Ice to see you

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link peered outside. The sky washed blue, without a single cloud in sight. The sun shone unhindered, but it was still so cold Link's face chilled as soon as he stuck it outside the mouth of the cave. The thick blanket of snow hadn't receded in the least, still piled as high as his knees. Link went back inside, sat down and began spinning warm, woolen clothes from his omnilium. It took some time, but afterwards he had a set of thick thermals so if he was thrust into battle, heavy garments wouldn't weigh him down. Also he created a blue scarf with orange fringing and the Hylian royal family crest on either end. Where he came up with that concept, he had no idea.

He also made similar thermals and a coat for Grimbold, and once suited and equipped, they broached the freezing tundra once again.

"Ah, pig's arse! Look at how high the bloody snow is!" Grimbold said, raising his hand to chest. The snow lined up perfectly with it. "I can't trudge through this back to Dwarfholm! I'll bloody freeze before then!"

He was right. It was hard enough for Link to force march through the stuff and it only went to his knees. Wading through cold powder chest high would be the death of the dwarf. "I guess I could carry you?"

"Carry? Hah!" Grimbold returned. "I'm not some mewling infant! Ol' Grimbold might be short, but he's still got his pride!"

"Yeah, well you and your pride better make amends, or you'll die a lonely, proud dwarf in a cave."

Grimbold's face softened and he walked towards the snow. As soon as he came in contact with it, he leapt back. "No! I'm not riding ya like some giddy toddler! Find another way!"

<Link,> the Hero's Shade said. <I have an idea. Play along.> With that, the skeleton dashed out of the cave and out of sight.

A few moments later, a golden wolf charged through the snow, leaving a path behind him. He galloped to Link, sat, and shook the clumps of snow from his fur.

Grimbold's eyes widened. "Sapphiron's balls! A gold wolf! Quick, kill the blighted thing!"

"Wait! Wait! This isn't a wild wolf," Link said.

"Not wild?" Grimbold said, looking at the one eyed beast. "Now that ya mention it, he is just kinda sitting there, isn't he?"

Link nodded. "Yes, this is my ... pet ... uh, no, that's not the right word. My hunting partner. My good friend. You could say we're ... one spirit in two bodies."

"What's his name?" Grimbold asked.

"Uh ..." Link looked at the gold wolf, and he looked back with that single, inscrutable eye. "Shade."

"Aye, but why didn't ya mention him before?"

"Oh well ... he often does his own thing. He comes back when he wants to."

Grimbold folded his arms. "Don't sound like you trained him well."

Shade growled.

"He's not exactly the type of wolf you train."

"Well, back to our predicament," Grimbold said. "How do ya propose we get back to Dwarfholm?"

Shade cantered over to Grimbold, as tall as he was, turned side on to him, and sat. He looked expectantly at the dwarf.

"What's he want? I'm not rubbing a wild wolf's belly. Bad experiences with that."

Link motioned, catching on. "He wants you to ride him."

"What? Ride a blasted wolf?" Grimbold exclaimed. "And a gold one, in the snow to boot? Why don't I just put a bleedin' target around my neck?"

Link sighed. "Just do it, Grimbold. I only have a limited amount of time to do what I need to do. It's either that or I carry you."

Grimbold crouched, looking the wolf over as if he might have dynamite rigged to him. "I've never ridden a wolf before, but ... if you say it's safe, I guess I'll trust you."

"Besides, think of the bar stories you could tell! Grimbold the Brave, tamed the rare golden wolf and rode it through a freezing blizzard back to Dwarfholm!"

Grimbold laughed. "Oh aye, that would make for quite the tale, wouldn't it? No one would believe me though."

Link smirked. "They might if you went into Dwarfholm still riding Shade."

Grimbold's face lit up. "Oh, it'd be the talk of the taverns! I wouldn't even have to tell people; they'd all be coming up to me to ask about it!" The dwarf hopped onto Shade, and the wolf stood. Grimbold's head was in line with Link's shoulders. Plenty of height to avoid the snow.

"All right, let's hit the road!" Grimbold shouted, fist in the air.

Beneath a chilly, cloudless sky, the three set off. While the thermals certainly helped, the snow still threaded through Link's clothes and settled in his bones. At least this time he would stay warm enough not to collapse from exhaustion, assuming Dwarfholm wasn't a long trek. Shade didn't seem bothered by the temperature at all, but then being dead likely increased tolerance to a sense that warned that you were going to die. Grimbold seemed fine to Link as well, though living in such conditions would build some resistance to it.

Most of the day went by before they approached an unassuming mountain amidst a range. Grimbold led Shade forward, finding a thin path between the mountains obscured by shadow and snow. Part way through the path he hopped off the golden wolf, pushed a stone sitting into the mountain, and a rock wall slid open.

"Pretty sneaky, eh?" Grimbold said.

"Is this the only way in and out?" Link asked.

"Oh, no! This is just the quickest way for us. The 'proper' entrance is on the other side of the ranges. You want to put three more days on the trip, be my guest." He jumped back onto Shade. "Now, let's go! Time for my hero's return!"

They descended down a torch lit passage and into a great market square beneath the mountain range. The air was warm and fiery, and although Link would likely hate it later, it was absolute heaven on his chilled extremities. Stalactites large enough to crush a horse jutted down from the high ceiling. The orange glow of flames negated the need for sunlight, bouncing off the curved cavern walls. In the distance, a huge fortress stood like a miniature mountain, likely never breached before. It put Link in mind of Hyrule Castle if all of Hyrule's taxes went into its defense.

Dwarves swarmed the area. Many were shopping, stopping here and there at stalls. Link saw a thick armed dwarf hammering a glowing orange sword on an anvil, sweat clinging to his dirt stained skin. Grimbold beamed proudly, awaiting for the stares of the subterranean folk to notice him, and in short order they did. Apparently the vision of a thought-to-be-dead dwarf riding a golden wolf with a tall stranger was enough to halt the entire marketplace.

"Hah! Ol' Grimbold is back!" the dwarf yelled, arms overhead. "I killed a bunch of trolls! And I tamed this here golden beast too!"

The crowd looked on, stunned. Link shifted his feet. All these people were just ... looking at them. What was he supposed to do?

The smithy dwarf walked out of the dumbfounded mass, rubbed a glove over his bald head, and said to Link, "is he telling the truth?"

Link gazed at Grimbold. Arms still in the air, grin cheesy and wide, his eyes stared back through their corners. Almost inaudibly, he said, "Come on, kid, back me up here ..."

Link's face flushed. This amount of attention sent his stomach cartwheeling. Just do what he says and they'll stop staring! "Oh! Ah, yes, yes he did."

The dwarves looked to one another for a few moments, the silence enabling Link to hear his own heart beating. Then an almighty cheer went up, consuming the quiet as if it had never been there at all.

The smithy looked at Grimbold wide eyed, mouth ajar. "I thought you were always talking shit, Grimbold! Seems like you're not full of hot air after all!"

"Come on! Back to the tavern! I need a pint!" Grimbold shouted, and everyone cheered again. He pulled on Link's tunic and brought his ear down to his level. "Hey, can you make your wolf go places? We need to head to the tavern."

"I'd probably get off him now, but you can lead him," Link said.

Grimbold slid off Shade's back. "Oh, and thanks for agreeing with me. This is going to make life much more interesting for ol' Grimbold!"

Link smirked. The unknown hero once again. "Sure. Let's just get something to eat. I'm starving!"

"Oh aye," Grimbold said. "Who would've thought almost dying to some trolls would turn out so well, eh!"