Just to let everybody know, the "once a week" updates will be coming on Mondays such as this one. Also, Jane is getting lonely as the only reviewer. Would somebody else please say something? Anything? After all, the summary does say "please read and review".
Woods
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
-A well known conundrum
Music: Zelda Reorhestrated's (zreomusic:dot:com) Link's Awakening Mysterious Woods.
True to his word, Gambar was gone before Link and Mythisper awoke the next morning. Though he wasn't injured, he chose to take the ranger's advice and remain in the edges of the forest. Fighting wasn't his top priority. Besides, the lands inhabited by the Deku Skrubs could be most easily reached by sticking to the edges anyway.
The Woods of Mystery in many ways resemble the Lost Woods of Hyrule. Both are magical places home to benign spirits, mischievous fey, and, in the deep, dark, secluded glades, deadly monsters. Another similarity between the two is the ease with which one can become lost. Powerful nature magic causes paths to shift, foliage to grow, and trees to look alike. In such forests, even the most wary and observant traveler will soon find themselves somewhere they didn't expect, unless they already knew the way.
Unfortunately, neither Link nor Mythisper really knew where they were going. They soon found themselves deeper into the forest than they intended to go.
"This place is confusing." Link said. "I was sure that path lead out of the forest. We could even see the exit!"
"Well, I guess this is why they call it the Woods of Mystery. It's very mysterious how paths change like magic as you walk down them." replied Mythisper.
"Wait a minute. Magic? Didn't you say fairies could always find their way out of magical forests?"
"Well, I guess I can give it a shot." She concentrated for a minute. "Um… This way!" she said, pointing down a trail that branched off nearby.
Within several minutes, it became clear that Mythisper did not, in fact, know the way out. As far as Link could tell, they were going in circles.
"There's that pool again! We've passed it five times already!" he exclaimed.
"It can't be! It's impossible!" she cried. "Barring outside interference, fairies can't get lost this way!"
A giggle erupted from a nearby bush.
Link dashed toward it, but found nothing there when he arrived.
"Show yourself!" he yelled.
He heard the giggle from farther away, and saw a blue lantern down one of the darker paths.
"I'll get you!" he cried, charging down the trail.
Catching the troublemaker proved to be difficult. Whenever Link and Mythisper neared the light, it vanished, only to reappear behind them, or off to the side. Soon, the lantern disappeared altogether, leaving them with nothing to chase but a childish laugh. Link found himself peppered with seeds, launched from a slingshot-wielding foe in the undergrowth. They did no serious harm, but the sure stung. He tried to retaliate with his trebuchet, but his foe was either very good at ignoring pain or very quick. As suddenly as it began, the slingshot attack stopped.
"Whoever this guy is, he's really annoying." Link remarked.
"He's got to be some sort of spirit. That's how he moves so quickly, and it would explain his apparent ability to jam my magical path finding abilities." said Mythisper.
"I just hope to catch up to him and – GAH!"
Something had just dropped from the trees above to hang in front of Link's face. It was a wooden puppet, and it wasn't alone. A half dozen of them had appeared in the clearing, moving apparently of their own accord. They danced around Link, who drew his sword. They advanced, and Link began to attack. Like the targets in the swordmaster's dojo, they were easily split. Also like the targets, they were in seemingly limitless supply. Whenever one was defeated, another appeared to take its place. They wacked him lightly whenever they got close enough. Mythisper wasn't faring so well either, as three tried to catch her with butterfly nets. After a couple minutes, Link was tired, battered, and bruised. One managed to land a blow on his left arm, causing him to drop his sword. They picked it up and danced just out of reach.
Suddenly, the area was illuminated by a familiar blue lantern. A childlike figure clad in brown garb with a wide brimmed hat was clearly visible. Where his face should be, there was nothing but a faintly glowing pair of eyes and a mouth. Link quickly pulled out his trebuchet and launched a stone at the troublesome spirit. It landed directly between the creature's eyes.
"You got me! You got me! You win! You win!" it said, hopping up and down, "That was fun! Let's play again later!". With that, it left, and the puppets did likewise. The Deku Blade was left on the ground at Link's feet. Mythisper had managed to avoid capture, and was soon able to locate an exit. Here they experienced a bit of good luck; they had been wandering in the general direction of the land of the Deku Scrubs, and came out on their side of the forest. Night was falling, but the next day the duo would arrive at the Deku Palace.
Comment: Yeah, I pretty much stole this chapter straight out of Twilight Princess. But something had to happen in the woods, and the only other thing that could really happen here has already been carefully planned for later.