What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb?

- Apocrypha, Sirach 13:17


Morning.

Kibou flew all day, but still couldn't find her. His only occasional company were buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies.

"The Deku Scrub and that Skull Kid had better not given me the wrong directions..."


Sunset bathed the forest in sleepy dimness.

"Ooohh! That brat… She's getting better at hiding from me…"

Kibou reached the outskirts of the Lost Woods. Crows caw, owls hoot, woodpeckers hammer, and many birds sing beneath the setting sun. Birdsong before twilight produced a lonely, surreal sensation.

The fairy sighed. "I wish you were here with me..."

He sat on a big sunflower growing in a spotlight of sunlight. A loon's call echoed—not a wolf's. He sighed.

"Ughh, that girl... She is such a pain in the butt. I actually forgot how far away the wetlands are..."

Kibou's voice trailed off into unintelligible grumbling.

Mosquitoes appear, harassing him.

"Arrghh! Got you!" He ripped the bug asunder with his teeny-tiny hands. Blood splattered, partly covering the aura and revealing his dumbstruck, little frame.

Pausing as blood dripped, he shook like the tiniest cat, flicking red drops everywhere. He wiped himself with the sunflower petals, using them as towels, but he just covered himself with pollen. He sneezed a puff of golden dust, speckling himself in it.

"Well, so much for that. Gotta find some fern leaves to clean myself with..."


Dusk.

"Ughh...what if she already returned home and is waiting for me? Looking for me..."

Wolves howled afar.

Kibou rang aloud. "I'll find her very soon now! Ha-harr!" He follow the wind, which carried the howls like a ghostly composer.

He soon crossed paths with tiny nymphs, floating around joyfully. They did not seem to ever do anything besides fly about randomly. Do they just fly around aimlessly? There's no purpose. Well, at least they're carefree and happy, two things I never am. I'm stuck looking after a stubborn brat for all eternity!

The black fairy flew over leaning oaks, went through giant hollow logs stuck through rocky formations, and swerved past boulders. The howling returned, louder and clearer. Kibou zoomed around an ancient willow tree with branches touching the ground.

Growls sounded from within the branches.

After hesitation, he flew into the flexible branches, squeezing and writhing his way through them.

Once inside the waterfall of weeping limbs, he frantically looked around. Several beasts bite and paw a girl, eating her alive! The sight shook Kibou up so much that even his aura paused. After a second, he realized that the wolves were just playing, biting and pawing gently. Kibou sighed with relief, wondering if his heart shattered his rib cage yet.

The black fairy descended, noticing that the wolves were actually Wolfos pups. A Wolfos mother sat nearby, watching her pups playing.

The offspring take turns running around and pouncing, wrestling and rolling about with their friend. She rolled along the ground with the fuzzballs, face beaming. The pups gently bite her limbs and lick her face, their fur rubbing against her clothes and cheeks, their claws prodding her, the furry things panting with excitement.

As for the girl, unlike most people, she naturally had white hair; long, thick, wavy. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were also dense and white. With pale skin and pink eyes, she had all characteristics of albinism. Her sleep deprivation really showed, eye bags and dark circles pronounced. Her hair stuck to her face from to the canines' slob. But, despite her lack of cleanliness, she was happy.

The pale maiden wore a loose-fitting dark green, long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, sleeves passing her hands. Her dark green trousers were a bit big for her, the leg sleeves worn over her leather boots. She did not wear anything in her hair, keeping it loose and free. The child didn't notice the black fairy, fascination affixing her to the Wolfos pups.

Kibou shook himself vigorously, ringing like a bell to get everything's attention.

The Wolfos mother raised an eyebrow, but the pups do not care, two barking at the fairy then jumping back into the frantic playing. The albino sat up, an excited gray pup giving her a hug and licking her, rubbing his wet leathery nose against her face. The pup strongly exhaled, blowing the girl's hair back. She smiled, stroking the pup's scruff. She stared at the black fairy, almost annoyed.

"Well now, where have you been?" Kibou asks.

The girl replied by hugging the gray Wolfos pup back and falling over, pressing her face into his hide and breathing in his scent. She held him as if he was a living teddy bear, his hind legs bicycling into her from excitement.

"How did you find me?" she asked as the Wolfos pup's padded feet thumped against her.

"You've been running away from me for how long now? Quite a few years so far. Chances are I'm gonna understand your pattern sooner or later. You can't hide from me forever, no matter how hard you try. Ha!"

She chuckled. "Well, we'll see about that!"

Kibou shook his head and crossed his arms. "All we'll see if you getting your annoying butt back to bed."

"Nah."

The other pups danced about, prodding the girl with their noses, trying to get her attention. She pet them, then gestured them to play without her. They obey, but the gray one keeps hugging her, dying for loves.

"What happened to you?" the girl asked, noticing Kibou's unintentional red makeup.

"Oh, uh, blood and pollen."

"Oh my, you even kill things to find me? You're a real hero," the albino teased.

"I'd never!"

The girl gently pushed aside the gray Wolfos. He say on the ground grumpily, ears back. Chuckling, she pet him and he's happy again. He rolled his shoulders and licked her hand.

A Wolfos somewhere deep in the forest howled. The nearby Wolfoses prick their ears. The mother stands and howls. Consecutive howls, as ghostly as they are beautiful, echo through the forest.

"The children of the night, what music they make…" the girl remarked, closing her eyes.

"You really like Wolfos, don't you?" Kibou asked, a question with an obvious answer.

The girl didn't reply. She watched the pups as they howled as best they could, one falling over.

"Sounds like a hunt!" the girl stated excitedly, tilting her head and clasping her hands.

"So that's a good reason we should get going home. Let's go!" Kibou flew off a short distance.

The girl didn't even budge. She watched the pups howl eagerly.

"Well? You coming or what?"

The girl blinked at Kibou.

He grunted, whizzing over, nearly flying into her face, but she does not even blink. "Luna! You can't just sit here all night playing with dogs. Look at yourself! You're dirty, you're tired, you're sick, and you need a bath! You stink, girl!" Kibou whined.

Luna frowned. "It's just because I'm really pale, so it shows more."

"Well, you can't get any brighter than a white albino…" Kibou remarked. "And that's why we need to get you home. You really need to wash off all that slime and dirt. You literally smell like old dog."

"I can just find a pond or a stream. I don't mind cold water."

"Then you'll get a flu!"

"It's summertime. This forest is full of berry bushes, fruit trees, herbs and springs. Nature's bounty cures any illness."

"If that's the case, you still look like you're going to drop dead. You need rest, and the best sleep is in a bed."

"Ferns are good enough."

"With bugs and mosquitoes everywhere?"

"I sleep in the treetops, too. Mosquitoes can't fly that high. The branches are so thick they make a roof anyways, and keep me safe from weather."

Kibou ran out of things to say. He remembered about the Skull Kids he saw earlier...

"If you go beyond the safety of Kokiri Forest, you will get lost, and become a Skull Kid. I don't want to see you transform into some undead scarecrow."

"Really, Kibou? That's the best fairy-tale you can think of? I will never become a Skull Kid! Never! Remember the stories from long ago, when the entire Kokiri community actually went out to celebrate the victory of the Hero of Time? Besides, I've never been lost. I am not lost. Those who get lost become undead, but I am not lost."

"And I'm sure that's exactly what they said before they became soulless skeletons! Please, Luna, I am your guardian fairy. I've been around longer than you have. I think I know the dangers of your decisions. It breaks my heart thinking that one day you'll become some zombie. I don't want to see that."

"Some guardian fairy you are, you can't even look after your kid!"

"Ughh! Uh, I mean, I just don't want you lost."

"Maybe I want to get lost? That way, I won't have to deal with this…this irritating black pixie," Luna rebuked with some heat, which hurt Kibou.

"Long ago…I remember overhearing something very special, and I have never shared this with anyone," Kibou spoke slowly, getting the kid's attention.

"Well, what?"

"I'll only tell you when we get home. Now, get up. Quit sitting there. The sooner we get home, the sooner I can tell you my secret."

Luna shrugged and just stared.

A pause amidst howling.

Several adult Wolfoses rush through the trees and bushes. They sniff around with their big, dumb noses. The first remarkable Wolfos is a tall silver one with red eyes, who looks confident and serious, but leaves her tongue hanging out playfully. The next is black- and cream-colored, with yellow eyes, a rather fierce yet calculating male. Nearby them are a black and baize Wolfos both with yellow eyes, and a white one with red eyes. The black one kept his tongue hanging out, looking a bit awkward and peachy. These remarkable Wolfoses circle around slowly, eyeing Luna, but she just smiles at them. One by one, the Wolfoses nod.

"Luna, we have to go! This is getting dangerous!"

"I think you're outnumbered, Kibou!"

"Why are you so stubborn!?"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Because I know what's good for you!" the black fairy shouted while leaning into her face.

"No, you don't…" Luna's attention went back to the pups fooling around. "I want to be free. I am happy out here. Living in Kokiri Forest is like a prison for me."

"I know you just want to be happy. I don't have a problem with you coming out here, but I hate it when you just leave without saying anything. How do you even manage to sneak out so easily?"

"I am patient, you're impatient. That's when I walk away."

"I am much more patient than you think. I spent, oh what, two weeks at least? Two weeks looking for you, Luna. Two weeks. I don't want all that time to be wasted. You know how much stress you give me? Every time you run away, you risk your life and my own. Please think about me for a change, what if something happened to me?"

Luna dismissively shrugged.

Kibou's wings tilted back.

"Then stop looking out for me. I'm not asking you for anything, I want you to be safe, too, you—"

"Is there anything I can do for you to come home?" Kibou interrupted.

Luna pondered. "Yeah, there is."

"What?"

"Tell me your secret."

"Only when we go home."

"Tell me now and I will."

"I'll tell you when we get home. I promise."

"Tell me now or I won't go anywhere."

Kibou flew a bit closer. "If I tell you now, do you promise to come?"

"Promise." Luna's curiosity grows.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Kibou hesitated. He leaned a bit closer to Luna, his purple aura reflected in Luna's big, pink, curious eyes.

"OK, I will tell you. Long ago, many years ago, I overheard one of the girls speak to a young man sometime after the evils left the forest. Back then…I didn't remember his name, but I later found out he was the Hero of Time. He spoke to a girl—I don't remember her name, either, but she loved standing on those pillars to have a better view of the forest—and the last thing she said to him…was a very serious question. She asked him a simple question. She indirectly asked him if he would become a Stalfos. I know what she meant by that question. She wasn't trying to find an answer, she wasn't really asking a question. He left. He never returned. She knew what would happen. This is why I am so eager to stay with you."

"Well, the hero was never implied to have become undead, either… As for me, I will never become lost! I'll never become a Skull Kid. I promise." Luna smiled. "A promise already fulfilled, y'know."

Something in Kibou worried him. Deep down, he knew Luna will keep her promise, but it does not feel right. Even if she keeps her word…

"Well, what if you do become lost?" Kibou asked nervously, expecting to touch Luna and leave her speechless.

"Even if that happens, we will be friends forever, right?"

Her response surprised him.

Another pause.

"Yes, we will be friends forever."

Luna made am impish smile. "Promise?"

"Promise."

"We will be friends forever, won't we? Ha! OK, let's go home." Luna brushed herself off. All the Wolfos pups scurry around and around as she stroked their excited heads.

"What? You're really going home?" Kibou asked.

"Promise," Luna replied. Kibou followed her, watching her play with the pups one last time. More adult Wolfoses appear.

Once Luna finished spoiling her little friends, they sadly watched her go. Luna looked so tiny compared to the adult Wolfoses, yet she had no fear of them. Kibou almost expected them to jump in and kill her, but she casually went through them. The silver Wokfos, and black and cream one, are the last pair Luna passes as they nod together.

"Bye!" Luna waved to her furry friends. A few wave back.

The silver Wolfos sharply barked. The pack ran off the opposite direction, jumping through the branches, cloaked by the night.

To Kibou's relief, Luna passed the hanging branches. Guided by darkness, she and Kibou disappear into the shadows.

"It's quite a walk home," Luna admitted.

"Without wings, I don't think I'd ever find you!"