She watched as the little creature squirmed against his bonds, but she couldn't feel too badly. When given a task by a god (a real god!), one did not refuse. At least, she assumed one did not refuse. She'd never heard of it happening before, per say, but it also probably wouldn't make a very interesting story. Sun god asked Freya to bring him two golden apples. Freya said no and spent the rest of the afternoon napping. The end. In her stories, that would be the end, because the gods were, at their core, the best of their kind, the wisest and kindest. In her stories, the gods never punished omission, they punished wrongdoings. Otherwise, what was the point? If there was no denying a god, what free will did they really have? In her stories, there was purpose in everything and causes were just. She didn't want that fantasy broken. Not just yet.

She was quick to nudge Auriel in celebration of their victory. "Ah! We may just finish this challenge yet!" She hadn’t the foggiest clue what nebulous prize it was they were working toward, and so rather than fret over their possibly imminent deaths, she took to the tasks with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. It felt good to work as a team again, to share the weight. And Auriel was as good a partner as she could ever have asked for. In quiet moments, Cheska often found herself wondering about the family that had spawned the girl with the quick tongue and gentle disposition. The lack of answers left her wanting, and left a half written story missing important characters.

She only had the opportunity to indulge in her victory for a moment before she was interrupted by a little shadow colt she hadn't seen through the treeline. Ah, to be gifted with stealth. It was something Cheska could never master. It was hard enough just to walk without shaking the earth beneath her and giving away her position. She examined him for a long moment while he spoke, her lips fixed in a queer smirk. She was too old to be intimidated by the wolfish grin, but the worms therein left her ever so slightly perturbed.

"Well spoken, little shadow," she crooned cheerfully, instantly fond of the ominous tilt of his voice. "Perhaps you've a bit of storyteller in you. I'm Cheska," she said with a flourish of her knotted mane. "My friend here is Auriel. That was quick thinking, by the way... the worms, that is." She was rather disappointed that she hasn't thought of them first. She'd gone to so much trouble wrangling one stupid raccoon and he had a whole colony of worms wriggling on his tongue. And while their catch may have been fluffier, exterior beauty was of little matter in the animal kingdom. It was utility that reigned supreme. Oh, yes, well done. Who would eat all the garbage in our brave new world if not for mister raccoon here? She'd have been glad to rescue anything other than the ornery, disease-ridden coon, but alas, their paths were inextricably tied now. Better just to accept it as a win.

It was only once the hellhound moved that she noticed the second filly. Well, aren't we just the Pied Piper today? Wait. Want to help with wha-? From the brush burst a second raccoon, and the storied mare had little time to react and even less interest in catching the mangy animal in her mouth. Instead, she spooked a bit to her right and bristled as the creature's fur brushed her hind leg. Wasn't this what traps were for? She turned too slowly to see what became of the lady raccoon. Perhaps Cheska had slowed her enough to be caught by the hellhound. Perhaps she'd haul ass back to the ship all by herself.

Either way, Cheska decided she'd had enough of saving the world for one day.

@[Öde], feel free to continue or leave it here.