Chapter 1

The forest is dark, darker than it normally is, even at night. Something is wrong. Kokiri Forest, the Lost Woods, and probably the Sacred Forest Meadow as well, all seem to have a mysterious connection. A connection that is perplexing and cannot be explained.

As Mido stood in the Lost Woods near the stump where Skull Kid loves to play his music and hang out, he could not for the life of him figure out how it seems as if the whole of Kokiri Forest had been engulfed by a blanket of darkness. He could still see, but only slightly. The moonlight tried to penetrate the cover, but alas, it had failed for the most part. Some trees were visible, and the grass under his feet had to be there. The insects that sang at all hours could not be heard, as the forest was so silent it was deafening. From somewhere in the forest came a faint trace of a very foul smell!

Perhaps Skull Kid would know what is going on here in the forest, Mido thought. He considered searching for him, but he quickly changed his mind. I'm the boss of the Kokiri, I can figure this out on my own!

A chill slithered down Mido's back as he walked further into the Lost Woods to investigate the source of the darkness. He shrugged it off, not giving it any thought.

It wasn't just the Lost Woods that was blanketed in darkness, either. The small village in the forest where the Kokiri lived was also very dark. The area where the Great Deku Tree once lived was also no exception. What is going on here in the forest? Why is it suddenly so very dark? Mido vowed to get to the bottom of this, even if it means he'll lose out on precious sleep. The denizens of Kokiri Forest need not live their lives in fear, for Mido is here.

Mido came upon what appeared to be a small pond. Taking a closer look, he knew for sure it was a small body of water. Was this the warp zone to Goron City? It was impossible to tell, it was so dark. But there is water, for sure.

He ran his hand through the pond for reassurance. The water yielded to his touch without hesitation, and it was cool like it usually is. The air feels just as warm as it always has here in the forest, it's just...so dark!

Mido heard rustling of leaves somewhere behind him while the ripples in the water continued to spread. He continued to look at the water, thinking that a tiny creature was brave enough to set out in the darkness in search of food.

Good luck, little creature. Something weird is occurring.

The ripples stopped, and the water returned to normal. Two red eyes appeared in the water. Mido squinted his eyes and rubbed them, wondering if he was really seeing them. They remained there in the water, and they appeared to be growing. He punched the surface to see if the creature under the water would move. To no surprise, the eyes remained in place, except that they were slowly getting bigger.

Curious…

Mido frowned, not knowing what to make of this. A twig snapped behind him, and it occurred to Mido that the eyes could instead be a reflection of a creature that is—

Mido turned around and drew his dagger. The creature—and yes, there was something behind him all right—had turned around and headed north towards the Sacred Forest Meadow, leaving behind a trail of a stench that almost made him vomit.

That creature, whatever it was, was blacker than the darkness that had consumed the forest. It had moved with such quickness and fluidity that he could not get a good look at it. He glanced back at the little pond, and all he saw was the light of the moon barely illuminating his own reflection.

The Sacred Forest Meadow. That is where I'll go, since it is likely that that creature will be lurking there, or even in the Forest Temple.

Mido made his way north toward the Meadow, confident that the creature will be found and slayed. Maybe then will Kokiri Forest return to normal and not be so dark. All the other Kokiri must be very scared right now, not even wanting to leave their homes.

Well, fellow Kokiri, you don't need to be scared. Mido is here, and he'll rid the forest of the evil that has come upon it! Rest easy, my friends, help is on the way!

The smell was getting stronger as he approached the Meadow. That stench has to belong to that creature, Mido thought. Wow!

He fanned the air in front of his face as he walked, hoping to wave away the smell, but to no avail. That putrid scent was strong, and everywhere, it seemed. Poor Mido could not block it from going up his nostrils.

"This is not good!" he whispered. He could barely breathe. How would it be possible to seek out this monster and slay it when breathing is a problem? Maybe holding breath for a little bit at a time will work. It has to work because the Kokiri are depending on him, the Great Mido, to save them from this foul-smelling evil!

Through the forest Mido went, deeper and deeper into the woods. He saw nothing else that grabbed his attention—nothing except for the trees. Each tree was still. Not moving. There was not even a breeze to caress the branches and sway them around ever so lightly. While that was no cause for concern, there was one thing that all of the trees along the way to the Sacred Forest Meadow had in common: Though inanimate, they appeared to be alive. Their branches were spread out and bunched together in little groups that it looked like the trees had multiple hands—hands that clenched in fists on some trees, and hands with stretched out fingers that ended in sharp, pointy fingernails on some of the others.

Mido's face grew apprehensive as he passed some of the trees. Those trees are not looking at me, they're not! They're just trees, for Hylia's sake! But why do they look like they want to grab me? What did I do—or not do?

He picked up his pace as he made his way closer to the Meadow. Looking at those trees, it felt like they were speaking to him, but not with words. Were they imploring him to rid the forest of what had befallen it? Well, look no further, trees!

At last, he arrived at the gate to the Meadow. He stopped and was about to look back at the trees, half expecting them all to be looking at him in anticipation. Well, what are you doing? Get on with it!

Having decided on keeping his focus ahead of him, and with one hand covering his nose and mouth, Mido opened the gate and entered the Sacred Forest Meadow. The stench was so potent he had to keep his nose and mouth covered or else the deku nut squash soup that Saria made earlier would find its way up and out of his body. That would not be pretty, and Saria would probably take offense if Mido told her he vomited, thinking that maybe she didn't cook the meal properly.

No, Saria, your cooking is just fine! It's just...this...smell!

Mido took a few steps forward. Two walls, more like tall mounds of dirt with grass on top of them, were visible, separated by a space through which he could walk. It had been a very long time, many many many moons, since he last set foot in the Sacred Forest Meadow. It almost felt different, but he had been here in the past, so it wasn't really different. He made a mental note to come here more often in the future. This is a sacred place after all. Its sacredness should be more appreciated, especially by him, the Great Mido, boss of the Kokiri.

Ccrreeaakk!

Mido swung around with his dagger in hand, not even thinking to keep his face covered. He could feel his stomach turn, and he quickly covered his face once more.

Somehow the gate behind him had closed. The wolf staring him in the eyes must have done it. From where the wolf came, Mido didn't know.

Something is wrong, for sure. Monsters have not been spotted in the forest since the time when young Link found a Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield.

This wolf looked hungry. A big furry creature, with silvery white hair, yellow, pointy eyes and fangs that jutted out of its mouth, was no doubt considering the boss of the Kokiri Forest to be its next meal.

It's weird, Mido thought. It is still dark here and I can barely see, but I can clearly make out this creature. That might be because it's not supposed to be here, and so it stands out like a sore thumb.

Mido also noted that the wolf stunk. It has a different kind of stink, though. It's not like the smell that brought him to the Meadow; no, that smell is far worse!

The wolf growled and began to circle around Mido. Was it trying to figure out when to attack? The creature never took its eyes off of Mido, and Mido never took his eyes off of it. Maybe it's trying to sniff out any weakness. It doesn't seem to be affected by the foul smell, either.

All of a sudden the wolf pounced. Thoughts swirled around in Mido's mind while the creature was in mid air. Oh good Hylia what do I do?

Mido dodged the attack, stepping out of the way, but not without taking damage. The wolf's claw grazed his cheek and fingers, and blood started to trickle out of the wound.

That's it, this creature is going down, right here and now. It will be slain!

The wolf attacked again, and this time Mido prepared for it. Hold your breath, Mido! It's the only way, you need both hands for this one! While the wolf was in mid air, Mido somersaulted underneath it and flipped up back to his feet while swinging his dagger right across the monster's belly. The thing howled in pain and landed on the ground. Blood was pouring out of the several-inch-long wound.

The wolf was not ready to give up, though. It got back up, staggering and clearly weakened, and prepared for another pounce.

Mido was not going to give it another chance. Feeling a rush of energy flow through him—thank you, Hylia, for your aid—he ran at the wolf and jammed his dagger into its mouth, slashing downward just as the creature was getting ready to jump.

The wolf fell back down, but it still wasn't finished. It slashed at Mido with its paws, bringing the boss of the Kokiri down with it. They tumbled, rolling a couple times on the ground, and when Mido's back pressed down on the ground once more he brought the dagger up and across the wolf's neck.

The creature lay still. Mido got back up on his feet, covering his nose and mouth with his free hand. Moments passed, and still no movement from the wolf. Was it dead?

Looking closer, Mido saw immediately that it was indeed dead. During the struggle, the wolf's head had been decapitated; it lay just a couple inches from the rest of its body. At first it didn't look detached from the body, but a closer look revealed that the Great Mido, boss of the Kokiri, emerged from this battle a victorious being!

Mido breathed a sigh of relief. Good, at least that threat is out of the way. But there still lies the main problem. That black creature, whatever it is, is still somewhere here in the Meadow. And it still smells horrible!

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Mido proceeded through the Meadow. The foul-smelling monster was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't in the water, it wasn't atop the mound-walls of dirt, and it wasn't up in the trees looking down at him. Where was it? It is still here, somewhere. He can feel it. He can smell it.

Mido stopped once he reached the stairs at the other end of the Meadow. A chilling notion overcame him as he stared up and through the narrow path at the Forest Temple. That thing must be hiding in there. Where else can it be? Mido had only been inside the Forest Temple one time, and that was when it was finished being built. Him and Saria took a self-guided tour of the place to see the wonderful job that the Hylians did building the magnificent structure. It was wonderful.

Out of respect for the Hylians, especially for the king of Hyrule, Mido and Saria stayed out of the Temple. Only Saria had gone there again, and that was to help Link slay Phantom Ganon. Mido saw no need to go back in there, as beautiful as the place was. It was built to be a fortress, for what, Mido did not know. And he didn't even ask. When he realized it had Hylia's blessing, he left it at that. There was no need for any questions. No one had ever told him to stay out of the building, but no one really could do that, either. He was the boss of the Kokiri after all, and the place was in his forest, his home. But still he saw no need to go back in there.

Until now.

He climbed the stairs and through the narrow path that lead to the Forest Temple. At first he didn't realize it, but his walk had slowed down immensely. His heart beat faster, and faster, and faster still. The stench was so overpowering—even with one hand covering his nose and mouth—that he began to feel lightheaded. Yet he continued to move forward. For the sake of all in Kokiri Forest, he must move forward.

The smell became too much for Mido right as he was halfway across the stone platform adorned with the forest medallion. He knelt down with his eyes on the stone. Tears began flowing out of his itching eyes, and he felt as if he was going to pass out at any moment.

I must...move...on!

Mido heard a series clicks ahead of him, coming from the entrance to the temple. Something must be approaching.

Looking up, he saw the same two red eyes that were reflected onto the pond. Two red, beady eyes, staring at him, the Great Mido, as if it was questioning why the boss of the Kokiri was in its domain.

This is it, Mido thought. I am bearing witness to the reason behind this awful smell, and why it is unnaturally dark here in the forest. Although it was too dark to tell, Mido assumed that the plants throughout the forest had probably wilted due to the overpowering scent. Why? Why is this creature here? What does it want?

The monster creeped forward, the clicking noises ensuing its approach. It was now outside of the temple. Mido's eyes widened in horror at what stood before him.

From the minute amount of moonlight coming into the forest, the creature appeared to be a giant...spider? Was Queen Gohma somehow resurrected? Link slew that beast a long time ago inside the Great Deku Tree!

No, this can't be Gohma. Gohma had only one big eye; this one has two small ones.

The ends of the creature's legs were encased in a rock-like substance; that explains the clicking it makes as it walks. Mido could see a slick sheen swirling around its legs and body, like it was wet. He wondered where this creature's weak spot was. It had to have one.

The spider thing came closer and stopped just a few feet away from Mido. The Kokiri could see a dark cloud of smoke surrounding the...thing. Parts of the creature's body went in and out of focus along with the smoke. That explains how the creature fled so quickly when he spotted it near the small pond. This creature is from another world, a foul place, and clearly it has dangerous moves.

Mido watched as the spider opened its mouth. Two large fangs appeared, along with a rattling noise. Before he could fully process it in his mind, the spider creature quickly scurried toward him and stopped right in front of him. It lifted one of its legs to strike, and Mido fearfully realized he could not move. He was paralyzed with fear. The thought of drawing his dagger did not even cross his mind.

The spider swung its raised leg down on Mido just as he raised his arm to defend himself before everything went black.