The tranquil clan pt2

Deep in the Tranquil's territory, a nice grove with grass growing all over the place even if underground, the four reos stood around a resting haedian. They had been watching over Eiron, who had finally escaped the grip of the fever and seemed to be in remission.

 

Cailu stood up and stretched, letting out a sigh of relief as he moved closer to him. “It’s good to see him breathing easily again. I was a little worried back then” His purple eyes scanning Eiron’s steady rise and fall of breath, no signs of struggle.

 

Jeon-e, her eyes tired and her body creaking, nodded as she also approached him. “I can only assume that infections in the underground must be rough. We above have medicine, here it's probably a good amount of effort in finding the ingredients, and an even bigger amount of luck required for the fever to pass smoothly.” Her voice was calm now, but she had been worried for Eiron for a moment there, and stood guard most of the night so she could wake everyone up if Eiron seemed to get worse.

 

“‘Lucky’ is not right, even without us, Pyrri knew what she was doing. She takes good care of her clan.” Valentine said, looking back at where Pyrri had gotten up and went to talk to another haedian who came to inquire about Eiron's conditions.

 

At that moment, as if summoned by their discourse, Pyrri turned back and headed towards them once again. “Thank you all for the help, i really appreciate it,” she said, her voice soft. “You’ve done well, all of you. Thank you for your quick work and steady paws.”

 

The group dipped their heads as if to say 'no worries', then they remembered that maybe gestures would not translate the same here and said it out loud. Pyrri moved closer to Eiron, touching her nose briefly to his head and seeing him deeply asleep, then turned to the four reos. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “You all come from outside of the caves, even if you travel with Cailu. You never know what might happen down here, you could get hurt and get an infection like Eiron if you're not careful. Do you have supplies with you? Are they enough to cure all of you? If you’d like, I can teach you how to make a couple of essential potions with herbs from the caves. They’re simple to prepare, and the herbs are common enough in this part of the underground.”

 

Cailu’s ears perked up. “What kind of potions?” even if he was a haedian, he was not part of the Tranquil's clan, so this would be invaluable knowledge to him too.

 

“One we simply call antidote liquor, which cures poisoning. The other is a health potion to restore vitality. I’ll show you exactly what we need and how to prepare them,” Pyrri explained, her wings fluttering lightly as she spoke.

 

Mer grinned, nudging Jeon-e with his shoulder. “Who's more likely to end paralyzed between the four of us, and why is it you?” he joked, making fun of Jeon-e's instinct to protect the two vayrons younger than her.

 

Jeon-e rolled her eyes fondly. “We would be grateful, Pyrri.”

 

The reos followed Pyrri into a tunnel on the side of the caves, their pawsteps echoing softly on the rocky floor, until the tunnel opened into a vast chamber, where on the walls were situated tons of shelves with wood containers full of different herbs. The air had a petrichor smell here, and even if it was fully closed to the sky above, the chamber was illuminated by some very prominent glowing crystals emerging from the ceiling downwards. In the center of the chamber was a flat stone surface, signs of it being carved out of a bigger stone on the sides, that the Tranquil clan must have been using as table to prepare medicine.

 

“For the antidote liquor, we’ll need honey, bitterroot, and mushroom,” Pyrri began, taking some containers containers off the shelves and gesturing to each ingredient in turn. “And for the health potion, it’s honey, stainberries, and an empty vial to hold it.”

 

Valentine stepped closer, tilting his head. “Where do we find the stainberries and mushrooms? We didn’t see those while gathering for Eiron.”

 

Pyrri smiled. “The mushrooms grow in damp, shaded alcoves. You’ll know them by their red caps with white speckles. As for the stainberries, they’re bright red and grow on small bushes either near the cave's entrance, or if you're lucky they can grow underground too, but they're pretty rare as they're brought by birds who get lost in the caves and can't find their way out. We don't have the stainberries on hand, so this will be a perfect opportunity to search for them, you should split up and go gather them.”

 

The reos stepped outside and paired up. Cailu and Mer headed toward the center of the Tranquil's clan territory, looking around the expense of grass they had been before, while Jeon-e and Valentine made their way toward the tunnel’s entrance to find stainberries. Pyrri stayed behind to prepare the work area and ensure the honey and bitterroot were ready.

 

Cailu and Mer went all over the center of the area where they got the herbs for Eiron, looking for stainberries. “Over here,” Mer called out, spotting a bush of red berries smack in the middle of a tall patch of grass. He sniffed them carefully before plucking a few with his teeth. “These look right, don’t they?”

 

Cailu inspected them closely. “Red berries, the only bush around here. Definitely could be brought here by a bird.” He helped gather more, careful not to pluck the unripe ones. “Let’s head back, we covered some distance and i don't want the others to wait on us.”

 

Meanwhile, Jeon-e and Valentine had reached the outermost tunnels, where they were effectively going back to the surface of Vitalus. The air was fresh, carrying the scent of vegetation, and it was incredible to see that the Tranquil clan really lived so close to the surface and nobody ever noticed. They were in a forest from the look of it, so it wasn't surprising, but it still left them puzzled. They looked around and soon found a cluster of stainberry bushes clinging to the edges of the area right in front of the cave’s entrance.

 

“These must be it,” Jeon-e said, nudging a branch with her face. “Bright red, just like Pyrri described.”

 

Valentine plucked several berries, placing them in a cloth so he could carry a good amount with his mouth. 

“These should be enough. Let’s go.” Jeon-e said, and Valentine took the cloth in his mouth and carried it back.

 

Back in the chamber, Pyrri welcomed the pairs as they returned with their findings. The ingredients were laid out on the stone slab, with Pyrri being happy that they both were able to find the right berries, and she began the lesson.

 

“First, the Antidote Liquor,” she said. “It’s simple. Start by crushing the bitterroot into a fine paste.” She demonstrated, using a flat stone held in her mouth to grind the tough root until it formed a smooth, fragrant pulp.

 

Mer and Cailu took turns mimicking her technique, both trying first with the stone in their mouth, and then a more basic approach with their paws against the walls. It would be useful if there was nothing to crush the bitterroot with. Pyrri then added the crushed bitterroot to a hollowed-out stone bowl. “Next, we mix in the mushroom. Shred it as finely as possible first.”

 

Valentine’s precision came in handy as he shredded the mushrooms into tiny pieces with his teeth. Pyrri stirred the mixture together, creating a thick, earthy paste. Finally, she added a good amount of honey “This binds it all together and keeps it from spoiling. Stir well until it’s all covered in it.”

 

Jeon-e stirred with powerful, deliberate motions, trying to coat everything in honey evenly. When the mixture was ready, Pyrri poured it into a vial. “And there you have it: Antidote liquor. This is only one dose, and it will cure most poisons.”

 

The group looked at the vial in disbelief, then moved on to the health potion.

 

“This one is even simpler,” Pyrri said. “First, crush the stainberries to release their juice.”

 

Jeon-e and Mer worked together, their paws working in tandem as they mashed the bright berries into a vibrant red liquid in the bowl Pyrri gave them. She then added here too, an earthy amount of honey, then poured the mixture into a vial directly. It was pretty runny, so she had chosen one with a smaller opening for this one. “Shake it gently to combine the ingredients,” she instructed.

 

Valentine swirled the vial until the potion took on a uniform, ruby-red hue. “And that’s it. A health potion to restore vitality. It’s always good to have one with you.” Pyrri smiled.

 

As they all worked to clean the workspace, they thanked Pyrri profusely.

 

“Thank you, Pyrri" Cailu said. "These potions might save our lives if we ever need to use them."

 

"You deserve the knowledge to keep yourself safe in here, everyone does, so do not thank me. I'm afraid you won't find many more occasions to stock up on these berries or these mushrooms the deeper in the tunnels you go, so please, feel free to take some of our supplies-" Jeon-e made a sound, ready to oppose to the generous offer, "-or come with me and we will gather some just for yourself if you don't feel like taking from us. I'd be more at ease knowing you hold with you multiple doses of these medicines."

 

They all nodded, thankful for her generosity.