Loft skipped down the cherry tree lane, happy and content. The sun was shining, the blizzards weren't blowing, and the squirrels were all darting around in silly ecstasy. Silly squirrels, chasing after nuts. Everyone knew that jell-O was the best; if they should chase after anything, it should be that. Mm, sweet and delicious jell-O! Yummy and bouncy and gooey and mmmm.... Lost in thought, Loft bumped into a large and burly man. His beard was like a bear had glomped onto his chin and refused to let go, so hairy and overgrown it was. He was holding a wicked axe that gleamed evilly in the light of high noon. "Hey!" The man snarled. "Watch it!" Loft scampered out of his way and let the man walk by him, accompanied by a dozen or so others. They were heading towards the Forest, and each of them were holding really big axes and dragging really big carts behind the. Curious, Loft trailed after them.
Reu had been tasked that day with investigating the forest for signs of trouble. It was something he had done frequently during his training, and usually involved nothing more than a leisurely stroll through the forest. This day Reu found it fun to follow the squirrels as they scampered across the forest floor collecting nuts. Light that filtered through the trees hit the ground in beautiful patterns. All seemed well at first. He continued on his patrol, thinking nothing of problems. After all, the only things that seemed to wander into the forest were the occasional lost merchant, perhaps a moblin or some other small creature. Nothing that couldn't be dispatched with a thwack of his staff, or carefully spoken directions. It did invoke a sense of wonder to him though sometimes when strangers found their way into the forest. There were awful stories of what happened to people who got lost in the forest; not that many were true with the protectors around, but there must have been a time when such horrible things were true. Reu sighed in typical deku fashion, a heavy gutteral sound that sounded like he was trembling with the worst sort of fear, but in reality it was nothing so serious. Suddenly, the squirrels' scampering turned to frantic scurrying; they disappeared into the trees and surrounding foliage without a trace. Birds that had been perched in overhead branches flew off in panicked haste. Reu squeezed his staff tightly, his eyes wide with cautious curiosity. When the animals fled, it could only mean that something threatening had entered the forest. But what? In the distance the bushes began to rustle with activity, huge stomping feet that Reu imagined probably squished and smashed anything they stepped on. "I want you to set up a perimeter," a deep voice rang out, rough and tough and full of no kindness. "We'll start chopping down in square blocks." Chopping? As in...the trees? Oh Nayru, goddess of wisdom and all that he held dear, Reu couldn't believe it. Someone-- no, multiple people it sounded like-- were going to chop the forest down? The thought was appaling! All of the animals that would be homeless, all the natural beauty gone for nothing. He imagined the Kokiri homeless and with nowhere to go. The protectors with nothing to protect. Reu had to do something. He waddled off into the distance to take care of buisness.
Loft gasped. He let go of the higher branch to scratch his nose, staring down through the canopy of leaves at the tree-cutters. These men wanted to choppity chop chop these beautiful trees into bits! That was like... like... like wanting to turn baby walruses into shampoo! Horribly awfully mean- Loft didn't like it one bit. The poor little trees; what had they ever done wrong? The men fanned out, vanishing into the big large forest. The one directly below him twirled his axe and set it against Loft's trunk. Loft knew what he had to do. He had to be Super Loft! Defender of the innocent trees and vanquisher of the mean nasty cutters who came to choppity chop chop them down! "Scuse me," Loft said from his perch a dozen feet off the ground, "you shouldn't hurt these trees!"
