30New Day, New Night
Chapter 1
The sun set over the southern field of Hyrule in the Faron Province. As it approached the horizon, the sun transformed the blue sky into a breathtaking mural of oranges, reds, pinks, and purples. At the farthest point from the setting orb, the stars began to show themselves and lend to the growing twilight. The faster the day faded the faster the night grew.
At the north eastern edged of the field, a pack of four bokoblins roamed for easy prey. The setting sun, now a blood red, was an ominous warning to return to the safety of their caves for the evening. In recent months the southern region of Hyrule had become an extremely dangerous place for bokoblins to hunt for humans and animals. A green clad human tormented them during the day. His patrols, though predictable, were vast and extended from the small village of Ordon to the south, all the way to the dry town of Kakariko in the east. The human easily beat multiple bokoblins single handedly, and so they learned to escape quickly when they saw him.
The human was a small annoyance compared to the wolf that now occupied the woods between Ordon and field. The bokoblins were cautious of the human, but they feared the large black and grey wolf. Whereas the human reacted to the bokoblins with a purpose, the wolf seemed to hunt them for sport or fun. Only the strongest, bravest, or most foolish bokoblins entered the forest after sundown.
The bokoblins in the field were none of those however and were content and determined to get as much hunting as possible out of the day. That changed in an instant when the sun became halfway submerged under the horizon. In the moments before the day disappeared and the night took charge, a beastly howl cut through the air with a prominent ring. The bokoblins looked to one another and started back to the comfort and safety of the cave when they made their camp.
From the edge of the forest the wolf watched them. His feral blue eyes never breaking from the bokoblins as they retreated from his presence. In the last dwindling moments of the day, the wolf let out another intimidating howl, and watched as the pack of bokoblins disappeared from sight. The sat on his rear, holding vigil for a few more minutes, watching the moon rise and the stars peek through the black sky. The calm, clear night held a certain bittersweet beauty to the wolf that needed to be appreciated.
Eventually the wolf got up and turned around into the forest. The wolf trotted along for a short period before encountering a chestnut colored horse with a light blonde mane grazing on a bit of grass. Unlike many other animals which might run from the predator, the horse showed absolutely no concern for the wolf's presence. Instead, the horse looked at the wolf with a knowing gaze that is shared between lifelong friends.
"You know Link, you may be the only wolf in history that howls at the setting sun as opposed to the moon." the horse said in the language that only animals understood. "You are breaking the mold for sure." finishing with the horse equivalent of a chuckle.
"And you Epona, are the only horse who can be perfectly understood by their rider, but that is my credit as well. Seems that I am quite the unique individual." Link responded with a grin on his wolf face.
The two beasts began to walk back to their home, the small village of Ordon. The walk would take them around an hour and a half, but the two were used to the distance. The walk was considerably easier now that many of the Bokoblins avoided the forest. Though there were still natural predators in the woods such as bats, and Duku Baba's. These were easily overcome by Link and his teeth and claws.
"Are you going to remain in your current state all the way back?" Epona asked. This was not an unusual question for Link, as Link was actually a human man. A small, magical black and orange stone allowed him to assume the form of a wolf whenever he desired. Normally Link rode Epona back to Ordon, as many men would.
"Not tonight." Link returned promptly. One of the benefits of being a wolf is that many of his senses were many times stronger than his human body. His sight allowed for better night vision. His taste buds picked up flavors that would normally go unnoticed. Link's personal favorite benefit was the ability to detect the smallest fragrances with his nose. "The wind is carrying lots of pleasant scents through the forest tonight."
"All right." Epona said and the two continued their journey through the nighttime forest.
Link took the time to take in his surroundings as they traveled. The trail they walked on was a dark tan soil that had been packed down by the many travelers over the years. The trees that were just of the trail were mainly tall ash trees that had wide leaves in their canopy that almost blocked out the light during the day. The most visible section of the sky was the clear section that was just over the trail. At this point, the sun had set completely and the stars shined and twinkled on the dark canvas that was the night sky. The sky itself was not black, but more of a deep, dark blue that would surround one at the bottom of a lake.
Link's wolf nose picked up the smells of dew that was already beginning to gather on the forest floor. In addition to that, the scent on leaves being carried by the wind. Small animals that scurried along the ground had their own distinct musk. Link could detect his favorite natural scent though, and it was the smell of an Ordon Pumpkin growing wild somewhere nearby. The scent brought memories of Link's favorite desert, pumpkin pie.
The next thing that Link smelt however was not pleasant, and it put him on his guard. It was smell that was like the barn at Ordon Village's farm when it got moist. It was a wet, stinky odor that betrayed the presence of a bokoblin nearby. Link knew that there was only a small number of reasons why a bokoblin would remain in the forest after sunset these days. Either they were stupid, hunting some random animal, or the bokoblin was trying to hunt Link. A primal urge within Link told him that he needed to defend his territory and assert his authority. Link then took the briefest of moments to reflect how much he had taken to being a wolf, or how much being a wolf suited him.
"Epona, get behind me now." Link demanded. Epona immediately complied and fell several paces behind Link.
Three bokoblins then revealed themselves from beyond the wood line. They walked with a menacing gait that meant to show they were not scared of the large wolf they now shared the trail with. Their weapons were primitive but effective clubs of a heavy, dark wood. The each of the bokoblins had a variety of scars that were visible on their purple hides. The scars told stories of how this group had fought larger predators than Link, and walked away victorious, so one territorial wolf was not going to intimidate them. Not that it mattered on bit to Link.
Link barred his teeth and dropped his head closer to the ground. His paws adapted a wider stance for better balance. The black and gray hair that covered Link's body and tail flared out and made him appear larger than normal. Links face was scrunched into a snarl and a gritty growl emerged from behind his teeth. This group of bokoblins was not frightened as most were unfortunately.
Once Link assumed his stance the bokoblin in the middle of the other two let out a loud cackle and at once the three purple monsters charged at the lone wolf. The three ran in a line that was meant to simultaneously hit Link from the front, left, and right. Link had seen this charge many times before and countered by jumping to his right while pivoting to face left, putting the bokoblins in a straight line in front of him. Before the first bokoblin could turn to face him, Link lunged and latched his jaw onto his prey's left arm, knocking the bokoblin to the ground. Anticipating a struggle, Link let go of the arm and the bokoblin rolled onto his back under Link, and making the fatal mistake of exposing his throat to Link, which was ripped out by the wolf's teeth. In less than three seconds, one third of Link's foes had been dispatched.
The remaining two bokoblins watched helplessly as their ally was torn to pieces in front of them. Their charge halted as they spread out and took a cautious approach toward Link. Link, being aware of how erratic a frightened bokoblin can be, did the opposite and picked up the tempo of his assault. He leaped past the first bokoblin and slashed at the weapon arm of the second one. Link then pivoted about, and struck the first bokoblin in the back of the head before it could turn to face him, taking it out of the fight. The final bokoblin turn to make one last stand, but had no energy to defend itself. Link slashed at the throat of the bokoblin, ending the threat.
Link stepped away from the bodies and examined his work. He didn't go looking for trouble, but he was always comfortable answering to it. Monsters suck as the bokoblins were a danger to his friends in Ordon, and he would defend them to the best of his ability. Link still felt that in his wolf form, he was more aggressive and brutal in his fighting style.
Epona stepped up next to him. "Are you done so soon? I was expecting more of a standoff or a showdown. But I guess it is late, and we should get back to Ordon soon" Epona said, poking fun at Link.
"Ha ha." Link said sarcastically. "Let's get going."
The two animals walked south towards the village they called home. As they passed a spring filled with fairies, Link assumed his human form. His body became as dark as his shadow, and his figure reformed his shape to that of a person. As the color returned to his body, it revealed that Link was dressed in the same outfit he wore on his adventure to save Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, complete with the green tunic and hat.
Link stared in the palm of his hand, revealing an angular black and orange stone. The magical object in his hand, in addition to allowing him to transform, served as a reminder of his adventures that ended three months ago to rescue the kingdom of Hyrule. More importantly, the stone reminded Link of Midna.
Midna was the princess of the Twilight Realm. Her realm was also in danger when a false king named Zant took over her kingdom, and invaded Hyrule. When this occurred, Midna was cursed to take the form of an imp, and wound up working with Link to save both kingdoms. When Zant and his forces were defeated, Midna broke the one known link between the Twilight Realm, and Hyrule. Link wished to remember Midna, as the two became quite close during their quest. Upon Link's discovery of Midna's true physical form, he had also become quite smitten as well, and thought frequently of her tall figure, her pale blue skin, and her fiery orange hair.
Link pocketed the stone and entered the outskirts of Ordon Village to a small cabin that sat atop the stump of a large tree stump which served as Links home. Link climbed the ladder up to the dwelling and opened the door. As link approached the bed that was on the ground floor, Link had a realization that had slipped his mind until just then. Tomorrow would be his birthday.