AN: So. I guess I’m averaging a chapter a month now. Or something like that.

Oh. And I had to re-do this chapter because I started writing a horror one-shot. And I didn’t want that. By the time this chapter gets out, hopefully that one would have been read. Be warned though, it’s…different.

Chapter 40

The Path

We had to be looking in the wrong place. After all, where else could the light medallion be? I barked my question out loud to Midna, earning a shrug from her.

Oh, how helpful you are.

“Terra,” Midna started. I glanced at her and she continued, somewhat out of breath, “It’s time to stop and rest for a while.”

I glanced at her small body. Sure enough, even her posture looked tired. We have been traveling for the past several hours, and even when I thought about it, my body started to ache.

Oh, how I wished for a hot bath right now.

---

“Terra, it’s time to wake up!”

I growled weakly in protest.

“Terra,” small fingers pried my eyelids open. I resisted the urge to snap at the small imp. “Get up.”

Reluctantly, I slowly got up and shook myself, causing my fur to wave wildly in all directions. When I settled down, Midna hopped on my back, and pointed somewhere off to the left. I glanced at the ominous cave. Was she serious?

I felt her nod on my back, as if to say yes.

Oh, great.

I shook my head in protest, but she kicked my sides and stated, “Terra, we haven’t looked in there yet.”

She was right.

I trotted into the boring looking cave, jutting out of a small cliff-face. Quite frankly, it looked out of place in a lush forest, but who was I to complain? Only one more medallion to go, then I can free the Links and successfully kill Ganondorf once and for all.

Inside, the wide-mouthed cavern quickly turned cramped. My fur brushed against the rough cave walls, and a distinct musty smell hit my nose. Fighting off the urge to hurl, or run away, I pressed on into the narrow hallway. My ears twitched instinctively, on guard for any danger, and my eyes peered ahead of me in an alert fashion.

For what felt like days, Midna later informed me that it had only been a couple of hours, I pushed on. There were times I could not make through the tight passage, thus forcing me to use my claws to dig my way through, but yet there were other times where the cavern was so massive that three horses could easily walk side-by-side.

At long last, the cave came to an end. A dead end. About to chastise Midna for her stupidity, my eyes caught a light. Something was shimmering in the cave walls. I cautiously walked over to the strange object, and upon closer inspection, the bright object turned out to be not an object at all. It was a small crack – only a little bigger than the width of a hair – but light shone through it as if it were a sunroof. Unsure what to do, I stood there. Upon hearing Midna’s exclamation of, ‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ I gave a snort of annoyance and started digging my way through the tough walls – towards the blinding light.

The sound of my claws scraping against the earth filled my ears as I dug. After awhile of digging, I got used to the rhythmic scrapping sounds, and I could concentrate on other things. Like how a giant hammer suspended on a roof was quickly approaching my face.

Move!

I didn’t really have time to react. I froze, fear freezing me stiff, as I witnessed the hammer about to cause my demise. Even though I couldn’t react, my body tried to anyways. It stiffed up at the last moment and prepared to jump backwards to safety, but there was no time.

The breeze from the hammer’s wake rushed pat my ears, making me feel I was in a wind tunnel. My fur blasted back, and I couched down in surprise.

Did the hammer just…go through me?

“Watch out, Terra! It’s coming back!”

Woosh.

It came from behind and as I turned, and I saw it go through me. The weirdest part is that I felt nothing. Not even a sting of pain. It was like the hammer didn’t exist at all.

I had the foresight to think ahead this time. Before Mr. Hammer swung back for another round, I bounded forward, getting out of the way.

And the wall met my face. They got married the instant a sickening crunch resounded throughout the room.

I howled in agony. The coppery taste of blood filtered into my mouth and I coughed. At least, I coughed the best way a coyote could cough.

Midna! Is she okay? I frantically looked around, not seeing her. Midna!?

“I’m on your back, you klutz.”

Oh, right. I knew that.

The weight pressing down on my back lifted as Midna got off my back. She walked around me, as if I was a statue on display at an auction.

After a moment, “Terra. Your face is all messed up.”

I stared at her as if she was an idiot.

“No, really. It’s all bloody.”

The same facial expression remained on my face.

Rolling her eyes in – was that amusement? – the imp took a step forward. I flinched at her touch, but otherwise stayed motionless as she prodded my face.

A bit of poking later, “Terra, it’s fine. There’s only blood cause your muzzle has a cut on it.”

Huh. Some cut. It’s bleeding over the place.

Some herb gathering, a sigh from the imp, and some time later, I was all bandaged up.

Time for the light medallion.

I approached the entrance to the Temple of Time. A determined expression on my face.

AN: Don’t kill me! –hides-

I finally got this done, after working on it on and off for the last few months. Next chapter is the light medallion-getting chapter. It’s going to be a big chapter.

PLEASE REVIEW!