Chapter Text
A horrifying thought passed the veteran’s mind. The wolf was bigger than he was, faster than he was–there was no conceivable way he could actually outrun the beast more than a handful of paces. It dawned on him like a cruel joke that he was being hunted .
A yelp left the veteran as his toe caught a root hidden beneath the bed of brown leaves. He hit the ground on his hands and chin, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth. Adrenaline pulsed through his body, made his hands shake and vision blur. He flicked his gaze from tree to tree. A hulking shadow moved there, a twig snapped here. It was playing with him, toying with him.
Legend got up to his feet, unsure of which direction to run–which one was safe . A piercing pair of eyes lurked in the brush. Legend gasped and threw his weight the other direction in a sprint.
His side stitched, his throat and mouth ran dry, his legs felt like lead weights. Still, he pushed. He was nothing if not stubborn, and Legend refused to be shredded between those fangs the way he saw monsters meet their end.
“Ledge!” Wild called up in a tree.
Legend let out a wail, tears filling his eyes as a moment of relief overcame his fear.
“Wild!” he screamed. “Wild it’s–”
The wolf was upon him. Legend let out a cry as he flailed and struggled. Its weight was too much–he was pinned down. Sharp claws dug into his back as he fought. A muzzle pressed against his ear, hot breath puffing onto his neck and spittle dripping over his shoulder.
“...Twi…?” Wild asked, frozen.
“Wild please !” Legend yelled.
Wild moved his gaze to Legend. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening. The situation was too surreal–it couldn’t be happening. But then Legend let out a sharp wail, which turned into a blood curdling scream.
Wolfie shook his head in a quick jerk, tearing the flesh from Legend’s shoulder. Blood covered the beast’s snout and pooled on to the forest floor. Wild saw the white glint of bone, the shredded muscle, the ripped skin and fabric.
“ No !” the champion screamed, raising his bow with fury in his expression.
Tears welled in his eyes as he fired an arrow into Wolfie’s back. The wolf snarled and snapped, leaping back to the brush for cover. Legend wept on the ground, unable to move. The claws carved deep gashes in his back, his tunic blossomed deep red.
“Vet,” Wild breathed, jumping down from his perch in the tree.
He ran over, taking Legend in his arms. A swear left him.
“Wild…” Legend gasped. “I have–potion– wheeze –in my– cough –bag.”
Wild nodded, searching the veteran’s pouch. He found a potion and in short order, pried the cork off between his teeth. He pressed the bottle to Legend’s lips and tipped it back, forcing it down the veteran’s throat.
Legend choked slightly, but swallowed it down. The bleeding slowed to little more than a seep. His wounds mended halfway.
“Better?” Wild asked urgently.
Legend nodded with a groan. “It’ll do. We have to get back to the others–warn them.”
“I can’t believe–”
“Wild,” Legend said, “I’m sure it’s not his fault. Don’t panic. I want to stop him too, but we can’t do it alone.”
Wild nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. “Y-yeah, you’re right, I’m sorry.”
The champion helped Legend to his feet. They scanned the forest, watching for that shadow again. Wild spotted it prowling towards them in a stalk.
“Ledge,” he said quickly. “Start running. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Wild–”
“Now!” Wild barked.
Legend nodded and forced his body to run again. The potion helped somewhat, but his second wind would be short lived, he knew. He had to make every use of his advantage, driving each step hard and fast forward.
As soon as Legend broke into a sprint, the wolf pounced after him. Twilight had a weakness they all knew of–his left arm, his left hand. It was his dominant side, but the others noticed he had a tendency to guard it, and striking it would bring him down.
Wild knocked a shock arrow, peering at Wolfie closely. He fired, the arrow striking Wolfie’s left paw. A shrill whine left the wolf, breaking Wild’s heart as it fell to the ground, spasming from the electricity coursing through its body.
Wild wasn’t sure how much time it would buy, but he didn’t have time to worry. Right now, he had to be a soldier, not a friend. The champion caught up to Legend just as the two breached camp.
Hyrule turned with a smile. “Hey guys–Ledge…?”
The traveler gasped, running to catch Legend when the veteran stumbled, heaving for air.
“What happened?” Wars demanded.
Legend shook his head. “Twilight—Twi attacked–”
“Twilight turned on us,” Wild said briefly, voice cold. He looked at Wars, his brow knit in deep concern. “Wolfie tried to maul Legend.”
Legend caught his breath enough to speak. “Wolfie and me were just scouting,” he explained, “and then suddenly–something hurt him, I’m pretty sure. I didn’t see it, but he whined and fell over. When I went to check on him, he suddenly attacked me. And then he tried to run me…run me down…”
Hyrule drew Legend into a close hug as the veteran broke into a silent weep. Legend was clearly trying to bury his fear and confusion, but the more he fought the tears, the more they came.
Wars glanced up when a crackling growl emerged from the brush. Wolfie walked out, head bowed and fangs bared in hostility. The growl was low and rumbling, bloody drool dripped from his jaws, a scrap of Legend’s tunic caught between his teeth. His eyes were cold, unrecognizing, and he limped on his left paw.
“Wild,” Wars said briskly. “Take the others, get outta here.”
Wild shook his head. “No he’s–”
Time set a hand on Wild’s head, the other hand on the hilt of the Biggoron sword.
“It’s not up for debate,” Time said.
Wild hesitated, but then nodded, gathering the rest. Wars, Time, and Sky stayed behind as the wolf stalked in a berth around them, assessing them quietly.
“Can you buy me some time?” the eldest hero asked.
Wars and Sky nodded. “Yes,” they answered in unison, wielding their blades.
Wolfie lunged at them suddenly, jaws snapping and a loud ferocious snarl leaving his throat. Sky sidestepped, bringing the hilt of the Master Sword down on the wolf’s back. Wolfie bit back at the sword, but Sky was already out of reach.
“It didn’t burn,” he said, voice hard.
Wars nodded. “Understood,” he replied.
With Wolfie following Sky, Wars kicked the beast in the back legs. Wolfie turned on him in an instant, throwing his weight at the captain. Wars braced with his sword. The beast’s teeth locked onto the blade, cutting into the corners of his mouth. He let go with another crackled growl, dashing to the side to gain a stalking distance again.
Time held up his magnifying glass, peering through it.
“His side!” Time barked. “There’s a quill stuck in his side!”
“Wars!” Sky called. “Back him into me!”
Wars nodded. “You got it, feathers!”
Wars raised his blade, dashing at the wolf. Wolfie leapt backwards, right into Sky’s arms. The chosen hero grappled the beast, throwing its weight to the side in a sloppy pin. Wolfie was large enough that Sky went down with him. A whimper caught in the chosen hero’s throat, tears welling in his eyes when those teeth sank into his arm. They cracked his arm and with a jerk of his head, Wolfie tore a piece of Sky away, all the way down to the bone.
“Wars!” Sky screamed.
The captain was already there. He plunged his hand into the wolf’s coat and grabbed onto something ice cold. It was stubborn and Wolfie writhed and snarled and bit before Wars managed to pull it out. The wolf fell still, unconscious. The quill melted into a shadow and vanished like evaporating water.
“Your arm,” Wars said urgently.
Sky shook his head. “I need to get Twi back first. I’ll be fine.”
The chosen hero charged the Master Sword with divine light and touched it to the wolf, transforming the rancher back into a Hylian.