Chapter 3

Saria watched him from the doorway of her house. He was watching the darkness before dawn again, as he had been doing all so often. Months had passed since Link had played on her ocarina, and he had become slowly more distantly, never taking time to talk with her. He kept to himself; walking through the Lost Woods, with no companions, even skipping a nighttime dance. Mido had begun to shy away from the almost sad Link, and was spending time with the know-it-all brothers.

Saria sighed.

She wanted to go up and sit by Link; to talk to him, but something held her. Some deep wisdom that she had learned during her long, childish life told her that Link needed to think, and would not want to talk. She sighed again, and walked back inside from the predawn gloom.


The moon went through another cycle of waxing and waning. Its never-ending change was a constant reminder in the dark sky to the boy, as was the ever-passing sun. Time passed, and Link constantly felt the time, more than nature could have ever reminded him. His mind had become increasingly attuned to the passing of every hour. Slowly, his senses had become aware also of the forces of magic. Link had begun to feel the great arcane energy that ran through the forest.

It stifled him. His Hylian blood stirred him to follow the trail out into the fields, but his Kokiri childishness longed to stay.


"Hey!" Mido shouted at Link, who was shuffling away from his house. "Where are you goin'?" Link looked up from the ground. Mido was idly sitting with two of the know-it-alls, acting as cool as possible.

"Just the woods." Link weakly smiled, wanting to be alone.

"Oh," Mido said, suddenly feeling his friend's sadness. "Well," he said, looking at his companions, "can we come?"

Link knew that Mido wanted to cheer him up, but also knew that it would not help.

"Alright." Mido and the other boys sprang up and started towards the Lost Woods. Link forced himself to jog after them.


They were unruly, loud, and only having fun, all of which began to bother Link as they all walked through the deep woods. His head was down, but he kept up, not noticing at all where they went. As they wandered through the fallen logs, all Link could think about was having to leave his home, but all his heart said was that he truly want to go.

Suddenly, Link brought his head up. The other boys had stopped in front of a gloomy hollow log passage, huddled and whispering.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Shhhhh," Mido shushed. "Look," he pointed through the dark log. Through the gloom, Link could barely discern some tall grass, and then a stone wall.

[Here,] Link thought. Here he had never truly been before, but he remembered it clearly. For he would come here, in a future that would never transpire.

"We're gonna find out what it is," Mido said. He and his two companions began to walk into the log.

"No!" Link said, his face concerned and his voice hushed. The three boys looked at him, then Mido scoffed and they walked on. Link, knowing what lay ahead, hurried after.


A wolf howl reached Saria's ears in the village.

[In the middle of the day?] she asked herself, then her face grew grave as the Deku Tree began to talk through her mind.

Saria, the guardian is awake! Hurry! She ran towards the Lost Woods as fast as her short legs could carry her.


Mido fell backwards, just under the swinging claws of the large predator. The two know-it-all brothers ran screaming past Link as he sprinted to Mido's aid. The downed boy was crawling backward from the hungrily advancing gray wolf. Link grabbed a particularly long stalk of grass and took a running leap. He cleared Mido's huddled from and slashed out with his flimsy weapon.

The wolf whined at the whipping of his nose, and backed off. Link grabbed Mido's shoulders, and pulled him up. He pushed him towards the exit of the small meadow, and then ran towards a nearby tree. The Wolfos had begun to advance again as Link snapped off a low branch. He spun around and brandished the stick as a sword.

The beast rose up and pulled back its clawed paw. Link quickly swung and hit the side of its head. The gray-furred enemy jumped back. It began to circle the now dangerous invader, and Link followed it with his eyes.

The Wolfos howled and trotted to the boy clad in green. It rose once again and swung its claws.

Link felt a new presence behind him, whose magic was strong and throbbing. The strength at which he felt this surprised him. He nearly turned to see what it could be, but the wolf's paw came down and struck him.

He stepped back, but quickly put the sharp pain out of his mind. He struck before the wolf could regain its defense. His stick cracked down hard against its skull and cracked in half.

"Get back!" a voice strongly commanded. Both fighters looked back, the animal slightly staggering, to see Saria standing in a firm pose. The gray Wolfos whimpered and trotted off behind the stone wall, its tail between its legs.

Link walked over to Saria. She considered him harshly. Her eyes locked with his, and they stared into each other's minds for a long moment. Link had been here before. Link had fought before. Link had felt hardship. Link was not a simple twelve-year-old child. She could feel the misplaced aura around him very clearly now. They stared into each other's hearts.

Saria began to smile. "What're you gonna do with that stick, huh?" she asked, giggling. He looked down at the broken twig in his hand, and a broad grin grew on his face. He laughed, and they walked side by side out of the Sacred Forest Meadow.

Mido and the two know-it-alls were waiting for them, watching the two intently. They in turn looked at each other and collapsed in a fit of loud laughing. They boys were wild with fear and concern, and they stared at their friends like they were crazed.

Then, Link cried out. A sharp sting came from his side. The wolf's claws had not dug deep, but he would needed attention. Saria kneeled over him, the other boys coming close.

Link's mind raced too fast for its own good. [What's gonna happen?] he asked himself. [What if it doesn't heal? What if it scars? Why does it hurt so much?] He had forgotten the pains of battle, and had gone back to being a close to a normal boy in the time since his childhood had been fully restored.

Link fainted from the self-induced shock. His mind had gone out of control from the minor wound, and had knocked itself out. "Get him back, quick," Saria commanded. The three boys picked up their friend and carried him gingerly and hurriedly.