Winter Barbegazi

Winter had set in Asomala, a small forgotten gnome village in the southern mountains of the Kingdom of Daroloc. We Barbegazi live here and fancy ourselves as the mountain's alarm and safety system. With our tunel system we are able to navigate through the snow covered landscape faster and more efficiently than our human neighbors.

It was shortly after the first snow and a few of us were down by the freshly frozen pound. We were setting up a fish trap when the small human came out from the treeline. “Can you help me; I’ve gotten too turned around and do not know how to get home.” she said between chattering teeth.

We shared a look between the three of us. “I’ll go find some wood for a fire.” Nipsy said as she scuttered off.

“I’ll run back to the village and alert the elders.” Ziggy said to me. After a few steps he turned back to the human child, “What village do you live in, child?”

She thought for a moment, “I’m from the village of Rist.” she said as she tightened her arms around her body in an attempt to warm herself. “My name is Amorette.”

“A pleasure to meet you Amorette. I am Ziggy, that is Skittle, and the one who scampered off is Nipsy.” He said, “I’ll be gone just a moment then we will be on our way to get you home.” he said then disappeared into the treeline and out of sight.

I pulled over a large stone, “Here, have a rest while we wait for the others to return.” I said, wishing I could help the poor human more. Our white fur was attached to us and the cold never bothered us like it did the furless humans. We often helped them in the past by finding them food or helping to locate lost livestock. In exchange they never hunted us, some even left us ‘offerings’ of sweets and milk. Amorette's cough interrupted my thoughts. “How long have you been out here on your own?”

“Since dawn. I went out with my mother to gather berries for supper. I got separated and could not follow the snow tracks.” she said. We sat in silence a few moments before Nipsy emerged with a bundle of wood. We got to work setting up the small fire. As soon as it was ablaze you could feel Amorette relax a bit.

Nipsy was looking at the child, “How did you know that we would help you and not harm you?” she asked.

The child looked up, “My mother has told me many stories of these woods. You Barbegazi were always described as small gnomes with white fur, frozen beards and big feet. You were also told as being good in nature and generally helpful. I figured it was worth a shot.” she finished with a shrug.

Nipsy let the issue drop. “We better try to finish that trap at least while Ziggy is away.” she said to me. I nodded in agreement as we went back to work. We took turns adding wood to the fire. Just as we finished we heard Ziggy coming back.

As he appeared along the lake he was holding a coat and a fur lined hat; both pieces of clothing for the child. They were much better suited to the weather than the thinning garments that clung to her now. “Here Amorette, put these on and we will be on our way.” he said, “If we hurry we can have you home before supper, or at the very least sunset.”

“Thank you!” she said as she accepted and adorned the clothing. Nipsy and I put out the fire and then we four set out towards Rist. Rist was only a few hours walk away and with the newly found warmth Amorette was able to keep up with our pace just fine.

Along the way she made small talk about her family and their fortune in the planting season. She was only seven, young doe, but she seemed to grasp the world well enough. We even were able to teach her a few tracks of the wood. Hoping that the knowledge we taught would help her not to get lost again. We took a break once in a while for her to rest and for Nipsy to scout out the trail ahead. The only possible predator sighting was a snow wolf track, thankfully it was a few days old.

A few hours before sunset we saw the smoke from the village of Rist. A few feet more we could see the outskirts of the village. “Well this is where we leave you, young one.” I said.

She began to take off the hat, “No, no, no, you keep those. You will grow into them well enough and they should keep you warm for a few winters to come.” Ziggy said.

“Remember to stick with your mum next time.” Nipsy added. “We won’t always be around to help you.”

Amorette smiled, “Thank you all, so very much!” she said, pulling at the sleeves of the coat. “I’ll make sure mother leaves an offering out for you in the woods that we came through tonight, if not tomorrow.”

“We thank you and are happy to help.” I said. “Stay safe little one.”

“Don’t wander into the woods alone.” Nipsy added.

“We wish you a long happy life, Amorette.” Ziggy finished. Then we turned and started to walk away. We could hear her footsteps fade and then turned around. In the distance we could see Amorette reunite with her mother at the edge of town. We dove off to one of our hidden paths as to not be followed. Popping back by the frozen pond to check the trap before heading back to our village for the night.