ORIGIN - farmers' delight

The pair had been sent off to make a garden of sorts. Well, it had been the bat's idea. He was feeling rather confident until he hit a tree, fell a few good yards, and had to take to the pig's head instead of flapping around himself.

At this point, Tal'at wasn't sure this was the best of ideas. Sure, he trusted Eve and Dragon but he really didn't know this pig. At all. He still wasn't convinced that Big Bog here wasn't just a dead animal being controlled by sentient plants, but he wasn't... Going to... Ask, or anything.

He was riding along on Big Bog for now, staying mostly quiet. He wasn't really sure the hog (or the plants) understood much, as it was. Instead, he focused on his magic-- the green, plant seeing magic, and tried to find a good place to set up a farm for them all. It would have to be clear, not too wet... He wished he could "see" water, but he expected that Big Bog wasn't just going to walk into a deep part of the marsh.

"Wait Big Bog," he clicked his tongue, leaning forward on to the pig's snout. "This spot here. It seems good. Is there water?" The area here was clear, with a ringing cluster of tall trees-- he could feel the plants around, and it seemed fairly flat...

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going out a different path lead by a beating heart

Czernobog snuffled along, pleased as punch, snorting out some sort of half-baked melody as he traveled. After all, he was doing his job! And being good, too! There was tiny friend on his head, and swampy water around his feet, and plenty of nice plants to host in his skin for later. Pride puffed up the boar's chest, the wiry fur almost permanently muddy and matted, and his ears flicked to the side just a bit, as if to check that his new hat was still there.

The pig stumbled to a halt as words issued from the tip-top of his noggin. Wait. Big Bog. Oh! Was that him? A tiny, excited squeal issued forth from his massive maw, and Czernobog's tail whipped from side to side, eyes roving up to peer, cross-eyed, at Tal'at, as the bat leaned forward from its perch. Here. Good. Water?

The excited grin faded to a puzzled sort, and the boar tilted his head down to look at the swamp around them.

It was... swampy? Not quite knowing what to do, the piglet tip-tapped at the ground experimentally, noting that it seemed more like the hard stuff in his hunting tunnels than the wet stuff near the water. A tiny nod, and Czernobog grunted out an answer - or, well, as much of one as he could. "Diiiiirt. Nooo... waaaater."

Another snort, and then a grunt, before the pig was sitting back heavily on his haunches, tail wagging, peering up at his new hat in delight. "Heeeeelp?"

@Talat

@Czernobog

Tal'at listened to the Big Bog, not really responding at first. He was thinking. Dirt was good-- that was exactly what they needed. But there were a lot of plants. They would have to dig them all up to make room for the plants that they wanted, a task a bit large for a tiny bat.

He reached out to touch Big Bog's tusk-- it wouldn't be a problem for him. He slipped off, clinging to that tusk, so that he swished around to right in front of the hog's nose, and then dropped down on to the dirt. It was fairly firm, though it still had the give that marsh land did.

"This is perfect," he announced shortly, crawling around on the ground, rustling through the weeds. "Need to clear-- dig up plants. Make room then. For our plants. For the garden. Can you dig?" He asked the pig, standing up straight, his wings tucked at his sides. "Need to clear, tree to tree. Dig all up. Then we plant."

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going out a different path lead by a beating heart

Czernobog snuffled, watching patiently - or as patiently as an overgrown baby could, anyway - as his hat friend clambered down from his head, feeling his head dip a bit at the unexpected weight on his tusk. Snorting as the bat dropped to the ground, the piglet bowed his head just enough to sniff at him, as if making sure the fall hadn't hurt him any, before trying to look attentive and dutiful once more. Perfect.

A happy snort, and the boar tapped contentedly, watching as Tal'at shuffled out of the way. Clear. Dig up. Make room. Dig? Dig all up. Czernobog let out a soft, high-pitched squeal of pure excitement, practically bouncing up off the ground onto all fours, tail wagging wildly.

The pig trotted around the area once, as if to map it out, before letting out a loud bellow of joy and beginning to unleash his inner bulldozer. Reeds and dirt, mud and muck flew through the air as sharp hooves dug into soft earth, the unwanted soil creating a ring around the garden-to-be.

Rapid bursts of snorts pinpointed the ball of fluff's location as he moved, darting from one spot to another, ripping up larger plants with his teeth and throwing them away from the spot with victorious chuffs. Another few minutes, and the area was ripped up entirely, barren of murky dirt and plant-life, ready to be planted... or, well, almost.

Stepping back from his work, Czernobog snuffled, eyes narrowing, before grinning, trotting forward, and pressing down into the soft earth, creating an impression of his hooves. A satisfied nod later, and the boar jogged back to Tal'at, grinning down at his hat. "Diiiiirt!"

@Talat

@Czernobog

Tal'at watched the big bog's progress with his green sense, feeling the movement of the plants was unnatural and unsettling. Usually with the foliage, there was a sense of slow, steady growth, rising up towards whatever light lay above-- it was a good way to tell which way was up, incidentally-- but now, suddenly, it felt like the whole earth was being tossed around, destroyed.

Despite how much it made the bat's skin crawl to see his vision blur and change to rapidly with what was usually an incredibly constant, grounding sense, he knew it was what had to be done. They had to remove the weeds here, the reeds and moss, to make room for other plants. Abruptly, the pig was in front of him, the garden place in shambles-- just as it should have been.

"It is perfect," he told Czernobog, spreading his wings. "Now just need... New plants here." Tal'at wondered how long it would take to get the new plants migrated, but figured it wasn't too important just yet. Regardless, he clambered right back on top of the big bog and simplified his praise, just slightly.

"Mister Big Bog. Dig was good. You did good. Very, very good." He settled himself on top of the boar's head, right between the ears, and got quite comfortable. "Thank you again. One more thing. Ever eat mango? Is very good. Sweet, bright fruit. We should go. Find tasty mangos."

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going out a different path lead by a beating heart