Naturally, Link wanted to get back to Hyrule as soon as possible, and it seemed that investigating the Wind Fish would help him do this. So Link traveled north to the Mysterious Forest, and found the owl there waiting for him. The owl told him that it would be difficult to leave the uncharted island of Koholint while the Wind Fish napped, and advised Link to visit the Tail Cave south of the village with the key he would find in this forest.

Link fought off Moblins, wondering what Ganon's underlings were doing here on an uncharted island like Koholint. He found a mushroom growing in the ground, and as he held it a mellow aroma drifted into his nostrils. Deciding to save it for later, he traveled on. He met a talking raccoon sensitive to dust and powder, who used enchantment to make Link lose his way in the twisted forest maze.

Link reached a witch's hut in a dead tree trunk and went inside. The witch offered to use the "Sleepy Mushroom" Link had found to make some magic powder. Remembering the raccoon's sensitivity to dust and power, and thinking that this "magic powder" might make the raccoon go away, Link accepted.

Link threw some of the powder into the raccoon's face, and to his surprise, the raccoon turned into Tarin! Tarin had been looking for toadstools, and after eating one, he had dreamt he was a raccoon! Link didn't tell him how real this dream had become...

With the enchantment no longer there to get him lost, Link easily found the Tail Key. The owl had been watching him, and told him to go to the Tail Cave and retrieve the Instrument that was hidden there. Link explored the Tail Cave, and found a useful artifact, Roc's Feather, which gave him great jumping power. Link used this to great advantage, dodging enemies and leaping over bottomless chasms. He defeated Rolling Bones, a monster who rolled a giant spiked bone at him, by jumping over the bone and striking the monster with his sword.

Link used a Nightmare Key he had found to enter the lair of the first Nightmare: Moldorm. This squirming monstrosity had only one weak point: its tail. Link defeated the Nightmare, and in the next room he picked up the Full Moon Cello. The instrument played a mysterious tune, and as Link was transported to the entrance of the Tail Cave, a voice told him that a path had opened in the swamp.

As Link started to head back to the Mabe Village, the owl landed on a nearby branch. He told Link that he had an "Instrument of the Sirens." That Instrument, along with seven others, had the power to wake the Wind Fish. The owl told him that he had been instructed to guide Link, and that Link's next goal was north, in Goponga Swamp.