A/N: Hello anyone who reads this. This fic was requested by Lollilou12. Lollilou12, I hope you enjoy.
"Stop, thief," a male voice called out in the busy streets. People screamed as the man pushed his way through.
A smile formed on Kareena's face as she tightened her grip on the sack of rupees. She weaved through the bodies that were littering the outdoor market. The man chasing her shouted again hoping that someone would grab the young woman as she darted down an alley. She looked over her shoulder briefly before turning back to see where she was running. She skidded to a stop as she saw the wooden wall of the village. It was climbable, but it would take a couple of minutes. She turned to return back to the main road, but could hear her victims shouting as they searched for her.
She frowned knowing that she would be trapped if she didn't do anything. She put the sack of rupees into her satchel behind her lute. She laid her hands on the wall feeling the small depressions. Using her fingers that were strengthened from years of playing the lute she climbed the wall. She was slow to ascend the wall double checking each on foothold.
After several minutes, she was sitting on top of the wall. She panted slightly from the exertion. It didn't take long for her to catch her breath. She scaled down the wall, landing on the ground outside the small town.
She looked at the large expanse of forest. She licked her finger to feel the direction of the wind. She could feel it blowing to the east. With a nod, she followed the wind. The sound of a horse whinny made her turn around. "I see you," the man from earlier called. Kareena was already taking off when she saw his face. She hurried through the trees. The sound of horse hooves was close behind.
The forest grew darker and darker. She looked over her shoulder to see that her pursuer had stopped his horse and turned away. She thought she heard him say that the imp would get her and rupees weren't worth it. Now that she was no longer being followed, Kareena slowed her pace and walked through the eerie forest.
She pulled out her prize and counted the rupees. Two hundred rupees; the thought of the amount brought a smile to her face. She put the sack back in her satchel. She wondered which town she should strike next. Maybe there was a small village here that would love to hear from the court's musician for a price of course.
She walked confidently. A fog gathered slowly around her feet. Its tendrils wrapping around her legs. It slithered around her waist and up to her face. It smelled sweet and made her head spin. Kareena fell to her knees unexpectantly as her vision begun to spin. Her vision grew dark as she fell silently to the ground.
….
Birds chirped somewhere far away. Kareena could feel wind across her face. "I haven't seen your kind in this forest in a long time," a voice said. Kareena opened her eyes to be looking up at two glowing orange eyes set in a wooden face.
She screamed pushing the strange creature away and scooting away. "What are you?" she screamed again.
The creature's beak-like mouth frowned. "I'm called Skull Kid. What's your name?"
Kareena blinked a couple of times before answering, "Kareena."
"That's a highly unusual name for your kind," Skull Kid said.
Kareena looked at him strangely, "It's not that uncommon for a Hylian to have my name."
The strange creature laughed. "I think you need a mirror," he said stepping away as Kareena crawled to her bag and pulled out the lute and a single blue rupee. She looked into the blue stone. She dropped it in shock before picking it up again. She looked into the pair of glowing orange eyes that were set in a round wooden face. She held the rupee in one hand as she traced her wooden face. She watched the wooden appendages trace the perfect circle of a mouth. She then traced the leaves that fell around her face framing it like her former fire orange hair. Lastly she lifted her hand to the pink flower that spouted from her head. Kareena screamed again and dropped the rupee.
"What did you do to me?" she shouted, standing to her full height. "Change me back," she screamed as she shook Skull Kid.
"I didn't do this to you," he said. "I was just walking here when I found you." Kareena shook him again while she threatened him.
"Hoo, Hoo. I might be able to clear up this confusion," a voice from the treetops. Both Skull kid and Kareena looked up to see a large owl sitting in a tree.
"What do you know?" Kareena growled angrily.
"Let me explain. This is your punishment, Kareena. The goddesses have seen your lying ways and decided to show you their power," the owl started.
"But, I'm not the only one who steals," Kareena said defensively, letting go of Skull kid. He fell to the ground.
"True," the owl said, he shrugged, "Even I don't know everything they think of."
"How to I change back?" she asked putting her hands on her now nonexistent hips.
"There once was a song that was said to heal any ailment," the bird continued. Kareena scrambled to her satchel and pulled out the lute. It was nearly her size and she struggled with it slightly. "I think you misunderstood me. I don't know the tune," the bird said.
"What?!" Kareena shouted as she picked up a rock and threw it. It flew up to the bird who calmly dodged it. She picked up another rock to toss it.
"Wait, wait. The notes of the song can be found throughout Termina. If you stand by whistling stones, you will hear a couple of notes that comprise the song," the bird said holding up his wings in a calming manner.
"How am I supposed to know their order?" Kareena yelled. "Don't you dare leave," she shouted at the retreating Skull kid.
Both Skull Kid and the owl looked at each other with mirrored faces of terror. "Do you have a map? I'll mark it for you," the bird said. Kareena nodded not taking her eyes off the two. She pulled out the needed item and held it out. The large owl dropped from the tree and landed by the map. He pointed to clock town, then the Goron shrine, Snowhead, Zora hall, and finally Ikana valley. "Go to those places in order and you'll find all of the pieces of the song." The bird took off before she could ask another question.
There was an awkward clearing of a throat, "I should be leaving." Skull kid backed away slowly.
"Not so fast," Kareena said, "You're coming with me to fix this."
"Why?" Skull kid asked.
"Because I said so," she said pulling Skull Kid by his collar.
The child stuttered, "But…but." The deku shrub didn't listen and continued to pull him through the forest.