A fluttering of wings responded to
Lena's call, producing three small birds that flapped around the cavern. Not only did they distract the Void variants, giving Mr. Matas more room to dodge their attacks, they caused a spattering of obscured vision and overall confusion. Feathers flew and screeches echoed through the chamber.
In the chaos, Zavien tried to reach for Mr. Matas and somehow found himself grabbing another Mata Mata in his arms. Luckily, it didn't glitter any shades of purple, but he still quickly dropped the squawking creature as it snapped at his exposed
anything. After releasing the indignant animal, it gave him one last
'clack' of its beak before stalking back into the darkness, its plumage fluffed to double its size. Spotting the
real Mr. Matas, Zavien called out.
But Mr. Matas only had eyes for one person.
Hadama.
Again coaxing the frightened pet with his soothing voice, it sought refuge from its pursuers in the
safe,
strong,
manly arms of the Mer King. Promptly jumping into the man's arms, the serpent nuzzled its feathered head against his burly chest, letting the demigod's intimidating - yet comforting - form scare off the Abyssal Mata Matas like a
'Beware of Dog' sign. They scurried into the darkness, peering out at
Dahlia as if waiting for her to beckon. When she didn't, they crept closer before thinking better and slithering out amongst the black roots.
Confident that they'd avoided complete disaster, Zavien gave them all a relieved smile.
"Whew! I'm glad he's safe now. But let's get Mr. Matas out of here!" It was both a valid reason and an excuse to escape the shifting shadows that whispered of hissing stalkers.
As they stepped out of the Grotto, Zavien looked to each of them in turn.
"Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done this without you." (Perhaps without Dahlia, but he wasn't about to say that.) He gave Stormbreak's leader a deep bow of respect before leading them out into Pacifist Plaza.
When they released the Mata Mata into the sunlit square, it chirped at the group appreciatively, noticeably pausing before taking flight to find some other recess of Stormbreak to hide in. Zavien had a feeling the little avian serpent had learned his lesson. In the coming weeks, each member of the group (even Dahlia, but mostly Hadama), would find small gifts of lost earrings, shiny buttons, twinkling marbles, and other objects deposited at their homes as a reminder of their good deed.
Congratulations!! Mr. Matas has been saved!!
Your good deed will go down in Stormbreak history (amongst the Mata Matas)! (Especially that of a demigod with a silky-smooth voice and tan muscled arms.)
Thank you!
[FIN]
