"Ahhh, that is so much better," I sighed, exiting the bathhouse in black slacks and a red T-shirt. I checked the time and found that I was in there for about half an hour, apparently just enough time for Rusl to finish speaking with Coro. The warrior beckoned me over and led me away from the hut, back towards Ordon Village. "What about that tour?"

Rusl shrugged and waved goodbye to the Afro-desiac, then said, "I do not think a walk in the forest is a good idea." He strolled over to a grazing Epona and gently patted her neck. We walked in a rather comfortable silence until we reached Faron's Spring. Releasing Epona to graze about, Rusl gestured about at the ground. "Would you help me gather firewood?" I nodded and followed his lead, gathering sticks and branches. Over the next forty five minutes, we collected and stacked four 'logs' worth of lumber, then I learned a neat trick.

Rusl pulled a small rope around one end of one pile, tied it off like a lasso, and looped the rest of the rope around the end of another pile, linking them together. Following suit with the bottom ends, he effectively created a scroll of yarn and timber with a blank patch in the center. "Call Epona," Rusl instructed.

Pursing my lips together, I whistled the horse's favorite song and she came quickly, trotting up to me and nuzzling her snout against my shoulder. Although I had seen horses in real life, I had never been that close to one before, so I was entranced by her rich and smooth fur and muscular frame. Truly, horses are majestic creatures. Before I realized it, my hand reached up and began to stroke and pet Epona's mane. It was straight and stringy, like the hair on those Troll dolls, but much longer and flowed much more easily.

Rusl stepped up beside me and petted the horse for a few moments, then said, "Epona, lift." Showing how well she was trained, Epona bowed her head low, revealing the two tied logs on either side of her. Rusl scooped up the rope, and the ends attached to it, and laid it across Epona's neck. Smiling calmly, the Ordonian turned to me and instructed, "Take care of the back."

Stepping over, I hesitated when I noticed the rope was directly below Epona's tail. Very clever, Rusl. Veeeerrrryyyy clever. Taking a deep breath and holding it, I grabbed the rope and lifted it over the hump of Epona's backside, but my grip slipped and the weight fell on Epona. "Sorry, accident!" I stammered.

Chuckling, Rusl fixed up the rope and patted Epona's side. "Don't worry about her, she's a strong girl." He bound the remaining two logs of firewood closely to one another and beckoned me over. "On three, we lift both logs." I nodded. "One, two, three!" While it was only moderately strenuous to lift the ends of two logs by a rope, picking up two logs with my bare hands was a lot more difficult. "Epona," Rusl groaned. Apparently, it was difficult for him as well. "Lift." Once again, the mane bowed her head, allowing Rusl room to maneuver around so that he and I were on either side of Epona. "Gently," he instructed, and we lowered the logs until they sat perpendicular across Epona's back. "Now turn." We did so, rotating the firewood so that both logs were saddled nicely above the previous two.

Sitting down on the shore of the spring, Rusl pulled his sandals off and sighed in content as he dipped his feet into the water. "Spring water is great for taking care of sores and callouses," he said. Taking off my boots and stuffing my socks in them, I dunked my bare feet beneath the spring surface and immediately felt tingles all over my toes and ankles. It really was quite wonderful, for the water was a nice and cozy lukewarm, like how a pool feels when you've gotten used to the temperature.

I sat down beside Rusl and we both simply remained there, allowing me to regroup my thoughts.

Kokiri Marsh, eh? I'll assume it's similar to Woodfall and work from there. Possible threats: Poisoned water, carnivorous plants, leeches (I hear they fester in swamplands), gases and fumes, insects, spiders, BIG spiders, BIGGER spiders, those annoying spider bomb things–

"Tell me," Rusl spoke up, shaking me out of my analysis. "Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?" Oh crap. "They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs..." OH crap. "...The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world." OH CRAP. "That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of Twilight..." I hate that movie. "But enough talk of sadness." We didn't even talk about anything! You just said some depressing stuff and now you're changing the subject! "I have a favor to ask of you, Zach." I looked out at the spring but nodded my head at him. "I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow–"

I glanced at him and asked, "Are you asking me to deliver it for you?"

"Not at all," he answered. If he was upset that I interrupted, he didn't show it. "I was going to ask you to accompany me." He reached over and squeezed my shoulder. "Take no offense, young man, but I wouldn't send someone out on such a journey alone unless I was sure they could handle themselves."

I nodded and said, "That's fair, I guess. Easier to take me with you on a big trip rather than leave me here with people who don't like me."

Rusl flinched but nonetheless pressed on. "You've... never been to Hyrule Proper, right?" I nodded. "I'm sure your, uh, vadio games have shown you the kingdom of Hyrule, where there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town..."

"A community far bigger than this little village." I turned my head to face him and shrugged. "You were about to say it."

"Indeed," he said with a chuckle. "I think you should look upon it all with your own eyes." Well, considering the Goddesses themselves sent me here, I probably will. "It is getting late." He stood up and helped me to my feet. "We should head back to the village. I will talk to the mayor about this matter."

As we put our footwear back on, I asked, "Shouldn't we spar or something?"

Rusl shook his head. "It is too dark for us to practice. We'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Nodding in turn, I followed him as he led Epona back through the forest path, and I closed my eyes as we crossed the great bridge. Step after tentative step, we crossed with little difficulty. I was about to continue when I heard something click. Turning, I saw Rusl lock a gate that I did not notice was there before. "It's because of Link," I said. Rusl looked at me with a pained expression muddled with confusion. "The gate. It's there because of what happened to Link. Ilia told me the story."

With a weary sigh, Rusl walked down the path and said, "She only remembers what she saw." There was a haunt in his eyes that disturbed me. "What happened to Link..." He shook his head. "It is beyond words." We passed Ordona's spring and emerged into the area where my temporary house stood. Without a word, Rusl continued on with Epona through the village gate, leaving me alone at the base of the house.

Beyond words...? I sighed and combed fingers through my hair. Thaaaat's not ominous at all. I went inside and quickly discovered that I was hungry. I pouted when I realized Rusl did not invite me to dinner, so I would have to use some of my own food supplies. Meh, no big deal. Shrugging, I sat down by the empty fireplace and plundered my satchel.

Ah, Beefaroni. Friend to all college kids.

"Come on..." Midna whispered. Her brow and face were scrunched in determination as she handled the shadow silk outfit. Though she was clean, or as clean as she could get with cave water, her clothing required more effort. As she removed the sleeves, the imp discovered the glowing scripture was sunk into her skin like tribal tattoos. Washing her body had been relatively simple, but the resulting chill from the water made washing her clothes that much more difficult. "Come oooon..." she muttered again, only to be answered by a quiet rip as the shirt tore.

Taking a deep breath through clenched teeth, Midna summoned up every vestige of patience she could find. Her trembling fingers, nail-less and pointy in her current form, did not help matters. No scrubs, no strainers, not even a cursed needle! She felt her fang poking against her lip as the shadow silk ripped once again. The Twilight Princess flung the cloth at the far wall, where she heard yet another tear in the fabric. "Useless thing!" she screamed. Her hair hand stretched up and pounded against the rock wall, causing a bit of dust to fall onto her skin.

"Control yourself!"Orochi demanded. Midna stared at the Fused Shadow from across the cave and lifted an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to, but that wretched suit won't cooperate!" She cocked her hip. "And since when can you talk to me from over there?"

"We always could... Now contain your anger..."

Midna glared at the relic but took a deep breath anyway. She held it for several seconds, then exhaled slowly. Taking another deep breath, she glanced at the shadow silk outfit. It lay on the ground in a jumbled mess, but it looked fairly intact. The imp glided over, squeezed it until it was as dry as could be, donned it, and addressed the damage; The fabric had sheared along the curve of her chest and left her stomach a bit more exposed, with two upward hooks on the right side and a downward one on the left, all just below her ribs.

Midna pouted. "This was expensive..." The clothing was still slightly damp and clung to her skin in awkward places, but she would be nude without it. Shivering in the dark, the imp sat beside the Fused Shadow relic. "I guess we're off to hunt." She donned the stone helmet and vanished beneath the shadows. The blissful pocket dimension was just warm enough for Midna to be comfortable and she enjoyed every moment as she drifted across the forest floor.

"Be mindful of your energy..." warned Orochi. The imp sighed but nodded in agreement.

Silver moonlight shone down on the woods, making everything gleam a soft blue. The usurped princess emerged from her shadow dimension, gazed up at the sky, and gasped. She was entranced by the gentle glow of moonlight and the dozens of white specks across the sky. It contrasted rather nicely with the golden glow of the Twilight Realm, which often had dark clouds brewing across its horizon.

Daring herself, Midna pushed off the ground, floating high into the treeline. She smiled at the rush of freedom and the touch of air on her skin. Since the Fused Shadow ordered her to remain in the forest until she found the Sacred Beast, she had limited surroundings, but that did not mean she could not enjoy it. With a delicate twirl, the imp closed her eyes and let herself carry away through the air. It was liberating, until she felt her body spudder and shake. Without warning, the levitation spell ceased, and Midna dropped from the sky like a rock.

The imp tried to recast the spell but her lungs hurt from hunger and using her powers. There was little she could do to avoid the branch. It caught her across her midsection and knocked the wind out of her. Flipping over the branch, she continued to fall and tumble through more branches and twigs, until she finally landed in a bush. Numb from the excitement, Midna was barely able to roll out of the hedge. "Ow." After a minute to catch her breath, she patted herself down and found no serious injuries other than a few scrapes. Her chest was very sore but at least she had not broken something. That would have been disastrous.

I hope there's a thief with food, Midna thought. She wished it were thieves so she would not feel so guilty. Not that I was guilty before... Her stomach growled again and she sighed in frustration. The threat was obvious but the solution was not. She looked around at the area she crashed in; it was an open tunnel with a locked gate and a bridge going one way, and a pathway down the forest going the other. Following the path, Midna eventually passed a spring and found a house just past that. It was fairly large, and even with the vastly different cultures, the imp recognized the bathhouse for what it was.

"Sweet relief," Midna whispered dreamily. A proper bath with lotion and soap, bubbly warm water, maybe even scented candles! She was so enraptured by the idea that she failed to notice the tall woman sneaking up on her.

"Behind you!" Midna whirled around just as a piece of wood bonked her right on the Fused Shadow. It certainly served well as a helmet, as Midna's skull was barely affected by the blow. However, the force behind the woman's strike did force the Twilian back anyway.

"KILL IT!" the woman with the enormous blob of hair screeched. She swung the branch again and Midna had to stifle a groan at her poor form and coordination.

"Take it easy, lady!" Midna stepped back from the swing and held her arms forward. "I'm not gonna hurt y-" She stopped speaking when the branch came back and slammed into her right hand. Yelping, Midna jumped back and assessed the damage. Her middle and ring fingers were bent sideways and her knuckles were misaligned. She tried to see more but the crazed light dweller swung again and caught Midna right in the cheek.

The imp wanted to fight back and wrestle that wretched branch from the woman's grasp, but Orochi quickly ordered, "Run!" Midna found herself ducking under the next swing and running as fast as her stubby legs could carry her. She was so hungry and tired that magic was out of the question.

"And don't come back!" she heard the woman scream.

Midna ran back down the path she had come from and into the spring. She was so busy looking at her hand that she failed to see the stone before her foot caught on it. The imp almost comically flew into the air and splashed down in the center of the spring water. She was immediately bombarded with her own magical energy as it came back with a vengeance, storming through her body and granting her a charge of power. She still felt her stomach grumbling but it was much less painful now, and her hand was completely numb. Looking down, Midna saw that her fingers and knuckles were as good as they were before. She refused to acknowledge them 'good as new' as it was a temporary body she was using and she did not want to forget that she would be normal eventually.

Still, the spring water was a very useful substitute and Midna made sure to remember that if she were injured again, but what were the chances of that? Quickly squashing down her own sarcastic reply, the imp sighed and floated into the air. She felt a tug in her gut but she had to ignore it in order to return to the cave... the cold, dark, damp cave...

"Would you prefer... to wake up in sunlight...?" Midna shuddered at the question. She did not enjoy waking up to the feel of her skin melting. She lifted off and flew back to the cave with minimal difficulty. It was thanks to Orochi she managed to find it again, but that was better left unsaid.

"Well, um..." Midna twiddled her fingers and sat down on the rocky ground. She lifted the Fused Shadow helmet off and set it aside. "Have a good rest, Orochi." With that, the Twilight Princess curled into a ball, cushioned her head with her own hair, and spent the next five minutes thinking about nothing until she finally fell asleep.

The next morning, I stretched my spine and stood up. Hardwood floors, gotta love 'em. Shaking my head, I pulled some crust out of my eye and checked the time. 10:51. I sighed and munched on the rest of Ilia's pumpkin bread. It was dry and crunchy, but it would do. Setting some clothes out, I wondered what the day would be like. Probably boring, like most game tutorial levels. I shrugged, got dressed, and went out the door.

It was a pleasant morning, not too hot and not too cold, and the sun was shining on the horizon. I climbed down the ladder and took in a deep breath of fresh air. Like Farore had said way back when, it was summer camp, but in January.

"Pleeeeaaaase can you buy the slingshot?" someone asked from beyond the village gate. I looked and saw Rusl walking toward me, the kids following in his wake. Talo was clasping against the man's pant leg and drawled, "Come oooonnnn, we'll be super careful!"

Malo clasped his hands together like a certain Simpsons character and whispered, "I wonder how powerful it is... I... I must try it..." I lifted an eyebrow and wondered how that kid would function as an adult.

Beth, a picnic basket in her hands, rolled her eyes and nudged Talo. "If you and Malo want it so badly, just buy it at my parents' shop!"

Talo whirled on her and shouted, "Do you see any rupees in my hand? I can't afford that thing!"

"Settle down now," Rusl urged, a good-natured smile on his face. "I'm sure if you did enough chores, you could get an allowance to buy the slingshot."

Malo looked up at the warrior and frowned. "But... our allowances are terrible. Aww, I wish I was born into a family with a slingshot instead of one with a waterwheel."

I blinked and thought, This kid is what, 4? How does he know the Facts of Life? I shrugged and leaned against the practice dummy. "I wouldn't recommend a slingshot." The kids turned and stared at me from behind Rusl's leg.

Beth planted her hands on her hips and asked, "And why not? Too big for toys?"

"That, and they're dangerous. Are any of you comfortable with idea of Talo running around with a loaded slingshot?" I asked, then caught Rusl's rather intimidating glare that said 'Stop talking.' "But that's a different topic. What can I do for you today?" What's he so upset about? It's true, Talo would be a menace to everyone. Pfft, as if that boy could work a slingshot. If anyone, it'd be Colin.

Rusl did not look appeased but he seemed to let the issue go. "We will spar for half an hour, and then you will continue running katas for another hour or two, then you can have the day to yourself. The children are welcome to watch as they please." I was about to ask about the moral implications of allowing children to see violence, but then I remembered that they were going to get a whole helping of it later on, so I conceded it was best to show them in a controlled environment.

Still, I did not like the way he said the kids were welcome. "So they're going to stay and make sure I actually do some exercise?"

"Yes," Rusl answered instantly.

"Let me get my wooden sword," I said, and then turned to go inside. Two minutes later, Rusl and I were standing off in the middle of the area with the children sitting against the safehouse. Rusl assumed his fighting stance; knees bent, back straight, sword parallel to his spine. I didn't bother to copy him. I charged, and the spar began.

Midna was helpless against It, though she could not say what 'It' was. If she could describe it, 'angry' would be a very appropriate word to use. Unfortunately, she could not speak, for her throat was being crushed by an iron grip. A tiny trickle of air was keeping Midna alive but only barely. She tried to look at the person torturing her, but his face was hidden. She did not know how she knew he was male, but that did not matter here.

Her fingers clawed at the person's arm, desperate to escape from his clutches and breathe deeply, but she was hurting herself more than she was hurting him. A voice from very far away called to her but she could not answer. Not only because of the lack of oxygen, but also because she was staring at the man's eye.

It was just one eye that shone through the shadow covering his face, but it was infinitely more terrifying. Blood red surrounded a ring of blue and a circle of black as the man squeezed tighter. Now Midna could not breathe at all and her tongue was trembling as she struggled even more.

"It wouldn't be the first time..." she heard the man say, but his voice was heavily muddled by the blood pumping around Midna's ears. She could only watch as the man lifted his other arm and rested it on top of her head. The touch set fire to Midna's nerves, but she was unable to stop it from swiveling her neck so fast that she heard something crack...

Midna awoke with a start and immediately grabbed at her neck. There was nothing there. Taking a shaky breath, the imp braced herself against the floor and ignored the phantom pain in her muscles. She could not say why but a sudden urge to get out of the confined space consumed her. The imp snatched up the Fused Shadow and vanished into its domain. She was still hungry, having not eaten for a full day now, so she decided to look for fruit. Fruit was easy, sweet, and Midna would not have to kill and then skin an animal. That would be unpleasant.

Stuffing down her unease, the imp slithered across the ground in search of food. Midna could feel the sun pressing down on her from within her shadow dimension but it was certainly more bearable than on her actual skin. Still, after a good ten minutes of roaming around with no delicious fruits in pseudo-sight, she was getting uncomfortable. When a shroud of darkness fell over her, she emerged from the shadow to find a tall tree had cast some shade, enough for Midna to walk around relatively freely. Breathing in the fresh air, she looked up and found, lo and behold, a shiny red... orb of some sort. It looked plump and juicy but also very small from where Midna could see, and she could see it a good twenty or thirty feet above her.

She squinted and tried to estimate how far the fruit was but she was having difficulty. It looked closer than she figured it was, but she also figured it was closer than it looked. Shrugging off her confusion, Midna tried to fly up and retrieve the fruit, but her energy was running on fumes. She could barely get into her shadow as it was, which meant she would have to climb the tree the old fashioned way. That's just great... the imp thought as she trudged over to the trunk of the tree and gripped its bark. It had a different texture compared to the trees in the Twilight Realm; those were crumbly and flaky while the trees in Hyrule were smoother and stood out a bit from the tree itself.

"Do you honestly... expect to-"

"Okay, first off, stop with the dramatic pauses." Midna planted her fists on her hips and tapped her foot. "You keep trying for this sort of 'mysterious adviser' but it's coming off as you being deliberately baiting for no reason."

"... As you wish. Secondly?"

"Secondly, yes, I do expect to climb this tree and get that delicious looking fruit. Just because I'm low on magic power doesn't mean I'm physically incompetent. Now," she cracked her knuckles and stretched her neck, "let's climb ourselves a tree." Taking several quick breaths, Midna hopped onto the bark and grappled it. Fortunately, her pointy fingers were not unsuitable for gripping the gaps between the pieces of bark, so Midna was able to climb fairly easily aside from two or three slips. Once she made sufficient progress to the lowest branch, the imp reached over and grabbed it, then quickly recoiled as a spot of sunlight burned her hand.

Seething under her breath, Midna set her foot on the branch where there was shade and stood on her haunches to reach the next branch. Briefly, the imp recalled her childhood when she would help Burak climb trees... except for the one time Burak slipped and broke her leg. A good three days in the healing chambers taught them both to be a bit more careful.

The imp hopped up and grabbed the branch overhead, then struggled to lift her lower body so she could wrap her legs around the branch. Unfortunately, Midna had gone out of practice and thus was literally left hanging. She groaned and looked upward for the motivation behind her exploits: the fruit was just three branches' distance up plus the three feet away from the tree itself.

Midna let herself touch down on the branch below and then thought to herself, "If I use my hair, I might be able to get that probably-not-worth-it fruit, but that's only if I can at least sit on the branch above me." The plan made, the imp grappled the overhead branch and felt the burn in her muscles as she successfully but painfully managed to pull herself up onto the tree limb. She breathed a sigh of relief and then focused on the fruit just barely with reach. Willing her magical hair to move, she only barely grabbed the fruit before it started to fall from the twig it was dangling from.

"I have you now..." Midna grinned and cupped her prize. It was slightly bigger than her fist and looked so plump and juicy... but when she bit into it, her fang was in the way and she ended up nibbling on her own lip. Okay, WHY do I have this stupid fang? What purpose can it possibly serve besides making me a bit adorable and feisty? Shaking her head, Midna rested against the tree and looked out over the forest as she retried eating the fruit. The juices were sweet and pleasant against her parched tongue, and the spongy insides were easy to chew even with the fang protruding from her upper jaw. As Midna's mind began to wander, she caught sight of a familiar figure in the clearing beside some sort of hut or shack. He was joined by a grown man of roughly the same height, and a group of children.

Hey, that's the shepherd boy. Wonder what he's up to. Resting one leg over the other, Midna continued eating her well-earned treat as she watched the young man from afar. She was in no hurry, so she might as well enjoy the show.

I started with a horizontal slash from the right. When Rusl blocked it, I swung my left fist and aimed for his jaw. He ducked under it and deflected the next attack. He was losing ground quickly as I continued my assault. Chop from above, uppercut from below, even a kick from the right. The Ordonian was barely able to block my attacks, but I was just getting started. If Rusl was having a difficult time, then it was proof that I was more than he anticipated and could handle most of what he could throw at me.

When the stranger charged, Midna had to beat against her chest as she choked on a chunk of fruit. This guy is a complete moron! There was no form or grace in his attacks, in fact he looked more like an overgrown child playing with a toy. From the get go, Midna spotted several staggering flaws in the Twilian-speaking light dweller; his stance was virtually nonexistent, his attacks were almost laughably predictable, and it looked like he was even making sound effects to punctuate his swings! I really, REALLY hope I'm not going to need his help...

The fight lasted for half an hour and Midna's prize had long since been devoured, but she was still staring at the stranger as he fought a clearly seasoned warrior, who, even though his sword was unsheathed, managed to avoid harming the younger novice. Now THERE'S someone who can fight. Over the half-hour battle, the stranger, who Midna decided to label Fool, made so many mistakes and fallacies that he would be dead at the start if it were that sort of fight. As it was, Midna struggled not to go down there and yell at Fool to improve his... well, his everything, but that was his business to be an idiot, not hers. She decided to spectate the warrior and sighed in relief when he swiftly took Fool's feet out from under him and confiscated his weapon. That was just painful. Who the blazes found this guy?!

Shaking her head at Fool's foolishness, Midna used the little bit of magic power she had gained to float in bursts down the tree. When she touched down on the forest floor, the imp ducked under her shadow dimension and scampered off to search for the Sacred Beast. "Ugh," her voice echoed from the shadow, "they could have at least given a description of it..."

"That went well," Rusl said cheerfully. I sighed and picked myself up, then brushed the dirt off my pants.

Looking over at the Ordonian, I asked, "How did you go from me lifting you over my back to swiping my feet out like it was nothing?"

Rusl shook his head. "You don't seriously believe you were actually able to throw me over your shoulder all on your own, do you?" Before I could answer, he tossed the wooden sword back and stretched his neck. "Now that I have seen your skill level, you are to repeat these techniques until I come back." He faced the practice dummy and bent his left knee toward it. His sword was held at an angle and his back was slightly hunched. "This is obviously not the form I was using before. This is a fighting style taught to me by Link's father, who learned it from his father, and so on. First, the horizontal slash." He demonstrated with a perfect two-chop, first going left and then coming back right. "Always remember to flip the blade on the way back, otherwise your grip will be weaker and enemies can more easily disarm you."

I nodded and repeated the gesture, though Rusl had to correct me on several minor points. He then prepared for the next attack. "The vertical slash," he said, then sliced downwards at an angle from the practice dummy's left shoulder to the lower right of its waist. "Never go straight down, especially if the opponent is wearing a helmet. You'll bounce off and leave yourself open." Once I had the basic move down, he went back into the neutral stance. "The thrust." He jutted the sword out and stabbed the practice dummy. "Never fully extend your arm or else you could damage the joints in your elbow and wrist, plus you could throw yourself off balance."

I copied Rusl's instructions and began doing drills for a few minutes. After a little while, I asked, "What about the jump attack and spin attack?"

Rusl shook his head. "Those are more advanced techniques that I do not feel you are ready for. Children," he glanced over to them, "please make sure he continues working on the three basic attacks until I return. There's food in the basket when you get hungry." He pointed a finger sharply at the group but his voice was relatively kind. "I expect all of you to be on your best behavior." Winking at Colin, the warrior spun on his heel and returned to the village proper.

Seriously, you're just gonna leave us here? I thought as I continued running drills. I kept at it for a good hour, taking only eight breaks in between, and I wanted to think I was improving, but that curb-stomp from Rusl shook up my perceptions. The kids were... well, kids, poking fun at how I was doing and playing with each other when I relaxed, but it was overall fairly pleasant. They asked random questions about me, I answered vaguely:

"So, Mister Zach, where're you from?"

"America."

"Where's that?"

"Not here."

"Where's here?"

"Not there."

"What's there?"

"America."

After another fifteen minutes, I plopped down and panted as I kept the sweat out of my eyes. Talo was sitting a bit away from me with a tough expression on his face. "Something on your mind, kid?" I asked.

Talo shook his head and looked at me. "Huh... Oh, yeah. Just... thinking about those naughty monkeys again..."

"Uh... what do you mean?"

Beth nudged the youth and said, "He means that monkeys are causing trouble in the village. I think I saw one of them carry Miss Uli's cradle when it drifted down the stream."

I froze and thought, Wait, that's not supposed to happen yet... Or is this not supposed to happen yet? I groaned and looked up at the noon sky. Great, sequence breaking.

"If I could just get my hands on..." Talo said, but trailed off as he looked at something in the distance. Suddenly jumping to his feet, the boy pointed a stick at the unseen offender and shouted, "C'MERE YOU!"

"Wha..." was all I could say before Talo rushed off in the direction of Ordona's spring. "Get back here!" I shouted. I didn't want to get in trouble for the kid getting hurt, no matter how annoying I found him. "What's his deal?"

Beth stood up and furrowed her brow. "He saw a monkey wandering around." Wait... if Talo chases the monkey, that would lead him right into...

"Gods damn it..." I shot to my feet and pointed at Colin. "Go and tell your dad that Talo chased after a monkey and I followed them." Before anyone could say anything, I snatched up the wooden sword and ran after Talo, thankful that I barely exercised my legs during the drills before, otherwise I would have had to limp. I could only hope he wouldn't be too hurt when I found him...