Chapter Three
The first rational thought that entered Drizzt's mind when next he opened his eyes was that the Drow had finally caught him. The room was in complete darkness. So, the first rational thing he did was to roll out of the Globe of Darkness.
Off the bed and onto the floor, he lunged for where he thought the door was - only to be off the mark, his hand slamming painfully into the wall.
Deciding to wait for the spell to finish, he stood still for a while. It was then he remembered that he had been in a bed. If the drow had captured him, he would more likely be chained to a wall, waiting for some female to sacrifice him to Lloth.
The only drow he knew didn't want him dead, or at least his death on his hands was Jarlaxle and he didn't think that the mercenary would leave him in a room with a darkness spell over it.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he tried to think of the room he had been in before. The room had not had a window, so if it was night, and no torch or candle was burning, it would be impossible to see with his normal vision. Switching over to infrared, he frowned when the world stayed black. He decided not to rule out his earlier kidnapping thought.
Turning around, hoping to make his way back to the bed, he tripped over one of his well-worn boots and ended up sprawled on the floor instead. He got to his hands and knees, but froze before taking any means of a step forward. He decided it would be safer to stay on the floor instead of getting back up and he began to slowly crawl back to where he hoped the bed was.
He thought it rather ironic that, now he was looking for the bed, he found the door instead. Keeping one hand on the door, he got to his feet and started looking for the handle. Finding it in seconds he let himself smile. Finally he could do something right in this room.
Opening the door and expecting light, he was quite shocked when he was faced by more of the darkness. He clutched the doorframe tightly, suddenly scared.
"Drizzt? What're ye doin' huggin' the doorway?" Catti-Brie asked, voice somewhere over to his left.
She could see him? That would mean there is no spell, Drizzt reasoned to himself. He was suddenly gasping for breath clinging to the doorframe too afraid to move. His eyes swept the room, but took nothing in. He felt weak then, letting go of the door only to fall to his knees as the truth to his situation tried to make itself known fully.
"Cat . . . Catti-Brie?" he called out, looking over to where he had last heard her voice. "I can't . . . where are you?"
A slight touch to his arm sent him reeling away, scuttling backwards until his back was fully against the wall.
"It's just me." Came the voice of Lyavain. "What is wrong?"
He was suddenly very angry at the elf. "You said it would get better." He growled out.
Lyavain shot a glance to the human woman in the room, the three other males sleeping in a bunkroom on the other side of the house. "Is your head still hurting?"
Scowling, Drizzt shook his head. "My sight. I would not call this better by any means of the word!" He shocked the two women and Colt who was sleeping by the fireplace when he screamed that last sentence. Colt rolled over and huffed, going immediately back to sleep.
"Your vision . . . is it still blurry?" The elf asked, trying to calm the drow down a little. "What do you see?"
All rational thought slipped from Drizzt's mind then. With a furious shout, he launched himself at where he knew the elf to be. When his hands caught hold of a small, elven wrist he tackled her to the floor and started to angrily punch out at her.
Catti-Brie was frozen to the spot. She couldn't believe the Drizzt she knew would do something like this, especially without provocation or a warning of any sort. She was both amazed, yet horrified at the sight of her friend being so . . . drowlike.
The doorway to the bunkroom opened then and the other three walked into the room when they heard the angry shouts. Seeing Catti-Brie staring at a spot on the floor, the couch in their way of vision, all three went to see what had her so transfixed.
After another angry shout, they knew that there was a fight going on. Regis ran over to Catti-Brie and tried to pull her away from the sight. He was just as shocked by his friend's behaviour.
"Get him off her!" He yelled to Bruenor and Wulfgar who were both staring at the fight. Bruenor was the first to move, pulling the enraged drow off of the elf and putting him in a lock hold. One arm along the chest of his friend, the other across the dark elf's waist, holding him close to his own body.
"Let go of me!" Screamed Drizzt, struggling wildly to get out of the dwarf's grip. Failing that, he bit down angrily at the hand holding him at the shoulder.
Feeling the grip loosen only the slightest bit, it was still enough to wriggle his way to the ground. He felt his way back to the shaking elf on the ground, straddled her stomach and raised his fist as if to strike again.
His arm was caught and squeezed by a maddeningly tight grip. He cried out, this time in pain as pressure was added. Soon he was wrapped into the even stronger grip of Wulfgar. His wild struggling stopped soon, as he realised that there was no getting away this time.
"What did she do to you to deserve that?!" Wulfgar shouted, holding the drow away from any sensitive spots he could kick.
Drizzt began to calm down slightly. "She lied to me!" he said, but his anger was slipping away to be replaced with two other emotions.
He heard Catti-Brie go over and help the elven woman off the floor and the two of them move off to another room, which he could only guess would be the kitchen or bathroom. He could hear crying . . . from both of them.
"Is she ok?" Drizzt asked meekly, wanting to know how badly he had hurt Lyavain. He relaxed entirely in Wulfgar's grip, letting the barbarian know that his sanity had once again returned.
"Will you go after her again if I put you down?" The tall human asked. Drizzt shook his head and was dropped heavily to the floor.
There had never been a moment in his life he could remember that he had been so vicious. Right that moment the only thing he could think to do was go hide somewhere. Not being able to run without crashing into anything, he settled for burying his head in his hands.
The sound of Wulfgar's retreating feet and the click of a door closing made him suddenly aware of how very alone and vulnerable he was and felt at the time.
"Regis? Bruenor? Anybody? Oh Gods, I need help." He was hoping at least one of his friends would come and help him, when he realised that no help was coming, he realised how angry his friends must be at him.
Alone on the floor of a room he had barely seen, he was too terrified to move. He hugged his knees tightly and tried some calming techniques he had been taught. They didn't work too well.
He felt an insane urge to laugh, but knew he would go hysterical if he did. Still, a strangled sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan escaped his lips.
Tears pricked his eyes, but he would not allow them to fall. He was afraid that if he did, he would never stop. One lone tear escaped his control and slowly rolled down his face. He would have wiped it away if it did not mean having to let go of his knees, his only means of support at the time.
He heard a door open and running feet hurrying to the room he had been in before this whole mess had started. He groaned, knowing it to be Lyavain. Now he didn't even have a bed to go back to.
Thankful for the fire burning in the fireplace, he took off his tunic, rolled it up and laid on it for a pillow. He wasn't tired, though he had figured out that it had to be night as his friends had been asleep.
Curling up into a ball he stared at where the fire was, lost in a blur of thought. He was still aware of when the door the two women had stepped into opened again, this time Catti-Brie stepping out. He could tell she was angry by how much sound she was making on her walk towards him.
"Are ye happy by what ye did to the poor woman?" she snapped at him. "Ye hurt her badly. Lucky one of the healing potions she made earlier was still left over."
"I didn't mean to hurt her." Drizzt replied, voice hoarse from his battle with tears.
"I'll not be havin' an argument with yer back, Drizzt. Turn 'round an' face me." Catti-Brie was a little surprised that, while Drizzt did turn around, he kept his gaze to the floor.
He heard Catti-Brie sit down in front of him and the gentle touch of her hand to his cheek as she rubbed at the salty line there.
"I promise not ta yell at ye if ye tell me why." She said, voice soft, knowing all was not right with her closest friend.
Slowly Drizzt turned his back on her and lay back down. He wanted to tell her, but he knew he wouldn't be able to if she was staring at his face. Like always, Catti-Brie picked up on this and didn't yell at him for turning her away.
"I guess I needed to lash out at someone. It could have easily have been you." He began. "I was scared and angry and her touch came from out of nowhere. She asked if I was ok. Stupid question really. When she asked what I see . . . it just gave my mind the excuse it needed to punch out at someone."
Catti-Brie nodded, though his back was turned. "I still don't fully understand why though."
Sitting back up again and turning to face her, he reached a hand out to touch her cheek. Moving his thumb so it was right near her eye, he then stared straight at where her eyes were.
Catti-Brie stared into his lavender eyes for what seemed an eternity. As he blinked once, it became apparent to her that something was wrong. Looking more closely she realised what. Though he was fully staring her in the eye, he gave no sign he was seeing her. Though his stare was intense, it was also blank. She gasped out loud when the realisation hit her. "Blind." She stated.
Drizzt slowly nodded. He felt the warm embrace as Catti-Brie hugged him close. This small move by her, while reassuring him he still had friends, was enough to let his control slip. Then the dam broke.
He started keening. Long wails he would have been embarrassed about if he was in the right state of mind. Colt let out a long howl, stating that he was awake. The wolf got up to look for the one making the sound.
When the wolf noticed it was the strange looking elf, he whined and padded over to him. Drizzt was hardly aware of the furry body against his legs.
Catti-Brie held on to Drizzt and let him cry on her shoulder. Making herself more comfortable, she began to slowly rock him, not exactly sure of what to do.
A while later, she heard a door open and an angry-looking Bruenor stomped into the room. The dwarf was obviously about to yell at her, when he noticed Drizzt.
Calming down somewhat, Drizzt heard the angry steps of Bruenor coming their way. He buried his face into Catti-Brie's neck and managed to say, "They left me."
Bruenor stopped his strides to the two on the floor when he was glared at so fiercely by his daughter he unconsciously took two steps back. "What be that look fer?" the dwarf asked.
"I'd be goin' back to yer bunk if I was ye." She stated. She felt weight leave her then as Drizzt let himself out of her grip.
His tears finally stopping, he wiped furiously at his eyes. "Can you help me to the couch?" He mumbled the question, not really wanting to spend the rest of the night on the floor.
"Suren I be helpin' ye." She said, before turning back to her adoptive father. "Who be leavin' him on the floor in the first place?"
"Wulfgar. Durned elf deserved it after what he done ter Lyavain. We are guests here, ye know." Bruenor stated, sure he was right. Drizzt looked so miserable after what he said though, that the dwarf realised something else had played a part in the fight earlier. "Mayhap, ye had a reason? If ye did, we would all like ter be hearin' it."
Drizzt stared at where the dwarf stood, before shaking his head, no.
"Ye should be tellin' everyone." Catti-Brie told him.
"In the morning. Can I get a little used to this . . . if that is possible." Slowly he gripped one of Catti-Brie's shoulders and pulled himself up to his feet. Colt was immediately at his other side, fur brushing against his free hand.
Together they made their way to the couch in front of the fire. Drizzt was somewhat surprised to find a blanket and pillow there already, before he remembered that Lyavain had to have slept somewhere the past two days.
Not that he believed he would get any sleep.
He heard Bruenor going back into the room he had come out of and Catti-Brie sit at the chair she had been in before his . . . outburst. Lying down, he was rather surprised when the wolf hopped on the couch with him, the warm body soft and a great comfort to the frightened drow.
He spent the remainder of the night awake, staring blankly at the blackness that used to be the ceiling.
A/N - Sorry about that. I just couldn't resist a crying Drizzt. Or mentioning Jarlaxle somewhere, lol. I love that mercenary. Hmmm, which reminds me, does anybody else think of his name and Bregan D'aerthe whenever they hear the song "Prisoner of Society"? Sorry 'bout that.that song came on while I was typing this.
Hey, the chapters to this story are getting longer. This one is my longest ever! So tell me what you think? Thanks to the six reviewers for the last chapter I wrote. I was pleasantly surprised at that.
Ah well, next chapter. Does Drizzt tell the others or not? Why exactly is a wolf cuddling up to him? Why the heck is the wolf called Colt, surely someone is wondering.?
The first rational thought that entered Drizzt's mind when next he opened his eyes was that the Drow had finally caught him. The room was in complete darkness. So, the first rational thing he did was to roll out of the Globe of Darkness.
Off the bed and onto the floor, he lunged for where he thought the door was - only to be off the mark, his hand slamming painfully into the wall.
Deciding to wait for the spell to finish, he stood still for a while. It was then he remembered that he had been in a bed. If the drow had captured him, he would more likely be chained to a wall, waiting for some female to sacrifice him to Lloth.
The only drow he knew didn't want him dead, or at least his death on his hands was Jarlaxle and he didn't think that the mercenary would leave him in a room with a darkness spell over it.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he tried to think of the room he had been in before. The room had not had a window, so if it was night, and no torch or candle was burning, it would be impossible to see with his normal vision. Switching over to infrared, he frowned when the world stayed black. He decided not to rule out his earlier kidnapping thought.
Turning around, hoping to make his way back to the bed, he tripped over one of his well-worn boots and ended up sprawled on the floor instead. He got to his hands and knees, but froze before taking any means of a step forward. He decided it would be safer to stay on the floor instead of getting back up and he began to slowly crawl back to where he hoped the bed was.
He thought it rather ironic that, now he was looking for the bed, he found the door instead. Keeping one hand on the door, he got to his feet and started looking for the handle. Finding it in seconds he let himself smile. Finally he could do something right in this room.
Opening the door and expecting light, he was quite shocked when he was faced by more of the darkness. He clutched the doorframe tightly, suddenly scared.
"Drizzt? What're ye doin' huggin' the doorway?" Catti-Brie asked, voice somewhere over to his left.
She could see him? That would mean there is no spell, Drizzt reasoned to himself. He was suddenly gasping for breath clinging to the doorframe too afraid to move. His eyes swept the room, but took nothing in. He felt weak then, letting go of the door only to fall to his knees as the truth to his situation tried to make itself known fully.
"Cat . . . Catti-Brie?" he called out, looking over to where he had last heard her voice. "I can't . . . where are you?"
A slight touch to his arm sent him reeling away, scuttling backwards until his back was fully against the wall.
"It's just me." Came the voice of Lyavain. "What is wrong?"
He was suddenly very angry at the elf. "You said it would get better." He growled out.
Lyavain shot a glance to the human woman in the room, the three other males sleeping in a bunkroom on the other side of the house. "Is your head still hurting?"
Scowling, Drizzt shook his head. "My sight. I would not call this better by any means of the word!" He shocked the two women and Colt who was sleeping by the fireplace when he screamed that last sentence. Colt rolled over and huffed, going immediately back to sleep.
"Your vision . . . is it still blurry?" The elf asked, trying to calm the drow down a little. "What do you see?"
All rational thought slipped from Drizzt's mind then. With a furious shout, he launched himself at where he knew the elf to be. When his hands caught hold of a small, elven wrist he tackled her to the floor and started to angrily punch out at her.
Catti-Brie was frozen to the spot. She couldn't believe the Drizzt she knew would do something like this, especially without provocation or a warning of any sort. She was both amazed, yet horrified at the sight of her friend being so . . . drowlike.
The doorway to the bunkroom opened then and the other three walked into the room when they heard the angry shouts. Seeing Catti-Brie staring at a spot on the floor, the couch in their way of vision, all three went to see what had her so transfixed.
After another angry shout, they knew that there was a fight going on. Regis ran over to Catti-Brie and tried to pull her away from the sight. He was just as shocked by his friend's behaviour.
"Get him off her!" He yelled to Bruenor and Wulfgar who were both staring at the fight. Bruenor was the first to move, pulling the enraged drow off of the elf and putting him in a lock hold. One arm along the chest of his friend, the other across the dark elf's waist, holding him close to his own body.
"Let go of me!" Screamed Drizzt, struggling wildly to get out of the dwarf's grip. Failing that, he bit down angrily at the hand holding him at the shoulder.
Feeling the grip loosen only the slightest bit, it was still enough to wriggle his way to the ground. He felt his way back to the shaking elf on the ground, straddled her stomach and raised his fist as if to strike again.
His arm was caught and squeezed by a maddeningly tight grip. He cried out, this time in pain as pressure was added. Soon he was wrapped into the even stronger grip of Wulfgar. His wild struggling stopped soon, as he realised that there was no getting away this time.
"What did she do to you to deserve that?!" Wulfgar shouted, holding the drow away from any sensitive spots he could kick.
Drizzt began to calm down slightly. "She lied to me!" he said, but his anger was slipping away to be replaced with two other emotions.
He heard Catti-Brie go over and help the elven woman off the floor and the two of them move off to another room, which he could only guess would be the kitchen or bathroom. He could hear crying . . . from both of them.
"Is she ok?" Drizzt asked meekly, wanting to know how badly he had hurt Lyavain. He relaxed entirely in Wulfgar's grip, letting the barbarian know that his sanity had once again returned.
"Will you go after her again if I put you down?" The tall human asked. Drizzt shook his head and was dropped heavily to the floor.
There had never been a moment in his life he could remember that he had been so vicious. Right that moment the only thing he could think to do was go hide somewhere. Not being able to run without crashing into anything, he settled for burying his head in his hands.
The sound of Wulfgar's retreating feet and the click of a door closing made him suddenly aware of how very alone and vulnerable he was and felt at the time.
"Regis? Bruenor? Anybody? Oh Gods, I need help." He was hoping at least one of his friends would come and help him, when he realised that no help was coming, he realised how angry his friends must be at him.
Alone on the floor of a room he had barely seen, he was too terrified to move. He hugged his knees tightly and tried some calming techniques he had been taught. They didn't work too well.
He felt an insane urge to laugh, but knew he would go hysterical if he did. Still, a strangled sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan escaped his lips.
Tears pricked his eyes, but he would not allow them to fall. He was afraid that if he did, he would never stop. One lone tear escaped his control and slowly rolled down his face. He would have wiped it away if it did not mean having to let go of his knees, his only means of support at the time.
He heard a door open and running feet hurrying to the room he had been in before this whole mess had started. He groaned, knowing it to be Lyavain. Now he didn't even have a bed to go back to.
Thankful for the fire burning in the fireplace, he took off his tunic, rolled it up and laid on it for a pillow. He wasn't tired, though he had figured out that it had to be night as his friends had been asleep.
Curling up into a ball he stared at where the fire was, lost in a blur of thought. He was still aware of when the door the two women had stepped into opened again, this time Catti-Brie stepping out. He could tell she was angry by how much sound she was making on her walk towards him.
"Are ye happy by what ye did to the poor woman?" she snapped at him. "Ye hurt her badly. Lucky one of the healing potions she made earlier was still left over."
"I didn't mean to hurt her." Drizzt replied, voice hoarse from his battle with tears.
"I'll not be havin' an argument with yer back, Drizzt. Turn 'round an' face me." Catti-Brie was a little surprised that, while Drizzt did turn around, he kept his gaze to the floor.
He heard Catti-Brie sit down in front of him and the gentle touch of her hand to his cheek as she rubbed at the salty line there.
"I promise not ta yell at ye if ye tell me why." She said, voice soft, knowing all was not right with her closest friend.
Slowly Drizzt turned his back on her and lay back down. He wanted to tell her, but he knew he wouldn't be able to if she was staring at his face. Like always, Catti-Brie picked up on this and didn't yell at him for turning her away.
"I guess I needed to lash out at someone. It could have easily have been you." He began. "I was scared and angry and her touch came from out of nowhere. She asked if I was ok. Stupid question really. When she asked what I see . . . it just gave my mind the excuse it needed to punch out at someone."
Catti-Brie nodded, though his back was turned. "I still don't fully understand why though."
Sitting back up again and turning to face her, he reached a hand out to touch her cheek. Moving his thumb so it was right near her eye, he then stared straight at where her eyes were.
Catti-Brie stared into his lavender eyes for what seemed an eternity. As he blinked once, it became apparent to her that something was wrong. Looking more closely she realised what. Though he was fully staring her in the eye, he gave no sign he was seeing her. Though his stare was intense, it was also blank. She gasped out loud when the realisation hit her. "Blind." She stated.
Drizzt slowly nodded. He felt the warm embrace as Catti-Brie hugged him close. This small move by her, while reassuring him he still had friends, was enough to let his control slip. Then the dam broke.
He started keening. Long wails he would have been embarrassed about if he was in the right state of mind. Colt let out a long howl, stating that he was awake. The wolf got up to look for the one making the sound.
When the wolf noticed it was the strange looking elf, he whined and padded over to him. Drizzt was hardly aware of the furry body against his legs.
Catti-Brie held on to Drizzt and let him cry on her shoulder. Making herself more comfortable, she began to slowly rock him, not exactly sure of what to do.
A while later, she heard a door open and an angry-looking Bruenor stomped into the room. The dwarf was obviously about to yell at her, when he noticed Drizzt.
Calming down somewhat, Drizzt heard the angry steps of Bruenor coming their way. He buried his face into Catti-Brie's neck and managed to say, "They left me."
Bruenor stopped his strides to the two on the floor when he was glared at so fiercely by his daughter he unconsciously took two steps back. "What be that look fer?" the dwarf asked.
"I'd be goin' back to yer bunk if I was ye." She stated. She felt weight leave her then as Drizzt let himself out of her grip.
His tears finally stopping, he wiped furiously at his eyes. "Can you help me to the couch?" He mumbled the question, not really wanting to spend the rest of the night on the floor.
"Suren I be helpin' ye." She said, before turning back to her adoptive father. "Who be leavin' him on the floor in the first place?"
"Wulfgar. Durned elf deserved it after what he done ter Lyavain. We are guests here, ye know." Bruenor stated, sure he was right. Drizzt looked so miserable after what he said though, that the dwarf realised something else had played a part in the fight earlier. "Mayhap, ye had a reason? If ye did, we would all like ter be hearin' it."
Drizzt stared at where the dwarf stood, before shaking his head, no.
"Ye should be tellin' everyone." Catti-Brie told him.
"In the morning. Can I get a little used to this . . . if that is possible." Slowly he gripped one of Catti-Brie's shoulders and pulled himself up to his feet. Colt was immediately at his other side, fur brushing against his free hand.
Together they made their way to the couch in front of the fire. Drizzt was somewhat surprised to find a blanket and pillow there already, before he remembered that Lyavain had to have slept somewhere the past two days.
Not that he believed he would get any sleep.
He heard Bruenor going back into the room he had come out of and Catti-Brie sit at the chair she had been in before his . . . outburst. Lying down, he was rather surprised when the wolf hopped on the couch with him, the warm body soft and a great comfort to the frightened drow.
He spent the remainder of the night awake, staring blankly at the blackness that used to be the ceiling.
A/N - Sorry about that. I just couldn't resist a crying Drizzt. Or mentioning Jarlaxle somewhere, lol. I love that mercenary. Hmmm, which reminds me, does anybody else think of his name and Bregan D'aerthe whenever they hear the song "Prisoner of Society"? Sorry 'bout that.that song came on while I was typing this.
Hey, the chapters to this story are getting longer. This one is my longest ever! So tell me what you think? Thanks to the six reviewers for the last chapter I wrote. I was pleasantly surprised at that.
Ah well, next chapter. Does Drizzt tell the others or not? Why exactly is a wolf cuddling up to him? Why the heck is the wolf called Colt, surely someone is wondering.?