Trystle Hortus snores. It's a very raspy snore, one that in an elderly person would be considered a death rattle. But at least it is clear when the girl is deeply asleep. Close up, it's clear from her aura as well - which is only readable close up, at least while in Boartraum form. Aside from the animal instincts getting in the way of normal thinking at times, they also dull Alptraum's aura senses considerably. Being built like a battering ram does compensate a bit though.
Without the whistling and other things triggering hog instincts, Alptraum finds thinking to be a bit easier. The beast of a hog manages to get slowly to hits cloven hooves without making too much noise in the process and carefully make his way to the door. Snout is lowered too so that it can see and sniff to make sure he doesn't kick anything in the process. Once he's to the door, the boar tilts his head so that he can look closer at the doorknob. Then it's ... well, an attempt to hook his tusks into it to pull the lever mechanism and release the door latch. "Being an animal isn't too bad," he thinks. Or maybe that's just the animal brain trying to make him feel better about being a naked and ugly boar.
The tusk helps, since it means he can keep hold of the handle after it unlatches, and pull the door open. Trystle doesn't lock it - but then, if you slept with a 300lb murder-pig at your feet you probably wouldn't feel the need either.
And so the hog carefully opens the door with greater intelligence than any common hog should have. Once open, he sticks his head out, looks, listens, and sniffs to make sure the coast is clear.
The corridor is quiet. Like many of the old towers, this one seems largely abandoned, and Trystle likes her privacy. It's a good indicator of how far a particular family has fallen as well. The scent of Savanites is.. old. Years old. There's mildew, dampness.. and the sow. Whatever supernatural senses Boartraum has may be dulled, but the ability to detect other hogs is pretty sharp. He can tell the sow is in distress.. and higher up in the tower.
Boartraum sniffs again, instinct and curiosity then tug at him. He has to go find the sow, not only out of some sort of hog urge ... but to find out what they are doing to them. So, the many hundred pound hog sneaks as well as he possibly can down the hall, using his nose to find the way up, and his ears to listen for other movement in the tower.
The tower is eerily quiet, at least at this level (which is close to the lower dock level). As he ascends, trotters clicking on the stone, there's more activity. Not intense activity, just night activity. There's a kitchen, and people are cleaning or preparing for the next day.. it's hard to tell from the scents. Guards change shifts, moving inward or outward. They guard the external entries, after all, not the internal spaces. There are some in the kitchen, Boartraum can tell. But despite the smell of a larder.. there is no sow here. Still higher up.
The boar moves slowly in spite of the urge to go faster; he does not wish to alert the guards. So, movements are only made when he is pretty sure there are no guards nearby to hear him move about. And even though there are also urges to raid for more food; those too he ignores as he keeps his mind ofcused on the concerns above and his job here; it keeps the mind clearer.
Another flight of stairs to go. At least they're wide, and the steps aren't too narrow. A good indication of 'more important people are up here'-ness. The scent of the sow is much stronger.. she definitely came this way. There's even still some urine in the passage.
And before the Alptraum part of the hog's brain knows it, the boar is snuffling right into that urine, probably attracted to the hormones. "Ugh, stop that! Alptraum thinks a few seconds later when he regains control and pulls his snout back. Focusing inward for a moment, the hog tries to find the bat within to clear his mind again ... and only then does he start down the hallway to try and locate the sow. Ears remain focused, trying to make sure he does not stumble into someone up here.
There's a squeal. It comes from a hallway to the right, heading deeper into the tower. And there are also voices. The boar can't hear all of the range of an Eeee voice, but it's enough to know that there's an argument in progress.
Boartraum's ears flick and its large ringed nose twitches. The hog then heads towards the squeal and the argument. "What are they doing?" he hinks as he tries to focus more on the voices and less on the squeal so that his Eeee brain will translate the speaking instead of getting lost in hog-fog.
There a double-door where the sounds are coming from. One of the hinges is askew, so it doesn't close properly. There old scents here as well.. of soap? It might have been a bath in better times. "How much longer are we going to be doing this for?" a young voice complains. It sounds like Trystle's brother, Seylen. "It'll be over with all too son, ungrateful boy. Then how will we feed ourselves, eh?" and older and rather ill sounding voice replies. There are grunts and a squeal of protest from the sow, and wet noises.
Boartraum tries to peer through the askew door while he continues to listen. "What are they doing to the sow? Stuffing things into her?" he wonders.
There's an empty sunken bath. The sow and the boy are in it, while an old Eeee sits at the edge with a basket. "Eww.. dad.. this one is still fresh," Seylen says, sounding disgusted. "Where do you.. where do these.. ugh." The boy's body blocks the view, but there's a rubber glove going nearly up to his shoulder and the sow grunts and complains again as, indeed, something is pushed inside of her.
"Ain't no mind of yours where the product comes from," the old man says. "You just pack 'em in there." He reaches into the basket and lifts out.. a small, limp form. It looks like an Eeee fetus. It's still wet. "I'm the only one needs to know this stuff."
"Come on, move. What are you stuffing into her?" Boartraum thinks in frustration as he shifts about. Seems like it was a good idea to not come as a sow otherwise ... that thought stops when he spots what looks like an Eeee fetus. "That cannot seriously be an actual Eeee child, can it? Where are they getting those?"
"It's just.. what the hell is the use for stillborn kids?" Seylen presses, even as he accepts the next one to stuff deep into the sow. "Something terrible will come of it, I know.."
"Don't matter," the father says. "We gets 'em, we stuffs 'em, we ships 'em off. Don't pay to know more than that."
"Sillborns? Almost Srinalas," Boartraum thinks in disgust. "This is horrid. What, are the freaks in the mists eating them?"
"Not worth the pay then," the boy grumbles.
"Won't be for much longer," the elder claims. "I can feel it in my bones."
"Not for much longer, no, but not for the reasons you may be thinking," Boartraum thinks grimly. The source of these dead children has to be located.
"Well, thank the Kindly Ones for that," Seylen says, going about his gruesome task. "Or not. We'll be turned over to the Yodhsunala, I know it. They'll.. who knows what they'll do to us. It's blasphemy, handling the dead like this, dad. Can't we just starve or do normal work.." THWACK. The old man has a cane, and is quick with it, smacking the boy across his wing-shoulders. It shuts him up though.
"We're a proud clan, son. We don't do menial crap work. Things work out, we'll be riding high again thanks to this work," the old man claims.
"The Yodhsunala would do much worse to you, yes, if they knew. I want to do worse to you, for that matter. Well, not the kid, but the adult should know better," Boartraum thinks, eyes narrow. Not that he uses them that much.
"We need to rush this one," the old man says, taking the last bundle from the basket. "Move her out during the fight tomorrow."
"The boar fights bring in more money than this, surely?" the boy asks, sounding like he's almost pleading.
"At least he hasn't mentioned me," Boartraum thinks, "And ... good to know. I will have to relay that to Tulani so the receiver can be tracked."
"Not what the slave fights brought in," the old man says, sounding bitter. "Not enough. These sows are worth their weight though. You'll be thankful later."
"No, he won't," Boartraum thinks.
The last unborn baby is packed in, making barely a dent in the sow's appearance, and Seylen peals off the glove. "Can I eat now?" he asks his father.
"So glad that isn't me in there," Boartraum thinks. The question about eating gets his attention quick; he may need to depart very soon.
"I don't want to hear you threw it up again," the old man says, getting to his feet. "Clean up in here, then you can eat." He leans on his cane, and looks around the dimly lit chamber. There are glimpses of old mosaics on the walls. "One day, before I die.. I'll see this tower revived. We'll rule the docks again, collect the tariffs.. just like the old days."
"No, no you won't," Boartraum thinks as he backs away from the door since it is likely that the son will be leaving soon, so he will have to as well. Now he needs to figure out on what ship the stuffed hogs go out on.
There's the sound of water being poured outside of Boartraum's view. "Yeah, yeah, and I'll have my pick of the daughters of fat nobles and so on, and even Trystle will be courted and we'll fart gold dust and oh, yeah, never be able to sleep soundly because of nightmares but that hardly matters, right?" the boy mutters. The old man doesn't respond, so maybe his hearing is going. He starts to shuffle towards the doors.
And that's when the boar has to retreat quickly and disappear down a side hall or door before he is spotted!
The stairs seem safe.. the master of the tower would be heading up after all. It's easy to track his progress, thanks to the clack of the cane. Whether he's going higher or not, the sound is definitely receding.
Boartraum's nose twitches as he waits for the voices to fade. Now he has to find the ship name. Should be ... easyish. Just follow to where the sow scents tend to converge.
The scent of the big sow is overwhelming still. And he can hear her moving, with Seylen still muttering. The boy is leading her out with a leash on her nose ring, and heading towards the stairs.
So .. boartraum will wait that out, then just follow her scent. It's strong and very familiar now. It also keeps wanting to trigger hoggy instincts, which is really frustrating!
Seylen brings the sow past Boartraum's hiding place, and of course she pauses to snuffle in his direction, causing the Eeee boy to tug several times on her tether. "Come on, I don't have time for side trips. There's food down at the pens. You like food, don't you? You didn't get this big from holding your breath.."
With a squeal of protest the sow begins moving again.
And it's really hard for Boartraum to not call out to the sow. But now instincts are demanding that he follow her. He waits as long as he can, then trots after the pair at distance, still trying to stay out of view.
Most of the journey seems to retrace the one the boar took earlier, but veers off before reaching the hall leading to Thystle's room. There are most hogs ahead.. and there are boars. It makes Boartraum's hackles rise a bit. The path goes through a large open area, with tiered seating around steep-walled pit that smells of old blood.
And boartraum waits to make sure the area is clear before attempting to pass through. And if it isn't clear ... as must as instinct is pushing otherwise, he will return to his 'owner', Thystle.
The seats have been recently cleaned. The path of the sow leads to a ramp descending behind one section of seats to a lower area. There are sounds down there of many hogs, and Seylen muttering. The sound of a gate.. and then, "I'll be back for you tomorrow, piggy." The boy should be returning soon.
And Boartraum retreats back to Thystle's room before he is caught! Once the boy passes, he can go examine the grate where the boy lead the sow. The scents of other boars and sows nag at him.
Seylen passes, heading back to the upper levels.. or more likely to the kitchen.
"Focus, clear mind. You're not a real hog, don't let the instinct control you," Boartraum thinks to himself, trying to settle urges before slinking out of the girl's room. Once out again, he traces the path back through the fighting room and down to the possible hog pens.
The holding area was once used for slave pit-fighters. There are still holding cells, not turned into hog pens. The sow is in the nearest one, her face buried in a deep bucket full of old vegetables and bugs. There are several empty ones next to her before the ones with the boars in them. They're big, brutish beasts.. but almost certainly chosen for their appearance. They don't all look that heavy, some of them just shaggy to cover the thinness. But if they're here, it's because they responded to Thystle. They're also responding to the sow, which is probably deliberate.
"So, they use the sow to instill the urge to fight?" Boartraum has to wonder about this setup. And to test this he tries to release his grip on the hog instincts to see what his urges would be near other boars and the sow. He's also pretty sure he out-masses them by a fair amount; Sylvanian boars are large.
The urge to challenge them is there, even though they boars are sensible enough to back away from the ironwood bars when Boartraum's attention is on them.
Boartraum is rather grateful the sow isn't in heat. He suspects that might overpower his cognitive functions when in close proximity. The large boar snuffles about the area a bit more, looking for anything more worth exploring. His ears remain alert, though, listening for anyone approaching, while he investigates.
Blood. There's a lot of blood smell. Both in the holding area and through the bars leading into the pit. Hog blood, at that. The fights must be vicious. Enough to attract a betting crowd.
Given Boartraum is very aware of his mass and the size of his tusks, he can easily imagine the fights are bloody and likely to the death. Not something he would wish to be involved in to be sure. A few more snuffles and the boar retreats from this place of death to return to his 'owner'. The children are innocent here, more or less. They should be spared from 'justice' and given mercy. And some new work, perhaps. Animal training is a useful skill and it could be helpful in manu ways if it can go beyond hogs.
Trystle is still snoring. It doesn't take a lot of thought to figure out how to get the boars to fight without a sow in heat nearby - Trystle. She must control the fight.. and possibly even decide who is going to win and who is going to lose, depending on the odds.
"And I bet Trystle hates doing it," Boartraum thinks as it settles back into its bed to rest a bit itself. "She doesn't seem the type to want to cause death and harm. But ... it isn't like she has much choice here. The elder rules; the bastard."
At least Boartraum knows when the sow is going to be moved again, and hopefully Trystle will be busy at the same time. So long as she doesn't decide to take him with her to the fight, he should be able to learn more.
"Unless Trystle decides to fight me ... and I hope not! Then I should be able to learn what the ship name is that does the transports," Boartraum thinks as he settles, eyes closing to rest for himself for a bit, if the snoring will allow it anyway. Hopefully remaining a hog for a while longer won't lead to becoming more hog-like.
Boartraum's dreams were.. odd. There was a forest.. or a field.. everything smelled sweet, at least. And the sow! She was pure white, with a long mane. Inala as a hog! Things were just getting involved when a hand on his shoulder started insisting he wake up. "Her, Bertrum," Thystle kept saying. "Wakey wakey."
Boartraum grumbles in a rather hoggy way as wakefulness comes to him. And he had just figured out how to get his fore limbs around those lovely hog-hips, too. He lifts his head and shakes it side to side a bit, causing the thick ring in his nose to flop about a bit. Only after that does he look up to Trystle.
"Sleep well?" the girl asks, and musses up the white shag on the boar's head. "Ready for breakfast and walkies?"
Boartraum snorts at the Eeee; a grumbly sort of one again. Still, he does rise and thankfully his Eeee aspects are waking up too. this girl is really good at bringing the hog parts forward when she talks and it's a bit disquieting that it triggers petlike instincts along with it.
It also doesn't help that she scratches behind his ears. "I gotta get all dolled up today," Trystle seems to complain. At the moment she's just wearing a pair of shorts. She eventually reaches for a dressing gown and puts that on though, before opening the door. "I'll show you were the kitchen is! Follow me." That last went straight to piggy-brain.
And Boartraum is trotting along behind her before the Eee brain even catches up. "This is disquieting; I do whatever she wants without even thinking about it," he thinks worriedly. "Good thing she's ... kind ... ish."
The way to the kitchen is familiar - Boartraum can even smell his previous sojourn along the route. The kitchen itself is much busier and crowded, with a large amount of food being prepared. A few of the works smile and nod to Trystle, and one matronly Fnerf brings out the girl's breakfast and big pot full of.. probably last night's leftovers.. which she places down in front of Boartraum. "My, he's a big one!" she comments.
"Isn't he?" the girl enthuses, and pats the boar's back.
Boartraum leans against Tystle's legs, almost enough to cause her to tip over. Except then the smell of ... garbage triggers something in his brain. He doesn't have too much time to think on it because the next thing the Eeee brain realizes is ... he's snout-first into the pail of garbage. And worse ... he's eating it.
It's definitely a new experience. The hard part is thinking past the piggy instincts though. He may be a hog.. but he's still a vampire. He'll have to deal with that food via the shadow at some point.
Having a nose ring will never be quite the same, either. Boartraum constantly feels it moving around in his large nose in this body and that isn't helping keep the instincts down, either. But for the time being the pet boar seems content to eat; even with the Eeee aspects rather unnerved by the experience.
Eating is probably the least unnerving thing that could happen though. Thystle has a relatively light breakfast of fruit and sugarbeetles. She actually finishes first, then waits for the boar.
And somehow the boar manages to eat the entire contents of the pail and is soon rooting it around on the floor as if more will magically appear in it. It isn't terribly dignified; good thing no one who knows him can see this.
"That's enough," Thystle says, and taps the boar on the head. "I have an important job for you now."
The boar lifts its head and grunts in Trystle's direction. The bucket is still stuck on it.
The girl pops the bucket off. "You are a silly piggy," she chides, then gets up and gestures for the boar to follow her again.
Even if the Eeee part wanted to disobey, the hog part doesn't ... so in short order Boartraum is trotting after Trystle. "What have I become?" the Eeee part thinks with an inward sigh.
The next stop is down near Trystle's room, in the old slave quarters. Unlike the fancy bathroom upstairs with the walk-down sunken tub, this has a large wooden one, big enough for several Savanites to fit at once. There's a sluice of sorts in the ceiling with a pull cord, making this a fairly modern slave bathroom. Trystal plugs the tub drain, then pats inside. "Get in, Bertrum," she says.
Boartraum looks ... annoyed? He's going to get a bath? Hogs don't bathe! "No, but Eee's do, so ..." the Eeee brain forces the hog parts to obey and he clambers into the tub; awkward for hooves to do, but he manages it.
The water is poured. It's cool, of course. Why heat water for slaves? The tub fills up, but it doesn't really bother the boar. For a boar, all natural water is cold. The water stops, and Trystle.. goes about doing other things. Gathering a washbucket, brushes, soap and a towel, and getting them into place for when she needs them. She doesn't seem interested in entering the bath itself anytime soon.
And Boartraum turns circles as he watches the Eeee bustle about. "What is she doing? And why?" the hog has to wonder; this is very strange. Is she planning on joining him or just washing him? It might be a bit cold for Eeee, honestly.
Every so often, the girl dips her finger into the water, hmms, and goes to do something else. "Thinner hogs are better for this, I admit," she tells Boartraum.
"Better for what?" Boartraum has to think. As for asking her, well, all he can do is grunt at her. Is she expecting him to warm up the water?
And then.. she finally gets in. She shivers briefly, and then goes about bathing herself. Boartraum was being used to warm up the water a little, it seems.
And to get revenge for this, Boartraum sticks his nose and the cold ring in it right against Trystle's backside.
"Ahhh!" the girl squeaks! She turns taps her finger on Boartraum's nose. "Nonono, bad Bertrum," she chides. "I'll play with you later."
And Boartraum grunts at her again. The Eeee part of him briefly considers cold-ringing her again in a different place now that she's facing him ... but manages to behave himself.
Of course, that's when she hugs him. Or his head, rather, which is big enough. This gets soap on his face. "You're a bit silly! I wish I could take you to the pit with me.. but you'll have stay in the room. And I don't want anything destroyed, either."
And the hog lifts his head to nose the girl again! It's her fault for hugging him, after all. Of course he wouldn't destroy anything in the room; he has to follow the sow after all. He won't be there that long...
"Hey, those aren't mushrooms," Trystle notes, and pushes the boar back a bit. "I know how to calm you down. I'll take you to the surrogate after the bath, alright?"
"The what? The ... errr," Boartraum thinks. He's pretty sure he knows what that is and unfortunately he's pretty sure it might be rather embarrassing is she is true to that threat. The boar just snorts at her and behaves himself before he gets into real trouble.
Trystle goes back to bathing, and singing to herself (badly). "You're lucky that you're too big to fight," she comments to the boar. "Gotta look like a fair match, or nobody bets."
Snort, replies the hog. It sounds almost ... smug? As if the boar knows he would win anyway.
"I'd need another one as big as you," Trystle notes. "But can't look until tomorrow, probably. Today it's Goober and Blaster in the pit." She sighs. "I liked them."
Boartraum leans against her, then shakes his head. Maybe he means that she shouldn't do it? Or ... he just wants to shake water off.
The bucket is brought in, dunked, and then dumped over the girl to rinse her off. "Ready to get out, huh?" Trystle misinterprets. She pulls the drain bung, then stands up. "Go ahead and shake off first," she tells the boar.
And the boar dutifully obeys the girl! Gah, that is so frustrating. The hog aspect has bonded with this girl and it gets hard to over-ride it when she is right there. The boar's large body shakes and rolls slightly to shed the water off its bristly body. Once he has shaken off, the boor clambers out of the tub.
Trystle follows, and begins to towel off, since shaking isn't really an option. She then cleans up a bit, puts her dressing gown back on, and leads Boartraum back to her room. "What's your favorite color?" she asks him along the way.
"That's an odd question to ask a boar," Boartraum thinks as he looks up at the girl as they walk. His reply is, as always, a grunt. It might mean, green. It might mean white. Heck, it might mean black! The boar has affinity to all of those colors after all.
Back in the room, the wardrobe is opened.. and Trystle picks out a white blouse, green skirt, and a black neckerchief. Once they're on, she spins around for Boartraum (nobody would call it a pirouette - the girl just lacks grace). "What do you think?" she asks.
Boartraum grunts ... suggestively? He even comes over and rubs against her legs again. "How is she able to make sense of me?!?" the Eeee thinks, "I don't make sense to myself!"
"Yeah, I guess I do look like a moldy cabbage," Trystle says, somehow making that sound like it's a compliment. From a hog, it probably is. She then blinks, and says, "Oops.. I forgot to take care of you before getting dressed up.. it'll have to be after the fight. I'll need to unwind a bit myself then. Get it? Unwind? Because you're curly at first?"
Boartraum looks ... confused. Somehow the hog manages to grunt and shrug its large shoulders. He meanders his way back to his bed and flops down on it rather unceremoniously.
"Nobody ever gets my jokes," Trystle complains, raising her hands. "Am I really just that bad at humor? Like when I made that one guy barf with the joke about the.. well, in hindsight maybe it wasn't that funny."
Snort, goes the boar again. His head lowers down and comes to rest on its fore limbs. Somehow the hog manages to look at least mildly amused, but inward he's worried. What will become of her once all this is done? Who can he send her to to help her have a happier life? There are always casualties and to stop this her family will become one.
"I have to go get the boars ready," Trystle sighs. "The kitchen'll be putting out the food carts soon and the monsters will show up to place their bets. Gotta parade the hogs around for that. Can't do anything until the odds are set. Although sometimes I pretend they're cheering for me when I'm taking the boars out on their strut. Pretty pathetic, right? You take a nap or something." It's only a suggestion, instead of a command, at least.
Boartraum actually shakes his head when she asks if it is pathetic. She's a lonely girl and sometimes you have to do things to give yourself hope; he knows that all to well from his own childhood. He also decides he wants to get a look and a sniff at these monsters, aka, the other Eeee that come, then he can tail after the sow to the ship and note its name for Tulani and the Wolf.
Trystle pets Boartraum again, says, "Be a good boy while I'm gone," and then leaves, closing the door behind her. There's no extra locking or latching because.. hogs don't use door handles. And if Boartraum really wanted out, the door wouldn't stop him. This way only the latch will need to be replaced in the latter case, and not the entire door.
And Boartraum waits for a bit to give her time to head off to the pens. That's when the hog gets back to his feet and goes to the door. He presses his head up to it and listens as best he can ... and if clear, it's catching the latch with his tusks and lips again to open the door and slip out.
There's sound, but it's distant. The door opens, and isn't likely to be overheard either. There's definitely some crows sounds, even if it's a small crowd.
Boartraum tries to sneak his way back down the hall until and see if it can reach the arena and peer in to see the crowd (as well as smell them). He also has to scent for the sow and see if she has been taken yet.
There are a lot of scents, probably because more ventilation has been opened (or more likely there are fans being used to move the smell of the food around). There are fried things. And beer. Aromas that overwhelm the smell of the audience at least. The sow's scent is still a bit old though.. it's from when she was brought down last night, and Boartraum didn't see any other obvious exits from the holding area, so she's likely still down there. A peek around the corner shows the view between two of the seating sections. The people are.. common looking. There might be a few better-dressed sorts, but the clothes look old somehow. Gentry, with clothes well-made enough to be heirlooms. The rest look like dockworkers and sailors. Mostly men, but a few women. An Eeee child is circulating and selling pennants, one red and one blue, to anyone that wants to show their support for a particular fighter.
"Just average Eeee. Nothing devious or dangerous here, no works of the General just ... cheap entertainment; like the bunny fights in Sylvania," Boartraum thinks as he forces the Eeee part to keep in front and the hog aspects to not get over-whelmed by the scent assault. The sow hasn't been moved yet, good. But, it was to be soon, or so he thought. If he can remain hidden where he stands, he may watch a bit of the 'boar battle' to see what exactly goes on.
It's hard to see down into the pit, but he can smell and hear the boars... and Trystle. He knows she's down there because he can sort of hear her talking to the fighters. It isn't until she leaves that the battle begins, heralded by lots of screams and squeals. A few in the audience are paying very close attention, as opposed to the those being more rambunctious. It might be that the fights are actually scored somehow. It's very distracting to the hog part of Boartraum, to the point where he nearly misses Seylen passing between the bleachers on his way to the ramp.
The hog part of his mind wants to charge into that pit himself and take them both down; he's the most virile male, after all! He's fortunate that he catches Seylen's scent and that jars his focus back. "Right, the sow. I need to follow them. So ..." Boartraum thinks and withdraws. Both to clear his mind and to get out of the hall since the boy will pass this way. He can follow the sow once he passes through the commons area and past the hall leading to Trystle's room.
There's complaining from the sow, so that gives him the clue as to when she's been taken down that hall. With all the other noise though, and the lack of Eeee ears, he can't tell which direction other than 'away'.
And so ... Boartraum has to rely on other senses, namely he has to snuffle the floor and find her fresh scent to follow it. "I am so glad none of the Goddesses can see this," he thinks, "It would give them bad ideas."
Then again.. was that Inala in his dream? The fresh sent is easy to follow, since the sow is feeling stressed. Who knows what else was done to her to make sure her cargo stays inside. Having her suddenly give birth to an Eeee in the wrong company would be more than just embarrassing. The route is leading down, also.. far below the airship dock level. There are scents from other sows having come this way. From the age, this might be something done every four to eight days.
Boartraum suspects certain areas were probably stitched closed to prevent that; not a pleasant thought by any means. Downward he goes, tracking the scent and noting the times. That means from today it should be watched again in four days or so. That gives enough time to set up a proper ambush outside and put an end to this horror. As for Inala, he doesn't want to even consider that could have been her!
It gets darker and darker, so scent is more important. It paints a useful picture. Seylen's scent waxes and wanes as well, suggesting stress as well. It makes part of Boartraum wonder what he tastes like. The stairs finally level out, and the path follows a corridor. It isn't clear what the rooms at this level were used for, but whatever it was happened long in the past. More smells now: air. But low air. Streets Below air, up ahead. And voices.
and the boar has to slow his pace so as to not make noise and alert those ahead. He moves foward at a snails pace now, listening, training to scent and hear. Trying to just get close enough to hear enough to learn what he needs to know; a ship's name or a captain's name. Or if no ship, a transporter's name. Some way to track who receives these horrible packages.
There's dim light ahead, and the silhouette of an archway. The sow is just outside, and Boartraum can hear the voices better. There are hisses and sibilants, so it seems that Seylen is dealing with Nagas. There is a different sort of grunt as well. Dromodon? It seems that sow isn't being taken to a ship, but is going to be to transported overland. And not through the Streets Below, as the 'Streets' part isn't very accurate when it comes to getting from place to another.
Boartruam tries to move a bit closer to try and hear better. "Who are these people? They must be taking the same road I did when I tracked the guards. That is something; it could be watched at intervals for them now," the boar thinks. "That is, if it is even going there. It could be people in town; which is worse if so."
"Where do you take them, anyway?" Seylen asks the Naga. The shapes are blobby, but at least it isn't a really big Naga. "To next pickup. Out in ruins," the snake replies.
"Aha, ruins. First theory confirmed," Boartraum thinks, his ringed nose wiggling a bit. He moves no closer; now that he can hear this is as much as he dares risk.
Something is exchanged, and Seylen asks, "When will you be back for another?" There's much hissing.. laughter? "You poppa will know." And then there's more sounds of the sow complaining as she's loaded into a cart or wagon or truck, and the Eeee has turned and started back down the hall. There's a jingle to his step.. whatever he was given is in a bag that produces the sound.
"Metal? Iron or gold coin? Something like that," Boartraum thinks. Now that the boy is returning he too must turn and head back up before the Eeee, lest he be discovered. Also, Trystle might be upset if he is missing from her room and the piggy part of the brain does not want her upset.
Seylen doesn't seem to be in any hurry, and is preoccupied with kicking things he encounters loose on the ground to notice the boar going up ahead of him. The fight is still going on, and there's a scoreboard of some sort up now as well, at least glimpsed in passing on the way back to Trystle's room.
Boartraum pauses to try and read the scoreboard from here if possible. If not, it's back to Tryste's room to 'rest'. He doesn't want to blow his cover and the pet 'instinct' really wants to obey Trystle's last request of him. Frustrating, yes, but he doesn't have to endure this forever.
It's nearly an hour before the furor of the fight dies down. And another hour past that before Trystle returns. She smells like blood now, and looks haggard as she heads straight for her bed and falls face first into it.
Boartraum gets up and heads over to the bed. The hog grunts softly and nuzzles his ringed snout under the Eeee's hand, perhaps to comfort her.
The girl's hand turns, and rubs Boartraum's nose. "We made a lot of money," she says through her mattress. "Blaster won, but probably isn't going to survive until night. We'll have lots of ham to sell for the next bout.. assuming I can find two more boars."
Boartraum rubs his nose upward into her hand, possibly to comfort her in the loss of a creature she cared about. HEr last comment means to him that she really doesn't want to find any more. But ... who would? Encouraging creatures you care about to fight and die is not something many would want to do.
"Maybe I should do like Seylen says," she says, muffledly. "Just hop onto a ship carting hogs and start working for them. Still'd be leading them to slaughter, but at least I wouldn't be there to see it happen."
Boartraum shakes his head lightly under Trystle's hand. The boar then draws back and ... climbs up on her bed, making it groan under his weight. He settles down next to the Eeee and leans his side lightly against hers.
This causes Trystle to roll over, finally. "You're hogging the bed," she points out. "Get it?" she adds a moment later.
Boartraum snorts. Right in her face.
"Ugh, garbage breath," the girl complains, and waves her hand in front of her face. "Where would you go, hmm? If you could go anywhere? I bet you'd be chasing Rughrats, or.. rampaging through the Streets Below, until the denizens started worshipping you as a demon god. You've got a sort of demon-god vibe. And the breath, certainly."
It really creeps Boartraum out when she does that. How can she tell so much when he doesn't say anything? So, to counter her probing too much he plants a wet snout right in the middle of her forehead.
"Wow, my first kiss!" Trystle squees, and scratches behind Boartraum's jowls. "You cheer me up, Bertrum. You must be wise. So.. should I stay and help my family, run away for a life of adventure and animal husbandry.. or abduct one of the dockworker guys who gets drunk at the fights, and tie him down here to be my love slave?"
Boartraum snorts three times. So, maybe he means three? But how could an animal even know what she was suggesting? "I don't know what you should do yet. I need to find you a place, or a way to start and really help your family, but not in this way," he thinks. "Tulani may have contacts. Heck, she might even be help to the ship's captain that brought Nicora and Tulani to Babel. There has to be some place she would be happy."
"You want me to be happy?" the girl asks, looking a bit surprised. "I want to be someplace with.. warm baths. I guess that's a modest goal, right? I don't need to be a princess. I hear there are Rughrats in the hills around some of the Temples now. I bet I could be a shepherdess. Rughrats are pretty stupid though. They just care about chewing most of the time. Chew chew chew. Hogs at least have some sort of inner life.. I think. I could just be insane of course, and imagine that I understand you. But it seems to have worked out so far."
"Gah! How does she do that?" Boartraum thinks. Maybe a farm in the southlands from here would be better for her. Maybe his contacts through the lapi traders would know a place she could go.
"Have you been to Saskanar?" Trystle asks. "That's where food comes from. And I assume livestock. I could ask the crew of the next ship.."
Boartraum's head shakes slightly. Might have been a no. Might have just been a shake. It's a hog, after all.
"No you haven't been there, or no I shouldn't talk to the crews?" Trystle asks. "Where are you from then?"
Boartraum looks away and off into the distance. It might imply much further, or it might not. "She likely has no idea where Sylvania is," he thinks.
"Never heard of Vanya," the girl says. "Must be near Gigi I bet. They probably have surfing pigs there. Maybe that's the place to be.. sitting on the beach, riding hogs, looking at the clouds.."
Boartraum snorts and splats her forehead again, then settles down next to her. He's quite grateful she seems to have forgotten her comment about taking him to a surrogate. There are some things that will weird even him out.
"Oh, you want me to just stay right here next to you," Trystle says, and pokes the boar's snout. "I get it. This is revenge. You want me to be your bed warmer!"
Boartraum rubs himself all against the Eeee in response! "I don't want you to do something rash and crazy, is all," he thinks. "I need time!"
There's a knock at the door, and Seylen pokes his head through a moment later. "Hey.. the sow's gone," he reports. Apparently seeing his sister sharing her bed with a boar is not something surprising. "So.. need to start looking for a new one," the boy notes with a sigh.
"Why won't dad just let me buy a couple and we could breed our own," the girl complains, and likely not for the first time.
Boartraun snorts loudly at Seylen. From both ends. "Because your father is a jerk," he thinks.
"Can't be traced to us, takes too long, no idea when this we'll stop needing them, so on and so forth," Seylen recites, and gives the boar an odd look. "He looks bigger than I remember. I bet he could eat dad and not leave a scrap behind."
"Don't even joke about that," Trystle says. "Don't you remember when that drunk guy fell into the pit?"
And not helping matters, Boartraum lightly starts to chew on Trystle's ear. Not hard enough to even come close to hurting her, but enough to probably tease her.
"He shouldn't have been leaning over and shouting at the boars," Seylen counters. "And after word got out, the next fight had twice as many people come. They're crazy. Why are you letting him chew on your ear?"
"He's not chewing, just rooting," Trystle claims. "It's like a.. shovel.. pad.. under the snout. Not teeth."
And that's when Boartraum licks the inside of her ear.
"Ahgh!" Trystle blurts, and starts laughing. "That tickles!"
So of course Boartraum keeps it up, and even uses some of his own weight to keep Trystle from being able to get away so easily. "Well, at least I made her laugh," he thinks.
"You need a boyfriend," Seylen points out. "If the Yodhinala were still around, I'd rent you one of their boy-toy guys."
Trystle may not have heard, as she's still 'wrestling' with Boartraum and laughing. Finally, she gasps, "And you could get his sister for a girlfriend, right? You're the one that's gotta have a kid you know."
Boartraum relents and stops tormenting Trystle; he settles back down beside her to just relax and let the pair tail.
The boy rolls his eyes. "Oooo, right, future of the clan.. and all that.." he says, sounding like the teenager he is. "Anyway, dad's counting his coins and the sow-carters are gone.. so your playground is open, if you wanna go try out your new pet," he says, with a bit more enthusiasm.
Trystle struggles to sit up. "Hey, yeah! I need a good run and smash." She turns to Boartraum and says, "Wanna go walkies?"
"Try out? What do you mean by try out?" Boartraum thinks. He even lifts his head and cocks it. "Oh gods, she wants to take me out. She isn't going to put a collar on me, is she?"
"Such a worrier, this guy," Trystle claims, throwing an arm around Boartraum's thick neck. "Let's go have some fun!" She gets out of bed, and shoos Seylen off. "You go set up, I've gotta change!"
"Oh, I get to set up this time?" Seylen asks with a grin. "Hahah! I'll meet you down there!"
And Boartraum rolls himself off the bed. When he hits the floor it makes an impressive thud, given his mass. "I worry I'm becoming some sort of animal. Gorphat keeps me on all fours half the time, and here I am a hog. How do I get myself into these situations?" he wonders. Still some fun for them might be a good thing. It won't be so fun once the smuggling is halted, he knows they'll lose much of what they have left; but if he can manage it they will get something better.