Amorthon Blackwood

Beginnings

Dark. Unfamiliar. That was the sight that greeted the young elf. The boy groaned as he sat up slowly, his head pounding. Slowly, he turned glancing around trying to remember…anything. He wasn’t supposed to be here, or that’s what it felt like. It was…there were…others. Family? No…did he have a family? Why was he here? Alone. 

The boy’s breaths started to come in short rapid bursts as he backed up against a nearby tree pulling his knees to his chest, and wrapping his arms around his legs tight as he continued to look around, wide-eyed and panicked. Every noise startled him, every cracked branch, every low crackle. He leaned his head down, trying to stifle his small cries before voices in the distance drew his attention. “Oye! Weapons down, it’s not a beast or a poacher.” Tentatively, the boy lifted his head, glancing at the mail boots that had stopped in front of him and slowly letting his gaze wander up towards the man wearing the boots. “…Well, isn’t this an unusual sight? What’s your name boy?” “I…I don’t know.” “Family?” “I don’t know…” “Any clue where you came from?” “I don’t KNOW.” He looked up, his chin quivering. The boy took a steadying breath before letting his gaze drop once more as the man turned to his companions. “Well, nameless, no family, and no clue where he’s from. What do we do with him?” “…He wasn’t attacked?” “No, doesn’t look like it. No scratch marks or wounds might have a nasty bump on the head, given his confusion, but that’s all.” “Well, given the animals in this area, that says something about him, they tend to dislike intruders, regardless of size.“ One of the group, from near the back, stepped forward, a largely

The boy’s breaths started to come in short rapid bursts as he backed up against a nearby tree pulling his knees to his chest, and wrapping his arms around his legs tight as he continued to look around, wide-eyed and panicked. Every noise startled him, every cracked branch, every low crackle. He leaned his head down, trying to stifle his small cries before voices in the distance drew his attention.  

“Oye! Weapons down, it’s not a beast or a poacher.” Tentatively, the boy lifted his head, glancing at the mail boots that had stopped in front of him and slowly letting his gaze wander up towards the man wearing the boots. “…Well, isn’t this an unusual sight? What’s your name boy?” “I…I don’t know.” “Family?” “I don’t know…” “Any clue where you came from?” “I don’t KNOW.” He looked up, his chin quivering. The boy took a steadying breath before letting his gaze drop once more as the man turned to his companions.
  
“Well, nameless, no family, and no clue where he’s from. What do we do with him?” “…He wasn’t attacked?” “No, doesn’t look like it. No scratch marks or wounds, might have a nasty bump on the head, given his confusion, but that’s all.” “Well, given the animals in this area, that says something about him, they tend to dislike intruders, regardless of size.“ 

One of the group, from near the back, stepped forward, a large lynx at his side. He knelt down next to the boy, eyeing him critically as the lynx moved forward as sniffed the small, shaking elf tentatively, before rubbing it’s head against the boy’s. "And hell, if Gahiji likes him, he might just do well as one of us.” “We don’t give him a choice?” “It’s the Rangers or the orphanage…What say you boy?” Slowly, the boy looked up once more, reaching a shaky hand up to pet the lynx. “…I get to be with kitties?” “Maybe, depends on how you do.” “I’ll be alone?” “Eh…not really? That depends on, well it just depends.” “I…okay.”

The leader of the group sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Great, well, now that we’re taking in nameless orphans, you going to give him a name too?” “Might as well. He’ll need one.  Am..Amor? No, Amorthon. That works, don’t you think Gahiji? Amorthon. And what of the last name, hm?” “I…uh…I remember black…woods?” “Blackwood then. That works just fine.” He waited for the small elf to stand. “Don’t know what your name was before, boy, but from now on, it’s Amorthon Blackwood. Let’s get you back to the city, and we’ll see what happens from there.” The group turned, heading back in the direction they’d come from, the small boy holding onto the lynx for the duration of the trip.