Drizzt walked in silence through the sunlit forest with Inriole in his arms. He kept his eyes to the ground, to shield them from the bright sun, and trusted in his ears to warn him of any danger. Suddenly, he heard a low rumbling sound. A rockslide, an earthquake? What was it? Just as suddenly, it stopped. Drizzt stopped walking, then heard the sound again, this time accompanied by Inriole's giggle. "I'm hungry, Drizzt! My tummy is growling." Sighing, Drizzt smiled.
"And here I was thinking we were about to be attacked by vicious monsters!" On the last word, he swung Inriole to the ground and began tickling her. She shrieked and squirmed. Drizzt, who was also laughing, grabbed her. "Let's go get something to eat then, Inriole. Sit down over here." He guided her over to a tree, and sat her down. Then he rummaged through his pack. Pulling out a few strips of dried meat, the handed them to her, and she began gnawing on them. "We'll have a proper meal tonight, Inriole, and then tomorrow we'll be in the human town." He sat down next to the girl. "Tell me about the healer you know. Orwen, right?"
"Yes," she said, her mouth full. "Orwen lives in the town with the other humans. She's good at fixing people. One time, my friend twisted her ankle, and Orwen just put a bandage on it, and she could run the next morning. I think Orwen can do magic."
"Maybe she can, Inriole. Maybe she can." Silently, Drizzt thought about the healer. Maybe she could make Inriole see again. Drizzt couldn't imagine having his sight just taken away. All the things he wouldn't be able to enjoy anymore. Then Drizzt realized. If and when Inriole regained her sight, she would recognize him as drow. What would she do, or feel, when she knew that the one who had rescued her was akin to those who had tried to kill her? Of course Drizzt wanted Inriole to be able to see, of course he did. But he was afraid of losing his new friend, even if she was only seven years old. Pushing his thoughts away, Drizzt stood up, and brushed the dirt from his clothes. "Are you still hungry, Inriole?" he asked.
"No," she said. "But I will be later!"
She climbed to her feet and Drizzt took her hand. "Do you want to walk, Inriole, or should I carry you again?"
"I'll walk," she said, and Drizzt nodded.
"OK. When you get tired, just tell me." She nodded in reply and they started off, hand in hand.
After walking for over an hour, and after a few close calls involving Inriole almost walking face-first into trees, she asked Drizzt to carry her. He agreed, and hoisted her up to rest on his hip, supporting her with one arm. Carrying her this way, he walked for several more hours, as the sun sank down, and the forest grew dark. When Inriole's head dipped down onto Drizzt's shoulder, he stopped for the night. He carefully lifted Inriole off his hip and set her down gently on the ground. "Inriole, wake up." The girl stirred, then stretched and yawned.
"Is it nighttime, Drizzt? I can't tell."
"Yes, it's nighttime. Are you hungry?" Inriole nodded, and yawned again. "I need to build a fire to cook dinner, but I can't leave you alone, and I can't take you with me."
"What will we do then?" Inriole asked.
"Well," Drizzt replied. "You could meet one of my friends." He smiled.
"Your friend? Is someone else here, Drizzt? Where are they?" She looked around with her sightless eyes.
"She's not here yet, Inriole, but she will be."
Drizzt rummaged through his pack, finally producing a small black statue. He reached out and took Inriole's hand, and put the statue in it. "Do you like cats, Inriole?" She nodded, and ran her small fingers over the statuette, determining what it was. "This is my friend. Her name is Guenhwyvar. Would you like to meet her?"
"But, Drizzt," Inriole protested. "How can I meet a statue?"
"Just say her name, Inriole. You'll see."
"OK," said Inriole, a bit nervously. "Guenhwyvar," she breathed.
Far away on the astral plane, the panther's ears perked up. She was being summoned, but not by Drizzt. The great cat didn't know what had happened to her master, and was prepared to fight if he was in trouble. However, Guenhwyvar could not ignore the power of the summoning, and she disappeared from the astral plane.
Inriole could not see the grey mist forming about the statue, but Drizzt could. He could also see the rapt expression on Inriole's face as she felt the tingle of strong magic. The next thing Inriole felt was the bump of the cat's muzzle on her cheek, and the sandpaper rough tongue that followed. She squealed in delight as Drizzt laughed aloud at the picture before him. The small elven girl had thrown her arms around the neck of the giant panther, who calmly curled up around the girl's legs and began to purr. "You alright, Inriole?" Drizzt asked. At her emphatic nod, Drizzt turned to Guenhwyvar. "Will you watch over her for me, Guen? Just until I get back?" The panther's purr increased to a friendly growl. Drizzt laughed again then turned and set off to find wood for a fire.
Drizzt strolled through the night forest, his dark-attuned eyes allowing him to see everything as clear as day. Drizzt gathered fallen branches, and once his arms were full, returned to the camp. After dropping off the firewood, starting the fire, and checking on Inriole, who was happily petting Guenhwyvar, he set off again. This time he did not return until he had found some wild carrots that he could cook with some more of the dried meat to make a stew. When the stew was cooked, Inriole and Drizzt sat near the fire and ate it right out of the pot it had cooked in. Inriole prattered on about Guenhwyvar, and how she wished she could keep the panther, or at least have a panther of her own. Drizzt had his own suggestion. "Maybe you could start with a little kitten, Inriole. Then you could work your way up to a big cat, like Guenhwyvar." Inriole agreed to start small, and began to doze off.
Drizzt wrapped her in his cloak, and told her not to worry. "We'll reach the human town tomorrow, and we'll go see the healer Orwen. She will be able to help you see, Inriole. You just wait." Drizzt carefully tucked her in, and sat, letting the warmth of the fire wash over him, watching the elven girl. When her breathing slowed and she was asleep, Drizzt too laid down. "Will you keep watch Guen?" The panther nosed his cheek in reply, and he scratched her ears. "How do you like our new friend, Guen?" As the panther purred, Drizzt continued. "Yeah. I like her too." The dark elf put his head down, and closed his eyes. "Good night, Guenhwyvar." The panther yawned, and then leapt into the branches of an overhanging tree. She stayed there all night, watching over her master and his new companion.