Pasts are for Reflection not Living

Confusion, pain; darkness he felt all of this so acutely he swore is body would explode from the intensity of them. He knew not where he was nor how he got there only that he was there and that he wanted it all to stop. His skin burned yet it felt as if ice were running through his veins causing him to shiver. The movement brought pain to his body from each and every inch of him causing his muscles to tense and increase their discomfort. Nothing made any sense and for whatever reason he seemed unable to hear or see anything around him. The only thing that kept him sane during his time in the darkness was something soft and warm that smelled vaguely familiar. He could not place it but it brought him some measure of comfort in the bleak oblivion of pain filled darkness he had found himself trapped in.

Rusl wearily rubbed his eyes as he tried to keep himself awake for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. It was the day after the invasion, the day after everything in their world had been turned on its head. The village was still trying to put itself back together after what the rampaging beasts had done. Repairs to homes, gardens, fences, and other areas were being made as quickly as they could by those able to do so. All those who had been injured, which were quite a few of them, had been patched up and depending on the severity were either helping in the restoration or under orders to sit still and let their bodies heal.

Rusl was one of those who was supposed to be sitting still, but he found it annoyingly difficult. He wanted to work, to help; to do something so he wouldn't have to think about all they had learned the previous day. The worst of which was that the wolf people had not in fact been their enemies, but had been trying to save them and were the only reason the village had not been exterminated long ago.

It angered him that they had foolishly jumped to conclusions about the people without taking in all the facts. Though to be fair, on the bodies of their loved ones they had managed to find, there were always claw marks and chunks of flesh missing; as well as a few teeth marks. He knew now what had caused this as he had taken his fair share of swipes from the clawed hands of those dark beasts and Ashei had unfortunately discovered that the tentacles of the monsters were not hair. If you got too close to those strands they actually had acted like a mouth each only sporting a few teeth. When they attacked several would shoot out biting the victim together and looking for all the world like an animal bite. They had been tricked, yes, but that did not make up for the guilt the entire village felt so acutely now.

If they had looked a little bit more into the attacks or if Rusl had been willing to listen to that man, Link's father, then they would not be responsible for the near extinction of an entire race of people. Of course, complete extinction was still a very real possibility, he thought sadly, as he checked on the boy again. They had brought the boy, Link, into his and Uli's home after he had collapsed. At first they had believed his fatigue was merely the result of the two grueling battles and his numerous injuries. His quickly spiking fever and labored breathing had told them otherwise.

When Zant had thrown Rusl that last time the warrior had landed very near the dais they had used to restrain Link. Rusl had landed badly then feeling his leg snap beneath him as white hot pain blinded tore away all reason for a moment. When the warrior had regained his faculties he realized he was lying on something that wasn't the ground. With a great deal of effort he had rolled over to discover his bow. How the weapon ended up here he hadn't a clue, but as they say never look a gift horse in the mouth. He vaguely remembered tossing it aside when the fight with the creatures had broken out, he could only surmise that it had been kicked here during the ensuing struggles. It was then that Rusl cursed slamming a fist to the ground wishing he had prepared more than one arrow the night before. Yet as his eyes roved around the area seeking some way to help in the battle, since he could no longer walk, he saw a miracle from the Goddesses above. His earlier arrow that had missed was lodged into a piece of the wooden structure used to hold the boy, it must have just missed hitting the wolf child. Rusl thanked each of the Goddesses for the near miss for surely if his aim had been true they would have all fallen without Link's help. Determined the man crawled towards the arrow on his belly making all haste. He had pulled free the projectile and quickly notched his weapon, taking careful aim. Then in that last moment when Zant slowed he released the deadly implement praying Farore would guide it with her hand as surely as she had guided it earlier from hitting Link.

Link too had taken advantage of the man's weariness and somehow or another deflected his magical attack back at him. The insane man had been stunned at the blow from his own magic allowing both the arrow and Link's sword to finish him. However, even from the ground where Rusl sat his aim had been good, but he hadn't expected the boy to move in as well. The poison tipped head had just grazed him, but it was enough. Now the poor boy was in a fight for his life against the poison with an already weakened body due to his numerous injuries.

They had managed to tend to all his wounds; sewing a few closed and even setting his arm which was broken in three places, luckily he was unconscious for that terrible ordeal. Rusl had been delegated the job of pouring an antidote down the unconscious boy's throat three times a day since they were both confined to the house. Per Uli, Rusl could not walk without the aid of crutches due to the break and that along with the other wounds he had suffered and that his loving wife had treated meant he was regulated to the couch for most of his day, as Link was lying in their bed.

Carefully maneuvering his crutches Rusl sat down beside the youth taking hold of the draught he had to give him. With luck the antidote would stop the spread of the toxin and give him the chance to fight off the poison's effects. For the most part in his sleep Link was compliant, easily swallowing the medicine on his own; though his nose would scrunch up from the taste.

Setting aside the vial Rusl looked at the poor boy who was now alone in this world. He wasn't sure what would happen once Link awoke, it would be a tense situation of that there was no doubt. Some of the villagers might still hold some hostility towards him, anger and hatred no matter how unfounded are not easily forgotten. Others like his sweet Uli and kind Colin might seek to make him feel comfortable going above and beyond what would be the norm. This had been apparent with their choice of which blanket to give Link while he recovered.

In their kindness they had given him the best blanket they owned, but they had not thought of what that blanket was made of. Link's father had had beautiful white and golden fur that Rusl had managed to turn into a blanket for his dear wife. It was a favorite of theirs and they had in turn given it to Link when the chills from his fever racked his body. Rusl had not learned of this until the next morning and when he pointed it out Uli immediately became distressed over this revelation, and they immediately tried to remove the fur so as to not upset the injured boy.

Luck was not with them though as in his unconscious state Link clung to the fur with an iron grip unwilling to relinquish it. Rusl supposed it must be familiar and comforting to him in his sleep, but he did not want to think about how he would react when he at last awoke. Sighing heavily Rusl stood with the aid of his crutches to head back to the couch. He did not want Uli to catch him lingering too long for she would chastise him for not keeping his leg properly elevated. Slowly he made his way back to the couch where he could do nothing more than wait and hope for Link to awaken.

He was alone, yet he was surrounded. He stood in the middle of his village watching as everyone he knew went about their daily activities. A hunting party returning with several deer, the watchers trading shifts with one group returning and the other heading towards Ordon. Children playing running about and tripping over paws and bare feet alike laughing all the while. His two best friends sitting beneath a tree talking and laughing. And there…there was his mother training some of the younger wolves to fight while his father showed others how to spar with a sword. His sister sat attentively watching her parents and drinking it all him, she always took her training so seriously. His brother too was watching but from a hidden branch within another tree.

Joy filled his heart at seeing them all here again and he called to them shouting and waving his hands as he ran forward to hug them. Yet it seemed no one took notice of him standing there and as he reached his family they continued on as if he wasn't there. Confused and slightly hurt he reached out to touch his sister's shoulder only to have his hand pass cleanly through her as if she were nothing more than the air that filled his lungs. Horror engulfed him as he again tried to touch her and failed. He went to his parents hoping that maybe it would work this time but again they held no more substance than smoke. Unwilling to accept this he went to everyone he could find and tried again and again only to be disappointed with each attempt. Finally he ended up back in the center of the village trying vainly to understand what was going on. As he stood there the laughter and happy chatter seemed to continue to get louder and louder to the point it was nothing more than a shrill cackle. He covered his long pointed ears dropping to his knees and shaking his head trying to block the painful sound. Yet he could not stop it nor could he block out the words that accompanied it only moments later.

"Failure! Disappointment! Murderer! You lead us to our deaths. You killed us and yet you dare to continue to live?!" The voices, for there were many of them screaming at him, continued to berate him for all of his weaknesses.

He scrunched his eyes closed willing it all to stop as tears leaked down his cheeks. "Pl-please make it stop," he cried out to the voices but they didn't stop. Unable to take it he forced open his eyes, he had to find a way to get away from here. To his shock he was no longer in the village but a dark void, yet he was not alone. No he was surrounded by his entire village and this time they could see him, only now he wished they couldn't.

They were the ones shouting at him but they did not look like they had only moments earlier. Now their eyes showed only the whites as if their pupils had rolled to the back of their heads. Their bodies were all in terrible condition with festering wounds and missing limbs all too apparent, some even had arrows sticking out of them. One figure in particular caught his eye.

"Why did you not save me that day my son? You let me die so you could become Alpha and lead our pack to their deaths." It was horrible to see his father speak to him with grayish peeling skin the color of death and the single arrow that went completely through his chest.

"No," he cried closing his eyes from the gruesome sight, but still the image was burned into his brain. As more tears fell all he could do was fall forward to his hands and knees crying out the same words as if they were a sacred mantra that might save him. "No please, stop. Please stop."

At last his arms could hold him no longer and he fell to the ground only to find he was sitting up ramrod straight in a bed. Blearily and with a good amount of confusion he looked about, but he didn't recognize his surroundings at all. Some instinct drove him though, he needed to go needed figure out what had happened. However, as he moved he was made aware of just how painful it was to do so. Looking down at himself he saw that he was bare chested with numerous bandages wrapped around him. His right arm was secured in a stiff splint and hung in a sling to prevent movement. And there covering his lap was…was his father's…

"I'm sorry about that. My son and wife were trying to be kind by giving you a warm blanket, but they didn't think of the implications. We tried to remove it but you wouldn't release your hold on it." Startled Link looked up to see the man who had nearly executed him standing in the doorway on crutches with one leg heavily bandaged.

Growling low he moved back preparing to shift and run far away from this man. "Please, I mean you no harm," he said holding up his hands as well as he could with the crutches. "I would also recommend against shifting your form for the time being. Your arm was broken in three separate areas. We managed to set it but it will need time to heal completely and I'm not certain how much movement you'll have in it once it does. Not to mention I don't think you'll do any of your other injuries any favors."

Rusl tried to say all of this calmly but still the boy did not relax; at least he hadn't tried to runaway he thought wryly. Slowly he moved forward to stand next to the bed as Link eyed him with distrust. "Here you need to drink this. It's the antidote to the poison. We think you're in the clear now but my wife, Uli, has some experience in healing and she said you need to take a draught three times a day for a few more days more just to be safe."

Slowly the boy reached out to take the glass bottle from the man eyeing its contents warily. However, he didn't hesitate to pull the stopper with his teeth and down the medicine in one go. Rusl was surprised by this, thinking he would have had to coax the boy into drinking it. Noticing his confused expression the boy answered solemnly, "If you were to kill me you could have already done so. Besides even if it turned out to be more poison I would welcome death's embrace."

It was hard to hear but not unexpected; Rusl knew if the positions were reversed, if he had been the one to lose everyone he loved and cared about, he too would not feel life was worth living any longer. Cautiously he lowered himself onto the bed, ever mindful of his leg, while his mind tried to think of the right words to say.

"I know it won't ever be enough or make things right or even change what happened, but still I want to apologize to you. We were fools and we let our fear cloud our judgment without even bothering to look closer. In truth there is no way for us to even begin to make amends for the wrongs done to you and your people, but perhaps we can start anew. I can't ask for a clean slate as there are too many memories and feelings of ill will to even attempt that, but I would ask that you give us a second chance. At least stay here until you are healed and let us help you in that way. My wife Uli, she is a good healer, and she said your arm will need a long time to fully mend. She said that until it is better you should not change forms as it might cause it to set incorrectly. I know little of you or your people, but I would guess that you tend to hunt the fauna of the forest as a beast. If that is the case you will be unable to do so in your current condition. So for now we, and I mean the village as a whole, are offering you residency here for as long as you need. If after you are healed and you still wished to stay I believe that would be more than acceptable. You need not decide now just think over what I have said, because at the very least you need to stay and take several more draughts of the antidote before we can be sure the poison is gone from your system."

The boy, Link said nothing and refused to meet the man's gaze only staring at his father's fur stroking it lightly. Sadly Rusl had expected as much and so with a groan he raised himself up. As he hobbled towards the living area of his home he turned one last time to the boy, "Please get some rest, we'll bring you something to eat a bit later. And…and Link thank you. Thank you for protecting my family and this village even when we didn't know it."

Unable to say anymore Rusl continued on his way out of the room not seeing that Link had lifted his head at Rusl's words. He did not remember sharing his name with this man but he must have at some point. Then there was is apology and thanks to think about. Link wished to dismiss them as nothing more than empty words but he had felt the sincerity coming from the man. So now the question was what would he do? He knew even before the man, Rusl, had said anything that he could not take his wolf form until his arm mended. That had always been the hardest part for any wolf, a broken bone meant remaining a human for many of moon and it was always difficult. The instinct and needs of the wolf within them only grew the longer they suppressed it. Sighing in a defeated manner he decided to think on it later as his head was beginning to ache, likely from the toxin still running through his system. So for now he laid back down pulling his father's coat close and letting sleep claim him again.

It was several days later that Link was able to move from the bed on his own, not that he hadn't tried already. He seemed to be growing restless from being cooped up so much, especially with the others coming and going easily. Even Rusl could now walk about the village on his crutches, but Uli informed him that his condition from the toxin was far worse than the others. At one point he had gotten up just needing to move around, for if there was one thing Link hated it was being still for too long. His plan did not work well since he had barely made it beyond the bed before his legs gave out sending him to the floor with a loud thump. Fortunately little Colin had managed to help him get back to the bed since Rusl could not help and nor could the pregnant Uli.

Colin it seemed had taken a great liking to the wolf boy and would sit and chat with him in the bedroom for hours. As far as Rusl and Uli could tell Link said very little during these times but he didn't seem annoyed or put out, he was just quiet but he was good with Colin and amazingly Colin seemed happier having him there. As he regained strength from the poison they found Link had a tendency towards wandering about their small home daily. He even went out to the garden, though Uli would let him go no farther for fear of him collapsing. He would also join the family at the dinner table and much to their surprise he had excellent table manners.

Rusl inadvertently mentioned this to which Link gave a wolfish grin before replying. "Ah, was I to attack the table with a feral savagery devouring everything in sight."

Rusl sputtered at this trying to find an answer that would make up for his foolishness but Link merely shook his head. "It is alright Rusl you have no way of knowing what to expect from me and I imagine the knowledge of how wolves behave leads to many of your ideas. You would not be totally wrong in this either as we do still have some wolfish inclinations. One such example would be that I have never eaten around a table as your family does. My people, like our wolf brethren, eat together each day. During the day we would eat small things to keep us going like fruits and nuts but when evening came everyone who wasn't on guard duty would sit together and share a meal that had been prepared by those who could not leave the village for various reasons. During the meal stories of the day were exchanged and at least one of the legends of our people were told. It was one of my favorite parts of the day."

Rusl looked at the boy as he recounted that small bit about his life and family. It was easy to see the longing and sadness on his face, but he could also detect some happiness that was likely the result of memories flowing through his mind. Rusl wasn't really sure how to respond to the boy though, it didn't feel right to keep apologizing and bringing up the bad aspects but he needed to say something.

Silently he prayed to Nayru for guidance as he spoke, "That sounds like it would be a good way to keep close and it seems to have worked. At least that is something your village and mine shared. It may come as a surprise to you but our little community is quite close as well. I think you'll find them very welcoming." Link simply nodded and they left it at that.

After another three days Uli declared that Link was well enough to walk about the village, but he mustn't overexert himself. If he became tired or dizzy at all he was to return to their home and lie down immediately. Colin nearly jumped out of his skin for his excitement over this prospect and begged to show Link around the hamlet. Neither of his parents saw any problem with this, as Link had proved thus far to be a good influence on their son, and so tugging on the teenager's good arm he lead him out of the house with Uli calling to him to take it slow.

Colin took the wolf boy to every corner of the village talking rapidly the entire time. He told him about the stream where he would help his father dig for worms and how the other children would sometimes let him play there with them. He pointed out each resident's home and explained who they were and what they did for the village. He showed him his father's forge, the fields, equipment, and any other manner of minute details.

Link followed along behind the happy child letting him pull him around, for he didn't have the heart to tell him he already knew every inch of the village and all of its people by sight. His numerous patrols both with his pack members and later by himself had given him an extensive knowledge of the layout, as well as all of the decent hiding spots.

At last Colin drug him up towards the ranch passing the Mayor's house when a voice called out softly, "Colin, where are you going?" Looking up the pair noticed Ilia standing on the porch of her home eyeing them curiously.

"Hiya Ilia, mom finally said Link could walk around the village so I'm showing him everything. I wanted to introduce him to everyone too but they're all real busy and I didn't want to interrupt."

The young woman nodded with a small smile towards the boy. "That's very nice of you Colin. Would you mind if I join you for the rest of your tour?"

Colin's eyes got wide with excitement, "Really you want to come too!"

When Ilia nodded Colin's smile got impossibly larger as he quickly agreed that she could come with them. Soon he was excitedly skipping ahead of the older pair. As they walked after the eager youth Ilia felt extremely self-conscious, she knew she ought to say something but everything sounded either too stupid or just plain sappy in her head. Finally she settled on something general, "How are your injuries?"

The boy shrugged wincing as he did so, having forgotten his broken arm. "They will heal with time."

Ilia frowned that wasn't at all what she meant. "You know you don't have to be so stubborn about it, it's not like anyone would think any less of you if you said you were hurting. Besides unless you tell us something is wrong how can we take care of you?!"

The boy, Uli had said his name was Link, looked a bit startled before mumbling something she didn't quite catch. Though it sounded like, "not your job to take care of me." Sighing she realized they weren't getting anywhere, well her father always said if you got off on the wrong foot take a step back and try again. With that she sped up slightly before flipping around and stopping right in front of him. If he hadn't been startled before he certainly was now as the girl's green eyes blazed with a fiery passion.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot with everything so I want to start again," Ilia's voice was firm and her jaw as set. It was funny that she had just scolded him for being stubborn but it was clear she was just as bullheaded if not more so. Before he had time to think she stuck out her hand for him to shake while speaking, "My name is Ilia and if you'd like I want to be your friend."

It was corny to no end but it was also blunt and to the point, reminding him of his sister. The corner of his mouth twitched up before he accepted her handshake. "My name is Link and I think maybe I'd like to have you for a friend."

They shook hands as Ilia regarded him sternly, "You think maybe you'd like to have me for a friend?" She put a lot of emphasis on the word 'maybe'.

Link's grin grew a bit this time as he responded, "Yeah depends on how often you plan on yelling at me."

Ilia looked affronted but before she could regain her composure he pulled his hand back and jogged up towards the ranch where Colin was watching and waiting for them. The girl's face became red as his words sunk in before she too ran the rest of the way intent on getting him back.

This though soon left her as they heard the loud bleating of several goats. Within the goat pen there were several goats running about angrily and smashing their thick skulls into the fence. Fado stood in the midst of all of this trying to calm the goats and quickly sidestepping away when one charged at him. At one point the large man tripped over something they couldn't see, falling to the grass. Colin gasped and immediately tried climbing the gate to help the rancher.

Before he could succeed though he felt someone grab the back of his shirt and pull him off just as one of the goats rammed its head into the gate. If he had continued the boy would have been flattened. Turning slightly, for he was still being held aloft, he saw it was Link who had grabbed him and was holding him.

"Please Link, we have to help Fado the goats…"

"We will," said Link sharply but his tone held no anger only authority. "But you need to stay here where it's safe, those goats are taller than you."

Ilia arrived at that second slightly breathless as she took in the scene, "…but what…the goats?"

Link didn't reply only jumped the fence as easily as if it hadn't been there running up towards the much larger man. Fado scowled as he saw him coming, "You shouldn't be here. Them goats are restless enough but if they get a whiff of you they might all scatter."

Link paid him no mind speaking quickly to the other teen, "I need you to calm one of them down enough for me to speak with it. Do you think you can throw one?"

Fado's eyes widened considerably and all he could managed to get out was, "Huh?"

Sighing as they dodged another goat Link tried again. "I need you to take one of them by the horns and flip it on its side. I would do it but I can't with only one arm."

Fado nodded dumbly now still not sure where this was going but agreeing nonetheless; when the next goat charged at them he easily sent it to the ground.

Link quickly dropped to his knees next to it speaking in a calming voice, "Why is everyone so upset today. What's the matter?" The goat only bleated out more but the wolf boy nodded his head. "So that's the problem. Okay we'll take care of it but you guys need to calm down."

The goat quickly got to its feet as did Link but instead of explaining he headed to the barn motioning Fado to follow. As soon as he picked his jaw up off of the ground Fado did just that, but he seemed to have found his tongue now too. "Why wasn't that goat scared of you? I mean you're a…you're a…"

"Wolf," Link supplied easily pausing at the doorway to the barn. When Fado nodded Link continued, "When it was my turn to help watch the village I found one of the best ways to gather information was from the goats. Seems they hear a lot of gossip and they're sensitive to the happenings in the village. If something bad was close by and we hadn't found it they could tell us the general area, though we did have to bribe them with some of the moss found in the Spirit spring occasionally."

Fado's jaw once again hit the dirt at this revelation but Link didn't give him a chance to comment on it. "Seems you have an intruder in your barn according to that goat. I think it's a snake but I don't know what kind so be on your toes as they're sneaky things."

A serious look came over Fado's expression as they each took a section of the barn and began scouring it. It took nearly forty-five minutes to find the snake but Fado's loud shout made it clear when he had. Link rushed over to the other side to find a large snake coiled in the corner and Fado armed with a shovel. Before either could strike Link tried talking to the creature, it was a Faron Forest crawler. The snake was a vivid green in color and was often known for climbing trees to ambush its prey, it was also fairly venomous, though not nearly as much as a Lanayru Water Glider that could kill a full grown man in five minutes with one bite. Still though it was odd to see this type of snake here as they didn't care for enclosures.

"We're sorry for frightening you but you're scaring the goats here. Why are you in this barn? Wouldn't the trees be more comfortable?" To Fado it seemed as if the snake was only hissing angrily but Link could understand every word.

"Monssstersss in the foressst. Not sssafe for eggsss." Link nodded his understanding since Zant's creations had destroyed good chunks of the forest while trying to destroy both the Ordons and his own people; by extension they would have ruined the homes for many of the woodland creatures.

"I know what monsters you speak of but you no longer need to fear them. They were all destroyed a few days ago, I'm sure you can feel the difference in the air. Besides this area would not be safe for your eggs either as the goats might trample them," said Link trying to speak calmly to the reptile.

"Bite anyone who triesss." Link held up his hand as the snake had taken an aggressive stance towards him.

"No we don't want to hurt them. You must know what I am and that we protect things here, right?"

The soon to be mother snake seemed reluctant as she replied, "Yesss."

"Well then if there were still monsters about I couldn't be here talking with you as I would have to be out hunting them. So you see it really is safe." The snake bobbed its head back and forth for a moment before it answered.

"Fine I will leave but if you lie I will come back and bite you." Link nodded before backing away and pulling Fado with him. The snake may have said it would leave but if she felt threatened she would obviously still bite. It was best to give her plenty of room. Together they watched as the serpent disappeared through a hole in the back wall; breathing a sigh of relief as her tail slipped out of sight.

Once she was gone they returned to the pasture where they began the process of calming the goats with the aid of Ilia and Colin, though Link made Colin stay near him just in case. As they were nearly done Ilia noted how Link's face had gotten distinctly paler and that he seemed more tired than he had been.

"Fado," she called loudly since he was wrestling with one of the goats. "If you're okay now I think we need to get Link back to Rusl and Uli's. It looks like he might have overdone himself."

Fado looked over to the wolf boy just in time to see him collapse causing all three of them to shout out. As they neared the fallen boy they could see a fine sheen of sweat covering his face that was whiter than the snow of Snow Peak.

"Fado we need to get him to Uli, quickly. Can you carry him?" Illia spoke quickly her worry evident in her tone.

"Yeah Ilia I can but someone's gotta stay and mind them goats." After a moment though the rancher shook his head, "Well never mind I'll be quick and their house ain't far," said Fado while carefully picking up the boy trying to be mindful of his still healing injuries.

It was fortunate that Fado was a large man and had a solid mass of muscle from years of working with the Ordon goats; he was easily able to withstand carrying the dead weight of Link in his arms. As they were nearing the Ilia's home a voice broke their panicked silence.

"Yo Fado, what are you doing down from the ranch what's happening, yeah?" Looking up they spotted Ashei coming towards them hold something bundled in cloth.

"We're sorry Ashei," said Ilia quickly, "Link collapsed up at the ranch and Fado was the only one strong enough to carry him back."

Ashei looked over the boy in Fado's arms, thanks to Uli the whole village now knew the wolf boy's name. "Right doesn't surprise me considerin' how small he is, yeah. Well I'll go up and watch the goats until you get back, then we can have lunch, yeah."

Ilia bristled at this ready to argue when Fado interrupted her, "Lunch?"

Ashei had already started up towards the ranch but she clearly heard Fado's one word question. "Yeah, we're having lunch together today. Why else would I have this bundle or did you forget, yeah?"

Fado stumbled over his tongue trying to find an answer but Ashei didn't appear to need it and just kept going up to the ranch. A soft groan brought all of their attention back to the situation at hand. Link seemed to have woken up but his eyes were bleary and he seemed genuinely confused by what was going on.

"Link are you okay," asked Colin who had been worriedly bobbing around the older people.

Link didn't answer though; he didn't even seem to hear the boy. This spurred them on to get him to Uli quickly and nearly running they made it to the little home in record time. Ilia held open the door while Colin led him to his parent's bedroom where he had been staying.

Uli and Rusl who had been sitting together on the couch broke apart quickly at the sudden noise. Both were quite shocked to see Fado carrying in the half-conscious Link, but they didn't remain idle. Rusl got to his feet with his crutches while Uli began hurriedly gathering medicine. Fado left quickly to give the pregnant woman room to work, but not before Ilia made him swear to set Ashei straight on what had happened to Link.

Now both Ilia and Colin sat on the couch, having been sent out of the room by Uli. Their wait was agonizing but thankfully short as the couple appeared in front of them smiling. "Don't worry, he seems to have just tired himself out. He spiked a small fever but it's already going down. He'll be just fine with some rest," said Uli kindly.

Colin looked confused but didn't voice it until Rusl spoke up, "What's on your mind, son."

Biting his lip the youth replied tentatively, "I don't understand why he got tired so easily. The other day when he was fighting those…those things he hardly got tired at all."

Rusl smiled at his son's innocence; he was sure that the youth was developing a bit of hero worship on the wolf boy, and seeing him weak at all conflicted with that idea. Normally Rusl would have kneeled in front of his son but he couldn't so he instead tried to keep his son's gaze.

"Yes Colin, normally he wouldn't tire so easily but he is still recovering. The poison was a great shock to his system and he has several injuries. They have left him significantly weaker than he would normally be, but given time and treatment he will be well again. He is only human, well mostly, so even as strong as he is he must still give into the limitations of his body. Do you understand son?" Colin appeared to think about it a moment before he nodded happily. Balancing carefully Rusl reached out a hand to ruffle the boy's hair making him laugh.

It took very little time for Link to recover and in the days following Colin managed to show Link the clearing just outside of the village and Ordona Spirit Spring that was a small ways into the forest. Slowly as the days passed wounds healed, people recovered, and life went on. Bo had informed Zant's father and fellow mayor of what had taken place. They had come to collect his body and though his father was clearly upset with his loss Bo heard him mutter, "…was always a blasted fool."

Today Link sat on a stump watching the children of the village play in the small clearing just outside the village. Many of the villagers were doing chores and they had asked him to watch the children as they played. Normally Link would have preferred training or some other hard work to help build up what he had lost during his battle with the poison, but none of the village would let him. He wasn't sure if it was because he was a wolf or because of his still broken arm.

So instead he had been relegated to babysitting duty, but then again it wasn't so bad. For the most part the children were well behaved and he'd always liked kids. He had learned since he had been here that almost none of these children had been untouched by Zant's tyranny. Talo, an exuberant and headstrong boy, had lost his younger brother Malo and Uncle Shad to the beasts. Beth, a haughty girl with strong romantic inclinations, had lost her mother Sera. Agitha was another young girl that was obsessed with bugs, her father was an entomologist before coming here. Sadly he too was lost to the raids and so only the girl and her mother Telma remained of their family. Soal was Ashei's younger brother they had lost both of their parents before the invasions, but watching his big sister constantly fighting had done him little favors. Colin, like Soal, hadn't lost any immediate family members but all of these kids had lost something almost as precious, their innocence. They would never be able to live in the fantasy world that everything would be okay; that their parents and a teddy bear could protect them from all evils in the world.

Link was broken out of his thoughts by Talo's loud voice, "Come on Colin, it's not like we're going to hurt anybody with it. Why can't you just bring it to show us?"

Colin mumbled something that despite Link's excellent hearing he could not fully discern, but it sounded like "I can't."

"Jeez what a wimp," said Talo while Soal nodded and just like that Talo pushed Colin to the ground.

That brought Link up, he wouldn't stand to let any of these kids get hurt, even by each other. "Talo," Link said quietly but his voice registering only a hint of his anger.

The boy looked up at him sneering, "What it's not like I have to listen to a mangy wolf like you. Besides Colin is just being selfish and dumb."

Despite the temptation to yell at the youth, or clock him in the head, Link knew full well that would get him nowhere with the boy. "Talo if Colin said he didn't want to do something you need to respect that. You can't shove people just because you don't get your way or you get angry. It's not a bad thing to feel that way but you need a better outlet than to harm others."

"Why not you and the others all attacked those beasts and that Zant guy. How's this any different?" That brought Link up short for a moment, but only a moment.

"We attacked them because they were trying to kill and hurt people. It's not something we wanted to do, but sometimes it becomes necessary when the others won't give you any other option. If Zant had wanted to talk about it things may have ended peacefully, but he was set on killing everyone. That isn't the case here. Colin was not trying to harm you and you were talking it out until you let your anger get the best of you. Now I think the best way for you to cool down is run five laps around this clearing."

Talo looked horrified for a second before his sneer came back. "Like I said I don't have to listen to a mangy wolf like you and you can't make me."

Link could swear a vein in his forehead was pulsing but still he kept his composure. "Well for every minute you stand here I'll add another lap and if you don't complete them by the time we head back to the village I'll inform your parents of everything that happened. Then we'll see what they dole out for you."

The little boy went pale at the thought of his parents learning about his bullying and quickly he scampered off to complete the laps. Soal seemed to decide he didn't want to end up with laps and quietly he crept over to where Agitha was examining a beetle. It was then that Link turned to Colin who was still sitting in the dirt looking morose. Link offered him his hand but the boy didn't take it and instead continued to stare at his knees, seemingly about to cry.

Link then knelt in front of the shy boy, "Colin, are you okay? You weren't hurt were you?" The child shook his blonde head no but was still silent. "What's the matter Colin? Maybe I can help you."

The little boy seemed to have an inner debate as to whether or not to say anything before his need to relieve his inner turmoil overcame his apparent embarrassment over the situation. "Thanks Link, those guys are always teasing me and they never let me play with them. They wanted me to go get my dad's sword and bring it here to show them."

Link sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, he could only imagine the trouble that would have ensued if the hyperactive boy had gotten ahold of such a dangerous weapon. "You still have one more lap to go Talo," he called over his shoulder. Even while talking with Colin he had kept an ear out for the other children.

"Colin, I was watching a bit of what took place between you and Talo and I want to tell you something my father told me." The little boy looked up at him through watery eyes, but at least he was listening. "A man has nothing if he doesn't have his word. Choose carefully the words you speak and speak them with confidence, and never go back on your word. Just now you weren't very confident or sure of yourself when you were speaking to Talo. I could barely hear you, yet I can clearly hear what Beth is saying to Talo now. If you believe something is wrong, you don't want to do something, or even if you do want to do something. Speak up and speak with confidence. If you're firm in your words and beliefs, people will be less likely to challenge you."

Colin bit his lip looking more upset, "B-but Link I'm not con-fine-dent. I'm scared and I want the others to like me." Link smiled at the small boy as he reminded him once again of his little brother.

"That's where the words of my mother come in. Few people are born with natural confidence but the only way to get it is to pretend. Even if you're scared you look them in the eye and say what you need to firmly. It's okay to be scared you just have to be willing to be stronger than your fear. As for them liking you, you can't make people like you. Either they will or they won't, so you just need to be you and try to do better than you did yesterday. If you keep trying for those things to do better and be a bit more confident then eventually you'll begin to like yourself and people will in turn like you. So what do you say, are you willing to work on it?"

Colin looked a bit confused but then he got a resolute look on his face and nodded while standing up and looking Link square in the eyes. "Yeah Link, I'm gonna try and do that. I'll get better every day, just you watch." This made the teenager smile at the youth as he too stood up.

It was nearing sundown now and Link figured it was time to get the children home when Ilia came up. "Hey everyone," she called happily. "We have a surprise tonight but first we need to blindfold Link then lead him into the village. What do you guys say wanna help me?"

Link was surprised by this but before he could protest the children began cheering loudly and pushing him back to sit on the stump. They didn't let him form any coherent words as the blindfold was wrapped and tied tightly over his eyes. It was very disorienting to be without his sight due to his sense of smell. The canine part of him saw smells as different colors so now all he could see were the colors with the hazy outlines his nose showed him. Without warning they pulled him to his feet again, accidently tugging on his injured arm and making him hiss in pain. "Sorry," came a little voice that he thought belonged to Beth as they started pulling and pushing him into the village.

Smoke was the first thing that assaulted his nostrils and for a moment he panicked thinking something was wrong, but Ilia whispered a quiet reassurance in his ear when she felt him tense up. As they continued another smell came to his nose just under the smell of the smoke. It was a warm smell that instantly had his mouth watering and stomach growling, which made the children around him start giggling. Within seconds he was told to sit down and with some assistance he sat on what felt like a blanket. He heard the attempts of quiet conversations, though none of them escaped his long ears. Someone, he thought maybe the Mayor, cleared their throat loudly and within seconds silence settled over the village minus those sounds that came from nature.

At last someone removed the blindfold from his eyes and after a moment of blinking and rubbing them he saw what had caused the curious smells. It seemed Rusl had told the others of how his people used to eat together and they were now attempting to reconstruct what he had lost. There was a large fire that they were all sitting around; Pergie and Hanch were going amongst the villagers, who were already seated, passing out bowls of goat stew and bread with Ordon goat milk butter. He noted many of the families sat in groups and he was the only one on his blanket. Of course, they may have started to accept him but it was still hard for them to trust a wolf. Not that he blamed them it still tore at him, living amongst those who were in part responsible for the death of his loved ones. He forced back those painful thoughts as everyone now had their food and was settled. It was then that Mayor Bo stood to address the gathering.

"Folks it's been about a month now that the demons that had been plaguing our small village were destroyed. We fought well and defended our home and our family, but in truth most of the credit must go to Rusl and our newest friend Link. It was their combined prowess that at last brought everything to an end. None of us escaped unscathed though as the years of battle took its toll on us all and many of our loved ones are now with the Goddesses.

It is shameful that we could not see that those who we once thought were our enemies were in fact our allies. Because of our ignorance many more lives were lost than should have been. However, dwelling on the past will do nothing as we cannot travel through time and we cannot change the wrongs that were done. We can; however, change our future by working on our present. We all have a fair amount of healing and learning to do but together we can accomplish this, and I feel we might be better able to accomplish it by asking our young friend Link to become a part of our village.

Our new friend fought tooth and nail for our lives even as everyone he loved was ripped from him. Because of this I think it is only fitting that he become a member of our family here in Ordon. Now Link, m'boy the reason we sat you there all by your lonesome is because we'd like to make you an official member of Ordon. Before when we've welcomed new people into our village it's been at a luncheon type thing, but Rusl thought you might like it this way. The blanket you sit on is a place of honor here in the village because that quilt dates back to the first people to settle this village. You don't have to accept right away or even tonight, we simply wish you to know the invitation is out there.

Now the one thing we do ask are for some stories from our newcomers. I'm sure you have quite a few that would be interesting to us, but for tonight I thought maybe you could tell us how your people came to be and why they were forced to protect our village. Would you be willing to tell us those stories, lad?"