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Return
to Icewind Dale
Catti-brie
cracked open the door. Bruenor has his back to her but she knew that it
was him by the sturdy set of his shoulders, the wild red hair, and the
helmet with one horn broken away. With the sound of his hammer and the
roaring fire just to the side of him, he did not hear them enter.
The three
walked right up to the oblivious dwarf and Catti-brie tapped him on the
shoulder. He half-turned, hardly glancing her way.
"Get ye
gone!" the dwarf grumbled. "Can't ye see I'm fixin' . . .
Bruenor's
words fell away in a profound swallow. He continued to stare straight
ahead for a long moment as if he was afraid to look, afraid that the
quick glimpse had deceived him.
Then the
red-bearded dwarf did turn, and he nearly swooned at the sight of his
daughter returned, and of his best friend, come home after six long
years. He dropped his hammer right on top of his own foot, but he didn't
seem to notice as he shuffled over a step and wrapped both Catti-brie
and Drizzt in a hug so tight that they thought the powerful dwarf would
surely snap their spines.
Gradually,
Bruenor let Drizzt slip out of that hug, and he wrapped Catti-brie all
the tighter, mumbling, "me girl," over and over again.
Drizzt took
the opportunity to bring in Guenhwyvar from her astral home, and as soon
as the dwarf finally sorted himself out from Catti-brie, the panther
buried him, knocking him prone and standing triumphantly above him.
"Get that
durned cat off of me!" Bruenor roared, to which Guenhwyvar casually
licked him full in the face.
"Oh, ye
stupid cat," the dwarf complained, but there was no anger in Bruenor's
voice. How could he possibly be angry with his two, no three, friends
returned?
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