Howard had once tried to eat a giant steak at Boone's Steakhouse in Boise in a single sitting. He'd done his best to fast in the time leading up to the dinner so that he would have enough room to fit the entire meal, but he still did not even come close. Sedona did, though. Close, but she still started to feel full a good distance before the end of the meal itself, so it wasn't free. The potatoes were good, if a little complicated to eat with her muzzle, but overall she enjoyed them.
Clean-up was a breeze too, as their were plenty of predators left in the dinner who were willing to clean her plate for her. Foxes and Coyotes were among the groups who were fine picking up where others left off… and though Sedona wouldn't be one to imagine eating after someone else… apparently they had all accepted it as perfectly natural. In that case, who was she to argue?
The feeling of the little community of half-humans extended further as Sedona pushed her way into the little grocery-looking shop in town to look for Mr. Nook. A bell chimed as she opened the door all the way and made her flinch a little bit. Getting use to the heightened hearing that she now had was going to take a little getting use to. Background sounds and even conversations down the road at the diner were very clear to her as if she were present for all of them… but they weren't overpowering and loud like someone talking in her head. She'd have to learn to focus on only the immediate conversations.
Sedona let the door close behind her as she took an extra step to make sure it didn't pinch her tail. Looking around the first floor, she saw all manner of camping equipment and tools. There were tents, sleeping bags, blankets, towels, swimming ware, clothing, and the like… but there were also little collectables and park memorabilia around on the shelves.
She blinked and tilted her head as she saw a shelf of different animals all carved out of wood. There were small ones of detail that you might put onto mantle over a fireplace, but there were also larger ones down on floor level that might a be full sized. There was panther nursing its kits large on the floor, an eagle with its wings out too, a small figure of six horses running, and so many others. Each one carved and also painted with great detail, all by hand.
A single figure caught Sedona's eye, though. It was a small dog figure, maybe four inches high. The coloring and shape of the dog was that of a husky or malamute. A deep black coat over the back with white under the front and back legs. She smiled at it, picking it up and holding it. Looking into those ice blue eyes, the little white circles of fur over the eyebrows, and the pose of as if pouncing a ball in the snow… she could not help but think of Segoni on so many winter mornings back in Idaho.
"Can I help–" came a voice behind her, and she jumped slightly as she turned to see the man who was playing as Tom Nook, "–Oh! Sedona. I hadn't expect to see you again so soon," he said as a smile formed across his light brown muzzle. "Welcome to Nookington Place," he grinned, stepping out through the moving wooden door at the side of the counter. "Are you looking for something specific?" he wondered, walking over to her to look over the little wooden statue she was holding. "Got a thing for canines?" he wondered, tilting his head.
There was a flash in her mind of the night before with Segoni at her back. Sedona cleared her throat a little bit and nodded, "And you've a thing for Tanuki?" she asked, only partly answering his question. "I was wondering if you had a Park Map. I was thinking of going for a run… as soon as a build up the courage to run off on my own into the great unknown," she explained. "I like Crossing… but I would really like to see all that I might could see while I'm here for my month."
"Ah. Park Maps, funnily, are things I'm not supposed to sell," Tom explained. "It creates the illusion that the park is in a stable state and isn't changing. Besides, giving knowledgeable predators the locations of prey animals would–"
"Nookie, I'm not looking for a map to food. I'm looking for a listing of, say, the town's location, the cabins, major geographic markings… things like that. You don't sell anything like that?" Sedona asked, raising an eyebrow. What kind of park doesn't include a Park Map? That's… out of the ordinary. "Basically, I want to be able to get back here once I wander off into the woods. I don't even actually know how big Transformation Park is."
"Several hundred square miles," Nook said as he stepped over to his counter at the back of the store. It was short and low to the ground so that it came up to his waist even though he was only four and a half foot tall. Pulling a little stepping staircase over on its wheels, he walked up the back of it and reached for a cord hanging down from the ceiling. Pulling on the cord and then stepping down revealed a large map of the park. It was very vague, though… mostly an outline of fence and a coloring of the terrain.
"As you can see," Tom said, pulling out a laser pointer from his blue outfit and pointing it up at the map, "The park is longer north to south than it is wide. Most of the park's residents are in the north," he explained, waving the little red dot up towards the upper metal boundaries there. "Mostly in the north west, that is. They exit into the part, into the rough, and just expend their time there. Most are unaware of the full size of the park, and almost none of them ever come here to the south," he explained. "Actually… I can't recall the last time anyone of them came to the south." Nook rubbed his chin, thinking that point over.
"Wait, wait," Sedona said, walking up to the counter and leaning on it, looking up at the large map. "Most of the park's patrons don't know about Crossing?" she asked. "They hang out way up there… dozens of miles away from all this in the southern end of the park. I was to understand that Crossing is the only village with amenities and such. The Cabins just a few miles north of here, and then that Beta Village," which I've been wondering about and don't see on this map, she finished as a thought, looking over at the east side of the map where she heard the Camp was. "And if that's so," she finished her thought, "How do they… live?"
"Well, they live off the land, of course. Those who don't figure out how to tap into their instincts are instructed on them by those who do," he said, looking back to her. "The other guests instruct new arrivals and work together as packs, pards, herds, and nests… whatever is normal for their group. Though, there is a lot more of a social aspect to them than there is normal animals. Panthers, for example, aren't usually together in any time other than mating… but the half-human panthers at least hang together as male and female," he offered in explanation.
Sedona growled softly to herself, "No, no. That just… that doesn't make any sense. Human's can't just… begin to live off the land instantly and naturally as if they'd been born animals," she found herself putting her hands down onto the desk to lean forward and look into Nook's eyes. "The Beta Camp… those are people who have lived here since before the Beta. I assume that means family units and half-human hybrids as natural populations?" she asked. "I don't… I don't get this park," she said.
"Oh, I wouldn't know about the Camp. No Park Map has ever shown the Beta Camp, and I've certainly never been there," Tom said with a bit of a shrug. "As for running on instincts, well. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it," he smiled at her. "First time you snatch yourself up a fish by hand… or don't feel strange about eating worms and bugs from under a rock," he said, looking at his fingers, and then back at her. "Its so strange, but its… intoxicating."
"You've just… let yourself go?" she asked, finding that hard to believe. "How do you… do that? Is it meditation or something?" Sedona wonder, standing back upright and looking over the map. "I'm not sure I could flip a switch and turn off my brain."
"Well… hopefully you'll be able to go off and find yourself some wolves if you do decide to go out deep into the northern woods," Tom smiled to her, pulling out a folded up piece of cloth. "Your map… terrain only. Crossing and the Cabins are both marked on it… as has a giant rock face that some guest have noted as a hang-out for some… troubled guests," he offered, "Along the western wall, far to the north," he nodded. "Apparently, they have some kind of support group for guests who chose Random and ended up the opposite gender from which they started," he smiled and laughed a little bit. "Can you imagine?" he snickered.
That idea seemed interesting, and perhaps she would visit that if things became too strange for her. "I have a vivid imagination," she smirked at Tom, while glancing behind her back towards the little wooden statue of the husky dog. Looking back to him, she asked, "What kind of cloths are those?" she motioned over to the end of the clothing rack. It seemed to have a pile of gloves with a box of boots up underneath it. What appeared to be workout clothing was on the hangers just above gloves. "They look like workout clothing. Do they come in all sizes?"
"They do!" Tom nodded, looking back to racks, though he promptly glanced back at Sedona. "Well, actually… they kind of do. I don't have a… tube-top… for you," he motioned to her six-breasted chest with his small hand. "Though I can easily contact the Park and have a proper top made for you if you're interested," he explained and Sedona nodded to him with a smile. "As for the rest… they're extra padded slip-ons for upper and lower paws," he explained.
"Isn't that why we have these?" Sedona asked, tapping her right paw-pad with her left claws.
"Maybe so, but those can't protect you from everything. Human hybrid animals slam into the earth harder than the usual variety… and you may be in area's that'll have sharp rocks and the like…" Mr. Nook offered as examples. "Animals are not immune to the likes of the environment. Part of being human allows you to think ahead and wear protection," he smiled and nodded to her. "Wouldn't want grass seeds to get up between your toes. They can grow into your skin. Very painful," he nodded.
She blinked, turning to walk over to the shelf. "Sound like you've had some experience with that," she wondered aloud, pulling out a pair of gloves that were about her size. They were a dark gray with black pads, similar in color to her own actual paw colors. She looked down and saw a pair of long leg covers that had light plating to them like army boots, thick padding on the bottom like the pads on the gloves.
"We had an old dog back home. She got out one day and ran around outside during the spring… she wasn't supposed to be outside since she was an inside dog. It was an accident," he sighed. "Before we knew it, she was bleeding from her ears and nose and–" he blinked, having had an unhappy memory and started accidentally sharing it. He gritted his teeth a bit, looking at Sedona's grimace. "Sorry about the imagery. Needless to say, she didn't fair well… and since she was old, we had to put her down," Nook sighed.
"Well… I think you've inadvertently made yourself a hard sell there, Nook," Sedona said, looking over the gloves and boots. Pulling out a 'normal' top and bottom from the rack, she noted how slim they were. The tube-top was just enough to cover breasts and the bottom might as well have been a pair of really short shorts with a tail latch in the back. "Not very armoured."
Nook shrugged, "Most people find cloth over fur to be most uncomfortable," he shrugged. "Those here in the Crossing tend to cover up. Everyone else… not so much," he smiled to her. "There's a stone patch just on the east side of the lake. If you're up for seeing what its like to go commando, I recommend a sun-bath there. It's very warm and comfortable," he nodded and stepped over to the register. "Shall I ring you up? A dual-pair of paw protectors and a specially fit pants and top for you? I can probably have that for you tomorrow or the day after," he smiled, looking up at her.
"Do you have a lay-away option? Buy something… and put it in a storage so guests can take it home with them when they leave?" she wondered, looking back towards the figures. "I'd like that little pouncing husky figure," she said, smiling towards the little Segoni look-a-like.
"Absolutely," he nodded to her. "There's an assortment of electronics and such upstairs that guests often buy to take home with them," he nodded. Sedona raised her finger about to ask a question, but Tom waved her off as he tapped in the expenses on the register. "Contributing like you did with that yummy fish this morning is second nature to some. It gets you credits, and you can buy stuff… but some stuff would take you out of the vacation 'air', so people set it aside for themselves for when they're going home," he smiled, hitting the button to ring up the sale.
"Well… statue in the 'to-go box' then," she smirked at him. "You had some of my fish?" Sedona asked and Tom nodded with a smile. "Glad you liked it. I'll try and get more for tomorrow."
"I look forward to it," Tom smiled.