The Language of Kindness - The Tranquil: Part 1

The Language of Kindness
The Tranquil: Part 1

   It sure was strange how the three Pullers woke up in the morning and by the end of the day, they ended up in the whole new world called the Below. They weren’t even properly prepared for this, but seeing so many other Reoseans enter these treacherous tunnels in hopes of discovering new wonders they couldn’t help but to join in, as the first returning adventurers had briefly shared so much wonderful information. Orvillos and Heldanau had started their journey together, soon being joined by lonely Rauhaira as it was much safer to travel in groups no matter where. Their eyes adjusted to the dark fairly well, and the sparse glowing crystals adorning the tunnel walls were just enough for them to explore the various paths on their own.

“You promised us access to the mines, Zarod, what is the meaning of this?”

   The three Pullers stopped in their tracks and turned their heads in unison to listen to the irritated voice talking to someone behind the stone wall between them and a larger cavern. Curiosity got the best of them and having exchanged agreeing glances they quietly made their way up on the ledge to peek from there what the commotion was about. They all saw a group of Haedians blocking the tunnel to another small group of cave-dwellers, both sides obviously irritated.

“I said we’ll mine you the damn indicina, stop bothering us and scurry back to your library already.”

   Assuming the black and red marked Haedian was Zarod, as she was standing a little further ahead from her group, the topsiders eavesdropped a little longer to figure out what was going on. The three other Haedians didn’t seem to back down, as their leader growled at Zarod.

“You don’t understand, we need to test the quality of the raw material before it’s mined, and you don’t have the means to do it.”

“Oh, are you calling me stupid? I’ve been mining my whole life, I’m perfectly capable of judging the crystal deposits myself, you cocky gemworms.”

   This standoff didn’t seem to progress anywhere and Helda was done listening to the bickering, so she stood up and skillfully slid down the slope before Orvi or Rauhaira could stop her. As every Haedian’s attention shifted to Helda now, Orvi and Rauhaira realized they had no point in remaining up there, so they also began their descent in the middle of the arguing.

“Who the hell are you?”

   Zarod’s spiciness didn’t dissolve to Helda’s appearance but the scholars seemed to be more welcoming towards her as they eyed her curiously.

“I’m Heldanau, my two companions are Orvillos and Rauhaira. We mean no trouble, but I couldn’t help but notice how there seems to be some conflict going on between you. Please allow me to mediate it so we can find a solution that suits both sides.”

   Zarod stared at Helda dumbfoundedly as she processed what the Vayron had said, which gave Orvi and Rau enough time to reach the secure floor and shake off some dust from their paws before giving small polite bows to both sides as a greeting.

“Could you please explain to me why testing this indo… indica… uhh, this gem they’re mining is so important?”

   Orvi turned to the smaller group, ready to hear out their side of the story. As they explained, Zarod occasionally made some rude remarks but every time she was met by Rauhaira’s judging stare, as she didn’t appreciate when someone’s speech was interrupted so impolitely. Observing the mutated big Puller from the corner of her eye, Zarod kept her tongue behind her teeth till the Keeper’s delegate finished explaining the purpose of the visit.

“I see, you make very valid points.”

   Orvi’s brows furrowed as he was thinking about and analyzing what he just heard, lifting one forepaw’s toe against his chin. Helda turned back to Zarod, calmly looking in her eyes.

“And I would like you to explain why you can't let them enter your mines.”

   Zarod scoffed and was ready to throw more insults at the Keepers, but Rauhaira’s stern staring reminded her to keep things civil. Zarod explained how the mines weren’t stable enough and that the Keepers didn’t have the required training or skills to avoid dangerous situations. Plus, she wanted to continue working there so they could stabilize one of the dig sites before it’s too late.

“So why don’t you secure the site and then escort them there? That way they won’t be in potential danger.”

   Rauhaira found the situation quite childish as the solution was so obvious to her. Zarod lowered her head to think and recover from the embarrassment as the group of Brutes behind her started murmuring among themselves.

“Zarod, the survey won’t take long, you can continue the operation within a cycle.”

   One of the Keepers extended a plea to Zarod, to which she sighed. Helda, Orvi and Rau stayed patiently sitting where they were, giving Zarod time to formulate the response.

“Fine. Be back in two cycles, by then we have reinforced the weak spot and we can take you in.”

   The hot-headed Zarod had calmed down, so she was capable of seeing reason. The Keepers cheered and thanked Zarod for her generosity before they turned to their negotiators to thank them from the bottom of their hearts as well. Zarod simply turned around and took her group back into the mines to finish the work they had abandoned to fend off the Keepers, while the latter stayed for a moment longer to chat with the topsiders.

“Thank you all so much! Zarod can sometimes be very stubborn but I’m glad we got a peaceful solution to this issue.”

   Orvi and Helda were touched by the kind words from the Keepers, smiling warmly at them while Rauhaira didn’t see this as a great achievement, she was too used to relying on common sense and logic when solving conflicts or misunderstandings. Instead, her eyes suddenly stopped at another Haedian’s head peeking out from the spot they initially were eavesdropping. The Keepers noticed her tense up, so they also instinctively looked in the same direction. Orvi and Helda couldn’t help it either and they also witnessed the grey-pink colored curious face observing them. The leading Keeper smiled as he knew who that was, and that they absolutely didn’t mean any harm.

“My, looks like you three caught the attention of Pyrri. There’s no need to be afraid of her, she probably wants you to meet her clan.”

   Pyrri nodded to the Keeper’s words, then glided down from the high ground and landed next to the others. Having briefly examined the three Pullers from head to tail, she gestured to them to follow her further into the tunnels.