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Chapter Text

Link braced himself on his knee, chest heaving. He wavered on his feet, about ready to topple over. His shield shoulder ached from blocking repeated mountainous blows and blood ran into his eye from a gash on his forehead that still bled sluggishly. He gathered himself, ignoring his various aches and pains from learned experience. He could rest once he was sure it was over, there was nothing worse than relaxing only to get a blade in your back.

"Do.. do not think this ends here..." The man before him rasped. Ganondorf stood tall, only hunching forward a little to betray his pain. Link's sword, the Master Sword, stuck out of his chest, impaled fully through the demon king. He took a haggard step forward, his body finally faltering. "The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!" Spittle and blood flew from his lips as he growled out the words.

Link stepped back, shield at the ready and arm held out to cover the princess behind him.

Ganondorf grimaced, looking down at the mark of the Triforce glowing weakly on his hand. Then he fixed Link in his gaze, hatred burning furiously in his eyes. "You, the boy hero. Link."

Link let nothing betray the unease he felt at the dark man knowing his name. He held his ground.

"This is twice you've foiled me." His expression twisted with rage. In a burst of energy he grasped the hilt of the sword in his chest. He let out a hoarse scream as the Master Sword burned bright with holy energy, searing his hands with an audible sizzle. The sigil of Power glowed brighter on the back of his hand. "You will not get away unpunished this time," he snarled, teeth bared in a manic smile that stretched across his face.

There was no time to react. The dying man yanked the Master Sword out of his ribcage and hurled it forward in one impossibly quick action, dark energy swirling along with the motion of his arm. The glow of his red eyes dulled, light bleeding from his chest. Evil malice rushed forward, draining from the demon king and following the path of the Master Sword as it was turned against its wielder.

Link brought his ready shield forward, enough to deflect the sword down, grazing his arm in a shallow cut instead of slicing into his throat. The dark energy behind the Master Sword was not so easily stopped. It surged through the shield and pierced his chest, sending burning agonizing pain eating his insides. His vision wavered, seeing the dark form in front of him collapse to the ground. He felt like his flesh was being torn, ripped apart and condensed. It was a vaguely familiar swirling feeling of his friend, Midna's teleportation. But this was worse, painful in a way her magic had never been. Distantly he felt a hand on his arm before everything was washed away with a sharp yank.

Chapter Text

Link came to slowly and painfully. His whole body felt raw and sensitive, his head muggy and slow to think. He blinked, but his vision remained blurry and the light sent a sharp spear of agony through his eyes and into his head. He bit back a whine and shifted. Experience with endless months of quests in enemy territory warned him he wasn't safe. He couldn't remember what had happened last, he needed to know where he was.

Groaning, he forced his eyes open again and tried to get his feet under him. His limbs didn't cooperate, in a familiar way. So he was in wolf form. That never boded well.

He heaved himself up onto his four paws, chain clanking all too loudly. Around him he saw brick walls and smooth rock pavement. Castle Town? It smelled off, acrid and sour with smoke and something else he couldn't identify. He was in an alleyway, but not one of the buildings or areas he recognized. There was a large green container with black lids that smelled of rot and garbage. He could smell the scent of many people, slightly off from what he knew. Nothing familiar. He pushed down the unease.

Where was Midna? A surge of fear sent his heart racing and he searched the alley, woofing in the way they'd developed as a greeting. He had the dreading feeling that something horrible had happened to her. Seeing no immediate danger, he screwed his eyes shut, willing his brain to kick in and remember.

He saw a tall man with hair as red as blood and a hole in his chest that gaped with bright light. Ganondorf. That's right, they'd defeated Zant, with the fused shadows they broke through the barrier. The princess possessed, fighting together against the dark beast. And then... Link made a soft mournful noise. Midna, what had you done? He'd won, but at what cost? He remembered Ganondorf's last actions, sending his own blade at him with his dark magic. It must've sent him away, locked once again in his wolf form.

He turned toward the bright opening of the alleyway. There was more noise than he was used to, even in Castle Town. It was a familiar bustle of people, and his appearance would certainly scare them. Still, he needed to see. Upon taking a step the cut in his front right leg made itself known by stinging furiously. It bore his weight well enough, so it wasn't too serious, just annoying. He limped forward.

The street was lit with sunlight and was similarly constructed of solid slabs of stone, light on the side and a dark strip in the middle. A few sparse people walked along the light stone. Only, these people looked strange. Some resembled ordonians and hylians, but many had strange features that didn't resemble any of the races in Hyrule. He might've even thought some were monsters with the way they appeared if everyone else didn't act like they were anything out of the ordinary.
Suddenly a growl started down the street, growing impossibly loud. Link jumped to attention, preparing himself for a monster to rival the size of the dark beast Ganon. The people didn't react, and he debated jumping out to herd them away to safety. Something in him told him to wait. It was just the utter lack of fear of the locals that had him pause.

It came into view a few seconds later and Link narrowed his eyes. It was large, probably about as tall as his hylian form and twice as long as his wolf. It didn't look like any monster he'd seen. If anything, it resembled horse drawn carriages, but without any horse. It was sleek and shiny, like a polished mirror of red. It moved forward at a high speed on four wide black wheels. He spotted people sitting inside the carriage, through the glass windows, totally unconcerned. It sped out of sight quickly, leaving the same acrid smokey scent that lingered in the air.

Someone screamed nearby, jolting Link out of his thoughts.

He'd crept too far forward in his curiosity and left the shelter of the shadowed alley. A woman with spotted blue skin spotted him, and she shouted an alert, grasping tightly onto her child's arm and yanking him away. They turned tail--literally in the child's case--and ran, other people nearby following suit quickly with a spreading shout of alarm. He was discovered, and needed to get out of sight quickly if he didn't want guards chasing after him.

Link looked back at his alleyway. No good, it was a dead end. He sent another look out at the now empty street. That seemed his best bet. He set out at a limping lope, his front right leg flagging at the sting of pain. He followed the light path, not paying too much mind to the people that hurried out of sight at his approach. He passed more alleys between buildings and kept an eye out for one he could slip into that didn't lead to a dead end.

Finally he found an open space paved with the dark stone between the large buildings that branched off into smaller paths. He continued forward energy quickly flagging, taking turns at random that led further into the maze of buildings until he found a small green patch filled with sparse grass and a couple overgrown bushes. There was a fence that he jumped over easily, only stumbling a bit on the landing. Whatever Ganondorf had done to him had really sapped his strength, and he was panting as his breath came out in great gasps. He padded to the bushes and wormed his way so he was as covered as he could be in the small space. It would have to be good enough.

He caught his breath and blinked back the black spots from his vision. His leg had started sluggishly bleeding, soaking the fur with a dark red. Link huffed a sigh, setting his head down on his good paw. Might as well get some rest, while he had the chance.

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Link slept fitfully, his dreams plagued by unease and discomfort. Dark shapes and monsters loomed in his dreams, indistinct and tearing into him with sharp claws and teeth no matter how much he flailed to get away. So when he woke up, it was almost a relief. Almost.

Two men pushing the bush off of him was what finally broke him from his dreams.

He burst into action, still blurred with sleep but letting instinct take over. He lunged, teeth bared and a harsh warning snarl tearing out of his throat.

The men shouted and scrambled back, wielding sticks with loops attached to the end. One man recovered quicker and shoved the stick at Link's face. He bit down, whipping his head to the side to yank the stick out of the man's grasp. The man cursed as he lost his grip, hurrying behind the other man who finally reacted, flailing his stick ineffectually to ward him off.

Link, finally awake enough to realize what was going on, backed off. He didn't want to hurt anyone.

"Hey, don't you dare let 'im go!" came a yell from behind the two men. A third man with a big floppy hat and clawed hands, also carrying a stick with a loop, stepped forward, blocking his opportunity to slip past with a wide stance.
"Didn't you see that, he's crazy." The first man, the one who lost his stick gestured angrily at the third man. "You try to get him, then."

Link twisted to scan behind him. He was trapped by the bush that had sheltered him, and behind that a fence. He could probably jump the fence, he decided, tensing to make a sudden leap.

Before he could move, something flashed in the corner of his gaze. He ducked forward, flinging his head down just in time to dodge the third man's loop trying to slip over his head. His moment of distraction had cost him and he suppressed a growl of frustration.

"Can't be that hard, almost had 'im, didn' I?" The hat-wearing man mocked, grin revealing a missing bottom tooth. The first man had managed to get his loop-stick back and was advancing with confidence born in numbers.

Link scrambled to the side, avoiding one loop, and then another as they tried to pin him from both sides. His manacle clanged with the movement, singing a familiar song of combat. All three men advanced, looming with intimidation. Link, used to facing monsters and unbeatable foes, wasn't cowed, but he had enough sense to know this situation wasn't good. He darted forward in a feint, teeth snapping. He didn't want to hurt them.

His fake charge affected them, as they were slower to advance this time, but they still pressed on. They were spreading out, covering more ground.

They attacked again, all three this time, and Link wove deftly around all three loops. They followed through with the sticks, catching the wolf off guard, and one stick made contact with his shoulder, hitting with a dull smack that brought a jolt of pain.
Link couldn't pause for a breath. The first man thrust his stick forward and Link danced to the side, landing heavily on his bad leg. He didn't let the stinging stop him, whirling around to snap a warning as the man with a hat got too close, only to fall back a moment later as the first man almost slipped the loop around his head.

This wasn't the first time he'd faced multiple foes, but it was the first where he was so limited with range. In his hylian form there was no shortage of tools he could use to improvise and extend his reach. In wolf form he was more limited, but still had Midna's magic, or even just a leap forward. Those were more lethal options, and he hesitated to resort to them fighting regular people.

Besides, Midna wasn't here. The reminder stung worse than his injured leg.

Still, he had to figure something out quick, before his aching body gave out on him. He might have to let go of his reluctance to hurt.

He bunched his legs up underneath him and leapt forward with a deep bark. He aimed between two of the men, and that was his mistake. They were ready for the move, two loops darting in front of his charge. He twisted and aborted the motion, but it was too late. One loop slipped past his ears and settled around his throat, the other snagging his muzzle.

Link crashed heavily, something snapping in his shoulder that had been struck previously, and immediately thrashing his head to dislodge the invading rope. The band around his muzzle slipped off, but the one around his neck only tightened.

Panic gripped his chest and he forced himself to his feet despite his leg screaming in protest. He backed away, trying to slip the loop over his ears. It grew only tighter at the movement, lodging itself into the folds of his scruff. His mind raced. The loop around his neck was restricting his breathing, and the way it was going he was going to pass out. His struggles only made it worse.

Going against his fearful instincts, he stopped his strain to back away, pushing forward instead. The relief was slight, but gave him a sliver of hope. He staggered towards the man who had him captured, teeth bared, feeling the loop loosen even more.
The man shouted, cursing. "What the-- quick, he's gonna get out."

Link couldn't get away from the other two sticks slipping the thin rope around his neck, effectively held in place by the first and dazed from the lack of oxygen and pain.

All three men spread out, so no matter where he lunged there were two other sticks pulling him the other way. Link's vision started to black out and he gave into his panic, thrashing aimlessly, just wanting to get away.

He heard yelling and one of the bands loosened, only to tighten a moment later. He kicked himself up and towards the nearest shape of his assailants. Choked cries and whines, that had he been more aware would have embarrassed him, escaped his throat. He clawed at his neck with his good paw, the other not moving right, digging at his fur. The strangling loops were too tight to get any purchase. His struggles weakened and the world slipped away.

Chapter Text

Link paced the small room, anxious energy curling in his gut. He flexed his jaw, opening and closing it as much as he was able. It took three limping steps to reach the far wall, then turn the corner, barely needing a step to reach the next corner, then another three paces back. There was a second area, to his small room that led outdoors, but it was currently closed off. The space felt smaller with every repeated round.

It'd been three days since he was locked in this cell, with its smooth gray walls and barred doors. It was a prison of sorts, though the kind only reserved for animals by the stench of it. When he first awoke he was struck by the similarities of his first time waking up as a wolf. This time though, he wasn't bound by chains--at least not in the same way. There was no helpful imp to free him this time either.

Being feared was an old game to Link, people of Kakariko, his friends and family, and even the 'fearless guards' of Castle town all fled and cowered at his beastly appearance. These people thought they actually did something with that fear, binding his mouth with a metal cage strapped to head, so he could no longer defend himself.

It's not like he would bite someone in the first place, and he still had his claws if he really wanted to do damage. He didn't realize how much he depended on his mouth and teeth to navigate his world until the option was taken from him.

A low whine drew from his chest, drowned out by the sounds of complaint the other animals let out in a constant din. He'd gotten it off the first time, after waking he worked at it, worrying it down until it slipped over his ears. Then he'd gone investigating his cell, looking for some way to slip out. Outside led to nothing useful, the ceiling was covered by wire mesh that let the sun through but blocked any attempts to jump the wall. There was a drain in the floor and the outline of a door, with no handle. Inside was a little better. The stone walls and floor were unbroken and gave no opportunity to dig his way out, but the barred front of the cell with the latch accessible through the bars lended some promise. The lock was simple, but meant for dexterous hands opening it from the other side. He was poking at the lock with his claws when he was caught.

The woman coming in at night for a lazy check on the animals raised an alarm, and two men rushed in with padded jackets and those cursed sticks with the rope on the end. Link had fallen back, trying to act as non-threateningly as possible. Still, they approached with the sticks, trying to capture him once again. He dodged, teeth snapping defensively at the weapons, but there were only so many places he could go and they pinned him down.

Once he was dizzy and weak from lack of oxygen, they came and wrestled the muzzle back over his head, tightening it and testing by pulling the muzzle forward to make sure he couldn't slip it off again. They left the room and then released him, putting extra clips on the lock.

After that he worked carefully when no one was around and fiddled with the muzzle. He first tried to work it off as he had the first time, but it was too tight and he only managed to rub raw spots behind his ears and on the bridge of his nose. He then started clawing through the straps holding the muzzle in place, sawing his claws at the same place. It took a while, but eventually it gave, and he was able to snap the fabric and yank the muzzle off once again. He then turned his attention to the lock, before anyone came back. Once he caught the clip between his teeth he tugged until the metal bent and it slipped off. Then he stuck his good paw between the bars and pushed the latch. Finally he hooked something with a claw, and the door pushed open. The doors past that proved little challenge.

Link's triumphant escape came to an end when he took a wrong turn and found himself in a dead-end room, interrupting a conversation between a group of five people. They called for reinforcements and he was surrounded and recaptured.

They found a new muzzle for him, this one with tougher straps and too small for his face. He overheard his captors argue about it, but they ultimately decided that his discomfort was better than the possibility of him getting out again and hurting someone.

Which was stupid, he hadn't mauled anyone yet, despite ample chances to do so if he really wanted.

He was bitter and trapped, running out of options other than just wait. And waiting went against his nature, it ate at his insides and he was just about willing to go against his morals and attack the next person to open the door, just to get out of here.

It wasn't like his captors were all bad. They gave him water that they refilled daily with a flexible pipe sprayed through the bars. They slid a bowl with hard brown pellets of food underneath the door once a day, and they took it back after he inevitably left it untouched for a few hours. When he woke they had bandaged his leg, and had replaced the bandages once after coming in, pinning him down so he couldn't move. There even was a hard cot made of smooth material and stiff fabric.

They weren't cruel. He could see where they were coming from, but he was anything but the wild animal they saw him as.

He stopped his pacing, once again regarding the unappetizing meal provided to him. It smelled vaguely edible. By now he stopped feeling the hunger as keenly, though it still twisted sharply with pain at the sight of food. He knew better than to starve himself, but the thought of eating the food repulsed him. Previously he'd swallowed a few mouthfuls every now and again when the hunger was overwhelming. The muzzle made it absurdly difficult, only being able to get a few pieces at a time by licking it up through the little he was able to open his jaw.

It really wasn't worth the effort, but he could feel the lack of food starting to affect him. His wounds ached, not feeling much better despite the rest, and his limbs were dragged down by pervasive tiredness.
They were going to take the bowl away soon, before it grew stale.

Indecision warred for another second before practicality won out. He steeled himself for the taste, making a detour to the water trough first. Drinking was difficult, but if he dunked the tip of his muzzle in he could gulp the water down easily enough. Then he went back to the metal bowl and swallowed down a few slow bites. His stomach turned at the taste, and it weighed heavily in his gut.

That would have to be good enough. Link went back to the cot and heaved himself down, his injured leg throbbing. He really should be staying off of it more, but he was never one to pay mind to his body's limits.

He would have to be smart to have any chance of escape. His impatience had already cost him-- now his captors were on guard and weary of his tricks. But even their weariness wouldn't last forever. They thought him a simple animal, and though that continued treatment poked on past hurts in an uncomfortable way, it revealed an opportunity.

It would be a long game, but he could pretend, act predictably and instill a false sense of security in the guards. A chance would come along eventually, and he would be ready. So far he'd demonstrated a reluctance to directly attack, so that would be something they wouldn't expect. Not that he would actually do much damage, especially with his main weapon taken from him.

But he was a creature of motion, always ready to act and moving forward to the next goal. Sitting still for so long grated at him, something restless and primal screaming inside his chest.

Link huffed out a breath and laid his head down.

The only thing to do now was observe. The guards would patrol occasionally at night, but seemed to do mainly busywork during the day--cleaning the cages and feeding and watering the occupants. Said occupants responded to the presence of people by increasing the barks of greetings-get away-let me out-this is mine. Link's head hurt from the constant noise.

He could pick out the conversation from the workers underneath the sounds. "Yeah, I already fed the first row. You can go ahead and pick up the bowls if they're finished already if you'd like." Link paid it some mind, but let his eyes slip close into a light doze. They mostly talked about mundane things, how their days were going, what work needed to be done, what was going on at home, and things like that.

"...that new dog is a wolf mix?"

Link's attention snapped back to the current conversation. He was occasionally brought up, more so than any of the other dogs, and he always listened in case it was something important.

"I mean, he's certainly got the looks for it. But he could just be a big husky or something," the man continued. Matsuo, or something, was his name?

The other person, a man named Mori, scoffed. "Husky? Really?"

Link opened his eyes at a metal scraping sound. They were right outside his cell, fishing out the still full bowl of food with a hook.

Mori met his gaze and looked away. "Man, he's a scary one, wolf or not. Those eyes are crazy." He bent down and picked up the bowl, adding it to the cart stacked full of dirty bowls at various states of finish, most empty.

"I heard," Matsuo glanced around, voice lowering. "I heard they think he's Quirked. That's why they're not allowing anyone to handle him." Link stilled. This was new information.

"They aren't letting us handle him because he's massive and untrained. And apparently he's already gotten out of that muzzle a couple times, even unlatched the gate and went after some employees." Mori eyed Link with visible unease. "I certainly don't want to touch him after all that."

Link felt a twinge of annoyance. He never 'went after someone', he tried to get away and defended himself. He disguised his reaction as a wide yawn, showing off his sharp teeth, and kept the men in his peripheral vision.
Matsuo made a wide gesture with his hook. "He's smart enough to get out, and look at his markings. Doesn't seem like any breed I know."

"We have several escape artists, it doesn't take a genius to get out of these cages. H***, if anything it lends credit to your husky theory. We all know how cunning those b*****ds can be." Mori moved onto the next cage, out of sight. "And things look weird now that Quirk bloodlines are mixing in."

"Yeah, but..." Matsuo hurried to keep up, pushing the cart along. "There's people looking for Quirked animals. They can get a lot of money off of that these days."

Mori must've used his hook to grab the next bowl by the scraping sounds. "That's only for the obviously Quirked. Even if our wolf-husky guy was Quirked, appearance isn't enough." There was a clatter as the bowl joined its fellows on the cart. "Enough about that, did you hear about the new hero Mount Lady's debut?"

Link let his attention fade as he took in the new information. He'd already overheard enough about the heroes of this place. They were a common topic of conversation. Somewhat related to them, was the concept of Quirks.

As far as he could tell, they were abilities and powers people here had. One woman would come around during her shift and, instead of using a hose, would use her power to fill up his water dish. Other people had mentioned their own 'Quirks' in conversation. It seemed to have no rhyme or reason behind what abilities people had, and it only sometimes related to appearance--like the man who had dog-like snout and ears and could make barking noises that sounded convincingly like a dog and actually made sense in the language of animals. He held small broken conversations with a couple of the dogs, though he never attempted with Link.

What having a Quirk meant for him, he didn't know. At least it gave an explanation for his differences to typical animals, even if it was a wrong assumption. At first he figured they thought him a monster, as the people of Hyrule did, and kept him as some sort of study instead of just killing him as they might other monsters. But they continued to treat him reasonably well, just as they did all the other animals in their care, despite keeping their distance.

Ultimately, it didn't change anything, he decided.

Link laid his head back down, closing his eyes and hoping sleep would come easier this day.

Chapter Text

By the end of the first week, Link's captors were finally starting to drop their guard around him. It came with the side effect of a few of his guards trying to 'bond' with him, lingering on the other side of the bars and trying to lure him close with dog treats and soft words.

He wasn't interested in the food, or being stroked like some common pet, but he did appreciate the lack of hostility. He would come close enough that they could almost touch his side and pretended to become more tame to their presence.
Some of his guards still gave him a wide berth, fear souring their scents, but even they too relaxed to some degree during his days of inaction and seemingly tame behavior.

On that particular evening one of the men who'd been trying to get close to him decided to take it that one step further. Link tensed as the door clanked, metal on metal, as the man unlocked the barred door, preparing to slip inside.

Link had a brief moment of guilt at what he was about to do. The man was kind, only trying to reach out to what he thought was a scared animal. But that feeling was soon overtaken by a rush of adrenaline as his pent up frustration and fear finally found an outlet.

The door opened just a sliver and that was enough. Link launched himself forward, his chain clattering noisily against the stone. The man had the door braced against one leg, the other blocking the slight gap in a practiced motion to block any escape attempts. But that was for the typical dog. Link, a huge powerful wolf with the trained muscles of a warrior barreled forward with all the force of a battering ram, crashing into the door and shoving it open.

The man was knocked backwards with a strangled shout. He fell heavily, knocking his head against the far wall with an audible thunk.

He didn't get up.

Link felt a tug of horror in his gut at the sound and took a moment to check that he was still alive. The man's chest moved in a steady motion and his eyes remained closed. Out cold, but alive. That was all Link could do for him, hopefully someone would be along soon and get him the medical care he needs.

By that time, he would have to be long gone.

One last guilty look and Link was off. He went the opposite direction of last time, hoping he would not find another dead end. He encountered a closed door, but it was quick work to rear up on his hind legs and twist the knob open. The room and hall behind were blessedly empty. Link inhaled deep breaths as he limped along at a hurried trot, trying to catch a scent of fresh air.

There. He took a right turn.

The putrid stink of chemicals and animals faded and the mixing pot of smells overlaid by fresh rain from what could only be outside was growing stronger. He heard voices get louder as he approached and he quickened his pace. There was no way around it, he would have to push forward through the other workers. He was under a tight time limit before his absence was discovered, and stealth would do him no good here.

Luckily, when he came to it, the door was slightly ajar. There were three people for sure, laughing politely as if someone had just told a moderately funny joke. Link didn't wait to see if a better opportunity presented itself. He took a moment to catch his breath, shoulder throbbing and leg stinging, and broke out into a run.

He pushed through the door and wove past the woman standing right next to it. It took a second to register the other two people sitting at a desk, the waist level gate that seperated half the room, and finally a wall made of clear glass panels looking out on the sunset of brilliant orange, two of which could only be doors, as they were set on hinges with handles stretching across them.

The second wasn't long enough for the last few guards to react beyond surprised shouts and screams. Link lept easily over the little gate, stumbling a little on landing but not letting the bit of pain stop him. He hoped briefly that the doors opened outwards instead of inwards.

He lunged for the long handle with his good paw outstretched. It shuddered in its frame, but the door didn't budge. Link backed up, paw smarting. Behind him, he could hear the workers getting mobilized, more voices joining. Pulling the door open would be an arduous process, taking too long and leaving him vulnerable.

Link took a deep breath. He charged again, lowering his head and tucking it to the side with a powerful thrust forward of his hind legs. He crashed shoulder first into the glass, and then through the glass. He landed on his side, rolling to absorb some impact. Thousands of shards glittered in the setting sun, littered along the street and scattered in his fur. It was beautiful.

Urgency pushed him to scramble to his feet, shaking off the daze of the impact. Without a further glance back, he set off down the streets. Past the pounding of his heart in his ears, he could hear signs of pursuit, but the sound was quickly fading as he sprinted away full speed, adrenaline surging.

He took turns at random, trying to keep to smaller streets. There were little people out and about, and Link ran by without pause. The sun finally sunk beneath the horizon, but the roads remained bright with unfaltering light of street lamps and lights spilling from windows.

Pretty soon Link's energy flagged, but he kept going, focusing on keeping his pace at a steady lope. Hunger curled harshly in his stomach and he regretted not trying to eat again before leaving. The dark of the sky strengthened the shadows cast by the lights, and Link slipped through without notice, the odd rhythmic clinking of his manacle and chain passed off as another noise of the night.

The world largely blurred into a daze as Link continued. He didn't think anyone paid him much mind, or that he was still being pursued, but he couldn't be sure. There wasn't anywhere to hide in this world of stone and square shapes. So he kept going.

Link finally stumbled an indeterminate amount of time later, his steady pace broken by his front leg giving out. He stood for a moment, chest heaving as he caught his breath, and took stock of his surroundings. It was well into the night, the streets devoid of any movement save the gentle sway of leaves in the wind. He had gotten to a part of the city where the buildings were smaller, more familiar houses in squarer shapes, short individual buildings. There were more trees and plants in the green spaces between stone pathways.

He wondered how big this city was, to be so large as to take hours to traverse and still have no end in sight.

After the last time he tried to shelter in a bush, he felt a bit hesitant to go for the obvious hiding place. But there was a double thick line of bushes across the street that proved a stark contrast to the scraggly plant from before his capture. And he was so tired now he stopped to rest, he didn't think it wise to keep going. His shoulder ached furiously and his bandaged leg smelled of fresh blood in the darkness.

Link shook himself and limped across the street to the big, perfectly squared, bushes.

Sure enough, once he pushed his way past the initial barrier of thick leaves the branches were bare and there was enough space for him to squeeze through to a sizable gap by the trunk. He kicked at the dirt to form a little hollow and then curled up, tail tucked over his nose. His physical exhaustion didn't let his worries keep him up. He soon drifted away.

Chapter Text

Leaves rustling woke Link abruptly, his eyes flying open and he tensed to keep his body still and quiet. Movement only drew attention. He saw red eyes peering down at him, low light of either sunrise or sunset framing spiky blonde hair. The boy brought a faint smell of burnt caramel. Their eyes met, and Link gave up the slight hope that the boy hadn't spotted him.

Before he could decide on his next course of action the blond boy retreated, letting the leaves fall and block out the light. Link stood, wincing at the pain in his shoulder, noting with some embarrassment that the tip of his tail was sticking out of the bush. That must've been how he was found, and he cursed himself for his carelessness. He padded forward enough to peer out the gaps in the leaves, watching the teen walk away casually, hands in his trouser pockets and shoulders relaxed. As if he hadn't just seen a large monster hiding in a bush, he made no move to alert the other people walking the streets, continuing on his way until he rounded a corner.

It appeared he slept the entire day away, and the sun was setting quickly, casting a red glow that filtered through the thick branches. It was rare that he slept that deeply for so long, especially alone, without anyone to watch his back. He felt a stab of grief at the thought of his friend. Link sat back, apprehension tightening in his chest. He debated moving on for a long minute, before ultimately deciding to stay put until dark. It wouldn't be long.

Link settled down to wait, head on his paws and gaze watchful. He was careful to keep his tail tucked close. His stomach ached dully with hunger and his mouth felt desperately dry. Unfortunately the path next to the bush was well traveled, by both those metal carriages and the locals walking by, and Link tracked each one passing by with intense focus, tension seeping into his tired muscles. As the sun grew ever lower, things slowed down, and Link started mentally preparing himself to leave once there was a long enough stretch of quiet.

It was a few minutes into another quiet stretch that someone approached, just another passerby from the shadows Link could see. Except instead of walking by as normal, they stopped at the sculpted bush, crouching down and pushing leaves aside. The smell of burnt caramel filtered in.

Link was instantly on guard, lips pulling back automatically to reveal sharp white teeth beneath the restrictive muzzle and he shifted so his legs were under him and ready to spring away.

It was the boy again, blond hair duller now that the sunlight was faded but red eyes just as sharp and glaring. Link knew he was spotted, so he stood, hackles standing up and let the growl that was building in his chest rumble out, a loud threat telling him to back off. He scanned the path behind the boy, looking for the help he surely brought to face Link, only to find that the boy was alone. Foolish then, to think he could overpower Link alone with whatever the boy brought as a weapon, hidden in a white bag hung on his wrist.

The boy backed off, reaching a hand into the bag which made a sharp loud rustling noise, and he pulled out a metal cylinder with bright colors pasted on the sides and a white bowl.

Link let his growl die away, curiosity peaked at the items that didn't seem to be weapons after all. He watched carefully as the blond teen pulled the cylinder open using a tab at the top, the metal cracking as it split open and peeled back. As soon as it was opened a tantalizing smell wafted from it, Link's sensitive nose picking it up and detecting some sort of cold meat stew with some light vegetables. After days of unappetizing pellets it smelled particularly tempting and he licked his lips, hunger roaring to life in his stomach.

Grabbing a white bowl, which he had two of them stacked, the boy poured the stew into it and set it down on the solid stone path. In the other bowl he poured clear clean water from a glass like bottle that was far too flexible to be normal glass. Then the boy pushed both bowls to sit just outside the bush and stepped back out of reach, watching with intent red eyes.

At this point, Link could guess the boy's intentions, trying to lure him in with food and then catch him off guard. It was a tactic he'd used himself many times in Ordon to lure in stray farm animals or pets. But just because he was wise to it didn't mean that he didn't want the food and water. He knew all too grimly what the lack of food and water did to a person, especially when he needed to be ready to fight at any moment.

After weighing the risks for a long moment, he pushed his head out of the bush and investigated the bait a bit closer, keeping an eye on the boy for when he started inching closer. It was awkward to eat and drink around the muzzle, and he made an embarrassing mess of it, licking the scraps from off the metal bars. He was hungry enough that he barely noticed the muzzle rubbing against sore skin. The teen made no attempt to approach, still watching him keenly with an unreadable expression.

Once Link finished he stepped out fully, the street's emptiness aside from the boy making hiding less necessary and the freedom of movement a welcome trade from his cramped quarters. He faced the blond, torn between gratitude and the need to get moving. Even if it wasn't well intentioned, the boy had given him the first good meal he'd had since finding himself in this strange place.

The boy brought out another metal cylinder and cracked it open. Link cocked his head at the unspoken offer. He was still hungry, so he stood still. The boy moved casually, relaxed and slow, and filled the bowl full of food, and refilled the water while he was at it. So he meant to make another attempt to grab Link, though why he didn't try the first time was unknown to Link. Well, Link couldn't pass up another free meal, even with the miniscule threat of young hands trying to grab him while he ate. He met the boy's gaze for a long minute, and when the blond was starting to shift, shoulders tensing, Link dipped his head in a shallow bow, limping forward once again to take the bait.

This time Link could tell the teen was more impatient, watching the wolf carefully but with more intention this time. He was subtle, but Link was ready when the soft scrape of his shoes betrayed his action. Link ducked the reaching hand, sweet smelling fingers just catching on the straps of his muzzle before Link was out of reach in a clatter of his shackle against the stone, staring calmly at the boy with head held high. He wasn't scared of him, and the boy couldn't do anything to harm him.

The boy's mouth twisted down and his eyes narrowed in frustration. He growled, an amusing mimic of Link's deep sound. Composing himself and turning away, feigning disinterest, the boy backed up a few steps, leaving the food and water once again in a false safe zone seemingly out of reach.

Link huffed a breath. No way would that work on a normal animal wary of people, much less Link himself.

"Come on," the boy muttered, anger sharpening his tone. He ran a hand through his hair and took a breath.

Link just watched, curious to the boy's next move.

It was a long moment where the boy stood still, body deliberately relaxed and unthreatening and gaze carefully averted before his patience broke. "Do you want that muzzle off or not," he scoffed, rocking back on his heels and glaring at Link.

That took Link aback and he froze, ears flicking back uncertainly.

The teen mussed up his blond hair again, a frustrated sharp motion and he snarled. "Waste of time, stupid dog." The smell of burnt sugar grew stronger. He stalked forward, grabbing the empty bowls and shoving them into his bag and then turned to leave.

Link broke out of his surprised stupor and went to follow the boy, intentionally rattling the chain on his ankle. That didn't work to catch the boy's attention, so he let out a low whine, limping forward another few steps. He sounded pathetic, and he cursed his ability to only make a few noises, and his growls and grumbles would be taken the wrong way.

That did the trick, and the boy turned, glaring viciously. "What now, mutt?" he growled. Upon seeing Link, he stopped, obviously not expecting the wolf to follow. He faced Link warily.

Link was reminded of the fact that he was a monster, and even this teen who tried to help was frightened of him, so he slowed and ducked his head, pawing at his muzzle. He winced as the muzzle rubbed against his raw and irritated skin on his nose. To look extra harmless and pathetic, he let the pain draw a soft high whine from his throat.

The blond boy approached cautiously, expression softened into low irritation rather than the fury of before. Silently, he reached forward, sharp eyes watching Link closely for any negative reaction. Link raised his head and calmly stayed in place. The teen's hand touched his scruff, fingers sinking into his fur and digging out the strap of the muzzle. He wasn't rough, but he wasn't overly gentle either, and the movement of the muzzle scraped against sore skin that left it stinging. Swearing under his breath, the boy tugged on the tight strap. There was a sharp click, then all of a sudden the muzzle fell loose underneath Link's chin and the boy pulled it forward over his ears and Link was free.

Link blinked, flexing his aching jaw open and closed, able to move it more than a few inches for the first time in days. Unbidden, his tail swept back and forth in a low wag as happiness and gratitude swelled in his chest. He owed the teen a debt for his kindness, though he couldn't offer anything. Instead he made deliberate eye contact, bowing his head deeply once the other met his gaze. His nose brushed the stone path, and he felt another swell of relief that it wasn't the cursed muzzle touching the stone instead.

"You're some sort of quirked mutt, aren't you?" the boy asked, expression unreadable.

Link raised his head, tilting it in consideration. From his understanding quirked made him special, valuable, and likely the reason he was captured in the first place. It would give the boy more reason to turn against him. But it also seemed a useful excuse for his intelligence, and spending several days without anyone attempting to understand him brought back the bitter loneliness he'd been plagued with from seeing his friends and family back home and only being feared and attacked. At least then, he always had Midna who talked with him and understood him like none other did these days, wolf or not. He missed her. He shook himself out of that train of thought, it would do him no good. Turning his attention back to the waiting blond teen, he made his decision, nodding carefully.

The boy's eyes sharpened with interest. "I see. You can understand me then?" he asked, just to confirm, which Link did so by nodding again. Which was mildly awkward, his neck and head were shaped differently than his hylian form and the movement didn't come naturally. "It looks like you came from a rough situation." His gaze moved significantly to Link's bandaged leg and the manacled ankle. "You got a place to go?"

Link slowly shook his head. His luck wasn't that good, to so easily find a solution to his problems.

"You can come home with me tonight," the boy offered, teeth bared in an aggressive smile that Link would hesitate to call friendly. But the boy did seem to have a duality to him, harsh and unfriendly in word and body but kind in his actions. Link didn't know which to trust. "My folks wouldn't even notice, so long as you're quiet and don't break anything."

Then again, his journeys had often been helped along by the kindness of strangers, and it seemed he'd once again have to rely on that support. He huffed, staring intently at the boy with narrowed suspicious eyes. Why?

The teen seemed to understand his unspoken question. "I'm not trying to trick you, or sell you out. I don't care enough. Besides," he shrugged casually, "the old hag pissed me off yesterday and she hates dogs."

That wasn't as reassuring as Link hoped he'd get from the boy. Revenge against someone was at least understandable as far as motivations go, though Link had a feeling there was more to it than that. It was probably worth the risk, either way. The boy was smaller than him, though well muscled for a teenager, not enough to overpower Link. He showed no intentions of revealing Link's existence to others to get him captured, and had only tried to help so far. So Link sighed and shook out his fur, excess tension leaving his muscles. He walked up to the boy and gestured forward with his nose expectantly. Lead the way.