A/N: I remember posting this chapter, twelve days ago last year. I was twenty minutes late, but I was so excited to have put a chapter up on the one year anniversary. I'm just as excited to put the proper chapter 35 up on the two year anniversary. I can't believe I'm nearly done my revisions, after a year of working away at them. It doesn't feel like it's taken a year, but... wow. Anyways, chapter 35!

Revised as of 14/04/14

Chapter 30: Proceed With Caution

"Bethany, what are you doing?"

Bethany jumped, her eyes snapping open in surprise as she realized she was no longer alone. For the past few days, since Rose and Link left for the Lakebed Temple, she'd been trying to turn into a dragon again. She'd done it once, sort-of willingly, so why couldn't she do it again, right? That was what brought her to a little alcove behind the spirit's spring. She wasn't sure if she'd even come close to turning again, but her concentration was disrupted by Colin. She smiled at the boy, beckoning him forward. He came right up to her.

"I was just trying to relax a bit." she half-lied. Relaxing was a part of it, really. Concentration was the other.

"Are you worried about Link and Rose too?" he asked innocently. Bethany nodded her head, her smile saddening a little bit.

"Yeah... I've known Rose since we were both little, like younger than Malo. We grew up together. It's weird, seeing her like she is now. Just a few months ago we were talking about games, and boys, and books and school. Now we're tangled up in this mess that the Twilight caused." she sighed. There was a short silence, and Bethany straightened up when she heard a flapping noise. Not like any normal bird she'd heard before. Also, she was pretty sure birds didn't gasp for breath like humans.

"What is it, Bethany?" Colin asked. She held up one finger for quiet as she stood up, going outside as quickly as she could. The flapping noise was louder now, and she looked up, to the East.

"Oocoo!" she called when she realized what she was looking at. The bird-woman landed on the railing of the hotel, appearing very much out of breath.

"Rose... Rose sent me..." she panted. Her arrival had drawn the attention of several Gorons, as well as Renado and Carmen, the latter of whom had been learning about healing and medicine from the Shaman for the last week or so. Right about now was when she would talk with Renado. Bethany had a sidelined thought that whatever this was had interrupted their lesson.

It clicked with the teen that Oocoo had been sent by Rose, who was currently in the water temple. Her instant thought was that something had gone very wrong.

"Rose? What is it? Is she hurt?" Bethany asked worriedly. After a few seconds, Oocoo replied.

"Yes, but that's not why I'm here. She sent me to warn you." she explained. The Shaman approached then, a severe expression upon his face.

"Warn us of what?" he questioned.

"She said...something's coming, to take Carmen and Bethany. Skari, Lycra, creatures formerly under Astaroth's control" she whispered. A fearful silence overtook the gathered people and Gorons.

There was a long silence.

"Then we must prepare." Renado stated. He turned to one of the Gorons. Before he could even open his mouth the Goron spoke.

"I will send more of my clan, Healer. We will not let this village or the little sisters be taken." he promised, before rolling off. Renado nodded, satisfied with that. Then he turned to Luda. "We need to go into the cellar in the Sanctuary. All of us." he said, looking to the children as well as the older girls. "Carmen, can you go get Barnes, and Talo?" he requested. The younger teen nodded and jogged over to the bomb shop.

"...Where is Ralis?"

Everybody was in the sanctuary, the adults helping the young children down into the cellar, and a good many Gorons had arrived from the mountain ready to defend the village.

"I'll go get him." Bethany volunteered. "He's probably in the cemetery." she said before running out the door and to said cemetery. There was a tunnel at the back that led to where Ralis' parents' grave was, and she knew that's where he would be. That was where he spent most days, ever since he'd woken up. Dodging past the ravens and around the graves, she entered the tunnel.

"Ralis, we need to go!" she called as she entered the hidden gravesite. The Zora prince turned to her, confused.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We're all going to the sanctuary; trouble's coming." she explained quickly. Nodding his head, the young prince dove into the water and swam her way, climbing back out the moment he reached her. He knew that when Bethany - usually the most carefree person in the village, aside from the children - was either being serious as she was, or when she was worried, that it was probably a genuine problem.

"What is it that's coming?" he asked as they re-entered the tunnel.

"Something you've never seen before. Monsters. A friend, Oocoo, called them Skari and Lycra." Bethany answered. She dusted herself off when they exited the tunnel, listening for anything abnormal. She held up a hand to Ralis, signalling him to stop. There was something...off. "Careful." she whispered, beckoning him to come out. He did so, and they progressed towards the Sanctuary.

There was the sound of scraping claws against soft earth, and something flying through the air.

"Get down!" Ralis yelled. The two of them ducked, and something went right over their heads. It was black, though that could have just been a trick of their eyes and the sun. When they looked over, they saw what Rose had referred to as a Warg. Atop it was another creature, not quite resembling the bulblins. It had a jagged sword in its hand, and honestly looked like a demon.

"Drrragonnnnn shifterrr... I smell the stench upon you!" it hissed, it's voice a snakelike growl. Bethany narrowed her eyes, and hid her confusion well. The wolf threw its head back and let out a loud howl, the sound reverberating off the mountain, possibly echoing for miles around. There were several more answering howls from further away.

"Ralis...when I tell you to, run." Bethany whispered to the Zora boy. His eyes - both full or fear and determination - flitted to her for a split-second as he nodded his head. "Ready..." she had to concentrate. She kept the image of herself as a Night Fury in her head, and her thoughts contained only one word; Dragon. She closed her eyes, and felt her shape changing, though only slightly. Her skin was thickening, darkening, her hair was melding with her head, her back slowly sprouting wings. The changes were moving slowly, so they wouldn't be immediately noticed.

"RUN!" she suddenly yelled, her voice congealed from the shift of her vocal chords. Ralis began sprinting down the path, and Bethany started changing faster. Her clothes also became a part of her skin. Her bones cracked and popped as they shifted and bent, and her wings spread out as they grew to several feet long each. Her fingernails grew into claws, while her fingers themselves shortened into her hands, and her feet did the same. The last change was her eyes, growing bigger and darker, and the pupil changed shape.

She was a Night Fury now, or at least Hyrule's version of one. She let out a growl, baring her teeth at the wolf and its rider. The creature's hackles rose, and it snarled back.

'Were I you, I'd run while I'm still in one piece.'

"Hael's spawnnn." the demon hissed. There was the sound of many fast footfalls, still far off; more bloodmounts on their way. "You arrre lucky the mistress wants you...alivvve..."

Bethany rolled her big eyes, shooting a jet of flame at the ground in front of the wolf. It jumped backwards a step, angrily snarling again. The demon clenched it's fists furiously.

'That was a warning shot, bucko. Now leave me, and this village alone, or else.' she growled. At that, the demon threw it's head back and laughed, it's voice echoing the same way it's mount's howl had. This was the window of opportunity, while the demon was gloating. Bethany roared, leaping into action before the other wolves got there. With her claws and her teeth, Bethany had no problem dealing with the one. She knew there were more on the way, though. She couldn't let them get to the village. She spread her wings, launching herself into the air.

It took her several clumsy seconds to get the hang of flying, as opposed to the leaps she had done as a dragon before, but she did it. She could see a lot more from the air, and she saw that the wolves were almost to the village. There were a lot of them.

'But not past the gate yet...' she mused, eyeing the gate at the entrance to the village. In a split second decision she fell into a dive, going right towards the gate. She took in a breath, preparing to shoot a jet of fire at the wood-and-metal gate. The wind whistled past her wings, making the sky ring with the noise. She spread her wings at the last second as she shot a ball of fire towards the mostly-closed gates. It didn't take long for them to ignite, and she landed on the village-side of the inferno.

'That should hold them off. At least for a little while.' she thought. Just to be sure she blew a second jet of fire at the blaze, heating the metal and quickening the burning of the wooden pieces. She heard the angry growls and snarls from the other side and inwardly grinned. With that, she backed away, turning to go back to the village. She should have known better. She knew that when she was suddenly being tackled, and rolling. Of course, she hadn't accounted for the wolf's ability to jump. She felt it's claws piercing into several different areas of her tough scales, though barely. She winced and roared, throwing the creature off her long enough to swipe her own claws at it and send its rider into the destroyed gate. There were at least a half a dozen more on the other side, and it seemed they weren't as strong as the one she had just taken down. They were smaller from the looks of it. Perhaps they weren't strong enough to jump over.

She could deal with that later, as it seemed the mount she'd previously thought dispatched came back for more. She cried out as it's claws nicked her wings and back, before snarling and pouncing on the creature. Its claws scrabbled for purchase as she attacked it in a very...human way. She got a few scratches more, but barely flesh wounds. She tried to concentrate on her human image as she backed away from the dead creature. The others had retreated from the looks of it.

The process of reverting to human again wasn't as much of a jolt as the opposite had been, and when it was finished she fell weakly to her hands knees, the adrenaline running out of her system completely. She felt drained, and the cuts and scratches she'd received were starting to throm. She felt around her chest for the worst of them, from when she'd been tackled the first time, and winced when she found them. Unlike when Link had been pinned down by one of them, she didn't have the chainmail to stop it's claws from piercing deeper into her skin. Though, her dragonhide could have mostly prevented that. Had it not, she assumed the wounds would be much worse than they were.

"Alright...back to the village." she murmured, forcing herself to her feet and turning in the direction of the village. Her legs were shaking, and she'd barely made it two steps before falling again. Dry dust flew up from the ground, and she coughed as she breathed it in. There were heavy footsteps coming from nearby, the kind Bethany could now identify as those of a Goron. Lifting her head, she saw a single Goron coming from the village, and she tried to stand again, using the wall of the trail to help her.

When the Goron caught sight of her, his expression became shocked. His eyes flitted from the mess behind her, to her, and back again before settling on her. He gave a simple nod of his head to her. Approval? Then she remembered; You gain the respect of a Goron through strength.

Without any words to be said, the Goron carried her back to the village. She was too exhausted, too weak to walk. Though she stayed conscious, Bethany found herself unable to respond to anything, like her body had shut down with her mind inside it.

"Bethany!"

"What happened to her?"

"Why is she bleeding?"

"Did she try and fight the monsters herself?

Everything was a flurry of voices and motion around her, as the Goron laid her down on a bedroll in the sanctuary. She heard him explaining what he'd seen. She wondered what they'd make of the dead wolves and riders, and the melted gate.

"She must have gone into shock..." Carmen whispered, after the Goron explained.

"That would explain why she hasn't moved since she was brought in here." Ilia agreed. "But...how?"

"I saw her...when I was running here. She was turning into..." Ralis trailed off. "She turned into a dragon."

Silence greeted this, and Bethany internally kicked herself. How were they gonna react to this? Even in the world of magic in Hyrule, shapeshifters were uncommon. Even she knew that.

"How...how is that possible?"

Bethany's eyes started drifting closed.

"We can discover that when she awakes. For now, we must treat her wounds..." Renado was the one to say this, and she felt gentle hands moving her before dropping off to sleep.

A/N: Again, not much that needed to be done here. Leave a review and let me know what you thought?