MoortalkombatIII

HIS ANIMALITY IS COW!!!!!!!!

Be confident.

Be assertive.

Do not show fear.

That mantra had always served Moo (Moor'tal K. Ombat the Third, Esquire thank you very much) well as he embarked on his journey away from the hot, ash-filled lands of his birth. His parents had talked about leading their sizeable heard through many adventures as they traversed through Sornieth, and he wanted that sort of glory for his own. Though it would be ideal if he stood at the head of a herd large enough to rival that of his parents, Moo knew that building that up would take time that he could not afford to waste. Moo would rather the platitudes and praise be immediate. As such, taking up the position as an advisor to a King or an Emperor would suffice. Though he knew that his tutors muttered about him not being the smartest of the bunch, Moo could easily brush those aside. What did those stuffy dragons know anyway? He'd much rather trust his father's advisors and the servants who were his companions who always had such pretty words for him. They obviously knew greatness when they saw it.

When he came of age, Moo decided that it was time to make his mark on the world. It didn't matter that his parents had shared a brief moment of unease between them at the announcement, they surely been only devastated at his leaving, Moo dug his heels in and was determined. His mother had packed him some of her homemade treats and kissed his cheek while his father and given him that mantra. Moo, on his part, had promised valiantly to uphold those words but unfortunately, as his journey dragged on it was getting harder and harder to do.

Like when he had fallen off the ferry taking him across the Sea of a Thousand Currents (how was he to know that they were still in the shallows and that he could have just stood up).

Or when those Spirals in the Wispwillow Grove had stolen the clothes off his back (they claimed that the ones given in exchange were made out of thread so fine that commoners could not see it).

Moo ended up in the Everbloom Gardens, and though the Clans were kind to him there, they were small and not up to par. None of them seemed to have any ambition. "Speak to the Tree Wardens. Maybe they'll know of a Clan that you can join. There are more of us living in the Wilds or near the Behemoth, but those are ancient clans and much larger." Moo had taken those words to heart and had approached a passing Tree Warden. He wished the Wildclaw hadn't smiled at him so nastily when he had conveyed his request.

Now he was standing before a Tundra and a Mirror trying to stiffen his spine and keep his chin up, but that was so hard to do as the Tree Warden's laughter rang in his ears.

"So many neighbours and he chooses this Clan as some sort of halfway home." The Tundra grumbled, staring at the Wildclaw's retreating figure balefully. That green glare turned to him, and Moo tried not to flinch. "What's your name boy?" He barked, even though Moo's letter of introduction clearly stated the fact.

"Moo...Moor'tal...Moortalkombat?" The Mirror female was at least gentler though she gave him a quizzical look as she read out his name. "Are you a warrior? We could use more trainers, don't we Thereos?" She flipped his letter back and forth in her claws. "But I do not see your references. Where did you train? Shall we take a trip to the Mire and you can show me your skills?"

"Trainer? I do not lower myself to fight the Beastclans. I wish to be your advisor. I have many pl-"

"You're wasting my time!" The cold interruption finally made Moo flinch, and the words that followed after had tears stinging his eyes. "If you think I'm going to let some whelp come in here and demand that I follow or even listen to his so-called plans, you have another thing coming." The Tundra jabbed his paw at building further into the clearing. "Exalt barracks or leave."

The Mirror sighed as they both watched his retreating back. "You're welcome to stay the night and have dinner. It is getting late and someone will have a Tree Warden escort you back to the Everbloom Gardens in the morning." He recognized the look that she was giving him. Compassionate and gentle like his own mother when she would advise him not to overreach. Left up to his own devices, Moo slunk away into the shadows. He had been quite impressed with the infrastructure around him when he had first stepped into this clearing but now the noises and smells around him only reminded Moo of rejection. In his efforts to put as much distance between himself and the main hub, Moo moved deeper and deeper into the glade and

Birds? A Sweetpuff landed on his head, thrilling a song, Skinks came to greet him chattering excitedly. After the experience he had had it was nice to be wanted. Moo settled down on the green grass and promptly lost track of time as he enjoyed this newfound company.

"Wow...they've really taken to you." Were it not for the plethora of familiars currently riding on his back Moo would have jumped straight up into the air. The Pearlcatcher who had spoken moved directly into his line and sight and grinned. "I'm Holstein. Are you the new help we requested?"

"No...I'm just..." He had half a mind to rattle on about his name and titles (most of which he had made up on his trip here) but, "I'm Moo."

"Well, hello there Moo. I'm not surprised they haven't filled up our request for more hands here helping out with the Familiars. Kruger always says we're the ones they forget about." Holstein shook her had and shrugged, not sounding bitter at all. "I heard the hubbub with the leaders. Don't worry about ol'Thereos being short with you. He's short with everyone these days except for his mate, and that's because she'd give him what for if he did."

She started to open up a bag of feed, and the Familiars rushed over to her. "How about you stay and help us out? These unclaimed Familiars seem to like you well enough, and we'd be amiss if we didn't give you a better impression of our Clan."