162 replies to this topic

[Husse]

Well, he had to slide down it, and the pedestal is somewhat like a totem pole. And if Link's rude, it's cause the B!+c|-| started it, lol.

[Husse]

Psh. S'okay. Gaps between cha[ters will be bigger now that the floppy's screwed.

[Husse]

Because we had BIG problems trying to burn one...floppy's safer for compatibility anyway.

NEXT CHAPTER!!!

This one's had a big edit recently, (winks at HoH) but I couldn't get the edited version up because of a time crunch. Tell me what you think regardless.

Wolfos' are my favorite enemy. So easy, yet so gratifying! And I like wolves! Does the encounter remind you of Jaws. Every time the dialogue cuts, imagine a Dun DUN! sound.

24
Lost Woods
Link

 
?Here you go,? I sighed, lighting the torch, ?Fire for the night.?
 
?Thank you! It?s been a while,? he grinned.
 
?What do people call you?? I asked.
 
?Me? Why, I forgot a while back! My only living relative is Big Brother himself, so no one else really gives a pebble for me.?
 
I paused, ?I?m very sorry to hear that. Do you, ah, guard this door all day??
 
?And all night,? he added, ?Except when I go up on the second balcony to hear the music. Seems about time by the way, if you?ll excuse me!?
 
The no-name Goron curled into a ball and slowly rolled from his post to the stairs, rolling up past many other Gorons who were rolling down. I followed him.
 
?Excuse me, but, what do you mean by; ?the music???
 
He didn?t answer, so I just jogged alongside him until he stopped on the second balcony, alongside a few other Gorons. I knocked on his rocky back and asked again.
 
He unfurled and yawned, ?Huh? What? Well, you know, the music! It comes from this tunnel over here!?
 
Much to my surprise, there was a large tunnel, right next to a resident?s dorm on the second balcony. But it seemed pretty quiet. You could walk in about fifty feet before boulders and moldy-looking bomb flowers blocked off the grotto. It wasn?t at all aesthetically pleasing, so it was hard to imagine why anyone would just dig a hole in the wall in the middle of a city.
 
Goron continued, ?It was going to be an exit to the east, construction started a week or so ago, but then the workers got too weak, and everyone realized it was much more fun to listen to the music at about?six o? clock. And it?s six o? clock, everyone!?
 
All the Gorons chattered excitably and waited. For a few minutes, everyone was quiet. But then, slowly and surely, lighthearted music, fast and sprightly, echoed from the dark. The Gorons cheered and clapped, but I was quiet.
 
I knew that instrument, and I knew who was playing it.
 
?Goron!? I shouted, ?Give me a torch!?
 
My Goron friend, surprised, grabbed his Deku Stick and lit it on a nearby flambeau. I snatched it and my feet flew on their own, to the beat of the music, down the tunnel, to where it was blocked. I knew who was playing that music, and I had to get there!
 
?Navi,? I gasped, ?Is there any way over this barrier here??
 
?You just lit it,? she replied sardonically.
 
There was a hissing sound to my left, and I glanced over just in time to see my torch, lying on a Bomb Flower that was rapidly growing red.
 
?Hit the ground!? Navi shouted, just as the bomb went off.
 
Chunks of rock bounced all around me, other Bomb Flowers exploded, and the Gorons gasped. But I didn?t really care right then, because I was up and running down the tunnel to the east, toward the sound of that familiar Ocarina music.
 
?Where are we going, exactly?? Navi asked after about a quarter mile.
 
?To the east,? I replied.
 
?Well, yes, I know that, but why??
 
?Because that?s where the forest is.?
 
?We don?t need to go to the forest. We need to be in Goron City, begging the King for that Stone. If you?re keen on giving up on that, we should be looking for the other stone, not racing back home!?
 
?I know,? I muttered, ?But I promised Saria I?d come back and visit. She needs to know what I?ve been doing.?
 
?And how do you know Saria is playing that tune??
 
There was a long pause. I continued to race down the featureless corridor, hoping for any sign that this tunnel would end.
 
?I?? I stammered, ?I-I just??
 
There was a draft in the cave. I had about two seconds to figure out what that meant before I was tumbling head over heels off a sudden drop off with a painful thud!    
 
?Know.? I snorted a noseful of dirt.
 
?Light,? Navi whispered.
 
And sure enough, there was the end to the tunnel. Just a small incline of rock to pass and we found ourselves emerging into a forest.
 
But not a familiar forest.
 
?The Lost Woods!? I exclaimed, ?We should turn back! No, wait, Saria?s out here! She shouldn?t be out here, either! No, wait, if we go looking for her we?ll get lost ourselves! No, wait, she wouldn?t be playing on her instrument every night out here if it wasn?t safe! No??
 
I rubbed my forehead. Already, the atmosphere of the never-ending wall of trees was playing games with my mind. Any non-Kokiri who spent too long in these woods would become a monster; everyone knew that. That foreboding information only further discouraged any sensible person from wandering out here. So, then, I thought, that does mean I have to go after Saria. For all I knew that happy tune could be a cry for help.
 
But every day at six o? clock?
 
?Navi, do you know your way around these woods?? I asked.
 
?I did once, Link,? she shrugged, ?After all, I was born here, in a fairy fountain in the Sacred Meadow, but the forest is always changing. It confounds even the wisest of beings.?
 
?You mentioned the ?Sacred Forest Meadow? once before, when we were in town,? I said, ?What is it??
 
?Did I say Sacred Forest Meadow? I didn?t mean Forest Meadow! I was born in a fountain in, uh?? she gulped. Something wasn?t quite right.
 
?You fairies are always so very secretive,? a booming voice behind us said, ?So much knowledge that you never ever share.?
 
I turned up to look at a treetop and grinned, ?You again, Kaepora??
 
The big owl stretched his wings, ?There?s nothing much to do around here when you?re a messenger with nothing to deliver. You?re the most exciting thing I?ve seen all day.?
 
?What a shame,? I said, ?Since Navi doesn?t want to tell me what this meadow is, could you?? Navi flushed an angry violet when I said that and turned away.
 
?Nothing Navi shouldn?t tell you, but if you insist, alright,? Kaepora continued, ?It?s a beautiful sacred place in the Lost Woods where few have ever walked. There are patches of bushes and hedge mazes, pretty oak trees, a fairy fountain where Navi was born it seems, and most importantly??
 
Navi shot Kaepora a dirty look and twinkled her wings together.
 
?All right,? he shrugged, ?I won?t tell him that, but you and I both know that if what the Tree suspected is true, he?ll find out sooner or later.?
 
?Is Saria there?? I interrupted, not at all comfortable with being the only ignorant one here, ?Can you take me to her??
 
?Shhhh?? the owl murmured, a feather to his beak, ?Listen. Can you hear that??
 
I knew what he was talking about. Someone was still practicing the Ocarina, much louder now that we were in the woods.
 
?A mysterious tune, is it not?? he smiled, ?Someone really knows how to pipe a ditty! I suggest you listen for it harder! Just follow your ears!?  
 
Then Kaepora Gaebora flapped away, leaving Navi and I alone with the song in the woods.
 
There were a hundred thousand paths and a hundred thousand valleys, and a thousand million trees in the Woods, so even following a sound that loud wasn?t easy. We passed this clump of shrubs and that large boulder and those very annoyed Deku Scrubs on a picnic more than a couple times, but eventually, following the sound of a spirited ocarina, we reached a strange clearing filled with clover and fireflies, and the song became very loud.
 
?Keep your guard,? Navi warned, ?We?re not out of the woods yet.?
 
?At least it?s clearer,? I murmured.
 
We walked around the little meadow for a moment, looking for a path that led further, when a thought struck me,
 
?Navi?? I asked, ?Why should I keep my guard up? Are there lots of Scrubs around here or something??
 
?Something like that. Actually, the Scrubs only thrive in the hedge mazes of the meadow, which we haven?t reached yet.?
 
There was another long pause. Navi fluttered over to a mossy dirt wall, observing some iron bars strung in the middle.
 
?Here?s the gate!? she chirped.
 
There was a rustle behind us. The clover in the clover patch was moving.
 
?Now,? Navi muttered, ?Do we climb over it or is there a handle here somewhere??
 
I fingered my sword delicately, ?So, if we?re not at the hedge mazes yet, why did you want me to keep my guard up, Navi??
 
?Me? Oh, no reason. Warriors of the forest, I suppose.?
 
Something greasy-gray flashed in the clover and disappeared.
 
?Can you, ah, elaborate on these warriors, Navi??
 
?I was just being silly, anyway. The rabid forest monsters are what I was worried about. You know how mortals lost in these woods become monsters? Well, many a fine hunting dog has run away in these woods, and I was half-afraid they?d be in this meadow, protecting their territory ravenously like they always do. But, don?t you worry. As if a Wolfos would be hiding in the Sacred Forest Meadow!?
 
?Wolfos?? I asked, eyes on the clover.
 
And then it reared up from the patch with an unearthly howl.  
 
Its hair, black and gray, was matted and layered in greasy sheets up and down its body. It was shaped like an ape, with two little back legs and a madly waving tail, and two hulking, muscular front legs it supported its weight on. Its claws were long and gnarled, sharp and yellowed, even bigger than the feet they were glued to, and it snapped and snarled at me, drool flying from its tooth-filled maw.
 
?Y-y-yeah,? Navi stammered, ?That?s a Wolfos alright.?
 
The Wolfos examined me for a moment with its round, pure-yellow eyes before rearing back on two legs and howling like a demon. Standing up like that, it was at the size of a grown adult, on all fours at least my size. This was not going to be a winning battle.
 
I held up my shield, ?You said warriors, Navi??
 
She nodded, ?Any territory they want, they take. Anyone who enters it is fair game. This lupine wants a fight, in other words.?
 
The Wolfos started galloping around me, as if sizing me up, slobbering and panting back and forth. He stopped for a moment, not sitting, just crouching like a vulture, and growled deep from within his throat.
 
?Yes sir,? I gulped, backing away, ?This is your land! I wouldn?t be intruding on your land anymore, boy! See you later! You have a good day!?
 
Wolfos dashed underneath my legs, knocking me over, and stooped at the exit.
 
?Fight, huh?? I asked.
 
The Wolfos bayed.
 
?You planning on eating me afterwards??
 
Wolfos slavered.
 
I reached for my sword.
 
Wolfos lunged.

[Husse]

Sillyhead! Of course you are! Thanks for editing this one for me, I'll put the better one up soon, for public comparison if you wish.

How's the drawing coming?

[Husse]

Oh yeah. Why wouldn't I? It will take a while though.

[Husse]

Now you're getting it! Though I DO think I should do MM first, WW will be a lot more fun!

[Husse]

That's a good reason, lol! Maybe I'll post the prologue I've already written here too!

It's very fanwanky though,

[Husse]

Well, while MM has more of a story-solid thing than OoT, really grabs attention, and I do write metamorphoses really well, they're my favorite action scenes, I'm afraid that the 3-day cycle and the masks coordinated with it would pose quite a challenge, and I should probably take on the easier WW first. OoT, obviously, (not counting AlttP) is easiest.

[Husse]

I'll write till I get tired. I must finish OoT first, shouldn't be thinking so much about the future.

[Husse]

You can edit, too. You do it right now.

If you think that's lucky, he's also considering illustrating. CONSIDERING. He's havin a hard time with hands.

[Husse]

NEXT CHAPTER!!!

If you're like HoH, you'll think this is cheesy and unnecessary, and the battle should-ve been described by Link. If you're like me, you'll think this was a nice open venue for a unique scene change, some humor, and most importantly, some character development. Navi and Link can't get along all the time and it be realistic, and we have to see the horror that is slowly changing Link.

25
The Meadow
Navi

 
?Link!? I shouted, ?Your shield!?
 
Link held up the iron safeguard just as the monster?s teeth collided with what would have been his arm. The Wolfos yelped and rubbed his snout for a moment, then leapt on Link again, this time bringing him to the ground. Link slashed at the creature?s face, but it only blocked the blows with its claws.
 
?NO!? I shouted, flying in the canine?s face. Blind him! I had to blind him! After all, that?s all I could do. What use is a guardian fairy if she can?t even fight, I thought.
 
Of course, I knew better than that. A fairy?s job was to enlighten an individual, and give them longer life, prevent them from being too sheltered or too curious, and to be a friend.
 
There weren?t any real dangers in the Kokiri Forest after all, that was the point. Of course, the Lost Woods was a different story. Even though I couldn?t fight when I was needed most, I could tell Link how to fight.
 
I beat my wings in the Wolfos? face, screaming, ?His lower back! Or his tail! He?s weak there! Link, can you hear me??
 
I wouldn?t get to hear the answer. Because at that point, our friend Wolfos decided I was closer and tastier than the little boy was. Snap! Chomp! Everything went black, and I was trapped in an airless vacuum of teeth, tongue, and echoing snarls.
 
It was a good thing I didn?t need to breathe, or the stench would have killed me.
 
A monstrous tongue beneath me kept wriggling, slapping me against the roof of the mouth, trying to force me down the throat. But I was too smart for this wily wolf. I scooted behind his incisors, between his lip and his teeth. He snarled and tilted his head to the side, trying to shake me out of my niche. Easier said than done. I was lodged in that cheek tight.
 
And all the while, I heard Link yelling, ?Navi? Navi, where are you? Oh no, NAVI!?
 
?I?m in here!? I sputtered, ?He?s trying to eat me!?
 
A crease of light appeared in the black canine lip nearest my side, and I tried to slither under it. Unfortunately, that was what the brute wanted, and he twisted his tongue like an out-of-control viper to lick his chops, wrapping me in mouth muscle and dragging me to the gullet on the way! I could hear the monster?s happy beating heart; I was so close!
 
?Link!? I shouted, ?Yes, now would be a really good time! A REALLY good time!?
 
Just when the darkness was closing in, a howl erupted from the canyon beneath me, and the tongue snapped out like a slingshot with me as the seed. Slime-coated, I bounced on the grass, settling a minute to dry my wings.
 
Link was standing over the Wolfos, gingerly approaching the panting animal, a sword planted in its lower back, paralyzing it, as I had told Link to stick it there. The tortured animal whimpered and whined, twisting its head up from the ground to snap at Link as he tried to retrieve his sword. Unnerved, Link stumbled back.
 
?I can?t do it,? he gasped.
 
?Do it,? I forced.
 
Finally, Link reached forward and drew his little cutlass from the Wolfos? spine. It snorted once, and then sighed deeply, trying to lift itself up to fight on two legs, unsuccessfully.
 
I looked at Link again, ?Do it.?
 
So Link obediently thrust the sword in the Wolfos? heart.
 
It howled gravely. The howl echoed and resonated with a wailing haunting sound, even as the banshee itself tossed its head to one side, stretched out on the bloodied turf, and expired, staring with its golden, soulless eyes straight ahead.
 
Link cupped his hand over his mouth and moaned. He backed away slowly, then turned to the gate, climbing over it and shuddering his way across the hedge mazes ahead.
 
I lighted on his shoulder and heaved a sigh, ?Get used to it?Hero.?
 
?What?? he snapped.
 
?I?m just saying,? I shrugged, ?You get what you wish for??
 
Link poked his finger through me and hissed, ?DON?T make fun of my dreams, Navi. Whatever you do. Just don?t. I mean it.?
 
I was stunned. Link had never ever EVER been the pushy type. I must?ve taken something too far. He pushed through the hedge maze silently, his back to me, slowly wading through the little pools and patches of grass to the end of the maze. There were lots and lots of Scrubs there, but they were all too death scared of the furious expression on his face to spit a nut. Come to think of it, Link and I hadn?t been getting along too well for a little while. First there was his dangerous fiasco at the totem of Goron Village, then there was that crowded run away from the place where we were supposed to be getting a stone from to find the Lost Woods, of all places. Then he consulted Kaepora on something I told him time and again he wasn?t supposed to know, right after that he got all squeamish trying to pull his sword out of that Wolfos? back, and now he couldn?t even take a little joke.
 
I?d considered myself his friend and equal, but next time he intruded on my authority over him, I was going to get nasty. I was nice and helpful to him; I even left the forest, my home, to protect his hide. But I wouldn?t be snippy about it; I?d wait for an apology. Ironically, he?s the one who came running back to the forest first. It was his decision to leave. I sure didn?t want to.
 
Had I been giving him too much leeway?
 
Wow. I think I was thinking too much.
 
We finally reached a small stairway at the end of the maze that led to a canopied corridor. The music was very loud and resounding.  
 
?You head down that corridor and you?ll reach the prettiest part of the meadow; where it ends,? I muttered, ?If you need me, come find me. I?ll be waiting patiently in the Fairy Fountain in the center of the maze. It?s where I was born, if you care.?
 
?I care,? he mumbled, and trudged off.
 
I flittered to my fountain, an underground bathing and birthing pool fairies entered and exited via a hole in the earth. You could see four stone columns surrounding the fountain, supporting a marble curved cornice, once you flew in a bit. The fountain pool was full of fairies, mostly pink, the low-rank fairies who hardly ever left their fountain and spoke only fairy, a language full of wing-rubs, dings and twinkles.
 
It sounded like a ceremonial bell chorus in there, in other words. They?d never be guardian fairies if they couldn?t learn to speak all the other languages out there!
               
I was still fuming, and they were all gossiping, so it didn?t occur to me then not to join in.
 
?Did you hear about Kitsl??
 
?I KNOW! Eaten by a frog? Can you imagine the terror??
 
?Well, she?s fine now. And I can tell you, that frog did not have a good rest of the day!?
 
?He?ll never do that again!?
 
?At least he?s not as barbaric as Sydalgi!?
 
?Oh, HER! What did she do this time??
 
?Anyone ever have an uncooperative partner?? I blurted.
 
As soon as the others caught sight of me, they gasped and back up a bit. I was the only blue fairy of the age, of course, there was only one born at a time before another one could replace her?or him. I think the first was a he. I don?t remember much history.
 
One green fairy and another one, yellow, floated forward and nodded.  
 
?What?s your partner like?? asked Yellow.
 
?Oh, he?s usually very nice,? I said, ?Polite and kind and very sweet. But lately he hasn?t been listening! It?s not like I?ve been mean, not at all! But he won?t listen to me much anymore! And, just a minute ago, he snapped at me!?
 
Green dipped her wings in alarm, ?There must be a reason, if that?s the case, Navi. Yes, I?m sorry, we all know who you are. Has he been spoiled by you instead??
 
?No, definitely not.?
 
?Definitely not?? Green asked, ?Then he?s stressed??
 
?I don?t think?? I broke off, ?Well, yeah, maybe.?
 
?What?s the stress,? Yellow piped, ?A girl??
 
?Well, there were girls involved, if that?s what you mean,? I continued, ?But I think it may be more.?
 
Green nodded, ?He is a child, after all.?
 
?Well, first, after, you know, he died, we had to leave the forest??
 
All the fairies dinged loudly. Everyone was shocked. I blushed.
 
Green rasped, ?He left the forest? Merciful heavens, if he isn?t dead by now, he?s surely lost his mind! It?s a miracle he didn?t wither away in the harsh, cruel world! What next??
 
I didn?t even want to tell them ?what next;? it would scare them beyond belief. I suddenly realized that I might be taking this whole adventure a lot more lightly than a ten-year-old boy. I washed up quickly and then backed toward the bright light to the exit hole.
 
?I?m sorry, you all, I really have to go,? I apologized, ?Thanks for chatting, Green and Yellow! Green?you?re Saria?s fairy, are you not? Then she is here! And Yellow??
 
Yellow replied, ?My name?s Sydalgi, Navi.?
 
I smirked, ?Sydalgi, you may want to stay away from this fountain.?
 
I zipped to the meadow in search of Link. Without me, he might wither away!

The last line IS a little cheesy, but it serves to show that Navi is nearly all-knowing, but still pretty naiive.

[Husse]

Real sorry about the DP, but there is a new chapter here, folks, if it's hard to tell by the board....

Also, my next chapter will be a SMALL sabbatical from OoT. I'll show you the written intros to MM and WW, you decide which one I should write. I'll probably stick a poll somewhere.

[Husse]

as brave as he seems to be, deep down he's just a scared little boy with more on his shoulders than he thinks he can handle.

Nice summary of the situation. You should write stuff too! It's a fun brain exercise!

NEW BOOK/CHAPTER!!!

But only temporarily. I'll show you the first few "dummy" chapter of MM and WW, you decide which one I bring more life to and should write as soon as I'm done with OoT and "Green Number," another story. Kay? Kay.

This here's a nice analogy. Both Navi and Tatl have incredible inherited knowledge, but which one's smarter? Well, you be the judge. It was obvious to me in the games, even though all fairies are no Einsteins.

1
Hijack
Tatl

 
Ah, the Lost Woods. Land of tall trees, foggy skies, and lost wanderers. What did you think they?d named the woods for? Its prettiful pine scent? Anyway, that?s where I was on that bonny morning, scouting for, well, lost wanderers! I wasn?t alone, neither. My brother loved this job as much as I did. Even if he didn?t, I?d drag him into it with me. As if I?d leave him home alone! The other fairies would pick on him more, and he can?t take up for himself, the stupid sap.
 
I was a normal fairy, more or less. Whitish yellow tinted, a typical guardian fairy, just above the partner-less pinks. I liked white. White was a good color, despite that it didn?t fit my personality or my occupation. The other fairies always picked on my brother, Tael, because he was solidly colored, not white in the center like everyone else, but deep purple throughout. I took up for him, but I must admit, it made him look pretty dumb. Poor guy. Whoops, that wasn?t what I was talking about earlier! Let me backtrack?
 
Tael and I were buzzing about in the Lost Woods like we always did, searching out lost souls for our master. And lo and behold, we finally found one! Upon first glance, I actually felt pretty sorry for him. He was on his horse, little more than a pony really, moving very slowly, like the weight of the forest?s magic was pressing down on his weak mortal body. I?d seen it happen before. It didn?t end happily most times. He was all dressed in green on his little chestnut pony, slumped like he was sleeping sitting up or something.
 
He grunted and straightened up, looking at the featureless sky for a sign of anything to lead him home, I?m sure. Seeing nothing but fog, he shivered and slumped back like a zombie returning to the dust. Aw. He was just a little kid, too. Pity.
Perfect.
 
I looked at Tael, he looked at me, and we nodded. ?Go? time, as they call it. We flew as quietly as possible around the trees descending to the poor little victim. His horse, still perky, despite the gloom, lowered its head and nickered, nibbling its shin. Tael and I popped up in front of its nose just as it lifted its head again.  
 
?BOO!? we shouted.
 
Horses just hate being spooked, and our chestnut friend was no different.
 
The little red-brown dickens reared up and neighed like a beast, spiking at us with her hooves. The rider, scared out of his mind, tilted wildly off the back of the steed, and had just enough time to yelp before dropping flat on his back, tumbling back on his head, and going unconscious on his stomach, hands stretched out to grab an imaginary mane. Ha! What a pathetic little guy. How was he going to make it in the world?
 
And then our master showed up. I shuddered back a bit. He didn?t show up at first. The only thing Tael and I saw coming through the fog were the large, soulless eye of his prized mask. The mask bobbed up and down before us for a spine-chilling moment before the body behind it emerged. And with a heckle-jeckle-rattle-rattle-tac, our good friend Skull Kid appeared with an echoing giggle.
 
In a way it was good that the guy wore a mask. Being one of those children that had been lost and changed forever in the Lost Woods to be an immortal wooden skeleton, well?he needed the mask. But the mask wasn?t any more attractive than he was. A ghastly Tael-colored purple with three horns on each side of two giant orange eyeballs that came to a point where a mouth or nose or?anything that wasn?t an eye should be! But he wasn?t wearing it because it made him look better. I had seen what it could do?and it wasn?t because it was ugly that I shuddered back from it, neither.
 
Skull Kid crouched and tilted the mask up a bit to peer with his beady red eyes at the boy. He grinned, ?Hee, hee. You two fairies did great! I wonder if he has anything good on him??
 
I scoffed, ?Oh really, Skull Kid, you at least got a horse! What does it matter what?s in his pockets??
 
Skull Kid just stared at the little guy and whispered, ?Huh? This guy??
 
?What, you know him?? Tael asked.
 
Skull Kid paused only for a moment before lowering the mask again, ?Well,? he snarled, ?That shouldn?t be a problem.?
 
He shuffled forward, rattling, his disjointed neck flopping his head from side to side. I flittered behind with my brother.
 
?What?s the problem? The dweeb?s unconscious! Skull Kid, I swear, you never tell us anything anymore.?
 
Skull Kid nudged him with his foot, making sure he was out before rolling him over and checking his doofy green tunic?for?valuables?hey! This kid wore green! He was a Kokiri! So?why was he so weary in the forest? The foggy magic had no affect on forest folk! Maybe he?d just been sleepy. Kokiri could still get lost, and this goober didn?t bring his fairy.
 
After rummaging a bit for a while, Skull Kid came up with something. He examined it slowly, turning his head all the way upside down to the left, then the right. He giggled, and then blew on the mouthpiece, and then giggled, and then blew again. Hm. A musical instrument! Maybe it was worth a little money. It was bright blue, very polished.
 
Tael brightened, turning crimson at his edges and flapped happily, ?Ooh, ooh! What a pretty ocarina! Hey, Skull Kid, lemme touch it! I wanna see!?
 
I gasped. My brother was about to touch the ocarina! If he messed it up, well?
 
I gave him a hard body bump, and snapped, ?You can?t, Tael! What would we do if you dropped it and broke it? No way! You can?t touch it!?
 
A nice hard body bump would be like a wing rub compared to what a volatile Skull Kid might do. Leastways our Skull Kid.
 
?Aw, but sis,? he moaned, ?W-why can?t I try it out too? You?re never any fun!?
 
What? I was?kinda fun. Did he want trouble? I was his guardian as much as Skull Kid?s. More than Skull Kid?s, as of recently.
 
There was a grunt behind us. What, the horse was finally going to stop staring like a nimrod and relax? Oh. Oh no. That was not a horse grunt. I turned around and blinked wildly at the music-immersed Skull Kid, but he didn?t notice. Our kid in green was waking up, rubbing his knotty head, and staring at Skull Kid dimly with a look of well plotted revenge. Oh, and did I mention there was a sword neatly sheathed on his little boy back? And that he was angry? Very? Angry?
 
Skull Kid finally turned around and gasped, a noise that sounded like a dog getting his tail stepped on, and lamely hid the ocarina behind his back. Right. The kid was a little surprised, like maybe he recognized Skull Kid too, and there was an awkward pause. So, do I, um, poke him or something, I wanted to ask.
 
The little guy shifted his weight to his back foot, and his fingers tensed. I was going to say, ?Skull Kid, look out!? but he had figured it out, it seems, before me. As Kokiri kid lunged, Skull Kid leapt, about seven feet in the air like it was nothing, and landed with a snicker on the horse?s back, smacking its rump and snapping his fingers at us to follow suit. I grabbed tail hair, Tael snagged top mane, and we were gone!
 
But this guy wasn?t as easy as our other dupes had been. He pivoted so fast I thought it would snap his waist and grabbed Skull Kid?s leg, yanking him half off mount even as the pony went cavorting through the tree crowded forest like a lunatic. I yelped, but what could I do? Use my one-ounce fairy strength to knock the youngster off? We trailed for a solid ten minutes, Tael oh-my-goshing, Skull Kid holding on to the horse for dear life, and the little guy ouching and dragging the ground, narrowly missing trees at twenty five miles an hour. Me? I was calm, cool, and collected.
 
Skull Kid finally managed to snag the colt?s mane and veer her to the right, throwing the kid on his left leg off into a patch of bushes. Skull Kid laughed again and waved a floppy finger at the kid. Curving around a large stump, he headed for the exit hollow. Already?
 
?What?? I yelped, ?We?re going back? Now??
 
?Why not?? Skull Kid asked, ?You wanna stay in the Lost Woods with that guy? Besides, knowing him, he?ll follow us, and I have a plan to get rid of him once and for all!?
 
?Again, you know him?? I asked.
 
But I didn?t get an answer. Tael posed a different question,
 
?Are you going to do something?you know?mean? To the little fellow, I mean? I-I mean, he is just a kid, no matter if he?s tough or not.?
 
I glanced back at the poor robbed fool. He was getting to his feet and trotting after us, sure enough, as we disappeared into the dark of the hollow. Why? If he knew Skull Kid, he wouldn?t be following us, believe you me. All the same, I kind of admired that he was still able to get to his feet, despite it all. Not a bad thing to do.
 
But no good could come of this. I whispered in my heart, [italic]Please go home, little guy. The world needs people like you alive.[/italic]

Ooh, the Hero of Time is in for a big butt-whoopin! I love metamorphosis stories the best of all, this one's REALLY fun to write, takes Link forever and a day to realize he's been hexed.

But I'm getting ahead...was it good?