The Trickster's Spirit Animal

In olden times, a young fellow by the name of Aethon lived in Knossos, on the island of Crete.  He and his family were quite well off spiritually and financially, and his life was full of sunshine and bliss.  His brothers were some of the most respected people in town; they always did what they were told, sacrificed animals to the gods on time, and seemed to be good leaders.  Aethon, on the other hand, had no interest in becoming a leader or a politician.  Instead of focusing on his lessons or training, he spent his time spying on his father, playing pranks on his siblings, and thieving from the Agora.  He rarely got caught and when he did, the person who caught him usually just waved him off with a glare and told him not to do it again.  After a bit of time, Aethon mastered the art of tricking people in multiple ways.  He soon tired of pulling the same pranks again and again however, and looked into bigger and more noticeable ones.

 

One fine day while Aethon was practicing his spying skills on the outskirts of a thickly decorated forest, he heard his father’s deep drawl speaking in dulcet tones to a man that sounded like a foreigner.  “Have you heard of King Minos’s new shipments?” the foreigner said, his eyes shining.  “Over two hundred golden horses were imported to his palace around noon yesterday.”  Aethon’s father chuckled.  “He has space for all of them?  The last time I saw King Minos was when he was screaming about how he had no space to fit anything in his palace.”  This statement intrigued Aethon greatly, so he edged closer to the pair of men while hiding behind an olive tree.  “The horses are being kept in a makeshift stable at the moment.  I am quite surprised that no one has seen them yet for they are extremely visible with their gleaming coats of gold,” said the foreigner.  As soon as he was done speaking, Aethon ran further into the forest, his celestial bronze sword dangling at his side.  He didn’t quite like the king, and he wanted to be the one who stole those golden horses.  

 

After a few tiring hours, Aethon arrived at the very heart of the forest.  He padded around the small pond in the middle of the forest ten times.  After that, he waited ten long minutes.  Suddenly, a brilliant white horse with wings appeared before his very eyes; Pegasus.  Aethon was wary at first because he didn’t want to scare this beautiful creature away and ruin his prank.  With kind words and an open heart, Aethon was able to persuade Pegasus to let him ride on his back.  What a splendid achievement!  With the wind intertwining in Aethon’s golden locks and the sun caressing his fair skin, he felt like he could accomplish anything, especially this prank.

They landed right outside the stables, and the air grew still.  Pegasus followed Aethon as quietly as a shadow, and they made their way inside.  Aethon almost fainted from the horses’s brilliance.  The foreigner didn’t lie; their coats shone ever so brightly.  Their golden coats almost distracted him enough to not see King Minos in a chair in the corner of the stables, fast asleep.  Aethon stopped.  This wasn’t going to be easy, but it could have been worse.  King Minos could have been awake.  With the help of Pegasus, Aethon led all two hundred horses out into the open world.  He almost made it past the palace gates when a deep shriek pierced the sky.  “COME BACK HERE YOU FILTHY SCOUNDREL,” bellowed King Minos.  “You deserve PUNISHMENT!”  Aethon’s heart momentarily stopped.  He knew there was no getting away with the horses now.  He just hoped that his punishment didn’t include death.  Then, a bright flash of light appeared at the ground and a young man stepped forth.  Aethon blinked.  Was this a god?  “Hermes!”  said King Minos breathlessly.  “Brother, what in the world are you doing here?”  Hermes grinned.  “I heard about your horses and their magnificence, and I came to see them for myself.  It seems like this young’un right here saw them before I did!”  Aethon blinked again.  Was this god talking about him?  “I am torn,” Hermes said.  “Minos is my kin, yet in a way, tricksters are my kin as well.  What am I to do?”  King Minos gritted his teeth.  “Blood before anything, dear brother.  You know the rules.”  Then Hermes stood up and said in an earnest tone, “I must punish you for your thieving, but I must also reward you for your thieving.”  Aethon tried to speak, but he couldn’t.  A snarl and a bark came out of his jaws instead.  He had been turned into a sly looking reddish brown creature with swift paws and sharp teeth; a fox.  Hermes winked at him.  “I hope you put your tricking abilities to good use now.”  Aethon bowed, then raced off toward the forest to live a new, but not that different, of a life.