Baga…Tree?
Indeed, while he had never heard of anyone or anything with the name of "Baga" before, the title (surname? Link was unsure) of "Tree" indicated that this being, whoever or whatever he was, thought himself to be of high importance in the Forest. Perhaps there was even some relation with…?
"Like…the Great Deku Tree?" Mido stammered, asking Link's question for him.
The projected face upon the oak's bark, the twisted visage of an old, sagely figure meant to guide and protect, quirked his brow curiously, seemingly pondering the redhead's inquiry. "More or less, boy," the crooked, jagged mouth answered. "No, not less. I AM more," the tree sneered, the already misshapen jaws curling into an unnaturally wide and almost sickeningly gleeful grin. "I am now the Lord of this Forest, and then of everything green in all of Hyrule!"
Everything green? What was he talking about? Link glanced down at his tunic and then examined his hat, not entirely certain of the monstrous creature's words. Why would he want to rule over everything with the color green? A part of him waited for his hat to perhaps sprout teeth or a beak and potentially bite his head off.
It never came.
Somewhat disappointing. He wondered for a moment what a "hat" monster would look like.
"How dare you say that!" Saria suddenly bellowed, seemingly greatly offended by the Baga Tree's declaration. "This place belongs to the Great Deku Tree! The Goddesses gave him the job of guarding the Lost Woods!"
The face directed his gaze toward Saria, Link stepping in front of the green-haired girl to shield her from whatever the foul thing had in store. Yet, instead of taking action, whatever that would be, the Baga Tree's visage seemingly vanished from sight, the cracks of where his face had been leaving terrible marks in the bark of the wood. The action was baffling to everyone, yet Saria immediately winced at the sight of the other tree, blue eyes widening in shock and mouth grimacing in disgust.
"Th-That was a fellow tree," she muttered in disbelief. "That was a fellow tree! Just like you! How could you do-AHHH!"
Upon hearing her scream, Link whipped around to see Saria had been snagged by the ankle and lifted high up in the air, dangling upside down above the blonde boy and Mido, along with their respective fairies.
"Saria!" Compa cried out, flying up to her charge, only for another vine to seemingly emerge from nowhere and swiftly smack the winged creature aside, the green fairy sent flying. Both Navi and Recti rushed in to grab her before she plummeted to the ground, lowering her down to the grass, the blades of green providing a light cover for the three smaller beings. The same couldn't be said for the two boys or single girl, for the Baga Tree had them right where he wanted them.
"Hey! Let her go, you freak!" Mido shouted, aiming Link's slingshot to fire at the vine holding Saria against her will.
Unfortunately, the boy's efforts proved fruitless as a twisted branch smacked him on the back of the head, sending him face-first into the ground and sliding a good few feet until his still and silent form came to a complete stop.
"Mido!" Link cried out, about to rush over to the redhead, but found himself unable to move due to a root breaking through the dense soil underneath his boots and coiling around his ankle, keeping him in place.
He struggled and attempted to slice through the root, yet before the boy could make use of his weapon, another root burst out and seized him by the wrist, bending the appendage back and forcing the blonde, to his chagrin, to drop the Kokiri Sword, his shield being stripped from him as well, along with the other wrist. Soon, Link was standing, yet he was anything but free, limbs bound by tightly wound, spidering roots that kept him up and spread out, removing any possibility of him reaching anything that would potentially help him.
Finally, at last, the Baga Tree thought. He had finally done it. He finally achieved what he couldn't all those years ago.
"Why are you doing this?!" Saria cried out. "Why did you lead that man to the Kokiri Forest!?" then, she spoke words that froze Link's blood. "Why did you help him kill the Great Deku Tree!?"
The sickening face on the previous tree vanished, leaving no trace of itself behind unlike its previous host. Link stared at the undamaged bark, then at the torn-up skin of the other tree. Before he could say or do anything to express his feelings, the Baga Tree began speaking again.
"Now, that's a bit of an unfair accusation to levy against me, isn't it?" the demonic spirit residing within the tree inquired the hanging girl, the face disappearing to then manifest upon a tree directly beside the wrapped-up blonde. "After all, the real killer is right here, isn't he?"
Link paled, a painful sensation developing in his chest, as if the accursed tree had taken his sword and thrust it right into his heart.
"Wha…h-how dare you!" Saria stammered at first before her shock transitioned into rage. "Link did NOT kill the Great Deku Tree! You and your friend from the desert are the ones guilty of that!"
"Oh?" the face asked, eyeing Link and making sure the boy knew he couldn't escape the tree's leering gaze. "Was it not this lad here that brought the Gohma Egg into your home? Did he not plant it by the meadow your dear parent resided? Against his will, Link was pulled closer, albeit only slightly due to his already existing bonds. "Was it not he who believed the supposed 'gift' to be a wish-granting seed?"
Link cursed both the tree and himself, shame building up as he found the beginnings of tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.
Saria gritted her teeth in anger. "It wasn't like that!" she argued back. "Besides, if anything, your friend could tell Link isn't like the rest of us in that he didn't have a fairy, so of course he'd believe whatever!" she retorted.
"So, you admit it yourself that he's guilty." the Baga Tree inquired mockingly.
Saria stared at the face, wide-eyed and somewhat disoriented. "What? N-No! I didn't say that-"
"Then who's fault is it, then?" the taunting aggressor further questioned. "Who is to blame for the Great Deku Tree's death? For the Kokiri Forest falling into potential danger because he is no longer there to protect it?" he then paused. "For the position you find yourself in at this very moment?"
Saria stammered, parting her lips, desperate to speak, yet she could conjure up nothing. Still, she bit her lip at the sight of Link's guilt-stricken face.
"That…" she stammered. "That's…not…" yet before she could add anything else, the Baga Tree cut her off.
"But it matters not in the end," he said. "As now," the face directed its attention back to Link. "I can finish what Ganondorf should've when he first stumbled upon you."
Link began furiously struggling despite his efforts having little to no effect on the roots and vines restraining him. Branches began to arch down towards him, their ends unnaturally sharp and more akin to skewers. One of which was being aimed at the back of the unconscious Mido.
Upon seeing this, Recti got to her feet and was about to fly upward, yet was seized by Compa, much to Navi's surprise. "H-Hey!" the pink fairy protested, wriggling and twisting in the other fairy's grasp. "Let go of me! He's in danger!"
"Wait a minute," the green fairy told her more fiery companion. "Don't you feel it?"
Navi was about to ask what the other member of her race meant, yet then she too detected another form of life nearby. Only, instead of merely wandering into the area and potentially gaining their and perhaps the Baga Tree's attention, they kept to the shadows and out of sight. None of the children appeared to notice that they were even there, yet she couldn't say the same about their captor.
Truthfully, she wasn't sure whether or not she wished for the monstrous old root to notice the hidden figure, if not just for Link's sake, although that too led to slight shame at the willingness to trade their safety for her charge.
Yet, at the same time, was there another option?
Both Link and Saria watched on in horror as the Baga Tree pulled a twisted collection of sharpened branches back, their destination the red-haired boy's back and then through his chest.
Only, the instruments of death never reached him.
Having shut their eyes out of both reflex and to not witness what was undoubtedly going to come next, the blonde boy and green-haired girl soon found that, instead of flesh being pierced, the sounds of wood being broken and splintered filled the air, drawing their focus back to what was happening before them. Indeed, the Baga Tree's branches and roots and whatever other part of him that he could manipulate regarding the various trees surrounding them all were all cut through or down with little effort, the ground being littered with broken shards of wood and sharpened sticks stabbing into the ground just far enough away not to strike any of the children or fairies.
"What the…?!" the face on the tree to the side of Link exclaimed in shock, yet that is as far as he got as the surface of the bark was soon assaulted by a flying object that struck and buried itself in the towering tree.
This sudden action caused an immense cry of pain from what appeared to be nearly every tree in a nearby radius, the roots, vines, and branches restraining Link and Saria retracting and releasing them both. Although, in Saria's case, this left her without a means of support to keep in the air, gravity soon took hold of her small form and pulled it to the ground a good deal of distance below. Link rushed forward to try and catch her, yet his foot snagged on a retreating root that sent him falling flat on his face. Looking up, he saw the green-haired girl still falling, desperately trying to rise faster, yet, despite his persistence, he too knew that it was ultimately useless.
Despite her call, he would ultimately be her undoing just as he had been to the Great Deku Tree.
However, instead of seeing Saria hit the ground with surprising force, a strangely shaped shadow swooped in. It seemingly consumed the Kokiri girl's form, disappearing in a veil of shadow that soon departed to the trees.
Mido stirred, lifting his head to see a figure around his height standing before him. "S-Saria?" he muttered weakly, still reeling from the blow to his head. The shadow didn't answer, responding by taking the redhead in its hold and dashing off into the trees as well, disappearing from view.
Link was about to rush to try and stop Mido's kidnapper, yet soon found himself swooped up by another one of the shadowy shapes, the blonde beginning to protest, yet upon seeing that the three fairies had also been seized, he began to wonder if these strangers were as hostile as he initially believed.
"Ease up, kid," a voice said, low and gruff, yet somewhat comical despite its serious tone. "I've got your sword and shield. Don't need you borrowing my boomerang."
After a few short moments, as soon as they had arrived, they had left, and the only evidence of there ever having been a struggle was the torn-up bark and splintered cage that once held the captive Saria. Silence fell over the area for a good short while until, at last, another figure made itself known, investigating the scene that had taken place.
The Skull Kid gazed around, wondering just what had happened, along with a growing concern for the one that he and the rest of his friends had heard scream in pain. Then, a familiar visage manifested on one of the few undamaged trees, yet their expression didn't exactly express that he was happy to see one of his "children."
"Who are you guys!?" Recti questioned aloud as if she weren't currently rushing through the air from tree to tree, being carried by some strange, darkly-colored stranger that, along with the rest of his supposed "friends," planned to take her and everyone else somewhere of interest.
Their interest at least.
"At the moment, we're the guys saving your hides from the crazy demon tree!" the figure transporting the three fairies answered, continuing to move along with the rest of the speedy shadows in the trees, similar in size and shape to the Skull Kids, yet, upon further inspection, were quite different. "So, I'd suggest you shut that big trap of yours so I can concentrate on getting you lot out of here, little lady!"
The pink fairy's cheeks flushed red. "Wha….h-how dare you!"
Despite her indignation, she was unable to respond any further, the sudden burst of speed her carrier had gained silencing her as the world flashed before her and the other's eyes, although they had far less to say, let alone vocalize.
Compa remained silent, holding onto the arm of the mysterious figure for dear life, fearful she would be blown away if she even so much as slightly adjusted her grip. Navi was quiet as well, although, unlike her fellow fae, her eyes darted back and forth, desperately trying to keep track of what was going on.
And, most importantly, trying to see where in the world her boy was.
Her minuscule finger curled into the back of the strange being that had rescued them, finding that, instead of fur or perhaps even the sensation of skin, she felt something light and somewhat feathery. As if she had just stuck her hands into the plume of a bird, only far bigger. Just what sort of creature was this…thing?!
So many questions filled her mind, yet the pale blue fairy pushed them all to the side, her tiny yet sharp eyes ever searching for any sign of a green cap covering a head of blonde hair. Down below her, she saw the forms of Saria and Mido being transported by separate figures, the redhead still unconscious, yet still, Navi couldn't find him.
She couldn't find Link.
At least, not at first.
"Stop squirming, kid! There's nothing you can do!"
Kid? Well, that narrowed it down, didn't it? Regardless, Navi swiftly turned her head back to see that, indeed, while she had to take a few moments to confirm, she saw Link in the grasp of one of their strange rescuers, the angle at which she could see giving her a better view to fully analyze the being with her boy.
…her boy.
….funny, she probably wouldn't have believed such a thing not too long ago.
"Whoa, what the…hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
The emerging protests drew Navi's attention back to reality, the fairy mentally kicking herself for allowing her shock to momentarily distract her. Nevertheless, she went back to searching, thankfully finding Link and the one currently struggling against him, the fairy somewhat puzzled by what she was seeing. Indeed, the figure that had the boy in his grasp appeared similar to the others, yet, despite this, there were some significant differences between them and the rest of their rescuers.
Of whom seemed to be moving further ahead, as if not even acknowledging their comrade lagging, no thanks to his charge.
All the figures dashing through the trees possessed four limbs and a head, yet they were not anything Navi could consider humanoid. On the contrary, while the dense shadows and dark colors of their pelts rendered studying them difficult, the fairy couldn't help but liken them to that of…birds.
Indeed, as unusual as it sounded to herself of all beings, Navi found that every feature of the strange creatures reminded her of the avians that lived all throughout the Lost Woods, perched upon branches and awakening the rest of the forest with their morning songs as the sun rose to light both the small portions of open area, along with the rest of the world. Although, unlike the tiny winged animals, these examples were of a far different caliber, and Navi wasn't just referring to their unusual size.
For one thing, their coats, while composed of feather-like material, appeared to resemble more of fur or hair in some cases with the way it flowed and moved in the wind, the sparse bits of moonlight able to break through the dense canopy above revealing their color to be as black as the very sky the moon lit up. True, while there were the likes of crows or even the rare occasional raven, they were not necessarily tied or bound to any particular period of the day, coming and going as they pleased and either pestering the Kokiri's crops or stealing the fairie's food that they had gathered for themselves. These birds were far larger than any crow, yet their structure and overall shape reminded Navi more of the nocturnal owls that patrolled the darkest parts of the Lost Woods, their method of feeding themselves requiring the fairies to shield themselves away, lest one of the predators see fit to make them their prey. After all, the fae around here was generally no bigger than that of a standard mouse.
Indeed, akin to owls, their heads were of rounded shape, and their eyes blazing like fire in the darkness of the Lost Woods, necks seemingly nonexistent as their heads demonstrated the ability to turn nearly completely around without any ill effect to themselves. But, if they were indeed owls, then surely they would be able to fly.
Yet, in contrast to the predatory birds, the "wings" of these creatures were far from anything impressive. On the contrary, if not for their agility and speed, Navi would've found the short stubs that rested to their sides rather… silly-looking. Still, just what were these things? Why hadn't she seen them before? Better yet, why hadn't she or any of her kind been able to sense them?
True, while she had been able to identify and detail every creature she and Link had come across, in all honesty, before venturing into the depths of the Great Deku Tree, she had never seen the likes of giant spiders or one-eyed spawn of a deep-dwelling arachnid, crustacean hybrid that was the Queen Gohma. The embedded knowledge of such things that she had never laid eyes on before was an inherent trait she possessed, along with that of the other fairies that dwelled in the Great Deku Tree's domain, an ability bestowed to them by the Guardian of the Forest Himself to guide and protect the Kokiri.
However, when she thought about it, she found that the earliest she could remember the fae of this place existing before the Kokiri, the Great Deku Tree informing them all upon their births that they were to serve as guides and companions to his children as, despite holding dominion over the Lost Woods, he was still a tree, and thus, quite literally stuck in the ground. Thus, making sure the children didn't get themselves banged up too badly was their job, a job she admittedly was struggling with her boy, yet still, she would see to it that she would fulfill her duty. Yet, if she thought about it, truly, deeply thought about it, something she perhaps should not have been doing regarding the situation, yet now that it came up, it wouldn't leave her mind, she found that she had little memories beyond the Kokiri Forest or anything else.
Her world existed solely in these woods, and yet she somehow knew of all these bizarre and intrusive creatures and monsters that began to traverse into what was once a haven for both herself and the children. But, if that was the case, why would she need to know such things? Was the Great Deku Tree already aware of his future demise? Was he already aware of the Man from the Desert, this King of the Gerduo, Ganondorf? Then how did he manage to make his way to the Kokiri Forest? No one from the outside could find it on their own! And, assuming the Baga Tree was the one that gave him supposed directions, then how did Ganondorf manage to find such a foul thing? Granted, from what she had seen, this man seemed foul enough, yet these woods were vast. Far too vast to simply find someone such as the self-proclaimed mortal enemy of the Great Deku Tree.
No, there was more. Much more. Much that would perhaps eventually find its way to her.
To Link.
After all, before they were brought here, did not Kaepora Gaebora say that he too had other matters to look into while they went about rescuing Saria? And then there was the Princess and her apparent friend, Gris.
Although neither she nor Link had ever seen the two in the same place at the same time.
"I said stop moving, kid!"
Navi's attention was drawn back to her boy in the clutches of one of the mysterious figures, realizing that other shapes were catching up to them amidst the branches, shapes that she had seen before. Not too long ago, in fact.
The Skull Kids!
Indeed, among the trope of grass-dressed humanoids was the one wearing her boy's Skull Mask, his round, glowing eyes almost making the bony face look alive despite its appearance. It was then that she saw him pull out a blowdart and load a projectile into the small hole at the tip.
It was useless, she knew this, yet her duty compelled her nevertheless.
"Watch out!"
With a single puff, the small, compact object struck a miniscule twig high above them all. This twig fell, and then struck another like itself, only slightly larger. Then that twig made contact with another, then this continued until the size of the falling debris increased in size to that of small to medium-sized branches. And those branches eventually grew as well, the largest and last of them all finally being noticed by both Link and his carrier, the two turning their heads upward to see the incoming obstacle aiming right for them.
Yet, by the time they realized just what lay ahead, it was already too late.