It was snowing outside of the small mountain cave. The tree's around swaying gently to the wind, with the snow covering them in a beautiful white curtain. Rocks, tree's, grass, everything was covered with it, and it was glorious to watch the snow drop onto the lands around the Ered Annon mountains. It was cold all around the mountains, aside from that one small cave. Inside, a hairy being laid beside a fire. It's eyes were closed, and it's hands placed on it's stomach. It's breath was visible on the cold air every time that it exhaled, and it's white fur appeared much whiter from the snow on it.

Littered beside the fire were a few of the Troll's possessions. A long, heavy, two handed sword that it had earlier acquired from an unfortunate caravan that had decided to travel through the mountains, and a journal. Out of all the things that the caravan carried, money, jewels, food, the Troll had taken this little book for it's own. It had no knowledge of language, and could only roughly speak to humans, but it had taken this little book nonetheless. A few bones were either inside the flame, or beside it, the remains of the unfortunate creature that was the Troll's meal this afternoon.

The Troll's eyes opened, it's brown colored eyes staring at the ceiling of the cave for a few seconds. It pushed itself up into a sitting position, casting it's eyes upon it's meager possessions. It stood up, and walked only a few steps to reach it's possessions. Each footstep caused the ground to shake slightly, due to the large weight of the snow Troll. It looked upon it's meager things, it's primordial instincts telling it that the book was useless; but nonetheless it picked the book up.

Opening it's pages, the troll flipped through it, looking at the pictures that were found it it. The first picture, was that of a small human, playing with a female one near a large tree. The tree itself was a kind that the troll had never seen before. It's life in the mountains forced it to only see Pine's, and it had never seen Oaks or Birch's. The tree in the picture, had large green colored leaves, with red roundish things that seemed to grow out of it. Amused, the troll flipped the page gently, careful not to damage it's 'treasure'.

The troll sat down once again by the fire, looking at the pictures on every page, by the fire's light, and continued to do so, until it finally drifted off to sleep.

(OOC: Anyone can join, please do feel free to do so.)

Scatters belongs littered the path Stella was walking down. It seemed odd that peoples personal belonging would be scattered about, and, frowning slightly, she walked on. Ahead, a bunch of rough men where running around frantically, picking up the goods, there voices gruff. As she approached, on came forwards, his palm of his hands raised towards her, shaking his head.

"Sorry M'love, but ye cant go on ahead. A Mad troll iz paradin' around and wot not." Nodding once, she smiled at him, her cloak pulled tightly around her body, obscuring her glow. The Gap was supposed to be the safest way to travel these parts... apparently not. "Don't worry about me." She soothed the man, then brought from under her cloak her hand, gripping her barbed staff tightly. He man gasped, and took a couple of steps away from her.

"Y...Y... yur GLOWING!" He cried, as Stella tucked her hand away under the cloak. She smiled again, this time almost apologetically. "Yes.." She mumbled, then glanced around. The two other men had ceased what they where doing, and watching them. She waved. "Has anything been taken?" She asked, as a silence rippled through them. The men's faces became uncomfortable, almost sheepish.

"Well.. nothin' valuable.. just.. a book." This shocked her. "A book?" She asked, her voice monotone. They nodded, then the one who had talked to her first laughed. "Yeah, i no itz weird, but itzah one ov a kind book. Its quite valuablez. We really need it back, we've already told it" She nodded once, then cocked her head to the side.

"I'll get it for you." The anounced, then began walking away, following the trail of rather large dints in the ground. She was doing this merely because she was bored.. and also because she had never seen a troll before. It would be beneficial either way. The trail soon lead her to a cave, where she peered in unsure. It was too dark inside to see anything, and nightfall was coming...

"Helloo?" She called, her timid voice echoing around the walls inside. A harsh wind blew at her, and she pulled her cloak tighter around her shivering frame. Well... there was no pointing waiting out here. Taking in a deep lung full of the icy air, she took the first step into a cave... and then another.

Deeper inside the cave, Masderidon slept. The book that he had taken was lying on his stomach, and his sword lying only a bit farther away. He was having a dream, a rather odd one at that, at least, for a troll. He was in an unusual place, full of new things and colors. Tree's whose leaves actually fell off, people that appeared to be human only with pointed ears... To Masderidon it was all very new and odd, however, his dreams were abruptly cut short by a noise echoing around the cave.

Opening his eyes, the troll noticed that the fire had burnt out, signifying that he had been sleeping for quite a bit of time. Masderidon stood up, taking the book, and putting it into a small sac that hung from it's rags. Stretching, he heard the bones in his back crack slightly. Picking up his Two-Handed Sword, Masderidon moved to the front of the cave to investigate the noise, transversing the darkness with his ability of infravision.

The Two-Handed sword that Masderidon carried was a bit rusty, having been worn by the years, and it was heavy enough that a human would have to use both hands to wield such a blade, but for Masderidon, that was another matter. His size alone made it easy for him to pick up the Sword with only one arm. Grasping his blade, he admired it for but a moment, the gleam that it might have had at one point in time, almost completely gone now.

As he moved forward into the cave, he heard footsteps. This was enough to make Masderidon very cautious. Trolls, especially snow trolls, were very protective of they're territory, should someone unknown come onto they're land, they would take all measures necessary to eradicate the threat should it not leave after a warning is given. Unfortunately for Masderidon, he himself would have to go outside of the cave anyway to gather firewood, and to hunt for food.

So, he decided to take the direct approach, rather than ambushing the trespasser. He walked around the corner, and growled loudly at the person there, noticing only after he had done so that they were glowing slightly. This was not enough to frighten the snow troll, but it was enough to scare off any thoughts of eating the trespasser rather than going hunting.

The mighty roar almost made Stella fall. The walls shook and she felt the ground shake slightly from under her. His height was large - though not as tall as she had exspected from the height of the cace. His stomache was fattened, though his arms appeared ver muscly - specially the way he help the heavy looking to handed sword. His hair was a snowy white, brilliant as she stepped out into the clearing, the light of the setting sun shineing down.

Stella gasped, and took a couple of steps back. She was very afraid, but yet she knew she had do somthing. She had promised. "I..." She swollowed, her thoat spikey as though she hadn't drank in days. "I have come to take somthing you stole." She anounced, her voice shakey. But somthing about this situation seemed... wrong.

Why would a troll want a book? Could trolls even read? She shook her head slightly, her blond hair flapping around a little. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, almost pleading. "Why did you want just the book?" She asked, her voice seeming tiny. The gleam of his sword alerted her, and she removed her barbed staff, holding it high, so her hands trembled. Stella did not like to fight, though she was retailiate if he did. But yet...

There was somthing about the situation that seemed... harmless. A troll stealing a book. It was wrong to steal, but then again it wasn't like he could walk into a shop and buy a book. A pang of pity shook through Stella, and she lowered her staff slowly, then placed it carefully on the floor. Taking a little step forwards, she smiled up at him.

"Please... lower your weapon." She asked.

Of the words that the little being said, the mighty troll understand perhaps only half of it all. It growled softly, and took the book out of it's sack. It put it's sword by it's side, but did not put it away. Even though this small little being did not seem to be hostile, it was better to be prepared in the event that she was. Masderidon opened the book with his large hand, and flipped the book to a certain page.

Turning the book around, Masderidon showed the picture in the book to the being, it was that of a small, growing apple tree, with small children around it. He pointed to the tree, saying one of the few words he knew in the human language. "What?" A sincere question. Masderidon was in fact interested in what this odd thing was. He had never seen an apple tree, let alone a tree grow.

Masderidon, quickly scrambling around his head the words he knew in human, and they're translations in Trollish, attempted to make a sentence in they're language. The grammar of human and trollish differed quite a bit, but from what he had learned, he was able to make a sentence that was at least semi-understandable. "I take for..." And this was when his knowledge of the language ran out.

His failure to find a word however, did not stop his communication, instead he simply turned a few pages, pointing at the pictures on each page; to say that he had taken the book for the pictures. "I interest and like." Masderidon finally said. Although he could not read, he was capable of understanding visual information.

Stella watched the troll closely as he lifted up the book, and lowered his weapon. After flicking to a page, he pointed at the picture; "What?" He asked, and Stella frowned slightly, squinting up at the book. "Tree?" She asked, then smiled. "That's a tree... tree.." She pronounced, then grinned. "You like tree's?" She asked, pointing at the picture as she spoke. "I take for..." He went on, in his broken attempt to communicate.

She smiled encouragingly. He bagan flicking through the page's of the book again, and Stella watched him patiently. "I interest and like." He said at last, and she nodded. "You like the pictures." She answered, then laughed. "I see now.." She trailed off, thoughtful. He seemed to merely like the pictures, not the books wealth. Although she felt horrible, she knew the book still had to be returned.. however.

Pointing at the book, she shook her head. "No... book not yours" She told him slowly, her voice stern. "Your book at library. Li-ba-rary" She pronounced slowly. It was her plan to return this book to its rightful owners, then travel to lomedor's library and purchase this troll all the picture books she could get, and educate him. It wouldn't be easy, but Stella planned to give it her all.

Pointing at the path, she indicated for him to follow. "Come.." She called, and began to walk.

Masderidon nodded, afraid to speak anymore, fearful that his lack of knowledge in things such as this would shine through. He attached his sword to his back, using a small rope. Masderidon pat it a few times with his hand, in order to check if it would stay attached. As his test appeared to be successful, he held the book, closed, in his hand, and walked behind the little being.

As his feet touched the snow, Masderidon felt a slight tingle. He had too much fur to feel the stinging wind, and the harsh cold of the mountains, but the melting snow caused a sensation in his feet, a rare one, since the troll had rarely even touched water, but yet, it somehow liked the feel of it.

Masderidon knew how to pronounce his own name, names were something that Snow Trolls valued, and his own name he loved. His parents had given it to him when he had turned three, after he had killed his first mountain boar. Masderidon assumed that it would be said the same way in Trollish as it would in the human tongue, and so as they walked, Masderidon said to the little being, "Me name, Masderidon."

Looking around, it noticed that the tree's were still covered in snow, so it picked a small piece and shoved it into it's mouth, a small drink, but enough to please the snow troll for quite a bit of time. He then attempted another sentence in the human tongue, "What name you?". His fractured language was a burden to him, he knew that he was speaking incorrectly, because of the beauty that she spoke in, compared to his own crude way of speaking a beautiful language.

The snow gleamed in the setting sun, the pine tree's resembling white candies Stella had once tasted. The sight warmed her up inside some what, the familiarality of the surroundings. Every now and then she would turn her head, as though to make sure he was still following. He was, bless him, and smiling contently, she carried on her path.

"Me name, Masderidon." He spoke, and again she turned her head towards him. Masderidon... yes, it was obviously his troll name, but at least it was pronounceable. She nodded, and was about to speak when he beat her too it. "What name you?" he asked, his broken language not affecting her understanding of him. She spoke straight after, as though they where having a normal conversation. "My names Stella." She ought to her offered her hand, but they really needed to make haste.

Ahead loomed the sight, the three men having picked up all the goods, sat about a campfire, there muffled voices through their heavy winter gear loud. She approached them, then cleared her throat. Each one gasped at the sight of her with Masderidon, but she ignored there leers. "He has brought you your book back, no harm has come to it." She anounced, then turned to Masderidon with a friendly smile.

She gestured a giving, for him to understand to hand the book over, then turned to the men. "He has done nothing wrong, so we shall go about this as though it never happened. Okay?" She demanded, and they each in turn nodded dumbly.

Masderidon followed Stella to the men, and when beckoned to do so, handed the book to one of the men, who grabbed it fearfully out of the trolls hand. The troll growled lightly, amused at the response generated by this. Laughing slightly, the large troll walked back a few paces, taking a bit more snow from a tree, listening to what Stella said to the men.

As Stella said that he had done nothing wrong, a chill ran down his spine. He had done something wrong, but at least he had not killed anyone. He took another chunk of snow, and put it in his mouth, letting it melt slowly, feeling his tongue turn numb. He walked a few paces away, speaking to Stella, "Where we go?"

He was indeed interested in where they were going. Although Stella had said a new word earlier, even telling him how to pronounce it, but even though he now knew a new word, it did not help him at all, since he did not even know what a 'library' was. It sounded odd to him, he never learned a word like it, it sounded urban to him.

He hoped that there would be plenty of food in the place they were going, as he didn't have that much in these mountains, and he was interested in new places, hopefully he would see one of those odd looking tree's from the book. The ones with round-ish red shapes growing from them, that looked yummy.

"Where we go?" Masderidon asked, and Stella turned her attention away from the men, who where inspecting the book for damage. Looking around, she pointing to the far distance, further away then the small village in sight. So far, that the village was covered in mist.

"Lomedor. Not that village, further. Fur-ther." She pronounced, waving her arms around to indicate her point of being further, then motioned for him to follow. Nodding once to the men, she walked past, humming a little tune as she went. The snow began to thinning the lower they went, and the more the flat land in became. Before long, the mountains where far behind them, becoming a large feature that soon loomed over them.

Silence usually annoyed Stella, so she began the teaching now. Pointing at a rock, the picked it up, and held it up high. "Rock" She pronounced the word slowly, then picked up a leaf. "Leaf, -lee-f-" She smiled, then held the objects out for him. "You try." She pointing to him as she said it, trying her best to try comunicate to him so he would understand.

Masderidon, amused and slightly insulted by her teaching him what a rock was. Of course he knew what it was, he just didn't know the way to say the word in the human tongue. He tried it now, pronouncing it carefully, but still with a heavy accent, "Rock." The leaf he had never seen, as he had not gone this far from his cave very often, and so he took it from her hand, sniffing it, and then putting it in his mouth to taste it.

Scrunching up his face, he spit it out onto the snow, and said, "Leaf, taste no good!" It was not that Trolls only ate meat, and could not eat plants, but it was just that leaves themselves don't taste very good. Remembering what she had said, and when she had waved her arms around, Masderidon was still not certain what this Lomedor was, and so he asked Stella this, "What Lomedor?"

As he said this, he began to look around where he was. It wasn't really a forest, but more like sparse woodlands. There were not that many tree's, but it was rather hilly, as the mountains were still close by. He began to feel a bit warm, most likely due to the coat of fur that surrounded the snow trolls body, and he began to sweat for the first time in his life. This annoyed Masderidon greatly, but eventually he began to get used to it.

"What Lomedor?" That was a pretty large question to answer. Below them, The Village of Estolad loomed, and Stella stopped to admire it, then pointed down. "Like that... Bigger!" She pointing to it, then made her arms widen to signify largeness. Though she doubted if he even understood what she said. Patting his arm, she then began to carry on her walk, her eyes scouting the land for any sources of trouble.

It wouldn't really do to get attacked. Soon the sun had set, and nightfall fell, Stella's glow the only light in the small wooded area, and she was immensely grateful for it. On and on the padded, and soon Lomedor loomed ahead, and she smiled. Raising her hand, she pointed at the large city.

"Lomedor" She said, still pointing, then smiled.