What happened to the forvalaka which killed Tom-Tom?

Question

This is the dialogue between Croaker and One-Eye and the end of chapter one.

One-Eye stared at the thing in the cage, hating. I tried to ease him away. He shook me off. “Not yet, Croaker. I have to figure this.” “What?” “This isn’t the one that killed Tom-Tom. It doesn’t have the scars we put on it.” I turned slowly, studied the legate.. He laughed again, looking our way. One-Eye never figured it out. And I never told him. We have troubles enough.

What didn't One-Eye understand?

I've read the first two books - The Black Company and Shadows Linger.

Answer 1

Tom-Tom was not killed by a forvalaka, but by something wearing the shape of one.

Shapeshifter, if I recall correctly.

Answer 2

If one would assume that Tom-Tom's deadly wounds could have healed then it would be no problem to accept that the real forvalaka's wounds could have healed as well. There ARE hints, though, that the forvalaka on the ship really IS the transformed Tom-Tom. During the combat Croaker is wondering several times why Tom-Tom isn't already dead. Also the already quoted end of this chapter hints to the Tom-Tom solution. There are also some subtle hints that the Legate with his black mask might have been the forvalaka in the Bastion. Is he (she?) the Shapeshifter? It would be the only other explanation why Croaker wouldn't have wanted to tell One-Eye. Another possibility is the Syndic. Has he been killed in his chest by the Captain's men? Croaker never knows. But perhaps he could have been transformed into a forvalaka, dead or alive. On the other hand the forvalaka on the ship is described as somethimes looking like an athletic woman of about thirty - so I guess we will never know unless it's made clear later or in a later book. Or unless someone asks the author ...

Answer 3

Shapeshifter was in forvalaka form when he killed Tom-Tom. The one in the cage was crucified on the battlefield at Charm. One Eye tortured it for days.

Answer 4

I'm re-reading the Black Company once again and I stumbled across this forum to see if anyone else had come to the same conclusion that I did. I don't buy the explanation that this is Shape-shifter. Croaker was not yet aware of Shape-shifter yet Croaker seemed to understand why this forvalaka was injured.

Tom-Tom may have become a forvalaka. This would explain Croaker's silence on the matter and why he commented that "we have troubles enough". Perhaps the forvalaka that killed Tom-Tom didn't survive its injuries and Tom-Tom had been transformed into a forvalaka in much the same way that a werewolf bite can turn someone into a werewolf.
This would explain why Croaker didn't share his musings with One-Eye.

Answer 5

I think the implication is that Croaker has figured out that Catcher has used some kind of magic, whether it be shape shifting or otherwise to kill Tom-Tom.

Croaker seems observant of Catcher’s response to Tom-Tom’s reservations about going north.

Compile that with his wondering if the slaughter at Bastion was what catcher meant by the “forvalaka serving its purpose”.

Then consider that of the Wizards only Tom-Tom is wounded when it charges into the four of them.

The line about “we have enough problems” reveals that Croaker has realized Catcher was responsible for the assault with the specific intention of killing Tom-Tom and possibly the Syndic in order to clear the path for the Company to go north.

There is a part of me that wants to believe it was Catcher herself, but that’s conjecture and probably wishful thinking on my part.

Answer 6

Exciting as it would be if true the Tom-Tom became a forvalaka theory doesn't have a shred of textual evidence. It's almost certainly Shifter although I guess an argument can be made for it being Catcher somehow. Either way, the real secret everyone overlooks is that Tom-Tom was likely assassinated along with the Syndic. Tom-Tom is the only one that really knows what awaits them if they go north, he's the only one speaking against signing with Catcher, and he's the only wizard injured when all 4 were as completely exposed as he was. It's unlikely he'd have talked the Company out of going north so there must be some reason Catcher wanted him gone. Of course we don't know the specifics of shape shifting. If it causes one to lose themselves, to become the animal, to any degree it could just be that Tom-Tom's attack on the forvalaka caused an animalistic response, and that Catcher didn't want him dead. Personally I think he was specifically targeted but either way he did not become a forvalaka himself, cool as that would be.