Weak Nature - Chapter 4

Every intelligent species learns. Whether this be a fox finding out how to dig around a fence to get to the chickens, or a child leaning that fire is hot by sticking their hand in it, both are learning. In actuality, the fox digging around a fence is the slowest form of learning, learning through trial and error. The only way to know if what you are doing is correct is if it achieves your goal, and if it does not, you try something different. How let’s say, foxes are able to use this type of learning, is if they are able to dig under a fence to get to the chickens, the next time it experiences a fence, it will dig under it. By having memory, once something has been brute forced like that, then you can reuse the same method, until that does not work.

For the child example, this is a type of innate response to stimuli, or the response to the world around you. Every generation that has dealt with fire and realised that it does damage will slowly pass on this information through their DNA, or genetic code, onto the next generation. Once enough generations past and they keep adding to this passed on knowledge, the response that fire is hot is created to protect so as to not damage oneself.

With Fae, a third type of learning was used, which was repeated learning. Like trial and error, repeated attempts are used to create a memory of it, but the difference is usually someone else is leading you, showing you the correct way first to then copy. This is also why people that first learn something find a hard time changing that learned habit, like when nervous to twirl their hair.

Odo taught Fae through showing and then having her repeat it. Whether it be planting, general care, or cutting and preserving, Odo first showed her, then had her repeat while he corrects her. This is how Fae learned to care for Vis flowers, vegetables, berries, and as a test, also Essentia flowers.

Since Fae had understood the basics of how to care for all these plants, as well as had her bloodline to support her, she grew quickly into one of the better herbalists in the village. Gaining a little plot of land and a small cove to continue her growing as a gift from Odo when she turned ten, she officially started to grow the plants and sell them herself, without Odo being the middleman. When selling the flowers or even taking care of them, the haughty ‘pure-bloods’ would come mock her.

Fae, having dealt with this growing up, wasn’t as effected, until somebody poked a very, very deep wound. A Calx boy with his group came up to her at about noon one day and said only one thing,” How does it feel to grow the flowers I use to become stronger? Bet it feels like a blessing, you slum rat. Even better, I heard a couple years ago that when your father went out to get you, of all people, something, that he died a cruel death that left his body torn to pieces. Soooo tragic.” After sarcastically finishing his sentence with a wave of his hand, he walked away, as he and his retinue laughed.

Unsure what to even feel, Fae just sat in a small grove of Vis and Essentia flowers, bringing her legs to her chest and crying, eyes glowing green and she unconsciously seeks out comfort. Feeling the warmness from the flowers around her, she cried harder until she passed out, too tired from crying to even get up.

The next day, when Fae went to sell her flowers and produce, she refused to sell to any Calx, saying only one thing,” If all of you are family, then you will deal with your problems as a family.”, before moving on and selling to the Aethers and Manus. During that, when she went up to Odo as usual, leaving some produce and some flowers, Fae asked if there were any new things to plant. Odo, as usual said,” Why do you want different kinds of plants, trying to create a plant family?” To which Fae would respond, as usual with,” Yeah, didn’t I already say this? They are lonely.”

Different than other days however, Odo actually had a new kind of plant. “This is a type of ‘shroom, grows in caves. Will probably grow in your little cove as well. Come ‘ere, I’ll show you them first before you decide to bring them on.” Odo then led Fae into the cave next to his house and took her to the deeper part of the cave. From what she could gather from Odo’s ramblings, these mushrooms are able to mask your scent when ground into a powder and sprinkled into water. While requiring a bit more of work, these would be in very high demand, able to protect the hunter and gatherers when they go out. “They might even get me a trip to the outside as well” Fae thought, as she willingly took a couple of seeds off Odo’s hands to plant herself.

On the walk back, Fae took a real good look at his work. Next to a willow in a clearing out of the way of the main valley, small rows of vegetables are seen growing behind a small fence made of wood and willow branches. With a pond that is fed from a stream coming from a hole in the mountain behind the rows, and a small well trodden path leading past both to an alcove where beautiful purple and white Vis and Essentia flowers grow. Following the path further leads to a cave entrance where Fae got to work planting the mushrooms, which Odo had dubbed Odos mushrooms. When planting, the familiar glow of green surrounded Fae’s eyes, while Fae was daydreaming of the time when, with the bloodline and mushrooms, she is able to go past the valley, past the mountains, and into the forest and really try to find out what her bloodline is about.

Sorry this took longer. Not only part of my laziness, I also had to remember how exactly learning worked, which is a huge mess, let me tell you.