Elf and Bear: Thornbriar's Grouch

 

Chapter One: Goblins (Part 2)

The cold north wind cut through Thornbriar’s coat, but he paid it little heed.  He stumped along the dirt road, kicking the piles of leaves that drifted into his path.  Now and then he would pick up a stray branch, toy with it, then snap and throw it aside in anger.  Around him the day was more impressive than beautiful, with dark masses of clouds being driven along and the oak trees moaning and singing in the wind.

It was nothing to the elf, who merely hugged his thin arms closer and made his way deeper into the woods, muttering and grumbling to himself about stupid bears and paying no attention to where he was going.

With a start of surprise he found himself in a clearing by the roadside, with the rambling stone house of Dr. Gilpin suddenly before him.  It occurred to Thornbriar that this was exactly where he had been headed, in order to explain to someone who would understand the iniquity of bears and the folly of sharing a house with one.  He went up to the door and rang the bell.

Dr. Gilpin was a human, and it is unusual for any of the Field Folk to have anything to do with humans, but Thornbriar was a little eccentric by elvish standards.  Most magical creatures consider humans dull and tedious when not downright dangerous, but Thornbriar always found Dr. Gilpin full of fascinating lore about distant lands and stories about the stars, and there was little the tall old man didn’t know about the properties of herbs and roots.  The elf himself could only work Small Magics, but the doctor was so impressed when Thornbriar did that it was rather flattering.  Now Dr. Gilpin seemed the perfect ally to hear his troubles.

The elf rang the bell again, glancing absently at the multi-colored bottles in the shop window as the last echoes of the bell faded inside the building.