A task to prove their worth? Aleph was listening.

Surprisingly, the task didn't seem difficult at all. To befriend someone seemed a lot easier than beating them. At least, it seemed that way where Aleph was at now. When it came to social advantages, Aleph was a pro; who wouldn't want to be friends with the coolest cat there was? As long as they weren't like Shane Go or that green-eyed brown creature, Aleph could make friends just fine! And lying about a dragon stealing a thing Aleph had never owned didn't sound like much of an issue. It sounded like it could be a fun adventure, even, to try and get this collar back! After all, they'd never been to Monoceros before.

And they had no earthly idea how the Collector would know if Aleph mentioned it to anyone, but you know what? They'd take the Collector's word for it.

It never really occurred to Aleph, who was very eager to earn this reward, that having to one thing to get something completely unrelated, or that having to lie in order to prove your worth about earning a physical advantage, didn't really add up. Aleph was just excited that the task seemed relatively easy!

Beaming with a prideful kind of anticipation, Aleph placed their paw on the appropriate space. "Deal!"

Surely, this would make Aleph into the kind of paragon they had dreamed of being ever since their hatching. And not have any other horrendous side effects at all.

Surely.

As paw touched parchment, a flare of scorching smoke went up--the pawprint, despite no heat having seared Aleph, marked the paper with a clear print.

"The contract is sealed," the Collector crooned, as always; and then he vanished in a flash.

@Alrik

Aleph's seal made its way into the contract. They now had a job to do.

A quick mental review:
Find a creature that is big, strong, and kind - []
Befriend that creature - []
Tell that creature that a mean dragon stole your golden collar - []
Convince big friend to help you get it back - []

Side notes:
* - The mean dragon lives in Monoceros, which is hot and dry it sounds like.

Aleph wasn't really one for plans, but anticipation they could manage with ease. Now, to find one big friend...

- exit -