What I'd first taken to be a plant turned out to be another new creature that looked like it was just pretending to be a bush. Beneath the leaves was a tough-looking brown covering over a lighter brown body, the only feature on it a tiny pair of eyes and a beak. Two stick-thin arms pushed it up as it looked around, failing to notice me. The leaves on its back retreated into a large bud as it hopped up.

"Hunh?" it said curiously. "It's gone all quiet?"

"Yeah, I ran them off," I told it. I ended up startling it twice – once by speaking, then again when it saw me, causing it to give a tiny scream and exclaim, "Green one! Didn't even know they came in green!" And it ran off, scrambling up a sharp dirt slope.

I watched it flee with resignation. This was going to keep happening to me, and if it hadn't already started to bother me, it was going to soon.

"Master, I have picked up a highly unusual spike in the readings from the creature you just encountered."

"Spike? You mean my sword tugging was you calling my attention to it?"

"Correct, Master. Based on the creatures characteristics, I conclude that it is a peaceful, forest-dwelling animal known as a Kikwi. They are intelligent beings capable of speech. However, I am uncertain why such a creature should elicit a powerful aura so closely identical to that of Zelda."

"Wait, not so technical. You're as bad as Tails. You're telling me you mistook that Kikwi for Zelda?"

"That appears to be the case, Master," Fi confirmed. "I believe we should follow the creature and investigate this phenomenon."

"Maybe it just bumped into Zelda?" I suggested. "We know she came this way too, maybe that would have caused it?"

"Oh, will you just move on already?" Link told me peevishly – as usual, perched on a nearby tree. "Do I have to nudge you every five minutes?"

"What, am I on some kind of schedule?" I demanded of him. "I'm doing what you wanted, aren't I? So why don't you back off and let me get on with it my way!"

Link actually looked taken back by that, staring back almost in shock, then at last found his voice again. "Why him, Mother?" he demanded. "Out of everyone, why him?"

"If you keep acting like this I'm going to find someone else to do your job," Fate's voice scolded him. "He's your Hero, now leave him alone, let him do it his way, and get on with making sure everything's ready for him."

Link turned red and vanished again.

"His attitude remains childish," Fi remarked. "It does not seem likely that will change while we still have tasks to see too."

"You're telling me? Can you still pick up on that Kikwi?" I asked her. Fi glanced about, then nodded, "Follow him. Your sword will guide you again." As if to emphasis, once she returned to the sword it tugged in the right direction – even though it was still sheathed on my back! Much more useful, and it'd probably help persuade the Kikwi I wasn't a threat.

Following the Kikwi's path led me up the dirt slope (which I used the walls for instead when the dirt slipped underfoot) and down another path to another ledge, this one overlooking a path with mushrooms on either side. And not your regular garden variety mushrooms, some of them were as big as me, and in a variety of colours.

I spotted another Loftwing statue concealed off to one side, but I just filed that away for later as the Kikwi – or at least a Kikwi – was on the path, facing away from me, panting. It turned to see if I was following and when it spotted me, the bush on its back burst back into bloom again and it ran off.

With Fi guiding me I tried to follow without making the poor thing any more terrified, and I didn't hurry either so maybe this time it'd have time to come to it's senses. I had to stop several times to get rid of more Deku Babas that were on the path, and each time I had to reorient on the Kikwi, but eventually I caught up with it in the shelter of a gnarled tree.

"It spotted me again!" it exclaimed, then fell forward, bush flaring again, trying to convince me he wasn't worth interest.

"I'm not after you, little friend," I sighed. "I fought off those Bokoblins to help you."

The Kikwi stayed on the ground, fear setting him to quivering and the bushes to rustling, but still hid.

I resisted the urge to make certain remarks and added, "I'm not a monster either. I just look like one."

Oh, how many times have we Heroes fallen back on that convenient excuse?

It squeaked a little, daring to look up as if expecting me to change my mind at any moment. I just sat down nearby to wait for him to overcome his fear on his own, giving him some time. Eventually he realised I really wasn't lying to him, getting back up and sidling over.

"You're scary," he told me hesitantly. "But you seem OK really."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm trying not to let it get to me though. I'm Knuckles – just a traveller passing through and helping out."

"Machi," the Kikwi introduced himself. "Thanks for helping me – now I know you were!"

"You're welcome, little friend. I don't suppose you saw a friend of mine though – a tall girl-"

"I saw her earlier! Those red things were giving her trouble when I bumped into her, but she escaped from them with the Kikwi Elder."

Fi, heedless of what effect it might have on Machi, put in an appearance – and Machi again fell over and tried to hide under his rustling bush.

"Master, we have obtained new information on Zelda's current statue," she informed me.

"And terrified him in the process, Fi," I told her. "She's a friend, Machi. You don't need to be afraid of her."

Machi regarded her warily as she spoke again. "This information suggests that Zelda has escaped initial danger, but I infer that she still remains in significant danger. Furthermore, my analysis indicates that this Kikwi likely produces a false-positive reaction due to direct contact with Zelda."

"Didn't I suggest that earlier?" I said, then a thought occurred. "The Kikwi Elder helped her, you said?" Machi nodded, not taking his eyes off Fi. "Then he'll probably also give us the same false reading when we're looking for Zelda – maybe we can use that to find him and see what he can do to help us?"

"I theorize there is an eighty-five percent chance that the Kikwi Elder will generate such a reaction, and will continue to direct your attention to readings when they appear. From this point onward I will be able to distinguish the Kikwi Machi from Zelda, to prevent us from being further led astray."

"That means she agrees, I think," I told Machi as Fi disappeared.

"You keep some very strange company, friend," Machi shook his head. "But since you're headed for the Elder... would you mind telling him I'm safe? I'd like to stay here for a bit and get over all the shocks I've had."

"I understand that," I laughed. "I'll make sure he knows, you just take it easy for a bit. And if you see any other Kikwi, let them know I'm a friend too?"

Machi agreed, wandering off into the mushrooms on his own, while I followed along the path, coinciding with the sword's regular tugging. Once out of earshot I murmured, "You know Fi, if everyone can see you, you're going to have to find a way to warn me when you do that. You almost scared Machi half to death there."

Fi didn't answer.

Along the way I picked up a small yellow stone, which Fi briefly appeared to inform me was an Amber Relic, and that I should probably collect them for later use. It was one of several regularly collected little items that I generally didn't pay much attention to until I went to Skyloft and talked to Rupin – usually only to find I was short a few materials to upgrade something.

I also found a Deku Baba that had colonized another sharp slope, I guess using it's roots to make sure it didn't just slip down the dirt like everything else. It had been planted in such a way that no amount of careful evasion would allow me to avoid it running up the slope, but like other Heroes, I had an alternative.

Up at the top were a few rocks, one of which somehow managed to come loose and smack into the back of the Deku Baba, effectively crushing it despite the bud's tough shell. It was another way of dealing with them, at least.

I also met the monsters that would later become the wild Deku Scrubs – Plant Octoroks. Fi didn't have much to say about these, except that I'd probably do better if I used my shield to reflect the nuts back at it. After a few of them had caught me, only the chain-mail stopping them from doing any harm, I started to agree.

A few more dumb Bokoblins wandered around here too, and though they're not bright, they at least attempted by block my sword strikes. It gave me reason to call on a few more things I'd learned, but they never really were much of a challenge.

We located the place where the Kikwi Elder was likely to be soon after, though at first there was no clear way to reach it. I tried to climb the cliff face presented as you'd probably expect me too, but either nature or Link had arranged for the rock to be impervious to me – which doesn't generally happen often. He might have been new to this while I was around, but if it was him he was already learning to counter me.

So I had to take a longer way around to meet the Elder, passing a large marble slab set into an ornate gateway. It had two crescent moons, one set inside the other, carved into it, on the other side a long bridge stretching toward a waterfall. The entire area beyond was barred off by a more substantial looking set of railings, and the slab refused to budge – there was something I was going to have to do before this one would open, obviously.

Once I reoriented back on the Elder again I spotted what looked from a distance to be an immense Kikwi up on a raised area, and conveniently, as if inviting me over, there was another stray rope tied up – just on the off chance I didn't think I could make the jump on my own.