The night wind may have been singing, but it was drowned out by a dissonant chorus of howling. Just on the outskirts of Sorrow's End, where the suburbs would someday start, the Wolfriders had gathered upon a plateau in their evening ritual. It was an unprecedented event in the Sun Village, for they had the habit of retiring to bed at 11:30 at the latest. The next morning, more than a few of them would wake up and complain about this noise, but by then the wolves and their riders would be too far gone to even care. That was how it was. Not much unusual went on at howls... most of the time, that is. Because love had barged in on one of the tribe's members, something odd was almost destined to happen.
Cutter stood, and as his tribemates watched, he shouted, "HARA-KIRI!" They all thought he was merely getting into the spirit - until he drew his sword and pointed Mew Noon at himself. That got a reaction unlike any he had ever seen. Half the Wolfriders were upon their chief in one second, and they forced the blade from his grasp in only one more second.
"What the...?!" Cutter screamed as they held his wrists against the harsh, rocky ground, "It's only a ritual. Sheesh!"
His uncle, Treestump, considered this for a moment. "Sorry... just a bit concerned there, laddy," he said meekly, realizing that Cutter had not been serious, or quite as suicide-inclined as he had thought.
**However,** Strongbow sent, accusing the chief with every stinging word, **These emotional swings of yours have gone on far too long. I think we should ban you from the next two howls, or at least let someone else take control.** He stood, resolute, and stared down Cutter, almost trying to extract an reply from him.
As the chief sat back down, cursing quietly, one so-called quiet and unassuming Wolfrider literally stood up for what he wanted. Woodlock, the most underrated of all the tribe's members, told them all, "I could take control."
Whispering in her father's right ear, Newstar mentioned, "No thank you," but Woodlock just barely missed hearing the comment. She had tried to be polite, and now she was put to shame. Feeling left behind, Newstar told herself yet again that she would have her vengance later.
But though Woodlock earnestly glanced over the tribe, none of them gave him any affirmation. Finally, Treestump offered the family elf his hand, and helped his tribe-brother to his seat once again. The elder told the crowd, "Well, I have authority to lead a howl. You may recall that I performed at least two during the onset of the 'Dark Days,' six turns back. If no one cares to suggest a story, I've got a good one in mind." Treestump simultaneously thought, Ah, nostalgia time.
Breaking through the typical silence, Scouter spoke up and noted, "As long as it doesn't involve my family, it's all right with me."
Realizing the weight of the youth's statement, Treestump responded, "Oh, yes, that thing. My story reaches back to even before the 'Dark Days,' and it's pretty much about historical figures, so don't worry."
"We're waiting," said Pike with a deep yawn. He was technically the storyteller-in-training, and he knew that Treestump's skill, delivery, and audience adaptation were all sub-par.
But all the others sat and waited. Without further ado, Treestump launched into the tale. He began, "The truth may now be known - it was Zarhan Fastfire who began the life of the being known as Madcoil. [This is in "Love and Memory" from _Wolfsong: Blood of Ten Chiefs V. 2_, but since 'Quiz is an alternaverse, that is not true here.] That well-remembered elf was completely justified in his action, at least, until he found out just what had happened - some time later. However, Madcoil did not formally come into existence until approximately six turns ago, when a large lightning storm hit the area where the 'seeds' of Madcoil had been 'planted.' The reaction produced by this gave life to the being. It may also now be said that the concept of him being merely a villain is completely erroneous. No, Madcoil was a confused character concept, and if he had been given more of a chance, one could conclude that he would have turned into a decent and likable creature, and not just a symbol of death."
By this point, all but the die-hard Wolfriders were completely confused, or just plain asleep - even with the wolves' loud howling. Yet they dared not complain as Treestump waded on with his story, which was unforunately nothing more than a bundle of lies. The howl adjourned as the amateur storyteller breathed his last... sigh of relief, that is. Woodlock and his family were now justified in wishing that they were really Sun Folk.
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_Elfquest_ and its characters are copyright 1978-1998 Warp Graphics. "The ElfQuiz Parody" and the distortions of the _Elfquest_ characters are intended as satire, and should not be misconstrued as an actual work of Warp Graphics or its employees. All other works, pages, et al. are the copyrights of their respective creator(s) and/or owner(s). All characters are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. This page was created on March 11, 1998 by John Alan "Merejez" Riggs. If you liked this page, please e-mail me. If you hated it, go ahead and tell me, and I'll try not to be bitter (or worse yet, ignore you). Thanks for reading.