The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

The Kokiri

Chapter 25

The Kokiri

Seers, healers, and guardians of the land, the Great Fairies of Hyrule were once known as the children of the Mother Goddess, appointed to watch over creation and bring healing to the sick, the weary, and the broken. Moriko, the Great Fairy of the Forest, was one of the last of her kind.

When Moriko emerged from the cave where she had been imprisoned for seven years, she immediately sensed something was wrong. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander amongst the trees, touching the plane of spirits as she searched for those who dwelt amidst the ancient sentinels. Nothing. She should have been able to feel something, even the slightest whisper of an animal scurrying through the underbrush. Instead, there was nothing but a stifling silence.

That was odd. Moriko opened her eyes, frowning in consternation. The trees had withered, and their brown bark had turned black and grey. They were almost skeletal, with branches resembling leafless arms twisting into the sky. It reminded her of a wildfire's aftermath, the trees little more than blackened stubs rising from the tortured ground. Something had happened here, and just like a fire, she could sense the lingering scent of something foul in the air. It wasn't smoke.

Sorcery, she realised. Some powerful magic had been at work here, and its foul odour reeked of corruption and decay.

As she feared the worst, Moriko noticed signs of life as she spotted tiny leaf buds whose appearance marked winter's end.

It should be well into spring.

None of the creatures she expected to see on a spring day were present. The bowers should have been blooming and teeming with birds and insects, all looking for food.

Determined to find answers, she stretched her gossamer wings and flew towards the nearest Kokiri groves. When she finally landed and emerged into a clearing with a single large tree at its centre, she was shocked to find the dwellings abandoned and neglected. Several treehouses were a dangling mess of shattered wood, some of which had fallen to the ground. The houses that were still standing had become choked with vines and weeds.

The sight of the abandoned village didn't shock Moriko, but it was a grim sign. She turned to the tree in the centre of the glen. It had a face carved into its trunk, just like its ancestor in the grove near Hyrule Field, and when she approached it, Moriko could still sense the tree spirit emerging from its slumber. Touching the tree's trunk, the faint hum of magic emanating from deep within tingled her senses. Slowly, the spirit touched her consciousness and spoke to her in visions.

She saw the death of the Great Deku Tree, the raid on the Kokiri groves, and the demon that cursed the Forest Temple.

A rush of fear and anger flooded Moriko as she ended the meld. She seized the currents of earth magic flowing through the woods and let its current fill her.

She reached out towards the spirits that lingered on the grove's edge, and they answered her summons. A green mist rose out of the ground, and before she knew it, she could see the spectral shapes of dozens of animals emerging into the clearing. Amongst them were wolves, bears, and the child-like figures of the ancient Kokiri. Unlike the happy-go-lucky Kokiri who had so recently lived here, these forest dwellers came from a less peaceful time. Warpaint decorated their pudgy faces, though it was hard to discern with their ghostly images. Some held bows in tiny hands, and others clutched crudely made spears or daggers.

Only a few of the forest children wore their traditional plain tunics with their pointed caps. The closest Kokiri were two boys, one freckle-faced and the other fair-haired.

"Can you lead me to the others?" Moriko asked the freckled boy.

He merely nodded and pointed towards Hyrule Field.