>>29105106Continuing onto Sapling psychology;
> Mentally, an adult Sapling's cognitive ability is roughly comparable to that of a human child. Most Saplings demonstrate a capacity for simple problem solving, have good long-term memory, and possesses strong enough comprehension skills to understand spoken language. Saplings can communicate verbally with reasonable fluency, though more complex language may leave them confused. Attempts to teach Saplings to understand written language have been met with limited success. Attempts to teach Saplings how to write have all been dismal failures, though some Saplings have demonstrated some artistic ability using simple paints and crayons.> Most Saplings share a common vocabulary, theorized to be transmitted via the Life Tree sap they consume as infants. They tend to refer to Ceres Fauna/Mother Nature as "Fauna," "Fau-Fau," or "mommy." Potential threats are labeled as "bullies." When overexcited, a Sapling tends to loudly "squeeb." And lastly, there is the famous Sapling cry that gives the forest its name, commonly transliterated as "uuuuUUUUUUuuuuuu!"> Saplings are notoriously easy to upset. Their normal response to stress of any variety is panic, bursting into tears, and screaming. Loud noises, aggressive behavior, confusion, fire, loneliness, pain, and fear are the most common triggers for a Sapling's panic response, but many Saplings will often work themselves into a breakdown by simply THINKING about these triggers too hard. To make matters worse, panic tends to spread among Saplings like wildfire. A Sapling's instinctive response upon seeing a panicking Sapling is to panic as well. > Fortunately, it is fairly easy for Saplings to calm down as it is to work them up. Physical affection, soothing affirmations, sweets, shelter, and other soothing stimuli can bring a Sapling out of an emotional breakdown. While normally it falls upon their human and Faunatic caretakers to soothe panicking Saplings, there have been accounts of Saplings soothing themselves through thoughts of Mother Nature, a phenomenon that will be discussed later.> To Faunatics, the timorous nature of Saplings is regarded as endearing. Most communities take a parental view towards their flighty charges. The first instinct of a Faunatic awoken in the middle of the night by a chorus of wailing Saplings will be to run outside, soothe their anxiety, and invite them inside to sleep somewhere warm, cozy, and safe. This complimentary behavior contributes to the symbiotic relationship between Faunatic and Sapling. 