Kingdom of Power, of Courage, and of Wisdom

Dragmire's War - Searching the Forest

-Link-

After Ouki Mitagi had the Qin forces encamp themselves on the hills in front of the forest, he ordered small teams to go a distance into the forest in all directions, and then larger battalions would follow. In this way the army of Qin slowly entered the forest and searched for the Zhao.

Among the teams to enter the forest was Link's hundred-man unit.

Ouki called for Link. Link entered the general's tent and shared a heartfelt greeting with Matsubi before standing before Ouki. Ouki then inquired of him certain questions. "You have Ganondorf Dragmire in your unit, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Being raised by the Majora, he would have a wolf, yes? And he would be able to easily travel in this place?"

"Yeah."

"Then I want you to go into the forest, not to find where is safe, but to find where it is not safe. Search for the Zhao! With your small size, you should be able to safely traverse without being seen. When you find them, we will be able to flush them out. If they want to hide, we will expose them!" Ouki smiled, extended his hand, and put it on Link's head. "Do well."

Link gulped. Unlike all of the other teams, his objective was not as safe. What's more, it was one with a special privilege. The weight of what he was asked to do fell heavily on his shoulders, but it also made him excited.

Ouki looked on Link a moment longer. His thoughts were his own. He smiled encouragingly before dismissing the boy.

Link returned to his unit, and relayed the mission to them. Ganon was standing on a rock with his eyes over the forest when he heard. He grinned widely. "Good." He had been thinking of disappearing and searching for the Dragmire himself, but now it was no longer necessary.

"We shouldn't engage if possible." Ganon advised Link offhandedly. "I can fight only so many alone, and the rest of you are average, at best. With only a hundred there is nothing we can fight except for patrols or other hundred-man units we can ambush."

"How about a thousand-man unit?" Link asked.

"Unless we can put them into a position to have a mountain fall on them, it would be stupid."

"Then why would Ouki want us to search for the Zhao?"

"Obviously because knowing where they are and knowing where they are not is equally important." Ganon looked across the camp at each of Link's men. "Any of them skilled with hawkery?"

"No."

Ganon sighed. Without hawkery to relay messages, then they would have to use Kagami. Ganon, and no doubt Kagami when the wolf knows, disliked the idea of lowering the wolf to nothing more than a messenger, as Kagami was more skilled at killing and stealth than any of the men here... except maybe the Sheikah boy. Link could hold his own, but stealth was a foreign concept to him.

"You know nothing of stealth, so I, Kagami, and the Sheikah will do most of the work in the front and sides. The rest of you should stay back and follow as best you can while making as little noise as possible." Ganon said.

"Anything else?" Link wondered.

"Don't do anything stupid covers everything I would have to say to you."

Link gave him an insulting finger before walking off to get the men up and going. Ganon turned his eyes back to the forest once more and tried to search out Harken Dragmire, but alas... the forest revealed nothing.

"I can smell you..." Ganon whispered. "You can't hide from me forever. For a man who once stood his ground, you have grown cautious... even scared?"