After he had exhausted the air in his lungs, Link felt a curious urge. He wanted to throw the sword aside and run through the desert, the wind whistling through his fur, the sand, so hot on his hands and feet, cool on his paws…

Suddenly, rational thought returned to Link in a rush. He staggered slightly, placing a hand against his temple. Shaking his head, he picked up and sheathed his sword, and turned to face Midna. He was a little confused, because she still seemed terrified. He disregarded it, and turned to the tower/bridge fragment. "Well, at least we can warp it out of here now," he said nonchalantly. When Midna didn't respond, he turned and faced her. "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

What? Midna thought. What? He practically rips those things apart, and all he has to say for himself is 'What'? When fighting the shadow beasts, Link had shown a ferocity that she'd never seen him show before in his human form. And the howl…The howl chilled her bones. And now, he was acting as if nothing was wrong. He's acting more like a wolf than a human, even in human form! She decided to leave it, deciding it must be because of the length of time he spent as a wolf. While tracking down the four Poes in the Arbiter's Grounds, it would be easier to say how long he didn't stay in wolf form.

Midna realized Link was still waiting for her to reply. "Um…" she said, debating whether to tell him or not. "Well, uh…" She decided not to voice her suspicions, and to go with the angry approach. "I told you that you need to pay more attention!" she hissed. "You didn't even notice them until I pointed them out!"

Link backed up against the bridge, holding his palms out. "Whoa, take it easy!"

Midna turned around, sitting in the air. "Well, whatever. You want to get this to the right place?"

Link, confused by her sudden change of mood, nodded. What's up with her? he thought. She's freaking me out a little. Without another word, Midna lifted the bridge out of the ground (It still amazed Link that she could do that, and was still almost useless in battle) and warped it to the northern fringe of Eldin Province.

Later…

Midna walked along the newly repaired bridge, pleased with her handiwork. Sure, there had been a few minor incidents when Link got in the way of the bridge, but it was eventually dropped back into place. Meanwhile, Link was searching through some grasses. Midna sighed in resignation, and walked over. He hadn't done anything odd while in wolf form, so that was good. But she was still uneasy. She didn't want to transform him into a wolf again, but she couldn't warp him in human form. Finally, Link found what he was looking for. He picked the deep maroon reed, held it to his lips, and blew the three-note sequence that his horse always heard, wherever she was. A few minutes later, Link was rewarded by the whinny of his approaching horse. Epona galloped up, coming to a halt in front of him. Link smiled, clucking his tongue as he stroked her neck. Scratching her under the forelock, he jumped into the saddle, signaling Midna to follow him. Confused, she asked, "Where are we going? Castle Town's that way." Link had originally wanted to visit Telma to see if her band had any more clues.

"I decided to visit Ilia," Link replied, checking the girth strap and saddlebags. "Maybe her memories have come back"

For an instant, Midna felt nothing but rage. How could he be so concerned about a girl who couldn't even remember him? Why was he so besotted with her? What had she done to stay the object of his affection when there were obviously better choices out there…

Link took Midna's silence as an objection. He turned away from Epona, eyebrow raised. "Why are you always so reluctant to let me see Ilia?" he asked. "She's my closest friend."

And probably more than that, Midna thought bitterly.

"Seriously," Link continued. "What's your problem with her?"

My problem is that YOU belong to ME! Midna immediately flamed red. Did she really just think that? What was with her? Without even answering, she hid in Link's shadow. At least there, he couldn't see the bitter tears that ran down her face.

"Midna?" Link asked. His only response was silence. Sighing, he mounted Epona. I swear, he thought, when she doesn't drive me crazy, she drives me crazy. He paused. He had meant the first "drive me crazy" in a romantic way. What was that? I mean, she's cute and all, but… He smacked his forehead. What was he thinking? He adjusted his paws on the reins. Wait. Paws? He glanced down again. Normal human flesh, covered by leather gloves. That's it, he thought, I'm going nuts.