The clearing sits just beyond Joseph Lafayette’s house, pale with packed snow and hemmed by dark pines. Harness straps lie open across the sled runners, and the morning air bites sharp enough to sting River’s nose.
Joseph braces one knee in the drift and tugs at a buckle, frowning as the team bunches and shifts around him. River steps into the lead position, and the line tightens with a ripple of tension.
TicTac
River’s there... I just need to hold still.
TicTac paces behind River, ears flicking toward her, then away. His paws scuff the crusted snow, and he keeps checking the others as if the whole team might lurch without warning.
Harold
We are not ready. He’s still fighting the line, and nobody is listening to the command order.
Harold stands rigid in wheel position, tail held hard, eyes fixed on Joseph with open dissent. Mack keeps his shoulders loose at River’s side, trying to steady the formation with a patient look and a small sidelong twitch of his muzzle.
Mack
Easy. Let Joseph finish the hitch, then we move clean. No one has to prove anything yet.
Joseph looks up from the harness, catching the strain in the line. He squares his stance in the snow and calls toward River, his voice tight but controlled.
Joseph Lafayette
River, do I hold them here, or do you want me to back the team off and reset?
✓ Quest Accepted
Set the team into a unified rhythm
“"Please, just everyone stay put."”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Inspiration, rolled -1)
River’s voice cuts through the shuffle, calm but firm. The pacing stops. Ears lift, shoulders settle, and the line holds without another jolt.
TicTac
Okay. Okay, I am still. I can do still.
Harold
Hmph. Better than the dragging and snapping around from before.
Joseph pauses with the buckle in his hands, then eases back on his heel. Snow squeaks under his boot as he lets the harness slacken a finger’s width.
Mack
There. That is the pace. Hold it like this, and we have something to work with.
River feels the line answer her, one breath at a time, as the team stops fighting itself.
Joseph Lafayette
Good. I needed that. I can finish from here, if nobody starts up again.
“River attempts to model calm focus.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled -1)
River settles her weight and lets the hush spread from her chest through her stance. The line takes the cue. Even the snow beneath the harness seems to quiet.
Mack
That is it. Hold that shape, River. The rest of us can follow something solid.
Mack’s shoulders square behind her, and the change travels down the team like a slow breath. TicTac’s paws stop fidgeting.
TicTac
I can feel it now. Less tugging. Less guessing.
Harold
Hmph. I still think you ask too much with your silence... but it does work better than the shouting.
Joseph pauses with the strap in hand, then nods once, more to himself than anyone else. The buckle finds its place without a fight.
Joseph Lafayette
Good. Keep that rhythm, all of you. River, that is what I needed from the front.
The team answers with one steady pull, not perfect, but shared. For the first time, nobody is pulling alone.
Quest Complete
Set the team into a unified rhythm
Skill Upgrade: Inspiration Mediocre→Fair