<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”</span>~Edgar Allan Poe</span></div><br/><br/><br/>There was only so far that one could run, before life caught up with them. The same could be said for dreams or in this case…nightmares.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">The smell. It always smelled down there. Perhaps it had to do with the dampness? Eyal never hated water or the sensation of being wet so much in his life as he did when he was down there. Deep into the darkness, in a pit where he was left alone for hours on end. Alone save for the rats that scurried and bit at his feet whenever they could. Time made no sense to him, there was no way to tell it and long ago he had come to stop trying. The most he could do was count away the time from when his last “visit” happened and when he could expect the next to occur. <br/><br/>Drip…drip…drip. <br/><br/>The water constantly dripped, day and night. When his “visit” would end, he would count the drops of water until the next visit. It was the closest thing to a schedule that he could ever hope for, a sorry excuse for a schedule to be sure. It was soon to be that time again and he was not sure if he could stand it again. Tired, hungry and just about broken, all he wanted was to sleep and be dry. To leave this place and be free from the pain, for the sweet taste of freedom. <br/><br/>However, it was not death that he sought. That would have been the easy way out, it would have been easy too for him just die. Though his body was broken and he was tired, he was not about to give up. Instead he held all of the anger in, kept all of his resentment and hate. There would come a time when he would get his chance at vengeance, he just had to wait. <br/><br/>LIGHT<br/><br/>Blinding bright light filled the void that was the pit he called home. His red eyes burned from the sudden invasion, the rats that had been nibbling at his feet scattered. <br/><br/>“Are you ready to share your secrets with us, Eyal?” <br/><br/>Try as he might he could never stop himself from trembling, could never stop the physical reaction he had whenever they entered. Because he knew what was to come, knew of the pain that he was about to suffer…<br/><br/>Arms placed on the small table, strapped down to it like the rest of him was to the chair. Out came the buckets, three in total. One had a ‘U’ shape placed into one side, the other held glowing goals, while the last held the squeaks of starved rats. <br/><br/>“Now…” the rats were brought first, placed on his arms and then covered by bucket with the ‘U’ in it. “Tell us…how do you manipulate the shadows?” the coals were placed on the bucket. <br/><br/>It was such a nasty trick, such a nasty plan. To trap the rats in the bucket atop his arms, then heat the bucket with coals. Rats, being the resourceful lot that they were, would start to tear and chew through whatever they could to get away from the heat. In this case, that meant his arms and hands. More and more they chewed and clawed at his hands. He struggled to get free, struggled to escape, all the while he heard the man demands for answers, demands for information. <br/><br/>“No!” <br/><br/>The light was sucked from the room, the coals on the bucket were extinguished and he found himself free…<br/><br/>Their screams were like music to his ears, their blood welcomed moisture in the already damp atmosphere. Several died that night and he did not even care. Now he would be a free man, now he would have his chance at vengeance. To get back at those who caused him to root in this hellish place.</span><br/><br/>Atop the stolen mount he pulled down the material that covered his mouth to gaze at a place he never thought he would see again. The forest was still as lush as it had been the last time he saw it. Tightness took over his chest, his lungs suddenly devoid of air he felt tears spring fresh to his eyes. These were the woods he had called home, where he and his family had been happy.<br/><br/>Long ago he had thought himself done with this, done with such pointless emotions and yet here he was crying. The sadness turned to anger, which turned to hate and would have turned to rage had the wind not shifted. With it came the familiar fragrance of the woods. It soothed the beast within and Eyal was soon on his way to the edge of the woods. The horse neighed and pawed at the ground, but a few soft words of encouragement he managed to guide the beast into the shaded canopy.<br/><br/>It was as if he stepped into another world; a special place, a private place, a sanctuary to all who sought refuge here.<br/><br/>Just as he remembered it to be.<br/><br/>Overhead, the birds chirped still though several trigs snapped and broke beneath his feet. The forest was dying, that much was true, but it still shown as a beacon of life. At one point he dismounted and left the horse to graze on its own, while he took to the branches and explored the trees. Most groaned under his weight, but he moved like the shadows that were his home; Silent and deadly.<br/><br/>After a moment he came to a spot where there were two people, one of which he recognized. It was a face he would never forget.<br/><br/>“Daphines…” the name came out in a hiss, it dripped with venom and hate.<br/><br/><span style="font-size: 200%; line-height: 116%;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #FFFF00"><span style="font-family: Hylian Symbols;">f<br/>j</span></span></div></span><br/><br/><br/>The ground shook ever so slightly with the trembling steps of the massive hulk that was Zuberi. The world was no longer the same and it had taken a lot of convincing from the others for him to decide and leave the mountains in search of help. Upon his back he carried all the food he could manage, so he looked much like a huge turtle with a stone shell. The<a class="postlink" href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFqPBR5xDtgsN8vFEW02CoLszW-9P2zoz29PRbR8UZKX8Mcixw">hammer</a>rested on his shoulder, the nicks and cracks stained in the blood and gore of battle. No more could he and his people be peaceful, no more could they sit and wait for the world to go back to how it was.<br/><br/>No.<br/><br/>It was his job, as their leader to do what needed to be done in order to ensure the rest of them survived.  In the distance a forest came into view. If he could recall correctly, this was the forest the Hero spoke of. Perhaps here he could find the answers he sought.<br/><br/>Off into the woods he lumbered often his passing caused the weaker trees to simply fall over. It was when he noted the rocks they kicked up that he stopped. Unable to pass up a good chance to add to his stock, he began to purposely knock over more of the trees. In search of the rocks that were clutched in their roots.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">He heard the call and understood it, but go through with it was another thing entirely. Daphnes was the explorer here. The Kokiri needed to remain in what forest was left. It was Mido's job to protect them and leaving to say hello to someone most likely out to kill them was foolish at best. "Yes, Great Deku." He said half-heartedly. Leader of the Kokiri he may be, but still subordinate to their creator. He made his way into the forest with obvious agitation once out of site, and soon heard the struggle from within. 'Oh great. He sends me to my death. Just what I was hoping for'</span><br/><br/>Zuberi had found himself a nice seat on the ground, to sit and sift through the rocks that came when the tree was uprooted. His mind happily blank as he just enjoyed a moment of rest after such a long and tiresome trek across unfamiliar lands.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Finding the guest was no trouble for Mido. The trail left in its wake was like an open our in the earth. Trees uprooted as twigs and earth spread everywhere. Had this been fertile land he might be upset, but the trees here were far beyond saving. Further ahead Mido could see his target, and it did quite a bit to ease his mind. He recognized the creature. Goron, and a big fellow too, but a peaceful race as far as he remembered. "Ah Goron! Over here friend!" He waved from his place behind the rockman.</span><br/><br/>Slowly he chewed his rocks and slowly he turned his head toward the sound, though he did not see who had made it. With a sluggish shrug, he returned to his meal of rocks and hard earth; once again, his mind going back into the happy bliss that was his simple meal.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">'Quite the stupid brute looks like' Mido thought. He walked towards the man quickly and stood to his side. "Hellooo, big guy? Anyone home?"</span><br/><br/>This time the sound was closer and he stopped his chewing to regard the small fellow. "Hmm..."He said, as small pebbles and bits of rock fell from his mouth down to the ground. "You...are...small..." his voice rumbled like so many rocks that tumbled down a hill.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"You are big. Now that we have that out of the way what are you doing here? The mountains are that a way." He gestured towards death mountain in the distance.</span><br/><br/>It was almost painfully slow how he moved, his head turning to look in the direction the small one gestured. "Rocks...gone. People starve...I leave to fight and save people..." he said in that same slow and measure pace that seemed to permeate all of his being.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"> "Fight? Well you're gonna want to talk to the great Deku for that. I'm pretty sure you're the one I was supposed to find anyway. I haven't seen one of you since the path in lost woods caved in. What was that...? The third age?" Mido continued rambling on to himself more than anything, lost in his own conversation.</span><br/><br/>"Aye..." he nodded his head. "...remember. I was...small when....hero lost..." he volunteered, slow though the information was given. "Tree...talk?" he asked already in the process of pushing his large form back up into a sitting position.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">It took him a moment to register the Goron was moving finally. "Hmm? Well duh, of course he talks. If you'd hurry up we might get there before the clouds grow dark."</span><br/><br/>The rushed nature seemed to spark something in the Goron who snapped his head at the smaller man. "No need to be rude," his voice took on an annoyed edge as he hefted his massive hammer to his shoulder. Just as quickly that change came, it left and he returned to the slow and seemingly gentle soul. "You...lead...I...follow..."<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">The quick change caught Mido off guard and he fell backwards in surprise with a yelp. "Um, yeah ok sure I can do that. Can you ke-" He stopped himself with a gulp and leaped up from his prone position. "Um... follow me then."</span><br/><br/>There was nothing more to say, instead he merely nodded and followed after the smaller man toward this tree that he had spoken of. Perhaps the tree had tasty rocks under it that he could eat?