Hello my lovely readers! I am moving soon, so I will not be able to update as often as I have been. With that in mind, here's a chapter in the meantime. This story most likely will be on hiatus for a few weeks, seeing as my mother had surgery, my aunt is coming down to help us pack, I have finals to study for, and we have plenty to pack for a family of six. Thank you all so much for being patient with me. Wish me luck during finals!

-WingedIceWolf

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

Once outside, Link stepped up to his mare who gave him a gentle neigh of greeting and hoisted Wild onto Epona's saddle, taking one of her reins and placing them in Wild's palm. He wrapped the blanket tight around the young man and pet his amber-blonde head.

"I'm going to need you to hold on for me, alright? The road back home isn't too bumpy and uneven, but I still don't want you to fall off. Once home, we'll get you wrapped up," Link said gently as Wild leaned into his touch, his ears twitching. The young man was barely conscious, slipping in and out, limp one second and barely moving the next.

Epona neighed worryingly and turned her head to gently butt the shoulder of her new rider, his head drooping limply to his chest. Her eyes came to rest upon Link and seemed to say, He shouldn't be riding on his own.. He is far too weak for this...

"He'll be okay, girl," The Hero reassured her, reaching up and scratching Epona behind the ears. The feeling of her soft mane between his fingers helped calm the anxiety swirling through him. "He won't be alone, I'll be right here beside the two of you every step of the way."

Link glanced around Ordon to see that seemingly everyone had disappeared. Hopefully inside... The clouds had begun to grow heavy with rain and a fierce wind kicked up, scattering leaves across the ground, whistling through the dying trees. The bitter wind whipped Epona's ashen colored mane about her, tugging at Link's Ordon garb, and nipping at Wild's nose.

How long have we been at Rusl and Uli's cabin…? Link thought to himself as the scent of the storm before the rain filled his nose, rubbing his exposed arm that had started to turn cold due to the wind. He hoped Colin had gotten inside to safety, as he had not seen him within or outside the cabin.

Smoke curled out of chimneys and firelight flickered from inside houses as the skies became darker. The Hero would have worried about the rain soaking the three of them before they returned to his abode within the tree, but something else came over him as he yet again scanned over Ordon with his sapphire blue eyes.

It was not unfamiliar to him to see Ordon appear so empty, reawakening a sense of fear, followed by sorrow, within him. He closed his eyes as his heart began to thunder in his chest, recalling Rusl limping about Ordon with a torch clenched in his hand, its flare casting a warm glow over the grass and Rusl's bloodied face. Link could never erase the memory of Rusl's pale face glancing into the distance, his lips swollen and bruised, dried blood dribbling down his chin while he spoke in a quiet whisper, praying to the Gods the children were safe.

Uli had watched worriedly from afar, calling out to her husband gently while she stood in the doorway, one hand over her stomach. The village pumpkins spilled over the grass and debris here and there from when the Bulbins had attacked, an eerie silence drifting through the night air. All the while, Link was crouched down in the grass in his canine form, sadly glancing at the village he had come to call home.

Link felt his mare's warm head pressing against his cheek, rumbling gently in worry. He felt something wet spilling down his cheeks, but he was not sure if it was from the rain or from his own old despair that had welled up in his heart and finally spilled over. Regardless, he needed to get home.

The Hero took a deep breath and sighed shakily, saying, "I'm okay, Epona… I'm okay."

Link mounted Epona himself and wrapped his arms around Wild tightly, but carefully, wanting to ensure the young man would not fall out of the saddle. He pulled Wild toward him and let his head rest against his shoulder so he was more comfortable, then took the reins from him. Fat drops of rain began to hit him, rolling down his arm and soaking into his fabric.

Link urged Epona into a gallop with a gentle, "Hiyah!", her springing into motion, hooves thumping against soft dirt, kicking up mud as the rain began to fall harder. Wild whimpered slightly at the feeling of the rain and also the harsh thunder sounding, Link himself trying not to flinch with the flash of lightning in the distance. For some odd reason, thunderstorms always made him uneasy and his heart race, even along his adventure with Midna, who would scold him for being terrified of "a little rain".

It just rained yesterday… Why is it raining again today…? Link thought to himself, trying to get his mind off Midna. Earlier that morning, the clouds had been pushed far back into the horizon. He wondered if it had something to do with Wild having appeared, that Hyrule itself had stirred at the new presence.

Link hurried home and dismounted Epona, petting her head and again leaving her with a gentle kiss to her nose before he took Wild onto his back, climbing up the ladder and getting him inside. With every roar of thunder, Wild cringed and whimpered more, Link jumping at every loud crash of thunder that rolled across Hyrule.

"Well, I guess that's something we have in common, huh..?" Link sighed, rubbing the back of his head, flicking water off his fingers onto the ground. "Good thing we didn't get too drenched..."

Wild's ears twitched, as usual, nothing more. Link sighed yet again and glanced toward the basement ladder. He had no desire to leave Epona in the rain and he knew he carried a lean-to of sorts he could set up for her within the basement. She was used to rain, yes, but regardless, Link felt uncomfortable leaving her to shiver in the heavy storm.

He looked around until he found his lantern upon the table, taking a match nearby and lighting it with a strike upon the table, cupping his hand around the flame so no drafty breeze could blow it out, lighting the lantern. The warm glow cast shadows upon the ground as rain hit the windows, the harsh wind tapping at the door.

I hope the wind calms… Link thought bitterly. He began his descent down the ladder, the lantern handle held in his teeth, swinging back and forth as he stepped down, one foot after another until he reached the bottom. He lit another lantern within the basement, lighting up the dark corners of the room.

In one corner of the room stood an armor stand with the Zora armor upon it, the silver scales dully glittering in the lantern light, another with his Hero's garb he had not touched in months, the belts uneven upon the stand, and yet another with armor Zelda herself had crafted for him as her knight, the helm meant for him cocked unevenly to one side, looking about ready to fall off the stand. Dust had collected upon all three of the armor stands, coating the garbs themselves.

Beside the armor stands was the Hero's bow, lying against a shelf untouched, his fishing rod, and his iron boots.

In another corner lied two shields. One shield was wooden with a carving of the Ordon crest upon it, two goat horns meeting each other and a goat head silhouette resting at the bottom of the shield. The other shield was one he had not dared touch since Midna left… The Hylian Shield.

The Hylian Shield too was covered in a layer of dust. Link hesitated, his heart aching, but crouched down and picked up the heavy shield, running his hand along it and brushing dust off it. He covered his mouth with his left hand to avoid inhaling any dust, then coughed up what he had failed to avoid. After brushing all the dust from the shield, he inhaled slowly and exhaled just the same.

He ran his fingers across the once smooth surface, meeting the familiar dents and scratches upon it. Each dent told a different story, each scratch told a different enemy, and each gash in the wood told a different struggle. Some of the paint had chipped here and there, the Hylian crest itself dulled from the six months of use along his adventure, but it was otherwise in good condition, being a sturdy shield. Zelda had offered him a custom one in place of the one she claimed would serve him little, but Link denied her offer.

Tears flowed freely from Link's eyes, him being unable to hold them back, clutching tighter to the shield and sobbing quietly. As much as it hurt, he wanted to remember…

When Link had had his fair share of sobbing, he wiped his tears away on the back of his hand and bit his lip, shaking his head. Lying beside the Ordon Shield was Rusl's blade, the one Link was forced to steal as a wolf, but allowed to keep by Rusl himself. The blade was wrapped in a cloth, dust flying into the air when it was lift, but Link nonetheless raised it to the lantern light, setting the lantern upon a desk, his hand falling upon the hilt of the blade sadly.

A sudden boom of thunder reminded him of what he came down here to do. And also sent him reeling back, tripping over a box and bringing down contents of the shelf with him. In a loud crash, not nearly as loud as the thunder, journals, his clawshots, bottles, Gale Boomerang, and even the Dominion Rod showered over him.

Something sharp stabbed Link's hand, causing him to pull back as warm crimson gushed between his fingers, but it was too late. His body began to change as darkness enveloped him, bones cracking and changing, pain filling him due to neglecting this form for quite a while. His teeth became sharper, his vision itself becoming clearer, fur coating his back as his legs became longer, followed by his arms. A tail grew from his rear, swishing and twitching in pain, his snout lengthening.

What would have been a scream of pain came out half-human half-wolf as the transformation finished, collapsing to the floor in a thud. The Shadow Crystal glowed before him, lying a foot at least away from his paw, but Link's entire body hurt too much to reach out and regain his human form. His eyes slid closed as the entire world faded around him into darkness.

Ah yes, evil cliffies. You are welcome!

-WingedIceWolf