Saria's Song Chapter 2: Hounds of Shadow

 Chapter 2-

Hounds of Shadow

Hours earlier...

This was probably going to go down as one of the worst ideas Saria had ever had, provided she even lived to tell the tale. The wind moaned through the barren trees, setting their leafless branches creaking and groaning, a sound so loud it set Saria's teeth on edge.

That was all she could hear, aside from the pounding of her heart and Mido's breathing. He was out of breath, having just sprinted for shelter behind a gnarled oak, desperate to avoid the denizens of the once peaceful woods.

There weren't supposed to be monsters in the Lost Woods. Not the kind that went after Kokiri. At least, that had been true seven years ago, when the Great Deku Tree had still been alive. Back then, the boundaries of the forest had been protected by wards woven from arcane sorcery, invisible to the naked eye.

Peering around her hiding place, Saria blinked into the ever-present gloom that hung over the woods. She glanced out at the tall wall of stone that stood beyond a clearing. It rose as high as the forest canopy and stretched out in either direction for as long as she could see. It was difficult to make out beyond the thin veil of fog, but just a short walk from where Saria stood was the gateway to the Forest Temple. She could see the arch that would take her into the meadow, but the two figures standing tall on either side of the archway did not look like they were the talkative kind. They weren't human or Kokiri. They weren't even native to the Lost Woods. They were a bizarre fusion of man and beast, with pig-like heads and tusks protruding from their skulls. Tufts of black fur could be seen through gaps in their armour, but it was the spears in their clawed hands that held Saria's attention. Those mean, sharp points clearly meant business, and Saria knew there was no way of getting past them.

"Hey, Saria, I don't suppose you can speak Blin?" the boy beside her whispered.

Saria shot him a look. "No, of course I don't, Mido."

One of the guards grunted, and both Kokiri twitched, huddling closer to their tree. They exchanged a warning glance, but the guards were too busy conversing to notice, their speech punctuated by a strange mix of grunts and growls. The silent woods made it seem impossibly loud, even from this distance. Whatever was said, the first Blin shrugged.

Mido tried signing to her. "You think they heard us?"

Saria shook her head and returned the gesture. "I don't think so."

Her eyes lingered upon the Moblin's spear tip. She couldn't help imagining what that spear would do if it struck her.

Saria's little fairy, Fora, spoke up as she emerged from Saria's pocket.

"Saria?" she asked in a nervous whisper. "Are you okay?"

Saria shook her head, but didn't say anything. Fora didn't stray far from the shelter of Saria's tunic, ready to dart back into cover at a moment's notice. She too watched the clearing, her wings buzzing softly.

"I've got an idea," Mido's fairy whispered, loud enough for the two Kokiri to hear, but not so loud that the guards would notice. Mido looked about to object to whatever plan Mori had conjured, but Saria pressed a finger to her lips, letting the boy's fairy continue. "When I distract the guard, run to the wall. Those vines along the wall are pretty tough. You should be able to climb up."

"And if that doesn't work?" Mido asked, signing again.

"It's nothing I haven't done before," Saria signed back. Her own fairy, Fora, was casting a nervous sideways look as she hovered beside Saria's ear. She had dulled her light enough to avoid attracting attention, and she shivered visibly. "We have to try... Mori can distract the Moblins, and we'll climb up... Fora, can you help her?"

"Sure," Fora said, but there was no missing the tremor in her voice.

Saria had climbed onto the Forest Temple's outer wall before. It wasn't a hard climb for a Kokiri, but then again, the last time she'd done that, there hadn't exactly been any Blin around.

"Right..." Mido wasn't impressed. "Because that couldn't possibly go wrong."

"Stop being a pessimist, Mido, or else you can go wait for me," Saria told him, but she wasn't sure if that was just for his sake or her own as well.

"You're not going in there alone," Mido said, resolute. He sighed, but thankfully it wasn't loud. "Fine. Let's do this."

Mido swallowed and leaned back against the tree trunk. Saria followed suit, turning to face her friend.

"Mido, if anything goes wrong, head back to the Great Deku Tree's grove, okay?" she said, unable to keep her breathing steady.

"I'm not going back without you." The fierceness of Mido's gaze told Saria he wasn't backing down. He was going to follow her, and that was the end of it. "Fado would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

Saria doubted that, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Her smile was forced. Every instinct told her they should be running the other way. But where would they run exactly? There was nowhere safe left to run. The Gerudo had taken most of the Kokiri captive seven years ago; Kokiri Village itself was a mess of charred timber and broken tree houses, the aftermath of powerful sorcery that had claimed all but the sturdiest of trees. That the Kokiri had survived at all had been thanks to Saria and the Kokiri Elders evacuating the village, not to mention the few Gerudo who had pitied them.

No, fleeing now would only postpone what had to be done.

"It's a bit of a climb down to the other side," Fora whispered, flying to hover near Saria's ear, "But we can manage it."

Saria held her breath as Mori took this as her cue and darted towards the Moblin. The monster was easily twice Saria's height. Mido stood tensely beside Saria as Mori drew closer. The Moblin's beady eyes turned to regard the little fairy, narrowing as Mori hovered just out of the beast's reach. It grunted, swatting at her as one might swat a fly.

Mido flinched, and Saria held out a hand, hoping to discourage him from calling out.

"Don't," she hissed, but Mido didn't need telling twice.

Mori dodged the Moblin's gauntlet and darted towards its face, eliciting a snarl. It tried to snatch at her with its free hand, but Mori again dodged. The monster growled in its guttural tongue as Saria took this cue to run. She ran from the meagre cover of the trees, dashing across the clearing as fast as she could. She could hear Mido running and realised too late just how much noise they were making.

A bellow of anger alerted her to the second Moblin. It was little more than a dark shape in the dense fog, looming larger as the creature approached.

Was it just Saria's imagination, or had the mist gotten thicker? She couldn't see the trees behind her. The second Moblin was getting closer. Another monster answered its call, and more dark shapes emerged from the fog. Fortunately, the silvery veil was proving to be just as much a curse to the Blin as it was to Saria and Mido, and it was getting thicker with each passing moment.

The first Moblin stopped trying to attack Mori and turned its gaze in Saria's direction. Saria had to use all her willpower not to freeze like a doe beneath a wolf's hungry glare. The deep, bellowing roar announced to all that she had been seen, and then it lunged forward, spear at the ready, approaching Saria with terrifying speed.

"Run, Mido!" Saria cried out.

Saria reached the vines that crawled across the wall. She barely paused to test their strength and then waited for Mido to start his climb. The first Moblin was nearly on her before Saria leapt onto the vines, clambering up as quickly as she could.

A hand snatched hold of her foot, dirty claws digging into her calf, drawing blood. Saria shrieked as the Moblin chortled, eyes glinting in triumph. She kicked desperately with her free leg, but the Moblin's grip was too strong. At any moment, it could wrench her from the wall, and then there would be no escape. The creature gave another sharp tug, forcing Saria to cling to the vines for dear life.

Far from using its full strength, the monster seemed to be biding its time, calling over its shoulder to its companion.

Mido was yelling somewhere above.

Saria couldn't hold on. Her arms were being torn from the strain, muscles screaming...

Fora darted straight for one of the monster's beady eyes. It howled in pain and released Saria. She kept climbing, desperately ignoring the pain lancing through her calf; even that was bearable compared with the agony in her arms. She hauled herself onto the top of the wall. Mido had already climbed over and was making his way down the far side. Saria chanced one last glance at the Moblins below.

The monster was staring up at her with hungry eyes. Four of its companions were now crowding behind it, and from their grunts and gestures, Saria suspected they were debating what to do. She expected them to run the short distance to the archway and make their way into the fallen sanctuary beyond, but they just watched. Or maybe they'd just use a bow and shoot her down like some game bird.

Why didn't they finish her off? Had something worse drawn their attention?

Not wanting to find out, Saria swung herself over the far side of the wall and began climbing down into the meadow. Pain pulsed through her injured leg, but she ignored it. Tiny thorns cut into her hands as she worked her way towards the ground. Below her, Mido had stopped moving. He was halfway down the wall, but for some reason, he was frozen in place, his eyes wide as he stared at something in the foliage.

With their eight little legs and many eyes, Saria recognised the arachnids instantly. Two small Skulltulas had taken up residence in the dense foliage, easily spotted by the skull-shaped armour that covered their backs. They must have felt the disturbance the two Kokiri made, for they were facing the pair.

"It's just a Skulltula, Mido," Saria whispered. "Just go around them slowly."

Mido skirted the spiders and scrambled down the remaining vines. Neither arachnid moved, but Saria knew better than to hope they wouldn't attack. Fortunately, she was able to reach the bottom of the wall and jump onto the soft earth below.

"Are you okay?" Mido asked as Saria landed beside him.

Bracing herself against the wall, keenly aware of the pain in her leg, Saria nodded.

"Yeah," she said, wincing as she tried to put weight on her injured leg. When she saw Mido's gaze drift to her injury, she shook her head. "It's fine..."

What might have happened if that Moblin had succeeded in pulling her from the vines didn't bear thinking about.

Fora hissed urgently, flying towards a boulder near the wall. There was an odd carving etched into the rock's surface, resembling a grinning face with a single eye that struck Saria as very out of place. Saria and Mido nodded their understanding and dashed for cover. Crouching behind the rock, they waited in a tense silence, listening to the voices of the Moblins. It was then that Saria saw something else on the wall that hadn't been there before. Not something. Someone. She blinked, sure she was mistaken.

No. There was someone else on top of that wall. Not a Kokiri but a tall woman, crouched cat-like atop the wall, her figure obscured by the fog. She was wearing the most peculiar garb, and it was almost impossible to make out any detail of her face.

"Where'd she come from?" Mido asked in a hushed tone.

Saria froze as the figure stared in her direction, no doubt alerted by Mido's voice.

"Good one," Mori whispered.

But the woman didn't move to attack. Instead, she held a finger to her lips, urging the Kokiri to stay quiet. A heartbeat later, the woman was nimbly leaping over the wall.

Surprised yells of alarm, followed almost immediately by roars of pain and a clash of blades, shattered the cold silence. Whoever this mysterious person was, they were apparently well-armed and undaunted by the prospect of taking on an entire patrol of Moblins. More were no doubt lurking nearby, and judging by the horn-blast that split the air, followed almost immediately by a gurgling cry of pain, they wouldn't be far away.

For a time, both Kokiri remained crouched behind the rock, too terrified to move. The sounds of fighting continued, the Moblins yelling to each other, sounding confused. Alarmed. Apparently, they were just as surprised by the stranger's arrival as were the two Kokiri. The sounds of fighting were fading now as the Kokiri's mysterious ally drew the Moblins away from the meadow. Soon, the fighting died away, the distant thud of boots announcing the Moblins' retreat.

"Whoa," Mido exclaimed, apparently unable to help but be impressed. "Did you hear that? What did she do to them?"

"I heard enough, Mido," Saria answered evenly, eyeing the temple doorway. "Now, be quiet before something comes to see what's going on."

She waited for something to come bursting into the meadow, but nothing happened.

Peering around her hiding place behind the stone, and barely daring to breathe, Saria quickly glanced at the archway that led into the woods. There was no sign of the Moblins or their attacker. They waited, not quite believing their luck.

"Who was that?" Mido asked, turning to the two fairies, who looked just as stunned by this turn of events as their companions did.

"I don't know," Saria whispered, not daring to speak too loudly, even though the meadow was once again filled with an unnatural silence. She stepped away from the rock, a part of her tempted to go and see what was going on beyond the wall, but she knew that was a bad idea.

"That was a Sheikah," Fora breathed, sounding awed. "They were wearing the Sheikah emblem!"

"You're sure?" Saria asked, daring to sound hopeful.

"Did you see the mark she was wearing? An eye weeping blood?" Fora asked.

Saria shook her head. It'd been hard to see much of anything, even with her sharp eyes.

"I was too busy trying to work out what she was wearing," Mido whispered back. "Assuming it was actually a she."

Some of his initial awe seemed to have worn off. He didn't sound too enthused to discover they had a Sheikan ally. In fact, he was beginning to sound downright hostile.

"What are they doing here?" Saria wondered. Grateful though she was for the aid, the thought troubled her. Evidently, Mido was having similar thoughts because he was now frowning. The Sheikah were said to be a race of fearsome warriors and terrible sorcerers, and from what Saria had learned, almost all of them were either dead or in hiding.

"Should've figured there'd be sorcerers around," Mido said, almost spitting the words, his initial admiration giving way to suspicion. Saria gave him a sideways look, noticing his expression sour. 

She wasn't surprised. Not entirely. More than one Kokiri had stumbled upon an artefact left by a Sheikah in the woods, only to meet a dire fate. The Skull Kids had become what they were after touching a talisman worn by a lost and dying Sheikah. Not so many years ago, a woman had fled into the heart of the Kokiri Forest, having been fatally wounded by a Sheikan blade. It had killed her, leaving her son to be raised by the Kokiri.

"I think they're one of the good ones," Saria told him, partly for her own benefit. They wouldn't be attacking the Moblins otherwise.

"One of the good ones?" Mido repeated disbelievingly. "You remember what Brynn said? He claimed they could kill you just by looking at you."

"Right, because Brynn was totally not exaggerating," Saria said, keeping her voice low. Brynn was well known amongst his fellow Kokiri for his wild tales. "He hasn't exactly met a Sheikah before. I have."

That Sheikah had been one of the 'good ones'. She had been looking for Link and his mother, hoping to learn what had become of them. Once satisfied the boy was safe, she had left without incident.

"And look where that got us," Mido pointed out. That comment stung, and Saria almost winced. 

"I'm sorry," Mido said, looking down at his worn boots. "I shouldn't have spoken like that."

"It's fine," Saria said, her tone a little forced. "Let's just focus on finding what we came for once we work out what the Sheikah is doing... I think we should wait to see if she comes back."

"That noise would have attracted any Moblin for a few miles," Mido pointed out. "If they come in here, we'll be caught."

Saria stared at the archway, waiting with bated breath for the Sheikah to return. It hadn't been that long since she'd attacked the Moblins, but as the minutes passed in a tense silence, Saria began to wonder if they were even coming back. Were they injured? A part of Saria wanted to go and check, but she was no warrior. Jumping some twenty feet, blades swinging, to deliver death upon her enemies? Yeah, that wasn't Saria. Not even close. She was a pacifist. A child of the forest. Thwacking an annoying insect that was trying to bite her on a warm summer's day was about as violent as she got.

"I'm sure they can handle themselves," Fora told her. It came as no surprise to Saria that Fora was privy to her thoughts. All Kokiri and their fairies shared a close connection that allowed them to read each other's minds.

"Where'd they go, though?" Saria wondered.

Fora just shook her head. "I don't know."

She scanned the empty meadow, unable to shake off the uneasy sensation that they were being watched. The stench of decay grew stronger, thick enough to catch in Saria's throat. There was a wrongness to this place that seemed to suck the very warmth from the earth. Even the light that managed to peek through the interlocking branches of the canopy seemed strangled, barely providing any illumination at all.

In years prior, the Sacred Forest Meadow was a place filled with vibrant greenery and humming with life. The voices of the forest spirits had once seemed louder here. There was a power in this place, a deep pulsing beneath the earth, as if the temple itself were somehow a living thing, its heart beating in a slow but steady rhythm. But that heart, that pulsing energy, was silent, and everything about the place felt wrong. Rotten. Diseased. Cursed.

The more unusual denizens of the forest were nowhere in sight, and though they seldom allowed themselves to be seen - especially Deku Scrubs - they could usually be heard scurrying noisily through the underbrush.

Now there was nothing but a hollow, empty silence. A silence that made Saria aware of each nervous beat of her heart...

As she stared at the stump near the ancient stone dais, memories stirred in the back of her mind...

"This place will be special to us one day," Saria said, much to the bemusement of the little boy who sat beside her on the tree stump. His bright blue eyes regarded her in confusion. They were filled with an innocent wonder that took in the delights of the world and thought nothing of the dangers therein. She smiled at him, trying to shake off her melancholy, and then, to distract herself, she tousled his hair, earning a noise of protest. "Shall we practise the ocarina?"

The boy nodded.

"What shall we play today?"

"Sa's song," the boy replied, legs kicking eagerly.

Saria laughed.

"Will you ever get bored of me playing that?" she asked, to which the boy shook his head.

"Never!" he said emphatically, shaking his head so hard that it was a wonder he wasn't dizzy. "Never!"

"Saria?"

It wasn't the little boy who spoke this time. Instead, it was the freckled-faced Kokiri who looked at her with concerned eyes.

"Huh?" Saria said, confused. She looked past him towards the stump, where she and Link had once played. Empty now. As it had been for many years.

Mido realised what she was looking at. He knew its significance, judging by the way he looked down at the ground rather than meeting her eyes. They were still alone; the Moblins seemed to be busy dealing with the Sheikah.

"I miss him too," Mido said quietly, his eyes drawn to the stump Saria had been staring at. It stood just beyond the strange hexagonal dais with the symbol of three interlocked triangles. "You know... I know I was..." He fidgeted with his hands a little, and then he swallowed, his voice cracking as he stumbled over words he had spoken many times before. Saria could feel the regret in them and knew it was genuine. "I know, I was a jerk... I know I said all those horrible things, but... I never meant..."

"You weren't the reason he left," Saria said firmly. They'd had this conversation before, and she didn't want to have it right now. Not when they were in the middle of a monster-infested wilderness where the next creature that found them could very well be contemplating lunch.

"Do you really think he's gone?" Mido persisted. "He was tough. And he took on those Gohma by himself." Mido was looking at her as if expecting her to break, but she didn't. "I know I was mean. I just knew he'd come from beyond the forest. The Great Deku Tree said he was one of us... but I knew he wasn't. I mean, you honestly think he's gone?"

"I don't know," Saria said, her voice a little hoarse with emotion. After losing Doran, she had never expected another child to become so completely hers to care for. She had known him for just a short span of ten years, which to a Kokiri was but a drop in the ocean of eternity, but he had found his way into her heart.

Then fate had forced him to venture out of the forest. That hadn't shocked her. Not entirely. Great Father had warned her that there would be times of terrible trial ahead, for both of them.

The forest had never seemed this quiet when Link was there. She could still remember his shrieks of wild laughter as she snatched his hat and led him on a merry chase, jumping over small fallen logs and tree stumps. Or the numerous times she'd had to intervene whenever Mido's pranks had backfired, usually resulting in some rather unusual payback, whether it was Mido walking into his house to find some animal had mysteriously taken up residence, or a giant pile of rocks had turned up outside his door and nobody seemed quite sure how they got there. That had all gotten a bit much when Mido put Link's shoes up a tree, resulting in the younger Kokiri climbing up to retrieve them, before taking a rather painful shortcut down to the tree's base.

And that had been before the ant nest incident. Link had found an ant nest and deposited a whole handful of ants onto Mido's bed while he slept, before bolting from the crime scene. It hadn't taken long for Mido's scream to startle half his neighbours from their sleepy doze, and then he had run screaming from his home, dashing straight into the nearest stream with a speed Saria wouldn't have thought possible.

Link had tried to maintain his innocence, but the angry red welts on his hands had told Saria all she needed to know. He had complained about the itching for ages until Saria had finally given him a paste to soothe the bites.

Strange. She had been annoyed with both of them for those stupid pranks, but now she found herself longing for those moments. Link had grown so fast. Yet despite the trips and stumbles, he had been one persistent child.

Sensing Saria's distress, Fora landed on her shoulder.

"I miss him too," Fora said quietly. "But we came here to find the spirit in the temple. We can't dwell on memories now, especially when those Moblins could come back."

"You're right." Saria heaved a sigh. Not allowing herself to get lost in memories was going to be hard. The entire place was steeped in it. The stones themselves, the reliefs and the murals whispered of ages gone by, of the people who had once called this place home. But they were gone now. Just like that little boy. Just like the Great Deku Tree. Just like those stupid pranks. Nothing but memories of a life long lost... so much had changed after the Great Deku Tree's death.

So much had gone wrong.

And now we have to fix it. We have to find the spirit, Saria thought. Then we can go home. We all can.

Saria forced herself to look away from the empty stump and towards the temple, her eyes stinging with moisture. A staircase led up to the temple's entrance, flanked by two tall trees whose upper branches stretched over the meadow. She glanced back at the archway again, wondering why the Sheikah was yet to return.

It was then she felt that unmistakable sense of being watched again, this time stronger, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose on end.

"Saria!"

Mido pointed towards the archway. As Saria watched, white tendrils of mist, tentacle-like, rose out of the earth, creeping forward and coalescing to form two monstrous shapes with distinctly canine features. Before the two Kokiri could so much as move, two enormous Wolfos stood before them, their red eyes glaring hungrily at their would-be prey.

"Run!" Mori and Fora cried out, urging their terrified companions to run towards the temple. Unwilling to wait and see just what damage these apparitions could do, Saria obeyed and started running up the stairs, the Wolfos bounding up and over the dais and heading towards the Kokiri. The trees that graced either side of the staircase seemed the only place to go, but even as Saria thought of leaping onto the balustrade and then climbing up the tree, the ghostly hounds vanished, exploding back into a white mist.

For a moment, Saria just stared, heart pounding so loud she was sure that even Mido would be able to hear it. All she could do was stare, aware that she was shaking ever so slightly...

Illusions...

They both just looked down the stairs, gazing at the spot where the hounds had gone.

"I don't suppose now is a good time for second thoughts?" Mori asked nobody in particular.

"Too late now," Saria breathed. "If we don't do this, the forest will never wake from this endless winter."

She'd been inside the inner sanctum before and knew what she was after, or so she hoped, but back then it had just been part of the temple. She'd never understood the significance of the great tree that towered over the central plaza, with the Goddess statue tucked within the folds of its enormous roots. She knew it was alive, but it had been dormant on the few occasions she'd been inside. With still no sign of their mysterious ally, the Kokiri turned to face the grand archway, which looked less than grand at the moment, due to the dead vines coiling around it. Dry bramble cracked underfoot as they ventured beneath the arch and into the hallway beyond, pushing past shrivelled fern fronds that disintegrated at their touch.

The two Kokiri had barely made it a few feet inside when a thunderous crash made them both jump. The air trembled with energy, carrying a sharp metallic tang. There, right where they'd been standing mere moments earlier, was a shimmering wall of rippling energy that glowed with a strange green light. Saria backed up a step, craning her neck to take in the rippling wall that stretched from floor to ceiling.

"Oh, great," Mido grumbled. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

Experimentally, Saria snatched one of the dead vines, snapped it off, and approached the barrier, not trusting it for a moment.

She prodded the shimmering wall, the vine smouldering as soon as it made contact. With a gasp, Saria snatched it back, dropping the burning vine.

"Only one thing we can do," she answered as they both looked down at the smouldering creeper. She shuddered to think of what might have happened if she'd put her hand on the barrier, glad that she hadn't. If there had been any hope of someone coming to rescue them, should things go wrong, then it was well and truly gone now. There was no other way into the temple that Saria knew of; she and Link had scouted its perimeter countless times.

"Come on, let's go," she said, turning away from the humming magic.

With that, the two Kokiri plunged into the dark hallway. It seemed to grow colder with each step they took, chills creeping like tiny spider legs down Saria's spine. The combined glow of Fora and Mori revealed faded carvings, mostly depicting Kokiri dressed in ceremonial masks and standing beside odd humanoid figures. These strange creatures had the gnarled texture of a tree, their faces not quite human, and small antlers sprouting from their heads. Something tickled the back of Saria's memory, and she felt like she'd seen those creatures before, but she didn't know what they were. The murals here were a crumbling shadow of their former selves, covered in a layer of grime and dust that had gathered over countless centuries.

It grew darker still, and all they could hear was the sound of their breathing. Ragged, nervous breathing. They were both afraid. Saria's leg throbbed, the Moblin's claw marks burning angrily. A glance at the injury showed it wasn't bleeding anymore, but it still hurt.

Saria nearly jumped when Mido suddenly grabbed her arm.

"What's that?" he whispered, as if afraid that speaking any louder would bring the wrath of the temple's denizens down on their heads. "Listen."

Speaking of denizens...

Saria heard it too. A faint and all too familiar scratching sound and the clicking of small mandibles. Fora edged a little further up the hallway, her light illuminating the small spiders that were creeping along the wall. The skull-shaped chitinous armour covering their backs made them instantly recognisable.

Skulltulas.

They were no bigger than Saria's fist, and blessedly, these were ignoring the two Kokiri. Mido didn't seem remotely reassured, and only a prod from Saria got him moving again.

"I don't like spiders," he breathed, almost a squeak. "I really hate spiders."

"Believe me, Mido, I know," Saria said, trying for a little levity, but not feeling it at all. "You've told me at least a hundred times. Or was it more like... several thousand?"

As Saria had hoped, even though she didn't like being mean, that little prod seemed to decide the matter. Mido scurried to the wall opposite the arachnids and slid past them as quietly as possible. Saria sighed but didn't berate Mido. Instead, she edged past, trying not to be overly concerned, despite the loud scratch, scratch, scratch of tiny Skulltula legs scraping against the stone. The spiders didn't so much as twitch, and Saria let out a shaky breath as they continued down the corridor.

"See?" she said quietly. "They're harmless. It's just their big cousins we have to worry about."

They pressed on through the gloomy passage, fairy-light guiding their way forward. Now that they were past the spiders, it was far too quiet, as if the temple itself were frozen in time.

The passageway took them into the temple's outer sanctum. Clambering over blocks of fallen stone, they reached an archway that opened into a spacious room. It was a huge, octagonal chamber, each wall decorated with different murals of an age long past. The nearest carvings depicted a Kokiri meditating before a tree with a face carved into its trunk. Vines crisscrossed their way along the ancient artworks, obscuring much of their intricate detail. What caught Saria's attention most wasn't so much this as the altar at the centre of the room. Beyond the gallery upon which Saria and Mido stood and down a flight of steps was a simple, large stone table adorned with a torch at each corner. Four in all. All of them were alight, but they produced very little light, as if the darkness was literally pressing in on them, trying to snuff them out.

Each flame was a different colour. Red. Blue. Purple. Green.

"Is that normal?" Mido asked, still not showing the wisdom to keep his voice down.

"No, it isn't," Saria said, the sight making her nervous. They descended the stairs of the gallery, walking around the altar and trying not to think about what the lit torches meant. Like Saria, Mido cast the altar a wary glance before they walked on.

It was at that moment that Saria had an unnerving prickling sensation on the back of her neck. She stopped, Mido nearly bumping into her.

They were being watched.

Saria glanced at the carvings, and even though much of the room was dark, nothing moved. Nothing except the endless dance of light and shadow created by the torches. Yet Saria was sure something moved in those shadows. Shapes. Mido must've sensed it too, because he tensed. A quick glance revealed nothing. Another squint, and Saria was sure she could see shapes amidst the shadows, dark silhouettes of... people? Four in total. Their outlines were blurry at first, but the more Saria looked, the sharper they became.

Finally, she looked away, blinking a few times to clear her head. When she glanced back at the wall where she'd seen the figures, they were gone.

"Did any of you..." she began, pointing to the wall where the figures had been.

It was Mori who finished. "I could've sworn I saw people for a moment."

Saria swallowed thickly. Perhaps they should have waited for their Sheikan ally to return, but there was no way to get back to her now. Nowhere to go but forward.

Putting the thought aside and focusing on what they needed to do, Saria considered the room. There were four doorways in total, one in each cardinal direction. The passageway directly ahead ran between two courtyards and led straight towards the temple's heart. It was the quickest route, assuming that nothing blocked their way. Yet it was also the most obvious. If anything was waiting for them, it would be lingering there.

Saria couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched; that prickling sensation on her neck was getting more persistent.

As they approached the passage that would take them towards their destination, Saria glanced behind them at the faded murals.

"Mido, I think we should go a different way. If anything is waiting for us, it'll expect us to come this way," Mori was saying, but Saria was only half-listening.

Something had just touched her shoulder. It wasn't Mido. No. A hand, far too big and far too cold. With a cry of alarm, she twisted around, jumping and earning a confused look from her companions.

"What is it?" Mido asked, having stopped, a stick poised to strike at anything that attacked them. Not that a stick was going to do much.

Saria stared, confused, her eyes scanning the lifeless stone walls, her heart beating as fast as a honeyeater's wings.

Something had grabbed her shoulder. She was certain of it. She could still feel it. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Saria couldn't feel anything.

"Nothing," Saria said quickly, shivering. "I just... this place is giving me the creeps."

They took the right passage first. Even though there were windows, the light from the outside world seemed unable to penetrate far into the passage, leaving it in a state of almost total darkness. Plants and tree roots sprouted from the stone, but the plants themselves were stunted and withered. They caught glimpses of the courtyard beyond through the windows, all devoid of life, but they avoided the open for now. The wind whispered, and occasionally Saria could hear voices, their words indistinct, but they were definitely there. Children's voices, murmuring, whispering.

It soon became apparent to Saria that they might not have a choice but to brave the open.

As they reached one of the corner towers, Saria sensed movement coming from the next passage. Peering around the corner, Saria sucked in a breath as they ducked behind some crumbling masonry and took in the sight of several undead warriors patrolling the corridor. They were tall humanoid figures of gleaming white bone, with fleshless mouths revealing unnerving grins filled with malice and an amber glow filling their empty eye sockets. Their jagged blades might have been rusty, but Saria knew she was no match for them. Nor was Mido. There were a dozen, and the wide corridor offered no obvious way to sneak past.

Not going that way, Saria thought. They backtracked into the previous chamber, the oppressive air somehow feeling even heavier now. They would have to sneak into the inner sanctum. If the direct route was blocked, their only remaining option might be the tunnels beneath the temple. But Saria wasn't ready to risk those yet.

They walked back to the antechamber with the four torches and took the central passage, the one that would lead straight to the inner sanctum. Saria blinked as they entered the passage. For a moment, she was sure the corridor was twisting and turning, her stomach lurching with it, but then when she blinked, the passage was straight once more. At the very end was another magical ward, and Saria realised with a sinking feeling in her gut that there was no way of going through there...

A bright crackle akin to thunder made them jump, and Saria's heart sank when she saw a new shimmering barrier of energy that was now blocking the way back. Mido tossed a small stone at the barrier, only for it to bounce off. She turned towards the narrow archway on their left, which opened into a courtyard. With the magical barriers sealing both ends of the passage, it was their only way out.

"I feel like someone's playing games with us," Mido muttered, and Saria knew he was right. If Vaspin - one of the Skull Kids - was right, then the Soulless One knew they were here, and he was luring them right where he wanted them to go. Still, that persistent voice in Saria's head called to her, begging for help. She had to get to the inner sanctum, and until she did, that pleading voice would never cease.

They exited the passage into a garden that might have once been teeming with vibrant greenery and chattering birdlife. Now, there was not a hint of life to be seen amidst the dead, twisted brambles. A small stone wall, more like a fence, wound its way along the edge of the garden.

A single path cut through the low wall, almost hidden by the vines that wove their way across it. It led into a twisting labyrinth that meandered left and right, revealing dead ends until at last they found the right trail. It was a maze, Saria realised. Only a small one, and so far, there were no creatures to be seen.

At the centre of the garden, they found a tall oak. Though no leaves graced its sprawling branches, Saria was sure it had been a beautiful tree once. Small statues stood around the oak in a circle, their wind-worn faces turned towards the tree, hands raised in a meditative pose, as if they were praying.

And that was when Saria heard it. The distinct scampering of an animal moving somewhere in the maze. Whatever it was, it was big. And then, from beyond the tree, appearing between the dense foliage, a tall human-like figure emerged from the mist, flanked by three enormous Wolfos.

It was him. The demon from her dreams. The one Vaspin had warned her about.

The Soulless One.

He had them trapped, lured like helpless prey into a snare. From beneath the slits of his mask, which was shaped like a skull with the lower jawbone missing, the demon regarded them. His cold, glowing eyes settled on Saria first; he didn't seem all that interested in Mido.

Frozen like hares before a wolf, the two Kokiri just stared, trying to back away towards the oak. Saria felt the cold, hard stone of one of the statues behind her and tried to swallow, but her throat felt dry.

"Who are you?" she demanded, willing her voice to work.

The wolves crouched, hackles raised, and growled. The man just regarded them, silent and still, almost as if he had turned to stone.

"Run!" Mido cried, and suddenly the two Kokiri were running back the way they had come, unsure of exactly which way to go. To their right, a shape, a blur of fur and fangs, exploded through the underbrush. It leapt over the low wall and landed with a heavy thud straight between the two Kokiri.

Saria shrank back from the Wolfos and ran towards the nearest opening in the maze. A scamper of paws and a ferocious growl that seemed to come from the darkest depths told her that her pursuers were close behind. It was only when she was halfway back to the corridor, trying to decide which way to go, that she realised Mido was no longer behind her. The mist was getting thicker, and there was nothing she could see except the dense foliage. She twisted around, searching for Mido, but the only sounds were the hounds crashing through the bushes and scrambling over the low walls.

"Mido!" she cried out, but there was no answer. "Fora, can you see him?"

Fora zipped into the air, but it was useless. The fog was getting thicker, as if the Soulless One were somehow controlling it. Shadows moved, dark and huge, but there was no sign of her friend. No sign at all.

The Wolfos that had been chasing her emerged from the mist, lips curled in a feral snarl. Just behind it, the tall man in black armour appeared. He made no move towards her, his eyes turning to his hound.

With a single gesture, he sent the Wolfos pounding towards her, the howls of its packmates ringing louder and louder in Saria's ears. Terrified, she bolted into the corridor that they'd come through earlier. The barrier that had corralled her into the garden was gone, but that was of little significance now. Spotting another door up ahead, Saria fled towards it. This led her into yet another vast courtyard, but nothing that Saria could see looked remotely like a good hiding spot. She leapt over a balcony, not bothering with the stairs, and then sprinted into the garden.

Another glance at her surroundings revealed that there was nowhere to hide. No trees, no dense foliage that might resist being torn to shreds by a hungry wolf. Nothing.

Nothing except the well.

No. No way was she even stupid enough to consider jumping in there. Saria did another quick, frantic scan of the area to see where she could go. The Wolfos were moving to encircle her, their dark shapes visible in the mist. It was as if they were anticipating her escape and trying to draw out the hunt. Then they were bursting forward, approaching from all directions, and Saria knew there was no other avenue of escape.

The wolves had her, and any moment now they would devour her, just like the Wolfos that had killed Doran. Pain shot through her injured calf with every stride, but the hounds were too close for her to slow down.

She ran for the well. It sat upon a dais, one that might have been used for some cleansing ceremony, but that had been long ago.

Vicious claws raked at her heels and snatched at her tunic. Jaws snapped as the Wolfos barked in a savage frenzy.

Saria knew it would only take a single swipe from their powerful limbs to kill her. Their paws alone were as big as her hand. Only her agility saved her. Swift and sure-footed, she leapt over fallen stones and creeping vines with ease, but her strength could only last so long.

The masked one watched from the bottom of the steps, waiting for his hounds to finish her. Even from there, Saria could feel his hatred. She reached the dais, took the steps two at a time, and then almost crashed into the well at its heart. A quick look revealed no hint of the bottom, nothing but thick creepers reaching down into the well's barren throat.

Was there even any water at the bottom? Would that even matter? If it was too far down, then the fall would be fatal. There wasn't much of a choice.

The Wolfos were closing in fast, their huge bodies pounding towards the dais, their growls growing louder and louder.

"Saria! Quickly! We can climb down!"

Saria was light, even for someone her size, but that was no guarantee the vines would hold her.

Looking over her shoulder and seeing those gleaming, snapping teeth, those huge bodies of grey-white fur, Saria knew she was out of options. She leapt onto the well's rim. A heartbeat later, she lowered herself in, just as a huge paw struck the dais where she'd been standing. Another Wolfos slammed bodily into the first, provoking a pained howl and an angry snap from its companion. For a moment, it seemed they would be too busy arguing over their lost prey to come after her, but then one of them reached up onto the well with its forelimbs and peered into the depths, looking down at the frightened girl.

It snarled, and Saria started climbing down as fast as she could, testing each vine before...

SNAP!

Suddenly, she was falling, the vine she'd grabbed hold of breaking with a horrid tearing sound. Too shocked to scream out, though Fora did, Saria felt wind rushing past her. Vines and roots snatched at her clothing, slowing her descent. She tumbled like a storm-tossed fledgling...

Down.

Down.

Down.

Straight into the very depths of the earth.

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