Chapter Nine: Dodongo's Cavern

"These things are dragons?! Darunia called them lizards!" Link whined as he made his way into the cavern. Navi sighed.

"Dragons are lizards, Link."

"There's a big difference though!"

Even in the forest, where creatures like dragons did not exist, they were well-known in legends and stories told by the Great Deku Tree. Oftentimes they were giant, fearsome creatures that knew how to wrought naught but destruction, and fear with it. However foreboding, though, there was always some hero, a knight or wizard usually, to dispatch of them, sometimes at the cost of their lives.

And while Link did like the idea of being one of those heroes, and certainly the youngest, he did want to keep his life in the process.

"I mean, they're big! Really big! And they can do all kinds of stuff normal lizards can't do, like fly, or breath fire, or both!"

"Well, that is true, usually," Navi acknowledged, frowning some. And Darunia sent a kid to slay a dragon? Against his better judgment indeed! But, that was exactly what he needed to do to get the stone, and there was no other way.

"We'll be able to figure something out, just like last time," She said finally, hoping it would reassure him. He nodded.

"I suppose. Not much else we can do but move forward, it's no use going back."

She nodded, appreciating the words he had spoken. He may not have intended it, but they were wise ones.

The tunnel widened into a small chamber, where a few bomb flowers and grass grew, but aside from that there was little else.

"I don't see a dragon, do you?" Link asked, looking about. Navi chuckled, accepting the humor.

"No, I don't. I think this a kind of antechamber; maybe one of the bombs can open a path."

Link paused in his exploration, considering her words. It made a lot of sense, actually. Backtracking, he carefully examined the rocky walls. When he had reached just about directly across from where they had come, he found the wall became fractured and was composed of several large rocks compacted together so well it really did look like it was part of the wall.

"Here," He said, tapping the spot as if marking it. Navi flew to where he had tapped as he made his way to one of the explosive plants. Carefully extracting it the way the Goron showed him how to do it before-so it would be a delayed blast-he ran over and placed it front of the wall, and backed away quickly, Navi following suit.

Seconds later, the plant detonated, and the rock wall gave way and shattered, revealing a huge cave as a blast of warm air followed suit.

"Whoa." Link stood at the entrance, staring in wonder at the foreboding architecture and earthen formations. At the very end of the cave, dominating the scene, was a massive skull of some beast from long past. What Link first took initially as arched pillars were actually rib bones, stretching from the base to the ceiling, where he could now see the spine.

To complete the air of danger, the ground in many places was lava, nearly hardened in most places, but occasionally a small burst or a bubble would pop up, continuing the cycle. This explained the wave of hot air from before. Fortunately, there was a good portion of earth that was not volcanic, and there was even a walkway that came out towards the center of the cavern, facing the giant skull, suggesting that this place had been used for something before. He had a mind to think it wasn't something good.

"This place is creepy," Navi said, looking around. "I sense dark energy all over the place, but not like from any monsters we've faced."

"Really?" Link asked, looking at her. She simply nodded staring at the skull.

"There," she pointed, "I sense most of it coming from there...there's something beyond that."

Link looked around, and began picking his way closer. "Might as well check it out then."

A few minutes later, the two were at their destination, and Link was forced to appreciate just how large the partially fossilized skull was. A single tooth from its gaping mouth was almost as long as his whole arm, and its width was of similar proportions. And there were about a hundred or more teeth, making this beast truly ferocious, when alive, that was.

The wide-open mouth led into a dark tunnel, where faintly echoes from within made their way to the two of them standing there. Link shivered, not liking the scratching, or the thumping, or even what sounded like a roar. But there was nowhere else to go. He looked at Navi, who rested on his shoulder.

"Still sensing that dark energy?" She nodded.

"Yes, and I think I now know why. The creatures that live here are native to this place, but they were nearly extinct. I'm sensing the ones that were summoned through dark magic. Summoning isn't inherently bad, the intentions are what make summoning bad. So, the dark energy is the bad intentions of the summoner, not the monsters summoned themselves. Do you get it?" She asked, not sure if he understood. He nodded.

"I think so. The dark energy is coming from the guy who made these lizards, not the lizards. But, the lizards still need to be gotten rid of, right?"

"Yes, that was the deal after all. It's probably for the better, since Dodongos are the Goron's only natural enemy, and they are very dangerous creatures besides."

"Huh. Makes you wonder why the goddesses made them in the first place," he wondered, hopping over the teeth and making his way into the tunnel. She nodded, silently agreeing.

The tunnel had no light of its own, so Navi led the way, her own blue light bathing the walls and ceiling. It was a good thing too, as the tunnel wound its way deeper into the roots of the mountain. And if it was anything to go by, the heat proved it; the further they traveled, the warmer it became, and Link was beginning to sweat. But Link paid no mind to it; the tunnel was widening, a red light bathed the walls further ahead, and the sounds from before, by now clearly definable, were growing louder.

"Be careful Link, we don't know what to expect around this bend," Navi warned as they approached what they both understood to be the last bend, and stretch, of the tunnel. Link nodded, already unsheathing the Kokiri sword. He took a deep breath, steadying himself against the wall. Navi hovered in front him, eyeing him.

"Just a little nervous," he said, flashing a quick a reassuring smile. "Might as well get this over with, you ready?" he asked. She nodded, positioning herself by his side.

"Here goes," He finally said, in an effort to will himself to move. Without delay he took the corner, almost running into the chamber as Navi followed quickly behind. Perhaps the first thing he noticed was the lava on either side, which was the source of both the heat and the light. Or maybe it had been the fact that the ground ahead of him was fractured so that to reach the other end, where the path picked up, he would have to jump from platform to platform over lava.

Or maybe it was the two giant green lizard-men holding swords eying him hungrily.

"Lizalfos, Link! They're extremely dangerous, watch yourself!" Navi informed him, obviously disturbed by something. Not taking his eyes of the two things, he lifted his cap, inviting Navi under it, to which she accepted all too quickly.

Lizard-man was perhaps only a vague description. The only thing manly about them was their being bipedal; apart from that, they were indeed very much like a lizard, complete with the long snout full of teeth and a forked tongue, to the long, powerful tail held above the ground. Their hands and feet bore sharp claws to match their teeth, only adding to their ferocity. The only clothing they wore were an armored loincloth and a breastplate with a single spiked pauldron, exaggerating their barbaric nature.

"Alright, let's see what these things can do," he muttered to himself, dawning his Deku shield. The Hylian shield remained strapped to his back, which he now silently blessed the goddesses for; the metal shield covered his entire dorsal frame, effectively forcing his opponents to take him from the front.

One of the creatures responded to his movement, releasing a strange throaty bellow of sorts, sounding almost gleeful as it advanced toward his position, effortless hopping over the gaps with its powerful hind limbs. Link had the faintest hope that one of them would trip and fall in, but he had the feeling that wouldn't happen. Taking a defensive stance, Link advanced himself, in an effort to perhaps make the creature more wary of him; Perhaps with Gohma it had not worked, but these things were much smaller and not stupid.

When the monster was within a few feet, it stopped short and instead began to circle him, sometimes slowly, occasionally speeding up in an attempt to create an opening to strike. Like Link, it never took its eyes off him either.

With a yelp, it sprang forward, the blade in its hand whipping forward in an attempt to stab him. Link parried aside the blow with his own sword and threw his shield to the fore and lunged, making the beast yelp and nearly trip as it backtracked. Link inwardly cheered for his effort, but refused to become complacent. He had won that brief crossing, but the fight was far from over.

The Lizalfos wasted no time. With an incredible display of acrobatics, it leaped into the air and soared overhead to land behind him. As it passed overhead, its tailed whipped down, too fast for him to bring up his blade or shield. Ducking, he rolled away to give himself distance. Turning around, He found the creature already nearly upon him, raising its blade to strike, another shrill cry escaping its mouth. The blow came down across Link's shield as he sidestepped to the right, whipping his own sword around in a wide horizontal slash. Link felt the blade sink into flesh, and pulled away quickly as he heard the beast cry out in pain and anger. It backed away, clutching its free left arm he had cut into.

Only instinct saved Link next. Without even knowing quite why, he ducked, turning about to the left and bringing his sword to another horizontal slash to the outside. He found the second Lizalfos jumping away with a yelp of surprise; clearly it had not expected Link to discover the surprise. Link let out a growl, cursing himself for momentarily forgetting about the other one. He had made that mistake already once before, he did not need to make that mistake again. This was a fight that was two-to-one. He was outmatched, and he needed to make up for that somehow.

"How're you doing in there?" Link asked, trying to sound as casual as possible as he reached into his pouch with his shield arm, keeping his sword raised as he kept the two of them in view. When his hand emerged, he held two Deku nuts. They weren't very good for eating - he didn't like them, anyway - but they did have quite an interesting aspect to them. If struck hard enough, they would make a loud cracking noise and a flash.

"I'm fine, what about you?" Navi replied, still sounding worried.

"Annoyed, these things are fast and like to play dirty. I'm about to play dirty back, so hold on, ok?"

"Ok. Be careful Link," she added, and he nodded to let her know he heard.

The unharmed Lizalfos advanced a second time, this time more slowly. No doubt seeing the fate of its companion, coupled with having avoided its surprise attack, left the creature feeling wary. In his mind, Link was smiling; he approved of that, and needed that to win. When it came close enough, it began to circle as the first one had. Link moved to block him, to keep them both in his vision. The creature hissed, proving that had been the plan, and instead made for a diagonal slash across the sword arm. The two blades clashed, and again, and a third time they connected, before Link suddenly let out a shout, startling the beast. As it yelped and jumped back, Link let fly one of the nuts, and shielded his eyes with his shield as he heard the crack. Both of the lizards were yelping now, frightened of this new tactic. Link took the opportunity to strike. With a yell, he leaped forward, ending the second lizard's life with a blade down into its stomach. Pulling the sword out, he advanced the wounded lizard, which cried out in fear before hissing its disdain. Link didn't pause, but advanced, taking advantage of the chaos he had caused to be aggressive.

The lizard caved, turning tail and scrambling to the other end of the cavern. Link threw the Deku nut just as it was about to jump, startling it enough to cause it to fall. With a screeching cry, it was quickly silenced as the lava greedily consumed it, black smoke flying into the air. Link sighed, glad it was over. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline rush, and he put on a smile as he popped open the rim of his cap.

"It's safe to come out now Navi," he said cheerily. "They're gone now."

She peaked her head out to see for herself, before finally slipping out, staring at the deceased Lizalfos.

"That was the one that played dirty," Link commented, beginning to make his way to the other tunnel. She fluttered over to perch on his shoulder.

"How? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, not a scratch on me," he reassured, giving her a quick smile. "Anyway, that one tried to get me from behind, but it didn't work. I didn't know it was even there, something just told me to duck. Instinct, I guess."

"What happened to the other one?"

"I scared him with a Deku nut and he fell into the lava."

"Was that the horrible sound I heard?"

"Yep."

"I see." She glanced his way, curiosity piqued. Instinct he had called it, but even instinct would have given him fair warning, not a spur of the moment action.

"So, why did you get so frightened by those things?" Link asked as the two made their way into the tunnel. This one looked to be noticeably shorter, and the deep thumping and roars had yet to subside. After that encounter though, Link was feeling more comfortable, confident he could face whatever it was.

"Lizalfos were a primitive reptilian species, but they were incredibly dangerous, being aptly equipped for destruction."

"Were?"

"They were thought to have gone extinct, hunted down for their hides and for safety. That was roughly a century ago. The fact that two were here means some lived or they were brought back."

"Like the dodongos?

"Yes, like them too. Dodongos are not sentient creatures though; they're nothing more than beasts. Lizalfos are a sentient race; they have intelligence, malicious as it is. They are not inherently evil, but much of history has proven they were not kind."

"Do you think that Ganondorf guy did this?"

"From what the Great Deku Tree and Princess Zelda have told us, I believe so. I fear this man, to be able to summon such horrid things. I hate lizards."

Link Looked at Navi, curious and surprised at her sudden vehemence. "Why?" he finally asked. She huffed, her blue color suddenly gaining a slight purple sheen.

"I...They eat things like me. I look like a fly to them probably, a good snack."

Link stared at his fairy companion, dumbstruck. She was afraid of...being eaten by a lizard?! Unable to help himself, he laughed. It was just so unexpected! Navi was not impressed.

"Don't laugh, How would you feel if a giant Wolfos came and went after you like a hare?!"

"Terrified, I'd imagine," Link answered, trying his best to suppress his laughter. Navi huffed again, though she seemed content that he was trying at least. "I'm sorry," he added after a moment, calming down enough to start breathing evenly. She nodded, stoically accepting the apology.

"Let's keep moving shall we?"

"Yes, I wanna' see these dodongos already."

~0~

The tunnel was indeed shorter, and opened up to a darkened room, attributed to the rock, which had taken on a blue color. Several natural columns dotted the room, hiding a clear view of it. The stomping was loud now, causing the floor beneath him to shake. This was the source of the noises.

The floor was littered with debris, mostly rocks chipped away, but evidence it once was busy lay scattered about as well. Unlit torches and small tools were primary sources, but one grim decoration proved this place was abandoned: a lone charred skeleton, only a few feet away, which figure vaguely resembled a Goron.

Link stared at the remains, much of it still intact. He pointed at it, and looked at Navi. "Told you they would breathe fire."

"Of course," she sighed, fluttering over to it, Link following behind.

"It doesn't appear to be old...no, I can still smell the char."

"Yeah, I can too," Link said, pulling up the hem of his shirt collar to cover his nose. Another detail caught his attention though. He pointed at the clenched hand, which held a bag. "What's that?"

Navi followed his hand to the bag, and flew closer to inspect it. She shook her head after a moment. "I don't know. Should we check?"

"It's no good to this person anymore, and it might be useful." Link bent down, and delicately began slipping it out, avoiding touching the skeleton. "Sorry mister," he said, finally getting it out. Standing back up, he opened the drawstring back and glanced inside.

"Wow," he breathed, reaching in and pulling out what looked like a bomb flower, except that it wasn't one. The surface was metallic and colored exactly like a bomb flower, but it liked the leaves and at the top had a piece of rope leading into the object. Navi was also impressed.

"Bombs, of Goron make. The best you can get," Navi said, nodding. "That's as good a find as any, and they could come in handy."

"Cool," Link said, smiling as he placed the bomb back in the bag and attached it to his belt, along with his bullet bag and Deku nut pouch. As soon as he knew it was secure, he turned his attention to the rest of the room, which still echoed with the sound of thumping.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Navi muttered, landing on Link's shoulder. He shrugged, unsure of what to expect. The two moved into the chamber, eyes peeled for any motion. It was Link who spotted them first, after passing a pillar. Link backtracked to stand behind the pillar, keeping himself out of sight.

I think I found the Dodongos," he said, visibly shaken. Had there only been one or two he would have thought nothing of it, but there was at least a dozen, all of them bigger than he was. Their numbers, coupled with the knowledge they could breathe fire, left him quite frightened.

Navi peaked around the corner, taking more time than Link to observe them. When she returned, she too looked troubled, but not so much as himself.

"They aren't full-grown yet, luckily," she commented, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure. Link nodded reasoning it out. Of course they weren't full-sized, everyone had said they were giants and could eat Gorons whole. Clearly these things couldn't do that. He took another look around at them.

At closer inspection, he had to wonder if they were even that well-developed yet. Green scales coated the whole of the creatures, from their beak-like snout, almost like a turtle, to their studded tail. While they had front legs that were quite muscular, they lacked hind legs, so that they used their powerful forelimbs to haul themselves about. And because of their size, they were slow at it. Link had to suppress a chuckle, it was almost comical.

One of the Dodongos nipped another's tail. With a roar, it whipped around as fast as it could, before unleashing a torrent of fiery breath. The fire did nothing to the mischievous Dodongo, who only tucked its head to the flames, before backing off.

Link returned to his hiding spot, silently cursing. They were still young, but they could most definitely breathe fire, and while the Dodongo had been fine with it, he was pretty sure he, a little Kokirian boy, would not be. He shook his head.

"How am I supposed to kill all of those things when they can breathe fire? It's not fair," He bluntly concluded. Navi chuckled at the last statement. Not fair indeed; leave it to a child to find what was fair and what wasn't.

"Perhaps not, but it's not impossible. You might be able to take them out with a couple of those bombs perhaps," she suggested. "Or your slingshot; you said you were the best shot of all the Kokiri."

Link smiled at the compliment, but shook his head. "I don't think a slingshot would work, not unless I hit them in the eyes, and that would only blind them. The bombs though…" He let the thought trail off, opening the bag and pulling out one of the bombs. The bombs could work, he had to give credit to Navi for thinking of it.

"How do I use it?" He asked, looking at Navi.

"You have to light the fuse, that little rope. It's made out of some kind of flammable material, and when it goes into the bomb, it ignites the explosive material inside it, making the bomb, well, explode."

"Oh, ok. So, what, do I scratch it or something?"

"I guess you can try it, maybe there was some tinder laying back there and we missed it. I'll check, ok?" Link nodded before she sped over to the remains, leaving him to his own devices. His own attempts proved futile, but Navi signaled him over to where she was, on the ground beside a small metal container.

"It's called a lighter; the Gorons came up with it along with their bombs. It's a contraption that holds flammable liquid inside, and when you flip this switch here, it opens the lid and pulls some of the fluid up, while also creating a spark, so that a little fire is made."

"Wow, cool," Link said, impressed. Taking hold of the lighter, he flipped the switch, which caused the chain reaction Navi just described to occur. He smiled, excited by the sight; he was holding fire in his hand! Letting go, the flame disappeared and the lid closed. "I like this thing."

"Good, you should have no problem handling it then along with those bombs. Wanna try it out?'

Link nodded, jogging back over to where they had been before. The Dodongos were still mulling around, oblivious to their surroundings. Taking a bomb back in hand, Link lit the lighter once again and put it to the fuse. It sparked immediately, and he quickly took aim and tossed it into the middle of the group.

"Cover your ears, it might get loud," Navi hurriedly advised, covering her own ears. Link followed suit, pulling his cap over his ears as well as his hands. And just in time, for an instant later the small bomb exploded, letting out a deafening sound; even with his ears covered, he could not stop the sound from echoing throughout the cavern.

From the corner of his eye, he watched a Dodongo fly by, ramming head-first into the base of one of the supporting pillars. It would have been funny, except it was not missing a leg and a good chunk of its tail, fresh blood dribbling out. The beast did not move.

Making a heroic attempt not to hurl, Link glanced around the corner to see the damage wrought by the explosive. It had done more damage than he had thought; every Dodongo had been hurt in some way. Many that had been close to the blast were dead, their bodies ravaged more gruesomely than the one he had just seen.

His heroism died out then.

Navi looked away, giving him the respect he deserved. He was doing a task most grown men wouldn't be able to accomplish, let alone a child. She was actually surprised he had gone this long without having done something like this, What with Gohma or the even the Lizalfos only moments ago.

A few moments later, Link stood upright again, although shakily at best, and he definitely looked paler.

"It had to be done," Navi said, hoping it helped alleviate some of the more psychological stress. He simply nodded, slowly regaining his composure. A few minutes later, Link took a deep breath, and walked out from behind the pillar towards the carnage. He kept his eyes from wandering, only keeping them fixed on the tunnel ahead. It wasn't all that hard, in actuality; this particular tunnel was huge, and Link had a feeling that ahead was his biggest challenge yet.

The tunnel gradually descended, at first lightly, until it rapidly became a near drop. As Link climbed down the rocky wall, an ominous roar filled the cavern, echoing off the walls until it felt like an earthquake. Even after it faded away, Link was left shaking.

"What in the name of the goddesses was that?" he asked with trepidation. Navi sat on his shoulders, just as stunned, if not more so, for she knew what it was. For the Love of Nayru, protect this child.

"That," she breathed, "was a Dodongo: King Dodongo."