[Nogrod]

Novgorod was used to the elves from his childhood. They had been arrogant wise-guys to him ever since. But they were beautiful, he couldn’t help his inward feelings. But this elf who declared himself to be Eoln was majestic and more shining than many of his fellows Novgorod had met during his life. Novgorod was taken aback by him.

As Eoln disappeared, Novgorod got the hint fast enough and took his sack. “We’ll see the outcome, although I can’t see the reason why these dwarves would be on the lead here”. He nodded towards the dwarves and then smiled to the others. “We may almost walk across the river, but these guys must swim. Nice to see you little folk to do your best!” With a big grin he walked into the River and started crossing it. At halfway he had to swim for some yards but then he took back to walking in the waist-deep water.

He had taken his path to the left from where they started. He wandered the miles singing the songs his mother had taught him when he was young. He was in a good mood. After the thickets that surrounded the river he started crossing the more open land with small hills decorating his way.

At noon he decided to stop for a lunch and he sat down by the hill that had a rocky outcrop. He took the biggest stone and sat on it, picking some dried meat from his sack to eat. Soon enough he noted a huge rat that was trying to hide behind a rock some two feet away from him. He reached for a small pebble to throw at the rat but managed to scare it by leaning leftwards.

The rat took a flight but happened to jar loose the rocks on the slope to slide down. In an instant there was a landslide of rocks coming over Novgorod. He had no chance of getting out of the way of the stones. His left foot was jammed under the rocks.

For a while he just cursed, trying to free his leg with no avail. Calm down, calm down... you need to use your mind here, he thought to himself and laid down with his foot stuck under the rocks. He remebered Quan-Li, the Easterling captain who had taught him so much about the ways of the world years ago. Use the power of the enemy against him – make his power work for you, he had said. How could one use a rat to turn the tables here?

Then it flashed on him. He took a piece of dried meat he was still holding on his right hand and stuffed it under the biggest boulder that was jamming his left foot. Then he ripped another piece of it, throwing it to the hole between the stones that had covered his leg. The piece of meat felt cold against his ankle he could not reach. Then he fell backwards and started playing dead. He did not move and breathed only slowly and carefully.

It took some fifteen minutes when the rat came back. It had its friends with it. Slowly they started approaching his leg, having the scent of the meat on their noses. Novgorod felt the rats running over him, some of them snapping him from the ears or nose or gnawing his thigh, but amidst all the pain, he remained silent. In the end they found the pieces of meat at his feet and started to go after them, concentrating their biting to his leg.

The host of rats tried to get to the piece of meat that he had stucked under the stone that was jamming his leg. Together the rats hoisted the boulder and as the others were turning the rocks that tied his ankle, Novgorod realised that it was his time to act. Suddenly he jumped up, just when the load of the stones had eased enough. With a quick grasp he managed to catch two rats with his hands. He turned their heads around and threw them to the ground. The others had disappeared. Only two, he thought to himself, not much, but better than nothing. He kneaded his left foot and found it being quite allright.

He skinned the two rats and made a fire. Novgorod thought he had earned that dinner.