The duo had been trekking along the forest path, which was much denser than the surroundings of their cabin. They found themselves ducking and weaving through trees and branches, as well as sidestepping numerous fallen logs, yet they continued with determination.

“How much further do you know?”, Arjana asks while ducking under a spiderweb.

"Not too long. It should be just past a drop—"

As he spoke, they both ended up tumbling into a ditch. Arjana landed on top of them. Before she could even apologize, she was abruptly pushed off by Izzimar.

“Ow! Hey!”, she yelled before noticing Izzimar quiver uncomfortably and turn away from her.

“Is everything okay?”, she asks easing over to him.

He begins to hiss and extend his claws. The hair on his head stands on end, and he starts chattering his teeth while speaking in an unintelligible language. This display of aggression frightens her., 

“Izzimar…?”, She whimpers, seemingly snapping him out of his chance. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." he utters with an apologetic tone.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her concern evident. She had never witnessed him behave in such a manner. He was known to be somewhat brash, but this was entirely different.

"I'll be fine, let's just keep moving."

Before she could further the discussion, he quickly took her hand and pulled her forward. They continued in silence for some time. As the quiet stretched on, Arjana recalled the words of the goddess.

She takes a deep breath,before she breaks the silence.

"Izzimar, do you know of a goddess of darkness?"

Izzimar stops, causing Arjana to bump into him and topple over. "Hey!", she protests before Izzimar starts chattering again. Arjana is unsettled by his stiffeness as he twitches and turns his head facing away from her.

"I-Izzimar...you're scaring me...", she whimpers before backing away.

He settles for a bit before facing her direction. "Arjana, say something.", he commanded plainly. "I can't find you."

"I'm right behind you.", she answers before he pulls her up. "I'm sorry. Jitters." he explains, quivers. "To...answer your question. Yes, I know of a goddess, but I can't say her name... I'm not permitted yet."

This answer, perplexes Arjana, "What made this goddess so...special?", she thought while walking with him. "Well...do you speak to the goddess of darkness?", Arjana presses. Izzimar makes a trilling sound, "Yes, I do, and the one I pray to is mean...", he states plainly.

"Oh..well...I saw a lady in my dream, she calls herself a goddess of...darkness. I was won-", Izzimar looks up and turns to face her, this abrupt movement makes her walk into him, bumping their heads. "Ow!-"

"What did she look like!?", he asked her holding her tightly.

"Izzimar, you're scaring me...", Arjana whimpers

"Tell me, what did she look like!?", he asked again more abruptly.

"She just told me to seek you! She said that you were accustomed to the dark!", Arjana blurted out in a bit of a panic. She had never seen him act this way before. Usually, he was brash, but now...he seems...afraid.. At that moment, Izzimar had let her go slowly, his breathing steady as he clutches his walking stick tightly. The forest becomes quiet, before he takes a deep breath.

"... Sounds like you were visited by my patron goddess", Izzimar sighs in exaspheration as he sits down.

"Why would she say that...?"

Izzimar faces the ground and hesitates before asking. "Arjana, you see me as your friend, right?". "Of course I see you as my new friend. Actually, I see you as my only friend who is a boy.", Arjana replies almost teasingly. Izzimar quivers before creating another pause between them. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, he stops himself before tapping the handle of his walking stick with his small claw. Finally, he mustered up the courage to ask her.

"Arjana...if something bad happened to you, would you tell me?"

“Yes, I believe that friends should be able to discuss things with one another. Why wouldn't I?”, Arjana answered a bit confused. Izzimar sighed, his breath shaking in unease and queasiness.

“You...don't fully understand my question...don't you?”, Izzimar says, with a worried look on his face.

“Izzimar, just tell me...”, she sighs a bit frustrated by his behavior. He trills again before standing up and feeling for her hand. When she offers it to him, he takes them both and clutches them tightly.

"Arjana,...if the goddess of the dark approached you, then that means that great misfortune befell you."

"Why would I need your help navigating the darkness?", she asked, getting a bit worried. Izzimar notices her unease, and decides to stop.

"I don't know, gods and goddesses arent clear half the time. I'll have to tell Birger and see if he can have a clue." Izzimar says with a shrug. "Let's keep moving, we can discuss more when we get back."

“Oh…”

They continue walking for a little bit, mostly in silence from their small uneventful discussion. Arjana knew that she needed to get him to open up to her, if not, she doesn't know what will happen to her. Not deterred, she decided to try again with a different approach.

“Izzimar, do you think I will be the kind to use your words as knives against you?”, Arjana asks moving to walk side-by-side him, "Is...that why you're afraid of telling me things?", she adds. He continues walking with her, before he explains

"Arjana, my old Clan was a matriarchy; that's all they knew. My sisters, along with the sisters of my neighbors, would bully me for being blind. They threw rocks, shoved me down, and attacked me. I believed I could trust some of them, that they were friends when they shielded me from the bullies. My sister, whom I thought would protect me, was actually uttering vile things behind my back. Worse still, she exploited every vulnerability and insecurity I shared with her to make me dependent on her. That day..." 

He pauses, seemingly wishing to continue, yet he remains silent.

"The day I left the clan was the only taste of freedom I had ever known. It was then I learned to trust myself before trusting others," he concludes, and this time, it is Arjana who falls silent.

"Oh my, no one should have to deal with such cruelty, Izzimar," Arjana responds.

Izzimar gives a resigned shrug, "That's... the life I was dealt," he states plainly.

"You....don't deserve that...no one deserves that... You deserve happiness just like everyone else."

"Now you're just saying sweet words to make me feel better.", he scoffs

"No it's true! I really do want you to be happy, Izzimar.", she insisted. "You went out of your way to save me afterall.", Arjana added.

"Is that the only reason..?", Izzimar sighed as he turns away.

"....I admire you, Izzimar. Truly I do."

"What is there to admire?" he snaps. "I'm a useless blind elf! I've been nothing but a burden since my first pitiful breath!" Izzimar yells, pulling his arm away abruptly. Arjana flinches at his sudden outburst but remains composed, gently reaching for his hand again.

"I admire you because you're a survivor, Izzimar," Arjana confesses warmly. "Back home, those with disabilities are cared for by others. But you... you've managed to survive despite this challenge. That's more than what your family or any of the other elves can say," she adds with gratitude.

Izzimar's breathing becomes steady as Arjana approaches to give him a careful embrace.

"If I were lost in a storm, whether in windy gales or heavy rain, I know I could count on you to guide the way," she whispers to him. He trills again, sounding calmer now. He doesn't return the hug, but Arjana understands that perhaps he's not yet ready. Izzimar gently pushes her away and inhales deeply. "...Thank you... for being kind to me..." he utters, as tiny tears gather in the corners of his misty eyes. Arjana, smiling broadly, takes his hand, and together they move forward, the village appearing on the horizon.