Lessons in the Dark

The fire crackled noisily, barely providing illumination or heat to the vast cavern. A thin mist wove its way among the damp stalagmites, though never strayed close to the circle of light. A small pot bubbled atop the flames, the hunched figure beside it slowly stirring the contents.

The scrape of paws on stone briefly stopped the figure’s stirring, and it looked up as a huddled group entered the cavern from the far tunnel.

“Scrapper not want to be here. It’s cold!” one of the shorter figures whined, only for the tallest figure to cuff it behind the ears.

“Be silent! Stone Howl is Elder Howler, from the deep tunnels. Our pack is strengthened by his entering our territory, and we will hear his tales.” The diamond dog led the pups to huddle at the elder’s paws. “Now sit and listen.”

Stone Howl remained silent through it all, still stirring his pot. Finally, he lifted his greying muzzle to the assembled pups. “The tale I tell you is not the oldest of our race, but it shows how, in our arrogance and pride, we fell from the True Path.” He reached into the pot with a paw, and splashed the murky liquid across the stone in front of the pups. It hissed and spat like a griffon, and the pups recoiled, whimpering as multi-colored smoke rose into the air. However, their attention was soon riveted as a line of tiny, bipedal forms marching toward a mountain range, a taller figure at their front, became visible

“Long ago, soon after the fall of Discord, highest of the Packbreakers, our packs were lost, bereft of our ancestral homelands by the actions of the Enemy. So, we set out to forge a new home. We journeyed north, past the herds of ponies as they played in their fields and sought to build ever greater monuments to their Sun and Moon. The Great Alphas saw this and began to grow jealous, but held it close while they sought a home for their packs. We came upon the great mountains of the north, and established the first dens deep in their hearts. Gradually, our numbers began to swell, and so did our warrens. It was after the twelfth Great Pack was founded that the Great Alpha Canis called the packs together.” Stone Howl paused to splash more of the liquid onto the cave floor, a circle of thirteen figures now etched into the stone...

**********

“Do you even know what you propose, Canis?” a hulking brute of fur and armor growled. “This is against hundreds of winter’s worth of tradition!”

“Do not test me, Atrus,” snarled the canine seated at the north of the circle. Canis towered a full head over the others present, his spear-axe embedded into the ground at his side. “I have consulted the Elder Howlers, and they are in agreement. Uniting the packs is the only way to ensure we remain strong in the time to come. The world is still recovering from the Packbreaker’s wrath, and we have a chance to carve a den to put the ponies to shame.” He rose to his paws and glared at the assembled alphas. “So what say you?”

Ulfr and Valdr, the twin alphas of the Northern Pack, were first to yield. Though it surprised none present, the twins well-known for their pride in their own race. Next was Achenar, of the Southern Pack, which surprised Atrus. He’d thought Canis and Achenar were still at each others' throats; Achenar saved Canis' life at the final battle with the Packbreaker's hordes, and in doing so offered him great insult.

T’bik of the Western packs was right on Achenar’s heels, which told Atrus who’d convinced Achenar to go along with this madness. His pack had always been full of the moon-cursed, who chased dreams and left tradition trampled in the dirt.

One by one, the remaining alphas yielded, until finally Atrus was left, the others all staring expectantly at him. He met Canis’ gaze, and knew that he was beaten. He lowered himself to the ground and turned his head, exposing his throat. “This is a mistake, Canis. You have doomed us all.”

“No, Atrus. This wi-”

“Were all diamond dogs named like that?”

The elder lifted his head and glared at the pup that had interrupted him. “Yes, little one, they were.”

“Tumble thinks it stupid.” The pup groused, until the elder struck him over the head with a stick.

“Be silent!” the elder diamond dog snapped, before staring irritably at the scene on the floor. “Now you made Stone Howl forget his place.” He chuffed and splashed another pawful of the pot’s contents across the floor, followed by a second. “No matter. The next part is the crux of the tale.”

The shapes burning into the stone were massive, showing mountains riddled with warrens and dens, innumerable dots that could only be diamond dogs littering the enormous domain.

“For a time, Canis’ dream elevated the Great Packs to stand as the ponies’ equals, and in ways their better. But in this, Canis’ pride eventually consumed him and he declared himself Alpha of Alphas, the title that belongs to Sirius and Sirius alone. The lack of retribution from Sirius was seen as a sign of His blessing, and Canis continued to expand his empire.” Stone Howl lowered his head for a moment as he calmly splashed more liquid on the ground. “But, Sirius works in ways not known to the lesser of the Pack, and His retribution was coming. But it would not come from Him directly. In the lands of the ponies, a great unrest promised to reach further than they could ever know...”

**********

“I am worried, Canis,” T’bik said as he stared at the darkened sky. “The sun has not shown itself for too long now.”

“Has there been any word from the Tower of the First Howl?” Canis asked quietly, his body tense with frustration. “What answer have the Elder Howlers given?”

“They babble nonsense of the moon devouring the sun, and a demon shaped like a pony stalking the eternal night. My own Howlers have felt great conflict in the pony lands, and I share their visions. Something has happened to Lady Moon, my Alpha.” T’bik took a half step back, knowing the likely reaction to his next news. “The packs inside the Ríkr Viðr tell of monsters that stalk the trees, with one mentioning a hydra that now towers over the forest around it. There is also talk amongst many of the packs. They feel that this long night is from a defiance of the duty Sirius charged us with, and-” T’bik was forced another step back as Canis lashed out with an arm, missing the alpha by inches.

“Send a few more packs to contain the beasts inside the Ríkr. I will deal with the dissenting packs personally.”  Canis turned back to stare at the moon, his eyes hard. “Do not forget your place, T’bik. Now, go, and let the other packs know that this long night changes nothing.”

T’bik opened his mouth to protest, but the look in Canis’ eyes persuaded him otherwise, and he left the chamber. He paused at the doorway and glanced back, eyes sad, before he turned the corner. R’jek, his beta, was waiting, and with a curt yip the two set off.

“What did he say, T’bik?” R’jek asked as he glanced out the window, a low whine in his throat. “Is there any sign of Lady Sun’s return?”

“Go find our Howlers, and meet me at the pack’s cavern,” T’bik replied as they exited Canis’ den, looking up at the moon. “I don’t know what Canis intends for the Packs, but I will not be part of it. Once we are gathered, we shall go west.”

R’jek stopped for a second, shocked to the core by what T’bik was suggesting, before he nodded woodenly. “I obey, Alpha.” He turned and loped away, vanishing down a side tunnel.

T’bik watched him go, not missing R’jek’s use of his title. “I’m sorry, my friend, but this must be done.” Whether he meant the words for R’jek or Canis, he did not know.

**********

“T’bik returned to his pack and, stung by Canis’ words and behavior, made the fateful choice to gather the Western Pack and depart. They passed through the mountains and vanished into the wastelands to the west, never to be heard from again.”

Tumble raised a paw. “But, Tumble’s pack-sister is a western dog.”

Stone Howl growled at Tumble before continuing. “Without T’bik to reassure the other packs, fear rose until finally, Atrus and Achenar united their packs, and declared Canis a false alpha. They accused him of bringing about the Long Night by leading us to live as ponies. ‘Diamond Dogs are wardens of the wilds.’ That was the sole duty Sirius charged us with at our birth, and so they went to war to return the packs to the old ways.” Stone Howl gazed down at the seared shapes, this time showing the warrens locked in bitter combat. “The battles fought in the great caverns were bloody, and the rivals of anything fought against the Packbreaker. The mountains burned with our infighting, and the griffons took many of our homes for their own. Finally, Atrus and Canis clashed, at the center of the largest battle yet...

**********

Atrus gritted his teeth as he yanked his spear from his opponent’s belly, the dog clutching at his entrails in disbelief before Atrus thrust a second time through his eye. As he turned his head to avoid the spray, he spotted the dog trying to bury an axe in the back of his skull. With a growl, he released his spear and dropped to all fours, the blade nearly taking an ear off. He drove an elbow into his attacker’s stomach, and as they doubled over, he seized their throat in his jaws and bit down.

Spitting blood, he rose to his paws and retrieved his spear, taking advantage of the break to survey the greater battle. The din in the great cavern was overwhelming, the cries and howls of the diamond dogs blending with the clash of weapons and claws as the two sides tore into each other.

Atrus growled angrily as he saw a single figure standing atop what had been a shrine to Sirius, a pile of slain dogs surrounding him as he swept a giant spear-axe back and forth. He glanced to his side and saw his beta howling directions and strode over. “Catulus, rally the pack!” he shouted, pointing his spear at the distant figure. “I’m going after Canis.”

Catulus nodded, and began to howl new orders as Atrus turned back, realizing that Canis had spotted him as well. The two began to move toward each other; first a walk, then a loping run, dogs scattering out of their way until they clashed. Sparks flew from their weapons as they tried to overpower the other, before separating to circle each other warily.

“Do you see, Canis?” Atrus bellowed in rage. “This is all your doing! You caused this to happen!”

“No, this is your failure. You follow the path of the Packbreaker and have destroyed us all!” Canis swept his arm over the cavern, where thousands had howled their last breath. “We were on the path to greatness!”

“It was a lie!” Atrus charged forward, spear tip flickering as he batted aside Canis’ weapon in another shower of sparks. The two lashed out at each other with their free paws, scoring yet more superficial wounds on each other before separating. “This is not the path that Sirius set for us in the old days! You tarnish his legacy with every breath you draw!”

Canis only growled and lunged forward, spear-axe lashing out for Atrus’ head. The shorter diamond dog smashed it aside and drove forward with his own hunting spear, the point aimed squarely at Canis’ heart.

Too late he realized it had been a ruse, as Canis grabbed the spear and drove it down, under his arm. He lunged forward and sunk his teeth into Atrus’ shoulder. With a howl of agony Atrus released the spear and clawed at Canis’ neck in an attempt to free himself. He felt Canis’ teeth grinding deeper, and he grew more frantic.

With a snarl Canis dropped his spear-axe and grabbed Atrus, using the leverage to tear free a chunk of flesh. As Atrus howled in agony, Canis spat the mouthful to the side and flung Atrus to the ground. “This ends now, foolish cur.”

Atrus frantically grasped for his spear, laying just out of reach. But his wounded shoulder was ablaze and he couldn’t make it move. He gritted his teeth and started to try to rise, determined to meet his end on his paws, teeth bared like a proper diamond dog.

It was then he realized that the cavern had fallen silent. He watched Canis warily as he glanced around, and froze as he beheld the entirety of the assembled packs staring quietly at them. It was almost overwhelming enough for him to not notice the figure glaring silently at the two of them. Behind it, a trail of bodies littered the ground, all struck unconscious. Not a scratch could be seen on the figure itself, which gave some clue to its identity. However, it was the eyes that proudly spoke its name, the most sacred name to any diamond dog.

“Sirius...” Atrus wheezed as he awkwardly knelt, hoping that He hadn’t heard his hiss of discomfort at the ruined shoulder. “I... this packbre-” He briefly wondered where the avalanche that struck him had come from, only to realize that it had been Sirius idly backhanding him. He felt his left eye swelling shut, and his vision swam as he tried to sit up. Through the haze he could see Canis struggling to do the same, a similar bruise spreading across his muzzle.

Sirius was quiet as he looked around the vast cavern. “So, this is what my children have been reduced to? Fighting like starving dogs for a scrap of meat?”

“Alpha of Alphas, I-” Canis yelped as Sirius effortlessly crossed the space between them and pinned him to the ground, a single paw wrapped around his neck.

“Be silent! Your piteous whining will not spare you my punishment! I who raised you from the stone and the wild, and showed you the proper path? You are not worthy of being an omega, let alone an alpha!” Sirius raised his voice until it echoed off the cavern walls. “None of you here are worthy of being called my children! You remind me of ponies, who even now squabble amongst each other for power! I stayed my claws in the hopes that my children would prove stronger to its corruption, but it is clear now that my fangs are the only thing to hold off my children’s demise!” The deity finally released his grip on Canis’ throat and rose to his paws.

“Do you know why I raised you?” he asked softly, teeth bared as his voice rose to reach every dog’s ears. “I raised you to be shepherds, to prevent the predators of the world from growing out of control. Yet I walk the forests, and see monsters, perversions that upset the balance of our world. But of my children, I see only a scant pawful of packs, barely able to defend their dens, let alone perform their role. And when I follow the scents to these mountains, I instead find my children fighting amongst themselves, only thirty winters after Discord was sealed.”

A chorus of whimpers washed across the cavern as the older dogs recalled the bitter battles of that time. Sirius ignored them, raising his voice even louder. “This fighting ends tonight. Your ‘Great Packs’ are undone. You will scatter back to the wilds where you belong, and from this day forward, never will there be another Great Alpha.” He glared at Canis and Atrus until they exposed their throats in submission. Turning his gaze to the remaining dogs, a wave of bare throats met him and he growled in satisfaction. “Remember this lesson well, my children, lest I need to teach it again...”

**********

”So what happened next?”

Stone Howl looked down at the rapt faces of the pups hanging on his every word. "The great packs disbanded the following day; Sirius departed sometime in the night, but the weight of his words stayed with every dog who survived. The Sundering dealt the packs heavy losses, but we did not yield, and we began to return to the wilds.” He splashed the very last of the liquid onto the stone, and lines of dogs marched from the mountain. “As the packs left our strongholds, the long night ended and the sun began to rise once more, a true sign that the world was returning to its proper place. And to this day, for over a thousand winters, not once has an alpha disobeyed the final order given by Sirius.”

“But where is Sirius now?” Tumble asked impatiently.

“Sirius goes where he wishes, and obeys not the summons of any being. If he feels his presence is needed, he will come,” Stone Howl replied cryptically as he shuffled around the fire to place a paw on Tumble’s shoulder. “Now go, the tale has taken its toll on me, and I must rest.”

Dutifully, the grown dog who had escorted the pups in ushered them out, lowering his head in respect as they entered the tunnels.

Stone Howl stood there for a time, eyes shining in the dim light as he stared at the image in the stone. “Some lessons are harder taught than others...”

With a whisper of wind, the fire guttered out, leaving the cavern empty and cold.