Chapter 10 : Besting the Beasts

"So, ready to go Wolf, Mr Hero?" I said grinning all the way as he sigh.

"Do I even have a choice to that …" He was looking at the giant gate before us while responding.

"Good answer! You don't! So let's go then!" I rushed to the other side of the gate, maybe I was enjoying this too much, but hey, his expressions were priceless for my defense!

Like last time, I stuck my hair out of the portal, and reached for him before pulling him in, as I laid him on the ground, he looked around for a bit before looking at his hand, he start opening his mouth smiling at me, before crouching in pain as the Twilight start gathering around him, giving him back his bestial form.

I smile back at him, "I'm sorry Link, were you about to say something ? I'm deeply sorry, I really can't make it out with the barks you know?" He grunted at me, clearly not happy about it, as I hop on his back.

'Mmm, I almost forgot how comfortable that was, after 2 days of traveling in your shadow, don't mind me enjoying that ! Not that I would tell you of course, gotta keep some place for teasing later on !' Though … While it is comfortable, he's also not really paying attention to his passenger, so … I got to hold on to him if I want to not fall, how the heck did Canon Midna even do it …

That made me think … What happened to her actually ? I never took the time to ask myself that but … Where is she? It's not something like a shared conscience as far as I'm aware off … She would have made herself known by now if that was the case … Did she just … Got deleted by me when I arrived ? That's pretty freaky now that I think of it …

Or … Is she in my own body back home? I .. Certainly hope she isn't, not for my parents good, but for Midna's … If I had a hard time adapting to a new body and environment while knowing about this world… Midna would have it … Really really bad if she was in my body right now …

I snap out of my thought as Link stopped in his running, the same old tree branch that the kids used as a sword was in our way, and I think he also noticed that I was lost in thought if his concerned stare was anything to go by.

"Don't worry" I reassure him "I'm fine, just thinking of a few things to distract myself from this bumpy ride, try to remember that you have someone on your back while you run like crazy next time, alright ?" Annnnnnd, there is the embarrassed wolf stare, been waiting for it!

"Eh-Hee-Hee! I'm just messing with you Link, don't worry" I point back to the tree branch "So, important tree branch uh? You think it would judge you worthy of it's power if you tried to pull it off?" He grunt at me again.

"Alright alright, it belonged to someone you knew, doesn't it?" I wait for him to nod, before continuing, "Well, it must still have their scents on it then, and … As much as you don't like to remember it right now, you are a beast, use it, you don't have the same sense of smell as a human, so … Worth a try to pick up the scent, isn't it ?"

He stop for a minute, look at me wierdly, then let a sigh, and slowly make his way to the branch, smelling it a bit, before suddenly peeking his head out, I take the stick in hand once he's finished and decide to tease him a bit"You got it don't you ? Good boy ! Now go fetch boy !", he bark at me before starting to run as fast as he could, it was an even more eventful ride for me, and I'm sure the jackass was doing it on purpose …

A few hours later, we arrived near Kakariko, recognizing the zone, I stopped Link "Wait !" But it was too late, the Shadow Beasts already noticed us, and they were quick to jump at our throat, "Shoot … Well, you mind if I leave you alone with them for a bit?" He looked at me with wide eyes as I start my own portal, teleporting away "I'll be right there, try to not die! See ya!" And with that I teleported back to the Faron Woods.

A few minutes later, I teleported back to see Link still fighting the beasts, I wasn't too worried for him, I saw him fight them before, he's good, anyway, as I teleported with … A little extra help, I yell "Make Ways!" Link look right at me as he quickly run away, and turn back just in time to see the 3 beasts being squashed by a giant bridge.

"God … No wonder that move was OP on Twili Midna …" I say to myself, while Link is still trying to catch his breath, I float back to him "So, liked my little … Skyward strike ?" He simply grunted at me, apparently not in the mood to appreciate my pun 'I thought it was clever …'

"Alright alright, I know, I'm sorry I left you alone, but last time I almost punched you to death instead of the beasts and …" I point toward the gap "We CLEARLY needed that bridge anyway. I just saved us some time, that's all." He still didn't look really happy, but simply got on with it as he signalied me to get on his back again.

I put the bridge back to normal, and then joined him, and, as he rushed toward the gates, we soon arrived at Kakariko village.

"Well, I leave this village for one week, and this is what becomes of it? We have irresponsable villagers here I swear …" I see Link looking at me curiously, as I simply respond "Story for later, we got a bit of company here." I point at the … Two Shadow Beasts? I could swear there was 3 in the game … Oh well, I won't complain.

"You really aren't coming at a right time guys ...I don't really have a bridge on hand right now …" Link grunted 'Alright, too soon for that joke, got it' "Let's do it the old fashioned way then Link ? I take the left, you take the right ?" He nod back at me as we both get ready to deal with them.

I simply grabbed the beast by the leg as it rushed toward me, and then throw it in the air before watching it crash down violently, instantly dead and exploding into pieces, Link didn't take long himself it look like, those beasts may be fast on their feet, but they aren't really smart … At the moment you start being inventive in how you fight them, and aren't a brain dead idiot that try to go with brute force, you can overpower them quite easily, 'Eh … I see now why the Royal Guard lost' I smile a bit as I look at my hair hand.

I'm actually getting more and more used to this 'extra limb' I have with time, it's like when you don't do sports for a while, your arms and legs feel very sore every time you use them in the beginning, well I'm past this stage now, and able to use it way more naturally than before.

A voice call out to Link, and I doze off a bit while the spirit is talking, taking that time to think about what to do, the collect of the insect can go pretty nicely, Link will see his friends again which is good for his moral, I am not looking forward to go through the Mountain of Death but … I don't really have a choice to go there or not … Thankfully, the dungeon is in a giant cave, so no sunlight should be there to hurt me, as long as I look out for the lava, so we can probably pass through the dungeon easily because of that … Though I know that Link won't leave me alone anymore after what happened last time …

Talking about the Wolf, he had just finished his talk with the spirit, and nuzzled my arm to get my attention, I quietly hop on his back and he quickly find his way around the building where his friends are, as usual, I can't see them. 'Just gotta wait for h-' I stop myself.

'Wait … Why can't I see them actually ?' Midna was able to tease Link multiple time about the person he met … So why can't I see or hear them … I should be capable of doing it actually …

I quietly hop off his back and on to one of the floating soul, as I try to feel it in some ways, but nothing really, no feel of touch, no warmth, nothing out of it … 'Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way … Maybe …' Link can see them due to his enhanced senses, right? So what if I tried … To put on some magic in my eyes and …

I immediately get startled by a random woman appearing in front of me, 'Waaaaaay to close for my personal space lady', I back off and look at the room again, seeing the children, Barnes, the priester and his daughter, as well as some other random villager 'Yeah … There are a lot of people I don't recognize here … An actual village would be inhabited by more than 3 persons, so that make sense …'

I see their mouth move, but I actually can't hear a thing, seem logic since I only have enhanced vision, and not hearing …

I put some more magic in my ears, and sit back with Link to listen to the conversation.

"Uh? Where are they?" Barnes was looking in all direction at the window, trying to spot the beasts "They … Disappeared?"

Renado perked up at that "Disappeared? What do you mean Barnes?"

"Well, I mean they aren't here anymore! I can't see them anywhere …" He frantically trying to look at every window in every angle "You think you're invisible guy from earlier finished them off? Cause frankly I only see that explanation right now." He looked back at Renado.

"We don't even know what was out there earlier … I can't say for sure that they were fighting something or someone, but I know that they were distracted enough for me to save Anju here." He pointed at the elderly woman that was currently resting in a side of the sanctuary.

Barnes look back at the window with a shrug "I still don't trust it … What if they are just waiting for us to go outside to attack us … I'm not risking my skin a second time today!" He sigh "Those creatures are something else … My bombs have enough power to destroy this whole building, but yet they took it like it was nothing … It's at a point where you ask yourself what exactly is stopping them from coming here..."

Feeling the ever growing fear of the children as they listened to Barnes talk, Renado stop him directly "Barnes! You're frightening them, stop with this kind of talk will you? We are in a safe place here."

"It's all gonna be alright …" A new voice spoke up as the two adults face Collin "Because … Link is gonna come, and he's gonna save us all …" He spoke with a firm and determined voice

Renado think for a minute, before asking "Link … He's this boy of your village you talked to me about right ?" Seeing the boy nod, he continue "Well then, I'm sure that you are indeed right, if this 'Link' is even half as courageous as what you told me, I'm sure he'll be there to save you in no time" Using this name that apparently meant a lot to them, he finally managed to get the children to calm down a bit.

Barnes sigh as he look back at the window "Well … In the meantime we're stuck there, you're sure it's the safest place you got Renado?"

"Well … We do have a basement here, but we have to light up the torches to open the path, and I don't have fire with me .." Barnes directly turn back at him while he talked.

"A secret basement?! Why didn't you tell me earlier! I got fire on me we can go hide there!" He start lighting up the first torch as Renado's Daughter speak up.

"I wouldn't advise it … I tried to hide there when the beasts first showed up, but … There were huge insects down there … And they looked everything but normal …" Barnes directly back up in fear.

"Ah no! The last thing we need is to release more of those creatures into the world!" He calm himself down and start looking back at the window.

"Well I guess all we have left to do is wait then …"

'That was … Interesting?' I took some time to think about it, something was off here … Someone else visited the village before us? We are supposed to be the only "Invisible Warriors" around here and … It's not the first time something like that happens …

Putting that thought aside for now, I decide against teasing Link like Canon Midna did, he deserved some slack, and some actual confort from that … "Well, they are alive and well Link, see? They have a caretaker for now until we restore the light, so let's get on with it okay?" Link was still staring at the children "I understand that you want to stay here to protect them … But what would be the safest for them? A world of Twilight with a big Wolf they can't see to protect them? Or a world of light where they can actually see their parents and their best friend in green again?" He look conflicted for a minute, before looking away from them.

"Alright, good thing I decided to grab that earlier, we may need it." I hand him the stick we found earlier, and light one side on as I point to the torches, I can hear the people in there exclaiming loudly at the stick floating, and decide to turn off the magic on that for more calm.

Link follow through and the entry to the basement is unblocked, as he rush head first to it.

And here we go for this chapter ! The Wolf chapter are always kinda tough to write because I only have one character available to talk … So I'm always kinda talking alone, and have to balance it properly to not have a boring result, trying to make Link as expressive as he can be is one solution to that problem, and I hope that I am doing a good job at making those phases still entertaining.

So through this chapter, Me-Dna and Link finally arrived to Kakariko, not without a few events before, and got to meet the Kakarioko crew as Me-Dna learn that .. Even though a game wouldn't bother with extra villager, they do exist here, and one particular one is even supposed to be dead …

The stranger struck once again, and now she learn that he can also travel in the Twilight ? This is indeed worrying … Even if he seem to be on their side for now, she can't remove the possibility of him having his own agenda, and have to be careful on what he can do exactly, but she doesn't get much time to think about it, since it's harvest time for the Spirit of Light now !

I hope you thoroughly enjoyed this chapter, and will look forward to see your reactions to it and exchange with you on it !