HM: YO! I'm alive!
Gin: 'Bout damn time ilithos.
Rancess: I do not understand what is going on.
Gin: Well, HM here is finally uploading a new chapter of RTS. After about, what? Three, four months?
HM: *waves off* Details, details. I'm here now aren't I? AND this chappy has about 5,000 words!
Gin: *nods in approval*
Rancess: I'm a bit confused; I thought you had said that you were going to be focusing on another story during the month of May.
HM: What's the date?
Rancess: *checks calendar* May 1st.
HM: *grows pale*
Gin: *readies arrow*
HM: Now Gin… let's not do anything hasty. *chuckles nervously*
Gin: Three months…
HM: I know! I'm sorry! How about a compromise?
Gin: What do you have in mind?
HM: Well, the other story is very short. It's probably gonna be about five or ten chapters. So… I'll be writing your story in between posts.
Gin: *satisfied*
Rancess: And mine?
HM: Um… alternating uploads?
Rancess and Gin: Fine.
HM: *sighs in relief* Anyways, I think we've spent enough time talking. Enjoy Chapter 3!
Chapter III: Twilight Hour Pt. I
Link
In the few months that Gin has been here, things have been, interesting, to say the least. He would occasionally snap at people who annoyed him, but, other than that, he was a pretty fun guy to be around. Granted, he was sarcastic, cynical, and blunt, but I knew it's only because he was raised like that. Sometimes, he would get into these weird stages of melancholy, especially when there was a full moon out. Once, I asked him about it, he glared at me and said that he was fine, needless to say, I never asked him again.
One of the things that changed when he moved in with me was the house. Since it was so small, we pretty much demolished it and rebuilt a bigger one. It had two floors and three bedrooms, one for me, one for Gin, and a spare. We had two bathrooms, and a basement. With the remodel, we bought new furniture, including a wardrobe for Gin.
About three months after he came, on an afternoon that made me want to just curl up in the grass and nap, I was lounging around the house resting after working at Fado's Ranch and doing some odd jobs around the village. Gin had gone out, saying that Uli needed him for something. I went out on the porch and sat in the new rocking chair we bought, enjoying the day. I spotted the targets/scarecrows with arrows in them and smiled, as I remembered when Gin got his bow.
Flashback
"LIIIINNNKKK!"
"Gah!" *Thump*
Yep. Gin fell out of bed. I heard stomping footsteps downstairs and rummaging in the kitchen.
"LIIIINNN-GAH!" And that was the sound of Fado being smacked in the face with a frying pan. "What the Hades is wrong with you?! There are people trying to sleep here idiot! The sun's not even up yet!" I heard Gin yell. I cracked one eye open and saw that he was right, the sky was still dark. I heard Fado mumble a reply, too low for me to hear. There was a period of silence that seemed to stretch forever. I knew Gin well enough that when he was yelling at someone and then fell silent, he was forcing himself not to rip someone's head off. "You mean...to tell me...you woke us up before sunrise...to tell Link something...THAT COULD'VE WAITED UNTIL TOMORROW?!" I heard him rage. Now I felt sorry for the poor goat farmer. I heard more yelling, the words 'idiot', 'priorities', and 'castration' being thrown around every so often. I then heard footsteps heading up the ladder and stilled. I could feel the killing intent rolling off of my roommate in waves. "Link..." He began his demeanor deathly calm. "You have ten seconds to get out of that bed, and deal with your employer. Otherwise, you will find yourself being hurt physically." His tone held the underlying message of: 'don't do what I say and feel pain.' Nevertheless, I still pretended to be asleep. Not my best idea. "One...two...five..." I could feel my heart hammering as the KI got closer. "Nine...that's it." The next thing I knew, I was grabbed by the collar of my nightshirt and tossed out of the window, which he didn't even bother to open. How rude. I landed with a thud on the ground and rolled over, pain being the only thing that registered.
When all was said and done, I found out Fado came to borrow a cup of sugar. Needless to say, we needed a new frying pan...and window.
The next day, we were on the porch, drinking tea. Well, Gin was, I was being fussed over by Ilia, who lectured Gin when she saw the scratches and bruises. Even while she was applying bandages on my arms, she was muttering under her breath about red-eyed sadists. We looked up when we heard a call of: "Hey Link! Gin!" We saw Rusl and Colin coming towards the house, Colin carrying a long package. "Hey Rusl. Hey Colin." I said. Ilia waved and Gin inclined his head.
Rusl smiled at us when he reached us. "Colin here wanted to give ya something Gin." The older man said. Colin shyly came forward and looked down, finding a sudden interest in his shoes. "H-here Gin." He said softly, handing him the package and retreating behind his father. Gin raised an eyebrow and opened the package. He gasped and his eyes widened. He pulled the object out and I saw that it was a bow. Simple, plain, made out of wood. "Colin, where did you get this?" Gin asked. "I-I made it." He said. At first I thought he was going to make a snarky reply, but he completely surprised me when he smiled and traced the length of the bow reverently. "Thank you, Colin. It's beautiful." He said. Colin's eyes lit up at the praise and peeked out from behind his father to smile shyly. "You're welcome." He said.
End Flashback
I was brought out of my musings when Gin walked up to the house, a package in his hands. I waved to him as he came up the stairs and sat next to me. "Long day?" I asked him as he sat back. "Yeah. Uli wanted to give me a map of Hyrule and made sure that I packed enough red potion for there and back. She also gave me a list of ingredients to make my own. She also gave me this speech about not shooting any of the guards." He said, his eyes closed and head back. I chuckled a bit, out of everyone, Uli got along well with Gin the most, becoming a sort of sister figure for him.
He tossed the package into my lap. "By the way, ran into the postman. Your girlfriend sent you something." He said with a smirk. I felt my face heat up as I spluttered. "Sh-she's not my girlfriend!" I exclaimed. He snorted and if he had his eyes open, he would be rolling them. "Yeah, and the postman wears actual pants. I'm not an idiot Link, I can tell that you're attracted to her, if what happened two months ago is anything to go by." He said. I just gaped at him. "Well? Open it." He said. I grumbled under my breath and opened the package. Inside was a book entitled 'A History of Music Vol. II: Era of Time', two notebooks, and a note. I picked up the note and read it.
My Dearest Link and Gin,
I heard the news that you two were going to be coming to Hyrule Castle soon! I am so looking forward to your visit! I have taken the liberty of preparing rooms in the castle for you. And don't worry, it is absolutely no inconvenience at all. I have our weekend planned so you can see all that Castle Town has to offer. Oh, I hope Gin enjoys the gifts! I remember how much he loves music, so I hope he likes the book. I know you like music too Link, so I added another notebook for you. I'll be waiting for your arrival!
With Love,
Zelda, Princess of Hyrule
I didn't have to look at Gin to know he was smirking. Before he could say anything, we saw Rusl along with Beth, Malo, Talo, and Colin coming our way.
"Hey Rusl, kids." I greeted. Gin waved and sat back in his seat. "Link. Gin." Rusl nodded. "Link, I fixed your sword for you, try to be more careful this time." He said with a smile. I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck.
"Hey Link!" Talo said. "Since you have your sword back, can you show us your moves?" He asked. I grinned and nodded as Rusl laughed and left. The kids set up the "targets", while Gin collected his arrows. When it was all set up, I showed them the basics: vertical slash, horizontal slash, stab, jump attack, and spin attack. After I was done, the kids clapped.
"Hey Gin! Can we see you shoot your bow?" Talo asked. The red-eyed teen considered it for a bit, till he shrugged. "Sure, why not?" He hopped down and grabbed his bow along the way. "Where are your arrows?" Talo asked. The silverette smirked and snapped his fingers. Gold and silver sand appeared and started swirling along his back. It turned into the quiver he had when we first found him, full of arrows.
He nocked an arrow and let it fly. It went clean through the heart of a scarecrow. His smirk turned into a grin as arrow after arrow he fired, not missing a target. Now he was in his element. The Hunter side of him was showing as he fired, rolling and side-stepping every so often. It almost looked like an intricate dance. Eventually, he had hit every target numerous times.
He faced us and bowed with a smirk. "So? What you think?" He asked. The kids clapped vigorously and I clapped with them. "Where'd you learn how to shoot like that?" Talo asked. Gin shrugged. "My parents, they taught me everything I know." He said.
After trying to do the moves I showed him how to do, Talo told us how he would use those moves to drive away the monkeys that were causing a ruckus in the village lately.
Right after he said that, he spotted a monkey and ran after it into the forest. "Oi! Where do you think you're goin' baka?" Gin said, going after him and the other kids, minus Colin. I mounted Epona and raced after them.
I caught up with Gin, who had an arrow ready and was moving through the woods with ease. "How the Hades do those kids move so freakin' fast?" He asked. "I don't know, but we need to find them quick!" I replied.
~o~
We sped through Faron Woods, looking for any sign of the kids. The good thing was that Gin was certain that they stuck to the path.
Finally, we found both Malo and Beth, who were both panting heavily. "Couldn't...keep...up..." Beth said in between gulps of breath. "He went...that way..." Malo said, pointing towards the direction of the bridge. "Η ηλίθιος πρόκειται να πάρετε τον εαυτό του είτε σκοτώθηκαν ή τρώγονται.*" Gin muttered.
He placed his hands on their heads. "Artemis, την προστασία αυτά τα παιδιά από την κίνδυνοι από το για τα άγρια. Μαΐου βρίσκουν τους δρόμο για το σπίτι με ασφάλεια.*" He said. A faint silver glow outlined them and faded. "There, you have the protection of the Wild. No wild creatures will harm you while you're here. But it'll wear off once you get home, understand?" He asked. They nodded and began walking back home.
"That was...surprisingly nice Gin." I said in shock. He huffed and began to walk away. "As a Hunter of Artemis, I cannot let a child go unprotected." He said simply. I shrugged and followed him on Epona.
~o~
We crossed the bridge and entered Faron Woods. Passing Faron Spring, we came to a fork in the road. Straight ahead was a cave with a gate in front of it (fortunately it was open), and the left led to a clearing. Gin walked over to a sign and narrowed his eyes at it. "Forest Temple Path. It's pitch-dark ahead! Parties interested in going forward must first go this way! Coro." He read.
We looked at each other. "What do you think Link? Should we keep on going, or should we take the detour?" Gin asked. I got off Epona and thought about it. "If it'll help light our way, we should go visit this 'Coro'." I replied.
~o~
We ventured into the clearing and were met with a guy that had a bird's nest for hair, literally. "Woah! An Ordonian! Hey guy!" He said when he caught sight of us. He looked at Gin and then turned back to me. "Listen, I'm not sure you should be wandering around the woods without a lantern. Just because it's daylight, doesn't mean it's safe." He said in a serious tone. "There are a ton of caves and dank spots around here that get pretty dark even in the middle of the day." He then reached into his pouch. "Here! Go on, guy, take this!" He handed me a lantern, which I hung on my belt.
"See, I sell lantern oil here..." Coro continued. "I'm trying to drum up sales by giving away free lanterns! It's a business tactic, guy!" He said with a smile. "See, as long as you've got oil to fuel your lantern, you can light your way and set fire to stuff. They're the best!" Gin turned his head away. "Yeah, give him a lantern. I don't need one anyway; I'm used to dark places." He grumbled under his breath. "Go on, guy! Try setting fire under that big pot!" Coro said. "I'm going to go wait by Epona, Link." Gin said, and walked away.
Gin
I walked away from them, grumbling under my breath. When I got back to the crossroad, Epona was gone. Well, this day went downhill fast. Not too long after, Link came. "Where's Epona?" He asked worriedly. "I'm assuming she went back to Ordon." I replied, readying an arrow. "Duck." I said as I fired. He hit the dirt as the arrow flew past his head and embedded into a Deku-Baba. Link picked himself up and walked past me into the cave.
"Gin!" I immediately turned my attention to my companion, who was kneeling on the ground. I saw that he had a wooden sword in his hand...Talo's wooden sword. "Styx." I cursed as I scanned the surrounding area. Link didn't have his lantern out, but I could see just fine. The silver glow that surrounded me (evidence that I had Artemis' blessing) further lit up the area.
"He was attacked here." I said to a panicking Link. "Some monsters grabbed him and the monkey and went deeper into the cave." I said, looking at the tracks that were left behind. Link cursed and ran into the cave, me right behind him.
We ventured through the cave, fighting a few monsters along the way. Finally, we reached the end. We ended up in a wide area. I saw that there were two paths to take, one to the right, and one to the left. "Link, you wanna take a path and I'll take a path?" I asked him. He nodded and started heading to the left.
I snuck up on the two Bokoblins, slowly stringing an arrow. I aimed, waited, and fired. The arrow sailed through the air and hit one of them in the heart. Unfortunately, the other one saw me and ran towards me. I grabbed the bracelet on my right wrist and pulled. Suddenly, I had a hunting knife in my hand. I leapt over the Bokoblin and slashed, satisfied when I sliced its neck. It staggered backwards and fell, poofing into black smoke.
I then turned my attention to the large gate, which, of course, was locked. Unfortunately, I wasn't a son of Hermes. In fact, Aphrodite and Ares were the only gods that knew about my existence. Anyways, I was glaring at the padlock, attempting to make it disappear, when someone cleared their throat behind me. I whirled around, ready to strike with my knife, only to see a pale and wide-eyed Link with a small key in his hand.
"Link! How many times do I have to tell you NOT TO SNEAK UP BEHIND ME! Di immortalis, I could've killed you for Apollo's sake!" I yelled. "But you didn't?" He said in a small voice. "Me bring key." He held the small key out to me and inserted it into the lock. He opened the gate and we walked through, me killing the last Bokoblin with my knife.
~o~
We came to a small clearing with four Bokoblins, which were soon taken care of. We ventured down the path and dealt with two more, passing a small tent with a blue parrot perched outside.
Soon enough, we came to this huge tree. I'm talking skyscraper size! "That's the Forest Temple." Link informed me as we came up to it. I then spotted Talo and the monkey trapped in a cylindrical cage made of sticks, guarded by four more Bokoblins. Link and I charged at them, him with his wooden sword, and me with my knife. I slashed horizontally and quickly killed one. The other was a bit smarter. It dodged my stabs and slashes so that I hit nothing but air. I feigned to the right and tripped it, soon ending its life with a stab to the heart.
"Link! Gin!" Talo cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. Link did his spinning maneuver and broke the cage. Talo ran towards Link and wrapped his arms around the taller male's waist. "Sure. Link did all the work." I grumbled in mock-hurt. I felt a weight on my leg and looked down, spotting the monkey with a flower in her hair. I smiled and patted her on the head.
We headed away from the Temple. As soon as we stepped foot off the path, I felt someone watching me. I turned around and saw another monkey, this one with a green flower in her hair. Link and Talo kept on walking, like they hadn't seen it. I don't know what, but something kept me rooted to the spot. ~Well done, Shadow.~ She said in a childlike voice. ~You have proven yourself skilled in battle. But be warned, this only the first test of many.~ She seemed saddened by this. ~Before you can claim what is rightfully yours, you must prove yourself worthy to be known by your bloodline.~ She then faded like evaporating steam. I felt the wind tousle my hair, carrying with it the scent of the forest. ~I'll be waiting Shadow...~ The voice said. "Gin! Come on!" I turned around and ran after Link and Talo.
~o~
We exited the cave near Coro's shop. Talo walked with his head hanging. He stopped suddenly and looked at us through his eyelashes. "If you hadn't come Link, Gin...Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably!" He said in a subdued voice. I snorted. "Got that right." I muttered under my breath. Link shot me a look and turned back to Talo, how hadn't heard what I had said. "She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey...She tried to protect me, so we got captured together." Said monkey was currently on my shoulder picking through my hair. "Um, Link...Gin...You're not gonna mention this to my dad, are you?" Before I could say anything, Link put his hand against my mouth. "He's always telling me to never, EVER go into the forest, 'cause he says it's dangerous." Damn right it is punk. "So you really can't tell him! Really! You have to promise!" The boy said. Like Hades I'm gonna promise! Link sighed, his hand still against my mouth. "Talo..." Link gave him a look. "I won't tell him." He said. Talo's face lit up and I gave him an 'are you serious?' look. The monkey decided to cover my mouth as well. "That's because," He continued, "you're gonna tell him. I'm sure that if he hears the honest truth from you, he'll be easier on you than if I was to tell him." Talo gave it some thought, then nodded and ran off in the direction of Ordon.
Link sighed and uncovered my mouth, raising his hands to cover his ears. "WHAT THE HADES ARE YOU THINKING?!" The monkey, startled by my outburst, hid behind Link. "Talo has to learn responsibility. Actions have consequences and honesty goes a long way." He said calmly. "I'm not gonna tell on him for every single little thing he does. He has to learn to own up to his mistakes." He looked at me, blue eyes daring me to argue with him. I was silent for a bit, mulling over what he said, and sighed in defeat. Wow, never thought I'd say that. "You're right Link." This day is just full of firsts, isn't it? "He has to learn that when you admit your mistakes, it's easier than if someone told on you. It's a lesson I learned in my time as a Hunter." I said. He smiled brightly and punched me playfully in the shoulder.
Before we took a step, someone yelled out our names. Rusl came from the direction of Coro's shop and stopped in front of us. "My son told me that Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned. I came as soon as I heard..." He trailed off as I began to laugh. I fell to the ground and held my stomach, laughing hard. "Is he ok?" The older man asked in concern. "Fine...just...life...lesson...fail...hahaha!" Link rolled his eyes and huffed. "Right...anyways, it looks like you brought him home already...I apologize. Such a task should not fall to you. That goes for you to Gin. You may be a hunter back in your land, but there are a lot of nasty creatures here in Hyrule." Rusl continued. I gave him a thumbs up from my position on the ground, trying to catch my breath and falling into giggles every now and again. The monkey sat on my stomach and poked my cheek, seeing if I was ok.
"Link, Gin. Have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately? I feel... uneasy about what may lie in wait..." I sat up and cradled the monkey in my arms. I nodded in affirmation, I had also felt it, some kind of... force in the air. "Anyway, Link, Gin... Tomorrow is finally the day. You both will be departing for Hyrule. I think it's a good thing I've given this task to you... Good luck! And return safely! If you're lucky, you may even get to meet Princess Zelda! Ah ha ha!" Link and I exchanged a subtle look. Rusl walked away and left us, chuckling to himself.
"Yeah Link... you may get to meet Princess Zelda~!" I teased. Link turned as bright as a tomato and turned away. "Sh-shut up!" He stuttered. I grinned and shoved his shoulder. "C'mon Link. You can fantasize about the Princess at home." I said, walking away. "Gin!"
~o~
Later that night, as I got into bed, I thought about what had happened at the Forest Temple, about that monkey with the green flower. What exactly did she mean by tests? And my bloodline? Did she perhaps know my parents? I gently stroked the lyre on my nightstand, a gift from my birth parents Kaa-san had told me. My eyelids began to grow heavy, until I surrendered myself to the realm of Morpheus.
~Dream Sequence~
Roars, screeches, and screams filled the night. Children with pointed ears, green clothing, and multicolored orbs with wings ran through the forest. "To the Forest Temple!" One of them shouted. The others hurried through the forest until they came to a high plateau with a lone tree on the ledge. Behind it was a stone building overcome with moss. Waiting for them was a girl with light green hair held back by a dark green headband, blue eyes, pointed ears, and a sad smile.
"Here!" She yelled. A small hole opened up at the bottom of the plateau and began to shine multicolored lights. "What is it?" One of the children asked. The girl smiled kindly at them. "It's a gateway. To a land called Termina. There, the monsters won't follow you." He said. They looked at each other, fear etched on their faces. "Don't worry. Everything will be ok. Don't be scared." She soothed. Finally, they all went through the gate.
A pale yellow orb was about to go through, then stopped and turned around. "What about you Saria? Aren't you coming?" It asked in a tinkling voice. She once again smiled sadly and shook her head. "No Telra, I can't. As Sage of the Forest, I must stay here and drive out this evil." Saria said, determination shining in her bright blue eyes. "The other Sages are doing the same thing, this is happening everywhere." She said. The orb was about to say something when Saria held up her hand. "Don't try to convince me to go Telra. This is my duty." Telra floated there for a second, and then flew through the gate.
As soon as she was gone, Saria waved her hand and the building began to crumble. Trees began to grow and stone was reduced to dust, until no evidence remained of the building, or the plateau. Nodding, she ran back to where the other children had come from. In a clearing was a tree with a worried face on it, that soon became one of relief as Saria ran to it. "Saria! Thank the Goddesses! They're everywhere! They killed many...so many..." Tears began to fall down its face. "Don't worry Deku Sprout, they won't be a problem for long." Saria said. She turned and glared at the approaching monsters. "Hear me monsters! You may have killed some of the forest's children, but you are fools to believe that I, Saria, Sage of The Forest, will not avenge!" She began to glow a bright green color. "YOU! ARE! NOT! WELCOME! HERE!" The light was so bright, the monsters covered their eyes. When it died down, in their place were flocks of birds, and the Deku Sprout turned into a large tree, the face absent. Saria gently placed her hand on a door that led inside the tree. "Link, Mido, Telra, Deku Sprout, everyone...forgive me." A lone tear slid down her face.
Her head suddenly snapped up as she heard a cry full of grief and anger being carried on the wind. Saria gasped and held her hands over her mouth, blue eyes wide with shock and horror. "Nabooru..." She suddenly vanished in a bright green light.
~End Dream Sequence~
I woke up with a start, sitting up, breathing heavily and a sheen of sweat on my skin. I shakily ran my hands through my damp hair and looked around, half expecting monsters to be sitting around me. I buried my face in my hands and let out another breath. Stupid visions. Being a son of Apollo, I get glimpses of the past, present, and future. I have no idea why I saw that though.
I swung my legs over the bed and stepped onto the floor, the cool wood soothing to my toes. I padded out my room and downstairs to the kitchen, being careful not to wake up Link. I retrieved a glass and filled it with water, the cool liquid soothing my throat.
When I opened my eyes (I don't even remember closing them), my vision was blurry for some reason. I felt something hot and wet slide down my cheek and I realized with a start that I was crying. Crying! I never cry! I slid down to the floor and pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and burying my head in my knees. My shoulders began to shake and I cried. For those children. For Saria. For Telra. For the Deku Sprout. I cried for them all.
When I woke up, I realized it was late morning, near noon. Someone had put a blanket on me and I smiled softly. I got up, washed my face, took a shower, and changed into a grey tunic, blue pants, and brown boots with my quiver attached to my back. I headed out the door just in time to see Ilia storming down the road, Epona in hand and the kids following after her. I stared at them confused as Colin stood by the entrance to Ordon and Ilia stationed the other three on the road to the Spring. I jumped down and jogged towards them. "Oi Ilia!" She turned and glared at me. "Kids, don't let him through either." She said and started walking away. I rolled my eyes and simply leapt over the kids and sprinted after the girl.
"What did he do this time?" I asked once I caught up with her. "Epona's leg." She said simply. She walked into the spring and had me lock the gate behind us. "And what about Epona's leg?" I asked. "She's injured, Gin! Link had her jumping fences and she hurt herself!" The girl fumed. I gave her a look. "Ilia..." I said calmly. "Link absolutely adores that horse. Do you honestly think that he would intentionally hurt her?" I asked. She seemed to think about it until Colin came in, somehow, out of breath.
He gasped for air and held up a finger, telling us to give him a second. I spotted Link run up to the gate and give it a good shake. Ilia scowled at him. "If you've come to take Epona back, you can FORGET it! Why don't you think about what you've done for a change! I won't open the gate until you change your attitude!" She yelled. "Ilia..." I sighed. I spotted Colin whisper something to Link and turned back to the fuming girl. "Ilia. Link and I had to rescue Talo yesterday." I told her. She looked at me in surprise and I started to explain what had happened.
When I was done, I spotted Link enter through a secret tunnel in the back of the Spring. "I had no idea..." Ilia said. "I hadn't heard the details about Talo's capture." She looked at Colin and I. "But Colin, Gin..." It was then she spotted Link standing off to the side, scratching the back of his neck. She went to get Epona, but the horse snorted and shook her head.
Ilia had a small smile on her face. "So you still prefer your master over me, huh, Epona?" She asked softly. She then looked at Link. "Don't worry about your horse, Link. Fortunately, it looks like the injury isn't too serious. You two can go on together." She closed her eyes. "Bu, Link..." I could feel her concern and worry over the blonde due to Aphrodite's blessing. "Can you at least promise me this? No matter what happens on your journey, don't try to do anything... out of your league. Please." I snorted at the request. Yeah, when Hades wears a ballerina tutu and Zeus stops having kids. "Just come home safely." She said. Link smiled at her and nodded.
Suddenly, Epona neighed and I felt thunderous hoof beats on the ground. The gate to the Spring was smashed in by...a large boar? Ridden by two green wannabe ninja with red eyes? What the Hades? The boar got in between us and Link and the one in back readied an arrow. I pushed Colin and Ilia out of the way so that the arrow hit my shoulder. I cried out in pain as Ilia and Colin were hit by more arrows. "Oh Hades no!" I yelled as I retrieved my bow and arrows, wincing when I saw Link get hit in the head by an unnecessarily huge club and get knocked out. They grabbed Ilia and Colin and began riding away towards Faron Woods. Being the Hunter that I am, I naturally ran after them, yelling obscenities in Greek, English, and Japanese (which I'm told is called Hylian here).
Arrow after arrow I fired. I killed two of those green things and the boar nuzzled my leg, well, as much as a boar could nuzzle anyways. I mentally thanked Ares for his blessing and mounted the boar. I charged towards the other boar across the bridge to Faron Woods and a black wall materialized behind me. The boar grunted in surprise and knocked me off, running away afterwards.
I muttered to myself as I dusted myself off. A large black hand suddenly wrapped around my waist and hoisted me up about three feet off the ground. I was turned around and was met face-to-face with a black creature that had a freaking helmet for a face. It growled at me and began to squeeze, my ribs audibly creaking under the strain. I groaned in pain as I tried to reach my knife, only to yelp as I felt a burning sensation on the right side of my neck. The creature let go of me and I fell on the ground with a thud face-first.
I groaned as I rose to my hands and knees. I still felt the burning sensation, but now I felt it all over, like my body was on fire. I heard snapping noises and realized with horror that my bones were shrinking and rearranging themselves. I felt my jaw grow and the inside of my mouth grow numb. The last thing I saw was a flash of white.
HM: Whew! Things be heatin up now!
Gin: …
Rancess: …
HM: What?
Gin: This is a cliffhanger.
HM: And?
Gin: …
HM: Well, while Gin is getting over his shock, let me say this: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and follow this story! It really means a lot to an aspiring author! Please leave a review telling me your comments, questions, and suggestions on how to make this story better. They make me write faster. Oh, and if there are any grammatical errors, please let me know; it's a pet peeve of mine to have bad grammar. So yeah, anything else? Oh! I almost forgot. Look out for my next story that's based on Sleeping Beauty. It's called 'Evil's Apprentice'. I hope to see you all then, Ja ne!
*The idiot's going to get himself killed or eaten.
*Artemis, protect these children from the perils of the Wild. May they find their way home safely.