Chapter 29 Chapter Twenty-Three

This season's first snow falls lazily in Icewind Dale, and the snowflakes fall in an elegant dance, which is in stark contrast to the usual heavy snowstorms here.The little girl Catti-brie stood at the door of the cave, looking at the scenery outside fascinatedly. Her blue eyes reflected the misty white snow covering the earth, making her eyes more pure and innocent. "This snow is late, but it will be late!" grumbled Bruenor Warhammer, a red-bearded dwarf, as he walked up behind his adopted daughter Catti-brie. "It's such a nasty season, it makes everything look like it's going to live for Bailong!"

"Father!" Catti-brie replied displeased. "Don't complain! Isn't this beautiful? Besides, there is no strong wind blowing, and this snow won't hinder you!" "Hey! That's how humans are," the dwarf said in a contemptuous tone, still standing behind the little girl.Catti-brie didn't see his expression, but she didn't need to look back to know that despite the dwarf's constant complaints, he was watching her with tenderness.According to the results of her analysis, Bruno was made up of ninety percent intimidation and ten percent complaints.

Catti-brie turned suddenly to face the dwarf, letting her shoulder-length red curls fall over her face. "Can I hang out?" she asked hopefully, smiling. "Please, Dad." Bruno put on as stern a face as he could. "Get out!" he yelled. "Only a fool would use Icewind Dale in winter as a place to play! Use your brains, little girl! You'll be frozen into ice!" Catti-brie's smile faded, but she wasn't giving up so easily. "A dwarf would say that!" she retorted, startling Bruno. "You like being in the cave, and the less you go out the merrier you are. But it's still a long winter for me, and this might be the last time I get out for some air, okay, Dad?"

Facing his daughter's smile, Bruno really couldn't show a scary expression, but he really didn't want her to go out. "Maybe some monsters are prowling outside," he explained, trying to appear authoritative. "I found it when I was climbing the mountain the other night, but I didn't see it. It might be a white lion, or a white bear. It might be..." Bruno kept talking, but Catti-brie looked disappointed , but far more than Bruno's fear of these unknown things. Catti-brie was not ignorant of the dangers of this area.She lived here with Bruenor and the other dwarves for more than seven years.When she was very young, her parents were killed by a group of goblins. Although she was a human, Bruno adopted her and regarded her as his own.

"You're so stubborn, little girl." Bruno said to Catti-brie's insistence and disappointed expression. "Go out and play! But don't run too far! You wild girl, promise me that you will play where you can see our cave, and you must bring your sword and horn." Catti-brie rushed forward and kissed Bruno hard on the cheek, and the taciturn dwarf wiped his face, whining as the little girl disappeared at the end of the tunnel.As the head of the clan, Bruno is a tough guy in the hearts of the clan.But every time Catti-brie gave Bruno a grateful kiss, he found himself really powerless with her.

"Humans!" the dwarf complained, walking towards the tunnel leading to the mine, Bruno wanted to knock some pieces of iron ore down to get back his tenacious character. It was an immediate excuse for a lively little girl to disobey the rules when she stood on the slopes of the Cone of Cairn looking out over the village, three miles from Bruno's door.Bruno told Catti-brie to stay within the line of sight of the cave, but due to its high position, the cave could indeed be seen from this side, at least, the vicinity of the cave. Catti-brie slid down a bumpy slope and soon learned the consequences of disobeying her father's warnings.She reached the bottom of the ramp, and it was a delightful slide, rubbing her frozen hands briskly while a hostile growl came from behind her.

"The White Lion," Catti-brie whispered, remembering what Bruenor had said.When she raised her head, she found that what her father said was a bit outrageous.There was indeed a big cat there, looking at her from a little rock-pile, but it was black, not white, and a leopard, not a lion. Catti-brie bravely drew her knife. "Don't come over!" She said firmly, trying not to show fear.Because she knew that fear would lure wild animals to attack. Guan Haifa dropped his ears, lowered his body, and then let out a loud roar, which resounded throughout the mountain. Catti-brie was bewildered by the vigor and sharp fangs of Guenhwyvar's roar.She looked around for an exit to escape, but found that no matter where she fled, she couldn't escape the range of the black panther.

"Guanhivar!" came a voice from above.Catti-brie turned to see behind her a thin, cloaked figure walking cautiously towards her. "Guanhivar!" repeated the stranger. "Go away," The panther answered with a low growl, and jumped away.It jumped from a snow-covered rock to a small cliff with as much ease as a run on a flat prairie. Although Catti-brie was still terrified, she looked at the panther with genuine admiration.She had always loved animals, and had often researched about them, but Guenhwyva had a fit and build that she had never seen before.After she came back to her senses, she realized that the thin man was standing behind her.She turned around, the knife still in her hand.

When she looked up and saw the dark elf, she couldn't help gasping in surprise, and the knife in her hand fell to the ground. And when Drizzt saw her, he couldn't help being dumbfounded.He wanted to make sure the little girl was all right, but when he saw Catti-brie, memories flooded his mind, drowning out what he had been thinking. At first, Drizzt noticed, she was about the same age as the little brown-haired boy who lived on the farm, but then painful memories of Maduoba came to him.As Drizzt looked into Catti-brie's eyes, his mind returned to the farther past, to the days when he had marched with the dark folk.When Drizzt rescued an elf girl from the cruel knife of her tribe, Catti-brie's eyes shone with joy and innocence just like hers.Memories haunted Drizzt, sending him back to the blood-soaked elven forest where his brothers and minions had brutally slaughtered an elven settlement in the clearing.In that frenzied atmosphere, Drizzt almost killed the elf child, almost took the same dark path as his tribe.

Drizzt tried to pull himself together and regain his composure, telling himself it was another child of another race.He wanted to say hello, but the little girl had already run away. Drizzt now lived in a cave north of the mountain, and on his way home, the damned "Trysty" still echoed in the drow's mind. On the same night, Winter began to attack relentlessly.A cold easterly wind blew down the Reg Glacier, piling up snow and making the road impassable. Catti-brie watched in despair as the snow fell, and thought that the next time she was going to be at Cairn's Cone might be weeks away.She didn't tell Bruenor, or the other dwarves, about the dark elf, partly for fear of punishment and partly because they were afraid they would drive the dark elf away.Looking at the rising snowflakes, Catti-brie wished she had been brave enough to stay where she was and talk to the strange elf.The roar of the wind deepened the little girl's remorse, and she thought that it might be the only chance.

"I have to go to Bryn Shander," Bruno said one day two months later.Winter in Icewind Dale usually lasts seven months, but now there is a rare snowmelt in January.Bruno looked at his daughter suspiciously. "Are you planning to go out alone today?" "Can you?" Catti-brie asked. "The caves are suffocating me, and the wind isn't too cold today." "I'll ask a dwarf or two to accompany you," Bruno said. However, Catti-brie wanted to take this opportunity to visit the dark elf, so she quickly refuted this opinion, "They are busy repairing the door!" Her tone was more exaggerated than expected. "Don't bother them for me!" Bruno narrowed his eyes. "Why are you so stubborn, girl?" "I learned from my father!" Catti-brie blinked and eased the dispute. "Then be careful," Bruno began to preach again, "you still have to..." "Move within sight of our cave!" Catti-brie answered him.Bruno turned and left the cave, complaining helplessly, cursing himself for adopting a human being as his daughter that day.Catti-brie only found it amused at these endless complaints. This time, Guan Haifa was still the first to meet the red-haired girl.Catti-brie walked straight into the mountains, and when she was on the westernmost trail, she saw the panther standing on a rocky protruding top of her head, looking down at her. "Guenhwyvar," the girl remembered the name the dark elf called.The black panther roared, jumped off the rock, and gradually approached her. "Guenhwyvar?" Catti-brie repeated uncertainly, and the panther was only a few paces away from her now.When Guan Haifa heard the name for the second time, his ears perked up, and his muscles relaxed a lot. Catti-brie approached him cautiously. "Where are the dark elves, Guenhwyvar?" she asked in a low voice. "Can you take me to him?" "What do you want from him?" A questioning voice came from behind. Catti-brie stood there, thinking of her soft, beautiful-voiced master, and slowly turned to face the dark elf.He stood less than three steps away from her, his purple eyes staring at her.Catti-brie didn't know what to say, and Drizzt fell back into memory again, watching and waiting without saying a word. "Are you a dark elf?" Catti-brie was the first to attack after an awkward silence.But when she said these words, she immediately realized that this was a stupid question. "I am," Drizzt replied. "Why do you ask that?" To this question, Catti-brie just shrugged and said, "Everyone says dark elves are evil, but you don't seem to be able to." "Then it's too risky for you to come here alone?" Drizzt reminded her. "But don't be afraid," he quickly added when he saw a sudden uncomfortable expression on the girl's face. "Because I'm not evil, and I won't hurt you." After months of living alone in a cave, Drizzt didn't want this encounter to end anytime soon. Catti-brie nodded, believing what he said. "My name is Catti-brie," she said. "My father is Bruenor, King of the Warhammer Clan." Drizzt tilted his head at her curiously. "It's the dwarves," Catti-brie explained, pointing to the village behind.As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately understood Drizzt's doubts. "He wasn't my real father," she said, "Bruno adopted me when I was very young because my real parents had..." She didn't go on talking, and Drizzt probably knew what happened from her sad expression. "I am Drizzt Do'Urden," the dark elf went on hastily. "Hello, Catti-brie, Bruno's daughter. It's good to have someone to talk to. For so many days, only Guan Haifa has been with me, and he's there, but my friend's words are true. not much!" Catti-brie smiled happily.She looked around to find the panther, and Guenhwyfer was lounging on the road at this moment. "It's really pretty," said Catti-brie. Drizzt had no doubts about her sincere admiration, and the adoring look at Guenhwyvar. "Guenhwyvar, come this way," Drizzt said, and the panther stretched and walked slowly toward him.Guenhwyvar walked to Catti-brie's side, and Drizzt nodded in agreement with her plea for silence.She hesitated at first, but then made up her mind, Catti-brie stroked Guenhuffa's soft, shiny fur, feeling the animal's strength and beauty.Guenhwyvar didn't mind her petting, and when Catti-brie stopped, he even leaned toward her, urging her to continue. "Are you here alone?" Drizzt asked. Catti-brie nodded. "My dad said to move within the line of sight of the cave." She said with a smile, "I think you can see clearly from here!" Drizzt looked back towards the village, the stone walls miles away. "Your father will be upset. This place is not very peaceful. I have only been on the mountain for two months, but I have already fought an unknown white-haired monster twice." "That's the Tundra Yeti," Catti-brie replied. "You must have gone north. The tundra apes don't come to the mountains." "Are you sure?" Drizzt asked half-jokingly. "I've never seen them," answered Catti-brie, "but I'm not afraid of them. I could come to you by myself, and find you." "Yeah," Drizzt said, "find it and then?" Catti-brie shrugged, and ran on to touch Guan Haifa's smooth fur. "Come on," Drizzt said, "let's find a more comfortable place to talk. The light reflected from the snow is stinging my eyes." "Have you been in the dark tunnels before?" Catti-brie asked curiously, she was eager to hear stories about beyond Ten Towns, after all, she only knew this place. Drizzt had a great day with the little girl.Drizzt told the little girl about Menzoberranzan, and Catti-brie reported back about Icewind Dale and her life with the dwarves.Drizzt took particular interest in Bruenor and his people, since the dwarves were his closest and most feared neighbors. "Bruenor speaks hard, but I know he's really good!" Catti-brie said to the dark elf. "He's really nice, and so are the other dwarves." Drizzt was very happy to hear the news, and also happy to establish a good relationship with the little girl. On the one hand, he finally had a friend, and on the other hand, being with this lively and lovely little girl made him even more happy .Catti-brie's vitality and love of life are clearly displayed in front of him.With her by his side, Drizzt's unpleasant memories were wiped away, and he only felt that saving the elf child was really the right decision.Catti-brie's monotonous voice, and the way she casually pushed her hair back lifted Drizzt's guilt as easily as a giant lifting a stone. Their stories could go on for days and nights, weeks at a time, but when Drizzt noticed the sun sinking to the western horizon, he knew it was time to send the little girl home. "I'll take you home," Drizzt said. "No," Catti-brie replied. "You'd better not come here. Bruenor won't understand, and you'll give me a mountain of trouble! I know this road better than you, Drizzt Do'Urden, you've worked hard to follow it Get me!" Hearing such bragging, Drizzt couldn't help laughing, and almost believed her words.He immediately asked the girl to leave and walk along the southernmost rock of the mountain. They said goodbye to each other and agreed to meet again when the snow melted next time or in the coming spring. The girl ran lightly into the dwarf's village, but her joy was tempered a little when her hard-tempered father glared at her.Bruno has business to discuss with Bryn Shander's Cassius this morning.The dwarf wasn't terrified that there was a dark elf living near his house, but he thought his curious daughter (an overly curious child, really) would think it would be wonderful. "You'd better stay out of the mountains," Bruno blurted out as soon as he caught sight of Catti-brie, who immediately looked disappointed. "But Dad..." she tried to protest. "Promise me, little girl!" ordered the dwarf. "You can't step up the mountain without my permission! Cassius told me that there is a dark elf there. Promise me!" Catti-brie nodded helplessly, and walked back to the dwarven village with Bruno. She knew it would be difficult to change her father's mind, but she also knew that Bruno, as Drizzt thought, would be prejudiced against him . When the snow thawed a month later, Catti-brie kept her promise.She never set foot on the Cairne's cone, but took the path around the village, calling for Drizzt and Guenhwyvar.Drizzt and the black panther were also looking for the little girl because the weather turned better, so they quickly came to her side.This time in the village they not only told stories to each other, but also enjoyed a picnic prepared by Catti-brie. When Catti-brie returned to the dwarves' cave that evening, Bruenor became suspicious and asked her if she had kept her word.The dwarf had always trusted her daughter, but when Catti-brie replied that she hadn't gone to the Cairn, his misgivings lingered.