Chapter 20: Into The Snow

Link is strong enough to set out again, and the pair enter the snow, getting closer to their destination. But something is following them- is it friendly or not?

Link found her was strong enough to transform again, and before Midna told him the next morning, what she thought gave him his cold, he hugged her, with a 'thank you.' She wasn't happy.

Link sowed his own clothes, after trying but failing to wash the blood out of Midna's cape, and she washed it herself.

Sighing, she hovered on ahead. "We should... be getting closer-" She cut herself off, as a burst of cold air flew through them, and they gazed up at the mountain. "Oh, wow," Midna sputtered a bit. 

They stared at it, and it seemed there were even mountains on a mountain. And not just the simple bumps you see, but entirely more canyons and mountains. Despite seeing how big it was before... It was still surprising there was an entirely new land, basically up there.

Their eyes directed down to a very snowy mountain placed on it. It was hard to see... but it looked like a blizzard stormed there. But it looked like good slope to the top. Even if it took several more weeks.

"That blizzard is our best bet, right?" Link pondered to his companion

"If we go into that blizzard without a plan, Link, we'll get lost. Or seriously hurt again," Midna sighed bluntly. "No plan in there will easily lead to disaster. Trust me. Do you have anything warm?"

His ears perked up excitedly as he remembered- he, in fact, DID bring coats. Link nodded excitedly. "I-I did actually-! I remember thinking to myself, how prepared I have to be, to see you-"

"Well, then that's settled, huh?" Midna cut him off, grinning.

The road ahead of them was still a long one, longer then Link nor Midna had ever been on. But their path was laid out. Northward. And even though Link was unsure how many steps they were from Ordon... he would never rest, even if the Twilight Sword didn't wait for them up there.

But both Link and Midna were very much used to lots of travel and battle, with little to no rest. There was silence as they went ahead and it made Link mind wonder.

It was utterly strange, that the Gods were so... aggressive and violent now. Was it their anger against change? 

Their true reluctance... And why? Was it wrong to feel change was good? He knew if he never set out to find Midna during his uncomfortable depression, he'd be living life in a blur... Never caring for anything or anyone again.

Link knew he could not let the Gods see what was fit for his true happiness. He and Midna had to pick up the pieces to prove why they were on the right road. It was an impossible thought, but he had to stop the Gods before their unfair terror was wrought upon Hyrule, and beyond. 

Even if he, himself, had come to stand alone before the true evil, he would never ever back down, and he would never let himself see the day, he had to say goodbye to Midna forever.

"Link," a soft voice asked. "Are you alright?" 

He looked to his companion, who looked concerned, but he merely smiled at her.

Taking place up alongside her, he turned his attention back to the mountain. Even though it was amazingly huge, the clouds above it radiated a pretty gray, with a tinge of yellow light. The gray clouds hue was brightening, and the energy was becoming ever more exciting as they moved on. 

"I really can't believe how big it is," Midna informed her thoughts to Link. His heart warmed when she spoke. "-and up there-" she pointed to the tippy top of the mountain, taller than any other mountain-  "is where our life-saver might be." She turned to Link as she went forward, and called back. "Let's go!"

Link worked his way toward her, where the seeded rocks turned into dirt, and he suddenly realized, it was time to climb.

"Link, I was thinking... I forgot to tell you actually-" Midna began, stopping a bit abruptly, slowing down. "What's... what's wrong?" Link asked the excited feeling in the air, being abrupt by her nervousness. After asking her, she turned around to face him. "Well, you know how I mentioned you had a fever?" Midna asked, hands behind her back. Link nodded. "Yeah. I do."

"I don't... Well, I don't think it came from any infection you had from the cut, Link." 

Link raised an eyebrow as she spoke, and he suddenly felt... rather anxious. He hadn't asked how he got the fever, but he figured since he'd been cut by a probably dirty stone...

"But you said it was a cut from a rock. It was definitely dirty. And you didn't have any alcohol to clean it out with," Link responded.

 

"I cleaned it as well as possible... And you couldn't remember this, but Link... you were SICK. A cold, the flu- I-I don't know what you had, but an infection... as far as I know, doesn't give you a full-blown sickness."

Link kept on staring at her, eye contact worrying him, even. What was she saying...?

She replied to him again. "I don't understand that, do you? It's... Pretty... Odd."

"Wait, wait, what are you trying to tell me, Midna?" He asked, walked closer. She stared down, and he asked again. "Midna?" 

"I think I nursed you out of something the Gods might've done."

Link's heart propelled itself around in his chest. Nervously, he glanced to the gray sky. That... made a lot of damn sense. Geez, she might be right, and if they had the power to-

"Wait, Midna. Let's think about this for a second." Saying that he knew he angered her but it wasn't nearly at all intentional. There was just so much on his mind, he needed to say so, and fast, before it was all too much that it so frustratingly disappeared from his mind. 

"Link, I'm pretty sure-!"

"No, sorry Midna, I don't mean you're wrong, I mean-... If this is true," he turned to face her, "you saw me, did they go they're hardest on us? Were they... Trying to kill me? Or scare us?"

As he asked this, he saw her eyes flash, and he felt bad for her. Maybe it was more traumatizing then he'd even thought of to go through what she did.

"Link... you were about to die."

 

She looked worried even now like she was scared he'd suddenly drop sick. But Link merely nodded. "They're so far away Midna. They're the Gods of Hyrule. They're NOT the Gods of- everything. I'm pretty sure they can't come here. And the Gods... won't let them."

"But what if it was THE Gods?"

Link shook his head at the concerned princess. "They'd kill us, right away, Midna. They're smart enough not to toy with us. They've- of all people, have seen what we've done. They've seen the battles we've fought, the enemies we've taken down... the Mountains we've climbed."

They turned back to the Mountain of Storms, and Midna sighed letting the luxury of taking the comfort of his words in. Wow, she was becoming weak. But... somehow she felt less guilt about being OKAY this time, then the last.

Maybe she was becoming a mere, weak coward. She looked up at the cold harsh beyond, hoping they'd be okay. Midna shrugged, glancing at Link. All she hoped, was that he was right, that the Gods couldn't hurt them... Yet. "Okay, Link... But we still have to be really, really careful..." The imp sighed. 

Link nodded at her. "But if you think about it, isn't it possible the further we get away from Hyrule- who knows how far we are now-  that they're signal and power over us gets weaker and weaker?" Link suggested.

Midna thought about that for several silent moments. He... might be right. But why would they choose now? Well, obviously to cover it up, by Midna thinking the sickness was due to the infection of the cut. 

But instead of thinking about it, Midna was ready to move ahead, up the monster of a mountain, and she was sure Link was ready also. "Okay... let's get moving."

Link agreed silently, and they moved forth as one.

As they walked forth, ice began consuming the ground more and more, dust and dirt forming into ice and stone.

Icicles shimmered on some small crevices of the Mountain and threatened- if they went under it- to shatter atop of their heads. Even if they were away from the sharp spikes, they took their steps slowly to avoid becoming a pure and simple frozen stone under the stalactite. Listening to the familiar crunch of snow under his brown boots, he regarded how steep this climb may be.

"This is kinda breakneck," Midna joked.

"I like to call it- elevated, Midna."

He heard the familiar sound of his companion giggling behind him, and smiled at it. She was alongside him again. Looking around him, he saw more of the Mountain that they were climbing, but he also stared at what he could of the many, many mountains that dotted the region. 

Mountains never failed to knock the breath out of him. But looking up to the one they were ascending, that reigned and dotted ever so high in the sky, he couldn't currently see the top. 

As he looked up, he noticed the lightly falling specks of whiteness. Snow! He hadn't seen snow, since the last time they'd gone to Snowpeak, which hadn't been in a long time.

Hopping up on a rock, he grunted.

He reached out a hand to Midna, but she was basically already up there. Link smiled, remembering, very clearly, she was strong enough to grow through on her own. The Hylian turned back to where they were going and almost choked. They now stood upon heights, of an overhang and they looked over to an entirely new snowy land.

"Woah!" Link exclaimed. "It's like it has it's own land on here!" he gasped. Midna's arms folded, but Link could see she was still impressed. "Didn't I mention that it looked like it was the size of Hyrule?" Midna mentioned. "I- I don't remember," Link said, then ran forward.

"Hey!" Midna growled, "wait up!"

She chased after the provoking boy, and nearly bumped into him when he abruptly stopped in front of her. "Woah!" She didn't bump into him but merely launched into him, knocking them both over. 

"Are you okay, Link?" Midna said, falling on her bum. Oh. Snow.

"It's...f-f-f-frEEZING!" Link exclaimed. He whipped around, and opened his satchel, and pulled out a big fur coat, throwing it to Midna, then pulled out one of his own, quickly putting it on. 

"A-a-are you okay?" Link asked turning to her, and he wriggled in his coat. "Y-yeah, I'm okay," Midna said, shivering only slightly, trying to hide it a bit. The coat wrapped around her and fell to her limber legs. 

They continued into the open air, as Midna closed up her coat.

As Link looked around, he realized it was like the Mountain Of Storms had many pockets, and they were just in one of them. Looking to the regular-sized mountains ahead, he shivered, but this time from the pure beauty of it. The snowflakes swirled around, through the canyon and all around, like some peaceful ritual, a dance of the mountains.

He spotted two rivers ahead, that was frozen, both covered in thick, thick sheets of ice, for who knows how long. Crossing the waterways, gave him the chills, as he realized he and Midna would have to travel between them. One misstep could mean, another cold, or death. The sting of iciness, he realized, might be the last thing he'd ever feel. Shaking the dark thoughts away, he speed-walked ahead, longing to get over and climb up there, before thinking too much about a painfully cold end.

"Careful, Midna. We need to cross those waterways," he informed her. "As a wolf-..." She pondered, then glanced at him. He stared at her too. What was she getting at? "You'd be more built for this weather, and faster, and may be more agile," Midna pointed out. Link nodded. That was a pretty brilliant idea. "Okay, let's do it."

With a familiar hissing noise, he was now planted on all fours. 

Midna switched to an imp, having her coat shrink around her, and Link carefully and quickly jumped into the snow in between the crossways. He skidded, but stopped, feeling the smooth surface of the icy snow. He kneaded the snow under his paws, reassuring himself. But still rather afraid it'd break under him, he tried not to disperse all of his weight, and he jumped on the first step.

"Oh!" Midna gasped. Link breathed a sigh of relief. He hopped along and soon bypassed all the steps, now on another piece of higher land. He breathed easier, yet, he felt almost like he was being watched. 

It was a sudden and strange feeling, but he kept his jaws snapped shut, and went ahead, feet moving fast across the rising land.

Across the land, he ran feeling a sudden burst of energy. Midna's small hands gripped into his sides tightly. Neither could see much ahead, but Link could see enough that he wouldn't fall into a river. 

Suddenly, something told him to stop. As he did, paws skidding and throwing up snow, suddenly stopped and scraped against frozen water. "Link?" Midna asked, sounding out of breath. "Are you alright?" 

Link froze, standing there. Something was... off.

Something echoed off the mountains from behind him. He whipped his furry head around, Midna following him. 

The noise called their attention, and it felt like a dangerous, maybe a threat. As cracks webbed out around Link's paws, he spotted an extremely large, monstrous, and bold looking shadow.  

"We've gotta go!" Midna yelled, fearfully. Link propelled forth, into action. Racing against time and the breaking ice. The floor was fracturing, and his and Midna's breath came in short gasps, the ice-cold air attacking their strong lungs with every scared inhale.

They heard an almost sad sounding growl echo behind them, but it definitely sounded farther away. As Link crash and landed in snow, he took a breath. He looked back, nearly flat-faced in the snow. He stood up, pulling away from the snow. 

The sheets of the icy blanket were pulling away from each other, down into the dark, blue depths. He watched as they continued to split apart, keeping an eye and an ear out for the large beast they had seen. 

By now, he realized, shuddering- he and Midna would be five to six feet deep down, drowning. Looking across the ocean where the ice had shattered, he realized, they would have to find another way back, when they returned to Hyrule. 

He gazed at Midna, but she was looking out at the river, hovering at the edge of the dark water. "Let's go ahead," Midna said, still staring. He barked in agreement with her in a relieved tone. 

"This is the only way to go now, but I think it's the right way," she assured him, turning around. "and don't worry- we'll find our way back.

He could sense further unsureness in them, but he disregarded it, and he turned away, Midna hopping on. They couldn't waste much more time.

Link felt he could almost hear the cries of that beast, but it felt as if they're path had been made for them. Somehow Link knew his way, which direction to head, directly. Paws sinking in the snow as he slowly walked, he sped up, as Midna held on close to his body.

They scaled the mountains and the trenches, dodging anything that appeared sharp and dangerous. Thoughts began to appear in his mind though, thinking of the beast. Not that he was worried and anxious it was following the pair, but that... it sounded rather- sad, almost? Shaking the thoughts aside, he stared at the wonderland.

This kind of weather had never laid down in Ordon, where he had his childhood. The snow was, and always would be amazing to Link. It was a crisp cold feeling under his paws, numbing them, even. The climate here to him was jaw-dropping. Truly a miracle to behold.

As a sudden frozen blast of wind hit the two companions, his ears flattened, then perked back up, twitching. Had that been a howl? Maybe he was merely hearing things. After all, the wind did howl at times, when it was so strong. 

But as the snow swirled around them, he wondered if his lupine and sharp eyes were playing tricks on him. He kept seeing tall and large shadows out of the corner of his blue orbs. Maybe it was his paranoia... but it certainly did look like that beast they'd seen earlier.

He felt Midna shifting around atop of him, and by the way, she did so, he knew she was about to declare something. "Maybe we should find a place to sleep, I think it's 

getting dark..." She muttered, sounding cautious of her surroundings. 

Link turned his head back to her and nodded. She was right. And if something was following them, it'd be best to hide somewhere. But did that mean Midna had seen the shadows too? Or was also merely her own paranoia. Shaking it off, he realized they needed to find somewhere to sleep anyway.

Trudging ahead as his paws sunk in the snow, he began to climb the side of a mountain, because he spotted a cave in it. "Link... are you sure that's hidden enough?" Midna pondered at him. Link nodded silently. The blizzard was only growing stronger and stronger and he was lucky he even saw this cave. No one would find them. It was utterly doubtful.

Midna shrugged, as Link climbed. But then she wondered... why had it been so easy to see? It seemed a bit lit up. Link continued climbing, digging his claws into the snow, though it just made him slip, it was pure instinct.

Link felt Midna shiver as she pressed her body harder to his, and it made his legs work faster, wanting desperately and so much to get Midna warm and safe, and full, no longer hungry. He climbed faster than he ever thought he could, and when he finally reached the entrance, he looked down and realized how high up he was. 

Turned back, and trotting into the cave, Midna hovered forth to an already lit fire. Shivering, and laughing she rubbed her hands together, breathing into them.

Giggling, she turned to Link, who was walking around the cave. "Haha, well, we found another cave, eh Link? You're favorite?" She joked, rubbing her tiny hands together.

He meant to snort in laughter, even though he found this cave much more pleasant- and er... less blood-smelling. But his head launched up, and his ears perked up.

"Link?" Midna asked, sounding concerned. Then she realized. "Oh..."

Someone was here.

"Oh, hello you guys!"

"AAAAH!"

Author's Note

All rights belong to Nintendo, and please tell me what you think! Also, this will sound weird but if you're a true, huge Disneyland fan, you'll enjoy the next chapter...