Chapter 32

Wild Life

Travelling with Sheik was different to anything else Link had experienced. Often, they would travel all day without speaking to each other. Most of the time this did not worry Link; he rarely had anything he was burning to say. Sheik was clearly similar, and did not chatter or talk needlessly. Casting his mind back, Link could remember his journey with the gorons, Marduk and Timbull, when they had talked incessantly. They had regaled him with tales, and laughed frequently.

He had enjoyed his long rides with Malon during his stint at Lon Lon Ranch, too. She had always talked easily, although he had to be careful to steer away from dangerous subjects. Occasionally he prompted her or questioned her, but he had enjoyed allowing her to talk.

That was not to say Link felt uneasy with Sheik, and most of the time he did not. Every now and then, though, he felt as if his companion had much that he wished to say, and yet chose not to. Sometimes Link got the feeling that this took a great force of will from the sheikah, as if he had to concentrate firmly to stay silent. Link could not guess what the reason for this was, and could not decide if Sheik had something he felt he could not say, or was simply striving to maintain the image of Sheikahn decorum.

Often Link found that Sheik was half a pace behind him, and when he turned he thought his companion was looking at him with a strange look in his eye. Always Sheik turned his head if Link caught him, but he could not help wondering what it was the other man was thinking.

Most often, though, they travelled comfortably. There was little urgency to their journey, they chose instead to set a gentle and steady pace. This kept the horses fresh, and meant they did not need to change them. Link became increasingly fond of the roan Sheik had provided him with, a mare named Doko. His companion kept a careful eye on their supplies, and they did not eat more than they needed, but nor was their food sparse.

In the evenings, before they rested, they would practise skills that Sheik felt Link should know. He did not drill him too hard with the sword, but they worked at hand to hand combat, and Sheik taught Link how to properly use the bow he had given him outside the Forest Temple. When they rode, Sheik kept the bow near to hand, and both had their swords within reach of their saddles, too.

Sheik had been right when he had said they would not pass many sizable habitations, but even so they passed enough farmsteads and hamlets, villages and towns, that they were able to top up anything they were short of. The one thing Link began to miss was milk, which he had come to thrive on at Lon Lon Ranch and had been able to drink frequently during his journey south. They had to go for days and sometimes weeks before they could find somewhere to replenish such a perishable item.

Their journey crossed the southern plains to begin with, leaning more east than north, and bringing them eventually to the Hylia. Sheik had originally intended to skirt the hilly, mountainous region and cut north towards Cumberlann, but that plan was changed the day they reached the first tors.

They rode gently over the undulating slopes, and the scenery took Link's breath away. He knew that the Hylia was a wide region with the highest mountains outside of the range that formed the northern border of Hyrule. Sheik could see the impression the countryside was making on Link.

"The Hylia is generally thought of as one of the most beautiful areas of Hyrule," he said. "It's not like the mountains to the north. They are rocky and desolate, while the Hylia flourishes with life. This region is also home to the Hylian Lakes. Near the centre you can find Lake Hylia, the largest of the Lakes, which the Tehnin River flows into."

"I remember the Tehnin River," said Link, thinking of his journey to the Avehn Gorge.

"Yes, it flows all the way from Cumberlann. We'll pick up the river on the other side of the hills."

They continued in silence, while Link looked around him and soaked in the stunning scenery. As they topped each rise, it amazed him more. Seeing his reverie, Sheik went further into the hills than they had initially intended to travel, and as they came over the crest of a hill Link saw a lake below him, glittering in the sun. It was a glorious spring day, and the water practically shone. It made his breath catch in his chest, the wide expanse of blue nestled between the blooming green hills. Sheik smiled, watching his reactions.

"I remember the first time I came to the Hylia," he commented. "It was a long time ago now, staying in a cottage near Lake Hylia. I remember how instantly I fell in love with the land here."

"It's breathtaking," Link murmured, awestruck.

"I thought the same thing. My father-" Sheik broke off. Link looked round. His friend's normal mask of calm seemed to have faltered; Link had never seen such emotion from him.

"Your father?" he asked.

"My father showed me the lakes," Sheik finished, and the mask had returned, but Link was sure that had not been what he meant to say initially. He had not heard the sheikah talk of his family before. It was clearly a difficult subject for him though, and Link knew better than to press that. He had held too many secrets himself to press those of his companion.

An hour further, they had left the lake behind, though Link still looked about him frequently, no less impressed by what he saw all around him. Glancing around constantly, his sharp eyes picked up figures on the next slope. At first he thought that they were mounted, but he quickly doubted that. Something about the shape of the figures wasn't right. He mentioned it to Sheik.

His friend looked for a moment, not immediately seeing what Link's sharper eyes had picked up. Then he stiffened, barely perceptibly; Link was sure from his reaction that someone who was not a sheikah would have gasped.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Lynels," replied Sheik. "This is trouble."

"Could they be sent by Ganondorf?"

Sheik shook his head. "No. The Evil King's power is not yet so great that he can bring lynels under his will. They are wild, but they are vicious, bestial. And they have seen us."

Looking towards them, Link could not see that the beasts were aware of the travellers, they did not seem to have reacted, but he did not doubt his friend. A tense silence fell as they descended the slope. Sheik did not seem to be looking towards the creatures, but he was giving off an intense aura of concentration. Link tried to follow suit and not look, but his eyes frequently glanced around, straining to see if the lynels were moving.

They reached the base of the hill, and Sheik did not begin to climb the next but instead led his horse around towards the west. They were now going at a slow walk down the gully between hills. As he followed, Link could not continue to track the lynels without making his movement obvious, and Sheik obviously did not want that. He forced himself to look straight ahead, at the back of the sheikah's ragged clothes, until they had rounded most of the hill. Now, he only needed to turn his head a little and look to the side to see them.

There was only one lynel on the slope now, though, and it was much closer than it had been. Link felt his heart begin to beat faster and fought to calm himself. Sheik still did not react. They continued to circle the base of the hill, and again it forced the lynel beyond Link's sight, but now he was sure it was pacing behind them, following along the narrow gully.

A little further, and he saw Sheik begin to obviously look about them. He looked behind him and met Link's eyes, then looked past. Link twisted in his saddle to look in the same direction, and could not see either of the lynels. Glancing around, he could not see them at all.

"They're not stupid, like moblins," Sheik said, only just loud enough for Link to hear. "They'll try to trap us. Be ready to follow my lead." He looked ahead of him again and resumed his previous posture, not looking around or about him at all. Link did the same, forcing himself to look straight ahead.

They had now moved most of the way round the hill they had originally seen the lynels on, the slope still rearing up on their right hand side. Another steep hill was on their left and ahead of them was a gentler slope. Sheik made towards it, but suddenly two lynels came into view at its crest, looking down at them. Link's heart was now beating ferociously, and he could no longer stop himself from turning to look behind. The lynel that had been behind them was there again, stalking along the gully towards them. The beasts now outnumbered them.

It was closer than ever, now, and Link could see it clearly: it had the body of a beast, orange yellow fur and four powerful, clawed legs. What should have been a neck, though, was the waist of a torso that resembled a man. It had a well muscled chest and strong arms, covered in dark hair. Its face was flatter than a hylian, a squashed nose, small, rounded ears and golden eyes that seemed to flash dangerously. It was alike to a person, but also the face of a beast, uncivilised, interested only in the hunt and the kill.

Snapping his gaze forwards again, Link waited for some sort of sign from Sheik, but something else caught his attention. Above him on their left, at the top of the steep hill, were three more lynels.

There followed a long moment, longer than any Link could remember. This was not like the heat of battle, the anger that that inspired; this was a long calculation, a waiting game. Sheik continued to move slowly forwards, not responding to the threat, while the lynels pawed the ground. They looked ready to pounce at any second.

It was the lynel behind them that broke the tension. Link heard the movement and twisted again to see it, as it suddenly bounded forwards with terrific speed. Without even looking, Sheik dug his heels into his mount, and the horse leapt forwards. Link did the same, and followed his friend. The sheikah charged straight at the slope ahead of them, towards two of the lynels.

"Sword out!" he shouted to Link, as he himself pulled the bow from below his saddle. Link felt numb, almost paralysed, but managed to get a grip on the hilt of the sword at his belt and pull it from its scabbard. His grip felt spongy, uncertain, as he fought back the panic he was feeling.

"Rule one, never drop your sword," he muttered to himself, tightening his grip on his sword. Glancing behind, he could see that the lynel was closing the gap.

Wildly, they charged up the hill, and the three lynels were now reacting, coming towards them. There was the twang of a bow string, and one of the lynels fell with an arrow in its neck. The creatures were bearing down on them now, and soon would be too close to use the bow. "I'll go right, you go left," bellowed Sheik, strapping the bow to his saddle and drawing his own short sword. Suddenly he wrenched his horse off to the side, pulling it to the right. The horse screamed as the closest lynel bore down on it, but Sheik threw all his weight to the side, stabbing with his sword, and striking the beast in its midriff.

Hoping to do the same, Link tried to force his horse to the left, but he only had one hand on the reins now, and felt momentarily out of control. The second lynel had the higher ground, it was almost upon him. Link flailed with his sword, and felt it hit the beast but did not know what damage he had done. The wild careering of his horse pulled him on and he took a moment just to check he had not received any injuries.

Pulling on the reins, he tried to regain control of his mount, and as he turned he saw thick blood on his sword. He stared at it, dazed.

Shouting broke through the stupor that had come over him. He looked around him. The two lynels nearest to him were both roaring, blood pouring from the wounds Link and Sheik had inflicted, but both were still standing on their four legs. The lynel that had been behind them was leaping up the slope, and he could see the final two sprinting towards him as well.

"Link! Move!" Sheik's words finally came clear and Link realised that his horse had stopped. Forcing himself to focus, he took a firmer grip of the reins and dug his heels in to the horses flanks again. It leapt forward, climbing the hill. Sheik had just disappeared over the crest, but when Link reached the same point his companion had disappeared. His horse began to charge down the other side, its eyes wide and its nostrils flared in fear.

The lynel that had stalked them down the gully was close behind now, and Link could hear its heavy paws thumping against the ground powerfully. Together, they reached the bottom of the hill and the horse began labouring desperately to climb the next. With a burst of momentum, the lynel was level with them, it reached with the fingers of its hylian hands, but running at such a pace could not make use of the vicious claws on its four paws, not while Link had the higher ground.

Rising up in the stirrups to gain height, Link removed his hand from the reins and whirled the Master Sword around two handed. He brought it swiftly down, hacking through the lynel's neck. The creature's head flew through the air and thudded to the ground some distance away. For a long moment, the rest of its body continued to run forwards, its limbs still working furiously, until its top heavy weight caused it to fall sideways and crash to the ground.

Heart still beating furiously, Link twisted again to look behind him, and saw the two bleeding lynels. One had a huge stab wound, which was clearly the damage Sheik had done; the second had wide gashes all over its chest, the result of Link's inarticulate attacks. They seemed to ignore their wounds though, consumed with the chase. Further back, their two companions followed on.

Behind them, though, he saw Sheik cutting across the side of the hill, his horse galloping furiously. He must have circled round, and now he charged down the closest lynel. Rising up in the stirrups, the sheikah hacked with his blade and smartly decapitated the beast, just as Link had done. Its head thumped to the ground and rolled, while the rest of the beast hurtled on madly under its own momentum. It crashed to the ground and slid a long way on the grass.

Link had now reached the top of the hill, his horse gasping, and he turned it to look below him. His mind now clear, spurred on by his victory over the first beast, he saw the one Sheik had already wounded struggling towards him, and forced his horse round again. Now he had the advantage of the high ground, and made his horse begin to charge down the creatures. He was careful to bring his mount towards the right, enabling his left arm, the one carrying his sword, to come into full use. As he closed down the closest lynel, it reared up on its hind legs, roaring at him and reaching for him with its vicious claws. Watching for his moment, Link drove his sword into the creatures flesh above the forelegs, pushing the momentum of his charge into the blow.

The lynel was forced to continue rising, unbalanced by Link's attack, as the hylian wrenched his sword free. Still roaring bestially, the creature thumped to the floor. Link now saw Sheik ahead of him and led his horse at a run towards his friend. They ran towards the next hills. Looking behind, though, it seemed the other lynels did not wish to continue the chase. Staying behind with their wounded and their dead, they allowed the two to go.

Neither spoke until they had put a good deal of distance between them and the creatures, and they regularly looked behind them and about them to check there was no further pursuit. Their horses were now cantering, unable to keep up their initial sprint. At the top of a high rise, Sheik pulled his mount to a halt and allowed it to breathe deeply. Link stopped alongside his friend.

The sheikah looked around from their vantage point for a long time until he was satisfied there were no more lynels about. "I think we've lost them," he said. "We shouldn't stay still too long, though. If they have our scent they might come after us again."

Keen to avoid that, he waited quietly while their horses panted. Eventually they calmed, and the riders nudged them back into a steady walk. They carried on for several hours, walking then trotting, then walking again, not exhausting their steeds any further but still ensuring they kept a steady pace. Din's Fire was falling close to the hills behind them in the west, though the sky overhead was still a brilliant blue, when they reached another lake.

It was smaller than the first, but no less impressive to Link in the early evening light. Sheik led the way down to the banks, where they came upon the first road they had seen since entering the Hylia. It was not wide, obviously only built for carts, but it sufficed for Link and Sheik.

At the head of the valley, they found a small village, built at the end of the lake and with piers and jetties sticking out into the water. There was also an inn, and the two were glad to sleep somewhere secure for the evening, knowing the habitation was unlikely to come under attack.