//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Time Lord: The Story of Polaris 
// by Thrawn1800 
//------------------------------//

Prologue


Peaceful. That’s how I would describe my surroundings. Peaceful and quiet. The birds are asleep, and the crickets are gently chirping. The night animals are all silent. There are no frogs tonight. I wonder about that. Slowly, I rise from where I am sitting under the tree. As I begin to walk home, I listen to the soft sounds of the night. I admire the stars, distant, but welcoming and friendly. I used to be able to see so many more when I lived in the country. The small size of this forest is just a reminder that I am here and not there. I miss the open fields and close forests of my old home. 

As I continue along a small path, I again look up through the trees at the stars. I find my favorite star, Polaris, the North Star. As I gaze upon it, I feel the need to make a wish. I slowly come to a stop, and focus on the star. I make my wish. I wish… I wish I could be someone, someone who could make a difference. I wish I could be somewhere I could make a difference. A man everyone would read about, would know.  I look down at my feet, saddened, then continue walking forward. 

I feel a gentle breeze start up. As I look forward, I see the trees swaying slightly in the breeze. When I reach a branch in the trail, I take the right path, and continue on my way. After several minutes, the breeze has picked up, and it’s now a good strong wind. I again look up, and see that clouds have started to move in from the west. I start to hurry now, not wanting to be caught in the storm. I trip over a branch, and fall forward. Gasping out in pain, I push myself up, and continue forward. It is getting very dark now, and I am having difficulty finding my way. As I approach the next branch of the trail, it starts to rain. Not just a light rain, but a torrential downpour. 

The ground is starting to get slippery, the dirt trail turning to mud. I again fall, slipping in the mud, and this time, I yell out. I’ve broken my right arm. Grimacing as lances of pain race up my arm. I push myself up with my left arm, and struggle forward. The dark clouds have now made it too dark to see far, and I slow down, fearful of accidentally leaving the safety of the trail.  My foot hits a rock, and I again fall. I hit the ground, and this time, I scream in agony. I’ve fallen on my broken arm. I roll over, unable to find the strength to lift myself again. Above me, I see the dark clouds. I feel the rain pouring onto me. I gasp for breath, pain tearing through my body. Above me, through a gap in the clouds, I see the North Star. Its light shining down on me, a beacon in the darkness and the cold. I wish again. I wish for safety, for help. As the rain continues to pour down on me, I black out.

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When I wake up, I’m lying on my side. I’m still very tired, but the pain in my arm has gone down. When I try to move it, I grimace as a lance of pain goes up my arm. I can’t feel my fingers, but I expect that is because of the pain in my arm and the cold. As my awareness begins to return. I realize that there is a fire in front of me. I must not be alone anymore. I wonder who could have found me. Who in their right mind would have been in a forest during a storm? Oh wait. Me. I open my eyes, and see the small fire. I try to sit up, but I cry out as stabbing pain blossoms in my chest. I hear running. It sounds like several people running towards me. I close my eyes as the pain continues to burn in my body. The footsteps come to a stop.


“What's wrong?” a woman’s voice said.

“He must've tried to move,” a man said. “He shouldn't have done that, with several broken ribs and a broken leg.”

“Will he recover?”

“If we get him back to the castle, I'm sure. If we don't, it's harder to say.”

“You know, I’m here too.” I manage to say.

After a shocked silence, the woman said “How're you awake, after your injuries?”

The man’s voice said “By all means, you should be out of it for several more hours young stallion.”

“I… What do you mean?! Stallion?!”

“Not only do you seem to have several severe injuries, you seem to have amnesia. You're definitely a stallion.”

I open my eyes, in spite of the pain in my head, and pull my left arm out from under me, and raise it in front of my face. I see, instead of my usual pale skin and five fingers, I see my arm is covered in short, brown fur. At the end of my arm, no, my leg was a hoof. I started breathing hard. I’m some sort of horse-thingy.

“Are you alright?” asked the woman. 

I looked up, to find another horse-thingy standing over me. It was… purple? I looked to my right, and saw another thingy, this one gray.

I pointed my hoof at the purple one and said “Horse-thingy.”

I then promptly passed out. Again.