Revisiting the Dragon

Waking of Monday, July 3, 2017

Revisiting the Dragon

Loitering at the Lake Tower. Looking for Farosh.

I was patient this time, and eventually he did appear.

I tried something I hadn’t tried before: when the updrafts came, I leapt off the east turret of the southern bridge tower, paraglided up as Farosh loomed close—he was passing me rather quickly—nocked an arrow, took aim in the slowed time and let fly! Hoping I would hit his horn though it didn’t look like I did!

One of his attendant lightning balls zapped me and I fell in the lake and drowned.

BUT! When I respawned on the bridge, there was a glowing something down on the shore beneath the bridge! Had my arrow knocked it off?

I paraglided down, took a picture—was it one of those items the camera couldn’t identify?—and it was Farosh’s Scale.

Was this the thing that I needed?

Mmm part of me didn’t think so, but WHAT IF?

I looked around—Farosh was nowhere in sight. Where had he disappeared to?

Eh I guessed lightning dragon spirits could manifest or unmanifest at will.

I waited again.

And again Farosh came.

And again I shot him with an arrow! A bit more arbitrary this time, on the underbelly as he passed over the bridge, and I kept my feet on the solid stone.

And again a scale of his fell off and floated glowing in the water!

I paraglided down to collect it, and then warped away to the shrine near Mija’s Spring!

Unfortunately Mija couldn’t do anything with Farosh’s Scales. Evidently I really did need to land an arrow directly on Farosh’s horn.

Hhhhummmmm....

I wandered out to that other little red plateau or butte that stood above the wetlands, connected to the cliffs below Mija’s Spring by a thin, curving natural bridge. I hadn’t been out here before. I expected either a Korok.... or something sinister....

But I found neither. Instead there was a Goddess statue. <3

I was overdue for some praying—she gave me a heart container and another stamina vessel.

Heh, maybe now I can reach that big cubic maze island off Robbie’s laboratory....

But not just now; I was busy. Back to the lake I went.

And again I waited, in the meantime sporting with the Lizalfos in the middle of the bridge, and chasing a particularly devious Korok down one of the broken support pillars.

And again Farosh came.

I climbed back onto the southern bridge tower—it’s a pretty good spot—No wait I think I changed my mind. I got onto the bridge itself, directly in front of where Farosh would be going....

And he came closer.... and closer....

AND CLOSER....

And I jumped for it, pulled back an arrow, utilized the slowed time, adjusted for gravity and arcing, led the target a bit.... and let fly!

There was definitely a sound—a ringing, important-sounding sound, when you hit Farosh with an arrow.

I fired two arrows—had been firing twice at every jump so far, but had only ever managed to knock off one item at a time.

And it streaked off the dragon’s body in a long tail of light, down below the bridge again.

Was this the one I needed a boat to reach? I don’t remember. Dang Octoroks....

And this time.... this time.... I’D GOT IT!

A Shard of Farosh’s Horn! ^_^

And I looked around again, hoping he would make another pass.... but he had vanished again.

Where did he go?

I waited a long, long time for him to show his face again. Seemed he never did if you were looking for him.

One Lizalfos was still alive out on the bridge. An archer. I spent a lot of time running in, jogging back and forth in front of him, collecting the arrows he tried to shoot me with, and then jogging back out when the supply ran dry—after about six or so. I’d put distance between us until he disappeared, and then run back to see him repopulate on the screen, and do it all over again.

I milked that arrow-lizard for so long....

But then finally—the erhu sounded again.

Farosh time!

I ran back to that spot on the bridge.... leapt and fired in slow motion just the same—and got another hornshard. Excellent!

And I saw where Farosh went this time.

Evidently every time someone shoots him with an arrow, he flies straight up into the sky, twining higher and higher and higher—so slowly, so massively—until a great cloudy vortex coalesces high in the heavens, and swallows him up.

Well I guess I can’t really blame him.

If somebody were shooting me with arrows, I’d leave too.

Sorry, Farosh!

Back to Mija!

And she worked her magic!

That souped up my Champion’s Tunic all right! 8 to 14! Dandy! ^_^

And now.... NORTHWARD! Along the path to Chariots-of-Fire Beach and then inland toward the Quarry! There was a memory there, I was quite sure of it....!

THE WAYS

Waking of Thursday, June 8, 2017 ~ 2

THE WAYS

I activated the Sheikah Tower. This was the Lake Tower. Finally those shrines I had been to when I came down here looking for Mei had some landscape to nestle in on my map, instead of just floating out there in the blue.

The new map showed plenty of interesting things.... one of the most conspicuous of which was a very large, perfect circle of what looked like stones, some distance to the southeast. The biggest Korok circle in the world....

And nearby that was—

Lake of the Horse God?

“David!”

“What?”

“Lake of the Horse God?” I looked at him expectantly.

He showed no expression.

David had once had a horse named Shaq. And at some point, he lost poor Shaq somewhere.

So I told him about the horse icon that shows up on the map. That would tell him where his horse was.

But he said he couldn’t find it anywhere.

So I told him to just go catch another horse, board it, and then take the freshly-caught horse out again, and the Stables would find his old horse.

I don’t remember if this worked or not. I think he said it did not work.... What?

And then I’d heard something else from Madman Joseph about “something something blah da da da UNLESS YOUR HORSE DIES blah blah something—”

D:

Did horses.... die?

Did poor Shaq....?

No horse icon, no Stable tricks.

Shaq was nowhere.

Oh dear....

I’ve been hesitant to take my horses on untried roads with me, but.... now I was NEVER going to let them out again! Oh my sweet Babies....

BUT THEN one day David said he got his Shaq back!

“Where was he?” I asked. :D

But David didn’t elaborate. “I just got him back. There are ways,” he added mysteriously.

“How?” I really wanted to know where he found his horse.

But he would only say that there were ways....

“Teach me the ways!” I said, not really wanting him to. :D

And he didn’t.

“Who told you about the ways?”

“Nobody, I just found them.”

“Did anyone.... talk about them at all?”

“No, I just went to a place and.... there were the ways,” he shrugged with a smile. “You can find any horse that way. Even if it’s dead.”

WAT. ._____.

“One time one of my horses died, and I already knew about the ways, and so I went there right away and.... got my horse back.” He shrugged loudly.

He was trying to impress and it was working.

“....Teach me the ways!” :D

But he just laughed....

There was something else out southeast—a marker I had left down in this region, back when I was in Faron Woods south of the lake with Tye and Sorelia. It marked another shrine I had seen, but not gone to claim.

I could see the shrine from the top of the tower—and from this height I could see it was next to a stable! Excellent.

Actually there was quite a lot I could see from this height; it was rather like looking at the map in my Slate.

It looked like there were two ways to get to that shrine and stable: one was a road that seemed to wind through Faron Woods, somewhat to my left. And the other.... well the air was quite clear, and I was quite high up.... and just in case I wasn’t, the ground looked most navigable....

I took the second option, and jumped for it, paragliding through the air....

Of course I wasn’t high enough; I should have known. Ahh, but you just feel so good when you’re so high up and the land lies so plain all around you!

I came down onto some bald, pointy hills crawling with Lizalfos—landed almost right on top of one, with no choice then but to whack him off. But with his health bar visible to me, I wasn’t worried. The Champion’s Tunic really is quite handy. No surprises.

At David’s suggestion I climbed to the top of that pointy little hill, and again paraglided toward the shrine and stable. I crossed over a wide open green field prowled by mounted bokoblins, the creepers.... But my angle this time was such that I didn’t have to worry about them either: I landed within breathing distance of the stable—the Highland Stable.

And that big circle I’d seen on my map wasn’t a giant Korok circle.... it was a circle of young cypress trees encompassing the stable! It made for quite a comely effect, I must say. Maybe they planted it as a barrier against the bokoblins so close....

Well! No time for the stable just now—I had a shrine to lock down. “The Ka’o Makagh Shrine!”

I read the name with such fierce enunciation that David laughed. “Sounds like ‘Leggo my Eggo’ when you say it like that,” he said. XD

I again felt only slightly cheap inside as I became aware of small Guardians around corners before I saw them—thanks to my Tunic. The first one had 100 health. The second one had 13. 13! Maybe that was the kind I’d faced in the shrines back on the Plateau so long ago. 13.... What a pitiable number....

I cut it down in one hit with a 14 Lizal Boomerang. And it gave me Ancient Gears. “Why thank you!” I told it. ^_^

When I’d claimed the Spirit Orb and exited the shrine, I took only a brief skip around the stable to meet the locals before heading into the stable’s backyard—opposite the wide green field, a similar lawn stretched away between two tall grey cliff faces, bending out of sight to the right. The Lake of the Horse God was back there....

The lawn rose up a bit before coming to an abrupt end and a short drop into the water. But there was nothing there but a Korok. The dry-ish waterway continued on between the two cliff faces and away out of sight....

What were The Ways....?

I tried bringing one of my horses to the edge of the sward before the water.... but still nothing happened.

Above the water, rather over the far end of the little lake, a wooden bridge extended across from one cliff face to another—a path seemed to cut through the mountain just there. I boarded my horse again, ran back to the lake—the wild horses which haunted the backyard were getting tired of my passing by now—and climbed up to the bridge.

Horse God Bridge it was called. But the path beyond it, to the left, didn’t lead anywhere except to a nameless little pond at the end of a tiny box canyon.

Hm, but the topo there had a strange symmetry to it.... Maybe it was worth a look, as long as I was there.

I followed the trail and found.... another Fairy Cocoon! :D

Well that was dandy! ^_^

I approached the cocoon. The same low, mournful, distorted voice rumbled out from inside it. But it said....

“Hast thou... I mean... Have you ever felt the pain of losing a horse companion?”

And one half of me thought, Oh my gosh it’s The WAYS!! 8D

And another half thought, No wait please speak all archaic to me, I love it! D:

“Hast thou... I mean... Have you....” XD

I wondered how the original Japanese must have read.

Well, it seemed this fairy had the ability to resurrect any horse companions I might have lost.... but first I had to hand over a thousand rupees. Through a crack in the cocoon, she held out a snappy, expectant hand like the others had done.

I’d done a little business back at the stable, making just over a thousand on my monster parts collection. Easy come easy go I guess. I handed it over.

The cocoon pulsated and rippled apart into a flower, mystical water splashed in its center, and up came—oh this one’s hair was different—no was it a headdress of some kind?—like plates, or scales, shingled over her head—no there were too many pieces, too much to the form—the whole form—her whole body—so textured—banners and braids and trailing things—what shape was this?

This wasn’t like Cotera or Mija.

The Horse God had a long neck like cloth dancing in the wind, and its face was a rustruddy, stylized mask engraved with many designs.... a horse’s face. Rather like the shape of the stables themselves.... And although the face was static, it still moved.... queer little jerks and twists and shakes, like the movements of a bird’s head, though perhaps not quite so sharp.

The hands however were still the same robust, womanly hands with elegantly painted nails.

But the arms....? There was just.... a misty, purplish kind of.... something....

“Ah, if my arms were corporeal, they’d surely be all cramped up by now!” the Horse God said as she.... he.... it.... stretched.

The voice was still low and warbly.

I’ll just say it was a she. And her name was Malanya.

She pondered for a moment on how to repay me before leaning in quite close and saying, “Shall I make you my meal?”

But then she leaned back out with a laugh.... only kidding.... haha.... hahhhh.... .__.

She seemed to read my experience with horses and pronounced me to be in some kind of good standing I gathered.

Well my horses are quite closely bonded with me.

She said if I ever lost a horse companion, she would be able to bring it back for me.

But if she sensed any kind of foul intent.... in the death of my horse....

She leaned in close again, her sharp-nailed hands floating creepily. “Then you shall suffer my wrath!”

o__o

Sounds like she means bidness....

“You found the ways!” David patted my shoulder.

Well, I could handle that well enough I think.

“I found the ways!” ^_^

Calling it Quits

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 5

Calling it Quits

I started back toward the lake. I had climbed everywhere. I had searched everything. I even found a familiar-looking tree at the top of one hill, two little statues standing beneath it....

I didn’t have to consult my pictograph album; I’d looked at it enough that I knew this place. Besides, I could see the place to stand that would unlock another memory of mine. It was right there. I even stood in it for a moment.

Actually I was glad to have stumbled upon this one so accidentally like this. The pictograph reflecting this memory location showed the mighty bridge in the background. And I had seen that bridge and realized the connection during a time David’s Link was dinking around on the Plateau. But my Link wouldn’t have known about it then. He was probably off somewhere in Zorana still.

So that was a lovely happy accident.

But.... as I stood there.... the memory gleaming before me....

My heart just wasn’t in it.

I couldn’t recall it yet.

I needed to find Mei.

But I retained a rough idea of this hill’s location—and that of the aspen wood by the water I had seen before. I would recall those two memories soon enough.... but....

I was running out of juice either way.

“Is this really the end of the waterway?” I said, “Is this Lake Hylia?”

David was passing through the room. Knowing my aversion to spoilers, he nonetheless wordlessly raised one hand to about ear-height, threw it at the screen, held it open there for one second in blunt gesture, and then let it fall back to his side with a slap.

I took it as a Yes.

She had to be somewhere down there.... It had been such a long rummage all over this lake and the woods and the valleys and the hills and the clifftops.... Where was she?

I decided.... to call it a day, and warped from the hilltop back to the Ya Naga Shrine. I would rest there and.... pick it up later.

The sun was still shining when I rematerialized. Seemed like it would be still for quite a while. I climbed up out of the shrine’s grotto (it was below the lake’s water level) and just.... had a look around. They were quite blank little islets. The green must have come from algae and moss.

I hiked a little higher, just stalling; it never feels good to go to sleep with a job unfinished.

Something moved in the water between the island I stood on and a smaller slip of land just adjacent to it. A duck, looked like. I scoped in with my Sheikah Slate.

That wasn’t a duck, it was—it had a weird light blue tail hanging down behind it like some Arcadian Moonfish.... WAIT, that was—

My eyes—this had to be—

The light blue thing walked up onto the islet—tall, limber and erect on two feet.

It was a Zora.

IT WAS A ZORA.

She stood on the island, light blue skin, looking around—lost?

“Oh my gosh....”

I hopped up and ran to collect David, who was hiding away marathoning through Bond James Bond as he had taken to calling it.

He came with a sigh and an eye-roll; he’s been mad trying to get me to forget Mei and just CARRY ON WITH THE GAME ALREADY....

I leapt from the island’s little crest to paraglide to the strip where Mei was—AND THEN STOPPED, dropped, and saved....

“Oh my gosh....” David rolled his eyes.

....And leapt again from where I stood!

I landed beside her.

She seemed in fair health.

“The fish certainly are biting today!” she said, or something like it.

What was she talking about?

“Do you know Fronk?” I panted.

She stared at me.

She stared at me a little too long....

“He’s worried sick about you!” I pressed, “Your kids are worried sick about you!”

“Oh my goodness!” she started, her posture juddering inward, tensing up.

She’d.... gotten carried away. Fishing.

I mean Tumbo or Keye or Fronk had told me she was a fisherwoman, but....

“Here you can have these!” —she thrust a bunch of the fish she had caught into my hands— “I’ve got to get home!”

The screen briefly darkened. Came back to life.

And I was alone.

“That’s it?” David drawled through an incredulous grin.

I didn’t say anything.

He scoffed a laugh at the big dramatic conclusion to my long search.

I wanted him to go now, and told him so. “Go back to your Bond James Bond,” I said.

He did.

It felt.... soured.

Should’ve just left David to his movie.

But....

Would it have made a difference?

Old Friends

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 4

Old Friends

Beyond the tree was a little gully running up over the hill of the shore. It looked like I could shinny up there....

I did, and came to a wooded land, indecisive between forest and marsh, for it seemed as much flooded as not.

This was Faron Woods.

The sun rose again as I wandered into the trees, the framerate keeping a valiant pace amid all the wood and water and floating leaves. I thought of the Yiga Clan. Would I run into any of them here? The place seemed quiet for the most part; I only encountered one Octorok I think, hiding in the ground, and I blew him up easily enough.

The silence otherwise was.... disquieting.

I pressed on into the woods, but.... was there any point, if I was getting so far away from the water? Or were these little pools and puddles remnants of Vah Ruta’s flooding? Dared I hope?

Where was Mei?

Had she been kidnapped by the Yiga?

Oh gads was this like a Kafei-type quest, that I wouldn’t be able to resolve until nearer the end of the game?

My mind drifted through what Yiga Clan minibosses might look like....

The land twisted through the trees; I found some huge crumbled statuary—of the dragon, I think—and another shrine. But.... I was getting too far.

I had to consult my Sheikah Slate to head back toward the water. There was no map, but the compass still worked, and I could register the direction of the Ya Naga shrine. I wended back between the trunks—

And a commotion played in the dappled water ahead.

There was a man.

And a bokoblin, a blue one.

“Come get some!” the man yelled bravely, even as he splashed a few steps back from his foe.

I ran in—what confusion was the sun through the trees in the splashing, shadow-spotted water!—and cut the offending brute down.

I turned, and spoke to—

“Tye?” I gasped.

He stood panting, gripping one arm. “Oh Sorelia please be all right—” he grunted.

Oh no.

I whirled around—there a stone’s throw away, a red bokoblin capered over her as she lay collapsed in the shallow water.

I bolted forward, hopped a fallen log in my way, and a few sloshing strides later collided with the monster, beating him back.

When the bokoblin was dead, Sorelia staggered to her feet—Tye joined us—and we moved to a dry spot where we could catch our breath.

Those two do seem to get around.

They were still searching for their elusive Silent Princess flower. But they hadn’t seen any Zoras along the way.

Satisfied they were at least out of harm’s way for the present, I bade them goodbye, and continued back toward the lake.

My raft was gone.

Hhhh, I’d known it would be, when I first ventured into the trees, but....

Well, there was nothing for it but to start sweeping the coastline. The ridge of big rolling hills to my right seemed an easy place to start. I hiked up to their crest and started back along the lake.

This proved largely uneventful, until very late into the night, when I came upon the ruins of a Deya Village, in a shallow little valley just over the other side of the ridge.

A chill stole over my soul at the sight of its rickety remains, the overturned wagons, the charred and splintered house-frames.... but my heart leapt to see that it was all flooded.

Would Mei be in there?

I moved in—cautiously. There was a very large dead tree beside it—I mean VERY large. I’ve seen these blasted hollow stumps here and there in my travels, especially along the road near the Honeydell. I’m not quite sure yet what they portend, if anything, but they give me the willies.

But this one near the Deya Village Ruins just had a few baddies hiding around it—and a Korok inside the adjacent fallen log. And that was all.

One end of the great hollow log lay near the flooded valley floor; I walked quietly down through it until I stepped out into the water. The village was big....

But in the end, after an extensive search, I found only two poorly-equipped Lizalfos lurking about. And a few well-hidden treasure chests.

But Mei wasn’t there.

I climbed all over the surrounding cliffs, stole a Flame Rod off a Wizzrobe, found out just how ineffective it was against stal-creatures, paraglided back into the village....

No sign of her.

Then I saw a cleft in the hills surrounding the Deya Village valley.

The water snaked away through it.

Follow the water, I thought.

I’d been following the water for weeks.

Just keep following the water....

But the water in the cleft ran dry after only a few score paces.

The only thing left was another camouflaged Lizalfos. They’re pretty talented, the Deya Lizalfos; they produce a most convincing mottle....

But there was no sign of Mei.

What was left?

I moved into the area beyond the cleft. Wound my way through a few more trees. Came upon a campfire. Saw a man there. Spoke to him and—it was—?

“GIRO?” I gaped.

My gosh, I hadn’t seen him in forever! :D Giro! Buddy!

Wait where the heck was I?

I opened my map.

I had wandered back into West Necluda.

It was the selfsame campsite I had cooked so many dishes at, long, long ago with Giro, before the night of my first Blood Moon.

The very same.

To think that I had been so close to the lake back then.

But I wasn’t looking for Giro, I was looking for Mei.

And I couldn’t find her.

I couldn’t find her.

Water's End

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 3

Water’s End

Farosh did move slowly. Before he had even touched back down into the water after first rising from it, I climbed and floated my way down to the little dock, and its raft.

The mighty bridge stood to my left, its near end connecting with a much higher part of the land only a short lateral distance away, and its far end angling somewhat rightward across my view before it connected with the opposite shore.

In this part of the lake I could see almost the entire shoreline. It was mostly just a grassmossy green all around, steep, and hilly, and unremarkably empty. The only things of import I imagined were those little islets out in the middle.

To my left, the other part of the lake, striped by the bridge’s huge dark pillars, seemed to go just a little bit further, bending away out of sight, oblong and obscure.... The river had to course further south from there....

I would explore the islands first.

The sun sank as I made ready to launch. One octorok some way offshore gave me a bit of trouble as I did this—they are devilish hard to see after dark, out there in the rippling water. I spent quite a few arrows pinning it down, dancing my way round its own pounding projectiles all the while; but eventually I dispatched it, and was soon blowing my way across the water’s surface, heading for the small cluster of green islets.

The rain came back as I neared them. And.... it was the queerest thing—I found some Lizalfos roaming around the little slips of land, but.... I’d never seen them act this way before....

I do believe they were playing! In the rain!

One of them was, anyway. He splished around in the water near a steep, rocky little beach—and then he would get up onto the land, climb a tiny bit onto the rocks.... and then jump back into the water! Whereupon he would splish around some more! :D

He did this like four times while I watched! Cannonballs!

I must say it was quite adorable. I almost regretted having to kill them all. But I really did want to explore these islands thoroughly.

Unfortunately all I found were more Lizalfos, a devious land-crawling octorok of a breed I’d never seen, which alarmed me something vicious before it escaped, and a shrine belonging to one Ya Naga.

The Ya Naga Shrine is the FUNNEST and also the SHORTEST shrine I have ever been through. Hahh.... like a rollercoaster over too fast.

The skies had cleared again by the time I came out, and I steered my little raft over toward the bridge. I sailed right between two of its mighty pillars, one of which had completely crumbled away; a Korok gamboled in the remaining foundations.

And the second half of the lake.... seemed empty.

But I kept on.

Surely the waterway had to continue....

I pressed my course on toward the south, the rolling moss-green shorelines passing by in bending hills, teasing at what lay behind them....

But there was no more river. This seemed to be the end.

There. On the far shore. The farthest shore. A tree.

One, single, tall, thick tree.

The only landmark touching the water.

I was forcibly reminded of the time I met Sasan after drifting downstream from Zora’s Domain. Surely this was the place where I would find Mei, here at the last edges of this body of water—was this Lake Hylia after all?

This was where I would find her, and she would be so despondent, possibly injured, and I would have to escort her all the way back.... Would she require a horse ride? And Fronk would be so relieved.... their family would be so happy to finally be together again....

The large tree drew nearer.

I blew my raft right up onto the shore.

There was nobody there.

Only a few castaway wooden treasure chests bobbed dimly in the light of the moon, just off the shore.

The Erhu Sublime

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 2

 

The Erhu Sublime

Fortunately the Katah Chuki Shrine—which David kept calling the Cat-a-Chucky Shrine—only contained a Minor Test of Strength. And when I completed it, and collected the monk’s Spirit Orb, there was no more fooling around.

It was time to head south.

It was time to follow the river.

“Ignore the bird—follow the river!” my Mother had quipped to me on the occasions she’d seen me at it. I’d been following a lot of rivers lately. But I had a good feeling about this one....

I wanted to warp to the shrine by the Dueling Peaks Stable, but, at David’s insistence, I warped instead to the one by Proxim Bridge. Better to be direct, I suppose.

It was raining when I got there.

I thought of Brigo, the first human I had seen at the start of my travels long ago. And I did catch sight of him, but he was running east toward the woods, trying to get out of the rain.

Oh well.

Presently the rain left off. I started up the hill behind the shrine, and headed south along the west bank of the river, playing with what Koroks were convenient to my path.

The land climbed quite steeply about the river, especially on the west side. I hoofed it higher and higher until I came to a small ruin at the top of a hill.

It was small, and quiet. Far removed from much of anything else I could see.

I’m not even sure if it had a name. [It did – it was called Scout’s Hill.]

But from the top of its crumbling wall, I had an excellent view of the river’s course: There before me, spanned by a mighty bridge of dark weathered stone, filling up a vast green bowl it seemed, was an immense body of water.

Surely this was the waterway I’d been seeking!

And something else I hadn’t noticed from the lower elevations: a road seemed to come from the direction of the Plateau, and for a time run somewhat parallel to the river, until it came to one end of the dark bridge. Before it got there, however, it passed by an absolutely riotous-looking treehouse full of belligerent red-skinned creatures.

It looked.... like a delightful challenge, and sweet good looting, no doubt....

But I didn’t want to give time to it just now. Surely I was closing in on Mei.

I moved closer, and it was as I was studying the steep incline down to the water’s edge, catching sight of a dock—and a raft—down there.... that I heard it.

Something shifted in the wind. A new sound came, seemed to coalesce on the air....

One of the Piano’s tricks, I was sure, but what did it mean? It didn’t sound like anything bad was coming after me....

Actually it felt more like.... it wanted to preface the leap I was supposed to take from the high ground.... before I went gliding.... out over the water....

I shook my head and looked toward the treehouse—were they doing anything? No? It didn’t look like it. Why was this new music happening?

I turned back to the water.

“UH—DYIS—WHUH—TH—IDT—” I said, or something like it.

Head, neck and shoulders out of the water, the dragon Farosh was twining up out of the lake before a few scattered islets.

I was much closer to him than I’d been back in the river north of Satori Mountain. Now I could see his skin, his eye, his mouth, his limbs, his claws, the great jutting horn upon his head, all so clearly. Truly an enormous creature....

And then I understood—his was the music. This new sound on the air.... it belonged to Farosh.

And there was something else, another element aside from the Piano and its usual contingent of other shimmering sounds.... It moved as serenely as Farosh did, slowly clawing his way into the heights, bending over the water to loom low across the bridge.... An erhu.... What a beautiful sound. Sublime.

He dipped down into the water on the other side of the bridge.

David had asked me where I had first seen Farosh, and I’d told him about that river round the back of Satori Mountain, and looking up into the Gerudo Highlands. And I remembered he had looked skeptical, his eyes narrowed....

Because this lake was where David had first seen Farosh. Right over his head as he was crossing the bridge. He’d been looking at something else entirely through his scope when the mighty dragon had risen in the background—the most majestic of photobombings....

Farosh’s head surfaced again a great distance from where his midsection and hindquarters were still disappearing into the water. I could only imagine the great arc his serpentine body must have been carving deep beneath the lake’s surface.

And as he rose again into the air, little ball-lightnings began to manifest in his wake.

Heh, “little”.... They were still so far away; up close they must have been quite sizeable. But compared to Farosh they were tiny.

Maybe that was part of the danger my Compendium had spoken of, regarding approaching close to this dragon.

He continued his graceful arcing through the air, and in and out of the lake, beautiful creature.

Maybe this lake.... was Farosh’s home.

It was . . . . joyous to behold.

Full Circle

Waking of Thursday, April 6, 2017 ~ 6

Full Circle

Well I’d hiked to the dam and across to the north side once already. I could do it again. So I did.

But blast and confusticate that creeping PIANO always following me around! Jumping up from the bare stone whenever I least expect it.... Snaking out of the windswept grass to whisper dreadful nothings up my spine—WHY!

Uhuhuhh.... it gives me the jibblies, man.... .__.;

The world is wild.

The world is wild.

<3

I eventually hiked back toward a part of the winding road I had once traversed—the long road to Zora’s Domain. From there I deviated away from the track and made my way to a high precipice where I could see the last few bridges to the Domain proper laid out below me.

I paraglided in, landing partway along the last bridge—on top of one of its arches, actually. Not by design.... but I enjoyed the view and then hopped down to go the last stretch on foot.

Rivan and Dunma still guarded the outermost gate; I said hello.... and then set about looking for Fronk.

He wasn’t in the square, and he wasn’t back around the sleeping quarters; maybe he was on one of the stairways....

I came back to the deck above the square and descended one of the grand staircases. It was quite empty, but in passing I noticed a Hylian on the adjacent rampway—a separate little footpath that wound in a sinuous course around the staircase.

It was rare to see Hylians here even now, but I had already seen at least one. Maybe more and more would come to visit again.

But I did a double take.

That Hylian was talking to the short, orange Zora. He was talking to Finley.

Why, that must’ve been Sasan!

He made it! 8D

I ran right back up the staircase and vaulted over the railing. It was something like a hundred-foot drop between them, but the staircase and the rampway platform were really quite close enough together that I could make the jump easily.

They were both so happy to see me again. They’d really hit it off it seemed! Well good for them. ^_^ Heh, and Finley was advising Sasan to do lots of swimming and lifting and other exercises—to get those big muscles he’d promised her!

And they told me they’d thought it over, and really wanted to thank me for helping to bring them together—and they gave me a gold rupee.

Ooh-la-la, that was worth three hundred.

Maybe I’d still have some pocket change left over if and when I bought my house after all!

In visiting the other denizens of Zora’s Domain yet again I learned a few more things.

In Dento’s workshop, wondering if he could perhaps just repair the Lightscale Trident I had been given, I found out that in order for him to make a new trident, he would need me to bring him some materials—including diamonds. Two diamonds for the Ceremonial Trident.... probably more for the Lightscale Trident....

So that’s what the diamonds were for. Good to keep in mind....

I also sauntered up to Torfeau for the first time since I’d slain the Ralis Pond Hinox, fully expecting an attaboy and maybe some kind of reward.

But all she said was, “So, ready to give it a try?”

:c

I ran out to Ralis Pond and discovered, much to my dismay, that even great fat minibosses like the Hinoxes must come back to life at Blood Moon.

It was there again.

Ah, poop.

But.... armed with my new know-how, I was able to get rid of it once again using far fewer arrows. And when I went to see Torfeau again—(“That stench,” she said, and knew I had done the deed!)—she gave me a silver rupee. One hundred. Excellent.

And BY THE WAY, guess what the Hinox had dropped....

A Korok Leaf! Ah-HAA!! Oh I finally had a Korok Leaf in my inventory!

I was going to GO places with THIS....! C8

At length among my wanderings, I did find Fronk, away in some unobtrusive corner and hard about his work.

He told me that he wanted to help me in any way he possibly could, and I let him know I would certainly welcome that.

“Where could she be?” I asked, for I really had looked everywhere.

“If Ledo’s group didn’t find her....” Fronk began, and I wondered if that was what Ledo had been doing when I’d first met him, searching for Mei.... (and a strong Hylian for the Prince, of course).

Fronk hypothesized a possibility or two about where she could have ended up along the Zora River before admitting, “Worst-case scenario, she might have washed all the way to Lake Hylia.”

Lake Hylia?

Where in Hyrule was that?

And the Zora River.... That seemed to be what it was called above the wetlands.... Was that what it was called downstream by the Woodland Stable as well? I couldn’t tell because my map didn’t extend that far, blast it....

Maybe she really had washed further down that river....

....

And maybe I should’ve spoken with Fronk in the first place—

It was in the past.

And my wanderings had not been fruitless.

But....

But.... in following the river.... in following that road along the river, I had come closer, and closer, and closer to Hyrule Castle.

I had seen the signpost right beside the stable: “Hyrule Castle ➔”. Straight up the road. Not even the mystery-hungry Zorona ever went that way.... he always stopped his horse within breathing distance of the stable, if he was heading that way.

Leastways every time I saw him.

What if the river wound too close to the castle? What if it ran right through it?

What if it passed right through the den of the beast?