CHAPTER ONE IS HERE BABY! Ugghh I'm so excited for this.

Something was wrong.

Zelda crouched closer, a slim finger poking the leaves. Her frown deepened. She leaned closer and sniffed them.

Her head whipped to the side right before she gagged. Spitting, she hissed slightly. They smelled like death. Like disease.

Straightening, Zelda sighed. This whole riverbank used to be rife with eucalyptus. Now, what few plants were left were either dead or dying. Sending a disdainful glance at the plant, she stalked away, back onto the plains.

The Tribe wouldn't be happy. This was the third time. Was it another Tribe? Could Seven Sins be starting up trouble again? She sneered as she walked. They were nothing but troublemakers, the Sins. If they were foolish enough to pick a fight with Zelda's Tribe, then they would deal with consequences. Running Wind would make sure of it.

She took a deep breath. Patience. Kindness. Gentleness. The tenets of healing, her master told her, over and over. She looked over the plains--her home. They spread out to either side and ahead for miles, interspersed with small rivers and huge ponds, copses of trees and tall grasses. Just north of where she stood, the beginnings of the rainforest at her back, was her territory. She could almost see them now, through the heat waves. The river wound at her right, stretching ahead all the way to her Tribe's home.

Then it cut through to the left, marking the border between Running Wind and the Gold Leaf Pride territory. Zelda rolled her eyes, crunching through the soft silt at the riverbank. Gold Leaf Pride . . . what an obnoxious name.

"An obnoxious name for an obnoxious Tribe," she muttered, quoting her brother's mantra. Clicking her tongue, she waded through the tall grasses and stepped out into the short fields. Ahead, a thick bunch of bushes marked her destination. To the right of the bushes was the river, snaking around a few tall, wide-reaching trees--and lounging in the branches were her family.

Zelda grinned, rushing forward. She could see the cubs crawling over their mother, and she hurried. She wanted to see how they were doing--they were only a couple weeks old, and--

A roar split the air, and Zelda whirled, her smile gone. That sounded like--

"Zelda!"

Two of her people rushed toward her. Tetra slid off of Saori's back, her hair glinting in the sunlight. "Mania was mouthing off about you again to the afternoon patrol. Sheik was with them."

Another roar rent the air, this time followed by a screech, and Zelda groaned. "Take me there," she ordered, leaping into Tetra's cupped palms. She tossed Zelda up and she shifted in midair, landing on wide paws, already lurching into a fast trot. Saori and Tetra were right beside her; as they ran, her advanced hearing could now pick up low growls and snarls up ahead, and she pushed herself to go faster.

It was hard. She couldn't keep the pace for too long, and she hadn't eaten yet. So she was panting a bit when she burst onto the plain, right into a roaring lion's face.

Zelda snarled back, her hackles raising. She bared her teeth at the lion, who hopped backwards in shock, a low growl emitting from its throat.

Zelda growled again; when another cheetah approached on her left, with bright red eyes, she snapped a growl at him too, and he backed off, head low to the ground. He hissed softly at her, but didn't advance. Zelda turned her attention to the lion before her, who'd since turned back into his human form. Zelda pawed the ground before raising her head and turning back as well, shifting as she did so.

A sigh burst from between her lips as Mania opened his mouth. "I don't want to hear it, Mania," she snapped, to no avail. The lion anima was already showering her with compliments--this time on how well her spots shone in the sunlight. Zelda rolled her eyes. "They always look like that, Mania."

"No, this time they really stand out," he insisted, a stupid grin overtaking his face, and Zelda wished she hadn't said anything. Responding to him only encouraged him. Sighing impatiently, she cut him off. "Just keep your opinions to yourself from now on, will you? Next time I might not get here in time."

Behind her, Sheik growled at Mania, whose eyes narrowed.

"You'd better hope you do," another lion anima snarled, more aggressively than she'd ever heard him. Still, Zelda rolled her eyes. "Don't get your mane in a twist, Sticks," she sneered. "Just stay away from our territory."

Sticks growled at her, though it hardly had the effect he'd hoped. He was scrawny as a human, and he was scrawny as a lion, too. He wasn't a threat. And though his call sign wasn't actually Sticks, Zelda knew it pissed him off, so she used it as much as possible.

Zelda turned from the lions, inflaming them more, and began her trek back to her territory. Sheik trotted at her side, his head down. He knew he was in trouble. And once they reached the Tribe, Zelda made sure he knew just how much.

"What's wrong with you?" she shouted, in the middle of camp. Cheetahs, whether in human or anima form, looked up to watch. "This is the third time you've picked a fight with Mania. Do you want Blazing Sun sniffing up our--"

Sheik shifted in a burst of light. "Do you even know what he was saying? I was defending you! He runs his mouth about you and you don't do anything about it!"

Zelda gritted her teeth. "Groose is an idiot, Sheik. No one takes what he says about me seriously. I certainly don't. Or, what, do you think I would actually marry him? A lion?"

Sheik shifted, the only outward sign that he knew he was losing. "No, but--"

"Then stop," Zelda cut him off. "Just block him out next time. Or don't go on border patrol anymore--"

Sheik snorted, earning himself a smack on his ear. "Ow!"

"I'm serious!"

"I know you are, but that doesn't make it less ridiculous," Sheik muttered. Zelda raised her hand threateningly, and her brother shied away. "Don't! It's still sensitive from the hunt."

Zelda rolled her eyes, stomping away. Sheik trotted at her heels, grinning now that he wasn't receiving a punishment. "Sensitive, my arse. You're just a cub when it comes to 'injuries'."

Sheik followed, sharing a grin with Tetra while she got groomed by her mate, in the shade of two trees. Zelda passed them to another set of trees, ducked past two bushes, sprawling onto her favorite patch of grass. He sat next to her as she sighed deeply. The dead herbs from earlier floated to the surface of her mind, and she felt a shiver wrack her body.

Sheik noticed, as he did often with her. "What's wrong?"

"Dead eucalyptus. But it wasn't dead, exactly. It was like . . . diseased."

Zelda sat up, ready to continue, but a murmuring sounded outside her bushes, and they parted to allow a view of her father.

She and Sheik bowed their heads slightly. "Zelda, I must speak with you."

Their father ducked out of the bushes, leaving Zelda and Sheik to glance at one another. Shrugging, Zelda rose and followed, leaving Sheik to take her place on the grass.

Zelda followed her father to the main structure of their territory, right in the middle. Where the river flowed around the edge of their grounds, a small creek broke off and wound its way to a large marula tree, through a break in the wide ring of bushes surrounding it. Under the tree's shade, the creek flowed into a small pool. And on the small banks--

Zelda sucked in a breath and fell to her knees. "How long has he been like this?" she demanded, digging through her satchel. The dirt dug into her knees, but she paid it no mind.

Her father crossed his arms, face tight. "Since last night."

"Since last--" She darted up a look at her father, and was gratified to see him shift a little. "Why didn't you send for me?"

"You were tired from healing Tet's ankle," her father gritted out. Zelda scowled. She should have known he'd use that excuse. She shifted her focus to the cheetah at her feet.

His belly rose and fell heavily with labored breaths, his jaws open to catch as much air as possible. His eyes, normally a bright golden, were dulled. Zelda yanked out her herbs and started grinding them into a paste. "What happened."

"He came back from yesterday's hunt perfectly fine. Then later, after you retired, he started coughing. Ferona became worried, and sent him here for you."

Zelda's head came up, ready to demand why he hadn't sent for her, but--but she'd already left for her morning herb hunt. She cast a glance at the sky, and found the sun halfway to its zenith. Guilt wormed in her belly.

She lowered her head back to the cheetah at her feet, taking measurements. His pulse was faster than it should be. She checked quickly for external injuries, but found none. So it was an illness.

The dead eucalyptus invaded her mind once again, but she shoved it away before it made her afraid. There was no reason to believe this was the same. Besides, a random clump of dead plant wasn't enough to cause panic.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, a voice in her head said derisively.

She ran a few more quick tests, deducing that he had a fever, then pried the cheetah's jaws open gently. "This mix should bring down his fever," she muttered. She smeared the paste on his tongue gently, removing her fingers when the cheetah gagged, then continued.

The cheetah's head flopped down to the dirt when she let it go, and his tongue faintly worked to distribute the paste.

Her father watched her, waiting till she sat back on her heels, frowning at the cheetah. "The House of Skulltulla has called a meeting."

Zelda grunted.

"Between the tribes," her father continued, observing her closely.

She didn't reply.

Rhoam sighed. "I want you to go."

That elicited a response. Zelda whipped her head around to look at him. "Why me?"

"Because you will be the matriarch of this tribe when I am gone," he said, ignoring the derisive snort his daughter gave. "I may be in good health now, Zelda, but I will not always be," he warned. "You of all people should know how quickly illness can descend."

That was sobering. Zelda cast a glance at the cheetah, his breathing now slowed, and chewed on her lip. Her father was right. As usual.

"When will I leave?"

"Tomorrow at dawn. It is on Eventide Island. Sheik will accompany you."

"What is it about?"

"The House would not disclose that information. They say simply that it concerns all tribes, no matter how small."

Zelda stood, meeting her father's gaze. "Should I expect the other future tribe leaders to attend this meeting as well?"

"Perhaps," was her father's vague answer. It sat like a weight in her gut, and no matter how she wondered about it, she could not figure out why.

"Come on, Mid! Keep up!"

Link laughed and darted through the woods, his senses on high alert. He knew Sunset was likely to try some sort of trick, and he scanned the dark trees carefully, his smile unfading.

A rustle made him whirl before something collided with his back, and he went tumbling into a bunch of ferns with an 'oof'. He rolled quickly to avoid the leaves landing on his head and got to his feet.

Midna stood before him, twirling a few ginko leaves above her hand. She smirked. "What were you saying? Something about keeping up? Or was it . . ." And here she pretended to think, and Link braced himself. "Was it keep your feet?"

A blink, and then--

Link yelped as his feet were swept out from under him, and he landed on the forest floor with a hard thump. Midna's high-pitched laugh echoed through the trees, as sure as a beacon to let other anima know to stay far, far away.

Link let a growl slip through his teeth as he rose, eager to cut that laugh off, but--

He sighed. "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Midna waved, her golden eyes witchy in the falling twilight. "Same place as always."

Link turned, and they both headed in opposite directions. As Link crunched his way through the Deku Forest, heading back to his territory, he thought up new ways to get the jump on his best friend. Though the fact that she was a kitsune lent her an unfair advantage, he thought, scrunching his eyebrows. She could at least pretend to lose once in a while.

He entered his territory, marked by a thick tangle of ancient trees and two black wolves posted at the break in their branches, and slipped inside. He didn't bother to hide a smile of pride.

Inside was a large clearing, surrounded on all sides by thick trees like those outside. They crept within the confines of the clearing, making it seem smaller than it was. Cut tree trunks provided tables, smaller stumps acting as chairs, and in the root beds of the largest trees were nests. A truly massive tree took up the opposite end of the clearing, the trunk easily four times Link's width, and many times his height. The center was carved out to make it hollow, a simple tapestry covering the opening, and it served as the nest for Link's leader. Its branches created the canopy over the Black Moon Pack's territory, and it signified the power of his pack.

Some tribes might have thought it audacious to hollow out the Great Deku Tree's trunk, then even still to occupy it. But not Black Moon. No, Link thought as he reported to the wolves lazing in the warm twilight, wandering the camp, and grooming mates, to us, it's a sign of strength.

For who else could occupy a deity's body and get away with it? The Anima Triumvae didn't tolerate blasphemy by just anyone.

Whether or not this fed into Link's ego was still up for debate, at least according to Midna. Link smirked a little to himself and knocked on the side of the trunk, eyeing the tapestry while he waited. It was black silk, stitched with a simple red eye. Three triangles poked upwards above the lid, and a tear dropped from below it. Link had never asked what it meant, and his matriarch had never offered an explanation.

When the curt "Come in" arrived, Link straightened the belt of knives over his waist and walked in.

His matriarch was seated at the fire, as she always was, thought it was like no fire Link had ever seen. It still gave him the chills whenever he saw it. The flames were blue, though they changed color whenever the matriarch tossed something in it.

Link came up behind her and rocked back on his heels, waiting. It was always like this. She would summon him, he would wait for her deign to acknowledge his presence, and then she would tell him what she needed him for.

He tried to entertain himself while he waited. Would it be an escort mission? He hated those. Boring, uneventful, and the little brats he was escorting were always stuffy and obnoxious. Not to mention, he always got seasickness like nobody's business. Midna had teased him endlessly for it when she found out.

Link quickly schooled the scowl that had formed into bored nonchalance before the matriarch could berate him for it. Hmm, what else?

It could be a hunt, he supposed. He loved hunts. The thrill of racing through the undergrowth, the sharpness of his sight and hearing, the sound of his quarry growing panicked at his approach . . . it was a drug in its own right.

The matriarch turned to face him, finally, and Link tried not to be cowed. It didn't work.

Impa had been matriarch of Black Moon Pack for as long as Link had been alive--probably even longer. She was tall, muscled, with short--cropped white hair and creepy red eyes. Link had never seen anything like her.

Her armor glinted black and gray in the firelight--it was golden now, Link noticed--and she spoke.

"I am sending you away."

Link managed to avoid stiffening only through years of practice. She said that every time, it didn't mean . . .

It didn't mean she didn't want him anymore.

As she always did, Impa caught the momentary panic in his eyes. Her deep voice softened, and she sounded almost motherly. "Don't worry, young pup. Not like that."

Young pup, she called him. Only her. He wouldn't tolerate it from anyone else, not even Midna. And he felt like it, too. Every time those words were uttered, the same fear invaded his mind.

They made him feel like a young pup again, unable to do anything as his parents walked away, in separate directions, leaving him in a lonely clearing. Unable to call out to them, unable to control his shifting, unable to help himself. To do anything but softly whine at them, waiting for them to turn around and remember that he was still there.

They never did.

He'd curled into a miserable ball, whines emitting from his jaws, and shivered in the encroaching cold. He must have drifted off to sleep, because when he'd opened his eyes again, he'd found another wolf nose to nose with him. It didn't move, even when Link had let out a sharp bark in fear, had leapt out of his ball, and retreated, eyes wide.

The wolf, black as night--just like me, Link had thought--had only come closer till it was nose to nose with him again, and this time Link had stayed still. He hadn't known what to expect, but it surely hadn't been for the wolf to let out a small growl and pick him up in its jaws and carry him, squirming, back to the camp.

Those were his earliest memories--beyond that, it was a haze of sleepiness, of curling into a warm belly, of feeling safe.

After being abandoned, he'd never felt truly safe again.

Link tried to settle the roiling emotions in him, while Impa waited. If he thought about it now, that growl she'd given, just before picking him up and taking him away, might have been a growl of pretended reluctance, of grudging care. And knowing Impa now, he suspected it more every day.

He took a deep breath and put those thoughts to bed. Not a young pup anymore. "Where am I going?"

Impa eyed him. "The House of Skulltulla."

Link tried not to jolt. Instead, he raised a brow. "For . . . ?"

Impa turned away, back to the fire. "They have called a meeting between all the tribes. They did not deign to tell me why. And before you set out to harass him, the messenger has already left," she added. "It seems your penchant for impatience has reached more than a few tribes' ears."

Link sniffed, turning away from the doorway. "Where is it?"

"Eventide Island." Link held back a groan. More boats. Great.

He could hear the smile in Impa's voice. "It's a short ride. You're welcome to swim if you would be more comfortable, but remember the river goes deep, and the Zora don't like people in their waters."

"Ugh," Link muttered. "If it's a choice between a fin in my gut or vomiting, I'll stick with the boat, thanks."

Impa chuckled. "Go then. The earlier you start, the better. And some tribes have already set out."

"Yes, ma'am."

Link ducked out of the tree and headed for his nest, tucked deeply away in a small copse of ferns. They surrounded one of the deepest tangle of roots, and Link had even gone to Haze of Twilight's territory and stolen some moss, which had enraged Midna and sent her after him. He and Midna thought it was hilarious--after she beat him up for it. Impa, not so much.

Hence, the escort missions. For a week.

He was still miffed about that.

Link grabbed his extra knives from under the thick moss and slipped them into the empty holsters on the bandolier he wore, adjusted his bracers, fixed the hood over his hair, and ducked back out. The nest was really made for wolves, so his human form didn't fit into it quite right.

Wolves looked up as he passed, and a few leapt up and shifted. "Hey Link, wanna join us on a hunting patrol?" Kolin asked.

Link shook his head. "Sorry Kol, got a mission already. Next time!"

"Yeah." Kolin rolled his eyes. "You say that every time."

Link turned as he reached the entrance to camp, seeing Kolin's grin. "But I mean it this time!" he called, and was rewarded with a middle finger. He laughed, nodding to the wolves at the entrance, and shifted into his wolf form and ran.

Gods, how he loved running. The wind in his fur, the surroundings flashing by in sharp clarity, the rustling of the ferns and grasses and branches--

A hard ball of orange fur collided with his side and sent him sprawling. He heard the guards at the entrance to his camp, a mere fifty feet back, explode into laughter.

"Yeah, get him Sunset!"

They collapsed into howls again, and Midna shifted into her human form and looked down at Link's sprawled form in mild disgust. "You really ought to watch where you're running."

"Oh, right," Link griped, shifting as well. "I need to watch it--hey!"

Midna pinched the tip of his ear. "I'm sorry, were you sassing me? Is that what that was? I think you hurt my feelings."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Link howled. "Stop, you're gonna rip it off!"

Midna released his ear with a roll of her eyes. "You're so sensitive."

Link glared at her, probing gently at his ear. "Oh, what, would you like me to pinch your tail and see--No!"

Midna had raised her hand again threateningly. Link slowly came out of his fearful crouch and sent her a mild glare. "That's not nice."

"Who said I was nice?" Midna scoffed. "Now come on, or Impa will have your other ear for holding me up."

"Honestly, what tribe are you even from?" Link grumbled, though he knew it was harmless. Some tribes may have had sticks up their privates about tribe boundaries, but others, not so much. Haze of Twilight and Black Moon had no such problems--during the day, that is. But at night, when twilight descended and the hunts began, it was a free for all. For everyone.

Who were friends during the day became enemies at night, bound by the need for food and the urge to protect their families. And again, by the time the dawn came, the rivalry was forgotten once more until evening arrived.

It was a smooth cycle, one that worked. Anima were often allowed in each other's territory, and while food was never shared, ever, many had friends outside of their own pack.

Unlike the anima of the west, Link thought with a snort. So uptight, with their open plains and sparse trees, they didn't tolerate breaches of borders--period. Which was ridiculous, in Link's opinion.

"What are you thinking about?" Midna asked, examining her nails as they walked.

"The Great Hyrule Plains," Link said flatly. Midna let out a sharp laugh.

"Our western neighbors? The cheetahs and lions and leopards?" Midna snorted. "Who cares about them. Let them fight and wipe each other out. More territory for us, right?"

Link tried to imagine hunting, sleeping, mating, out in the open fields, and nearly gagged. "Uh, no thanks. Give me a thick forest any day."

Midna shuddered. "Ugh, yeah, you're right. Those fields offer no privacy at all."

"No wonder the cheetahs are always so miserable," Link snickered.

They exchanged jokes all the way to the edge of the forest, where several other anima had exited. Some were in human form, but the majority were in their anima halves. Across the wide field, over the rolling hills, the coast awaited, the sea glittering beyond. Eventide Island was a small isle drifting off the coastline, with huge tumbling rocks lining either side of the beach. Link had only been there once before, for an escort mission. Quiet, real creepy.

Link and Midna began trekking across the field, alternating between talking and walking in silence. After a while they shifted into their anima forms, which shut down talking altogether. The closer they got to the hills, the more Link thought about the escort missions Impa sent him on.

Most often it was for people not from Hyrule. They came from across the sea, from all directions. Hyrule was a sea-locked nation, after all. To the north where Eventide waited, beyond the island was another massive land, though he didn't know what it was called, or who lived there.

He'd heard something a year or so ago . . . apparently there was some kind of manhunt? Some girl went missing, he supposed. The man he was escorting had been very cryptic about it.

Whatever. He wasn't supposed to talk to them, anyway. He was the muscle.

He didn't like talking to the strangers, besides. They were arrogant and stuffy, always on vacation to see the anima, to ogle at him and his people. They made him uncomfortable and itchy, and more often than not he growled at them just to shut them up.

It worked, usually.

He got to hear some curious things from them, though. Apparently their land--somehow he'd never gotten the name, oh well--had its own sea, which made him wonder why they bothered coming all the way across the Necluda Sea, to Hyrule.

And they were rich, too. Once a man pulled his hand out his pocket and dropped a bunch of gold coins, and just left them in the dirt. Link didn't know how much the coins were worth, but he knew their purpose, and he had stared at them, then at the man, who'd just kept walking, barking at Link to hurry up.

Link had followed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, the coins tinkling between his fingers. After the mission, he'd raced back to where the man had dropped them and stuffed all the rest of them into his pockets, then went back home and traded them to a forest tribe for a new blade.

There wasn't currency among the tribes. There was trading, and measuring of worth. Coins and money didn't exist. If Link wanted a new blade, he had to find something that was of equal or more worth than the blade.

And it also depended on what tribe he was trading with. The sea tribes valued colored stones and seashells and things like that, forest tribes valued rare plants and buried treasures--usually things that sparkled or glittered, the tribes of the plains liked leather works and anything gold, and the sky tribes favored talismans and things they couldn't typically get themselves.

They were also the stingiest of them all when it came to pricing.

Link huffed, causing the red fox at his side to glance at him, a familiar glint in her amber eyes. Without warning she pounced, landing on his back, her claws digging into his scruff, and Link snarled in shock. He tried to shake her off and they went tumbling to the grass, scattering the other anima traveling. They hopped out of the way, deer leaping gracefully, wild dogs barking.

Link rolled to his paws, growling, but Midna had danced out of his range, and he snarled at her. Then there were paws batting his ears and he whirled, snapping his jaws in her face.

Except it wasn't her face.

Angry golden eyes stared into his, and Link blinked--right before a great roar blasted his eardrums. He hopped away, whining, paws swiping at his ears. Then he looked up and growled again, taking a few steps forward. Midna was suddenly on his right, dashing forward into the lion's path. She slipped under him and nipped his back leg, and the lion let out another roar, his red mane shaking with the force of it.

The lion leapt forward, and Link dodged. He rolled and nearly slammed into another plains anima--a cheetah. He straightened, shaking out his pelt, and met the cheetah's eyes.

She didn't stop walking, long slim legs taking slow, measured steps, and her cool golden gaze danced over him before looking forward again. Another cheetah followed, letting out a low snarl at Link before catching up.

Link panted, his tongue lolling out, and rolled his eyes as the lion walked past him. He growled at Link before turning back around.

Link wanted to shift, to demand who that lion thought he was, but he knew that would be a death wish. That anima would tear him to pieces. At least as a wolf, he had somewhat of a chance.

That cheetah, though . . . those witchy golden eyes, like liquid fire, that perfectly groomed fur, those spots . . . he'd only looked at her for a few seconds, but what he'd seen was lodged in his mind like it was glued there.

Midna stepped forward, golden eyes concerned, but Link touched noses with her. I'm fine, he tried to tell her, but it was hard without words, so he pushed his nose onto her neck, like she hated. She swatted at him, rolling her eyes, and Link grinned wolfishly. The other anima were still passing them, casting strange looks, and Link remembered. They had somewhere to be.

So he shook himself again, displacing the spell that cheetah put on him, and walked with Midna the rest of the way.

so there's chater one. I'll be doing one word chapters for each of the 15 chaps for this story, since for whatever reason, the app won't let me use spaces in the title bar when I upload chaps. *shrugs* see ya'll later. let me know how you like it!