Gotta love Tas. In order for this story to work, it would have to be assumed that the War of Souls Trilogy never happened, that Takhisis didn't steal the world, and that Tas never used the Time Device he apparently had. But hey, when I read Summer's Flame first, I didn't know that, so there's my excuse!
Hope people will find this story enjoyable, even for a lame little one-shot that's not even original. (grin)
All kender have a dream when they are young. They dream of the flowing rivers and the playful fish that live in them. They dream of the bright sun smiling down on them as they rush across the deserts, seeing the sand sparkle like diamonds as if they were hiding some treasure deep underneath. They dream of the monstrous mountains,of climbing up them hand over hand hoping to find an ancient dragon sleeping on a treasure trove. They never think of the consequences, such as what if they fell into the crushing rapid, what if they burned up in the desert or what if they got eaten by the dragon. Because they knew that life was meant for living and that nothing was ever certain. If they had got to see the dragon's pointed face from only three feet away only to be swallowed up the next minute they would tell you it was worth it all. Exploring was its own reward.
Tasslehoff had the dream when he was five years old, and had ran to his mother shouting, "Mom! Mom! I had this dream where I swam with the dolphins, and then I met a minotaur and called him a cow! He then started to choke me, but I was rescued by this knight in his shining armor. But then he suddenly transformed into this silver dragon and we flew over really big hills, and all the people below us were like little ants! And Mom, I have this weird feeling in my legs, and I want to move around a lot. I wanna go out and see things so much now. It's really hard to sit down!"
The four foot tall woman laid a warm hand on her son's hands, the boy not even reaching half her height. She gave a knowing smile, and said, "Don't worry, Tas. You just have the wanderlust. One day, you'll get to do all those things in your dream. After all, exploring is our way of life…"
Tasslehoff had a whole river of thoughts flowing through his head when he saw the giant's face overhead, his laughing voice ringing through the heavens. But not one of them was fear. After all, kender did not know fear. But there was confusion, apprehension, and great uncertainty running through him.
Looking around at the extreme pandemonium surrounding him, the little one watched his dwarf friend, Dougan, huddled in a ball, whispering to himself. He saw the girl named Usha staring with fear at the giant, Chaos, his arms as wide as the mountains, his eyes reflecting the pure anarchy that ran rampant through all space and time. The knights fought desperately on their dragon mounts against the unheard-of fire creatures that flew out from the enormous amount of volcanoes that formed at a fantastical rate. No way that anyone could notice him, this small little kender, clutching his knife in his meek hands, the knife that his good friend, Caramon, had dubbed Rabbitslayer.
All kender had one main thing in mind since they were brought forth into the world: to explore. It was the deadly lure of the steep mountains, the myths of the dark creatures living in deep caverns, the lively sounds of the cities. It was impossible for one person to see it all, to encompass it all in their mind. But a kender dared to see it, because wanderlust was an inheritance. After all, the world was so interesting and so big. How could anyone just sit at home all cooped up, ignoring the beckoning moon outside? Tasslehoff could not understand it, just as so many humans and other creatures could not understand his way of life fully.
He craned his neck at the fire-engulfed sky, the end of his long topknot just barely touching the dead grass. He blinked in awe, realizing that he was practically viewing an apocalyptic event firsthand. He should have been scared, and soon he realized he was actually. He was still quite new to the sensation, the strange shivering feeling that made way through his bones, the tightening in the pit of his stomach, and the awful emotion of being so small and so helpless.
But no kender even in his dreams could have imagined all this. He was seeing the end of the world, and it certainly was the most interesting thing. And he wondered for one second, had he seen it all? For it looked like the whole world was built up in this one spot. He could see the stars exploding from way up above and feel the heat of lava against his face. Boy, it really was getting hot…
"Wow, I bet I'm the first and only kender in history to see this! Whoa! Did the sun just explode?" He shaded his eyes with his hands, still looking at the sky. There was some kind of beauty in all this chaos, even with that big, ugly giant standing above him, laughing in his harsh voice. It looked like the universe was tearing itself apart from all the madness.
Tasslehoff was an avid explorer, just like the rest of his race. He had lived through the wars, and never tired of telling his stories, even if at times he exaggerated the truth, but that was only to make it more interesting. He had faced Dragon Highlords, experienced a numerous amount of magic spells that were cast on him (such as the one time he had been turned into a mouse, fun times!) and even saw what was beyond the world, like the Abyss. But that had not been a particularly fun place, since the Abyss was full of nothingness, a kender's worst nightmare. But today just took his breath away.
What a story he would tell after all this was over!…
"Are all you kender this stupid?!" The swordswoman, Kitiara, shouted at him, holding the small Tasslehoff in one of her arms, leaving the cave. She dumped him on the ground in a not-so-ceremonious manner, her attention now turned to the bloodied sword in her hand.
Unaffected, the kender jumped to his feet, unable to stay in one place. "That was certainly amazing with the way you just slit off that bugbear's head! It was like swish and thwack! I'm not sure if that thing even saw you because of how fast you moved. Can you teach me how to use a sword like you, Kitiara? Please?"
The woman ran a hand through her short-cropped hair, fingers digging through the tangled curls as she stared down at the small being looking up at her. "You do know that that bugbear could have eaten you if I hadn't come along? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Tasslehoff blinked, twirling the end of his topknot with his finger curiously. "But I never got to see such a thing before. I only wanted to go explore."
"Curiosity killed the cat, as they say." Kitiara shook her head, sheathing her now clean sword. "Are you willing to wager with death for all you're little 'adventures?'"
"But it was totally worth it!" Tasslehoff shot his fist in the air, his eyes so bright and eager. "Even if something were to happen with me, it was all worth it!…"
He clutched the small knife with a tight grip, watching the giant's large boots, as large as lakes, make their way across the ground. It was as if the whole world shook with his footsteps, and it might as well have been with his fantastical size. The kender saw his friends, Usha, the young woman, and Palin, the white-robed mage, lying in a pool of his own blood. They were in the path of the overbearing giant, Chaos. He was set on crushing them like ants.
"No! He's gonna squash them flat!" Tasslehoff looked around, seeing no one near enough to help. The dwarf was still lost in his own pitiful sobs, and the knights were busy with their own life-and-death problems. He was the only one around that could do something. This small and insignificant being, as everyone would call him, had to act.
"Well, since there's no one big enough…" His feet acted on their own, as they were wont to do in his adventures, rushing toward the giant, desperate to get there in time. No need to get caught up in safety, in comprehending the immense danger he was in. He never concerned himself with such trivial matters before, why start now?
He reached close enough, his knees shaking slightly, but his lips firm. "Take that!" he shouted, shoving Rabbitslayer through the leather material of the giant's boot, the knife reaching the big toe. He lost his hearing for a moment, for Chaos was screaming in great anger and pain at this wound being drawn by such an insignificant creature…
"Flint! Flint! You've got to see this!" The kender was exploding in sheer joy and exhilaration as he leaned over the back of the dragon. Both he and the dwarf were now flying through the air, situated on the back of the bronze dragon. Tas could not describe the feeling he had as he watched the landscape rush below him.
"No! I'm fine right where I am!" Flint shouted back, his stocky figure trembling with dread, fearing the immense height they were at.
Tasslehoff no longer paid him much attention, completely immersed in the sights. He loved the feeling of the wind rushing against him as the dragon's wings creaked from its motions during the flight, even if the wind was a bit strong and stung his eyes a bit. But those were unimportant things. He saw the world like a giant map, seeing the trees like little dots. They were moving through the clouds, and soon he was drenched in moisture and could only laugh in sheer happiness (while his friend, Flint, merely sneezed repeatedly, cursing in his Dwarven tongue). But what a sight to see!
"I wonder if birds get to see this kind of thing everyday?" he wondered to himself. Taking a chance, he spread out his arms, feeling his topknot wave behind him like a banner. He had on no safety harness, and came dangerously close to falling when the dragon turned sharply through the blue sky. But it was so worth it. He had wings now, and he was flying in the air, as happy as he could be.
I want to fly, I want to fly high into the sky and see the world…
It happened very quickly. Tasslehoff watched the blood spurt from the wound in the giant's foot. He saw the cold, black eyes glare at him from the heavens. The boot had lifted up higher, poised right over the kender's head. He knew what was coming next.
"Tas!" He heard Usha cry out in fear. But he kept his eyes rooted above him, at the leather casing of the shoe that was ready to squash him flat. And then he kept staring upwards, through the shoe, through the fire burning up the skies, until he reached the space where the stars thrived and everything was so silent.
It was almost…peaceful. He was floating in the midst of the dark, trying to connect the stars that formed pictures. He saw a number of colored spheres that seemed to be suspended by invisible strings. It was all so big. Everything! It just stretched out for thousands and thousands of miles. There were little lights stuck in the blackness, lighting the whole thing up. He felt he could jump across the spheres like stepping stones, ready to discover a new thing, a new sensation. And he was happy, so so happy.
He spread out his arms, his lips slowly curving into that innocent, happy-go-lucky smile that his friends would prominently remember him for. The giant's foot seemed to have disappeared, and he kept on flying through the stars. What a story he would have for Flint when he caught up with him again.
The great foot of Chaos smashed into the ground.
It was all worth it, just to see it all.