The Tranquil Prompt 1

Isa, Aerwyna, and Aouli were quickly making their way through the twisting, winding paths of the underground tunnels of The Beneath. These three were respected members of The United Mounted Patrol who upon receiving the news of the discovery of the haedians had started dispatching members to scout the new species and to also help mediate or keep the peace as they were slowly being introduced into the modern society. So far things had been unnervingly simple and their superiors were extremely worried that the slightest could spark conflict. The last thing they wanted was for the relationship between the surface dwellers and the denizens of the Beneath to turn sour or even worse be severed entirely. 

Isa and Aerwyna were completely serious about their mission and it showed in their body language as they nearly sprinted through the dimly lit tunnel, determination etching every fiber of their being. Aouli on the other hand was significantly more relaxed. Despite the full bore sprint the puller was running at, if you were to catch a glimpse of him you’d think he was lightly walking. The powerful puller was significantly larger than the two female runners and his long powerful legs only needed one stride for every two of theirs. Isa and Aerwyna both disliked having to team up with the lack-a-daisical puller and resented the way he never takes anything seriously. But even they had to admit that there was no one else they would rather have with them as they plunged headlong into the darkness. 

As the trio flew through the tunnels they noticed that the gleaming crystals encrusting the path slowly started to change. The crystals up until now had all been large oblong tower shapes and glowed a pale icy blue, but the deeper they went the more the color darkened. The pale blue glow deepened and shifted to a rich purple hue as the glow grew brighter. The crystals might be glowing brighter but that did not mean their path was more illuminated than before, the deep purple color blended with the shadows of the cracks in the cave wall making it hard to distinguish path from hole. 

The trio blasted around yet another bend in the tunnel and emerged along a path that seemed to stretch across a deep void. There was nothing but black on both sides of the path, making it impossible to see how deep the drop was. As they progressed across the gap a few other suspended pathways could vaguely be seen along the ceiling overhead. Aouli stared up at the pathways along the ceiling as he followed the pair of runners. He marveled on how such paths could have come to be and assumed that they were most likely carved by the Haedians at some point. He admired their ingenuity and smiled to himself as he wondered about what else he would get to witness down here. 

Up ahead the pathway finally met the opposite cave wall where a large hole waited for them. Its entrance was completely encrusted with crystals giving it the appearance of a sliced geode. The group rushed into the entrance way, taking care to avoid tripping on the crystals that sprouted along the pathway like a speed bump. Aerwyna began to wonder how much further they would need to go to reach the Clan they had been dispatched to when the runners quite literally body slammed into the back of something soft. Aouli managed to come to skidding stop as Isa, Aerwyna, and an unknown creature made startled noises, grunted as the air was knocked out of them, and they toppled over each other in a heap. 

The unknown creature gave a pained cry as it was suddenly slammed into and sent skidding across the cave floor. Its four legs flailed wildly before its hand-like forepaws managed to grab hold of a large crystal chunk and stop it from falling further. Isa and Aerwyna ended up in a tangle of legs and tack on top of the strange creatures back as they finally came to a stop. The two blinked at each other breathlessly as they panted heavily, somehow they were unhurt. The same could not be said for their unfortunate landing pad. The creature beneath them whimpered in pain and cried out, “G-get offa meee!” it wailed and wriggled underneath the two females' weights. Aouli who was standing beside the pile of reoseans reached forward and carefully pulled Isa up and off the crumpled haedian. Once Isa had been removed Aerwyna was able to quickly get back to solid ground as well.

Once all of the vayrons were up right once more they quickly began to apologize to the Haedian they had crashed into. The Haedian only wailed and curled into a fetal position in front of them. Aerwyna shuffled her weight anxiously, not sure what to do to comfort the distraught Haedian who was easily more than twice their size. “Uh… We’re really sorry for running into you.” The Haedian only continued to wail in response, they seemed to not even hear the lacework runners apologetic words. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” She continued to try and reach out to the Haedian but they were so distraught they didn’t even react when the runner gently touched their shoulder. Being soft and gentle was not her strong suit, she had no idea how to behave or what to do. She looked over to her companions, Isa looked very worried while Aouli seemed to be a mixture of worried and dumbfounded.

As the runners were starting to wonder what to do, Isa suddenly noticed a distinct copper-like smell in the air. Her long sonar ears snapped forward as she carefully sniffed the air… Oh no… this was the smell of blood, and it was steadily getting stronger. Isa quickly moved around the Haedians' side and started examining them. It was very hard to see in the dim light of the cave and the Haedian was curled up so tight it was next to impossible to tell what was a marking and what was a wound. At this point both Aerwyna and Aouli also detected the smell of blood and quickly got to work examining what they could of the wailing Haedian. Aouli spoke softly to the anguished haedian, trying to coax them to uncurl enough for them to examine their underside but they still didn’t acknowledge them.

Just as panic was starting to eat away at the trio another voice cut through the echoing wails. “What is going on here?! Amore?! Amore are you alright?!” The vayrons turned to the source of the voice and saw a much larger Haedian standing just barely illuminated by the dark light of the purple crystals. Before the Haedian could comprehend what he was seeing Isa spoke up pleading for assistance, “Please help! She’s bleeding and we don’t know how bad it is!” Her words seemed to jolt the newcomer into action, the massive Haedian surged forward and they quickly took Aouli’s place by the downed Haedians head. It shushed the female Haedian gently while whispering something softly. A bright yellow glow suddenly sparked to life on the female Haedian’s head. The little light, seemingly spoken into existence by the male Haedian, slowly began to spread across the female like a gentle wave. 

The magic rippled across the female, illuminating her body brightly for them all to see. As the magic spread the female’s distressed cries gradually decreased from a ear piercing wail down to a barely audible whimper before ceasing altogether. Her once rock tight posture slowly relaxed until she was completely limp with her head leaning up against the male Haedians chest. The male Haedian stopped whispering once he was sure she was asleep and finally turned his attention back to the vayrons. “I’ve gotten her to sleep for now, quickly examine her for any injuries! My magic will provide light for you.” The trio nodded at his instruction and got to work searching for the source of the blood which Aerwyna quickly found. On the Haedian’s chest and one of her front legs there were deep cuts from where the runners had slammed into her. The female Haedian had been slammed into some sharp crystals, and between skidding across the sharp surfaces to the extra weight the runners had applied when they landed on her it was no wonder she was in considerable pain. 

As Aerwyna reported her findings she quickly began taking out all the first aid materials the surface dwelling trio had brought with them. Thankfully the three UMP members all had first aid materials included in their gear so they were fairly prepared to handle the female Haedians injuries. They quickly got to work treating and bandaging the injuries. It wasn’t the best medical treatment as none of them were doctors but this first aid would staunch the bleeding until they could get the female Haedian the help she needed. Once they were sure the wounds were properly bandaged they dispersed once more to examine the rest of the female's body. She might not be bleeding from anywhere now but that didn’t mean she didn’t have any other injuries. 

Aouli spoke up from his position by the Haedians shoulder, “Her shoulder also appears to be dislocated.” He stated grimly as he saw how the joint sat unnaturally against the cave floor. The male Haedian gritted his teeth but before he could say anything Isa also spoke up from her place near the females back. “I think one of her wings is also hurt.” The filigree runner had never seen vestigial wings like these before and she couldn’t tell if they were meant to look like this. The male Haedian’s face was that of sorrow and pain as he choked out, “How did this happen? My love, how did you get hurt so badly…” As the male pressed his face into the sleeping female's neck Aouli stepped forward to confess the truth. “We’re so sorry, but it’s our fault.” The akhal puller spoke truthfully, explaining who they were, why they were down there, and the events that had led up to the female Haedians' injury.

The haedians face shifted as he listened to the puller's explanation. Sadness, confusion, anger, pain, acceptance, and then sadness once more. “I understand,” he said, his voice cracking with his swirling emotions. “It was an accident…” his voice trailed off as he stared down at his sleeping mate. Aerwyna stepped forward, sympathy, guilt, and regret swirling in her chest as she spoke. “Please let us help you. How far is it from your clan’s main dwelling? Allow us to make up for our transgression by allowing us to continue to render aid until we are certain that your friend is okay.” The male Haedian stared silently at the lacework runner for a minute, his expression unreadable before slowly dragging his eyes away from her and back to his unconscious mate. Slowly and exceedingly gently he laid her head on the cave floor and stood up. “Yes. That is the very least you lot can do. You-” He pointed to Aouli, his voice and gaze firm and sharp with distrust. “Support her lower back, you two support her back legs and tail. I better not catch you dragging her.” The end of his command dripped with threat as quickly and carefully got under the female Haedian and gently lifted her up onto his shoulders. 

The vayrons quickly took up their positions lifting the female Haedian up off the ground. They took the utmost care in doing so, not wanting to hurt the Haedian but also because the male Haedians threat had come through loud and clear. The group slowly carried the sleeping female through the tunnel system with the male Haedian taking the lead. It didn’t take long before the group emerged into a massive crevasse. Stretching across the cave walls were various stony outcroppings that had been converted into walkways and roads. Spires of stone stretched up from the void below and odd rock formations could be seen as far as the eye could see. As the trio emerged into the chamber, various Tranquil Haedians stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. When they saw this odd group of newcomers carrying an injured Haedian they immediately sprung into action. 

A small cacophony of voices erupted as the Tranquil haedians swarmed them, directed them to an open air chamber with a large nest in the middle, and then guided them on what to do as the Tranquil haedians began to render aid. There were no questions on how it happened, no distrusting stares or hesitancy, the healers of the Tranquil clan had one sole mission and that was to ensure the health and survival of those around them. Under the skilled direction of the Tranquil haedians, Aouli, Isa, and Aerwyna assisted in providing care for the injured female. The following minutes felt like hours as the group expertly dressed the female Haedians wounds, relocated her shoulder, and applied a dressing to her bruised wing. Once all the medicine and bandages had been applied the haedians capable of using healing magic stepped forward and began to cast their magic upon her. Their gentle magic washed over the haedian and the already relaxed face of the sleeping female turned into an expression of serenity. The male haedian, who had also been helping to provide aid, let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the worst had passed and that his mate would be okay. 

The exhausted vayrons stumbled out of the chamber, wanting to give the two some privacy and once they were outside they were immediately bombarded by the curious Tranquil Haedians. Apparently they had managed to completely contain their initial curiosity and now that the crisis had passed there was nothing standing between them and the seven hundred questions they had for the strange surface dwellers who had already earned their favor by helping one of their own.