Chapter two: The lost woods

The forest was dark and misty; the only light was caused by small openings in the crown of leaves and branches. The leaves were a colour green that appeared to be suffocated of freshness. Occasionally link could see a shadowy figure in the spotlights of the forest. The singing of the birds was dominant but cast an eerie feel on the whole wood. It often felt like he was being viewed by unwelcoming eyes, and couldn’t help but imagine a beast leaping out upon him as he starred through the dark. The constant wonder’s hit his mind, had Mido himself ever entered the lost wood’s’ or what dwells there that make’s it so lost. All the Kokiri had told tales about what would happen to those who entered the wood, Fado said “they become anything unlike us Kokiri, imp’s!” while other’s said “Beast’s eat them isn’t it obvious?” the idea of being eaten was obviously not a pleasant one. The woodland was misleading and untrustworthy constantly link would pass a rock or bush he had already passed just moments before.
After a long anxious walk he reached a tall hill with a large stone archway to its front. From it he could hear music gently emerging, this was confusing but link ignored it. He, at the moment, ignored any beauty to be found. For a long time he walked through the forest gazing sharply at every corner. As he walked into an opening he heard a song he knew well, a song that Saria would sometimes play to him when he was upset or unwell. But the melody quickly faded and the anticipation of safety with it. He continued walking until he came to a stump that was in a U shape making the form of an oversized slingshot. On them shone a magnificent light. Link felt ill at ease the watchful eye’s seemed to draw nearer .He stopped staring at the stump and quickly looked behind him, he saw nothing but a quick rustle in the grass, he heard then a foot and a mischievous chuckle behind him.
He turned around to see a short creature (as tall as a Kokiri) it wore a pointed hat with cut strands at the end (the hat was of a flushed orange) it also had wooden circle’s joined together with a strong thread, also his tunic was made in greatly the same way with a belt of rings and string. It had yellowish pants made of some jagged material as well as some gloves made in the same way but with the Kokiri symbol above the wrist. His boots were pointing up and then curling around slightly “so, another Kokiri child has entered this day, such a rare sight is to be cherished” laughed the impish creature before playing a quick note on his flute, performing a back flip and half way through disappeared. And a second imp appeared on the opposite side of the stump “so it is true, a Kokiri, another! Has entered our wood” it also did a back flip, just as the last had done it too disappeared.

He continued walking until he came to a tree, and peculiarly it had a target hanging on one of the branches. Near it he saw another outlandish creature. It was tending to the knot of the target, humming to it’s self the tune of sarias song. This forest seemed haunted by that tune; it would appear ghost like yet joyful and then disappear once more into the forest. The creature he saw was strange, it wore a wreath of leaves on its head and it had flesh made of a smooth bark, it had little beady red eyes and a pair of short legs, with no toe nails or even toes and it had a large snout like a nose. He bounced more than walked over the top branch of the bare tree, then it spotted him, it disappeared into a thick patch of leaves growing on the tree and reappeared in all its previous peculiarity. It bounced over to him, link grabbed a Deku stick that he had brought, and he swiped at it, yet it evaded his attack with ease. It angrily fired nuts at him from its snout, Link held up the stick in defence and the nuts reacashead of it and back into the creatures face. For a while it bounced around in displeasure. Until Link slashed at it with his weapon and it fell upon its knees “ow, ow, ow! Please forgive me master I’ll never do it again! If you let me go and I’ll give you something!” Link agreed to this. The slight creature shot a little tan bag from its snout. “Try it if you are feeling bold. Though I can’t guarantee it will work every time,” It laughed eying the target. It seemed an odd request but Link obliged. He fashioned a slingshot from a twig, aiming carefully he hit the middle thrice. He was surprised by his own accuracy. The creature looked utterly astonished. “ You hit three perfect bulls eyes” Link felt the back of his neck in embarrassment “I have to give a gift to such a wonderful person!” the creature bounced of the trodden path and into the trees themselves, it lead him through the ivy and nettles. He ran after the creature wondering if was it a trap. Yet how could a creature that finds difficulty-tying knots discover a way to devise an ambush? Link continued to follow until he began to wonder where he was leading him, when they reached a clearing. In the centre of it was a sword with a bronze hilt and leather wrapping around the clasping area, and just near the blade was a red ruby glistening as the sun shone on it through a crack in the leafy ceiling. Link walked over to it and picked it up, it felt so light and was just fit for him to hold. “The Kokiri sword” Link thought eying the shiny dagger. He swiped with it in a couple of directions and then put it into its holder that he had placed proudly upon his back. He walked away clearing, the little creature was nowhere in sight.

He continued walking until he came to a pond. He sat by its edge and dipped his hand in the water to cool it down. He then heard again the tune but it was distorted by a flute playing just feet behind him, he turned around and saw an imp playing and dancing to its own tune kicking its legs up forcefully at the air. Link raised his sword and leaped at it, but it simply faded away as quickly as it had come. “Mido.” Link thought angrily, how could Mido ever comprehend the fear Link was feeling, how could Mido call himself “the great” when he leads so many into this wood each year. Mido was sitting comfortably at home while link faced this; at least the other young Kokiri had the comfort of a guardian fairy though Link was left alone. Link cupped his hands and drank from the pool his throat was parched by his own thought. As he continued to stroll he heard his own footsteps and quickly stare behind himself as if expecting a sharp blow. He starred at the trees and wondered what Saria said was true. Link now saw another stone archway leading deep into a hillside, boulders blocking the entrance. Link sat upon the hill and wiped his sword with the cuff of his sleeve. Left with only silence he walked onward. He attempted to hum the tune to himself for encouragement, but the sound of his own voice quavering made him silence. Now fear was brewing more prominently inside his heart. He strolled along until he came to a meadow only blocked by a large iron fence. He approached cautiously, but rushing out of the trees came a wolf snarling viciously at him, link drew his sword. The beast leaped bearing its teeth and snarling at him, it knocked Link of his feet and link held up his sword just available to keep its jagged claws from his neck. The beast growled into Links face until Link found the strength to shove its immense weight of him. He searched around but found his sword had been knocked from his hands. The wolf leaped again and Link rolled to the left just evading the creature’s stray claw. Link attempted to run around the hunchbacked wolf but found it circling him, then it began to run for him and Link tripped of his feat now leaving him defenceless, when he felt what he had tripped on, the Kokiri sword. Link attempted to snatch it of the ground but found it ensnared in over grown vines. He could feel the beasts breath upon him as he tugged at the blade, just as the creature lifted a massive claw to strike the sword broke free and he slashed it diagonally, just passing the wolfs throat. The heavy defeated wolf fell to the side of Link and he got up panting and wheezing. The gates that lead to the far scooping meadow opened and Link entered more cautious now than ever, the pasture set him at ease on the opposite side of the field there was an archway made of the bending branches of antique oaks, stone steps covered the hill side that theses trees were on and Link began to slowly ascend them. When he reached the top he could see old ruins of ancient majesty. They would have once had steps but now the stairway was shattered in to rubble, vines grew from one corner and as Link looked around himself he realised now that he had entered what was probably a court yard once long ago, for walls of stone surrounded him. Light shone down upon a stump in a corner and as Link drew nearer he could see a person sitting upon it playing a tune gently. “Saria?” Link asked in amazement.