rustedtusks.com

And yet another familiar face - to the hog, at least, who's being addressed with both his names. Somebody that Tony must have done quite something for in the past... something important enough to risk your career for in return. Something binding enough that Tony-Ray must have, in his delirium, told the hippy chick to call for exactly this furson. Somebody akin to family.

The hippy chick should count herself lucky that she's no more than a hippy chick to her guest. Tony-Ray tends to tilt whenever you try to get too personal with him... or he to you... so he seems to keep his friends at a distance, for their own sake.

Which neatly divides his acquantances into old friends from times past, and newer, fleeting travelmates who sometimes unwittingly trespass into his dark inner hell, and rarely step out into the light ever again. How long does one have to survive the pig's presence to slide from the latter group into the former? Will Brice and Uthalla ever know?

_________________
A lone figure sits still by a pool - he's been stamped human bacon by some butchering tool - he is you...
Social Security took care of this lad - we watch in reverence - as Narcissus is turned to a flower

An excellent page here. I loved the wonderful and somewhat spooky abandoned-looking house. If that's the hippie-chick's place,..I wonder why she lives there?

And the 'black and white drifter'? Who could that be...? The first person I thought about is Sam,..but that doesn't sound right. He was apparently unaware of Brice's connection to Mulefoot,..and thinks Brice is dead...

Pomander perhaps??? (Though I've never seen a color image of him...to my memory...)

I love the jigsaw puzzle that seems to be Tony-Ray's life...

....we get to see but one little piece at a time......

Jadúgara ^_^

I belive the old house is pretty familiar to Tony. Everyone, even those that live on the road, need a place they can lay low and rest for a bit. And an old, abandoned farm house would suit the pig nicely, i think.

What I'm trying to figure out now.... After he heals up and is back on his feet.... Does he continue along like he did before? Does he stop delivering his version of country justice? Its too ingrained in him to stop forever.... but he could take a long break. I get the feeling that he doesnt care much for personal revenge, so i dont see him going after the guys in the bar. But then again, ya never know. I'm pretty sure that what happend to him is a milestone in his life. Not the because of the injuries, or the pain. I think that in a very dark sense, life is very presious to Tony.. being so close to death, only to be brought back to the world of the living...I think its what best helps him to keep a firm grip on reality.

So where does he go from here?

I like the kindly look on the old doc's face as he comes into view. I wonder what their story together is. This might me a minor detail, I don't know if it is supposed to be like that, but it looks like one of Tony's tusks is chipped now. He's gonna need to pain pills. Though he'll probably take the a lot pain better than I would. I was yowling when I fell of my bike and took a chunk out of my knee. I've also got a high resistence so I'd need to take quite a few pills. How did the hippy girl know to call the doc? Did she get the number by going through his things? Or is he a regular doctor in that area? What do we call him?

I'm pretty sure Tony Ray was in no shape to tell the Hippy Chick to go find Dr. So-and-So on 15th Avenue, he owes me one. It would be an incredible coincidence if she just happened to stumble across a doctor Tony Ray knew; not only that, but one who would treat him in secret. Which in turn hints the doctor KNOWS that Tony Ray NEEDS to be treated in secret. Although why he does I don't know. I don't think he's done anything wrong (that the public knows about) such that he'd have to avoid hospitals. But if he has a History, staying away from cops who might ask who did this to him could be a good idea.

Anyway, it's stretching probability too much to think that our Hippy could find that one doctor by accident. That means that our author made another mistake-- and I HATE IT when MULEFOOT MAKES MISTAKES! Because they never are. They're always plot twists I'm too dumb to figure out yet.

'Course I've been wondering about the Hippy Chick all along. She was studying Tony Ray before he made his move on her. The answer to how she could accidentally find the right doctor is that it wasn't accidental. It looks to me like she knows about Tony Ray. Perhaps she came to this area just to find him. What else does she know? How much does she know?

Then there's the black and white drifter. Geez.. couldn't the doctor be a little more SPECIfic and name a SPECIES? Yes, the drifter could be an old friend of ours. Or he could be some border (snicker) collie dude we've never met yet.

I suppose we'll find out.

IF Tony knew the doctor from his time in the service, during a conflict when it becomes likely that one would save one's buddies a couple times over, then there could be a possible connection between the doctor and the girl.

_________________
"Y'know, if nothing else, living here has incredibly sharpened my 'Hey, there's someone coming for my dick!' defense skills." -

What breed is 'doc', a husky? And what's that he's wearing, is that a butchers' smock? Another subtle hint? Is our doctor 'a butcher'? Sure his personality seems pleasant, but sometimes madmen appear to be very kindhearted, courteous, benevolent people. Even Adolf Hitler was described as 'grandfatherly' in demeanor.

_________________
Gas burns fast. Liquor burns quicker.

_________________
Blobs of lots of