Tails had left Jet at his workshop, and began to head back up to Kakariko Village. Epona was still at Lake Hylia, so despite Midna's offers to speed up the journey, he made the trip on foot. It had been a while since he'd passed this way, if nothing else it gave him the chance to try and keep the monster population down a bit more.

He'd just made it out onto Hyrule Field when a cart rattled up beside him, Sonic holding the reins.

"Hey, Tails. What're you doing here?"

"Heading back up to Kakariko. I just left Jet up at my workshop."

"Jet's here too?"

"Yeah, he helped me in the last dungeon I went through."

"Wonder how many more of our friends got dragged here with you."

"I don't know, but I'm half expecting Knuckles to turn up next."

"Wouldn't put it past him. If you want a lift back to Kakariko, wait around a bit, I just gotta drop this lot off at Ordon. Rusl ordered a few things, I'm dropping them off."

"You're... doing a delivery service?"

"And a kinda passenger service too. I get paid for it, and what I earn goes toward Malo's efforts."

"Malo? What's he up to?"

"He's raising funds to repair the western bridge into Hyrule Castle Town, and then he wants to buy out the store there because they guy who runs it overcharges ridiculously."

"At least it keeps him out of trouble."

"Sure thing. Back in a few minutes," he said, then headed into Ordon. Tails picked a nearby tree and leaned against it, waiting.

Sonic was back before long, and they were on their way to Kakariko.

"Where do you go?"

"Anywhere," Sonic answered. "Lake Hylia, the edge of Zora's Domain, Hyrule Castle Town, Kakariko, Ordon..."

"What about the monsters?"

"What about them? I can outrun any of them."

Just moments later they pulled into Kakariko Village. Sonic slowed down as they entered.

"I'll leave you here," he told his friend. "I've got to see to some things at this end of the village."

"Alright. See you later, Tails!"

Before visiting Renado, he paid a call on Link, waiting for him in his own grey wolf form not far from where Prince Ralis had been grieving.

"You're late," he accused.

"No I'm not," Tails grinned, edging closer. He knew what was coming. "I'm just in time."

Link looked puzzled a moment, then caught on. "So you're back from there."

"Did what I said help you?"

"Of course it did. You don't see Hyrule suffering under Ganondorf, do you?"

"See? What did I tell you, you couldn't lose."

"I know that now. But we're not here to catch up."

"Nope, I know," Tails replied, then performed the Mortal draw on Link.

"A little warning would have been nice," he told Tails from the ground.

"Doesn't that defeat the object?"

"Fair point," he conceded. "Now, for another new skill, the Jump Strike."

"Wait. How's this different to a normal jump attack?"

"You don't strike at an enemy with this one, instead you hold the blade downwards and impale the ground."

"What for?"

"It will cause the ground to quake around you, hitting more than one foe."

Now he understood, performing it easily.

"I don't know how you put yourself through this, Link."

"I wasn't exactly willing to do it, Tails. I've only one skill left to pass on to you now, but in good time... then my task will finally be complete."

"Until next time then."

Next stop was Renado's house. Inside waiting with Ilia and Renado were Darbus and Gor Coron.

Darbus noticed Tails as he entered. "Hm? Who are you, little creature? Some acquaintance of the little lady?"

"He's the one I told you about, Darbus," Coron told him. "You made good time, Tails."

"Is she any better?"

"Some... but Renado knows more than I."

At the mention of his name, Renado glanced up.

"Tails! Surely fortune is with us now. Now that you're here, if things go well we can help Ilia recover her memory at last. Do you know Telma's friend Shad?"

"Of course. I guess he's been buried in his books again, right?""

"Indeed... in those books he has been looking to the heavens, but has come here to see the statue in the basement of the sanctuary. I have also learned that when Ilia was saved, she overheard someone talking about a rod of the heavens. The Goron elder believes that to regain the lost memories, we must piece together the fragments of her past, and that means we must work our way back from where she lost her memory, we may find something that will restore it."

"All we must do is retrace her path," Coron continued. "It was Telma who cared for her before she arrived here, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. That should be the first stop, I think."

"Take this then," Renado said, handing him a letter. "Give it to her." Then in a quieter voice he admitted, "I'd come, but I cannot abide her company myself. Please don't tell her."

"I won't," Tails murmured. Before he left, Darbus thanked him for aiding him with a traditional Goron hug. He was certain he heard something crack while enfolded in the giant Goron's arms.

"I'm starting to see your point about people going out of our way," Midna said on the way out of town. "She just happens to overhear something about somewhere we just happen to want to go, and it just happens to be something we can help with by restoring her memory."

"I'm not complaining. It makes our job a lot easier. Imagine how much longer it would take if we had to track down these things ourself."

"I guess you've got a point there, wolf boy."

"Hyrule Castle Town then?"

"Oh, I suppose I can warp you there," she said, feigning sarcasm.

Night had fallen by the time the twilight cleared from his vision. It made for a quieter trip through town, but the bar was far more crowded.

He managed to squeeze behind the bar, get Telma's attention and show her Renado's letter.

"Oooh! Well, if it isn't from the shaman himself. All this writing, and he hasn't mentioned me once, you know? You know what I call that, honey?"

"Uh... no?"

"I call that rude!"

"Uh, well-"

"No accounting for the foolishness of a man. I understand Ilia's situation now, at least."

"So you'll help?"

"Of course! For that little girl, I'd round up the soldiers of Hyrule and whip them into shape."

"I think that might be going a little far, don't you think?"

"You can't tell me they don't need it."

"True. What about Ilia though? Where did she come before here?"

"You'll want to talk to that doctor there, hun. He was the one who brought her to me. He's a crusty old bat, that's for sure. You might have trouble getting anything useful out of him."

"What would get him to talk?"

"I've got it!" She rummaged under the bar for a few moments, then presented him with a bit of paper. It looked like the doctor's bar tab... and he had a lot run up on it. "You go ahead and take this to him, honey. This magic little paper will get him talking in no time."

"Thanks, Telma."

"Don't you mention it m'dear. Good luck with helping Ilia."

The doctor's house was only a short way north of the bar, beside the western exit of the town.

Late as it was, the doctor's house was still open. The crotchety old man who ran it was just inside when Tails entered.

"Hm? Just my luck. It would be you."

"Uh... me?"

"Yes, you! The admirable young lad who was willing to help the Zora boy for nothing. What do you want now? A physical?"

"Uh, no, I'm good thanks. I've got something for you." He pulled out his bar tab and handed it over, concealing a grin.

"Aigh! I can't pay this off now! Not that I can't make money, of course... so skilled they call my hands the golden mitts..."

"No patients lately?"

"Besides that Zora kid... look, I can see Telma's hired you to get the money out of me, but she'll have to wait! If I'd been able to sell that wooden statue the lady had I could have-"

"Wooden statue?" Tails interrupted.

"Yes... I accidentally spilled medicine over it, and it made it stink... so I left it outside to dry and it got stolen." He looked furious for a moment. "Who goes around stealing people's stuff like that?"

"You?"

"I was er... borrowing it!" he covered quickly.

"Sure..."

"I don't have the money or the statue, so I can't help you."

"Don't think Telma's going to forget the tab," Tails told him, taking it back as he left. Then he slipped up the alley just beside the doctor's place and said, "Midna."

"What's bothering you, wolf boy?"

"You were listening?"

"You have to ask?"

"Silly question I guess. Would the smell of the medicine last this long?"

"You tell me, you're the wolf."

"Not at the moment. Care to help?"

Midna glanced out of the alley, then said, "Only because you picked a good place to hide."

Paying not attention to the townsfolk, he picked up the ugly-green scent of the medicine and followed it through the town, down outside Telma's bar.

Her cat met them there.

"You're looking for something, aren't you?"

"A wooden statue," Midna supplied.

"Ah. That. Yes, I admit. I stole it. I was attacked by some sort of skeletal dogs right after though, and they took it from me. I don't know why they wanted it. Better that I got attacked than that girl though. They lurk outside the south gate in a pack, but you'll have to beat them all to get it back."

"Useful. Thank you."

"Be careful," she warned them.

It was already late, so they didn't have to wait long for these skeletal dogs to appear.

They just crawled out of the earth as it darkened. Tails hastily scratched a circle on the ground, nodded to the dogs, then to it, looking at Midna.

"Gotcha. Just get them close."

They seemed to come mindlessly at him anyway. There was no special tactic to it, he just waited for them. Midna held them down, and he dashed through each in quick succession. The statue clattered to the ground after them.

"That was almost too easy," he murmured after being changed back. "I don't like it."

"You think it might have been a trap?"

"I don't think so. Let's go to Kakariko and take this to Ilia."

Midna had gone to sleep, and Epona probably was too, so Tails made his own way to the village. It was near dawn when he quietly let himself into Renado's cabin, but they were all still there, either up late or early.

"Did Telma say anything?" Renado murmured quietly.

"She helped me find something," Tails answered, pulling out the statue from his tunic.

"That's it!" Ilia exclaimed. "I remember... something... I was confined somewhere..." she thought hard for a few moments, then continued,

"Yes... and I was saved by... someone... who was confined with me. They gave me that... but that means they're still in trouble!" She grew irritated then and burst out, "What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember?"

"I remember!" Gor Coron burst out, surprising them all. "May I examine that a moment?" he asked Ilia. He took one look, then nodded again. "I thought I had seen it before. It belongs to a tribe that protected the Hylian Royal Family long ago. They worked in secret, so lived in a lonely, hidden place, but I heard that they dwindles out years ago due to wars... there's a path in Lanayru province on the other side of the Bridge of Eldin.

"I know the place," Darbus rumbled. "A rockslide blocked it off years ago. I can clear it for you. I will await you there, little fox!"

With that, he squeezed out through the door, muttering something about small doorways, and left.