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Galen was a rough young Irishman with fiery red hair, deep set green eyes, the beginnings of a beard and who always always wore a grin on his face. He lived on the outskirts of Chicago in 1923 and was in love with Lacy, the local green grocer's daughter, a girl with hair the color of wheat and eyes the color of old glass. She was not so much a beauty as she was what Galen described as his 'bread ta me butter'. Her looks were plain, but she was stout of heart, and had a thing for books. Her type was the romantic, intelligent, princely type. Essentially, everything Galen was not, and though she was on good terms with the young man, she was blind to his affection.

As such, Galen found himself alone on many Sundays skipping stones on the banks of the Chicago river trying to figure out a method to win her heart.

It was on such a Sunday that he wandered by a tree he passed quite often. It was a skinny little thing, with not many leaves to speak of, and provided little shade in the Summer sun. Still, that didn't seem to discourage a young boy with a mop of chocolate brown hair who looked even skinnier than the tree from falling asleep under it. Galen was the type to never let something alone once it interested him, and Galen had never seen any soul along this stretch of river before any Sunday he visited it, and certainly never anyone to take any note of this tree. As such, by some weird logic, the sleeping boy interested Galen.

He leaned over the boy, who could have been no more than fourteen or fifteen years old but was fairly short even for that age, and sniffed his head. He smelled like dust and horse. Galen looked around and sure enough, the dark bump a bit off in the distance lying in a pasture was a lazing sleeping stallion. A gypsy vanner it looked like. He concluded that the kid was one of the roaming people, or a gypsy, even though he didn't look like he had very dark skin like most gyps did. Maybe he was a fleeing horse thief. It was also possible that he was just a runaway. As Galen pondered the question in front, the boy had the good sense to wake up when he felt a presence nearby. He was startled to find a rather burly and rough looking young man standing directly over him and looking down on him pondering his story. He yelped, and Galen's attention was drawn to the immediate situation. The stallion in the pasture stood at attention and frantically looked for his master.

"Oi! Yeh're awake'then now eh?" Galen said before the stallion had figured out where the boy had fallen asleep. He lifted the boy up by his collar as he kicked frantically trying to get away. The horse snorted and began to gallop full speed towards Galen, his head lowered for impact. However the nimble young man simply turned to the side and let the horse find himself stuck in muddy water.

"Quite protective o'im aren't yeh? Good boy." Galen said to the struggling stallion. He looked back at the boy. "Wot's yer name lad?" By this time the boy was so scared he was nearly in tears, but he surprised Galen by finally grasping a hold on his arm and turning around and attempted to bite him. "Oi! Feisty little bugger aincha?" Galen successfully blocked his attempt with his other hand. Galen grinned wider. "I think I like yeh. I'll take yeh home." Galen declared. By this time Gray, for that was who the horse was, had gotten out of the water and was readying a second charge, except for the fact that a carrot was stuck under his nose. He had been starving and took it readily. As he chomped on it, Galen rubbed the horse's nose affectionately.

Gray lost the urge to continue being belligerent. Loki, for that was who the boy was of course, was still struggling, but very weakly, and an audible grumbling resounded from his belly. Gray neighed softly in the boys ear, and he nodded slowly too tired to struggle anymore.

"Hm?" Galen lifted him up once more. "Wot's yer name boy?" He asked again.
"..ki.." The boy muttered.
"I dinnae catch tha'."
"..."
"Well, I did 'ave this mighty fine muffin in me pocket I was plannin ta share widd yeh... but..."
"...Loki!" Loki said loudly.

"Ahaha! Loki innit? 'ere yeh go." Galen put him down and rummaged in his pocket for a half a cinnamon muffin. He gave it to Loki, who scarfed it down immediately. "I got more whar tha' came from laddie, me mum bakes tons." Loki nodded and followed Galen from a safe distance, sticking close to Gray.