Long time no see! Sorry for the long wait.

I have edited the previous chapter so 'Mothers' dialogue is bolded. If this is annoying or feels off to anyone, feel free to let me know.

EDIT: The chapter should be readable now. Sorry!

It had been many years. Many moons. Izuku had grown much. Although she knew that to Mother, it may have seemed like no time passed at all. Mother told her she was almost an adult to most humans. She didn't care. Izuku was an adult the moment she learned to care and feed for herself without mothers help.

Her human skills expanded. Her mother seemed to whisper old teachings and tips in her ear, and other things she found for herself. Tips and tools for living as she was.

Instead of the woven dresses she had worn as a child, it was a mix between woven grasses and animal fur. Pouches she had weaved hung from her hips holding dried berries, sharpened bones, and sinew. Fur sewed together by the sinew hung from her hips as well. Large feathers were entwined in her hair, mixing in the emerald green.

One thing that mother never understood was Izuku's obsession with rocks. Stones. Her eyes would twinkle when she spotted one that caught her fancy. Whether it be due to its coloring or shape. She had used small rodent and bird bones as well as sinew to string them into a necklace to hand from her neck. The sharp bones and stones would sometimes click or clack when she moved. She only removed it when hunting.

Mother had been gone for a very long while. She was maturing and mother has been adamant about teaching her more and more with each passing visit. As if mother herself was excited.

Izukus chest rumbled and a chatter left her throat. She had learned how to speak and commune with mother using her language. The language ipf clicks, chattering, growling, and whines. The way animals speak. Though she couldn't quite caress the wind in the right manner to convey her words sometimes. It was something she was steadily improving at. Her whispers at times came through too faintly. Too jumbled. She would learn.

Mother was close. Her own chatters and clicks greeted her as she emerged from the roots near her feet. Black mist curling around her in a loving embrace. The black mist twirling around her neck to form a snake-like wrap around her throat. She felt a tongue flicker against her cheek and her mother nudged her gently. She leaned into her mothers shape.

A spiny tail curled around her ankle. Creaking of bones and wet flesh greeted her ears. "You are growing well child."

A claw reaches over her shoulder grasping her chin and tugging down. Mothers form grew closer as she peered inside. There was chatter and almost a melodic melody in her voice. Izuku was much stronger. Her teeth are sharp, yet small. Her mouth did not stretch and unhinge as mothers did. They aided her well when sometimes, small prey grew too hard to catch in the winter months.

Her jaw was released and mother slid off on her shoulder, rising to lean against the nearby tree. Fur and scales melded with bark, but her eyes stayed open, watching her child.

Izuku looked up to her mother as she crouched carefully and gathered twigs from the forest floor. "I fear as though your language is the only other thing I may learn. I am unable to go any further with the previous skills you have tried teaching me."

Her voice was low. Almost as fearful. She knew that her body was weak. Despite her growing in height, and becoming stronger, she was still human. Her body could only change so much.

"I do not know exactly how far you will come. When I breathed life into you, you gained much but not everything. You are still human. I will continue to teach you. But I cannot promise everything." It was a whisper, almost as faint as the twirling of the breeze through the leaves on top of the trees.

Izuku had come to the conclusion that she did not mind. Mother had told her long ago, that she would not be truly of her. She had come to terms with it. Though there were days and weeks where she would sit and desperately try to understand the trees and earth. But she simply did not understand the thrumming beneath her fingers or the melodic music the forest provided.

Other than her teeth, her nails had grown slightly longer and sharper from use. But could easily break if she applied too much pressure. It was bothersome. For there were many times she had nearly ripped her entire nail clean off.

Mother spent the evening singing lullabies even Izuku couldn't understand. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the presence of her mother. Who knows when she would see or hear her again. Izuku weaved twine and branches humming the tune of her mothers song.

Izuku had learned many things about the forest. Where she lived was somewhere near the outer edges of the heart of the forest. Even still it would take several months of travel to make it to the edge of the forest. If she wanted to go to the heart of the forest, that was only a few months travel. She knew not what lied on the other side. But she had found things that reminded her of mother, if she traveled deeper into the forest. There were creatures that blended into the forest, like mother does. But they never stayed close. She would only catch a glimpse of them.

Other than the creatures, was how dark it became. Shadows seemed to move on their own and the forest seemed so vibrant despite the darkness that it seemed to hold. It was beautiful. It called to her. Her heart ached to answer but she didn't know how.

She had traveled often, but always returned to the burrow, mother made years ago. It was safe and comfortable. Though the forest in its entirety was her home, this burrow was special. But she felt as though it was time for her to explore more of the forest. More of her home.

Her mothers form caught her eye as it began to fall into itself sinking into the earth. The moon had gotten high in the time they spent together. Splintering wood echoed and thousands of skittering bugs filled the air. Claws reach across a short distance and brush her cheek lightly. "Why do you frown so?"

Izuku looked up at her mother. Eyes closed but head tilted down listening closely. "I'm Thinking of traveling further. Leaving the burrow for now. I may return to it one day, but for now I would like to travel more. Follow the river maybe. Travel with the stars, even if they lead me nowhere."

The air grew still. Silent almost other than Izuku's breath. "I understand child. You can do as you wish but you mustn't stray near the forest's edge. It's far too dangerous. If you come across anything other than the animals that roam this forest, and the creatures in the heart, then run. man will try and capture or kill you. Others may not take kindly to outsiders. Be careful child." Others? Something other than man? Mother did not expand and she did not inquire.

Her smile was large as mothers scaled yet fur covered tail curled around her form pulling her close to her humanoid shape that was held by four gangly limbs on the ground. She wrapped her arms around mother. Mother cooed. Her hums sound of creaking wood and wet moss.

"I'm frightened. I haven't traveled far. And winter is not far off. But if I don't explore now, I fear I'll hold myself back forever. Will you find me if I lose my way?"

"Always, my child. I will always find you." Mother swatted a small lizard scurrying in front of them. Easily plucking it up and tearing off it's small head before handing the limp body to Izuku who took it gratefully. Any meal was something she would be grateful to.

They withdraw into the burrow and Izuku falls asleep to whispers and stories from long ago.

When she awoke the next morning Mother was gone. Always gone. Izuku decided not to wait and prepared her small bag made of twine and leaves. It held tools for small traps, and some dried fruit and berries to keep as backup on her travels. Despite the heat, she rolled a large bearskin she had for winter. She placed several tools in the hide as she rolled it. She tied it as tight as she could and hooked it to an additional woven string around her waist. She also attached several smaller hides to her hips in case she needed them in the future. It would do her well to be prepared.

She had set off the next day. Making sure she had picked enough berries and stored enough dried meat in her pouches to last her a few days before she would have to hunt again.

It was uneventful to say the least. She traveled enduring the day and rested at night. Sometimes she would make a simple bed of limbs and leaves. Other times she would climb the trees and rest off the ground.

There were times, she accidentally wandered into a predator's territory, and would have to run for safety, or climb the trees to escape. She refused to kill any animal that was not necessary. She would not take from the forest, just because she wandered into the wrong territory.

It was a learning process, having only ever been so far. She guided herself with the stars and every day she moved, mapping the area of forest mentally. She still knew what direction she would follow when she wished to go back to her burrow.

In truth, although she knew the direction back to the burrow, she did not know this forest as her mother did. Though the animals and general fauna did not change much as she traveled, the forest itself did. The forest breathed differently, and the animals seemed to know something she did not.

At times the forest would still, if only for a moment. She too would pause. The feeling of curiosity urged her to pause and listen. Currently her back pressed into the rough bark of the tree behind her. Her hands pressed into the tree and her toes curled into the dirt. Head back and eyes closed, she listened. She felt. She listened to the forest.

Though the language was not one she understood, she could feel it whispering to her. The redwood hummed, thrumming with energy behind her. Though the Forest was paused it still spoke, in much lower tones. Almost carefully. Quietly.

It seemed as if in no time, the forest resumed. She breathed and her eyes opened. Her eyes met those of a rabbit. It blinks and hops in the opposite direction. A sigh escaped her lungs. She longed to understand the whispers. She felt a sudden rush of energy.

Birdsong and creaking and snapping of bones filled her ears. Izuku smiled. Mother came slithering through the trees. The forest filled with the noise of scuttling busy ants. Long claws wrapped around her midsection pulling her close. Chips and clicks left Izuku's throat in excited greeting. "My child."

"Mother." The large body crawled and twirled around her, settling into her side. Crumbles of dirt and roots fell as Izuku wrapped her arms around her. They spent the evening together. Mother chirped like a songbird. While Izuku leaned against her mother she soaked in her warmth, she sewed small hides together. She would be needing them soon.

Izuku set down her hides and looked up and mother who bathed in the sunlight. Light glittered off bone and fur. "Mother why does the forest pause? Sometimes it lasts only a few breaths and other times it's very long."

Mother paused her song. She turned to face her and groaning of wood echoed through the forest. "The forest is my heart. When I pause, the forest pauses. There are things I watch. Things you cannot see. When I pause to watch, the forest stills."

Izuku turned fully, confusion written on her face. "What do you mean? Things I cannot see?"

"Yes. Because you are of men, there are things you cannot see most of them. In the center of the forest you see creatures and shadows but there are far more than what you can currently see. I commune with them as I do the redwoods, earth, and stars." Her voice echoed with beetles and squelching moss. Izuku felt baffled. Creatures that she herself would never see. Mothers form shrunk and a gangly limb embraced her. Small coos and chattering rumbled through her chest. "There are many things you do not know."

Her hand clasped around her mothers limb. "Can you teach me more? More outside of surviving?" She felt full of wonder and awe as her mother told her new tales. Tales of creatures and beings that coexisted with them. Mother spoke of how there were beings who were not exactly human, but a mix. Sort of like she was a mix of human and mother.

These beings respected the forest far more than men. They still took though. Mother was weary when explaining that everyone took far more than they needed. The forest was huge. So big that most men and beings did not think they were affecting the forest by taking. But they were. They took and took and never gave. Mother speaks with disdain and disgust.

Mother told her, her chances of coming across some different beings were far higher than men, but that wasn't always better. The beings looked like men, but they had different features, as she had her claws and teeth. Izuku would be able to tell they were not men. For men held nothing to help them hunt other than their inventions.

None of the settlements came even close to the outer edge of the heart of the forest. The furthest, mother had told her, was only a couple months' travel from the forest's edge. They never settled deeper into the forest. Mother sounded amused when mentioning that even the beings were scared of the forest to a degree.

Mother told her about many things, and Izuku couldn't help but question how her mother had grown to be so knowledgeable. She was always so adamant about not going close, but she spoke with such confidence and knowledge. Either way, she soaked every word into her bones.

Eventually Mother paused and fell a buck for them to feast on before the night had fallen fully. Izuku gratefully ate with her mother, having only been feasting on small rodents and berries. After mother had her fill, she settled next to her child with a large bone in her maw, crunching and slurping the marrow.

Izuku harvested some of the larger bones she could use during her travels, for traps and tools. She was in need of a sharper knife, so this was a good opportunity. After harvesting the bucks antlers, she began to craft. Her mother would chuckle and say it was the human in her that wanted to create. As she saw no need for it.

Under the moonlight, as mother kept watch, Izuku decorated the antlers in moss and small pretty stones, dangling from the points. She added a few small feathers and covered the base in roots. With careful detail, she entwined the base of the antlers to the top of her head. Entwining the base on top of her skull, making sure it would be secured.

"See, I can alter my appearance as well." She stood proudly, showing off her prize to her mother. Mother snorted and laughed. It was a song of a rushing river and falling rain. "Indeed you can, child."

Long talons run through her tangled hair, and very carefully weaved. Her green hair was braided and mother plucked small flowers around them and carefully placed each one in her hair. Izuku smiled up at her mothers many eyes. Mothers form wisped before two large antlers formed. She slightly lowered her head and nudged her child ever gently, watching the dangerous sharp tips. "The real things are far better though."

Izuku giggled and happy chittering and clicking left her. Mother responded the same. That night, Mother formed a long tail, full of hair, and stayed tall as she gazed into the distance, listening to her daughter hum and chirp as she played with the long hair. The moonlight glittered off mother and daughter, as they curled around each other.

The next morning when Izuku awoke, Mother was still there. She was surprised and questioned her mother. Mother always left by early morning. There was slight unrest in her eyes as Izuku stood before her.

"I fear because you are my child. I know you are curious about the world around you, Izuku. All I ask is that you use caution. I can become the wind or the rain. I can travel through shadows, roots, or the earth, to be by your side. But there may be a time when that is not enough. It only takes a moment and if there is ever a time I am not close enough, you must run. I know I spoke of the other beings, but you must know that men are far worse. They must not see you. Stay away from the forest edge. Men don't travel too far into the forest, so stay far away. Don't let them take you from me"

Mother was somber and serious. Her many eyes pierced her. Mother crooned and bid her farewell before using her many legs to slicker and scuttle away. The sounds of wet flesh and creaking bones faded. Izuku was thankful. Mother was very kind in her warning, making sure she knew that the forest wasn't the only thing that she needed to be careful with. Inwardly she wondered just how scary the men could be. To even scare mother so.