A/N: I watched so many walkthroughs for this section because I played this part of the game back when I originally intended to write this scene. Well that was last year, so I forgot. But anyway, I noticed that most of the walkthroughs play this part after the Water Temple, which is funny to me, because I have always played it first, even on my very first time through the game when I knew nothing about anything. I think there was one time when I really didn't want to get the Lens of Truth because I hate the Bottom of the Well, so I forgot to go get it before I went to the Water Temple. So when I went to Kakariko and the Well blew up I was like, "I FORGOT TO GET THE LENS OF TRUTH OH NO!" And I thought I broke the game. I'll admit I'm not the brightest in that respect, but I'm actually astounded that someone would want to double whammy themselves with the two Shadow Temples instead of going Shadow-Water-Shadow.
Ocarina of Time Link's perspective.
Chapter Twenty-Five
One Companion for Another
The next time he saw that wolf, Link was going to kick him in the butt and set his fur on fire with a Deku Stick. The dungeon had reached a new high in its ability to creep him out, and he had lost all interest in being there. Now separated from Navi, he couldn't bring himself to find anything fun about this haunted place. Being in a dimly lit torture prison filled with monsters and invisible traps was hard enough to handle with just one person to keep him company, but now he had to deal with even more intimidating environments and enemies. And he had no one to lighten the mood.
Except myself, of course, Link thought. But am I supposed to compete with myself? "Ha, I've got better weapons than me." He considered that for a moment. This dungeon is turning me insane.
The screaming wasn't helping. Link was currently sitting in a corner right next to a Goron's bomb crop, so he couldn't see where it was coming from, but he knew what was making that sound. He hadn't yet gotten to his feet to deal with the issue, instead still thinking about how he had made a poor decision in trying to back away from the wolf and falling through what was supposed to be a solid floor. It had taken him all of two seconds and one mini heart attack to figure out that Navi hadn't followed him. His poor fairy was probably still up there with that wolf, wondering where her ditz of a Hero had gone.
"Down here…!" he muttered miserably to himself. A scream rang out from somewhere ahead of him, so he yelled back at it, "Mind your own business!"
Part of the reason he wasn't getting up and leaving this little area was due to his hesitation to go exploring without anyone else. Navi may have been small and only good at giving information or targeting things, but she was still a voice of comfort in every dungeon Link wandered through.
I have to go back and find her, Link thought, finally getting to his feet and patting the dirt off himself. He studied the massive tunnel-like earthen cave he had fallen into, noting the grass that was growing in this forsaken place and the boulders that barred any form of escape. Biting back the emotions that were rising within him about exploring this haunted place without anyone to keep him company, Link picked up the Bomb Flower and began to scamper toward the boulders. He tossed it in front of them before backing up a significant distance to avoid being blown up.
The plant exploded against the two boulders, destroying both and allowing the Hero of Time access to more of this dungeon. He wasn't sure he was pleased with this new environment.
A Redead was squatting in front of him, just beyond some additional patches of grass, as if trying to blend in; it was certainly just as irritating as a weed, if that's what it was going for. It began to rise to its feet, still making those sharp screeches that made Link's hair stand on end, and almost his hat too. As it stood, he pulled his Ocarina from his inventory and played the Sun's Song as fast as possible.
The Redead halted instantly, but did not stop groaning and shrieking. Link got behind it and drew his weapons, attacking it with increasing speed and cutting it down. It screeched once more as it collapsed to the ground, and he hesitantly began to walk away from it.
Unfortunately, the shrieks echoing through this place did not cease, even after the Redead exploded and left no trace that it had been there. Link snorted in distaste; there must be another one in this place somewhere. He took in the environment for a moment before deciding he was going to place it highest on his list of dungeon-rooms-he-really-didn't-approve-of.
In front of him stretched a massive pool of green acid very much like the kind he had seen in the place where he had acquired the Sun Song, underneath that graveyard in Kakariko. Now that he considered it, he had to admit that Kakariko had a lot of problems with creepy and haunted areas existing beneath it. Pushing those thoughts aside, he studied the fallen wooden beams banded in iron that he had seen in the dungeon above, and part of him wondered if this pit of acid and the beams decomposing in it were a kind of torture. This whole dungeon seemed like a torture, both to the people who were once trapped in it, and to Link as he explored it.
Who just builds a well on top of a pit of nightmares and despair? Link wondered with a twinge of aggression in his internal voice. He squinted at the strange black sticks projecting from the acid. Are those…? His eyes widened and he shuddered, realizing that those weren't sticks. They were crumbling skeletal hands, reaching up as if begging to be rescued from the acid.
Link shot back, even though he was already a distance away from the pool. He braced himself against the wall and shivered, no longer wanting to keep going through this place. He wanted Navi, just to have a little bit of comfort and reassurance.
But he was still all alone. His fairy didn't know he was down here. No one did. Link could die in that acid and no one would ever know.
Going back in time was supposed to be fun, Link thought bitterly. He stared up at the silver Rupees hovering above the pit of nightmares and death, knowing that they would probably unlock a door he needed to go through if he ever wanted to get out of here. Forcing down his strong feelings of reluctance, Link began to walk toward them. He glanced to the left, spotting several other paths he could explore, but he was in no mood to stay any longer than he had to. He carefully trod around the right side of the acid pool, retrieving a silver Rupee from in front of a ladder bordered by two pillars topped with skulls. The craniums had been cut off, and blue flames blazed in their place.
Link turned away from the ladder, cautiously crawling out onto one of the wooden beams and forcing himself to leap onto the next one. He picked up another silver Rupee, slowly walking across the fallen columns and doing his best not to go close to the acid. He acquired the third silver Rupee on the beams, before instantly turning and springing away from the pool. He landed a short distance away, rolling on the soft earth and patting himself off again. He looked around, trying to find the next Rupee.
There was a path directly ahead of him, with orange flames burning atop wooden braziers on either side of it. Two more boulders blocked the way, but they wouldn't stand a chance against his bombs. Link meandered over to them, suspecting that another silver Rupee would be somewhere beyond there. He lit the fuse of his explosive and set it in front of them, then retreated to safety.
The rocks detonated and debris flew everywhere. Link couldn't see much down the path, unable to perceive anything in the darkness of the tunnel. He began to walk down it, squinting in the shadows and running his hand down the wall.
A scream pierced the air and Link froze out of pure terror. He had known there was another Redead in this place somewhere. He should have paid more attention to where those shrieks had been coming from.
Skeletal arms wrapped around him as his attacker clung to his back and bit down on his head. Pain shot through Link, enough to jolt him back to his senses and permit him to move again. He may have been just a kid, but the amount of adrenaline racing through him at that moment was enough to give him the strength to rip the Redead off of his back. His sword was out in an instant, slashing through his enemy's back and chest as he darted in a frenzied and unstable manner around the creature to avoid any further damage.
The monster collapsed, leaving Link standing in front of it with a wild look in his eyes. He was shaking from his adrenaline and he couldn't stop. Even as he sheathed his sword and turned back to the cave, he found himself unable to push aside his unease anymore.
Can't I just have one companion with me…? Link thought to himself, not budging from his spot to go forward or back in this cave. I don't even need the companion to be useful… I just…don't want to be alone here. He touched one trembling hand to his face, staring down at the ground.
There was a strange rushing of wind past Link, and he looked up, feeling as if someone had just touched him. Oddly enough, no one was there. Then again, in this dungeon, it could have been a spirit and Link would be none the wiser unless it tried to kill him.
At the far end of the cave, hidden in the shadows, a warm glow pierced the darkness. It almost reminded him of a fairy, but he had never seen one of that color: dark red surrounded in a lighter red, with a yellow glow surrounding it. As he stepped closer to investigate, the light winked out. Now that Link was a little further into the shadows, he could see a large treasure chest. Perhaps the fairy had disappeared behind it? He peeked behind the massive wooden chest, but nothing was there except more darkness.
Where in the world did I leave Link's Lantern? Link wondered as he looked around. The fairy was gone, unfortunately. He opened the chest, his eyes met with that familiar yellow glow of treasure. He jumped up and leaned into the massive crate, reaching in and retrieving a dungeon map. Great, now I can find my way out and never come back!
He turned around and marched back out of the tunnel, spotting a silver Rupee at the top of the wooden ladder bordered by those blue torches. He darted towards them, eager to get out as fast as possible. However, once he scrambled up the steps and retrieved the gem, he was surprised that there was no sound of a door unlocking. Wasn't this all of them? He looked back behind him, trying to see if he had possibly missed one. Surely if the door was above here, the Rupee had to be below.
Link stared at the two caves on his map that he had been the least interested in exploring. He was about to make the decision to climb back down when something brushed against his cheek again. The Hero of Time flinched and turned to see where it had gone, only to spot that fairy glow peering down at him from the top of the next ladder.
"But the door's up there!" Link protested. "I haven't found all the things to open it!"
The fairy seemed to drop a little, before blinking out and reappearing again.
That can't be a fairy, Link thought to himself as he began to climb the ladder and chase after it anyway. It doesn't move like any fairy I've seen, it randomly disappears, and it's three colors with a black center. He knew he had seen that arrangement before, but he couldn't remember where. Despite knowing it was not what he had originally assumed it as, it had helped him by showing him the treasure chest, so he decided to trust it.
Link arrived at the top of the ladder, looking around but finding no fairy. Behind him, a shadow flickered on the wall. He didn't see it, too focused on the final silver Rupee spinning tauntingly next to the barred door. The fairy creature had helped him again.
Link approached the Rupee, completely oblivious to the shadow disentangling itself from the wall and drifting towards him. He retrieved the silver gem, causing the bars on the door beside him to slide into the ceiling with a loud sshkkk. Relief washed over him. He was finally back to the ground floor again. He turned around and faced the lower area of the dungeon.
"Thank you," Link called out to the strange light that had helped him, even if he couldn't see where it had gone.
He still was not aware of the shadow that had passed into his own.
. . . . .
The Hero of Twilight had his nose pressed to the floor as he sniffed around beneath Navi. She was searching the air as he examined the ground, now flitting frantically above him as she looked. She had become anxious and worried for the Hero of Time the moment he disappeared, but now she was almost hysteric in her search. This was the fifth time the pair had searched out this circle, and still the little Hero was nowhere to be found.
Link would only wander just far enough away to make sure he could look at new areas without losing sight of Navi. He would peer over drops in the floor or poke his head into tunnels, but so far the Hero of Time had not returned to a level he could access.
And then there was the issue with Midna. It was only when Link asked her if she could help him jump back out of a massive pit if he went to explore down there that he realized there was a problem. At first, he figured little imp was ignoring him for being disobedient and stupid, but when he looked to his shadow, he couldn't see her in it.
She does indeed care about the other Link, the Hero of Twilight thought. Despite how apathetic she acts regarding the wellbeing of others, Midna is very concerned for them. He looked out at a row of bars hovering in space above an area he was curious to explore in his search for his friend. However, she would be far more useful if she stayed with me. Doesn't she realize this? I can't go anywhere without her, and she can't solve any puzzles or open any doors without me.
There was a very faint sound in the distance, like a door opening from somewhere deep within the dungeon, and Link's head instantly shot up. He tilted his head, focusing on the sound as the fairy above him began to flit to the corridor behind them, heading back to the beginning of the dungeon. She was heading away from the sound, apparently unaware of it.
Link dropped his Lantern and targeted Navi. He sprang into the air and gently caught her in his mouth, doing his best to make sure she didn't get hurt since she wasn't really paying much attention to him by this point.
"Ah!" Navi protested, turning herself into an intangible being and passing right through Link's snout, returning to the air. "What are you doing?!"
Link barked at her and dashed toward the path that would lead to that sound. He skidded to a halt and waited for her to follow.
She didn't. How inconvenient that Navi couldn't understand Wolf.
"Follow!" Link barked, but she remained above him. He continued indicating with his body that she needed to come with him, but she was instead only drifting farther away. He targeted her again and leapt into the air, catching her again and landing back on the ground. She flew away again, not restricted by him since she could float through walls and other things anyway.
"Stop!" Navi commanded him.
Link huffed at her. He used his snout to point at the path he wanted her to search, before turning back to her and whining. He began scratching at the stone block path with his left front paw, repeatedly scraping his claws across it and pouting like a domesticated dog waiting for permission.
Navi seemed a little less apprehensive as she regarded him. She glided down and stared down the path he was looking, before hovering directly in front of him.
"You want me to look elsewhere, don't you?" she asked.
Link barked. "Yes!"
Navi landed on his forehead, sitting on the diamond pattern and flickering twice as she tapped him. "Alright then. Show me what you want."
Link leaned down and fetched his Lantern before launching himself forward and thundering through the dungeon in the direction he had heard that door opening. By some miracle, Navi didn't get knocked off by the burst of speed, instead remaining exactly where she had chosen to rest.
We're coming, Link! Link thought, racing around the next corner.
. . . . .
The Hero of Time was standing in a side room at the beginning of the dungeon, according to his map. In front of him, another skeleton had collapsed against the wall, but he couldn't see anything special about it so he moved on. He began to run his fingers along the bricks, seeing that he was currently trapped in what seemed to be a perfectly square room with no exit.
I could sure use that Lens of Truth, Link thought to himself. He heard a noise in the distance as he felt the walls. Is that barking?
That wolf was around there somewhere, on the prowl outside of this room. Based on how far away the beast sounded, he guessed it was on the opposite side of the dungeon. He didn't have much time to find his fairy and get out of the well.
I hope Navi's still perfectly alright, Link thought. If that wolf has done anything to her, I'll kill it. His hand passed through the left wall, revealing that the stones were a mere illusion. He stepped through them and found himself standing at the bottom left corner of the room that went in circles. He was near the entrance to the dungeon.
The sound of scraping across stone rose to Link's keen ears, and he turned away from the exit just in time to see the massive wolf thundering along behind him. The Hero of Twilight's Lantern swung in its mouth, and the diamond on its forehead was radiating light as if the beast had gained some magic power.
Link gave a yelp of terror and began to race forward, but there wasn't even a competition in who was faster. It was only as the beast was at his heels that his mind processed something strange about that glow on the wolf's forehead.
"Link!" Navi shouted as her Hero was suddenly lifted off his feet. He slid backwards slightly before instinctively reaching in front of himself and clinging to the thick fur of the wolf that had just picked him up.
I'm…I'm riding a wolf?! Link mentally demanded as the beast hurtled halfway down the hall before launching itself to the left and running straight towards what he had assumed to be a completely solid wall until that moment. The beast soared over the collapsed beams and passed through the stone wall illusion, delivering Link to the room with the massive X. The beast veered to the right and skittered to a halt in front of the door still locked in chains, panting and dropping the Hero of Twilight's Lantern.
Now that the beast had stopped moving, Navi was the first to move. She sprang off its forehead and began bouncing excitedly in front of her Hero.
"What happened to you, Link?" she demanded, her voice filled with obvious concern for him. She darted to his face and cuddled up to his cheek. "I was very worried!"
"I stepped back and stumbled through what I thought was a floor," Link said, brushing her with his fingers and taking her into his hands as he slid off the beast. "I then had to wander around the basement of this dungeon, which was even worse than that painting warned about. There were Redeads and a pool of acid. I did find the Dungeon Map though." He studied the wolf, which had made no motion to indicate that it cared about him climbing off. "So what's…what's up with this wolf?"
The beast looked over at Link, standing tall in front of him. The two were almost eye-level, even with the wolf only standing on all fours. His eyes were fierce and proud, conveying confidence and seemingly issuing a challenge to any who would stare. They almost reminded him of the Hero of Twilight.
"Where's that creature that usually rides this wolf?" Link asked, taking a cautious step back from the beast. He spotted the Lantern that it had dropped and hooked the toes of his boot through the handle, pulling it back toward him.
The wolf didn't care about the movement, apparently only interested in this door.
"I don't know," Navi admitted. "I haven't seen it since it fell off the wolf's back when we first saw it. Maybe it fell into the basement too?"
"I didn't see it," Link said. "Then again, I didn't explore the entire area. I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible."
The wolf's ears flicked forward and it began staring intently at the ground, blinking in curiosity and cocking its head to the side. Link looked down at the ground as well, wondering what had drawn its attention, but all he saw was his own shadow.
The beast looked back up at Link, who met its piercing stare, before it coughed and stared accusingly at its own shadow. It began barking at the floor, before shaking itself off and staring back at the Hero of Time.
This wolf has a few screws loose, Link decided, watching the animal begin scratching furiously at the ground. I can't imagine picking a fight with my own shadow.
"Do you think maybe we should go back to Link?" the Hero of Time asked, turning back to Navi. "I'm ready to leave this place."
"I kind of want to find that Lens of Truth," Navi admitted. "Now that we're back together, don't you think we should try to find that?"
Link was still a touch apprehensive about staying in this place any longer than necessary, but he decided to relent. As long as he had someone to keep him company, this place would be a little less intimidating. He figured he could still search for some better eyes, as long as he didn't have to do it all alone.
The wolf whined at him, causing Link to turn back to it. His eyes widened as he realized the beast now held a key in its mouth, having acquired it from nowhere.
"Where…where'd you get that?" Link asked.
The beast yawned, dropping the key disinterestedly and shaking its head. It sat down and stared forward into nothing, a blank expression on its face.
"When we meet back up with Link, we need to ask him more questions about this wolf," Link said. He reached down to retrieve the key, not making any sudden movements in case it would upset the beast. "Good boy…stay…"
"I agree," Navi replied as her Hero stood back up, wiping the slobber off the key and placing it into the lock on the door beside them. "I think he was following us because of that Lantern, since he kept repeatedly picking it up and carrying it with him when I was searching for you."
"He didn't object to me taking it from him though," Link said.
"Maybe he likes being helpful but got a little too excited," Navi decided. "I'm not sure yet. He's a very strange animal. His behavior is very unpredictable, unfortunately."
The wolf began scratching at the door Link had unlocked but not opened.
"Ready to keep exploring?" Link asked Navi, placing his hand on the door handle and turning it.
The wolf nosed his way inside first, leading the way for them. Link and his fairy followed, still not sure what to make of their canine tag along.
The first thing they saw in this new room was a pit of nothingness. To the left, there seemed to be another path but no way to reach it. Another one of those creepy paintings grinned at them from the wall of that other path. Keese were darting through the air and screeching. Other than that, the room wasn't really remarkable. It certainly wasn't worth being locked with a key.
The wolf sniffed at the pit before staring intently at the right wall. It turned back to Link and weaved around the path to stand behind him. It stuck its head underneath him and stood up after crawling halfway underneath him, lifting him back into the air and beginning to walk towards the oblivion on the right.
"Stop!" Link commanded, trying to climb off before the wolf decided to jump off into what he seemed to consider a more optimum place for death. However, before the little Hero could slip off, the beast had already set one foot into the depths, his muscles tensing to support his weight as he stepped out into the void. He took another step.
The wolf is walking along air! Link thought as the beast trotted toward the far corner, hovering over space.
The wolf looked back at him expectantly, as if to say to him, Look what I did.
"G…good boy," Link stammered. The Keese in front of him hissed, causing Navi to flutter over to it and target it for him. He retrieved the Gale Boomerang and flicked it at one, allowing it to return before he tossed it at the other. Both bats remained alive, simply disoriented from the winds, so he swatted them both with his own Boomerang.
Link spotted a Gold Skulltula clinging to the wall of what he had assumed was another path; it turned out the path was a dead-end. He figured that was appropriate for this dungeon; everything in here was a dead something. He tossed his own Boomerang several times at the enemy from the wolf's back, killing it and retrieving its token. The wolf then began to back up, turning around on the path and marching toward the door again. Apparently, there was nothing else there.
Link reached forward from the beast's back, opening the door and allowing the canine to push it open with his nose again. The wolf trotted through the door and began to head to the far wall, the one that the Hero of Time had already stumbled through once before and knew was false. They passed by the barred cage containing the large treasure chest Link wanted to open but hadn't trusted.
The wolf walked through the wall and back out into the hallway, before turning left and immediately passing through a second false wall Link hadn't yet discovered. They ended up inside the bars, coming out of the wall beside the chest.
Link slid off the wolf's back, throwing open the chest and leaning in to retrieve its contents. He lifted out a Compass, and instantly he could see where all the treasure chests in the dungeon were located. Sadly, he wasn't really interested in most of them, due to his vehement loathing for this cursed place.
The wolf gently grabbed Link by the back of his tunic and began to drag him out the way they had come in, pulling him away from the actual supposed exit to the bars. Apparently, it could see danger over there, and didn't want him going any closer.
I guess we just…misunderstood each other, Link thought as the wolf lifted him up again and began to sniff around the halls. I wonder if it came down to find the other Link at all, or if it had seen me walk in here and decided to pursue me since it knows what I smell like; it's seen me before, after all. I wonder if he came here to help me…
The wolf stopped at a massive drop in the floor with a wall of bars leading down to the floor just beyond it. However, as Link peered down, he realized there was an entrance to the bars, and indeed there was even a chain-link fence leading down to the ground. The canine seemed to be considering whether or not it wanted to drop down there and go check out the area.
Link spied a small treasure chest there. He was about to slide off the wolf's back when the beast walked to the very edge and barked. It hesitated for a moment, just listening. It then made up its mind and jumped down, slamming to the bricks below and trotting towards the treasure chest. As the Hero of Time slid off to open it, he could almost see pain in the wolf's eyes, as if it was dying to open the chest but knew it shouldn't.
He's either really nice, really helpful, really considerate, or really weird, Link decided as he retrieved a recovery heart, something he needed after his long fall to the basement. He's too intelligent to be a monster or just some simple animal. I don't get it… He looked back up at the area above them, wondering how the wolf intended to get up there. In fact, now that he considered it, how was the wolf going to get out of this pit?
Link flinched as a shadow shot past him and an orange light pierced the darkness, a strange hand beckoning to the pair. It belonged to some being with a body he couldn't quite distinguish from the darkness around it, but apparently the wolf didn't like it.
The canine crawled back underneath Link and glared at the odd being, before the wolf demonstrated its incredible jumping skills and sprang up to the top level of the dungeon.
"WHOA!" Navi exclaimed as the wolf shook himself at the top of the fence; the hand it had chased was no longer there. "How can an animal…?"
"I have no idea!" Link said, just as astounded with the beast. He reached out and opened the door for it, allowing it to trot happily inside to the next room. He might have been hesitant about the dungeon, but the wolf seemed to be having an excellent time exploring. Its mood didn't change, even as they entered a dimly lit room filled with coffins. The Hero of Time could barely see in the shadows, but he could scarcely make out some kind of ivory colored bird-like statue at the far end of the room. In front of that was a creature wrapped in bandages, bathed in the yellow glow of a lone torch. It was moaning like a Redead, so Link wasn't sure he wanted to go any closer.
The wolf wanted to, though. It began to dash over to the monster, causing Link to leap off its back as it launched itself at the fiend. Its jaws locked around the creature's chest, and it began to repeatedly and aggressively bite at the monster. The enemy wailed in anguish, and the wolf leapt off, disappearing from view behind a coffin. The monster collapsed beside it, and the canine trotted back into view.
"Uhh…" Navi began, not sure what to make of their canine companion. "What now, Link?"
Link looked at the unlit torches as the wolf returned to him. "I guess we light the torches," he said, bringing out his Deku Sticks. He spotted the Lantern in his inventory and was about to put his sticks away in favor of the more modern tool, but the wolf had other ideas.
The beast had already snatched a stick from him and was trotting over to the coffins, apparently ready to play fetch. It hopped up on one of the coffins and touched both ends of the stick to the only lit torch, igniting the branch: dangerous fetch. It then tossed the flaming stick to the left, as opposed to bringing it to Link and allowing him to throw it. The wolf seemed to know what it was doing, however, and the stick flew into one of the unlit torches. The flames sparked against the brazier, causing an immediate change. The coffin lid magically slid open, and two Keese freed themselves from it. The wolf was already upon them, barking and jumping as it tried to catch the bats in its jaws.
"I think I'm just going to let him go do the adventuring for me," Link muttered as he pulled out the Lantern and lit the torch closest to him. The coffin nearest to him opened, and two more Keese flew out, only for one to be struck down by the little Hero's Boomerang, and the other to meet its unfortunate demise as the wolf sprung up and caught it. "He seems to be having a good time here anyway."
Link walked to the next coffin, lighting the torch and watching as the lid opened. However, this one was empty, so he abandoned it.
The wolf returned with his flaming Deku Stick, tossing it at a different unlit torch and watching the lid slide off from the farthest coffin. Two more Keese flew out, and Link was certain he heard the wolf grunt in distaste. The beast chased after them as the Hero of Time looked in the coffin and spotted a Small Key. He quickly fished it out and held it proudly over his head as the wolf conquered the two new nuisances. Link turned to the final torch and ignited it, only to watch the lid slide off and reveal another foe wrapped in bandages.
"Let's go!" Link called to the wolf as he began scrambling away and heading for the door. "There's no need to stay anymore."
The wolf saw him leaving so it sprinted past the mummy and headed to the door, joining Link at the exit. As soon as they stepped out, it picked him back up and jumped down to the ground. The orange hand could be seen beckoning to it at the top on the other side of the bars, so the wolf jumped up and reached the top.
What is that thing, anyway? Link wondered as the hand disappeared, and the wolf resumed trotting through the halls.
"Good boy," Link said to the beast, even if he didn't understand it and its mysterious jumping power. He scratched the fur behind its left ear, causing it to give him a curious look. "I'm going to give you a name," he decided suddenly, seeing its expression. "Since you're so friendly."
"You're going to name him?" Navi inquired as the wolf headed up the path on the left, still sniffing around.
"He's always following us," Link reasoned. "Next time we see him around, I want to call him something."
The wolf stopped at the place where Link had fallen through the floor, looking to the side and sniffing the air. He pressed himself to the wall and stood on top of the pile of bones, staring at something intently. He began to dig, scraping aside the pile of mess and uncovering a treasure chest beneath them. The beast looked back at the Hero of Time before apparently deciding to disobey itself. It nudged the chest open and reached in, picking up a stack of Deku Nuts. Ironic, considering that that exact item had been the reason Link had fallen through the floor here.
The wolf didn't let the item go, instead carrying it in his mouth as he dashed to the other end of the hall, giving the far painting a wide berth before delivering Link at a small tunnel.
"I guess this is where he wants to go next," the Hero of Time said, climbing off and peering through the tunnel.
"Have you come up with a name?" Navi asked him.
Link looked back at the wolf. "I'm still thinking about what I want to call him." He began to crawl through the tunnel, looking back as he stepped out and spotting the wolf following him through the tight entrance. "I think he's too sweet to call him something that doesn't sound cute."
Navi nodded her understanding as the beast crawled out of the tunnel and shook himself off. He stopped in front of them, looking at the door and then back at the Hero of Time, as if to ask, Are you going to unlock it?
"I think I'll call him…" Link began. He watched the wolf straighten, looking fierce and impressive. "…Snugglewugglecutiekins."
Link almost laughed as the wolf's eyes went from attentive to immensely displeased. The beast seemed to be asking, Are you serious? He couldn't have asked for a better response.
"Not something at least remotely powerful?" Navi asked, suppressing a snort of laughter at the title.
The wolf turned away from both of them and sat in front of the door, staring at that lock and doing his best to dramatically ignore them both.
"Nah," Link said, snickering at the canine. "He's soft and fluffy, and he's a good boy. He's gonna be Snugglewugglecutiekins." He walked past the wolf and put the key in the lock, turning the handle and allowing the canine into the next room.
Snugglewugglecutiekins begrudgingly walked back over to Link and scooped him up, weaving around sections of the floor as Keese flew overhead. The Hero of Time tossed his Boomerang at the bats as the wolf clung to the right wall, minding the floor. Link could see the wolf also growling at the Beamos in front of them, so he threw a bomb at the enemy and watched its head fly off, detonating a short distance away.
With the danger cleared, Snugglewugglecutiekins carried Link over to a treasure chest in the far left corner of the room, walking cautiously over the floor before headbutting the crate. He stuck his nose in the chest and retrieved a recovery heart, which he did not surrender to the Hero of Time and instead kept for himself. He then marched over to the next door, weaving around obstacles in the floor that only he could see.
Link opened the door for him, and Snugglewugglecutiekins deposited him in front of a Like Like. Link instantly pulled out his boomerang and tossed it at the enemy, stunning the creature as the wolf circled it with a bewildered expression. Apparently, Snugglewugglecutiekins had never seen this kind of monster, and wasn't sure what to make of it. That was perfectly fine with the little Hero of Time, since he was able to dispatch it fairly quickly before turning to the Gold Skulltula crawling along on the walls. He flung his Boomerang at that too, his wolf friend waiting for him at the door as he retrieved the token.
"Alright, I'm ready," Link told the wolf, following him out before climbing onto his back again. The wolf zig-zagged across the floor and led them to the next door, which the little Hero opened for them.
After crawling back through the tunnel, Link scrutinized his map. His faithful canine companion exited the narrow passageway moments later, knocking into the Hero of Time and picking him up. Apparently, the beast had decided maps were for losers, and was using his nose to explore the dungeon. He scampered along the path, leading Link back to the entrance of the dungeon and then staring at the hole in the floor that was once filled with water.
"Please be the last place to explore," Link begged the goddesses as the wolf sprang into the area. He slid off the canine's back and began to crawl through another tunnel, the beast huffing impatiently behind him.
As Link exited, the wolf chased after him, pressing through the tight space and rising to his feet in front of a door. The pair was met with a big Skulltula, but one throw of the Gale Boomerang brought it to an early grave, and the pair stared at another chain-link fence leading to an upper part of the dungeon again. The wolf lifted the Hero of Time up once more, leaping after that mysterious orange hand and landing in front of the door. Whatever that strange hand was, it would disappear before its source could be located.
The door before them had no handle, so it opened as the wolf approached it, as if triggered by the motion. As the duo entered the area, both of them seemed to be less than impressed with what it contained.
They stood on a floor of earth, filled with crumbled bones and ash and tinged red by old blood. Stone pillars were embedded in the four corners of the room, supporting the ceiling above them. Skulls crunched beneath Snugglewugglecutiekins's paws as he stepped into the room, and he began to growl. A ring of long, pale and slender arms were sticking out of the floor like cursed trees, their red talons caked in blood, and their arms torn up in various areas. Neither Link nor the wolf were thrilled about the things.
Iron bars slammed down behind them, sealing them in, and Snugglewugglecutiekins began to growl harder. Link slipped off the wolf's back and began to walk towards one of the hands. He stared at it curiously, wondering if it had come from a monster or just some really deformed human. Behind him, the wolf was sniffing the air in front of one of the hands.
Snugglewugglecutiekins let out a surprised yelp as the hand came down on his head, and he began to thrash around, trying to free himself. Link whirled around and darted towards him, Navi turning yellow and targeting the enemy that had seized their precious Snugglewugglecutiekins. However, as he did so, he saw a ring of flames and ash explode from the ground, and a strange creature appeared in the circle.
It didn't have any legs, but was instead waddling towards the trio on a body like a tree trunk. It lacked hands as well, bearing a single giant talon on each tucked arm. Its forehead was crumpled and squished, but it made up for that with its giant jaws and cracked teeth. Its head was held on by its long neck, which it held high in the air as it approached them. Blood was oozing off its body in various locations, just like the arms.
"What in Hyrule is that?!" Link demanded, turning away from his trapped wolf to face the beast approaching it.
"Dead Hand!" Navi answered, flying over to it and circling its head, which it lowered to glare at the Hero. "Watch out for its infinite hands!"
"How do I defeat it?" Link demanded, his wolf friend shaking himself free and turning to glare at the new enemy.
"Aim for its head!" Navi commanded, and Link obliged.
The Hero of Time began repeatedly slashing at the creature, with Snugglewugglecutiekins growling from beside him, as if looking for an opportunity to join in without getting cut by the Kokiri Sword. Before the wolf received a chance, Dead Hand had already gotten fed up with them. The creature turned away with blinding speed, and no matter how much Link attacked its back, he couldn't hurt it. The creature released a shockwave of ash and fire, and debris cut into the Hero of Time as he pursued the beast.
Link brushed off his injuries, Snugglewugglecutiekins snarling from beside him before sniffing around the room to find their enemy. Their foe had disappeared in the smoke, but the bars on the door had not raised. He went to join the wolf, but one of the hands lashed out at him and caught him by the head.
"Aah!" Link exclaimed, the talons digging in but strangely not doing any damage. His hat was too strong for anything to cut through, his enemies should have known.
Dead Hand was back in an instant, waddling toward him and preparing to strike. Unfortunately, Link couldn't remove the talons from his head that quickly, and he couldn't reach out to attack his approaching foe.
Snugglewugglecutiekins skated across the bones, leaping forward and severing the arm that bound Link. The wolf then turned on Dead Hand, a look of murder in his eyes. He leapt forward with blinding agility, biting at the monster that was simultaneously attempting to bite at him.
Dead Hand turned away again, disappearing into his ash and fire as the wolf hung back beside Link. The beast looked up at the little Hero before he wandered reluctantly over toward another hand, allowing it to seize him again.
Link understood immediately that the wolf had done that to allow him the opportunity to fight Dead Hand, who appeared once again to attack his new prey. The Hero of Time thundered toward him, swinging his sword to one side to free the wolf before rounding on the monster and finishing it off with several more gashes to its nose and jaw. The creature wailed in pain, its jaw dislocating and twisting around to the back of its head as it collapsed to the ground.
Link stood there, glaring at it as it disintegrated. He sheathed his sword while a glowing light began to twist around a large treasure chest. Snugglewugglecutiekins regarded him with an approving stare, so Link approached him and began to pat him on the head.
"Good job, Cutiekins," he said.
Snugglewugglecutiekins just stared, no longer looking as impressed but not seeming too terribly irritated either. Link turned away from the wolf and opened the large chest, leaning in and pulling out a strange item he had never seen before. It was like a handheld mirror, but the glass was a transparent magenta, with a darker red diamond in the center of it. Three red diamond-shaped spikes protruded from the purple frame, causing the entire item to resemble those strange gossip stones Link had seen around Hyrule.
I found the Lens of Truth! Link thought excitedly. Mysterious things are hidden everywhere, so I should be sure to try and use it even outside of the well. Seeing the truth will cost magic power, so I should be careful when using it.
He pocketed the item and sighed. "Finally, we can get out of here."
"Tired of exploring the dungeon?" Navi asked.
"I'm ready to…" Link trailed off, watching Snugglewugglecutiekins approach the door and walk through it without him. "Hey, Snugglewugglecutiekins, come back!" he called, pursuing the wolf that he had befriended in this dungeon.
By the time he opened the door, Snugglewugglecutiekins was already gone. Link couldn't see or hear the wolf anywhere, glancing at his map but finding nothing. He scurried through the tunnel and ascended the chain-link fence, climbing back to the ground floor and looking around. The wolf had vanished.
"He's…he's gone…" Link said, staring at the dungeon.
"We need to leave too," Navi reminded. "We'll find him later. Perhaps he is already outside."
"I'll miss you, Cutiekins," Link called to the dungeon, just in case the wolf was still inside. He turned back to the exit, finally ready to return to the light of day.
. . . . .
A/N: So I consulted two friends who had never read this fanfiction about giving me a silly dog name akin to "Flufficus" because that was originally what I was going to call Wolf Link but I didn't think it was good enough. And one of them gave me a decent answer and the other one gave me this absolute gem. I don't care if it's long, it's fantastic. You're all welcome.
Special thanks to the user Doopliss, who suggested TP Link treat Young Link like a child due to appearance, suggested that Young Link ride Wolf Link, as well as speculated that Wolf Link might be able to fit through the tight tunnel passages. (Funnily enough Doopliss, the day you suggested this to me is actually literally the day after I had planned two of those things in my mind. XD I will get around to the other half of your suggestion eventually.) If anyone has any suggestions they would like to see included in this fanfiction, feel free to comment them.
