Link walked along the side of the river. For some reason, it invoked sadness in him, and a strange yearning feeling. He almost wished he could disappear in the current, shrug off the weight of duty once and for all. He drew the Master Sword, positioning it so he tip rested on his collarbone. One light thrust was all that was required, and he would fall into the river, be carried away by the current. He wouldn't have to bear the deterioration of his sanity, or the pain of everyone around him as he degenerated into a wild animal. He closed his eyes, tipping his head back. His life lay pulsing just a few millimetres under the blade. It would be so easy to let go, to leave the world forever.
Hearing something in front of him, he opened his eyes. Recoiling, he flipped his sword around to attack position. Standing in front of him, panting slightly, was a grey wolf. It was smaller than Link when he entered his wolf from, yet Link noticed several similarities. The proud gleam in its eye, the way it stood in front of Link, unfearing, awoke a deep sense of kinship in him.
Link slowly stretched out a hand, and when the wolf didn't shy away, he placed it on the wolf's head. The wolf merely stared at him. It made a small whining noise.
Something about the way it looked at him said I know what you're feeling. I know what you're going through. Link's eyes filled with tears, and he angrily swiped them away. What's wrong with me? he thought. My life falls apart and I start crying like a baby.
He returned his gaze to the wolf. It stared back, then threw its head back and howled to the sky. The howl spoke of the joy of life and the peace of death, freedom under the stars and the power of true kinship. Link howled as well, adding his voice to the unearthly concert echoing across the valley. As he howled, Link felt his anxiety melt away. The wolf inside him, enraged by the power of the curse, finally quieted. As the voice of Link and the voice of the wolf intertwined in the night air, Link felt a serenity that he had never known before.
Wolf and Link stopped howling, gazing into each other's eyes. At that moment, Link understood. The wolf had been inside him all along. It wasn't his courage the Gods recognized, or his mastery of the blade. It was the proud beast whose heart beat in tandem with his. He looked over to the wolf. Blue eyes met canine gold. "Thank you," Link whispered.
Almost as if it understood Link's words, the wolf nudged Link's hand with its nose, then turned and loped off into the night. Link stood, watching it go. He smiled gently, replacing his sword in his sheath.
Midna rushed along the path, following Link's tracks, faint in the dirt. They were spaced very close together, with no smudges or thrown dirt, showing that he had been in no hurry. She finally burst into a clearing, to see something odd. Her hero was laying his hand of a wolf's head. As they looked into each other's eyes, each threw back their head and howled to the moon. Midna watched, rapt, her eyes filling with tears as the twin voices wove a haunting melody of yearning, of sadness, and finally, of joy. The chorus finally ended, and the wolf and Link gazed on each other again. Withdrawing, the wolf loped off to somewhere over the horizon.
Midna slowly moved over to Link. His eyes were closed, and he appeared completely at peace. He finally turned and noticed her. "Link," she began.
He shushed her and stared at the night sky. Without taking his eyes from the stars, he said something, so low she almost didn't catch it. "I'm better now," he said simply.
Midna took a breath. "There's something I have to tell you…about…the curse." Link looked over, raising an eyebrow.
"There is nothing about the curse that needs knowing. I'm free from it."
"Free?" Midna mocked. "Then what the hell was that?"
Link blinked. "What was what?"
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about," Midna hissed. "Whatever the hell it was you were doing with the wolf."
"Oh, that."
"Yes, that." Midna snarled.
Link paused for a moment. "Healing."
Confused by his vague answer, Midna cut straight to the chase. "I can't let you turn into a wolf anymore," she stated. "Not until we fully understand what exactly this curse is. You may think you're free, but I think otherwise."
Link stared at her, lost for words. "Would you cut off your left arm?" he finally asked.
Now it was Midna's turn to be shocked. "W-what?" she stammered.
"You would cut me off from my other self?" Link demanded. "Like it or not, the wolf is a part of me now, and I'm not letting it go."
"Link," Midna replied gently, "It's for the best."
"I finally accept the beast in me, and now you tear it away?" Link choked.
"Until we understand what it's doing to you, yes." Midna said flatly.
"How could you do this to me?" Link asked.
"Easy. This curse is too dangerous."
"I've never shrank from danger before"
"This is different. Your mind is concerned here-"
"No. It's different now. Me and the wolf…we are parts of a single being. At least now we are."
Midna, confused by his cryptic responses, finally relented. "Fine," she spat. "You can continue becoming a wolf. But the slightest sign of any effects, and I'm destroying the curse. I'll throw it into the fires of Death Mountain if need be."
"Trust me," Link said, his eyes cold and determined. "You won't need to."