Moving quickly and quietly, relying on the light from the three-quarters moon above to show him the way, Blinkous retraced his steps back to the outskirts of the village. Now, with the embers grown cold and the smoke finally ebbed away, the ruin cast into silver and gray shadows by the night, it was even more forlorn and despairing, as if the very foundations grieved for the families they had once nurtured. Eagerly Blinkous moved forward, pondering what kinds of items he might find... when a sudden noise brought him up short, then sent him darting behind a crumbling section of what was once a wall for cover. Carefully peering out he saw a sight that made his heart begin to pound in his chest:

A Gumm-Gumm!

Even in the dim lighting the jade hues glowing from the lines along his body were quite visible, as was the light in his dark eyes. He was moving around the rubble with purpose, as if searching for something. For a moment Blinkous hesitated, then warred with himself.

I should retreat! Just the size of him alone – I wouldn't stand a chance! But... if he is here looking for something... shouldn't I find out what that is? The Gumm-Gumm had moved on while the Troll debated this back and forth, until finally Blinkous made up his mind and, moving from shadow to shadow, trailed behind the larger creature.

They moved like this for quite a few minutes, with the Gumm-Gumm pausing now and again to look around (forcing Blinkous to duck down and pray he hadn't been heard) or for him to shift through some of the debris. Then, just when Blinkous was beginning to think that this was all little more than a foraging for 'food' stroll, the Gumm-Gumm stopped and crouched down, seeming intently focused on something on the ground. For all of Blinkous' trying the broad back of the other utterly blocked his view. Blinkous silently swore to himself, then carefully shifted around to a new vantage point. It took some doing, but finally, when he peered through a broken window frame, he saw what was going on and it was all he could do not to gasp aloud.

The Gumm-Gumm – Blinkous could swear he recognized this one, though at the moment he wasn't sure where – had picked something up from the ground and was gently nudging it with a large finger. The size of his hands utterly concealed the object from view, and as Blinkous was leaning up, trying to see, a bit of fragile, remaining stonework crumbled, clicking and clacking as it bounced to the ground.

Instantly Blinkous froze in place.

Instantly the Gumm-Gumm jerked his head up, looking in the direction of the noise... and two black-green eyes met six amber ones.

The Gumm-Gumm jerked to his full height, visibly shaking all over, as was Blinkous though the smaller Troll would be willing to bet for entirely different reasons.

I... I wanted to see my brother again, but not this soon! Blinkous was certain that his life was at an end... but then the Gumm-Gumm... turned, dropping whatever item he'd been holding back into the rubble and... walked away?

What?

Blinkous honestly could hardly believe his eyes. The Gumm-Gumm, creatures known for their destructive natures, for their desire to kill for little reason other than to kill – had just walked away from him! He couldn't delude himself into believing that he had simply not been noticed. No, their eyes had been locked unmistakably. The Gumm-Gumm had chosen not to attack him, not to kill him, an obvious enemy. Stunned, it was all he could do to keep his feet as the other walked away into the night and vanished.

Finally forcing his body to move, Blinkous stepped to the same place the other had stood and looked down at the object on the ground:

A human child's ragdoll, stained and lost, its owner likely never to return.

Slowly Blinkous knelt and picked up the toy, then reverently tucked it into his bag. As he stood he watched the way the other had gone for a few more moments, wondering at the gesture he'd witnessed, and at something more, for in the other's eyes, when they had looked at one another, he had seen an emotion that he would have never expected: Regret. Sadness. Could it be...

Could it be that a Gumm-Gumm was sorrowful for what he, or at least his allies, had done to these people?

Blinkous didn't know for sure, but he knew for certain, as he began quickly moving around to collect what few more items he could spare in the remaining time he had, that he would never forget what he'd seen that night.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The general moved quietly through the woods, careful of roots and branches that could snap and give away his location. Even though he doubted there were more enemies about than the one, it never hurt to be certain. His thoughts were not with him, however. They were back there, with the scrap-cloth fleshbag. And with the other Troll. The enemy.

Why hadn't he struck? Any dead among them was a boon to Gunmar's horde, even the demise of one so little and clearly lacking in combat prowess as he had been. The general had practically been twice his height and just as much if not more so his breadth. To end him would have been easy.

But he hadn't. Standing there, looking eye to eye with the other, he... simply hadn't wanted to. There had been no drive to fight, to injure, to kill. For the first time in all his remembered history, the general had felt like there had been more than enough fighting tonight. More than enough blood.

More than enough death.

He violently shook his head, trying to make some sense of these baffling ideas that certainly would get him killed if Gunmar or Bular ever found out. It didn't help, but while his mind and something long forgotten deep within his chest were conflicted, there was one thing he was certain about:

He would never forget what he'd seen that night.