It had been a week since his rebirth and during that time the new Cubert had been very busy. The first thing he did was map out the town and the nearby Valley walls using his Drones. Once he had a lay of the land he began to watch the Buun in secret to understand them better.
He memorized how they spoke and played.
He listened intently to how they laughed and argued.
He observed how they kissed and touched.
He found that the Buun were far more promiscuous than the Ancients. Starting from a young age they would openly play and experiment with as many they found willing. Even when they moved on to dating and forming more intimate bonds, it was still acceptable to be open as long as proper communication was given. Despite this nature of open relationships, becoming Mates was still taken seriously with Buun dedicating themselves completely to the partner, or partners, that they form a bond with.
Cubert’s journal never made mention of any partners, or any experiences in a sexual way. His only surviving memories on these matters was an arrogant feeling of being above the ‘rutting masses’ while at the same time hiding a deeply envious Soul. None of it was useful to the new Cubert and so he put these memories to the side.
Other than courtship and play he learned that the Buun welcomed each other formally with a head touch, and more intimately with a nose touch. These were like how the Ancients shook hands or hugged. Cubert also noticed that nudity was much more acceptable, but only in certain areas. The Beach for one often had Buun wearing little to nothing, especially on the warmer days. While the Market was always fully clothed.
>Buun are simple, friendly, and welcoming.
>Empathetic. Sexually curious and playful.
>Recordings have been logged.
Now that he could understand them better, and pretend to be one more effectively, he went to the Town Hall to purchase the old abandoned building near the Market. It was here that he learned that it used to be a Bakery but the ones who owned it a few decades ago did not take care of it and mold began to settle in. With every passing year it became more expensive to fix until eventually nobody wanted to buy it.
Cubert however still purchased the building, as well as the surrounding surface land above it. He then contacted the nearby towns to hire a sizable team of builders and renovators who would be able to refurbish the building into something new again. Due to the age and damage however it would still require several weeks before it would be ready to live in again. Cubert did not mind the wait as he had other things to do first.
One of the most important tasks was the creation of a proper Sourdough Starter as Cubert knew that all good Bakeries needed one. Depending on how exactly he created it, it would gain a distinct flavour that differed slightly to other Starters.
He found that a Sourdough Starter was both simple and yet a labour of love. After mixing flour, water, salt, sugar and yeast into a jar it is then left in just the right temperature to inspire growth. Once it takes root and begins to multiply then care must be taken to remove some of the ever expanding Starter and feed it fresh flour to continue thriving. Depending on every factor, from location, to age, to the type of water or yeast or flour then the Starter can turn into something unique. Normally an aging process of at least a year is needed to give it a mature and rich flavor however Cubert didn’t have that amount of time.
Using specialized control over bacteria he mutated and evolved the Starter far faster than what was natural. It took just a few days until the jar was full and the Starter had begun to mature. After switching jars to a much bigger one he added another drop of his saliva dosed in probiotic bacteria. With two weeks until opening it would be plenty of time to rapidly ferment into a complete Starter, with the addition of also boosting the immune system and stomach health of any who ate his Breads.
In the meantime he had been using the excess of the Starter to practise his skills. Every night within the kitchen of the Inn he would bake something new. The immature Sourdough lacked the robust flavours and benefits the completed Starter would have but it functioned all the same for making fresh Dough and Bread.
Once his paws had mostly healed and his skills had been refined it was time for him to start looking outwards to what Sweetvale could provide. The obvious such as Flour and Herbs were easy. No, it was Eggs that he wanted to secure a supply of as fresh Eggs from healthy and happy Hens would be a noticeable improvement to anything he baked with.
Cubert stayed at the Inn until the afternoon rolled around. He then quietly left and headed to the north east of town where Scratch Farms were hidden. The perimeter fence was bigger than what Cubert was expecting, with almost a whole corner of the Valley cut off just for the Farm. Inside he found a miniature barn as the above ground entrance and several more fences around giant holes in the ground. He hopped to one and peered down to find a massive underground space flush with short grass and countless Quails. The tiny Birds when seen from above looked like a beautiful river of chocolate flowing across the sunken meadows.
Impressively there were two more holes, each spaced equally apart to form a triangular pattern. The connecting bridges of land between them led to a smaller island in the very centre of the formation that had a huge and wide spread Tree growing. Cubert ran a paw across the old wood in passing and looked up to the great boughs above. Continuing on to the entrance, he knocked the door but found it ajar.
Hopping down the wooden stairs he arrived at a crossroads between the entrance stairs, the front door of the actual Farmer’s home, and yet another wooden fence which separated this spot from the Quail Meadows. Cubert knocked on the door once and then twice when he got no reply.
Looking over the fence to the Meadows ahead of him he noticed a massive… Pile of Quails near the fence. Curious about the odd formation of Birds he hopped the fence and approached curiously to have a look at what was happening. As he did so a Buun wearing overalls and a straw hat studded with Quail feathers leapt forth from the cooing pile.
“Gotcha!” He cried, his expression at first victorious but then worried. Unable to control himself in the middle of the air he crashed into Cubert and tumbled onto the grass.
“Woops, you're not… The Creature.” He spoke up as he pulled himself to his paws.
The odd Buun offered a paw to Cubert to help him up.
“Sorry about all that.” He apologized before touching noses in a friendly gesture.
“Names’ Quill, what can I do for you on this fine day?” He asked.
Cubert watched with amazement as behind Quill several Quail picked up his fallen hat before taking it back to the Farmer. He reached out behind him without ever looking to take it, before putting it back on his head proudly.
“I came to discuss a trade deal for Eggs.” Cubert replied.
He observed as the Quail flowed around the Farmer with happy Peeps and Coos.
“Yes!” Quill suddenly called out happily as he bounced into the air.
“Oh sweet Demand you have found me at least!” He shouted.
“Explain?” Cubert asked.
“Oh you are new? Welcome indeed! You see, there is a bit of a Law around small towns. The size of our land and the amount of beautiful feathered friends we can have are tied to the Demand or Interest of what we produce.” He explained.
“So by making a Contract you can expand the amount of… Friends.” Cubert replied.
“You got it. I’m already at my limit even with selling to the neighbouring towns and eating my fill of sweet Eggs every day. I thought I would never get to hatch more fluffy little kindred balls of beauty.” Quill spoke with stars in his eyes.
But then his smile dropped.
“Oh, tar my feathers.” He suddenly spoke with a snap of his paw.
Quill let out an annoyed sigh and scratched his head under the hat.
“I’ve got a bit of a predicament. I'm afraid that won’t work for making Contracts.”
>Obstacle detected.
>Eggs are necessary for optimal Baking.
>Farm is undamaged. Quails are healthy.
>More information is needed on the task.
>Inquire.
“Could I help with this predicament in some form? It would benefit me to help.” Cubert asked.
“That sure would be kind of you.” Quill replied as he scratched his chin.
He then put his paw in his mouth and whistled.
The central pillar that the three Skylights were built around did more than carry the tall Tree on the surface. It also housed a cute secret. From a small hole in the side decorated with painted pink wood, flowers and polished stones, a small Shrew appeared. It excitedly scampered across the Meadow to Quill. He pet the small Shrew’s head lovingly once it arrived.
“Tilly, keep watch on the feathered ones. That’s a good girl.” He instructed.
Quill gestured to the Farmhouse as he invited Cubert inside.
Cubert found that his home was quite old in terms of materials and with the countless family photos all across the entrance’s walls there was no doubt that this Farm had been passed down across many generations.
“Inquirery. Can your family offer assistance?” Cubert asked.
“Naw, they moved when I was barely out of the egg. Farm wasn’t good enough for their mushroom empire anymore. Aunt raised me you know but she passed on to the great nest too.” Quill explained before suddenly perking up.
“Now it’s just me and all the fine feathered beauties I so desire.”
His love of Quail was obvious but the vast spread of Quail themed decorations, from feather stuffed pillows to named displays of several hatched eggs was almost overbearing.
Cubert waited in the living room as Quill made Tea. He found the sofa to be comfortable and the pillows delightfully soft. But it was the massive stack of several dozen Eggs sitting in a basket on the coffee table that made him curious. He took one of them and looked it over. It was cracked and had been stained by something.
>Possible food. Hard boiled egg.
>Basket and location suggest offering to visitors.
>Herbal scent detected. No such combination is found in memories.
Cubert took a bite out of the Egg. The shell, although crunchy, was stained in a mixture of Tea and Herbs that had a delightfully rich and salty taste. The inside of the Egg was a dark colour and had black steaks cobwebbing through the surface. Other than the smell of Herbs there was something else under it too. He took another bite and found the yolk had been cooked just enough so as to not dry it out.
“You're a bit of a City type I reckon?” Quill asked.
“Correct. My residence is in the city. But I also travel for work.” Cubert replied.
“Little tip, you're not supposed to eat the shell.” Quill explained before Cubert could eat more.
Cubert paused. He closed his mouth and instead picked at the shell.
He found that it easily came off like wrapping paper.
“They taste pleasant. I’ve never seen something like it before.” Cubert replied.
“They are my own invention. I carefully crack the shell before boiling them in a lovely Spice, Herb and Tea mixture. They keep for ages and taste like nothing else.” Quill explained proudly while handing Cubert his Tea.
After a few sips of Tea and a moment to relax Quill began to explain his problem.
For the past two months a mysterious Creature had been appearing at night and spooking his darling Quails something terrible. He’s tried chasing it down but the Creature runs like it has its tail on fire. He’s even seen it jump from the shed on the far side of the Farm up and out of a Skylight.
At first he thought it was some kind of predator but Sweetvale does not natively have such dangerous animals. The Rangers of the surrounding Forest and Hills had not seen or heard of anything either. Although it was a concern, the Creature has never killed any Quails or attacked any Buun, so there was little risk in letting it appear every so often and spook the wildlife.
With nobody wanting to help he set up some traps and started to investigate what the Creature was, and what it wanted, on his own. At first it was simply mysterious as the Creature was as black as the night and faster than anything he had ever seen. It never left any marks. It made no noise. And it only appeared on clear nights when the moon was bright.
That is what he thought at least.
The one thing that it did leave behind was tracks. Quail tracks. The same foot shape, the same amount of toes. Except these steps were more than twice the size of a normal Quail. Now Quill loved all things Quail but he had never heard of a bird being that big before.
>Unknown Faction catalogued.
>Possible covert agent.
“I think it’s some sort of shape shifter. Stealing the feathers of my beauties to pretend it is one.”
Quill said all hushed as his eyes darted from one shadow to another.
“That’s why it does not harm them you see, it needs them.”
“Your information is quite vivid.” Cubert replied…
He took a long sip of his Tea.
“I can help with removing this Creature.”
“I’m just happy that someone cares at this point. Can’t thank you enough.” Quill said.
“Once the sun sets I’ll secure the perimeter of the Farm while you stay near the House. When one of us locates the Creature we will call out so the other can trap them from the other side.” Cubert explained.
“Smart! That’s some Capital City style thinking.” Quill praised.
The pair continued to hang out together for most of the day, with Cubert taking his time in touring the full grounds of Scratch Farms and its surrounding areas. Once the sun had set and the darkness of the night fell upon the Valley, he took to the Farmhouse and informed Quill that he would be starting a patrol of the Farm.
“Best of luck to you.” Quill told him.
Cubert left the Farmhouse with a Glowstone Lantern to light the way.
He headed up to the surface and around to the furthest Skylight from the Farmhouse. He placed the Lantern on the fence before going to the tall Tree in the middle. Cubert crouched and then in a single leap jumped nearly ten lengths of his body straight up into the branches.
>Surveillance required.
>Spinning up micro-forges.
>Generating design…
>Printing.
Cubert opened his mouth wide and pulled out a small black disk from deep within. He placed it on the wood of the tree and tapped it with his palm to make sure the metal teeth stuck firm. Two more were pulled from his insides, with each being placed in a different spot around the tree. Each one overlooked a Skylight with motion detectors and scanning equipment constantly observing the blackened Farm.
With the Lantern covering one of the Skylights, and the Farmhouse being so close to the second, that would logically leave the third Skylight as the location the Creature would try to enter from. Cubert climbed up high into the tree and found a branch overlooking the third Skylight. Hidden by a bed of leaves and darkness he opened his mouth again until his jaw cracked. From within the long black barrel of a gun slowly extruded. Further within several unseen eyes glinted like lonely Stars brought down from the heavens.
Thermal scanning. Night-Vision. Motion Detectors. And ears so precise that he could hear the very heartbeat of anything that could get close to the Tree. Cubert only had to wait. His body motionless as the smallest branches of the Tree shuddered in the wind.
>Faction: Scratch Farms must be protected.
>Target: Quail is priority.
>Lethal force acceptable.
For a time Cubert observed. He watched the Quail as they ran about the Meadows and played. He noticed other birds flying free far above in the sky. Within the tree itself he could follow the paths of various little Ants and Beetles as they continued to work even during the night. For a moment he even turned his attention to the town as he wondered what all the other Buun were doing. Surely most would be sleeping but if not, then what?
Before his rebirth he would have been pouring over his notes and papers until late into the night. Even though he was now out and interacting with the town more he still felt a loneliness inside of him.
“Wistful. I remember this feeling. I would suppress it, telling myself that my work is more important than other Buun and that I only needed myself. This statement is not inaccurate but it is excessive. Friendship creates opportunities. A partner is a natural end goal of Life. These objectives are important.” Cubert thought to himself.
>Motion detected.
Cubert turned his sights to the far edge of the Farm.
He zeroed in on the Creature slowly creeping through the grass. It had a body of fluffy feathers forming almost a ball-like shape and a long pointed beak but the size and the way it moved was unnatural to any bird Cubert had knowledge of.
>Crystalizing blood into bullet.
>Subsonic ammunition created.
>Calculating movements.
>Adjusting for wind direction…
>Waiting for optimal angle.
The Creature approached.
Cubert braced himself for the shot…
>Heartbeat detected.
Cubert suddenly jerked his head away, causing the silent bullet to miss just by an inch.
The Creature stood confused as it felt something ruffled its feathers, a giant bug?
It looked around for a second before continuing.
>Heartbeat confirmed match for Species: Buun.
Cubert could feel his own heart beating just as clearly as he could hear the drumming beats of the one wearing the costume. He steadied himself and withdrew the black barrel of the gun back into his body. After adjusting his glasses he silently hopped down and removed the motion sensors from the tree. He swallowed each of them so he could recycle the materials.
>Updating information on Target.
>Non-Lethal methods are needed.
>Adjusting parameters.
He waited for the ‘Creature’ to leap over the fence and descend to the Meadows before approaching and jumping onto the fence himself. Cubert took his glasses off and quietly cleared his throat. He turned and then leapt backwards while shouting loud and clear for Quill to hear.
The resulting chaos was immediate and effective as Cubert’s weight crashed into the ‘Creature’ and pinned it to the ground. Moments later Tilly, the Shrew, came hurtling through the air. Between the scuffle of Tilly, the Creature and Cubert, Quill soon came running with a Lantern and length of rope. Before he could use it however Cubert ‘just happened’ to knock away the head of the costume. And then, all became still.
“Shelly? I… I thought you became a Ranger?” He asked.
The girl in the costume looked away in both shyness and embarrassment.
“I did… But…” She spoke quietly before pausing.
>Stress detected. Low chance of honesty.
>Assistance and social guidance needed.
“She likes Quails.” Cubert spoke up.
“I love Quails!” Shelly suddenly called out.
“And I just wanted to visit them but they got scared. So I… Um…”
“She dressed as a Quail to put them at ease.” Cubert added.
“It didn’t work… But I kept trying.“ Shelly admitted sheepishly.
“You silly girl, why not just come visit and tell me?” Quill asked.
“Quails mean everything to you. I thought you would hate me if you found out…”
“Naw, I know you're a good Egg on the inside. We all make mistakes in the heat of passion.”
Quill spoke with a few nods of understanding.
“Especially when it involves fluffy Quails.”
“Now that the contract can be formed it would prove effective to find new help for your expanding farm.” Cubert hinted while looking over his glasses for damages.
“If you're hiring then well… I don’t think being a Ranger is for me. “ Shelly admitted shyly.
“I would love to have you. Around I mean. Working? I would… Yeah.” Quill replied.
“It has been a long night. I will be returning to the Inn now.”
Cubert said politely before letting out an obvious yawn.
“Don’t be a stranger now, I’ll always have Eggs and Tea waiting!” Quill replied warmly.
Cubert gave a nod before hopping away into the night.
“He’s modest for a City slicker.” Quill remarked to Shelly.
“And a lot stronger than he looks. Being a Ranger is not my thing but I was still top of the class.”
Shelly added as she rubbed the bruises from Cubert’s unusually tight grip.
“Digging your whole life would do that to a man, I think.” Quill mused.
Cubert meanwhile thought over the events of what had just happened as he headed back.
“The War is over.” He spoke to himself.
>Lethal armaments are no longer necessary.
>Non-Lethal techniques must be updated.
>Conversational techniques seem to be effective.
“They are illogical beings but they forgive easily and do not resort to conflict naturally. Quill was not wanting to hurt the Target even after disrupting his life and business. He welcomed her even after everything…”
Cubert looked back at the Farm across the way. He processed the events once more in his mind. Rewinding and replaying the shot that just barely missed Shelly over and over. But eventually he shook it from his mind and continued on.
“Eggs have been acquired. Additionally, a potential breeding partner for Quill to help continue the farm once he has passed. A gift and check on the status of the relationship is advised within the following month.” He muttered to himself.
