"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure! Now shut your trap!"

Link sat straddled on Epona's back, his eyes half-lidded from a lack of sleep, and his mouth hanging open from an intense hunger. The past several nights had been sleepless, and he hadn't eaten for what seemed like days. Anytime he closed his eyes, blue sparkles burned against the darkness, and the whisper of wings graced his ears. He didn't have the strength to eat. Food simply wasn't appealing at this point. When his stomach growled, he ignored it. The only thing he had been able to keep down in the past few days had been water. Even then, the water only served to remind him how empty his stomach was. Still, he knew how important it was to stay hydrated, so, he forced himself to drink. He reached to side, and grabbed a large, oblong pouch from Epona's saddle. The liquid inside sloshed back and forth, and as he pulled the pouch open, several cool drops of liquid soaked into his leather gauntlets.

Epona bowed her head toward the ground as she walked, her once pristine mane having faded to a dull gray due to the exertion, and filth her and her rider had gone through. Link brought the pouch to his lips, and drank. Water washed across his chapped, cracked lips, and soothed his dry, itchy throat. His head pounded, and while that would likely persist for another few hours, he was taking care of his other problems. Slowly, he pulled the pouch away from his lips, and sealed it once more. As he strapped it back to Epona's saddle, he felt her pace grow slower. Her hooves began to drag, and her breaths came out in ragged wheezes. Link leaned forward, and placed a gloved hand in her mane, a look of clear concern ever present in his cerulean gaze.

"What's wrong, old girl?" He asked, ruffling his fingers through her hair. Epona huffed, and lowered her nose to the ground. "I know, I know." Link sighed, giving her neck a few pats. "It's no Hyrule, but, it'll have to do." He straightened his back, and looked around. It was true. They had crossed the border separating Hyrule from the neighboring countries. There were no signs that gave any indication they had left Hyrule, other than the difference in the foliage, and the air itself. The maps that Link carried with him held no knowledge on the surrounding area. Beyond the borders of Hyrule, the map was little more than yellowed, aged hadn't bothered looking at his maps since they'd passed Lon Lon Ranch though. He knew Hyrule like the back of his hand, and the land beyond wasn't documented on Hylian maps. His maps were more useful for...well, other things at this point. Epona whinnied, bringing Link out of his thoughts. "I know, Epona." He mumbled, ruffling her mane once more. "We'll take a rest here soon." He shifted on the saddle, and looked up to the sky. The tops of the trees were far too thick to tell whether it was day or night, and the only light was that of the forest sprites. Soft, golden glows hovered here and there, casting long, eerie shadows on every possible surface. "Get some sleep while we're at it." He whispered, more to himself than his steed.

"Now!" A voice hissed from the shadows. "Tael, Tatl! Get him!"

Link was too tired to take notice of the hissing whisper that came from the tree behind him. But as the fluttering of wings grew louder and louder, his heart began to pound. He whipped his head toward the sound just in time to catch sight of two orbs of light hurtling toward him.

"Navi?" He called out, a sense of hope finding it's way into his voice. His hopes were dashed, however, when the orbs smashed into his face. His eyes slammed shut, and a grunt loud enough to scare the birds out of the nearby trees left his lips. The darkness behind his eyelids was momentarily replaced by blinding flashes of white and purple, leaving him dazed and confused. Link had never encountered an aggressive fairy before, let alone two. Link felt the saddle slip out from under him, and several moments later, his back hit the ground, knocking the air right out of his lungs. He drew in a long, shuddering breath, his back arching as the pain wracked his body.

"Son of a scrub." He hissed, his eyes shut tight, and face contorted in pain. One hand found it's way to the back of his head, his fingers tangling in the locks of hair that escaped from under his hat. His other hand balled into a fist, and slammed into the thick grass beneath him. "Gods, I..." He paused, and sat up, keeping his eyes shut tight. "Gods." He shook his head, and let a long sigh escape from his lips. After several moments of silence, a new sound filled the air. It was a sound unlike anything that Link had ever heard. It was a sound that, for some strange reason he couldn't explain, set him on edge. It was like someone had filled a bag with small, sharp rocks, and they were currently shaking it. It was a sound that wouldn't alarm him if he heard in anywhere else. But in the middle of a forest he'd never been to, it made his blood run cold. Slowly, he turned his head, and came face to face with what was making the noise.

A short, hunched over creature stood several feet away, staring with large, glowing eyes. Link stared back, his mouth agape in shock, and curiosity. The clothes it wore, if one could even call them clothes, were similar to what the Skull Kids in the Lost Woods wore. Though, this one wore more vibrant colors, and had thicker layers. The most defining feature about this particular beast, was it's face. It's face was painted a myriad of colors. Reds, blues, greens, oranges, and purples swirled together across it's skin. It's vibrant, unblinking eyes stared at Link, and Link felt as if they pierced his very soul. It didn't have a mouth, however, and that was one of the more unsettling things about the creature. Thick, short spikes erupted from around it's face, framing it like some sort of dangerous rose come to life. Link turned as fast he could, moving to a crouched, ready position. His hand twitched, threatening to dart to the sword strapped to his back. His tongue swiped across his upper lip, and he tasted the cool, salty sweat that had accumulated.

"What are you?" He asked. His voice sounded strained, as if he was forcing himself to speak. "Are you friend, or foe?" He blinked several times, fighting the urge to stare into the vibrant orange orbs on the creature's face. Link already knew the answer to his question. This creature was likely out to cause mischief with it's fairy friends. The Skull Children of Lost Woods did similar things all the time. The creature simply stared. It said nothing, and it didn't show any signs of simply sat, and stared. "Friend or foe?" He repeated, moving to stand up straight. His hand darted to his sword, but his fingers curled around thin air. He whipped his head to look, and there, perched on his shoulder, were the fairies from before. The lighter of the two burst forward, smacking into his face once more. The darker of the two slipped across the leather straps that held his sword in place. The legendary blade fell from his shoulder, clanging in it's sheathe as it hit the earth below. He stumbled backward, the white ball of light bashing itself against his face over and over again. He swung his hands in front of his face, doing his best to ward off the fairy, but the little ball of light fluttered to and fro, knocking him back, and dodging his swings. The fairy gave one final push, and Link fell backwards, sprawling out against the cool forest floor once more. When he pushed himself to a seated position, the sight before him made his stomach fall through the earth.

"What a pretty...pretty...Ocarina." The creature murmured, holding the blue instrument in it's knobby, long-fingered hands. Link stared, shocked and stunned that the creature had somehow managed to swipe the legendary instrument. The creature brought a hand to it's chin, and it's long fingers curled under it's skin. For a moment, as the beast pulled the mask away, Link fought the urge to wretch. He had been under the impression that the creature hadn't been wearing a mask. He thought the mask was the creature's face. But, as the imp revealed it's face, Link narrowed his eyes. It brought the ocarina to it's mouth, and blew a shaky, off-key note.

Link lurched forward, head ducking down as closed the gap between himself and the creature.

"Don't touch it!" He yelled, closing his arms around the imp's abdomen. Or rather, where it's abdomen would have been. Link fell forward, having grabbed at nothing but thin air. He hit the ground with a solid grunt, and turned just in time to see the imp with his Ocarina in one hand, and his still-sheathed sword in the other.

"Nice sword." It smiled, tilting it's head to the side. It's mask sat perched on the tip of it's hat, though Link could still feel the horrible gaze from before. "Think I'll take it!" With an ear-piercing laugh, it launched itself into the sky. The leaves of nearby trees fell, and the branches shook. The laugh came from above, and then, from where he'd been before. It came from every direction possible, until finally, it came from right behind him. Link wheeled around, eyes wide and heart thudding. There, seated on Epona's saddle, sat the imp. The Master Sword was slung over it's shoulder, and the Ocarina of Time hung from it's hip.

"So long!" It called, flicking it's mask down onto it's face. It's feet slammed onto Epona's sides, and the horse reared back, bringing it's hooves high into the air. The imp tangled it's hands into her mane, and held on for what Link could only imagine to be dear life.

Link pushed himself to his feet, and in a moment of desperation, dove toward the imp as his steed rushed by. He felt his fingers latch around a knobby, stick-like knee. With all his might, he pulled. His lower half his the earth, and he felt the grass slither against his pants. He pulled harder still on the leg, doing anything he could to pull the rider free from his horse.

"Idiot."

In one swift motion, the imp veered right, throwing Link forward, and off of his leg. He rolled several times, before coming to a halt in the dirt, gasping, and aching all over. Link could only watch as the imp sped off through the forest, disappearing into the thick, cloudy fog that fell around them.