The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

The Flow of Time...

Chapter 22

The Flow of Time...

Instinct saved Link; as Navi shouted a warning, he turned, allowing the dart to strike his shield.

He barely noticed another Skull Kid by the temple's entrance before they, too, fired their blowgun. The dart struck his tunic, catching in his chain mail. Link quickly brushed it aside.

"Lower your weapons. We mean no harm," Sheik shouted, surprising everyone except Rin by speaking fluent Kokiri.

Before Link could ponder this oddity, the Skull Kid who had attacked him lowered their blowgun, eyes widening briefly in shock before regaining a cautious composure. The short, strangely clad boy approached the dais, eyes still wary. The whisper of hushed voices drew Link's attention to the other Skull Kids in the small meadow. There were eight in total, all armed.

"Link, are you alright?" Sheik asked, not taking her eyes off the Skull Kids.

"I'm fine," Link replied. "How's Forenz?"

"He lives."

Link quickly took in the scene around him: the ancient stone walls of the Sacred Forest Meadow stood before him, thick vines twisting along their length, obscuring most of the faded stone. It was the silence that unnerved him. The forest was lifeless—the gentle hum of life that once permeated its ancient bowers smothered by a foul sorcery that made goosebumps crawl across his skin.

Turning his attention to the forest dweller standing before the dais, Link noted the five Skull Kids standing beneath the archway that marked the entrance to the Sacred Forest Meadow, one of them still holding a dart tube. The others gripped bows, all notched and ready to draw at a moment's notice. When Link saw what was behind them, he sucked in a breath.

Six eight-foot-tall creatures that resembled a grotesque fusion of goat, boar, and man lay on the ground, a foul stench emanating from their corpses. Something stirred in his memory... 

They look like Bulblins, Link thought. How had the small Skull Kids even managed to kill them? Luck?

Sheik's voice broke through his wandering thoughts.

"I would have expected a warmer welcome from you, Vaspin," she said, addressing the Skull Kid closest to Link. The boy seemed unsure of what. to make of Link, looking him up and down, but Sheik's words caught his attention.

"I believe you have met Link, Vaspin," Sheik said, gesturing towards Link.

Link hid his surprise as Sheik and Vaspin met his eyes. How in Hyrule did Sheik know Vaspin?

"You told me about a boy who once saved you from a wolfos," Sheik added.

There were murmurs from the other Skull Kids.

"Link? The Kokiri kid who disappeared a few years back?" Vaspin asked disbelievingly, scrutinizing Link once again. "But that's impossible. He was a Kokiri."

"I..." Link paused as he considered his reply. He had been a Kokiri. He was certain of that. The Master Sword had changed him. "I was a Kokiri."

"That makes no sense," Vaspin objected pointedly, head cocked slightly to one side. "What are all of you doing here, anyway?" He placed his hands on his hips and adding in a reproachful tone, "It was right rude of you to come intruding in here uninvited. You do know that grown-ups aren't supposed to come into the woods?"

Link felt a twinge of irritation at the chiding remark.

"And why aren't we allowed here, Vaspin?" Sheik asked patiently before Link could respond. "I helped you, remember?"