The Day The Kokiri Forest Stood Still

Link popped his eyes open and immediately shot up. He found that he was on the floor of his house, and Saria and Taters hovered over him with pale, serious expressions.

"Link, are you alright?" Saria asked him, watching as he blinked in the light.

"S-Saria?" he breathed, gasping for breath. "Taters? I. . . What?"

"You slept through noon," Taters mumbled as he averted his gaze, "so we came to see if you were alright— "

"Link, your face is clammy," Saria whispered as she placed her hand on his forehead. "What happened? What were you dreaming about?"

For a moment, Link didn't know what he had seen. But then he remembered the feeling in his chest, and instinctively, he clutched at it.

"Is there something wrong with your chest?"

"No," he replied hastily, pushing himself away from Saria and standing up. "There isn't anything wrong with my chest—nothing wrong with me."

He crossed to his dresser, but stumbled in the process. Taters caught him before he could fall to the ground.

"Link, what has happened?" Saria demanded of him as she crossed to the both of them. "Why— What did you see in your dream?"

Slowly, Link pushed himself back onto his feet. In the little time he stared at Saria and Taters, a sudden thought came to him: He had to tell the Great Deku Tree.

"I have to go," he stated firmly, crossing the house to the door. "The Great Deku Tree has to know—I have to know!"

"Link—wait!" Both Taters and Saria grabbed him around the middle before he could proceed.

"You can't leave," Taters continued, pulling him back into the room with Saria's help. "We have been ordered not to leave the village."

Link spun on his heel, staring into their pale faces.

"Something has happened. . .hasn't it?" he whispered, horrified, slowly coming around to consciousness. "What is it—is the Great Deku Tree harmed?"

"No," Saria interjected quickly. "He is fine. It's just that. . . The forest has become dangerous over night. More baba plants have grown in our presence."

Link's eyes widened in shock, and he slowly collapsed into a nearby stool. Cautiously, Taters and Saria mirrored his movement.

"'The age is falling into darkness again'," he whispered to himself. "He knows. . . But who is he?"

"Link, what are you talking about?" Saria whispered back. "What has happened to you—why are you strange?"

Her words pierced through him like a dagger, and he covered his face in shame.

"Did you have another dream like before?" Taters asked, masking Saria's words. "Was it like that castle amid the war? Did you see that woman again. . .?"

Slowly, Link nodded.

"My dream started that way," he whispered through his hands. "She was there, as well as the war. And then, when we left the castle . . ." Link paused as he remembered the feeling in his chest. "And then," he continued in a smaller voice, pushing that one thought out of his mind, "I fell into a dark hole. When I could see again, there was. . .a reflection of my face."

"'A reflection,'" Saria repeated, urgent. "What?"

"It was my face," Link continued, "and it was talking to me. And then I was attacked and fell into the darkness again." He paused, his forehead wrinkling deeply as he thought of what happened next. "Then, there was a white horse. . ." His voice trailed off as he remembered the feeling of the hook in his chest.

"Link—"

"I have to talk to the Great Deku Tree!" Link shouted, jumping to his feet. "There's something he has to know—something he hasn't told me yet!"

Link began crossing the room again, but Taters tackled him to the ground before he could get far.

"Taters," Link grumbled, his breath lost, "get off of me! I have to go—I have to tell the Deku Tree!"

"Link—stop!" Taters growled in his ear. "You can't go. It's too dangerous in the forest right now!"

Link managed to force him off his back, and then he turned to the two of them with haste etched in his face.

"What am I suppose to do, then?" he demanded of the two. "I have to warn the Great Deku Tree of— "

"What, Link?"

Link opened his mouth to finish his thought, but then shut it without a word to spare. What was it he had to warn the tree about, exactly?

"Yes?" Both Taters and Saria stared at him, expectantly. Link's face fell in confusion.

"I. . .don't know," he finally said, defeated.

"Would you mind telling us what you want to know from the Great Deku Tree?" Saria asked him, watching as he shook in confusion.

"There was a girl," Link mumbled in response. "When I saw her. . . something inside of me began to chase after her. I don't know what happened after that. . ."

Both Saria and Taters watched Link carefully as he began to shake in rage and confusion. He couldn't understand himself. He saw the unconscious girl and felt attracted to her, and then the strange dreams that continued since his late birthday. What was happening to him?

"I don't understand," Link whispered, glancing at Saria. "What am I to you? Do I. . .have a right to be called a Kokiri?"

"You are you," Taters replied for Saria in a loud voice. "You were born in the Kokiri forest, and are a child bound to the forest like the rest of us. You aren't different from us, Link!"

Link stared at Saria in disbelief, and she nodded in assurance. He regained himself and then crossed to the window to peer out. A streak of lightning split the sky, illuminating the small house. With a a heavy sigh, he turned back to them.

"Tell me exactly what is going on in the forest, Saria," Link demanded of her, crossing the room and snatching up a slingshot from his dresser. "Maybe I could be of some assistance."

"But, Link, it's too dangerous— "

"What other options do we have?" he asked, rounding on her. "The Great Deku Tree could be in trouble. We have to help him fend off the monsters, and return peace to the forest once more!"

Both Taters and Saria exchanged glances of concern, and then they both nodded in approval. Smug with his success, Link grabbed his traveling cloak to protect himself from the rain outside.

"Here's what we have to do," Link said, shoving his home-made slingshot in his belt. "Taters, come with me to the Great Deku Tree. And Saria"—he turned towards her, and as he did so, a concerned, worrisome expression crossed her face—"I. . .uh. . ." His words faltered at her expression, but then he gathered himself and continued. "Would you mind protecting the others in case something goes wrong?"

She nodded. "I will do my best, Link. . ."

"Great! Come on Taters," Link threw the black hood over his head, "We have to hurry to the Great Deku Tree's side."

"I'm right behind you, buddy!"

With a last glance at Saria, Link left her standing in the middle of his tree-home with that same expression on her face.

"Be careful, Link," she whispered as a clap of thunder shook the earth. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Fighting through the downpour, Taters and Link left the confines of the village, and emerged into the dark forest beyond. Mind racing and heart bounding, Link scanned the dark trees with caution and alertness. He knew he and Taters had to be careful in the forest now. The forest had been a very kind place for them to play in before, but now it was a different place that's secrets had been taken back and modified to trick them. Slowly, Link drew the slingshot out of his belt as they turned down the familiar path to the Great Deku Tree's Haven.

"Link, we must be careful!" Taters shouted to him as thunder clapped in the clouds above.

"I know!" Link called back. He took a cautious step forward, but this step triggered a quick trap. In seconds, baba plants shot up from the earth and struck out at them.

"Link— "

"Sorry, Taters!"

Link loaded a deku seed, and then shot it directly into a nearby baba's face. The force snapped the head off, and it fell to the ground, motionless.

"Taters, stay close by, buddy!" Link roared above the thundering rain. "They're everywhere!"

"Sure thing, Link! I got your back!"

Link rushed ahead shooting down baba plants in his path. Taters followed at his heel, striking them down with a stick he claimed from a sapling. They both fought through the storm, defeating every baba plant in their path and gradually edging closer to the Great Deku Tree Haven. Then, just when the thin tunnel appeared through the thundering veil of rain, something dropped out of the sky and threw Link back.

He fell to the ground with a dull thud. Mud and water consumed his small figure, claiming his every feature. Taters hurried to his aid and pulled him back to his feet, and once Link was back on his feet, he loaded another deku seed into the slingshot, but drew back quickly as the new creature swung a huge ax at the both of them.

Both Taters and Link jumped away from the creature as it began advancing on them, swinging its large weapon around.

"What is that thing?!" Taters shouted through the thundering rain.

Link strained to catch a glimpse of the creature as he dodged each hit. Through a lightning streak that lit the sky, he caught sight of a rough, rugged body that was hard with warts. He gasped and stumbled backward as the creature swung its ax directly for his head. The creature appeared to be a pig walking on its hind legs. A large, ugly face emerged from the darkness as another lightning bolt dashed across the sky. It was scaly, dark with mud, and two black, beady eyes stared at him. Frightened, he turned and seized Taters by his rain coat and began dragging him away from the creature.

"What's wrong, Link?"

"We have to get away from that thing" Link replied, dragging Taters behind a fell tree, and then peering over it out towards the path beyond. "It's a monster, Taters!"

Taters joined Link at his side as he stared out at the path. He held his stick at the ready as Link placed another deku seed in his slingshot. However, as the two boys awaited the arrival of the pig-monster with bated breath, nothing came. Cautious, Link scanned the rain-sodden forest with haste and observant eyes. When nothing came through the rain, he lowered his slingshot slowly while Taters exhaled a relieved breath.

"Where did it go?" Link mumbled to himself, slowly rising to his feet. "Taters, don't drop your guard."

"Got ya, Link!"

Together, both boys slowly approached the thin tunnel leading to the Great Deku Tree Haven. As the tunnel came into view, however, Taters dropped his weapon with a relieved sigh, as did Link.

"Do you think it left?" Taters wondered.

A sudden trickle of fear began to consume Link's gut. Something didn't feel right to him.

"Taters, turn back," he whispered, fearful.

"What?" Taters stared at his stiff back.

"Turn back," Link repeated a bit louder. "The Kokiri village is in danger—go!"

Reluctantly, Taters nodded, and then turned to leave. "Take care, Link," he said before he departed.

"Don't worry about me, Taters," Link replied in a small voice, slowly moving through the tunnel with anger and fear in his heart, "I'll be fine. You just protect Saria with all your might."

As Link progressed through the tunnel, he gradually became aware that the baba plants had disappeared from before. Images flashing in his mind of the morbid dream of the woman and the war in the castle, he entered the Great Deku Tree Haven once more.

Link approached the Great Deku Tree with his slingshot at the ready. The Haven was still, and the ground beneath Link's feet was crispy and dead. He took a deep breath as thunder shook the earth, and with anger slowly seeping into his chest, he called to the tree: "Great Deku Tree, what is happening to the forest?"

The old face came out, and Link stared up at it through the haze of rain.

"Link. . .you shouldn't have come!" the tree called down to him.

"No," Link shook his head, "I had to come! The forest is all wrong, Great Deku Tree. There are monsters, and the Kokiri village is in danger! Why?"

The Great Deku Tree did not respond, but rather, extended forth a tree root lifted from the earth, and gently stroked Link's mud-sodden face.

"Great Deku— "

"Why have you come?" the tree asked of him. "Have you an answer for my question?"

Fighting the urge to shout a 'no', Link nodded his head. "I have dreamt of a woman and a castle in the middle of a war."

The Great Deku Tree removed the tree root from Link's face.

"Return home, young one," he commanded, disappearing back into its bark. "Protect the Kokiri with your strength. I will do what I must here."

Link stood in silence as the rain thundered the ground, and drenched him through to the bone. Shivering, Link slowly shook his head, confused.

"No!" he called to the tree. "No! I won't return, Great Deku Tree. I want to know. . ." He remembered the girl in his dream, and the strange feeling in his chest. "Great Deku Tree, who am I? Why am I so different from the other Kokiri? Please—answer my question!"

"Link," the voice hovered over to him in exhaustion, "take care of the Kokiri village. Return now, and do not return until the storm ceases."

Anger struck through him.

"That's not good enough!" he shouted, his fists shaking at his sides. "I want to know now!"

Through the silence that followed, something inside Link began to crawl in anger and hate and pain. He felt himself lift the slingshot to strike, but then he shoved it back into his belt, and turned his back without a backwards glance. As he left the Haven, he heard the cry of a monster tear through the forest from a far off distance. He quickened his pace with haste in his heart.

Once again, the Great Deku Tree did not answer Link's one question, and left him in silence. As he emerged from the thin tunnel into the forest beyond, he began to realize for the first time that the trees and plants were beginning to whither. With haste, he took off through the forest towards the Kokiri village, forgetting of his problems.

The Great Deku Tree is in danger! I have to warn the others. . .