HABITAT(S): Level 11
A drawing depicting Pygmy Bone Thief anatomy and variations.
Pygmy Bone Thieves (PBTs) are a small, bipedal sub-species of the Common Bone Thief. Despite they’re similarities, PBTs are much more active than their larger cousins, often hunting in packs throughout the Backrooms or exploring various levels. They nest in communities on Level 11, where various interactions and trade with Wanderers is a frequent sight.
Description
PBTs stand around four feet tall and they move at a similar walking speed to humans. When running, they have been seen to move on all fours, and can sprint at the same distance per mile as a medium-sized dog. Despite their smaller size in comparison to Common Bone Thieves, PBTs are extremely intelligent. Most of their kin boast yellow skin; though brown, grey, green, white, and other natural colors have been observed. A few individuals also grow crest-like structures on their heads.
Biology
While PBTs can remove bones, similar to Common Bone Thieves, their ability is not nearly as impactful. Instead, deboning works more along the lines of a temporary localized paralysis, rather than permanent theft. This allows the smaller Bone Thieves to either escape while a target is incapacitated or for a hunting group to move in for the kill. The bones that are ‘disappeared’ come back in around fifteen to twenty minutes, so long as the subject affected is still alive. Pygmy Bone Thieves are able to speak using words and phrases they pick up from other entities, Wanderers, and even recordings. These are put together into full sentences. Wanderers will sometimes describe the sound of it as being similar to that of a radio scanner.
Audio Transcript
The following recording was found saved to the personal device of a Wanderer, and copied with permission.
[00:00] Wanderer: Um, hey there. I have a flashlight here I was hoping to trade. Would this be enough to hire a Bone Thief? It still works.
[00:04] PBT-1: "It still works.”[spoken in Wanderer’s voice] Can I see? [Each word spoken in different voices, continuing throughout conversation]
[00:09] W: Okay. Erm, sure. Here. Would you like to test it?
[00:13] PBT-2: “Would you like to test it?” Yes! Test it! Yes! Please! What do you want a Bone Thief for?
[00:19] *[Sound of clicking, a pause of approx. four seconds]*
[00:23] PBT-1: It works! Good flashlight!
[00:29] W: Great. So, I need you to find a family photo I left on Level 9. It’s of my parents and me. You see my face right? Can you find it? I dropped it somewhere…
[00:31] PBT-3: “Dropped it somewhere.” Yes. Yes. We can smell you. We can follow your scent. We can find it! For flashlight! Deal?
During this recording, the PBTs answer the Wanderer with words copied from various sources, most of which are unknown, save for that of the Wanderer themselves. It is theorized that Pygmy Bone Thieves have larynxes close in structure to that of corvid and parrot species.
Behavior
If a PBT sees and interacts with a certain object enough whilst still young, it will become hyperfixated on that specific item in adulthood. They will then hoard, collect, obsess over, and study it as a lifelong passion.
Some examples of these hyperfixations are as follows: clocks(including broken varieties), copper wire, corn, bath bombs, sparkles, sprinkles, toilet paper, drywall, paroxetine capsules, feathers, flat screen TVs, googly eyes, merged/clipped/glitched items, plushies, piñatas, gravy, kitchen knives, folding knives, cleavers, chicken nuggets, women’s purses, buttons, pockets, and remote controls.
When two PBTs become fixated on the same item, it can sometimes lead to petty squabbles. These are usually broken up by an elder amongst the species.
Pygmy Bone Thieves are very easily entertained and often very curious. Despite their high intellect, their emotional maturity in adulthood tends to equal out to that of a human child’s. Still, their survival instincts within the Backrooms are almost second to none. Often, they can be found hunting in packs, with each PBT using their respective abilities to down enemies via the removal of bones. Once incapacitated, the PBTs will quickly go in for the kill. Pygmy Bone Thieves tend to prey on smaller, non-sentient entities, as well as certain less-intelligent Facelings.
Habitat and Nesting
PBT communities, known as ‘Nests’, make their home on Level 11. They lay claim to multiple abandoned buildings and underground parking garages within the endless city. The entities favor structures with multiple rooms and stories, allowing their nests the space to thrive, and giving each individual or immediate family their own private areas. Trade is done on sidewalks, within lobbies, under stairwells, and just about anywhere else a nest may inhabit or frequent enough.
Relations
PBT hyperfixations, alongside their willingness to take on tasks in trade for their desired object, often make them well sought after as hired helpers. They’re usually quite willing to take on tasks, such as the retrieval of items on nearby levels, escorting Wanderers through dangerous areas, or even embarking on the rescue of those lost, trapped, or missing altogether.
Discovery
Pygmy Bone Thieves were first discovered after a pair of Wanderers came upon what they described as a ‘miniature Bone Thief living in a house filled with corn’ on Level 9. The entity, now known as Reaver, was said to be cordial and ‘seemingly uninterested’ in deboning them, despite the intrusion. Instead, using phrases picked up from what must have been Humans before them, the Wanderers were politely ushered off with two gifted ears of corn and told to visit the trading nests on Level 11. M.E.G. made contact with the larger PBT population two weeks later.
The image above depicts a flyer found on various levels, advertising Pygmy Bone Thief services on Level 11.