17 min read
Natural Remedies
December 27, 2016
◈ WHO: Sam & Reuben (Byagane319 & Skyeforge)
◈ WHEN: Early Afternoon on November 27, 2016
◈ WHERE: The Mystic Herb
◈ WEATHER: Partly Cloudy, but some sun shining through.
◈ WHEN: Early Afternoon on November 27, 2016
◈ WHERE: The Mystic Herb
◈ WEATHER: Partly Cloudy, but some sun shining through.
Sam looked down at her phone, trying to make sure she was heading towards the shop she'd heard about. For the last week she'd been asking the other care takers for herbal shops or even websites that might sell calming agents for more than just humans. One of the part timers, a student, suggested The Mystic Herb. It was one of those little out of the way places but still might offer what she was looking for. The Irish woman walked along, her faux snake skin boots over her jeans while a wind breaker covered her normal snake pattern mid-drift. Her long hair, which reached down to her rear end, swished back and forth behind her. Her red hair with graidient bleached tips made her stick out quite clearly. Not to mention given the cold as her breath escaped her nose in small clouds she didn't seem to be overly bundled up. The cold rarely bothered the dark tan woman, being naturally hot natured. Her cold blooded charges enjoyed this aspect of her, usually being found curled up inside her hoodie when she was in the snake house. But she was in need of something for one of her warm blooded charges, Hurtz the skunk.
Finally seeing the sign she sighed with relief and opened the door. Putting her phone away she looked around, amazed at the interesting interior. She could smell the odor of various dried herbs and spices, remembering some from her travels with her parents. "Hello? Anyone here?" she called out in a gentle voice.
Finally seeing the sign she sighed with relief and opened the door. Putting her phone away she looked around, amazed at the interesting interior. She could smell the odor of various dried herbs and spices, remembering some from her travels with her parents. "Hello? Anyone here?" she called out in a gentle voice.
The Mystic Herb, a small alchemist shop just on the outskirts of Oakdale. The shop was actually next door to the herbalists home and the small wooden sign hung above the door. It was quite the little shop used mostly for the needs of those who wished to have a more natural healing remedy than those offered by doctors or science. Today, Reuben was actually in the back of the shop readying some salves for a client.
Suddenly, the small bell at the front of the shop rang out, alerting Reuben there was a customer. The alchemist quickly put down the small container he was filling and wiped off his hands on a small shop towel he had before heading to the front.
"Hello there, welcome. How can I help you?"
Suddenly, the small bell at the front of the shop rang out, alerting Reuben there was a customer. The alchemist quickly put down the small container he was filling and wiped off his hands on a small shop towel he had before heading to the front.
"Hello there, welcome. How can I help you?"
Sam looked over as the man spoke from the back. The shop was a lot smaller than she thought but then again he most likely made everything by hand. Kept his supplies in the back rather than having them out for people to mess around with. Walking over she held out her hand, a warm smile on her face. Her hand shake was strong, her skin calloused and showed the woman worked long hours with her hands. Small scars dotted her skin here and there, like scratch or bite marks.
"Hi there! Name's Sam, I'm the Head Keeper of the Snake House and Nocturnal House at the Duram Zoo. This place was recommended to me by one of my student volunteers. I'm looking for...well...," she tried to think how to word this.
"I need a natural remedy for calming. For. A skunk," she gave a sheepish grin as she looked at the guy. "We have a little guy who had quite a hard life and tends to get a little bitey. I don't want to use tranqs or anything so I was hoping you might be able to work with me to make something."
Gosh this sounded quite weird. "I know it's kinda...strange. But its important to me that its natural." She scratched the back of her head, "Not the weirdest thing I've done this week but I think it's worth a shot."
"Hi there! Name's Sam, I'm the Head Keeper of the Snake House and Nocturnal House at the Duram Zoo. This place was recommended to me by one of my student volunteers. I'm looking for...well...," she tried to think how to word this.
"I need a natural remedy for calming. For. A skunk," she gave a sheepish grin as she looked at the guy. "We have a little guy who had quite a hard life and tends to get a little bitey. I don't want to use tranqs or anything so I was hoping you might be able to work with me to make something."
Gosh this sounded quite weird. "I know it's kinda...strange. But its important to me that its natural." She scratched the back of her head, "Not the weirdest thing I've done this week but I think it's worth a shot."
"Very nice to meet you, Sam. I'm Reuben," the man stated with a smile as he grasped the woman's hand to shake.
Reuben's soft, dainty hand touched that of the woman's calloused skin and he couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the irony and the way the world saw men and women, oh how both of these two broke those normal stereotypes. A smile crept upon his face as he listened to what the woman needed. A natural remedy for a rather aggressive animal. This was an easy fix.
"Oh, trust me, this is not the weirdest request I've ever had. Just a couple months ago I had a request for a special tea that would induce hallucinations and could accompany a divination ritual. So a calming remedy for an animal is nothing super out of the ordinary. The wonderful thing about herbs is they have so many uses. Let me see what I can do."
He ran to the back of the shop a moment and pulled together a few herbs. Chamomile, skullcap, valerian were just at the top of his head for a calming remedy that could potentially be used to calm an animal. With a smile, he walked back out holding a very small basket of these herbs.
"I can tell you right now that I've never tested these on a skunk, so I'm not entirely sure how they'll affect him. But, for dogs and cats, these can work wonders. I also sell homemade essential oils that I've crafted myself that can be used, but oftentimes animals are much more sensitive to them than humans and thus I suggest the natural plants themselves. You can rub these on him, or just place them with him so he can smell them, burn them in a diffusers or however you think it'll be best to introduce him to them. I also just want to suggest the use of calming music and things too, if you have that readily available. I'm not entirely sure of the circumstances surrounding him. But I sure hope this helps."
Reuben's soft, dainty hand touched that of the woman's calloused skin and he couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the irony and the way the world saw men and women, oh how both of these two broke those normal stereotypes. A smile crept upon his face as he listened to what the woman needed. A natural remedy for a rather aggressive animal. This was an easy fix.
"Oh, trust me, this is not the weirdest request I've ever had. Just a couple months ago I had a request for a special tea that would induce hallucinations and could accompany a divination ritual. So a calming remedy for an animal is nothing super out of the ordinary. The wonderful thing about herbs is they have so many uses. Let me see what I can do."
He ran to the back of the shop a moment and pulled together a few herbs. Chamomile, skullcap, valerian were just at the top of his head for a calming remedy that could potentially be used to calm an animal. With a smile, he walked back out holding a very small basket of these herbs.
"I can tell you right now that I've never tested these on a skunk, so I'm not entirely sure how they'll affect him. But, for dogs and cats, these can work wonders. I also sell homemade essential oils that I've crafted myself that can be used, but oftentimes animals are much more sensitive to them than humans and thus I suggest the natural plants themselves. You can rub these on him, or just place them with him so he can smell them, burn them in a diffusers or however you think it'll be best to introduce him to them. I also just want to suggest the use of calming music and things too, if you have that readily available. I'm not entirely sure of the circumstances surrounding him. But I sure hope this helps."
Sam noted the soft shake of the man's hand but thought little of it. He constantly worked with herbs and oils, she imagined his hands would be soft from them. Her own hands had to hold struggling bats and badgers, twisting snakes, and cantankerous skunks while they were examined or given medicine. Several points on her hand looked like little dots, about an inch apart. These were snake bites from the few times one of her reptiles got the upper hand. Those had hurt! But she held no grudge against her scaly children, it was their nature.
The man was nice, soft spoken if nothing else. Sam was use to asserting herself as a female in a lead position in the Zoo. Sometimes being her gender made things more difficult but she always held her ground and used her intelligence to win the arguments. It was your heart and mind that made a person, not their physical body.
The plants he brought back seemed reasonable. She looked them over, giving them a sniff. "Yeah skunks are natural omnivores and insectivores but they do eat plant material, mostly low lying berries and roots. I mean they can survive off garbage honestly so these shouldn't been too bad. And you are correct in the oils. My babies clean themselves regularly like cats so they'd eventually just lick them off."
She looked to the man with a smile as he spoke of the circumstances, "Hurtz....well....he's a grumpy old skunk and with every reason to be. He was a rescue when the police shut down an illegal private zoo. Animals were in horrible conditions. Hurtz was kept in a small cage and agitated constantly to show the skunk's natural stance of tail up and feet pounding. So he tends to be rather aggressive around humans. He's nipped other skunks we've tried to house him with as he's not socialized."
She took her wallet from her back side pack, opening it to take the money out when the business card from Lab 305 fell out. "Oops, gotta keep that just in case I have questions," she said to herself as she picked it up and put it back in her wallet.
The man was nice, soft spoken if nothing else. Sam was use to asserting herself as a female in a lead position in the Zoo. Sometimes being her gender made things more difficult but she always held her ground and used her intelligence to win the arguments. It was your heart and mind that made a person, not their physical body.
The plants he brought back seemed reasonable. She looked them over, giving them a sniff. "Yeah skunks are natural omnivores and insectivores but they do eat plant material, mostly low lying berries and roots. I mean they can survive off garbage honestly so these shouldn't been too bad. And you are correct in the oils. My babies clean themselves regularly like cats so they'd eventually just lick them off."
She looked to the man with a smile as he spoke of the circumstances, "Hurtz....well....he's a grumpy old skunk and with every reason to be. He was a rescue when the police shut down an illegal private zoo. Animals were in horrible conditions. Hurtz was kept in a small cage and agitated constantly to show the skunk's natural stance of tail up and feet pounding. So he tends to be rather aggressive around humans. He's nipped other skunks we've tried to house him with as he's not socialized."
She took her wallet from her back side pack, opening it to take the money out when the business card from Lab 305 fell out. "Oops, gotta keep that just in case I have questions," she said to herself as she picked it up and put it back in her wallet.
Reuben nodded at the woman's response about the animals. She definitely seemed quite knowledgeable when it came to animals. The head keeper of a zoo must have been quite the job. He even wondered if she had to do any veterinarian schooling, or if it was one of those jobs where one started by cleaning the cages and work your way up.
"Cantankerous skunks, huh? Yikes. Maybe you will need the oils just to get the stench out, if nothing else," he jested with a small chuckle, turning his attention to the more somber tone of the horrible condition the poor skunk was in in the first place. "But I am very sorry to hear about how he became such a grump. It's so sad how some people treat their animals. I certainly hope those herbs help him calm down a little bit."
Just then, he took notice of the card that fell onto the counter as she took her money out to pay. Lab 305. "Oh! Lab 305. What a coincidence. I haven't heard back from them since I sent in my filled bottle. Though that's a long story. Are you a guardian? Do you have a raevan?" he asked rather excitedly. It wasn't every day that he met a fellow labbie.
"Cantankerous skunks, huh? Yikes. Maybe you will need the oils just to get the stench out, if nothing else," he jested with a small chuckle, turning his attention to the more somber tone of the horrible condition the poor skunk was in in the first place. "But I am very sorry to hear about how he became such a grump. It's so sad how some people treat their animals. I certainly hope those herbs help him calm down a little bit."
Just then, he took notice of the card that fell onto the counter as she took her money out to pay. Lab 305. "Oh! Lab 305. What a coincidence. I haven't heard back from them since I sent in my filled bottle. Though that's a long story. Are you a guardian? Do you have a raevan?" he asked rather excitedly. It wasn't every day that he met a fellow labbie.
Sam was glad the man felt empathy for the animal. Skunks had a...well...a black and white reputation. Some found them cute and cuddly thanks to animated movies and cartoons. Others thought of them as pests, stinky animals to be gotten rid of. If only they knew skunks were excellent pest control animals, eating rodents and damaging pests on farms.
But the man seemed to recognize the Lab card and spoke of sending in his bottle in! Well this was certainly a good day! She was getting something that would hopefully calm Hurtz down and she met someone who understands what is going on. He was getting a Raevan too! Sam smiled and shook her head, "No I just got my bottle and essence actually. Arrived yesterday afternoon."
"It was quite unusual frankly. I have a Poisoned Apple essence. Like the old Snow White fairy tale. What did you have?" she asked, "And how did you pick your soul?" She was quite curious as to what other kind of essences and souls people were using.
That was the thing Sam seemed most hesitant about. While she knew sometimes euthanasia was best for an animal in terminal pain and suffering, she didn't know exactly....how...she was to get the soul. "You are the first person I've met who knows anything about it."
But the man seemed to recognize the Lab card and spoke of sending in his bottle in! Well this was certainly a good day! She was getting something that would hopefully calm Hurtz down and she met someone who understands what is going on. He was getting a Raevan too! Sam smiled and shook her head, "No I just got my bottle and essence actually. Arrived yesterday afternoon."
"It was quite unusual frankly. I have a Poisoned Apple essence. Like the old Snow White fairy tale. What did you have?" she asked, "And how did you pick your soul?" She was quite curious as to what other kind of essences and souls people were using.
That was the thing Sam seemed most hesitant about. While she knew sometimes euthanasia was best for an animal in terminal pain and suffering, she didn't know exactly....how...she was to get the soul. "You are the first person I've met who knows anything about it."
Reuben nodded in utter shock. He hadn't met anyone recently who knew about lab. To be completely honest, he had all but forgotten about the lab since they never got back in touch with him. This meeting just brought back all those nerves he had a month or two ago.
"Ahh, so it's still very new for you. That's wonderful. I remember applying and then receiving the package from Zeke like it was yesterday," he began, looking out the shop window as if to reminisce a slight bit. With a sigh, he brought himself back to the conversation. "Poisoned Apple essence, huh? That sounds rather scary. What kind of raevan will that create? My essence is called Visible Imagination. It was a beautiful combination of colors. Ah, actually, I took a few photos of it before sending it back. Here."
Reuben pulled out his iPhone and swiped a bit until he found his essence and bottle. The photo was of the jar and bottle sitting upon his desk, both swirling with their individual smokes and swirls. It brought a sigh forth and then he locked the phone with a sigh before shaking his head and placing it back into his pocket.
"The soul...well...that's quite the story," he said, his tone rather melancholy. "It's a toadstool. Agaric mushroom to be precise. It was a huge mistake, to be honest. That's probably why I haven't heard back from the lab at all. Who would want a toadstool as a soul for a magical being? Ugh. Anyway, it was captured by accident. My advice, when choosing your soul, is to keep the bottle far away from anything with the colors on the cloth that you wouldn't want to use for the capture. That was my biggest mistake."
"Ahh, so it's still very new for you. That's wonderful. I remember applying and then receiving the package from Zeke like it was yesterday," he began, looking out the shop window as if to reminisce a slight bit. With a sigh, he brought himself back to the conversation. "Poisoned Apple essence, huh? That sounds rather scary. What kind of raevan will that create? My essence is called Visible Imagination. It was a beautiful combination of colors. Ah, actually, I took a few photos of it before sending it back. Here."
Reuben pulled out his iPhone and swiped a bit until he found his essence and bottle. The photo was of the jar and bottle sitting upon his desk, both swirling with their individual smokes and swirls. It brought a sigh forth and then he locked the phone with a sigh before shaking his head and placing it back into his pocket.
"The soul...well...that's quite the story," he said, his tone rather melancholy. "It's a toadstool. Agaric mushroom to be precise. It was a huge mistake, to be honest. That's probably why I haven't heard back from the lab at all. Who would want a toadstool as a soul for a magical being? Ugh. Anyway, it was captured by accident. My advice, when choosing your soul, is to keep the bottle far away from anything with the colors on the cloth that you wouldn't want to use for the capture. That was my biggest mistake."
Reuben seemed happy to meet someone who was also going to be a guardian, and frankly Sam was as well. She still had the list of names and numbers of other owners but it felt so awkward to just call someone up out of the blue. It helped to have friends when dealing with an unknown creature. She gave credit to those great explorers who ventured into the unknown wilderness to find new species and study them.
At his worry of the essence Sam gave a little shrug, "Well technically apples can be poisonous. Their seeds contain cyanide. As to many seeds and fruit pits. So it makes a little sense. Perhaps he'll be a royal Raeven! Or a really smart one! Apples are known for their mythological connection to knowledge and beauty. Twas a Golden Apple that begat the Trojan War."
Looking at the man's phone she was amazed at the kind of essences that might be out there. Her's seemed so simple yet his was complex. His embarrassment over his soul made her shake her head. "Nonsense, the toadstool has a lot of connections to mysticism. They mark the outside of a Fairy Ring! And if you want to connect it to imagination, just think of Alice in Wonderland. The Caterpillar sits atop one."
"But I will keep your warning in mind. Several of my charges of the cold blooded kind are black and white. That's the color of the cloth on mine."
At his worry of the essence Sam gave a little shrug, "Well technically apples can be poisonous. Their seeds contain cyanide. As to many seeds and fruit pits. So it makes a little sense. Perhaps he'll be a royal Raeven! Or a really smart one! Apples are known for their mythological connection to knowledge and beauty. Twas a Golden Apple that begat the Trojan War."
Looking at the man's phone she was amazed at the kind of essences that might be out there. Her's seemed so simple yet his was complex. His embarrassment over his soul made her shake her head. "Nonsense, the toadstool has a lot of connections to mysticism. They mark the outside of a Fairy Ring! And if you want to connect it to imagination, just think of Alice in Wonderland. The Caterpillar sits atop one."
"But I will keep your warning in mind. Several of my charges of the cold blooded kind are black and white. That's the color of the cloth on mine."
Reuben realized that the girl was right. Technically, they could potentially be poisonous. But her optimism was encouraging to say the least. And her talking about a toadstool being linked to mysticism and the connections to Alice in Wonderland made him feel a bit better. He did love those old movies after all.
Black and white, like the skunk. "You're quite right. That made me feel a bit better, thanks. It's just not exactly what I had wanted, you know? Wouldn't have been my first choice. But I appreciate the encouragement. Do you have any ideas of what soul you want to go capture yet? Black and white could get you so much. From insects to animals, and also many plants. The possibilities are endless."
Black and white, like the skunk. "You're quite right. That made me feel a bit better, thanks. It's just not exactly what I had wanted, you know? Wouldn't have been my first choice. But I appreciate the encouragement. Do you have any ideas of what soul you want to go capture yet? Black and white could get you so much. From insects to animals, and also many plants. The possibilities are endless."
Sam smiled, glad to have helped the man feel better about his soul capture. It may have been unintentional but everything happened for a reason, good or bad. It all depended on your perspective. She brushed a long lock of hair from her shoulder, as the ruby red rope had slide over. Really she needed to trim her mane back but she loved her long hair.
At his question she shook her head, "No I don't really. I mean I'm a Keeper at the Zoo so taking the life of something seems so.....wrong I suppose. But there are many snakes that are this coloration, my precious king snakes especially!" Her eyes sparkled like a proud mama as she spoke of her reptiles, Sam really did love them and wanted to take the best care of them. Which would rule any of them out. Native king snakes were completely black, the striped variety were found in other environments. Zebras could hardly be chosen given their propensity to kick things. And skunks? Well that was a crap shoot given her charges. "But I suppose I could look into things. Plants maybe. But it is nice to know someone close by is in the same boat as me. Maybe I'll find inspiration when I go camping next month. Gotta get out of the city for awhile."
At his question she shook her head, "No I don't really. I mean I'm a Keeper at the Zoo so taking the life of something seems so.....wrong I suppose. But there are many snakes that are this coloration, my precious king snakes especially!" Her eyes sparkled like a proud mama as she spoke of her reptiles, Sam really did love them and wanted to take the best care of them. Which would rule any of them out. Native king snakes were completely black, the striped variety were found in other environments. Zebras could hardly be chosen given their propensity to kick things. And skunks? Well that was a crap shoot given her charges. "But I suppose I could look into things. Plants maybe. But it is nice to know someone close by is in the same boat as me. Maybe I'll find inspiration when I go camping next month. Gotta get out of the city for awhile."
Reuben couldn't help but run a hand through his hair as the woman brushed back some of her own. He scratched his head a moment as she spoke. Animal or reptile souls did seem like a forte of hers considering her line of work. But he totally understood her stance on taking the life of something.
"I get it. I'm vegan. As much as I would have loved to get a more unique and potentially rare soul, I guess it's a good thing that the toadstool was what got caught. I can't imagine killing a creature for such an experiment," he said, looking down at the ground.
When the woman brought up the prospect of using plants and being in the same boat, he couldn't help but speak up. "Camping, eh? That sounds like a blast. I haven't been camping since the beginning of summer this year. It's been far too long," he began, a smile growing on his face. "But yeah, if you ever have any questions, I know I'm not much farther ahead in the process than you, but I'm always willing to chat and be of assistance when needed."
"I get it. I'm vegan. As much as I would have loved to get a more unique and potentially rare soul, I guess it's a good thing that the toadstool was what got caught. I can't imagine killing a creature for such an experiment," he said, looking down at the ground.
When the woman brought up the prospect of using plants and being in the same boat, he couldn't help but speak up. "Camping, eh? That sounds like a blast. I haven't been camping since the beginning of summer this year. It's been far too long," he began, a smile growing on his face. "But yeah, if you ever have any questions, I know I'm not much farther ahead in the process than you, but I'm always willing to chat and be of assistance when needed."
Sam nodded at the man's statement of being a vegan. While she abhorred animal abuse and the unnecessary taking of a life...she would admit she loved beef jerky and steak. But to each their own. She looked after carnivores and omnivores so she knew each had their own needs.
His mention of camping made her smile, "Well if you think you could keep up I'd invite you along. I was going up to the mountains. A lot of the animals are hibernating so I the tracks are generally just the big herbies and their predies. It's so amazing to see a moose grazing on trees branches in the morning light"
Looking at her watch she realized she needed to get back to the zoo or she'd be missed. Paying for her things she smiled, "Thanks again for your help. If you think of anything else just give me a call," she said as she fished her own beat up business card from her back pocket showing her title at the zoo. "We are always looking for natural animal remedies to avoid using pills on them. Also helps when they are actually sick with something serious their medications are more effective. Later, Rueben!"
The woman gathered her things and walked back out into the cold.
His mention of camping made her smile, "Well if you think you could keep up I'd invite you along. I was going up to the mountains. A lot of the animals are hibernating so I the tracks are generally just the big herbies and their predies. It's so amazing to see a moose grazing on trees branches in the morning light"
Looking at her watch she realized she needed to get back to the zoo or she'd be missed. Paying for her things she smiled, "Thanks again for your help. If you think of anything else just give me a call," she said as she fished her own beat up business card from her back pocket showing her title at the zoo. "We are always looking for natural animal remedies to avoid using pills on them. Also helps when they are actually sick with something serious their medications are more effective. Later, Rueben!"
The woman gathered her things and walked back out into the cold.
Reuben chuckled at the thought of "keeping up" this woman. She was definitely cute. He loved hikes and things having to do with nature. But he had to admit, it would be more difficult going out into the cold and trying to camp in the mountains with the snow. "Actually, that sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe I will join you. I could use a few days out of town, too. Hit me up later when it's closer to the date and I'll see what I have going on."
The woman then had to go. It had been a nice, quaint little visit. With a smile on his face, he nodded. "Of course, natural remedies are the best, by far. If you are ever in need of anything, or just want to talk lab, give me a call."
Reuben handed the woman her receipt, a business card, and change before she took off. "See ya later, Sam. It was a pleasure," he said, holding the door open for as she left out into the wintery cold. Hopefully the two could meet again soon.
The woman then had to go. It had been a nice, quaint little visit. With a smile on his face, he nodded. "Of course, natural remedies are the best, by far. If you are ever in need of anything, or just want to talk lab, give me a call."
Reuben handed the woman her receipt, a business card, and change before she took off. "See ya later, Sam. It was a pleasure," he said, holding the door open for as she left out into the wintery cold. Hopefully the two could meet again soon.