Switched

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Link and I bid farewell to Princess Zelda and head for the gates. Out we went, back to the old forest but to tread a new path. What people awaited us in Yillise? Were they friendly to wizards? I felt somewhat uncomfortable now that I wasn't under the pressure to instantly perform. Pikmin once again appear behind me, waiting to do my bidding. "Which way to Yillise?" I say breaking the silence that had been since we left Hyrule.
"Ah," said Link clearly unhappy about having to answer the question "We are going west. Unfortunately, this takes us into deku territory..."
"Isn't the whole forest deku territory?" I quizzed him
"Yes it is, but all except the west and center is unoccupied. Trust me when I say we're in for a tough time." He answered. As we paced further west, we saw gradually more civilisation. Walls made of carved, painted, and sharpened tree trunks strapped together with fort-like structures with ramparts and battle wear were erected behind them. The dekus liked war, this was proof enough. We came across a grouping of less hostile looking buildings, these were more like huts to live in, so a village of sorts. I then laid my eyes on the habitants, my fear, the dekus.

They looked like trees if trees could walk
and spoke like ghosts if ghosts could talk.
A hole in their trunk where the sound was sourced.
The bolts on the doors would not be forced.
Dirt and dust lay on the floor
In a town that was as a moor.
Smaller trees lay thin and sick
As meaner sprouts played meaner tricks.
Mother trees hugged,
Their branches tugged,
And pleas were shrugged.
Never would I see the time
When child would pinch a mother's dime.
Horror and death round every bend
Just too bad for even us to mend.
I couldn't help but to compare
To how the folk of Hyrule fare.

"Surely we can spare some of our wealth to help these poor creatures?" I pleaded Link who was standing as shocked as I was at the view.
"What we have we need for ourselves. Besides, nothing we have can help them. We can't help them." He replied with a grimace. Then an idea came to me. "We might not be able to help them," I started my statement as I turned back to the forest "But the pikmin surely can!". As I uttered the word 'pikmin' they began to come and I told them to gather up any loose berries or ripe fruits from the forest and bring them here. They did so and the wooden faces of the deku townsfolk illuminated. The children cheered and their mothers wept tears of joy and satisfaction. I felt as though I could help anyone, on top of the world in fact! Until they came.
A horn sounded and the deku men appeared, bearing spears and the notorious deku nuts. The deku army stood above us now with hostile intentions, staring deep into us. Yillise and the Mushroom Kingdom seemed just a distant hope and defeating PBG even further. Link and I put up our hands in surrender. The game was up.