The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

Dodongo's Cavern

Chapter 12

Dodongo's Cavern

Everything hurt.

Link opened his eyes, brushing away a film of dust that crusted his eyelids. Navi buzzed around his head, calling his name, but he could scarcely hear her through the ringing in his ears. He sat up slowly, using the cave wall for support as he surveyed the debris. In front of him, a wall of rock and rubble blocked the tunnel he was in, barely visible through the cloud of dust. Link blinked in confusion.

Where am I? he wondered.

"What happened?" he croaked, his voice dry. He looked down at the scrapes and cuts along his arms and legs, some bleeding but none severe enough to warrant immediate attention.

"Thank Farore. How do you feel?" Navi hovered inches from his face, and it took Link a few heartbeats to realise how worried she looked. He turned to look at the debris behind him, and that was when it slowly dawned on him.

Am I in Dodongo's Cavern? he wondered, trying to recall how he had ended up in this cave.

"I... I don't think I've broken anything..." he paused, unable to shake off his confusion.

"What happened?" he repeated.

"When we entered the tunnel, the mountain shook," Navi explained, exhaling as she did so. "I saw Jasper push you forward, and then the roof collapsed." She paused as if considering what she was saying, her eyes turning to the rubble. "It might have been some sort of magic trap designed to stop the Gorons from entering." She slowed down, not aware that Link was no longer listening. "The walls near the entrance were cracked. I assumed it was old damage, but now I wonder if it wasn't part of some spell... Link?"

Upon hearing Jasper's name, Link gingerly propped himself upright and searched for any sign of the Goron. Navi's words jolted his memory. He could recall fragments of what had transpired. Several Gorons accompanied him into the tunnel, including Jasper, but then there had been a cave-in. Jasper had thrown him out of the way of the falling debris, but that was all he could remember.

"Jasper?" he called into the gloom. Only silence answered.

"Link," Navi said, her voice trembling as she watched him. "The tunnel collapsed on top of him. I think he's dead."

"No," Link said, not wanting to believe the Goron had died trying to save him. "He has to be here somewhere."

"Jasper!" he called again, his voice strained. "JASPER!"

"Keep your voice down," Navi pleaded. "There are bound to be dodongos nearby. If they hear us..."

But Link didn't heed her warning.

"No," he whispered to himself, refusing to accept the truth. "He can't be dead."

Were those vines creeping along the tunnel wall?

No, Link shook his head, reassuring himself that it was just his imagination. There weren't any vines here.

He did not want to be alone, trapped in this lifeless cavern. Even with Navi's light, the shadows seemed to close in around him. He had to get out. He had to find Jasper. If he found the Goron, they could move the rocky debris.

Breathing heavily now, Link limped to the fallen rocks and tried to shift the rubble, but it was too heavy. Shifting one rock and moving on to a smaller one, he tripped on something. Navi gasped when she saw an arm with orange scales protruding from the rocky debris. Link's breath caught in his throat.