Okay, this one seemed kinda rushed. School's been really hard on me lately with essays and big art projects, but hopefully I'll be able to get more chapters uploaded soon. I'm getting to a couple chapters that have been pretyped plus their the more enjoyable parts. With these slightly boring areas out of the way now we should be starting to pick up some speed.

Bren: You say that all the time. *sigh* Anyway Storm doesn't own the Legend of Zelda, only Adri.

Chapter 4: Something Amiss

The path on the other side of the bridge had started to widen a bit, but at the same time the trees had begun to grow thicker and the light a little dimmer. Link continued to urge Epona down the road, Adri hanging on behind him. As they rode though, she couldn't help but be awed by the forest that had opened up around them. It was almost like the woods behind the park, only this one felt older, even older than the woods that they had just passed through by the spring. Birdsong could be heard ringing through the trees mixing with the clop of Epona's hooves and pools of sunlight splashed onto the ground. In the distance the sound of rushing water could be heard.

Adri's eyes widened as she drank everything in. At least something is sort of familiar…

Before she knew it they had reached another spring. This time Adri was able to get a good look at it as they passed by. For a minute time seemed to freeze. The boulders, the water, the framing from the trees, it was all just like the spring she had seen in the woods. Suddenly the roars of the monster began to echo in her head and her arm throbbed as she remembered the pain the beast's claws had caused.

"Adri? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Adri replied, being what seemed like the millionth time that day brought back to reality, "I'm just absorbing everything."

Link laughed, glancing behind at her. "Well, make sure you've absorbed enough so you can help me figure out where Talo got to. And by the way, I guess I never mentioned it, but this is where Rusl and I found you." He looked back ahead continuing, "I know Faron Woods by heart, so it should be fairly easy to find the kid….huh?"

He brought Epona to a stop. They had reached a dark tunnel with a gate when the mare had started to snort and toss her head. Link stroked her neck, but even that wasn't calming her. The horse pranced, rolling her frightened eyes back at her master. Link handed the reins to Adri and, not listening to her protests, jumped off to Epona's head, stroking her all the while. Beneath her Adri could feel the animal's frantic movements even as Link tried to calm her. She reached down and gently rubbed Epona's neck.

"Easy girl. It's alright."

The horse jerked her head away from Link with a snort. Suddenly her eyes locked with Adri's, their deep brown color hypnotizing. She couldn't look away even as a sharp shock passed through her arm. Danger. Danger in tunnel.

"Adri!"

Adri tore her gaze away, shaking her head. She clambered off the mare, staring at her. Wait, what just happened? I didn't....there's no way....

"Adri, over here!"

She turned around at Link's call. He was standing at the entrance to the tunnel, his eyes trained on the ground. Adri hurried over and away from Epona, flexing her hand to rid herself of the tingling sensation in her arm. She looked down at the ground and saw what Link was staring at. On the ground was a red piece of cloth, just like the one that Talo had been wearing around his head when he ran off.

Link narrowed his eyes, then stood up. He walked over to Epona and grasped the reins stating, "Be right back." He led Epona away down another path, leaving Adri alone.

The second he was gone, Adri's attention went to her arm. It was her right, the one that had been healed according to Uli, but now a strong tingle was running through it. Worse was the fact that the palm of her hand was itching uncontrollably. All that had struck her the minute she touched Epona. Adri frowned as she rubbed her hand.

What's going on? All I did was try to calm her down, that's it! The voice hadn't left her thoughts though. That couldn't have been Epona. There's no way horses can talk, not even like that. Adri ran her left hand through her hair, still rubbing her palm raw. Ugh, what is wrong with this hand! Hope Link's horse didn't have fleas. There was a problem with her theory, though, because with every passing second Adri thought she could see a distinct pattern starting to form on her skin; a funny swirling one.

"Ready?"

Startled, Adri turned around to find Link standing behind her, Epona-less. He frowned, tilting his head to the side. "Adri, are you alright? You seemed frightened after you touched Epona."

Adri shook her head, slipping her hand in her pocket and trying to ignore the itch. "No, I'm fine. What happened to Epona anyway?"

"I left her with a friend of mine, Coro. He owes me a favor, and he gave me this." Link held up a lantern proudly, laughing, "Says I'll need it to see in that tunnel. But I've gone in there a thousand times without one." He sighed, "Besides, I'm more worried about you. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed nervously. Adri motioned toward the tunnel saying, "Look, we better just find Talo and go. The longer we talk, the less of a chance we'll have finding him." I better not end up eating those words.

Seeming to accept her words, Link nodded. He walked towards the tunnel with Adri following close behind. He lit the lantern before they entered, allowing a soft light to penetrate the shadows ahead. Adri shivered, but continued to follow Link reminding herself that they had to find Talo. No matter what they had to go through, they had to get their task done without fail. Still, the walk in the dark was getting to her. Adri shook her head as she scratched her palm thinking, If we get jumped in here, I swear I'm going to kill Link.

Luckily, it was a pretty uneventful detour. There was one small encounter with a flock of strange bats, which Link called Keese, with hooked claws at the ends of their tails, but other than that nothing bad happened. Even better was the small glimmer of light, brighter than the lantern in Link's hand, the pierced through the black ahead of them. It gradually grew larger and brighter until it finally burst into a flash of light. Adri blinked a couple times, blinded by the sudden brightness only for a moment. Once her eyesight cleared she gasped at what stretched out before them.

They were standing on the edge of a large grove. Judging by the old dock in front of them, the area must have been a lake at some point long ago. Now trees and shrubs seemed to have flourished in the former lakebed, the leaves in the canopy above forming a perfect shade that didn't allow too much or too little sunlight for the plants below.

Adri's mouth was open as she gazed upon the area. She heard a chuckle from Link as he doused the lantern's flame. "Amazing place, huh? I found it many years ago while exploring these woods."

"Reminds me of the ones back home," Adri replied softly. Shaking her head, she stated, "So how are we going to find Talo around here? It's a wide area."

Link nodded, but his face was stern as he hung the lantern on his belt. "True, but I've been in here many times before." He crossed his arms, adding, "Still, I get this feeling that something is not right here. People don't just disappear without reason within Faron Woods."

He started walking into the shallow valley whispering, "Stay close. I don't want you to get lost. And watch out for Deku Babas?"

"What?"

"You'll know what I'm talking about if we run into one."
Adri nodded, following close behind him. She watched as Link reached behind him and unsheathed his wooden sword. How is that thing supposed to cut through anything? she mused. It was a humorous thought, until something else hit her like a ton of bricks. She didn't have any weapons to speak of. Adri gulped, her heart beating a little faster as that cold fact settled over her. Okay, just stop it! Look what's the worst tat could happen other than those Deku Babas that Link mentioned?

Everyone knows that you should never say that line, Adri just forgot at that moment. No sooner did the thought pass through her mind did a shrill screech split the air. The birds went silent, enough that they could hear the wind blowing in the leaves. Link held up his hand as he stopped, his eyes narrowing as he looked around. He readied the sword in his left hand like a pro.

"Don't move," he whispered. Adri turned around to face the bushes behind them. Maybe I don't have a weapon, but the least I can do is watch Link's back for him. Not going to let something stupid like being jumped from behind happen. Still, she was hoping that the screech had been a bird. However when she felt Link's hand on her arm and heard a rustle in the bushes, that wasn't a very likely theory. She turned around in the direction Link was facing and saw the underbrush moving violently. Her fears were confirmed when Link suddenly gripped her wrist.

"Adri, run," he hissed. He moved his sword forward and got in an attack stance.

"What?" The brush was moving chaotically now, grunts being heard within as well. It wasn't a bunny for sure.

Link glanced over his shoulder at her. There was worry in his eyes, something that did not assure her at all. With a rough shove he pushed her back towards the dock shouting, "Run!"

The bushes burst with squeals and screeches as a gaggle of monsters surged out straight for them. They looked like purple goblins with course, with grayish hair tied in an old lady-styled ponytail and burlap sack trousers. Link hardened his gaze and, after sending Adri another pleading look, rushed head on at the beasts with a wild yell. Every time his sword made contact it would cut surprisingly deep into the monsters' flesh, causing them to burst in a cloud of smoke. Despite the danger though, Adri couldn't move. Her body felt numb, the same numbness that had gripped her when she saw that black monster in the woods. She could hear Link shouting at her to run again and again, but she couldn't respond let alone make her body obey her.

At least until the grotesque purple face grinning jumped into her vision. A crude club came down, and Adri forced her sluggish muscles to react and allow her to jump out of the way before the thing bashed her head in. It created an indent in the dirt right where she had been standing. That didn't seem to phase the goblin as it made to swing at her again. By now more were starting to surround her, cutting her off from Link as he fought off the constant flow from the bushes. They kept trying to swing at her, and Adri had to force her legs to obey as she tried to avoid the blows. It was getting harder though, especially since more were beginning to surround them. What now?

That's when something caught her eye. A few feet away from her a long stick lye on the ground. It was thin, yet seemed sturdy enough to take a hit or deal a savage blow, and looked twice and long as her. Adri narrowed her eyes and, without paying attention to the clubs that were coming at her, dove for the stick. She automatically did a shoulder roll, silently thanking her P.E. teacher for forcing the class to learn basic tumbles, and felt her fingers close around the slender rod.

It was like something clicked in her head. Suddenly the ach in her hand increased as she swung the stick at the oncoming goblins. The wide sweep caught three squarely in the chest, sending them flying back into a tree. Once they hit the ground the monsters burst into clouds of smoke, but there wasn't time to relax. As soon as they had recovered from Adri's sudden attack, the others moved in with a loud series of screeches. Adri hissed between her teeth as pain shot up her still injured arm, but ignored it as she rushed at the monsters. The staff easily caught the running monsters, keeping enough distance between her and her enemies. And allowing her to strike one that was about to jump Link from behind.

Link turned as the explosion followed bellowing, "What are you doing!"

Adri backed up as the goblins surrounded them again, noticing that their numbers were falling. To Link she growled, "Saving our necks! Duck!"

She struck another that had leaped at his head. By now the pain and the ach had been dulled to a throb. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her blood was roaring in her ears. Still, the fear from before had not quite evaporated yet and it threatened to render her helpless again. Adri bit her lip as three more were caught by her staff trying to shut out the voice that told her to stop and run for it. Link sliced the goblins one after another, his eyes blazing with inner rage. Finally the constant waves stopped and the monsters hightailed into the brush, leaving an exhausted Link and Adri.

Adri felt her knees buckle, the rush of battle gone, and she fell on her back breathing hard. She stared up at the canopy catching her breath. How did I just do that? Link's face loomed over her's, an equally tired expression on his face. He smiled, and offered his hand. Adri took it and he helped her to her feet.

"You alright?" he asked, "They didn't hurt you or anything, right?"

Adri nodded, once again trying to ignore her itching palm. She touched the bandages on her arm gingerly sighing, "Yeah, but I'm going to be sore for a while. Uli's going to kill me."

Link laughed. "Not if we tell her what happened." He then looked into the brush, his eyes narrowing again. "But I knew something was wrong. The bokoblins have never been this numerous before."

Assuming the goblins were the bokoblins, Adri asked, "What does that mean though?"

"It means Talo is in trouble. Come on!" Not bothering to sheath his sword, he took off running into the brush. Adri chased after him, keeping an eye on Link's mop of hair since his clothes blended in perfectly with the leaves. The staff she kept in her hand just in case another troop of monsters stampeded them again. They were going deeper into the trees now. Adri had to duck as branches whipped by her face since Link wasn't slowing down for anything. The grove elevation was beginning to climb a bit too, and soon they were running out and into a tree tunnel. Once on the other side, they were in another clearing just like the one before the spring. Link stopped as if he knew this area too. However, judging by the look on his face, Adri could see that he hadn't come this way in a while. He looked around as if searching for something.

"Where are you…" he muttered.

Adri was about to ask what he was talking about when a whistle came from a nearby tree. A streak of blue flew from a branch and a small blue bird with the biggest head she had ever seen landed on Link's outstretched arm. It let out a squawk as it adjusted itself, then opened its big yellow beak and, to Adri's surprise, spoke.

"Link! Coro send you?"

"Nah, Trill. I've got a problem right now. Did a kid and monkey pass through here?"

Trill's head bobbed in response. "Yep! Bokoblins had them in a cage! Took 'em up there." It pointed out of the clearing and to another path, this one overgrown with bushes.

Link nodded and thrust his fist into the air allowing Trill to get a good lift off. The bird flew off back into the trees. Once the he was gone, Adri focused her attention back on Link. "It talks?"

"Myna bird," he said matter-of-factly, "Very intelligent creatures. Now come on, we don't have time to just stand here."

Without waiting for response Link ran straight for the path ignoring the branches that slapped in his face. Knowing she couldn't lose him Adri followed through. She used the staff to keep the branches away from her face and to clear a way so she could see the path beneath her feet. Still, her hand was causing her to loose focus on Link's hair. The ache was back again, this time an increasing throb that tore her attention away from her guide. By now the palm looked like she had been bit by a spider and the red swirl was back clearer than ever.

What is with this hand? And where did that swirl come from?

"Adri!"

They had reached the edge of the brush, but Link hadn't stepped out yet. He pointed ahead whispering, "Up there."

Ahead was a wide bridge, not made of stone but naturally formed by a massive hollowed-out tree branch. An ancient tree was the bearer of the branch, and it made the branch look puny when a comparison was made. It towered from within a deep valley that was who knows how deep above all the other trees around it and stood there like a guardian of old. However it wasn't a normal ancient behemoth. Adri could see that the bridge led up to a wide platform, and from it she could screams.

Adri's eyes widened. "That's got to be Talo!" she whispered.

Link nodded, and jabbed again at the tree. It was with that second look that allowed Adri to see what was keeping him from leaping out. At least seven bokoblins were camped out in front of a small wooden cage. And within the cage screaming in fear was Talo along with the monkey he had been chasing.

"There's a lot of them around that cage," Link said urgently, "And if we try to go through the bridge they'll overrun us within seconds." He closed his eyes in thought groaning, "What do we do?"

Adri looked back at the Link, then at the tree again. She closed her eyes, more thoughts running through her head. We take the bridge we're sitting ducks. But maybe....that might actually work!

"I've got an idea." Before he could question her Adri ran out of the bushes and started waving her arms shouting, "Hey! Pea-brains! Over here!"

The bokoblins heads flew up and five rushed across the bridge and straight for Adri. She heard Link scream for her to run, but shot him a look. "Get up there and save Talo. I'll distract them."

A club came down on her head as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Adri raised her staff, whipping it around in a sweep as two more surrounded her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link running up to the tree. There were at least two left on guard duty, but that wasn't the least of Adri's worries. Clubs were raining down upon her forcing her to dodge as much as possible. For every attack she swung, sending her assailants flying. However she had only managed to take care of two, and there were still more bokoblins leaping at her. Her hair hung in her face and she panted, pain running up her left arm. I'm not going to last at this rate. Come on, Link! Get that kid out of there.

A shout answered her plea. Sword raised Link ran at the bokoblins, cutting into each one. Adri followed up his slashes with attacks of her own, sending the monsters flying back, and giving Link an opening for a stab. The combination of the two weapons, long and short range, complimented each other perfectly. Adri kept the bokoblins back as Link went in for the finishing blow.

When the last of the monsters burst into a cloud of black smoke Link let out a loud sigh. He was breathing hard, just as hard as Adri, and sweat was running down the sides of his face. He smiled and, to Adri's surprise, laughed, "They didn't stand a chance." Link looked up at her, wiping his brow. "We make a pretty good team."

Adri chuckled, wincing a bit as her arm throbbed. "I guess. I've never used a weapon like this before."

"You're a natural," Link said. He then stood up and beckoned Talo, who had been taking refuge in a nearby tree, forward. "Let's go home."

***

"Link…..you're not gonna tell my dad about this….are you?"

By the time they had gotten out of the tunnel, the sun was setting. The sky was cast in the red and oranges of dusk and a couple of stars could barely be seen. There weren't any hidden bokolbin ambushes in the brush, so the trip through the valley had been peaceful to say the least.

Link smiled and shook his head. "No, I promise."

Talo looked at Adri, asking, "You won't either, right Adri?"

"No," she said. She held up her pinkie saying, "I pinkie swear. Can't break a pinkie swear."

A bit confused, the boy stuck out his pinkie and Adri wrapped hers around it. This brought a smile to his face. With a small wave he started running out of the forest. Adri was about to stop him, but Link held her back. "All the kids know how to get out of the woods from here."

"Link! Adri!"

Both turned in toward the voice and saw Rusl walking up to them, leading Epona. Next to him was a boy with the same round face as and kindness in his eyes as Uli. He smiled shyly at Link and made a jerky sort of wave to Adri. Rusl tousled the boy's hair and it was safe to assume this was his son, Colin. Once he was done he fixed Link with a calm, yet stern look.

"Colin told me Talo had disappeared in the woods. I came as soon as I heard….."

"I took care of everything, Rusl," Link said. Adri could detect the pride in his voice.

Rusl crossed his arms though as he added, "Tell me, have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately? I feel…..almost uneasy about what may lie in wait."

"Coro said there had been a lot of bokoblins lately, dad," Colin piped up.

"There were," said Adri. She cringed as she moved her arm. "We had to plow through hordes of them to get anywhere."

"Strange……" Rusl seemed lost in thought for a second, but his features brightened once more as he said, "Anyway…..tomorrow is finally the day. You will be departing for Hyrule!"

Adri shot a look at Link, feinting hurt. "You're going on a trip? And you didn't tell me?" She laughed as she added, "Rescuing a damsel and a boy from certain death isn't enough excitement for you?"

Link laughed and was about to make a comeback when a chuckle from Rusl stopped him, "My dear girl, Link wanted you to go with him. And I asked the Mayor and he approved."

Grinning from pointy ear to pointy ear, Link let out a wild cry of joy. He looked at Adri exclaiming, "I'm not leaving you behind after today! You want to come?"

"You know, you really should've asked you that before you got approval." Adri laughed at the confused look on Link's face. "In other words, of course I'll come!"

***

"Everything packed?"

"Yep. Got my new staff too."

The morning after the incident was hectic. The night before, due to Uli's insistence and fussing, Adri had packed all that she would need for the trip including her new weapon. Rusl had wanted to harden the birch stick, but there was no time. Still she felt she would be ready as she ever could be. After all, being flung into this world should count for something.

"Then good luck to you! And return safely!"

"I'll just get this stuff up to Link's house, then I'll be back to say good-bye," said Adri. There was no way she could leave without saying bye to Colin. After telling him all sorts of stories from her world (or as much as she dared) and recollecting rescue last night the boy looked at her with almost the same gaze as he did Link.

Uli smiled and nodded. "Then you had better hurry."

With a grin on her face Adri shouldered her pack and, gripping her staff tight, bolted out the door. She ran through the village, all her thoughts focused on the prospect of an adventure. She up ahead she could see Link's house coming into view. From the deserted feeling around the clearing, she could tell no one was home. That didn't phase her much though. Instead she left her pack under the sign, then started jogging back to the village in search of her friend. Adri whistled, silently musing, Well, you wanted adventure, you got it!

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! More coming soon!