Word Count → 458
Hati tilted his head, considering her words. That was true, Terra and Skoll were good friends regardless if they made fools out of each other. Terra seemed to take such delight in playing her tricks, being the catalyst of chaos in their otherwise routine lives. Entropy was not such a bad thing, though it went against Hati's nature, as he liked everything proper and orderly and according to the rules. He felt so dry and boring in comparison to Terra, so it was good that she was here to mix things up for him. "You're right," he admitted, nose tip peeking up from his paws. "Games are supposed to be fun, after all..." Maybe the mythological Coyote was not so cruel after all, but her pranks did seem rather drastic; Hati would not be amused if Terra ever bit off his tail like the Bear had endured. He was proud of his plumed tail, his handsomest feature.
He listened intently as the next story was launched, pale eyes studying every movement and expression of Terra's face. She spoke of how all the animals clashed from time to time, as was nature; predator hunting prey, or territory disputes between hunters, these happened every day in real life. But then, in hushed awe, Hati absorbed her account of the Sun -- a higher power meting out gruesome punishment, wiping out an entire species thanks to the actions of their one representative. It was reprehensible; hunters only claimed what they needed, and war was only fought until the dispute was settled. To Hati's naive young mind, genocide was unfathomably evil.
He found himself holding his breath, riveted to the folk tale and all its twists and turns. Coyote enlisted the aid of Wolf and Raven, all to save the imperiled Fox. Their grand deception was ultimately successful, chaining the Sun in his palace so that he could never threaten them in such a way again. Once Terra finished, the wolfdog exhaled the breath he was holding, eyes bright with a fascinated admiration. She was a wonderful storyteller. "So Coyote saved all the foxes, that's wonderful! She can be good if others are more cruel than she is..." His innate curiosity led him to the inevitable, and he wagged his tail pleasantly as he studied her. "If the Sun had to be chained up, does that mean the Moon was too? And... Skoll is supposed to chase the sun and I chase the moon, right? Our namesakes... are they in these stories too?" He was unsure if they were the same fantasy realm, since he had not been able to find mention of Skoll and Hati in the books his parents owned. Terra knew so much about stories, though... did she know?
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