Raven sat upon the fallen bole whereon he had been reclining, and bowed his head toward the earth, fixed in silent contemplation of the dust beneath his feet. Zahreen held his peace, gazing ever forward with eyes kindled by the reflected silver of the moon.
At last, Raven gathered his courage, though his voice trembled like a reed in a light wind.
"I have ever deemed you strong and valiant, one before whom all others quail," he said. "Yet in you, I saw also the child who ran beside me through the rains; who bore me upon his back when my own strength failed; who granted me mercy when I strayed. You have been to me a brother, though no bond of blood was ever written between us."
A faint smile, fraught with love, touched Zahreen's lips. He reached out and pressed Raven's shoulder with a gentle hand.
"Brothers we are," said Zahreen, "though we sprang not from the same hearth. You are my strength and my shield."
"Never did I wish to see you tread your path alone," Raven whispered. "Yet you have chosen a way set with thorns."
"It was not wholly a choice," Zahreen replied, his voice low. "Nay, it was a doom that I felt I must needs confront. A thing greater than myself called out to me… and you, you followed in my wake, though I never asked it of you."
Raven lifted his gaze then, meeting the other's eyes with a profound sincerity.
"And follow I shall… or rather, I shall walk at your side."
He fell silent for a moment, before continuing with a voice that rang like a solemn oath:
"Zahreen… I give you my word. Whatever may betide, I shall remain. I shall be as your shadow that never forsakes you. I shall even learn the craft of the arts you have mastered, that I might sustain you as is meet. I will not abandon you, even unto death."
A great weight seemed to press upon Zahreen's breast. Such words, the likes of which he had never heard from any soul, pierced him to the quick.
"I am… not worthy of such devotion," he murmured.
Raven smiled softly. "You are worthy, and more besides. We began this journey as one, and as one we shall see it to its end."
Raven rose and proffered his hand to aid Zahreen.
"Come, my brother. A road lies before us that we must traverse, and a Man whom we must find."
Zahreen took his hand, but he did not loose his grip. Instead, he tightened his hold and said:
"So be it, my brother."
And there, amidst the gloom of the night and the shadow of their trials, they laughed together—a sound pure and clear. They turned once more to the forest, their footfalls steady as they marched toward the unknown. Yet with every step they took, there went with them a silent covenant: a vow of fealty, even unto the last breath.