Have Your Cake Part III
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tales_of_faerunFeathered Friendship (3006 words) by Somariel
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Original Elf Character(s), Uoundeld Aerasumé
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ensemble Cast
Series: Part 3 of Have Your Cake, Part 15 of A Crossing of the Realms
Summary:
This fic was inspired by my fics Nestling: The Other Side and Fledgling.
It assumes familiarity with them, and with the previous fics in the Have Your Cake series.
1338 DR
By the time he started to see the local pegasi, Sharr had already come to the conclusion that Norvor was, in all likelihood, bringing him to aid Drizzt Do'Urden.
So he was not surprised when Norvor began to descend towards a young drow. What was a surprise, however, was the massive panther standing protectively beside the drow.
But given the clear greetings Norvor exchanged with it as he dismounted—and the fact that he had no intention of harming the drow—he was unconcerned by the panther's presence.
Keeping in mind Zaknafein's advice regarding language, Sharr focused his attention on the drow, and greeted him in Goblin.
The drow's face lit up with pleasure, and he returned the greeting in the same language, then continued with "Name Drizzt Do'Urden. What elf name?"
"Name Sharrevaliir," Sharr replied. "Small name Sharr." Then, resting a hand on Norvor's neck to ensure his meaning was clear, he added, "Friend name Norvor," and finished with "What Drizzt friend name?"
"Friend name Guen," Drizzt replied.
That evening, as he watched Drizzt prepare a fire for cooking the rabbits Guen had caught for them earlier, Sharr reached out to his family over Alustriel's anklets. ~I've found Drizzt Do'Urden.~
There was a moment of excited clamor, and then Qilué's voice cut through it clearly. ~That is very good news.~
~It is,~ Dol agreed. Then he kicked off a new round with ~And while I do need a few days to wrap up my current business, I should to be ready to teleport to you in less than a week.~
~Speaking of people coming to you, Dad,~ Thyl said, ~where exactly are you and Drizzt?
~Because Vierna will want to know.~
~The Rauvin Mountains, near Maldobar,~ Sharr replied. ~And when you get to Spirit Sanctuary, would you please ask Zaknafein what, if anything, he knows about an astral panther tied to a figure of wondrous power?~
There was an overlapping chorus of surprised questions in reply, before Laeral started another round of sending. ~Please explain, Sharr.~
~When I arrived, Drizzt was accompanied by a panther twice the normal size,~ Sharr said. ~She displayed intelligence at least equal to a pegasus, but some hours later, she started acting a bit listless.
~Upon which Drizzt told her to go home, and she vanished in a cloud of black mist after circling him three times.~
~I see,~ Alustriel said. ~Oversized plus intelligent and gendered suggests astral origin, but the appearance of some sort of time limit implies a figure.~
~And Zaknafein never mentioned her, so you want to know if that was an oversight, or if Drizzt acquired her figure after escaping,~ Thyl said. ~Very well.~
Two weeks after Dol had joined him and Drizzt, Sharr and his son broached the subject of Eilistraee and her followers with the young drow.
That explanation went quite well, but when they then moved on to telling him about Zaknafein's return to life, and the circumstances that had brought it about, Drizzt's very obvious skepticism made Sharr very glad that they had chosen to wait on telling him until they had earned his trust.
But even with that trust, it was was very clear that Drizzt had not truly believed them until after Thyl had brought Zaknafein to join them, and the elder drow had—quite obviously correctly—answered the question Drizzt asked him in Drow.
Even with Zaknafein's only moderate command of Common, the arrival of someone with whom Drizzt shared a language other than Goblin saw the young drow's fluency in Common progressing in leaps and bounds, and soon enough, lessons in reading and writing Common—which Zaknafein also joined—were added to the lessons in speaking it.
And though neither Sharr nor Dol had expected it, Zaknafein's arrival also brought about a form of lessons for them, as the elder drow had brought a pair of Surface-made scimitars for Drizzt, and the sheer skill both drow displayed in sparring each other had impressed Sharr and his son enough that trading fighting tricks and techniques rapidly became the preferred way for the four of them to unwind after language lessons.
Weeks passed in this way, and then, as the summer started to wane towards fall, Zaknafein broached the idea of Drizzt coming to Spirit Sanctuary with him.
That discussion ended up proving more fraught than any of the four had expected, due to Drizzt's pent up emotions regarding the child he had spared, and their sudden release when Zaknafein informed him of her presence at Spirit Sanctuary, but in the end, Drizzt did agree to go there with his father once fall truly set in.
As the temperature outside steadily continued to drop, making it less and less comfortable to be outside for any significant amount of time, Drizzt was finding himself becoming more and more restless.
He didn't know why, though, until Sarilanthe said—on a day when he had been unable to go outside at all due to how cold it was, and then found himself having trouble staying focused on his lessons in Common—"The outdoors really calls to you, doesn't it?"
"I... guess so?" he replied. "I certainly like being outside much better than being under all this rock.
"Though I have no idea why I feel that way."
"Given how well you understand Guen," Sarilanthe said, "and what Thyl has said about how much the pegasi like you, you're likely a wild-called ranger.
"And rangers just don't do well with being cooped up away from nature."
"Wild-called ranger?" Drizzt repeated. "What do you mean by that?"
"A ranger is someone who is drawn to guard the wilds from that which would despoil them, and to protect the innocents traveling through the wilds from any evils that might threaten them," Sarilanthe answered.
"As for what it means to be wild-called, while most rangers need to call upon the favor of one of the nature deities for the gifts they use in following their calling, a wild-called ranger receives those same gifts from the wilds, and can use them instinctively, though training and the favor of a nature deity will sharpen and enhance them."
Drizzt hummed thoughtfully. "The- the very first time I was ever on the Surface, it felt... right. Like this was where I was supposed to be.
"And when- when the priestess commanded us to watch the sunrise before we went back below, I thought it was beautiful.
"I've made sure to watch it every day since I came to the Surface for good... until today."
As soon as Drizzt faltered for words, Sarilanthe had known that whatever he was about to say was connected to when he had come up for the raid, and had bitten her lip to keep from interrupting him.
But by the time he finished speaking, she was gaping at him in surprise.
"You connected to the wilds that strongly when you'd never been on the Surface before?" she said.
"And you've deliberately watched the sunrise every day you've been up here?!?" She was unable to keep her bewilderment out of her voice as she continued. "Even Eilistraee's drow followers don't do that!"
Taking a few deep breaths while Drizzt looked at her with surprise of his own, Sarilanthe regained her equilibrium, then spoke again.
"You are definitely a wild-called ranger. There's just no other reasonable explanation for you holding daily sunrise vigils."
Drizzt tilted his head in curiosity. "That is something that rangers commonly do, then?"
"Yes. Though it's partially because that's one of the most common times for nature deities to accept their followers' daily prayers for spells."
"Rangers are able to cast divine spells?"
"Not as many as druids are able to," Sarilanthe said, "but yes, they can."
Drizzt was silent for a while, carefully considering everything Sarilanthe had just told him, and then he gave a single sharp nod.
"So what would you recommend as a starting point, if I want to learn how to be a ranger?"
"Well, given that Thyl will be bringing me to Silverymoon soon, so I can spend the winter continuing my own ranger studies, it would make the most sense for you to tell Vierna that you want come with me, so she can arrange things with him."
While the adolescent moon elf who had just entered the Cloister accompanied by Thyl Aerasumé was no surprise to Horim, the drow walking between them had him rubbing his eyes to clear them.
The drow was still there after he had done so, so he gave in to his curiosity and approached the trio to find out more.
"...want to be accepted for myself, not because your family favors me," the drow was saying as Horim came within speaking distance of them.
Thyl furrowed his brow, but did not reply, so Horim took advantage of the break in their conversation to say "Hello."
Sarilanthe's "Hi" overlapped with Thyl's "Good to see you, Horim" and the drow's cautious "Hello?"
Thyl then continued with "I take you're wintering here this year?"
"I am," Horim replied. "Who's your new friend?"
"This is Drizzt Do'Urden," Thyl said. Then he turned his head towards the drow and said, "Drizzt, this is Horim Half-orc, a ranger of Mielikki."
"Pleased to meet you, Horim," Drizzt said.
"Likewise," Horim replied. "I take it you're interested in becoming a ranger?"
Drizzt shrugged. "I've been told I already am one. But it will be helpful to receive the lessons anyway."
Horim turned a puzzled look on Thyl at Drizzt's claim to already be a ranger. Not only could he see that Drizzt was even younger than Sarilanthe—really, too young to be learning a profession, by elven standards, though he knew from Vierna that the Eilistraeean drow were more flexible about such things—but he couldn't see how Drizzt could be a ranger without having been taught the ways of being one.
'Wild-called,' Thyl mouthed in reply to his look, and Horim had to keep his jaw from dropping.
Well. It would be interesting to see how Drizzt's lessons went. And on that note, he needed to reply to the boy.
"Mielikki's folk are good ones to learn from," he said. "And if you're interested, I'd be happy to show you around the city whenever you have time for it."
Drizzt turned to look at Sarilanthe, and it was only after she had given him a pleased smile and a nod that he turned back to Horim.
"I think I'd like that," he said.
Several weeks later, as Drizzt and Sarilanthe were leaving the archery range used by the Knights in Silver, they were approached by an unfamiliar half-elf who shared Thyl's height and silver hair.
"Hi," the half-elf said, holding out a hand to shake. "I'm Uoundeld Aerasumé. Please call me Del, though."
Giving the offered hand a brisk shake, Sarilanthe said, "You're Thyl's youngest brother, right?"
"Yes. And you must be Sarilanthe.
"Though I was actually seeking Drizzt."
"Why?" Drizzt asked, a note of both caution and surprise in his tone.
"Dad said you might be interested in a traveling companion in the spring," Del replied. "Something about protective family, and solving that problem for both of us."
Knowing what she did about Thyl's family, Sarilanthe could guess what Del was talking about, but the puzzled look on Drizzt's face made it clear he had no idea.
"I had mentioned to him that my father and sister are... not entirely happy with my desire to explore this region once spring comes," Drizzt said.
"But he never said anything about having reached out to anyone regarding the matter."
"Not sure why he didn't say anything after I agreed to come meet you, but before then, he probably didn't want to give you false hope."
"That... makes sense," Drizzt said slowly. "But what did you mean by saying that traveling together would 'solve that problem for both of us'?"
A very brief look of surprise crossed Del's face, so fast Sarilanthe almost missed it, before it was replaced with understanding. And then Del replied.
"Well, I also have overprotective family that aren't best pleased by me traveling alone.
"Even though I've been of age for a half-elf for most of a decade." Del made an annoyed face at that before continuing.
"And being of age, I'd much prefer to not travel with any of my brothers, who have a tendency to still think of me as their baby brother."
"Oh," Drizzt said. "So if we travel together, you have a traveling companion who'll see you as an equal, and our families' concerns about each of us traveling alone are solved."
"Exactly!" Del said. "Anyway, I thought it might be best if we used the winter to get to know each other, so we're not starting out as strangers in the spring."
"That's a good idea," Drizzt agreed. "Though it will have to be worked in around my lessons."
"Of course," Del said. "Maybe we could start by sparring with each other? Dad's full of praise for your blade skills."
"That sounds good to me," Drizzt replied.
"Then I'll see you in the practice yard tomorrow." Del gave a jaunty smile, clasped wrists with Drizzt, then turned and sauntered away.
And as he left, Sarilanthe stared after him wistfully, trying to think of how she could arrange to meet him again.
When spring came, Drizzt returned to Spirit Sanctuary for a week, to let Zak and Vierna reassure themselves that he was well after several months away.
Del even came with him, so they could meet the man he would be traveling with, and resolve any lingering concerns about his plans to explore.
And when the two of them departed, Del easily agreed to the idea of going and checking on Drizzt's nest-mate and her herd before they took up their actual travels.
Del had enjoyed the week with Drizzt's pegasus herd—and he knew Sairena had, too—but as he put the riding straps on Sairena, he was willing to admit—at least to himself—that he was very pleased that they were finally going to begin the exploration that was his primary reason for joining Drizzt.
After a last round of pats and scratches for his nest-mate and her parents, Drizzt headed over to Del and Sairena with a wide smile on his face.
"Ready to go?" Del asked.
"Yes."
"Then let's mount up and do so." And even as he spoke, Del put his words into action, swinging himself up onto Sairena's back.
Drizzt quickly got up behind him, and as soon as they were both settled, Sairena trotted up into the air to start their flight.
They were barely past Maldobar, however, when an annoyed whicker-snort sounded from behind them.
Sairena turned at the noise without Del even needing to signal her, and once they were facing back in the direction they had come from, Del found himself staring in surprise.
"Drizzt," he said, "am I seeing things, or is that actually your nest-mate flying as hard as she can to catch up with us?"
Drizzt shifted to look over Del's shoulder, and sighed in exasperation. "If you're seeing things, so am I, because yes, that is my nest-mate. And I have no idea why she's following us."
Del thought he might have a guess, though it was unheard of for such a thing to happen this early, but rather than saying anything about it, he patted Sairena's shoulder and said, "Take us down so we can actually talk with her, would you, lovely?"
Sairena gave a snort and a toss of her head, and then complied with his request.
Soon enough, she had landed in a clearing, and Drizzt's nest-mate landed in front of her with a defiant toss of her own head.
Drizzt had begun to dismount as soon as Sairena's feet were solidly on the ground, and turned his attention away from the mare just in time to see his nest-mate's defiant head toss.
Walking over to the filly, he began to scratch behind her ears and asked, "Why are you following us, my friend?"
Reaching out with the same sense that let him understand animals, he listened carefully for her answer.
The snort and bump of her nose against his chest that she gave in response were accompanied by a sense of belonging: she was his and he was hers, so of course she was following him.
Drizzt couldn't help but gape at her as her meaning slowly sunk in for him. "You... want to bond with me? You're so young, though."
The filly gave another snort and tossed her head again. So? He was her nest-mate. Her parents knew exactly how well he could protect her.
Del suppressed a grin as the filly responded to Drizzt's surprise, and reached out over the anklets. ~So is there anyone who wasn't expecting Drizzt to end up with his own pegasus friend?~
A wash of laughter in several voices came of the link, and then Sharr said, ~I don't think so. Though it being this early is a surprise.~
Dol started a new round with ~Is his nest-mate even fledged yet?~
~While we were visiting,~ Del said. ~And I probably ought to reassure him now that I've shared my amusement with someone other than him.~
~Of course,~ Andy said. ~But do keep us updated.~
Del let the link drop, and returned his attention to Drizzt and the filly. "What are you going to call her?"
Drizzt startled out of the near trance petting his nest-mate had drawn him into and turned his head to look at Del. "You don't mind?"
"I know better than to try and argue with a pegasus who has decided on the person they're going to bond with," Del said.
Drizzt tilted his head thoughtfully. "Then... I think I'll call her Lothalninil.
"Do you like that, little sister?"
The filly nickered happily in response, and reached out to lip at Drizzt's hair.
"I think that's a 'yes'," Del said.
Part I|Part II|Part III|Part IV|Part V|Part VI
*Links will work as fics are revealed
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Original Elf Character(s), Uoundeld Aerasumé
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ensemble Cast
Series: Part 3 of Have Your Cake, Part 15 of A Crossing of the Realms
Summary:
The pegasi choose to help a lost drow, with consequences.
Beginning notes
This fic was inspired by my fics Nestling: The Other Side and Fledgling.
It assumes familiarity with them, and with the previous fics in the Have Your Cake series.
Feathered Friendship
1338 DR
By the time he started to see the local pegasi, Sharr had already come to the conclusion that Norvor was, in all likelihood, bringing him to aid Drizzt Do'Urden.
So he was not surprised when Norvor began to descend towards a young drow. What was a surprise, however, was the massive panther standing protectively beside the drow.
But given the clear greetings Norvor exchanged with it as he dismounted—and the fact that he had no intention of harming the drow—he was unconcerned by the panther's presence.
Keeping in mind Zaknafein's advice regarding language, Sharr focused his attention on the drow, and greeted him in Goblin.
The drow's face lit up with pleasure, and he returned the greeting in the same language, then continued with "Name Drizzt Do'Urden. What elf name?"
"Name Sharrevaliir," Sharr replied. "Small name Sharr." Then, resting a hand on Norvor's neck to ensure his meaning was clear, he added, "Friend name Norvor," and finished with "What Drizzt friend name?"
"Friend name Guen," Drizzt replied.
That evening, as he watched Drizzt prepare a fire for cooking the rabbits Guen had caught for them earlier, Sharr reached out to his family over Alustriel's anklets. ~I've found Drizzt Do'Urden.~
There was a moment of excited clamor, and then Qilué's voice cut through it clearly. ~That is very good news.~
~It is,~ Dol agreed. Then he kicked off a new round with ~And while I do need a few days to wrap up my current business, I should to be ready to teleport to you in less than a week.~
~Speaking of people coming to you, Dad,~ Thyl said, ~where exactly are you and Drizzt?
~Because Vierna will want to know.~
~The Rauvin Mountains, near Maldobar,~ Sharr replied. ~And when you get to Spirit Sanctuary, would you please ask Zaknafein what, if anything, he knows about an astral panther tied to a figure of wondrous power?~
There was an overlapping chorus of surprised questions in reply, before Laeral started another round of sending. ~Please explain, Sharr.~
~When I arrived, Drizzt was accompanied by a panther twice the normal size,~ Sharr said. ~She displayed intelligence at least equal to a pegasus, but some hours later, she started acting a bit listless.
~Upon which Drizzt told her to go home, and she vanished in a cloud of black mist after circling him three times.~
~I see,~ Alustriel said. ~Oversized plus intelligent and gendered suggests astral origin, but the appearance of some sort of time limit implies a figure.~
~And Zaknafein never mentioned her, so you want to know if that was an oversight, or if Drizzt acquired her figure after escaping,~ Thyl said. ~Very well.~
Two weeks after Dol had joined him and Drizzt, Sharr and his son broached the subject of Eilistraee and her followers with the young drow.
That explanation went quite well, but when they then moved on to telling him about Zaknafein's return to life, and the circumstances that had brought it about, Drizzt's very obvious skepticism made Sharr very glad that they had chosen to wait on telling him until they had earned his trust.
But even with that trust, it was was very clear that Drizzt had not truly believed them until after Thyl had brought Zaknafein to join them, and the elder drow had—quite obviously correctly—answered the question Drizzt asked him in Drow.
Even with Zaknafein's only moderate command of Common, the arrival of someone with whom Drizzt shared a language other than Goblin saw the young drow's fluency in Common progressing in leaps and bounds, and soon enough, lessons in reading and writing Common—which Zaknafein also joined—were added to the lessons in speaking it.
And though neither Sharr nor Dol had expected it, Zaknafein's arrival also brought about a form of lessons for them, as the elder drow had brought a pair of Surface-made scimitars for Drizzt, and the sheer skill both drow displayed in sparring each other had impressed Sharr and his son enough that trading fighting tricks and techniques rapidly became the preferred way for the four of them to unwind after language lessons.
Weeks passed in this way, and then, as the summer started to wane towards fall, Zaknafein broached the idea of Drizzt coming to Spirit Sanctuary with him.
That discussion ended up proving more fraught than any of the four had expected, due to Drizzt's pent up emotions regarding the child he had spared, and their sudden release when Zaknafein informed him of her presence at Spirit Sanctuary, but in the end, Drizzt did agree to go there with his father once fall truly set in.
As the temperature outside steadily continued to drop, making it less and less comfortable to be outside for any significant amount of time, Drizzt was finding himself becoming more and more restless.
He didn't know why, though, until Sarilanthe said—on a day when he had been unable to go outside at all due to how cold it was, and then found himself having trouble staying focused on his lessons in Common—"The outdoors really calls to you, doesn't it?"
"I... guess so?" he replied. "I certainly like being outside much better than being under all this rock.
"Though I have no idea why I feel that way."
"Given how well you understand Guen," Sarilanthe said, "and what Thyl has said about how much the pegasi like you, you're likely a wild-called ranger.
"And rangers just don't do well with being cooped up away from nature."
"Wild-called ranger?" Drizzt repeated. "What do you mean by that?"
"A ranger is someone who is drawn to guard the wilds from that which would despoil them, and to protect the innocents traveling through the wilds from any evils that might threaten them," Sarilanthe answered.
"As for what it means to be wild-called, while most rangers need to call upon the favor of one of the nature deities for the gifts they use in following their calling, a wild-called ranger receives those same gifts from the wilds, and can use them instinctively, though training and the favor of a nature deity will sharpen and enhance them."
Drizzt hummed thoughtfully. "The- the very first time I was ever on the Surface, it felt... right. Like this was where I was supposed to be.
"And when- when the priestess commanded us to watch the sunrise before we went back below, I thought it was beautiful.
"I've made sure to watch it every day since I came to the Surface for good... until today."
As soon as Drizzt faltered for words, Sarilanthe had known that whatever he was about to say was connected to when he had come up for the raid, and had bitten her lip to keep from interrupting him.
But by the time he finished speaking, she was gaping at him in surprise.
"You connected to the wilds that strongly when you'd never been on the Surface before?" she said.
"And you've deliberately watched the sunrise every day you've been up here?!?" She was unable to keep her bewilderment out of her voice as she continued. "Even Eilistraee's drow followers don't do that!"
Taking a few deep breaths while Drizzt looked at her with surprise of his own, Sarilanthe regained her equilibrium, then spoke again.
"You are definitely a wild-called ranger. There's just no other reasonable explanation for you holding daily sunrise vigils."
Drizzt tilted his head in curiosity. "That is something that rangers commonly do, then?"
"Yes. Though it's partially because that's one of the most common times for nature deities to accept their followers' daily prayers for spells."
"Rangers are able to cast divine spells?"
"Not as many as druids are able to," Sarilanthe said, "but yes, they can."
Drizzt was silent for a while, carefully considering everything Sarilanthe had just told him, and then he gave a single sharp nod.
"So what would you recommend as a starting point, if I want to learn how to be a ranger?"
"Well, given that Thyl will be bringing me to Silverymoon soon, so I can spend the winter continuing my own ranger studies, it would make the most sense for you to tell Vierna that you want come with me, so she can arrange things with him."
While the adolescent moon elf who had just entered the Cloister accompanied by Thyl Aerasumé was no surprise to Horim, the drow walking between them had him rubbing his eyes to clear them.
The drow was still there after he had done so, so he gave in to his curiosity and approached the trio to find out more.
"...want to be accepted for myself, not because your family favors me," the drow was saying as Horim came within speaking distance of them.
Thyl furrowed his brow, but did not reply, so Horim took advantage of the break in their conversation to say "Hello."
Sarilanthe's "Hi" overlapped with Thyl's "Good to see you, Horim" and the drow's cautious "Hello?"
Thyl then continued with "I take you're wintering here this year?"
"I am," Horim replied. "Who's your new friend?"
"This is Drizzt Do'Urden," Thyl said. Then he turned his head towards the drow and said, "Drizzt, this is Horim Half-orc, a ranger of Mielikki."
"Pleased to meet you, Horim," Drizzt said.
"Likewise," Horim replied. "I take it you're interested in becoming a ranger?"
Drizzt shrugged. "I've been told I already am one. But it will be helpful to receive the lessons anyway."
Horim turned a puzzled look on Thyl at Drizzt's claim to already be a ranger. Not only could he see that Drizzt was even younger than Sarilanthe—really, too young to be learning a profession, by elven standards, though he knew from Vierna that the Eilistraeean drow were more flexible about such things—but he couldn't see how Drizzt could be a ranger without having been taught the ways of being one.
'Wild-called,' Thyl mouthed in reply to his look, and Horim had to keep his jaw from dropping.
Well. It would be interesting to see how Drizzt's lessons went. And on that note, he needed to reply to the boy.
"Mielikki's folk are good ones to learn from," he said. "And if you're interested, I'd be happy to show you around the city whenever you have time for it."
Drizzt turned to look at Sarilanthe, and it was only after she had given him a pleased smile and a nod that he turned back to Horim.
"I think I'd like that," he said.
Several weeks later, as Drizzt and Sarilanthe were leaving the archery range used by the Knights in Silver, they were approached by an unfamiliar half-elf who shared Thyl's height and silver hair.
"Hi," the half-elf said, holding out a hand to shake. "I'm Uoundeld Aerasumé. Please call me Del, though."
Giving the offered hand a brisk shake, Sarilanthe said, "You're Thyl's youngest brother, right?"
"Yes. And you must be Sarilanthe.
"Though I was actually seeking Drizzt."
"Why?" Drizzt asked, a note of both caution and surprise in his tone.
"Dad said you might be interested in a traveling companion in the spring," Del replied. "Something about protective family, and solving that problem for both of us."
Knowing what she did about Thyl's family, Sarilanthe could guess what Del was talking about, but the puzzled look on Drizzt's face made it clear he had no idea.
"I had mentioned to him that my father and sister are... not entirely happy with my desire to explore this region once spring comes," Drizzt said.
"But he never said anything about having reached out to anyone regarding the matter."
"Not sure why he didn't say anything after I agreed to come meet you, but before then, he probably didn't want to give you false hope."
"That... makes sense," Drizzt said slowly. "But what did you mean by saying that traveling together would 'solve that problem for both of us'?"
A very brief look of surprise crossed Del's face, so fast Sarilanthe almost missed it, before it was replaced with understanding. And then Del replied.
"Well, I also have overprotective family that aren't best pleased by me traveling alone.
"Even though I've been of age for a half-elf for most of a decade." Del made an annoyed face at that before continuing.
"And being of age, I'd much prefer to not travel with any of my brothers, who have a tendency to still think of me as their baby brother."
"Oh," Drizzt said. "So if we travel together, you have a traveling companion who'll see you as an equal, and our families' concerns about each of us traveling alone are solved."
"Exactly!" Del said. "Anyway, I thought it might be best if we used the winter to get to know each other, so we're not starting out as strangers in the spring."
"That's a good idea," Drizzt agreed. "Though it will have to be worked in around my lessons."
"Of course," Del said. "Maybe we could start by sparring with each other? Dad's full of praise for your blade skills."
"That sounds good to me," Drizzt replied.
"Then I'll see you in the practice yard tomorrow." Del gave a jaunty smile, clasped wrists with Drizzt, then turned and sauntered away.
And as he left, Sarilanthe stared after him wistfully, trying to think of how she could arrange to meet him again.
When spring came, Drizzt returned to Spirit Sanctuary for a week, to let Zak and Vierna reassure themselves that he was well after several months away.
Del even came with him, so they could meet the man he would be traveling with, and resolve any lingering concerns about his plans to explore.
And when the two of them departed, Del easily agreed to the idea of going and checking on Drizzt's nest-mate and her herd before they took up their actual travels.
Del had enjoyed the week with Drizzt's pegasus herd—and he knew Sairena had, too—but as he put the riding straps on Sairena, he was willing to admit—at least to himself—that he was very pleased that they were finally going to begin the exploration that was his primary reason for joining Drizzt.
After a last round of pats and scratches for his nest-mate and her parents, Drizzt headed over to Del and Sairena with a wide smile on his face.
"Ready to go?" Del asked.
"Yes."
"Then let's mount up and do so." And even as he spoke, Del put his words into action, swinging himself up onto Sairena's back.
Drizzt quickly got up behind him, and as soon as they were both settled, Sairena trotted up into the air to start their flight.
They were barely past Maldobar, however, when an annoyed whicker-snort sounded from behind them.
Sairena turned at the noise without Del even needing to signal her, and once they were facing back in the direction they had come from, Del found himself staring in surprise.
"Drizzt," he said, "am I seeing things, or is that actually your nest-mate flying as hard as she can to catch up with us?"
Drizzt shifted to look over Del's shoulder, and sighed in exasperation. "If you're seeing things, so am I, because yes, that is my nest-mate. And I have no idea why she's following us."
Del thought he might have a guess, though it was unheard of for such a thing to happen this early, but rather than saying anything about it, he patted Sairena's shoulder and said, "Take us down so we can actually talk with her, would you, lovely?"
Sairena gave a snort and a toss of her head, and then complied with his request.
Soon enough, she had landed in a clearing, and Drizzt's nest-mate landed in front of her with a defiant toss of her own head.
Drizzt had begun to dismount as soon as Sairena's feet were solidly on the ground, and turned his attention away from the mare just in time to see his nest-mate's defiant head toss.
Walking over to the filly, he began to scratch behind her ears and asked, "Why are you following us, my friend?"
Reaching out with the same sense that let him understand animals, he listened carefully for her answer.
The snort and bump of her nose against his chest that she gave in response were accompanied by a sense of belonging: she was his and he was hers, so of course she was following him.
Drizzt couldn't help but gape at her as her meaning slowly sunk in for him. "You... want to bond with me? You're so young, though."
The filly gave another snort and tossed her head again. So? He was her nest-mate. Her parents knew exactly how well he could protect her.
Del suppressed a grin as the filly responded to Drizzt's surprise, and reached out over the anklets. ~So is there anyone who wasn't expecting Drizzt to end up with his own pegasus friend?~
A wash of laughter in several voices came of the link, and then Sharr said, ~I don't think so. Though it being this early is a surprise.~
Dol started a new round with ~Is his nest-mate even fledged yet?~
~While we were visiting,~ Del said. ~And I probably ought to reassure him now that I've shared my amusement with someone other than him.~
~Of course,~ Andy said. ~But do keep us updated.~
Del let the link drop, and returned his attention to Drizzt and the filly. "What are you going to call her?"
Drizzt startled out of the near trance petting his nest-mate had drawn him into and turned his head to look at Del. "You don't mind?"
"I know better than to try and argue with a pegasus who has decided on the person they're going to bond with," Del said.
Drizzt tilted his head thoughtfully. "Then... I think I'll call her Lothalninil.
"Do you like that, little sister?"
The filly nickered happily in response, and reached out to lip at Drizzt's hair.
"I think that's a 'yes'," Del said.
Part I|Part II|Part III|Part IV|Part V|Part VI
*Links will work as fics are revealed
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