The Abyssal Plain

<div align='left'>Neko slowed as she neared Goron City, already seeing the few gorons that spent their time outside. She looked at the stony cliff that she needed to climb to get to the opening o the crater, then walked past it nonchalantly. She would climb it later, for now she needed the fire resistant red tunic.

She stepped through the entrance and walked to a small stand that sold the few provisions a human would need to survive in the environment. She spent a small fortune on the tunic and regretted having not bought one in Castle Town’s market square. She sighed and shrugged the tunic on over her normal clothing, then waited for the cover of darkness to start her climb.

* * *

Ganondorf pulled his horse to a stop and looked about him, seeing the sun beginning to set, and realized that they still had several miles to travel before arriving at Kakariko Village. He sighed and looked over the vast expanse of rolling hills that surrounded him.

Zenia scratched her horses neck and walked silently to Ganondorf’s side. “What are you stopping for? We don’t have time to dawdle!”

Ganondorf started, and answered sheepishly, “I was just wondering if we’d catch Neko in time at the rate we’re traveling. I mean, we haven’t even reached Kakariko yet.”

Zen nodded. “Well, you can blame those two for dragging us behind,” she muttered, gesturing back at Mohan and Enway, now riding double on Fuzz.

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow, “What happened to Nix?” He glanced at Zenia.

“He dropped dead several miles out from the Castle Town, he wasn’t accustomed to being ridden so hard for a long distance.” She sighed and muttered, “And now those two decided to go even slower so as not to kill the stupid pony…”

Ganondorf nodded while thinking, So the gentlest horses in the Royal Stables are basically large pets unaccustomed to work? That’s very annoying… He looked at Zen and dismounted, “We’ll camp here for the night. Will you go spread the word?”

She nodded and turned her horse around, urging him into a slow trot. She rode from one rider to another, and walked back with Mohan and Enway. She looked over at them and smirked; they both looked as if they were going to fall from the pony’s back. Enway looked over at her mother and frowned, then glanced away.

When they came back to were the others were, several tents had been set up. Zenia dismounted and led her horse to a tree tying the reins to a branch with a break-away knot. She walked back over to Fuzz and helped Mohan and Enway dismount, then began to lead the pony to another tree before Enway stopped her.

“I’ll put him up,” Enway muttered, pulling the reins from Zen’s hands. Zenia nodded and walked towards the campfire, already smelling something being cooked. She sat down and was about to reach for a chunk of meat when a bloodcurdling scream came from near the horses. In an instant, Zen, Ganondorf, and Blue had arrived to see Enway shaking and crying. Beside her feet lay a pile of ash that smelled like burnt hair. She looked back at them and stammered, “I-It st-t-t-tepped on m-m-me,” and burst into another fit of tears.

Ganondorf snarled and turned away, leaving Zenia and Blue to deal with the blubbering Enway. My own daughter, a wimp! The castle has cuddled her and protected her from even the merest bit of pain! I shouldn’t have let her become a sorceress! he thought darkly, walking back to the camp. He slipped into his tent and sat down, trying to push all the thoughts from his mind and find some small peace.

Several minutes later Zenia slipped in a sat beside him. “She’s unable to control her magic,” she muttered, “If she gets hurt or angry she’ll unleash; and those in her way either die or are greatly injured…” She looked over at Ganondorf waiting for his reaction.

He looked at her somberly, “I see. I guess it can’t be helped, I was once like that… It’s in her blood… And I will have to teach her how to control the power within her.” Zen nodded, then laid her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and fell asleep within moments.

Ganondorf looked at the shadows dancing across the canvas roof of the tent, his eyes seeming to stare at some distant place.

* * *

Neko opened her eyes quickly and looked about her, the last of the sunset slowly fading from the sky. She jumped up and walked to the cliff, grabbing an out jutting rock with one hand and grabbing another with the other hand. She placed her feet onto small and large protrusions in the cliff wall, breathing steadily as she climbed. She stopped and hugged to the wall several times, slowing her breath and convincing herself she was not going to fall. After several long minutes she reached the top of the cliff and pulled herself over the edge.

Dusting off her tunic, she raced down the small trail cut into the rocky surface of the volcano, dodging the ash and volcanic rock that fell upon the path around her. Her destination was close; she could see the entrance to the crater already. She smiled and with a final burst of speed ran through the opening, stopping several feet from a sheer drop-off to the magma below.

Neko closed her eyes and sent a single phrase down the thread that linked her conscious to that of Asmodeus’. In an instant, her body began to gradually fade away, until she was no longer visible.</div>

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