CHAPTER 10: CROSSING THE GORGE
Using her strange magic, Midna had been able to warp the two of them out of the chamber where the Diababa plant had once dwelled, and they were now back at the spirit spring in Faron Woods. The fresh air gently warmed Link's soul. Now, I think I'll take Coro up on that offer....
But just as Link started off, a mystical voice spread out to him, as a soft, lulling tune played across the words. "Heroic Link, do not think that Hyrule is now saved from the spread of twilight. Leave these woods and go to the east, where you will find the land protected by the spirit Eldin. There … you will find those you seek."
Link's faint hope of ever finding his friends was rekindled, and he wondered why he had ever doubted his ability to do so.
"But know that these lands lie in twilight, they are now a dark realm covered by the clouds of dusk. And … if you are to set foot beyond the curtain of twilight, you will revert to your beast form, so … be prepared."
Those words played heavily upon Link. It seemed so short a time when he had finally been released of that form and he did not relish the thought of returning to four legs. He wondered if prowling about once more would heighten his wolfish characteristics when he again returned to his pale-colored body again. The possibility of becoming more like his separate half in his true form bore into his thoughts. It was a cruel thing. It seemed that he could not be rid of his nightmare. Every hour that passed he could register how much more he was aware of his surroundings, an awareness that was unusual for any human. Was it his curse to be a beast forever? Was his life bound to the goddesses' desire to force him to become more beast than man?
Faron's voice rang in his ears and awakened him from thought. "Hero chosen by the gods, the hopes of this realm now rest with you."
The singsong melody of the voice died away and left Link to his companion. Midna had sprung up from within his shadow, grinning, as if satisfied with herself. "That's better. Searching should be much easier now. But … of course, you feel the need to help the other light spirits, don't you?" Her laugh jarred him more than it normally did. How could she be so absolutely selfish?
"Well, don't worry. When you turn into a beast again," her eyes twinkled, "I'll take good care of you." Her voice then switched to a frank tone, "Now, the first thing you need to do is find the land covered in twilight. Once you do, I'll help you out." With a drawn out low-hummed laugh, Midna once again returned to the confines of his dark counterpart. "See you later!"
Link had to wonder what had made this tiny imp the way she was, why she felt no remorse for others. Why was it that she could not bring herself to just express the emotions of compassion that he knew must be hidden somewhere within her?
What was she keeping from him?
===============
It had taken only a few hours to retrace the path that he had taken to reach the cave entrance where he had first met Coro, the Faron dweller. He remembered coming across the odd man's tiny shack when he had searched for the tears of light. He turned right at the cave opening and made his way through the spread of trees, until he came to the small house. Outside, Coro sat at a campfire, roasting his supper overtop its flame. The puffy-haired man looked up at him. It was in this light that Link could finally take in his full appearance. He had believed that Coro had been much older than he, but realized that it had only been due to the premature growth of a slight beard that made his boyish body seem mature. His small eyes made him appear to be in a constant state of tiredness.
"Hey, Ordonian boy!" said Coro immediately, looking up from the roasting rodent he had slapped on a pointed stick. "What can Coro help you with?"
"I thought I'd take you up on that oil," said Link.
"Ah! Yes. Okay." Coro happily leapt up from his seat and offered his supper to Link, "Hold that for me?" Link took it and kept it in the flames, as Coro trotted into his house.
When the little man again appeared, Link lowered the animal into the fire again, having lifted it to see what it was this little man had been cooking. "Here you go!" said Coro, shooting out his arm to Link and taking back his dinner with his free hand.
Link took the small rounded bottle. Its corked insides contained the yellow oil that he needed for his lantern since his guide to the forested temple had used it. The bottle was only as large as two of his fingers and he found that it fit nicely in one of his belt pouches.
"You can have that one for free, but if you ever run out just come back and I'll refill it for twenty rupees," offered Coro.
"Thanks." Link momentarily thought about politely asking him about his day, but seeing as Coro had returned to roasting his meal, oblivious to Link's lingering presence, he bade him farewell and started down the path past his house, the path that would lead Link out into a world he had never explored.
Hyrule.
===============
When Link came to the clearing beyond the path, he halted immediately. From his vantage point at the height of Faron's entrance, the vast land of Hyrule spread out beneath him. Sporadic trees dotted the field, and a bridge connected the two inclines of north and south of the field with a shallow lake below. Several paths in the distance led to other areas of Hyrule.
It was then that Link wished that he had a map of his home country, but no one in Ordon had ever had the need for one. They rarely strayed from their village. When they did, it was for the usual selling of their crops in Hyrule Castle Town, and no one needed a map to find the castle that could be seen miles off to the north.
At that memory Link gazed it that direction, but now that he looked away from the immediate surroundings, he could now see the devastating wall of twilight that covered the land at the northern edge of the field. He looked around to find that the orange and black obstruction blanketed everything in the distance, the only area untouched being the Faron province that he had recently saved from the darkness. Faron had told him how his quest was not yet over, how the lands surrounding his home were plagued by the same black disease, but this was more disturbing than he had realized. His entire homeland it seemed had been rendered a dark world, its inhabitants no more than slaves, unknowing spirits walking forlornly in the twilight.
To the north Link could barely recognize the towers that were the kingdom's heart through the dark, hazy blue that outlined it. Anger surged within Link, fists clenching tightly. Who was this ruler of the twilight that dared to shadow the realm in which he and his people lived?
But Link could do nothing to stop the spread of darkness by standing there, brooding over the shadow ruler. He looked east and saw the path in the stretching plain that would take him to Eldin's land. It was difficult to see through the dark haze, but far off he could tell that the lay of the land changed, becoming more rock than dirt.
Momentarily, the thought of crossing into the twilight and becoming a beast made Link reluctant to continue, but as he had resolved back in the pool of the Diababa's chamber … it was his duty.
It took minutes of evenly paced steps to reach the path that would send him into the realm of Eldin's province. Through the small orchard of trees, which bordered Faron, Link made his way. For hours, he walked and watched as the veil of twilight came nearer with every step until … he finally came to the image that had become the nightmare of his existence.
He had turned through a patch of trees to come to the barrier of twilight, everything around him becoming increasingly darker, as if night had come early. He approached it, painfully aware that he would have to enter into its black. He could distinctly see now the orange symbols that were magically embroidered into its expanse. He raised a hand to touch it, trying to render his fear of it meaningless, but he ripped his hand back when Midna giggled.
He had not realized in the darkness that she had risen up from his indistinguishable shadow, hovering next to him. In the blackness he could only see her one, menacing red eye.
Her high laugh seemed to thrash his face. "It's much closer than I thought," said Midna. "I suppose I don't need to ask if you remember what this is." Link looked at her despite himself, her eye peering into his. "If you set foot in there, you'll likely be a wolf again … for quite some time. Well," she giggled, "as long as it takes you to save the light of Eldin from the twilight, anyway." She came closer to him, and he could feel the breath of her mouth even though he could not see it. "So, shall we go then?"
Unwilling to show her his fear, he responded immediately, "Yes."
She separated from his presence, disappearing beyond the doorway of twilight with a ripple. Link watched the spot tentatively, bracing himself for the moment when she would open the twilight to him. After a moment's silent pause, a hand shot out from beyond the veil, and Link was reminded of the tortuous first time that he had been forcibly stolen into its darkness. But this hand he recognized as the same that Midna had used to snatch the Fused Shadow from his palms, only the length of it was now completely orange with yellow-tipped fingers and a black ornament decorating what served as a wrist.
The massive hand swallowed him, and he was torn from his rooted position. He felt as though his skin ripped when he crossed the border, pain searing his every limb, as numbness crept into his mind.
===============
Drowsily, Link became aware of his surroundings. A patch of earth lay against his cheek and the shield pressed against his body. He realized he was lying facedown on the ground. He opened his eyes but he still could not see anything, the darkness constricting around him. He shoved himself to his feet, but just as he did so, a sharp pain buckled his knees. His stomach churned with sickness as his bones lit on fire. He held himself round the middle, eyes tightly shut as pain seared across his body. A massive pain then burst through his mind and skull. Clapping his hands to his temples, he screamed out.
The transformation was as agonizing as the first time, perhaps even more so. His knees cracked and bent backward, as his feet elongated into taloned paws. His clothes seemed to stick to his body and become one with his skin, his green cap growing fur as his hair grayed and stretched behind his fracturing skull. He could feel his ears remold themselves underneath his palms, and the feel of their furry presence frightened him so much that he lowered his hands. But wherever his hands rested, they could feel another part of his body changing. Before long his forearms grew hairier and he could not keep himself upright.
He fell to his four legs in exhaustion, completely reformed. He panted but managed to keep himself standing. He looked to Midna, who had stood beside him, watching him transform. Link saw that she had returned to her natural colors, but he could not read the expression on her face.
Truthfully, Midna admitted to herself that observing his first conversion had been far easier to bear. She had not known the Ordonian boy then, but now.... His alteration had been hard to tolerate for both of them. She had told herself not to become attached … not to trust him completely, or at all. She knew how difficult it must be for Link. She had known suffering. She had known betrayal. She knew not to attach herself.
But watching his body reform itself … listening to his scream as his brain was given a wider space to breathe … looking into those blue eyes, vision narrowed to slits from the pain....
It was hard to remain indifferent.
The only way she could pull herself from feeling even the slightest pity for him was to laugh at him. "That's a good boy," she said, talking to the wolf, not the human inside it. "Now, you need to listen to what I say from now on." She leapt onto his back, which she convinced herself had healed long enough. She looked up at the sky, and pulled at his ear to make him see, too. "And look. How lovely. The black clouds of twilight are so fetching today! I feel so much more at ease here," she hummed. To make herself feel better, she looked him straight in the eye, and said, with her usual tone of mockery, "And you look so much better like this than in those dusty old clothes anyway."
He shook loose of her gaze and looked at the area about him. He found the evening in the twilight much more fascinating than what she had to say right now … and that said a lot.
"Oh, let's get moving!" ordered Midna from his back.
Glad to put the last few moments behind them, Link pushed onward and before long he saw something poking out of the dirt path. On closer inspection he recognized it as the wooden sword belonging to Talo. An unvoiced shout of glee burst inside him, but it was suffocated when he noticed that it had been broken in half. Anger and worry pulled at his heart.
Faron had told him that Eldin's lands contained the ones he sought, but the spirit had made no mention of their state. He sniffed closely at the sword, picking up on the smell of Talo and Malo, which was a combination of two smells. Human sweat mixed sweetly with the reek of their family's pampered dog. He moved ahead, still smelling their scent in certain patches of the dirt as he walked, ignoring Midna's comment of: "See, isn't being a wolf more convenient?"
Link had to agree, but what she did not know was that some of his wolfish qualities had been retained for the short while he had been human.
He marched on, sniffing out the direction that the two boys had gone or had been taken, presuming that wherever they might be, the others surely would be as well. He did not look at anything else around him, concentrating fully on the odor of the boys. And he did not fully become aware of his sudden peril until he had to dig in his heels to stop from skidding of the edge of a cliff. For the first time since he had picked up on the smell, he tossed looks around him. A large chasm lay ahead; thousands of years of erosion--and no doubt a few earthquakes--had created a colossal canyon. Around him, the stretch into the deep continued in a jagged line from southeast to northwest until in the distant north, he saw that his side and the one that taunted him across the abyss connected. But there was no way that he could traverse the mountain path in his current state.
"Look," said Midna impatiently. Link drew his attention back to where he had drawn short to notice what she had obviously been waiting for him to see. He saw a wooden archway built on the edge that opened out into the nothingness, three blocks of fencing constructed at each of its sides to hold it straight. He then looked down to notice that he stood on a slight upward slope of wood, with protrusions at the edge that suggested that something had once fit snuggly atop them. Link looked across the chasm to discover that an identical setup had been assembled on the opposite side.
"Obviously," his partner prodded on, "there used to be a bridge here. But, hmm, where could it have gone?" She smiled at him when he looked up. "Maybe we should go take a look over there." She pointed northwest, at an inclination in their side of the gorge. Link had the distinct feeling that as he had been sniffing out the trail, she had long before noticed that the bridge had been taken out and then set it upon herself to silently search for the missing component. At her tone, he could reasonably assume that she had already located it.
Sure enough, as he leapt up the slope just beyond a patch of trees, there lay an intact, wooden bridge the exact size that they required. Link looked up at Midna for some hint at how they would manage to replace such a large device accurately enough for travelers to use again.
Midna only smiled. She jumped from his backside to hover high above the planks. After a moment of hard concentration, a bolt of red light shot from the end of her pointing hair and passed over the entirety of the bridge. With a grunt she lifted her arms up, and seconds later, the bridge followed suit, floating higher and higher until it came to hover at her current height. She led it above the gorge then, the wood coming along behind her at a steady pace until it hung overtop the exact spot.
Here, Midna let it fall onto the extensions with a loud, thundering crash that boomed throughout the entire canyon. She refortified the bridge with beams underneath that she herself created and attached. Satisfied with her work, she returned grinning to Link, who again stood at the archway.
"Isn't the power of twilight amazing?" she asked, knowing that Link remained bewildered by the use of her magic. "It should help you find what we're looking for, don't you think?" After a laugh she resettled into her barebacked saddle and commanded him on.
They crossed the bridge and not far on the other side, Link saw a barred pathway further into the mountains. He approached it carefully. Having no way of passing through--for he could smell the Ordonians beyond the barricade--he searched for an alternative means of gaining access to the mountain area. He recalled the moment where he had escaped from his cell in the Hyrule Castle dungeons. Following that memory he dug his way under with great speed.
By the time he came to the other side--scraping his back on the bottom of the locked metal doors--he was faced with two shadow creatures. They wore fierce looking skull masks that they appeared to have stolen from creatures they had slaughtered themselves, for there was a fresh smell of death coating the air. In their hands they held long white weapons that Link had no doubt were the bones of the same beings from which they had taken the heads. They swung the bones at him--their surfaces still shining with dripping blood--but Link quickly leapt out of the way. Moments later, the shadow creatures had met the same fate as the animals from which they had stolen bones.
Shaking off the small altercation, Link knocked the bodies off the path and headed down the mountain pass.
Minutes ticked by as they strode down the trail of monotonous rock formations. When at last the path became wider and wider, spilling out into a larger area, Link and Midna had no time to look around before they were bombarded by three crest-headed shadow beasts. With quick, effortless speed, Link dispatched two of the trio. After their bodies popped into nothingness, he centered his attention on the last monster.
The shadow being lurched at him, slashing with its spread of lethal fingers. Two of its claws caught Link's snout but dealt no real damage, the only evidence of its attack being two small slits along the top of his nose. Shaking off the sting, Link took advantage of its unguarded stance and launched himself directly at its neck.
This one, too, fell to join its companions after a crack of red and black haze dispersed its being into a world of nonexistence.
It was then that Link heard the ever familiar singsong voice of a spirit nearby. He looked around and found a spring in a recess of the rock to his right, a dimly glowing light dancing above the collection of water. "To the hero … who was transformed into a blue-eyed beast … in the realm of shadows … in twilight.... This way."
Link followed its voice, which sounded more feminine than either Faron or Ordona--which made him wonder if light spirits had genders.
He trotted into the water until he came to the inches-tall, wide waterfall that was so common in spirit springs and sat down at water's edge to listen as the spirit continued. "I am a … spirit of light. Hero … chosen by the gods.... Look for … my light." Its voice was incredibly strained, as if each new word brought pain to its dimming flare. "Gather the light stolen by the shadows … into this."
From within its broken orb, a vessel of light bounded forth. Midna caught it gently.
"The insects of darkness … they are the form taken … by the evil that attached itself … to my scattered light," the light informed. "In the twilight … the shadow insects are invisible, much as the people from your light world are. But with your abilities, you will be able to press back their darkness." The light struggled across its next words--words of warning. "But … be careful..... The darkness now hunts you....."
But just as Link started off, a mystical voice spread out to him, as a soft, lulling tune played across the words. "Heroic Link, do not think that Hyrule is now saved from the spread of twilight. Leave these woods and go to the east, where you will find the land protected by the spirit Eldin. There … you will find those you seek."
Link's faint hope of ever finding his friends was rekindled, and he wondered why he had ever doubted his ability to do so.
"But know that these lands lie in twilight, they are now a dark realm covered by the clouds of dusk. And … if you are to set foot beyond the curtain of twilight, you will revert to your beast form, so … be prepared."
Those words played heavily upon Link. It seemed so short a time when he had finally been released of that form and he did not relish the thought of returning to four legs. He wondered if prowling about once more would heighten his wolfish characteristics when he again returned to his pale-colored body again. The possibility of becoming more like his separate half in his true form bore into his thoughts. It was a cruel thing. It seemed that he could not be rid of his nightmare. Every hour that passed he could register how much more he was aware of his surroundings, an awareness that was unusual for any human. Was it his curse to be a beast forever? Was his life bound to the goddesses' desire to force him to become more beast than man?
Faron's voice rang in his ears and awakened him from thought. "Hero chosen by the gods, the hopes of this realm now rest with you."
The singsong melody of the voice died away and left Link to his companion. Midna had sprung up from within his shadow, grinning, as if satisfied with herself. "That's better. Searching should be much easier now. But … of course, you feel the need to help the other light spirits, don't you?" Her laugh jarred him more than it normally did. How could she be so absolutely selfish?
"Well, don't worry. When you turn into a beast again," her eyes twinkled, "I'll take good care of you." Her voice then switched to a frank tone, "Now, the first thing you need to do is find the land covered in twilight. Once you do, I'll help you out." With a drawn out low-hummed laugh, Midna once again returned to the confines of his dark counterpart. "See you later!"
Link had to wonder what had made this tiny imp the way she was, why she felt no remorse for others. Why was it that she could not bring herself to just express the emotions of compassion that he knew must be hidden somewhere within her?
What was she keeping from him?
===============
It had taken only a few hours to retrace the path that he had taken to reach the cave entrance where he had first met Coro, the Faron dweller. He remembered coming across the odd man's tiny shack when he had searched for the tears of light. He turned right at the cave opening and made his way through the spread of trees, until he came to the small house. Outside, Coro sat at a campfire, roasting his supper overtop its flame. The puffy-haired man looked up at him. It was in this light that Link could finally take in his full appearance. He had believed that Coro had been much older than he, but realized that it had only been due to the premature growth of a slight beard that made his boyish body seem mature. His small eyes made him appear to be in a constant state of tiredness.
"Hey, Ordonian boy!" said Coro immediately, looking up from the roasting rodent he had slapped on a pointed stick. "What can Coro help you with?"
"I thought I'd take you up on that oil," said Link.
"Ah! Yes. Okay." Coro happily leapt up from his seat and offered his supper to Link, "Hold that for me?" Link took it and kept it in the flames, as Coro trotted into his house.
When the little man again appeared, Link lowered the animal into the fire again, having lifted it to see what it was this little man had been cooking. "Here you go!" said Coro, shooting out his arm to Link and taking back his dinner with his free hand.
Link took the small rounded bottle. Its corked insides contained the yellow oil that he needed for his lantern since his guide to the forested temple had used it. The bottle was only as large as two of his fingers and he found that it fit nicely in one of his belt pouches.
"You can have that one for free, but if you ever run out just come back and I'll refill it for twenty rupees," offered Coro.
"Thanks." Link momentarily thought about politely asking him about his day, but seeing as Coro had returned to roasting his meal, oblivious to Link's lingering presence, he bade him farewell and started down the path past his house, the path that would lead Link out into a world he had never explored.
Hyrule.
===============
When Link came to the clearing beyond the path, he halted immediately. From his vantage point at the height of Faron's entrance, the vast land of Hyrule spread out beneath him. Sporadic trees dotted the field, and a bridge connected the two inclines of north and south of the field with a shallow lake below. Several paths in the distance led to other areas of Hyrule.
It was then that Link wished that he had a map of his home country, but no one in Ordon had ever had the need for one. They rarely strayed from their village. When they did, it was for the usual selling of their crops in Hyrule Castle Town, and no one needed a map to find the castle that could be seen miles off to the north.
At that memory Link gazed it that direction, but now that he looked away from the immediate surroundings, he could now see the devastating wall of twilight that covered the land at the northern edge of the field. He looked around to find that the orange and black obstruction blanketed everything in the distance, the only area untouched being the Faron province that he had recently saved from the darkness. Faron had told him how his quest was not yet over, how the lands surrounding his home were plagued by the same black disease, but this was more disturbing than he had realized. His entire homeland it seemed had been rendered a dark world, its inhabitants no more than slaves, unknowing spirits walking forlornly in the twilight.
To the north Link could barely recognize the towers that were the kingdom's heart through the dark, hazy blue that outlined it. Anger surged within Link, fists clenching tightly. Who was this ruler of the twilight that dared to shadow the realm in which he and his people lived?
But Link could do nothing to stop the spread of darkness by standing there, brooding over the shadow ruler. He looked east and saw the path in the stretching plain that would take him to Eldin's land. It was difficult to see through the dark haze, but far off he could tell that the lay of the land changed, becoming more rock than dirt.
Momentarily, the thought of crossing into the twilight and becoming a beast made Link reluctant to continue, but as he had resolved back in the pool of the Diababa's chamber … it was his duty.
It took minutes of evenly paced steps to reach the path that would send him into the realm of Eldin's province. Through the small orchard of trees, which bordered Faron, Link made his way. For hours, he walked and watched as the veil of twilight came nearer with every step until … he finally came to the image that had become the nightmare of his existence.
He had turned through a patch of trees to come to the barrier of twilight, everything around him becoming increasingly darker, as if night had come early. He approached it, painfully aware that he would have to enter into its black. He could distinctly see now the orange symbols that were magically embroidered into its expanse. He raised a hand to touch it, trying to render his fear of it meaningless, but he ripped his hand back when Midna giggled.
He had not realized in the darkness that she had risen up from his indistinguishable shadow, hovering next to him. In the blackness he could only see her one, menacing red eye.
Her high laugh seemed to thrash his face. "It's much closer than I thought," said Midna. "I suppose I don't need to ask if you remember what this is." Link looked at her despite himself, her eye peering into his. "If you set foot in there, you'll likely be a wolf again … for quite some time. Well," she giggled, "as long as it takes you to save the light of Eldin from the twilight, anyway." She came closer to him, and he could feel the breath of her mouth even though he could not see it. "So, shall we go then?"
Unwilling to show her his fear, he responded immediately, "Yes."
She separated from his presence, disappearing beyond the doorway of twilight with a ripple. Link watched the spot tentatively, bracing himself for the moment when she would open the twilight to him. After a moment's silent pause, a hand shot out from beyond the veil, and Link was reminded of the tortuous first time that he had been forcibly stolen into its darkness. But this hand he recognized as the same that Midna had used to snatch the Fused Shadow from his palms, only the length of it was now completely orange with yellow-tipped fingers and a black ornament decorating what served as a wrist.
The massive hand swallowed him, and he was torn from his rooted position. He felt as though his skin ripped when he crossed the border, pain searing his every limb, as numbness crept into his mind.
===============
Drowsily, Link became aware of his surroundings. A patch of earth lay against his cheek and the shield pressed against his body. He realized he was lying facedown on the ground. He opened his eyes but he still could not see anything, the darkness constricting around him. He shoved himself to his feet, but just as he did so, a sharp pain buckled his knees. His stomach churned with sickness as his bones lit on fire. He held himself round the middle, eyes tightly shut as pain seared across his body. A massive pain then burst through his mind and skull. Clapping his hands to his temples, he screamed out.
The transformation was as agonizing as the first time, perhaps even more so. His knees cracked and bent backward, as his feet elongated into taloned paws. His clothes seemed to stick to his body and become one with his skin, his green cap growing fur as his hair grayed and stretched behind his fracturing skull. He could feel his ears remold themselves underneath his palms, and the feel of their furry presence frightened him so much that he lowered his hands. But wherever his hands rested, they could feel another part of his body changing. Before long his forearms grew hairier and he could not keep himself upright.
He fell to his four legs in exhaustion, completely reformed. He panted but managed to keep himself standing. He looked to Midna, who had stood beside him, watching him transform. Link saw that she had returned to her natural colors, but he could not read the expression on her face.
Truthfully, Midna admitted to herself that observing his first conversion had been far easier to bear. She had not known the Ordonian boy then, but now.... His alteration had been hard to tolerate for both of them. She had told herself not to become attached … not to trust him completely, or at all. She knew how difficult it must be for Link. She had known suffering. She had known betrayal. She knew not to attach herself.
But watching his body reform itself … listening to his scream as his brain was given a wider space to breathe … looking into those blue eyes, vision narrowed to slits from the pain....
It was hard to remain indifferent.
The only way she could pull herself from feeling even the slightest pity for him was to laugh at him. "That's a good boy," she said, talking to the wolf, not the human inside it. "Now, you need to listen to what I say from now on." She leapt onto his back, which she convinced herself had healed long enough. She looked up at the sky, and pulled at his ear to make him see, too. "And look. How lovely. The black clouds of twilight are so fetching today! I feel so much more at ease here," she hummed. To make herself feel better, she looked him straight in the eye, and said, with her usual tone of mockery, "And you look so much better like this than in those dusty old clothes anyway."
He shook loose of her gaze and looked at the area about him. He found the evening in the twilight much more fascinating than what she had to say right now … and that said a lot.
"Oh, let's get moving!" ordered Midna from his back.
Glad to put the last few moments behind them, Link pushed onward and before long he saw something poking out of the dirt path. On closer inspection he recognized it as the wooden sword belonging to Talo. An unvoiced shout of glee burst inside him, but it was suffocated when he noticed that it had been broken in half. Anger and worry pulled at his heart.
Faron had told him that Eldin's lands contained the ones he sought, but the spirit had made no mention of their state. He sniffed closely at the sword, picking up on the smell of Talo and Malo, which was a combination of two smells. Human sweat mixed sweetly with the reek of their family's pampered dog. He moved ahead, still smelling their scent in certain patches of the dirt as he walked, ignoring Midna's comment of: "See, isn't being a wolf more convenient?"
Link had to agree, but what she did not know was that some of his wolfish qualities had been retained for the short while he had been human.
He marched on, sniffing out the direction that the two boys had gone or had been taken, presuming that wherever they might be, the others surely would be as well. He did not look at anything else around him, concentrating fully on the odor of the boys. And he did not fully become aware of his sudden peril until he had to dig in his heels to stop from skidding of the edge of a cliff. For the first time since he had picked up on the smell, he tossed looks around him. A large chasm lay ahead; thousands of years of erosion--and no doubt a few earthquakes--had created a colossal canyon. Around him, the stretch into the deep continued in a jagged line from southeast to northwest until in the distant north, he saw that his side and the one that taunted him across the abyss connected. But there was no way that he could traverse the mountain path in his current state.
"Look," said Midna impatiently. Link drew his attention back to where he had drawn short to notice what she had obviously been waiting for him to see. He saw a wooden archway built on the edge that opened out into the nothingness, three blocks of fencing constructed at each of its sides to hold it straight. He then looked down to notice that he stood on a slight upward slope of wood, with protrusions at the edge that suggested that something had once fit snuggly atop them. Link looked across the chasm to discover that an identical setup had been assembled on the opposite side.
"Obviously," his partner prodded on, "there used to be a bridge here. But, hmm, where could it have gone?" She smiled at him when he looked up. "Maybe we should go take a look over there." She pointed northwest, at an inclination in their side of the gorge. Link had the distinct feeling that as he had been sniffing out the trail, she had long before noticed that the bridge had been taken out and then set it upon herself to silently search for the missing component. At her tone, he could reasonably assume that she had already located it.
Sure enough, as he leapt up the slope just beyond a patch of trees, there lay an intact, wooden bridge the exact size that they required. Link looked up at Midna for some hint at how they would manage to replace such a large device accurately enough for travelers to use again.
Midna only smiled. She jumped from his backside to hover high above the planks. After a moment of hard concentration, a bolt of red light shot from the end of her pointing hair and passed over the entirety of the bridge. With a grunt she lifted her arms up, and seconds later, the bridge followed suit, floating higher and higher until it came to hover at her current height. She led it above the gorge then, the wood coming along behind her at a steady pace until it hung overtop the exact spot.
Here, Midna let it fall onto the extensions with a loud, thundering crash that boomed throughout the entire canyon. She refortified the bridge with beams underneath that she herself created and attached. Satisfied with her work, she returned grinning to Link, who again stood at the archway.
"Isn't the power of twilight amazing?" she asked, knowing that Link remained bewildered by the use of her magic. "It should help you find what we're looking for, don't you think?" After a laugh she resettled into her barebacked saddle and commanded him on.
They crossed the bridge and not far on the other side, Link saw a barred pathway further into the mountains. He approached it carefully. Having no way of passing through--for he could smell the Ordonians beyond the barricade--he searched for an alternative means of gaining access to the mountain area. He recalled the moment where he had escaped from his cell in the Hyrule Castle dungeons. Following that memory he dug his way under with great speed.
By the time he came to the other side--scraping his back on the bottom of the locked metal doors--he was faced with two shadow creatures. They wore fierce looking skull masks that they appeared to have stolen from creatures they had slaughtered themselves, for there was a fresh smell of death coating the air. In their hands they held long white weapons that Link had no doubt were the bones of the same beings from which they had taken the heads. They swung the bones at him--their surfaces still shining with dripping blood--but Link quickly leapt out of the way. Moments later, the shadow creatures had met the same fate as the animals from which they had stolen bones.
Shaking off the small altercation, Link knocked the bodies off the path and headed down the mountain pass.
Minutes ticked by as they strode down the trail of monotonous rock formations. When at last the path became wider and wider, spilling out into a larger area, Link and Midna had no time to look around before they were bombarded by three crest-headed shadow beasts. With quick, effortless speed, Link dispatched two of the trio. After their bodies popped into nothingness, he centered his attention on the last monster.
The shadow being lurched at him, slashing with its spread of lethal fingers. Two of its claws caught Link's snout but dealt no real damage, the only evidence of its attack being two small slits along the top of his nose. Shaking off the sting, Link took advantage of its unguarded stance and launched himself directly at its neck.
This one, too, fell to join its companions after a crack of red and black haze dispersed its being into a world of nonexistence.
It was then that Link heard the ever familiar singsong voice of a spirit nearby. He looked around and found a spring in a recess of the rock to his right, a dimly glowing light dancing above the collection of water. "To the hero … who was transformed into a blue-eyed beast … in the realm of shadows … in twilight.... This way."
Link followed its voice, which sounded more feminine than either Faron or Ordona--which made him wonder if light spirits had genders.
He trotted into the water until he came to the inches-tall, wide waterfall that was so common in spirit springs and sat down at water's edge to listen as the spirit continued. "I am a … spirit of light. Hero … chosen by the gods.... Look for … my light." Its voice was incredibly strained, as if each new word brought pain to its dimming flare. "Gather the light stolen by the shadows … into this."
From within its broken orb, a vessel of light bounded forth. Midna caught it gently.
"The insects of darkness … they are the form taken … by the evil that attached itself … to my scattered light," the light informed. "In the twilight … the shadow insects are invisible, much as the people from your light world are. But with your abilities, you will be able to press back their darkness." The light struggled across its next words--words of warning. "But … be careful..... The darkness now hunts you....."
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REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
~Leminer Jul 15, 2007 Like before, a super work! How you describ who Link transform his enough painfull, I almost felt the same way.That's true at the beginning of the story Midna is very selfish, but I THINK she will become more friendly at the end of the story. Again great work!
~nasanerd09 Apr 10, 2012 I really liked the mild character development that happened in this chapter with both Link and Midna. You give Link reason to continue on his journey, besides to search for the children, that I feel was really needed. Not that I'm complaining about the games, but it seems that Link is always told "Hey, there's bad guys screwing with everything. You have been chosen/you look capable, go deal with it" and that's all the reason you get. Now, I know Link probably has some sort of desire to help and protect others, but really, how many of us would go on with that little reason? In here, actually throughout the first chapters, you show us such a reason. Initially, he just wants to save his friends. But after seeing for himself the horrors the twilight has inflicted on his homeland, on the people, on the princess, he feels the need to do something about it, which is only strengthened by the fact that he was chosen for this anyways (rather than that being the whole reason). Great job on that. I realize that these reasons are very important for making a story realistic.
Also with Midna, you develop her character with the little things as well. In my experience of playing the game, I was really annoyed with her for the first half (until after the Lakebed Temple) and didn't like her at all, because she was so sarcastic, cynical, and so seemingly selfish and uncaring. Yet in here, that's not the case. You hint at future (or past? blah you know what I mean) events which have hurt her in some way, and the reason she acts so detached is because she's so afraid to get close to anyone (probably worded that wrong, i'm somewhat tired). And that makes perfect sense! I, who have played the game, who know the whole story and backstory, in reading the thoughts you give Midna, can very clearly see the connection, it must have been what the writers intended! (or so i hope ) it's really great that you're introducing us to this earlier on, it draws readers into the story and makes the emotions and events come alive!
~nasanerd09 Apr 10, 2012 I really liked the mild character development that happened in this chapter with both Link and Midna. You give Link reason to continue on his journey, besides to search for the children, that I feel was really needed. Not that I'm complaining about the games, but it seems that Link is always told "Hey, there's bad guys screwing with everything. You have been chosen/you look capable, go deal with it" and that's all the reason you get. Now, I know Link probably has some sort of desire to help and protect others, but really, how many of us would go on with that little reason? In here, actually throughout the first chapters, you show us such a reason. Initially, he just wants to save his friends. But after seeing for himself the horrors the twilight has inflicted on his homeland, on the people, on the princess, he feels the need to do something about it, which is only strengthened by the fact that he was chosen for this anyways (rather than that being the whole reason). Great job on that. I realize that these reasons are very important for making a story realistic.
Also with Midna, you develop her character with the little things as well. In my experience of playing the game, I was really annoyed with her for the first half (until after the Lakebed Temple) and didn't like her at all, because she was so sarcastic, cynical, and so seemingly selfish and uncaring. Yet in here, that's not the case. You hint at future (or past? blah you know what I mean) events which have hurt her in some way, and the reason she acts so detached is because she's so afraid to get close to anyone (probably worded that wrong, i'm somewhat tired). And that makes perfect sense! I, who have played the game, who know the whole story and backstory, in reading the thoughts you give Midna, can very clearly see the connection, it must have been what the writers intended! (or so i hope ) it's really great that you're introducing us to this earlier on, it draws readers into the story and makes the emotions and events come alive!