a Drizzt Story

The drow stood over the shallow grave. In the frozen land of Icewind Dale it took a week to dig it. Drizzt looked at his hands still covered in blisters from fires he was setting to thaw earth and make it yield to his shovel. In fact, he was so intent on this digging that he did not have time to think on what had happened.

Few people were standing around Drizzt, listening to the fat priest of Helm. Over twenty years they spent together Drizzt never had found out which gods did Cattie worship. So he invited the Helms' priest figuring that that will be all right with Cattie. At least he hoped she would. He sighed and looked around. All five of Wulfgar's children were there, more of contempt, than anything else. Drizzt knew that they blamed their father?s mental breakdowns and untimely death on Cattie. Now they stood in the middle of frozen tundra looking satisfied, hoping that Wulfgar and Cattie will sort it out now without involving anyone else, somewhere far, far away.

The cover of the coffin was closed and heavy blows break the monotonous rumbling of the Helm's priest. Drizzt was somehow glad of that. His sensitive elven ears had caught a whisper between two young lasses: "Can you believe that she was once thought one of the most beautiful women in the whole of Northlands?" "No way, not this old hag!"

Drizzt somehow shrinked and dropped his face into his palms. He wanted to cry out that she indeed was beautiful, but he could not. A strong smell of cheap ale assaulted his nostrils and in a moment, he was taken in an iron grip of Bruenor's hug. Bruenor had troubles cooping with loosing Wulfgar for the second time... With a teary, drunken voice he started:

"Com'on, elf, we 're to stick to-together now...tzat me daughter and me son 're gone... You had been good to me little Cat, and I do not hold a grudge on you not getting mar'ried properly. You had been so good to my Cat!"

It was Cattie-Brie who did not want to marry him...

Finally, all was over, a gray stone with "Cattie-Brie Battlehammer" placed over a grave by Wulfgar's imposing mound.

Drizzt told Bruenor that he had something he wanted to do before he would join in the funeral gathering in the dwarven halls and slowly walked towards his house. It was a just a small hut, but Drizzt used to think it the most beautiful place in the whole world. It even had a garden. Cattie-Brie wanted a garden... so he went around tundra carefully picking plants: dwarf birches and cedar; and sturdy flowers and multicolored mosses. He planted the garden, slowly painfully, because life in tundra does not take willingly. Cattie cried that he had planted dwarf trees to mock her upbringing. She said that it is stupid to spend weeks taking care of a flower, which blooms for a day a year. She said that she meant a garden with trees and grasses, not a pile of moss and stones... And than she said that the garden was only an excuse for him to leave for weeks. After hassling with new Termolain authorities for a month, Drizzt got a job as a captain of city guard... Cattie was happy for about a year, but then she found out that she will not be able to bare a child. Her age, severe climate and Drizzt's being an elf...well, mostly she thought it was because Drizzt was an elf. "Cold-blooded elf" was her exact expression. Drizzt offered her to adopt a child, but she refused, saying against all her previous reason that she'd have one of her own. And she yelled why, has he nothing better than to sit all day at home and to ask her stupid questions, why won't he just leave her alone and go to check traps or chase goblins or do something else useful? Drizzt decided that was a good idea and he spent a week contemplating on how he could be a better husband and lover for this wondrous woman he adored and returned home full of new hopes.

The doors were barred. He knocked the door and sit by it for a few hours, wondering where did Cattie go. Men passing by stared at him and gave knowing smiles. An old woman finally had pity on him and brought a piece of bread: "Here, you poor soul. Eat something... And go to church or to a tavern, do not sit in the cold. Helm forgives your wife, she do not know her own luck..." To Drizzt's surprise, the house's door flue open and Cattie-Brie appeared armed with a broom. "Get y'r mouth shut, you witch!" Drizzt did not understand why she disliked the old lady, who was so kind to him. But Cattie was in no mood to explain. She dragged him in and shut the door tight again. No need. Drizzt was sure that the whole city would hear her anyway. Grown up in the dwarven halls, Cattie never hushed her voice. He decided, that going to tundra was not a good idea after all. It gave Cattie-Brie a weird suspicion that he was meeting with some elven girlfriend. He suspected that she only believed his oath that he spent time all alone, except for a yeti, whom he killed, only after he reminded her that he was after all a lousy lover, according to herself. He was about to add, that elves to do not come this far North, but changed his mind, fearing to overcomplicated things.

So Drizzt?s scimitars went from his hips onto the walls and he took an early retirement plan from the city intending to spent the rest of his time with Cattie-Brie. Cattie-Brie took interest in homemaking after that, but it turned out that her cooking made her grow fat. She did not care for Drizzt trying to tell her that she is the most beautiful person for him never mind few extra-pounds. Cattie-Brie asked how many, and Drizzt unsuspecting a trap honestly replied that about fifty, which made Cattie to go into hysteria and she stopped cooking and buying food. To be supportive Drizzt began eating in the tavern, but Cattie said that she feels unhappy when he goes away and he stayed at home, trying to comfort her in this never-ending struggle...

Twenty years... Was it only twenty years?

Drizzt stood in the middle of his house, thinking that he will turn ninety soon. Having lived with humans for a long time, he suddenly felt very old. He remembered that he is only starting his life judging from the elven point of view. And suddenly he felt free and full of life again. All this energy he spent trying to please Cattie now had no purpose and filled his veins. May be elves have cooler blood than humans (Drizzt honestly did not know), but at that moment it was boiling inside him. First, he thought he'd journey to Moonshie's groove, than to Silverymoon, than, may be he should cross the continent and check upon Cadderly's descendants and may be see how Entereri is faring. According to rumors he was quite an active old man, driving nuts first his children, than his grandchildren with his escapades.
Half an hour later, he left his house, without bothering to lock the doors, for he was carrying all he needed on his back. Youngest of Wulfgar's boys ran towards him: "Uncle Drizzt, uncle Drizzt, grandpa was wondering if you are coming?"

"No, said Drizzt, I am not coming, I am going."

"Oo-h" said the boy, "Please, take me with you! Nothing ever happens here and I am sixteen already and all I have seen was Settlestone..."

-What the heck, let's go!"