The flickering flames cast dancing shadows across the soot-covered walls of the cavern. Old Trott of the Zarakkar tribe had gathered the children around the fire and was telling them his favorite story...

"Back in those days, the Zarakkar was a nasty 'n' cruel people. They only wanted the 'ealthy kiddies. And what abou' the rest of 'em? No chance! Thrown off o' Troll Mountain, tha's what! Righ' into the deep dark abyss! But it weren't that way wi' Mojo, oh no. His Momma wouldn' give 'im away, would she? But who cared what the mother finks? 'E was a weakling, weak 'n' ugly 'e was!"

The listening children touched their faces and glanced at each other. The old troll went on: "An' so, off 'e went, off the cliff. Bu' tha' weren't the end of 'im!”

Trott continued, and the children listened to the next part of his story with rapt attention, terrified but gripped. Covered in dried blood, and with scrapes and bruises all over his body, the survivor crawled among the rotting corpses and ancient bones at the bottom of the abyss. At night, the baby's tiny, exhausted body shivered with the cold, and during the day, the unbearable stench of the dead made his stomach churn. And there was no end to this horror. Vividly described by the old troll in his crude dialect, his story could bring a chill to even the bravest of listeners. "Whaddaya doin' just sittin' there? Come on, gi' some wood on the fire o'er here! Or we'll all freeze o' the cold, like poor ol' Mojo down there," Trott yelled at the older kids.

After waiting for the flames to blaze up again, warming the cave and sending the shadows dancing around the walls once more, he continued:

"Fer a whole year, lil' Mojo was a'cryin' and a'callin' for 'elp, and nobody came, nobody 'eard the poor lil' chap. 'E crawled an' he crept, 'e ripped up the grass an' ate the roots, the grass tha' was a'feedin' on the blood o' his relatives.

To give extra life to his story, Trott plucked a clump of bladderwort and, carefully chewing it with his rotten teeth, continued. He described at length the forest where Mojo ended up, the bloody blisters on his hands and knees, his desperate crying, and the warm memories of his mother that nourished his soul. He told them about how the boy escaped from a pack of hungry worgs, tried to find a way out of the endless dark of the forest, and endured constant bites from ravenous insects. But most of all, Old Trott continually emphasized the incredible desire to live that burned brightly in the child's heart. Finally, he came to the most important part.

"From out o' nowhere, Jhu was there, lyin' on the ground like a fish. 'E was the tuffest warrior o' the Zarakkar, and 'e was a'bleedin' bad. Oh yes 'e was a'bleedin'! And from up on the hill there, the enemies was a'shootin' at him! Oh, it was very bad times for ol' Jhu, very bad indeed! Seemed like it was really the end fer 'im this time!

Then Trott, as best as he was able, tried to describe what Mojo did. Nobody knows whether the boy's gifts came from the suffering he had endured, or whether he was guided by Providence. But the gifted child crawled towards Jhu and threw his hands in the air, conjuring a magical staff out of nothing and handing it to him. Then, standing up tall and strong, Mojo stretched out his hand towards the enemy, and the spirits of all the children who had been thrown into the abyss answered his summons. A fatal swarm of tiny magical skulls rained down on the shooters, tearing them to shreds. Once he had dealt with them, Mojo turned to the wounded Jhu and called upon the spirits to heal him.

"An' so," Old Trott was coming to an end, "Jhu was the best fighter o' the Zarakkar, 'e was, bu' he came to understand, you see, tha' the weak an' ugly can be o' more use than the strongest o' warriors. He even made a mask for Mojo, 'e did, so tha' nobody would ever laff again a' his ugly face. An' ever since then, the twos of 'em been the best o' friends! And Mojo, 'e became the brave defender o' the weak an' wretched, an' now the tribe loves its kiddies, all o' them! Well, tha's the story, kids... Oi, who's lookin' after tha' fire!"