Inside the tent, the wolf bandit, a lanky rogue with a scar over one eye, snores amid a pile of stolen trinkets. His ears twitch at every distant hoot, but exhaustion keeps him deep in sleep. The horse, the baron's prize mare, eyes the knot securing her lead with intelligent impatience, her breath steaming in the cold night air.
The mare tugs and twists until the rope drops loose. She lifts her head high, ears forward, and quietly pads over to the sagging tent flap. Her hooves move softly on the moss, avoiding every dry twig, her every movement measured and deliberate.
She opens her jaws wide, an unnatural sight for a horse, and clamps them gently but firmly around the wolf bandit's feet. The wolf stirs, mumbling, but the mare wastes no time—her throat stretches impossibly as she starts to swallow him, inch by inch. The wolf’s tail twitches, and his paws kick feebly at the canvas.
"Wait—what's—no, no, no! This can't be—"
His words are muffled as the mare gives one final gulp. The wolf disappears entirely, his struggles reduced to faint bulges rolling down her neck and settling in her belly. The tent lies still, the silence broken only by the gentle crickets and the horse’s steady breathing.
the mare[/@ch_2] trots through the dew-soaked fields, her belly swaying with the motion of her hidden passenger. The stone walls of the baron’s stables loom ahead, lanterns glowing faintly as the first hints of sunrise paint the sky pink.]
She passes the guards, who barely spare a glance. Inside the stable, the hawk stablemaster, a sharp-eyed bird with feathers ruffled from sleep, stands waiting at the door, talons clasped behind his back.
The mare[/@ch_2] halts before the stablemaster, her sides still wriggling slightly with the wolf's futile resistance.]
"Another thief dealt with? Good girl," the hawk murmurs, nodding with practiced calm.
"He tasted of cheap wine and cowardice," the mare replies, flicking her tail with satisfaction.
"One less problem for the baron," he responds, turning to record the incident in his ledger as the sun climbs higher, burning away the last traces of night.
