Warning: Character Death

Aarghaumont's breath burned in his chest. He had been running all night and it felt like his legs were about to give out under him. He couldn't stop now. He had to get as far as he possibly could.

The sky was starting to get lighter. The star speckled blackness was turning into a soft blue which Aarghaumont knew would soon give way to sunrise.

Sunrise…

Suddenly the Gum-Gums weren't his only fear. He had heard stories of the sun. Of it's terrible destructive light. Of what it did to a troll's stone body. Krubera whelps were warned of the dangers of the surface from a young age. He never understood why some trolls chose to live where they risked its wrath on a regular basis.

The sky began to shift from blue to pink and Aarghaumont looked around desperately. He had to find shelter fast. The open rocky plane yielded little in the way of plant life and was not friendly to digging.

There!

Just over a dip in the plane Aarghaumont could see some foliage. He turned his path toward it in desperate hope.

He reached the edge and saw that it was a small hollow in the land full of thick prickly bushes. The sun rose over the horizon and the first rays of its light struck Aarghaumont's tail as he dove into the thicket. He let out a shriek and curled into a ball, grabbing at the injured appendage. Fortunately the brush shielded him from further damage.

The sun continued to rise relentlessly, filling the land with its harsh light. Aarghaumont whimpered and press his eyes closed. Even in the shade it was too bright. He cried softly. He missed his home in the gentle dark earth, he missed the soft glow of crystal and, above all, he missed his Mom.

The morning crawled by, the light becoming brighter and brighter. Aarghaumont's head ached. He wondered if he would still be able to see if… when he got home. His stomach growled reminding him he had hardly eaten since before his capture. He whimpered and curled up tighter.

By the time the sun reached the top of the sky, Aarghaumont had finally slipped into an exhausted doze. He hadn't been asleep for long before he was awoken by voices. He immediately jerked upright, fear sharp in his chest.

Whatever was approaching, there were several of them. They spoke a language he had never heard before in strange whispery voices. Carefully he shifted under the bushes and peered out, squinting against the glare. He was just barely able to make out six shapes walking toward him. They walked upright and were troll-like in form, but their skin was strange and their limbs were frail. They wore odd garments and were carrying bundles of something.

As he watched one of them dropped to its knee and pointed at something on the ground, chattering excitedly to its companions. Suddenly they all turned and looked in his direction. Aarghaumont quickly retreated farther into the bushes. He huddled there, breath coming in quick pants. Had they heard him?

"There you are, whelp," A voice said in trollish.

The bushes parted slightly and Aarghaumont yelped and scrambled back from the light. The creature peered at him through the opening it had created. It's strange ugly face formed a sneer. It smelled like an animal. Like flesh and blood instead of stone.

"What are you?" Aarghaumont whispered fearfully.

Its eyes widened for a moment before it burst into ruckus laughter. It turned to look at something out of Aarghaumont's line of sight.

"Can you believe it? The whelp's never seen a human before. I mean I knew the Krubera's never got out, but damn!"

There was more laughter from the other creatures… humans?

"I'm a changeling," The creature said turning back to Aarghaumont with an unpleasant smile. "Come. You've caused enough trouble already."

A changeling? He'd heard that word before. They were slender trolls he'd seen hanging around the edges of the camp he'd been taken to. The Gum-Gums talked about them in tones of spite.

They were going to take him back…

Aarghaumont's ears laid back and he snarled. He wasn't going back there. He was going home!

"Leave me alone!"

The changeling made an annoyed sound.

"I guess we're doing this the hard way."

It withdrew and began talking to its companions it their odd language.

A spear thrust into the bushes and Aarghaumont jumped back with a yelp. Another one followed it and he dodged again. Another dodge and suddenly he was out of the bushes.

His eyes widened and he tried to scramble back into safety but something landed around his neck holding him back. He grabbed at it and found it was a chain. He snarled and tried to lunge at the changeling holding him, but another chain landed around his neck from the other direction and then another and another. He screamed trying to pull free but had no success. Finally, when he had spent himself, he lay still on the ground panting. There was some sort of covering above him he realized keeping him from being burnt. He thought it might have been called a 'tent'. Before he could wonder at it, one of the changelings tugged the chain it was holding.

"Come on," It said, starting to try to pull him with it.

"No!" Aarghaumont snarled and dug his claws into the ground. They weren't taking him.

The changeling huffed and yelled something to its companions. They all started to move and the tent, supported by poles the changelings were holding, moved with them. Aarghaumont was confused for a moment then the edge of the shadow reached him and the sunlight struck his skin. With a scream of pain he scrambled forward to get back into the shadow.

Now he understood. If he didn't come with them the changelings would let him burn in the sun.

The journey back to the Gum-Gums' caves was longer than the one away. Every movement pulled at Aarghaumont's sunstains and caused the chains to chaff around his neck. The changelings tolerated no hesitation from him. They would move the tent forward more quickly if he started dragging his feet.

The sun was just slipping below the horizon on the second day when they finally reached the encampment. At the sight of the cliffs Aarghaumont dug his claws into the ground again. He let out a wail.

"Oh not this again," The lead changeling groaned. "Hurry up or we'll…"

A familiar roar answered Aarghaumont's cry and the changelings froze. Hope burst back to life in Aarghaumont's chest.

"Mom!" He screamed, struggling desperately against the chains.

A large shaggy form bounded into view.

With a roar that shook the ground beneath them his Mom charged into the unfortunate creatures that had dared to take her son. The changelings scattered like cockroaches but not all of them managed to get out of the way in time. His mom's heavy fist struck one and sent him flying against the cliff. He hit the rock and went limp, his still form hitting the ground with a thud.

Her eyes burned like green flame as she stood over her son and roared her rage at the changelings. They backed away, eyes wide with fear.

Satisfied that the changelings would not try anything, she grabbed Aarghaumont by the scruff and threw him onto her back. He dug his hands into his Mom's thick black fur in a death grip as she wheeled around and bolted. Her powerful strides made the scenery blur around them.

For a moment he thought they were going to make it.

Something slammed into them. Aarghaumont screamed as he went flying. He gathered himself the ground with a whine and turned just in time to see his Mom lunge to her feet and lock horns with the large troll changing her. It was a huge hulking male. Sharp Gum-Gum markings interlaced with scars covered his body and his thick grey mane was stained brown around his face.

The two giants slammed together like a pair of rockslides. Aarghaumont watched in horror as they ripped into each-other snarling, roaring and snapping with their teeth. He desperately wanted to close his eyes but he couldn't look away.

The fight was vicious, fast, and violent, but his Mom was slowly pushing her foe back. Just as it looked like she was going to win, the chains that were still around Aarghaumont's neck went taught. He spun and saw that the changelings were back. They were trying to drag him away while his mom was distracted.

"Mom!" He screamed desperately trying to free himself.

Time seemed to slow down as his Mom turned toward the sound of his cry. In that moment the other troll lunged forward, something glowing green in his hand.

"Mom! Watch out!"

Her eyes widened as the dagger slammed into her. Blue light flickered out from the center of her chest and raced across her body like lighting as she turned to stone.

Aarghaumont had only one second to stare in numb shock at her frozen face before the Gum-Gum raised his fist and struck the corpse causing it to crumble.

Rage filled his chest and his vision turned red. He flung himself at his Mom's murderer with a wordless roar of hatred and despair. The Gum-Gum turned and caught him by the neck holding him suspended in the air. He yowled and struggled. How dare he? How dare he? He would make him pay.

Unfortunately a whelp like Aarghaumont was no match for a full grown Gum-Gum. The warrior gave a derisive snort and slammed him into the ground. The world went black.

It was about a week later that a strange troll that he had never seen before approached Aarghaumont's cell. The whelp was on his feet and snarling in a moment.

The troll snorted and turned to the shorter, strangely familiar, red troll beside him.

"Leave," He said, tone dismissive.

The red troll bowed and left.

"So you're the Krubera whelp that has caused us so much trouble," He said unlocking the door to Aarghaumont's cell.

Aarghaumont kept snarling but backed away. This troll was big, as big as his Mom had been. His living stone was black obsidian interlaced with lines of glowing blue light, as if he had consumed a star and was now letting it suffocate in his chest. His eyes glowed with cold fire as he looked Aarghaumont over.

Aarghaumont continued to snarl at him, hatred dripping from his young voice.

Before Aarghaumont could register what was happening, the troll lunged forward and pinned him to the ground. Anger turned to fear and he clawed at the hand pinning him, desperate for air. Slowly his struggles got weaker and weaker until he finally went limp, lack of oxygen threatening to make him unconscious.

The troll released him.

"Are you ready to be respectful now?"

Aarghaumont weakly nodded. Struggling to his feet, he backed away, ears pressed down and eyes wide.

"Good," The troll leaned against the doorframe in the entrance of the cell. "I have a proposition for you."

Aarghaumont tilted his head warily.

"You have caused much trouble for us, but you are strong, cleaver and have potential. I want you to serve me."

"Why should I?" Aarghaumont snarled.

He would die before he became a Gum-Gum.

The troll chuckled, it was not a kind sound.

"Because we have a mutual enemy: Gracknel."

Aarghaumont froze. That was the name of the Gum-Gum that had killed his mom.

The other troll saw his interest and grinned.

"The old bastard is one of Unkar's generals and a thorn in my side. Not to mention he's dishonorable and fights using underhanded methods as I'm sure you know."

Aarghaumont nodded. His mom would have won had Gracknel not used that poisoned dagger.

"Serve me and I'll train you and help you get revenge."

Aarghaumont stared at the troll before him, mind racing. He still didn't want to become a Gum-Gum, but he did want revenge. If he played along he could get that and then he could escape. It wasn't like that was going to happen if he stayed locked up in a cell.

"What is your decision?"

The troll offered him a hand. Aarghaumont hesitated a moment longer then took it and allowed him to pull him out of his cell.

"Good choice. What is your name, youngling?"

"Aarghaumont," He said, ignoring the unpleasant feeling in his horns.

"I look forward to your service. You may call me Gunmar."

Gunmar turned away and Aarghaumont followed.

Author Notes:

I'm back at this one!

I'm bumping the rating up to mature because this will be dealing with some rather heavy stuff in the next few chapters. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

My main goal with this story is to explore how Aaarrrgghh became the troll he is. I'll be occasionally leaving some commentary in the notes. If anyone wants to speculate or share their head cannons with me, I would love to discuss.

Until next time!