Zelda - The Winged Ones - ch13

The Legend of Zelda
The Winged Ones
Chapter 13: Sacrifice

Chirin was helpless in the demon's grasp, Zelda in Sheik's form raced alongside Link on legs carried by fear towards their son not knowing what they could even do to help… but each were prepared to give up their life to save Chirin.

Suddenly the demon screamed and dropped the boy who drifted to the ground on tattered wings.

Yubreit on his unique wings had lifted his bulk from the ground and latched himself to the demon's face, the dragon's entire body only as long as the demon's head. The chill that radiated from the ice dragon's flesh fought with the flames as the demon reared back screaming. The dragon attempted to dig its claws into both the demons eyes at once but could not reach, he instead tried to bite at the demon's eyes but was only able to render one useless before the demon reached up with both hands and ripped the dragon free from its face, claws tearing into Yubreit's flesh and sending the dragon careening through the air as he landed in a crumpled bleeding mass against the wall with a sickening thud.  

Chirin's heart was wrought with anxiety at the sight and his wing throbbed with pain, but he had to act and swiftly. The boy quickly regained himself and made a mad dash at the demon trusting that Link and Sheik were doing the same.

The demon was thrashing about pawing at its clawed face and blinded eye. Sheik went for the feet as Chirin and Link went for the face, each landing a sound blow before the demon flared up with a new intensity. Suddenly the flames grew and a hot wind blasted from the demons form, the force of the flames sending them into a retreat as Link and Chirin were blown to the ground.

"Link use an ice attack!" Sheik hollered arms up shielding against heat and sand as the gale force pushed them towards the wall, Link yelled back "I don't know any aside from the arrows!" he said trying to hold is ground not far from the Sheikah "Damn it Link!" said Sheik sharply, casting a strong sidelong gaze at Link not turning away from the demon "You are wearing a spirit mask and through it you should instinctually share the knowledge of the Tenshioni soul. They are an ice race who specialized in magic so you must know at least one ice spell!"

Link paused and focused, head lowered and eyes closed. When he opened them again his eyes had gone from shaken to sharp, returned to his face was the fierce gaze that was cast upon Dark, the same intense eyes the shadowy doppelganger had died under.  

Link called from deep within his winged form a new and fearsome spell. Link took to the air and fought the hot gale force wind that poured from the fire demon as it roared. This same burning wind that took the life of any true Tenshioni that came close for their race was cursed by the cold.

Link stopped just out of reach of the Demon's paws to let loose the attack but he had drastically misjudged the huge creatures ability to jump. The fire demon put all its energy into this move, the creature knowing he could catch Link of guard with the unworldly speed it has yet to use.

The Demon pounced at the winged hero and lashed out with one paw, talons tearing through his armor with devastating force. This time its claw bit mortally deep into Link's flesh, the demon's dark energy seeped into Link's blood through the vicious wound. Link gasped and recoiled from the pain and shock, the gale force wind blowing him to the ground. Sheik raced to Link's aid and caught him in an armful of feathers as they both faltered to the floor, Sheik falling backwards with the momentum and weight of the hero.
Link still supported in Sheik's arms clenched his teeth and with a pain filled growl let loose his attack.

As the cold light struck the hot gale stopped. The demon collapsed to the ground writhing in pain. Part of the flames extinguished leaving behind patches of what looked like black scorched fur which crumbled into the dust as it met the air.

Link watched in awe as the creature laid there breathing heavy, eyes closed. The demon painfully dragged its head along the floor to look upon the hero with its face laying sideways on the ground. The demon opened its eyes and started at the Hero of Time with an arrogant snarl that chilled Link to the very core, its expression was not what he was expecting to see. The creature's face was lit with a devious and toothy grin as it started into his very soul with its one good eye.

  Suddenly the demon lifted and turned its head away from Link as a blast of blue light left its mouth between foul teeth "No!" Link cried for this was the attack Kaepora warned them about, the pure dark magic that can lay waste to land and life, a magic that can cast a cruel fate upon others. This is the magic that stripped The Land of Snow and left the sage in a tormented immortal form to live an eternity alone and helpless as he watched the giant wolfose and thus the life of his people fade.

Chirin was in the line of fire, the blast too fast and too wide to evade, Link ignored the pain he was in, unaware of the torrent of blood that stemmed from his wounds, the hero moved as fast as he could with his injured body. Link was prepared to take the blow of whatever the demon was about to cast upon his child. Time seemed to slow as the events unfolded before his very eyes, knowing he was not going to make it in time.

The boy cried out in fear, the ice dragon tried to get up but couldn't, Sheik watched helplessly from the ground chest heavy with panic and heartache.

As the dark magic approached the boy he put his hands and wings up as if to shield the attack and clenched his eyes preparing for the worst.

The child began to glow...





The image of the full Triforce on his hand began to radiate a golden aura and a light surrounded Chirin like a shield, the magic of the demon deflected all around him the energy crackling in the air. The demon's eyes grew wide, he knew what this light meant. Still blasting an attack, the demon could not believe what he was seeing, this was the Child chosen by the Goddesses, the one his master foretold of. The child whose existence would unknowingly unleash the one who would bring on the beginning of the end.
The demon smiled deviously, ready to face its imminent demise.

The instant Link saw that Chirin would be okay his instincts took over, without a word spoken Link tossed the quiver and bow down to Sheik who caught them in one motion and then took off approaching the demon on the blind side that the dragon's sacrifice had provided them.

Sheik fired ice arrows at the huge form as Link let loose another ice attack holding the spell in place as he grimaced in pain, blood seeping through the tear in his armor. The demon's attack on Chirin halted as the flames became further extinguished on it's body. Chirin recovered quickly from the force of the attack that the Goddesses had shielded him from and promptly and instictively performed the same attack as his father.

The demon screamed eyes wide with rage as it thrashed on the floor, its eyes never leaving those of Link and Chirin. It reared on its hind legs toppling backwards with a thud as its form laid twitching on the floor, its entire body black and crumbling…
as these last acts unfolded an owl watched from the opening to the world above, its heart heavy at the sight of the wounded hero.  




Link half landed half fell to the floor in a crumpled mass of blood and feathers, painfully the hero picked himself up enough to at least sit upright, his wings laid heavy and lifeless around him. Chirin flew down to his father's side and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, Link flinched and Chirin let go.  Chirin now saw that Link's armor was torn and coated in red, there was a fair sized gash across his chest and it was bleeding profusely. Navi was in a panic not knowing if any of her healing sisters still dwelled in this land and not knowing if Link would survive this without one. Sheik limped over to Link and Chirin, great concern upon the warriors face upon seeing the state Link was in. Sheik stood beside the wounded hero supporting him.

The demon growled once more, the trio looked up to see the demon laying with his massive head on its side upon the ground, its one good eye still glowing red as it stared right at them.

The rumble of its growl changed and much to the three hero's shock the now black crumbling creature spoke with an unsettling arrogance to its deep and haunting voice

"The demon of black feathers will arise, born of a mother dead and mothered by a devil's child." the demon rumbled again with a growling laughter that stayed deep in its throat. "I can die peacefully knowing one day he will come. As the Hero of Time and The Child Chosen by the Goddesses rest in their untimely graves the world shall come to an end at his hands…" The demon said as its face cracked and eyes closed, its form still breathing heavily.   

Silence seemed to grow around them, a silence only broken by the sound of labored breath that came from the demon as its soul began to fade.

Link was feeling weaker with each passing moment. Not trusting that the battle was over Zelda remained in the form of Sheik and sat beside Link. With gentle hands Sheik reached out to guide Link's weary body to lay across the Sheikah warrior's lap, one wing spread out fully to the side away from the Sheikah's form, the other folded under Link cradling him in a sea of feathers upon Sheik's lap.
  Sheik supported Link's head in the nook of one arm and removed Link's hat cramming it into the gash in his armor and pressing hard in an attempt to stop the bleeding, Sheiks eyes filled with worry as Link's face tightened in pain.




The silence was broken by the soft rustling of feathers as an owl landed on the floor in front if the demon, the medallion of Wind in its beak, its back turned to the heroes. The red eye opened once more "You…." hissed the dying demon with shock and a snarl as its eye meet the sharp and stern gaze of the owl, gone was the arrogance the demon had before "…da...d-damn it all…" the demon's growl faded as the monster began to draw its last breaths.




The owl's eyes closed as if preparing to face a great trial. As the glow in the demon's hateful red eye faded the blackened body cracked and began to crumble. With the demon's dying breath the owl lurched forward and screeched, only Link could hear the gasp of pain hidden in the voice of the bird. Link saw the winged symbol of the Wind medallion at the back of his hand begin to glow. The owl tumbled forward and Link watched as the eyes of the bird that helped him as a child grew into a soft blue and the feathers grew white. The curse of the demon had been lifted with the beasts death and Kaepora was retuning to his mortal coil, the bird that served as an avatar for his lost soul now served as a medium for his true form to return from within the Wind medallion.

With a flash of light and a cry of joy and pain Kaepora returned this world in the form he was born with, he was dressed in white robes and over that wore armor similar to Link's. The sage was down on one knee his shoulders heaving with his labored breath, wings laid heavily to either side. The medallion of Wind on the floor in front of him. With a graceful grimace the sage, the warrior, the king of the Tenshioni stood whilst picking up the medallion, "Why do transformations always have to hurt?" said the former owl, his warm eyes shone with great relief and thanks….but they also shone with great sorrow and worry.

"Chirin" Kaepora said to the boy "I hate to take you away from your father's side considering the state he is in, but I need you to come with me, immediately, I have little time in this form in this heat…" the sage's soft blue eyes meet the red gaze of the Sheikah "Sheik, keep him awake. Link" he said looking to the wounded hero "if your Tenshioni form dispels it may kill you this time…" Kaepora said his brows furrowed with worry. The sage's heart filled with angst as he looked upon the hero that he had watched grow from a small boy…he could see the hero was beyond all help…with the exception of one last drastic choice.

Everyone but Kaepora were unaware of just how dire the hero's situation was, unaware that this wound was unlike any he had sustained before. The demon's dark energy had seeped into Link's blood when it's claw bit so deep into his flesh… this cursed wound would never heal…

Kaepora could see on their faces that they thought Link would survive this brush with death just as he had before time and time again…and for now he would let them think that.

Link watched as the Tenshioni sage and the Tenshioni form of his son left. Sheik, mused over Link's long silver hair intrigued to see he kept his hidden trademark in this form... Link looked up to see Sheik staring down at him and gave the Sheikah a helpless smile. Zelda, guised in the form of Sheik, drew Link closer and gently embraced the wounded hero, Navi tried not to cry.