Chapter 1: Keaton Mask.
Zak knew what to expect when he set off into the Lost Woods. He approached the tree trunk where his mentor had fallen through to the bizarre new land. Zak held his breath and stepped forward. Inky blackness surrounded him as he fell, along with queer images of crudely drawn Zoras made of rainbow colored light. The ground beneath him caught him at a slant, and he slid down it. He could feel the slide underneath him gradually sloping up until he came to a stop. Still in pitch black darkness, Zak felt around with his hands until he touched a wall in front of him. He pushed against it, and a crack shined light through it. With spear in hand, he wedged the butt of it into the crack and pried at the wall until it gave way.
Zak found himself in a square house, completely devoid of life. He kicked the remains of the wall out of his way and headed towards the door. His eyes burned, and he squinted against the sheer brightness of the sun. The beach? This isn't right, he thought to himself. Based on his mentor's experiences, he should've ended up in Clock Town. However, he didn't have time to figure out why when his thoughts were interrupted by a girl's loud scream. Swiftly he ran underneath the natural rock bridge to another portion of the beach. He spotted a covered wagon on the sand, which was where the girl's scream had come from. A low guttural growl came from the other side of the wagon. Zak poked his head around the corner to investigate.
A large yellow claw swung at him, forcing him to jump back in surprise. The owner of the claw, a rather feral and nasty looking Keaton, growled and snapped at him. Zak narrowed his eyes, unsure of what he was looking for. He and the Keaton encircled one another, its jaws leaking out foam menacingly. Zak knew that if the creature, which was as big as a small horse, pounced on him directly, it could do some serious damage. Slowly and deliberately he pulled out his spear, and the Keaton crouched down, ready to pounce. He stopped circling, his back to the small creek draining the water from the waterfall to his right. The Keaton pounced, and Zak rolled to the side as it did. It flew into the water.
The water startled it, and it thrashed around like mad. Quickly Zak jumped into the water and stabbed at it with his spear. Due to its struggling, he only managed to get tuffs of its fur. The Keaton squirmed away from his grasp and swam off towards the Zora habitat in the distance. Zak resurfaced, placed the mask dangling around his neck over his mouth, and dove after it. His superior swimming speed allowed him to catch up with the Keaton. It darted through the water in a desperate attempt to get away. He stabbed at it a few times, with his last attack finally hitting its mark. The Keaton struggled and thrashed for a few minutes, but couldn't reach him due to the spear's length. After it ran out of steam, the Keaton stopped moving.
Zak grabbed it by the back of its neck and swam back to the shore. Several fish-like figures darted past him, clearly the locals investigating the commotion. He knew that they would aggressively question him once he reached the shore.
He surfaced to the sight of three Zoras brandishing spears at him. Calmly he put away his spear onto his back and tossed the dead Keaton onto the beach.
"State your business," the leader Zora demanded, "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Back off," Zak replied sternly, "What I'm doing here is no concern of yours. Now, let me deal with that monster over there before it does any more damage." The Zoras didn't budge. When the Keaton flopped around next to them, however, they jumped back, startled. Zak pulled out a small piece of grass from one of his pouches and blew into it. He played a soft and melodious tune, which caused the Keaton to stop its thrashing. It dissolved into smoke, leaving behind only its face as a sort of mask. Zak stabbed his spear straight down through the mask, splitting it in two. A small white light drifted up into the sky and dissipated.
"Hey, you," Zak barked at the youngest Zora, "That instrument on your side. Give it to me." Before asking for clarification, he grabbed the object in question from the Zora's side and yanked it off of him. He put the bronze object into his pouch. "You three, get out of here before you get hurt." Thinking he was talking about himself, the three Zoras bolted back into the water to their habitat.
The girl in the wagon poked her head out. Zak's eyes widened slightly when he saw her face. "Excuse me," she said shyly, "I-is it really gone?"
Zak nodded, "Yes, the Keaton is gone for good. What's your name?"
She swallowed nervously, "I'm Romani. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
He bowed slightly, "My name is Zakku. I go by Zak, and I am here in Termina to destroy something my mentor left behind."
Her eyes lit up, "You mean like those monsters that have been popping up everywhere lately?"
He nodded, "Well, that's the start of it."
She lunged forwards and grabbed his hand, practically dragging him into her wagon, "Come with me, quickly! I need your help at my ranch. It's under attack!"