Chapter 3 Chapter 1 A Deep Lesson

Drizzt made his way noiselessly through the thick undergrowth, stopping before the exposed flat rock leading to his temporary shelter.He discovered that someone passed by here not long ago.Although there were no traces, a strong smell was left around. Guenhwyvar wandered among the rocks near the cave, seeing it reassured the dark elf.Drizzt had absolute trust in the Panther, he knew that it would find all enemies lurking in the dark.The figure of the dark elf disappeared into the darkness of the cave entrance.A smile appeared on Drizzt's face as soon as he heard the panther follow him to cover him.

Drizzt paused behind a large rock near the opening, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness.The sun was setting rapidly, and although it was still bright outside, it was pitch black inside the cave.Drizzt had to use the elf's gift of night vision.It wasn't long before he saw the intruder.Behind the rocks in the depths of the cavern, a creature emits a distinct source of heat.Judging from the size of the rock, the intruder should be small.What's more, Guan Haifa is by his side, ready to help him at any time, and the dark elves seem to be able to breathe a sigh of relief. However, Drizzt grew up in the Underdark after all.There, creatures of any size can pose deadly dangers.He told Guan Haifa to stay near the entrance of the cave, while he quietly went around to the other side, preparing to make further observations of the unexpected guest.

Drizzt had never seen such an animal.It resembles a cat, but with a smaller, more pointed head.Weighing only a few pounds, the tail and body are covered with thick, long hair.From the above observations, Drizzt can conclude that this is a herbivorous animal.It was concentrating on searching for the food in the bag, completely ignoring the presence of the dark elves. "Take it easy, Guenhyvar." Drizzt lowered his voice, and gently put the scimitar back into its sheath.He slowed down to approach the intruder, but kept his distance carefully so that it would not be disturbed.If you can win its trust, maybe you can have another companion... When the little animal heard Drizzt's voice, it suddenly turned around and quickly retreated to the side of the stone wall.

"Take it easy," Drizzt said again, this time, to the intruder. "I won't hurt you." The dark elf tried to take a few steps forward.The little creature, however, hissed and turned toward the stone wall, kicking hard on the floor with its tiny hind legs. Drizzt thought it was funny, he thought, wouldn't this uninvited guest want to escape through the stone wall?Guenhwyvar leaped forward, but the panther's wail kept the drow from laughing. The intruder's tail was held high, and in the dim light, Drizzt noticed the distinctive stripes on the other's tail that stretched down his back.Guenhhvar whimpered and fled, but it was too late... About an hour later, Drizzt and Guenhuffa were walking the path leading to the foot of the mountain, looking for their new home.They had just salvaged what little belongings there were.The dark elf kept a distance from the panther, otherwise the smell would be unbearable.

Drizzt silently endured the smell emanating from his body.He has learned a lesson.Of course, he had no way of knowing the name of the uninvited guest, but its appearance was already deeply engraved in the dark elf's mind.The next time he encountered a skunk, he knew what to do. "I don't know what other creatures in this strange world will look like." Drizzt said to himself.The dark elf thought about this question more than once.He is not familiar with the surface world, and even more limited is his knowledge of the creatures living in it.For several months, Drizzt's activities were confined to the vicinity of the cave.He would occasionally go down the mountain to look for food, where the dark elves had seen some animals and humans from afar.However, he couldn't summon up the courage to come out from his hiding place and say hello to his neighbors.Drizzt feared rejection, because this time, he had nowhere else to go.

Following the sound of gurgling water, the smelly dark elf and panther came to a rushing stream.Drizzt soon found a hidden hiding place and began stripping off his armor and clothes, while Guenhyvar jumped into the creek to catch fish.The sound of the black panther jumping back and forth in the water brought a smile to the dark elf's serious face.They should be able to have a good meal tonight. Drizzt carefully unbuckled his belt, and laid the cutlass beside his chain mail.Although the drow would feel uncomfortable without weapons and armor, Drizzt hadn't been able to find any opportunities to use force for several months.In the past, in the Underdark Region, he would never let the equipment leave his body.Drizzt stared blankly at the pair of knives, bitter memories of the last battle came to his mind.

That was the battle with Zaknafein.Zaknafein, his father, mentor and close friend.Although only Drizzt survived, the victory belonged to both of them.As early as many years ago, Zaknafein's life was sacrificed to Rose, the queen of the spider god, by Drizzt's evil mother, Mistress Maris.In retribution for her son's blasphemy against Lolth and the entire drow race, Matron Malice forcibly summoned Zaknafein's spirit and ordered the undead creature to capture Drizzt.On the bridge across the acid lake, Zaknafein overtook his son.But Maris was wrong, and Zaknafein's residual consciousness made him refuse to attack Drizzt.The moment he successfully got rid of Marise's control, Zaknafein let out a cry of victory and jumped into the acid lake.Now, the soul of the legendary martial artist can finally rest in peace.

Drizzt has lived in Menzoberranzan for more than thirty years, and has never been assimilated by the cruel and evil customs of the drow.Martial arts aside, the dark elves considered him a disgrace to House Do'Urden.When Drizzt fled the city for self-imposed exile in the wilds of the Underdark, he cut the high priestess' mother out of Lolth's favor. "Father—" Drizzt whispered, gaining strength from the simplicity of the word.He managed to do what Zaknafein couldn't, which was to abandon the drow's wicked way of life.For hundreds of years, his father was involuntarily caught up in it, playing a pawn in Marise's power struggle.Zaknafein's defeat and death gave young Drizzt strength, while Zaknafein's victory over Acid Lake gave him resolve.The teachers of Menzoberranzan's academy tried to trap Drizzt in a web of lies, but he broke through and started a new life on the surface world.

Drizzt trembled involuntarily as he stepped into the icy water.The Underdark is a world dominated by eternal darkness, where the temperature barely changes.Because of this, Drizzt was amazed every time the environment on the ground changed.He found that the length of night and day would gradually change.Sunsets are getting earlier and earlier, and temperatures have been dropping in recent weeks.Sometimes, even the alternation of night and day can be chaotic.On certain days, silvery-white lights appear in the night sky to illuminate the land, and during the day, the sky is covered with a gray object instead of a blue.

Despite this, Drizzt enjoyed life as it was now.Look at his weapons and armor, it's a dozen feet away from the bathing place.The drow had to admit that this weird surface world was far more peaceful than anywhere in the Underdark. Drizzt almost forgot that he was in the wilderness.It had been four months since he had been on the surface, and yet, apart from Guenhwyvar, Drizzt had no other companions.Now, he was wearing only a pair of ragged trousers, his eyes were aching from the skunk smoke, his sense of smell was disabled by the stench on his body, and his keen hearing was disturbed by the sound of running water.At this moment, the dark elves are not alert at all.

"I must look bad," Drizzt thought, running long fingers through his matted white hair.When he caught a glimpse of the equipment nearby, all the comforting thoughts in his mind disappeared in an instant.Five lumbering figures were rummaging through his belongings, and they certainly didn't care whether the drow looked bad or not. Tryst set his mind to observe the seven-foot-tall humanoids carefully.Their skin is grayish, their noses are black, and their faces are like dogs.However, what bothered the dark elves was the spears and sharp swords in their hands that blocked their way.Drizzt recognized the creature, which he had seen among the slaves in Menzoberranzan.In this case, Gnolls: Gnolls are large, vicious, coyote-like humanoids that travel in packs, but are very loosely organized.Although the body of the Gnoll looks like a tall human, a closer inspection reveals that it has the genetic characteristics of a coyote.They stand upright on two feet, and their hands are the same as normal humans, and they can use various tools.Their skin is black-green, darker around the snout, and has a grayish-red tinge in the yellow hair.Gnolls have their own language, but also commonly speak troll, orc, or goblin languages.But more menacing than Drizzt remembered. For a moment Drizzt considered rushing forward for the weapon.But before getting close to the double knives, the spear would probably pierce through his body.Among the gnolls, there was a tall guy with bright red hair who had been staring at Drizzt for a long time.He looked at the equipment on the ground, and then at the dark elves. "What are you thinking?" Drizzt asked in a low voice.He doesn't understand gnolls.According to the teachings of Menzoberranzan Academy, gnolls are like goblins, evil, capricious, and very dangerous.However, the teachers say that elves and humans have the same qualities, and almost all non-drow creatures get the same comment.Thinking of this, Drizzt almost laughed, despite the danger.Ironically, the creature that fits these words the most is the dark elf himself! The Gnoll didn't move or make a sound.Drizzt knew that seeing the drow made them hesitate.If you want to survive, you must use the fear of the wolf man.Drizzt cast his gifted magical abilities, and with a wave of his hand, harmless lavender flames appeared around the gnoll. As he wished, a jackal fell to the ground in fright.But the rest fell silent at the gesture of the Veteran Chief, looking around uneasily, not knowing what to do.The leader of the gnolls had fought an unfortunate ranger before, had seen the demon fire, and would not be easily fooled. Drizzt tensed up, wondering what to do next. The leader of the gnolls looked back at his companions, as if he was assessing the power of the flames.From the effect of the spell, it can be known that the dark elf in the stream probably has a considerable status - this is exactly the effect that Drizzt hoped to achieve. The leader of the gnolls put down the spear in his hand and motioned for his companions to do the same.Drizzt couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.Then, the leader of the gnolls babbled for a while in a language that the dark elves didn't understand, and after seeing Drizzt's puzzled expression, he repeated it in goblin language. Drizzt understood goblin language, but the accent of this gnoll was very strange, and he could only recognize a few words intermittently, such as "friend" and "leader".Drizzt took a cautious step toward the shore.The gnolls dispersed, making way between the dark elf and the equipment.Drizzt took a few more tentative steps forward, and found that the black panther was hiding in the bushes beside him, waiting for an opportunity to move.This made him feel more at ease, as long as he greeted, Guan Haifa could instantly crush any bad intentions of the wolf man. "I'm going with you?" Drizzt tried to imitate the strangely accented goblin language. The leader of the gnolls roared several times like cannonballs, and the dark elf could only understand the last word: "...Allies?" Drizzt nodded slowly, wishing he really understood what he was talking about. "Allies!" shouted the leader of the gnolls.The other gnolls smiled in relief and patted each other on the back happily.Drizzt quickly picked up the equipment, prepared the knife, and took advantage of the gnoll's distraction to wink at Guenhwyvar, signaling him to go in ambush by the path down the mountain first.The Panther carried out the order sensitively and quickly.Before knowing the true intentions of his new partner, Drizzt thought he should hold back. The dark elves and gnolls walked down the winding path.The gnolls kept a distance from him, not walking side by side.Drizzt didn't know whether this behavior was out of respect for himself and the drow, or if there were other reasons.But he guessed that maybe it was because of the strong stench that couldn't go away even after taking a bath. Occasionally, the leader of the gnolls would come over to have a chat, and express his excitement by winking mischievously and rubbing his thick paws from time to time.Drizzt couldn't understand what the other was saying, but the gnoll kept smacking his lips, making the dark elf think they were going to a feast. Drizzt quickly guessed the destination of the trip, a small human village in the valley.He often sat on the top of the mountain, overlooking the lights in the village alone.The dark elf didn't know about the relationship between gnolls and humans, but he could feel that the two sides didn't get along very well.As they approached the village, the gnolls automatically formed a battle formation and advanced under the cover of trees and shadows.The group bypassed the densely populated areas and stopped beside a remote farmhouse on the west side of the village.At this moment, the sun was setting fast in the west. "Family," the leader of the gnolls whispered in Drizzt's ear.This time, he deliberately slowed down his speech to make sure that the dark elf could fully understand it. "Three men, two women..." "A young woman," another added eagerly. The leader of the gnolls made a conclusion with a low growl. "And three young men." Drizzt finally understood the purpose of his trip, and a look of mixed surprise and confusion on his face prompted the gnoll to speak again. "The enemy," said the leader. The dark elf knew neither race, and he was caught in a dilemma.It was obvious that the gnolls were marauders, planning to raid the farmhouse after it had completely darkened.Drizzt was reluctant to join the fight without knowing the cause of the conflict. "Enemy?" he asked. The leader of the gnolls frowned in surprise and began to chatter.Drizzt could only understand intermittently "humans...weak...slaves." The rest of the gnolls noticed that the dark elf's attitude had changed, and they fiddled with their weapons uneasily, looking at each other. "Three men," Drizzt said. The Gnoll slammed his spear on the ground with his jaws. "Kill the old man! Take the young man!" "woman?" An evil grin on the Gnoll's face took the place of an answer.Drizzt gradually understood what role he played in this conflict. "What about the kid?" Drizzt said clearly, staring at the Gnoll's jaw.There can be no more misunderstandings.His questioning speaks for itself.Drizzt could use brutality against a deadly foe, but he could not stand the slaughter of innocent children.He once saved an elf girl from a drow raid.Drizzt hid her in her mother's arms to escape the dark elves' atrocities. The Gnoll made a stabbing motion with his spear, his face contorted with excitement. "I disagree." Drizzt's answer was simple, anger burning in his lavender eyes.Before the Jackal could react, the two knives were already out of their sheaths. The Gnoll wrinkled his nose in confusion, not knowing what the strange dark elf was going to do next.He tried to raise his spear in defense, but it was too slow. Drizzt rushed forward with lightning speed.Before the spear moved, the dark elf was already approaching with a knife.The other four gnolls could only watch in amazement as the two knives flicked twice quickly, tearing the throat of their leader.The tall jackal covered his wound with both hands, and fell down silently. A jackal on the side came to his senses first, raised his spear and rushed towards the dark elf.Drizzt deliberately waited until the last moment to get out of the way.Just when the Gnoll couldn't brake in time and rushed past him clumsily, the dark elf tripped over his ankle.The jackal who lost his balance fell forward uncontrollably, and the spear in his hand pierced deeply into the chest of his stunned companion. The Gnoll tried to free the weapon, but the barbs on the spear's point caught on the spine and lodged themselves firmly in his poor companion's body.The Gnoll, however, paid no heed, only wanting to get his weapon back.Disdainful of his companion's pained look, he yanked and twisted the handle until Drizzt's twin blades shattered his skull. Another gnoll thought that close combat was not good, and planned to throw a spear to attack when Drizzt was not paying attention.However, the spear was only halfway raised, and he was thrown to the ground by Guenhuffa who jumped out from the side, and the two sides scuffled into a ball.Although the Gnoll continued to beat Guan Haifa with his fists, he was obviously no match for the black panther's claws.In a few seconds, Drizzt had dealt with three gnolls, the fourth fell at Guenhuffa's feet, and the fifth was running for his life. Guenhwyvar shook off the entanglement of the dying gnoll, and stared at Drizzt with piercing eyes.Its muscles kept rising and falling, just waiting for an order.The dark elf looked at the killing around him, the blood on the knife, and the horror on the face of the dead.He has to make a decision.Although he has never encountered a similar situation, and he doesn't know much about humans and gnolls, he has already been involved in the conflict between the two races.Drizzt was lost in thought.Finally, the Gnoll's excited expression came to mind when he mentioned the slaughter of young children. He couldn't take the risk. Drizzt turned to Guenhwyvar in a tone that suggested determination, not resignation. "Go." The Jackal ran along the mountain road in a panic, looking around from time to time, fearing that the black figure was hiding behind a certain rock. "Dark elf!" The gnoll kept murmuring.Fear of the drow gave him strength, and he ran faster and faster. "Dark elves! Dark elves!" Panting, the jackal ran to a bush, with bare rock walls on both sides.He tripped over rotting wood and slammed headfirst into mossy stones, but the fear made the gnoll forget the pain, and he got up and continued running for his life.He knew that someone was chasing him, that there was a shadow approaching fast in an invisible place. Night fell as the gnolls approached the end of the forest, and a thick darkness enveloped the entire land.Suddenly, a pair of yellow eyes blocked the way.It's not that the jackal didn't see that his companion suffered from the black panther, he knew what kind of enemy he was about to face. Although jackals are naturally cowardly, their fighting ability in the face of life and death cannot be underestimated.But now, he has no way to retreat, and he will meet the dark elves later.The Gnoll roared, swung his spear and fought hard. The gnoll first heard a shuffling of footsteps, then a heavy blow, and finally a wail of pain.The yellow eyes disappeared, and a black figure clung to the ground and fled towards a tree.The animal blocking the way is a lot like a cat, but not a panther.The instant the wounded animal reached the tree, the gnoll recognized it. "Raccoon," he blurted out, laughing. "I'm actually afraid of a raccoon!" The gnoll shook his head and took a deep breath to adjust his emotions.Although meeting the raccoon relieved his tense nerves a lot, he couldn't forget what happened down the mountain.He must return to the lair as soon as possible, and report to the great Ugrull about the fight with the dark elves. The jackal picked up the spear, and suddenly, there seemed to be something moving behind him.He turned back slowly.Yet there was nothing but his own shoulders and mossy stones. The Gnoll shuddered.There were no shadows or sounds in the undergrowth, but he knew something was behind him.The Gnoll's breathing became short, and he relaxed and clenched his fists uneasily. The gnoll snarled and turned, but the growl of rage turned to a whine of fear as the six-hundred-pound panther jumped onto him from the tree. The impact of the jump knocked the Gnoll to the ground, but the Gnoll fought back.He endured the blows of the claws, and fought with both hands against the fangs that were about to open a hole in his neck. The Jackal resisted for nearly a minute, his hands trembling and flinching under the pressure of the leopard's head.Finally, the panther's powerful jaw found its target, and its teeth sank deep into the enemy's neck, and the gnoll didn't even have a chance to swallow his last breath. The dying Gnoll struggled frantically, trying to escape from the black panther's grasp.But Guan Haifa clung to the opponent's vitals and did not relax. Before long, everything returned to calm.