Lyris Growth 1

Lyris was nervously pawing at the earth, ready to jump into action at any moment. In theory at least. Her body was strung tight and was just waiting for the signal to move, but inside of her head was still a nervous barrier. She didn't want to do anything wrong. This was such an important moment! If she went too fast, she might scare the little thing, but if she waited too long, than the poor animal could feel lost and frightened. 

"Come on, we have to help."

Lyris mother - Solacy - was gently pushing her along but this small gesture already felt like such a huge failure... This was the first time that Lyris was part of a soul guiding and maybe she had put too much pressure and too many high expectations on herself, but she somehow thought that it would feel easier? More natural? But this wasn't just some innate talent waiting to be used, this was... a job. A skill that needed careful work to get better using it.

Lyris didn't even notice how frozen in place she was, until her mother pressed a paw against her back and guided her forwards. There was finally some momentum in her shaky legs. She did her best to appear confident and walk beside her mother as a unit and not just hide behind her long tail. It was tough but she somehow managed. And was directly feeling bad for this thought. It was tough? Really? In front of them was a trembling little hedgehog and Lyris was only thinking about herself. This wasn't about her. She felt awkward and out of place, felt not good enough to help but what were these souls going to think? This was such a delicate moment, it needed to be handled carefully and respectfully.

Solacy didn't seem to have any of these worries. She just stepped forward with slow and measured movement and sat down. Even more, she lowered herself to the ground to be close to the same level as the hedgehog. Lyris didn't want to make the hedgehog feel threatened by both of their presence so she stayed a bit behind but also laid down on her belly until her chin made contact with the cold earth. 

"Please don't worry. I know this is all very confusing and scary right now, but we are here to help you."

The gentle and soothing voice reminded Lyris of laying in bed and getting bed time stories read to her. A comforting voice hugging your soul like the warm blanket wrapped around her body. She remembered the feeling and did her best to save that information so she could do the same thing.

"It's cold."

Lyris looked at the little body lying next to the soul, barely covered in leaves. The hedgehog must have been too old and tired to find a suitable hiding spot and shelter. A few other leaves were strewn around, probably having been blown away by the strong wind that had been happening the last two days. 

"I'm sorry. You must have been cold for a while. Can I come a bit closer to you?"

It was hard to see between the shaking, but the hedgehog nodded. Solacy crawled a bit further until her front legs were close to the animal. It hesitated for a second, then it crawled inbetween the legs and melted with a sigh against the warmth. They stayed like this for a bit until the shaking stopped.

"Am I dead? What is going to happen now?"

Solacy looked over to Lyris and mentioned for her to get a bit closer. Now that the hedgehog seemed to be calmer, she was brave enough to walk over and sit down instead of crawling on her belly.

"Yes, you have reached the end of your life but not the end of your souls jorney. We are Stelciars. We watch over souls like yours and help them move on."

"Move on?"

Lyris took her courage and started speaking as well.

"Staying here and watching a world you can't interact with anymore will only make you sad. We can offer to help you get peace."

The hedgehog looked up, eyes small and tired.

"You will help me?"

"Yes. We will show you one more fantastic journey, flying over areas you have probably never seen before. And then bring you to a place where your soul can rest easily, surrounded by others. Never alone anymore."

Lyris held her breath, waiting for the reply. The hedgehog butted its head against Solacys leg and then stood up.

"Okay. I am ready."