The Legend of Zelda: the Secret of the Sages (ZEROKI PLEEEZE)

It was all Nyx could do trying to keep hold of the boat. Much as it was rocking and practically ready to throw her off, it was the only physically stable surface she could shoot from. Everything else was either water, or tentacles.

Looking from her surroundings to Link and back and forth, she grabbed at a long coil of rope, tying it tight as she could to the mast before stretching it only far enough to take her to the front of the boat and tying it about her waist. A risky move, considering that if the creature decided to take the small boat down; it would likely take Nyx down with it.

Notching only two more hunting arrows she fired them away, growling as they had no effect. She watched with wide eyes as Link all but flew toward the creature's face. A silent prayer was sent to the three goddesses that Link was able to avoid that mouth.

"Nyx, shoot!"

Reaching to the quiver on her back, Nyx snatched at two light arrows and notched them both; using the first three fingers of her hand to hold them straight as she took aim at eye while her own eyes were squinted through the intensity of the light arrows. Going on a strong hope that both of the light arrows would strike true, she let them fly. They arced through the air toward the eye and this time, they both managed to land.

The reaction from the creature was indication enough as tentacles arced in anger through the water and it roared in pain and anger. She felt herself fall backward into the boat as a tentacle came dangerously close to capsizing the boat, raining icy water down onto her. Looking back to the creature, she noticed it bowed over, eye open and stunned.

Pulling another light arrow from her quiver she took aim, shouting. "Link! Hit it!" as she let another light arrow fly, blinking only a moment as her eyes tried to adjust to the source of light so close...

Link emerged from the water just in time to hear Nyx screaming. Unfortunately, now he was in a predicament. It had been hard enough to get up that high the first time, and if Nyx's arrows were any indication, that body would just draw him in with no way to get out if he tried to climb it.

He gripped his sword's hilt and prayed the goddesses would grant him aim to match his courage. Focusing power in his blade again he shifted his body wait, hurling the Master Sword with all his might toward the fiend's eye. The blade struck home, causing the monster to cry out in terror and pain, the combined energies of the Master Sword and light arrows stuck in its eye counteracting whatever magic had created it. Link shielded his eyes as the entire body of the creature glowed, only to explode into a myriad of fairy-like lights. When the light faded, Link opened his eyes....

Just in time to see a thin blue body drop into the water before him. Link gasped as he realized who it was and dove down deep, grabbing her and coming back up. Gasping, he pulled her unconscious form toward the boat. "Nyx, grab her!" he called, "Get her into the boat!"

Unfortunately, what he had yet failed to realize was that one of the last thrashes of Tentaclus' tentacles had come down hard on the fisherman's boat, splitting it in half, meaning Nyx was in as bad a spot as he.

She watched with rapt anticipation as Link hurled the Master Sword from where he was in the water. The roar of Tentaclus nearly drowned out the sound of the splitting wood on the opposite side of the mast and thus Nyx just assumed it that the boat had been hit, not split in half. A broad grin stretched across her face as she gave a sort of whoop of victory. For a moment, the young woman looked confused. Who was that?

"Nyx, grab her!""Get her into the boat!"

Link's urgent call brought her attention to them, and she reached out to grab at Ruto, pulling the thin Zora toward her. Only too late did Nyx realize that the front half of the boat that had the mast attached to it was sinking while the back half had all but been destroyed and what remained could be called little more than a raft.

Nyx looked around her a moment in panic before she regrettably all but threw Ruto onto the remains of the back half of the ship. It wasn't graceful or gentle, but better than leaving her to the water.

The first thought that entered Nyx's head a long string of curse words as she first attempted to pull the rope off, her legs striking out and finding that she had indeed, left very little slack and that it would not simply slide off. 'Damn this water is cold!" she thought right before she felt some of the arrows on her back begin floating from their quiver to the surface, the arrowheads tipped in little balls of light.

'Damn it! Think! Think!' An arrowhead would not cut this rope quickly enough. Sword, no. Knife, knife. A KNIFE!

Nyx patted herself down, trying to find where she'd stashed the Kokiri Sword; all the obvious places first. 'BOOT' popped into her mind as she pulled her right leg up, snatching the small sword from it's temporary place as she wriggled it between her body and the rope, sawing frantically. Her air was running out and those light arrows that had floated away were growing dimmer in the dark waters.

As the last of the rope gave under the small blade, Nyx quickly began pushing for the surface, failing to resist the impulse to breath as her lungs burned fiercely and her limbs demanded more oxygen to move. The light arrows got closer, and she pushed harder; eyes squeezed shut.

A rasping gasp was the first thing out of her mouth as she scrambled to a floating plank, a leftover piece of the fisherman's boat. She gave only deep coughs and deep breaths as whatever water she had sucked in was expelled from her lungs. The Kokiri Sword held firmly in her white-knuckled grip while her legs hung slack below the surface of the water and little dark spots danced in her vision and she found she felt tired as she rested her forehead on the plank she was floating on panting and catching her breath.

"Looks like that fisherman is not getting his boat back." Nyx said, waving her hand lightly with a heaving sigh...

Link bit his lip, fighting to keep from swearing as he saw the condition of the boat. He'd hoped to transport Ruto to shore and get answers from here there, but unfortunately, that was going to be easier said than done. Before he knew it, Ruto was safe, but Nyx was disappearing beneath the water to retrieve some of her light arrows. It was a flurry of activity as she finally came to the surface again, out of breath, but at least living.

He swam forward, sheathing his sword in the process before helping to push Nyx to the back half of the boat too. "We've got to get to shore," he said, noting the coastline in the distance. Pushing against the still-turbulant water, the hero of time did his best, but he was pushing three people, and getting precious little help...

Until suddenly the raft started moving much more easily, faster than Link could hope to push it. Looking over, he expected to find Nyx helping him, but instead, it was Ruto! The Zora princess panted slightly, giggling as she seemed to slowly be regaining her strength. "Can't have much of a wedding if you die out in the water, can we, Link?" she smirked

Nyx wasn't entirely aware of her surroundings as Link pushed her onto the remains of the boat that was still floating, her oxygen deprived brain catching up slowly but surely. She did however, feel the speedup before she moved her head up to look to where she thought Ruto would be; only to find her not there.

"Can't have much of a wedding if you die out in the water, can we, Link?"

The young woman didn't quite understand why Ruto was giggling of all things, and why she was mentioning the thought of marrying Link? Fighting to keep herself from instead putting her head back down and just let that wonderful temptation of sleep take hold, she slid off of the bit of the boat to Link's other side and took up pushing the last bit of the boat to the shore. If she had to be honest with herself, Nyx's legs were screaming at her to stop; that her muscles were not in any position to take anymore of a beating. She ignored the pain in her muscles, gritting her teeth as they pushed the boat closer to the beach.

Squinting her eyes slightly in the darkness, Nyx could swear she was seeing someone with a lantern on the shore; waving a hand. She nudged Link in the side before motioning to the person standing on the shore. It looked to be an older man, but Nyx couldn't be sure; even by her sharp eyes...

As Nyx and Link made it to shore, Ruto let go of the boat. As a Zora, she was far more comfortable in the water than on dry land. She looked up a moment, noting the waving old man and nodded her head slowly, but Link wasn't ready to go yet.

He turned around and stepped back into the water until it was just below ankle deep, while Ruto came to meet him. She was really a beautiful creature, all-thing sconsidered, even with her fins and her oddly-shaped head. "Princess Ruto, what happened?"

Ruto shook her head as she beckoned for Nyx to come closer. What was to follow, she too would need to hear before they followed the old man. "I cannot speak of all the details," she admitted when Nyx finally drew near "But this much I do know... There is prophecied a time of great darkness which will fall upon the land of Hyrule. At that time, a great call is to be sent up from each of the temples surrounding Hyrule... But the forces of darkness are as aware of the prophecy as we...

To prevent me from hearing the call, I was kidnapped, and through foul magic transformed into the creature you saw before you... Tentaclus. The pure light of your arrows, Nyx, and the power of the Blade of Evil's Bane was enough to reverse the magic that held me bound, and I can now return to where I belong... but Link... Nyx... The spells binding the other sages will be much stronger. Though the waters remain largely pure, this land is corrupt, and will aid the dark powers in keeping us imprisoned in monstrous forms...

Thus it must be, my Link, that we are parted once more, and though I have not forgotten the promise we made to one another seven years ago, our duties must lead us to other things... Before I return to Hyrule, and to the Sacred Realm, I will join my power to yours so that you may free the other sages, and restore order to our world...

Nyx, your role in this is especially important, for though Link is the hero of time, there is something he cannot do... something that will, in the end, be your destiny alone... Therefore, I will join my power to yours first... Hold out one of the light arrows in your hand, Nyx."

Nyx almost half-stumbled in the water as they made the remains of the boat to land. Turning to face Ruto as they all stood in the water, the young woman listened to what the Zora princess had to say. During the story, she looked confused.

One, how by the goddesses did Ruto know her name? They had never met nor had Link ever described Nyx to Ruto, not that she was aware of. Two, she was wasn't going to even bother asking what promise it was at that moment. Maybe she'd be able to worm it out of the Hero of Time later on.

"...Nyx, your role in this is especially important, for though Link is the hero of time, there is something he cannot do... something that will, in the end, be your destiny alone... Therefore, I will join my power to yours first... Hold out one of the light arrows in your hand, Nyx."

She didn't say anything but removed one of the light arrows from the quiver on her back, not making mention of her irritation about this 'destiny' of hers. Nyx hated the idea of not being in control of her own life; of something basically playing with her like a puppet on a string. A slight shiver rattled through her body; making her hand shake a little as she involuntarily gripped the arrow a little tighter...

Ruto nodded her approval as Nyx held out the water arrow. Without warning, the water sage drew Nix forward, 'til the young Hylian girl stood nearly as deep as Link. A warm, blue glow of energy started from the water and slowly rose about the two women, like waves upon a stream. No doubt Nyx would feel the magic of the sage flowing through her in that moment, as all the injuries she had sustained before began to heal. Ruto fixed her eyes only on Nyx's, as though commanding not to look away from her.

"Water is the most pure of the elements of the earth," Ruto said, "It gives life. It cleanses sickness and erases death. As long as it flows, the fires of evil will be quenched, and all life will experience renewal. It is the power of life and renewal itself I pass into your hands, Nyx." So saying, she stepped back, and at once the glowing waves surrounding the two seemed to resolve themselves into a single glowing orb, which shrank in size and flowed down to the tip of the light arrow. "I give you the Arrows of the Tide," Ruto concluded, "Use them well to free my fellow sages."

Should Nyx look, she would find that the light arrows now pulsed, the energy around their tips ebbing and flowing like waves upon a beach, first the golden of the sun, then the blue of the sea.

Ruto smiled as she turned to Link. "And to you, Link, I offer a gift, for just as the sea stores within its depths the greatest of treasures, so too will you, as you did before, need to acquire treasure in order to free the sages and bring peace to our world once more." She stretched out her hand, and the calm waters began to ripple before from them emerged a white pouch, appearing to be made of leather, but patterned after fish-scales, with a sea-blue diamond clasp. "This pouch will allow you to hold your rupees, and whatever other equipment you may find a use for along the way," she stated as the purse wafted through the air toward him. "Use it well, and never fear that you will not have enough room for all you will gather in your journey... For now... I must bid the both of you farewell... 'til the time comes for us to meet again."

And with that she dove into the water and disappeared from sight.

"Water is the most pure of the elements of the earth,""It gives life. It cleanses sickness and erases death. As long as it flows, the fires of evil will be quenched, and all life will experience renewal. It is the power of life and renewal itself I pass into your hands, Nyx.""I give you the Arrows of the Tide," Ruto concluded, "Use them well to free my fellow sages."

Nyx didn't move, feeling whatever injures she'd sustained slip away. Her muscles stopped screaming at her (much to her relief). She watched the water coalesce into the light arrow as it shone from blue to gold and then back again and continued to do so. There was a moment as Nyx gazed into's Ruto's amethyst eyes that the rough but spirited appearance of Nyx's own slipped a moment and she looked unsure of herself. The dark haired woman said nothing, and it seemed that Ruto wouldn't either for the most part.

She watched as Ruto gifted Link with his purse. (OOC: *giggle*) Looking from Link to the older man that was carrying a lantern on a pole, making it appear in the darkness that the lantern was simply floating in mid-air. The old man looked a stout man with a gruff grey beard and a strong jaw. He was clearly a working man as his hands appeared calloused and worn.

"Come down here to check mah ship and I find you folks. You two get caught in a storm there?" He called as he approached Nyx and Link near the tide. He seemed gruff but at least good in heart, not many would have stayed to make sure someone made it to shore. If he had seen what had taken place between Ruto and the two Hylians, he sure didn't make mention of it.

Nyx was sure that to the man, they must've looked a hell of a state. Both of them had dripping wet clothes and looked like drowned rats. She laughed slightly, a smile crossing her face.

"You could say that."

Link took the time to belt the pouch to his hip and watched as Ruto swam off, sighing before turning around, only to find himself face-to-face with the old man. He nodded himself at the question. "My name is Link," he said, "This is my companion, Nyx. I apologize but... I don't think there's much left of any boats here, yours included."

He looked meaningfully at the remains of the boat that had been used to bring Nyx and him here.

"My name is Link,""This is my companion, Nyx. I apologize but... I don't think there's much left of any boats here, yours included."

The older man smiled lightly, a thick eyebrow quirking. "Now why on earth would you apologize for that? Not like you caused the storm." He shifted the pole holding the lantern to his other hand as he shifted weight to his other foot. "The name's Warren. Now that we have introductions outta tha way, you two are more than welcome to stay the night at my home. I'd feel 'orrible if I just left yas out here with the water and northern chill."

Warren turned as he began to walk up towards a small stone paved road that led to, his large feet leaving deep tracks in the sand. "And the wife would have me hide on top of that." He chuckled slightly. "I imagine she's got the stew that was cooking earlier done."

Stopping a moment, the stout man turned to looked at the two. "Unless you'd rather stay here, o'course?"

Nyx look from Link to Warren and back a couple of times as the older man spoke to the two. She couldn't help her mouth watering at the prospect of the stew that Warren had mentioned. Looking to Link, she grinned before she moved behind the Hero of Time and began pushing on his shoulders fully intent on moving him to follow Warren if he wasn't already. "Come on Link, it's colder than a dead man's grave out here and we're still wet."

Warren however, waited for the two; a light smile still present on his gruff bearded face. He rolled his eyes lightly, thinking to himself. 'kids.'

Link remained silent while he listened to the two converse. After the rude awakening he and Nyx had just had, he was grateful that someone would open their home to the two of them. Making his way up the beach he took the time to look around.

"Pardon me, Warren," he said, "but as you may have guessed, Nyx and I are not from around here. Can you tell us about the land we're in now? Maybe if you've been having any problems recently? Anything you can tell us will be helpful."

"Pardon me, Warren,""but as you may have guessed, Nyx and I are not from around here. Can you tell us about the land we're in now? Maybe if you've been having any problems recently? Anything you can tell us will be helpful."

Warren quirked a thick, graying eyebrow as he looked at Link. He seemed to be thinking a moment as he regarded the young man before him. "Well you have arrived on Zemlya and we are in the providence of Mille Seseau. I live in Eten, which is a small fishing town."

"We have had more storms than usual. I haven't been out there, but I've heard a few stories of the animals in the Evergreen Forest between here and Furni turning vicious. Traders are having issues getting through without knights or warriors accompanying them."

The older man turned around to walk, still talking of what he knew and what he'd managed to hear through the grapevine. Zemlya didn't seem particularly peaceful at the present moment in time from his description. "Most people don't even attempt to cross Death Frontier since the sandstorms have become too severe to see in and people have either been getting lost to the desert or killed by the creatures there. But I haven't heard anything from the Tiberoa providence or Serdio providence for that matter."

The man continued walking, seeming to use the pole he was holding as a staff of sorts as they progressed up a hill. Warren placed two fingers to his mouth a let a shrill whistle as they came closer to the village. Eten could really only be compared in size to Kakariko Village.

Apparently responding to his shrill whistle, a large black and tan dog ran forward from a nearby house and quickly proceeded to sniff every inch of each of the groups shoes and knees before looking up at the with brown eyes that begged a treat for coming when called. Warren laughed. "Satisfied, Dante?" The dog whined a moment before turning tail and running back to the house that Warren was now leading them to. "Excuse my dog, if he didn't get yer scent, he'd be all over you getting inside."

"Warren! Where in seven hells did you go, Deningrad?!" A portly woman called from their small porch. She had a kind face and admonished her husband with humor in her voice. "Ah! I see you brought home some wayward visitors!"

The older man laughed and shook his head lightly. "Yes Morgan, meet Link and Nyx. They were caught in tha' storm tonight. Sadly none of the boats in the harbor made it; ours included. I offered them our spare bedroom, since Gregory is not using it at the moment." Morgan nodded as she opened the door and Dante ran inside barking; motioning for the three to follow.

Morgan closed the door before she busied herself a moment, throwing small thinnly chopped logs into the fireplace as she pointed to the small table just off the kitchen and issued the command of "Sit." Dante and Warren both did so immediately as Nyx slid into the chair across from where Warren was sitting, casting a glance to Link before Warren spoke in a hushed voice to the two. "Make sure you eat all of the stew, she won't let you leave food at the table."

Nyx looked in Morgan's direction as she came back to the small wooden table with four bowls balanced either in her hands or on her forearms. She maneuvered the steaming bowls onto the table, surprisingly not spilling a drop of the creamy Cucco stew that they were full to the brim with. Passing out spoons to the other three, she knocked her husband in the back of head with her own as she sat down. "I heard that, Warren." There was a sort of mock indignation in her voice that belied her humor to Warren and made him smile, chuckling.

"So what are two young hylians like yourselves doing all the way down here in Zemlya? Visiting family or something?"

Link remained quiet for most of the trip, listening to everything the fisherman told him. He committed the names of the places to his memory, knowing he would likely need them again later. Despite his statements about this... Eten being a small fishing town, he certainly got a lot of news from the whole of the continent.

It was the sniffing of the dog that finally broke him from his thoughts. He offered a simple nod as he followed inside. He hadn't expected such hospitality from total strangers, but it was nice to see such a thing outside Hyrule. It was Morgan's final question, though, that finally brought words from him. "Pardon me, but... you know of Hyrule?" he said, "I was under the impression that we are fairly... secluded from most of the outside world."

"Pardon me, but... you know of Hyrule?""I was under the impression that we are fairly... secluded from most of the outside world."

Morgan paused a moment while her spoon was in her mouth and quirked an eyebrow at Link, smiling as she swallowed the bit of stew. The portly woman removed the spoon from her mouth and put it into her half empty bowl before she reached over the table and gave Link's long ear a quick tug; not one meant to be painful, but moreso to highlight that particular feature. "Both of you have Hylian ears. Not many from Zemlya go to Hyrule, but we occasionally get visitors from Holodrum or even Labrynna, both countries which border Hyrule; we hear things Link."

The woman smiled lightly before she looked at Link pointedly. Morgan wasn't sure if he was purposely avoiding the question of what they were doing in Zemlya or if he was geniunely surprised that they at least had heard of what Hylians looked like. "So what are two young Hylians like yourselves doing here? Surely not leisure traveling or something?"

Warren listened to his wife a moment before he chimed in. "That and we've heard a few rumors Hylians here and there had transplanted themselves here in Zemlya some years ago. But those ears of yours are a dead giveaway." He said, pointing at his own rounded human ears for emphasis.

Nyx looked at Warren a moment, with one eyebrow quirked as she set her spoon back down. "You haven't heard anything of where these Hylians could be living?" She ventured the question while the older man smiled lightly. "There were rumors that they were living in Bale, in North Serdio. But I've only heard that twice and that was nearly 13, 14 years ago to begin with. I don't really think it's much for you to look into."

There had been curiosity present on Nyx's face but it seemed extinguished at the news that the rumors were over a decade old. That didn't make them reliable in any sense of the word. She said nothing more but went back to her stew.

As he was wont to do with strangers, Link remained largely quiet, instead letting Nyx and the fishing couple do most of the talking, instead taking in the information in his analytical way. He wondered how much he should tell them about his quest, though part of his hesitation had to do with whether such information would do them any good. That he was on some sort of quest had to be obvious enough, with the sword and shield on his back, and the bow and arrows on Nyx's.

"Have you heard any other recent rumors?" he asked carefully, "Anything more reliable?" He didn't want to speak of monsters and other such things if the two had not heard anything about them.

Morgan brushed off Link's lack of an answer, though she seemed a tad irritated by it. She bothered little with any other conversation and the table grew oddly quiet. Warren briefly cast a look to his wife. Clearly Morgan was not used to being brushed off.

"Have you heard any other recent rumors?""Anything more reliable?"

Warren looked to his wife, who promptly glared at her husband only a moment before she got up; "If you're going to cause trouble for that boy and his family, Warren; I'll hear no part of it."

The bearded man put his spoon down into a bowl three quarters empty. There was a tense few moments of silence after Morgan left, the front door shutting only a little louder than it should have. His thick fingers went to his temples as he felt a headache building. Closing his eyes and pinching the ridge of his nose, Warren gave a deep sigh.

"Some good friends of ours moved to Furni, on the other side of the Evergreen Forest. About a week ago their son Ethan went into the Forest, as most boys in Furni do; to explore and play. It wasn't more than an hour, maybe an hour and a half before he ran back into town, screaming like a lunatic about a bug monster that tried to eat him. His parents have told him over and over whatever he saw couldn't have been real. They've enlisted doctors, healers of all sorts but Ethan swears that what he saw and experienced was real. He's 7 this year, and most of the town avoid him like the plague. Whether he's actually insane or not, the town seems to have already made up their minds."

Warren sighed once more before he stood. As he stood, his age seemed more apparent in the way he moved. There was little doubt that Warren was a proud man, and still strong in body but weary. "I expect Morgan will be back in a bit. If I head out there now, she'll likely hit me in the head with the washing board. You two get that room there..." The old man pointed to a door just behind the two. "I'll let you two kill each other for the bed."

He made his way up a set of stairs, his knees popping every so often on the way up in such a way that it made Nyx flinch...

Link listened intently. The description given him definitely sounded like the sort of horrors he'd faced before. Hopefully, Nyx wasn't afraid of bugs. He'd need her help on this one. Without protest he stood up, but before Warren moved upstairs, the young Hylian put a hand on his shoulder. "That boy is not crazy," he said carefully, "Tell your wife that... And tell her that we'll do everything I can to help not only that family, but the whole village..." He said nothing more, instead turning to push open the door to the room where he and Nyx would be staying.

"We shouldn't overstay our welcome," he said, "That... insect sounds like it might be another of the sages. Maybe we can get some more answers if we can save them."

"That boy is not crazy,""Tell your wife that... And tell her that we'll do everything I can to help not only that family, but the whole village..."

Warren looked to Link, a trace of a smile on his face. No one could deny that Warren was well into his way to becoming a grey old man, as he searched the face of the young man he'd invited into his home. There was a certain reminiscence on his bearded face as he smiled broadly, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. "You remind me of our son, Gregory. Idealistic and hopeful, both of ya. Not a bad thing, but not everything can be fixed quite so easily." With that, Warren proceeded the rest of the way up the steps, waving behind him. "But I'll tell her."

Nyx watched the Link as he spoke to Warren. She stood up, the legs of her chair scraping roughly on the creaky wooden floor as she headed for the door; following Link quietly.

"We shouldn't overstay our welcome,""That... insect sounds like it might be another of the sages. Maybe we can get some more answers if we can save them."

She nodded as she pulled her cloak off, hanging it on a nail sticking out of the wall that had clearly been put there as a makeshift coat rack. Nyx seemed contemplative a moment as she reach behind her head to pull the threadbare ribbon that held her hair in a ponytail. "I think we should head to Furni before we run into that forest." she said absentmindedly as she combed her fingers through her ebon hair. "Maybe Ethan would be able to give us an idea of what we're running into, if he's willing to talk to us at least."

Turning around, she looked at Link a moment. "Do you want the bed or should we share?" Her dark hair framed her face well and made her green eyes stand out all the more as she gave Link a sort of mischievous half-smile that promised teasing no matter what he said...

Link simply nodded at Nyx's suggestion. It made sense. There was no reason to run into things without at least knowing what to expect. Strangely though, the young Hylian didn't feel tired enough to really even think about Nyx's bed comment.

"You go ahead and take it," he said, setting his sword and shield aside before heading back toward the door, "Get some sleep."

He made his way through the darkened, quiet house until he found his way outside again. He looked up at the stars, sighing a little before he pulled his Ocarina from his pouch. Sitting down, he began to play the Royal Family's song, but this time it seemed the notes were simply there to be a comfort for him, something to remind him of the Hyrule he'd left behind. Soon though, the song changed to one he'd heard only in his dreams... He didn't know if the "Ballad of the Wind Fish" had any words, but the notes were soothing, and had a hopeful sound all their own... maybe one he could take with him on his further adventures.

"You go ahead and take it,""Get some sleep."

Nyx watched Link go in silence, sighing lightly as the door closed behind him. 'He has to sleep sometime' she thought to herself. Looking back to the inviting bed, Nyx flopped unceremoniously onto her back, staring at the ceiling as she attempted to close her eyes and go to sleep like any other time. The slim woman rolled onto her side, then to her back to no avail. Damn, she still had issues sleeping in actual beds!?

She growled a moment and rolled off the bed, taking the blanket with her before she wrapped it around herself and grabbed the Fairy Bow, some arrows, and the Kokiri Sword. Nyx then took up the spot in the corner of the room between the nightstand the wall, all the while facing the door to the room. What could she say, it had been key to living in Holodrum; and her time in Hyrule hadn't broken her of it. The Kokiri Sword lay in a semi-slack but protective grip in her hand as she lulled off to sleep, the back of her head leaning against the wooden wall of the house.


Outside, the large black and tan dog that they'd met approaching the house raised his head to the sound of the ocarina from where he lay on the porch. Dante stood and padded off of the porch. Usually at night everyone was asleep so no one could pet him (and he was a sucker for attention). The dog sniffed around for a bit before he came to stand next to Link, his large head cocked oddly while his erect ears turned to the music.

The dog stared at Link for a long moment before he whined/groaned and put his head on Link's knee, looking up at him with his large brown eyes that begged for pets.

Link was unaware of Nyx's sleeping conditions inside as he continued to play, eyes staring into the sky as he thought of home, of his friends. He was glad to know Ruto was safe now at least, but what of Zelda? And what of the other sages? Darunia, Saria, Impa, Nabooru, Rauru? Could he free each of them as he had the Zora princess?

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't see the dog approaching, until he heard that pitiful, begging whine. He smiled a little bit as he pulled the instrument from between his lips, reaching down with one gloved hand to stroke the dog's head. "It hasn't been that easy for you these past few years, has it boy," he mused.

He pet the dog a few minutes before finally turning and laying back, preferring to sleep outside, with nature surrounding him. He supposed it was the closest he would get to being back in the Kokiri forest for now. Slowly his eyes closed, and though he kept one ear open for any sign of danger, he allowed himself to drift off into a deep sleep that, provided he went uninterrupted, would last until the sun rose the next morning.

"It hasn't been that easy for you these past few years, has it boy,"

Dante didn't quite understand what was being said to him, but that was okay. The stranger was petting him and didn't appear any threat to either him or his humans. He leaned his head further into Link's palm as though saying 'Pleeeeeeease don't stop.' When Link laid back however, Dante had the look in his dark brown eyes of 'Heeeeey. Why'd you stop?' with his head cocked to the side.

The black and tan dog whined a moment before he curled up, ears folded flat and joined Link in a snooze.

Nyx slept surprisingly well, considering that she apparently best slept in room corners and that a particular dream just would not leave her alone. And the dream made no sense to her on top of that! She growled again, adjusting her position slightly as she stared at the wall; her forehead creased in thought. Why in seven hells was she dreaming about an old man being robbed by bandits?

She sighed again, closing her eyes once more with the hope that she would get some better sleep.

Everything was quiet that night, a welcome change from the events of fighting Ruto as Tentaclus. Nyx however, did not manage a decent sleep; a scent three hours at best. In fact, she ended up sleeping later than she had intended. Warren knocked on the door to his son's former room softly, poking his head in. He had expected to find two of them in the room, but instead found no one on the bed; and Nyx was in the corner of the room all but buried under the blanket.

He smiled lightly, shaking his head. These two were odd, that was sure. Warren closed the door again as he left Nyx to her fitful sleep and strode out into the morning sun. A moment passed as the old fisherman look around the porch, as though he were expecting Dante to be there; as he usually was. Striding off of the porch, he looked under the porch and around the house.

Finally, Warren sighed as he placed his fingers to his lips and let go of a shrill whistle. A brief bark took Warren a bit away from the house and there he found Dante laying down, tail wagging and tongue lolling out as he looked upward as Warren. A chuckle echoed in Warren's chest as he looked at the half-sleeping Link.

"Sun's already up, but I almost wouldn't advise waking your girlfriend up." Another chuckle rumbled in the man's chest as he crossed his arms, still watching the younger man. Dante however, paid little attention to the conversation as he circled Warren once before sitting at his feet. The older man leaned down slightly and scratched the black and tan dog's ears...

Link's dreams that night were, sadly, not as restful as he might have hoped. Rather, the dark images came: this time of Ruto, attacked and overcome by her former companions, all of them dark and shadowy, as though not themselves. It was only the voice of Warren that awakened him.

Link slowly sat up, reaching up to rub his temples. He'd forgotten how uncomfortable sleeping on the cold, hard ground could be. He got to his feet and stretched out with a yawn. "She's not my girlfriend," he protested, "Nyx has simply been one of my best friends since we were children. She sort of got... caught up in this quest with me."

He looked toward the sunrise a few moments. "We're going to head to Furni today," he said, "Do you know anyone we might be able to speak to there? Perhaps Ethan's family?"

"She's not my girlfriend," "Nyx has simply been one of my best friends since we were children. She sort of got... caught up in this quest with me."

Warren held his large hands up in defense and laughed. "Well now, that vehement of a protest has me wondering otherwise; young man." The older man quirked an eyebrow, a nearly sarcastic smirk playing at the edges of his face.

"We're going to head to Furni today," "Do you know anyone we might be able to speak to there? Perhaps Ethan's family?"

The amused, sarcastic look on Warren's face disappeared as he eyed Link with a certain caution it seemed. "You could try, I cannot say whether Ethan's mother, Moira; would allow you to. Depends on Ethan. If he feels like talking to you, then I daresay you could talk to him. If he doesn't, his mother willn't let you near him."

He wearily looked at Link a moment longer before he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose; a nervous or agitating habit to seemed. "It's not too hard to find their house, it's the only one painted green in Furni; just off tha main street. Moira sells pottery out of the little barn they've built there." Warren watched Link still. "I'm going to warn you, Moira's young, but a spitfire. If Ethan doesn't want you near, Moira'll kick you out faster than you can explain what you're doing there."

-----------------------------------------------

Nyx snuffled in her sleep as Morgan opened the door and spoke quietly. "Nyx...Nyx....?" Looking about the room, Morgan barked in a sharp tone, clearly one meant to wake the sleeping woman. "Nyx!" The only thing Morgan hadn't been expecting was that a short knife with a ruby encrusted into the handle would be thrown into the door next to her head. It would've almost been amusing if Morgan had been expecting it and if she hadn't caught Nyx smack dead in the middle of a particularly bad dream.

Warren turned his head sharply to the sound of Morgan yelling inside the house before he ran off, Dante on his heels. Only a few words were distinguishable, including "insane" "crazy" "knife wielding". There were snippets where it seemed as though Nyx was trying to explain, to apologize. She really had not meant it and on any other normal day, Nyx would not have done such a thing.

"WARREN! LINK! GET IN HERE!" Morgan's call was fierce, the sound of one very angry woman. The Kokiri Sword was still embedded in the wood of the door as the portly woman had caught Nyx's slim arm in a tight grip against the wall, her hand beginning to leave bruises in Nyx's upper arm as she struggled to get away from Morgan. "Are you daft woman!? You caught me in the middle of a nightmare! It was an accident! Why in seven hells would I aim to kill you!?"

In a surprising turn, Nyx made no attempt to harm Morgan; she was instead twisting and turning to get out of the livid woman's grip. (Doing more harm than good in reality) Warren stepped forward quickly and pried Morgan's fingers off of Nyx's arm, his voice coming out more a stern demand than anything "Let her go, Morgan. She didn't mean anything by it." Nyx scrambled to grab her bow and arrows, jumping over the bed to get away from the still red-faced woman. Only when she had deemed herself out of the portly woman's reach did she rub her arm slightly, glaring across the room.

Warren turned a sad eye to Link. "Sad to say, I think this is goodbye; Link."