“My Time with the Gnolls.”
This is a short story i wrote to submit for an anthology thing, thought id share it.
"My time with the Gnolls."
[Excerpt from "My time with the Gnolls" by Dr. Jaysis Une]
“When i first began informing my colleagues and friends of my desire to begin an in depth study of the Gnoll race the responses were more or less what one might expect and largely (and unsurprisingly uniform.)
The consensus being that I had, quite simply, lost my mind.
What more could there possibly be to know? Gnolls were mindless blood thirsty demon spawn and
To embark on such a course was akin to suicide.
I like them, knew well the stories of the savage and brutal nature of the minions of Yeenoghu
“The goddess of slaughter”
“The ruler of Ruin” and any number of other terrifying descriptors.
The Gnolls were little more than horrific and infernal automatons focused solely on slaughtering any living thing standing before them so that they may in turn slaughter any that might further be found behind those tragic souls.
And So while this was not my first dangerous subject to pursue, it was far and away the most
And as such i did my full due diligence as a man of science and assembled all the knowledge i had gained personally to that point and sought out master hunters, warriors and soldiers to add any first hand information i was able before crafting a master plan and outline to maximize my safety while still maintaining my ability to study and observe my horrific quarry. My preparations took the better part of a year before i felt comfortable to embark.
But as the old Gnomish saying goes “All great tragedy follows once great plans”
And i am ashamed to admit it was a humblingly short amount of time until,
my worst fears had come to pass and I found myself captured by the Gnoll warband I had,
To this point, thought I was following from a safe distance unseen.
For reasons i even now still do not fully understand the Gnoll scouts did not immediately kill me but brought me back to their makeshift camp and threw me to the bottom of a roughly dug dirt pit
its top covered with a crudely made barred gate of sticks and branches.
I landed awkwardly and the hard soil and clay bottom with a sound that sickens me to recall to this day.
I had only just begun to gather my bearings and assess the nature of my situation when a low and gravelly voice reached me from a darkened corner at the other side of the pit.
"You must go…..out." it said.
I quickly jumped up from my knees to my feet and backed myself against the wall in fear.
I was not alone in my cell
But a very distinct terror washed over me as my eyes, now adjusting to the dark, made out the shape of my new cell mate, another large Gnoll.
A flood of thoughts filled my head, was this some kind of Chieftain?
Perhaps a toy to be sacrificed to their demon goddess?
I was a researcher, a biologist, not a fighter, i would not mount much of a defense against this hulking creature.
"Wuh-what?` `I replied, shaking in fear.
"They keep you….for Flind. ( Referring to a massive gnoll often serving as warchief for the band )
“Flind mad...when others...leave no blood." The Gnoll explained to me quietly seemingly struggly to capture each word in its head before using it
It said all this without looking over.
For whatever reason, perhaps something in its tone, my fear began to subside slightly, something led me to believe perhaps my new cellmate was not the threat to me I immediately feared..
"Why have they thrown you in here?" I asked him (i think it was a him) surprising myself, the words had left my mouth before i even registered the idea of asking it
I cautiously lowered myself to the floor against the wall opposite him.
"I am...broken." He responded meekly and though i can't be certain, i swear he smirked and chuckled as he made this comment.
Gnolls make such a variety of noises it's often hard to determine.
"Broken?" I pressed, confused, perhaps in his shallow grasp of common he had misspoke?
With this he looked down from the barred ceiling and towards me for the first time,
what little light that was reaching us at the bottom of our hole now reflecting in his yellow eyes giving them the appearance of glowing cinders.
It sent chills down my spine like ice water.
"I am….clean of Yeenoghu, I no…..hear yeenoghu, I do not….heed, I am clean.
Broken...they say." he pointed upwards as he explained to clarify whom he was speaking of.
Though his common tongue was not very fluid he definitely demonstrated a level of intelligence i to this point had never seen exhibited in a Gnoll.
The scientist inside me roared to life, my mind overcome with questions and possibilities, no longer considering the very real danger of my predicament. I straightened myself into a more comfortable position and swatted some dirt from my pants.
"My name is Jaysis, well met." I offered.
He turned his head away slightly and side eyed me
seemingly confused and slightly suspicious before returning his gaze skyward.
after a moment or two, perhaps after consideration
The large gnoll offered back tapping his big clawed hands against his chest as he too straightened to face me better, it was then, as he came more into the limited light that i noticed he was gravely injured,
both his legs were badly broken.
"You're hurt." i pointed to his legs stating what must have seemed obvious.
"Dead soon...gone...Home soon." he replied as he looked up at the night sky through the bars as if contemplating the stars, calmly, and remarkably so considering his words.
As the night went on I started to more clearly notice His mannerisms and movements. they expressed a thoughtfulness that surprised me more than his intelligence.
It was then another thought came to me.
If Hoontra was resigned to his imminent demise what hope could i possibly have?
Well if this is how i am to die, I thought to myself, then I shall die as I lived, and I again pressed the Gnoll for more information.
"How did you become Broken?...eh Clean Hoontra?" i asked him
and again the big gnoll shrugged, not breaking his skyward gaze.
"Hoontra battle..and fall...hurt..Hoontra look quiet place to die, find pretty place, many trees.That place... mama call me, I wake up….clean, no mad, no hungry, no red, just Hoontra. Hoontra and Mama." with this Hoontra resignedly smiled, I suppose i can't be certain it was a smile, an exposing of the fangs for a gnoll is no rare thing…...but i like to believe it was.
I took in what he said in stunned silence, here i sat having a conversation with a Gnoll, what would the others think of this story? I’d likely never learn the answer to that question.
There Hoontra sat staring skyward, he showed no sign of pain, no sign of anger, sadness or anxiety, just what seemed contentment as he continued to look out into the night.
But each answer Hoontra gave me only raised more questions in me
"Who is Mama Hoontra? Who cleaned you? " I asked
With this question again Hoontra looked to me and extended his large muscular arm to the dirt wall besides him and gently pressed his large clawed fingers against a roughly carved image of a Unicorn head.
"MeekiLee, Meekilee is mama." The coincidences were too striking to not be comfortable in assuming that "MeekiLee" was his pronunciation or interpretation of Mielikki the forest goddess.
I was gobsmacked, was it true? Could the Gnolls be cleansed of their demonic taint? Had the ranger goddess cleansed this gnoll? But my internal debate was interrupted as Hoontra continued
"Meekilee forgive and clean... soon Hoontra die and run in tall grass...forever, and Meekilee run with me." Hoontra looked to a small wooden circle carved with the image of a unicorn he wore around his neck tied with some shoddy twine. He turned it around in his fingers for a few seconds before shifting onto his back exhaling deeply, as he moved. For the first time it was clear that he was in some pain
"I sleep...you escape...wake up Hoontra...Hoontra help" I nodded and smiled at this most surprising beast and crossed my arms, a million questions rolling through my mind keeping the the reality of my imminent death at bay.
After some time my thoughts however were broken by the sudden sounds of battle above. Hoontra quickly straightened up eyes wide. With a stunning speed he launched himself forward on just his arms, dragging his broken legs behind him and grabbed me.
He pulled me behind his huge body defensively and lowered his head in a gutteral snarl, the black mohawk of hair running down his spine spiking upwards. I tensed in fear suddenly overwhelmed by everything going on around me,
was this it? was this how i die?
I sunk my fingers into the tattered cloak Hoontra wore over his back and I closed my eyes when suddenly a loud BANG rang out from above followed by several gentle thuds.
Hoontras body tensed suddenly and then he exhaled deeply and his body went limp as he collapsed before me.
“Hoontra!” i said loudly as I shook him, paying no mind to whatever was above.
"Jaysis! Jaysis Une! are you down there? " a human voice called down into the hole as light suddenly surrounded me.
"Yes! im here!" I responded as I looked up and saw three armed men holding crossbows and a torch.
"You ok?" another of the men continued.
"Im unharmed!" I yelled back suddenly relieved
but that feeling quickly changed as I looked down at the body of Hoontra.
"Ok just hold on a minute. we'll find some rope and get you out of there." the men said as they walked out of my range of vision.
I rolled Hoontra over onto his back as gently as I was able, he was shockingly heavy, I surveyed his arrow riddled body and sighed as I struggled to pull his arms over to cross his stomach in some feeble attempt at a show of respect.
There was no way the men would have known, How could they? who in a million years would ever believe a Gnoll could be anything, but well...a gnoll?
I sat beside Hoontra for a few minutes collecting my thoughts, now being able to truly appreciate how big a gnoll is, knowing, id likely never be this close to one again.It was then i noticed that his one hand was closed in a fist, grasping the small wooden symbol of his “Meekilee”
a peaceful smile, yes, it was a smile, on his scarred canine face.
"Doctor! we're lowering the rope to you now." the men had returned.
"Gentleman!" i spoke back "I'm going to need to take this corpse back with me….for study " i said to the men.
The leader sighed "Doctor, there are plenty of dead gnolls up here we ...." he tried to explain when i cut him off
"No, I need this one, ten gold for each of you if you help me get it back to my home." With this the men's eyes widened and with smiles they hurried off to find more rope.
Of course there will be no study.
There is a clearing in my garden at the base of an old oak tree surrounded by different flowers and bushes and such. It has a clear view of the sky and the stars at night, I often sit there to read my books by candle light or a small fire.
occasionally, distracted by the infinity of the night sky i stare off and wonder about everything
This is where ill bury my friend Hoontra and perhaps ill leave a carved unicorn so Meekilee will know where to find her son so they may run together in the tall grass forever.
(Hey guys, please give a follow and ill write some more stuff? maybe? no? ok nevermind im sorry.)