The Faron Woods were filled with life and energy that day. The late morning sun shone through the tops of the trees, creating patches of light and dark areas along the forest floor. Along the dirt path, Link walked with his sorrel mare Epona by his side, followed closely by Talo, Malo, and the boy Colin, who had just joined with them several minutes ago. Talo had brought his toy wooden sword along for the hike, and he now was swinging it back and forth at some imaginary foe, letting out a victorious cry every now and then. His younger brother was content to simply walk beside Epona, watching Colin with a hint of distaste in his eyes.
"So why didn't Beth want to come?" Colin asked Link.
"Don't know," Link replied. "She didn't seem too enthusiastic."
"She's a big chicken!" said Talo, preforming what may have been intended as a spin attack on an overgrown patch of grass. Instead, he clumsily stumbled on his feet and to the ground, his wooden sword flying to parts unknown.
"Nice one," remarked Malo.
"What about Illia?" asked Colin, ignoring Talo's mishap.
Link hesitated. "She's been a little...wary of the outside world lately. I can't say I blame her."
Talo had gotten to his feet, brushed himself off as if nothing had happened, then said, "Well, we're not afraid! Come on, Link! Show us where some of those, um...what are they called? Bulbins! That's it. Where are those?"
"Gone. They haven't been seen in Hyrule for... a year, in fact." Link paused to adjust Epona's harness, tightening the cinch up just a notch, before moving on. "Look, we're not going to go creature hunting, all right? There are dangerous places in these woods. We'll go as far as Coro's house."
The group was approaching the spring of Faron, the light spirit of the province. At first glance, the pool of crystal clear water appeared as normal as any, surrounded by beds of wild flowers at the water's edge. However, unbeknownst to the children, Link thought he could see a tiny white glow emanating from the peak cascade, followed by a faint whisper, "...Chosen hero..."
Not anymore, Link reminded himself dubiously. He observed the children and was glad to see that they noticed nothing special about the spring. They entered a large cave, which, Talo noticed with delight, had remains of old dead Deku Babas rotting in the soil.
"Gross," he muttered, poking at the shriveled plant with his toy sword. "Are any of these things still alive?"
"Oh probably," said Link. "We won't be seeing any of those, those are all in the Forest Temple...oh no." He clapped a hand to his forehead, realizing his mistake. Talo and Malo's eyes had grown wide with growing excitement.
"A Forest Temple?" Malo demanded. "Where?"
"Is it close by here?" asked Talo, waving his sword again. "Now that sounds like a cool place!"
"We're not going in there, are we?" Colin asked timidly.
"No," Link told them flatly. "I shouldn't even have mentioned it. Let's just keep going."
The cave mouth opened up ahead of them, leading in two possible directions. To their right, the path continued through the forest and past an old, clumsily built cabin, the house belonging to Coro, from whom Link always bought his supply of lantern oil. The pot was out on the fire, as usual, boiling some black, awful-smelling liquid inside. Coro himself was sitting out front, as he always did, with a precariously perched bird's nest tangled in his wild mass of hair. He extended a hand up and waved.
"Hey, it's the Ordonian," he said cheerfully. "And the little Ordonians!"
"I'm going to get an extra supply of oil," Link told the boys. "You three stay with Epona, okay?"
"Can I come meet Coro?" Colin asked Link.
"Sure, come with me. Just a word of advice; if he offers, don't drink his soup."
Roughly ten minutes later, Link and Colin walked back to where Epona was tethered. Link took the now full bottle of lantern oil and placed it inside Epona's saddlebag draped over her withers. "That Coro guy scares me," said Colin, smiling comically.
"You'll get used to him," said Link. "He's just a bit- where's Talo and Malo?" He wheeled around, startling his horse, searching the area. "They've gone!"
"Look," Colin pointed to the other fork in the path. There was a broad wooden sign, coated with moss, that read clearly in carved letters:
Forest Temple - This Way
The carved arrow on the sign pointed straight ahead, toward a series of dark, dripping caves that lasted for at least a mile. The gate had been left wide open, as it had originally been unlocked, and two sets of small footprints led into the caves.
"Just as I thought," Link muttered. "That's just great. I had better go after them before they get in harm's way."
"Link," Colin said fearfully. "Is it really bad out there in the woods, like you said?"
Grimacing, Link took the scabbard of his sword and strapped it to his shoulder, the hilt pointing above his left shoulder. "Let's just say that I'm not just bringing this as a precaution. Stay here with Epona, Colin. Don't go anywhere; I mean it." Trusting the boy to stand where he was, Link took his weapon and strode hastily into the caves, also taking with him the lantern he would inevitably need in the darker places of Faron Woods.
"Face it Talo, we're lost." Malo glared at his brother as they emerged from yet another shadowed cavern. "I knew this was a bad idea."
Talo did not look at him, but kept his wooden sword ready in his hand. "We aren't lost!" he snapped. "And don't be such a baby. It's not like it's nighttime or anything."
Regardless, they pressed on, walking through a somewhat familiar forest clearing, and continuing on by a strange looking stand. It was made up to look like a makeshift shop, with boxes piled on top of one another and vats of many different potions steeming over fires. Stranger still, a tropical bird was perched by this shop, scaring the boys out of their minds by shrieking, "Awk! Hey! Buy something! Buy something! Awk!"
"Relax, it's just mimicking a person's voice," said Malo, unperturbed. Talo's wide eyes followed the bird for a brief moment before resuming the walk.
'Hey look, there it is!" he cried.
A gigantic redwood tree towered above the rest of the wood, its massive trunk stretching to what looked like two hundred feet in diameter. The fat boughs sported wide leaves of the greenest you could ever find on a naturally growing plant, and large enough to stand on freely. One branch was veined to the edge of the cliffside, leading into an enormous hollow hole in the trunk. Everything below the tree was an endless gorge, deepening to a bottom that was not even visible to the naked eye.
Both boys were speechless as they surveyed the sudden gorge, and the giant of a tree. "I bet the Forest Temple is in there," said Talo, jogging to the bridge-like branch. "Come on!"
Malo followed behind, having some trouble keeping up with his brother. The two boys made quite a disturbance as they charged toward the tree; flocks of birds burst from the trees and flew away in a frenzy, and the echoes of their cries reverberated throughout the forest. Finally as they reached the tree itself, they entered the mouth of the hollow.
It was too dark inside to see anything, and it was damp; a pool of water had formed in the middle of the floor. Talo and Malo were surprised by how cold it had become. They both shivered, wishing that they had Link's lantern. An odd, squeaking sound was heard further into the cave, along with tiny wings flapping...
"Yikes!" Talo ducked as a pair of bats swooped over their heads, making those rat-like squeaks. The creatures, fortunately for the boys, did not attack but flew outside, not to be seen again.
Malo had run for cover behind his brother, as fast as his little legs would carry him. Talo feebly raised his wood sword, his limbs shaking slightly. "They're gone, I think," he said, swallowing hard. "Those aren't so scary, right?"
"Right..." Malo did not sound so sure of himself. "I don't like this cave, though. Too dark."
"Yeah," Talo agreed. Secretly, he regretted disobeying Link now, because so far the Forest Temple turned out not to be what he expected. But, his pride would not let him turn back. "Look, there's some light at the end over there. Let's go!"
They finally left the cave to discover a larger, better lit place. The air was thick and moist, with pollen particles floating about the place, and tall green grass covered much of the ground before them. Two totem-like columns stood parallel to one another, leading up to a vine covered board at the end. The boys gaped at these surroundings with wonder; they had never seen anything so dramatically rugged in Faron Woods.
Talo had already started into the room, eager to explore. He held his sword gingerly in his hand, occasionally whipping at the grass. "If we're inside the tree, I wonder how all this stuff got in here," he thought out loud. "Pots, poles, and what not... hey, look at this!"
His short attention span switched to a large flower, it's dark, veiny leaves conspicuous against the rest of the flora. He felt the urge to poke at it with his sword, and he lifted the stick to do so.
Two rows of long sharp fangs suddenly erupted from the earth. A violet hued bud enclosed by green petals bared these fangs, uttering a sharp, high pitched shriek. Oozing green venom dripped from its "mouth". This was a living Deku Baba.
Talo screamed and nearly fell over backwards, but he righted himself and bounded out of the Baba's reach, grabbing his brother by the arm to lead him away as well.
"I had thought Link was joking about those things!" Malo seemed almost outraged. "There's a whole row of them over there!" He gestured toward a bunch of the Deku Babas growing in the bushes, aroused by the sudden chaos. They all snapped their jaws hungrily, though their stalks did not allow them to get close enough to the boys. "I like them better when they're dead, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah, but..." Talo started to protest. "I was just caught by surprise, that's all! Watch, I can take one of these guys!"
He raised the wooden sword and doubled back on the original Baba who jumped him before, hitting its bud with a sounding whack! The plant fell limp for a moment, dazed, then rose again and opened its jaws to attack. Talo aimed his sword at the green stalk and struck; the plant was snapped in two. The Baba collapsed in the long grass and moved no more.
"Take that!" Talo shouted, immensely pleased with himself. "I sure am skilled!"
"Congratulations," Malo's voice was monotone. "Now try taking on the lot of four over there."
"Uh... why don't we just continue?" Talo cut his brother off quickly and walked forward, to the vine-covered board. The two boys proceeded to climb up the vines, careful to avoid the sharp thorns, and reached the next room unscathed.
This hollowed room was even larger than the last; rough, weathered wood formed a set of stairs that led up to a platform. More Deku Babas could be seen lurking in the brush, along with some other unfamiliar creatures that burrowed from beneath the ground. The boys could see things hanging from the ceiling; artifacts like pottery, a small chest, and other items.
"What's that rope that's hanging those pots from?" Malo asked. It was something long, white, and sticky, by the looks of it. "It looks almost like... spider web." He heard his brother gulp from behind. "What?"
Talo lifted a shaking finger and pointed to the top of the stairs, a coutenance on his features that tried to mask terror.
A gigantic spider was waiting for them there, eight hairy legs twitching and stamping the wood with excitement at finding its prey. It scuttled toward them eagerly, beady black eyes blinking, and its fangs curling. On its back was a marking that was unmistakably a white skull, found only on the variation of spiders known as the Skulltula.
Malo started to run, but Talo was frozen in place with shock. He pointed his wooden sword at the monster, but it grew smaller and smaller before his eyes to where it seemed more like a toy than anything, a mere stick against a large, disgusting arachnid. His courage failed him and he took off after Malo, trying not to scream as he did so.
They made for the door, but before they could bat an eyelash the Skulltula launched itself high above their heads and landed on its feet directly in front of them, blocking their path of escape. Talo skidded to a stop, throwing his arm out to block Malo from going any further. They turned around and fled, though now they realized that they had no place else to hide. The formerly spacious room seemed to become smaller as they searched for a hiding place, though nothing they found could keep the giant spider away. The far corners were infested with Babas, all of whom were hissing and lunging out toward whatever came near. Talo and Malo withdrew to the wall, clutching each other in fear.
The Skulltula cornered them and came closer, tensing its eight legs in preparation to strike. It was drooling with bloodlust, quite literally, in fact, as a green ooze similar to the Babas' poured from its mouth.
With no other choice of action, and no place to run, Talo lifted his sword again and swung it crazily at the spider, hoping to scare it away. The monster barely flinched, but instead edged closer, a guttural growl escaping its jaws. Talo's hand was so damp that he could not keep a grip on his weapon. It flew right from his palm and hit the spider right in the eye.
Such a tiny stick could have no real effect on this monster, which was why the boys were surprised when the Skulltula suddenly lurched, crying out in pain. They realized then that a serrated edge of a real sword was sticking from the spider's abdomen. The blade wrenched itself up, then down again, slicing the spider's innards to pieces. The Skulltula contorted violently as dark blood spattered the grass it stood upon, then it met the ground, its life ended. It was then that Malo and Talo beheld their rescuer.
Link retrieved his sword from the dead spider's belly, his blue eyes fiercely scrutinizing the body, then swept the blade a few times through the grass, wiping it clean. He turned and watched the nearby Deku Babas slowly retreat to their roots, cowards of this warrior who had suddenly entered their midst.
"Oh, wow, that was awesome, Link!" Talo shouted, pounding a fist at the air. "Malo and I thought we were goners!"
He waited for Link's response, but none yet came. In fact, he ignored them completely for several minutes, eying the other creatures crawling in the shadows.
Feeling tension rise, Talo said, "...Link, we, uh-"
"Do not try to explain," Link interrupted. "I can pretty much guess what happened here. Did I not specifically tell you not to leave my sight? Did I not make it clear not to go into these woods alone? Was I stuttering when I forbade either of you to come anywhere near this temple?" His teeth were clenched in suppressed rage.
"But, but..." Both boys were speechless.
Link silenced them with a wave of his hand. "We're leaving. Now. You are not to speak to me, or to each other on our way back to Ordon. Do I make myself clear?"
Not daring to say a word, both Talo and Malo nodded their heads and hurried to the door, with Link trudging from behind. He still grasped his sword.
"You two could have been killed in this place, I hope you know that." It was a rhetorical statement. "Jaggle and Pergie will know about this, that's for sure. We won't be hiking through these woods for a long time, not until I can be assured that you can avoid doing something stupid again."
From the opening cave to the gorge, to the forest clearing and bird's store, to Coro's house, to the spirit's spring and beyond, neither Talo nor Malo plucked up the courage to whisper "Tattletale," under their breath.