Dragonsoul

Chapter 48

Hidden in the depths of the dark mountains, those who were forever rejected by their fellow beings hid. The precious diamonds turned into coal. Without a place to fit in, lost for the world, they found darkness and embraced it as their friend.

Nevermore cast aside, nevermore rejected.

Buckthorn's casually said words washed away any semblance of calm that had previously settled over the gathering. Hunters, as well as Gatherers, stood frozen, their brains refusing to comprehend all the implications of his statement.

"That's impossible!" Arawn said, staring arrows at Buckthorn.

"Trolls are just figments of human imagination. It's something parents say to scare their children into obedience. I should know. I've used those stories to stop my children from investigating dark caves, to stop them from hurting themselves." Arawn went on to say.

"Trolls were as real as any other being. However, we thought they were extinct for the last hundred years or so." Toras said.

"Well, apparently not extinct enough. We've gathered from more than one source that trolls were spotted close to human settlements, stealing livestock. That's why we even heard about it. We were looking into what happened to the animals. Unfortunately, we learned that the trolls ate them. I guess there are worse things out there than the Hunters." Buckthorn said, looking pointedly at Arawn.

"If you don't stop with the provocations, you'll see, first hand, what Hunters are like," Arawn said, gritting his teeth.

"Easy boys, remember that we all want the same thing," Toras said as the air suddenly became saturated with calm energy enveloping everyone there.

"You aren't supposed to use magic on us without our permission." Buckthorn said calmly.

"And you are not supposed to spend all your time provoking each other, but here we are," Toras answered instantly.

"Excuse me, but would anyone mind explaining what are the trolls?" Leonie asked, annoyed that she was missing a crucial piece of information.

"Trolls are huge nasty beings which always cause trouble. Worse than their horrible temper is only the putrid smell that they spread around them." Arawn said as if repeating one of the stories he used to tell to his children.

"That's not exactly true," Rimar interjected.

"What do you mean?" Leonie asked, surprised by the bitterness emanating from her friend.

"They weren't as bad as the stories make them out to be. Other creatures made them seem evil. So much so that everyone forgot the truth." Rimar said.

"What's the truth?" Leonie asked.

"Toras, can you please explain? There is too much information in the collective knowledge of all dragons. I can't sift through what's important and what's irrelevant." Rimar said.

"The truth is that the trolls weren't as foul as the stories say. However, because of their physical appearance, people feared them. As per usual, to make themselves feel better about being unjust, they started making up all sorts of stories to justify their dislike of the trolls." Toras said.

"What did they look like?" Leonie asked.

It was unimaginable for her to despise any living being for its physical appearance. Thus, she was curious to learn what it took to make people so unfriendly towards them.

"They were giant and strong, which was one of the main reasons others feared them so much. Besides, they had big teeth, two of which protruded out like tusks. Their noses were enormous, and they had a great amount of facial hair. Even their long sharp nails terrified the people." Toras said.