How Xtehn Titcomb Got His Names

In a deal I made with my friend Xtehn, I was asked to write him a story about how he got his first and last name. Here they are:

Story #1:
In days of old, parents gave their children names that meant very specific things. Not like you would think today, like "Seamus" or "Ralph," where you are named after a relative or a friend. No, these names gave the child specific powers. Some made the children smart, others made them strong, and others gave then heightened senses. Some names were more common than others, given by parent's who merely just wanted their child to be happy and settling for only one special power.  Parent's knew they had the right name if, after writing the name they had chosen on a piece of parchment, the letters making up the name would glow to show off the power the name possesses. Thus it was this way for many many years. 

One day, a couple had just given birth to a baby boy. He would end up being 1 of 5 children. But that's for a later story. The parents of this boy could not pick on single trait they wanted this son to have. They were not the type to settle for anything in life, and they didn't want their son to settle in life either.  They began thinking about a name that would give the child more than just one special power, but all of them together.  They had many ideas with many different combinations, but none seemed right.  None spoke out to them from the world.

One night, as the parent's were starring up at the night sky. The baby's father began to fall asleep, his eyes squinting from shutting and opening over and over again.  He then noticed one particular star and saw how the light from in changed shape. He squinted over and over again until his mind became clear!
He looked at his wife and asked her, "Will you please squint at a star and tell me what you see?" His wife, not questioning what her husband asked, did as he requested.
"I see many lines crossing over each other."
"Yes, but is there anything that sticks out to you?"
She looked again, squinting and unsquinting until...
"It looks like the letter 'X,' only there are several 'X's" layers over each other."
"How many 'Xs' would you see?"
"I'd say, at least 8."
The father looked back happily at his wife. "Exactly. Many 'Xs' put on top of each other. All of the world's powers put together and made into one.  This is then name we must give our son."
The father then grabbed a sheet of parchment, wrote out the name, "Xeight." Nothing happened. The father was frustrated, having thought that the name would truly glow. He began to crumble up the parchment when his wife stopped him.
"Look at the 'X'" she said.
The father starred. The "X" seemed to be lighter than the other names. He erased all the letters except the "X" and next out the letter "T." Both letters became light. He added an "E" and a "N," thinking that that would be the perfect combination. Looking at the letters he saw that the "X" and "N" were glowing more brightly than the "T" and "E." He put many letters there without the letters becoming more or less bright. Finally, he tried the letter "H." The parchment glowed like no other light he had ever seen. Both the mother and father starred in awe of the name. They had never seen a name glow so brightly before.
"I think he have found the name for our child," said the mother happily. "Xtehn."

Story #2
When earth was first formed, there were two sets of living things, humans and animals. The animals thrived off of being stubborn; once they made a choice, they stuck with it and nothing could changed their minds. The humans were doubtful, never knowing exactly what to think and changing their minds constantly; never knowing exactly what they should have to eat or what they should do with their lives. Humans her constantly guessing, while the animals could not be coaxed, even when they knew they were wrong.  One day, the wisest animal and the wisest human met and discussed their world.
"I think we need one leader," said the animal.
"I agree," said the human. "well, maybe. What if you're wrong and we cant change it back? Or maybe it does succeed but some people aren't happy about it? I mean, there has to be a way to please everyone?"
"No, just one leader."
"But...yes! I mean no, I mean..."
The human and the animal began to fight. The animal not giving an inch, and the human changing his mind after every sentence. During the fight, the human and the animal didn't notice that they were being observed. A small boy hiding behind a tree. He saw how the two leaders were talking to each other, and didn't understand why they were fighting.  Why couldn't they see the other's point of view or agree upon anything? It didn't make sense to the boy. He went home to his father and asked why they couldn't agree.
"Well, maybe its because the animal is right....or wrong. Or the human can't tell what the animal was saying. Or he does but...I don't know son, I'm sorry."
The boy decided to go back and ask the human and the animal why they couldn't agree.
"Why?? Why?" sputtered the animal. "Because its what I want."
"Huh?" asked the human. "I agree with him, or maybe I don't. I don't know."
"Have you ever asked why?" asked the boy.

"But what if the leader needed help? Or someone to talk to?" asked the boy.
The human and the animal looked back at the boy, not really knowing what to make of him. "What's your name boy?" asked the human.
"People call me Titcomb."
"Have you always thought this way? Asking why and pursuing answers while listening to what the other says?" asked the animal.
"Well, yeah," replied Titcomb. "How can you come to a decision without learning all the facts?"
The human and the animal starred more at the boy. Silence went on for a very long time. Then, at the same time, the animal and the human said at the same time : "You should be our leader!! You clearly understand more than we do."
The boy though about this for many nights, then went back the the animal and human and told them that he had thought about all the facts and agreed to lead the world.  The boy then traveled all over the world teaching animals and humans how to question what was happening in their lives, how to see the big picture of things, and how to think reasonably when talking to another person. This boy grew into a man and led the world his whole life. He had a family in which he gave his wisdom to on a daily basis. Hoping that they too, could help keep the world changing and challenging their thoughts.  The name "Titcomb" was passed down from generation to generation. The people who bore that name constantly challenged what they thought and how they could help others.

Unfortunately, they were only able to changed the minds of the humans. Not all of them though; some still couldn't make up their minds. The animals however, did not fully grasp the idea. They continued to only have one thought, one emotion. good or bad.  This is why dogs are always happy, and hippo's always grumpy

Today, 6 generations old, the Titcomb name continues to change the world and listen to what the people around them have to say. They lust after knowledge. The are still the wisest of the wise. Able to joke and play and yet stop and see what nature tells them.  It has come to have the translation "wise," coming from the dead language the animals and humans once used to communicate. Generation after generation passes down what they know, making those that wear the Titcomb name with pride forces to be reckoned with.

Willford the Shfeether

This is the story of Willford. Willford was a gentle creature. He was barely the size of my own thumb. He was a shfeether. What is a shfeether you may ask? They are shy gentle creatures that spend their whole lives just trying to find a home that keeps them same and hidden by all eyes of the world. For when another living creature (other than another shfeether of course) see's a shfeether, they are forever frozen. Where do you think rocks come from? But I'm not talking about rocks, I'm talking about Willford.

Willford was a particularly special shfeether. He had a wide body and pointy head, and was VERY good at hiding.  The key word being, "was."  He had lived in many places: inside trees, children's lego sets, flat soccerballs.  The only problem with the places he made his home were that he eventually had to leave. Shfeethers have very good hearing, so anytime a living thing came along, Willford would pack up his things and get the heck outta there.

One day after quickly leaving the chewed up tennis ball he'd been living in for a week before he was spotted by a dog, he mumbled under his breath as he climbed into his new "home."
"I must find somewhere where I can live in peace and not worry about becoming a rock..." He'd found a temporary home in a shoe. A children's show by the size of it.  It was the middle of the night so Willford decided to stay there and wake up early before the ower's foot decided to occupy it again. 
He'd just fallen asleep when he woke up suddenly to a stapping pain in his head and a sudden sensation of being pushed through something.  He heard a very distant "Ouch!" Looking around, he was that he was inside of a person's foot!
"What the hell??" he said. "Damn. This sucks, how am I gonna get out of...wait! No one can see inside of a foot! I've found the perfect home! Score!"

Willford quickly made himself at home in the person's foot. It was a very active foot but he didn't mind too much. When he got annoyed he would jam his pointy head into one of the joints of the foot and the person would be still for a while and give him peace. 

Over the next few months, Willford noticed that his joint jamming was not stopping his foot from moving around. All he wanted was peace, so he decided to start moving up.
"Maybe I can stop this person from moving too much from higher up," he thought.  He eventually made his way to the knee.
"Here we go!" He cried, and he shoved his head into the knee joint. He felt the person go very still, then began to move again. He jammed once more, and the body fell still.
"Ahhh, maybe that did it."
And he was right.  The person was still active but not nearly as much. He was happy living this way. he was safe, warm, and who would ever see him here!

While reading a book, Willford noticed that his home had become incredibly still. Too still. It wasn't even that still when it slept...Then all of a sudden a bright light was shined on him and a claw had grabbed him. He was quickly getting pulled away from his home. He felt himself leaving the body just as uncomfortably as he entered and then he was forever still. The doctor had laid his eyes on Willford and was examining him closely, unsure of what exactly he was.

Willford is now still and living in a jar.

The Turtle and the Kicking Boy

Once upon a time there was a turtle that was an easily scared little fella. He would jump with fright at the slightest unforeseen noise and scream in terror. One day in a meadow that the turtle was sleeping in, a father and a very young son were enjoying the lovely weather and playing among the grass.  The young lad loved to kick anything and everyone. His favorite items were stones, sticks, and his father's shins. He was romping around the meadow, kicking things in his path and being as happy as can be.  The turtle, asleep among some rocks that were being warmed by the sun, did not hear the boy until he screamed and kick the rock next to which the turtle was spooning. The turtle jumped high into the air with fright and grabbed onto the first thing his little turtle claws could cling to: the fathers shin.  The father was confused, but seeing his son running full speed at him with a look of pure glee on his face took all his attention. The little boy took a big wind up and kicked his father hard in the shin where the little turtle was still clinging. The father, having closed his eyes and bracing himself for impact, felt nothing. This is how shin guards were invented. The end.