I squinted.
"I can see the boar in it, but, a queen? Aren't boars..."
"You speak of normal boars. Those live in the west, but here? They're different." Valiant said.
"Define different?"
"This forest is... unique. Many a creature migrates here, stays, and changes," Valiant explained, "This one was once a boar, a pregnant female. Wandered off from the west, came here. Gave birth."
"And kept giving birth." I said.
"And growing. Look."
Gallant didn't need to tell me. The creature in the middle of the clearing was the biggest boar I've ever seen. It was a muscular behemoth with two long tusks growing from its nose. It had a swollen belly, bulging with shapes I didn't want to describe. It looked to be struggling. Skin stretched each time it took a breath. That wasn't what concerned me, however.
"Are those..." A few normal-looking boars were sprawled around it. Most of them were dead with deep holes as if they were impaled.
"Normal boars. Not babies. The Queen Boar doesn't birth more of itself. It stays where it is, giving birth until it dies." Valiant explained.
That didn't explain why there were dead boars around it.
"The queen gives birth to adult boars, as you can see." Gallant pointed out. The grotesque creature began to pant, squealing as it pushed out its... children.
Fully grown wild boars fell onto the murky grass, struggling against their sac before looking around frantically. They saw their mother, saw each other, and in an animalistic frenzy, started killing each other.
It was a barbaric sight. As the Queen Boar continued to give birth, more and more boars added to the pile of their dead siblings. Those who survived fled to the forest, confused and alone.
"I thought we were supposed to hunt." I asked, frowning.
"We were, yeah. But it seems like we were lucky." Gallant said before jumping down.
Lucky. Not blessed.
"We're just in time. It should be dying soon. In about an hour or so. After that, we can just gather the bodies." Valiant explained, staying perched on his tree branch.
"My brother and I can drag some no problem, you?" Gallant turned to me as he asked.
"I can manage. Though shouldn't we make sure they're dead first? Or clean?"
"Nah," Gallant waved a dismissive hand, "They're just normal boars. Nothing special, aside from how they were born. No poisons. No sickness. Just boar."
"Just boar." Valiant repeated.
I guess I was outvoted then.
"Are you disappointed?" Gallant asked me.
"Not really. I guess it's better this way."
It was the truth. Though I was looking forward to testing my ability to hunt an animal using my own skill, especially since I hadn't done so since I was young. Though 'young' is a bit too vague.
How old am I even?
Questions. Questions. Questions. I haven't even answered most of them, and yet they keep popping up in my brain. I wasn't even sure if some of these questions were even important.
Useless thoughts. If I didn't put an end to them, I would surely sooner or later fail. Fail at what?
Of course another question.
Rubbing my forehead, I sighed. "So we wait an hour?"
"Or less, it's already in the late stages of its life." Valiant said, eyeing on the struggling boar.
"If it doesn't make more of itself, how does one come to be?" I asked. If we were going to wait for it die a slow, painful death, the least I could do was gain some insight about it.
"As I said. Pregnant boar comes from the west, settles here, gives birth. Doesn't stop until it dies." Valiant said.
"So it migrates here all the way from the west, gives birth, but doesn't stop?" I repeated what I understood. It just didn't make sense. From what Valiant was implying, a pregnant boar could simply come here, give birth, and never stop.
Magic was out of the question. Only dark magic could corrupt a living being, but I hadn't sensed any dark magic from this place. No foul power. No corruption. Just normal levels of natural magic. There was nothing special.
"Yep. Been happening for generations, long before even when our ancestors first settled here."
Gallant mentioning his ancestors piqued my interest.
"Your ancestors? So they traveled this far east?" I asked.
"From what our ma told us, we came from a dangerous place back in the west. People hated us, we hated them. There was a lot of..." Gallant paused, realizing that he was speaking to someone who could very well be the same people who hated them.
I didn't hate them. I never did. But...
"I see," I simply said, "So they settled here, to start a new life."
"It wasn't the best life then, and it still isn't now," Valiant added, "But we make do. Farming, hunting, building, expanding."
There was a slump to his shoulder.
"Yet it isn't enough." I said, completing his point.
The blue fox nodded, "We only ever had to deal with wild beasts and storms. No monsters or curses. Just nature. We didn't need no help from outsiders."
I remained silent.
"No offense to you, or your adventurer friends, Mr. Viduri." He added.
"None taken. So, how were you able to get help? Isn't the nearest adventurer guild branch weeks away?"
"Months away. We didn't want to, but those bastards kept coming." Gallant said with contempt, "We killed so many yet they kept coming. It all came to a head when they started abducting those they couldn't kill."
Gloom prevailed over the air.
"They killed Brava and took away his wife. Now that we know that she's not coming back, only their daughter remains." Gallant lowered his gaze.
"Orphans don't do well here in our village. Not because we do not care, but because they themselves don't," Valiant said, "They lose the will to live."
There was silence for a moment, broken only by the singing of the birds, the chirping of the critters, and the horrendous panting of the abomination we were observing.
"This orphan, does she have a name?" I asked. I wanted to do something for her, even if it was insignificant.
I knew how it felt to lose your parents. It would be the least I could do for someone like her, from someone like me.
"Her name is Zeal. If you wanna talk to her, I suggest you don't," Valiant warned, "Unless you want to adopt her."
"Brother!"
"What? It's just a-"
"No, look!"
Valiant and I turned our heads, following the direction Gallant was pointing at.
There was an angry snort followed by a long squeal.
The Queen Boar was standing. And it was looking angry.
Very angry.