-- Alan -- The ElfQuiz Parody: The Revisionist History: Take-a-Look 3: Curtains for Glue Fountain Chapter 1: Spirit Wars, Episode Two -- It was only then that Strongbow realized that he was a jerk. Who had chosen to go bird hunting in unfamiliar territory? Who had ordered his captors to give him a "nice" cell? Who had stubbornly refused to be placed with Moonshade, when he knew full well that the Gliders only had so much space in their dungeon? Strongbow, the best archer the Wolfriders had ever known, the defender of the Way, the one who could stand alone against the whole tribe and win - he sat down, and put his head between his legs. Oh, sure, it wasn't a very comfortable position, but he sure didn't give a damn. Meanwhile, Tyldak and Winnowill stood two Elf-Widths or so from Strongbow and Moonshade's cell, each of them with a cup of latte in hand, having a political discussion. As the World of Two Moons' best - and only - anti-healer leaned back against the slime-coated wall, she said, "I will say your operation was successful, Tyldak. You not only found that hut from where we had been receiving the signals, got the license from Olbar, and got the cattle of a thousand hills for us, but you avenged the untimely death of Windkid's bond-bird, Obob. There is, however, one concern I have: why the hell did you save Windkid?" Her placid, relaxed expression turned to one of hate and disgust, and her hands clenched up and began shaking. "Well, I'm sorry, Winnowill," Tyldak sheepishly said, tipping over a bit, even as he stood, "But like it or not, Windkid is part of the Chosen Eight. Also, he's essential to the plot. To use an analogy, where would 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' be without Wesley?" The Glider with the flesh-shaped body took a moment to gaze into his steaming cup. Funny, looks like I need some more cream in this, he thought. Winnowill coughed abruptly. Catching her breath, the anti-healer nicely said, "The young Crusher pales in comparison to the inanity of Windkid. I would have sent him to play with the humans, but I think the Captive of Captives can deal with him better. The way I figure it, we hired him, and so we should let him do the torture." Hearing the curious title, Moonshade walked up to the bars of the prison. She knocked three times on the metal to get the Gliders' attention, and then meekly asked, "Who is the Captive of Captives? And what does that title mean?" She tapped her foot against the bars twice. Turning his massive head in her direction, Tyldak said bluntly, "You don't want to know. Really." Despite the absurdity of her situation, Moonshade was not done talking yet. She happily said, "You know, Strongbow, maybe we should tell these two a little bit about ourselves." The part-time tanner felt the urgent need to express herself, mainly because of a plot contrivance. **No!** Strongbow mentally replied. Much, much too calmly, Moonshade shook her head in dismay. "Well, I'll do it all by myself," she said, ambivalent to the fact that the Gliders were staring at her. Winnowill groaned quietly. Oh, my, my, how interesting this has become, she said to herself. Moonshade's Story "My career in fashion all started with Joylead. She was my first model, and from there I broke into the industry. Since then, my styling and design have only improved, as I have expanded into post-fire wear and Sun Folk-influenced concepts. Oh yeah, I also have something of a family thing going, what with Strongbow and Dart... well, you know. And no, I'm not neurotic." The two Gliders politely clapped in approval. Strongbow, relentless as he was, remained on the floor. *** One-Eye felt like someone had drilled a hole in his head. He knew little of where he was, only that it was some sort of forest, and that Redlance was but a few Elf-Widths away, and not feeling too well either. Grumbling, he decided it was best to check for any impending threats of doom - or plot conveniences. He adjusted his eye patch, lifted himself off the cold, rocky ground, and looked around. There was a clearing in the trees that he had not seen before, and it was within reach. Sensing something vague and of an unclear nature about, he decided to look through the clearing and to try to clear up his feeling of total confusion. Then he saw them - some humans were about. Keeping silent, One-Eye watched and waited. He saw that they were not making any quick motions or even attempts at fighting, but were instead conducting a ceremony. As far as he could tell, they were planning to throw a liberally dressed couple into a hole in the ground. How odd, he thought, I didn't know they believed in Pele. Just then, Redlance - who was apparently still alive - whispered, "Look out, something is coming!" Caught offguard, One-Eye turned a second later, just in time to see a male elf clad in cheap clothes (and nasty) running right toward him. "Damn! Watch it!" he said angrily, and then put his words into action by grabbing the running elf's right foot. After a few moments of struggling to get away, the intruder said hastily, "What's this? Who are you?" "Shut up, shut up!" One-Eye said furiously, for he was more bruised than ever, "We have every right to keep you silent. Now why don't you just calm down, sit, and we'll put you out of your misery." He brandished a hammer, just to show that he was willing to make good on his threat. Only Redlance, being the tree-hugger that he was, could have felt pity for the elf. Sure, it also helped that he knew the would-be runner, but that's not the point. From where he lay, he gave One-Eye a suspicious glance, and said, "Relax, Dobil. We're in quite a bit of pain here, and that's why One-Eye is being a pain. You should remember me... in case you forgot, I'm Redlance." Unexpectedly, Dobil stopped squirming. "Yeah, I remember you - the one who tried to stop Rain that night and--" he said, stammering, and after a long pause, continued, "I... shouldn't have said that." *** "I'm falling, mommy!" Cutter said in a shrill voice. He, along with Stormie, Skywise, Foxfur, Woodlock, and Hoodbearer, had accidentally found their way into the goo-filled pit known as Glue Fountain. But even though they had made this discovery, not all were happy. Stormbringer, demonstrating her ample wit, said, "I'm not happy. Now, will you stop screaming? We can breathe in this stuff, and I think it's actually breaking our fall. So, if you will shut up..." The alleged mother of Stormie, Foxfur, looked at Woodlock. His face was a Libyan shade of green (though she could not have known that). "I feel sick," Woodlock said, stating the obvious, inasmuch as he had just ralphed. Feeling a need to contribute to the conversation, Skywise said, "Not to cause undue concern, but I believe that we're about to hit... the... bottom!" His voice had just gone up several octaves, which actually stopped Cutter's screaming. With a loud and resounding "toggg," all five hit the hard ground that constituted the floor of Glue Fountain. It was a few minutes' wait before they were feeling ready to go again. *** Within Glue Fountain, there were many rooms. One of these contained the Unpleasant Rupture Geiser - a well-named fountain that spewed forth lukewarm, yellow-brown water. The majority of the Wolfriders were gathered there, but not by choice. Seven of the Chosen Eight were also with them, but not by choice. The two oppositional forces did, however, have a common cause to debate: the validity of the Wolfriders. "Yes, we are elves!" shouted Pike, who hated being insulted, "What else could we be - mushrooms?" Kureel, being the unofficial spokeself for the Gliders, replied, "I am not terribly pleased by your petty attempt at an insult. In fact, I find it rather offensive. Next time, 'elf,' be more careful with your language." He coughed sharply, and the sound resonated through the room. The now-furious Wolfrider retorted by bellowing, "My name's Pike!" Curiously, all was silent after that - they had hit a lull. So Pike struck up again with, "Well then, it looks like I'm going to have to tell my story!" Pike's Story "Longbranch, the one once known as Longreach - he was my idol. I admired him, I sucked up to him, I occasionally pulled pranks on him, but at least I wasn't the one who made him go over the edge. But Longbranch made me what I am today, and no one can take that legacy away from me. Really, I can be serious from time to time. You think I am kidding? Well, every now and then... Hey, stop that, Quickblade!" While Pike was off on his monologue, the irresponsible cub known as Quickblade was under restraining orders from his mother. The youth had tried to poke a Glider named Reevol (who, in 'Quiz, shares his name with his bond-bird) in the buttocks, and the Glider wasn't too happy about it. Leetah's intervention prevented any violence, sex, or mature situations from breaking out. Meanwhile, Suntop and Ember were just standing around and smiling inanely, behaving far too well for five-turn-olds. The majority of the Wolfriders were doing their typical, nonproductive things. Rain was swearing to himself, while pacing nervously in circles. As for Treestump, he was merely sitting on the edge of the Geyser by himself, trying to ignore Clearbrook's disturbing passes. Nightfall seemed to be acting in a peculiar way - the sleepwalking way - and was running around and about, trying to locate something, or quite possibly someone. None of the Wolfriders had seen Dewshine in several minutes, for they had adopted a laissez faire policy when it came to her actions. Then, Cutter and his companions showed up. Seeing a large portion of the tribe waiting around, he said, "A-a-a-ayoooah! How the heck did all of you get here?" Suntop, smirking, turned to his father, and said, "We don't know." He knew that none of the others understood how they had come, so they could not refute him. Choosing to make a rude, human-like comment, Hoodbearer said, "Like my human family always said, it's a long story, and nobody will stick around to hear it. How typical." She finished with a sigh, and glanced over to Foxfur. Realizing that a plot development could strike at any moment, Foxfur asked, "What, exactly, did you mean by that? I am very patient, what with being evil and all, it comes naturally." Kureel was quite tired of all this chatter. He screamed, "Come on, Wolfriders, we've got something more important to do. You're being held here because one of you managed to kill one of our bond-birds. Time for you to face the music. Now, come with me." He clenched his teeth - damn, these Wolfriders were stupid! -- Chapter 2: The GAME -- The Wolfriders would have referred to Voll as a "chief," but the Gliders, being the sophisticates of their day, called him "the CEO." However, the label did not matter all that much in the long run, for when the group of Wolfriders were brought before his throne, Lord Voll sat on his chair, motionless. (And I swear that this is not a Mixxzine plug.) "Hello?" Cutter asked, walking up to the pedestal where Voll was, waving his right hand, "Anybody there? I'm talking to you." Sidling up the stairs that linked the throne room to the dungeon, Winnowill appeared, dressed in an elegant green-lined robe. With the anti-healer was her lackey Tyldak, who, though he had been shaped to fly, looked a bit overweight. Calmly looking over the Wolfriders, Winnowill said, "I am terribly afraid that Voll is having trouble understanding you. But fear not, he will awaken shortly." An audible zap! was heard by all who stood there. When Cutter and the Wolfriders realized that Voll had just woken up with a start, they became slightly suspicious of Winnowill and her friend. "!Caramba!" Voll explained, but upon seeing his surroundings and his awaiting audience, he reverted back to the common elven tongue. "Good day. If... I may ask, what do you want? And is it Windkid's fault?" he asked, staring at the Glider Mads, expecting an answer. As becoming his habit - not that he wore one - Tyldak coughed abruptly. He hemmed and hawed for a few more seconds, and then dryly stated, "Nothing more than the usual, Voll. However, two members of the foreign tribe, the ones that stand before you, are being held captive at this time. Their crime is shooting Windkid's bond-bird Obob. We are gathered here today to discuss the question of what shall be the proper punishment." Cutter, who had been left like a statue only two Elf-Widths in front of Voll, began to worry. Though he wondered if he were interrupting, Cutter said, "Sorry to ask a question at this time... but shouldn't we not assume that Strongbow is guilty?" Feeling unusually meek, Cutter took a few steps backwards on his heels. Again sidling at an alarming speed, Winnowill walked right through the crowd of Wolfriders, up to Cutter, and caught him by the waist just as he was about to trip down the two stairs that marked Voll's pedestal. "Oh, we needn't worry about that, Cutter-dear. You just wait a few paragraphs, and we'll tell you exactly how this trial is going to go," she said softly, purring for him as she nuzzled in close. Just as Leetah started to run toward the delinquent healer, Voll said loudly, "As I was about to say... how about a pleasant, friendly game of tal?" He looked out on the group - all had stopped mid-movement. The Gliders' leader hoped that this was a good sign. Rain the healer suddenly jumped four times. "Sweetness!" he exclaimed, telling the others, "In my healer's pack, I brought my dice along. If you don't mind, I'd like to be the--" He was interrupted by Foxfur clamping her right hand over his mouth, and then, in SD-form, giving her hand signal of approval to Voll. The CEO, standing proud and smiling, said, "Please note that I said 'tal,' not 'taal.' You'll find this to be nothing like your stick game. And we kindly ask you to play by our rules, or else... Tyldak, pull the curtain." Taking his cue like a good boy, Tyldak pulled a cord that appeared just then, dangling from the low ceiling. A moment after he did that, the yellow backdrop behind Voll's throne went away, revealing a vast chamber of rotting corpses. "How tacky," Cutter said, mumbling to himself. *** After an hour or so, Redlance was up again, and though he had a bad limp in his left leg, he could walk. But right at the moment, he was standing still, and whispering, "Hold on a moment - I think we have another visitor." Looking like he could rip something apart, Redlance took a seat on the ground. Neither One-Eye or Dobil moved for the next thirty seconds, which was a rather difficult task, for they were at work on trying to strangle each other. Just as the two separately collapsed to the ground, they saw their next mystery guest. It was yet another male elf - but certainly no ordinary one. This youth had a wild, disheveled appearance, for he was clad in zwoots' hair, DIP hides, and some stolen human rags. And he didn't look especially happy. **This could be a problem,** Redlance sent to One-Eye, **Let's wait and see what happens.** Looking over the frightened trio, Starjumper thought, It's just as the Captive of Captives predicted. Most of the foolish elves have fallen into the pit, and these three are left. Well, it looks like it's up to me to take care of his business. Scampering forward by his hands and feet, the wild one howled, "Whooo yooooou? Want know!" Scratching his long mane of hair, he began to worry just where that exclamation had come from - how did I begin talking so strangely? As the wild cub stood there, pondering his own existence, Dobil could not help but glomp unto One-Eye. The alleged Go-Back whispered in terror, "Oh, man, this is not good. Help me..." "Harumph," grunted One-Eye in reply. He let Dobil cling to his right leg - it was better than having the idiot run into the humans' camp. I don't know exactly what's going on here, Starjumper thought, a malicious smile on his face, But they should be easily controlled. All we need right now is the Monster of the Day, and everything will be peachy, he realized, surprised at his own ability to decipher the workings of the plot. It was more than a coincidence that the monster showed up right then and there. From out of the depths of the Dreamberry Preserve(r)s came a large, ugly, slime-drooling, bipedal being that three of the four elves had seen before. It was... yet again... Madcoil. This time around, his head and eyes were covered by a shiny plate of metal, but besides that, he hadn't changed at all. One-Eye's fists immediately clenched up, his muscles became tense, and his teeth ground together - the elf was definitely pissed. "No need for mercy - I'm angry!" he shouted, yanking out a short sword that he had stashed in his belt, and leaping toward the new-and-improved Madcoil. Meanwhile, Redlance was in the middle of one of his patented panic attacks. Damn! he told himself, going through it all in his head, Where did my bow-and-arrow set go? I swear that I put it in my backpack - did I fall on it and break the thing? Maybe it dropped out of my pack... no, that's just plain goofy. It doesn't move on its own volition. Rummaging through his leather bag once more, Redlance threw out the rolls of toilet tissue, the distress-signal-sending cube, the life-size replica of Bearclaw's necklace, and the coil of coaxial cables. That done, he dug into the half-empty backpack, and after a nervous minute of sifting through the multiple layers of bubble wrap, he finally touched the cold wood of his bow. "Now... all I have to do is remember how to use it," he said quietly. Dobil, forgetting the basic principles of acting, stood as stiff as a stiff. On the other hand, Starjumper made for himself a soft seat on the ground. He wanted to see the re-equipped Madcoil in action, and he made no attempt to conceal it, pulling out a bag of popcorn from subspace. "Come on, Redlance!" One-Eye yelled at his fellow elf just as he dodged a swipe of the monster's hand, "I'm going to need a little help here! And if you don't, then just shut up and don't play." He snarled, and thrust his sword out in an attempt to hit Madcoil's midsection. Fortunately, the tree-shaper was ready. "I'm here to help," he said bluntly, and aimed right at Madcoil's totally unprotected, bulging... throat. He shot the arrow, then turned away immediately, afraid that he would be splashed by blood. One nervous moment passed. "Nice shot," said One-Eye, putting his sword back into place. He watched as the monster keeled over and hit the ground. Now that the crisis had passed, Dobil finally fainted. However, Starjumper started clapping enthusiastically. "Yay! More! More!" he shouted with glee - and then he grimaced. Why did I say that? he asked himself. "Harumph," One-Eye said again, "I suppose you want me to tell my story to you." Starjumper gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the victorious one. As Redlance stood around, shaking his head in confusion, One-Eye began his monologue... One-Eye's Story "Turns and turns ago... back when we didn't have all these fancy Sun Folk inventions... there was a battle between the Wolfriders and the humans. Well, one night, they caught us unaware - for we certainly hadn't expected them to attack during the Warming Nights, when most of us were long since wasted - and they managed to get away with a cub. It was in retaliation to some of Bearclaw's stranger attacks, but that's another story. Anyway, the cub was the product of my first Recognition with Clearbrook, and so you could say I was a little angry. To make a long story short, I followed the humans to their village. That wasn't the most brilliant move that I've ever made, because it wasn't long before they overwhelmed me with their overwhelming numbers. I sent to the tribe for help, but as Redlance can testify, that's usually an futile gesture. One elf did come to save me - it was Woodlock - but by that time, the humans had gotten the funny idea of trying to tape my eyes open. Anway, the rescue was more or less successful, but one of my eyes was slightly injured from their overuse of tape. So, I went to Rain for a healing... but somewhere in the operation, he made a 'mistake' and literally lost the eye. Last I talked with him, just before the first Madcoil incident, he still hadn't found my eye. Well... are you still listening...?" *** In Sorrow's End, things were getting a lot stranger. Not only had Newstar set fire to several huts and even caves, but Savah was still stuck on her long-distance sending. Both of these destructive events had driven a certain female Sun Folk over the edge. Ahdri, after glancing up to the ceiling to make sure that her first on-screen shot would be a good one, knelt down by the stone bed that Savah had been placed upon, and cried waterfalls. "Bwaaa ha ha," she blubbered, "bwaaa ha ha ha haaa." Standing but a single Elf-Width away, Sun-Toucher was on the opposite side of Savah's makeshift bed, and he was already beginning to explore her. "Oh, don't be silly now," he said in a deadpan voice, "You're not going to be the heroine of this series, much less a focal - if ditzy - character. On another subject, I have a feeling that if the plot is moving correctly, Savah will be back in action by the end of this book." "Sorry," said Ahdri, still prostrate, "I just have to get in a few lines... edgewise. This'll make a big impression on the audience. Anyway... bwaaaa ha ha! bwaa ha ha..." *** "You have been informed of the rules, Wolfriders," Voll said, letting the massive tome of regulations drop from his hands, "Now, let the GAME begin!" He smiled deliriously - as a Glider, it made him ecstatic to get others involved in the GAME. One hand went up in the crowd of Wolfriders. It was Skywise, who was glad to still have two hands. He asked, innocently, "What is 'the GAME'?" The stargazer did not realize that Tyldak and Winnowill were trying not to snicker. Unable to contain his excitement, Voll said loudly, "Everybody wants to play the GAME! It's the best form of amusement we have in Glue Fountain! Would you mind too much if we did a song-and-dance routine?" he asked sincerely, expecting the answer "no." Before anyone else could reply, Stormie coughed. "I'm afraid that you won't have time for that. This chapter is overdue for release, plus it's getting a bit too long." Feeling a rush of power run through her, Stormie wanted, then and there, to be a real self-insertion character. Voll, CEO of the Gliders, sighed. Sounding despondent, he said, "Very well then. Just get into positions, and try to remember the rules." Within minutes, the Wolfriders managed to organize themselves. Cutter was the self-appointed Head Attacker, Skywise the Secondary Attacker, and Dewshine was the Backup Attacker by request. For their defense, they chose to have Treestump as the Head Defender, Nightfall the Secondary Defender, and Leetah as the Backup Defender. Pike had been chosen to be their Referee, for he was not easily manipulated to turn against his team. The Gliders were also ready. They had put Kureel and Reevol the elf as the Head and Secondary Attackers, Tyldak and Aroree as the Defenders, Voll in the Referee's chair, and a couple of no-name elves in the backup positions. [Author's Note: Yes, they did get names on that Gliders poster, but I don't have it.] With a whistle from the two Referees, the game began. The players took positions on the life-size board, while Pike and Voll began to roll dice to determine which team had the initiative. Voll stopped rolling in about a minute - he knew the rules a little too well. However, Pike kept going. Five minutes went by, and he was still at it. Right about then, Kureel remembered his prior obligation to visit the bathroom. He said to Pike, "Just how long are you going to take?" rather impatiently. Not looking especially amused, Pike muttered, "A lot longer than it has to - if you keep on interrupting." Stormbringer sat down on her square. In the Earth dimension, it was only 1982, but Stormie had a special author-granted gift to see a few things ahead of time. One of those "things" was the obscure and short-lived Elfquest Role-Playing Game, an artifact which would not appear for a few more years in the Earth dimension. For lack of a better contrivance, the idea of the game popped into Stormie's head Athena-style, and she applied this bizarre knowledge to Pike's anal-compulsive behavior. "Excuse me," she said, quietly but firmly, "I don't think Chaosium will call for the use of quite so many six-siders." "What did I just say?" Pike said, looking a bit less happy, "Now let me finish! There's only twelve more modifiers that I have to take into effect." He scowled and looked back down at his dice. Voll sighed. He did not care much for the sometimes over-complicated rules of the GAME, but he couldn't allow himself to lose power and let Winnowill interfere. That was her evil way: she also said, "Everybody wants to play the GAME," but she cared nothing for the purity of the GAME. Seeing how the Wolfriders' Referee was struggling, Voll suggested, "May I allow another Referee to stand by and help you, or--" Pike had reached the end of his patience. He gritted his teeth until they were almost mush, and hit the ground before him, creating a "capow!" sound. He screamed, "Yes! Just go ahead. I don't play that. Farewell... you can all go to hell." Leaving the dice on the ground, Pike stomped away, heading toward the Geyser. Shrugging nonchalantly, Rain took Pike's place. He glanced over the calculations that Pike had etched out in the ground, and his eyes popped open. Twitching with shock, the delinquent healer asked, "Can anyone here help me? I think Pike took the 'three times' rule literally... and this is just a little confusing..." Rain, in front of the tribe, passed out. While Quickblade dragged Rain's body to Leetah, Pike grunted quietly. It's not fair to them that I have the record of winning four consecutive taal matches, that I taught the trolls all of Bearclaw's cheating techniques, that I revoked the ban of dreamberry alcohol at games, and that I taught my father everything I know, he said to himself. Several more minutes later, the GAME began. Even after all this time, Strongbow and Moonshade were still arguing in their prison cell. Cutter, who had the initiative, walked two steps forward. The next move was Reevol's, and that little-known elf sauntered right up to Cutter's flank. Then Kureel jumped in for a joint maneuver - which Voll swore was legal. "Great... what am I going to do?" Cutter asked of his tribe, hoping that they were listening. The two Gliders were in an attack position that he was sure would win the GAME for them. "Counter attack! Strike them down!" shouted a mysterious voice - one coming from the ceiling. As everyone suddenly looked upwards, the unseen voice continued, "I'm coming your way... whoooah! AAAHHHH--" -- Chapter Three: The Social Merry-Go-Round -- Nightfall sat down by the Geyser, shaking her head in dismay. "Damn," she said sullenly, "What just happened there? Remind me again?" she asked of anyone who would listen. "I sure don't know," Treestump said, sluggishly walking in her direction, "One moment we were having a nice GAME, and the next... someone falls through the ceiling, and - I think - the floor." He gazed back in the direction of the GAMEboard, but it was no use. The hole made by the falling being had wrecked half of the board... the Gliders' half. They had not been pleased to fly out of the way and postpone the GAME, but that was life... or so Treestump thought. Bobbing her head slowly, Nightfall replied, mumbling, "No one told me where Redlance was for seven full turns, and even now he seems to be 'elsewhere.' But that's nothing compared to this. It's a sick GAME, that's what it is! And if I have to play my turn once more - blam! pow! Fists will fly and foes will fall." Though just as distraught as everyone else, Cutter looked at Nightfall with pity. "Please," he said, "not now." He knew full well what she was like in these situations. Slightly startled, Treestump sat up and turned towards Cutter. Sounding less pathetic than moments before, he stated, "All I want to know is where Dewshine is. I think I lost her in the crowd somewhere." He tried to think back to when he had last seen her, but it was no use. From one of the passages near where Winnowill and Tyldak had been standing prior to the GAME, Dewshine appeared. "Ayoah," she said rigidly, "It appears that things have happened, and events have taken place. How fascinating. Now, will someone enlighten me?" "I'll try," Moonshade said, scratching the rough area one of the chains had made on her left wrist, "Most of the tribe reunited, and were forced by the leaders of this place to play some sort of 'GAME' for the freedom of Strongbow and I. From what I could see, it was interrupted by someone crashing through the ceiling, and so they decided to just let us go. Potential future charges are still pending, of course." Glancing over at her lifemate, who was silently fuming, she wondered if there was something they could do to break the tension. Stepping from out of the crowd, Stormbringer could clearly see just how displeased most of the tribe was. Trying to sound cheerful, the alleged daughter of Foxfur said, "Dewshine, why don't you tell us what you've been doing? Enlighten us." The young, blond elf felt uncomfortable, and though she walked toward the Geyser, she was visibly lost in thought. "I suppose I could," she stated hesitantly, "Well, here's my story..." Dewshine's Story "You know, ever since I got dropped into this place, I've had a very nervous feeling. Maybe it's the goo, maybe that Glue Fountain is strangely drafty... I don't know. Well, whatever it is, it probably has some sort of implication for me, and application for my life. Even so, the Gliders seem nice... yes, very nice--I can't describe it, just that they've been unusually friendly to me. Well, I'd rather not reveal anything more... and... um..." As Dewshine ran out of ideas, the quiet scene was broken by Tyldak making an entrance. The bird-like elf swooped over the hole in the ground, soaring in their direction... but all very slowly. Meanwhile, on the ground, Quickblade was standing several Elf-Widths behind the others, and he was preparing his mango launcher for one last launch. He fired, and hit. SPLAT! All the Wolfriders' eyes were quite suddenly on Quickblade, who was proudly standing beside his mango launcher. Unfortunately, "all" of them included Pike, who was not in his best mood today. Immediately, Pike ran from the Geyser towards the youth, lifted Quickblade one Elf-Width off the ground, and rang his scrawny neck. "Uuuhhh..." moaned Tyldak, now on the floor, "...Nasty. I *hate* mangoes!" He was quite a mess, and he had not thought to bring a towel with him. As Pike set the irresponsible one down, and went back towards the Geyser, Quickblade's parents stared at the cub. "You're gonna pay for this one... this time, cub," Leetah whispered, feeling ready to strange him herself. Just the, Winnowill sauntered in from the back tunnels. Still appearing just a bit too nice, she cooed, "Oh, I am sure the boy meant no harm. Right, Tyldak?" In response, Tyldak shook his curiously shaped head to disagree. Instantly, a zap! was heard as the winged elf's body shook rapidly, then toppled to the ground. Ignoring her unconscious hench-elf, Winnowill asked, "Now that that's taken care of, may I join in your discussion?" An idea came to Moonshade. Remembering her political ambitions, she exclaimed, "Just a moment ago, we weren't talking about anything in particular... but I'm about to change the topic to the Social Circle! It's a group that I founded several turns back, consisting of the females of my tribe. We haven't met, though, in two moons, four days, six hours, and... nine minutes. Anyway, if this is gonna happen, then the males have got to clear out!" She said these words with passion and enthusiasm - the Social Circle was the outlet for her frustration. The non-females characters surrendered, leaving in a quick procession - even Tyldak went, for Rain carried him. Since Cutter was the first to leave, Treestump jokingly remarked, "We... follow him!" Clearing her throat loudly, Moonshade began the meeting by presenting her mission statement to the many newcomers: "The Social Circle is now open for all. Though formerly known as Moonshade's Female-Oriented Organization to Promote the Aforementioned Founder's Future Queenship, I have changed my mind since that time. No platitudes will I give you, my sisters, for I still want to be Queen of the Wolfriders. However, the Social Circle is my more conservative means of accomplishing that goal." Most of the females present, even Leetah, applauded. Only two of the newcomers did not - Stormie and Hoodbearer. "And what do you two find wrong with that?" Winnowill politely asked of them. Hoodbearer's face twisted into a grimace. The human-raised elf stood and declared, "That's the worst thing I've ever heard - and humans say some pretty nasty stuff. You're a queen alright... and not in a good way. Call me anti-feminist if you want, but I'm not bowing down to one who thinks she's great. In short, either I will be heard, or I will not follow!" Though somewhere between dreamberry happiness and sleep, Clearbrook blurted, "Uh, who is that? Seems a bit angry, somehow," posing the question to all who might hear. Foxfur knew. She calmly replied, "Why, this young elf is called Hoodbearer. She's had a very interesting life thus far, and it just might get better from here on. For it just so happens that she's your daughter." It was a fact, and how could Foxfur withhold that truth? Something registered in Clearbrook's synapses. She gasped and said, "Oh my... I would not have thought. You know the saying 'As each star differs in brightness, so do the children of man'? It might be true," then shook hands with Hoodbearer, who was also standing after her speech, and said, "Congratulations, cub, and welcome to the family." Not feeling very well, Hoodbearer looked at Winnowill, who was just sitting around and looking smug. She nervously asked the anti-healer, "Do you know a human named Tabak?" Though Winnowill was worried about how this strange elf knew about the human slave, she responded, "Yes. Why?" Touching her own chin, she thought, This has become interesting, for certain - but now it's become dangerous for me. The daughter of Clearbrook continued, boldly, "Go and punish him - harshly!" She watched, and sit down, as Winnowill left to perform the task. Despite everything, tension still hung in the air. Always ready with a witty comment, Nightfall added, "Well, this is jolly fun! I see now how the Social Circle can change with just a few additions. How about a comment from one of our other new members - say, Ember or Stormbringer, or for that matter, what's Leetah thinking? As for myself, I just enjoy seeing all this unfold!" But the huntress was too late with her humor, for Stormie jumped up and declared, "Hoodbearer is right. It's time for a Social Circle revolution. I say *down* with the ambitions of Moonshade! Who's with me?" she demanded of the now-stunned others. "What the...?" Leetah exclaimed amidst the quarreling, "What's the point in this? So some are with the concept of queenship, and some aren't. I say 'so what?' Isn't our first objective to work together? Or what... is.. this-" Her voice faltered, for the discussion had devolved into a catfight. Apparently, there was a different purpose to the Circle. Before long, Moonshade, Nightfall, and Foxfur were brawling with Hoodbearer, Stormie, and Clearbrook. Unbeknownst to them, Ember, Dewshine, and Leetah snuck out just as the fight started. *** The males of the Wolfrider tribe had no Social Circle, but they had a few organized discussions of their own. These meetings were mainly about sports, females, fighting, or hunting, though they would occasionally get around to a more serious topic. Fortunately, Pike, Rain, and/or Quickblade were usually around to remedy that. When the three refugees from the other room came in, the males all groaned, and continued their chat (or IRC) in quiet voices. The only exception to this rule was that Skywise and Aroree were entertaining each other in a well-hidden corner. Also, Tyldak had finally come around, and for the moment, he was keeping to himself. Strongbow, still a bit unhappy after his prison term, stomped his left foot on the ground. He sent openly, **This place is making me sick, and so are all of you. I expected you to win me my freedom for good at the tal match. Now... who knows what will happen? Well, before something else does, I'm getting out of here.** He stood up and prepared to do exactly that. Always the practical one, Woodlock asked, "How do you plan to do that? We got in by falling down into a pit. The only sane way to escape is via the Gliders' bond-birds." **I do not think so,** Strongbow shot back. He scanned the room, then sent, **Tyldak! Tyldak! Listen to me and come over here.** The only thing Strongbow knew was that Winnowill's favorite victim had one too many secrets. This would not be for long. Tyldak walked over to Strongbow. Forcing himself to get uncomfortably close to the archer, he mockingly asked, "What is it that you demand of me, good ex-con, sir?" The Wolfrider was not amused. He wanted to kill Tyldak, but the flesh-shaped elf probably would have something intelligent to send before he died. **You, Tyldak, poop-pot of Winnowill, are going to tell me - here and now - exactly how I can get out of here,** he sent furiously. Let it be said that Tyldak was not without a temper. He told Strongbow in turn, "You're getting out of here, alright, when I say you can! In short, I don't think so. If we can come up with a few more charges, you're back to prison, and probably in the same cell as Windkid! So to avoid meeting the Captive of Captives, don't bother with our Doors!" All was silent. Strongbow fell to a kneeling position, then started sending as never before. Tyldak had spoken truth - the way out would require Strongbow to mentally convince the female Door to let him out. Ignoring the fact that Tyldak was walking away, Strongbow sent, **Fedoor! Wake up, you! Get me a way out of here.** With one exception, the entire Wolfrider tribe was inching away from Strongbow. **Think harder,** Fedoor bluntly replied. Barely bearing her mental insult, Strongbow answered, **I don't care WHAT Winnowill tells you! Just do your job. I don't have all day.** By this time, Skywise and Aroree had flown the coop, and Tyldak was stealthily leading Dewshine into another room. A moment passed, and then Fedoor blinked. She sent a small stone platform down toward the ground, not bothering to reply with words. Just as Strongbow was about to board Fedoor's platform, Moonshade raced into the room. Looking deathly afraid, she pounced upon her lifemate. In turn, Strongbow grimaced. A second later, both of them went on the mock elevator. No words were shared as they were lifted towards the surface. *** As One-Eye's story came to a conclusion, Starjumped started dashing around. The enigmatic cub shouted, in a voice that he hardly even recognized, "Why-yi stay he-here? Go, find glove!" He was ashamed - Why can't I get the message across? was the thought that tormented the young Starjumper. Redlance was also puzzled. He was beginning to see something a bit familiar in this peculiar cub - and despite his primitive aspects, the youth had a certain vivacity, a drive, a free spirit... Then it came to Redlance: just like Nightfall. But how? Why? When? With whom? he wondered. While the tree-shaper pondered, Dobil just sat still, trying to clear his head of all these lunatic adventures. He swore to himself that if one more thing happened, he'd have to... Suddenly, One-Eye whispered, "Shhh! Someone else is coming!" They became quite still - even Dobil. Poised to jump out, One-Eye stared into the bush, listening to his utmost. His expression turned from angry to deadly furious in an instant. Finding no more will to whisper, he then shouted, "It's the *traitor*! Yaaargh!" The disfigured Wolfrider, having identified his target with one hundred percent accuracy, burst into the bushes, charging after the retreating figure. He had waited long enough - and now his revenge would almost be complete. The others stayed where they were for a long time, not knowing what else to do... Only one thing was sure: One-Eye was going away from the humans' camp, and away from Glue Fountain. -- To be concluded in the next installment… -Alan Mirror: This compilation was done, by Alan (John Alan Riggs), on March 30, 1999. The usual disclaimers apply.