<span style="font-weight: bold">"Cease your blubbering. Begone before you embarrass yourself any further. Here I thought rocks were meant to be tough."</span><br/><br/>The boy sucked in a breath and looked at the Zora in surprise. As if on command, his tears stopped and he wiped at his face, letting his gaze return to the ground. His fingers thumbed at the silky fabric around his neck as his mind went over what she had said. Was it embarrassing to cry? Maybe Zora thought it was embarrassing. Vota had never said anything like that before. She'd told him that it was okay to be upset.... but he'd also never seen her cry.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry," the boy squeaked "I didn't mean to be-"<br/><br/>Thump. Thump Thump. Thump Thump Thump. The ground shook. It's tempo increasing with each dull thud against the ground until<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”</span>a deep voice boomed as the world around them trembled. Despite being startled by it, Milo was too defeated to do much of anything. A soft blue circle faintly flickered around him briefly and disappeared as quickly as it came. He plopped into the grass heavily as the noise came closer.<span style="font-weight: bold">"NOT SAFE. MUST RETURN TO MOUNTAIN!”</span>it roared. Was it talking to him? Milo had never been to a mountain. The boy managed to glance up at what was coming his way. He immediately regretted his decision. A giant monster, marked and rough like a giant mound of rocks was walking toward him with a burning rage in its eyes. Its hand tightly gripped at a massive stone hammer, cracks and stains covering its surface. Milo's heart hammered against his chest as the creature came closer and hefted its hammer, smashing it down close by.<br/><br/>Whatever it had said the boy could no longer understand. The world spun and his vision blurred as the Zora and Giant began shouting at each other, the words failing to register on his ears anymore. The creature turned to him and began shouting again. The boy could do nothing but stare in horror at the thing and let out an airy squeak in response. His stomach started to turn and his head spun. This place couldn't be safe. How could any of this be safe? The man had told him it was okay though. His chest started to ache at a strange feeling.<span style="font-style: italic">The man couldn't have done it on purpose... right?</span><br/><br/>A large gentle hand rested on his shoulder, anchoring the boy and shaking him from his daze.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"He will not come to harm in this sacred ground. No one will."</span><br/><br/>The man gave his shoulder a pat before moving away. A calm hush fell over everything for just a moment as the man walked. The boy pushed back up to his feet and turned to look at the man. Without hesitation, he scampered after him, stopping a foot or two short of where he sat down amongst the saplings.<br/><br/>As the man told his tale, the boy couldn't help but feel like he was listening to a storybook. At home, Vota would often tell him stories about the legends of Hyrule, the gods that created the world and the hero. It never occurred to him that he'd ever see the Great Deku tree or a Kokiri. Being here now, being a part of a story, it seemed surreal. He didn't know whether to feel excitement or terror. Bringing light back into the world, making the whole world like this place... Vota would be so happy.<br/><br/>Milo walked up to the man and tugged at the hem of his tunic to grab his attention. After a moment's hesitation, he looked up at him, a determination in his eyes as he finally mustered the courage to speak.<br/><br/>"Mister Daphnes u-umm, I'm Milo," he said in a small voice "and I'd really like to help you... but when we're all done I really need your help too."  his voice was clear as if he'd rehearsed this before.<br/><br/>"I'm looking for my mama," he released the man's clothing and pointed to the blue fabric at his chest "She's a Zora named Vota who lives in a house near a stream," The boy paused for a moment. His hand gripped at the bandana as he silently searched his mind for something else that could help, but no other distinct landmarks came to mind.<br/><br/>"Could you help me find her, please?"