//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10n 
// Story: Whither Must I Wander 
// by thelegendarytoothpaste 
//------------------------------//

Link knew as soon as he saw the pack of wooden wolves.

They were all as big as the one he felled before. He wondered if he had killed an omega, and these were its pack mates. Did wooden wolves even have pack mates? Were they related to deku scrubs?
Link had many questions but no way to answer them. He knew that he was going to fall here. If they were normal sized wolves, he might be okay, but they were huge both in body and in number.
A thought bubbled to the surface of his mind. He knew well a destructive spell that cast a bubble of holy flames all around the caster. The spell would be more than enough to burn up the wolves, and the rabbit was close enough to him to be spared the wrath of the flames if he could maintain control.

He gave his head a shake. He wouldn't dare use such a spell in the forest. Even if his magic flowed properly in the chaos, he didn't want to risk causing a forest fire. As a Kokiri, to bring harm to the woods was a mortal sin. Link could tell that were he to use any of his spells in the forest, the chaotic magic that flowed through these trees would be enough to rob him of control. The odds were excellent that he would kill all of the wooden wolves, but also all of the trees in the vicinity, himself, and any wildlife unfortunate enough to be in the area at the time. That meant he couldn't so much as use his few enchanted arrows, let alone his more powerful spells. With magic like that in the woods now, each magical attack that he used would either fail completely or go completely out of control. 
He wondered how Ganondorf would have fared in this situation. Before he became the evil tyrant, Ganondorf was known as an extremely talented wizard who could not only control his spells in the worst situations, but could also rob control of other spells that may be used against him. Link believed that Ganondorf would survive this fight. Curious, to say the least. The one that Link felled would survive an onslaught by the ones Link himself would be felled by.

It would make an excellent song.

Link was kicking himself. Before he even left his home for this trip he paused in his doorway and looked at the closet in which he kept the equipment he found on his previous adventures. Something was telling him that it would probably be a good idea to bring more with him than his blade, shield, instruments, bow and arrows. It would be quite uncomfortable for him to have to carry everything plus all of his masks (he really had trust issues when it came to his fellow Kokiri), but he would at least be able to protect himself from most threats.

He recalled taking a step towards his closet to retrieve his equipment, but he ultimately turned around then and ignored his gut feeling. Now his apathy would cost him. If he brought his hookshot with him, he would simply be able to escape up the trees or the cliff behind him. But noooo.

He had to get down to brass tacks: he wasn't going to get out of this fight. But he was going to do the honorable thing: go down swinging and when he succumbed, his remains would become one with the forest. Such was the way of the dead Kokiri.

Link looked at the rabbit next to him, who was visibly shaking and attempting to eat its forepaws in pure anxiety, and Link decided that it did not need to die too, especially after he granted it a sudden stay of execution. He had a single deku nut left in his pocket- in addition to being snacks that never went bad, they could blind and disorient enemies when smacked into the ground with enough force. If he could blind the creatures, the rabbit could at least get away. Heaven knew rabbits were very quick when they wanted to be. Far quicker than Link ever was, for sure.
As if reading his mind, the rabbit covered its eyes with its ears, awaiting the end. Link had his chance.

Crack!

The wolves yelped in surprise and stumbled about. The rabbit peeked out from under its ears in curiosity.
"Run!" Link ordered, and the rabbit didn't need to be told twice. It took off into the trees behind the wolves faster than the Gorman Brothers' blind dates.
He let a ghost of a smile trace his lips. At least the rabbit was safe-ish. The question was, could it get back to its burrow without being preyed upon? He hoped so. Perhaps it could find its way to Saria somehow? He found himself uttering a prayer to the Goddesses, beseeching them to allow him a small miracle: If the rabbit could find his bones and bring Saria's ocarina back to her, he would rest in peace. He knew the odds of such a miracle actually occurring were slim at best, but he had to hope. It was one thing he did best. Link hoped every morning before his awakening as the Hero of Time for a fairy to call his very own. He hoped then to be accepted by the ones around him as an equal. He hoped to put an end to the suffering brought upon the greater area by a man of darkness. He hoped to find Navi again when she left.

He hoped for some form of salvation, be it his life being saved or his spirit being rested. Link did not wish to see Hades again.

He recalled stories told to him by Tatl when he was in Termina; stories of small forces taking on much larger armies. From the legendary Garos to the Ikana warriors, Terminian history was dotted with legendary final stands in the face of overwhelming odds. However, Link also knew that those stories did not make the history books because the little guys won. 

They were remembered because the little guys fought well before they died.

Link drew his sword as the effects of the deku nut began to wear off. By the time the beasts had righted themselves again, he had already taken one out at the leg and damaged its barrel. It let out a yowl of intense pain, but quickly righted itself. Link brought up his shield and eyed them all coldly.

He was going to die tonight, but he was determined to make it hell for his killers.

End of Chapter