Work Text:
“..open your eyes…”
“..Open your eyes.”
“Wake up, Link.”
He woke.
No one was there.
Now, he was who knows where, curled up in a shallow cave, shivering. The rain was cold and unforgiving, soaking through his tunic. The device strapped to his hip was still somehow working, but it wasn’t going to help him. The only person he had met was the old man, and that had been many hours ago. He was now far away, and he wished he could still feel the warmth of the fire the old man was tending.
Letting out a shuddering sigh, he leaned against the back of the alcove. His bangs hung in his face, but he found he didn’t care. He felt empty. Alone. He doesn’t know who he is, aside from his name, and he is alone. The loneliness was odd to him. It didn’t feel right. It felt like..he had been used to a constant companion, although he couldn’t remember them. But now they’re gone. It made him hollow. He didn’t like this feeling.
As soon as the rain lightened, he started journeying again. He didn’t like dwelling on his feelings. Not now. He had to do things. No matter how lonely he was.
.
.
.
His clothes were still wet and clinging to his body when he found The Wolf. Like him, the massive beast was wet and cold. The Wolf’s fur clung to his sleek body, smudged with dirt and grime. Light shivers wracked the canine’s body, twitching under tangled fur.
Link, weary, carefully approached, wielding a spear he had grabbed off a bokoblin. He never had seen a wolf before, but he didn’t think they were supposed to be that big. It could be another monster.
He could barely get another thought in, for The Wolf’s eyes snapped open. They were shockingly blue, but he didn’t register that as The Wolf snapped his jaws down on his spear. Link panicked and struggled to get his weapon away, but it snapped before he could. He dropped the useless wood, jumping away in order to get space between them. Surprisingly, The Wolf didn’t try to lunge after him. Instead, he dropped his broken half of the spear, staring at Link. The animal’s eyes seemed to be calculating, his stare intent. There was no snarling, just silence.
Then something unexpected happened. The Wolf laid down and rolled onto his back like a dog. Link found himself blinking. Although, a clinking noise drew his attention, and he spotted the chain on The Wolf’s front leg. He must be domesticated, Link decided. Or imprisoned..but wolves would not act like that if they had been imprisoned.
The Wolf whined at him, trying to redirect his attention. Link frowned. When he didn’t move, The Wolf whined louder at him and did a weird little wiggle, like he was encouraging him to go ahead and pet him. And by some force unknown to him, for the first time since he woke, he cracked a smile. This wolf was ridiculous.
It was a little alarming, how at ease he felt walking over over to the beast and crouching next to him. Yet he could tell The Wolf had no ill intent, and it felt almost natural, giving The Wolf the belly rub he so desired. Link couldn’t even feel annoyance at the smell of wet dog.
“Nice to meet you, stranger.”