Black Beauty

The sun was just setting over the great mountain Vrasos, painting it -and the small city that lives lodged in one of its sides- golden. The people of Adelos have learned to live with the mountain, having been there for hundreds of years alongside it, and they have been said to have developed a special connection with it.

 Its steep slopes can hide any shady character, be it a bandit, a chicken thief, a drunkard or a traitor to the Kingdom. The city has thus become a refuge for people with such a reputation from the days of its founding. Located in the remote, eastern edge of the Kingdom, where the influence of the capital is waning, the people here whisper of independence in every corner of every street. 

 And in a small, earthen cabin just on the outskirts of the city, a young man was setting the mood for a few guests to come in. After he lit the wood stove and brought a few wines and ales from the tiny, underground cellar (a hole in the dirt floor covered with a wood panel, really). The man, Nasos, stood outside and lit a hand-carved pipe, waiting for his guests to arrive.

 Finally, as the sun was setting, a lanky, shaved man arrived at the cabin, holding a rolled piece of paper in his hand, and a small bag on his shoulder. On his left side stood a stocky woman with a dark complexion and a proud smile, holding a dead rabbit by its ears. 

 "Eli, Maria, the two of you decided to show up? I thought we were never gonna start".

 "Oi, Nasos, lighten up, don't spoil the fun, I'm gonna explain the purpose of this meeting on a big. It's not just to smoke and drink" said the tall man, clearly in a high spirits.

 "And I've caught us a rabbit, along with all the other supplies for the trip. I can start cutting it up, while Eli here makes us a lovely stew" said Maria, with a big smile, holding the dead rabbit up.

 "Alright then, come on in, let's not waste any time. And I'm sorry, but we all know the rabbit is from the butcher." Nasos quickly replied going through the door, leaving Maria with a disappointed look.

 The cabin was dimly lit, with the last warm rays of the sun slowly giving way to the gentle moonlight through the skylight. 

 It was a pretty homely place, with inwardly sloping walls covered in clay and a thick wicker roof, supported by wooden beams the size of a man's arm. It was a big, single room, with all the furniture orientated towards the big woodstove under the skylight.

 There, in the kitchen table is where the merry company sat to drink, to smoke their pipes and to discuss their next big thing that is probably going to get them into trouble.

 "So, what's that map contain, exactly? You said you'll tell us when we reach Nasos' place. Maria asked Eli while cleaning her pipe.

 He rolled the map out to the entire length and width of the table, and begun. 

"So, I had a trip to my uncle's the other day, you know where his house is right?" Asked Eli, not waiting for a reply. 

"We had a few, and he started telling me all the curiosities he had observed alone in the mountain. He doesn't have any other life, you see, my uncle is practically a hermit-

 "We get the scene, now get to the point" Maria said, mirroring Nasos' thoughts. 

 "He said he saw a two tailed fox, a few hundred paces down the mountain from where he lives. Of course, I told him there are no two tailed foxes this side of the mountain since the woods are thin, but he insisted on the matter." 

 The others looked at him with anticipation.

 "So I decided to look for them, just out of curiosity, or maybe a hunch about something. I started the descent with my bag filled with a couple day's worth of supplies, I took my time, looked at every little thing that stood out. A broken pine needle became the subject of my attention for at least ten minutes" Eli stopped to catch his breath and have a smoke from Maria's pipe, and continued.

 "I went on for miles down, with no trace of any fox hanging about. I started to doubt I would even find them. Maybe it was just the sputterings of my drunk uncle, after all.

 I woke up in the morning, and continued the search, and by early noon, I was onto some fox trails. After a slope a little step, with a rather small step, I found an opening for a cave. I knew better than to walk in a cave full of multi-tailed foxes, so I tracked my way back to my uncles carefully in a piece of paper" Eli pulled a slightly crumpled piece of paper out of his coat pocket and showed it to Nasos and Maria.

 "So this little piece of paper became the map we see laid on the table, I assume" said Nasos.

 "Only half of it, the other half is the inside of the cave. As much as I explored, at least. I didn't just leave the cave there, I went back to my uncle's to get a his dagger and restock on meats, and slept the night there. 

 By early morning, I was gone to explore the cave before the night falls and I am unable to get back. I traded my way there far quicker than before, I didn't stop even for a rest." Eli said, waiting eagerly for the others to respond.

 "How much did you explore? Were there any two-tailed foxes?" Nasos asked with a curious and waiting look.

 A maybe a hundred paces deep in each of the corridors the cave. I did see one, and it was a marvelous sight it shone a light that lit the cave much better than my torch did. Naturally, it ran away fast. I also found a rusty little bracelet on the ground, if any of you want it. And a small sword. And an earring, without his pair."

After he said all this, Eli opened his bag, and took out a heavy, rusty bracelet, a chipped iron sword and a big black pearl, attached to a perfectly shining golden hoop. 

 Everyone's eyes was drawn on the black pearl. Even Eli, who had looked at it frequently since he found it, couldn't avert his eyes. 

 The gold forming the hoop was shining brightly, and even upon close inspection, didn't have any imperfections. 

 But the real marvel was the black pearl. It seemed to absorb all the light surrounding it. It was almost perfectly black, no shine and luster. But it wasn't rough or coarse. It's surface was perfectly smooth, like a glass marble, and yet it gave of no reflection. It seemed magical.

 The others' eyes, after they managed to draw them away from the pearl, shone with understanding, and a smile formed on their lips.