Well what do you know? MK finally has its stealth carpenters! For at least a year now there's been an 'in' joke around the guild that invisible lutins do the construction around MK while no one's looking. Never thought someone would actually make it actually happen! I have to ask where you got this idea, did someone tip you off or is it just a really amazing coincidence? Either way I found that I really liked this story as it's rare to find a comic relief character that is actually competent (even if it's by virtue of being incompetent). Excellent story that can stand on its own if need be, but can also easily be expanded upon. Kit <div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Dec 5, 2009 at 11:26 PM, Mythril Vulpes <<a href="mailto:mythril.vulpes@gmail.com">mythril.vulpes@gmail.com</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> Nunly's Lutins by Mythril Vulpes ------------ Part 11 - Recording the Story Mock tromped into the the Bookmaster's cave, carrying a large basket of feathers. He looked at the the load tally on the wall and smiled as he realized that this would be his last trip. He lost a bet with the Bookmaster and had to gather 20 loads of feathers as a result. "Here are the last of the feathers-ers-ers---AH-AH-ACHOO!" Mock sneezed with enough force to blow three small feathers out of his nose. "Why do you want these things, anyway?" The Bookmaster looked at the feathers that blew out of the basket and gave a low growl. "The good ones I can use to write with. The bad ones I stick up noses of dumb Lutins." Mock gave a low laugh. "I know a good use for feathers up the nose. Put them up Hognose's nose. You have any extra?" "Take some," the Bookmaster laughed, "but don't get caught. Hognose only likes jokes on other people. Ha." Mock laughed and said "I will. What are you writing?" The Bookmaster pointed to some animal skins hanging on a wall. Black marks on the skins were lined up across the skins, looking like rows of claw marks. Mock decided he liked the look of them, whatever they meant, and was looking for a way to take one without being noticed. Since he had been there before, the Bookmaster was keeping a sharp eye on him. "I like the ones that look like chippy-munk scratches." Mock said. "You know," the Bookmaster sighed, "if you would learn to read, you would know what was written down. Then, you would probably like it ever more. For instance, here I am writing down the history of our tribe since we came to this place. That's why I need a lot of quills, the long feathers, to do this. I believe that our learning how to read and write is so important, I call this the Time of the Quill." "Hey," Mock interrupted, "can you read me the story of Sir Heraldry again? Sir Heraldry want me and Goom to be his squirts!" The Bookmaster groaned "not again. Every since we opened that backpack and Wat-Chee found the book on knights, I have to read that book or another one like it every night. Why doesn't someone else learn to read around here? At least to give me a rest once in a while." "And besides," he continued, "Wat-Chee only listens to the parts he wants to hear, mostly about the knights jousting with each other on horses, or off performing some kind of glorious deed so that they name could be recorded in a book, or something. And now he wants to two to be his squirts! What's a squirt, anyway, and STOP TOUCHING THAT!" Mock yanked his hand away from the skin he wanted to take, and turned back to the Bookmaster. "Hey, your the one who grabbed all the books when we found the sack. And you seem to really like to help read those books on ale making for the Muddo every night, especially since she keeps filling your cup." "Hmm, yes, well, she listens when I read, and the ale is just for testing to see if the ingredients are right." A smile broke out on the Bookmaster's face as he thought about it. "And he should have the latest batch ready for testing tonight. Good old Sir Heraldry is going to just have to wait until tomorrow to hear about knights, and battles, and squirts, whatever they are." "Hey, ever since Sir Heraldry followed Nunly Cat through the fire rose, everyone thinks he is a real hero, just like the knights in the books. And to be a real knight, he need a couple of squirts to take care of his horses, and shine his armor, and carry his banner all around. He even said he would buy us a cup of ale for our work. That sounds like a good idea to us." The Bookmaster rolled his eyes. "He was lucky that he followed Nunly Cat. He probably wanted to throw him in the water again and Nunly Cat just got away. And he scared that poor human and his horse so bad the horse broke loose from the wagon he was pulling and drug the human away. Then he takes everything from the wagon, and gets lucky that the barrels contain ale making supplies. That is not enough to make him a knight, and if Chief Yammi finds him sneaking out of the valley again he won't live to be a night, or even live long enought to see the night. "Besides, he doesn't have a horse or armor, or even a banner." "Well, you could make one for him" Mock said, "so that I could be a real squirt and hold it for him." "It's not squirt, it's squire" the Bookmaster said through gritted teeth. " And I'm not taking time to make a banner for him if he can't even come and ask himself. I have readings to do for people." The thought of the ale maker's product made him lick his lips. "And I'm still working on writing down the history of our clan before we came here." "I bet if you read that, everyone would fall asleep" mock said. "What do you call that, the time of snore quill?" "Ha, ha" the Bookmaster replied. It may not be exciting to you, but this will be important someday. Especially if we can use it to figure out what happened to us. If we can figure that out, we just might have something." "Nobody will understand any of it, so why bother" Mock said. "Maybe you could call it quill-on-bird?" "Mock" the irritated Bookmaster replied, "put that DOWN." Mock dropped the skin he was looking at. "I am calling it the Pre Quill, and I don't need you to tell me if it is any good or not, because you are in it, so it must not be all that good." "Mock," came a horse voice from just outside, "Where are you?" "Goom, I'm in here!" screamed Mock. The Bookmaster pressed the palms of his hands against his forhead. Goom came rushing in breathing hard, plowing his way through the narrow passageways of skins. He skidded to a stop and socked Mock in the arm. "Mock, we have to get to the ale maker's right now. Sir Heraldry is there and wants us there right now. Big things are happening." Mock gave Goom a punch in the arm back. "What is going on?" "Someone gave Nunly Cat some of he new ale the Muddo made. He just lapped it up and then started meowing for more. So the put a big bowl in front of him. He drank it all, and started to walk around, but he was so drunk all he could do was stagger in a circle. Then he got the hiccups. Then, every time he hiccuped, a mouse would appear. So they gave him more ale to cure the hiccups, but he got drunker, and the mice got bigger. Sir Heraldry wants us to help get rid of the mice. Hurry." Mock smiled. "This is our chance to be heroes. Bookmaster, come with us so you can write down our story. We will be heroes." The Bookmaster just shrugged and said "Why not just let Nunly Cat eat the mice, anyway? He seems to like them well enough doing the day." Goom said excitedly "All Nunly Cat can do it lie on his back and hiccup. And sometimes he spins around and around in a circle. Makes me dizzy. When he looks at the ceiling and hiccups and a mouse just falls down near him. Hurry Mock, Sir Heraldry needs us." Goom exited the room at a run. "Come on Bookmaster, we are needed!" shouted Mock as he ran right behind Goom. The Bookmaster put down the quill he was waving and picked up one of the books on ales. This looked like a good night for reading and listening to new tales of the tribe. Well, with those two on a mission, this would probably not be a good night for quiet reading, but certainly a good night for tales. The Bookmaster looked at the last page of the Pre Quill he was working on. He sighed and put it away. Too much new was going on to worry about the past that few Lutins even remembered. It looked like the Pre Quill was done. Now, it was time for ale. _______________________________________________ MKGuild mailing list <a href="mailto:MKGuild@lists.integral.org">MKGuild@lists.integral.org</a> <a href="http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild" target="_blank">http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild</a> </blockquote></div> !DSPAM:4b1b8e13267461804284693!