The Reluctant Adventures of Pigglebottom Broadsword

Chapter Sixteen

Pigglebottom had heard of, but never seen a Turtlebird before. Native to the land of Desterlasioul, its long legs and webbed feet made it easy to walk across the sands. Its body was composed of mostly a hard shell which could retain moisture for days without drinking. Its head was that of a bird, but with the saggy dried and aged skin of a turtle. Upon arrival at the rental office, a one-eyed man greeted Pigglebottom at the counter.

"'Ello today sir, might I interest you in one of me many famous BIRDS!" the man suddenly shouted towards the end of his sentence.

"Yes, thank you, I will be needing one to travel East across the desert, perhaps you could pick me a suitable creature." Pigglebottom replied.

"Well, of course, young sir, we've got the finest BIRDS in all of Desterlasioul, and extremely competitive prices at that, you surely won't be disappointed!" The man walked Pigglebottom over to a set of stables, sticking its leathery dry head out of the stable was a single Turtlebird. As the man stroked its head a smile slowly formed on the creatures face, upon opening of the door it trudged out slowly. The top of its shell was twice the size of Pigglebottom and its skinny legs almost as long as him. The man disappeared then reappeared with a saddle and threw it over the side of the Turtlebird. A ladder flopped out of it which the man gestured to Pigglebottom climb.

"Hop on, see how you like the BIIIIRD" this time the man's shout of 'bird' was somewhat of a wail. Pigglebottom hesitantly and awkwardly climbed the rope ladder to atop the hard cool shell of the Turtlebird. As he swung his leg onto the shell, the bird let out a noise which could only be described as a 'Slurrrrk', a guttural and uncomfortable but also strangely rhythmic squeal. The tone vibrated through Pigglebottom's body making him feel somewhat queasy and his left ear strangely itchy. The one-eyed man put out his hand and Pigglebottom dropped a few coins into it.

"Well, you best be on your way now then!" the man shouted as he slapped the Turtlebird on the rear and sent it jerking forwards out of the confines of the rental shop.

After a few steps, the Turtlebird calmed itself, slowing down to an almost impossibly slow crawl. Pigglebottom attempted to give the creature a gentle nudge with the back of his foot, however, this was not something it took kindly to as it threw him straight off its back onto the floor. A few moments later after collecting his thoughts, an apologetic Pigglebottom climbed back on. It was a short bob (the Turtlebird's movements were akin to a Crapple bobbing up and down in water) to the Eastern exit of Fort Slaughter. It was midday and as such the city was filled with people milling about and doing their daily tasks, all with the correct item of clothing for that day of course. Pigglebottom had no desire whatsoever to take one last look at Fort Slaughter and instead instructed the seemingly reluctant Turtlebird to bob straight through the fortress' walls. He was partly relieved to be leaving this bizarre place but also terrified at the thought of having to traverse the great desert that lay before him. At the Eastern exit was a small wooden hut with a sign saying - 'Last Shop Before End'. Taking in the somewhat morbid advice of the shop, Pigglebottom halted the Turtlebird and climbed down the rope ladder onto the floor below.

"Excuse me, is anyone there?" he enquired to the seemingly empty hut. After a few moments of silence, feint shuffling sounds could be heard within the darkness of the rear of the hut. After enquiring once more, a figure slowly appeared from the corner, it was a strange creature, closer to that of a lizard than a human with scaly skin and eyes that blinked vertically and a large protruding jaw which housed a collection of razor-sharp teeth.

"How may I be of sssservice to you" the creature said in a slow, deep voice as its thin wiry tongue occasionally whipped out from its mouth at lightning speed to provide its eyes with moisture.

"I'll be traversing the desert in an easterly direction, I wonder if you could provide me with some necessities, water, some food to get me through" said Pigglebottom nervously.