"No no, there is something interesting in there! I can hear it." Grobnar bounced up and down.

She peeked under the rock, her body flat to the ground and her eyes squinted, "This probably is not a good idea, Grobnar. I mean almost anything can be …"

Snap snap.

Avera wiggled her body backwards, got to her knees and glared at the gnome. A baby scorpion dangled with a pincher holding onto the middle of her nose, between her nostrils, while another baby held onto her left eyebrow. The one on the nose was avidly puncturing her nose tip with his little tail.

"Aw they are so cute that young! Red and adorable! They remind me of you, Avera! Red with a temper!" Grobnar made kooing noises.

Khelgar and Casavir stood a short distance away, watching and trying not to laugh.

She pulled the one off her eyebrow easily and dropped it in front of the stone. It waved it's little pinchers at her and ran back under the rock. The second one wasn't letting go so easily but she finally was able to wiggle it free from her nose and put it down as well without hurting it. The little beast bounced up and down and tried to attack her hand as she pulled away.

Blood dripped down her lip and into her mouth. She sighed, stood and walked over to Grobnar. The gnome was still smiling away and waving at the little scorpions. Avera took him by the arm and made him stand up tall. Once he was nicely positioned, she whapped him upside the back of the head with an open hand.

The dwarf was in near hysterics by now as Casavir continued to stand, almost at attention, with a near emotionless look on his face. You could hear small snorts from him trying not to laugh, and every now and again you could see his ribcage move with the effort of not doing so. His eyes kept darting to and from the little woman.

Avera smacked her lips and walked over to stand in front of Khelgar, "Now."

Khelgar happily pulled his hand back and gave her a light swat in the back of the head with an open hand.

"Wha …" Casavir could hardly believe that Khelgar hit her. It was even more unbelievable that she would ask him to do it.

"I was stupid, I needed to be punished." Avera sighed and started to walk.

The paladin lifted an eyebrow as he turned to Khelgar, "Her rules, lad. Don't blame me."

"Don't you think that nasty tear in the middle of your nose was enough punishment?"

She turned as she was wiping some blood away, "Do I still listen to Grobnar?"

Casavir nodded, "Good point."

"Some day I will learn not to do that." She watched Grobnar still dancing around the rock and peeking in, completely out of tune with all but the scorpions.

"You haven't learned yet, lass, but at least it's only been you hurt by it."

"True and the day it does hurt anyone besides me …"

"Hit you hard." The dwarf laughed. He had always enjoyed her sense of "justice." It was reassuring that she expected herself to follow the same rules she believed others should follow.

Casavir shook his head, "So where should we go in order to find this stronghold?"

Khelgar looked back towards where they had met the dwarves from his clan. He was unhappy with how that had turned out, but could do nothing about it until they had found the stronghold for them. How dare they act like he was no Ironfist, "I know the basic direction it should be in. Do you have the map Guyvan gave us, lass?"

Avera stepped back, then shook her head and bit her lip, "You have it, Khelgar." Casavir's hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. She realized she must have looked upset because the paladin had begun doing that whenever she started to look out of sorts.

"Ah yes, lass! You have the right of it!" The dwarf searched in his pack and pulled out a sheet of parchment with a cheerful smile, "Here it is."

"Who is Guyvan?"

"Oh he's a hobbit we met on the road to the Bonegnasher cave." Grobnar finally came away from the rock, "Really nice fellow, actually. Don't know why Avera stood back so far. Wouldn't get close at all. Just stood there and asked questions, then backed away when he left."

Casavir looked down at the little woman with concern. He knew that it must have cost her to have been so close to the hobbit. He was afraid that she may never get over her fear of her own race. She wasn't as reactive with females but the males terrified her. He was happy that the incident hadn't scared her of all men.

"Tell again me why Elanee and Neeshka didn't come with us." Grobnar cocked his head in a child-like manner.

"Neeshka has some chores to do and Elanee wanted to commune with nature alone."

"Ah right. I forgot about that, Avera. Thanks." He bounced about waiting.

"Let's get going. It's still a couple of days away so we have a lot of walking to do, and bugbears to bury." Khelgar took the lead.

Avera laughed as they walked, back to her normal self, but she soon stopped. She cocked her head to the side and listened to the birds. Khelgar was in front and just turning the next corner when she realized what the birds were saying. She ran up to Khelgar as he went around the mountain side and stopped.

"The birds say there is a …"

Khelgar stood in a daze, "It's … it's one of my brothers. He was struck down by bugbears!" He could not believe it. This was one of his toughest and most battle ready of his brothers. But there was his body in the middle of the path.

"He was alone when they attacked. It looks like he fought as hard as you do. A true warrior." Avera muttered as she viewed the patterns in the dirt.

"That he was, lass." He smirked, "He was quite the fighter. But if I had been leading this expedition, we wouldn't have been caught by surprise by the bugbears, I can promise you that!"

"Well, we're here now. We can help your clan by reopening the stronghold."

"We can at that." Khelgar shook his head, "Bah. He died in battle. I dishonor his memory with all this hand-wringing." He looked back and noticed both Avera and Casavir with their weapons drawn, "Aye, an ambush it looks like."

Avera chirped then she and Grobnar cast their fighting spells just as a troop of bugbears walked out of the shadows.

"Look... another dwarf. The bait we set has drawn more, as we hoped."

She snarled, "You will find that we have teeth and claws." Kathin appeared beside her and snarled along with her mistress.

"You will not have our bodies to gloat over." Casavir announced while whirling his hammer.

"And you will pay for my brother!" Khelgar charged into the largest bugbear as the others went after the rest. He fought with a renewed ferocity that took the breath from the bugbears as he took slice after slice out of them.

They fought fast and furious and were rewarded with a pile of bugbear at their feet.