The Legend of Zelda - The Tainted Blade (Season 3)

Thunderbird - (S3:E9)

With a pack of provisions and armed only with a fishing spear, both provided by Cari's mother, Zel and Cari stepped hand in hand through the green portal swirling in Naiyah's home. Inside the portal, gale-force winds tore at their clothes. The green of the swirls brightened, morphing to a blinding white. Though Zel felt his feet on solid ground, it was as if they floated through the vortex. With a rush against their ears, like the sliding of rope through a pulley when the wind catches a sail wrong, the light around them squeezed against their skin until suddenly they emerged on the other side. Zel glanced back. The gateway had disappeared.

The heat struck Zel first, thick with moisture. Immediately, sweat-soaked his tunic and he longed for the refreshing sea breeze of his home. The green world around him glistened with the sheen of recent rain. Giant, tropical leaves hung from a thick canopy above. Flies buzzed around his face and he heard the droning of frogs and cicadas. The scent of mud and water-filled the air.

In front of them stood an ancient stone head carved in the likeness of a dragon with its jaws wide, tall enough for a giant to walk through. From its mouth, a stream trickled and moss coated the inside where cheeks should be.

"Where are we?" asked Cari.

"I don't know," said Zel. "But I've seen trees like this before, a few day's journey from my home."

Zel turned to take in the valley in which they stood. Cari did likewise. Sharp cliffs rose on both sides of the long valley, adorned with carvings complimenting the giant dragon head — other dragon faces and serpent-like crenelations. A cliff rose behind the giant dragon head as well, leaving only one exit from the valley.

"Look," said Cari pointing into the dragon's mouth. "There's a smaller statue."

Hand in hand, they eased through the stream and into the dragon's mouth. Beyond the skull statue, the sky opened up and the water grew deeper. A stone figurine stood on a platform raised slightly out of the water. The figurine's robed hands clenched together over its heart. Its head was hooded and its eyes closed. Short wings stretched out from its back.

"We have something similar to this at home," said Zel as they waded to it. "Ours is not as beautiful, but I think its meant to be the same thing."

"What?" asked Cari.

"It's a statue of the goddess Hylia," said Zel.

"Why is it here?"

Zel cast around at the watery grove. "I seem to recall legends of sacred springs. Could this be one?"

Cari's eyes widened. "Yes, my father told me of those. Supposedly one exists in Akkala. The other two were said to be on a mountain and in a forest."

"Then maybe this is the forest spring," said Zel. "But why did the pearl bring us here?"

Cari shook her head and stared at the statue.

"Hello?" Zel called out. The moisture and thick canopy swallowed his voice. No response came. Zel furrowed his brow.

"Now what?" asked Cari.

"The answer must be here somewhere," said Zel. "We'll spend a few hours trying to figure it out and then make camp."

Zel wandered to the left of the goddess statue, out of the water, to explore their surroundings. Cari went right. The dragon statue was far more intricate than he realized. A stone claw jutted from the surface beside the head and he suspected more of the dragon might be buried beneath the ground. He glanced over to where Cari searched and spotted another stone claw to match. Nothing stood out as extraordinary until he examined the back wall behind the goddess statue.