The only obstacle between me and the rest of the forest was that stupid fence. In the game, Link needed Epona to jump over it. For me? I just climbed over it, easy-peasy. I stopped at Faron's spring and quickly cupped some water. It quenched my thirst and even helped ease the burning in my lungs. It was all that damn exercise, but at least the spring water helped.

"Hey guy!" a chipper voice called from beside me. It caught me by surprise and made me fall over. "Sorry 'bout that." I looked over and found Coro offering me a hand. I took it and stood up quickly. "You okay, guy?"

"My name is Zach," I snapped at him. He didn't flinch. "And I'm fine. Did you see a boy run past here?"

Coro tilted his head and I once again stared at the afro on his head. I think the afro was born first and he grew around it, but I digress. "I wasn't looking that way, but I did hear a couple of feet stamp past." He waved his arm carelessly. "I wouldn't worry about it, Zach. There's gates blocking the way to Hyrule Field and Faron Woods."

I frowned and gestured to the path leading to his house. "A little kid can dig under the gates if he's determined enough."

The Hylian lifted his eyebrows in worry. "You sure?" When I nodded, he patted down his pockets. "C'mon, where is it... aha!" He pulled a small key out of his pant pocket and offered it to me. "You're gonna go in there by yourself?" I nodded again and snatched the key from him. "How will you know which gate he crawled under?"

"I'll figure something out. Thanks." With that, I took another sip of the spring water and then hauled ass to the outlet where Coro's house was. I slowed down and looked at the two gates, trying to figure out which one Talo crawled under. Both had small gaps underneath, which meant that he and the other kids had probably done this before in both directions, which meant I had to choose one gate and hope it was correct.

"Zedd, what are you doing?" I heard someone call from above. I looked in the direction of the voice and found Iza trembling from the second-story window of her house.

"A little boy ran past here and crawled under one of the gates. Do you know which one?"

Iza shook her head and said, "I didn't see anything, but if you're gonna be chasing some kid, you'll need a lantern. It's dangerous to go alone!"

Did she really just say that? Turning to face her, I said, "I got a lantern, thanks." Just to be sure, I patted the phone in my pocket.

Iza scrunched her lips but shrugged anyway. "Watch out while you're inside. I got attacked by a monster yesterday!"

I scoffed and looked over at the gate. "Sure you did." I decided I was wasting time, so I trudged over to the closer gate.

"I did! She was small and had flaming hair with some kind of bone helmet!" That made me freeze on the spot. I slowly turned around and looked Iza in the eye as she nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh, some kind of imp or something, she was trying to eat me!" She then held up one hand and pretended to admire her nails. "I got her to scram, though. I think I broke some of her fingers, but that's her fault for trying to kill me."

Deciding it best not to continue that topic, I focused on the gates and tried to figure out which one Talo went under. I looked through the gaps in the left gate and found a small stick laying there. It was the same one that Talo had been using to copy me during my practice earlier. "Where does this gate go?"

Iza answered, "Northern Faron Woods. Be careful when you're in there, the place is filled with Bokoblins."

"Thanks." I walked over to the gate and unlocked it, then stepped inside. The tunnel was dark and dank, but I could hear small animals skittering about. Pulling out my phone, I turned on the flashlight and was pleasantly greeted by the white bloom of light.

The unnatural light startled a bat in the ceiling. It flew down and smacked me in the head, then rushed out of the tunnel. Grumbling under my breath, I failed to notice the spider web until I walked right into it. The left half of my body was ensnared and could barely move. Luckily, my wooden sword was in my free hand. I hacked at the web... only for the sword to get stuck as well. The sticky substance was fairly strong, enough to keep me working at it for another five minutes, but it did eventually collapse.

Covered in sticky spider web, I trudged on through the tunnel, which led on for a time before opening into an area with an enormous decaying tree in the center. The place was drenched in a thick fog so I could barely see anything five feet in front of me. Maybe an actual flaming lantern would have been a good idea.

I followed the wall around the left side of the area, but I was getting increasingly agitated. Nothing had come to attack me yet. No Keese, no Deku Babas, not even a renegade Bokoblin. There had to be some monsters around, or else why would Iza and Rusl warn about the place swarming with them?

Before long, I found a cavern entrance and I could hear something moving around inside, something like a was a fairly short cave; I found the creature just after I went in. It had its back to me and seemed to be studying something, but it never fully understood what it was before I whacked it over the head with my wooden sword. The Bokoblin collapsed, probably knocked out if the tongue flopping out of its mouth was any indication.

I looked over at what the unconscious Bokoblin was studying and found a key. Plucking it up and figuring where it was supposed to go, I picked up my wooden sword and ran out of the cave with a bit more urgency. Talo was in danger, and while I may not have liked the kid, he was still just a kid. I didn't want to think about what would happen to Talo if I quit now.

After a little while, I came upon a small rise, where stood two Bokoblins in front of a large gate. Bingo. The two had yet to notice me, and I was not going to try to fight them both at once, so I stuck close to the wall and shimmied along slowly toward the gate.

If I tried to unlock it, they'd hear...

I looked down and found a few small rocks around my feet. I picked one up and aimed carefully for the far-off wall. One... two... three! I threw the rock with all the force I could muster, and it sailed through the air and hit the wall with a loud klonk! The Bokoblins instantly ran off in the direction of the noise, allowing me the chance to get over to the gate. I fumbled with the key, and I could hear feet on the ground rushing in my direction, which made my hands even more fidgety.

I heard one of the Bokoblins screech followed by two loud thunks as I unlocked the gate and pulled it closed behind me. That was close! Relieved, I ran through the second tunnel, which was thankfully devoid of spider webs and ended quickly. I emerged into another clearing. It was average-sized and narrowed into another area ahead, so I followed the path and came upon an open arena-like space.

With my improved eyesight, I could see Talo and a monkey with a red flower on its head rattling around in a wooden cage up further. They were positioned in front of some sort of entrance that stood on a winding path over a large gap. It was exactly like the entrance to the Forest Temple in the game.

The only obstacle between me and the area that held Trill's shop were two more Bokoblins chittering to each other. There was no way I could get by without them noticing, which meant I would have to actually fight the two creatures. I shrugged and ducked low against the wall. Neither of them had noticed me yet, which was good because I had to wipe sweat from my forehead and take a breather.

Once I was rested enough, I edged closer to the two and took stock of the situation: Both had their backs to me, both had clubs resting against their shoulders, and both seemed sleepy, if their constant yawning was any indication. I saw a decent sized rock nearby and lifted it up. It was about the size of my fist, so it would definitely do some damage if I could make contact.

Inching ever closer, I held my breath tightly in my chest and counted the steps until I was close enough to attack. Nine... I readied the rock in my left hand and the wooden sword in my right. Seven... I could smell the sweat and other odors coming from the creatures. Five... Eh, close enough. I threw the rock as hard as I could at the nearer creature, striking it right in the back of the skull. It lurched forward and tripped over its own feet, impaling itself in the chest with the spiked end of its own club.

"Huh, that's convenient..." What was not convenient was the other Bokoblin charging at me while I was busy watching its comrade fall. I blocked its attack with my wooden sword but still got knocked to the ground from the force behind the blow. "Holy shit that's a good arm!" I rolled to the side. The club came down again and the blunt end caught me in the shoulder, sending a shock of pain through my arm.

This was different from when I was impaled before, because I was rolling down a hill when I got stabbed, so I wasn't immediately aware there was any danger. Here, I damn sure knew I got hit, and it hurt. It was the blunt end and I was thankful for that, because it got me right in the shoulder blade. I threw myself backward, just in time too, because the club sank down right where my head was before. I landed flat on my back and struggled to stand up, but the pain in my shoulder was... well, painful, what else could I say? The Bokoblin raised its club again and left its belly wide open, but my aim was off when I thrust the wooden sword out. Instead of the belly, I accidentally struck the creature right in the groin. Its beady eyes widened in pain as it dropped its club to hold the damaged region.

"Sorry about that," I muttered as I managed to pick myself up. So far, nothing in my body seemed really broken, so that was reassuring. The Bokoblin shuffled around, still holding its groin, ignorant of me getting ready to strike again. I used my good arm to lift the wooden sword up and swung, catching the creature right in the jaw. Its head flew back and it stumbled backwards, one foot sticking up humorously to keep its balance. I scooped my sword under the foot and lifted, causing the creature to flail about and fall backwards, right onto the club it dropped before.

"Wow, that's gory!" I exclaimed as I saw the spike sticking up from beneath the Bokoblin's ribs. The creature was so thin at the waist that the spike tore right through as though it were paper. "Ouch..." After a moment, I shrugged and went on my way. It was just a monster after all. Besides, it would have killed me the second it could. Anyway, I passed the corpse and walked into the next area, where I heard a bird call that sounded very human.

"GRRRARRR! FWEEEEEEEEEEET!" I turned to the left and saw a small kiosk, a wooden stand with two cauldrons on top. The cauldrons were colored green and yellow, and they were ornate and bubbling with liquids. I wanted to investigate, but the shopkeeper was screaming at me. "Hey! Punish the evildoers! ...Huh? Hey! The evildoers are all gone?" I lifted an eyebrow at the bird... at least, I think it was a bird. Its body was blue with green and yellow feathers on its wings and tail plus a long yellow beak. But what really caught my eye was the presence of yet another afro on the bird's head. Seriously, what is the appeal? The bird chirped and flapped its wings in excitement as it stared at me. "Are you... a costumer? Oh! Hey! Sorry! So sorry! Please forgive me! Welcome! Hey! Buy something! Anything!"

"Uh... Trill, I presume?"

Trill nodded. "That's my name. Hey! Grrarr! Do I know you?"

I shook my head and said, "No, I just met your master yesterday. Anyway, I gotta go help someone—"

"You gonna buy something? Go ahead! Anything you want!"

"I appreciate it, but maybe some other time..."

"Grrarr! BUY SOMETHING! I haven't had a customer in ages!"

"Okay, okay!" I stepped forward and perused the cauldrons. Lantern Oil, and... green stuff. "Uh... what's this?"

"Oh! Fweet! Very rare Green Potion! Refills magic power!"

"Magic power? I don't have magic power..." I ran a hand through my sweaty hair. "I don't have any money on me right now anyway, so—"

Trill dove off his perch and swooped over to a shelf above the stand. "No problem! You got rid of the evildoers! On the house!"

"Does everything you say end with an exclamation point?" I asked, but Trill didn't answer. He instead pulled out a classic Zelda glass bottle, complete with cork, and offered it to me. It was about the size of a soda can, a bit smaller than I thought it'd be. "Um, thanks." No, I did not hold it above my head. No, I did not spin around and strike a dramatic 'Da na na NA' pose. This was no game. Besides, my shoulder was still hurting and moving my left arm hurt.

"Go on! Grrarr! Take a bottle full of whatever you want! My treat!"

I looked down at the cauldrons and found small note cards by each one. Lantern oil was lantern oil, so there was no need to read that. I plucked up the Green Potion card and read aloud, "'Green Potion: Use this to restore magic power and stamina.' What's that mean?"

Trill bounced on his perch and said, "When you get tired, drink the potion and your fatigue will vanish! You'll feel energized too! Really handy for fighting and running! Fweet!"

"And this stuff is free the first time?" Trill nodded. "Restoring stamina seems like something that should go with Red Potion but..." I shrugged and dunked the bottle in the Green Potion. Filling it to the brim, I took a big swig and gulped down the whole lime-flavored thing. That... was a mistake. You ever had those 5-hour energy drinks? Imagine drinking ten of those at once. The pain in my shoulder vanished, which was good, but I was literally saturated with energy. Energy meant movement, movement meant action, action meant Bokoblins were about to die.

Before Trill or I knew what happened, I was running... no, sprinting down the forest and onto the wooden bridge leading to Talo and the monkey. I think there was a dust trail behind me from running so fast, but I was not aware of anything except the four Bokoblins guarding Talo's cage.

Now, I was having a massive sugar rush, I was moving due to excess energy and not some strange time dilation, so when the Bokoblins attacked, I had to dodge quickly to the side. I swung my wooden sword and struck one in the side of the head, only to have another hit me in the ribs. Really convenient that they never tried to actually impale me, but whatever. I was sure at least one rib was broken, but since I was still in Speedy Gonzalez mode, I barely registered it.

"Look out!" I heard Talo cry, and I ducked on instinct and felt the wind from a club sweep over my head. I swiped upward and knocked the Bokoblin backward a few feet, just enough to give me breathing room. "Yeah, get 'em!" The monkey beside him chirped in excitement.

I charged forward and rammed my shoulder into the second Bokoblin, then ducked as the third swung its club and struck its companion in the gut. The wind knocked out, the creature keeled over and collapsed to its knees, which was just the opportunity I needed to lift its club up and smash its head in.

There were still three Bokoblins, but thankfully I was positioned at the opening of the winding path, which funneled the creatures down into a single-file line. The one in front shambled towards me and swung its weapon against my raised wooden sword. The force was immense and broke the rookie block, allowing the club to hit me right in the cheekbone. Crying out in pain, I pulled my leg back and kicked the creature as hard as I could in its groin. It shuddered and squeaked as the Bokoblin behind it pushed it over the edge of the ramp-like path.

I banked right and just missed the Bokoblin's club as it sailed through the air and dented the wooden bridge. So many close calls! I grabbed the beast's foot and yanked hard, causing it to flail its arms around to maintain its balance. Because it was still holding the club, it ended up hitting the final Bokoblin in the skull... with the spiked end. The creature fell backward and lay still on the incline, blood oozing out of the wound in the side of its head. The single living Bokoblin was oblivious to its companion's fate as it tried to yank its club free. I stood up and slammed my wooden sword down on the top of its head, and all was still.

The Bokoblin stood frozen for a few moments before it slowly teetered and fell on the monster it was trying to get its club from. It spasmed for a little while before finally going still, and I let out a sigh of relief. "That was easy..." I stepped over the two Bokoblins and shuffled over to Talo's cage just as a sudden rush of pain attacked my side. I could barely move my left arm it hurt so much, but I had to keep my focus on Talo. "Are you hurt, kid?" The boy quickly shook his head and gripped against the bars of the circular prison. "Don't move." He froze instantly. I gripped the top of the cage and slowly leaned it over to one side.

"What are you doing, you doofus?!" Talo cried.

"I can't break the cage open while it's standing up, and with my arm like it is, I can't get the top off either." I pinched the bridge of my nose as a headache grew. "If I set it on its side, I can chop some of the bars in half for you and your date to get out."

Talo looked aghast as he bellowed, "EWW! SHE'S NOT A DATE!"

"Keep quiet!" I yelled as I held my forehead. "Just try to relax and I'll get you out of there that much faster." Talo stared at me for what felt like forever before nodding. I leaned the cage over and set it on its side, as I said before, and immediately pondered the next step: How was I going to break the bars? They were thick wood and looked sturdy, so I needed something heavier than my wooden sword to break them. Then came the next problem: How would I keep Talo and the monkey from getting hurt by the broken bars?

I snapped my fingers and reached into my satchel, thankful that I had it on my person. After some digging, I pulled out a thick black coat and offered it to Talo. "Cover yourself with this, it'll keep you safe." Talo, on his side with the monkey clinging to him, nodded and took the offered item, draping it over the both of them. After pulling at the edges to make sure they were completely covered, I walked over to the Bokoblins and winced as I picked up one of the clubs. It was heavy but thankfully I was able to lift it with one arm. It seemed the Green Potion was wearing off and I was crashing as a result, but at least I could still move.

I brought the club down on the first wooden bar, cracking but not completely breaking it. I wheezed as I whacked the bar again, this time successfully splintering it. I put the club down to wrench the fragments out and then rolled the cage slightly so that the next bar was higher than the rest. "One more outta do it, kid." I saw the shape of his head nod under the coat, and I struck the bar as hard as I could. It splintered in two and poked at the coat. As I pulled the pieces out, I asked, "You hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." I nodded and strained to lift the cage back up, but once I did, Talo practically leapt out and stretched his arms and legs. I took the coat back and stuffed it into my satchel as the monkey gave me a nod and leapt off into parts unknown. Talo and I glanced at each other but no one said anything as I helped him get around the Bokoblin bodies.

We stayed silent all the way down the ramp until Trill hooted and beckoned me over. "Grrarr! That was amazing!" I hissed and held my head as the bird's voice grated against my skull. "Four evildoers at once! Fweet! First you and then that little girl, today has been great!"

My eyes widened as I stared at Trill. "Little girl?"

The shopkeeper nodded enthusiastically. "She used your bottle, but she paid for the potion with a twenty! Grrarr!"

I looked down at the bottle on the table and sighed. I had been wondering where Midna had run off to, but it looks like she stuck around me. She was probably still in the immediate area, and she actually used the bottle after I already did. So unsanitary.

I picked up the bottle, corked it, and stuffed it in my satchel before turning to Trill. Raising my voice, I said, "If you see her, you can tell her she is welcome to come by my house later today. I'm sure she would appreciate some lunch or dinner in this kind of environment." The bird and Talo both tilted their heads at how my voice was louder than necessary, but Trill nodded anyway.

"Fweet! I'll be sure to let her know."

"Pleasure doing business with you," I said, my volume back to normal, and Talo and I walked off in the direction of the village. We moved quickly through the tunnel and the foggy area, where I spotted two Bokoblins laying on the ground with lumps on their skulls. "How did...?" I shook my head and kept moving, not wanting to risk another encounter, and when we reached Coro's hut, Talo stopped and spoke up.

"If you hadn't come, Zach..." The boy dug his foot into the dirt. "Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably!" He looked around everywhere except at me, but I didn't mind. "She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey... She tried to protect me, so we got captured together." I nodded and waited patiently for him to go on. "Um, Zach... I'm sorry I called you a doofus..."

I snorted and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. I've been called a lot worse. Besides," I smiled at him, "you're right." Talo laughed a little and walked ahead of me as we passed Coro's bathhouse.

"Zach!" Rusl called as he ran over to us, Ilia and Colin following close behind. The warrior slowed to a stop and held Talo's shoulder and mine. "My son told me Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned." Said boy glared daggers at Colin as he shrank behind Ilia. "I came as soon as I heard... But it looks like you have brought him back already..." His eyes widened and I assumed he noticed my superficial wounds. "I apologize. Such a task should not fall to you." He turned to Ilia and said, "Please take care of Zach in Ordon Spring. I will escort Talo and Colin home."

"I'm fine," I protested, which only earned a fierce glare from both Rusl and Ilia. "...I'll follow Ilia to the spring."

"Don't be mean to him," Talo said. "He got hurt pretty bad... and it was my fault..."

Rusl sighed and rubbed his temple. "We will discuss this with your parents," he must have noticed the drop in Talo's shoulders because he added, "though I think that is very mature of you to take responsibility for a stranger. Come." We followed behind Rusl as he walked over the bridge, but Ilia and I split off from the group to go to Ordona's spring.

I sputtered my lips and plopped down in the sand. Ilia joined me but with a rag in her hand that she dipped into the spring. "It was foolish of you to go after him," she said. She dabbed the rag against my cheek and frowned at me. "You should have waited for Rusl."

The bruise in my cheek vanished into nothing, and when Ilia touched my injured side, I found relief in the fact that my ribs were not actually broken. It still hurt like a bitch when she touched it, but that's what happens. "The Bokoblins would have killed him and the monkey he was chasing."

Ilia lifted an eyebrow. "Is that what happened?" she asked. I nodded as she rubbed at my shoulder. The pain slowly ebbed away and gave way to hypersensitivity in the area Ilia was touching. I could feel the cloth threads and the pleasantly warm water they were drenched in pressing against my shirt and skin. It was actually very nice, like I was getting a massage, but it ended when Ilia pulled away. She smiled and stood up to brush the sand off her clothes and offered me a hand up. I took it and brushed my own clothes off before following her out of the spring.

What time was it? It seemed so much later than I thought, the sky was even darkening a bit. I shrugged and said goodbye to Ilia, then went inside my house to get changed and maybe take a nap.

"Yeah, a nap sounds good."

"Helloooo!" Midna called into a hollow log. "Sacred Beast? Where are youuuu?" She harumphed and crossed her arms. "What's the use of being a divine creature if you're not presenting yourself as one?" She had been at this for an hour already, yet no sign of anything sacred or beastly had crossed her path.

"UGH!" Midna flew around in a particularly foggy area of the forest. So far, she had only encountered a single tall blue-skinned creature with a club, but it was distracted by the shiny object in its hand as it headed in a random direction. "This is just ridiculous. How am I supposed to find the Sacred Beast if I don't even know what it looks like?" She continued to grumble under her breath as she checked under every stone and log around her, until she heard the sound of something walking. Instinctively hiding in her shadow, the imp slithered across the forest floor toward the sounds and found...

"Zach?" she whispered. "What's he doing here?"

Midna slinked under Zach's shadow and stayed silent as he hugged the left side of the area's wall with a small key in his hand. She watched as he spotted two more of the gangly things near a locked gate. He picked up a stone, waited three seconds, then hurled it at the far wall. The creatures distracted, he darted for the gate and attempted to unlock it, but the diversion ended when one of the monsters saw him. They both immediately shambled in his direction but he had yet to open the gate.

Midna groaned at her own conscience. She did not owe him anything and yet she was about to save his life. She emerged from the shadows and was greeted by a screech from the closer monster. Wagging her finger, Midna used her hair to bonk the two on the head, knocking them out and saving the idiotic rancher.

She resumed her pursuit and watched him attack two more of those creatures. Deciding to help the poor novice rancher a bit more, Midna grabbed the stumbling monster's feet and tripped it, causing it to be impaled on its upturned club... which was where Midna happened to move to.

Stuffing down her own disgust, Midna shifted along the ground to somewhere with privacy. She emerged from the shadow and sighed with relief when she found that none of the gore had actually blemished her. That was when she spotted a chest tucked in the corner of the area. Bending down, she opened the chest and found a shiny red rupee.

"Hey, a twenty!" Midna exclaimed as she snatched up her prize. How did Hyrule have the same currency as the Twilight Realm? Midna had no idea but she would not protest the convenience. Satisfied, she walked away from the chest, only to jump behind a bush when she heard a loud bird call nearby.

She peeked around the bush and saw Zach talking to the strangest bird Midna had ever seen. Where was the trumpet-mouth? Where were the shadowy wings? It was so tiny and colorful, and honestly a little adorable with that tuft of feathers on top.

"Uh... Trill, I presume?" Zach asked. Midna rolled her eyes and tuned out of the conversation. Instead, she focused on the strange sense of... something or other deeper in the forest. It was similar to the power emanating from those springs, but much, much stronger. Was it... was it calling to her? "Magic power?" Midna's attention snapped back at Zach and she eyed the two cauldrons near him with heightened interest. He picked up a small piece of paper and read out, "'Green Potion: Use this to restore magic power and stamina.' What's that mean?"

Midna rolled her eyes as Zach dunked the bottle and then chugged it in one gulp. She watched in fascination as Zach's eyes twitched and his grip on the bottle tightened. For a moment, Midna thought he would die on the spot, but then he sped off with a large dust trail following behind.

"Whoa." Midna clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late as the bird—Trill—turned his head and chittered at her.

"Hey! Fweeet! Another customer!" Trill flapped its wings. "Buy something, anything!"

Deciding it best not to turn down good merchandise, Midna flew over and then hummed in approval as she floated over the two pots. "So, green is magic power. Seems simple enough, but I don't want to dunk my face in that." She saw the bottle on the stand and grimaced. She did not want to trade spit with some Light Dweller, but...

She shuddered as she dunked the bottle into the cauldron, only for Trill to screech, "Hey! Hey! You!"

"What?!"

"Over here!" Trill hopped to a slotted box. "Money! Put some money in! Thirty rupees!"

"Hey, you let that guy have some for free."

"He killed evildoers, you didn't!"

"I helped!"

"Fine, half price. Fifteen rupees."

Midna rolled her eyes, hardly believing she was haggling with a bird. "Fine. Fifteen rupees." Hopefully rupees worked the same way in Hyrule as they did in the Twilight Realm. Midna pressed her thumb to the center of the red rupee. It split into two smaller rupees, each a lovely yellow color. Puzzled but pleased at the proof that rupees did indeed function the same, Midna pressed the center of one yellow rupee again and it split into two even smaller rupees, these ones a pleasant blue. She dropped the yellow rupee and one blue rupee in the box and nodded. "Paid in full."

"Half."

"Half full." Midna filled the bottle up to the brim and drank heartily from the side untouched by Zach's mouth. She wiped her mouth with her arm and gasped at the surge of magic power flowing through her. It was nowhere near as staggering as when she touched that spring water the night before, but it was twice as filling.

While her total magic power had been severely reduced by the transformation into an imp, the potion Midna just drank filled that amount completely. "Thank you very much, Trill." She waved at the bird and then soared into the air, gleefully giggling as the wind rushed over her body. "Now THIS is what I'm talking about!"

Granted, she was nothing compared to her old self. That was power, but now it was just a memory. With a sigh, the former Twilight Princess descended and overheard Zach say, "Little girl?" Midna looked down and saw him along with a young boy talking to Trill, who chittered and chirped in excitement. Zach's eyes drifted to the bottle and narrowed slightly. When he next spoke, it was with more volume. He knew she was nearby, the clever fool. "If you see her, you can tell her she is welcome to come by my house later today. I'm sure she would appreciate some lunch or dinner in this kind of environment."

Midna narrowed her eyes in turn. First he invited her to sleep in the same room for the night despite never having met her before, and now he invited her into his home with the promise of food. To say Midna was tempted was an understatement. Her belly growled in hunger as she watched him and the boy walk a stranger up on his offer of hopefully decent food, or stay away and scavenge?

"We'll see, Zach." Midna vanished into the shadows and slid away. "We'll see."