Luminescence

Just a Goat Herder

She came to him bathed in moonlight. Her hair and feathers glowed in the night like the white mane of Epona. Feathers. Even as he looked at her he couldn't tell why he saw feathers, for everything held a dream-like blur. Now and then he'd see splotches of clearness: a shifting branch; curved, petite lips, and once the familiar tinkling of spring water.

Her soft, ringing voice carried over to him in words he couldn't understand. They were ancient words. Nevertheless, their music vibrated something deep and wild within him.

"Who are you?"

The sound of his own voice startled him awake and he lay there blinking in confusion. The grey light of dawn filled his room. For a minute he didn't move and simply listened to the fire crackling in the corner as he gathered his thoughts. What a strange dream. Not that he wasn't use to strange dreams. Being the chosen hero warranted plenty of those.

Thus, he ignored it, and turned over to get some more sleep before---

"Hey!!"

He groaned.

"Rise and shine, Link! There's some goats that need'a milk'n! You know the drill!"

He groaned again, this time louder hoping his boss would hear. Sadly, he didn't, but kept shouting up at him.

"You're a grown man, kid! It's time to start acting like one, and that includes waking up on your own!"

Apparently, saving the world didn't count for 'acting like an adult.' He rubbed his palms hard over his eyes, feeling every bit of grit.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." he yelled out his window. Down below at the foot of his tree house stood a rustic, grizzled man wearing a matching frown.

"Good. I'll be back at the ranch. I better see you in ten minutes, got that?"

"Yeah yeah."

"What was that?!"

"I said I'll be there!"

Rolling out of bed (more like oozing like a chu-chu), Link, savior of Hyrule and chosen hero of the gods, flopped to the floor in his underwear. Still digging his palms into his eyes in attempts to rub the fuzz from them, he felt his way to the ladder and climbed down to the rest of the den. With a yawn he dropped his hands and began searching for his clothes.

"I still don't get why the stupid goats can't wait," he grumbled, "I doubt they'd be against getting a few more hours of sleep themselves."

Not that he would know. Right? The thought made him chuckle and yet sad at the same time. Shaking off the memories of paws, fur, and the titter of animal voices, he tied on his girdle and began the quest for his boots. It had been an entire year since he had last been a wolf as well as seen one of his strangest, yet best friends. He shook the thoughts from his head before they got any farther. It would be a shame to start an already groggy day with a depression.

Epona nickered at him when he dropped down from his house. A hunk of cheese stuck out of his mouth. Her attention, however, was to the apple in his hand.

"Here you go, buddy. Breakfast" he proffered the apple to her, which she munched up in one gulp. As he picked up his saddle and begun tightening it about her, his eyes spotted her white mane and tail. Briefly, he wondered to the moonlit creature of his dreams. He then wondered why, though his adventure had long ago ended, did he still feel uncompleted? Like...there was still something left for him to do. The itch made it difficult for him to find sleep at night, which was part of the reason waking up in the morning was such a chore now a days. It would eventually go away, he knew, for he had figured the affect of facing up against nightmarish creatures just lingered longer then he supposed.

Tugging the last strap, he pulled himself onto his horse.