"You know, these woods have always irritated me..." Link muttered. "I mean, I feel more at home here than inside a whale's tummy, that's for sure, but... I dunno... How is it that almost every path leads back to the village?"
"I don't know," Ukyo shrugged. "And I really don't care. I like it here. Many places to stroll around, many creepy beasts to bash up..."
She sighed. "I just wish Konatsu was here... then I could tell myself it would be just like in old times..."
"It's strange," Navi spoke up. "We haven't seen him or Tatl's brother in the village... and that Saria and Mido would leave without their fairies also makes me wonder..."
Tatl huffed. "Tael had always been a bit of a..." She almost said coward, but that wasn't nice, after all, he was her brother. "He had always been... the careful one. Maybe he just hides with Saria and Mido until everything is over."
"Might be," Ukyo nodded. "Still, we should make sure that... huh?" She stopped as they entered yet another clearing.
"What's up?" Link asked as he stood next to her.
Ukyo gestured ahead. "Look!"
Link followed the gesture... and gasped when he recognized the lone figure standing in the middle of the forest path.
Mido put his hands on his hips. "I don't know who you are, but you two Hylians can't fool me by wearing Kokiri clothes! I promised Saria I would let no one through here, and I mean to keep that promise. So, whoever you twerps are, you better turn around and go back where you came from!"
Link groaned. Somehow he had the feeling he had been in that kind of situation before...
"Oh, just let me smack him with my spatula," Ukyo grumbled. "Just this once!"
Link hushed her and carefully came closer to the now noticeably smaller Kokiri. "Look... we don't want to make any trouble, okay? You are... Mido, right?"
Somehow it felt strange asking a long-time friend and rival that question...
"So, you heard of me, eh? Yup, that's me! Mido, leader of the Kokiri! What's it to you? Wait a minute!" He tilted his head. "You are not in league with those Moblin brutes that have been chasing us through the woods, right?"
"What? No! We're just, um... We are friends of Saria!"
Mido raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"
"Yes! You see, we have been wondering where she is, and, umm... the other Kokiri in the village told us you two were here."
"Listen, bozo! I may be smaller than you, but I'm not dumb. I know Saria has never left the forest before, so why should she befriend two Hylians like you?"
"Great job, Link..." Ukyo groaned. "Aw heck, I'm sick of this..." And she just walked past Mido.
Or she tried to.
Faster than the eye could see, the small Kokiri had stepped in her way. "Maybe you weren't listening: I WON'T let you pass!"
"Oh for the love of Nayru..." Ukyo seethed. "Get out of my way, you little..." She tried storming past him, but every time she took a step, Mido followed.
"Hey, he can't be at two places at the same time," Tatl suddenly realized. "Link, go!"
Link hesitated... but only for a moment,. Then he quickly tried running past Mido.
He almost fell over when Mido practically appeared in front of him. "Going somewhere?"
"Damn, how can anyone be that fast?" Ukyo groaned. She pulled out a Deku Nut. "I've had enough of this... Link, cover your eyes!"
Ukyo threw the Deku Nut to the ground, where it burst with a bright flash. Being certain that this would blind Mido for a moment, Ukyo started running.
Only to get blocked by the irritating Kokiri again. "Nice try! But I trained my eyes to be insensible against bright light. Many Kokiri tried that trick to get past me... Well, not anymore!"
Link tried another tactic. He pulled out his hookshot and aimed for a big tree behind Mido.
"Let's see how you're planning to stop me like this," he smirked and pushed the button.
The hook and chain shot out of the handle, embedded themselves into the wood of the tree and Link got pulled behind.
And just when Link believed he made it this time, he suddenly felt two hands grabbing his feet. "What the...?"
He looked backwards and saw Mido, whose strong grip prevented him from going any further. "Interesting tool, but not good enough to outsmart me!"
He gave his former rival a firm yank, and the hook got pulled out of the tree. With a groan, Link fell down to the forest floor, and Mido stepped into his way again.
"They don't call me the 'Master of Pathblocking' for nothing," he smirked.
Ukyo gritted her teeth and pulled out a blue, round object. "That's it! I'm gonna..."
"NO!" Tatl, Navi and Link yelled at once. "NO, DON'T DO IT!"
"Aw, come on! Please let me blow that little creep up!"
Link took the bomb out of his friend's hands. "Violence is never a solution, Ukyo!"
Ukyo raised an eyebrow.
Link winced. "Okay, except when dealing with monster jellyfish, giant spiders and fire-breathing dinosaurs!"
He turned back around to face Mido. "Look, I'm sorry we tried that, but... Saria is really our friend, you can believe us! We are worried she might be in danger."
"She won't be in danger," Mido said. "Because I won't let anyone through here. And she's in the Forest Temple, no one could have followed her there."
Ukyo and Link exchanged a quick look. "That's where we wanted to go in the first place. Can't you please let us through?"
Mido tilted his head. "Well... can you prove that you are friends of Saria?"
"How should we prove that?" Ukyo shook her head in disbelief.
"Wait a minute..." Link murmured. Quickly, he pulled something out of his bag.
Mido looked closely. "Huh, that almost looks like... Saria's ocarina!" But he shook his head. "Well, you might just have one that just looks like hers..."
Link smirked. "Just listen..." And he raised the Fairy Ocarina to his mouth and started playing...
Saria's Song.
Mido listened in awe as the sweet tunes came out of the instrument. "That melody... Saria always played it. She only taught it to her closest friends. That means you... you really must be her friends."
He sighed. "Okay... okay, all right! Maybe I misjudged you. If you know her song, I believe you!"
Ukyo blinked. "That's all? We play that song and you let us go through?"
"That's what I just said, wasn't it? Now hurry up and go, before I change my mind..."
Link smiled at Mido as he pocketed the ocarina. "Thanks, Mido! You are a great guy, you know that?"
"Yeah, yeah, just don't tell anyone, okay?" the self-proclaimed leader of the Kokiri grumbled. "I have a reputation to keep, okay? Now go and see that Saria is fine."
"You can count on that," Ukyo nodded. "See you later then..."
They walked past him, but Mido called for them one last time: "Hey... hey you, wait a second!"
Ukyo sighed and turned around. "What now?"
"Um, I see you are strong fighters and all... and you must be quite the experienced travellers, right? Well then, I hope it's not too much to ask of you, but... If you should meet a young boy named Link on your journeys, or a girl named Ukyo... please... please tell them..."
Link listened intently. "Yes?"
Mido sighed. "Please tell them... I'm sorry.! I... I didn't always treat them correctly, and I'm sorry for that. Saria and the Deku Tree have always said there was something special about them, and perhaps... perhaps I just didn't see it. Or I was just jealous. Either way, if you meet them, please tell them: I no longer believe that it was really them who caused the death of the Great Deku Tree... and that they always can come back, if they want to."
Link and Ukyo looked at each other in surprise, then Ukyo smiled down at Mido and nodded. "Don't worry! We'll make sure to tell them that."
Mido smiled back. "Good. Well then... good luck!"
And as the two green-clad warriors ventured deeper into the woods, he went back to his post as the guardian of the forest path.
"I always knew there was something good within him," Navi said.
"Yeah..." Link sighed. "Let's just hope Saria is really okay... and Konatsu and Tael, too."
Tatl huffed. "Aw, c'mon! If he's good at something, it's hiding. I mean, what kind of terror could possibly haunt my lil' brother?"
----
The pink-clad Poe giggled as she dropped a tiny bow into the bottle. "Here you are, Jerome! Now wear that bow like a good little pet, and Little Azusa will give you all the huggles you want!"
Tael hammered against the glass walls of his bottle prison as hardly as he could.
"LET ME OOOOUUUUUT OF HERE!!" he yelled.
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(Posted Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:11)
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