I am a slave.
Forced to suffer through labor and servitude. That's how it's always been, since the day I could walk I worked in the mines. I was given a pickaxe and shovel and was told to dig, dig for metals, jewels, valuables, anything that my masters wanted. I wasn't given rewards for my findings, nor was I praised. Just a nameless dog, from a nameless clan, from a nameless bitch.
I never knew my mother, master decided to knock up a bitch for his own sick amusement and lust, she had me, then I was dragged to the cages to be taken care for by other slaves until I was old enough to work. The tramp was probably dead to be honest, no one survives long enough to become elderly.
Probably curious to know how this all happened, huh? Well, us dogs come from clans, or rather, families. Each clan has their own traditions, laws, ways of life. Well this sick puppy just so happened to be born to a clan that was conquered by another clan. Our ruling clan is a very... Well how do I put this?
They steal, conquer, destroy, and are full of greed and lust. They are Pits after all, very dangerous breed. From what the other dog slaves said, my clan was small and just dug for jewels and such to eat. Didn't have any goals or conquests, us Dobers just wanted to live a simple life.
You can probably see why we were conquered so easily. We aren't the only clan to be conquered either, our ruling clan have about 3 or 4 clans under their imperium belt.
Would be impressed if I didn't happen to be on the receiving end of their rule. Taking over another clan, albeit ours, isn't an easy task. At least from what I can gather. All my information is from other dog slaves that talk about it.
I don't really talk to the other slaves much except when I have to organize, especially the ponies, all they do is bitch and cry. They also suck at the work they're given, gets the rest of us in trouble. But the reason I don't speak to the other slaves is mostly because I don't want to be punished for being distracted, but also because I want to avoid having any attachments if and when they are killed.
It's better to be the 'quiet, do what you're told, and stay unnoticed' type. Your chance in survivability goes up higher. And survival is everything here. Never talk back to the ruling clan, don't half-ass the job your given, save your food for days that they 'forget' to hand it out, be attentive, and most of all, do not be weak. The weak die the quickest. Do not be weak. Don't know how many pups and ponies I've seen that have been subjugated to horrendous cruelty for just letting out a sob. I was lucky, I only ended up with deep scars on my back from when I was younger. Scars that will never heal.
Unfortunately, I just so happen to be organizer for my tunnel. That means the ruling clan comes to me when they need something done in the mines or when they need to collect. Pretty much impossible for me to be unnoticeable. Been here the last 14 years of my life, so I'm technically one of the veteran slaves so it makes sense that they come to me, still sucks ass though. Especially when we are a few stones short of the amount they request.
Most of the slaves here hope to one day be freed from this life, whether it means escaping or embracing the cold grasp of death. Some even have faith that they will be freed by some omnipotent celestial being. Me? I don't believe in something illogical as hope and I don't have faith in fairy tales. Instead, I take it at face value. There is no escaping, there is no freedom. Not without sword and blood, not unless we fight. But these insipid weaklings won't fight, they leave it to their non-existent beings to help them.
I don't actually think they want to be freed. They just play 'pity me, pity me' and never do anything to help themselves like the weaklings they are. I on the other hand? I want to kill these motherfuckers. For every scar, for every bruise, for everything they've done to me. I want them to look deep into my grey eyes as I slaughter them, tearing into their flesh. Show them who the real top dog is.
Unfortunately, it won't happen like that. I would be alone, probably gutted on the spot and made an example out of. So I continue to dig, continue to mine. Collecting different stones with the other slaves for our masters.
Ha, our masters... The slaves call them brutes, and not just because they are savages. They are big and they are tough. It's true, just being half Pit, I'm a lot stronger than many of the other slaves. Helps with the work, being strong allows you to keep going. Most of the ponies here will probably last a month, maybe 2, they just don't have what it takes to keep with the quota. The long hours, the little food, they can't adjust quick enough. The younger pony slaves will die in a week. Its sad, but it's the norm here.
Speaking of the ponies, a few new unfortunate souls have been picked up, they will be working in my tunnel. They will be taking the east side of the tunnel, along with a few dog slaves to show them what to do. No doubt they'll be a handful, probably pissing themselves the entire time. They aren't worth anything to me so I don't care what happens to them. Like I said, they don't survive long. The only thing that concerns me about it is that they most likely won't gather enough stones before their deaths, so then I'll have to appoint new miners and blah blah blah. I'll worry about it later.
The life of a slave, born into the world and forced to live through damnation... I will escape, it'll be a long time before then, but I will escape.
I am a dog, a nameless Diamond Dog. And I will escape this hell hole.
Today new ponies will joining my tunnel, not sure about the exact amount, but from what our Charge said to me, we'll be getting a handful. I can understand their reasoning for adding more this time around, as to them, they get more bodies for the job. To me, its just more bodies to cleanup. Ponies, especially mares and foals, usually don't make it long.
Shitty thing is, most of these new ponies are mares, so the whole idea about 'more bodies means more gems' goes down the shitter. Out of this handful, I can guesstimate that only about quarter of them are actually gonna make it to next week. I'll deal with it, I can make the amount requested with the workers I have on hand. Also means we can get some food. Yeah, yeah I know, eat another creature? It happens. A lot.
Anyways, its time for me to call the workers to morning formation. I get up from my bunk in the Quarter den and saunter over to the morning bell for wake up. I grab the little rope tied onto the bell around my claw and start to ring the little, rusted copper bell. I can hear bodies of the workers begin to rustle in their torn, dirty sheets as they begin to wake up. I walk over to the wooden stand that I usually give announcements on, and climb onto it to give my morning brief.
"Listen up! Listen up! Take paws out of ears and form up. Have lot to say. Gem requests for week have almost been met. Also slaves get new workers today, Masters says we teach them mining. New ponies, yes ponies, are coming to tunnel to mine. Get started, bring new workers in when Charge come". They all made their groans or noises and marched off into their work stations. The few ponies we had didn't make a sound.
As you can tell, my equestrian is choppy and broken. I speak it for the other slaves who don't understand our language. Dogs know at least the basics of equestrian and it just makes it somewhat easier to rely information when giving announcements. It also annoyed me when the ponies would ask what I said after giving my daily announcements. I hate repeating myself. And it can't hurt to practice, unlike the other dogs, I actually find an importance for learning new things, being smart.
I hopped off the stand onto my paws and went back over to the Quarter den to wait for our Charge, Warden Rucker. Rucker is assigned to my Quarter to give me quotas, objectives, workers, and whatever else. He is also assigned to to the north east Quarter as well, but I don't really care about that, not my den. Anyways, I waited for him to come along with the new ponies to get started on my duties as organizer. So to keep myself occupied, I grabbed my broken pencil and my old trusty notebook I found a while ago, and went over my recent logs of how many gems and stones we gathered.
Need to do a recount before collection, hopefully my attendants are keeping count, makes my job easier. Also need to accountability of our supplies, saw a few pickaxes left at the tunnels yesterday out of the rack. Fuckers don't realize the consequences for losing and asking for new supplies. Dammit, I also need a headcount of how many workers I have after the ponies arrive. Lots to do today.
I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of rattling keys and the Quarter gates opening . Rucker was here. I put my notebook and pencil in my pack and went out to meet him. Rucker of course is a Pit, a really big and mean looking Pit. And also one of the smarter brutes of the pack. As I made my way over, his angry, brown eyes locked onto mine, looking me over like he always does. Giving an angry grunt, he turned and with a lift of his giant black furred arm, he presented his reason of attendance. An array of colorful ponies were in his following. Muddy hooves, dirty coats, and eyes stained with tears, the ponies had a look of defeat and hopelessness on their faces. They haven't even seen anything yet.
"These are the new slaves assigned to your Quarter, mutt. Take them and get to work". He didn't speak a whole lot, mostly his actions spoke for him, especially if you fucked up in anyway. I gave him a nod of acknowledgement and waved for the ponies to follow me. Rucker turned away and went on with his business outside the Quarter gates. Probably to rape the bitches he 'owned'. Hopefully he did, means he won't bother me for a few hours.
I turned towards the tunnel entrance and marched off with the ponies at my tail. Fortunately, none of them made any annoying sounds along the way. It was a quiet stroll, with only the sounds of paws and hooves stepping on the cold dirt that laid beneath. It would take a bit to get to our destination so I began to descend into my thoughts. My thoughts were of my next plan of action, starting with a headcount of how many ponies there are, and then my total worker count. I'll need to assign them to certain areas and have my current workers show them the procedures and routines.
I brought myself out of my thoughts as we arrived at the mining post. Some workers were at their stations, chipping at the stone while others were pushing carts full of gems to the carrying containers for collection. It was busy, as it should be. Workers weren't allowed to be lazy, not while I was organizer. Guiding the group over to our objective board I made, I turned to the ponies and pulled out my notebook and pencil. "Okay. Listen up ponies. I needs number of you, when I says, sound off with number", I look at a blue mare to the very left of the group, she was scowling at me, "blue pony begins first". She didn't say anything, she just kept up the scowl. This was going to be annoying. "Blue pony, start count", I commanded. She continued to give me a mean look, making me angry with annoyance. I didn't have time for this.
"Blue pony, start count. Now", I growled at her, showing my yellow canine teeth. It looked like she wouldn't say anything at first, but as I began to stomp over to the rebellious mare, she let out an aggressive, but quiet "One".
"... Two", another pony began, after I looked at her. A third spoke up, then a fourth. Finally after sometime going between the ponies, the count landed on 23. After finishing their count, I logged it down in my notebook for my headcount. Looking back up at the ponies, I lowered my notebook, "Okay, ponies' new names are numbers. No forget numbers". Numbering the ponies helped a lot when assigning areas and it helped with duties that needed attention. The other workers also have numbers.
"Okay. One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven. You work with miners, gather gems and put in cart. Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve. You work pushing carts and collecting. Rest of ponies, get pickaxe from rack and mine gems. Workers show you". With that I turned away to perform my own duties and get the counts I needed. But I didn't get very far, the blue pony that gave me trouble earlier once again gave me problems now.
"No", I whipped around to meet her eyes.
"No?", I questioned.
"Yes, No! You have no authority over The Great and Powerful Trixie, Diamond Dog. And I demand to be released!". The other ponies gawked at her. I snarled, I can't have ponies giving me trouble, it prevents work from being done. And it takes up my time as well. I'm not lenient when it comes to defiance, either you listen and survive, or you fucking die. Whether its from the Charge when I send up the daily reports, or it'll be from starvation. I don't feed those who don't work.
"Dog has auth... dog is in charge, pony will listen to dog or pony will get lots of trouble. Charge no take 'no' from slaves".
She made a 'harrumph' sound and placed her flank on the ground. She crossed her hooves and turned her head, pretty much giving me a 'fuck you'. This pony.
"I will do no such thing you stupid mutt!", she said in a snooty tone.
This is where I kinda lost it. Running over to her, I grabbed the stubborn pony by the throat and lifted her up to my face. Her defiant look from before disappeared completely and was replaced by a look of surprise and fear. I slowly brought her face to mine, I growled and showed my teeth. I was in charge, no pony demanded anything from. Half of me wanted to kill her right here, use her as an example to the rest of the ponies who don't listen to me. But I resisted the urge.
"Listen pony, I no care if pony works, pony will get no food. Pony will die. I tell pony once", I look over to the other scared
ponies, "I says this one time, if you work, you eat. You listen to dog, you eat. But if no work, if no listen to dog, you get no food and die. Make more problems for dog, Charge will take care of pony. Now, WORK!", I finished will a yell.
I released my grip on the pony and dropped her to the ground. She landed with a thud and started coughing from being choked. I looked down at her one last time before taking my leave to finish my own shit. She looked back at me with anger, but did nothing else.
Don't get me wrong, I like her spirit, she's one of the braver ponies here. But rebellious makes the job slower, and ultimately gets you killed. Also no other slave tells me what to do, especially a wimpy pony. If all the slaves work, we get shit done, and the ruling clan leaves us alone. Hopefully she doesn't cause any more problems in the future, but I already know she will. Will be just a matter of time before the Charge gets involved, and when he does, it will not end well for her.
I can already tell this is gonna be a long day. I hate ponies.
Author's Note
Hey guys, sorry its been a while. Long while. My time was taken up by my MOS training. Also moving to different places (Fort Gordon to Fort Benning) and airborne training took a lot of my time too. Hopefully I'll be able to write more but who knows with my crazy schedule.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter,the ending kind fucked with me, but I tried. Any criticism is welcomed! :)