All Link remembered was the sound of screaming.

  His eyes flew open, the noise rattling around inside his skull. He looked around at the chamber walls, at the mirror standing unlit.

  What happened?

  The last thing he remembered was stepping through the strange doorway. Everything between then and now was simply blank, empty, unknown.

  A quiet wailing caught his ear and he turned toward the sound, spying an odd little figure seated on the sand, its back facing him. Link crept toward it, surprised out how sharply the figure stood out to him, even on a moonless night such as this. His eyes seemed to have immediately adjusted to the dark. He could vividly see the patch of pale skin on the creature's back, its long arms dangling limply by its sides, the strange markings on them glowing eerily in the dark.

  Those markings...

  That wasn't the only detail Link recognized. The flame-orange hair spilling down the creature's back was unmistakable.

  Midna?

  He reached for her, then stopped dead. That wasn't a hand stretched before him. He did a double-take. A paw? That couldn't be right. But he could see it plain as day.

  What in the name of the goddesses is happening?

  "Midna," he called.

  But the sound came out as a bark. Link reeled. This couldn't seriously be happening. He had to be dreaming. Meeting that woman in the alley, speaking with the Princess, all that talk of prophecies and other realms—it had to be some nonsense his mind had conjured in his sleep. All the stress of recent events...yes, that's what must have caused it. He just needed to wake up, that was all. He needed to wake up and return to reality. He scrunched his eyes shut, then opened them again. His surroundings remained unchanged.

  Goddesses help me...this isn't real...I know that...so wake up. WAKE UP!

  A muffled noise emanated from Midna, catching Link's ear and jarring him out of his frantic thoughts. He listened closer.

  "Look at me," the imp mumbled, her voice thick with despair, "Look at me..."

  Link padded around to her front, taking in the familiar red-and-yellow eyes, now downcast.

  "Midna..."

  The sound came out as a whine. Midna didn't look at him. Link racked his brain, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do in this situation.

  The Princess...she'll know what to do.

  But they had to get out of this desert first.

  "Midna, you need to take us back to the Princess," Link barked.

  No response.

  "Midna, we can't stay here," Link insisted.

  He had little hope that she could understand what he was saying, but if he could only just snap her out of her trance or whatever it was, then hopefully, she could figure things out for herself. Yet still, Midna did not stir.

  "For goddesses' sakes, Midna, get up!" Link snapped, his words coming out as a mixture of snarls and barks.

  Except for the broken muttering, she may as well have been dead.

  What did Zant DO to her?

  Link glanced again at their surroundings. The sky was already starting to lighten. They couldn't stay there; that much was for certain. Huffing out a breath in imitation of a sigh, Link mustered his resolve, reaching for Midna's spindly arms only to realize that he couldn't grasp her with his paws. He uttered a silent curse, carefully closing his teeth around her arm and watching her face carefully for any signs of pain. She didn't react. Link took that as a good sign, and ever-so-delicately, he draped her over his own back. She was as limp as a ragdoll, and still she mumbled those same words over and over.

  "Look at me...look at me."

  "Hang on. I'll find a way out of here," Link promised through a series of gentle barks.

  Finding the nearest exit, he emerged from the confines of the chamber to be greeted by the sight of unlit torches, broken stairs, and the ruined walls of an outer fortress.

  Most likely used to defend the chamber, Link assumed.

  Though now it stood silent and abandoned, a mere relic of a long gone past. Link padded down the stairs and past the frayed tents and empty supply barrels scattered about, his paws sinking into the sand with each step. Once clear of the ruins, he turned his gaze to the fading stars, taking a moment or two to get his bearings. Then he started off in the direction of the Castle, the desert a vast sea of sand laid before him.

  For all his training as a knight, none of it had ever prepared him for something like this.

  The higher the sun rose into the sky, the hotter it grew, Link's dark fur soaking in the rays and making it almost unbearable. The sand scorched the soft pads of his feet, the glare from the sun stinging his keen eyes. Yet even in that goddess-forsaken wasteland, with the sun mercilessly beating down on them, Midna still did not move, though her muttering had stopped some time ago. Admittedly, Link found it alarming, since her silence made it impossible to discern whether she was even alive or not.

  He nosed at her limp form, silently pleading, Hang on, Midna.

  The desert seemed to stretch on endlessly, the only sound that of Link's own ceaseless panting. Heat radiated from the sand, making the horizon appear hazy and distorted. Link put his head down and kept plodding forward. As long as he kept heading in the right direction, they'd reach their destination eventually.

  Eventually...

  Suddenly, his ears pricked up, a warning signal flashing through every nerve in his canine body. He jerked his head around, looking for any signs of danger. He saw nothing, but regardless, he had the unwavering sense that something was wrong.

  It's behind me.

  He didn't know how he knew. He just knew. He stared at a spot in the sand, his fur bristling, a growl building in the back of his throat. His lips pulled back from his teeth, baring his fangs at the unseen enemy. Then, ever so slowly, something poked up from the sand. It was mostly green, with orange streaks coloring its head and running down its sides, sides which were equipped with thick and sharp tines that looked as though they could easily cut through fur and flesh. For a moment, it remained where it was, spinning in lazy circles. It seemed to have no eyes, but it clearly knew Link was there. He watched it, waiting. Then it came at him with surprising speed. He dodged aside, somehow avoiding dislodging Midna from his back. The creature came at him again, but as he sidestepped it once more, he felt something slash across his back leg, drawing a high-pitched yelp from him.

  Two of them?!

  As if things couldn't get worse, a third one popped up from the sand at that moment. Link dodged that one too, making sure to keep a sharp eye out for the others.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Then he felt Midna starting to slip.

  He had no choice. The second leever was coming at him. He had to move. He leapt out of the way, and immediately Midna toppled onto the sand just as the third leever spun toward them. Link knew he wouldn't be able to grab her up quickly enough without hurting her, so instead he turned his teeth on the leever, narrowly avoiding its spikes and sinking his fangs into its green skin. Blood poured into his mouth as he crunched down harder, ripping the creature from the sand and shaking it violently before spitting it out and rounding on the others. Except the others had promptly disappeared, evidently having determined that Link was a greater threat than they had first surmised. Link huffed out a breath of relief, running his tongue over his teeth. The leever's blood tasted ghastly, but at least it had wet his tongue. He turned to Midna, silently apologizing as he unintentionally smeared green blood across her arm in effort to return her to her place on his back. Then he continued on, wordlessly hoping that no other strange creatures would happen upon them.

  The blood seemed to taste increasingly worse as it dried. The cut on Link's leg started to sting horribly the longer he walked, and time soon lost all sense of meaning. A singular tree poked up out of the distance, but Link readily assumed it was just a mirage. Though as he drew closer and the tree stubbornly remained in his line of vision, he started to doubt that assumption. He picked up his pace, limping slightly to keep weight off his leg. The tree grew more and more solid, Link's hopes steadily rising.

  If there's a tree, that means there has to be—

  "Water!" Link barked, "Midna, there's water!"

  It was close enough that he could smell it, could almost taste it. He switched to a run, catching sight of the oasis a split second before he plunged straight into it. The water felt incredible. He instantly began gulping it up, submerging his wound in the water so it could be cleansed and soothed. His fur soaked up the liquid, deliciously cooling his parched skin. He knelt down, letting the water wash over his back and lap at Midna's quiet form. Hopefully, it would rejuvenate her as much as it had him.

  "Hey!"

  Link's head snapped toward the sound, coming face to face with a girl. Her gold eyes glared down at him, her long green hair spilling over her shoulders and dipping into the oasis. Link scurried back, staring in bewilderment. The girl hovered weightlessly over the spring, a pair of translucent wings extending from her back.

  "Who do you think you are, dirtying my spring like that?!" she snapped.

  "I'm...I'm sorry."

  The girl straightened, folding her arms across her chest.

  "As if I'd accept your apology," she scoffed, adding under her breath, "Mangy wolf...'sorry' won't undirty my water, now will it?"

  "I'm—" Link stopped. "Wait, you can understand me?"

  "Of course I can!" the girl glowered, "Do I look stupid to you?"

  "No, no!" Link insisted, hastening to introduce himself, "I'm Link, a knight in service to Princess Zelda. This is Midna. Who are you?"

  "Faerie," the girl answered grouchily, looking down her nose at him, "Now get out of my spring."

  "Oh...of course," Link relented, disappointedly withdrawing himself from the water, "I'm deeply sorry about that. But we need help. We need to get to Hyrule Castle."

  "As long as you stay away from my spring, I couldn't care less where you go," Faerie snapped. Suddenly, she went still, an unsettling smile creeping across her face. "Hold on. You're still thirsty, aren't you?"

  Link gulped. "Yes."

  Faerie's grin widened, her voice rising to a maniacal shout, "Then have as much water as you like!"

  There was a burst of light and suddenly water rushed over Link's head. He thrashed about in a panic, quickly breaking the surface. But Midna was no longer on his back.

  "Midna!"

  Fighting back his survival instinct, he plunged his head back underwater. It was so dark, but he kept searching for that bright red hair, those strange markings, until he found them. He kicked furiously with his legs, forcing himself deeper into the seemingly endless depths. As Midna sank, her thin arms began to move, weakly at first, but with increasing frenzy. Link neared her, receiving a whack to the snout as he tried to grab for her. They were both running out of air fast. He grabbed for her again, abandoning any attempt at gentleness, and his teeth closed around one of her forearms. Without wasting another second, he pointed his nose to the surface and propelled them toward it. As it broke over his head once more, he felt a burst of relief, greedily drawing air into his strained lungs. Beside him, Midna coughed and spluttered, wrapping her free arm around his neck. He tentatively released her other arm, making certain she was holding on before glancing around for any sign of land.

  What he saw stunned him. They were in the middle of a lake, and all around them, outlining the distant shores, buildings, and bridges, was the eerie glow of twilight. Fragments of shadow seemed to bleed from the ground and the air itself, speckling their view.

  "Twilight?" Midna said sofly, "My beautiful twilight?"

  Link quickly looked at her, finding her eyes stretched wide in shock. Then, slowly, her face fell.

  "Midna?"

  "Not home," she murmured, "Not home..."

  Link huffed a sigh. He'd lost her again. Finishing his look around, he started paddling toward the nearest stretch of land.

  This must be Lake Hylia, he discerned, But it's been taken by the shadow...

  He growled uneasily. Lake Hylia was just a few hours from the Castle. That meant the shadow had grown in the time that he and Midna had been gone, and Zelda and all the citizens of Castle Town were in even greater danger than before.

  How did we get here? Link puzzled, Was it Faerie?

  He recalled her parting words, the flash of light, then the water overtaking him.

  Yes...it must have been Faerie. She teleported us here somehow.

  He uttered a disgruntled sound. Even if she had been trying to drown them—which she evidently had—she'd inadvertantly brought them much closer to their destination, so in that sense, Link couldn't help but feel oddly grateful. Furthermore, now that he knew of Lake Hylia's fate, he could warn the Princess.

  Except what could the Princess do? She'd put her faith in them, and they'd failed.

  Link pulled himself ashore, Midna releasing her hold on him and sinking into a dejected puddle at his feet. He looked down at her, noting with quiet thankfulness that the bite he'd left on her arm wasn't too bad, then turned back to the water, noting its flow before pointing his nose upstream.

  I'll learn what I can while I'm here, he thought, then paused as a realization struck him.

  Midna had said that Hylians couldn't thrive in twilight, that it turned them to wandering ghosts.

  Does that mean...I'm a ghost?

  How was he to tell? He looked himself over. He seemed solid enough. Then again, he wasn't Hylian anymore. He was just a beast.

  'A blue-eyed beast'...Midna's prophecy mentioned something about that.

  Assuming he still had his blue eyes, it seemed that part of the prediction had come true.

  If only the rest of it had too.

  Shaking off his glum musings, he gently returned Midna to her perch on his back before setting off at a brisk pace. Despite the limited light, unfamiliar surroundings, and unsettling atmosphere, Link felt relatively surefooted. In some respects, it seemed, being a beast wasn't so terrible. Doubtless, his human eyes couldn't have guided him so easily, given how the lake seemed to swallow the light rather than reflect it. The only light unaffected by those hungering waters was a not-so-distant flame. Link slowed his pace when he saw it. Perhaps it was some trick of his wolfish eyes, or a consequence of the invading twilight, but that flame was not orange like that of ordinary fire. Rather, it was a pale but stark blue. Link wasn't sure what to make of it, especially upon drawing closer and realizing that the flame was not attached to any sort of torch but instead floating inexplicably above the ground. He slowed his steps further, watching the flame carefully. Though as he focused on it, a ghostly outline flickered into view—the unmistakable shape of a man. Link froze in surprise, staring harder at the apparition and watching it grow more solid still.

  So this was what became of the Hyrulean people trapped in the shadow.

  Link crept closer. The man—or ghost—seemed to have no perception of him. He simply gazed dully at his surroundings, as though caught in a trance. Link felt a pang of regret; after all, in failing his princess, he had failed this man as well.

  "I'm sorry," he whimpered, "I promise, if there's anything that still can be done, I won't rest until I see it through."

  But first, the Castle, he thought, padding hurriedly past the Hyrulean spirit.

  Emerging into the sunlight felt like a breath of fresh air, seeing Hyrule Castle's peaks lit in its warm rays even more so. Link could hardly stop himself from pelting across the bridge toward the open oak doors leading to Castle Town. Already, he could almost hear its ceaseless bustle and feel the press of warm, solid bodies. Two armored guards stood watch at the gates, spears idle.

  Though that quickly changed when they saw Link.

  The sharp cry of "Beast!" rang out as they rounded on him, weapons jabbed in his direction. Link skidded to a halt, realization cracking him across the skull like the end of a shaft.

  Not once had he stopped to think about what his transformation truly meant. Not once had he considered how exactly he could consult the princess in this state, how he would be received. And now...now it was all too real.

  His claws scrabbling against the wood underfoot in his haste, he turned and ran back the way he'd come, not stopping until he was out of sight of the gates and quite sure the guards weren't following. Then he snapped to a halt again, nearly sending Midna tumbling from his back in the process. He stared, wide-eyed, at nothing in particular, breath huffing from his open maw.

  He was a beast now, which meant he was utterly alone. Any hope of reaching the princess, of resolving this nightmare, was ruthlessly dashed. His teeth sharply clicked shut, a growl emanating from his throat. Then, as the full weight of reality came crashing down, Link threw back his head and released a piercing howl. The sorrowful note stretched and lingered in the air, soon fading to nothing. Link was silent, lost, devoid of hope.

  Suddenly, a voice sounded nearby. Something about it sent shivers racing up Link's spine, making his hair stand on end. Perhaps it was how weirdly relaxed—almost quietly jovial—the speaker sounded. Or perhaps it was the fact that of all the countless things they could've chosen to say, they chose but a single, frighteningly fitting question.

  "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"