Well into the evening, Darrof and Rolf talked and ate soup. Darrof was actually enjoying it, now. It helped that he was really hungry. He had just polished off his fourth bowl, when he remembered something important.

"Wait, so… Is the blizzard over now? Is it safe to go out?" Darrof asked.

"Actually," Rolf said, "That was days ago. You've been resting here this whole time." Seeing the concern in Darrof's eyes, he added, "Don't worry, I rebuilt the beacon, and I've been checking on it every day since the blizzard ended."

"Thank you so much." Darrof said, "Does that mean anyone…"

Darrof didn't need to finish his question as he saw Rolf's face furrow in sadness.

"No luck yet." Rolf said, "It's been over a week now, but if you want, I can keep trying. Once you feel better, we can even go out and find them ourselves."

"No, that's okay." Darrof said, crestfallen, "They know where I was, and they travel that route every few days, so it shouldn't have taken more than a week to find me if they were looking."

"...If?" Rolf was distressed by the way Darrof seemed to place particular emphasis on that word. "Gronda, I wasn't going to ask before, but, how exactly did you get lost?"

"I fell…" Darrof stopped.

He had to be honest, not just with Rolf, but with himself.

"...I was thrown out of the caravan."

"Thrown out?" Rolf was mortified, "By your parents?"

Darrof nodded. "They said they had no use for a bookah like me, and I should just become food for some predator in the mountains, since that's all I'm good for."

Silence fell upon the room. Rolf wasn't sure how to respond, and Darrof was running out of excuses to make on his parents' account.

"...Darr-" Rolf started.

"Rolf." Darrof spoke up instead, "...I don't think they're coming back for me."

Then, as if a dam was broken, Darrof finally allowed himself to cry. Rolf held the child in his arms as the asura sobbed into his sleeve.

"Why don't they want me?" Darrof asked through his tears. "I tried to be a good asura. I tried so hard."

"It's okay, little Gronda. I've got you." Rolf patted Darrof's head, struggling to hold back tears of his own. "They're the idiots for leaving behind a great kid like you."

"I hate them!" Darrof sobbed, "They left me all alone. I was so scared. I thought I was going to die!"

"You're safe now. You're safe."

Over half an hour passed before Darrof stopped crying. The fireplace had gone out, and the soup had gotten cold long ago.

Darrof held onto the norn's sleeve and sniffled, "What am I going to do?"

"I don't know." Rolf admitted, "I don't know what's best for you from here, whether you go back to asuran lands, or somewhere else. But I know that there will always be a place for you here if you want it."

"You really mean that?" Darrof looked up at the norn with big, hopeful eyes and cheeks still stained by tears.

"I do. If you can stand staying in the mountains, I would be honored to take care of you."

"I… Okay. There's nothing left for me in Metrica Province. I'll stay here, if you'll have me."

"I'm glad." Rolf said, "Truly I am. And don't you worry, you'll have a great life here. No one here will judge you the way your parents did, and I'll personally fight anyone who picks on you for being an asura.

I can give you warm shelter, good food, plenty of laughs, I can tell you stories, and I'll teach you everything you need to know about living out here.

It's just been my son and I for a long time, and Fen doesn't talk much since his mother passed. A new member of the family might be just what we need."

"You mentioned Fen before." Darrof said.

"That's right. He's my son, not much older than you, in fact. He's been out hunting for the past week, but he should be coming back tonight."

There was a knock on the door.

"Oh, what a coincidence. That's probably him right now."

Rolf got up and opened the door, and in stepped a small norn. Well, small was relative: he was still more than twice as tall as Darrof, but far smaller than Rolf. But even Darrof could tell that he was also unusually skinny for a norn.

"Fenrir, my boy!" Rolf said. "Good to have you home! Did you catch anything?"

"It's just Fen, dad" the boy said dismissively, "And no. Nothing. Again."

"It's alright. I'm sure you'll get it next time." Rolf said, "Come on in! You're just in time to meet Darrof. He's going to be living with us from now on."

Fen looked at the asuran stranger up and down with a complicated expression. "You never told me we were getting a pet. Just don't expect me to take care of him for you."

"How dare you!" Darrof shouted up at the rude young norn, standing on his toes in an attempt to appear more threatening. "I'll have you know, I am a proud asura of Soren Draa, outside Rata Sum, capital of Metrica Province. My intellect towers above you!"

Fen smirked, "I have a hard time believing any part of you has ever towered above anything."

"Why you-" Darrof jumped at Fen.

"Hey hey! Calm down you two." Rolf caught Darrof with one hand and held Fen back with the other. "Fenrir, Darrof isn't a pet. He's going to be your brother, so try to get along with him okay?"

"Whatever." Fen stormed off to his room. "Just keep him away from my stuff, got it?" He closed the door behind him.

"And it's just Fen!" he shouted through the wall.

"Don't mind him" Rolf said, setting Darrof down. "He gets like that after a hunting trip. It may take some time, but I know he'll warm up to you eventually."

"I don't like him." Darrof said flatly.

"Again, give it time." Rolf said. "Come on, there's one more thing I want to show you."

Rolf led Darrof back to the cot he had woken up in. "I would have offered this to you as a gift when you were ready to leave again, but since you're staying here, well, either way it's yours. I'll get to work building you a proper bunk, but I hope this will do in the meantime."

"Yeah, thanks." Darrof said, "It was cozy."

"I started making it after I brought you back from the blizzard. Take a closer look at it."

Darrof looked closer at the cot. It was made from some kind of fur. That fur was a little tattered, but it was patched up, and supported by fuller layers underneath.

Darrof pressed his hands into the fur. This was… This was the same dolyak hide he had when Rolf found him. The same hide that was at one point his only possession. And now he would always have it.

"Thank you." Darrof said more genuinely, "It's perfect."

"I thought you would appreciate it. Think of it as a reminder, that even with nothing but a tattered old dolyak hide, you have strength enough to survive even in a place like this."

Rolf gave Darrof one more hug and stood up. "Alright, now get some rest. You're not fully healed yet. I'll see you in the morning, but let me know if you need anything else."

"I will." Darrof said, snuggling up in his cot.

"Goodnight, my little Gronda. Welcome to the family." Rolf said softly as he blew out the candles.

As Darrof drifted off to sleep he said, "...Goodnight, Dad."

The End.