Chasing Skull Kid

Yes, just great. I allowed my sword to be stolen from me. It was embarrassing.

"Leave marks in the trees," I ordered. "If we get lost we can follow them back."

I chased the Skull Kid closely as he darted around trees to try to throw us off his trail. When he realized we were still at his heels, he jumped out of reach into a tree and used the limbs to continue running. This was equally better and worse. The shaking branches gave away the direction he went more easily. We had to keep our eyes up and stopped looking at the ground. We stumbled constantly over thick bushes and tree roots. My only thought was getting that sword back.

We chased him for more than five minutes and moved a great distance. I stopped Rayne by holding my arm out to catch her hand. The trees were still. There was just the singing of the exotic birds, the distant sound of a stream, and an undisturbed dense fog around our legs. I slowly turned in a circle and focused on only what I could hear. "He must have stopped in a tree back a little way. Let's follow your markings and see if we can find him. I refuse to go home without that sword."

Rayne had kept up with cutting the tree bark so we had a guide, and we followed each one back. It wasn't long before I realized why the Lost Woods earned its name.

"Dora, we passed this tree a minute ago. It has the same broken branch," Rayne said, pointing up.

I wanted her to just be paranoid, but I noticed it too. "Great. We are trapped in some kind of loop. That must be how we lost the Skull Kid."

"What are we going to do?" she asked, worried.

"We head back the way we came and take a different direction. Eventually, these woods lead into Kokiri Forest."

"What about the horses and the food?"

"We can come back and get them once we are out of this cursed place. Let's hurry." We turned around and picked up the pace. Where we had turned right we went left instead. I did my best to stay calm, but I started to worry we would end up lost forever. Yes, I was afraid I would never see Ganondorf again.

I had no idea how long we were lost, until finally the trees were constantly new and different. New paths became apparent, the ones we hadn't taken yet. The mist that covered the ground seemed to disappear as long as we stayed on the correct path. It was important to persevere and not allow the confusion to hinder my confidence. I kept going, regardless of how hopeless the situation felt. Rayne followed me faithfully. We worked as a team to maintain our courage and keep moving in the right direction.

And then, I spotted him and his stupid orange hat. He was whacking a stump with my sword like it was a toy! I slowly and quietly armed myself with my bow and an arrow from my quiver. I pulled the arrow back in the string and aimed. The arrow flew and pinned his hat to the tree next to him. I laughed wickedly at his shock and walked out from the tree with another arrow aimed to kill. "Return my sword to me!"

He whimpered, and showed no sign of hostility. "Take it, you big meanie. I was just joking around."

"Taking personal property is not a joke, and neither is stealing from a Gerudo General," I scolded. I released the tension in my bow and tore my sword out of the tree. I glared down at him, and Rayne joined me at my side. The two of us were giants compared to that kid.

He yanked the arrow from the tree bark to free his hat. "You must not be very good Gerudo to let me steal from you, and to get caught stealing fruit."

He was mocking me, but his wavering voice hinted at fear. I didn't satisfy him with a response to his comment. I sheathed my sword and ordered, "Come on, Rayne. Let's get out of here."

"You won't make it out of here. Soon, you will look just like me," the Skull Kid informed us in a serious tone that shook me. I felt like he was challenging me.

"I won't give up until I find a way out," I countered, then turned from him.

"Why didn't you just ask him if he knows where the exit is?" Rayne wondered when we were out of ear shot.

"He was transformed by the magic of these woods because he became lost. He doesn't know. If he did, he wouldn't have told me," I said with reasoning.

"Oh. I see."

Enough for now. You'll have to be patient.