Deepwood Shrine (Double/Jarin/Light)

Sapientia walked through the forest. The shrine was somewhere. But where? He pushed a vine out of his way. and nearly stumbled into a stream. Sapientia held out a hand, and a blast of cold air rushed out of it, freezing a path across the stream. He pushed down on it with a foot. Seemed sturdy enough. He walked across the path. More of these infernal vines! Was there no end to them. Sapientia sighed. He had heard legends of the picori people, and desperately wanted to meet them, but his search had yielded no results, and now he was lost in this forest!

Sapientia sat on a log. He was tired, and it was getting late. Why'd he even come to this stupid forest in the first place? Sapientia stomped a frustrated foot on the ground. The log rolled backwards in response to the sudden push, and Sapientia fell backward. He picked himself up and dusted himself off. He was about to curse about his bad luck, but he stopped. What was that? There was a long pathway, and at the end of it lied an intricate building. But the building was only about 4 feet tall. How odd.Sapientia thought of what to do.

The forest was sublime. Keera could feel the life flowing in abundance around her as she strolled through the thickets; through glades of swaying flowers and tall, sturdy trees. Even the stumps of the long felled natural titans were smothered with moss and mushrooms, vibrant in their green and red. Keera revelled in the glimpses of sunshine that crept through the canopy of leaves above her, silhouetting the glade she stood in. It was wonderful.

The Kokiri healer stood for a while, completely still, allowing the melodious birdsong of the forest to wash over her... until she heard something that wasn't quite birdsong.

Hey, you!

Keera, who's eyes had been closed, opened them and scanned her beautiful surroundings. That hadn't sounded unlike a chirp, but somehow... A generous flap of wings brought her attention to a fairly low branch of a nearby tree. Wandering over, she tilted her head at the nesting bird that sat before her.

Hello? Keera replied, allowing the gift of animal communication to flow freely through her mind and into the bird.


You simply must help! My favourite drinking spot has been... frozen! In this weather! I saw him do it, with magic! He's ruined my day he has, ruined!

Okay, slow down... which way did he go? Keera asked, if nothing to give her an excuse to get away from this erratic animal.

Just east of here, dear. Get him to undo his curse, I'm thirsty! The bird flapped her wings for emphasis before Keera turned and left. The animals in Kokiri Forest were never this bossy...

Sure enough, Keera found the frozen river. It did seem quite strange; what was the reason for it? With light steps, she crossed, at which point Melda flew at her, almost causing her to slip.

"What on earth are you doing, and who did this?" The green fairy demanded, backing off while Keera steadied herself.

"A bird told me someone froze the river, I'm investigating." The long haired girl didn't look at her companion as she regained her footing and crossed the river.

"You can't go one day without doing a good deed, can you Keera?" Melda sighed, floating along for the ride as Keera spotted some disturbed vines. It wasn't long before she spotted someone sitting on a log. Instead of approaching, she merely found a nearby tree to place her hands upon, and watched.

Balder lay on his back, staring up at the all-encompassing foliage. He had been lost in the forest for three days now, with only the soft rustle of a bush, or the distant caw of a bird to remind him that life still continued in this strangling prison. Exhaustion had all but destroyed Balder’s will to continue forward. The gentle rumble of water echoed in from the distance, soothing the man’s mind and dulling his thinking. Flits and flashes of thoughts blew through, fears and hopes, all welling up inside Balder. Escape was a distant notion. At this rate, he realized, I will die here in this for-

Balder’s body stiffened. The soft trickle of water that held his thoughts like a cup had stopped in the span of a heartbeat. He tensed his ears, pouring in every ounce of energy left in his drained body. Water never just stopped. The pulsating sound of blood filled the empty silence, his heart hammering like mad. Which direction was the water? Balder tore himself from the ground, his limbs swinging like those of a loose marionette. Somewhere in the distance he could hear an almost frantic thump of beating wings. The assassin stumbled into the foreboding thicket, determined to prevail.

Sapientia froze. What was that? He was certain he heard something. He turned around. It was... a little kid? "What are you doing so deep in a forest li-" Sapientia stopped. Upon closer inspection, there did seem to be something different about her. That outfit. And then he saw it. A green fairy flew by her side. But that was impossible! You can't get a fairy like that unless you're a kokiri! "Are you?" Sapientia breathed out, "A kokiri?" Sapientia hoped she was. He had never encountered a kokiri before, and there were so many things he wanted to know. Suddenly, in this moment, he had forgotten completely about being lost, about his frustration, about everything. He was overtaken with curiosity.

To begin with, Keera was startled by the sudden eccentricity that this man exhibited towards her. Tentatively, the girl left the comfort of the tree to step down onto the pathway this man had carved through the vines, her long hair swaying from side to side as she pattered down to him. Melda circled her head, also wary of this man. Keera was also slightly taken aback by his height, for she was usually only in contact with her own kind.

"Yes... I am." She spoke slowly and clearly, more for her own sake rather than his. She often found she stuttered when she first met somebody. "Were... Did you freeze the river? A bird told me she saw somebody use magic." Keera's voice was small, gentle. The last thing she wanted to do was accuse a stranger, perhaps hurting his feelings in the process.