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~ Fright in the Forest ~
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     Narrator: Ryo

     Ah, Kakariko... I had come to like that name already. It brought a refreshing tone to it. Given what I just went through, it sounded like a rest was near for me. I could smell it in the air that lunchtime was upon all of us. When I thought about it, I was pretty hungry. I had breakfast with the lady earlier, but fighting always worked up an appetite for me. I decided to try what the food of Hyrule was like in a more general sense, so I descended the stairs from the mountain trail and spotted what looked to be a café right nearby. Looking through the window, I saw it was indeed a café. What luck! Upon entering, I was nearly overwhelmed with scents pleasing to me. I knew this place wouldn't disappoint.
     "A place that smells this good couldn't possibly have bad food!" I said to myself, feeling my mouth watering already. "Time to find a seat!"
     I chose a little spot next to the window I was looking through earlier. I liked window seats in these sorts of places. I loved to view the people outside while dining inside. As one person once said, I'm a people-watcher. However, I felt a tad lonely sitting by myself, watching the people work and play. I wished I had someone to talk to. As if by answering my wish, it was then that I was torn from my thoughts by a small boy, asking for my order. I surmised it was the owner's son.
     "Excuse me, sir," he beaconed while standing right by my table. "Are you ready to order?"
     "Hm? Oh, I am. But... I'm a new customer. I don't know what is available," I confessed.
     "Oh, I see," he answered. New customers were rare, I take it.
     "If you were going to order, what would you want?" I asked.
     "Oh, that's easy! I'd go for a marinaded chicken, cheese and bacon sandwich, side of salad with that crumbly cheese. That sort of food will treat you nicely, it will!" he raved.
     "Sounds delicious! I'll have that!"
     "Wise choice, sir!" he smiled and wrote it down fairly quickly, running off soon after. This gave me time to check my pouches to see what I had to pay for it with. I came across a Purple Rupee I had stashed away from the remains of a Dodongo in the cavern. I grinned, thinking I was clever to have kept such a thing. What sandwich would be more than 50 rupees?
     But, my mood wasn't to stay high. Behind me, I heard two people talking. Both men by the sound of it. The subject matter disturbed me, but I could not turn my ear away. I know eavesdropping is rude, but this felt like something I needed to know.
     "Say, didja hear about the Forest?" the first asked his friend.
     "Yeah. Terrible, isn't it? Who knew something so dangerous could live in those woods?" the other responded before biting down on something crunchy.
     "Now, I've heard the story told in several ways and I can't seem to decipher which one's right," the first scoffed. "I mean, you've got the woodsmen, the scouts, the villagers and even the soldiers sayin' it in lots of ways."
     "I tend to believe the berry-pickers. They have to go into the woods to get fruit for the market, so I'd say they have first-hand knowledge," the second explained, his mouth still kind of full. "After all, Marty's scar couldn't have come from anything normal."
     "Berry pickers? Oh, I don't think I've heard it from them. How does it go?"
     "Well, they say that snow that isn't cold lies along the bottom of the forest. Shadows are cast over you, then giant bugs swoop down like hawks in hopes of catching you as their supper!"
     "Bugs swooping like hawks... Har har! Get real, Dan!" the first mocked. "If bugs could 'swoop like hawks' and be a problem, they'd have to be larger than a man to carry him up and who's ever seen something like that?"
     "The berry-pickers, apparently," the friend, who obviously was named Dan, replied. He seemed unphased by his comrade's disbelief. "You know, Jim, with you being from Termina and all, I would've thought that you'd be a little more open to that kind of story. Weren't there giant bugs in Termina some years ago?"
     "I wasn't around for that, but I heard about Twinmold from an old barnacle in town," Jim answered. "Not sure how I take that story either."
     "Here's your sandwich, sir! And your salad," a familiar voice cut in.
     "Ah, thank you, young one! - My, even a glass of milk to go with it!" I praised. "Well done!"
     I began praying to the Goddesses but I also overheard Jim continue, "But that's beside the point. My opinion is, someone better go into that forest and make quick work of those nasty things. If I had a weapon... and knew how to use it... I'd do it myself. But I don't think a letter-opener is going to do the trick."
     "Aye. And the Hero of Time isn't here either... What'll we do?"
     "Well, it's not causing us a direct problem, so I guess we'll let Princess Zelda decide, heh heh."
     I think I can save the Princess the trouble... I thought to myself as I bit down into my food. Oh, the richness of taste and the distinct yet complimenting flavors! The juiciness of the chicken, the flavors of the sauce, complimented by the crunch of bacon and the silky smoothness of the cheese. This was instantly a personal favorite! Hyrule had great cooks, that's for sure. And the bread was even toasted for me. I loved that touch. But my joy was internal, for my outward look was stern due to my thoughts. I wasn't going to let these bugs be hostile to the people here. I resolved to go to the forest once I was done.
     On the time I finished my meal and paid the boy the Purple Rupee, he gave to me a Red Rupee, a Yellow Rupee, and a Blue Rupee as change. I returned the Yellow Rupee to him as a tip, for I really approved the service there. The smile on his face showed how happy he was to please me so much. Without further ado, I left the place and began my way to the forest. I remembered vaguely where it was, given I passed it on my way to Kakariko to begin with. Needless to say, it was quite a walk. Down stairs, over a bridge and a fair distance down the open field. It was during that walk, which felt like a mile or so, I began to ask questions to myself. What was the cause of such calamity that seems to be closing in on the land? Did the bugs attacking in the forest have any relation to the sudden Dodongo infestation? Why was I sticking my nose in such business when I've not been in the land for more than a day? It wasn't my home, not my problem... and yet, I always did this, no matter what land I'm in. I couldn't really answer most of those. But something about Hyrule made me want to help it... even moreso than the other places I've visited. Maybe it was the people to protect, maybe it was to make life just a little easier on the royalty, or maybe it was something inside me that said I should just help and stop questioning it. I wasn't questioning because I disliked it. No, just the opposite. But I had never felt this way about a land before. Solving the problems here was satisfying to me.
     My thinking made the time fly, for I soon found myself face-to-face with a log tunnel. I thought this must've been the place to go in. However, I noticed something odd on the ground. It looked like snow, but it wasn't anywhere near cold enough, thank goodness. But this confirmed part of the story, snow without cold. Stooping down, I picked up some of the odd material. It was dusty, spread in the air very easily. Wondering if some kind of spill was at hand, I gave the air a small but direct sniff. I immediately coughed and it dawned on me what the substance was.
     "Mothula powder!" I choked. "Mothulas in the forest... and by the powder's amount, I'd say a fair whack of them, too..."
     I didn't delay, for I knew a real danger was at hand. I dashed into the forest, yet I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into. I ran onto a small wooden bridge and looked around. There was a lot less light in there. The full, green trees with their extensive branches formed a sort of natural net to keep out the sun's rays. This was both a protection from the noon-day sun and a shield for lurking beasts so to help protect their position as they lay in wait for ambush. And ambush, they did. Two Mothulas suddenly sprang out of the trees! These beasts were nasty critters; having white fur on their sectioned bodies, thin black legs, small, but noticeably sharp pincers, three black eyes, antennae like feathers and very large yet thin wings, four of them and covered with toxic powder. The pair came diving down on me, forcing me to to dive to the wooden bridge which shook at my weight. When they passed, I got up and drew my blade. One of them immediately turned around and began to slowly come at me, as if taking a better look. It then lunged for me and I responded by holding up my sword, which it bashed its own head into. It yelled in surprise as it began to fly off and the second one came for me. It shook itself before flying away and powder came down all over me. I coughed in a fit, for the toxic powder was making a very scratchy feeling in my throat. I coughed hard enough to shoot out a heated spark from my mouth. The spark hit the powder and caught the airborne toxins on fire! The fire consumed the powder at a very high rate and chased after the Mothula giving off the dust! I watched the fire pursuing the fleeing bug and was satisfied with an explosion once it reached the source. The Mothula burned to a crisp and then exploded in black smoke. I was pretty proud of myself for making such an easy end to the fiend, but the first Mothula was still hanging around, so I stayed put and waited for it to return. Soon enough, it came back and I breathed in deeply in order to release a fireball from my mouth - a certain ability of mine. It burned the beast pretty badly and stunned it for a moment. A moment was all I needed to thrust with my sword and run it through. It screeched and then also burst into nothing but black smoke.
     I smiled at this, but then it dawned on me that there were several more to be found. I ran across the rest of the the bridge and began to think to myself. It's probably rather dangerous to venture so deep in the dark forest, I thought, and yet there's a bridge here. So who built it? My question was answered when I arrive at the entrance of a small village. The place was very spacious and surprisingly small. The houses looked like they weren't meant for humans, given their lack of height. Each house was made of wood, but not in the normal carpentry sense. These houses were carved out of very large tree trunks. But something that unsettled me was the fact that the place was quiet. Too quiet. After noticing a dusting coming from the air, I looked up and saw why. The sky was filled with Mothulas. I growled as I held up my sword at them in a challenging manner. Whoever was here was afraid of these creatures and rightly so, if they weren't equipped well. I took in a deep breath and spat out a fireball to instantly fry one of the bugs. However, this turned out to be a foolish thing to do. The other Mothulas - all at once - decided to make payback for the one I had burnt so quickly. I realized my mistake then, but I dealt with it how I could. I breathed in again and this time blew out a stream of flames instead of a fireball. I kept turning my head to get a wider range of foes injured by the heated assault. But something extraordinary happened! The burning Mothula landed on the ground, which was covered in toxic powder. The flames consumed the powder and spred out on the trails of falling powder which led it right to the others! The fire wave rocketed through the air and blasting other Mothulas! All I could do was watch as the fiery trails solve their own problems. Again, I couldn't help but laugh as the show progressed. The remaining Mothulas saw the chaos and were afraid, so they flew away to get out of the fire. The dead Mothulas burst into more black smoke.
     At last, the little village was free of the toxic insects and yet, no one seemed to be around. I began to walk, looking for anyone who might belong to the tiny community. It was then I saw one head peek out of a house. The head was that of a little human girl with blonde hair, a ponytail on the right side. Along with her, a second girl who looked remarkably identical, yet the ponytail was on the left side peered out beside the first. Both were looking at me as if they had never seen a Hylian before. From a hill at my right I saw a house with three boys peeking out of the doorway. Was the place only filled with children? Where were their parents? One of the girls with a ponytail walked out, seeing as there weren't any Mothulas around. She then spoke to me in a meek voice, "Did... did you scare away the bad bugs, Mister?"
     "Yes, it was me, young one," I nodded. "What is this place I stand in that was heavily plagued with those foul insects?"
     "This is Kokiri Village. We're the Kokiri," the girl answered me. "Who are you, Mister?"
     "My name is Ryo, little girl," I smiled, kneeling to be more on their height level. I decided against using my full name, for I didn't want them to get confused or tongue-tied. "Are you all children here? Where are your parents?"
     "Parents?" the girl tilted her head. "What are... parents?"
     "Mommies and Daddies. Big people who take care of you and love you," I tried to explain. But, that was the best I could do. Given my memory loss, I couldn't tell them from experience. Oddly enough, my explanation didn't seem to ring a bell at all to her. I asked, "Do you have no parents?"
     "The Great Deku Tree was our father. He loved us and told stories and protected us..." the other girl explains, coming to join her comrade... or perhaps her sister. "But... he's gone now..."
     I recalled the story of the Hero of Time, and how he lived in a village with the guardian Spirit of the Forest. That must've been the Great Deku Tree. So the Kokiri standing here are the forest people. I guess I just hadn't expected them all to be children. But forgetting about my ignorance, I turned my attention to more important matters. I asked them, "Can anyone tell me where those Mothulas came from?"
     "A great big bug came in a while ago and started tearing the place up," a boy answers. "Mido, Bud, and I got together to make a gate to lock out the scary thing. It flew off into the Lost Woods, so we put the gate over there."
     "And then Saria disappeared!" the first girl adds. "She said she had something important to do and assured Aia she was coming back, but it's been a long time! Aia's all worried. ...We all are."
     "Saria gave her something before she suddenly went to the Deku Tree Sprout and vanished," a third girl recalls. "So I guess she promised her return."
     "How do you figure that?" I asked curiously.
     "Aia's very clingy to items. She always thinks items are important. So when you let her borrow something, she knows the person will want it back. If they want it back, then they'll be coming back to get it. Giving her something to borrow means Saria promised she's coming back for it," one of the boys from the hill explained. "It's how she works."
     "Speaking of, where IS Aia, anyway?" one of the girls asked.
     "Probably still hiding somewhere," a boy thought aloud. "You know how she spooks so easily."
     "Oh and I suppose you were all brave when that bug came?" one of the girls scoffed.
     "And where does she like to hide?" I inquired, trying to prevent a fight.
     "Lots of places, unfortunately," another boy from the hill responded. "Hollow trees, Link's old tree house, Deku Scrub bushes... anything small, she'll hide in. Heck, she'd crawl under a rock if she could."
     "I'll go look for her," I stated, rising and beginning to walk around the village. But I soon spied the tree house that the boy had mentioned earlier. I couldn't help but investigate. The tree itself had a drawing on it. It looked like a boy and a fairy fighting a dinosaur of some kind. It was odd for me because while I know I hadn't been there before, something just seemed familiar about it. But my thoughts were broken when a sound came to my ears. It was a voice; a voice of a little girl. The voice was sad and afraid, sobbing in hopelessness and fear. The sound tugged at my heartstrings in a way that almost brought tears to my eyes. I scaled the ladder to the house, desperately hoping it's hold me, and pulled aside the curtain. There I found a tiny girl trying to hide behind the foot of a bed. She was curled up, trying to shield herself from anything that might come for her. I could feel my heart thumping harder, for her sorrow was touching me so deeply. If there was anything I hated to see, it was the despair of a child.
     "Hello?" I asked quietly, as not to frighten her. However, I didn't get a response. So I asked again, a little more strongly, "Hello?"
     "Uh...?" the girl gasped in surprise, she seemed to try and tighten her ball-like position. Must've been because she didn't recognize my voice.
     "No, please do not be afraid. My name is Ryo and I'm here to help you," I said in a calm tone. I walked towards her, but slowly. While she began to look at me, I didn't want to push my limits with her. "Did you hide in here because of the Mothulas?"
     She whimpered as she nodded to me. I thought she would curl up again, but once she saw me, she kept staring. Maybe it was my size or perhaps my fiery hair. But no matter what the reason, her gaze was fixed on me. I didn't want her to be intimidated, so I knelt down to her. Even then, she was tiny to me.
     "Were you scared of them?" I asked further, but beginning to find myself opening my arms. She nodded again to me. I noticed here she was trembling. I held my arms open to her. I wanted to her come to me and let out her pent-up feelings. I knew she was scared and I wanted her to let it out so she could relax. She looked at me at first like she didn't know what I was doing. But perhaps someone had done this for her before, because she soon after came clinging to me, starting to cry again. I held my arms around her gently and began to stroke her air to comfort her as her tears came streaming from her eyes. I gave a deep breath, knowing that this was just the start of recovery.
     "It's alright, little Aia. It's alright now," I whispered to her. "The nasty bugs are gone. I've driven them away. They're gone and they won't come back."
     I stayed with her for a few solid minutes but sooner than I expected, she began to calm herself. She was beginning to try and breathe deeply to help herself regain control. I smiled a little at this, for it was a mature move to settle down. I asked, "Do you feel better now, little Aia?" She nodded her head, wiping one eye. I asked her, "Do you think you can talk now?"
     "Mhm," she sniffed.
     "I was told the Kokiri built a gate to lock away the big nasty bug," I said to her. "Do you know where it came from?"
     "Nu-uh," she shook her head. "It just flew in."
     "Did it try to hurt you?"
     "Mhm. It... almost ate Sabrina."
     "Which one is Sabrina?"
     "She's got hair on this side," she answers rubbing the right side of her head in the place where one of the girls had a ponytail. I knew who she meant now.
     "I saw her. She looks just fine now, Aia," I smiled. "But I was told that Saria is missing and that she gave you something."
     "Mhm..."
     "May I see what it is?"
     Aia looked a bit hesitant, but she showed me a wooden key. She explained, "Saria said it was to the gate and she'd come back for it. She said not to give it to anyone unless they were blonde, dressed in a tunic and holding a shiny sword." And then she looked at me intently, as if scanning my appearance. She added, "You have light hair and a tunic..."
     "And I hold a shiny sword," I said, drawing it, but holding the blade, not the hilt. That way, I was presenting it to her, not threatening her. Aia felt the flat side with her little hand. She began to smile as she asked, "Are you the one Saria was talking about?"
     "I'm not sure. I... admit I don't know Saria," I admitted. I continued to smile as I quickly continued, "But maybe she knew I was coming. Saria's smart, mm?"
     "Mhm! She is! Are you gonna make the bad bug go away?" Aia asked pleadingly.
     "Yes. I'm going there to get rid of that nasty, nasty Mothula. But before I can get in, I need to get past the gate. So I'll need the key," I explained. "I know! How about you and I go to the gate? I'll unlock the door and then give the key back to you for Saria to have again? We'll both get what we want that way."
     "Will you...? really?" Aia smiled more. I nodded to her. She clung to me a little harder and said, "Okies. Let's go."
     I stood up, my arms under her and I left the house. Then, using one arm, I climbed down the ladder and walked to the vine-covered cliff side. The other kids just watched us, unsure of what I was doing with her. I wondered how I was going to climb that with Aia, but the little girl told me she could climb it. So I reached up and put her on the place highest I could reach, so she wasn't far from the top. To my surprise she climbed rather speedily and effortlessly. I followed, but I wasn't as smooth as her. It was surprising to me that such a youth could make me appear a little clumsy on the vines, yet at the same time I knew the vines were having trouble keeping my weight. They were meant for children, not a heavy adult. But at last we both were on top and on our way to the gate. The gate was rather make-shift in appearance and didn't look that strong. I knew I could just bash it down, so how much more could a monster break it? But I didn't say anything about it, as not to be rude...and it's probably scare Aia if I had. he looked up at me and asked, "Are you... sure you wanna see the bug? It's icky and mean."
     "That's exactly why I'm sure about going to see it," I nodded with a smile, my hands at my hips. "I don't want it hurting you anymore. May I have the key please?"
     Reluctantly, she gave me the wooden key, which I had to bend down rather far to reach, for Aia's extended arm didn't even go to my hip. Accepting and using the gift, I unlocked the gate and then fulfilled my promise in giving it back. I was about to enter the Lost Woods, but I heard Aia whimper in fear. I stopped in my tracks. What could I do to convince her I'll be alright...? Then it hit me. I faced her and knelt down.
     "Aia, I'd like you to borrow something of mine," I requested. I took off something I had on me: a topaz jeweled necklace in a silver holder like a Gerudo's forehead jewel. She stared in awe at this piece. "This is something very dear to me, Aia. I don't want it to get damaged, so I'd like you to hold it for me while I'm gone, okay? I promise I'll be back for it."
     "Mm! Okies," she nodded, looking more assured. I gave the necklace to her and then resumed my traveling into the depths of the jungle known as the Lost Woods...