Chapter 4

"B…but…I don't even know how I got here…" My hands felt clammy as I twisted and clasped them. No matter how attractive I could've thought Link was before, friendliness certainly wasn't part of the package.

"What happened before you woke up here, then?" asked Sariah kindly. She seemed to be attempting to make up for her companion's lack of courtesy.

"My Nintendo freaked out on me."

"Your what?"

"It's the thing we use to play the game. You know, the Legend of Zelda—this place."

"So that's what my life is called on your side." Link snorted. "The Legend of Zelda. If it's about me why do you call it after her? Unless, do you follow her around too?"

I recoiled at his harsh, indignant tone. "No…"

"Hmph." He continued to pace. Sariah glanced at him, embarassed.

"Describe this, 'freaking out'." said she.

"Well, my friend and I had just turned it on and were getting to the starting page when the screen…

They already looked lost.

"Uh, well,…that's the…thing we see the game on—went all white and bright and this annoying sound came from it."

"What sort of sound?" asked Link.

"Just a buzz, does it matter? Anyways, um… Amanda—that's my friend—thought it would be smart to hit it, but it just made it worse. Big surprise there, heh. Then I just…" I deflated lamely, "woke up in the forest with Link sitting and staring at me."

"I was not staring at you." snapped Link.

"What about your friend?" asked Sariah.

I paused. "I don't know. Do you think she might be here too?"

"Did you see anyone else there, Link?"

"If I did, don't you think I would've mentioned it by now?"

A loud crack shook the house. I jumped with a shout. Link and Sariah swiveled on the spot, looking to the door. With a scream of bells the fairy shot into the air. A long crooked split had appeared on the hard, oak surface.

"What the—"

A long howl echoed outside. Whatever was out there slammed into the door again, intent. The crack began to grow steadily wider. Link ran to a barrel on the other side of the room.

"Sariah, the tunnel is still here, right?"

"I would suppose so?" Her voice squeeked as the fairy shivered next to her.

"What's out there? What's happening?" I squealed. The howls were multiplying, echoing each other in an eerie chorus.

"What about the others?" cried Sariah. "They couldn't—"

"Quick, out the window. See where they are—the monsters."

Without hesitation she sprinted up the steps and up a ladder to a loft above. Meanwhile, Link heaved aside the barrel to reveal a small hole that it had covered. He peered down into the dark depths, waving his hand to me to come over. It took some work to get my knees to walk without knocking into each other.

"Tight squeeze, but we'll have to make due."

"Where does this go?" I asked as another loud snap of wood went on behind me. A terrible sound of scraping wood followed.

"They're only around this house! And there are dozens! Deku Babas, wolfos, so many!" yelled Sariah from above, "You don't think-?"

"Get down here! They're about to break through!"

A second later she fell besides me, landing perfectly on her feet like a cat. A jingle of the fairy sounded next to my ear as it followed.

"Link, the tunnel might be blocked,"

"We'll have to chance it."

"But they'll smell us!"

"Hopefully this place reeks so much of us it will give us a head start. Now, Kara, go!"

"What?"

He didn't give me time to protest before pushing me screaming down the hole. Earthy air whipped past while dirt scrapped against me. Roots snagged onto my clothing. I hardly registered I was falling before I slammed into the dirt bottom, knocking the wind out of me. Wheezing, I rolled to my side, rubbing the back of my head. I heard another shout and quickly turned out of the way as Sariah fell where I had been. Her fairy quickly followed. Pink light illuminated the naked, hairy roots dangling from the ceiling and walls like a carpet of freakish fingers. I recoiled in disgust.

"Move!" Sariah pushed me aside as Link landed lithely besides us. Before I could protest I had been pushed into the tunnel of roots. Images of centipedes and all manners of creepy crawlies flooded my mind. Terrified, I covered my head. Unaware, a particularly large root threw me back and my head collided with his face in the cramped space. He cursed loudly.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"Move it!" he barked.

A small squeal escaped me and I ran through with or without the pink light of the fairy, roots smacking every inch of me.

A long howl of the hunt resounded from behind.

"They found the tunnel!" cried Sariah.

"Run ahead with the girl—quick!"

I felt her small hand close tightly around my wrist.

"Hurry!"

And the roots were smacking me even harder. Even the light of the fairy was having a hard time fighting through to keep up with us, so now all I could see were a hundred hairy shadows reaching out from the darkness. Sariah's little hand never vanished from my wrist. I could feel stuff falling down my shirt and couldn't help butwonder whether it was roots or bugs.

BOOM!

The tunnel shuddered. Debris showered atop us from the ceiling. I screamed and squirmed, knowing there had to be bugs down my shirt now. Yowls of dismay rung along the walls.

"Keep moving!"

We ran on. For how long, I didn't know. All I could think was how this had to be the most terrible moment of my life and if I would survive. Another half of me wondered frantically if Link was okay. I could feel that he was still far behind us. Though he was coarse, I didn't want him dead by all means for my sake. I mean, he's Link. Nothing would matter if emthe/em Link were dead. And rude or not, he had helped me. And what would Sariah think of me?

I couldn't catch how long we ran like that: pushed with adrenalin and panting. Now and then we'd have to crawl around huge roots that threatened to close off the tunnel completely. Other times we would be picking our way through curtains of long, stiff ones. The pink fairy appeared as a flash of pink dashing in and out of crevices. My mind blanked shut I as began to feel creeping legs running for their lives inside my shirt. Luckily, my shorts were tight enough on the top to not allow entry. The tunnel was a whirl of dark and pink. As my adrenalin rush faded away we came to a stop at a wall of earth. Sariah ran her hands up and down it, her fairy fluttering up and down her form.

"Hold still, will you?"

"Sorry." Squeaked voice like small bells. I couldn't help but start at the fairy's voice. I couldn't be sure if it had spoken at all till now. Dirt crumbled down as the kokiri girl searched the wall. I suddenly realized how badly I was shaking. I didn't dare move to get the bugs out of my shirt, for I knew I would panic if I did.

"Ah ha!" Her fingers caught on something. " Here it is." She tugged on it. After a few attempts nothing happened. She turned to me.

"A little help?"

Somehow I suddenly appeared at her side, digging my fingers where she indicated. Through the thick, cool dirt I felt a smooth handle, worn with use. Digging my other hand in I pulled as hard as I could. Creaking came from the roof above and I about stopped in fear that it would collapse. When Sariah didn't react, I pulled on.

Light spilled in from above, silvery and cool.

"You did it!"

What I did exactly I couldn't tell. I just stared up at the light. Through the branches very high above the hole that had appeared above us, I could see the pregnant shape of a half moon. Stars, bright and clear, flecked around it by the millions. A rush of fresh, foresty air swooped in, brushing goose bumps onto my arms.

"Scrubs, are we lucky that line hadn't rot away yet. There should be a ladder somewhere around here."

The so called ladder turned out to be a rotting log that spanned the height of the hole. Mossy nubs led the way up. I couldn't even find the will to point out if the monsters didn't kill us, being trapped in this hole when the log broke would. But I kept my mouth shut as I cautiously followed her up. The 'steps' were hardly wide enough for my feet to take place, and only big enough to stop myself from falling backwards. I more slipped my way up then climbed. I reached the top with a gasp of relief. Before I could move to sit down and catch my breath, Sariah urged me to my feet.

"We're not out yet! You need to get out of the forest."

"Huh?" I looked around for the obvious trail and saw none. However, I did notice the thinning of the trees. Some ways a way I saw a wide field, speckled with the remains of the forest.

"But…where do I go?"

She grimaced. "I hate to tell you this, but I really don't know. But if you stay here you'll most likely get killed. Link may be strong, but he can't beat back the whole pack of forest creatures."

"What if there are monsters out there?"

"I…I'm sorry, but you are on your own." She stood. A strike of terror coursed through me.

"You're…you're not going to leave me here, are you?"

"Kara, I can't leave the forest- I'll die! I'm sorry, I wish I could do more. Wait!" she dug through her pockets, searching. "Take these. They're not much, but they are at least something."

Into my hand she poured a fistful of rosy nuts. I fingered them with dread filling my stomach. What would these do? I wasn't even sure I could eat them.

"What...what do I do with them?"

"Deku nuts! They—"

"—flash. I remember." I put them in my pocket, not feeling anymore encouraged by this piece of knowledge. Looking back to the line of the end of the forest, dismay settled in my chest.

A howl echoed through the forest. Sariah jumped.

"I have to go now." She bowed. "I'm sorry, so sorry, but I really can't help you. I've done all I could. Now hurry—run! Get out!"

"But, Link-"

"He'll be fine." Though she didn't sound too certain. Even as she said it her eyes drifted to the underground tunnel.

"Thank you." I said.

"Go!"

I turned.

And ran.

With no idea what the heck I was running into.