Chapter 22:
Leaving the Forest

Ventus

Where did it all go wrong?

It would be a question bouncing around Ventus' head even in the future as a familiar golden-yellow knife streaked out of sight and a maw clamped down on the neck of his savior. His sister, the one he was supposed to protect.

All Ventus could see was the creature biting down on her in front of him. The red that came running out. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the howl of a wolf and warm blood trickling down his back. The pain which was so unbearable before became erased from his mind. The sword, his father's sword, slipped from his hand. Rushing forward he grasped the muzzle of the wolf who was tearing into his sister's neck. It needed to get out of the way. Shoving his thumbs into its mouth at the corners, a single cold word escaped his lips.

"Kaze."

Air huffed and puffed through the beast's slobbery teeth and lips, going down its throat and into the lungs. Instead, he pulled—ripped the air back out with a spray of spit and blood. It released her neck and attempted to lurch away, but it gurgled and hacked, stumbling to the ground as it heaved. Bloody foam dripped from its mouth as it eventually quivered one last time and lay still.

Glancing down, Ventus looked at the red and gushing wound on his sister's neck. He needed to staunch the bleeding. Keep the blood inside otherwise she would die of blood loss. Right now Rini's chest still heaved up and down as if each breath was a labor.

Taking off his scarf, he pushed down on the wound, trying to stop its bleeding while whistling Saria's melody, hoping she could find them. That's when he heard it behind him; its labored breathing becoming too close, forcing him to glance over his shoulder.

A large claw swiped just passed his eyebrow as the wolf had been lunging at him but missed. It staggered from its own swing and then opened its toothy maw. There was the sound of leaves rattling in the wind, and for a moment he thought it was Mido who jumped in front of him, but the figure was too tall. They pivoted, and as they swung their arm, there was a glint off an obsidian knife in their hand. It plunged into the wolf's open mouth and penetrated up into its skull.

Ventus narrowed his eyes as his whistle died off, though his hands didn't move from Rini's neck. The drum of his heartbeat was ringing in his ears, but the figure in front of him didn't seem like an enemy. He wasn't sure what it was, especially considering it was around his height.

"Who are you?" he demanded, moving to shield Rini from further harm with his body as his shield and sword lay forgotten on the forest floor.

They wore a straw hat layered with leaves, casting their features in shadow, and what looked like a poncho made of patched brown and green rags. The ragged edges of their green shorts were seen hanging over their knees. The figure turned to him, letting the beast fall to the ground, slipping their obsidian blade from its mouth.

"I am called North," said the figure, the voice emanating was deep but young like him.

Ventus wondered if this was one of the Skull Children he heard about. Still this North didn't seem to be a threat at the moment, so he turned his back to him as he began to wrap his scarf around Rini's neck tightly trying his best to make it tight enough to put pressure on it while not choking her.

"Thanks," Ventus said before beginning to whistle again. Skull Kid or not, the Kokiri and the others were the ones who knew their way back to somewhere safe.

"Ventus!" Saria answered him, yelling far before they saw her emerge. She knew he could hear farther. The stampeding of their feet through the foliage announced not only Saria but Mido and Fado as well.

Mido was the first to grunt out, "Who are you?" at the one called North.

He was cut short by Saria's gasp of, "Rini!"

She ran up to Ventus to assist him in packing her injury.

"She got bit bad," Ventus said hurriedly. "I'm doing my best to stop the bleeding."

"Oh shit, you're both hurt," Fado gasped as their footsteps came next to them and out of the corner of his eye, Ventus could see they had picked up his sword and shield. "You both need to get back. We need to get back."

The pounding of his heartbeat left his ears. He could feel the pain slowly seeping into his muscles and bones. Every movement was beginning to hurt. Still, he nodded in agreement with Fado and turned to Saria, asking, "She good to move now?"

"Barely," whispered the Kokiri girl before she turned and barked, "Mido, come here. We're going to put Rini on your back."

Mido glared at North as he hustled over to them. Saria pointed a finger at the tall stranger. "If you're going to help then come over here and help him walk."

"That's North, he killed that wolf," Ventus said, trying to stand only to fall face first as Mido picked up his sister. The world was spinning. The foliage was cool to his warm face. His body screamed at him to not move, just to lay there where it wouldn't hurt.

He ignored it as he tried to push himself up, pushing back tears, huffing through the pulse of pain.

"Ventus, don't push yourself!" Fado hissed. "Right now the most important thing is getting you two back safely, not your pride."

North stepped in line and pulled him up from the ground, putting his arm over their shoulders, and hosted him to his feet. Ventus grunted, both in thanks and in pain, stumbling after the others as they began to leave the Lost Woods, blood now tainting the once quiet meadow.

Where did it all go wrong?

Sitting on the edge of Rini's bed, Ventus sat still as his wounds were cleaned. It was like hot coals were being put into his open wounds, and there were several times he passed out. For how long he didn't know. Ventus barely remembered the trek back. Even now it felt like it took everything he had to keep his head above water to keep from drowning.

Rini was still breathing, barely, but they had managed to do something about the wound. For once Fado was quiet, and was murmuring words under her mouth, hands moving back and forth from Rini's mouth to her chest and back again.

"How is she?" Ventus asked, watching his sister's condition with a critical eye. Her heart hadn't stopped beating yet. Rini was still breathing. Everything had to be okay. It just had to be.

Saria near her as well, holding her arm so she could feel her pulse at the wrist as she watched her breathing. Tears began to dew in her eyes. "I … You can hear her heartbeat, right? It's been getting slower …"

"Yeah, but last time she got sick, she pulled through," Ventus said, swallowing tightly. However there was a small little voice in his head that knew the real reason she pulled through. They had a healing potion. Mom had used it to save Rini's life. She never said so, and Ventus never told Rini.

They didn't have anything like this right now.

"We stopped the bleeding. Got first aid," Ventus' voice cracked. "We did everything right. Rini's strong. She'll pull through. Just you watch."

Yet the tears in Saria's eyes continued to grow, threatening to fall with each thready pulse of her heart. The Kokiri girl's lips pressed together and said nothing in response.

There was a silence which filled the room before Fado slowly swallowed as their chanting slowed to a stop. Removing their hands, they looked to Ventus, their normally bright blue eyes dulled with tears. They didn't have to say anything as he could hear Rini's pulse fade out into nothing.

"I'm sorry," they whispered. "I'm so sorry."

A wail choked out of Ventus as he threw his body over his younger sister. He wanted to scream that this wasn't right. This wasn't fair. She could pull through, but Ventus had seen enough death to know there wasn't anything to be done.

He had failed at the one thing he was supposed to do.

In the end Rini had protected him, not the other way around. Ventus was supposed to be the big brother, but he couldn't even do that right. If it wasn't for Rini, he would be the one laying on the bed unmoving and unbreathing.

Letting out a howl, Ventus pulled Rini's unmoving body closer to his body that shook. Tears which had gone unshed for so many months now erupted from him with no signs of stopping, burning in his eyes. Every piece of him threatened to come apart, to come undone. The only thing around and in front of him was darkness.

"Rini," he gasped. "Rini, no …"

The soft thuds of his boots on the wooden floor of Mido's hut signaled his exit. Saria stood and wrapped her arms around Ventus and Rini for a moment. She whispered, "We'll be outside when you're ready or if you need anything."

She released him and her boot thuds announced her exit as well.

"I'm really sorry, Ventus, Rini," Fado mumbled, shuffling after them.

How long Ventus cried over her corpse, who could say. Not him. Cradling her in his arms, he begged for her to return to him, for the goddesses to take him instead. If he could switch places with her, Ventus would do so in a heartbeat.

But no goddess answered his pleas nor his prayers. They hadn't in a long time but for once, Ventus hoped they would.

That was until there was a small hoot. Sniffling, Ventus looked up to see Ceres had arrived and was now sitting on the headboard looking at him. But more than that he could feel the same sense of eyes staring at him from a person he couldn't see.

"Rini?" he choked out, reaching out toward her, causing Ceres to flutter slightly to the side as the eyes moved. His eyes followed both of their movements, the whisper of owls being able to see the dead echoing in his mind. Rumors which now solidified into an unsaid truth, connected with the cursed house of whose blood flowed most strongly through him.

"I'm sorry," he choked out. "I'm so sorry."

Nor was he certain how long it took him to stop crying and apologizing to Rini. He wished he could feel a disdainful look coming from her direction, but even that didn't happen. Ceres at one point had fluttered closer to him, Rini's gaze following and it didn't take a genius to figure out his sister was cuddling up against him. Except now he couldn't even properly comfort her.

Sitting in silence, stroking Ceres feathers, Ventus wondered where it all went wrong. Yet the more he thought about it, the answer only came back to one person.

Ganondorf.

If it wasn't for Ganondorf, none of this would have happened. Rini would be alive. His parents would be alive. Fuck he would have an aunt, uncle and little cousin. The forest wouldn't be suffering, people wouldn't be dying, and people would be happy.

If only Ganondorf wasn't alive. Wasn't here.

Hissing as he stood up, back throbbing with an angry snarl as if to remind him of his weakness and sin that he now carried, Ventus staggered outside. He could feel Rini following behind him, Ceres landing on his shoulder and nipping his ear.

Ventus ignored her. This land needed a hero. Why couldn't it be him?

Fado was the first to turn as he stepped outside.

"Ventus—"

"I'm going to put a stop to all this," he announced, letting out a shaky breath, cutting them off. He needed to get this out. Now. Before he could be talked out of it. Before he fainted from the pain. "I lost my parents, Rini. Those wolves—they only started appearing after Ganondorf came into power. I saw them outside the forest. Now they're in here too. Not to mention there are so many poes. I've never felt this many eyes before. I can't let this go on anymore. Ganondorf needs to be stopped, for good this time."

There was silence for a moment and then Saria said in a small voice, "You're… you're leaving?"

Ceres nipped his ear again, and he could feel Rini's eyes glaring into his back. Why was it now she was getting angry at him? He was doing it for her.

Still in the wind, words from the past murmured into his ears.

It didn't feel like you were doing it for us; it was like you were doing it for you!

"Knock it off," he murmured to Ceres softly, though he wouldn't be surprised if the owl was doing so to express Rini's irritation with him for her. She tended to side with her in arguments.

Turning to Saria, Ventus nodded his head and rubbed his eyes. "The longer Ganondorf is out there and doing evil stuff, the more people will die. You saw the wolves right? His influence is even getting in here somehow."

"But it's dangerous out there!" Fado practically yelled, tears beginning to form in their eyes. Ventus noticed the way their voice wavered; it wasn't the first time they had cried since going outside.

"It's dangerous here too. I'm Hylian. I can go out and make sure he's taken down." Bending down so he was more at eye level with them all he pulled Fado into a hug. It hurt, but his pain didn't matter. "I don't want to lose you all too. I need to do something, so nobody else dies."

"We can't know for certain what caused the wolves to change," stated Mido, crossing his arms over his chest, pretending like it wasn't all pink and puffy around his eyes from crying. "Maybe it was the Great Deku Tree dying."

Saria huffed out loud, "Oh, you'd like to have one more bad thing to blame on Link, wouldn't you?"

"I'm just saying, the Deku Tree could have protected us all from this if he was here."

Gently releasing Fado, who just clung to him, Ventus just shook his head.

"I saw them all the time outside of here, after Castle Town fell. If it was connected to just the Great Deku Tree dying, why would it be outside of the Lost Woods first? There are even stals that pop out all around Hyrule Field after Castle Town fell, like some sort of powerful necromancer went wild or something."

"Then all the more reason for you to stay. You got hurt bad too," Fado mumbled into his clothes which were now stained in blood where they weren't in shreds.

"There's too much we can't know for certain," said Saria.

The deep but soft voice of the stranger said, "Then we must find out more."

Ventus turned to look at North blinking dumbly. There was a pause and then—

"We?"

North's strawhat of leaves bobbed up and down. "The answers may be found outside the forest, if you are determined to go. I would follow you if you would permit it."

"Uh, sure, but won't you, uhm, die if you leave the forest?" Ventus asked dumbly.

He knew the Kokiri would die if they left. Who was to say it wasn't the same for the other natural forest citizens? Then again this Link left, though Fado whispered to him before he wasn't even a true Kokiri, so maybe that's why.

The hat of leaves tilted curiously at him before North stepped forward and removed it. Underneath was a pale boy with pointed ears like his and an angular face. His hair was dark brown and long, tied back in a loose braid. His eyes were so dark he could not tell where his pupils were.

"I believe you and I have more in common than you realize."

Ventus stared dumbly for another moment taking it in but Fado was the first to figure it out.

"There were other Hylians here this entire time?!"

"Wait, what?" Ventus asked before it clicked into place. "You've been living in the Lost Woods? For how long?"

"Since I can remember, I have lived in a village near the Lost Woods."

Mido narrowed his eyes. "What kind of village? There ain't no Hylian villages in the forest."

"Deku," North answered simply.

"You mean Deku Scrubs?" the Kokiri boy asked sharply.

The other boy nodded.

"How did you navigate the forest alone? It gets even worse in the Lost Woods," said Mido with his hands on his hips.

"Ah, you see," began the stranger, "that is why I am called North. I always know where it is."

Mido snorted with disbelief.

Ventus stared for a moment before shrugging instantly regretting the motion; it made sense to him. Maybe the forest liked him too, whatever that means. Rubbing his eyes, Ventus tried to sound more confident than he felt. Moving forward made it easier to ignore the pain in his back.

"North and I will go check out what is going on outside the woods then," he said with a sigh.

"But I don't want you to go," Fado insisted, clinging to him tighter. "What if you die too? If you stay here, stay in the village …" Their voice trailed off. "It was my fault Rini died. I don't want you to die too."

A lump found itself in his throat. "No. It's not your fault, Fado. Rini was my responsibility as her big brother." Another nip from Ceres and Ventus was getting the distinct impression he was right about Ceres expressing Rini's displeasure, but continued on all the same. "Anyway, it seems I'm very hard to kill."

Probably because I'm not a true hero like everyone else.

"Still—" Fado protested but Ventus shook his head.

"It's something I have to do but," Ventus held out his pinky. "I promise I'll return, OK? You can't break pinky promises."

Fado didn't seem convinced but took his pinky with their own, nodding their head sullenly.

"You're still too hurt to just leave right now," said Saria. Ceres squaked in agreement. Ventus wanted to leave now, but he needed to make plans. Talk things over with North. Bury Rini. Get something for this pain.

"Alright. In a few days then," Ventus said with a sigh. "I need to prepare and, well …" He glanced into the hut, words going unsaid.

"I also have preparations to make," agreed North.

"How many days do you need? I can get everything done on my end in four," Ventus asked.

"I will return in four days then."

Ventus nodded as he could hear Fado say, "You need more time than that to recover!"

"Four days then we set off."

It was hard to believe that for the past few years Rini and himself lived in this small treehouse. Anything of the Agni siblings had been packed away into one of the two bags. Ceres gave an appraising hoot as Ventus folded the last of his clothes into the bag.

"Rini, am I forgetting something?" he asked, looking over to Ceres who glanced at the eyes. While he couldn't see nor hear her, he was able to watch the owl bounce around the room as his sister's spirit moved about before Ceres fluttered over to his shoulder, peeking into his bag.

Holding it open for a minute, Ceres gave another hoot before settling in. He smiled ever so slightly before slinging the two bags around his shoulder, wincing in pain as the straps dug into his tender flesh. Even though he was taking some medicine for the pain and to prevent infection, it didn't stop everything. Putting the sword on his hip, he adjusted the leather straps which had to be made rather quickly to carry his marred shield.

Walking out of the treehouse, he could see Fado down below. Ceres fluttered down to her shoulder, nuzzling slightly and the Kokiri gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she scratched under the beak.

"You're really going?" she asked as Ventus slid down. "Even though you're still injured."

"Yeah," he said as Ceres returned to his side. Reaching to the side, he held out a small parcel. "Here. Split these between yourself and Saria. They are Rini's clothes."

Fado looked at him shocked.

"I couldn't—"

"She agreed," he said firmly, gently, gesturing with his head to where Rini's eyes were. Since Rini's death, it had gotten out that her spirit still lingered and Ceres was the way she communicated, however limited that may be. As if to agree, Ceres hooted and returned to Fado's side.

"I don't deserve—" Before she could finish that sentence, Ceres nipped her ear. Yelping, Fado jumped slightly. If an owl could look smug, Ceres certainly did. Fado stared at the owl before her shoulders sagged, holding the clothes closer to her chest.

"You'll come back, right?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I promise," Ventus said, holding his hand out for Fado to take one last time before he left the forest. Her small hands intertwined with his, clinging tightly as they began to walk further into the village.

"I'll take care of Rini's grave," Fado promised. Ventus nodded, not trusting his voice to not break if he spoke. They decided to cremate her body, but there was a marker for her a bit deeper in the woods where they would spend a lot of time playing. It was the place with the happiest memories and once Rini eventually moved on, Ventus wanted somewhere happy and peaceful for his sister. He couldn't do that for mom, dad or Uncle Killian. He wanted to give it at least for Rini.

They eventually reached Mido's house where Mido, Saria and North were waiting for them. Ceres once again lifted off and nuzzled Mido and Saria in turn. Ventus didn't need to hear the words to know Rini was saying good-bye to them as well. The Kokiri girl's lip quivered for a moment, but a smile forced through, and she petted the bird. Mido pretended to ignore it.

Saria looked at Ventus and tears welled in her eyes for a moment, her lips pressing together. "I'm sorry, just looking at you now reminds me of …"

Mido rolled his eyes.

"He also left here after a tragedy, but I just want you to know that I will keep looking for answers here too."

Gently letting go of Fado's hand, who began to tear up again, going over to cling to Mido, Ventus walked over to give both Saria and Mido a hug.

"I'll be in touch," he promised, his voice breaking. "I'll miss you all."

"You know my song, so I'll be holding you to that," Saria sniffed.

"Be careful," Ventus insisted, perhaps a bit desperately. He didn't want to lose more people he loved. Ventus was tired of losing the pieces of his heart and having them shattered into pieces. Ceres gave a slight hoot as well, giving him a look which Ventus was beginning to wonder if Rini was teaching her. "We'll be careful too," he added.

"You better." She released him with red and teary eyes.

"I have North with me and Ceres is bugging me in Rini's place so—" Ventus said as he held his arm out, ignoring the sting of his back, as Ceres took her place back at his side. The owl puffed her chest out and gave another hoot, as if she knew the importance of her role. "I'll be seeing you all later."

Turning to North, he nodded.

"You ready to go?"

North stood waiting for him to the side quietly. His weird Deku Scrub hat hung on his back from a string around his neck and a leather bag was strung over his shoulder. He nodded, his black eyes and still face saying nothing as well.

"Alright," Ventus breathed out. "Let's go then."

They turned and headed for the large tree log that signified the entrance and exit of the village. It was said if you just headed in that direction you should exit the western side of the forest. That is if you didn't get lost along the way.