"I-I don't know where to start," Lusa panicked.
"Lusa, it's ok, I'll listen to whatever you want to tell me." Toklo reassured her. His ears twitched. "I'm listening."
"Well, ok." Lusa told Toklo about her recent "revelation".
"I... I noticed the same thing about myself. The feeling is mutual." Toklo said. He inched a step forward toward Lusa.
"Really!? Really!?" Lusa shouted. She nestled into Toklo's pelt and let out a large sigh.
"Yes. Should I tel-"
"No. Let them figure it out themselves."
"OK. Hop on! Don't want your wounds to get opened up more do we?" Lusa stayed quiet as Toklo hauled her onto his back. They started to walk through the maze of trees and bushes.
"We're here." Toklo said quietly.
"OK... Nnnngh!" Lusa said, stretching. She hopped off Toklo's back and nestled into his fur again. He pressed his nose into her cheek.
"I've never been this happy in my whole life." Toklo said, with a tender smile on his face.
"Me neither." Lusa pushed herself off and started walking with Toklo to the area where Kallik and Yakone were settled. However, what they found instead were 3 white bears in the distance.
"Toklo, Lusa!" Kallik shouted. She motioned for them to come over.
"I want you to meet Arandry." Kallik introduced.
"Hello, I'm looking for my friend Nanulak. He's-"
Toklo cut her off. "Wait, wait, wait... Nanulak!? We met him not terribly long ago. He... lied to us." He murmured.
"Oh... sorry about that. But... could you help me find him? He means a lot to me." Everybody exchanged looks. "OK, we'll help you find him." Lusa finally answered.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome." The bears continued in the direction they were going, hoping Nanulak had gone that way.
"The Endless Ice is a lot better than this place, right Arandry?" Yakone spat.
"How would I know? I've never been there." Arandry replied. This made no sense to Lusa. She thought all white bears were from the Endless Ice. But... Aisha had told her when she was young that there were white bears that were from the forest. They were called "Spirit Bears".
"Arandry? Are you a Spirit Bear?" Lusa asked her.
"Yes, how did you guess?" she replied.
"My mother told me when I was young that there was a special kind of white bear that lived in the forest, and that they were called 'Spirit Bears'. I never believed it, but here you are."
"Oh... that explains it. Everyone has always shunned me because I have white fur but I live in the forest. It has also always been easier to catch fish for me. I don't know why."
Toklo chimed in. "Maybe the fish can't see you because you're the same color as the surface of the water." he theorized.
"It's like that for us too! Maybe that's why us, and by extension Arandry, have white fur." Kallik explained.
"OK, enough of this fish logic, let's keep looking for Nanulak." The group kept walking.
"Arandry?" Lusa said. "Arandry?" she repeated. Where did she go?