It does look like a slightly different form to me as well. Your piece looks to have some legitimate age to it as well. Well made blade with a nicely carved hilt with nice patina.
I might well be off-base on this, but my take is this. These hilts follow along the natural shape of the material, whether it be antler or wood. In this case the branches may have just gone off in this direction and the carver worked with this natural flow to create a hilt with a slightly different profile.
