...into the corrupted forest. A fog crept in, and Link was reminded of the marsh he had waded through with the Twili. Granted, he wasn't as far away from there as he had previously thought. It was easy to believe that some of that darkness had come from here as well.
Wudhi waddled forward beside Link. He seemed to be keeping his breath sucked in. Link wondered if this had anything to do with the Deku Scrub's ability to launch nuts from their mouths.
Journey took point, her nose facing towards the crowns of the trees. Yore rode on her back. The hawk refused to leave his perch. Link didn't blame him. The air here was depressing and heavy.
Before long, the path behind them had vanished. Link was glad Epona was safe within the Valley of the Forest. He knew the mare would loathe this confined space. He hated it already. What the Stonewall Prison had done to him was unnerve him due to an abundance of space. This place was unnerving because there wasn't any.
Kephe was shaking violently, but struggling not to run. Mismawn was hardly any better, and if it weren't for the fact that he was walking beside Wudhi, the korok might just have buckled.
"There is something particular about little people and their extreme courage," Endeavor murmured, the only one not showing any signs of fear. Or he thought she murmured. Link suddenly was aware of Endeavor being well over two heads taller than him. He paused, wondering how he'd never noticed it. Zelda was several inches taller than him as well.
Link set a hand on his head, feeling a little flustered. How had he not noticed that until now? Was he really that small? Endeavor was very tall, but so were most of the Drex, and the members of the so called High Races. But then again, so were Hylians. So why was Link so short?
"Link."
Link snapped back to reality. Endeavor looked alarmed for once, but as he looked at her, her expression returned. "Do not let the madness of this woods consume you."
"Mr. Hero, you had a sc-scary look in your eye for a minute there," Kephe said, keeping some distance from Link.
"What?" Link asked, unaware of what he had been thinking about.
"It looks like the woods are getting to you." Wudhi waddled next to Link, before looking at Kephe and Mismawn. "The two of you, help me up."
Mismawn crossed his short arms, trying to look strong in spite of his blatant fear. "I'm not helping a scrub."
"Drop it, Mismawn, this is the Hero we're talking about," Wudhi returned.
"C-come on, Mismawn," Kephe pleaded. The kikwi lifted Wudhi up onto his shoulders. Mismawn grumbled, before lifting Kephe up as well. The tower came about to Link's chin. He stood there, taking a moment to appreciate this novelty, a trio of stacked little adventurers.
Wudhi looked into Link's eyes, the deku's gaping snout came uncomfortably close to Link's face. They sat there for a moment in silence, an awkward pause filling the air. Link started to look away when Wudhi stated, "You need to clear your mind. You're bringing evil into an already corrupted woods."
"What?" Link asked as Wudhi jumped down from the tower.
"It is the Temple of the Spirit Sage," Endeavor answered. "The trials were difficult for the Hero."
Wudhi nodded. "I see. Well, then perhaps it wasn't the best time to come to a corrupting woods."
"These woods are failing."
"The Lost Woods aren't the only place hurting."
Link pushed himself between Wudhi and Endeavor, careful not to knock over the tree people's tower. "If arguing is feeding this place, then maybe we should avoid it."
"I-I agree with Mr. Hero," Kephe offered as the tower unstacked.
Endeavor and Wudhi exchanged a glance. The Drex nodded. "Lead on, Hero."
Kephe tugged at Link's hand. Link took a deep breath, trying to focus on something that made him happy. The sinking feeling the woods were trying give him weren't going to win.
Journey trailed beside Link. The wolf was obviously nervous. Link was still curious why Endeavor had chosen a white wolf as her companion. For as much as Endeavor seemed to prefer the shadows, Journey stuck out like a sore thumb. Still, the wolf made for a good companion.
The Lost Woods were a maze. Wudhi couldn't tell them about the path, nor could Journey find it. This was because, unknown to the party, the woods was constantly changing. They had an idea of this, but nothing to confirm it yet. So, they wandered, slowly understanding where the woods truly had obtained its name.
Finally, they found a clearing. Link paused before sighing. "This is the entrance."
"So it seems," Endeavor replied.
Wudhi sat down. "The woods have never been this distorted before..."
"Don't you know how to get to your own home?" Mismawn asked, trying to sound irritated to hide his fear.
"It's not that simple," Wudhi answered, clearly getting frustrated with Mismawn's feinted courage.
Link sat down for a moment. This place was starting to wear on him. His head was straining to stay positive, but he hadn't seen sunlight in hours now. The dismal feeling of the woods was getting to him. As the Deku Scrub and the Korok bickered, he fished out his ocarina. Idly, he played a few notes to pass the time. The Song of Healing came to mind. Remembering the refreshing melody, he played the tune to try and ease the tension.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho..."
The voice rebounded through the woods. Link stopped, looking up at the trees. Everyone was focused on locating the sound's source.
"We're not alone," Wudhi stated. Mismawn had become very quiet.
Kephe reached for Link's hand, but Link was still gripping his ocarina. Link played the melody again.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho..."
Endeavor drew her violin. She echoed Link's notes. Again, the laughter sounded through the woods. "I concur with the scrub."
"More importantly, we know where to go," Wudhi replied.
Renewed, the party set out at a steady jog, taking turns towards the laughter as they heard it. The walls of shadow melded together with the trees, distorting the path, but through it all that wicked laughter chirped on.
Another clearing appeared in front of them. The party relaxed their jog as they looked around the glade. "This isn't the entrance," Link pointed out as he turned to study all of the exits from the clearing. His hand crept for his blade, getting the creeping sensation that he was being watched.
Endeavor drew her bowstring once more, letting the notes float through the fog. Suddenly, the music just died. The Drew replaced her violin quickly. "This is a lair."
The two warriors stood back to back, each scanning the glade for movement. What was going to come out of those trees? Mismawn rattled beside them, his forced courage depleting fast. Kephe was hiding beneath his bush. Only Wudhi remained entirely upright with Link and Endeavor, his mouth draw up, prepared to shoot.
And then the forest roof began to laugh.
"Ee, he, he, ho, ho, he, he, ha, he, ha, oh, ho," and so on and so on. It would have been childlike if the laughter didn't just keep going and going. Instead it just sounded unnatural.
So slowly, Link looked up...