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Anita the dwarf of the passage of the elf of the flattened nose

Chapter 2: One Rock and Three Races

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The morning was not very cold, but for the dwarfs gathered at the entrance of the subterranean village, accustomed to working in the depths of the earth, the heat was what they were accustomed to and the surface always seemed to them something too cold and windy regardless of the good weather it actually did.

There were many present, but most were dwarf women, a good percentage were either the sisters or relatives of Anita, who embarked on a journey to achieve her dream of becoming a tambourine dancer.

"Promise to take care of you and never forget us." They were the words that were repeated more or less every time Anita gave a farewell hug to her many sisters, some crying, others laughing and wishing her the best of luck.

"Caravan, let's go!," shouted the leader of the group of dwarf merchants, to start another company that would lead them to trade and make good profits throughout several dwarf villages, perhaps even one or the other elfic settlement. "Thank you for everything, good people from the passage of the elf with the flattened nose, on our return we will bring more goods to sell at a good price."

"My sisters, dear neighbors, I am leaving. Wish me luck in becoming the best tambourine dancer ever seen in the dwarf kingdoms."

Various cheers and good wishes were the response of most attendees, as others dismissed the caravan for other reasons such as telling a loved one a see you soon or wishing a good reception to the package sent either to a family member or for an important business.

The merchants greeted those who went to say goodbye, then again they joined in their taciturn attitude as corresponded to those of their race. One or the other hummed an old, sad song about a dwarf miner and how gold and silver always seemed to elude him.

Anita was surely the dwarf in her village who had spent the most time in the sunlight, but even so she could not help but be surprised by the change of scenery each time the caravan entered territory unknown to her. And not only her, there were some young dwarves who were also surprised by what they saw, even somewhat fearful, but there was no need to fear, that route was safe and for the tranquility of the group there was a detachment of dwarf guards,

This group seemed professional, composed of tough dwarfs who had had more than one encounter either with simple bandits goblins to have repelled an entire advance of a orc batallion with trolls included.

Like any caravan of dwarf merchants, there were animals carrying the food necessary to survive, of course, this did not mean that it was delicious, no, just enough not to die of starvation. Dehydrated fruits, bittersweet roots and dried meat were the usual thing apart from the well appreciated tobacco; for these cases and something fundamental in any caravan of merchants were the hunters and trappers, who contributed good and juicy meat to the menu, which the cooks used very well. These two groups were vital to having a successful mission since even a barter could be made in curious cases either with other caravans or even with some green skins that preferred a good pot full and hot to any gadget that usually the dwarves offered in exchange for a safe passage.

The hunters and trappers were also intended to be explorers, sometimes going through a lot of territory ahead and then returning to report the situation to the leader of the caravan. These reports ranged from possible controlled and blocked steps after offering gifts or barter, to informing that it was necessary to clean up the road in case of a landslide or something like that.

Of the group of hunters,a tanned dwarf named Thorbur, the leader of these and at that time was required not by the leader of the caravan, but by nothing more and nothing less than Anita.

"Maese Thorbur," said Anita as she approached the dwarf.

"Anita, that's not necessary, just call me Thorbur."

"Oh, that's sudden."

"Don't worry, after all I promised your sisters and your parents to take care of you until we reach the river, after all it's the least I can do for the young relative of my mentor Brandifur."

"I am very grateful for your help."

"You don't have to Anita, as long as and until my duties are called, I can tell you about some adventures I had with Master Brandifur, the first years I served under his tutelage."

"I would love to hear such anecdotes."

Thorbur told Anita some good stories of the time when he was a young man with a very short beard and fuzz instead of the now thick, multicolored moustache he looked proud of.

The stories were told one after the other, some were about incredible feats of bravery, others were hilarious anecdotes that made not only Anita, but whoever listened attentively at that moment, let out more than one laugh, however, as Thorbur said, he was called with his own to fulfill his duties and after receiving instructions from the leader of the caravan, was quick to explore the route ahead.

When Anita was already preparing her tent with other women for the night, Thorbur arrived to report nothing new except some birds, some flying, some not, which would cheer the cook when he prepared meals for tomorrow.

The last accounts of the hunter and trapper were to instruct Anita in the various constellations observed in the sky and that apart from the merchants and hunters, very few dwarfs took the trouble to learn, except for the chief librarians in each of the continent's dwarf kingdoms.

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Had it not been for the new and exotic landscapes she saw, along with the stories of Thorbur, Anita would have been bored by the sullen character of the merchants who apparently only loosened their tongue in matters of selling their goods, but so was the race of dwarves, always immersed in thinking only of the work and profits they would make from their efforts.

Among the landscapes that marked her attention was a mountain range of giants that seemed to be painted purple and whose peaks were appreciated something that Anita had never seen: Snow.

"Thorbur," said Anita, "is it true that snow never melts?"

"No Anita, the snow melts sooner or later, even the one you see in the distance, only that the summit of the snow is always crowned by it."

"Always?"

"Well, there's a story, I don't know if it's true or not. They say that Gaildraxh, the dragon of the forest of berries, was so jealous of the giants of the mountain range, of its purple color, that one day he flew over its peaks and with his breath melted all the snow. It is said that the dragon was very happy and there he sang for three days and three nights, however, when he returned to the forest he realized that when the snow melted, he increased the riverbeds and these flooded his beloved forest, blinded by fury and guilt, he threw himself into the sulphurous lake of the Tiertes volcano, where he died."

"Wow, do you think that story is true?"

"If so, Gaildraxh must have been the greatest dragon of all, a giant among the dragons of old, since it is hard for me to believe that a creature could melt the eternal snow-capped mountains of the Purple Mountain Ranges."

They continued along the road, which was not in a straight line, but marked sinuosities, until they made such a pronounced turn that even Anita, with the little she had traveled, could say with certainty that they had changed course.

"We are taking the last part of the route," said Thorbur, "at least the one we will have together. When we get to the riverside town the merchants will deal with a few businesses and then we will leave on a different route."

"Thorbur, I had a lot of fun with your stories. This part of the trip was very enjoyable thanks to you."

"I am glad that I entertainment you a little Anita, here, I want you to give this package to Master Brandifur, a small gift for him to see that I have not forgotten him and that I will always hold him in esteem."

"Rest assured that I will give it to him, Thorbur, as well as your sincere greetings and wishes of bliss."

"Thank you very much, Anita, I hope you achieve your dreams in the village, but what I say, so many years have passed that it must already be a whole city, perhaps the largest of all the dwarf cities that are under the light of the sun instead of the interior of the earth."

"I think that would be Torasol to the west, but yes, I've also heard that Uncle Brandifur's city has grown a lot."

The merchants and their slow pace continued to lead the way and after some very old oaks, they could see the land descending and in the distance they saw the river in which one of their coasts saw what looked like a monolith of spherical-shaped rock. They had reached the town of Fur Rock.

"Why does the town have that name?"

"You'll see, I'm not going to spoil the surprise, Anita."

Anita did not understand until she approached the colossus that adjoined the town and then her face was illuminated by what she saw.

The spherical giant had all its surface covered by what looked like dandelions, the little flowers wore their white down waiting for the next storm to take the white flakes far away to their own great adventure.

"What do you think of, Anita?"

"It's unbelievable, it looks very pretty."

"There are three races living in Furry Rock: dwarfs, elves and trigons, that is, amphibious creatures. You've never seen a trigon before, have you, Anita?"

"No, but I've heard of them."

"Well, now you're going to see them. Like the hated race of green skins, there are many varieties of trigons, some are as small as children, others double the size of elves, all of them are good people, but that, yes, their accent is hard, barely and can be understood when they speak. Each of the races has its own legend about Furry Rock."

"Really?"

"Yes, for the Elves, it is the egg of a primeval dragon, which never hatched; for us dwarfs, it is a gem that was turned into stone by a curse; and for trigons, it is a giant roe of a golden sturgeon that solidified with time. I even once heard a goblin say something about it, which was actually..."

"What did the goblin say it was?"

"Emm, This is not a story for a young to hear, Anita."

"Huh?"

"Well, when I get to town, my duties are over at least for this day, let me invite you some river food."

"There's an underground river in my town, and every now and then you can catch something."

"Oh, but there's nothing like the fish that live on the surface, that's for sure. I know a good place that you're going to love."

"Thank you very much Thorbur."

So Anita enjoyed a good meal and slept happily in her tent.

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The town had its own provisioning caravan, but this one had lacustrine characteristics instead of the usual ones, this due to the river that along its course could be seen several riverside populations and one of its destinies would be the city where Anita wanted to go.

"Happy trip Anita!" said Thorbur. "Don't forget to say my best wishes to Master Brandifur!"

"Don't worry Thorbur, I'll tell him! Promise you'll take care of yourself!"

"I will...!" She listened in the distance and Anita went to the bow of the barge to see the route the boat was going to take and then breatheed in the humid air of the river, ready for a new adventure.

CONTINUARÁ...

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