Chapter 12: Breaking News: Helping a monkey
Author's Note: I want to apologize for the long delay in posting chapters my computer kept glitching and deleting my work. So, I had to buy a new one. I had to move as well. I know that is no excuse and hope you will forgive me. Please Enjoy.
The two boys headed south from Clocktown, as they passed a tree Tatyl told them about when she and Tael had met skull kid and how they became friends. The two boys gave her a moment before continuing on. The fairy was quiet and seemed distracted by her thoughts. Link led the way past a man who used a balloon to float and a tree full of monster birds. Colin noticed the swamp's purple hue and wondered how he would get across. Link grudgingly put on the deku mask and leapt for the first lily pad as the boy disappeared from sight colin suddenly experienced a sense of wrongness before his hand glowed. He appeared beside Link startling them both. Colin still felt sick as they wandered into a lake with a house on stilts in the middle. Link led Colin up a ladder and into the house. A green woman was there. She explained that her sister was getting ingredients in the woods behind the apothecary. Link went back down, and Colin hurried after the boy not wanting to lose sight of him again. The two boys headed into the woods. They met a monkey who asked them to follow him. The monkey led them through the woods to an old woman who was obviously the sister of the woman who ran the apothecary.
She asked if they had something red that gave power. They apologized because they didn't and made a quick trip back to the apothecary. The woman whose name was apparently Kotake didn't believe them about her sister but gave them a red potion in a bottle anyway. They hurried back through the woods with the monkey once again acting as a guide. The woman took the potion and thanked them, her name was Koume and she did boat tours. The two boys watched her fly off on a broom before exiting the woods. The monkey was waiting for them. He asked that they rescue his leader who was being held captive in the deku palace. Link headed over to the boat place and Colin popped up next to him again. Neither boy understood it, but Colin was beginning to look really bad, so Link asked him to try and stay on the boat and rest while he went in. Link put on the deku mask and disappeared. Colin was rather glad he didn't feel like he suddenly needed to follow. Colin was looking a lot better when Link returned as a deku. Link removed the mask and sighed. "How do you feel, Colin?" he asked eyeing Colin with concern. "much better." Colin replied. "when you put on the mask, I didn't feel like I had to follow." Link nodded "Yeah you popped up when I took off the mask. I wonder if the mask stops whatever makes you show up, so I didn't take the mask off while I was there." Link watched him for a moment before grinning. "Hey, Colin, want to travel by song?" Colin frowned at him and Link's grin widened. "I always did wonder how you knew about this ability of the ocarina before I did. Guess you haven't met me as an adult yet." Colin stared at Link in complete confusion. The blonde boy gestured him over and gave Colin a tight hug telling him to hold on tight when colin did so Link assured him. "you'll like this I promise" Colin nodded. Link raised the ocarina to his lips and played the song he just learned. The two boys reappeared on a warp pad before and after realizing it was night Link had colin take a nap. He put the deku mask on the warp pad before settling down to rest as well. Link looked over at Colin's sleeping face, the young boy hadn't grown at all since Link had last seen him. Link had been an adult and Colin were still a kid. Link smiled to himself, he considered the boy to be his little brother and link renewed the vow he made to himself as an adult during the journey of hyrule. He would stop at nothing to help Colin even if that meant following the boy to his world. Colin needed people like that. The boy had strength even if he couldn't see it. Colin had told Link about why he was journeying, and Link had been horrified that the hero would do something so awful, but Colin had faith and genuinely believed that his Link could be saved. Link stared at him in wonder. Colin was only ten years old and he was already awe inspiring. Colin opened his eyes to find Link watching him. "What?" the boy asked, and Link shook his head. "just thinking. Go back to sleep. We'll do the temple in the morning." Colin looked like he wanted to protest but was already drifting back to sleep, he was exhausted, Link settled down again and quickly followed. The two boys resting easy knowing the other was safe.