Twilight Puppets: Chapter 1

TWILIGHT PUPPETS
~Chapter 1~



Bekah sat with her knees bent in front of her, hands holding her legs as she stared silently ahead. The water rippling near her toes sparkled quietly in the light like a sea of floating stardust. The girl’s expressionless face gazed transfixed by the gently twinkling water, her thoughts wandering aimlessly behind her dulled, brown eyes.

Pretty. That’s what the water sparkles were.

Bekah’s head tilted ever so slightly to the side as she regarded the tiny ripples and soft gleams winking at her.

Fascinating.

Her eyes followed the minute sprites as they danced quietly toward her toes, and her thoughts trailed after them, climbing over the damp grains of sand to rest on her bare skin.

The girl blinked, staring at her feet. Why was she wearing sandals? She never wore sandals…

Bekah’s eyes livened and slowly focused, her day-dreaming glaze melting. Now that she thought about it, her field of vision didn’t make sense. Her head lifted, brow furrowing as her eyes uncertainly darted about, taking in her surroundings. She sat on the sandy edge of a shallow pool of water. A small spring bubbled and washed over a low shelf of carved boulders to feed the pool, its clear water and thin bank hemmed in by steep rock walls. Bekah could see trees reaching over the natural walls to shade the spring with their leaves. The wide sky above was turning lavender and gentle scarlet, indicating late evening.

It was beautiful. Bekah watched a cloud glide serenely overhead, her confusion forgotten for a moment as the wispy puff was saturated with golden color and came alive with silent hues of orange and faded blue.

“Can you feel it?”

A voice directly beside her made the girl start, her hand shooting to brace the soft sand behind her as she spun her head to the right. A worn middle-aged man sat on the ground next to her, nonchalantly admiring the pool and sky. He was dressed in garb unlike any Bekah recognized, and a sword was strapped to his back. The girl stared dumbly at him, thoroughly lost and more than a bit unsettled.

The man shifted his arms on his knees as he watched the spring ripple and spill over into the pool, “Can you feel the eerie restlessness that settles as the light fades?” His expression was kind and deep in thought, like a mentor.

Bekah’s brows lifted as she racked her mind for a memory of what she might be doing here. Where here was. How she got here. But as her mind raced, she realized that she couldn’t even place what she had been doing last before finding herself staring at the pool. A shrouded haze of her life seemed to simply drop into a gap of nothingness before now. She felt her gut start to clench as she glanced around again in befuddlement.

“They say…” the man continued, “that twilight is the time when our world joins with theirs…”

Bekah looked back at the man uncertainly, mouth drawn into a pouty line reflecting her confusion.

“…When the people of our world can hear the laments of the beings trapped in that other realm.”

She blinked, her gut sinking as she stared at the stranger. All of a sudden, the faint yellow tints on the peaceful alcove from the dimming light had a more ominous feel to them. Wincing, the girl ducked her head slightly as she regarded her companion.

Her neck felt unfamiliar cloth, and the girl looked down to find herself in clothing similar to the man. Her garb consisted of some sort of wool shirt, puffy pants which reached her knees, and a blue cloth sash tied about her stomach. A green sleeve pulled over her right arm was tied off at the shoulder, and a simple wristband of leather and cloth covered her left wrist.

‘Hoo boy…’ Bekah chewed the inside of her cheek, ‘Better just keep quiet… maybe I can figure out what the hell’s goin’ on my listening to this guy…’

“But enough about that,” the man smiled and turned to look at her, “I have something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

The girl tried to keep her expression plain as she faced him, questions piling in her battered brain. The man expressed a familiarity that implied he knew her well, as if she had been around him for a long time. Even more confused, Bekah tried to look as if she were calmly listening.

“I’ve been asked to take a gift from our village to the royal family in the Castle City,” the man leaned back, “But I’ve been thinking… you’ve been such a help around town these past few years, and I respect you as a young adult,” he nodded happily at her, oblivious to the girls bewilderment, “I’m going to ask the mayor if you could take the gift and be Ordon’s representative instead.”

Bekah’s mouth fell open a bit as she tried to process the names she didn’t recognize and the references to things she couldn’t remember doing. A small pang of panic struck her as she registered that this man wanted to send her on a big errand that she likely was in no way capable of doing.

She stammered, trying to reply, “Oh-h, uh… you don’t have to… uh…” confusion took her face again. Past few years?? Our village?? Royal family?? Where am I? Who am I?
She eyed the man guardedly, And what’s my connection with you?”

“You’ve never been to Castle Town, have you?” he asked, kind face still completely unaware that the girl next to him had no idea where she was.

Bekah pursed her lips for a moment, then shook her head, “Uhm… I don’t think so…” At least that one was easy to answer.

He grinned and started to stand, “It’s settled, then! I’ll see the mayor, and day after tomorrow you’ll go in my place to present our gift to the castle…” he brushed the sand from his seat.

“Uu!-uhn…” Bekah grunted helplessly, unsure how to communicate that she’d probably fallen into some alternate reality and wasn’t who he thought she was. Nervously, she got to her feet, still trying to come up with some protest in her muddled thoughts. Swallowing uneasily, the girl reached up to fiddle with her glasses, as she always did when on edge. For a brief moment she wondered if her glasses would even be there, but her fingers found rims near her temples, and she breathed a tiny sigh of relief.
At least there was something familiar in this world of questions.

The girl adjusted her glasses and looked up to find the man walking away from the pool. Her heart jumped as she noticed a sturdy, thick horse nibbling on the grass several paces away, piles of firewood loaded onto her red back. The mare’s white tail swished calmly as she lifted her head to look over at Bekah.

The girl took a tentative step forward, welling excitement in her eyes. Horsie…

“Let’s go, we’ve lingered long enough,” the man smirked as he pet the mare’s face, “My wife will be wondering where I am before long.”

Bekah gave him an odd look, the beautiful horse momentarily forgotten as the sense of unease bit her gut again. Okay… you’re out here alone with a girl barely a fraction your age, and you have a wife wondering where you are. I am officially creeped out. She stared at the weathered man as her ribs tightened over her lungs. What the hell IS my connection with you? A frightened grimace glanced across her face, And what were we doing out here before I came to?

“Something wrong?” the worn-faced man had turned toward the path to leave, “Let’s go. Take your horse’s reins,” he chuckled, “your face looks so childish when you daydream.”

The girl fidgeted a moment, then gulped silently and quickly strode to the horse, her muscles tensed and breath tight. Just keep playing along… I have got to be dreaming…

Her tension eased a bit when the horse sniffed and nudged her happily. A grin found its way to Bekah’s face as her fingers touched the reins trailing from the horse’s bridle. Horsie likes me!! She thought to herself giddily, Pretty horsie…

The mare nudged her again, her white mane falling over her forehead and arched neck like a curtain. Glancing over her shoulder, Bekah noticed the man already walking down the trail through the trees. She timidly tugged the reigns, her breath catching when the large horse easily followed her lead, large eyes gentle and trusting. The girl walked silently after her strange companion, content to stay several paces behind him with the horse’s red head by her shoulder.

The calm of the evening filtering through the rocky forest around her had almost managed to relax her nerves when the trees fell away and her eyes landed on the wide ravine splitting the woods in two. The man and the path were headed right for it. Her feet halted, her toes curling in her sandals as her heart sank. A swinging bridge connected the two sides of the chasm.

“Oh crud…” she whispered, brow wrinkling as her gut clenched and tried to attach itself to her backbone. Bekah hated swinging bridges.

The man walked calmly, already halfway across the structure of rope and wood. He didn’t even hold onto the rope railing as he strode confidently over the planks, nearly scaring the girl behind him witless. I have to follow… I have to follow now.

A whine came from the girl’s throat as she reluctantly edged herself to the first plank. It looked sturdy. Very sturdy, in fact. The ropes appeared thick and strong, and the planks rested solidly together with nary a gap between them. Still… try as Bekah might to reassure or reason with herself, that tiny “what if” nagged in terror at the back of her head.

The man paused and looked back, then waved and called to her, “Hurry up!”
Bekah shuddered and shut her eyes as his voice bounced off the ravine walls and echoed below her, magnifying the gaping absence of solid ground ahead of her.

Don’t. Don’t think. Just go.

Her eyes opened, and somehow she forced her body into motion. The girl started stiffly over the wooden planks, stone face fixed in a determined gaze at the far side of the ravine. The horse followed obediently, stepping without a second thought onto the suspended bridge.

The second Bekah felt the horse’s hooves on the wood behind her, her legs locked and terror shot through her brain. No! Move! Don’t Stop! Her feet continued robotically over the planks. If you stop, you’ll never start again. Do not stop. Her jaw ground against itself as her skin paled, Oh God, oh GOD…

There was nothing but air on either side of her. The simple absence of solidity came crushing on Bekah’s frantic mind, and her free hand shot out to grip the rope railing, knuckles white and arm trembling.

There is nothing underneath me!

Her eyes blindly tried to fix onto the far side of the bridge as her feet unsteadily pressed on.

One good breeze… or if the horse starts to act up… or if one rope sna- SHUT UP!!

Bristles on the rope scratched her shaking palm as it clumsily slid over them. Every tiny tilt in the suspended planks sent waves of jarring horror up her legs. Her face remained frozen and determined, her eyes twitching, not daring to blink as she fought to maintain control of her senses.

Step… Step… Step…

Her foot met dirt, and the girl sprinted off the final plank, gasping as cool relief washed her skin. The horse loyally trotted after Bekah as she hurriedly put distance between herself and the bridge and worked to catch up to her unfamiliar companion. The girl’s legs nearly collapsed under her when she finally slowed, trying to catch her breath. Everything felt like jelly. Yes! I’m over it! HaHA! She smiled wearily as she continued briskly down the forest path, the mare walking obliviously after the shaking girl.

Bekah felt a bead of sweat on her brow, and reached up to wipe it away with her right hand. The horse bumped her as she abruptly stopped, her eyes fixed on the back of her hand.

A pale yellow formation of three triangles marked her skin. What the hell…

As if triggered by the symbol, memories blasted over her mind in a sweeping landslide. Quiet, dumb disbelief took the girl’s face as the spring, the bridge, the forest, and the man flashed into place with her recollections. Realization and a slew of mixed emotions slowly crawled onto her face, “The Legend of Zelda…” she muttered.

A short laugh burst after those words, faltering into a mad cackle as her legs buckled and she fell flat on her seat, eyes fastened stupidly on the Triforce marking her right hand.

“Link?” The man turned, concern on his face.

The girl’s shoulders trembled as a second wave of laughter shook her, eyes shutting and face stretched in an idiotic grin. She blinked, looking up and around at the trees and moss-covered boulders surrounding the forest pathway.

She was in a game world. One she had beaten four times. How hadn’t she recognized it sooner? The cackle rose again as she rolled onto her back and held her head in her hands, ribs convulsing with crazed laughter.

“Awhaha crap, aww crap…” she whined through a Joker-like grin. She still didn’t know how she had gotten here, or why. But she did know that-- according to the game-- she would have to visit that God-forsaken swinging bridge several times more before she was done with it.



“Move it, ‘cha stupid goat!!” Bekah shifted in the saddle and edged her horse closer to the blue-furred animal running along the fence. It bleated, bounding through the grass in a confused yet roughly straight line. Epona, the red mare,  nosed itself between the fence and the large-horned goat, forcing it to face the barn down the hill.

Seizing the opportunity, Bekah whooped at the animal, startling it into a frantic run. Yelling insults randomly, she spurred her horse after the goat, nudging Epona to herd two more goats after their companion and into the barn. A large-nosed rancher waiting inside quickly shut the barn gate, pinning the final three members of his flock inside as Epona turned to the side and slowed, her rider letting one final, mocking taunt loose at the livestock suggesting their mothers made stinky milk.

Fado climbed over the low gate and grinned at Bekah as she circled around and rode up to him, “Ha! By Din, yer the best herder I ever seen, Link!”

The girl managed a smile at him in thanks, dutifully ignoring that he mistook her for the green-clad hero of the game world. It hurt her brain trying to figure out how a whole village of people could not notice that the handsome young man they’d lived with for years had been inexplicably replaced by a scrawny girl in glasses, so she’d stopped trying and resorted to the smile-and-nod strategy. Why try to straighten her identity out with Link’s village when she couldn’t explain her predicament even to herself?

“Yessiree,” Fado slapped Bekah’s leg in thanks, drawing an unnoticed wince from the girl, “Dunno what I’d do with them goats if’n it weren’t fer you and yer horse, m’boy!”

The girl’s smile dropped, “Huh?”

“Well, ya best be on yer way!” Fado waved and went back into the barn, “Good luck deliverin’ that gift to th’ castle!”

Bekah blinked, “I… uh… okay…” That was the only part about this whole mess that had given her the biggest problems. Apparently, several of the Ordon villagers were unable to pick up that she was not a young man, either. That, she told herself, would be the most likely aspect of this misunderstanding to cause trouble later.

Pouting, she nudged Epona on, leaning with the horse as the mare leapt the fence and headed for the rest of the village. At first Bekah had been hesitant jumping with the mare, but somehow her riding felt instinctive, as if she’d acquired some unknown expertise that guided her automatically. Before she knew it, horse and rider moved with uncanny fluidity. She wondered at how in-tune she felt with Epona.

It’s gotta have something to do with… with all this… Bekah glanced down at her Triforce mark, No way I could work this well with a horse in real life. Heck, it’s like she’s reading my thoughts when I ride! She blinked and looked up, realizing Epona had just leapt another small fence and swerved briskly to avoid a fallen log without the girl in the saddle so much as having to think to move with the horse. She’d barely noticed the entire instance at all. Okay… and my subconscious is reading her thoughts too? That’s…she paused, smiling, That’s actually pretty nifty.

“Link!” The man from the spring waved as Bekah rode into the small village of Ordon, “How’s that wooden sword working for you?”

Bekah tried to seem friendly as Epona passed him, “Fine, actually… thank you!” she shifted her shoulders, feeling the blunt weapon slung onto her back. Rusl had given it to her yesterday, saying something about having repaired it, though she still wasn’t sure how one repairs a wooden sword without duct tape. The girl hadn’t really used it yet—just given it a few practice swings when those annoying village kids weren’t around to ogle her and beg for lessons.

Leaving Rusl behind, Bekah rode on along the path through the village to where a large bald man stood waiting, a blonde girl about her age standing next to him. The big fellow looked up and lifted a hand in a gruff greeting as she approached, his daughter grinning and offering a more animated wave. Epona came to a stop and Bekah slid easily from the saddle. Her thoughts tripped as she realized she’d dismounted in a natural and confident manner quite alien to how she’d typically lower herself to the ground. The notion tickled her.

“So…” the mayor nodded to Bekah with a proud smirk, “Off on your own today. How are you feeling?”

“Fine…” Bekah responded quietly, smiling and trying to shove images of the large guy in a sumo outfit out of her head. Oy… not lookin’ forward to that, sir.

The mayor clapped a hand on her shoulder with a boisterous laugh, nearly hammering the thin girl to the ground, “Good lad!” he grinned.

Bekah laughed past a grimace, struggling to regain her balance and rubbing her bruised shoulder. The blonde edged past and began stroking Epona’s face, giggling as the horse lowered her head and nudged the girl’s side. Eyeing the mayor’s daughter, Bekah internally sighed. She’d initially hoped that Ilia would exhibit a more interesting or likeable personality than in the game world, but everything the brunette had experienced so far pointed in the same sad direction—the blonde girl had no more depth than a helium balloon.

Thick fingers grabbed Bekah’s arm and tugged her toward the mayor’s house, “Come,” the big man patted her back, “Let’s go get that gift so you can be on your way.”

For a moment, the brown-haired girl lost her trail of thoughts, as if she’d been expecting something that had just failed to occur, though she’d forgotten what. Ilia jogged her memory as she let out an angry exclamation behind them. Turning calmly, Bekah saw the blonde staring at some spot on Epona’s leg, her stance fairly furious. Bekah’s brow wrinkled suddenly as her thoughts jumbled.

Wait a sec…I skipped over that whole monkey-chasing escapade with Talo yesterday by refusing to show him swordfighting… I couldn’t have possibly injured Epona like in the game… what…

“Why is Epona so dirty??” Ilia demanded as she spun on her heel and glared at Bekah, mouth drawn in a tight line.

The brunette blinked stupidly at her.

“Honestly!” the blonde turned, snatching the horse’s reins and turning to lead the mare away, “Am I the only one who cares about this poor girl! Link, you heartless jerk!”

Bekah’s blank face twitched as she stared after the blonde. My God, she’s even shallower than in the game.

“Whu…” the mayor grunted in bewilderment, “Ilia! Wait! Link needs that horse to—”

“Epona’s a girl too!” Ilia yelled angrily over her shoulder, “She needs to be treated like one! Link can’t just ride her across Hyrule in the state she’s in!!”

“But…” the mayor’s protests dwindled, and he held a hand to his head as he watched his daughter vanish around a bend with the horse, “Ohhh… that girl!”

Bekah glanced up at him, expression betraying a hint of skepticism. Yeahhh… way to lay down the law, dad. She sure knows who’s boss around here.

She jumped as the rotund man spun to her, face pleading, “Link, you have to get Epona back! Without her, the gift won’t be delivered in time!”

Chewing her lip, Bekah looked back down the way Ilia had gone, “Um… kay…” she started walking, fingers fiddling with her pant leg. Huh. I’m guessing shallow runs in the family. She broke into a jog, passing the few simple houses that made up the bulk of Ordon village and turning down a path into the forest bordering the quiet town.

For a moment she frowned, wondering how Ilia had gotten so far ahead of her. Not that it mattered. Bekah knew exactly where she was headed, anyway. Scenes from the game played through her head. She halted quickly as she noticed a trio of familiar small figures farther down the trail, turning to sprint off the path and between a few trees. Moving as stealthily as she could, the girl crept through the forest undergrowth behind the Ordon children.
The two brothers and their girl playmate were gathered around a rock about the size of a large pumpkin. The oldest boy was grunting and straining against it, apparently trying to test his strength by rolling it over or some such venture. Giggling and bouncing, the girl cheered him on, providing stark contrast to the youngest boy, who stared lethargically at the undertaking, his cherub-like face all but pouting at his brother’s enthusiasm.
With a triumphant, silent snicker, Bekah managed to sneak past the children unnoticed, rounded a bend in the path, and continued her jog.

A spring and pool like the one across the ravine wasn’t too far from the village. Bekah slowed and turned off the dirt trail as she reached it, her eyes staring off toward the swinging bridge farther down the path. That’s where the moblins come from… I think… how would they get boars over that bridge? She glanced around at the trees and sharp slopes of the surrounding forest, thinking that, then again, it would probably be easier to get a massive pig over that bridge than through that rocky woodland terrain.

As the girl slowly turned to step through a gate and across the fine dirt along the pool’s edge, her shoulders felt the wooden sword on her back, and a tiny smirk touched her mouth. She felt almost like she was cheating by avoiding the Ordon children and thus holding onto her weapon longer than the game’s story intended.

Ilia stood next to Epona in the center of the shallow pool, stroking the mare’s brilliant white mane, her back to the brunette. As Bekah stepped into the ankle-deep water, the blonde turned, noticing her. Epona snorted and brushed past the blonde, rubbing her face against Bekah’s chest fondly. The girl raised a thumb to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose and rubbed the horse’s ears, smiling happily as the animal nuzzled her.

“So Epona still prefers her master over me…” Ilia said quietly, a sad smile on her face.

Bekah looked up at her, confusion crossing her mind at the blonde’s fickle emotions. Epona shook her head with a snort, long tail swishing and flicking ripples across the water’s surface. Trotting past Bekah and out through the gap in the rock walls surrounding the peaceful alcove, the mare ducked her head toward a patch of grass outside the spring and began munching contentedly. Her attention having been drawn to the gate the horse had exited through, Bekah edged to the side so that she wouldn’t be directly in the rampaging boars’ path when they came, as she expected them to at any minute.

“Link…” Ilia took a step forward, expression repentant, “I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier… it’s just that I’m so scared for you leaving on this errand.”

Bekah did her best to appear to listen as Ilia spoke, but her ears were busy waiting for the sound of storming hooves trampling through the forest behind her, mind still on the imminent attack. So far, her alertness was rewarded only with the gentle brush of leaves as the breeze fondled the treetops.

“I’m nervous for you…” the blonde clutched her hands and blushed, eyes darting down to her bare feet.

“Um…” Bekah absently fiddled with the rim of her glasses, “You don’t… ah… I-I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me…” she uneasily glanced behind her into the trees. Hurry up, stupid moblins… Her fingers flexed, readying to grab for the wooden sword on her back.

The brown-haired girl turned back to find Ilia uncomfortably close, face softened and eyes tenderly gazing at her. A chill shot up Bekah’s spine, “Uhhh… Ilia?” Oh fudge muffins, does she think I’m a guy, too?!

“Link…” the blonde smiled shyly, cheeks flushing, “Please promise me something…”

“Gn?” the girl-who-was-not-Link found her mind blanking. Crappit! Stupid brain, you always abandon me when I need you the most! What the hell do I do?! Her face had tightened into a twisted blend of confusion and panic.

“Just promise me you won’t get into anything…”  Ilia’s hand rose, reaching for the other girl’s face, “…anything you can’t handle…”

Bekah grabbed the blonde’s wrist, eyes wide and grin forced, “Ha ha! Okaayyyy, that’s good right there,” she stumbled back a step, face bright red. Screw smile-and-nod! I’m straightening out this gender-mix-up right now! She winced apologetically, “Ha, listen, I’m not Link.”

Ilia’s brow furrowed, smile wavering, “…What?”

“I’m not—“ Bekah jumped as a ghoulish bray shattered the air and a massive boar stormed through the gate, two moblins astride it and swinging weapons.

Ilia screamed as Bekah tried to get her synapses under control again. Jeeeez that startled me! Her hand dropped Ilia’s and shot up to grip the hilt of the wooden sword. Took ‘em darn long enough! She turned and swung as a second boar charged into the alcove. The wood connected with a surprised moblin and knocked him from the huge saddle. Glancing quickly out through the rock gate, the girl realized Epona had bolted. The boars wheeled, hooves splashing through the shallow water.

An arrow sang past Bekah’s ear, and she turned for a brief second to see Ilia hit near the shoulder and collapse onto the damp dirt near the rock wall. The scene from the game flashed past her thoughts, and she ducked. A wooden club whipped over her head, and the moblin wielding it yelped as the momentum yanked him from his seat to splash at Bekah’s toes. Standing, the girl made a swing at the second moblin riding the boar in front of her, her blow catching the archer under the jaw and throwing him from the saddle.

A solid object crashed into the girl’s back, and she went sprawling on top of the club-holding moblin. Stunned, Bekah made a clumsy attempt to roll over, the monster beneath her cursing and flailing stupidly, his spindly limbs even weaker than hers.
A third boar loomed over her, its rider an enormous moblin whose girth made him look like some screwed-up offspring of King Zora from the 64 game and a zucchini.

Bekah gulped and scrambled to her feet, fingers tightening on her weapon. Backing away, she suddenly felt unsure what she’d hoped to accomplish by fighting the moblins… why didn’t she ever think these things through?

The moblin boss grinned at her, his beady eyes glowing from under his helmet as he chuckled in his guttural voice, “Heh heh… girlie tink she can fight me’s?” he straightened as the other moblins growled and picked themselves up, moving to circle her.

Bekah’s eyebrow twitched, “You… you get that I’m a girl?”

The boss laughed heavily, bringing a foot up and dropping from his ornate saddle to land in the pool, arms flexing as he glowered at her, “Preddy girlie joke, yes? You’s funny…” he started slowly toward her, expression menacing. Bekah’s eyes darted to one of the riderless boars, her skin crawling.

“Ha ha, I like you’s!” the boss leered, coming to a stop directly in front of her, “Maybe you’s fight me now?” his tiny eyes gleamed.

Bekah stared up at the gargantuan moblin encased in crude armor, expression half-blank, half-helpless. She stirred, glanced around at the few moblins, then managed a weak smile at him, “Kay.”

He yelped and stumbled back as the girl suddenly chucked her sword at his face. The wooden blade clunked off his helmet and plopped harmlessly into the water behind him, but caused enough of a shock to let the girl dodge around him and make a break for one of the huge pigs. His underlings barked and frantically tried to grab Bekah, but she was small and quick, easily ducking past them and sprinting to the boar.

The large pig grunted as the girl leapt to his back and unceremoniously yanked his ear. Infuriated, the boar spun and squealed, knocking a pursuing moblin to the ground. Bekah’s eyes landed on the quiver fastened to the saddle. Snatching an arrow out, she twisted in the seat and drove it into the pig’s rump before throwing herself flat on the saddle. The boar reared, screaming in surprise and rage. Bekah clutched its back desperately as it charged and bucked, trampling the other underlings as they tried to get to her.

The boss moblin bellowed as the boar’s swinging tusks caught him and bowled him over into the pool. Snarling, he swiped a thick hand at the beast and grabbed its leg. Bekah jumped from the pig’s back as it thrashed, turning its full attention to the great moblin. She landed hard on her side with a splash, but picked herself up quickly, trying to shake the water from her eyes as she turned to face the recovering moblin underlings. Whew! That went better than expected!

A club hit her ribs, causing her to woof and stumble back. The small moblin swung again, missing clumsily, and Bekah seized the chance to grab the club shaft and kick her assailant hard in the gut, effectively yanking the weapon from his gloved hands and sending him sprawling on his back in the pool. As another little moblin neared her, she met him and swung the pilfered club, hitting the underling’s weapon down to the side. Before he could bring it up in another attack, the girl had pinned the club’s end in the water with her foot and swung her own weapon again, cracking it against his skull and downing him.

Bekah shifted the club to one hand and whipped it down, knocking the first underling out as he tried to find his feet. Ducking to swiftly grab her wooden sword from the water, she ran at another moblin, expression cool. The girl’s style was impromptu at best, but she knew her opponents, and that gave her the edge. Bekah felled the last two underlings in moments as the raging pig kept their boss busy, her confidence building.

A gruff roar from behind and the sight of a stunned boar flying over her head to smash against the rock wall abruptly changed her feelings.

“Ha!” the boss’ voice panted, “Girlie quick! I like you’s!”

Bekah spun in time to see the boss moblin’s large green hand reaching for her face. Meaty fingers gripped her head, and she found herself thrown through the air. The club and sword left her hands as she hit the pool and went sliding over the submerged sand face-first. Head spinning and ears ringing with water, Bekah lay still in the pool and attempted to let her senses right themselves.
Tryin’ to fight the big guy with nothin’ but blunt sticks… I am so screwed…

A boot dug under her aching ribs, and the boss moblin flipped the girl onto her back, expression sadistically delighted. Sputtering, Bekah held her hands up, her vision severely hindered by the droplets covering her glasses, “I give, I give…” she tried to offer him a sheepish smile.

The boss laughed, his gut wobbling, “You’s fun! Preddy girlie give good fight! I like you’s, yes, I like a lot!”

She tried to ignore the throbbing in her back as she slowly pushed herself up to sit, her dark hair dripping and bruises forming on her skin. Her mind raced. No way to fight him without a decent weapon… Got no more element of surprise… aw, crappit…

The huge boss turned to gesture as more moblin underlings swarmed through the gate, “You’s guys grab dat blonde girlie an’ head for da village!”
The minions grunted and scrambled to grab the unconscious Ilia and drag her with them as they rushed into the forest. Bekah froze as she noticed blood coloring the blonde’s shoulder and staining the dirt where she’d collapsed. A sudden shock clutched her throat and upset her brain. Whoa…

She gasped as the boss pulled her up by her shirt, his thick fingers clutching the cloth like the end of a sack. Bekah tried to steady herself by grabbing ahold of his wrist, her feet dangling and dripping above the pool’s wobbling surface. The great moblin grinned at her like a new toy.
“You’s comin’ wit me’s. Other kiddies gonna be slaves elsewhere’s, but I got’s special plans for you’s!”

Bekah let out a weak laugh, face apprehensive, “Well ain’t that great…”

She clutched his arm harder as he lowered it suddenly, dragging her over to his horned boar. He mounted the beast, pulling her bumping and wincing over the saddle and settling her over the horn like a bag of feed. The girl tried not to struggle, alert for anything that could give her an advantage over him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the boss take up a large horn and lift it to his mouth. A familiar, hollow bellow sounded from it, and the air turned a dim shade of golden grey. Looking down at the pool’s surface, Bekah could see the Twilight Portal’s reflection opening in the sky above the spring.

Her ears perked as the musical thrum of something teleporting sounded on the other side of the boar. She tried to squirm and look, bracing her hands against the boar’s side, but the moblin’s hand on her back stopped her efforts. The heck? Nothing teleported at this part in the game…

The boss moblin gruffly chuckled as a Twili creature moved into Bekah’s field of vision. Its flat, decorated head turned silently to regard her. The girl blinked at it, unsure what to do. Slowly, it crawled toward her, its long black arms barely disturbing the water.

“We’s got you’s portals at all da Spirit places now’s,” the moblin grunted happily, “You’s make wit da Twilight, yeah?”

The creature didn’t respond. Bekah quietly realized that it was staring at her right hand. Oh boy…

Lurching forward suddenly, the mutant Twili grabbed Bekah and pulled her roughly from the pig’s back. She yelped as she hit the ground and tried to kick at the monster. The triforce symbol glowed softly, and the Twili let out a crooning howl, dragging her struggling through the water to the center of the pool as the moblin yelled at it for stealing his new plaything.

A foreign tingling swept Bekah’s body, freezing her frantic thrashing. Her skin went cold, then a crackling force shattered the world around her and her senses rippled in unfamiliar sensations. The water and sand vanished, and she felt herself drop onto hard stone. Her vision flickered, barely letting her glimpse the dark castle walls around her. Wha—where… ?!

The mark on her hand flashed suddenly, causing the Twili creature to drop her and shy away. Dimly, Bekah realized she’d been teleported to some area encased by Twilight. And the glowing Triforce meant…

“Holy SHI—” Pain cracked through every bone in her body. Her ribs snapped and bent, and her tailbone tore through her skin to extend into a tail. The girl convulsed and yelled as her body shuddered, her clothes melting away and dark brown fur bristling from her skin. The overwhelming sensations of every bone and organ reshaping itself in a crazed, frantic rush flooded her consciousness for three agonizing seconds, then everything stopped.

She collapsed in an exhausted heap, welcoming the silence of unconsciousness.