Disclaimer: I still don't own anything from the Zelda universe. But wolfos and sufas are mine. So there.

Chapter Nine

She woke with a vile-tasting rag stuffed in her mouth. Alarm raced through her entire body. That alarm was quickly mixed with horror as she realized that her wrists and ankles were bound with thick ropes. She began to struggle against her bonds, but only succeeded in making them tighter. She gave up and opened her eyes.

Darkness greeted her, but it wasn't complete darkness. She was lying on short, prickly grass, which was very uncomfortable. Ancient trees surrounded her, blocking out the sunlight. And around the trees thick vines coiled, slowly choking the life out of them. Her eyes widened in terror as it dawned on her where she was… Jiodow Forest.

She could just make out the forms of the three creatures that stood a couple feet away from her. They were having a heated discussion of some sort. Her tender ears were throbbing painfully from their harsh language. The creatures reminded her of a lizalfos, but they were wolf-like instead of lizard-like. They stood about seven feet tall and were clad in leather tunics. They had large, well-developed muscles. Chain mail hung over their chests, clinking every time they moved. Each creature had two swords strapped to his back. Their mouths, which jutted out grotesquely, were full of sharp canine teeth. And their eyes were dark red slits.

Her cry of horror was muffled by the gag, but they heard her. The three of them walked over to her, their faces illuminated with cruel smiles. One of them knelt beside her. He said something to the others and all three of them burst into laughter. She involuntarily flinched as he placed a claw on the tip of her nose. He laughed and smacked her. She whimpered, blood tickling out of her nose. He stood up and took a step back. One of the other two stomped down hard on her right leg. She cried out in pain as a sickening snapping sound filled the air. Her eyes squeezed shut and they began to laugh. Tears of pain came unbidden to her eyes. How could any creature be so cruel as to actually enjoy someone else's pain?

The third creature (at least she thought it was the third, they all looked the same to her) cut the rope that bound her feet, grabbed her by her hair, and hauled her to her feet. She collapsed with a sob. He grabbed her again and forced her to her feet, holding her up until she could stand. She trembled and tears ran down her face. He pushed her forward. Her leg buckled and she fell. They forced her back to her feet once again. Melody took a slow step forward and then another, sobbing violently. The pain was simply unbearable. Her vision swam and she lurched forward. The ground rushed up to meet her…

The vulpine creature peered through the leaves at the scene laid before her. The hair on the back of her neck bristled. A pack of wolfoses, numbering eleven, were camped in the clearing. A large bonfire was burning in the center of the camp. What it was for, she didn't have a clue. She heard a small sniffle and looked down to see a very young teenager tied to the trunk of the tree. Blood stained the girl's clothing.

"Serve's her right," the creature muttered under her breath. "Her kind's nothin' but trouble." But she couldn't tear herself away. The girl was in serious trouble and needed help. The creature laid her head on her paws, waiting for the right time to free the girl.

The sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, taking with it what little light it had given to the forest. Two of the wolfos walked over to the girl. The creature's ears flattened as they spoke in their harsh tongue. One of the wolfoses cut the ropes that bound the girl. The human fell to the ground with a cry filled with pain. They forced her to her feet and towards the bonfire.

That's when the vulpine creature realized what the fire was for. Her eyes widened in horror. The girl was going to be a burnt offering! As much as the creature hated humans she couldn't let this happen, not right in front of her eyes.

The leader of the pack, a wolfos covered in many scars, looked up at the sky and began to chant. The other pack members soon joined in. The chanting grew louder and the wolfoses began to dance around in a frenzy. The air was thick with the scent of fear, which was emitting from the human. The chant and the dance ended with a long, loud howl. The leader moved to push the girl into the flames. And that's when the creature made her move.

"Our family is falling apart," Annie said numbly, staring at the wall. "Mother's dead, Zelda's been kidnapped, Father's hurt, and Melody's run away." She sniffed softly. "But at least Melody's doing something. I'm just sitting here like a lump, too scared to do anything. I'm a failure, just a big stupid failure…"

She lowered her gaze to look at the sleeping form of her father. Two days had passed since the healers had cleaned and bandaged his wounds. He looked a little better, but he still hadn't awakened. She desperately wished he would. She needed somebody to talk to. Sure, there was Zale, but she wasn't completely comfortable with him yet.

"I need you, Dad," Annie whispered. She grabbed his limp hand with her own and held it tight. "Please don't leave me… I need you…" She would have cried, but there were no tears left to shed. Instead she bit her lip. The pain felt good and she bit down harder, drawing blood.

Melody quivered in fear, her eyes wide. The heat of the fire was making her sweat profusely and the wolfoses chant was sending chills down her back. The wolfoses let out a long, loud howl, causing her to cringe. The leader of the pack moved to push her into the fire. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting to stay calm. There had to be a way out of this. She couldn't die here, not when she had barely begun her journey. Her body tensed for the expected push, but it never came.

"Get out of my forest!"

Melody turned to see a fox-like creature slam into the leader's chest. The leader stumbled back a few steps, but quickly regained his balance. He grabbed the two swords strapped to his back and unsheathed them. He charged at the small flying creature. She laughed and easily dodged his attack, her white angelic wings beating powerfully. He lunged at her, but she was too fast for him. She zipped behind him and bit his neck. He howled in pain and began spinning around, trying to knock the creature off of him. When that didn't work he reached behind him and grabbed her by the legs. He yanked her off of him and threw her to the ground.

That's when Melody got a chance to study the creature. She resembled a fox, but was larger in build. Her fur was rusty red in color. Her paws and ear tips were black while her stomach and the tip of her tail were white. A small white horn protruded out of her forehead. Two large wings jutted out of her back. Even though Melody had never seen one before she knew what it was… a sufa.

The sufa groaned and groggily lifted up her head. The leader rushed towards her, his swords ready to slice her to bits. Melody couldn't stand idly by for a second longer. She threw herself at the wolfos, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise and pain as she felt one of the swords slice her hands. She brought her hands forward and stared at the blood dripping from her fingers. As the shock began to fade away she realized that her hands were no longer bound. By that time the wolfos was back on his feet and coming towards her. Melody quickly scrambled to her feet and backed away. She pulled the gag out of her mouth.

"Run!" the sufa shouted at her. She was back in the air.

"I…" Melody swallowed, her mouth dry.

"Go!"

She turned and began to run. The leader uttered a harsh cry and she heard the rest of the pack chase after her. The sufa landed on her head, causing her to stumble.

"Left!" the sufa shouted. "Go left!"

Melody instantly obeyed. The ground seemed to give way under them. Melody screamed in terror. An inky darkness surrounded her and the sufa. They were falling, but it was slower than a normal fall. It was as if gravity had been cut in half. Melody slammed into the ground. The breath was knocked out of her, but other than that she was fine. The sufa landed in front of Melody. The only light in the tunnel came from her horn, which was glowing dimly with white magic.

"Where… where are we?" asked Melody as she took in her surroundings. The tunnel was barely large enough for her to stand in. It looked as if it had been carved out of solid rock.

"I can't tell you." The sufa stared at the ground. "I shouldn't of brought you here, but what's done is done." She looked up at Melody. "The name's Rainstorm. What's yours?"

"Melody. Thanks for saving me."

"Follow me." Rainstorm started down the tunnel. "The sooner I get rid of you, the better."

Melody followed Rainstorm, limping heavily. "But what are you doing here? I though sufas were just a myth."

"You can find a sufa just about anywhere if you know where to look."

Steven set the comb down and inspected himself in the mirror. He was clad in a crisp black suit. His hair was neatly combed back and his face was freshly scrubbed. He was completely ready for the mayor's dull party, except for one thing. He gently touched the bruise on his cheek, wishing it would just disappear. His father had been really angry that morning. Angry enough to hurt Steven where everyone could see it. If anyone asked Steven about it he was supposed to say that he got it in a fight.

He sighed and grabbed his dagger, which he slid into a pocket on the inside of his suit. He never went anywhere without a weapon. He checked himself in the mirror one last time before heading out of his room.

The party was exactly how Steven expected it to be, dull. The adults talked quietly with one another and acted as if he wasn't even there. The music was slow and depressing. Steven sighed softly and leaned against the wall.

"You're Cole's son, aren't you?"

Steven looked up as a tall, sallow-faced man walked up to him. "Yes, what of it?"

He pulled a ring with a black stone on it out of his pocket. "I was told to give this to you."

Steven grabbed the ring and slid it onto his left pointer finger. A chill ran down his spine as he studied the flawless stone. He tried to pull it off but it wouldn't budge. "What the…" He looked up to see that the man had vanished. He scanned the guests, but couldn't see the man among them.

"Is anything the matter, boy?" Cole asked, walking up to his son.

Steven looked at the ground. "No, sir," he mumbled.

"Who was that you were talking to?"

Anger flared through his body. Who he talked to was none of his father's business. "Stay out of my business, old man!" Steven shouted.

"That is no way to talk to your father, especially in public," Cole growled. He raised his hand in warning.

"Go ahead," Steven taunted. "Everyone's watching."

Cole lowered his hand as he realized that everyone was indeed watching. "Tonight," he hissed before walking away from his son.

Steven smiled. He didn't care what would happen once they got home. He had won a battle with his father. He was in control. And he liked it.

Melody sank to the ground, unable to go any farther. Rainstorm turned to face her.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "We haft to leave this place."

"I… can't…" Melody's face was pale and she winced as she touched her leg.

Rainstorm ran over to Melody. "I'm so sorry! I was so busy thinkin' about gettin' you away from here I didn't even think about your leg!"

"I… forgive you." She winced again as she carefully shifted her leg into a more comfortable position.

Rainstorm lowered her head so that her horn was touching Melody's leg. "You're just about to see the true power of a sufa." The glow of her horn intensified and seemed to spread to Melody's leg. Melody gasped in wonderment. The pain faded away to be replaced by numbness. And then the numbness faded away and she could feel her leg once again.

"So the legends are true…" Melody breathed.

Rainstorm inspected the leg and nodded in satisfaction. "There, as good as new."

Laughter could be heard further up the tunnel. Melody and Rainstorm both looked up at the source of the noise. Two sufas had just rounded the turn and were walking towards them.

"Mulder and Kearn," Rainstorm whispered, backing away.

"Somebody's in trouble," Mulder growled. "Big trouble."

Yay! I finally updated! Review my minions! Review!

On a side note, since the first chapter is the weakest part of this story, I have rewritten it.

Sufas are MINE!!! You steal them and I will personally hunt you down and kill you! They are in some of the books I plan on publishing.

Review!