It was another beautiful day in the village. Dew dripped from the leaves of apple trees down onto various miniature, goddess statues. Leaf went about her business. Her pet Hot-Footed Frog rode on her shoulder as she threw grains to the Cucco. The Cucco pecked and scratched at the ground beneath her feet. Leaf smiled as she watched the villagers go about their lives. Because the Calamity was slain and the princess lived with them, there was lots to repair across Hyrule. Generations of broken families. Ruined homes. Hostile mobs running amok. None of that particularly bothered Leaf. No one in Kakariko Village bothered her because of her eye. For as long as she could remember, she could not see anything out of her eye.
The variety of recipes made with combinations of fresh Hyrule Bass, Hearty Bass, Staminoka Bass, Armoured Carp, Mighty Carp, Sanke Carp, Chillfin Trout, Sizzlefin Trout, Stealthfin Trout, Voltfin Trout, Hearty Salmon, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and other seafood smelt delicious as they passed market stalls. The shopkeepers smiled and waved to her. Her mother was a shopkeeper. Leaf's mouth watered just thinking about the herbs and spices. Her stomach grumbled in agreement. She picked up her pace until she reached the outskirts of the village. She laughed, pushing her hair out of her eyes, sweeping it behind her ears with her hand. Her sandals splashing into the muddy puddles last night's rainfall left behind. Hopscotch croaked in delight.
"What do you think we should do today Hopscotch?" Leaf smiled, looking to her shoulder for approval. She gasped finding her little friend missing. "Hopscotch?" She called out through cupped hands. "Hopscotch!"
Okay Leaf. Stop panicking. Hopscotch is probably nearby. They can't have gone far on their own.
Leaf looked everywhere that she could think of, even resorting to being social with other villagers if it meant finding Hopscotch sooner. The children helped her search high and low through various stalls selling all sorts of things other than food. Leaf grew more worried. What if one of the many hostile mobs roaming Hyrule found Hopscotch first? Or shopkeepers who sold elixirs made from fairies, flowers, bugs, frogs and monster parts. It was dangerous for her to stray from the village with one blind eye. Risking it, Leaf picked up her shoulder bag. Departing the village without thanking the search party. She was too determined to be afraid. She would hear monsters before she saw them.
The child travelled a few hours before she reached the bottom of a hill. It ended in a stream where travellers said Zora could be glimpsed fishing. Spotting a Zora after the Calamity was considered a good omen. Leaf sat down on the banks of the river, under the shade of a tree to rest and regain her breath. She unfastened her sandals, tossing them aside rubbing her aching feet before dipping her toes into the cool water. She sighed happily, forgetting for a second why she was all the way out here. After a stretch, Leaf decided to gather more Korok leaves to decorate her long, albino hair.
The young girl was reminded by a chorus of wild frogs. Hopscotch! It was getting dark. She would have to return to her mother in Kakariko village, but she had no torch. She would have to make a fire and hope the monsters would leave her alone until the morning. Leaf did just that, gathering firewood. It took a while to start a fire because everything was damp from the night before.
When she woke up the next morning, she realised she was no longer by the river. She was…in a cage? It stunk of bananas. She noticed her bag in the corner. It wriggled until Hopscotch poked their head out. Her attention was drawn to two feet enclosed in red Yiga foot soldier shoes. Leaf gulped.