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Aardwolf History Competition!

The small boy ran through the streets clutching his prize. He hadn't eaten in days but now he had food. He had watched and waited for the lord to leave his manor then snuck in. He had followed his nose to a large table laden with food and quickly grabbed a pie from the table. As he was leaving, however, the lord had returned.

Thief!

The boy took off running, he knew the streets better than any other. His entire life had been spent on the streets and soon the lord had been left behind. He crawled into the abandoned building and just stared at his prize for a long time. He decided to clean his hands before he ate, since he had no utensils he would need to use his hands and he was filthy. The young boy scampered to the other room and poured out some of the water that had collected in a barrel that he had set up for this purpose. Returning to the room he cried out in dismay as he saw the lord standing there holding his hard won prize of food.

Thief, you will die!

The boy closed his eyes as the lord raised a glowing sword above his head. He heard the blade cut through the air and then..... nothing. He felt no pain, no loss of life. He opened his eyes to see the lord staring at him in amazement. The broken hilt of his sword still in his hands.

"Boy, what are you?" the lord asked.

"A thief m'lord as you say," the boy replied.

"What is thy name child?" the lord asked.

"I am called Aardwolf m'lord," the boy replied.

The lord blinked his eyes and muttered, "Can it be, after all this time, that you are found?"

The boy did not understand what the lord meant and did not flinch when the man took a step forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man fished something out of his pocket and spoke a word.

Aardwolf had never travelled by portal before, that was something reserved for the rich and powerful, but he knew what it was. In an instant he was standing back in the lord's manor.

"Wait here child. Eat and drink from the table. Rest there in the bed if you tire. I must call the others." The lord then left to another area of the manor.

The boy ate his fill and then rested. In his mind he wondered what was to become of him. He decided that even if it meant servitude, as long as the lord was kind to him, he would stay.

After resting for some time the boy got up to explore. Wandering the halls he found a room from which he could hear the voice of the lord. Sneaking to the door he peeked in to see the lord sitting at a table that held a brightly glowing window floating in the air. The lord was speaking into it and the boy listened in.

"Can it be that my mind's desire has come to me in the form of a child?" the lord asked.

"You must not think of it this way Lasher. It is not truly a child. It is a force, an embodiment of an idea. It has taken the form of a child to show that it needs to be cared for as if it were a child," a voice said from the window.

"So you believe I should take the risk?" the lord Lasher asked to the window.

"How can you not? Many of us will follow and soon others will come as well. You owe it to yourself, and to Aardwolf," yet another voice answered from the window.

The boy watched as the discussion continued, then when the lord gestured and the floating window went dark, he quickly returned to the chamber and lay down pretending sleep. Soon he heard the lord return.

"Boy," the lord spoke.

"Yes m'lord?" the boy returned.

"Do you know what you are?" the lord asked.

"I am a child m'lord," the boy responded.

"Nothing more?" the lord questioned.

The boy cast his eyes down then looked up at the lord to see the compassion and caring in his eyes.

"Sometimes I have dreams that I am a spirit. I fly over lands I have never seen before in waking. I visit mountains and caves and great cities. I see creatures of all shapes and sizes, and people, so many people. They fill the lands and they speak my name in reverence. But then I awake and I feel sad. I go out to look for some of those people but I can never manage to find them," Aardwolf answered.

The lord smiled and looked upon the child.

"This I do swear. I, Lasher, will be your guardian and protector. I will nurture you and watch you grow. You will be as my child. Do you accept my offer Aardwolf?" the lord asked of the boy.

The boy felt something swell deep inside him, a purpose or intent he had never known before. He felt the pride within the lord as he asked the question of him.

"I, Aardwolf, do accept you as my keeper Lord Lasher," the boy responded.

"Then sleep for now Aardwolf. When you awaken your purpose will be clear."

Aardwolf felt suddenly tired as the man spoke and he fell into a deep sleep. Soon his wonderful dreams came back to him. Once again he soared over vast forests with sparkling streams winding through them. Cold mountaintops loomed out of the mists and beckoned to him. Aardwolf flew on and soon spied a vast city with a palace adorning the largest hill. He flew to the palace and noticed a man at a table with many others gathered round it.

"Hello Lasher, what are you doing in my dream?" the boy asked.

The lord smiled and gestured to a table that held a map of the world Aardwolf had just flown over. A map of his dream world.

"We were admiring your world Aardwolf. It is quite beautiful and many of us would like to come here to live. Would you allow myself and my friends to come and live in your world?"

"You can do that?" the boy asked and smiled as those around the room nodded their heads, many with obvious eagerness.

"This is your world Aardwolf, I am only the keeper. Together we will shape and mold this world. Many will come to visit. Some will stay while others will merely pass through. What say you?"

The boy thought for a moment and looked at those around the table. There were warriors and mages and clerics and humans and elves and dwarves. Finally the boy smiled.

"Yes let them come," the boy crowed with delight and flew around the room several times, to the delight of those gathered. Landing beside Lasher, the man who would be his guardian, he asked shyly, "Do you think it would be alright if I have dragons in my world, I truly love dragons.

Everyone smiled as Lasher gestured to a nearby window that was suddenly filled with the form of a huge dragon as it flew by. Lasher turned to those assembled, clapped his hands together and with a grin said:

Let the game begin.

Date Posted - 12.20.2003