Rurik shrugged at the question, glancing backwards at the plant he'd dug up. "Well, it's all about helpin' people, little man. Fixing them up with the herbs you dig up, making 'em, like, feel better." It was a simple enough explanation, but he couldn't fault the boy for not exactly understanding what it was that healers did. It did all seem like digging up plants, until you were hurt, where a healer could be your best friend and your worst enemy all at the same time. It was a pretty noble profession, he thought, although he wasn't terribly concerned with prestige. Rurik liked that he could work mostly behind the scenes, only coming out when it was necessary. Like some kind of omen, he held the fate of others in his hands-- if he did his job well, they'd survive.

He'd heard the muttered words, but didn't comment on them until after Triton gave his name and asked him to teach him about going with the flow as he'd called it. Rurik chuckled, moving down to lay upon his stomach, letting his paws rest in the cool waters of the river. "No one's really wise, Triton. There's so much beyond what we can see and feel." He said. The boy had seen it, after all. The way the colors moved and melted, the thoughts that drifted through his mind-- revelations of beautiful explosions when he closed his eyes. There must be something more out there, something that hid behind a wall of consciousness. It was his father's herbs that helped him break it down, but through mediation on the concept of the world beyond their world, he supposed you could achieve the same thing.

"But I can give you some advice, little man." He began, glancing over at Triton. "Life is just life. Nothin' more, nothin' less. Whether or not you think about it, time marches on-- things are living and dying around you all the time. Everything's got a place, and life's got a plan. Just let it happen, my friend, let it happen." Rurik sighed, laying his head upon his forelegs with a dreamlike expression.