Citizen 421 Patroklosz

WARNING! This Coming of Age Ceremony pieces contains graphic description of animal death due to the selected prompt. If this is something that disturbs you, please do not read this!

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The tropical storm overtaking Crimson's Cove entirety was violent. The rain it summoned fell like thousands, ruthless daggers from the sky, seeking to wet and annoy those who were caught outside. Most pirates found safety within their hastily created shacks, tents or ships, but as Patroklosz was not a pirate, they did not have such things. Not that they needed them anyway, as, despite the storm, they were out and about in the depths of the tropical forest, leaving behind the sandy beaches to walk the more treacherous paths as they sought the wild boar that they intended to kill and feast upon.

To say that boars are rare on Crimson Cove was an understatement. These creatures were mostly found in the Dome, but of course, one must remember that there was always trade for animals. Patroklosz always wondered how some rexals managed to get certain creatures out of the Dome and into the real world, or vice versa, but with a quick shake of their head, they dismissed any thoughts regarding this. They did not wish to dwell on this more than they needed to. Long story short, a boar has escaped a smuggler's ship and is now patrolling Crimson Cove. A rare treat for all of the inhabitants, there has been a widegoing hunt for the beast, but not one of the crews was successful yet. Patroklosz themselves had decided to give the hunt a try - they have been living in the depths of the Cove anyway, and they knew it like the middle of their palm. Where the pirates have failed, they could succeed.

It was not pride that controlled the emerald rexal, however. It was curiosity at it's rawest form. Born and raised outside the Dome, they never really thought about the Ancients - they struggled for their own survival as it is, there was no time for worship. Despite everything, however, they still had their superstitious, and it has dawned on them that they had never offered anything in his life for the Ancients before. Perhaps that's why their life has always been a struggle...

Well, it never hurt to try something for a change, and so, they had decided to dedicate this hunt, and if they were to be succesfull, the meat of the boar to them.

"I hope they don't expect a shrine..." Patroklosz grumbled under their nose, their mind wondering about it before it would eventually go back to tracking full focus.

The storm - while enemy at first - has now turned into an ally as it softened the ground, allowing it to mould around the boar's hoof, giving Patroklosz an almost clear path to follow. The thunder, roaring loud enough to deafen, masked the sounds of branches breaking and mud slushing as the rexal pushed through the foliage.

Patroklosz followed the "crumbs" left behind with heavy sighs and slow steps, not wanting to spook the animal if it was close. What felt like several hours of tracking was merely one simple hour as the storm worsened and threatened all it could reach. Patroklosz was considering turning back when they heard the sound of loud trampling behind them. Before they could turn around, they could feel a sharp pain on their side, causing them to roar up. Just before they could react, whatever attacked them retreated just enough to allow Patroklosz to see them. It was the boar.

The creature stood with mouth agape as its eyes flashed with pain and anger, staring into the rexal's very soul. As a bolt of loud and bright lightning struck, Patroklosz noticed a cutlass embedded into its shoulders, the blood already dried around it. It was not a fresh wound, that's for sure. No wonder for the boar's sudden aggression - the pain that it felt must have rendered it mad.

The boar squealed loudly as they charged again, but this time, Patroklosz managed to evade despite the searing pain on their side. With quickness, they took out the dagger that was hanging on their belt and prepared for the boar to strike again. As the beast ran at them full speed, Patroklosz side-stepped just enough to safely be able to try and jam their blade into the skull of the animal, but it was only a partial success. They only managed to get it halfway into the skull, making the boar yelp out in pain and jumping away, taking the dagger with them.

What was originally rage in the eyes of the beast was now maddening murderous intent as they prepared to rush Patroklosz down with all their might. With no weapon to protect themselves and their wound restricting their movement and chances, Patroklosz knew that they had to act fast, or the role of predator and prey would be reversed in an instant. As they looked at the dagger, still firmly stuck in the boar's head, an idea came to mind.

And so, they initiated it. They ran as fast as they could, and the boar chased and followed at their heel with unrelenting speed. Patroklosz had little to no time to find a tree that had a big enough branch to support their weight, but thankfully, they managed to come across one just in time. Just before the boar could impale them against the tree, they jumped and prayed for the Ancients that it would hold. The boar missed their mark, and their head thudded against the thick tree - slamming the blade fully into their brain and ending its misery. The furious creature toppled over within the blink of an eye, and Patroklosz dropped down to take a closer look.

They carefully removed the cutlass and the dagger from its body before slumping down next to it, checking their wound. It looked bad, but nothing that they could not fix up eventually.

As they stared down at the boar, they could not help but feel pity for the animal. They suffered so much on a land they did not know, and yet they fought until their last breath. It was admirable and tragic at the same time. Something that Patroklosz could relate to. They gently placed their hand on the fur of the boar, feeling its roughness for the first time in their life.

"Sleep well, friend. You are in pain no more", they whispered to it as if it was a lullaby for a child.

After they managed to gather their strength and patched themselves up swiftly with the use of some leaves and vines, they threw the boar over their shoulder, breathing heavily under it's weight. Now, they just needed to find a place and a way to offer it as a proper sacrifice... should be easy, right?

ForgottenCerberus