It began with an egg. A fairly large and very pink egg, to be precise. It appeared on the doorstep of the small palace in the middle of the Altadorian Woods. Altalena, the princess who resided in the palace, discovered it on her way out into the woods. Around the egg, was a thin ribbon, with the words Only when she appears embroidered into the lace. Alta, intrigued by the subtle glow of the egg, took it inside and placed it upon the mantle of the fireplace. It must be important. I've never seen an egg shine like the very heavens. It looks like a jewel. Infact, the egg's shell was made of the purest of pearls, and very important indeed.

Months passed. The egg lay dormant on the mantle, waiting. Raggles, also drawn by the allure of the egg, polished it every day pondering over it's contents. Nearly a year after the egg's discovery, the main palace announced the coming of a child, a child of royal descent. Altalena, of course, rushed to the main palace once she heard the news of a new sibling. She arrived just in time for the Creation Ceremony, and took her place next to the Creation Chamber. As the chamber began to shake and stir with the new life inside of it, so did the strange egg sitting upon the mantle in Altalena's home.

She's blind, Alta gasped in disbelief. "What do you mean she's blind?" The earth faerie who was pacing around Altalena's old bedroom, was just as surprised as she was.

I don't know," she replied, "this should not have happened." Reniok, the newborn Aisha, was blessed by Queen Fyora herself prior to her actual existence. A blessing like that should have ensured her safe creation, no questions asked. "I will consult the Queen. Until then, keep her by your side at all times. Do not leave her alone, do you understand? Do not let anyone know, this is a very dangerous situation. Be very thankful that she is an Aisha, no one will know... For now.

Altalena proceeded with all of the proper ceremonies and rituals needed to be done to truly welcome Reniok into the royal family. All the while, she kept silent of her little sister's grave secret.

When Altalena arrived back at her home, with Reniok safely bundled in her arms, she was greeted with a barely audible squawk. She looked down and saw a bright pink noilkeet running around her feet. The little fluff flapped his wings and attempted to hover at eye level with Alta, before quickly falling to the floor with a soft thump. Immediately realizing the exact connection between her little sister and the tiny petpet, she quickly - but carefully - picked him up and rushed to her room.

Reniok was placed in the large, ornate crib that Alta herself once played in and Rawrk was placed on Alta's current bed. "Just what.. who are you?" she asked the noilkeet, not ready for the answer that she wasn't expecting.

I am Rawrk. Alta quickly turned around, thinking someone was in the room, but found no one. No. I am here. She looked down at the noilkeet, bewildered.

She hesitated, "You.. are Rawrk? You're talking to me?" Never in all of her experience had she ever heard a petpet speak before. They only made silly noises.

Reni and Rawrk bonded quickly. It took no time for the little Aisha girl to fall in love with her new companion. They became inseparable. Rawrk would protest anything that kept her away from Reni and Reni would cry whenever she could not sense Rawrk by her side. Through their bond, they developed a way of communicating while Reni was very young: Thought. Though Reni was incapable of speech and did not know what anything really looked like, she easily was able to transmit emotions, desires and needs to Rawrk. At the same time, Rawrk sent her images of what things really looked like, giving her the gift of sight without sight. She knew what colors were, and what fire looked like, and most importantly, what she looked like. She knew she had an identity before she knew how to sit up.

Darkness. This was the world that Reniok adjusted to quite quickly. Due to the remoteness of Altalena's palace, she never really met anyone who lived outside the palace besides the few wild petpets that roamed the courtyard and garden. As a child, she stayed in the palace, exploring everything to the best of her abilities. Around the age of five, she began to take interest in what Rawrk told her were books. Intrigued by the concept of stories that you couldn't hear, she asked Rawrk to tell her how to get the books to tell her the stories.

You must read them, he replied. Books cannot tell you the stories, they only present them to you. You must learn to read them, just like you learned to read my thoughts.

But how can I read, when I cannot see? This was quite different from reading thoughts. Thoughts did not require sight. Books, words and letters were, quite literally, a different story. Rawrk had taught her the basics of language, but Reni had never actually read anything - she never had to.

This, little one, is what I can give you. Rawrk rested his beak carefully on Reni's forehead and closed his eyes.

So the training began.

Rawrk showed Reni what the world and everything it was made of: atoms. He showed her how to sense the slight vibrations the atoms made, how to feel their constant motion. Everything that moves, makes a sound. Every sound can be heard if one listens. Soon, the ink was singing to Reni.

Ten years have passed since both Reni and Rawrk joined Alta's family, and Rawrk has unquestionably become an accepted and loved member of the family. He stays by Reniok, who now only responds to Reni and keeps a very watchful eye on her. Alta, who has loosened up over the years thanks to Rawrk, has grown up; no longer a mere girl of thirteen, she's now twenty three, and of course avoiding her royal duties more than ever since the pressure has been lifted.

For years, there was the constant threat of assassins, and the scare that Reni's secret would become public information. But the scare came and went. Now ten, Reni has become a full capable girl, despite her blindness. Unless she honors you with the sight of her pale, silver eyes, you would never know she was blind.

But she's no longer the helpless little blind girl that she once was. Rawrk taught her how to see without seeing, and after years of secret lessons, she's finally mastered the technique. However despite this, Rawrk almost never leaves her alone. Unless he is called away by Queen Fyora, he remains at Reni's side, constantly protecting her from whatever, and whoever, is coming...