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Description

Jack was born into a wild Woozle colony and instantly was seen with disdain. Most infant Woozles let out howling cries upon birth, but Jack was relatively quiet, only giving soft coos. For Woozles, loud cries were critical for their survival, the sound could scare off predators and alert the colony to the danger: the child was clearly doomed, only to weep softly over then thinking nothing of after. His mother, a sporadic creature at the best of times, was absolutely beside herself at seeing her babe displaying such unnatural abilities for their kind. Within a few weeks of her child’s birth, her panic over producing a freak of her species escalated to the point she up and disappeared one grey morning. Thus the little orphan’s care fell on the mother’s brother, he and his mate luckily taking pity on the little creature.

As the Woozle boy grew, he did develop the skill of crying but not in the way most wanted. He was far too happy, always finding the silver lining when all the others were crying over the perils of their life: it was enough for the colony to avoid contact with him out of pure annoyance. He didn’t seem to mind; he preferred to spend time in the company of his uncle, aunt and two little cousins. The two little girls were atypical for Woozles but adored their older cousin as he could always put a smile on their faces. His aunt and uncle were content to know their girls were in good hands, that the little boy would find his place in time.

But despite all the joys in his life, the lack of his mother remained a whisper in his mind. And as he grew older, the resolve to seek answers only intensified to the point it would take little set him on journey of discovery.

~*~

He was on the edge of childhood about to pass into adolescence when it all started. He and the other young Woozles were playing hide and shriek; he had volunteered to be the finder. It was his two cousins first time playing with the other youngsters and he wanted them to enjoy it to the fullest. After counting off, he was off like a dart, scrambling from the leave laden forest floor to the tangled limbs of trees. His over sized ears twitched this way and that to catch the smallest sound: rustling of leaves from small birds, creak of wood against wind, squeaks of the rodents in their burrows. There was one sound he was listening for, or more likely a combination of two that would give away his comrades: the rapid heart beak and barely withheld sobs of a frightened Woozle. It took several minutes of pensive listening before he sprang down onto an empty log with a thud, a small smirk the only warning before hand. A sudden scream erupted from the log, a girl Woozle his age tumbled out from one end.

“You big meany, why you have to find me first? You know I didn’t sleep well last night. You could have found some one else to let me get some sleep.” He ignored the dreary monologue: he knew this Woozle had always been good at finding the right words but her cry was not nearly deafening enough to stay off a predator. He tapped her with his tail before turning off to rush into some brush; not catching the glower sent his way.

Within a couple hours, all but his own cousins had been found and tapped out; the pair came out of hiding with teary smiles. But as the two girls celebrated, he giving them his congrats, the others looked dower, whispering harshly to one another.

He noticed, grin vanishing to look askance.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, at a loss even as the first ripples of perception formed in his mind.

“Nothing.” Spoke a pale female. “Some of us were simply worried that you might have shown obvious favoritism with you cousins. That you purposefully stayed off finding them because you wanted them to feel special on their first time out of the den.”

The two had stopped cheering, looking suddenly hurt at their elder cousin. But he seemed unfazed, shaking his head with denial.

“No, the only special treatment I gave them was some advice before we joined the game on how best to stay hidden. But once the game started, I sought to uncover any one in hiding no matter whom they were. I’d have tapped them out had I sensed them. I think their just good at the game.” He rebutted.

“Or maybe.” A blue male spoke up. “Your senses aren’t as good as you think.”

“Nuh-uh.” He spoke in reply. “I caught all of you, didn’t I?”

“Only because I bet you cheated, you probably asked your cousins to spy for you or something.” The pale girl brought up.

“He didn’t, we were hiding just like you asked.” The littlest cousin sobbed. “We even stayed really quiet to not get caught.” He elder sister finished.

“Leave them out of this, they didn’t do nothing wrong.” He spoke for their behalf, bristling in anger.

“Your right, its not their fault their related to a defective cousin.” An orange girl snapped.

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?” He snarled.

“Simple, your not like the rest of the colony, we all know how to cry and weep to survive. But you’ve never so much as teared up unless gushing over the bright side. Your cry isn’t nearly powerful to be of use, you’ll never make in or out of the colony. Your cousins are lucky though, the reason they were missed by you is cause they naturally know how to hide like the rest of us and weep when in trouble. But you.” There was a nasty smirk in the orange girls voice as she said the last line. “Well, no wonder your mother left when she had the chance.”

His eyes went dark and he began to shake all over, little tears formed and spilled on his face.

“Looks like he’s finally acting like a proper Woozle, too bad you still need to work on crying loudly.” The blue male remarked, but it was enough to make him react. He shot at them like a released arrow, a scream erupting from his mouth in pure rage. He scratched and bit at the lot of them, his tears blurring all he saw and noise deafened by his howling cry. The group was stunned by the sudden action and most didn’t act until the all sported nasty, bleeding marks. But he retreated before real damage could be taken on himself, bristling at the others, the group huddling in fear.

It was then he caught sight of his two cousins, weeping softly as they looked at him with truest fear. That hurt him more then anything else, truly struck home what had been done.

“ You know what, who cares about your stupid colony.” He said, trying to stifle the pain with rage. “I bet my mama left all of you because she knew how stupid you all were. In fact, I’ll go find her and have her tell me herself. Then I’ll take her here so she can tell you all and we can leave in peace. You’ll see, YOU’LL SEE!” He screamed the last words, turning and darting into the brush without another thought. He was intent on showing them up for their actions even though he had not a clue where to look: he wanted to get as far away from them as possible. But he still heard the words spoken in his departure.

“Yeah, well you keep running cause we’ll tell all the adults what happened. And once that happened the only place you’ll be welcomed is with your lost mom cause you won’t ever be allowed in the colony again!”

~*~

He grumbled and murmured to himself, lost in his own raged, self-pity that the path was completely forgotten. When his head had cooled enough, he glanced about, first in resignation then in confusion. He recognized it as the farthest border of the territory, where a single tree sprang from a clearing; the forest enclosed in circle a good 15 feet away. As he stared at the large, tangled tree coming to terms what he’d done and what he must admit, the first rumble of thunder was heard.

“I need to find shelter,” he whispered, large eyes taking in the heavy clouds above. “This tree should provide cover for a while, best get inside.”

He had taken his first step into the trees shadow when the day was alight with a lightning’s blinding glow. The intense whiteness of it stilled him to his core, the boom of thunder ripping throw his small frame. He cowered under the intense might, shuddering as the rain came down all around him in hard droplets. The old tree had been set on fire from the strike, the old form creaking and it swayed in fall, giving a final cry as it died. Even as fear paralyzed him, survival instinct forced movement into him, leaping away as the tree landed where he’d been a moment prior.

He was in flight then, zipping between the trees as the storm raged around him. The lightening and thunder made his senses jumbled and the rain stung his face even as it soaked him to the bone. The fear was over whelming, nothing mattered but getting out of the turmoil, to find somewhere safe and dry away from this nightmare. The moment lasted on and on as if it never end, before reprieve was allowed in a small nook in the rocks. He sprang in, going as far in as he could though it was not far enough from the entrance: he could still plainly see and hear the horror outside. With nowhere else to go, he curled into a ball attempting to drown out sight and noise with his own barely audible weeping.

~*~

The next morning saw a easing of the storm but not a departure, clouds still hung heavy on the horizon. He left on shaking limbs, round eyes attempting to take it all in at once. Nothing was familiar to the Woozle, it was clear his flight had taken him well away from his colony’s territory and near a city in the distance. Realizing he simply couldn’t go back now and with the promise of better shelter, he made his way in the direction of the towering structures.

Once in the city, he realized why most Woozles avoided human places, and it wasn’t from the main fear of being taken hostage by the tall creatures. In fact, most of the humans either ignored his existence or looked at him with repulsion, regardless, he was nearly stepped on or swatted several times during the course of that day. The trolls of the city weren’t much more helpful, looking more out for themselves then others, they often growled at him if he got to close. All this combined to make finding his mother all the more difficult. For that had been part of the reason for coming her too: the city would be the last place any Woozle would look for her so why not start there?

But by the time the rain began to fall, his spirits were low. The first touch of rain upon his fur made him jump, visions of the previous day rushing back into focus. His eyes darted around and he located an unoccupied alley with a few boxes. It wasn’t ideal but he wasn’t picky in this mind set, settling onto damp cardboard to wait it out. He shuddered, wrapping his tail harder around himself to stave off the cold and bring him comfort: it hardly worked. As he listened to the fall of the storm, he whispered a single silent plea, the only thing he had ever asked for in his life.

“Please, Mama, if you out there, please find me. I could really use you now, so please, help me.”

~*~

Kyon tapped her finger on the wood of the table, staring out at the clouds building to distract herself from the mess of papers in front of her. It was mostly documents sent from the bank along with a scrap page to help with figures: she’d been attempting to make estimates of finances over the coming months, hoping to plot out where and how to utilize her money. It was, in short, looking rather grim. Even with the two separate paychecks due at months end along with the small bit of savings in her bank account, it was not enough. Half of her money would be going into paying for the loan on the house, then a portion would pay off heating, water, electricity and internet, which would leave a small fraction for groceries and gas. She could perhaps keep this up for another few months but she wouldn’t last a year at this rate. Perhaps if art sales were better but supplies were expensive and the costumers were few: that wouldn’t help here. She needed an alternative income and soon.

Her mind briefly wondered over the article she’d come across several weeks prior, of the governments need for Troll Tamers. But like all the other times, she tried to wipe it from her mind even at it still buzzed softly.

Irritated with herself and the situation, she felt the need to get out on a walk: perhaps she’d find peace of mind out in the storm.

~*~

She was right to place faith in the rain; the droplets did wonders relaxing her. She lost herself in the soft rhythm of the falling water and her own footsteps. She wandered farther then intended, a good mile or two from home, before she allowed the worries of the world to return. She had apparently wandered from the more domestic into the rundown, exchanging quaint homes of families for the older, bricked buildings of the downtown area. The rain was coming down heavier now with the thunder prompting her decision further to return to her warm home. She had turned around with the promises of warm blankets and hot cocoa already calling her, when a quiet whimper skewed her away from that line of thinking.

She at first thought the imaginings of an over worked mind, but when it came again, she knew better. She followed the noise down a dirty alleyway, were trash was piled high along the sides. She proceeded quiet and cautious, not sure what she’d encounter and certainly not wishing to scare it. The source seemed to come from one of the turned over boxes. She had at first thought it must be a dog or stray cat but the sounds seemed almost human in sound, like a crying child. She moved with slow ease so as not to scare the creature till she was peering into the dark depths. It shocked her when she saw a small, red, black and white creature with large ears and eyes staring back at her. It was a troll: a Watery-Eyed Weeping Woozle if the she remembered correctly. It was rather shocking to see a troll like this in the wild and up close, reports said the normally avoided contact with humans and stayed out of sight unless in extreme cases. But this one looked to be a bit young and disheveled, perhaps it was lost or something.

“Hey little guy.” she spoke softly to the Woozle in hopes not to alarm it. “What you doing out here? Do you need help?” She felt a bit silly talking to a creature like a person though she read all trolls seemed to be sentient. She secretly preferred the creatures who couldn’t respond back.

The creature looked at her for long moment and at first she wondered if it wasn’t capable of speech. Without warning, it launched at her, latching onto her coat as it gave great, non-discernable sobs. Realizing she wasn’t going to be attacked, she reached up to cradle the creature, stroking it and soothing with calming noises. She stood there in the alleyway awkwardly wondering what to do, not able to have the heart to try and tear the creature from her but also knowing that to be seen with a troll without the proper paperwork could get her in trouble. Finally, she gave up and stalked back home with the little Woozle still clinging to her: she had some phone calls to make.

~*~

Kyon hung up the cell phone with a great sense of relief, trudging back to the folded stairs in hopes of going to bed. It had been a pain to find the number of the Organization of Troll Research and Control (OTRAC) for it wasn’t printed in the phone book and the Internet was down due to the storm. She had to call the local game and wildlife shelter so they could transfer her to the proper authorities. She had been crossing her fingers the whole time in fear of arrest when she was finally got on hold with one of the supervisors, a Dr.Wolfsea if she remembered correct. She was surprisingly kind and understanding, welcoming her as a new owner and only giving her small reprimand for taking home a wild troll (though. as Dr. W put it, Kyon got lucky with a Woozle as they were a far more harmless species, they were often considered a starter for new Tamers). Dr. W promised to send the proper papers through the mail and instructed Kyon to get it done and in ASAP. And as a final parting she asked to report in often, especially if she was to get any new trolls in the future, leaving a number to contact her with in the future. Kyon came away happier from the experience, wishing more service providers were like that.

With one less load off her chest, she now had to wrap her mind around officially owning a troll. She had surprised herself in offering to take the little creature on for good, she had pondered handing it over to a more proper owner but had changed her mind last second. She briefly wondered why, only a few hours prior, she had abolished the notion of the idea.

She found the Woozle where she had left him, a dusty box filled with bandannas and scarves that her old roommate had left behind upon moving out. The little creature had clung to her the entire way home, only willing to seek shelter inside her coat as the only alternative. He had unsurprisingly been wet and shivering upon arrival and she wanted to place him somewhere dry and safe while she made some calls. The box had been sitting there conveniently open as she was trying to clean house, so she stuck the troll in the box with her wet jacket, hoping he be fine in the meantime. It had seemed to work, the little troll was fast asleep upon her return, curled deeply into the scarves and bandannas.

She had to admit he was rather cute, he didn’t seem prone to cry readily like most Woozles: the only reason he’d cried upon meeting her seemed to because he truly was in distress. But after she got him home and settled him in, he had calmed down. If he wasn’t prone to crying obsessively like other Woozles, it may prove to be more enjoyable then first thought.

The little troll stirred, perhaps having heard her enter, big, red eyes blinking sleepily as he let out a yawn. He glanced up at her warily, ears perking at attention.

“Hello sleeping beauty, have a nice rest.” He tilted his head slightly at her chirper remark.

“Hello, miss.” He finally responded, eyes taking in around him. “Where am I?”

She sat down on the edge of the bed and explained how he got here, he took it in with a thoughtful look. At the end, he seemed to retreat deeply into himself, thinking sadly over something she could only guess at.

“So when do I have to leave?” he asked tentatively, taking her aback.

“Actually, I have a proposition for you.” His big eyes came to fully rest on her, she felt a bit nervous bringing it up with those child like eyes starring into her. “I was thinking that sense you don’t have much a place to go and me living alone in this big empty house, that you could stay here with me.”

He looked at her with wonder tinted with confusion, prompting her to go further.

“Those phone calls I made earlier were to allow you to stay here if you so choose. I’d become your Tamer, I’d look after and care for you so long as you do as I say, helping me against other trolls and allowing me to report your activities.” She elaborated.

“You mean, I get to stay here, I could call it home?” His voice was still reserved but a smile betrayed his inner feelings.

“Yes, if you want to.”

He rushed at her again, little clawed fingers grasping into the material of her shirt as he once more erupted into heartfelt crying; though it seemed to be out of happiness this time. It took much coaxing for Kyon to untangle him from her shirt and calm him down, she was thoroughly drenched at that time.

“Oh!” It struck her in that instant, giving a little exclamation that made him jump. “If your going to be my troll and I your Tamer, we have to think of a proper name for you.”

“A name?” He questioned.

“Yes, would you like me to give you one?”

“Yes yes yes, oh thank you yes!” He exclaimed over and over while his Tamer attempted to calm him.

“Alright, that’s enough of that, let me think.” Her eyes scanned around her room, looking at the boxes strum about ready to be cleaned out. Her eye caught one box that been tipped over as she had moved the Woozle into the box full of scarves, one the contents being a stack of playing cards. They were spilled all over the floor with one card flipped up to show its face while the others facing down. Her eyes traced over the colors of the card, the reds, whites and blacks mirroring the creature perched next to her.

“Jack.” She said at last, testing the name on her lips and finding she liked it. “You shall be named Jack.”

~*~

Kyon had long sense fallen asleep, but he hadn’t, too excited over all the new and wonderful things happening. Jack, his new name bounced around the inside of his head over and over, making him want to burst into tears anew. Jack suppressed that urge, not wanting to disturb the woman sleeping nearby. He was snuggled once more in the box of various sewed material, which Kyon had dubbed scarves and bandannas, the scent from her coat still heavily imprinted into his bedding even though it had been removed earlier. But even though it was very comfy, he couldn’t stop the train of thoughts rushing through him in pure excitement.

Finally unable to hold still any longer, he hopped out of the box and up onto the bed were his new tamer slept. He watched her quietly sleep for a minute, pondering all that had happened in such a short amount of time. He had never expected himself to end up owned by a human, he had heard stories of it but most were frightened by the idea for it often meant you’d be forced into battle. Even his levelheaded uncle had warned them to stay away from humans and the dangers they posed to weak trolls like them. But Kyon didn’t seem that way, she was kind and considerate, she’d never force him to do something he didn’t want to or put him in real danger. She had even given him a home and a name, promising him years of safety and comfort over the fearful existence in the wild. And for all this and more, Jack determined to do all her could for her, he’d be the best troll imaginable, she’d never regret taking him home for a second.

Finally feeling sleep nip at his eyelids, he yawned once then curled up against his tamer for the night. But not before muttering:
“Goodnight, Mama-tamer.”
____________________
Trying to get Jack & Server up a few levels so I'm going to to attempt to get some illustration/story combos out. So let's start with my little cutey, Jack.
This story ended up way longer then I intended so I apoligize for that in advance. Hopefully this gives you a good background into Jack's mentality and why he is the way he is. Server won't have as complicated mentality, he's pretty easy to get in comparison.
On a final note, used a few textures for this image as I was too lazy to draw them up myself.

Original concepts and trolls © Rinjapine
Artwork and Characters (minus Wolfsea) © Me
Please do not use in any way, shape or form without proper consent from me and without using proper referencing. Thank you.

Description

Jack was born into a wild Woozle colony and instantly was seen with disdain. Most infant Woozles let out howling cries upon birth, but Jack was relatively quiet, only giving soft coos. For Woozles, loud cries were critical for their survival, the sound could scare off predators and alert the colony to the danger: the child was clearly doomed, only to weep softly over then thinking nothing of after. His mother, a sporadic creature at the best of times, was absolutely beside herself at seeing her babe displaying such unnatural abilities for their kind. Within a few weeks of her child’s birth, her panic over producing a freak of her species escalated to the point she up and disappeared one grey morning. Thus the little orphan’s care fell on the mother’s brother, he and his mate luckily taking pity on the little creature.

As the Woozle boy grew, he did develop the skill of crying but not in the way most wanted. He was far too happy, always finding the silver lining when all the others were crying over the perils of their life: it was enough for the colony to avoid contact with him out of pure annoyance. He didn’t seem to mind; he preferred to spend time in the company of his uncle, aunt and two little cousins. The two little girls were atypical for Woozles but adored their older cousin as he could always put a smile on their faces. His aunt and uncle were content to know their girls were in good hands, that the little boy would find his place in time.

But despite all the joys in his life, the lack of his mother remained a whisper in his mind. And as he grew older, the resolve to seek answers only intensified to the point it would take little set him on journey of discovery.

~*~

He was on the edge of childhood about to pass into adolescence when it all started. He and the other young Woozles were playing hide and shriek; he had volunteered to be the finder. It was his two cousins first time playing with the other youngsters and he wanted them to enjoy it to the fullest. After counting off, he was off like a dart, scrambling from the leave laden forest floor to the tangled limbs of trees. His over sized ears twitched this way and that to catch the smallest sound: rustling of leaves from small birds, creak of wood against wind, squeaks of the rodents in their burrows. There was one sound he was listening for, or more likely a combination of two that would give away his comrades: the rapid heart beak and barely withheld sobs of a frightened Woozle. It took several minutes of pensive listening before he sprang down onto an empty log with a thud, a small smirk the only warning before hand. A sudden scream erupted from the log, a girl Woozle his age tumbled out from one end.

“You big meany, why you have to find me first? You know I didn’t sleep well last night. You could have found some one else to let me get some sleep.” He ignored the dreary monologue: he knew this Woozle had always been good at finding the right words but her cry was not nearly deafening enough to stay off a predator. He tapped her with his tail before turning off to rush into some brush; not catching the glower sent his way.

Within a couple hours, all but his own cousins had been found and tapped out; the pair came out of hiding with teary smiles. But as the two girls celebrated, he giving them his congrats, the others looked dower, whispering harshly to one another.

He noticed, grin vanishing to look askance.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, at a loss even as the first ripples of perception formed in his mind.

“Nothing.” Spoke a pale female. “Some of us were simply worried that you might have shown obvious favoritism with you cousins. That you purposefully stayed off finding them because you wanted them to feel special on their first time out of the den.”

The two had stopped cheering, looking suddenly hurt at their elder cousin. But he seemed unfazed, shaking his head with denial.

“No, the only special treatment I gave them was some advice before we joined the game on how best to stay hidden. But once the game started, I sought to uncover any one in hiding no matter whom they were. I’d have tapped them out had I sensed them. I think their just good at the game.” He rebutted.

“Or maybe.” A blue male spoke up. “Your senses aren’t as good as you think.”

“Nuh-uh.” He spoke in reply. “I caught all of you, didn’t I?”

“Only because I bet you cheated, you probably asked your cousins to spy for you or something.” The pale girl brought up.

“He didn’t, we were hiding just like you asked.” The littlest cousin sobbed. “We even stayed really quiet to not get caught.” He elder sister finished.

“Leave them out of this, they didn’t do nothing wrong.” He spoke for their behalf, bristling in anger.

“Your right, its not their fault their related to a defective cousin.” An orange girl snapped.

“WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?” He snarled.

“Simple, your not like the rest of the colony, we all know how to cry and weep to survive. But you’ve never so much as teared up unless gushing over the bright side. Your cry isn’t nearly powerful to be of use, you’ll never make in or out of the colony. Your cousins are lucky though, the reason they were missed by you is cause they naturally know how to hide like the rest of us and weep when in trouble. But you.” There was a nasty smirk in the orange girls voice as she said the last line. “Well, no wonder your mother left when she had the chance.”

His eyes went dark and he began to shake all over, little tears formed and spilled on his face.

“Looks like he’s finally acting like a proper Woozle, too bad you still need to work on crying loudly.” The blue male remarked, but it was enough to make him react. He shot at them like a released arrow, a scream erupting from his mouth in pure rage. He scratched and bit at the lot of them, his tears blurring all he saw and noise deafened by his howling cry. The group was stunned by the sudden action and most didn’t act until the all sported nasty, bleeding marks. But he retreated before real damage could be taken on himself, bristling at the others, the group huddling in fear.

It was then he caught sight of his two cousins, weeping softly as they looked at him with truest fear. That hurt him more then anything else, truly struck home what had been done.

“ You know what, who cares about your stupid colony.” He said, trying to stifle the pain with rage. “I bet my mama left all of you because she knew how stupid you all were. In fact, I’ll go find her and have her tell me herself. Then I’ll take her here so she can tell you all and we can leave in peace. You’ll see, YOU’LL SEE!” He screamed the last words, turning and darting into the brush without another thought. He was intent on showing them up for their actions even though he had not a clue where to look: he wanted to get as far away from them as possible. But he still heard the words spoken in his departure.

“Yeah, well you keep running cause we’ll tell all the adults what happened. And once that happened the only place you’ll be welcomed is with your lost mom cause you won’t ever be allowed in the colony again!”

~*~

He grumbled and murmured to himself, lost in his own raged, self-pity that the path was completely forgotten. When his head had cooled enough, he glanced about, first in resignation then in confusion. He recognized it as the farthest border of the territory, where a single tree sprang from a clearing; the forest enclosed in circle a good 15 feet away. As he stared at the large, tangled tree coming to terms what he’d done and what he must admit, the first rumble of thunder was heard.

“I need to find shelter,” he whispered, large eyes taking in the heavy clouds above. “This tree should provide cover for a while, best get inside.”

He had taken his first step into the trees shadow when the day was alight with a lightning’s blinding glow. The intense whiteness of it stilled him to his core, the boom of thunder ripping throw his small frame. He cowered under the intense might, shuddering as the rain came down all around him in hard droplets. The old tree had been set on fire from the strike, the old form creaking and it swayed in fall, giving a final cry as it died. Even as fear paralyzed him, survival instinct forced movement into him, leaping away as the tree landed where he’d been a moment prior.

He was in flight then, zipping between the trees as the storm raged around him. The lightening and thunder made his senses jumbled and the rain stung his face even as it soaked him to the bone. The fear was over whelming, nothing mattered but getting out of the turmoil, to find somewhere safe and dry away from this nightmare. The moment lasted on and on as if it never end, before reprieve was allowed in a small nook in the rocks. He sprang in, going as far in as he could though it was not far enough from the entrance: he could still plainly see and hear the horror outside. With nowhere else to go, he curled into a ball attempting to drown out sight and noise with his own barely audible weeping.

~*~

The next morning saw a easing of the storm but not a departure, clouds still hung heavy on the horizon. He left on shaking limbs, round eyes attempting to take it all in at once. Nothing was familiar to the Woozle, it was clear his flight had taken him well away from his colony’s territory and near a city in the distance. Realizing he simply couldn’t go back now and with the promise of better shelter, he made his way in the direction of the towering structures.

Once in the city, he realized why most Woozles avoided human places, and it wasn’t from the main fear of being taken hostage by the tall creatures. In fact, most of the humans either ignored his existence or looked at him with repulsion, regardless, he was nearly stepped on or swatted several times during the course of that day. The trolls of the city weren’t much more helpful, looking more out for themselves then others, they often growled at him if he got to close. All this combined to make finding his mother all the more difficult. For that had been part of the reason for coming her too: the city would be the last place any Woozle would look for her so why not start there?

But by the time the rain began to fall, his spirits were low. The first touch of rain upon his fur made him jump, visions of the previous day rushing back into focus. His eyes darted around and he located an unoccupied alley with a few boxes. It wasn’t ideal but he wasn’t picky in this mind set, settling onto damp cardboard to wait it out. He shuddered, wrapping his tail harder around himself to stave off the cold and bring him comfort: it hardly worked. As he listened to the fall of the storm, he whispered a single silent plea, the only thing he had ever asked for in his life.

“Please, Mama, if you out there, please find me. I could really use you now, so please, help me.”

~*~

Kyon tapped her finger on the wood of the table, staring out at the clouds building to distract herself from the mess of papers in front of her. It was mostly documents sent from the bank along with a scrap page to help with figures: she’d been attempting to make estimates of finances over the coming months, hoping to plot out where and how to utilize her money. It was, in short, looking rather grim. Even with the two separate paychecks due at months end along with the small bit of savings in her bank account, it was not enough. Half of her money would be going into paying for the loan on the house, then a portion would pay off heating, water, electricity and internet, which would leave a small fraction for groceries and gas. She could perhaps keep this up for another few months but she wouldn’t last a year at this rate. Perhaps if art sales were better but supplies were expensive and the costumers were few: that wouldn’t help here. She needed an alternative income and soon.

Her mind briefly wondered over the article she’d come across several weeks prior, of the governments need for Troll Tamers. But like all the other times, she tried to wipe it from her mind even at it still buzzed softly.

Irritated with herself and the situation, she felt the need to get out on a walk: perhaps she’d find peace of mind out in the storm.

~*~

She was right to place faith in the rain; the droplets did wonders relaxing her. She lost herself in the soft rhythm of the falling water and her own footsteps. She wandered farther then intended, a good mile or two from home, before she allowed the worries of the world to return. She had apparently wandered from the more domestic into the rundown, exchanging quaint homes of families for the older, bricked buildings of the downtown area. The rain was coming down heavier now with the thunder prompting her decision further to return to her warm home. She had turned around with the promises of warm blankets and hot cocoa already calling her, when a quiet whimper skewed her away from that line of thinking.

She at first thought the imaginings of an over worked mind, but when it came again, she knew better. She followed the noise down a dirty alleyway, were trash was piled high along the sides. She proceeded quiet and cautious, not sure what she’d encounter and certainly not wishing to scare it. The source seemed to come from one of the turned over boxes. She had at first thought it must be a dog or stray cat but the sounds seemed almost human in sound, like a crying child. She moved with slow ease so as not to scare the creature till she was peering into the dark depths. It shocked her when she saw a small, red, black and white creature with large ears and eyes staring back at her. It was a troll: a Watery-Eyed Weeping Woozle if the she remembered correctly. It was rather shocking to see a troll like this in the wild and up close, reports said the normally avoided contact with humans and stayed out of sight unless in extreme cases. But this one looked to be a bit young and disheveled, perhaps it was lost or something.

“Hey little guy.” she spoke softly to the Woozle in hopes not to alarm it. “What you doing out here? Do you need help?” She felt a bit silly talking to a creature like a person though she read all trolls seemed to be sentient. She secretly preferred the creatures who couldn’t respond back.

The creature looked at her for long moment and at first she wondered if it wasn’t capable of speech. Without warning, it launched at her, latching onto her coat as it gave great, non-discernable sobs. Realizing she wasn’t going to be attacked, she reached up to cradle the creature, stroking it and soothing with calming noises. She stood there in the alleyway awkwardly wondering what to do, not able to have the heart to try and tear the creature from her but also knowing that to be seen with a troll without the proper paperwork could get her in trouble. Finally, she gave up and stalked back home with the little Woozle still clinging to her: she had some phone calls to make.

~*~

Kyon hung up the cell phone with a great sense of relief, trudging back to the folded stairs in hopes of going to bed. It had been a pain to find the number of the Organization of Troll Research and Control (OTRAC) for it wasn’t printed in the phone book and the Internet was down due to the storm. She had to call the local game and wildlife shelter so they could transfer her to the proper authorities. She had been crossing her fingers the whole time in fear of arrest when she was finally got on hold with one of the supervisors, a Dr.Wolfsea if she remembered correct. She was surprisingly kind and understanding, welcoming her as a new owner and only giving her small reprimand for taking home a wild troll (though. as Dr. W put it, Kyon got lucky with a Woozle as they were a far more harmless species, they were often considered a starter for new Tamers). Dr. W promised to send the proper papers through the mail and instructed Kyon to get it done and in ASAP. And as a final parting she asked to report in often, especially if she was to get any new trolls in the future, leaving a number to contact her with in the future. Kyon came away happier from the experience, wishing more service providers were like that.

With one less load off her chest, she now had to wrap her mind around officially owning a troll. She had surprised herself in offering to take the little creature on for good, she had pondered handing it over to a more proper owner but had changed her mind last second. She briefly wondered why, only a few hours prior, she had abolished the notion of the idea.

She found the Woozle where she had left him, a dusty box filled with bandannas and scarves that her old roommate had left behind upon moving out. The little creature had clung to her the entire way home, only willing to seek shelter inside her coat as the only alternative. He had unsurprisingly been wet and shivering upon arrival and she wanted to place him somewhere dry and safe while she made some calls. The box had been sitting there conveniently open as she was trying to clean house, so she stuck the troll in the box with her wet jacket, hoping he be fine in the meantime. It had seemed to work, the little troll was fast asleep upon her return, curled deeply into the scarves and bandannas.

She had to admit he was rather cute, he didn’t seem prone to cry readily like most Woozles: the only reason he’d cried upon meeting her seemed to because he truly was in distress. But after she got him home and settled him in, he had calmed down. If he wasn’t prone to crying obsessively like other Woozles, it may prove to be more enjoyable then first thought.

The little troll stirred, perhaps having heard her enter, big, red eyes blinking sleepily as he let out a yawn. He glanced up at her warily, ears perking at attention.

“Hello sleeping beauty, have a nice rest.” He tilted his head slightly at her chirper remark.

“Hello, miss.” He finally responded, eyes taking in around him. “Where am I?”

She sat down on the edge of the bed and explained how he got here, he took it in with a thoughtful look. At the end, he seemed to retreat deeply into himself, thinking sadly over something she could only guess at.

“So when do I have to leave?” he asked tentatively, taking her aback.

“Actually, I have a proposition for you.” His big eyes came to fully rest on her, she felt a bit nervous bringing it up with those child like eyes starring into her. “I was thinking that sense you don’t have much a place to go and me living alone in this big empty house, that you could stay here with me.”

He looked at her with wonder tinted with confusion, prompting her to go further.

“Those phone calls I made earlier were to allow you to stay here if you so choose. I’d become your Tamer, I’d look after and care for you so long as you do as I say, helping me against other trolls and allowing me to report your activities.” She elaborated.

“You mean, I get to stay here, I could call it home?” His voice was still reserved but a smile betrayed his inner feelings.

“Yes, if you want to.”

He rushed at her again, little clawed fingers grasping into the material of her shirt as he once more erupted into heartfelt crying; though it seemed to be out of happiness this time. It took much coaxing for Kyon to untangle him from her shirt and calm him down, she was thoroughly drenched at that time.

“Oh!” It struck her in that instant, giving a little exclamation that made him jump. “If your going to be my troll and I your Tamer, we have to think of a proper name for you.”

“A name?” He questioned.

“Yes, would you like me to give you one?”

“Yes yes yes, oh thank you yes!” He exclaimed over and over while his Tamer attempted to calm him.

“Alright, that’s enough of that, let me think.” Her eyes scanned around her room, looking at the boxes strum about ready to be cleaned out. Her eye caught one box that been tipped over as she had moved the Woozle into the box full of scarves, one the contents being a stack of playing cards. They were spilled all over the floor with one card flipped up to show its face while the others facing down. Her eyes traced over the colors of the card, the reds, whites and blacks mirroring the creature perched next to her.

“Jack.” She said at last, testing the name on her lips and finding she liked it. “You shall be named Jack.”

~*~

Kyon had long sense fallen asleep, but he hadn’t, too excited over all the new and wonderful things happening. Jack, his new name bounced around the inside of his head over and over, making him want to burst into tears anew. Jack suppressed that urge, not wanting to disturb the woman sleeping nearby. He was snuggled once more in the box of various sewed material, which Kyon had dubbed scarves and bandannas, the scent from her coat still heavily imprinted into his bedding even though it had been removed earlier. But even though it was very comfy, he couldn’t stop the train of thoughts rushing through him in pure excitement.

Finally unable to hold still any longer, he hopped out of the box and up onto the bed were his new tamer slept. He watched her quietly sleep for a minute, pondering all that had happened in such a short amount of time. He had never expected himself to end up owned by a human, he had heard stories of it but most were frightened by the idea for it often meant you’d be forced into battle. Even his levelheaded uncle had warned them to stay away from humans and the dangers they posed to weak trolls like them. But Kyon didn’t seem that way, she was kind and considerate, she’d never force him to do something he didn’t want to or put him in real danger. She had even given him a home and a name, promising him years of safety and comfort over the fearful existence in the wild. And for all this and more, Jack determined to do all her could for her, he’d be the best troll imaginable, she’d never regret taking him home for a second.

Finally feeling sleep nip at his eyelids, he yawned once then curled up against his tamer for the night. But not before muttering:
“Goodnight, Mama-tamer.”
____________________
Trying to get Jack & Server up a few levels so I'm going to to attempt to get some illustration/story combos out. So let's start with my little cutey, Jack.
This story ended up way longer then I intended so I apoligize for that in advance. Hopefully this gives you a good background into Jack's mentality and why he is the way he is. Server won't have as complicated mentality, he's pretty easy to get in comparison.
On a final note, used a few textures for this image as I was too lazy to draw them up myself.

Original concepts and trolls © Rinjapine
Artwork and Characters (minus Wolfsea) © Me
Please do not use in any way, shape or form without proper consent from me and without using proper referencing. Thank you.