Chapter III – Mysterious Forest
"Wow! That was amazing, Link!" Marin clapped her hands cheerfully.
"Huh?"
"How you destroyed that monster! It's like you're a pro!" She clarified with a smile. Link felt a blush on his cheeks at the praise.
"Well... I guess. I've fought many monsters in the past." Not that he'd ever been praised for much of it.
"You're so brave! I wonder if...?" Marin's voice trailed off, but she shook her head immediately. "Never mind. Want to head back to the village?"
"Yeah. Do you have any leather? I need to make a new sheathe for my sword." Link held the weapon out in front of Marin. She reached out reluctantly to touch it.
"Is it sharp?"
"Not as much as it used to be." Link laughed. He twisted his wrist slightly to better show her the faults in the blade. "It could use a bit of work. There aren't any blacksmiths in the village, right?"
Marin shook her head. "We don't need any."
"What about the monsters?" Link asked.
"Monsters aren't really violent. If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. And if they do... well, that's why we're such fast runners!" Marin smiled.
It was an odd way of thinking of things, but Link merely shrugged his shoulders. There was another question on his mind, but before he could ask it Marin started back up the slope towards the village.
"Let's go! I'm sure I can find you something to make that sheet!"
"It's 'sheathe'." Link corrected her. She giggled.
"Sheathe, then! Come on!"
As Link followed Marin around various ledges along the slope, he noticed a path that veered to the east. There were far more trees that way, almost obscuring the path from view.
"Marin, what's over there?" Link pointed out the overgrowth.
"There? Some kind of old cave. Father's explored it before, I think. I've never been there." After her explanation, she smiled mischievously. "Want to go see?"
Link shook his head. "Better not. It's not safe for me to have my sword out like this. We'll do it again some other day."
Marin smiled, and continued up the slope. There was an extra spring in her step the way back.
The rest of the afternoon, Link spent it sprawled out on the grass near Marin and Tarin's house, working diligently on his sheathe. Marin had managed to acquire some leather from one of the other villagers, and she had the rest of the necessary materials for Link to get to work. Initially, she'd offered to help, but Link knew she had no idea how to make one. As it were, neither did Link; but at least he had a better idea.
Tarin was no where to be found upon their return.
"Madame MeowMeow said he went off into the forest to gather toadstools. He's always been fond of them." She explained after Link had asked.
"The forest is north of here, right?"
Marin nodded. "Just around the corner at the end of the path there. Why?"
Link shook his head. "Just wondering."
It was in that direction the owl had flown off. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but through all his travels, Link had learned to pick up on strange occurrences. He was certain he'd come across the owl again soon. It might even be able to talk!
"Care for a song, Link?" Marin asked, producing the harp she'd packed away in her satchel earlier that day. For the first time, Link was able to get a closer look at the instrument.
"Is it a special harp?" He asked, taking note of the intricate design. There was even a kind of blue gemstone lodged into the frame.
"It is, actually!" Marin strummed the harp, producing a string of pleasant notes. "It's called the Surf Harp!"
With expert precision and timing, Link watched as Marin's fingers tugged on the different chords of the instrument. The melody she played wasn't familiar to the young man sitting on the ground, but it was nevertheless pleasing to hear. Link also noticed a strange glow emanating from the harp as she played. Even here, magical instruments seemed to be commonplace. Once Marin had finished the song, she looked down at him.
"Did you like it?"
"Yeah. What's the song called?"
Marin smiled. "The Ballad of the Wind Fish."
Link cocked his head slightly. "Wind Fish?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"
"Noticed what?"
Rather than tell him, Marin simply pointed up in the direction behind her house. Link looked on, seeing a rise that took the form of a mountain. A mountain on this island paradise wasn't surprising, but what was surprising was what sat atop that mountain peak. Nestled most snugly atop the highest mountain on the island was an egg. An egg of gigantic proportions, but an egg nonetheless. Link's jaw dropped at the sight of it. Prior to Marin pointing it out, he hadn't noticed the peculiar landmark.
"What is that?"
"The Wind Fish! Well, it's his egg, actually." Marin explained with a smile.
"Has that always been there?"
"As far as anyone remembers. They say if you wake the Wind Fish, he'll grant you a wish. Anything you want!"
In a way, it wasn't unlike the Triforce back in Hyrule. Among the poor, rumors of the Triforce granting wishes to anyone who touches it were common. Of course, the Royal Family denied it; they wouldn't want everyone fighting over such an object if it were real. And the Triforce was very much real. Link knew that for a fact.
"How do you wake the Wind Fish?" He asked.
"By singing it The Ballad of the Wind Fish. But not just anyone can do it." Marin held out her harp. "You need the proper instruments!"
The Instruments of the Sirens. Marin explained that there were supposedly eight of them hidden throughout Koholint Island. Most of the residents didn't really believe in the legend, however. And a lot of them didn't believe the instruments were real, either. Even after Marin and Tarin showed them irrefutable proof with the Surf Harp.
"So the harp is one of the instruments?" Link asked next.
Marin nodded. "Yup! Father found it up north, at the base of the Tal Tal Mountains. It was a long time ago, and he almost didn't make it back. When he saw that no one else wanted to help him get the rest, he gave up as well. I never asked him about where to find the rest of the instruments, either."
"What would you wish for? You want to wake the Wind Fish, right?"
Marin smiled softly, then looked to the south. At that moment, there were a flock of birds flying off towards the beach.
"To be a seagull." She whispered.
Before Link could press her further, Marin turned back to him with a beaming smile on her face. "It's strange that Father hasn't returned! I should go ask Madame MeowMeow if she's seen him. I'll be back!"
With that, Marin scurried off to a different part of the village. His focus back on the sheathe, Link finally finished the item by the time Marin returned. Tarin wasn't with her, however.
"Father hasn't come back from the forest." She told Link.
"Shouldn't we go look for him?" Link suggested. The red-haired girl shook her head, though.
"It's too late now. Father always warned me against going into the forest after sundown. We should wait until tomorrow."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't think he'd be hurt. Maybe just lost. This has happened before." Marin sighed. "I'm sorry, Link."
"It's okay. I'll help you look for him in the morning." The young man smiled at her.
With the sun quickly setting on the island, Marin and Link returned to her home. The next day, they'd be off to search for the missing Tarin.
Despite it being another beautiful, bright day on Koholint Island, the trees of the Mysterious Forest reached high enough into the sky to block out most of the daylight. Link realized instantly why Tarin had warned his daughter against coming here after sunset. Link's hand did not move from the hilt of his sword the entire time.
"There's nothing to worry about, Link." Marin assured him. "The monsters in the forest are like the ones on the prairie."
"If we don't bother them, they won't bother us?"
Marin nodded. "Exactly!"
"Then why'd the Leever attack me on the beach yesterday?"
Marin couldn't come up with an answer, but she didn't have to. Not long after wandering into the forest, she found a bag discarded by a tall tree. When she collected it, she found a few mushrooms tucked inside.
"This is Father's bag," she told Link. She reached into the bag and pulled out one of the toadstools. It was red with white spots, and it had the most foul odor either of the two had ever smelled.
"Is it rotten?" Link asked, covering his nose.
"Doesn't look rotten. But it does smell awful." Marin threw it as hard as she could to a different part of the forest. It helped to alleviate the stench. One by one she checked each mushroom in Tarin's bag, discarding all the ones with a foul odor.
"Your father eats these things?"
"They taste delicious in a stew! Really!" Marin argued, a bit flustered. "But the ones that smelled... I don't think they're the same kind of toadstool. Maybe... maybe Father ate one by mistake?"
Link sighed. He thought Tarin a bit smarter than to try a mushroom with such a powerful stench about it. "So where is he?"
Marin took a quick look around. If her father had indeed eaten one of those mushrooms, he'd be nearby, probably passed out. But there was no sign of him anywhere.
"You don't think...?" Marin shook her head before she could bring herself to finish the sentence.
"I'm sure he's fine," Link said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "He's gotta be around here somewhere."
Link took Tarin's bag and slung it over his shoulder. Together, the two looked around the immediate area for Tarin, but there was still no sign of him. They moved on from near the tree where they found the bag, wondering if he had wandered off a ways after eating the mushroom. It was during their search that they came across someone else in the forest.
Garbed completely in black robes and a matching hat, an old woman made their acquaintance.
"Two young children wandering the forest?" She asked, tipping her hat to them.
"Ah! Good morning, ma'am." Marin bowed before the elderly woman. Link remained cautious, however.
"If it isn't young Marin. It is nice to see you doing well. And who is this young man beside you?" The old woman looked to Link.
"This is Link! He's new to the island."
The old woman's eyes lit up. "I see. That's why the island's been so interesting of late."
"Ma'am, have you seen my father?" Marin asked the old woman.
"Old Tarin's gotten himself lost in the woods, has he?" She cackled.
"We found his bag by a tree a short ways back, but we haven't seen him." Link explained.
"Were there toadstools?" The old woman asked.
"Yes! His bag was full of them!" Marin nodded eagerly.
"Could you spare a few, young Marin? I am need of fresh caps for my brew."
Marin took a few mushrooms from Tarin's bag and handed them to the old woman. She put them away in her own bag, and in their place handed a tiny pouch to Marin.
"This is magic powder. Go back to where you found Tarin's bag. You will find a raccoon there. Sprinkle some of this on his nose. You will find your father soon enough."
Though cryptic, Marin did not question the old woman's orders. Once Marin had bid the old lady farewell, she turned around to follow the path back to the tree where they'd found Tarin's bag.
"Did you know her?" Link asked along the way back.
"Yes! Her name's Syrup. She lives just past the forest on the Koholint Prairie." Marin explained. Then she added, "She's a witch!"
Practitioners of magical arts weren't a strange concept to Link. His first quest had been to thwart the deeds of a powerful dark wizard, something he only accomplished after months of travel and hardship. And if Marin was familiar with the witch Syrup, he wouldn't raise an objection to listening to her advice.
When the two arrived at the spot where they'd found Tarin's bag, sure enough there was a rather large raccoon scurrying about the area. Twice as big as any other animal Link had seen, it was happily eating toadstools growing around the large tree. Marin slowly creeped up on it with the pouch of magic powder, and poured out its contents onto the raccoon's nose.
The furry creature tried to brush the stuff off, but before it could, it sneeze, causing it to explode in a puff of pink smoke. Link and Marin both shielded themselves from the blast, but it was completely harmless. When it had dissipated, Tarin was standing where the raccoon was before.
"Father!" Marin cried out, embracing her stupefied parent.
"Marin? And Link, too?" Tarin rubbed both his eyes, unsure where he was. "I had the darndest dream I was a raccoon."
"I've told you not to eat the strange toadstools, Father!" Marin scolded. The older man laughed nervously.
"I'm sorry. I am a bit tuckered out, though. Maybe I should head back home for a while."
"I'll take you home! I don't want you to get lost again!" Marin turned to Link, whose attention was on something else entirely. "Link?"
"I'll catch up to you two. There's something I want to check out before I go back."
Marin was curious, but her father's health came first. She nodded. "Okay, I'll see you back at the village! Be careful!"
The girl lead her father away from the scene, leaving Link alone with another animal perched on one of the branches of the tree above. It was the same brown owl from the previous day on the beach. Rather than reach for his sword, Link backed away from the tree to get a better view of the animal.
"Who are you?" He asked the bird. The owl stared back silently for only a moment.
"A courageous adventurer has landed on Koholint, hoot. The nightmares stir."
"So you can talk. Who are you?" Link asked again.
"I serve the Wind Fish, he who sleeps atop Mount Tamaranch. You have come to wake the dreamer."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I washed up here after my ship was destroyed. I just want to get back to Hyrule."
The owl puffed its chest. "You cannot leave until the dreamer wakes."
"So then it's true? The Wind Fish is real?" Link asked. In response, the own spread out its wings, dropping something to the ground.
"Take this key. Head for the cave Marin spoke of. You will find something there to aid you."
With that, the owl spread its wings again and took flight south, as if to guide Link on his way. The young man approached the tree and found a key on the ground. The handle vaguely resembled a monster he was certainly familiar with.
If waking the Wind Fish was the only way for Link to leave Koholint Island, then that's what he'd have to do. While it seemed to be a tranquil, almost perfect place to call home, he couldn't just forget about the home he left behind.