Chapter 52: Lost in the Dark
Link took a breath and tried to steady his pounding heart. He could beat this. So what if the faeries had always warned him that entering into the fog would inevitably lead to being lost and never found again? He survived a battle. They had told him battles only allowed the most hateful and evil to survive. But he wasn't hateful, he wasn't evil. If they were wrong before, then perhaps they were wrong now. He was planning on heading through the forest to return home anyway.
He would make it through.
All he needed to do was head out in the exact direction he came in. He couldn't have gotten too deep in the woods, after all. And if Ingo was still there? Well, he'd face him, too. And this time he wouldn't accidentally use the ruined edge of his sword.
Now, which way did he come from? Link looked around him, every direction looked the same. He was surrounded by pillars of bark, leached of their color by the pressing darkness. Overgrown and lichen covered, with great drooping branches jutting with thick leaves that blocked what little view he had.
All I have to do was turn around. Everything looks gray anyway, don't trust your eyes. Just trust your feet.
He looked down at them, wiggling his toes slightly. And be careful not to step on any thorns. It was a small miracle he hadn't when he ran into the forest without shoes in the first place. Oh, Ingo was going to pay, when I get out of here. At least he had the sense to grab his bag. He could feel the ocarina and ruby within it. Even a few of the apples he picked the day before.
He spun around, making certain that his feet were now pointing the exact opposite direction. Satisfied, he marched ahead. But even with his foolproof plan, he rested his hand on the hilt of his blade. Right direction or wrong, there were creatures within these woods. That he had no doubt. Creatures that would like nothing more than to gobble him up, or trick him to go away from his path.
"You won't find me easy prey. So don't even try it!"
There, that will definitely dissuade a wolf.
Link felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he walked through the fog. There were only a few paces visible ahead of him. But where his eyes failed him, his ears did not. All around him, he heard the forest. The croaking of frogs, chirping of birds, and rustling of leaves. Sounds he had lived with his entire life.
And yet, as he slowly moved forward through the darkness, those once comforting sounds did nothing to ease his mind. That was a sparrow's chirp, he knew the sound well. But this wasn't the right time of year for a sparrow to be looking for a mate. Was it simply announcing its presence to the world? Or was that chirp the warning that a predator was approaching?
Was the rhythmic clopping a deer? Or something he had never seen before, hidden within the dark places?
He paused as he listened to that last noise. A deer, he was certain now. But why was the sound coming from right in front of him? Was it coming from outside the forest? Wouldn't Ingo's presence scare it off? He couldn't still be that far inside, could he?
His eyes grew heavy. He shook his head, why was he so tired now? Sure, he had been asleep not long before, but he had just been in a fight. It usually took him much longer to calm down from that. His heart was still beating with excitement. This didn't feel right.
Don't stop. Don't think about it. There should only be a few more trees ahead of me, then I'll be out of here.
With every breath he inhaled the dark fog of the forest, and each step his eyes grew more and more tired. But they stayed open. He wouldn't stop walking, no matter what he needed to continue.
To get out.
Wandering through the gray mists felt much like his march across the Hyrule Fields. HIs mind went to sleep as he simply strode along, one foot in front of the other. Through the soft dirt and the scratching twigs.
Simply keep walking through the mist. Never stopping.
Never thinking.
Just one foot then the other. For as long as it takes.
"Ahh," he looked down and lifted his foot. Beneath it, a squished pinecone that must have been hidden beneath what had looked like a soft bed of fallen leaves. He wiped off some of the dirt from his feet. No cuts or scratches, thankfully, but it did hurt.
Beside him a frog croaked.
Overhead a sparrow gave its chirping song, though now, another seemed to meet the first, from a reasonable distance away.
But up ahead, hooves started to clop, before moving away.
His legs were tired. He must have been walking for some time. Why was the deer still in front of him? Shouldn't he be out of the woods by now?
How long had he been walking?
"I have to be close," he muttered. "Just my mind playing tricks on me. Once I'm past these trees I'll see blue skies. I'll laugh about it." He grabbed the nearest branch and pulled himself forward, carefully watching the ground to see where he placed his foot this time.
"I'll be clear. Right. Now!"
He ducked under the low branch of a tree, but past it there was nothing but more fog. And he hadn't ducked down under a branch when he came in, had he?
He didn't remember.
How could he not remember? It had not been all that long before. His heart was starting to pound again. Something creaked behind him. Link spun around, his sword swiping at it. But his blade found nothing but air.
Not even the branch he had just ducked under. No, the limbs of this tree were far too high. His hat would barely scrape it if he jumped. "That doesn't make sense!"
The creaking sound came from behind him again. He turned again. It was the same sound. Wasn't it? How was it moving so fast?
But as he focused around, looking for the source of the sound he noticed the trees. Or more, the outline of them through the mists. He was certain of it; they were not the same as they had been a moment before. He hadn't stepped anywhere.
Had he?
He'd been a fool thinking he could navigate his way through the fog. He'd been a fool when he left the Kokiri all that time ago, and he had been a fool when he made that plan the day before. Thank the Goddesses that he had people like Navi and then Talon to prevent him from being so stupid. But what good do even they do him, when he keeps rushing headfirst into calamity and calamity?
"Ugh!" he kicked at the root of a tree, a lump of bark rising out of the ground. Something he certainly would have tripped over, if that had been there when he first rounded the tree! "Start! Making! Sense!" He kicked at it several more times. "Gah," he pulled his foot back and shook it. Blood dripped onto the leaves beneath him.
Perfect. Just perfect.
He took a breath; with shaking limbs he sheathed his sword. The last thing he wanted to do was damage the good edge if he got angry enough to lash out at the trees again. He needed to think. What would Navi do?
She wouldn't get herself into this situation in the first place. She probably would still be in Lon Lon Ranch.
He shook his head, as if the bad thoughts would tumble out of his ears and splatter against the ground. If she was here, she would come up with a plan. She would tell him he needed to find some help. That he couldn't do everything by himself.
But who would ever help him in this situation?
"Wait! I'm back in the Kokiri Forest!" Link fumbled through his bag until his fingers found the comforting hollowed out wood of his ocarina. "This should work." He put the instrument to his lips and played as fast as he could the song that brought him the most joy in all the world.
The old magic of the forest and the Great Deku Tree came alive. Faint green streams of color swirled into the dark, and where they went, he could see the color of the leaves and grass. The silvery streams of glistening spider webs, and even a squirrel that stared, unblinking at the light for a moment before it scampered away.
The light twisted back in the wind, curling up before Link and solidified into his oldest friend.
"Sar–OOONK!" The sound blared out the ocarina as Link tried to talk with it still in his mouth.
His friend disappeared before the embarrassment ever reached him.
"What?"
He tried again, and once more the threads of magic swirled about him. Saria appeared, but she did not look as if she was entirely there, more a shimmering reflection on a pool of water. But he could see her. And she saw him.
"Link?" She smiled wide and jumped in the air, clapping. "It-"
Once more, as he stopped playing, she disappeared completely.
"Ugh!"
He tried again, playing as loud as he could.
"Link! Keep playing!" She said as she returned.
"I. Figured-" Link said, trying to speak between the notes of the song. But as soon as he broke the tempo she disappeared, "that out myself," he muttered. "Once more."
"Link!" Saria appeared directly in front of him. "My magic isn't strong enough to reach you. I don't know what you need. But before you stop playing. I miss you. I can't wait to see you, for real! I wish my spell worked better!" Then the glimmering image of Saria walked toward him, arms outstretched.
If he closed his eyes, he could almost feel her embrace. But when he opened them again, he was alone, and the ocarina hung at his side.
"Maybe, it'll work better if I get closer." If only he knew which way closer was. Well, he had been heading out. The Kokiri lived in the heart of the woods, didn't they? So, the opposite of out, would be just walking in. Maybe that would work?
Of course, he didn't know if he actually had been heading toward the way out. Nor did he understand how the magic of the Woods worked at all. But he had to do something and moving felt good. He picked a direction and walked. Telling himself he'd go a mile, maybe a bit more and try again. If Saria's spell was stronger, he'd know he was going the right way.
With each step his eyelids grew heavy again.
He should be excited. He was going to see his best friend. He was going home. But it was all so exhausting. Not tiring, not really. He didn't want to stop and go to sleep, It seemed only as if he could barely hold on to one thought at a time. He just wished to move. Keep moving. One foot, then the other.
One foot, then the other.
The air tasted like morning dew. At the same time empty, almost not even there, yet so chilly and sweet. And with every breath he felt his mind drifting away. Why was he even walking now? Did it matter? He only needed to keep moving.
The gray pulled back, away from him. He could see the bright autumnal leaves, and the way the ground swelled with life.
Two lights drifted toward him. He'd seen lights in the air before. Where was that now? Fairies? They looked bright.
Saria. He'd just talked to Saria, hadn't he? Had she sent fairies out after him?
No, they were far too big to be fairies. They were people. Beautiful people. People like he had never seen before. One of them was a woman with the same sandy blond hair he had. But she didn't cover it with a cap or anything. It flowed around her as elegant as a crown. She wore a white gown that glowed so bright the mist ran away from it. As if the dark had never been there in the first place.
And the man, he stood in the armor of a knight. Just as radiant as her, the steel blazed like the morning sun, and the pommel of the sword at his side gleamed. He smiled beneath a bushy brown mustache and looked with pride at him. With the same blue eyes that Link looked at whenever he saw his reflection.
He couldn't believe his luck. Here he was thinking he'd been lost and of course his parents came to his rescue. HIs parents would never let anything happen to him.
They stopped a foot before Link. His mother knelt and took hold of his hand. It felt as warm and comforting as being wrapped in a blanket, as smooth as some of the fancier fabrics the Gerudo had him wash.
"I was so lost," Link said. "I didn't know if I could ever get out. I missed you. Where have you been? I thought you were dead."
With her free hand, his mother lifted her arm and showed him a red spot at her ribs. As he stared at it, the red grew and grew, until it drenched down her side. Father did the same, lifting up his chin to show a great notch in the armor, as if something sliced clean threw it and took his father's chest in the blow.
"Oh." Link nodded. "Oh, I understand. That's why you could not be near me, I understand. But we're together now."
His parents nodded. Mother took Link's hand in both of hers, and the father held his own hand down a finger's width before Link's nose. Waiting for Link to grasp it. Just as warm, just as comforting, but hard with callouses that felt like well-loved leather.
Link took hold with all the joy in the world. Together, the three of them turned and set out into the woods. The most beautiful day he had ever seen.
"Can we slow down?" Link asked. "My foot, see?" He tried to lift his bleeding foot, but they did not stop.
"Stop, for a moment. Please. You know I love you both. But I need to stop."
They did not slow; they did not seem to hear him. He hopped after them, his wounded foot still injured. "Can, you- hey!" He tried to pull his hand free of his mother. "Just give me a moment."
She whirled around, her eyes wide with anger. She latched on to his hand.
"Stop! I just need to slow a moment. Please." He tried to wiggle his hand free. But his mother screamed, pressing her fingers into his palm. "You're hurting me! Stop!"
All the gray in the world returned. The hands that held him were not elegant, nor calloused, nor comforting. They were sickly and brown. More bone than flesh, more claw than fingers.
Dead hands, attached to dead arms, with dead faces leering above them. Link wanted to scream, maybe he was, he couldn't tell anymore. All he could do was twist and thrash, trying to get his arms free from the monsters. The more he moved, the tighter they gripped him.
"You're not my parents!" Link at least heard himself say that one. "Help!"
He managed to slip his arm away from his father's fingers. But another pair of hands grabbed around his arm. And another reached for his leg.
How many were there?
All around him, all he could see were decayed faces and limbs with missing fingers and flesh that dripped off the bone. He squirmed and kicked. His foot struck something, and it felt as if he snapped a bone. But if he had wounded any of them, they did not show it. There were so many.
"Mother! Father! Please!" He screamed, but of course they would do nothing for him.
"Saria!"
Something hit him in the stomach. Nails scratched at his arms.
"Great Deku Tree!"
This was it.
This was why the fairies had always told them never to enter the fog. Why everyone who did would be lost.
"Navi!"
The dead closed around him. Even the gray was blocked out. He could see nothing at all, and perhaps that was for the best. And yet, even now he felt himself fighting. There was no winning. There were so many. His head still pounded. His eyes were still heavy and weary.
But still he fought. What else could he do?
A light shown through the dead. Then another. One a bright yellow, the other a dark purple.
Some of the dead things turned away from him to look at the dim lights.
That was his chance. He grabbed one hand in the other and slammed them both down as hard as he could. This time he knew he snapped bones as skeletal limbs cracked into pieces. He turned and scrambled away on all fours, kicking away the last hand that lingered on his leg, and ran headfirst into the brush.
He stayed there a moment to catch his breath. His bag was still over his shoulder, thank the Goddesses. He looked out of the leaves and saw just how many of those creatures there were, and they were still moving toward him. Despite two fairies doing their best to distract them.
Link tried to think which of the fairies he knew, which were yellow and purple? Yulyu was kind of a dark blue. But Link didn't think it was Yulyu, it didn't move like him at all.
"Hey!" A voice came from above. "Hey, idiot, you can't stay there. They can still get you."
"Where do I go?"
"Wow you really are slow, aren't you? Can't you climb?"
Something rustled the top of the bush he was in. The fingertips of a gloved hand pushed through and wiggled. "Come on, take my hand. So Tatl and Tael can drive them off.
Link took hold of the glove. It was a small hand, but surprisingly strong. Not strong enough to pull Link up completely. But strong enough to get him moving so Link could pull himself the rest of the way up the closest branch.
"Thanks."
His savior looked more like a bag of dirty rags than a person. His clothes were patches of oranges and browns and greens. Almost all of it frayed from use. On his head was a big hat that covered his face in shadow. "Come on!" He said, as he scampered higher into the tree.
Link followed him, grunting as his toes pressed into the rough bark. Once they were well above the ground the little figure stopped, spun around and sat. "Those idiots don't climb well at all. See?"
Glancing down, Link watched some of the dead things grab at the lower branches. But they weren't coordinated, and they could barely jump. If it had been people, their failure to perform even the simplest climbs would have been funny.
The boy definitely thought it was amusing. "Hehehe haha!" he tittered about shaking on the branch. "Hey, look at this!"
He tore off a part of the branch and threw it at the mass of dead. It bounced off one of their heads, which caused the creature to turn around fumbling and trying to find what had struck him. Only to trip on a root and tumbled over disappearing into the fog.
"They're so stupid," the savior laughed again. "But then, they're not the ones who decided to play music to draw every nasty thing straight to them. Hah! What were you thinking?"
"I thought it was-" Link stopped. The little figure adjusted his hat, and Link glimpsed what was beneath it. Twisted desiccated flesh, much like the corpses stumbling beneath them. Only, the dead skin was mixed with lines of bark that could have been from a tree. The whole face dark as night, with two glowing orange eyes.
"Thought what?" the creature said, then it leaned closer to Link. "Oh!" he fiddled about with some strings resting on the side of his face and pulled a beaked mask over his mouth. "Better? I look like a falcon!" The boy stood up straight and cawed as loud as he could.
"What… who are you?"
"Don't you know of me, foolish Hylian?" the creature dropped his voice low, and he stood tall on the branch. Trying to tower over Link, with his arms raised high. But as big as he tried to make himself, it didn't seem particularly frightening. "I am the nightmare that stalks the woods. Thief in the night! I am the Skull Kid! BOO!" He pressed his face toward Link.
Link shrugged.
"You were supposed to be scared."
"Sorry, I haven't heard of you."
"I thought all you Hylians told stories about the imp of the woods. Luring unwary travelers off the road, so he can steal their treasures and eat their bodies. No?"
"Nothing, sorry."
"Well, that's disappointing," Skull Kid huffed and folded his legs to set on the branch.
The fwo fairies floated toward them, the dead things seemed to have dispersed from the path.
"Tatl! Tael!" the imp said. "He doesn't know who we are!"
"Well, I hope you introduced yourself then," the purple fairy said.
"But doesn't that mean they're forgetting me out there? What if we go out and steal something? Like a sheep!"
"What would you do with a sheep?" the yellow fairy said.
"I don't know, I'll come up with something. The import part is taking it."
"I don't think that would be a good idea," the purple fairy flew to Link. "Hello, I'm Tael this is my sister Tatl, and you've already met Skull Kid. If you don't mind me asking, who are you? And what are you doing out here?"
"Other than trying to get yourself killed," the yellow fairy muttered.
"My name's Link. I was chased in here. By a… a bad man. Thank you for saving me. All three of you. I didn't know there were other fairies out here except for the ones in the village."
"Are you a Kokiri?" the Skull Kid snaked his way over the branch to look at him. "I thought all of them had a fairy of their own?"
"I'm not, well, it's complicated."
"No," said the yellow fairy. "This one's not of the Great Deku Tree. But I can still feel his magic on you, somewhere. Did he curse you or something?"
"Is it from this?" Skull Kid pulled back away from Link, holding out the ocarina.
"Hey, give that back!" Link snatched at the instrument, and nearly lost his balance as the imp weaved out of his reach. "That's important!"
"Then you better take it from me!" the kid laughed and jumped from the tree.
Link peered over the edge, to watch the small creature land, nearly crumpling under its own weight, into a pile of tattered clothes, before it sprung back to his feet and called "Come on! Bet you can't catch me!"
"Give it back!" Link followed the creature off the tree, he landed relaxed, tumbling into a roll and landing back on his feet. Far smoother than the creature had, he noted with some small pride. "Gahh," he muttered as he stepped on something sharp. "Come on. Ow." He limped after the creature.
The Skull Kid bobbed and weaved about the trees, tossing the ocarina into the air and catching it, always staying a few steps away from Link.
"Just give it back. It's a gift from a friend."
The creature turned and looked at Link. "Oh, is it?" He held the ocarina out.
"Yes," Link said as he hobbled over, reaching for the instrument.
"Too bad!" Then the Skull Kid turned and dived into a bush.
"Now, where are you going to go?" Link demanded. "Just come out. I have you."
"No!" it said. But the voice wasn't coming from the bush. Link looked around, trying to find where the sound was coming from. But it was still too dark. The only light he could find were the two fairies trailing behind them, apparently not at all worried about what was happening.
"That's important to me! Come on, where are- ow!" Something landed on Link's head. He looked up just in time for the next thing to smack him in the face. "I swear if you-" Link looked to the ground and saw two mismatched shoes. Neither looked as if they would fit him, both a little too large but, they would at least protect his feet.
The imp swung on the tree, latching his legs onto a lower branch and hung upside down. "Come on, hurry and put those on. The game's not done yet!"
"Where did you get these?"
"Where do you think? I wouldn't smell them, if I were you."
Link's stomach fell and he grimaced as he shoved his feet into the shoes. "I'm sorry," he whispered to those others who were lost in these woods. "But I need them."
"Come on, come on. You're holding up the game."
"This isn't a game! You took something that was mine, and I'm going to get it back!" Link called up as he finished tying the laces.
"Exactly! That's the game, stupid."
"Stop calling me that." Link took a few wobbling steps. They were definitely the wrong size, the left one clung too tight on the sides and both of them too long for his feet. The soles weren't even matched, making each step feel awkward. But at least they covered his feet. Link took a few more steps away from the tree, while the imp was groaning out of boredom in the background.
"Are you ready ye-ahh!"
Link turned and rushed at the imp jumping up, grabbing at him.
Skull Kid swung out of the way, Link's fingers grazing the beak mask he wore. "Almost had me. Hehe!"
Link pulled himself up after the imp. He had always thought himself an excellent climber, the best in the village. And he didn't need to use magical gusts of wind to steady himself. But this Skull Kid moved like a monkey, darting about and giggling as he went.
Despite everything, Link felt himself smiling. All thoughts of Ingo, of Ganondorf, of the Stones, and the promises he made melted away. The entire world was him, this tree, and the weird child that had his ocarina. He followed his prey to the top of the tree, where the branches were barely solid enough to hold both their weight.
"I have you," Link said as he pulled himself onto the branch just below the Skull Kid. "Nowhere for you to go."
"Hehehe hah! You're pretty good at this. But!" He held the ocarina behind his back. "Do you want to know why falcons are the best?"
"Why?"
"They can FLY!" the child leaped off the tree.
"No!" Link shouted and tried to pull him to safety. He'd shatter to pieces if he hit the ground. But the imp didn't hit the ground. He only fell a couple feet, before he disappeared within the leaves of the next tree over.
"Come on, Link. It's fun."
"I can't see where you landed."
"Neither did I until I got here. Don't be a baby!"
It would be stupid to jump. Link knew that well enough. He'd find another way. Maybe if he climbed down a bit, found a different branch? Or just reach the ground and climb up the other tree. Hopefully the imp wouldn't get too far away from him.
"What was that song you were playing? You kept doing the same tune. I think it went like.." an excruciating cacophony came from the tree, a mix of off-played notes and a non-existent tempo that was almost completely unlike Saria Song. "Yeah, it was just like that. Terrible song."
Without another thought Link charged off the branch and leaped as far as he could. Leaves and twigs scratched at his face and arms. He screamed something, or was he laughing? He couldn't tell for one beautiful moment; the rush of the unknown took him completely.
Then a thick branch took him. Then another, as he bounced along the side of the tree, grabbing and twisting trying to catch hold of something. Anything.
His arms wrapped around a sturdy branch. He landed hard on his chest; the air knocked out of his lungs. But he managed to hold on. Barely.
"I got you!" Skull Kid said as he scampered to Link's branch and helped him get on top of it. "Told you, it would be fun."
"Uh-huh," Link said, trying to fill his lungs again. "But now… I have you!" He grabbed the Skull Kid across the waist.
"Hey, no fair!" he giggled, as he tried to twist around in Link's arms. It felt less like holding onto a person and more a bag full of twigs and leaves. But Link kept his grip until the creature stopped thrashing about. "Alright, alright. You win." He handed the ocarina back over to Link.
Link quickly tucked it back inside his bag and made certain it was secured this time.
"That was quite a chase," the purple fairy, Tael, said as the two of them flew to them.
"Looks like you found someone as crazy as you," the yellow fair said as she landed on the Skull Kid's head. "I didn't think you'd make that jump."
"Aww, I knew he'd make it," Skull Kid said and nudged Link's still sore ribs. "I knew once I saw him climbing, he's going to be fun."
"That wasn't fun," Link said as he closed his bag. "You stole from me."
"I gave it back. And admit it, I heard you laughing!"
"We made a lot of noise," Link looked down toward the bottom of the tree, though it was mostly obscured by the thick tree branches and the ever-pervasive mists. "Do we know that we didn't attract any more of those dead things, or… anything else?"
"Not if you stick with me!"
"With us," Tatl said. "Tael and I have been at this awhile; we know how to turn whatever beasts are out there away."
"How?"
"Because we helped cast the spells that closed off these Woods," Tael said.
"But…" Link tried to look between them. "You helped the Great Deku Tree seclude us from the outside world?"
Tatl snorted, "So you do know the Great Lumber Jerk, eh?"
"The Deku Tree?"
"Arrogant old fool," Tatl muttered. "Guardian of the Brave, my eye. Cranky old coward afraid of the world, more like."
"He wasn't!" Link said. "The Great Deku Tree was good. He took me in, he raised me. He was the kindest, wisest. He was… he was better than any of you!"
The three of them stared at Link.
"So, he did let a Hylian back in after all," Tatl said, floating over to Link. "I wonder what made you so special?"
"Pardon me, sister," Tael said. "He was?"
"He… died. An evil man came and killed him. And- and I promised him I would keep the things the man wanted and send them far away, so he wouldn't hurt anyone else."
"That is a loss," Tael said. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Link."
There was a moment of silence. As the four of them looked at each other. What could Link even say after that? What could they possibly dislike about the Great Deku Tree? Why were these fairies living out alone with this… little boy-thing?
"Well," the Skull Kid said. "This is boring. Hey! Do you wanna go spook an owl?"
Link's mouth opened, but all that came out was a half blubbered "Wu-huh?" Before he could think of what that could possibly mean, Skull Kid bounded off, circling around the tree and jumping to another.
"You'll love this! It's great!"
The two fairies followed him. Only the yellow one stopped for a moment. "Well? Come on. Unless you want to be left here. See firsthand the 'great workings of the kindest and wisest tree?"
Link glared at her. But, what else could he do? As the light of the fairies drifted away, he could feel the weight of the fog press around him. "Yeah, wait up."
Moving through the trees had a knack to it. Link had always enjoyed running, and jumping, and climbing and he had always been good at it. But the Skull Kid was a squirrel or a monkey or something. Whatever it was, it didn't seem human. Several times Link had to stop and try and future out exactly how he managed to traverse over some rough ground. Even then, a few times he stumbled as he tried to catch up to the trio.
The imp stopped, turned, and put a finger in front of his beaked mask. "Shush, this needs to be delicate." Turning back around, the boy took hold of a thick spiderweb and carefully pried it off the side of the tree. "Now, watch this," he whispered. Worming his way up the tree, he stopped before a hollow and draped it over the hole.
He moved back down to Link, shaking with a barely contained giggle. Then he pushed his mask aside and made a strange crackling noise, almost like the twitching limbs of the great spider that Link fought.
Something burst out of the hollow. A great owl pecked at the webs, hooting, and thrashing its wings.
Skull Kid almost fell out of the tree he was laughing so hard. The owl looked down at the two of them, and it looked so ridiculous. It reminded him of Talon when he had too much to drink and was a little confused, of all things. And all Link could do was laugh along with the imp.
"Hehehe haha!" the creature clutched at his sides. "I do this every couple days, it never learns!" His voice went low. "I'm a big scary owl. I need to sleep. Hoo hoo hoo. Oh no! Spiders!" And then he laughed again. He put his mask back on and took Link's hand. "Come on, there's so much more to see!"
The little boy pulled him to follow, as he headed up and up. Link climbed as high as he could, until his arms ached a bit from pulling himself up. Just the soreness he enjoyed, it meant he was moving. Doing something.
"Bet I get to the top first!" Skull Kid said. Not a fair bet at all, the imp was already a few branches over Link.
"Not a chance," Link called, he dug his heels in and leaped up. Grabbing one branch and pulling himself onto another.
The little boy whistled, "Not bad Link, but I'm the best climber ever!"
Link found himself grinning for some reason. By the time he reached the upper most layer of the trees he almost felt like laughing along with the child's giggle. He caught sight of the green booted foot as he escaped above the treeline.
"Alright," Link laughed, "you win this time."
The sun hit his face.
He paused, and just basked in the warmth that embraced him. It had been night when he first went into the Woods. And it had been so dark down there. Was it really only a few branches between him and the sunlight?
As he lifted his head above the fog, he felt a pressure fall from him. He could see, he could tell what direction he was going. It didn't all feel jumbled around anymore. Like waking up after having a headache the night before and finding everything felt right.
"Make yourself at home," the imp said as he laid down forming a nest of branches and leaves simply looking out over the land. He stretched and leaned back, getting comfortable. "I come up here to let Tatl and Tael have a break. They get cranky when they get tired from using their magic to make it safe for me down there."
"That's… beautiful," Link said as he righted himself.
"Careful where you step. I come up here a lot, I know where to put my weight, so I don't fall through. Though…" he giggled again. "You falling would be kinda funny."
"Not to me."
"You'd go 'Auugh-wahaha-bang boing ker-plow" he smashed his hands together.
"The magic doesn't affect us up here?" Link said. It was so obvious, how had he not thought of this before? "We can get back to the village! I can see my friends again."
"No, you can't," Tael sighed as the two fairies flew up from the trees. "The magic that surrounds the village is more secure than that. The Great Deku Tree made certain that there was only one way in and one way out. There are no ways to get around it."
"But you helped him set it up. So, you can help me get there, can't you?'
"Again, no," Tatl spoke this time. "The Great Deku Tree didn't like us leaving, we may have said some things to anger him."
"No, you said some things to anger him," Tael said. "I tried to be polite."
"Lot of good that did you. You're still exiled, aren't you?"
"Wait," Link tried to cut off the argument before it got started. "There's no way to get back?"
"Afraid not, kid."
That was it. Without Navi he had no way back inside. No way to get home.
Forever.
Link turned away from his new companions and wiped at his eyes. So long he wanted to get back here. It had always been the smallest chance he could get back. But now, there really was no hope.
"Ughh," the imp wrapped one arm around Link's shoulder. "Why would you want to anyway? You could be free to have fun all you want. No one bossing you around. No one telling you what to do. You don't need to obey some dumb Tree anymore. All you need to do is rest a bit so we can go back to having some fun."
"I made a promise."
"So what? You can just break promises. I do it all the time. Hey, Tael, I promise I won't do that thing you hate!" Barely holding his laughter, Skull Kid pulled aside his mask, stuck his tongue out between his lips and blew, making one of the wettest, grossest fart noises that Link had ever heard. It was almost impressive. "See? Nothing happened."
"It's not about if nothing happens. It's about… something more." Even to Link that didn't sound very convincing. But it felt true. He couldn't explain it. But you had to keep your word if it was important. "If I can't get to the village, I'll need to get back to Hyrule."
"That's even worse!" Skull Kid protested. "Everyone is so angry, and bossy, and annoying out there. They always try to tell you where to go, or what to do. And none of them can take a joke. Just stay with me, trust me. I've lived out there and in here, and it's way more fun here."
"I can't. I want to. It's been nothing but trouble out there. But I can't."
"Yes, you can." The imp stood up. "Here's an idea. Tomorrow, me and you, we're going to have fun. Real fun. For the entire day. You'll love it. And if you still want to be bored out there, then we'll take you. Promise."
Link sighed, was there any other options? "Fine. One day."
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when the Skull Kid woke him up.
"Come on, Link!" he said as he shook him. "There's so much we can do today. Hey! Wanna play Touch the Toad?"
Link yawned, "How do you play Touch the Toad?"
"Oh, it's great fun. There's this really big frog in the Woods," he waved his arms wide. "Like, three maybe four times bigger than me. And he's all gold, which Tatl told me meant you shouldn't lick them when they're all bright like that. Not that I would lick a frog. That'd be gross."
"Wait, is it a frog or a toad?"
"What's the difference? Anyway, when he wakes up, he gets so angry. He'll chase you around and try to eat you. But the fun part is to see how close you can get to the toad before he wakes up. If you manage to touch him then you win! Provided he doesn't eat you. It's great."
"Huh." It actually did sound like some stupid fun thing he would have done months ago. Like the various games he'd sometimes play with the Kokiri whenever they could get away from the fairies long enough to have some real fun. With MIdo trying to beat every challenge that Link could, and Saria using her magic to make sure no one got anything worse than a bruise ."Let's do it."
"Come on, let's go!" He rolled off the branches he was resting on, and squirreled down the tree, Link only a few paces behind him.
Even with the fairies, Link did not enjoy going back within the gray. That tiring pressure fell back upon him as soon as his head went below the treeline. But, with Tael perched on his shoulder it wasn't too terrible.
"Here he is," the Skull Kid stopped, and ducked low. Waving for Link to squat beside him. "See him?"
If he squinted, Link could almost see a rotund shape ahead of them. Maybe it was golden? He couldn't quite tell with all the color leached away. "Yeah, I think I do."
"Alright," the imp nudged Link forward. "You go first."
"Hey that's not funny," Link said as he stumbled forward, landing hands first into the mud before him. The ground was so wet. It must be a pond or something.
"Shhhh," Skull Kid whispered. "You got this, Link."
Link pushed himself to his feet, and wiped his muddy hands on his tunic. From this distance he could see something of the yellowish shape. That must be the toad. He creeped forward, Skull Kid quietly urging him on. It wasn't that big. Sure it was bigger than a normal toad, obviously. But the way Skull Kid described it, he thought it would be monstrous.
His foot splashed into the pond. The yellow shape moved. Link froze.
Nothing happened. No giant frog was trying to eat him.
He took another step, this time making certain not to disrupt the water. He reached out.
The toad was slick and slimy to his touch.
"Link, no!"
"What?" He turned away from the toad, only to feel something massive moving around him. He turned back, something rose out of the water attached to the yellow lump. No. The yellow lump was attached to it. One of the frog's legs.
"Get out of there!"
The monster croaked, a sound so deep and rumbling he could feel it in his chest.
Link ran. With a crash, the beast charged after him.
"Come on, this way!" Skull Kid grabbed at Link's arm and yanked him to the side. They trampled over bush and around trees. Maneuvering through tight gaps that the creature was too large to follow. Behind him, Link could hear trees bursting apart from the monster that followed them.
Something shot past Link's cheek. A massive drooling tongue struck a tree and punched a hole clean through it.
"Don't let that hit you!"
"You think?"
The beast croaked again, followed by the creaking of a collapsing tree as its branches snapped on the way down. Link dived to the side. The tree slammed to the ground. Link spun to his back, the creature wasn't looking at him. Scrambling, Link crawled beneath the fallen tree, and shielded himself from the monster's gaze with leaves.
Through a small gap for his eye, he watched the lumbering beast. What little he could see through the fog swayed. Turning about. A limb lifted, weight pressed down on the tree. Branches dug into Link's side, until the loud crack of splitting wood relieved the pressure.
The two fairies flew around the beast's head. It let out another loud croak before it wandered after them, heading back toward the pond.
Link stayed beneath the tree, taking deep breaths. That was crazy. He felt a gasping laugh force its way through his lips. Crazy.
"You alive, Link?"
"Yeah," Link crawled out from under the tree.
The Skull Kid bounded toward him, and wrapped him in a hug. "That was amazing!"
Link pushed the imp off him. "You told me to touch the toad!"
"That's just the name of the game! I said, get as close as you can to touching the toad without waking him up. I thought you'd turn cucco way before that. But what you did was so much better!" He took Link's hand. "You win that game, but there's so much more to do!"
They spent the day playing. Leaping from trees, running around tagging each other. Daring each other to perform increasingly dangerous stunts. The last time Link could remember laughing so much, had been spending time at the festival with Malon. And when they grew too tired to keep running around, Skull Kid showed how to draw on large rocks and tree trunks with natural pigments. Link couldn't tell the colors well, but Skull Kid seemed to know which ones were appropriate to use.
"Now, you go over there and paint something cool. And I'll do the same on this side. And when we're done, we can show each other! Then we'll decide which one's best."
Link agreed, ready for one more competition with the kid. After testing out his weird, goopy paints Link decided to draw a castle. Like the ones he passed by on his travels. Or, at least he tried to paint them. In truth his work was more of a splotchy wall with some lines sticking out of it that were supposed to be towers. No matter what he added, it just looked worse, until he decided to give up on it.
"Alright, I'm done," Link said, walking over to his new friend. "What'd you draw?"
"Hey, no peeking! I'm not done yet!" Skull Kid tried to cover the stump, but quickly decided against it. "It's us! See?" He waved at the painting. "That's you, that's me. There's Tael and Tatl flying over us. And that's the frog in the back. I still need to work on that one."
"That's beautiful," Tael said.
"Oh," Link said, in the painting Link and Skull Kid were holding hands, and the frog had a huge smile. It looked like pure joy. "You win. Definitely."
"Hehe! Thanks. There's so much more I want to show you. Tomorrow, I can take you to the burrow. It's like a whole other world down there."
"Tomorrow?" Link stopped. "Tomorrow you said you'd take me out of the Woods."
"Oh, we can delay that another day. Trust me, you'll love it down there."
"No. You promised."
"Ughh, again with the promises. What is one more day, or two, or three? What does it matter if we change things around? You were having fun! Isn't this so much better than the world out there?"
"Of course it's more fun. But life isn't all just about having fun."
"Well it should be! Now you're starting to sound like my parents! They were all 'Clean the house. Cut the vegetables. Watch your kid sister.' I ran away from all that. You can, too."
"I can't," Link sighed. "Others depend on me. I have people to warn. Promises to keep. Out there? They need me. I can't just abandon them. I want to stay and have more fun, but I can't."
"You are so dumb! Of course they say they need you. But all other people do is take, take, take. And they make up lies about promises being important and how you have to do things certain ways. But it's never enough for them. It starts with them telling you to wash your hands, but if you let them keep bossing you around, you'll have nothing, because you gave all yourself away."
Link swallowed. He wished he had Navi with him, someone who could speak what he was thinking, but make it actually sound good. "I still have to go."
"Fine! We'll go if it's so important to you. I don't need you around here anyway!" The imp walked to the largest tree and climbed to the top, his fairies at his side. Link followed them, he could tell the three were whispering things to each other, but he could not make out what they were saying..
The way out of the Woods was long, and often involved the Skull Kid stopping, looking around the trees at some detail that Link couldn't figure out. Then he would lead them back down beneath the fog, then back up. Over and over as they progressed. Until night fell and it was almost as dark above the canopy as below. The entire time, Skull Kid and Link did not speak a word to each other.
"There," he finally said, before ducking within the trees. They slid from one branch to another all the way to the ground. Then the imp led Link around three more trees and stopped. "That's it. Go through there and you'll be out."
"Thank you," Link stopped, not quite certain what to say. "I really did have fun with you."
"Yeah, well, not enough. If you still think being out there is better."
"That's not the reason I need to go." Link pulled the child into a hug. He was still so small. Whatever happened to him, whatever turned him into this little creature, he was a child. And he was lonely.
The imp pulled away, its mask slipping off revealing the gaunt face beneath.
"You know, you can come with me," Link held out his hand. "I could really use your help."
"Out there?" The Skull Kid squinted, then shook his head. Adjusting his mask so it covered as much of his face as it could. "That'd be so boring," he said, though it sounded as if the words caught in his throat.
"Well, ok. I'll come back and visit you. Once all this is done. I won't say I'll spend the rest of my life out here. But, I'll come back. We'll play around again."
"You mean it?"
"I promise."
"Ugh," Skull Kid shook his head. "Promises don't mean anything."
"Mine do." Link looked up to the two fairies flying about their heads. "Take care of him." He adjusted the strap of his bag, turned and walked. Until the trees parted, he could breathe clear fresh air, and there was nothing over his head but stars.