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Wulfgar sat high up on the northern face of Bruenor’s Climb, his eyes trained on the expanse of the rocky valley below, intently seeking any ht indicate the dwarf’s return The barbarian cahts and the mourn of the wind Directly before him, across the dwarven vale, were Kelvin’s Cairn and the northern section of Lac Dinneshere Between theround known as Icewind Pass that led to the northeast and the open plain

And, for the barbarian, the pass that led to his hoone for a few days, and at first Wulfgar was happy for the relief fro and criticism But he found his relief short-lived

"Worried for him, are you?" came a voice behind him He didn’t have to turn to know that it was Catti-brie

He left the question unanswered, figuring that she had asked it rhetorically anyway and would not believe him if he denied it

"He’ll be back," Catti-brie said with a shrug in her voice "Bruenor’s as hard ason the tundra that can stop hiirl Long ago, when a comfortable level of trust had been reached between Bruenor and Wulfgar, the dwarf had introduced the young barbarian to his "daughter," a hue

She was an outwardly calar had been unaccustoirls were raised to keep their thoughts and opinions, unimportant by the standards of men, to themselves Like her mentor, Catti-brie said exactly as on her mind and left little doubt as to how she felt about a situation The verbal sparring between her and Wulfgar was nearly constant and often heated, but still, Wulfgar was glad to have a coe, someone who didn’t look down at him froh the difficult first year of his indenture, treating hireed with hi that she had so indirectly to do with Bruenor’s decision to take Wulfgar under his tutorship

She was his own age, but in many ways Catti-brie seemed much older, with a solid inner sense of reality that kept her temperament on an even level In other ways, however, such as the skipping spring in her step, Catti-brie would forever be a child This unusual balance of spirit and calar and kept hiirl

Of course, there were other ee when he ith Catti-brie Undeniably, she was beautiful, with thick waves of rich, auburn hair rolling down over her shoulders and the darkest blue, penetrating eyes that wouldscrutiny Still, there was soar Catti-brie was beyond his experience, a young woman who did not fit the role as it had been defined to him on the tundra He wasn’t sure if he liked this independence or not But he found himself unable to deny the attraction that he felt for her

"You come up here often, do you not?" Catti-brie asked "What is it you look for?"

Wulfgar shrugged, not fully knowing the answer his that a woman would not understand"

Catti-brie smiled away the unintentional insult "Tellher tone "Maybea new perspective to these problems" She hopped down the rock to circle the barbarian and take a seat on the ledge beside hiraceful movements Like the polarity of her curious ema physically She was tall and slender, delicate by all appearances, but growing into womanhood in the caverns of the dwarves, she was accustomed to hard and heavy work

"Of adventures and an unfulfilled vow," Wulfgar said irl, but moreso to reinforce his own opinion about what a woman should and should not care about

"A vow you mean to fulfill," Catti-brie reasoned, "as soon as you’re given the chance"

Wulfgar nodded solee, a burden passed on to me when my father was killed The day will coly to the emptiness of the open tundra beyond Kelvin’s Cairn

Catti-brie shook her head, the auburn locks bouncing across her shoulders She saw beyond Wulfgar’s h to understand that he erous, probably suicidal, mission in the name of honor "What drives you, I cannot tell Luck to you on your adventure, but if you’re taking it for no better reason than you have na your life"

"What could a worily

But Catti-brie was not intimidated and did not back down "What indeed?" she echoed "Do you think that you hold it all in your oversized hands for no better reason than what you hold in your pants?"

Wulfgar blushed a deep red and turned away, unable to come to terms with such nerve in a woman

"Besides," Catti-brie continued, "you can say what you want about why you have come up here this day I know that you’re worried about Bruenor, and I’ll hear no denying"

"You know only what you desire to know!"

"You are a lot like hiarding Wulfgar’s comments "More akin to the dwarf than you’d ever adhed "Both stubborn, both proud, and neither about to ad for the other Have it your oay, then, Wulfgar of Icewind Dale To me you can lie, but to yourselfthere’s a different tale!" She hopped from her perch and skipped down the rocks toward the dwarven caverns

Wulfgar watched her go, adraceful dance of her step, despite the anger that he felt He didn’t stop to think of why he was so mad at Catti-brie

He knew that if he did, he would find, as usual, that he was angry because her observations hit the il over his unconscious friend for two long days Worried as he was about Bruenor and curious about the wondrous warhammer, the drow ree

Finally, asdawned on the third day, Bruenor stirred and stretched Drizzt silently padded away,an appropriate clearing, he hastily set up a sht came to Bruenor as only a blur at first, and it took his Then his returning vision focused on the shining glory of the warhans of the fallen dust He found none, and his anticipation heightened He was tre it over in his hands, feeling its perfect balance and incredible strength Bruenor’s breath flehen he saw the syically fused into their deeply etched lines Entranced by the apparent perfection of his work, Bruenor understood the emptiness his father had spoken of He knew that he would never duplicate this level of his craft, and he wondered if, knowing this, he would ever be able to lift his sh his mixed emotions, the dwarf put the silver olden coffer and replaced the scroll in its tube, though the parchical runes would never reappear He realized that he hadn’t eaten in several days, and his strength hadn’t fully recovered fros as he could carry, hoisted the huge warhaed off toward his horeeted him as he came upon Drizzt Do’Urden’s ca to his friend

Drizzt locked his eyes onto the dwarf’s, not wanting to give away his overwhelood dwarf," he said, bowing low "Surely you had enough people looking for me to expect that I’d return"

Bruenor conceded the point, though for the present he only offered absently, "I needed ye," as an explanation A ht of the cooking ly He had already eaten and had caught and cooked this coney especially for Bruenor "Join me?" he asked

Before he had even finished the offer, Bruenor was eagerly reaching for the rabbit He stopped suddenly, though, and turned a suspicious eye upon the drow

"How long have ye been in?" the dwarf asked nervously

"Just arrived thisthe privacy of the dwarf’s special ceremony Bruenor smirked at the answer and tore into the coney as Drizzt set another on the spit