Before stepping out of the old Temple of Time, Link can use the Dominion Rod to move statues out of the way to find a heart piece and a Poe. Then, back in the present, Ooccoo greets Link and says the Dominion Rod is what she was looking for… but in coming back from the past to the present, it’s lost its power, and she’s forgotten the spell that would empower it to return her and Junior to the sky. So they head off to look for other leads, while Link and Midna connect a few things and decide empowering the Rod is their best hope. Shad was interested in the Oocca, and he’s gone off to Kakariko Village to investigate something. Also, Renado sends a letter asking Link to come to the village to discuss Ilia, so that’s the next destination.
It turns out the two events are connected: when Shad asked Renado to let him see a statue in the basement, Ilia mentioned that she heard something about a rod of the heavens, which gives them an idea for how to follow Ilia’s footsteps and find something to jog her memory. Renado writes a letter to Telma with his ideas. Telma says that the town doctor took Ilia in first, and gives Link the doctor’s bar tab to let Link make him talk. Presented with the tab, the doctor says he was going to sell a statue Ilia had to raise the money to pay for it, but it spilled medicine on it, and while it was drying, someone stole it. The medicine is smelly, so Link has to wolf out, smell the medicine, and follow the scent to the thief – Louise, Telma’s cat. But she got attacked by Stalhounds and lost it. The group that stole it spawns just outside the city’s south gate at night. Link takes them out (they come at him in a semicircle, so it’s nice and easy to line up Midna’s dark field attack) and gets the statue back.
Ilia remembers the statue; she was stuck somewhere with someone else, and the other person gave her the statue when they helped get her out. Ilia doesn’t remember where it was, but the Goron elder who’s come down from the mountain to help recognizes the statue as belonging to the Shiekah. He says the Sheikah had a hidden village in the mountain, and the road has been blocked by a rockslide… but Darbus won’t have any trouble clearing the way. When Link finds Darbus, the way to the village is mostly clear. Darbus says there’s twenty Bulblins in the village that will need to be cleared, leading to a sequence where Link stalks the town taking them out, with music that wouldn’t be out of place for a Western’s showdown. After the Bulblins are all cleared out, the village’s lone inhabitant, Impaz, emerges from her home. She knows who Link is, because Ilia said he would come to save them. She says she’s waiting for someone and can’t leave until they come, but gives Link a charm Ilia left with her and ask Link to return it.
The charm jogs Ilia’s memory, and she remembers Ordon Village and Link. After a quick flashback to the two of them and Epona standing in Ordon’s spring, Renado and the Goron elder leave the two alone to talk. (The other kids, who had been watching from the window also leave – Talo needs a bit of encouragement – and Midna stays hidden in Link’s shadow without a snarky comment.) It turns out the “charm” was a gift she’d meant to give Link for his trip to Hyrule Castle: it will call Epona from anywhere, without a need for the horse grass. (In hindsight, it looks like the horse grass, or perhaps a horseshoe.)
Ilia also remembers why the rod of the heavens sparked her memory: the messenger Impaz is waiting for is supposed to have it, and Impaz is supposed to give something to that messenger. So Link heads back to the village and shows the Dominion Rod to her. She gives Link a book written in the ancient Oocca language, although apparently a few letters are missing from a crucial word. Before Link leaves the village to resume his quest, there are a few things to do. First, the last Howling Stone is in this village, which causes the golden wolf to appear in Hyrule Castle Town. Second, there’s a Poe near the town entrance. And finally, a bunch of cats have moved into the village since Link drove the Bulblins out. A Cucco suggests (wolf) Link talk to all of them to entertain them. Being cats, they’re tricky to find and it’s not always easy to tell when Link’s talked to one – plus there are some in Impaz’ house, but they don’t count because going inside resets the game. The minigame is cute, but annoying. You know, like cats. And, amusingly, it has the same music as the Bulblin fight. The reward for completion is a heart piece.
Next: Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky.
