"Sirithe, how's your head?" Those words snapped Sirithe out of his meditative state.

"Oh… Um fine I guess, just a bump." He answered.

He had been wondering how he could make these people trust him more, nothing could be more dangerous than your own teammates not trusting and being friendly toward you in a war, he could easily be left behind to die.

Only one person definitely trusted him the Sheikah, Gnisal. After the whole fight, Sirithe noticed a slight change in attitude from him.

The female Gerudo, Ayame, seemed to trust him some too.

Meathos, there was something different about him, might be slightly shaken from all the war, something Sirithe had seen often. But Sirithe knew Meathos didn't trust him, oh well, eventually.

He looked over and saw Meathos talking to Darmani II and another Goron, shortly afterward all the Goron, except the one who was talking with Darmani II and Meathos, left.

The new girl, Sirithe thought her name was Malon was talking to Jack. He watched them for a moment then looked away, towards Gnisal.

He was huddled under a black cloak, the light seemed to bother him some. He had seemed tense and snappish all day, maybe Sirithe would go talk to him later that night.

He looked around for Jedam, the other Gerudo in this group. He saw him and walked over to him "Hey" he said.

Jedam looked over towards him and answered "What do you want Hylian?"

"I was just wondering, do you know Ayame? She seems kind of lonely." Sirithe said.

"No, and if you're worried about her, go talk to her, just leave me alone." Jedam snapped.

Sirithe walked away and went back towards the WarWagon, this was forming up to be a pitiful time. He could only count on two of all these people in a battlefield. He hoped it didn't come to that soon. When he was back with the Wolfpack, the entire squad had his back, now he was going to have to watch it himself? That was something new.

He looked out across Hyrule Field. He could distantly see some trees, but not the Forest at all yet. This was going to be a long trip, hopefully Gano didn't know where they were going, or he might be fighting two sides at once. A battle he couldn't possibly win.

He sat down and closed his eyes. He again flashed back to that day, when Breed died. This time though, it was the same, except that his sword was encased in fire. Odd... He sat there for awhile, just thinking.

Well, the wagon's not much, but its a hell lot better than a cellar.

Albert had many restless nights, and was exhausted from the heat. He found this odd, because he loved the heat. Cold made him think of his fallen comrades. He thought to himself that the cold was his true weakness. That is what he felt in the cellar. Cold and no hope of escape, or finding anyone who knew him.

He was glad, however, to have found some companions to travel with. It reminded him of the peaceful times, when there was no war going on. Everybody seemed moody and upset now, but in time, they'll be at each other's aid. That's what happened last time, Albert thought, so it shall happen again.

Still, there was the matter of the greudo, Jedam, reacting oddly to when he accidently called him Halse. He had wondered about this for the longest time, and he still couldn't figure out why he had called him Halse. He wasn't Halse, that's for sure. Also, the Hellrider Meathos looked especially familiar. Like he had met him before, but he had not.

"What'cha doin?"

Albert jumped with a start to see the new girl standing over him.

"Oh. Hello there...uhh...Malon is it? I was just reflecting on my past."

"Oh. I see. Well, I guess you want to be alone now, so-"

"Wait. Stay, and tell me a little about yourself. I have a feeling that all of us could grow if we know about each other."

Malon sat next to Albert, and she began to tell him about her family, how they were awful to her.

"Hmm...you sound as if you...genuinely hated them."

"Well, what else could I do? They had told me that the Hellriders were evil, and Meathos surely isn't evil. They said that Greudos and Shiekahs never got along, yet Jedam and Gnisal are good pals. They had told lies to my face, and I could never forgive them."

"I see what you mean."

"But enough about me. Tell me about yourself. How did you get so good at fighting?"

"Well, it started about 9 years ago...from what I can remember. I was enlisted in the Hyrulean Army. Mind you, back then it was a time of peace. 3 years later, my company was shipped off to war, and we endured many hardships, eventually meeting our goal, but losing good soldiers as well. When I had returned home, my village called me a hero for saving not only them, but all of Hyrule. Apperantly, the rest of my company was also. then, 6 years later, I awoke to find a statue of me in the central plaza of the village. I was captured for trying to touch it. To make a long story short, I escaped, taking my weapons," he drew the Grayswandir and Fenrir," And putting the man in charge out of commision for a few days. And now I'm here. But from what I can remember, there weren't any Hellriders around when I returned. So I'm traveling with Meathos to find out what's happened these past 6 years. I didn't recognise anyone when I woke up. What was worse, I couldn't find any of my family or friends. When I asked, they started calling me crazy."

"That's so sad."

"Yes, but its good to talk it out. Even if it brings...pain. But I always remember what my father would tell me, 'Even if we're apart, our hearts will be together.'"

"Well, I'm gonna go mingle some more. Nice to meet you!"

As Malon walked away, Albert said to himself, "Emille, why aren't you here now?"

Night fell on the War Wagon. The wearied travelers, asleep, save for one. Gnisal hadn't slept soundly in almost fifteen years, not since his gift came to him. Being one with the shadows, Gnisal had a certain aversion to the light. However, when darkness fell, the Sheikah was a different man. Everything, including the trees, the road, even Gnisal's fellow travelers, were cloaked in shadow. He could feel all of them, the rocks, the trees, even his newfound friends. Why would he waste such an exhilarating moment such as this on sleep?

Sirithe, the Wolfpack Hylian, was one of Gnisal's newest friends. Friend. The assassin remarked at how little he had ever used that word. Sometimes while traveling undercover, he would have to lie about certain friendships to gain access to secure areas. Now, he saw neither profit nor loss in calling people friends. He was just…doing it. The whole situation was baffling him.

One of the shadows approached. It was Meathos, the Hellrider. Amongst all the newfound companions, Gnisal trusted Meathos above all. Only Jedam, the honorable Gerudo, was close to challenging him. Perhaps the only distinction he made between the two was Hylian and Gerudo. Even after the events at Kakariko, Gnisal still maintained some of his old programming. The shadows covering Meathos sung out to Gnisal, and he longed to sing back.

"Can't sleep?" Meathos whispered quietly to the Sheikah.

"I haven't slept in…so long…" Gnisal replied. "Not since I found my gift. The shadows, I can feel them, sense them, taste each distinct form they caress. At this moment, I am everything I see. The rocks, the trees, the blades of grass…everything. Including you, Hellrider."

"Heh," Meathos snorted. "Then maybe you can tell me why I can't sleep."

Gnisal quieted himself, listening to the whispers of the shadows.

"You want…silence…" Gnisal said. "But it's not a silencing of the world. It's a silencing of… yourself?"

After a pause, Meathos grunted, turning back to his preferred sleeping spot, eager to suppress the bombs in his mind with a few hours of liberating sleep.

The Sheikah turned back to his companions, feeling their shadows. Ayame was cold. She had sheltered him through the day, giving him solace from the piercing rays of light. Now he would shepherd her through the night. Gnisal closed his eyes, and with a whisper of the wind and a puff of smoke he vanished, reappearing at Ayame's side.

Whatever had happened to her, it had been rough, Gnisal assumed. She bore the scars of many engagements, and carried an arsenal that Gnisal could appreciate. Unstrapping the cloak that the Gerudo had lent him, Gnisal laid it gently on her back. Ayame stirred, and briefly awoke to a light puff of smoke and a whisper of the wind.

Back where he began, Gnisal stretched out to the shadows again. That auburn haired girl, the one Gnisal snapped at, was sleeping soundly nearby. The shadows told him her name was Malon. Eventually he would have to apologize for how he reacted. A young girl's feelings are easily shaken. Even so, Gnisal didn't want to see a young novice slaughtered before his eyes. Especially one so…naïve. He needed to toughen her up, if she was to survive. Right then and there the Sheikah swore he would do his best to protect her.

Gnisal could sense the honorable tang of Jedam permeating through his shadows. The Gerudo had proven himself time and time again to the group. Gnisal knew he could trust the Gerudo. He knew that if he couldn't trust Jedam due to his actions, he couldn't even trust himself. Jedam was practically his shadow, a mirror image born on an opposite plane. If he asked of it, Jedam would have Gnisal's swords and skills at his side, just as the Sheikah knew Jedam would fight for him.

The Goron slept loudly, and Gnisal knew better than to awaken him. He knew how dangerous a Goron could be. He just hoped that this one was not familiar with the half dozen assassinations that Gnisal performed in Death Mountain. The Gorons saw each other as brothers; Gnisal wondered, had he had a brother, how he would react to his murder. The Sheikah stifled his doubts, and told himself he would prove himself to their kind, starting with this one. The shadows told him that it's name was Cahir.

There were others, a Hylian named Jack and a…something called Albert. Gnisal trusted neither. Of course, it could just be because he knew neither of them. They didn't need his protection, and as far as Gnisal was concerned hadn't earned it yet.

Gnisal sighed, and began the ritual he had done every night he could spare since he first discovered his gift. Having seen every shadow on his companions, Gnisal turned his power on himself. What could he sense? The 13 in Gnisal's hands burned as he sensed his own emotions and desires. Shame…Fear…Guilt…and a craving for vengeance? Was this what he was at this moment? The personification of these passions?

The Sheikah spent the rest of the night contemplating these emotions, and quickly slid into the shadows come daylight.

"Malon," said a voice "Malon, come here, Malon." Malon looked up and saw a black haired woman with green eyes standing in front of her. She seemed so... familiar. As if someone had brought back a forgotten memory. An auburn hair man with green eyes walked up to them and smiled "Malon my baby." Malon looked at him and smiled. She felt at home now, never to be alone. "Malon." The black haired woman said touching Malon's head. Everything started going fuzzy and Malon felt herself being pulled from the people.

Malon woke up in the back of the WarWagon to silence. She turned over and did not see Ayame. She slept long but she was still very tired. She hoped out of the WarWagon and searched for Albert. If anyone knew how she felt, it was him. They both were lost in Hyrulian society and they could relate feelings to each other. She walked over to a shadow. Her black eyes could not adapt to the dark so well, unlike they did to the light. She tried to make out who it was but she couldn't see the face.

"Excuse me, have you seen Albert?"

To Malon's surprise, it was Meathos she was talking to.

"I think he's over there, Malon."

Meathos pointed towards a shadow moving very slowly.

"Thank you."

Malon walked to the shadow

"Albert?"

"Yes?"

Malon sighed with relief. She was glad she found Albert.

"I had a very strange dream. It was like someone brought back parts of my memory lost in the sands of time."

"Really?"

"Yes. I came to you because I know you could understand me. My dream was of two people who I know but don't. They were calling me 'Baby' and saying 'Come here'. I tried to go, but then I woke up."

"That's odd. Maybe they were your foster parents friends?"

"No. I know their friends. They were snobs."

"Well, I don't know then. Why did you come to me again?"

"Because we are both lost in this land of Hyrule anymore. I don't know what's true and what's not and you don't know much about Hyrule anymore period."

"True."

"Thank you for listening. I really needed to talk to someone."

"No problem Malon. I'm here for you."

Malon walked away and the tired feeling returned. Oh yeah, my stupid eyes can't see in the dark so it's virtually useless and a waste of energy for me to be awake. Malon curled up in a ball and closed her eyes. Her rags kept her warm and the occasional passerby gave off even more heat. She slept with a smile on her face because her mind wandered back to the people she saw in the dream.

'Sleep. What in the world was it good for? Rest? Rest is a rare thing. Relaxation? Oh, yes, so much relaxation... Revelation? ...Perhaps.' Meathos' mind argued with itself as he lay armourless, defenceless, in a small tent.

The blasts refused to quiet. They were almost entertaining, an intricate choir, orchestra of destruction. With each crushing, deafening bellow came a memory, a feeling. With each roar, a face. He hated the night. Everything seemed louder at night, as if the world itself stopped, cringed, and waited for the final bomb to drop, and for him to snap.

Then, above all valiant instruments within his delicate yet brutal chorus, the sky roared as lightning cracked it. Meathos jolted from his waking dream. He groaned, felt the hoarseness of his throat, and looked around with his wide, bloodshot eyes. He pushed his dark hair back, propped himself on his right arm and felt satisfied at the cracks he felt and heard reverbirate throughout his bones. He crawled from his shelter, cracking his back, and stood out in the open field.

Rain. He hadn't felt it in... Too long. The blackened clouds rolled towards eachother, clashed, and rained pure, refreshing liquid shrapnel upon the fields of Hyrule. The battle in the sky mimicked the battle in the desert, there was no clear winner, and it never seemed to end.

For hours, Meathos stood, head bowed, drenched. The thunder, the drumming on his head and shoulders... Soothing. Calming, deafening. His pains were easing, his mind was slowly, ever so slowly, untying itself. His aches, the pains he had suffered on the Front, were no longer prodding him. Their edges now blunt, Meathos looked up. The moon hung high, still, its light dimmed, choked, smothered by the armies of the sky. 'How true'.

Meathos sighed, and turned to walk back to the camp. He hadn't realized just how far he'd come... He could see the wagon, the tents. He was safe. For the first time, he felt safe, in the middle of a field rumored to be home to thousands of unholy beasts, under a thunderstorm, wet, unarmed and defenceless, in the middle of the night. His guard was down. For the first time in a long time, he walked, not marched.

His left leg limped. His knee had been twisted and battered three times, seriously, on the front. His left hip had also been twisted out of place. It no longer agreed to allow a full stride from his right leg. His right shoulder had been broken in his first tour. His left often came out of it's socket. His head hung slightly, he was under the weight of the world.

"Troubled?" Gnisal whispered on the air. He appeared on Meathos' left, smirking ever so slightly.

Meathos looked at the Shiekah, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled a bit.

"Ahh, feeling better..." They continued to walk for a short bit. "Now, what I don't get about you, Hellrider, is why you do what you do. You were wrongfully accused, were you not?"

"Your shadows should tell you that much,"

"Coward?" Gnisal finished the sentance. "By your standards, indeed. By many standards, I am a reaper of all that cowardice has to offer... But I have kept my mind. Can you say that much? You could easily have stayed in your cell. Killed me and the Gerudo, if you had to. You could be back on duty, as a true Captain, rather than one in borrowed robes..."

"Yet, you trust me." Meathos quickened his pace slightly.

"And you me. What you have done is unforgiveable. You know that. There is a price on our heads that not even Hyrule and Ardania can pay... No matter what we, you, do, it will not change it."

Meathos stopped, and faced the Shiekah. He looked down at the assassin, grabbed his arm, and showed him the leather strips he wished to rid himself of. "That explains it."

Meathos did not pay attention to what Gnisal did next. Instead, he simply walked back to his tent, and began his transformation back into the Hellrider. But before he did, he heard one phrase come from the shadows: "Panzer Battalion".

'Wonderful. More tanks.' His helmet fell upon his head with a hollow plop.