Only three more chapters after this… this story really only gets better and better and BETTER!
I think so. Hope you've been liking it.
Here's the next chapter…
Chapter 10 - Orma Forest
Link had tied Epona to a naked tree outside the woods. She couldn't run in the crowded area, and it was pointless riding her, for in the end it would only slow him down. Two soldiers had been ordered to go into the woods and look for Zelda, so he decided to walk with them. The soldiers had started without him and he only had to run a short ways to catch up.
The forest was what you would expect any forest to be, except it seemed overgrown with trees. Trees might have been what you expected, but this forest was growing too many. Link and the soldiers both noticed this after having to squeeze through trees and duck for branches. Their were points on the trip where Link was sucking up his stomach and squeezing between two trunks. The soldiers weren't doing any better, but they refused to give up their weapons. The pointed handle of one pushed a tree branch away and allowed the soldier to pass through. Link followed but hadn't realized he had shoved the branch out of his face. The man pulled away his pointed stick and the branch flung across Link's eyes and nose. He yiped and grabbed the flimsy branch. The soldier turned around while Link glared with his one open eye.
"Ow! Watch it!" He yelled while rubbing his face. The soldier rolled his eyes and continued walking.
"Jeez, sorry thought you could handle yourself..." He mumbled. Link wiped his face with the rough clothing on his arm and continued to follow.
He finally pulled his hands away and squeezed through two tree trunks. "Thought you'd be thinking of me..." The soldier ignored him and they continued their search. They didn't have much luck until they reached a twig poking from the mud. A silky purple piece of cloth hung around it's sprouting tiny branches. Link let out his breath while the shorter man picked it up.
"Well," He folded it and shoved it in his pocket, "We know she's here then..." The 'then' was silent and almost unheard as he looked around at the forest. Everything was getting more open and bigger. The place was unbelievable. He hadn't realized the forest was so massive. Link walked past him.
"Quit wasting time and let's go!" The other soldier tagged right behind Link while the man continued observing his surroundings. He held the cloth in his hand and watched Link and his friend already walking ahead. He hurried after them once he realized they were leaving him.
The forest grew more spacious the further they advanced. They appreciated the elbow room, but the shorter man started getting the shivers. He cradled himself. "Oh...shit Murray... I h-hate t-this p-p-place..." Murray ignored him. Him and Link weren't tired, cold, or scared at all. It was just a bunch of trees and spiders. The small man continued to complain, while Murray grew tired of him, turned and shoved a hand into his chest.
"Shut up! What's so scary about a bunch of tree crawlers and snakes?" The air was heavier here, both of them noticing it when they let out there breath. The tall man watched Murray as he shook on the ground. He didn't understand what was so scary about the forest. It was only a forest, right? Link continued to walk, ignoring both of them.
"Don't you understand why this forest was forbidden?" He looked around and moaned while trembling. "The spirits! They hate the living! They keep this place off from the rest of the world and do their business here..." He shook and the faint chattering of his teeth could be heard. Murray laughed.
"Their just rumors! Chill...!" He said slapping his shoulder. Link was ahead a ways now. He never had any interest in the soldiers at Hyrule. A quiet wind began to brew about. The fog was thick enough in this area to be able to see the silvery wind blowing.
"...can't you help me..." Link stopped and stood frozen. He lowered his head while pretending to look at the dirt, and let his eyes wander back and forth.
"It would be wise not to listen to her."
Link jerked up. This voice was much stronger and more masculine than the last. It was deep, but not threatening at all. It was harmless and felt ancient.
A ball of cluttered mud slid off a rock up ahead, and a girl hopped off. She ran over to Link, a piece of purple cloth missing her gown. "Link!" Zelda screamed and ran into his arms. He didn't speak until she quieted her voice. He looked down onto her perfect cream colored and unscarred face. She smiled at him and grabbed his hands.
"You must follow me... please it's not safe here..." She yanked on his arm, but he hesitated. He looked back, but the guards had wandered off somewhere else. He looked at her and saw her worried expression.
"You see... they've got them..." She was quiet as she spoke and Link gave her a curious stare. She smiled faintly at him and he watched her, expressionless. What was she thinking?
"They did?" He kicked a large rock that was by his feet and turned to her. "Well then let's go to the exit--"
"No!" Zelda cut him off. He stared at her. "I mean... we can't... they'll catch us...!" She started to pull on him again. He didn't move from where he was standing and narrowed his eyes.
"Who's they?" He asked. She started to whine. She cuddled close to him and looked up at him with her eyes becoming teary.
"Please Link... help me..." She tried to kiss him, but he pushed her away.
"Okay," He stared down at her, "Then take me where you want to go." He told her. She smiled and her pupils contracted and her eyes seemed bluer than ever.
"Thank you." She grabbed his wrist with her gentle hand. She gave a light tug and he followed her.
They came to a rocky cavern. Zelda held her hands out to the small cave. The whole was deep enough for a bear to crawl through. It was pitch black inside, but the darkness was more blank than it was dark. He couldn't hear anything coming out of it. "It's in there..." Link looked at her smiling face. Her face was flushed and looked eager for him to go in.
"So... what are they..." He asked while looking down into the bottomless hole. He couldn't feel anything coming out of it. No sound, no air, no life. Zelda looked down at her feet where large roots snaked around close to her feet. She stomped at them and missed while Link continued looking down the empty hole.
"You cannot complete your deed..."
It attempted to wrap around her ankle, but she quickly flung her shoe down and cut the root in half. It ducked away and shriveled into the shadows of the woods. "You'd be wiser to stay out of it..." She whispered to the wind while staring where the roots had hid. Link had heard her mumbling and turned around, facing her again.
"Everything okay?" She placed her hands behind her back and grinned widely.
"Perfect." She tried to give her stupidest happy girl smile. Link smiled back, but he erased it when he turned back to the cavern.
"Right..." He grumbled. He took one last quick look before turning and walking back over to her. "Well, nothing in there. Let's go." He told her while grabbing her by the elbow. She swung out of his grasp and away from his reach.
"What? You didn't even look in there!" She stomped her foot on the ground. Link watched her and shrugged his shoulders.
"Why won't you just leave, then? We'll be safe out of the woods..." Zelda glared at him and he saw her pupils thinning out further.
"Because we can't!" She yelled.
"Well why not!" She was getting more furious with each word. She let out her breath and backed up against a tree. A rock was embedded in the bark, and she grasped it in her hand.
"Ah! Link you found her!" Murray and the man were running happily up to Zelda. "Come on Zelda!" They called. Link interrupted the reunion by walking in front of them.
"NO!" He reached and managed to grab the man who'd been tagging along, but not Murray. "That's not her! She isn't Zelda!" The man he'd grab widened his eyes. He glanced at Murray and hid behind Link.
"Taren!" Murray groaned. Taren shook his head and clung to Link's arms. Link stared surprised at him as he started to crying loudly.
"Murray!" His voice didn't shake this time. "Spirits!"
Murray rolled his eyes and began walking towards Zelda. Taren and Link yelled. He stopped and started yelling back. "Listen to me!" He howled. "There isn't no such thing as spirits! They don't exist!" He ignored further cries from them and turned only to notice that Zelda's eye color changed. So did her voice.
"I WILL COMPLETE IT!" She tossed the rock past him while Murray's eyes followed it. Link threw Taren out of his hands and hopped out of the way as the rock hit a tree. They returned glances to Zelda, who now in her place was a black as midnight beast. It differed from the rest; It had two eyes that showed their reflections like mirrors. Other than that, they were normal human eyes. Murray yelped and ran back to Link.
"How'd you know?" They both stammered while watching the younger boy. Link kept his eyes on the giant spider like insect.
"For one, she didn't act like Zelda. And another," He narrowed his eyes at the beast. "It's little copy cat image wasn't so perfect. She had no bruise around her eye." Murray and Taren pulled out their weapons while Link slid out his old sword. The monster screamed at them, letting the entire forest hear it's screeching cries.
"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME IN MY OWN HOME!" It's voice was like thousands of echoes. It's blinks were quick and it's involuntary movements were fast. This bug wasn't like all of the others. It was bigger and faster, stronger and smarter.
"Ew... it talks..." Taren and Murray blinked at it, still shocked. Link watched it, trying to keep any fear hidden inside of him.
"I will not let you continue this. You cannot complete the deed."
The monster wailed and flung it's long hairy leg behind it, knocking down two of the large trees. It screamed and spit red acid to it's sides, burning down the twigs and roots.
"ENOUGH!"
-
Poor trees. And twigs and roots.
Hope it was interesting and hope you like it.
