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Chapter Seven: The First Piece

LINK POV

The water splashed loudly as Link and Zelda ran through the water of Lake Hylia, making their way toward the spring that was home to the light spirit, Lanayru. She was the closest one to Castle Town, and since she was the farthest from Ordona, Link harbored the hope that the strange evil still hadn't reached her. He also hoped that Lanayru would know how to destroy the evil and allow Link to return to his true form.

When he'd realized that he had turned into a wolf, only one thing had gone through his mind: horror. It had all come back to him: when he'd been dragged into the Twilight for the first time, and transformed into the wolf. Midna had found him, and saved him. Now, Midna was gone. Link was stuck in his feral form with nobody but Zelda to help him, and the princess couldn't even understand him, let alone tell him what how to cure himself of this awful black disease.

Ordona told him to find the other spirits. So he was going to.

"It's all water." Zelda whispered to herself as they stopped at the edge of an island. If they were to reach the entrance to Lanayru's spring, they were going to have to swim.

I wish she didn't have to… Link thought to himself, Zelda's comfort evident in his thoughts. But there's no other way. We've got to swim over. He let out a bark, and then jumped into the water. It felt refreshing against his matted fur, and as he popped up to the surface, he let his tongue lag out contently. It was strange: he enjoyed being in the water more as a wolf than he did as a human. Then again, he was much different in wolf form as a whole. His sweet temper seemed to disappear, and instincts kicked in when he went into feral form. He was still Link, but a much more defensive and ill-tempered Link. He still had compassion, and he still had kindness… he just got annoyed a bit more easily.

The wolf began to doggie paddle towards the entrance, but then he realized that Princess Zelda hadn't joined him. He turned around, barking at her and panting.

"This is a bit embarrassing for me to admit," She sighed, playing with her fingers and avoiding eye contact. "But I don't know how to swim."

Excuuse me? Link's brow furrowed, and his eyes narrowed slightly. You're the princess of Hyrule, and you don't know how to swim? He kept himself from rolling his eyes, and then reluctantly swam back.

"Why don't you just go? I'll wait for you here. I'll keep watch." Zelda's cheeks were bright red, and her eyes remained glued to the grass she was standing on. "I'm sorry."

"WOOF!" Link placed his front paws on the edge, at Zelda's feet. He then whined softly and put his head on his paws. His blue eyes became sad as they gazed up at her. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Zelda unprotected, and he wanted to let her know that.

"It's okay," She chuckled, kneeling down and patting his head comfortingly. He savored her warm touch against his fur, and never wanted her to stop. He wanted to be in her arms, all the time forever… "Go, it's fine. I'm the princess. I can take care of myself." She smiled and winked discreetly, making Link's heart pound. Then, with a simple yet hesitant nod of his huge head, he dove back beneath the water and propelled himself toward the spring. At that moment, Lanayru was his only hope.

As he climbed the edge, memories of Midna came yet again. Usually, at that point, she'd be seated on top of him and kicking his ribcage obnoxiously. His back felt cold without her presence, and his mind felt too clear without her annoying jabber in his ears. Instinctively, he whimpered softly and shook the water from his fur in a big tremor. Link took one last glance back, and he saw Zelda standing right where he'd left her, staring after him hopefully. Then he turned his back on her and trotted into the spring that he'd visited so long ago. Except last time, Midna had been with him, and now she was gone forever. Link tried to put that fact out of his brain and just concentrate on getting himself back to normal and saving the light spirits.

The spring was deserted when he went in. Everything was quiet, and he sat determinedly at the ledge. His tail had stopped wagging, and his tongue was now secure inside of his mouth. His ears were habitually twitching and moving in all directions, searching for any sound or detection of life. There wasn't even a ripple in the water. After a few minutes of having his staring contest with the water, Link stood up, and shuffled his paws uncomfortably.

She couldn't be…? He thought worriedly. No. If she were, then Lake Hylia would be dead, too.

Before he realized what he was doing, Link barked and hopped in place eagerly. His ears pressed backwards against his head in pure angst, and his throat began omitting a deadly growl. Then, he decided to resort to last minute measures. He didn't know if it was going to work, but it was the only thing he could think of. Link tipped his nose towards the sky, opened his mouth, and howled as loudly as he could at the moon. The eerie sound echoed through the spring, and he could imagine Zelda hearing his desperate call for help from out in Lake Hylia.

To his delight, the call worked. The spring began glowing gold, and the crown-shaped droplet appeared. Link sat back down, content with his work. The haunting sound of the light spirit emerging from the water resonated in his ears, and he cringed slightly as the graceful, majestic dragon slithered up from the water. Link's relief was indescribable when he saw that she still maintained her gold and white shape. The light orb in her mouth was also safe. Maybe, just maybe, this could work. The serpent's body moved all around, and Link's blue eyes remained focused on her regal face as her own body became tangled in itself. There was a strange elegance to her movements.

"O brave Hero, chosen by the Gods…" Lanayru's silky voice flowed into the area, comforting Link more than he was expecting. "Welcome back to my spring." Lanayru paused, examining the figure before her. "You have called me… But what is this…? You have retained your feral form of the blue-eyed beast yet again…?"

Link growled, his thoughts racing. Lanayru was still ignorant of the circumstances.

"Tell me, brave youth… What has happened to make you this way?"

A dark evil is spreading through Hyrule, He thought, knowing that the spirit would be able to hear him inside his head. The light spirit Ordona is dying of a strange, black illness.

"…I see." The serpent twisted its body in a different way as it paused. "You are sure of this?"

I am.

"What of the other light spirits?"

I am sorry to say that I do not know.

"…Link, Hero of Twilight…I now realize what is happening inside of you…" Lanayru began. Link's ears perked up, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "You are aware that you are a Chosen One of the goddesses… Princess Zelda, and the evil Ganondorf as well… The evil darkness has spread to you, brave Hero… but the power of the Triforce inside of you is keeping it from destroying you completely, and you take on the form of this beast once again…"

What is the evil darkness? Link inquired. How do we stop it?

"I am unaware of the current circumstances with the other light spirits, and I apologize for my lack of knowledge of this darkness. I am also unsure about a way to bring you back to your human form…but as I'm sure you've learned, this darkness is unlike any other I've ever seen." Lanayru told him regretfully. "It is also… as I can infer from your thoughts of Ordona and your current shape…one of the deadliest."

An instinctive growl rumbled deep in his throat, and his muscles tensed.

"I must thank you… You have made me wary of the circumstances… Now what you must do is find the other light spirits… protect them and make sure they have not fallen to this evil… Then you must find a way to stop this evil and rescue Ordona and Hyrule." Link nodded obediently, straightening up and gazing into Lanayru's golden, shimmering eyes. "Now, go—"

Lanayru's words were interrupted by a soft, subtle scuttling sound coming from behind. With his killer instincts kicking in, Link whirled around and crouched low, baring his sharp fangs. His ears pressed backward against his head, and they twitched at the sound.

"Evil approaches…" She said. Then, they appeared. Small, miniscule black bugs began rushing through the entrance, climbing on the walls and the ground. Though they were minute, they came in the hundreds. They were black, but they shimmered with a slight green glow. Habitually, Link let out a menacing bark and hopped towards them. None of them even hesitated, but continued flooding into the spring.

They were heading straight for Lanayru.

That's when Link took action: he pounced on the nearest huddle of creatures, crushing them beneath his strong legs and ripping at their delicate figures with his teeth. They died instantly, shriveling up on the ground and becoming motionless. He continued barking and attacking, swiping his claws and biting mercilessly. He guarded Lanayru relentlessly, determined to keep her from falling under the same curse that Ordona was suffering from. In his state of rage and protective nature, Link was unstoppable. The bugs bit him piercingly, but he ignored the subtle pain and continued on his killing rampage. Within two minutes, half of the entire population of the bugs was gone. But there were still bugs that Link couldn't reach in his feral form, and they were dangerously near Lanayru. She lashed at them with her tail, howling hauntingly.

The wolf tried to scale the walls, reaching helplessly towards the remaining, escalating creatures. He bit at them uselessly. His growls and barks only scattered them further. He then tried ramming against the wall, but only a few of the bugs tumbled into his grasp from the vibration. It wasn't going to be enough, and there was no way he was going to kill all of the bugs before they reached Lanayru.

Suddenly, the wall vibrated again; it wasn't from Link's doing. He snarled as many more bugs fell, and he crushed them without hesitation. That's when he saw Zelda, swiping the bugs off of the wall fearlessly. Her height gave her an advantage, and she relentlessly stepped onto the bugs and crushed them beneath her fists. Link felt the admiration in his heart increase as he stared at her, completely composed. She was dripping wet, and her lips were blue. But she didn't stop.

The number of bugs was quickly and efficiently dropping with the arrival of the princess. The Triforce on her hand glowed with each bug she killed, and Link noticed his own paw shimmering faintly. Finally, with the efforts of Lanayru, Link, and Zelda, the last bug fell dead at the wolf's feet. Link and Zelda were panting heavily, struggling to catch their breath after their efforts. Lanayru and Zelda were safe: that was all that mattered to him at the moment. She was safe, and just as gorgeous as ever…

"O Chosen Ones…" Lanayru began, and Zelda and Link stepped forward. He noticed her give a discreet, hidden expression of repulsion as she glanced at all of the dead bugs around her. "You have rescued me from the evil bugs that approached. You deserve a thousand thanks… And—"

Her words of thanks were interrupted by a small buzzing noise. The two mortals looked around anxiously, searching for the source of the sound. Suddenly, the corpses of the dead bugs began floating above their heads. They moved quickly toward each other, creating a large clump of black. Their dead figures morphed together, molding and shaping themselves into an unknown object. Zelda gasped, but kept her facial emotions hidden. Link sat down, tilting his head up and staring toward the sky. There was complete silence except for the quiet buzzing being emitted by the bugs. Then, the Triforces on Zelda and Link glowed strongly, lighting up the entire vicinity.

The black thing started getting smoother, and began floating down towards them. The shape was becoming clearer, and Link growled quietly. Zelda inched closer to him. The corpses of the bugs had now disappeared, and floated down to Link. It was no longer a clump of dead bugs…

It was a small piece of a black, shattered orb with intricate silver lines all over it. Zelda furrowed her brow, staring at it intently as it dropped in front of Link. His tail stopped wagging, and his eyes narrowed.

"…It is a source of evil…" Lanayru stated, catching their attention. "Yet at the same time, it is the way evil will be stopped."

"Lanayru, I don't understand…" Zelda knelt down and picked up the object, examining it in her open palm.

"I cannot explain fully… The explanation will come once all pieces of the orb are found…"

"What orb?"

"The orb that has been shattered by the evil that has escaped from it…"

"Light Spirit, please. What is the orb, and where do we find the other pieces?" Zelda pressed, keeping her voice low and restrained.

"I am now protected… Eldin, Ordona and Faron are not… You must find them to uncover the truth…" Lanayru stated, and Zelda blinked. "Find the orb…"

"How?" As Zelda uttered the question, Lanayru let out a majestic bellow and disappeared back beneath the ripples of the spring. "Wait!"

But she was gone.

As soon as the fateful light disappeared, Zelda began shivering uncontrollably and fell to her knees. Link whimpered worriedly and stepped beside her. Her fingers were clasped tightly and protectively around the black shard, but her teeth were chattering and goose bumps were all over her delicate, porcelain skin. Link put his massive head on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek protectively. The worry inside of him was becoming overwhelming, and he desperately tried to get her warm.

"I… swam…" She said in between her teeth chattering. "I… needed to come… help…"

You can't swim…

"I… prayed that I wouldn't drown… But you needed me…" She sucked in a breath. "The water was so… cold…"

Link put his paw on her shoulder, pressing his forehead against her cheek. She managed a shaky smile, and then slowly lay down on her side. Link curled up, and she placed her head against the side of his stomach. She shifted in her position, making herself more comfortable with the warmth of the wolf.

"Thank you…" Zelda muttered quietly, her eyelids beginning to flutter into sleep. He growled comfortingly, making sure she was protected and warm. Then, they fell asleep curled up with each other in Lanayru's spring, the black shard grasped in Zelda's glowing hand.

Oooh... creepy... Hahaha what did you guys think? If you have any suggestions or any constructive criticism, don't hold back! Tell me in your reviews! And don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings ;) I just wanna make the story better for you! I'll update as soon as possible! THANKS AGAIN!