Sorry!

Don't blame me please!

Ok… ok… I am completely responsible for the lack of updates… but just so you know chapter ten and twelve are finished! *Flinches away from rissy's death glare* sorry! I didn't mean it! I had lots of poopy to deal with! Like… practice and 3 swim meets in one week and a huge essay… that I should be doing now… and I was super tired! I know its been like a month… but officially I have the next… 3 chapters after this one!

Ok so this is in two parts because I didn't want to keep you waiting and it was getting a little long…

Also I rushed it so please don't blame me for the parts you don't like… I really didn't like how this chapter turned out but you know… that's how it goes sometimes!

I OWN NOTHING ALREADY SEEN IN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA SERIES! If you've never seen it before then its mine :3

So without further ado! Read the newest chapter!

…

I hate what school has turned me into… a lump who can hardly write an update…

Now!

"There is a shard of the mirror of twilight embedded in your left eye and it is altering the balance between the feral, animalistic side of your brain that emerged when you first transformed into a wolf, and the rational human side that you have always had."

Link couldn't even believe what he had just heard. "Cu-cursed? What the hell does that mean?" the hero clutched his hand to his eye in an attempt to stable himself. Still covering the eye he turned to Rutela, "explain this to me please."

The former queen sighed. "When you first transformed into a wolf your mind altered to account for the shifting of instincts and body design, meaning you could easily transform between the two shapes. But now that the twilight princess is gone you have no need for such things. But when she destroyed the mirror a shard must have lodged itself in your eye."

Link remembered his dream from over a week ago with a shiver. He had been standing in the mirror chamber at Arbiters grounds and glass had shot into his eye. "Was something trying to warm me of this?"

"Link" Rutela said, awakening the hero from his thought. "I don't have much time left to speak to you in this world for my powers grow weaker with each passing moment. You must learn to control your anger. You have noticed that when you are angry you begin to act in an animalistic way correct?" The boy nodded "You must be very careful hero, for if your anger grows to a certain point the mirror shard will gain a relative consciousness and take over your body. It will make you watch the destruction of everything you love."

Link shuddered at the thought of losing everything he had worked for. Sensing this, The Zora Queen smiled at him saying "But there is some good to this as well. If you focus hard enough you can channel the energy from the shard so you may use your wolf senses. It is possible that you could detect spirits and follow scents." Rutela placed a ghostly hand on his shoulder, "But there is a way to remove the shard."

The hero sat a little straighter, "How?"

"Come to the temple of time in the sacred grove. There you must draw the Mastersword to gain entrance to the temple. You will need the sword of evil's bane to banish the evil power from the shard and remove it from your eye. You will also need it if you wish to enter the twilight otherwise you will become the blue eyed beast. Once in the temple you must travel into the depths of the bottom chamber. It is there I can give you the crest of the water sage and teach you the serenade of water.

"But be warned. The balance between Hylian and beast has been weakened. This damage to your mind has been done and cannot be reversed. To add to this you have lived with the shard in your eye for three years. Removing it will additionally disorient you."
"Anything! I will draw the Mastersword and meet you in the temple of time."

"Hero, be warned. The spirit world is full of dangers. Hurry or else something else might awaken from this. Come to the temple of time to claim the sage of water's crest and learn the serenade of water. Only then could you possibly move forward in your quest." Link nodded as Rutela began to fade away. "Hero… before you depart from this cavern… take… the zora armor. It belongs to you now…" with the last of her power, she moved the grave stone of the zora king vefore she vanished. Link walked around the side and picked up the armor, carefully sliding it over his forest green tunic.

The sun was beginning to rise as he and Navi emerged from the hidden cave. "No chance for a good nights sleep now…" he thought with a yawn. "I can't expect Renado to let me stay now. I have to get to the temple of time as soon as possible…" the boy rubbed his eyes unconsciously, stifling another yawn. "But maybe I'll rest just a little before I leave." Link plopped down next to a tomb stone and leaned against it, letting himself fall into a deep sleep.

There was no dream in Link's head as he slept. He only knew the black night that seemed to envelope him with soundlessness. But there was nothing to fear here in this shadowy world. In fact, the hero would have liked to remain there forever had voices not interrupted his thoughtless sleep.

"Link…" someone called from far away. A child's voice.

"Damn…" thought the boy. "Leave me alone…"

"LINK!" a high pitch sound screamed his name into his ears. The hero's eyelids flew open only to be blinded by the late afternoon sun.

"Ugh…." He groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Navi… I was… sleeping…"

"Who is Navi?"

Link slowly opened his eyes and came face to face with the shaman's daughter, Luda. The girl tugged on the hero's hand, saying "Father said to come and fetch you since you will need to eat before you leave us again."

With that, she bowed and skipped of along the path back to the village. Link sat up a little and shook his head.

"Navi?" he called, standing up. "Navi we have to go."

Tiny blue ball of light came to rest on the hero's shoulder. "Yea whatever…" she said. The fairy squinted her eyes in a massive yawn, her wings fluttering so she wouldn't lose her balance. "I wish that girl hadn't come. I'm exhausted!"

Link smiled as they started down the path to visit Renado. "Me too. Perhaps after we reach the temple of time we could take a nap?"

Navi gave him a light punch on the head, giggling. "We don't have time for naps! Try to not overdo it." She rose off of his shoulder and flew under his hat. The boy could feel the fairy settling herself into his hair. "Meanwhile I on the other hand get to nap all I want. Wake me if you need me." With a final yawn, Navi's breaths slowed into gentle snoring, making Link only want to sleep more. When he reached Renado's door he found the shaman and his daughter waiting for him.

"Link" the older man said, "we prepared food for you to take on your journey." He gestured to Luda who, in turn, revealed to him a small box. "Luda also readied Epona for you."

Link said his thanks and took the box from Luda. She gave him a quick hug and backed away to her father's side where they both bowed to him in farewell. The hero smiled as he mounted Epona, waving as she took off down the road.

They rode through hyrule field in silence; the only sound that could be heard was the thudding of Epona's hooves. They traveled for at least two hours before they reached the entrance to faron woods. Knowing he probably wouldn't get a second chance, Link dismounted his horse and sent her off to graze while he ate what was in the box. There was nothing special inside for him, just bread and some goat cheese. After about thirty minutes spent watching the sun set and listening to the sounds of the field, Link caught Epona and continued on through the forest. He woke Navi at the entrance to the series of dark tunnels that lead to the Faron swamp and they ran through as quickly as they could seeing as Link had left his lantern somewhere. Once on the other side, the hero trudged along the edge the swamp, shivering at the knee high water that soaked his boots. The bridge across had been destroyed long ago when the twilight first attacked. It was strange to Link that no one bothered to replace it when it had been so frequently used. The hero plopped to the ground with an exhausted sigh, dragging his soggy boots off his feet and pouring all the water out of them. Navi sat on his shoulder ringing water from her wings and grumbling irritably. Boy and fairy sat in companionable silence, watching the stars glint from their far away positions in the sky. An hour passed before either one said anything. Navi looked at Link from the corner of her eye, a reddish hue staining her pale blue skin.

"Um…" she said, her voice cracking slightly. The fairy coughed to play off her embarrassment, "Link we should start moving again." The boy looked up at her with a dazed look and nodded, sending Navi's heart into a familiar frantic flutter. She looked away from him as he placed his boots back onto his feet. Navi flew up to the hilt of Link's sword and sat on it, deciding she needed a break from his closeness. The hero walked along the forest, unaware of her change in mood. He nearly passed by the shop of the Mayan bird that sold oil in his daydreaming state. Only the angry shouting of the bird brought the boy back to his senses. Link stopped to buy a new lantern, refill his oil and get some red potion. The bird made him pay for the red potion he had used two nights earlier before he could take more. Navi sat on the rim of a clay pot staring as Link emptied his wallet into the box that the bird kept for transactions. She smiled when he held out his hand for her to walk into. They continued on their way, the fairy standing on Link's shoulder holding his ear for balance. The hero slowed his pace as the great tree that housed the forest temple loomed out of the darkness. He stopped by the bridge that lead on to the temple entrance, placing a hand on the side. Link stared up at it in wonder as a familiar sadness crept into his heart. "Another memory of her…" he sighed, tearing his eyes away to look at his feet. His hand clenched the wood tightly in his grasp. "If only she hadn't broken the mirror… things might be different."

Navi seemed to sense the hero's sadness for she pulled on his ear and said, "Come on Link! We're almost to the lost woods. We can't stop now."

Link glanced at the fairy perched on his shoulder and smiled. "Yea… sure" he said, walking over to the ledge. "Though I don't know how we will get there now… Midna helped me get across last time."

Navi looked at the man beside her sharply. "Hey" she said directing his attention to her. "Link I'll help you" she sighed softly, smiling. "But you have to listen to me. How did you get there in the first place?"

"I was a wolf at the time" Link whispered, looking down into the seemingly bottomless pit.

The fairy giggled, "Well it seems now is the time to learn how to control the balance between your human side and your wolf side!"

"What are you talking about…?"

Navi leaned her head onto her hand, "surely you haven't forgotten what the zora queen told you!" the hero just continued to stare at her in confusion. "You idiot…" the fairy sighed "doesn't anyone get through your thick skull?

Link turned his head away so he wouldn't have to look at Navi. "Only one…" he said, smiling after a moment's pause. "But she usually got me to listen by saying my friends could have been killed by the shadow beings." The hero glanced back at the fairy on his shoulder and immediately saw the appalled shock written on her face. "What?"

Navi merely groaned something incomprehensible and flew off of his shoulder to look him in the eye. "The zora queen, you don't remember what she said?"

Link thought back to the previous night. The cold had fogged his mind to the point of forgetfulness. It was almost all he could remember. Suddenly her words hit him and he grinned at the memory. Link thought about what it had felt like to be a wolf. All those years ago, memories he had fought to bury deep within his mind, searching through them all made the hero suffer through all the pain that had come from his missing friend. Link's mind was filled with sadness and anger, his mental pain becoming apparent to Navi as she shrank back in fear.

~~~~~~~Navi~~~~~~~

The fairy could hardly believe what was happening to her dearest hero. His face had become twisted with a mixture of grief and anger. His features became sharper, more defined, his pupils were mere slits, his ears had somehow grown pointier and canine teeth had become fangs. Link took a deep breath to settle himself and immediately returned to normal but Navi didn't dare to get close. She simply gazed at him in silent curiosity and wariness. But then he turned to her and rewarded her with his signature lopsided smile. The fairy found herself melting under his warm gaze and she flew back to her perch on his shoulder.

"Not bad!" she said, giving him a quick pat. "This time focus less on the… unhappy memories and more on what it FELT like." She flexed her tiny arms in an example, "Feel the strength coursing through you!"

Link took another deep breath and closed his eyes. This time the physical changes that came with his canine mind were subtle. His arms grew a little longer and his muscles became lean. When he opened his eyes again his pupils were still slits. He voice came out in a low rumbling growl as he said, "Hang on Navi. We will have to see if this works." He crouched low to the ground and sprang, throwing the startled fairy from his shoulder in the process. Navi fluttered about for a little while to regain stability and chased after his disappearing form.

~~~~~~~~Link~~~~~~~~

The hero leapt thoughtlessly from ledge to ledge. Unlike his human self, Link didn't need to think about how he was getting to the sacred grove. His instincts told him that if he needed to get somewhere then by the goddesses he would get there. He even totally forgot about leaving his fairy behind until she came up behind him. his sensitive ears picked up her heavy breathing and he whirled about with his teeth bared. The look of shock on Navi's face jolted Link back to reality and he dropped his focus. The boy fell to his knees and clutched his head in his hands, the pain in his left eye growing to an unbearable peak. Navi sat down on his head and whispered comforting words to him in fairy tongue. Suddenly, the pain vanished leaving Link gasping and shivering. He stood up and walked into the Scared Grove without a word to Navi.

The secret forest hadn't changed at all in the last three years. The birds still chirped and light shone through the boughs of the tall trees in an eternal early morning glow. The sun never set here. In this place no time passed.

Link didn't bother to look around at the beautiful Grove as Navi had done. Instead he strode around a large tree and came face to face with a walled up passage.

"Damn skullkid…" he mumbled and he went back to the fairy who was conversing with several other fairies nearby. Link propped himself up on a stone marked with the triforce and watched the butterflies soar about aimlessly. The relaxed atmosphere settled the hero's thoughts and left him smiling.

"well the mind thing went decently well" he thought, playing with the tall blades of grass that surrounded him. "I suppose next I should learn to play that ocarina properly…" her trailed off as he pulled the blue instrument from his pocket. A triforce decorated the mouthpiece, adding some flare to the otherwise plain appearance. Link brought the ocarina to his lips tentatively, delighting in the small sound it made when he blew out some air. The hero shifted a finger onto one of the air holes to change the tune a little. Recalling Saria's fluid movements as she played her ocarina, Link felt his finger glide across the smooth surface, relishing in the strangely familiar feeling of the music. Link played his favorite childhood song first, the goat song. The boy had always loved the song about the smelly goat that lived at ordon ranch. Even now it still made him laugh. Link tapped his foot merrily as he sang the words in his head, playing the ocarina as well as Saria had done. The song ended with a short, sweet note that left the whole forest in silence, at least, until the rock Link was leaning on began to play music as well. The hero jumped back and nearly dropped the ocarina. He whipped around to face the stone and examined it. Nothing about its exterior had changed but now it whistled a quiet little tune at such a low frequency, Link almost couldn't hear it. Suddenly Navi appeared on his shoulder.

"Link?" she asked. "Why are you staring at that rock?"

He didn't look at her, this song was so familiar, but the boy couldn't place it. Finally he said "You can't hear it?"

"Am I supposed to hear something?" she asked, leaning over to get a better look at the rock. "What's with this rock? It certainly is shaped funny!"

Link ignored her, intent on figuring out this song. "The last time a saw a rock like this… it was a howling stone. But I can't howl anymore… so what do I do?"

"Link" Navi whispered, her voice quaking. "The ocarina of time… look…"

The hero glanced down at the instrument resting in his palm and let out a small gasp. The smooth surface of the ocarina had begun to shine with a subtle golden glow. It pulsated a little, like it was almost alive. Link brought it to his lips and listened to the sound the rock was making. "It's worth a try" he thought, taking a deep breath. Link caught on quickly, playing the notes of the song as if he had played this instrument his whole life. When it was over the rock silenced itself and the ocarina had lost its glow. The hero instantly remembered the song. It was the same one he had played three years ago to call on the guardian of this forest. There was no sound left in the Sacred Grove. The chirps of birds faded into stillness and even the trees stopped swaying in the wind. That made it easier to hear the foreign sound that seemed to creep up from behind. Taking no chances, the boy drew his sword on the unsuspecting creature and performed the mortal draw, skillfully executing it. But he paused as he realized what it was.

A puppet.

Not just any puppet though, the same kind that the guardian of this forest used to keep unwanted visitors out. Link got to his feet and grabbed his shield from his back. "Skullkid is near. That little bastard can't escape me."

"He he he!" laughed something from the trees. Navi cringed closer to the hero, looking up at the trees with fear in her eyes as Skullkid fell from the sky, that same cocky smile plastered eternally on his face. "You again?" he said, the grin never leaving his features. "I thought maybe I could play tag with someone new!"

Link sighed, "Skullkid, I have chased you through this forest twice now. Am I worthy enough to find my own way to the temple of time?"

The little boy smiled on, "No chance! To get there you must follow me for only I know the way. Besides…" he paused for dramatic affect, his enormous grin still plain on his face. "Besides, should you get lost in this forest, you will become a spirit, doomed to reside in this purgatory forever."

Link stared at him in shock as the child pulled out his trumpet. "Then… what are you?"

Then skullkid did something that scared the hero. He frowned. "I am a child who became lost in this wood. Before the rise of the Gerudo King this place was called Lost Woods. The kokiri children, born of the Great Deku Tree, resided in this forest that is now called Faron. They were a strange race, never growing older than the age of nine or ten. The Great Deku Tree protected them and this forest from the outside world. As long as no kokiri left this wood, nothing bad would ever happen. But after the events caused by the evil Gerudo king, the Great Deku Tree became fearful of what might happen to the children next. Robbers frequently fought their way into the forest, lured by tales of fabulous treasure that lay hidden there. After twenty years of this, the Great Deku Tree finally had had enough. Using his power, he hid the ancient forest temple within himself so that none may intrude on its sacred power. He locked away the kokiri children inside his body where they would live happily once more, tending to the temple and playing with the tree. But even then, the evils of this world followed them. Inside the tree the kokiri had nowhere to flee to when more robbers attacked. In despair the Great Deku Tree turned them all into monkeys so they could run away. Finally the hero of time, who had been running around Hyrule trying to stop the fighting, returned to the castle and found the princess waiting for him there. She said to protect the land the temples of the sages had to be sealed away just as the Great Deku Tree had done. So they gathered all the sages and with their help, hid the temples where they believed none would find them. Though one flaw of this was if the temple was sealed, the sage of that temple must go with it so they would remain in control of its power. That is why the Arbiters Grounds were built. With the giant golden mirrors decorating the top each sage could connect to his or her temple with ease. It was here they focused their powers and became full fledged sages. The people of hyrule called this place a prison, which it was, but not in the usual sense. It was the place where the most dangerous of criminals and items were kept and sent to the other realm."

Link flinched at the mention of the other realm. He knew exactly where they were sent. Into the twilight.

"But," Skullkid continued. "That does not explain why this forest is here. The princess that helped the sages was the leader of them all. She was the sage of time. She knew the mastersword and the temple would never be safe as long as they were in castle town. So she sent them to lost woods and commanded the sky people to build a fortress to protect it. The ruins inside the Sacred Grove are the remains of that fortress. The sky people guarded it for one hundred years, and then they returned to the place from which they had come. The princess came to this place after her death and cut of this forest's ability to age. Everything in this grove has been here since the day she cut us off from the world. The souls of lost children still roam here, playing songs on their flutes. That is why we remain here. Now only I protect this place from those who would abuse the power that lies within. If you wish to go inside, then you must prove yourself once more."

With that Skullkid took of at a run, calling his puppets to block Link's path. He easily cut them down as he chased the child through the forest, following the sound of his trumpet. He and Navi spent what seemed to be hours running through the grove, killing puppets and finding the skullkid. All his efforts eventually paid off as he cornered the eternal lost child in a large, open air circular room. Skullkid turned around to face him, that big silly grin still on his face.

"Third time is the charm!" he laughed, putting his trumpet on his back. "But I have a feeling I don't want to play tag with you anymore. You always win!" the child leapt into the air and vanished in a rainfall of crisp, green leaves. "You may be the only one who can enter this place freely. Do not abuse such an offer."

A wall separating Link from the entrance to the temple of time dissolved allowing him a wonderful view of the remains of what must have been the courtyard of the fortress. The statues that guarded the mastersword stood dormant with their clubs raised, ready to destroy any who came to steal the power sealed within. Cautiously, the hero walked over to the statues, pulling out the ocarina. He played the triforce song tentatively at first but was soon wrapped up in the emotion that seemed to flow from the notes. The hero sat down upon the ground as he played the slightly melancholy tune. When he had finished, Link stared up at the sky, recalling what Skullkid had told him. "Cut off from the flow of time…" he thought slowly, as Navi flew around nervously. "Navi?" Link asked lazily. "Is something bothering you?"

The fairy became a small blue blur as she zipped around the courtyard. "The statues are looking at you!"

Link sprang up and drew his sword, almost falling over in his haste. But what Navi said was true, the statues were indeed looking at him. He cautiously walked forward, waving his fairy away as one statue shifted his hammer.

You may not pass

Link flinched as their voices rang in his head. "I have passed once before! I had to claim the mastersword!"

Those who wish to pass must pass our test. Before, you merely wished to borrow the power of the sword of evil's bane. Now to achieve your goals, you must claim the blade of legend and keep it till the day you die.

"Wait… what kind of test?"

First was a test of mind. Next is a test of strength.

The hero didn't have any time to react for two giant hammers came smashing down on top of him. With a quick jump to the side he avoided dying by the hands of statues. The hero got to his feet and immediately dodged a second attack. The stone creatures continued their strategy of one after another attacks for several more minutes. Every time Link dodged, there was a second hammer waiting to crush him. finally he managed to clawshot himself high above their heads and clung to the wall for dear life. Navi zipped up to join him.

"What do we do? We need the mastersword! If we steal it then the sword will reject you. But you can't possibly defeat these things! They have no weakness and your blade can't hope to even scratch them!"

"Thanks for the encouragement Navi…" Link sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. "We need a plan rather than pointing out everything I can't do right now."

"Sorry…" she whispered, toying with her hair. "I just don't want to see you get hurt…"

The hero sighed, unable to meet her frost blue gaze. "Don't guilt trip me Navi. Please help me think of something at least."

I can't think of anything Link! I have no idea what we are going to do!"

The statues stood directly below the duo, it looked like one was lifting the other higher into the air.

"We better think of something soon…" the boy said, nervously fiddling with his glass tear charm. "We don't have much time left…"

Well well well wellie well wel well!

Part two is on its way!

Thanks to those who kept with me! Sorry for the absence!

Ok read and review since I wanna know what you think! I didn't like this chapter so much so id love to hear from you guys!

Seeya next time!

oh and i was thinking about starting up a deviantart account so i could show u guys picture to go along with the story! if youd like to see that let me know!

and reveiw...

u know u wanna!