[Matriarch] Special Quest 2

The prickle of nyxthorn huddled together under large leaves. Their small bodies shaking from the fear and stress caused by the noises coming from the Matriarch. The noises Eva and Adaline could still hear even from where they stood. They looked at the nyxthorn and then at each other. They weren’t sure what to do. 

The space around them was fairly dark. There were few crystals in this section of the Beneath that offered any light. The pair of vayrons would have been lost in the dark if it weren’t for the glowing pink orb above them. Adaline’s magic hovered high above them so they weren’t completely blind. The pair continued to look around for some sort of answer. 

“What should we do?” Adaline asked quietly. 

“Cailu told us they liked berries, maybe we can try that?” Eva replied in an equally quiet voice. 

Adaline nodded, and then the pair turned to the nyxthorn. They both noticed that their quiet voices seemed to have an effect on the little critters. Some were staring at the vayrons; their eyes held curiosity but also fear. Some of the nyxthorn had stopped shivering, but the second the walls shook from another painful cry from the Matriarch, the nyxthorn quickly reverted to their cowering. 

“I’ll go look for the berries,” Eva said, “Maybe keep talking to them, it seems to help.”

Again, Adaline nodded, and Eva quickly turned away to find some berries. 

Adaline didn’t waste any time as she laid on the ground and started to murmur random words and stories to the nyxthorn. She regaled them with tales of her adventures through the beneath with her friends above and below. She wasn’t sure how long Eva would be gone so she spared no expense on the details. As her stories progressed, she was pleased to see that some of the nyxthorn had gone so far as to tentatively leave their hiding space. She smiled, but never stopped her stories. 

Eva was thankful that there were berries around them in droves, except she realized she had no way of carrying them. She thought for a moment and then decided to carry them by the branches. Eva pulled off a branch that had the most berries on it and then made her way back to Adaline and the nyxthorn.

Adaline was still sharing her story when Eva reappeared next to her with a large branch filled with red berries. At Eva’s approach, the nyxthorn huddled back under the giant leaves that gave them cover and a sense of protection. Even with the low lighting, the pair of vayrons could see the nyxthorn’s fear return to full strength. 

“Damn,” Eva mumbled as she watched the nyxthorn scurry away. 

“It’s okay,” Adaline said, “We can try the berries next.”

Eva nodded and lowered the branch to the ground. The pair of vayrons took turns pulling the berries off the branches. They created little piles of berries for the nyxthorn. The entire time they plucked berries off the branch, the pair spoke to each other in gentle voices. They shared more stories with each other, but they also intended to lure the nyxthorn out again. Their plan worked. Slowly at first, but eventually, the entire prickle of nyxthorn was out in the open outside of the protection of the giant leaves. 

The pair of vayrons didn’t stop what they were doing out of fear any sudden change would send the nyxthorn back under the giant leaves. Adaline and Eva kept talking to each other, but now they had smiles on their faces. At one point, Eva briefly paused and, with slow movements, pushed one of the piles of berries toward the nyxthorn. 

Adaline’s eyes went wide with concern that they would be put back at square one again. However, her concerns fell away when the nyxthorn eagerly jumped forward to claim the berries. Eva and Adaline shared a smile while they watched the nyxthorn devour the berries. When their stories fell silent, it offered another test because, without their soft words, the nyxthorn could hear the anguished cries of the Matriarch. 

However, much to Adaline and Eva’s excitement, none of the nyxthorn coward. They remained with the berries and continued to eat in peace. 

“We’ll need more berries,” Adaline said, thoughtfully. 

“Yeah, we can use them to lure them back to the caregiver,” Eva agreed. 

The pair nodded to each other. 

Adaline stayed with the nyxthorn and continued to share stories while Eva went to get another branch of berries. The pair grew bolder with their movements and words to see how the nyxthorn reacted, but their actions and words were always calm and gentle. They were pleased when the nyxthorn seemed calm enough to attempt to lead them back. 

“Ready when you are,” Eva said.

Adaline nodded, “Okay, let’s get going.”

[805]