Hello my lovelies. Before I continue on, I want you all to read this:

So much is going on right now and I am crumbling under all the pressure. My father is away from the family, getting the new house set up, my mother is upset without his company and very easy to anger, my siblings are hounding upon me, I am scrambling to get everything together last minute since we are moving in a week, I have to leave my best friend behind, and I hardly have anyone to speak to about this. What is truly weighing on my mind is the fact one of my best friends who is the older brother I never had has multiple brain tumors right now and there is a risk of death with the surgery going on today. There was originally one tumor, but when they went inside to do surgery, they found multiple tumors within his brain. Further surgery will be conducted tomorrow, but this could very well be a life or death situation, considering his condition. Due to the multiple tumors, if he does survive, there is a high chance he will lose a vast majority of his memory. It is better than death, but not having my older brother at my side will have a huge toll on me. I don't ask for your pity, but all I ask is for your prayers and support in this. Please pray for my friend tonight. That is all I can do right now. His life is in God's and the surgeon's hands. If it is his time to go, then it is his time to go. I hope, if he does go, he knows he died surrounded by those that love him.

With that said, here is a new chapter of the fanfic. Thank you all in advance... This chapter goes out to my big brother.

-WingedIceWolf

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

Disclaimer 2: No, this is not a Wild x Twi fanfiction. This is more a brotherly bond than anything else, so don't go getting any ideas. This is just a fluff moment.

Rain tapped at the windows above and the roaring of thunder shook the cabin, lightning casting a pale glow into the abode every time it ripped across the heavens. But the wolf lying in the cellar remained still, with the exception of the steady rhythm of breath.

A presence pulled at Link's mind. First, a small nagging, barely noticeable. But as the storm raged on, the presence became stronger, tugging at him continuously, begging him to wake. He wanted nothing more right now than to lie upon the cold, wooden floor and sleep away the storm, hoping the presence would fade.

It was not a presence of danger. In fact, the presence was one he had felt before. His subconscious mind knew this, but his body remained at rest. His furred ears swiveled, tail swishing gently, but all this was done out of absent mindedness.

Slowly, he came to.

Link awoke to his entire body throbbing with pain, each and every muscle within his being screaming. Slowly, his sapphire blue eyes opened, but they refused to focus, everything around him nothing but blurred, dark shapes. He tried to shake his head to clear his vision, but his body felt heavy, as if a boulder itself had him pinned to the ground. All he could do was let out a groan of pain, but his groan did not come out human. Instead, he heard a loud, wolfish whine couple with the roar of thunder.

What's going on…? Link thought to himself groggily, still rather out of it. When his vision centered, he was met with several items scattered across the ground and a fiery orange, glowing object lying not far from his right paw. His eyes slid back closed, a massive, splitting headache pounding at his skull, managing to bury his head in his front legs, whimpering quietly as he prayed the pain would stop.

For a while, he just listened to the sound of the rain until his headache subsided. And with it, a small amount of the pain in his body, but that small amount was enough to get him back to his feet. First, his back legs righted themselves, then his front, slowly rising as his entire body shook with the effort.

This form… it was one he had forgotten how to use due to week's worth of neglect. Just sitting upright was a task in itself. His eyes drifted to the lantern upon the table, its once, bright flame dwindled to a small spark, leaving the room around him nearly pitch black, with the exception of the pulsing light emitting from the Shadow Crystal.

He tilted his head back and took a slow, painful breath, shuddering and again allowing his eyes to fall shut. The chain still upon his leg clanked at his shudder as little, by little, it all came back to him. The storm, coming down to the cellar to get a lean-to for Epona, that lingering, aching feeling in his heart for adventure…

The Shadow Crystal…

When he had ended Ganondorf, the curse upon him causing him to become a wolf when he collided with the Twilight had been lifted. However, the Shadow Crystal, that same crystal Zant had embedded into his skull that only the Blade Of Evil's Bane could withdraw, still contained the same power that had cursed him. Hence, it could manipulate the light within him, changing his form to that of his wolf again.

Essentially, he could still become wolf, but only by using the Shadow Crystal to his advantage. If he had met with the Twilight again, he would not become the beast he was now. But that was the least of his concern at the moment…

What would Wild think…? Link thought to himself with his ears laid back against his head. He tucked his tail between his legs and whimpered yet again. He'll probably be scared of me… Think I'm a monster too… Everyone else did…

His ears twitched, catching a faint, small whimper. But this one was not his. It came from above, and with it came the nagging from earlier. Link was so caught up in his own thoughts, he nearly forgot about the wounded, young man lying upon his couch.

Wild…

In that moment, Link pushed all his pain aside and reached out, touching the Shadow Crystal. It's cold surface met with the bottom of his paw, once again enveloping him in shadows as his body cracked painfully. His legs became shorter, his senses dulling as his ears returned to the sides of his head, fangs fading into dull teeth, the fur sinking inch by inch back into his skin, reverting to human. He couldn't resist releasing a scream at the agony yet again resurfacing as his joints popped, every bone splintering, doubling over as his body finished the transformation, his arms wrapped tightly around his middle.

His uninjured hand stretched out, fingers clumsily tangling themselves in the string, snatching up the Shadow Crystal and holding it there, the sharp pendant swinging side to side as he quivered, breathing raggedly. He needed to find a safe place for this thing… If Wild touched it, who knew what would happen…?

A boom of thunder made him jump, but the Shadow Crystal was held far enough away from his body that it wouldn't reach him. The jump, however, sent wave after wave of pain coursing through him, resulting in him curling up a bit more tightly and slowly catching his breath.

When he felt like he could stand again, he very slowly got to his feet, stumbling and clenching his jaw in pain, but making sure to hold the string tied to the Shadow Crystal in a way that even when he stumbled, the pendant would remain in one position. He leaned against the shelves, using them as support as he fumbled around for something to grasp onto, swaying.

His body felt like it was on fire. Every step was like walking on hot coals. Except, he could tell the difference... His clothes had caught fire before and he had had flaming arrows embedded in his flesh. To top it off, he had accidentally stepped in lava once. But none of those experiences were pleasant in the slightest. Just rethinking those moments made him cringe.

When the arrows had embedded in his flesh, cauterizing the wounds they had made, he would later have to sit at the nearest Spirit's Spring while Midna plucked the arrowheads from his back. Worst case scenario, the entire shaft. He would never forget the sound, nor the pain that followed as an arrow that had gone through his arm was slowly pushed all the way through, pulling it out only worsening his injury by tearing open the wound further.

He first went to the lanterns, careful to not step upon anything that had fallen off the shelves, blowing them out. Smoke filled his nostrils and any light given off by the lanterns died in an instant.

Link's injured hand found the ladder, grasping tight onto its wooden beam and lifting himself onto the first step. One foot after the other, he uncomfortably climbed up the ladder, reaching the top and coming to the first floor. After hoisting himself up the final step, he leaned against the wooden rail around the opening of the cellar, glancing over at Wild.

Lightning flashed briefly, thunder clapping loudly, sending vibrations through the house, but within those few moments of lightning, Link could see Wild curled up tightly upon the couch His eyes were squeezed shut as he writhed slightly, tossing and turning, whimpers escaping. Link sighed half in sorrow and half in relief, saddened that Wild couldn't find himself sleep, but also relieved his scream did not wake him.

He made his way toward Wild, occasionally glancing outside as the lightning caused shadows to briefly flicker across the ground before disappearing. He very carefully set the Shadow Crystal down on the night table beside the couch and placed a hand to Wild's head, feeling warmth hit his palm along with sweat that had collected upon the young man's brow.

His chest rose and fall in an uneven pattern, his fists clenching and head whipping side to side, body twisting in restlessness, curled into a tight ball with his legs pulled up to his chest.

"W-wild," Link began softly, his voice pained and hoarse, struggling to keep it unwavering as he brushed the amber-blonde locks from the young man's face that had stuck due to the perspiration. "Calm down… P-please… You're… a-alright..."

Wild's ears twitched and slowly, his whimpering ceased, but he continued to writhe slightly. Link threw his arms around him and held him close, humming gently, trying not to jump or flinch at the rumble of thunder. To his surprise, Wild's arms wrapped around him, clutching tightly to him in return, relaxing noticeably.

Link tried his best not to cry out or wince at how tight Wild embraced him. His body hurt terribly, but it wasn't Wild's fault.

Oddly enough, Link didn't find this behavior bizarre. Sitting in the dark with his arms wrapped around someone he'd barely known while chaos went on outside didn't set off any red flags in his head. In fact, he felt warm and safe at this moment, simply humming quietly to himself.

I hope Epona found some place to hide… Link thought nervously as the image of Epona out in the rain entered his head. The more he dwelt over it, the more he felt she would have found herself a safe place to take shelter. She was an intelligent horse, that Link knew for certain. He wanted to go check for himself, but he felt absolutely exhausted.

The Shadow Crystal upon the table blared and Link had the sudden impulse to snuggle up to Wild in his canine form, knowing it would provide him comfort. He knew he promised himself he would never use that crystal again, but something inside him told him now was an exception. So, he released the young man and again touched the crystal. In a flash, this transformation much less painful than the last, his form changed to beast.

I'll transform back before he wakes up… He needs me right now…

Just as he had predicted, when he had released Wild, the young man was tossing and turning again, subconsciously reaching out for Link. Link met his hand with a gentle nuzzle and a lick, Wild's hand twitching, but he relaxed slowly, his hand coming to rest upon Link's head.

Link barked gently and nuzzled his hand again, leaping up on the couch and lying at Wild's side, placing his head upon his chest and placing a lick along his chin. For a moment, Link could have sworn he saw a small smile tug at the young man's lips, but any hint of it quickly faded as he pulled Link closer and buried his head into his fur.

"So soft…" He heard Wild whisper, his voice young and smooth. Link's tail wagged, he simply couldn't resist, and hearing Wild's voice for the first time sent pure happiness through him. He had to refrain from showering Wild with wolfish licks. It wasn't weird for a wolf or a dog to act that way, but it was for a human, and although he was in his wolf form right now, he was still a Hylian.

For a while, the two lied like that upon the couch, neither one of them hindered by the storm. Wild's breathing evened and he drifted back into sleep while clutching tightly to Link, Link nuzzling him affectionately and lying his head upon Wild's shoulder, his tail curling around Wild's legs and his front paws pulling the young man closer to him.

He looks so cute sleeping like that… Link thought to himself, licking Wild's head one last time. And that was the truth. Wild's bangs fell slightly over his eyes, his long hair spilling over his shoulders and his ears twitching occasionally, a look of peace upon his face. Link let a wolfish grin spread across his face before he too drifted into unavoidable sleep, the young man snuggled very closely into his fur, his heart beating against Link's.

The two fell asleep like that, both equally comfortable and content as the storm screamed on outside.

This is the end of the chapter. I don't have much else to say... I'm sorry.

-WingedIceWolf