Chapter Three: Purpose, Destiny, Fate
Sitting in a wooden dining-room chair with a cup of hot tea in his hands, he sat beside his futon-bed looking at the girl, whom he had laid there and wrapped a blanket around earlier. A million emotions ran through his mind every millisecond, all directed towards this woman. He was completely oblivious that a rare autumn thunderstorm that had formed and was barreling down on him, and the news reports of various acts of violence at home and abroad. All his energies were fixed in his thoughts and his gaze at this woman which had appeared at his doorstep.
Tiger closed his eyes and cracked his first true smile in many hours. "So reality was altered by the Wind Fish upon my departure from Koholint, that kinda explains the strange glow in the sky and why the plane's instruments malfunctioned...and why just how 'convenient' it was that the nurse's name just 'happened' to be Marin..." He took another sip of tea, opened his eyes, and set his tea on the in-table nearby. He stood up and locked the door, shut off the kitchen lights, and adjusted the heater to a more comfortable 78 degrees. Being he had only his jeans and belt on, it felt a bit chilly inside, especially with the cold rain pouring outside.
Just after sitting back down, he leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees, and placed his face in his hands, rubbing the sleep out of it until he moved his hands in a prayer-like position in front of his mouth, his thumbs resting on his chin, his fingers trailing up his nose and resting in between his eyes, which closed soon afterwards. He began to think out loud, what is going on here? Is this but another of the Nightmare's tactics, or is there something deeper? How could Marin REALLY be here? Is Tony Danza REALLY gay as I thought right before I left Koholint? (Okay, that one was internal, but still a thought nonetheless!) This continued on for several hours until sleepiness got the best of him. He fell asleep in a green recliner just nearby, feet propped up and leaned back. Even though unspeakable horror would fill his vision tomorrow, he had a smile on his face...deja vu almost.
He snapped awake the next morning, hearing the sound of rustling in the room. He grabbed his pocket knife and looked about, eyes darting to every visible corner of the room. Then his eyes went to Marin, whom was rolling over in her sleep. Tiger sighed and silently leaned the chair up while putting the foot rest down. "How can someone so full of life sleep so much?", he thought to himself humorously. Seeing it was daybreak by the way the sun shone through the blinds, he decided it was time to get ready. In less than five minutes he had his blue jeans, boots, black Kokirian tunic (with a gray long-sleeved shirt under that, and a black tanktop under that), sword, shield, and necessary gear all belted, clamped, zipped, and tied on, ready for battle. Walking towards the front door, stopping before opening it. He looked back at Marin, and gave an almost angsty smile. He scribbled down a quick note for her, in case she should wake up before he returned. It said, "Somehow you ended up on my doorstep. Do not be troubled, I'm out doing some errands. Help yourself to anything in the pantry, and make yourself at home. Rest well..." He refused to put his name on it, she'd figure out where she was soon enough.
With that, he walked out the door, locking it back with his key, went to his car, unlocked it, started her up, and made towards the south.
Now, I have some explaining to do before I go an further. What happened to his P.O.S. Chevy truck, you may be asking? Well, it had to do with a disgruntled Moblin, a freshly grilled hamburger, and the fact Tiger was bar-be-queing in the Lost Woods one day while fishing. Needless to say, the Moblin totaled the truck, the worms got the hamburger, and Tiger got a crash course in Moblin Anatomy 101 as he hacked the bastard to pieces. Thus, he ended up getting a '91 Toyota Corolla DX edition in a kinda champagne-y color. This has nothing to do with the actual outcome of the story, just one of them random ramblings authors do when things need to be cleared up.
Anywho, getting back on track...
About 150 miles south in the Ardbuckle Mountains was an old palace once thought to be a military facility, hidden so deep in the wilderness that, many times, people looking for it go for days on end without even seeing it, or any other trace of human existence for that matter. This, my friends, was no military installation from the days of Coronado; it was the Forest Temple. Many have died trying to find it, and those who did find it often died going inside of it. For that reason, the authorities quadrupled the patrols around the area, just so no ignorant fool would try to seek the temple. Little did they know, an ignorant fool was on his way to seek it anyways.
Tiger parked his car at a public parking area just outside of the Turner Falls area. He stepped out, locked it, and looked around. "This is gonna be a whole lot more difficult that I'd ever imagined..." Tiger said to himself as he began to walk towards the road.
That's when an orb of light appeared, much like in Koholint, and completely engulfed him. It seemed like time and space froze entirely as the owl soon appeared in front of Tiger. They were in the same place TIger was before he had the Koholint experience. "What...where am I?" Tiger muttered, feeling extremely scared, yet curious about all of this.
"Well, my boy, look how you've grown since we met last!" The owl exclaimed, giving a slight chuckle. "And I bet you are wondering why the fair maiden Marin arrived at your dwelling last night, aren't you?"
"Well... yeah, considering it was all just a dream world or an alternate universe or something..."
The owl gave a hoot and a hollering laugh. "Boy, you still have many things to learn! Koholint IS a real place; it just transcends time and space entirely, which is why you saw all the ancient ships crashed on the shore. Koholint, I guess, is kinda like... Heaven, except not quite as magnificent and Godly." Tiger tilted his head in confusion, and the owl coughed to clear his throat. "Anyways, the Wind Fish granted Marin one request, for she was weeping like a child ripped from its mother. She asked that, when the time was right, that she could see you for a short period."
"Oh..." Tiger muttered, completely speechless. Feeling a tear forming in his eye, he changed the subject. "Well, then, maybe you can-"
"The Forest Temple is a mere half-mile behind you, but be warned, it is hidden from sight, so many go in circles for days without seeing it." The owl interrupted as his eyes glowed a faint gold, along with the Triforce on Tiger's hand. "You have instilled in you the power to see the Forest Temple. Speaking of which, I have good news, and bad news. The good news is that since Link set off all the traps and unlocked all the doors, you can simply just waltz right in."
"Okay, and the bad news?"
"The spirits residing within have become like melancholy ghosts. The reason is that the Nightmare has let a cursed spirit to take up shop in there, killing the flow of energy from it. Even as we speak, the forest is dying around it, and if it is not reversed soon...let's just say it won't be pretty."
Tiger nodded. "Is it one of the spirits of the Nightmare?"
"Yes, it is as that of an evil warrior, of which I think you and Link have become acquainted with on numerous occasions." With that, the forest began to fade into view. "Remember what I have said, and remember your previous battles!" the owl spoke as he, too, faded away into nothingness. And with that, Tiger turned around and began to backwood it towards the temple.
Not even five minutes unto his journey, darkness began to loom over the area, not because it had taken him so damn long to unsuccessfully reach the temple, but because a huge thunderhead was forming to the southwest, the storm moving directly towards his location. Noticing the signs of the oncoming thunderstorm, he began to move double-time, moving tree limbs out of his way, trying to avoid the poison ivy and poison oak. He kept a swift eye on the ground, watching for any tree roots sticking out that he could trip on. Step after step, breath after breath, tree after seemingly unending tree, he quickly, yet stealthily, made his way through the wilderness. But no matter how fast he went, the storm always seemed to be one step ahead of him, for it began to rain lightly, dropping the already cool temperature to down-right chilly. Nevertheless, Tiger fought his way through the backwoods, even doing wall-jumps off of trees to get over large rocks and almost invisible gaps. This was due to instinct, for he knew that, even in the autumn time, Oklahoma storms could be as fierce and as dangerous as Death Mountain in Hyrule, so he had to make it to the temple, and fast.
No sooner than he had that mind set, he arrived.
The Sacred Forest Meadow had been overgrown with cedars since the time of Hyrule, but the temple itself seemed absolutely unchanged. It still had vines growing all over it, the only difference about the entrance was that the vines formed a rope-like bundle which lead towards the entrance; not only that, but the chest nearby had completely decayed away, all that remained was the rusty metal. Besides that, it was relatively unchanged.
Tiger proceeded cautiously, for his senses were driving him mad. He felt sadness, grief, loneliness, hostility, anger, rage, violent intent, bloodlust... all of that and so much more eminating from the inside of the temple. "Well, no use in trying to keep them waiting, I suppose..." he muttered to himself as he began to climb the vines. He had just barely made the top when the storm unleashed hell, dropping torrential rain, dropping quarter-sized hail, and unleashing gale-force winds that nearly took Tiger off of his feet. Sensing the gravity of the storm, he quickly opened the door to the temple and went inside, escaping the elements. He had no fear of the storm taking the temple out, for it had survived F5 tornadoes, wildfires, almost two millennia of age, and everything else time and Oklahoma nature had to throw at it.
"What possibly could be wrong about this place, especially at a time like this?" Tiger muttered to himself before turning around, his eyes soon growing wide with surprise, for behind him were the lingering spirits of the Kokiri tribe, all looking at him in awe. Tiger stayed put, not only out of shock and awe, but for some reason, he felt at peace. Then, they all disappeared, all but one that is. The girl came up to him, standing only up to his chest level, which would make her about the size of a normal 10 year old girl. She looked up at him with curious green eyes before cracking a small smile.
"I can obviously tell you're one of Link's descendants." She said, her words striking Tiger right in the heart.
"I take it you're Saria..." was all that Tiger could mutter out.
Saria nodded. "We do not have much time, you must go to the battle room, it is downstairs and in front of you. Have caution, for the one you must face is..." Almost like on cue, a dark fog came and took her spirit down to the room she had forementioned. The door behind Tiger locked, and dark shadows began to fill the room. With that, Tiger drew his sword and made for the end of the hall, slicing through dark tentacles that came forth from the shadows, trying to stop him. He busted through the door instead of opening it, and jumped from the arm-rest down the 25-set staircase to the main floor, rolling on impact. He then continued hacking and slashing the shadowy foes with such amazing speed and skill, none had a chance of even touching him. Instead of waiting for the elevator, he jumped down the hole, landing atop the elevator, rolling off of it and onto the floor before he got caught between it and the basement ceiling.
Tiger felt an immediate shift in vibes. The ones he felt were evil, dark, yet somehow familiar. He made his way into the only open room, a very elaborate room with pictures of Hyrule Castle. Spikes adorned the outside of a fighting circle, with a Triforce smack-dab in the middle. Tiger hesitantly followed the walkway towards the center. He looked up towards the ceiling, the paintings, and the Triforce. He took a step and stood right in the middle. The Triforce began to glow bright golden, causing the door to shut and lock, and, obviously, the entire room to be illuminated. All the while, Tiger still felt the evil in the room, not once buying into the facade of hallowed ground. "Bullshit..."
With that, the Triforce faded and disappeared, turning into a giant red serpent's eye. The room darkened and seemingly faded into oblivion, only the spikes all around remained. "Wait, all around now!" Tiger exclaimed, noticing the entrance to the area had been blocked off by the sharp points. Tiger then watched in horrific awe as the paintings filled in with black, just to have an upside-down pentagram glow dark purple, the ring around it as red as blood. "What in the hell is going on here?" he said to himself, soon growing stiff and alert. Someone was behind him, someone whom he could tell, just by the vibes he was emitting.
"Hand over the Triforce, or suffer the same fate as all these damned children..."