Thornweaver Elder

Andy felt that following this Nak to Razorfen was a rather unwise decision. Although Nak seemed somewhat dim-witted, he couldn't guarantee that all Quilboar were equally foolish. Especially the older ones; there was no telling if one might recognize his true identity. While he had never heard of any specific grievances between Quilboar and elves, to the Quilboar, he was ultimately a member of a different race.

"Uh, Brother Nak!" Andy said politely to Nak, "I think there's no need for that. I believe I'll be able to find the way back to my tribe by daybreak."

"Look at you, it's one thing to look strange, but why are you so stubborn?" Nak jumped off the rock and patted the dust off his backside. "You don't even know which tribe you belong to, so how are you going to get back? Just come back with me; I'll help you ask around to see which tribe has lost a member. You might just find them that way."

Nak picked up the torch and walked a few paces, only to turn back and find Andy still standing in place. He couldn't help but say irritably, "Why aren't you moving? With me around, what do you have to worry about?"

Andy dared not refuse Nak's proposal again, lest he arouse suspicion, so he stepped forward to follow behind him. Nak continued to patrol while singing his so-called songs, and it wasn't until the sky began to brighten that the silhouette of Razorfen finally came into view.

"Alright, we're almost there!" Nak laughed, pointing toward the rolling hills in the distance. "That's Razorfen ahead. We need to pick up the pace; I need to report in as soon as possible so I can go home and sleep. I've got a lovely wife waiting for me at home, you know."

Andy felt goosebumps rise all over his skin. A lovely wife? Wasn't that just a female boar? But he dared not show any strange expression, merely nodding and quickening his pace.

Once they approached Razorfen, Andy finally saw what the place looked like. At the base of the small hills, numerous caves of varying sizes were arranged. Since it was morning, many Quilboar were moving in and out. Above the caves grew vast patches of wild thorns, the thinnest vines being as thick as a man's arm. In this barren place, only these thorns could grow so lushly.

The two walked into a gateway constructed from massive thorns, and the early-rising Quilboar looked at Andy with surprised eyes.

"Nak, what kind of thing have you picked up?" a Quilboar who appeared middle-aged shouted.

"Shut your mouth, Jack!" Nak roared. "Can't you see he's a Quilboar too!"

"A Quilboar?" The one called Jack opened his mouth into an "O" shape, exclaiming in surprise, "What breed of Quilboar is this? Why is he so tall? Didn't you get tricked by him?"

"Tricked my foot! Don't you see his pointed ears?" Nak yelled. "He was wandering the wilderness alone last night and can't remember his own tribe!"

Andy nearly vomited blood. According to Nak's logic, any creature with pointed ears was a Quilboar. What was most infuriating was that he insisted on viewing Andy as a troubled child with amnesia.

"I'm back!" Nak walked into a cave and announced loudly.

"Oh, you're back." A slightly hoarse voice echoed from the inner chamber of the cave. The cave wasn't very high; given Andy's height, he had to bow his head to avoid hitting the ceiling. The cave was divided into two rooms. The outer room contained a small round wooden table and several stools made of stone blocks. A Quilboar with six thorns growing out of his back walked out from the inner room.

"What is this?" The Quilboar was genuinely startled when he walked out and saw Andy.

"He's a Quilboar too!" Nak said. "I found him while patrolling yesterday. He forgot the name of his tribe and got lost!"

"Andy, this is the Thornweaver Elder, Sonata! The leader of our tribe." Nak had learned Andy's name the previous night and introduced him now.

"A Quilboar?!" Sonata clearly didn't believe what Nak said. "Have you ever seen a Quilboar this tall? And he doesn't look like one either!" Clearly, this Sonata's intelligence was a bit higher than Nak's, but only by a tiny margin.

"What exactly are you?" Sonata walked past Nak, stood in front of Andy, and glared at him.

"I really am a Quilboar!" Andy had no choice; to save his own life, he had to swallow his pride. Otherwise, if this nest of boars went crazy, he wouldn't be able to handle the consequences. "It's just that our clan looks a bit strange, and I'm the only one who grew this tall!"

Sonata rolled his eyes, then turned to Nak and said, "Fine, let's assume he's a Quilboar. But since you picked him up, you're responsible for watching him. Don't let him cause any trouble!"

Nak nodded repeatedly and led Andy out of the cave. As they were about to leave, Andy glanced back at the inner chamber and couldn't help but let a smile touch his lips. He always felt that after Sonata finished speaking to him, his eyes had darted nervously toward the inner room, as if he were afraid they might discover something.

"Alright, stop looking," the Monster Spirit's voice rang out. "Your intuition is correct. He's hiding a woman in his inner room. Uh, a female Quilboar!"

Andy smiled and thought to himself, I don't care what kind of female Quilboar he's hiding. Even if he were hiding a human woman, I wouldn't care. I just want to leave this place as soon as possible. If I stay here too long, something is bound to go wrong!

"Be patient, nothing will happen for now!" the Monster Spirit said. "They've already decided you're a Quilboar, which makes things much easier. Especially that Sonata, the Thornweaver Elder. He's the leader of the Quilboar; his word is law. Since he's decided you're a Quilboar, you'll be a Quilboar in their eyes for the rest of your life."

A sudden urge to die washed over Andy. He remembered a phrase and modified it slightly: Once a Quilboar, always a Quilboar!

Why is my life so miserable!

After meeting the Thornweaver Elder, Nak dragged Andy around the tribe, claiming he wanted Andy to get familiar with the environment.

Andy had no choice; dragged along by Nak, he toured every corner of this giant pigsty.

"Alright, Andy. Let's go back. I need to sleep. Maybe they'll send me out to patrol again tonight; I'm so sick of it!" Nak complained, leading Andy back to his own cave.

"Wife, I'm home!" Nak shouted as soon as he entered.

"You're back? Go wash up and get some sleep!" A female Quilboar walked out from the inner room of the cave.

Andy walked into the cave with his head down, but after just one glance, his expression turned strange. This... could this possibly be a coincidence?

The female Quilboar was wearing a simple linen garment, and the most bizarre part was the small flower tucked into the top of her head. The sight was indescribably ridiculous.

Nak gave a brief introduction before heading to the inner room to sleep. Although Andy hadn't slept all night either, he was in no mood for rest; his mind was filled with thoughts of how to escape.

"Why didn't you tell him?" the Monster Spirit asked.

"Don't be a busybody!" Andy said coldly. "If you have the energy for that, you'd better spend it helping me figure out how to leave!"