Tails was getting irritated.
First, these bugs were only visible while he used his wolf senses. That wasn't too bad, but he'd discovered he couldn't see as far as normal while he used them.
Second, they ran around a lot, and were annoying to catch. More so when they went underground, or flew.
Third, the huge open area he'd gone through when saving Talo was now covered in a choking, thick purple fog he didn't dare set foot in. Paw in. Whatever.
But mostly, it was these shadow beasts that really bothered him. They were tough, and it was hard to catch them at just the right time to kill two at once, without one reviving the others.
He put his paws over his ears to protect them from the scream again, and loped away from the beasts to the post that Midna was on, and snarled at her.
"Oh, alright. I guess I can help you." She landed on his back. "I'll use my power to freeze them in place. Then you just have to dash through them really quick. It won't work unless I'm close to them, so mind you don't get me hurt!"
Tails bit at her, knowing he couldn't reach, to show she was worrying unnecessarily. He hadn't been hurt by these things yet.
Lunging at the first and tearing at it again, he tore away and felled it in no time. He then drew the second near the third, and flicked at Midna with a tail.
"Hey! I'm getting to that, alright?"
The ground around him darkened, and an orange sparking held the two beasts in place. He lined up with them, and dashed.
They both fell to the ground, defeated. Then, as with all of them, the shadow pieces they exploded to formed a green portal above them.
He reactivated his wolf senses and looked around. There were none of the bugs here, and there were still two missing.
He loped up the tree root to where Talo and the monkey had been. The monkey was there again, this time cowering on top of a post.
There were two bugs in the area. One hadn't noticed him.
He stalked up slowly, placing one paw after the other silently on the ground, resisting the urge to growl at it. His wolf form seemed to come with some instincts that he found hard to ignore.
When he got close enough, he pounced, defeating the bug instantly. Midna went after the light tear, while he dashed after the second bug, finally cornering it and swatting at it with a paw. He'd found it to be an effective attack for these things.
"Well, that's it. Finally. I thought we were gonna be at this forever." Midna landed back on his back. He wished she wouldn't land so hard.
"Back to that light spirit, I guess. Shame... I kind of like seeing the twilight here."
Tails nipped at her, and she laughed, patting his back.
The light spirit was still glowing feebly when he returned. The vessel they'd collected the light in floated over to it by itself, and in a few moments, it blazed forth in the form of a monkey. The squares of twilight disappeared, and the sky and landscape returned to normal.
Midna, once again as she appeared using his shadow, stopped in front of him before the light reached him. "Don't think you're free from me yet, you've still got things to do for me," she said, and vanished.
Tails felt his body change again, this time back to his own form. His clothes had changed though. Instead of the plain clothes he had been wearing, he now wore a green tunic, with chain mail and a white under-tunic. In place of his own shoes and gloves were brown leather boots and gauntlets. He could feel a cap on his head, and swung it around. Green as well.
The sword and shield he'd found as a wolf were strapped on his back too. The sword, just as he thought, was about the same height as him.
The light spirit, Faron, watched him examine himself. It seemed... puzzled.
"Curious," it said finally. "I was expecting a human. But I trust in the one chosen by the gods. The garb you bear is that of the legendary hero. It is granted to the one chosen by the gods to save Hyrule from a terrible threat."
"Is that why I got dragged here instead?"
"I have no answer to that question, I am afraid. I can only say that you are the one the gods have chosen to save Hyrule. Be aware, young hero, that there is an evil power still lurking in these woods. You have seen the entrance twice before. It lays behind the cobwebs where you saved your friend and the monkey, in the Forest Temple."
"What's it doing there?"
"It is an evil power that I and the other light spirits sealed away at the behest of the gods. It is called the Fused Shadow. It's evil corrupts the place. It is perhaps time that the chosen hero should retrieve it, and cleanse the area. But beware of it's power for it is a dark power, and you are the hero of light."
"So I can't use it?"
"It would be unwise, but to match the false king of shadows, you have no choice. Do not forget the plea Ordona made of you, hero. I await the restoration of the two remaining spirits of light. May the way of the hero lead you to victory."
It sunk into the waters, and the rocks around it lit up.
Midna popped up, looking him over.
"So you're not human, huh? Guess I was wrong when I called you one back at Hyrule Castle."
"Why did you think I was one?"
Midna shrugged. "I don't know. I was just expecting one."
"So what else do you want me to do, then?"
"You know he talked about the Fused Shadow? I want it. I can use it to expose Zant for the fraud he is. If I can do that, we'll probably save this world too. You'll help, of course."
"What choice do I have? I still have the children from the village to find and save."
Midna said nothing, and returned to his shadow.
Tails sighed, and headed back up, for the third time, to where the monkey had been. Along the way, he got used to the new sword he had. It was heavier, but that was to be expected. He could use it single handed, at least.
The purple fog was still there, so he cautiously flew over it instead.
When he got to the tiled area before the tree root, there was a grey wolf there. It had cold, blue eyes, and strange markings between them.
As he approached it, it moved to attack. Tails drew his sword, but not soon enough. Oddly, when the wolf got to him, there was no pain, and his vision just faded out.
When it returned, he was in a misty place. There was a familiar castle nearby. Presumably, Hyrule Castle.
He became aware of the wolf's breathing behind him. When he turned, there was a man there. He wore the same green clothes as Tails did, along with an ornate sword and shield, both drawn. He was stood in a pose that clearly showed he was ready for a fight.
Tails drew his own sword and shield. This stranger made no move, then made a swipe at him. Tails dodged, and swung back. The stranger blocked it with his own shield, and knocked Tails to the ground.
"A sword has no strength if it's wielder has no courage," he told Tails finally. "Perhaps the Gods have chosen you, but as you are, you disgrace the proud green of the hero that you bear. You have courage. Now you must use it to seek the power you need to become the true hero that this world needs. As the secrets of battle were passed on to me, now shall they be passed on to you.
"Enemies can be stunned by a powerful attack, such as the spin or jump attacks, but will soon recover and rise again. The Ending Blow is a skill to be used in this situation, to end them before they regain their breath. Now, try it on me! Do not fear for me. Try it!"
Tails got up again, not arguing. Who was he to tell him he was a disgrace? He was determined to show that he was no coward.
He wasn't going to try the spin attack again just yet, so instead struck hard, jumping at the stranger. Just as he'd told Tails, he fell to the ground with a grunt, stunned.
Tails jumped again, driving his sword directly into his opponents chest, who again grunted. He pulled out his sword, then watched, half amazed, half horrified as he got back up, seemingly unharmed. Even his tunic showed no sign of being cut.
"A pinpoint strike! Perfectly executed. The first hidden skill of the hero has been passed on. There are six more for you to learn. Grow more powerful and test your courage, and when you find you require a new skill, search for the stones that howl with the wind. They will lead you to me once more. May we meet again, Hero."
Tails vision blurred again, and he found himself back on the overgrown stone tiles at the base of the root. The wolf had gone.
He didn't seem to have missed anything, and nothing else seemed to be happening, so he continued on to the top of the root, burnt the cobweb, and headed inside.