Chapter 8 - Good Woman

  A bit startled by the sudden offer, Alex almost lets the girl get out of view before he manages to get up from the bench. “Whoa, hey! Wait up!” He calls out after her, starting to jog to try and catch up. But after rounding two corners and barely catching sight of her each time, Alex realizes he’s being an idiot.

  Rounding the next corner, he sees the tuft of a boar-tail disappear down another side road. With an effort of will, he steps. The repeated practice on his way into town pays off spectacularly as everything blurs with that unnatural stretching sensation, and he moves around the corner right on the boar-girl’s heels. Hearing the sudden footsteps behind her, she spins around and does a double-take as Alex catches up.

  “Hey! That’s cool! You can already do that?!?” She exclaims in wonder, mouth hanging open. Alex shrugs. “I can’t do it yet.” She grumps, the wonder turning to childish indignation.

  Alex sheepishly grins and rubs the back of his head. “I ran into someone who taught me a few things.” He says, then looks around. “Are we almost there, or were you planning on going full-circle back to where we started?” Alex teases, recognizing that the little ‘chase’ was three right turns so far.

  Caught out, the girl stammers and huffs. “Ya weren’t supposed to notice.” After a moment she adds, “Or catch up.” She crosses her arms and gives another indignant snort. “Yeah, our house is down that way and across the street. Come on.” She says and starts to trudge off, her insidious plot foiled by the new stranger.

  Alex moves up beside her and leans over. “Ok, that was pretty funny.” He says in a conspiratorial tone. The girl looks up, her pout breaking into a grin and she starts to scamper once more.

  Alex jogs to keep up, and the girl leads him past a few more buildings and to one of the thatched roof structures. She bolts straight through the open door and Alex notices it’s made of an odd wood. The grain of the aged boards used to construct it are as wavy as the stone that makes up the majority of the structures. He runs fingers along the wood, the surface feeling too smooth but without the feel of lacquer. He files that detail away for later when he can talk openly with Corvus again.

  Just as he’s about to step through the threshold, there’s a flutter behind him and the crow lands as if summoned by his thought. Then before he can even blink, Corvus sheds the guise of the bird and assumes his more human appearance, motioning Alex inside. “There’s no harm in showing myself with these folk.” Corvus says simply, smiling at the simple home as he follows Alex inside.

  Alex isn’t more than a couple steps through the doorway when a much larger boar rounds a corner. He has to guess it’s the young girl’s mother, given the similar appearance and the unmistakable display she’s putting on. At least 4 sets of breasts bounce freely without a single scrap of clothing to contain them. At least she does have a leather skirt on that hangs to her knees.

  “Galla DID make a new friend!” The woman exclaims and without missing a beat, grabs Alex in a bone-crushing hug. The poor man is lucky he has about a foot of height on the woman, avoiding an even more awkward outcome.

  “Welcome Welcome Welcome!” She carols before stepping back. Only then did Alex get a chance to see her better. She was a squat and husky woman, wide of shoulder and hip. If it weren’t for the boar features, she’d fit right in among classic fantasy dwarfs. The woman beams at him, showing off two sets of tusks, larger curved ones protruding from the front of her jaw, and smaller spikes further back. Like her daughter, she has a bristly mohawk of hair. But, hers runs down the back of her neck and is long enough to flop to one side, giving her a slightly ‘punk’ look.

  However the woman’s jovial air seems to flash-freeze as she notices Corvus step through the door right behind Alex. Her eyes widen slightly and she falters before bowing low. “Carrion Lord! Forgive me for not noticing you sooner!” She says, voice suddenly full of barely contained panic.

  Corvus simply bows back to her. “Good woman. This is your home, not mine. You are the Lady here. Be at peace.” He says in his professional calm nature. “I am here as an observer and guide for our friend.” He says motioning for the woman to rise.

  She hesitantly looks up, then swallows and lifts her head. “I just wasn’t expecting to host someone like you, Lord Corvus.” She says, shifting from hoofed foot to hoofed foot. “I’d have tidied up more, had I known.”

  The crow steps forwards and offers his hand. “Just Corvus will do fine. And good lady, what name shall we address you by?” He asks as the woman gingerly takes his hand in hers.

  “M’name’s Mora.” She says simply. “I’ve got no title, so just Mora.”

  Corvus gives her hand a gentle shake and smiles pleasantly. “Mora, the pleasure is mine. Now please, you offered hospitality to my companion simply because your darling girl said she made a friend. Don’t let my presence detract from that generous consideration.” He insists, then steps back, gesturing the woman’s attention back towards Alex.

  Alex offers his own hand. “I’m Alex, and freshly arrived, so no title here either.” Mora takes his hand and shakes, eyes flitting between Alex and Corvus.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  She takes the pair in for a moment longer before her nerves seem to settle and she lets out a breath. “Well a’ight the pair of ya, dinner table is through here.” She says, putting the smile back on her tusked lips. But before they can move out of the entryway, Galla all but barrels into her mother’s backside.

  The younger boar bounces off with an ‘oof’ before stepping around her mother and gazing wide-eyed at Corvus standing next to Alex. “You never said anything about him being your friend!” She exclaims at Alex, then marches up to Corvus and does a picture-perfect curtsey, if performed a little stiffly. “My name’s Galla! And you’re The Guide! Always wanted to meet you, but only mortal souls get to see you when they arrive.” The porcine youth barely takes a breath as she talks.

  Mora looks aghast at first, but as Corvus just smiles warmly at the girl the mother-boar relaxes. Corvus kneels down and offers his hand to Galla. “You must be Galla. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thankyou for being kind to my friend.” He says as Galla unhesitatingly takes his hand and gives a firm shake.

  “A lot of others around here call you a bastard, but you seem nice to me. And if you’re his friend, you can’t be that bad.” Galla says, nearly making her mother panic once more.

  For his part, Corvus just takes it all in stride. He laughs at her comment and nods. “Some people have a hard time separating bad news from the person who has to deliver it. So they mistakenly blame me for their plight. All the same, I offer them guidance like all the others. They may blame me if they wish, it makes no difference.”

  Alex meanwhile is doing everything in his power to maintain a straight face. Galla’s antics and Mora’s fretting have Alex biting his lip to not break out into a full-blown laughing fit. And finally he can’t hold it anymore and cracks. The laughs pour out like a dam bursting. He has to double-over, propping his hands on his knees as he sucks in gulps of air between the rib-cracking guffaws. And that finally seems to break Mora out of the panic pendulum swings. The woman joins in with her own chuckles and slaps Alex on the back.

  Alex wheezes, trying to catch his breath after the fit finally ebbs. He grins and straightens up again with a sigh. “I didn’t realize how much I needed that.” He says breathlessly. “I don’t think I’ve really laughed since I woke up here. Damn that felt good.” He says, smiling at Mora, Galla, and Corvus. The crow hadn’t been immune to the humor either, and was presently leaning against the wall, a warm grin spreading across the lips of his human guise.

  Galla sticks her tongue out at the adults. “You’re all silly.” She says, then turns to her mother. “Couldn’t find dad. He might still be working.” Mora frowns but nods and pats Galla’s head.

  “That’s fine, luv. Let’s go ahead and eat. Ya know he’ll be home when he can.” She says and gestures to the whole group to lead them towards the table.

  Moving through the home, Alex notices how functional it is. The rooms are on the small side, with furniture being somewhat utilitarian. The chairs are bare wood, and a low table seems to be carved from the same stone as the floor. In fact, it is part of the floor, the base of the table merging into the stone below seamlessly. The kitchen and dining space occupy the same room, and Mora moves to what almost looks like a wood-stove. But when she opens the front of it, Alex sees only a glowing stone inside.

  He tips his head, watching the air ripple from the heat escaping the stove’s chamber. And as he watches, Mora casually reaches into the stove and grabs the stone in her bare hand, drawing it out. As soon as the rock is removed, the heat seems to dissipate quickly along with the glow. The matronly boar tucks the stone into a pocket of her skirt and picks up a stone-ware pot from the top.

  Alex tears his gaze away to look around the room more. There’s the stove, a large wash-basin, several racks with strips of dried meat hanging from them, a shelf lined with various leafy plants and dried roots. But the feature that steals the show is the table.

  Mora’s kitchen table stands out, made of a creamy-white wood and polished with lacquer so it shines. And unlike the other wooden features Alex had seen so far, this one’s grain is far more natural. The striations tracing darker brown lines along the thick boards used to construct the large table. The edges are carved with artistic bevels and the legs of the table are much the same, obviously hand-made from the slight imperfections. Alex reaches out, running his fingers over the surface as he’d done the door. But this time, it feels warm and familiar, like something fondly remembered.

  The boar sets the pot down in the middle of the table, and notices Alex’s attention. “My man made this table for us. Collin said that if this table was going to be where we all came together, it needs to be something special for us. Spent two Animus on getting the wood from several territories distant, carted it home himself, then worked it himself. This table, if homes have hearts, this one is ours.” She says fondly, stroking the table with deep reverence. But then as if a spell’s broken, she turns to Galla. “Oi! Get them piggy-fingers to work and get the plates ya lil runt!” She calls out as Galla darts through the room.

  A few moments later, the table is set with more stone-ware. The plates, the cups, even the utensils are made of delicately carved stone. Unlike the constructions, there’s no sign of the ‘melted’ look, but rather Alex is able to see the chisel marks making each piece unique. He quietly admires the craftsmanship until Mora pulls the lid from the pot. The air is instantly filled with a rich aroma, peppery with earthy notes. Alex breathes it in eagerly. The smell alone rekindles his hunger while his mouth waters. Mora spoons out portions to everyone. The food is akin to a slow-cooked steak and gravy. Chunks of meat covered in a rich brown sauce, accompanied by yellow and green tubers, bulked out by grains very similar to rice.

  Only once everyone was served does Mora dish out her own portion and sit down at the table. There’s a moment of quiet pause, everyone glancing at each other, then Galla lets out a purely porcine squeal and digs in. That’s all it takes. Alex wastes no time, using the two-pronged fork to spear a chunk of the meat. The moment it’s in his mouth, the flavor of it erupts. Alex closes his eyes, savoring every morsel. Just as the scent hinted, it’s peppery, but not too spicy, and the gravy is savory. He pops the tubers into his mouth next. The green ones are spongy and seem to absorb the flavor of the meat, while the yellow ones are crisp and a little sweet. Bite by bite, he devours the entire serving with gusto.

  Corvus meanwhile maintains his decorum as always. He takes his time, but enjoys the meal no less thoroughly. “Dear Mora, this is fantastic.” He says after taking a palate-cleansing drink of water. Both Alex and Galla give muffled noises of agreement around their own food. The woman of the house just beams, a light blush coloring her tan cheeks.

  Among the clattering of utensils on plate and the contented sounds of a meal well enjoyed, the four almost miss the sound of the front door thumping open. But the voice booming out is much harder to overlook. “Mora! Galla! Did you two start without me?”