Somewhere I Belong

Chapter Three
“A Wild Goose Chase?
~*~

To say that I am tired is an understatement. Epona and I have been traveling hard for a day and a n, fo, following the moon and the sun respectively. It is fading to dark now, and as we stand at the edge of the woods, fireflies are beginning to flicker fitfully in the dusk light. The river that runs through the forest is reflecting, smooth as a steaming piece of mirror glass. It is cold here at the foot of the mountains, and I pull the cloak Zelda gave me closer to me. Epona sighs and shifts, her sl col coat dulled with sweat where I can see her shoulders under the blanket. I am glad she has it; she must feel the chill even worse being wet.
I only have a little further until I find whatever it is that Impa and Zelda sent me to find, from there on out this is all about me finding whatever, whoever, -I- need to find. I love all this mystical ‘you will just know’ crap. But looking for the pass in the forest will have to wait for morning’s light. Both Epona and I need a rest and to eat.
So yes. I suppose I know SOMETHING, just not enough to feel confident. Eat. Sleep. Deal with the rest later. Yes. That is what I’ll do. I groan as my sore muscles stretch when I dismount. If this is a wild goose chase, I am going to have to do something to someone. Something bad.

~*~
I must have shrieked when I sat bolt upright because Epona was snorting and dancing around nervously. What a horrible dream. Dawn is on the horizon and the fire has died. The only sound is my ragged breathing, the only sight theud oud of my breath fogging the frosty morning air, stained pink with the sun lingering on the horizon. It reflects a color just this side of too tangerine to be blood, lighting up every jut and crag on the impressive mountains that rise high in front of us; painting the gleaming river as well. Morning. At least I have an excuse to nove tve to try to sleep anymore. I pause for a moment, collecting myself. I bury myself further into the depth of my cloak, enjoying not having to exist as anything other than a blob of black velvet. My face is flushed to the tip of my ears with humiliation and embarrassment. Impa was right. I dreamed of him. Dreamed of that chocolate colored hair, his cold mouth on mine… only it got worse instead of me being thrown into prison. Much worse. I didn’t know things like that could be done. But the sweat running down the furrow of my spine told me that it was all too possible. I felt nauseous, and I wanted to bathe. It felt like the scent of his skin was still clinging to me.
I settled for going to the rivers edge and washing my face and lips and filling the water skin. I feel a little less disgusting and a lot more awake now. I head back over towards the dead fire to pat Epona and reassure her that all is well, and decide to have a small bite to eat from my ration bag. Mhh. Breakfast.
By the time the fire was covered and everything was packed, the morning sun had melted the frost to dew, and Epona had had a few mouthfuls of grass and appeared bright eyed and eager to be off. I am moving a whole lot slower, I wish I could be half as boisterous, but sore muscles prevent that pretty effectively.

~*~
Have I ever mentioned that I hate bugs? Especially the mosquitoes here. If they were any bigger you could jam a helmet on them and declare them as part of the Hyrule Armed Forces. Epona snorts and stomps irritably as every black fly known to man seems to currently be attracted to her soft underbelly. Horses are so tough, if I were her I would be crazed by now. The going in the forest is very slow because of the dense undergrowth, and I am definitely leading the mare, I worry about not seeing a hole or tree root that she might injure a leg on. I have been wandering for hours. I see the cliff that looks like a rooster, and I see the river, but I don’t see much of anything else but a sea of green.
Nothing so far, appears to live here, so nothing has been trying to eat me except for the bugs. (Maybe that is why nothing lives here.) I press against a row of bushes insistently, I can feel cool air on my face wafting through the foliage from the other side. The shove pushes me through the brush, and I tumble down the other side with a yelp. Epona slides down behind me on her rump, not look any bit too much more dignified then me. We both stop just short of another part of the river that is deeper and flowing towards us. This must be where the water wells up from under the mountain and feeds the river on the other side.
I straighten up, pushing myself up onto my elbows and Epona snorts in my face wetly. Her eyes are accusing me of trying to get us killed. As I wipe the horse snot off my forehead, I can only shrug apologetically and say:
“How the hell was I supposed to know?”
Tilting my head up a little further, I look up to see that the mountain splits here, and there is a canyon directly ahead with what looks like a shallow river flowing silently. I would wager my hat that this is “Shallow River.”

~*~
Epona is playfully trailing her lips through the water, snapping up big mouthfuls and then slinging her head from side to side letting it dribble out. She is knee deep in the water, and slogging patiently across the sandy bottom. I, I am left to lift up the edges of her blanket and tuck it under my raised knees. Scrunched up as I am, the bottoms of my boots still skim the water. I have a backache. At least the mare is having fun.
The treat of the day for me, however, is that the canyon on either side is still heavily forested, and large, sweet, wild raspberries grow on either side. I don’t even have to dismount for a snack, or touch my reserves. I am planning on enjoying this. Cool breeze, no bugs, even an eagle or two flying overhead. Who knows when this trip is going to get nasty? I will enjoy the peace while it lasts.

~*~
It just got nasty. Epona waded up onto dry land about four miles ago, and the wind blowing in my face, no longer cooled by the water was strangely hot. It was as if it were from the mouth of a volcano, a hell wind. And it was ripping along, blowing dust to coat whatever had been wet in a fine bristling mass of sticky, dun colored mud. I know why now.
I am at the exit of the canyon, and all there is before me is wind carved multihued rocks and endless sand. All that is missing is the horse bones. I am glad I filled my water skin when I did. My only question now, is where the hell do I go? It is not a good idea to wander aimlessly in the desert. I decide to lead Epona to under the shelter of one of the rock formations nearby and wait for dark. The heat is already making me nauseous, I don’t know how Epona can stand it. Maybe it was all the water she absorbed today. I have heard horses can go three days without water. I really hope we don’t have to test that fact. I can only wince and pull up my hood to shade my face from the scalding sun. I have a feeling I am going to be very glad for this cloak again soon. I will wait till nightfall and then Epona and I will gallop in…whatever direction I decide on between now and dark. I am at a loss as to where to go, perhaps I should turn back. But then again perhaps this desert isn’t very big. Maybe I will cross it in one night and have no worries. Yes. And I am king of Hyrule too. I settle in for a nap. Who knows when I will sleep again. I will have to get Epona and myself to water as soon as I can. No stopping. No sleeping.

~*~
/“Hello Link.”
I startled. I couldn’t honestly tell if I was awake or asleep, I was in that funny in-between stage, where if you wanted, you could tell yourself it jus just a dream and wake. But I didn’t want to. That voice was familiar. I opened my eyes slowly. I was still under the arch, Epona was dozing with one hind foot cocked and her butt facing the wind. But there was no wind. It was just like a hushed breath in the desert. Now that I looked again, Epona’s ear was paused mid flick. All time had stopped except for that voice.
“Hello?” I squeaked. Great. Heap big tough Link. Who me?
Suddenly he was there.
He stood before me, proud, head arched back like a mountain cat surveying a deer, red eyes warm with some emotion that was eerily similar to the look in Princess Zelda’s. It was lonely, burdened, and genuinely glad to see me.
“Link?” He asked as he quietly padded up to me, then squatted in front of me curiously. I could smell sandalwood, hear the soft creak of his armor and the sigh of tightly bound wraps as he breathed. “Are you alright?”
“You are him! From my memories!” I said, pointing my finger in a rather unintelligent manner.
“Yes.” He said, his voice deep and suddenly sad.
“But you do not remember me, do you?”
I looked him in the eyes and my spirit ached suddenly, it made me nearly convulse, my hand over my heart, the other still frozen in a point. I was feeling such loneliness and pain. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes.
“No,” I whispered. “But I want to.”
He shook his head, his blond locks floating sinuously, his eyes closed.
“It il ril right, I would wager you will remember soon. Come find me. I am waiting.”
He leaned forward then, and gently folded my finger back into a fist, his hand stroking mine soothingly. My heart stopped then. And then he leaned forward, His lips a ghostly brush across my own. I hadn’t closed my eyes, I was too shocked. But when he pulled away, part of me nearly screamed and tackled him, wanting to demand more. Instead I took a slow and shaky breath, and then closed my eyes and relished the feeling. This was so much nicer than that guy in the alley, it was soft and warm and…safe.”
Suddenly, I couldn’t see anything, it was all dark, and I was falling.
“I am so tired Link, and I am alone. I await you…” I heard it as a whisper in the blackness. And then there was nothing, and a rush of wind and sandalwood…/ slowly I began to wake to someone’s face on mine. Someone’s very whiskery face on mine. I smelled crushed grass and oats and perhaps a hint of apple and…
“EPONA!” I shrieked as I surfaced to wakefulness, yelping and wiping my mouth.
“Arrhhh!” I howled in frustration. And it had been such a nice dream too…

~*~
It was cool and dark, the sun setting even as I stood. I looked around, surprised that the wind had died down as the desert cooled. It was then that I heard it. A soft bark, then a yip. I turned my head, nearly drawing my sword on reflex. I met a pair of yellow eyes about waist high. A coyote. It was huge and pure white, I could barely tell the difference between its fur color and the color of the desert sand shining in the rising moon. I relaxed from my second surprise of the night with a sigh.
“Well.” I said aloud to it. “I have never met a coyote who ate anyone. I don’t suppose you will be too much trouble?” I stepped forward, it backed away with a hesitant whine. “Go shoo!” I said, waving my arms. It didn’t budge. Just stared knowingly at me. saidsaid Go!” I bellowed, finally getting bad tempered with the animals friendliness. It wasn’t reassuring.
I don’t exactly know what made me do it, but I moved back to Epona’s side and mounted, then heeled her directly for the hapless coyote. It yelped and then took off at a dead run. The funny thing was that Epona was not fond of dogs, normally, she would have been more than glad to give chase, but instead she only frisked behind the Coyote, taking playful snaps at it. It was the same way that …
/ “AIYAH!” A yelp of pain cut through the campsite.
“Sheik?! What’s Wrong?!” I cried, leaping to my feet and drawing my blade, ready for a fight. What would make a powerful and battle-hardened Sheikah howl in pain? It must have been terrible…I was in automatic overdrive until he stalked back up to the campfire, just his stole making an impromptu covering from the waist down.
“She bit me!”
“Who bit you?!” I asked, looking alarmed, bouncing on the balls of my feet, looking for a fight.
“EPONA!” He growled.
“No way.” I said, looking around still like this was some sort of colossal Sheikah joke he was playing on me.
“Yes, she snuck right up on me when I was bathing in the lake.”
“And bit you.” I finished.
“And bit me.” He confirmed.
“But Sheik…no one sneaks up on you.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. And then I realized he was naked. And wet. And I blushed and looked away. Damn me and my shyness./

I woke up with sand up my nose. And Epona laughing. And my ribs aching. And that DAMN coyote still staring at me.
“Is someone trying to tell me something?” I asked no one in particular.
And then it happened. I swear to the gods it did. The damnable thing winked at me.
I was remembering…Sheik, that was Sheik in my dreams, in my memories? I had loved him, had I told him? Did he know? Where did we meet so long ago? I wanted to know more. I really did. Then I got the craziest idea in the history of Hyrule.
“Am I supposed to follow you?”
Another wink.
“Ok, I have no more options here. I’m game.” I said.
Epona snorted behind me, she must have been edging closer slowly, because the next thing I heard was a pained yelp from the coyote, it shot a good twenty feet away before turning around looked expectantly back at me. I swear it gave a dirty look to Epona.
I mounted again, shaking the sand out of my cloak and clothes.
“Lead on crazy coyote. The worst thing you will do is lead me to water.” I said aloud. I had heeled Epona on for only two steps when the beast took off again. Swift as a cat and running like its life depended on it.