Mac and Terrence were just finishing up their scouting when Terrence asked him a question. “Hey, Mac! It’s been so important to me to be such a good influence to others when I’m with them. Is there anyone you looked up to you as a youngster? Whilst you were beginning your adventures?” He spoke out before grabbing a few herbs as they passed. It was unexpected, and Mac hadn’t ever been asked about this or had to think about it much, but he decided to respond and be as open as possible. “Yeah actually! One of my friends grandparents was quite a big parent figure for me. He had a lot of experience with different terrain, climates and a variety of creatures.” Mac replied, taking a pause to speak. Terrence listened intently, nodding. 

Mac hesitantly continued to talk about his past, even though it was clearly hard for him. “He taught me a lot of survival skills incase we got stuck further down the tunnels, but thankfully I’ve not had to use any of those yet. I’ve been really lucky.” He uttered out with a slight smile. It was a lot for him to speak about this, he hadn’t spoke about it much as the memories all jumbled together sometimes. And no one really asked, either. Everyone just assumes you’re good at everything the second you exist and it’s not the case! It takes a lot of time and hours in the tunnels. 

“I did have a little break from it a few years ago, though.” Mac continued. “Me and a friend had encountered a couple of large goblins that put us both at risk. It was such a scare and we weren’t sure whether either of us would get out of that alive. We weren’t as prepared as we should’ve been and I know that now, but I needed a rest after that to recover and get myself together.” He took a long breath and paused for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling above that was covered in little blue crystals glistening back down at him. “I’m glad you have a bit more experience under your belt now! A few years really does make the difference down here. And you have a good group of people with you now, too..” Terrence replied, trying to give some sort of reassurance as best as he could. 

“We’ve all had some scary moments and there’s some that you just can’t prepare for. There will always be new experiences for us and all we can do is make sure that if it does happen in the future, it won’t be as traumatic for us.” Terrence expressed, hoping that Mac would find comfort in his words. He knew how hard it was for people to open up sometimes but just wanted to be a positive light for a friend in times like this. He didn’t want to bring up bad memories but knows how important it is to speak about these things sometimes.

“I understand what you’re saying! I also think it’s good that I’ve learnt from my mistakes, right? And I can pass that down to others also.” Mac spoke out, picking himself back up and starting to walk again. “At the end of the day, it helps us all thrive and keep learning. Especially with the younger generation. You’re amazing at what you do now and that’s all that matters!” Terrence said, nudging him playfully. Mac just reacted back with a smile as they came to the end of the tunnel they were exploring. “Enough about me for now, anyway! Let’s get some of these berries. Cardinal hasn’t had them in a few days and we know how much she loves them.” Mac responded, reaching down to collect a few purple berries.