The Marakese

Fire Breather

Do you really need to go? asked Borkir's wife. Yes dear, he replied. "To avenge the deaths of many, I must do this" She stood there by the bed side, as Borkir was packing his things into a wooden suitcase. The suitcase mostly consisted of extra blades, sharpening tools and other accessories needed for combat. There was hardly any clothing in it. Here, let me pack you some more clothes, she said and reached for the drawer. Borkir waited there patiently and realized how lucky he was. To be surrounded by a person who cared for him. She came out from the drawer and packed a few set of clothes for him. He touched her stomach gently, and she too pressed her hands against his. Where would he be now ? asked Borkir. Somewhere in a large green field, playing and laughing, she said. He removed his hands from her and took his suitcase and kept it down. He must be playing with the other children there and not all by himself, he said. His wife chuckled, he must have at last learnt how to make a few friends, she said. He was more interested in the books, the writings that playing. "Even at that young age" she said. He would have grown up to be like you, he said. " Intelligent" His wife closed the drawer of the cupboard. Borkir got up with his suitcase and kissed his wife goodbye gently on her cheeks and left the room. 

"There was Ilvandir and the rest" waiting for Borkir. Upon seeing him descent down to the warfare, they welcomed him. "Let us go" said Ilvandir whose moment of welcoming had turned into a hurried stance within a matter of seconds. As Borkir joined the company, there was no sending off, there was no fanfare. There maybe was a couple of other dwarves. And as Bokrir walked closer, he realized that even the two dwarves who stood there were minding their own business. They were around the four warrior dwarves only by coincidence. "So much so for beheading a long lasted enemy" said Bokrir. " A fire breathing one, mind you" added Ilvandir whose eyes lit up momentarily. And again he was Ilvandir the grump. "We better hurry" he said  and walked ahead in a hurried pace. The rest of the dwarves took up their cases and followed Ilvandir. Bokrir looked back at the caves one last time before he avenged it. Ilkir only had one thing in his mind "To gather experience" and by the time Buskar was to determine what he wanted "They had already reached the mouth of the gates" They sturdy feet were submerged under the snow as they struggled to walk to the goats that awaited them. Ilkir the nimblest of them all, walked the fastest and seated himself on the sledge of the larger goat. "That is mine" said Ilvandir. But Ilkir remained seated. So Ilvandir picked him up and put him on the other sledge. "You ride with Borkir" he said. Buskar grunted in dismay!

"The sledges passed along the snow capes and the dwarves rumbled with Ilkir" Ilkir was slightly larger than the size of the dwarf even though he was a child. He held on to the ledge as hard as he could, so did the others. They wobbled , left and right. Ilvandir thought too seasoned of himself, had a lose grip. And it almost cost him, falling of the sledge at one point of time. And when Ilkir looked at him, he laughed harder as the the grumpiest dwarf of them all, held the ledge as tight as he could. Borkir, the warrior he was had his head strong looking at the horizon. The company passed the same green lights that Ilkir had seen earlier. This time there was no time for Ilvandir to say his prayers nor did Ilkir have the time to gaze upon the majesty. Buskar tried looking at the glowing lights but ultimately decided against it. Night was about to fall, and the goats tuskers started to glow illuminating their path ahead, and everyone were to come aware that the cliffs would soon end and there would be no path to tread. The goats sped up again this time causing the snow to fall all over their faces. Ilvandir grunted and the rest were reasonably quiet. And as the cliff ended, there was fear all around. Everyone trembled. Everyone trembled except Ilvandir. The dwarf with his beards smeared with snow brimmed with courage. And the goats jumped in the air and fell down from the summit. Ilkir screamed on top of his lungs. Bokrir knew his time was up and he closed his eyes. And when he opened his eyes, he thought that he had reached the gates of heaven. " Are we dead" he asked the company. Not yet! replied Ilvandir. He looked to his left, right and ultimately down. They were a thousand feet up in the air. They were flying, the dwarves. The wind had blown of the snow from the faces of everyone as the light of the white moon shone upon them. Ilkir looked at them and there was not a shred of fear nor the pain of the future in their eyes. They were in the present and at peace with it. Ilkir too joined them!