Zelink Oneshots (The Legend Of Zelda)

The Cat Lady and the Wolf

Zelda shut the door behind her as she entered her house. 

"We're home!" she called. "I found her!" she said as she set the kitten down and watched her scamper away. Rolling her eyes, she walked into the living room and plopped down next to another of her cats. "Hey Mija," she purred as she pet the cat between the ears.

She laid down and the fluffy ginger cat snuggled up against her chest.

>^^<

Her eyes flicked open and winced at the sunlight shining through her window. "Crap..." she said as she rubbed her eyes. Her back hurt, and her mouth tasted horrible.

... And she was late.

>^^<

"Come on," Agitha said in her usual quiet voice, "I know there are bugs here."

Zelda smiled and then she followed after her friend a little quicker than she had been before. It wasn't her favorite afternoon activity, bug hunting with her eccentric friend, but she did enjoy traipsing through the trees.

"Maybe I'll find a praying mantis!"

"Agitha, there aren't any mantis in this region."

"Aww, I know that, but bugs are magical. They could-"

"You're the bug expert, don't forget reason."

"But what about-"

She looked in front of bug girl and her eyes widened. There was a large dog that had suddenly appeared.

No. It was a wolf.

"Agitha!" Zelda yelled as she grabbed her by the arm and jerked her back.

Agitha looked over and her eyes widened only slightly, then she gave her signature smile. "Ahh, puppy!"

"No Agitha! That's a wol-" her voice trailed off as she made eye contact with the wolf.

It was the same wolf as the night before.

What was it doing that far away? It couldn't possibly have walked the distance in one night. She narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. "You're the same..." she trailed off. "I think...?"

"You know this puppy, Princess?"

Zelda looked over at her and scowled for a moment; that stupid nickname... "No, but I saw it last night in the woods near my house after the newest kitten got... lost..." she trailed off as the wolf started padding towards her. She noticed almost at once that the wolf was wearing a collar.

It got very close and then looked her in the eye before lowering its head.

She stared in confusion until she noticed something attached to the collar. "You want me to take that?" 

The wolf dipped its head down more.

She reached out and untied a small bag, similar to a jewelry bag, from the collar. She was just opening the slip knot when the wolf darted away into the underbrush.

She looked down again and pulled a small business card out of the pouch.

Link Hero
Professional Dog Trainer
XXX-XXX-XXXX

She flipped the card over.

If you took this card then my experiment was a success. Thank you for participating, even though you didn't know you were. Please come to meet me at the waterfall.

Zelda frowned. She was certainly intrigued now, but maybe a little suspicious.

"I'm going to go check this out," she said as she turned to Agitha. "Sorry."

"That's fine, I can find the bugs on my own, go chase an adventure," she said brightly.

"Thanks," she said as she turned and stepped off the trail, cutting through the trees before finding the path to the waterfall.

She walked for ten minutes before reaching it. The clearing was empty, and she frowned, reading the card again. She assumed this was the place. Perhaps it was a trap... Ridiculous... But...

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her knife, just in case. She wasn't sure... A wolf with an animal trainer business card? Seemed a little fishy.

Her grip tightened on her knife as she heard a crack to her left, and the jingle of a dog collar. The blade of her knife tilted towards the ground, hidden at her side, as she turned to look at the noise.

A man in a green sweatshirt stepped out of the trees, and a husky trailed at his side, its tongue lolling as it walked.

"Expecting trouble?" the stranger asked, gesturing gently at her side.

Zelda's lip twitched. "No," she said as she held up the knife and then clicked it shut. "Holding it just makes me feel better."

The man smiled for a moment. "I see," he said and then he took the last few steps towards her, holding out his hand. "I take it you got the card. I'm glad," he said.

Zelda mentally shrugged away her apprehension and shook his hand. "I never thought it was possible to train any dog like that. Let alone a wolf. Still a little skeptical actually, how do you do it?"

He smiled. "I really connect to dogs. Well, I connect to most animals, surprisingly to cats as well."

Zelsa smiled brightly. "I love cats. Can you train a cat? Is that even possible?"

"Only if the cat wants to learn."

She laughed. "Makes perfect sense."

"I'm so sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Link."

"I kinda got that from the card," she replied with a smile. "I'm Zelda, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Link replied with a smile.

She pressed her lips together for a moment and then shuffled her feet. "So... That experiment you mentioned on the card... What's it for?"

"Well I'm a professional dog trainer, so I was just... Stretching my horizons. And I'd say the experiment was a success. You took the card, and came here."

"Do I sign something?"

"What?"

"Y'know, like a publicity thing."

"I'm not actually after publicity."

"Really why the business card then?"

"Well..." Link reddened slightly and his hand went to the back of his neck. "That was kinda... One of the only cards I have so... I really only..."

"Yes?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow. Why was he being all coy?

"I gave you the card hoping I could meet you."

"You trained a wolf to deliver a message so you could... meet me?" She paused for a response, but none came. "Why didn't you just say hello?"

"Well..." he paused. "This is cooler, right?"

A smile broke across her face. "Yeah, I guess."

Link smiled as well, and then his gaze fell for a moment. He seemed to compose himself and he looked her straight in the eyes. "Would you go to dinner with me?"