[2913] [13757] Quick to Act [Druids p2]

Despite the Druids' initial warm welcome, Theneras and Pyrrah soon sensed a shift. The longer they remained among the Druids, the sharper the whispers became, growing colder and more pointed. Confused and without explanation, they sought answers, but each inquiry was met with cryptic responses, as though they should already understand the reason for the Druids’ disdain.

The only clue lay in the world around them, which seemed to be dimming. The once-vibrant flowers wilted, their leaves curling and browning as if infected. Theneras suspected an outbreak within the Beneath’s flora, but assuming the Druids would handle it, he kept his observations and theories quiet, only discussing them with the chaser by his side.

That was, until the Druid leader, Auris, approached them directly, his voice laced with caution.

Auris- “Tread lightly, outsiders,”

Theneras had endured enough secrecy and distrust. The forest was suffering- that much had been obvious, and the tip-toeing around the issue was not resolving any of it.

Theneras- “We don’t even know what we did! No one is telling us anything.” 

Auris- “Do you not see it yourselves? How the flora around us withers—blighted by a disease?”

He gestured to the wilting plants, but before he could continue the small chaser interrupted. 

Theneras- “We didn’t cause that. I’ve watched the infection spread, but we didn’t bring anything that could have caused it.”

Auris-  “And yet, the forest suffered no such fate until you arrived-”

Theneras’s face twisted in frustration as he looked around, eyeing the sickly plants. He’d barely brought any supplies, certainly nothing capable of causing this devastation. Pyrrah glanced uneasily around the grove, his gaze going over the blackened veins winding through the leaves, the once-thriving plants now withered and brittle. He could feel the weight of the Druids’ distrust pressing down on him, thick and unspoken. The life in the flora around him fluctuated in a way he’d never sensed before.

Auris- “This is not speculation, this is fact. This disease has never touched the Druids’ groves before. Intentional or not, the sickness has arrived with you surface dwellers, and it threatens all we hold sacred. The Beneath’s survival is delicate and it teeters on the edge.””

Theneras- “But it still wasn’t because of us!” 

Theneras protested. The Druid leader regarded him silently for a moment, then lifted his head.

Pyrrah-Vos~ “Look, we’d never intentionally bring harm to the Beneath, much less to your grove,” 

Trying to keep his tone steady, Pyrrah’s heart pounded. 

Pyrrah-Vos~“Theneras and I came here to learn, not to… To poison anything. I mean.. Look at us! We’re hardly built for subterfuge y’know…”

Auris studied him, eyes narrow and calculating, as if he were still trying to decide if Pyrrah’s words could be trusted.

Auris- “Then aid us,”

The chaser’s eyes widened in surprise, having surely expected the leader to turn on him once again, but was instead met with the pleading look in the Haedian’s face. It was obvious, then, that not only the grove but every plant and fibrous being surrounding them was important to Auris.

Auris- “We have tried countless of our methods and plans, but all have failed.”

Pyrrah swallowed, realising how dire things truly were. The thought of this place—so full of life and wisdom—being choked out by disease made something twist painfully inside him. He knew he couldn’t just walk away; regardless of whether this was because of him and Theneras or something terribly coincidental.

Pyrrah-Vos~ “Then let us help. There has to be something we can do. Maybe we can… I don’t know, combine what we know with your methods?? I’m not the best, and I’m no druid, but still…”

Theneras- “Me neither, but I know some things. If it really is a disease brought from the topside, then I’d be able to recognize it at least.”

He offered then, nervously looking around before he trotted over to where the plants had noticeable veining on them. His eyes glanced over to where it started- was it just on the leaf? Or was it on the stem? Did it go further onto any flowers, or did it stay in the green parts? All questions that would help determine just what it could be. 

Some of the other Druid Haedians gathered, watching them as they tried to decipher what it could be. With Auris, and his knowledge, it was easier to figure things out than if they were on their own. 

Eventually, they discovered that it was a disease called the Darkweave. 

Theneras- “It’s a small organism.”

Theneras started to explain, holding his paws out with the infected flora.

Theneras- “It must have gotten stuck in someone’s paws or fur, and when they traversed across the grove it must have latched onto something and started there. It’s akin to… fleas, I suppose. They latch onto a vein within the plant and start to suck the nutrients from it, causing the blackened veins. Here–”

Auris held a hand to his chin as he watched the demonstration. Theneras brought his paw to the stem and focused on the vein, channelling some small bits of magic through it and watching the blackened vein slowly clear up again. It was that simple, he thought. 

Auris- “To clear up all of the pain caused in our Grove… it would take months.”

Theneras- “We can help!”

The chaser looked to Pyrrah, holding out the flora in his paws to him. Pyrrah took the plant from Theneras, eyeing the dark veins running through the leaves, the faint pulse of life under the disease's chokehold in his paws.

Pyrrah-Vos~ "So… it’s like fleas for plants, just hitching a ride and feeding on anything it lands on? Sounds great…"

A few more druids gathered around, some still shooting them with wary looks, others more curious. Pyrrah took a breath, trying to ignore the tension hanging in the air.

Pyrrah-Vos~ "Alright, it sounds like it’s not impossible to fix, just… Time-consuming. If that’s what it takes, then I guess Theneras and I are in for the long haul. We got this."

Auris looked at him carefully, his gaze softening, though still cautious. Pyrrah gave a small grin, glancing at Theneras, then back to Auris.

Pyrrah-Vos~ "We didn’t come all the way down here to bail when things got tricky. We’ll do what it takes to help clean up the grove with you guys—even if we’re, you know, just fumbling along."