I was in the clearing from where Canis the Wolf-demon had chased me into the forest three days earlier. My beloved Gyn was standing in its centre, calling my name, over and over. She saw me and knelt down as I ran to her squealing in delight, as she opened her arms wide to me. My heart filled almost to bursting as she hugged me tightly. Then she spoke.
"Linzi, my darling, I'm here! Come to me baby, COME HOME!"
I opened my eyes. I could still hear her voice, calling to me. She was really there!
In the days that I had been lost in Lal'estel's boar habitat, I had been with Gyn every night almost immediately upon falling asleep. Gyn realised immediately what had happened to me as soon as she saw the collar around the neck of the hogglig that appeared to her in her dreams that first night. She would kneel beside me, her arms round my neck, telling me to hold on, that she'd find me, that everything was going to be all right, even though I could tell from her voice that she wasn't sure that was the truth.
During daylight, I had avoided and escaped from so many male hoggligs that I'd lost count. My games of 'stalking' with Tigi'bel and her brothers had taught me much about avoiding predatory creatures; I had also masked my own scent by rolling in whatever stinky substances I could find, or camouflaged myself by rolling in mud and slime. Sometimes I was able to simply move downwind of boars as they passed by; often I had simply run from them when I heard them coming. I had twice had to fight my way free of their disgusting intentions, kicking with my back legs and biting viciously, when unexpectedly cornered. I had also heard and seen glimpses of a truly huge and monstrous boar, that I had so far managed to avoid and successfully hide from. It was becoming increasingly agitated, its angry grunts and squeals more frightening each time it came in search of me without discovering my hiding place, or when it finally lost my scent; it wasn't going to give up searching for me until it cornered me and, since I would never give it what it wanted, killed me.
I had managed to find an excellent hiding place; a small crevice near the opening to a large cave, home to a large colony of bat-creatures, the smell from within masking my own scent very effectively. It overlooked a wide area of the forest, so I had ample warning of the approach of any threats. I was only vulnerable when I was in the forest itself, going to the stream to drink or foraging for food. Now that Gyn was here, calling to me, safety had to be sacrificed; she would never find me, I had to go to her! I crept down into the forest and got myself as mud and slime streaked as I could before moving in the direction the sound of her voice was coming from. I stopped to eat and drink as little as possible, sometimes having to make detours when I smelled boars nearby, sometimes needing to wander about until I could hear her voice most clearly before moving off again. Once or twice I heard the thunderous crashing and squealing of the huge hogglig nearby, but I somehow continued to avoid crossing its path.
It was beginning to get dark again before I could finally hear my beloved's voice clearly enough to be certain that she was close by. I began to run towards the sound of her voice, still calling my name as she had been doing all day without stopping for even a moment. I entered the clearing and saw her standing there, exactly as she had been in my dream. She saw me as I ran to her and knelt down, reaching for me as I rushed to her squealing with joy, trying to thank her, to tell her how much I loved her, my heart full to bursting as she hugged me, her hot tears splashing on me as she laughed and cried with relief at finding me. Suddenly, the foliage on the far side of the clearing burst apart as the huge boar rushed into the clearing! It looked around, saw me in Gyn's arms. I squealed with fear for my beloved Gyn, not for me. I began to move towards it, thinking that maybe I could distract it so that Gyn might escape, but she held me tight and wouldn't let me go!
"Whatever happens now, without YOU there is no ME, my beloved!" she whispered in my ear as she squeezed me tightly to her!
The huge beast charged us. Gyn wrapped her arms around me protectively, but there was nothing else she could do against such a creature. It was almost upon us when a ferocious growl echoed all around the clearing! The boar suddenly left the ground and crashed onto its side several metres away as Felis'bel, moving so fast I could barely see her, slammed her shoulder hard into the charging beast's flank! It got to its feet almost instantly, but she had already crossed the clearing and pounced on it. Sharp claws extended from the ends of her fingers, with which she ripped chunks of flesh from the boar's back as it thrashed and bucked, trying to shake her off. She bit deeply into its neck before leaping clear, taking up a position on the opposite side of the clearing to where Gyn and I were. She spat out a large chunk of hogglig meat and wiped a hand-paw across her lips, grinning at the boar as it lowered its head and charged her.
The ground shook as the massive boar charged her at full speed, but like all demons, one moment Felis was standing still in front of it, the next her claws were raking deep in its flank as she seemed to change positions without actually moving, her growl sounding both savage and excited at the same time. The beast turned and jumped at her, trying to crush her with its body, but she grabbed its forelegs and threw it to one side, pouncing on it again immediately, slashing and biting at its now bleeding flesh, driving it into a frenzy of rage and pain. Felis then let it charge her blindly, grunting and snarling, its tiny mind focused on nothing except destroying its tormentor, no longer understanding why it was even fighting her. She leapt out of the path of its charge so the huge boar smashed head first into the thick trunk of a tree. As it lay there, stunned, she gripped it tightly by its hind legs. Then, spinning herself in place several times, like an Olympic hammer thrower, she lifted it from the ground, whirled it around herself to gain momentum, then hurled it across the clearing into the undergrowth on the far side. The huge boar thrashed in the bushes, grunting and squealing, but the noises grew fainter as the moments passed until it was gone, back into the woods to lick its wounds. Felis'bel stood in the centre of the clearing for a moment, panting, as Gyn and I got up and approached her. She knelt and threw her arms round my neck, licking my ugly hogglig cheek, as Gyn hugged us both, crying and laughing.
I opened my eyes. I saw familiar surroundings, felt cool air on my skin. My fingertips moved, the delicious sensation of a silk sheet beneath them. I sat up in the bed with a gasp.
"Linzi!" squealed the voice of my beloved. My Gyn was sitting at the window. When she realised that I was awake she rushed to the bedside.
"Gyn?" I asked. "What are you doing here? What am I doing here? I was..."
My mouth fell open as I remembered. "Lal'estel! She made me a hogglig!" I began to cry, realising that my transformation into a gilt had been undone. "She wanted me to...to have hogglets! Something about revenge..."
Gyn had already sat on the bed, now she was holding me tightly as I sobbed against the leather of her bodice. "It's OK baby, you're safe now. We found you and were able to restore you to the sweet little imp that I love!"
"I remember now." I said. "I'm pretty sure Lal'estel thought that I was just going to be a hogglig, and that it was permanent. But I remember everything that happened, everything I did, and everything I didn't do." I looked up into Gyn's face, at the love in her eyes, and squeezed her even more tightly than she was hugging me!
"You would have been completely transformed and lost to us, except that you were melded with an estar!" said Tel'estar from behind me. He joined Gyn and me on the bed, sitting down on the other side to her and taking my hand.
Gyn glared at him. "Just because I needed your help to restore her, it doesn't mean that I don't hold YOU responsible for what happened!" she hissed at him "so much for her being SAFE with YOU! I suppose it was only to be expected, since you would have had no compunction about killing her yourself if I hadn't complied with your demands!"
He looked at her remorsefully, then at me. "I am dismayed that my own sister continues to believe that I ever had the slightest intention of harming you, sweet little Linzi!" he said. "However, I hold myself completely responsible for your ordeal. The idea that Lal'estel had been waiting for nearly two millennia for revenge is almost inconceivable, but that she would perpetrate it by brutalising an innocent young hu-woman is unconscionable." He looked devastated, his own part in what had happened to me weighing heavily on him.
Gyn actually softened. "I'm sorry brother, for letting my concern for Linzi's safety cloud my judgement in respect of your character. I should have realised that you could never do such a thing." she answered. "Regarding Lal'estel, if you had ever been melded, brother, you might be able to accept that she could act that way. She blamed you for her mate's death, held you responsible for the absence of the meld in her life. Only our work together kept me on this side of the Dark Portal without Tor, until Linzi came into my life." Then she grew fierce again. "And I want her BACK, Tel, NOW!"
Tel'estar regained some of his normal demeanour. "Linzi will be remaining with me, sister," he replied, then conceded, "at least, until I am certain that she is fully recovered. I also need to observe her for a while longer." He looked at me. "I will, however remove the collar, Linzi. You have long since become dear to me, and I really should have acknowledged that earlier!"
"I've understood that for some time, Master!" I replied. "But it's nice to hear you say it! But I'll keep the collar on for the moment, thanks. I have a funny feeling that I wouldn't be here without it!"
"There's some truth in that, baby." Gyn said "Our first communication after that servant of hers, Canis, brought you to the woods would have just been a strange dream about a hogglig in my bedroom if you hadn't been wearing it. Once I saw it on your neck I knew instantly what had been done to you, my poor darling!"
