Chester The Quester

Part 1 - Chester, Atlas, and Ajax

"You two ready?" Chester asked. The grumpy tabby cat looked over at his large Komodo Dragon friend, who was tightening the bandana around his head.
"Ready boss" Ajax said.
"Ready" Atlas said over the earpiece. The young gryphon watched his team from the top of the building, keeping an eye out for trouble. Chester pulled his goggles down over his eyes and pulled a pin out of his pocket. He quickly got to work on the lock, and in no time the door was open.

Ajax and Chester entered the town hall and headed towards the mayor's office. They knew they had to find something valuable there.
"Don't get distracted" Chester warned his large friend. Ajax was all muscle and no brains as Chester liked to describe him.
"Yes sir" Ajax said with a eye roll. Chester may only come up to Ajax's knee in height, but he knew who was boss. Chester slowly turned the door handle to the office and pushed it open, allowing the two boys to begin their search.

Chester filled his backpack with everything off the mayor's desk. He figured something here had to be worth something. Ajax focused on the bigger things, even taking the paintings off the walls.
"Hey boss, look at this" Ajax said, getting Chester's attention.
"What?" He said as he walked over. He looked up at the wall they faced. Behind the painting Ajax removed was a safe.
"There must be something good in here" Ajax said excitedly.
"I hope so. Cracking it shouldn't be too hard" he said. He turned away to dig through his bag, looking for anything that would help him get it open. He suddenly heard a loud noise and turned back around. Ajax stood there with a proud smile on his face and the safe door in his hand, ripped off the wall. "That's one way I suppose" Chester said.

There was plenty of money in the safe, as well as a couple of important documents. Chester and Ajax gather as much as it as they could into their bags.
"Uh guys, you might want to get out of there" Atlas spoke over the ear piece. "Trouble is coming"
"You must have triggered something idiot" Chester growled as Ajax before the two grabbed their bags and ran out. Chester's bag hung on his back while he ran on all four paws while Ajax had his bag over one shoulder and the painting under his other arm.

The trio managed to make their way to the edge of town and into the forest.
"This way!" Atlas called out. His view from the sky let him lead the pack to safety. He called out directions from Ajax and Chester as they ran as fast as they could. Chester was struggling to keep up despite running on all four paws, so Ajax quickly scooped him up and threw him over his shoulder.

"Just up ahead!" Atlas called out. Ajax looked ahead to see a cave. He rushed inside as Atlas landed close by and followed. The trio hid in the darkness, waiting for a sign of the officers. After a few minutes of silence, Ajax peaked his head out to check. He scanned the woods but saw nothing.
"All clear" he said. Chester breathed a sigh of relief before putting down his things.
"So what did you guys find?" Atlas asked. Chester opened his bag and  dug around, hoping to find something good.
"Nothing exciting, but we can probably make some good money off of this" the grouchy cat said.
"That painting might be worth something" Ajax said as he picked it up and studied it.
"As long as we make something, it was worth it" Atlas said.
"Says you, you weren't the one being chased" Ajax mumbled, crossing his arms and frowning.
"Enough you two" Chester snapped. The boys quickly shut their mouth and nodded at the boss. They knew not to anger him.

Chester ordered Ajax and Atlas to pack up everything so they could head home. The boys obeyed and packer everything back into the bags before carrying it all while Chester lead the way.
"Hey boss, you know how to get home from here?" Ajax asked. Chester pauses and stood silently, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. In the silence he heard the river. He knew if they followed it north, they'd be home in no time.
"This way" he said as he continued walking. Ajax and Atlas just looked at each other and shrugged before following their boss. They knew if they got lost, Atlas could just fly up and find the right path.

The trio soon reached the river and began to follow the stream.
"Don't drop anything in the water boys. We need all of it" Chester warmed. Ajax, who was just about to push Atlas in, stopped and nodded in acknowledgment. Atlas also nodded and walked slightly ahead of Ajax, trying to stay away from his crazy friend.

"You know, it's beautiful out" Atlas pointed out as he looked around.
"Yeah, maybe getting chased wasn't too bad" Ajax pointed out.
"Let's just hurry and get home. My paws are killing me" Chester complained. He had a harder time seeing the good in things, but the boys loved him anyway. Chester grumbled to himself as he lead the way, Ajax and Atlas now chatting and laughing behind.

It wasn't long until their cabin came into view. Chester ran towards in with Ajax and Atlas following close behind. At the door, Chester punched in the code to the security system he installed.  Once it was unlocked, Ajax grabbed the door handle and opened the door, letting Chester in first. He followed with Atlas trailing behind, closing the door behind them.

Chester sat at his bench and has Atlas and Ajax hand him everything from the job.
"Go find something to do while I sort through this" he said, waving the boys off. They agreed and headed back outside. Atlas decided on some yoga on the roof while Ajax chopped some wood. At this point all the fear from earlier was gone. They knew no one would find them here, they were home.