"Sure, I can handle that," Helena said, caging her fingers near her waist. "They won't get away from me."

"Alright then. It should be night soon," Link said. "Get what you need ready while I see about moving the bridge."

"The bridge?" Ileyna asked, confused. "What bridge?"

"That one back there," Link said, pointing a thumb at the oddly-angled pillar jutting up from the plateau.

Hugo pointed at R.D.. "I'm comin' with you. I need something big to hunt."

"... how is that supposed to be a bridge?" Alasea asked.

"When I crossed the Bridge of Eldin to get to the Lanayru Province, I was ambushed by Shadow Beasts on the other side. And the first thing they did was break off a piece of the bridge and absorb it into a portal," Link said. He gazed back at the giant section of the bridge. "It must've been taken here and discarded."

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Ileyna asked.

"Midna can take it back to the Bridge of Eldin and put it back in place," Link said. "It'll make traveling a bit easier."

Link climbed the ledges to get higher on the mesa, and soon found himself before the gigantic chunk of bridge. Midna floated up away from him, using his shadow as a cloak before looking at him. "Well, shall we go?" she asked.

Link nodded. "Don't do anything until we get back!" he called down to the others. He was suddenly covered in blackness, and transformed into his wolven state as Midna returned to her impish form.

Crossing her tiny arms and closing her eyes, her fiery-orange hair suddenly lengthened, forming a strange hand at its end past the band holding it together. It pointed at the angled bridge, and with a snap of its 'wrist', it fired out an orange and black bolt of electric power that danced over it. The hand of hair made a kind of grasping motion, and with a grunt, Midna tugged. With a cry, she flung her limbs out as she lifted, and the bridge trembled before suddenly ripping out of the ground, where it floated into the air for a few brief moments before disintegrating into black particles that disappeared into the portal.

R.D. whistled in surprise as the last of the particles disappeared, already difficult to see in the failing light. Midna seemed to spin into nothingness, and Link disappeared in a manner reminiscent of the bridge.

"Hope they don't take long," Alasea commented.

"They'd better not," Helena said. "I don't want to stand here and twiddle my thumbs all day." Matt immediately began twiddling his thumbs near his face, which prompted Helena to give him a light shove. "Oh, stop it."

They were in luck. Only a few moments later, Link reformed in the middle of the wide mesa, appearing in his wolf form. Almost immediately, Midna dropped down on his back, causing him to grunt and look back at her. After a few second, Midna used the power of the Master Sword to turn Link back to normal.

"There we go," he said. "Get ready for the attack."

R.D. nodded, while Alasea turned to Helena. "You should probably have a wall thrown up so you can get undressed," she suggested to the other teenage girl. "I don't think you want to tear your dress apart again."

Helena flashed a smile. "Yeah, I guess I shouldn't pay back Link for his generosity by ripping this up again."

"If you get in trouble, use your communicators," Matt said, waving his finger across the entire group. "Link, you and Helena watch out for each other, okay?"

"She doesn't have to worry about me," Link said. "I won't have to leave the mesa to take out the Bulblins on those towers. I'll be able to cover for all three of you."

R.D. lifted up a hand and channeled Earth energy with Lumiya, forming a high wall of sand for Helena to change behind. "Make it quick," he said, as he had to maintain the channeling in order to keep the more fragile wall intact.

Helena moved behind the sand wall and slipped off har pack. "Surround me all the way," she said.

R.D. nodded and furthered his channeling, weaving the energy in a rough circle around Helena, causing the sand around them to shift as it was drawn up into the extended wall.

Minutes later, R.D. was clad in the Dragon King Armor, standing beside the transformed Helena, with Matt on the other side of the weredragon. Night had fallen, and a frigid wind was howling across the desert, trying to cut them to the bone. It was no wonder that no one lived in this forsaken desert; the day was boiling hot and its wind was scouring, but when night fell, the wind was freezing cold and probably lethal without proper cover.

Then again, R.D. mused, it makes sense that they'd put a prison here of all places.

"They're starting to nod off now," Link finally called. "Start your run at any time."

Matt lifted his armored arm, shifting to the electric gem with the heavy clack of his bracer, and lightning coursed over his frame. "Let's haul ass." He exploded forward, running towards the prison and leaving a trail of electricity.

R.D. bolted forward after Matt, pumping his legs to bring up his speed before activating the thrusters in the boots. In moments, the thrusters were causing him to literally skate over the ground, unimpeded by the sand. Pretty soon, he was catching up Matt, and he could hear Helena behind them, keeping pace.

They shot off of a short cliff after racing past the gorge, and that was when the first of the Bulblins saw them. Turning beady red eyes on them, it lifted up a hand to call out. What came from its throat was a muffled gurgle as an arrow suddenly planted right into its neck. Stumbling a bit, it collapsed off of the watchtower it was stationed on, and hit the dirt.

Another one heard the impact and looked over, only to suffer a similar fate as an arrow struck it in the eye. It collapsed off of its own watchtower, but a third had spotted the group and hollered. Around the campfire, the Bulblin's perked up, looking towards the shout. The one who alerted them made a gesture, but was suddenly knocked off the platform as an arrow embedded itself in its back.

A cry rose up as the Bulblins drew their clubs.

Matt zipped around the campfire, firing punches and blows way too fast for Bulblin eyes to follow.

As Matt rushed into the fray, R.D. shot in from behind while they were distracted, the Phase Blades flashing out as he quickly became the nightmare Alasea had called him hours earlier that day.

Nearby, a massive boar suddenly grunted as it reared up, startled by the sudden attacks, even as a fourth watchtower sentry was struck down by Link's excellent marksmanship. With a cry, the beast stampeded forward, and two Bulblin's outside of the fray skillfully latched onto its harness and hauled themselves up as it charged through the brawl.

Matt ground to a halt next to Helena, pointing a finger at her, then at the boar. With that understood, the two rushed in - a flying tackle from Matt careened at the Bulblins hitching a ride while another ram from Helena sought to bring the boar down.

With a chorus of squeals, the three creatures were quickly smashed into the dunes. The Bullbo struggled and flailed out its legs for several moments before lying still beneath Helena, though its heart beat wildly.

Soon the last Bulblin fell dead at R.D.'s blades, and he stood up amidst the bodies as the quickly exploded into fire and black ash. Blood dripped from his Phase Blades onto the cold sand, with his armor gleaming in the campfire light. "That all of them?" he asked, looking around.

"Pretty much!" Matt said. He stood over the unconcious Bulblin he knocked out, glancing at the Bullbo. "Guess one of us rides this baby inside, huh?"

It wasn't too long before the others had arrived, with Alasea bearing Helena's clothing. "Quick as usual, eh guys?" she commented as she approached them.

Link strode past her, approaching the two unconscious Bulblins Matt had tackled. Drawing the Master Sword, he quickly impaled each one, killing them both. "We're not taking prisoners," he said shortly, wiping his blade clean before sheathing it on his back again.

Dropping near R.D.'s feet, Hugo muttered, "I just hope something big's inside, because I didn't get to shoot anything."

"There usually are," Link said. "You've got the Bullbo?"

R.D. nodded and pointed to the beast, which Helena was keeping pinned down to the sand. Link nodded in appreciation.

"You can get off of it now," Link said as he walked up to her. "Its calmed down by now."

"Really?" R.D. asked, giving the boar a sideways glance.

"The Bulblins keep them well trained," Link said. "Startle them and they'll run, but they'll calm down quick."

Helena cautiously stepped off of the Bullbo, then looked to the horizon, scanning for enemies.

The Bullbo quickly got back on its hooves, snorting irritably at the dragon that tackled it, but otherwise remained stationary. Link approached it from behind, grabbed its saddle, and swung up on top of it. Urging the beast forward, Link made his way towards the barricade in front of the large stone arch, blocking off the path to the prison. Bracing himself, he lifted up his legs and jabbed them into the Bullbo's sides.

With a loud, irritated grunt, the Bullbo reared back, and Link yelled as he was forced to grab onto the saddle so as to not lose his seat. The beast slammed its hooves down into the sand and charged, barreling forward as Link bounced wildly on its back, hanging on for dear life.

The first barricade was smashed apart by the boar's stampede, sending splinters of wood flying through the air and into the dunes. A second barricade was revealed, further into the entrance. It fared no better against the raging beast, and it too was destroyed under its onslaught.

And then, amidst the bouncing, Link saw that the pathway... abruptly ended.

THUD!

Alasea winced as the Bullbo smashed into the cliffside and collapsed, flinging Link off into the rock wall, where he bounced off hard and landed into the sand.

Oh, man, there's a happy birthday present for you. Matt shot over to Link with electric speed, stooping over him. "Hey, man, you okay?"

Link pushed himself up and shook the sand out of his hat and hair. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, grunting. The Bullbo was standing back up too, snorting irritably.

"Head on up while I get this guy out of the way," Link said. "Don't go too far, though. I don't know if there are more Bulblins up ahead."

"Got it," R.D. said, walking over to the ledges and climbing up them. When he got to the top, he saw that the pathway split off in two different directions. And...

... is that a wolf? R.D. wondered, squinting as he looked off to the left. Sitting on its haunches was a large wolf, waiting by the cliffside. It was staring off at the opposite side of the tiny canyon. Never seen one like that before, though.

It wasn't every day, after all, that someone came across a golden-furred, glowing wolf.

Matt spotted it too. "Hmmm. Looks like a friend of Link's."

"Probably not the best idea to approach it," R.D. said back.

"What are you two talking about?" Link asked, looking up at them while helping the girls and Hugo up the cliff ledges.

"There's a wolf up here," R.D. replied. "Friend of yours?"

Link chose not to respond, instead climbing up the ledges to see for himself. Upon seeing the wolf, he nodded, passing by R.D. and Matt while the others gathered behind them. "Remember when I explained the Howling Stones?" he said. "This is the spirit I was communing with."

"That thing?" Alasea looked slightly confused, and wary. Link nodded as he approached it, with the others following.

As they neared, both Alasea and Helena became aware of the same unusual feeling that they had experienced as Link sung with the Howling Stone. And as they got nearer, they could hear it. The wolf was letting loose a heavy, slow panting, one that seemed to echo slightly, and not because of the plateau crags that surrounded them.

As Link neared, the wolf suddenly took notice of them, and stood in a hostile manner, growling angrily with its single red eye. Knowing what would happen, Link drew his sword and shield before the others could make any moves. With little warning, the golden wolf barked and leaped high into the air, soaring down at Link's head with its jaws open to bite.

"Hey!" R.D. shouted in surprise, unable to move in time. Before any of them could do anything, white light blinded with, leaving a harsh ringing in their ears. After a scant few moments, the light cleared, without leaving any of them a need to blink afterimages out of their vision.

When it finally cleared, what they saw was Link, sprawled face-first on the ground. The golden wolf was nowhere in sight, and none of them could feel the presence of anything else in the immediate area.

Helena lowered her hands when the light was gone. "Link!" She ran over and crouched beside him, pulled up his head and shoulders. "What happened to you? Talk to me!"

"I'm fine," Link said as Helena helped him to his feet. He picked up his equipment and returned them to his back. "Its always like this."

"What happened?" Ileyna asked.

"A teaching lesson," Link said. "That wolf is the spirit of an ancient hero. Because I'm the Hero chosen by the gods, he's taken it upon himself to pass down his legacy to me."

He brushed the sand off of his tunic and chain mail. "Let's go."

They proceeded through the canyon where the golden wolf had been guarding. After a short passage, the area expanded out, and ahead of them were ruined walls. Past one wall, they could see the tell-tale orange glow of a campfire--these ruins must've had Bulblins camping here as well.

"Everyone be on your guard," Link said in hushed tones as he proceeded over to the left-hand wall. "Looks like we've still got more to deal with."

Past the walls further in to the ruins, a guard tower had been erected, with a wide-awake Bulblin looking about. Luckily, the darkness of the night made sure he couldn't make out the shapes moving towards the ruins. When they were all assembled, Link pulled out his bow and pressed his back against the corner of the wall. "Which one among you can move the quietest?" he asked.

"Me," Hugo said, readying his pickaxe.

Link nodded. "I want you to go in and kill any sleeping Bulblin you find along the path to the campgrounds," Link said. "Wait for me to take out the one on the guard tower, then begin your attack. We'll join you when we can."

Link peered out around the edge of the wall, watching the Bulblin until his patrolling gaze turned away from them. "Go, now!" he whispered harshly.