Tales From Sios: The Wishing Well Arc

Chapter 5: Selim Orrirêt

Novi 13, 5-14980
Sometime mid-day.
Somewhere in the wilds of the Ahselat Rainforest, within the Niathen Realm of the disputed territory between Eralinnia, Almecca, and the Orgoad Kingdoms.

A dirty and worn-leather-gloved hand with ancient symbols of etched-ivory twinkling as the stitching of the seem–distinguishing it far from a mundane accessory–lifted a partially broken twig; the dangling ruin of a dark green bush in the floral-rich forest floor, cradled in the elf's gentle grip for inspection. Selim squinted his large almond-shaped eyes, typical for the elven kind, with emerald scrutiny when he investigated the damage on the large shrub while balancing on an exposed root wrapped in vines with large blue leaves reaching up for him.
The jaguar came through here...looks like Mada clipped it after all.
While in thought, his stare averted and his gaze went from the left and far out to the right until he noticed another bit of plant showing signs of disturbance with a shimmering streak of wetness, marking the leaves with jaguar blood, and the golden fletch of an arrow sneaking out at him. Selim hunched down and eyes narrowed on the bit of exposed arrow-end as his heart skipped a beat.
Merde! Is the jaguar right there?!
The canopy above spread a sea of darkness stretching down to where the elf crouched. Even with the keen eyes of his kin, he would be blind in such depravity of light was it not for the silver mock-eye brooch of pearl, holding his leather cloak in place. The magical light emitting from the gorgeous pearl was casting a shadowy illumination in front of him, like a weak spotlight, granting him just enough visibility to track through the Ahselat Rainforest, but offering nothing for his peripherals as he does so. Selim froze in nearing panic while he strained his eyes for the fur of his quarry around the glistening gold feathers. A cautious hand moved to his hip to retrieve his scimitar from its leather sheath when lightning cracked somewhere above and painted the area in a white flash and thunder shook the sios. In that sudden light, before darkness set back in, he saw the snapped end of the arrow missing its head as it lay awkward on a bush's branch. Selim, with bashful relief, lifted his head as droplets of rain barraged the treetops high above to snake a path through the canopy and down to the lower-life at the ground, althewhile the elf stayed his hand before thinking, Well it wouldn't be much of a hunt through the Ahselat Rainforest without a monsoon...bon-sang all!
The elf burst into motion like the hunting cat he sought, his pace quickening as his momentum built, and he sped off moving up and through the trees with exact motion and astounding grace while rain began to leak through and within a matter of a minute had successfully soaked the vegetation all around him, but this didn't slow him.
He shifted from tree branch to branch using the thick cords of long flowing tree hair to swing him across longer distances of voids where the tree arms were lacking. The vines were slick from the continual rain and the effort became painstaking as he fought to hold a tight grip through its slipperiness as he pressed through swinging off the ground by a hundred feet to the next branch.
Selim couldn't deny the wind rushing on his face and the scattering of his long golden hair, but the rain poured-on unerring and his head became heavy from his sopping strands of golden locks as his soaked gloves shifted when slender palms strived for grip in the wet conditions. The elf ceased his swinging, coming to a stop on a branch darkened from the heavy downpour as lightning sliced the air beyond the canopy spotting the area in a flash once again.
His eyes strained in the split-second glare as he looked about and then down to no avail, for darkness closed in around him once more.
I better wait here and let the boys know the hunt will pick back up on the morrow...
Still high up in the tree, on a branch that he could lay upon with little worry of rolling to certain death below, the elf moved down the tree arm towards the base while he pulled a black-handled dagger from its boot-sheath. Once he was upon the trunk he drove his blade through its thick bark before removing the light silver chain around his neck and hanging his amulet about the tiny cross guard. He cupped his hands around the pearled pendant and whispered, almost pleading, an ancient elven word, 'Ampoule'. With that, the once coned casting of light shifted with flickering vigor into a glow like a candle with an audibly sweet hum vibrating from the pearl. Under the light, Selim procured a tiny metal piece of jewelry from a pocket in his vest below his cloak and stuck out his pierced tongue to drive the jewelry home in the nearly closed hole. Tears welled upon his orbs as he gasped when it finally broke through the partially regrown muscle attempting to reseal the hole.
"Ears, do you hear?" Selim spoke to the empty jungle high in the treetop and immediately put his hand to the lone earring affixed to his lobe and gently pinched the metal as he slid his back against the bark and squatted down.
After a few moments, a voice echoed almost hauntingly from the jewelry on his ear, "Finally checking-in, Selim?"
A member of the Ears of Eralinnia responded and Selim needed no introduction for the voice was unmistakably female, the only lady amongst the Ears, Elocin. Her silvery tone a beautiful relief in the lonesome jungle.
"The hunt resumes tomorrow. After my meds, I will brief on my position. A monsoon found me during the pursuit. Is it wet there yet?" Selim debriefed quickly before turning the conversation to a more light-hearted and casual flow. He often found himself trying to make small talk with Elocin.
"No not yet, but I imagine it will soon. The others are already in their heads, but Naed is away." Elocin spoke matter-of-factly with rye appeal.
"Where did he go?" Confusion reigned his features with no one around to bear witness, or so it seemed.
"Those communication, linky things are decent!" The sudden voice sent Selim's heart into his throat as he jumped to his feet and spun about to face the tree trunk. The cracked thick bark stretched and excreted an elven face–at eye-level to a startled Selim–with a glowing green symbol on its forehead. A smile boldly playing across wooden lips as deep black empty sockets narrowed with twisting glee.
"Naed?" Selim questioned with wild eyes as he placed the intricate symbol of the Druidic Rune that his companion possessed. "Merde elf, I about pissed myself! What are you doing in that tree?"
Suddenly the tree-bound elf took a nonchalant step outward as a ghostly tree leg extended out like a flexing branch and soon a wooden visage of a robed elf appeared in full. The magic running off in shedding sheets, sliding down at an unequal measure, exposing the genuine features of the fair-skinned elf.
A sweeping robe of green shades was laced a quarter of the way down from the throat and tightly sealed with thick silver smooth strands of velvet. Those strands sparkled under natural light like stars do when they glitter in the sky. Naed's eyes were a shade of lime green–extremely rare for an elf but commonplace amongst the druids–as the spheres of sight eluded age and held a youthful glow despite their millennia of existence. His hair was perfectly placed in silky flowing curtains draping past his shoulders and in the dim yellowed visibility of Selim's make-shift candle the other elf's ivory hair was resonating a golden aura,  imposing a near angelic scene.
"I tried to tell you before you took off, but someone was hasty to catch a jaguar." The druid folded his arms over his chest as he condescended Selim.
Selim knew there was no point in arguing, but couldn't deny the questions roiling inside, "What did you try to tell me, Naed?"
The druid's features relaxed as he pointed to the dagger sticking out of the tree, "Well first off, what the hell man? Do you feel tough now, haplessly wounding an innocent tree?"
Naed's finger motioned to Selim's makeshift light mount as thin brows pulled together and a sneer crossed his face. Selim had to force his mouth from dropping open in disbelieving wonder but managed a sympathetic apology nonetheless, "I'm sorry Naed, I know how much you love the plants of Sios," as he spoke he removed the blade from the bark and slipped the necklace back over his head.
"My love aside, the trees feel and moreso they remember Selim. For a ranger, you are still lacking in your soul the compassion one bound to nature must-have." He spoke with a high tone as hands moved into opposing sleeves.
Selim slowly shook his head in disagreement, "I care for nature. That's why I'm trying to reach the jaguar first so Mada doesn't kill it and Nalyd doesn't harvest it for spell components!"
The druid stepped closer with bare feet hidden under the long cascading robes as the moss squished at his movements when he countered in kind, "Yes very noble of you to keep those animals free from harm, but plants should be just as respected."
Selim gave a wry shrug before adding, "...that's why you're here Naed. To protect our green friends."
"My green friends do not need protection so much as they need to simply be shown, love. . ." There was a calm tone coming from the druid as he spoke but after a deep sigh he moved on, "I know where the jaguar is and he is not alone. He protects a female nurturing his cubs."
"Wait how do you know they are his, maybe they belong to a different Jaguar in the pride?"
Naed gave an earnest smile before he shattered the theory, "Oh Selim. You have so much to still learn. Jaguars are not like the lions you are used to in the northern plains. There is no pride amongst them. Each male is alone entity ruling a large territory. The males stay out of his realm and the mother of those cubs is just one amongst his harem spread about his territory."
The ranger paused as he absorbed the intel on his quarry when Elocin spoke directly in his ear and nearly startled him, "Well sounds like Naed found you so I'll let you two catch up."
A low tone emitted from the earring confirming the end of transmission so Selim removed the tongue piercing and returned it back to the pocket on his vest before addressing the druid, "How far is it before we reach the jaguar then?"
Naed squinted a single eye as his face twisted in contemplation before he answered, "He is quite a long ways away, but we could be there near instantly if we travel in the trees."
"Well we are in a rainforest so obviously we will need to-" Selim suddenly realized the druid meant a different form of travel 'in the trees', "You mean in-IN the trees don't you?"
The smile that etched into the fair features of his elven kin was mischievous and yet pure innocence before he spoke, "Yes, 'in-in' precisely me ami! Here put this in your mouth."
Naed procured a metallic green beetle with odd horns as big as a grown man's thumb from his sleeve and held it out for the ranger.
"Merde! Um...I actually already ate, I couldn't possibly-"
"No! Not to eat! Lorry is a friend! Additionally, he is the prince of Mowen Beetles, you do not consume him!"
Selim gave a bashful look after the druid flashed on him but he realized arguing it was a moot point. Still, regardless, his unwanting demeanor of a beetle taking even a temporary residence in his mouth played across his elven features. Naed seemed to notice the apprehension as he gave an unsympathetic sigh.
"Come now, you have no qualms with a metal piece of jewelry in your mouth, certainly you can place a jewel beetle in there with no issues..."
Selim hung his head in thorough defeat as he held his hand out for the unsought mouth tenant without bothering to respond. Naed moved forward and using both hands, with the utmost gentle care and respect, raised the beetle with honorable offering towards the reluctant ranger.
Selim rolled his eyes as he grabbed the bug and carefully placed the noble insect in his mouth. Lorry's diminutive paws tickled his tongue as it shifted and found comfort in the moist environment and a sudden sensation of nausea rolled from Selim's stomach in hot waves over his chest and up to his throat.
"Wonderful, now, are you cozy?" The druid gave a sweet smile after his quandary.
Selim, with a pitifully disgusted look, shook his head signaling his discomfort with jaw slightly slacked. Naed's eyes narrowed into slits before he spoke, "Not you! I was talking to Lorry! Seriously...zero manners with you city-goers!"
Selim began to roll his eyes but the druid grabbed him firmly by the hand and wasted little time as he made his way to the tree trunk with Selim in tow. As the druid walked into the tree the bark seemed to depress inward as it absorbed the elf and he didn't slow as he pulled the bug-mouthed ranger through from behind, but the tree was not as willing to let Selim pass as the weight of the trunk pushed him out and he felt the grip of the druid slip as the living wood attempted to excrete him.
Naed's voice roared in defiance from deep within the tree, "Oh no you don't! He may PASS! Let him through, he is a friend!"
The weight of the tree did not let up, nor did it heed the pleas of the druid, as Naed's hand slipped free from Selim and the ranger rocketed from the trunk and landed hard on the branch. Rolling in a chaotic tumble, Selim barely caught the bark in one hand before spilling from the canopy, his legs dangling and a mouth full of an irate insect attempting to flutter its wings. At that, Selim parted his lips and released the furious Lorry who dashed off in a fit of buzzing wings.
Suddenly a hand came into view and Selim gripped it with his idle one, with little effort he was back to his feet on the branch once more. Naed started flashing his hands with wild vigor as a scowl stained his features, but his attention was solely on the tree. He uttered an incantation under his breath when his arms stopped their precise air cutting movements and suddenly the druid was no longer speaking in a tongue he knew.
Like talking in reverse, Naed spoke with fervent intent and would pause, seemingly random, then would respeak the gibberish until finally, he gave what appeared to be an understanding head nod and a shrug of forfeited stance.
"Were you talking with it?" Selim was fairly certain he knew the answer, but couldn't help questioning the obvious.
"Tried to, more or less. This old boy isn't having it, or well you really. Says you stabbed him and he actually wishes you ill. Said a few choice words about how he wouldn't be too upset if lightning snapped one of his limbs and it fell to crush you..." Naed gave a peevish look to the unamused Selim.
"Well, I guess I understand where he is coming from. So try the next one?"
"I wish it were so easy. This poor old fella has sent the word out for over a mile to his kin. They will be on the lookout for you and be wary of me. Best we go on foot."
Selim couldn't help the languish roll of his eyes while he muttered under his breath, 'Figures...'
They spent some time on the branch of the disgruntled tree when they prepared a descent. They spent longer, days even, traveling the waterlogged sios comprising the rainforest floor. At daybreak the following morning Elocin checked-in with them, and after the report hasn't been in contact since. After that day they left the monsoon behind them, but were prey to its evidence after several days of trekking. Selim tried to let the druid know he could take his faster druidic route with the trees, but Naed held firm on traveling the long and slow way with him.
Leather boots laboriously pressed into the muddy ground as an obnoxious hum began to fill the air. The sun broke through random points in the canopy and their crimson shade made the jungle seem as if it were bleeding. Long man-sized flower petals were in full bloom marking the colossal trees. Soon the hum became an overwhelming cacophony of buzzing when a giant bee sped by overhead. Selim ripped free his sword and spun on his heels as he went into a crouch. The bee was as big as his torso with thinner limp legs dangling in its flight. That flight was clumsy as its heavy body bobbed in its struggle to climb upward. Naed let out a giggle as Selim stood back up and sheathed his weapon.
"Those bees are harmless! Mind you, we are near their home..." Naed's tone was jovial yet stern when he addressed the ranger.
"Perhaps we should go around then so not to test their mood," Selim commented with his head starring upward as he nervously scanned about.
This only caused the druid to roar with delight.
"Selim, where is your sense of adventure? I can only imagine how grand the hive must be! Don't you want to find out?!" As Naed spoke another huge bee bumbled once more above them, forcing the druid to shout in order to be heard. Selim just gave the loud elf a smile as his head bobbed in acceptance.
"THAT IS THE SPIRIT!" The druid beamed as he stepped close to the ranger before his hands flashed in an odd sweeping motion with fingers bending and sliding here and there when he spoke an ancient incantation, "N'ayez crainte, car les animaux sont amis." The language was that of the elves, but the tone and dialect were clearly druidic as a green haze seemed to flow about their persons for a brief moment before disappearing once more. Selim could still feel the slight weight of the magic upon him as the bees lazily continued there pollen gathering amongst the Ahselat flowers.
"There we should be able to pass undetected now." Naed reassured him before taking his leave.
Selim doubted aloud, "Should?" but the druid didn't seem to notice.
The heat bore down onto the vegetation from the intermittent breaks in the canopy, causing steam to listlessly roll from tree roots and plants and insight a viscosity into the air. Somehow the noise of the bees grew louder with the droning as overhead, and all-around, dozens were rushing to and fro. Soon A tree peered into view and high up off the ground it veered into a tri-forking branch and nestled in the groove was a beehive. Thick and massive the honeycombed city rested in the wedge with scores of bees coming and going from each side. That junction was well above the elves as they came upon the base of the giant tree.
"Splendid, truly! How marvelous! Do you see it?" Naed's overwhelming joy squealed from him, and his astonishment was not misplaced. Selim, as well, felt awestricken by the size of the bee castle. Even from where he stood the hive seemed enormous, but he knew if he were next to it that it would rival any keep the tree-dwelling elves had ever constructed.
Selim with eyes still to the heavens spoke through his amazement, "Bees are quite the builders...how long do you think its been here?"
Naed cocked his head and pondered for a moment before splurting out, "Beats me! Let's get a closer look!"
Selim shook his head with amused refusal but began to find handholds on the vast trunk all the same. The glee coming from Naed was pure and hard to be stern with so the ranger pressed on with the climb without a fuss. His movements were fluid as muscles flexed and limbs responded sending him up the tree side. After a minute of ascension, the already humid air steadily grew thicker as he neared the bee haven. The palpable air weighted his clothes with warm moisture making the task a challenge even for his athleticism. His limbs struggled as his veins grew weary. Minutes slowly wore to an hour before he finally reached the top. When he pulled himself over the wooden ledge, the enormous branches split into smaller paths of a tree limb that still were thicker than his body, he laid out spread-eagle with his chest heaving in strained procession. His breath was raspy as the burning sensation of his lungs overwhelmed his thoughts. He could feel the throb of life's blood heavily pulsating in his neck when the elderly elf loomed into view with a childish grin on his hairless features.
"This is no time to nap Selim. Don't want that spell wearing off while we are so close to the queen." Naed's tone showed no sign of exhaustion.
The ranger sighed and forced himself to his feet as he muttered under his breath, "...pay to see you do it without your spells, and I bet you wouldn't be smiling like that..."
With a hearty chuckle, the druid shot back, "You trained your body for these feats and I trained my spirit...not my fault you chose the short rewarding path." This forced Selim to roll his eyes, but the druid already turned to make his way to the hive entrance.
Bees the size of large dogs flew low around the main opening, flying an invisible perimeter, in a seemingly chaotic pattern with sluggish momentum. There bulbous frames drifting between the large branch that grew from underneath the bee-keep. The elves passed through the large entryway unmolested by the sentries, but Selim kept a wary eye on them nonetheless.
Once inside, the cavity opened up into an antechamber that rivaled the great eleven castle of Dal'mathoween's entry hall. Although impossible to tell if the architecture was deliberately set with such artistic splendor, the detail of the honeycomb ceiling couldn't be denied. Selim couldn't help imagining the sight would have made a dwarf weep.
Suddenly Naed's voice broke Selim's thought, "Come now, this spell does not have much longer, I wish an audience with this queen."
Selim began to respond when he realized the druid had already departed, "Well hold up!"
Naed didn't slow his pace, and the ranger was pressed to catch up to him with limbs still weak and rubbery from the climb. Beyond the chamber and well after the anteroom, the floor became honeycomb and descended when he finally caught up to his companion.
"Should we not be heading up to see the Queen?"
Naed, with gaze undeterred, cooly replied, "The queen will be in the lower depths of the hive, well below the brood."
This had the ranger's head tilting to one side as he made his prediction, "So we will have to come all the way back up through the colony and still descend the tree. How long will this spell last?"
"Oh no, there is not a fly's chance on a spider web we will have long enough for all that hogwash. We would be caught before we reached the opening."
Bewildered, Selim's voice rose an octave, "Then what will we do?"
"Attempt to fight them I suppose, but ultimately would die and be casted from the hive. So we won't be doing that."
"No, I meant what will we be doing instead of all that!" Selim's eyes narrowed as his lips curled from frustration. The way winded around the inner trunk and many of the honeycombs had broken lids of a crusty yellow nature as they passed.
"Oh, we will take an exit used to let the Queen escape from a potential threat." Naed's tone was reassuring, but made Selim all the more belligerent.
"Why didn't we just come through that way as well?"
Naed shot a wild-eyed look at the question, "Well last I checked you couldn't fly..."
Selim began to retort when the honeycomb on his left suddenly cracked its hardened exterior. An audible shrieking hiss squeled from the small break and a slender-bodied bee rushed down in the blink of an eye, nearly slamming itself into the unseen ranger forcing him to spin out of the way, althewhile it went about its duty holding itself upside down on the wall. The worker-bee began shredding the capsule releasing the pupae, and within a moment the bee extracted the larva and quickly lept from the honeycombed wall, landing gracefully with a flutter of its wings onto the walkway, once again forcing the elves to scatter to make way for its departure.
Immediately after the oversized insect passed them, Naed shot a worried look to Selim before he spoke, "I think something is terribly wrong with that infant."
Selim returning a look of puzzled confusion, cocked his head as he replied, "What like a defective bee?"
"Yes, Im afraid it was deformed. Lets follow it and see where that worker is taking it."
As Naed moved to follow the bee Selim questioned as he matched pace to the worried elf, "What about your audience with the queen?"
"Something bigger is at play, I fear, Selim. My wish to see the queen must come second."
The way the druid spoke made Selim uncomfortable, but despite his feelings he found himself pressing the point, "It is just one pupae. This happens with the humans all the time, I don't-"
"That is not how bees work. If one is unhealthy, then many are unhealthy. It could spell the end to this whole brood." Naed's ominous words clung to the air with stale vigor, and Selim was left with the noise of his own contemplation as they continued their pursuit of the unfortunate baby bee.
'...so what? Civilizations rise and fall all the time. I dont see how bees should be any different...'
The lower cavity of the hive soon became a different pattern of flooring as a series of tunnels opened up from the main birthing chambers above. For how far into the hallowed tree they had gone, light still found them with little trouble. Naed had explained, between breaths, how the bees created glossy panes of honey that they used to reflect the light from the outer walls of the hive and sent the illumination throughout the bee-keep with these strategically placed honey-mirrors. However, Naed didn't even bother to feign interest at the explanation, which made Selim all the more troubled by the druid's mood.
The bee crawled with due diligence at an alarming speed forcing the elves into a sprint to keep up with it. That hustle lasted for minutes as they continued into the lit-up depths of the honeycombed fortress. Naed could not keep up this time since he didn't have the chance to cast a spell, so he was bringing up the rear by many meters and did not do so without a great deal of noise. Meanwhile, Selim pressed the pursuit–knowingly losing Naed in his strong long strides–but even he began to slow as a stitch built up in his side. He came upon a large passageway and found himself limping slightly with unrelenting effort as he came upon its opening into a large room where bees were buzzing with frantic zeal.
Many of those bees were distressed as they encircled, and in turn, harrassed a bee in the center of the chamber. In its grasp was the pupae from before with body grotesque and mangled and opaque stubby wings, of a milky hue, grossly twitching on its back. The room had a natural bowl shape and at the highest points on the outskirts of the room were eerie amber-colored statues of bee heads mounted along the wall. There empty eyes holding the sights of this bee throne room. Across the way from Selim was a much larger tunnel and from it, the bees suddenly scattered and made way for an even larger bee, three times the size of any bee already in attendance.
A whisper came from Selim's side as Naed exclaimed with hushed excitement, "It's the Queen!" Selim didn't bother a glance at his companion and instead took in the sight of the queen bee.
Her antanae stretched down, easily the length of a grown man, as a topaz-jeweled obsidia crown topped her head. Its craftsmanship looked elven as the intricate weaving of precious stone left eye slits for the ocelli positioned at the top of her head. All around it was a perfect fit and showed no signs of tipping as the giant bee nodded throughout its entrance. Those antennae swept out and bees dispersed around them as the queen made her way to the pupae. The bee who brought the misfortunate charge softly flew off the ground and quickly left the chamber as the queen began to inspect the young.
The inspection was a slow careful study before the pupae began to wail a hideous sound, sending the bees to the outskirts and in a frenzy of bumbles, until suddenly the queen stomped down with one monstrous appendage. The sickening crack of the infant carcass crushing in at the abdomen echoed off the walls as the squeal came to a weakened pitch. With that the queen looked up and her black compound eyes pulsated a rich metallic yellow tint and instantly every bee in attendance froze, all noise bore silencer. Selim was left with the sound of his own heartbeat ringing in his ears when the eyes of the queen pulsated once more and in a flash every bee departed, all save for the queen and the young corpse who remained entwined.
"Come forward Naed of the Ears!" A voice hauntingly sounded in Selim's head and sent him frantically looking about for the intruder. Althewhile the druid calmly stepped from the shadows and spoke with cordial sincerity, "Queen of the Brood, Mother of the Swarm and Goddess of the Flowers! I humbly come before you-" the druid's own heraldry was cut short suddenly as the voice bellowed from deep inside their minds.
"Humble like a snake, not a bee. Show yourself if you really are Naed!"
Immediately the incantation dispelled as Naed waved a gentle gesture before continuing, "I'm terribly sorry, I needed an audience with you, but I am short on time so-"
Once more the queen's eyes flared a yellow hue as that voice echoed subconsciously cutting the druid off, "An elf, short on time. Now that is amusing. Also amusing you don't feel the need to come forward yourself Selim."
Selim suddenly became fully aware of his legs. Realizing how many pieces orchestrate movement from one step to the next. The overwhelming outlook froze him and he was left trembling, daunted by the fear choking his throat.
Naed broke the physical silence, "Come Selim she is a good friend and a trusted ally to me."
Selim gripped for his courage and forced a leg to step forward, but the motion was sloppy and his boot scuffed and forced him to catch his balance. The echo of his fumbling filling the throne room as his face ran scarlet.
What is wrong with me? Selim's thought begged in his mind when the sweetest sound seemed to respond. A melodic giggle resonating in his cranial shelf sent warmth over his shoulders and down to his gut. The sweet laugh was soft, wholesome and somehow held a droning allure.
Selim was before her in a matter of a few seconds and found himself at the foot of the queen, peacefully to one knee with his head hung low in highest respects. The smell of the recently fouled pupae filled his nostrils as the queen raised her leg and moved the pupae to be held beside her, cradled by her middle leg.
The queen stood up on her rear legs and those eyes flashed yellow, "Our brood is dying Naed. Not the drones, as you can tell our hive has many. A new disease plagues us. Plagues our women. The colony is in danger of extinction."
Naed walked over and put his hand on Selim's shoulder, prompting him to stand and to cease his longlasting grace to the bee majesty, before he questioned aloud, "What will her highness do? Is the brood bad by stock? Are your workers not bringing the same pollen?"
As selim stood and stepped back to take in the full visage of the giant matriarch, the yellow reigned the compound eyes in there mystifying pulsation, "There is a plant we cannot find, but it bears no pollen for our honey stores so its absence has gone mostly unnoticed for the last decade."
Suddenly Selim spoke, forcing Naed to shoot him a baffled look, "How could one plant cause extinction of a whole colony?"
Naed's guffaw held annoyance but was drowned out by the bees humming beyond the corridor. The buzzing became clearer by the second and suddenly the queen's eyes spoke with yellow, "Naed you must take your leave. My workers have been on edge this season and two unknowns having an audience-" this time Naed spoke out of turn, "Yes it would spell our end, I understand there is nothing you could do. Selim let's go!"
Buzzing drowned out the 'go' but Selim made out the druid's lips mouth it with a worried sternness and with that, they burst into motion. Naed pointed for the hallway, where the queen had originally emerged from, and Selim did not hesitate as he took off in an all-out run with full abandon.