Gull flower (monster)

The southern parts of the country are more or less known for their farming communities. Big people harvesting even bigger crops, feeding the out-of-towners so they won't die of hunger - at least according to Billobi's cousin Hamphred Dungbeetle.

Hamphred was not only a self-proclaimed genius and farmer, he was the second largest person in the whole county (his father being number one). After winning the annual arm wrestling contest with ease for the third year in a row, the local newspaper described him as the closest thing you could come to a living barn with arms.

Billobi and his parents often visited his cousin during the summers, to help out with the daily chores and mock the out-of-towners.

"Them burghers come here with the're fancy talk and teeth", Hamphred used to tell Billobi, often followed by spitting. "Can't milk them cows with yer teeth, though!"

Hamphred had great knowledge of the nature of the countryside, about harvesting and farming in general, much of which he gladly passed on to young Billobi. He also liked to talk about things he didn't know anything about, like women, magic and city life. One particular lesson in gardening Billobi remembered was the one about gull flowers.

"Bill!" Hamphred shouted across the fields. "Pick me one of them yellow flowers and come!"

Billobi did as told, and picked one of the flowers. Their stalks were tall and thin, yet sturdy enough to bear its yellow crown.

"This blossom here, we call this a gull flower", Hamphred told him. "Taste like sugar, but deadly as a black cat in a fancy dress! Look here."

Hamphred led him back to the patch of flowers, and dug up one of the flowers with roots and all. A large, round bulb was attached at the bottom. It was dark red, and seemed almost polished.

"These balls, the gull bulb, are cursed. Three times does it give you a nice flower, but the fourth the shell cracks, and out crawls horned creatures, like dogs out of the soil... Horrible, annoying things, chews on everything. Good meat though, taste like sugar!"

Gull flowers grows almost everywhere. Their bulb is dark red in colour, and hard as stone. The flower blossoms thrice before the bulb enters a strange metamorphosis and evolves into a horned creature, the size of a dog.

Gull flowers are usually banned in larger settlements such as towns, although some may allow them if the planter promises to keep count.