It was after I crossed the bridge that I became grateful for my semi daily walks back on Earth. I took an hour-long walk every other morning because otherwise my dad would pester me about who knows what. I wasn't Olympic-level but I could at least keep my stamina up for a little while. Just after the bridge was a sidelong gate barring entrance deeper into the woods. I slowed to a walk but otherwise kept moving, pulling myself over the waist-high fence. Who needs a horse when you can climb?

I stopped at Faron's spring and quickly cupped some water. The liquid quenched my thirst and even helped ease the burning in my lungs.

"Hey guy!" a chipper voice called from beside me. It caught me by surprise and made me fall over. "Sorry 'bout that." I looked over and found Coro offering me a hand. I took it and stood up quickly. "You okay, guy?"

"My name is Zach," I snapped at him. He didn't flinch, which surprised me. Hm, must be one of those annoying 'Nuthin bothers me' people... "And I'm fine. Did you see a little boy run past here?"

Coro tilted his head and I once again stared at the afro on his head. I think the afro was born first and he grew around it, but I digress. "I wasn't looking that way, but I did hear a couple of feet stamp past." He waved his arm carelessly. "I wouldn't worry about it, Zach. There's gates blocking the way to Hyrule Field and Faron Woods."

I frowned and gestured to the path leading to his house. "A little kid can probably dig under the gates if he's determined enough."

The Hylian lifted his eyebrows in worry. "You sure?" When I nodded, he patted down his pockets. "C'mon, where is it... aha!" He pulled a small key out of his pant pocket and offered it to me. "You're gonna go in there by yourself?" I nodded again and snatched the key from his hand. "How will you know which gate he crawled under?"

"I'll figure something out. Thanks." With that, I took another sip of the spring water and then hauled ass to the outlet where Coro's house was. I slowed down and looked at the two gates, trying to figure out which one Talo crawled under. Both had small gaps underneath, which meant that he and the other kids had probably done this before in both directions, which meant I had to choose one gate and hope it was correct.

"Zedd, what are you doing?" I heard someone call from above. I looked in the direction of the voice and found Iza trembling from the second-story window of her house.

"A little boy ran past here and crawled under one of the gates. Do you know which one?"

Iza shook her head and said, "I didn't see anything, but if you're gonna be chasing some kid, you'll need a lantern. It's dangerous to go alone!"

I groaned and muttered, "Did you really just say that?" Turning to face her, I said, "I got a lantern, thanks." Just to be sure, I patted the phone in my pocket.

Iza scrunched her lips but shrugged anyway. "Watch out while you're inside. I got attacked by a monster yesterday!"

I scoffed and looked over at the gate. "Sure you did." I decided I was wasting time, so I trudged over to the closer gate.

"I did! She was small and had flaming hair with some kind of bone helmet!" That made me freeze on the spot. I slowly turned around and looked Iza in the eye as she nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh, some kind of imp or something, she was trying to eat me!" She then held up one hand and pretended to admire her nails. "I got her to scram, though. I think I broke some of her fingers, but that's her fault for trying to kill me."

"Well, fuck," I muttered. If she was running about, that was bad juju right there. Still, she and I had yet to meet face to face, so I focused on the gates and tried to figure out which one Talo went under. I looked through the gaps in the right gate and found a small stick laying there. It was the same one that Talo had been using to copy me during my practice earlier, which meant Talo definitely used that one. I pointed at the gate and asked Iza, "Where does this gate go?"

The Hylian answered, "Northern Faron Woods. Be careful when you're in there, the place is filled with Bokoblins."

"Thanks." I walked over to the gate and unlocked it, then stepped inside. The tunnel was dark and dank, and I could hear small animals skittering about. Pulling out my phone, I turned on the flashlight and was pleasantly greeted by the white bloom of light. It seemed a fair bit weaker than when I used it before, and when I checked the battery level, I found that it was at fifty percent. Halfway dead... and it's powered by four springs... two of them must already be taken by the Twilight... Cursing under my breath, I failed to notice the spider web until I walked right into it. The left half of my body was ensnared and could barely move. Luckily, my wooden sword was in my free hand. I hacked at the web... only for the sword to get stuck as well. The sticky substance was fairly strong, enough to keep me working at it for another five minutes, but it did eventually collapse. Spider-Man would have been disappointed.

Covered in sticky spider web, I trudged on through the tunnel, which led on for a time before opening into a large ovoid area with an enormous decaying tree in the center. The place was drenched in a thick fog so I could barely see anything within a five foot radius from eye-level down. Maybe an actual flaming lantern would have been a good idea... I shrugged and made for the leftward space first. One of the first rules I learned while playing Diablo was thus: To get the maximum amount of loot, circle the perimeter first and work your way in. That principle applies here, right? I kept one hand on the rock wall and slowly made my way forward.

For less than five minutes, I wandered along the left side of the area, but I was getting increasingly agitated. Nothing had come to attack me yet. No Keese, no Deku Babas, not even a renegade Bokoblin. There had to be some monsters around, or else why would Iza and Rusl warn about the place swarming with them?

Before long, I found a cavern entrance and I could hear something moving around inside, something like a Bokoblin. Too late to back out now, I thought, and then I marched into the cave. Ugh, smells like my brother... It was a fairly short cave, I found the creature about thirty seconds after I went in. It had its back to me and seemed to be studying something, but it never fully understood what it was before I whacked it over the head with my wooden sword. The Bokoblin collapsed and went limp, probably knocked out if the tongue flopping out of its mouth was any indication.

I looked over at what the unconscious Bokoblin was studying and found a key. Plucking it up and figuring where it was supposed to go, I picked up my wooden sword and ran out of the cave with a bit more enthusiasm than was necessary. Talo was in danger, and while I may not have liked the kid, he was still just a kid.

I continued holding the leftward wall and walked through the fog. My breathing was getting heavy from so much physical exertion, but I could handle it. I didn't want to think about what would happen to Talo if I quit now. After a little while, I came upon a small rise, where stood two Bokoblins in front of a large gate. Bingo. The two creatures had yet to notice me, and I was not going to try to fight them both at once, so I stuck close to the wall and shimmied along slowly toward the gate.

Argh, if I try to unlock it, they'll hear... I looked down and found a few small rocks around my feet. I picked one up and aimed carefully for the far-off wall. One... two... three! I threw the rock with all the force I could muster, and it sailed through the air and hit the stone loudly. The Bokoblins instantly ran off in the direction of the noise, allowing me the chance to get over to the gate. I fumbled with the key, and I could hear feet on the ground rushing in my direction, which made my hands even more fidgety.

I heard one of the Bokoblins screech followed by two loud thunks as I unlocked the gate and pulled it closed behind me. That was close... Thankfully, the tunnel was devoid of spider webs and ended quickly. I emerged into another clearing. It was average-sized and narrowed into another area ahead, so I followed the path and came upon an open arena-like space. With my improved eyesight, I could see Talo and a monkey with a red plume on its head rattling around in a wooden cage up further. They were positioned in front of some sort of entrance that stood on a winding path over a large gap. It was almost exactly like the entrance to the Forest Temple in the game, complete with a piece of bridge on the wall across from me.

The only obstacle between me and the area that supposedly held Trill's shop, if the place had any accuracy to it, were two more Bokoblins chittering to each other. There was no way I could get by without them noticing, which meant I would have to actually fight the two creatures. I shrugged and ducked low against the wall. Neither enemies had noticed me yet, which was good because I had to wipe sweat from my forehead and take a breather.

Once I was rested enough, I edged closer to the two and took stock of the situation: Both were facing towards where Talo was, both had clubs resting against their shoulders, and both seemed sleepy, if their bodies waving slightly was any indication. I saw a decent sized rock nearby and lifted it up. It was about the size of my fist, so it would definitely do some damage if I could make contact.

Inching ever closer, I held my breath tightly in my chest and counted the steps until I was close enough to attack. Nine... I readied the rock in my left hand and the wooden sword in my right. Seven... I could smell the sweat and other odors coming from the creatures. Five... Eh, close enough. I threw the rock as hard as I could at the nearer creature, striking it right in the back of the skull. It lurched forward and tripped over its own feet, impaling itself in the chest with the spiked end of its own club.

Huh, that's convenient... What was not convenient was the other Bokoblin charging at me while I was busy watching its comrade fall. It raised its club and swung downward. I blocked with the wooden sword but still got knocked to the ground from the force behind the blow. "Holy shit that's a good arm," I grumbled as I rolled to the side. The club came down again and caught me in the shoulder with the blunt end, sending a shock of pain through my arm.

This was different from when I was impaled before, because I was rolling down a hill when I got stabbed, so I wasn't immediately aware there was any danger. Here, I damn sure knew I got hit, and it hurt. It was the blunt end and I was thankful for that, because it got me right in the shoulder blade. I threw myself backward, just in time too, because the club sank down right where my head was before. I landed flat on my back and struggled to stand up, but the pain in my shoulder was... well, painful, what else could I say? The Bokoblin raised its club again and left its belly wide open, but my aim was off when I thrust the wooden sword out. Instead of the belly, I accidentally struck the creature right in the groin. Its beady eyes widened in pain as it dropped its club to hold the damaged region.

"Sorry about that," I muttered as I managed to pick myself up. So far, nothing in my body seemed really broken, so that was reassuring. The Bokoblin shuffled around, still holding its groin, ignorant of its attacker getting ready to strike again. I used my good arm to lift the wooden sword up and swung, catching the creature right in the jaw. Its head flew back and it stumbled backwards, one foot sticking up humorously to keep its balance. I scooped my sword under the foot and lifted, causing the creature to flail about and fall backwards, right onto the club it dropped before.

Wow, that's gory, I thought as I saw the spike sticking up from beneath the Bokoblin's ribs. The creature was so thin at the waist that the spike tore right through as though it were paper. "Ouch..." I shrugged and went on my way. It was just an animal, it wasn't like it were human or anything. Besides, it would have killed me the second it could. Anyway, I passed the corpse and walked into the next area, where I heard a bird call that sounded very human.

"GRRRARRR! FWEEEEEEEEEEET!" I turned to the right and saw a small kiosk, a wooden stand with two cauldrons on top. The cauldrons were colored green and yellow, and they were ornate and bubbling with liquids. I wanted to investigate, but the shopkeeper was screaming at me. "Hey! Punish the evildoers! ...Huh? Hey! The evildoers are all gone?" I lifted an eyebrow at the bird... at least, I think it was a bird. It had blue feathers on its body with green and yellow feathers on its wings and tail plus a long yellow beak. But what really caught my eye was the presence of yet another afro on the bird's head. Seriously, what is the appeal? The bird chirped and flapped its wings in excitement as it stared at me. "Are you... a costumer? Oh! Hey! Sorry! So sorry! Please forgive me! Welcome! Hey! Buy something! Anything!"

"Uh... Trill, I presume?"

Trill nodded. "That's my name. Hey! Grrarr! Do I know you?"

I shook my head and said, "No, I just met your master yesterday. Anyway, I gotta go help someone-"

"You gonna buy something? Go ahead! Anything you want!"

"I appreciate it, but maybe some other time..."

"Grrarr! BUY SOMETHING! I haven't had a customer in ages!"

One track mind, I see... I stepped forward and perused the cauldrons. Lantern Oil, and... green stuff. "Uh... what's this?"

"Oh! Fweet! Very rare Green Potion! Refills magic power!"

"Magic power? I don't have magic power..." I ran a hand through my sweaty hair. "I don't have any money on me right now anyway, so-"

Trill dove off his perch and swooped over to a shelf above the stand. "No problem! You got rid of the evildoers! On the house!"

"Does everything you say end with an exclamation point?" I asked, but Trill didn't answer. He instead pulled out a classic Zelda glass bottle, complete with cork, and offered it to me. It was about the size of a 12 oz soda can, a bit smaller than I thought it'd be. "Um, thanks." No, I did not hold it above my head. No, I did not spin around and strike a dramatic 'Da na na NA' pose. This was no game. Besides, my shoulder was still hurting and moving my left arm hurt.

"Go on! Grrarr! Take a bottle full of whatever you want! My treat!"

I looked down at the cauldrons and found small note cards by each one. Lantern oil was lantern oil, so there was no need to read that. I plucked up the Green Potion card and read aloud, "'Green Potion: Use this to restore magic power and stamina.' What's that mean?"

Trill bounced on his perch and said, "When you get tired, drink the potion and your fatigue will vanish! You'll feel energized too! Really handy for fighting and running! Fweet!"

"And this stuff is free the first time?" Trill nodded. "Seems like something that should go with Red Potion but..." I shrugged and dunked the bottle in the Green Potion. Filling it to the brim, I took a big swig and gulped down the whole lime-flavored thing. That... was a mistake. You ever had those 5-hour energy drinks? Imagine drinking ten of those at once. The pain in my shoulder vanished, which was good, but I was literally saturated with energy. Energy meant movement, movement meant action, action meant Bokoblins were about to die. "I'llcomebackforthebottleafterIdealwiththoseBokoblinsupaheadwhokidnappedalittlekidKTHXBYE!"

Before Trill or I knew what happened, I was running... no, sprinting down the forest floor and onto the wooden bridge leading to Talo and the monkey. I think there was a dust trail behind me from running so fast, but I was not nearly aware of anything except the four Bokoblins guarding Talo's cage. "Ha! Justbecausethere'smoreofyoudoesn'tmeanIcan'thandlethisrescuemissionbecauseIonceplayedDDRandgotthehighscoreonthehardestsong!"

Now, I was having a massive sugar rush, but that did not make things run in bullet time. I was moving due to excess energy, not some strange time dilation, so when the Bokoblins attacked, I had to dodge quickly to the side because I was surprised they could keep up. I swung my wooden sword and struck one in the side of the head, only to have another hit me in the collar bone of my already-injured shoulder with the blunt end of its club. Really convenient that they never tried to actually impale me, but whatever. I was sure my collar bone was broken, but since I was still in Speedy Gonzalez mode, I barely registered it.

"Look out!" I heard Talo cry, and I ducked on instinct and felt the wind from a club sweep over my head. I swiped upward and knocked the Bokoblin backward a few feet, just enough to give me breathing room. "Yeah, get 'em!" The monkey beside him chirped in excitement.

"Comin'atya!" I charged forward and rammed my shoulder into the second Bokoblin, then ducked as the third swung its club and struck its companion in the gut. The wind knocked out, the creature keeled over and collapsed to its knees, which was just the opportunity I needed to lift its club up and smash it against the thing's head. There were still three Bokoblins, but thankfully I was positioned at the opening of the winding path, which funneled the creatures down into a single-file line. The one in front shambled towards me and swung its weapon against my raised wooden sword. The force was immense and broke the rookie block, allowing the club to hit me right in the cheekbone. Crying out in pain, I pulled my leg back and kicked the creature as hard as I could in its groin. It shuddered and squeaked as the Bokoblin behind it pushed it over the edge of the ramp-like path, where it quickly fell out of sight, but I was not paying attention.

Here's the thing about fighting on an inclined plane: Keep both feet on the surface or you risk slipping. Since one foot was lifted up to make the groin attack, my stability was halved and I fell. Luckily, my jaw broke the fall as I chomped into my own teeth. Due to the energy still running in my system, I didn't stay down for long. I banked right and just missed the Bokoblin's club as it sailed through the air and dented the wooden floor where my head was.

So many close calls. I grabbed the beast's foot and yanked hard, causing it to flail its arms around to maintain its balance. Because it was still holding the club, it ended up hitting the final Bokoblin in the skull... with the spiked end. The creature fell backward and lay still on the incline, blood oozing out of the wound in the side of its head. The single living Bokoblin was oblivious to its companion's fate as it tried to yank its club free. I stood up and slammed my wooden sword down on the top of its head, and all was still.

The Bokoblin stood frozen for a few moments before it slowly teetered and fell on the monster it was trying to get its club from. It spasmed for a little while before finally going still, and I let out a sigh of relief. "That was easy..." I stepped over the two Bokoblins and shuffled over to Talo's cage just as a sudden rush of pain attacked my collar bone. I could barely move my left arm, it hurt so much, but I had to keep my focus on Talo. "Are you hurt, kid?" The boy quickly shook his head and gripped against the bars of the circular prison. "Don't move." He froze instantly. I gripped the top of the cage and slowly leaned it over to one side.

"What are you doing, you doofus?!" Talo cried.

"I can't break the cage open while it's standing up, and with my arm like it is, I can't get the top off either." I pinched the bridge of my nose as a headache grew. "If I set it on its side, I can chop some of the bars in half for you and your date to get out."

Talo looked aghast as he bellowed, "EWW! SHE'S NOT A DATE!"

"Keep quiet!" I yelled as I held my forehead. "Just try to relax and I'll get you out of there that much faster." Talo stared at me for what felt like forever before nodding. I leaned the cage over and set it on its side, as I said before, and immediately pondered the next step: How was I going to break the bars? They were thick wood and looked sturdy, so I needed something heavier than my wooden sword to break them. Then came the next problem: How would I keep Talo and the monkey from getting hurt by the broken bars?

I snapped my fingers and reached into my satchel, thankful that I had it on my person. After some digging, I pulled out a thick black coat and offered it to Talo. "Cover yourself with this, it'll keep you safe from the bars when I break them." Talo, on his side with the monkey clinging to him, nodded and took the offered item, then draped it over him and his fellow prisoner. After pulling at the edges to make sure they were completely covered, I walked over to the Bokoblins and winced as I picked up one of the clubs. It was heavy, just a little bit lighter than a sledgehammer, but I was able to lift it with one arm. It seemed the Green Potion was wearing off and I was crashing as a result, but at least I could still move.

Where the hell is Rusl when you need him? I thought as I brought the club down on the first wooden bar, cracking but not completely breaking it. I told Colin to tell his dad like ten minutes ago. I wheezed as I whacked the bar again, this time successfully splintering it. I put the club down to wrench the fragments out and then rolled the cage slightly so that the next bar was higher than the rest. "One more outta do it, kid." I saw the shape of his head nod under the coat, and I struck the bar as hard as I could. It splintered in two and poked at the coat. As I pulled the pieces out, I asked, "You hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." I nodded and strained to lift the cage back up, but once I did, Talo practically leapt out and stretched his arms and legs. I took the coat back and stuffed it into my satchel as the monkey gave me a nod and leapt off into parts unknown. Talo and I glanced at each other but no one said anything as I helped him get around the Bokoblin bodies.

We stayed silent all the way down the ramp until Trill hooted and beckoned me over. "Grrarr! That was amazing!" I hissed and held my head as the bird's voice grated against my skull. "Four evildoers at once! Fweet! First you and then that little girl, today has been great!"

My eyes widened as I stared at Trill. "Little girl?"

The shopkeeper nodded enthusiastically. "She used your bottle, but she paid for the potion with a fifty! Grrarr!"

I looked down at the bottle on the table and sighed. She was nearby, probably still in the immediate area, and she actually used the bottle after I already did. That can't be healthy. I picked up the bottle, corked it, and stuffed it in my satchel before turning to Trill. Raising my voice, I said, "If you see that little girl, you can tell her she is welcome to come by my house later today. I'm sure she would appreciate a nice warm meal in this kind of environment." The bird and Talo both tilted their heads at how my voice was louder than necessary, but Trill nodded anyway.

"Fweet! I'll be sure to let her know."

Ah, so you don't yell everything you say. "Pleasure doing business with you," I said, my volume back to normal, and Talo and I walked off in the direction of the village. We moved quickly through the tunnel and the foggy area, where I spotted the two guardian Bokoblins laying on the ground with lumps on their skulls. How did...? I shook my head and kept moving, not wanting to risk another encounter, and when we reached Coro's hut, Talo stopped and spoke up.

"If you hadn't come, Zach..." The boy dug his foot into the dirt. "Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably!" He looked around everywhere except at me, but I didn't mind. "She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey... She tried to protect me, so we got captured together." I nodded and waited patiently for him to go on. "Um, Zach... I'm sorry I called you a doofus..."

I snorted and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. I've been called a lot worse. Besides," I smiled at him, "you're right." Talo laughed a little and walked a little ahead of me as we passed Coro's bathhouse.

"Zach!" Rusl called as he ran over to us, Ilia and Colin following close behind. The warrior slowed to a stop and held Talo's shoulder and mine. "My son told me Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned." Said boy glared daggers at Colin as he shrank behind Ilia. "I came as soon as I heard... But it looks like you have brought him back already..." His eyes widened and I assumed he noticed my superficial wounds. "I apologize. Such a task should not fall to you." He turned to Ilia and said, "Please take care of Zach in Ordon Spring. I will escort Talo and Colin home."

"I'm fine," I protested, which only earned a fierce glare from both Rusl and Ilia. "...I'll follow Ilia to the spring."

"Don't be mean to him," Talo said. "He got hurt pretty bad... and it was my fault..."

Rusl sighed and rubbed his temple. "We will discuss this with your parents," he must have noticed the drop in Talo's shoulders because he added, "though I think that is very mature of you to take responsibility for a stranger. Come." We followed behind Rusl as he walked over the bridge, but Ilia and I split off from the group to go to Ordona's spring.

I sputtered my lips and plopped down in the sand. Ilia joined me but with a rag in her hand that she dipped into the spring. "It was foolish of you to go after him," she said softly. She dabbed the rag against my cheek and frowned at me. "You should have waited for Rusl."

The bruise in my cheek vanished into nothing, and when Ilia touched my injured shoulder, I found relief in the fact that my collar bone was not actually broken. It still hurt like a bitch when she touched it, but that's what happens. "The Bokoblins would have killed him and the monkey he was chasing."

Ilia lifted an eyebrow. "Is that what happened?" she asked genuinely. I nodded as she rubbed at my shoulder. The pain slowly ebbed away and gave way to hypersensitivity in the area Ilia was touching. I could feel the cloth threads and the lukewarm liquid they were drenched in pressing against my shirt and skin. It was actually very nice, like I was getting a massage, but it ended when Ilia pulled away. She smiled and stood up to brush the sand off her clothes and offered me a hand up. I took it and brushed my clothes off before following her out of the spring. I checked the time on my phone. Just past 1:30? It seemed so much later than that, the sky was even darkening a bit. I shrugged and said goodbye to Ilia, then went inside my house to get changed and maybe take a nap.

Yeah, a nap sounds good.

"Helloooo!" Midna called into a hollow log. "Sacred Beast? Where are youuuu?" She harumphed and crossed her arms. "What's the use of being a divine creature if you're not presenting yourself as one?" She had been at this for an hour already, yet no sign of anything sacred or beastly had crossed her path. "Orochi, can't you sense it?"

There was a pause. "We cannot fully locate the Legendary Beast. We merely sense divine power in the area."

"UGH!" Due to her dwindling magic power, Midna had been forced to walk around in a particularly foggy area of the forest. So far, she had only encountered a single tall blue-skinned creature with a club, but it was distracted by the shiny object in its hand as it headed in a random direction. "This is just ridiculous. How am I supposed to find the Sacred Beast if I don't even know what it looks like?" She continued to grumble under her breath as she checked under every stone and log around her, until she heard the sound of something walking. Instinctively hiding in her shadow, the imp slithered across the forest floor toward the sounds and found... Great, Fool is wandering about.

Midna slinked under the young man's own shadow and stayed silent as he hugged the left side of the area's wall with a small key in his hand. Hmm, wasn't that what that creature was holding? She watched as he spotted two more of the gangly things near a locked gate. He picked up a stone, waited three seconds, then hurled it at the far wall. The creatures distracted, he darted for the gate and attempted to unlock it, but the diversion ended when one of the monsters saw him. They both immediately shambled in his direction but he had yet to open the gate.

Midna groaned and thought, You owe me for this, Fool. She emerged from the shadows and was greeted by a screech from the closer monster. Wagging her finger, Midna used her hair hand to bonk the two on the head, knocking them out and saving the idiotic young man. She resumed her pursuit and watched him attack two more of those creatures, whom she decided to call Trolls, and throw a big rock into one's skull. Deciding to help her poor little novice a bit more, Midna grabbed the stumbling Troll's feet and tripped it, causing it to be impaled on its upturned club... which was where Midna happened to move to.

EW! Stuffing down her own disgust, Midna shifted along the ground to somewhere with privacy. She emerged from the shadow and sighed with relief when she found that none of the gore had actually blemished her. With a snort, Midna thought, As if this could get any more blemished. That was when she spotted something in the dirt at her feet. Bending down, she brushed the item clean and found that it was a large violet gemstone. Ooh, shiny, the imp thought as she picked it up. Satisfied, the imp walked away from her hiding spot, only to jump behind a bush when she heard a loud cacaw nearby. Something spoke in that foreign tongue, so Midna could only guess at what it was saying. The imp peeked around the bush and saw the young man... talking to some sort of winged creature with a bob of hair on its head. Hm... there aren't any creatures like that in the Twilight Realm... Well, nothing like that, anyway...

"It is one of a thousand different kinds of feathered creatures," Orochi informed the imp. "They are called Birds."

Thank you, Midna thought sincerely.

"Uh... Trill, I presume?" There it was again, the natural tongue the young man spoke with. How could he speak Twilian and yet have everyone understand him so clearly? "No, I just met your master yesterday. Anyway, I gotta help someone-" He was interrupted by the frantic chirping of the winged creature that Midna decided to call Bob. The thing seemed very excited, as though it had not seen many people for a long time. Fool raised his hands to try to placate Bob. "I appreciate it, but maybe some other time..." Bob hawked and cacawed hysterically, and Fool sighed and looked down at the two pots on the stand. He pointed to the green one and asked, "Uh... what's this?" The winged creature chirped. "Magic power?"

Midna's attention, which had been drifting off, snapped back at Fool and she eyed the pot with heightened interest. It was probably nothing, but... well, Midna was running low on her own magic, so maybe, just maybe... "I don't have magic power... I don't have any money on me right now anyway, so-" He stopped talking as Bob fluttered over to the shelf and pulled up some sort of transparent container with a stopper at the top. "Does everything you say end with an exclamation point?" He sounded slightly agitated now, though Midna could only guess why. He took the bottle and glanced up at Bob. "Um, thanks." He picked up a small piece of paper and read out, "'Green Potion: Use this to restore magic power and stamina.' What's that mean?"

Midna rolled her eyes and thought, Fool, it means you get more magic power. Doy! Fool dunked the bottle and then chugged it in one gulp. The imp watched in fascination as Fool's eyes started twitching and his grip on the bottle tightened. For a moment, Midna thought he would die on the spot, but then he sputtered out a very long sentence that she could not understand and then ran off with a large dust trail following behind.

"Whoa." Midna clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late as Bob turned his head and chittered at her. It seemed to get excited all over again but Midna was still unaware as to why. "Slow down there, fella. I can't understand you." Bob tilted his head and gestured at the stand. The imp pointed at herself and Bob nodded.

"It wants you to purchase something."

"Well why didn't it just say so?" Midna rolled her eyes and walked up to the stand, only to find that she was on eye level with the top. She spotted a small stool nearby and stepped onto it, and then hummed in approval as she stood over the two pots. "So, green is magic power. Seems simple enough, but I don't want to dunk my face in that." She saw the bottle on the stand and grimaced. She did not want to trade spit with some foreign most likely diseased person, but then, she could drink from the other side or just pour it down her throat.

Her mind made up, Midna dunked the bottle into the cauldron, only for Bob to start screeching and cacawing wildly. "What?!" the imp cried. Bob hopped to the stand and poked the shiny violet gem with its beak. "This is... this is payment?" Bob seemed to understand even through the language barrier, so Midna offered the trinket to him. He snatched it up gracefully and flew back to his perch. "Weird, but okay." She filled the bottle up to the brim and drank heartily from the side Fool's mouth did not touch. Mm, I have no idea what this flavor is but it's really good! The imp wiped her mouth with her arm and gasped at the surge of magic power flowing through her. It was nowhere near as staggering as when she touched that water the night before, but it was twice as filling.

While her total magic power had been virtually quartered by the transformation into an imp, the potion Midna just drank filled that amount completely. "Thank you very much, Bob." She waved at the bird and then soared into the air, gleefully giggling as the wind rushed over her body. "Now THIS is what I'm talking about!"

The imp felt Orochi's presence at the back of her thoughts as it warned, "Take care not to drain yourself again."

Midna lifted a finger to argue, but then thought better of it. Orochi was right, she had been too frugal with her power in the past. Nodding, the former Twilight Princess descended and was able to overhear Fool say, "Little girl?" Midna looked down and saw him along with a young boy talking to Bob, who chittered and chirped in excitement. Fool's eyes drifted to the bottle and narrowed slightly. "If you see that little girl, you can tell her she is welcome to come by my house later today. I'm sure she would appreciate a nice warm meal in this kind of environment."

Midna narrowed her eyes in turn. First, Fool deliberately enunciated 'little girl' as though he knew what she looked like. Second, he basically invited her into his home with the promise of hot food. To say Midna was tempted was an understatement. Her belly growled in hunger as she watched the two light dwellers walk away. Take a stranger up on his offer of hopefully decent food, or stay away and scavenge for fruit?

"We'll see, Fool." Midna vanished into the shadows and slid away. "We'll see."