The Eyes of a Drow

Disclaimer: I don't own the epic lone hero known as Drizzt Do'Urden, nor do I own anything related to the Forgotten Realms.

Kilnorc: Sorry for the long hiatus, everyone. I've been very busy with something on my end that prevented me from doing any fanfiction. I know that I have quite a few things to update that have been waited on, but as I have recently went back into my nerd-dom of Dungeons and Dragons, Drizzt Do'urden especially, I thought that it would be an interesting comeback for me to write a oneshot.

I was a mere child when I first laid eyes on him. I had heard stories of a dark-skinned elf wandering the lands of Icewind Dale with a large panther at his side. I never believed them though, because the only dark elves one sees are the Drow and they're always known to live beneath the ground, in the Underdark of the earth, so how could he exist?

It was a normal day when I saw that he truly existed, I had gone on the outskirts of my village, hoping to take down my first hunt. My entire family is made up of hunters who make their living in the wilderness around our home, and it was finally my time to test my abilities.

In retrospect, I should have gone with my father.

With my furs covering my body for warmth, my sword at my hip, my pack, my quiver and bows on my back, I set out at early dawn. Living in the Dale my entire life, I knew the areas around pretty well, so I knew where animals would gather and I knew what areas to avoid. As I trudged through the freezing, snow-covered valley, I passed by familiar surroundings, remembering my first journeys in my younger days.

It was the middle of the day when it happened. I had had no luck in finding anything to test myself against and I was exhausted and cold, even with my furs draped over me, so I sought refuge from the elements in a nearby cave. It was one I knew of thanks to stories from my father, it had been abandoned by it's inhabitants ages ago, and now it was more of a resting area for any and all hunters and travelers that were in the area.

To keep myself warm, I made a roaring fire inside the cave thanks to the supplies I had with me in my pack. A bundle of dry wood, along with a chunk of flint rock and the edge of my hunting sword, were all that I needed. I placed my equipment off to the side, but kept my hides on. Even with my fire going, it was still cold and I knew that I needed every bit of warmth that I could get to stay alive.

Hours passed, it was late evening and I was debating on whether or not to go home, or to stay the night and try my luck in the morning. It was true that if I didn't return home, my family would be worried and set out to look for me, but I really needed something to bag so I knew what I was truly capable of. My desire to prove myself won the battle in my head and I decided to leave for home tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Until then, I'd continue to hunt, with this cave as my camp.

That night, as I prepared the camp for the night, I noticed something was wrong. I was unrolling my bedding on the stone floor of the cave when I heard a strange sound in the back of the dwelling. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but then I smelled the foul odor that soon followed it. Gagging on the stench, I decided to investigate it.

How stupid I was back then.

I made a torch with one of the spare pieces of wood I had in my pack and slowly made my way to the back of the cave. As I walked, the smell became fouler and fouler, I swear I was going to vomit any moment now. Whatever I was smelling, it wasn't like anything I had smelled before in my life. I thought it was the rotting corpse of another hunter who died here some time ago, or perhaps the leftovers of a hunting party...but why hadn't I smelled it, whatever it was, until just now? In the back of my mind, I began to hear a voice that told me to run, told me to go home as fast as I could, but I ignored it.

I wish I hadn't.

In the very back of the cave, I discovered the source of the odor. There, it's huge, hairy back to me, was a monstrous creature. I had never seen one of these before in my life, but I knew very well that they inhabited these lands, and I knew that if it saw me, then I was dead. Very slowly, I back to move back the way I came, my eyes locked on the beast in front of me. I had a lucky start, it didn't seem to notice me and unless there was something wrong with it, then I didn't have much time before it did.

SKRIT

I looked down and saw that my foot had stepped on a rock and in doing so, moved it against the cave floor, making a loud sound. Quickly, I looked back up and immediately wished I hadn't. The beast, the Yeti, had turned it's head around and was now staring right at me. There was fresh blood on it's lips and the fur that surrounded it's jaws..no doubt I had interrupted it's dinner. I looked into those dark eyes of it and felt all color drain my face. I had never seen anything like this before in my life, it was absolutely terrifying!

The two of us stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity until I finally found the courage and the energy to make a run for my life. I turned on my heel and ran as fast as I could back to the mouth of the cave. The yeti gave a roar and gave chase, I could hear the grunts of the animal echo off the cave walls as it ran after me. I didn't know what I was doing! A young human running full steam away from a Yeti, what were the odds? Even if I did escape the cave, it was dark outside, I wouldn't be able to find my way home!

Die by being ripped apart by a monster or die by the freezing cold of the wild?

Some choices!

I ran and ran, getting ever closer to my camp, I could tell by the campfire light ahead. If I could just get my sword, then maybe, just maybe, I could injure it long enough for me to get away. With the fear of being torn limb from limb and the desire to live buzzing around in my skull, I lost focus and tripped over my own feet. I hit the cave floor hard, knocking my head against the stone beneath with such force, I nearly lost consciousness. I could hear pounding, much like that of drums, echo inside my head as my vision became blurry. I could hear the beast coming ever closer, I wasn't going to make it.

Desperate, I looked around for anything I could use to make a last stand. It was more difficult now that my vision was damaged, but I couldn't give up, even if I knew what was going to happen. I wasn't going to go out with a fight, that's not the way a man in this world dies! I saw my torch laying just out of my reach, still burning brightly. I knew I had dropped it when I fell, but I was glad that it hadn't rolled away from me too far when I did.

With every bit of my strength, I lunged for the torch and with it tightly clasped in my hand, I rolled onto my back just as the Yeti came into view. I frantically waved the burning wood, wanting the flame to catch the fur of the creature so maybe it would be set aflame and horribly burned. I wanted it to die, I wanted to live, I wanted to go home, I wanted to be with my family! Angry and no doubt still hungry, the Yeti roared again and swatted my only tool of defense out of my hand, leaving me helpless.

I shut my eyes tightly and prayed to the Gods for mercy. I prayed for salvation. I prayed for my life. I prayed for a miracle!

That's when I saw him.

"Guenhwyvar!!"

Another roar, a different one this time, filled my ears. I felt the wind blow around me as something ran right by me. I heard the sound of flesh being ripped from the bone and the Yeti howling in pain. I opened my eyes to see a large, beautiful black cat on top of the hairy predator, jaws locked around it's shoulder.

"It's not safe here," a voice urged in my right ear.

Startled, I turned my head to see who had come to my rescue and I nearly fainted out of fear. The torchlight showed a face of ebony skin, accompanied by a head of long, white hair and a pair of eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. I knew the stories all too well, but I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"D-Drow...!"

The Drow Elf, one of the many scourges of the Realms, scowled and grabbed me from behind, hauling me to my feet. Still a bit dazed and terrified, I didn't put up a struggle as he picked me from the floor and pushed me behind him.

"Stay here, don't move!" he ordered in the Common Tongue as he unsheathed two beautiful, silvery blades from his sides. Scimitars, by the looks of it. Without another word, the Drow ran forward, joining the panther in combat. The two of them attacked the Yeti from all sides: the panther would claw and bite from every angle it could while the Drow used the magnificent blades of his to cut deeply into it's hide.

I had never seen anything like this before. I had heard stories that Drow attacked all kinds of creatures and races, but that was usually done in groups and here was a Drow that seemed to travel alone (unless you counted the panther as it's companion) and it was taking on one of the monsters that lived in the Dale! Not only that, but he had come to my rescue!

Wait...DID he come to my rescue? Did he actually come to save me from a horrible death, or did he just plan on killing the Yeti and then turn his blades on me? My head pounded worse than before, and the sound of battle didn't help any. The cave spun around me and I soon found myself falling onto the floor again, my vision starting to go. I tried to hang on, but I knew it wouldn't be long until I lost consciousness. Before the darkness took me, I watched as the Yeti finally fell, sporting numerous injuries and it's own blood matting against it's fur.

The panther disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the Drow sheathed his swords before turning his attention to me. I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I wasn't able to do anything about it! From the claws of a Yeti, my death was going to come in the form of a Drow Elf and the evil ways of his people.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was the Drow kneeling over me, his glowing eyes looking down at me. It was strange, but his eyes...they were different from the stories I had heard around town. I had heard that Drow had large, cold, red eyes filled with nothing but cruelty to other races, but the eyes of this Drow...so different.

His eyes were a beautiful lavender color and instead of cold-blooded hatred in them, I saw kindness and genuine worry in them. I must have been imagining the whole thing, hallucinations were common after a head injury. The Drow seemed to say something to me, but I couldn't hear a single word he was saying. Even if I had, would I understand him? Would he be speaking the Common Tongue, or would he be speaking the language of his race?

I never had a chance to find out, I was taken by the darkness.

When I came to, I found myself staring at the ceiling in my home, back in my village. I was confused, what had happened? How long have I been asleep? How did I get here? That's when I remembered the Yeti, and then I remembered the Drow shortly after.

The Drow!

I shot up in bed and almost immediately wished I hadn't. My head began to ache and as I reached up, I felt bandages wrapped around it. Did the Drow tend to my wounds? But why? Why did he do anything that he did for me? I didn't understand. I looked around and saw that my belongings were stacked against the wall nearby. My bow, my quiver, my sword, my furs, everything! Even my pack.

I didn't have much strength in my body, but I used what I could to dress as warmly as I could before heading out of the front door. My family had gone to pick up food and other supplies for the months ahead, so I was alone as I made my way to the borders of my village. I stopped just inside the gateway, I didn't go any further. I stood there in the snow, the cold wind blowing past me as I stared out at the Dale. There were so many questions I needed to be answered, but I was in no condition to do anything about them right now.

I had nearly died, but I was saved by a Drow of all things. But why? Drow are known to be merciless killers, they're known to be nothing but pure evil, so why did he save me? I could sort of understand why he took down the Yeti, possibly for the thrill of battle, but why spare the life of a human? It didn't make any sense.

The sound of my mother's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked back to see her running toward me, a very worried look on her face. I had obviously scared her when I wasn't in my bed when she came back home. I turned and started to head towards her, but I stopped and took one final look at the snowy wilderness that lay outside the sanctuary of my village. Somewhere out there was a Drow, one who is unlike all others, who had saved my life from not only the brutal Yeti, but from the harsh elements of the Dale. I don't know why he did it, and I don't even know his name, if he had one for that matter, but I did know one thing.

I would never forget those eyes of his.

Those strange, lavender eyes that glowed so beautifully in the dark.

The eyes of a Drow.