A Study of the Fauna of Termina [For kasumu_sekai]

[feathered_mages]

The next time the younger Rydia sees the little Black Mages, they may seem a bit more prepared for a trip. At least judging from the new little grade-school-type backpacks they're sporting. Blaze had picked those up for them at the Nexus Mall, being of the opinion that visiting other worlds was a great opportunity to pick up Shiny Things and that it might help to have something to carry them in. He couldn't use a backpack himself, what with the wings, but he has no doubts about their usefulness.

Comments

[feathered_mages]

Mistral just chuckles. "I've told you before... he eats fish, not Mages."

The Magelets are coaxed into climbing up, and Mistral sends Sealion safely back to the Nexus - it's a little warm here for him to stay too long. The tunnel, as it is, slopes upwards and isn't really too long - light can be seen at the other end almost as soon as they enter.

On reaching the exit, they'll find themselves standing on what might almost be some enormous flower, or perhaps a mushroom - it has traits of both. The top is nearly as big as a house, and the whole plant itself as tall as a tree, with an area of the swamp far below. There's another of those small pink flowers growing in the center of the thing, and there are more of the tall mushroom-trees scattered through the area. They're a bit too far apart for jumping, though.

There's also a buzzing of nearby insects, and one of those giant dragonflies moving in.

[feathered_mages]

Unfortunately, the dragonflies are decidedly hostile. Fortunately, Mistral was expecting that and has his bell ready so he can make the big bug behave and let them examine it.

A few Magelets look at the dragonfly, some are still looking at the view, and Lono is examining the pink Deku Flower. Although small in comparison to the flower-mushroom-platform they're on, it's still almost as big as he is in width but with a very short stem.

[feathered_mages]

"I don't know," Mistral admits, looking at it. "I've seen them all over, but there are a lot more in the swamp."

The Magelets are whispering among themselves now, looking at the next tree-sized flower-mushroom over. A little gratuitous use of ice spells later, and they've made a decent bridge. They add railings as an afterthought when they realize making ice bridges in warm places means they're quickly slippery. And there they go, heading across before it melts!

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods. "We could try asking at the Deku Palace. Even if they won't let us in, they might answer a question."

The Magelets don't go too far, only a mushroom-platform away, and then from there a few go as far as a big dead tree trunk just past that. A third mushroom is close enough to the tree trunk to simply walk onto it. They're all easily in sight, and had to cast Sleep on another giant dragonfly that's now snoozing on the second mushroom.

They seem to have spotted two things of interest. Three, if one counts the second dragonfly.

"There's another cave over there," says Kaze, pointing at a ledge a little further ahead.

"Hey!" says Lono, laying on his tummy on the third mushroom's edge and looking down. "We were just down there before!" He points. Far below them can be seen the outside entrance of the Deku Palace.

Mistral blinks and tries flying over to see. "What? We're still going around in circles?"

[feathered_mages]

Mistral looks as well. The Deku Palace was a little further away, and over on the right. They were outside the outer wall now, and they'd been inside that but outside the palace entrance when they'd gone in the tunnel. "Not in circles," he mutters. "It's a spiral, going up and in." And he'll glance towards the second cave or tunnel that was pointed out. "Which means that should be the next part." He'll fly off to scout ahead and see if it is.

Meanwhile the Magelets have now all regrouped near Rydia, most of them lying on their tummies to safely look over the edge of the third large mushroom.

"Everything's so tiny from up here," says Kaze.

[feathered_mages]

"I wonder if this is what flying looks like," says Kaze. Someone's always been just the teeniest bit jealous of the Waltzes.

Speaking of Waltzes, a very excited Mistral is on his way back. "That tunnel leads to the center, and there's some kind of big building and some kind of big beetles."

Curious Magelets will start making an ice bridge to get over there.

[feathered_mages]

It's easy enough with an ice bridge, and the tunnel leads to the circular center of the swamp - Woodfall. Right in the center of that is Woodfall Temple, in it's raised position with an easy path of stepping stones leading to a door. There are also dragonflies, water, lily pads, tall weeds, hiploops on board bridges connecting large tree stumps, and the occasional Mad Scrub off in the distance.

"That's a very big house," says Galen.

"It's the biggest house we've ever seen," adds Luca.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral doesn't immediately answer, because he's off trying to catch a hiploop.

The Magelets wander around on the patch of solid ground near the entrance, checking the weeds for anything that might be hidden in them.

"It looks scary," says Juro quietly, staying close to Rydia.

"It's dark," says Kaze, looking at the doorway. "Aren't boes from dark places?"

And Mistral's on his way back, apparently thrilled to find that he's still small enough to ride a hiploop like a pony.

[feathered_mages]

Hiploops aren't really shaped to be easy to ride on, and Mistral slides off by the time he's rejoined the others. But by then there's a line of Magelets lined up and wanting to try. It should work to coax them into the temple if they want to have a look around.

[feathered_mages]

There isn't a great deal to see, but what there is is interesting. The door wasn't the primary entrance despite its appearance, and gives access to only two rooms of the temple. The first one is stone, like the rest of the structure, and across from the door is what seems to be a dead tree that grew through the stone. Or more likely it was carefully transported here and reassembled.

A doorway carved in the trunk of the tree, ringed with decorative thorny vines, is the entrance to the second room in the dead tree's trunk. Compared to the damp stone of the first room it's almost cozy, with painted walls and more decorative vines.

There doesn't seem to be anything here, and the Magelets poke around for a bit before Galen says, "I'm hungry..."

[feathered_mages]

"That sounds like a good idea," agrees Mistral, nodding. Two rooms seemed odd for the size of the structure from the outside, but he had the feeling there wasn't going to be a whole lot more of interest here. And he was getting hungry as well. "Do you want to catch one of these big bugs or the flying ones on the way back?" He's planning to keep the hiploop he caught, and may add a dragonfly as well. Mistral acquires new pets like a dropped lolipop catches dustbunnies.

[feathered_mages]

"I don't know what I'd use them for either," Mistral admits, a bit embarrassed. "I just like having a lot of pets. He thinks maybe he should forget the dragonfly for now. But he just has to keep the hiploop. The Magelets are already wanting to try to ride it again.