Story name: Fighting Your Fate
Author: Alexandra Herakai
Publication date: June 12, 2000 (TSA-Talk)
Date: Autumn, unknown (3 weeks)
Location: Metamor Keep (Deaf Mule), Metamor Valley
Overview
Sent to the Keep as a messenger, young Ulw tries to escape the curse.
Summary
In his room above the Deaf Mule, Ulw discovers fur on his shoulders. He panics; he was told to deliver a message to the Duke and wait for his response, but now he can only think of fleeing the Keep, in the futile hope it will undo the curse. As he stops for one last breakfast, his friend Strella, who like Ulw had been trapped by the curse years ago, sits beside him, worried that it is too late to help him. Strella leads him out with an escort to the woods, though Ulw worries he hasn't brought enough weapons.
For the next three weeks, Ulw wanders the forests, completely lost, as he slowly changes into a bovine animal morph. He decides to find his way back to Metamor. As he bends down to trim his itching tail, a Lutin swings and barely stabs Ulw's fur-padded shoulder. Ulw crushes the Lutin, but is outnumbered and outmatched by the Lutin's squadron. After a deep cut in his arm, he shifts to full bovine and charges through the Lutins down the path.
A Metamor scout patrol is shocked as a yak barrels out of the woods and shifts to morph form. In exhaustion, he tells them his name and passes out.
Characters
Main Characters:
- Ulw: A 19-year old ratcatcher. He was sent to Metamor Keep to deliver a message to the Duke. He flees to the woods upon seeing his change, partly to avoid being looked at or his change gambled upon. After 3 weeks, he becomes a yak morph, surviving a Lutin patrol in the process.
- As a human, he had sun-tanned skin, the color of his horse. He had unruly brown hair. His left ear was pierced with 2 gold rings. He had a boyish high-pitched voice. His eyes always had a determined look.
- During his transformation, the first change is dark fur on his shoulders, getting lighter on his neck.
- Between this and the next scene, he gained weight, with his chest so wide and deep that his shirt was torn in several places. His ears grew longer and a bit floppy. Ulw thought at this point he was becoming a donkey.
- We next see him a week or two later. His fur grew out after his ears did. Horns are starting to grow out. His cheeks are growing deeper down. His chin and nose have gradually become bovine. His diet has changed such that he can't eat meat. His vision is changing, and he has trouble staying balanced.
- Three weeks after leaving the Keep, his change is nearly complete. He has black ears. He has long fur on his tail that brushes against his haunches. He has 3-fingered hands and 2-toed feet. His horns have grown a yard apart. His vision is not as bad as it is in full yak form.
- He gets a few shallow cuts from the Lutin attack, and one deep cut in his arm above his elbow.
- During his transformation, the first change is dark fur on his shoulders, getting lighter on his neck.
- He had not been strong growing up. He had never had any weapons training or combat training, and only carried a dull knife for a weapon.
- His horse was a gelding, and was actually borrowed to ride here. It was one of the first horses he'd ever ridden. It was worn out on the ride to Metamor, and became lame after carrying the growing Ulw. It was used as a shield against the Lutin attack, and was likely killed.
- He has a pet ferret named Mask. His fur is chocolate and white. He has an predatory instinct towards all rodents at the Keep. Ulw has been keeping him in a harness while at the Keep, so that he doesn't accidentally catch a Keeper.
- He is the only son of a ratcatcher, and has been working as a ratcatcher for years, drowning rats. He inherited his father's ferrets. He has a small family to provide for.
- Half a day after arriving at the Keep, he was being dragged around by Strella. He was uneasy about it at first, but quickly liked having her drag him around. He had never had anyone care about him the way Strella did.
- As a human, he had sun-tanned skin, the color of his horse. He had unruly brown hair. His left ear was pierced with 2 gold rings. He had a boyish high-pitched voice. His eyes always had a determined look.
Minor Characters:
- Strella: A rodent morph, Ulw's closest friend at the Keep.
- She has round ears, long whiskers, soft dark grey fur, and a long thick-furred tail. She apparently has short legs, unable to ride a horse.
- To ride a horse, she has to shift slightly into animal form and balance on the saddle.
- She wears morphic armor that shifts with her. She carries a thin blade.
- She has an infectious energy and a very strong will.
- While riding out of Metamor, she waves to most people in the market. Ulw believes that she has many friends, though it is also possible she doesn't know them but enjoys the attention.
- A couple of years ago, she was caught in a blizzard at Metamor Keep, and unable to escape her curse.
- She met Ulw half a day after he arrived at the Keep, and took an instant interest in him, leading him on a tour of the Keep. She has been visiting him for days since then.
- A squad of 10 Lutins who attack Ulw. At least 3 are killed or receive serious injuries.
- A Lutin, part of the group of 10 Lutins who ambush Ulw, who tried to attack Ulw in the shoulder. He had the best weapon of his group, a bronze knife. Ulw crushed his neck with his foot.
- A Lutin who tried to sneak on Ulw from behind. Ulw lashed back with his hoof and broke his bones.
- A Lutin armed with a club who is gored by Ulw's horn. He survived long enough to club Ulw repeatedly before he was thrown off.
Cameo:
- A Keeper who accompanies Ulw and Strella into the woods.
- He is armed with a bow.
Referenced:
- Duke Thomas: A horse morph, ruler of Metamor Keep, to whom Ulw had been trying to deliver a message for the past week.
- The stablemaster who sent Ulw to Metamor Keep, giving him a letter for the Duke, and telling him to return as soon as he received a reply.
- Goldfur, a Keeper, implied to be a rodent morph. Probably a misremembrance of Goldmark.
The Lutin Attack
- There are 10 Lutins who sneak up on the lone nearly-yak morph Ulw, while he is on a path leading to Metamor Keep.
- One of them tries to stab Ulw with a knife, but fails to stab through his thick fur. Ulw throws him off and crushes his neck with his foot.
- 3 more attack as one, and Ulw uses his horse as a shield. Meanwhile, one of the Lutins sneaks behind Ulw.
- The Lutin behind Ulw steps on a twig, and Ulw hits him with a cloven hoof (hand or foot is unknown), breaking the Lutin's bones.
- Ulw is cut in the arm with a "sharpened splinter of bone" (which could be any kind of bone weapon). Panicked, Ulw shifts to full yak morph and charges down the path through the squad, goring one of them.
Chronology
- It isn't specified when Ulw arrived at the Keep. It also isn't specified how long Ulw has been at the Keep, though it's probably been the usual 7 to 14 days.
- Assuming the story is contemporaneous with nearby stories in the archive (autumn 706 CR), and that the Duke really is away from the Keep (see Rider), and that Ulw has been checking every day, then he arrives between October 7th and 12th, and changes before October 19th.
- Ulw notes that he must have gotten lucky with no Lutins in the area at this time.
- Most people at the Deaf Mule currently are unchanged visitors.
- Between a week and a little more than 2 weeks after the curse triggers, we see the first stages of Ulw's transformation.
- About 3 weeks after his curse has triggered, Ulw fights off a Lutin patrol and passes out in front of a Metamor patrol.
- This would put his return from the woods around early- to mid-November.
Story Connections
- With an absent duke, and mention of people gambling on newcomers' curses, this story seems to take inspiration from Rider.
Points of Interest
- Ulw mentions that he could have been a plant morph. This probably refers to Laracin, although there could, hypothetically, be another plant morph at Metamor.
- Ulw runs into a patrol in the last scene. One of them is familiar to Ulw, but is left undescribed. This could be Strella, the Keeper who earlier escorted him with Strella, or another person altogether.