-Kuroko / Malon-

The smell was intoxicating.

Kuroko's mouth watered as she sucked in the delectable temptation of meat, herbs, and vegetables. She needed it! However, Kuroko only allowed her eyes to rove briefly, savoring the temptation and sight, over the stew as it boiled. She would wait patiently. She was a grown woman and wouldn't be brought to childish behavior by-

"And done." Malon stuck a ladle in, stirred, and made a brief inspection.

Kuroko's carven bowl skidded across the table to Malon, bumping into Malon's bowl and knocking it aside. Malon glanced back at her and laughed. "Are we hungry?"

Kuroko nodded rapidly. Her eyes wouldn't leave the bubbling potion. Chuckling, Malon allowed her mother to have the first serving and passed it to her before scooping herself some. Malon scooped up some in her ladle a second time, turned to pour some into her own bowl, only to find Kuroko's had rolled across the table a second time, empty of its contents. The only evidence there had been anything was some of it on her mother's chin and clothing beneath her face. Kuroko watched her expectantly.

"You look like a dog begging at my heels." Malon smiled. She poured more for her mother and then scooped some for herself all before passing it back to her, much to Kuroko's distress. Malon sat at the table. Kuroko, no longer quite as hungry, and knowing what deliciousness awaited now since the surprise was over, slowed her own pace as much as she could.

After Kuroko had eaten another bowl, and was momentarily, heavenly satisfied, she breathed out with a happy sigh.

"Definitely like a dog..." Malon chuckled. "Or Ganon."

Kuroko frowned and pouted. She didn't care much for the man. He was rough and she had to walk carefully around him to avoid setting him off.

Malon rolled her eyes and pointed her spoon at her mother, "He isn't bad. Despite his temper, he has never laid a hand on me. I am actually mouthier than he is."

"Doesn't mean he is good."

Malon's eyes briefly narrowed. Carefully she put the spoon down and looked evenly at Kuroko. "No, he is better." Kuroko scoffed. "He is. I've seen 'good' fathers not try. They know nothing of their children and fall into complacency. Ganon remembers, he makes efforts with me, he acknowledges his failings, and you saw yourself how devoted he is to try to heal his soul. The valley of altars is witness to that."

Kuroko's eyes softened in hearing Malon speak so devotedly. They fell into a brief silence, both considering their thoughts. They returned to eating, but the food didn't taste quite as good now with what was at the end of their tongues. Kuroko sighed, "I am glad he hasn't touched you, but it is only a matter of time with that fire of his. He has no control over it. As you say he is trying to heal his soul, but that is because he has the soul of a-"

"Of what? Of a Dragmire?" Malon challenged, cutting her off. In a single word, her voice turned icy.

Kuroko sensed she was on thin ice. She took a moment to breathe before whispering, "He isn't just one of us, Malon. He is the very demon our ancestors summoned that cursed us. All of the hatred we have garnered... he is the source of it!"

Malon abruptly stood. The chair she sat in clattered to the floor. Kuroko shut her mouth, as the personage of Malon had changed in an instant. Her father had been of Qin, so her skin was pinkish-white and her eyes were green, but her hair was distinctly Dragmire. Never had it seemed so obvious as now. Her hair almost seemed to spark into flames before Kuroko's eyes. Malon's eyes were wide and stared at her unwaveringly, and her mouth fell in what Kuroko could only feel was disgust.

"He tried to save you..." Malon whispered. "He took me to your grave every year. He took the time out of his conquests for me to mourn, for my sake and the sake of your memory. He took you into his home for both of our sakes when you reappeared."

A sudden noise outside drew their attention, and Malon glanced to the side briefly. She looked back at her mother and finished, "You are right. His birth was the source of our curse, our persecution, and all the hells you have endured. But he may also be the source of our salvation."

Malon pulled her bow from the wall and walked out the door to investigate.

Malon barely took a step out the door before her body reacted. She kicked the door shut behind her, nicked her small bow, and aimed it between the glowing eyes of the beast. A large beast stood in the shadows before her. Its eyes glowed blue, its irises were slitted, its tongue fell long and loose from a gaping maw filled with talons emitting a blue glow from the depth of its throat. Its shape against the slitted light pouring through the door behind her created by the fireplace revealed itself to be large and lumbering as a bear, covered in spikes and bowlegged as a lizard. It met her eyes, and watched her carefully. It lowered itself to the ground. It was clearly startled by her sudden presence, but Malon waited to see what it wanted to do about this. Would this... thing... be more scared of her than she was of it?

She doubted it. Her heart was beating furiously and her palms were quickly becoming sweaty. Her mother was weak, vulnerable, and in front of her was a monster. Malon's legs begged to flee or hide, but then the beast would have free access to someone she cared about. Besides, she was the ward of Ganondorf Dragmire. She had a bit of a reputation to uphold.

A low snarl left its lowered snout and it took a single, slow, cautionary step forward.

Malon loosed the arrow into its face.

Immediately Malon lowered her bow, pulled out and arrow, and focused on knocking a second. The beast stepped back several steps, yelping and startled by the pain as the bolt entered just near its eye. Black blood splattered freely. Then its snarling turned from surprised and painful to angry and it lunged at her out of the shadows. Malon knocked a second arrow, but did not have time to raise her bow before it slammed its full weight into her. The two crashed into the wall. The building creaked its annoyance and shook. Its raised itself on two legs and revealed itself to be taller than any man, and carried Malon with it up as it did. Malon felt its claws pierce into her side, but its jaws were a much bigger problem as it reared back and opened wide to snap at her. She jammed her bow into its gullet as it lunged forward and for a moment they were locked in a stalemate as despite its superior strength and height, she had jammed wood into the joint keeping its mouth open. Its tongue whipped madly, painting her in blueish spit. Malon inhaled smoke and rot, and the world dimmed before her eyes.

Something metalic clang against its face. It yelped in pain and fell to the side. Malon fell with it. The world spun before her eyes from the nauseating smell covering her and she had the faint sensation of something sticky dripping down various spots around her skin. Immediately another form stepped in and swung at the beast. Another metallic clang range directly next to her, the beast yelped, and in a fury of movement rose up and swiped at the other. Its claws drew blood.

Malon faintly took her sleeve and in a single motion, wiped her face, and blinked away the cobwebs around her mind. When she opened her eyes she saw Kuroko stepping back from the monster. The monster raised itself high, stepped forward, and swung widly with its out-stretched claws. Kuroko ducked low, and rose up swinging a metal pan into its face. The beast's head lifted violently, there was a loud crunch, and it fell back. It rose where it landed. Its jaw dangled uselessly, and it fled into the shadows.

There was stillness.

"Malon!" Kuroko fell to her knees by Malon's side and reached out to her, but at the same time pulled back. Her hands shook.

Malon groaned. Brief movements told her nothing was broken, but there would be some nasty bruises and cuts, "I'm okay, but I'm going to be feeling it later." Malon blinked, surprised. Kuroko was crying?

Leaves crunched in the shadows. They turned sharply and saw several beasts with the glowing eyes were inching their way closer, with the one now sporting a broken jaw among them.

Kuroko reached down, grabbed Malon hastily, and lifted her. They clambered for the door, but the beasts were faster. They jumped in front of it and they encircled the pair. The beasts inched in.

"Realms..." Kuroko whispered. She gulped. Malon struggled to stand on her own two feet, or even stay concious as her mind still felt cloudy from the stench.

"That is quite enough," A voice said from the distance.

Immediately the beasts halted, froze, and after a moment, stepped back, yet still keeping the pair trapped between them. Kuroko gasped, and Malon faintly saw a whitish-dot astride a giant beast. She blinked and focused, and looked again. It was the whitest man she had ever seen ontop of a house-sized version of these same beasts. Along with him were another dozen of the smaller ones and on a horse was a man with glowing red hair. A dragmire.

"What?" Malon wondered. Just what was she looking at?

The man with skin as white as snow rotated its legs and fell from his steed. He landed on the ground with the grace of a cat, and approached. Immediately the beasts parted as he neared, bowing and giving subserviance. The whitish-man stopped a few feet away, just in front of the open door, and sniffed the air deeply.

"That smell..." He whispered.

"Muntjac," Malon explained, shortly. The man looked to her curiously. "Muntjac deer. If you wanted some you could have just asked."

The man's lips curled into a smile and he chuckled lowly. "Truly. It is a good smell, but that is not what I mean. I refer to another thing entirely."

The man approached nearer. Kuroko stepped back, but the beasts behind them snarled and Kuroko froze, Malon still hanging from her shoulders. He approached closely, leaned forward, and smelled them.

"Ah..." He breathed in something sweet. His dark eyes almost seemed to light up in joy. "That is a good smell! You know 'him', don't you?"

"Who?" Kuroko asked.

"Power."

"... who?" Kuroko repeated.

The white-man's Dragmire friend dropped from his horse and approached with an eerily chipper smile. He rubbed his hands together. "Oh, yes! They know him! They know him well! Oh, how fate has shined on us this day!"

The moment he spoke, Kuroko froze as still as a statue. Worried, Malon planted her feet as best she could and looked up. Kuroko's eyes were wide and unblinking, locked on the other Dragmire.

The white-man glanced back to the Dragmire friend of his. "I take it you know them?"

"Why, yes I do. The older one is Kuroko and the younger... Um." The man thought a moment. "I actually don't know her name."

"I'm Malon." Malon grunted defiantly.

"Malon!" Kuroko gasped. She moved to turn Malon a little so as to rotate her to be behind her, but Malon stood her ground, staring defiantly into the unknown Dragmire's eyes. Something about him felt... familiar. His words, his voice, his manneurisms...

"Ah, yes! Malon. Kuroko's little brat. My how you have grown!"

The pale man cleared his throat, and inserted himself, "How would they know 'him'?"

"Ganon met them, spent time with them, and nearly succeeded in bringing his full wrath on me when I silenced them. I'm surprised she escaped the mask, but no matter." The man waved aside his rambling. "If the source of his smell is here, and they are also here, I would assume he is involved with them." The man chuckled briefly, ominously. "This will be a good ol family reunion!"

The whitish man smiled widely, hungrily, "Is that so? Despite your rambling of fate, you are right. The pieces are here together so perfectly only Naryu could have woven it so. Perfect... This is exactly what we need!" The pale one looked to the women. "So... my question is: which of you can scream the loudest?"

The man's dark eyes almost seemed to deepen inward into an endless voice. Malon felt her skin pale. Blood fled from her. Her limbs went numb. Something otherworldly was here.

"Touch her and I'll!-" Kuroko barked.

"Choice made!" The snow-man cheered. He raised a finger high and let it fall loosly in front of Malon's face. "Take her!"

Immediately there was movement everywhere. The beasts jumped the girls, pinning them down. Malon managed to leaped forward, her clothes ripping down her back with the claws, and rammed herself into the albino hard enough to knock him back. He chucked in amusement. Just behind him the largest of the beasts stepped forwrad and opened its snout, a jaw easily being seven feet long and a tongue dropping to the dirt. Knowing nowhere else to go, Malon scrambled into the house and looked for something, anything, she could use.

The largest beast shoved the entireity of its jaw into the door, breaking the frame violently. In place of its jaw the furniture crumbled and the house shook as an earthquake. Malon reached for a sword, but something wet and slimy snapped and curled around her legs, forcing them together, and causing her to loose balance and fall on her face. The creature's tongue pulled her in, and all she could do was scream and claw at anything and everything as its jaws enveloped her.

Kuroko, caged beneath the claws and muscles of several beasts, watched in horror as it pulled itself out, a person screaming in its mouth, and swallowed.

"Now scream," The white-man ordered.

Kuroko didn't immediately scream. She couldn't. She couldn't find her voice. Reality was crashing around her and the sound of the glass that is perception was louder than anything she could have done. She recognized the Dragmire, though he should not look as a Dragmire! Through the cracks that fell she remembered Malon.

"She isn't screaming..." The governor of Jaket sighed. The albino tsk'd in annoyance. "I'll make her scream." He punctuated his words by stepping forward and fingling with his trousers.

"No." The albino ordered.

The man ignored his companion and approached Kuroko. He chuckled madly and with obvious intention groped at her. "Don't worry, this will be quick."

A sick cruch reverberated through the mask salesman's body. His breath escaped him, his eyes widened in shock and pain, and blood burst over Kuroko's numbly struck face. A large knife protruded from the man's chest. After a moment he was lifted up into the air, and Kuroko gasped, again.

Behind him, the albino stood. One of his arms had gone from pale-white to the darkest black and reshaped itself into an incredibly large blade. The blade pierced the other and lifted him up until his feet were dangling off the ground.

"I said 'no'." The Albino whispered darkly.

With a swing, he cast the dieing man into the midst of the beasts. Immediately the beasts lunged onto him and tore at him with their jaws. He weakly tried to fight back, but he was a weak man to start with, and with his life force pouring out from where his lungs were supposed to be, he could do naught by watch and feel as a different fate came over him. At least he stopped moving, and a faint light emitted from his face. The mask of a Dragmire fell to the ground and a torn up corpse lied nearby being feasted upon.

The albino waved towards her. The beasts stepped back from her and allowed her to rise. Kuroko numbly rose onto her knees. On one side was the source of her old horror, and before her was the source of a new.

Behind him, the large beast that had eaten Malon stepped forward. The albino briefly petted its jaw. Kuroko's eyes fell to the beasts side where a number of sacks protruded from its sickly fur. Malon laid coiled up and asleep amidst sickly looking liquid.

The albino followed her gaze. "Ah, yes. She is alive. Its a stomach of sorts, so I don't know how long. Best to call for him, yes? He might still be able to save her." He took a step towards her. Kuroko leaned back, but could not move. Her body would not obey. She could only stare into his infinietely deep, black eyes. His hands returned to the normal white and smooth appearance, but as he touched her temple near the hairline and ran a finger down her face, he drew blood.

"Now scream."