A howl echoed through the air, calling forth brethren from all the nearby areas. The lone figure dropped his head, ending the howl and stared out into the dark. He snarled as his claws dug into the soft earth under him. Wincing as the collar bit into his neck, he knew there would at least be a bruise if he didn’t start to bleed. The brilliant, orange gem felt cool on his matted and dirty fur, the only pleasant feeling of his most hated collar. How he wished he could bathe, but now was not the time. His nose wrinkled in disgust as the rough fabric of his scarlet vest clung to his body. He wanted a bath, but time was a luxury he did not have.
He shifted in place, full of impatience and anxiety. His pack needed to appear. They needed to hear the news, news that left a churning feeling in his gut.
His green eyes glowed eerily as his head snapped around to glare at a moving bush. He immediately sat up, ears and tail erect. He stared intently, waiting for whatever may come out. Green eyes met with yellow. He relaxed.
“Rover.”
“Fido.”
The larger dog bowed his head and pulled his ears back in acknowledgement before coming to sit to the smaller dog’s left. His tail tucked in as he dared not look up at Rover as he could feel the silent anger being expelled from his smaller body, still standing, tense, and ever alert. He instead decided to focus his eyes on the surrounding area for the arrival of their missing pack member.
It wasn’t until a smaller dog walked out of the bushes that he slunk back, his services no longer needed. He watched the smaller dog crouch low to the ground, before barely meeting the taller dog’s eyes.
“Spot.”
He watched as Spot mirrored his previous position before moving to sit on Rover’s right. They sat still as Rover sat directly in front of them, creating a triangle to easily address them both. They waited with baited breaths as Rover opened his mouth to speak. The tense silence and Rover’s hesitance to speak made their hearts pound in baited anticipation.
“The Red Scaly One took Rex.”
The news crashed on their heads as their eyes widened in shock, both at the news and at Rover’s unusually scratchy voice. Something else was wrong, they just knew it.
“Big Scaly One said the gem quota for this month was not being met. Not enough gems he said. Scaly One said he would take one of the pack as payment. Rex is gone. Mate and pups are sad and confused.”
Rover’s expression took on a grim look. Spot and Fido whimpered at the loss of their pack mate. This was wrong. So very wrong.
“The Scaly One is not happy. He said we need more gems. Double for this month. He’s hungry and wants more. Not happy…Angry…”
He reached up to tug at his collar. The other two could only stare at the obvious tightness of the studded leather and listen to Rover’s labored breathing. They glared at how much it was pressing down on their alpha’s neck, the material angrily tearing at the skin. Their eyes narrowed as the scent of blood slowly permeated through the air. The Scaly One must have tightened it again…
“We can’t…find gems. There’s…no more here, and we don’t…know where to look.”
They jumped when a piece of leather harshly landed on the dirt in front of them. The gem studs were tinged and smeared with drops of red and flecks of dirt. The topaz lost its bright orange hue as it grew dull under a thin layer of dust. It looked so innocent, despite its stained guilt. Their own collars suddenly felt unnaturally tight. It was suffocating.
They pulled back as drops of blood landed on their fur from Rover’s shaking. Looking up, they saw that where the collar was, there was a dark ring of matted and glistening fur. The leather around their necks seemed to constrict with every passing second.
Gasping for air, Rover grunted in pain as he continued to speak.
“We need to move. There are no gems here. Fast. Must move fast.”
Fido pawed at the ground before looking up.
“Why more? Why now? Wasn’t he taking nap? For a long time?”
Spot looked up in realization.
“That’s right! He was going to sleep in mountain cave!”
Rover’s ears pinned back as his lips curled into a snarl.
“They woke him up. A group of ponies. One kicked him in face, and another yelled at him. He said they told him to leave. He’s gone. But now he’s awake, and can’t sleep until next sleep cycle. He lost many gems when he left. He’s not happy.”
Fido rose to his feet.
“What’ll we do? Mate and pups can’t work! They can’t dig! Scaly one will take them. This is pup season, not dig season.”
Rover rose as well, and noticed Fido’s hesitation when his hackles began to rise. The fur made him seem bigger. While he was not as strong or large as Fido, he knew that he was faster. Smarter. The illusion will do its job nicely. His ears pressed against his skull and his lips curled back, pointed teeth glinting in the moonlight in a gleeful expression. He dug his claws into the dirt with a sharp scrape as they scratched the stone below. His tail rose as the sound made Fido shake his head. Pulled his claws out, he scratched again.
Again.
A few more times.
Fido dropped to the ground and began to whine and paw at his ears. The noise seemed to only grow higher pitched. His ears couldn’t take it anymore. He had one chance before a headache decided to take residence in his mind.
He rolled onto his back, closed his eyes, and waited. He waited with baited breath as the infernal noise stopped. He could feel Rover’s gaze on him. Studying him. Watching his every move. It was the soft thud of his leader sitting did he finally open his eyes. Slowly moving to sit down, he dared not look at Rover’s eyes and instead concentrated on Spot pawing at his ear. He wasn’t the only one the noise had affected.
He sat in shame.
All ears perked up when their alpha began to speak once again.
“Go to the pack. Get the guards. Some will stay, some will go. They must protect the pups. Females are still too weak. Many are still pupped. Must leave protection for them. Move the weak into dens. It’s not safe anymore. The others will help dig.” Rover frowned at their hesitation. “Go to the Clans! Now! Go!”
He watched them dart into the brush until they were no longer heard. Their shadows no longer seen. Reaching down, his large paw grabbed the forgotten collar on the floor. His other paw brushed the dust off the topaz. He stared, and his reflection stared back. His eyes clenched shut as they began to water, ears pulled themselves back.
He raised his head towards the moon and a howl pierced the still air.
He mourned for his fallen comrade.
He cried in worry for his own mate and pups.
He shook in fear of what was to come.
~~~
A gray blob lay curled into a ball, hardly hidden under a tiny bush. A lone green eye watched his surroundings. He watched for intruders, or anyone that dared to come near him. He caught sight of three smaller blobs trying to stealthily approach him. Trying being the key word. He tried to restrain his laughter when that gray blob tripped, sending the brown and black blobs tumbling down on him. He curled in tighter when they the blobs shook and stood back up, returning to their mission. His closed his eyes as the blobs jumped towards him, waiting for the impact.
Lifting his head, he took note of his wards. The puppies were pulling or tugging at his body with determined eyes. A large gray one pulled on his tail, intensely focused on using his small teeth and oversized paws to catch to wagging tail of his father. He remained oblivious to his smaller siblings. The smaller black one had taken residence on his raised head. The black pup was content with using her small paws to swat at his twitching ears. He tried to control his grin as the smallest pup had tripped over his tail, landing directly on his distracted brother. Small bodies of brown and gray fur soon began to wrestle in the grass.
He was about to lay his head on the ground once more, but his ears suddenly turned towards the sound of a distant roar. A roar he knew all too well.
He carefully rolled his head, sending his daughter rolling onto the soft grass before standing. Turning to the sound of growls, he harshly barked at the roughhousing brothers. Their whines of protest were soon interrupted by their sire’s growl. They stilled as the feeling of being lifted into the air overtook them.
With two pups in hanging carefully by the scruff of their neck in his teeth, and another in his arm, he dashed into the forest. That roar kept echoing in his mind, and he knew nothing good could ever come from it. That very roar was the bane of the Diamond Dogs’ very existence. No matter how hard they tried, they could never escape.
His paws soon felt the hard, familiar, earth of his den, hidden carefully in the mountainside. He carefully ran into the obscured tunnel, eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light. The pups grinned in delight at the sudden rush of cool air.
Navigating the labyrinth of tunnels was simple. He was raised here. Like his sire, and his sire before him. It was home. It was safe. It was something that will be missed dearly. Twisting and turning though the corridors, he began to approach a well-worn opening.
Quickly moving inside, he was warmly welcomed by a sleek, if tired, dam. Her blonde fur brushed against his as her head rested softly on his neck. He relished the feeling, knowing it could be some time before he felt the closeness of his mate once again. It had to stop. He didn’t want it to stop, but it had to. Carefully depositing the pups at her feet, he reluctantly pulled back. He whined as the confusion in her eyes registered in his mind. Looking down, all he could do was whisper, “He called…”
He sighed as his mate turned and made her way into a tunnel. He patiently waited for her to return as his own confusion began to take form. Was she angry? Sad? Did she feel helpless? He didn’t know. He just knew she would be alone.
Turning to the tunnel, he watched as she exited the tunnel and sat before him. All he could do was watch as she dropped a piece of red fabric on the ground before him. Looking down, he recognized the familiar red fabric of his vest. Carefully lifting it into the air, he finally decided to slip it on. The scratchy fabric brought back memories of their tormentor. His thoughts were broken as the soft feeling of leather slipped around his neck. Focusing, he noticed his mate had placed the studded collar around his neck.
Reaching up to grasp the gem handing from the collar, he noticed the irony. His tormentor had staked his claim on his pack. The red vest reminiscent of his scaly armor, and the orange topaz identical to his draconic eyes. The gem was cold and frozen, not unlike his slaver’s eyes. He felt like he was being watched. He felt his presence everywhere. He didn’t like it.
He let the gem rest against his chest when his mate began to nuzzle his neck. Pulling her into a tight hug, he reluctantly let her go when she pulled away to tend to the pups. She looked back, smiled sadly, and walked into the tunnel where the pups had run off to.
He watched her go. Listening to the slight echo of tiny paws hitting the tough earth, he decided that he needed to leave. He needed to leave before the promise of safety in his den caused him to stay.
So he did.
Raising himself to his feet, he turned around and walked out. He could have sworn he was walking painfully slow. That time had slowed to a stop around him. His gleaming green eyes glowed in the darkness that threatened to swallow him. He knew there was no choice. That roar was familiar. That roar had called for the Alpha of the Diamond Dog Clans. But most of importantly, that roar was dangerous. Far too dangerous to ignore and leave his pack to the mercy of the Red Scaled One.
Blinded by the sudden sunlight, he looked off into the faraway mountains and began his trek. He ran with all his might, forced his legs to accelerate to painful levels. Any slower would be suicide.
