The faint click of smooth wood against wood was a foreign sound to the large forest. A thick mist made sight difficult; curling around the ancient trunks of the trees and giving the area a mysterious, gray look. But the man that traveled along was unbothered by it all; a near-permanent smile etched into his face. Eyes pleasantly squinting despite the lack of sunlight as he peered about his surroundings, he hummed a low, soothing tune deep in his throat. On his back was a massive backpack adorned with many masks of many different designs; the creation of the sound from before. Despite the hefty weight, his lean, purple-clad form seemed to carry it quite well; a hidden strength in the small body.
Expensive purple robes rustling a little with each step, within his hands was clutched an odd specimen of a mask.
Heart-shaped, but not quite as pleasant looking as that might make a person believe, a pair of horns protruded from the top of the mask. Along its sides were similar spikes; the yellowed white stained with red towards the tips. Large eyes with contracted, wild pupils and small, oddly colored irises took up some of the space of the mask; staring up coldly at the man's smiling visage. On the deep purple base were a variety of war and tribal markings in many different colors; outlining those crazed looking eyes. The mask appeared to be a bit bulkier and larger than the ones that the man had on his backpack, and it exuded a sense of foreboding.
"My treasure…" he murmured delightedly to himself; hidden eyes gleaming with an intense pride. "The perfect addition to my lovely collection…" Resuming the tune that he had been humming previously, he kept on; heading towards the tunnel that led to a new world and new town within the next mile. Sadly, the man remained oblivious to the pair of glowing eyes that watched his every step.
Inhuman hands reminiscent of wood felt along the worn trunk of one of the many ancient trees; feeling the coarse bark beneath their fingers. "Skull Kid, should we be doing this?" asked a nervous, dark glowing orb; floating around anxiously around the child-size form that watched the traveling man. The lighter orb nearby made a noise of disapproval; bumping hard into its darker counterpart.
"Come on, Tael! Don't chicken out now!" a feminine voice chided; contrasting with the masculine, nervous one. The one called Skull Kid looked up; adjusting his straw hat. Though he had no face, the mischievous gleam to his eyes was enough to reveal his foul intentions. "Let's make this quick, guys," he urges softly, keeping his voice low as to not be heard by the traveling man. "Ow, Tatl!" whined the darker orb, but he soon quieted as Skull Kid eased forward with practiced movements; catching up with the red haired man. He paused, waiting for his chance as the man immersed himself with the mask in his hands.
Then, he struck.
There was a sudden flash of movement, a cry of pain and surprise, and then a thump as a body hit the ground. Knocked unconscious by the rascal Skull Kid, the man lay limply on the earth; the mask that had formerly been in his hands knocked away. Skull Kid observed the man for a long moment before proceeding to dig around through his pack. Finding nothing of interest, he paused when hearing a cry from Tatl.
"Hey, Skull Kid!" He looked up, the light buzzing around the dropped object. "Check this out!" Hurrying over, Skull Kid was delighted to find something of interest on the ground. "Ooh, it looks scary!"
Picking up the mask, Skull kid put it on; oblivious to the dark magicks being worked upon him as he giggled.
"Roar!"
Tatl mocked fright while Tael remained floating behind, seemingly not content about the entire situation. Laughing gleefully, Skull Kid went back to check on the unconscious man; looking for anything else worth stealing before nodding. "Alright, let's go!"
Ushering the twin orbs off, the child-like monster hurried off, the two flying orbs of light following suit. "I don't feel too good about this, Tatl…" murmured Tael to his sister, and all he received was silence.
~x~
"Oh, my poor mask…"
The voice was quiet, and yet still echoed off of the walls of the innards of the clock tower; the churning of machinery filling the dark room. Hands clutched together, the traveling man trembled with suppressed rage; the masks on his bag jingling. That was, until he heard the sealed door below opening.
A smile suddenly returned to his lips as the sound was followed by the scuttling of tiny feet; hands remaining together as the newcomer came upstairs. A little Deku Shrub emerged clad in green, followed by an irritable-sounding fairy. The fairy was light in color; constantly chiding the little Shrub as he ignored her with an unsettled silence.
The Happy Mask Salesman smiled even bigger. It seemed that the child that he had followed after the thievery of his mask had remained true to his path and found his way here. Perfect.
"You have met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Another drabble, because I am lazy and though I have it written out, don't feel like uploading the next chapter of my other story! :D
Anywho, I'm just gonna say this outright. Once again, it is waaay past midnight, and why not express my love for Majora's Mask/The Happy Mask Salesman? Seriously, despite his creepiness, I love that guy. Sort of considering continuing this one and turning it into a short story. What do you guys think? O: Tell me in the reviews!
Zombie OUT.