The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/The Lost Woods

Whenever you walk through a passage in The Lost Woods, you might inadvertently end up back in Kokiri Forest. It can be easy to get turned around.

Follow your ears
Kaepora Gaebora, the lighthearted owl, instructs you to follow the sound of the music. As you stand at each possible exit, only one has music emanating from it. Follow it into the next area. Listen for the music at each passage and follow the tune. Also, if you look down a path and there is a star of light, this indicates an exit from the Lost Woods. Most of these paths place you back at Kokiri Forest. Eventually, this will lead you into the Sacred Forest Meadow. It is the only exit which has music playing from it.

Note: If you've come here immediately after getting your sword and shield, you'll certainly get lost. If your intention is revealing the first part of the map, go right and forward to reveal a small part of Goron City. You can't go through currently because of the boulders in the way. For directions to the Sacred Forest Meadow where the Forest Temple is, go right, left, right, left, forward, left and right. It will foreshadow things you'll have to deal with later in the game.

Sacred Forest Meadow
When you reach the meadow, you'll see that a gate blocks your path. If you approach it, a will appear. This beast is a tricky foe, but easy to defeat, and you must kill it to open the gate. When it attacks backflip then jump attack its tail. You can also simply walk backwards a short distance when it winds up to attack, and use a instead of your sword to kill it without jump attacking. Enter into the narrow passageway and use your shield and your or slingshot to defend yourself against the  throughout this area, and you will make it to the opposite side. Down a final, narrow passage is a pair of Mad Scrubs blocking a staircase. After dealing with them, you'll enter into a meadow where Saria sits on a stump playing her ocarina.

Note: You can also do this when you first get your sword and shield. If you defeated the Wolfos prior to this, you will not be forced to face him again.

A new song
Speak to Saria and she will teach you. With it you can speak to her whenever or wherever you are.

Saria's Song 

To exit the Sacred Forest Meadow, go back the way you came until you see a ladder that will allow you to bypass the maze from above. Climb it and you will also see a hole in the middle. If you drop down there, and you will find a Fairy Fountain. Handy if you happen to have an empty bottle. These fairies can revive you automatically whenever you die.

Sidequests
At this point, you can continue on your quest, or you may want to stop off at some of the other attractions woods have to offer.

More Deku Sticks
While in the forest, you may decide to explore a little. Taking the wrong path always leads you out to Kokiri Forest. Do this and head back into the Lost Woods, then turn left. A boy Skull Kid is playing and dancing on a stump. Turn left again. Here is the bridge from which you left Kokiri Village earlier. Climb the ladder down the ledge nearby to the and move to the other side of the area and find a. You can defeat him by reflecting the nuts he shoots with your shield, by throwing a at him, or by shooting him with your. After you defeat him, he offers to increase your capacity in exchange for 40 rupees. You'll be able to carry 20 instead of 10 from here out. It's not much, but it's helpful later on.

Target practice: More Deku Seeds
From Skull Kid, go right, back toward the Kokiri entrance, but then straight ahead. Here you'll find what appears to be a cymbal hanging from a tree. Aim well with your and hit it dead-center three times in a row. A Deku Scrub will emerge from the top of the tree and reward you for your feat with a.

Forest Stage: Mask performance
Any time you have a new mask, drop by the Forest Stage. Facing the Goron City entrance, take a right. You'll see a pool of water ahead. Take a left. Take another left. Here you find a meadow with a couple of Business Scrubs. There's a tree at the back. There to the left of the tree is a group of butterflies hovering around the same general area. Walk around this area until you fall through a hole. You've arrived at the Forest Stage.

Put on a mask and approach the front of the stage. Many Deku scrubs will pop up and dance around you joyfully. If you wear the here, the scrubs will say that you have a most hideous face, but will give you a  anyways. However, this must be done before you progress too far in the Item Trading quest, otherwise the Deku Scrubs will only reward you with a few rupees instead. Finally, wearing the here will give you a. Wearing the same mask over and over will make them attack you or just stare at you.