Link hurried towards Kakariko as fast as his legs could carry him. As he neared the steps, his pointed ears twitched, picking up an unfamiliar sound. Was singing? No, it was chanting!
There was smoke coming from the ledge outside of Kakariko, and as Link approached, the sound of chanting grew steadily louder. When he came to the top of the ledge, there was an old man sitting and singing beside a small campfire. His clothes were old and garnished with feathers and tufts of fur alike. There were so many wrinkles in his face that Link could not even see his eyes clearly.
"Um… excuse me?" Link interrupted awkwardly.
The old man seemed to look up at him and smile, creating more wrinkles where the hero had not thought any more were possible.
"Ah! The Hero of Time!" the elder spoke as though Link were an old friend and folded his hands graciously. "How good of you to come! Please! Please! Sit down by the fire, boy."
"I…uh… I really can't right now, sir…" Link scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. "You see, I have to-"
"-fetch a peace amulet from the woman in Kakariko so that the chaos will not overtake you…" the elder fidgeted for something within a pouch before withdrawing and holding it up. "Is this what you are looking for?"
Link gasped as the old man dangled a peace amulet right in front of his nose. How had he known?
"Uh… yes! That's exactly what I was looking for" the hero found his voice. "But how did you know?"
"The spirits told me, child." was the answer.
"The Spirits of Chaos…" Link gritted his teeth.
"Not just them, boy, but all the spirits." The man gestured to everything around them. "It is said that Hylians hear the whispers of the gods with their pointed ears, but alas, they pay no heed to the words of the spirits."
"What kinds of spirits are you talking about, sir?" Link's gaze wandered to the cliffs, mountains and fields surrounding them.
"Why, the spirits of the water, of the earth, of the wind, the trees, the rocks, and the mountains." the elder prodded the fire gently with a stick. "They are all around us, but no one seems to pay them much heed nowadays."
"Why is that?"
"Because the people believe that the gods and goddesses are the strongest entities of all, which is why they are given attention and respect. But the spirits, the little ones all around us that help and hinder us as they please, are forgotten as if they never existed."
"I am willing to listen, sir, if you will teach me."
"Ah! But it is not something that can be taught, child. Hearing the voices of the spirits is gift that can only be learned through experience"
Link sighed upon hearing this. Somehow, he had a feeling that this old stranger's advice was going to become quite vital to him. But how, in the name of the goddesses, did one learn to listen to spirits?
"It seems already that you are attuned to those who would show you the way."
"Huh?"
"The spirits are speaking to me, and they tell me that you are anxious to hear what they have to say…that you are ready to listen to them, and they are quite pleased about it!"
"T-Thank you… sir…" Link stuttered.
"Don't thank me, boy." the elder replied, handing Link the amulet. "Now take this and be on your way. You have much work ahead of you to complete and little time in which to accomplish it all."
"Are you sure I can have this, sir?" Link gazed at his reflection on the pendant's surface. "What about you? You have one for yourself, don't you?"
"What need have I for a peace amulet when I have the spirits all around protecting me?" came his reply. "Go now, child. Hyrule has great need of you."
Link would have said more, but the old man was right--he did need to get going. But he still had one more question on his mind.
"May I ask what your name is, sir?"
"Call me Pohoto." the elder prodded the fire again.
**************************************
With the amulet from the old man, Link no longer needed to head to Kakariko, but his next destination was the big question.
"Where to start… where to start…" Link looked in all directions. "Let's see if the spirits will tell me like the old man said they would."
He closed his eyes and concentrated, lending his ears to the wind. The gentle breezes from earlier had been replaced rougher, ominous winds that howled like a Wolfos on the hunt. No, that wasn't the wind, it really was the call of a Wolfos, and it was coming from…
"Navi, can you tell which way that's coming from?" he asked.
"Which way what is coming from?" she replied.
"That Wolfos howling!" Link raised his voice, somewhat irritated. "Come on! You can't tell me that you can't hear it!"
"Link, all I can hear is the wind blowing, ok?" the fairy retorted in like manner. "You must be hearing things."
"Navi, I'm serious. There's a Wolfos out there somewhere, and if we don't find it first, it'll find us, and THAT definitely won't be pleasant."
"I'm being completely honest too, Link, and like I said, all I can hear is the wind."
The hero quieted himself with a sigh. He listened again and the call of the Wolfos rang in his ears once more.
"You're telling me that you didn't hear that?" he tested.
"I didn't hear a thing."
This got Link's mind in motion. Was he really just hearing things? Was the peace amulet around his neck just a lousy fake? Wait… what was it that old Pohoto had said? That he was already attuned to the spirits? Of course! Just because he was paying attention to them didn't mean that everyone else was! In fact, anyone else would be lucky if they heard anything above the chaotic crashing and yelling.
The Hylian closed his eyes and listened again, trying to pinpoint the direction from which the sound was echoing from. He turned around slowly,… slowly…until he barely made out something different.
Hey…
"Hey, what?" Link asked.
"I didn't say anything." said Navi. "Why, what did you hear?"
"Didn't you just say 'hey' to me?"
"Nope."
Link stared directly head of him. The towering walls of Lon Lon Ranch stood before him. Now he was certain of just what had happened; even if he hadn't made out any clear and distinct words, the spirits had spoken to him, and in their own way, conveyed that visiting the ranch should take first priority.
"Let's go." He uttered, breaking into a run for the gates.
**************************************
"Epona! Please!" Malon pleaded with her beloved animal as she tried to calm it down. "Stop! You'll hurt yourself!"
The great horse reared back and whinnied, making it impossible for the girl to grab the reigns. Wild stamping and slashing of hooves were putting both the horse and her caretaker in danger.
"Malon!" yelled a familiar male voice. The farm girl looked down the entrance path to see Link coming towards her. No sooner was she distracted than Epona shoulder slammed her aside and continued to struggle against unseen restraints.
"Are you alright?" the hero yanked the girl out of harm's way.
"Oh Link, it's terrible!" Malon sobbed into his tunic. "We got back here just as the wind started howling, and then, without warning…" She paused and pointed to the bucking bronco that was Epona. "S-She just… She just… threw me off like I was some kind of stranger! I tried singing to her, but she won't listen to me! What's wrong with her?"
Link knew all too well the feeling of getting thrown from a stallion's backside. It was serious, and the pain lasted for days on end, especially if the rear end took the brunt of the impact. As much as she was sobbing for her horse, Malon's injuries came first.
"How badly hurt are you?" he asked.
"I fell on my side and arm," she sniffled. "But thankfully, my arm's not broken."
"Go inside. I'll take care of your wounds soon enough." Link's gaze affixed itself on Epona.
"No!" she cried. "I have to make sure she's ok!"
"Malon, it's too dangerous!"
"I don't care!"
"Malon!"
"No!"
He relented, but nudged her off to the side. The sound of clumsy footsteps inside the barn forced Link to yank to saftey as the Ingo burst through the doors, followed by a vicious flurry of feathers. The entire flock of cuckoos had pecked an enormous hole in the seat of his overalls and was now flapping wildly after him, hoping for more.
"Malon, please go inside!" Link urged her again.
Scared and worried, the farm girl nodded once and headed for the door. Link pulled out the ocarina as he took a few cautious steps toward Epona. The horse had always had a wild, untamed nature about her, but this madness was just wrong. She reared back and whinnied, then glared at Link with a hatred only Gannondorf had once given.
"Epona…" Link's voice was calm but serious. "It's me, Link, your friend. Don't you remember me?"
Epona snorted sharply out of her nostrils, and her right hoof stamped the dirt repeatedly, like a bull challenging a matador.
"It must be the chaos spirits…" he reasoned. "This isn't her fault…"
"Link," Navi panicked. "I don't think she's too happy to see you! Link?"
The Hylian had his eyes closed and his lips on the ocarina. He began playing Epona's Song, hoping that the melody would jog her from the spell. At that moment, the horse reared back again and charged, her hooves clamoring like thunder against the dirt.
"Link! It's not working!" the fairy flit about him wildly, trying to get his attention, but he just ignored her. Epona was coming up fast, but Link did not seem to notice as all his concentration was focused on the ocarina. Plastered to the window, Malon could only watch as her beloved horse charged murderously towards her dearest friend. Navi covered her eyes, unable to watch.
LINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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This is chapter 3. Where would you like to go next?
