Author's note: If you're looking for a disclaimer, i only put those in my first chapters of my fics.
Past (part 2)
He was not aware of the exact moment Blinky fell asleep whilst leaning against him. Arrrgh had been too busy scratching his name in the dirt repeatedly with his charcoal piece.
After the smaller troll's lesson, the general grew fond of his name expressed by the chosen symbols...
But it would seem he was running out of room.
As he leaned further forward to write again, he finally noticed the weight against his chest.
How a troll slept so heavily in the presence of a stranger, one who he witnessed kill another, was beyond Arrrgh's understanding. Neutral or not, the war should have put every troll on alert.
The gum-gum decided to take a brake from his practice knowing he'd stayed up late enough. The light outside suggested it was around noon. If Arrrgh wished to wake up by sundown, he needed to rest.
He chose against bothering Blinky and allowed his head to gently rest atop the smaller troll's. He then relaxed, taking in a deep breath.
The other troll had a calming scent about him, Arrrgh observed before his consciousness slipped away.
Blinkous Galadrigal awoke to the soft breath of his new acquaintance ghosting over head. Carefully he crawled away from the larger troll before dusting himself off.
It had been a foolish move to have let his guard down so easily. However, the subject of books and getting to teach another how to write was... it was nostalgic and well within his comfort zone... but foolish nonetheless.
Despite Blinky's paranoid nature, he found himself drawn in by Arrrgh's calm mannerisms... Clam and gentle mannerisms.
Two very different qualities than the ones he'd displayed when he killed that other troll.
Arrrgh stirred from his own slumber with a yawn. His eyes comfortable when greeted with the dim light.
Without a word, he stood up and exited the cave. A suddenly desperate Blinky rushed after.
"Are you trying to leave this ravine?" The scholar called, "If so, would it be too much of me to require of your assistance!"
He flinched when the general turned to stare at him, but managed to keep eye contact. When Arrrgh had yet to reply, Blinky couldn't help wringing both sets of hands.
"I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to climb the ravine walls for three days now... I could use help."
The larger troll regarded him a few seconds more before giving him a slight nod.
Once again, Blinky's usual paranoia went forgotten as he felt oddly safe with Arrrgh.
Their assent out of the ravine was achieved through the general's brute strength and the other clutching onto the scruff of his back.
Luckily they had gone up the correct side on the first try and Arrrgh spotted the disturbed earth from last night's struggle.
It surprised neither when the two traveled together.
The desert was vast and the only confirmed route to sufficient cover was Arrrgh's trail, as Blinky could not recall from which direction he journeyed from or had been journeying to. Every troll held the right to seek protection from the sun.
Besides, the general found he rather enjoyed the blue troll's deep voice and Blinky was more than happy to oblige in conversation.
It was obvious this small troll held a near insatiable curiosity for knowledge. He kept using words Arrrgh didn't understand or couldn't pronounce properly.
When Blinky thought it prudent to correct him or provide a definition, the gum-gum didn't feel insulted as he had when another of Gunmar's generals had done so. Maybe it was Blinky's tone. His words purely informative without a hint of distaste.
Arrrgh once again felt his traveling companion must have been of neutral standing.
While the heartstone troll tribes were much more accepting of intellectual types, even they couldn't completely block out their instincts... and troll instincts favored brawn over brains.
Their leisurely pace had taken up half the night by the time they reached the cover of trees.
They were a few hours out from the gum-gum campsite, Arrrgh knew. He chose not to bring this up yet, as his dealings with Blinky were better than even his most loyal of officers.
Fear never made for anything pleasant except survival.
Arrrgh forced his thoughts away from the war to focus on Blinky.
He was talking about a library. Apparently it belonged to his older brother. He then proceeded to tell Arrrgh that he would be welcome to visit anytime. A strange notion as he still lacked the ability to read.
An hour later, the general still refrained from speaking up and the mostly one-sided conversation continued.
It wasn't until a soft rustle in the bushes sounded from his left that he became wary.
As stated before, Gunmar does not appreciate neutrals anymore than the humans he dined on. Many of his followers shared his sentiments.
The rustling grew in volume, silencing Blinky's ramblings.
Arrrgh caught sight of a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. In less than a moment, his tattoos and eyes lit up in a sudden burst of rage.
His stone fist nearly made contact with it's target when a blue blur stood in it's path.
The general pulled back on his swing just in time to avoid hitting Blinky and see a frightened deer prance away.
"What in Deya's grace was that?!" The stout troll yelled, "What if that had not been a mere forest creature? You could have killed some troll!"
The larger troll winced at the scholar's biting tone and agitated features.
Arrrgh attacked BECAUSE he thought it was another troll. However, he felt it best not to voice this.
Blinky threw up all four hands in exasperation.
"Besides, what did that deer do to you? What threat did it pose? None whatsoever!" He stamped a foot, "To attack first without assessing the situation is no way a troll should act!"
Arrrgh was quiet.
He could not make sense of Blinky's ire.
A common rule among all trolls was to always be afraid, for it heightens your senses and reaction time. Then there was the rule of the gum-gums. Kill or be killed.
The later had proven useful before, as such he struck first.
So... what exactly did he do wrong?
"Is that what happened to that other troll?"
Arrrgh froze, distress blatant across his features. He hadn't expected that.
Blinky continued, "But you didn't attack me. Why?"
The general slumped to the ground and racked his brain for the best answers. Why had he not killed him? Every gum-gum instinct beat into him since childhood should have guaranteed it.
Arrrgh sighed, "Other troll stole rations."
Blinky nodded, having already assumed Arrrgh was a soldier, and knowing among many tribes that stealing rations was the equivalent to proposing a challenge.
The larger troll still had yet to answer why he spared Blinky and skipped to the deer.
"Attacked deer to protect you."
It was the only explanation that actually made sense somewhat. He had been worried a fellow gum-gum would attack his acquaintance.
Blinky recoiled as if his answer burned.
"So you know then?" He whispered.
"You are neutral." Arrrgh stated and Blinky relaxed.
"Uh, yes... yes I'm a neutral." The smaller troll confirmed, if though looking a tad bit confused.
This stirred mixed feelings within the general. He may not be overly smart, but that had sounded as if Blinky was trying to convince himself of the fact.
Whatever the reason for the blue troll's unease, it had nothing to do with being neutral.
"Sorry." Arrrgh tried to return the peace they had been enjoying before the deer.
AN: I've actually written the next four chapters already and want to post them all right now just cause I'm lazy and want to get it over with... but i won't. I'll stretch it out nice and long.