Mystery of the Myth

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"A bullet... huh?" He took a seat at the table as well, his gaze focused on his hands for a moment. "I'm sorry for your loss. I can sympathize." He thought of a few different things he wanted to ask about her brother, but he settled on the one he figured would be less intrusive. He didnt know how sensitive she was about that ordeal. "Do you know if he ever met one?"
 
Flutter smiled to him weakly. "Big brother was a pain, but he was still my brother. But...He's probably okay now. After all, mother and father had passed before he had. So he's with them now, I'm sure." Her smile warmed up as she took a sniff of the air- the cookies being baked were starting to make her salivate from their sweet scent. "If he ever met one? It's hard to say with him. Saya...He talked about myths and stuff a lot, and how he wanted to meet them, and sometimes he'd go out searching...But...He never told me much about his trips unless he found herbs for me or something, because he knew I didn't actually believe most of it."
 
Astor smiled. "Your brother sounds quite interesting. I'm almost sad I didnt get to meet him." He sniffed the air, the sweet scent of the cookies nearly overwhelming his senses. Even in human form, his senses were a bit more sensitive than a normal human's. "You didnt believe it huh?" he replied with a laugh. "Well, I hope you believe now, unless you think I'm a figment of your imagination or something." He curiously picked up one of the cookies from the plate she'd set out and took a careful bite. The taste was strange and a little confusing, but for some reason he liked it. "Flutter..." he said, trying to get back into focus. There had been a reason he'd asked after all. "I just have one more request for you. The circumstances might lead you to think that meeting a shapeshifter is a good thing, and that becoming friends with one is easy, but that is far from the truth. If you ever come across another one - unlikely, but possible - I want you to get out of there quickly. Most of my kind are not as... kind as I am."
 
Flutter nearly turned red from how protective and familiar his statement was. His words were familiar to something her brother had said during one of his fits of over-protecting and trying to talk her out of going outside. Though his statements usually failed, she would admit that Astor's words did strike a chord of some sort- what kind, however, she wasn't fully sure. "I don't really understand why I'd meet another shapeshifter...But then again, I didn't expect to meet you getting lost in the woods either." She smiled weakly as she took a cookie, watching him curiously. "As I said, I'm on the confused side...But I think I understand the point. I'll be careful." Her smile warmed lightly as she moved to him for a moment, hugging him lightly. "You're right though. You are very kind."
 
He smiled, pleased that his warning of cation got through to her. Still not knowing quite what to do when hugged, he just sat there. "Kind is a matter of perspective I suppose. Compared to the others, I'm practically a pet." He held no malice or discontent when he said this, just plain truth. He had always know he was more docile than his fellow shifters, but he had never seen this as a bad thing necessarily.
 
She failed to stifle a giggle from his pet notation, resting her head on top of him for only a moment before she let go, realizing she was doing something he wasn't exactly used to. Once she'd pulled away, she walked over to her chair again and sat back down, leaning back. "If you're a pet, I'm in shock. I've had cats before, and they always ran away for some reason. You came here on your own...Well, sort of." She smiled a bit to him, adding, "But I don't think you're necessarily a pet anyway. You're just you. Even if you're calmer or kinder than others, isn't that fine? I mean...People are different too. Humans are raised to fear shapeshifters and anyone or anything that's overly 'different'. But my brother wasn't afraid of you guys at all, and at least in regards to you, neither am I. So that's already a difference, isn't it?"
 
"Yes, I suppose that is a good difference." He said as he stood. "I'm going to go explore the surrounding forest. If I'm going to be staying here for a while, I want to be more familiar with it." He headed back into hallway, and towards the back door. There was quite a bit he wanted to see and figure out in his surroundings: good hunting spots, good hiding spots big and small, and just how close the house was to the rest of the village. Once he was in the surrounding forest, he changed into his wolf form. He padded around the perimeter of the house, noting all the ways a human could come or go from the place. He found one that looked like it was the main path from the village to her house. Staying among the bushes bordering the path, he followed it all the way down until he could see the village. He crouched under a bush at the edge of the clearing bordering the village. It was a fairly busy place, and had more humans than he cared to count as well. There was a decent amount of forest between the house and the village. He slipped back, deeper into the forest and ran off. He finally slowed down when he was close to the house again, and began exploring the rest of the forest.
 
His reasoning for exploring the surroundings were clear as day to Flutter- she'd want to do the same thing in his position, if not in general if she were somewhere she wasn't used to. As such, she merely watched him leave, finishing what she was doing in the kitchen before doing a bit of cleaning. It took little to tire her, but Flutter did try to keep the house no the tidy side- she was prone to clumsiness, and knocking anything out of place could result in a problem she'd found in the past. As such, she liked keeping things in an order she could understand and remember. Logic ruled her mind- and this was part of that mechanism.

Once she felt confident in the placement of things, she wiped a bit of sweat off her brow before returning to the back where her mudroom was. She took a look at the different plants, and was careful to take care of some of them that needed it. She looked for her trimmers and began to trim one of the indoor bushes, while simultaneously checking the surrounding flowers for dryness. As she worked, she let out a content sigh. "Some of these leaves are dying...But it's about that time. I should start harvesting them for use soon..." As she pondered it, she looked out a minor window, smiling. "I hope he's having a good exploration..."
 
Astor spent most of the day exploring the area. When the sun was starting to get lower in the sky, he finally felt satisfied that he knew the area well enough, so he returned to the house. He had changed into the form of a small wildcat halfway through his exploring, and it was in this form that he ran into the house. He slipped over to his part of the den and changed back into his human form. He couldnt find Flutter in either of the places he had seen her before he left, so he poked his head into the other caverns of the den he had yet to look in. He finally found her among a bunch of plants. "Hello."
 
She put her trimming pliers down when he entered, but did jump back a bit from not expecting him suddenly. She seemed to knock on something behind her when she jumped, and nearly fell, but just barely managed to keep standing by using a nearby table to keep her steady. Smiling a bit despite the shock, she looked at him easily. "Welcome back. Did you get to know the area well? I personally like the forest here...Plenty of trees and plants. I love plants though, so that's likely why."

She got herself into a normal position, taking a step towards him, but no more. She looked around at the plants one last time, doing a double-take of what needed to be done. "I'm almost done with my work in here too." She looked at the one plant that needed to be pruned and picked. Other than that, the plants were well maintained.
 
"Oh yes. It was quite an easy place to memorize. Did you know there's a large waterfall just 40 miles from here? Its absolutely fantastic. You should check it out if you havent already." He looked at the plants surrounding her, taking in all the different kinds. Some he knew, and some he was unfamiliar with. He pointed at a few of them. "Those are good snacks, depending on the form you take. And that flower, I know that one too. Its really bitter and nasty." He looked at her. "You use all these for medicines?"
 
"I've never seen it, no...But I don't tend to wander very far. I tend to be rather weak." She smiled a bit, even her smile matching the weakness she mentioned. It was a bit troubling to her, but she added to make herself feel a bit less awkward, "Not many humans can go that far, at least not in such a short time. At a human's average running speed, it'd take eight hours just to get there...And that's only if you're pacing yourself properly for a long distance run." She smiled weakly, adding, "For me, though, it'd take at least ten or so." She shook off the disappointment- perhaps one day, the world would make it easier on her to go so far. "I know some people ride horses...If it were a proper trail where it wouldn't hurt them too much, I'm certain those people could get there a bit faster."

She changed topics soon after, turning towards the plants he'd pointed to. "Yes. Everything here is used for medicine...Though I also use some for tea and snacks, but mostly for medicine." Seeing the ones he'd pointed to, she noted each one as he'd pointed at them, by pointing at them again herself. "These snacks are good for calming down a fever. And that bitter one? It was used in the medicine I dressed your wound with. It has anti-bacterial properties." She smiled slightly, a bit more at ease now. Speaking of plants always helped Flutter relax. "Plants aren't always meant to taste good. They're good in different ways, each one. There are some plants that are poisonous to the touch, but can be used if boiled a certain way too. It varies a lot. Plants are quite amazing that way."
 
Her words reminded him of just how different their two kinds were. Humans were stuck in only one form, while he had free range of hundreds. He couldnt imagine having to live his life in just this one slow and weak form, it seemed a bit sad to him. An idea began forming in his mind as she began talking about the plants. If there was one thing humans were good at, it was this, Finding a specific use for everything. His mother had showed him a few plants when he was younger, ones to help stave off hunger in case there was little else, and a few more that would help ease pain. They were all easy to remember since there wernt that many, but in here were dozens. He was sure she knew what each one of them was used for. The more he learned about this human woman, the more fascinated by her he became. "Its amazing that you remember them all," he replied.
 
She giggled slightly when he noted her ability to remember them. It was something she'd once said to her brother when he'd speak of one of his many hobbies, from myths to music. His love of the various facets of culture and history had both bored and surprised her, and she'd noted to him many times it was amazing he could retain as much information he had. She smiled lightly as she mulled the thoughts over, responding in kind.

"I remember what I need to, just as you remember the vast terrain of the forest. You know where many things are that I would never be able to remember for long...And you remember it because you use it often, don't you? It's the same with me and these plants. I'm always with them, learning about them and using them. Thus remembering them is easy for me." She smiled, adding, "Taking notes helps though. I'm not much good with reading, but I can do enough where I can take mild notes. I study plants for medicine, but they're also just interesting to me in general. Don't you have things that interest you in general as well, besides just being something you need to understand?"
 
He was impressed by her ability to communicate things in a way that he would understand. Their lives couldnt be any more different, and yet they were able to communicate so easily with each other. He was again reminded that perhaps they werent as different as he had originally thought. He was sure if he spent nearly as much time with her plants as she did he'd probably remember things about them better as well.

He thought over her question for a long moment. Things that interest him besides necessity? That did seem like a strange question to him. He had miles and miles of terrain memorized, as well as the locations of good hunting places for many of his forms, as well as herd movement habits, helpful herb locations, which plants were good to eat, and the sites of all the human villages. Each one was necessary for him to survive, and the knowledge of all of them came about because of that need. Why would he want to learn something that didnt have a need to it? He shook his head. "Everything I know is necessary for survival. I could tell you a great deal about many things, but I didnt learn any of them just for the sake of curiosity. Unless it helps me live through the day, I see no point in its knowledge."
 
"A life based on only necessity is good, but can lead to a malnourished soul- or so they claim, but I don't really believe in souls as much as others do." Flutter mulled over the thought for a moment before pushing the phrase aside. "Knowledge that may seem like it isn't necessary can prove quite useful in ways one wouldn't expect, you know. For example, knowing a plant is poisonous is good, but if you only know that, you won't know it can still be useful." She pointed at one particular plant, smiling. "This is good for making medicine and rope, but if you touch it with your bare skin in the wild, it will rupture your skin and cause severe problems, ultimately leading to death within under a day. However, knowing both things can be quite useful."

She took a seat on a nearby stool, lifting her legs a bit to relax them before placing her feet back on the floor. She smiled lightly, adding, "Each person- and I use the word quite loosely, as it logically can describe those besides humans as well, such as yourself- has their own set of skills, necessities, and weaknesses. Having different types of knowledge is also in that area of things that vary from one to another...However, it's because of all those things that each is an individual. As well, you must have much knowledge to make up for a weakness you have. After all, if you are allergic to wheat and don't know what it's used in, you'll have an allergic reaction eating things with it because you're unaware, right? But normally, people don't think of that as a necessity unless they're cooking."
 
(OOC: Sorry it took so long)

"Perhaps not all humans are as dull as I thought. For being stuck in one form you are insightful." As he spoke, the wind picked up and blew right past him. His eyes narrowed into slits as they snapped to the forest, a fresh scent catching his attention. He grinned, his body already crouching to spring even before he transformed into his wold form. He leaped over a bunch of her plants, landed in a small clearing between two and leaped out of the mass of plants. Free of the house, he took off into the forest, following the scent. It was making his mouth water already. He slowed once he got near and crept close to the source of the smell. In front of him stood two turkeys, picking innocently at the ground. His mouth opened in a doggy grin. It had been a long time since he had come across a turkey, and now he had found two! He got as close as he could before pouncing on them. He landed on top of one, and smacked the other one with one of his large paws. It tried to gimp away, but with another swipe of his paw it went down.

He munched happily on the first one he had killed, and debated eating the other one or saving it, when another idea came to him. He picked up the turkey and trotted back to the house. He sat down outside where she stored her plants and dropped the turkey in front of him, his doggy grin still in place.
 
((OOC: It's okay, but is everything alright by you? o.o))

When he left, there was little mess to deal with- however, she had remained where she was, rather surprised when he left and not wanting to leave in case he came back just as suddenly to see her. To keep herself busy, she tended to her plants to do a double-check of some of what she had, taking inventory of that which she had available, and what medicines she could make from them. As she took note of it, she realized plants she'd have to try to grow, or plants she'd need from the wild again, and wrote it down on a small ledger nearby in chicken scratch. It was a boring way to spend her time waiting, but it was useful.


When she heard a plop while writing, she turned to see the hunted turkey feet away from her heel. She was startled and surprised, but not against the fact after she noticed him there. If he hadn't been there, Flutter would have had to wonder what a dead turkey was doing in her mudroom. Kneeling near it, she smiled to him curiously. "Is this why you ran out? But shouldn't you have eaten it already?" She wasn't too bright when it came to social cues, it seemed- something not surprising for a human who lived outside the actual town. "Did you want me to try to cook it for you? I warn you, I'm not good with cooking meat myself unless I"m making a sweet meat bun.."
 
(OOC: Well, I'm still breathing, XD. This new shift is harder than I thought when trying to keep up normal life. Plus a few other things, but I think I'll be more active now. I'm glad you're still here lol)

He began cleaning the blood off his muzzle and peered up at her with one eye. I already ate the other one. Figured you might want this one. If you dont want it though, I'll happily finish it off. He explained telepathically. He was a bit surprised at how slow she was on the uptake, but he just passed it off as another human folly. Finally, he got most of the blood off. He had forgotten to clean it off in his excitement before darting off with the dead turkey. Generally, humans werent fond of blood, so he decided it best to clean it off before transforming. Once it was mostly gone, he shifted. "Have it. I can hunt other things later."
 
Flutter wasn't as against blood as other humans, but she certainly appreciated the thought. When he had cleaned it off, she bent down to lift it by the neck without thinking. "I'll cook it into meat buns then. Thanks for bringing it for me. I'm sure it'll make a lovely meal." She smiled to him gently, thankful that he'd thought of her even when hunting, and turned to head to the kitchen. "Ah...I'll leave some unsweetened for you, though. You remember those buns I gave you the other day? It'll be like those, but it'll be turkey meat instead of beef, which I was brought."

She lead herself to the kitchen and began to prepare the turkey. She had to get rid of the skin, deciding to cook it into another type of dish, and put it to the side. After the turkey was prepared, she got the ingredients for the bun while the turkey cooked in the oven in order to get rid of any bacteria that could have gotten onto it while he was transporting it. Thinking that over, she couldn't help but wonder if he was affected by certain bacterium the way humans were. Was raw turkey safe for him? Well, he seemed like it was possible to have eaten it before, but her curiosity was peaked. So, when she was just waiting for the food to be done since everything was cleaned, she turned to him. "Does turkey taste good raw? Most people can't eat it when it's raw because it's dangerous with a lot of bacteria that causes illness."
 
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