An owl flew over Hyrule, flapping his mighty wings and scanning the land below for something of interest. He was always looking for a good, quick meal, or someone to talk to that didn't back away slowly and try to capture him for his talent. After all, there were not that many huge owls that spoke as a Hylian did, with words others could understand, yet no proper lips! He spotted something bright on the grass and descended, curious to see what had been left behind, possibly by a trader or traveler. He grabbed onto a tree branch, keeping his wings out briefly to make sure it didn't break under his weight, and then settled in, looking down at what appeared to be a golden haired Kokiri, clutching an ocarina and barely moving. He clucked in a fond way, remembering that Kokiri never left their forest for fear of dying, and wondered if perhaps this one had felt particularly brave, or was just that stupid. The owl waited for the child to wake up, settling down for a small nap in the meanwhile, keeping his head turned to listen for sounds of stirring in the grass.
Link woke up slowly, blinking and taking in the bright afternoon sun, the perfectly shaded green grass, a giant tree... and a monster! Instinct told him to fight it, and he reached for... Nothing. He stood there dumbly, holding onto a rounded object and staring up at the creature as it slowly opened its eyes and turned its head all the way around.
"Hoo-hoo! So you are awake, Kokiri child! I was wondering if you would ever get up again..."
"K-Kokiri? No... I'm, I'm..." Link stopped, scratching his brain as he tried to untangle something from what felt like warm, gentle spider webs that held thin branches together in his head. One line snapped and dropped tidbits of information onto his tongue. "I'm Link, a Hylian."
"A Hylian? You're dressed like a Kokiri though, hoo!"
"I've never seen a Kokiri, only heard of them. Do any live around here?"
The owl regarded Link closely, but he saw no lies in the child's eyes. He let out a small sigh and rubbed a long feather along his beak. "Hooooo... Perhaps they do, young Link. Tell me, if you are a Hylian, where do you live?"
Link tried to remember, but only fog rolled through the boy's mind. He shrugged and shook his head helplessly. The owl tapped a talon on the branch he was perched upon. "I see... No memories, dressed like a Kokiri, and so close without knowing of.. hoo! Alright, come with me, I'll lead you to the marketplace, maybe someone there will recognize you."
Although Link found it odd that a creature was talking to him, he nodded dumbly and followed the bird as it ascended, flapping his powerful wings and causing the boy to shield his eyes briefly. A winding path lead out from a knot of trees that Link had been found by, and he held onto the object he was found with, looking down at it after. Holes, potato shaped, colored like the earth warmed by the sun, but he could not figure out just what it was. He heard a voice overhead.
"This is Hyrule, Link. Wide open fields, Lon-Lon Ranch to the left, Hyrule Castle ahead, Lake Hylia further still... There is much to explore, if you wish to find who you are, and to find who may know you. Follow this path, my boy, and you will get to Hyrule castle, hoo hoo!"
The owl started to fly higher, but then circled back down as something caught his large eye. "...You have an ocarina? Those are a rare delight, I hope you treasure that musical wonder."
Link stared down at his hands. An ocarina? Music? He shook his head. He felt like he knew what all these words were, but it was rather hard to comprehend how that fit into his life. He kept walking, his pace fast, wondering if the clothes he wore were really all that normal or not. Was he wearing a dress? With a belt around the middle? And why were his legs bare? He felt rather naked. He kept a close hold on the ocarina though, sliding his fingers over the openings and pondering if he could play it. He'd have to wait though. The owl kept flying overhead, not slacking his pace any, and his chattering never seemed to stop as he gave a guided overhead tour of Hyrule, its history, and the wonderful place it was.
When night was about to fall, the owl stopped on a long stone wall, let out a slow hoot, and ruffled his feathers. Link leaned down and let out slow breaths, surprised that he was not more winded; they had been walking for so long. The boy leaned against the wall and slid down, taking his ocarina and holding it to his mouth. He blew into it, listening to the sweet musical note that escaped. Slowly he moved his fingers, experimenting with the sounds and repeating patterns. The owl hooted along with the tunes that were played, and for an hour or so the two enjoyed a peaceful set of songs in the warm night air. It was so warm that a fire was not needed, and Link began to ask questions, although most of the answers were so long winded that the boy often missed the actual answer!
In the morning, Link and the owl returned to their fast paced trek across the wide open fields. Link could see the castle, its draw bridge down, and he picked up his pace. The owl continued to fly overhead, leading the green clad boy into a busy, bustling marketplace. Link had to stop because of all the noise that hit him suddenly, and he reeled back, looking up. The owl that had lead him there was flying away!
"I'm sorry Link, it's too loud and crowded for me! I wish you luck, and if our paths cross again, I hope you know yourself then!"
The boy watched the owl fly away and sighed, feeling a bit disgruntled. Why did the owl fly this close to the city if he was only going to back off just as fast? Link began to take cautious steps, looking at all the people. Women were arguing over a stall of fabrics, a child chased a cucco around, dogs scampered under feet and around the people, and traders hawked their wares wherever they had found room to be heard and seen. It was a bit overwhelming, and the child started to pick his way through the crowd, mostly unnoticed by everyone. He found a spot of quiet and took to it, scrambling up a set of stairs before he stopped and stared in awe. A huge building with giant panes of colored light stood in front of him, stout statues next to a small man-made pond unnerving the green-clad male a bit. He felt a warm tingling feeling at the sight of the temple, but there was also a little voice that nagged at the back of his mind.
"If you go in there, you'll lose the peace and have to do it all over again..."
Link had no idea where the voice came from or what it meant, but he felt drawn to the temple, the fuzzy tingling warming him, but tiny spasms of warning also seemed to hover just in front of the overwhelming warmth. A stone fell, making a clacking noise as it hit a stair, and the spell was broken. The blonde haired lad took a few quick steps back, turned, and ran back into the marketplace.
After almost an hour of exploring shops, wandering around the main square, and even checking out one or two of the side streets, Link thought if anyone would have recognized him they would've said something by now. A bit dejected, he started for the long dirt path that lead to the castle, his head low and his thoughts muddled with confusion, doubt, hopelessness, and a feeling of loss.
A soft humming sound made him slowly pick his head up, and he saw a little girl with red hair staring up into the sky, rocking back and forth on her heels as if she didn't have a care in the world. She was wearing a white dress and a yellow kerchief, and her smile made Link relax just a bit. When he got close enough her humming stopped and she curiously stared at the lad, tilting her head slightly and continuing to smile.
"Hello, what a lovely day, isn't it?"
"Yes... What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, I'm waiting for my father. He went to go deliver milk to the castle, but he hasn't come back yet. I can't go in because the guards won't let me, hehe!"
Link scratched at his head as he thought about that. "I... I could go get him, I'm sure. I'm Link."
The red haired girl smiled brightly and laughed. "I'm Malon! Here, take this cucco, it's probably the only thing that'll wake him up..."
Malon picked up a small Cucco that had been pecking around at her feet and offered it to Link. It was small enough to fit in his tunic, which surprised him, and he wondered how that would wake up her father, if indeed he was sleeping somewhere delivering milk.
For the next few hours, Link tried every way to get into the castle. Climbing up a steep hill, only to find himself at the feet of guards, going in the front way, which lead to a swift cuff on the head and being tossed out... After countless attempts and checking in with Malon every now and then, who sang for him when he was tired, he finally got past the guards by staying low in the grass, his green tunic helping him blend in with the blades, and sneaking to the furthest corner of the wide field in front of the castle, hopping in the moat, and going for a little swim. There he found Talon, Malon's father, sleeping on the cobblestones and snoring gently.
"...This is her father? Why would he sleep here of all places?" Link tried nudging, shaking, and nearly pushing Talon into the moat to wake him, but he just rolled over like some sort of hibernating bear. Groaning, Link took the Cucco out of his tunic and held it up. The chicken-like creature rustled its feathers, opened its beady eyes, and practically screamed to greet the sun. Link was so startled he dropped the bird, and it skittered on the stones, crowing and flapping its wings like a lunatic.
"What was that?"
"It came from inside the gates."
Suddenly, Link found himself looking at the sharp ends of spears, his back pressed firmly against a crate of something, probably the milk Talon had delivered. The guards were all talking about how they had each thrown this kid out, and how had he gotten back in, when suddenly a great yawn and snorting was heard. Everyone looked down to see Talon waking up, blinking sleepily at the guards.
"Oh, pardon me Sirs, didn't mean to fall asleep again... the stones were so warm and the sun was so nice, y'know..." He scooped the Cucco up off the cobblestones and looked at Link. "Did Malon send you?"
"Y-yessir, she was afraid you fell asleep and asked me to wake you since the guards wouldn't let her in."
"Oh, I see. Well then, let's get going. Er... You'll overlook this, won't you? I know the King might not like to hear I've fallen asleep on the rocks again, and I don't think he'd like to know you all are pointing spears at my unarmed helper who came to wake me up. Poor Malon must be worried sick, I'll get an earful from her for sure..."
Talon guided Link from the guards, who sheepishly talked among themselves as they returned to their post as to how a kid got past all of them. Link looked around, confused. Did he just get saved by the guy who delivered milk to the castle, or did he get kidnapped?
A/N: Sorry the update took so long, I got stuck with the owl and became a bit frustrated, thinking it wasn't working out. I was about to scrap the whole thing! But I gave it some time and kept going. I can't wait for the next chapter, when things should really get interesting!
