This is only a partial fic.  It's not done, I don't know when
it will be.  This actually started out quite small, then swelled and
decided to suck out all my creative efforts for it.  So here's what
I have so far that I'm sending because no one else seems to actually
be sending any fics to the list.



The Lonely Little Boy


	"Oh, why are you crying?"
	The little boy sniffled and wiped his eyes.  "No one will play 
with me."  He could hear them outside then, laughing, having fun.  
"They said I was too little!"
	The little boy's mother knelt down and hugged him.  "Don't you 
worry.  You'll find friends that won't care how big you are.  That's 
when you know they're real friends."
	His mother's words made sense, but they provided little comfort.  
All he wanted were friends that he could play with.  He was so lonely 
in the small town; it wasn't his fault he was smaller than the other 
kids.
	"You run along now while I get dinner ready."  His mother hugged 
him again then released.  "Go on."
	He left the house, head down, avoiding looking at the other 
children playing in the large fields next to the village.  His 
destination was a place that was a little more similar to his mood.
	
	The woods, dark and foreboding, were sometimes filled with wild 
beasts.  That's what his mother had always warned him about, and he 
was never allowed to go into them alone.
	He sat under one large tree, looking glumly at a flower in his 
hands.  He was still alone, but here was no one to laugh at him here.  
There was only the dark tranquility of the woods.  And all he wanted 
were some friends.  Was that too much to ask for?
	He watched several birds in one tree fly back and forth, hopping 
from branch to branch in what looked like an entertaining game.
	He crushed the flower in his hand and threw it to the ground, 
once again looking at the ground in front of him.  This time, stray 
tears mixed in with the soil, and he couldn't help but hate himself 
for being such a baby.
	It was after a time, he didn't know how long, of self-pity, that 
he noticed the visitor.  The only animals he'd seen were the birds 
until now, and this was unlike anything else he'd ever seen.
	It rummaged around a base of a nearby tree, paying him no mind.  
It obviously wasn't afraid of people, but why hadn't anyone seen it 
before?  He stood up slowly and approached the animal.
	Only a few feet long with short tail, it walked on four stubby 
legs, its body covered with dull gray fur.  But as it walked into a 
patch of sunlight, it seemed to change color, almost sparkle in red 
and green highlights, a shimmer of purple splashed on it.
	He got closer still and extended his arm.  Only a foot away and 
it still wasn't reacting to his presence.  Another two steps and he 
was about to touch it.  His fingertips brushed the fur of its back, 
and that did it.
	With a squeal of surprise, it jerked away from his hand and 
began running as fast as its little legs would carry it.
	"Wait!" he cried out, then followed.
	The animal ran through the forest, dodging around trees and 
scampering through bushes.  He ran as fast as he could behind it, 
keeping its enigmatic gray fur in sight.  "Don't be scared," he said, 
trying to get it to slow down.
	Through another clump of bushes, he lost sight of the animal, 
but crashed through them anyway.  He burst out the other side and ran 
directly into a pair of robed legs.
	Falling backward and letting out an "oof!" in surprise, he 
looked up at the person he had just run into.
	A tall, thin man in long white robes, trimmed with blue and gold 
stood before him.  In his arms, he was holding the creature and 
stroking its back.  "And who are you to be chasing my friend?" the man 
asked.
	"I... I just wanted to pet it."
	"Ah.  Are you also a friend to the animals in these woods?"  The 
man's huge hat blocked out the sun that was behind his head.  He had 
kindly eyes and a warm smile.
	Unsure of how to answer, the boy nodded.  He wasn't really a 
friend, but he had never harmed an animal, and he liked to watch the 
few brave ones that showed up to nibble on the crops.
	"I can see you don't really understand what I mean.  Would you 
like to be a friend to the woods?" the man asked, still petting the 
creature in his arms.
	The boy looked at the man, then at the little creature, which 
appeared to be asleep and purring.  He nodded.
	"People, they respect nature, but they don't truly appreciate 
it," the man said, crouching down.  "There are powerful forces that 
work in nature to maintain a balance.  When you understand those 
forces, nature is your friend.  You'll never be alone."
	The man turned and took a step.  "Walk with me..."  He stopped 
and turned.  "What's your name?"
	"Ascot!"
	"Ascot, eh?  That's a strange name for a little boy.  Well, I'm 
Abaron.  I'm what uneducated people call a summoner."
	"A summoner?  What does that mean?"  Ascot started to follow 
Abaron as the man began walking deeper into the woods.
	Shaking his head, Abaron looked down at the boy.  "It's a name 
people give me..."  He raised his eyebrows looking at Ascot.  "Us?  
It's a name they give us because they don't understand the way the 
world works.  They don't grasp the idea that everything around them is 
alive, or I can tell you their lives would be much easier than they 
are."
	"So what are you then?"
	Abaron considered the question.  "I've never needed a title.  
It was always someone else calling me these things, trying to quantify 
what they don't understand...  Fools."
	As they continued to walk, Ascot realized he had no idea where 
they were, only that it was somewhere deep within the woods.  
"Abaron, how do I get back home?" he asked.
	"If you don't know, then it's time for your first lesson.  
You're sure you want me to teach you what I know?" Abaron asked, 
giving Ascot an appraising look.
	Ascot nodded enthusiastically.
	'He doesn't even truly know what I'm asking,' Abaron thought.  
"Close your eyes," he said.  "This will make it easier in the 
beginning."
	Ascot closed his eyes and waited.
	Abaron watched the boy stand there.  He wondered how long it 
would take.
	Still he waited.  Why he was supposed to wait, he didn't know, 
but he couldn't ask in case Abaron was in the middle of some 
important ritual or spell.  So he continued to wait.
	It had been a long time since he had done it, and Abaron just 
hoped he remembered how.  It had been second nature so long, to 
actually stop and think about what he was doing was a near 
impossibility.  "Tell me, do you feel anything?  A heat or a force of 
some sort?"
	Ascot furrowed his brow, trying to feel something.  If that was 
all it was then it should have been so simple, but there was nothing.  
"No, I don't."
	"Have you ever laid in a field and looked up at the sky, and you 
felt like you could just stay that way forever?  Have you ever felt 
that kind of perfect tranquility?" Abaron asked quietly, capturing 
the feeling for himself.
	Ascot nodded.  "Yeah, all the time."
	"Imagine that then.  Find that feeling because that's what it 
is.  That peace is a little sliver of the harmony in nature.  All you 
need to do is hang on to it."
	Peace?  He could do that.  All he had to do was think of the 
times in the house when his mother would be baking desert.  The smell 
in the house that seemed to cling to their clothing long after the 
food had been eaten.  Being tucked into bed at night, his father 
ruffling his hair and his mother kissing him on the forehead.  And 
laying in that field after the others had told him to leave, looking 
up in the sky...  Peace.
	Ascot opened his eyes and looked around.  He had expected there 
to be some revelation, some difference in the world, but things looked 
the same.
	"Do you feel it?" Abaron asked.  "Did you find it?"
	"I think so, but..."
	Abaron laughed aloud.  "But nothing's different?  That's it, 
isn't it?"
	Ascot nodded, surprised by Abaron's reaction.
	"Well, that's one of the tricky things.  Walk around a little 
and see if you notice any difference."
	Very confused, Ascot did as his tutor said.  Immediately, he did 
feel the difference.  It was only slight, but there was a difference.  
"I feel... I feel..."
	"Light?  Like you could walk forever?" Abaron asked, generally 
amused.
	Ascot nodded.  "How did I..."
	"You're not fighting your environment.  You're cooperating, or 
it's cooperating with you.  But think of it like the wing of a bird, 
formed to cooperate with the air to help it fly.  You're doing 
something similar.  Do you see what I meant about it making people's 
lives easy?"
	Ascot nodded and closed his eyes again.  If he relaxed, it 
almost felt like he was floating.
	"Watch it there, Ascot.  Don't take off on me," Abaron's voice 
warned.
	Ascot opened his eyes and found that he, indeed, was floating.  
His eyes opened wide as he looked down at the ground five feet below 
him.  "How did I get up here?  How do I get down?  What's going on?"
	"Settle down.  If you get too worked up, you'll break your 
connection.  You don't want to fall, do you?" Abaron asked, much in 
the same way Ascot's father gave him those subtle warnings.
	He shook his head and tried to not panic.
	"Just will yourself to return to the ground.  It works both 
ways.  You can cooperate, or you can fight it.  It doesn't care for 
the most part.  Just don't disrupt the balance."  Abaron watched 
Ascot lower himself, and smiled.  "Excellent.  You're a fast learner."
	Feeling his feet on the ground, Ascot breathed a sigh of relief.  
That had been exciting, but scary.  It wasn't... natural for someone 
to be floating like that.  Yet, it was, because he had just done it 
without any sort of assistance.
	"Do you like that feeling?  That you can do almost anything if 
you will it?" Abaron asked, eyeing Ascot.
	"I can?  How can I get friends?"
	Chuckling slightly, Abaron shook his head.  "All you have to do 
is want it."
	"Want it?  But I *do* want friends," Ascot said emphatically.
	At that moment, a small bird landed on his shoulder and began 
chirping happily.
	"There.  You see?  You've made a friend already.  You only need 
to look and you can find anything you need."  Abaron set the animal 
in his arms on the ground.  "So if you want to find your way home, all 
you have to do is..." He shrugged.  "Look.  Ask.  You'll find it."
	"I... I want to go home."
	Abaron gave a short bow and stepped back.  "As you wish."
	The bird on Ascot's shoulder suddenly took wing and landed on a 
branch in a tree ten feet away with a group of birds that were already 
gathered there.  He looked back at Abaron, who urged him forward with 
a nod.
	"Go on.  You wanted to go home, they'll show you."
	Ascot looked back at the birds, who were twittering happily.  As 
he got closer, they flew to another branch and waited for him to 
follow.
	"You know the way back," Abaron called out, already having 
disappeared back into the trees.
	On the way back through the woods, the birds gradually parted 
ways with the little boy, but were replaced in part by a host of other 
animals.  Even the thing he had chased after was there.
	It was a strange procession that traveled through the woods.  As 
the woods began to thin out, the small houses of the village visible 
through the trees, Ascot's friends departed.  As he emerged from the 
trees, Ascot was alone once again, but this time, he knew he didn't 
have to be. 
	"Did you have a good time outside?" his mother asked as he 
walked in the house.
	"Yeah!  I made a new friend!  See!"  Ascot held out the creature 
for his mother to see it.  She would like it; it was so cute.
	She turned and looked at what he was holding.  The small smile 
on her face slowly shifted to fright.  "What... what is that?"
	"He lives in the woods!"
	"Get it out of here," she whispered, backing away slowly.  
"That's a monster.  Get it out of here."
	"But he's my friend..."
	"No.  Get that out of here and don't bring it back.  I don't 
ever want to see you with that again."  She stared at the animal, 
which stared back at her, its eyes gleaming in the light from the 
window.  	"But I..."
	"I said get it out!"
	Ascot looked stricken with the banishment of his friend.  "He's 
my friend..." he whispered and slowly walked out of the house.
	Outside once again, Ascot set his friend on the ground.  "You 
have to go away now.  My mother doesn't like you.  She doesn't want me 
to have friends."  He watched the animal sit down at his feet, and 
frowned.  "You have to go.  Go back home."
	It wasn't moving, having decided that the little boy was a nice 
enough companion.
	"Hey, look what Ascot's got!"
	Cringing, Ascot looked over at the group of larger kids walking 
toward him.  The one that had called out was the oldest (and biggest), 
and he was the self-appointed organizer of the games.
	He was also loud, rude and a bully.  Ascot didn't like him very 
much.  "I don't have anything."
	"Oh, look!  It's so cute!" one girl said and crouched to pet the 
animal.
	"Don't touch him!  He's my friend!"
	All the other children looked at Ascot strangely.  "Your friend?  
It's just a stupid animal."
	"He's not stupid!  Don't call my friend stupid!" Ascot yelled, 
and went to pick up the animal, but he was shoved back.
	"We want to see the rat too."  And with that said, they all 
gathered around the animal, now frightened and looking for an escape 
among the legs of the children.
	"I want to pet it!"  "What is it?"  "Look at its fur!"
	With a squeal of terror, the beast reared up on its hind legs, 
causing all the children to jump back in surprise.  Before they could 
recover, it was running off toward the trees.
	"Wait!" Ascot called out, but it was too late.  He stood up, 
covered in dirt, and ran to follow his friend. 
	It had been a fruitless search.  His friend was gone, frightened 
off by the other kids.  And it was getting dark, and he needed to get 
home...  Everything Abaron had told him was forgotten.  He was simply 
too upset.
	Finding his way back, when he emerged from the woods to see the 
village nearly destroyed.  He stopped, staring wide-eyed at what was 
left of the homes closest to him, his own included.  And then he heard 
the roar.
	From the other side of the village, currently tearing its way 
through a house, was a large reptilian looking beast.  If Ascot wasn't 
mistaken, it looked related to his little friend that had run off 
earlier, just a larger, meaner version of it.
	Watching dispassionately, unable to feel any emotion, Ascot 
walked closer to get a better look at what was going on.  He walked 
past the remains of one house, fires burning amidst the wreckage, and 
ignored the person half crushed under the heavy beams that had 
supported the roof.
	Around him, hysterical villagers ran, some carrying torches, 
others with swords, all completely unhinged.  None of them gave him a 
second glance.
	The monster roared again and ripped a roof off a house with its 
powerful claws.  Screams of pure terror reached his ears, and inside 
the house, he could see several people trapped as a wall collapsed.  
It was revealed then the source of the monster's rage.
	There were three of them, the mother, the father and the boy.  
And in the boy's arms...
	It loomed over them, howling in outrage, revealing a mouth of 
sharp teeth.  They were frozen in fear, unable to do anything other 
than scream in pure terror.  The boy's arms were locked in place, and 
the creature held in them managed to squirm free.
	That was just before, with one powerful swipe of its claws, they 
were obliterated in a spray of viscera.
	He was poised in position of denial, the word 'stop' dying 
before he had even begun to speak it.  Ascot stood in place, mouth 
opening in disbelief at the act of carnage he had just witnessed.
	Frightened by the experience, the little creature ran over the 
remains of the wall, avoiding its "mother", and ran straight at Ascot.  
It made a running leap and landed right in his arms, snuggling against 
his filthy shirt.
	In an abstract way, Ascot was petrified.  But otherwise, he was 
pretty much fine.  The huge monster thundering toward him was... 
intimidating, the way it looked like it could crush him under its 
foot, but he was waffling between being extremely frightened and not 
scared at all.
	And still, under everything, he was afraid.  He didn't want to 
die like those people.  He hadn't done anything.  He just wanted to 
live.  Ascot closed his eyes.
	The deadly attack never came.  He squeezed his eyes shut so 
tight, there were spots in his vision, but he never felt the pain that 
he had been expecting.  After moments of hearing only a muted rushing 
in his ears, he opened his eyes.
	Directly in front of him, peering down, was the monster.  It was 
much subdued, only looking at him with what seemed to be curiosity.  
It lowered its head and thrust its great snout at him, breathing warm, 
moist air on him.
	Ascot flinched away as it came closer and nudged its smaller 
friend in his arms.  His gaze was focused on the creature in front of 
him so he didn't see the other villagers gathered around, staring at 
the scene.
	The creature nudged him again, this time pushing him back a 
step.  The little one in his arms made a quiet mewling noise, then 
pushed off his chest and leapt onto the head on of its rescuer.
	Giving one final roar of approval and warning, it suddenly 
sprinted out of the village and back into the woods surprisingly 
quickly for something so large.  And that was it.
	Ascot realized he had been holding his breath a inhaled deeply, 
his whole body trembling.
	"He did it!" a shrill female voice yelled at.  "It's his fault!"
	Looking around at the ring of people that had gathered, Ascot 
located the woman who had yelled.  She was battered and had an ugly 
wound on her arm.  "But I..."
	"He brought it to the village!" the woman yelled, her eyes 
holding only hatred and rage.
	"I didn't!  I just..."
	A man, a sword held in one hand, cut him off.  "He must have.  
It didn't kill him even when he was holding that monster!  It's all 
his fault!"
	And then, even some of the other children started.  "We saw him 
with it the other day.  He must be the monster's friend!"
	"But I just..."
	"His own monster even killed his parents!" another man yelled.
	Ascot was overcome by disbelief.  His parents had...  And they 
thought he had done it?  Disbelief was soon replaced by sorrow, and 
tears formed in his eyes.  "It's not true.  They're not..." he said 
quietly.
	"Little monster.  It's all your fault!"  The circle of people 
around him started to shrink as they closed in, all with murder in 
their eyes.
	Looking around him desperately, his vision blurred, Ascot didn't 
see a way for him to escape.
	"I should do to you the same thing that thing did to my wife," 
one man hissed at him, waving a short sword at him.
	Clenching his fists, Ascot released a sudden scream of grief and 
fear.  That had the unexpected effect of making the villagers back up 
a pace, real concern on their faces for what he might do to them.
	That left enough space for Ascot to run through, past all the 
people, and escape to the woods, blinded by his tears.  He couldn't do 
anything about it at the moment, but he promised to return later and 
see if it was true about his family.
	That was for later though.  Hiding from the people that were 
after his blood was the important thing at the moment.  He crashed 
through the bushes and knocked aside branches, but he could hear them 
following.
	Trying to prevent panic from overwhelming him, Ascot leaned 
against a tree and took some deep breaths.  Yet even that moment of 
respite was destroyed by the shouts and sounds of people trampling 
through the forest.  And the only thing he could do was run; they were 
far too overcome by their need for vengeance to listen to anything he 
had to say, not that they'd believe him anyway.
	He started running again, not sure of where to go.  He only knew 
of Abaron who lived in the woods, and even then, he didn't know where 
that was.  All he could do was run.  And hope.
	It had grown dark impossibly fast, and that was somewhat in his 
favor because he'd be harder to find; it was also a problem because he 
couldn't see in the dark.  It was no easy task to run through the 
woods in the night, especially when he was so desperate and on the 
verge of blind panic.
	Ahead of him, through some trees, a small beacon of light 
appeared.  Ascot feared that he had mistakenly gone around and those 
were in fact the people from his village, but...  NO, he could still 
hear them behind him.
	If the light wasn't a definite enemy then it would do no more 
harm to run to whoever was holding it.  With nary a second thought 
about the consequences, Ascot ran as fast as he could.
	He had only made it a few yards before his foot got caught on a 
root and he tumbled to the ground.  A long gash opened up on his arm 
as it got raked along a pointed bit of a tree stump and his head 
struck a rock partially embedded in the ground.  There was a sharp 
pain on his forehead followed by a black void.

	The group of intrepid men with their weapons came across Ascot's 
prone form.  "Take him back to the village!  We'll make him answer for 
what he's done!" the man in the lead said loudly, looking with disgust 
at the boy.
	The others with him gave a ragged cheer, happy mostly that they 
wouldn't have to be running through the woods any longer, but pleased 
that they had caught the boy.  They would be considered heroes back in 
the village.
	A pair of men, after sheathing their swords, made to lift the 
boy between them.  They would not take the risk of only one man in 
case the little demon child woke up and managed to subdue a single 
captor.
	As the first man grabbed one arm, the roar they were horribly 
familiar with filled the forest around them.  Out of the darkness, 
eyes glowing like the fires of hell, loomed the creature.  It roared 
again, its mouth wide open and ready to bite down on the head of the 
closest man.
	He pulled back just in time to feel the rush of air expelled 
from the creature's mouth as it snapped its jaws shut.  Before he 
could witness the spectacle a second time, he was off and running back 
the way the group had come.
	Soon enough, the others followed, willing to leave the boy to
the will of the monster.  It would simple enough to say they found his
body on the ground and being hovered over by a bloodthirsty beast.
Yes, quite simple.
	They didn't witness the creature curiously sniff at the
unconscious boy's body and gently lift him in its mouth.

	...

	"It's good to see you're awake.  That was a rather nasty cut
on your head."  Abaron poured a cup of steaming tea and set it on the
small table next to the bed.
	Ascot sat up slowly, feelign the bandage on his forehead.  His
head was hurting, but aside from that, he was merely... confused.
"How did I get here?"
	"Last night, you were brought here with a large wound on your
head and arm.  I bandaged them up and put you to bed.  I'm surprised
you're up this early actually."  Abaron checked the bandage on
Ascot's arm.  "I thought it was too late to return you home.  You can
go back when you're up and around."
	The sudden look on Ascot's face was worrying.  evidence that
the injuries weren't just onnocent accidents.  Abaron sat on the bed.
"A problem, I can tell.  What happened?"
	"L... last night.  In the village, there was a mon..."
	Abaron closed his eyes.  "You don't need to say anything
more.  I think I have an idea."  When the unconscious boy had been
dropped off, he had used his "talents" to discover the events of that
night.  The worst had happened to the boy.
	"Do you want to go back to the village?" Abaron asked,
looking down at the stricken boy.
	Ascot shook his head.  "I don't ever want to go back there.
They... they were going to..."
	"Don't say it.  Fear can be an overpowering thing.  If they
had time, they wouldn't have..."  Abaron trailed off, not believing
his own words.  Those villagers were ignorant and fearful.  They would
destroy anything that threatened them, real or imaginary.
	He sighed and shook his head.  "If there's somewhere else you 
can go, I'll see that you get there."
	By the look of misery on Ascot's face, Abaron could tell he had 
nowhere.  "Or... I've been... looking for an apprentice," he offered.  
"I've already shown you the beginning..."  How could he deny someone 
in need, someone where he had ultimately been the cause of their 
misery?  He hadn't been lookign for any sort of apprentice, but...
	This was a delicate subject he was breaching, and the morning 
after such a horrible incident was not the best time to be doing such 
a thing.  "But that is neither here nor there at the moment.  Rest is 
most important now."

	...

	"Three of them?"
	"Of course three of them!  That's the only way you'll ever 
learn.  Do you want to be playign childish games forever?"  Abaron 
looked sternly at Ascot and folded his arms.
	"No."  Ascot took a deep breath.  "Three..."  He closed his
eyes and held out his hands.  Neither was necessary, but it helped him
to concentrate, maintain his focus.  And then he concentrated.  His
previous best had been two, and that was with much effort.  Three
seemed impossible.
	"Once you master the basics, everything else will be as simple
as addition and subtraction.  Everythign is composed of the most
simple bits of knowledge," Abaron droned on.
	Three of them.  Why it was more difficult to manage three than
two, he didn't know.  It was just a matter of... snagging the proper
energies and manipulating them.  In fact, Abaron had likened it to
fishing, throwing out a hook and trying to snag a fish on it.
	Abaron was a master; when he threw out his line, he always
caught a fish.  Ascot was merely a beginner and still working on
catching somethign other than a minnow.
	There it was.  And then came teh hard part.  The whol process
was liek one of those frustrating carnival games, attempting to
manipulate several things at once and get them to do what he wanted.
	"I told you, once you have the basics, it'll all get easier,"
Abaron said, interrupting his concentration.
	Ascot opened his eyes to see the three heavy boulders floating
a bare inch off the ground.  He could almost see the little spirals of
energy that supported those rocks, like golden springs, coiled
tightly.
	"I did it," he said breathlessly.  Abaron always warned him to
not hold his breath while concentrating, but he did the task teh same
as a physical one, and that included holding his breath when he was
really straining.
	As he watched, the rocks seemed to quiver, and within moments,
they sank slowly back to the ground.  Neither observer was
disappointed.
	"Excellent!  You see?  Each time it gets easier.  Try two now;
it should be simple," Abaron said happily.  He had never attempted to
actually teach anyone the things he knew, and he was finding it had a
rather refreshing feel.
	Nodding, Ascot closed his eyes.  Two.  He wasn't exactly as
confident as Abaron about the ease at which he'd lift the rocks, but
it kind of made sense that iy should be easier.
	"What did I say?  It gets more natural with every effort.
Every step up in ability, the things you already knwo become that much
easier."  Abaron clapped Ascot rather roughly on the shoulder.
	He admired the two boulders floating a good three feet in teh
air.  "It looks like you've passed this test.  Are you ready to go on
to more complicated things?"
	Ascot nodded, willing the boulders to rise another foot into
the air, which they did, then lower themselves two feet.  It had been
so easy, he hadn't even realized he had done it until Abaron had said
something.
	And now, somethign more complicated.  "Like what?"
	"Like the final piece.  There's really not much to know when
it all boils down.  More than wielding magic, it's simple
understanding, awareness.  Once you're aware of the potential in all
things, you can easily take advantage of it."  That hadn't come out
quite right, but tryign to explain somethign that was magic, but
wasn't was not an easy task.
	"You remember the bird on the first day?"
	"Yeah, it landed on my shoulder.  And they led me back home."
	Abaron nodded.  "You wanted to go home and they led you.  Do
you see the connection?  A single bird isn't much of a friend, but it
does make an adequate companion."  Abaron smiled.  "We all have to
start small, so now try something... larger."
	"Try?  But how do I..."
	Shaking his head, Abaron stood up.  "How?  You just do it.
You want something, you ask for it.  I've told you this before.
Liftign boulders is simple compared to coaxing a ferocious beast to be
your friend.  Or even a bird.
	"Ask, and maybe, just maybe, you'll get a response.  The more
you practice, the better you get, the more influential your requests
will be.  Do you understand now?"
	Ascot nodded his head slowly.  This wasn't a test of his
skill, which Abaron insisted wasn't really magic, but of his... faith?
Guts?  Heart?  A test of whatever made him a person then.  He could do
that; he had to do it.
	He let the two rocks drop back the ground and closed his eyes.
It was important to him to close his eyes when he didn't know what he
was really supposed to be doing.  All Abaron had said was that he
should ask for it, but ask for what?  Ask who?
	It couldn't really be as simple as wanting a monster to stop
by and say hello.  He had to coax one.  Well, maybe that meant he
should start small and get another bird.
	Again, it was like Abaron could read his mind.  "I'll warn
you, there's a difference between just getting a rabbit to eat out of
your hand and actually calling something... significant."  He looked
down at Ascot, the gold hoops in his ears reflecting the midday's sun.
	"You mean like what I found in the woods?"
	"Sort of."  The destructive power of the beasts he often
called upon was tremendous, and sometimes, they got out of his
control.  It wouldn't be good to have a little boy letting loose
monsters like that.  "But," Abaron continued, furrowing his brow, "You
don't have the ability to control such things yet.  If you try such a
thing, you might get hurt."
	"But it was..."
	"It was young and it didn't mind you.  If you can't control
what you're doing, whatever appears might not be happy to see you.  It
might decide you're a nice bite-sized morsel.  Think about the power
you have before you decide it's a neat little toy.  Even the best,
most powerful person in the world can be killed by his own
foolishness."
	"Rabbits?" Ascot asked sheepishly.
	"Rabbits," he was answered.  "I have no doubt in your desire
to learn or your potential ability, but right now, that's all it is.
Potential will not save you from being eaten by an angry bear, let
alone a beast."
	"I understand."
	"Do you?  Exceed your limits and you'll find yourself dead.
Look at my mistake.  Your village was partially destroyed because of
my error.  Do you want that to happen?"
	There were tears shimmering at the corners of Ascot's eyes.
"No."
	"Good.  I don't want to see that happen either."  Abaron
sighed and rubbed his forehead.  Kids were too much work.


[BUNCH OF UNFINISHED STUFF HERE]

***

	He didn't really like any of the people at the castle, but 
Zagato had promised that no one would harm or bother him and his 
friends as long as he did a few favors for him.
	He hadn't seen any harm in doing those favors when Zagato had 
explained the situation.  They were mostly villages who were hostile 
toward his friends, and Zagato, and would take away his sanctuary if 
given the chance.  He didn't really like killing people, but sometimes 
his friends got carried away.  Besides, those people had never done 
anything for him.  They had cast him aside and hurt his friends.
	And as he watched each village be crushed, he thought to 
himself, the thoughts of no little boy, 'Momma, Poppa, Abaron... they 
hurt my friends.  I don't know what else to do.'
	"And what are you still doing here?  Don't you have something 
better to do?"
	He looked up, bangs hanging in his eyes.  "I guess."
	"If Zagato finds you here, he'll be upset."  Caldina approached 
the boy, curious how he could be powerful enough to help Zagato.
	"I know, but..."  Ascot hung his head again, unconcerned by the 
threat of Zagato's anger.
	Caldina stood in front of him, hand on one hip, and stared 
critically.  "How did a pouting child come to be part of Zagato's 
army?"
	"My friends," Ascot answered sadly.  "He wants my friends to 
help him, and I... I don't have anywhere else to go."
	The little half-smile on Caldina's face disappeared.  It really 
was just a little boy.  She had been expecting some powerful wizard in 
disguise, but this was no wizard.  "Don't you have a family you should 
be with?"  She sat slowly on the rough stone next to Ascot, the soft 
gurgle of water the only other sound in the room.
	He shook his head slowly.  "They're dead.  The only ones that 
care about me now are my friends.  And Zagato."
	'And neither does he, kid.'  Eerily, Caldina found herself 
acting... compassionate.  It was creepy.  "None of us here are your 
friends?"  Stupid question.  Of course they weren't.  Why would a 
little boy want a bunch of power-hungry, violent weirdoes, and one 
beautiful, charming dancer as his friends?  And vice versa.
	"Nobody here likes me, but I don't care.  I don't need any more 
friends.  I just need a place where no one will bother us."
	"Hey, the world's not that bad.  And once Zagato has his way, 
I'm sure no one will bother you."  Caldina smiled.  'And I'll be 
rich!'
	"Or my friends."
	She blinked.  "Huh?"
	"No one will bother my friends either."
	"Oh, yeah.  Right.  You or your friends."  They sat quietly for 
a bit.
	"All I wanted was to have friends like everyone else," Ascot 
suddenly blurted out.  "I didn't want anyone to die!"
	Caldina's gaze softened.  'Poor kid.'  Though her nurturing 
skills were lacking and she wasn't sure what to say, she tried anyway.  
"Hey, it happens.  Things don't always go the way we planned them.  
Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to."  Maybe she wasn't 
too bad at this stuff.
	She put her arm around his shoulders.  "Look, kid, if you need 
someone to talk to, you can talk to me.  I'm a long way from home and 
don't really have friends here either."
	Ascot wiped one voluminous sleeve across his eyes.  "Oh... 
okay."




----------
Obviously, the first bit takes place before MKR starts.  It's a character
pice; what can I say?  Everyone and their mother has written about
the girls (and you know, I don't find them all that interesting), but
the "villains" seem to be lacking stories.

Any MKR fans who make it this far and have found horribly glarign errors
that make me look like a rank amateur in MKR knowledge, let me know.
I'm trying to do something different, but even the best MKR pages don;t
tell me everything.  (Yes, I've seen MKR, but there's always questions)