Yarofko Napping
Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2019 2:00 pm
Cloven hooved tracks lay on the ground. Easy enough for a seasoned tracker to find, yet Rakvald was not one of those. He was a mere novice at the art of hunting, and so was limited to finding very large and obvious disturbances in the jungle. He’d been following the specimen for a few days with the aid of an actual hunter. Just a man from the village who had agreed to help Rakvald track the great beast he had spotted in earlier days.
The heat was oppressive, yet the shade of the canopy gave some respite from all that.
”ARE WE NEAR?” Rakvald said in his loud voice, then slapped his forehead. It was hard since losing control of his voice, to distinguish between the effort needed for a whisper and a shout. He’d still yet to repair his dreamscape, and so was impelled to either shout or whisper due to the cursed sacrifice he’d made. All for nothing.
”Shh!” Said the hunter lad, ”We would be getting there, if it weren’t for all your outbursts!”
Rakvald turned his attention back to the path ahead, and the muddy ground, which steamed from the heat of the season. Everyone was irritable lately, and not just for the lack of dreaming or restful sleep. There was a palpable sense of dread given the delays of births, and miscarriages that were a result of the Emeafall. There was also the heat of Desnind, a heatwave that likes of which hadn’t been seen in living memory. No rain, just a slow decay that liquidated parts of the forest in order to nourish new growth.
The pig farmer forged ahead of the hunter a few paces, when he spotted a few large cloven hoofprints in the mud. He pointed excitedly, but wisely held his tongue this time. The hunter merely nodded at him, and then skipped ahead of the large Lotharro. There, in the clearing ahead, was the specimen they’d been tracking.
On it’s hide, was a painted pattern of green, a brilliant expression of the beauty of nature on a brownish hide. What a beauty… Rakvald thought to himself, and held a hand out for the hunter to stop his advance. This time, he did succeed in reducing his voice to a whisper. ”Keep back, my friend. I have a certain, animal magnetism, and seeing a hunter with weapons and all might spook our quarry…”
The hunter shrugged, ”Your mistake then. You can live with the consequences.”
Having received this bit of snark, Rakvald snorted, and then proceeded low on the ground toward the large boar, that stood grazing slime from a stone. The hairs on the back of the pig farmer’s arms were prickling with sensation, signalling the triggering of his mutation. The animal likely wouldn’t see him as a threat now, although depending on its instinct for aggression, nor would it apprehend any aggressive acts against him. It could gore him, but he thought he was ready for that eventuality. Magic being a constant and boon companion.
Rakvald began making low noises in his throat, emulating the noises of the pig as he understood them. Yet they were barely good enough, and the Yarofko was not fooled. It turned on its heels, and began pawing the ground, cocking his snout up and down, along with it’s huge tusks. It’s red and green eyes staring at Rakvald, as if trying to ascertain his threat.
Now, the pig tamer took out a piece of wolf meat from his pocket, and laid it out for the beast to inspect. Then he took a few steps backward, bowing his head and breaking eye contact for a few moments before resuming. The Yarofko snorted a few times, but stopped hoofing the ground, and didn’t appear to be as willing to charge as it had been. Rakvald thought he could recognize that he’d piqued its curiosity.
Confirmation came when the great hog strode forward, and began tasting the offering that Rakvald had left. His mutation was prickling the fuzzy arm hairs on the back of Rakvald’s limbs as he watched the boar eat down the jerky. Then Rakvald left out some more offerings. These were specially spiced mushrooms laced with a soporific that he’d gotten from the Desnind Order of Adunih. Along with this offering, he left out some bacon mash from his own farm. Pigs weren’t picky eaters, eating even their own kind’s meat. It was one of the advantages of being a pig farmer, you could feed them almost anything, and they would happily gobble it down.
SO leaving these offerings, he backtracked further, bowing low to the ground as he did so, spreading his arms to either side so the great Boar woudl see that he wasn’t armed or prepared to attack the great beast. Pigs were intelligent animals, with excellent memories. While Rakvald had no inkling to whether this particular pig had suffered the chase of a hunter, it was a fair bet that it’d seen some of its own kind, perhaps from a drift it’d belonged to even, that it might recognize mortal weapons.
The pig took to Rakvald’s gestures, and proceeded to hoof forward with more speed than last time, and less apprehension. It gobbled up the laced mushrooms and bacon hash. Rakvald wasn’t sure if the dosage of soporifics were strong enough to take down the boar quickly. And likely wouldn’t find out for a few bits. He merely knelt on the ground, and waited to see what the boar would do.
To his surprise, and no small amount of delight, the great hog approached him, and began snuffling his face. For a moment he was afraid he’d piqued the creature’s appetite, and that it was seeing him as more than a source of food, but also a piece of food that it could eat as well. He was prepared for this scenario, however, and had brought even more of the laced mushroom and bacon mash. This he laid at his feet. Once the Yarofko began eating it again, he caressed the back of its snout, admiring the rough and hardy fibers of its bristling fur.
The creature had a vitality about it, yet a gentle disposition as well, or else it might have gored Rakvald unceremoniously. He was pleased with his progress, and the trust he’d established with the beast. Of course, before he could train it in earnest, he’d have to haul it back toward his farm, into its own large enclosure.
A loud groan issued from the boar’s throat, as he began reacting to the sleeping toxins in the food it’d been given. This was the signal Rakvald was waiting for, as he scuttled over toward the side of the beast, not stopping his pats and caresses of its hide. The creature tipped and bucked its snout this way and that, as it began to lose it’s fight with sleep. After a bit or so of this light thrashing, the creature fell to sleep. Once Rakvald poked it a few times, and satisfied himself that it was indeed going to stay asleep for some time, he hailed the hunter over, along with the litter they’d prepared for the transportation of the beast.
The hunter and Rakvald swiftly went to work, dragging the great beast onto the oversized litter, and then shouldering the conveyance on their shoulders. Rakvald had to crouch down a bit, in order to stay level with the hunter. This caused some muscle strain in his lower thighs and shins. He became exhausted as they crawled through the forest. By the time they arrived at Rakvald’s Steading, his lower thighs had gone numb, and were on the verge of giving out under him.
Yet the sight of his farm once more filled him with excitement, giving him a second wind. They conveyed the large beast on the litter, and walked right into the large enclosure they’d arranged for it. A trough was nearby, full to the brim with all kinds of delicious food for the pig. It’d have enough food there to calm its nerves at least, and of course Rakvald would be there every step of the way, to settle its nerves and build their bond.
When at last the hunter and Rakvald left the enclosure, he brought out a pouch of nels, that he’d prepared for the worker. ”Here, for you.” The hunter looked at the bag of nels, and shrugged. Desnind was largely a barter economy, but even so nels had value. ”Thank you.” The hunter nodded.
”MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!” Rakvald shouted, unintentionally. Then blushed, and left the company of his hunter, in order to take care of the rest of his pigs. The wild sow he’d captured the season prior was due to farrow soon. Flappy the pig boy had been busy the previous season. Rakvald smiled in anticipation of growing his herd once more, using the original lineage he’d brought with him from Quacia.