THIS STORY IS NOT DEAD! Sorry for the delay and wait, but we are back! The story will continue! We will start with the disclaimer. I do not own The Legend of Zelda. All rights to the franchise belong to Nintendo. I only own the plot of this story and my .
A Night With Wolves
Dead silence fills the air. A feather hitting the floor could have been audible to anyone and time freezes with the tension in the atmosphere. Zelda waits patiently in this silence for some form of reply. It is done. She has told the family her story. Her secret is out and there's no taking it back.
Sparing a brief glance at them reveals nothing that can put her mind at ease. It all only makes her more disheartened: Arlette's sad, apologetic eyes; Lysander's stoic features; San's calculating glare; Aryll and Linka's downcast eyes; Hob's firm yet gentle gaze; Helga's forgiving smile.
Then there is link. Link! Once her best friend, now little more than a stranger. Compared to the others, he's a blank slate. An emotionless void staring at her with no hint of warmth or familiarity.
She can't take it anymore. Her mind demands for something, anything. A scolding, a slap, a rejection—anything over the looks and this unbearable silence.
What she had not been expecting is being tackled into a hug.
Zelda is surprised to see little Aryll latched onto her with her arms wrapped around her tightly, silent tears wetting Zelda's dress. One by one, they all follow Aryll's example and embrace Zelda. The princess struggles to hold back even more tears as love surrounds her on all sides.
But there is one person who has not joined in the embrace. Link is off to the side, rocking back and forth on his feet, that blank expression still on his face. Zelda looks him in the eyes and silently pleads for him to do something, anything other than nothing.
He must have understood her, for he furrows his brow in deep concentration. Time re-freezes meanwhile for Zelda as she watches. Eventually, Link gives her one last glance before slipping away.
Zelda's heart shatters into pieces.
A cool breeze blows outside, slowly building in strength and momentum till it has gained enough force to be called a wind. This wind blows by the house, knocking on the windows and crying through every nock and cranny.
Somehow, a stray gust blows off from the main force and blasts its way into Zelda's room, waking her in the middle of the night. Groaning, she reluctantly leaves the warm covers of her bed, stumbling half blind to the shutters that had been forced open by the wind. After securing them shut, the princess climbs back into her bed and curls under the layers of sheets, tugging in the edges underneath herself and pulling the end over her head. Try as she might, Zelda can't fall back to sleep. With a huff and a grumble, the covers are flung away and slipping on her shoes, Zel silently slips out her room.
The soft pitter patter of felt shoes whisper with each careful step. She shuffles through the hall and down the stairs doing her best to remain silent and cringing every time a board creaks under her weight. Upon entering the kitchen, a small cup is taken from its shelf in the cupboard and is filled with water. Small, delicate sips are taken of her drink and she flinches as the chilled liquid runs over her teeth. Running her finger along the rim of her cup, her mind wanders back to the last time she had been awake in the middle of the night. It had been the night of her first day officially living here. Just like now, she had woken up and gone to get a cup of water. However, last time she had sighted Link leaving the house to do who knows what—though she hadn't known it was him at the time.
The grip on her cup tightens as she thinks of Link—her breath catching in her throat—and she wonders what is going on in his life that their friendship has to suffer.
Downing the rest of her water, Zelda wipes her cup dry before placing it back in the cupboard. A stifled yawn is her sign to go back to bed, when the tell-tale creak of a wooden board on the stairway reaches her sensitive ears. She ducks behind the table and folds in her arms and legs, hugging herself as tight as possible lest someone sees her. The footsteps grow clearer, but even then, they are soft and faint—far too light to be Link's heavy boots.
Finally, the owner of the footsteps enters Zelda's view. Though it is too dark to make out great detail, the person's overall shape is too petite to be Link. Whoever it is briskly walks to the door which they hastily swing open with a groan of protest from the hinges. A shiver runs through her as the temperature dips.
Zelda covers her mouth to hold back a gasp. By the moonlight pouring in through the open door, she sees the last person she would have expected to be awake at this hour. Before her, wrapped in an oversized cloak, the pale moonlight giving their face an otherworldly glow, is none other than little Aryll. Aryll has her hair done up in a tight bun and is dressed in her morning clothes . If Zelda doesn't know better, she would think Aryll is going out for a midday stroll.
The younger girl pulls her cloak around herself tighter before slipping out into the night, the door groaning as it shuts behind her. Zelda sits there in the dark for a moment wondering what to do. Something's going on, that much is obvious. At least, Link and Aryll are in on it—whatever it is—but for all she knows, the whole family could be involved. Her instincts scream for her to go back to bed and forget about this, but her curiosity had been growing ever stronger.
Surely it wouldn't hurt to follow her? At least to make sure she's alright.
Quietly racing back up the stairs, she reaches into her wardrobe and grabs the first cloak she can find before scurrying back to the door, no longer caring about what noise she makes. As the first rays of light shine through the opening door, Zelda realises that in her rush she grabbed Link's cloak. The one he had given her and she has yet to return.
She runs her fingers through the fabric, the soft wool tickling her callouses. Zelda brings it up in front of her and buries her face in the cloak, trying to catch a whiff of his scent. The familiar smell of trees, freshly cut grass, animals and sweat greet her, but they smell more faint than before. A single tear falls as she hugs the cloak tightly to her. Shaking herself, she wraps the cloak tightly around her and walks out into the night, gently closing the door behind her.
The crisp, cool air greets her with a biting wind that blows through her bones. She gasps shivering as sleep is flung off her shoulders. Refreshed and awakened, she gazes out upon the fields and pastures of the farm letting her eyes wander in every which way for any sign of Aryll. Then she sees it. Something crosses her vision in the distance at the edge of the forest. She strains her vision, trying to make out what or who is exactly entering the trees, but all she gets is a blurry image of a smallish figure that is soon lost to the trees.
Is that Aryll? What's she doing? "Aryll!" she cries out, but no one answers. Maybe she can't hear me. I better hurry before I lose her.
The tall grass brushes past her as she runs across the pasture, the wind pulling back on her cloak and making her hair fly. It's not easy going, for her movement grows sluggish and her body heavy, but she pushes past her growing exhaustion. The trees grow closer, but to her annoyance they're still a ways off.
Something wet lands on her nose. Halting, she looks to the sky and sees some clouds have formed, but doesn't feel or hear any rain. Something white floats down on the wind, landing on her hand.
On her palm is a tiny, white crystal, cold to the touch and elegant in design. Awe fills her as the crystal melts in her hand till only a drop of water remains. Another crystal lands on her hand. Then another on her sleeve, and another on her face. Turning her gaze upwards, a childish squeal rises from her lungs and she jumps with joy at seeing the steady snowfall that is blowing all around her. She longs to run around and dance in the fresh snow—the first snow of the year, but her mind reminds her she is looking for Aryll. Silently chastising herself she strides onward, sparing only a second to look back longingly at the snow covered field before entering the forest.
Zelda peers at the surrounding brush and trees but can see no trace of the little girl. Her seeking leads deeper into the woods and, being no tracker, loses herself to the trees.
"Aryll! Aryll!" Zelda calls out, again receiving no reply.
Her voice continues calling until it grows hoarse forcing her to stop, but she keeps searching, growing frantic and desperate, hastily moving from bush to tree. Her limbs shake with each movement and her breathing is heavy and slow. She fights to keep her heavy eyelids open, but it's in vain. She collapses to the hoarfrost, exhausted. How she will have loved to relax and fall asleep there and then, beneath the trees surrounded by freshly fallen snow. Some small recess in her mind is still concerned about Aryll, but her body doesn't care—it wants rest.
As she is about to succumb to the desirable embrace of the Wind Fish, a jostling in the underbrush startles her awake with an adrenaline rush. She glances around, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever could have made the disturbance. A rustle of leaves here, the snap of twigs there. Something is out there.
Dread and anxiety well up in. Shivers rake her spine, and it's not from the cold. She grabs a stick off the ground and brandishes it like a sword, desperately trying to recall her fencing stances. But doing so brings forth memories of her time with Link, of all the fun they had together. She chokes on a sob, letting the stick fall to the ground, laying her head in her hands and weeps. Even though this may be a life or death situation, she weeps.
Something wet nudges her cheek and a whimper reaches her. Wiping tears away, Zelda is surprised with a dog sitting before her, staring with big puppy eyes.
She places her hand on the dog, and the dog presses into her a satisfied rumble echoing in its chest. It proceeds to nuzzle up against the princess, placing its head in her lap, wagging its tail.
Zelda laughs. "My, my. Aren't you a good little..." She quickly checks under the dog's tail. "Girl."
The dog gives a small nod.
Zelda smiles at the playful behaviour. With the dog snuggling against her, she takes the time to examine it. Her beautiful, thick pelt is a mix of black, grey, white, with some patches of brown. A fluffy tail whips back and forth in jolly wags, and light blue eyes watch her attentively.
How peculiar. How beautiful! This girl would cost a fortune for her eyes alone.
Though perhaps the most peculiar thing about the dog is her proportions. A light, lean body with long, slender legs that end in paws the size of Zelda's palms. Two large ears rest on top a narrow head that ended in a long pointy muzzle, and overall looked too big for the dog's body. Zelda tilts her head and knits her eyebrows. Is she still growing? She's already a good size. There aren't that many breeds bigger than her except for a few hound dogs.
As she sifts through her mind over all dog breeds she's familiar with, a musical sound, chilling to the bones, breaks the silence of the night. Somewhere off in the distance, the howl of a wolf is heard. It rings out across the sky and over the trees, disturbing the peace.
A reply is given. It comes from the very dog resting her head in Zelda's lap. As the song rises above the trees, Zelda realizes that that which she thought had been a dog is actually an adolescent wolf.
Her body stiffens momentarily, and the wolf must have noticed, for she tilts her head to the side before nuzzling Zelda with her muzzle. The princess slowly reaches out and strokes the wolf between her ears, to which she responds with a happy bark. Zelda smiles at the reaction. She's no big bad wolf. She's just a big puppy.
Said puppy lies on the ground and rolls onto her back. Her chin rests on her soft belly as she gazes at Zelda with big, round puppy eyes.
"Oh! Do you want a tummy rub?"
The wolf nods her head, even giving a little whimper that makes Zelda laugh.
"I'm sorry. As much as I would love to, I can't. I came here looking for my friend Aryll. Have you seen her? Under average height, petite frame, blonde hair, tiny feet?" Real smart Zelda, asking a wolf for help and with the most vague of descriptions.
To the surprise of the princess, the wolf nods her head.
"You can understand me!"
The wolf pup rises and wanders over in the direction it had come from. She glances expectantly at Zelda, jerking her head towards the trees as if beckoning the princess to follow.
She dumbly follows the wolf into the trees, doing her best to keep her new furry friend in sight as she weaves between the trees and underbrush. The twisting branches slow her progress, but she never loses sight of the wolf. Whenever she would stumble over hidden roots, falter, get her foot stuck in a rabbit, or her hair tangled in low-hanging branches, the wolf would wait for her to catch up.
Eventually, they break through the trees into a small clearing laden with freshly fallen snow. The clearing is small in area and circular in shape. No large tree branches overshadowed the ground, allowing a perfect view of the sky, and for the ground to be carpeted in thick snow. Aside from that, there is nothing remarkable about this clearing, and there's still no sign of Aryll. The only remarkable thing present here is the large mass in the centre of the clearing. Studying it from every possible angle reveals nothing. To her, it is an oddly shaped rock with different hews of grey and a fine layer of snow on top. Even as she wonders, why did the wolf bring me here? it twitches!
The twitch, though small, had been present. Zelda takes a cautious step back, mindful that whatever this thing is, is alive. Worry transforms into surprise then awe as the shape raises a head, and then another, and another, until before her was not a mysterious mass, but three handsome wolves. Her own wolf companion bounds through the snow with a yelp, spraying up white powder everywhere. She crashes into the nearest wolf and proceeds to happily nuzzle all the others.
This must be her pack. Why did she bring me here?
The wolves cautiously approach her. Their amber eyes hold her own in a piercing gaze that bores into her soul. She retreats until her back hits a tree. They approach on silent feet, like phantoms in the dark. Their intense stare weighs upon her and she slides down to her knees. How vulnerable, how exposed she feels before them, these majestic animals, like a girl at court with all eyes on her, watching, judging her every move. A sheep among wolves then, a sheep among wolves now.
Now they stand face to face; a silent showdown takes place. Their noses twitch as they sniff the air catching her scent. She half expects them to attack her, but then the unexpected happens.
It is as if a spell has taken over them. They raise their heads and their posture relaxes. Briskly they saunter towards her, tails wagging behind them, and happily nuzzle her side, even bumping noses with her!
She stares in awe as these beautiful creatures affectionately greet her the way a dog would a family member. Calmly smiling, she slowly returns the friendliness, patting them on the head, rubbing their bellies, and bumping noses. She even laughs, laughs! In the presence of wolves, she laughs!
As her laughter echoes through the trees, fading into the night, she hears something new. High and musical, it drifts through the air soft as an angel's touch. The ears of the wolves prick up and they look to and fro for the source. With growls and howls they rise to their feet and make haste through the snow into the trees.
How odd, observes the princess as the wolves, like trained dogs, march in the direction from which the song came. Even as they go, her little wolf friend looks back at her and motions with her head at the trees before disappearing into them.
Too curious for her own good, Zelda eagerly follows them. They flit between the trees and she sights them every now and then. She picks up speed and is soon racing with the trees passing her in a blur. Even the wolves are only gray shadows. So she goes, using her ears to guide her. Whether or not she's chasing the wolves or they're chasing her no longer matters.
With each stride the sound grows louder and clearer until what was once a hypnotic sound is now an enchanting song. Zelda spares a moment to stand and listen to the melody, bringing a hand to her heart as her spirit is moved by the voice. She convinces herself she must be listening to an angel, for only an angel can possess such a beautiful voice. There must be magic woven in the words because Zelda finds herself leaping and prancing, skipping and jumping to the rhythm of the music. A wild, primal feeling overwhelms her being, and her soul cries out in joy. How alive and free-spirited she feels. More so than ever before.
She lets loose, releasing a wild cry to the night, even as the spirits of the forest add their own voices to the song. Then the trees give way, and she finds herself in another clearing of freshly fallen snow. The wolves are there, gathered around a cloaked figure sitting on a slab of of stone. The girl stares, her mouth opening and closing, struck dumb with awe and wonder as it dawns on her that the majestic voice she has been following has been coming from this stranger.
Suddenly, the song stops, and everything grows silent. The panting of the wolves and her own heavy breathing are the only sounds made. The stranger lifts their head to Zelda and a friendly smile appears underneath her cowl.
"Welcome, child," she greets, in a soothing, silky voice. "Did you enjoy my music?"
The entranced princess can only nod her head.
A light giggle escapes the woman. "Tell me, would you like to learn the song, so that you, too, may sing to the wolves?"
Against her own instinct, Zelda replies "Yes."
She takes the woman's hand and sits down beside her. The woman begins singing again in a language that Zelda cannot understand. However, there's something different. A different kind of magic takes place, for though she does not know the language, Zelda slowly understands the meaning of the words, as if they are talking to her. When the woman sings for the third time, Zelda adds her own voice, knowing exactly what notes to reach and how to make them. The wolves who have been silently watching are now circling around the women in a playful prance, almost as if they're dancing, if wolves could dance.
As the last note fades into silence, and the wolves bark in approval as if applauding for the performance, they hear a new sound. It is the howl of a wolf, but none of the wolves present are making that howl. But the wolf that's making it is near, very near. Zelda follows it, using her sensitive ears to find her way. Pushing aside branches with her hands, she trudges deeper into the trees. Soon they give way and she comes across a marvelous sight.
Beyond the trees is a rising hill, on top of which stands a handsome, black wolf. His fur shines in the moonlight, making him stand out against the snow like obsidian on silver or white gold. She beholds him in reverence, and as his howl crosses the sky, the emotion behind it strikes her in the heart. How could so much pain, heartbreak, and loneliness be contained in one sound? In one being?
As she looks on, tears drip from her eyes, and her heart reaches out to him. So, she closes her eyes and sings again, this time pouring her heart into every word, singing not only with her voice, but also with her soul and her tears.
Opening her eyes reveals seeing the black wolf sitting before her. Resting on her knees, she slowly raises her hand and pets him on the head. The wolf moves closer and rests his head on her. She hugs him in turn, breathing in his wolf scent. Here, the Wind fish has found her, for all her weariness from earlier crashes down on her. The wolf must have sensed her drowsiness, for he lowers himself onto his side, allowing her to rest her head on him. There in the snow among trees and wolves, she curls into his side and allows sleep to seduce her.
Thank you sticking around and waiting patiently. To show how much I appreciate you for following this story, today will be a double upload! That's right! Two chapters in one day! Sit back and enjoy, and Happy New Years.