The Druids Prompt 1 : Actual

Aouli, Isa, and Aerwyna were wandering through the caves deep down in the Beneath. They were rapidly approaching the Druids territory and the distinct smell of moisture and greenery hung heavy in the air. They had heard from the previous clan they had visited that the Druids domain was a thick underground jungle, practically overflowing with exotic life and the three vayrons were very excited to experience it for themselves. The previous clan they had visited had given them a lot of information on what to expect but so far the way they had described the Druid territory was not matching up to reality. They were quite deep into the Druids domain but so far the only thing that was different from the last territory they were in was the color of the various veins of crystals that sprouted from the cave walls and floor. 

The two runners exchanged confused glances and muttered to themselves as they wondered if they had somehow taken a wrong turn through the twisting caves and ended up in a different clan's territory. Aouli didn't say anything but he was also a little worried even as he confidently led his group deeper and deeper into the caves. The smell of rot steadily grew stronger as they progressed until finally a fresher green smell started to cut through. As the group rounded another empty turn in the tunnel they suddenly found themselves in a small chamber with many crystal encrusted rock formations jutting out from the cave floor. Water trickled from the ceiling in small waterfalls and gathered at the base of the rocks in small luminescent pools. The far side of the chamber was a deep emerald green with a black outline. It almost looked as if the group was steadily approaching a portal to a different dimension. Aouli cautiously approached the deep green and leaned in close to get a better look through the dim light. It appeared to be some sort of moss but the outermost edges of it were blackened and rotting. 

Carefully the puller stepped around the splotchy blackened moss onto the fresher green moss and was delighted at the soft and squishy texture of the plant life after so long of running on hard stone. Isa and Aerwyna excitedly followed after him taking care to avoid the slippery and slimy rotten moss. Now it really felt like they were entering the Druids domain! They cautiously followed the twisting tunnel and the farther they went the greener their surroundings became. Small plants sprouted out from the thick blanket of moss, first in small patches but the further they went the more dense and large the patches became. The farther they went the more exotic the plant life became, odd bushes and ferns, long sweeping vines and bizarrely shaped flowers unlike anything they had seen on the surface. The three vayrons found themselves enamored by the gorgeous scenery as they progressed. Eventually they could hear an odd sound coming from somewhere up ahead, it sounded like a muffled voice but it was a little hard to make out due to the constant dripping of water and echoes of the cave. 

The surface dwellers pushed their way through the increasingly dense foliage toward the sound until they finally made it to another large chamber. Across the chamber was a small blue haedian who was angrily swearing as they snatched something from among the oversized leaves of a strange plant that resembled a hydrangea bush but made entirely of leaves. The vayrons exchanged a glance before cautiously approaching the stranger. The haedian didn’t notice them at all until they were right up on him. When he finally noticed the onlookers the haedian made a startled noise and jumped back in surprise. In his panic he accidentally knocked a small basket over, spilling its contents which turned out to be large odd looking beetles. The beetles resembled rhino beetles and those that landed on their feet quickly tried to scuttle away. The haedian gasped and quickly tried to catch the escapees again but they were a little too quick and too many had been knocked free for the haedian to manage alone. Aouli, Isa, and Aerwyna quickly lept into action to help them as it was partially their fault the beetles had gotten loose. 

After a few moments the group had managed to catch all the beetles that had been in the basket and the blue haedian sat down with a relieved sigh. “Thank you for the help! Sorry I was just so surprised, I didn't hear you lot approach at all!” Aerwyna shook her head dismissing the haedians gratitude. “Don’t worry about it, we’re sorry for startling you. If you wouldn’t mind, why are you collecting beetles?” She asked curiously as she peered into the writhing mass of insects in the haedians basket. The druid haedian frowned and glared hatefully down into his basket, “These little buggers are a vile pest that have been plaguing this area recently. They use their pincers to cut off huge chunks of leaves and gouge holes in our plants' lovely stalks killing them! It's my job to remove as many as possible… plus,” the haedian mused as he turned a beetle over between its claws examining its iridescent shell. “They make a decent food source.” Aouli nodded his head in understanding, he had heard of a similar issue plaguing some areas of Warrenfall especially for people who tried to farm specific trees or vegetables. 

“Do you need any help collecting them?” Isa offered the surface dwellers assistance as she was silently curious as to how the subterranean beetle tastes. The blue haedian visibly brightened as he excitedly bounced at the offer, “I’d absolutely love any help I can get! The more paws removing this vile cretins the better!” the vayrons smiled and nodded in agreement before turning towards the dense foliage around them to help scour for more beetles. They hadn’t seen any so far but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. The group spent what felt like hours slowly sweeping through the dense underbrush searching for the familiar rounded shape of the beetle's shells. The group found a few and everytime they would shout to each other in excitement announcing their find. As they looked the surface dwellers and druid haedian talked and bonded. The blue haedian was quite young, barely older than a pup and was quite talkative. Perhaps the elders of his clan had sent him on this duty to get some peace as the excitable tyrian spoke incessantly. Isa and Aouli found the haedians penchant for small talk amusing and endearing but Aerwyna found herself slightly annoyed and feeling more and more drained by the continuous interaction.

Once the group had managed to fill the basket the blue haedian thanked the group profusely before darting off down one of the tunnels which had been thoroughly hidden by the dense vegetation. Aerwyna sighed as the blue haedian dashed off before they could even ask to be shown the way to the Druid center. Isa gently touched her mate's shoulder as she could sense the lacework runners' mental fatigue. Aouli merely chuckled as the blue haedian reminded him of some of the excitable youths he often encountered on the surface. “Well at least we know what tunnel should lead to more Druids.” he happily said as he led his group down the tunnel the blue haedian had disappeared into.