Midna whispered, perched upon his back. "Where to?" Link pointed his nose to Uli's house by the brook. "Go on, then." Link scurried down the hill as fast and light as he could. If Epona was in danger, or worse, then he needed to appease this imp quickly. Only then would she help him defeat these beasts.

There was some missing flooring at Uli's house. Jaggle was meant to fix it the 'day' after Link and Rusl's last excursion into Faron. When the night refused to leave, it was buried under a slew of other priorities. Wood wasn't for building anymore. It was for burning.

Link dug by the wall between him and the lost flooring, but after a few rakes, he paused. Uli and Colin were still in there. Uli and Colin were hiding from the beasts up at the ranch. Uli and Colin were sure to scream in utter terror when a hulking wolf wriggled his way into their living room, and that would alert the real beasts of this neighbourhood.

Midna lounged by his ear. "Afraid of being seen?" Link gruffed forlornly. "You don't have to worry about that," she said. "Remember what that spirit said?" She put on a poor impression of their feeble bleat. "Those who live in the light become as mere spirits. Ghosts, basically." Link whined. He was too late. Ordon was a ghost town. "They aren't dead, you stupid wolf. It's just a different plain of existence. Go inside and see for yourself."

"A different plain of existence" was barely an explanation. The phrase held no meaning, but "Go inside and see for yourself" was easy enough to follow through on, so he burrowed through the dirt again. Paws made for better digging than human hands, but a shovel would've been even nicer. Sediment flew up his nose. Sneeze. A loud one. His heart jumped to his throat, but no beasts came running from the ranch. Thank Hylia. If Link had to dig when those shadowbeasts were near…

The imp had left his back at some point; Link had only made the tunnel wide enough for himself to wriggle under the wall. When the first ray of candlelight spilled from above, Uli and Colin's screams didn't come, but the blurred sniffles, sobs, and hushes did, as if Link, who was presently very alert and very aware, was listening through a concussion. He clawed himself from the dirt and a full-bodied shake took over. He was free of most of the soil, but now it coated the walls, the floor, and the shelves. Oh well. Poor manners were the least of anyone's worries.

The distorted sobs didn't shift, so his accidental rudeness hadn't been noticed. They were coming from the living room. Link crouched and carefully rounded the corner of the wooden doorway. Hovering above the quilt-draped couch were two orbs of light. The source of the sorrow.

Midna's infernal cackle echoed from under him, but again, the spirits' sound did not change. There was no Midna in this room; not in this nook or that cranny. Then his shadow shifted from under him and her figure rose from it. She had hidden herself in the darkness, just like the henchmen who had captured him. "It's just one mystery after another, isn't it, Wolfie?" Her eye and fanged smirk were the only colour in her shadowy form before she flushed into the physical realm. "I wasn't going to wait outside for you, and I sure as sols wasn't going to join the dirt bath, so I hid in your shadow. How convenient for us."

Convenient for her, maybe, but having been blinded, gagged, and bound by shadow magic, he wasn't a fan. Even being reduced to her mount was preferrable, humiliating as it was, because at least he'd know where she was and what she was up to. She crossed her arms and rolled her eye. "Urgh, quit sulking about it. How about I show you something nice, instead?" Link didn't trust her to know what 'nice' meant, but he was a slave without a voice. How could he object?

"Your wolf form isn't all bad, you know. It has better hearing, better smell, better equipment." Midna tapped under Link's jaw. He jerked away. "But if you focus on those orbs over there," she pointed, "then you might just figure out what, or who, they are."

That was hardly any instruction to go on. Those orbs by the couch were just that: orbs… that gurgled faint sorrows; that slowly formed human-esque outlines, luminescent colours, and audible words; that sharpened into Colin's chubby hands clutching Uli's cream-coloured sleeve as he cried into her collar. She rubbed his back as she whispered soothing words. "Hush, darling. Things are hard today, but that doesn't mean it will stay that way forever."

"But how do you know?" Colin muttered, his voice so quiet and despaired. No child was meant to be this hopeless, least of all Colin. He was always the 'runt' among the children, yet the most optimistic of all of them.

Uli combed the hair from his tear-smeared eyes. "Because someone is coming to save us." Colin tentatively raised his head to meet her smile. Her smile that somehow shone in this overwhelming darkness. "I can feel it."

"But who?"

"I don't know," Uli said. "It could be your dad, or it could be Link." Her words drew Link in like a gentle current, but he was only a ghost in her presence. "Maybe even a stranger. Someone saw those dark clouds appear, and they decided that nothing was more important than running to this village."

"And… do you think they could kill the monsters?"

"Maybe they'll face them, or maybe they'll sneak us away, but the important thing is that they're brave enough to do the right thing."

Colin went very quiet, stewing on those wise words, and then, "How can I help them?"

Uli's smile faded. "I'd rather you not, but if you must, take a good look at what they might need," she said. "If they need cooperation, do as they say. If they need a distraction, throw a stone ten yards away. If they need a weapon, run to the closet, push aside the winter coats, and you will find a very special sword."

"The one for the royal family?"

"After what they did to our little village, I don't think they deserve it anymore." She sighed. "That sounds a bit mean of me."

"You're not mean," said Colin. "They're the mean ones for taking our family away."

"Yes." Uli's eyes glistened with tears. She turned from him, blinking them away. "I suppose they are."

Somewhere on Hyrule Field, Rusl must be wondering how his wife and son were faring under this dark cloud, and Link wasn't there to wonder with them, because he was seeing it. He was a non-participant in this bitter scene with a pinch of sweetness, a scene that would've proceeded no differently if he wasn't there at all.

Except there was something different. If Link wasn't here, then Uli's saviour would've been an empty promise. If Link couldn't defend their hope with embraces and words, or sword and shield, then he would do it with fang and claw.

Midna pushed a finger on his forehead. "Okay. You've had a gawk. Onto that sword." Right. She was still here. Link crept towards the doorless bedroom, careful not to shift furniture, rug, or dust along the way. The wardrobe was closed. It was also extremely prone to creaking. Enough to grate on the ears of anyone across the house.

Midna twisted the squeaky doorknobs and threw the wardrobe wide. She dove in. The creaks and jostling hangers sent Colin blubbering again. Uli blanketed him with soothing shushes. "It's alright. The bar probably collapsed again. It's alright."

The imp's legs kicked from between the winter coats as she rummaged for her prize. She pulled herself out and hugged the Ordon Sword to her chest, not bothering to notice that it was as tall as her. "Good dog." Bad imp. The sword shattered into specks and she flipped onto his back. "Now, onto the shield."

When Papa passed away, Jaggle became the main wood-worker of the village, so his house was where they were headed next. Link left Uli's the way he came and followed the creek towards the house with a waterwheel. How could he get in? Uli's unlaid floor was a lucky coincidence, but anyone with common sense would have every which-way into their house locked, bolted, and barricaded under this invasion. Entering Pergie's home would be a very tricky task indeed.

"An open window?" Midna squawked. "Urgh! This village is full of idiots." That was harsh and unnecessary, but most annoyingly of all, Pergie was an idiot to forget about that window, and Midna was an idiot to forget that they needed to be stealthy.

Link had pressed a single paw onto the downstream bridge when a breathy growl came from behind the fence leading to the mayor's house. Link wove behind the bridge's foundation, quick as he could without sloshing the water. Obscured by the crossing wood panels, three leathery beasts creaked along the shorter bridge up stream. They reeked of goat blood. The urge to growl rumbled at the bottom of Link's throat, but he couldn't. No matter how much hide, muscle, teeth, and claws he had in his wild form, he was prey.

The beasts circled Uli's house, 'peering' through windows (They could see through those masks?) and scratching at the walls to see if someone screamed for help. Uli must be on the carpet, hand clasped over Colin to stifle even the softest of whimpers. Damn this imp. What if she lied about her usefulness? These creatures were no different to the one he had slain in the spring. He could take them on with or without Midna's help.

He took half a step towards the bank and Midna tugged on his ear. She shook her head and pointed to the waterwheel, tracing the journey of one paddle from the surface to the roof. Sure, ride the wheel while the beasts were distracted by his godmother and little brother. How tactical. Link's family would have to exist in pure terror for a little bit longer while he satisfied the wretched imp's selfish desires.

Link waded downstream and paddled through the last few metres. At least he knew how to swim in this form, though the fur provided more drag than a pair of trunks. Link's snout was shy of the turning wheel as he counted the rhythm. And go! He glided into the structure and the panel scooped him up. It creaked under his weight and the wheel began to slow, but the roof was approaching. He'd make it. He'd make it. He scrambled onto the tiles!

The water dribbled from fur stalactites under his belly. If only he could shake himself free of the sopping weight, but that would alert the monsters or frighten the family huddled inside the house below him. He dragged his feet towards the window and poked his head inside the sawdusted workshop. The floor was still covered in woodchips, and the workbench hadn't yet been tidied of screws, bolts, paints, and brushes. The chisels and hammers were missing. Made sense. Pergie and the kids could use them as weapons in a pinch. The scaffolding on the wall opposite the window had a row of metal hooks, and only one held anything at all. It was a shield carved of Ordon pine with a goat's head and horns painted in dark varnish.

Link's weight made the floorboards groan. Three sharp gasps sounded from the lower floor. "Mama, what was that?" Talo whimpered. Link froze.

"Probably just a rat, darling," Pergie said.

"Really? It sounded huge."

"Things don't 'sound' like a size," Malo grumbled.

"Can too!" Talo exclaimed. Pergie shushed him. "Sorry, Mama," he whispered.

"Whatever," Malo mumbled. "You'd make a tastier monster snack than me."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm better than you at everything." Talo made a snarky hum that only ever accompanied a stuck-out tongue.

"What did I say?" Pergie hissed.

"The monsters will stick around unless we keep our voices down," Talo droned. Their verbal tussle had a silver lining. It allowed Link to creep closer to the shield while they were distracted. "I don't wanna be quiet though. I wanna fight them." Between a gap in the floorboards, a luminous play sword swished through the air. "I, the mighty Talo, will save Ordon from all the baddies and become the bestest hero ever."

If anyone could verbalise eyerolls, it was Malo. "Those soldiers should've made you their captain."

"Damn ri- Mmph!" Pergie must've snatched Talo's mouth.

"Talo, I know you're a strong boy," Pergie firmed under her breath, "but now isn't the time. Do you understand?" The boy solemnly garbled an affirmative into her hand. "Good. Now, let's have a contest. Whoever is the quietest for longest wins." No audible answer came. Must have been a nod. Unfortunately, Link was a fourth player who was destined to lose. How was he to get that shield without ramming into the wall?

Midna snapped her fingers and it shattered into her possession. She yawned. "A harmless little fright might've reminded them to close the window." Link rolled his eyes, clambered out the way he came, and shut the window with his snout.

The shadowbeasts still surrounded Uli's, but not for much longer. Link had fulfilled his end of the bargain. He just needed Midna's instruction and then the monsters would be no more.

His ear twitched. There was a knife grinding and peeling at wood, but while Papa's sounds were low, deep, and sharp, these were light, shallow, and a bit rough. An amateur with a little less power in their muscles.

The smell of blood was still distant, but closer was wood, freshly-bathed horse, and a homemade perfume of daisies and honey. Ilia.

There was a wedge-shaped cliff beside Jaggle's pumpkin patch, from which the top was lined with a fence. Beyond that fence was Mayor Bo's house, and in the narrow gap between the house and the fence were two orbs of light fading into the outline of Link's dearest friends. Ilia was huddled under Epona's mane, scraping at some horsegrass-shaped trinket between her chest and bent legs. Why wasn't Ilia wasn't hiding in her home?! Why be in the open where monsters roamed? Unless something more unpleasant had settled inside…

He stealthily rode the wheel down and quietly hopped onto the land. He sought out the furthest corner of the cliff and finally, finally, shook out his fur. Oh, how light he felt.

A weight formed upon his back, as if fading into existence. Midna must have turned into her shadow form to avoid getting wet. Clever.

"Hmm… so these are the weapons you use in your world?"

Not clever! Not clever at all! He ducked as stolen steel flew over his ears again and again. What could suddenly possess her to behead him? When she stopped, Link bravely glanced back, and his jaw dropped at the shield on her face. Swinging while blind was a smidge better than attempted murder, but it was still nasty of her. If he got even a nick on the ear, his primal urge to attack her might've seized him.

"You really think this thing can slay the creatures of twilight?" He growled a warning, cut short by the shield thrown over his face. The tip of the sword grazed his left paw, landing in the dirt. "Well, I won't use these." Obviously. "But I'll hang onto them for you." She snapped her fingers, and the wooden blindfold shattered into specks. All that trouble and she didn't even want them? This whole mission a waste of time and effort.

"Alright, a promise is a promise. I trust you enough to help." Oh, so that's what this was about. Trust. Trust that he'd follow her orders, be tempted by her words, and not throw a fit when she carelessly swung a sharp edge over his head. There was no trust here. Only certainty. She had figured out exactly how to pull his strings like a puppet. She leaned by his ear. "But in exchange for my help, though, I'll need you to do a very special mission for me." But he had already held up his end of the bargain! What more could she demand? "Look, I can't tell you all the details now, but it'll be easy. Trust me." Not like he had a choice. Their trust was conditional. Unequal. It was crystal on her end, but blind on his.

"But enough about that. Do you see those spirits?" She pointed at Ilia and Epona. "Something odd is going on. I bet it's a clue to the where-a-bouts of that bug." Midna lounged against his back. "Better get going, don't you think? Don't blame me for your town's fate if you don't hurry up and recover that light." She hummed leisurely tune. Hypocrite. Link turned back to give her a glare, but she was facing the clouds, examining her claws. With a sharp sigh, she flipped her legs over his sides and slapped his shoulders. "Come on. Snap to it!"

She always had to be right in the rudest way possible. Snap to it. Meh meh meh. Wait until he had a mouth to annoy her back.

He had made it two steps from the bridge when black tendrils rose from the other side. Biting back a whimper, he ducked into the long grass where he and Ilia had hidden for the pumpkin prank. It didn't conceal them from Rusl, but the beasts could be dumb enough to overlook him. Link was counting on it.

Three beasts lumbered into the field on their haunches and knuckles. Their growls were an icy, hollow whisper as their faceless faces panned over the pumpkinless patch, the deceptively empty house, and the tall grass where Link hid. While two beasts completed their rotation and stalked towards the pier behind Pergie's, one stayed for a second look. Link was about to be caught. He was too exposed! As that head swivelled towards him, he dug his claws into the dirt, prepared to run or ravage for his life.

The masked gaze swept over him, but there was no relief. His heartrate climbed with the crane of the leathery neck.

Predator locked onto prey. Ilia clutching the trinket and knife to her chest.

A roar summoned the pack from the pier. Ilia stashed her belongings in the pouch on her thigh, pushed off the fence, and threw her leg over Epona's bare back. The monsters snared the fence and hauled themselves up just as the mare galloped around the side of the house.

Midna barked some order that was lost on Link. Lost because he didn't care. He was running across the downstream bridge and over the upstream one just as Epona's hind disappeared through the gate to the ranch. Before him, the shadowbeasts spilled from the side of Bo's house and tore after them. Their sight was like a kick in the ribs. It sprung Link faster. He had to get there first. He would get there first. If someone had to die, it wouldn't be Ilia. It would be anyone but Ilia.

The stench of blood was thick as honey. Strewn across the farm were a dozen goat carcasses. Ripped. Torn. Cracked horns. Scraps of furry skin crusted with blood. Epona and Ilia were pressed against another rocky cliff as the predators encroached. Ilia's chest heaved like a paper bag, her skin as pale as flour. The picture of someone who knew their bloody end was seconds away.

Link shredded his throat with snaps, snarls, and barks. The first mask turned, and he pounced it, teeth in its throat one second and ripped out the next in a spray of blood. Midna clawed at his forehead, his ears, his cheek-bones as she yelled at him to stop. He wouldn't stop. Hex him. Blast him. He'd take her orders and cruel punishments when and only when Ilia was safe.

At the second dying gurgle, Ilia screamed and Epona whinnied, but a third joined the chorus. A guttural howl from behind. The final shadowbeast had raised its mask to the heavens as its cry rattled the tendrils upon its head. Epona, hooves rooted in place, shrank from the sound as Ilia covered her ears. The noise stabbed and twisted in Link's skull. He needed to unhook his claws from the torn up corpse, but he couldn't move. Couldn't move.

As it began to die down, the torso beneath him shifted.

An undead arm swiped Link off. He tumbled through browning grass and wet goat flesh. When he scraped to a halt, he coughed up blood -shadowbeast blood- as he raised himself. The throats of the rising dead were tangling and melding into whole, unblemished skin. Ilia screamed again, and Link's blood-dribbled jaws hung open as the beads of red snaked back to the monsters.

Unwelcome weight crashed upon his spine. Again. "I tried to tell you!" Midna warned. "You have to kill them all at once, or else they revive each other. Stupid wolf." The base of her fist struck his forehead. "Listen up. You're going to lure those beasts in close. I'll cast a spell to immobilise them, and then you attack, attack, attack!"

All three at once? No, not possible. But... worth a try. With an affirmative bark, Link charged.

Each bound towards the menacing creatures was an act of madness, but the momentum was underway and it was easier to keep going than stop. He leapt over a swiping claw, ducked under a second, and twisted away from another. The shadowbeasts chased him along the cliff.

Ilia screamed. Link whipped around. One of the shadowbeasts still leered at her. She was flattened against Epona, and the stone above her had scratch marks. Like a marble on a slope, Link curved towards the beast reeling back for another swipe. A quick glance back. The other two were still on his tail.

The air stung his peeled gums as he lobbed barks and snarls. The shadowbeast straggler charged towards him. The other two flanked his sides. There was no escaping the impending dogpile unless Midna's spell worked as promised.

From beneath, a circle of shadow expanded, catching the beasts in an orange crackle. Link sprung at the one before him, spread his claws and jaws, and buried them in the leathery skin. Before the beast fell dead, Link sprung off its torso to the one on the right. Crunch. Tear. He twisted mid-air to the one across. As he sailed over its broad shoulder, canine claws raked through the neck. Four sheets of blood spurted.

Link tumbled across the grass and rolled to his feet. He hacked up the blood in is throat, snorted it out of his nose, and tongued the flesh in his teeth. The maimed forms lay in the middle of the field. Matching the goat carnage. He shuddered as Midna floated off his back towards them.

"They just died…" Ilia's voice was rarely this quiet. So quiet that even his perceptive Hylian ears might not have picked it up. Her wide eyes flickered with the fire of the cremation spell. "What do we do, Epona?" Ilia leaned over the mare's neck, burying tearful eyes in fistfuls of her mane. "We couldn't hide in the house because of that awful bug, we couldn't hide behind it because of the beasts. How do we hide from an invisible monster?"

Link had his clue to the location of the light-stealing insect, but that paled to Ilia's fear of an invisible monster. Because it rang true. Even as the last of the blood and flesh burned from his teeth and fur, the deed was not erased. This beastly behaviour had brought more trauma and suffering unto his best friend.

Yes, she was alive. He would kill countless more beasts to keep her alive, but how could he reassure her that she wasn't in danger anymore? That there was no invisible beast about to ravage her at any second? Link wracked his thoughts as he drew a long sniff for extra signs of danger. A fruity hint joined the meaty chorus. Melons. Jack-o-melons. That's it!

Midna yelled after him as he scampered into the stable. About half the goats, the ones from the Bed Time Faction, were still inside, though some moaned over slash marks, fallen comrades, or their smashed stables. As Link nudged a few fallen planks, Midna landed hard on his back and pulled his ear. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "If the bug was in here, these dumb animals would be making a bigger ruckus." Link tugged his ear from Midna's pinch and kept rummaging through the wood.

The trough was exposed now, filled with apple peels, stringy pumpkin centres, and most importantly, a few stray melon rinds. Link gingerly fished it out with his teeth, dropped it on the ground, and flipped the skin to face him. With a single claw, he carved -or attempted to carve- two dots and a curving line. Midna scoffed. "That's the worst smiley face I've ever seen." His tail perked up at the taunt. For once, her insult served a good purpose. Even with one eye below the other and a jagged mouth, he had captured the gist of a face. Ilia would know what it meant.

With a light bite, he lifted the rind and jogged out of the stable. Across the field, Epona was still rooted and panting, and Ilia still clinging and sobbing. Here's hoping his jaws aimed as well as his left arm.

Link flung the rind at her. It spun through the air and hit her chest. She smacked a hand over it with a terrified gasp, and her chest heaved and heaved and heaved. Gods damn it! He had made it worse. Her fear-locked brain must think she was struck by an arrow.

Slowly, Ilia's breathing mellowed. She glanced down at her chest as she peeled her hand away. The rind rocked in her palm. When she turned it over, she clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Yes. A giggle. Ilia tossed the rind in the air and Epona caught it. The mare munched happily as Ilia lowered her palm from her wide grin. A rare ray of light in a land abandoned by the sun.

"What the bloody hell just happened between you two?" Midna exclaimed. It was a good thing Link's wolf form made her question rhetorical. Even if he explained it, Midna wouldn't understand. It was one of those 'you just had to be there' sort of things.

"Urgh. Let's move on," Midna groaned. "Did you hear that girl say something about a bug?" Link nodded. "And you already know where to go?" Another nod. "Good. Giddy up, Wolfie." He bounded for the broken gate before Midna could kick his ribs.

The double doors of Mayor Bo's house had been barricaded by barrels of grain, wine, and whatever else would otherwise be tucked behind the house. "Huh, I wonder what she's keeping inside," Midna sang thoughtfully. Link plodded forward and waited for her to snap them away, and she did, but not in the right way! Instead of disappearing into black particles to be later replaced, Midna's lightning caught the barrels and flung them into the lagoon across the village. Link winced at the heavy splashes. As if Ordon's food stock wasn't scarce enough. Those sounds were sure to strike terror among those in shelter.

"Ah, that's much better." Her shadow against the wooden door raised its laced fingers, and the knuckles cracked. Her ponytail rose, swelling and shaping into a large hand. The orange hair pinched the doorknob with two fingers and turned it.

Mayor Bo's house was spacious compared to the rest. The dining room was large enough to seat the whole town. This was mainly for meetings, but Bo and Ilia were happy to host birthday parties, wedding receptions, and other functions. The table was still laid for two, with half-eaten bowls of casserole that had long lost their steam. The second floor offered Bo and Ilia the luxury of separate rooms and a bathroom, but beside the staircase to it was a door that led to Bo's biggest frivolity. A door that had been barricaded by chairs and bookshelves.

Link gave Midna a warning glare when he stopped before it. She rolled her eyes, snapped her fingers, and the furniture moved along the scratch marks on the floor to their approximate original positions.

The screeches of wood against wood elicited a clicking sound beyond the door. Agitated clicking. What horror dwelled there? Was it stronger, more fearsome, more deadly than the shadowbeasts? Link looked to Midna. She better have a game plan, or at least something to guide her servant, but no. She just gathered crackling energy in her palms and shoved it over his head. The door burst off its hinges in a spray of splinters.

Curled up in the middle of Bo's sumo-wrestling ring was a centipede-like ghost of sorts. There were many creatures like this that Link had read about, such as skytails, moldworms, and lanmolas. This creature's head had raised from its coiled body, exposing a golden underbelly of stolen light. It's enormous, silver pincers chittered over its one, electric blue eye. A magtail.

Link took a tentative step forward. The magtail jolted higher and shrieked. From its puny mouth, pearly saliva spewed. It scuttled after him, pincers snapping. Link bolted to the right. Circled around the arena. He wasn't gonna contend with sentient scimitars. No way! If he could get a good crunch on the tail, then he shouldn't have to.

Dozens of spindly legs scuttled against the floorboards like hale on a roof, drawing closer, closer. Link tightened his curve. His jaws caught the tail, but his bite scraped and strained against the tough exterior. It raked from his teeth.

The pincers opened wide. Link needed to go! In his first bound, they snapped around his ankle.

Link yelped and face-planted into the ring's edge, but there was no missing paw. The pincers had only caught his broken cuff. Thank Hylia.

Caught between two of the serrations, Link couldn't tug his paw free without losing his toes. An orange fist smacked into the magtail's head. Its pincers snapped wide with a dazed shriek. "Get the eye!" Midna yelled.

Despite all rational thought, he dove for the eye between the pincers. Claws pinned down the head as he gnashed at the eye with his jaws, tasting cold, bloody flesh the texture of curdled milk. The creature shrilled in agony. Sharp points bit into his sides, but only by half an inch. Those pincers weren't as strong as they seemed, but they trembled against a resistant force. Midna's laborious breath hit his twitching ears. Her hair was prying them off! She had bought him time for a final, wet chomp that quelled the thrashes into twitches. Then stillness.

The nasty taste and texture was slick on his teeth and gums. He tongued it, and then every piece of that bug exploded into light. It converged into a bright blue, dripping orb. Midna, curiously in her shadow form, floated from his back with Ordona's container dangling by the stalk. She screwed up her eyes and held the sphere far away from herself as she inched towards the light. The moment it touched, the light seeped in. Midna opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. What was she so afraid of? That it would sting her like a flame? How typical for a creature of shadow to fear the light.

"Good boy." She flipped onto his back and dangled their prize before him. "Now, back to the spring."


A/N: Thanks for reaching the end of this (very tardy) chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll indulge me while I share with you how I hope to improve my ficcing process so that a chapter is never this late again.

So fun fact: I actually cross-post this fic on AO3, and on AO3, there are a few more features that I use, buuuuuut the one that really matters here is the ability to embed audio files. Since I read out loud as I edit, I record myself doing it and then edit that into a podfic. That way, readers can choose to read or listen to my story. Why do I go to all this effort? Because some fic-fans are vision-impaired or struggle with reading, and I want my work to be as enjoyable and accessible for as many people as possible.

But what does that have to do with this fic being late? Well, it limits the windows of opportunity to edit, because I usually have to wait until the conditions are quiet enough to record myself, and I have to do it in as few sessions as possible to ensure consistent quality. It also takes much longer to edit podfic than to edit a document because I have to cut out all my water bottle breaks, tripping over my words, typing sounds, pauses, etc.

HOWEVER! I do have a plan to still maintain my update schedule moving forward (next chapter will hopefully be posted December 31 AEST so you will only have to wait a week). I've always known that updating consistently meant having a consistent backlog, and I currently have one that is around 16 chapters long, so even though the WRITTEN version of this story has plenty of content for easy and regular updates for months to come, I'm still creating the AUDIO version update-by-update. Therefore, the solution is pretty simple: I need a backlog of podficced chapters, too.

The great news is that I am currently on my Christmas break, so I have the time to get ahead! Then if another hectic week gets between me and working on my fanfic, I'll still be able to post on time because the chapter -text and audio- is 100% ready to go!

Phew! Glad that's out of the way. Thanks for reading this far, and now it's time for you to take the keyboard if you wish to share your thoughts (which would absolutely make my day). Here's the question of the week to get your thoughts going:

Have you ever wondered what Ordon would be like shrouded in Twilight?