"Well, that was certainly a most productive day. Can't say it was all that enjoyable, though, seeing as how they forced me through so much work without any breaks in between," Etihw said softly with a yawn as the goddess stretched her arms in the air. She normally wasn't one for lengthy hours of endless assignments, but Kcalb and Wodahs couldn't stand her laziness. It was a serious problem that held the castle staff back for long periods of time until the good-for-nothing goddess actually got off her lazy ass to actually do something productive. Something that didn't count as a simple, trivial task which anyone could do since Etihw had specific assignments to handle. Though the goddess preferred to live a little, even she had to admit work was important—very infrequently.
It had been a long day of tedious documents, signing files here and there while under watch by a camera Kcalb and Wodahs had installed so they could confirm she was working. While Etihw felt it was a breach of privacy, their argument was valid even if she didn't like it and they forced the issue so she would actually work. The goddess wasn't pleased in the slightest at this conduct even though it was centered on her own desk and the mountains of paperwork which had already engulfed the poor furniture leaving not a single trace of it in sight. That meant she had to share Kcalb's desk with him; the devil was very neat and organized unlike her, and he didn't mind so long as she did the work she was supposed to do with the camera on his desk as well so the footage would still capture Etihw. It wasn't much trouble moving the tripod it was on.
Etihw would've much rather preferred taking a walk through Gray Village instead, opting to "patrol" in her own words so the citizens could be safe. Her reasoning was logical since that last invasion undertaken by Ivlis nearly destroyed their world, but the guys easily saw through her lie despite the fact it made perfect sense. They did acknowledge it and told her it was the reason why there were daily patrols every now and then, so there wasn't a need for the goddess to go out and do it herself on her own. Etihw had sheepishly forgotten all about those patrols, and that also tipped them off about her true intentions: to get away from work and be lazy. Hence that camera and how the footage was closely monitored by Froze. Even a loyal angel like her wouldn't help her.
"Oh well, at least it's over for today," the goddess commented casually as she sauntered to her room for a good night's sleep. She was half-tempted to sneak inside Kcalb's room and play a mischievous prank on him while he slept, but figured that would make him angry. The devil went to bed a bit earlier at an hour ago since he had a headache from so much work as it was a hectic week—and the only individual responsible for that was none other than Etihw herself, the laziest goddess everybody knew. To make fun of him now would be too cruel, especially when she was the cause of it. Even Wodahs went to sleep by now as well at around the same time Kcalb clocked off, so that left her with another hour of work by her lonesome self—without touching the camera.
She sighed in exhaustion upon finally reaching her bedroom door, grasping the knob in her hand and turning it before pushing the thing open. Crossing the threshold, Etihw yawned again as she flipped the light switch and found much of her room in order. The bookcase with the desk and her closet were all good, and so were the cabinets and chairs by the table in the center. Though the bed she slept in looked…different, as if something or somebody was hiding under the covers. She smiled, putting a finger to her chin while tiptoeing over. The goddess never expected to find some lost soul who couldn't sleep in his or her own bed under the covers of hers, so Etihw figured it was only fair she playfully scare the individual—or individuals if there were more than one—away.
A few moments later she was crouched by the bedside and the nightstand, waiting to attack her victim—victims—with a light pounce. Etihw wore a mischievious smirk while narrowing her eyes somewhat with the eyebrows slanted down towards her nose. The goddess wanted to appear particularly menacing so her prank could successfully scare whoever was under her covers. Taking a couple seconds longer prior to the assault so whoever it was could be lulled into a false sense of security, Etihw finally jumped and landed on top of the enormously trembling bump with her belly on top of it. Her arms quickly closed around the bump as she heard a pair of familiar shrieks from within the covers, the sources crying out in terror as they struggled to escape from their assailant.
Luckily Etihw recognized them and repositioned herself on the bed by getting off of them, giggling playfully as Ater and Arbus emerged. They jolted upright with arms wrapped around one another in a tight embrace as the two cat demons trembled. They looked very pale, and they were also breathing heavily in short, jagged bursts. The goddess stopped laughing at them so Arbus and Ater could calm down. "Well, this is quite an unexpected surprise," she remarked while cocking her head to the side as she crossed her arms. "I never thought I'd see you two here tonight. Don't tell me you both got lost en route to your own room." That last statement was a tad sarcastic, but Etihw didn't mean anything by it as her tone of voice didn't even possess a hint of malice.
Ater and Arbus swallowed heavily as they dusted their matching black and white pajamas off while straightening them out. "S-s-sorry…" they stuttered quietly, swallowing again while they tipped their heads down in shame. It wasn't a serious offense, or rather an offense at all since Etihw didn't mind their presence. In fact, she was happy to have visitors to play with for a bit before bed, so the goddess just closed her eyes and laughed cheerfully.
"Oh, it's quite alright, you're not causing trouble at all," she said to reassure the cat demons that she wasn't angry with them. How could she when the two of them were just so adorable? The kitty duo may not have been professional, but Etihw enjoyed their company as pets and frequently played with them. Sometimes Kcalb joined in as well, which actually took the goddess by surprise. She didn't question it since she knew Kcalb was like a father figure to them, and Etihw respected the trait even though he did get reasonably mad with Ater and Arbus for not listening to him. What did he expect? They were cat demons after all. "Though I do wonder why you're here."
At this the cat demons went from pale to ashen as their hearts skipped several beats before Arbus spoke up. "S-something's…in o-our r-room…" she whispered fearfully as Ater nodded.
"Y-yes…s-something s-scary…I-it g-growled at us…W-we heard c-chains t-too…"
Etihw nodded with a blink, putting two and two together as she thought of a couple options to solve their problem. "And you would like to sleep with me tonight, or you wish for me to check for any scary monsters in your room, correct?" she inquired to which Arbus and Ater nodded as a sign of confirmation while embracing each other again.
"Y-yes, p-p-please d-do…" they whimpered timidly, going with the second option. Perhaps they really didn't want to bother the goddess at this hour with their petty issue—and really, it was insignificant because of their strength, so they could have handled this matter themselves—but she didn't mind. Etihw was always glad to help them because she was very fond of Kcalb's pets.
"Very well, girls, show me what nature of beast frightens you," she stood up as the kitties followed her to the door. Arbus and Ater each grabbed hold of the goddess' arms as they stepped through the threshold and back out into the hall. They held on tightly while the trio walked over to where the cat demons' room was, just right across from Kcalb's. "Sorry for terrifying you further," Etihw apologized on the way over, "I didn't mean to, really, but I couldn't help myself as someone decided to hide in my bed." Ater and Arbus drew closer to her when they reached their destination, trembling in fright as they stopped the goddess from opening the door too quickly.
"N-not s-so f-fast…" Ater whispered fearfully as Arbus finished for her twin sister.
"I-it might g-get out…"
Etihw nodded and put an index finger to her lips as a gesture of silence. "Okay, got it. We'll head in quietly and take this monster by surprise, alright?" she inquired as the cat demons nodded reluctantly with some hesitation. "Don't worry," Etihw added, "just leave it to me. I'll handle this, so stay back behind me while I take care of it."
"B-b-but w-w-what if…?" Ater and Arbus asked timidly, their voices raising in fright due to the proposal laid out by the goddess. Etihw smiled sweetly, grateful for their concern. She knew the only things that could actually frighten them were dogs, a stereotypical phobia present in cats like them. Not all cats were scared of dogs, but Arbus and Ater certainly were. So to reassure them she'd be safe, Etihw embraced them both in a tight hug to soothe their nerves.
"I'll be alright, girls," she said calmly to comfort them. "I'm glad you're worried for my sake, so I thank you for that. Mind you, I am a goddess. Whatever manner of beast it is will actually underestimate my abilities. I'm sure this thing will be more scared of me than I will be of it, plus the three of us together outnumber whatever the creature is. Trust me, we're a goddess and two of the most powerful demons under Kcalb; there's no way we'd lose." Although the cat demons were doubtful of her words because of how scared they were, the kind, confident words Etihw spoke to them provided them some comfort with a bit of courage. "It will be fine," Etihw continued before Ater and Arbus swallowed heavily and drew even closer to her.
"O-o-okay…" they stuttered, "p-p-proceed…"
"As you wish," the goddess granted them their request while continuing the task they went to her for. The three of them slowly stepped into the room, carefully sauntering to the bed. Arbus and Ater guided Etihw there while she helped them sit down and get comfy. "Now show me where this monster is. Where was it when you first heard it growl?"
"T-the c-closet…" the cat demons pointed to their closet by a couple of bookcases, each of which was stuffed with all sorts of children's books and fantasy novels. Ater and Arbus were really into those sorts of stories, which was no surprise given the fact they were adorable, playful, kitties. But it was the closet that now had Etihw's attention because they showed it to her. It was actually quite the cliché in horror stories, a common trope utilized within minor ghost stories which could even appear in darker circumstances depending on who was telling the tale and what it was about. One could only wonder what sort of skeletons were hiding in the closet, but that was irrelevant as that had more to do with secrets and inner demons rather than real monsters.
Etihw nodded and gradually approached the closet at a slow pace. "Very well, let's take a closer look at just what this frightening beast is, shall we?" she inquired while heading towards it and grasping the handle for the sliding door firmly in her hand. She was about to quickly open the door as a way of catching whatever was in there off guard, but the cat demons cried out.
"N-no, L-Lady Etihw, p-please d-don't!" They pleaded with her, begging the goddess who had come all this way to help them to abandon her duty. Ater and Arbus had cold feet, which was no surprise considering how terrified they were, but Etihw held her hand up to politely silence the two girls without taking her eyes off the door.
"Now, now, girls, this thing won't go away unless we deal with it at once," she explained briefly. "If we turn tail and flee, it will surely gain the upper hand. Just leave this to me, alright?" And without further ado in a fast motion, Etihw threw the door open to find the cat demons' cause of fear and immediately fell back as something pounced upon her much to the kitties' dismay.
"Lady Etihw!" they yelped out of sheer terror as they watched Etihw recollect her bearings as the goddess laid eyes on the monstrosity pinning her to the floor. A Barghest, a spiritual native of the Haunted Forest which pursued their prey after frightening it into a subdued state of fear. The victims of Barghests who managed to escape the terrifying creatures usually described these things as huge black dogs with sharp claws and teeth—sharper than an average canine—with the ability to produce nightmares their prey were subjected to. And now one of the beasts had broken into the castle with Ater and Arbus as its intended meal. How it managed to sneak past security was nothing short of a regular trick up its sleeve since the Barghest was a spiritual entity capable of making its physical form invisible to even the well-honed senses developed to detect such beings.
The goddess scrunched her face in annoyance as she held the beast's neck, preventing that mouth of razor sharp teeth from biting her face off. Etihw buried her hands in its throat and held it tightly to keep the Barghest from attacking the cat demons as she struggled against the demon. She didn't expect Arbus and Ater to help out because of their fear since she realized they had a strong, naturally instinctive phobia of dogs, so she immediately forgave them for staying back. Although the aid would've been appreciated, Etihw knew she was the one who told them to keep away. "Do not be afraid for my sake, girls," the goddess commented with a small smile as she looked to them for a split second until a sudden snap of the Barghest's jaws close to her throat averted her attention back to it. "I know what I'm doing, so don't worry; it'll all be over soon."
Indeed she did, because as she continued to grapple with the spiritual beast, Etihw suddenly found an opportunity to turn the tables in her favor when the thing pulled back and tried to assault Ater and Arbus. The cat demons screamed as it lashed out at them, but luckily the goddess quickly made her own move. With a closed fist, she punched the Barghest in the stomach before opening the palm of her hand to unleash a sharp icicle constructed with magic that pierced the beast's belly. It screamed in rage and pain as Etihw drove another one in its neck and got up immediately so she could conjure up a rock of solid magical power and bash the Barghest's head in. The beast slowly slumped to the floor while the goddess stood up and took several deep breaths as the Barghest then faded out of existence, its form destroyed so that it couldn't come back. Though the Haunted Forest was home to more of these demonic spirits, this one was dead and it was all that mattered because it meant Ater and Arbus were safe. Etihw had to remember to inform Kcalb and Wodahs about it so proper security procedures regarding these things could be implemented, otherwise more of the beasts could've taken an opportunity to sneak into Blancblack Castle.
With the beast slain as the goddess fully recovered from her brief bout, she turned around to face the trembling forms of Arbus and Ater and smiled sweetly at them. "See, I told you it was covered," she remarked while they opened their eyes, having closed them during the fight because they were too frightened to look. Now that the Barghest was dead, they could see it shimmering in the moonlight filtering in through the window over the headboard of their bed as it faded away. "It was easy, really, nothing too difficult for a goddess like myself. I'm just glad you're both okay."
It took a couple minutes for her accomplishment to register to them, though the cat demons eventually smiled widely as they leapt off their bed and embraced Etihw in a big hug. "Thank you, Lady Etihw!" they purred happily, brushing their cheeks against hers while repeating their thanks over and over again as the goddess laughed and returned the gesture.
"No problem," she stated, gently rubbing their backs to pet them as a sign of affection. "It's good you're safe and sound. I don't even want to think about what would've happened if I wasn't here to save you girls from the Barghest." Ater and Arbus laughed as they purred, a way of showing their appreciation for what she did until Etihw broke away from their embrace. "I trust you both can get some shut-eye and sleep peacefully now that it's gone," she said, glancing from one kitty to the other. "Good night, Ater, Arbus; have pleasant dreams." Although Etihw started to leave the room, Ater went to a bookcase and got a children's book off a shelf while Arbus jogged to retrieve the goddess before she could leave to keep her there a little longer.
"Don't go yet, Lady Etihw," Ater chirped.
"We still want you to stay," Arbus finished for her.
The sight of the book in the former's hands indicated they wanted something else from her, so Etihw decided to bite since she knew it wasn't a bother. "You want me to read you girls a story before bedtime?" she asked kindly as the kitties nodded in response, cheerfully closing their eyes.
"Yes!" They chirped in unison while the goddess shut her own eyes and giggled softly.
"Doesn't Kcalb do that for you because you make him?"
They shook their heads. "Nope," Arbus said to answer the question. "We don't force him."
"Lord Kcalb willingly reads to us," Ater finished the brief explanation as Etihw cocked her head to the side with a small smile while gazing upon the cat demons. She thought of Kcalb doing such a kind act for them without complaint and it warmed her heart to know his motivation for it. Despite his annoyance with them for not following his instructions, Kcalb really was like a father-figure to these girls. Etihw couldn't help but admire that in him because whenever she saw the trio together it was like looking at a family photo of a loving father with his two daughters.
In any case, the goddess decided to fulfill their next request. She had scared them, so Etihw was obligated to help rid them of their nightmare come true. Since she was also the reason for that headache Kcalb had due to the heavy workload and hectic week caused by her laziness, she knew she was also obligated to read Ater and Arbus a bedtime story. Etihw surmised the devil did it each night before his pets went to sleep, and she didn't mind doing it either because she'd have someone to spend a bit of time with before bed. However, the goddess had an idea just then to make the cat demons happy. "I'd be happy to read you a bedtime story, but why don't we go in my room for it? You can spend the night with me tonight if you're still scared to sleep by yourselves after what the two of you went through with that Barghest. How does that sound to you?"
Arbus and Ater cheered happily as they embraced Etihw again, purring loudly as Etihw led them to her own bedroom and let them hop onto the bed and under the covers while she went into her private bathroom to change into her nightgown before joining the kitties. "Can we play together too?" they asked happily while the goddess laughed and hugged them both.
"In the morning, yes, but for now it's story time," she responded while opening the book.
…
Well, that was certainly a sweet little ghost story in of itself. I like the idea of Ater and Arbus sharing that sort of familial bond with Kcalb. It's something I want to implement into the story featuring Hastur, whom I briefly referenced in Seven Nights at Clarabella's. There is a good reason for that which shall become clear in that fanfic, but you'll find out what that is when the story is up. It's not the next major Gray Garden project I want to write, though I do want to construct this idea as a story sometime in the future.
Regarding this one-shot, it only took a couple of days to write because of how short it was. I would've gotten to it sooner, but some important things came up that I had to handle first. Now that it's out of the way, I can return to these stories and get them done. I wanted to write a one-shot about Etihw, Ater, and Arbus together, and this was the idea which came to mind. It was a sweet ghost story like I said because of the friendship Etihw shares with the cat demons. She's a very easygoing character from what I've seen in the game's playthrough, and the Gray Garden wikia supports that assertion. Ater and Arbus are very playful, so I'd imagine the two of them would go well with Etihw as a friendship pairing in my opinion.
The Barghest is an actual mythological creature that is rumored to exist in the North of England. There are several different variations of this creature, but the one I looked at for inspiration fits with a concept from that region, particularly in Yorkshire. This Barghest can be described as similar to the one in this story since I based it off the original myth. I suggest you look it up on Wikipedia like I did if you want to know more about the Barghest.
Shade Shaded: If you liked my poking fun at Reficul in Work is Never Done, you'll probably like Reficul's interaction with Macarona in a recently completed tale of mine called Seven Nights at Clarabella's, a Gray Garden crossover with Five Nights at Freddy's. You may also check out my first Gray Garden one-shot, Sick Day on the Night Shift if you want.
I hope you enjoy reading this as I enjoyed writing it.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Gray Garden; it's owned by Mogeko.