Chapter 4: The Deku Scrubs

Link sensed the Skulltula's presence even before he woke; but when his eyes finally opened to witness his predicament, he wished he had kept them shut. His body hung in one of the Skulltula's webs, encased in silk from waist to shoulders above a vast underground lake that smelled like old leaves and dead rats. Mido was beside him, completely enveloped in the sticky substance.

"You're awake!"

Navi's shout caused two things to happen at once. Mido woke, and the Skulltula, dormant only a moment ago, scuttled after her as she began pulling at Link's bonds with her tiny hands. Link pressed his own weight against the cocoon, snapping a few fibers but failing to set himself free entirely before the spider reached him and excreted more silk in an effort to finish the trap.

It was then he noticed the branch protruding from the spider's left eye. "Navi, my arm!"

Turning her attention from his waist, Navi tore at the threads surrounding his right arm. "Help me, Pol!"

"But, but," said Mido's fairy. "Mido told me not to help you!"

"Traitor," said Mido, his voice muffled through the silk. "I'm the stronger of the two; free me first!"

Link clocked Mido's left knee so hard with his boot that the silk enclosing Mido's body ripped from the back, leaving him with nowhere to go but down.

As Mido dropped, the two fairies struggled in vain to free Link's arm. Fresh silk lathered his face like spit, hardening into the same goop he had found at the Deku Tree's peak.

Mido barely had time for a snicker at Link before his fall ended abruptly. A web line clung to his foot, dangling him above the water. "Pol," he said, swooning as the blood rushed to his head, "get down here and help me!"

Link's arm came free an instant later, before the Skulltula had completed its work on his face. Groping for the branch, he wrenched it from the spider's eye and swung it at the web line, cutting Mido loose. With a cry, Mido vanished beneath the surface of the water, leaving bubbles at the point of entry.

Fluttering away from the web, Navi took a breath and speared herself at the spider's one good eye, distracting it long enough for Link to free his other arm and crawl out of the cocoon to the edge of the web.

"Jump!" Navi said.

Link shook his head. "I've got an idea."

The Skulltula thrashed in a blind circle, dripping fluid from both eyes into the lake as it searched for its prey. Link crept to the backside of the web where he could approach its exposed belly. Using both hands to steady himself, he got as close as he dared before tightening his grip on the branch and driving it through the Skulltula's body.

Just then, Mido broke the surface of the water, sword in hand. "Down here, fungus breath!"

Link raised an eyebrow. "How long have you had that?"

"None of your business. Just kick it!"

"Kick what?"

"The Skulltula, doofus!"

More out of anger than obedience, Link slammed his feet into the spider's stomach, breaking its hold on the web so that it dropped, with terrible precision, onto the point of Mido's sword.

"Gross!" said Navi.

Mido beamed and mounted the Skulltula's body once it had floated to the surface. "You know," he said, "if Link hadn't gotten us into this mess, we might've broken the curse by now."

Link let go of the web and plunged into the water, joining Mido on top of the spider with a scowl. "I didn't tell you to follow me."

"You'd still be in the web if I hadn't."

"Yeah? Why did you follow me, anyway?"

"Because the Great Deku Tree needed help from someone who knew what he was doing, that's why!"

"Is that it?" The hint of a smile crossed Link's face. "Or are you worried the others might stop taking orders from you if they think you're a coward?"

"Stop," said Navi. "We're wasting time!"

Link gestured at the dark waters ahead. "Lead the way."

Mido grunted and pulled his sword from the Skulltula's eye, using the weapon like an oar to paddle the body over the water. When Link did the same with his shield, their grisly raft made progress.

"I can't believe this," Mido said.

Link nodded. "Us working together?"

"We don't even know what we're looking for."

"Maybe. It could be that monster from last night."

"You think that's the curse?"

A rock hit Link in the chest and bounced into the water. "Hey," he said.

"I didn't do that!" Mido stuck out his lip in protest, and a second rock cracked him on the chin.

Both boys dove into the lake, barely missing the next few volleys, most of which landed harmlessly in the water or pelted the Skulltula.

Link had expected to sink a little before rising back to the surface, but he found the bottom of the lake almost as soon as he fell in. Rolling beneath the Skulltula, he lifted its body up in front of them as a shield.

"Navi, Pol," he said. "See if you can find where those rocks came from."

"Hey," said Mido. "Pol is my fairy."

"You tell her, then."

"Pol. See if you can find where that came from."

Link snorted. "Help me hold this thing up."

Mido stuck his tongue out but moved swiftly to share the burden of pushing the Skulltula's body onto the shore. A sudden fit of squealing told them the fairies had already discovered at least one assailant. Link saw it was the same leaf-headed creature that had escaped from him earlier.

Mido reached the creature first and had already given it a nick with his sword by the time Link caught up with him.

"Stop!" He grabbed Mido's wrist to prevent anything worse from happening. "I've seen this thing before."

"Please forgive me, masters!" The creature's eyes came close to popping under the light of both fairies. "If I give you a clue, will you let me go?"

Link frowned. "Why did you throw those rocks at us?"

"We didn't mean to."

"We?"

"They forced us."

"They?" said Navi.

The creature shuddered. "She'll hurt us if we tell."

"She?" said Mido.

"It's about Queen Gohma."

Link and Mido traded quizzical glances.

"Her eye is her weakness."

"Wait." Link tightened his grip as the creature tried to escape. "Who's Queen Gohma?"

A hail of stones shattered the creature's body before it could answer. Link knelt, stunned, cradling the body as Navi yelled at him to find shelter.

"Look out!"

Link and Mido threw themselves to the ground, heeding Navi's warning in time to avoid more rocks sailing overhead.

Link shot Mido an angry look. "Give me the sword!"

For the second time, Mido stuck out his tongue. "Not a chance."

"I'm the better swordsman."

"No you're not."

Link slapped his shield against Mido's nose three times before clapping the other boy's wrist, forcing him to drop the sword. Mido had scarcely begun to reach for it when Link picked it up and cut off his belt with it.

"Yes I am," said Link.

Once more, a wave of rocks forced both boys and their fairies to turn their attention to the threat at hand. Three creatures, exactly like the one that had died in Link's arms, appeared out of the gloom and surrounded them. Despite general inaccuracy, the sheer volume of shots ensured that many rocks scored bruises before Mido or Link could mount a defense.

"Pol! Navi!" Link pointed his sword at the three creatures. "Go!"

The fairies fanned out ahead of them as the rocks came thicker and faster. Mido charged, screaming as he followed Pol right into one creature's face before hitting its eye with a rock and snatching a handful of leaves from its hair. Link swung his sword into another creature's nose, stopping it from shooting more rocks but leaving it otherwise unharmed.

The third creature backed off before Link could reach it. "Please forgive me, masters! If I—"

"Shut up!" Mido kicked the first creature aside before turning his rage on the one that had spoken.

"It's okay." Link lowered his sword, keeping a wary eye on Mido. "Give us your clue."

The creature squirmed. "Queen Gohma forced us into her service."

"How?" said Link.

"The Great Deku Tree is our father. He allowed us to live here—"

Mido interrupted, "What do you mean, he's your father?"

"Let it talk," said Link.

The creature began to shake. "Every acorn that falls from the Deku Tree will grow into a new tree if it's nourished. We were acorns, too, but the evil that breached the forest turned us into something else. We are Deku Scrubs, half tree, half Octorok."

"Since you're part Octorok," said Navi, "that means you'll never grow into a real tree?"

"Yes, yes."

Mido folded his arms. "You killed your friend."

"We were trying to hit you. We thought you were enemies."

Link nodded. "Will you lead us to Gohma?"

"No."

"No?"

"She'll kill us."

Mido growled and lunged at the creature. "Maybe I will too if you don't tell us where to find her!

Freed from Mido's attentions, the first creature he had attacked fired a rock from its nostril. The rock smacked against Mido's left palm, stunning him long enough for that creature and one of the others to escape.

While he glanced away to see what was going on, Link forgot to keep an eye on the creature that had been doing most of the talking. By the time he thought of that, all three had escaped into the darkness. "Guess we're on our own," he said.

No one replied, which surprised him a little. He turned to find Mido, Navi, and Pol staring up at the ceiling.

"Look," said Navi.

Link saw nothing at first, but now that the riot with the Deku Scrubs had died down, he could hear it. Rough claws raking fissures in the ceiling. A low hiss slithering along the walls, then something heavy landing in the water.

Navi inched herself closer to Link. "What is it?"

Link's chest prickled with fear as he spoke. "It's Gohma."