Solum: Arise from Dirt and Ashes

The cave's tunnels aren't as busy this early in the morning than they were later on in the day, most of the miners were still sleeping in their dorm-caves. Our pack's cave was split into four levels. My family lived on the fourth level, the lowest of the low. It was always chilly at the bottom, mostly due from being dug so deep into the earth's crust. I was glad I picked a thicker outfit, the temperature seemed to drop from our home to the cave's tunnels. There was mine carts filled with rocks and ore abandoned on the otherwise empty track. I stayed close to my father as we walked, passing a couple of familiar faces by the time we reached the self-operated lift. The vertical shaft is used to move mines and supplies to and from each level.

My dad and I hopped into the rectangular container, he pulled on the roped that dangled in his reach. The container gave lift and then stopped. Father moved one of his hand farther up the rope and pulled on it again, the box raised once again, then his other hand followed suit. He kept the pattern up, smoother once he got a rhythm. I leaned out of the cart to get a better view. We ascended to level three of the cave. I watched the shop owner's light the candles to their front porches, signaling to nearby costumers that the shore was open for business. My view was cut off by the rock floor that separated the third from second floor.

This is where the school and bank were located. My mother said that I can't go to that school because it was out of the family's budget, I was fine with home school though. I could tell if school was in session or not, the building didn't have any widows. My eyes fell on the bank. I did know too much about the place, mostly because I've never been in it before. My line of sight was obstructed again by a stone wall. We reached the top of the shaft.

The air was warmer at the crust but still not warm enough for me to strip any of my cloths. I've only been this close to the surface once before in my life, my dad decided to take me with him to make a delivery of rubies but he just signed them off to a guard quickly, then back down to the core we went. Now I was close enough to the outside world that I could smell the gentle wind rolling in from the main entrance.

I stepped over the lift's railing, taking the rope from my father's paws.  I held the rope tightly as my dad climbed out of the cart. He took a hold of the rope once more. We shuffled our feet to get into a more comfy stance. We began to release the rope from our grip, causing the container to sink back into the ground. We let the rope slide from my claws slowly so the cart didn't land too hard on the bottom floor and break. There was usually lift watch here to do this for us, but I believe he hasn't started his shift yet.

The rope gave away it's pull and became limp in my paws. I dropped it. Father gathered up the rope that laid bundled up on the ground, then threw it down the shaft so others may use it.

"Okay, Solum, let's get a move on." He said turning back toward me.

"Right." I gave him a nod, then started walking toward the entrance of the cave.

The first level was strictly reserved for the ones that had either political power or jewels, mostly both. I've heard stories of shop  owners making good enough investments and moving their shop from the third floor to the first, where there they got even more business. This is also the floor where pups went to train to become warriors and guards. I could hear the shouts from drill instructors from a distance. I was surprised to see how busy the tunnel was, the shops opened only a couple of minutes and already there were dogs hurrying from store to store carrying bags of objects that could only be explained in one word; junk. Most of the shoppers had had expensive cotton and silk clothing on, as if trying to say how rich they were.

After navigating through the rich folks, the crowd died down and the became absent. The sent of the outside air weighed heavily on my snout. Guards stood at attention, their armor glistened and their spears stared at the ceiling. As I got closer to the cave's mouth, I began to see the tips of skinny black trees. I noticed the sky was a light red hue, I quickened my pace. There was a fluffy white object floating in the sky that stuck out against the pink background. I started to jog.

So close

I was stopped a few feet away from the outside world by a muscular tower in standard guard armor.

Damn it.

"What's your hurry, young blood?" He bellowed.

I could see myself staring back at me through his breastplate. I leaned my body to see pass him, to feed my eyes with the sight of the open world that I was so close to being a part of.

"I asked you a question, pup!" He scowled.

He shifted his weight and cut off my sight again. He reached for my collar quickly and pulled me closer to his face.

"What are you trying to pull?" He growled.

"He's with me!" A voice behind me shot back in response.

The guard met the gaze of my father. My dad wore a stern face, which he directed toward the guard.

"Drop him." Dad said shortly after.

The guard smiled, then let go of my shirt. I stumbled back a little due to not having a paw keep me in place.

"If he wants to run off like that, you should keep the boy on a leash." The guard chuckled.

"The pup's just got excited." Dad explained,"He's never seen the surface before."

The guard accepted the excuse. He looked at me and squinted.

"Hmph, keep better track of him next time." The guard huffed, with that he slowly returned to to his post.

"There won't be a next time, sir." My father's met with mine as I looked up at him,"I promise."

The guard didn't respond while he was walking away. Once he was out of ear shot, Dad placed his claw on my shoulder.

"There WON'T be a next time, right?" He asked.

"...Right." I was slow to reply.

My father returned to smiling, then turned my body toward the cave's entrance. I again saw the outside sky, the fluffy object had disappeared. The sky now was an even lighter shade of red.

"Now, come on, we're going to miss the sunrise." Dad said giving me a gentle push where his paw rested on my back.

"Sunrise?" I repeated.

He only gave a smirk at my reaction. We reached the tip of the entrance, then we stopped. I looked up to my dad to ask why he hadn't continued walking, but before I could let out any words, he silenced me by pointing out toward the bright horizon. I watched in the direction that he aimed his paw. I sliver of burning light poked out from the horizon. My eye's widened at its' beauty. As I watched it longer, I noticed that the orb climbed slowly upward in the sky. I looked away from it to see the forest that stretched as far as my eyes could take me, started to brighten up as well. The rays of light felt warm on my face, the breeze clambered up the arms of my jacket, cooling me off. It's beautiful.

"Welcome to the outdoors, son."