Chapter 5: Ezlo the... ?
As he reached the entrance to the woods, Link came to a stop as a result of his path being blocked by thick vines and lush bushes. It was clear to him that this area had not been visited in quite some time. "Its like the Goddesses are trying to tell me something." he said, narrowing his eyes at the blockade. He let out a deep a sigh "For Zelda... for Zelda..." He chanted as he drew his new blade from its scabbard. "HYA!" he called as he began to violently chop through the thick vegetation. finally, after cutting himself a clear path, link readied his shield and calmly walked into the thick forest. almost instantly, a small rock came hurling at link. Luckily, it missed its target, and collided with his shield and burst into pieces. This was more than enough to catch Links attention. about 6 feet ahead of him an Octorok stood, ready to attack again. "Man, these things are everywhere." Quickly, the creature fired yet another shot. once more it shattered against his shield. Immediately, link dropped his guard and lunged forward, vertically slicing the enemy in half. immediately, the two halves turned black as charcoal and crumbled into dust, blowing away in the wind. "Ok... that wasn't so hard." he said marching fourth.
As he continued on his through, he found a few strange oddities. the one that stood out the most being what looked almost like a temple or shrine, but the entrance only big enough for something the size of a bug. While examining this structure, he heard a cry for help in the distance. "Hellllp!!! Help meeee!!!" the voice called. Link quickly headed toward the sound of the voice. "Ouch! Won't somebody stop them!?" It was close. He could hear the voice, but still could not see the person shouting. "Ow! Ow! Help... Somebody! Can't anybody hear me?" Link continued to chase the voice. passed a few trees, across a small stream, around the corner, and through the tall grass, finally, he arrived at the scene. It was a... well... He really wasn't sure what it was. it looked like some form of cross between a Green Chu, a night cap, and a bird. However, unlike any of those, it spoke. rather clearly as it was cornered, two Octorok's on either side of it, spitting rocks at it. "Hey! kid!" it shouted. "You there!" "Kid?" Link thought. "Is he talkin to me? is this for real? ...maybe i shouldn't have drank that Lon Lon Milk."
His thoughts were interrupted when one of the Octorok's hit the strange... chu-bird-hat-thing. "Ouch!" he cried. seemingly annoyed, the creature stared Link in the eye before throwing a tantrum. "Hey! Don't just stand there! Do something!!!". Link continued to stare, now slightly fascinated. The other Octorok shot the creature also. At this the creatures aggravation grew, as did his tantrum. "What's wrong with you!? Do you like watching me take this abuse!?" Link, once again, chose not to respond. "Help me!" it cried once more. It shouted once more before calming down and collapsing to the ground. The Octorok's, seeing they had broke there toy, changed there focus to link. One of them spitting a rock, which he quickly blocked with his shield. "Oh no you didn't!" Link said, now sounding annoyed as well. Immediately he charged at the creature. He slashed horizontally at the first Octorok, but the slice was too shallow. The blow didn't kill the monster but sent it flying a couple feet back. The other quickly reminded Link of its existence when it shot Link in the back with a rock. He grimaced at the pain, but exhaled slowly in order to calm his mind. He closed his eyes and listened carefully to his surroundings. he could hear the footsteps of both creatures as they charged toward him. The first one shot another rock at Link. He immediately raised his shield, blocked the shot and stabbed the second between its eyes as it attempted to sneak up on him, using the first as a distraction. Instantly after killing the second Octorok, he turned and chopped through the first. Both disintegrated just as the one before had.
Seeing he had taken care of both creatures that actually posed a threat, Link sheathed his blade and approached the one that had yet to be identified. "Are you uh... alright?" he asked, still slightly confused. "Phew! Yes, Well done! That was close. Not that I couldn't handle them myself." Link blinked in confusion. "Couldn't have- say wha-?!" "-BUT that's besides the point! What in the world is a lone child doing so deep in the woods?" It asked. "Well... for starters, im not just a kid OK? I can take care of myself." He responded, sounding annoyed. "Ho ho! I see." it said with a chuckle. "Anyway, im on a quest. I have to find the Picori. Some guy named Vaati broke the Picori Sword, freed the evil from the bound chest, AND cursed my Zelda. Er... Zelda... my prin-THE Princess... of Hyrule." he explained stumbling over his word. "So, i have to find the Picori, have them fix the sword, go back to Hyrule castle, beat Vaati, save Zelda, and bound the chest again. ...and im pretty much the only one that can do it." The creature listened intently. "The...Picori, you say? And Vaati?" Link nodded. Quickly, the creature became lively again. "Vaati's cursed someone? What? The sacred blade?!?!" Link nodded once more. "Yeah... what a day." the creature calmed itself for a moment, as if to think. "Is that so? I see, I see... You know, you and I have quite a lot in common." Link blinked in confusion once more. "Uhm... i don't mean to be rude but... how do you figure?" The creature laughed a bit. "You see, I, too am on a quest to break a curse of Vaati's." Link cocked his head to the side. This thing was only getting MORE confusing as time went on. "And you say that re-forging the sacred blade can break his curse, eh?" Link nodded. "Thats my understanding. As long as it saves Zelda, i'll do whatever it takes to find these Picori guys." "Well, then you have found yourself a companion, my boy! My name is Ezlo." Link nodded and bowed politely. "My names Link." he said, introducing himself. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Link." "Uh... same to ya. So... i guess if your coming with me... i suppose we should get going... eh?" The creature gave a stern nod. "Yes, lets."
With a shrug, Link marched on. He had moved less than 5 feet before Ezlo squawked behind him. "Wait! Wait, i say!" Link was quickly alerted. "What is it?" He didn't sense any danger, but maybe this thing could feel something he couldn't. "You walk so quickly! Too quickly, in fact! cant you go any slower? surely you've notice that i have no legs..." Link scratched his head. "Oh... right. Uhm... sorry about that. "Boy!" Ezlo squawked once more. "Take a good look at me! Do you really think i can walk that fast!?" he complained. "Look, im trying to go slow. But i wanna get through this forest before i turn 50." he said, once again walking forward. "Augh!" Ezlo grunted. "If it isn't one thing, it's another! You are a troublesome boy!" Link narrowed his eyes, slightly frustrated. "Hey, your the one who-" His words were immediately interrupted when Ezlo leaped at the boy, landing on the top of his head. Link looked up blinking. "What are you doing?" he asked. Ezlo adjusted himself for a moment. "There! Now, you can't possibly leave me behind." Still slightly confused, Link thought for a moment as to how to respond. However before he came to a decision, Ezlo spoke once more. "My... It's quite comfortable up here. More comfortable than it looks, surely." he said, making himself comfortable. "Uh... thanks i guess." Link said hesitantly. "And much easier on me!" he said with a chuckle. "Uhm sure but couldja just... no no... a little to the right..." he said as he attempted to adjust Ezlo on his head. "Hey! Quit your squirming!" Link growled "Quit my sq-... Look man, its my head!" the creature ignored his comment. "Can't you sit still?" Link adjusted Ezlo a bit more, with Ezlo squawking at him in return. This process continued for a good 10 minutes before they finally came to an agreement. "See! There... Yes, yes! That's it. Much better." Ezlo said proudly. Link was still slightly annoyed at the whole situation but chose to put up with it. "Im glad your comfortable." Link said sarcastically. "Now,-" Ezlo started "-I suppose a boy like you still has much to learn about this world. If ever you need my insight, simply ask. I'll be happy to help!" Link raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... thanks... i guess." Ezlo let out a sigh. "Such a hopeless Child." Link simply rolled his eyes at the comment and ventured fourth. It was going to be a long journey, this much was for certain.
---
Authors note: What do you think so far? something different you'd like to see? Let me know on my new forum: .net/topic/74293/25217072/1/#
---