Marshal barked just a moment too late. Something squished underneath Illene's hoof, causing her mouth to twist in a grimace, raising the limb delicately to peer at what lay underneath. A creature clung to her. Somewhere between octopus and slime, ectoplasmic and frankly rather disgusting. Shaking her hoof to clear it, Illene whinnied her disapproval when it continued to writhe, stuck in place.

"Marshal!" She snapped, turning towards the old deerhound that watched on with ears tucked flat down on his head, unsure how to move forward until her command. He did not resist her demand to come closer, the training ingrained in him to his very bones. Bounding forward he looked back and forth between Illene and the creature, dancing on his feet, a little slower than he had once been in her youth.

Holding out her hoof towards him, she shook it in his face. "Oh Gods," she tried not to gag as she felt it move again, the suckers tight on the hide around her hoof. "It's creeping up!" The worst were nearly a shriek, only contained by her own years of training to be self-contained. "Marshal get it!"

Trying to dodge her flailing hoof while also actively attempting to do as he assumed he was being asked, Marshal snapped in the air with his teeth, just missing it at Illene tried to shake her hoof again. Her head was tilted away, unable to look without gagging.

A few more close calls, and the old dog's few remaining teeth latched onto the gelatinous creature, being pulled up into the air and off his teeth as Illene continued to flail.

It stuck, clung, squeezed, and finally ripped free, Marshal running away from Illene to shake his head violently, chomping down until the creature's suckers stopped attaching themselves to his teeth and his cheeks.

When the growling stopped, Illene finally braved a glance in her hound's direction… Dull, muddy fluid coated the wiry, greyed fur covering Marshal's chin, but the creature itself was a melting blob just behind him.

A relieved whinny, a sigh, and Marshal slowly padded toward her. Illene bent her head, nuzzling against his much smaller one. His breath was heavy and huffing from the exertion, but Marshal nuzzled eagerly back.

"Thank you, my Marshal."

The old hound chuffed softly.