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"Ah little fishes, what trouble you bring," Registhe irony of the havoc the silvery fish wreaked on the lives of the greedy people of Ten-Towns These ten communities owed their very existence to the knucklehead trout, with their oversized, fist-shaped heads and bones the consistency of fine ivory The three lakes were the only spots in the world where the valuable fish were known to swiion was barren and wild, overrun with hu frequent stors, the lure of quick wealth brought in people from the farthest reaches of the Realh Icewind Dale was a bleak, colorless wasteland of ers Death was a co any who could not face the harsh realities of Icewind Dale

Still, the towns had grown considerably in the century that had passed since the knuckleheads were first discovered Initially the nine villages on the lakes were no more than the shanties where individual frontiers hole The tenth village, Bryn Shander, though noalled, bustling settlement of several thousand people, had beena solitary cabin where the fisheroods with the traders from Luskan

Back in the early days of Ten-Towns a boat, even a oneman rowboat, out on the lakes, whose waters year-round were cold enough to kill in h to fall overboard, was a rare sight, but now every town on the lakes had a fleet of sailing vessels flying its flag Targos alone, largest of the fishing towns, could put over a hundred vessels onto Maer Dualdon, some of them two-masted schooners with crews of ten or more

A death cry sounded fro out loudly Regis wondered, and not for the first time, if the people of Ten-Toould be better off without the troubleso had to adh His practiced, niers adapted easily to the instruments of the scrimshander, and he had even been elected as the council spokeses Granted, Lonelyas the smallest and northernues hid out, but Regis still considered his appointment an honor It was convenient as well As the only true scriis was the sole person in the toith reason or desire to travel regularly to Bryn Shander, the principle settlement and market hub of Ten-Towns This had proved to be quite a boon to the halfling He beca the catches of Lonelywood’s fisher a tenth-piece of the goods This alone kept hi

Once athe summer season and once every three in the winter, weather pers and fulfill his duties as spokesh they norues, they usually lasted only a few hours Regis considered his attendance a s hison the boats soon ended, only one is drifted back into quiet enjoy looked back over his shoulder at the dozens of loooden cabins dotting the thick rows of trees that comprised Lonelywood Despite the reputation of its inhabitants, Regis found this town to be the best in the region The trees provided a ood corner posts for the houses Only its distance fro a is pulled the ruby pendant out froem he had appropriated from his former master a thousand miles and more to the south, in Calimport

"Ah, Pook," he mused, "if only you could see me now"

The elf went for the two scimitars sheathed on his hips, but the yetis closed quickly Instinctively, Drizzt spun to his left, sacrificing his opposite flank to accept the rush of the closest ht arm becareat arh to draw his second weapon Ignoring the pain of the yeti’s squeeze, Drizzt set the hilt of the sciainst his hip and allowed theblade

In its frenzied death throes, the second yeti pulled away, taking the sciround under its weight The droorked his free hand frantically to keep the deadly teeth fro a hold on his throat, but he knew that it was only a er foe finished him

Suddenly Drizzt heard a sharp crack The yeti shuddered violently Its head contorted weirdly, and a gout of blood and brains poured over its face froe of a familiar voice Bruenor Battleha the fact that the heavy monster lay on top of his elven friend In spite of the added discoray-streaked, though still-fiery red beard caht to Drizzt "Knew I’d find ye in trouble if I ca in relief, and also at the le out from under the monster while Bruenor worked to free his axe frorumbled the dwarf He planted his feet behind the yeti’s ears and pulled the axe free with a hty jerk "Where’s that kitten o’ yers, anyway?"

Drizzt fumbled around in his pack for a moment and produced a small onyx statue of a panther "I’d hardly label Guenhwyvar a kitten," he said with fond reverence He turned the figurine over in his hands, feeling the intricate details of the work to ensure that it had not been daed in the fall under the yeti

"Bah, a cat’s a cat!" insisted the dwarf "An’ why isn’t it here when ye needed it?"

"Even a ical animal needs its rest," Drizzt explained

"Bah," Bruenor spouted again "It’s sure to be a sorry day when a drow - and a ranger, what’s uard on an open plain by two scab tundra yetis!" Bruenor licked his stained axe blade, then spat in disgust

"Foul beasts!" he grus!" He pounded the axe into the ground to clean the blade and stomped off toward Kelvin’s Cairn

Drizzt put Guenhwyvar back into the pack and went to retrieve his scimitar from the other monster

"Come on, elf," scolded the dwarf "We’ve five o!"

Drizzt shook his head; and wiped the bloodstained blade on the felled monster’s fur: "Roll on, Bruenor Battlehammer," he whispered under his s our trail willand keep its head safely hidden!"