LOZ:Twilight Princess:Ch.1 FINAL

PART I: ANCESTRAL SHADOWS
----Chapter 1: The Hylian of Ordon


The following dawn peeked through the tiny window at the top of Link's house. Brightly, it highlighted his figure and danced across him until he could neglect it no longer. He stretched, opening his eyes reluctantly. He rested his hands beneath his head as he stared up at the close ceiling and glanced at his window. He did not wish to banish the light now, for its rays sparkled as they stretched throughout his hollowed home. He lifted a finger and watched as the beam played with it, threading it within its glory. A smile spread across his face, and he pulled his hand down out of the heat. His eyes began to close again....

"Link! Hey, you awake?"

Link tumbled out of bed.  With a hard thump, he was instantly awake, his head bouncing up with tousled bedcovers overtop him.  Blinking away the rest of his sleep, he rose and tossed the disheveled sheets on his bed.  He found his day clothes and stepped toward the window of his tree house.  Down below he saw Fado, the young rancher.  "There you are," sighed a relieved Fado.  "Do you mind herding the goats today?"

Link hid his amusement, erasing the grin that had spread across his lips.  What would Fado do without him?  The young rancher was a few years older than Link and had grown up working his parents' ranch.  Ever since they had passed away some years ago, he had enlisted new help from Link.  Though he had taken their untimely deaths with dignity, the absentminded nature of the slim, dark-haired Fado had always made him rather incapable of taking care of the property and animals for too long without his Hylian companion.

A renewed smile sparked onto Link's lips.  He stepped away from the window, stuffed his legs into his baggy pants, pulled on a shirt, and laced and wrapped his other many garments around his waist and arms.  After he had cuffed his pant legs halfway up his calf and jerked his sandals onto his feet, nearly tripping down a ladder, he shot down the ladders that connected the many sporadically arranged balconies of his home and opened the door.

Outside, however, he met a now frantic Fado, and Link's serene mood momentarily collapsed.  "Where's Epona?" asked the rancher.  Looking around, the two of them noticed no sign of his horse, but upon closer inspection, Link found faint hoof marks and human footprints in the soil.  Instantly, he knew.

"I think I know where I can find her," assured Link.  "I'll be up at the ranch soon."  Without another word the youth traced the shadow of his horse into Faron Woods, the vast forest that encompassed their village.

===============

Link did not have to travel very far until he happened upon the end of the trail.  As he turned down a bend in the path, an open gate led inside the small grove which housed the nearest of the two spirit springs.  Every time he walked past this spring, he recalled always sending an involuntary glance toward the waters that never seemed to dim … even in the darkest of nights.  It was almost as if the woodland sprites--which were said to be quite reclusive and superstitious of strangers--breathed their graceful opal light onto the glimmering surfaces.

He stopped at the edge of the gate, his feet finding comfort in the soft sand.  Leaning against the wooden gate, he looked on in silence, admiring the scene before him.  The beautiful bright colors of Epona's crimson body splashed playfully against the water at her hooves, casting the illusion of sunset upon the woman standing before her.

The woman was young, a year younger that Link, and her fair-colored short hair and bright green eyes glistened off the wavering mirror of the spring's crisp, clear waters.  She wore simple clothes over her thin frame: dark pants and a long white shirt that illuminated her fair skin.  The ensemble almost gave her the appearance of an angel.  Around her neck she wore a simple black, leather necklace.  So beautiful she seemed, housed within the highlights of the sun above and the shine of the water against her.

Ilia….

She and Link had been friends throughout their entire childhood, and each held a special place in the other's heart.  Only recently had Link come to notice the ways in which her kind eyes looked upon him.  He had begun to note a heavier emotion hiding within her verdant eyes, and even stranger to him still was how quickly his heart beat when those eyes bore kindly into his.

He found himself in a daze as he watched Ilia brushing Epona's soft mane with her elegant hands.  The white hair rippled through her gentle fingers like calm rain water.  She patted down the horse's coat, but then caught a glimpse of Link in the corner of her eye.  Turning to him, she smiled.  Each smile she offered him turned his tongue mute.

"Oh, Link…" her breath caught.  "I washed Epona for you."

At her words Link shook loose of his relaxed pose.  He stumbled over a reply and eventually just nodded with a thankful grin.

An awkward pause followed, one in which Link grew more nervous.  Ilia remained silent in the early morning breeze, but before she could piece a sentence together, she heard Link whistle a quiet three-note melody of descending pitch, as he slowly approached them.  Epona tossed her mane, splashing water, and took a step toward Link as he came to stop at her side.  He saw Ilia's smile reappear.  Not only did his horse respond to his simple tune, but Ilia had also always found a certain kind of magic to it.  There were times that she would request a song from Link, and he would respond in kind with Epona's song.

"I suppose you two have to tend to the ranch this morning," said Ilia in her soft voice.

Link nodded as he then turned to heave Epona's saddle from the shore.  "You know Fado," he said as he laid the saddle across her back.  He strapped it tight.  "I do what I can for him."

Ilia reached down for Epona's bridle.  "I know he appreciates your help," she said, and without realizing that Ilia had gone for the bridle, Link leaned over to pick it up at the same time, and their hands overlapped.  Ilia blushed slightly and withdrew her hand, allowing Link--after a quick, flustered pause--to adjust the leather over his horse's head.

Link was then ready to begin his day, and Ilia did not want to keep him from his chores.  She had quickly recovered from the touch of Link's hand and offered a stern, teasing smile.  "Just don't work Epona too hard."

Link mounted Epona's saddle and mirrored her grin, offering one last glance at Ilia before sending his horse into a gallop toward the path.  Ilia clasped her hands in front of her, watching with those radiant emerald eyes as he sped off from the spring.

===============

Ordon Village existed as a small nook in the forest that surrounded it.  The thick canopies of the trees above shielded the entire outside world from view.  They were alone, completely isolated from the whole of Hyrule.  Short and tall homes alike grew up from the grass and out from the hills.  Most of these homes were made completely from brickwork unlike Link's dwelling, and each sat modestly among the scenery.  A small river splintered off to the southwest from the small lake on the northeast side.  Meek but sturdy bridges had been built in two places to connect the opposite sides of the village the river had finely crafted.

Link cantered past the first few homes, which belonged to the rotund Sera, the village storekeeper, and her unkempt husband, Haunch.  They were gathered outside their storefront, and Link overheard something about having to lock up her wares.  Though curious about her predicament, he steered Epona clear after noticing their eleven-year-old daughter Beth.  Her round complexion did not own the full beauty like that of Ilia, but her short-cropped brown hair and thin frame did provide her with some assets befitting a younger lady.  He had known for some time--due to Ilia's teasing--that Beth had eyes for only Link and the prospect of a rich city life.  Noticing Link's presence far too late, Beth pushed past her slouching father in an attempt to call a good morning to Link.

At the center of town where the pumpkin patches flourished, Jaggle, the village's craftsman and farmer, overlooked the land from a hillock.  The stout, square-faced man waved a hello to the village's most popular face, the Hylian of Ordon.  The youth responded in kind and went about his relaxed trot toward the southern end of town, where high among the hills his duties at the ranch beckoned.

First, though, he had to cross over the southern bridge where Rusl trained with a saber Link had not seen before.  He presumed that this was the very sword he would present to the royal family and that the blacksmith now put his work to the test.  His wife sat on the rocks alongside the river with her knitting, and Colin played in the water.  At the sight of Link, Colin's face lit up with a smile.  "Morning, Link!"

"Morning," he returned.

"Are you still coming by the house?" asked the boy, hair as light as his parents' and, surprisingly, Link's--which always made him feel that much more a part of their family.

"After I help Fado," said Link, and Colin beamed.

"Let Link attend to his work, son," inserted Rusl, without breaking his routine.  "He'll be along when he has the time."

Colin returned to his play, and Link looked back toward the road.  He adored the young Colin, and he was quite aware how much the boy looked to him for guidance and understanding.  There were times that the thought made Link proud, proud to truly feel like an older brother to him … but there were other times when Link felt so unsure of his place.  It was as if some force kept him far removed from ever truly being a part of his family or the village.

He set that thought aside, however, as he passed by the largest house in Ordon, a house that in past generations had held much larger families than that of the mayor and his sole daughter. The large, older man named Bo sauntered out the front doors just as Link passed by, and yet again he exchanged morning greetings as he cantered toward the ranch.

===============

When Link arrived at the entrance to the ranch at the top of the hill, he spied Fado among a cluster of goats, their bluish coats rippling as they bucked their horned heads.  Epona neighed as Link guided her over.

"Ah, Link!  You ready to help me herd the goats into the barn?" he asked, looking frazzled and desperate.

He nodded, and then Fado jogged off toward the gates where Link had entered.  "Let me bolt up the fence so none of 'em run into town.  Can you imagine what a fright that would stir?"

Link waited patiently as Fado worked, and once the rancher signaled him that the gate was secure, he clicked his cheek and slapped his calves against Epona's strong body.  Immediately, they galloped into action.  Fado scuttled over to the barn on the west side of the property to await the appearance of the goats in order to corral them into their pins.

Wind blasted through Link's unkempt hair as the horseback team rode hard around the goats, persuading them to canter off in the direction of the barn.  If an animal began to stray from the path the wrangler desired, he immediately corrected its path by heading it off with Epona.

This was the simple life that Link enjoyed.  Growing up in Ordon he had not suffered any of life's injustices.  The village had never known theft or murder or scandal of any kind.  Link had never seen the monsters that had so frequented Rusl's many stories.  He knew only the life of simple farmers, ones who smiled and laughed and worked hard for the food on their plates.  More often than not Link found himself wondering why Rusl even bothered teaching him swordplay, for he could not foresee the day he would need the skills.  There were other times, however, that Link craved the adventure found lingering in every tale Rusl reenacted, tales that lived as mere myths to a simple boy from Ordon.

Link managed to round up nine of the ten goats, but the last animal continued to evade the barn.  After a while Link slid down from Epona and approached the skittish creature.  He held out his hand to coax the goat toward him and to make it understand there was nothing to fear.  The animal sniffed at his hand and allowed Link to run his fingers over the coarse texture of its horn, one that sprung forth from opposite sides of its head only to be joined at an angle three feet above its head.

Having the animal's trust, Link guided it into the barn on foot and helped Fado in rounding it and the remaining goats into their stalls.

"I can't thank you enough, Link.  It would have taken me all afternoon to get them inside," said Fado in heaved breaths.

"It's no bother," returned Link, as he patted the coat of his last catch.  "Did Rusl tell you I'm leaving tomorrow?"

"Oh, that's right," said Fado, looking up from his charge.  "I heard the mayor mention something about that.  Said you'd be gone about a week, that right?"

Link nodded, "I shouldn't be away for too long."  He listened quietly as the animals bleated with content.

"Well, don't you worry about me, Link."  Fado closed the gate to the last stall and plucked up a broom from its leaning post.  "I'll manage things till you get back," he assured with a smile that betrayed his confidence.  Understanding that supervising the ranch while he traveled was a matter of pride, Link did not contradict him.

I'll be sure not to take too long, he thought to himself.

With that, Link bade him farewell.  "I'll return this evening to help you wash them."

Fado extended his deepest gratitude.  Then Link retreated from the barn, mounted Epona, and together they leapt the fence to return to the village.

===============

Link descended once more into the woodland community and crossed back over the bridge to find that the blacksmith and his family had disappeared.  Link followed the trail to the left, which led up a short incline that wound around to bring him to the doorstep of their modest home.  He dismounted, greeting the pregnant Uli who sat on the porch and continued with her knitting.

"Ah, it is good to see you," she welcomed and then called toward the house for her son as Link slid from his saddle.

Next moment, the shy boy opened the door and brightened the instant he noticed Link standing there.

"I believe you had a gift for Link," prodded his mother, and Colin woke from his awe and headed back inside.  "He made it under the instruction of his father," she explained, speaking of the gift Link was yet to receive, "but it is still a little unpolished.  All the same, I think it will do just fine."

Wondering what Uli must be describing, he waited with silent curiosity and a small, caring grin.  Whatever Colin gave him, he would cherish it … just like the other odd things Colin had made for him over the years.

Unlike other young boys who would surely burst through a door to meet the one they idolized, Colin returned to the outside slowly, carefully, and perhaps anxious that Link would not like his gift.  Uneasily, he stretched out his arms and offered up a yellow and black fishing rod.

"It's not much, but--" said Colin, as Link claimed the rod.  The boy swished imaginary dirt around with his foot.

"It's perfect," assured Link.

"Really?"  The admiring look on Colin's young face, a face as soft and pale as his mother's, was unmistakable.

"Shall we test it out?" asked Link.

The boy grew even more thrilled and turned to his mother, who already had a reply at the ready, "Of course.  Go on."

Colin raced to Epona's side and clutched tight to her reins waiting for Link, who nodded courteously to Uli before turning to follow Colin.  When Colin grows up, I hope he is just like you, she had said to him last spring.  Link had never forgotten those words; they ate at his soul, and he was not so sure that he hoped for the same.  True it was he hoped Colin retained the good virtues that Rusl and Uli had imparted unto both of them, but for Colin to be exactly like him….  To feel constantly isolated while being completely content; he hoped Colin would never have to know such a confusing feeling, one which made him feel split down the middle, two halves of the same person fighting for dominance.

Link took up the reins from Colin's hand and they guided Epona toward the other end of the village.  They sat at the lakeside near Sera's Sundries and opposite the pumpkin patch where Jaggle and Haunch now tended.  Epona sat by the lake as well after a short drink, and Link and Colin gladly leaned against her mass for comfort.

Using worms they had dug up, Link attached one of the critters to the hook of his rod and carefully cast the string out to open waters.  They traded stories back and forth as they lounged, and after about an hour, Link had collected a pile of three well-sized greengills.  Each measured at least ten inches--anything smaller and Link would always toss them back in order "for them to grow larger."

At the time Link reeled in another greengill, Colin noticed Sera's cat, fairly large with reddish and white bushy fur, sneaking up to Link's previous catches.  Colin patted Link on the shoulder just after he claimed his current fish.  Link turned to see the cat approaching the pile and chuckled, which confused Colin.  Link unhooked his fourth greengill, and, this one still flopping about, caught the cat's attention when he tossed it toward the pumpkins.

The cat immediately raced after it, plucked it up into his sharp teeth, and ran out of sight--likely through the cat door built into Sera's shop.

"Why'd you do that?" Colin asked the still chuckling Link.

He looked to Colin as he reeled in the string of his new fishing rod.  "We've plenty of fish."  Link gathered himself up from his earthly seat and called to Epona.  He secured the rod to one of the satchels slung over her saddle.  "Thank you, Colin.  It's a fine tool."  

Colin smiled from ear to ear as Link looped a string through a thick needle.  "Now, why don't you help me bring our haul back to my house?"  He handed the instrument to Colin, who eagerly dove for the pile of fish.  He strung them together by their mouths and tied it off around a thick stick Link next offered him.

"Did you know what the present was?" Colin asked suddenly as he handed the needle back to Link and heaved the fish over his shoulder.

"No.  Why would you ask?"

"Well … then why did you have the string?" the boy asked, indicating the stick from which the fish dangled lifelessly.

Link smiled kindly but sternly.  "If your father has taught me anything it is to always be prepared."

"Oh… Right."

"Let's go.  Come on."  Link grabbed hold of Epona's reins again, and they started off toward the northern outskirts of town.

===============

Even before they turned around the last bend toward Link's house, they could hear the excited voices of Talo and Malo, Jaggle's two sons.  "Oh, I got one!  Did you see that?" thundered the shout of Talo.

"It wasn't so bad, but I bet Link could do better," a very feminine voice scoffed, and Link recognized it as Beth's breathy voice, and she was the first to notice his appearance.  Her eyes immediately enlarged and she straightened her bangs.  "Oh, Link!"

This drew the attention of the two boys, who then ran up to Link as he and Colin made their way to his house.  

"These two have been obsessed with your slingshot," said Beth, approaching Link with a stride fit for pompous royalty.  "They're so immature about it; they haven't put it down since yesterday."

Talo, the same age as Beth, with short brown hair and wide, excited eyes, held the slingshot in question.  Link had let the sons of Jaggle borrow the item the previous day after their persistent, week-long pleas to try their hand at it.

"But I'm getting really good at it!" Talo shot back.

"This morning he even hit a hornet's nest," added Malo with an exaggerated swish of Talo's play sword.  He was younger than his brother by five years but was oddly mature for his age, which seemed even more apparent when alongside his excitable brother and the often snooty Beth.

"Yeah!  You know that hornet's nest in the tree above Beth's place?  I knocked it straight out of the tree!  And we stamped out all the hornets, and then we even collected the larvae, and then we…" Talo went on animatedly about his small exploit, retelling even the smallest details, as Link led Epona to her niche beside his house.  Link smiled and returned short phrases of praise here and there to let the children know that he listened to every word.

The three children had swarmed around him, each trying desperately to win the most attention from Link.  He felt like an adventurer from far off lands come to rest the night in the village where all the children kept asking for stories of his escapades.  Colin, however, kept his distance, Link noticed, using Link as a buffer while shyly waiting at the base of the house.

"Well, Link is good with that slingshot and a sword," boasted Beth, trying to break Talo's pride.

But it only fueled Talo all the more.  "That reminds me!  You gotta teach me how to use a sword!  Can't you let me play with yours?  Come on!"

"A sword is not a toy, Talo," said Link sternly.  There were few times Link used a disciplining tone, and talk of swordplay being just that--play--was one of them.

"Then at least show me.  Please, Link!  Show us some moves right now," pleaded Talo.

Link shook his head but could not help a grin.  "How about tomorrow, all right?"

"Okay!" agreed the youth.

"Run along and practice some more," dismissed Link.  He did not say it in a crude tone; he merely wished him away so that he could attend to preparing his afternoon meal: fried fish.

Having escaped the small flock of Ordonian children, he retreated to Colin, and they climbed up the ladder to reach his front door.

Once inside, Link directly sauntered over to his kitchen area and pulled out a sharp knife.  Colin laid the fish out on the table Link indicated.  Link took a small cloth from the table, dabbed it in a bucket of water, and used it to cleanse the length of his blade.  He tossed away his straight blond bangs that had tumbled down into his eyes, and his fingers passed over his pointed ear.  He found himself prolonging the touch, running his fingers along its length without thinking.  When he saw Colin staring at him curiously, Link shook loose of his straying thoughts and jerked his hand away.  He returned Colin's stare and could not help noticing for the millionth time how perfectly round the Ordonians' ears were.  Then smiling as if nothing had happened, he stepped over to Colin at the table and went to work … trying not to think about anything.

Thinking only made things worse.

Just as he had unhooked the greengills from their restraint and had his knife poised to slice their tails away, they heard a scream from outside.  Suddenly on guard, Link's hand froze as he looked to his door, which he had left open for the cross breeze.

"Where are you going?  Don't follow that thing!" they heard Beth screaming, and her frantic voice echoed through the door and the window high above them.

Setting the point of his knife into the wooden table, Link raced to his door, grabbing up his sheathed saber on the way.  The sword he carried had been crafted by Rusl and given to him many months ago when he had reached a level of proficiency in his training, but its steel did not have the strength of the average sword.  Given too much pressure, the blacksmith warned that its blade may break away entirely.

But it was all Link had.

Link burst out of his house and his blue Hylian eyes followed the shouts of the children.

"C'mere you monkey!" screamed Talo, racing after a curious grey shape with his lanky stick. Malo and Beth followed after him as he disappeared into the thickly forested path that led deeper into Faron Woods.  

"Get him!" he heard Malo encourage, to which Beth countered with: "Get back here!"

"Talo!" called Link, but none of them remained in earshot.

Colin came to Link's side but he merely shrunk back, unsure.

"Stay here," ordered Link, though he knew he did not have to tell him twice.

Colin reminded Link of his mother, not just in appearance but also in manner. He owned an equally kind heart, but when dangerous situations arose, one usually found the boy hiding or calling for help, unsure of his own abilities. The village children teased him on most occasions and always found his follow-the-rules attitude confining. This time, Link was here to help.

Securing the fastest way for pursuing them, Link flew down the ladder beneath him and mounted Epona as he clasped his scabbard over his shoulder.  

Colin watched as the pair sprung after the other children, as a decision weighed heavily in his demure blue eyes.

===============

Keeping track of the children's whereabouts turned out as no difficult task.  Link crossed paths with Beth soon, and Malo thereafter, both indicating that Talo had gone into the deeper reaches of the wood.  Grunting in frustration at the boy, Link commanded the children to return to the village and then called Epona around to speed across the connecting bridge.  Best find him before he gets into trouble.

After crossing the bridge, Epona slowed and guided Link cautiously through the wood, listening intently to every critter and crackle that sounded. Her master bowed low to escape the reaches of a low-lying branch, and he peered into the distance, seeing nothing yet that sparked the image of Talo. How far has he gone? Link wondered.  I hope he's all right….

Just then Epona stamped her hooves into the ground and tossed her mane, nearly launching him off her back. "Whoa," calmed Link, pulling her reins back to guide her away from the fenced maw of a cave. "Shh, girl."

He scrutinized the opening carefully, as he slunk down from the saddle, patting Epona's coat.  The entrance was dark.  He peered closer, trying to discern any sign of Talo through the shield of black … when a finger tapped him on the back.

Link twisted about quickly drawing his makeshift sword and pointing it at the tiny man that stood before him. The bony man looked up at Link, past the sword. The weapon did not frighten him in the least. A pleasant, trusting little man, with dark hair that stood puffed out around his head like a cloud.  Cleary, he was a woodland resident. There were only a few who made their homes within Faron. Most never emerged, living off what the forest offered them. Those who left Ordon to traverse the wood never returned. They had either moved on to Hyrule and lands beyond, taken up residence in Faron, or….

"Hello, Ordonian boy! What brings you here? Not going in there are you?" he asked.

"Yes, in fact," corrected Link, his face stern.

"Well, even though it's daylight, you shouldn't wonder about in there without a lantern. And beyond this, there are many other places that are dark in the middle of the day," the odd, disproportioned man said. Then a sly grin lit his face in dimples. "Coro is feeling generous today. Here," he offered, "take this with you."

Link accepted the gift, a lantern, and watched as Coro disappeared around a line of trees, shouting back, "If you ever run out of oil, just come by and see me again, yeah?"

Link threw his curious stare toward Epona, who seemed to reflect his perception of the odd little man.  Shrugging his shoulders, Link brought forth a flame from the lantern oil.  "Just wait here, Epona," ordered Link, and he raised his sword before him and journeyed into the darkness.

Shadows engulfed him.

Fumbling, Link waded into the dark cavern as if the shadows were the resulting tides of a tempest at sea. The lantern provided his sight with only the vaguest outlines of objects far from him. Even the light that spread upon the grass and rocky walls beside him was not enough to stop his involuntary squinting. At least, however, he could distinguish the path before him.

A few long moments drew out as he tumbled cautiously into the narrow semi-darkness, until his foot discovered something hidden amongst the tall vines and moist grass. He crouched low to investigate. Picking up the tool he had nearly tripped over, he held the lantern close and realized its shape. "Talo's play sword…." The little stick had broken near the middle and the sight of its splintered edges sent a shrill warning through Link.

Just then, Link heard a strange noise coming from above. He looked just in time to swat back a pair of bat-like keese. Rising quickly, Link leapt forward, leaving Talo's toy behind, and took up a defensive stance as the now angered critters launched themselves at him. To avoid their fangs, Link backed up as he slapped them hard with a twist of his sword. They landed motionless on the ground.

Link, however, landed on thin air. "What the…?"  When he cocked his lantern ever so slightly, he recognized the glistening silk that now entangled him. To make things worse, the owner of the trap had begun to descend to face Link directly.

The spider was only a little smaller than the size of his fist, but the sight of it still made Link cringe.  He knew not to struggle in a spider's ambush, so he was left with only one option.  His free arm held the lantern, and though he was unsure if he could transfer its flame to the spider, he smacked back the arachnid with the side of the device.  The web attached to its rear snapped as it swung back and landed on the ground, but it retaliated by skittering up to Link faster than he could blink.  Luckily, however, Link's foot had not yet been ensnared by the web, and he stomped down, a satisfying crunch following.

Sighing in relief Link turned his thoughts back to his original predicament of being trapped in spider's silk, and after what seemed hours, he finally worked his clothes and hair free.  He did not bother himself with the few strands of tangled white dangling at all angles from his now dusty locks. Shaking himself much like a dog would shake water loose of its coat after a swim, Link returned to his task of finding Talo.  The path continued beyond the spider web.  He cut through the remaining silk and marched on into the constricting corridor.

Once in the open spaces of the wood again, Link stopped a moment to gather his breath, which the cave had nearly sucked out of him with its narrow passages and dark hazards.  He was reminded why he only entered the woods when having a weapon and why Rusl had always told him to avoid the caves whenever possible. Yet Link could not disguise the rush he received from adventure and toil, surviving obstacles.  He erased the small grin the thought had prodded to his lips and took in his surroundings.

Before him lay the swamp-like area that usually crawled with all sorts of interesting creatures. Not eager to greet those nagging critters, Link spotted a safer route, a path outside the bounds of the musty depression.  He took to that road, after smothering the lantern's flame with the tips of his fingers and lacing its handle within the sashes around his waist.

When he had finally tracked his way around the swamp, Link faced an open area.  The thick canopies of the surrounding plant life shielded most of the sun from the vegetation, but Link could see well enough without the aid of his lantern.

He continued on toward the border of the clearing, the farthest edge dropping off into a canyon deep below from which gigantic trees sprouted up and beyond the land to reach amazing heights.  The trees were one with the thicket, the many thick branches seeming to fuse each trunk together, providing natural bridges from tree to tree and to the clearing.  Standing at the edge, Link witnessed how rock had yielded to the wood, a buildup of vines and mosses and fungi blanketing its entire face.

A shriek echoed in the distance, and after a few swift moments of searching, Link located Talo, who clung--dangling legs kicking madly--from a broken piece of a bough across the chasm of giants.  Link searched the length of the branch, and once he found the point at which it made contact with the clearing, he shot straight for it.  Once his feet made contact with the bough, he carefully adjusted his weight upon the massive wood and stepped cautiously toward Talo's location.

When Link approached the boy, he crouched to his knees and offered out a hand.  Talo latched onto it gratefully, and Link pulled him up onto the monstrous log.  Heaving in relief, Talo sat next to Link with a solemn expression, refusing to look at his rescuer for some time. Link waited patiently, curling his legs together and looking out across land.  He found a certain beauty in its clouded mystery and menace.

Finally, Talo said, "Thanks." He looked up to see that Link had looked to him then, his gaze unreadable.  "If you hadn't followed me, I coulda been in a real mess.  That monkey I was chasing … she went through there, and well, I kinda tripped up."

Link looked to where Talo pointed, noticing the trunk of this tree was obviously, in some respect, hollowed. The only entrance had been barred shut with thin branches that had broken off.  Only a tiny entrance at its bottom remained open.  Curious, Link wanted to explore its secrets, but turned back to Talo when he again spoke.

"You're not gonna mention this to my dad, are you?" he asked.  "He's always saying how it's dangerous in the woods, and I shouldn't ever go in."  Talo shifted, then pleaded, "Don't tell him! You have to promise!"

"I think we need to worry about finding our way back first," said Link after a pause.  Though reluctant to move before hearing Link confirm that he would not mention the incident to his parents, Talo rose alongside Link, and they carefully navigated their way back across the bough.

Link looked back for an instant, trying to see inside the hollow.  Disappointed, he nodded.  When I return from Hyrule then....