Please welcome Chapter twenty-two! It's a bit of a filler... and I really hope I didn't make any technical errors. The suspense increases... haha enjoy! :D

Chapter Twenty-Two: Wolves and Protectors

LINK POV

Link let out a frustrated bark, running in circles in the water anxiously. All of his animal instincts returned, and he lost his human ability to judge and use his common sense. The hair stood up on his slightly trembling body, and the water was cold on his lean, muscular legs. The chain from so long ago was still there… and so was the bug.

It remained attached to his leg, no matter how fast Link ran around in circles. It pierced his flesh once more, and he whimpered in agony.

"O Chosen One of the gods…" Faron spoke. "Kill the one that remains…"

Link crouched low, baring his sharp teeth and snarling menacingly. He barked again, but his instincts told him to stand as still as a statue. The only sounds were the rumbling in his throat and the sound of the bug attaching itself to his skin. He felt it crawling in his fur, making its way up his leg. The wolf struggled to keep himself from shivering. Finally, the bug's presence was on his back. He took his chance.

With a frightening bark, Link rolled onto his side into the water. He landed back on his feet, watching the bug writhe. The strong muscles of Link's back and his roll had crushed it, and it was hanging onto life by a thread. Sharp fangs suddenly ripped through the flesh of the bug, causing it to squeal one more time before it was silent and still. It finally resembled all of the other dead bugs in the spring. Link triumphantly took a step back, gazing up at the revived light spirit of Faron Woods.

"You are successful, O Great Hero…" he began. "But you are cursed… you take on the form of a feral beast…"

Just as Link expected, the bodies of the bugs came together to form the third piece of the orb. Link was that much closer to solving the mystery of this plague. The orb piece floated down to him, landing softly and floating in the golden water of the spring.

"Young Link…" Faron continued, and Link sat in the water as he habitually wagged his tail. His large blue eyes blinked up at the golden lemur. "Did you witness the power of the Master Sword… the Blade of Evil's Bane?"

Link nodded his furry, massive head.

"It is the light… the light that has been granted to it by the goddesses…" he began explaining. "It has the power… the power to destroy this evil… only the light, only the power of the goddesses… What sealed it in the beginning of time will seal this evil once again…"

It took a moment for Link's primitive mind to process what Faron was saying, but he figured it out. Everything made sense.

The Triforce, he thought. The Triforce is what will defeat this evil.

"You are wise, courageous beast…" Faron nodded, reading Link's mind. "But there is one more thing… One more thing that is needed…" he paused for a moment. "You hold it… in your possession…"

The Master Sword. Link thought. The epiphany was happening. Faron, how do I use the Triforce and the Master Sword to seal the evil back in the Orb?

"Find it… find the last piece…" Faron howled eerily, and began sinking back into the water.

Wait!

The light spirit was gone. And that's when it hit Link that this puzzle–this entire mystery– was much more complex than he thought. His mind was racing with thoughts of the Triforce, his Master Sword, the Orb, and the cure. He still needed to find it. Hopefully, Zelda was on the right track. Also, he was occupied with the desire to become human. It just didn't seem right as a wolf without Midna riding on his back.

Find the last piece… Faron's words echoed in his keen ears. Habitually, he barked and whirled around to the exit of the spring. He was about to run out, he paused. Then he remembered the third piece of the orb. Link still had the riddle to figure out.

He stood over the piece of the orb, staring at it float in the water. His blue eyes squinted as he honed in his senses. The words finally appeared, and Link growled as they glowed ominously.

Finally found, the third piece of the Orb

Another riddle, but you will still find more

One more piece is still left to be found

Toward the next spring the beast must bound

One Chosen One takes on his cursed form

The Hero must continue, to the land he has sworn

Courage is a wolf, with eyes feral and blue

Wisdom is the protector, red eyes are the clue

From protectors of the past, and helpers of the hero

The holder of wisdom, by an ancient form she will go

Ancestor who protected the family and all

That is the true wise one, without her you fall

An extinct race will be reborn

To protect, to fight, and serve her lord

Link was completely baffled. He stared blankly at the perplexing riddle, letting his pink tongue lag from his open jaw. With a discreet whine of reluctance, he sat back down and began breaking it apart in his mind.

One more piece is still left to be found. There was only one more piece of the Orb.

One Chosen One takes on his cursed form. That line explained the fact that Link had changed, and it was a simple line.

Courage is a wolf, with eyes feral and blue. He held the Triforce of Courage, which meant that he was destined to be the wolf. The next line was important, but at the same time, he didn't understand it at all.

Wisdom is the protector, red eyes are the clue. There was no doubt that this line was explaining the cursed form of the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom; it was describing what would happen to Zelda should she fall to the dark evil. The only problem: Link had no idea what the protector meant.

Protectors of the past… helpers of the hero… holder of wisdom, by an ancient form she will go… protected the family… What in Hyrule could it be describing? Link needed to find out, because he could warn Zelda. Link's cursed form was a wolf… Zelda's cursed form was the protector with, according to the riddle, red eyes. Somehow, the descriptions rang a small bell in his head. Who, or what, was the protector?

ZELDA POV

Zelda squealed in excitement, her blue eyes becoming glued to the page. Shad watched her intently, putting his glasses back around his face. He narrowed his eyes.

"This is perfect!" she cried. She couldn't remember feeling this excited (except for when Link had first kissed her). Zelda read over the page, starting to understand the Orb of Darkness's Plague much better. The entire history of the plague was fascinating.

After the goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore descended upon Hyrule and lifted the chaos, they left the Triforce. Three Chosen Ones were blessed by the goddesses: Wisdom, the essence of Nayru; Power, the essence of Din; and Courage, the essence of Farore. That's the reason why when the Triforce was shattered, its pieces flocked to those three chosen ones. They were, no doubt, Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf's ancestors. Not long after Hyrule was created, a terrible evil escaped from the heavens and descended upon Hyrule.

Din, Nayru, and Farore, instead of vanquishing the evil themselves, left the Hylians to deal with it. They wished to examine their ways of thinking and how they dealt with problems. They knew that the Chosen Ones had the power to defeat it. At first, they fought the evil bravely; but the plague mercilessly swept through Hyrule, killing nearly everything in its path. Even the three Chosen Ones fell to its evil. There were rumors that these Chosen Ones took on different forms and didn't completely fall, but it wasn't known whether or not the rumors were true.

The wolf, Zelda thought. But then… what about me and Ganon?

The Chosen Ones were no longer able to defeat the evil, so the goddesses had to deal with it themselves unless they wanted everything they created to fall to ruin. So, they created the Orb of Darkness's Plague to harness the evil, and the orb itself had great power. It was the only thing powerful enough to keep this evil source harnessed; but at the same time, the orb had the potential to destroy Hyrule if it fell into the wrong hands. It was kept in a place where—

"Oh, no," Zelda sighed as she turned the page to read on. There, where the next page should've been, Zelda saw that it had been ripped out. There was nothing left written about the plague or the Orb. "No!"

"What happened? Is something wrong, Princess?" Shad asked, touching her arm comfortingly.

"A page is ripped out! The most important page," she huffed, burying her face in her hands. "Of course."

"Don't worry," he continued, smiling kindly. "I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere!" He chuckled quietly, but then cleared his throat awkwardly when he saw that it wasn't helping.

"Oh, Shad," she cried. "Now I don't know what to do."

"Well, maybe you could—"

"Wait a moment," Zelda jolts back up, staring ahead intently. "This page can't be ripped out by accident."

"What are you getting at…?"

"Somebody knew I'd be looking for this information. Somebody is planning something, and they're one step ahead of me," she narrowed her eyes, mulling over the situation pensively.

"Um," Shad scratched the back of his neck. "W-what exactly are you looking for?"

"That's not important," Zelda casually said, diverting the subject. "All I can do right now is look in the other book for any sort of extra information. At least now I know where I can find it,"

"I suppose you're right." Shad looked back to his book. The sun was nearly gone, and they would have to light the candles soon.

Zelda grabbed the other book, the one about Ancient Hyrule, and turned to the time right after Hyrule was created. She found exactly what she was looking for.

It pretty much said the exact same things, but in much less detail. It failed to mention the part about the Chosen Ones' alternate forms and the orb itself. It simply stated that something was used to capture the evil. Then, Zelda found something incredible. It was a piece of information that she'd been searching for her entire life, ever since she'd heard the stories when she was young. Her face lit up, and a smile spread across her face. How come she had never heard of this before? How come it had never been mentioned in the history of Hyrule? It was a crucial part of its history. It read:

"The goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore felt that the Royal Family needed to be protected from the evil at all costs. It is rumored that they created the magical race, the Sheikah. Known for their pointy ears and red eyes, this race was full of skilled warriors with incredible protective instincts. They helped protect the Royal Family from the dark evil in collaboration with the Sky Beings. Even after the evil was vanquished, the Sheikah (exceptional magicians and combatants) remained loyal to the Royal Family and the Golden goddesses.

"Most of the Sheikah, however, were wiped out in the Hyrulean Civil War. Though it ended with the union of the Zoras and the Royal Family, the Sheikah were left without many surviving members. However, the founder of Kakariko Village (founded while the Hero of Time was still a child) is said to be a Sheikah and the guardian of Princess Zelda herself. Also, a Sheikah named Sheik aided the Hero of Time in his quest to defeat the evil force. However, the young warrior was never seen again. What happened to the last remaining Sheikah is still a mystery, though their sign, the piercing eye, can still be seen in ancient sites around Hyrule."

Zelda was completely shocked. In fact, she was speechless. The history of the Sheikah was right there in front of her, yet she'd never heard about it before. The Sheikah had protected her family for hundreds of generations, yet they were never spoken of in present-day Hyrule.

"Oh, in the name of Farore," Zelda sat back in her seat, putting a hand to her burning forehead.

"Princess? Are you feeling all right?" Shad noticed her state, but Zelda nodded precariously.

"Yes, I'm fine. But look at this," Zelda pushed the book toward him. "It's talking about the Sheikah."

"The Sheikah?" Shad furrowed his brow. "What in Din's name is the Sheikah?"

"I b-beg your pardon?"

"You said the Sheikah. What is that?" he continued. Zelda's jaw dropped, and she just stared at him.

"You don't know who the Sheikah are?" she finally managed. "The ancient race sent by the goddesses to protect the Royal Family?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not familiar." Shad shrugged apologetically.

Oh, no, Zelda shook her head. It suddenly hit her like waves crashing harshly against the rocks of a cliff. The little voice inside of her head was screaming.

"You've never heard the name?"

"No. Never," Shad replied. "Sorry, Princess."

This can't be true. She fought back tears of frustration. Could it be that the story of the Sheikah was only passed down through the Royal Family? Can that really be true?

"I cannot believe this," she rubbed her temples in irritation. "You haven't heard about Sheik, the warrior who aided the Hero of Time?"

"The Hero of Time I've heard of," Shad nodded. "But never Sheik."

"Or Impa?"

"No, I can't recall that name."

"Ah!" Zelda screamed quietly in frustration, pulling at her own strands of hair. After a moment, she maintained her calm composure. Shad was staring at her worriedly.

Link has heard of them… hasn't he? She asks herself. I mean he's the descendant of the Hero of Time. He should know about Sheik and Impa… She was a sage. How could he not know about them?

"Princess, perhaps some sleep would do you well." Shad suggested caringly. Zelda swallowed, nodding hesitantly.

"I suppose you're right," she sighed as she closed the book. "Are you willing to return tomorrow?"

"Well, if you would like me to," Shad answered as they stood up. He scratched the back of his neck anxiously.

"I quite enjoy your company and your scholarly intellect." Zelda nodded. "I would love it if you joined me again tomorrow."

"Of course, milady," Shad jokingly bowed, provoking a small chuckle from the exhausted princess.

"Very well. I will tell the guards that you are coming tomorrow, and you will be welcomed without any issues." Zelda explained, leading him out of the castle. "Thank you so much, Shad. I appreciate what you're doing for me."

"On the contrary, Princess," Shad gave her a crooked smile, and she could almost see Link's face replace his. "Thank you."

Well, there you go. Chapter twenty-two. Please let me know if I got anything wrong concerning the Triforce or the Sheikah. I'm a perfectionist, and if I miss something, I will for sure fix it if you tell me what it is! Coming soon: Chapter twenty-three! THANKS AGAIN EVERYBODY, I LOVE YOU AAAALLL! :DDDD