Art Chapter: Odin’s Short Story
Odin! yelled a woman in her early 30s.
“Odin!” she yelled again. The woman was looking for her son near Dire Canis Pen, giant dogs that were once used in ancient war, now turned into giant lap dogs, with fierce loyalty to their owners. These days, they are working dogs.
“Nigel, have you seen Odin?”
The giant dog, sitting and looking at his owner, tilted his head and wiggled his tail. The giant golden retriever licked his owner’s face with his giant tongue. The owner, Morrigan, now slightly annoyed because she had washed before looking for her son, was drenched in dog drool. She pushed the giant head away. The dog had a goofy but satisfied look.
“No, you silly goose, I don’t want kisses,” she said with an annoyed smile.
“What about you, Lara?” she directed her attention to the big white shepherd, lying down in the corner. She was a fluffy dog with a long-haired coat. She didn’t lift her head to greet her owner; she simply made eye contact with her. While doing so, she lifted her tail, revealing a small boy, around the age of eight. The boy was fast asleep and used Lara as a giant pillow.
Morrigan let out a quiet sigh of relief. He always found the strangest places to fall asleep.
The owner petted Lara on the head and whispered, “Thank you for taking care of him, Lara.”
The woman picked up her son and brought him back to the inn, where they rented a room. While she entered the inn, she nodded hello to the owner. She smelled that dinner was in the air, the scent of roasted chicken and freshly made bread filled the room as she made her way to the staircase. Their room was on the first floor.
“Honey,” she said, slightly louder than she normally spoke.
A man opened the door. He had a rough look to him, with a scruffy beard.
“You found him,” he said. “Where was he this time?” he asked.
While she entered, she replied, “In the shed with Lara and Nigel.” She proceeded to tuck her son in bed.
“Seems like Nigel gave you another wash?” he said, chuckling.
Morrigan turned around and hit him on the shoulder.
“Hey, don’t laugh, that’s your dog, Bjorn. Why does he always have to lick my face when he sees me?”
Bjorn rubbed his shoulder, where his wife hit him.
“It’s not my fault. The dog is not the smartest one. He’s one big goof. That’s what you get when you let a kid decide on what breed to take as a working dog. At least I’m glad he picked Lara.”
“You mean Lara picked him,” she interrupted.
Bjorn smiled.
“Yeah, it’s funny how he always has those connections with animals.”
Odin mumbled in his sleep.
“Lara, faster, faster,” he mumbled.
“Seems like they went running in the plains again,” said Bjorn.
“Well, Stella is a peaceful place, with no monsters around,” Morrigan replied.
“True. I don’t know if we will do good business here any longer. We need to get to Fellaris Prime soon to stock on goods,” said Bjorn, concerned.
“Well, it’s late. Should we wake him for dinner?” Bjorn asked, while hugging his wife sideways.
“No,” Morrigan said, while returning the hug and putting her head against his chest, while they both looked at their son.
“Let the little explorer just sleep. He sleeps so soundly and peaceful.”
Odin smiled in his sleep, dreaming of his next adventures.
Author’s Note:
Well, here you folks go a bittersweet scene from Odin’s world. I would love to illustrate this moment someday: Odin sleeping on Lara, and the quiet scene where Bjorn and Morrigan look over their son as he sleeps. Those are the art pieces I want to create at some point. Unfortunately, the only thing I can do now is describe scenes like this, which isn’t bad. It means I already have the ideas, just not the means to bring them to life yet.