Out of the Woods
The edge of the woods marked the end of the Kokiri's domain. Here the world of the children of the forest gave way to the unknown vista of Hyrule beyond. To the Kokiri it was a place fraught with danger. Mido had once told him that any Kokiri who ventured beyond the realm of their protector, the Great Deku Tree, would die. Link would have been inclined to ignore him since Mido was always trying to frighten him, but the other Kokiri seemed to believe this as well.
He had never been this far from his home before, and now here he was, staring out at that vast unknown wilderness, with nothing but a small azure fairy hovering beside him, a sense of uncertainty gnawed at him. He looked at Navi for reassurance, glad she at least, was with him. His guide. His friend. They hadn't known each other long. She'd been summoned to help him break a curse afflicting the Great Deku Tree. A curse that had ultimately killed the guardian of the Kokiri, sentencing Link to fleeing his home before the others thought him responsible. Most of the Kokiri wouldn't have believed it possible that the youngest member of their tribe was capable of such an act, but Mido would have found a way to convince them. He was certain of it.
Allowing his fists to unclench, the thoughts of his recent ordeal still fresh on his mind, Link focused on the way ahead.
"Ready?" Navi asked him as they stood there at the edge of the woods. Link stood in the shadow of the trees, staring at this vast land of hills and grass... it was so huge! He looked left and right, staring at the unending ocean of rippling greenery. Here and there, clumps of granite rose like fingers in the air, catching the warm light of the morning sun. Flowers of white and gold danced in the breeze, reminding him of Saria and the flowers she grew outside her home. His heart ached at the thought of the friend with whom he had so recently parted. The stone in the pouch secured to his belt reminded him of why he'd left, as did the little ocarina Saria had given him.
"Didn't realise it was so big?" Navi asked, her voice playful as she mistook Link's forlorn expression for uncertainty, rather than any thought of his friend.
Swallowing a painful lump, he just nodded.
"This is only a tiny piece of Hyrule," Navi continued.
"You mean there's more?" he asked, genuinely surprised. Navi laughed.
"Of course there is, silly."
"Oh..." Link wasn't sure what to say to that, except for, "Which way do we go?"
He cast his eyes about his surroundings, looking for some clue."I don't see anywhere that looks like a castle..." he mused aloud, eyebrows furrowed in consternation. No. He'd seen where Zelda lived in a dream. He'd even described it to Saria. But where was it? How was he ever going to find her?
A path interrupted the green fields up ahead, cutting a line between the hills and disappearing into the distance. That was his first clue. But he realised there was more than one path sprawling between the endless hills.
"This way," Navi said, zipping a little ahead of him and diving into the grass. Link took a few steps forward, and she darted back out, spinning gracefully in the air. "Come on, hurry up!"
She was heading in a direction that Link thought was south, dancing playfully amidst the flowers. Despite Mido's warnings, the verdant fields of Hyrule beckoned to him in a way he couldn't explain. The impulse to explore the wider world was in his blood. He glanced back once, towards the place where he'd last seen Saria, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but she would be way back in the Kokiri Village, trying to dissuade anyone from coming after him. Once they figured out where he'd gone, they wouldn't come after him. He doubted many of them would even miss him. Especially Mido.
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Link turned once more to face the green field.
So, he thought, this was Hyrule. It was so foreign. So alien. There were no trees. Nowhere to shelter from the elements or from any sort of danger, and he had no idea what lay beyond the woods... was it truly as dangerous as the Kokiri often said?
Navi, noticing his apparent apprehension, zoomed back into the air, whereupon she promptly snatched the green cap off of his head. She almost disappeared under it, and it was a wonder the green fabric didn't knock her out of the air as she darted nimbly out of the way.
"Hey!" Link protested, snatching at the hat, only for Navi to zip out of reach. He jumped after the cap, almost tripping over his boots, much to the merriment of the sprite. "Navi!"
"You're going to have to be quicker than that!" Navi told him, darting ahead and towards the road. "Quick, come on!"
"Navi, give me my hat back!" Link exclaimed, exasperated. She did, tossing it to him and continuing her flight towards the road.
Link jammed his hat back on and ran after her, towards the road. He soon caught up to Navi, as they stepped out onto the dirt track, and he stopped for a moment to catch his breath.
"You'll have to be quicker than that," she teased. "C'mon, we've got a long way to go, and I want to find somewhere to shelter before nightfall."
Hyrule awaited. With each step, he left behind the secluded home of his childhood and into a world unknown.
It was hard to imagine these tranquil hills being home to the horrors Mido liked to talk about, the kind he claimed would one day come and snatch Link away. He often said that whenever Saria wasn't nearby. She would've told him off. It was hard to see this place as dangerous at all. It was calming, disturbed only by the breeze that blew softly across the hills.
"Mido said there were monsters... that they eat Kokiri who stray from the wood..." Link found himself blurting out.
"Did he really?" Navi asked, sounding like she didn't care much for what Mido said. Link nodded.
"I'm not scared though," he managed, his thoughts turning to the sword strapped to his back. He took one last look back at the forest, remembering what the Great Deku Tree had told him. Something about a sword having no strength unless its wielder had courage...
"I'm not scared," he repeated, more firmly this time.
Hyrule awaited. With each step, he left behind the secluded home of his childhood and into a world unknown... an enormous mountain could be seen peering over the hills to the southwest, one far larger than the rest, its peak oddly misshapen.
"A volcano," Navi told him when he pointed this out. "That's where the Gorons live."
Link didn't know what wonders or dangers he'd find, but something ancient called to him... calling to him. Hyrule awaited.
With each step, he left behind the secluded home of his childhood and into a world unknown...