My boss told me to watch a security program for a while, which translates to "goof off online and glance at the server monitor every minute or two". Here's Animals/Plants expanded. I'd like your opinion before I do the same to Earth/Stone.

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It began with his master's pet dog. The first time it spoke and he heard it, he thought he'd gone loony. The dog was known for being friendly to the shop's customers, greeting them with cheerful barks as they entered. However, that day, Sir Isaac heard only the coarsest of profane terms leave its mouth. For years this dog had been insulting customers, and they'd happily greeted it with treats and friendly pats. Surely Sir Isaac must have been placed under a terrible curse!

Slowly, he began to understand other animals and came to understand something: Many pets were horrible to their owners. They knew they could get away with anything and be rewarded in the end, and so took pleasure in throwing the vilest insults they could at their owners. Where multiple pets were involved, they'd have "conversations" where they tried to outdo each other's insults. The knowledge was jarring to Sir Isaac - though he was a party to thieves, pirates, and smugglers, he had yet to meet any who took such pleasure in negativity. He became certain in that year that he had been cursed.

That idea quickly shattered while traveling through a forest to meet with a long-distance client. The calls of birds, squirrels, and insects filled his ears with the (relative) goodness of wild animals. Enchanted by the newfound beauty of their songs, Sir Isaac found his journey through the woods to be far more pleasant than usual - until a wolf howled. Startled, he sat bolt upright. Being able to understand the wolf's howl, he initially thought they were under attack by bandits - after all, the wolf had called that the "target" was surrounded. Nobody else in the caravan seemed to have heard the "bandit" shout, and the group continued forward. When they rounded a bend, Sir Isaac saw what had been - a pack of wolves had taken down a large buck and were taking the catch off the path.

As time went on, Sir Isaac began to learn from the calls of the wild animals. He learned much of hunting strategies from the howls of wolves. He learned how to avoid predators from the calls of fleeing prey. He learned the locations of poisonous plants, nutritious leaves, and fresh sources of water. By putting what he learned into practice, he quickly became the most well-respected gatherer of wild herbs and spices in Jeorvo. His flora-based alchemical studies flourished with the availability of fresh ingredients, and his alchemical business began in earnest.

That was not all that Sir Isaac learned to use his power for. He began approaching animals, starting with the smallest and working his way up, and starting conversations. At first he wanted to squeeze information out of them, but soon came to realize he could use the animals as workers. By "paying" them with deeds simple for humans but quite difficult for animals, he could earn their favor. By creating a predator-resistant door for rabbit dens, he increased his herb supply dramatically. By purchasing cows and giving them to wolves, he ensured that the black market's caravans would gain safe passage through the forests.

Finally, Sir Isaac learned to play inter-species politics in his favor. Snakes, as it turns out, are hunted by a number of species that humans like to keep as unique pets or hunt for exquisite meats or furs. Thus, snakes would often complain of species like foxes, hawks, raccoons, and boars in the area. Sir Isaac could ask where he should avoid in order to not run into such creatures and be led practically to the animals' front doors. He quickly turned this to his favor in business, selling furs, rare pets, and fresh meats through the black market's many fronts and turning a pretty profit.
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EDIT: I'd also like to know about the animals in the setting a bit. Are they able to understand humans by default, or do they need to be speaking to the Animals elementos or have been around humans a long time?