Private Finished Not From 'Round Here

Stefan's reaction was surprising and it blindsided Salal. So much that when she put the charm back on Salal's cheeks were slightly blushed and the chuckled in an embarrassed manner.
"Thank you for compliment. It first time I was called awesome. My friend scream first time see me, other people here see me as normal."
Salal explained, fanning her face a bit. She wasn't really used to receiving compliments on her appearance, it was strange.

Salal blinked at Stefan when he provided her with information that very much blew her mind.
"People pray for bears for strength and toughness? But bears can not answers, bears are just bears."
Salal said in confusion, but still kind of embarrassed and flattered because for some reason Stefan seemed to hold her in high esteem.
"But it is nice thought, that my kind is thought like that."
Salal admitted and gave a small shy smile.

"Spirit of bear? You mean bear mind? I do not understand, I am sorry"
Salal apologized, she wasn't really understanding the concept Stefan was trying to explain. Salal wasn't religious and didn't believe in any kind of afterlife, she was very much down to earth and believed that when one died that was it. You disappeared. Although that belief had been challenged lately, when in the community center a person had admitted they brought dead things come to life. Thinking that always made Salal sad, because the person had become sad when Salal hadn't completely accepted that. Salal could not help but think that bringing things back from dead was...grotesque, in a way. Against the purpose that nature intended. But she did her best to change that way of thinking, as it seemed that coming back from death was not an uncommon thing here.

"Special? I not know that, I become like this because of accident, many much more special people here. I could not answer prayer, I am just me. Just bear. I do not give anyone strength or toughness."
Salal shook her head a bit, she had her amulet that could basically give people those things if their spirit animal was strong or tough. But it wasn't Salal giving them that, it was the amulet. The amulet that wasn't even Salal's, she had just found it.

Salal wasn't all that secretive of a person, she gladly shared things about herself except about...the incident. So, when Stefan asked what the accident that had changed her was Salal pulled out her bear claw amulet from under her shirt and showed it to Stefan.
"This amulet turn humans into animal they share most sides with. Personality, body, mind. I was bear when I found this, normal grizzly bear. It slip around my neck, it turn me into what I showed you. It hurt and I was lost, but I met my friend. He show me how to be human."
Salal explained with a small fond smile, when she thought of Tyler. She really missed him, and Salal still didn't know what had happened to him...

"I not know what this amulet do to others than human. It may make them into animals too, but I never put it on other animals. I keep it safe with me, so thing like what happen with me do not happen again."
Salal had a determined expression, and she set the amulet down so it rested against her chest.

Stefan still insisted that Salal was special and she couldn't help but feel the urge to deny that. So, she insistently shook her head and looked down bit shyly.
"It have same effect on other animals, I think. The amulet have magic, it make animals part human. I am not special, I am just animal. Or was, not just animal anymore, part human now."
Salal tried explaining, now blushing some more at this new kind of attention she wasn't used to receiving. Rather, the act of blushing itself was new to Salal, and she touched her cheeks in confusion. Why did they feel warm? Was this the "cold" Tyler sometimes got, that made him hot and sweaty and red?